GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA:

     WHAT A WAY FOR FOX TO BEABLE TO END THEIR PART OF THE BROADCAST SEASON, AFTER ALL THE RAIN,  DELAYS AND PROBLEMS LAST WEEK I WAS HOPING THEY COULD END ON A HIGH NOTE WITH AN EXCITING RACE.  THE ENTIRE RACE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN EXCITING BUT THE LAST 30 LAPS WAS WORTH WATCHING THE ENTIRE THING.  AND I DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE WEATHER AS I WAS TOLD EARLY IN THE WEEK BY A FRIEND OF MINE , SUEQUE, WHO LIVES IN DOVER THAT THE WEATHER WOULD BE EXCELLENT, THEN SHE VERY OFF-HANDEDLY THREW IN THAT JIMMIE JOHNSON WOULD BE IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE.  SHE SAYS SHE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE RACING, BUT THAT STATEMENT SURE MAKES ME WONDER.  ANYWAY THE FIRST HALF OF THE REGULAR SEASON IS OVER, WE HAVE A NEW POINTS LEADER AND JR. IS HEADED BACK TO THE FRONT, AND THIS IS HOW I SAW THE RACE.

NOT: 

     TONY RAINES:  PARDNER WHEN NASCAR GIVES YOU A FREE CAUTION YOU GOTTA TAKE IT , NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE STOPPED BEFORE IT COMES OUT.

2,  JEFF GORDON:   BACK PAINS OR CAR PAINS NOTHING WENT RIGHT FOR JEFF TODAY, IT SORT OF SHOWED EVEN BEFORE THE RACE STARTED, HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE HIMSELF EVEN DURING THE DRIVER INTERVIEWS.

3.  DAVID STREMME:  DAVID HAS TO GET BETTER CONTROL OF THE CAR, HE TOOK OUT 2 DRIVERS THAT WERE HAVING DECENT RUNS, PAUL MENARD, AND ROBBY GORDON, THEN LATER IN THE RACE HE GOT LOOSE AGAIN AND GOT HIMSELF TAKEN OUT.

4.  KYLE BUSCH:  NOTHING WENT RIGHT FOR KYLE ALL WEEK, BUT HE DID LIVE UP TO HIS NEW NICKNAME "THORN" BUSCH, HE STARTED OUT AS A THORN IN JR'S. SIDE AND THEN REFUSED TO TALK WITH REPORTERS AFTER BOTH THE TRUCK AND NATIONWIDE RACE, THEN IT APPEARED THAT HE GAVE BAD INFORMATION TO THE PIT CREW ABOUT A VIBRATION , AND 2 TRIPS TO THE PITS BLEW HIS CHANCES OF DOING ANY GOOD AT ALL.

5.  #48 PIT CREW:  FELLOWS WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN STICK WITH WHAT GOT YOU TO THE SHOW, JIMMIE WON THE RACE BUT NOT BECAUSE OF  ANY HELP FROM YOU GUYS THIS TIME.

HOT:

1.  JIMMIE JOHNSON:  JIMMIE DROVE THE RACE LIKE IT WAS A SUNDAY DRIVE, THEN OVERCAME A BLOWN PIT STOP TO DRIVE LIKE THE CHAMPION THAT HE IS, THAT ABILITY TO DRIVE AS HARD AS YOU HAVE TO IS WHAT HAS GOTTEN HIM ALL HIS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

2.  TONY STEWART:  ANOTHER TOP 5, THE POINTS LEAD, AND THE FIRST OWNER-DRIVER TO HOLD THE POINTS LEAD IN  A COON'S AGE., NOT TO BAD FOR A TEAM WHO ACCORDING TO THE DRIVER DIDN'T HAVE A TOP TEN CAR WHEN THE RACE STARTED.TONY IS SO STARTING TO LOOK AND SOUND LIKE AN ELDER STATESMAN IN THE GARAGE, BUT DON'T ANYONE TELL HIM WE NEED THE LEADERSHIP.

3.  ROUSH RACING:  THESE GUYS WERE PICKED TO BE THE ONES TO BEAT THIS WEEK AND WITH 4 DRIVERS IN THE TOP 15 AND 3 OF THEM IN THE TOP 7 I GUESS IF YOU WANTED TO WIN THIS WEEK ROUSH IS WHO YOU HAD TO BEAT.  I AM WONDERING IF MAYBE ROUSH IS OVER THE HUMP AND THAT THIS WEEK WAS A PEEK AT THINGS TO COME.

4.  KURT BUSCH:  KURT STARTED 19TH TODAY AND DROVE TO THE FRONT LIKE HE OWNED THE PLACE, HAD IT NOT HAVE BEEN FOR THAT LAST CAUTION I REALLY THINK THAT THE BLUE DUECE AND THE BREW CREW MIGHT HAVE TAKEN THE MOSTER HOME.

5.  #88 TEAM:  IN THIS DAY AND TIME NORMALLY A 12TH PLACE FINISH IS NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME LANCE McGREW AND THE AMP BOYS HAD NO MISTAKES IN THE PITS, THEY FIXED AND REFIXED THE CAR  AND JR. SEEMED RELAXED AND MORE CONFIDENT THEN HE HAS FOR QUITE AWHILE, FOR ME THIS GETS THE AMP CAMP ON THE HOT LIST.

     AND FROM ME, A SPECIAL "YEEHAW" FOR DAVID RUITIMANN FOR THE BEST SAVE THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN AT A RACE, AND THE FOX BROADCAST GUYS, LOTS OF FOLKS DON'T LIKE YOUR PRESENTATIONS BUT FOR 8 YEARS AND 13 RACES YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME AND LOTS OF OTHERS THE VERY BASICS OF NASCAR RACING, KEEP UP THE GOOD JOB NEXT YEAR.   AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, A "YEEHAW" GOES OUT TO THE FOLKS OF DOVER AND THE TRACK FOR THE PIT ROW IMPROVEMENTS, I THINK THEY MAY WELL HAVE IMPROVED THE RUNNING OF THE RACE.

THAT'S MY OPINION  -  WHAT'S YOURS

GUNAQUAT