Best Quote
“I turned to Jack after that and said if anything happens tonight, I’d like him to be at my funeral.” – Carl Edwards, Federated Auto Parts 300 winner, on Joe Nelms’s unique invocation
Regardless of whether one thought Saturday’s (July 23) pre-race prayer was humorous or whether it bordered on outright sacrilege, when the invocation gets more attention than Edwards’s sixth career Nashville victory, that’s kind of a mixed blessing. While it’s unclear whether God was amused or offended by the Talladega Nights references, the shilling of corporate sponsorship and the “Boogity Boogity Boogity” line, it’s clear that Nelms stole the show from Edwards’s dominating performance Saturday night.
Funniest Quote
“I kinda feel like we’re all dressed up with no party to go, Marcus.” – Cole Whitt, 19th, on his truck Friday night
While it wasn’t exactly the type of night to write home about for Cole Whitt, at least he had a humorous take on his truck’s performance. Granted, Whitt has hit a bit of a lull in recent weeks, but the youngster’s immense talent has really come to the forefront in the Camping World Truck Series. Hopefully Whitt stays a part of the sport for many years, but with Red Bull’s future in serious doubt, it’s unclear what will happen to Whitt in 2012 and beyond.
Crew Chief Quote
“I looked at all the tire wears all day and the tires weren’t wearing, and I knew if we had track position and clean air, we were going to go. When it came down to it, we didn’t even have clean air and we still won. Tires weren’t an issue tonight.” – Danny Stockman, crew chief for Austin Dillon
Danny Stockman’s call for two tires on Dillon’s truck in the closing stages proved to be a very bold gambit that earned Dillon his third career Truck Series win and a very sweet Gibson guitar. Making gambles like that is the type of thing championship caliber teams are made of. While it is unclear whether Dillon can knock off Johnny “Sergeant” Sauter in the long run, he may at least make this championship chase interesting.
Best of the Rest
“My guys were phenomenal here, what an amazing job by Joe and the [No.] 13 boys. They have worked their tails off to move a race shop, build these trucks, work on them all day, travel from Ohio, then go over the wall and be the best. All of the training they’ve done in the offseason is paying off. The truck is one of the fastest in our fleet – chassis 38 hasn’t had worse than a second-place finish all year, and we just built it in the offseason.
“After leading practice all day, we knew we had a potential winner. I took four tires because I knew we had a loose truck there at the end – and you choose your tires based on track position and how the truck’s handling. Dillon just had a fast, fast truck and didn’t need four. It was great strategy for them and a good win. We did our best and came home with a good finish.” – Johnny Sauter, runner-up, Lucas Deep Clean 200
“I’ve been talking about this guitar all week. They said in the driver’s meeting today that it was voted one of the 10 coolest trophies by Sports Illustrated. It’s just a beautiful trophy.” – Austin Dillon, race winner, Lucas Deep Clean 200
“After the race we had last week, anything less than a win is disappointing,” – Matt Crafton, 11th, Lucas Deep Clean 200
“A little warm tonight without air conditioning. I was trying to prove who’s tough.” – Sam Hornish Jr., finished sixth Saturday
About the author
The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.
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