The crowd on hand for the Bennett Lane Winery 200 at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)Sometimes I think the only reason I write blog entries is to use the subject lines I come up with. Often I come up with the headline before I think of the actual content. hehe.

Anyway, this is the story of Saturday at Infineon Raceway during the NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend.

So the big thing for me was watching the Camping World Series West race in which David Gilliland, Boris Said and Joey Logano were participants. I’ve never witnessed a Camping World Series race before (East or West) so it was a new thing for me.

I found a choice spot behind the pits next to the start/finish line. For a good portion of the race I was sitting indian-style on the second wall beneath the grandstands. It was the best place to watch the race from because I was directly in front of one of the Sprint Vision screens. I didn’t miss a thing. When the action wasn’t in front of me it was on the screen.

I learned a bunch of stuff. First off, you can’t change tires and add gas to your car in the same pit stop. It’s either one or the other. That’s interesting enough and begs the question of “Why?” but when you see that the crews consist of a lot less people you understand the logic. It was crazy to watch one man jump over a wall with a tire in one hand and an air gun in another. I watched as a single dude changed both the left and right rear tires on the No. 16 Hasa Pool Products/White Flyer Toyota. It’s just really fun to watch. It made me want to learn more about this developmental racing series.

So that’s the pit stops, let’s talk about the actual race. It was entertaining as a whole, even if you took out the craziness that happened in the last lap. Joey Logano was leading when he was spun out by the No. 9 AASCO Motorsports Ford driven by Patrick Long in the very last turn, Turn 11. Patrick rolled over the finish line in first place, followed by his teammate Jason Bowles in the No. 6 Sunrise Ford.com/COHA Ford.
Jason Bowles celebrates winning the Bennett Lane Winery 200 at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)
Well as a result of Patrick’s actions he was stripped of his win and the trophy for the Bennett Lane Winery 200 was handed over to Jason. Joey ended up finishing in 17th place. Patrick sank to 23rd.

The real drama occurred immediately after the race when Patrick, in the No. 9, tried to drive into Victory Lane only to be told that he wasn’t the winner. They penalized him for his actions in the last lap. Which I think is lame. I personally don’t think he meant to spin Joey out, I think he was just pushing hard for position, but whatever.

While the No. 9 was being denied entry to the winner’s circle a bunch of cars from the race lined up behind him attempting to get into the garage. All cars were halted, and then came Joey Logano in his No. 11 Home Depot Toyota roaring past the stopped cars (and pedestrians!) so that he could take a swipe the No. 9 in an effort to express his displeasure.

I was honestly surprised by Joey’s behavior. I mean, sheesh, get over it. I would like to note that every time Joey was passed on the racetrack, and during his spin out, there were very, very loud cheers from the crowd in attendance. So I don’t think anyone was really sad he didn’t get the win. I’m just sayin’.

In the post race press conference Joey addressed accusations that he had in fact brushed Long’s car and pit crew members on his way to the garage. Joey said, “I didn’t hit anybody. I know that. I know what’s all around my car. When there’s a crowd of people, you rev-up the engine because you have no horn so they’ll move. I didn’t hit anybody and I don’t know why you’d make that stuff up.”

Touchy, touchy Mr. Logano. I chuckled when I read that quote. High-larious. Okay, so he didn’t hit anyone, video showed that later, but he obviously meant to irritate or provoke them. Whateva. Despite what they tell you boys love drama just as much as girls do. 😉


The pit crew for the No 16 Hasa Pool Products/White Flyer Toyota get ready for pit stops during the Bennett Lane Winery 200 at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

The pit crew for the No. 16 Hasa Pool Products/White Flyer Toyota, driven by Moses Smith, get ready for pit stops during the Bennett Lane Winery 200 at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Crew members work on the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet during Sprint Cup practice sessions at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Crew members work on the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet during Sprint Cup practice sessions in anticipation of the Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Crew members push the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet out of their garage stall during Sprint Cup practice sessions at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Crew members push the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet out of their garage stall during Sprint Cup practice sessions at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)