Notebook: Rockingham 200

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Michael Waltrip seemed to have the only car that could touch Jamie McMurray in the Rockingham 200. He was the only guy to pass the race winner, getting the lead with 33 laps to go.

But then it all came unraveled. A caution came out right after Waltrip got the lead, but then a slow pit stop, a flat tire... well, it all went wrong for the Daytona 500 winner.

	Michael Waltrip led two laps at Rockingham. Credit:Autostock

Instead of his 10th career NASCAR Busch Series victory and his first at North Carolina Speedway, Waltrip finished a disappointing 18th. He crawled out of his car and hurriedly walked to his motorcoach, upset over what might have been.

"That's racing," Waltrip said.

Waltrip grabbed the lead on lap 164 after McMurray had stayed up front the first 163. But debris on the track brought out a caution on lap 165.

"We certainly had him where we wanted him," Waltrip said of McMurray. "Then we had a bad pit stop, and a bunch of late cautions and a flat tire took care of that."

McMurray certainly was worried about Waltrip.

"The 99 car was so fast on long runs toward the end of the race," McMurray said. "If it would have stayed green, he more than likely would have won because he was so good on long runs."

Waltrip's stop dropped him out of the lead, and then he had a flat right-rear tire that put him two laps down.

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The caution right after he passed McMurray certainly was ill-timed.

"They all were at the end," Waltrip said.

Green vs. Bodine

While McMurray was running away with the victory, at least there was a decent race for second place. In the end, pole-sitter David Green won that battle, passing Todd Bodine in the closing laps.

"My car started working better up high," Green said. "I kind of sat there and thought I wanted to try that. Then, the last couple of laps, it worked out good. I couldn't have done it if that lapped car hadn't have been there. Wherever Todd went, I was going to go the opposite way. I'm just glad we didn't crash."

Bodine and Green were once teammates at Cicci-Welliver Racing, and they respect each other.

"I knew David was good all day," Bodine said. "I could see him back there coming. I made two or three mistakes, and he was right up on me. Then I had my hands full. It was a lot of fun.

"He just outran me at the end. We got down there on that lapped car, and he snookered me to the outside."

Green a championship contender?

	David Green is currently the highest-ranked full-time NBS driver. Credit: Autostock

McMurray took over the points lead, but he isn't running the full schedule. Bodine, 25 behind McMurray, may or may not run all the races. Kevin Harvick, 36 out of the lead, isn't running the whole schedule.

That leaves Green as the top Busch Series regular.

"I was going to be awfully disappointed if people didn't look at us as being a contender," Green said. "With our qualifying effort and our performance today, maybe we caught somebody's attention. My philosophy over the years is maybe not winning the most races but just being consistent.

"Now I have a team that has good equipment, I can go out there and flex my muscle a little bit. It's been a long time since I've been able to buckle down and use my ability. I hope we're a contender."

Green's No. 37 team is essentially the same group that fielded cars for McMurray last year. Brewco Motorsports is based in Kentucky, Green's home state. And Mark Green, David's younger brother, has driven for Brewco, too.

"There are deep roots back home in Kentucky," Green said. "It was pleasant to hear an owner wants an experienced driver. Everyone is wanting 18-, 19- 20-year old guys. The Hendrick deal was good for me last year.

"This team's personality and wants mirrors what I'm about. That's putting everything forward to win races and championships. We just have fun being around."

Gibbs manages to survive The Rock

Coy Gibbs was the highest finishing rookie in the race, coming home 14th. But Gibbs admitted he didn't do too much racing Monday. His race was all about survival.

"I was trying to stay out of the wall the whole time," Gibbs said. "I wasn't worried about racing. I was worried about myself."