05-30-2011, 05:44 PM
And by that I mean the finish that was at almost 11 PM.
In case you didn't, here's a quick summary of the pre-finish:
#2 Brad Keselowski and #43 A.J. Allmendinger started on the front row. #99 Carl Edwards, who won the All-Star race, soon got out to a good lead.
#16 Greg Biffle's air conditioning was broken, which caused a big issue for him in the heat until it was replaced late in the race.
On lap 99, #47 Bobby Labonte spun and didn't hit anything. #20 Joey Logano barely missed hitting him.
On lap 182, as #1 Jamie McMurray was battling #17 Matt Kenseth for the lead, McMurray's engine blew.
On the restart at lap 188, #13 Casey Mears got bumped by #09 Landon Cassil and a flat tire.
On lap 233, towards the end of greenflag pit stops, #32 Mike Bliss stops on-track, and late-pitters #22 Kurt Busch and #14 Tony Stewart take advantage.
On lap 240, #27 Paul Menard slides into the wall, and #56 Martin Truex Jr. spins as well. #18 Kyle Busch takes the lead on the restart.
At lap 295, a few laps after the restart from #95 David Starr's skid into the wall, #09 Landon Cassil goes flying through the infield grass, destroying his front end.
On lap 302 #5 Mark Martin and #34 David Gilliland collide, and collect #39 Ryan Newman. Gilliland's car wedges itself deep into the #5's left front tire area, making it difficult for Martin to exit his car.
At lap 318, #18 Kyle Busch spins through the grass much like the 09 car, but he started sliding at the end of the corner and was slow enough to escape damage. At lap 343 he's not as lucky and hits the wall.
Now... The end of the race.
Just about everyone pitted at lap 345 under that caution, which would make it a very close finish for fuel. #16 Greg Biffle, his cooling system fixed, holds off #4 Kasey Kahne as #17 Matt Kenseth and #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. catch up. Kenseth has to pit from fourth at lap 393, and #24 Jeff Gordon has to come in from sixth two laps later.
Then... The part that made the race so much more interesting.
#48 Jimmie Johnson blew the engine. (His crew chief swore over the radio, which was being broadcast live.)
Under the caution, most drivers stayed out. Dale Jr. and #29 Kevin Harvick shut off the engines to save fuel, and Harvick's engine stalled. He had to get pushed for a moment by his teammates #27 Paul Menard and #31 Jeff Burton before he got it started again.
Lap 399. Normally it would be the white flag lap, but due to the caution being out the race was extended to 402 laps. Greg Biffle has to pit, giving the 88 the lead.
On the restart at lap 400, Kasey Kahne runs out of fuel. #2 Brad Keselowski hits him hard in the rear, and gets run into by #31 Jeff Burton. Burton slides down the track with major damage, and #6 David Ragan and #20 Joey Logano swerve to miss him and Kahne. #14 Tony Stewart is blocked by Burton's car and loses any chance of a top 10.
Dale Jr had the lead at the white flag, with #11 Denny Hamlin close behind him. He was going to win the Coke 600... Right?
WRONG. Coming through the last corner, both he and Hamlin ran out of gas. #29 Kevin Harvick zoomed past and got the win. Mr. Where-Did-He-Come-From struck again.
That was an exciting finish. Even more so than when the leader of the Indy 500 wrecked at the last corner earlier that day.
And of course if you want to see the video, it's all right here.
In case you didn't, here's a quick summary of the pre-finish:
#2 Brad Keselowski and #43 A.J. Allmendinger started on the front row. #99 Carl Edwards, who won the All-Star race, soon got out to a good lead.
#16 Greg Biffle's air conditioning was broken, which caused a big issue for him in the heat until it was replaced late in the race.
On lap 99, #47 Bobby Labonte spun and didn't hit anything. #20 Joey Logano barely missed hitting him.
On lap 182, as #1 Jamie McMurray was battling #17 Matt Kenseth for the lead, McMurray's engine blew.
On the restart at lap 188, #13 Casey Mears got bumped by #09 Landon Cassil and a flat tire.
On lap 233, towards the end of greenflag pit stops, #32 Mike Bliss stops on-track, and late-pitters #22 Kurt Busch and #14 Tony Stewart take advantage.
On lap 240, #27 Paul Menard slides into the wall, and #56 Martin Truex Jr. spins as well. #18 Kyle Busch takes the lead on the restart.
At lap 295, a few laps after the restart from #95 David Starr's skid into the wall, #09 Landon Cassil goes flying through the infield grass, destroying his front end.
On lap 302 #5 Mark Martin and #34 David Gilliland collide, and collect #39 Ryan Newman. Gilliland's car wedges itself deep into the #5's left front tire area, making it difficult for Martin to exit his car.
At lap 318, #18 Kyle Busch spins through the grass much like the 09 car, but he started sliding at the end of the corner and was slow enough to escape damage. At lap 343 he's not as lucky and hits the wall.
Now... The end of the race.
Just about everyone pitted at lap 345 under that caution, which would make it a very close finish for fuel. #16 Greg Biffle, his cooling system fixed, holds off #4 Kasey Kahne as #17 Matt Kenseth and #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. catch up. Kenseth has to pit from fourth at lap 393, and #24 Jeff Gordon has to come in from sixth two laps later.
Then... The part that made the race so much more interesting.
#48 Jimmie Johnson blew the engine. (His crew chief swore over the radio, which was being broadcast live.)
Under the caution, most drivers stayed out. Dale Jr. and #29 Kevin Harvick shut off the engines to save fuel, and Harvick's engine stalled. He had to get pushed for a moment by his teammates #27 Paul Menard and #31 Jeff Burton before he got it started again.
Lap 399. Normally it would be the white flag lap, but due to the caution being out the race was extended to 402 laps. Greg Biffle has to pit, giving the 88 the lead.
On the restart at lap 400, Kasey Kahne runs out of fuel. #2 Brad Keselowski hits him hard in the rear, and gets run into by #31 Jeff Burton. Burton slides down the track with major damage, and #6 David Ragan and #20 Joey Logano swerve to miss him and Kahne. #14 Tony Stewart is blocked by Burton's car and loses any chance of a top 10.
Dale Jr had the lead at the white flag, with #11 Denny Hamlin close behind him. He was going to win the Coke 600... Right?
WRONG. Coming through the last corner, both he and Hamlin ran out of gas. #29 Kevin Harvick zoomed past and got the win. Mr. Where-Did-He-Come-From struck again.
That was an exciting finish. Even more so than when the leader of the Indy 500 wrecked at the last corner earlier that day.
And of course if you want to see the video, it's all right here.