This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in the mountains of northeast Pennsylvania to bring you The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, complete with Philly cheesesteaks (GO FLYERS!), and Tasty Cakes, washed down with copious amounts of Coke Zero. Enjoy!
Denny Hamlin/Joe Gibbs Racing: as the race winner, Hamlin gets first billing. He had a very stout car and led the most laps. Kyle Busch, Hamlin's teammate, led early and often. Busch was very rarely out of the top 5 as he started from the pole, eventually finishing second. And even Joey Logano was having a very strong run late when he and Kevin Harvick made contact, ending any chance of Logano finishing in the top 5.
Tony Stewart: Smoke was not a factor for three quarters of the race. It wasn't until successive cautions came out with around 40 laps to go that he found himself in the top 3. He pretty much hung out in that position for the remainder of the race. It was one of those "better to be lucky than good" races that he needs if he is to make the Chase. An extra Good for gaining four spots to 12th and being in a position to make the Chase. Here we go, Smoke's about to get blistering hot now.
Kevin Harvick: Happy started 22nd and slowly worked his way towards the front. Once he got into the top 10 he stayed there pretty much for the remainder of the race. He and Logano made contact late, ensuring Harvick of a fourth place finish and Logano a frustrated and angry driver. He and Logano have a history dating back to Bristol earlier this year. Although Kyle Busch finished two positions ahead of him, Happy still maintains the points lead.
Jimmie Johnson: JJ started 25th and was about to turn into Mr. Where-did-he-come-from? Unlike at Charlotte, the 48 crew was at the top of its game, consistently gaining positions after pit stops and making good adjustments to the changing track conditions.
Clint Bowyer: he was stout in the middle of the race, leading all his laps (59) in that part of the race. He slapped the wall coming out of Turn 3 and the 33 crew had to make lengthy repairs to the car under caution. He did well in finishing 9th. At least for today, he showed what he's capable of doing.
Honorable Mention: Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, AJ Allmendinger.
THE BAD
Joe Nemechek: he drew the short stick at the start and parkers' meeting, also drawing the envy of the other S & P's. You could ALMOST hear him teeheeing to the others after he left the meeting. He ran a grand total of--wait for it--SEVEN LAPS.
The race coverage: particularly during the prerace. Every time one of the commentators was about to make a point, sound troubles popped up. It got better as the race went on, though. Good effort.
THE UGLY
The Big One: it happened on the last lap of the race, in the backstretch. Kasey Kahne had a run on his teammate AJ Allmendinger, who went to block him. Kahne ended up cutting the grass and lost control of the car. He then went up the track in front of several other cars, most notably Mark Martin and Greg Biffle. Kahne had such momentum that he plowed into Martin and Biffle and nearly went OVER the fence. If not for the trees above and behind the fence, Kahne WOULD have jumped the fence. Several other good cars were torn up as well, most notably Jeff Gordon's and Marcos Ambrose's cars.
Joey Logano: it's not often that I put a driver in the Good and Ugly categories, but I must. It's understandable to be frustrated and angry after having a good run ripped from you. But he parked right beside Kevin Harvick's car on pit road, spoiling for a fight. Joey, HUGE NO-NO. Don't start what you can't finish. Harvick took care of Carl Edwards with NO problem in October 2008, after Talladega. It's understandable that you want to go, but Harvick is NOT one guy you want to throw down with. If he can whip Edwards with relative ease, you'd be NO problem for him. Harvick had that look of "let him come to me, we'll settle this here and now, and it's not going to be pretty." Take a night to think this over and talk it out with Harvick in the next day or two. Logano then upped the ante, insinuating that Harvick was hiding behind (wife) DeLana's racing suit. Again Joey, you're making a HUGE mistake trying to take on Harvick. He's trying to downplay the incident as a racing incident (which it was) while you're running your yap making personal attacks.
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
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7 comments:
I'm throwing AJ under the bus for that.
Tez, go for it!
While I found the racing mostly boring til the end - the aftermath was a psychological hootinanny! Loved it!
I'll have to respectfully disagree with Joey in the Ugly column. He raced in the top 10 all day with no problems and had every right to pull right up to Harvick just as Harvick or any of the others would have done (or worse!) and have it out.
Whats up with the entire #29 crew protecting Kevin if he did nothing wrong?? Let them yell it out. Happy could take Joey if punches started flying...
And I'll disagree about Smoke as well...his car was crap, he got lucky and he even admitted it. I think he is talking big and bluffing. That team is in trouble.
Joey was right to park at Harvick's car. There comes a time for every driver to stand up and say, "Enough!"
JPM did it to Harvick, and backed him down with no crew men around.
This wasn't about who could beat up whom. This was about standing up to someone who Joey felt was Bullying him. Congrats to the kid... now if only he would do the same to his dad.
Yeah...what IS up with his dad!?!?
JON,
FOR SOME REASON I WAS LOST DURING THE WHOLE RACE, BUT WAHT YOU GOT SOMUNDS RIGHT TO ME. WE SEE THE HARVICK THING DIFFERENT BUT THEN TAHT IS OK ALSO GREAT ARTICLE.
GUNAQUAT
Kristen, I LOVED the aftermath of the race! I was hoping Joey and Kevin would have gone at it on pit row! But I think Joey could have handled it better. As he matures he will handle similar situations a lot better. I have a different take on the 29crew. They were there to keep the peace and prevent either driver from doing something they would regret. As for Smoke, he has gotten hot historically this time of year. Perhaps this is a start. As for Joey's dad, he was more freaked out than his son was. Had he took a swing at Harvick, it would have SO been on. NASCAR should have ripped his hard card for six weeks minimum right there on the spot.
Gene, had Joey done that to Biffle earlier in the year, then he wouldn't have had to do what he did yesterday. If he saw the replay right away he would have seen that it was incidental contact and not Harvick taking him out.
Gunaquat, thanks. I was in and out for much of the race. I kept up with the lap-by-lap on NASCAR.com.
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