Now That's What I Call A Race

That's what I like to see in any given race that Junior is in: either the National Guard car or the Amp Energy car in the lead. This shot is at the very beginning of Saturday night's Phoenix race. He went on to lead 87 laps during the race, but not the most important one: the last lap. His teammate, Jimmie Johnson, won and I was glad. Yeah, bet you never thought you'd read that here. Well, a teammate is a teammate, no matter who they are. With Johnson winning, maybe the press and the media will lay off Hendrick Motorsports about not being where they should be. It took a while, but they are catching up. All four drivers finished in the top 13 spots.

Seeing Mark Martin in that #8 Army car leading the race with his teammate, Martin Truex Jr, aggravated the sh*t out of me. Tremendously. I so hoped the 8 car would blow its engine. Once Truex dropped back and wasn't a threat any longer, I moved onto other things to concentrate on. Like my voodoo doll and Mark Martin.

I thought for sure that this was Junior's race to win, and I was wrong again. But I must say it was one heckuva race for a change. Very exciting compared to the first seven races...well, Martinsville was a good one too.

Watching Junior weave in and out of traffic on those re-starts with heavy infestations of lapped cars had my adrenalin pumping like an oil well. My heart was in my throat so often, I could feel it touching my tongue. Nice visual, huh?

That kid can drive. No doubt about it. I wish they would follow only his car for one race so the non-Junior people could see what he can do with a race car. He is a sight to behold when everything is working 100%. And after that first adjustment early on, it was right there.

He finished 7th in the race and moved up one spot in the points standings from fourth to third and is now only six points out of second place. Way to go Junior. So you didn't win the race, don't hang your head. Raise it high and know that you are doing exactly what you have to be doing at this point in time: consistency racing. That will keep you in the top five in points. It's all about being in the Chase after the 26th race of the season.

And for those who are so very hard on Tony Eury Jr., Dale's crew chief, he made all the right calls and earned an A+...not that he doesn't always. Some people just have nothing better to do than to dis someone they don't like.

If I heard correctly, I believe the upcoming Talladega race will be Junior's 300th start. That little tidbit is floating around in my tiny brain for some reason. Then again maybe I dreamed it. Correct me if I'm wrong.