Mikey 33rd in California, David brings home a top ten by Kellyanne Lynch 31 August 2008 Michael Waltrip's #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry was incredibly loose throughout the Pepsi 500, tonight's Sprint Cup race at California Speedway. Mikey finished one lap down in 33rd. He surpassed the 10,000 mile mark of racing at this track tonight. His driver David Reutimann, who drove a special UPS Toys for Tots paint scheme, came home 9th. Mike Skinner in the #00 Affliction "Day of Reckoning" Toyota finished 35th, one lap down. Mikey qualified 30th for tonight's race. David qualified 12th and Skinner 35th. "Hey, Bobby, you have a copy?" spotter Ty Norris came on the radio at 8:09pm ET. "Yeah, man, I got you loud and clear," crew chief Bobby Kennedy replied. "How 'bout you, Michael?" Ty asked. A long pause followed, then a key of the radio. "Hey, Bobby, do the best you can keeping track of the trash on the grill." Ty said there was a ton of trash at this track. NASCAR had done a good job of cleaning it up, but trash would probably get kicked up once cars got moving. "Yeah, 10-4, this track is always pretty bad - here and Michigan." "Hello?" Mikey was on the radio a moment later. "Yeah, man, loud and clear, loud and clear." After a long pause, Ty asked if Mikey could hear him. "Yeah, loud and clear," the driver replied. "10-4." "All right, let me know when you get in the middle of the backstretch, see if you can hear me," Bobby instructed. "All right," Mikey replied. "This is about as far away from you as I will be." "All right, you got a copy on me?" "10-4." Bobby said pit road speed was 4850 with two to three green lights on the dashboard on pit road. "All right, they're asking for pit road speed," Ty noted. "They're looking for 4850." "All right," Mikey replied. "Two or three greens is my goal." "Right on, right on," Bobby said. "Ty, if you'll get him on pit road and get him to the 9 car, which is right at the opening of the garage, I'll take him from the 9 car in." "10-4. Michael, you're the third pit stall from the entrance," Ty said. "How does that scoring pylon relate to our pits?" Mikey asked. "Three stalls down from you. Three stalls down from Turn 1," Ty replied. He said it was the 19, 88, then 55. He told his driver he wouldn't "wear him out" by talking too much about people on the outside of him. "Okay. Sounds good. Y'all have a good night. We'll gather us up some points and head for Richmond." "All right, right on, right on. Make sure you get some heat in those brakes," Bobby directed. "500 miles. Stay after 'em. Guys, heads up in the pits. You've been doing a good job lately. Let's carry it on tonight." Mikey also praised the crew. "I know the training and the work that goes into it. It doesn't just happen." Jimmie Johnson led the field to the green flag at 8:20pm. Mikey was 30th, David 12th, and Skinner 35th. "All right, bud, be ready. Pace car's coming off," Ty said. "Ready? Green green green. Everybody's straight. Still down there. Both sides. Outside, inside. Both sides. Still three-wide, three-wide. One coming hard outside, outside. In the middle of three-wide. Still out there, clear up. Inside." Outside polesitter AJ Allmendinger led the first lap. Mikey was 33rd. David was up to 10th. Johnson reclaimed the lead one lap later. "Still down there, inside. Still down there. You see what you got in front of you. Inside. 17 inside." "Still there. Got one really slow up there on the high side," Ty warned. "Got one blowing up in front of you. The 26. No caution yet. Still there. No caution. Still there. Clear there. Clear three back. Caution's out, caution's out." The first caution was on lap 5 for Jamie McMurray's #26, who lost a tire from contact. "A little loose, of course," Mikey commented. "All right, how does that relate to yesterday? Is it too much to stand right now "I don't know. I don't know how many I've got behind me. I don't know how much better I'll get," Mikey siad. "But if these guys behind me pit, tires are huge, so I'll come." Bobby said they'd pit if others did for wedge and four tires. "I might as well do it. I'll just pit," Mikey said. Bobby told the crew they would pit. "I'm glad I'm loose. I just wish I wasn't this loose." "Yeah, 10-4, 10-4." "All right, pit road's open, pit road's open," Ty said. "I can't see him, Ty. You're going to have to go ahead and get him to me," Bobby told the spotter. "Halfway, halfway. All the way. Go hard, go hard." "4850, 4850." Bobby told Ty he couldn't see Mikey, because the glare made it impossible to identify what car was coming down pit road. Ty said he had the same problem off Turn 4. "I see nothing until he was, like, two away. I see a car, but I didn't know it was us." "One to go this time," Ty noted. "One to go." Johnson led the lap 9 restart with Mikey 34th, David 10th, and Skinner 36th. Skinner must have also pitted. David took the field three-wide at the restart and worked at Dave Blaney for position. He was 9th one lap into the run. "Clear two back to the 10," Ty told his driver. "Still clear. Clear there, clear." On lap 11, Mikey was 32nd, having passed Robby Gordon and Reagan Smith. "Still clear up, if you need it." "42 flat, 42 flat," Bobby read off lap times. Ty warned Mikey that Robby Gordon's #7 was inside. "Clear there. Still inside. Still there, just a little bit." Gordon's #7 passed on lap 12, dropping the #55 back to 33rd. "Got a run inside. Going to be three-wide. Back to two-wide. Still there, inside." By lap 13, Mikey was back to 35th. David was 7th as Skinner ran 36th. "Inside at your door," Ty warned, as Skinner passed Mikey for position. "Clear half back." "I'm just... I'm real loose," Mikey reported. "10-4. Got one inside." "10-4 on the loose, bud," Bobby acknowledged. "I'm getting on my splitter..." The rest came in static. "Inside. Clear there, half back." "Hey, repeat that. You were breaking up," Bobby requested. "I'm just clobbering it, and it's making me about spin out," Mikey said. "10-4." "Inside, inside." "I mean, we've got real problems, because... well... it's really bad. Really bad, because when I go in the corner, the splitter does me in." On lap 17, Mikey was 40th. David was 7th, and Skinner was 36th. "All right, 10-4, 10-4. Copy that, Mike," Bobby replied. "10-4. We're working on a plan here. Hitting the left side or the right? Can you tell where you're hitting?" "It feels like the right. It's different than anything I've felt all week." David was 6th on lap 18. "43.50, 43.50. Leader 43 flat," Bobby read off times. "43.50, 43.50. Leader 43 flat." The second caution was on lap 20 for a large piece of debris. A caution light had fallen off the fence. "Still down there. Inside. Caution's going to be out. Caution's out." "I mean, what I'm trying to tell y'all is that you've messed me up. Our overnight adjustment has really really put me in jail, because it's clobbering the splitter, and it's just so slick that I can't drive it." Bobby said they would put in some packer. Mikey emphasised they needed to know this was serious. "10-4, 10-4." "There's a huge hunk of debris coming in through 1. Go low." Bobby called for four tires and asked about the splitter. "Frickin Mario Andretti couldn't tell you that. It's all connected." Ty said all they were doing was picking up debris. It was a quick caution, and he wanted to know if Mikey should stay out and lead. "We ought to just come in and make this adjustment." "We could probably be the one to lead this lap," Mikey suggested. They didn't. Bobby told the crew to take time with the packer. He told a crew member to close off the right front shock ten clicks, which was the only change they'd really made between practice and qualifying. Mikey said they really should have stayed out to lead a lap, but they hadn't. "It's too late now. 10-4." Johnson led the lap 25 restart. Mikey was 42nd, David 8th, and Skinner 40th. "Pace car's off. Be ready. Rolling. Green green green. Everybody's straight. Looking inside - the 26. Still out there." David lost a spot one lap into the run as Mikey and Skinner remained 42nd and 40th. "All clear," Ty observed. By lap 27, Skinner had dropped to 41st. David was 10th one lap later. "42.30, 42.30," Bobby read off times. "Okay, you've got me off the road now. I can see what I've got for balance," Mikey commented. "10-4, 10-4." Skinner and Mikey passed Kyle Petty on lap 28. They were 40th and 41st. "42.60, 42.60." "I think the shock was a mistake," Mikey commented. "43.10. 10-4, 10-4." Mikey said it felt like the shock had choked off his bleed. Bobby said it was only ten clicks, so it shouldn't. "Well, I just trying to say what it feels like," Mikey replied. Bobby reiterated they hadn't closed it off. "43 flat, 43 flat." "Got a run inside," Ty said. "Still down there." On lap 31, Skinner was 39th, and Mikey was 42nd. David was still 10th. "43.80, 43.80. Leader 42.40." "Now I'm off the road, pushing and loose," Mikey commented. "All right. 10-4. 43.40. Give me temps when you get a chance." "Um, 11 o'clock, 12:30." "10-4, 10-4." Mikey was 41st on lap 35, having passed Kyle Petty. "43.40, 40." "Still there. Clear. Clear. Starting to run the bottom again, Bobby," Ty noted. "10-4." On lap 36, David was 10th. Skinner was 38th, and Mikey was 40th. "60, 60." David picked up 9th one lap later. "43.90, 90." "Still there on your corner. Still inside," Ty noted. "There you go. All clear." Bobby said he would take a pound out of the right front when they stopped due to issues he'd seen with the tires. "Okay," Mikey replied. "Feels like air in the right front would help." "10-4." Passing Ken Schrader and Reagan Smith put Mikey in 39th and Skinner in 38th. "43.60, 60. That's faster than the next twenty cars in front of you." "Well can you get them to pull over?" Mikey asked. Bobby laughed. "I'll see if I can work on that! "70, 43.70. That's the same as the 10th place car, 10th place car." On lap 41, Mikey picked up 38th and Skinner 37th. They had passed Marcos Ambrose. David was 8th. "Still there," Ty warned. "Clear. Nice job." "90, 43.90. "40, 44.40." Lap 43 saw the third caution after Kurt Busch lost an inner liner and spun out. "Clear clear," Ty said. "43.80, 43.80." "Caution's out, caution's out. They're up against the wall. Come through low if you can. All right, bud, you see it. The 2 car's down on the apron. Stay up." Bobby said he would take a pound out of the right front. "Tell me what you've got right now." He asked if Mikey felt the right front were an issue. "Yeah, I do feel that way, like I'm a little bit skaty on that right front." The crew chief said he'd square up on the right side pressures. "Okay." "That will be four tires, guys, four tires." "Have the leaders fallen off in the 43?" Mikey asked. "Oh yeah. Yes, sir." "You'd give up too much if you stayed out to lead a lap," Ty said. "Me and Bobby will make those calls. You just tell us if somebody is behind us," Mikey replied. "Stay out. Let's get the five. Stay out," Bobby determiend. "Where do they keep score at?" "Right there at the opening of the garage." Bobby said they'd need to stay on track to lead the lap. He said they needed to stay out long enough to get the five when on track. "10-4. You just need to tell me when they're coming to one to go." Bobby said Ty would need "Did you hear us, Ty?" Mikey asked. Ty did not respond. "Did you hear us, spotter?" "I heard about half of it. It will be one to go, one to go." Bobby told Mikey to pit right then. Mikey led lap 46 under yellow before going to pit road. "All right, we led that lap. We led. Damn, it was close, watching that car on the track. All right, straight out, straight out. You're good. You're all good, bud. It was pretty close, wasn't it, Ty, watching the 48 and us on pit road?" "Yeah, it was perfect there, Michael," Ty replied. "Yeah, speeding entering. Tail end of the longest line," Bobby said. "No harm, no foul." "I was trying to have three over. But maybe I hit four by accident," Mikey replied. Bobby said they wouldn't have gotten the five points otherwise. Johnson led the lap 47 restart. Mikey was 41st, Skinner 30th, and David 12th. "Still clear, still clear," Ty noted. "Clear, all clear." Mikey was 38th one lap into the run. Skinner was 31st, and David was 14th. "Still out there. Still there," Ty warned. "Nice job. All clear." Passing Ambrose on lap 49 put Mikey in 37th. Skinner was 32nd. "Clear five back," Ty said. "42 flat, 42 flat," Bobby noted. "Still clear two back." On lap 50, Mikey was 38th. Ryan Newman's #12 had passed. David was 13th, and Skinner was still 32nd. "The 12 car's going to be looking. Inside, inside. Clear up behind the 12," Ty warned. "Still outside. Clear, now, clear. Looking inside. He's there now. Clear up if you need it. All clear." Getting around Elliott Sadler moved Mikey back into 37th on lap 52. "Run outside. All clear. Still all clear, all clear." Mikey said something that sounded like "still iffy". "All right, just let me know what you got there. Let me know." "It feels like the air was the right direction for sure. It's still doing the same thing about..." he faded out. "43.10, 43.10. Leader 42.50," Bobby stated. David was 10th on lap 55. Skinner was 31st, and Mikey was 37th. "20, 43.20. Leader 55." "Still out there - the 2," Ty warned. "44.15." "Still out there. You're still clear five back," Ty said. "Clear the 7, all clear." On lap 58, Mikey picked up 36th from Robby Gordon. David was 9th. "74, 43.74. Leader 60, 42.60. First two cars in the 42 second bracket. The next three 43's and 44's." "I still need some help with that right front," Mikey commented. "That still seems to be my problem." "10-4, 10-4. 43.60, 43.60. Leader 43 flat." "Still outside. Still there. Clear. Nice job," Ty praised. "85, 85. Leader 43 flat." On lap 62, Skinner dropped to 33rd. Mikey was still 36th and David 9th. "You're going to have a run. Half back, inside." Elliott Sadler's #19 passed on lap 63, dropping Mikey to 37th. "He's got a run inside - the 19th," Ty warned. "44.30, 44.30," Bobby noted. "Clear one back to the 45. Run on the bottom. Still clear, one back." "I think it's the right front tire. I have to put too much into it to get in, and then I get sideways," Mikey said on lap 65. "10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied. "Still on your corner, still outside," Ty warned. "Clear two back." On lap 67, Mikey lost a spot to Kyle Petty. He was now 38th. Joe Nemechek drew the fourth caution on lap 69. He overcorrected and hit the wall hard. "44.30, 44.30. Leader 43.30," Bobby said. "Stay low, stay low. In the middle of the track. "I believe if we get that... get that..." static followed. "I'm so loose in, but I think it's because that tire's full of air, I can't turn it. Between the tire and what you did to the shocks, it's bad. But maybe, maybe. Hell, I don't know. Maybe just do the tire." "10-4, 10-4." "We got too much air in it, and I'm turning, and it won't turn until it finally gets to where it spins out." "I hope he's okay," Mikey commented. "That looked like a bad crash." Ty said the led lap had been taken away from them due to speeding. "Well we're 38th, 37th. It's a shame they took it away from us." Bobby said he'd talked about it but couldn't get it argued. "Well I heard it. I knew it. I knew we were on the edge of it. I thought we had gotten away with something. I should have known better." "10-4. We'll let's go ahead and lead it this time." Mikey said they may wait a lap or two to make sure they lead. "This 08 up here is lucky dog, so come up down here to him," Ty said. "I don't think we have that bad of a car, if we get some air out of the right front, because I ran really good the last couple laps on the restart, but as it came up, it just got worse and worse." Bobby asked if Mikey wanted him to open up the shock again. "Aw, I don't know. If we get that tire fixed, that's what I'd rather have." "All right, 10-4." "It's not one to go, right?" "No, it's not one to go," Ty replied. "Still got a couple vacuum trucks down there, picking up some parts and pieces." "All right, next time by, next time by, we'll pit." "How is the 44 doing?" Ty said they gained positions every time they went out. "He's running pretty good. Top ten all day. He's running the Michael Waltrip line though." "Yeah, I can't do that today. This car is a mess. Maybe I can get some confidence in it, I can do it, but my line's pretty fast when my car's good. My line today, I mean." "Yeah, 10-4. The leaders are running that line," Ty said. "All right, we'll be coming this time. 4850." "4,3,2,1. Wheels straight, put on the brakes. Wheels straight," Bobby led Mikey to his box. "You're good, you're good, you're good. All the way off. Coming to the green when you come back around. Coming to the green." "All right, bud, you're going to go around that 08 to that 7," Ty informed his driver. Johnson led the restart on lap 74. Mikey was 38th, Skinner 32nd, and David 7th. "All right, bud, pace car's off. Be ready. Ready? Green green green. Everyone' straight," Ty told his driver. "Looking low, inside, inside. Clear there." Greg Biffle took the lead going into lap 75. "Clear whatever you need here. Clear three back," Ty said. "Still outside. Be clear up, all clear. Clear five back. Nice job, bud." David went three-wide again as Mikey was in 36th on lap 76. "42.40, 42.40," Bobby read off lap times. "The air... Feels like we put air in the right front. Real skaty on that right front again," Mikey noted. "10-4. 42.50, 42.50," Bobby replied. David was 8th on lap 78. Mikey was still 36th and Skinner 32nd. David fell to 11th one lap later with three-wide action. Skinner was 31st. "42.60, 42.60. "42.70, 42.70. Leader a 30, leader a 30. "95, 95. Leader 25." David was up to 10th on lap 81. Mikey picked up 35th on the same circuit. David lost a spot one lap later. "I wonder where Ty went," Mikey said. "He might have fell off the roof," Bobby replied. "Still out there, still there," Ty said. "Still out there, still there. Clear all clear. Coming back outside, outside to your corner. Clear all clear." Mikey was 34th on lap 83. David was 9th, and Skinner was 32nd. "43.50, 43.50. "43.50, 43.50." "Still out there to your corner. Still there, still there, still there. Clear up," Ty said. On lap 86, Mikey was 33rd. Skinner was 35th, and David was 9th. "43.45, 45. There you go. That's pretty good, better than those guys in front of you. Tenth place car's a 25. "70, 70. Leader 43 flat." "Still out there. Still there. Clear, clear." Mikey was 32nd on lap 87, having passed Jamie McMurray. Skinner was now 36th. "70, 70," Bobby noted. "60, 43.60. Leader flat." David was up to 8th on lap 89. "43.80, 43.80." On lap 90, David was 7th. "44.10, 44.10." "Still out there, on your corner," Ty warned. "All clear, clear." Mikey was 31st on lap 92. "95, 43.95." "Got a run inside, all by himself," Ty said. "Still down there. Still there. Watch that 15, pretty lame up top. 21 still inside. On your corner. Clear low." "44.20." "Still clear two back to the 26. Been trying to work the top side." Mikey passed Paul Menard for 30th on lap 94. David was 7th, and Skinner was 36th. "Still out there. Still there," Ty said. "Clear, all clear. Nice job, bro. Leader just now getting to Turn 3." "Just too much on the right front air," Mikey said. Bobby said he had room to take some out of the left sides and that he'd work on it the next stop. "I might use some out of the left rear. I'm loose as a mother." "Okay, 10-4, 10-4." "All right, you're doing a nice job. You're up to p30," Ty praised. Skinner dropped to 39th on lap 97. "It's just getting looser and looser and looser." "10-4. That's the trend we're hearing with pretty much all the cars in the field. We'll get you worked on this next stop," Bobby replied. "But it's not because of the right front." "Air out of right front, tighten you up on those other tires," Bobby determined. "43.95, 43.95. "44.20, 44.20. "95, 95. Leader a 20. "43.95, 43.95. Good job right there. Just stay with it. The next three in front of you are in the 44.20's," Bobby encouraged. "44 flat, 44 flat. Leader 43.10, 43.10. Leader now. "95, 43.95. "15, 44.15. "20. 44.20. "95. 43.95." Regularly scheduled pit stops began on lap 110. "15. 44.15." "Great job, man," Ty praised. "A whole cluster of them coming back to you. How many more until we pit?" "Five more, five more. We're looking at lap 115," Bobby replied. A number of cars pit the next time around the track. David was 7th, Mikey 26th, Skinner 32nd. "That 77 is going to pit this time, The 77 is going to pit," Ty warned. "44.10. 44.10," Bobby read off times. On lap 112, Johnson pit and gave the lead to Biffle. When Biffle pit one lap later, Matt Kenseth took the lead. "44.35, 35." "Clear five back. Fresh tires," Ty noted. David was 4th and Mikey was 8th on lap 113. "Fresh tires closing hard, three back," Ty said. "Inside, inside. Have two more coming, the 26 is coming." "Next time by, next time by. Give me next time by." "Got one more coming inside. Going to be clear out behind him. You're coming this time, Michael, you're coming this time. 4850. Hustling around, hustling around in the middle of 4." Jeff Gordon led lap 114. "Good job. You see the cone up there. 4850 at the cone, 4850 at the cone. Ten away." "5, 4, 3, 2. Right here. Wheels straight, put on the brakes. Wheels straight," Bobby led his driver to the box. "Go go go go go. All the way out, two green two green, all the way out." "All right, hustling around here. We're going to stay below that white line," Ty said. "Two more coming to your outside, two more - the 7 and the 21. Clear there." Stops had cycled on lap 116. Johnson was back in the lead. David was 7th, Mikey 36th, and Skinner 38th. "Well that must have been a terrible pit stop," Mikey commented. "Still there. Still outside, still there," Ty warned. Mikey was 35th on lap 117. "Still out there. Clear now." By lap 122, Mikey was up to 34th. David was 7th, and Skinner was 36th. Both the #55 and #00 were off the lead lap. "23. 43.23. Leader 75," Bobby read off times. "45, 45. Leader a flat. "55, 55. Leader a flat." "16's going to have a big run on the outside, run outside. All by himself. Clear behind him." "75, 75. "95, 95. Leader a 40." Bobby asked about the car being loose. "Yeah, the front's better," the driver replied. "Okay, 43.60. 43.60. I just need to tighten the back of you?" "Yeah, without mesisng up the front." "All right, 10-4, 10-4. 85, 85. Leader a 40." "Feels like you need to do something to the back," Mikey commented. "It's just out of control." "10-4. I've got rubbers in the rear I can get out. 44.15 on that last lap, 44.15." "He's gone up to the top, Bobby, so let's see if his lap times are different," Ty said on lap 133. "44 flat, 44 flat," Bobby replied. "Five back to the 83, closing pretty fast, all the way up to the top. Bottom this time. Coming inside, inside. Clear behind him." "44.10, 44.10." On lap 135, David was up to 6th. "Fourth place car, the 11 car, is two back on the bottom. Inside now, inside," Ty warned. "35, 35. Leader 43.50. "85, 43.85. That was a lot better on that lap, whatever you did." "Just give me one every lap so I can..." Mikey faded out. "10-4. 80. That was a little better yet. 43.80. "85, 85. "80, 43.80. Leader a 55. Lot better the last three or four laps, a lot better." "It's just loose everywhere, but at least the front end's gripping. The back ain't," Mikey commented. Bobby read off times. "Just stay with it. We're about seventeen, eighteen laps away from pitting. Get you snugged up. "85, 85." On lap 143, David picked up 5th from Kevin Harvick. "44 flat, 44 flat. "30, 44.30." Mikey asked something about his car and the #44. "All clear," Ty said. The fifth caution was on lap 146. "Caution's out, caution's out." "I mean, I can't drive this car, man." Mikey said the only time he was running good times, he was about to wreck. "We got the front hooked up better, so that's good, but damn, it's terrible." "All right, 10-4, 10-4. I'll get a full rubber out of that right rear on this stop. I'll leave the front as is." He said he'd take the track bar down too. "All right. I just about all but wrecked every lap," Mikey said. "When I go to run up high, I have no grip. It's loose in, but then it's so loose on. It's just really, really a challenge." "10-4. 10-4. That seems to be the comments we hear across the board. I know that doesn't make you feel any better. The 44 says he's getting looser the longer he goes." "Well, that would be fine if they were loose as me, but I'm really loose, like I see people getting sideways off the corner, and that's fun and all good, but I don't have a prayer anywhere." "10-4, 10-4. Second time by for us, second time by." "Pit road's open for the leaders only this time." Bobby said he could take the rubbers all out of the right rear and put some in the left rear. Leaders pit under yellow. "Andy, two out, two out over there and shove me one over here on this right side. Two rounds on that track bar, two track bars. Rubbers out of this right rear, one in the left rear." "Just judging that, see if you have any room to go down on the right front," Mikey suggested. "That's not what's costing it. Or that left front. See what you think about that." "Yeah, 10-4 on that air. I was just talking to that guy over there," Bobby replied. "Ten away," Ty said. "5, 4, 3. Right here, right here. Wheels straight, put on the brakes. Wheels straight," Bobby led the #55 to the box. "One in on this left side here, Dwayne. Go go go. Go go. Halfway. 19's outside. All the way, all the way out. All right, they got some air out of that right front air." Bobby also reviewed the track bar and wedge adjustments with his driver. "Okay," Mikey replied. "What's your buildups showing? Anything I need to know about?" "Just a little bit to the right front, one pound, which is abnormal for here. Usually it blows up the right front. Not getting as much heat in that right rear. Smoking that right rear on the wear perspective." "Yeah, I don't see how it ain't, because it ain't feel like it's under me," Mikey said. "The front end... we don't need to touch up the front, because when we're the best tonight, it turns, but then I have to be so loose off. But now I just get looser and looser. I haven't been able to hang with it." "10-4," Bobby replied. "All right, get yourself a good deep breathe. Pull them belts tight. Be 99 to go when you go back, 99." "Not going to go, man. Not going to go. Found some debris they hadn't picked up yet," Ty informed his driver. Bobby said the tire sheet was the best it's been, even with the wear it was showing. "You'll be coming back around to the green this time." Johnson led the lap 153 restart. Mikey was 36th, David 6th, and Skinner 34th. "All right, bud, be ready. pace car's coming off. Ready? Green. Green green," Ty said. "Clear there, clear. Inside, inside. Clear high, clear high." One lap into the run, Mikey fell to 37th as Skinner gained 33rd. "Outside, outside the 12. You're up behind him if you need it," Ty warned. "Still inside, inside. Still down there. Still there." On lap 155, Mikey was 38th. McMurray had passed. Skinner was 32nd. "Clear there. Clear three back," Ty continued. "One scraping the wall up in front of you. He's rolling. Everything's going to be fine up in front of you. Clear there. Clear two back. Still outside, still there. Clear one back." Mikey was 37th on lap 157, having passed Robby Gordon. "Clear, all clear." "42.80." On lap 158, Mikey got around Reagan Smith for 36th. Skinner was 31st, and David was still 6th. "Clear, all clear," Ty said. "85, 85." "Clear three back." Skinner lost two spots on lap 160. "95, 95." "Still outside. Going to be clear up right there." On lap 160, Mikey was 35th, and Skinner was 34th. "Still out there. Still there. Still on your corner. Clear there. Clear one back. Clear half back. Still clear." The sixth caution was on lap 161. A piece off another caution light came off. "Caution's out, caution's out. Debris again somewhere," Ty said. "All right, was that any better?" Bobby asked. "Rebound in the front, uh, if you can take some of it off. That was better. Probably the best it's been. I'm just real loose in. Real, real... I just can't get in. But once I'm in, I'm fine, and again, it had the tire pressure, so I don't get what it got on me. It just bounces a lot, moves a lot. But I say we need to pit for sure, but I don't know what to tell you to do. It moves a lot, it bounces a lot. It's loose in." "All right, 10-4. If that was a plus, I've got one more rubber. I can take one more out of the right, but it in the left. Down on trackbar more." "Take a little bit more out of that right front liner or that right front tire," Mikey commented. He said he wanted that rather than messing with the rubbers. He also wanted the track bar adjustment. Bobby went with that. "Some of those lead lap cars took two tires. We'll see how that works out for them. I know we're taking four. What, we've got 88 to go? 4850 at the line," Ty said. "Two green, two green. Round that 19, around that 19," Bobby reminded. "10 away." "5, 4, 3. Right here, right here," Bobby guided the rest of the way. "Go go go go go. All the way, all the way. Go hard. Go hard. Two green, two green." Greg Biffle, who had taken two tires, was now in the lead. "All right, bud, it's going to be one to go when you get here, one to go," Ty noted. "All right, if she stays green, we are one stop out, one stop out," Bobby told his driver. "Roger," Mikey replied. Biffle led the lap 166 restart. Mikey was 33rd, David was 13th, and Skinner was 22nd. Mikey and Skinner were both lapped. "All right, buddy, be coming to the green. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Still outside. Clear up behind the 42, if you need it. Clear up on the bottom. Outside now, outside. The 31. Still outside, still there. Clear there, all the way up to the top. Still clear. Outside, outside. Both sides. Both sides. Clear high, clear high. Clear low. Big run on the outside here, the outside." On lap 168, Mikey was 35th. David was 14th, and Skinner was 26th. "Still out there. One more. Still out there. Still out there. 6 is still out there. Clear two back right there." Mikey picked up 34th on lap 169. He had passed Sadler. "One back to the 24," Ty noted. "Outside. Clear there, clear. Clear one back." On lap 170, Mikey was 35th, and Skinner was 27th. "Outside. Outside." Mikey said something in static about what he needed. "Clear there, clear two back," Ty told him. "I'm just going to wreck, it's so loose on entry," Mikey said as he dropped to 37th on lap 171. Skinner was 31st. "Still clear, still clear." Skinner was 33rd on lap 172. "Still out there. Still outside. Inside. Still there, clear back to the 19." Mikey was 36th on lap 173. "Still out there," Ty warned. "Clear all clear, all clear." "Bobby, you've got to do whatever they do with the 44 on tires. I'm about to wreck," Mikey said. Bobby said it wouldn't make a difference. "Okay, well give us a plan to fix that." David was 13th on lap 175. Skinner was 32nd, and Mikey was still 36th. "43.10, 43.10," Bobby read off times. "Clear, all clear. Back outside, back outside," Ty said. "Clear up behind him if you need it." "60, 43.60." "Still out there. Still there." "35, 35. Leader 42.90. You were 43.35." "Still clear, still clear." On lap 178, Mikey was 35th, and Skinner was 34th. "Clear two back, whatever you need. Still outside. Still clear two back. He's outside, he's outside. He's there. 19. Still there. Still on your corner. Still there, still there. Clear up now, clear. Clear one back to the 19." Skinner dropped to 37th on lap 180. Mikey was 34th. "Still outside. Still there on your corner. 19's going to have a run. Outside, outside. Clear half back to the 45." The seventh caution was on lap 181 after Robby Gordon spun. "Got a spin behind you, spinning behind you." "I'm just so loose, loose everywhere. Do what you want," Mikey said. "All right, 10-4, 10-4." "Loose in the center, loose off, mainly bouncy on the entry, then good front grip just no back grip. Not hitting the splitter. Really not doing anything wrong. I'm darty, and I guess I'm darty because of my shocks, but I don't know that for a fact. You might could change the shocks, and I'd still be darty." Bobby said he had two shocks if he thought that would help it. "Yeah, that bump stop stuff, I don't know how you think you could change it, but I'd just as soon work on the car some more. I'm just really loose." Bobby said he'd take another rubber out of the right rear and put it in the left. "All right, lead lap cars coming this time, we'll be coming this time," Ty said. He asked if there were 69 laps left. "Negative, negative," Bobby replied. "Scott." David came off pit road first when leaders pit. He gained eleven spots. Jeff Burton stayed on track to lead. "All right, I'm going to do these rubbers in these back, and I'm going to take some rebound." He wanted to try closing off the right front shock ten clicks and open the left rear shock. Mikey agreed with this. "All right, here we come. 4850," Ty said. "Close the right front. We're opening the right rear for rebound. Close for compression," Bobby told the crew. "Right here, right here. Rubber in, left rear in, open the shock twenty clicks here. Okay. Okay, two green, two green." "Are you using any brakes getting into the corner?" Bobby asked. "No, not really, just when I'm trying to save myself," Mikey replied. "All right, 10-4. I was just thinking about sweeping some brake fluid." "I'd put some to it. It wouldn't hurt." "All right, bud, one to go when you get to the line. One to go. 65 laps to go," Ty told his driver. "We're racing everybody to be lined up on the inside, with the exception of the 2 and the 96, the 2 and the 96. 17 cars one down, 17 cars," Bobby said. David led the lap 187 restart with Mikey in 35th and Skinner in 36th. "All right, bud. Pace car's coming off," Ty said. "Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling." Trapped in lapped traffic, David lost the lead to Biffle. He was now 2nd. Mikey was 36th, and Skinner was 38th. "Still outside. Clear now, clear. Half back," Ty told Mikey. "Outside. Still outside, still there. Clear there, clear clear. Back outside, outside, outside." David lost a spot one lap later. Skinner gained 37th. "Back to the 31. He's going to be outside. Still got one up there with him. Still there, outside. Clear low. Outside, outside. Both sides. Got a little room on that 10 if you need it." Johnson led lap 189. One lap later, David was 4th. Mikey was 36th, and Skinner was 37th. One lap later, Mikey picked up 35th. "Still there. Clear, clear." Skinner was 36th on lap 192. David was 5th. "43 flat, 43 flat," Bobby said. "85, 42.85." "Clear, whatever you need," Ty told his driver. "Still clear two back, no pressure. Still clear. Still out there. Still there. Still there on your corner. Still there. Still there. Still out there. Still clear four back." On lap 198, Skinner fell to 37th. David was still 5th, and Mikey was 35th. "01's two back," Ty warned. "Now it's just loose in, skating the front end," Mikey reported. "10-4. 43.70, 43.70." "Really skating the right front out. It doesn't bounce as bad, but it's still crazy loose." "All right, 10-4, 10-4. 50, 43.50." "This is way worse handling-wise. You know, it's just real skaty." "10-4. 43.40, 43.40." "Definitely better though, bouncy-wise." "All right, 10-4. 43.50, 43.50. "43.10, 43.10." On lap 205, David fell to 6th when Kevin Harvick passed. "65, 65. "65, 65. "65, 65. "60. "80, 80." "For position, right there in front of you," Ty told his driver with 41 laps to go. "They're coming back to you. Keep it rolling." On lap 210, Mikey passed Sadler for 34th. "Still there," Ty warned. "All clear." "43.90. "75, 75. "95, 95. About fifteen laps away from pitting, about fifteen away. Will be our final stop." On lap 214, Skinner fell to 38th. "Clear one back," Ty said. "44.15. "80, 43.80." "Watch for some of these guys short-pitting on us, some of these guys we're racing," Ty warned. "43.95, 95. "85, 85." The eighth caution was on lap 219. "Got a guy brushing the wall in Turn 4. Keep coming. Caution's out, caution's out," Ty told Mikey. "I'm just... I'm just real loose, but now I feel like," Mikey stated. "You know you hurt me on the right front tire. If you didn't change it, you know, no big deal. If you changed it, change it back and maybe put some wedge in it." Bobby said he could pull it back out of the right. "Well, it helped my entry. Something made me better on entry. Still real loose, but then under the throttle on the exit, it skates, so I don't know what that's all about." "10-4, 10-4." "Overall, the tire pressures felt probably worse then, all the way around." Leaders pit under yellow. "All right, 10-4. I copy that. I copy that, bud." "Lead lap guys, and then we come next time," Ty said. Bobby told the gasman to give a full can and two seconds of another one. Meanwhile, David lost three spots on pit road; he came off 9th. "4850," Ty reminded Mikey about pit road speed. "Ten away." "5, 4, 3. Right here. Wheels straight, put on the brakes," Bobby directed. "Go go go go. Halfway, halfway. Go hard, go hard. Two green. Get that 77." "Still got him on the outside. Hold that position," Ty said. "All right, man, one to go, one to go." "All right, it will be twenty-eight to go when you take the green, twenty-eight to go," Bobby noted. Biffle led the restart on lap 223. Mikey was 32nd, David 9th, and Skinner 37th. "All right, going to be coming around to the green. Pull those belts tight. Pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling. Still outside," Ty said. "Still outside, still there. You're clear there, clear one back. 6 car's got a run up top, still one back. Outside. 42's with him. Outside. Outside. 31's trying to look inside. Both sides. Inside. Clear low, clear low." Johnson took the lead one lap into the run. "Three-wide right there, three-wide. Back to two-wide. Outside. Going to be three-wide here. Outside. Inside. Inside and out. Clear low, clear low. Still got 'em outside." On lap 226, Mikey was 33rd. Skinner was 38th, and David was still 9th. "Still outside. Just two-wide now. Clear by one on the bottom. Clear up, clear up if you want it. Clear half back to the 20. Still clear, still clear. All the way to the top. Still all clear, all clear. Got a run, 20 car. Outside. Still out there, still there. Inside and out, inside and out, inside and out. Clear low, outside. All clear, all clear. Clear. Inside. Clear low now, clear low." Mikey was 35th on lap 228 but gained a spot one lap later. "Inside, inside. Clear low. Car all the way to the top. You're clear." "42.80." "Clear, clear. Still clear. Back outside now, back outside. Got one with him, outside. Clear half back, 43." On lap 231, Mikey was back to 35th. "Still clear, still clear." "Twenty to go. Twenty laps to go," Bobby said. "Twenty to go. Twenty," Ty reiterated. "All clear, all clear. Still clear two back. Still clear to the top. Still clear one back." On lap 233, Skinner moved up to 36th. "I'm just... real loose," Mikey commented. "10-4, 10-4. Eighteen to go, bud. Eighteen to go. Get all you can, all you can," Bobby encouraged. "Clear six back," Ty said. "43.20, 43.20. Seventeen to go. "43.20." "Sixteen to go. All positions right in front of you, brother," Ty told his driver. "40, 43.40. Fifteen to go. All those guys in front of you are for position." "Still there. Still on your corner. Still there, still there." On lap 238, Mikey picked up 34th from Paul Menard. "Still... all clear. Still there, still there. Still there. Coming back outside, back outside, back outside. Clear there three back." Mikey lost the spot again one lap later. "Twelve laps to go, twelve to go. Get another run at him," Bobby said. "Clear one back to the 43, lead lap car," Ty stated. "Still clear, all clear. Working the top though. He's going to have a big run coming outside. He's there." On lap 242, Mikey gained 34th again from Menard. "Still there, still there. Three-wide. All clear. 15 jumped up there with the 43. Outside. Going to be clear up right there, clear up. Eight to go." "Eight laps to go, eight to go. 43.80." "Nice job on the 15. Clear three back. Still clear two back. The 00. Clear now. He's two back. Coming back pretty fast. Outside, outside. Clear up, clear up, clear up." "Five to go, five to go. Catching that 19 about three tenths a lap," Bobby said. Skinner was up to 35th on lap 247. "43.40. There you go. Almost four tenths that lap. 4 to go, 4 to go. "3 to go, 3 to go." On lap 249, Mikey got around Sadler. "Clear, clear," said Ty. "All right, bud, two to go. Two." "360. Two to go. 43.60." "White flag." "No pressure. That 42 is not for position. The 42 is not for position. Last four laps have been pretty damn good." "I've just been lucky, man. I'll explain it all to you later, bud." "10-4." "You know, we had a real real way way much skaty right front air on the run before, and this was back to the same old. Just terrible loose, like the sway bar's unhooked. And the bouncy's not a factor, I don't think. Once we got a little compression in that right front, I don't think that was even a problem. I don't think the shocks were that bad at all. I think the sway bar was messed up, just a groove off. I was just crazy loose. I was just barely able to hang on, and I'd beat them on the way off because of the looseness, whereas the run before, it was just skating." "10-4. We haven't had that loose-in for a while. I thought we'd gotten rid of most of that." "Well, I'll tell you, we didn't. Real real real loose. Loose, loose mainly in the centre, like not really in as much. I coudl get in decent once I got the shocks right. It was just hung out all the way in, you know?" "Yeah, yeah. 10-4." "I sure would have liked to have been in more control, but I couldn't hit nothing. We got all the points we could possibly get today," Mikey said. "Yeah, 10-4." Jimmie Johnson won. Mikey finished one lap down in 33rd while Skinner was one lap down in 35th. David finished 9th. Next week's Sprint Cup race takes place in Richmond, Virginia. Coverage of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 begins Saturday night at 7:00pm ET on ABC. The Nationwide Series' Emerson Radio 250 airs the day before at 7:30pm on ESPN2.