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August 8th, 2011
Volume V, Edition CLV
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Keselowski Toughs It Out, Takes Second Win Of Season With Broken Ankle
by Brody Jones
Sunday afternoon at Pocono, Brad Keselowski experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of "the feet" as he fought off a broken left ankle, a sore right foot, and a sore back to persevere and win the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono, holding off a determined Kyle Busch for the win by 0.791 seconds. Just four days after an ugly testing crash, at Road Atlanta Keselowski now finds himself on a road paved to the Chase with his second victory this season.
"It's not me, it's good people," Keselowski humbly said after the race. "It's having a Paul Wolfe (crew chief) and a team that digs. There are so many people to thank for being in Victory Lane, from Miller Lite to Sprint to the fans. I'm no hero. The heroes are the guys that died in Afghanistan this weekend and I want to spend time thinking about them. They were my inspiration for this weekend and the things that those guys do. I'm glad that we could win today, but those are the heroes. I just drive race cars for a living."
The key for Keselowski's comeback came during a rain delay, where a drenching downpour stopped the racing on Lap 124. Guessing the track could still be dried, Wolfe joined Kurt Busch's team in having their cars pit just before the caution - and resulting red flag - came out. That meant once racing resumed, all other cars would pit under the yellow and Keselowski jumped from 24th to the lead - armed with a top-10 car was suddenly gifted with the track position to stay out front.
"We were able to hang 8th to 10th there the first half of the race," explained Wolfe. "I remember Brad coming on the radio at one point and just asking for some track position. And he thought we'd be OK."
"So we got close looking at the weather. My engineers did a great job at monitoring the radar, and at that point in the race, it was like they were pretty confident that it was going to rain, but we were going to -- it was going to clear out enough where we could finish [the event]."
Not many people were on board with that at the time, with the rain soaking the speedway and causing a major delay - all with other thunderstorms forming 40 miles from the speedway. But after the track was dried, racing returned and it turns rain never returned until well after the checkered flag.
"Just tell them, Paul," joked driver Keselowski to a flurry of laughter in the media center. "You got **lls this big. Just tell them. Because if it wouldn't have worked out, man it would have been rough."
The return to racing changed the course of the event; Joey Logano, leading at the time of the yellow never contended over the final 76 laps, along with teammate and Pocono specialist Denny Hamlin. They finished 26th and 15th, respectively, flat tires and lugnut problems killing their chances while the race transformed into a battle between Keselowski, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch. Kyle had made a comeback from an issue all his own; the first caution, on Lap 13 for when he simply got loose under acceleration and spun exiting Turn 3. Ending up on pit road, Busch was sent to the tail end of the longest line and worked his way up through strategy and calculated passing.
Initially, Kurt pulled out to a substantial advantage, pulling away while the track had limited rubber on it. But once the track began to rubber back in, younger brother Kyle ran him down. Kyle passed Kurt on Lap 164 to take the advantage and drove off into the distance prior to what was supposed to be the final round of green flag stops.
But that's when circumstances changed again. After that final round of stops, the fifth and final caution of the day came out when Juan Pablo Montoya squeezed Kasey Kahne into the wall exiting Turn 1, then spun out himself following some miscommunication by their spotters on Lap 179. Roughly two-thirds of the teams on the lead lap decided to take advantage of the yellow and stop for tires as well.
This bunched up the field for one final dash, where Keselowski sat second behind Kyle Busch. On the restart, Jimmie Johnson made a bold move to go three-wide with both drivers going into Turn 1, a last-gasp effort to sneak through and grab clean air. Kyle squeezed Johnson, keeping both down low, and when all the chaos was sorted out, it was Keselowski in the lead - an advantage he'd never relinquish over the final 16 laps of the race.
"Just got bogged down with the 48 [Jimmie Johnson] trying to pass me [on the restart]," Busch confirmed after the race. "If I could have got a push, then I might have been able to stay alongside the 2 [Brad Keselowski] and beat him, but that's racing."
"That last caution killed us."
Behind them, fireworks went off between Johnson and Kurt Busch for third. Racing hard but clean, the two finally made contact in the race's final lap as Busch held off the No. 48; unhappy with the way it all ended, Johnson vented his anger in a heated post-race confrontation where he called the driver of the No. 22 Dodge a "crybaby."
"A lot of yelling," said Johnson when asked to describe the conversation. "It was a good battle; man, I worked hard to get by him. I got to the outside of him off of [Turn] 2 and I don't know, he ran over the side of me off of [Turn] 2, which I didn't really understand as I took a lot of patience and gave him a lot of courtesy throughout the course of the day running him down. I could have run into him. I could have moved him a lot of different ways to get that position, but I didn't, you know? "
"I'm not going to run people over to pass them. That's just not me. I'll remember this stuff..."
But for Busch, it appears the only thing he wants Johnson to remember is racing aggressively is fair game - especially during the white-flag lap.
"I was racing Jimmie [Johnson] hard there at the end," Kurt Busch stated post-race. "I was racing, flat out. You want to race, let's race. I didn't know we were supposed to pull over when it came down to five to go. I raced him hard. I raced him smart. I raced him clean and he wants to come over here and b*tch about it. Why can't we race each other like this and put on show for the fans and not have a problem?"
Ryan Newman rounded out the top 5 in his No. 39. Jeff Gordon finished in sixth, followed by points leader Carl Edwards and teammate Greg Biffle. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and last week's winner, Paul Menard, rounded out the top 10.
The rains ruined a dominating performance by Joe Gibbs Racing, where polesitter Logano and Hamlin combined to lead 108 of the race's first 128 laps. At times, Hamlin led by over five seconds as the race just had two early cautions - one for Busch's spin and then a David Ragan accident on Lap 20 - before running green for 200 miles. Following a debris caution on Lap 101, Hamlin gave way to Logano once more; the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota took two tires to get out front. But it wouldn't last.
In all, despite the rain the average speed of the race was a healthy 137.878 mph, with 23 lead changes among 10 drivers and five cautions for 21 laps - along with a one hour, 40-minute red flag. Keselowski led twice for 19 laps en route to the win.
Next weekend, the Sprint Cup Series makes their one and only visit to Watkins Glen International for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.
Brody Jones is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
Tracking The Chasers: Edwards Continues To Lead, But Johnson Quietly Closing In
by Garrett Horton
Jimmie Johnson continues his hot streak, running fourth for his third top 5 in the past four outings. But this one wasn't easy. Johnson spent much of the second half of the race running in fourth gear; he encountered a vibration in third gear which caused concern over a potential transmission failure. He was able to nurse the ailing Chevy, but had a run in with Kurt Busch on the final lap that almost ruined his day. Johnson was clearly upset over with how Busch ran into him - see the recap above - but another strong outing has him just nine points behind Edwards for the point lead.
Kyle Busch overcame a lap 13 spin to finish the day in the runner-up spot. After having go to the back of the field to change tires, Busch quickly worked his way back through the field, through strategy and speed and was even able to lead 27 laps - including after the final round of stops under yellow. Busch had his hands full fending off Johnson during that restart, though, allowing Brad Keselowski to easily get by and scoot away for the win. Busch, ultimately forced to settle for second did earn a consolation prize: the outing moved him up one spot to third in the standings.
Busch's older brother Kurt had an equally interesting race, looking fast early on only to fade back to tenth shortly before the rain delay. Knowing rain was on the way, crew chief Steve Addington called Busch in to pit during the green flag, gambling that the race would not only have rain, but that it would resume later on. Addington was correct, and by the time the race went green Busch inherited the second spot once all the other lead lap cars had pitted, then led for awhile before fading over the race's final 100 miles. Still, with track position in hand he remained a viable top-5 contender, holding off Johnson for third after the two ran into each other a couple of times on the final lap. Like Johnson, Busch was not happy with the situation, but it certainly could be seen as redemption from when he was taken out by Johnson in this exact race last year, right? Busch moved up two spots to fourth in the standings as a result.
Kevin Harvick continues his cold streak. He started the day in the top 10, but eventually faded and ran in the 11th-15th spot most of the afternoon. He ended the day in 14th place, his fourth straight finish outside the top 10. In the same span, he has gone from leading to the points to fifth overall, 20 behind Edwards. Right behind him in sixth sits Matt Kenseth, who finished 16th. Kenseth's biggest moment of the day came early in the going, when he and RFR teammate Greg Biffle made contact in the frontstretch. Kenseth scraped the wall, but the damage didn't appear to affect his performance; as it is, both driver and crew chief thought the car was "junk" (in their words) from the moment the team unloaded Friday. Kenseth fell 26 markers behind his teammate Edwards for the top spot.
Jeff Gordon entered the weekend looking to complete the Pocono sweep, but things didn't get off to a good start. He scraped the wall in qualifying, then started deep in the field in 31st in a race where track position is key. Gordon looked to be struggling early, barely working his way up through the field, and took over 100 laps to work up towards just outside the top 10. From that point on, during the race's second half, he was one of the faster cars on the track - but was never close enough to the front to do any real damage. Gordon had to settle for a sixth-place finish, the result of that qualifying blunder and remains seventh in points.
Ryan Newman set the pace in Friday's first practice, but wasn't able to back it up in qualifying. The Rocketman started the day in 12th, and experienced an up and and down day. Never getting a consistent handle on the car, he'd bounce back and forth between being a top-10 contender and simply running in the middle of the pack. Fortunately for him, the No. 39 was at its best after the final stop; he passed Gordon late in the going to finish fifth. It was his seventh top 5 on the year, keeping him a steady eighth in points.
Newman's teammate Tony Stewart experienced another remarkable rally for the the second straight week. A cut tire saw Stewart a lap down, in 28th place during the rain delay, but he took advantage of the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap. Smoke slowly worked his way back up through the field from there, at times running times comparable to the leaders while gaining 17 spots to 11th. Stewart, who is still ninth in the standings, actually gained more ground on 11th-place Denny Hamlin with that performance.
But perhaps the most surprising run inside the top-10 in the standings goes to none other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He finished ninth on Sunday, breaking a six-race, top-10 drought and ran ninth or better during both races at Pocono for the first time since driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 2003. It couldn't have come at a better time, as he heads to Watkins Glen next, one of his worst tracks on the schedule. Earnhardt stays tenth in the points, but put more ground on 11th-place Hamlin as loose lugnuts led to a poor final stop for the No. 11. Despite leading a race-high 65 laps, he was 17th on the final restart and could only work his way up to 15th by the finish of the race.
As for the "wild cards," Keselowski shoots into position number one on the strength of his shocking Pocono victory. Armed with two wins, 18th in points it'll take the No. 2 car falling outside the top 20 - he's 19 ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya - to lose a spot. Denny Hamlin, nursing that one victory of his own holds the second "wild card," 31 points ahead of Indy winner Paul Menard but 23 behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for 10th.
Standings: 1) Carl Edwards 720; 2) Jimmie Johnson -9; 3) Kyle Busch -11; 4) Kurt Busch -14; 5) Kevin Harvick -20; 6) Matt Kenseth -26; 7) Jeff Gordon -52; 8) Ryan Newman -62; 9) Tony Stewart -78; 10) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -79.
Outside The Top 10: 11) Denny Hamlin -102. 12) Clint Bowyer -120. 13) Greg Biffle -123.
Wildcard Drivers: Denny Hamlin (11th in points, one win), Brad Keselowski (18th in points, two wins)
Note: While Paul Menard is higher than Keselowski in points, he would not make the Chase because he has one fewer victory than Keselowski. Also, Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne is not eligible for the Chase because he is not running for Sprint Cup points.
Tracking The Top 35: The Standings Hold Pat
It was a relatively uneventful weekend among teams trying to stay or get inside the top-35; no one 31st through 39th swapped positions. At this point, Phoenix Racing, armed with improving young driver Landon Cassill has distanced themselves quite well from 36th; they're almost a full three races to the good over Robby Gordon Motorsports. Among the teams closer to the bubble, TRG Motorsports holds onto 35th after finishing 29th with their driver Andy Lally; Germain Racing still sits in 34th despite start-and-parking Casey Mears; and RGM, suffering through a serious downward spiral encountered serious mechanical problems a second straight week. Running 35th, they're now 16 behind Lally and the No. 71 heading to one of their last chances to gain a huge chunk of points in one week: Watkins Glen.
Top 35 Summary:
31) Phoenix Racing (No. 51 - Landon Cassill), +125 ahead of 36th place.
32) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), +55 ahead of 36th place.
33) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – Mike Bliss), +48 ahead of 36th place.
34) Germain Racing (No. 13 – Casey Mears), +43 ahead of 36th place.
35) TRG Motorsports (No. 71 - Andy Lally), +16 ahead of 36th place.
36) Robby Gordon Motorsports (No. 7 – Robby Gordon), -16 behind 35th place.
37) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 – Travis Kvapil), -25 behind 35th place.
38) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 – Trevor Bayne), -46 behind 35th place.
39) Front Row / MaxQ Hybrid Team (No. 37 – Tony Raines / Scott Speed), -109 behind 35th place.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrett.horton@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!
Secret Star of the Race: The Race You Never Saw
That brings us to Pocono, a day that was supposed to be a "cakewalk" after Indy led to a 24th-place disaster of an ending. Qualifying third, Truex was strong in practice but, as he quickly discovered, they didn't make perfect with the NAPA Toyota; by Lap 60, he was down in 24th and struggled simply to stay on the lead lap.
"Our first half of the race wasn't pretty," admitted Truex. "We have a good setup for qualifying, but have a little more work to do to get it balanced for the start of the race."
It took until the halfway point, once a debris caution came for Johnston and Truex to finally dial the car in to their liking. By Lap 124, the time of the red flag for rain, they were sitting 13th, on the lead lap and in position to cash in with a solid finish either way… or so they thought. Turns out the soaking shower, cleaning off the track did briefly throw them a curve; in a disappointing green-flag stretch, Truex had fallen towards the back half of the top 20 by Lap 170. But a run defined by racing within his means, staying out of trouble got a boost during the last stop, where a nice little tweak by the head wrench helped the handling and nabbed Truex a net gain of five spots over the final 20 laps of the race.
"Chad (Johnston, crew chief) made a good call on the final restart to get more speed out of our NAPA Toyota," he explained, winding up 12th. "This weekend, we learned a lot. Chad got it dialed in to the point we were competitive and had a chance to contend for a top-10 finish. It was a good rebound, all and all and I'm looking forward to running the road course in Watkins Glen."
That'll be one of five races where Truex needs to win in order to have a shot at making the Chase. But first, you've got to walk before you run; considering the ugly pattern that's in place, perhaps the goal next Sunday should simply be a second consecutive top 15. – Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 7.5. Kyle Busch's average finish in his last four Pocono Sprint Cup starts, including a second-place result on Sunday. Overall, during that stretch Busch now has three top-5 finishes, 61 laps led and even a pole from the Spring of 2010. You just wonder if Denny Hamlin regrets teaching his teammate how to run around the Tricky Triangle, right? Indeed, it's been a remarkable turnaround at what was once of the younger Busch's worst tracks; in his first ten starts at the 2.5-mile triangle, he had just two laps led, one top-5 result and an ugly average finish of just 21.4. – Tom Bowles
Running Their Mouth: 2011 Good Sam RV Insurance 500
by Brody Jones
"It's not me, it's good people. It's having Paul Wolfe [crew chief] and a team that digs. There are so many people to thank for being in Victory Lane, from Miller Lite to Sprint to the fans. I'm no hero. The heroes are the guys that died in Afghanistan this weekend and I want to spend time thinking about them. They were my inspiration for this weekend and the things that those guys do. I'm glad that we could win today, but those are the heroes. I just drive race cars for a living." - Brad Keselowski, race winner
Brad Keselowski could have taken a brash approach to his courageous victory yesterday at Pocono. But, in an awe-inspiring show of humility, that ego was kept in check. Instead, he gave credit where it was due and put things in perspective when mentioning the soldiers in Afghanistan who died fighting for our freedom. And he was right... they're the ones that are the real heroes.
Saying that, of course, does not discredit in the least bit what Brad accomplished today, as he put himself in position for a wild card spot come Chase time. Driving with a broken ankle, like he did was one of the more impressive physical performances since Denny Hamlin's post-ACL surgery victory at Texas. But when NASCAR society reflects upon this win, while courageous, was it heroic? No... it doesn't compare.
Most Controversial Quote
"We were fast on a fresh race track and then we'd fade. I was racing Jimmie [Johnson] hard there at the end. I was racing, flat out. You want to race, let's race. I didn't know we were supposed to pull over when it came down to five to go. I raced him hard. I raced him smart. I raced him clean and he wants to come over here and b*tch about it. Hey, he came off the turn and did at jab to my left; I did a jab back to the right. Why can't we race each other like this, put on a show for the fans and not have a problem with it? I don't know." - Kurt Busch, third, on the last-lap skirmish with Jimmie Johnson
The bad blood between Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson simmered post-race after video evidence showed that Jimmie turned his car to the left to hit Kurt Busch, with Busch retaliating back with a shot of his own. Yes, NASCAR fans, "Have at it, boys!" is still alive and well... at least between these two. Agree or disagree with Kurt's retaliation, he did touch on a very valid point; since when are drivers supposed to pull over just because someone races them clean? Such displays of side-by-side aggression, even machismo on the track are what NASCAR fans have been long since pining for, and for Jimmie to complain about it, or any sort of contact on the last lap for that matter makes him come across as a bit of a whiner.
Worst Quote
"It was more like a lot of yelling. Man, I worked him over for 10 or 15 laps and had the opportunity to screw him up and had the opportunity to run into him and never did it. Then, off of [turn] two he claims I turned down on him off of two and I don't have a clue. He ran over me on the corner exit and that's where it all started." - Jimmie Johnson, fourth, on his post-race conversation with Kurt Busch
When Jimmie Johnson sees video footage of what happened, he's going to see that he clearly turned into Kurt Busch on the final lap. Denying it post-race even with the damning video evidence made Jimmie come across as, well, a bit of a tool. I know Lowe's is a home improvement sponsor... but that kind of a tool probably was not what marketing executives had in mind.
Crew Chief Quote Of The Week
"I'm going to get on a plane and go home and get up at 4:45 tomorrow morning and go to work like I do the other 355 days a year. What can you do? We did all we could. We sat on the pole, we led a bunch of laps, we had a very respectful top-5 car. I think [we had] one of our better performances in the last two and a half years, so I'm not going to hang my head and be miserable over something on the race track. I can't control that. If it was something that we did and made a bad call it would be different than that. Right now, we learn and the last thing I want to do is walk out of here with a bad attitude and kill the momentum that we've had in the last six to eight weeks." - Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for Joey Logano
All Greg Zipadelli can do after seeing a great run by Joey Logano go down the drain on account of a flat tire is take the "c'est la vie" approach. On paper, Logano was credited with a 26th-place finish, but that was no indicator of the type of car he was given. Logano was in the top 10 for much of the afternoon before his flat tire in the closing laps flushed any hopes of a great finish down the metaphorical drain; Mother Nature and her quirky ways turned the driver from a hero into a zero, just like that as he would have won if the race never restarted following a Lap 124 red flag. Now, all Zipadelli can do is wonder what might have been and move on to Watkins Glen.
Funniest Quote
"I don't know where we're at [in points]. I haven't seen it. I'm comfortable though, trust me. I'd rather be second or first or third, whatever, but I'm good with how things are working out." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., ninth
For a guy fighting to stay in the top 10 in driver points to make the Chase, one has to be impressed with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s laid-back approach. Sure, he's taken a few hits from fans and some in the media for this, but it's time for those people to face facts. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is not going to try to be the next "Intimidator;" he wants to be the first Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Think of his approach in terms of how Hank Williams, Jr. had difficult shoes to fill after his father, Hank Sr.'s great hits of the 50's. Hank Jr., like Dale Jr., could have tried to do the same things his dad did. But instead, both Hank Jr. and Dale Jr. have carved their own niche in their fields of expertise and it's about time NASCAR Nation, or at least Dale Jr.'s detractors, gave him some credit where it's due.
Best Of The Rest
"I know you can't change lanes until you cross the start-finish line, but I wasn't even in the race at that point. I was like 20 car lengths back trying to catch the field. I don't know if you have to be in the two lanes next to the wall or can I pick any lane because it's definitely five or six lanes wide back there? Can I just choose one or are there specific lanes I need to be in? I don't know. I was just coming to try and get caught back up again, and I guess it still matters when you're back there. Even when nobody is around you, you still can't change or move side-to-side." - Greg Biffle, eighth, on his pass-through penalty for changing lanes before the start-finish line
"It was a good follow up to last week's win. We fought hard for this top-10 finish. The No. 27 pit crew gained us some spots on that stop coming off the red flag that really helped out a bunch. The race for the final Chase spots is shaping up to be really competitive and we're fighting hard to put ourselves in position to take one of those spots." - Paul Menard, 10th
"It's probably worse than Friday. We were junk Friday and I think we [were] worse today. We can swing the back end of the balance around, but can't get the front to work at all. We've got it too loose now, but it still doesn't turn at all. You need the front tires to actually work, so it's been a handful. This isn't my best place, either, so I'm probably not helping matters any but it's been a struggle." - Matt Kenseth, 16th on his run during the rain delay
"We had a good run getting into turn three. Kyle was pretty fast coming up through the field and I just passed some cars on the bottom, so I went down there and I think two or three other cars had the same idea and I just got pinched down. I had to keep it down and just ran out of race track and got loose and spun it out. I was probably a little too aggressive this early in the race, but if you're not aggressive on the restarts and pass a few cars, once you get strung out after 10 laps you just can't hardly pass. Our car was driving better than it did when they dropped the green flag and I was just trying to be as aggressive as I could and ran out of race track and didn't have enough room to chase it." - David Ragan, 34th, on his early wreck
"We had planned on racing the whole race. The ignition wire coming out of the fire wall to the engine came undone or it overheated the ignition boxes. It was probably the wire, because they wiggled it and got it to work. At the same time, we changed the ignition boxes. We went back out, but when you're 20 laps down, it doesn't make sense to keep running. We have a new Dodge Charger for Watkins Glen, a brand new race car. We're looking forward to next week, just hope nothing falls off the car and we can run the whole race." - Robby Gordon, 35th
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Pocono-2 Race Recap
by Matt McLaughlin
This Race At Pocono Brought To You By... The Letters K, J, And The Number Two
by Tom Bowles
Monday Morning Teardown: Chase Dreams Turn Evil for Ragan, Others With Wild Card Aspirations
by Ron Lemasters
Bubble Breakdown: Rookie Lally Fighting Off His Rivals At Pocono
by Bryan Davis Keith
The Big Six: Good Sam RV Insurance 500
by Amy Henderson
Nationwide Series Breakdown: U.S. Cellular 250
by Bryan Davis Keith
Tracking The Trucks: Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125
by Bryan Davis Keith
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In 1988, Neil Bonnett crashed his No. 75 Valvoline Pontiac in practice for the Budweiser at the Glen, forcing the RAHMOC team to go to a backup car. However, the team didn't have one. What did RAHMOC have to do to get Bonnett a car to start the race at Watkins Glen with?
Friday's Answer:
Q: Up until 1989, the CART World Series raced a 500-mile race each year at Pocono Raceway as part of a "Triple Crown" of 500-mile events with Indianapolis and either Michigan or Ontario. Why did the series eventually stop racing at Pocono?
A: Sadly, for a lot of the same reasons that NASCAR teams often grouse about Pocono today. Firstly, the track was considered to be very rough at the time. NBC's Gary Gerould showed off how the cars would bottom out entering Turn 1 at the 4:15 mark of this clip. In addition, there were complaints about the walls at Pocono. At the time, it was all boilerplate, all the time at Pocono. That ended up being rectified after Gary Balough and Lake Speed punched holes in the wall during the July Winston Cup race.
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 Tom Bowles
-- Sitting In The Stands: A Fans' View by S.D. Grady
This Week's Topic: Winning The Hard Way
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
The Yellow Stripe by Bryan Keith
Switching in for Danny, Bryan has his take on the Carl Edwards free agency drama after a weekend of gathering news and covering the ending at Pocono.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Pocono-Watkins Glen Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer takes a look at post-Pocono numbers to see who's got the most momentum heading into Watkins Glen... and beyond.
Five Points To Ponder by Danny Peters
Switching in for Bryan, Danny jumps in with his weekly edition of talking points to tie up Pocono and get us set for the week of NASCAR news ahead.
Talking NASCAR TV by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup Series made their second visit of the year to Pocono Raceway, with the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards as support. Meanwhile, the Nationwide Series raced out in Iowa for the second time this season. Were the race telecasts up to snuff, or were they missing something? Find out on this week's edition of the TV Critique.
Winners And Losers by Tom Bowles
Breaking away from Fact Or Fiction, Tom takes a look at how Mother Nature affected the end of the race at Pocono - and the resulting championship Chase.
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Today's Comments - On Carl Edwards' Free Agency:
"The best decision ever. I really like Carl and am a Ford person since I got my Driver's License. AND I still get to wear my jacket!" - Dave Chapman
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