Meanwhile, rain is threatening, and if a race is past halfway it’s official if the rain shuts it down. They’re now halfway, so if he can snag the lead and then rain hits, he could get the W.
Not sure why I didn’t realize before that he was driving for Richard Petty. Maybe because the BLM paint scheme is nothing like the traditional Petty scheme. But obviously #43 should have made an instant connection for me. Anyway that has to really piss off a lot of good ole boy race fans. And good for Richard Petty. He always seemed like a good man, but you never know just based on race coverage.
Apparently the demonstration in support of Bubba started from a group text and a bit of grassroots-style organizing among the drivers. Jimmie Johnson is a 7-time champion, but he’s more of the Jeff Gordon mold of driver, so it’s not a huge surprise that he’d be one of the ones orchestrating this.
Yep, definitely has to bother some of those backwards fucks. He’s back to the normal paint scheme now, that was just a one-week thing with the BLM paint scheme. Although it’s still quite a bit different from the old school STP scheme. The hood is white, the sides are powder blue. It’s a pain in the ass to try to pick out in the pack.
Caution for a minor accident, Bubba loses a couple spots in the pits.
Bubba got shuffled back a bit, now he’s taking it THREE WIDE trying to get a third line behind him to push him to the front. It’s a risky move but he’s surging… He’s got momentum and he’s challenging the top five again!
Bubba got up to second, maybe briefly poked the nose out toward the lead, then the inside lines pulled back ahead and he got dropped back outside the top 10 again. Wild racing right now!
And the risk is going to bite him after all, it appears, as he’s been shuffled all the way back to about 20th. He’s now dropped back into the middle lane, giving up on the outside gambit. If he had gotten a little more push he might have been able to get the lead and drop into one of the other lines, but that move (going three wide) almost never pays off.
Who’s No12… He keep slowing down in the bends and nearly causing that pile up we might need?
Oh… He’s broke away now, it that Blaney it is lol
12 is Ryan Blaney, supposedly Bubba’s closest friend among the drivers. The problem is we really don’t want that pile up where Bubba is right now, he’d be likely to get tangled up in it.
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BUBBA THREE WIDE AGAIN!!! Back up to fifth, he likes that outside lane…FOURTH!
Annnd shuffled back. So close a couple times, if his car isn’t quite as strong I do like the high risk strategy of trying to hop in front of a line and take the push and go for it… But it’s high risk high reward and there’s not as much point in doing it right now IMO as opposed to at the end.
Caution out now, Bubba sitting in 10th. Lap 115/188.
Debris on the track 
There was a wreck in front of him, he avoided it but he restarts in 28th with 50ish laps left. Another caution now… 23rd with 46 to go, and a final round of pit stops underway.
6th! 38 laps left.
Bubba does not have the fastest car today, but he’s been able to keep himself in the mix, and he’s driving a fearless race… At some point here he might get a chance to stick his nose out there and go for it, and I suspect he will…
And here he goes, jumping into the front of the outside lane and charging towards the front… He doesn’t appear interested in locking in a top 10 finish, he’s racing to get alllll the way to the front or not.
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Fuuuuuuuuuck he’s 4 laps short on fuel to finish the race. We’re going to need a caution.
Fourth place, 29 laps to go… Now third… He’s pushed Hamlin into the lead, now Bubba into second!!!
so like half the sponsors are payday lender scams now
BUBBA INTO THE LEAD!!! TWENTY EIGHT LAPS TO GO!!!
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welp
Annnd back to fifth, a pack of four pulled out to the high line and got past him. The kid’s driving a great race, he actually pulled a little too far out in front when he took the lead, and the way the drafting works, that provides an opportunity for the other drivers to get a run on you.
He’s back to 8th now.