CRASH ENDS RUSTY'S DAY EARLY IN POCONO 500
-32nd-Place Finish Sees Rusty Slide To 15th In Point Standings After 14 Races-

Much of the garage area talk here today before the start of the Pocono 500 concerned Rusty's "unrestricted" testing on the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway on Wednesday.

"We went down to Talladega and took the plate off," Rusty told a giant group of media members who were gathered behind the team transporter between yesterday morning's two practice sessions. "I've always wondered how fast a car would run around Talladega without a plate. Fans have asked me and I didn't know, but with the technology nowadays a car could run 220 mph. I didn't have any idea a car could run 228 mph down the straightaway. I was running three-quarter throttle through the corners just because it was too hard on the tires. I'd come in and the right-front looked funny after two laps. I didn't have the nerve to leg it knowing the tires were giving me some problems. These tires are made to go 188 mph, not 230. We only ran two or three laps. I can go back and say with the technology nowadays and how smart these crew guys are and the aerodynamics….

"We should never race it," Rusty continued explaining to his interested audience. "Let me preface it. You could never race a car that fast. They're just going too fast. I'd get front end float coming through the tri-oval. I had to turn the wheel. It was headed toward the wall. The motor was screaming. You're approaching 230 mph and as I got to the corner there was no way you could go through the corner as fast as you did in the straightaway. I had to roll out of it, and that's the reason you only saw the 220 mph lap. It was fun. It was exciting. It was something NASCAR and Racing Radios wanted to try out to try to see if they could move all the communications for the future around a little bit and try to get more crystal clear communications. The test was really for NASCAR and Racing Radios."

Although yesterday's final "Happy Hour" practice session here at Pocono Raceway showed Miller Lite Dodge driver Rusty Wallace on 27th fastest on the speed chart, Rusty and his Larry Carter-led team certainly didn't let that bother their confidence entering today's 200-lap, 500-mile race.

"The big thing is that we have the car handling well and that's what will count most here today," Rusty said in the team transporter here this morning just after the 11:00 a.m. driver and crew chief meeting had concluded. "I think we may be a little down on the motor as several guys could blow by me down the frontstretch, but I think the way we can handle - especially over the tunnel turn - that can make up for some of that. We're pretty adjustable, too, with a spring rubber in the right rear. So I'm confident that we can adapt as the race goes on."

Contrary to what the weatherman had predicted for the conditions here today - the forecast calling for a carbon copy of yesterday with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s - the race began under mostly overcast conditions, with the temperature at 65 degrees.

Rusty was pitting from the 10th spot up pit road here today. The Ken Schrader team was in front and the Kevin Lepage team behind.

Rusty fought a tight handling condition for much of the race, but through his hard driving and good strategy in the pits, he had battled up into the top 10 by the halfway point (Lap 100).

"The car's handling pretty good; we're just down on the power on the long straightaway," Rusty had radioed just before Mark Martin's blown engine brought out the fourth yellow of the race on Lap 112.

After a 15.608-second pit stop put him back in the 15th spot for the Lap 118 restart, Rusty fought his way back up to sixth.

Rusty had pitted during the sixth caution with less than 40 laps remaining in the race and appeared to be set to squeeze his fuel mileage and come away with a good finish.

Rusty's day came to a halt, however, after his brakes temporarily faded on Lap 167 and his No. 2 Dodge got into the back of Michael Waltrip's Chevrolet. The end result saw both cars relegated to the garage and out for the day.

"We lost the brakes," Rusty said after climbing from his car back in the garage. "We went in down the back straightaway going into the tunnel turn right behind Michael and hit the brakes going into the tunnel and it went right to the floor. It looks like it's only got about a quarter inch of brakes left on the right front wheel. I popped 'em and got the brakes back right now. When I went in there and hit them there was nothing there. I had a good one going. We were in pretty decent shape. I got kinda blown off on the restart there, but the car has been a struggle all weekend long. It hasn't been running as well as I wanted it to. Brakes go out all the time, but I had no indication whatsoever that I was going to lose any brakes. It's sickening to fall out like we did just now. I thought we were going to gain some points today."

The day belonged to Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 Chevrolet team. Johnson showed his strength early in the race, taking the lead for the first time on Lap 11 when he got by Joe Nemechek. At the end of the day he had led eight times for 126 laps, including the final 28 circuits around this 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track.

Johnson was able to fight back from a confusing situation under the sixth caution period and then use late cautioned to get the fuel mileage he needed to go the distance. During the sixth yellow, on Lap 155, there was confusion as to whether the pits were open or not. Johnson was leading and attempting to catch the pace car when Ryan Newman, Rusty's Penske teammate peeled off the track while running second. The end result saw Johnson back in sixth position for the Lap 163 restart.

But 33 laps and four cautions later saw Johnson firmly in control when oil from Dale Jarrett's blown engine forced the 11th yellow of the day and saw the race end under the caution.

Johnson posted his third win of the season and closed in on the points lead as Jeremy Mayfield finished second, Bobby Labonte third, Jeff Gordon fourth and Kurt Busch fifth. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Terry Labonte, Robby Gordon, Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears rounded out the top 10 finishers. Rusty was credited with a 32nd-place finish.

Earnhardt continues to hold the points lead with 2,113 points to Johnson's 2,055. Matt Kenseth is third (1,889), Jeff Gordon fourth (1,874), Tony Stewart fifth (1,854), Bobby Labonte sixth (1,812), Busch seventh (1,803), Elliott Sadler ninth (1,770), Kevin Harvick ninth (1,766) and Newman 10th (1,674). Rusty is 15th with 1,572 points.

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tour now moves on to Michigan International Speedway for their first of two 400-mile, 200-lap battles on that 2.0-mile high-banked track. FOX-TV and MRN Radio will provide live coverage beginning next Sunday at 12:30 p.m.