Tony Stewart finally got to the fence he’s been looking to climb all his racing life today as he passed Kasey Kahne with 11 laps to go and went on to win the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for his first-ever win at his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Our unforgivable tire problems continued today. By my scorecard it was five left-fronts and two right fronts. Take your choice…..new Goodyear tire this season or that silly NASCAR impound rule. Either way, we didn’t have these type of problems as widespread as they are this year in season’s past…..and these guys have been playing with air pressure for years. A fix is needed, and quick! This was the 4th win of 2005 (and all in the last 6 races) for Stewart and the 23rd of his Cup career (he’s tied for 24th on the all-time win list with Ricky Rudd). Win #46 for Joe Gibbs Racing was worth a paltry $554,661 from the over $9M in posted awards.
Kasey Kahne (2nd) had his best finish since he won at Richmond in May.
Brian Vickers (3rd) had his best finish since he was runner-up at Pocono in June.
Jeremy Mayfield (4th) had his best finish since he was 4th at Lowe’s in May.
Casey Mears (6th) had his best finish since he was 4th at Texas in April.
Sterling Marlin (9th) had his best finish since he was 5th at Texas in April.
Kyle Petty (13th) had his best finish since he was 8th at Bristol in April.
Jeff Green (15th) had his best finish since he was 15th at Pocono in June.
Mike Skinner (29th) had his best finish since he was 22nd at Daytona in February of 2004! (only 5 races)
STREAKIN….Tony Stewart has 7 Top-10’s in a row.
Matt Kenseth has 4 Top-10’s in the last 5 races.
This Week’s Elevator….UP: Operator of the Week is Casey Mears (+34), followed by Carl Edwards (+26) and Tony Stewart (+21). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Ricky Rudd (-32), followed by Elliott Sadler (-31), Ryan Newman (-28 ), and Martin Truex Jr (-25). This is the first time this season that either Mears or Rudd have captured awards in the “Shaft”.
We’ve got a new points leader as Tony Stewart flies by Jimmie Johnson to lead by 75 markers. Only the Top-10 are still above the “Stayin’ Alive” line, but Elliott Sadler has fallen out and Carl Edwards has taken his place.
Mike Bliss (30th to 27th) made the best move forward today, while Scott Riggs (27th to 31st) fell the most spots.(Stock Car Fans)(8-7-2005)
