Five Questions After..... Dickies 500

FORT WORTH, TX - NOVEMBER 08: A general view of Texas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dickies 500 on November 8, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kyle Busch runs out of gas, Jimmie Johnson wrecks, and Kurt Busch makes a fan a millionaire. Many storylines came out of the Sunday night race at Texas Motor Speedway. But I have a few questions I want to run by our readers.

Who stole Jimmie Johnson’s horseshoe? … Seriously! What happened to Jimmie? The man survives Talladega, missing a wreck by about 100 feet, then heads to Texas and runs into the wall. The funny thing is, he had the car saved about halfway down the straightaway. Then it just snapped around on him and he smacks the inside wall. What happened to the bullet proof driver?

Can Kyle Busch seal the deal? … Yes, I know he won 2 of the 3 races run at Texas this weekend. But so many times this year he’s failed to finish a dominant performance, especially in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 17 of 84 races this year across all three of NASCAR’s top three series, Kyle has led he most laps and failed to win the race: 10 in the Nationwide Series, 4 in the Cup Series, and 3 in the Truck Series. In Kyle’s defense he has won 19 of those 84 races, so in 36 races this year he has either led the most laps or won the race (or both!). However, those 2nd places finishes and failed should-have-been victories are glaringly obvious.

Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. adopt a black cat recently? … How many times has Earnhardt Jr. had a seemingly good run going in a race, only to have some type of wreck, mechanical, or fuel issue plague his days? Junior Nation collectively says: TOO MANY! Many fans, teams, and media are baffled by the fact that Jr. ran out of gas on Sunday. They should have made it. Bonus question: What went wrong?

What is Michael McGee going to do with all that money? … In case you don’t know, Michael McGee became an instant millionaire as soon as Kurt Busch crossed the start-finish line in Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Tabbed as the “Dickies American Worker of the Year” in an online contest earlier this year, Michael named Kurt Busch as his driver to win the Dickies 500… and win it he did! Not bad for an agricultural teacher from Oklahoma!

Why are night races so much more dramatic? … I know it wasn’t technically a “night” race, but it finished under the lights. Things always seem more dramatic once they flip the light-switch. I’m not sure if it’s just the ambiance or perception, but the drivers always seem to step it up by quite a bit. I may be the only one, but I’m going to miss these Sunday night races next season.

Honorable mentions: How did Kurt Busch have enough fuel to do the Unwind Lap? … Did Marcos Ambrose’s car make anyone else hungry? … Who paid Sam Hornish Jr. and how much?