|| *Comments on the 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301:* View the most recent comment <#85> | Post a comment <#post> 1. David posted: 06.29.2008 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Tony Stewart dominated until a late race caution when Dale Jr came to pit, wasn't signaling, and Jamie McMurray plowed him. Kurt Busch, Waltrip, Yeley and the top 7 stayed out, then then shortly after there was a crash involving Bowyer and Hornish in turn 3. Coming back to the line, Juan Pablo Montoya intentionally wrecked Kyle Busch and almost took out others. The rain came after that and sealed the win for Kurt who was running about 15th all day. Tony's crew took 4 tires on the last pit stop when Kurt and them stayed out. 2. nascarman posted: 06.29.2008 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great second place finish for Michael Waltrip. 3. nascarman posted: 06.29.2008 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also great third for J.J. Yeley. 4. Woodbridge posted: 06.29.2008 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only three of the top ten cars (Mears, Hamlin, Johnson) were legitimate contenders for this race. When will my boy Stewart's luck turn around? I believe Nemecheck's 20th is the best-ever finish for Furniture Row, correct me if I'm wrong. 5. DaleJrFan17 posted: 06.29.2008 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Ugh, I didnt see the last hundred laps so I cant say much, except weather it was driver error or not, I'M VERY MAD AT MACMURRAY. Oh and Mikey deserved the win. 6. Baker posted: 06.29.2008 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Another race, another royal day of the racing gods taking a giant boop on Tony Stewarts head. I'm going to quit watching Nascar before I have a freakin stroke. JGR is cursed. I have no idea how they won 3 titles and so many races because nothing ever comes easy for JGR. 7. Clayton posted: 06.29.2008 - 7:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Juan Pablo Montoya is a jerk!! I don't like Kyle Busch much either, but JMP, is such an idiot!! You don't take out someone and nearly get them hurt! Jamie McMurray is an idiot too! You keep your car on the high side of the track after you didn't see Dale Jr, insted of coming down the track and collecting your teammate as well! No wonder no one wants you at Roush anymore! 8. Mr. Big posted: 06.29.2008 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) The first 250 or so laps = god-awful. The final 35 = great. Maybe the best ending to a race this year. Who didn't like seeing people like Michael Waltrip, JJ Yeley, Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Bobby Labonte, and even Joe Nemechek having good, and in the case of the first four, great runs? Plus, wasn't it somewhat nice and refreshing to not see the same drivers in the top five/top ten at the end (Johnson, Gordon, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Stewart)? Nice to see Crybaby Kyle get spun out by Montoya. Still, an incredibly moronic move by Montoya because that could've easily taken out three or four other cars. 9. relantel posted: 06.29.2008 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Strange... Jayski shows the 8, 88 and 18 with TE penalties on lap 281, which has shifted the 07 above all three, yet TV only showed the 18 on pit road after being hit by the 42. It seems the 88 on pit road would have been noticed at that point? But then again, the way TNT cut out to Black Gold without even interviewing the 2nd place finisher... 10. Rusty posted: 06.29.2008 - 9:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, after this terrible season, it feels so awesome to get a win. Strategy or not, this win sure helps heal the pain of a lot of struggles the 2 team has had this year. Go Kurt! WOO! 11. Willy on Wheels posted: 06.29.2008 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Great to see someone different in victory lane. Great runs for Waltrip, Yeley, and Sadler. This was also the first race in 2008 that did not complete its scheduled distance. Juan Montoya is my new favorite driver going into Daytona. Kyle needed to learn a lesson about reckless driving. 12. 4320 posted: 06.29.2008 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) First top ten finish for Bobby Labonte of the year. It seems as though for the past three or so seasons Bobby just cannot catch a break or even a short streak of good luck. Hopefully with Boston Ventures giving Petty the needed money to get better equipment, Bobby can become competitive again. It's sad to see a great driver and champion like Bobby having to compete in mediocre cars. 13. Dodge posted: 06.29.2008 - 10:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't see why the wreck was McMurray's fault. Jr. should of been all the way down, not straddling the line like he was. Also, can someone tell me what happened to Kasey Kahne. I had severe thunderstorms and heavy rains from about 3:30 to 4:30 ET that lost the feed for the dish and DSL. Before the storm, he was top 10 to 15 and all of a sudden he was 2 laps down. 14. racepool posted: 06.29.2008 - 10:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I'd buy Juan Pablo a cold beer if I could. I'm so tired of Kyle Busch running over people. He ran Juan up the track under caution and Juan spun him out. He wound up wrecking himself, too, but it was worth it to me! I hope one day Tony Eury Jr. learns to actually make a car BETTER during a race instead of worse, or Jr. gets a new crew chief. Jr. had a great car early on and then kept getting worse and worse throughout the race. The top 6 are a fluke. No pit and rain. 15. WallaceFan posted: 06.29.2008 - 11:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a race....very interesting story line. If the Hornish/Bowyer caution hadnt come out, I think Waltrip would have passed Busch within a lap or two. How great would it have been to see Waltrip in victory lane? Anyways tough luck for Jr, and David Ragan. Great run for Mears and Joe Nemechek. Oh yeah, luck for Kurt Busch, but hey..a win's a win..good call by his crew. 16. Octane posted: 06.30.2008 - 2:23 am Rate this comment: (1) (2) "Who didn't like seeing people like Michael Waltrip, JJ Yeley, Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Bobby Labonte, and even Joe Nemechek having good runs?" Not to be overly negative, but these types of finishes make me sick. Waltrip and Yeley ran like slugs all day and blind luck handed them good results. Nothing against them personally, but I'd rather see the best cars fighting for the win, not a race decided by rain. The last month has been nothing but a strategy-fest; Daytona can't come soon enough. 17. Loren posted: 06.30.2008 - 2:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) JGR no luck? they have the most wins this year don't they? I would have loved to have seen the last 20 or 30 laps, I was pretty confident Jimmie would have gotten around Tony for the win. 18. Willy on Wheels posted: 06.30.2008 - 8:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch won the previous race, and Kurt won this race. When was the last time brothers won back to back races? 19. DieselDan posted: 06.30.2008 - 8:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey Octane! What is wrong with strategy? Every oval and road course race is won on strategy. If you want to see racing where the fastest wins, try drag racing, and even then mechanical problems and strategy plays a part. Driver and crew chiefs can only control so much. Weather and darkness can screw with whatever strategy a team comes up with. When I hear or read "so and so would have (should have) won if such and such didn't happen" all I hear is "I'm a dumb redneck that can't figure out all that smart person stuff." NASCAR, and racing, has been like that from race one. Lee Petty was considered a cheat because he adjusted camber in his front wheels to make his cars turn better and faster, and to lessen tire wear. Not that long ago, Ryan Newman was winning races by using a slightly smaller carburetor and getting better fuel mileage. Think about what you post. Don't reinforce negative stereotypes of Southerners and NASCAR fans. 20. racepool posted: 06.30.2008 - 9:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dodge, Kasey got into Aric Almirola and spun him out. A few laps later, Aric returned the favor. I didn't think that was a smart move. It didn't seem that Kasey got into him intentionally. He just got loose and drifted up. And Aric, making his ?5th? start, is going to spin out a veteran driver who is on the chase borderline? That's a good way to make enemies. On the McMurray/Jr incident. I don't think it was either drivers' fault. McMurray had been running down on the apron to get traction, and Jr started to pit. To me, McMurray's spotter should've told him. It was obvious Jr. was slowed down to pit. 21. NazRacePhan posted: 06.30.2008 - 9:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Willy... looks like the answer to your question is the same Busch brothers.... 9/4/2005-Kyle Busch won at Fontana in the Kellogg's #5 then the following race, 9/10/2005-Kurt Busch won at Richmond in the Crown Royal #97 22. Neal posted: 06.30.2008 - 9:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dodge - The wreck was McMurray's fault because he openly admitted he wasn't paying attention to the entire track in front of him. Combine what happened yesterday with 0 Top 10 points finishes and 2 wins in 6 years and the reasons for Jamie's departure from Roush become evident. 23. NazRacePhan posted: 06.30.2008 - 9:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) PS.... seems like time before that was... 6/11/1995-Terry labonte won at Pocono in the Kellogg's #5 then 6/18/1995-Bobby Labonte won at Michigan in the Interstate Batteries #18!! 24. RacEfan posted: 06.30.2008 - 11:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What a race....very interesting story line. If the Hornish/Bowyer caution hadnt come out, I think Waltrip would have passed Busch within a lap or two. How great would it have been to see Waltrip in victory lane?" LOL, Dude Busch was up in the top 15 all day and had a solid car......why does anyone think Waltrip was actually better? He didn't even run in the top 20 all day until he decided to stay out, if the race had stayed green chances are Kurt Busch would have ran away with it. 25. Neal posted: 06.30.2008 - 11:48 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) RacEfan - What was really pathetic was Mikey sitting in the post-race interviews delusionally acting as if he has his whole team together and that this wasn't a fluke. Sorry Mikey but you'll be back to running 28th next week. 26. Octane posted: 06.30.2008 - 12:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DieselDan, I'm not an idiot, I would just rather see a race decided on thetrack than in the pits. I know strategy is part of the sport, but I personally enjoy door-to-door battles more than watching crew chiefs punch numbers into their calculators. Funny you should mention stereotypes, as you unleash this gem: "... a dumb redneck that can't figure out all that smart person stuff." Hypocrisy at its best. BTW, I'm not even from the south. 27. RacEfan posted: 06.30.2008 - 1:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I know Neal, Waltrip is such a loser. He should be thankful that he actually was able to finish 2nd instead of talking about how he would've won if it green. MWR will probably never get a finish like this again unless it's another fluke. 28. Jerry posted: 06.30.2008 - 2:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart became the 13th driver in Cup Series history to lead 10,000 laps in a career during this race. 29. GibbsInc. posted: 06.30.2008 - 2:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It would be one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history if Waltrip won this race. 30. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.30.2008 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Yeah, Mikey can crow all he wants, but he was just plain lucky. Kurt Busch would have pulled away based on better driving talent, better racing IQ, and a better handling car from a much better organization. Enjoy it this week Mikey, cause like Neal said, you'll be back to running 28th next week and for the rest of the year, barring another miraculous strategy outcome like this one. Oh, and one other thing Mikey, you weren't going to win Talladega either. You might have got the lead going into Turn 1, but Jimmie would have passed you in the next 2.5 miles. Like Kurt Busch, he has outstanding talent, and Mikey has very little. And it appears his business sense is even worse. I doubt MWR will see the end of the decade as a Cup organization. And Dale Jr's wreck was one person's fault: Dale Jr. He went way up the track in between 3 and 4 then cut sharply down to pit. When you pit, you should hug the bottom in the corner, especially when in a large pack of traffic. It was reminiscent of JJ Yeley almost killing Mark Martin a few years ago at Charlotte. That is the thing about Dale Jr. I think he has a lot of talent, but he just doesn't have the mindset to be consistently great. He has these lapses in concentration, always late in the race. Kinda like 2004 and 2006 when he threw away his championship hopes with late race blunders at Atlanta and Martinsville respectively. He just doesn't have the focus. And racepool, I agree. Other than Todd Berrier, I have never seen anyone worse at making in race adjustments than Tony Jr. I must say, I don't like these types of finishes. The top 7 flat out don't deserve it. It might make for an interesting story, but they all ran like crap (including Casey in traffic). 31. Fenway posted: 06.30.2008 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The bottom line of this race is this. Everyone on track had the same opportunity to stop anywhere from lap 218 - 220; only a few did. I was periodically checking the Weather Channel from then on and it was clear the storms were on their way and highly doubtful the race would go the full distance. Is it the fault of Busch, Waltrip or Yeley that the much vaunted Greg Zipadelli or Chad Knaus can't read a radar? If either the 20 or the 48 had stayed out on lap 273, they would have won the race and there wouldn't be this incessant whining about Busch's undeserved win or the "scrub top-five". Track position in this sport is so critical now, and the 2, 55, 96, et. al. gave up what they had to put themselves in a position to gain a lot. All credit to them; they out-smarted the so called best. One more thing. Waltrip started last because of an engine change and had been running anywhere from 20th to 25th all day before he pitted on lap 220, one lap before the race went back to green. He restarted 29th and had moved up to 21st before the caution for McMurray and Earnhardt's accident came out. He had been quicker than those directly ahead of him, including the 2 in 18th, so it's not far-fetched at all to believe that if he had an opportunity, he could have gotten by the 2 and won the race. I understand Waltrip is much maligned throughout the internet, but let's please give him his due here. As for his running 28th next week, at Daytona, I would doubt it. If the race hadn't been halted by the lap 273 caution, the storms had held off, and had gone green to the finish, the outcome would have been much the same. Just thought I would point that out. 32. Dodge posted: 06.30.2008 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you very much Racepool. 33. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.30.2008 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fenway, the top guys didn't pit because they weren't in their pit window. If you are up front, why potentially go to 25th or worse when you just have to pit again like everyone ahead of you. Everything happened just perfectly for the slower guys because a) the 2nd to last caution fell when it did and b) the weather hit when it did. Nobody could make it to the finish without the weather. You can't save fuel very well on such a small track. I think even with the cautions they couldn't have made it. As far as reading the radar, that can be misleading. About 7 or 8 years ago when I was in high school, the weather people said there was a 100% chance of snow, and not a single flake fell (in the south we cancel school if even a light dusting of snow falls, so as you can imagine I was pretty mad) because some windy system came from the Great Lakes or somewhere at the last minute, blowing the snow front away from us. You can't count on the weather. Especially in New England, from what I hear. They basically gambled on the slowest horse, and lo and behold, lightning struck all the other horses. 34. RacEfan posted: 06.30.2008 - 8:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was checking speeds for most of the day and the 2 was faster than the 55 almost all day. When he pitted and ran in 18th his lap times slowed, likely to save fuel incase it went green all the way. The only scenario I could seriously imagine Waltrip had gotten by was if the caution never came out and Robby Gordon held up Busch enough for Waltrip to have a chance. 35. TS#20fan4EVR!!!!! posted: 06.30.2008 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart could have won this race by staying out on the 07/77 caution but I guess Kansas still lurks in the back of his head. 36. RaceFanX posted: 06.30.2008 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was scheduled to run 301 laps because race sponsor Lenox "goes the extra mile for their customers." Nice job by J.J. Yeley to finish 3rd a week after DNQing at Sonoma 37. Neal posted: 07.01.2008 - 10:45 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) RacEfan - I wouldn't necessarily call Mikey a loser because I like the guy's cornball personality and he seems like a genuine guy. I have, however, lost a LOT of respect for him because of his antics the past 2 years. It's time for him to hang up the helmet, fold his operation to a 2-car team, and pair up with Bill Davis to make both teams better. 38. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.01.2008 - 12:39 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Neal, I agree with most of points, but I have to disagree with you saying that Mikey is a genuine guy. When he isn't on TV, he is a completely different guy, totally rude and unapproachable. But you are right about merging with BDR. I think that will be his only chance of having any ownership in any Cup team in the next 2-3 years. 39. WallaceFan posted: 07.01.2008 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only reason i said Mikey would've passed Kurt in a lap or two is because of how hard Robby Gordon was racing Kurt to get on the lead lap. He just about wrecked him in one corner, and Mikey got a good run. I agree he didnt have a good run and it's a fluke. 40. Rusty posted: 07.01.2008 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chip Ganassi Racing has shut down the #40 team after this race. It makes Dario Franchitti's move from IRL to NASCAR look even more foolish. Also, Patrick Carpentier won the pole for this race and was the first Canadian to win a Cup Series pole since 1953. 41. nwt0 posted: 07.02.2008 - 2:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the last race for the 40 car. Franchitti really sucked this season. It's still a shame that a car that was 3rd in 2001 and almost won the championship in 2002 before the Kansas crash. I'm very scared about NASCAR because we might have field-fillers or even worse, very short fields. I'm refering to the 28, 7, maybe 00, maybe 70, and 01's situation. 42. Rad83 posted: 07.02.2008 - 3:33 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) I don't know about you guys, but i think Michael Waltrip needs to shut down his team. It would save him further embarssment. Let's face it: The 00, 44, and 55 all run like crap. Sponsors are leaving left and right. I was watching him on THis week in NASCAR on the Speed Channel, and his co-host Greg Biffle had an angry look on his face every time Waltrip talked. This shows that the guy is not even that cool. He's not that fuuny. He's not a "genuine guy". What he is is nothing but an egotistical, annoying. fruaduent man. He seriously needs to get out of the sport. All throughout his career he has ben a mediocre-at-best driver. He did decent at DEI, but that was only because DEI was a decent team. Waltrip has never amounted to anything as a driver or person. I even hear that he is having problems with his wife. Michael Waltrip embarrassed Toyota with that little jet fuel thing at Daytona in '07. He embarrassesses me by making me watch him. I hope all of his sponsors pull out. I hope that he truly just doesn't run, as a driver or owner in 2009. I hope you guys all respond to this. Please do. Tell me your opinion, on the MWR fiasco, the biggest fraud in motorsports history. 43. Anonymous posted: 07.02.2008 - 10:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It doesn't matter who the driver is in the 40 car this year. The equipment is so bad at Ganassi that Kyle Busch wouldn't even finish in the top 12 in points in the 40 car. Chip Ganassi is the worst or the 2nd worst owner in Nascar currently. He can't run a cup team correctly. He made some really bad choices as an cup owner. The other thing is that race orgazination is hurting due to the fact Ganassi has been focusing on his teams in IRL and Grand-AM Rolex sports car series more. His cup teams really went downhill after 2004. Jamie Mcmurray in 2004 was the last time Ganassi had a team capable winning a race week in and week out in cup. That team had 23 top tens that year and nine top fives. Chip should stick to owning IRL and Sports cars teams only. 44. Willy on Wheels posted: 07.02.2008 - 12:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Please Chip, keep the 40 team open. We're gonna have field fillers like MSRP Motorsports and Front Row motorsports in every race now! The Busch Series has the 0, 90, 91, 84, 05, 61, 52, 24, etc to deal with. We DON'T want them screwing around Cup, like in 2004, where they ran one lap, parked it, and colect their 70000$. Even worse, like nwt0 said, would be fields with 41 or 42 cars, like they have in Nationwide sometimes. 41-8 or 9 field fillers=31 or 32 competitive teams. That would be really bad for NASCAR, the fans, drivers, teams, and everyone involved. If the 40 leaves, more semi-competitive teams will drop their lowest performing cars, and this will happen. 45. Dodge posted: 07.02.2008 - 1:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rad83 You know, we should not comment on stuff like drivers relationships. If it don't concern the racing or the team directly, then it should not be brought up. Just like Evernham and J. Gordon. Those things are personal. How would you like coworkers discussing or spreading rumors about your relationships? This is just my opinion, but it doesn't matter in the race if he is having maritial difficulties. 46. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.02.2008 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) That is true WallaceFan. Lord knows Robby doesn't give a crap if he affects the outcome. Rad83, here is my response: You're a genius. You were right in every area about Mikey. Maybe it is a bit out of bounds to mention his family situation, but it speaks to his lack of genuine-ness. For years him and Buffy put on the public display of being the perfect family, and now this. Little by little we are seeing his facade crumble, and that is just another example. Actually, recently, it hasn't been little by little. Two major situations for his team in a little over a year (the jet fuel and stealing one of Roush's sway bars) speak to a lack of morals and professionalism. People are beginning to see him for what he is. A bad driver and a bad guy. Rad83, I don't even think he is a decent driver. All his wins came in plate races, when DEI was murdering them on restricted horsepower. DEI horsepower won those races, not Mikey. To me, he represents everything that is wrong with NASCAR. A bad driver who can put on a fake personality and attract sponsors can keep a ride forever. Does he deserve a spot in the Sprint Cup field more than Ward Burton? Than Sterling Marlin? I don't think so. (As a side note, I got to thinking: During DEI's restrictor plate dominance, why didn't they put all that time, effort, and money into their intermediate program where they hold half the races as opposed to something where they only race 4 times out of 36? Yeah, the Daytona 500 is a big deal, but it doesn't guarantee a good season. Just look at Newman this year, Harvick last year, Mikey both times he won, Ward in 2002, and Jimmie Johnson in 2006. Wait, scratch that last one.) 47. Rad83 posted: 07.03.2008 - 12:45 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) I will admit I went a little out of line. I apologize. But, I have said, DalSRfanforever, that restrictor-plate racing is not that hard. In fact, anyone can get a good finish at Daytona or Talladega, by staying in the back and missing the "Big One". Now, about Michael, another reason I don't like him is that when he couldn't qualify for the Coke 600 back in 2006, he bought someone elese's car, (Derrike Cope, I believe)and he didn't even do that well. Waltrip can only do well on easy tracks and with Fuel-Milage flukes. Let's face it. Waltrip can no be called a has-been. I don't even think a never-was would be god enough for him. What would be good enough, is calling him the biggest embearrssment to NASCAR. I hope Mike realizes someday just how much of a flop he is. The guy needs to realize that he is only here because of his brother. DW got him in. Michael, do us all a favor. Shut down your team. Retire from NASCAR. Give Speed their money back. Step away from the sport. Step away completely. Because right now, it is you that is holding NASCAR back. You held Toyota back. You really have caused too much problems. Leave, Waltrip. No one ever wants to see, or hear you again. 48. Dodge posted: 07.03.2008 - 8:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rad83. You said that another reason why you don't like Michael is that he bought Cope's ride. Back in 2000, Darrell bought Carl Long's ride, so does that mean that you don't like Darrell, either? Or even when the 32 DNQed at Talladega in October 05 or 06, they bought themselves a spot. Just wondering, not trying to pick fights or arguments. 49. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.03.2008 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I didn't like it when Darrell bought Carl's ride either. 50. Dodge posted: 07.03.2008 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What about when Cal Wells bought his way into the fall event in 05 or 06? 51. Rad83 posted: 07.04.2008 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was too young to understand back in 2000, but I have heard that before, and yes I don't like that either. Darrell is as annoying as his brother. I don't think he's as much as a hypocrite though. AS for PPI, I never liked them after they fired Craven. THem buying rides is just as bad as the Waltrip bros. In my opinion, buying a ride means you don't have the talent to be in NASCAR. Racing is a buisiness for the strong. That's why I like it. I think it's pathetic, that people buy their way in anymore. All I can say is that to race in NASCAR, you better be fast enough. To race, you gotta be strong and fearless. So, Dodge, I hope this answers your question. 52. Neal posted: 07.04.2008 - 1:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Drivers and teams buying their way into races has been happening for a LONG time in NASCAR. Felix Sabates bought Eddie Bierschwale's car to get Kyle Petty into the Daytona 500 in 1989. Bierschwale started the race and is credited with a 10th place finish even though Kyle took over for him. Chuck Rider bought Jim Sauter's ride for the '88 Daytona 500 so Mikey could get into that race. It's no big deal, really. 53. Dodge posted: 07.04.2008 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rad83, yes it does answer my question. Neal, another team that I believe bought themselves into the Daytona 500 was Sabates in 1997 for Nemechek from Barkdoll if I recall correctly. 54. Carmen posted: 07.04.2008 - 11:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Rad83 are you on crack sweetie? Are you really insinuating that Waltrip is a bad man who has done nothing good in his whole entire life? I read your post little man and honestly you are more deluded than Richard Dawkins; which is saying alot. For one buying a ride is not that bad. What would those poor little Copes and Barkdolls done anyways? They would have completed a few laps and pulled in with "Handling" issues. Meanwhile those other guys would at least be semi-competive. I'm a Kasey Kahne fan through thick and thin and honestly I hate Toyota. I don't even like Waltrip. But to slam him endlessly and call him the biggest fraud in motorsports history makes you sound like a fraud. I feel bad for whoever your faviorite driver is (Based on yuor screename I asumme Brian Vickers.) For you to be so anti-sportsmanlike and so cruel shows that you don't really have any class. I may be wrong but what you wrote was very rude and very negative. Well I have to give a call out to Kasey's teammate Sadler for his top-5 and for Carpentier's pole. Kasey you'll do better next week. Well Gillett-Evernham power to you all. And Rad83 next time you post, do something that is critical NOT insulting. 55. Dodge posted: 07.05.2008 - 11:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nice to see another Kahne Fan. 56. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.05.2008 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Carmen, I totally disagree. We are WAY past the point to be critical of Mikey. He definitely is a fraud. In 706 starts he has 4 wins (0.57 winning %), 39 Top 5s (5.5%), and 1342 laps led (about 1.9 laps led per race). Not only does he not win, he never puts himself in position to win. Yet sponsors continue to throw themselves all over him because he puts on a fake personality (just ask anyone who has met him with the cameras off) and worrys more about public image than making himself a better driver. That is why Rad83 brought that up. And now that I have had time to think about it, I don't think he was out of bounds at ALL in bringing that up. Now lets consider other people who can't get sponsors. Sterling Marlin: 736 starts, 10 wins (1.4%, more than double Mikey's) 83 top 5s (11.3%, more than double Mikey's) and 4286 laps led (more than triple Mikey's) Ward Burton: 375 starts, 5 wins (1.3% more than double Mikey's), 24 top 5s (6.4%, better than Mikey) and 1916 laps led (more than Mikey in a little more than half of Mikey's starts). And here is the biggest kicker: In 2004, they couldn't get a sponsor for JEFF FREAKING BURTON!!!!!! NAPA proudly sponsored Mikey while JEFF FREAKING BURTON had race by race deals and often went sponsorless until going to RCR. Here are the stats of JEFF FREAKING BURTON as of the beginning of 2004: 331 starts, 17 wins (5.1%, nearly 10 times Mikey's), 89 top 5s (26.9% nearly 5 times Mikey's) 4815 laps led (3.5 times as much in half the starts, 14.5 per race) He is a fraud, and doesn't deserve to be treated delicately. 57. Chris posted: 07.05.2008 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Wow!! Alot of you are pathetic! For one, attacking Waltrip on a personal level is the lowest of the low. Then you go on to say that Waltrip only won because he was with a decent team. Hello!!!? Oh ok. So I guess that mean Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart are only winning because they are with decent teams or are you going to defend them and say its talent? Oh yeah, Waltrip was sponsored by Napa in 2004 because he for one, had a contract and two, just came off a 2-win season and ran in the Top 5 in points for more than half the season. You people are so stupid and I just proved it to you. How about we talk about this race instead of how much you hate someone with no reason behind it. You people always get jealous everytime Waltrip has a good run. Grow up children! 58. Carmen posted: 07.06.2008 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Chris my little child;)! This was an awesome race a one in which my little Carpentier won the pole. One in which my big boy Sadler got a top-5! And sadly my Kasey got 30th:(. Well GEM power to you all my little poor babies:)! 59. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.07.2008 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I get jealous every time Mikey has a good run? At least I don't get jealous very often. And Mikey's restrictor plate wins came when DEI's plate program wasn't just "decent" it was unbeatable. Yes, those other guys have good teams, but they also win everywhere, including tracks where a good driver is a must, no matter how good your stuff is, like Martinsville and Sears Point. Guess you didn't prove anything! 60. Dodge posted: 07.08.2008 - 7:40 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Those calling Waltrip a fraud are more than likely the frauds in life. As a result they are gonna call others frauds because since they are frauds, they can hide behind their comments and feel good about it. That's my opinion. 61. Chris posted: 07.08.2008 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) DaleSrFan, Waltrip has always been up front at RP tracks regardless of what team he drove for. Just take a minute and look at all the races Waltrip has come very close to winning. You'll find other tracks besides Daytona and Talladega. This website has all the info, take a minute and use it. 62. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.09.2008 - 1:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dodge, technically if those who call people frauds are frauds themselves, then aren't people who call people who call people frauds, frauds too? Chris, you are right, he has always run up front at plate tracks, sometimes leading with a few laps to go only to be passed. But he never could close the deal until he stepped in a trancendantly great car like the ones that were produced by DEI at the time. That shows me a lack of driver potential. You sort of proved my point for me. 63. Anonymous posted: 07.09.2008 - 11:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFan, Im sorry but what you just said didn't make much sense to me. He has always run up front BECAUSE of his driver potential. When he finally had good equipment, he had the car the get up front and stay there. You HAVE to have good cars to compete, and when Waltrip had them with DEI he did....at many tracks and won the races he should have. 64. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.10.2008 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) He ran up front at plate tracks because it requires very little driver finesse. Just put your foot to the floor and keep it there, rarely lifting or feathering it. Never have to use brakes on corner entry, never have to feather the throttle through the corner, never do the things that make Cup drivers so great. Yes, there is an art to it, and no, not just anybody could do it well, but it is by far the easiest thing NASCAR drivers do. Dale Jr admitted this himself, and half his wins have come on plate tracks. Yes, Mikey has been good at the art of drafting, but not good enough to win, and not good at all on the difficult tracks. Look at his record on tough tracks like Martinsville, Bristol, Rockingham, and Darlington. They are awful. Martinsville: 44 starts, 1 Top 5, 21.0 Avg Finish, 17 laps led. Bristol: 44 starts, 1 Top 5 (3 laps down), 19.3 Avg Finish, 69 laps led. Rockingham: 37 starts, 1 Top 5, 21.5 Avg Finish, 3 laps led. Darlington: 42 starts, 3 Top 5, 22.0 Avg Finish, 214 laps led (208 in one race) When driver skill is truly tested, Mikey is nowhere to be seen. Yeah, he is adequate at drafting, but garbage everywhere else. And driver potential doesn't get you up front at plate tracks, good cars do. He needed a great one to win. 65. Chris posted: 07.10.2008 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How would you know where driver skill is truly tested? To say Daytona and Talladega requires little driver skill is retarded statement at best. I'm not trying to make Mikey out to be a legend, I'm defending him against people like you who say he has no talent and is a fraud. Those are naive statements. Keep in mind too, Mikey has not been given the best equipment through his career. Bahari and Wood Brothers were sub-par teams and when he drove for a good team, he was competitive (Look at the 2002 and 2003 season). Plus he's getting older now and reflexes start to slow down. I see you failed to mention Sonoma where he has finished 99.7% of laps run with an avg. finish of 16.4. thats the toughest track on the schedule. For some reason people can't stand Mikey which is fine. They just make statements saying he has no talent which shows their lack of Nascar knowledge. I dislike drivers too but I dont call them talentless. Those who dislike Mikey can continue to do so and trying to prove a point to them is like beating a dead horse; I have better things to do with my time. 66. DaleSrFanForever posted: 07.10.2008 - 8:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I say that because Dale Jr said it himself. I don't have the exact quote, but he said something to the effect of I don't want to be known as only a restrictor plate master because that is the easiest thing we do. Almost half his wins are on plate tracks, so it would be in his best interest to say plate racing is the most challenging thing they do. When he says it, there must be something to it. And talentless is a relative term, but I feel safe in saying that if all the drivers were given true IROC cars, and somehow no wrecks or mechanical failures happened, Mikey would finish lower than 38th. Yeah, he has done ok at Sonoma, but I could point out many other tough tracks that he has done lousy at like Dover, North Wilkesboro, Phoenix, and Richmond. And don't underestimate some of the equipment he drove in. The four years before Mikey got with the Wood Brothers, Morgan Shepherd drove for them (not a great driver, though I like him). They finished 14th, 7th, 6th, and 11th in points. Each year they had at least 3 top 5s, including 9 in 1994. Mikey drove for them for 3 years, finishing 14th, 18th, and 17th in points. In that time he had a grand total of 1 Top 5 at *gasp* Talladega. He stepped in and their results went down. That is the sign of a driver with very little talent. And don't give me that "I've got better things to do than to talk bad about a driver" crap. Technically, shouldn't you have better things to do than talk bad about someone on a message board you have never even met if that is the case? And if I can't call him "talentless" or "a fraud", then shouldn't you be unable to call me "retarded"? 67. Chris posted: 07.11.2008 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Reread what I wrote. I never called you retarded, I said your statement was. 68. michaelwaltrip15 posted: 07.23.2008 - 8:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) is this the most debated race on RR? 68 comments wow 69. sheet metal posted: 08.02.2008 - 1:41 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) A couple years ago, Michael Waltrip defended the practice of start & park on a Speed Channel interview, calling it "good for the sport." He kisses NASCAR's butt at every opportunity. When he drove Casey Mears into the wall at Richmond earlier this year, Mikey acted like a 6-year-old who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A lot like the time he flipped his SUV and stammered home in a drunken stupor. Michael Waltrip is a fraud, period. And Carmen, no offense, but it's kind of awkward to be referring to fellow posters as "sweetie" and "my little child." 70. Rusty posted: 03.25.2009 - 11:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The last cup start for Dario Franchitti. His attempt at the Cup Series only lasted 10 races, and he only got one finish in the top 30 (22nd at Martinsville). 71. KurtBusch22Fan posted: 05.19.2011 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Felix Sabates' final start as an owner in Cup competition. It ended with a 38th place finish with "The Flying Scotsman" Dario Franchitti. 72. 00andJoe posted: 05.30.2011 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was the 42 penalised two laps? 73. hyperacti posted: 09.30.2011 - 12:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) I was there 74. Daniel posted: 05.22.2012 - 11:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #34 Tony Raines Out using fastest 43: #15 Paul Menard 75. Jordan posted: 08.22.2012 - 12:43 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Aside from Kurt Busch winning, this HAS to be the strangest top 7 in Sprint Cup history. 76. CBASS posted: 01.27.2013 - 7:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #40 Guitar Hero: Aerosmith/ Target #41 Target/ Polaroid #99 Dish Network DVR #96 DLP HDTV/ Circuit City #01 Dale Earnhardt Inc./ Principal http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0820 http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/photos/main-gallery/?s=5&y=2008&r=3012 77. Bob posted: 07.22.2014 - 1:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Might be the weirdest top five ever except for the 2007 coke 600. Kurt Busch sucked in 2008, then Waltrip, Yeley, Truex (also sucked in 2008) and Sadler who was past his prime by then. And even further back Sorenson (who actually does really well at NHMS) sixth Mears seventh and Bobby Labonte who was also past his prime by this point (and was on the outside pole for this race next to Carpentier of all people) tenth. 78. 88&4Fan posted: 12.20.2015 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last race of Dario Franchitti's brief NASCAR career. 79. Newman31 posted: 04.24.2016 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This has got to be one of the quickest rain delays ever. Only 10-12 minutes passed before NASCAR called the race for rain. 80. Jericohol14 posted: 07.09.2019 - 12:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @79 I was there. The heavens opened up immediately, lightning was in the area and the track doesn't have lights. I'm glad they didn't waste everyone's time by waiting around. 81. Mile501 posted: 07.09.2019 - 1:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This is an interesting race to go back and revisit since Kurt Busch benefited from the rain this time, while his team made the wrong call at the most recent race at Daytona, almost exactly 11 years later. Sometimes you make the right call, and sometimes you don't. As an aside, had Tony Stewart been able to get this win, he would have 50 career wins instead of 49. As far as I can tell, this is the only rain-shortened race in which Stewart seemed to have the best car but didn't win. 82. Anonermuth posted: 07.09.2019 - 11:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 80) I was too! The storm was pretty wicked! 10 year-old me still had to make sure to buy die-cast cars in the pouring rain! 83. rm posted: 05.07.2020 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gotta love a race that's relatively calm and orderly until it suddenly isn't - and then flies off the rails. If Earnhardt Jr. didn't have a sudden flat tire pop up - or if he makes it to the pits cleanly - odds are that this race finishes under green before the rain comes. Instead, extended cleanup is needed to put some speedy-dry down where McMurray and Ragan's cars came to a rest and Kurt Busch capitalizes for his only win of the season. Along the way, a trio of lap-down cars (Robby Gordon, Sam Hornish, Juan Pablo Montoya) declare war on the lead-lap cars (Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch) and create one final bizarre & chaotic green-flag lap before the rain began to fall. In what was pretty much a completely lost season for both Kurt & Penske, this had been one of Kurt's stronger races on the year anyway, though that's still rather underwhelming for a driver and team of that caliber. Kurt stretched his winning streak to seven straight seasons, eventually winning in ten consecutive seasons before putting up a couple of goose-eggs while driving for Phoenix & Furniture Row. A similar situation would play out in the running of this race in 2009, in the sense that the race was nearly run to completion, but a lengthy accident cleanup (a red flag, in 2009's case) pushes the race's conclusion further back to the point where the rain arrives before the checkered flag does. 84. RyanM posted: 06.23.2020 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a bizarre race from start to finish. Only two drivers who started in the top ten remained there at the halfway point and three drivers who were in the top ten at halfway finished there, and nobody was there at all three points. That much of a lack of correlation is usually only seen in plate races. 85. Rich posted: 12.06.2020 - 10:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach and Kyle Petty were the commentators. Marty Snider, Matt Yocum, Ralph Sheheen and Lindsay Czarniak were the pit road reporters. Larry McReynolds was the in-race analyst. Marc Fein was the studio host. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: