After a rainy Sunday on the monster mile in Dover, Autism Speaks 400 finally started on Monday at noon. On a sad note, the day will be remembered most importantly by the death of Bill France Jr., who was 74 years old. He was the son of the creator of NASCAR and then he was put in charge and was instrumental in getting him where he is. today.
The green finally flew with Ryan Newman leaping in front, from pole, and leading the charge for the first part of the race. Other leading riders were Carl Edwards, who won Saturday’s Busch race, and Martin Truex Jr., who led the most laps. A Dodge, a Ford and a Chevy, it was a great mix. Dale Jr. fans were disappointed that on two separate occasions his tires fell off and he had to make unscheduled pit stops. Kurt Busch elicited one of the warnings when he turned with a little help from Tony Stewart and hit the wall. As Stewart sat in the pits with his team working on the car damage, Busch approached Stewart and let him know that he was not happy with the trade. NASCAR parked Busch for the day because of his actions.
Stewart never challenged after the accident and was in the back of the group for the rest of the day. With laps drawing to a close, Jimmie Johnson also dropped a tire and had to pit. He finished the day in a respectable 15th. It wasn’t all bad for Hendrick’s team, as Jeff Gordon finished seventh and kept his big lead in the championship points standings. After all the controversy at DEI, Truex makes a big statement for the team and may have solidified its position as the leader for the 2008 season with the departure of Dale Jr. As television shifts to TNT for coverage and the circuit is moves to Pocono’s for the Pocono 500 next Sunday, the world of NASCAR will take this week to mourn the death of great leader Bill France Jr.