Pocono rehash
OK, this is getting ridiculous. A week after the debacle in Dover, gNA$hCAR was supposed to be getting its act together to avoid the long delays that spoiled last week's event. Instead, they gave us another yawner that fittingly was decided under caution. If I were a paying fan on Sunday I would be demanding my money back -- or at least half of it for the final 87 laps of which 42 were run under caution. Maybe they should take to ending the races at the halfway mark. Seems that's about as long as they have been going under green.
The FOX boys were criticizing the fans for throwing trash on the track at the end of this one, but can you really blame them? The final 20 laps featured more caution laps (11) than some of the "NASCAR Thunder" races I've run on my Nintendo GameCube. The only positive was that the cautions wound up helping the guy who deserved to win anyways.
I had a disappointing 4-for-10 day. Here's how Glenn's Ten fared:
* Bobby Labonte (winner) -- 3rd, He overcame a broken oil pump to wind up with a top 5. Not bad.
* Ryan Newman -- 30th, Led for a bit and was looking at a top 10 before he got too close to "Wrecking Robby" Gordon. Thanks, Robby. Now Ryan is 10th in points, just a couple ahead of Jamie McMurray for the last transfer spot in the Championship Chase.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 6th, Overcame early difficulties to hang on to his points lead.
* Tony Stewart -- 27th, Might have been the car to beat if not for transmission problems. Only reason he only lost six laps was thanks to all the cautions.
* Ward Burton -- 17th, Got close to the top 10, but got shuffled back during the final cautions.
* Jeff Gordon -- 4th, Would have won this thing if not for the pit road screwup in which someone missed a lug nut. Cost him a lap on the penalty stop, and he never fully recovered. Cautions helped him.
* Kasey Kahne -- 14th, Another guy who got shuffled out of a top 10 by late pit strategy. Ran well today.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 2nd, Bet he still wouldn't have won, even if the race had finished under green. This is Ray Evernham's luck.
* Matt Kenseth -- 21st, Yikes! Haven't seen Matt this hot over an incident in some time. He and Kevin Harvick got into it and both drivers spun each other out, which is likely why the race didn't get restarted after the final caution. Kenseth roughed up Harvick on a pass, Harvick came back and spun Kenseth, then Kenseth returned the favor under caution, nearly planting the #29 into two other cars. Can't wait to see the $$ figure on these fines. He was running top 15 before the dustup, then pitted under the final caution and dropped to 21st. NASCAR probably would have penalized him a lap anyhow, so pitting probably didn't affect the finish much.
* Dale Jarrett -- 26th, A top 5 car until lap 195, then up in smoke.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Jimmie Johnson -- 1st, Don't ask me why I didn't pick him. I must have been possessed. NASCAR's screwup in which pit road shouldn't have been open but was looked like it would cost the #48 the race, but the late cautions and pit strategy restored the win to the most deserving party. That's three for the year, but I'll bet he's not finished...
* Kurt Busch -- 5th, Don't ask me why I didn't pick him. I must have been possessed...
* Terry Labonte -- 7th, All the Hendrick cars had a good day.
* Robby Gordon -- 8th, Didn't deserve to finish this well.
* Jamie McMurray -- 9th, No one talked about him today. Strong, silent run.
* Casey Mears -- 10th, Another top 10. Might have to take a serious look at this kid next season.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Brian Vickers -- 13th, top finishing rookie. Ran up front part of the day.
* Kevin Harvick -- 20th, NASCAR penalized him after the fact. Who gets the bigger fine? Him or Kenseth?
* Rusty Wallace -- 32nd, Claims to have lost brakes getting into the back of Michael Waltrip.
* Michael Waltrip -- 33rd, In Rusty's way. Hit the Turn 2 wall pretty hard. He didn't need a finish like this.
* Kyle Petty -- 37th, Best thing about his week is opening of the Victory Junction camp. Maybe now he'll think about retirement.
Next week... the wide-open spaces of Michigan.
