Dura Lube/Kmart 400, North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, NC, February 27th, 2000:
Prior to pace laps:
John: Not going to hold or anything.
Greg: Ok?
John: I think it will be ok. (window net?????)
Chris: You're between the 20 & 36. I'll get you on pit road. Greg will call you in the box.
Chris: Watch John, they're stopping on pit road. (Upon leaving pit road to begin pace laps Steve Park's #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo wasn't moving. John stopped in time to avoid hitting him.
Pace laps:
Chris: That's pit road speed at the wall.
John: 4000 rpm.
Greg: 4000, 2nd gear.
John: 10-4.
Chris: Green next time by. Greg's down in the corner. I'll be with you from up here.
Chris: Be ready. Be ready Big John.
Green flag:
Chris: Green flag.
Note: (Lap 4) #25 of Jerry Nadeau tagged us in Turn 4.
Note: (Lap 11) Passed Kyle.
Caution Lap 18: Pressley, R Gordon, Irwin in Turn 4.
Chris: Spin in Turn 4. Track is clean. Bring it on around.
Greg: What's it doing John? Done a good job.
John: Ok, but loose. I'm fine up top.
John: No traction on the bottom.
Chris: Leaders are staying out.
John: Everyone behind us is coming in.
John: *explicative*. Wish I should have come in now.
John: On the bottom I am loose everywhere.
Chris: One to go Big John.
Restart Lap 23.
John: (Lap 44) Can't keep up with anyone out here. Should have come in for tires.
John: (Lap 46) Tell Kyle to go by on the inside.
Note: (Lap 52) #17 of Matt Kenseth into Turn 4 wall. No caution.
John: (Lap 54) No traction in rear, none.
Note: (Lap 59) Lapped under green.
Pit Stop: (Lap 64) 4 tires and wedge in. (I could not time the stops as in the past. John was pitted well into Turn 1...Sorry!!!) :-(
John: (Lap 74) S.O.B. does not know where he wants to be. (driver name witheld).
Greg: (Lap 85) Did it help you out?
John: What's that?
Chris: Greg wants to know if the car is better.
John: Yes.
John: (Lap 96) That guy is an idiot. I don't care what anyone says. (same driver name witheld)
Caution Lap 105: Marcis blown up/leaking fluid?
John: Are we on the Lead Lap or 1 down?
Chris: Lead Lap. Good Job.
John: Little bit loose, no traction and tight off.
John: No traction off is more of a problem than tight.
John: My fault guys. I got the #6/#36 mixed up. Pilar was in the way. (Did not get in the pit box right?)
John: That was a great call to pit early and get 4 tires before.
Pit Stop: (Lap 106).
Restart Lap 109.
Caution Lap 112: #25 Jerry Nadeau spins coming out of Turn 4.
John: I''m coming in for 4 tires. We're the last car on the lead lap. Definitely tighter that time.
John: It's your call, but a few extra laps on stickers wouldn't hurt.
Greg: Come on in.
Pit Stop: (Lap 113) 4 tires.
John: Schrader or the #16 back on the lead lap?
Chris: 10-4. Get right there behind the #16.
Restart Lap 115.
John: (Lap 119) Can I get up?
Chris: 10-4. Clear high.
Note: Great move in traffic from the low to high lane.
Chris: (Lap 136) Leaders are in the middle groove in 1 and 2 and high in 3 and 4.
John: 10-4.
Chris: (Lap 137) #4 blew up or something. Slow on the bottom.
Greg: (Lap 148) What's it doing now?
John: Just a little but tight off, but I am fine.
Note: (Lap 170) Fire in the #75 pit. No caution.
John: (Lap 174) Coooool. This thing just broke loose.
Greg: (Lap 179) We're going to pit in 2 laps.
John: (Lap 180) I would NOT touch the car now.
John: Can we clean the windshield, please?
Pit Stop: (Lap 181) 4 tires.
Caution Lap 187: #27 Fuller in the Turn 2/backstretch wall.
John: Are we on the lead lap?
Chris: NASCAR is taking care of it.
John: It does not look like it.
Greg: Lap down.
Note: *unprintables* by all. They were very upset.
Greg: It had not updated when you came by. We'll be ok.
John: I'm a little bit tight in. If you can free me up just a touch I would be ok.
Pit Stop: (Lap 190) 4 tires.
John: (Lap 192) Did you free me up just a touch?
Greg: Air pressure in the left front.
John: 10-4.
Planned Restart Lap 196.
Chris: Ok. We're not going to restart.
Chris: Get ahead of the #8.
Chris: Is he in front of the #8, Greg?
John: #8, #11 are in front of us.
Chris: They're not going to let us go. You're going to have to gauge your way up there.
Restart Lap 198.
John: (Lap 234) If he was not so damn bull-headed he would see my finger telling him which side to go by. (driver name witheld).
John: (Lap 250) If he (#2) would just let me by.
Chris: I'm trying to get him to. I'm trying.
Greg: (Lap 262) Pit next time by, John.
John: 10-4.
John: Anyone in the pits?
Chris: Here he comes Greg. Talk him in.
Greg: #20 is in. You're in front of him.
Pit Stop: (Lap 263) 4 tires.
Greg: (Lap 308) What is the car doing now?
John: Not bad. Just a bit tight in the middle.
Pit Stop: (Lap 330) 4 tires.
Chris: 65 laps to go. Get all you can get. Each car is a position.
Chris: #36 is on your lap.
John: He'll come back to me.
Note: At lap 350 we started packing up and walked out of the gate and got into the car with 22 laps to go. I had the scanner on all the time, but there was no conversation except for Chris to help John through traffic. Once in the car I turned it off and we turned on the radio to listen to MRN.
The first caution killed us. At that point we had moved up to 12th, but from (14th?) on back they all decided to pit. But John was right by saying the call to pit somewhat early under green to get 4 tires and make adjustments was a great decision because it got us back on the lead lap when the next caution flew. From that point forward the car was extremely fast, but from television I don't think you could tell because we re-started as the last lead lap car on the restart to come up through traffic. Watching John come through (or should I say bulldoze?) traffic was a real thrill. Too bad though the green flag set of pit stops could not cycle through completely as that got us back a lap down. The boys were really upset. Too bad we were forbidden to be the first car a lap down on that certain restart and the #2 was giving us trouble, too. Due to circumstances the finish does not represent how the team performed. We were simply robbed of a Top 10, but hey, point-wise we are AHEAD of last year. *grin*. P.S.: Stopped by the souvenier rig. New merchandise? NOT! Seems to focused on cars this year.
