Wow! Talk about finding speed, 19 drivers laid down qualifying times faster than the track record Kyle Busch set last year. Everyone from pole sitter Kurt Busch through Kasey Kahne eclipsed Shrub’s 2009 standard of 185.995 miles per hour. The track temperature went down, the speeds went up. Everyone who could negotiate the bumps was wicked fast. It probably doesn’t mean much of anything, but it sure added some electricity to qualifying.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. looked like our pole sitter for the longest time, before being passed by Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Busch the Elder. Not only was his car fast in qualifying, he clicked off a lap fast enough for top ten on the speed charts in practice.
It has to be something of a positive sign for Junior and “The Nation.” Listening in on how he was criticizing his car as “junk, junk, junk,” I am reminded that young Mr. Earnhardt is as complex as his dear old dad. Some very definite ideas on how the car should be set up. Hopefully, a good starting spot will parlay into a good race and get him in a better mood. Like they say, winning is a great deodorant.
Points leader Kevin Harvick sure got the wall this morning. The “29” crew will have plenty of work ahead of it to get ready for Sunday. Overall, it wasn’t a superior day for the Richard Childress Chevy’s. The good news is, races aren’t won on Fridays.
Overall, the Hendrick Chevy’s have been solid. Oddly enough, the weakest qualifier was Jimmie Johnson in 20th. All his teammates took top ten on the starting grid.
For all the hoo-ha over Prism start and parker Dave Blaney’s car, he was out there again today and ran good enough to start 36th. His teammate Michael Mc Dowell was 33rd. I’m still processing how I really feel about the start and park cars. While it flies in the face of competition, there’s still a part of me that can’t condemn the practice because it involves some people I respect. What if it happened to your favorite driver? I always think of personal favorite Morgan Shepherd and his Nationwide car three years ago.
I still can’t help but think this season is off to a far better start than 2009. We got an excellent race at Daytona, and by Fontana standards, Fontana wasn’t all that bad- though far from a classic. Remember all the Toyota trouble here last year? I’ve just got a feeling this race will be another one better than the year before.
By the way, maybe those reports of Dodge’s demise are a bit exaggerated. Kurt Busch sure looks great going, and heck, Sam Hornish is laying down good times, too.
Will Kurt and the Blue Deuce take it this weekend? I wouldn’t bet against it.
