MICHAEL WALTRIP
WHIPS TALLADEGA
Talladega, AL: DEI still dominates at restrictor plate races. Despite the larger holes in the plates and rear spoiler changes, the traveling pack of cars was not broken up. Even the smaller fuel cell did not keep the high-speed train from forming.
Michael Waltrip was not happy with the way his car was running. He felt they had set up the car with the wrong gear. He even had a pit road penalty that had put him back to 22nd place, the end of the longest line on the lead lap. Still, he was always running at the front of the field. He finally succeeded in taking the lead on lap 144, but couldn't stay there. He battled back to the lead again with 8 laps remaining.
It was at this point that Elliott Sadler took flight and rolled the #38 M&M's Ford. As he and Dale Earnhardt Jr pushed to take the lead away from Mike, Jr moved down the track toward Elliott. When Elliott moved to avoid Jr, Kurt Busch bumped him on the left rear fender. The M&M's Ford lifted into the air and crashed down hard onto the roof of the car. Elliott slid down the track then flipped several times before coming to rest on his wheels. Fortunately, Elliott was able to get out of the car. Though he appeared to be uninjured, he was flown to a local hospital for observation. He was later released.
With only 7 laps remaining, NASCAR red flagged the race. When the debris was cleared and the field restarted under caution, Mike was leading with Jr 2nd and Ward Burton 3rd. The green flag waved again with 5 laps left and the jostling for position began. Mike had to block Jr and then a hard charging Jeff Gordon before he could bring the #15 NAPA Chevrolet to victory. As he drove through the infield, he popped out of the new safety hatch on the roof of the car. He is the first NASCAR driver to use the new hatch and celebrate in this fashion.
Another new rule that was first implemented in Dover last weekend played a large part in the outcome of the race for 2 drivers. Jr had been involved in a pit road incident during the first caution of the race. Several cars were pitting at the same time and jammed up as drivers came in and out of their pit boxes. Jr banged into the back of the car ahead of him damaging the grill of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet. The car was handling badly and Jr was soon a lap down. Through hard work by his crew, he was able to battle his way to become the first car 1 lap down. He was fortunate enough to have a caution come out and he became the benefactor of the "Lucky Dog" rule. This allowed him a free pass back onto the lead lap. With the repairs made to his car, Jr sped back to the front and even led a lap. He finished the race 2nd.
The second "Lucky Dog" benefactor was Ryan Newman. On lap 90, the #12 Alltel Dodge had cut a right front tire. Before he could make it back to pit road, the tire had completely shred off the car. This left him a lap down. But, because of the free pass, he was able to make his way back to finish 4th. The same rule allowed Ryan to win the race in Dover.
Tony Stewart suffered with a powerful migraine headache that struck him after qualifying on Friday night. He was unable to practice his car on Saturday. Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty took a few laps for him during morning practice and Happy Hour. Tony was well enough to make the race, but like Michael Waltrip found the wrong gear had been chosen for the set up. He struggled with the car making only a few moves forward. But, his crew was diligent during pit stops and the car had improved greatly by the end of the day. With drafting help from teammate Bobby Labonte, Tony surged to the front. He muscled his way past Rusty Wallace in the final laps to finish 3rd for the 2nd week in a row.
Jeff Gordon led most of the laps during the race. He took the lead on lap 50 and stayed there for 37 laps before Rusty Wallace was able to get by. He led again on lap 92 before getting shuffled back in the pack. The #24 DuPont Chevrolet made a last ditch effort to win in the final laps, but he was thwarted by Michael Waltrip. Jeff finished the race 5th.
Jeff's teammate Jimmy Johnson did not fare as well. On lap 129, Jimmy had taken the #48 Lowes Chevrolet to the lead. Jr and Michael Waltrip battled to claim that spot. As Jr bump drafted Mike, the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet was pitched into Jimmy. The Lowes Chevrolet spun down the track miraculously missing the entire field behind him. He was able to straighten out the car and continue onto pit road, then back onto the track. Unfortunately, Jimmy could not finish the race as the engine gave out on lap 157.
Rusty Wallace was having a good race. He led on 2 different occasions. But when he needed drafting help from his teammate, Ryan Newman did not choose to lend a hand. The #2 Miller Lite Dodge was wrangled by Tony Stewart during the final laps and Rusty lost ground quickly. He was able to end the race 9th.
Remaining top 10 drivers included Kurt Busch in the #97 Irwin Ford, Kevin Harvick in the #29
Goodwrench Chevrolet, Ricky Craven in the #32 Tide Pontiac and Mike Wallace in the #09 Miccosukee Indian
Gaming Dodge.
Article by S. Kipple
9/28/03
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