By Kellyanne Lynch, mikeypower.com
3 September 2006
Michael Waltrip Racing struggled at Fontana, in tonight's Sony HD 500. Michael Waltrip's #55 placed 31st and Bill Elliott's #00 was 42nd in the California Nextel Cup race.
The call to start engines came at 8:02pm ET.
"How's your helmet?" crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr asked. "Stuff with your visor and tape on your windshield? Everything good?"
"Yeah," Mikey replied. "Everything looks very nice. It's very dark in here."
"10-4."
"Same deal, Ty," Baldwin Jr addressed the spotter. "I'll take him until he's ten away, and I'll clear him to the start / finish line."
"Okay," spotter Ty Norris replied.
"I'll tell him when he's at the committment line." After a minute, he added, "We've got the 14 car behind us and the 19 car in front of us. So it's the 66, 14, and then us."
"When you get down to the last line - the camera line, the outside line there - talk him through that, Ty," Baldwin Jr requested.
Although Mikey had qualified 37th, he advanced two rows when Scott Wimmer, Ken Schrader, and David Stremme had to drop to the rear of the field. "The team discussed pit road speed.
"We're showing 47," Mikey commented.
"That's good. 4700."
Ty let his driver know they had one lap to go before the start. He asked, "Tell me what we're looking at for our fuel window, bud."
"About 46 or 48 for our first stop," Baldwin Jr replied.
"Looks like a pretty good crowd to me.
"Yeah. Yeah. Take back what I said," Ty replied.
"You aren't alone though," Baldwin Jr added.
"All right, man, let's get an extra tug on that seatbelt. 250 laps. Have a good time. We'll pick them off one lap at a time.
"They said two tires were working good last night. That's what Ty was saying," Baldwin Jr noted.
"Reutimann ran his fastest lap of the race at the end with two tires," Ty noted. "All right, buddy. Pace car's off. Be ready. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's straight. Everybody's straight.
"Still outside on your corner. The 1 with him, and the 6."
Kurt Busch led the field to the green and held onto the top spot. Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin passed, moving Mikey back to 35th one lap into the run.
"One looking inside. You'll be three-wide. You'll be clear to the middle. You still got one all the way on the bottom.
"You're all clear, all clear."
Lap 3 saw Mikey pass Bobby Labonte.
"43's got a run. Inside. Still there. Clear one back to the 21."
Mikey was 36th on lap 4. Kevin Lepage and Dave Blaney had passed.
"Inside, the 21," Ty noted. Schrader's #21 moved Mikey back to 37th on lap 5. "Clear now. Clear.
"Inside, inside."
Bobby Labonte got back around the Napa Dodge, moving Mikey back to 38th on lap 6.
"Inside. Inside, the 32." Ty warned Mikey that another was coming, and then another.
Travis Kvapil and Scott Wimmer moved Mikey back to 40th on lap 7.
"Clear one back," Ty told his driver. Bill Elliott, who had started 21st in the Michael Waltrip Racing #00 Burger King Chevy, was 22nd at the time. "Clear, all clear."
Getting back around Kvapil moved Mikey up to 39th on lap 9.
"One spinning off 4. Stay up, stay up. All the way up to the wall. There you go," Ty directed.
The first caution came for Robby Gordon's spin on lap 11. He'd had a flat tire.
"I was real loose, Tommy, but it was coming to me," Mikey reported.
"10-4," Baldwin Jr replied. "10-4."
"If we pit, let's just get gas."
"All right. 10-4. No adjustments."
"I don't think so," Mikey commented. "I'm just real loose, mainly on the throttle. It's okay in. It's okay in the centre. I just get loose when I hit the gas, but I think on the last couple laps, I was getting onto something.
"10-4."
"I hate to mess with much. It's going to tighten up, I know. Just know that's where I'm at right now."
"Okay, 10-4," Baldwin Jr acknowledged. "It will be fuel only, guys, okay? Fuel only."
Mikey said he was okay to race.
Baldwin Jr entertained the idea that maybe Mikey needed more side bite. He suggested half a round in the left rear.
"I feel like I have a good side bite," Mikey told his crew chief. "I feel that the gas upsets it."
The crew chief said he would put half a turn in the right rear. He told the crew to be ready to put on tires, just in case few people chose to pit. When he saw the whole field pitting, he told the crew no tires - just fuel and adjustments. He remined Mikey to come to the line at 4700, and informed the team that Mikey was on pit road.
"Around the 14 here. 3, 2, 1," "Go go go go go. Clear after the 48."
"All right, buddy, it's one to go when you come around here. One to go," Ty told his driver.
Kasey Kahne led the field to the lap 14 restart; he had taken on just two right side tires. Mikey was 20th.
"Watch it off turn 2. Everybody's cool, everybody's straight," Ty noted.
Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards passed, putting Mikey back to 22nd on lap 15.
"Coming with him, the 99 with him. Coming inside. Another one looking. Clear one back to that 44," Ty observed. JJ Yeley, Mark Martin, and Jeff Green passed on lap 16, moving Mikey back to 26th on lap 16. He lost more spots to Greg Biffle, Terry Labonte, and Dave Blaney.
"I'm just spinning my right rear really really bad," Mikey told his crew chief.
He went three-wide and lost two more spots to Casey Mears and Scott Wimmer. Mikey was 31st on lap 18.
"Big run on the inside here. He's by himself though. Two back behind him, if you need it. Closing up," Ty said. "Three-wide inside, bud. Inside."
"I'm sideways loose everywhere," Mikey said.
"10-4, man."
Mikey was 34th on lap 19. Ken Schrader, Sterling Marlin, and Bobby Labonte had passed. David Stremme, Tony Raines, and Kevin Lepage got around Mikey the next time around the track. Ty told him he would have a break after the #38 of David Gilliland. Kyle Petty passed on lap 21, dropping Mikey to 38th. Elliott's #00 was 40th at the time.
"It's mainly on the gas," Mikey said on lap 23. Baldwin replied with a 10-4.
The radio was silent as Mikey ran in 38th. Lap 25 saw Denny Hamlin drop under Kasey Kahne; however, Hamlin's #11 did not complete the pass. Hamlin ducked back under the #9 of Kahne.
"Inside - the 32. Inside, all by himself," Ty told his driver.
The second caution came out on lap 29 for debris. Robby Gordon received the free pass.
"Feels like that track bar adjustment, Tommy, is just strange," Mikey commented. He said, the further down he got, he just got loose.
"All right, 10-4," Baldwin Jr replied. "Yeah, four tires and fuel, guys. I don't know if I should pull a rubber or not." He called for a round and a half down on the track bar and told the crew to watch for debris on the grill. He asked for temps.
"220, 240."
"Take a pound out of that right rear, Kenny," said the crew chief. Drivers pit under yellow.
Martin Truex Jr was told to go and rolled forward while his crew was still working on the car. His jackman fell, and the left front tire came off the #1 car.
"Good stop, boys! Good stop!" Baldwin Jr praised after they pit.
"Why did that caution come out?" Mikey asked.
"Debbie was out on the track."
Ty noted that the #1 and #19 had had issues on pit road. Travis Kvapil had led under caution before making his stop.
"Yeah, it was Debbie out on the track," Baldwin Jr confirmed.
Denny Hamlin led the lap 32 restart. Mikey was 34th. Bill Elliott was 40th.
One lap into the run, Ty said they were clear. "43 back, no pressure."
Lap 34 saw Bill Elliott drop to 43rd.
"Still there, still outside," Ty noted on lap 35. "Still clear, about eight back."
Passing Terry Labonte moved Mikey up to 33rd on lap 36. Getting around Lepage one lap later gained the #55 another spot. Bill was still last.
"Those are really good times, man," Baldwin Jr praised on lap 38. "Keep digging." Bill had passed Kenny Wallace for 42nd on the same lap.
Mikey passed Dale Jarrett for 31st on lap 40.
"Left side, just a little bit," Ty warned one lap later. "Still clear.
"Still outside. Still there. Still there. You got one who jumped up there with him. The #1 car is with him.
"You'll be clear up there if you need it. All clear."
Truex Jr's #1 passed, moving Mikey back to 32nd on lap 42. Robby Gordon and Dale Jarrett got around him one lap later.
"Inside - the 88. Inside, inside. Still there, still there. You're clear.
"Coming inside, inside, inside."
Getting back around Jarrett moved Mikey up to 33rd on lap 44.
"Inside, the 88. Inside," Ty noted. Mikey lost a spot to Jarrett's #88 on lap 48. One lap later, the spotter warned his driver that he had a car looking low and then inside.
Kenny Wallace passed Bill on lap 51, moving the #00 into last place.
"No front end issues. All rear end issues," Mikey reported on lap 52.
"10-4, man. We'll keep working, tightening up that thing for you," Baldwin assured his driver.
Tony Raines pit on lap 53, allowing Bill to gain 42nd. Baldwin Jr read off pit times. "Leader an 85, you a 55."
Jeff Gordon took the top spot going into lap 56.
"Leader a 43 flat, you a 43.70," Baldwin Jr noted. He told his driver he was laying down good lap times.
"Leader 43 flat, you a 43.40," the crew chief continued to read off times on lap 59. "Leader a 43 flat, you a 43.60."
Mikey passed David Stremme's #40 on lap 63, allowing him to pick up 33rd.
"They're talking about more debris on the frontstretch," Ty noted on lap 64. "No caution. They're just still talking about debris on the front straightaway."
"Leader a 43.20, you a 43.70," Baldwin Jr informed. Bill had lost the lead lap.
"Leader's at the lin... now," Ty said on lap 67. Five laps later, Bill passed Kenny Wallace's #78 for 41st.
Mikey picked up 32nd from Schrader on the same lap. Robby Gordon dropped through the ranks, allowing the #55 to move into 31st on the next lap.
On lap 76, Bill went to pit road. Mikey was 30th; Dale Jarrett had gone too. With more drivers pitting, Mikey moved up a couple more spots.
Leader Jeff Gordon pit on lap 77, giving the top spot to Hamlin. Bill was two laps down at that point, and last. Mikey came in on lap 78. Kyle Busch picked up the lead on the next lap with Hamlin's stop.
Green flag stops continued to cycle. When Jeff Gordon took back the lead on lap 81, Mikey was 31st and lapped.
The yellow flag waved for the third time on lap 82 for debris. Ken Schrader got the free pass, and Mikey was still lapped. Most leaders stayed on the track. Ryan Newman spun Elliott Sadler on pit road. Mikey made a stop too.
Racing resumed on lap 87. Jeff Gordon led, and Mikey was 36th and lapped. Bill was last. Kyle Busch grabbed the top spot along the backstretch.
Lap 89 saw Kasey Kahne's #9 move into the lead. Mikey had picked up 35th from Tony Raines.
The fourth caution was for Brian Vickers on lap 110. The left front tire had exploded and ripped up sheet metal along the quarter panel. Jeff Green got the free pass. The leaders pit under yellow, and Kasey Kahne was the first to return to the track.
Lap 116 saw the restart. Kahne led, and Mikey was 33rd and lapped. Ty warned him about lead lap cars going around him. Meanwhile, Brian Vickers' #25 saw on pit road.
Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 118. Kahne rallied back and retook the top spot two laps later. Busch's #5 reclaimed the lead the next time around the track and pulled ahead.
Mikey was running one lap down with 10th and 11th.
"I'm loose. I need help everywhere," Mikey reported.
"10-4," said the crew chief.
"And my motor runs good on the top, not so good on the bottom."
"Outside, outside," Ty said. "You've got the 41 jumped up there with him."
Kahne was back in the lead on lap 123.
"Clear there, all clear.
"Looking low, inside," Ty added a lap later. "Still inside, all by himself."
Dave Blaney passed on lap 126, moving Mikey back to 34th.
"Coming pretty hard outside, outside, outside," Ty noted. "Clear there. All clear."
Lap 136 saw Bill go three laps down and in 42nd. He was off the track.
"All right, man! Get your rhythm there! Get your rhythm!" Baldwin Jr said on lap 138. Mikey was running with the lead lap cars in the 20's.
"Leader's at the line now," Ty said on lap 140. Five laps later, Bill was marked last, and his #00 was still off the track.
Ryan Newman dropped through the ranks on lap 144, allowing Mikey go pick up 33rd the next time around the track.
"Leader a 43.70, you a 43.30," Baldwin Jr said on lap 147.
"I think I got a flat right front," Mikey said on lap 149.
"10-4," Ty replied. "Outside, coming outside. Let me get a look at it. You're going to have to go around again. I couldn't tell. How close are we, Tommy?"
"About ten from stopping," Baldwin Jr replied. "Ten.
"Gotten any better?" he added, after another lap.
"I picked up a bad push," Mikey replied.
David Gilliland passed on lap 152, moving Mikey to 34th.
"The 12 car, two back," Ty said a couple laps later. "He pitted, got two tires. Coming inside, inside. They're looking for a piece of debris, Michael. I'll let you know when they do here."
Newman passed on lap 153. Mikey was 35th.
"They're reporting it's just a water bottle. Time to pit now," Ty informed.
Lap 156 saw the fifth debris.
"Another piece of debris they found," Ty said. Jeff Green got the free pass.
"So what you think? Go tight, or what?" Baldwin Jr asked.
Mikey said it was staying loose, and then started plowing. "I thought I had a flat."
Baldwin Jr said they'd cooled down considerably. "I don't want to overtighten it here. It would be junk."
"I want to free it up," Mikey replied. "I can hold onto it a lot better loose than I can pushing."
"All right, let's put one round in the right rear," Baldwin Jr said. He wanted to make a left rear adjustment too.
"Okay."
"All right, buddy, cannot come this time. Leader's only. Go one up on the track bar too. One up."
Leaders pit under the yellow.
"All right, let's go two up on the track bar. Leave the wedge," Baldwin Jr decided. "Two up on the track bar, leave the wedge."
"All right, buddy, 4700. 4700," Ty reminded.
"We'll have to go around the 14 here," Baldwin Jr said. "3, 2, 1.
"Go go go go go go go. Get all you can, get all you can."
"4700, 4700," Ty repeated. "One to go when you get around it. One to go."
Bill had returned to the track. He was 25 laps down. Kahne was given a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road.
Lap 160 saw the restart. Gordon led, and Mikey was 33rd and one lap down.
"That 14's checking up. Still low, still low. Outside," Ty warned one lap into the run. "Still got the 29 outside. Outside, outside."
The race for the lead went three-wide, and Kyle Busch took it going into lap 163. Mikey had picked up 32nd from Marlin's #14. Gordon's #24 retook the lead going into lap 167. Mikey went three and then two-wide. He lost a spot to Terry Labonte that lap and was now 33rd.
"Real slow one on the bottom, off of 4," Ty warned as Greg Biffle dropped through the ranks on lap 172. "38's trying to come inside, inside, inside. Caution's out."
The sixth caution was on lap 173. Mikey had cut down Gilliland's tire. Kurt Busch received the free pass.
"What was it doing there?"
"Pushing."
Baldwin Jr wanted to go one and a half up on the track bar, and make a wedge adjustment. The leaders made stops, and then Mikey did.
"Go go go go go go go. Clear up, clear up," Baldwin Jr directed after the stop.
"47, 47," Ty added.
"Good stop, guys. Good stop," Mikey praised.
"Good stop. We made those adjustments, Mike," Baldwin Jr replied. He commented how he couldn't believe how much conditions had changed.
"I don't understand how that happened in two laps," He said they need to get better and they're in a position to improve during the night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr led the field under yellow.
"Coming to one to go, one to go," Ty noted.
Lap 179 saw the restart. Earnhardt Jr's #8 led, and Mikey was 31st and lapped.
"Green green green," Ty noted. "Everybody's straight. Three wide right there. Three-wide."
Kasey Kahne dropped inside and took the lead going into lap 181. Mikey was running three-wide for a few laps, running with cars racing for 10th.
Blaney passed, moving Mikey back to 32nd on lap 183. One lap later, Kyle Busch took the lead. Kahne took it back before Busch's #5 was credited with the top spot. Lap 185 saw Mikey lose a spot to Ryan Newman.
"I just can't get on the gas," Mikey reported.
"Got a run on the outside," Ty warned. "Got a run on the outside. Clear now. Clear. Coming outside, outside, outside. You got another one coming outside. Clear low, clear low. Slow one up top. You got one outside. Outside. Clear there, all clear."
Lap 190 saw Mikey lose a spot to Gilliland. He was now 190.
"Got a run inside, inside."
The seventh caution was on lap 191 for debris. Bobby Labonte got the free pass.
"I don't know what happened. I can't tell you what happened. I'm as loose as I've ever been. I couldn't do anything. I don't know what you think," Mikey said.
Baldwin Jr told the team not to do anything, just unhook the rear bar. Leaders pit under yellow, and Mark Martin picked up the lead. Baldwin Jr told his driver to come in with one to go to top off the fuel tank.
"Want me to come right back to you?" Mikey asked.
"If you're all caught up, come on," Baldwin Jr replied.
"Yeah, come on," Ty said. "Come on."
"Watch out for this 14 here. He's leaving, he's leaving. Go ahead."
Mark Martin led the lap 196 restart, with Mikey in 34th and one lap down. Elliott Sadler immediately took the lead. Robby Gordon dropped through the ranks and pit.
On lap 199, Mikey picked up 33rd from Sterling Marlin. Marlin's #14 got back around the next time around the track, but Mikey got around him again one circuit later. By lap 204, Marlin passed again.
"What's it doing there, Mike?" asked Baldwin Jr.
"Spinning out," Mikey replied.
Kahne took back the lead on lap 205 from teammate Sadler. Eleven laps later, Mikey was told his last lap was a 43.40. Baldwin Jr read off times. Lap 220 saw Bill Elliott move into 42nd, with Robby Gordon's departure. He was still 25 laps down.
"How close are we on fuel? Five or six laps?" Ty asked.
"Nah, eight laps," Baldwin Jr replied.
Mikey passed Sterling Marlin for 33rd on lap 224.
"All clear," Ty said on lap 230.
"Keep digging, man. You've got a lot more positions in front of you. That was a 19," Baldwin Jr encouraged. He told his driver he was catching cars in front of him a second and a half a lap.
Greg Biffle pit on lap 231. Other drivers began making stops for a splash of gas. Some, like Jimmie Johnson, also took tires.
"Clear, clear," Ty said on lap 234. Mikey had passed Ryan Newman for 32nd.
"43 flat. Good lap, man!" Baldwin Jr praised.
Mikey gained another spot on lap 237 when Biffle pit.
"Right behind's the 32, and the 9 car's the leader," Ty noted on lap 238. Kasey Kahne pit at the end of the lap, just before catching Mikey. The #55 was up to 30th after passing David Gilliland.
Earnhardt Jr had picked up the lead with Kahne's stop. He came in, giving the lead to Carl Edwards. The #8 slid slideways into the box and lost a little time. Edwards pit at the end of the lap.
Mikey was marked in 28th. Ty noted that Mikey had been running along the top.
Reed Sorenson got the lead with Edwards' stop. Mikey lost a spot on lap 242 to Kurt Busch.
"This time will be fuel only. Don't skid your tires. Fuel only," Baldwin Jr said.
"Ooooh! 19 just about wrecked behind you," Ty warned. "No caution."
Baldwin Jr talked about how he would count when Mikey stopped.
"1, 2, 3. Come on, let's go," Baldwin Jr said. "4700, 4700."
Mikey pit on lap 244, as Sorenson continued to lead.
"8 closing pretty fast. He only got two tires," Ty noted. Mikey was two laps down in 31st.
"5 laps to go," Baldwin Jr noted. "43.05."
"43.15," the crew chief read off the time on lap 248. One lap later, Reed Sorenson ran out of gas.
"All right, buddy, a lap and a half to go. You've got the 99 closing.
"White flag, the 99's right there. Six back to the 24. Coming outside, outside. Outside, it's going to be clear behind you. Five back. 24's closing. Outside, two behind you.
"Coming to the checker, buddy. Coming to the checker."
"Thanks for the effort today, Mike," Baldwin Jr said after the stripe. Mikey was 31st, two laps down, as Kasey Kahne won. Bill Elliott was 42nd, twenty-six laps down.
Tune in next week as NASCAR goes to Richmond. Coverage of the Nextel Cup's Chevy Rock and Roll 400 begins Saturday at 7:00pm ET on TNT. The Busch Series' Emerson Radio 250 will air the day before at 7:30pm on the same channel.
