Mikey 30th in Life Lock 400 by Kellyanne Lynch
30 September 2007
Michael Waltrip finished 30th in the Life Lock 400, today's Nextel Cup race at Kansas Speedway. His #55 Napa Camry was one lap down. His drivers Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann finished 26th and 31st (one lap down) respectively. Weather brought about two red flag periods that caused the race to run for six hours.
When asked about his car after the race, Mikey said, "It wasn't a good one. We were real loose and we came down pit road to get that worked out right. We did just a normal stop and my guys are just unbelievable job with a 12.6-second stop. I'm proud of them. We just made some mistakes and didn't get the car right. I'll take responsibility for that because I'm the one driving it and I have to give them the information they need to get it running right."
"Copy on me, Mark Green?" crew chief Bobby Kennedy asked at 2:03pm ET.
"Got you loud and clear," spotter Mark Green replied. When Bobby asked about the weather, he added, "A little bit windy, a little bit windy. Lost a few hats, but we're all right."
They talked about where Bobby would pick up spotting.
"Hello, 1, 2," the driver spoke three minutes later.
"Yeah, yeah. I got you loud and clear," Bobby replied.
"All right. I got y'all good too."
The call to start engines came at 2:07pm. Pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson was sent to the rear of the field following a happy hour wreck that caused him to race his back-up car. Robby Gordon would also have to start at the rear of the field, but that did not affect where MWR started.
Bobby told the crew they had some weather coming and to make sure they had tarps to cover up equipment if they needed it. "All right, Michael, our computer shows 4000 to 44 is our range for pit road."
"Just so I know, what's the different between miles per hour between those limits?" Mikey asked.
"Five miles per hour, five miles per hour," Bobby replied. He said that's how much buffer room NASCAR gives on pit road speed limit.
"Okay, Mike, you are at pit road speed right there," Mark told his driver a minute later.
"Um, I'm showing 41," Mikey assessed.
"Let's go ahead and bump that up to 42," Bobby suggested. "That'll put us right there in the middle. 42. All right, you're going to have the 5 car, the opening, and then us and the 6 car."
"5, us, opening, 6 car. Over."
Bobby corrected him, saying the opening was before the #55 and not after.
"Okay, 10-4."
Bobby reminded him to put on his blowers.
"Roger, I got it all on. Battery's on one. I think I've got everything going on in here."
"10-4," Bobby replied. He warned his driver about the wind in Turn 1.
"Okay, Mike, you're coming to the one to go this time, one to go. You've got the 48 dropping to the rear there," Mark observed.
"I think it's already begun to rain," Mikey commented.
"Yes, sir," Bobby replied, "I believe you are correct."
"I hope they don't think it's enough not to race so I can lead for a few laps."
"Okay, Turn 1... everyone's saying it's good now," Mark said. "Pace car is off. Ready? Ready? Green green green."
Scott Riggs led the field to the green flag at 2:16pm. Matt Kenseth led the first lap while Mikey dropped two spots to 11th. Dale was 13th, and David was 23rd.
"Got the 10 car in the middle there, kind of holding this group all up," Mark noted about Riggs' #10 on lap 4 as Mikey ran 10th. "Still inside. Still there. Clear all around, clear all around."
Lap 5 saw Mikey lose a spot.
"Clear by two on the 29, staying about the same there," Mark said.
"33 flat, 33 flat," Bobby read off the lap time.
Kevin Harvick passed along the inside on lap 7, moving Mikey back to 12th. Meanwhile, Dale had dropped to 25th, and David had risen to 18th. Lap 9 saw Mikey lose a spot to Tony Stewart.
"55, 55. Leader 80," said Bobby. "45, 45, leader flat."
"Clear by five on the 41," Mark noted.
"50, 50. Leader a 10.
"50. Leader a 20."
"Caution's out, caution's out. Got some rain here."
Lap 12 saw the first caution. Bobby asked for temperature readings.
"Um, 210, 250. My car's running pretty good. If anything, it's a little loose in the dead centre. I don't see anything but a slight air pressure adjustment," Mikey said. "I'm fine to stay out."
"Come up just a little bit on that left rear liner," Bobby made the call.
Mikey said he could only hear static and that Bobby needed a new radio. Mark told the driver what the crew chief had said.
"Like I said, air pressure is about all I would do, but I think we're going to stay out, right?"
"Bobby, you going to stay out?" Mark asked.
Bobby said to pit, and Mark relayed that information.
"Got the 07 speeding on you a little bit," Bobby warned.
"Man, I'm going 44, and he just drove by me," Mikey said.
"Yeah. Bobby, get a check on that 07. He just passed us on pit road."
Bobby told somebody to check if their pit road speed was right.
"I was going 44, and he drove right by me," Mikey repeated. He said he was just a tick loose.
Bobby said the tire sheets looked good. He told the crew to get the pit box covered up and that they needed bags for the monitors. "Two people to the car. Two people."
"Me and Shelley," a crew member said.
"Make sure these gas cans are covered up, guys."
Cars were led down pit road, and the race was red flagged at 2:27pm on lap 16. Three cars had not pit - Dave Blaney, Kyle Petty, and Ken Schrader. They sat in front of the field. The #55 was 21st, the #00 was 25th, and the #44 was 35th. Two members of the #55 team covered the car with tarp.
Crews began uncovering the car at 3:05pm, and drivers were called back to their cars. Kasey Kahne went around the track in the pace car and assessed that the track was dry.
"Hey, Bobby, you got a copy on me?" Mark asked four minutes later.
"I gotcha, Mark," Bobby replied.
"Hey, somebody got a radio sticking that clicks in every now and then?"
"I have just now turned mine back to this channel," someone said. "I have not heard it."
Kevin from Racing Electronics said it was a nonidentified radio that was affecting the frequency and was being worked on.
"Okay, thank you."
"1, 2, hello?" Mikey came on the radio.
"I gotcha, loud and clear," Bobby replied. "Copy on me, Mark Green?"
"I still got ya loud and clear." Mark said he was still hearing the clicking.
"Yes sir. I hear the same thing," Bobby replied.
"The radio guy, Kevin, said it's a non-IDed radio that's being keyed up."
"10-4."
"Well you ought to call him bakc and tell him to make it stop," Mikey said. Mark commented on it being annoying.
Kevin said whoever did it switched from channel one to two.
"It's like every week, it's the first time we've had a radio. It's always something," Mikey stated. "Am I supposed to start?"
"I haven't heard them say anything," Bobby said.
"You can do what you want to, but they haven't made the call yet," someone said. "Now they have."
Engines refired at 3:14pm, and cars rolled of pit road seconds later.
"Okay, make sure all your blowers are on," Bobby told his driver. "Mark Green, the new pit road RPM is 44, 4400." He asked for the list of people who had taken on just two tires.
"18, 26, 12 for sure, 99 probably," somebody replied.
"Thank you."
"Okay, coming to the one to go this time. One to go," Mark announced.
Jeff Burton was sent to the back of the pack for pulling at his fender under the red flag.
"Coming to the green. Tighten those belts up," Bobby said.
Matt Kenseth led the restart at 3:20pm on lap 19. Mikey was 18th.
"41 looking inside, inside," Mark warned. "01 inside. 9 looking inside, inside. Still inside, still in there."
Mikey was 21st on lap 20th.
"Three wide, inside. Two-wide, still inside. Still down there. Clear behind that 00, clear by one. Still lined up inside. Clear, clear all around. Clear all around."
Mikey was 20th on lap 21 but lost two spots the next time around the track to David and to Casey Mears.
"Plowing!" Mikey yelled over static.
"10-4," Bobby replied.
He was 23rd on lap 24; Elliot Sadler had repassed.
"It's like the right front's soft," Mikey added.
"10-4. 10-4 on the right front," Bobby responded.
Mark cleared Mikey by three car lengths behind Jimmie Johnson's #48. The #55 was 24th on lap 25. "9 looking inside. Inside. Clear by ten behind the 9 if you need it. Clear by five, back to the 15."
On lap 27, Mikey was 25th after Kasey Kahne's #9 passed.
"Still clear by one on the 15. Got a run outside, outside. Clear, clear by five on the 7 car. Clear all around," Mark spotted. "Caution's out, caution's out. Got a spin up here in 3. Coming down in the centre here in three."
The second caution came on lap 28. Dale Earnhardt Jr bumped the back of Kyle Busch's #5 and put it nose-first into the wall.
Mikey said he had a push coming off the turn and was free going in. "It felt like it was starting to get a flat tire, but then it never got worse."
Bobby talked about an air pressure adjustment and four tires.
Mark warned Mikey about getting around the #5 car on pit road. "He's wrecked."
Mikey pit with the leaders, and Kenseth was the first off pit road.
"All right, your left front fender was pushed in," Bobby said. "Did you get into somebody?"
"Yeah, the 9," Mikey replied, "but that wasn't... it had already started doing what it was doing when that happened."
"All right, I made that air pressure adjustment back, and I pushed that fender back," Bobby replied. "Now your air pressures are normal, air pressures are normal."
"It didn't feel like nothing like at the start of the race. It wasn't horrible, there just wasn't any grip in the right front. It was pushing."
"Bobby, your radio's still statically when you let off, when you're talking and when you let off."
Mikey complained that he couldn't hear Bobby's radio and told him to repeat everything Bobby said. Mark told Bobby to change his radio.
Mikey was 25th on the lap 32 restart with Kenseth leading.
"Got one up against the wall up here in Turn 2. Up against the wall here, slow. Caution's out, caution's out. Debris on the back straightaway."
The third caution was for Martin Truex Jr on lap 33. The right front tire on his #1 blew and then fell off the car.
Bobby told everyone to switch to channel one.
Lap 36 saw the restart. Kenseth led, and Mikey was 23rd. By lap 42, the #55 had gained a spot. Mikey picked up another position the next time around the track. Bobby Labonte got back around him on lap 44, putting Mikey in 22nd.
Kurt Busch took the lead on lap 46. Within the next three laps, the #55 had dropped to 25th. Mikey lost a position to David Stremme the next time around the track. On lap 55, David Ragan passed him, but Mikey passed him back the next time around the track.
"34 flat, 34 flat," Bobby said on lap 57. "A little better on that lap.
"05, 05. Leader a 55.
"90, 90. That was a good corner in 3 and 4."
The yellow flag waved for the fourth time on lap 61. Kenny Wallace's #88 had spun while trying to get to pit road with brake issues.
"Caution, got a spin off of four," Mark warned. "Clear."
Bobby asked if Mikey were still free in and asked about the middle and exit.
"It's just a little free in, but we never seem to do the right think. We just make it looser," Mikey replied. "Try to do something different. It's free in."
"I'll just work on the inner liners so we don't screw you up on the exit."
Mikey wanted to go up on the right front. "Because I can't stand that pushing."
Mark said it would be a quickie yellow.
"Come on, guys. Give me four tires when we come. Four tires."
"44 at the cone."
The #55 stopped with the leaders, and Jeff Gordon came off pit road first.
"Good job, guys," Bobby praised his crew. "You picked us up some."
"Good job, guys. Great job all day. It's just too loose so far," Mikey added.
Gordon led the lap 64 restart. Cars were in a single file, and Mikey was 22nd. Jeff Burton and David Stremme passed one lap into the run. Bobby Labonte got around the #55 the next time around the track, moving it back to 25th. Paul Menard passed one circuit later.
Lap 68 saw Kenseth take the lead, as Mikey moved up to 25th. Meanwhile, Jeff Burton pit with no oil pressure. The #55 lost a spot the next time around the track.
The fifth caution was on lap 70 for Burton, who went back on track after his pit and stalled on the track. Mikey pit and fell to the rear of the pack.
Kenseth led the lap 74 restart with Mikey in 39th. Tony Stewart immediately took the lead, and Mikey passed John Andretti. The #55 was around Kyle Petty one lap later and was up to 37th.
Kurt Busch moved into the top spot on lap 78.
"Inside, inside," Mark warned on lap 80. "Another one inside."
Mikey lost a spot to Kyle Petty but regained it two laps later.
"Still out there," Mark warned. "Still there. Clear."
"I am so loose, I'm going to spin out," Mikey complained.
"10-4, 10-4. Clear high, clear high. Back inside. Got another one coming inside. Clear all around, clear all around."
The #55 was 39th on lap 84 when Petty and Andretti passed. Speeds were low.
"60, 33.60. Leader 16. Okay, that's faster than the next fifteen in front of you," Bobby said on lap 87. Meanwhile, Newman went to the garage.
"Got a spin behind us," Mark noted. "No caution yet. No caution yet. No caution yet. Caution now, caution now."
The sixth caution was on lap 89 when Robby Gordon spun.
Mikey said they needed to reverse the air pressure adjustment from before. "I'm turning perfect at the end there, and that's why I could run those decent times. But I'm just... man!" He said it was costing him time getting off turns without spinning out.
Bobby said to take air back out of the left rear and bottom out the track bar.
Mikey suggested opening or closing a shock. "Really, I'm just classic loose. I don't feel like the front tires need to be adjusted, just the back." When Bobby mentioned rubbers in the rear, Mikey said to take them both out. Bobby agreed.
"We were speeding in that last segment," Bobby commented.
Cars pit, and Martin Truex Jr was the first driver off pit road.
"Hey, look back at your notes or whatever when I said I liked it on that restart," Mikey suggested.
Bobby said they would see what this adjustment did for them. "It's pretty damn sensitive, it seems."
"Okay, one to go this time," Mark said. "One to go." He listed a number of cars coming to the rear of the field.
Truex Jr led the lap 93 restart with Mikey in 34th.
"5 car still inside, still inside. Clear behind him. 07 inside. Clear by five behind him," Mark spotted.
Bowyer passed, moving Mikey back to 35th one lap into the run.
"10 looking inside, one car by himself. Clear behind that 10," said Mark. The pass by Riggs' #10 put Mikey in 36th on lap 95. "Still inside, still there. 45 still inside. Clear, clear."
Mikey had hopped up to 34th on lap 96, having passed Andretti, Petty, and Jeremy Mayfield. Meanwhile, Kurt Busch had moved back into the lead. Meanwhile, David ran 17th.
"30. 33.30," Bobby read lap times.
On lap 99, Mark cleared Mikey past Riggs.
"65, 65. Leader 90."
Lap 100 saw the seventh caution.
"Caution's out, caution's out. Got debris on the race track," Mark noted.
"That was closer," Mikey reported. "Just a little loose in. I wouldn't want to be any tighter off. Because that left rear's sensitive, try to get me in with some right front air. I don't know."
"Yeah, left rear, we hadn't done a whole lot with," Bobby replied.
"If a bunch of them pit, we can stay out," Mikey said.
Bobby agreed.
"If it's 50/50, I'll stay out, but that's going to hurt me, because I'll be the last one to stay out."
"Let's stay out and get some of that track position back." Bobby also mentioned that Goodyear was limiting their tires.
"Benefitiary's the 7. We'll let him go by right here," Mark told his driver.
"We got weather coming again, about 15, 20 minutes out," Bobby stated.
"Okay, one to go right here," said Mark. "One to go. You will be coming to the green when you come back around."
"Yeah, I'm worried about tires now. They're telling us we get one more set. I've got five here. So I'm thinking it was a good thing staying out. Let's see about lining some deals up, before these guys go out."
Lap 104 saw the restart. Busch's #2 led, and Mikey was 21st.
"9 car's looking inside. Not there yet. Still clear, still clear," Mark said. It was the 19. "Clear the 21. Back inside. Clear, clear all around."
Passing Ken Schrader put Mikey in 20th on lap 106, but Sadler got around him the next time around the track. Schrader's #21 also passed. Mikey was now 21st.
Jeff Green and Casey Mears passed on lap 108, moving the #55 into 24th. Bowyer passed the next time around the track, and Mark cleared Mikey by three car lengths behind him.
"Clear by two on the 8 car."
"33.10, leader an 80," Bobby noted.
"8 car up high, outside. Still outside. Still outside."
Mikey lost a spot to Earnhardt Jr's #8, then lost a bunch of spots the next time around the track after going three-wide. He was now 30th.
"Clear by five, back to the 96," said Mark.
"90, 90," Bobby read off lap times.
Tony Raines passed along the inside on lap 113; Mikey was now 31st.
Mikey said something on the radio that was abstructed by engine noise. "Tight off" was heard amongst it.
"10-4," Bobby replied.
"Clear all around. Back inside, back inside. Clear all around," Mark said. "Clear, clear all around."
"90, 33.90. Leader a 25.
"34.05, 05."
"Looking inside, inside," Mark warned. "Clear behind the 70. Clear high, clear high. Back inside. Clear, clear all around."
Mikey had kept the #55 in front of Johnny Sauter and maintained 31st.
"80, 33.80. That was a pretty good lap," said Bobby. "70, 70.
"34.10, 34.10.
"95, 95. Leader 40.
"05, 05. Leader 40."
"Clear by eight on the 60... 70. Clear by eight," Mark noted.
"12," Bobby said. "95, 95. That's a good effort. You're faster than the next six in front of you."
"Clear behind him. Good lap," Mark added. "Clear by four on the 70."
"15, 34.15. Leader's at the line... now."
"Got a run up high. Outside, outside, outside. Clear high, clear high. Got one inside. Clear high. Still inside. Clear all around."
Jamie McMurray's pass on lap 128 moved Mikey to 32nd.
"Still outside," said Mark. "10 car outside. Clear all around, clear all around."
Johnny Sauter and Scott Riggs moved Mikey to 34th on lap 129.
"What's the car doing?" Bobby asked.
"Loose in and plowing off - my worst fear," Mikey replied.
"10-4. About ten laps away from pitting."
Mark warned that the #88 behind them had fresh tires. Kenny Wallace's #88 was 39 laps down and passed shortly after that. "Still there, still there. Clear, clear all around."
Mikey had passed Riggs for 33rd.
"35, 35. Seven laps away from pitting. Just seven away," Bobby told his driver.
"Still out there," Mark warned. "Clear high, clear high. Back outside, back outside. Clear high, clear high. Looking inside, inside. Still inside. Still inside. Three-wide, you're on the outside. Two-wide, still inside."
On lap 139, Mikey got around Juan Pablo Montoya for 32nd.
"Clear behind that 9," said Mark. "Leader's about two cars back."
Matt Kenseth and David Gilliland pit on lap 141, moving Mikey up to 30th. Others were making green flag stops.
"10 looking inside. Clear, clear. Leader just pulled off to pit. Clear all around."
Tony Stewart took the lead on lap 143.
"Pit next time," Bobby instructed.
"Got the 10 about four back. Just wave him off there. It's starting to get a little sprinkle out there, Bobby. 44, 44."
The #55 pit on lap 144.
"Three, two, one. Wheels straight, put on the brakes," Bobby led his driver.
"Two tires?" Mikey asked.
"Four. Gotta take four," Bobby replied. "Go go go go go."
"44," Mark reminded.
Stewart was supposed to pit but stayed out due to the weather.
"How many cars are on the lead lap?" Mikey asked.
"Caution's out," Mark said.
"That's why I wanted two tires. That would have kept us on the lead lap," Mikey commented.
The eighth caution was on lap 146 for rain. Stewart was in the lead. Mikey was 37th and two laps down.
"Got a big hole in the front of your car there in the headlight," Bobby noted.
Mikey complained that it was raining, and if they'd taken on two tires, they'd saved a lap.
"I can't hear anything you're saying; it's breaking up," Bobby replied.
The radio continued to click.
"Fuck these radios, man!" Mikey exclaimed. "Somebody's gonna have to do something!"
"Turn all the radios off," Bobby instructed as the radio clicked some more.
"Okay, Mike, they're going to bring them down pit road again," said Mark.
The field parked on pit road at 4:53pm on lap 149 as NASCAR red-flagged the race. Crews covered the cars. Due to lightening, the cameramen were told to go for cover.
Jet dryers took to the track at 5:25pm.
"Hey, Ron?" someone asked at 6:46pm. "Ron Otto?"
"What do you need, Flash?"
Flash asked if Ron had heard what someone had said. Ron said they needed to change the visor and to put down something.
"Yeah, and re-do the tape on the front," Flash added.
A few minutes later, Mark asked, "Bobby this is Mark. Got me?"
Bobby said he did.
"You still hear the click, like the keying up every few minutes?"
Bobby said he did and it was on NASCAR radios too. "I'll try to see if it's on the Busch channel, so we'll try for the next minute or two."
"Ron Motto?"
"Flash, what you got?"
"Mark Green, do you have the Busch radio on? Busch number one?" Bobby asked. He said he wasn't sure if the radio in the car had it either.
Mark said he'd stay on the radio until they got it.
Ron said he heard someone wanted him and wanted to know what they wanted.
"Don't worry about it," Bobby replied. "Does the car radio have the Busch channel in it? We'll switch to Busch #1, channel 7. Does it have the Busch channel on it? Ron?
"Hey, Mark," Bobby said a minute later. "Mark Green?"
"I got you right there, but real low," someone said. Static followed and preceeded.
"Johnny Rocker, get me a push to talk button!" someone else yelled. "Hurry up! I gotcha, but it's real low, like your microphone is far away from your mouth."
"All right, Jason's running to the truck to get one, Ron."
"Yeah, we're all set, except for the radio problem," Bobby replied. He said they were running out a steering wheel to Ron.
"I'm talking to NASCAR right now," said Ron.
"Got one on the way." Bobby said it was the kill switch that got hit.
"Keep coming," someone said. "We're right on down here."
"Hey, Ron, we don't want to do anything. We want to use this as a pit stop and stay out right here."
A voice came over the radio but was muffled by static. "Did you hear me?"
"Test one two, test one two," someone said.
"Hello. Can anybody hear me?" Mikey asked.
Static followed. High-pitched squeeling came next.
"Bobby Kennedy, if you can hear me, talk to Michael," a crew member said. "Bobby, can you talk to Michael?"
"All right, try it again. Go ahead," Bobby said.
"All right, Bobby. Michael has you."
"Okay. There's some other teams reporting radio problems." Bobby said they've tried every radio channel. "We've run out of stuff to change. All right, let's just go back to channel two. This one seems a little worse."
After a minute, somebody said, "Hey, do you got a copy on me? Bobby Kennedy, do you got a copy on me?"
At 7:06pm, the race returned to yellow. Mikey stayed on pit road as others went around him. A tow truck pushed him until the #55 got rolling. Somebody over Mikey's radio said to be ready if they need to pit right away, once the car got going.
"Radio check," someone said under the yellow.
Racing resumed on lap 156. Stewart led, and Mikey was 37th and in front of the race leader at the tail end of one lap down.
A huge wreck drew the ninth caution on lap 157. Kevin Harvick took the lead as a result. Ken Schrader got loose inside the #55 and spun, collecting Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr, Matt Kenseth, and David Gilliland. David slowed with the #21 and #38 slowing in front of him, bumped the #38 slightly, and got by the mess with minimal if any damage to the nose.
"All right, close that right front shock five clicks, five clicks on that right front shock," Bobby said. A series of clicking followed. Then they talked about shutting off Shawn's radio and the clicking stopping. He started talking about the #00, but the radio cut out. David pit early, and the leaders made stops.
"Four tires, adjust your right front shock," said Bobby.
"He's coming in next time by, guys," someone said. He also said to check the fenders to make sure they didn't get any damage.
"Just be ready, guys. He's having trouble reaching Michael on the radio," someone else said. He told the rest of the crew to be ready for Mikey to pit if he did come in.
Racing resumed on lap 166. Kevin Harvick led, and Mikey was 31st and the first driver one lap down. Stewart's #20 was smoking heavily with tire rub but ran less as laps continued. Someone told the #55 crew to get off the wall.
Montoya passed on lap 168, putting Mikey in 32nd. Lap 175 saw Biffle take the lead.
The tenth caution was on lap 176. Kurt Busch rear-ended Stewart when Stewart was waving to pit with a flat, and Edwards got into the mess. Montoya received the free pass.
"Four tires. He'll let us know on the shot. He'll let us know on the shot," someone said. "Eric, no shock adjustment. They'll be no shock. Got a big puddle of water too."
More squeeling came over the radio.
"Hello?" Mikey said under caution.
"Come on," someone said as more squeeling came on.
"Can you hear me?" Mikey said through static. More squeeling followed.
Someone said through static that, if Mikey could hear them, pit and tell him what he had. More words and squeeling came next.
NASCAR announced the race would be shortened to lap 210 rather than lap 225.
Someone asked someone to do something if they could hear him, all amongst more squeeling and static on the #55 radio.
Cars made stops, and the #2 team worked on pulling out their fender. Mikey would take on four tires.
"Anybody there?" Mikey asked.
"Michael, can you hear me?" someone else said. "Michael..." Static and beeping followed.
"Go all the way to the front," Bobby instructed. "To the front." More beeping.
Lap 184 saw the restart with Biffle leading and Mikey in 30th. The caution immediately followed - the tenth of the race - when Jamie McMurray slid into Menard who hit Hamlin when the three were going three-wide.
"All right, bud, if you can hear me, you will be the lucky dog here. You will be the lucky dog," Bobby said. "Guys, if he comes in, we're going to turn the radios off. Go ahead. You can pass the pace car, pass the pace car. Pass the pace car. Go ahead. Go ahead and pass the pace car. Keep going."
Hamlin was black-flagged for dragging sheet metal along the track.
"Keep going, keep going. You're all good. Hammer down. Go go go!" Bobby directed. "It'll be one to go, one to go."
"Get the sign up there! Get the sign up there! Stop! Jackie, see what he needs, see what he needs!"
David came on the radio and asked a question.
"D-Reut, you're on Bud Sisco's channel. D-Reut, you're on my channel."
"Oh."
Biffle led the lap 188 restart. Mikey was 29th and was still marked one lap down. Edwards came back on track on lap 196. Two laps later, Hamlin passed Mikey for position. The #55 was now 30th with David's #00 just behind the Napa Camry.
With four laps to go, Montoya lost a tire and blew debris. The yellow flag waved for the twelfth time.
"Those of you with a radio, it'll be four tires," someone said.
"Can you hear me?" Mikey said.
"I got you. Come back."
"Am I the lucky dog?"
Bobby said they could put four tires on and try to out-run the eleven.
"Are we the lucky dog?" Mikey asked. "Are we the lucky dog?"
"No lucky dog, no lucky dog. There's only two laps to go."
"Okay, give me some information here. I can hear you guys now."
Bobby said no lucky dog, no green/white/checkered. "They're just going to finish it under caution."
"I'm thinking Schrader thinks I caused that wreck."
"I don't know. I haven't heard anything about that."
"Um, we made contact, but I don't know why. And I really don't care. But... We've got our car a little bit better at the end for sure."
Bobby said the times were a lot closer. "You'll see yellow and white right there. Yellow and white."
"I wasn't loose in after the rain, but I was too tight off." Mikey said he didn't want to pit and have the shock mess up how he was getting in. "I could have done a lot better if I'd known I was the lucky dog. I had to guess. I assumed I was, but hell, anything oculd happen. So I just rode around there, and nobody told me to stop, so I kept going."
Bobby said he didn't want to throw a wrench and get black-flagged. He said he screwed them on the stop right before the stop. "I think we wound up 29th. I don't know how they scored the 42."
Mikey wanted a new helmet earlier. "It's just a shame. I was about to go home 37th having run like crap." He didn't want to do something weird and cut anybody off.
Bobby thought Mikey could hear him when he wiggled the car.
"Well, it's just a matter of saying can you hear me now, can you hear me now," Mikey said. He said it could have been a lot better.
Bobby said he'd assumed Mikey could hear him. "Assuming will get you
"Boys boys boys, why don't you get over it over there? Got the 26 and 11 wanting to fight. I don't want to fight; I just want to go home," Mikey said to the fighting cars. He said they needed to have a better plan. "But hell, we'll just take it and know we're gaining on it."
"10-4, 10-4."
Biffle was initially announced as the winner, but he ran out of gas before crossing the start/finish line. TrackPass marked Bowyer as the winner. Despite the fact that Biffle never crossed the line, NASCAR said he won because he was in the lead when the field froze.
NASCAR goes to Talladega next weekend. The Nextel Cup's UAW-Ford 500 starts Sunday at 1:00pm ET on NBC. The Busch Series is off next weekend.
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DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Dominos.com Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finished: 31st
How was your car today?
"We were good, especially on longer runs. It wouldn't seem to get going on the green flag, but after about five or six laps it would get better. I think it was obvious with us running in the top-20 all day long. We were running around 11th or 12th and Frank (Kerr, crew chief) decided that we needed to come in for gas (before the second rain delay). Of course, then it started to rain and the caution came out, so instead of a top-15 (at the red flag) we were 34th. This is the kind of luck we have had all season long. I mean, we'll be running top-15 and have something go wrong -- it's disappointing because this finish is definitely no indication of how we ran today."