We're getting close to closing out this season with only four races left. I want to quickly point out that the points will be updated to accurately reflect where we are. Previously, a few races were excluded as a result from me switching systems so that has been addressed. For Talladega, I also want to mention that this 2015 version is crap (at least for me) and caused extreme stuttering (more on that in a moment) so future races will be held with a different version. This was the same issue last time but even more extreme now. I think Microsoft was involved somehow.

The start was clean, though the qualifying was bad for humans. Mark and I were leading the charge with our 31-32 starting spots. He moved up while I struggled with the handful of frames I was given to see with.

While I was scaring myself and the rest of the humans driving like Darrel after eye surgery, Ben Parsons moved right on into Ken Schrader who was left out of line. The two turned right into Buddy Baker and all hell broke loose for the Big One.

At the back, I had around two frames of smoke before I piled into Tim Richmond. I used this time to brace myself against the wall as much as possible. It almost worked until my loving father blew up the back end. Not that he had any more time to react. To the left of us, Darrel was getting caught in chicanery and tossed about, mostly without incident.

Up at the impetus of the accident, Mark was left pretty much alone and had a clean line on the inside. Go Wrangler.

As half the field was crashing, swerving or slamming on the brakes, Scot was gently slowing down in the back, anxiously waiting to see just how many spots he was about to make up...and slightly sad that he didn't cause this in the first place.

But while he waited patiently to pick through his bounty of hurt-n-dead competition, Mike Potter came flying out of nowhere and barreled directly into him for no reason at all. Looking at the replay, Potter just sucked wind off the line and fell back for two laps before this happened. To make it even worse, he suffered no damage and went on to place well. His points were stripped.

Zack managed to avoid much damage and only had his nose mooshed in a tad and smoked tires.

On the restart, all humans except Mark (and Scot who was badly dead) were at the back.

As many of the laps roared on, he put up a valiant effort to stay at the front, doing the SuperSpeedway Shuffle. All the while, The Bear was sneaking up to catch him.

We then had green flag stops without incident and the field generally spread out.

After a cycle or two, Zack was trailing Mark who was the effective leader at this point and it was shaping up to be a showdown between these two.

But on his last stop, Zack blew it and sped on pit road. He was kicking himself violently.

Coming to the last 4-5 laps, Mark was leading the way and that blue car only about a second or two back was Sandy, working his tires off to catch him.

Just after that last picture was taken, Darrel had a brown out at his house (not in his pants) and collided with Ken Schrader (who did have a brown out in his pants).

Darrel was flung to the wall and the yellow was out.

Unfortunately, his engine was ruined right before he hit the wall, thanks to some tunneling. He could have easily made it to the end and would have finished fairly well, possibly top 10.

This gave Mark the win under caution. While Sandy would have fought hard for a good run, it's doubtful he would have made it the whole way as his tank was dryer than Southern Baptist's wedding. To celebrate, Mark spun at the line. I know you're excited to be back but, maybe let the rest of us cross the line next time, Mark? Now go and enjoy your wine. As for Bear and Zack, only 91 points separate the two. Can Sandy make up the deficit in four races? It'll be fun to see.

We go from big to small at Martinsville next week.

Results

Track: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY 2015 APT SPRING

Session: Practice

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	061	D Hamilton	48.613
2	1	B Bodine	48.647
3	33	H Gant	48.768
4	77	E Bierschwale	48.772
5	22	B Allison	48.776
6	71	D Marcis	48.776
7	9	B Elliott	48.823
8	75	N Bonnett	48.869
9	44	S Marlin	48.960
10	11	T Labonte	48.995
11	3	D Earnhardt	49.023
12	35	B Parsons	49.063
13	7	A Kulwicki	49.067
14	90	K Schrader	49.077
15	5	G Bodine	49.119
16	17	D Waltrip	49.131
17	25	T Richmond	49.200
18	62	S Christman	49.266
19	18	D Jarrett	49.320
20	50	G Sacks	49.360
21	88	B Baker	49.376
22	64	R Combs	49.400
23	81	M Potter	49.402
24	21	K Petty	49.446
25	19	D Cope	49.470
26	8	B Hillin, Jr.	49.551
27	28	D Allison	49.566
28	021	T Bear	49.646
29	55	P Parsons	49.839
30	023	Z Webster	49.995
31	15	R Rudd	50.029
32	27	R Wallace	50.109
33	2	M Riggleman Jr	50.164
34	26	M Shepherd	50.203
35	43	R Petty	50.226
36	30	M Waltrip	50.351
37	029	M Max	50.644
38	67	B Arrington	50.679
39	013	T Nadz	50.748
40	4	R Wilson	50.941
41	83	L Speed	51.004
42	70	J McDuffie	1:01.822
43	52	J Means	1:01.977

Weather: Clear, 67 °F, Southeast 7 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	28	D Allison	50.131
2	88	B Baker	50.333
3	11	T Labonte	50.343
4	30	M Waltrip	50.343
5	64	R Combs	50.368
6	90	K Schrader	50.418
7	9	B Elliott	50.428
8	17	D Waltrip	50.438
9	3	D Earnhardt	50.504
10	18	D Jarrett	50.521
11	70	J McDuffie	50.533
12	71	D Marcis	50.536
13	35	B Parsons	50.537
14	25	T Richmond	50.553
15	22	B Allison	50.558
16	52	J Means	50.563
17	62	S Christman	50.569
18	83	L Speed	50.579
19	7	A Kulwicki	50.584
20	44	S Marlin	50.599
21	8	B Hillin, Jr.	50.606
22	27	R Wallace	50.620
23	67	B Arrington	50.625
24	26	M Shepherd	50.627
25	21	K Petty	50.636
26	50	G Sacks	50.648
27	15	R Rudd	50.650
28	55	P Parsons	50.668
29	1	B Bodine	50.685
30	33	H Gant	50.688
31	2	M Riggleman Jr	50.718
32	013	T Nadz	50.763
33	75	N Bonnett	50.798
34	19	D Cope	50.800
35	061	D Hamilton	50.807
36	5	G Bodine	50.851
37	43	R Petty	50.853
38	021	T Bear	50.853
39	4	R Wilson	50.867
40	77	E Bierschwale	50.911
41	81	M Potter	51.276
42	029	M Max	1:12.144
43	023	Z Webster	--

Weather: Clear, 67 °F, East 5 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	15	R Rudd	46.939
2	28	D Allison	47.019
3	25	T Richmond	47.037
4	77	E Bierschwale	47.056
5	7	A Kulwicki	47.207
6	75	N Bonnett	47.236
7	26	M Shepherd	47.240
8	70	J McDuffie	47.242
9	62	S Christman	47.328
10	9	B Elliott	47.347
11	023	Z Webster	47.397
12	71	D Marcis	47.416
13	83	L Speed	47.438
14	17	D Waltrip	47.473
15	4	R Wilson	47.667
16	11	T Labonte	47.673
17	21	K Petty	47.679
18	64	R Combs	47.686
19	1	B Bodine	47.760
20	8	B Hillin, Jr.	47.891
21	30	M Waltrip	47.991
22	81	M Potter	47.994
23	67	B Arrington	48.090
24	52	J Means	48.109
25	27	R Wallace	48.150
26	5	G Bodine	48.189
27	90	K Schrader	48.215
28	3	D Earnhardt	48.234
29	33	H Gant	48.260
30	18	D Jarrett	48.274
31	029	M Max	48.353
32	22	B Allison	48.447
33	55	P Parsons	48.462
34	021	T Bear	48.483
35	013	T Nadz	48.502
36	44	S Marlin	48.604
37	2	M Riggleman Jr	48.674
38	88	B Baker	48.757
39	50	G Sacks	48.907
40	35	B Parsons	49.039
41	061	D Hamilton	49.148
42	19	D Cope	49.561
43	43	R Petty	49.702

Weather: Cloudy, 69 °F, East 11 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	31	2	M Riggleman Jr	158.945	38	22*	185	Running
2	38	021	T Bear	-0.85	38	3	175	Running
3	16	52	J Means	-2.18	38	0	165	Running
4	30	33	H Gant	-2.52	38	1	165	Running
5	24	26	M Shepherd	-3.55	38	0	155	Running
6	3	11	T Labonte	-5.03	38	1	155	Running
7	11	70	J McDuffie	-5.46	38	7	151	Running
8	17	62	S Christman	-5.92	38	0	142	Running
9	8	17	D Waltrip	-6.93	38	0	138	Running
10	21	8	B Hillin, Jr.	-7.44	38	0	134	Running
11	4	30	M Waltrip	-7.95	38	0	130	Running
12	9	3	D Earnhardt	-8.45	38	1	132	Running
13	25	21	K Petty	-8.94	38	0	124	Running
14	34	19	D Cope	-10.57	38	0	121	Running
15	43	023	Z Webster	-11.24	38	0	118	Running
16	29	1	B Bodine	-11.88	38	0	115	Running
17	13	35	B Parsons	-1L	37	0	112	Running
18	12	71	D Marcis	-1L	37	0	109	Running
19	39	4	R Wilson	-1L	37	0	106	Running
20	5	64	R Combs	-1L	37	0	103	Running
21	20	44	S Marlin	-1L	37	0	100	Running
22	6	90	K Schrader	-1L	37	0	97	Running
23	32	013	T Nadz	-1L	37	0	94	Running
24	7	9	B Elliott	-2L	36	0	91	Running
25	2	88	B Baker	-2L	36	1	93	Running
26	14	25	T Richmond	-2L	36	0	85	Running
27	1	28	D Allison	-2L	36	1	87	Running
28	41	81	M Potter	-2L	36	0	79	Running
29	15	22	B Allison	-3L	35	0	76	Running
30	40	77	E Bierschwale	-3L	35	0	73	Running
31	35	061	D Hamilton	-4L	34	1	75	Disco
32	23	67	B Arrington	-34L	4	0	67	Retired
33	37	43	R Petty	-34L	4	0	64	Accident
34	19	7	A Kulwicki	-34L	4	0	61	Accident
35	42	029	M Max	-35L	3	0	58	Valve
36	22	27	R Wallace	-36L	2	0	55	Accident
37	18	83	L Speed	-36L	2	0	52	Accident
38	33	75	N Bonnett	-36L	2	0	49	Accident
39	10	18	D Jarrett	-36L	2	0	46	Accident
40	28	55	P Parsons	-36L	2	0	43	Retired
41	36	5	G Bodine	-36L	2	0	40	Accident
42	27	15	R Rudd	-36L	2	0	37	Accident
43	26	50	G Sacks	-36L	2	0	34	Accident

Caution Flags: 2 (7 laps)

Lead Changes: 11 (9 drivers)

Weather: Cloudy, 69 °F, South 5 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 3x

AI Strength: 92%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
4	061	Passing under yellow	Held for 13 seconds
4	061	Unsafe pit exit	Go to end of longest line
5	061	Dropping Debris	Pit for repairs
5	061	Passing under yellow	Held for 16 seconds
15	013	Speeding in pits	Drive through pit lane
27	023	Speeding in pits	Drive through pit lane
35	061	Unsafe pit entrance	Go to end of longest line

Thursday, October 27, 2016

'87 Winston Cup 2016 Series - 32 Talladega