(Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
“Congratulations to Tony Stewart,” said Biffle. “He played his cards just right. When races on 2.5 mile tracks come down to fuel mileage, there’s no telling the outcome. It’s basically ‘touch-and-go,’ which, coincidentally, is what Tony says to most of the women he meets.”
“You may have noticed some hard racing between Carl Edwards and myself early in the race. Carl and I have a unique relationship, one that toes the fine line between friendly, cooperating teammates and bitter, heated rivals. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a flare up soon.”
8. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth ran strong all day at Pocono, running inside the top 10 for 187 laps until a late but necessary fuel stop dropped him to 19th. Kenseth made up some ground in the remaining laps, but finished 16th. He held on to the eighth position in the Sprint Cup point standings, and is 298 out of first.
“It was a disappointing finish,” Kenseth said, “but we know the car was better than the 16th would indicate. Just as I’m clearly not as good as two wins to start the season would indicate.”
“But I don’t cry over spilled milk, regardless of what Carl Edwards says. Anyway, Jack Roush says he wants to see results soon. And by ‘results,’ he means ‘wins.’ According to Jack, we don’t have to get along, but we do have to get going.”
9. Kurt Busch: Busch was charging his way towards the top 10 when, on lap 129, his water pump broke, sending Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge immediately to the garage for repairs. Busch returned after losing 18 laps to the leaders, and finished 37th, which dropped him a slot to fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings.
“Appropriately, in a race won by ‘Smoke,’ we got water ‘bonged,’” Busch said.
“I’m not sure what to make of Roger Penske’s deal to by Saturn. Gosh, I knew the man was powerful, but never did I realize he could buy a planet. I’ve been called an ‘ass’ before, but I think now I’ll be the butt of a lot of ‘Uranus’ jokes.”
“Does this mean that Roger’s planning on introducing the Saturn brand to NASCAR? Possibly. With Dodge’s fortunes for the future uncertain, I think I could be behind the wheel of Saturn’s first NASCAR entry. I guess then you could call me ‘The Ringer.’”
10. David Reutimann: Reutimann reentered the top 12 in the points with an impressive third-place finish at Pocono, his fifth top-10 finish of the year and third in his last four races. He sits eleventh in the points, 23 ahead of Mark Martin in 13th.
“Winning in Charlotte has left me wanting more,” said Reutimann. “Nothing boosts your confidence like winning a race while parked. My third at Pocono just didn’t deliver the same amount of satisfaction.”
“I’m not sure which lasted longer, the rain-delayed race in Charlotte or the grueling 500 miles in Pennsylvania. There is something to be said for knocking 100 miles off at Pocono. Taking that concept one step further, I think there’s also something to be said for knocking 500 miles off at Texas, Las Vegas, or Phoenix.”
3 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete