LifeLock.com 400 - 7/11/09
Michael Waltrip struggled early in the LifeLock.com 400, this evening's Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. His #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry rallied back to a 20th finish. His drivers Marcos Ambrose and David Reutimann finished 11th and 12th respectively.
Mikey started tonight's race from the 37th position. David and Marcos had qualified 9th and 10th respectively.
"Got you, Bootie Barker!" spotter Ty Norris was the first one on the #55 radio just before the race.
"Yeah, Ty, you hear me?" crew chief Bootie Barker asked.
"Channel 1 is going to be the ticket?"
Bootie told him yes.
"Matt was telling me there was a lot of feedback on this headset, but it's sounding good."
Bootie said the lightpoles were a problem. "I see the Napa shirts. I see eight away, I guess."
"All right, well that sounded like shit. We'll try when everyone gets hooked up, I guess."
"All right, 10-4."
"Now I know what Matt was talking about."
"I hear you guys both loud and clear down here," a crew member said.
"Hello, 1, 2. Testing. Hello?" Mikey came on the radio.
"I got you, Michael," Bootie replied.
"Roger."
"Michael, just the stuff we discussed, I'd say 17 to 18 seconds behind the leader. Then we need to do what we need to do."
"Roger that. It's important to be prepared."
"10-4. You see your speed right there. Are you comfortable with 4250, or do you want to go with 4200?"
Mikey said he'd go with 4250.
Bootie noted a bit of an opening on pit road. "Whenever we get them fired up, just turn your B-fans on."
Ty said Mikey sounded fine, but Bootie sounded like he was leaning up against a light pole.
"Okay, I didn't get any of that," Mikey said. "He sounded fine to me."
"Well good. So long as he sounds fine to you, that's all that matters."
Jimmy Fallon gave the call to start engines and fell to the ground at the end.
"How many green flag laps are you anticipating before we have to stop for fuel?" Ty asked.
Bootie told him Lap 51.
"Real quick, Bootie, you said 4200, right?"
"10-4. We're going to go with 4250 and second gear."
"What's he going to do in first?"
"Hold on. I'll have to look at my book right here."
"65," Mikey answered.
Bootie confirmed what Mikey said. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1," he indicated the #55 pit box to his driver a minute later.
Ty told Travis to go get another headset to Bootie. "Make sure he has a back-up headset in case that issue gets through to what Michael hears."
"All right, I'll wait for the frontstretch to talk to him," Bootie responded.
"You sounded perfect there. Maybe it's just an intermittant issue."
"All right, buddy, they're going to give you one to go this time. One to go. Make sure those belts are tight," Ty addressed the driver.
"Everything was normal after practice, Bootie? The car should be fine like that?" Mikey asked.
Bootie said it was.
"Okay."
Ty warned Mikey about the committment line on pit road being early, in case the team needed to make a green flag pit stop. "That yellow line is real early on pit road."
"Okay, thank you."
Brian Vickers led the field to the green flag at 8:17pm ET.
"All right, buddy. We'll be coming to the green this time. Coming to the green," said Ty. "Ready? Green. Keep rolling, keep rolling. You're going to have the 7 on the apron. Still got one outside. Clear, clear. Clear."
Vickers held onto the top sot and got out a bit ahead of the rest of the field. Mikey was 39th, David 7th, Marcos 12th.
"You've got one brushing the wall," Ty warned. "He's all good now. He's up against the fence. You're all good. The 1's going to peak on the bottom. He's inside. Back to clear. One back. Two back."
"32.35," Bootie read off the lap time.
"Still clear two back."
"Loose on throttle pretty bad. Turns good, loose on 2," Mikey said.
Bootie acknowledged. "32.65."
"One on the bottom. Clear one back," Ty noted.
"32.55."
"Half back to that 7. He's got a run. Okay, half back. Inside. All good, one back."
"32.62."
"Got one inside. Inside. To your door now, to your door. By himself. One looking on the bottom, inside."
Lap 10 saw Jimmie Johnson pass Vickers along the inside for the lead. Mikey was now 41st.
"Clear there one back."
"I'm extremely loose," Mikey reported.
"10-4. Michael, what we'll do is put some wedge back in that thing. That helped it yesterday," Bootie replied. "33 flat."
Mikey was 40th on lap 12. David was 10th, and Marcos was 15th.
"80."
"All right, leader at the line now. Do the best you can. 15 laps in," Ty said.
Bootie said something about his radio. "32.91."
"Really really loose on throttle. Really good in, good in the centre," Mikey reported.
Bootie acknowledged again. "33.15."
"Still there, still there."
"33.28."
By this time, David Gilliland and Dave Blaney had gone to the garage.
"Still there," Ty warned. "Still there, still there. Clear there, clear there. I know you're too loose to do anything, but the guys are making hay rim-riding."
Mikey gave a response that wasn't clear.
"Still there, still there."
Mikey was 39th on lap 22, having passed John Andretti. He got around Joe Nemechek the next time around the track. David was 13th, and Marcos was 16th.
"Nice job, Michael," Bootie praised. "33.31.
"32.93.
"You're definitely gaining on a lot of those guys. Good job! 32.99.
"33.18. Leader ran an 82, so you're okay, man. You're doing fine.
"33.40.
"33.12.
"33.37."
"Feel real loose, but now I feel that right front start to give up," Mikey said on lap 29.
"10-4," Bootie replied. "33.18."
"Still there. Still outside," Ty observed. "Clear now, all clear. Still clear. He's going to have a run. Half back. There you go."
"Hey, Michael, we'll add wedge, but we'll slip a little air out of the right rear as well," Bootie told his driver. He then gave the last lap time.
Mikey was 37th on lap 31. He had passed Casey Mears.
"38.
"33.31."
"Still outside on your corner. Going to be there off the corner," said Ty. "Clear now, clear two back. ... Back to the leader."
"33.36."
On lap 35, Mikey was 36th. He had passed Mike Bliss in the #09. David was 13th, and Marcos was 15th. Nemechek had gone to the garage.
"33.39.
"33.21.
"33.23."
"Three back to the 48. Caution's out for debris. Caution's out for debris."
The first caution was on lap 39 for debris in Turn 4. Casey Mears got the free pass.
"Great job, Michael. Way to hang in there, man."
"I'm sorry. We're just way too loose, and then the front tires give way up at the end of the run. I was pushing and loose, pushing really really bad on early exit. Early throttle all the way off."
Bootie said they'd drop the right front a half a pound, put in wedge. "Or, you may want to stay out and lead this lap, if you can."
"I don't mind. Might as well." Mikey requested a right front air adjustment.
Bootie agreed to it but wanted to alter the left front as well. Mikey agreed to it.
Ty said he'd let them know if it was one to go.
"We'll just run through the cycle if anyone else does it," Mikey said. "Elliott Sadler stayed out."
"We're on pit road," Ty informed the crew chief. "Elliott Sadler stayed out."
The #55 came onto pit road.
"I hope I wasn't speeding," it sounded like Mikey said.
"Yeah, I know," Ty said.
Bootie reviewed the air and wedge adjustments they'd made. "If it sucks, we'll put it back." He talked about what had helped at Michigan. "But that was loose as shit."
"That was different," Mikey said. He told Bootie they were loose in the front, and he didn't have that problem at Michigan.
"10-4."
Ty noted the #19 was peeling off. He asked the crew chief where they'd line up.
Bootie said they'd been 34th, but now they were 33rd. Bill Elliott had to go to the rear of the field for a tire leaving his box. Greg Biffle got a speeding penalty.
Mikey commented on how people couldn't figure out the double file restart. "Robby Gordon's lost or Ron is or something, but we'll see what happens."
"It's fairly amazing," Ty said. "You pick up three spots just by doubling up. Okay, pace car's off. Green green green green. Everybody's rolling. Still outside. Still outside. 12 trying to get outside, outside."
Mark Martin led the lap 44 restart. Mikey was 33rd, David 14th, and Marcos 15th.
"Still there on your corner. Still there, still there, still there. 16's trying to look under you. Still outside. Still there, man. Still there. 12's outside, outside. Still on your quarter. Still there."
One lap into the run, Mikey was 32nd. David was 10th, Marcos 16th.
"Outside... okay. Clear high. 16 got into his rear getting into the corner. Still inside. Another one down there. Inside. Still there, inside."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 48.
"Still there, still there. Still there on your bumper. Clear. Clear. Half back."
On lap 49, Mikey was 37th.
"32.35."
"Still there, still there."
Mikey was 36th on lap 50. David was 9th, and Marcos was 18th.
"Still there, inside on your corner. There you go. Clear one back."
"32.57.
"32.73."
"Still outside, man. Still there. Still there on your corner. Still going to be there. Clear three back. Still there."
"33.36."
"Still out there. He can't get off the corner, Bootie."
"10-4."
"I'm just loose, boys. Frickin' danger," it sounded like Mikey said.
"10-4. 33.25."
"It's worse than before. Definitely the same on the loose."
"10-4. 33.01." Bootie said they'd work on trackbar and air and would see how the car progresses on this run.
"I shouldn't say that. It's a little better."
"Okay. 33.03.
"32.99.
"33.18.
"33.41.
"32.95.
"32.91. Good job, man. That was definitely better, what line you've got.
"33.07."
"Still out there. Still there. Keep working it, brother."
"33.09."
"Clear, clear. Still clear. Still clear. There you go."
"Good job, man! 32.97."
Mikey was 35th on lap 69. He had passed David Stremme.
"33.05.
"33.22.
"33.27."
"The 5 car's the leader, and he's three cars behind you. Leader's at the line now," Ty warned. "Still down there. Still there. Clear, clear. One back."
"33 flat.
"32.98."
"Okay, two back to that 5 car. Looking low. Inside, inside. Clear there behind him. Five back."
Mikey lost the lead lap on lap 77. He was still 35th. David was 10th, and Marcos was 16th.
"33.31."
"All right, man. Just keep digging. They're talking about debris in Turn 4. He's not up to that 07 yet."
Mikey said something about the front that got cut off.
"33.05. 10-4," Bootie replied. "33.12.
"33.13.
"33.07.
"33.21.
"33.18."
"Uh..." Mikey said.
"He's going to be working the high side. Two back to the 48. Clear behind the 48. Clear three back to the 83."
"We're going to pit in ten laps, ten laps," Bootie said.
"One back to the 83. Outside, outside. Two back to the 9. He's been working the high side. Outside, by himself. Clear behind him."
"It's just terrible," Mikey reported.
"10-4. 10-4 on that," Bootie replied. "We'll get you tightened up."
On lap 89, Mikey was 36th. David was 12th, and Marcos was 15th.
"42.
"33.15.
"33.07."
Ty warned that cars were starting to pit.
"Pit this time, Michael. 4250," Bootie instructed his driver.
"Here comes the 19. Still clear about ten back."
Cars were on pit road on lap 95.
"4250, 4250."
"Yeah, I got you. The 16 three stalls behind you," Bootie warned. He counted Mikey in and out of the box.
"4250 to the yellow line, then we're going to roll. Okay, let's go," Ty said.
Cars continued to pit. Stewart led a lap after Martin made a stop. When Stewart's #14 made a stop, Martin was back in the lead.
"32.08."
After stops, on lap 96, Mikey was 36th and lapped, David was 12th, and Marcos was 22nd. Jeff Gordon needed a push to get off pit road.
"32.19.
"32.14."
Mikey was 35th on lap 98 and 33rd one lap later. David was 14th, and Marcos was 17th.
"32.42.
"32.51.
"32.64.
"32.58."
Mikey was 32nd on lap 103. David was 13th, and Marcos was 16th.
"32.63."
"Still one back to the 07. Got a run outside, outside. Got a run on the bottom, the 33. Two back to the 99. Inside. Inside. It will be clear behind him."
Casey Mears passed Mikey, moving the #55 to 33rd on lap 106.
"33.28.
"32.83.
"32.73.
"32.75."
"Y'all made it worse, I think. I'm just so loose," Mikey complained.
Bootie said they'd work on air on the next stop. "Your times are better now, but I know you're driving your ass off.
"32.81.
"32.78."
"Two back to the 14. Two back. Inside. It will be clear behind him."
Mikey said something that was in static. "We gotta do something. I'm just going to crash."
"Okay, Michael. I understand, man. We ain't expecting you to make miracles." Bootie told him they'd work on rubbers.
"We gotta do something. This is killing me."
"I understand, man. We will. Snowman.
"33.50.
"33.10."
"Got one coming pretty quick, pretty tight. Inside. He's just managing right now, Bootie." Ty then told Mikey he was clear two back to the #88 on the high side. "Coming outside, outside. The 88. Clear one back. The 2's going to have a big run on the topside. Outside. Clear up if you need it. He's going to get a run. The 11, the 11. Outside."
"33.45."
Ty said he knew they had a lot of work to do on the car, but there were a lot of guys on their lap.
"32.77."
Marcos had lost the lead lap on lap 119. He was 22nd. David was 13th, and Mikey was 33rd.
"32.89.
"32.88."
"Three back, three back to the 1. They're running the high side. He'll be working the high side. High side."
"33.27."
"They're talking about some debris here, so maybe we'll get a break. Keep rolling," Ty said.
"32.90.
"32.92.
"32.99. Caution."
"Frontstretch."
The second caution was on lap 132 for debris. Juan Pablo Montoya received the free pass.
"Loose, so loose, I can't even explain it. And the front end won't turn. It's just a joke, really. Worse driving car you can imagine. It's just ridiculous. So not even close."
"10-4. Okay. Way to hang in there, bro."
"I just can't believe it's so loose, so bad."
"Okay, it will be second time by. 4250."
"I'm just so loose, man, and I don't think y'all... I don't think I can explain it good enough, so do what you want."
Bootie said they'd put all the rubber in the left rear, and hopefully that would help him a lot.
The lead lap cars pit, and Martin was the first off pit road.
"4250 and second," Bootie reminded his driver.
"4250, 4250," Ty added. "There you go. See that 47. It will be five past him."
"Gotcha. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Shift into first when the right side drops. Okay, get the rubbers in," Bootie instructed the crew. "One lane one lane. All the way. 4250."
"Are we about halfway, Ty?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah, Michael. 10-4. Halfway," Bootie replied.
"We've got three cars. I know it's not really our deal tonight. We've got three cars that stayed out for a wave-around. We'll just make a mental note. Physical note."
Mikey said they'd use it for a note to see what they might do when they are running good.
Bootie said the cars getting waved around were two laps down. He also indicated they had thirty-five laps on their tires.
"Yeah, that's right. That's what we need to do. 10-4," Mikey said.
"All right, bud. We're on one to go, one to go. Just pull up behind that 07. I couldn't guess high or low yet." Ty laughed. "There are some confused dudes, man. It's unbelieveable. It's like a movie. It's unbelievable."
Martin led the restart on lap 137. Mikey was 34th and lapped. Marcos was 26th, and David was 14th.
"Pace car's off, be ready. Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Everybody's rolling. Still down there, still there. Got another one down there with him. Inside. Clear there. One back to the 82. Trying to look low. On your quarter. Inside. Got one with him. Still there inside, the 43. One more inside. Keep rolling, keep rolling. Inside, inside. 16 inside. 16's the last one. You're going to be clear there."
On lap 138, Mikey was 35th. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards had walked up the track but kept it off the wall.
"32.43."
Mikey was 37th on lap 139.
"Two in front of you checking up. Keep rolling, keep rolling. Clear in front of you."
"I'm going to spin out," Mikey said.
"10-4, 10-4, man." Bootie gave the lap time.
"Still there. Still there, outside. Still there. Clear for now. Coming back outside, back outside. Clear up. Clear clear clear. One back to the 19."
On lap 144, Mikey was 35th. He had passed Elliott Sadler and Robby Gordon.
"32.43.
"32.79."
"Still out there," Ty warned. "Still out there, still out there, still out there. 19's going to jump up there with him. 19's still on your quarter, still on your quarter. On the bottom, on the bottom. He's off the track. Clear up. He's got one waving or anything. You're all good."
Mikey was 36th on lap 150. Sadler had passed.
"32.96."
"On the bottom again. Cars are pitting now."
"32.75."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 152. David was 17th, and Marcos was 26th.
"32.63.
"32.72.
"32.88.
"32.84.
"32.90.
"32.88."
"You made it looser in. That's about the only thing you accomplished," Mikey complained.
"10-4," Bootie replied. "32.98.
"33 flat."
"Clear three back."
"33.30."
"16 coming. Clear two back. One back. Inside, inside. 16."
"32.98."
"Inside, 43. New tires. Fresh tires. Leader's half a straightaway back."
Mikey was 34th on lap 165. Greg Biffle's #16 had passed.
"33.05."
"Still down there. Still there. Clear clear. Still clear one back."
"32.95.
"32.75."
"Still one back. Looking low, inside, inside."
On lap 170, Mikey went a second lap down to leader Mark Martin. David was 17th, and Marcos was one lap down in 24th.
"Clear there, fifteen back."
"33.23.
"32.94."
"Still there, inside. Still there. Clear the 77. The 48's one back on the high side, one back. Outside. Still coming outside. Clear there, one back. Two back. The 77."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 174.
"32.99."
"Still out there. Still there."
"33.11.
"32.98."
"Still out there. Still all the way to your corner. Still there, still there. Still clear two back."
"33.11."
"Still there, still there." Ty said the #31 of Jeff Burton was next. "That 31's been working the bottom. To your quarter. To your quarter. Inside, inside. Clear high. Still there inside. Still out there. Still there. Still there, man. Still there, still there. Not giving you a break."
"33.17."
"Now it's pushing," Mikey reported.
"Okay, 10-4," Bootie replied. "We will pit in about five laps, guys. Five laps."
"Still there. Clear clear clear. Clear all clear. Inside inside. Inside, the 77. Clear there. Half back. Clear. A look inside again. Inside. Still there. Clear two back."
Green flag pit stops began on lap 187. Mikey was 31st.
"The 9 right in your mirror. On the top side, the 77. Clear two back. That 19 in front of you will be pitting this time. The 9 in your mirror. Inside. Outside, outside. Outside. Clear behind him.
When Martin pit, Kasey Kahne took the lead.
"9's pitting this time. He is the leader right now, so he's going to pit this time."
"Okay, Michael. This time. This time. 4250, 4250. Second gear," said Bootie.
Kahne made his stop.
"4250 when you get to that cone. 4250."
"Come on around here, bud."
Carl Edwards picked up the lead momentarily before it went back to Martin.
"I gotcha. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1," Bootie counted Mikey into his box. "All the way all the way. 4250."
"4250 to the cone," said Ty. "Come on, bud. Hustle on. Five back, coming outside. The 9 car and the green car. The 19. Coming outside."
Robby Gordon received a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road.
"32.13."
Mikey was 36th and two laps down after stops on lap 192. David was 18th, and Marcos was one lap down in 26th. All three gained a spot one lap later.
"32.25."
"Still out there on your corner. Clear there. That 14's in your mirror. 14. Outside. Clear behind him."
"32.17.
"32.55.
"32.69."
"One back to the 77. Inside inside."
"32.63."
"Two back to the 33, two back. 70 to go. Inside, inside. Clear behind him if you need it."
"33.04."
"Clear, clear. Back outside. Back outside. Clear four back. Clear two back. He's going to have a run on the bottom. Inside, inside. One back to the 2. Looking inside. Clear behind him."
"33.24.
"33.05."
"Still outside. Still there. Still up there. 99 one back, working the top side. You're clear there, clear. Still clear one back, still clear one back. The 99's going to have a run on the bottom."
On lap 205, Mikey moved up to 34th. He had passed Kyle Busch, who had dropped a cyllander.
"32.77."
Lap 207 saw David lose the lead lap. He was 16th. Mikey was 34th, and Marcos was 23rd. Both were two laps down.
"One back to that 98, lead lap car. Inside, inside. Clear behind him. Five back."
On lap 211, Mikey picked up 33rd. He had passed Jeff Burton.
"33 flat."
The third caution was on lap 212 for debris in Turn 3. David got the free pass.
"Okay, Michael, what we're going to do is, if all the leaders pit, we'll try to get this wave-around. And maybe cautions will breed cautions here."
"Okay. That's fine with me. Thank you," Mikey replied.
Ty said those who were waved around before lost their lap again but would have lost two laps otherwise. They were able to stay in front of the leader with fresher tires after their stops.
"Yeah, but they had to pit twice under green, I think. So that cost us an extra lap. That won't cost us this late in the going," Mikey pointed out.
"Anyway, talk to Bootie."
"No, that's all right. We're all on the same page." Bootie said hopefully everyone would pit. He said they could run 12-14 laps, then they'd have to pit. "That's to keep us from going an extra lap."
"While we have a moment, the East team won," Ty informed his driver.
"Awesome!" Mikey exclaimed. "That was in Connecticut, huh?"
"Yeah. They started 6th and came out first and won the race."
"That's awesome! That little dude wouldn't say shit if he had a mouthful. That's pretty cool. I'm proud of him. He's a good little dude. Man, Reuti just got a free pass."
Ty said they'd have three good things happening here, because they'd get back a lap. "Somebody will go two, three wide here.
"You know how misery loves company? The 00 has been sideways all night, and they've thrown the kitchen sink at it, and nothing has helped."
"Mine's been bouncy. Bouncy and loose. That's a bad combination," Mikey replied.
"All right, back of the pack is off of 2, off of 2," Ty said. He said people in the grandstands were trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "18's laying over, because not only did he hit the wall, but he's got some motor issues. All right. Pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green."
Martin led the lap 216 restart. Mikey was 27th and lapped, Marcos was 23rd and lapped, and David was 16th.
"Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling. You're clear clear. Still outside, still outside. Still there, still there. Clear there, clear one back. Inside inside inside. Inside. One more, one more. Right on your quarter, right on your quarter. Still down there, still there, still there. Spin right in front of you. Back it down, back it down. Stay up, stay up. There you go. Nice save over there, M-Dub."
The fourth caution was on lap 218. Sam Hornish Jr was spun out by Joey Logano, and he hit the inside wall hard. Martin Truex Jr received the free pass.
"Whoo!" Mikey exclaimed.
Ty said this night was working out for Mikey and was for the record books.
"Yeah, thank you. I was wanting to make sure I didn't crash. It's just so frustrating. We'll just have to figure this out, man. Put in your notes oil temperature gauge has been screwed all night."
"Well, we have a couple more shots. Talk about your..." Bootie faded out. He said they could drop front air pressure and drop the trackbar.
"Okay. Do whatever you want."
Bootie specified what they'd do. He said they'd stay out if everyone pits, but he didn't think that would happen. "Good job, Michael. You hung in there. We got an opportunity to do something with it."
"I don't know how many times I saved it, Ty. That boy saved it about ten more until he finally just."
"What, Elliott?"
"No, that 77."
"I saw that green nose. I didn't know if it was the 77 or the... They're jamming here. 4250."
The #55 pit behind the #31. "Shift when the right side drops, please," said Bootie. "All the way, all the way. 4250, Michael. Okay, Michael, we made an air pressure adjustment and five rounds of trackbar."
Ty said there were no wave-around cars, because the leader didn't pit. "It'll be one to go. Then I'll tell you if you're odd or even. I guess it doesn't matter, odd or even. Just line up behind that 19."
"Am I racing that 82 and that 19?" Mikey asked.
"Yes, the 82 is on your lap. Just give me a second, Michael. It's all jumbled up," Bootie said. "Okay, we got the 17, 82, 55, 47." He went through the lapped cars. "You are P23, 45 laps to go."
"Yeah, right now the lucky dog is that 44, three rows in front of you."
"I don't know where I'm supposed to go. I don't know if anybody does," Mikey said.
Bootie said behind the #17.
"The 17 is five cars ahead of me."
Marin led the restart with 44 laps to go. Jimmie Johnson immediately took the lead. Mikey was 23rd, Marcos 25th, and David 13th.
"Outside, 96. Still there outside, still there. Clear there back to the 43. 47's trying to get a run on the outside. Got one with him. Outside. Inside and out, inside and out. Both sides. Clear up. 43's still there. He's going to be the last one. Still down there. Still there inside. Clear low, clear low if you need it. Spin in front of you, spin in front of you. Back it down back it down. They're against the fence. Come up, come up. You see the 82, last car spinning. Okay, nice job."
The fifth caution was on lap 226. Dale Earnhardt Jr had gotten into Paul Menard, who then blew a tire. Menard spun and collected Jeff Burton, Scott Speed, Jamie McMurray, and AJ Allmendinger.
"Okay, Michael, any feedback on the car right now?"
"No. It seemed okay for a couple laps there," Mikey replied.
Bootie warned Mikey about a ton of debris at the start/finish line.
"43 inching beside you there."
"Smart passing in debris!" Mikey said.
Ty said the #43 wanted to "argue about a damn position."
"I can see him. I got to thinking about this at Daytona. They need to put lights on that back straightaway. I can't see shit back there. It's dark. But here, it's bright, and I can see the 98 run into something."
"Ty, as soon as it settles down, I'll let you know who we're racing."
Ty said it looked like the #44 would get the free pass. Then the #55 would be third in line, although he thought Marcos got a piece of the accident. He then listed who they were racing. "P21. We now go to position 25 for one lap down. Do you think we'll see those leaders pit again?"
"I would say not," Bootie replied. He said, if they did, people like David who pit now would take advantage and would stay out." He listed who was on their lap. "McMurray is on our lap, I think, but he has damage to the right front."
"It will be one to go when you get around here. One to go. All right, 37 to go, 37 to go. The 1 car is a lead lapper, so you should be."
"Behind the 47. The 19 is in the way."
That 19 doesn't show one lap down anymore."
"No, he's two laps down. Two."
"He's still stretching that spot, but okay. Cool," it sounded like Ty said. "I wish you didn't have to line up behind him. He's been a road block."
"I probably could go behind him, but I thought this one was shorter."
Ty said they cared about the lead lap cars but not where lapped cars lined up.
"The 29's smoking, for some reason," Mikey said.
Ty said something about fender damage before calling the restart.
Johnson led the restart with 35 laps to go. Mikey was 21st, Marcos 19th, and David 11th.
"Outside, outside. Clear there, clear. Clear all lanes, clear. Trying to get a run outside, trying to get a run outside. To your corner, outside. All the way to the bottom. Clear all clear all clear. Still clear all clear. Inside now, inside inside. 43. Going to look outside, outside. Clear high. Still there. Keep rolling. Inside. Clear one. Clear all clear. Nice job."
Mikey was 22nd on lap 235. David was 12th, and Marcos was 19th.
"Inside, 43. Clear two back."
"32.20."
"Inside, inside. Has a run. Clear half back. 44's looking low. He's one back, working the bottom. Keep rolling keep rolling keep rolling. They're good, half back. Inside, 44. Inside all the way at the bottom. Clear there, one back. Got one inside, inside inside. 44's still there on your quarter, still there. 29's coming to pit road. He's going to be slow on the bottom, slow on the bottom. Inside. Inside inside. Inside, the 87. Inside. 29 did not come to pit road. He's still on the bottom, backing up. Inside. Clear there, clear there."
"32.50."
"The 07's there. Trying to look inside again. Right there on your quarter, right there on your quarter. Still there, 25 to go, 25 to go. Clear low."
"32.73.
"32.70."
"Caution's out, caution's out, caution's out."
The sixth caution was on lap 246. Montoya had gotten into David, causing the #00 to get into the wall in Turn 1. Marcos got the free pass.
Bootie said they'd do the wave-around if people pit, but they'd get tires and fuel otherwise.
"It's just too tight now. It's manageable, but it's too tight."
Bootie said they'd leave the front air pressure, but he considered changing the trackbar.
Mikey told his crew chief wedge didn't seem to help.
"Okay, guys, if we stop, we'll go two up on the trackbar." Bootie said they'd stay out if certain cars pit.
"I can't hold them off. I'm terrible," Mikey said.
"I was just off the radio, talking to Shawn about the 00," Ty said. He asked Bootie to repeat what they were doing.
"We're coming, Ty. If all the leaders are coming, Ty, we'll stay, but some of them should come in."
"Yeah, they're staying out. You're coming, buddy."
"4200 and second."
"42 drove up under the 00. David saved it, but they didn't want to take any chances. So it's a quick caution," Ty reported.
Bootie told Ty, once cars came around, he'd give an update about what cars were on their lap.
"The 20's the first one a lap down, then us," said Ty.
"10-4."
"I don't know where that 44's going. I guess wherever the 88 goes. Am I dreaming? The 44 has to be a lead lap car."
"10-4."
"My bad. He's going up to that 17. I swear, he's doing whatever the hell... 17 to go when you get the green. 17. Be ready. It's going to be crazy. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Still outside, outside."
Johnson led the restart with 17 laps to go. Johnson got wiggled out, and Vickers took the lead. Mikey was 22nd, one lap down.
"Stay down, stay down. Everybody's rolling now, eerybody's rolling. Stay down, stay down. Keep rolling. Clear there, clear there, clear there."
Front runners were bouncing all off each other.
"Still outside, still there. Inside, inside. All the way. Looking low, outside. Keep coming. They're not wrecking yet. You've got one against the wall. All the way down, all the way down. No caution yet. You'll be clear there."
Mark Martin led lap 253. Mikey was 21st, David 14th, and Marcos 18th. Brad Keselowski was the driver who had hit the wall, and he went to pit road.
"Still clear, all clear. Whatever you need. 13 to go. Still there on the bottom. Still there, still there. Still there inside, all the way at the bottom. Still there. Clear low, clear low. Inside, all the way at the bottom. All clear, all clear. Inside, inside. Inside. All clear, all clear. Whatever you need on the bottom. Still out there. Still there. Clear now, clear. Still clear one back. Still working the top side. Still clear."
On lap 257, Mikey was 20th. He had passed Bobby Labonte. David was 12th, and Marcos was 15th.
"Clear two back."
"Good job, man. 9 to go. 32.91," Bootie praised.
"32.45."
"Inside, inside. Inside. Three back to the 96. He's for position. Caution caution caution. Got a lot of oil in 3. Back it down. It's going to take a while."
The seventh caution was with 7 laps to go. Kyle Busch lost his engine and hit the wall.
"Okay, Mike, you'll be the lucky dog," Bootie said.
"20's the free pass, then we'll be the first in line for the free pass." Ty said there was a lot of fluid, and he was surprised it wasn't red flagged." He suggested they talk about the last restart on This Week In NASCAR. "That double file restart, they got their money's worth."
"Yeah, I know. I thought they crashed twice, and then they didn't," Mikey replied.
"That 47 car is the fastest car on the racetrack right now," Ty commented. He said the #00 and #47 had fresher tires and should do well against guys who were all beat up from getting into each other.
"Cool. That 47 when we restarted, he looked like the fastest car. He must have passed ten of us in one turn."
Bootie told Paul to put the tires up 5 on one side and 3 on another.
"Are we coming?" Ty asked.
"No, sorry." He said they had it ready in case they came in.
Ty said, "The bad news is that the 96 did come."
"That is bad news. We should have come," Mikey replied.
Bootie told his driver they'd be okay. He said they'd have a bumper between them. He said it would probably be a green/white/checkered.
"I hope not. I hope we have a regular restart first," Mikey said.
"Welp, they're saying one to go, one to go," Ty told the driver. "M-Dub, you've got the 88 coming. Lead lap coming outside. The 1 will be coming. The 99. The 12 and the 2, coming to your outside here. Well, jump up behind that 2 when the 2 comes by. Two to go. This is not the green white checkered just yet. Two to go."
Martin led the restart with two laps to go. Mikey was 20th and lapped, David 11th, and Marcos 12th.
"Still inside, the 6 car. Still inside. Still inside, still inside. Still inside. Still there. Coming to the white, coming to the white. You're in real good shape with the 96. Still inside. Inside, inside. Come around. You're still in good shape against the guys you're racing. Still there inside, still there. There you go. You're going to be clear there, clear there. Come on up. Way to rally, way to rally."
"P20, man. Good job," Bootie praised. "Good job, crew. Way to hang in there all night. Guys, let's take Michael's helmet to the 88. Swap them."
"I don't know what we're going to do about the 5. We were going to swap too, but he's busy."
Bootie said something about how they could still go to the #5.
"The 88's cool. I'm going to take my helmet to the 88, and we'll swap them out." He said he was going to take his spare to the #5, but now he wouldn't. "I feel terrible about how I ran. Didn't mess anything up. Didn't make any mistakes. Thank you, all."
Mikey finished 20th, one lap down. Marcos was 11th, and David was 10th. Mark Martin won, which was why Mikey thought he was too busy to trade helmets.
The Sprint Cup series is off next weekend. The Nationwide series will be at Gateway. Coverage starts next Saturday at 9:00pm ET on ESPN2.
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© 2009 Kellyanne Lynch, in association with Cyber Speed Design. All rights reserved.
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