True to form, the “Lady In Black” showed who’s boss under a full moon in Carolina. The 2009 Southern 500 was a race of survival and smarts, and the “Track Too Tough To Tame” yielded to the field’s oldest driver, Mark Martin.
The Lady rejected several potential suitors. 7-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon seized the early lead from pole-sitter Matt Kenseth- however the “24″ reported a loose wheel around lap 80. Like numerous other drivers, the Rainbow Warrior had to fight his way back for a 5th place finish he truly earned.
How about Jimmie Johnson? The 3-time and defending Cup champion get the “Mother of all Rocky Balboa Awards” for what he accomplished. A qualifying crash started Johnson in dead last, but a brilliant stroke of strategy during early cautions put johnson out front before yielding to Ryan Newman. Johnson and his race team overcame all kinds of pit problems, car problems and survived near miss after near miss to challenge Martin for the win.
If a young race driver needs a textbook example of what a champion looks like- Johnson is Exhibit “A.” In spite of all the adversity, Johnson kept his composure and had the smarts to back off Martin at the end to save a good finish.
Champions always put themselves in a position to win. Jimmie Johnson accomplished that here.
Besides 3 of the 4 HMS boys, Darlington also spent some time dancing with the
dynamic duo from Stewart- Haas Racing. Ryan Newman was strong enough early to look like a winner, and Tony Stewart was consistently in the mix throughout the night as he finished 3rd and his teammate 4th.
It was a cruel night in some ways for Greg Biffle. He looked so sure for so long to capture a 3rd win at this track before running into trouble. The Biff fought through a flat tire and contact with teammate Carl Edwards to finish 8th- a finish I’m sure he’ll be happy to take with him.
Kasey Kahne was once again a victim of heartbreak. One after a disheartening race at Richmond, Kahne appeared to be on his way to become the feel good story of the weekend. Unfortunately- he had a tire go down and settled for 23rd.
Kahne and Biffle were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of those more than happy to have Darlington Raceway in their rearview mirror. Michael Waltrip experienced a scary looking oil fire that ended his night too soon. Clint Bowyer had a particularly violent crash that ended a run of 83 races without a DNF. David Ragan was gunning hard to be my Rocky Balboa of the night. He was looking to wrest the title of the “Human Caution Flag” away from Robby Gordon, as he played a part in bringing cautions out. At one point, Ragan re-entered with no hood on his piece and a yellow “6″ in tape on the side of his car. After a couple of laps, the Georgian thought better of it and returned to the garage.
Because this is a veteran’s track- the efforts of several young drivers become all the more notable. Sam Hornish qualified 4th and a ran a pretty good race until his night completely fell apart. Talladega race winner and part–time Cup driver Brad Keselowski followed his his victory in the “09″ with a 7th place finish in the “25.” How about Joey Logano? The temptress showed a certain willingness to entertain a younger man for a while. Logano looked very darn close to the part of a race winner before settling for 9th for his 2nd top 10 of his rookie season.
Some guys got good results out there who really needed it. Martin Truex was a serious contender before settling for 6th. Matt Kenseth battled hard for 10th place to keep himself in the top 12. Kevin Harvick raced a race of survival to take 11th. Jeff Burton? He found himself in the middle of a fender bender or two, but hung in there for 12th place. Given his struggles, Denny Hamlin is likely thankful for run a 13th.
I could go on and on, because this was a night where everyone got their name up in lights in some way or another- but this was another legacy-building victory for the best driver (with all apologies to Fireball Roberts) to never win a championship.
Martin knew exactly where he needed to be as Jimmie Johnson tried to run him down. Johnson just couldn’t finish NASCAR’s elder statesman off.
Dealing with a diva requires expert care. If you’re going to be with the lady, you have to know how to treat the lady.
It was a sweet re-union for the Lady In Black and the Grand Old Man Mark Martin in victory lane as the two road off into the night.
SPECIAL NOTE: Happy Mother’s Day to two of the best moms in the world. To my mom, Lenore Pittock, for her undying support, patience and wisdom. And to the mother of my children- Lynnae Mc Coy, for giving me two beautiful and talented children. I couldn’t do what I do without you.
PHOTO CREDITS- Martin car photo by bigdawg1511. to see more- visit flickr.com or click on the hyperlink. Victory celebration by Chris Mc Grath/ Getty Images.
