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.