Once the green flag dropped, he pulled forward to the 2nd spot and ran there for quite a number of laps. His speedy pit crew got him off pit road in the lead, but he could not hold it and found himself back in 2nd place. Eventually his patience paid off and he put his Stanley Camry in the lead for several dozen laps. Varying pit strategies during the middle of the race kept him out of the lead, but he never ran outside the top ten.
Miles the Monster really showed his teeth on lap 354. Jimmie Johnson, leading the outside line, didn't get going due to transmission issues. The cars behind him had a head of steam, little time to react, and nowhere to go. One after another they piled into the tangled cars ahead of them, 18 cars total. If you did not know better, you might have thought you were watching the Big One at Talladega.
Because Carl started in the inside lane, he was unaffected by the mass of mangled sheet metal behind him that used to be racecars. When the green flag flew again on lap 359, he was at the front of the inside line, alongside the leader, Matt Kenseth. His opportunity to regain the lead was short lived, though, when he got tagged in the back by Kyle Larson. His car turned sharply to the left, sending him head first hard into the inside wall. He thankfully climbed out of his car uninjured, but he is likely to feel that nasty crash over the next several days. He ended his day in 28th.
The race was won by Matt Kenseth, Carl's only teammate who had not yet won a race this season. Only 12 races into the season, and the Gibbs camp has already likely qualified all four of its teams into the Chase. They are clearly showing themselves to be the class of the field week in and week out.
In spite of his poor finishing spot, Carl maintained his 2nd place position on the Chase grid and only losing one spot in the drivers' standings, dropping to the 4th spot.
It is a great time to be a Carl fan. We don't come to the track hoping that he will have a good weekend. We know he will have a fast racecar. Instead of crossing our fingers that he will find a way to qualify in the top ten, we wonder if he will win the pole again. During the race, it has become commonplace for him to run in the top five.
Today was disappointing for a couple of reasons. First, he was near the front of the field at the end of the race with a stout car, giving every indication that he could contend for the win. And second, taking his car to the winner's circle at this particular race would have resulted in a one million dollar bonus for the children at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. But with the quality of his race team, another opportunity for victory is only a week away. Life is good for Carl and his fans.
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