WWD: Samsung 500
How the race was won
Burton
After a couple of the frontrunners fell by the wayside (due to wrecks, bad luck or fading cars), Jeff Burton was left chasing Matt Kenseth in the waning laps. Burton was strong on the long runs and ran Kenseth down, but Kenseth's near-perfect laps (barely) kept Burton at bay – until the last two laps. Burton finally got alongside Kenseth and made the pass stick on the final lap as Kenseth got a little loose trying to protect his position, and Burton drove on to a dramatic win.
Story of the race
The finish.
Again, dominant cars falling short.
And, to an extent, Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya
Give 'em credit
Burton and Kenseth. Both ran solid races, both raced hard and clean down the stretch.
Mark Martin. How many drivers now make the Chase? The top 12, right? Let's see, where is Martin in points, despite skipping two races?
Jeff Gordon. He'll probably win one of these races one of these days, but the good news for him is the 24 hasn't looked this good in years.
Denny Hamlin. Nice comeback.
Nice runs from Greg Biffle (remember him?), Martin Truex Jr. (DEI showed its stuff), Montoya (he's liking these high-speed ovals), David Stremme (not having such a bad year thus far) and Kurt Busch (he could have won this one).
What were they thinking?
Montoya
The Montoya-Stewart battle was pretty entertaining … until the wreck. Sure, maybe Stewart should have seen it coming, but the wreck itself was Montoya's fault – and that crash ended Jimmie Johnson's already worsening day. Incidentally, between Stewart and Montoya, doesn't one remind you of the other in driving style, attitude, etc.?
Oh, and to all those who perform the invocation before races, thanking God for NASCAR's sponsors is beyond absurd – especially when said in the same breath as protecting the safety of drivers, fans and troops. Give us a break.
On Friday, NASCAR held a second practice rather than rolling into qualifying. The weather prevented qualifying from ever happening, robbing some teams of the opportunity to make the race. It was a tough call on Friday, as practice time is crucial. But really, what would be the harm of sacrificing Saturday morning's first Cup practice for the sake of holding the qualifying session then? With more teams and larger entry lists this year, all reasonable efforts should be made not to cancel qualifying.
What impact, exactly, does Kelley Earnhardt Elledge's choice of name have on Jimmy Spencer? None whatsoever? That's what we thought, too. Good for Speed's John Roberts for calling Spencer out on air during "Trackside." Also, isn't it getting a bit old how everyone seems to "know" exactly what Dale Earnhardt would do in any given situation had he still been here? If anyone truly would know that, Jimmy, don't you think it would be his own kids?
David Ragan. Rookie mistake.
Kyle Busch. Marginally. His wreck was one of them racin' deals, so to speak, but is it any surprise whatsoever that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to get off the gas quickly when Stewart spun, but Busch was not? Also, there's really no reason not to believe the No. 5 team when they say Busch leaving the track early was due to a "miscommunication" … is there? Props to Junior for making a few laps in the No. 5 car.
Better luck next time
Earnhardt
Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch. Both, especially Junior, were legit contenders for the win. Did Stewart drive it too hard into that corner?
Jimmie Johnson. He could have competed for the win if not for his engine woes, and he might have held on for a tolerable finish if not for the Montoya-Stewart incident.
Reed Sorenson. He was on his way to a top-10 finish.
Kurt Busch. Ah, the ill-timed caution. Probably one of the most frustrating aspects of NASCAR racing.
By the way …
With all the talk around Earnhardt Jr.'s future, a fan-favorite destination for him is Richard Childress Racing. But does anyone else believe that Junior will never – never – drive for RCR as long as Kevin Harvick is there?
Grading the race
Not terribly exciting near the front in the early and middle stages – though there were some terrific battles between the 24 and 48, 24 and 8, and 20 and 42. And the race got pretty exciting late. There were a couple of good comeback stories, but probably fewer than usual. And losing top cars to wrecks, etc., well, it's part of racing, but it still is unfortunate. Texas was compared to Atlanta often this past weekend, though from start to finish, the Atlanta race was much better. Still, as usual, a great finish makes one forget a race's shortcomings (the Samsung 500 had some, though none too bad). Grade: B
From the source
Jeff Burton: "To be perfectly honest, winning a race because you knock someone out of the way didn't mean you were better. It just meant you were willing to give something away in an attempt to get the win. If you want to do that, that's fine. But when I wake up in the morning, I want to know that we won the race [fairly]."
Jimmy Spencer: "Kelley Earnhardt Elledge – I'm shocked she kept her middle name. You're married. Why keep Earnhardt? I think her ego is so big."
