By Kellyanne Lynch, mikeypower.com
13 October 2006
Michael Waltrip surprised everyone, including himself, in the Dollar General 300, tonight's Busch Series race at Lowes Motor Speedway. His #99 Dollar General Dodge finished 2nd... although, according to Mikey, it "probably shouldn't have".
Carl Edwards started tonight's event from the pole, and he held onto his lead going into the first lap of the race. Mikey rolled off 42nd; he had crashed during qualifying, and NASCAR moved him to the rear of the field for going to a back-up.
The first caution came on lap 3. David Reutimann's #44 tagged the back of Kasey Kahne's #9 in Turn 1 when Kahne came up the track. As he slid down the track, Kahne collected Greg Biffle.
Racing resumed on lap 7 with Edwards' #60 leading, with Mikey up to 38th. By lap 10, the #99 had gained a spot, and the Dodge was up to 35th within the next three laps.
Lap 15 saw the second caution when Shane Huffman spun on his own in Turn 4.
Edwards led the lap 19 restart, and Kevin Harvick took second almost immediately. Mikey was 30th.
The yellow flag waved for the third time on lap 21. Jimmie Johnson smacked the wall by himself in Turn 4 and got in the grass.
The green returned on lap 28 with Edwards leading. Harvick was all over the #60 for the top spot, and Mikey was 22nd. The field rode single-file for the most part. By lap 33, Mikey had passed Dave Blaney for position. He was up another spot on the next lap. Meanwhile, Jeff Burton went to pit road with a suspected engine issue.
The fourth caution came on lap 24 for Burton's stalled #21. He had been in line for the free pass back onto the lead lap. Blaney pit with a flat tire before pit road opened. Most of the field ultimately made stops.
The restart came on lap 40 with Jason Leffler leading. He and the next five in line had not made stops. Mikey was 28th. By lap 45, he had lost a position to Kenny Wallace. Matt Kenseth took the lead two circuits after that, as Mikey fell a spot to Blaney. The #99 was 21st by lap 49.
The Family Dollar Dodge made gains in the coming laps. Passing Mike Wallace on lap 51 advanced Mikey to 30th. Two laps later, he got around John Andretti for position. He was up another spot on lap 64, when Kevin Harvick had to pit with a flat. A couple laps later saw the #99 in 27th, and on lap 68, Mikey had advanced another position. Lap 80 saw him in 25th.
Four laps later, Kenseth was all over #99 and looking to put Mikey one lap down. Reports arose at the same time that Kenseth's #17 was smoking. Casey Mears got serviced around the same time. As cars pit, Mikey gained 16th by lap 94.
Reed Sorenson scraped the wall while riding 5th. His flat right front drew the fifth yellow on lap 95. Drivers who hadn't stopped pitted under the caution, and Carl Edwards returned to the track first.
Edwards led the lap 102 restart, with Jason Leffler and Johnny Sauter at the tail end of the lead lap. Mikey was 15th. Edwards went three-wide in an attempt to put the tail-end-of-the-lead-lap drivers one lap down. He was getting challenged for the lead when cars went flying all over the track.
The sixth yellow was for a multi-car accident on lap 103. Tony Stewart and David Reutimann's cars went around simultaneously and side-by-side. Cars slid and spun trying to avoid them. Mikey was one of them, and the others were Mike Wallace, Auggie Vidovich, David Ragan, Tony Stewart, Regan Smith, Stacy Compton, and Brad Baker.
Racing resumed on lap 113 with Edwards leading and Mikey in 13th.
Lap 116 saw the seventh caution. Vidovich's #4 spun off Turn 2 and collected Burton. The #4 came up the track, tagged Brad Keselowski's #23, and the #23 made hard contact with the inside wall. Ted Musgrave narrowly dodged involvement. NASCAR red flagged the race on lap 117, with Mikey in 17th.
The yellow flag returned a few minutes later, and racing resumed on lap 121. Edwards led.
The eighth caution was for Danny O'Quinn on lap 123; he got loose under Casey Mears' #42.
Edwards led the lap 127 restart, with Mikey in 14th. Eighteen cars were on the lead lap. Mears got around the #99 by lap 132, moving Mikey back to 15th. Blaney's pass six laps later lost the #99 another position. With fifty laps to go, Edwards looked to put cars a lap down.
With 37 laps remaing, Mikey gained 15th. Edwards was all over his rear fender. With 35 to go, the #60 was under the #99 and passed. Mikey was 16th with 33 laps remaining, as Kyle Busch pit. Jason Leffler came in the next time around the track. Mikey was up to 14th with 31 to go.
Edwards pit with 29 laps to go; Kenseth, who was second, stopped at the same time. Others followed suit. Jamie McMurray picked up the lead, and Mikey was 11th. More drivers came to the pits. McMurray was on pit road the next time around the track. Paul Menard's team rolled a tire, earning the #11 car a pass-through penalty. Mikey was 7th at the time, with 26 laps remaining. More drivers were stopping. Mears was leading, and Mikey was up to 6th by 22 to go.
With 18 laps to go, Jamie McMurray made hard rear-end contact with the Turn 2 wall. He got loose under Musgrave's #14. The crash drew the nineth caution. Drivers who hadn't stopped under green pit under yellow, including Mikey. Matt Kenseth received the free pass.
NASCAR red-flagged the race for the second time with less than ten laps to go. Casey Mears had run a red light at the end of pit road and was being scored in front of Carl Edwards, who had not stopped under the caution. NASCAR needed to figure out the running order. Edwards was pronounced the race leader.
Racing resumed with 8 laps to go. Edwards led, and Mikey was 6th. Mears was all over the back of Edwards for the top spot.
With six to go, the yellow flag came out for the tenth time for Jason Leffler. Leffler's #38 got loose and spun on its own. The #99 was 5th.
The green returned with four laps remaining. Edwards led, with Mikey in 5th. With three laps to go, Mears went to Edwards' outside. The pair touched, and Mears sent Edwards and himself spinning across the stripe. Danny O'Quinn spun too. NASCAR red-flagged the race for several minutes.
The field went back to yellow, and the field prepared for the nineth green/white/checkered finish of the season. Dave Blaney had picked up the lead, and Mikey was up to 3rd. When the green flag waved on lap 202, Kenseth pursued Blaney. Blaney's #32 got loose, and Kenseth's #17 looked under the race leader. The pair ran side-by-side on the final lap. Kenseth got loose and spun off Turn 4. Blaney won, and Mikey drove around the spinning #17 to pick up 2nd. Denny Hamlin spun in the infield just after the stripe.
Post-race, Mikey drank a Coke and mentioned that today being Friday the 13th.
"You've had an interesting day," pit reporter Dave Burns commented.
"I have. I was last in Cup practice - the slowest guy here. And that's a terrible feeling, because they have those computers, and, it's like, arrows are pointing at it when you're last. But then I crashed my Family Dollar car qualifying, and then I got another Family Dollar car out, and then I finished 2nd in my Family Dollar car. And the way this day has gone, Dave, I wouldn't be surprised if Blaney failed post-race inspection, and I get the win, like, at four in the morning.
"But Armando Fitz is a great man," he continued. "And I really - thanks, Stacy - and I really appreciate him working with us and the Family Dollar sponsor." He lowered his voice. "But, I have to admit, Dave, I'm just a little embarrassed though."
"Because?" Burns asked.
"Because I finished 2nd. I probably shouldn't have, but I remember one day I lost a race that I shouldn't have, so I guess it all works out. Friday the 13th. Stay tuned! You'd better watch for post-race inspection details. Wait, what if I fail. Nah, that's not going to happen."
Tomorrow, Mikey will be in the Nextel Cup race. Coverage starts at 7:00pm ET on NBC.
