Time to throw away the tired cliches about Auto Club Speedway and California. The stands were remarkably full despite the spotty showers, and while the race started out duller than dirt it ended up being a quite delightful, spirited contest with a terrific closing laps shootout.
Stating the obvious, Matt Kenseth and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer have got it going on. Kenseth has fully regained the cool fire that made him the cheesehead Zen master during his championship run, Blickensderfer has swiftly proven himself to be excellent at his job, and the #17′s over the wall gang has been flawless. While it’s a major stretch to think the team can stay this hot, right now they’re on top of it and working it for all that it’s worth. A tip of the hat to them, and for that matter the Cat in the Hat for putting them together.
Also deserving mention is how Jeff Gordon’s team is almost there. Last year Steve Letarte seemed absolutely lost atop the pit box. Thus far this year he’s been dramatically improved. Both he and the pit crew needs to find one more level in order to match Kenseth’s support team, but they are way better than last year. Another factor not to be overlooked from last night’s race is how save for one pit road mistake by the driver the closing lap battle would have been a three-way affair between Kenseth, Gordon and Greg Biffle.
Finally, the crowd. There was one.
Some good stull all around as we head toward Vegas.
What is your best estimate of crowd size?
It was good to see Kenseth’s team prove that the ’500 win wasn’t blind luck.