THREE LAPS DOWN?!?!?!?!!!

[lawdog]

No problem for one of the best ever!!!

71 career wins now. Just a handful til he passes old man #3.

[Sifty]

I didn't get to watch the race but listened to most of it on the radio.It sounded like the 24 was the fast car for the day. I guess it goes to show that you just keep fighting back. Nice run by the 6 car also.

Sifty

[PERCHJR]

Guess it's better to be lucky than good!!! Thank God for the lucky dog award huh???

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING!!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Don't take this personal Dawg cuz I got plenty o love for ya. I sure hope the 24 car doesn't pass old man 3.

I'll give the guy the credit he deserves, and winning the grandfather clock at Martinsville is hard enough, let alone coming back from 3 laps down. So, good job 24 team. Man, that really hurt to say that.

I was a die hard 3 fan forever. So, I kinda have to not like the 24 team. Real similar to a Vikings/ Packers thing.

[eyepatrol]

PERCHJR

Luck has a little bit to do with it, but in this case Gordon was the class of the field, hands down. He got three laps down and got two of them back by actually passing the leader shortly after the re-starts. The "lucky dog" pass...probably wouldn't have mattered in this case whether he got it or not. Gordon would have passed the leader anyway, and gotten his third lap back. 250 laps or so to get his three laps back and another 250 passing all kinds of cars to get to the lead.

That's called skill, determination and being hooked-up. Any driver that has those three things going for him is going to win...Gordon, Biffle, Edwards, Johnson, Harvick, or anyone else who wins this year or in the past.

"Lucky dog" pass has a little to do with it, but the other factors play a much bigger role. Jeff was passing anybody and everybody and it was his day.

[Leader]

ya, as humbling as it maybe, they overcame adversity and got the win. congratulations to Jeff and the team.

never the less a win is a win, and he did drive the wheels off. it was a very good race.

i liked the tribute to the lost team members the most about the victory.

any opinions on the conflict between 24 and 97 cars? i thought i saw gordons tires turn right when they were side by side...

#3, is still dominating in the "next big racing arena"!!!!

[eyepatrol]

Leader

It looked to me that Jeff tried to make an agressive move to get inside Kurt, and when he did, he went as low as he could, but hit the curbing with his left front tire which threw him back into Kurt.

Anyone else see the same or have a different take on this? I hate that it happened, but it looked like 2 guys trying to occupy the same space at the same time.

[lawdog]

I figured the blue oval boys would be all over the supposed controversy there. Here's my take. It was definitely an aggressive move by the 24, but not in any way dirty I don't think. Even the commentators said he was pinned against the bottom and didn't come up into him.

There were two options there, 97 not cutting down, or 24 hitting the brakes and backing off when he was at least partially underneath him. In my mind, I don't think there is a guy in that series that would have let the 97 in with only 50 laps to go. 6 car had routed him up off the bottom and 24 was clearly faster anyway. If 24 wanted to rough him up, then he would have bumped him going into the corner, not gotten hit with him coming down into the side of the car.

NOW, by contrast, the 97 clearly turned right at the end of the straightaway and hit 24 when 24 went to put him that second lap down. Sure he was [PoorWordUsage]ed, but that was dirty crybaby stuff, and then to try to tell Bergren he didn't do it???? LAME!!

[Leader]

basscatcher and lawdog

couldn't agree with ya both more. just didn't know which way to call this one, without slow motion replay.

a nascar(nextel)win is very prestigious and many would of done whatever it took to get the win.

that move was very subtle, and acceptable in my eyes.

maybe should of started a new thread with this one...

Holly smokes, you can type FAST!!!

[JohnMickish]

The 24 is good, there is no doubt about that, and I like him but I don't know about that move with the 97. If that was the 24 that spun into the wall would it still be ok?

Sure, both drivers had there chance to make that not happen, but fair is fair. When it happens again and it's the 24, no complainin. The 97 has taken two hard, unneeded hits caused inadvertantly by two Hendrick cars.

Now we go to Texas, and we all know how them blue ovals run at Texas!!

[Guest]

mnfishingguy-I agree with the statement on Gordon hitting Busch,as there was no room for Gordon to drive that hard and straight into the corner with Busch already there.Yes Gordon and his team are good,but straight out,that was a cheap shot.Wont be suprised to see a little revenge shortly for that shot.Maybe Gordon will take it as good as Busch,and im not a Busch fan,Im all #8,and boy is he having a hard start.

[outdoor ran]

I've been a Gordon fan since his first cup race and that was just unreal the way he came back to win. I almost gave up on the race when he went down 3 laps. But I'm sure glad I decided to keep watching. Hopefully Kurt takes his revenge on a short track and not on a superspeedway.

[Leader]

after seeing the replay multiple times the 24 did hit the curb, but also you can clearly see that he turned right also, it was a premeditated move, knowing darn well the outcome for the guy in the outside groove.(the WALL)

yes it was a very aggressive and blatant move on his behalf.

Kurt has been involved in a few mishaps so far this season, he must of lost his 4 leaf clover that served him so well last year. i thought he also handled himself with great poise and dignity in all his after race interviews.

i'm not a 97 fan, but he does deserve credit for his driving prowess and car set-up abilities.

Texas is now nascars fastest track, and would not be a good place to retaliate. i'm just not a big fan of revenge. everyone makes mistakes or bad judgements.

just my opinion, sorry so long winded.

[JohnMickish]

I don't think that Busch will do anything at Texas or any other fast track. Two or three years ago he would have but he has matured much since then, that is why he will always be the first official Nextel Champ! Kurt is my favorite driver but I still think Jeff Gordon is the best there has been, or maybe will be.

[eyepatrol]

mnfishinguy

I'm a big Gordon fan. And you're right, if someone did that to Gordon, I'd certainly be upset. But I'd still be coming back to the same two questions in my mind. If it was Gordon that got hit, I'd be asking....why didn't his spotter tell him a car was inside....and....why didn't the guy just back off and wait another lap to pass.

I hate what happened between Jeff and Kurt. Seems to put a black clowd over the victory. I don't think Jeff hit him on purpose, especially when he's running in 4th at the time (I think) and there 40-some laps (or however many it was) to go. I don't think he would have put his car at that kind of risk, but, it's all speculation.

We can all sit here and speculate, but the truth lies in the driver's heads and we'll probably never get a chance to be inside them.

I'm looking forward to Texas. Guessing that Edwards kid will show up pretty well at this race, along with the other Roush cars. Should be a good showdown.

[Leader]

Big money, adrenalin and determination will cause a person to do whatever it takes to win.

second place, is the first loser.

[NAPAFISH]

I love this If it was Gordon who got bumped you guys would be crying foul. You would all claim it was intentional. If Jeff Gordon is the best why does he have to do things like this??? If his car was good enough to win the race why?????????

[lawdog]

That's rich coming from an Earnhardt fan, the dirtiest guy that ever buckled in!!! That was a racing deal, THEY HAPPEN! I've been on both ends of that, it sucks when you get it, and it isn't that great when you benefit from it because somebody always cries about it like you meant to do it...

[walleyeking#8]

Gordon's turn is coming and I hope Dale Jr. is the beneficiary. I have been a Nascar fan for over 20 years and have seen gordon from the very start. He is one of the greatest nascar drivers ever to be a part of nascar, but I have seen him win a handful of races where he either took out the car in front of him or almost took them out. Almost taking someone out and winning looks good, but crashing them and winning spells controversy. I to am an Earnhardt fan and how many other Nascar drivers do you know that call him a dirty driver? NONE. Be careful what you say!

[outdoor ran]

There were plenty of other drivers back in the day that called him dirty. Assuming your a #3 fan. Alot of tempers flew because of him. Of course none of the other drivers are going to say something bad about him now. Don't speak ill of the dead.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Not only now, but if they spoke ill of Dale (the greatest to ever buckle up) they'd be in the wall the following Sunday.

Some call it dirty. Some call it rubbing, and rubbing is racing.

Don't get me wrong fellas, I'm a huge Dale fan. Always was and even though he's passed on I still am. I have a 10 year old lab named Dale I'm such a fan.

[PERCHJR]

YES I AM A SR. FAN AND ALWAYS WILL BE, but when and if Sr. would take you out he would say so and not beat around the bush like nothing happened, like so many other drivers out there!!! If it was a racing thing he would say it, if it was on purpose he would say so, that is the diffence between Sr. and all the other "DRIVER'S" out there, all I am saying if you took someone out admit it!!! So back to the subject of bashing Gordon, yes I admit he is a great driver, but he is

needs to admit things instead of saying it was an accident!!! And of course many fans see races differently than other people so this is just my .02 cents!!!

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING!!!

[lawdog]

Quote:

---

when and if Sr. would take you out he would say so and not beat around the bush like nothing happened

---

Just like in Bristol night race 99 when he again took out Terry Labonte on the last lap and of course gave his usual excuse "I just meant to rattle him didn't want to wreck him" line and Texas Terry's response was, "Ya that's ALWAYS his answer"...

I've said a dozen times, I always liked Dale, but he drove too much with the chrome horn!

Incidentally, if you want to hit a guy to move him, you do so by tapping on his bumper as he enters the corner. Not subjecting your right front fender to being knocked in and/or your right front tire to getting cut when they come down on you in the corner. That's how anyone who's familiar with racing and race cars should know that the Martinsville thing wasn't intentional. It had too big a risk for problems to the 24's car to do that on purpose.

[JohnMickish]

Hello, my name is mnfishinguy and I'm not an Ernhardt fan. Oh, wrong meeting place. Oh well, I'm still not a Jr. or Sr. fan. Anbody remember when Jr. took Kenseth out in their final year in Busch. Jr was having a real bad day, and Matt was leading and going to cut the point lead down to almost nothing. Putting Jr. two laps down somehow Jr's car turned left, saving the point lead. I'll give him credit, he did admit he did it on purose and it was a bad thing but that proved the apple dosent fall far from the tree.

PS; I'm still not an Earnhardt fan, and Kerry shouldnt even pretend to be a driver, and I am a fan. Or should say I used to be a big fan but my interest in this sport is waning as thier prefered crowd has changed from gearheads, then to big buck types and now to bar bimbos. IMO.

[Leader]

things seem to be heating up in here....

good facts and opinions = good stuff!

mnfishguy, Hello

"pretend", ouch!!! thats kinda cold.