California recap
My predictions were largely spot-on: The "Young Guns" looked good in this race, DEI had an awful day, and Hendrick cars dominated... er, actually hendrick had a tough day, except for Jimmie Johnson, but I'll get to that in a moment.
Overall, this race was an entertaining one, with lots of good action on the track. I don't know that we needed to hear the Governator give us his take on gNA$hCAR's economic impact on Kah-lee-for-nya during FOX's hourlong prerace event, but that's why i have a VCR with a remote that I used liberally to condense a 4-1/2 hour broadcast down to three hours. Thank you, SONY.
GLENN'S TEN (6-for-10 -- a decent day):
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- 2nd, Jimmie looked like he might have a mediocre day when he wasn't able to lead any laps. The car didn't look very strong. But in typical Hendrick fashion he made a late charge and nearly beat the winner to the checkers, falling short by a lap of the winning pass.
* Jeff Gordon -- 30th, *Ouch!* Jeff qualified a disappointing 28th but steadily rose through the field. He got as far forward as second, I believe, and looked good for at least a top 5 until the engine went south with about a dozen laps to go. He got black-flagged and failed to get what would have probably been a top 20.
* Kurt Busch -- 2nd, The Roush cars came through as I thought they might, placing four out of five among the top 10. Kurt got a lap down during an untimely caution in the middle of green-flag pit stops, then made up the deficit to lead before Greg Biffle got by him in the waning stages. Second straight 2nd place finish leaves him atop the points list.
* Rusty Wallace -- 10th, Didn't make a lot of noise, but he made the show. I'll take it.
* Ryan Newman -- 9th, Ryan had a Ryan-like afternoon, starting 9th, falling back a bit, starting to improve, then getting caught by bad luck -- this time in the form of tire trouble that caught him a lap down mid-race. It took him a couple of cautions to make up the lap, and he eventually wound up having a decent finish.
* Tony Stewart -- 17th, What happened to Tony? He had to move to the back after fixing a transmission problem, but he charged through the field in the early laps. I was sure he was going to be a factor, but he never ran in the top 10 and hovered between 15th and 20th all afternoon. Disappointing.
* Elliott Sadler -- 8th, This looked nothing like his September '04 victory. He struggled all race and only moved into the top 10 with a couple of two-tire pit stops in the late going.
* Joe Nemechek -- 39th, Joe looked like he would be the surprise of the day. He qualified 4th and ran up front all race until his Hendrick-built engine tanked while he was leading.
* Mark Martin -- 7th, Right about where I would have pegged him. All the Roush cars looked good, but Mark's was just average.
* Matt Kenseth -- 26th, Suffered a tire problem and went a lap down after being near the front all day.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Greg Biffle -- 1st, I almost picked him over Sadler. Looks like I should have. Started 5th and bolted to the lead on lap 4. Fell a lap down along with Bush and Newman but recovered. Took a gamble on two tires on the final pit stop to hold track position. It almost bit him, except that Kurt Bush kept Johnson at bay long enough to preserve the win. Biffle's second win in last three points races.
* Jamie McMurray -- 4th, The only driver to finish in the top 10 who wasn't in my picks or on my "also watching" list. He didn't have a car capable of catching the winners, however.
* Carl Edwards -- 5th, Another guy I almost picked. He led a bundle of laps and ran near the front all day. This kid's gonna win one this year. Currently in the top 5 in points.
* Kevin Harvick -- 6th, The Kevin-who-knows-how-to-race Harvick showed up this week and was among the many leaders. He took four tires on the last pit stop and just couldn't get back up to the front.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Dale Jarrett -- 11th, Decent finish after Daytona disappointment.
* Ken Schrader -- 14th, A name you rarely see in the teens.
* Sterling Marlin -- 15th, Don't look now, but he's among the top 10 in points.
* Brian Vickers -- 21st, Yes, but he started second...
* Kyle Busch -- 23rd, Yes, but he started on the pole, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 32nd, Anyone count how many pit stops Little E made for blown tires, body damage and penalties? Fontana has not been kind to the Bud boys.
* Michael Waltrip -- 38th, DEI had a bad day here, as usual. Blown engine makes two in a row to start the season. Not a good omen.
* Jason Leffler -- 37th, I'll make a prediction now that Ward Burton will be driving this car before we get to Daytona in July. Jason was awful when he ran at this level four years ago, and so far he hasn't given me much reason to think he's vastly improved after stints in the Busch and truck series.
Next week... Viva la Mexico! Actually, the Cup drivers get a bye week while the Buschwackers head to Mexico City for the first modern-era intercontinental gNA$hCAR race. I'll be back in two weeks to predict the running order at Las Vegas.
