Parks Race Reactions: Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond

Richmond is often considered to be the perfect track. Drivers love it, fans flock to it, and commentators praise it.

Saturday night was no exception. The Heath Calhoun 400 had intense action over 400 and came down to two drivers looking to finally break into the win column.

Here are my race reactions to last night's action.

First off, despite the great finish, the race itself was rather ho-hum because of very few cautions.  At one point, the race had over 200 consecutive laps of green-flag racing.

Don't get me wrong, all around the track there were great battles for position, including the lead. At the same time, a short-track is most known for wrecks, close calls and hot tempers.

This race didn't have that, which could be a good thing as NASCAR officials didn't have to break up any fights on pit road.

Still a great race overall, just my own perspective.

Next, what is it going to take for Jeff Gordon to get to victory lane. This guy has come so close, so often, and yet cannot complete the job. At Texas, he was upset being caught up in the big wreck. Phoenix and Martinsville, the green-white-checkered kept him from victory.

This week, it was the fast car of Kyle Busch. Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte made the correct decision when the caution flew late in the race to stay out. They had pitted just two laps earlier, so the tires were fresh.

The wrong call came at the final restart. Obviously, the inside line is the preferred way to pass. However, should a driver pin another on the bottom, the pass can't be completed.

Gordon chose the inside lane, and I felt that was the wrong call. Busch had fresher tires, however had Gordon put the No. 18 on the bottom, I feel Gordon would be the winner.

The high line would have given Gordon the chance to pin Busch on the low line, and also given Gordon enough momentum to pull ahead.

Unfortunately, his choice was the inside line. Couple that with the fact that Busch was the best on restarts that night, Gordon was a sitting duck. Still a great run, but the quest for a victory continues.

Finally, for the first time in a while, the best car won the race. Busch had the dominant car for a strong majority of the race.

He led a total of 228 of the 400 laps. During the middle of the race, his car fell off and he got behind.

But, crew chief Dave Rogers made the right call in getting new tires late in the race. That put Busch in the perfect position to go for a win. He made some hard runs on a few restarts and found himself on the right side of Gordon for the last run.

That final restart put the M&M's Toyota out front permanently. But, at the end of the race, it was a welcome sign to see the fans on their feet and cheering Busch.

There were very few boos when he got out of his car, took a bow and got the checkered flag. Definitely a different reaction that many fans were giving him the last two seasons.

I'm not a Busch fan, but it was nice seeing the fans give him the respect he deserved on that night.

What better way to lead into the next night race of the season this coming Saturday night. The next track on the schedule is my favorite track on the circuit. It's a track "too tough to tame", and has been deemed the "lady in black".

The best line is along the wall, and if a car doesn't have scrapes on the right side, it wasn't running well.

I cannot wait for Saturday night's Southern 500 at Darlington. Let's get racing boys.