NAPA 500 Live Report by Darryl Gumz

The weather told the whole story. It wasn't cold. It wasn't raining. In fact, the sun was shining and t-shirts and shorts were being worn all over the place. Something was terribly out of place. Thus began the qualifying on Friday.

Derrike was 34th out of the chute. He ran his lap at 189.299 which made him 27th at that point. By the time they were finished, he was 39th. Definitely looking for a plan B for Saturday. Hey, guys--the notes from last year may not apply, it's hot!

On Saturday, 10 drivers took the field to try and qualify on a more overcast and drizzly day. Rick Mast was the only driver to make it into the starting lineup. End of the day and a disappointed Derrike. After the happy hour, the Speedway Children's Charities had an auction of NASCAR memorabilia including a rear bumper from one of Derrike's Jimmy Dean cars. I was hoping to snag it, but was outgunned in the cash department by two other fans. See, we're NOT alone!

On Sunday, I saw a couple at breakfast who were wearing Harrah's apparel. A quick odds calculation led me to go meet them. They were also disappointed about Derrike's finish but looking forward to next year. Saw them again at the track at the Harrah's booth where the #15 was on display. Got a couple of photos there.

Oh, yeah, there was a race on Sunday, too! Just prior to the race, the sun finally returned and stayed out for a beautiful race day! With my favorite driver out of the race, I had to pull for Ricky Rudd, hoping he would extend his streak. He started 10th and moved all the way to 2nd. Ultimately he finished 7th. Jeff Gordon blew an engine on lap 181 and limped back to the garage for a 38th place finish. My daughter was devastated. I had an equally emotional output--jubilation! The only scary moment came at lap 197 when Michael Waltrip cut a tire and wound up getting hit hard by Terry Labonte. Michael had to be cut out of the car and was airlifted to a local hospital.

March 12th, 2000--the next date at Atlanta Motor Speedway. See you there!!!