The Frontstretch: Battered Andretti Somehow Comes Out Swinging In Bubble Battle by Mike Ravesi -- Monday October 26, 2009

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Battered Andretti Somehow Comes Out Swinging In Bubble Battle

Tracking The Top 35 In Owner Points · Mike Ravesi · Monday October 26, 2009

 

Bubble Breakdown:

NASCAR returned to its short track roots last Sunday with the running of the TUMS Fast Relief 500 in Martinsville, Virginia. The return to the sport’s oldest speedway was good news for some veteran drivers like Bobby Labonte, who posted a top 16 finish in this latest go round at the paper clip. But it was bad news for others like Michael Waltrip, who demonstrated during the week he has trouble making U-Turns without hitting a guy on a motorcycle before crashing out on his own during the weekend. So, by all means, read on to see if John Andretti would start putting nails in Team Red Bull’s coffin, or if Scott Speed would come through with a good run and chop into his team’s 98-point deficit in this latest edition of the Breakdown.

Focusing on the Bubble:

What an up and down day for our two drivers battling for the last spot in the top 35. Scott Speed, with time running out in the 2009 season, desperately needed a good finish to cut into John Andretti’s lead, and looked like he was going to do just that. Scott spent most of the day running in the mid-to-high 20’s, fighting a tight condition on his Red Bull Racing No. 82 Toyota. But the key move came during a cycle of green-flag pit stops with less than 100 laps remaining. When a caution flew for none other than John Andretti’s spin in Turn 2 (more on that in a minute), the No. 82 team was the only one who hadn’t yet made their stop, putting them in 7th place on the lead lap when the yellow flew. The team then dialed the car in, falling back to change tires under that caution but still sitting 17th with as few as 25 laps remaining. It looked like the run the team needed … until Speed then attempted what looked like a banzai move going into Turn 1 and lost the car, slamming hard into the wall and doing heavy damage to the back end of his racing machine. Ending his day five laps early, Scott’s top 20 car regressed to the 31st position by the checkered flag.

John Andretti and his Front Row Racing No. 34 Chevrolet didn’t have much better luck, either. John also struggled with his handling, spending much of his day off the lead lap and running between 26th and 35th. Then, the field decided to start punting John around Martinsville’s half-mile race track. Kasey Kahne got into John and Sterling Marlin on lap 275, bringing out the caution although Andretti was able to stay on the lead lap. That’s when things got a little better temporarily, as Steven Lane used pit strategy to get Andretti up to 5th on a restart on lap 306. But John slid back through the field to 20th and eventually was clipped by Elliott Sadler, spinning the No. 34 Chevrolet around. No damage was done, and John was able to continue one lap down; however, he was again wrecked on the final lap by fellow Bubble contender Paul Menard. That left John with a 26th place finish, two laps down, but more importantly added 20 points to his lead to extend it to 118 with just four races to go. If John survives at Talladega next week, a top 25 finish could all but finish off Scott Speed in the race for the top 35.

Around the bubble:

Hall of Fame Racing’s No. 96 Ford Fusion driven by Bobby Labonte: Bobby Labonte drove like the true champion he is, finishing 13th in his final race of the season for Hall Of Fame Racing. Instead of packing it in after being replaced by a younger driver who brings a sponsor with him, Labonte posted a great run for the team as they were sliding back in the standings recently. Labonte, whose career average finish at Martinsville is 17th, hung around the top 15 most of the day and stayed out of trouble for the team’s best run since a 12th place finish in May’s Coca-Cola 600.

Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 NAPA Toyota driven by Michael Waltrip: Not a good week for Michael Waltrip. It started after an alcohol-related traffic accident, when Waltrip pulled in front of a motorcycle and was struck in the driver’s side door. The driver admitted having two beers before the incident, and Mikey blew a .06 to fall just below North Carolina’s legal limit of .08. Then, on Friday, the team struggled in qualifying, starting way back in the 36th position at a track where they ran 13th in the Spring. But Sunday was the final kick in the pants, as Mikey blew a tire just 43 laps into the event and things just got worse from there. The No. 55 team never got the front end of the car right and slogged around to finish 30th, four laps down to the leader.

Who’s in and who’s out:

You need a minimum of 1,772 in order to be mathematically able to catch John Andretti at this point, thus eliminating the James Finch No. 09 Chevrolet/Dodge entry. That’s quite a disappointment, since this team has won a race and has a pair of top 10s. On the flip side, locking themselves into the top 35 are the Nos. 88, 44, and 1 cars, meaning everyone in the top 24 is now locked in. The No. 26 teams of Jack Roush — whose owner points may be sold off in the offseason — just needs to finish 42nd or better at Talladega (or have the No. 82 not win and lead the most laps) to lock themselves into the top 35.

Bubble Chatter:

“It’s real hard to pass here, I know you already know this but it’s real hard to pass.” Robby Gordon to new crew chief Doug Richert

“This thing will not turn.” Sterling Marlin

“That change didn’t really do much, still pretty tight all the way through.” Scott Speed

“I’m gonna tell you a lot of conflicting stuff today. If I tell you to take it easy, I want you to go like hell. If I say nice and smooth, I want you to lay the bumper to somebody.”
“Oh, so it’s kind of like being married.”
“10-4, You’ve been nice to everybody all year, and this would be a good race to root a mother [expletive] outta your way who got you earlier this year.” Exchange between Members Of The No. 34 Team and Driver John Andretti

“Get a driveshaft and axles ready, we may have broken the yoke off the gear.”
“Looks like the U joint broke, and we’re leaking oil too.”
“Get it up on jackstands, and we’ll replace the driveshaft, the rear end gear, and the axle.” Various members of Robby Gordon’s crew
“Guys, why don’t we just make it easy and load it in the truck?” Robby Gordon
“Ah (explicative) we have a big hole in the oil tank, we’re done.” Doug Richert, Robby Gordon’s crew chief

“Tell me you didn’t just take a spring rubber out under green.” Michael Waltrip to his crew chief

“It’s been one of them days, boys. But it isn’t because of bad luck, it’s because the car sucks.” Michael Waltrip

“Hell, that just saved our ass.” Andretti’s crew chief regarding Scott Speed’s late wreck

What to look for at Talladega:

Look for a lot of success from the bubble teams next weekend at the final restrictor plate race of 2009. Seven of our bubble teams posted top 21 finishes earlier this season at ‘Dega, and they claimed 10 top 25s at NASCAR’s biggest track in 2008. So, who do we put our money on next week? I never in a million years thought I would say this, but mine is on Paul Menard and Joe Nemechek. I’ll give you a minute to stop laughing before I explain. For Menard, the last three trips have resulted in finishes of 13th, 14th, and a second place run. He has also qualified well with starts of 24th, 22nd, and a fifth. I say a top 10 should be in the cards for Menard. As for Nemechek, in 2008 he qualified on the pole for one of the two races there and had a seventh in the other. In 2009 he started 17th, ran the whole race, and came home in the 14th position. Look for another top 20 for Nemechek next weekend.

As for the stragglers, Bobby Labonte seems to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time at Talladega. His last two trips have produced finishes of 28th and 34th, with a lot of wrecked sheet metal to go with it.

So, there you have it, your bubble breakdown for Martinsville. Check back next week to see if the bubble dwellers can again litter the top 20 with strong runs, including whether Scott Speed can put a dent into John Andretti’s lead with just a handful or races to go. And don’t forget to check out the newsletter for the weekend’s head-to-head picks. So until next Monday, so long from the bubble!

2009 Bubble Chart After Martinsville:

Pos Owner Car # Driver Points Points +/- of 35th Place
31 Hall of Fame / Yates Racing 96 Bobby Labonte / Erik Darnell 2,785 +369
32 Yates Racing 98 Paul Menard 2,705 +289
33 Michael Waltrip Racing 55 Michael Waltrip 2,655 +239
34 Robby Gordon Motorsports 7 Robby Gordon 2,493 +77
35 Front Row Motorsports 34 John Andretti 2,416 0
36 Team Red Bull 82 Scott Speed 2,298 -118
37 TRG Motorsports 71 Various Drivers 1,895 -521
38 Phoenix Racing 09 Various Drivers 1,657 -759
39 NEMCO Motorsports 87 Joe Nemechek 1,463 -953
40 Prism Motorsports 66 Dave Blaney 1,302 -1,114
41 Furniture Row Racing 78 Regan Smith 1,291 -1,125
42 Tommy Baldwin Racing 36 Various Drivers 1,276 -1,140

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Pat
10/26/2009 06:08 AM
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Your “bubble chatter” recap with John Andretti is way off. All that chatter was between John and his spotter Kevin Hamlin, and the “kind of like being married” comment was actually made by team owner Bob Jenkins. Peace be with you.

Kevin
10/26/2009 01:00 PM
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I’ve been thinking…is this battle between the 82 and the 34 really going to matter as we head into 2010? We know the #26 team is shutting down, which should mean that both teams will end up with guaranteed starting spots for the first 5 races next year. We’re also likely to lose at least one of the RPM teams, which would lift the 71 up into a guaranteed spot. If we lose the 07 or another RPM/Yates team as well, the top-35 could extend all the way back to the (mostly) start-and-park 09.

Bill
10/26/2009 07:12 PM
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I think the battle will matter. Last year the 10 car finished 36th and all off season the Petty team thought they had a starting spot locked up since a couple of top 35 teams folded. Once all the ride buying happened the 10 (now 44) needed to qualify on time the first five races anyways. I can see something similar happening, the 78 will be full time next year, and I’m sure a S&P team might see some advantage to buying a top 35 spot to guarantee being in the Daytona 500 since there will probably be a bunch of cars attempting that race.

Mike Ravesi
10/26/2009 09:21 PM
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I think the battle will matter because if John Andretti finishes 35th in the owner’s standings then as soon as the checkered flag flies at Miami team owner Bob Jenkins can start courting sponsors having a gauranteed starting spot for next season’s first five races including the Daytona 500. A sponsor looking for a car would be much more inclined to get a guaranteed advertisemet out on track as opposed to a ‘well we may be able to buy owner points if they become available’ pitch. And Front Row motorsports will also have beaten a team with far more funding than themselves,proving to sponsors perhaps that they are capable of far better results with a little more money.Lets face it, money isn’t an issue with the No. 82 car, or the 98 or 55 for that matter.But it is with the 34 car.

Doug In Washington (State)
10/26/2009 10:17 PM
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Actually the #10 car finished 37th in the 2008 points. 36th was the 00/47 car, which got a guaranteed spot with the merger of DEI and Ganassi. 6 teams became 3 teams, points from 2 of those went elsewhere (one went to RCR #33 and one went to FRM #34) and one disappeared. RPM thought they’d get the spot vacated by either the 2 above or by the closing of the #22, but Penske bought that for the #77 (which had been in 38th).

Assuming one of the “partners” of Roush-Fenway doesn’t take “their” owner’s points to another team, that’s one that will disappear.

Dan In NJ
10/27/2009 01:33 AM
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The top 35 doesn’t matter anymore once the season ends. Clearly one RPM and one Roush car will be gone. The race is to the top 37.

As for Talladega, dark horse pick on my fantasy is Regan Smith. The FRR team has the cars and engines from Hendrick much like Phoenix Racing does. And afterall, Regan has won at Talladega before :)