Bump-Drafts.com

(A Weekly Special Edition of Bump-Drafts prepared for letsgoracingfans.com)

You could see the race was effectively over on the last two re-starts. Each time, Carl Edwards-in his #99 Dish Network Ford- took off like a scalded jack rabbit to win the UW-Dodge 400. This makes 6 wins for Team Roush at Las Vegas, to go with a pair of victories each by Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth, as well as Mark Martin, who took the #6 to Victory Lane back in 1998.

Roush Racing did themselves proud. Not only was Edwards strong, Kenseth looked good up until the Gordon incident at the end, Greg Biffle finished 3rd, and even David Ragan got in on the fun by edging Kasey Kahne out for 6th. Jack Roush must have some magic in his hat that he uses for Vegas, because his teams are good to the point of making you think that somebody at the “Diamond In The Desert” must owe him a favor or two.

I was just sure this was Kyle Busch’s race to lose, in spite of the fact that no one has ever won from the pole at Sin City. The younger Busch made me look like a prophet for a bit until the handling on his car went south on him late in the race. Edwards ran with the #18 M&M’s Toyota all day, first overtaking Shrub on lap 21. By lap 117, Busch surrendered the lead, and although Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon had good runs- today seemed destined to be a Roush day.

It didn’t look that way at first. Roush driver Jamie Mc Murray almost took flight in the infield after a spin-out and Edwards darn near got penalized for a pit road incident involving a stray tire. Fortunately, crew chief Bob Osborne kept a cool head, stayed on top of officials, and they ultimately ruled in favor of Edwards, blaming a TV camera man for being in the way (Dang media types anyway).

There were a record number of cautions as it seems that NASCAR teams are still figuring out how to work the “new” car at Las Vegas. Accidents cut short the days of Tony Stewart (who bit the wall hard on lap 109) and Robby Gordon (victimized by a lfat tire on lap 144), Patrick Carpentier, DaleJarrett, Kurt Busch, and Scott Riggs.

Speaking of Riggs……it was nice to see some less familiar names up front. I thought the Haas-CNC cars of Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield looked great in stretches, and it was good to see another solid performance by Elliott “Rabbit Release” Sadler. It was also weird seeing Ken Schrader up front, though he gave way later in the race.

It wasn’t a good day for Open Wheelers. Sam Hornish, Patrick Carpentier and Dario Franchitti all saw their best laid plans go up in smoke.

I’m glad Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon weren’t hurt too seriously.Gordon had two words for track owner Bruton Smith concerning the inner wall “Safer Barriers.”

Though it was a bummer to see wrecks mess up otherwise good days, there’s no doubt this race belonged to Edwards. The Columbia, Missouri native was just too much. He and his Roush teammates (Kenseth and Biffle) were easily the most consistent cars out there, with apologies to RCR teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick, and the HMS combo of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It just hit me- another random thought- no Jimmie Johnson today. Apparently, Johnson was a victim of Murphy’s Law. Everything that could go wrong apparently did to the #48.

This may not have been the best race I’d ever seen, but it was a good one. Today’s outcome springs forth yet more new story lines in a 2008 season that bears no resemblence to 2007.

Will Carl Edwards make it three in a row, to turn At-lanta into Hot-lanta? I wouldn’t bet against it.

Though I am frequently irritated by some of the inane questions and dialogue on Yahoo! Answers (”Is Jeff Gordon really gay?”), I still visit there. If nothing else, it gives me a sense of what serious and casual NASCAR fans are thinking. Given the fact we live nowhere near a NASCAR track, I have to rely on forums like this to stay connected to my race fan community. A question was asked last night that fueled my curiosity and led me down a sobering path.

Someone asked for a link on the report of the cause of death of Dale Earnhardt, which unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that “The Intimidator” died on Turn Four of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. I wasn’t a real serious race fan at the time, I was actually watching an NBA game that day, but I still remember well the scene in my living room and where I was and my reaction and shock, though I’d seen and heard death on the race track before.

Sadly, since that time, a lot of conjecture, blame, and urban myth has surrounded the death of perhaps the greatest, certaintly the most popular, and conversely the most controversial race car driver of all time. I remember the death threats and blame thrown in the direction of other drivers involved in the crash- Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader- two guys at or near the top of the clean driver list. Some insist Earnhardt was throwing a block for his teammate (Michael Waltrip) and his son (Dale Jr.). Some say Earnhardt’s lap belt frayed because he cut it, suggesting suicide. Others have come up with all manner or zany ideas on what happened that day. Being a part of the media, you might say I am nosy by nature. I had to learn more. I clicked on to the link of the report.

It’s not a quick read, and I won’t bore you (or gross you out) with all the details. What is all boils down to is that Dale Earnhardt died of head injuries that are the result of a high speed crash. Earnhardt was missing a key safety device (the now-famous HANS neck restraint), and he wore an open face helmet. The conclusion of the report is that there were quite of number of factors occuring at just the wrong time to play a part of the death of the driver of the #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet. I try to avoid being preachy or get into a long discussion in this kind of forum about my religious beliefs, but it is my conclusion that it was Dale Earnhardt’s appointed day to die and he would have died whether he was in that car, a shopping mall, or in his own easy chair in his living room.

His death and those of Adam Petty, Fireball Roberts, Niel Bonnett, Joe Weatherly and others are reminders of the dangers of racing around in a 3,500 pound hunk of metal traveling close to 200 miles per hour. We have been immensely fortunate in that NASCAR hasn’t seen a death on the track since. A considerable amount of study came out of that tragedy to spring forth and mandate safety innovations that we don’t think 5 seconds about today, other than when we think about how this may have changed the outcome of affairs in Daytona, Florida on February 18, 2001.

The whole study of this event reminds me again not to take for granted the risks involved with those who participate in NASCAR racing. Those guys are either brave or crazy, or are more likely a little of both. I suppose that’s why I get a little miffed at those who say they “hate” a driver. These guys are human beings with families and loved ones and would be missed if they died. Futhermore, almost all racers use a portion of their riches to help the less fortunate via programs like Victory Junction and Jeff Gordon’s Children’s Hospital. That isn’t even the beginning. I guess I’m saying you can love your driver, you can have drivers you don’t root for, and you can even hope they don’t win. Wishing for a crash: bite your tongue! My kids would be on the receiving end of a serious scolding if I caught them wishing for such a thing. DON’T EVEN THINK IT, PEOPLE.

Appreciate what these guys do, and keep this sport in perspective. Can we agree on that?