|| *Comments on the 2009 Pocono 500:* View the most recent comment <#77> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Candraco posted: 06.07.2009 - 9:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) simply awesome more to say later 2. WallaceFan posted: 06.07.2009 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) yawn. Well GOOD NEWS! We have another Pocono race to look forward too soon.... Never a fun race, but great job to Tony winning this one. Denny Hamlin had problems one lap 1, came back out and same thing happened.... Dexter Bean makes his first career race and doesnt start and park like i had thought he would...very fluky though, check his driver page for details. Great runs for Reut, JPM, Hornish, and Ambrose - who is now 18th in points. 3. Bronco posted: 06.07.2009 - 9:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man, how I wish Carl would have won. If I would have known he wouldn't have been as good in 2009 as he was in 2008 I would have enjoyed last year's wins a lot more. After seeing what happened to Hamlin at the start of the race (at his best track), I think he needs to be nicknamed Heartbreak Hamlin, or Hard Luck Hamlin. If it hadn't been for the start and parks he would have finished last. Congrats to the Reut for finishing 3rd and moving back into the top 12. Ambrose also had a good day and so did Waltrip despite spinning out twice on pit road. Good to see underdog Dexter Bean make his first race, and even better to see him not start and park. To me the new restart rules did little to change the fact that Pocono is one of the most boring tracks on the schedule. I think the new rules will create good racing at Sonoma and Daytona but otherwise I'm not sure if there will be an improvement in the quality of racing. 4. Anonymous posted: 06.07.2009 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While Stewart is the first own/driver to win a race since Ricky Rudd, he gets his equipment from Hendrick. This race reminds me of why Pocono isn't one of best tracks to watch on tv. The double restarts didn't really make a difference in terms of racing at Pocono. That track always seem to a be a snooze fast for passing the lead a first place. This rule would be great at places Nashville in the Nationwide series for example on what I say last night. That double Restarts will help out at some of the tracks on the cup circuit for racing like tracks that are one mile or less. David gets his 2nd top 5 finish in 3 weeks. Macros is continuing to do a pretty good season in cup. Sam Hornish Jr. has to be the most improved driver on the circuit despite what Willy on Wheels says. 5. Baker posted: 06.07.2009 - 10:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've been celebrating since he came out of turn 3 and I realized he wasn't going to run ott of fuel. I'm so pumped for Tony. I love Joe Gibbs and his race team, but I swear he is cursed. Stewart's bad luck has left him behind so far this season, and I see bad things happen week after week to Hamlin, Busch and even Logano. I think Gibbs is cursed. Back to the Stewart. He gets his first points paying win 4 weeks sooner than I predicted(Loudon) his teammate pulls a Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus/Jeff Gordon/Rick Hendrick magic trick and come back from certain defeat to pull of a Top 5 to keep his streak alive and moves up to 4th in the standings. I hope the next 22 weeks bring more of the same... 6. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.07.2009 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I didn't like the wave around part of the double file restart. It won't be an issue at other tracks, but at a track like Pocono where you can pit without losing a lap, they went from one lucky dog to 15. Dale Jr slides through his pit stall AGAIN!! Michael Waltrip spins out on pit road TWICE! This is one of the widest pit roads. Thier ability to coddle sponsors has nothing to do with them being in Sprint Cup. RCR looked better than they have in a long time. And they still never really contended. I bet they don't regret losing Bobby Hutchens to Stewart Hass at all. 7. Mike posted: 06.07.2009 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was quite a snoozer until that caution on lap 105, then the race seemed to pick up a little. Great win for the 14 team 8. CarlEdwards99 posted: 06.07.2009 - 10:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Edwards dominated the first 160 laps, than he was beat out on pit road by Stewart and the race became about saving fuel and Stewart was just faster in that style of race. congrats to Tony for winning as a owner/driver. the results for this race got scrambled by some guys able to make it on fuel and others not. Edwards and Stewart were the fastest 2 cars but beyond the top 2, the results are not nearly indicative of how everybody ran. race was a bit of a throw back in the sense that there was only 5 cautions, including a 89 lap green flag run at a 2.5 mile race track and no crashes that lead to a caution in the whole race. 9. CarlEdwards99 posted: 06.07.2009 - 10:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pocono by itself is boring. But I like what it does for the season. It's different and gives the season a little more flavor and the drivers/teams another challenge. A lot of the cookie cutters produce boring racing, but at least with Pocono it's different. 10. Dodge posted: 06.07.2009 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anybody know who spun coming down to the checkers. The announcers said Kahne but what happened. I did not see a replay and TNT acted like the coverage went late which it did NOT. THEY HAD TILL 6:30 EASTERN BUT WENT OFF THE AIR AT ABOUT 6:10. If this is going to be their coverage, NASCAR might as well cancel the coverage. A commercial with 10 TO GO, pathetic. 11. JJ Lehto posted: 06.07.2009 - 11:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yea Pocono really has gone to hell. But Stewart wins!!!! 12. Kit posted: 06.08.2009 - 12:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think Gibbs is cursed." Gibbs has two driver with the maturity levels of 15-year-old girls and another driver who moved up too quickly. How is he cursed? 13. Ryan posted: 06.08.2009 - 12:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd hate to be the person that said Tony Stewart would struggle as an owner this season. Talk about a face melter... Dale Sr Fan 14. Anonymous posted: 06.08.2009 - 1:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think it might have been the 44 of aj allmendinger 15. Willy on Wheels posted: 06.08.2009 - 6:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was Kanhe. He was in the top 5 when it happened but he still managed 15th. 16. John Royal posted: 06.08.2009 - 8:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That wasn't THAT bad Pocono race, I somehow enjoyed it for most of the time (read: after Johnson got shuffled back). I like Edwards and of course Stewart. I was SO glad to see Stewart win for Stewart-Haas-Hendrick team. Wish that would have come without Haas and Hendrick... It takes away from the real owner-driver feel when you have such level of Haas and Hendrick involment. btw, Wasn't Jeff Gordon co-owner for Johnson's car...? :D ---- New restart rule is one the best rule change for ages, although it is artificial excitement, but we need that with these cars and tracks. ---- These guys are GOOOD, no accidents except Junior screwing. 17. Zed 3_88fan4eva posted: 06.08.2009 - 8:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was I the only one that thought that the race today wasnt really that bad, comparing to some of the past Pocono races. I mean it wasnt that bad. Anyway awesome to see Smoke pull it off and it will be interesting to see how much of a but whippin he'll put during the summer when he usually heats up I think we all gave up on Sam Hornish too early much like Logano and even Four Wheel Chicain Wallace because he has another solid run and getting a hard fought 10th. Also Marcos Ambrose ran not the strongest race but still grabbed an awesome 6th. Heartbreak for Hamlin who I thought woulda had a chance to win and Allmendinger & Martin ran alot better than they finished Anyway a pretty good race for Pocono today...of course I think Im the only one that thinks so 18. samfan09 posted: 06.08.2009 - 8:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah it was Kahne. Great job still finishing 15th despite the spin. Allmendinger ran out of gas on with about half a lap to go while running 10th. I see he finished 199 laps, so I'm kind of doubting that he actually finished. Maybe he ran out on lap 198, I'm not real sure. 19. Woodbridge posted: 06.08.2009 - 9:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Always a great feeling to see so many of my favorite drivers in the top ten... Stewart winning and good runs from Edwards, Reutimann, Newman, Ambrose, Montoya, and Hornish! Kudos also go out to Dexter Bean who completed most of the race and actually tried to compete. 20. Bronco posted: 06.08.2009 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not to take anything away from Stewart but I don't consider his owner driver thing to be that impressive, at least not compared to Alan Kulwicki, Ricky Rudd and even Bill Elliott. Kulwicki, Rudd and Elliott pretty much built their teams from the ground up with little or no manufacturer sport, and they didn't have teammates or partners to share information. Yet Kulwicki won a few races and a championship, Rudd also won a few races, and Elliott never won a race but was moderately competitive. Stewart on the other hand just brought over the big money sponsors in Old Spice, Office Depot, and the US Army. That alone let Haas racing get better equipment and personnel in order to compete. Not to mention the fact that Chevrolet is giving him a ton of support and he's getting more engineering help from Hendrick than Johnny Sauter and Jeff Greeen ever did. I do give Stewart credit for having the courage to take a risk and change his surroundings after ten years with the same team, crew chief, sponsor and owner. But IMO Kulwicki, Rudd and Elliott were in a different league altogether. 21. Smokefan05 posted: 06.08.2009 - 10:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I knew he'd take a win down this year. Congrats Tony. BTW congrats to Robby on winning the Baja 500 for the 4th time. 22. Frank posted: 06.08.2009 - 11:52 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) In case anyone forgot, this race was on what would have been racing legend Tim Richmond's 54th birthday, at a track where he kicked butt at in the mid 1980s. I am glad that the ARCA race at Mansfield two weeks from now will be called the Tim Richmond Memorial 200. It's about time someone paid tribute to the man. Who knows what he could have accomplished. 23. Anonymous posted: 06.08.2009 - 1:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin and Sterling Marlin remain winless at Pocono in 45 starts. Only Michael Waltrip has made more starts (46) at Pocono and never won. 300th career start for Kevin Harvick. 24. Kit posted: 06.08.2009 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan, the ONLY reason Tony Stewart is not struggling as a (part) owner is because he is getting his cars and engines from Hendrick. All he pretty much has to do is drive the car and make payroll. Compare this to the late Alan Kulwicki who had to build and set the cars up himself and had the same amount of success as Stewart has now. I don't mean to take anything away from Stewart but we have to be realistic. Hendrick and Haas are taking care of most of the ownership issues that other previous owner/drivers such as Kulwicki and Rudd had to do themselves. By buying into a team, Stewart has more control over his driving career rather than purely being an owner/driver. All things considered, it would have been a unwise move to become an owner/driver in today's sport WITHOUT being a satellite Hendrick team. So like I said, he wanted more control over his driving career rather than be an owner/driver like past examples. I didn't think he would do that well myself but I didn't know that he was just going to get EVERYTHING from Hendrick. Hell, considering Stewart's occasional tantrums on the track, he would have choked if he was in Alan Kulwicki's situation. If he wins another championship, it will be a joke to call him the next owner/driver after Alan Kulwicki to win considering 1) Kulwicki won under a better points system and 2) Kulwikci was on his own as an owner. 25. Baker posted: 06.08.2009 - 1:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Frank, we've always had races in this area dedicated to Tim Richmond the ARCA race won't be the first or last. He's a legand around here. It is probably the biggest and most notebale race though. I agree with whoever said this wasn't a bad pocono race. Aside from Carl Edwards dominating the vast majority of the race there was still some good racing going on all over the track behind him...he just happend to have a stout car, but those things happen everywhere...see Dover last week. Bristol with Kyle Busch last season ect. Pocono was more exciting this year and I do believe they still deserve 2 races a year. I do propose, however, that they shorten both Pocono races to 400 miles and then extend the race in Indy to 500 miles for the new Brickyard 500. Any thoughts? 26. Kit posted: 06.08.2009 - 1:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Mark Martin and Sterling Marlin remain winless at Pocono in 45 starts. Only Michael Waltrip has made more starts (46) at Pocono and never won." What a lame attempt at trolling considering whoever wrote this was part of the discussion on the Waltrip thread where we also discussed Marlin and Martin. Try again. 27. Kit posted: 06.08.2009 - 1:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I do give Stewart credit for having the courage to take a risk and change his surroundings after ten years with the same team, crew chief, sponsor and owner. But IMO Kulwicki, Rudd and Elliott were in a different league altogether." I totally agree, Bronco. I wish I had seen your post before I made my previous response. 28. WallaceFan posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When Stewart was doing burnouts you could see Allmendingers car sitting on the front stretch, so i'd def say he ran out of gas. 29. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with Bronco's post. The team, the shop, and infastructure were in place. Plus he and Ryan had already made a name for themselves at other organizations, allowing them to get sponsorship. Granted this is also true for Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, and Darrell Waltrip, they still had to build from the ground up. This makes Alan Kulwick's championship even more remarkable. He built his team as a nobody. He was just a quiet guy from Wisconsin that nobody really knew anything about. Yet he still built a champion. As for the "face melter", I predicted Tony would struggle because I didn't realize just how much Hendrick was involved with Haas. I thought they just got engines from them. I didn't know that they also got chassis and had an open book policy with the other Hendrick teams. Rick was very smart with this one. It is basically a 6 car team with 6 full sponsorship programs and five good drivers. It is what Roush needs to be doing with Yates. Yes, Tony has to run his own shop, and that is no easy task, but he hired Bobby Hutchens which has been huge. Why Richard Childress let him go I'll never know. RC has made some head scratching decisions in the last few years, but this one takes the cake. He was a huge part of RCR for a long time, since the early 80's. 30. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I was very pleased with TNT's broadcast. I loved Kyle Petty. His irreverance is such a refreshing change of course from FOX and ESPN's treating NASCAR like a high class tea party. I love when that viewer asked why the #48 team likes to take the first pit stall. "I'll be honest, I have no friggin idea". Plus it was so nice to be away from the "Dale Jr and Kyle Busch Show". They were treated just like everyone else. 31. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Only Michael Waltrip has made more starts (46) at Pocono and never won." Michael Waltrip has a lot of tracks like that. 32. John Royal posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, I really agree with you about the TNT broadcast! Kyle Petty is great, he has voice that you can listen easily for three hours (compare DW..) and has great sense of self irony. "I know how it feels to pit in the last stall, since I've qualified last like 20 million times." But also TNT's broadcast was very professional and clean. Maybe that was the main reason why I liked to watch this race... Oh I dislike Fox so much... 33. Bronco posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To add to the whole owner/driver thing, I think Robby Gordon is probably the only true owner driver out there. I think to have survived as a single car team for so long is a pretty big accomplishment. I know Robby's team isn't competitive at all but I think he's done a decent job. To me what Michael Waltrip has done with MWR is more impressive than Stewart's team. They started off with the jet fuel scandal, then they missed half the races in 2007 and had numerous mechanical problems. In 2008 they put all cars in the top 35 but they still weren't considered contenders. Along the way they lost Burger King, Dominoes, and UPS. Now they have a win, a few poles and guaranteed sponsorship. I know the 55 runs poorly every week but that's because Waltrip's time in nascar is pretty much up. The fact that Reutimann is in the top 12 and outperforming several big name drivers this year is no small feat. Like some of you have said, Stewart has so far been handed everything to him on a platter. And Kit, Stewart didn't buy into the team. He was offered 50% ownership at no cost if he could bring sponsorship and respectability to the team. 34. hyperacti posted: 06.08.2009 - 2:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TNT is good with things like Kyle Petty, recognizing people running in the 20's with thru the field, and giving shoutouts to the little guys. However, they took like 2-3 commercial breaks in the last 30 laps and then another one 45 seconds after Tony Stewart crossed the finish line. We also didn't get to see a replay of what happened to Kasey Kahne, which they said was a nice save. Fox would have never taken a commercial so soon after the checkered. And to whoever said to extend the Brickyard to 500 miles, I believe thats a terrible idea. 1, the race is long enough already. 2, we'd have to sit through another 100 miles of blown tires and competition yellows. Last I heard, Goodyear still hasn't figured it out, despite how hard they've been working. 35. Dodge posted: 06.08.2009 - 3:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF Quick question. What is your feelings about them ending their coverage 20 minutes earlier than scheduled? I believe they should of stayed on till 6:30 and then move over to NASCAR.COM or wherever they had the rest of the postrace show on. 36. Baker posted: 06.08.2009 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Obviously the tire issues has to be fixed first. Seriously the race is too long? How about 500 miles at Pocono and California twice a year? Those are too damn long. The big events deserve to be longer Coke 600, Daytona 500 and Indianapolis should be 500 miles while contracting California and Pocono races down to 400 miles which lessens the total driving by 300 miles. 37. Corky posted: 06.08.2009 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I go to Pocono every year for both races. I usually defend the track at all costs. But there was no defending this race. It sucked. It was the worst race at Pocono since ironically Stewart won there last time (and I don't mind Stewart, they just weren't exciting races) 38. Kit posted: 06.08.2009 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "I know Robby's team isn't competitive at all but I think he's done a decent job." Not really. He's not even competitive for a win. Kulwicki, Rudd, and Elliott were all competitive for a win. Gordon has a revolving door of employees. Gordon HAS managed to keep a sponsor which is impressive in itself. "Now they have a win, a few poles and guaranteed sponsorship. I know the 55 runs poorly every week but that's because Waltrip's time in nascar is pretty much up." Waltrip never had "his time" in NASCAR. MWR is staying afloat for two reasons: 1) David Reutimann 2) Aaron's and NAPA sponsorship What Michael Waltrip has done with MWR is not that impressive when you consider that as an owner/driver, he sucks. His grand accomplishment as a team owner is keeping Reutimann on board. 39. Canadianfan posted: 06.08.2009 - 7:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think the perfect solution for Pocono is to reduce the mileage from 500 to 310.6 which is 500km. It good for the track because they can keep the 500 number but the length is shorter 125 laps instead of 200. It is still a long race but better for the TV audience (3 hours instead of almost 4) and the fans. That is just my take on this overall boring race track. 40. Candraco posted: 06.08.2009 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only downside to this race was when johnson led the race. i liked this race the most so far for obvious reasons im a big stewart fan and have ben since mid 2005, its good to see tony back to championship form. and this win was great after leaving a team that cant handle fuel mileage races it was cool to see tony get ONLY HIS SECOND RACE ON FUEL STRATEGY!! his only other fuel mileage win was at kansas in 06 and even then he was a quarter lap short and won the thing! tony opens up a little bit bigger lead in the standings and all this after nearly every nascar fan had said it was the end of his career he would never win a race again, and all other things. he has proven em wrong but there is still a long way to go hilarious to see johnson get stung for once i savored that one real well its nice to see johnson have some hardship when nearly everything goes "right" for him. the new double file restarts provided only a little more excitement than a usual race. see my comments on the autism speaks 400 race last week to see why they are not going to make much more difference. 41. Kit posted: 06.08.2009 - 11:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "and all this after nearly every nascar fan had said it was the end of his career he would never win a race again, and all other things." It would have been the end of his career if he wasn't getting Hendrick equipment. 42. samfan09 posted: 06.09.2009 - 12:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) From everything they've said, Goodyear is at least close to figuring out the Indy tire situation. On the last tire test they were at least able to run a full fuel run without serious problems. We'll see if it lasts into July though for when it really matters. Pocono is great as a challenge to the drivers and should be on the schedule. But it's brutal to watch. I think it may be worth it to try a race at 400 miles and see what happens. Maybe it doesn't help at all, but it could at least be worth a shot. 43. Ryan posted: 06.09.2009 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have to agree... What Special K did back in '92 was one of the most underrated accomplishments in the history of sports. He isn't appreciated enough. It's a damn shame, too. He deserves better. I think he was in 5th or 6th in the '93 standings when he died. Great champion. The 1992 Hooters 500 is definitely the best race of my lifetime (born in'82). I could care less about Smoke, but what he is doing is impressive. Hendrick or no Hendrick no one expected him to be doing this well. He still had to get the right people together. I wouldn't ever bet against the guy. I thought he would be in the top 5 at this time. 44. Bronco posted: 06.09.2009 - 11:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I was very pleased with TNT's broadcast. I loved Kyle Petty. His irreverance is such a refreshing change of course from FOX and ESPN's treating NASCAR like a high class tea party. I love when that viewer asked why the #48 team likes to take the first pit stall. "I'll be honest, I have no friggin idea"." I agree completely! During the race a caution came out and the #48 pitted while pit road was closed, because he couldn't see the light or something. Ten minutes later, Kyle asked the question that no one else dared to ask "What was the caution for?" to which Bill replied "debris". (I don't recall any being shown on TV). I am glad Kyle has found a way to stay involved with the sport he grew up with. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth about the way Petty Enterprises, Boston Ventures and especially the King treated him last year. 45. Kit posted: 06.09.2009 - 12:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Hendrick or no Hendrick no one expected him to be doing this well." He's getting cars, equipment, and open notes from the most dominating team in the sport. Stewart is a good driver so you can't expect less out of him in a Hendrick car. 46. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.09.2009 - 1:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What is your feelings about them ending their coverage 20 minutes earlier than scheduled? I believe they should of stayed on till 6:30 and then move over to NASCAR.COM or wherever they had the rest of the postrace show on." That was unfortunate. I didn't know about that at first because I got up to eat after Tony's interview. There are definitely still some bugs to be worked out. I just liked the overall tone of the broadcast. The Dover telecast, in my opinion, was sickening. It was hardly anything except "The New Adventures of Dale Jr And Lance" show. With 43 cars racing for a win at one of NASCAR's toughest tracks, they spent half the telecast breaking down every little component of Dale Jr and Lance over the radio. Worst of all, they were actually praising Dale Jr for telling Lance exactly what the car was doing, exactly how the car responded to each change, and what he would like the car to do. EVERY OTHER DRIVER ALSO DOES THIS!! HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING THIS THE WHOLE TIME!! For that much attention to be placed on such an underachiever is just wrong. Dale Jr is a very talented driver. There is no telling what he could do in NASCAR if he gave anywhere close to 100% effort and focus. He shouldn't be praised for suddenly doing something he should have been doing for the past 10 years. Newsflash FOX: THIS ISN'T A REALITY SHOW. IT IS A COMPETITIVE SPORT. TNT, on the other hand, treated it accordingly. They talked about Dale Jr when he did something noteworthy, like screw up on pit road for the umpteenth time this year or cause a wreck out of frustration. But otherwise, they just let him stay in obscurity where he currently belongs with his results. And they didn't try to cover his ass the way FOX and ESPN do. They pointed out how mad his crew members were when he slid through his pits, and pointed out that he could have easily given Stremme a break for his wreck, and that it was probably the result of frustration. Plus they didn't just focus on the Top 5. And they didn't give Kyle Busch the other half of the attention either. FOX and ESPN are really bad about this. "Oh look at Kyle now, he has that car totally hung out or is going three wide! What a crazy move! This guy sure is fun to watch! Who else could possible do this?!?" Dale Earnhardt, Tim Richmond, Ernie Irvan, Cale Yarborough, Greg Biffle just to name a few. And kudos to Kyle Petty for calling Kyle Busch out for smashing the coveted Nasville Sam Bass Gibson guitar, and not pulling the old "Oh great, we have personality now!!" He is an immature brat with no comprehension of how his actions and words impact others. 47. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.09.2009 - 1:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ten minutes later, Kyle asked the question that no one else dared to ask "What was the caution for?" to which Bill replied "debris". (I don't recall any being shown on TV)." I'm glad you brought that up. It is about time somebody blows the whistle on these bogus debris cautions. And the way he did it was great too. I also hated to see the way he was dumped by the brain trust (I use that term loosely) at Boston Ventures and GEM. At first I said "well business is business and he hasn't been performing", but then I remembered why he came back to Petty Enterprises in the first place. In the mid 90's, he was a competitive driver that could win when his equipment held up. He was great with sponsors and could have gone almost anywhere. But he wanted to make sure his son, Adam, had a place to race when he became old enough. He basically gave up his racing career for his son. Of course Adam was tragically killed in a practice crash, so now they had a huge void at PE. So instead of having somebody else get in the #45 car, Kyle drove it himself as, in his words, a "relief driver" to carry on Adam's legacy. Of course, BV and Gillette didn't care about this. They just dumped him. 48. Critic posted: 06.10.2009 - 2:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In spite of those who allow their personal dislike of Michael Waltrip to cloud their judgment, I believe what he has managed to do with Michael Waltrip Racing is exceedingly impressive, considering the horrific debut year the organization experienced and the recent volatility in the sport. In the middle of 2007, there were serious doubts as to whether his team would even exist in 2008. Now he has one car in the top-12 in points and a satellite team in the top-20. No doubt the No. 55 should be performing much better, but that will be rectified when he steps aside for 2010. Give credit where credit is due. Michael Waltrip the driver is done, but Michael Waltrip the owner will be a serious player in the sport for the foreseeable future. 49. hyperacti posted: 06.10.2009 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Critic is right. "and all this after nearly every nascar fan had said it was the end of his career he would never win a race again, and all other things." ...incorrect statement. Only a few Nascar fans believed it was the end of his career. Most of them were certain he'd still be competetive, as was I. he is no underdog, and never was. 50. Candraco posted: 06.10.2009 - 7:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) im going to ignore kits comment but i will answer yours hyperacti... yes it may be an incorrect statement what i SHOULD have saidwas that everyone who doesnt like tony thought that his career was over with this move. on the other hand die hard and casual fans of tony alike knew he would still be good. me being a die hard tony fan dating back to july of 2005, i KNEW he would still be good, i wrote a comment on his driver page earlier last year right after we learned about his move and number ill let you see it if you want i dont think i need to say it here but i will say that in those days i went by #20 fan but #48 Hater. 51. Kit posted: 06.10.2009 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Critic, MW is a much better owner than a driver. He should have become an owner a lot sooner, although he was really helped by Toyota. "tony thought that his career was over with this move." And it would be if he wasn't getting Hendrick equipment. The guy is too emotionally brittle to do what Kulwicki, Elliott, Bodine, and Rudd did: start a team from the ground up and be competitive. 52. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.10.2009 - 11:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What's impressive is David Reutimann's driving ability. If he were at Hendrick right now, he would have at least 3 wins and be in the Top 3 in points. He has carried that organization. They don't call him "The Franchise" for nothing. He is MWR. If he hadn't resigned last year, they would be sunk. I can't believe they haven't been able to keep sponsorship for him. In all three years he has had three different sponsors. UPS left to go with David Ragan who has completely sucked since they took over. And they lost the Burger King and Dominoes deal even though he qualified for more races and clearly outperfromed Mikey and DJ who had WAY more experience than him. Another thing: In 2008 he TWICE got MWR cars into the Top 35. He did it with the #00 car in the first 5 races before handing it over to Michael McDowall (who did a fantastic job.... of wrecking). Then he stepped into the #44 after DJ gave it up and got THAT car into the Top 35. Amazing!! Now it looks like MWR will sign Martin Truex because he wants to work with Reut. Nobody in NASCAR is currently doing more for their organization than David Reutimann. 53. Bronco posted: 06.11.2009 - 7:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Now it looks like MWR will sign Martin Truex because he wants to work with Reut." I hope he doesn't go to MWR. I don't see how that would be an improvement over his current situation. "Nobody in NASCAR is currently doing more for their organization than David Reutimann." Don't forget Kurt Busch or Jeff Burton. Who knows where their organizations would be without their solid performance? 54. Kit posted: 06.11.2009 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Reutimann is the next generation Dale Jarrett. "I hope he doesn't go to MWR. I don't see how that would be an improvement over his current situation." To be completely honest, I think MWR is a better team than Earnhardt-Ganassi right now. Speaking of which, what was the point of keeping Ganassi's name on the team? Why couldn't they merge and stay as DALE EARNHARDT Inc.? Ganassi must have a huge ego. 55. Anonymous posted: 06.11.2009 - 2:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, MWR isn't a bad organization in terms of equipment and Micheal knows how to hire the right people at times. MWR hired a formula 1 engineer during the off season and it has helped big time. If the equipment is bad, how do you explain Marcos Ambrose being in the top 20 races in MWR equipment? JTG-Daugherty Racing is a satellite team and uses MWR equipment. It is not all David Reutimann in terms of making MWR equipment look good. The 55 team makes it look like MWR has worse equipment than they actually do. We all know Michael Waltrip is a sub par or average cup driver at best and is on downside of his career and is why the 55 team is doing so bad in points. You mentioned Michael McDowall, but thatis a MWR screw up. Michael McDowell came to cup with little stock car experience in 2008. Before 2007, he was a road racer. How many drivers could the jump from ARCA to Cup for the last 15 years with success with a road racing background? Michael McDowell is doing an average job in the Nationwide series this year. He is higher in points than Steve Wallace is and has a slightly better finishing average than Justin Allgaier does right. Michael McDowell some talent, but he was to "green" to go to cup a first place. 56. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.11.2009 - 2:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I hope he doesn't go to MWR. I don't see how that would be an improvement over his current situation." Yeah, it looks like a lateral move to me. I'd try to get in if JGR wanted to start a 4th team, or if SHR could start a third team. "Don't forget Kurt Busch or Jeff Burton. Who knows where their organizations would be without their solid performance?" In the crapper. That's where those organization's performances would be. 57. Candraco posted: 06.11.2009 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nobody in NASCAR is currently doing more for their organization than David Reutimann." Bronco | 06.11.09 - 7:39 am What about tony stewart for stewart/haas?!?!?!?!?!? 58. Anonymous posted: 06.11.2009 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What about tony stewart for stewart/haas?!?!?!?!?!?" He has Hendrick equipment. If Reut ran Hendrick engines and chassis he would have a non-rain win or two by now. And just for the record, I'm not saying MWR "sucks", but Reut is definitely overachieving. I think Marcos Ambrose is too. I just think it is a second tier organization. And their inability to keep sponsors is concerning to me. I know that in this economic climate, everyone outside the big 4 are having issues in that area, but they are really losing them. It reminds me of what DEI went through from 2003 on. They lost Pennzoil, Napa, Bud, Army, and Menards very quickly. 59. Bronco posted: 06.11.2009 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What about tony stewart for stewart/haas?!?!?!?!?!? Candraco | 06.11.09 - 4:22 pm" Tony isn't the backbone of his team like Busch, Burton and Reutimann. You're forgetting that Tony's teammate is also in the top 5 in points. "And their inability to keep sponsors is concerning to me." I don't think MWR is going to be losing sponsors anymore, certainly not with the way Reutimann and Ambrose has been running. And the NAPA/Waltrp combo is the third longest driver/sponsor combo so that probably will not change soon. Even if Waltrip doesn't stick around for next season I'm sure NAPA will be happy to sponsor his replacement. 60. Kit posted: 06.11.2009 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The 55 team makes it look like MWR has worse equipment than they actually do. We all know Michael Waltrip is a sub par or average cup driver at best and is on downside of his career and is why the 55 team is doing so bad in points." Hahahahaha, MW's driving is bringing his own team down. But he never was an average driver. I think he'll probably be out of the car for good after this year. 61. DaleSrFanForever posted: 06.11.2009 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The comment at 6/11 5:21pm is mine 62. Anonymous posted: 06.11.2009 - 11:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kit, Based on an Espn article couple days ago, Micheal is planning to race part time in 2010. Here is the Proof : http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4245012 . It is the first sentence of the article. That means he will be racing, but another driver will be sharing a ride with him and MWR would be having 3 teams. IF Micheal will be sharing ride, if will be with one of the following drivers: Scott Riggs Travis Kvapil Regan Smith Michael McDowell (he is 9th in Nationwide in points and has a 17.3 finishing Average.) Patrick Carpentier Some Driver that we don't expect. 63. hyperacti posted: 06.12.2009 - 10:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Some Driver that we don't expect." Trevor Bayne or Ken Butler perhaps. That, of course, assuming they move another kid up too quickly. But those names still should be on that list. Also I believe that MWR actually has good equipment. Get Mikey outta his own car, put Truex in it, and bam, you have two competetive teams and a capable owner. They'll be on the rise in years to come. 64. Anonymous posted: 06.13.2009 - 12:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) hyperacti, I actually forgot about Trevor Bayne or Ken Butler and that is why I don't mention those two drivers a first place.. What I meant by "Some driver that we don't expect" is a cup driver under contract by another team currently. 65. Dodge posted: 06.13.2009 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If they put Butler in, then that would be a mistake since it seems that Butler always wrecks in the races he's in. Plus, I imagine that Butler's dad would want his son to have Aaron's sponsorship so they would probably have to move Reutimann to NAPA. 66. Kit posted: 06.13.2009 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Micheal is planning to race part time in 2010." He would be better off with a full-time replacement. Judging by the way Reutimann has been running, the #55 could be a top-15 points ride. 67. Mamorese posted: 06.15.2009 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Funny how everyone seems to rip on Pocono, yet it manages to sell out year after year, including this year of all years when most tracks are struggling with attendance. Stop hating, if you like old school racing, this is your track. It's in virtually the same condition aside from safer barriers that it was back in 1969. Even the catchfences haven't changed. I could never see myself not going to a race there. 68. CBASS posted: 02.03.2013 - 7:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #39 Haas Automation Demo Day #42 Target/ Polaroid http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0916 69. LASTCAR posted: 04.24.2013 - 12:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Patrick Carpentier picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his career in Sunday's Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway when his unsponsored #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota fell out with a vibration problem after completing 32 of the race's 200 laps. The Tommy Baldwin Racing team was one of the surprising stories of SpeedWeeks 2009 at Daytona when driver Scott Riggs raced the start-up team's #36 into the Daytona 500. However, four DNQ's in the eleven races after, combined with a lack of sponsorship, led to Riggs leaving the team after the Coca-Cola 600. After Mike Skinner raced the car at Dover, Patrick Carpentier was tabbed to drive for Baldwin at Pocono. One of last year's Rookie of the Year candidates, Carpentier had not made a NASCAR Sprint Cup start since last fall's Camping World RV 400 at Kansas. He was released from the team after failing to qualify for the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega the following week. Qualifying was rained out at Pocono on Friday, and since Baldwin's team had attempted all the races, Carpentier secured the 40th starting spot. Unfortunately, on lap 32, Carpentier went behind the wall with a vibration. The finish was Carpentier's first last-place finish since he crashed out in the big lap 230 pileup during the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond last May. It is the first last-place finish for Tommy Baldwin's team and the first for #36 since Johnny Benson, Jr. lost the engine while driving Bill Davis Racing's 360 OTC Toyota in the 2007 season finale, the Ford 400 at Homestead. Carpentier is the second last-place finisher to fall out with a vibration problem, the last being Mike Bliss in last month's Coca-Cola 600. 2009 RANKINGS 1st) Dave Blaney (3) 2nd) Mike Bliss, David Gilliland (2) 3rd) Todd Bodine, Patrick Carpentier, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Joe Nemechek, Tony Raines (1) Visit http://brockbeard.blogspot.com/ for more. 70. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 04.24.2014 - 11:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew 06 Trevor Boys Dodge Canics.com Theresa Boys Which prove to be a terrible idea because they would of made the race 71. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.12.2016 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates: #1 TomTom/Target #42 Target/Polaroid #44 Stanley Tools/MAC Tools #47 Kingsford/Clorox #82 Red Bull Cola #17 DeWalt/USG 72. Anonymous posted: 08.28.2016 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) My first race I ever went too and one of the most boring races ever 73. Josh posted: 01.19.2017 - 11:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dexter Bean hit the pit cone in this race. 74. Josh posted: 01.19.2017 - 11:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only thing I can figure on the Boys withdrawal may be they realized their car either may not or would not pass tech so they withdrew to avoid a staggering penalty and/or fine like Carl Long's. 75. rateus posted: 04.08.2020 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Travis Kvapil was Robby Gordon's stand-in for practice and qualifying (had it happened) so should be maeked as a driver change 76. SK posted: 11.07.2020 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Both the #64 of Mike Wallace and the #37 of Tony Raines had made more attempts thus far in the season than the #51 of Bean, and would have been ahead of him in line for a starting spot in this race - but since their entry blanks came in late and Bean's didn't, Dexter got to compete on Sunday. 77. 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: