"Watch them wiggle, see them jiggle." This is what kept running through my mind as I watched the Sprint Cup race on Sunday night at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. First, there was poor Carl Edwards who hobbled in on crutches after breaking his foot in a weird Frisbee accident. (Yes, you CAN injure yourself while playing Frisbee). While hurting yourself playing Frisbee may not sound very manly, driving 500 miles with a broken foot (your gas foot, too) is VERY manly. As is driving a car whose paint scheme was created by a 13-year-old girl in her 3rd year of fighting cancer. Needless to say, Edwards wasn't complaining much about his foot after meeting the little girl. Unfortunately, the new paint didn't help Edwards when he had to come in to get his car fixed after the engine started puffing smoke around lap 81. He eventually went back on the track to race, but was over 20 laps down at that point.
Several times, Jimmie Johnson was sideways. But, he wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to be sliding around the slippery track. There were 29 lead changes and 9 cautions throughout the entire 500 mile event. It seemed that just about everyone was struggling with their cars. Everytime drivers pitted under caution, someone new would be leading the race. Cars that were previously doing well would fade to the back while those that weren't doing so hot would end up out front. But, at the next stop, the cars that did well on that run wouldn't be doing so well after they pitted. It was quite a roller coaster ride. Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers each broke an axle. Johnson had to go back in the garage to get his fixed, putting him 3 laps down, while Vickers' team managed to fix theirs on pit row under caution and, amazingly, got him out ahead of the pace car to keep him on the lead lap. The fantastic actions of his pit crew gave Brian Vickers a fabulous Top 10 finish (#7, to be exact). There weren't any major crashes, although a glimpse from the Kurt Busch's camera after he wrecked out showed a very frustrated driver throwing his helmet at the car in the garage. He cooled down in time to do his interview with ESPN, though.
In the final laps, it was Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya who were chasing that checkered flag. In the end, victory went to the little guy from Washington state: Kasey Kahne. Next Saturday will be the final race to determine who is in the chase for the 2009 Sprint Cup. You can watch it live from Richmond, VA, on ABC (which will be carrying all the races for the rest of the season) at 7pm PST.
Results of the 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway:
1. Kasey Kahne (#9)
2. Kevin Harvick (#29)
3. Juan Montoya (#42)
4. David Reutimann (#28)
5. Mark Martin (#25)
Definitely in the Chase for the 2009 Sprint Cup:
1. Tony Stewart (#14)
2. Jeff Gordon (#24)
3. Jimmie Johnson (#48)
4. Denny Hamlin (#11)
On the bubble (only 122 points separate 5th place from 14th):
5. Carl Edwards (#99)
6. Kasey Kahne (#9)
7. Kurt Busch (#2)
8. Juan Pablo Montoya (#42)
9. Ryan Newman (#39)
10. Mark Martin (#25)
11. Greg Biffle (#16)
12. Matt Kenseth (#17)
13. Brian Vickers (#83)
14. Kyle Busch (#18)
Good luck, boys. Next race is sure to be a nail-biter; especially for those who haven't locked their spot in the chase yet.
Heather Chavez - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!
Comments (2)Subscribe to CommentsComment