I am starting something new on my blog this week with a wrap up of the race and my thoughts on the happenings during the race. It was the three "H's" at Loudon, Hazy, Hot and Humid making the track very slick for the drivers. Also HOT is what Tony Stewart was after having a run in with Ryan Newman. That accident caused Tony to drop out of the Top 10 for the first time this season. Looks like Ryan was driving a bit too aggressive and he was also on new tires but wouldn't do the give and take that has been discussed at the drivers meetings but on the following re-start it looks like justice was served when Michael Waltrip go into Newman causing his to spin out and puncture his radiator. Hey Ryan, what comes around goes around.
As Jimmie Johnson put it, it was some of the hardest racing he has experienced and it showed. These cars looked worse then a race at Bristol. Loudon definitely showed a two groove track which did make the side by side racing much more exciting then it has been in the years before.
There was some great pit stratedgy by teams. Teams pitting just for gas, two tires and gas, and four tires and gas but who would of guessed that during a caution that made the race go into overtime would be extended because drivers are not watching what they are doing and I am talking about Michael Waltrip running into the back of Robby Gordon thus causing Travis Kvapil to hit Michael from behind, ah yes the accordian effect. This is not what some of the drivers wanted to see due to the threat of running out of gas. The green flag drops for the green/white/checkered finish and Kyle Busch takes off from the pack. Elliott Sadler, running 2nd runs out of gas and Denny Hamlin, who was running third has the same problem. Should the red flag have come out for the race? No. Why? Well there was nothing major to cause the red flag to come out, it was just because those drivers that were very low on gas were concerned, not our fault that your pit stops were made when they were, it just adds a bit more excitement in the race. I did feel bad for Reed Sorenson when he had to pull onto pit road for gas giving up 4th place and thus finishing 24th on the day.
It sure was a change in the Top 10 in points after this race. The biggest surprise is seeing Tony Stewart drop out of the Top 10 and Kyle Busch moving up 4 spots to 4th in the standings.
TNT's TV coverage, well I will have to say they did improve over last weeks race coverage at Chicago but I just think there were too many commerical breaks. They came back from a commerical break and of course had to acknowledge a sponsor but completely missed a restart. Also, what happened to coming back to the race during a commerical break if a caution comes out or is that just when NBC is broadcasting? Like I said, the coverage is just not what it was in the past. Let's talk more about racing and less about cueing the duck or a Cingular Text Questionnaire. I am sure that Wally, Benny, and Mike could talk about something that is related to racing as long as they can pronounce the driver names correctly.
Next week is Pocono. Will Hamlin have a repeat performance? We will just have to wait and see. See you next week after the race.
2 comments:
Hey Tom, seeing my first live race yesterday was FANTASTIC!! You are right...I am HOOKED and I will definitely be attending Loudon in September for #2. All it took were the words "Gentlemen start your engines!" and I was in awe the entire day...an experience I'll never forget. Tony's helmet had sparks flying out of it yesterday and I don't blame him. Great race, great tailgating, and great results from my favorite driver, Carl Edwards. Love the new look here and enjoy posting.
Seeing it in person, new2, is ALWAYS amazing. I still remember the tears in my eyes and the lump in my throat the first drop of the green flag on my first race. Wow.
Tom, good report. I was still REALLY upset over that last yellow, of course...it sent my driver to pit road, out of gas. GAAAH!
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