This week's edition of The Speeding Bullets started out in the Valley of the Sun and ended in the Valley of the Moon. Hope you enjoy the read...
- Congratulations to Ryan Newman on getting his first win of the season and breaking a drought that lasted over two years. His gutsy move was taking two tires on the final pit stop when that strategy hasn't worked out so far. What won him the race, though, was Jeff Gordon choosing the wrong lane on the final restart. It's hard to imagine he would consider this victory more memorable than his Daytona 500 one, but this one came at a time when his team was in need of a morale boost after coming up short for so many races...
- Jeff Gordon lost the race once again after thinking he had it in the bag in the closing laps. Who would have known that choosing the outside lane would be the wrong move on the final restart after it had gotten off to the fastest start on all of the other ones??? Newman or any other driver probably would have done the same thing. These finishes are just so unpredictable, and that keeps drivers and crew chiefs guessing each week on the right race-winning formula...
- Juan Pablo Montoya finally closed the deal with his fifth place finish. Lately, he has been a driver with a dominant car at the beginning of a race but ends up crashing midway through. Since he made his first Chase last year, what he wants the most now is another win. Montoya's only victory came at Sonoma in 2007, and he has yet to take the checkered flag on an oval...
- An eighth place finish for Kyle Busch looks great when comparing it with his other results from the first seven races, but it doesn't feel too great when he had the car to end up in victory lane. He and his crew chief thought they were making the right move by taking four tires on the all important pit stop when thinking back to Bristol and Martinsville. Both of them should have used logical reasoning, though, and realized that what works on half-mile track might not always do the same on more of an intermediate one...
- I must say that I really liked the 63 extra laps added on to Saturday night's race. They gave the fans more for their money and made the event more exciting for us viewers at home. We would not have had all of the drama in the closing laps if the race had been its normal length. Also, it would have otherwise ended before the sun set all the way with the start time being one hour earlier...
That's all from Phoenix. Next week, we move on to Texas where the real test for the new spoiler awaits. The Atlanta race was a pretty good indicator of who will have a strong run there as well...
This rain delayed edition of The Speeding Bullets comes to you from good ole' Martinsville. Hope you enjoy the read...
- Congratulations to Denny Hamlin on getting his first victory of the season and the third one in five races at Martinsville. He had a dominant car most of the day and made one of the boldest moves I've seen when he came to pit road with just a few laps left. Everyone (including me) thought Denny threw away the win with that decision, but aggressive driving and a couple daring maneuvers still got him the victory. Many people are comparing Hamlin's run to the checkers this week with what Johnson pulled off last week at Bristol. The difference between them, though, is that Jimmie had the odds in his favor whereas Hamlin had the odds stacked against him...
- Joey Logano is getting more consistent by the race. A second place finish on a track like this is really respectable for being only a sophomore in the big leagues. He made the right move there at the end by holding back and realizing he doesn't have the experience to overtake Hamlin, Gordon, and Kenseth. Logano currently sits in 13th place in the standings only six points out of the Top 12. He has a good chance of making his first Chase if he can keep up the great work...
- No one was more frustrated to see the final yellow flag than Jeff Gordon, who had pulled away from the rest of the field with only two laps left. On the final restart, he was quickly pushed aside by Matt Kenseth. Gordon then decided to pay him back by knocking him up into the turn four wall and making it where he couldn't get back in line. Jeff really can't blame Kenseth for trying to come out of nowhere and win the race; he probably would have done the same thing. These two go back a long way. They're never scared to cut the other one's throat when it comes down to who's going to win the race...
- What a disappointing day for RCR other than Clint Bowyer's 8th place finish. Kevin Harvick was taken out early with brake issues when I thought he might have a car capable of going to victory lane. Harvick surrendered the point lead to Jimmie Johnson as a result. Jeff Burton cut a tire while racing Hamlin in the closing laps and ended up coming home in 20th. I did think he was a little too patient with Hamlin when he really needed to be the leader instead of the follower. Phoenix is a place where both of these guys need to get back on track...
- Martinsville gave us the best racing I have seen so far in 2010. The drivers seemed racier than ever and were going at it all afternoon long. I don't know if it was because of the new spoiler or if the whole thing was just a coincidence. Anyway, NASCAR has done a good job listening to the fans this season and the benefits are showing on and off the track...
That's all from the Old Dominion. After another off-week, we get to watch our first night race of the year under the lights in the Valley of the Sun. Have a great Easter everyone!!!
