Post #7 8/1213/12
This was arguably the most intense last lap in NASCAR history in a race that did not involve a multicar wreck.
Let's start from the beginning, though.
This week is one out of two each year that the NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to a track with right turns. Watkins Glen actually has more right turns than left, and is the only track on the circuit where the pit lane is to the right of the main track.
Juan Pablo Montoya (#42), who won here several years ago, started on the pole position, with Kyle Busch (#18) to the outside. Kyle took the lead going into the first corner and stayed there for about the next 25 laps. Right at the beginning, the engine in the car of Brian Vickers (#55) blew, putting him out of the race almost immediately.
On lap 9, David Ragan (#34) got to the inside of Boris Said (#32), sending him around in Turn 1. He didn't hit anything and was able to continue. Soon after, pit stops began, including ones for Ryan Newman (#39), Jimmie Johnson (#48), Marcus Ambrose (#9), Brad Keselowski (#2) and Jeff Gordon (#24). On lap 26, Jamie McMurray (#1) blew a tire, hitting the outside guard rail hard enough to leave a gridded imprint on the left side of his car, throwing the caution. The following lap, under caution, the left rear tire on Kurt Busch (#51)'s car comes completely off the car, sending him 9 laps down after being in 11th place.
During this caution, the cars that had not yet pitted under the green flag came in for fuel and tires. Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya led them back out onto the track behind the cars that had already pitted, but the fuel can for Tony Stewart (#14) got pulled out of the pit box, sending him from 3rd out of pit lane to 25th on the restart. Brad Keselowski had the lead on the restart.
On lap 32, something in or around Montoya's front axle broke, causing him to head to the garage from 6th place. At around the same time, Joey Logano (#20) headed to the garage with engine troubles. 7 laps later, Marcos Ambrose took the lead from Keselowski, and held it until pitting on lap 47, along with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick (#29), at which point Keselowski took the lead back. 2 laps later, Kasey Kahne (#5) got a speeding penalty on pit road, which took him out of contention.
Starting on lap 57, the other leaders began to pit, including Tony Stewart, Keselowski, Clint Bowyer (#15), and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88). On lap 59, however, Martin Truex Jr. (#56) ran out of gas, at the same time as Denny Hamlin (#11) blew his engine, bringing out the caution. Clouds began to gather overhead at this point, and it was pretty clear it was going to rain.
Sure enough, just as Jason Leffler (#49) crashed on the inner loop on the backstretch, it began to rain. It passed overhead within a few minutes, and the race was not halted. However, 3 laps after the green flag came out on lap 68, Tony Stewart, who was running in 2nd place at the time, lost control of his car coming out of the final corner on the wet and slick inside curb, smashing the rear end of his car into the guard rail at pit road entrance. His crew was able to repair the damage enough to get him back out on to the track, where he eventually finished 18th.
On the restart after this, Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch both passed Brad Keselowski, the leader, heading into turn one; the 9 on the inside and the 18 on the outside. Kyle got away with the lead and holds the lead while Ambrose held of Keselowski for second place.
Then, the exciting part began.
On lap 83, while racing for 10th place, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun out, being knocked back to 22nd position.
On lap 87, as Keselowski managed to get around Ambrose, Bobby Labonte (#47)'s car was noticably smoking, but it's unknown whether his engine had already begun to fail before this. NASCAR did not call a caution, because there did not appear to be any oil or other debris on the track because of it. They were soon proven wrong.
As he passed the slow car of Joe Nemechek (#87) on lap 89, Kyle Busch's car noticably slowed and wobbled. Brad Keselowski caught up to him in the first corner of the final lap, and the 18 went wide into the off-track asphalt area. He managed to get back on track ahead of the 2 of Keselowski, but not far enough. Going into the next corner, they touched, and Kyle's car spun out. Keselowski's left front tire was cut by the contact, and Ambrose closed quickly. However, the track was very slick from the nearly invisible film of oil laid out by the 47 car, and several times, the 47 nearly hit the wall in the corners. Coming around the back of the racetrack, Ambrose managed to pass Keselowski, but the #2 gave a hard shove to the rear end of Ambrose, nearly spinning him out. As they charged through the final corners, Keselowski's car fishtailed, leaving him unable to catch Ambrose, who came away with his second win in a row at the Glen. In the final corner, Jeff Gordon spun out of a top 10 finish to 21st.
And in news that is possibly of some actual interest to you, I completed a new chapter in my story last night.
This was arguably the most intense last lap in NASCAR history in a race that did not involve a multicar wreck.
Let's start from the beginning, though.
This week is one out of two each year that the NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to a track with right turns. Watkins Glen actually has more right turns than left, and is the only track on the circuit where the pit lane is to the right of the main track.
Juan Pablo Montoya (#42), who won here several years ago, started on the pole position, with Kyle Busch (#18) to the outside. Kyle took the lead going into the first corner and stayed there for about the next 25 laps. Right at the beginning, the engine in the car of Brian Vickers (#55) blew, putting him out of the race almost immediately.
On lap 9, David Ragan (#34) got to the inside of Boris Said (#32), sending him around in Turn 1. He didn't hit anything and was able to continue. Soon after, pit stops began, including ones for Ryan Newman (#39), Jimmie Johnson (#48), Marcus Ambrose (#9), Brad Keselowski (#2) and Jeff Gordon (#24). On lap 26, Jamie McMurray (#1) blew a tire, hitting the outside guard rail hard enough to leave a gridded imprint on the left side of his car, throwing the caution. The following lap, under caution, the left rear tire on Kurt Busch (#51)'s car comes completely off the car, sending him 9 laps down after being in 11th place.
During this caution, the cars that had not yet pitted under the green flag came in for fuel and tires. Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya led them back out onto the track behind the cars that had already pitted, but the fuel can for Tony Stewart (#14) got pulled out of the pit box, sending him from 3rd out of pit lane to 25th on the restart. Brad Keselowski had the lead on the restart.
On lap 32, something in or around Montoya's front axle broke, causing him to head to the garage from 6th place. At around the same time, Joey Logano (#20) headed to the garage with engine troubles. 7 laps later, Marcos Ambrose took the lead from Keselowski, and held it until pitting on lap 47, along with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick (#29), at which point Keselowski took the lead back. 2 laps later, Kasey Kahne (#5) got a speeding penalty on pit road, which took him out of contention.
Starting on lap 57, the other leaders began to pit, including Tony Stewart, Keselowski, Clint Bowyer (#15), and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88). On lap 59, however, Martin Truex Jr. (#56) ran out of gas, at the same time as Denny Hamlin (#11) blew his engine, bringing out the caution. Clouds began to gather overhead at this point, and it was pretty clear it was going to rain.
Sure enough, just as Jason Leffler (#49) crashed on the inner loop on the backstretch, it began to rain. It passed overhead within a few minutes, and the race was not halted. However, 3 laps after the green flag came out on lap 68, Tony Stewart, who was running in 2nd place at the time, lost control of his car coming out of the final corner on the wet and slick inside curb, smashing the rear end of his car into the guard rail at pit road entrance. His crew was able to repair the damage enough to get him back out on to the track, where he eventually finished 18th.
On the restart after this, Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch both passed Brad Keselowski, the leader, heading into turn one; the 9 on the inside and the 18 on the outside. Kyle got away with the lead and holds the lead while Ambrose held of Keselowski for second place.
Then, the exciting part began.
On lap 83, while racing for 10th place, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun out, being knocked back to 22nd position.
On lap 87, as Keselowski managed to get around Ambrose, Bobby Labonte (#47)'s car was noticably smoking, but it's unknown whether his engine had already begun to fail before this. NASCAR did not call a caution, because there did not appear to be any oil or other debris on the track because of it. They were soon proven wrong.
As he passed the slow car of Joe Nemechek (#87) on lap 89, Kyle Busch's car noticably slowed and wobbled. Brad Keselowski caught up to him in the first corner of the final lap, and the 18 went wide into the off-track asphalt area. He managed to get back on track ahead of the 2 of Keselowski, but not far enough. Going into the next corner, they touched, and Kyle's car spun out. Keselowski's left front tire was cut by the contact, and Ambrose closed quickly. However, the track was very slick from the nearly invisible film of oil laid out by the 47 car, and several times, the 47 nearly hit the wall in the corners. Coming around the back of the racetrack, Ambrose managed to pass Keselowski, but the #2 gave a hard shove to the rear end of Ambrose, nearly spinning him out. As they charged through the final corners, Keselowski's car fishtailed, leaving him unable to catch Ambrose, who came away with his second win in a row at the Glen. In the final corner, Jeff Gordon spun out of a top 10 finish to 21st.
And in news that is possibly of some actual interest to you, I completed a new chapter in my story last night.