With only three races left, things are starting to heat up in The Chase For The Nextel Cup. Matt Kenseth comes into the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway leading Jimmy Johnson by a slim margin. Kenseth didn't qualify very well but that doesn't usually bother him much and he gets a good finish abyway. Also, this is the final race in the career of two time Nextel Cup champ Terry Labonte. He had a great 30 year career and is considered one of the nicest guys in racing. Brian Vickers won the pole.
It had been raining earlier today so the race was delayed a bit while the track was dried. The first three laps were run under caution and NASCAR planned to throw a competition caution on lap 40. There was no rain once the race got started. Kurt Busch-#2 Miller Lite Dodge led the first part of the race. Everyone pitted during the competition caution. Kurt Busch had a problem with a loose lug nut and was never able to get back to the front. He finished 8th. Tony Stewart-#20 Home Depot Chevy led after the pit stops.
From this point, Tony Stewart dominated the race. He had the best car. It's a good thing he didn't make The Chase. Jeff Burton-#31 Cingular Chevy blew a tire and hit the wall. He finished 38th and dropped to 7th in the points. Dale Earnhardt Jr-#8 Budweiser Chevy was running third on lap 166 when he got loose and hit the wall. Somehow his crew managed to fix the car. Earnhardt finished 6th and is 3rd in the points.
Trouble for Mark Martin-#6 AAA Ford on lap 173. Ken Schrader-#21 Little Debbie's Ford blew a tire, hit the wall and took out Sterling Marlin-#14 Waste Management Chevy & Martin. Martin finished 22nd and dropped to 9th in the points. Paul Menard-#15 Menards/Sylvania Chevy blows an engine on lap 194. Everyone pits during the caution except Jamie McMurray-#26 Crown Royal Ford & Brian Vickers-#25 GMAC Chevy. Kyle Busch-#5 Carquest Chevy takes two tires. Tony Stewart wastes no time getting the lead back but things turn out well for Busch as he finishes 5th.
Robby Gordon-#7 Menards/Mapei Chevy blows an engine on lap 256 to bring out a caution. Everyone pits and pit strategy comes into effect. Everyone will have to pit for fuel but how many tires do you take? Tony Stewart is making it look like maybe Kasey Kahne-#9 Dodge Nitro Dodge & Jimmie Johnson-#48 Lowe's Chevy might be able to catch him but they never do. Matt Kenseth-#17 DeWalt Ford is sent to the back for speeding on pit road. He tops up on fuel.
After green flag pit stops, Tony Stewart is leading on lap 324. Greg Biffle-#16 National Guard/Charter Communications Ford blows a tire and hits the wall. Everyone who pitted took two tires except for Jimmy Johnson & Kasey Kahne. But Kahne's engine fails on lap 327 and he finishes 33rd. Scott Riggs-#10 Valvoline/Cars Dodge is running third when he gets loose and hits the wall. It looks like Kevin Harvick-#33 GM Goodwrench Chevy mat have tapped him. Theres an altercation between the two crews after the race that turns into a pushing match. Tony Stewart holds the lead at the finish and wins.
Congratulations to Tony Stewart, crew chief Greg Zipadelli & car owner Joe Gibbs on the win. Big top ten finishes for Clint Bowyer & Casey Mears. Jimmie Johnson now leads Matt Kenseth in The Chase by 16 points with two races left. Phoenix is next week. Here's the top ten of the race.
#/Driver/Sponsor/Make/Owner
1.20/Tony Stewart/Home Depot/Chevy/Joe Gibbs
2.48/Jimmie Johnson/Lowe's/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
3.29/Kevin Harvick/GM Goodwrench/Chevy/Richard Childress
4.5/Kyle Busch/Carquest/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
5.07/Clint Bowyer/Jack Daniels/Chevy/Richard Childress
6.8/Dale Earnhardt Jr./Budweiser/Chevy/Dale Earnhardt Inc
7.42/Casey Mears/Texaco Havoline/Dodge/Chip Ganassi
8.2/Kurt Busch/Miller Lite/Dodge/Roger Penske
9.24/Jeff Gordon/Dupont/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
10.11/Denny Hamlin/FedEx Kinkos/Chevy/Joe Gibbs
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