NASCAR 2011

[Lavabe]

Lap 140 of 267
CAUTION: DEBRIS
Going into the yellow caution pits, the order is:

1-5: Blech, Edwards, Kurt, KK, JJ
6-10: Reutimann, JPM, Kes, Kenseth, Harvick
Menard 12
Ambrose 15
Smith 16
Burton 17
Logano 18
Jr 21 [-1]
Newman 23 [-1]
Dinger 26 [-1]
Bowyer 28 [-1]
Gilliland 30 [-1]

[Lavabe]

112 Laps to go
CAUTION: DEBRIS
Note that Kes and Smoke stayed out in the last caution, giving them the lead.

109 Laps to go: Green flag racing
1-5: Kes, Blech, Smoke, Kurt, Edwards
6-10: JJ, JPM, Kenseth, Reutimann, Harvick
Menard 11
Ambrose 15
Smith 14
Burton 15
Logano 12
Jr 21
Newman 20
Dinger 27 [-1]
Bowyer 28 [-1]
Gilliland 31 [-1]

[YmoBeThere]

I was in your general area today in an attempt to avoid going through the Sparta area shortly before race time. I went down to Bowling Green for an all-Pontiac car show.

[Lavabe]

81 Laps to go
Kes's radio doesn't work. He is coming into the pits.

1-5: Kes, Blech, JJ, Kurt, JPM
6-10: Reut, Kens, Edwards, Biff, Harvick
Menard 11
Burton 12
Logano 14
Smith 15
Jr 19
Newman 20
Ambrose 24
Bowyer 27 [-1]
Dinger 28 [-1]
Gilliland 31 [-1]

[Lavabe]

I was in your general area today in an attempt to avoid going through the Sparta area shortly before race time. I went down to Bowling Green for an all-Pontiac car show.

Wish you could have stopped by.

[Lavabe]

Green flag pits start 8 laps later than Kes. Kes and Smoke aren't too far off the normal cycle.
Hamlin has the lead.

[Lavabe]

67 laps to go: CAUTION
JamieMac's car is smoking. The car engine just exploded; lots of white smoke.

This messes up all the order, as Hamlin was in the pits. RAGAN has the lead, but things will be jumbled in the next few laps.

On the other hand, it puts almost everyone on the same cycle of pitting, and gas mileage won't be as much of a major factor.

I feel so bad for Jamie Mac. This year has NOT been good for him. He's genuinely one of the nicest guys on the tour.

[Lavabe]

Bunches of cars went into the pits.
Drivers who have led the race:
Kes, Kyle (most laps), Kurt, Kvapil, Kahne, Stewart, Hamlin, Cassill, Yeley, Truex, Ragan

58 laps to go
Green flag racing
1-5: Kes, Blech, JJ, Smoke, Kurt
6-10: JPM, Kenseth, Hamlin, Newman, Ragan
Harvick 16
Menard 17
Burton 18
Smith 19
Logano 20
Jr 21
Ambrose 24
Bowyer 28 [-1]
Gilliland 29 [-1]
Dinger 32 [-1]

[Lavabe]

On the restart, Blech spun his tires a bit, and all cars on the inside stacked up a bit, with some touching others. The worst damage was Menard, whose front is now NOT in good shape.

[Lavabe]

On the restart, Blech spun his tires a bit, and all cars on the inside stacked up a bit, with some touching others. The worst damage was Menard, whose front is now NOT in good shape.

By the way, other than the Menard pick, colchar is having a good day.

[Lavabe]

38 laps to go
Final pit stops coming up

1-5: Kes, Blech, JJ, Kenseth, Smoke
6-10: Kurt, JPM, Reutimann, Newman, Ragan
Harvick 16
Jr 17
Smith 18
Burton 21
Logano 22
Menard 23
Ambrose 24
Bowyer 26 [-1]
Dinger 29 [-1]
Gilliland 32 [-2]

[Lavabe]

14 laps to go
JR brings out the caution JUST coming out of the pits. His front left blew up.
Reutimann was one of the last NOT to pit, so he has the lead. He'll come in, and unlike the others who pitted, he'll get FOUR fresh tires... which should improve his speed. BUT THEN AGAIN, he only took two tires. What do I know?

This should bring out a few pits, but most will stay out.

Kes and Kurt pit together and get fresh tires.

[Lavabe]

6 laps to go Green flag racing

1-5: Blech, JJ, Kurt, Reutimann, Kes
Jr starts 31st

CAUTION: Bowyer hits the wall.

[Lavabe]

1 lap to go
Green flag racing

Blech, JJ, Reutimann

[Lavabe]

Order of Finish

ALL Blech. He has a lot of thanks to give to Reutimann, who blocked JJ out.

1-5: Blech, Reutimann, JJ, Newman, Edwards
6-10: Kenseth, Kes, Ragan, Kurt, Hamlin
11-15: JG, Smoke, KK, Logano, JPM
16-20: Harvick, Smith, Truex, Burton, Ambrose
21-25: Biffle, MM, Cassill, Menard, Mears
26-30: BobbyLabonte, Vickers, Dinger, Kvapil
31-35: Jr, Gilliland, Lally, Blaney, Bliss
36: Bowyer

[Lavabe]

Just eyeballing it, but I believe colchar won this week. colchar had 3 in the top ten. I think I picked up some ground on Ymo and knights. Congrats to our Canadian!!

In the interview afterwards, JJ admitted he thought there was another lap to go when they dropped the white flag for the last lap (he didn't see the flag). Reutimann was on fire, as was Newman. Both did VERY well.

Blech now leads in the points standings. Ragan is now in 15th. Kes is now 21st, just one point out of the Chase (you have to be in the top 20, and he has a win to help his case).

[YmoBeThere]

Anything happening with the Brickyard 400?

[Lavabe]

Anything happening with the Brickyard 400?

Not going. ILJ's surgery has been moved up, and I am pretty much tied up in getting her to recover.

[colchar]

Just eyeballing it, but I believe colchar won this week. colchar had 3 in the top ten. I think I picked up some ground on Ymo and knights. Congrats to our Canadian!!

Thanks. I glanced at the points very quickly last weekend and thought I had done abysmally but realize now that I must have looked before they had tallied all of the points. I hadn't actually looked at how my drivers finished and had no idea I had won.

[YmoBeThere]

My summer session performance has been abysmal.