Tuesday Ramble - Dover edition

I’m experimenting a little bit with where I want this blog to go, so I think I will try a little thing called a Tuesday ramble, where I will post my opinions of the prior race. Since I mainly follow AJ, that’s where the focus of my attention is during the race, so I will apologize in advance if I didn’t notice what any other driver did other than where they finished. If you like the rambles, let me know. Any input can only make this blog better.

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Tuesday Ramble – Dover edition

With a 29th place finish for the #44 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Dodge Charger, I think it is safe to say that I thought the race on Sunday sucked. I swear, if AJ has any luck at all, it is only bad luck. He needs some positive juju to turn his season around and reverse the backwards points slide that he has been on the past few weeks. He will be heading to Pocono Raceway 30th in points this weekend, and needs a strong run.

Not only did AJ’s bad day put me in a bad mood, but so did NASCAR with all of their debris cautions. I think they just realized that the tires weren’t holding up, and instead of doing the competition yellows to keep cars out of the wall like they did at Indianapolis last July, they decided to find debris every 40 to 50 laps. To me this was a bonehead move, because the guys who were doing a good job of managing their tires would just start moving up through the field when the yellow would come out again. Now I don’t want to see any driver hit the wall, but I think NASCAR should have just let the race unfold without interference.

I also take exception to some people’s opinion that the race was very exciting, and that if you didn’t like the ending to that race, then you’re not a fan of NASCAR. Now I must admit that I watched those final 10 laps unfold with the same anxious amazement that everyone else did. Who was going to win? Was the Biff going to conquer the Monster again? Would Tony get his first win as a car owner? Or would Jimmie put on his superhero cape once again and pass them all?

So 10 laps of the 400 were exciting, but the outcome was still pretty much inevitable. I could do the math in my head and knew it was only a matter of time. Chad and Jimmie had their A game on, and as much as I admire their excellence at what they do, it just takes away from the race for me. Seeing any driver put a whipping on the field like the 48 car did is just boring, in my opinion. So the Dover race just didn’t generate much excitement for me.

I am inherently a glass half full person though, and I did take a few positives out of the weekend. Number one is that two of AJ’s teammates (Reed and Elliott) led laps on Sunday in Dover, and Kasey ran in the top 10 for most of the day and finished 6th. The most important word out of that last sentence was “finished.” Yes, the new Dodge engine that RPM built for the #9 car made it the full 400 miles at Dover!!! When can they all get one?

Another positive thing on Sunday was that AJ had a fast car; and while it was a little too loose for his liking, his lap times were top 10 – 15 all day long. According to my PitCommand Leaderboard, there were several times that he was the fastest car on the track. Of course some of this was because he was on a different agenda than most everyone else. His motivation was to get one of his two laps back at all cost, even to the detriment of his right side tires. That ultimately ended up biting him in the rear end, but it could also have been a superstar move if it had worked.

All in all, the Monster Mile just didn’t provide the racing action that I was looking for on Sunday. I must admit that while I left my earphones on to pick up AJ’s radio chatter, I turned away from the TV and did statements for my husband’s business on the computer for the last 100 laps. That I would rather work instead of watch the race says a lot right there.