The entire complexion of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway appeared to change in an instant when, during green-flag pit stops on Lap 67, a tire escaped the pit box of Marcos Ambrose and started rolling toward the frontstretch straightaway.
The real surprise came when Jimmy Watts, the gas man for the No. 47 Toyota driven by Ambrose, chased the loose tire into the grassy median between the track and pit road — at one point coming within about 70 feet of actually going onto the track while cars were still churning around it at speeds approaching 200 mph.
A caution flag flew immediately…Â Details
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It was not unfair to think last year, that Michael Waltrip was steering his racing team into an iceberg, just like the Titanic. He started the season at minus 100 points due to an embarrassing cheating scandal where he was caught putting jet fuel in his car, and the season never picked up much steam after that.
The only bright spot, was he and teammate David Reutimann finished inside the top 35 at 22nd and 25th. At least they would be able to start the first few few races if they survived. That was the thinking of most that follow NASCAR.
But the offseason saw Toyota start to develop better engines, and MWR also changed some things as well. New personnel and gritty determination may be paying off as Reutimann just got his first top-five finish, and Waltrip has finished strong, as well as started on the front row of the season opening Daytona 500…. Details
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After the pain Martin Truex Jr. experienced Saturday while suffering the effects of a kidney stone, just getting back into the car for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway could have been considered a good day. So adding a top-10 finish on top of that was even better news.
Fortunate to stay on the lead lap when a caution during green-flag pit stops put all but a handful of cars at least one lap down early in the race, Truex maintained his spot among the leaders the rest of the way. And despite problems on his final stop, Truex still held on for 10th…Â Details
The other Busch showed his kid brother a thing or two.
Kurt Busch, a former Cup champion who’s been overshadowed lately by his sibling Kyle, drove to a dominating victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The 30-year-old Busch led 234 of 330 laps in the Kobalt Tools 500, surviving a couple of scrapes with the wall and a late caution to pull away for a 0.332-second victory over Jeff Gordon.
Pole-sitter Mark Martin, who had become the second-oldest driver in Cup history to claim the top spot in qualifying, had another rough day …Â Details
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