Mikey 28th at Dover by Kellyanne Lynch
1 June 2008
Michael Waltrip reported that his #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry "would not turn" in the Best Buy 400. He finished seven laps down and 28th in today's Sprint Cup series race in Dover. Michael Waltrip Racing drivers David Reutimann and Michael McDowell finished 27th (seven laps down) and 30th (eight laps down) respectively. Less than ten cars finished on the lead lap.
Greg Biffle qualified on the pole for today's race. Mikey started 40th, David 37th, and McDowell 32nd.
"Hello?" Mikey came on the radio at 2:06pm ET.
"Hi, bud. I've got you loud and clear," crew chief Bobby Kennedy replied.
Bobby and spotter Ty Norris checked in with each other as well. Ty said he could take care of Mikey off pit road once the #55 got out of the pit box.
"All right, Ty, we get a competition caution on lap 30, lap 30. I don't know if you were aware of that."
"10-4. And we can get no fuel before then."
"10-4."
They talked about going with fuel only or getting tires, but static covered their words. Bobby did mention that Mikey might try to go for five points leading under a caution.
"Okay," Mikey replied.
"Guys, no matter what happens today, we have a big picture to take care of and to think about." Ty said they needed to think about that.
"Right on." "No mistakes - on track, pit road, everywhere."
"Did you put those front airs like those nationwide cars were?" Mikey asked.
Bobby said the right rear had less than what David ran with yesterday in the Nationwide series race. Static covered much of what was said before and after that. "Make sure you've got all your switches on. 3750 should be the number we're looking for there. 3-7-5-0. 3750."
"What are you seeing there, M-Dub? 3750?"
"It doesn't matter so much what I see so much as what they say," Mikey replied. "It's all messed up. Like, right now, it says 3450. I can go with 3750 if that's what you think."
Bobby said it should be about right. Again, he spoke with a lot of static.
"All right, buddy. Coming around to one to go, coming around to one to go," Ty said. "3750 is the high side, M-Dub, so we don't go over that."
"All right. We'll call it 36 then, if it makes everybody happy," Mikey answered.
"Okay. 10-4."
"All right, bud. Pull those belts tight. Work those tires in. Make sure you have a little heat in those brakes. Coming to the green," Bobby said before the green flag.
"All right, buddy. Be ready now. The pace car is off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's straight," Ty told his driver at 2:16pm. "Still inside. Clear there. Clear clear clear. Still inside."
Mikey was 39th one lap into the race.
"Still inside - the 5 car. Still inside. Still there to your door, got the 41 on your bumper. Still got a run back up on the inside. He's there inside. Outside, he's outside. Car up against the wall. Stay up in the middle. Keep coming. No caution. Stay low, stay low. It's the 96 car. He's still running. Inside, he's there. Inside. Inside."
Lap 3 saw JJ Yeley's #96 scrape the wall.
"Still there inside. Got the 34 looking. Inside. He's there. Inside. Clear high. Down by the 34. He's there. Two back. Clear one back."
Mikey was 42nd by lap 5 but picked up a spot one lap later due to Robby Gordon's drop back.
"Still there. Still there. Clear now, clear."
"25.40," Bobby read off the lap time.
On lap 8, Joe Nemechek rammed the back of David's #44, sending David back. Biffle continued to lead.
"Clear one back," Ty noted.
Mikey was 40th on lap 10. McDowell was 35th, and David was 37th.
"Clear one back, clear one back. Clear, still clear."
"Leader now. Leader at the line now. 25.50," Bobby said on lap 14, when Mikey was 39th.
"Clear now, clear," Ty added.
"25.70.
"25.70. That's faster than the next ten cars in front of you."
"Still outside. Still to your corner. He's there. Clear, clear."
"Leader at the line... now."
Mikey was 38th on lap 16.
"Still there, still there. 41 still there. Leader right here. You're clear, clear. Lap 17. Crash on the backstretch. Go real slow. They're crashing all over the place. Stay low. Stay against the wall if you can."
The first caution was on lap 18 for a multi-car wreck. David Gilliland had spun out Elliott Sadler, and Tony Stewart ran into Sadler with no place to go. Denny Hamlin and Scott Riggs went full speed into the scene after the wreck, collecting more cars. Dale Earnhardt Jr stopped to avoid the accident but was rear-ended by Kasey Kahne.
"Um... let me... here... This is, this is a crazy car," Mikey reported. "Crazy car. It don't do nothing right, but therefore, I don't know how to tell you about it. If I got a moral to my story, it's fat. It's fine on entry. That's one good thing I can say about it. It skates through the middle major, then it's just backwards off, but the backwards off part is probably just everyone's backwards off, not just me."
Bobby said there were a lot of them backwards off. He said something in static that Mikey said no to.
"Of everything that's... oh shoot. If I could complain of everything that's bothering me, it's a little bit lack of back grip. A little bit."
"All right, Michael. I probably stepped on you there. I was telling you that everybody stopped."
Bobby talked about taking air out of the right front.
"Well, if you could do that, that would probably be the best thing," Mikey replied. "The main thing, is that I haven't felt the right front. I haven't felt the right front touch the ground. I have only been talking about this for six months, so I don't expect you to fix that today." He said he was ready to go once all the speed was taken off the car.
Bobby called for one down on the right front.
"Is this going to be the competition or what?" Mikey asked.
Ty said they hadn't said yet, but "They're probably going to spend one or two more laps cleaning up, then they'll open pit road." He figured then
"Which one of the heros caused that one?" Mikey asked.
"The 38 clipped the 19 right in the right rear, and there were two cars that acted like they hadn't seen or even heard the crash was happening and drove into Elliott," Ty said. "The 66 got into it."
"I wouldn't count him. You never know. They'll probably give him all his points back. There was like the 11, the 29, the 9, the 88, the 15, the 43, the 21."
"What's your temps, bud?" Bobby asked.
"Uh, they're high. 2... I don't even know what that number is. It's hidden behind the gauge. 250? They're both on 250."
"They're going to red flag you. They're going to red flag you on the front straightaway," Ty informed his driver.
"All right, what I'm thinking about here is that pound out of the right front," Bobby said. "Take a pound out of that left."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. It wasn't goofy at all on the start."
"As bad as it was, you were faster than the 10 or 15 in front of you."
Mikey said that was because he was driving crazy.
"Watch them stopping here, Michael. Watch them stopping here," Ty warned.
Bobby said a lot of guys were saying on the scanner they were tight in the centre with no grip off.
The red flag came out at 2:31pm on lap 22. Under the red, David was 27th, Mikey was 28th, and McDowell was 30th.
"You know, maybe if you think about it, take air out of both fronts rather than the right rear." Mikey considered after a long pause on the radio. He said that might make some sense.
Bobby told him they'd look at it.
"Should I start it, or should I just leave it at 250?" Mikey asked. "I'm not sure."
"They say crank it," Ty replied.
"Well why didn't anybody tell me."
"Kevin said crank it, let it run a little bit." Ty laughed. "I mean, he asked you the question, and I saw him giving a hand motion. I could see it from here."
"I was giving it to Bobby," a crew member said.
"I know. I was kidding." Ty said it looked like a baseball umpire.
Mikey said there was nothing wrong with the tires, so he couldn't see why they were having a competition yellow.
"All right, M-Dub, this is going to be the competition yellow when you come back around here," Ty said. At 2:47pm, the race returned to yellow. After Bobby said something in static, Ty told Mikey he would have to run two laps before getting the competition yellow.
Bobby asked what he thought of taking two tires.
"I don't care," Mikey replied.
"You will have a straight shot out. That 20's in front of you," Bobby noted.
Ty asked if Mikey were staying out if everyone else pit to lead a lap.
"Probably not," Mikey replied. "We'll probably just have to see what happens here. Tell me who all stays here."
Bobby asked if he wanted to try two or four, depending on the adjustments.
"I don't care. Either way. It's up to y'all."
"Nobody's staying out yet," Ty noted. "We're on pit road, Bobby. We're on pit road. We're fifteen away." Ty led Mikey until Bobby picked him up.
"Go go go go!" Bobby called after the stop.
"You've got one outside. One outside. 3650, 37 tops. You're good right there.
"The #00 stayed out to lead a lap," Ty added a minute later. He said McDowell had few people behind him, so it made sense for him.
"Did he already get them?" Mikey asked.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said, but they're giving one to go when you get around here."
"Yeah, he hadn't pitted yet, so it's close. He'll be fine."
"All right, get your tires cleaned off good," Bobby told his driver. "Coming to the green."
"All right, no lapped cars coming up there.
"All right, pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Clear one back. Everybody's rolling."
Biffle led the lap 28 restart. Mikey was 19th, David was 26th, and McDowell was 30th.
"One right up on your bumper there - the 6. Inside, inside. Clear up there behind him if you need it."
One lap into the run, the #55 was 20th.
"Half back to the 8. Inside, inside." Ty said a car would be looking inside. "Clear, half back. Inside. Be clear behind him."
On lap 29, Mikey was 21st.
"Nice corner. Six back."
"Plowing," Mikey commented on lap 32.
"10-4. 25.30.
"25, 25. Same lap time as out the back side.
"35."
"The 41 back, the 41 back. He's all by himself. Inside. Clear five back to the 78."
Lap 35 saw Mikey in 22nd. David was 28th, and McDowell was 31st.
"25.60, 60.
"65, 65.
"59, 5-9. There you go. Those times are starting to equal those guys in front of you.
"69. 60 out the back side, 64 in front of you.
"60, 60. Leader a 20.
"65, 65.
"75, 7-5.
"85.
"26 flat. You look better than that group in front of you there.
"98, 25.98. Leader a 50."
By lap 46, David was 31st, and McDowell was 33rd. Mikey was still 22nd.
"05," Bobby continued reading lap times. "26.15. Give me a temp read when you get a chance."
"200," Mikey replied.
"Three back to the 78. Three back," Ty observed.
"26 flat.
"85. That was a dang good lap right there. Real good.
"26 flat. Leader 95."
"Hey, Bobby, about four laps ago, I think I saw a spring rubber come out of our car," Ty said on lap 54. "I don't know if it were a left or right."
"10-4. 25.90, 90." Bobby said Mikey was faster than a number of cars in front of him. "26.10. Leader a 90."
"Still good. Leader's at the line... now."
Lap 55 saw McDowell lose the lead lap. He was 33rd.
"26.10. Leader's in traffic. 26 flat.
"26.20. Same as the leader right there. He's in traffic.
"26.15."
David lost the lead lap on lap 59. He was 32nd.
"Still clear three back," Ty told Mikey.
"20. 26.20.
"40, 26.40."
David passed Yeley, but Kahne was still in front of him for the free pass. The #44 was 31st on lap 62.
"26.10. Good lap. Really good lap right there!" Bobby praised. "99. You're one of the fastest cars right there.
"26.15, 15.
"15, 26.15. Leader a 95.
"26.10, 26.10. Leader a flat.
"20. 26.20."
"Got a car stopped up against the wall in Turn 4. No caution yet. Caution's out, caution's out. Car's rolling now."
The second caution was on lap 66 for Tony Raines. He had deliberately stopped, because he missed the entrance to pit road when he'd wanted to make an unscheduled stop. Kahne received the free pass.
"Yeah, that'd be good," Mikey replied to a question I didn't hear asked. "It just won't turn, and then it struggles for grip up off. Mainly, it won't turn."
"Okay, 10-4. You did good right there. You picked your line, and you were doing good times." Bobby wanted to stay with the pressures they had before.
"Nice and solid here, guys," Ty coached. "Everything tight."
"Pull the sign a little bit long there," Bobby told the crew. "Pull the sign a little bit long. Give a little more clearance on that stick."
Ty noted what he thought was a spring rubber come off before. He then reminded Mikey to go 3600 on pit road. "Slowing down, bud. All right, we're on pit road. That 17 right there, we're three in front of the 17. One in front of the 6."
"Here we go, here we go. Wheels straight, put on the brakes."
The #55 was on pit road.
"Good job, guys. That was solid there. We picked up a couple," Ty praised the crew after the stop. "You may have picked up three or four. The 77 was speeding off pit road, so he has to come back in."
"All right. Tires look real good, bud. Real good," Bobby said after a minute. "All right, working lap 70 here. You're P20. Thirty cars on the lead lap."
"All right, here they come," Ty prepared his driver. "All right. Be ready. Pace car's off. Green green green. Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling. Clear one back."
Biffle led the lap 73 restart. Mikey was 19th, McDowell was 32nd, and David was 33rd.
"Clear. One on the outside, got one on the outside. Small hole behind him. You're clear. Still outside. He's there. Still outside, still there. Clear up right there, clear one back to the 5. Inside, inside, inside. Inside, still inside. Hold your bottom, hold your bottom. Clear there."
The third caution was on lap 74. Mikey had wiggled back and had tagged Joe Nemechek, who hit the wall. Yeley received the free pass.
"If anything, it's on the left front side there, low, so let me know what you've got," Mikey said.
"Okay." Bobby directed Mikey low on the straightaway so he could look. "You're all clear. Well... we should come in and put four on it. Chris, get that left front just a little bit. Yeah, too close, dude. Let's go to pit road and get it pulled out just a little bit."
Ty said pit road would be open to everybody but doubted many people would come in.
"Who's on the lead lap here?"
When Ty listed some numbers, Mikey asked, "Nah, is it the 07 and the 15 here?"
Bobby said they were.
Biffle led the restart on lap 78. Mikey was 28th, and David and McDowell were 31st and 32nd and lapped.
"Still outside, still there, still there," Ty warned. "Outside, coming outside. Still outside, just on your corner. Still there, still there. Clear about half back if you need it. Outside, outside the 9. Still outside. 15 still there. 9 up there with him now. Outside the 9. Outside."
On lap 84, Mikey lost a spot to Kahne.
"Still out there. Clear. Outside, the 96. Still there. Clear all clear. Got one limping on the bottom here. The 34."
One lap later, Mikey was 30th. David was 31st, and McDowell was 32nd.
"Clear there, clear. You see that 34 slow on the bottom. All clear.
"The 15. Still clear. Clear, clear. Inside the 15. Inside."
"I'm so loose, I can't drive it," Mikey said on lap 91. He was now 29th. "Loose in, tight off."
"10-4."
"Looking inside. He's looking. He's there. He'll be there inside. Clear."
"It's just really bad," Mikey added on lap 93.
"Inside, man, inside. Clear half back," Ty continued. "All the way in there. Inside. Clear half back right there to the 34."
On lap 94, Mikey was 30th.
"95. That's a little better that lap," Bobby said.
"Still clear. Trying to take a peak. Still clear. Inside, got a run. Inside. Still clear. Clear. All right, brother. I know you don't want to hear this. Leader's at the line now."
"I can't drive it," Mikey said on lap 102.
"26.05. 10-4. Just hang onto it. We'll get you caught up," Bobby assured his driver.
"Got one coming inside. The 16. Inside. Still there. Clear, clear."
Mikey lost the lead lap on lap 103.
"Clear, clear. You're not running that 34 for the lucky dog, that one up in front of you. 99 is one back. Inside. Clear there."
"This car is so messed up," Mikey commented on lap 107.
"One back to the 18. He's got a run. Inside, inside. Clear down behind him. Clear there. Got one outside. Clear."
"26.45, 45," Bobby read off times. "40, 26.40."
"Still clear three back to the 17, one back. Looking inside, inside. Clear behind him."
"26.50. Just stay with it, bud. I'll get you tightened up the next stop," Bobby promised on lap 113. "26.30.
"30."
"Two back to the 26 and the 48," Ty observed. "Coming inside - the 26. Clear two back to the 48. Inside. Clear behind him. Two back to the 24. Inside. Clear there."
"26.50, 26.50."
"12's inside. Clear. Inside, all by himself. Clear five back to the 2."
"26.50."
"Going to have a run. The 2 is going to have a run. Looking inside. The 31's down there with him. The 31's down there with him. 83 is down with the 31. Inside. Got the 1 trying to make it down there too. Now you're clear. Inside, the 83. The 1 down there with him. The 1's down there with him. 22's inside, inside. Clear one back to the 28. Got a run. Inside. You're going to be clear behind the 28. 88's inside. Clear there, clear there."
"35, 35.
"30, 30.
"40."
"Stay after it, bud. 25 more laps to pit. 25," Bobby encouraged on lap 130.
"44's going to have a run on the bottom. Inside. Clear there. Clear."
One lap later, David passed Mikey. The #44 was 30th, the #55 was 31st, and the #00 was 32nd.
"26.40."
One lap later, McDowell lost a second lap.
"26.40."
"You're two back to the 6, two back to the 6."
"35."
"Inside, inside, inside. He's down there. He's got the 42 trying to come with him."
"Y'all, it's just terrible," Mikey commented.
"You've got the 07 under you," Ty noted. "34's down there. 34 is there. Inside. Clear there."
"I about spin out getting in and just plow through the centre."
"10-4. We'll get you back up. About 17 laps from pitting. 17," Bobby replied.
On lap 137, all three MWR drivers gained a spot.
"38's going to be looking low. Clear back. Inside. It's going to be clear right there. One back to the 4. Inside. The 20's down there. One back. Inside. Clear behind him. The leader's about at the line now. Clear one back to the 16. Coming inside, inside. Clear two back to the 99."
Mikey lost a second lap on lap 143.
"Next car's inside - the 40. Inside. The 99 down there with him. Inside - the 18. Clear one back. 84's inside. Clear behind him."
"65, 65," Bobby read off times.
"Talking about debris out there. All right, got the 8 outside. Back to clear. Inside, inside. Clear there."
On lap 148, Ryan Newman made a scheduled pit stop. Biffle pit at the end of the lap, giving the lead to Carl Edwards.
"Two back to the 77," Ty noted. "Inside. Leaders are pitting. Inside, the 77. Clear there."
Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 150 with Edwards' stop. Jimmie Johnson led once Busch pit. Stops had cycled one lap later with the leaders.
"26.60," said Bobby.
"Next time coming." Ty said someone was slow. "Clear. Clear behind him."
"60."
"Next time by, next time by. Next time by, bud," Bobby noted.
Ty warned Mikey about a slow car on the bottom, then led the #55 on pit road.
"All the way, all the way. Halfway. 3700. Caution's out. 3700," Ty said. "Got the 84... go go go."
The fourth caution was on lap 154 when AJ Allmendinger stopped on the track.
"Who was leading?" Mikey asked. "If the 18 is leading, I should be able to pass him, Ty."
Ty said to go ahead.
Mikey said he'd passed the #18 on pit road, but it didn't matter, because the #16 was leading. "You need to know who's leading.
"Did I cross the start/finish line before the 16?"
Ty told Bobby to ask an official.
"Well, let's try to find somebody who does know something, damn it!" Mikey exclaimed.
Bobby yelled at Mikey to quit yelling in his ear so he could hear the answer from the official.
Mikey swore again. "I was rolling on pit road, past the start/finish line."
The #2 car of Kurt Busch was on pit road with the deck lid up and a fuel issue. Johnson and McDowell were both penalised for speeding.
"They're going to give you one to go here, so pull up regardless. They're still looking," Ty updated. "They're not going to go this time. They're still trying to find it on the tape. The lights are off. No answer yet. David Hoots is on the guy's ass about it. I don't know if he's going to come up with any kind of conclusion. Bobby, tell those guys to go green. They just said the 55 beat him. The 55 beat him. Now they're saying he didn't.
Biffle led the lap 161 restart. David was 24th and one lap down, Mikey was 30th and McDowell was 32nd, both scored two laps down.
"Still outside. Got the 07 with him. Still outside. Still outside. Still there."
One lap into the run, David picked up 23rd.
"Got one outside, outside. Outside, the 28. Clear there for a second if you need it. Still clear. Got a run. 1's going to have a run. He's outside. Outside. You got a line of them. Still there. You're all clear, all clear. Whatever you need. All clear. Outside. Outside, still there."
Mikey was 31st on lap 165.
"Outside, outside. You can get behind that 40 for a second. One back to the 43. Two back to the 43."
"Something happened to it."
"What you got, bud? What you got?" Bobby asked.
"You're clear, all clear," Ty noted.
In front of Mikey, Jeremy Mayfield in the #40 ran up the track into Patrick Carpentier's #10 and sent the #10 to pit road with a flat tire around lap 166.
"25.60, 25.60.
"65, 65."
Carl Edwards took the lead on lap 171. Mikey was 30th.
"65.
"70. Tell me what you got."
"Still clear. Clear two back," Ty said. "Clear one back. Still clear, still clear. Big run up top. Outside, outside. Got one looking low. Inside. Clear, clear one back."
On lap 175, Mikey was 31st again. McDowell had passed.
"Clear there. Clear three back to the 20."
"All right. What you got there, bud. Can you hear me, Ty?" Bobby asked when Mikey again did not answer.
"Yeah, I can hear you, Bobby," Ty answered.
"It's just real loose in," Mikey finally replied.
"Okay," Bobby acknowledged. "25.80.
"25.80.
"85.
"85.
"95, 95."
"Way better than it was before," Mikey commented on lap 183.
"10-4, 10-4. 26 flat.
"26.10, 26.10."
"All right, bud. The leader is the 99. He's at the line now."
"05, 05. Leader's a 65."
"Clear one back. One back to the 99. Inside. Clear behind him."
On lap 189, Mikey went a third lap down. He was 31st. McDowell fell a third lap the next time around the track.
"35. 26.35."
"The 18 is one back, one back," Ty warned. "Inside. Clear behind him."
David was 20th at the time while McDowell was 30th.
"Clear."
"26.20."
"Clear two back to the 16."
"25."
"Inside. Clear behind him," Ty walked on Bobby slightly.
"Okay. Does the loose in continue to be a problem?" Bobby asked.
"No," Mikey replied. "Problem is that it won't turn. But it's loose in and loose off. But there's one thing I can tell you. The damn tires, I can feel them grip. That's something I couldn't say before."
"Okay, 10-4, 10-4."
"Clear three back to the 17," Ty noted. "Inside. Clear behind the 17. Clear behind him."
"39, 26.39."
"83 two back," Ty warned on lap 206. "Inside. All clear behind him."
"30. 26.30." Then Bobby told his driver, "About 25 laps away from pitting, 25."
"Same air," Mikey replied.
"Okay, 10-4, 10-4."
"Raise the track bar or anything, but I'm tired of messing with those damn air pressures."
On lap 213, Clint Bowyer missed the entrance to pit road. He lost time as a result, as well as the lead lap.
"35, 26.35."
"Back to the 26," Ty observed. "Inside. Clear about three behind him. Three back. 31's got a run. Looking low. Clear half back. Clear behind him."
By lap 217, David had picked up 19th. McDowell was 30th, and Mikey was 31st.
"He just came off of pit road. I'm not sure what his issue is," Ty said of a car on the track. "Still there. All clear."
"Feels like it's got about 100 pounds of air in the right front," Mikey said on lap 221. "It won't turn at all. At least it's not backing into the corners. I'm not sure which is worse."
Bobby asked Mikey to repeat what he said next.
"It's just undriveable."
"10-4. 10-4, bud."
Mikey was 30th on lap 223. McDowell was 29th, and David was 19th. Meanwhile, Bowyer was on pit road with the hood up.
"Inside," Ty spotted.
Newman started stops early again when he pit on lap 228.
"45, 26.45. Five laps away from pitting, five away," Bobby told his driver.
"One back to the 28. Inside, inside. It's going to be clear behind him. Clear. Three back to the 48. Got a run inside, inside. 48. Clear behind him."
Edwards pit on lap 233, giving Kyle Busch the lead. David pit around the same time.
"How many more, Bobby?" Ty asked.
"It'll be next time, next time. Coming this time, 3700. Coming this time, 3700."
"Four tires and track bar, four tires and track bar."
"Wave off the 34," Ty said. "37 at the line right there."
Mikey pit on lap 235. Jeff Gordon was now leading, but he gave it up with his stop.
"Four three two. Right here. Wheels straight, put on the brakes," Bobby guided.
"3750. Don't cheat it now. They've been busting people all day," Ty warned. "37 to the line. Go go go. Got one outside. Going around you. Got the 18 on your bumper. 18's one back."
Busch was back in the lead.
"Three back to the 99. Inside, inside. You've got a slow one on the bottom. Clear low."
"25.60.
"55, 55. Leader..."
"Still there, still there. Clear. Clear."
Mikey was four laps down in 29th on lap 241. David was two laps down in 20th, and McDowell was three laps down in 28th.
"75," said Bobby.
"Clear one back to the 84, one back to the 84. Got a run, looking low. He's inside. All by himself. Clear. Coming back to the 38. Inside, inside. Clear three back to the 5. Caution's out for debris. Caution's out for debris."
The fifth caution was on lap 244 for debris.
Mikey laughed on the radio. "Yeah, it's like y'all are trying to kill me. I know you're not, but it feels like you let air out of both rear tires. It's just unbelievebley ridiculously. All these other cocksuckers are..." His words faded out. "Everything's just horrible. I cannot drive that. I couldn't drive that at all. It just wobbles, and it's loose. It's just ridiculous. There's no way to predict what it's going to do next."
"Pit road was open for the leaders. We'll come next time," Ty noted.
"All I can tell I that it feels like it has four flat tires... two flat back tires on the start." Mikey said the front tires then felt like they had too much air in front of them. "There's just no way. I've never felt nothing as bad as this is."
"Put that track bar back. Put that track bar back," Bobby told the crew.
"I can't do nothing. All I can do is let off to keep from crashing. There's no way to go faster. I'm just trying to save my ass."
"37 at the cone," said Ty.
"Stop him a little long, a little long," Bobby told the crew. He and Ty led Mikey to the box.
"I would appreciate... any adjustment in the whole world would be nice."
"We're adjusting your shocks. We're adjusting your shocks."
"That's another thing. It just feels like it flops everywhere, like it has no rebound on the shocks at all. It's just out of control everywhere."
Bobby said he just put in rebound in the right rear.
Vickers was again caught for speeding off pit road. Mayfield also picked up the same penalty.
"One to go, one to go," Ty told his driver.
"All right, we're racing the 8 and the 10, the 8 and the 10," Bobby noted.
Kyle Busch led the lap 247 restart. Mikey was 30th and four laps down. David was two laps down in 23rd, and McDowell was three laps down in 26th.
"Inside - the 88. Inside, inside," Ty said. "Still there. Clear. The 22's looking inside. Still down there, still there. Clear, clear. Clear three back to the 42. Inside - 42. Clear two back. Clear five back. The 2's right there with you, right there with you. Half back to the 2. Looking low. Inside. The 88 down there with him. Inside, inside. Still on your corner, still there. There you go. You're clear one back."
"85, 25.85."
"7's looking low. Inside, inside. Clear half back." Ty warned that a car along with the #41 would be looking to pass. "Clear, clear. Inside - the 07. Inside. He's all by himself. Clear behind him if you need it."
"The car's just so loose everywhere," Mikey complained on lap 260.
"10-4."
"Way, way looser than before."
"25.95.
"25.90, 25.90.
"89, 89.
"95, 95."
"Clear by four, back to the 44. Clear two back. Back to the 44 with a big run. Inside, inside. Clear behind him. Clear two back to the 43. One back to the 43. Clear."
"26.10, 26.10.
"05, 05.
"26.10.
"05, 26.05.
"20, 20."
"Outside. Clear all clear. Clear. Leader's at the line now. Clear, clear."
"20, 26.20."
"Clear four back to the 18. Coming inside - the 18. All by himself."
Mikey went a fifth lap down on lap 280.
"35. Are you still too loose everywhere?" Bobby asked on lap 283.
"Pushing everywhere."
"Inside, inside. The 99 inside. He's there."
"Loose in, push in the middle, a little loose off," Mikey said.
"26.30, 26.30."
"Two back to the 16," Ty noted. "Inside. Clear behind him."
"26.30."
"Two back to the 17. Inside. Clear behind you."
"35, 35.
"35, 35."
"Back to the 24. Inside. Clear there, clear."
"35, 35."
On lap 299, David went a third lap down. He was 23rd. Mikey was five laps down in 30th, and McDowell was four laps down in 26th.
"40. Leader a 90.
"50."
"84 is two back and closing. Still clear. Inside, inside. Clear there."
"35, 35. Leader flat.
"35.
"40.
"25, 25.
"29, 29.
"29, 29. Twenty laps from pitting, twenty.
"26.30, 26.30.
"26.30."
"Good job getting that 43." The #43 wasn't on the same lap.
"We're racing the 8, 9, and 10. The 8, 9, and 10 are who we're racing, Ty," Bobby informed the spotter.
"Clear two back to the 48. Coming low. Inside. All by himself."
Edwards started green flag pit stops on lap 317. Biffle also made a stop on the same lap. Busch came in one lap later. Lap 318 saw Matt Kenseth take the lead.
"Five back to the 38," said Ty. "Got new tires back there - the 07. He's five back. Coming inside. You've got one pitting. Coming inside. Clear."
Kenseth pit, giving the lead to Jeff Gordon.
"Inside - the 07. Clear one back to the 38. Clear one back. We're still about ten away, I believe. Ten away. That 99 is three back with tires. Inside, inside. The 16's going to be coming inside. Clear behind him. Still two back to the 38. 38's right there. Looking low. Back to clear. Inside, all by himself."
McMurray led a lap, then Ryan Newman.
"Six more before we pit. Six more," Bobby told his driver.
"17 four back with tires. Coming fast. Looking low. Clear behind him."
"26.30, 26.30."
"How many more, Bobby? Still four more, Bobby?" Ty asked.
"Three more. Three. Three," replied the crew chief. "How's your temperatures? 35."
"Clear there. Two more."
Newman pit on lap 325; Kyle Busch was back in the lead.
"Fresh tires coming inside. Clear behind," Ty said.
"Next time by. Next time by."
"Next time by."
Ty warned Mikey that the #44 was out of gas. "3700."
"3700."
"Watch that 7. He's coming in behind you."
"5, 4, 3. Right here, right here. Wheels straight, put on the brakes."
"Go go go go go. All the way out, all the way out."
"3750, 3750. All the way to the cone. Two back. Two more coming. When the 5 comes, you're all clear."
By lap 331, Mikey was six laps down in 30th. David was 29th, and McDowell was 28th. All three MWR drivers were six laps down.
"Slow one on the bottom, slow one on the bottom," Ty warned. "70 to go. Still there. Clear, clear.
"70, 25.70.
"80, 25.80.
"80."
David was 28th, Mikey was 29th, and McDowell was 31st on lap 338.
"Clear three back to the 77," said Ty. "Clear one back. The 66 slow up top. Clear of him. 77's looking low. To your door. Inside, all by himself. Another one coming. Looking inside. Clear there. Clear, clear. Clear low. Still there. Clear. 43 taking a peak. You've got him covered. One back."
"95, 25.95," Bobby read off times. "26 flat."
"Inside. Clear. Inside - the 43. Inside. Clear. Got the 07 up there on his bumper, behind him. 07's with him. Inside. Clear down. Clear four back to the 24. 54 to go. Who's on our lap, Bobby?"
"44, 9, 10, 00," Bobby replied. "44, 9, 10, 00."
"Inside, inside. The 01's trying to sneak in there with him, ont he inside. Still out there. Still there. Clear. Clear two back to the 6. Got a run inside. 07's coming with him. Coming inside. You're clear behind him if you need it. Clear. Got a run. Looking low. Back to clear. Inside. He's going to have the 8 down there with him. Clear one right there, back to the 2. Looking low. Inside, he's there. Back to clear. Inside, all by himself."
"Now it's backing in and plowing off," Mikey said.
Bobby gave lap times. "You've got 44 to go."
"Five back to the 48. Five back. 48's two back."
By lap 261, David was 27th, Mikey was 29th, and McDowell was 31st. McDowell was now seven laps down.
"1 car's going to be closing. You're still clear, you're still clear. Clear the 9. All clear. 1's going to have a run inside. It'll be clear behind him. Three back to the 18. He's going to have a run. Inside. You're clear now. Inside. Clear down behind him. 37 to go."
"We're racing the 9, 10, 44, and 00," Bobby said.
"44 is just now off of 4. The 9, you passed. The 10 is about twenty car lengths back," Ty told his driver.
"55 that last lap. Best lap you've had in a while."
"All clear. Nice job."
"26.30. The last two laps have been a lot better, a lot better."
Lap 368 saw Mikey go a seventh lap down. He was 28th. David was six laps down in 27th, and McDowell was 30th.
"20. 26.20, 20.
"25, 25. Thirty laps to go. Thirty to go.
"30, same as the 10 car behind you."
"Still got half a straightaway on the 10," Ty noted.
"20.
"15. There you go! Damn good lap.
"30. You've got a second and three-tenths on that 10 car. 26 to go. 26 laps to go.
"35. 30 on that 10 car.
"35. 1.2. seconds ahead of him. 24 to go. 24 laps to go.
"35, same as the 10 car."
"Still all clear. Twenty to go. Twenty."
"40, same as the 10 car. Twenty laps to go.
"30."
"Inside, now. Inside. Back to clear. 9 is going to be coming pretty hard. You're clear. He's two back. All clear. 99's looking low. Be there off the corner. All clear, all clear. Clear three back to the 43. 17 to go."
"26.30. There you go. Now you've got a two second lead on him. Two second lead. 16 to go.
"25, 25. Good lap times right now, man. Good lap times.
"15, 15. Leader a flat.
"25, 25. Thirteen to go. No pressure from the 10. About half a straightaway back."
"12 to go," said Ty.
"15. Whatever you're doing right now is working. It's the best it's been.
"30. Ten to go, ten to go."
Ty warned about a car closing. "Inside. Clear behind him. Got thirty car lengths on the 10."
"8 to go, 8 to go.
"29, 29. Ty, some of these guys are going to be close on fuel," Bobby warned. "Just keep your eyes open."
"5 to go, 5 to go."
"No pressure. You're about four seconds ahead of that 10 now. Be smooth. Bring 'er home. Four to go, four to go."
"Three more, man," said Ty. "Three more."
"35, 35."
"White flag, man. One more. All right, this is it right here. This it right here."
"It ended the race about like it started," Mikey said after the checkered flag. "It just won't turn. That one time, we just got it all messed up. Sometimes, I guess, you know, I get myself out of whack."
"Yeah, I'm with you. Sorry about all that shit, but what you had at the end, your times were respectable." Bobby said it sucked.
"Yeah, it does suck, but the thing is, I was pushing so bad right there at the checker, I mean, those last laps, but then as soon as you try to do anything to it, it just spins out. We have no front end on it, and then the back goes away. I mean, I don't know why we don't have a front end on it. We just don't."
"10-4. We finished 28th."
Kyle Busch won. Mikey and David were eight laps down, 28th and 27th respectively. McDowell finished seven laps down in 30th.
"If I were in charge of this joint, I'd want to see that replay of him beating me to the line," Mikey added a minute later.
Next weekend is the Pocono 500. MikeyPower.com will provide live practice and qualifying reports. Coverage of the race starts Sunday at 12:30pm ET on TNT. The Nationwide Series will be in Nashville. Coverage of the Federated Auto Parts 300 begins Saturday at 7:00pm on ESPN2.