Good morning Moby!
On a night when trouble seemed to be lurking around every corner, Jimmie Johnson survived dead batteries, alternator problems, even a flat tire to win the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. That, coupled with Tony Stewart's 25th place finish, left those two tied for the Nextel Cup points lead. It was Johnson’s 4th straight win at Lowe’s. Not bad considering he started in 41st position; due to an engine failure he had before qualifying.
Saturday night's event literally turned into a laughingstock Peaches. NASCAR officials were so concerned with the rash of blown tires that they considered calling the event off. Charlotte’s owner Humpy Wheeler had the surface levitated to smooth out the bumps – but put that together with tires from Goodyear that weren't set right, a track that had no grip & cars racing at high speed – and you have all the ingredients necessary to create the perfect storm. There were more than a dozen tire failures, including four suffered by cars leading the race at the time. Officials finally took control & called for mandatory pit stop to change tire pressure by a half pound. Even still, concerns left drivers too scared to push their cars to the limit.
On the lighter side ... I have some great news to report! NBC has announced that they will not renew their contract with NASCAR beyond the 2006 season. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. No more interruptions during breaking news on the track, no more 3 minute commercials or frequent breaks. Hopefully we'll get someone who knows how to report the race coverage this time around. Rumor has it that ABC & ESPN will pick up the pieces.
Your top 5 for the UAW-GM 500 were: Johnson, Busch, Biffle, Nemecheck & Martin.
Next Sunday we head to Martinsville Speedway for the Subway 500 @ 12:30 pm on NBC.
Until next time peaches … This is Penny in the Pits, reporting from the biggest small town in America… Take care, drive fast & turn left… YEAH BABY
NASCAR Reports
