Michael Waltrip's #99 Aaron's Dream Machine finished 13th in the Zippo 200, today's Busch Series race at Watkins Glen.
Mikey started today's Busch Series race from the 37th spot. He used pit strategy to advance through the ranks. Taking on just two tires on his first stop on lap 11 allowed him to advance to 13th. Mikey took four the next time he visited his box.
Clint Bowyer spun on his own on lap 13, and the field saw the first caution on lap 31 for Ryan Newman; the engine in Newman's #02 exploded into flames. Denny Hamlin spun in Newman's oil. Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick led throughout the first half of the race.
Lap 56 saw the second caution, after Scott Pruett shoved Greg Biffle off the track and spun them both. Danny O'Quinn received the free pass, and drivers made stops. Mikey was 14th.
Racing resumed on lap 61 with Robby Gordon in the lead. Mikey was 12th. The field returned to yellow moments later for a bumper bar on the track. Butch Leitzinger received the free pass.
Gordon's #7 led the lap 64 restart. He chased Kurt Busch off the pavement, allowing Jamie McMurray to gain on the pair and to pass for second. The field bunched behind them. McMurray reported a possible flat and soon lost that second spot to Busch. He blocked Biffle to hold onto third.
Mikey fell one spot one lap into the run; Hamlin had passed. Although Pruett passed the #99 on the next circuit, Edwards dropped. Mikey held onto 13th.
The fourth caution came on lap 67. Carlos Contreras drove high into Turn 2 and went into the grass. Regan Smith got the lucky dog, and Edwards went to pit road, where the #60 team worked under the hood.
Lap 69 saw the restart. Gordon led, and Mikey was 13th. One lap into the run, Kurt Busch took the lead in his #39. NASCAR assessed pass-through penalties to Todd Kluever and Michal Jourdain Jr for skipping the innerloop and not stopping. Jourdain lost all but first and second gear, then lost second. Transmission issues took him out with six laps to go.
The yellow flag waved for the fifth time for Todd Kluever. McMurray was overheating, and had grass and dirt caked in the grill of his #64.
Busch led the lap 82 restart with two laps to go, and he went on to win. Mikey crossed the stripe 13th.
Coverage of the Nextel Cup's AMD at the Glenn starts at 12:30pm ET on NBC.
