Daytona 500 - 2/14/10
After struggling with an underpowered car the whole day, Michael Waltrip finished 18th in the #51 Napa Camry in possibly his last Daytona 500. His drivers David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr finished 5th and 6th in their #00 Aaron's and #56 Napa Toyotas. Marcos Ambrose suffered an engine issue and went to the garage early. He finished 41st, 129 laps down. The race lasted over six hours.
Mikey made the race based on speed and was therefore 43rd.
"You got a copy?" crew chief Bobby Kennedy asked at 1:05pm ET.
"Copy that," spotter Mark Green said through static.
"How about now, Mike? Test 1 2 1 2. Mikey," it sounded like Bobby said. "Mark, you got a copy? 1 2 1 2?"
"Bobby, this is Mark. You got a copy?"
"Yeah, man, loud and clear."
"10-4. Thank you." Mark asked. They discussed where they'd spot Mikey on pit road.
"I don't know if I could pick him up ten away."
"I can get you ten away and five if you need me to, whatever you want it."
Bobby said he could pick up Mikey by the speedy dry near the #31 box. Mark said that was about ten away.
"It's between the 09 and the 47."
"You just get him there to there, I should be able to get him there."
Mark acknowledged and said he heard Mikey.
"All right, I'm online. 10-4," Mikey said.
Junior Johnson gave the call to start engines at 1:08pm ET.
"That's my favourite hat," it sounded like Mikey said.
"Got everything under control down there, boss?" Bobby asked.
"Oh yeah, we're all good," someone replied.
"10-4."
"Somebody put a kick me I'm stupid on buddy's back though," Mikey commented.
"I saw someone walk down pit road with that," the same person as before replied.
"Have a good one today, M-Dub," Ty Norris came on the radio.
"Thanks, y'all too. We'll get Napa a win here. Ty, we've got two shots at it."
"Yeah, we've got two damn good sterling bullets."
"Okay, Mike, the front of the field just now rolling," Mark noted at at 1:12pm.
"All right, Ty, right..." Mark said something else amongst static.
"Give me a shout when you're on the backstretch," Bobby requested.
"Yeah, I'm on the back, right in the middle of the back," Mikey replied.
"All right, sound good here, loud and clear."
"It's a beautiful day. Not a cloud. Great job, y'all. I really appreciate it."
"Pit road speed here, we're going to be looking at 4750 here. Three green, three green."
"Got it."
Bobby said they were looking to make their first green flag pit stop around Lap 45. "That's always dictated by whoever we're running with."
Richard Petty led the field through pace laps in the pace car.
"All right, Michael, it will be one to go when we get here. The line-up that they told me is that we line up behind the 31 with all the cars moving around here," Mark told his driver. "That 31 has to roll to the back. They had said to line up behind him."
Bobby told Mikey he just needed his B-blowers on for now and he'd remind him about fans later.
Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, AJ Allmendinger, Carl Edwards, and Mikey all had to drop to the back. Mikey had a back-up engine due to a crash in the dual race.
Mark Martin led the field to the green flag at 1:20pm. Mikey was 43rd, David 20th, Martin 14th, and Marcos 18th.
Mark told Mikey who was lined up behind him. "Pace car is off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's straight. 71's still outside. 77 outside. Clear all around. 43 99 lined up, coming outside, outside. 99 is the last car in line."
Mark Martin tin led lap 1. Mikey was still last, David 19th, Martin 12th, and Marcos 16th.
"Still outside. Clear all around, clear all around. Still inside. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear, clear."
Mikey said something to Mark.
"10-4, I got you."
Mikey was 40th on lap 3, David 16th, Martin 11th, Marcos 14th. Mark Martin continued to lead.
"Can't keep up too good," Mikey complained. "I've been wide open. Can't seem to keep up. Seems like it's rolling on the road like it did yesterday, same handle.
"Still out there," Mark warned.
"10-4, 10-4," Bobby said.
"Clear all around right there. Clear."
Mikey was 39th going into lap 5, while Mark Martin narrowly held off Kasey Kahne for the lead along the outside groove. David and Marcos were 13th and 14th. Martin was 9th.
"Clear high, clear high."
Mikey was with a string of cars who had lost the lead draft. On lap 7, he was 38th.
"About ten behind you."
"27.50."
"Up behind you. (static) a straightaway (static)."
The first caution was on lap 8. Regan Smith, Max Papis, Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr., Mike Bliss and Boris Said all get together in Turn 1 after Keselowski had been smoking and was incredibly loose.
"Okay, what's your temps there, bud."
"200, 230. Feels like it's the left front. Once I got around those slow cars, I seemed to be catching up with those guys."
Bobby said Mikey's times were good compared to the leaders. Static followed. "Do you hear? When pit road opens, we'll put four on, guys." He warned his driver that some were only getting two tires. A lot of static followed.
"He's taking off. He's taking off. All right, wheels straight, put on the brakes. 49 (static) Hey, Auto."
"Feels like it might need a spacer in the left front. It hits pretty good. It's okay on old tires, but if we ever get a short run, it's hopping around more than it did yesterday," Mikey reported.
Bobby told Mikey to keep him posted as they may add packer.
The first four cars did not make stops, and Kevin Harvick pit just to have a transponder fixed and he got his spot back. All the MWR cars did. Mikey was 29th, David 12th, Martin 16th, and Marcos 21st.
Mark noted that it was one to go and warned Mikey about safety trucks. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards pit again to clean off the grill as his water temperature was climbing due to debris.
Mark Martin led the restart on lap 13.
"Okay, pace car is off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. 37 outside. 55 38 lined up (static) clear high if you need it. Clear all around."
"How did the 37 do that, Mark?" Mikey asked.
"Uh, that's a good question. He did it all by himself there. 34 out there. Clear all around, clear all around. Lined up on the bottom, no help from behind. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear, clear all around."
Juan Pablo Montoya led lap 14, with Mikey 30th.
"Clear by six, back to the 31."
Dale Earnhardt Jr moved into the top spot going into lap 15. Mikey was 26th, David 11th, Martin 14th, and Marcos 22nd.
"Clear by ten."
Mark Martin was stuck in the middle of the two lines with no drafting help.
"Clear all around, clear all around. 43 lined up with you. Clear by five."
Mikey was still 26th on lap 16. David was 10th, Martin 14th, and Marcos 21st. Earnhardt Jr continued to lead with Kevin Harvick challenging along the inside line.
"Clear the 71. Everybody's two by two in front of you there. 5 car back outside. Clear behind the 5 if you need it. Still out there. 71 will be looking outside. Clear by ten behind him."
Mikey was 25th on lap 18. David was 10th, Martin 14th, Marcos 20th.
"Still clear by five on the 43," Mark noted. "5 car still outside. Clear behind him if you need it. Clear right there."
"I think it feels about like it did on Thursday now. It's hitting the ground, and it's pushing, so we need to go up on the right front. I can't get aggressive," Mikey reported.
"10-4," Bobby responded.
"Clear all around. 71, clear behind him."
Kevin Harvick led lap 19. Mikey was 24th.
"43 one back, one back. Outside. Clear behind him. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear all around."
"It's getting to be too tight, mainly because it bounces," Mikey added.
"10-4. If we get a caution, we'll put a packer in there," Bobby assured his driver.
"One back to the 98. Everybody's single-file behind you. Clear the 5, clear all around. Clear by five, back to the 98."
Elliott Sadler led lap 23. Mikey was 23rd, David 7th, Martin 9th, and Marcos 14th.
"Clear by eight, back to the 98."
Kevin Harvick led lap 24. Mikey was 23rd, David and Martin 6th and 8th, and Marcos 14th.
"43 got a run up top, outside. Clear right there. 98 one car back. You're still clear. Coming outside. Clear behind him by eight. Clear all around. First ten or twelve cars single-file. The 44 car one back, one back. Got the 44 and 5 car together. Clear by ten behind the 5 car. Still outside. Clear behind him if you need it. 21 got a run on you, coming outside. Half car back. Clear all around, single-file. Looking outside, outside. 21's still outside. Clear behind him, clear all around."
Mikey lost ground on lap 27 and was back to 27th. Likewise, David dropped to 9th. Martin was 7th, and Marcos 17th.
"Clear by five back to the 11 and 99. They're running on the bottom."
Mikey was 28th on lap 28. David was 11th, Martin 7th, and Marcos 18th.
"Still clear by five back to the 11. 21 still out there. Still out there, still out there. 11 and 99 on the bottom, one back. Still clear, still clear. Clear all around. 11 99 right there with you, one back."
Mikey was 27th on lap 30. David was 9th, Martin 12th, and Marcos 17th.
"That's twenty laps on your tires, halfway on your fuel run," Bobby noted.
"11 going with you. 5 car's still out there. No help from behind. 11 car coming, right there with you now. 11 and 99 lined up right there with you. Clear by five, back to the 11 car. Clear by five to the 11 and 99, clear by 20 to the next car. Still there. You're clear the 5. Clear all around. 11 got a run on you inside, inside. Still inside. Clear behind him. Still inside. Clear clear."
"Stay on your toes. In the next five laps, those guys who stayed out under caution are going to be coming. Keep on your toes," Bobby warned.
Mikey was 26th on lap 34. David was 7th, Martin 13th, and Marcos 19th.
"Clear all around, clear all around. 99's got a run, outside, outside. Clear by three behind him. Clear all around."
"Twelve laps away from pitting, twelve. We're going to be on pit road with our teammates," Bobby told his driver.
On lap 35, Kurt Busch took the lead.
"Clear three back to the 99 and 11. Got a little run up top, looking outside, outside. Clear by two behind him. 11 car coming inside, inside. Clear by eight behind the 11 car. Clear by five back to the car. Clear all around."
"Lost left front grip. Really pushing."
Bobby said they'd get air out of the right front, then packer during a caution. "Ten laps away, ten laps away."
"Clear by ten back to the 82."
Mikey was 28th on lap 39. David and Martin were 9th and 10th. Marcos was 13th. One lap later, Mikey was up to 26th, and David and Martin were 8th and 9th. Montoya and Mark Martin pit at the same time.
"Still clear by ten."
"All right, we're going to get a half pound out of your right front, half pound out of your right front. We're pitting in seven laps, seven more," Bobby informed his driver.
"Clear by two back to the 82, 34 behind him. Clear by twenty to the rest. 82 inside. He's by himself. Clear by two back to the 34, by himself."
Keselowski's #12 returned to the track from the garage on lap 43. Mikey was 27th, David and Martin 8th and 9th, and Marcos 12th.
"Still clear by five. Clear all around, clear all around. Slow one on the bottom, just come off pit road. 12 car on the bottom, there's damage. Clear clear."
AJ Allmendinger led the field going into lap 46.
"Still clear by four, lined up behind you. Still three more to go before we're on pit road."
Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer pit on lap 46.
"Still clear by five."
Mikey was 26th on lap 47. David and Martin were 8th and 10th, and Marcos was 15th.
"All right, this is lap 47 right here, Mike. We will be on pit road next time, on pit road. Clear by five on the 31 car. He knows we're stopping. Okay, 4750 when you get to the cone."
Marcos, David, and Martin all pit at the same time on lap 49.
"You'll be straight in straight out when you get to me. Right here, right here. 3, 2, 1. Wheels straight, put on the brake. Go go go go go. Halfway halfway halfway."
"Single file to the outside. Just hang to the bottom here."
Other drivers were making stops.
"Hold what you got there, hold what you got. 47 and 7 two back. Clear behind the 24. Clear by ten. 11 car is five back. Still clear by three. All these guys will be stopping here. Watch yourself."
The leaders all pit - about one-third of the field - and Joey Logano took the lead on lap 51.
"Still outside. Still there. Clear high if you want it. Clear the 13. Clear by eight. No help behind you right there. A slow one on the bottom here, getting into 1."
Logano pit, and Kurt Busch was the leader again. Robby Gordon had led before that. Mikey was 28th, David 18th, Martin 12th, and Marcos 22nd.
"Clear by fifteen, back to the 31 car. It will be slow on the bottom. Clear all around. Clear low, clear low. Clear by ten, back to the 7 car."
Bobby said the tires looked better than they had for the 150's. "We'll keep working on you here." He said something about taking a half pound out.
"Okay..."
"The tires don't look too good either."
"Clear by twenty, back to the 7 car. Slow one here on the bottom. Still clear by twenty, back to the 7. It's a group of four cars running together. Clear by fifteen."
"All right, you've got that group catching you, 7, 39, 31. A second back," Bobby said.
"Clear by eight. 7, 39, 31 nose to tail. Clear by eight on the next car to them. Running the bottom. Clear by four. Lined up with you right there, lined up with you."
"47.50, 47.50. That's about a tenth, two tenths quicker than that group in front of you. 70.
"47.80, 80. Lead pack 47.50.
"80.
"85, 85.
"70, 70. Hey, uh, the (static)."
"Caution's out. The track is going to be clear, looks like," Mark said.
"All right."
"Yeah, I just have a bad handling car," Mikey said. More static.
The second caution was on lap 67 when Joe Nemechek spun out after Sam Hornish Jr got him aeroloose. Boris Said received the free pass.
"Put that packer in the left front," Bobby said. Static followed.
"Pace car just picking them up now, the leader," Mark noted.
"Put that packer in the left front. How's your temps?"
"They're good, like 220," Mikey replied.
"10-4. Nice and smooth, guys. Just make everything nice and tight all the way around the car. One up on the track bar, one up. Get me a tear-off, one tear-off. We're just doing that packer on the right front."
The field pit under yellow.
"All right, pits are open, open this time," said Mark.
"4750. Three green, three green," Bobby added. "You can put him a little deep in the stall, put that sign down just a little bit. Right there. 4750. Ten away, ten away. 5, 4, 3, 2. Right around the 2, right around the 2. Get that grill, get that grill. Get the grill down on the bottom. You're good, good. Halfway, all the way out."
Matt Kenseth led a lap under caution.
"Going to have some jets here right past the start/finish line," Mark warned.
After stops, Kurt Busch still held the top spot. Mikey was 31st, David 21st, Martin 6th, and Marcos 23rd.
"One to go, one to go."
"All right, it will be lap 70, lap 70 when you get the green," Bobby noted.
"Are y'all having fun?" Mikey asked.
"Nah, I was about to go to sleep there that last run." Bobby said they may put more rubbers in the right rear.
"Okay. Martin has a pretty good pit crew."
"Yeah, 10-4 on that."
Kurt Busch led the lap 71 restart.
"Okay, pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. Got one outside. 12 car outside. Clear behind the 12. Clear all around. 36 and the 13 are the only ones behind you. 34 behind you, sorry, 34. Looking inside, inside. (static) Clear the 31. Clear right there, clear all around."
On lap 73, Harvick was back in the lead. Allmendinger had led the lap before. Mikey was 30th. David was 25th, Martin 4th, and Marcos 21st.
"Still inside. Clear all around right there, behind the 83. Coming outside. Three-wide on the bottom, two-wide. Sitll outside. 34 outside. Got one more coming with him. Clear all around. Clear high if you need it. Clear the 12, clear all around."
On lap 74, Mikey was back to 34th. Martin was 5th, and David and Marcos were 25th and 21st.
"Clear the 37."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 75, having passed Travis Kvapil's #37.
"Still clear by five. Clear low if you need it. Clear all around, clear all around."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 76. David was 22nd, Martin 4th, and Marcos 19th. Allmendinger was back in the lead.
"Clear all around. 21 still outside. 17 still outside, got the 38 behind you. Coming back outside. Clear all around, clear all around. 21 still outside. No help from behind, no help, lined up outside. Clear high, clear high. 38 back behind you, coming outside. Lined up behind you, coming back outside."
On lap 78, Mikey was 31st.
"It's really really bouncing still, but, but I don't know what..." Static interrupted what Mikey was saying. "It helped made the right rear travel, which is good change, but it (static) or if I should think about going again to the front. I don't know, whatever you think."
"Yeah, I was going to put a rubber in that right rear to free you up some more."
"I don't mind that."
"We'll put a full rubber in over there."
The third caution was on lap 78 when Mike Bliss spun out on his own. Allmendinger was the leader, Mikey 33rd, David 22nd, Martin 4th, and Marcos 19th.
"All right, pit road's open this time, this time," Mark said. "4750 at the cone."
"Three green," Bobby added. "Be on your toes. Cars taking off."
"All right, you're ten away."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
Mikey pit with others. Bobby told the crew to clean the grill. "All the way out, all the way out."
"What happened to the 47?" Mikey asked.
"He went through some oil is the report I got over here," Bobby replied.
"His spotter said it blew up."
"Hmm, that would probably cause it to lose oil."
"I asked someone one time what happened to the engine, and she said it got a hole in the oil," it sounded like Mikey said. Static followed.
Bobby said how many laps were left, and what he said after that was covered in static.
"Who's on the lead lap?" Mikey asked.
"Um, it appears to be 35. Oh, okay. Give me a second and I'll look here. So you should be 32nd, behind the..." Bobby cut out. Then static followed.
Mikey said something about the wave-around amidst more static. "They're behind me for some reason. I don't know."
"Yeah, I can't help you right there. The 11 is going to be back there with you, so you have somebody to play around with there," Bobby said.
"Yeah, after bouncing around, I about decided I'm going to chill for a while and hopefully keep telling you good information so you can fix it."
Bobby said it was good Mikey wasn't going to do anything stupid.
Greg Biffle led the lap 82 restart. Mikey was 33rd, David 13th, Martin 12th, and Marcos 36th.
"Got some coming around you. The 12, the 37 with some damage, and the 55. Clear all around, all around. Clear low if you need it. Clear all around, clear all around."
On lap 83, Mikey was 34th.
"Clear clear. Got the 38 on the bottom, going to help you. Clear high, clear high." The #38 was Robert Richardson III. "Clear by six. No help there. The car behind you is damaged. Clear, clear all around. Clear by five, back to the 26 car. 37 still outside. Clear high, clear high."
On lap 85, Mikey was 33rd. David was 13th, Martin 5th, and Marcos 38th and presumably in the garage with the previously mentioned engine trouble.
"Got the 12 lined up there with you. 38 car, 38. Clear all around, all around. Looking outside, 38 car outside. By himself, clear behind him if you need it."
"If they all wreck, I don't want him behind me," Mikey said.
"10-4 on that. Coming outside, 34 car. Clear high, clear high."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 88.
"Clear by three, back to the 27. 37 26 is following you. Clear fifteen to the next pack."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 90. David was 10th, Martin 4th, and Marcos 38th.
"Clear by one to the 37. The 26 is eight back. Clear by one to the 26. 34 still out there, still out there. No help from behind. Clear behind him if you need it. 26 37 lined up with you. Clear by five back to the 26. Clear high if you need it. Coming back outside, outside. 34 still outside, still out there. Clear all around right there, clear by six back to the 26. Clear high if you need it."
"All right, that's fifteen laps on these tires here, fifteen. Just give me a report when you can," Bobby requested.
"Bounces and pushes bad," Mikey replied.
"10-4. We're going to work on the front."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 95.
"Really no better. It does hit the splitter, but now it's jumping."
Bobby talked about loading the right front spot.
"It slides the front on exit."
"All right, 10-4."
"38 still out there, still there. No help from behind."
"Did it stop hitting the tail pipe?"
"Yeah."
"10-4."
"Clear all around right there, clear all around."
Kyle Busch led lap 96. Mikey was 32nd, David 17th, and Martin 6th.
"Clear high if you need it, clear all around."
Mikey was 31st on lap 97. David was 15th, Martin 7th.
"Clear high if you need it, clear high, coming back outside. Clear clear."
Lap 99 saw Jeff Gordon take the lead. Mikey was 30th, David 20th, and Martin 8th.
"38 looking outside, outside. Clear behind him if you need it, clear by two back to the 34. Clear by four back to the 34. Clear by one on the 34, clear by ten back to the last two. Clear clear."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 100. David was 20th, and Martin was 8th. Mikey was 31st one lap later. Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer took the lead.
"Still outside. Still there," Mark warned. "Clear behind him if you need it."
"Really, if I try to run anywhere but the bottom, it's sideways," Mikey stated.
"Okay. 10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied.
"I agree with what you're saying, maybe try to redo the front end timing."
"Okay, we'll give it a go." Bobby said they'd be on pit road in seventeen laps.
"Still clear by three on the 26."
Mikey said something about turns 1 and 2.
Bobby thought the right front may be too much. "Yeah, I'll put that round down on the track bar and pull that rubber back out. It may have been too much."
"Clear by five. 17's still out there. Still out there. Clear all around, clear all around."
On lap 107, Mikey was 31st. David was 18th, and Martin was 7th.
"Clear by four back to the 7."
Mikey was 30th one lap later.
"Still clear by four."
On lap 108, Biffle was back in the lead. Mikey was 30th, David 18th, and Martin 4th.
"Clear by eight on the 7 car. 14's still outside. 7 car one back. Clear all around."
Lap 109 saw Bowyer reclaim the lead.
Mark warned Mikey that Michael McDowell's #55 was holding up a group of cars. "14's still outside. 37 outside, outside. No help from behind. Clear by five back to the 7 car. Clear all around."
Biffle led lap 111. Mikey was 30th, David 17th, Martin 7th.
"Clear all around, clear all around."
"Nine more laps. On pit road on lap 120, Mark," Bobby said.
"10-4. 120," Mark replied. "Clear by ten, back to the 34."
Mikey was 31st on lap 112 as Bowyer moved back into the top spot. David was 17th, Martin 7th.
"Losing the 34. Clear by fifteen."
David Ragan led lap 114. Mikey was 31st, and David and Martin were 16th and 6th.
"Clear the 37. Clear by six."
Mikey was 30th on lap 115.
"Five more, and we'll be on pit road.
Bowyer was back in the lead on lap 116. Mikey was 30th, David 15th, and Martin 9th.
"Still inside, 1 car inside. Caution's out, caution's out. Ease up right there, get behind him."
The fourth caution was on lap 117. John Andretti's #34 had hit the wall after losing a left front tire. Jimmie Johnson immediately pit with a right front flat.
"All right, we're going to move that track bar back down." Bobby said they'd try to take the bounce away from the front. "Four tires, guys, four tires. What's this caution for there, Mark?"
"I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything, except the 48's on pit road," Mark replied.
Static followed.
"4750, four tires, four tires," Bobby said.
"You want to just stay out?" Mikey asked.
"No, come on, make sure we get our adjustments."
Cars pit under yellow.
"Stop him a little long. Give the crew some room. Stop him a little long."
"Five."
"Two, one. Right here, right here. Go go go go, go go go go, right here."
Mark warned Mikey about a clean-up truck.
"You were breaking up there. I don't know which one of you were talking. Come back," Bobby requested.
"Bobby, they got two or three trucks down there, and they're talking about a hole in the track?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, a big hole," Mikey replied.
Travis Kvapil and Boris Said stayed on track to lead a lap.
"They should put a cone out there so everyone can go around it," Mikey said.
"Yeah, that would work good. That would add a little excitement," Mark replied.
"Jimmie Johnson is really good, he's really lucky. His car gets messed up, and there's a hole in the track, so they have to work on it," Mikey commented.
"It's amazing how that always works out," Bobby said. "Got a few guys who had tire trouble. Right fronts wearing out up and down through here. I was afraid that was the way we were going to be that first run, but we're getting better after that first run. That first run was terrible."
"We got it off the right front, it feels like, and onto the right rear, but it's just bouncy in, and when I'm on the right rear, I'm just sideaways. If I hit the groove right, I'm pretty good." Static covered the rest.
Bobby said something about track bar down helping. "Do we look close to one to go, Mark?"
Mark said something about cars going down pit road.
"All right, 10-4. You want to take care of it?"
More static.
"I don't even need nothing. I'm pretty good. Just some more Powerade, maybe," Mikey said. Static. "Whatever."
Bobby talked, but static covered what he was saying. "We'll get you shut down there, turn your power off."
"That makes no sense. Somebody might be thirsty."
"Like you said before, you're not a camel."
"No. Sometimes you just have to scratch your head, sit still, and be quiet."
Cars went to pit road on lap 3:22pm and stopped under the red flag due to the hole in the track. Bowyer was in the lead, Mikey 26th, David 16th, and Martin 9th. Marcos was 39th in the garage.
"00 is just a little snug, entry exit. Just a little tight," Bobby told his driver / the #00's car owner.
"This ought to be good for TV ratings," Mikey said around 3:48pm as the field continued to sit under red during track repairs.
"Mike, they're going to let everyone out of their cars if they want to," Mark told his driver four minutes later.
At 4:50pm, the crew discussed how Mikey wanted a dark shield. Two minutes later, drivers were called back to their cars.
"I got a copy," someone said.
"Hey, uh, are you down there to help Mike get back in his car?" Mark asked.
"I'm headed that way right now."
"Okay, 10-4. I don't see ya."
"We're coming, bud."
Static.
"Hello?" Mikey came on the radio.
"I got you loud and clear."
"Same here, same here." Bobby said they had the same plan.
"I'm going to tell you all my plan." Mikey said, unless his car was good, he would lay back as he didn't think others would be able to make it. A lot of static followed.
Engines refired at 5:01pm.
"All right, go ahead and crank 'er up," Mark told his driver.
Cars rolled off pit road two minutes later.
"Hello," David came onto the #51 radio.
Mikey responded.
"Uh, uh. I was just seeing if you were awake."
"Oh. I saw Tony Stewart pit, and then you said hello, and I thought I missed the memo."
"No, they're working on a tow problem. That's why he had to pit." David said something else amidst static.
"All right, pit road is open this time. We're going to wait though. We're going to wait," Mark said. "We will stop."
Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, and Tony Stewart were on pit road for quite some time. Mikey led another group to pit road one lap later.
"All right, 4750," Mark said. Static followed. "Right here. Ten to go."
"5, 4, 3..." Static covered the rest. "Okay, all good, all good, all good."
Mikey had topped off his tank, as did Jimmie Johnson.
Bobby said they were one stop out. "And we've got cushion for five laps for green/white/checkered. We need a decent drafter. We can't go by ourself, or mileage goes to junk. So stay with a draft as much you can."
"Okay. Yeah, I'm going to try to stay in touch with this one if I can."
"Okay, 10-4."
Bowyer led the restart with 75 laps to go at 5:10pm. Mikey was 24th, David 16th, and Martin 9th.
"All right, pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. Got about ten cars lined up behind us. Still outside. Lined up outside. Got the 38 behind you still coming outside. Got the 21 two back on the outside, coming hard outside, 38 still behind you. 14 coming outside. Clear behind that 14 high if you need it. 38 still behind you. Got the 38, the 12, and the 77, and that's all you got there behind you. 12 and 77 have damage."
By lap 128, Mikey was 33rd. David was 18th, and Martin was 6th.
"Clear by eight back to the 38."
"46.85," Bobby read off the lap time.
"Clear by twelve behind you. Clear by thirty behind you."
Mikey was a little off the tail end of the draft as he rode 33rd. David was 16th and Martin 7th on lap 132. Elliott Sadler led the next time around the track.
"The leaders there are staying two by two. They can't make a move on either one," Mark reported. "Clear the 26."
"Let me know about your car when you get a chance," Bobby requested.
"Back outside, outside."
With 64 to go, Sadler got stuck in the sucker hole and fell back. Clint Bowyer led, and Mikey was 32nd. David was 15th, Martin 6th.
"Still outside. Clear all around, clear all around. Still clear. Still inside. Clear clear. Got a run up on top. Still clear, still clear."
"My car feels exactly the same. It's just jumpy," Mikey said.
"Clear low. Clear by five, back to the 14."
Mikey was 31st on lap 139 as Kevin Harvick took the lead. Martin was 3rd, David 16th.
"14's looking outside. 14 outside. Clear by six behind him. Clear by half. Clear all around, clear all around. Lined up with you."
Mikey was 30th on lap 140. Martin was 2nd, David 19th.
"Clear high if you need it. Clear all around. Coming back outside outside. 14 outside. 37 out there. He's the last one. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by twenty to the 26. Clear high if you need it, clear all around. Still outside. 37 is behind us, 31 still out there. Clear all around, clear all around. Still outside, still there. 37's with you. Still there. Clear the 21, clear all around. Got a spin, got a spin. Stay straight. Caution's out, caution's out."
The fourth caution was with 38 laps to go when Allmendinger spun out. The #43's car had to be put out when the left side caught on fire. Jeff Gordon got him aeroloose. Kyle Busch narrowly dodged being collected too. McDowell got the free pass so he was now one instead of two laps down.
"Okay on..." Mikey cut out, then static.
"Okay," Bobby replied. "Hey, Russell, minus a half in that left front, minus a half in that left front. We'll put four on you here. We'll put four on you."
Mikey said something about not wanting to get lapped. "As soon as it gets to where I can't get lapped, I'm probably going to fall back some more, because I'm probably too close to fix it right now."
"Right on, right on. I got you. 4750 here, three green. Four tires, four tires. Let's go around the 2, around the 2. The 71 and the 2. You'll have a straight shot out."
Cars pit under yellow.
"You're ten away," Mark said.
"5, 4, 3, 2. Right around the 2. Straight in," Bobby continued. "Go go go." More static. Bobby said something about going behind the 20.
"What happened to that 43?" Mikey asked.
"He got loose off of 2 there, and he caught it down on the inside," Mark replied.
Sadler led coming off pit road. Martin was 2nd, David 19th, and Mikey 26th. Sadler's #19 led the restart on the outside line with 54 laps to go, with his teammate right behind him.
"Ready?" Mark said. "Looking inside, inside. Got the two lined up behind you, still inside. Checking up here, checking up. Still inside, still inside. You're in the middle. Clear low, clear low, clear low. 14 coming outside, outside. Lined up on the outside now, no help now. Everybody lined up on the outside. Clear high if you need it. Clear, looking outside, outside. Got the 38."
Martin led going into 52 to go. Mikey was 31st, David 20th.
"Clear. __ behind you. 37 still lined up with you. The cars behind you are damaged cars. Clear high the 38, clear all around."
Mikey was 30th on lap 150.
"38 got a little run on the top, looking outside outside. 37 following outside."
Sadler dropped back again.
"Still outside, still there. Clear behind him by thirty."
On lap 151, Mikey was 31st.
"Clear the thirty... clear right there."
Harvick reclaimed the lead with 49 laps to go. Martin was 4th and fading. David was 17th, Mikey 31st.
"Clear the 38, clear all around."
Mikey said something amidst static. "Nose tearing up down there."
"10-4, 10-4," Mark replied.
Mikey was 30th on lap 154. Martin was 6th, David 16th.
"19 still out there. Clear behind him if you need it. Clear by three, back to the 37. Clear right there. Still outside. Still outside. 21 coming back outside. 19's outside. Clear behind the 19 if you need it. 37 got a run up on top, outside outside. Clear all around, clear all around."
On lap 159, Mikey was 31st.
"Still ou there. Clear behind him if you need it."
The sixth caution was on lap 160. The track was coming apart again. McDowell was back on the lead lap.
"Track is clear."
"What's the caution for, Mark?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know. They just said the caution was on him."
"It's back to how it is. It's just a hole."
"Did that little air adjustment do anything for you?"
"It did." Static followed. "I took a chunk of whatever they put in there to the nose. I don't know if it just bounced off or what."
"10-4. We'll check that out then." Static. "41 to go right now." Static.
"They've got a real problem, because it took them an hour and a half to do that. They got a problem. It's right back to how it was."
Mark noted centre right splitter damage. He noted a couple inches off something, but it was hard to tell what he was saying with the static. "They're going to bring us down..."
Bobby said he needed a piece slide. He suggested to Ron to pull nose pieces off the 47 cart.
At 5:47pm, the race was red flagged again, on lap 162. Harvick led, Martin was 5th, David was 11th, and Mikey was 31st with nose damange. Marcos was scored as 40th.
A crew member asked for a 5/16th allen wrench. Bobby addressed someone, who said they needed barribond and a hammer for the three holes in the splitter.
"This is the wrong clear shield. We need another clear shield."
"Way to go, ___," someone said.
Bobby asked if there were a rock grinder on the pit box. At about 6:17pm, Mark said something about NASCAR wanting to talk with the #51 team.
At 6:22pm, drivers were called back to their cars.
"Bobby Kennedy, you got a copy?" someone asked.
"Go ahead, Auto," Bobby replied.
"Michael is thinking we need to stop right now on pit road and fix this nose. Copy, Michael. He's on the radio if you want to talk soon about it, Bob."
"We're going to be on pit road a couple times anyway. We can come back in here and top."
Mikey said something about being in the back. Static covered it. "I don't even know what the rules are." Static.
"You heading back this way, Auto, or are you staying at the car?" Bobby asked.
Auto said he was staying. "Stay back. Okay, Michael, start it."
"Go ahead and get the holes patched and get tape on the grill."
Somebody said something amidst heavy static.
The yellow flag returned at 6:31pm, and cars rolled off pit road.
"All right, Mike, ten away," said Mark.
"All right, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1," Bobby guided Mikey to his box. He said something about tape.
"The water temperature shows hot for some reason right now," Mikey said.
"Turn your fan on."
"It is. There isn't any water under my car though."
"What's your temps show."
"Um, somewhere where the red light comes on."
"Oookay. Where are we at, Mark?"
"Just now entering 3," Mark replied.
"Well we've got that done, Ron."
"That's it. That's all good, guys. Get out of the way," a crew member said.
Mikey came off pit road, and Bobby told Mikey to monitor temperatures. Mark warned about safety workers standing on the track next to the apoxy seal.
"Are they going to leave them there?"
"Well, we talked about it, but I doubt they'll do it. They'll probably leave them there until it gets back green, just so no one runs through it. Pits are still closed. When do you want to stop, Bobby?"
"We're good. Let's just get caught up."
Mark noted the tail end of the field was just now getting into Turn 1. "Still got pit road closed. Looks like we're going to burn some laps here, it looks."
"How about your water temps?"
"225."
"Your oil pressure?"
"230."
"Take your time so you don't tear the other ones off," Bobby told the team.
"Okay, pits will be open this time, they will be open this time."
"All right, four tires, four tires."
Mikey pit with much of the other drivers under yellow.
"4750 when you get to the cone," Mark reminded.
"Stay on your toes. There may be some of these cats trying to put two on it."
"You're right," Mikey replied.
"Okay, you're ten away."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Right here, right here," Bobby guided as the #51 pitted. "Okay."
"Jeff Gordon got two there, Bob," Mikey observed.
Bobby said they'd top off on fuel with one lap to go.
Scott Speed stayed on track and took the lead.
"Temp come down at all? Water temp?" Bobby asked.
"All right, Mike, it will be one to go this time. One to go. You'll have to stop this time," Mark told his driver. "4750 right here. You're ten away."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Okay, all good. 4750. Tail end of the longest line."
"You've got one more coming, the 20. He'll be the last car."
Debris came off one of the cars, so the restart was waved off another lap.
"Want me to pit again?" Mikey asked.
"Come on, come on," Bobby said.
Meanwhile, Regan Smith went to the garage.
"You're ten away."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Okay, all good."
Speed led, Mikey was 34th, David 14th, and Martin 7th.
"All right, 32 to go when you get the green. 32 to go."
"I'll try to take advantage of it, bud," Mikey replied.
Speed led the restart with 32 laps to go.
"Okay, pace car's off," Mark said. "Ready? Green green green. Everybody's away. Clear low if you want it. Clear clear."
Biffle got around Speed to lead going into 31 laps to go. Speed dropped back. Mikey was 27th.
"Clear by six, clear by six. Clear by ten behind you."
"...Smoking on in. Don't tell me nothing about me," it sounded like Mikey said.
"Okay, 10-4."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 171. David was 11th, and Martin was 5th. One lap later, David was 9th as the other two stayed the same. David was 10th one lap later. Mikey was not with the lead draft at all.
"25 to go this time. 25," Mark said.
"You're staying the same, running two seconds off of that pack. You're running the same," Bobby noted.
On lap 177, Mikey was 31st. David was 15th, and Martin was 6th. Speed was back in the lead along the inside groove, but Biffle was challenging.
"21 to go, 21 to go," Bobby said. "20 to go."
"Got the 43 right there with you."
"Damn, that's a fast car," Mikey commented with 17 to go. Meanwhile, Biffle passed for the lead.
"Yeah," Bobby replied.
Jimmie Johnson lost a tire and was wobbling all over the track with 16 laps to go.
"48 on the bottom's got a flat. Watch him. 48 on the bottom has a flat."
Johnson limped to pit road, and the race remained green. Speed dropped back through the middle. Biffle led lap 185, with Mikey in 31st, David 14th, and Martin 7th.
"Fifteen to go, fifteen."
Johnson reported that the hole in the track was back. Meanwhile, Bowyer moved into the lead going into 14 to go. Mikey was 30th, David 15th, and Martin 6th. Johnson went to the garage.
"Ten to go this time, ten," Mark said. "First ten cars are single-file. Clear clear."
Mikey was 29th on lap 192 as Bowyer continued to lead. David was 14th, and Martin was 4th.
"Still out there. Still there. Clear behind him. 82 looking inside, inside. Clear all around. Still down there, still down there. Clear. Seven to go this time. Got a spin in front of you. Go through the middle. Caution's out, caution's out. Got a couple on the right there."
The seventh caution was on lap 194. Elliott Sadler got loose and t-boned Ryan Newman. The #39 sustained heavy damaged. Travis Kvapil was also collected. A number of cars, including the #51, went through the grass.
"I don't know. I got a... so I don't know."
"Well, your splitter looks good," Mark said.
"If you want to pit and get four and clean my windshield, that might be a good idea."
"10-4. We can do that," Bobby replied.
Martin faked a spot but came back on track.
"Stop him long there," Bobby said.
"4750, 4750," said Mark. "Okay, you're at ten to go."
"Get four. Come on, come on. Wheels straight, put on the brakes. Make sure you get the grill there. Get the grass out of there. Okay, okay. Let's go let's go let's go let's go."
"Okay, Mike, this time, one to go."
"It's a good thing you came. It was full of grass up front. It wouldn't have worked out too good," Bobby told his driver.
Mikey was 29th after his stop. Martin was 3rd, and David was 10th. Biffle led.
"It's going to be three to go, three to go. We're 30th." Bobby said something else about something being full of grass. Static followed.
"Y'all have done a great job today. It's fun."
Bobby said it was going to get exciting, so stay on his tows. "You too up there, Mark Green."
"10-4," Mark replied.
"Yeah, just forget about me, Mark. I got me. Just tell me about those guys."
"10-4."
Kvapil was blackflagged for missing an inplate.
Bowyer led the restart with two laps to go.
"Pace car's off. Ready? Green green."
Martin pushed Biffle into the lead and rode side by side with Bowyer as Bill Elliott and Joey Logano wrecked.
"Got one up against the wall. Stay low, keep coming. Come on, come on."
"Did I hurt my splitter, Bobby?" Mikey asked.
"It's hard to tell. Can you tell Ron, anything?" He told Mikey to check for vibrations, but the brace appeared to be on there.
The caution came out and set the field up for a green/white/checkered finish. Biffle led, Martin was 2nd, David was 15th, and Mikey was 27th.
"It looks okay what we saw on TV there," Bobby commented.
Mikey said something covered in static, then said he'd regret it if he didn't pit. More static.
"Ron," Bobby said.
"Okay, you are ten away."
"4, 3, 2, 1. Splitter's okay, guys, it's okay. Four tires. Normal stop. Get that grill __?__. It's okay."
Biffle led, Martin was 2nd, David was 14th, and Mikey was 27th as the field prepared for a green/white/checkered finish.
"Pace car is off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's moving. Got the 20 right there with you. Keep digging now. Stay high, stay high. Through the middle now come down low. Caution's out."
Caution was out again. Harvick had pushed Martin on the restart and tried to muscle him out of the way. Martin held his ground initially, but Harvick held on. Martin fell back a bit. The wreck came from a bottleneck where Jeff Gordon nudged Kasey Kahne around and collected others like Robert Richarson and Mark Martin.
"Yeah, the 26 passed me in the wreck, but he won't go away," Mikey said of Boris Said.
"Okay, Mike, it will be one to go this time. One to go."
Bobby told Mark to watch some of the guys who were close on fuel.
"10-4."
Harvick led the field to another green/white/checkered. Martin was 6th and was told to conserve his fuel. David was 12th, and Mikey was 24th.
"Okay, pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. Everybody's moving. Still inside. Clear all around, clear all around. Outside line's moving, outside line's moving."
Jamie McMurray led with one to go. Martin was up there in contention with David.
"Still three-wide, you're on the outside. Still three-wide. Still three-wide. Still three-wide. Still three-wide, still three-wide, still three-wide. Got a wreck behind us, got a wreck behind us. Clear low if you need it. Checkered flag, checkered flag. Nice catch there. Guy got into your quarter a little bit. Nice catch."
"Whoo!" Mikey exclaimed. "We got, I don't remember being 18th all day long, do you? Yeah, you really did a great job. Just to be, you know, be as composed with all the trouble we had."
McMurray won the race. David was 5th, Martin 6th, and Mikey 16th. The #00 had muscled his way to the front during the last two laps from 12th. Jeff Gordon had gotten into Mikey at the end.
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© 2009 Kellyanne Lynch, in association with Cyber Speed Design. All rights reserved.
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