Race Rewind | Watkins Glen

JIM UTTER, jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007

ELEVATORS

DOWN – JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
If he wasn’t blocking, he wouldn’t have been in position to wreck Kevin Harvick.

DOWN – DALE EARNHARDT JR.
Somebody needs to seriously get to work in the engine department before it’s too late.

UP – TONY STEWART
Made the same mistake as Jeff Gordon but did it early enough in the race to recover.

OBSERVATIONS/JIM UTTER

•  There is a reason Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are considered two of the best drivers in NASCAR and Sunday showed why. They are not infallible, but what you get from each is everything they have. They may go how they conduct themselves off the track in a different manner, but I’ll take a down-to-the-wire finish in a NASCAR race between these two over any others every time.
•  The fan which jumped the fence and attempted to retrieve autograph from Matt Kenseth during a late-race red flag period was eventually apprehended by local authorities. NASCAR has passionate fans, but that’s way over the line. As much as the incident may have made for good TV, NASCAR has enough problems keeping up with the drivers on the track and certainly don’t need fans mudding the picture.
•  International Speedway Corp. plans to build new media facilities at Watkins Glen International in time for next season’s NASCAR visit to the track. It is long overdue for a track that hosts two of the top motorsports series in the world each season.

FIVE KEY MOMENTS

LAP 45 – Tony Stewart spins on his own entering Turn 1. He gets back on track and rejoins the field in the 20th position.
LAP 63 – Dale Earnhardt Jr., 13th in points entering the race, slows on the track with a blown engine. While pitting on the ensuing caution, Kurt Busch, 12th in points, is flagged by NASCAR for speeding on pit road.
LAP 73 – Juan Pablo Montoya attempts to block the advance of Martin Truex Jr. who then bumps Montoya into Kevin Harvick. Harvick and Montoya get in a heated verbal and physical confrontation on the track in front of the grandstands in Turn 1.
LAP 89 – Just as Jeff Gordon leads the field into Turn 1 to start this lap he appears to drive in too far and spins out all on his own. He regroups and returns to the field, but out of contention for the win.
LAP 90 – The driver with the last, best hope to catch Stewart – Carl Edwards – runs off the course while running second, handing Stewart a safe margin of victory.

NEXT RACE
3M Performance 400
Where: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.
When: 2 p.m. Eastern Sunday.
TV: ESPN
Radio: Motor Racing Network
Last year’s winner: Matt Kenseth

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