45th Pepsi 400:Nothing better than going back to Daytona. We're back to Florida after running several races across America to make the July 4th race. The Firecracker 400. Probable another exciting race, it is equal to the Daytona 500 and its finish.
Greg Biffle made a deserved pole position, but his car was stopped after the engine is fired and the position of pole was with Jeremy Mayfield. Let's go racing!
As always on a superspeedway: many lead changes, always pack racing. And so the race went, exchanging lead on lap 1, then at 6 and another at 7. Pack racing does not guarantee position easily for all: is a type of racing that requires a lot of patience, such as a chess game.
But the race was gaining its highlights: Ricky Rudd, Mayfield, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace. The latter became the leader on lap 9, and almost there was a yellow flag on lap 15 when Kenny Wallace was crawling on the turn 3 wall and amazingly saved the car for a spin.
And the race was normal, like Talladega and Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 16; in 23, it was time for Tony Stewart. A lap later, it was time for Rusty Wallace. Gradually, the upsets were emerging: Andy Petree was the leader on lap 27, and Boris Said on lap 31.
Kurt Busch became the leader on lap 32 and on lap 34 Rusty Wallace went ahead again. From there came the first pit window, where Jeff Burton led briefly, but Busch returned to the front.
The race was totally quiet: not even the stalled car of Mike Skinner on lap 41 brought a yellow flag. On the same lap, Andy Petree turned the leadership, which went to Bill Elliott two laps later. The surprise came on lap 44: Robby Gordon became the leader.
Busch returned to the front on lap 46, and on the same lap it became of Rusty Wallace. One lap later, it's time of Mike Wallace. The race is on frenetic pace; What follows will be so until the end?
The laggard car of Mike Skinner fumbled the pack for a while, and Kevin Harvick went to the front on lap 51. On the next lap, was succumbed by Andy Petree, which ended up being swallowed in turn 3 by Robby Gordon.
And the leadership was always having exchanges: Ricky Craven on lap 53, Jason Keller on 55, in 56 Bill Elliott, Jeff Burton on lap 58, Jeff Gordon on 61, Andy Petree on 66, Mike Wallace in 70, Jeff Burton again on lap 71. From there, we have the second pit window.
It was supposed to be a quiet pit window, but Tony Stewart thumped the rear end of Jason Keller and abandoned. The same happened with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the rear end Dave Blaney, but no more suffered.
And again the exchange of leaders returned: Kurt Busch was leading on lap 78; the post was passed to Ricky Craven on lap 80, then to 81 in Petree, Boris Said in 84, Jeff Burton in 86, in 87 Busch, Jeff Gordon at 88, at 90 Petree, Jeff Burton in 93, in 96 Petree, Jeff Gordon on lap 98 and Michael Waltrip at 101.
At this point in the race, there were a group of six drivers (Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Petree, Jeff Burton, Rusty and Busch) who fought for the lead.
And this group began to take turns in first position, even with the pit window. Jeff Burton turned leader on lap 104, two laps later it was Jeff Gordon. Two more laps and Petree turned forward. The pit window came and it was time for Kurt Busch lead again.
Something like 50 laps to the end and you could easily notice the formation of groups fighting for positions: one who disputed the positions 1-7, other 8-13 and the other 14-27. Returning to the battle for leadership, it became more exciting when latecomers Ken Schrader and Joe Nemechek came to stand in the way of the leaders.
Gradually drivers were arriving in the fight for the first position, as Matt Kenseth, Jason Keller and Ricky Craven. Another stint with many fights for position began.
Jeff Burton was the leader on lap 124 and was eventually overtaken by Jeff Gordon two laps later. Burton returned to the front on lap 130, and was overtaken by Craven on lap 133. Gordon returned first in the 135, and Rusty Wallace became the leader on lap 137.
And then came the only yellow flag of the night: debris on the backstretch. Almost all stopped, except for a few who did after the
restart, like Matt Kenseth, Boris Said and Kyle Petty. So, the leadership was in the hands of Ricky Craven on lap 144.
Jeff Gordon returned to the lead with 14 laps to go, and Rusty Wallace overtook on lap 147. Neither the Firecracker 400 more experts think that victory would come out of the hands of the three leaders:. Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Rusty. But there came a latecomer...
And then came Dale Jarrett in a slower car than normal, which made life difficult for the top three and made the cake that fought for the top 10. Than forward to Jeff Gordon back to first in the 148 back, and the team-mate off Dee-Jay, Elliott Sadler, went to the first position with 10 laps to go.
Rusty Wallace came out of nowhere on the same lap as a car chase. He stayed there until it succumbed to Kurt Busch on lap 153. He left the lead... Robby Gordon? Yes, the man himself. Was out of the fight for victory in the 150 back, and emerged as a missile.
It was a totally intense fight. Elliott Sadler regained the lead on lap 155, and left it to the amazing Scott Wimmer one lap later. Could be a huge upset, as Greg Sacks in the same event in 1985, and Jamie McMurray at Lowe's last year.
But there was a calm. Scott Wimmer stuck in Dave Blaney and Jimmie Johnson, who took the pace of the entire squad coming behind Robby Gordon. In addition, Scott Wimmer's fuel is over just at the entrance of turn 3, taking away the chances of a top 5. Victory is yours, Robby Gordon!
