#3WideBlog Race Review: Southern 500

     Saturday night under the lights at the track "Too tough to tame" The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ran the Bojangles Southern 500. Darlington raceway, The "Lady in Black", is a 1.366 mile egg shaped oval that was completed in 1950 and since has become a cornerstone facility on the NASCAR circuit. Due to its unique egg shape, limited racing groove and storied history, a win at the Southern 500 is a prestigious one. Drivers will do whatever it takes to bring home a Southern 500 checkered flag. Tempers flare, and patience is lost. The "Lady in Black" definitely delivered this year.

via NASCAR.com

     Pole sitter and points leader Greg Biffle led the field to the green flag. Biffle led untill the first round of green flag pit stops, when Kyle Busch short-pitted for tires and gained a slight advantage by pitting early and takes the lead. Early on the race takes a green feel and Biffle retakes the lead. Through the second round of green flag pitstops its Jimmie Johnson that short pits and comes out scored as the leader. Jimmie Johnson continued to dominate through a third round of green flag pitstops and by lap 170 lead Kyle Busch by over 5 seconds. Through that uncharacteristically long green run Johnson had 2/3 of the field a lap or more down, and had only one contender within 10 seconds of him.

    A "debris" caution at lap 172, 12 laps from halfway, bunched the field back up. Jeff Gordons abysmal luck continued in the Southern 500 aswell. He brought out the races second caution at lap 194 with a flat left rear tire. Subsequent flat tires at lap 205 & 221 had Gordon in the garage with the team looking for the cause. He wound up 35th 30 laps down. In a season where Gordon has 1 top-5, 2 top 10s, and an average finishing position of 21.6, he is fighting to stay in the chase picture 24th in points 170 points back of the leader.

     Business began to pick up at that point and the "Lady in black" slowed the pace down with 5 different cautions. Debris, a Bobby Labonte spin, Regan Smith the 2011 Southern 500 winner had trouble, Jamie McMurray slaps the wall and Reed Sorenson also spins. This brings us to lap 334. Jimmie Johnson had been saving fuel for quite some time, would shut off his engine and refire under caution to save as much fuel as possible. There was question to whether or not he could make it to the checkered flag. Johnson lead the field to the 7th restart, followed by Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. After the restart Tony Stewart overtook Kyle Busch for second but Johnson had pulled away by over a second.

     At lap 361 drama begins to unfold. Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, in his James Finch owned unsponsored #51 car had been having a great run hovering around the top-10 after clawing his way there early on. After a long "Darlington stripe" cut one of his tires, he saw his effort fade away when he again made contact with the wall and spun. As Ryan Newman checked up to avoid Busch, Aric Almirola made contact with Newman sending him spinning also. When Newman and Busch hit pit road, there was more drama unfolding.

     Ryan Newmans #39 pit crew was outraged at the way Kurt Busch in the #51 had dangerously smoked his tires while pulling through their pit box that was directly next to his, but that story doesn't really take off until after the race. There is still a restart thats turned into a Green-White-Checkered. Jimmie Johnson has the 200th win for Rick Hendrick in his reach, but Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin were hoping to postpone it at least another week. After the green flag Hamlin was able to overtake Stewart, but Jimmie Johnson saved enough fuel to capture the 56th victory of his career (breaking an 8th place tie with Rusty Wallace on the all-time list), Hendricks 200th win, and the checkered flag at the Southern 500.

via NASCAR.com

via NASCAR.com

via Getty Images

via NASCAR.com

The fun wasnt quite over yet. As Jimmie Johnson was doing his victory lap of spinouts (Personal Favourite) there was some action on pit road. When the race ended and cars were pulling to pitroad, Kurt Busch made contact with Ryan Newman's car, that was the last straw, the crews readied for battle. Ryan Newmans gasman, Andy Reuger, approached Busch's team and was held back. In the mob that was created, a NASCAR official actually fell onto the hood of Busch's car. NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton said NASCAR was still investigating the issue, and penalties (if any) would be released this week. Kurt Busch couldnt be reached for comment but Ryan Newman had some words to say. When asked what happened by motorsports writer Dustin Long he said this http://www.twitlonger.com/show/hd1b4l . You be the judge.

     Just another night out with the "Lady in Black" ... Smitty OUT