Post #5 8/5/12
So, the race finally got underway. Juan Pablo Montoya (#42) started on the pole, and led the first few laps, despite Denny Hamlin (#11) passing him several times on the back end of the racetrack. Eventually, Hamlin passed him and made it count, and led a few laps before Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) got by them both.
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Because of the rain delay at the start, there was to be a competition caution at lap 20, to give teams a chance to check tire wear and make adjustments. Just before it would have come out, though, the left rear tire on Kyle Busch's (#18) car blew in Turn 1, sending him up into the wall and bringing out the caution. Kyle went into the garage for repairs, and went 23 laps down.
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Jamie McMurray (#1), Brad Keselowski (#2), and Mark Martin (#55) did not pit under the caution, and instead stayed on the track to take the lead. About lap 32, they all come in for fuel, giving the lead back to Dale Jr. About 5 laps later, Jimmie Johnson (#48) took the lead, and remained there for the majority of the day.
![[Image: 298x.jpg]](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/07lObOrbXk5qC/298x.jpg)
A routine set of pit stops occurred around lap 48; however, after pitting, the transmission breaks in Dale Jr's car, sending him to the garage. Replacing it takes nearly 20 laps. He had been on the longest streak of finishing on the lead lap in NASCAR history.
![[Image: 298x.jpg]](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gLUgM34z1aIw/298x.jpg)
Another round of pit stops in the 70s laps. Kyle Busch is caught speeding on pit road, the only such penalty during the whole race -- as compared to earlier this year at this track, when confusion over timing lines led to over 20. Kasey Kahne (#5) has no penalty, but runs over the air hose, causing him to lose several seconds.
On lap 86, Kurt Busch (#51) blows a left front tire in Turn 1, slamming the outside wall hard with first the rear end, then the right front, totalling it, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski are on the inside row, and Matt Kenseth (#17) and Greg Biffle (#16) are on the outside row. Johnson gets a good run, but is unable to clear Kenseth, and they go side-by-side into turn 1. Johnson gets loose, and slides into Kenseth. Both cars slide sideways through the turn, and Keselowski bobbles attempting to avoid them. The 48 manages to straighten it out, but after sliding into the outside wall, Kenseth is unable to prevent his car from turning left into the middle of the pack, getting nailed by Hamlin, who had been deep in the field after the first round of pitstops.
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At this point, the rain returned, and how. Within 10 minutes, the race was called. After the wreck, Johnson was in 15th, Biffle in 16th, Keselowski in 4th, Kenseth in 23rd, and Hamlin in 29th. Jeff Gordon (#24) comes away with the win, his first all year after an incredible amount of terrible luck. Kasey Kahne, despite a flat tire in the final caution laps, comes in second, followed by Martin Truex Jr. (#56), Keselowski, and Tony Stewart (#14).
![[Image: 298x.jpg]](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/015K3c46qdfCK/298x.jpg)
![[Image: 298x.jpg]](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/06zNeHnea38Cv/298x.jpg)
Dale Jr. remains the points leader, but only by 5 points. Kenseth is in 2nd, 1 point ahead of Biffle and 3 ahead of Johnson. Truex moves into 5th, 50 points back. Stewart is in 6th, 53 behind Earnhardt, and 1 point ahead of Keselowski. Denny Hamlin [-61], Kevin Harvick (#29) [-64], and Clint Bowyer (#15) [-65] round out the all-important top 10. Kahne and Gordon currently hold the wild-card positions for the Chase for the Cup, but Gordon is tied with Ryan Newman.
So, the race finally got underway. Juan Pablo Montoya (#42) started on the pole, and led the first few laps, despite Denny Hamlin (#11) passing him several times on the back end of the racetrack. Eventually, Hamlin passed him and made it count, and led a few laps before Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) got by them both.
Because of the rain delay at the start, there was to be a competition caution at lap 20, to give teams a chance to check tire wear and make adjustments. Just before it would have come out, though, the left rear tire on Kyle Busch's (#18) car blew in Turn 1, sending him up into the wall and bringing out the caution. Kyle went into the garage for repairs, and went 23 laps down.
Jamie McMurray (#1), Brad Keselowski (#2), and Mark Martin (#55) did not pit under the caution, and instead stayed on the track to take the lead. About lap 32, they all come in for fuel, giving the lead back to Dale Jr. About 5 laps later, Jimmie Johnson (#48) took the lead, and remained there for the majority of the day.
A routine set of pit stops occurred around lap 48; however, after pitting, the transmission breaks in Dale Jr's car, sending him to the garage. Replacing it takes nearly 20 laps. He had been on the longest streak of finishing on the lead lap in NASCAR history.
Another round of pit stops in the 70s laps. Kyle Busch is caught speeding on pit road, the only such penalty during the whole race -- as compared to earlier this year at this track, when confusion over timing lines led to over 20. Kasey Kahne (#5) has no penalty, but runs over the air hose, causing him to lose several seconds.
On lap 86, Kurt Busch (#51) blows a left front tire in Turn 1, slamming the outside wall hard with first the rear end, then the right front, totalling it, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski are on the inside row, and Matt Kenseth (#17) and Greg Biffle (#16) are on the outside row. Johnson gets a good run, but is unable to clear Kenseth, and they go side-by-side into turn 1. Johnson gets loose, and slides into Kenseth. Both cars slide sideways through the turn, and Keselowski bobbles attempting to avoid them. The 48 manages to straighten it out, but after sliding into the outside wall, Kenseth is unable to prevent his car from turning left into the middle of the pack, getting nailed by Hamlin, who had been deep in the field after the first round of pitstops.
At this point, the rain returned, and how. Within 10 minutes, the race was called. After the wreck, Johnson was in 15th, Biffle in 16th, Keselowski in 4th, Kenseth in 23rd, and Hamlin in 29th. Jeff Gordon (#24) comes away with the win, his first all year after an incredible amount of terrible luck. Kasey Kahne, despite a flat tire in the final caution laps, comes in second, followed by Martin Truex Jr. (#56), Keselowski, and Tony Stewart (#14).
Dale Jr. remains the points leader, but only by 5 points. Kenseth is in 2nd, 1 point ahead of Biffle and 3 ahead of Johnson. Truex moves into 5th, 50 points back. Stewart is in 6th, 53 behind Earnhardt, and 1 point ahead of Keselowski. Denny Hamlin [-61], Kevin Harvick (#29) [-64], and Clint Bowyer (#15) [-65] round out the all-important top 10. Kahne and Gordon currently hold the wild-card positions for the Chase for the Cup, but Gordon is tied with Ryan Newman.