NAPA Autocare 500, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia, October 1st, 2000:
Pre-race Festivities:
John: Testing 1,2,3,4. Chris you got me?
Chris: 10-4.
John: You got me Greg?
Greg: 10-4.
John: 10-4. Got both you guys.
Greg: You're gonna have to help us when they pit since I can't see them, Chris.
Chris: 10-4.
Chris: 5 minutes Big John.
Chris: 2 minutes.
John: 10-4, 2 minutes.
Pace Laps:
Greg: Third time by.
John: 10-4. Third time by.
Greg: Ok buddy, right there is your pit road speed.
John: 2nd gear. About......4800.
Greg: 10-4. 4800, 2nd gear.
Chris: 1 to go, buddy. 1 to go.
John: All fans are on.
Greg: Ok buddy. I'll get the flag right here from the pits.
Chris: Ok buddy. Be ready. Coming to the green.
Green flag:
John: (Lap 4) Tell me when I'm clear of the 45.
John: (Lap 5) **Bleep**ing (*driver name withheld*).
John: (Lap 9) Really tight.
John: (Lap 13) Tell Kyle to come on. (John was letting Kyle back in line)
Chris: 10-4.
Chris: Spin in Turn 4.
Caution Lap 16: #9 spins in Turn 4.
John: The front end is starting to come in. It's starting to free up. I don't want to burn the right rear up.
Greg: 10-4.
John: I turned on the fans. It's running 220.
Chris: Pit road is open but none of them are coming in.
Greg: Alrighty. Stay out there then.
Chris: 1 to go, bud. Little late on them saying it.
John: 10-4. 1 to go.
Greg: Run that fan, John. Do what you need to. We can take some tape off when we come in.
John: It's just that we were bunched all the way up.
Chris: Be ready. Be ready.
Chris: Green, green, green.
Restart Lap 21.
Note: (Lap 23) John passed Kyle.
John: (Lap 27) Ummm....I'm still tight.
Chris: 10-4, bud. Clear all around.
Note: (Lap 30) Right front fender had that Martinsville "ding" in it.
Chris: Caution is out.
Caution Lap 52: #8 into Turn 2 wall.
John: I'm okay. Just a little bit tight.
Greg: John, do you think a little bit of bite out will help?
John: 2 tires if that would help.
Greg: You should be okay on 2. Only ran 50 laps.
Greg: Let's do 4.
John: 10-4. 4 tires.
Pit Stop: (Lap 53) 4 tires and fuel. 15.34 seconds
..and then CRUNCH! Then silence.
John: What a **bleep**ing stupid pit stop for a Winston Cup race. **Bleep**ing pit road.
Note: All the cars jammed up going down pit road suddenly stopping and John hit Ricky Craven's #50. Among other things the #97 and #17 and others had the same problems.
Greg: We're going to have to come in and work on that right front and pull it away.
Chris: Pit road is closed. John catch on up.
Greg: Chris, you're going to have to tell us when to get going.
Greg: Get a right front ready in case it is rubbing.
John: Whatever you do just don't lose a lap. Just don't get us a lap down.
Pit Stop: (Lap 56) Straightened up the right front and tore away what little they could without affecting the handling of the car. 17.69 seconds
Chris: Time to get going guys. Pace car near Turn 3.
Chris: LET'S GO!
Greg: Go John.
Greg: As long as he doesn't touch that right front or it get touched, he'll be okay.
Chris: Okay. I'll keep an eye on it.
Note: The simple hit John made looked like the Incredible Hulk punched the right front headlight in breaking the sheet metal and also kicked the right front lower fender in perfectly centered in front of the wheel well and where the bumper meets the body.
Restart Lap 59.
Caution Lap 63: #22 stalled on the frontstretch just at the end of "old" pit road. Engine belt broke off motor.
Greg: What's it look like, Chris?
Chris: He's running flush up near the wall. It doesn't look like it's rubbing at all. It's okay.
Chris: We aren't going to lose much if we come in to cut it off. There's only 1 car behind us.
Greg: If it's okay and out of the way, and it's running okay, I'd rather leave it on while it's not doing anything to affect us instead of cutting it off.
Chris: It's well out of the way. It's a ways back (meaning well in front of...LOL) the right front.
Chris: 1 to go next time by.
John: 10-4.
Chris: Not going buddy. We're not going.
John: 10-4.
Chris: 1 to go THIS time by.
John: 10-4.
Chris: Green flag, buddy. Green flag.
Restart Lap 69.
Chris: Caution is out. Spin behind you.
Caution Lap 115??: #90, #14 Turn 4.
John: We're good on long runs.
Greg: Is there anything you need?
John: Just tires.
John: I can't....*thought not finished* I'm tight at the beginning, but then it's okay. It's fine after I get going.
Pit Stop: (Lap 117, 118??) 4 tires and fuel. 15.56 seconds
John: Great stop guys. Great stop.
Greg: How are the temps?
John: 200.
Greg: You are the best, by far, on the long runs. We just have to help you out on the beginning of them.
John: By the way, the shifter is tight, too. Don't know if we're doing anything different. Maybe it's me.
Greg: Ok we will take a look at it.
Greg: The guys up front were complaining of being loose at the end of the run.
John: I'm still hooking up good on long runs. And turning in the corners good, too.
John: I'm turning off the fan. It's down to 180.
Greg: 10-4.
Richard??: Is the weather going to be like this all day? (Referring to the random periods and lengths of cloud cover)
Greg: Yeah. It's going to be scattered like this all day.
Chris: 1 to go when you get back.
John: 10-4.
Chris: Lap cars are coming inside.
Chris: Be ready, bud. Be ready.
Chris: Green flag.
Restart Lap 127.
Note: Restarted 23rd with 33 cars on the lead lap.
John: (Lap 137) If (*driver name withheld*) isn't going to make it then he's gonna be mine.
Chris: 10-4.
John: (Lap 147) I can't do too much until I get passed these lap cars.
Chris: 10-4.
John: (Lap 153) Can't he (#17) just let me go?
Chris: (Lap 158) Spin in front of you. Go high. (#97, #50).
Note: John stopped and "split them".
Chris: Caution is out.
Caution Lap 160: #97 stalled from spin.
Greg: Ok John, that was about 30 laps.
John: I clipped the left front a little bit.
Chris: 10-4. Smoking a little going into the turn.
Greg: Let's do 2 tires, John.
John: 10-4.
Greg: Get that left front fender taken care of.
Pit Stop: (Lap 161) 2 tires and fuel. 8.61 seconds
Note: #20, #45 stayed out.
Chris: 1 to go.
John: 10-4 on 1 to go.
Chris: Here come the lap cars, buddy. Still coming. Be ready.
Chris: Green flag.
Restart Lap 166.
Note: The entire place went flipping crazy about 2 or 3 laps after the restart when Kyle tried to take the lead when Stewart was hung up with a lap car.
John: He's (#4) all over the place.
Chris: Caution is out.
Caution Lap 175: #40 hit the Turn 3 wall.
Greg: Okay big guy. Keep her out there.
John: 10-4.
John: Looks like someone hit that a ton.
John: How are the tires looking?
Greg: Left sides look good. I can't see the right rear.
Chris: Right sides look good. Right rear is fine.
John: I'd like to run the rest of the race under green. In the beginning I can just about hold my own and then it starts coming in.
Greg: Who hit, Chris?
Chris: Do what?
Greg: Who hit?
Chris: The #40. Right side is pretty much tore up.
Note: I don't think so. #40 of Marlin was still out there on the lead lap though the right side was very pancaked.
John: There's a beer can rolling down the back stretch.
John: What the hell? He lost his whole exhaust system or someone did.
Chris: Yeah that was his.
Note: I still don't think it was the #40 of Marlin. Perhaps the #77 of Pressley??
Chris: 1 to go.
Chris: No. We aren't going.
John: They need to get that beer can off the back stretch.
Chris: 10-4. That's what they're doing. It's Little E's. They gave him his Gatorade in it.
Chris: 1 to go.
Chris: Here come the lap cars under you. One more coming inside. Be ready. Be ready.
Chris: Green flag, John. Green flag.
Restart Lap 182.
Chris: (Lap 18_) Watch out John. Right in front of you. Nice job, John. Nice job. Caution is out.
Caution Lap 18_: #55, then #21, #8 and everyone else it seemed.
John: That was the #2 taking out his little brother.
Chris: I saw that coming.
Chris: They're still wrecking here on the front stretch.
Greg: Did you flat spot the tires, John?
John: No.
Greg: Okay then we'll stay out.
John: That wrecked a lot of them.
Chris: Yeah in the aftermath. The #8 tried to get under somebody coming back to the line. I don't have to tell you who.
Greg: Watch that fan. There's a fan right there on the track.
John: 10-4.
Greg: Staying out on these old tires is to our advantage when we wear them out in a little bit.
John: Yeah I think so.
Chris: 1 to go.
John: 10-4. 1 to go.
Chris: Be ready, Big John.
Chris: Green flag. Green flag.
Restart Lap 194.
Chris: (Lap 218) Be smoothe with it Big John. They'll come to you.
Note: John was running 9th by my count.
Chris: (Lap 232) Clear all around. Doing good.
Chris: Caution is out.
Caution Lap ???: #93 spun.
Greg: 4 tires, John.
John: I wouldn't do anything. It frees up during the run.
Greg: We have an open pit ahead of us.
Pit Stop: (Lap ???) 4 tires and fuel. 13.75 seconds.
Note: I was in the rest room when the caution flew and when I came flying out John was already in the box, so add a second to the time.
Chris: 1 to go.
John: 10-4. 1 to go.
Chris: Be ready. Be ready.
Chris: Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag.
Restart Lap 248.
Note: (Lap 271) #20 cut John off bad going into Turn 3.
John: (Lap 279) Need to take a pound out of the right rear. I'm not getting off the corner.
Greg: 10-4.
Chris: Caution is out.
Caution Lap 281: #4's tire came flying off in Turn 2.
John: I'm just not getting off the corners.
Greg: We'll come in if they come in.
John: Let's be wise. Let's not do something with it handling like this now.
Chris: They're coming in.
Pit Stop: (Lap 282) 4 tires and fuel. 14.94 seconds.
Chris: Watch outside.
Greg: Damn official in the middle of the road.
Chris: Watch it John. They're stopping on pit road in front of you.
John: This is bull****.
John: Tell the official he'll be wearing the grill next time.
Greg: I told him he'll be on the hood.
John: It's like they've never seen a race before.
Greg: They're all new around here. Maybe if I give them enough hand signals they'll bring me into the NASCAR trailer.
John: There's nothing really to discuss. I just don't want to hit anyone and I lost 3 positions back there.
Chris: 1 to go.
Chris: Still got more lap cars coming.
Restart Lap 289.
Chris: Slow down. Spin in front of you. Go high.
Caution Lap 293: #21 spun to the inside of Turn 4.
Chris: Careful. The #21 is still on the inside of Turn 4.
Chris: 1 to go.
John: 10-4. 1 to go.
Chris: Ok be ready. Be ready.
Restart Lap 299.
Chris: (Lap 301) Slow down, John. Spin in front of you in 1. (**actually 2**) Go high.
Note: It happened so fast and so much smoke I think it was Little E.
Chris: Keep digging. No caution. Good job.
John: (Lap 310) Is the #21 going to let us **bleep**ing go?
Chirs: **Couldn't tell if Chris said** Trying to get him to the outside OR Try him on the outside.
John: (Lap 317) Will you please just move him over?
Chris: Already got somebody going down there.
Note: (Lap 324) Smoked the front tires bad going into Turn 1.
Note: (Lap 351) Kyle blew the right front.
Chris: Caution is out.
Caution Lap 356: #55 spins.
John: The pads aren't sticking as good. I'm not sure about them.
Greg: They're all about the same ahead of you. There are some in front that are holding everyone up.
Pit Stop: (Lap 356) 4 tires and fuel. 15.33 seconds.
Chris: What are your pads like?
John: I just have to push on them harder. Been like that for about the last 200 laps.
Greg: About 140 laps left. We can go all the way. Let's see what these next few laps give us.
Greg: Hut's getting in the #12, John.
John: 10-4.
Chris: 1 to go.
John: 10-4. 1 to go.
Chris: Here come the lap cars to your inside.
Chris: Be ready. Be ready. Green flag, John. Green flag. Green flag.
Restart Lap 366.
John: How many laps we got so I know how much I can abuse this thing?
Greg: 65, John. 65.
Chris: (Lap 441) Spin on the front stretch. No caution.
John: (Lap 442) Caution out yet?
Chris: No caution.
Note: John backed off a tad with all the front stretch smoke.
Note: (Lap 452) Kyle blew the left front.
On lap 460 I left my seat for the rest room and to head back to the car. I could tell we were
not running for the win and that is usually my rule to either stay or go. I was looking for
another April 1999 win. :-) As I was in the rest room again the caution flew. I believe it was
the spin for the #93 (again) if I have it correctly. I flew out from the rest room to see if we
would pit and for how many tires. I heard Chris say that there were only 4 cars behind us
on the lead lap and we wouldn't lose much to change 4. I only was able to see and time half of the
4-tire stop. I only managed to time 7.97 seconds of it. The right side was already down when
I got to the top of the steps. I don't know why we didn't do 2 or just simply stay out. It
wasn't ever a topic of conversation. Perhaps there were silent remembrances of the Spring race
from being knocked from 3rd to 14th if they stayed out and didn't want that to happen again.
Who knows.
As I was in the car heading out onto the road there was the last LENGHTY caution. I think
it was for Little E, again? I was getting away from the track, but heard John say that he
ran through a lot of debris and the tires felt messed up so I can't tell you if he pitted or
not. I had to turn on MRN for the last 10 laps because the scanner was getting pretty blotchy.
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