David 30th, McDowell 24th at Pocono by Kellyanne Lynch
3 August 2008
David Reutimann ran out of gas on the last lap of the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, today's Sprint Cup race at Pocono International Raceway. His #44 UPS Camry was a half gallon short and wound up 30th. Teammate and rookie Michael McDowell crossed the stripe in 24th. Car owner Michael Waltrip lost the engine in his #55 Napa Toyota and finished last.
Kiefer Sutherland gave the call to start engines at 2:09pm ET. Jimmie Johnson led the field to the green flag with David in 28th, Mikey 42nd, and McDowell 35th.
The first caution was on lap 2 for Kevin Harvick's spin. Joe Nemechek got into him when they were three-wide. Mark Martin led the restart on lap 5. David was 23rd, Mikey 41st, and McDowell 35th.
By lap 7, David was 24th, and McDowell was 37th. Mikey was 42nd, having lost a spot to Joe Nemechek.
The second caution was on lap 8 when Kurt Busch spun trying to pass a car on the inside. Juan Pablo Montoya received the free pass. Eight cars pit under yellow; McDowell may of pit, but Mikey and David did not.
Martin led the lap 12 restart. David was 22nd, and Mikey was 33rd. Two laps later, he was up to 21st. Mikey was 36th, and McDowell was 42nd. He was 22nd one lap later, but he regained the 21st spot one lap after that. Car owner Mikey's #55 began blowing up within the next few laps.
The competition caution caused the third yellow flag on lap 21. Leaders pit, and Jimmie Johnson was the first back on track. Mikey stayed on pit road for a while before going to the garage. His #55 was marked out on lap 37 due to an engine failure; he would finish last.
Mikey led a lap before dropping off track, allowing Johnson to lead the lap 25 restart. David was about 15th at this point. By lap 44, he was 19th.
"There you go. You pulled up two car lengths there. Clear by five," said the #44 spotter. "There you go, clear by seven."
"55. There you go," crew chief Ryan Pemberton said. He continued to read off times. "90."
On lap 45, Martin reclaimed the lead.
"All right, you're driving away from them. Keep it up," the spotter encouraged.
"70," Pemberton noted. "When you get four tires on there, you're going to be real good."
"She's loose everywhere, bud," David reported on lap 46.
"10-4," Pemberton acknowledged. "790. You're pulling away from those guys behind you. You're doing great."
"They're coming back to you," said the spotter. "Keep it up."
"92.
"58.20. Nice and smooth. Another six laps."
"Still clear by fifteen."
"786. You're getting sideways. Log some more laps, and we'll get some more tires on it shortly.
"5805."
"Still clear by ten. You're killing them, you're killing them."
"5770. That's a great lap. Four more, four more."
"Good tunnel turn right there. Good turn."
On lap 52, Kyle Busch pit early and sideways.
"755. Great lap, man!" Pemberton said he was close to the leaders.
David Gilliland went to pit road one lap later, and others followed suit. David was 15th on lap 53.
"Be ready to pit next time. Be ready," Pemberton said.
"You want me to come this time, right?" David asked.
"Pit this time, pit this time."
"10-4, pit this time," the spotter repeated. "Clear from behind by ten."
David pit on lap 54. Many others were with him.
"5,000 at the line, 5,000 at the line."
"10, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stop," the crew chief guided the #44 to the box. "Hard hard hard. Moving out. All the way all the way out. All clear. 5,000. Nice job, nice job!"
"Nice job, boys," the spotter praised. "All right, clear on out. All you can get. No pressure from behind. Clear by thirty."
Carl Edwards led lap 55 during green flag stops.
"56.30," Pemberton read off the lap time on lap 57. Martin was back in the lead as stops had cycled, and David was 19th.
"Clear by ten," the spotter noted.
"609. Good lap!
"44.
"36.40. Leader ran a 45. You're doing great, man!
"66. Leader ran a 60.
"65. Great lap!"
"Still clear by seven," the spotter said on lap 63. David was still 19th. McDowell was 38th.
"70."
David requested his spotter to tell him if he looked better getting through the tunnel turn.
"Yeah, 10-4. Much better. You're pulling by five car lengths."
"56.90. That's two tenths slower, but try it again," Pemberton said.
"You're catching them, you're catching them," the spotter noted.
"85. Faster than the next four or five cars."
"Yeah, you're driving away right there. Driving away."
"57 flat. You're still catching those guys in front of you."
Debris in Turn 2 drew the fourth caution on lap 66.
"Caution's out, caution's out for debris. Yeah, we're absolutely killing them," the spotter told the driver. "Whatever you can tell us, David, we'll be all over them."
"Can you check your gauges for us?" Pemberton asked.
"What's that, bud?" David asked.
"Gauges. You were exactly even with him for ten laps."
"10-4. I just need a little help in the centre, just a little help, you know."
Pemberton asked if he needed to be tightened up or go down more on bar.
"Oh no, just need to be freed up a little bit," David replied. "Sorry."
The spotter told David to get caught up.
"Look at your gauges for me one more time," Pemberton requested.
"180, 220," David replied.
"10-4. All right, we're going to get four tires. Nice smooth stop, guys. Only take one can of gas. You've got the same amount of laps on that left side as that previous time. I think we need to stick with four right here."
"Yeah, 10-4."
"Nice, clean stop. You're going to have to stop short." Pemberton instructed. He told his driver to go through other people's boxes.
"Beak, when that jack drops, get on it. Get on it hard, please," somebody requested.
"Let's have a good one, guys."
"Pit road's open. You're pitting this time."
"You want a drink?"
"I'm good."
"10-4."
"Coming to you, guys. 5,000 at the line."
"Get up on 'em, get up on 'em, get up on 'em. Come on. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1," Pemberton guided the #44 to the box. "Hard. All clear, all clear, all clear."
"What happened there, bud?" David asked well after the stop.
"Uh, just got two, and a lot of guys got four."
"Yeah, 10-4."
"Uh, so it looks like everybody... the race leaders are 14th, 15th, 16th there."
Scott Riggs led lap 69 before he pit and gave the top spot to Carl Edwards.
"All right, getting the one to go, one to go," the spotter noted. "Coming up the inside."
"It just seemed like when we put two tires on, it seemed real real loose, bud. So if we do that at the end, we'll have to do something to tighten her up," David commented.
"All right, 10-4, 10-4," Pemberton replied.
Edwards led the restart on lap 71 with David in 27th.
"All right, coming to the green. Great effort so far, great effort."
"10-4, keep it up, man, keep it back up there," Pemberton added.
The spotter noted the green flag. "Everyone's rolling up ahead. Clear one back to the 77. You're pulling him. Clear by one there, clear by one."
David was 28th one lap into the run after Sam Hornish Jr passed.
"Looking inside, inside to your bumper. Inside to your door. Inside," the spotter warned. "Clear from behind by two. Inside, all the way to the bottom. Inside. You're clear, clear. Clear, clear. Nice job! There you go. Clear by three."
David was 27th on lap 74, having passed Hornish Jr.
"680. Good lap, man!" Pemberton praised.
"Clear by five. Clear, clear."
One lap later, David picked up 26th, having passed Terry Labonte in the #10.
"There you go! Go get 'em!" encouraged the spotter.
"57 flat. Good lap! Go get 'em!" Pemberton added. "57.15."
"Clear by fifteen. Clear, clear low. Back inside. Inside to your bumper. Clear, clear. Nice job! Real nice! Clear by three."
On lap 78, David jumped to 24th, having passed JJ Yeley and Clint Bowyer.
"Good job, man! Go get 'em!" the crew chief encouraged.
"Clear, clear. There you go!"
Getting around Paul Menard put David in 23rd on lap 79. McDowell was 39th.
"Good job, man!" Pemberton praised. "750. Go get 'em."
"Clear, clear," said the spotter as David passed Bobby Labonte for 22nd on lap 81. McDowell was 38th. "Clear, clear."
"Good lap!"
"Driving away right there, driving away," the spotter observed. "Clear by five."
"57.20. Good lap!"
"Pulling two car lengths there. Three, four, five. There you go!"
"740."
"All clear. Clear by five."
"57.10. There you go! Now you're catching them! You keep going like that, you'll catch them all!" Pemberton encouraged.
"Man, it's really really bad loose again. I think it was better before when it was on that last set," David reported on lap 85.
"10-4," Pemberton acknowledged. "57.30. Nice and straight off the corners. You're going to do fine."
"Driving away right there in two, driving away," the spotter said.
"57.40. There's a couple guys coming back to you. You're going to be all right.
"57.30. You're catching them.
"35."
The fifth caution was on lap 88.
"Caution's out, caution's out," the spotter noted.
"It's way, way... It's back to being jumpery and skitterish before," David reported. "I know we didn't change much, but it's way different."
Pemberton noted the sun had come out. He said he'd put air back in the right front. "All right, we're going to get four again. Four. Give me a windshield, man. You need a drink or anything?"
"Give me a drink if you have time."
"10-4."
"All right, you're going to be clear entry. The 15 and the 5 are going to be behind you. Nice clear crisp stop," Pemberton said. He noted that Chad McCumbee in the #45 was lapped.
David asked for the car to be put back the way it was.
"All right, entering three, gas man," the spotter observed.
"Take one can here," Pemberton said. "Get up on the bumper here. 7, 5, 3, 2, 1. Stop."
The #44 pit with the leaders. Johnson was the first off pit road.
"Hard hard hard hard. 5,000, 5,000. All the way out. Hook 'em up," Pemberton guided the UPS Camry out of the box.
"The carberator sucks," David commented.
"10-4."
"If you don't just run the thing up on the shift, it'll just die on you," David said. "I'm okay on the RPM part, but when I try to hook it up, it just falls on its face."
Pemberton told David to get the car a little closer to the wall and not to get boxed in by the guys in front of him the next time he pits.
"10-4."
"Getting the one to go, one to go," the spotter observed. "Going to have one coming up the outside there. The 45, one back.
"Still got the best car on the race track in Turn 1. Every lap, it's been the best in Turn 1, so we'll spin them out before we get to turn 2."
"10-4," David replied.
Johnson led the restart on lap 93 with David in 24th and McDowell in 35th.
"Clear right there. Nice job," the spotter praised. "There you go, driving away."
David was 23rd one lap into the run.
"2 car got a run one car behind you. Two back, one back," the spotter warned. "Inside at your door. Inside, inside. Got a hole behind him, hole behind him. You're pulling him right there, you're pulling him. Clear behind him. Nice job. He's at the bumper. All clear."
Kurt Busch passed on lap 95, moving David back to 24th.
"709," Pemberton read off the lap time.
"Clear, clear. Real good corner. Clear by five."
"60. Good lap."
"Still there, still inside," the spotter warned. "Clear, clear. There you go! Inside. You're clear, clear. Good tunnel turn, good tunnel turn. You're clear by three."
"57.20. Good lap!"
"That 7 is a lapped car in front of you. Clear, clear."
"740.
"755."
"Next two will be coming back to you quick, 19 and 26. Go get 'em!" the spotter encouraged. "Clear, clear."
Getting around Jamie McMurray's #26 on lap 102 put David in 23rd.
"57.60. Good run! Go get 'em!
"25. That's a good lap."
David passed Elliott Sadler for 22nd on lap 104.
"Still there. Clear, clear. All clear. There you go. Nice job!" the spotter praised. "Good tunnel turn. Real good! You're clear by seven, clear by seven. Go get 'em!"
Pemberton praised his driver for a good lap.
"Clear, clear."
Lap 106 saw David pick up 21st from Montoya. McDowell was 37th.
"There you go! That's doing it right there. Run those next three down," the spotter praised.
"Real loose, buddy, real loose," David commented.
"10-4."
"Good job. Go get 'em!"
The spotter noted that David was gaining a bunch of car lengths.
"740. Good lap. You're catching those guys by three tenths of a lap now," Pemberton noted.
"I was a little too high that time," David commented.
"Yeah, you're all right, you're all right. You're clear by fifteen," the spotter said. "Clear by ten right there. Ryan, we need to have somebody checking the weather."
"10-4. 57.50.
"745. Nice and smooth now."
The driver commented on the car, but I missed what was said due to people talking.
It sounded like David who said. "They said the helicopters are taking off, so something bad must be coming."
Pemberton said it was just a small rain cell.
Carl Edwards took the lead on lap 112.
"It'll be twelve or fifteen laps before we pit," Pemberton noted. The rain was coming in about as many laps.
"Good job, man. You're catching them, and you'll drive right by them."
"It's so loose in the centre, I can't gain on them down here in 3," David commented. "Do something to give the back some grip."
"10-4," Pemberton acknowledged.
AJ Allmendinger pit on lap 114, the first of green flag stops.
"And I just about wrecked it getting into 1 down there. I'm getting mad. I've got about as much as I can stand."
"10-4." Pemberton told his driver to be nice and smooth.
"Clear by twelve," the spotter said.
"57.80.
"790."
"Inside on the bottom," the spotter warned. "Clear, clear. Good corner, good corner."
"Yeah, tighen me up a little bit, bud. Tighten me up. Don't take my rear."
"10-4. That's a great lap right there," Pemberton praised. He read off the lap time.
"There you go. Catching them," the spotter said.
"85."
"All clear."
On lap 119, David picked up 20th.
"Seven more laps, seven more," Pemberton said. Meanwhile, cars were making green flag stops. Edwards gave up the lead by pitting on lap 120. Dale Earnhardt Jr picked up the top spot.
"Clear all clear," the spotter said. "Clear, clear. There you go. Keep that up and drive away from them."
David was 13th on lap 120 as cars continued to go to pit road. Earnhardt Jr then went to the pits.
"Good lap, good lap," the spotter praised.
"How close is the rain, Clay?" Pemberton asked.
"Yeah, 10-4, it's not far off," the spotter replied.
"Pit this time, pit this time."
"10-4, pit this time."
Matt Kenseth led lap 121. David went to pit road.
"Ten away. 7, 5, 4, 3, 1. Stop. Perfect." Pemberton led David out of the box after the stop.
"All right, all you can get, all you can get. All clear right there. All clear," Clay said.
Kenseth pit on lap 122. Edwards was now back in the lead as stops had cycled. David was now 22nd with McDowell in 36th.
"Back to the line. Lot of room," Clay noted. "Clear by seven. Catching those guys in front of you."
"6 flat. Good lap.
"56.25. They ran a 35 in front of you. You're catching those guys.
"56.50."
"It's moving up. Talk to me here," David sounded like he said.
"10-4. You've moved up two car lengths," Clay replied.
"56.50," Pemberton noted. "They ran a 75 in front of you."
"Clear, clear. Two-side behind you. Five back."
Pemberton read off a lap time. "Good lap."
Lap 128 saw the sixth caution. David was 21st, and McDowell was 36th.
"Caution's out, caution's out for rain. Pretty heavy out in the tunnel turn," Clay stated.
"Do you need me to save fuel, or are we going to be okay?" David asked.
Pemberton said to conserve anyway.
"It's raining pretty hard off in the distance, so it's going to get us pretty decent, I'd say."
"Pit road's open. Stay out," Pemberton told his driver.
Quite a few drivers chose to pit, and Earnhardt Jr was the first back on track.
"They're all coming, Ryan," Clay noted.
"Stay out stay out stay out."
Kasey Kahne, who had also stayed out, was now in the lead on lap 129. David was now 7th and McDowell 18th. Nineteen cars had stayed on track.
"They're going to have to blow it back there, David?" Clay asked.
"Man, it rained pretty hard for a minute, but it's hard to tell, hard to tell. Think they need to for sure," David replied.
"Yeah, we're starting to get a little bit here."
"Who was the first one off pit road, Clay. I think it was the 48, correct?"
"Uh, yep. Yeah, 48."
"It's picking back up on the back again," David commented.
Later, Pemberton asked, "Is the rain still coming this way, Clay? I can't tell."
"No, it kind of shifted toward turn 1, so the hard rain is off of 1, in Turn 1," Clay replied. "Yeah, they're going to bring us down pit road here. They're bringing the jet dryers out."
"Look at your gauges, turn all your electronics off right now. Make sure your gauges look good."
"They said no car covers, a bottle of water," Clay said. He said he figured NASCAR would allow another type of cover.
"Make sure all your electronics are off, okay?"
"They're all off," David replied.
The red flag came out on lap 132 at 4:52pm.
"Yeah, it's raining hard now," Clay noted.
"Maybe we'll get lucky, and it will keep raining hard," Pemberton replied.
"10-4. There are some more dark clouds in the short shoot coming off Turn 3."
They talked about getting the car cover.
"Go ahead, Gary, and bring it out," Pemberton said.
"They're shutting the jet dryers off right now, Ryan. It's raining too hard. They've lost the whole thing," Clay observed.
"Hey Dwayne, just say you on TV there, bud"
"What, giving John Boy the joke symbol?" crew member Dwayne asked.
The first person said they just showed Dwayne with Travis.
"They were doing a story on jokes?"
Somebody said something about the rain.
"Shut up, Gary!"
"It's pouring, dude, can't you feel it?"
"I think Clayton's one," Pemberton said after a long pause on the radio.
"Yeah, 10-4," Clay replied.
"You got anything else popping up in the distance."
"Yeah, it's just hard to tell which way this stuff is going to move around. There are some dark clouds in 2 and 3. I mean, it looks like it could start raining on us in a second."
Not too long later, Clay noted that it was clear. At 5:24pm, drivers were called back to their cars.
"You guys got it down there?"
"We're good. We're taking the cover off right now."
"10-4."
"How much longer, Clay?" Pemberton asked.
"Ah, they're just going to run the jets through the tunnel turn, then they're going to be ready," Clay replied.
"There's more rain coming, Ryan. It's not far off. The stuff in 3, it looks like it's going to go right by us, but there's rain in the short shoot."
"Yeah, it looks like it's twenty minutes away on the radar." More followed but was spoken too softly.
Engines refired at 5:32pm, forty minutes after the red flag first appeared.
"How about it, Dave, you got me?" Pemberton asked.
"Yeah, 10-4, I got you," David replied.
"10-4."
"All right, if you're up and running, shut it back off. Wait for them to get back running. Save that fuel."
"10-4. What's the plan here? Are we going to stay out?"
Pemberton said they would stretch it as far as they could to lap 156.
Cars headed back on track, except Sam Hornish Jr's #77, which stalled on pit road. The sky was already looking dark again.
"Okay, no scrubbing your tires, no scrubbing your tires. Some of those guys are shutting 'em off and costing," Pemberton told his driver. "Save all you can.
"Okay, pit road's open. We're staying out. That rain is coming. I just don't know how long it's going to take to get there."
Casey Mears, Chad McCumbee, Robby Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya made pit stops.
"I've been coasting here with it, so hopefully that will get us a little bit," David said. His crew chief asked him to repeat this, which he did.
"10-4," Pemberton acknowledged. It's starting to cloud up a little bit. We can go about 155. If we get enough caution laps, we may be able to go a touch further."
"Does that look like rain right there, that cloud?"
"Yeah, 10-4."
"All right, we're coming to the green here. Coming to the green."
"Clean your tires up, get a good restart."
Kahne led the restart on lap 135. David was 7th, and McDowell was 17th.
By lap 137, McDowell was 23rd. One lap later, David lost a spot to Sam Hornish Jr. He was now 8th.
"Inside, inside," Clay warned. "Outside, outside. Clear behind him. All clear. Caution's out, caution's out. Wave him off there. Wrecking in the tunnel turn."
The seventh caution was on lap 139. Nemechek had turned Paul Menard into the wall. Both cars were destroyed. David had just lost a spot to Brian Vickers, who passed along the outside.
"Coast coast coast, coast coast coast. Shut 'er down and coast," Pemberton adviced. "Talk to me about your car a little bit."
"It just doesn't run, dude. My ass kicks, and I'm in the gas pretty early," it sounded like David said, although the radio broke up quite a bit.
Pemberton said he needed to know what to do if they do pit.
"Yeah, it's just... It's just a little bit too tight, but... It's free again, you know." David's radio kept breaking up.
"10-4."
"That rain is pretty darn close to getting here."
"Quicky yellow, staying out. Quicky yellow, staying out. Boys, be ready though. Be ready though. Staying out."
"Clay, keep me posted what it's doing out there."
"It looks like it split us, but it still could hit the tunnel turn."
"Cars still sitting in the same place here, so they haven't pulled it off."
"10-4."
David requested to know how they were doing on fuel once they got back going again.
"The lucky dog's the 7. He's going to be coming up. He's about five car lengths back. Two car lengths back. Coming outside," Clay observed. "Giving one to go this time by. One to go."
David said, "I'm coasting with it, bud. That's about all I could do about it, I think. It's sprinkling a little on the backstretch."
Pemberton noted it was on the frontstretch too.
"Yeah, we're getting it up here now," Clay observed. "It's raining pretty good up here now. All right, they waved it off, the one to go."
"Yeah, getting into 3, it's raining pretty good," David said. A minute later, he added, "It's raining pretty good getting into 1 too."
"All right, they're waving it off again. One to go this next time by."
"How's the track, David?" Pemberton asked.
"It's raining pretty good through the tunnel," the driver replied.
"Ah, they're giving the one to go again. One to go," Clay said.
"One to go," Pemberton repeated. "All right, behind you, you've been really good on the fuel. We're going to try to stretch it and go one more stop here, one more stop. We're going to try to stretch it. I might ask you to save fuel on the last run there. I want everyone on their toes here with the fuel."
"Man, it's big time raining off of 1 right here. I can't believe they're going to send us," David commented.
"Behind you, followed by the 88. He's pretty darn good." Pemberton noted who else was good behind him. He said more with static.
"Ah, negative, negative," Clay said
Pemberton told his driver to scrub tires. "How's the windshield now, David?"
"It's... it's still getting in pretty good here. It's not like it was though. I think we're probably going to go this time," David replied.
"They just said we're coming to the green here."
"Still sprinkling in the tunnel turn. Now it's raining getting back up into 3," David reported. "Not like it matters though."
"10-4. Going green here," Clay said. "Pace car's in. Be ready? Ready? Green flag green flag."
Kahne led the lap 146 restart with David in 9th and McDowell 35th.
"Clear up behind by three," Clay continued.
Montoya's engine blew on the first lap back to green and went to the garage. The race remained under green. Hornish scuffed the wall and was slowing. Although David passed the #77, the #66 of Scott Riggs passed him.
"Inside, inside," Clay warned. "Clear, clear. The 88 outside there, outside at your door. Outside. Clear behind him, clear behind him. Two back, 48. Inside, all the way on the bottom there."
Reports of oil from Montoya arose, but the race remained green. David was 11th on lap 148; Johnson and Earnhardt Jr had passed.
"Good corner," Clay praised.
David was riding behind Johnson and Earnhardt Jr, who were side-by-side.
"Good job, man," Pemberton praised.
"Inside. Clear, clear. Good run off the corner there. By two. By three. Nice job. Inside, inside."
Edwards passed on lap 150, putting David in 12th.
"77 inside, inside," Clay warned. "Clear by two."
Lap 151 saw the #44 in 13th; Hornish Jr's #77 had passed.
"56.60. Nice and straight. Drive away," Pemberton encouraged.
"Inside, inside. Got a hole behind him there. Clear, clear."
David was 14th on lap 152 after Tony Stewart passed. McDowell was 38th.
"Okay, do what you can. Twelve more laps until you pit. Twelve more. Drive away. 716. Hit your marks," Pemberton said.
"Driving away right there, driving away," Clay noted.
"56.50.
"55. Ten more laps. Ten more."
"That was a good corner back there. You're pulling them, pulling them," Clay said.
"56.60."
Kahne went to pit road with Hamlin and Martin on lap 156. Greg Biffle took the lead, and David moved into 11th. McDowell was 35th.
"70. Good lap.
"690."
On lap 158, Biffle pit, and Kurt Busch took the top spot.
"720. Nice and smooth. Roll down the throttle on the straightaway. Do the best you can," Pemberton told his driver. He sounded like he said they would pit in five laps.
"No pressure. Clear by thirty," Clay said.
David was now 10th.
"690." Pemberton again told his driver to save fuel by rolling off the throttle on the straightaways. "How's your chassis right there?"
"Needs to rotate a little bit in the centre," David replied. "Mainly throttle off, bud."
"10-4."
"Still clear by thirty," Clay said.
David was 9th on lap 161 when Hornish Jr pit.
"Have you been saving any fuel? We need two more laps, two," Pemberton told his driver.
"I think I can get you two," David replied.
"10-4. Keep your eye on that fuel pressure. If that thing bottoms, hit pit road."
David was 8th on lap 162.
"Still clear by twenty," Clay said.
Kurt Busch ran out of fuel and was slow going to the pits.
"It's showing seven pounds, bud," David reported.
"10-4. Pit next time, pit next time. 5,000, 5,000. Half a pound in the right rear. Four tires. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stop."
David pit on lap 163; he got to his box before Busch entered pit road.
"Keep your RPMs up so we can get it full here. Keep your RPMs up. All clear, all clear. Nice and smooth, nice and smooth."
"5,000, 5,000. All right. All you can get here, all you can get here. Clear all the way out."
Edwards was in the lead on lap 164. Busch stalled on pit road.
"Do those guys got to stop here, or do they have to pit?"
Pemberton said the #44 was a lap and a half short, but he'd figure out how much David needed to save exactly.
"48.50."
Reed Sorenson crawled to pit road as he ran out of fuel. Others were still making stops.
"56.10."
Johnson reclaimed the lead when Edwards pit on lap 167. A whole bunch of other cars joined him.
"Still clear by a full straightaway."
"56.10. Good lap."
"Got one merging on the bottom, the 43."
David Ragan led lap 168 when Johnson stopped. David was 25th.
"We're doing great. We're going to need two laps from you when you're driving, so be smart, if you can," Pemberton told his driver.
"Still there, still there. Clear, clear," Clay said.
Ragan pit on lap 169, and Jamie McMurray took the lead. David was 24th. Jeff Burton had to return to pit road for an uncontrolled tire.
"56.80."
"Clear by twenty," said the spotter.
"650."
David was 23rd on lap 170. McDowell was 9th.
"655."
With McMurray's stop, Bill Elliott took the lead on lap 171. David was 19th, and McDowell was 5th.
"Five back to the 29. All clear," Clay observed. "Clear, clear. Clear by five."
Kahne was back in the lead on lap 172. David was 15th as McDowell headed for pit road.
"640. You're doing good. Have you been saving any fuel?" Pemberton asked.
"No," David replied. "You said you were going to tell me when I needed to."
Pemberton told his driver to start now.
David was 14th on lap 173.
"56.60.
"56.90."
"Inside, inside on the bottom," Clay warned. "Still at your door there. Big hole behind him. All clear. Clear by thirty."
Kevin Harvick passed, putting David in 15th on lap 175. McDowell was 32nd.
"750."
"Clear by ten. Driving away there."
David picked up 14th on lap 176 when Denny Hamlin pit.
"Doing fine, man. You can run a little bit harder if you need to. Keep me posted on how you're doing," Pemberton told his driver.
"Clear by three," said Clay.
"I'm going about as fast as I can, bud," David stated.
"10-4. Nice and smooth, nice and smooth. If you're nice and smooth, I think we're going to make it."
"Inside to your bumper," Clay warned. "Clear, clear. Driving away from him there. Definitely better on top. All clear."
"7 flat.
"690. 22 to go, about 22 to go."
"Inside, inside," Clay noted. "Clear, clear."
On lap 180, David picked up 13th when Biffle went to pit road.
"Clear by two," Clay said. "Yeah, he's a jerk. Two of them inside. To your bumper. All right, you're clear the 07 there. Back inside."
David Ragan and Clint Bowyer passed on lap 181. David was now 15th.
"Really really tight in the tunnel, bud," the driver reported.
"10-4," Pemberton replied. "Nice and smooth on that throttle, bud. Nice and smooth. About five or six in front of you have to pit. We're going to try to stretch it."
David was 14th on lap 182 as Hornish Jr pit.
"Eighteen to go. 770."
"Clear by thirty."
"57.30. The next car behind you is the 24. He can make it. If he gets you, he gets you. Nice and smooth.
"57.20. That's a good lap."
Kahne pit, giving the lead to Mark Martin on lap 186. David was 13th, and McDowell was 29th.
"57.20. Sixteen to go. Sixteen.
"57.20. You're doing great, doing great. Fifteen to go."
On lap 187, David was 12th.
"57.05. Nice and smooth. Try to concentrate on less brakes or being smooth off the throttle," Pemberton adviced.
Martin pit, giving the lead to Edwards on lap 188.
"720. If you're saving me fuel, and you're saving like that, that's a good pace."
David was 11th on lap 189.
"Car in front of you, they think it broke, so be careful there," Pemberton warned.
"Inside. Clear by half a straightaway right there."
"You're on top of him. Eleven to go. You're running 12th, you're running 12th.
"Doing great. Nice and smooth. Ten to go. Ten. The 9 car is coming. He's got fresh tires. The next car is ten seconds behind him, so you're doing fine."
"All clear right there," Clay said. "One back to the 9. 9's coming with you there. Still outside. Clear, clear. Two back 9."
Both cars passed Brian Vickers' #83; David was now 11th on lap 183. McDowell was 28th.
"Inside to your bumper. You're pulling him. Back inside, he's back inside. All by himself there. All clear."
David was 12th on lap 194 after Kahne passed.
"Seven to go, seven." Pemberton told David to "pedal it" as best as he could. The next time around the track, he told him to slow more for fuel.
"Clear by fifteen," Clay noted.
"Five to go, five. You're doing great! You're doing great! You can even roll out of it earlier, less brakes. Roll out on it earlier, less brakes," Pemberton said.
"Still clear by twenty. We can't help but be fast in Turn 1, Ryan."
"Less brake. That's all I need."
"10-4."
Pemberton again said just roll down enough not to be passed by the #83 and #26.
"10-4. They're twenty-five back now. Twenty-five back."
"Roll out of the gas, part throttle, part throttle, part throttle," Pemberton said. "56.30. That's too fast. Roll roll roll."
Kyle Busch pit with two laps to go. He had to be pushed to get off pit road.
"On your fuel pressure, on your fuel pressure. Roll roll roll, Keep on him, Clay."
Clay said the next car was fifteen back.
"Roll roll roll."
NASCAR issued Busch's #18 a pass-through penalty.
"Still fifteen back to the 26 and two back to the 8."
"I'm out," David said.
"10-4. We're out, Ryan."
"10-4. Where are we, Clay?"
"In the short shoot. We're rolling."
"They're all running out, they're all running out."
"All right, coming to you."
"Rolling, just keep rolling. Just keep rolling past the start/finish line. Just keep rolling rolling rolling!"
"What good did that do?" David asked.
"The checkered's coming out right now. We'd still be down a lap."
Carl Edwards went on to win.
"Where did we end up?" David asked.
"Everybody's running out. 30th."
"Sorry, man. Half a gallon short, man."
"Where did we end up?" David asked.
Pemberton said 30th and that the race was already over when David came back around.
"All that, and we ended up 30th."
"10-4, man." Pemberton said they needed to save a little bit more.
"You've got a truck coming to push you here."
"Get that truck to push you all the way around. You can get the 66."
David was pushed to the garage.
"Where's that motor man at? Where's that motor man?" somebody asked.
McDowell finished 24th.
Coverage of the Sprint Cup's Centurion Boats at The Glen begins next Sunday the 10th at 1:00pm ET on ESPN. The Nationwide Series' Zippo 200 airs the day before at 2:30pm on ABC.