NASCAR Racing:Talladega

Welcome race fans to my blog. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, AL. this weekend. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is also there this weekend. On Friday, there were two practice sessions for the Sprint Cup drivers. The Talladega race is an impound race. That means that there will be no practice after qualifying. But, instead, the cars will be impounded after qualifying and no work will be done on the cars. What they have is what they race with. But maybe they should look at this again. The trucks also qualified on Friday.

On Saturday, it is raining. So Coors Lite Pole qualifying was canceled. This means they will line up according to owner points, putting 48 Jimmy Johnson on the pole, as he is leading in the points. In my opinion, it might have been better to have had qualifying on Friday and skip Happy Hour on Saturday. But that’s just my opinion.

44 teams showed up to qualify at Talladega. But only 43 will be able to race. Seams rather silly to me, as this race track is 2.66 miles long and there is room for one more car filling the 22nd row. But I don’t make the rules. As it is, with qualifying rained out, those not locked into the top 35 in owner points get in on attempts made. Regan Smith in the 78 car is on a limited schedule and has not attempted all the races. That would put him out of this race. However, lucky for Regan, 37 Tony Raines decided to bow out of the race. Letting Regan get the final spot.

Talladega Superspeedway gives the fans a great race every time. The engines are restricted with a plate to give less horsepower and thus slow the cars down. As a result, all the cars drive at about the same speed, putting them into one big pack. To me, this is exciting. Watching them race three wide, twelve rows deep is exciting. The only problem is that when one driver makes a mistake, the whole field gets involved. As a result, there are some spectacular crashes here. I personally like the three wide racing, but don’t like to see the crashes. Many fans watch the race to see the crashes.

After Carl Edwards flew into the catch fence in the spring race, just before the Finish Line, they made the catch fence eight feet taller. So that debris wouldn’t get into the stands.

There is also a rule here and at Daytona, the other plate race, that you can’t drive below the double yellow line to make a pass. However, in my opinion, this rule needs to be tweaked. Last year Tony Stewart bumped Regan Smith below the line. Regan was supposed to give the spot back. But the Finish Line was right there. And if he had done so, he would have caused a big wreck. As it was, he didn’t win the race and was put back to the 18th position. In the Spring race this year, Dale Earnheardt, Jr. got a run on the bottom, and Brian Vickers dove down to block him, putting Jr. below the line. Jr. moved up to get back on the track and got into Brian, who got into the rest of the pack. At the end of the race, Brad Keselowski pushed Carl Edwards into the lead. When the Checkers were in sight, Brad let Carl go, to try to win the race. Carl blocked, Brad stood his ground, and Carl flew into the catch fence.

In my opinion, the double yellow line rule should not be in effect on the last lap. What a great ending it would be with the cars racing 4 or 5 wide going for the Checkers! Regan would have won his first race.  Brad could have gone below the line to avoid contact with Carl. And they could have raced to the line. Although, it seems to me that blocking is the problem, not the line. If Brian hadn’t blocked, Jr. wouldn’t have had to get back on the track. If Tony hadn’t blocked, Regan wouldn’t have been below the line and could have won. If Kyle Busch hadn’t blocked Tony, Kyle wouldn’t have crashed near the Finish line. It’s blocking that causes the crashes. In my opinion.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

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Race Review: Tums Fast Relief 500

Welcome race fans to the 32nd race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series season and the 6th race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The Tums Fast Relief 500, brought to you by Goodyear takes place at NASCAR’s shortest and oldest track, Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. At .526 miles long, this paper clip race track is one of the toughest in NASCAR.

This week Mother Nature came in and spoiled things. There was practice and qualifying on Friday, with Ryan Newman grabbing the pole with a speed of 96.795. And the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race here was finally run after hours of delay for drying the track. Happy Hour was canceled, so NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers had no practice. A competition caution will take place on lap 50. In the lineup is 37 Travis Kvapil, 09 Sterling Marlin, 36 Michael McDowell and 64 Derrike Cope. Only one team had to go home, that being 73 Josh Wise. (You know how I feel about not filling the 22nd row and sending only one car home.) 11 Denny Hamlin, home town favorite, is the in-race reporter. The fans all have a Green Flag to wave for the start of the race.

So, here we go! 39 Newman leads from the pole. 11 Hamlin gets stuck on the outside with many cars passing him by. The first caution comes out on lap 7 for 47 Marcos Ambrose, 17 Matt Kenseth, 7 Robby Gordon and 64 Cope. All cars get going and stay on the lead lap. 17 got into 47, trying to make a hole and gets loose and can’t turn. 55 Michael Waltrip gets into 7 and 64 is left with nowhere to go. 17 pits for adjustments.

39 chooses the inside for the restart. 1 Martin Truex, Jr. and 24 Jeff Gordon battle for second. 1 moves 24 up the track, but 24 takes the spot. 07 Casey Mears and 20 Joey Logano race side by side for position. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. moves 07 out of the way. 96 Bobby Labonte and 14 Tony Stewart battle, with 96 getting by. They battle some more and 14 gets by. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya gets by 96. 48 Jimmy Johnson goes low around 20 to get the spot. 88 also goes low around 20. 88 and 29 Kevin Harvick race side by side. 24 goes under 39 to take the lead. 11 goes under 43 Reed Sorenson to take the position. 1 gets by 39 for second.

5 Mark Martin drives around 39 on the top of the track to take third from 39. 00 David Reutimann gets by 39. 48 goes low to get by 39. 42 and 33 Clint Bowyer get by 20 who is driving on the top of the track. 48 drives past 5 for third. The second caution comes out for 55 with a flat tire, spinning. This caution on lap 43 will be the competition caution and those pitting may refuel. Pit speed is 30 mph. 24 takes two tires to lead off pit road. 88 and 11 get together in the pits and both have some damage. 34 John Andretti and 71 David Gilliland lead while pitting is going on. Both then pit. 29 and 33 get together. 99 Carl Edwards gets into 14 at the restart. 42 gets by 00. 48 catches leader 24. 24 and 48 battle for the lead and 48 takes the lead. 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. and 17 race side by side. 39 gets by 24.

42 gets by 1 for fifth. 24 and 5 battle, with 5 getting by. Looks like two tires for 24 was not a good idea. 42 gets into 24 to get by. 11 drives under 1 to get by. 11 drives under 24 to take fifth. 1 and 24 battle for sixth, with 1 getting by. The third caution comes out during the commercial on lap 88. 88 has a flat tire and gets into the wall. 48 gets out of the pits first and chooses the inside. 9 Kasey Kahne is too fast exiting the pits and must come back in.

39 and 5 battle. 24 and 42 battle. Both battles are side by side for a long time. They end up 39, 5, 24 and 42. 42 slides in front of 33. 42 bumps 24 and moves him up the track to get by for fourth. 14 gets by 00. 11 gets by 00. 07 and 00 battle side by side. 09 is pitting with a flat tire. 1 has a vibration, maybe a loose wheel, and pits.

The fourth caution comes out on lap 136. The right front tire of 88 blows and he gets into the wall in front of 48. There is no free pass, as 88 was the caution. The leaders all pit, with 48 coming back out with the lead. 7 breaks a gear and heads for the garage.

48 chooses the inside for the restart. 42 is all over 48, battling for the lead. 42 takes the lead. 18 Kyle Busch started 41st and is driving aggressively to move up. 24 bumps 39 to get by. The fifth caution is for debris on lap 157. The top eleven stay out. 11 leads the rest down pit road. 16 Greg Biffle is the Lucky Dog and gets his lap back, making it thirty-one cars on the lead lap. 42 chooses the inside. 24 and 48 battle for second, with 48 keeping the spot. 14, on top, battles 31 Jeff Burton. 2 Kurt Busch and brother 18 battle for twelfth, with 18 getting by. 11 and 00 battle side by side, with 11 getting by. 18, on the outside battles 00 and gets by.

The sixth caution comes out for 12 David Stremme and team mate 77. 77 and 12 get together, 1 bumps 77 and 77 and 12 spin together. 31 Burton stays out to lead. The leaders who stayed out last caution, now pit. 1 Martin Truex, Jr. is the Lucky Dog and gets back on the lead lap. 11 takes the lead. 18 and 29 get by 31.

The seventh caution comes out on lap 195 for spinning 77. 31 and 2 pit. 11 chooses the inside for the restart. 18 and 11 battle at the restart. 18 takes the lead. 48 and 99 are side by side, with 48 getting by. 11 and 18 battle for the lead and 11 takes the lead. 39 and 83 Brian Vickers race side by side with 83 up on the outside.

The eighth caution comes out when 9 gets into the wall, with a blown left rear tire. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. gets the free pass and is now one lap down. 88 and 9 got together. 11 chooses the outside this time. 07 and 2 and 6 David Ragan and 00 race side by side. They end up 00, 07, 2, 6. 5 and 18 battle for fifth with 5 getting by, with fresher tires. 24 gets by 26. 31 gets by 99 on the top with his fresher tires.

The ninth caution comes out when 44 A. J. Allmendinger gets into the wall and faces in the wrong direction. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is again the Lucky Dog and back on the lead lap. 20 dove below 44 and bumped him into the wall. 48 comes out of the pits first after jamming the brakes so as not to be caught speeding. 16 Biffle stays out to lead. He chooses the inside. 48 takes the lead. 5 and 16 battle for second, with 5 getting by. 11, 42, 39, and 29 get by 16. 42 gets by 11 on the outside. 99 tries to make it three wide between 16 and 2, but backs off. 16 is falling back with old tires.

The tenth caution comes out when 9 spins 34 and 09 comes to a stop without hitting 34. There is no free pass, as 9 caused the caution. 48 chooses the inside. 42 gets by 5. 42 and 48 battle for the lead, but 42 can’t get by. 39 and 18 battle for sixth, with 18 getting by. 24 gets by 39 for seventh.

The eleventh caution comes out during the commercial. The sway bar of 9 is rubbing the tire and causes a flat tire, putting 9 into the wall. 14, 00, 19 Elliott Sadler, 17 and 34 stay out. 12 spins 1, but he gets going again. 00 takes the lead. 48 gets by 14 for second. 5 and 19 battle for seventh, with 5 getting by. 11 and 14 battle for third and 11 finally gets by. 48 catches leader 00. They battle for the lead and 48 takes the lead. 42 drives by 29 for fourth. 11 gets by 00 for second. 00 and 42 battle for third, with 42 taking the spot. 5 gets by 00 for fourth. 2 and 9 get by 16.

11 catches leader 48. 88 has another flat tire, but he makes it to the pits and there is no caution. 11 and 48 battle for the lead, with 11 taking the lead. 18 and 24 battle for ninth, with 24 getting by. 07 and 00 battle side by side. 20 is all over 31. 9 gets by 26 on the outside. 11 gets stuck in traffic, with 98 Paul Menard, 88 and 19 trying to stay on the lead lap. 99 bumps 18 to get by. 18 bumps 99 to get by. 99 moves 18 up the track to get by. 07 and 14 get by 18. 11 laps 18. 83 is pitting, starting Green Flag Pitting with 75 laps to go. 33 is too fast exiting. 48 and 24 have long stops. 11 retains the lead.

The twelfth caution comes out during the commercial. 19 gets into 34 and 34 spins with 56 laps to go. 11 chooses the inside. 24 gets loose and 83 gets by. 14 taps 20 to get by. 24 gets back by 83. 14 and 99 battle, with 14 getting by. 48 bumps leader 11. 6 and 00 battle. 14 gets by team mate 39 for seventh. 24 and 42 battle for third, with 24 getting by. 99 and 18 battle for eleventh. 18 finally gets by. 26 gets by 99.

The thirteenth caution comes out for debris from 44 with sixteen laps to go. 11, 48, 24, 42, 39 stay out. 14 is out of the pits first. 11 chooses the inside. 24 and 48 battle for second, but 48 keeps the spot. 42 and 24 battle for third, with 42 taking the spot. 5 gets into 07 and sends him high on the track. 18 and 39 battle for fifth. 29 and 5 battle.

The fourteenth caution comes out with six to go. 82 Scott Speed gets hard into the wall with too much speed into the corner. Perhaps he had no brakes. 07 and 2 are pitting. There will be a Green, White, Checker finish. 34 crashes into the inside wall on the last lap at the Start/Finish line. He stays where he is and they all race for the finish.

And 11 Denny Hamlin, the hometown favorite, wins the Tums Fast Relief 500. Someone, after all, can beat Jimmy Johnson. Second isn’t too bad for 48. He retains the lead with 5 118 points behind. Denny moves up two spots into ninth. 42 gains a spot, while 2 looses a spot. 39 gains a position, while 16 looses one. 9 falls back two spots.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

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Race Track Review: Martinsville

Hello, race fans. This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup series is in Martinsville, Va. at the Martinsville Speedway. This is the shortest track of the season, at only .526 miles. It is also the only track that was there in the beginning of NASCAR. I found an article from Scene Daily that I thought I’d share with you. Enjoy!

MARTINSVILLE, VA. – H. Clay Earles, the founder of Martinsville Speedway, used to bristle when he heard the word “superspeedway.”

He heard it a lot 30 years ago when there were rumors that NASCAR’s top series would be composed solely of tracks a mile or more in distance.

Word was the half-mile tracks, like Martinsville, would be phased
out.

“To me,” Earles would growl, “a superspeedway is one that operates in the black.”

Most of the big-track promoters, who struggled to pay the bills, couldn’t respond to that.

Today, Martinsville, site of Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup race, is NASCAR’s oldest track. It held its first sanctioned race in 1949. It was a 105-mile event, on dirt, won by Red Byron.

However, Martinsville’s very first race was held in 1947, the year Earles built the track. He dug out the red clay, packed the oval surface
down with oil and other materials and installed 750 seats.

He advertised that the race would be “dust free.”

But when the race started dust flew everywhere.

“It was like someone had dropped the atomic bomb,” Earles said.

Folks – 6,000 of them – came to the  race dressed in their Sunday best. They left covered in dust and dirt.

Bill France Sr. got word of Earles’ track and paid a visit. He told Earles that he planned to form a stock-car racing association and wanted to
build a following of owners and promoters.

“Bill told me that if I hooked up with him, he’d make sure I had plenty of cars to enter my races,” Earles said.

France became Earles’ partner and, as promised, provided a full field for the first NASCAR race in 1949.

As for the dust issue, Earles kept telling France that it could be resolved only if the track was paved.

France balked. He was concerned about the expense.

Earles prevailed – he seemed to always prevail when it came to his track – and Martinsville became a half-mile asphalt track in 1955.

Earles was a self-made man. The son of a tobacco farmer, he grew up in Bassett, Va., during the Depression. He left school to work in a
furniture factory.

He went into business for himself. A billiards parlor failed, so he acquired a service station that was successful, so successful that Earles
was able to get a loan, with which he built the first drive-in restaurant in Martinsville.

I’ve always thought that it was at that restaurant that the famous Martinsville hot dog was born.

Earles sold the service station and acquired another, which he kept for 16 years. He sold it in 1954 because his track required all of his
attention.

Earles engaged in other profitable ventures. He never owned up to them, but stories circulated that he was involved in the “shipping”
business. He operated it during the heyday of the moonshiners, so it’s not too difficult to determine what product was “shipped.”

Earles was also an expert poker player. I once played a few hands with him – I’m not good – and he told me, each time, what cards I held.

“But I gave up poker,” Earles said. “I didn’t like taking a man’s hard-earned money away from him.”

Earles had to deal with some rough characters in many of his enterprises. But he was prepared.

He once showed me his framed set of brass knuckles.

He always carried a gun – always.

Earles could be tough and argumentative. He was especially so when it came to his speedway. He was protective of it.

He had reason to be. Unlike most of the tracks that riddled the South, Martinsville was no bullring.

Earles felt that anyone who spent money to come to a race should have a good time in a good environment and feel it was money well spent.

“If I came to a race, that’s the way I would want it,” he said.

Martinsville’s grounds were landscaped and adorned with trees and flowers – there were even azaleas inside the track around the turns.

It was the first track to have attended rest rooms. It was the first track to have an air-conditioned press box. It was the only track whose
walls were re-painted white each day after racing activities were over.

Earles died 10 years ago at age 86 after a long illness.

Some thought that without his leadership the speedway was doomed.

Hardly.

Martinsville has certainly changed over the years, but it still bears the print of Earles’ guiding hand.

Article by Steve Waid

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

The Chase For The Sprint Cup: Good Or Bad For The Sport?

Brian France and the media think the Chase for the Sprint Cup (NASCAR’s play-off system) is the best thing that’s happened to the Sport in a long time. It gives the media something to talk about almost from the first time the drivers get on the track in Daytona in February. Who will be the chosen 12? How will they do each week? Who will fall out? Who will have the most wins and thus be seeded first when the chase starts. And on and on.

The fans have mixed feelings about the chase. Some like it because no one can run away with the lead. At least not in the first 26 races. Matt Kenseth prompted the chase by winning the Winston Cup Championship in 2003 by being Mr. Consistent the whole year, and winning only one race the whole year. He had enough top fives and top tens to run away with the title. Some of us fans thought that was quite an accomplishment. To be there at the front through the whole year. But others felt no one should be able to run away with the title without winning many times. In my opinion, the system wasn’t broken. Why bother to try to fix it?

Bill France, Sr. started the sport. He made racing a sport and took it to the masses. He made rules and found tracks on which to compete. Bill Jr. took over and made racing what it is today. Brought NASCAR all over the country. He and RJ Reynold’s Winston brand took NASCAR to a whole new level. Then along came Brian France and Nextel/Sprint. Now NASCAR racing has become, not so much a sport, as more a form of entertainment. And I’m not sure this whole thing is really good for the sport. Do we want to be a sport like football and baseball? Or do we want to be entertainment, like WWE?

To me, NASCAR is racing. And racing is beautiful. I’m a die hard NASCAR fan, from the first time I saw a race on television. And in my humble opinion, there was no need to have a play off system to make racing more exciting. To me, racing, just by definition, is exciting. Play offs are for sports that have divisions. And the winners of the divisions play each other to see who is best in the sport. NASCAR doesn’t need a play off system. Mainly because there are no divisions. And mostly because in this system, there are still 43 cars out there every week. The “Super Bowl” of NASCAR is the first race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Is the chase for the Sprint Cup good for the sport? I think not. Many fans are no longer watching because Jimmy Johnson is winning them all. Jimmy has figured out how to do well in the last ten races. So, the chase has become the Jimmy Johnson show. Is that good for NASCAR? It may be for Jimmy Johnson fans. But most fans are not JJ fans and would like to see others do good.

My solution? Put NASCAR back to what it was when Bill, Sr. and Jr. were running the show. When the fans were coming out to watch. When there was no Chase for the Sprint Cup. Give 25 extra points for winning a race. Fans want racing for the win, instead of consistency. That would give it to them. And the driver with the most wins should also be the driver with the most points and win the Championship.

Brian France wanted to take NASCAR a bit further and make it competitive with football. The theory being that fans watch BECAUSE they have a play off. And that making it possible for the wild card to win it all is exciting. I have to disagree. At least with NASCAR, having a twelfth place car win it all is not exciting. And having JJ win all the championships isn’t very exciting, either.

So, let’s put it back to racing for 36 races a year. Give more points to the winner of each race. And maybe the fans will come back to watch. As it is, ratings are way down. Gimmicks aren’t working. The chase isn’t working. And the fans want more than just consistent starting times. In my opinion, it wasn’t broken. Stop trying to fix it. Put it back and leave it alone. Listen to the fans, Brian. The Chase for the Sprint Cup isn’t working. At least not for the fans.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

Race Review: NASCAR Banking 500

Welcome race fans! The NASCAR Banking 500 brought to you by Bank of America is the 31st race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the fifth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Weather was a factor on Thursday. Practice for Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series were shortened, but they managed to get qualifying in on Thursday night.

Jimmy Johnson qualified on the pole with a speed of 192.376, setting a new track record. The 48 team was also the fastest in both practices. 5 Mark Martin starts second. This race is the only race in the Chase held on Saturday night under the stars.

71 this race is Mike Bliss, who also raced in the Nationwide race Friday night. 02 is David Gilliland in an extra Joe Gibbs Racing car. 21 is Bill Elliott, running a partial schedule. He got in on speed. 08 is former Champion Terry Labonte, who had to use his provisional to get into the race. 36 Michael McDowell, 09 Sterling Marlin, 66 Dave Blaney and 37 Travis Kvapil failed to qualify.

47 Marcos Ambrose is the in-race reporter. Brian France, Theresa Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson started the engines. If you’ll recall, this past Wednesday, the first five inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame were decided upon. The five were Bill France, Sr. and Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson. (See previous post) Thus they started the race. The race is 334 laps for 500 miles on this 1.5 mile track, at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.During the pre-race festivities the blowers were out drying the track. But they got underway on time.

So, here we go! 5 Mark Martin leads the first lap. The first caution comes out on lap three when 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. bottoms out with sparks flying and spins out. Luckily, no one gets into him. 5 chooses the outside for the restart. 48 Johnson takes the lead. 18 Kyle Busch, in pink for breast cancer awareness month, tries to get by 25 Brad Keselowski, but can’t do it.

The second caution comes out again for 77 who slides into pit road. He comes out ahead of the pace car with right rear damage, but stays on the lead lap. 48 chooses the inside and stays in the lead. 39 Ryan Newman and 9 Kasey Kahne battle side by side for third. 20 Joey Logano joins in, but 9 pulls away. 20 and 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (in a blue Lysol car) battle for sixth, but 42 can’t get by. 20 finally gets by 39 after racing side by side for several laps. There is precipitation in the area. 39 and 11 Denny Hamlin battle for sixth. 17 Matt Kenseth gets into the battle.

The third caution comes out for rain. It’s just a drizzle, and they stay on the track. When they pit, 17 takes two tires to lead the race. 20 follows 9 onto pit road, gets too close and slides past his pit stall. They have to back him up. 55 Michael Waltrip stays on the track to lead a lap, then pits. 08 T. Labonte stays out to lead, and pits just before the Green Flag. 17 and 48 battle for the lead. 48 gets loose and 17 stays in the lead. 5 and 48 battle for second. 83 Brian Vickers and 9 race side by side. 48 takes the lead.

39 in a Transformers car with Optimus Prime on the hood battles 24 Jeff Gordon in another Transformers car with Mega Tron on his hood. 11 gets by 17 for third. 11 takes the lead while the broadcasters show us 07 Casey Mears and 42 battling. The Transformers cars are racing each other hard. 18 and 48 battle, with 18 getting by. 42 drives around 48. 42 flies by 18. 48 gets by 18. 07 and 42 battle and 18 goes between them to take the position.

17 starts Green Flag Pitting. 39 fumbles the lug nuts. And 17 is back in the lead after all the pitting. 48 and 18 battle, with 48 getting by. 42 drives by 18, with 18 nearly getting into the wall. The fourth caution comes out for 18 getting sideways in front of 9. 7 Robby Gordon is the Lucky Dog and gets back on the lead lap. 24 takes two tires to lead. Five cars get waved around before the Green Flag. 5 and 42 battle. 88 dale Earnhardt, Jr. is slowing down with transmission problems. 6 David Ragan pushes 42 past 5. 11 and 16 Greg Biffle battle for second, with 16 getting by. 11 gets back by 16. At the restart, 42 gets into 33 Clint Bowyer and 5 gets into 42 with 83 also having damage. 83 comes into the pits to fix the car. 42 falls way back. 5 has a hole in his nose. 33 can live with back bumper damage. 9 and 17 battle for fifth, with 9 taking the spot. 9 gets by 16 for fourth. 42 goes a lap down. 2 Kurt Busch gets by 1 Martin Truex, Jr. for ninth. 5 is falling back. 42 is way too loose and many cars drive by him.

The fifth caution comes out for 42 spinning into the pits. He was to be the Lucky Dog, but he caused the caution. Instead, he looses two laps. 42 comes back into the pits to put a red Target quarter panel on the car. 11 comes out of the pits first to lead, and chooses the outside. 24 takes the lead. 17 gets by 11 for second. 33 a black car with Count Chocula on the hood, 47 and 6 David Ragan are three wide, and 47 tucks in behind 6.

The sixth caution comes out when the Target patch falls off 42. 02 David Gilliland gets the free pass and stays on the lead lap. In the pits, the 5 team is using a blow torch on the nose patch. 11 drops a valve and has to head to the garage. 17 comes out of the pits first and chooses the inside. 24, in third pushes 17. 2 and 9 both get around 33 in the middle. 99 Carl Edwards is pitting with a loose wheel. 24 and 9 battle for third, with 9 getting by.

48, leading, has trash on the grill. 9 gets by 48, to take the lead but pulls away before the trash can fly off. 48 gets behind lapped car, 42 to get the trash off. 00 David Reutimann pits with a vibration. 31 Jeff Burton drives around 14 Tony Stewart. 18, 1 and 48 start Green Flag Pitting once again, with 9 leading. 2 leads when 9 pits. After it all, 9 is back in the lead. 08 and 7 were too fast.

48 gets by 17 for second during the commercial. 2 and 20 get by 24. 2 and 20 battle for  fifth. 16 is fighting leader 9 to stay on the lead lap. The seventh caution caution comes out when 13 Max Papis blows the engine. 12 David Stremme had gotten by 5, and is the first car a lap down. 16 stayed ahead of the leader and stays on the lead lap. 48 chooses the inside for the restart. 17 dives below 24 and they battle for third. 24 takes the spot.

The eighth caution comes out when 02 gets loose and gets hard into the wall. 5 Mark Martin is the Lucky Dog, and back on the lead lap. There is a quickie pit stop, where all cars may pit at the same time. The leaders stay out. The ninth caution comes out when 99 blows up, dropping fluid on the track, with 31 laps to go. 24 got by 9 for second. 25 and 20 battle with 25 taking the spot. 9 gets by 17 for third. They are racing four wide! 12, 16, 39 were three wide. 14 makes it four wide. 39 backs off.

The tenth caution comes out when 12 gets into the wall and into 16, who spins into the grass. 48 and 24 battle for the lead. 48 gets loose, but saves it. 24 takes the lead. 9 goes by 17 for third. 48 and 24 battle for the lead. 9 goes by 24 on the top for second. 17 gets by 24 for third. 33 and 20 battle for fifth. 9 and 17 battle for second. 17 finally gets by. 20 and 24 battle for  fifth, with 24 keeping the position.

And 48 Jimmy Johnson wins the NASCAR Banking 500. This race is the last one with Lowes as the sponsor of the track. And Jimmy wins with Lowes on his hood. No winner of this race has gone on to win the Championship. Let’s see of Jimmy can be the first and claim his fourth Title in a row!

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley