It's All About The Race At Texas

April 9, 2007

By Chuck Abrams

Chuck Abrams

One thing that bugs me the most about races at Texas are the antics of the FOX team. Every single time they wear cowboy hats, cowboy boots, use old west styled “WANTED” poster graphics, etc., etc. Since Jeff Burton won there in 1997, we have been watching hats and boots and steer….that kind of pandering to the lowest common denominator drives me insane. And admittedly, that is not a very far drive.

I guess we should be thankful that they don’t wear surfing gear when NASCAR visits California or Confederate gear when visiting any track in the south.

• Texas is known for a lot of long green flag runs and Sunday was no different. And just like last year, we had few cars on the lead lap. Watching that many cars battle to stay on the lead lap is not that much fun. Plus, it allows FOX to only focus on the top 5 cars nearly the entire race. The only time you see any of the other cars is as the leaders lap them or if there is a wreck. Makes you long for the days of Eli Gold taking you through the field.

• Jeff Gordon’s ill handling car leaves Gordon with no wins at Texas in his career. Homestead is the only other track he has never won on.

• Speaking of Gordon, leaving Texas outside the top 12 means you are historically not going to make the Chase. But this is Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports we are talking about. The last time that happened was in 2005 when he and Jr. both missed the Chase.

• With 38 laps to go, Reiser calls for Edwards to stay out at the caution. Edwards challenges him and he makes a pit stop with all the other leaders. That may have been the call of the race.

• Edwards is only the second repeat winner in Texas Motorspeedway history.

• Over 50% of Edwards’ wins have come at 1.5 mile tracks.

• The new car was supposed to be the leveling of the playing field. I hate to keep harping on this but that is just not the case. The car is just as if not MORE aero dependent than the old car, it handles worse in the turns, it is slower and has not improved the racing over all. But Mike McDowell sure proved it is safe.

• How is it that Yates’ two cars are still unsponsored? Is that unheard of at this level of racing in the US with a major race team? That absolutely befuddles me. If the government thinks the recession has not yet arrived, I think the Yates organization would say it arrived last fall.

• Greg Biffle leaves Texas disappointed. Texas is not one of his best tracks but Biffle has been on a decent run this year. A bad motor stalled his day late and ruined a chance at a top 10 run. And ruined my decent fantasy day. While he did not have a DNF, it was not the day he, or I, had imagined.

• Martin Truex, Jr. has generally made hay at Texas in his career. An engine failure (really, at DEI???) with less than 15 to go ruined that run for him. And there were only 11 cars on the lead lap and just 2 other cars out of the race at the time.

• After all the tire problems at Atlanta and Las Vegas, Goodyear tires seemed to hold up well at Texas.

• Not stopping for tires during the last caution cost Kenseth a possible top 5 run. He got passed like he was standing still in the last 3 laps.

• Jamie McMurray backed up his Martinsville run with another decent run at Texas. He has a chance to make that three in a row at Phoenix.

Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.

Feel free to send Chuck your thoughts on this and other race topics at Insider Racing News.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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