By Kellyanne Lynch, mikeypower.com
24 February 2006
Michael Waltrip struggled with his tires toward the end of the Stater Bros. 300, today's Busch Series race at California Speedway. His #99 Aaron's Dodge fell two laps down and finished 26th. Mikey enjoyed three laps in the top ten today.
When the green flag drop, Ryan Newman's #39 Mobil 1 Dodge zipped along the outside of the #60 Ameriquest Mortgage of pole-sitter Carl Edwards. The #60 lost grip beneath the #39, and scuffed the wall as it fell back a handful of positions. Newman assumed the lead on the backstretch. Mikey, who had started 29th, maneuvered his #99 Aaron's Dream Machine to 26th on lap 3.
The first caution came on lap 4. Mark Green's #4 Geico Dodge got loose under Joel Kauffman's #12 Supercuts machine, spun down the track, and collected Elliott Sadler's #90 CitiFinancial Ford. The accident started directly in front of Mikey, who kept the Aaron's Dodge out of harm's way. Green never returned to the race, retiring after completing just three laps.
Newman led the lap 8 restart, but lost the lead on the backstretch to Greg Biffle's #16 Ameriquest Mortgage Ford. Mikey rode 26th when racing resumed, took a spot from Kauffman on lap 10, but lost it to the #12 again the next time around the track. Lap 14 saw Mikey fall to 28th, after Paul Menard and Burney Lamar got around the #99. Todd Bodine passed two laps later.
Jamie McMurray's #64 Top-Flite Golf Dodge lost grip and spun, drawing the second caution on lap 19. While McMurray smoked the track, he continued and lost just two spots. Kertis Davis' #0 RaceGirl International Chevy led lap 22 under yellow, as the leaders pit. NASCAR assessed a rear-of-the-field restart penalty to Matt Kenseth, after his #17 Pennzoil Platinum team jumped over the wall before his Ford reached the box.
Racing resumed on lap 23, with Mikey running 15th. Newman led, but again, Biffle dropped to his inside along the backstretch. This time, Newman held his ground. His #39 held onto the top spot going into the next lap; however, Biffle's #16 powered into the top spot halfway through that lap.
The Aaron's Dream Machine struggled throughout the run. Mikey fell to 17th on lap 27, after Scott Wimmer and Johnny Sauter passed. Three laps later, Kyle Busch knocked him back to 18th. While he got around Sauter on lap 31, Mikey lost the 17th spot to the #17 three laps later. He was also losing ground to the leader. By lap 42, he was over twenty and a half seconds behind Biffle. Ashton Lewis Jr passed him on lap 44, and Sauter and Jon Wood got around him two laps later. Mikey was now 21st.
At the front of the field, Edwards took the lead from his Roush Racing teammate on lap 47. Biffle reclaimed it one lap later. By then, John Andretti had passed Mikey, dropping the #99 to 22nd.
Despite its struggles, the Aaron's Dream Machine gained spots toward the end of the run. Mikey regained 21st on lap 51 by passing David Green. Two laps later, he got around Kyle Busch after Busch scraped the wall. Mikey was 20th on lap 55, when Edwards retook the lead.
Lewis Jr was one of the first drivers to pit, advancing Mikey to 19th on lap 62. Kenseth pit two laps later. Mikey was now 18th.
Lap 67 saw the Aaron's Dream Machine head to pit road. Edwards pit three laps later, handing the top spot to Jeremy Mayfield. By the time Mayfield was marked as the leader - on lap 72 - Mikey was being scored 19th and on the lead lap. Newman took the lead the next time around the track, and as Mayfield pit, Mikey moved up to 18th. Jeff Burton interrupted Newman's lead on lap 76, and held the top spot until the next caution.
The yellow flag waved for the third time on lap 80 after Anthony Foyt's #38 Great Clips Dodge got loose and spun in the corner. Some lead lap cars pit; the first twelve in line did not. Burton's #21 U.S. Coast Guard Chevy retained the top spot, and Jason Keller received the free pass back onto the lead lap.
Burton led the lap 85 restart, witn Mikey in 17th. Newman challenged for the top spot, but Burton held it. The pair ran side-by-side, as a five-wide cluster developed in front of the Aaron's Dream Machine. A three-wide battle for the lead ensued between Burton, Newman, and Edwards on lap 88; Mikey was 18th. Newman slid back, leaving the duel between Edwards and Burton. Edwards's #60 came out in the top spot and led lap 89.
Mikey was back in 19th when Edwards took the lead. He lost another spot to Scott Wimmer the next time around the track, and was 21st two laps later. He was now the last driver on the lead lap. Mikey lost seconds from Edwards in first by dramatic bounds per lap. He was 20.3 seconds out of first on lap 99, and 22 seconds out on lap 101.
Although he continued losing time from the lead, Mikey passed David Green for 20th on lap 104 and Casey Mears for 19th the next time around the track. Lap 106 saw him taking 18th from John Andretti; however, Andretti got back around him two laps later.
Scheduled green flag stops began with race leader Edwards on lap 115. Burton took the top spot as others headed for pit road. As drivers made stops, Mikey rose to 16th on lap 117, and 15th one lap later. Burton took the top spot with Newman's pit on the same lap. Mikey was 13th by lap 119, and 11th a lap after that. Meanwhile, Kenseth took the lead with Newman's stop. He broke into the top 10 on lap 121, and remained there for two more laps. Mikey was 9th when he pit on lap 124; Kenseth also stopped on the same lap. The plan for the #99 team was to change two tires; however, Mikey smoked his tires coming into pit road, and his crew chief did not see that happen and put on two anyway. Mikey had to return to the pits, as he felt a tire going flat. He ultimately lost two laps by lap 128, when Kevin Harvick took the lead.
Keller led when Harvick pit on lap 130, and Andretti led when Keller pit the next time around the track. By then, Mikey was marked 32nd and still two laps down. He gained 30th one lap after that. The #99 was 27th on lap 133, just before the yellow flag waved.
The fourth caution came on lap 134 for a driver's glove on the track. Edwards was the leader, and was the only lead lap driver to make a stop. Burton inheritted the lead.
Burton's #21 led the lap 139 restart, while Mikey was two laps down in 26th. Three laps into the run, Biffle grabbed the top spot and went on to win the Stater Bros 300. Mikey crossed the stripe 26th, two laps down.
Watch Mikey tomorrow in the Auto Club 500! Coverage of the Nextel Cup race begins at 3:30pm ET on FOX.
