November 7, 2010
By Chuck Abrams
This must be what vindication feels like.
Racing teammate Kevin Harvick for the win at Talladega, Clint Bowyer finished a nose ahead under a late caution that saw AJ Allmendinger going end over end down the backstretch.
Now the top three drivers are separated by only 38 points heading to Texas where earlier this year Hamlin and Johnson finished 1-2 and Harvick finished 7th.
There were few cautions and lots of lead changes (87) on Sunday making the race relatively quick and exciting, although there were moments of single file racing. There was also no 'Big One', just a few smaller accidents that usually involved no more than 2-3 cars except for the Allmendinger wreck. And while he went airborne, the rest of the cars escaped with relatively minor damage and the rest of the drivers managed to avoid getting caught up in the melee.
While Johnson did get up front for a while, the vast majority of the day saw drivers other than those in the Chase leading laps and being fairly strong all day long. Chief among those leaders was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. While I blogged about what a Junior win would mean for NASCAR, Junior. was doing his best to make me look smart for a change. That all ended when he and Jeff Burton accidentally got into each other while drafting and pretty much ending any hope for a win, let alone a decent finish, for either driver.
But for the folks who are glad to see anyone but Johnson leading, you had your pick: Reutimann, Martin, Montoya, Hornish, Jr., Logano, Keselowski, Gordon. You name it, they were leading.
It was very interesting to see the two-car drafting partners be able to go faster than the multi-car pack. It makes for a more exciting race and sure offers a better mix of leaders and story lines. Only a few times did I feel, as a fan. That the pack was getting dangerously packed to the point that the 'Big One' would occur. I think the Burton/Earnhardt accident gave the biggest scare but there was enough room and the drivers had enough sense to be able to avoid each other. There were actually several instances where the drivers gave each other enough room to avoid accidents or creating larger accidents. That was very nice to see from this fan's point of view.
For all the Dale, Jr. fans, keep your fingers crossed. Jr. had a top ten finish at Texas this spring and has had two strong races in a row. Keeping that streak going at Texas should be paramount at Homestead and will do wonders to keep Junior Nation tuning in the next three weeks.
Texas may also be the race to decide just how close of a title run this will be down the stretch. If Johnson falters at all, Hamlin and Harvick won’t have a better chance to put the boot to the jugular of the No. 48 team. The only weak track Johnson has coming up is Homestead. Both Hamlin and Harvick have slightly better records at Homestead but that will not be enough if they are not within 10-20 points of Johnson when they arrive in Florida. It would take a monumental meltdown for Johnson to lose this. And it is possible. Right now, Hamlin and Harvick look as strong as ever – but will it be enough?
Tune in fans, set the NFL aside for a few minutes and see what all the stink is about.
Let me know your thoughts.
Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.
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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