Top Row Seat - Sears Point
Dateline: 06/29/98This week the Winston Cup drivers headed west to meet up with their first road course of the season. Right from the green flag it was obvious that this was going to be a good week for the journalists. :)
Rookie Start
Jerry Nadeau had a fantastic qualifying effort and was obviously excited to try and lead his first ever lap of Winston Cup competition... A little too excited. I have to admit that I was howling with laughter watching Jerry drive it in way too deep trying to take the lead from Gordon. (well, I waited until it was obvious that he wasn't going to hit anything) This was especially funny in light of the interview he gave just before the race where he was talking about making sure that he took it easy on the start. Whoops?
Jerry Nadeau is obviously a talented driver who has a promising career ahead of him. I am confident that he will get many more opportunities to show that he is a smarter driver than he showed in turn one on Sunday.
Watch The Tape
Jeff Burton had me yelling at my television on Sunday after he made contact with Dale Jarrett and backed it into the wall. I have been right there to support Jeff Burton as he broke through last season to become one of the consistent threats in Winston Cup racing, however, this week it seemed pretty clear that Jeff was flat out wrong.
I can understand the frustration of destroying a racecar and the frayed nerves of knowing that you were in that racecar when it got destroyed. I also realize that I have the benefit of video tape. Also, Jeff has been intentionally run off the road before (Jeff Gordon took him hard during the Southern 500 in Darlington last year) But....
If you are going to make a stand in front of millions of TV viewers, try to be right.
Championship Struggle
If Mark Martin should go on to win the Winston Cup Championship this season then Sears Point is one race that he can credit as a crucial race. Mark was faced with numerous setbacks during the day. Poor qualifying effort, two flat tires, and being mired in traffic for most of the day were not enough to keep his team from fighting back. Mark Martin had the winning car, he just had one too many bad breaks to bring it home up front.
But even in the face of repeated bad luck, Mark still managed to bring home a solid sixth place finish and move up to third in the Winston Cup points struggle. Persistence and determination alone can win you the Winston Cup.
