For Michigan, It's A Wrap!

 

During my Nextel Cup pre-race interview on WGST - Atlanta. The host Art Mehring asked me.."So what do we look for today at Michigan International Speedway?"

My reply..."Hot Dog Wrappers and Kyle Busch!"

Sure enough, Kyle Busch piloted his Chevrolet to the front, only to be taken out by a hot dog wrapper.

Kyle Busch had to leave the race after 81 laps because of engine failure.
Busch had led 28 laps.

"The first (hot dog wrapper) we were able to shake loose," said Busch, driver of the Kellogg's Chevrolet.

"Kasey Kahne helped us out on that. When I let (brother) Kurt (Busch) go by me, he didn't slow down in order to let me get up underneath him (to help dislodge the wrapper). And it wasn't any of his doing. He could have helped us or he could have went on. But it's a shame we weren't able to get that second piece off. The engine got up way too hot and ultimately ended our day."

Several drivers were affected by the blowing trash. Rusty Wallace took an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 69 because of debris on the front of his car.

On Lap 165, leader Matt Kenseth's grille was completely covered by wrappers. He ducked behind Kurt Busch to get air to blow the debris off.

"I checked my temperature and it was real hot," Kenseth said. "I had to slow down, I got up to (Busch's) bumper and got it blown off the grille. The same thing happened earlier in the race. I let (Busch) get behind me to get debris off his front."

Tony Stewart said this is simply part of racing at Michigan.

"With as windy as it was, I expected it to be worse than it was," Stewart said.

Series points leader Tony Stewart - who came into the race as the hottest driver in stock car racing with five wins in seven starts - never led on Sunday but finished fifth for his eight consecutive top-seven.

Race winner Jeremy Mayfield’s Dodge was never a factor all day. But as the leaders began to drop out starving for fuel, Mayfield inherited the top spot with six laps to go in the 200-lap event. "We robbed a bank and got away with it," said (Crew Chief) Labbe. "It was a gamble but it paid off."

Mayfield moved ahead of Kurt Busch in the season points with just three races remaining before the 10-race NASCAR playoffs begin. And Mayfield will most certainly be locked in when the final ten races of the season just three events from now.

This weekend is at Bristol....it doesn't get any better than that!

Mark