The drought is over finally. Yea I am talking about Dale Junior winning at Michigan, and the missing Nascar writer here at Life On The Road. Where have I been you ask, well in my job I drive a dump truck and we had a job re-paving the main highway going into the military base here. Because of the traffic on it during the day, the state made us pave it at night. So I have been on night shift for the better part of the last month.

Nothing gets done when you are on the night shift either, any business you need to deal with is only open during the daylight hours. I saw my wife for about an hour and a half each day as she got ready for work and I got ready for bed. The job is done now so I can have my life back.

NASCAR IN HIGH DEF

I recently got a high definition T.V. and have subscribed to the high definition channels that my cable company has. I was so tied up in the dang night shift at work that I forgot to DVR the race last Sunday and completely missed Dale Junior winning his first race in over two years! Not only did I miss that but one of the high def channels replays the race on Monday or Tuesday and I missed that too. But I did see Pocono in high def on that replay channel and WOW did that look great. With my surround sound turned on it was almost like you were sitting there watching it live. How did I ever watch it without High Def before?

If you have not yet gotten a high definition Television yet, save up! It is worth the extra money by far. Just think how your home time will be when you fire up Nascar in high def? Do you watch baseball? Oh My Goodness! Baseball in high def is like being there! You will be so into watching T.V. again that you will not want to get back out there on the road. A driver getting a high def. T.V. at the house is probably a dispatchers nightmare ha ha! I am not the biggest Golf fan but I watched the U.S. open on that T.V. and was glued to the set! Get out and get one of these things. Uh and yes you can get one in your truck too, just get you a satellite dish with one of the two services and you are set. I believe they both offer high def channels. Just don’t forget to deliver your load!

DALE JUNIOR

Dale Junior is still in third in the points but the win at Michigan brought him within 84 points of leader Kyle Busch. A late race caution had Dale Junior in fuel saving mode as he coasted and feathered the throttle to save fuel. For a couple of laps during the restart he was at half throttle or less on the backstretch saving fuel. Not getting passed during this effort was due to those behind him doing the very same thing. It didn’t matter that he won with fuel mileage, it is still a win and one that was needed badly for Dale Junior, his team, his sponsors and his fans. Maybe more important is that maybe this will shut up all of the nay sayers out there that said That Dale Junior’s move to Hendrick would not help him. That he just wasn’t as good as his father. Its a big win! And for a team that has been in the top five in points all season so far, this is momentum. Momentum sorely needed. Oh there are going to be people that still want to put him down, some will complain that it was fuel milage and not real racing. I don’t care, I don’t judge drivers like that, I don’t compare Dale Junior to Dale Senior either. There is no comparison there in my opinion. Dale Earnhardt will always be held up above most of the rest in my mind because he was just that, Dale Earnhardt! There was nobody like him in all of racing and I doubt that there ever will be.

Dale Earnhardt Junior has to make his own career in Nascar and last Sunday was a good start.  Here is how they finished at Michigan as we get ready for the road course out in California.

1 3 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy / National Guard 190/5 203 Running 173,550
2 9 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser / LifeLock 170/0 203 Running 161,116
3 16 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Carhartt 170/5 203 Running 155,066
4 18 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 165/5 203 Running 97,100
5 12 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 160/5 203 Running 136,986
6 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 160/10 203 Running 149,061
7 4 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot 151/5 203 Running 130,200
8 13 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 147/5 203 Running 98,975
9 27 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge McDonald’s Big Mac 138/0 203 Running 112,120
10 23 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal Cask No. 16 139/5 203 Running 95,125
11 26 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Sylvania / Menards 130/0 203 Running 91,875
12 10 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 127/0 203 Running 124,786
13 1 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 129/5 203 Running 101,800
14 5 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 126/5 203 Running 115,841
15 2 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 118/0 203 Running 123,008
16 19 28 Travis Kvapil Ford FreeCreditRep
ort.com		 115/0 203 Running 107,314
17 17 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 112/0 203 Running 110,383
18 8 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 109/0 203 Running 124,286
19 39 84 A.J. Allmendinger Toyota Red Bull 111/5 203 Running 78,650
20 7 16 Greg Biffle Ford DISH Network / DishDVRs 103/0 203 Running 88,875
21 22 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 100/0 203 Running 82,850
22 35 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Mobil 1 102/5 203 Running 121,325
23 38 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 99/5 203 Running 96,408
24 43 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge LifeLock 91/0 202 Running 78,800
25 15 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 88/0 202 Running 110,933
26 11 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 85/0 202 Running 91,825
27 24 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditRep
ort.com		 82/0 202 Running 92,383
28 42 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row
/ DenverMattress.com		 79/0 202 Running 72,975
29 36 45 Terry Labonte Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 76/0 202 Running 89,933
30 25 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet CARQUEST / Kellogg’s 73/0 201 Running 91,200
31 20 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 70/0 201 Running 112,486
32 31 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 67/0 201 Running 82,950
33 34 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 64/0 201 Running 84,983
34 32 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 61/0 200 Running 99,489
35 28 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 58/0 200 Running 72,125
36 37 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 55/0 200 Running 90,420
37 33 00 Michael McDowell * Toyota Champion Mortgage 52/0 199 Running 81,572
38 21 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Big Red Slim Pack 49/0 194 Running 99,848
39 29 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 46/0 180 Running 71,890
40 30 7 Robby Gordon Dodge RVs.com 43/0 150 Accident 79,850
41 40 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 40/0 116 Engine 79,815
42 14 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Alltel 37/0 114 Engine 113,845
43 41 40 Dario Franchitti * Dodge Juicy Fruit Slim Pack 34/0 30 Engine 79,258
* Denotes Rookie

RACE FACTS

Average Speed: 145.375 mph
Margin of Victory: Under Caution
Time of Race: 02:47:34
Lead Changes: 31
Cautions: 4-5, 93-96, 103-106, 148-151, 153-156, 199-201, 203-203

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race:Kenny Francis,#9, Budweiser/LifeLock, Dodge
Dow Automotive “Strategic Call of the Race”: Dale Earnhardt Jr.,#88, AMP Energy/National Guard, Chevrolet
EA Sports Move of the Race: Dale Earnhardt Jr.,#88, AMP Energy/National Guard, Chevrolet
Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap: Kyle Busch,#18, M&M’s, Toyota
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: No Driver Name,#48, Lowe’s, Chevrolet
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race: Kurt Busch,#2, Miller Lite, Dodge
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race:David Ragan,#6, AAA Insurance, Ford
Raybestos Rookie of the Race:Sam Hornish Jr.,#77, Mobil 1, Dodge
Sunoco Diamond Performance: Dale Earnhardt Jr.,#88, AMP Energy/National Guard, Chevrolet
USG Improving the Finish Award:Patrick Carpentier,#10, LifeLock, Dodge
WIX Filters Lap Leader: Jimmie Johnson,#48, Lowe’s, Chevrolet

And your top points leaders.
RANK +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS POLES WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 WINNINGS
1 – Kyle Busch 2213 Leader 15 2 4 9 10 3,428,410
2 – Jeff Burton 2181 -32 15 0 1 4 10 2,517,080
3 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2129 -84 15 1 1 7 11 2,475,290
4 – Carl Edwards 2007 -206 15 0 3 6 11 3,512,500
5 +1 Jimmie Johnson 1959 -254 15 1 1 4 7 2,932,510
6 -1 Denny Hamlin 1926 -287 15 1 1 5 8 2,526,820
7 +2 Kasey Kahne 1889 -324 15 1 2 3 8 3,645,050
8 -1 Greg Biffle 1884 -329 15 2 0 5 7 2,273,450
9 -1 Jeff Gordon 1876 -337 15 2 0 6 7 2,572,540
10 – Kevin Harvick 1817 -396 15 0 0 2 5 2,337,270
11 +1 Tony Stewart 1774 -439 15 0 0 5 7 3,044,480
12 -1 Clint Bowyer 1764 -449 15 0 1 3 7 2,082,670
CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP - CURRENT CONTENDERS
13 – David Ragan 1754 -459 15 0 0 2 4 1,767,460
14 +1 Matt Kenseth 1750 -463 15 0 0 3 9 2,454,900
15 +1 Martin Truex Jr. 1670 -543 15 0 0 1 4 2,091,560
16 +1 Brian Vickers 1667 -546 15 0 0 3 4 1,701,070
17 -3 Ryan Newman 1641 -572 15 1 1 2 5 3,517,360
18 – Travis Kvapil 1579 -634 15 0 0 0 3 1,941,170
19 +2 Kurt Busch 1537 -676 15 0 0 1 2 2,361,550
20 -1 Bobby Labonte 1525 -688 15 0 0 0 0 2,117,040
21 +1 Jamie McMurray 1507 -706 15 0 0 0 3 1,700,920
22 -2 Juan Montoya 1488 -725 15 0 0 1 1 2,048,150
23 – David Gilliland 1443 -770 15 0 0 0 1 1,735,280
24 – Mark Martin 1437 -776 12 0 0 2 5 1,908,660
25 +2 Paul Menard 1382 -831 15 0 0 0 0 1,578,670
26 +2 Elliott Sadler 1360 -853 15 0 0 0 3 1,997,340
27 -1 Casey Mears 1351 -862 15 0 0 0 2 1,808,920
28 -3 David Reutimann 1347 -866 15 0 0 0 1 1,519,800
29 – Dave Blaney 1196 -1017 14 0 0 0 2 1,543,740
30 +1 Regan Smith* 1187 -1026 15 0 0 0 0 1,524,730
31 -1 Robby Gordon 1184 -1029 15 0 0 0 1 1,731,770
32 – Reed Sorenson 1179 -1034 15 0 0 1 1 2,128,800
33 +1 Sam Hornish Jr.* 1178 -1035 15 0 0 0 0 2,173,090
34 +1 Michael Waltrip 1163 -1050 15 0 0 0 0 1,588,720
35 -2 Scott Riggs 1150 -1063 15 0 0 0 0 1,613,370
36 – J.J. Yeley 882 -1331 13 0 0 0 0 1,375,380
37 – Joe Nemechek 759 -1454 12 1 0 0 0 1,113,530
38 – Patrick Carpentier* 758 -1455 12 0 0 0 0 965,724
39 – Michael McDowell* 696 -1517 10 0 0 0 0 842,748
40 +3 A.J. Allmendinger 604 -1609 7 0 0 0 0 695,600
41 -1 Jeremy Mayfield 578 -1635 8 0 0 0 0 848,175
42 – Dario Franchitti* 557 -1656 9 0 0 0 0 930,376
43 -2 Kyle Petty 540 -1673 9 0 0 0 0 948,637
44 – Bill Elliott 539 -1674 8 0 0 0 0 835,233
45 – Mike Skinner 423 -1790 6 0 0 0 0 461,900
46 – Dale Jarrett 367 -1846 5 0 0 0 0 716,013
47 – Ken Schrader 298 -1915 5 0 0 0 0 496,309
48 – Aric Almirola 243 -1970 3 0 0 0 1 344,264
49 – Sterling Marlin 228 -1985 4 0 0 0 0 349,845
50 +2 Terry Labonte 149 -2064 2 0 0 0 0 164,680
51 -1 John Andretti 149 -2064 3 0 0 0 0 422,213
52 -1 David Stremme 84 -2129 1 0 0 0 0 91,525
53 – Jon Wood 55 -2158 1 0 0 0 0 97,620
54 – Jason Leffler 43 -2170 1 0 0 0 0 63,025
55 – Tony Raines 43 -2170 1 0 0 0 0 109,675
56 – Kenny Wallace 34 -2179 1 0 0 0 0 256,735
57 – Johnny Sauter 24 -2189 3 0 0 0 0 250,725
58 – Jeff Green 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 34,575
59 – Chad McCumbee 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 35,075
60 – Stanton Barrett 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 56,638
61 – Scott Wimmer 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 0
62 – Burney Lamar 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 0
63 – Johnny Benson 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 0
64 – Boris Said 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 22,170
65 – Eric McClure 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 22,988
66 – Jacques Villeneuve 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 22,863
67 – Carl Long 0 -2213 0 0 0 0 0 56,045
* Denotes Rookie
Stay safe out there!