All Star Showdown - 5/16/09
None of the Michael Waltrip Racing drivers transferred into the All Star, tonight's nonpoints Sprint Cup race at Lowes Motor Speedway. David Stremme and Jamie McMurray raced their way into the show, and Joey Logano was voted in.
Qualifying for the All Star Showdown was rained out; therefore, the field was set according to the positions each driver drew for qualifying. Mikey would start 26th, David 11th and Marcos 12th.
"Hello? Testing, 1, 2," Mikey came on the radio at 7:22pm ET.
"I got you loud and clear," someone responded.
The call to start engines came one minute later.
"I'm on," crew chief Bootie Barker said. "Anyone got a copy?"
"Got you clear," Mikey replied.
"10-4."
"How bout me, Bootie?" spotter Ty Norris asked. "You have a copy?"
"Absolutely."
"I'll go on the record to say I don't like how light our stain boxes are." It sounded like Mikey said. He wanted this fixed for next week.
"Absolutely," Bootie replied. "We're already on it. 10-4 on that. All right, Michael, we're going to go with 4100 pit road speed."
"10-4," Ty acknowledged.. "4100."
"I see you now, Michael," Bootie told his driver after a pause on the radio.
Mikey asked about his pit box.
"Yes, sir. You're looking at 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." Bootie said Ty would let them know who was taking two or four tires. "So we'll be ready."
"That 87 spotter just told me that this is the only car he's got at the stable, so at one point, he's going to be dropping back. You do what you do, but I'm just letting you know about it."
"Okay. I gotcha."
Ty asked, even with all the weaving around on the track, if pit road speed looked to be at 4100.
"Yeah, I don't even look anymore," Mikey admitted. "The boys do such a good job with that. It doesn't matter what it says, because it doesn't add up. So we'll just go with what our boys said."
"10-4. You're going to close up on the backstretch. It's going to be one to go when you get here.
"Got the 46 up there, all the way up in 3. All right, buddy, one to go, one to go."
David Stremme led the field to the green flag at 7:32pm.
"All right, bud. Pace car's off. Be ready now," said Ty. "Ready? Green green green. Inside. Still inside. Still inside. Clear low if you want it. There you go. Still outside. Outside. Coming outside. Outside outside, 43. Clear behind the 43 if you want it. Clear up."
Stremme led the first lap.
"Slow one way at the top, slow one way at the top. Inside, 83. 83 still there on your corner, still outside. Still outside. You've got the 75 shooting up the middle. Still all the way to the top. Spin behin dyou. No caution's out. Caution's out."
The first caution was on lap 3 when Tony Raines spun out. There appeared to be contact between him and Carl Long. Mikey was 27th, David 8th, and Marcos 9th.
"One of them ones that was racing when they shouldn't be lost all their oil," Mikey stated.
"10-4," Bootie replied. "Michael, is there any concerns with your car? Can you tell anything yet?"
"No, I couldn't. I couldn't tell anything. It feels okay. It went low when I should have gone high. So regroup here."
"Oh yeah, that's fine. I was just wondering if anything was way wrong here when it shouldn't be. But have at it."
"Didn't know you should count the 19 as one of those cars," Ty said. "He jumped out and just about stopped."
"Yeah, that's what I learned here," Mikey replied. "But I screwed up. I thought I made a good move, but I didn't. I'll try again, except this time, I'm going around the top."
"Yeah, 10-4." Ty reminded Mikey of the double file restart.
"Am I even or odd?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Good point. Don't answer that."
Bootie laughed. "You're odd."
"We're not going to go. The 46 just came into the garage, dumping oil," Ty observed. He was talking about Carl Long.
"If they're going to run around all day, they should red flag this," Mikey said. "This is a short race."
Ty said they were giving them one to go and wasn't brushing the speedy dry. "Still a lot of people talking about the 13 leaking oil as well, so just be aware. I heard your tires are right here, right, Bootie?"
"No."
"All right, they're going to turn you loose here. Coming around to the green. Ready? Be ready? Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling. Outside outside."
Lap 8 saw the restart with Stremme leading with Mikey 23rd.
"Outside outside. Clear up the 83, clear one back. Clear two back. Outside outside. Still outside. Keep rolling. Just tire smoke, just tire smoke. The 83. Still down there. Still there."
Joey Logano had gotten into Brian Vickers.
"21's still there. You can see him better than me. You're all clear, whatever you need. Clear three back, clear three back. Clear there, clear. High groove's the one that's moving right now, bud. See what you have there, see what you have. You're clear, whatever you want. He's looking low, just looking. You see the 83 slow up top. Clear the 83, clear. 83 blew a tire. Keep rolling. No caution yet. Caution's out, caution's out. You're all clear, all clear."
The second caution was on lap 12 for Vickers' blown tire. He pit under yellow. Mikey was 18th, David 7th, and Marcos 10th.
"All right, Michael, seems like you're doing pretty good, but I'm listening," Bootie told his driver.
"I just a little free, but it ain't bad," Mikey replied. "I don't need any work, considering what we're doing here, I don't think."
Bootie said they'd likely stay out.
"All right, pits are open. We're staying out, right, bud?" Ty asked.
"That's right. Staying out."
Eleven cars did pit.
"NASCAR's calling that 13 in. So he's coming, but it's because he's oiling down the track. All right, you're 14th, so you're going to be on the outside. One to go. You're going to be on the outside of the 07. If they can get us restarted, you're going to restart on lap 15."
"It will be five laps to half way when you take the green," Bootie noted.
"Can't make it, can't make it. So when we restart, it will be four to go, four to go."
Stremme led the restart on lap 17. Mikey was 14th, David 7th, and Marcos 10th.
"Coming to the green. Ready? Green green green. Still inside, still inside. Still inside, still there. You're clear, whatever you need there. Clear two back, whatever you need. Still clear, whatever you need. Inside, the 98. Inside, inside. It will be clear there, clear there. Clear three back. Two to go. Still outside. Still there still there still there. Clear up there if you want it. Clear two back. All the way at the top. You'll be clear there behind him, clear two back."
"We just don't know how to turn," Mikey said.
"10-4. Clear now behind the 19."
Mikey was 15th on lap 19.
"It's just no front end. Same as yesterday. Same thing as yesterday. We just don't have the front end under this car at all."
"10-4. Break."
"Guys, yellow for the tires," a crew member said.
"Pull a tear-off. Fuck. Pull a tear-off, and I don't know. Y'all don't know. I don't know what to do, so I reckon y'all don't either. I don't know how to explain it." Mikey said it was bad on the front end no matter what he did.
Bootie called for four tires. "We're going to do what our plan was, Arte, with you. 4100."
The third caution was out on lap 20 according to Showdown rules. Mikey was 17th, David 6th, and Marcos 11th.
"Make sure you get the windshield," Mikey requested. "I haven't felt the front end on my car since California. We were good at ____ and Phoenix, but that's different. Maybe a little at Vegas. They pushed a lot. At least I could feel them. Now they're just skating. There's nothing I can do as your driver. They're just skating."
"10-4, we'll keep working on it," Bootie replied.
"All right, 4100 when you come around here," Ty said.
Mikey pit with a few cars making stops in front of him and everyone behind him coming in.
"4100 when you get here. All the way down to pit stall 4," Ty told his driver.
"Got him. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2," Bootie counted Mikey into the box. "Straight out, straight out, straight out. Get that 43. Good job. Good try."
"I don't think John Force could have beat that 33. 43. At that angle."
Bootie agreed. "Paul, right now, put that orange set on the wall with yellow pressures."
"Inside or out, guys? Inside or out?"
Bootie said he didn't know, because scoring was screwed up.
"The scoring pylon says 17th," Mikey reported.
Ty said it was all screwed up because of pits. "They're not telling us on the radio. I know the 6 beat the 43 off pit road, so I don't know why he's trying to pass him.
"All right, one to go. One to go."
"Paul Menard has the best chance to win this stupid thing. He got those tires, and he's all the way up there," Mikey commented.
Ty said something about the tires being thirteen laps fresher than people in front of him. "Okay, let's give this thing a 20 lap shot here. Be ready. Ready? Green green green. Everybody's rolling, everybody's rolling. Clear whatever you want. Still clear whatever you want."
Stremme led the restart on lap 21. Mikey was 17th, Marcos 11th, David 6th.
"Still outside, outside. Still outside outside. 82's still there on your corner, still there. Still there. Clear up, clear clear. Still outside. Still there, still there on your corner. Still there. Still there on your quarter. Going to beat you off the corner. Still there. Still there. Clear clear."
Scott Riggs was limping on the track as Sam Hornish Jr fought Stremme for the lead.
"Still outside on your corner. Still there. Clear there, clear there half back. Outside now, outside. Still there on your corner. Clear up there, clear up there."
Mikey was 18th on lap 25. David was 5th, and Marcos was 8th.
"15 to go, 15."
The yellow flag waved for the fourth time on lap 26. Elliott Sadler had hit the wall. Hornish Jr had just taken the lead.
"Spin behind you. Keep coming. No caution yet. Caution's out."
"It will run about that many laps with the front end under it, and then it just all goes to pieces. Nothing good to report. Whatever. Whatever y'all think. I'm just telling you what I think."
"10-4. Paul," Bootie replied. "When pits are open, Michael, come in."
"Pit road's open, 4100," Ty said. "Bootie, will we get two or four here?"
"We're going to get four." Bootie counted Mikey into the box. "One lane one lane one lap. 07 outside. There you go. Clear all the way up."
"All right, bud, you're going to be on the outside lane. The outside of the 07. All right, bud, the caution laps don't count, so it's fifteen to go still. Fifteen to go. Pull up to that red car. It will help you to stay up there."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mikey replied.
Mikey was 18th on the lap 26 restart. Stremme led, David was 5th, and Marcos was 8th.
Ty called the restart. "6 in the middle. All the way to the top, three-wide. Clear, clear. Clear there, clear two back. Clear. 98's looking low, looking low. Inside. He's there by himself."
Mikey said something about the front that was swallowed by static.
"10-4," Bootie replied.
"Still there inside. Inside, inside. Still there on your quarter. Clear there, clear."
Mikey was 17th on lap 28. David was 5th, and Marcos was 11th.
"Still down there on your... still outside, still there. Coming back on your outside. Clear, clear half back on you."
"Pushing. Pushing so bad, it doesn't feel like the left front is with me," Mikey commented.
"10-4."
"All right, man, we have eight more."
"It's vibrating. It's not running right."
"10-4 on that."
Mikey was 15th on lap 34. David was 5th, and Marcos was 10th.
"Fuel pressure's blinking."
"Copy."
David was 4th on lap 35. Mikey was 15th and Marcos 11th.
"Still clear two back. Five to go," Ty told his driver.
"Fuel pressure's running on number two, on number two," Mikey reported.
"10-4."
"One looking low," Ty said. "Still clear, still clear. Half back to that 71. Three to go. 71's coming inside, inside, inside. Another one's got a big run here, the 07. All right, two to go, two to go. Stillt here, inside. Outside, white flag. Still outside, outside. Outside. 98's still outside. Clear two back. Coming to the checkered."
"Well, with two pounds of fuel pressure, and driving really really really really bad," Mikey said.
"10-4. We copy that. Good job, man. Way to give it all you can."
Mikey said it was no fun at all being that far bad. "As bad as it pushed. Shit! It wouldn't even run halfway decent. So I don't know what else to say but it's no fun when you don't run good. We don't race to run like this."
Bootie said it was a good test session and they'd work on the car for the Coca Cola 600.
"Well, it's crazy. It's crazy to be this far off. So we'll work on it, you're right. But I remember talking about steering boxes for a few years. But we'll just keep working on it. There ain't nothing you can do. Ain't no point in bitching about it."
Mikey finished 14th. David was 4th, and Marcos was 10th. Sam Hornish Jr won, and he and Jamie McMurray would move onto the All Star.
Coverage of the Sprint Cup's Coca Cola 600 begins next Sunday at 5:00pm ET on FOX. The Nationwide Series' Carquest Auto Parts 300 airs the day before at 7:00pm on ESPN2.
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© 2009 Kellyanne Lynch, in association with Cyber Speed Design. All rights reserved.
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