Michael Waltrip struggled with rear brakes throughout the Pocono 500, today's Nextel Cup race at Pocono International Raceway. He finished 28th, two laps down.
Crew chief Joe Shear Jr was the first to speak over the team frequency, prior to the start of today's race. "Hey, spotter, you got a copy up there?"
"Yes, sir," was the spotter's reply.
"Okay, he's buckling up right now," Shear said, regarding their driver.
"Two minutes," the spotter noted. "Two minutes."
"Hello, 1, 2," Mikey spoke over the team frequency moments later.
"I got you really good, Michael," Shear said.
"Yes, sir."
The spotter said he could hear Mikey well too.
The command to start engines came at 2:08pm ET.
"Hey, Michael," the spotter addressed the driver. "If it's good with you, I call this place Turns 1, 2, and 3. Is that good with you?"
"Okay," Mikey replied.
"Okay, bud. First pace car's rolling here. Third time by." After a moment, the spotter added, "All right, Michael, we've got the 12 car sitting up inside. They're working on it inside up there now."
Once cars got rolling, the spotter noted when the pace car was at pit road speed.
"Did I qualify 36th or 35th?" Mikey asked. "I can't remember."
"36th," his crew chief informed him.
"All right." The driver then turned his attention to pit road speed. "I'm showing 4600... 4700 and second."
"Okay," Shear replied. "4700 and second, 4700 and second. You see your sign, Michael?"
"I got ya," Mikey answered. "Looks like you're eight or ten in."
Shear said they were past the start finish line. "Have a good day."
"I will."
"One to go at the line, Michael," the spotter noted.
"Make sure to work those tires a little bit for me," Shear adviced. "Since you're not going here a bit, make sure you have those brake blower fans going."
"Okay."
"All right, bud," Shear gave his final words before the green flag. "200 laps. Finish every one. Have a good day."
"All right," Mikey acknowledged. He told his team they'd done a good job.
"Pace car's off," The spotter noted. "Stay ready. Green flag, green flag, green flag."
The green flag waved at 2:20pm ET. Kurt Busch rode outside pole-sitter Denny Hamlin much of the first lap. Mikey started the race in 36th.
"Three-wide," the #55 spotter noted. "Clear, clear.
"Got a wreck right in front of you. Stay low, stay low. Coming back down in front of you, coming back down in front of you."
The first caution came on lap 3 for a multi-car accident. Scott Riggs had gotten loose under Casey Mears, and their #10 and #42 hit the wall. Travis Kvapil was also collected. Mears fell out of the race.
"Everything all right?" Shear asked his driver.
"Yeah," Mikey replied.
Shear told him to keep the radiator fan on. Mikey said it was on, and reported that his temperatures were at 210 and 220.
"Got a feel for it yet?" Shear asked.
Mikey said that the car "handles normal".
After a pause and some static, Shear asked, "Are you saying something to me?"
"No," Mikey replied. "Are we getting gas or not?"
"Probably wouldn't be a bad idea."
Mikey pit for fuel.
After the stop, Shear passed along bad news. "They're saying we have to start at the tail end of the longest line. They're saying we didn't put the catchan in at the same time. It's a bogus call."
In light of the penalty, Mikey wanted to make another stop to top off the fuel tank. Shear okayed the driver's decision and went with it.
"Pace car's still in Turn 2," the crew chief noted. "The only car we'll have behind us is the 32. He's on pit road. Michael, 32's just not leaving pit road." Later, he noted that Kvapil's #32 had returned to the track.
"Pace car's off," the spotter said. "Ready? Green flag, green flag, green flag."
Hamlin led the lap 5 restart, with Mikey in 41st. Passing Terry Labonte advanced the #55 to 40th one lap into the run. Mikey got around Jimmy Spencer and Mike Garvey for two more spots during the next circuit.
"56.50," Shear read off the lap time. "56.59," he read the next time around the track.
Mikey passed Chad Chaffin for 37th on lap 10 and David Stremme for 36th on lap 11.
"Get a temperature reading, if you can," Shear requested.
"220, 230."
Mikey remained 36th as Kyle Petty dropped but David Stremme passed him.
"Clear, all clear," the spotter noted. "Clear."
"Make sure you've got your brake fans on," Shear told his driver.
"All my blowers are going," the driver replied. "All my blowers are going."
"Thank you."
"Inside. Clear, clear," the spotter observed. "By himself."
Petty passed on lap 16, moving Mikey back to 37th.
"By himself," the spotter noted. "Trying to bring the 44 with him. One back."
Mike Gavey passed the Napa Dodge on lap 17, but Mikey got back around him one lap later. Meanwhile, Sterling Marlin slowed and dropped through the ranks.
"Slow car on the bottom ahead," the spotter said. "Clear."
Getting around Marlin advanced Mikey to 36th on lap 19.
"If you get a chance, tell me what the car's doing," Shear requested.
"Very skaty," Mikey reported. "Push in the front, loose in the back. Real skaty."
"Okay."
"Clear, all clear," the spotter noted, just before the yellow flag waved for the second time.
The caution came out on lap 22. Reed Sorenson struggled with steering in his #41 Target Dodge, and got into the wall. JJ Yeley had been heading to pit road, and when the yellow flag waved, he flat-spotted his tires while shooting back onto the track.
"Yellow's out," Mikey's spotter said. He said it was for Marlin's slowing #14, and noted the slow and damaged #18 of JJ Yeley.
"Just no grip," Mikey commented. "Skaty everywhere. Maybe less air in the right front liner. Whatever y'all think." He considered lowering the track bar.
Shear called for the track bar to be lowered one turn, to close shocks, and to make an air pressure adjustment along with four fresh tires.
"Pace car's got the leader going in Turn 2 now," the spotter noted.
"Make sure you keep that grill clean," Shear directed the crew.
"We've got that left front fender too, guys," the spotter added.
Shear noted when pit road opened, and warned Mikey that the #40 of Stremme would be in his box. Mikey was 32nd after stops.
"Got an equalised tire on the right front," Shear told his driver.
"Maybe that track bar will address it," Mikey commented.
"Coming to the green," the spotter noted. "Pace car's off. Green flag, green flag, green flag."
Hamlin led the lap 25 restart, with Mikey running 29th.
"By himself," the spotter said. "All clear."
Kvapil got around Mikey, dropping the #55 to 30th on lap 27.
"Trying to look inside," the spotter told his driver. "The 16. By himself."
Elliott Sadler and Greg Biffle passed on lap 28, moving Mikey to 32nd.
"Got the 10 with him," the spotter warned. "Three wide. Got one more coming - the 18. Clear after that 18."
Lap 29 saw Mikey fall to 35th as Ryan Newman, Scott Riggs, and JJ Yeley passed.
Shear read off lap times: 57.19, 56.80, and 57.30. Mikey gained 34th on the second of the set - lap 31.
"It's better, but I'm loose," Mikey reported. "A little wobbly, like my tire pressures are too low or something."
"Okay," his crew chief replied, and gave times.
Garvey passed on lap 34, moving Mikey to 35th.
"Inside," his spotter said one circuit later. "By himself."
Kvapil got around the Napa Dodge, dropping it again to 36th. Shear read off more lap times: 58.60, 57.80, 57.90, 57.69.
"Slow car on the bottom," the spotter said on lap 39. "Michael, this is sticker tires on the 7 car, coming behind you." He cleared Mikey past Robby Gordon's #7, which ran fifteen laps off the pace.
Lap 43 saw Mikey get around Travis Kvapil's #32 for 35th. Shear read off more lap times: 58.40, 58.20, 58.30.
"Just way too loose in the back," Mikey noted on lap 46.
Shear said they'd fix the problem on the next stop. He planned to lower the track bar, and asked his driver how far down they should go.
"With these pressures, a lot," Mikey replied.
"Inside," his spotter said. "Clear."
Shear told Mikey he was doing a good job, gave lap times, and added, "Good lap."
"Michael, you've got two cars between you and the leader," the spotter noted. He said that the leader was half a straightaway back.
Mikey lost the lead lap on lap 49.
"We need to pit in ten laps," Shear said.
Mikey disagreed. "I need to pit next time by, if you think about it. I won't lose another lap, and I'll get track position."
Shear agreed with the decision.
The race leader spun before Mikey hit pit road. Hamlin lost his left rear tire on lap 51, drawing the third yellow flag.
"Yellow's out, yellow's out," the spotter announced. "The 11 car."
Shear asked if the fans were on.
Mikey told his crew chief that, since the beginning of the race, he had had his fans on. "And it feels like the shittiest car."
The spotter noted that the #11 was the caution, the #2 was the leader, and therefore, they were back on the lead lap.
"Real loose," Mikey said of the car. "Real loose. And no brakes. So tighten me up."
"We're going to do that. Track bar and air pressures."
"Don't do anything in the left front," Mikey asked his crew chief.
"Make sure we get that track bar down, guys," Shear told the crew.
"Pit road's open, open," the spotter said. "Around the 17, behind the 40. Nine away."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stop." The crew chief directed. After the stop, he said, "Go go go hard."
"Outside. Clear after him. 47."
"Good stop, guys," Shear praised his team. "Do we need to work on those brakes?"
"I don't know what to do... Yeah," Mikey replied. He said he just didn't know what to do, and that the car was like it had been at Martinsville. Unless they could put on better callibers or pads in the back, he would either need to slow down "if you can imagine that" or burn up the brakes like he had at Martinsville. "It's just ridiculous."
Kvapil led a lap under the caution.
Shear asked his driver if the pedal was totally off, or if Mikey had no braking power. Mikey said the only brakes that were working were in the front, and that they'd end up burning them up. If they used the brakes, he said, the brakes would go away. Shear asked how much rear brake he'd turned into it.
"Two-thirds," Mikey replied. He said he'd almost spun when he pit. "It's bad. I've done the same thing today, and it's the same problem."
Shear said they'd have to fix the problem during the next stop. He said he gave master cyllander shocks, and that's old school.
"Everywhere we've been this year, where I've had to stop, we've had brake problems," Mikey complained. "Great job on the pit stop there."
"I know we're kinda screwed on these brakes, and that's partly my fault," Shear acknowledged, "but we need to talk about these things."
Mikey said he knew he should have said something at the shop, but this car was nothing like he had ever driven.
"I know what you're feeling," Shear empathised.
"Coming to the green," the spotter noted. "Pace car's off. Stay ready. Green flag, green flag, green flag."
Kurt Busch's #2 led the lap 58 restart. Mikey rode 29th. One lap into the run, Jeff Burton's #31 challenged for the top spot and took it going into lap 60. Meanwhile, Mikey had passed Kevin Lepage for 28th.
"Back inside," the spotter noted. "Trying to bring the 16 with him. Inside. Clear all around. Behind the 16. Clear after him. Clear all around."
Biffle got around the Napa Dodge, dropping Mikey to 29th on lap 61. "10's inside by himself," the spotter added. "Clear all around."
Lap 62 saw Scott Riggs' #10 get around Mikey and drop him to 30th. Shear told Mikey he'd run a 56.90-second lap last time around the track when the yellow flag waved.
The fourth caution came on lap 63.
"There's some debris in Turn 2," the spotter noted. "Yellow is out, yellow is out."
The debris had come from Ken Schrader's #21, which had cut down a tire.
"Okay, you turned your fastest lap your second lap," Shear told him. "What else do you need?"
Mikey said he didn't know. He was still too loose and said he seemed to need one pound out of the left front and a pound in the right rear to help the car turn. He thought he might need to go down on the trackbar too, and needed more tires and gas as well. "I'm a little bit loose in, but I know I'm going to get tighter." He thought the air adjustment would address the issue.
"One or two turns on the trackbar?" Shear asked.
"Two," Mikey replied.
Shear told the team to go down two rounds on the trackbar and to make the air adjustment too. After the stop, he said, "Good job, guys, getting all these adjustments done."
The spotter warned Mikey that a safety truck was coming the wrong way.
Shear asked Mikey about the brake pedal.
Mikey said the car was screwed up since the start. He didn't know how, but he just didn't have any brakes. He said the pedal was good. "I'll turn it back toward the front a little and see what happenes, but..."
"One to go at the line," the spotter noted. "Coming to the green. Pace car's gone. Ready? Green flag, green flag, green flag."
Jeff Burton led the lap 67 restart, with Mikey running 31st. The top thirteen cars had opted not to pit.
"By himself," the spotter warned. "Clear."
Lap 68 saw Mikey lose a spot to Riggs, but he gained it to Jimmy Spencer the next time around the track.
"56.20," his crew chief read off the lap time.
"11's down there by himself," the spotter noted. "All clear. In the wall. Behind you. Caution is out. You've got debris everywhere." He said the 45 car had blown a tire.
The yellow flag waved for the fifth time on lap 70 for Kyle Petty's #45.
"That was all right," Mikey commented. He said he was getting beat everywhere. "I didn't see anything wrong with that."
Shear wanted Mikey to stay on the track for track position. Mikey said that depended upon how long the caution was; they may need to top off on gas. The spotter said they'd have a quicky yellow. Shear wanted to gain track position by just coming in for a splash of gas.
The spotter said NASCAR was going to blow the track.
"Yeah, it's going to be a while," Mikey said. "Whatever you want to do."
Shear wanted to pit, and they did.
Once the #55 returned to the track, the spotter noted that Ken Schrader was the free pass car. He would gain one of his three laps back, and was coming along the inside. "One to go at the line.
"Coming to the green. Pace car's gone. Ready? Green flag, green flag, green flag."
Kurt Busch led the lap 74 restart, with Mikey running 28th.
"All clear," his spotter siad. "Clear after the 1."
Martin Truex Jr's #1 got around him on lap 75, moving Mikey to 29th. Meanwhile, Brian Vickers was all over Busch for the top spot.
Mikey lost spots throughout the run. Dave Blaney and Denny Hamlin got around him by lap 76, and Dale Jarrett and Jeremy Mayfield passed him the next time around the track. Mikey was now 33rd. Lap 78 saw Kevin Lepage pass the Napa Dodge.
After Kvapil passed on lap 79, moving Mikey to 35th, Shear read off lap times: 57.30, 56.60. Getting around Jimmy Spencer moved Mikey up to 34th on lap 34th. Shear read off more lap times: 57.50, 57.14, 57.20.
"Leader 56 flat," Shear told his driver on lap 86, and added that Mikey he'd just run a 57.30. He continued to read times: 57.20, 57.40, 57.40, 57.14, 57.20.
His spotter told him that the front runners would start making green flag stops. Lap 93 saw Reed Sorenson pit, and Shear read off a 57.20. Dale Earnhardt Jr was next to make a stop. Mikey gained 33rd on lap 94 from Soreonson and 32nd from Earnhardt Jr the next time around the track as Busch took the lead.
Kurt Busch pit on lap 96, allowing Carl Edwards to take the lead. Meanwhile, NASCAR assessed speeding penalties to Kyle Busch and to Brian Vickers.
"25 about ten back, sticker tires," the #55 spotter noted. "He's got a pass-through. Not coming. All clear."
With Edwards' pit, Kasey Kahne took the lead on lap 97. Mikey gained 24th as cars pit. Lap 98 saw Tony Stewart take the lead with Kahne's stop. Mikey was marked 26th, then 23rd the next time around the track. He was 22nd on lap 102.
"We should pit next time by," Shear said.
Mikey stopped on lap 103.
"I don't know what to do," he said. "I'm just loose and pushing and no brakes."
"Slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down," the spotter said as Mikey made his stop.
Stewart pit, giving Denny Hamlin the lead on lap 104. When Hamlin pit, Martin Truex Jr assumed the top spot.
"Michael, when this cycles out, that 2 car in the mirror will be your leader," his spotter said.
"10-4," Mikey said.
"All right, that 1 was your leader. 2 car now."
Busch was marked in the top spot on lap 106.
"Inside, by himself," the spotter said, as Mikey was marked in the 33rd position.
Mikey was 32nd and lapped on lap 107.
"56.70," Shear read off the lap time. "Leader's running 55.90's." He read off a 56.60 the next time around the track.
"He's looking inside," the spotter said. "Clear. Clear, clear. This 41's slowing up ahead. Be careful with that 41. He just got into the wall, very questionable. Inside the 16. Clear behind him.
Although Mikey passed Sorenson's #41, Travis Kvapil's #32 passed. The #55 remained 32nd. The next time around the track, Shear said he'd run a 57 flat. He read off 57.30 and 57.90 the next two laps.
Kasey Kahne pit with tire problems on lap 115.
"Down there by himself," the spotter said the next time around the track. "Plenty of room after him. Next group is lead lap."
Terry Labonte passed on lap 117, dropping Mikey to 33rd.
"Let me know what I can do to help you out," his crew chief requested. He read off a 57.10 next.
Passing Labonte back allowed Mikey to regain the 32nd spot.
"All right, bud, the next four are lead lap cars," the spotter noted.
Shear read off a 57.90 on lap 121.
"Outside, the 20," the spotter observed. "Another ten back to the 99. Real big hole behind the 99. All clear."
Carl Edwards passed on lap 122, moving Mikey back to 33rd. Shear read off a 57.80, as Greg Biffle powered his way under Kurt Busch and took the lead on lap 122.
Shear continued reading off lap times: 57.40, 57.50, 57.45.
"25's back there by himself," the spotter said on lap 126. "You have a pretty good sized hole behind him."
Shear read off a 57.20 and a 57.90 next.
Scheduled green flag stops began with Brian Vicker's #25 on lap 129. Race leader Kurt Busch made his stop on lap 133, giving the lead to Hamlin.
"You can go about seven more laps, but if you want to short-pit, let me know," Shear told his driver. Mikey was running 35th at the time.
"I don't think we can short-pit," said the driver. He said they were too far behind for that, but that the car was handling well. He passed Spencer and Chaffin on lap 134 for 32nd. Cars continued to pit, and Mikey gained 30th from Jamie McMurray and Dale Jarrett on lap 136. Dale Jarrett went to the garage.
With Carl Edwards' drop, Mikey gained 29th on lap 137.
"57.50," Shear said. "Good lap."
"They're looking at Turn 1 high for debris," the spotter announced on lap 138. "I'll keep you posted here. Turn 1 high for debris. Slow car on the bottom."
Shear read off a 57.60, and Mikey picked up 28th with Sterling Marlin's drop.
"16 on stickers behind you," the spotter said. "Coming outside. All clear."
Matt Kenseth picked up the top spot on lap 139 when Matt Kenseth pit. Mikey picked up 27th with teammate Dave Blaney's drop.
On lap 140, Shear told his driver to pit the next time around the track for four tires.
"Slow car on the bottom," his spotter said. "Outside. Clear."
Mikey asked about the #49 of Kevin Lepage, who was slowing on the track and on the access road to the pits.
"Should we stay out another lap?" the spotter asked.
Shear said they would be pushing it. The #55 pit, just before the sixty caution came.
The yellow flag waved on lap 142 for debris and for the #49 stopping on the race track.
"Darn it!" Shear exclaimed.
Mikey noted that the balance was good. He had an easier time getting in the turns and had no real problems. The car was just slow off the corners, and he felt that he couldn't go anywhere.
"Make any more adjustments, or do you want to stay out?" Shear asked.
Mikey said he didn't knwo what to say, except that he wanted a rubber in the right rear and a track bar adjustment.
"What the hell, let's try it," Shear replied.
Mikey said he'd only run half a lap, so he didn't know.
Shear wanted to go two turns on the trackbar and to change the right rear rubber. Mikey wanted to put in a full rubber, if they had one. Shear said they'd do that.
"47 and second behind the 40," the spotter noted.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stop," Shear directed. "Work on those fenders, guys. Work on those fenders.
"Okay, let's go."
"Clear all the way out," the spotter added. "7 going to the tail end.
"Coming to the green."
Greg Biffle led the lap 146 restart, with Mikey in 30th and lapped.
"43's coming outside, outside," the spotter said. "One back to the ten. Outside. Clear. Inside, you're going to have two of them."
On lap 147, the spotter continued. "Outside... Gonna come inside. All clear."
Martin Truex Jr pit with a flat tire.
"18 slow up high off of two," the spotter added on lap 148. Two laps later, he said, "Three-wide, all clear."
Shear read off lap times: 57.50, 56.50, 57.62, 56.70, 56.90.
"Did that do anything to the chassis?" Shear asked.
Mikey said the car felt pretty sweet.
Shear continued giving times: 57.40, 57.60. Mikey passed Jeff Green for 31st on lap 159. He then ran a 57 flag and a 56.90.
At the front of the pack, Denny Hamlin got up on Biffle's rear fender for the top spot on lap 164. Biffle let him go, and Hamlin took the top spot for lap 165. Busch took the top spot when Hamlin pit on lap 167.
"Slow one on the bottom," the spotter said. "Clear. He'll be coming back hard here. Inside. All clear."
With Busch's scheduled green flag pit, Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 168.
"About ten back to the 16," the spotter noted. "He's on stickers."
Scott Riggs assumed the top spot with Kenseth's pit. Chad Chaffin's #61 spun trying to get to his pit box, and Clint Bowyer took the lead on lap 170 with Riggs' stop.
"All by himself," the spotter said. "Outside."
Shear read off two 57.40's."
"Inside," the spotter said on lap 172. "By himself. All clear." He said the next group were Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman, all on sticker tires. Mikey picked up 29th with Blaney and Green's stops on lap 173.
Shear told him to pit next time by. "Anything in particular you want?" he asked.
Mikey wanted the car a little tighter.
Shear said he would put one turn of wedge out of the right rear. Mikey made his stop, and was 31st and two laps down when he returned to the track.
Hamlin took the lead when Bowyer pit on lap 178.
"21 car's for position," the spotter said two laps later.
Shear read off a 56.40 the next time around the track.
"Outside," said the spotter. "The 1, outside. About ten back to that 20. Clear behind him. Clear.
"Outside, the 20. Clear after him."
Mikey was told on lap 183 that Schrader's #21 was pitting and to give him room. Next time around the track, he was told the #21 was not coming and that there was no power on Green's #66. Lap 185 saw Mikey passing Schrader for 30th. Shear read off a 57.12, and a 57.50 the next time around the track.
"Inside, 99 by himself," the spotter said. "Clear. Got two more, after the 9. Outside. All clear."
On lap 189, the spotter continued. "5 back there by himself. Clear."
"58.20," Shear noted the lap time.
"Coming outside, two of them. All clear."
"58 flat."
Jeff Gordon's front brakes let go. He took his #24 Dupont Chevy through the grass to slow, shot back up the track, and made hard driver's side contact with the wall in Turn 1.
"Yellow's out, yellow's out," the spotter said. "We got a wreck in Turn 1."
The seventh caution came on lap 191. Greg Biffle pit with a right rear flat. The spotter said that he couldn't hear Mikey.
"Yeah, four tires. 10-4," Mikey said over the team radio.
Shear told his driver that's what they were doing.
"What happened down there?" Mikey asked.
The spotter said he thought Gordon had cut down a tire.
"Was he by himself?"
"I think. I don't know. I just saw the end result."
"Okay," Shear cut in. "We're gonna pit this time, guys. Four tires."
Mikey made his stop.
"I think they're going to stop you in the tunnel," the spotter said. "I think they're gonna red flag this thing to clean this mess.
"Red flag is out. Stopping you over there." He told the driver that Gordon had run out of brakes and had gone through the grass to stop himself.
"That can't be good," Mikey replied. "Am I racing anyone?"
"The 01."
After a long pause, Shear asked, "You're not falling asleep on me, are you?"
"No," Mikey replied. "Everything is good."
Shear said the last tire sheets had been good, and asked what the car was doing.
Mikey said the same thing the car had been doing all day. "It won't run and it won't stop," he commented. "It's just bad."
"All right, bud," the spotter told his driver. "Restart your engine here."
After about a ten-minute halt, the yellow flag returned at 6:09pm.
"Pit road is open," the spotter said. "Open. One to go at the line."
"Hey, Michael," the crew chief addressed his driver. "You might want to work those tires, get some heat in them."
"We're racing the 01, right, Joe?" the spotter asked.
"The 01."
The spotter said that Joe Nemechek's #01 Army Chevy was on pit road. He also said that Dale Jarrett's #88 would have to restart at the tail end of the longest line.
Shear noted that the tires had built up pressure, so they should be "pretty good".
"The 6 and the 43 are saying the track's not ready, Michael," the spotter informed his driver, "but the pace car says it is. I'll keep you posted.
Not going, not going. Lights back on."
Emergency vehicles were still on the track.
"Coming to the green," the spotter observed. "There will be five laps left.
"Pace car's gone. Stay ready. Green flag, green flag, green flag."
Racing resumed on lap 196 with Hamlin leading and Mikey in 28th. Shear read off a 55.78 two laps into the run.
"Lead lap behind you, the 07," the spotter said with two laps left in the race. Shear read off a 55.90.
"White flag, one more."
Shear read off a 56.30 just before Hamlin crossed the stripe. Mikey came in 28th, two laps down.
"That's it, buddy," the spotter announced. "Checkered flag."
"Way to hang in there, Michael," the spotter praised his driver. "I know it wasn't very good." He told his crew they had done well on pit road too.
"At least I beat that one guy there," Mikey replied.
Hopefully, Mikey will beat more guys next weekend. Coverage of the 3M Performance 400 presented by Post-it Picture Paper will air next Sunday at 1:00pm ET on FOX. Mikey will also compete in the Busch Series' Meijer 300 presented by Oreo the day before. Coverage starts at 7:30pm ET on FX.
