It’s hard to be disappointed when, at the end of a race, the fastest car won. I could see that in Tony with his post-race interview. Sure he was upset that he was pinched into the wall in the closing laps. But Jimmie’s car was as good in one set of turns, and better in the others. That adds up to an eventual pass for the win in any contest. With laps lead (bonus points), and a chance at the win, it was all and all a great effort by the 20 team. It was the kind of effort that makes a team even hungrier for their first win of the season. Tony jumps seven spots in the points to sixth. As the season gets longer, it gets harder to catch the point’s leader. These top 5’s and bonus points have made it a lot easier to see the chase and championship a possibility for the Home Depot Chevy.

It’s finally here. Amongst all the fan fare to go with a mountain of criticism, the Car of Tomorrow is upon us. Although maybe not the greatest overall change in the cars, it’s got to be one of the biggest single change since the “Strictly Stock” category disappeared. It’s definitely NASCAR history in the making. I for one am happy to see it hear, if only to get over it. I’ve not had too many kind words to say about it, but I’ll sit hear and like it with the rest of you. It will be interesting to see a few of them all wrinkled up after the usual Bristol race antics. They say the splitter on the front of the car is made of a material that is all but indestructible. We’ll see first hand on Sunday.

Having almost nothing in the notebooks to look back on should make for interesting race strategies. Fuel mileage isn’t usually an issue hear, as cautions towards the end of a Bristol race are as common as commercial breaks. But crew chiefs should be scratching their heads wondering what tire wear and track position will do to his team. Dialog between the driver and crew should be interesting, as decisions on when to pit and what adjustments need to be made will take a bit more thinking. Luck could definitely show its face at the last minute and put an unlikely driver in Victory Lane.

Labels: Bristol

Tony captured another top 10 to help stop the bleeding from Daytona. He did not lead a lap at this race (no bonus points), nor was he really ever a threat to win. But good tuning had the car right at the end, and a 4 tire stop is always my call. My theory is if you have to bring the car to car complete stop, and there are 7 guys there with a jack and wrenches in their hands anyway, then get 4 stickers on there.

Tony jumps 8 points in the standings to jump ahead of Robby Gordon. I hear they’re still interviewing all the drivers he hit during the race. Maybe he’ll find a sponsor in that line. It’s cheaper to just paint the car black, but that’s not payin’ the bills. I’d like to have seen Ward get some owners points to get into the top 35, and this was his first chance to do it, but it only took Robby 9 laps to squelch that.

NASCAR’s version of “The West Coast Swing” (it’s a golf thing) is over, and we get racing back to the right coast (at least closer), and in the right time zones. When the races start that late, I can make Sunday pretty productive around the house. But that’s one of the reasons to be a NASCAR fan, so you don’t have to be so productive on Sunday. On the other hand, this was a weekend I had to go into work, so it starting at almost 5 PM meant I could get home without missing too much. Next week I’ll be back on schedule, and it’ll be that way until the grass starts requiring some attention.

There are 51 cars on the entry list for Atlanta, and yes, some of them are still Toyotas. Home Depot’s home track is my favorite race to watch on TV. The whole Joe Gibbs stable is good here. I expect some laps lead out of the 20, and a win is definitely a possibility anytime the orange and black spins up at AMS. Bobby Labonte is also a favorite there. If Petty can screw together a good ride, look for him up front. Speaking of favorites and the left coast drivers; it’s time I looked at my fantasy picks. I left’em alone for Vegas, but I’ll be rearranging things now that Vegas is in the rear view mirror.