Mikey 38th at Homestead by Kellyanne Lynch
16 November 2008
Two Michael Waltrip Racing drivers will be in next year's Shootout at Daytona. Michael Waltrip's #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry finished 38th in the Sprint Cup series season finale, with enough points to beat out Dave Blaney's #22 in the owners standings. David Reutimann's #44 UPS machine spent most of the race in the top ten but finished 20th due to a late race pit; other fuel strategies prevailed today. Marcos Ambrose's #47 Little Debbies Toyota fell out of the top 35 due to midrace wreck. He finished 42nd.
"1, 2. Hello?" Mikey was the first one on the #55 frequency at 3:52pm ET.
"Got you loud and clear," crew chief Bobby Kennedy replied.
"Copy you," added spotter Ty Norris. He asked if Mikey could hear him.
"Yeah. Everything sounds good. Thanks."
"Cool."
The call to start engines came one minute later. David, who had won his first Sprint Cup pole on Friday, led the field off pit road. Mikey rolled off 42nd, Marcos 41st.
"All right, y'all got a copy on me?" Bobby asked a few minutes after that.
No one responded.
"You hear me, Ty?" Bobby asked. "Ty, come to me. Ty. Got me now? Got me?"
"I hear you fine, Bob," Mikey responded.
"Okay, thank you. Thank you. I thought I was on an island for a minute."
"Yeah, that's a terrible feeling," the driver empathised. "I've been there before."
"Right on."
"But you can grab somebody by the arm and ask, 'Hey! Can you hear me?' I don't got nobody's arms but my own. I'll give y'all the details about what I've got, what I'm feeling," Mikey said he'd say if something didn't suit him. "But we'll just hang on."
"Yeah, right on."
"Did you say I have a 7 in the right front?"
"6. 7 left, 6 right."
"Okay, and that's a little bit more than I've had."
"10-4, 10-4."
"And my gaps are shorter, right?"
"Yeah, just the bumpstops."
"All right."
They discussed where the #55 pit box was.
"All right, we'll be looking at 4250, 4250 there on pit road. 4250," Bobby noted pit road speed.
"I swear, you can't tell if you're in the front half or back half anymore. There's Ryan Newman, there's Jeff Gordon, there's Jimmie Johnson... or whoever this is."
"Kurt Busch."
"I know it. Let's see how this all goes. I'm looking forward to it," Mikey said. "Let's see if we perservere. We'll adjust on her. Go into 09 in a lot different shape than this year, a lot different shape. We've gone up and down."
"Thanks a lot, dude. Thanks a lot."
"Let's go over that pit road speed one more time here," Ty requested.
"We're going with 4250," Mikey replied.
"10-4."
"I can pick him up right where that 7 car is, just on the other side of the 29," Bobby told the spotter.
"All right, buddy. One to go this time. One to go. Remember access roads on both sides, coming on and off pit road."
"You've got issues up there, Ty. You're all staticky, all messed up," Mikey commented.
"Is that any better?"
"Negative."
"How my doing now, Bobby?" Ty asked. "Michael. Everything okay."
"Yeah, 10-4," Bobby replied.
"Whatever you did there fixed it," Mikey added.
"All right."
David led the field to the green flag at 4:04pm.
"All right, buddy, be ready. We're going to be coming to the green. Pace car's coming off. Be ready. Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Still inside, inside."
David held off Matt Kenseth to lead the first lap. Mikey was 41st.
"Still inside, still there. Clear, clear. One back to the 10," Ty told his driver. "Inside, inside. Clear all clear."
Lap 3 saw Kenseth take the lead. David was 2nd, and Mikey was 42nd.
"All clear, all clear. Still there on your bumper. Still there. 10's on the outside, outside. Both sides now both sides. Got one low, the 47. Clear one back."
Carl Edwards passed David on lap 4, dropping him to 3rd. Mikey was last, and Marcos was 42nd.
"Half back now, half back. Inside. All clear there."
"33.55," Bobby read off lap times.
Kevin Harvick passed David on lap 7; the #44 was now 4th. Marcos had picked up 41st from Tony Raines.
"60."
"Still out there. Still out there, on your corner. Still out there."
"34.10. Let me know what you know. Seven laps now."
"I feel like I'm up in the front with no rear grip," Mikey reported. "The rear grip's worse."
"10-4."
"I'm really worried about the rear grip more than the front."
Bobby said they'd work on wedge or left side track bar. "That right side's bottomed out.
"440."
"I just really don't have any rear bite," Mikey said on lap 14. Carl Edwards had taken the lead two laps before that.
"10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied.
"It's not loose in. It's just loose in the centre."
"10-4."
"It's loose in the centre, and it's loose when I get back into the gas."
"10-4, loose in and loose off. Leader now," Ty stated.
"34.20."
Mikey said something about needing something from the #44. "That means something didn't work right."
"Yeah, 10-4. Copy on that. 34.40."
"Really loose, really bad."
Lap 17 saw Kenseth reclaim the lead. Edwards took it back two laps after that and wiggled just after.
"Hang in there as best you can. I know you know that. Leader just now getting into 3," Ty informed his driver.
"55."
"Now that you've got some air on the nose, the splitter is down there," Bobby said. "Now you're back off of it, but the splitter is down. 34.30, 34.30. Leader 33.90."
"I'm not worried about the front. It's the back," Mikey replied.
"10-4."
"It's right in the centre. It's okay off now. It's not everywhere."
"Okay, 10-4, 10-4. We're going to work on your shocks when we get a chance," Bobby said. He also mentioned putting in wedge. "65.
"55, 55. Leader flat.
"70. Leader 10."
On lap 27, Mikey moved ahead of Chad McCumbee's #45. McCumbee went two laps down. Marcos was 39th.
"80. Leader 15.
"70."
"Leader now," Ty warned on lap 29.
"75.
"75."
"It's really really really really loose," Mikey said on lap 32.
"10-4," Bobby replied. "90, 34.90."
"Ten back," Ty warned. "Three back, closing. Inside. Hang in there. Last night, we had two of them get down, and we were all right."
On lap 36, Mikey lost the lead lap.
"29's one back. Inside, all by himself. Three back to the 17. Coming low. Clear behind him. Three back - the 44. Inside. Clear fifteen back. About five back to the 45. He's got fresh tires. And the 6. Lead lap. Two back. 6 going to be inside. Inside - the 45. It's going to be clear behind him. I don't know if we're bottoming out or something, Bobby. We're smoking over there in 1 and 2."
"10-4," Bobby replied.
"Three back to the 26. Clear there."
"Let me know what you see on that, Ty."
"Come back on that, Ty," Ty requested.
"Keep me posted on what you see, if it's bottoming out or something."
Ty noted a lot of smoke. "Tire smoke, or we have something dragging. One back to the 1. Outside, outside. Definitely right rear, definitely right rear smoking when we get in the corner. Must be rubbing. I can't tell."
"It's doing it the whole time, or did it just start?"
"I just started noticing it. I didn't see us get into the wall," Ty said. He continued spotting. "It's up to you. We might have to short pit. We're getting run over in these corners, bud. Outside. Clear two back to the 42, working the top side. Working outside, coming outside. Clear two back. Still clear one back. Inside. Got the 31 up there with him."
"All right, next time by, next time by." He said he'd make a shock and wedge adjustment.
"No shock adjustment, man! Just give me a pitstop!" Mikey replied.
"All right." Bobby said he'd put in wedge then.
"You can do some... wedge, you can pray that it helps."
"10-4. That's what we'll do then."
"Check the grill, check the grill. We got some grass on it."
Ty and Bobby led the #55 to the pit box on lap 52.
"Get the grill, Chris," Bobby requested. "Halfway, halfway. All the way. 4250."
"Go hard, go hard. Stay on the access until we get around."
Juan Pablo Montoya led lap 53 as drivers made green flag stops. David took on an air pressure adjustment when he stopped on lap 53.
"Clear there," Ty said. "Got one closing fast - the 07. Looking inside, inside. Clear behind him."
"34.30."
Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch were penalised for speeding on pit road.
Stops cycled on lap 55. David was 4th, Marcos 39th, and Mikey 42nd. Kurt Busch was now behind the #55.
"34 flat," Bobby read off times. "34.10."
"Back to the 88, working the bottom. Looking inside. Clear four back behind him. Back to the 41. Clear on the inside."
"We've got no rubbers we can push?" Mikey asked.
Bobby said they could.
"Got one inside Clear behind him."
Mikey said something about shocks and rubbers in static.
"Can't copy you there. You're breaking up."
"It's probably best. That's cool."
"One back. 24 coming hard inside, inside. Then you've got one behind him. Another one going to be looking low, that 38. One back. Two back. Inside. Clear behind him. One back to the 22. Outside outside. Got the 2 car out there with him. Outside. Clear behind the 2."
Kurt Busch's pass on lap 63 moved Mikey back to last. David was 4th, and Marcos was 39th.
"50, 34.50."
"I know you don't want to hear it. Leader's at the line now," Ty said on lap 65. "Car's looking. Inside, inside. Five back to the 99. Inside. Clear behind him."
Lap 67 saw Mikey go a second lap down. Closing low, inside. Still there. 29 will be closing. He's one back. Down low. Another one looking low, the 8. Inside, inside."
"That wedge that air make any difference at all?" Bobby asked.
"No!" Mikey replied.
"10-4."
The first caution was on lap 70. Aric Almirola spun in the #8. The #55 was the only car two laps down.
"He spun in front of you. Keep going, keep going. Caution's out," Ty said.
"Just... this is ridiculous. I mean, I can't come close to driving it. It's not anything remotely... I mean, it's just crazy. Bad bad bad. I don't know what to do, other than tell you you've got to do something."
"10-4. We'll do a shock adjustment both sides. All right, pull a rubber in the left rear," Bobby directed.
"I never felt anything so bad in my life, I mean, even at Charlotte and Texas when I was loose, I could take my time on entry and make up the difference when I come off. This isn't even normal."
"Yeah, pull a 16th packer out of both of them."
"We'll come second time," Ty said.
Cars pit under yellow.
"Art, pull both those covers off so both the rear blowers will work," Bobby instructed. "52.50." He talked about shocks and a full rubber in the left rear.
Mikey said he had wanted to be reminded about the blowers as he could manipulate them and make the car better.
"We have them blocked off, because the 44 doesn't have them," Bobby explained.
"Ten away. Two past the pole," Ty guided.
"5, 4, 3. Right here."
"I can't believe you think we can adjust a shock as fast as we can adjust a rubber," Mikey said after the stop.
"Let it go, dude. We're working on it, all right?" Bobby snapped. A minute later, he added, "That was a shock adjustment on the left, not on the right."
"You let it go."
"Breathing."
"Deal."
"4250 when you get to the cone," Ty said. "It's going to be one to go when you get here."
"Keep in mind there, you've got those four inches of trail arm split."
"Well, unless I don't know what I'm talking about, that's more steller eight, and it doesn't even have a chance. It gets in fine, but it's sideways in the middle. You're just coasting, and it doesn't even close to hanging on."
"10-4." Bobby said a truck arm probably wouldn't help then.
"All right, be ready. Coming to the green," Ty said.
Edwards led the restart on lap 75. Mikey was last and two laps down, David 5th, and Marcos 41st and one lap down.
"Still outside. Still outside on your corner. Still there. Still outside, outside. He's right there on your bumper. Still outside. Still outside. Definitely coming. Three-wide, three-wide. Still three-wide." Ty cleared Mikey behind the #22. "Outside, the 09. Looking low. To your bumper, still outside."
"33.80, 33.80. All right, if you're still free there, switch on your right rear blower," Bobby suggested.
"In the wall. Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling," Ty said.
"33.95."
On lap 82, David picked up 4th from Clint Bowyer.
"34 flat.
"05.
"20. Any difference at all?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, it's better off," Mikey said after a long pause.
"Okay. 34 flat. When we get another caution, I'm going to move your left side trackbar down.
"34.20.
"30, 34.30."
"Still out there," Ty warned.
"45.
"30."
"Now I'm loose in, a little too tight off," Mikey reported on lap 90.
"10-4.
"45.
"49."
"Still out there on your corner. Still there. Clear all clear."
"50, 34.50.
"40, 34.40."
"Just really all messed up bad," Mikey commented on lap 97.
"All right, just keep telling me what you've got," Bobby requested.
"We can get the splitter lower, I know."
"10-4, 10-4."
"I'm loose in and tight off."
"How's the centre now? How's the centre?"
"The centre's fine."
"34.50, 34.50."
On lap 103, David passed Kevin Harvick for 3rd.
"50, 34.50.
"65.
"65, 65.
"60."
"All right, bud, the leader is about fifteen back," Ty said on lap 108.
"75, 75.
"79."
"Two back. All clear behind him."
On lap 110, Mikey went a third lap down.
"About twenty laps away from the next stop, twenty away. I'll make a wedge and an air pressure adjustment on your next stop," Bobby said. "75, 75.
"85, 85.
"Give me your temps whenever you get a chance."
"Ten and twelve," Mikey replied.
"Thank you."
"My tires feel like basketballs, he said on lap 117.
"10-4."
"Still one back. Outside. Clear five back. Two back to the 16, working the bottom. Looking outside, outside. Clear ten back."
"35.20."
"Two back to the 6, two back," Ty warned. "Inside, all by himself. How many more, Bobby?"
"Seven more, seven more," Bobby replied.
Around lap 124, David said something about a spring falling off the engine.
"Two back to the 44," Ty said. "All clear behind him."
Tony Stewart pit on lap 125, the first to make a green flag pit stop for this cycle. Almirola and McCumbee also pit, allowing the #55 to move up to 41st.
"Next time by. Next time by," Bobby said.
"Okay, you're three back to the 29. Access road all the way in."
"4250."
David pit on lap 127, and Mikey came in too.
"4250 at the line, right around this barrel," Ty said. "Ten away. Two in front of the 28. You'll be two in front of him."
"5, 4, 3. Right here, right here," Bobby directed. "Go go go. Halfway, halfway. All the way."
Edwards pit on lap 129.
"You're clear when you get there. Fifteen back to the 26, ten back. 26 out there outside. Clear there."
Stops had cycled on lap 129. Edwards led, David was 4th, and Mikey was 43rd. Raines pit with grass on his hood after going through the pits when pitting.
"Got one right there."
"75."
"Looking outside, outside, outside. Clear twenty back right there."
"33.90."
On lap 133, Denny Hamlin passed the #44. David was now 5th.
"Two back to the 88," Ty noted. "Inside. Clear five back. Two back to the 2. 12 outside, outside. Clear two back. Outside, outside. Outside 84."
"Did the adjustment change anything?"
"Outside, 48. All by himself."
"Uh, not yet," Mikey replied.
"Okay, 10-4," Bobby replied. "25, 25."
Kevin Harvick passed on lap 138, moving David back to 6th.
"15, 15.
"21, 21."
The yellow flag waved for the second time on lap 140. Debris was in Turn 2.
"I just, I can't even hang with it. It's terrible. I don't know what's wrong with it, man. It didn't work, whatever we tried. Well, I know what we tried, but it didn't work. I'm desperate. I mean, I'm not going to crash now, but I'm just so slow," Mikey stated. "If I let off early on the roll-in, then it's way too tight off. If I run it normal, like I should run it in, then I back it in. But then I get off better. I just don't know. I'd just like to make a big swing at bumpstop or something. The ride is fine."
"Okay," Bobby replied.
Cars pit under yellow.
"All right, go ahead and pull the packer out of the left front," Bobby said. "Let's take the track bar down three on the left. Remember, when we drop the jack, just sit there for a middle. They're going to move that track bar down."
"Okay."
Bobby said he'd remind Mikey again.
"All right, 4250, 4250," Ty said. "Ten away. Two in front of that 28."
Bobby guided the #55 the rest of the way into the box. "Just sit tight when he drops the jack over here. Just sit tight. Okay. You changed the way you were doing it there, Art. Just hang tight, just hang tight." Bobby told Art to pull packer in the right front."
"Just now entering 3, entering 3," Ty noted. "Middle of 3 and 4."
"Okay, go go go go go. Go go, go go."
"250."
Bobby asked how many more laps in the caution. He then wanted Mikey to return to pit road. "Chris, put a little tow in the right front. Chris, just put in a little tow."
"You told him to come right when he got to the access road, so he has to come back around. One to go when you get here. One to go."
"All right, let's just stay out then. Stay out."
"They're still on the track blowing. You sure it's going to be one to go?" Mikey asked.
"They gave the sign for one to go. You want to try it, Bobby?" Ty asked.
Bobby said they were ready.
Ty noted speedy-dry wasn't all in one lane and it would take a while to clean.
Mikey pit, and Bobby called for a jackstand. "An eighth of tow, Chris."
"They're going to make it," Ty said. "It looks like they're going to make it." He noted the truck in Turn 2, then said the restart wasn't there yet.
"We're all good, we're all good. Good job, Chris. 4250," Bobby praised. "Chris, how much tow? Okay, thanks." He noted bumpstop, tow, and wedge adjustments. "Let's see what this does for you, bud."
Edwards led the restart on lap 147. David was 9th, Marcos 42nd, and Mikey 43rd.
"All right, you'll be coming around to the green, coming around to the green. One behind you. Be ready. Rolling. Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Still outside. Still outside - the 8. Clear up there. Clear up by 2. Now one. Outside. 21's by himself."
Within two laps of the run, David was 10th.
"Clear inside, inside. Clear two bad. Inside. 84 still there, still there. Clear clear."
Kurt Busch began smoking and hit the wall on lap 152, drawing the third caution.
"33.70, 33.70," Bobby read off times.
"The 2's running up against the wall there, entering Turn 3. Up against the wall big time. Up against the wall. Clear all clear."
"Am I running last?" Mikey asked.
"Yes."
"Not anymore!"
Bobby laughed.
"Just extremely loose in. Just any time I try to run in, and tight off, but it seemed to be faster for some reason. But no balance."
Bobby said the left side track bar hadn't been moved. "So we're going to try it there."
"I'd move that down on the left and see what it does."
"We're out of adjustments on the left. We can get you one on the right."
"That might be good."
Bobby called for four tires, a bump stop pull, and track bar adjustment.
"Is it a quickie or not?" Mikey asked.
"They haven't said yet. Must not. Stay out," Ty said.
"I think that 84's wounded, so..."
"I hope so," Bobby said.
Mikey commented that the #2 didn't look bad. "He looks like he's fine."
"Next time by."
"I'd just as soon have four tires than anything. If you can do both, that would be cool."
"We're going to give you both here." Bobby told the crew they'd have to hustle.
Bobby and Ty led the #55 to the box.
"Don't take off when we drop here. Don't drop off," Bobby told his driver. "All ready, Art? All good!"
"4250. It will be one to go when you get here," Ty said.
"Come on back to me. We're going to top off."
"All right, don't slide them. 4250."
"All right, 5, 4, 3. Right here."
Busch's #2 sped on and off pit road, came onto pit road too early, and ran over the committment cone.
"All right, buddy, we're on one to go. Come around for the green."
Edwards led the restart on lap 158. David was 9th, Marcos 37th and two laps down, and Mikey 43rd and three laps down.
"Pace car's off. The 2 behind you, and that's it. Rolling. Green green green. All clear there, all clear. Still there. Still down there. Clear there, all clear."
One lap into the run, Jimmie Johnson passed David. The #44 was now 10th.
"Still clear three back. Still clear one back."
David passed Casey Mears on lap 163 for 9th, but Montoya was in hot pursuit. Two laps later, Montoya dropped him back to 10th.
"95," Bobby read off times for the #55.
"Maybe one more of those things out of the right front, maybe more wedge out, I'd be better," it sounded like Mikey said.
"10-4. 90, 90."
"Clear one back to the 2."
The fourth caution was on lap 168 when Marcos hit the wall. He had got up into Reed Sorenson first.
"Car slow up against the wall in 1 and 2. Clear there. One in the fence behind you. Caution's out, caution's out."
"All right, we're out of adjustments on that right front, but are you still loose in, bud?" Bobby asked.
"Nah, that's the best it's been. It's not loose in anymore. It's tight off. Maybe an air pressure adjustment or maybe a round out of the right front. I don't know," Mikey replied. "Possibly an air pressure adjustment or a round out of the right front."
"10-4, 10-4. Yeah, we can't take a round out of the right front. That would take the pre-load out of the bar." He said they could put some in the left then.
"Yeah, I don't care. Left front, right front, both fronts. As long as we accomplish what we're trying to accomplish."
Bobby called for one out on the right front and two out of the left rear.
The leaders pit, and David was the first off pit road.
"I know this is painful, but I wouldn't believe we'd get it to where we did now. We should have raced it how we unloaded it, because that was the best it was."
Bobby said it was probably a bad experience and it was a good test for next year.
"Yeah, I just need to stay close to that 22. I've got about fifteen positions I can give up to him. Just keep that in mind."
"We have eighteen spots we can give him, unless he's led a lap."
Bobby said he'd keep it in mind. The #55 pit.
"Okay, all good. 4250."
"What happened to the 47?" Mikey asked.
"I was trying to get to his frequency," Ty said. "He got shoved up into the fence off of 4." Ty said they were fixing the suspension behind the wall.
"Yeah, someone got into his right rear," Bobby added.
"How's the 22 doing today?"
"They're running from 25th to 35th. Running 30th right now, 30th," Bobby told his driver.
"That's some good news / bad news. You're not last no more, but the guy you pass is your teammate," Mikey commented.
"10-4."
Mikey was now 41st; Chad McCumbee was also behind him.
"All right, bud, that 22 is 30th right now. One lap down is 25th to 35th."
"Is something wrong with the 84?"
"He got hit on pit road, but they repaired it. He was running pretty good on that last run. Pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Backing up a little bit. Keep rolling. Outside, outside."
Jeff Gordon led the lap 174 restart. David was 2nd, Mikey 41st and three laps down, and Marcos in the garage and last.
"1's on the bottom, 83's outside. Outside, outside. Looking low, inside. Both sides. 84 on the bottom. Clear four back."
Two laps into the run, Kenseth passed David, who was now 3rd.
"33.40.
"30, 30. We are racing that 45 car. He's the only car on our lap," Bobby noted. "55."
The fifth caution was on lap 179; Jeff Burton had spun.
"Clear clear. Caution's out," Ty said.
"We'll stay out right here. Stay out," Bobby made the call.
"I'm pretty sure I can beat that 45," Mikey said.
"Yeah, 10-4. We can handle him."
"That 31, I don't know if he hit anything or not, but Joe Nemechek got some damage in that deal too. So we'll see what happens here."
"The 31 had some damage, but it didn't look major on TV," Bobby replied.
"All right, bud, one to go," Ty said.
"All right, clean your tires off good," adviced the crew chief.
"We have 85 laps to go."
Gordon led the restart on lap 183. David was 3rd, Mikey was 41st and three laps down, and Marcos was last and in the garage.
"I like my car a lot better when I set it up, even when it's wrong. So we'll get them in the last 85 laps. Green green green, everybody's rolling or not," Mikey said.
"Everybody's rolling. Clear," Ty said. "Still outside. Still outside. Still outside. Still outside."
Clint Bowyer passed on lap 185, moving David back to 4th.
"Still outside. The 10's coming. Coming outside, outside. Half back to the 5, up top. Outside. It's going to be three wide, outside."
David was 6th on lap 186. Hamlin and Edwards had passed. Kenseth was now in the lead.
"Still out there. 66. The 2."
"80.
"60."
Kyle Busch passed David on lap 188; the #44 was now 7th.
"58."
Tony Stewart got around the #44 one lap later. David was 8th. David Ragan passed him one lap later.
"70."
Because Jeff Burton was in the garage, Mikey picked up 40th on lap 190.
"85.
"80, 80."
"It's too too tight off, okay in now," Mikey said on lap 195.
Bobby acknowledged.
David was 10th on lap 196; Harvick had passed.
"12."
"41 a little bit lame on top," Ty warned. "Clear clear."
The sixth caution was on lap 199. Reed Sorenson had scuffed the wall, got a flat right rear tire, and hit the wall again.
"Caution's out, caution caution," Ty said.
"All right, I'll make the air pressure adjustment on you right here, and a little bit of a wedge out of it. Just a little bit," Bobby said.
"Okay," Mikey replied.
"Okay, lead lappers this time."
The leaders pit under yellow. David came off 10th, which is where he came in. Johnson was first back on track due to a two-tire stop.
"Okay, four tires, guys. Four tires. Art, one round there," Bobby instructed. "How's your windshield?"
"It's fine, thanks," Mikey replied.
"Okay."
"4250," Ty reminded the driver about pit road speed.
"Now Joe wrecked on the access road," Mikey observed.
The #55 pit with lap down cars.
"Okay. All the way, all the way," Bobby directed after the stop.
"One to go when you get around here."
"Can we make it if we pit?" Mikey asked.
"Negative, negative," Bobby replied. "Nine laps short now. Nine."
"All right. One to go. Go ahead and pull up."
Racing resumed with 64 laps to go. Johnson led, David was 10th, Mikey was 40th and three laps down, and Marcos was last and in the garage.
"Still outside. Clear behind the 88 if you need it. Outside. Three-wide, three-wide. Still outside. Clear now, clear clear."
Hamlin got into Edwards the first lap into the run.
"Back to the 01. Still clear all clear. One back. Yeah, he's right there in your mirror, half back. Inside, inside. Got one with him. Still there inside. Inside."
The seventh caution was with 61 laps to go. Kurt Busch hit the wall again. Kenseth had just taken the lead. David was 11th.
"Clear high, clear high. Got him inside. Caution's out, caution's out. 2 in the wall behind you."
"I think we ought to gas up and take a chance," Mikey suggested.
"We will top, bud. We will top," Bobby agreed.
"It's just, you know, it's weird," Mikey said. "I know it ain't horse power, but I get down in the corner with them, and I get on it with them, and they're beside me. I don't gain on anybody. I just don't understand where all my speed is. Because I was running good enough to run with them, but I couldn't."
"Okay."
"Is it a quickie?"
Ty said NASCAR hadn't called it as a quickie yellow.
"It don't matter. We need to wait til the end anyway."
"Yeah, 10-4, 10-4. Yeah, fuel only."
"I know it's bad, y'all, but I just want to say thank you. We took a chance. I would have regret it if we hadn't. I know I have to set up my car and work on my car. I outrun those boys at Atlanta and Charlotte," Mikey said. "It's not about who drives what. It's about getting your car right. And I'm just sorry. And that will help us learn."
"It's all good. We're all in this together."
"You're a good bunch of dudes. We'll be all right," Mikey continued. "If we just keep this 22 in sight, we'll end this night without any issues, and get regrouped and go get them. I'm on pit road. I'm about ten away. Five, four three. Right here. Don't slide your tires."
The #55 pit.
"And Ty, if it's not one to go, we'll do this all over again."
"10-4, we'll do this all over again. We'll do it when it is one to go, right?"
"Yeah, it looks like it ought to be here," Mikey said.
"One to go. Come on back," Bobby said. "All right, we're racing the 45 and the 2."
"Will that be enough to make it, or will that be four short there?"
"No, that puts us right on it, right on it. Puts you right on it." Bobby said his mileage went down, because he was running quicker the last run.
"I'm not going to run up in that mess here. I proved I can run up there decent. I'm just going to chill out," Mikey said.
Kenseth led the restart on lap 213. Mikey was 39th, three laps down. David was 9th, and Marcos was last and in the garage.
"12's got a run. Inside, inside," Ty warned. "Other one's inside. Clear down there. Four back to the 31."
David was 10th on lap 215.
"That 2 car just come off pit road. So we're not racing him anymore, just the 45."
Kurt Busch had another pit road penalty.
"He's got a run inside, the 31. Inside," Ty warned. "One more with him. 21's with him. Clear one back. Inside, all by himself."
Busch went to the garage just after that.
"95, 95," Bobby read off times.
David was reporting that his car was better after the sun went down. The car handled better in the centre. He was 11th on lap 219.
"I don't know if there's something wrong with this motor," Mikey said.
"10-4, 10-4. Copy that. 87," Bobby replied. "81, 81.
"74."
"Clear all clear."
"76, 76.
"90, 90."
"Still there, on your quarter. Still there, still there. Still there. Clear up, clear up."
"92, 92.
"34.20.
"09, 09.
"30, 30."
"40 to go, 40," Ty noted.
"05, 05.
"15, 15."
David was 12th on lap 231; Dale Earnhardt Jr had passed.
"38, 3-8."
"It's just plowing. It's just so bad now," Mikey said with 36 laps to go.
"10-4, 10-4," Bobby replied. "19.
"28, 28."
"Three back to the 12," Ty warned.
"25, 25.
"30, 30. Thirty laps to go, thirty to go.
"55. We've got a three second lead on that 45. That's the only one we're racing. Since you're really tight, you might be using more fuel, so if you can save it at all.
"45, 45."
"I need lap times while I'm trying to save gas," Mikey told his crew chief.
"40. I missed a lap. I had something going on up here," Bobby replied.
"Yeah, I have stuff going on up here too. I'm trying to save gas. I'm trying a new line. I don't need a rebuttal. I'm just trying to save gas."
"50."
"25 to go. Leader's off of 2," Ty observed.
"55.
"50."
On lap 246, Tony Stewart took the lead. Earnhardt Jr pit for a scheduled green flag stop, and David was up to 11th. Earnhardt Jr took on four fresh tires due to a suspected flat.
"40."
"All right, the leader's the 20. Two back, outside. Clear there."
David was on pit road with 20 laps to go for gas and tires. Mikey was now four laps down.
"Three back to the 17."
"65."
"Coming outside, outside."
Earnhardt Jr pit again. He spent a long period of time there.
"Is my pace good enough for y'all?" Mikey asked.
"51. Yeah, it should be fine. Yeah, we just need to save a lap or two there. You should be fine," Bobby replied.
"One back, two of them. Should be clear behind the 31."
"80, 80."
Other cars were going to pit road. David was 27th and lapped on lap 250 as stops continued to cycle.
"18 to go."
"25, 25.
"65, 65."
Mikey was 38th on lap 253 due to Earnhardt Jr's misfortunes.
"63, 63. 15 to go.
"56, 56.
"46, 46."
"Three back to the 11," Ty warned.
Stewart pit with 12 laps to go, giving Kenseth the lead.
"66, 66. 12 to go.
"62, 62.
"51, 51. Ten to go.
"60, 60."
"The 11 three back, closing fast, outside."
"80, 80.
"50, 50. Seven to go."
"Five back to the 48, all by himself. Coming outside, outside. Clear behind him. Six to go."
"90, 90."
"Two back to the 42, going to be looking to the high side. Clear behind him."
"Five to go, five to go. 70, 70."
On lap 265, Edwards jumped into the lead. Kenseth slowed and coasted around the track. Edwards was also dropping off the pace but had a fourteen second lead and was trying to conserve fuel.
"40, 40. Three to go."
"Got one out of fuel," Ty warned
"Two to go. 60. Two to go.
"White flag, white flag."
Carl Edwards won the race, and Jimmie Johnson won his third championship in a row.
"The 99 is the leader there, coming around to the checkered," Ty told his driver. "That's it. That's it."
"I didn't know the 99 was the leader there," Mikey said.
"Come on around and finish this lap. Come on around.
Mikey came home 38th. With his need to pit late while others ran on fuel strategy, David finished one lap down in 20th. Marcos was 42nd, 45 laps down.
"All right, bud. That's it," Ty told his driver.
"All right. We got that 22 car. We got the 22," Bobby said.
"Okay. Well, that was a rough day, but we didn't give up that deal. That was important," Mikey replied. "So that will give us some track time in Florida, which is good."
Bobby said they got it by a couple points. The #55 would make the Daytona Shootout in 2009, having edged out Dave Blaney's #22 team. He would join his driver, David Reutimann.