Sharpie 500 - 8/22/09
After running in the top twenty throughout the night, Michael Waltrip fell prey to a tire rub within ten laps to the end of the race. His #55 Napa Auto Parts Camry went to the garage, finishing 31st. Marcos Ambrose was 3rd, and David Reutimann was 17th.
Mikey qualified 36th for tonight's race. David rolled off 18th and Marcos 25th.
"Check check on the mic here. Copy that? Is that going to be okay?" crew chief Bootie Barker was the first one on the #55 radio at 7:39pm ET.
No one responded for a few minutes, until a crew member asked, "Got a copy on me?"
"10-4. Everyone hear me all right?" Mikey asked.
"10-4, got you clear," Bootie replied.
"All right."
"Okay, Michael, let's go with 4200, 4200 and second gear."
"Okay, perfect."
"I will cover my mic with a rag and will give you lap times on the backstretch." Bootie also told Mikey to
"Okay, 10-4. As always, just remind me, if we're ready to have a green flag stop, just what we're doing."
"10-4 on that. Ty, do you have a copy on us?"
"Yes, sir," spotter Ty Norris responded. "I've been writing this stuff down."
"Ty, Al on the 47, they can't get in touch with him." Bootie asked Ty to go find him.
"I'm standing right next to him. He thinks he's on the Nationwide channel. Al says he's singing karaoke. Sorry."
Bootie asked if Ty had heard everything before about pit road speed.
"I did. I copied all that."
"All right, Ty, naturally, I'll let you do your work, you and Michael. I'll give lap times when you all get spread out. Good luck to you all."
"Thank you, brother." After a long pause on the radio, Ty asked, "Bud, did you get a chance to see your pit box?"
"Got it. Hi there," Mikey replied. "I got the 6... yeah, the 26 and the 6."
"All right, bud."
"How many in is that, Ty?"
"It's the first one in... when it goes from asphalt to concrete, you're the first one." Ty said cars would double up as normal, not the way they did last night along the backstretch.
"All right, brother, it's going to be one to go, one to go."
"10-4. Ready to go. Y'all have a good night on pit road, bro. See you in about 100 laps."
"10-4, man."
"I'm not sure, I thought a lot about the wave-around." Mikey said it would be hard with people on different schedules. "But we'll just see what happens."
"10-4," Bootie replied.
"All right, bud. Pace car's off. Green green green. Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling. Still inside. Still inside, still inside. Two right there on your corner. Still right there, still there. Still right there."
Mark Martin led the field to the green flag at 7:49pm. Greg Biffle took it right away.
"There you go, still there. Still there. Still there. That 66 is slow up the top side. Clear low, clear low. That 66 is in the wall on the top side. Still outside. It's going to pay off in a second. Still out there. Still out there, still there. Still out there. 34 is still trying to be on your corner. 66 is going to be there off of 3. 34. Two-wide, two-wide. Still on your corner, still there. Still barely on your corner. Still there. You've got the 11 up there with him. 44 is trying to be there also, outside. Clear up if you want it, clear up if you want it."
Mikey was 33rd on lap 5. Five laps later, he was 36th.
Joey Logano got in the wall, drawing the first caution on lap 11. He had a flat left front tire. Dave Blaney had pit two laps earlier in his #66 due to damage from contact with Logano's #20.
"Back it down back it down back it down. Watch him coming down. Okay, clear up behind him."
"I'm balanced okay. I'm just having some chattery issues, like chattering in both ends, especially when I try to pinch it down low."
"Okay, Michael, 10-4 on that."
Static followed as people talked over each other.
"I was talking. I don't know if I'm too high or too low."
"Bud, your turn," Ty said.
"10-4. I'm sorry, I got that." Bootie thought the best thing would be to stay out.
"Pit road's open. Do you want me to let you know if those guys come or now?"
"Yeah, that will be fine."
"I was talking about the six behind us. They're all coming. Three of them stayed out."
Bootie said he figured it was low air.
Ty warned Mikey that cars were getting pinched down on the track. He asked where the #55 would line up for the restart.
"I don't know yet, because they still have the 20 listed."
"Ty, it might just be the best job for you to count everything since you have the best view."
"Behind the 99," Bootie confirmed. "Even."
"Okay, buddy, coming to the green. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. You're clear, whatever you need. Still down there, still there. Still down there, still down there."
Biffle led the restart on lap 16. Mikey was 32nd.
"Clear the 77. 24 up top. Clear, clear."
On lap 19, Mikey was 30th, David 11th, and Marcos 22nd.
"Inside. Still down there."
Mikey was 30th on lap 20 and 29th three laps later. David was 9th, Marcos 23rd.
"Still down there. Still there. 12 cqar still there. Still down there. There you go. That was a ____ move. Nice job. One back. 24's on the bottom. Inside. Still right on your corner."
On lap 26, Mikey was 27th.
"That 11 is trying to take a look. Inside, inside, inside. The 11's there by himself if you need to move. Trying to look inside. You're clear. Still clear. Trying to look to the high side."
Lap 21 saw Mikey in 29th. David was 8th and Marcos was 23rd.
"Still outside. Still out there, still there, 4. Clear there if you want it, clear there if you want it. 77's on the bottom, inside. Clear. Still out there. Still on your corner, still there. Clear up in a second, clear up in a second. You're clear. ____ going backwards, out of the way. 87's right on your corner."
On lap 36, Mikey was up to 28th. David and Marcos remained 8th and 23rd.
"Still there, four back."
"91," Bootie read off the lap time.
Ty said Mikey was catching the pack in front of him. "Keep rolling, bud."
"82."
Mikey was 27th on lap 37 but lost a spot one lap later.
"76.
"77.
"84."
"We're clear ten back."
On lap 45, Mikey was 27th again. David was 7th, Marcos 24th.
"77's still down there. Clear there if you need it, one back. Back inside, back inside. Still all the way down there. Clear two back. Back on your corner, back on your corner. Keep working them, brother, you're faster than them. You caught up with everybody. Inside, the 77. There you go, brother. Keep rolling. Everybody's two by two. We'll get to that 9. Still down there, 9's still there. Keep working him, brother. You'll get him. Still there, still there. Clear by half, clear by half. Awesome job. He's now two back."
Mikey was 26th on lap 60, having passed Denny Hamlin. Hamlin's #11 then began slowing and smoking. The second caution was on lap 64, and Dave Blaney received the free pass.
"Caution's out, caution's out. The 11 cut a tire down."
Bootie asked Mikey what he needed.
"I don't need nothing," Mikey replied. "I don't know if we should get four or just stay out."
Bootie said they had to pit due to having 63 laps on the tires. He told Mikey to go around the 26, and the 6 would be in his stall.
"4200." Ty warned that pit road would be tight. "Checking up. Watch them checking up. 4200. All right, 4200. All right, bud, you're going to be fine." He warned Mikey about the #2 car. "5..."
"4, 3, 2, 1. Shift into first when the right side drops. First, first," Bootie directed. "4200 to the cone."
"4200," Ty reiterated.
"Nice stop, guys. Good job, Michael," Bootie said.
"I've got us behind the 6," Ty told his driver. "Be ready. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Outside, outside. Outside, still there. Still out there. Still outside on your corner. Still there."
Biffle led the lap 69 restart; Mark Martin had led under caution. Mikey was 26th, David 7th, Marcos 19th.
"99 still out there. Still there, still there. Still outside. Still there on your corner, still there. Still out there. He's got the 41 out there with him. 31 still out there, out there. 31 still there. Still out there. Still there. Clear behind the 31, if you want to get up there. Still there, 99 outside. Still there on your corner, still there. Still out there, still there."
Mikey was 28th by lap 78, when Martin reclaimed the lead.
"Still there. 99 still there. Clear up if you want it, quick clear up if you want it. Still clear clear, one back. 31's working the bottom on your corner. Still down there. There you go. Still there. Still there, still there. Clear. Hell yeah!"
On lap 84, Mikey was up to 27th after passing Carl Edwards. David was 8th and Marcos 15th. Clear whatever you need. You're good, your good. Inside, the 6 is inside. He's all the way inside again."
Mikey was 25th on lap 88. David was 7th and Marcos was 15th.
"The 6 is right on your corner. Still there on your door. 07's still there just barely. Clear two back."
On lap 93, Mikey was up to 24th. He had passed Casey Mears' #07.
"Still there, still there. Still there, still there. Clear the 9, one back. Still out there, still there."
Mikey was 23rd on lap 98.
"Still outside. Keep digging, come on. Outside, outside outside. He's up there with him. Still on your corner, still on your corner. Right on your quarter, still there. Keep rolling. You're clear, clear. There you go. Way to pressure, buddy."
Mikey was 22nd on lap 99, now ahead of Robby Gordon and Kasey Kahne.
"75," Bootie read off the lap time. "70.
"59.
"75."
"Half back, no pressure. Still down there, the 83. Still there. Clear, clear."
On lap 109, Mikey got around Brian Vickers' #83 for 21st. David was 9th, and Marcos was 13th.
"Clear five back. Still three back, no pressure. Still clear three back, no pressure. Still out there. Still there, still there, still there. Still there, still there. Still out there. Still clear two back. Okay, brother, still there, still there. Clear there, clear clear. All right, baby, way to work it. Just get back in that rhythm."
"97."
On lap 128, Mikey was 20th, having passed Jeff Gordon. David was 8th, and Marcos was 10th.
"95.
"91.
"86.
"88.
"87."
"Still there, still there. Just barely. You'll get him here. Clear clear. Leader's all the way back in 4."
"95."
"Slow one all the way on the bottom. He's off the track. They're talking about some rubber debris. Caution's out, caution's out."
The third caution was on lap 136 for debris from AJ Allendinger, who had slowed and gone to the pits. He had blown a tire, damaging the brake rotor. Mikey had been 18th. Elliott Sadler received the free pass back onto the lead lap..
"Okay, Michael, we're going to go around the 26." Bootie said the #6 would pit too. "Anything you need, Michael, with the car?"
"No, I'm happy with it."
"4200. Pit road is going to be a bitch with everyone on it. So it's going to be 4200 and second gear." Bootie guided Mikey to his box. "Watch the 82, three-wide. 42."
"42, 4200. Come on up. Come on up. There you go, nice job," Ty said.
Martin Truex Jr was penalised for speeding off of pit road. Stewart was also black flagged for speeding.
"Hey Ryan, Ryan. Come on over here and look at me," Bootie requested.
"All right, you're going to 15th, starting behind that 26 on the low side. Right now, they're going to show that 1 car. He's going to have to go to the back for speeding.
"All right, one to go, one to go," Ty added after a long pause. "All right, they're not going to go, they're not going to go. The 14 is going to be stopped over here by the start/finish line. NASCAR is giving him his lap back. All right, here we go. Coming back to the green."
Martin led the restart on lap 144. Mikey was 15th, David 6th, Marcos 8th.
"Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Still outside, still outside. 96 still outside. Still there, 96. Clear up if you want it, clear up right there if you want it. Clear up half back. Clear up one back." Ty said something about the #29. Still clear one back."
David was 4th by lap 148. Mikey was 16th, Marcos 9th.
"24 half back. To the bottom, inside. Still there half back. 29's to your door, inside. Still on your corner, inside. Run on the bottom."
On lap 154, Mikey was 17th. David and Marcos were 4th and 8th.
"Still right there. Got back to us. The tires are already wearing out."
"It's not as good on this set," Mikey commented.
"10-4," Bootie replied.
David dropped to 5th on lap 159; Kyle Busch had passed him.
"Half back to that 11, working the bottom. 11 working the bottom. 11's still down there. Going to be three wide here. Two wide. Spin in front of you. Keep digging, keep digging. No caution yet. Caution's out."
The fourth caution was on lap 165 for Bobby Labonte, who was spun out by Denny Hamlin.
"Hey guys, we're going to stay out, stay out," Bootie announced.
"The 11 just took him out, turned him around," Ty stated.
"Yeah, we've seen that movie before," Mikey replied.
Ty and Bootie discussed not pitting.
"You know, even I could figure that one out," Mikey said.
"Hey, we get top side if these guys pit."
"My car's gotten a little tighter on this set, FYI."
"Okay, 10-4 on that," Bootie replied. "We'll see how this run goes. Marcos said the same thing. The track's starting to tighten up. We'll give you air pressure on the next stop."
"The 11 is coming around the outside," Ty observed. "He causes the caution, and he gets the lucky dog. I don't understand that."
"NASCAR doesn't give the guy who causes the caution the lucky dog, so I don't know."
"The bad news is, everyone behind you pitted, except the 29 and the 11. The good news is, we're still plenty fast." Ty noted that it was one to go and said to line up behind the #26.
Martin led the lap 171 restart. Mikey was 14th, David 6th, and Marcos 8th.
"Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling, still inside. Still down there, still there. Clear there. One back. One back."
On lap 173, Mikey was 13th. David was 4th, and Marcos was 7th.
"Still down there, still there. Still down there, still there."
Mikey was 11th on lap 176.
"Still down there. Still there. 24 is down there. Clear there, one back."
Mikey was 12th on lap 181. Ryan Newman had passed. Marcos was up to 6th, David 4th.
"17's working the bottom, at your corner. These are some of the guys with tires. We'll hang in there, bud. Inside, inside."
Lap 184 saw Mikey in 13th. David was 5th, and Marcos was 6th.
"Still down there, the 1. Still there."
Mikey was 14th on lap 185.
"Four back, four back. Clear two back."
By lap 187, Marcos had passed David. Ty warned Mikey that someone was coming with tires.
"Still there, still there."
On lap 189, Mikey was 15th.
"Still there. Clear there."
"98," Bootie said. "Three back to the 31 and ten back to anyone else with tires. You're doing fine, man. 96.
"96.
"90."
Mikey was 16th on lap 195. David Ragan had passed.
"90.
"97.
"98.
"96.
"93.
"96.
"94.
"99."
"Still clear three back to that 77."
"96.
"17 flat.
"95.
"89."
By lap 205, David had dropped back to 10th. Marcos was 4th, and Mikey continued in 16th.
"95.
"88.
"99 is a lap down, Ty. 90."
"10-4. Four back to the 99, a lap down."
"95.
"98.
"93."
On lap 213, David fell back to 11th and Marcos moved into 3rd. Mikey was still 16th.
"98.
"91.
"99.
"90.
"99.
"87.
"93."
By lap 218, David had fallen back to 12th.
"96.
"17.03."
David was 13th on lap 222.
"01."
"Clear about twelve back to that 11. He's about the only car who's coming."
"04."
"Still two back."
"99."
"Working the bottom, the 11. Inside, inside. Still down there, still there. You're clear four back, clear four back to the 99. You drove away last time. Still out there. Still there, still there."
On lap 230, Mikey was 17th. Marcos was 3rd, and David was 13th.
"Still out there, still there. Clear, clear clear."
"96.
"99."
Mikey passed David Ragan on lap 232, regaining 16th.
"94.
"94.
"95."
"Still out there. Clear there. 19's still there still there still there. Clear up. Still one back to the 99. Clear one back." Ty warned Mikey that someone was "struggling mightily" on the top. "Two back. Keep it working, bud. Inside, 08. Real slow on the bottom. Clear the 16, three back."
"92.
"90.
"98."
Mikey was 15th on lap 246, having passed Greg Biffle's #16. David was 14th, Marcos 3rd.
"03.
"94.
"96."
"Still out there, still there. Clear up. Still got a half lap on the leader, man. Keep it rolling. Stay down stay down stay down. We'll need this caution if it comes out. No caution yet. Clear clear. Keep rolling. Keep rolling, three back, three back, three back."
John Andretti had hit the wall in his #34 after something broke in his car. The fifth caution was on lap 256.
"If you see debris, man, let us know. Keep rolling. Caution's out, caution's out. Hell yeah."
Bootie wanted to drop both tires two tenths of a pound. "Does that suit you?"
"Yeah."
Bootie reminded Mikey to go around the #26 and that the #6 would come around him. He guided his driver to the box. "One lane one lane one lane. Behind the 11, behind the 11. Good job."
"There you go. 4200," Ty added. "All right, you're going to be p15, lining up behind that 16 on the bottom. The 82 is going to be the lucky dog. He's going to be coming around here in a minute. I'll let you know when he's coming. I guess the 82 already got his lap, so we're all good. All right, when you come around here, it will be one to go."
Martin led the restart on lap 263. Marcos was 6th, Mikey 15th, and David 16th.
"Bud, be ready. Coming to the green. Pace car's coming off. Ready? Green green. Still outside, outside. Still outside, outside. 83's still there, outside. Still there, still there. Still on your quarter, still there. Still there barely, still there. Clear up clear up clear up."
Mikey was 16th on lap 265. David was 14th, Marcos 4th.
"Clear up, two by two. Still clear two back."
On lap 273, Jimmie Johnson took the lead.
"Still clear, two back."
One lap later, Martin got back around Johnson. He had given his teammate five points for leading one lap.
"One back. Still out there, still there. Still there. Clear up." Ty said something about Mikey needing to get back in his rhythm. "One back."
On lap 280, Mikey was 15th, having passed David. Marcos was 5th.
"75," Bootie read off the lap time.
"Four back."
"76.
"78."
David was 17th on lap 282.
"79."
"Still out there. Still out there. Still there. Clear there."
"99."
"Looking the low side, the 77."
On lap 287, Mikey was 14th. David was 18th, and Marcos was 6th. Jeff Gordon had dropped back with tire rub sustained due to contact with Hamlin.
"Two back. Good job. Clear by one. Good job, bud. Still two back. Still there, still there. Going to be clear half back, one back. All right, bro, just drive away. One back."
"90.
"88."
On lap 299, Mikey was 13th. He had passed Jamie McMurray. David was 20th, and Marcos was 6th.
"97.
"89.
"92.
"88.
"90.
"89.
"81.
"91.
"90.
"90.
"93.
"89.
"92.
"97.
"91.
"94.
"99.
"97."
"Still there. Clear up."
"96."
Johnson took the lead on lap 317 when Martin got stuck in lapped traffic.
"Still there, still there. Clear the 7, clear."
"95."
"Still out there on your corner. Still there. Clear up, clear up. Still out there. Still out there on your quarter. Still out there, still out there. Clear up, clear clear."
"95."
"One back, one back to the 88. Still out there, still there. Still there. Clear clear. Get away from him now. Three back to the 88. You've been outrunning him. Let's keep rolling."
"03.
"99."
"Still down there. Clear clear. 20 still there still there still outside. Clear there, clear clear. Keep coming keep coming. One back. Still there, still there. Still there, still there. Clear clear."
On lap 344, Mikey picked up 12th from Ryan Newman.
"He's still there, still there. Clear clear. These are for positions in front of you - 17 and 16."
"75.
"99.
"92."
"There you go. They know you're there," Ty encouraged. "Still there. You're there. Clear, clear. One back."
"98."
Mikey was 11th on lap 351, having passed Matt Kenseth. Marcos was 7th, and David was 22nd.
"02.
"94.
"92."
The sixth caution was for David Gilliland getting into the wall on lap 356. Brian Vickers received the free pass.
"Good job. Caution's out. Car in the wall over at the start/finish line. Come through on the bottom."
"Those adjustments were good. I'd like to say two-tenths out of them again, but y'all do whatever you think," Mikey said.
"All right, Michael, 10-4," Bootie replied. "4200 and second gear. Good job on passing the 26. You'll have a good shot into your stall. Hit your sign so you have a good egress."
"Okay, 4200. Nice and solid here, Michael. 4200 all the way around. All right, there he is, Bootie."
"Gotcha. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Nice and straight. Shift when the right side drops. There you go. Good job. One lane one lane one lane. All the way, 17. There you go."
"42, 42," Ty repeated.
"We did a tenth in each, Michael," Bootie told his driver.
"All right, you're going to be p12 on the outside. Line up on the outside," Ty stated. "The 16 passed two or three cars coming to his pitstall. I don't know if he doesn't know if you don't speed, you don't get caught. So nice stop, guys. One to go when you get around here. One to go."
Johnson, who had come off pit road first, led the lap 361 restart. Mikey was 12th, Marcos 7th, and David 21st.
"Pace car's off. Green green green. Everybody's rolling, still inside. Still inside. 33's still there, still there. 39's down there, inside."
On lap 362, Mikey was 11th.
"You've got another one looking low. Clear there. Down on the bottom, looking low, inside. Clear, clear. One back."
Lap 365 saw Mikey in 13th. Marcos was 8th, David 22nd.
"He's on your corner, he's on your corner. Still there, still there. Still there. He's still there, still there. Half back, clear. Back on your corner, inside. Still there, inside."
Mikey was 14th on lap 369.
"Still there, still there. Clear there, one back."
On lap 371, Mikey was 13th. Marcos was 7th, and David was 21st.
"Still clear half back. On your bumper, looking high. Clear clear clear. On your corner, inside, inside. He's there on your quarter inside. Still down there, still there. Your bumper. You're clear. Back to your door, to your door. Still all the way down there. Back to your quarter, he's there. Clear two back."
"86."
On lap 382, Mikey was 14th. Dale Earnhardt Jr had passed him. Marcos was 8th, and David was 21st.
"83.
"84.
"89.
"86.
"86.
"89.
"83.
"87.
"93."
On lap 392, David was up to 20th. Mikey and Marcos continued in 14th and 8th.
"81.
"88.
"87.
"90.
"85.
"90.
"98."
David was 19th on lap 397.
"Still out there. Still there still there still there. Clear now, clear."
"07.
"92.
"01.
"97."
David was 18th on lap 403.
"94."
"29's one back," Ty warned.
"05."
"Still one back. He's got a run on your corner, he's at your quarter. Still down there. Back to your quarter. Inside, inside. They're talking about some debris. No caution yet, just keep rolling. Clear up to the 19. He's two laps down. Working the bottom, looking on the bottom. Still there, inside. Keep digging, keep digging. They're talking about a little bit of rain coming in. Still clear one back. Still clear one back."
Kevin Harvick passed on lap 411, moving Mikey back to 15th. Marcos was 8th, and David was 18th.
"Still clear. Still out there. Clear clear."
The seventh caution was for rain on lap 418.
"Caution's out for rain. Caution's out."
"All right, Michael. Whatcha got? How's your car? Ty, we might stay out on this thing."
Mikey asked how many were on the lead lap.
Bootie said, if people pit, they'd stay out.
"Okay. Are you just guessing because it's sprinkling, or have you been studying it?"
Bootie said he'd been studying the radar, and he saw a blob coming.
"Yeah, if they stay out, we're going to come," Ty asked.
Bootie confirmed this.
"I think I need more air pressure for eighty laps. I'm not good enough at the start. Maybe a pound all around," Mikey suggested.
"10-4."
"Okay, pit road's open. I'll keep you informed. 48, 5, 18, 2... They're all coming."
"Stay," Bootie told his driver.
"We're good on fuel, right?"
"Yup. What we'll do Michael, of course, with the number of laps left to go, we'll bring you in, get you the work you need. If it keeps raining, we'll leave you out there."
"So, if they restart, you don't want to start there on old tires, right?" Ty asked.
"No. That's right."
Mikey was the only driver to stay on the race track.
"How far away is the blob?" Ty asked. He said it looked like it was coming.
Bootie said it depended if the wind blew the rain to the west.
"One thing to know here, Bootie, is that if it's one to go, it's real tight here getting through the field with tires. Just to let you know."
"10-4."
"The wind's picked up quite a bit, blowing right over it," Ty said.
Mikey said they should restart and pit later.
Bootie said they could go that way.
"Track's turned wet. It's turned colours."
"Yup, it's still raining, but we'll see what happens here."
"I mean, the track's too wet to go now."
"Brett said the track's fine. The rain's too heavy."
It was then looking like they'd go back to racing.
Bootie said they'd come in and get tires.
"I mean, there's no way to pit," Mikey said.
Ty agreed and said they'd have to go with what they have now.
Mikey led the restart on lap 432. Marcos was 8th, David 9th.
"Okay, buddy, restart's going to be on you. Green green green. Still there inside. Still down there. Still there. Three-wide, inside. Still there, inside. Still inside and out. Clear high. Clear to the middle. Both sides. Still there, both sides. Clear high."
By lap 436, Mikey was 11th. Marcos was 5th, David 8th.
"Still there, still there. Come on come on come on. They're checking up behind you. No caution. Now there is. They've wrecked. Caution's out."
The eighth caution was on lap 441 for a multi-car wreck. Sam Hornish Jr had spun out Casey Mears and collected Kurt Busch, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Clint Bowyer. Carl Edwards received the free pass.
"Good job. If pits are open, we'll get you four," Bootie said.
"I need a tear off." Mikey burped. "We did a great job. We did all we could do."
"We'll give you four tires and will let you have at it."
Ty pointed out that they'd have tires and the other guys wouldn't. All the drivers in the wreck were lead lap cars. He warned Mikey to be slow, because NASCAR would watch them pitting.
"They watch you ever time with a computer," Mikey said.
"10-4."
Ty and Bootie guided Mikey to his box. Meanwhile, Tony Stewart stalled on the track. "Just follow that 48 up there. I think he's going to be able to drive all the way up to the 83, if I'm not mistaken."
"I think the 83 just got a free dog," Mikey commented.
Bootie said the #99 got it, not the #83.
Ty said they'd line up even, behind the #83, if nobody else made a pit stop. "All right, one to go, one to go. Follow the 48 up through there... oh, there's the 83. Where's the 48 going? I don't know what he's doing. He's going to have to come back." Ty then wasn't sure where Mikey should line up.
"Where's the 48 going?" Mikey asked.
Ty said he didn't know. "He's not doing it right. Not going, not going, obviously."
"That just proves you don't have to be very smart to race one of these cars."
"I'm not sure what he thought he was doing. It was like he thought he was the lucky dog."
"The 77 is blowing water. I'm sure you see it."
"Yeah, that happens quite a lot. Really aggravating."
Ty noted that Kurt Busch pit several times and was trying to restart in front of Mikey.
"It's hard to pay attention to all that. I think you have to restart behind all the guys who pitted the first time, you know."
"All right, here we go."
Kyle Busch led the restart on lap 451. Mikey was 17th, Marcos 6th, David 8th.
"All right, bud, here we go. Pace car's off. Ready? Green green green. Come on down there. Clear to the middle, clear to the middle. Still inside, still inside. Inside. Still there, still there. Clear there, clear. Two back."
Mikey was 18th by lap 455.
"Clear one back. Clear there, clear there. One back. 77 is still blowing out that water. Still clear, half back. In front of you. Get down get down get down. No caution yet. Keep coming. Caution's out."
The ninth caution was on lap 459 for Hornish Jr.
"Just real tight," Mikey said.
"Okay, 10-4.
"It's like the air pressure was worse, real tight. Make an adjustment with the other air or something. I don't know. Y'all decide."
Bootie said he'd drop the left front air two-tenths of a pound and right front half a pound. He guided his driver to the box. "No fuel, boys. We're okay."
"I'm tight. I'd probably rather have the fuel," Mikey replied.
"Okay, one lane, one lane. 83 outside. 42. You've got him. You can do 4250 if you need to."
"We were right on the edge. He must have been over it. We'll just have to wait and see," Ty said. Then he said it didn't matter, because Mikey would get him. He told Mikey to follow the #43 and the #83. "Hold up, hold up. We're not going to double up until the start/finish line. All right. All right, here we go. Who is the last guy on the lead lap, Bootie?"
Bootie responded, but Ty said he wanted to know who in front of them was the last guy on the lead lap.
"Is the 07 on the lead lap?" Mikey asked.
"Yes. 07, 43, 83, us."
Ty told Mikey to swap spots with the #83 and line up behind him.
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Mikey said.
"I know. We're listed even is all I can tell you."
"First time, they thought they had it listed wrong. We're good," Ty said.
Kyle Busch led the lap 464 restart. Mikey was 18th, Marcos 3rd, and David 8th.
"Pace car's off. Be ready. Green green green. Still there inside. Stay in the middle, stay in the middle. You've got a slow one up high. Clear two back. Still down there, still there."
Juan Pablo Montoya pit with a cut tire.
"Still inside, the 2. The 2's inside."
On lap 468, Mikey was 17th.
"All the way to the bottom, still there. Still there, inside. Still there, still there."
Lap 470 saw Mikey back in 18th.
"Still there on your bumper. Still there, the 43. Clear, clear. Clear, clear."
On lap 472, Mikey had passed Reed Sorenson for 17th.
"All clear, one back. Checking up in front of you. Keep digging, keep digging. Clear low if you need it, clear low if you need it. All clear, all clear. On the bottom, inside inside. Another one's there, inside. Still there, still there. Keep digging keep digging keep... you've got slow one up top. Stay in the middle, stay in the middle. Smoke, left front fender. Clear low. Outside. Inside, inside. Inside, the 43. Clear high, keep coming. Caution's out. Caution's out, caution's out."
The tenth caution was on lap 481 when Martin Truex Jr blew a tire.
"I'm smoking from tire rub, Ty?"
"Left front, I believe."
Bootie said they'd pit and would clear the tires.
Ty said he thought it was from the left front.
"10-4."
"Shoot!"
"It's all right, man. Keep battling. Anything can happen in this deal."
Mikey told his team not to talk under caution so he could talk about his car. "The right front air pressure helped, but then it went away, so you probably need to go down on the air pressures again."
Bootie said the tire rub wasn't big. As he guided Mikey to the box, he said, "You're going to be fine, you're going to be fine."
Bootie told his driver they'd restart even, right behind the #43 of Reed Sorenson.
"David's not supposed to go anywhere yet," Mikey stated under caution.
"Ty, behind us, the 82, 33, 31, and 1," Bootie then listed the ones in front.
Bootie told Mikey to line up behind the #43.
"I've got something smoking somewhere. I don't know what it is, but it's smoking," Mikey reported.
"10-4. 14 to go, man. Go get 'em," Bootie said.
Ty called the restart on lap 486. Kyle Busch led, Mikey was 18th, David was 17th, and Marcos was 3rd.
"Still inside, inside," Ty warned. "Outside outside, both sides. Clear low. Clear low. Outside, outside. Outside, outside. Still there. Clear, half back. Outside. In the wall, guys. In the wall. Watch out. His tire cut down. Are you all right, man?"
"10-4. Are you all right, Michael?" Bootie asked.
"Yeah, it's just disappointing that we don't check out tires better than that. We don't not get tires when we have a chance to pit. That's just ridiculous."
Mikey had gotten into David first before he spun out with a flat tire. His car was wrecked on lap 493, and the red flag came out. Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr were also collected.
Kyle Busch went on to win. Mikey finished ten laps down in 31st. Marcos was 3rd, and David was 17th.
The Sprint Cup series is off next weekend. The Nationwide Series will be in Canada, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Coverage of the Napa Auto Parts 200 begins Sunday at 2:00pm ET on ESPN2.
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© 2009 Kellyanne Lynch, in association with Cyber Speed Design. All rights reserved.
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