Juan Pablo Montoya Blows An Epic Opportunity To Carve Out A Bit of Racing History at the Brickyard.
Up and rising NASCAR racer Juan Pablo Montoya (42 Target Ganassi Dodge) dominates at the Brickyard by an insurmountable margin for the vast majority of the event, prompting observers to note his pending accomplishment of becoming the first driver to ever win both open wheel and tin-top jewels at the venerable speedway. Just as the racing media prepares the historic headlines, Montoya unfathomably receives a pit lane speeding penalty on his final service with thirty-five laps remaining. As a frustrated Montoya angrily berates Race Control for a mistaken reading, Jimmie Johnson (48 Hendrick Chevrolet) calmly picks up the pieces on the final restart and stashes away the high profile race victory.
Although One Race Tardy In His Prediction, Lewis Hamilton Accurately Predicts A McLaren Renaissance in 2009.
The flat and twisting Hungaroring often leads to mind numbing parade racing, and 2009 fails to break the trend except for the notion that McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton (1 McLaren Mercedes) one race prior predicted a resurgence in his team’s performance attributable to new modifications to the chassis. McLaren proves out a bust at the Nurburgring, yet Hamilton makes good on his word at Hungary after blowing past race leader Fernando Alonso (7) with 59 laps remaining and storming away to a decisive victory. On a bleaker note, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa suffers a dramatic shunt during practice after a rear spring from Rubens Barrichello’s entry comes loose and strikes his fellow Brazilian in the helmet at full speed. Massa suffers a fractured skull that briefly worries the racing world, yet the driver recovers swiftly from his injury. Massa’s freakish shunt immediately spurs rampant speculation that former F1 world champion Michael Schumacher will return to the cockpit as his replacement.
Ferrari Driver Felipe Massa Luckily Dodges A Virtual Bullet And Survives To Race Again.
The de Ferran Acura ARX (66) Catches A Break After the Highcroft Acura ARX (9) Suffers Mechanical Troubles.
Blowout margins of victory clearly characterizes the 2009 ALMS season, yet Lime Rock offers observers a pleasant surprise as the de Ferran (66) and Highcroft Acura (9) ARX-02a P1 prototype entries wage close quarters’ battle from the starting flag on the beloved road course. Highcroft, despite suffering sidepod damage in a dustup just before pit entry, uses swift service at the first stop to slip past de Ferran for the race lead. Ace Highcroft driver David Brabham opens up a wide margin over the field before de Ferran driver Simon Pagenaud finds his footing and begins deeply slicing into the gap. Most observers believe Brabham will hold off hard charging Pagenaud over the final twelve minutes of racing, yet the Highcroft 9 car’s prior damage ultimately betrays the team as the rear suspension fails on course. Pagenaud powers past the limping 9 Acura and easily coasts home for a dramatic victory.
Aussie Mark Webber Finally Breaks His Duck at the Nurburgring.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber (14 Red Bull Renault) raises brows at the lights with a futile chop move across the bow of Brawn competitor Rubens Barrichello (22) that not only fails in its purpose, yet also earns him an agonizing drive-through penalty from the stewards. Red Bull, excited about its sudden improvement in form and convinced of its flat out speed relative to Brawn, astutely brings Webber in on Lap 49 and switches its driver to a two-stop fuel strategy that allows him to run light through the mid-race. The brilliant gambit pays enormous dividends when on-track Webber powers past the parked Brawns during pit service, and in a stirring tale that reminds observers of F1 Yesteryear, the Aussie overcomes his penalty and rushes away unmolested to his maiden career victory. Webber audaciously celebrates his stunning coup over both the field and the stewards, while Brawn GP, wondering if the charm has slipped off the bracelet, begins counting future championship points as the footsteps over its shoulder become louder.
Kyle Busch (18) Takes a Barroom Beating After His Ill-Timed Move Near the Finish at Daytona.
The otherwise droll and heat scorched Firecracker 400 now glows like a jewel after NASCAR moved the race under the lights, and the 2009 version enlivens the Independence Holiday like no other prior running. Tight racing among the leaders and restrictor-plate related shunts dominate the evening up through the closing moments as Kyle Busch (18 Joe Gibbs Toyota) and Tony Stewart (14 Stewart Haas Chevrolet) earnestly tussle for property rights at the spearhead. Busch deftly holds off the horde down the backstretch, yet longtime observers clearly see Stewart lagging back in Turn 3 as he sets the obvious trap for the 18 car. As Busch turns for home, Stewart sagely uses the banking to build a head of steam before diving left and inside on the lead car. Busch, clearly caught out of pocket by Stewart’s ruse, panics, reflexively jinks his car left in desperation to block, and pays for his error as Stewart’s nose turns his car off the rail. Busch soars airborne and hard into the outer wall, and then the racing world winces in virtual pain as the 18 car receives two vicious back-to-back high velocity blows from Kasey Kahne (9) and Tony Logano (18). Busch groggily walks away from the horrific scene, yet buckles at the knees while fighting off track officials working hard to hustle him into an awaiting ambulance. Stewart apologizes for his role in the shunt, yet the twinkle in his eyes lets observers know that he simply beat the younger Busch to the punch.
NASCAR's COT and Strident Moves Towards Safety Allow Kyle Busch to Walk Away From His Massive Daytona Shunt.
