By the way, Kurt Busch won the race driving one of three Dodges in the field. Jimmie Johnson did not win the race but despite having some trouble, secured a 12th place spot. Suddenly Ford’s fortune improved with Matt Kenseth running second then three Richard Petty Fords, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, and A.J. Allmendinger taking 4th, 5th, and 6th spot. Additionally, Greg Biffle landed in 8th making it six Fords in the top 10.
Staying away from trouble, Juan Pablo Montoya who was looking very strong in the closing laps finished 3rd, the top Chevy in the race. Kevin Harvick struggled but finished 9th. Both Red Bull Toyotas finished in the top 10, Brian Vickers in 7th and Scott Speed in 10th. Needing a good finish to further secure his hold in the top 35, Marcos Ambrose finished 11th. Despite starting on the pole then suffering a calamity of difficulties, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came back to a 15th place finish.
What to make of Robby Gordon’s effort? Like the old Albert King song says, “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.” Struggling to get into the top 35 having miserable fortune in the first three races, Gordon wrecked destroying his car in lap three. Times have been tough for Mr. Gordon as a single car, owner/driver operation, but nonetheless even struggling to find sponsors, Robby Gordon attempts to contend as best his fortunes and equipment will allow. However, in years past, he managed to eke by and stay in the top 35. It will take an incredible race at Bristol to gain that status. Several teams will have much to sort out after Bristol. What perfect placement in the early schedule is to have a track that is so tough on tempers and equipment to be the first milestone on the schedule.
So far, the 2010 season has shown a real shakeup in the standings with half the field in last year’s chase outside the top 12: Denny Hamlin, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, and Brian Vickers. Matt Kenseth, a normal chase participant whose late season drought put him outside the top 12 is back in elite company but perhaps the greatest gains are shown by the three Richard Childress teams who had a tough 2009 season. The greatest beneficiary of the Yates merger with Petty racing so far in Paul Menard, currently 9th in the point standings.
Just how much of nuisance is Brad Keselowski? Joey Logano was enjoying a breakthrough sophomore season holding in the top 12, but as a consequence of the initial Keselowski/Edwards dusting, Edwards’s car was pushed into Logano whose car smashed into the wall resulting in losing six places in the points standing.
What’s been interesting about the 2010 season so far is that just as soon as a trend seems to be developing, something soon happens that turns that perception around. It looked like Ford failure was a matter for discussion for the early season, but then they come thundering back to dominate the top 10 at Atlanta. Given the unpredictable nature of races at Bristol and that race results there can have a major impact on the points standing, there’s little use making too bold of pronouncements on the season.
There’s a rather eerie silence in Atlanta’s aftermath waiting to see how the Edwards/Keselowski conflict will play out. While NASCAR promoted they would loosen things up and let drivers be drivers, so soon they are presented with a case that is impossible to ignore. While it is quite understandable quite a few drivers have had enough of young Keselowski’s antics, an attempt to affect revenge which sends a car airborne with the spectacle of far worse being so frighteningly real adds a much more morbid element to this struggle.
In the first three races where Danica Patrick race the day before, much attention was directed at how Ms. Patrick was attempting to establish her presence in the sport. In her case, it’s all about respect, conducting herself on the racetrack so that other drivers respect what she’s attempting to do and learning how to be more competitive in the process. Brad Keselowski appears to lack respect for any drivers in the field and clearly has an overinflated sense of importance for his role in the sport. Perhaps big success came too soon and too easy with his victory last April in Talladega, and yes, aggressive driving played a big part in gaining that win. The result was sending Carl Edwards’ car flying into the safety fence shooting a shower of debris into the audience causing some injuries.
One thing’s for certain, from this point forward if it wasn’t true already, Brad Keselowski won’t be able to buy a break this year. Meanwhile, some driver we haven’t identified yet might be on the verge of getting that big break and enjoy a season that could elevate his career into the elite status.
Though Jimmie Johnson was not on top of his game this week, he did gain another position in the standings. Until and unless he is out of contention, it’s hard not to ask, can anyone stop Jimmie Johnson?
Staying away from trouble, Juan Pablo Montoya who was looking very strong in the closing laps finished 3rd, the top Chevy in the race. Kevin Harvick struggled but finished 9th. Both Red Bull Toyotas finished in the top 10, Brian Vickers in 7th and Scott Speed in 10th. Needing a good finish to further secure his hold in the top 35, Marcos Ambrose finished 11th. Despite starting on the pole then suffering a calamity of difficulties, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came back to a 15th place finish.
What to make of Robby Gordon’s effort? Like the old Albert King song says, “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.” Struggling to get into the top 35 having miserable fortune in the first three races, Gordon wrecked destroying his car in lap three. Times have been tough for Mr. Gordon as a single car, owner/driver operation, but nonetheless even struggling to find sponsors, Robby Gordon attempts to contend as best his fortunes and equipment will allow. However, in years past, he managed to eke by and stay in the top 35. It will take an incredible race at Bristol to gain that status. Several teams will have much to sort out after Bristol. What perfect placement in the early schedule is to have a track that is so tough on tempers and equipment to be the first milestone on the schedule.
So far, the 2010 season has shown a real shakeup in the standings with half the field in last year’s chase outside the top 12: Denny Hamlin, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, and Brian Vickers. Matt Kenseth, a normal chase participant whose late season drought put him outside the top 12 is back in elite company but perhaps the greatest gains are shown by the three Richard Childress teams who had a tough 2009 season. The greatest beneficiary of the Yates merger with Petty racing so far in Paul Menard, currently 9th in the point standings.
Just how much of nuisance is Brad Keselowski? Joey Logano was enjoying a breakthrough sophomore season holding in the top 12, but as a consequence of the initial Keselowski/Edwards dusting, Edwards’s car was pushed into Logano whose car smashed into the wall resulting in losing six places in the points standing.
What’s been interesting about the 2010 season so far is that just as soon as a trend seems to be developing, something soon happens that turns that perception around. It looked like Ford failure was a matter for discussion for the early season, but then they come thundering back to dominate the top 10 at Atlanta. Given the unpredictable nature of races at Bristol and that race results there can have a major impact on the points standing, there’s little use making too bold of pronouncements on the season.
There’s a rather eerie silence in Atlanta’s aftermath waiting to see how the Edwards/Keselowski conflict will play out. While NASCAR promoted they would loosen things up and let drivers be drivers, so soon they are presented with a case that is impossible to ignore. While it is quite understandable quite a few drivers have had enough of young Keselowski’s antics, an attempt to affect revenge which sends a car airborne with the spectacle of far worse being so frighteningly real adds a much more morbid element to this struggle.
In the first three races where Danica Patrick race the day before, much attention was directed at how Ms. Patrick was attempting to establish her presence in the sport. In her case, it’s all about respect, conducting herself on the racetrack so that other drivers respect what she’s attempting to do and learning how to be more competitive in the process. Brad Keselowski appears to lack respect for any drivers in the field and clearly has an overinflated sense of importance for his role in the sport. Perhaps big success came too soon and too easy with his victory last April in Talladega, and yes, aggressive driving played a big part in gaining that win. The result was sending Carl Edwards’ car flying into the safety fence shooting a shower of debris into the audience causing some injuries.
One thing’s for certain, from this point forward if it wasn’t true already, Brad Keselowski won’t be able to buy a break this year. Meanwhile, some driver we haven’t identified yet might be on the verge of getting that big break and enjoy a season that could elevate his career into the elite status.
Though Jimmie Johnson was not on top of his game this week, he did gain another position in the standings. Until and unless he is out of contention, it’s hard not to ask, can anyone stop Jimmie Johnson?
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