Michigan II, 99'

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Aug 23, 1999

Winston Cup News, NAPA 200, Pepsi 400, and Unsung Heros II

Another Seat Vacant For 2000........ Joe Nemechek......

Bell South/Team SABCO owner Felix Sabatas and driver Joe Nemechek are parting company at the end of this season, opening up another seat next season. It will be interesting to see what type of driver Felix will hire to drive the No. 42 Bell South Mobility car. Will it be a seasoned veteran, or one of Winston Cup's young guns with less than eight years experience. Or, maybe he'll bring someone up out of the Busch series?

The other major seat open is in the Robert Yates owned No. 28 Texaco/Havoline car, to be vacated by Kenny Irwin at the end of this season. So, now we have two major owners/sponsors looking for a driver, and the season isn't over yet. It wouldn't be surprising to see one or two more drivers out of work by the time the NAPA 500 at Atlanta gets here, marking the end of the season.

Ernie Irvan...... Michigan Revisited........

Ernie's down at Michigan again, but thankfully, this time it isn't as serious. The last time, he was unconscious for two days with critical brain and chest injuries. This trip he is reported to have mild head injuries and a bruised lung. Pretty much the same as last time, but no where near as severe. There must be something about that track Ernie hasn't been able to figure out, but then again, he wasn't the only one to wreck there during Busch practice. I noticed during Winston Cup qualifying that a lot of cars were loose in the forth turn. The latest reports at this time have Ernie upgraded to good condition.

NAPA 200......... The Winston Cup/Busch Race........

That's what they called it. There were 19 Winston Cup drivers in the 43 car lineup. The best of the best in both series. Lots of drivers went home for this one (17), as is the case when Winston Cup invades the Busch series. Half of the top ten starters were Cup drivers with three taking up the top five.

The Cup race in Busch cars didn't quite turn out that way as far as dominance was concerned. The No. 3 AC Delco car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. led for 68 of the 100 laps and easily took the win with a three second lead over Jeff Gordon, Dave Blaney, Ward Burton, and Mark Martin, rounding out the top five. There were only nine cars left on the lead lap at the end of the race, and they were all Cup drivers with the exception of Blaney. At the beginning of the race, Dale Jr. was just one point ahead of Matt Kenseth for the Busch championship. Kenseth was in ninth position, trying to work his way to the front, when something went in his engine, causing him to cruise around the track on seven cylinders for points, ending up finishing 22nd. Kenseth's bad luck gives Dale Jr. an 89 point lead with Jeff Green hanging onto third with a 168 point deficit.