Top Row Seat - Charlotte
Dateline: 05/27/98Best Of The Best
This week in Charlotte Ray Evernham, crew chief on Jeff Gordon's Dupont Chevy, once again proved that he is currently the finest decision maker in all of motorsports.
Flashback: Just one week ago Ray Evernham decided to only take two tires before the final ten-lap shootout in The Winston when everyone else in the field took four. It proved to be the correct call. Jeff Gordon was in the process of running away with the win with his competitors gaining too little and too late. If NASCAR had not called back the final restart then Ray Evernham would have cashed the big check.
This Weeks Race: With fewer than 20 laps to go the caution comes out. All the leaders pit and take on two tires. Ray Evernham makes the decision to take on four tires and sends Gordon back out in sixth place. This time four tires was exactly the correct call and Gordon took the lead from Rusty Wallace and cruised home to win the Coca-Cola 600.
A week ago I said that Evernham was crazy and had cost his driver the race by only taking two tires. Ray quickly proved me wrong. This week I laughed at Evernham for taking four tires and putting his team behind cars that had been faster than him all night long. Ray again quickly proved me wrong.
Two races, two similar situations, two completely different decisions yet in both cases Ray Evernham was dead right and set Gordon up for the easy win. This is the reason that Ray Evernham is the single finest crew chief in motorsports today.
What Might Have Been
I really wish that Gary Bradbury hadn't found the wall with just 20 laps to go. Rusty Wallace and Bobby Labonte were setting themselves up for a classic finish. Both drivers had the chance to win the No-Bull Million and Mark Martin was sitting in third with a fast car just waiting to see how it was going to play out. However, one error on the racetrack by a driver already laps down moved the decisive battle from the racetrack to the pits and deprived the fans of what might well have been a race for the ages.
How might it have all played out? Let the world know what you think on the bulletin board.
