TV TIMES EXTRA
By Lou Modestino
The Atlanta Sprint Cup race is finally over, and for some it was worth the wait. Take Jeff Gordon for instance, as he bobbed and weaved through the track while his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, tried to get a bead on him. Jeff’s been slowly working his way up out of a slump, and the payoff came at Atlanta’s single Cup race a day-and-a-half later from the original date of Sunday. Tuesday ended up the next clear day according to NASCAR’s procedure for rainouts. “The car was strong for most of the race. But at the end it really started slipping and sliding. It was a lot of fun as I noticed that Jimmie was slipping and sliding too! It was an incredible day even though we had to wait till Tuesday. The car really got loose and I was really concerned. But what helped me was that Jimmie had two shots at me and just couldn’t pull it off!” said the winner. According to the stats, Jeff led most of the laps even though he had some vibration problems. In the process, Jeff Gordon recorded win Number 85 and his fifth victory at Atlanta.
Gordon went on, “It’s turned out to be a a good year. We’re also having a lot of fun. I guess that I look like the hero but it was really what my crew did to the car that made it great. Today after everything, I feel rejuvenated.” Gordon first came to Atlanta in November of 1992 from the Indy Cars. While making a name for himself in NASCAR, he wasn’t particularly liked by the fans. As he climbed the NASCAR ladder of success, he became a rival for Dale Earnhardt, Sr., because of his natural talent. When he did that, the Earnhardt fans were very negatively vocal and booed him whenever he was introduced prior to the start of an event. At that point, he emerged as one of the first modern day drivers to challenge the old guard. From the anchor booth, Andy Petree stuck his neck out and stated that he thought that Jeff had the ability to win The Chase. Andy stated, “He’s won on all types of tracks. This is a remarkable win.” We’re not so sure about Jeff going all the way in The Chase because of all of the competition in the current list of contenders. Also, Gordon’s crew chief, Alan Gustavson, was very pleased at what his driver accomplished at Atlanta.”
Getting the leftovers at Atlanta was Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards which comprised the rest of the top five. As a result, Jimmie Johnson leads the Sprint Cup point chase. “It was a great effort for us. We did have some speed problems though. I was also hoping that Jeff’s tires would give out, but that didn’t happen,” said Johnson. From Tony Stewart came these enlightments: “It was a long day. As the race went on, we gained 8.5 seconds on the leaders. We’ll be looking at the data and determine what helped us gain the momentum. This organization never gives up.” And to sum it all up, it was a great run for Tony Stewart.
Kurt Busch said, “It was a great run for us. Very solid pit stops. And it’s great to be locked into The Chase at this point. But that’s going to be the most important segment that’s coming up.” About the other upcoming races, he said, “I’m really up for Chicago. And how about the Dodges up running with the big boys!”
Brad Keselowski had a strong run even though he revealed that he was a little off. “We still got a sixth in spite of it. I really thought it was a bad day for us. But after that, we’ve got huge confidence.” Fifth place driver Carl Edwards is looking forward to Richmond while Ryan Newman also was pleased that he locked up a spot for himself in The Chase. For the JR fans, their hero finished 19th overall. It was no surprise that there were empty seats at Atlanta on Tuesday because a lot of fans had to go home and face the drudgery of their jobs while others had to tend to their business interests. In both cases it just comes down to making ends meet in these tough economic times.