Some things I failed to mention

So it seems that even with my detailed notes (yea, I take notes during the race) I missed a few things. It happens when you have to run downstairs to watch the race on TV but then back up stairs to watch Sterling.

One of the reasons he finished 20th was the pit cycle. He had to make a late pit stop and not everyone else did. I missed that not everyone else did because at that point I wasn't listening to the radio or watching TV. Also, when they tightened the car at the end it got super tight, instead of just kind of tight like they wanted.

The Monday Report

You know, really all I can say about MIS is dissapointing. We had a good car, but the handling wasn't there, and you can't finish well with a car that's sideways. I think Slugger did the right thing by trying to tighten it up, even though it ended up to be the wrong thing. Maybe he could've tried something different after Sterling said it was worse after that, but what was he going to do, loosen it when it was sideways? Sterling drove his butt off I think trying to keep it from going sideways too much. He did the best with what he had, and was giving Slugger information.

So, dissapointing, but maybe next time the handling will be there and they'll be able to get a great finish :)

MIS post race

If only it had been this race that ended at lap 101, and not last week. Sterling got some TV time by being in the top 10 for a while. However, an ill-handling race car gave him a 20th place finish, putting him tied for 24th in points. Here's a rundown of what happend:

So he starts out pretty good, moving up to around 20th. The car was a little tight at that point. On lap 34 they pit and take four tires and adjust the car. They picked up a couple of spots and Sterling says the care is pretty free, and the car wasn't tightening up. What seemed at first to be no big deal ended up to only be the beggining of what would eventually give Sterling a 20th place finish. Under caution they tighten up the car and it's a good stop, he restarts 17th but falls back alittle before taking back the spots he lost. Lap 68ish there's a caution and Slugger elects to take 2 right tires. Everyone else takes four and that puts Sterling in 2nd for the restart.

This call probably is what saved Sterling from the wreck caused by Newman. I also think that it was a pretty good call, or at least it turned out pretty good. It got him much needed track position. After this restart though Sterling falls back to 6th. Not suprised because the car has been better on the long runs anyway. The car starts coming to him and he is able to maintain 6th until Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards pass him on lap 107. (so you see, if it had been THIS race that was rain delayed, we would've finished 6th ;)) Sterling says that the car is balanced in 3&4 but 1&2 are acting weird.

Green flag pit stop on lap 108. This is the stop where everything changes, and things go from good to bad to worse. Slugger tightens the car, because Sterling says it's loose. They take 4 tires and a wedge adjustment. During the caution on lap 114 Sterling's complaining that the car is free, but they elect to stay out. Sterling though was really complaining about how free the car was, but Slugger said that they really have to stay out, and tells him to "Believe in it,"

On the restart he quickly falls back to 9th...then 10th...then 11th...14th...15th...yea, NOT a good restart. Slugger tells Sterling that he needs to suck it up. But Sterling's saying that it's almost sideways. But TJ reassures Sterling that the car will come to him. It seems like TJ is right for a while, Sterling picked up a couple of spots to 14th. But on lap 134 Slugger asks Sterling if it's coming to him and Sterling replies with, "No, no no!"

So on lap 149 they make a green flag pit stop and tighten it up. But Sterling complains that "It's still sideways," Slugger says that it seems the more they tighten it the worse it gets. :\

They went a lap down and were in conention for the lucky dog for a while, but no caution ever came out. On their last pit stop they took two tires and fuel, which is what put them down to 20th.

After the race Slugger said that he was mad at himself for tightening it. Apparently there was no indication that it was loose other than what Sterling was saying. The more they tightened it the worse it got. He was also mad that they didn't get that top ten that they should have gotten, "It just sucks," Yes Slugger, yes it does.

J.J. Yeley wins the pole!

We've got another first time winner this week--sort of. JJ Yeley won the pole this week at MIS, beating Jimmie Johnson by one-one-thousanth of a second! This is Yeley's first career Nextel Cup pole. I've never particularly liked Yeley, mainly because last year his ticker number was the same color as Sterling's, but it's exciting to see someone new wininng something. And anyone who can take a win away from Hendrick, even if it's only for poles, is worth rooting for. ;)

The picture, by the way, is a really bad one I took of Yeley when he was signing at Richmond.