Subway 400, North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina, February 24th, 2002:
Pre-Race Festivities:
**Driver Introductions**
**Invocation**
**National Anthem** sung by Trace Adkins
Gentlemen. Start your engines!
**Engines started**
Pace Laps:
Greg: Can you make out where those pit road speeds start and end for us from up there?
John: The one on the infield is at the end of pit wall with the color sticking out top of the pilar is the start of pit road speed.
Greg: Make sure you put a little heat in your brakes there, John, and that's all you got is the front brake fans and, umm, electric radiator fan.
John: 10-4.
John: Is the #9 and them running a mechanical fan 'cause they got a lot of tape on?
Greg: No I don't know what they're doing, I don't...you know. I don't know if they're going to be okay or not.
John: 10-4.
Greg: If your temperatures stay cool enough we won't clean that bottom grill we'll just let it plug up a little bit, John, if it stays cool enough.
John: 10-4.
Murf: Ok, John, they're going to ease you off and it's gonna be third time by.
John: 10-4, third time by.
**Note:** We are pitting behind the #77 and in front of the #55.
Greg: I can get the green flag down here, Murf, then he's all yours after that buddy. Have a good day up there.
Murf: Pit road speed's right there.
John: 10-4. 4300, 2nd. 4300, 2nd.
Greg: 10-4. 4300, 2nd gear.
John: Now it's 4400.
Greg: 10-4. You've got 4400, John?
Murf: 1 to go this time.
Greg: Pace car's off, John. Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Green flag:
**Note:** (Lap 3) Loose into Turn 1.
Murf: There's one spinning in Turn 2. Caution is out. Caution Lap 18: #26 spins in Turn 2.
Greg: Ok, John, where are you? What kind of changes you need?
John: Loose in the middle.
Greg: Tighten it up a little bit?
John: Tight part throttle and then loose *pause* off throttle up off. You would fight this "sweet" on the throttle through the middle. I need to get off *interference* I'm not quite good because I'm too loose.
Greg: Alright, 10-4. Let's put some bite in it, John. Let's put some bite in it.
John: 10-4.
John: I'm coming no matter what.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. Come on. 4 tires guys. Put some bite in the LR.
Murf: All right he's on pit road, Greg. Be looking for him.
Greg: 10-4. Right here, John. Right here. Watch this tire, John. Right in here. Right here. There you go. 4 tires guys.
Pit Stop: (Lap 19) 4 tires, fuel, bite in LR. 15.47 seconds
Greg: Go hard. Go hard. All the way out, John. All the way out.
Murf: Remember the pit road speed, John.
John: 10-4.
Greg: Was it loose getting in, John, or just loose through the middle and off?
John: Right on the exit I'm just really, really loose. Umm...and I'm *pause* because I'm tight *pause* I'm tight through the middle which makes me loose off, which also makes me loose off too, but umm, but I can't keep hitting the throttle all in the middle because I'll spin the rear tires.
Greg: Okay. 10-4, 10-4. Let's see what this track does and how it comes around here. There's a lot of people sliding around it looks like.
Greg: Temperatures staying okay?
John: Yeah I'm glad you said something; 230.
Murf: 1 to go this time.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Chris: Okay, John. Pace car's off. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 22
**Note** Very feisty getting around the #4. Bumped him at least 3 times to get him out of the way.
**Note** (Lap 52) Looks tight in Turns 1,2.
John: (Lap 57) It's tight.
**Note** (Lap 80) Car looks real good.
Greg: Alright let's come on in. Get in here this time. 4 tires. Let's go. 4 tires.
Murf: Clear all around, John.
John: Pit this time for 4 tires?
Greg: Pit this time. 4 tires. Come on.
Murf: Alright. Watch for your marks. Here he comes, guys.
Greg: Here you go. Right in. Alright 4 tires, guys. Let's give him a good one.
Pit Stop (Lap 94) 4 tires, fuel. 15.31 seconds
Greg: Go hard. Go hard. Go all the way out.
Greg: (Lap 118) That's a real good groove right there, John. Real good groove.
**Note** We had been following the tracks of the #24 moving up through the field AND gaining on the #24. Had attempts to pass. Looked like we were blocked.
Murf: Got one smoking going into Turn 1. Caution Lap 146: #88 loses an engine into Turn 1.
Greg: Ok, John. What's the car doing right now? You were pretty good right there.
John: Free up off.
Greg: How's your temperatures there, John?
John: 210. 210.
Greg: Okay, 10-4. You need anything on the handling or you just want to go with the same thing we did before, there?
John: Umm...we could probably tighten it up a little bit to help it. *interference*... umm..probably do the same as we did before.
Greg: 10-4. The stop before I lowered the fronts and the LR. I'm going to take just a bit out of the RR, John. 4 tires guys. Come on. Give him a good stop.
Murf: Here he comes guys.
Greg: We'll be right ahead of that #55, John. Watch those guys there. Right ahead of this #55. Right there, right there. 4 tires guys.
Pit Stop (Lap 146) 4 tires, fuel, air pressure adjustment on RR. 14.75 seconds
Greg: Go hard. Go hard. All the way out. All the way out, John. All the way.
Greg: Good stop guys. Good stop.
**Note:** This awesome stop gained us 3 spots in the pits to restart 10th. We beat the #55 and #24 directly in front of us out.
John: Good stop guys.
Greg: Good job there, John. The tires are wearing just a little bit on the outside of the LF. That's all you're wearing on 'em. The RF looks real good. Outside of the LF got your most wear on it.
John: 10-4.
Greg: When you were running behind that #24, John, you had a good line going on the bottom then it went away from you a little bit and you jumped up to the top and you caught him there. You dropped off the pace a little bit and then you guys were running the same speed there.
John: Yeah, 10-4.
John: It was good longer at the bottom than I expected it to be.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. Save it. You know like I was saying you moved up to the top and you did okay, it's just when you caught him he stepped up his pace a little bit. He saw you there in the mirror, I guess.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here, John.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Greg: Okay. Pace car's off, John. Pace car's off. Be ready. Ok green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 150
**Note** (Lap 151) #22 scrubbed the wall in Turns 3, 4.
Murf: (Lap 156) Watch out, John. Caution Lap 156: #7 tagged by #24 and then spins at end of backstretch. #45, #44, #31, #36, #19, #41, #99 involved in wreck.
John: Hit by the wall, but I missed it.
Greg: Think we need to get some tires and make sure your fenders are cleared?
John: Everything's good, I just think I got the *pause* I think I just bumped it.
Greg: See if you can get a real good look at it, Murf, when he comes by here.
Murf: There's junk all over the front straightaway down here, too.
John: 10-4.
John: Clean the screen if you can.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4, John. 10-4.
Greg: At least the last 5 or 6 guys in that line are going to pit I would think, wouldn't you?
Greg: I think there's a line of them behind you that have wrecked. We might as well just pull off and I think the line of them will come behind us, John.
John: 10-4. That's what we'll do when they get an opening here.
Murf: That's alright. Pit road is still closed.
Greg: You want a drink, John? You want us to hand you a drink?
John: No thanks.
Greg: The #36 was in the wreck. the #22 has been pitting, the #31 hit the wall, the #99 has been pitting, the #25 has been terrible so 16th on back should come so we'll probably just pull off, John. Everybody should follow us.
John: 10-4.
Murf: Pit road is still closed.
John: *interference*
John: *interference* ...ready so I can get there... *interference*
Murf: 10-4, I can do it.
John: The #55's been pretty good to us so if I slide just a little bit forward to make sure he can get out alright. He should be able to no matter what anyway, but...
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. The #77's a lap down. You have an open pit in front of you.
John: 10-4.
Murf: Lead lap cars, pit road is open.
Greg: Here he comes guys. 4 tires, 4 tires. We're up here ahead of the #30 car. Come on around the #30 car. Right in here. Smoothe.
Pit Stop (Lap 164) 4 tires, pull out fenders. 16.97 seconds
Greg: Go hard. Go hard. All the way out, John. All the way out. All the way out.
Greg: You guys get a couple sets of tires from the #44 car?
Robin: Greg there's nobody down here minding the store. They've got, uuhh, it looks like about 6 sets sitting here, 7.
Greg: 10-4. Mark is coming down to get a couple sets from the #45 car.
Robin: I hadn't looked at either car, Greg, but I tell you what, it's going to be hard to fix either one of them.
Greg: Yeah I saw the #44 car. It was about air cleaner deep.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here, John.
John: 10-4.
Greg: Okay. Pace car's off, John. Be ready. Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 169
Murf: Caution is out. Caution Lap 179: #15 stalls on pit road entering garage.
John: It's gotten tight running behind these guys.
John: I'm coming in for tires.
Greg: Yeah, come on. 4 tires, guys. Come on, come on. 4 tires.
John: You're going to have to free me up just a little. I don't know...*interference*.
Greg: Yeah 10-4. They said pit road is closed. It's stranded in the middle of pit road.
John: Can you check the RR? I hit the RR with the wall.
Greg: Ok, we might need to pull it out just a little bit. 4 tires.
John: Put it back like it was, ummm, when we got that last green flag stop, the last green flag stop.
Greg: 10-4, I did that. I put the pressure back in the RR. Should be open this time.
Murf: 10-4, it's open.
Murf: Alright he's on pit road, guys.
Greg: Okay we'll have to come around the #55, right ahead of this #55. 4 tires guys.
Pit Stop (Lap 181) 4 tires and adjusted back to last pit stop. 14.88 seconds
**Note** Beat the #55 out again.
Greg: Go hard. Go hard. Go hard. Go hard. Go hard. Go all the way out. All the way out.
Greg: These guys are just terrible on the restart. Them lap cars, John. Just terrible, terrible. I mean you got....
John: I know. It's hard to pass and, uh, it's worse than the original start.
Greg: 10-4, 10-4.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here, John.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Greg: Pace car's off John. Be ready. Be ready. K, green flag, John. Green flag, green flag. Restart Lap 183
John: (Lap 194) It's getting too damn tight.
Greg: (Lap 214) Tell me what's happening, John.
John: Give me better. Give me better. I need to work the track.
Murf: (Lap 225) The leader's 3 cars back, John.
Murf: (Lap 228) The leader will be the next car behind you, John.
**Note** (Lap 230) Lapped under green.
Murf: Caution's out.
**Note** Thanks Sterling for letting your fellow Dodge teammate getting a lap back! Caution Lap 231: Debris.
Greg: Alright, John, you think the rear end housing's bent a little bit? I'm going to put air in the RR or you want me to take 3 or 4 rounds out of it?
John: It's gotta be. It's gotta be. I'm so friggin' tight I can't even turn.
Greg: We'll take another out of the LF.
John: What's that?
Greg: I was talking to the tire man, there. I was talking to the tire man. Get you some adjustments here. Last car on the lead lap, guys. We just need to get all our adjustments done and make sure everything's okay. Your temperatures ok?.
John: Yeah they're fine.
Murf: Pit road's open. Here they come.
Murf: Alright, John, right there's your mark. Guys he's on pit road.
Greg: Okay, John, we'll be right ahead of that #55. Right up here ahead of the #55. Right up here.
Pit Stop (Lap 232) 4 tires, fuel, adjustment on LF. 15.09 seconds
**Note** Beat the #24 out again.
John: What did you do to loosen me? 'Cause I don't really hope you loosened me too much.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. I took out 4 rounds of bite, dropped the front tire pressures a little bit and popped up the RR a little bit.
John: 10-4.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here, John.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Greg: Okay, pace care's off, John. Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Gren flag. Restart Lap 236
John: (Lap 239) Still tight.
John: (Lap 246) I feel like spinning the **Car# withheld**
Murf: Caution's out. There's 2 of them...slow down. Slow down, John. Caution Lap 257: #77, #41, #26, #33, #10 wreck in Turn 2.
John: Still way too tight. We're only about half way.
Greg: 10-4, 10-4. I'll take some more bite out it, John. We'll take a bunch more bite out of it. Free it up for you.
John: Hope that will help it and....10-4.
Greg: We'll be up here ahead of the #55. 4 tires, guys. Take wedge out of the RR.
Pit Stop (Lap 258) 4 tires, fuel, bite out. 15.50 seconds
Greg: Go hard, John. Go all the way out. All the way out.
Murf: John, you're going to have to turn up coming off pit road.
John: 10-4, thanks.
Greg: Alright, John, took the wedge out the RR that time and that should make that right side track bar come to. We'll see what that does for you. Took out 3 rounds in the RR.
John: 10-4. That should be enough.
John: You didn't do anything else? I don't need anything else, alright?
Greg: No that's all we did, John. That's the only adjustment we made.
John: 10-4.
Greg: Frank's bunch tightened up a bunch there, John, because a lot of the good cars earlier in the race are just struggling right now and some of those guys that were just hanging on have become, you know, pretty good.
John: Yeah, 10-4.
John: That hopefully isn't all of what I did, but it certainly was some of what I did.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. The #55, the #30 is struggling, you know, where some of those guys that were a bit loose *interference*
John: Exactly.
Murf: 1 to go, John, when you get here.
John: 10-4.
Murf: Lap down cars will be coming on your inside.
Greg: Pace car's off, John. Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Hold it. Hold it. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 264
Murf: Caution on the straightaway, John. Caution Lap 289: #66 wrecks in Turn 2.
Greg: Ok, John. What did that do for you there?
John: I'm still just too tight.
Greg: Did that help it any at all? Do we need to just take more bit out of it? Still okay with traction?
John: Traction's not bad. Traction's pretty good. I just...I got the wheels cut so hard that it snaps it loose.
Greg: 10-4. We'll take some more wedge out of there.
Murf: Pit road's open.
Murf: Alright guys, here he is.
Greg: Right here ahead of the #55. 4 tires and quick now. Right here, right here, guys. 4 tires. Come on. He's okay.
Greg: Pull that LF fender out, Tim, when you get done.
Pit Stop (Lap 290) 4 tires, fuel, bite out. 15.72 seconds
Greg: Ok, if you're still getting in the corner okay and you're just getting to the middle you just got to crank it hard left and it's plowing all the way up off there?
John: It climbs up the bank getting in. Got a really wait a long time there and then when I come off, if I don't give it a turn, and I drive straight up off, it pushes.
Greg: 10-4. We adjusted on the air pressure a little more. Took some more bite out it. It seems to be helping you a little bit. We just haven't gotten there far enough yet.
John: Yeah, 10-4.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here, John.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Murf: Lap down cars coming to your inside.
John: 10-4.
Greg: Pace car's off, John. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 293
Murf: They're going to put a caution out for debris down here. Caution Lap 345: Debris.
Greg: Okay, John, you're killing them on that long run there. You're killing 'em when you can stay out of traffic there. What do you need right now? I've got that RR up from where we had it.
John: Ok. Probably..right now I want to get a little bit of traction up off and on throttle, but it turns decent. It could turn just a hair better getting in as it goes up the bank.
Greg: Ok, 10-4 guys. 10-4. 4 tires. Pull the windshield strip.
Murf: Pit road's open. Here they come.
Murf: Okay, here is guys.
Greg: Okay, same thing. Ahead of this #55. Right here ahead of the #55. 4 tires, guys. 4 tires. There you go.
John: Is there any better it comes off?
Greg: That's all we can do. That's all we can do. 4 tires.
Pit Stop (Lap 346) 4 tires, fuel. 14.34 seconds
Murf: Remember your pit road speed down there?
John: 10-4, thanks.
Greg: Cover a rag and some Acrysol, Roger. That's the only way you'd ever get that stuff off with Acrysol.
John: It's better than what it was, but.....*interference*
Greg: That last tear off the glue streaked on us.
Greg: You get through this restart and you get a green flag run near the end and outrun a bunch of those guys, John. You were just as good as the leader there once you guys got strung out.
John: I know and I hate this restart *bleep* here coming up.
Greg: Right now we're 45 laps to go, John.
John: So we're good to go to the end unless there's another caution.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. 10-4.
John: 10-4.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here, John.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Murf: Here come the lap down cars.
Greg: Okay, pace car's off. Be ready. Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 351
Murf: Caution's out. He's pulled it straight off the racetrack. Caution Lap 365: #4 loses an engine.
Greg: Okay, what's it doing on this short run, John? Do we need to free you up a little bit for the short run or are you okay? We got 30 laps left.
John: Free me up. Free me up.
Greg: Ok, 10-4. 10-4.
John: You don't have to go a lot. Just enough that I can run good for 30 laps.
Greg: 10-4, John. I'll take some out of the LR.
John: Yeah, 10-4.
John: The brakes look alright? I mean when you guys were pulling that stuff off. There's no way to look at them are there?
Greg: No not really, John. You know, they're in. Just sort of look in there real good. Don't take any time. Just get him out of here. Let's go. 4 tires. Take some out of the LR.
Murf: Pit road is open.
Greg: We're not going to touch that windshield, John. I don't want to mess your windshield up so we don't get all that glue off.
John: 10-4.
Murf: Okay, here he comes.
Greg: Big deal guys. Hit your marks. Right here. 4 tires, guys. 4 tires.
Pit Stop (Lap 366) 4 tires, fuel. 14.38 seconds
Greg: Go hard. Go hard. Go hard. Everything's fine. Go hard. Go hard. Right there behind the #55.
John: Everybody get tires or did some of them just stay out?
Greg: I think the #32, John, might have been the only that stayed out.
Murf: That was the only one that stayed out there.
John: 10-4.
John: The end of pit road drives like it ran at the beginning of the Happy Hour.
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. We'll come in and we'll change that spring and we'll be alright and we'll get the clouds to come over.
John: **laughing** Yeah, 10-4.
John: And the middle with the line with the sign...I know; the whole thing.
Murf: 1 to go when you get here.
John: 10-4.
John: Exactly how many laps left when we go green?
Greg: It'll be about 24-25 laps bud. 24, John.
John: Ok.
Greg: Okay, pace car's off, John. Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag. Green flag. Restart Lap 369
John: Can you tell Spencer to get off my bumper?
**Left grandstands for the car**
Greg: 9 to go. 9 laps.
Murf: Car slow in Turn 2 there.
Murf: No caution. No caution.
John: There's oil in 3 and 4. All over.
Murf: Caution's out, John. Caution Lap 389: Someone shreds a tire to pieces.
John: 10-4. About time. Car is too tight again now. I don't know if it's the tires or what.
Greg: Beat that...there you go.
Murf: He's a lap down. I'm just making sure of it.
John: He's a dumb **bleep**. He can do whatever he wants, but he's a dumb **bleep**
Greg: Yeah, 10-4. 10-4.
John: I know this thing cost us a spot.
John: Should I come in? I'm coming in.
Greg: Stay out! Stay out! Stay out! Stay out!
Greg: Stay out. Stay out.
John: 10-4.
John: Does any....does anybody want to explain to the **Car# withheld** the rules?
Greg: I'm sure he's smart enough to comprehend.
Murf: They're going to give him a little lesson after the race down at the NASCAR trailer.
John: Yeah, I would hope so.
Greg: Going to take the whites and yellow here, John, and you got safety men walking around the track up here.
John: Good race, guys. Where'd we end up?
Greg: 15th, John. 15th. You did a heck of a job there after we freed that thing up there. Staying on the lead lap. Staying in there digging. Got this guy walking up along against the wall near the Winston Cup Series sign. Up there going into 1. He's up against the wall.
John: You guys did a great job. Sorry we didn't get a little better finish, but we got a little bit better one than what finished here last year.
Greg: 10-4, 10-4. Did a heck of a job there. Everyone did.
John: And I don't....I hate this place so...there goes a place I like too well.
Greg: 10-4.
Checkered flag
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