A blown motor and a hard wreck

The Brickyard 400, while one of my favorite races to watch and the second most important race of the season, was a disappointing one for my favorite drivers. When Kyle Petty, 26th, finishes well ahead of my other two favorites, you know it was a tough day. I was optimistic that with Bobby Labonte's prowess at this track and the steady gains of the 43 team we'd see a good result, but in large part the 43 struggled the whole race and then blew a motor late and finished 40th.
Then there's Kasey Kahne, who has struggled of late and needed a good run; and this seemed to be the track to get it at. His prior two races there resulted in a 4th and a 2nd. Well, maybe next year. They were chasing the set-up on the 9 all day but were running in the top 10 on the last lap, when either he spun out or got tapped from behind and almost knocked down the outside wall. He hit it nearly head on and the rear of the car came right up off the track. I think the tire falling on his show car in that commercial was less violent that this wreck. Thankfully, he walked away from it. Therefore, this week's kudo goes to the safety of those cars.
My fantasy pick for this race didn't fare much better. Four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon had a bolt come loose on the front suspension early in the race that cost him 4 laps, which he did manage to make up; but because this race was relatively caution free, he wasn't able to get all those laps back early enough to be a factor, though he did finish 16th. But in a fantasy league where you only get to pick each driver once throughout the season, getting a 16th from Jeff Gordon is gonna hurt.
Oh, the winner? Jimmy Johnson, who dominated late and won easily. This team is amazing in how they bounce back from adversity and seemingly always finish well. This weekend it was a tire going down early, which relegated them to the back. So while Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards were the cars to beat early on, it was the 48 that was the best at the end. Will this be the year they win the Championship? We'll see. They'd be the prohibitive favorite in years past, but with the Chase format anyone can get screwed and anyone who limps into the Chase can be the Champion. You're thinking I sound like I don't like the Chase format? Well, you'd be very much right, but that's a blog for another day. I will say this much right now: Watch out for Jeff Gordon if he makes the Chase. He's managing to stay in the top 10 while using up his bad luck.
Jimmy Johnson Jeff Gordon Petty Brickyard Indianapolis Kahne Labonte Nascar Chase