After the snore-fest also known as Indy, NASCAR was badly in need of an exciting race. Pocono Raceway delivered perhaps the season’s most entertaining race yet. Kasey Kahne shot by Jeff Gordon after a late race restart with three laps to go to spoil Gordon’s 42nd Birthday. Kurt Busch, who also shares a birthday with Jeff Gordon, pushed Kahne after Kahne spun his tires at the restart.
“I didn’t want Gordon to win on our Birthday,” Busch said in an interview after the race. Obviously not a fan of the #24 team, Busch finished a season high third (tying his previous high).
Kahne’s victory moved him into 8th place in the Sprint Cup standing. With his 2nd win of the season, Kahne solidified not only his position in the Chase, but it also marked him as a serious contender to Jimmie Johnson for the Sprint Cup Championship. After the race a visibly shaken Kahne paid tribute to Jason Leffler.
“After the June race I rode home with Jason. I thought of that today,” Kahne said after the race as water, soda and other various beverages sprayed all around him.
Jimmie Johnson totally dominated the early stages of the race before a tire blowout ruined his chances for a victory. Amazingly, Johnson ended up finishing 13th to keep a most comfortable lead in the Chase standings.
The race included some “Dumb and Dumber” moments. On lap one( yes lap one) entering turn one, (yes turn one) Juan Pablo Montoya raced like it was the final lap. Entering the turn, Montoya went three-wide and caused a multi-car wreck that took out Matt Kenseth from contention and ruining Rickey Stenhouse’s day. Stenhouse was not happy with Montoya. “It looked like he just forgot to turn left. He seems to forget a lot lately.”
One only has to listen to any number of race drivers on their race car radios to hear what most other drivers think of the driver of the #42 Target car. “Idiot”, “Jerk”, “A-hole” are just a small sample of things you’ll hear how drivers describe Montoya to their crews. Many times the “F” word will added to one of those unkind adjectives. Sunday he was all of that.
There is no excuse anyone can make for what Montoya did Sunday on lap one. He seems to lack the judgment and patience to be a successful NASCAR driver. There is no questioning his talent to drive a race car. The man has won in the CART series and counts the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 hours of Daytona among his successes in the open wheel series. In NASCAR, the Columbian born driver has not seen similar results.
Running full time in a Sprint Cup car, Montoya has not had anywhere near the results that were expected. Sunday’s race may give a good example as to why. In NASCAR, the most successful drivers are the ones who know it’s a long race, and keep their cars clear of any contact early in the race. Lap one is not the time to be fighting aggressively for position. Montoya has been in his car since 2006 and should know that by now. Clearly a dumb move where there is no excuse or justification. He’ll probably run well at the Glen on Sunday but it may be time his owner, Chip Gannasi, to consider finding another driver for his #42 car.
Speaking of patience, Danica Patrick found herself in familiar territory Sunday as well. While racing side by side, her car got lose and she ended up wrecking and taking out Jeff Burton and Paul Menard as well. Unlike Montoya, Patrick is new to this series and is still becoming familiar with her car. After the wreck she claimed that side force was the cause of her spinning. Experience surely was a factor here as well, but Danica gets a huge pass from me as this is her first year. Hopefully she doesn’t need as much time as Gannasi has given Montoya.
Twitter lit up with anti-Patrick tweets after the wreck. She continues to illicit as many opinions as any driver currently racing in the series not named Earnhardt. Patrick’s Crew Chief, Tony Gibson, could be seen offering comfort and support to her in the garage. There will come a time when it will be time to judge Patrick on her race results. That time has not come yet.
On to the Watkins Glen road course we go.
My picks:
1) Marcos Ambrose
2) Tony Stewart
3) Jeff Gordon
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