When a racetrack gets a “makeover”, the biggest worry about that circuit is how well will the drivers adapt to the new surface. At Charlotte (ahem, Lowe’s at the time) Motor Speedway in 2005, the track was levigated, or smoothed of its cracks/anomalies. What followed was a race that could be considered at one of the biggest disasters in the history of NASCAR. Take a trip back in time, if six years is really that long, and let’s look back at the race that would set the modern-day record of cautions in a NASCAR Sprint (or Nextel at time of running) race.
As a “surprise”, and when I mean surprise I mean standard operating procedure at the time, Ryan Newman slapped his #12 Alltel Dodge on the pole at a then-record speed of 192.988 miles per hour. Tom Carnegie impression here, “NEWWW TRACK RECORD!”
Most of the Rick Hendrick-owned cars were in the top ten too, with Jeff Gordon in his #24 Dupont on the outside pole, two-time defending champion of the race Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Lowe’s car lining up fifth with then-rookie Kyle Busch in the #5 Carquest car alongside for sixth. The other two (Brian Vickers in the #25 Ditech.com mobile and Terry Labonte in the retro Kellogg’s #44) were 14th and 26th.
The green flag flew with very cloudy skies overhead. Ryan Newman got the early lead while Jeff Gordon would rebound from a bad start. As a matter of fact, Jeff would roar to the lead with Kyle Busch keeping pace. After Jeff’s car fell off a tiny a bit, Kyle’s time had come to lead. So far not so bad.
Two quick cautions in the first ten laps of the event. For starters, Martin Truex Jr. looked like an idiot after getting out of the groove and slapping the wall in a SAFER manner. Keep in mind Truex wasn’t exactly a NASCAR rookie, as he was defending Busch Grand National champion. His only crime was that it was his third race in the big leagues, and his first two didn’t go so well. An engine failure at Atlanta and tire problems at Homestead have left the young man without a finish so far. With about 590+ miles to go, that little hit in the wall doesn’t seem like much. Let’s see where that takes him later…
Meanwhile, Kurt Busch didn’t get his night off to a great start either. Riding mid-pack on lap 10, the elder Busch lost it off turn two and slammed both the outside and inside walls, damaging his car to a severe degree. Later on in the event, running some 140 laps down, Busch proverbially went behind the barn and shot the car down. The interview after the first crash wasn’t exactly cheery, and he predicted he’d finished in the 40’s on this night. Correcto!
For a little while in this race, there was a green flag look to it. Hendrick cars dominated under the green as some guys were moving up (Harvick was in the top ten by lap 80 or so from 33rd starting spot) while some guys moved back (pole-sitter Newman fell to about 18th with an ill-handling race car). Kyle Busch looked like he could do a “trifecta”, as he won the truck race the week before and the Busch race the day before. Could it be this kid’s night?
Once lap 94 hit, a flurry of cautions reigned on in. For example, caution #3 was for a piece of debris on lap 94. Shortly after the green from that delay, Mike Skinner in the #23 blew an engine and some cars went around. In the crash, there is an infamous camera angle where #10 Scott Riggs spins, and nearly hits the rear-end of #15 Michael Waltrip’s car! Four cars involved in caution #4!
It took a few laps to clean the track of debris and other miscellany, but soon enough the oval would have problems of its own.
Jeff Gordon had to pit under the previous caution for a flat right-rear tire. While it saved him from a green flag pitstop, it did not save him from slamming into a part of the sealer and damaging the valence in the front. The guy going for his fifth title causes the fifth caution on this night.
What is ironic about this is that the same thing happened to Jeff at Martinsville the year prior when a part of the racetrack came up and damaged his front-end there too! However, there would be no red-flags for track clean-up on this night related to track-related damage.
This whole flurry of cautions shook up the field. After what would be the 5th caution, #77 Travis Kvapil stayed out on the track and led some laps. Meanwhile, it would backfire on Johnny Sauter, as his #09 car would shred a tire trying to make up time lost on a prior pit-stop flub-up. Yep, already 6 cautions into the event!
As the old philosophy goes, sometimes you need a caution, but then you wind up the caution. For owner James Finch, his chances of winning went from little to nil in a heartbeat.
Before I mention the next caution, it was mentioned on the telecast, so I’ll mention it here. Joe Lee Johnson, the winner of the inaugural winner of the 600 back in 1960, passed on earlier in that week at the age of 76.
A quickie caution #7 for a slight spin from #38 Elliott Sadler set up the next caution #8 for Kurt to slam the wall down again. Between this and the wreck from Bristol, I’d say the #97 earned the red badge of courage!
An extremely hard hit, almost flush on the driver’s door. At least there was none of the sponsor in the car, but later on in the year, he wouldn’t be so lucky…
Another round of “strategy stops”, aka a mixture of people staying out and people pitting in, landed Brian Vickers into the lead. While not really imperative to the rest of the running, a little “miracle” occurred when #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. got boxed in, and while it seemed like 10 cars passed him, it looked like a scenario that would have easily caused a yellow.
With more than 20 cautions in this one (with about 15 to go or so), this is a small thing to cover in a field worth of bang-ups and has-rans. Meanwhile, covering pit communications of #8, #88 Dale Jarrett nearly wrecks in front of him because of a loose race car.
The second longest-run of the event at this point happens here as between laps 166-200, NO CAUTIONS! Good lord, I didn’t know racing clean existed at this track!
9th caution occurs when Scott Wimmer ruins the party on lap 201. He got tapped by Ricky Rudd and spins off turn four. #40 Sterling Marlin speeds through the pits to avoid the spinning Wimmermobile, but for going like a CAT (that’s the sponsor of Wimmer’s car), he gets served a penalty because Marlin never bothered to slow down while in the pits.
Yeah, I thought that was crap too.
A wild set of pitstops doesn’t change the fact that Ryan Newman is the leader (from before the caution), and well, we got a ton of cautions left to go!
Speaking of cautions, the #77 causes the 10th caution of the night when he hits the wall off turn four, and then hits the wall in turn one completely knocking the fire out of the Dodge. Not a Kodak moment for that Penske-satellite team!
If I can set-up an “climatic” moment for a second, I just noticed something. On the telecast there is a list of men who won this event 3+ times, and Mike Joy noted of those men, Jeff Gordon is the only man still active. Little would Mike know that someone would win their third one tonight!
With that out of the way, whew, the restart! And as soon as that happens, Robby Gordon in the #7 gets a lap back the hardway, and then caution #11 for lap 217!
This one is a doosy: Casey Mears got in trouble with Truex in turn two, spins, and down the track, he collects his teammate Marlin, who then slams the wall hard on the backstretch with the right-hand door. Somewhere, a ‘Chip’ fell off his block!
The last Ganassi bullet now is Jamie McMurray, who is still on the lead lap, but by my estimation, is running anywhere between 9th and 29th depending on if he pitted. That’s how crazy this race is!
Did I speak too soon? #12th caution on lap 228 is because Jamie wrecked! Yep, Chip’s batting average is PERFECT on wrecked cars. Only thing Jamie failed to do is involve more cars.
Chip’s got the look that is opposite of elated, and I’m pretty sure he mouthed the f-bomb too!
Mike Joy now says they’re only a couple away from tying the record set in the 1980 race! HAHA! That should be a trip to see it fall and then some!
Oh lookie, Jeff Gordon is back to the front! With differing pit strategies, bet on him not being there long!
Speaking of Gordons, Robby causes caution #13 on lap 235 because of spin that WAS NOT caused by Truex. What horrible luck for that self-owned driver, he leaks fluid, loses two laps, gets them both back “the hard way”, then loses it and falls out of contention for the rest of the night. Oh well, water under the bridge…
The #42 does an encore spin for caution #14 on lap 240. I don’t think a bad lounge singer does encore, so neither should this guy. Somehow, Jamie finishes on the lead lap in 21st.
Shortly after the restart, the first big one of the night occurs on lap 245. The 15th caution involves the #15 of Michael Waltrip, getting bump-drafted off Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 8 on the frontstretch (both men are teammates), while the #17 and #44 were collected. All four cars got big-time damage, and well, NAPA knows nothing by this wreck.
This accident is also ironic, because it reminds me of another wreck. Want to take a guess? Bueller? Okay, it’s the wreck from the All-Star race the year before when Kurt Busch bump-drafted his teammate #16 of Greg Biffle down the front stretch, and collected some 10 cars before it was all said and done. Almost same execution too, really uncanny how teammates caused it all.
Back from commercial and pitstops, it shows all three Ray Evernham Dodges in the top three! The #91 of Bill Elliott, the #9 of Kasey Kahne, and the #19 of Jerem(eth)y Mayfield! With Rusty Wallace in the #2 in fifth, Dodges have four of the top five spots! That doesn’t happen at all, even back then. There are still 150 laps to go, HELP ME!!!!
Moral of the story: thou shalt not bump-draft in the straights!
After hearing Michael Waltrip rightly bitch out the track for not putting up SAFER barriers on the straights, green flag is back on lap 253.
Elliott Sadler took his Pedigree and woofed his way to the front on lap 265, passing Bill Elliott to do it. This marks the 23rd lead change of the race, and a chance for a guy to “spin-and-win”!
16th caution of the race for, DEBRIS! AGAIN? WHY? You know the deal with pitstops.
Funny little sidenote here, the FOX broadcasting team (Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip) all gloat about how Mark Martin is retiring from NASCAR following the 2005 season. LOL, not only did it not happen, but 2009 was the best thing to almost ever happen to Mark!
Future teammate Jeff Gordon led at the restart, lost it to present teammate Brian Vickers a few laps later. Meanwhile, the younger Busch may have an engine blowing up as it sounds off and runs a few miles an hour slower than leader pace.
Speaking of blown engines, Ricky Rudd is well on his way to losing a Roush powerplant in that #21 machine. Caution #17 on lap 290 is caused shortly thereafter due to Dave Blaney doing some questionable driving in the grass. Uh, Jack Daniels is the sponsor, DUH!
After stops, Kasey Kahne regains the lead in that 9 car. Kyle Busch stayed a little longer for the crew to look at the engine. Sparks out of the exhaust? Terminal as AIDS pal.
KK loses the lead on lap 300 after Vickers shows the magic of four fresh tires compared to older tires on Kahne’s.
The 18th caution of the night on lap 308 occurs when Rudd’s powerplant finally crapped the bed to a big plumb of smoke. Kasey Kahne apparently is having problems with electrical issues. Oh boy, not good…
In this long run, Dale Jarrett had to pit under green on 330 and lost a lap to the leaders. Cracked wheel caused a vibration.
Also, the 4 and the 5 had some “fun” moments of contact, no real consequence. However, the #10 of Scott Riggs is having a problem with a motor. Hendrick must be shaking his head…
Great oogley moogley, green flag pitstops start on lap 350! Kasey Kahne fouled it all up for the 19th caution of the night, as he shredded a tire after missing the pits. Carl Edwards inherited the lead because he didn’t pit yet.
This restart looks fun. Carl’s still the leader, but he’s mired deep in traffic because the cars who pitted before the caution got the wave-around.
Rusty Wallace spun the tires, and Tony Stewart’s car is damaged pretty well in the left-front. And SPARKING! That’s not something you want on a aero track, not at all, no sir!
An Army of One, that #01 of Joe Nemechek takes the lead from Carl on lap 364.
#20th caution on lap 367 happens when Dave Blaney stops on the track. I guess he lost his bottle. Meanwhile, DJ is TICKED at Carl for roughing him up on the straight a lap prior to the caution. Little rough-up, nothing too big. DJ will get back to the lead lap due to the lucky dog rule.
Restart on lap 373 is clean, Joe Nemechek runs away from the the field.
I think its right around here they notice the #37 car of Kevin Lepage. It’s a Dodge, but it’s sponsor is out of the ordinary.
That sponsor is UNDERDOG!
The actual cartoon, and not the cruddy movie released a few years later. Darrell Waltrip wonders if the crew chief is Riff Raff, while Larry McReynolds knows for sure that Sweet Poly Purebred is not the spotter, but Lepage’s wife IS!
Caution #21, a record, and a BIG ONE! Robby Gordon slowed due to a flattening tire, and Brian Vickers dump-drafted Bill Elliott. Bump-drafting at Charlotte is a very “lowe-ly” thing to do. That led to multiple cars being involved, like Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, etc.
To paraphrase Tom Carnegie, “”NEW TRACK RECORD!” Of not a very good sort.
For Brian Vickers, another attempt at victory foiled because of a short-sighted mistake. At this point, Brian has had flashes of brilliance, but could never get the full package together. This race just proved it, as Brian would get the bonus for leading the most laps, but not that big check.
Joe leads on the restart, THEN WRECKS! As well as Scott Wimmer! You know what this means? Caution #22!!! Double piece of crap! That means Bobby Labonte in the #18, sponsored by Fed-Ex because Jason Leffler and the #11 is a slowpoke, is now in the lead!
Close-ups show Jimmie nearly get wrecked out! And this wreck brings out the red flag!
It was surprisingly short, and everyone got in formation in short order. Restart to come, STRAP ON THOSE BELTS ONE MORE TIME!
Bobby Labonte, an established veteran, leads Carl Edwards, a rookie, to the restart.
Jimmie Johnson might as well be a surgeon, because he precisely drives beneath Ryan Newman on lap 395, and then Carl Edwards on 396. Jimmie wants to WIN, shipped via Fedex!
For three laps, Jimmie struggles, and struggles as Bobby turns up the wick. It’s gonna be a good one!
Last lap, Jimmie drove it into turn three, and got the run off turn four. He passes Labonte AT THE LINE AND WINS THE RACE!
Jimmie Johnson yanks victory from the jaws of defeat. Even Bobby Labonte bows to Jimmie.
Wanna know something ironic? That’s how Johnson lost the Atlanta race in March to Carl Edwards, almost same exact racing strategy.
Even the soon-to-be five-time champ got stumped by a rookie!
Let’s also give some props to where they are due:
- Martin Truex Jr. finishes his first Cup event (as noted the other two prior starts were DNF’s), in the top ten no less with seventh!
- Dale Jarrett came from a lap down to finish ninth! Keep in mind, he fell a lap down with only a hundred miles to go, a distance that easily could have went green. Might have handled like a truck, but it didn’t show it!
- Bobby Labonte, after FIVE DNF’s in the opening segment of the year, gets a second place effort.
- One last shout-out to Underdog. No, not Underbird , but the actual car. With a limited budget and resources, Kevin Lepage wheeled a start-and-park quality car to a 12th place effort! Completed all laps, and hardly without a dent. Good job dude! In conclusion, that race was exhausting! The race lasted 5 hours and 12 minutes, 22 cautions, 37 lead changes, 20 different drivers lead, and still 20 cars on the LEAD LAP! It was a disaster to watch, especially at the half, but man was that finish awesome.
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