Crown Royal presents the Russ Friedman 400 - 5/2/09
Michael Waltrip in the #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry came back from one lap down to finish 26th in the Russ Friedman 400, this evening's Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. David Reutimann's #00 Aaron's Dream Machine came home one lap down in 28th while Marcos Ambrose's #47 Bush's Best Baked Beans / Kingsford / Clorox Toyota finished 11th.
Mikey started 30th tonight, with David 9th and Marcos 21st.
"Hello, 1, 2, 3. Do you hear me okay?" Mikey came on the radio at about 7:35pm ET.
Crew chief Bootie Barker responded. He told his driver he'd let him know when to put on his B-blowers and gear fans. "I'll let you use your judgement on your brake fans."
"Okay."
Bootie let Mikey know to go about 5050 RPM on pit road and that 5150 was the maximum.
"Got fat 5 right."
"Word up. Fat five."
Spotter Ty Norris was on the radio next, and Mikey let him know he could hear him.
"They said they're going to get this thing going in a minute." Ty said the track was still pretty wet by the yellow line.
"These gauges are pretty," Mikey commented.
"They should all be white, of course," Bootie replied. "If you see red, you're in trouble. If you see bright red, then you're in real trouble."
"I saw a lot of red last week."
"Hmmm."
"Maybe they were calibrated wrong last week. They look good this week."
"10-4."
Mikey started talking about Napa's Adaptive One brake pads - how one pad has stopping power and the other pad gets rid of noise and brake dust. "Is that amazing or what?"
"Yup, and that's what we're running tonight. We want to keep the brakes clean."
"That's hybrid technology. Hybrid is a combination of two things."
"And you're driving or pitching," Ty pointed out. "That makes you a hybrid."
"I don't think anybody hears us but us. I don't think that Trackpass ____." Mikey continued talking about how amazed he was by these brake pads.
Ty told Bootie to give reminders on pit road.
"You need to work on your radio."
"Yeah, I got you, Ty. 10-4 on that," Bootie replied.
"I was leaning on the fence. How's that?" Ty asked.
"Yeah, don't do that," Mikey told him.
Bootie said he could see one car past the Sunoco sign on pit road, so he and Ty agreed that Bootie would call Mikey in from the start of pit road.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1," Bootie counted.
"I see you."
"10-4. Like I said, a fat five is what we're going to go with. B blower on, B fan on."
"It's going to be a couple extra laps," Ty told his driver. He also said NASCAR wanted the cars single-file right now.
"How's it look to you, brother?"
"It looks like it's dry, except... the only thing I think that matters is in 4." Mikey said he didn't think it mattered where they were running up high on the track. "It feels like it's 90% there. Maybe off of 4 and a little off of 2 would be an issue."
Ty said he'd let them know. "Sounds the same as everyone else. You guys look like you're practicing for next week."
"They could just have us race if they wanted to," Mikey said after a long pause.
"They just gave you two to go, two to go. Then they're going to give you a green/yellow."
The green and yellow flags waved together at 7:54pm ET. Pole-sitter Brian Vickers followed the pace car as NASCAR began scoring laps.
"Think it will be ready in three?" Ty asked.
"Yeah, I think it's ready now," Mikey replied.
"All right, they're going to double up again when you get around here. Double up again when you get around here.
"Two to go, two to go when you get here.
"All right, bud. One to go when you get around here. One to go. All right, buddy. You're going to be coming to the green, coming to the green."
The green flag waved on lap 7.
"All right, bud, be ready. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling. Still inside now, still inside. Still there inside, still there."
Vickers narrowly held off Jeff Gordon to lead Lap 8.
"Still there inside to your corner. Clear there if you want it. Inside, inside. Half back up top. Inside, inside, inside. 98 inside to your corner. Still there, still there. In front of you, spin in front of you. Get down to the middle. Caution's out, caution's out."
The second caution was on lap 10 when Dave Blaney spun on his own in Turns 3 and 4. Mikey was 31st, David 9th, and Marcos 22nd.
"Okay, Michael, how did it feel there?"
"Um, it didn't feel really good. It didn't turn great. It's really loose up off, for some reason."
Bootie said they might come in for four tires.
"It's hitting the splitter a little bit, but I don't think that's why it's pushing. I just feel like it doesn't feel down in the road at all."
"Okay, guys, we're going to get four. It's going to be a fat five when the pits are open. Paul."
Bootie counted Mikey down, into his pit stall. "All the way, all the way, all the way. Fat five. All right, 5050 to the orange box."
"All right, one to go when you get around here. One to go," Ty noted. "All right, bud, be ready. Coming to the green. Passing to the right only. Pace car's off. Be ready. Everybody rolling, rolling. Green green green."
Vickers led the lap 14 restart. Mikey was 42nd, one of three drivers to have made stops.
"Inside, inside. Inside," Ty warned. "Clear, clear half back. 07. Inside inside inside. Clear behind him."
Mikey was 40th on lap 16. David was 8th, and Marcos was 22nd.
"Tight through the middle, loose off," Mikey reported.
"10-4," Bootie replied.
"Still there to your corner, still there. Still there barely. All clear, clear."
David was 7th and Marcos 21st on lap 19. Mikey continued in 40th.
"62," Bootie read off lap times.
"It's really loose."
"10-4."
David was 8th and Marcos 22nd on lap 21. Mikey was 40th.
"Still there on your corner. Still there, still there. Still down there. Still there. Clear, clear. Still outside. Still outside. Clear up, clear."
Mikey passed Scott Riggs on lap 24 and picked up 39th. David was 8th, and Marcos was 20th.
"It's shaking so bad, I can't see," Mikey complained.
Bootie told Mikey to put his fans on if he hadn't already.
Lap 26 saw Jeff Gordon take the lead. Mikey was up to 38th, David back to 9th, and Marcos 20th.
"Clear three back. No pressure. Still there, still there. Still there on your corner. Still there. Clear all clear. One back."
David was 10th on lap 27.
"Still outside. Still there, still there. Still on your quarter, still on your quarter, still on your quarter. Still looking. Clear now, clear."
Lap 32 saw Mikey move into 36th. David was 11th, Marcos 19th.
"Still outside, still outside. Still there, still there. Still on your corner. Still outside, still outside. Still outside on your quarter. Not going to give you any break here. Clear clear, clear."
Mikey was 35th on lap 33, having passed Jeremy Mayfield. David was 12th and Marcos was still 19th.
"43.53 was your last lap, 52 this lap," Bootie reported.
On lap 35, David was back to 13th.
"Still down there. Still there. Still there. Clear clear, half back. That 7's all the way down there again. That 7's there. Still there, still there. There you go, there you go. Clear half back."
Mikey was 34th on lap 39, having passed Robby Gordon. He picked up another spot to Paul Menard one lap later.
"Still on your quarter. Still there. Clear, half back."
"71."
"Leader now."
"Just skating the left front tire. It's not even in the game at all," Mikey said.
"10-4," Bootie replied.
"The 7 car's looking low. Watch your quarter, watch your quarter," Ty warned. "Clear six back."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 45. He lost a spot one lap later to Robby Gordon's #7.
"19's still there, still there. Clear clear clear."
"Last lap was a 52," Bootie said. "50."
On lap 48, Mikey was 32nd. He'd passed Elliott Sadler.
"54.
"75."
"Keep doing your thing, man. Still got a lot of them coming back to us."
"55."
"Still outside on your corner. Still there, still there. Still on your corner. Still there barely. Clear up, clear. Nice job."
"71."
Mikey was 31st on lap 53. David was 14th, Marcos 20th.
"Running the bottom this time, Bootie," Ty informed the crew chief.
"54.
"64."
On lap 57, Scott Riggs went to the garage.
"65.
"78."
"Feels like way too much air in the right front," Mikey reported.
"Copy. 10-4," Bootie replied. "75.
"88.
"84."
"Clear seven back. No pressure. Still out there. Still outside on your quarter. Still there still there still there still there. Clear now, clear up. Looking back outside. All clear, man. All clear. One back. All right, let's drive away from him. You've got six cars between you and the leader and a straightaway."
On lap 65, Mikey was 30th. David was 15th, and Marcos was 19th.
"73," Bootie continued with lap times. "73.
"71.
"89.
"86.
"77."
On lap 74, David Gilliland went to the garage. One lap before that, Denny Hamlin had taken the lead.
"81.
"80.
"80."
"Still outside. Still there. Clear up, clear. Nice quick work with him, brother. Let's do it to the 16 as well. Still outside on your corner. Still up there. Clear, clear."
"Nice job, Michael," Bootie praised. "95.
"87."
Mikey was 29th on lap 79. David was 16th, and Marcos was 18th.
"98."
"About ten car lengths back to the 11. He just went around the 16. You're doing good."
"81.
"92."
"Still there on your quarter. Still. Still there, still there. Clear clear, clear. All right, two back to the 11. Keep it rolling, brother. Just keep the same rhythm. Inside, inside. Still there on your corner. Still there. Clear there, clear. Clear half back. Back inside inside inside. The 11's there, and then it's two back to the 2 car. Still there. Watch that 71. He's been in the garage. He's got electrical problems."
Ty was talking about David Gilliland's #71.
"Still there, still there. 2's tight with him, 2's tight with him. Inside."
AJ Allmendinger and Reed Sorenson made pit stops.
"The 2's going to be down there with him. Inside. Still there inside, the 2. Still down there. Still there. You're still the lucky dog. Two guys coming off pit road now."
Mikey was 27th on lap 91 but was now lap.
"The next guys we're racing for the lucky dog are the 17 and the 1."
More cars were coming onto pit road. Mikey was 25th on lap 92 as cars continued to make stops.
"Still the dog, buddy. Still the dog," Ty encouraged his driver. "9 car's still there. Came off pit road. Car's still inside. Clear there."
Mikey was 24th on lap 93.
"The leader's coming, the leader's coming."
Hamlin pit on lap 97.
"All right, the 2 car's on pit road."
Vickers missed the entrance to pit road and had to cycle around.
"You've got fresh tires behind you. The 29 inside. Inside, he's all by himself."
"Okay, Michael, fat five. We're coming this time. 5050 to the orange box. I've got you, Michael. Shift when the right side drops. Here you go."
Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon both led under stops.
"All the way all the way all the way. 5050."
"5050 all the way to the orange box," Ty added. "You're at 24, so go ahead and roll, go ahead and roll. Clear right there, clear right there. Clear seven back, clear five back. Clear three back, two back."
Ryan Newman led lap 100 as stops cycled.
"Good job, bud. Clear four back."
"22.72," Bootie read off the lap time.
Stops had cycled by lap 105. Hamlin was in the lead. Mikey was 32nd and lapped, David 18th, and Marcos 12th.
"87."
"Outside, the 19. Still there. Clear, clear. Still on your quarter still on your quarter. No breaks. Still on your quarter. Clear clear. Still there. Still outside. Still there. Still there, still there. Clear now, clear."
On lap 108, Mikey was 31st. David was 16th, and Marcos was 12th.
"23.18.
"18.
"17."
Mikey was 30th on lap 112. David was 16th, and Marcos was 11th.
"27."
David was 15th on lap 114.
The third caution came on lap 115 when something broke in Mayfield's #41, and he spun.
"39."
"Spin off of 4, spin off of 4. No caution yet. Caution's out," Ty said.
"Just too much air in the front tires. I'm not sure which one of them. Feels like the left front doesn't help me at all," Mikey said.
"10-4," Bootie replied. "10-4 on that, 10-4 on that."
Ty told them pit road was open for the leaders, so they could come in next time.
"Okay, Michael. 5050, 5050."
"5050."
"Gotcha, Michael. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Put on the brake. Shift when the right side drops," Bootie directed the stop. "One lane one lane one lane one lane. All the way all the way. 5050."
After the stop and a pause, Bootie said, "You did good there, Michael. You gained a lot of speed. We're going to keep battling. You'll do all right."
"All right. We just started off way far off, but we're getting better."
"10-4, Michael. You know how place is. We'll get it back."
"All right, man, one to go," Ty said. "Pull up when you get around here. All right, coming around to the green. Not going, not going."
David's crew lost a tire during his stop, so he was sent to the tail end of the longest line for the restart.
"All right, bud. Pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Still outside."
Lap 122 saw the restart. Clint Bowyer led, Mikey was 31st and lapped, David was 22nd, and Marcos was 11th.
"Still there. Still out there. Still out there. 14. 31's still on your corner, on your corner, outside. Clear there, half back. Outside outside outside. Still outside on your corner, still there."
On lap 125, Hamlin took the lead.
"Slow one up top, all the way to the top. Keep rolling, you're good. Inside and out, inside and out. Both sides. Both sides. Clear up behind the 20. Clear high, clear high. Got the 96 inside. Clear there half back. They're two by two behind you. Inside, inside. Still down there, the 09. Inside."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 129. David was 21st, and Marcos was 12th.
"Still on your quarter. Still there. 77 now coming inside. Still on your corner. Still there."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 132.
"Clear there, half back. Back on your quarter, the 77. You're clear there, whatever you need. Clear there to the 77 up top. Looking low, inside. Whatever you need. All clear half back. 77's looking low. You'll be clear high behind the 96. 12, 12's going to be down there with the 77. Clear there two back. Running two by two. Still outside. Still outside to your quarter. Still there. Still there. Still there. Clear clear."
On lap 137, Mikey was 32nd.
"One back, all clear. Slow one up top, slow one up top. He's rolling now. He's rolling. You're clear one back. 20's still down there, still there."
David was up to 20th on lap 140. Mikey was 32nd, and Marcos was 13th.
"Still there on your door. Still clear two back behind you. Still at your quarter. You're clear now, clear. Back inside. All right, back to clear. Half back, half back. Still one back. Two by two behind you. Inside, the 48. To your quarter, to your quarter. Still there on your quarter. 20's trying to go with him. Clear there. Clear half back to the 20."
On lap 145, Kurt Busch passed Hamlin for the lead.
"67," Bootie read off lap times.
"You're clear, clear. Still outside on your quarter, still there. On your quarter. Still there. Clear clear. Clear on up."
Lap 151 saw the fourth caution. Kasey Kahne spun through the grass on his own. He'd been sideways for a while.
"Caution's out, caution's out, caution's out. Spin off 4," Ty said.
"Okay, Michael, yeah, those last few laps, you started cooking. What can we do for you?" Bootie asked.
"Okay, Michael, I'm listening. What do you got?" After a long pause, Bootie added.
"It's the same. It just chatters through the centre, a little free off."
"10-4."
"Okay, leaders this time. Come next time. Come next time."
"10-4. 5050. Let's be smooth, guys, five on, five off."
"Make sure to get a tear-off," Mikey requested.
"10-4."
The radio hung, and Bootie said "Michael" in the static. After the radio was fixed, Bootie said, "Your radio hung. There you go. 5050."
"5050 to the orange box," Ty added. "All right, one to go when you get around here. One to go."
Hamlin led the restart on lap 156. Mikey was 29th and lapped, David was 20th, and Marcos was 17th.
"All right, bud, be ready. Be ready to roll. Green green green. Still outside outside. Still outside outside. Clear there. Clear up. Clear half back to the 24. Outside, outside. He's on your quarter. Still outside, outside. Looking low, looking low. Clear low. You've got one outside. 24's still out there, still out there. 33's out there. Outside outside, outside. Still there, still there outside. Still on your quarter, still on your quarter. Still there, still there. Still on your quarter. Still there."
On lap 162, David drifted down and made contact with Juan Pablo Montoya. He was 22nd.
"One out there with him, out there with him. Still out there, still there. 19's car out there with him. Outside. Clear there, clear there. Low. Got one inside. Clear, half back to the 96, half back to the 96. Low. Inside. Half back, half back. Inside inside, inside. Right there on your quarter, man. Right there on the bottom."
The fifth caution was on lap 160 for a multi car wreck. David Stremme had spun out Carl Edwards, and Jamie McMurray got spun out into Edwards.
"Spin down the front stretch, spin down the frontstretch. Caution's out," Ty said.
"Okay, Michael, whatcha got there?" Bootie asked.
"Um, it's about the same. A little less chatter but still a little bit tight in the centre and then loose off."
"Okay." He told the crew to get ready and called for a half round of trackbar.
"Pit road was closed that time, so the leaders haven't had an opportunity yet."
"10-4." Bootie also added an air pressure adjustment to the agenda. He told Mikey there were five cars in front of them on their lap, and some would stay out, so they'd come in.
"I'm all for it, bro," Mikey replied.
"Okay." He lead his driver to the box. "5050 5050. Good job. All the way, all the way. 5050 5050."
"5050, 5050 to the orange..." Ty got cut off. "All right, one to go." He noted two cars that had to drop to the rear of the field for speeding. He said the #07, 98, and 09 had stayed out, but Mikey had been faster than them all night.
Racing resumed on lap 176 with Hamlin leading. Mikey was 29th, one lap down. David was 13th, and Marcos was 10th.
"Still there on the inside, still there. There inside, still there, still there. Three-wide right there, three-wide. Still there, still there. Two-wide. Just have the 96 down there. Clear half back. Inside, the 9. Inside, inside. Be clear there, clear one back to the 1. Inside, inside. Way inside, he's there. Clear one back, clear one back either side. Still clear clear. 24's got a run on the bottom, run on the bottom. Inside. Still there inside."
By lap 180, Mikey had fallen to 31st. David was 13th, and Marcos was 24th.
"29's still there. Inside, inside. 77, he's there."
Stremme got into Mattk Kenseth after getting pushed up by David Ragan.
"Another one inside, inside. All the way down there, inside. Clear clear. 77's inside. 77's still there on your quarter. Still there. Clear now, half back. Still one back. They're two by two. Got a run, got a run. 31's going to be on the bottom."
"Now it's too loose," Mikey complained on lap 186.
"10-4," Bootie replied.
"Okay, 77 inside, inside. He's going to be there with you. Inside. Still there, still there. Still there. Outside, outside outside. Clear up now, clear. There you go. Clear half back. Clear there. Clear two back, two by two behind you."
Mikey was 30th on lap 188. David was 14th, and Marcos was 17th.
"Clear three back."
Jimmie Johnson's #48 spun in Turn 2, bringing out the sixth caution on lap 191.
"Spin off two, spin off two. No caution yet. Caution's out, caution's out."
"That helped the front, hurt the back, whatever you did."
"Okay, guys, we're going to put that trackbar down, put that trackbar back to half. We'll leave the front and put the back back." Bootie said the guys in front of them would most likely get four tires.
Most of the lead lap cars made stops.
"All right, pit road's open for lead lappers," said Ty.
"All right, Michael, we're going to come. 5050, 5050," Bootie told his driver. "Come on, Michael. Nice and smooth. I've got you. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
The #55 was in its box.
"Go all the way. 5050, 5050."
"5050 to the orange box. 5050," Ty said. "All right, bud, one to go. Get ready to pull up."
Hamlin led the restart on lap 197 with Kurt Busch right behind him. Mikey was 28th, David 20th, and Marcos 15th. NASCAR black flagged Johnson for not lining up right for the restart. He was two laps down already.
"Pace car's off, be ready. Green green green. Still outside outside. Still outside, outside. Still outside. Got the 14 up there with the 29. Still out there. still there. 96 is trying to go with him. Outside. Clear there, half back. Low, inside inside. Clear high. You've got 'em inside. Clear one back."
Mike Bliss' #09 slowed significantly due to brake issues, and he went to pit road.
"Clear three back."
On lap 201, Mikey was 29th. Bobby Labonte's #96 had passed.
"Got a run there, half back. Got a run there on the bottom. Inside, to your door. Clear half back to the 83. Inside, inside."
"It's so loose," Mikey commented. "I'm really loose."
"10-4 on the loose," Bootie replied.
Mikey was 30th on lap 206. David was 21st, and David was 15th. Meanwhile, Bliss went to the garage.
"Half back to the 39. Looking low, inside. Clear there, five back. Clear four back."
David was 18th and Marcos 19th on lap 209. Mikey was 30th.
"Still there. Still there. Half back to the 33, half back. Inside. Spin behind you, spin behind you. Caution's out."
The seventh caution was on lap 213. Dale Earnhardt Jr had run up into Jeff Burton.
"I lost all my forward traction. I mean, I can run faster compared to earlier, I think, if I can just get tightened up. I can't get the back to stick with the front," Mikey said.
"10-4 on that." Bootie said they'd dropped the track bar after they'd put it up. "Did that do shit?"
"It didn't do anything."
"10-4."
"I would go back to where we were earlier. It's just terrible right now. You see the speeds."
"Oh, we'll work on you some. Half out, half out. All right, do half. Yup. We'll get you a towel. 5050."
"No tear-off necessary."
Bootie led Mikey into his box. "Last three stops have been nice, guys. Nice and smooth. Good job," he praised after the stop. "Michael, your temperatures still all right? Everything all right as far as your gauges?"
"Yeah, they've been in the white."
Ty said some of the cars on the outside took two tires, and the #19 was the only car on the bottom lane that took two.
Martin Truex Jr led the restart on lap 218. Mikey was 30th and lapped, David 8th, and Marcos 17th.
"Pace car's off. Ready? Rolling. Green green green. Still outside, outside. 24's still outside with him. Still outside. Still outside, the 14, sneaking up there with him. Spin in front of you. He's rolling. No caution yet. Keep rolling. You're clear there, clear. Clear one back to the 14. All clear, all clear."
Brian Vickers had locked his brakes.
"Got a run on the bottom. The 14's got a run with him. Still there inside, inside. Still down there. Inside, inside."
On lap 222, David was 9th, and Marcos was 17th. Mikey continued in 30th. Vickers continued to suffer brake issues, and Kyle Busch bumped him out of the way.
"Still there. Still there inside. That 83's a mess up there, for some reason. Keep coming, you're rolling, you're fine. Inside, inside. Three-wide, inside. Still three-wide, still three-wide. Two-wide. Still inside, inside. Still there inside, still there. Still there, still there. Clear there, half back."
Mikey was 31st on lap 228. David was 10th, and Marcos was 17th.
"Inside, inside. The 42. Inside. Clear there, whatever you need. 12 car's going to try to look low. Inside to your quarter. Clear there, half back. Inside, inside. 12 inside. You're clear low, clear low. Still out there on your corner, still out there. Still out there. Still there, still up top. Still there. Still there. Clear there, clear there. One back, two by two."
Mikey was 30th on lap 233, having passed Vickers' struggling #83. David was 11th, and Marcos was 17th. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman took the lead.
"18.
"32.
"33."
"Still there, still there. Clear one back, clear."
"38.
"45.
"53.
"40."
On lap 243, David was 10th, and Marcos was 16th. Mikey continued in 30th.
"50."
"Still clear one back. Clear. Still outside, still there. Still there on your corner. Clear there, clear clear. Clear two back."
"50.
"50.
"51."
Mikey was 29th on lap 247. He had passed AJ Allmendinger.
"58."
"Still outside. Still there, still there. Clear up."
"52."
Hamlin reclaimed the lead on lap 250.
"56.
"58.
"57."
"Still down there. Still there. Clear there, clear."
"Good job. The 19 is next. Good job. Lap times are real good," Bootie praised.
Mikey was 28th on lap 256, having passed Reed Sorenson. David was 10th, and Marcos was 17th.
"66.
"52.
"68."
"Still there, still there. Clear up. Clear one back."
"Good job, you're making great time. 72.
"68.
"67."
Mikey was 27th on lap 265. He'd passed Elliott Sadler.
"69.
"63.
"58.
"55. Great lap.
"60.
"53."
Debris drew the eighth caution on lap 274.
"Caution's out for debris, caution's out for debris."
Bootie commented that the #55 had looked loose.
"Yeah, but before, we got the back loose, and we helped the front. That time, the right front was gonna, was starting to be an issue. If I had just a little better right front..."
Bootie said Mikey had been fast, and he called for four tires. "That caught a lot of cars. That's a lot more positions to be had. Just keep doing what you're doing. You're doing good. 5500. Sorry. 5050. Sorry about that."
Stremme stopped on pit road and needed to have his car backed to his box.
Bootie told the crew to catch their rhythme, and he counted the #55 into the box. "Around the 99! Around the 99! 2, 1. Right here." After the stop, he said, "5050! 5050! Right side, right side."
"5050 to the orange box," Ty said.
"Okay, Ty, I think we're going to have the 6, the 26, the 99, then us, then the 88."
"If we can run at the start like we did at the end, we'd have something for them," said Ty.
"Great observation," Mikey replied. Then the radio hung.
"There you go," Bootie said. "You were holding your button. You may have been doing it on purpose."
"I'm not holding my button. It's just sticking."
"Okay, we're good.
Newman led the lap 280 restart. Mikey was 25th and lapped, David 9th, and Marcos 19th.
"Still out there, still outside. Still there, still there. Three wide there, three wide. Two. 2 car still there, 1 car coming outside. Outside. Got the 11 on your bumper. Both sides. Still both sides. Both sides both sides both sides. Both sides. Clear low behind the 00. 88's still out there, still outside. Still there, still there, still there. On your quarter, still there. Still there. Clear up clear up clear up. One back to the 88. 29 coming on the outside. Two back to the 29, single file."
Joey Logano spun out Greg Biffle and put the #16 into the wall, drawing the ninth caution on lap 286. Jamie McMurray got the free pass; he was 22nd.
"Spin behind you, spin behind you. Car in the wall behind you. Caution's out."
"Okay, we cannot make it on fuel. We're going to stay out for track position, okay, Michael?" Bootie asked.
"10-4," Mikey replied. "I'm trying as hard as I can on those restarts, but I'm free." He said then he could get going after ten laps.
Bootie said he could tell he was stepping out to the right. "That time, you actually did better, but then they crowd all around you. You're doing fine. Stay out, stay out. Okay, Ty, it will be the 6, the 99, and then us."
"Yes, sir.
"All right, one to go when you get here. One to go. Do you want to pull up?"
Newman led the restart on lap 291. Mikey was 25th and lapped, David 8th, and Marcos 14th.
"All right, bud, pace car's off. Be ready. Ready? Green green green. Still outside outside. Outside, outside. All the way to the top. Three-wide, two wide. Clear there if you want it. Spin behind you, spin behind you. Caution's out, caution's out. We're in front of the 43."
The tenth caution was on lap 292. Kevin Harvick lost a tire after a great deal of contact, starting with Sam Hornish Jr. Carl Edwards received the free pass.
"Okay, Michael, we're going to stay out again. We're going to stay out," Bootie said.
Ty let Mikey know the #99 was coming around for the free pass. "You'll be racing that 6, and it'll be one to go. There's still some debris out there. I don't know if we're going to go. I'll let you know."
Meanwhile, the #29 was on pit road receiving body work and barribond.
"Not going to go. Next time by, next time by," Ty noted. "All right, bud, be ready. Not going to go, not going to go. All right, one to go again. One to go. Not going to go. I guess fans are blowing stuff up on the track, for some reason. All right, coming to the green this time. Coming to the green. You'll probably be able to see the line better than me. 100 laps to go. Green green green. Clear one back, on the bototm."
Racing resumed on lap 300 with Newman leading. Mikey was 24th and lapped, David 8th, and Marcos 13th.
"Still outside outside outside. Still outside, the 5. Still there. Still outside, outside. The 1. Inside, outside. Both sides. Clear high. Inside, inside."
Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 301.
"Still there, still there, still there. Still there, still there. Clear the 43. Clear half back."
Newman reclaimed the lead one lap later.
"We've got plenty of time. We'll go get 'em, bud," Ty encouraged. "The next car on the lead lap is the 11. He's inside, by himself. Inside, inside. You're still clear two back behind him. Still gaining on that 6."
The eleventh caution was on lap 307 for Marcos, who hit the wall hard.
"Back it down. Car in the wall behind you. Caution's out, caution's out."
"We have about... shit! We'll have to see what the leaders do," Bootie said.
"Might ought to... I don't know. Might ought to go for the free pass."
"10-4. Don't have many laps on your tires. Let's do it. I'm with you. Stay out there."
"55 in front of the 43," Ty noted.
"I don't know what that dickhead was thinking," Mikey complained. "Why did he drive in front of me when he was never in front of me."
"He's from Dumb Witted, Georgia, or something."
"I hope he's just not smart enough to get Napa Adaptive One brake pads." Mikey listed features of the pads. "He doesn't even deserve to have them."
"Keep heat in your tires, Michael. I know you are, Michael. Keep them scrubbed in and clean. If your tires feel mooshy on you, shut off your B blowers."
"All right, bud, one to go when you get here. The 43, the 19, the 96, they all stayed out as well," Ty said.
Jeff Gordon did not pit and picked up the lead. He was the only lead lap driver not to make a stop.
Gordon led the restart with 89 laps to go.
"First six guys on the outside also stayed out, bud. Green green green. Clear one back on the bottom. Still outside, outside. Outside. Crash behind you, crash behind you. No caution yet. Caution's out."
The twelfth caution came just after the restart when Ryan Newman spun out Mark Martin. Mikey got the free pass.
"Yeah, baby, yeah!" Bootie cheered. "Nice job, Mike! When the time comes, we're going to pit and get four. It's a quickie, so we need to come."
"Come this time, right?"
"Come now. 5500. 5050. I don't know why I keep doing that. Come now."
The #55 made a stop. Bootie told the team not to rush. "All right, Ty, he's all yours."
Ty told Mikey to let some cars go. "Watch some of these guys weaving. Some of these guys are still braindead. Okay, they're two wide over here, getting into 1. All right, go on around. You'll be good." Ty pointed out there were "a couple lame ducks" in front of him - the #1 and the #47. "All right, tail end of the longest line. Right there, right there behind the 47."
Gordon led the restart with 83 laps to go. Mikey was 22nd, Marcos 21st, and David 12th.
"One back to the 7, full speed. Clear one back. Clear four back, no pressure. Still outside outside outside. Outside, that 82's slow in the middle, slow in the middle. Still outside, outside. 82. Still there. Still there outside outside. Still outside outside, the 82. 17's still there. Still there. Still there, outside."
Mikey was 21st on lap 320.
"Nothing yet. Keep rolling, keep rolling. Clear there, clear there. Clear one back. Still there on your corner, still there. Still there on your corner, inside."
Mikey was 19th on lap 321. David was 11th, and Marcos was 21st.
"You're clear one back. Right in front of you right in front of you. All the way up to the fence. Come around on the bottom. There you go."
The thirteenth caution came on lap 326. Bobby Labonte hit David Stremme, collecting Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson. Elliott Sadler got the free pass.
"Okay, we're going to stay out."
"Just loose again, but it will go away," Mikey said.
"10-4 on that. 10-4."
"One sitting on the track right in the middle of 4, Michael," Ty warned.
Bootie said something about the B-blowers.
"I just turned them on when they said go and left them. I don't know. I just made the sacrifice for the long haul."
"10-4, you're right."
"Come through here low. Checking up here, so watch him."
"I don't know how many good cars we have behind us, but we might put on four tires, you know, with a quarter pound out of the right rear or something. We ran five or six laps there. If we don't have any behind us, it might be worth trying."
Bootie adviced Mikey to stay out. He thought everyone would come after another caution in forty laps.
"What if nobody in front of me pits? I'm just asking. If you say stay out, stay out. If people pit behind me, it might help us."
"That's a great observation, and it's a lot to do with how you feel. I'm with you. Yes, Paul, what? One set? Yeah, steal one from the 47, 77, hell, the 99." Bootie said they'd just go for tires, no fuel.
Mikey asked Ty to tell him who pit in front of him.
"First five, six stayed out. Everybody stayed out. We're on pit road, we're on pit road. Be ready."
Bootie guided Mikey to the box.
"All right, here's the deal. You pitted me, and you picked us up two spots. Y'all did a good job," Mikey said.
Bootie asked if Paul was checking with the #47 and #77 teams for tires. "Bobby, Bobby Kennedy, if you hear me, see if we can borrow some tires down that way."
"The 12 just wadded it up," Ty offered. His radio hung.
Bootie told Mikey he was doing good. "Just keep racing smart."
"It will be one to go when you get around here. One to go. You saw that speedy dry. They did a pretty good job brushing it off, but you'll probably still see some if it here."
Gordon led the restart with 65 laps to go, and he spun his tires. He held onto his lead. Mikey was 16th, David 10th, and Marcos 19th.
"Inside, inside. Still clear there. Still there. Inside inside. Inside inside. You're three-wide. Real slow one on the bottom. 20's still inside, 20's still down there. Still there, still there. 20 car's still there, still there. Clear. Inside inside. 47."
Mikey was 17th one lap into the run.
"Just tire smoke. Everything is good. Keep going. Still there, inside. Still there. Inside inside. One more. One more."
Mikey was 18th on lap 340. David was 11th, and Marcos was 19th.
"Clear there, clear there. Inside inside. Another one looking inside. Still there inside. Clear clear. Back down there inside, the 9. There you go. Clear there half back."
Mikey was 21st on lap 342. David was 11th, and Marcos was 18th.
"Clear two back."
Lap 343 saw Mikey in 22nd. David was now 12th.
"Still there. Still there. Still down there."
The fourteenth caution was on lap 246. Bobby Labonte had spun out.
"Spin off of 4. Stay up stay up. No caution. Stay up."
"Man, on these low tires, we might ought to put some in the right sides. That hurt it."
Bootie said they didn't do anything and adviced Mikey to let his tires build up.
"I'm turning all my fans off. Just remind me to turn them back on in twenty laps."
Bootie said Mikey had had to fight his ass off. "Don't worry, it'll come around to you."
Mikey wanted to pit.
"No, man. Sorry." Bootie told Paul that, when they get their sticker tires, to put two pounds in the right sides and one in the lefts.
"Outside outside outside. Lucky dog."
The free pass car was Vickers' #83.
Bootie also called for wedge in the right rear later, if they were to pit again. "Take the fuel away. We're not doing fuel anymore."
"All right, buddy, you're coming to the green, coming to the green. Fifty to go."
Gordon led the restart with 50 laps to go. Mikey was 15th, David 18th, and Marcos 12th.
"Ready? Get rolling. Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Clear one back. Clear. Still clear. Outside outside. Outside outside. Both sides. Clear up. Inside inside. Inside inside. Two of them. inside. Three-wide. Inside. Two-wide. Still inside. Hang onto it the best you can, brother. Inside inside. Inside inside. Clear there. Clear there one back. Outside. He's looking up high. Clear high now. Inside inside. Inside inside. Just tire smoke. Everything's good."
Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 355. Mikey was 24th.
"Clear one back. Spin in front of you spin in front of you. Get down."
"I know you're going to kill me, man. I mean, you've got me out of whack. I mean, I either got a flat tire, and you leave me out here on it. I mean, I am so frickin' loose."
"10-4, Michael. No, we hadn't done anything to do." Bootie said they'd put a rubber in the left rear, go with the air pressures, and not adjust the wedge.
The fifteenth caution was on lap 358 when Vickers went up and spun out David.
The #55 team talked about the track loosening up. Mikey said something about not wanting the rubber.
"That was frickin' ridiculous," Mikey said.
"Yeah, I know. 10-4. Paul. Come see me, Paul."
"All right, one to go when you get around here. One to go."
"Work your tires in good, Michael. Work your tires in," Bootie adviced.
Kyle Busch led the restart with 39 laps to go. Mikey was 24th, David 25th, and Marcos 19th. Busch struggled on the restart.
"Ready? Green green green. Clear three back."
David lost a spot one lap into the run.
"Half back half back. Inside inside."
One lap later, and David lost another spot.
"Smoker. Everything's rolling, everything's rolling. Nothing's behind you."
On lap 365, Mikey was 25th. David was 27th, and Marcos was 18th.
"Still down there, still down there. Clear high. Still down there. Still there."
One lap later, Marcos had picked up another spot.
"Still down there. Still there. Still there inside, the 44."
Marcos was 18th again on lap 369.
"Still down there on your door. Still there. Still there inside."
On lap 371, Mikey picked up 24th. Marcos was up to 16th, and David was still 27th.
"Inside, inside. Still there the 44. Inside. Still there, still there. Clear low if you want it, clear low if you want it. Inside, inside. He's there on your door."
Mikey was 25th on lap 372. One lap later, Allmendinger passed and dropped him to 26th. Marcos was now 14th.
"Still clear, still clear. 25 to go now. Still clear all clear. Still clear, still clear. 2's got a run inside, inside. Still there, still there. Still there, still there. Clear clear. Still out there, still there. Clear up. Outside outside. Clear there half back."
On lap 381, Marcos picked up 13th.
"Still inside, inside. Inside. All clear there, one back, two back."
Marcos was 12th on lap 382.
"Inside, inside. Inside, on your corner. Inside, the 82. Inside. Still on the bottom. You're clear. 11 to go."
With 11 to go, leader Kyle Busch passed David and put the #00 one lap down.
"Clear low if you want it. Still clear, clear. There you go. Slowest one is that 99 on old tires. 9 to go. Outside outside outside. Clear up now, clear. Clear there. Clear half back. Inside again, inside. All clear, clear."
Mikey passed Carl Edwards on lap 394, picking up 25th.
"5 to go, 5 to go. Inside, inside."
With four laps to go, Marcos picked up 11th. David fell to 28th.
"3 to go, 3 to go. Still out there. Still there. Still there still there still there. Still there. All right man, one more, one more. Still there, still outside. Three-wide. Two-wide. 41's still there. Still outside. All clear all clear. Coming to the checkered. That's it."
"I just, I just went all to pieces. I mean, all to pieces. Sorry. Total total chaos."
"Well, you didn't have stickers. You did that on scuffs there, so that was all you."
"Well, it's a shame we couldn't find stickers at this place."
Bootie said they'd done well and that he was highly disappointed they couldn't find sticker tires. "Well, we could, but we couldn't. Goodyear was backing up all this shit."
"I was out here on my I don't know. I shouldn't worry about it."
"You earned it today, man." Bootie said it was as great a race as he's seen him run since Martinsville.
"Thank you, brother. I didn't want to make any mistakes. I just wanted to have a car at the beginning like I did at the end, but shit happens, you know."
Mikey finished 24th; he'd passed Sadler at the end. David was 28th and lapped, and Marcos was 11th.
Next Saturday night is the Sprint Cup's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Coverage starts May 9th at 7:00pm ET on FOX. The Nationwide Series' Diamond Hill Plywood 200 airs the day before at the same time on ESPN2.
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© 2009 Kellyanne Lynch, in association with Cyber Speed Design. All rights reserved.
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