We had wheel hops (Tony Stewart & Jeff Gordon chief amongst them) and sock hops (how’s about that tango with Kevin Harvick & Juan Pablo Montoya?)….and even some racing & passing to boot! After Tony Stewart looked like he lost it when he spun in turn one early, he ended up winning it when Jeff Gordon spun on the final lap in the same exact spot. Tony’s victory was his third in the last four races, the 32nd of his Nextel Cup career (he’s now tied for 19th with Dale Jarrett on the all-time win list) and his 6th on a road course. Win #58 for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR finished one-two, btw) was worth $239,286 from the $4.8M in posted awards. Jimmie Johnson (3rd) had his best finish since he was 3rd at Darlington in May. Ron Fellows (4th) had his best finish since he was runner-up here in August of 2004 (only six races). Robby Gordon (5th) had his best finish since he was 4th here last year. Fellow’s & Gordon’s Top-5’s give us 28 drivers at that mark this season…. last year’s number was 29. Fellow’s Top-10 gives us 40 drivers with a Top-10 this season, surpassing last year’s number of 38. J. J. Yeley (18th) had his best finish since he was 17th at Pocono in June. Paul Menard (29th) had his best finish since he was 12th at Michigan in June. David Stremme (21st) had his best finish since he was 17th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. STREAKIN….Jeff Gordon has 10 Top-10’s in a row. Tony Stewart has 4 Top-10’s in a row. This Week’s Elevator….UP: Operator of the Week is Boris Said (+25), followed by Robby Gordon (+24) and Ron Fellows (+22). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Jeff Burton (-36), followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr (-28 ), Kevin Harvick (-27), Regan Smith (-27), and Juan Pablo Montoya (-21). Patrick Carpentier led a lap today in his inital Nextel Cup effort. He’s the 47th different driver to lead a lap this season vs 48 of ’em last year. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s blown motor was certainly costly to him in the points today. With only four races left till the “Chase”, he’s dropped to 14th 100 points out of 12th. Ryan Newman is now the main pretender for the Top-12….96 markers out. Jeff Gordon’s lead over Denny Hamlin is now 344 points. Robby Gordon (29th to 26th) made up the most ground today, while Ricky Rudd (26th to 29th) went in the exact opposite direction. Our “Mathematically Eliminated” line has moved up to 30th.(Stock Car Fans)(8-12-2007)
