Dodge Boys of NASCAR

This weekend’s race was basically one where naps on the couch were in order, and they happened early and often. In taking one of these early siestas nothing was missed by the true racing fan. Personally, I don’t care for the racing at the 1.5 mile Chicagoland speedway.  But this year’s Lifelock 400 race, which began in the early evening and went into the night, proved to be much better than previous years; especially in the final 20 laps. Two late cautions provided the needed energy to bunch the field and allow for different pit strategies to be employed by the race teams. Cars up front to include the #9 (Budweiser), Dodge Charger driven by Kasey Kahne decided to stay out with the leaders while many of the cars in the middle-back of pack elected to pick up right side tires for the final dash to the finish. One of those cars was the #24 Chevy driven by Jeff Gordon. His late race strategy provided an advantage that would ultimately play out in the final lap as he edged out Kahne for second place. In finishing behind race winner Mark Martin, driving the #5 Chevy, the two Hendrick Motorsports teams split an additional race bonus of $1 million for finishing one and two; a feat these two drivers had accomplished a month earlier at the Michigan Lifelock 400 race.

There’s no doubt the double file restarts pitting all the leaders up front, has provided a great improvement to the racing especially in the final laps of the race. This weekend it saved us all from a boring, runaway race where Mark Martin was basically the class of the field having led the majority of the 266 laps.

Earlier, before sundown, it looked like Kasey Kahne was going to mount the strongest challenge as he continued moving up and eventually took a brief lead in the race. But as night fell, whatever adjustments Kasey’s race team made to his Charger’s chassis, nothing seemed to provide the right combination for horsepower or track. The #9 Charger just couldn’t stick to the low groove of the track, and, as the race wound down, Kasey couldn’t stick the car where it needed to be for the win. Kasey was able to pass Jeff Gordon with one lap remaining, but, on newer tires, Jeff fought back on the file lap in turns 3-4 to relegate Kasey to third place.

Other notable events involving the Dodge Boys of NASCAR included:

1. #2 (Miller Lite), Dodge of Kurt Busch providing a bump and run on the #48 driven by Jimmy Johnson.   This happened with about 11 laps remaining.  Anytime the Dodge Boys can beat up on the Chevy, Ford and Toyota gang—I’m all in!  Kurt’s actions were in retaliation for the fact Jimmy couldn’t keep his car under control in the previous turn.  Jimmy’s car slid up and damaged the left side of Kurt’s car causing a serious rear tire rub.  Amazing the tire didn’t blow, but with a final caution with but a few laps remaining Kurt pitted for new tires.
2. #77 (Mobil 1), Dodge of Sam Hornish, Jr., crashes after contact with the #20 Toyota driven by Joey Logano.

Final Finishes by the Dodge Charger Race Teams:

#9 (Budweiser), Kasey Kane, 3^rd

#44 (Hunt Brother’s Pizza), A.J. Allmendinger, 13^th

#2 (Miller Lite), Kurt Busch, 17^th

#43 (McDonald’s Café), Reed Sorenson, 24^th

#12 (Penske Racing), David Stremme, 26^th

#19 (Insignia), Elliott Sadler, 27^th

#77 (Mobil 1-Advanced Fuel Economy), Sam Hornish, Jr., 38^th

#09 (Miccosukee Resort and Gaming), 40th

For those of you new to NASCAR racing, welcome. I personally grew up on NASCAR racing, well before it was ever shown on TV. My favorite driver was Richard Petty and still is today; although his racing days are for the history books and video reels. But it was his association with Chrysler and Chrysler products—driving the Hemi’s of the late 1960s/early 70s which inspired my love affair with the car company.

This is my first article for the Allpar website. I wish to continue providing readers some insights into Dodge’s exploits and those of its race teams from the weekly NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. I do this in hopes of sharing my love for the sport of NASCAR and Chrysler’s association with it. So, please continue to check out this website and follow along. With only seven races remaining before the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship begins, anything can happen to our Dodge teams.

Currently, two Dodge teams are in the top 12 in overall championship point’s standings. Both teams are strong contenders for this year’s championship: Kurt Busch (#2) of Penske Racing currently finds himself in fourth place in the standings; and Kasey Kane (#9) of Richard Petty Motorsports who with his third place finish today is currently in eighth place.

Now it’s on to the 20^th race of the season, the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 26^th—see you there!