THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 25th, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXLV
by Brody Jones
Carl Edwards did not let a minor thing such as a pit road speeding penalty hamper his bid for his fifth Nationwide Series win at Nashville. Edwards only took 37 laps after the penalty to get back to the front and led 125 out of 225 laps for the victory at the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway Saturday night. The victory was Edwards' fifth win of 2011.
Following his victory, Edwards was very pleased with his run, but angry with himself over his pit road gaffe.
"I can't believe I was leading and I sped on pit road," Edwards said. "That was really, really not smart. But in the end, it made our night more fun. I probably learned more."
Brad Keselowski won the pole at 155.447 mph and led the first 58 laps with Edwards close in tow. Edwards, who started third, took over the lead when Keselowski was slowed by the lapped cars of Josh Wise and Charles Lewandoski on Lap 59.
Edwards led through the first round of green flag pit stop before the first yellow came out for debris on Lap 83. The yellow brought the leaders back onto pit road for another round of stops. According to Edwards, the pace car was moving faster than normal under the yellow so he didn't coordinate his speed on pit road properly, resulting in a speeding penalty. Since the mishap occurred under yellow, Edwards was sent to the end of the lead lap for the restart. But since there were only 14 cars on the lead lap, the penalty did not turn out all that bad.
Elliott Sadler, by virtue of a two-tire pit stop, took the lead briefly; however, Keselowski was able to retake the lead shortly after the restart. Meanwhile, Edwards took all of five laps to re-enter the top-10. Keselowski was running great until he lost a cylinder at the halfway point of the race. The reduced power under the hood of the Discount Tire Dodge allowed Austin Dillon to run down the No. 22 and take the lead. The cautions fell just right to allow Keselowski to finish on the lead lap in 12th, but he was out of contention.
However, when Dillon took the lead from Keselowski, Edwards came by in tow. It took only a couple of more laps for Edwards to overtake Dillon to get back out in front.
Nine laps later, the second caution of the race came out when Mikey Kile took a trip through the backstretch grass. Kile was tapped from behind by Brian Scott and turned, but Kile was able to keep the car fairly straight while plowing through the car and hopping over an access road.
Things stayed under green until lap 176 when the final caution came out for debris on the backstretch. During the final round of stops, Austin Dillon took two tires and regained the lead over Edwards. Meanwhile, Elliott Sadler broke an axle attempting to leave pit road after a great stop. The team was able to repair Sadler's No. 2, but he was only able to salvage a 30th-place finish, 32 laps down.
Dillon held onto the top spot, but on the restart, Edwards drove past him for the lead. From there, Edwards built a relatively small yet comfortable lead and held on to claim the victory.
Edwards' teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. followed past Dillon to take second after the final restart and was able to hold on to the finish. After the race, he talked about Edwards' fast car in the race. He added that his own Ford had a few minor problems, but that adjustments still may not have been enough to overtake his teammate.
"We were just too loose on that last run," Stenhouse said. "We were tight in the middle part of the race. I never really got it exactly where I needed it. We were one adjustment away from being really fast, but Carl's Fastenal Mustang has always been really good here. But, at the end of the day, it was a really good day for Roush Fenway."
Dillon was able to hold on for third on his two tires, while Justin Allgaier came from a lap down (via a wave around) to finish fourth. Aric Almirola rounded out the top-5.
Sam Hornish, Jr. finished in sixth, while Drew Herring finished seventh in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18. Reed Sorenson came back from a lap down and battery issues to finish eighth. Trevor Bayne and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top-10.
The average speed was 134.011 mph with three cautions for 16 laps and the margain of victory was 0.647 seconds.
Next weekend, the Nationwide Series races Saturday night in the Kroger 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments about 2011? John's got answers!
A new year means a new columnist to answer all your pressing questions about the sport! Our legendary flagman John Potts is taking over our Fan Q & A, so be sure to stack his inbox with plenty of queries and comments for the New Year! Send them his way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans!
STAT OF THE WEEK: 3. That's the number of Nationwide Series races won by series-only drivers through 20 starts. Even with Cup drivers unable to score points towards the championship, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and company have won 17 of 20 events - an astonishing 85%. Only Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Justin Allgaier and Reed Sorenson have been able to break through and end the streak. - Tom Bowles
Running Their Mouth: Lucas Deep Clean 200/ Federated Auto Parts 300
by Brody Jones
Best Quote
"I turned to Jack after that and said if anything happens tonight, I'd like him to be at my funeral." - Carl Edwards, Federated Auto Parts 300 winner, on Joe Nelms' unique invocation
Regardless of whether one thought Saturday's pre-race prayer was humorous or whether it bordered on outright sacrilege, when the invocation gets more attention than Carl Edwards' sixth career Nashville victory, that's kind of a mixed blessing. While it's unclear whether God was amused or offended by the "Talladega Nights" references, the shilling of corporate sponsorship and the "Boogity Boogity Boogity" line, it's clear that Nelms stole the show from Edwards' dominating performance Saturday night.
Funniest Quote
"I kinda feel like we're all dressed up with no party to go, Marcus." - Cole Whitt, 19th, on his truck Friday night
While it wasn't exactly the type of night to write home about for Cole Whitt, at least he had a humorous take on his truck's performance. Granted, Whitt has hit a bit of a lull in recent weeks, but the youngster's immense talent has really come to the forefront in the Camping World Truck Series. Hopefully Whitt stays a part of the sport for many years, but with Red Bull's future in serious doubt, it's unclear what will happen to Whitt in 2012 and beyond.
Crew Chief Quote
"I looked at all the tire wears all day and the tires weren't wearing, and I knew if we had track position and clean air, we were going to go. When it came down to it, we didn't even have clean air and we still won. Tires weren't an issue tonight." - Danny Stockman, crew chief for Austin Dillon
Danny Stockman's call for two tires on Austin Dillon's truck in the closing stages proved to be a very bold gambit that earned Dillon his third career Truck Series win and a very sweet Gibson guitar. Making gambles like that is the type of thing championship caliber teams are made of. While it is unclear whether Dillon can knock off Johnny "Sergeant" Sauter in the long run, he may at least make this championship chase interesting.
Best Of The Rest
"My guys were phenomenal here, what an amazing job by Joe and the [No.] 13 boys. They have worked their tails off to move a race shop, build these trucks, work on them all day, travel from Ohio, then go over the wall and be the best. All of the training they've done in the offseason is paying off. The truck is one of the fastest in our fleet – chassis 38 hasn't had worse than a second place finish all year, and we just built it in the offseason. After leading practice all day, we knew we had a potential winner. I took four tires because I knew we had a loose truck there at the end – and you choose your tires based on track position and how the truck's handling. Dillon just had a fast, fast truck and didn't need four. It was great strategy for them and a good win. We did our best and came home with a good finish." - Johnny Sauter, runner-up, Lucas Deep Clean 200
"I've been talking about this guitar all week. They said in the driver's meeting today that it was voted one of the 10 coolest trophies by Sports Illustrated. It's just a beautiful trophy." - Austin Dillon, race winner, Lucas Deep Clean 200
"After the race we had last week, anything less than a win is disappointing," - Matt Crafton, 11th, Lucas Deep Clean 200
"A little warm tonight without air conditioning. I was trying to prove who's tough." - Sam Hornish Jr., sixth, on the heat at the track
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com
ADVERTISEMENT
Hey Frontstretch Readers! We know you love the roar of raw horsepower under the hood that powers 43 of the best drivers in the world every weekend, but did you ever wonder how the sponsor on top of that hood also contributes to keeping the sport moving? What about the contributions of official NASCAR companies? If you think they are simply writing checks, think again. Check out our newest feature - Sunday Money. This weekly Frontstretch exclusive provides you with a behind the scenes look how NASCAR, it's affiliates and team sponsors approach the daunting task of keeping fans interested and excited about the sport for 38 weeks of the year.
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Bowles-Eye View: Battling Against The Beast
by Brody Jones
Best Quote
"I turned to Jack after that and said if anything happens tonight, I'd like him to be at my funeral." - Carl Edwards, Federated Auto Parts 300 winner, on Joe Nelms' unique invocation
Regardless of whether one thought Saturday's pre-race prayer was humorous or whether it bordered on outright sacrilege, when the invocation gets more attention than Carl Edwards' sixth career Nashville victory, that's kind of a mixed blessing. While it's unclear whether God was amused or offended by the "Talladega Nights" references, the shilling of corporate sponsorship and the "Boogity Boogity Boogity" line, it's clear that Nelms stole the show from Edwards' dominating performance Saturday night.
Funniest Quote
"I kinda feel like we're all dressed up with no party to go, Marcus." - Cole Whitt, 19th, on his truck Friday night
While it wasn't exactly the type of night to write home about for Cole Whitt, at least he had a humorous take on his truck's performance. Granted, Whitt has hit a bit of a lull in recent weeks, but the youngster's immense talent has really come to the forefront in the Camping World Truck Series. Hopefully Whitt stays a part of the sport for many years, but with Red Bull's future in serious doubt, it's unclear what will happen to Whitt in 2012 and beyond.
Crew Chief Quote
"I looked at all the tire wears all day and the tires weren't wearing, and I knew if we had track position and clean air, we were going to go. When it came down to it, we didn't even have clean air and we still won. Tires weren't an issue tonight." - Danny Stockman, crew chief for Austin Dillon
Danny Stockman's call for two tires on Austin Dillon's truck in the closing stages proved to be a very bold gambit that earned Dillon his third career Truck Series win and a very sweet Gibson guitar. Making gambles like that is the type of thing championship caliber teams are made of. While it is unclear whether Dillon can knock off Johnny "Sergeant" Sauter in the long run, he may at least make this championship chase interesting.
Best Of The Rest
"My guys were phenomenal here, what an amazing job by Joe and the [No.] 13 boys. They have worked their tails off to move a race shop, build these trucks, work on them all day, travel from Ohio, then go over the wall and be the best. All of the training they've done in the offseason is paying off. The truck is one of the fastest in our fleet – chassis 38 hasn't had worse than a second place finish all year, and we just built it in the offseason. After leading practice all day, we knew we had a potential winner. I took four tires because I knew we had a loose truck there at the end – and you choose your tires based on track position and how the truck's handling. Dillon just had a fast, fast truck and didn't need four. It was great strategy for them and a good win. We did our best and came home with a good finish." - Johnny Sauter, runner-up, Lucas Deep Clean 200
"I've been talking about this guitar all week. They said in the driver's meeting today that it was voted one of the 10 coolest trophies by Sports Illustrated. It's just a beautiful trophy." - Austin Dillon, race winner, Lucas Deep Clean 200
"After the race we had last week, anything less than a win is disappointing," - Matt Crafton, 11th, Lucas Deep Clean 200
"A little warm tonight without air conditioning. I was trying to prove who's tough." - Sam Hornish Jr., sixth, on the heat at the track
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com
ADVERTISEMENT
Hey Frontstretch Readers! We know you love the roar of raw horsepower under the hood that powers 43 of the best drivers in the world every weekend, but did you ever wonder how the sponsor on top of that hood also contributes to keeping the sport moving? What about the contributions of official NASCAR companies? If you think they are simply writing checks, think again. Check out our newest feature - Sunday Money. This weekly Frontstretch exclusive provides you with a behind the scenes look how NASCAR, it's affiliates and team sponsors approach the daunting task of keeping fans interested and excited about the sport for 38 weeks of the year.
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Bowles-Eye View: Battling Against The Beast
by Bryan Davis Keith
by Beth Lunkenheimer
The Big Six: Off Week Edition
by Amy Henderson
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Prior to 1996, then-Indianapolis Raceway Park's infield grass had the hazard of exposed light poles if drivers were unfortunate enough to get spun out on the backstretch. Chris Diamond and Gary St. Amant both hit the same pole back in 1995, necessitating a new inside wall. However, there were close calls before then. One of those occurred in 1990. Who nearly had a meeting with a light pole, and what happened to cause the incident?
The Big Six: Off Week Edition
by Amy Henderson
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Prior to 1996, then-Indianapolis Raceway Park's infield grass had the hazard of exposed light poles if drivers were unfortunate enough to get spun out on the backstretch. Chris Diamond and Gary St. Amant both hit the same pole back in 1995, necessitating a new inside wall. However, there were close calls before then. One of those occurred in 1990. Who nearly had a meeting with a light pole, and what happened to cause the incident?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: This weekend, the Izod IndyCar Series is in Edmonton, one of many Canadian venues that have hosted races in the series (almost all of which were on temporary courses). However, back in the mid-1980's, CART held a 300 kilometer race at the Sanair Superspeedway (which actually stretches the definition of a superspeedway) in St. Pie, Quebec, Southeast of Montreal. That race was more or less decided due to a late incident. What happened?
Friday's Answer:
Q: This weekend, the Izod IndyCar Series is in Edmonton, one of many Canadian venues that have hosted races in the series (almost all of which were on temporary courses). However, back in the mid-1980's, CART held a 300 kilometer race at the Sanair Superspeedway (which actually stretches the definition of a superspeedway) in St. Pie, Quebec, Southeast of Montreal. That race was more or less decided due to a late incident. What happened?
A: The race ended up coming down to a battle between Bobby Rahal and Jacques Villeneuve (Note: This is not the 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1997 World Champion. This is his uncle, who was best known for successes in what became known as the Atlantics Series, and his one career CART victory at Road America). Villeneuve ran down Rahal late in the race and attempted to pass entering the tight Turn 1 on the inside. Unfortunately, Rahal took the inside line, putting himself in the way of Villeneuve's Canadian Tire-sponsored No. 76. The result was that Villeneuve ran into the back of Rahal and both drivers ended up in the wall. The crash can be seen in this clip. Larry Nuber and Derek Daly have the call for ESPN.
The wreck gave the lead to Johnny Rutherford, who would go on to win in a very quirky finish where the green was put out with one-third of a lap to go. In that time, Pancho Carter passed Rutherford and believed that he had won. The win was reversed back to Rutherford after an inquiry later that night.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from TBA
-- Sitting In The Stands: A Fans' View by S.D. Grady
This Week's Topic: The "Perpetual Silence" of the Nationwide Series' Real Stars
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny is back with another captivating commentary.
What's Hot / What's Not in Sprint Cup: Off Week-Indianapolis Edition by Summer Dreyer
Danny is back with another captivating commentary.
What's Hot / What's Not in Sprint Cup: Off Week-Indianapolis Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer takes a look at some more post-Loudon numbers to see who's got the most momentum heading into Indianapolis... and beyond.
Five Points To Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan's back with his weekly edition of talking points to get you set for the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Talking NASCAR TV by Phil Allaway
Last weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series raced at Nashville Superspeedway. The Sprint Cup Series was off, but a couple of the series' stars made the trip as well. Were these telecasts up to snuff, or did they leave something to be desired? Check out our weekly TV critique to find out.
Fact or Fiction by Tom Bowles
Tom looks at some conclusions that could be made after the off week and determines whether they're true or not.
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