Mikey 28th at Richmond, David top ten again by Kellyanne Lynch 7 September 2008 Michael Waltrip finished 28th in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400, this afternoon's Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. The last set of tires on his #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry made him incredible loose. David Reutimann in the #44 UPS Toyota finished 9th after leading 104 laps toward the end of the race; a late race pit stop cost him several spots. Michael McDowell finished 20th after spending 58 laps in the top ten. Hurricane Hannah prevented this race from being run last night as scheduled. The field was set according to points. Due to the change in times, the track had less grip and was run under vastly different conditions. "Got a copy?" someone asked on the radio at 1:00pm ET. The call to start engines came one minute later. "Got a copy on me, Ty?" crew chief Bobby Kennedy asked a minute later. "I do," spotter Ty Norris replied. "How does it sound?" "Yup. All good, all good." "Y'all sound good to me," Mikey added. "Right on," said Bobby. "I've got you loud and clear, bud." "Yeah, everything sounds good," Ty noted. "Hey, Ty, can you count him into pits for me?" Bobby asked. "Yeah. Absolutely." "Yeah, I can't see around the corner. There's a pole in the way today." "Yeah, Michael, the timing line starts right past the entrance where you've been coming into the garage all weekend," Ty told Mikey. "Then, coming around the corner, you're the tenth or eleventh box. So, when you come in, you'll be ten or eleven away." "Okay." Bobby said the #19 and #22 cars were the only ones he could see. Ty noted that pace car picks cars up in Turns 1 and 2, so like at other short tracks, they only had the back straightaway to determine if they were pitting or what going on with car "10-4, 10-4." "I got ya," Mikey acknowledged. "I got the same pressures I had here in practice?" "Yes sir. Same pressures." "What are we shooting for, Bobby?" Ty asked a minute later, regarding pit road speed. "4900, 4900. It should be one green light," Bobby replied. "One green. Once you get a decent read there, get some heat in your brakes. Heat in your brakes and tires." "Well, we haven't achieved pit road speed yet. We've been running around 3,000," Mikey responded. "We're at pit road speed now. All right, everything's good on the brakes." "That's good." Because the field was set according to points, Mikey rolled off 34th. David was 27th, and McDowell was 38th. Kyle Busch led the pack to the green flag at 1:09pm. By lap 3, Mikey was up to 33rd. David picked up a spot a lap later. "Still clear. Still clear one back," Ty said on lap 7. "Two back. Nice job." Mikey was 31st on lap 9. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon scuffed the wall. "Inside. Inside to your door," Ty warned. Paul Menard passed on lap 11, dropping the #55 to 32nd. David was 25th, and McDowell was 39th. David was 24th one lap later. "You're clear when you need it. Clear. Inside," Ty continued. "Real loose on the gas," Mikey commented. "All right, 10-4, 10-4," Bobby acknowledged. "Will be looking low. Inside. Clear two back. Nice job." Mikey had put some distance between him and Scott Riggs behind him. "23.60, 60. Leader a 20," Bobby read off lap times. "Inside. Leader's at the line now. Lap 14." "60, 60. "55, 55." "55." On lap 18, Mikey picked up 31st from Menard; however, he lost the spot the next time around the track. David was 24th, and McDowell was 35th. Mikey passed Menard again for 31st on lap 21. "Still there. You're one back to the 96. He's the only car catching us," Ty observed. "Clear, clear half back. Inside. There you go, bud. You're clear one back to the 96. The 15 is still inside." "75, 75. Leader a 40. "75. Leader a 55. "85, 85. Leader 55. "Lap 25. A few more laps, and we'll get our caution. Still feel too loose?" Bobby asked. "Inside. To your rear wheel. Inside, the 96," Ty warned. "Still loose," Mikey said. The engine noise was too loud to hear the rest. "10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied. Kevin Harvick took the lead from Busch going into lap 29. Harvick's #29 had started 7th. "It will be clear four back, four back to the 15." "It's good everywhere else," Mikey added. He was now 32nd; Ken Schrader's #96 had passed. "All right, 10-4, 10-4," Bobby responded. "We're going to take a little air out of your rear tires and go one round on the track bar." "Two more, bud, two more," Ty noted. Dale Earnhardt Jr was all over Harvick for the top spot when the yellow flag waved for the first time. NASCAR had brought out the competition caution on lap 36. Sam Hornish Jr received the free pass. "All right, caution's out, caution's out," Ty announced. "All right. Give me your temps right quick, please," Bobby requested. "Twelve o'clock, two o'clock," Mikey replied. "10-4." "That's 220, 270, just to make sure we're on the same page." "Don't worry. I've got a picture of the gauges here. All right, I'm going to take a little air out of your rear tires and one round down," Bobby said. "One green, 4900 is pit road speed. All yours, Ty." Ty guided the #55 to the box. "Wheels straight, wheels straight," Bobby reminded as Mikey pit the car. "Go go. Halfway, halfway. One green. Halfway." "4900, 4900," Ty added. "I should have something about this steering box," Mikey commented as he rode around under yellow. "I can't turn right at all. It's really not good. It's like it's low on fluid or something. I know it isn't, but that's what it feels like. If it would work the same to the right as it does the left, it would be all right, but it doesn't." "All right, 10-4," Bobby replied. "Did David get two?" "Yeah, I believe so," Ty answered the driver. "Same thing on the leader. The 24 took two." "Hey, Chris, which side did you pull that small piece of tape off of? Left or right?" Bobby asked a crew member. "Okay, 10-4." "All right, bud, it's going to be one to go when you get around here." "One o'clock, two o'clock," Mikey gave temps again. "10-4, 10-4." "All right, p27. Pace car's off," Ty said. "Ready? Green green green. Clear two back." Jeff Gordon led the lap 44 restart, but Harvick took the lead the first lap into the run. David was 10th, Mikey was 27th, and McDowell was 33rd. "Feels like it's got a loose wheel," Mikey said on lap 46. "Get ready, guys," Bobby told the crew. "23 flat, 23 flat." On lap 47, David fell to 11th. He regained 10th one lap later but lost the spot again the circuit after that. "23.10. Leader a 70," Bobby noted speeds. David dropped to 12th on lap 50. "15, 15." David was 13th on lap 51. "25. Leader a 75." On lap 52, the #44 was 15th. "55." "One back to the 5. He's been the only guy coming," Ty warned. "He's on the bottom. He's inside. Still there to the wheel." Mikey lost a spot to Casey Mears on lap 53. Now he was 28th, and David was 17th. "Something's wrong with my gear too," Mikey informed his crew chief. "It keeps popping." "Yeah, 10-4," Bobby responded. "Copy. 55, 23.55." David was 18th on lap 57. McDowell was 34th. "55, 55. "65, 65." "Along the top, the front three guys are running. I'm just telling you," Ty informed his driver. "75, 75. "75, 75. Leader a 40. "80, 80." "You'll be clear up. Clear three back," Ty noted. On lap 62, Mikey picked up 27th from Reed Sorenson. David lost a spot one lap later; he was now 19th. "Still there," Ty warned. "Still down there. To your door." David was 20th on lap 65. "Clear, clear. Clear half back, half back. Clear one back." Two laps later, David was 21st as Mikey continued in 27th. McDowell was 35th. Lap 68 saw Mikey pick up 26th from Kasey Kahne while David dropped to 22nd. "Outside. Still there, still there. Back... clear up, clear up. Nice job!" Ty praised. "95, 95. Leader 65. Leader now," Bobby stated. "90, 90." David was 23rd on lap 73. "95. Leader 70." "Just to let you know, the leader and a couple of those hot dogs are running the third lane up there," Ty said. "Just to let you know." David was 24th on lap 75. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards dropped down and went to pit road with a right rear flat tire. "95, 95. Leader a 90." With Edwards' pit, Mikey gained 25th, and David gained 23rd. McDowell was 33rd. "85, 85." On lap 77, Mikey passed David. He was 24th, and David was 25th. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin took the lead. "Outside. Still there, still there, still there," Ty warned. "Still outside. Still on your corner. Still there. Clear, clear clear. Clear one back to the 44. Pulling away." David was 26th by lap 79. "Leader at the line now." Earnhardt Jr gave Hamlin a shot, but Hamlin held onto the top spot. "95, 95. Tell me about your car when you get a chance." "It's better," Mikey replied. "10-4." On lap 82, Earnhardt Jr got around Hamlin on the high side for the top spot. "It feels like the pressures are better, and the track bar hurt it," Mikey told his crew chief. "All right, 10-4, 10-4," Bobby responded. Mikey was 23rd, and David was 27th on lap 83. "Way to wheel up, buddy! Clear up, half back, half back," Ty praised. "4 flat," Bobby noted. David was 28th on lap 85. McDowell was 32nd as Mikey continued in 23rd. "24 flat." "There are fourteen cars between you and the leader," Ty observed. "You're doing fine." "05, 05. Leader now." On lap 88, David had dropped to 30th. "24.10, 24.10. "05, 05. "85. Good lap! "85." Mikey passed Reagan Smith for 22nd on lap 93. "Clear. Great job! That's for position. Good job!" Ty praised. "95, 95. "90, 90. "90, 90." "Clear two back to the 22," Ty said just after Mikey passed Dave Blaney's #22 "Car hit the wall in Turn 2. No caution yet. Caution's out, caution's out. He's rolling in the middle of the back straightaway." The second caution was on lap 97 for Johnny Sauter's #70. David got the free pass. "All right, tell me about your car," Bobby requested. "It uh, it's something like the air pressure isn't right." "That was good lap times when you changed your line. It was pretty sporty." He called for half a round on the track bar. "Temps." "11 o'clock, 1 o'clock." "10-4, 10-4." "The 22's behind you, and... the 19's in front of you. So you're going to have clear in, clear in," Ty noted. "41, 19, and they're both behind us." "49. One green, one green," Bobby said. "Let's go. Everything tight now, guys," Ty coached the crew. He led Mikey to the box. "Wheels straight, wheels straight. There ya go! Go go go! All the way, all the way out." "4900. Nice job, guys! 4900," Ty said after the stop. "Two tires with 34 laps on it didn't work well for the 44. I know you saw that." "Yeah, 10-4," Bobby replied. "44 did get the lucky dog, M Dub." "Good," Mikey replied. "All right. Showing p19 right now, p19. Just completed lap 100. Quarter of the way there," Bobby said. "One to go when you get here. They're going to be lining up here," Ty said. "Hey, Bobby, I don't know if you have a thing you can put over that microphone, but there's a lot of noise when you're talking. "10-4. I'm getting the rag back out I had at Bristol." Earnhardt Jr led the lap 103 restart. Mikey was 19th. "All right. Five or six more coming. Three more. All right, buddy, be ready. Cars off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's straight. Clear half back. Inside, inside, inside. Caution's out. We're all right. We're all right. We're all right, we're all right. Come on around. Come on around." Mikey had slowed for Brian Vickers on the restart, and Ryan Newman ran into the back of him and turned around the #55. The yellow flag waved for the third time on lap 104. Travis Kvapil got the free pass. "I'm going to need four tires." "10-4. We're ready for you." "It's just ridiculous right there." "Yeah, 10-4. I mean, your left sides were on the yellow line. He was on the apron." Ty then said pit road was closed when Bobby called for four tires. "Make sure they give us time to pit." "Yeah, 10-4." "If they open it once, we're good." "Coming this time. 4900," Ty said. "Quicky yellow. Going to be a quick stop. Come on, boys. Coming around the 19. Five away." "Right here," Bobby guided Mikey the rest of the way. "Wheel straight, wheels straight. There you go." "All right, get going, get going. 4900. We're good. Just now in Turn 4," Ty noted. "All right, one to go when you get around here. One to go. The 28 will be behind you. Free pass." Earnhardt Jr led the restart on lap 109. "All right, pull your belts tight. Coming to the green." "All right, let's get rolling, get that good rhythm back," Ty encouraged. "Pace car's off. Outside only until you get to the start/finish. Green green green. Clear three back." Mikey was 30th, and David was 28th on the restart. McDowell was lapped in 33rd. "80," Bobby read off the lap time. By lap 112, David was 27th. "90." "Four back. No pressure," Ty said. David was 26th on lap 114. Mikey remained 30th. "Clear low, clear low. That 38's slow up top," Ty warned. "Clear three back. Clear low, clear low if you need it. Looking low, looking low. Looking inside, inside. Clear. Inside. Turn 2. Stay low. Stay low if you can. In the middle of the track. Back it down. Caution just came out." The fourth caution was for Greg Biffle hitting the wall. He had gotten loose, and his brakes appeared to have locked up. Kyle Petty received the free pass. "Brakes are just... they're real... when I thought I had a loose wheel, it's just pedal variation." "Okay, 10-4. All right, be ready. If nobody comes in front of you, we'll come put four on you. If you've got guys peeling off, we'll stay out." Mikey said something about track bar. "About 15th, they stayed out. About 20th, they stayed out," Ty observed. "About 25th on back, they came in. All right, he stayed out, Bobby." "10-4." "All right, one to go. In Turn 3, those lappers are going to start doubling up on you. Got the 15, 42, 83 and 9 behind you, just pitted. Pace car's off. Ready? Ready? Green green green. Clear, clear. He's looking low, looking low. Inside." Earnhardt Jr led the lap 121 restart. Mikey was 23rd but lost a spot one lap into the run. "Clear. Half back. Two by two behind you. Got a spinner in turn 2, spinner in turn 2. Caution's out, caution's out. Back it down, back it down." Lap 123 saw the fifth caution. David Ragan had gotten loose, and teammate Matt Kenseth had nowhere to go but into Ragan's #6. Ragan said he may have run through oil. McDowell received the free pass. "Let's just stay out here. Stay out," Bobby decided. "Yeah, 10-4," Mikey stated. "Just a little too loose so I can go. I just got to save it a little bit so I can go later." Bobby said something about track position. "They stayed out in front of us here," Ty noted. "10-4." "Don't run this box at Loudon," Mikey requested. "Yeah, 10-4. We made a note of that. We were set to do that, but we'll make a little variation," Bobby replied. "All right, buddy, one to go, one to go," Ty noted. "All right, heat in your brakes, clean your tires off," Bobby told his driver. "Here comes some lappers." Earnhardt led the restart on lap 128. Mikey was 20th, David 24th, and McDowell 30th. All three MWR cars were on the lead lap. "All right, bud, be ready. Pace car's coming off. Ready? Green green green. Still inside." On lap 130, Mikey dropped to 22nd, and David was up to 23rd. "Inside, the 83. Inside," Ty warned. "Real slow one on the bottom. Inside, the 44. Inside. Still there." David passed Mikey on lap 131. David was now 22nd, and Mikey was 23rd. "Clear, clear. Inside. 96 is looking inside." On lap 133, David was 18th, and Mikey was 25th. David gained a spot and Mikey lost one within the next lap. "Still clear in the middle, still clear in the middle. One inside. Coming inside, inside. Clear high. Got one inside. Still there. Back down there. Inside." David was 15th by lap 137. Mikey was 27th. Meanwhile, Harvick had taken the lead. "One down there," Ty warned. "Still there, inside. Still there. Clear high." On lap 138, Mikey was 29th. He was 30th one lap later. McDowell was 25th. "You're going to be clear there, half back. One lap to the 16. Looking inside, inside." Mikey lost a spot to Greg Biffle. He was 31st on lap 142. "Stil down there," Ty observed. "95." "6 down there with the 16," Ty warned. "85." Mikey was 32nd on lap 144 when Ragan's #6 passed. David was now 14th, and McDowell was 23rd. "90." "Clear there. Three back." "80, 80. That was a pretty good lap there. A lot better lap. "Leader now." David was 13th on lap 148, having passed Martin Truex Jr. "Clear two back," Ty noted. "Clear one back. That 41's struggling on the bottom." "24 flat. Leader now." Two laps later, Mikey passed Biffle for 31st. McDowell was 21st, and David was still 13th. "95." "Clear the 16. Clear by half. By one. Nice job!" "24.10. "90." On lap 154, Mikey passed Ragan for 30th. "Still out there. Still there, still there," Ty warned. "Outside. Still there, still there, still there. Still outside to your corner. Still there. Still out there. Clear up, clear up, clear up. Good job, buddy! Clear one back." "95. Leader now. Leader a 75. "90, 90. Leader 80. "90. Leader 80." Truex Jr passed David on lap 159, putting the #44 in 14th. "24 flat. Don't let him hold you up," Bobby said. "Outside," Ty warned. "Clear. Still there. Outside to your corner. Still out there. Still there, still there, still there. Clear up, clear up. Looking inside, inside." On lap 163, Mikey passed Sorenson for 29th. "Inside, inside. There you go. Clear one back. Leader now. Come down come down come down come down. There you go, caution's out. Come up." The sixth caution was on lap 164. Juan Pablo Montoya had spun. Dave Blaney cut down Elliott Sadler's tire just before this. Ragan received the free pass. Mikey asked for a touch of air somewhere. "I'm just a little loose on the start, but then it comes down." Bobby said he'd put another half round down on track bar like the way they started. "Half round, half round, back down. Where we started. Two tenths. "Get him in, Ty." "All right, at the line, at the line now. Ten away, ten away." Ty and Bobby led Mikey to the box. "Get the trash on the grill, Chris," Bobby instructed during the stop. "Go go go. Halfway, halfway, go hard. All the way up." "Aw!" Mikey hissed. "4900." "Chris, did you get that little ball of tape that was stuck on the grill?" Bobby asked. "Okay." "All right, bud, one to go when you get back here, one to go. Lappers will start going under you in Turn 3. Be ready. Green green green." Lap 171 saw the restart with Earnhardt Jr leading and Mikey in 26th. David was 12th, and McDowell was 17th. Kenseth was black flagged for hanging sheet metal. "Clear one back," Ty said. "41 half back. Inside, inside, inside. There you go. Clear half back." "05, 05. Leader 70." On lap 174, Harvick reclaimed the lead. Mikey had momentarily lost a spot to Sorenson, but he regained it. "05, 05." "Looking low, looking low. He's there with you. He's inside." "Do I have a flat tire, left rear?" Mikey asked, just after Sorenson got back around him on lap 175. David was 14th, and McDowell was 18th. "I don't see it," Ty replied. "Be ready guys," Bobby told the crew. Mikey said something about the back tires. "10-4," Bobby acknowledged. "25, 23.25. "45, 45. Leader 05." "Back to the 96," Ty noted. "Inside. Inside bumper, inside. Clear. Two back to the 19." On lap 181, Mikey lost a spot to Schrader. He was now 28th. David was 15th and lost another spot one lap later. "60, 60. Leader a 30." "All right, you're clear one inside to the 6," Ty noted. "Inside." Lap 184 saw Mikey lose another spot to Ragan. He was 29th. "80, 80." "Leader's at the line now." On lap 185, Mikey gained 27th. David was 17th. "80." "Clear to the middle, clear to the middle. Still outside. Clear high, clear high. No caution. Keep rolling." Mikey was 28th on lap 187 after Ragan passed. David was 17th. Kyle Busch was back in the lead. "Still out there, still out there," Ty warned. "Still there, still there, still there. Clear, clear. Clear half back." Mikey passed Schrader's #96 for 27th on lap 192. "All right, still clear half back. Inside, inside." David moved up to 16th two laps later. McDowell was 23rd. David lost the spot one lap later. "There you go. He's running the top again. Let's see how he does. That's where the 88 and the 29 are running," Ty said. On lap 198, David fell to 18th. "Feels like my right front is too tight. Feels like my right front's blowing up," Mikey told his crew chief. "All right, 10-4. 85. "95. "24.10, 24.10. Leader 65." The sixth caution was on lap 204. Joe Nemechek had gone down into Martin Truex Jr, who was pushed into Sam Hornish Jr. Carl Edwards received the free pass. "Clear two back. Spin off Turn 4. Back it down, back it down. Right in the middle of the track. He'll lead you through the middle." "All right, tell me about your car again," Bobby requested." "It will killer loose, whatever you did to the back tires for eight or ten laps, then it went too tight at the end." "All right, 10-4, 10-4." Bobby said he'd adjust some air. "And you said your right front was about to blow up on you?" "It felt like it." Leaders pit under yellow. Ty pointed out that cars they were racing in the points - AJ Allmendinger's #84 and Hornish Jr's #77 - were having problems. Allmendinger was many laps down with engine problems. "So keep doing your job here. We'll keep picking off spots here. Past the start / finish, you'll have a truck on the bottom and one on the top. All right, p28. You're going to have the 15 and the 99 around you. The 99 got a lap down with a tire down and just now got back on the lead lap. "One to go. Here come the lappers, here come the lappers." Lap 209 saw the restart with Kyle Busch leading. Mikey was 28th, David 13th, and McDowell was 19th. "All right, buddy, just past half way here," Ty noted. "Ready? Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Right there, half back. Looking low, looking low. He's inside. Still right there on your bumper, still right there." Earnhardt Jr gave Busch a shot in the rear, spinning him out and drawing the eighth caution on lap 214. The incident was similar to one where Busch spun out the #88 and shortened up the rear end the last time at Richomnd. Bobby Labonte got the free pass. "Clear. One back to the 99. Spin in Turn 2, spin in Turn 2. Caution's out, back it down. Everybody's gone." "Just had a terrible start. I know I have every time. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. My problem on the start. I can't, you know, on the short run, I was still too slow." Bobby asked about the car. "Yeah, but I'm afraid, Bobby. Why don't we try again? Or put two tenths in the right rear, something slight. I'm going to come no matter what. That's about as many laps as the last time when they got us, wasn't it?" "Come on, come on. 4900. Ten away. Watch that 43. Come on." "Don't worry, bud." Bobby and Ty led Mikey to his box. "One to go. Lapped cars will be coming up into you. There you go. I'll try an early call a little bit. "Aw, there ain't nothing you can do. It's my fault. I just need to do a better job." "All right, bud, here we go. Pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Inside only. Earnhardt Jr led the lap 218 restart. Mikey was 29th. "15's right there. Looking inside, inside. Clear, clear. Inside. Back to your bumper. Still inside. Still inside. That 7 car's on the bottom, backing up pretty quick. Clear to the 08. He's clear to the 16." By lap 220, Mikey was 30th. David was 12th, and McDowell was 22nd. Mikey lost a spot to Bobby Labonte two laps later. "There you go. Still there. Clear," Ty observed. "Inside. Two of them. 7 car still inside. All right, bud. Clear two back." "65, 65," Bobby read off lap times. "30, 30. There you go!" Mikey was 30th on lap 226. "That smoke's coming from that 15. 43's still inside. Flat tire rub on that 15. The ninth caution was on lap 227 when Elliott Sadler lost another tire and spun. "There you go. Still there, still there. Clear low if you need it. Spin off Turn 4. Caution's out, caution's out." "I don't know what to do now, Bobby. That's the best it's been, but I got killed last time. If a bunch of them pit, I don't know what to do." "Why don't you pit if they stay out?" "Okay." "We've got about seven on there," Ty noted. "What was that? Come back?" "How many do we got? Seven on there?" "It doesn't matter. If they stay out, we stay out. Don't worry about the details of it." Ty noted how many people were staying out. "If they're all staying out, we'll come. Come in." Mikey stayed out. "There you go, Michael, that's good," Ty said. "Yeah, a bunch of those guys fifteenth on back came in, so that's good." "If the race would happen to go green, we are one stop out, one stop off," Bobby noted. "All right, behind you, you're going to have the 11. He took four," Ty noted. "All right, make sure you keep your tires cleaned off." "All right, bud, one to go, one to go. Lappers are going to come under you in a moment. All right, here they come." Earnhardt Jr led the lap 233 restart with Mikey in 15th and David in 18th. David had pit. McDowell was 23rd. "All right, bud, pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Clear. Half back to the 16. Clear." One lap into the run, David was up to 16th. "Clear, clear. All clear. Half back to the 11. Got a run. Inside. 44 looking inside." Mikey was 17th on lap 236 while David gained 15th. One lap later, Tony Stewart took the lead. "Inside." Mikey lost a spot while David gained one the next time around the track. David was 12th on lap 239. "Still inside," Ty warned. "Clear, clear. Half back. Clear one back. Still clear. They're three-wide behind you, one back." "75, 75," Bobby read off lap times. "Inside, the 1." Mikey was 19th on lap 241. David was up to 11th, and McDowell was 20th. "Inside, inside." The tenth caution was for Kyle Busch on lap 242; he had spun out again after Sadler turned him. Menard got the free pass. "Back to the 01. All right. Spin behind you. No caution yet, no caution yet. Good job. Caution's out." Mikey was 20th after McDowell had just passed. David was 10th. "Lot of smoke," Ty added. "Nothing's there." "Trying to figure out what we've got here. Trying to stay out. I think we've got ten behind us, so we'll stay out here." "What if they start peeling off behind us, just to let you know?" Ty asked. "Staying out." "10-4." Other lead lap cars made stops. "Working lap 244 right now, 244," Bobby said. Ty warned Mikey of cars coming inside. "About eight or nine cars between you and cars that just pitted there. It will be one to go." David had taken the lead on lap 245 under yellow. Mikey was 4th, and McDowell was 5th. David led the lap 247 restart. Cars jumbled on the restart quite a bit. "Pace car's off," Ty said. "Ready? Green green green. Still inside. Still inside, still inside. Clear now, all clear. Whatever you need. Back inside, the 42. Clear there. Clear half back to the 17. 00 on the top. Inside. 00's inside, inside. Clear high. Still got one on the bottom." McDowell passed Mikey on lap 251. Mikey was 5th, and McDowell was 4th. David continued to lead. "Clear one back, up top, the 19. 19's inside on your bumper," Ty warned. "01's going to be inside, inside." Mikey fell out of the top 5 on lap 254; Reagan Smith had passed. "Clear three back to the 41." "60, 60." "Inside, the 41. Inside," Ty warned. "55." "Clear one back to the 18. Coming inside. It's the 18." Mikey was 7th on lap 256, after Tony Stewart's #20 passed. Busch was lapped. "Clear half back to the 20. Inside. Clear behind him, about four back to the 41 on newer tires." "65, 65." McDowell dropped to 5th on lap 258. "75, 75." "41's inside. Clear, clear. 41's got a run to your bumper. Back to your bumper still. Then you're going to have the 11 down there with him." Mikey was 8th on lap 260, after Sorenson passed. "He's right there with him. He was the leader before all this happened. You're clear right there to the 88." Earnhardt passed, moving Mikey back to 9th on lap 262. The #55 was 10th one lap later when Jeff Burton passed. "88's got the 31 right there with him." Jimmie Johnson passed next. "Inside. Three-wide, three-wide. Clear behind the 48. Got the 11 all the way down. Still there to your bumper. Still there." On lap 265, Denny Hamlin dropped Mikey to 12th. "Inside. The 5's down there with the 11. Still there on your bumper. Still there. Still down there. Still down there. 29's down there." Mikey was 14th on lap 268; Mears and Harvick had passed. David continued to lead, and McDowell was 6th. "Clear there. Clear one back to the 6, clear one back to the 6." "Stay with it, bud. We've got the oldest tires on the track. 23.89, 23.89," Bobby encouraged. "Car's looking low," Ty warned. "80, 80. "85, 85." Burton passed McDowell on lap 273, moving him back to 7th. Earnhardt Jr passed him the next time around the track and Johnson one lap later. "80." "Clear two back," Ty noted. "24 flat, 24 flat." "Inside. The 6 is inside. Clear now, clear. Half back. Inside. Both sides, both side. Clear high. Clear there. Clear half back." David was now four seconds ahead of second place. "85." "Hold off on lap times a little bit, bud," Ty requested. "Still there. Still there. Got the 41. You're clear the 6. Nice job." On lap 279, Mikey picked up 13th from David Ragan. McDowell was 10th. "That was for position. Nice job, bud!" Ty praised. "80, 23.80. There you go! "85, 85." "Still out there. Still there. Clear up now. Nice job." "24 flat, 24 flat. Leader 85. "75, 75. Real good lap. "94, 94. Leader 90. "90. "85, 85. "70, 70. Real good. Fastest car on the track, that lap. "80, 80. Leader 85, 85 on the leader. "90, 90. "90. "90. "90." "Doing a great job on those tires. You're three back on that 24." "85. That 24's one of the fastest cars." The tenth caution was on lap 297 when Brian Vickers hit the wall. "Got one up against the wall in 1 and 2. Cautioon's out. Nice job, buddy." "Good job, buddy. Nice way to hold onto old tires," Bobby praised. He asked about the car. "It's pretty good. It's a little too tight, but it's so crazy loose on new ones. I don't know what to tell you." "10-4. We'll put four on you here." "All right, pit road's going to be open, pit road's going to be open." "Four tires, guys." "4900 at the line. Pit road. Ten away. Four in front of that 41. Left left left left left." "Straighten your wheels up, straighten your wheels up. There you go. There you go. All the way, all the way." "4900." David held onto the lead after stops. He had taken on four tires. "Good job, man. Good job getting in there," Ty praised. "All right. Coming around lap 300," Bobby said. "Take your chance here. Get your deep breath here. Prepare for a 100 lap shootout." "Can we make 100 if we need to?" Ty asked. "Yeah, we're good to go. We're good to go. If it's green, we're good," Bobby replied. Hornish lost a tire coming off pit road. Vickers was black flagged for stopping on the track and essentially causing the caution. "Had a right rear tire there come off with a slow leak in it," Bobby told his driver. "Just a real slow leak there." "Yeah, 10-4." "Be one to go when you get here, one to go. Going to have some lappers coming under you." David led the lap 305 restart. Mikey was 13th, and McDowell was 10th. "All right, here come the lappers. Ready? Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. All clear. He's driving inside. Clear low, clear low if you need it. Inside. Still there, inside. Still down there." By lap 309, Mikey was 15th. "Both sides, both sides. Still there. Clear up, inside. Still there, bud. Still there, right to your bumper. Still at your bumper." Mikey fell to 16th when Bobby Labonte passed two laps later. "99's trying to dive bomb inside," Ty warned. On lap 312, Mikey got back around Labonte for 15th. Ty warned Mikey of a car backing them up. "Still inside. Inside, both sides. Clear low clear low, clear high. Inside, the 99." Mikey was 16th again on lap 314; Labonte got back around him. Mikey lost another spot to Carl Edwards on lap 315. "All right, you're clear two back to the 17. He's a lapper. Spin in front of you, clear high, clear high. Nice job, buddy. Caution's out. We didn't get any of that, Bobby. None at all." "All right, if we're clean, we're going to stay out," Bobby decided. "Did you slide your tires at all, or are you good?" "No, I'm good," Mikey replied. "All right, stay out." The eleventh caution was on lap 317. Labonte had spun, and Edwards got into Bill Elliott's #21 in the smoke. Mikey went high around the wreck. "All right, bud, one to go when you get around here," Ty noted. "All right, make sure you get your tires nice and cleaned off," Bobby said. "It will be 80 to go, 80 to go." David led the lap 321 restart. McDowell was 10th, and Mikey was 15th. "Pace car's off. Lappers inside. Ready? Green green green," Ty said. "Clear all clear. Clear two back. Inside, inside. Still at your bumper." Three laps into the run, Mikey lost a spot to Ragan. He was now 16th. McDowell was 11th. "45's checking up on the bottom down there," Ty warned. "There you go. Still there." On lap 327, Mikey lost a spot to Bowyer. "Inside, three-wide, two-wide." The #55 was back up to 16th on lap 328, having passed Bowyer. "Still inside," Ty said. Mikey got around Ragan for 15th one lap after that. "Clear three back in your mirror there. Still at your bumper. Clear there. Now the 6 and the 12 are side by side, half back. Car low. Inside. Still there. Come low, come low. Outside, outside. Still there, outside. Still there. Clear, clear. There you go, buddy. Coming back inside, inside. There you go, all clear. Half back. Clear four back. They jammed up behind you. Nice job!" "79, 79. "79, 79." "Slow one on the top of the wall, the 77," Ty warned. "Still out there, still there, still there. Clear up. Still there. Clear." "85." "60 to go, buddy. Keep it rolling." "70. Keep it going now. 70. "75, 75. "70, 70. "85, 85. "80, 80. "74, 74. There you go! "80, 80. "80." "Clear. Great corner, bro. Keep it rolling," Ty encouraged. "85, 85. "80." On lap 250, Stewart took the lead. "85." "Clear there, clear. Half back. 50 to go, buddy. Keep it rolling." "80. "80." "Do whatever you need. There you go," Ty said. "Still there. Clear one back to the 07 still." "90. "There you go! Get your rhythm back. 45 to go. 75. Good lap. Real good lap!" Bobby praised. "Clear low. Clear low if you need it. Still there, still there, still on your corner. Still there on your corner. Still looking inside, inside. Clear both sides." Lap 259 saw the twelfth caution when Scott Riggs spun. "Spin in Turn 2, spin in Turn 2. No caution... caution's out." "Four tires, right?" Mikey asked. Bobby said they should get tires. "Four tires, right?" "10-4, 10-4." Leaders pit under yellow. David could not make it to the end without this stop. Bobby asked for two seconds of gas for the #55. "Green light, 4900." "Pit road. Here we are," Ty said. "Ten away. Five away. Right here." "Straight in, straight out. Wheels straight. Turn left, turn left. You're good." After the stop, Bobby said, "All the way, all the way, all the way out." "4900. All right, bud, p16. A couple of those guys took two tires." "10-4," Mikey replied. "All right, bud, one to go, one to go," Ty said. "Lappers coming under you." Truex Jr took two tires and led the restart with 36 laps to go. David was 7th, Mikey 16th, and McDowell 14th. "All right, be ready. The leader took two. Ready?" Ty said. "Rolling. Green green green. Clear one back. Inside, inside." Mikey, McDowell, and David each lost a spot one lap into the run. "Clear there, clear half back, half back. Got one on the bottom. Slow one on the bottom. Clear, clear. At your bumper, still there. Clear." David was 7th on lap 369. Mikey was 17th, and McDowell was 16th. Johnson had taken the lead. "Clear three back, four back. Still clear four back. Nice job, bud. That 77's slow on the bottom. Coming inside, inside. Three-wide. In the middle, clear to the middle. Inside. Crash behind you, crash behind you. Keep coming. No caution. Caution's out." "Staying out, staying out," Bobby said. The thirteenth caution was on lap 371 after Patrick Carpentier got into Menard and put him in the wall. Riggs got the free pass. "Staying out, right?" Ty asked. "Staying out," Bobby confirmed. "10-4," Ty acknowledged. "29 to go, when you get by the stripe here. 29 to go. This truck's up against the wall, in this corner." "Keep your tires cleaned off," Bobby reminded his driver. "All right, one to go. Watch the lappers. One to go." "All right, once those lappers get by you, get those tires cleaned off one more time." "One more - the 78," Ty warned. "25 to go when you get around here." "All right, you know they get to fighting at the end. Keep your nose clean. Good day in the points here." "Pace car's off. Ready? Rolling. Green green green." Johnson led the restart with 25 laps to go. Mikey was 16th, McDowell 15th, and David 7th. "Slow one on the bottom," Ty warned. "Clear, clear. The 78's slow on the bottom right there, it's what's jamming everyone up. The 99's inside. All right, that 78's on the high side now. You'll be clear behind the 99 if you need it." Edwards passed both Mikey and McDowell. Mikey was 17th, McDowell 16th, and David 6th on lap 379. One lap later, Kvapil passed Mikey, putting him in 18th. "Clear, clear. One back. Half back, two-wide. Got one inside." Mikey was 20th on lap 382. Gilliland had passed. Dave Blaney passed one lap later. "Inside. Clear half back. Three-wide behind you. Inside, 22. 19 to go, bud. Inside, three-wide, three-wide. Back to two. The 9 right on your bumper, the 01 looking inside. Three-wide." On lap 385, Mikey fell to 24th. Smith, Kahne, and Petty had passed. "Still inside, to your mirror. 16 to go." Mark Martin hit David, who fell to 8th on lap 287. Mikey was 25th; Labonte had passed. McDowell was 19th. "Clear four back." "85, 85. Fourteen to go." "Got one looking at your bottom. You're clear half back, clear half back." "80." With ten laps to go, Stewart took the lead. Johnson was still to his outside. Mikey fell to 26th when Carpentier passed. "80, 80. Eleven to go, eleven to go." "Inside," Ty warned. Johnson was back in the lead on lap 393. "Clear low if you need it. Half back to the 41. Inside. Clear high, clear high," Ty said. On lap 394, Mikey was 27th after Sorenson passed. "Eight laps to go, bud," Ty said. "Six more, six more. Half back to the 96. Clear." On lap 397, David lost a spot to Jeff Gordon. He was now 9th. "Five to go, five," Ty noted. "Clear one back, whatever you need. Just take a peak. Clear low, clear low. Clear, clear. Inside, the 96. Three to go, bud, three to go. Two to go, two." Mikey lost a spot to Schrader on the last lap. He came in 28th. "One more, one more," Bobby said. "The 96 is for position." "That's it, man. That's going to be it." "Whoo, we didn't like those tires, huh?" "Uh, it was just crazy loose. It was just fucked up." "I see it. It sucked." "Fucking... we worked our asses off. Fucking sucks," Mikey vented. Jimmie Johnson went on to win. David was 9th, McDowell 20th, and Mikey 28th. Mikeypower.com will have live practice and qualifying reports from Loudon next weekend. Coverage of the Sprint Cup's Sylvania 300 will air Sunday at 1:00pm ET on ABC. The Nationwide Series is off next weekend but has a race coming up today at 6:30pm on ESPN2.