Carsdirect.com 400 Live Report by Bruce Bates

Friday
I arrived to Las Vegas Speedway around 12 noon. I immediately set up my scanner and listened to Derrike and the crew talk about how the car was. On the first run Derrike commented that the brakes seemed to be dragging on the car. On entering the garage area the team found that a lot of the brake pads were worn off and they needed adjusted out. With that done, Derrike came out again and the crew told him that was the fastest run of the day. They told him to come in and they would put sticker tires on but then Derrike, and I assume Joey Knuckles, started talking about trying a track bar adjustment since there was still time for two more runs. They practiced again but it sounded like the car was worse after the adjustment. 

While waiting for the Qualifying the USAF Thunderbirds were practicing over the stadium and nearby Nellis Air Force Base. They put on quite a show for us and I am sure were trying to show off for the race fans in attendance. Derrike was near the end of the lineup for taking qualifying runs. The black number 15 looked no different from Daytona. When the car went out Derrike ran the 20th fastest time up to that point. Before Derrike's run the track was much cooler as the clouds had blocked the sun for about 10 minutes. Right when Derrike came out the clouds parted but I don't think there was enough time to heat the track too much so as to hurt his time. After Derrike's run all the teams had to qualify with sunlight on the track except turns 1 and 2 where the billboard shadows were slowly creeping across the groove. Many of the next cars to go out had times worse than Derrike's and the #15 was left hanging in 25th position with only one car left to go. Unfortunately that car was driven by Mark Martin and it would have taken a miracle for him to qualify out of the top-25 at a track like Vegas so Derrike ended up as the 26th fastest car after first round. Not enough to be locked into the field but I felt confident they would stand on their time and still make the race.

Saturday
After arriving at the track I heard the announcer say that only 9 cars would attempt to requalify so I knew that Derrike would be in the big show on Sunday. As it ended up no one who attempted a second round effort was faster than 36th so Derrike would keep the 26th starting position for the race. During Happy Hour I listened to Derrike and the crew as they made some adjustments to the track bar and other things. Derrike said the car was loose most of the time but Joey Knuckles reminded Derrike that the forecast called for rain and a brand new race track tomorrow. It also promised to be a lot colder for Sunday's finale. I am not sure where the team ended up on the speed chart but I did hear that Martin was the fastest and figured he and Jeff Burton would be the favorites. 

Some notes: Dale Earnhardt's car was missing a headlight sticker ( I found out later he was involved in an incident with Jeff Gordon in the morning practice), Derrike and the team seemed to be communicating well on the radio, Hut Stricklin and the #61 finished in the 10th position for the Busch race earlier in the day ( his motor started missing badly 1 lap before Sprague hit the wall and brought out the last caution-LUCKY ) , Lots of new souvenirs with NASCAR 2000 all over them - Nothing for Derrike or the #15.

Sunday
The day started off pretty dreary. I had noticed the forecast earlier in the week called for rain on Sunday and they appeared to know what they were talking about this time. It sprinkled a few times on the drive to the track and was overcast at the speedway. It was windy and very cold. Just some light sprinkles on and off before the race that weren't too big of a deal. I did see that some brave souls wore shorts to the track. I can only wonder if they didn't go home with frostbite. I had on jeans and a coat underneath a rain coat with gloves and a hat and was chilled to the bone.

I met up before the race with fellow fan club member Chester Peek from Washington State. I have learned that Chester is a former Guinness Record Holder for driving his motorcycle through a flaming tunnel. While we could have used some of that heat today, I can't say as I would like to get warmed up that way. I had expected some other fans to meet with us but I guess the cold weather kept them away. 

After talking with Chester for awhile I headed up to my seat in the turn 1 section. I had a good view of the #15's pit stall near the exit of pit road and saw the crew push the car out to pit road just a little later. I noticed the car had sponsor decals on the hood and rear quarter panels. They said EVERYTHING.COMmerce. Not sure whether this is a one race deal or something for the season. I also saw that the car had a picture of the Big Daddy's BBQ logo which I assume is since Mast did not make the race in the #41. There was also a decal for Meridian Clear on the side of the car which I guess is another associate sponsor for this race. Later on the crew taped a banner for EVERYTHING.COMmerce on the pit wall. (Editors note: guess no fan club sticker again)

At the start of the race Derrike almost lost control of the car in turn 2 and fell quickly towards the back. Derrike complained that the car was way loose and Joey said they would remove a spring rubber on the first caution. DC ended up at the back of the field and the car seemed to at least be keeping up with the likes of Pruett and Darrell Waltrip. Luckily the rain started and the caution flag flew which allowed Derrike to stay on the lead lap and come in for adjustments. A lot of the other cars were also performing some major changes. Derrike came back in the pits later on for a wedge adjustment and to top off before the red flag came out for 20 minutes. Derrike was parked right in front of my seat but never exited the car during the stoppage. Fortunately the rain was not heavy at this time and the track was soon dried enough to restart the race.

Derrike quickly lost positions and gradually fell behind. The car was still not handling right and Derrike said he was having a hard time getting back into the throttle in the turns. At lap 85 Derrike was put a lap down and they came into the pits at Lap 96. During the stop a tire got away and rolled across pit road which resulted in a penalty to add to the poor day. Derrike was just about to go another lap down to the leader when the final caution of the day fell for more rain. This time it didn't look good to the east of the speedway. Some of the teams chose to pit but luckily DC stayed out and I think might have picked up a position or two in the final standings. The rain started getting heavier and NASCAR put out the red flag again. Derrike again stopped in front of me but I didn't wait to see him get out as it was raining and cold and I wanted to find a warm dry place fast. Unfortunately the best thing I could get was near an exhaust vent for one of the food stands. The rain never let up and the race was called after about an hour or so.

Only later did I find out that Derrike ended up in 37th position a couple of laps off the pace. Jeff Burton won another rain shortened race and this time won a million dollars bonus for he and a lucky fan. Jeff Gordon had an awful day and certainly has to be wondering what the future holds for him and the 24 team. Earnhardt Jr looked good at first but faded back a bit late in the going while his father was tearing through the field from the start. Overall the racing was pretty good even though it was shortened quite a lot. The fans had to be miserable with the awful weather. I thought the weather was always good out here in the West. Derrike and the team suffered through a pretty awful day also. I am sure that the lack of experience in the crew and team has to be a factor when the weather is so drastically different from practice. Hopefully they will learn from the weekend and come out better for the next race. Maybe we will see them in Atlanta next week.