Live Kobalt Tools 500 observations, insight from SceneDaily staffers
Jeff Gluck, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 5:59 p.m. EDT
I think Kurt Busch has got this thing. I know Brian Vickers is gaining, but I think Busch is going to hold him off. It's been his day from the start.
The top-35 shakedown is going to be interesting. That's what I'm focusing on after the race.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 5:41
Look who's third with 52 laps to go – it's Clint Bowyer. How about that Bowyer? He has had a great season so far, and he hasn't missed a beat going to a new team. Sometimes a change of scenery can be good for a driver, even if he is leaving a Chase team.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 5:18
If Kurt Busch wins this thing, it certainly will be a validation of the new Dodge engine. It took a long time for the engine to get introduced – Dodge had indicated they wanted it in all cars by the summer or fall last year – but it looks like Penske has it running well. Considering how well Penske is doing with the engine, it will be interesting to see if Richard Petty Motorsports pushes its introduction of the engine to earlier this year. We weren't expecting to see the new Dodge engine until May or June for the RPM boys.
Jeff Gluck, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 5:01
Well, Mark Martin sure is in trouble as far as the Chase now, isn't he? What a nightmarish start to the season for Martin and his Hendrick Motorsports team. You can't help but feel sorry for them.
Still 100 laps to go in this race. Seems amazingly long, doesn't it?
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 5:01
Kevin Harvick just got the free pass under caution to get back on the lead lap. Harvick was one of three Cup drivers who flew to Daytona Beach, Fla., with Harvick's Truck Series driver Ricky Carmichael to watch the supercross race at Daytona International Speedway last night. Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers went to the event, considered one of the biggest motocross events of the season.
Kenny Bruce, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 4:37
What’s going on with the rash of problems involving the fueling of cars today? At least two teams, probably more, have had issues. Kurt Busch had to make two stops early when there was a fueling issue on the No. 2 Penske Dodge. And now it appears Tony Stewart may have had a similar issue. Have teams changed something in the fuel-line area that’s creating the problem?
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 4:18
A follow-up on the Marcos Ambrose gas man. According to NASCAR, it was Jimmy Watts, who has been in the sport for at least seven years. Replacing Watts for the remainder of this event will be Joel Cox, who works for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Jeff Gluck, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 4:03
Thank goodness that crew guy ran out onto the infield grass and changed the whole race with the ensuing caution. Otherwise, this race would be even more boring. I wish I didn't have to type that so many times this season. Come on, NASCAR - admit the new car is hurting the quality of racing and let the teams work on it!
David Exum, Charlotte, N.C., 3:54
Possibly no one dominated Atlanta Motor Speedway quite like Dale Earnhardt.
On Nov. 2, 1986, Earnhardt not only won the race but was the only car on the lead lap. Richard Petty finished the race in second, a lap and three seconds behind Earnhardt.
Jared Turner, Charlotte, N.C., 3:51
If Kurt Busch wins this race, it could obviously signal the makings of an outstanding season for the Penske Racing driver. Just from the first three races of 2009, it's clear that Busch’s team is much improved over last season, when Busch finished 18th in the driver standings and never seriously challenged for a spot in the Chase For The Sprint Cup. Wouldn't it be neat to see a non-Hendrick-Roush-RCR-Gibbs driver emerge as a legitimate title contender?
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 3:44
In case you were wondering why the caution came out when the tire of Marcos Ambrose went rolling across the frontstretch infield, whether it was for the tire or the crew man chasing it, the NASCAR race report is saying "crew member safety." NASCAR probably would have thrown the caution for the tire itself, but it certainly can't have crew guys running across the pit road and frontstretch grass. What was that dude thinking? He has been suspended for the remainder of the race.
Kenny Bruce, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 3:43
Barely one-third of the way through today’s race and there are only 10 cars on the lead lap. Just goes to show you how a caution falling during the middle of a round of green-flag stops can really jumble the field.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 3:40
I'm wondering if this race would be better if, when the drivers get the one-lap-until-green signal, those cars that are on the tail end of the lead lap (those behind the pace car but ahead of the leader) would get to pass the pace car and drive around to the tail of the field. We would have a lot more cars on the lead lap. Instead, we still only have a handful of cars on the lead lap. Some other racing series have that rule.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 3:21
Looks like Martin Truex Jr. is doing fine after passing the kidney stone last night. He's on the lead lap. Crew chief Kevin Manion said prior to the race he didn't think Truex would have any problems today.
David Exum, Charlotte, N.C., 3:09
Don't give up on Joey Logano. Sure, he's a lap down in the early going but it's early. Logano's a talented kid and he's got plenty of time to claw his way back into this thing.
Logano's crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, is one of the finest pit bosses in the sport and he knows what he's doing when it comes to mentoring the youngster. Logano struggled in last week's race at Las Vegas and ended up finishing 13th. I see no reason why the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine can't earn his first top-10 in today's race.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 3:00
That wasn't good for Travis Kvapil. An engine issue will mean he likely will finish 42nd. He needed a better finish to challenge for the top 35 as well as to impress prospective sponsors.
Jeff Gluck, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:54
Fifty laps into the race and there are a few names who have caught my attention.
First of all, Kurt Busch continues his resurgence and is showing that he's going to be a Chase contender. A driver doesn't perform well at these intermediate tracks early in the season and then flop. It doesn't happen.
Next, I see that Ryan Newman is in the top 10 - a huge step for that team. They really need a good run today.
Disappointments include David Reutimann, who had shown such promise but is 35th and lapped already, and Joey Logano, who will surely be in jeopardy of falling out of the top 35 in Bristol unless he improves his performance (36th, lapped right now).
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:54
Wow. What a blistering pace by Kurt Busch. With less than a quarter of the race done, only 25 cars remain on the lead lap.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:50
Dale Earnhardt Jr. told spotter T.J. Majors to just let him know if he's clear on the inside or the outside. He does not want to know much more information than that. He said it is slippery and he's using the whole race track and can't afford to slide into someone.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:43
Looks like I'm getting beat by Lee Montgomery on the fantasy league game on SceneDaily.com .... I had Bobby Labonte among my three drivers for today.
David Exum, Charlotte, N.C., 2:43
Hard to believe, but Kurt Busch's last top-five finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway occurred in the fall race of 2002. Busch won the race that day for his third victory of the year. He would go on to win again two weeks later in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Kenny Bruce, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:38
Sure, there’s a long way to go, but the ease with which Kurt Busch has moved to the front on two different restarts ... well, he’s a player for now. Odd how his Dodge seems to be a level above the others from that particular camp lately, isn’t it?
Jeff Gluck, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:32
I'm standing right in Turn 4 as the cars scream onto the front straightaway. I've got to say, the talk about this being the fastest track sure seems accurate up close.
There is a noticeable difference in speed between where I'm standing now and standing in a similar spot at other 1.5-mile tracks.
Usually the cars have been rolling through the corner and are just getting back up to speed out of Turn 4. Here, there's a wow factor. Impressive.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:19
Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus informed his crew that the team has an official plus a trainee in their pit stall today. He asked his crew to be aware of the trainee in case the trainee might be in the way, not knowing where to be while the team is attempting to pit the Jimmie Johnson car. He warned his crew to watch their hoses and to be aware of the second official.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2:16
Listening to scanner traffic before the start of the race, crew chiefs were reminding their drivers that this is a long race – 325 laps. They have time to get the car right during the day, so they are asking their drivers not to panic and to make sure they don't take any unnecessary chances early in the event. Pit-road execution will be key.
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1:57
Earlier today, Marcos Ambrose was in the media center passing out Little Debbie brownies that are shaped in a race car and have red frosting with the number "47" on them. That's a nice promotion for the driver. I wonder how many boxes they could sell in his native Australia?
Jeff Gluck, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1:46
There's a celebrity at the track today: SceneDaily.com’s Carolyn Brewster, who has become a reader favorite with her “Confessions of a Fan” column.
I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to me at the track and said, “Oh, you write for NASCAR Scene? I LOVE Carolyn Brewster.”
But despite being “co-workers” of sorts, I had never met Carolyn until just now, when she came into the media center for a visit. She’s at the race with her family today, since she moved from Alaska to Georgia last year.
Readers might not know, but Carolyn doesn’t work in the Scene offices (which are located in Charlotte). She’s an actual fan like you. And she certainly doesn’t act like a media member.
To wit: She asked if it would be OK for her to take one of the free waters from the refrigerator in the media center (most media members are quite used to just grabbing whatever they want).
While she was here, she even met with a big fan of hers who works in the media center. The fan was thrilled to meet Carolyn but completely ignored me. Oh well – I’m not a celebrity!
Bob Pockrass, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1:45
I just bumped into Penske Racing Indy Racing League driver Ryan Briscoe in front of one of the Penske haulers. He is itching to get his season going. They don't race until April 5 in St. Petersburg (Florida). Just think if you had two more months without NASCAR. What would you do?
