Issues with Robby Gordon resulted in a 36th place finish for Michael Waltrip in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, today's Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. His #55 Napa Auto Parts Dodge was seven laps down and off the track after Robby Gordon cut him off and brake-checked him under the last caution.
Michael Waltrip qualified 39th; however, he advanced one row to 37th when NASCAR sent Jamie McMurray to the rear of the field. Ryan Newman started from the pole.
Mikey came on the radio at 2:22pm ET. "Hello?"
"Yeah, got you loud and clear, Michael," his spotter replied. "Can you hear me all right?"
"Yeah."
Crew chief Joe Shear Jr checked in. He said that the pit box was located in front of Ryan Newman's #12, and behind Casey Mears' #42. He said he would guide Mikey to the box, bring him to his stall, tell him to put on brake, and to get in gear on the stop.
"Okay," Mikey replied.
The spotter and crew chief checked with one another to make sure they could hear each other.
Shear thanked the crew for their work this week. "If you need me for anything during this race, come and talk to me about it. There ain't nothing we can't fix."
"Hey, buddy, ten away from the pits is going to be the white speed line," the spotter informed. "When we get to the white line, I'll say ten away, and that's it."
Shear said he'd tell Mikey if he needed a speed adjustment if cars were in nearby boxes when he came in.
Mikey asked Shear to "try to work with your neighbours" on the stop to make sure they weren't pitting at the same time.
"We're right here to your left, boss. Watch this 49. He's checking up on you." After a minute, the spotter added, "Hey we don't have a banner on the wall this week. I don't know if you guys know about that."
"Napa will not be happy with that. I believe we ought to hang it up."
Shear said he'd want him to run his fans.
"Whenever you get caught up, you can get pit road speed," the spotter said. After a moment, he asked, "What'd you get?"
"Uh, I think I got five and second. 5,000 and second," Mikey replied.
"Hey, you boys drink a lot of water today," the crew chief advised. "When you get caught up, it'll be one to go."
"Stay me updated on the leader, where he's at," requested the driver.
"I will, bud," Shear promised. "Every ten laps."
"Get ready here. Pace car's pulling off," the spotter noted. "Ready? Ready? Ready? Green flag."
The race went green at 2:30pm. Newman led the pack.
"Checking up, checking up, checking up. Three-wide in front of you."
"All clear for a second. Getting three-wide in front of you."
The spotter then noted what the #10 and #07, and said something about there not being much damage.
"Quit talking to me, and watch ahead, please," Mikey requested. "I'm all right."
By lap 3, Mikey was up to 36th after passing Jeremy Mayfield. Two circuits later, he got around Dale Jarrett and Scott Wimmer.
"30.90," Shear noted. "Leader running 30.40."
"Car's just skates out the front end on the way off," Mikey reported on lap 7.
"10-4," was Shear's response.
Jeremy Mayfield got around him, dropping the Napa Dodge to 35th on lap 9.
"31.50," Shear read off the lap time.
"Working lap 10, leader's at the line," the spotter noted.
Scott Riggs passed on lap 12; Mikey was now 36th. Brian Vickers took the lead one lap later. Meanwhile, Bill Elliott ran 42nd.
"31 flat, leader run a 30.30." Mikey ran many laps at 31 flat over the next several laps.
"Spinning in front of you. Go low, go low. He's by the wall."
Lap 22 saw the first caution for Travis Kvapil's #32 Tide car spinning.
"I think I'm a little bit better than these people I'm around," Mikey reported. "I don't know what to do about it pitting." He said the car drives off neutral, is decent, and gets a little tight dead in the centre. "If a lot of them pit, I'd just as soon stay out. If they all pit behind us, that would be terrible. I don't know what you think."
"If anyone in front of you pits, come in with them," Shear directed.
"Um, I don't know about that. Let me just see what it does. I know what my car's doing. Let me just see what it does. If we pit, let's just put on two rights."
"If they come, we come."
"Leader came, third, fourth," the spotter noted.
"Stay out, stay out," Shear told his driver. "I had to wait to make that call after I saw who's coming." He asked for temperatures.
"220, 245," Mikey answered.
"Mike, this thing holding up for you all right?"
"Yeah, it's not bad. It's just a little bit too tight," Mikey answered. He wanted to work on air pressures when they stop. "The car's not all out of schlack, so staying out is okay.
"We'll just go from here and live with what we decided," Mikey continued. "I didn't really think we wanted to pit though. I might be wrong. We'll see."
"There was a segment there for about eight laps where people were quicker than you," Shear noted. He said that, once Mikey got around Scott Riggs' #10, Mikey was quicker.
"All right, pace car's ducking off. Ready? Ready? Green flag."
Racing resumed with Newman leading, and Mikey in 7th on lap 24. The top seven cars did not pit. Many had taken just two tires, some four.
Tony Stewart passed, dropping Mikey one spot one lap into the run. Jeff Burton took the lead on lap 27, and Mikey was 9th. He was 10th one lap later. Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin passed, moving Mikey back to 12th on lap 29.
"There's about eight of them," his spotter noted. He said there was a hole after them.
Brian Vickers pass on lap 30 moved him back to 13th.
"Outside, door," Shear said as Denny Hamlin looked to pass. Mikey was 15th on lap 31 when Hamlin and Kevin Harvick passed. Carl Edwards and Reed Sorenson dropped him to 17th on lap 32 after passing along the inside. The next time around the track, he lost two more spots to Joe Nemechek and Greg Biffle. One lap later, David Stremme and Martin Truex Jr dropped him two more spots. He was now 21st.
"Behind this 18 is a big hole," the spotter said. "The 78 is behind him. You can hold these guys off. Right there."
Mikey was 22nd on lap 35, after JJ Yeley passed.
"Two inside," the spotter observed. "Back to no one now."
"Running 31.20's, just about every lap," Shear noted.
"Three car lengths hole behind that 14," noted the spotter.
"I started skating the front off the turns worse and worse," Mikey replied, and Shear suggested changes on the next stop.
"Leader at the line right now, lap 40," the spotter noted. Mikey was now 23rd, behind Sterling Marlin's #14.
Elliott Sadler and Jeff Green passed, moving Mikey back to 25th on lap 43. Two laps later, Clint Bowyer got around him. By lap 48, Casey Mears moved him back to 27th. Robby Gordon and Matt Kenseth were looking inside. The Napa Dodge was 28th on lap 53 with Kenseth's pass.
"Small hole behind that 7," the spotter noted.
Mikey was 29th on lap 53.
"Another hole behind that 10."
Riggs' #10 passed. Mikey was now 30th on lap 54. Shear gave lap times for him and the leader.
"31.28," Shear reported. He said that was one of his faster laps, and that he was halfway on the run with tires.
Tony Stewart took the lead on lap 64.
"You ran a 31.50 last lap," Shear noted.
"Leader's at the line now."
Shear continued to read off lap times. Bill Elliott was still 42nd, lapped, and not the first driver one lap down.
"Clear ten back behind him, if you want to let him go," the spotter said on lap 70. Kenny Wallace dropped Mikey a spot one lap later.
"Mike, all of you guys who stayed out are going to start pitting in ten laps," Shear told his driver after reading off another lap time. He wanted to make an air pressure adjustment, and told his driver to be prepared to be told when to pit.
"Either we're blowing up, or we're running out of gas," Mikey reported.
"Yes, pit next time by."
Mikey said he had plenty of fuel pressure. Shear told him to stay out if he thought he had enough gas.
"He's coming in, guys," the spotter reported.
"It has plenty of fuel pressure," Mikey sighed. "I think it's blowing up."
Mikey pit, and fell to 43rd and two laps down.
"24's right there, if you can get out there. Still got it," the spotter noted.
"Okay, I know y'all didn't say anything better, but it's running and it's not running." The driver said he had turned off all fans, don't know what to say "Everything is good on the gauges."
"Same thing that happened at Darlington to us," Mikey added, as Jeff Burton was issued a speeding penalty.
Shear said he would try to get all the rubber off.
"Your last lap was a 30.85," Shear noted, and said that was his best lap. Bill Elliott was 35th, one lap down.
"It doesn't blow up all the time," Mikey reported. "It just blows up every now and then."
"How's the car, Michael? It looks real good," Shear said. He noted no tire problems when they had inspected the tires. He commented that the lap times were good. "We'll just take advantage of it while we've got it."
"The leader is eight cars in front of you," the spotter noted.
"Crashing up there on the top. That was the leader."
Lap 92 brought out the second caution when Ryan Newman slid up and spun leader Tony Stewart. Stewart went to the garage.
"Did that set of tires feel any better for you?" Shear asked.
"Uh, not really."
"Still sliding the nose through the centre?"
"Yeah. "Motor didn't help. Strategy didn't help. It's always shit with this frickin' deal."
Shear called for an air pressure change. Mikey made a stop. He advanced to 42nd with Stewart's departure.
Lap 96 saw the restart, with Brian Vickers leading.
The yellow flag waved for a third time.
"Well, this doesn't help the car any. I just thought the car was going to go, but it didn't." Mikey had nudged Ryan Newman into the spin that brought out the caution, as Newman checked up on the restart when Dave Blaney did. Kasey Kahne was collected, and Greg Biffle sustained damage.
"Motor okay right now?"
Mikey asked for a check list of things he needs to do for problem solving.
"The 19 wants to know if you will give him a break, but it's too late now," the spotter said.
"No, it's not too late, and no, I won't," Mikey replied. He said he needs to get back one lap on his own, and that Mayfield needs to understand and leave him alone.
Lap 101 saw the restart. Brian Vickers led, and Mikey was 39th and one lap down.
The fourth caution came on lap 102 when Bobby Labonte spun.
"The caution was just for a piece of debris. Nobody wrecked," the spotter claimed.
"That will give the one the lucky dog, and then we'll just keep digging at it," Shear said, as Jeremy Mayfield got the free pass.
"Okay, the 19 is going to be rolling by you right now," the spotter observed.
Racing resumed on lap 106. Vickers led, Mikey was 39th, and Bill Elliott was 40th. Both Mikey and Bill were two laps down. Tony Raines, who was one lap down, cut off Mikey and ripped off his rear bumper cover off Mikey's nose.
Lap 107 saw Kyle Busch take the lead. Vickers dropped under him and retook the top spot on lap 110.
"This air pressure adjustment's terrible," Mikey reported on lap 115.
"10-4."
"Caution's out. A piece of metal in turn 2, high in turn 2."
The fifth caution came on lap 116.
Mikey reported that he had no grip in the front in the centre. "So whatever you experimented with there, you need to unexperiment."
Shear told him to pit the second time by, four tires and fuel.
The left front began smoking under caution.
"I don't know what that was."
"Smoking pretty bad."
"Yeah, I know that. I just don't know why," Mikey replied.
Shear commented on the heat.
"I don't know. It feels like 150," Mikey asked. He said the motor temperature was real hot too - 250 and 227.
Mikey made a stop under yellow.
"All right, guys, get me some hammers. Be ready to bang this thing out. That's where the smoke's coming from," Shear told the crew.
The spotter let Mikey know that Stewart was letting everyone go by. Racing resumed on lap 120. Mikey was 40th, and Bill Elliott was 39th. Both were two laps down.
Kyle Busch led, but Reed Sorenson took it and led lap 121.
"Lap 129, leader's at the line, that was a good save," the spotter noted.
"Clear," he said as Mikey got around Bill Elliott for 39th on lap 134.
"At least I'm passing people," Mikey commented.
"10-4."
Dale Earnhardt Jr went to pit road, and the hood went up on lap 136. His departure gained Mikey 38th. His crew chief mumbled over the radio.
"I can't hear you," Mikey replied. "You have to hold your microphone to your mouth."
"That was 20 laps on your tires. How's it running?" the spotter relayed.
"It's about to spin. I might could use that same adjustment again."
"10-4."
"It's starting to plow," Mikey said on lap 143.
"10-4."
Lap 152 saw Greg Biffle take the lead. Five laps later, Shear asked about the car.
"Loose in, plowing off," Mikey replied.
"10-4." He suggested something he thought Mikey could do to help that.
"Yeah, I tried that," Mikey answered.
"31.40, leader run a 31.20."
Bill Elliott lost a third lap by lap 165.
"That is the leader in your mirror," the spotter noted two laps later.
"First and second," the spotter said on lap 172. "First is inside."
Mikey went a third lap down on the next circuit. Kyle Busch battled Biffle for the top spot as Biffle passing Mikey. Lap 175 saw Busch's #5 take the top spot.
"Fifteen back until the next one," the spotter observed.
Green flag pit stops began on lap 179.
"So a lot of these lead lap cars are going to start pitting on fuel," Shear noted. He said they would pit in about ten laps, and said that Mikey was doing a good job.
Leader Kyle Busch pit on lap 184, giving the top spot to Greg Biffle.
Shear read off lap times. "You see those leaders pit, so we just got back a lap. Keep digging."
"31.30. Good lap."
Brian Vickers picked up the top spot on lap 186 with Biffle's stop.
"Caution's out. Turn 2. One up on the wall in Turn 2."
Lap 187 saw the sixth caution for Kenny Wallace getting into the wall.
"It's pushing like a pig," Mikey reported.
Shear said he would put on four tires, put in fuel, and raise the trackbar. "I don't think it will do any good, but it'll make us feel good."
Mikey wanted to dump air out of the left and raise the trackbar just an inch.
"The guys like the 43 are running real low. It takes them 40 or 45 laps to get going."
Mikey considered splitting air pressure adjustments.
Shear wanted to make right front changes, go down a little on the right front to get to the minimum.
"Windshield's perfect. The towels and the water is much appreciated. Thank you."
"What it did was put us ahead of a couple of cars," Shear said. He talked about cars they need to beat that are now on their lap. He listed Kyle Petty twice. He noted that Petty was fast of that bunch, but the leader was a whole lot faster and putting a lot of people one lap down. He told Mikey to be careful with the air pressure adjustment at the start.
"All right, I think I can do it." He said he would try to beat them on the fuel run and top off. "It ain't much, but it's a little." He changed his mind, saying it would only gain three laps and he didn't want to be coming off pit road on the restart.
The spotter warned him of all the cars at the tail end of the lead lap. "The 20's not pulling up. We will be lined up next to the leader."
"4 car's in three and four. Pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green flag, green flag. Everything's good on the start.
Racing resumed on lap 195. Mikey was 34th, two laps down. A number of cars started at the tail end of the lead lap. One lap into the run, Bill Elliott in 37th fell back three laps down when he had restarted at the tail end of the lead lap.
"Stuck behind that 32, if you want to go low," the spotter noted.
"You're all clear for a second." The spotter said. "Spinning out behind you, spinning out behind you."
Lap 200 saw the seventh yellow flag. Joe Nemechek wobbled, and Brian Vickers got into the back of him. Vickers was reportedly upset with Denny Hamlin.
"No, because my brakes are going out. It goes all the way to the floor. I just don't understand why we don't get a normal car. I put a little bit in the back when I was pushing, a little bit more in the back when I was pushing." Mikey said it wasn't like he could do anything, because he wasn't planning to stop. He asked if turning off the brake fans would reset a fuse.
"Yeah, turn it off for a couple of laps." Shear then told him he wanted to stop so he could pull off some of the tape and top off on fuel.
"Still too tight, if there's anything you want to change with the wedge."
Shear said he wanted to get brake ducts all the way up, and that was the main reason for the stop. He said he would make the wedge adjustment too. Mikey made a stop.
"I need more water, man," Mikey told his crew.
"Y'all clean the grill real good?" Mikey asked.
"That does put us second in line here," the spotter noted.
Racing resumed on lap 205 with Kyle Busch in the lead. Mikey was the second one in line along the inside, but he was behind Kvapil. He rode 32nd, two laps down. Bill Elliott was three laps down in 36th.
The spotter told Mikey to drop behind the #99 to get around Kvapil.
"Caution's out. A piece of debris in Turn 4," the spotter said when Jeff Green cut down a tire on lap 210 to bring out the eighth time. Green had shoved into Martin Truex Jr.
Shear reported that Wimmer was getting the free pass, and there would be no one-lap-down cars. All Mikey had to do was get around Kvapil to get a lap back now.
"How come the 88's speeding on pit road?" Mikey asked.
"I don't know," Shear said. He thought they could make it to the end on fuel if they stop, but he wanted to work on getting a lap back instead. Mikey agreed with that call to stay out.
The spotter noted that Clint Bowyer's #07 was leading, and while he didn't know how he was doing, the #19 and #38 of Mayfield and Sadler were not doing so well, and he was confident Mikey could get in front of them.
Lap 215 saw the restart. Bowyer led; the top six cars had not stopped. Mikey was 32nd, two laps down. Bill Elliott was 36th and three laps down.
"Outside and inside. Outside and inside. One more outside, and then there's a little hole," the spotter told his driver on lap 219. Kyle Petty passed, moving Mikey back to 33rd. The spotter said the whole field was underneath Mikey.
Dale Jarrett dropped Mikey to 34th on lap 221.
"Checking up in front of you. Inside, inside. The 22 has issues," the spotter noted. "A good sized hole behind that 96, if you want to get down."
Mikey lost another spot on lap 229. Kevin Lepage passed him, moving him back to 35th.
"00, inside," the spotter noted on lap 231. "Clear."
Bill Elliott went a third lap down on lap 234.
The nineth caution came on lap 235. Kvapil blocked the field, and David Stremme got into the back of Kurt Busch. Jeff Green received the free pass.
"We just, now it's so loose that I can't even drive it, no brakes," Mikey said. He also noted that it was plowing. "The last adjustment was F-ed up. It's just plowing.
"Let's work on it. Pull all the wedge out, put all the wedge in. Do something," Mikey added.
Shear called for four tires and fuel. He wanted to work on the brakes on the front and rear, and take out wedge again on left rear. He wanted the crew to just look at the brakes and not fix it yet. "We got water for you now, and how about the windshield?"
"It's fine," Mikey replied. He made his stop.
When the #55 left, Shear asked the team how the brakes had looked.
Elliott Sadler led the lap 239 restart. Mikey was 35th, two laps down. His spotter told him there was a hole behind the #99, but then that it had closed.
Kyle Busch looked inside Sadler and took the lead on lap 241. Meanwhile, Mikey passed Lepage for 34th. When Kurt Busch went to the garage, the #55 was up to 33rd.
Lap 243 saw Mikey get around Kyle Petty for position, but Petty got back around him the next time around the track.
Mikey asked about how much air he had in the right front.
"About a half inch," Shear replied.
"Inside, inside. A whole bunch of them. We hit the wall, guys," the spotter said. Robby Gordon had shoved him up there.
"Just one inside here. I know you see him coming," the spotter noted on lap 249. "Now the 22's inside.
"Got a five car length hole behind this 49."
On lap 250, Mikey was 34th. Kevin Lepage had passed.
The spotter noted the right side looked good and didn't look like he had got into the wall at all. Mikey said he had a bit of a push.
"10-4," was Shear's reply.
"00's inside," the spotter noted on lap 258. Bill Elliott's #00 was three laps down.
"That's the last car right there," the spotter noted. "The only car behind you is all wrecked."
Lap 268 saw the tenth caution when Tony Raines took out Ken Schrader. Green took the free pass again.
"It was plowing, plowing worse than it was all day. No, I take that back. Plowing like it was all day. It was a little better." Mikey said. He thought the left front shock hurt the car and made it bounch more and wanted to take out a bunch of wedge or put a bunch in to change the balance.
The spotter said the lower right rear had something hanging off it, and Mikey asked for fenders to get pulled out from when he got together with Robby Gordon.
Shear wanted four rounds of wedge in the right rear and to close the right front shock back off.
Kyle Busch led the field to the lap 272 restart. Mikey was in 33rd, two laps down. Bill Elliott was 34th, still three laps down. The spotter noted tire smoke from Jeff Gordon's #24.
"Stacking up, stacking up high. Back it down. The 14 car," the spotter warned on lap 279.
Mikey commented, "Well, this seems to be the best."
The spotter asked who was the next car for position.
"The 32 car," Shear replied. The spotter noted that there were nine cars between the #55 and Kvapil's #32.
The spotter noted the #00 was closing, and said he thought Bill Elliott was on the same lap.
"Caution's out," the spotter said on lap 289. "No, it's not. Keep digging."
"We are not racing the 00," Shear informed. "He is on a lap by himself."
"10 to go," the spotter noted.
"Caution's out," the spotter said with three laps to go. "Got one against the wall."
The eleventh caution was for Mark Martin spinning out Clint Bowyer. Travis Kvapil spun well after the contact but continued.
"Stay out, I don't want to come in for nothing," Shear said.
"No, I'm happy. The car wasn't about to spin. Just wanted to let you know."
Shear said he went down a bunch on the left side and put that in his notebook.
"Yeah, these things, you need to do a bunch to get it right, or you'll get confused."
Mikey said the car had a "way better feel" and was "grippier". He asked the spotter to get Bill to stay behind him to make him faster.
Noting the single-file restart, he said Bowyer and Kvapil should be behind him.
Shear said not to mess with the #07; he was on a different lap. "Keep the 32 behind us." He listed others on the same lap to race.
"The 41 and 07 are going to come around us," the spotter said.
Robby Gordon slammed on the brakes in front of Mikey, crunching the nose. Travis Kvapil got into the back of Mikey and was also rear-ended.
"I just got brake checked," Mikey commented.
"Who brake-checked you?" Shear asked.
"I need a push. I need a push," Mikey said. After a pause, he added, "I need a push. My starter won't work."
"Is that thing going to make the last few laps?"
"It's puking a bunch of water or something."
Shear told him to stay out and run around the apron.
"I can't get it to start," Mikey said.
Shear said water was coming out of the radiator, and NASCAR wasn't letting them go back anyway. "We're all down here by the garage area."
The wrecker pushed the #55 to pit road.
"Yeah, I pit. It won't start. I mean, I don't know what happened to it," Mikey told his team.
"We're coming. We're coming."
"There's no worries. There's nothing you can do, so don't run. Don't get yourself all worn out."
The green / white /checkered began without Mikey. Elliott Sadler ran out of fuel. Tony Raines spun, but the race stayed green. Carl Edwards pursued the race leader as Denny Hamlin ran out of gas. Kyle Busch won. Mikey finished seven laps down in 36th, with Bill Elliott three laps down in 32nd.
Mikey goes to Pocono next weekend. Coverage of the Pennsylvania 500 begins Sunday at 1:30pm ET on TNT. The Busch Series is at Martinsville next weekend, where Darrell Waltrip will drive the Aaron's Dream Machine for Mikey. Coverage of the Goody's 250 starts Saturday at 3:30pm on the same channel.
