Mikey 11th in Atlanta by Kellyanne Lynch
28 October 2007
Despite his struggles with an ill-handling #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry, Michael Waltrip finished 11th in the Pep Boys Auto 500. Meanwhile, Dale Jarrett finished 19th in his Michael Waltrip Racing #44 UPS machine at Atlanta Motor Speedways.
"We really had our hands full today, but we fought our way back to an 11th-place finish," Mikey said after the race. "The team put in a lot of effort and I put us behind the eight-ball when I ran into the wall yesterday in practice. From that point on our car just wasn't right. It was nice to persevere and get a good finish. I knew I didn't have the car I needed today and that made me mad, but it also makes me determined to overachieve and try our very best to get more than we deserve and today we did that.
"It's three in a row in the top-20 and three in a row on the lead lap," he continued. "If you do that once, you got lucky -- when you do that three times -- you're doing something right."
"Mark Green," someone said on the #55 radio at 2:03pm ET. "Got a copy on me, Mark Green?"
"Bobby, got a copy on me?" Mark asked a moment later.
"Yes, sir. I've got you loud and clear," crew chief Bobby Kennedy replied. "Where you at up there?"
"Right to your left a little."
Bobby asked the spotter something.
"Uh, yup. That's right, that's right," Mark replied. They then discussed how they would get their driver on and off pit road. "You want me to do five away, and I'll quit."
"It's the same light problem as I had at Charlotte," Bobby commented. "If you can get me to that 24 car... 1, 2, 3, 4... five away?"
Mark said he could get Mikey to five away.
"Yeah, I can get him to that 24."
"All right."
The call to start engines came at 2:07pm.
"Hello, one, two. Can you hear me?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah, I got you loud and clear, bud," Bobby answered.
"Yeah, me too."
Bobby then asked the spotter, "Hey, Mark Green, when did they get seats in the spotter's stand?"
Mark laughed. "We stole them from the suites, gives us a little break from time to time."
Cars rolled off pit road at 2:10.
"Okay, Mike. Front of the field now rolling," Mark told his driver.
The crew chief pointed out where the #55 box was on pit road.
"Good job this week, fellas," Mikey praised his team. "We'll get a good finish here and keep 'er going."
Bobby said they should be going with 4100 RPMs once they get going.
"This guy right here's showing me 4100. 4-1-00."
Bobby repeated and told Mark to guide Mikey to the #24 car on pit road before he would take over spotting.
"10-4, 10-4," Mark replied.
"Let's go ahead and switch your B-blowers and brake blowers on," Bobby adviced.
"Okay," Mikey replied.
"All right, if it's green straight through the start, we're looking at lap 47 here for our first stop. Lap 47."
"Okay, Mike, we're coming to the one to go this time," Mark noted. "One to go."
"All right, bud," Bobby gave his driver a last minute pep talk before the start of the race. "Get those belts nice and tight. Have a good day."
"Okay, y'all too. Careful. We'll go get 'em. We'll do good," Mikey replied.
The green flag waved at 2:16pm. Richard Petty waved the flag, and pole-sitter Greg Biffle led the field.
"Okay, pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. Everybody's away," Mark guided his driver. "Still inside. Got one outside. You're in the middle, you're in the middle. Clear low, clear low. Got a slow one on top. Still outside, still outside. Clear, clear right there. Clear behind the 31. Clear low if you want it. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by three."
Mikey had started 24th but lost a spot one lap into the run. Meanwhile, Kurt Busch took the lead on lap 2.
"Still clear all around. Clear by one on the 26. Inside, inside. Got another one inside. Three-wide, you're on the outside. Two-wide, you're still on the outside. Still down there. Still inside, still there. Clear all around, clear all around. Got one right with you behind you, still inside. Still down there. Clear all around, clear all around. Inside, inside. Got one coming outside. Clear low, clear low. Clear all around, clear all around."
"I'm extremely loose," Mikey reported on lap 6.
"Okay, 10-4."
Mark warned Mikey of a run outside. "Clear low behind the 88. Clear low. Clear all around. Got a run up on top. Outside, outside. Got another one coming. Clear all around. Clear all around, clear all around. Coming outside. Outside. Still out there. Got a run up on the outside. Outside. Got the 21 looking outside, outside. Clear all around behind the 21 if you need it. 21 still out there. Clear behind him. Clear by three back to the 45."
"31.90, 31.90," Bobby read lap times.
"45 looking inside, inside. Clear behind him. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by six, back to the 70 car. 21 still out there."
"31.95, 95."
By lap 12, Mikey was back to 42nd.
"Not have enough grip in the back for sure, but I'm not crazy about the front either," Mikey said. "Blowing the tires off, but I'm plowing them through the centre."
"10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied.
"I haven't touched the ground since we started."
"Clear the 84. Clear all around, clear all around."
"The front's way stickier than the back. The back's a mess."
Bobby told his driver he would pull rubbers on the first stop.
"Still clear by two on the 21."
Bobby read off lap times.
"21's got a little run here on top. Outside, by himself," Mark warned. "Clear behind him now if you need it."
"32.20, 20. Leader now."
"60, 32.60."
"Still down there," Mark warned. "Still there. Clear the 10. Clear all around. The 22's having a little issue with the motor there. Clear, clear all around."
"50, 32.50."
By lap 23, Mikey was 39th.
"30, 32.30.
"15, 32.15. Leader's about four back."
"Clear right now, clear by two. Clear clear. Just for your information, Mike, the leader's running high in 1 and 2, on the bottom in 3 and 4."
"31.90, 31.90. Leader 70. That was a pretty good lap there."
"Clear by six on the 21, clear by fifteen on the leader."
"90."
"Clear, clear. Clear by two."
Mikey was marked in 37th on lap 29.
"Clear by six, back to the leader," Mark said. "Looking inside, inside. By himself. The next lead lap car's about thirty back."
"32.40.
"32.10, 10. Leader 90.
"32.10."
"Caution's out, caution's out. Got debris on the race track," Mark said on lap 35.
"Well, um. The front end's pretty decent. I mean, there's no way we can lower it," Mikey said. "I guess that's what I get for frickin' wrecking it." He also said, "That, and it's just screaming loose."
Bobby said they would have to get a lap down.
"Negative. Fast stop, wedge out, track bar down would be my guess."
Bobby told him they had to do that air.
"We can't be giving up this position."
"I knew I screwed up this car and our whole day up when I crashed it in that first practice."
Bobby said they would make it up.
Drivers pit under caution.
"4100. All right, you have a straight shot in and out," Bobby told his driver.
"Okay, 4100 at the cone there. 4100. Okay, got a ways to go," Mark spotted. "Ten to go."
"5, 4, 3, 2. Right here. Right here, bud," Bobby guided the rest of the way. "Go go go go! All the way all the way all the way all the way."
"Okay, got the 31 car to your right. He's the last one in line here," Mark noted. "Okay, Mike, it will be one to go when we get here. One to go. Okay, you got the 8 car on the bottom there. He's got to go to the back of the field, so just watch him on the bottom there. All right, I'll let you go when you need to. Green green green."
Kurt Busch led the lap 39 restart after Kyle Petty had led under caution. Mikey was 36th and the first driver one lap down.
"Caution's out, caution's out, caution's out behind you. Good job hanging with him."
Dave Blaney drew the second caution on lap 41 when his car stalled on the track. The #55 was the free pass car.
"This car's just a waste in the front end," Mikey commented. "I just can't tell you how disappointed I am. It's pushing the nose, it's not travelling. It's effed up. It's pushing, and it's loose. It's feeling like it used to and not what I need it too."
Bobby asked what Mikey wanted done to the car.
"Do whatever you want. I don't know." "You need to make it travel more."
Mark said it was a quickie yellow, and they would stop this time.
Bobby called for four tires, rubbers out, and a wedge adjustment. The #55 pit under caution.
"Okay, Michael, just ease on the outside of them," Mark told his driver. "When we get back, it will be one to go.
"This 2's up a little bit high here. Watch him. All right, track's clear all the way around here."
"Get him set up here and get a round out of the front, next time we got a chance here."
Mark warned Mikey about a clean-up truck. "Got the 42 on the outside, last car here."
Busch's #2 led the restart on lap 44. Mikey was 36th and back on the lead lap.
"Still outside, still there," Mark observed. "Clear the 66. Clear all around."
Passing Jeremy Mayfield in the #66 put Mikey in 35th on lap 45. He was up another spot to Kyle Petty the next time around the track, and his spotter cleared him all around. Dale, who had started 3rd, was 15th.
"31.10, 31.10," Bobby read off lap times. "31.15."
"Clear by half on the 45. Looking inside, inside. By himself," Mark warned. "Clear all around. Clear by three back to the 66."
By lap 50, Mayfield and Petty had gotten back around the #55.
"I'm so fucking loose. I just can't drive it," Mikey said.
"10-4," Bobby replied.
"I'm looser now more in and now from the centre off."
"All right, 10-4."
"85, 85. Leader 10," Bobby noted times. "90, 31.90."
"Clear, clear the 70," Mark said. Johnny Sauter's #70 was two laps down. "Still outside. Still there. Clear, clear all around."
"32.10, 32.10."
Lap 59 saw the third caution. Juan Pablo Montoya blew a tire, and JJ Yeley also went to pit road with issues.
"Got a spin behind you, spin behind you. Caution's out."
"Got a spin ahead of you, spin ahead of you. Cuation's out."
Mark apologised.
"I just really got trouble here, and I got nothing to tell you to help this car worth crap." He asked for rubber in the left rear and told his crew to work on the car.
"Left rear, yes sir," Bobby replied. He told the crew to put the track bar down.
"I don't know if it will be a quickie or not," Mikey said. "If it's not a quickie, we probably ought to stay out. I'm not thinking of leading a lap, just having more time."
"I think we can get it."
"They've got to blow the corners, so we've got a couple laps," Mark said.
Bobby called for four tires and two rounds out of the left front.
"Oh, we've had a crash. I mean, not us. They," Mikey commented. He was commenting on cars bottling when they went to pit road.
"Will be around the 25, 29. Inside. Right there. Come on, come on, come on," Bobby guided.
"Caution car's just now in the middle of the back straightaway," Mark noted. "Just now into three."
"All right, 4100. Jimbo, you got two out of each one of them? Good job." He told Mikey it was two rounds down on track bar and wedge adjustment.
"Did you put a bunch of wedge back in it?" Mikey asked. "I was bad on entry."
"Four rounds, four rounds," Bobby replied. He told him by how much it was from where he started.
"Okay, thank you."
"That green car wrecked when the caution was out."
Mark said it must have been a coincidence. He was talking about the #42 wrecked behind Mikey, and then the #18 in front of Mikey wrecked. "Okay, pace car's off. Ready? Green green green."
Busch led the lap 62 restart with Mikey in 31st.
"Got the 40 outside, 40 outside. Clear low. Got the 40 inside. Inside. Got another one inside. Clear all around, clear all around," Mark observed.
Mikey was 34th two laps into the run.
"Clear by three on the 96," Mark continued. "Got a spin in front of you." He told Mikey to stay on the top, then warned him the car was coming up.
The fourth caution was on lap 65. David Gilliland got loose and spun. His #38 crashed against the wall and ricochetted into Mark Martin's path. Martin's #01 collided with the #38.
"Wow! That was a big crash," Mikey commented. "That was about a hundred times better, you know. Just a hundred times better. We'll see what happens."
"Okay, 10-4, 10-4."
"That time there, Mike, going into 1, it showed a few sparks."
Mikey said he didn't feel anything that matters though. "Just doesn't matter. I just can't seem to explain to people what I feel, but I guess every now and then we'll plug into it, I guess."
"Wow, that was a big crash," Bobby commented.
"38 lost it int he middle of the back straightaway, and the 01 couldn't miss him," Mark explained. "Got the red flag out."
David Gilliland emerged from his #38 and walked to the ambulance on his own as cars parked on the track at 3:03pm.
"Are the Panthers getting beat?" Mikey asked.
"I don't know. I'll see if the scores run across the bottom, and I'll give you an update," Bobby replied. "Did you run through any debris in any of those deals?"
"No. Not unless everyone else did, because I went through it with everybody."
"Okay."
"All right, Mike. Go ahead and start 'er back up," Mark said at 3:07.
"Were you okay on the entry then, or could you tell with that one lap?"
Mikey said he couldn't tell. "Just felt like it had 400 more pounds of downforce in the centre. I'd been so loose that I was almost afraid to try hard."
Bobby asked where they were supposed to line up.
"We're supposed to line up behind the 83," Mark replied.
Mikey told Bobby he would tighten up the car if he did anything. The crew chief asked the spotter to tell him if they were pitting.
"Pits are open. No takers yet," Mark noted. "44's coming in, the rest of them staying out. 4100 at the cone. 4100."
"Four tires, guys. Four tires," Bobby told his crew.
The #55 pit. When Mikey returned to the track, Mark warned him about two jet dryers on the bottom of the track.
"Okay, it will be one to go when you get here. One to go," said the spotter. "Okay, pace car is off. Ready? Ready? Green green green."
Busch led the lap 69 restart with Mikey running 31st.
"19 looking outside, outside," Mark noted. "Clear, clear all around. Still clear, clear all around."
Elliott Sadler's pass put the #55 in 32nd one lap into the run, but he passed him back the next time around the track. He passed Petty on lap 73.
"Still there, still there. Clear," Mark observed. "44 got a run on the inside, inside. Clear behind him if you want it."
Mikey was 31st on lap 75 with Dale's pass. Mark then warned that the #10 was inside. Scott Riggs' #10 passed.
"Clear all around," said the spotter. "Clear by three on the 45. 45 looking inside, just looking. Still clear. Stacking up in front of you." He warned of a slow car then told Mikey he was inside three-wide. "Clear high, clear high. Still inside. Clear, clear."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 77 when Jeremy Mayfield in the #66 got around him.
"Clear by three."
"31.45," Bobby read lap times.
"Got a run on the inside here. Inside, 45 car. Clear by six after him, back to the 96."
On lap 79, Mikey was 33rd with Petty's pass.
"It's a little loose in, a little tight off, and still too high," Mikey reported. Bobby acknowledged his driver's report. "Still clear by six on the 96."
"65, 65. Leader 30.
"10, 32.10."
"Clear by three on the 96."
"95."
"Clear by five."
"95."
"Clear low. Clear. Clear all around, clear all around."
On lap 87, he moved up to 31st.
"31.90, 90," Bobby read the lap time. "80, 31.80. Good lap."
"Still clear by eight, back to the 10 car," Mark noted.
"80, 80."
"Still out there," Mark warned. "Clear by two. Clear by three. Clear all around."
Passing Joe Nemechek on lap 93 put the #55 in 30th.
"85, 85."
"Clear the 6, clear all around."
Mikey passed Ricky Rudd and David Ragan for 28th by lap 95.
"Clear the 15, clear all around. Got a run on you here. Coming to the inside. Nah. Clear all around, clear all around. 45 just looking. Clear, clear by half."
Mikey was 26th on lap 96.
"Clear by three on the 45."
"32 flat.
"32 flat, leader 85."
Lap 100 saw the fifth caution for David Stremme's #40.
"Got a spin in front of you, spin in front of you," Mark warned. "Caution's out. He's back in front of you."
Bobby asked about the car.
"Still loose in a little bit, and then it feels like it's got too much air in the right front, and it skates off a little bit. And it's too high," Mikey replied. "It only touches the ground on one lap. I mean, we're wasting our time. It's still one hundred times better than it was."
Bobby said the shark pin was loose. He told the team to get two screws.
"Make sure you err on the side of two rounds rather than half."
Bobby called for one.
"Two plus."
Bobby went with it. He told the crew to put the sign down high enough. "Keep our guys safe."
Mikey pit with others under caution.
"Come on, get the shark pin," Bobby told the team.
"Pace car now the centre of the back straightaway," Mark noted. "Just now into three."
"Okay, all right. All the way out. 4100."
Mark warned Mikey about two jet dryers on the low side when the #55 returned to the track.
"There's a point there when you run these 80's, you were faster than the ten cars in front of you," Bobby commented.
"Yeah, it went to pushing worse on the exit, but I'm just so free in getting in that I don't know what to do but lower it and hope," Mikey replied.
Martin Truex Jr led the restart on lap 104. Mikey was 31st, and Dale was 21st.
"Clear all around, clear all around," Mark said. "19 outside on the top. Still out there. Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Two-wide, still outside. Still out there. Still outside, still there. Clear behind that 88 by two."
Sadler's pass on lap 106 put Mikey in 32nd.
"Still outside, still out there," the spotter warned. "Still there, still there. Clear the 88. 6 still out there. Clear high, clear high. Clear all around."
Mikey passed Rudd and Mayfield, which put him in 30th on lap 108.
"Clear, clear all around."
"31.10, last lap," Bobby noted. Mikey picked up 29th from Petty on lap 110. "31.10."
"... to the 45," Mark said, his words walked on at the beginning by the crew chief giving times. "Still out there, still there."
"31.15.
"20, 31.20. Leader 90."
"19 still out there. Clear the 70," Mark observed. "Still there, still there. Clear clear. Clear by half."
Mikey was 28th on lap 114, having passed Elliott Sadler.
"Still outside, still there. Clear behind him."
"31.30, leader 20."
On lap 115, he was 27th when Bowyer dropped back. He was 26th the next time around the track when Dale Earnhardt Jr pit. Earnhardt Jr thougth he was losing a tire.
"31.70, 70. Leader 30.
"55, 55. Good lap.
"70, 70. Leader 40."
"Clear by six, back to the 19," Mark noted.
"All right, how's your car?" Bobby asked on lap 120.
"It's pretty balanced," Mikey replied. "It's probably about as good as I can make it right now."
"10-4. 70, 70."
"Still down there," Mark warned. "Clear all around."
Mikey was 17th on lap 121, having passed John Andretti.
"You look good right there," Bobby praised. "You're faster than the next ten cars in front of you. 65, 65. Top five speed right there."
"Clear by eight, back to the 45," said Mark.
"65, 65.
"70, 70."
"Still outside, still there. Clear by two. Clear all around, clear all around."
Mikey passed Tony Stewart and Scott Riggs on lap 126 and was up to 23rd.
"Still out there, still out there. Clear by half. Clear by one. Clear clear. Clear all around. 18 car's going to be slow on the bottom here."
"70, 31.70."
"Still there. Clear clear. 8 car's about four back. He's got new tires, new tires. Got a run up on top here. Outside, outside. Clear behind him, big hole. 41 car a little bit in front of the 8 real slow. Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Two-wide. Clear all around, clear all around. Still there. Clear clear."
Mikey got around Kevin Harvick for 22nd on lap 134.
"It's still loose as shit," Mikey commented.
Bobby talked about adjustments. "You're doing a good job, bud. Good job. We're about twenty away from pitting."
"Clear the 44. Clear."
Mikey got around Dale on lap 137 and was now 21st. Stewart pit on the same lap.
"31.95."
"Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Still three-wide. Outside, still one outside," Mark warned. "Still out there, still there. Clear behind him if you need it. Clear by six. Still out there. Still there. Still out there."
"Wonder if he knows how stupid he is," Mikey commented as he raced David Stremme for position.
"I was just getting ready to say that," Mark replied. He cleared Mikey by the #40 and was 19th on lap 141. "Clear by three on the 40."
"31.80," said Bobby. "Leader 85. You were the fastest car that lap. 32 flat. Leader 90. Leader... now.
"32 flat. Leader 32 flat."
"Still clear by four, back to the 40," Mark noted.
Bobby said he would make an air pressure adjustment to tighten him up a little bit on the next stop. "95, 95. Leader 05."
"Clear by six."
"85, 85. Second fastest car."
Someone pit, allowing Mikey to move into 18th on lap 148.
"32 flat."
"Caution's out, caution's out. Got a spin off turn 2."
David Ragan's spin on lap 149 brought out the sixth caution.
"My arms are numb, man," Mikey complained. "This is a bad handling car. If you could make it better, that would really help me. We've taken three rounds out of the front, and it still ain't touching the ground. I just want you guys to listen to me." He said it was too high.
Bobby said he couldn't go any lower, but Mikey said he didn't want to go any lower.
"That's how far off we started. We need to be smarter when we go to Texas." After they talked about roof heights, Mikey said, "Now the whole world knows."
"10-4," Bobby laughed.
Leaders pit under caution. Truex Jr was given a booty to help with his burning foot.
"Got a clean up on the bottom and a vacuum truck on the front straightaway in 3 and 4," Mark observed. "It will be one to go here. One to go."
"All right, p19 right now. P19. It'll be lap 153 when you get the green," Bobby said.
"Okay, pace car is off. Ready? Ready? Green green green."
Truex Jr led the field to the lap 154 restart. Mikey was 19th, and Dale was right in front of him.
"Clear by half, back to the 40. Clear all around," Mark observed. "Clear by one. Going to have a lot of these lapped cars on the bottom, jacking around. Still out there. Clear high if you need it. Inside, inside. Three-wide, you're on the top. Three-wide, you're on the top. Two-wide. Still inside. Clear all around. Back inside. You're in the middle, you're in the middle. Clear high. Still inside. 25 inside, looking outside. You're in the middle, you're in the middle. Clear low. Still outside, still outside. Still outside. Clear high behind the 21, clear by eight."
Mikey fell to 23rd three laps into the run.
"It's just so loose on new tires," he complained.
"10-4, bud," Bobby replied.
"Clear by half, clear by one. Clear clear," Mark noted. "Clear high right there. Three-wide, you're on the bottom. Two-wide. One car outside - 66. Clear the 66. Got a little run. Clear by half. Still clear, still clear. Clear high, clear high. 19 still out there. Clear behind him. Clear by six, back to the 70 car. Got a slow one up high here. Got one in the middle. Caution's out. Got a slow one on the bottom."
Bobby Labonte drew the seventh caution on lap 164. He hit the wall after something broke in the #43. Earnhardt Jr received the free pass.
"That adjustment made me loose as shit, man. It's just ridiculous. I don't know what to do. It's really loose."
Bobby said to take out a half pound in the left rear. "We'll put you four more on, and we'll take one back out in those liners here." He wanted to pull one out of the left front and do a left front adjustment. "There's only two guys behind us. Stop him long to protect our guys from the 29."
Mikey was guided around Harvick's #29 on pit road.
"4100. All the way out, all the way out, bud."
"Okay, Mike, it will be one to go when you get here," Mark said. "One to go."
"Yeah, those build-ups show way way loose, like you were feeling on the track," Bobby commented.
"Yeah, I know. I mean, yeah, I know. That will drive a driver crazy, because I don't care what you did. I'm just telling you what I'm feeling," Mikey replied. "Roger. It's all good."
Kyle Busch led the restart after taking on just two tires. The green flag waved on lap 167, and Mikey was 24th.
"Clear all around," Mark said. "Clear by three to the 8. Wreck in front of you. Just ease up, just ease up." Mark told Mikey to stay up.
"This is like watching the Busch race," Bobby commented. "Let's just stay out here." He asked about fuel, if it made any difference.
The eighth caution was on lap 169 when Jeremy Mayfield wrecked across David Ragan's nose.
"Got a couple clean-up trucks up high on the back straightaway," Mark noted. He said it would probably take two laps to clean up.
"We'll wait one more lap, and then we're going to come back in and top," Bobby directed.
"Yeah, talking about running the vacuum down the back straightaway, so it will be at least one more lap, maybe two."
Mikey pit for fuel under yellow on lap 172.
"Okay, good good good. 4100," Bobby said after the stop.
"Slide around that 42. 42 and 18, go ahead and ride around them," Mark instructed. "Okay, pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green."
Kyle Busch led the lap 172 restart. Mikey was 24th and cleared around Sadler's #19.
"Clear high," said Mark. "Clear the 96. Clear all around, clear all around."
Kurt Busch dropped under his brother and took the lead on lap 174.
"Still out there, still out there," Mark warned. "Clear behind the 19 if you need it. Orange car on top's been a little slow. Clear low, clear low. Inside, inside. Clear, clear all around."
"That was close," Bobby commented as Mikey dropped to 26th on lap 176.
"Clear the 70, 96 still out there. Clear the 96, clear all around."
One lap later, the #55 picked up 25th from Raines' #96.
"Clear, clear all around."
Getting around Kyle Petty put Mikey in 24th on lap 179. Meanwhile, Truex Jr took the lead.
"31.20," Bobby read off lap times. "31 flat.
"05, 05. Leader 70."
"Clear by ten, back to the 45," Mark noted.
"35."
"Still outside, still out there. 25 still out there. Clear, clear. Clear all around."
Mikey passed Casey Mears' #25 for 23rd on lap 183. Mark cleared him by half a car length.
"Clear by five, back to the 25," Mark said during the next lap.
"60, 60.
"50, 50. Good lap. Leader 35."
"Clear by ten, back to the 25."
"50, 50."
"Clear the 44. Clear all around," Mark said on lap 189 when Mikey picked up 22nd from Dale. "Still out there. Still out there. Clear, clear all around. 15 still out there."
By lap 191, Mikey was 21st.
"Still out there, still out there. Still there. Clear behind him. Clear by three. Fifteen got a run up top there. Still outside, still outside. Clear, clear all around. Clear by three."
"31.85, 85."
"15 looking outside. Clear, clear. 24 still inside. Clear the 24, clear all around."
Lap 196 saw Mikey in 20th, having passed Jeff Gordon. Meanwhile, Stewart went to pit road where the crew put up the hood of his #20.
"Still out there," Mark warned. "Still there. Clear, clear."
"31.90, 90. Leader a 50."
"Spin up high, spin up high. Come on down low. Caution's out."
The ninth caution was on lap 198 for Stremme's spin. Mikey was 18th.
"It's just really loose at the start, and then it gets okay."
Bobby called for half out and said Mikey did well once he got going. He told his driver to pit long as the #29 would be in the box behind them. Cars pit under caution, and the #55 was one of them.
"Go go go go. Straight out, straight out. Halfway, all the way," Bobby directed. He told the crew to keep a certain number of tires in the pits and said the build-ups this time came out normal.
"If we can get a long run to the checkered, we'll be all right. If not, we're going to be in trouble," Mikey said. He told his crew that, right now, "I can't go."
"Okay, one to go this time. One to go," Mark noted. "Got a bunch of lapped cars coming."
"Hey, if you want to try cutting those B-blowers for the first few laps to help with it tightening up," Bobby suggested.
"I don't like that idea, because it might hurt me in the long run, but we've got to try something," Mikey replied.
Bobby said they should try it now so it doesn't hurt them.
Truex Jr led the restart on lap 204 with Mikey in 18th. Mark warned him that cars were outside.
"24 still outside," the spotter said. "Clear behind the 24 back to the 44. Clear all around, clear all around."
Mikey was 20th one lap into the run; Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers had passed.
"44 looking outside, not yet. Still clear by one. That orange car on top is slow there. Still outside, still out there. Clear the 70, clear all around. 49 on the bottom, Mike, two in front of you, real slow. 44 inside. Clear low, clear low. Clear high. Clear all around, clear all around."
Mikey passed Gordon around lap 209, but Dale passed him.
"Still clear by six back to the 24," Mark noted. "Still clear by five. Turn those blowers back on when you need to. Still outside, still there. Clear behind him if you need it."
Mikey was 19th by lap 217.
"Clear by four, back to the 24," Mark said.
"31.80," Bobby said. "65, 65. Good lap.
"65."
"Still there, still there. Clear clear. Clear."
"80, 80.
"75, 75.
"85, 85. Leader 35.
"85, 85.
"32.15."
"Clear by three, back to the 24," Mark said on lap 225.
"95," Bobby continued.
"Clear by five."
"75. Good lap there."
"Still clear by one on the 24. Inside, inside. Clear, clear all around."
"32.15."
"Still out there. Still there. 24 got a run, one back. Inside, inside. Clear behind the 24. Clear by eight back to the 88."
Mikey was 20th on lap 229.
"32.30, 30."
"Clear high, clear high."
"Man, this set's terrible," Mikey complained on lap 231.
"10-4, 10-4. About 22 laps from pitting. Hang with it," Bobby encouraged.
Mark warned that the lapped #88 had a run, then cleared him by three car lengths. "Clear by six."
"95, 95. A little better that lap there."
"Caution's out, caution's out. Got debris on the back straightaway."
"That's about the worse it's been all day," Mikey complained. "Pushing worse, loose worse."
The debris had come from Joe Nemechek's blown tire, causing the yellow flag to wave for the tenth time on lap 234. Bobby guided Mikey to his pit box under caution. AJ Allmendinger led before he pit.
"Eric Wilson," Bobby said after the stop.
"Got some lapped cars coming," Mark warned.
Racing resumed on lap 340 with Kasey Kahne leading and Mikey in 18th. Kyle Busch jumped inside for a three-wide race to the lead and took the top spot. Meanwhile, Mark warned Mikey about the #83 trying to pass.
"Clear by two, back to the 99," said the spotter. "Still clear. Got a little run up high. Outside, outside. Clear behind the 99. Clear all around."
Mikey had passed Brian Vickers one lap into the run but then lost the spot to Carl Edwards. Vickers looked to pass again.
"Still out there, still out there, still out there. Clear all around," Mark guided. "Still clear all around. Still clear by one to the 83."
"31.10," Bobby read the lap time.
"Clear by two," Mark continued. "Still down there, still there. Clear all around, clear all around. Clear by four, back to the 83."
"30. 31.30.
"35."
"Still clear by three."
"40. 31.40. Leader flat."
"Clear high, clear high. Got a little run back on you. Still clear, still clear."
"50. 31.50."
"Clear by five on the 83."
"45, 45."
"Clear by eight, back to the 83."
"65, 65.
"60, 60. Leader 35."
"Still clear by six."
"85, 85. Leader 30."
"Clear behind him. 12's a little funny on the motor there. Still outside, still there. Still there. Clear clear."
Mikey passed Ryan Newman and moved into 17th on lap 260. Mark cleared him all around.
"65. Leader 40.
"85."
"Still clear by four back to the 83."
"There's reports of oil on the track. Tell me if you see anything," Bobby said on lap 262.
"Looking inside, inside. Clear. Clear by ten, back to the 7 car."
On lap 263, Vickers passed. Mikey was now 18th.
"What's your car doing now?" Bobby asked.
"Same thing it's done all day," Mikey replied after a pause.
"10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied. "75, 75. Leader a 60."
"Still clear by ten on the 7," Mark noted.
"80, 31.80. Leader a 45.
"32.20."
Lap 269 saw the eleventh caution when Ryan Newman, who lost his engine.
"Man, it's just... Now it's crazy loose as it ever has been," Mikey complained. "It's just too high. I'm going to lose my cool. Everybody in front of me is digging up dirt, and I'm too high. It's too loose, it's too high, and it's fucking loose like a motherfucker."
"10-4." Then Bobby told a crew member, "Jim, move it down. Same fucking deal it's been all day."
"It'll be one to go this time, Mike. One to go," Mark said. "Got a bunch of lapped cars coming here."
"Can we make it from here?" Mikey asked.
"We're looking right now," Bobby replied.
"Okay, pace car is off," Mark told his driver. "Ready? Ready? Green green green."
Truex Jr led the restart with 53 laps to go. Mikey was 19th.
"25 outside, outside. Clear behind him. Clear by five back to the 45."
Mikey was 20th one lap into the run with Casey Mears' pass.
"Still clear by five," said Mark. "Clear by eight, back to the 19."
"About one lap short, one lap short. 30.60, 30.60. Ran your fastest lap of the race the lap before that - 30.30, 30.30," Bobby said on lap 277.
"49 on the bottom there's just a little slow. Still outside, still out there. Clear by three, back to the 19. Still there. Clear, clear all around."
"All right, as of right now, we'll be okay until the last lap. So go ahead and dig," Bobby told his driver with 45 laps to go.
At the front of the field, Kyle Busch dropped inside and took the lead from Truex Jr. Mark warned Mikey about the slow #66.
Mikey was 19th on lap 282, having passed Mears.
"30, 30.
"31.30."
Truex Jr tried to pull back into the lead along the low groove, but Busch held the top spot in his #5.
"50, 50. Leader 35."
"Still clear by four on the 19," Mark noted.
"75.
"60, 60. There ya go!"
"Clear by six."
"65."
"Still there. Clear, clear," Mark said on lap 291. "Clear, clear all around."
"80, 80. Leader a 45."
"Clear the 16. Clear, clear. Clear by three."
"70. Good lap there.
"65, leader 55."
By lap 295, Mikey had passed Greg Biffle for 18th.
"75. All right, Mark. Catch that 15. He's going to be holding us up. Two laps down."
"Still out there. Still there," Mark noted. "Clear, clear. Clear all around, clear all around. 40 car on the bottom down there." Stremme was 72 laps down. "Clear the 40. Clear the 29."
Harvick's #29 was for position. Mikey was now 17th on lap 299.
"Clear all around, clear all around. Looking good," Mark said. "The two right there in front of you are for position."
"90, 90. Leader a 70."
"Clear by six on the 29."
Biffle pit on lap 301.
"85, 85. Leader 70," Bobby noted.
"Still clear by six. Got 25 to go. Still out there, still there. Clear high, clear high. Clear all around, all around. Got a little run back. Clear all around. Clear by four."
On lap 303, Mikey picked up 16th from Robby Gordon.
"85, 85.
"95, 95.
"90, 90. 80 out the front, two-tenths quicker behind you."
"Still clear by five, back to the 7. Twenty to go."
"20, 32.20."
"Clear by seven."
"95, 95. 05 behind you.
"85, 85. Good lap. 80 on the leader.
"95, 95. Leader 85. Pulling away from that 7, about the same as that 83."
"Clear, clear all around," said Mark. "Clear by twelve back to that 7."
"85, 85. Same as the leader."
"Fifteen to go, fifteen to go."
Bobby gave lap times again for Mikey and for those around him. "32 flat, same as the leader," he added on the next laps. "95, 95. Same as the one behind you, not gaining."
"70 car in front of you is a little slow, the 22 still has a motor problem," Mark informed his driver.
"90."
"Clear clear.
"Clear clear. Ten to go this time. Ten more. No pressure from behind. No caution now. Keep digging. No caution."
"25. There you go. No pressure at all, no pressure at all. Just ride it on out here. Not catching the 83," Bobby said.
"I'm fixing to blow a right front," Mikey said with eight laps to go.
"10-4," said Bobby.
"Got a spin behind us, spin behind us. Caution's out."
The twelfth caution was on lap 319 when Sauter's #70 blew a tire.
"Need to get four," Mikey told his crew chief. "Air them up and tighten them up."
Bobby told the crew to go up on the left rear. The field pitted with Mikey under caution. After the stop, the crew chief commented, "A lot of two tires there."
"Which one of my tires was junking up?" Mikey asked.
"We'll let you know," Bobby replied. "Right front."
"How many laps did I have?"
"One or two."
"Mark, I'm going to drive like I'm stupid," Mikey told his spotter.
"Uh, okay," Mark replied. After a long pause, he said, "Clean up truck on the outside. One to go when you get back here. One to go.
"All right, Mike, when you get the green, it's going to be three to go. The 7 car is going to drop back. He's got to go to the tail end, so watch him here."
Denny Hamlin's #11 stayed on track and led the restart. Mikey was 16th. Hamlin ran out of fuel, and cars stacked on the restart. Mikey barely dodged Truex Jr, who rear-ended Hamlin.
"They're wrecking everywhere, they're wrecking everywhere. Keep digging. Caution's out, caution's out. That was about a morron move I've ever seen."
"Just make sure these people don't... the 5 car spun out. He can't have his place back," Mikey demanded.
The thirteenth caution was on the restart for the stack-up. Many cars sustained damage. The field prepared for a green/white/checkered restart.
"Get your tires clean, bud," Bobby said.
"The 84 should be behind me, right?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah, they just called it out there," Mark replied. "The 83, 5, and then us."
"Well, all I can tell you is the 5 spun out."
"Right behind the 83 there. We'll see."
"I know this is a stupid ass question, but we took gas, right?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah, we took gas," Bobby replied.
"All right, Mike, going to be one to go when you get here. One to go. Going to be a green/white/checkered," Mark told his driver. "Is that sun killing you there anywhere?"
"Yeah."
"I'll kind of watch the top a little more if I can help you there. That 5 is crazy. He's trying to pass the field... he eased right there. Okay, here we go. Okay, got the 25 and the 45 right there."
Bobby told Mikey to get the tires cleaned off and to protect himself.
"Okay, pace car's off," said Mark. "Ready, ready. Green green green."
Johnson led the restart.
"Clear by one back to the 25. Clear all around." Mikey was guided through a big wreck. The left rear tire came off the #8 car. Earnhardt Jr wrecked hard and collected Jamie McMurray. Johnson picked up the win while Mikey finished 11th and Dale crossed the stripe 19th.
"Good job with the car, y'all," Mikey praised the team. "I just know what I got to feel, and I messed us all up by running into the wall. But we'll go to Texas next week and do better."
"I think we finished eleventh. Scoring went down," Bobby replied.
"Yeah, there's ten cars in front of me for sure. That ain't bad. We certainly worked hard for it."
"10-4. Thanks for driving hard. Good job, guys. Y'all worked hard."
"Yeah, good job, Eric, pit crew. That's the way to be in shape. I'm proud of you." A moment later, Mikey added, "NASCAR should do something about that 5 car. He just acts like an idiot."
"Hey, Bobby, anybody who's got the radio on, we've got the random," somebody said over the radio.
"10-4. Should we stop at the pumps?" Somebody asked.
The #55 was sent to pit road and stopped for a random tech inspection.
Next week is the Nextel Cup Series' Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Coverage starts Sunday at 3:00pm ET on ABC. The Busch Series' O'Reilly Challenge airs the day before at 3:00pm on ESPN2.
***
DALE JARRETT, No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finished: 19th
Can you talk about your race today?
"We worked on the car all day, but just couldn't make it better. We were fighting a grip issue off the corner pretty much all day. We just never could get that out of the car and get some bite. When we finally found some grip, we got tight in the center of the corner. We were just back and forth all day and just never got what we needed. It was a good day for us, though.