My Richmond Thoughts

By Jason Jarrett

It had been a while since I had been to Richmond before this past weekend but it was good to go back. The racing had a different look to it but I really cannot pinpoint exactly what was different. I think the biggest difference is that I have been watching it on television for the last 5 years. A live event always has a different look to it. I would say that the racing was good and from my view there was a lot of side by side racing. I know the TV can’t show every battle but there was some good racing at RIR.

The 88 car was better than the end result showed. At one time he actually was in front of the leader but did not catch a caution before Kyle Busch was able to pass him and put him down a lap. He did stay with Kahne for that entire run but by the time the caution came out some other cars had been lapped so that even took DJ out of position to get the free pass. There are many stories like this within every race but I feel like this week I wanted to point out that the 88 was a better car than the ending credits show.

Another thing I am starting to notice is that Butch Hilton is doing a really good job of building the moral of the team back up. I can see it in the crew’s faces on race day. They just look better now than they did a month ago. Butch is also doing a good job of working on the cars to make DJ comfortable and it has been showing. At Michigan they kept adjusting on the car and making it better and were able to get a top 15. Last week, they went with the fuel mileage plan and it worked out for a top ten finish. I believe when you start heading in the right direction you start getting some good breaks. I know and they know that nobody thinks that 15^th or 10^th is great but everyone should know that they are doing a good job and heading in the right direction.

Scott Wimmer really impressed me the other night as well. Not just because he qualified well but I was able to watch him in the race for a while. These are the kinds of things I notice: At one point, dad passed Scott and stayed in front of him for maybe 15 or 20 laps. Well, I noticed that Scott started pulling back up to the 88 and eventually passed him back. That told me this: Scott paid attention to the different line that dad was running and changed his line to make it work for him as well. All of those guys are good out there on Saturday night or Sunday but being able to make adjustments like that are what separate some of the drivers at the top level.

Tony Stewart not making the chase is a big deal and I want to be someone that acknowledges the fact that Tony did his interviews and took the disappointment like the professional that he is. He mentioned that it was not just one race that made the difference and said that there was no lack of effort from his team. People are quick to criticize Tony but he is a great champion and his composure after the race Saturday was a testament to that.

Richmond is a great place to lead into the chase. I am someone that opposed the format at first but now can say that it is working. There will be some excitement in the coming weeks as the teams fighting for the championship continue to battle and the teams needing some good things to happen continue fighting for every position they can capture.

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