Dale Earnhardt Jr. got the great finish he needed at Bristol
It was a relatively quite night as Bristol Motorspeedway, well as quite as it can be with 170,000 screaming fans and 43 high powered race cars. With Btirstol known for its hard driving and less than patient racing, this particular race will go down as one of the most ho hum Bristol races. Not that the fans at the track would be disappointed in the race they saw. but I would imagine there are plenty of race fans that were left a bit disappointed after watching it on television.
I for one am far from disappointed, my driver had a great race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended up in 3rd place and actually moved up in the points standing with only 2 races to go. He only needs to survive California next week and Ricmond in the final race, the week after.
After starting the race way in back after a horrible qualifying session, he managed to get to the front and actually lead a bunch of laps (not sure exactly how many). He was able to pull off that feat thanks to smart pit strategy by the team. One of the early cautions brought them to pit road deep in the pack and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. made the call to put on only right side tires and sent Dale Jr. back on the track with the lead.
Even though he didn’t remain in the lead for a long time, that move allowed him to stay in the Top 10 for the remainder of the race and he ultimately finished in 3rd. The winner of the race was Matt Kenseth and with the win, he swept the Bristol race weekend since he won the Busch race on Friday night. Baby Busch was trying to make a run to the front of the field, but he fell on position short and came in 2nd in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Both Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson have at least clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup and Kenseth actually has pulled to only 7 points behind Jimmie Johnson in the points standings. The final 8 spots will have to wait until after Richmond to be finalized. I was really nervous before the race started, being a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan and him starting in 40th position, but that soon gave way to excitement at the possibility that he might improve his position in the Chase after he actually lead some laps and looked like he had a pretty stout race car.
There was plenty of shake up in the points standing after Saturday nights race, but no one dropped out of the Top 10 as a result. The biggest loser in the whole thing was Mark Martin, he lost 6 spots, dropping from 4th in points down to 10th. He is 90 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne fighting for that 10th and final spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Top 10 Finishers
| 1. | M. Kenseth | 4 | Ford |
| 2. | Ky. Busch | 19 | Chevy |
| 3. | D. Earnhardt Jr. | 40 | Chevy |
| 4. | S. Riggs | 23 | Dodge |
| 5. | J. Gordon | 13 | Chevy |
| 6. | D. Hamlin | 6 | Chevy |
| 7. | C. Edwards | 39 | Ford |
| 8. | R. Newman | 21 | Dodge |
| 9. | J. Burton | 2 | Chevy |
| 10. | J. Johnson | 18 | Chevy |
Heading into California this weekend, Dale Earnhard Jr. only needs to be concerned with big picture racing and so much fighting for a win. He can move up only 4th in points if he has a spectacular race a the drivers ahead of him don’t, but he could also drop out of the Top 10 with a less than stellar race and Kasey Kahne pull off a win or Top 5.
Does it seem to you that this whole Cup thing has come down to who is lucky, and who isn’t?
I sure hope the COT puts a bigger % back into the Drivers hands. But NASCAR will probably F*** this up too.
Comment by DonB — August 28, 2006 @ 12:08 pm
This was my first time watching a race at Bristol. After all the hype, I thought it would be the best race of the season. I actually liked the Michigan race better. It was faster and more exciting. Maybe the long tracks are just more fun to watch. DEjr. had a great run, moving up from 20th in the pole next to Carl Edwards. Edwards finished in the top ten too, so maybe starting position isn’t really as important as all the commentators implied. I’m looking forward to the California race. The track seems similar to the Michigan track. Fast!
Comment by Bethie — August 28, 2006 @ 12:29 pm
Hi Bethie,
The reason that California looks like Michigan is because it was patterned after Michigan intentionally. I agree that this Bristol race was a dud and the only thing that made it worth watching was because Jr. had a great finish.
Comment by Administrator — August 28, 2006 @ 7:12 pm
Donb,
I couldn’t agree more, there has been way too much luck involved in this season. I have seen too much of the car of tomorrow and I haven’t been impressed. That tail on the deck lid is going to be tough to get used too. I heard that there is a split between the drivers on testing results so far.
Comment by Administrator — August 28, 2006 @ 7:23 pm