THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 20th, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXCVII
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Stewart Makes His Fuel Hold Out To Take First Win of Season
by Brody Jones
The rain-delayed GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway came down to a dreaded four-letter word called "f-u-e-l." In the end, it was Tony Stewart who had the best combination of speed, strategy, and Sunoco, outlasting his competition in a gas mileage contest to record his first win of the 2011 campaign. Starting off his Chase on a high note, the first-place result ended a 32-race winless drought while sending him to Victory Lane for a 13th straight Sprint Cup season.
"It is huge," Stewart said post-race of keeping that streak alive, the longest among active drivers. "I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn't race. We have had a rough year, so this is a good way to start off the Chase."
Indeed. It looked like this weekend would be the same old, same old struggles for Stewart, who qualified a distant 26th and was among just two winless Chasers to start the playoffs. But by the race's final caution, on Lap 214 a solid pit stop left him third and capable of chasing down both Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex, Jr. on the restart. Truex would repass Stewart for the lead down the stretch, but with one more pit stop to make was never in serious contention for the victory. With 15 laps left, a full throttle Truex peeled down pit road while the rest of the contenders entered fuel conservation mode the rest of the way.
That left Stewart in the catbird's seat, "soft-pedaling" his car into the corners and cruising to a .941-second victory over Kevin Harvick while many lead-lap contenders around him ran out of gas. Among them? Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, and Kyle Busch, all of whom lost three positions or more over the final 1.5 miles of the race. Johnson and Kenseth, in particular saw challenges for the victory evaporate; the No. 48 went from third to tenth on the white flag lap, while Kenseth was illegally pushed by fellow Ford driver J.J. Yeley and dropped from fourth to 21st in the running order.
"The no pushing on last lap rule has always been in effect," Kenseth tweeted after the race; he thanked Yeley, several laps off the pace who thought he was doing his fellow Ford driver a favor. "@NASCAR is right to penalize us. Just wish I would have thought about [the] rule sooner."
On the flip side, the opening round of the Chase was a godsend for drivers such as Stewart, Harvick, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch, all of whom comprised the top-6 finishers at Chicagoland in order. Harvick, who started Monday's race tied for the points lead with Kyle Busch, pushed in front for the championship but had to settle for second during the final "nerve-wracking" laps where the fuel gauge, combined with scaling back the accelerator pedal took center stage.
"When he (Gil Martin) turned me loose, I probably should have just listened to him, I was really gun shy," Harvick said post-race. "Probably that one lap that I shut the engine off twice was probably the lap that I needed to catch the 14."
Harvick's teammate Clint Bowyer, Newman, Mark Martin, and Johnson rounded out the top-10 finishers. For the No. 48, their bid for a sixth straight title hit a bump in the road despite leading for long stretches during the race's second half. In all, Johnson led for 39 circuits, third behind Kenseth and Kurt Busch but pushed his gas tank a little too hard trying to catch Stewart up front.
"Track position really is everything," he said. "Once you get to the lead, It is so much easier to save fuel. I ran pretty hard trying to get by the No. 56 (Martin Truex, Jr.) and I came up short. [The] car over there in Victory Lane had the same power under the hood so I just didn't do a good enough job."
Kenseth, whose car was also in contention for the victory by speed wound up a lot more outspoken and disgusted about the way this race played out.
"I don't know what to do about the fuel mileage," said the '03 Cup champ, who started on the pole and led for 46 circuits. "It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans, and you have to run half throttle and can't floor it or you will run out of gas. It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments but none of it makes a difference."
The win put Stewart second in the standings, just seven markers behind current points leader Harvick while producing an average winning speed of 143.306 mph. There were 22 lead changes among 10 drivers with 6 cautions for 25 laps and an estimated attendance of 42,000, with the rain delay having caused a blow at the box office for the track.
The Sprint Cup Series now moves on to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a one-mile oval for the second race of the Chase this Sunday.
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
"We didn't have anything to lose," he said, claiming their position in points coming in forced them to take a win-or-bust risk. "Where we're at in The Chase right now, we had to press. [And] today doesn't change my mind [about the future]. We've still got nine hard weeks to go. And we have some tracks that have been a struggle this year. So we've got a long way to go, but this gets us off to the right start."
Behind Stewart, Carl Edwards gained two positions with his fourth-place result on Monday to claim third. At times, it looked like the No. 99 would contend for the victory but the handling fell off on the AFLAC Ford over the race's last 100 miles; in the end, it was fuel conservation that boosted them into a top-5 finish. One point behind Edwards lies Kurt Busch, who fought a similar series of circumstances to jump to fourth in the standings. Kurt led 64 laps early on, a race high before dropping back and becoming verbally abusive on the radio with his handling woes. Being able to make it to the end on fuel, though, allowed Kurt to finish a decent sixth.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. moved up five places to claim the fifth spot in points after a third-place finish on Monday, his best since running second at Kansas in June. Earnhardt's car handled consistently better through every green-flag run in the race; by the end, he was sixth and then leapfrogged a bunch of drivers on the white-flag lap when their fuel ran out. Brad Keselowski, who beat Earnhardt, Jr. in Kansas with a similar gas mileage ending, also moved up five places to claim sixth in points following a fifth-place result. Keselowski, who fought nerves, handling, and a poor pit strategy call that left him a lap down to persevere, is just 14 points out of the lead. Tied with Keselowski for sixth is Ryan Newman (Keselowski wins the tiebreaker due to his three wins), who ran well on Monday but ran out of Sunoco and dropped to eighth at the checkered flag.
Kyle Busch was in line to have a good day in Joliet, even overcoming a net loss of 20 spots on pit road to run inside the top 10. However, Lady Luck was not shining on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver Monday. First, a crush panel hit the hood of his car under green, denting it significantly. That hurt the car's handling; then, on the final run of the race, he ran out of gas coming to the white flag. The fuel issues dropped Kyle to a 22nd-place finish and dropped him eight spots in the points. Matt Kenseth was also in line for a great run, but he ran out of gas coming to the finish as well. J.J. Yeley, driving the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports this week, chose to give Kenseth a quick push when seeing his fellow Ford driver in distress. Even though Kenseth didn't ask for it, that is against NASCAR rules on the final lap; Kenseth was penalized a lap and dropped to 21st.
Jeff Gordon, on the other hand, had a flat out miserable day from start to finish. Early on, the car wouldn't handle well, keeping Gordon back in the 20's and eventually getting him lapped. After earning the Lucky Dog, Gordon was able to move up through the pack, rising as high as 13th, but he ran out of fuel on the final lap, dropping back to a 24th-place finish and falling to 11th in points. Finally, Denny Hamlin had all sorts of issues on Sunday, with two cut tires and on-track contact leading to several unscheduled stops under green. He finished 31st, three laps down and dropped nearly a full race's worth of points out of the lead.
Standings: 1) Kevin Harvick 2054, 2) Tony Stewart -7, 3) Carl Edwards -10, 4) Kurt Busch -11, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -13, t-6) Brad Keselowski -14, t-6) Ryan Newman -14, 8) Jimmie Johnson -16, 9) Kyle Busch -19, 10) Matt Kenseth -24, 11) Jeff Gordon -25, 12) Denny Hamlin -41.
Best of the Rest: 13) Clint Bowyer 756, 14) A.J. Allmendinger -8, 15) Greg Biffle -25, 16) Mark Martin -27, 17) Martin Truex, Jr. -39.
Tracking The Top 35: TRG Extends Their Margin
In the battle to stay within the top-35 spots in owner points, there were no changes in position as of a result of the GEICO 400. J.J. Yeley, back in the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports this week in place of Travis Kvapil, was having a decent run until he appeared to cut a tire on Lap 204. The failure resulted in Yeley hitting the wall in Turn 3, flattening the right side of the Long John Silver's Ford and bringing out a yellow. Yeley was able to continue, eventually playing an unfortunate role at the end of the race mentioned above. Kenseth's penalty, after the push from the No. 38 on the final lap makes Yeley's 34th-place disaster (four laps down) seem that much worse.
Andy Lally's day in the No. 71 Interstate Moving Services Ford, entering the day 35th in points was not all that much better. However, Lally was able to keep himself out of trouble to finish in 28th, two laps down. That was enough to pull out the No. 71 team's advantage over the No. 38 to 45 points.
Further up the standings, Mike Bliss had the best of a mediocre day amongst those teams on the back end of the top-35. His FAS Lane Racing Ford played the fuel mileage right and hit the checkers 25th, just two laps off the pace.
Top 35 Summary:
31) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Gilliland), +134 points ahead of 36th.
32) Germain Racing (No. 13 - Casey Mears), +82 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 - Dave Blaney), +66 points ahead of 36th.
34) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 - Mike Bliss), +55 points ahead of 36th.
35) TRG Motorsports (No. 71 - Andy Lally), +45 points ahead of 36th.
36) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - J.J. Yeley), -45 points behind 35th.
37) Robby Gordon Motorsports (No. 7 - Robby Gordon), -79 points behind 35th.
38) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), -106 points behind 35th.
39) MaxQ Motorsports (No. 37 - Josh Wise), -197 points behind 35th.
"We had to save quite a bit of fuel there at the end," he said, the reason the UPS car ultimately outlasted Menard. "It was just one of those days where we were from 6th to 12th about all day and that is where we finished, in 11th. If we could have had a couple lucky breaks I think we had a better car than where we finished."
It's a solid two-race stretch for this team, running the best they've been since Ragan's solid victory in July's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. However, Ragan may need more performances like this one to guarantee more sponsorship for the No. 6 for 2012. - Phil Allaway
Friday's Answer:
Q: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, home to next weekend's Sylvania 300, is a curious case. Unlike most tracks, it does not have a concrete inside wall on the backstretch. The actual wall structure was likely to blame for Tony Kanaan's rollover and port-a-john upending during the MoveThatBlock.com 225 last month. What is the wall structure on the inside of the backstretch at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and why is this setup used?
A: The inside wall for part of the backstretch at New Hampshire is an Armco barrier lined with tires in front of it. There is also a fairly new concrete wall that is also protected by tires. Why? The reason is due to the fact that New Hampshire Motor Speedway has an "outfield" road course (a throwback to when the complex was known as Bryar Motorsports Park). The road course angles to the left, exiting Turn 2 before making a sharp right turn, crossing the backstretch of the oval and up the hill behind. Also, the course is mainly used by motorcycles these days, and unprotected concrete walls are not advisable for motorcycle racers to hit.
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
-- Full Throttle by Mike Neff
-- Numbers Game by Brett Poirier
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Jay Pennell
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice?... another way NASCAR could have avoided this whole fuel mileage mess? Tom looks at that, the difficulties of preventing team orders, quick hits and more in his weekly look at what's going on around the NASCAR circuit.
Beyond the Cockpit: TBA as told to TBA
Another famous driver or crewman stops by for a midweek interview on how they're preparing for the 2011 homestretch.
Voice Of Vito by Vito Pugliese
Vito returns with a look at one of the latest NASCAR controversies surrounding the sport.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Chicagoland-Loudon Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer takes a look at post-Joliet numbers to see who's got the most momentum heading into Loudon... and beyond.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 20th, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXCVII
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Stewart Makes His Fuel Hold Out To Take First Win of Season
by Brody Jones
The rain-delayed GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway came down to a dreaded four-letter word called "f-u-e-l." In the end, it was Tony Stewart who had the best combination of speed, strategy, and Sunoco, outlasting his competition in a gas mileage contest to record his first win of the 2011 campaign. Starting off his Chase on a high note, the first-place result ended a 32-race winless drought while sending him to Victory Lane for a 13th straight Sprint Cup season.
"It is huge," Stewart said post-race of keeping that streak alive, the longest among active drivers. "I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn't race. We have had a rough year, so this is a good way to start off the Chase."
Indeed. It looked like this weekend would be the same old, same old struggles for Stewart, who qualified a distant 26th and was among just two winless Chasers to start the playoffs. But by the race's final caution, on Lap 214 a solid pit stop left him third and capable of chasing down both Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex, Jr. on the restart. Truex would repass Stewart for the lead down the stretch, but with one more pit stop to make was never in serious contention for the victory. With 15 laps left, a full throttle Truex peeled down pit road while the rest of the contenders entered fuel conservation mode the rest of the way.
That left Stewart in the catbird's seat, "soft-pedaling" his car into the corners and cruising to a .941-second victory over Kevin Harvick while many lead-lap contenders around him ran out of gas. Among them? Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, and Kyle Busch, all of whom lost three positions or more over the final 1.5 miles of the race. Johnson and Kenseth, in particular saw challenges for the victory evaporate; the No. 48 went from third to tenth on the white flag lap, while Kenseth was illegally pushed by fellow Ford driver J.J. Yeley and dropped from fourth to 21st in the running order.
"The no pushing on last lap rule has always been in effect," Kenseth tweeted after the race; he thanked Yeley, several laps off the pace who thought he was doing his fellow Ford driver a favor. "
On the flip side, the opening round of the Chase was a godsend for drivers such as Stewart, Harvick, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch, all of whom comprised the top-6 finishers at Chicagoland in order. Harvick, who started Monday's race tied for the points lead with Kyle Busch, pushed in front for the championship but had to settle for second during the final "nerve-wracking" laps where the fuel gauge, combined with scaling back the accelerator pedal took center stage.
"When he (Gil Martin) turned me loose, I probably should have just listened to him, I was really gun shy," Harvick said post-race. "Probably that one lap that I shut the engine off twice was probably the lap that I needed to catch the 14."
Harvick's teammate Clint Bowyer, Newman, Mark Martin, and Johnson rounded out the top-10 finishers. For the No. 48, their bid for a sixth straight title hit a bump in the road despite leading for long stretches during the race's second half. In all, Johnson led for 39 circuits, third behind Kenseth and Kurt Busch but pushed his gas tank a little too hard trying to catch Stewart up front.
"Track position really is everything," he said. "Once you get to the lead, It is so much easier to save fuel. I ran pretty hard trying to get by the No. 56 (Martin Truex, Jr.) and I came up short. [The] car over there in Victory Lane had the same power under the hood so I just didn't do a good enough job."
Kenseth, whose car was also in contention for the victory by speed wound up a lot more outspoken and disgusted about the way this race played out.
"I don't know what to do about the fuel mileage," said the '03 Cup champ, who started on the pole and led for 46 circuits. "It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans, and you have to run half throttle and can't floor it or you will run out of gas. It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments but none of it makes a difference."
The win put Stewart second in the standings, just seven markers behind current points leader Harvick while producing an average winning speed of 143.306 mph. There were 22 lead changes among 10 drivers with 6 cautions for 25 laps and an estimated attendance of 42,000, with the rain delay having caused a blow at the box office for the track.
The Sprint Cup Series now moves on to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a one-mile oval for the second race of the Chase this Sunday.
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
Tracking The Chasers: Harvick Claims Sole Possession of the Lead While Busch, Gordon, Hamlin Struggle
by Phil Allaway
"We didn't have anything to lose," he said, claiming their position in points coming in forced them to take a win-or-bust risk. "Where we're at in The Chase right now, we had to press. [And] today doesn't change my mind [about the future]. We've still got nine hard weeks to go. And we have some tracks that have been a struggle this year. So we've got a long way to go, but this gets us off to the right start."
Behind Stewart, Carl Edwards gained two positions with his fourth-place result on Monday to claim third. At times, it looked like the No. 99 would contend for the victory but the handling fell off on the AFLAC Ford over the race's last 100 miles; in the end, it was fuel conservation that boosted them into a top-5 finish. One point behind Edwards lies Kurt Busch, who fought a similar series of circumstances to jump to fourth in the standings. Kurt led 64 laps early on, a race high before dropping back and becoming verbally abusive on the radio with his handling woes. Being able to make it to the end on fuel, though, allowed Kurt to finish a decent sixth.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. moved up five places to claim the fifth spot in points after a third-place finish on Monday, his best since running second at Kansas in June. Earnhardt's car handled consistently better through every green-flag run in the race; by the end, he was sixth and then leapfrogged a bunch of drivers on the white-flag lap when their fuel ran out. Brad Keselowski, who beat Earnhardt, Jr. in Kansas with a similar gas mileage ending, also moved up five places to claim sixth in points following a fifth-place result. Keselowski, who fought nerves, handling, and a poor pit strategy call that left him a lap down to persevere, is just 14 points out of the lead. Tied with Keselowski for sixth is Ryan Newman (Keselowski wins the tiebreaker due to his three wins), who ran well on Monday but ran out of Sunoco and dropped to eighth at the checkered flag.
Kyle Busch was in line to have a good day in Joliet, even overcoming a net loss of 20 spots on pit road to run inside the top 10. However, Lady Luck was not shining on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver Monday. First, a crush panel hit the hood of his car under green, denting it significantly. That hurt the car's handling; then, on the final run of the race, he ran out of gas coming to the white flag. The fuel issues dropped Kyle to a 22nd-place finish and dropped him eight spots in the points. Matt Kenseth was also in line for a great run, but he ran out of gas coming to the finish as well. J.J. Yeley, driving the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports this week, chose to give Kenseth a quick push when seeing his fellow Ford driver in distress. Even though Kenseth didn't ask for it, that is against NASCAR rules on the final lap; Kenseth was penalized a lap and dropped to 21st.
Jeff Gordon, on the other hand, had a flat out miserable day from start to finish. Early on, the car wouldn't handle well, keeping Gordon back in the 20's and eventually getting him lapped. After earning the Lucky Dog, Gordon was able to move up through the pack, rising as high as 13th, but he ran out of fuel on the final lap, dropping back to a 24th-place finish and falling to 11th in points. Finally, Denny Hamlin had all sorts of issues on Sunday, with two cut tires and on-track contact leading to several unscheduled stops under green. He finished 31st, three laps down and dropped nearly a full race's worth of points out of the lead.
Standings: 1) Kevin Harvick 2054, 2) Tony Stewart -7, 3) Carl Edwards -10, 4) Kurt Busch -11, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -13, t-6) Brad Keselowski -14, t-6) Ryan Newman -14, 8) Jimmie Johnson -16, 9) Kyle Busch -19, 10) Matt Kenseth -24, 11) Jeff Gordon -25, 12) Denny Hamlin -41.
Best of the Rest: 13) Clint Bowyer 756, 14) A.J. Allmendinger -8, 15) Greg Biffle -25, 16) Mark Martin -27, 17) Martin Truex, Jr. -39.
Tracking The Top 35: TRG Extends Their Margin
In the battle to stay within the top-35 spots in owner points, there were no changes in position as of a result of the GEICO 400. J.J. Yeley, back in the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports this week in place of Travis Kvapil, was having a decent run until he appeared to cut a tire on Lap 204. The failure resulted in Yeley hitting the wall in Turn 3, flattening the right side of the Long John Silver's Ford and bringing out a yellow. Yeley was able to continue, eventually playing an unfortunate role at the end of the race mentioned above. Kenseth's penalty, after the push from the No. 38 on the final lap makes Yeley's 34th-place disaster (four laps down) seem that much worse.
Andy Lally's day in the No. 71 Interstate Moving Services Ford, entering the day 35th in points was not all that much better. However, Lally was able to keep himself out of trouble to finish in 28th, two laps down. That was enough to pull out the No. 71 team's advantage over the No. 38 to 45 points.
Further up the standings, Mike Bliss had the best of a mediocre day amongst those teams on the back end of the top-35. His FAS Lane Racing Ford played the fuel mileage right and hit the checkers 25th, just two laps off the pace.
Top 35 Summary:
31) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Gilliland), +134 points ahead of 36th.
32) Germain Racing (No. 13 - Casey Mears), +82 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 - Dave Blaney), +66 points ahead of 36th.
34) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 - Mike Bliss), +55 points ahead of 36th.
35) TRG Motorsports (No. 71 - Andy Lally), +45 points ahead of 36th.
36) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - J.J. Yeley), -45 points behind 35th.
37) Robby Gordon Motorsports (No. 7 - Robby Gordon), -79 points behind 35th.
38) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), -106 points behind 35th.
39) MaxQ Motorsports (No. 37 - Josh Wise), -197 points behind 35th.
Phil Allaway is a Senior Writer and the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@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
"We had to save quite a bit of fuel there at the end," he said, the reason the UPS car ultimately outlasted Menard. "It was just one of those days where we were from 6th to 12th about all day and that is where we finished, in 11th. If we could have had a couple lucky breaks I think we had a better car than where we finished."
It's a solid two-race stretch for this team, running the best they've been since Ragan's solid victory in July's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. However, Ragan may need more performances like this one to guarantee more sponsorship for the No. 6 for 2012. - Phil Allaway
STAT OF THE WEEK: 13. The number of positions that Matt Kenseth lost after the race after he was judged to be guilty of illegal outside assistance when J.J. Yeley pushed him for a short distance on the final lap. It is almost unprecented for someone to actually be penalized for such actions in Sprint Cup, especially when the stakes are so high. - Phil Allaway
Running Their Mouth: 2011 GEICO 400
by Brody Jones
Best Quote:
"It is huge; I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn't race."- Tony Stewart, race winner, on moving up to second in points following Monday's race.
It's safe to say Tony Stewart may have been one of the only people thankful for the race at Chicagoland being rescheduled for Monday. On other occasions, such as New Hampshire earlier this year where his golden victory carriage turned into the proverbial pumpkin at the midnight hour, Stewart finally found himself on the winning side of a fuel strategy instead of being on the outside looking in. Considering a "goose egg" in the win column heading into the postseason, this victory could not have come at a better time for his team. Stewart struggled to even make the Chase and was almost considered an afterthought, but now with this win, fans have to take "Smoke" seriously as a legitimate contender for the title.
Crew Chief Quote Of The Week:
"Boy, does champagne feel good right now. It's pretty sweet. It's the way to start the Chase off, especially with the year we've had. We've had some really good cars, really fast cars and some bad luck and circumstances that kept us from winning races. To get our first win leading into the Chase feels really good."- Darian Grubb, winning crew chief for Tony Stewart
After falling short on fuel at tracks such as Texas, Kansas, and New Hampshire, Darian Grubb finally got his redemption on the ever-elusive fuel mileage races that have become commonplace in the NASCAR landscape. Thanks to Grubb's expertise turning the wrenches, Stewart had a dominant car all weekend and all race long and did not just "back into the win" as some detractors might say that he did. For a team that just could not buy a break in the first 26 races, to finally buy one at this point of the season is not just big for morale but crucial for the team's championship hopes going forward.
Most Controversial Quote:
"I don't know what to do about the fuel mileage. It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans and you have to run half throttle and can't floor it or you will run out of gas. It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments, but none of it makes a difference."- Matt Kenseth, 21st
Not everyone was thrilled about another fuel mileage event. Matt Kenseth, who had one of the fastest cars in the field, had to again be bitten by the gas tank running dry and vented his frustrations post-race. Whether fans agree or disagree, it definitely can be argued that these fuel mileage races are far from exciting and that fans who pay to watch side-by-side competition have to also be growing weary of these "strategy" endings. As for Kenseth, if this bad luck is a harbinger of things to come in the 2011 Chase, then he's in for a long ten weeks.
Best Of The Rest:
"I knew that I had a fast race car. It really was a matter of trying to be patient and keep working on this Blue Deuce. Paul [Wolfe] did an amazing job. That's what makes a good race team. We hung in there and battled and battled all day. We tried some different strategy, got moved to the back, but kept plugging away and got fifth out of it. Our fuel mileage was awesome. It was a good first step for us in the Chase. We've got Loudon next week. We'll take a solid day and move on to next week."- Brad Keselowski, fifth
"I can't complain too much because the car in Victory Lane (Tony Stewart) has same power, same everything. From my driving style, I've never been all that good with fuel mileage. You've certainly seen me run out at other times. Not what we wanted. We certainly had a great race car and it's just too bad. We ran out (of fuel) coming to the white flag."- Jimmie Johnson, tenth, on whether he was disappointed with his finish
"Oh man, I had a really, really good car. The team did a great job and the engine was awesome — everything was as good as it's been all season long except I screwed up and hit the wall. When I did that, I messed the back of the car up pretty bad so we had to work on it the whole race trying to get our lap back. By the end, we were actually really fast again, but the car was still screwed up from where it should have been. We had a winning team today and I just made a mistake and we didn't get to run in the top-5 and shoot for that. But, we definitely had the best car we've had in a long time."- Kasey Kahne, 12th
"It was okay, I was disappointed. I felt like we had a better car than that Saturday. We just never could get the most out of it today. The balance was right, we just didn't have a lot of speed. We'd get a little tight and then a little loose and a little tight and kind of go back and forth on that. I felt very competitive in the corners with most of the guys I was racing with - we just couldn't go any faster."- Brian Vickers, 13th
"We had a good car today and kept fighting back all day long. But, once we hit that debris, it made the car really loose and I was doing the best I could. I still hoped we could finish in the top-10. I saved as much fuel as I could but I guess it just wasn't enough and we ran out with two to go. Just a really disappointing day." - Kyle Busch, 22nd
"I don't think the setup was as far off as just the track position. When we had the problem with the right front, we weren't very good right then. Between the handling as well as track position as well as the problem with the right front, it didn't do us any favors. We got back on the lead lap and drove back up there and I thought we were decent right then. We have to get a little bit better. We have to qualify better; we can't have days like we had today. That's for sure."- Jeff Gordon, 24th, on concerns about the setup being off today with half of the Chase being at mile-and-a-half tracks
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
Editor's Note: S.D. Grady is on vacation; Sitting In The Stands, A Fan's View will return next week.
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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 Thinks Out Loud For Matt: Chicagoland Race Recap
by Tom Bowles
Jimmie Johnson's "Slump:" Why Things Aren't Exactly As They Appear
by Summer Dreyer
David vs. Goliath: Yeley, Blaney Among Those Windswept At Chicagoland
by Bryan Davis Keith
Talking NASCAR TV: NASCAR NonStop Major Step Forward For ESPN
by Phil Allaway
The Big Six: GEICO 400
by Amy Henderson
Editor's Note: Yesterday's Newsletter contained an incorrect link for our website recap of the Fast Five 225. Here is the correct link. Sorry for any inconvenience.
ADVERTISEMENT
Get THE ANNUAL, 2011 Racing Preview for your mobile device.
Go to Frontstretch.com and click on "The Annual" link on the right side to order and download this special issue that includes: Track Information, Driver profiles and In-Depth Features.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Over the years, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been the scene of some quirky wrecks. Tony Kanaan's roll over in the MoveThatBlock.com 225 that was mentioned in yesterday's question is just one of them. In the 1994 Slick 50 200, current sports car racer Scott Sharp had a huge wreck exiting Turn 2. What happened?
"It is huge; I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn't race."- Tony Stewart, race winner, on moving up to second in points following Monday's race.
It's safe to say Tony Stewart may have been one of the only people thankful for the race at Chicagoland being rescheduled for Monday. On other occasions, such as New Hampshire earlier this year where his golden victory carriage turned into the proverbial pumpkin at the midnight hour, Stewart finally found himself on the winning side of a fuel strategy instead of being on the outside looking in. Considering a "goose egg" in the win column heading into the postseason, this victory could not have come at a better time for his team. Stewart struggled to even make the Chase and was almost considered an afterthought, but now with this win, fans have to take "Smoke" seriously as a legitimate contender for the title.
Crew Chief Quote Of The Week:
"Boy, does champagne feel good right now. It's pretty sweet. It's the way to start the Chase off, especially with the year we've had. We've had some really good cars, really fast cars and some bad luck and circumstances that kept us from winning races. To get our first win leading into the Chase feels really good."- Darian Grubb, winning crew chief for Tony Stewart
After falling short on fuel at tracks such as Texas, Kansas, and New Hampshire, Darian Grubb finally got his redemption on the ever-elusive fuel mileage races that have become commonplace in the NASCAR landscape. Thanks to Grubb's expertise turning the wrenches, Stewart had a dominant car all weekend and all race long and did not just "back into the win" as some detractors might say that he did. For a team that just could not buy a break in the first 26 races, to finally buy one at this point of the season is not just big for morale but crucial for the team's championship hopes going forward.
Most Controversial Quote:
"I don't know what to do about the fuel mileage. It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans and you have to run half throttle and can't floor it or you will run out of gas. It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments, but none of it makes a difference."- Matt Kenseth, 21st
Not everyone was thrilled about another fuel mileage event. Matt Kenseth, who had one of the fastest cars in the field, had to again be bitten by the gas tank running dry and vented his frustrations post-race. Whether fans agree or disagree, it definitely can be argued that these fuel mileage races are far from exciting and that fans who pay to watch side-by-side competition have to also be growing weary of these "strategy" endings. As for Kenseth, if this bad luck is a harbinger of things to come in the 2011 Chase, then he's in for a long ten weeks.
Best Of The Rest:
"I knew that I had a fast race car. It really was a matter of trying to be patient and keep working on this Blue Deuce. Paul [Wolfe] did an amazing job. That's what makes a good race team. We hung in there and battled and battled all day. We tried some different strategy, got moved to the back, but kept plugging away and got fifth out of it. Our fuel mileage was awesome. It was a good first step for us in the Chase. We've got Loudon next week. We'll take a solid day and move on to next week."- Brad Keselowski, fifth
"I can't complain too much because the car in Victory Lane (Tony Stewart) has same power, same everything. From my driving style, I've never been all that good with fuel mileage. You've certainly seen me run out at other times. Not what we wanted. We certainly had a great race car and it's just too bad. We ran out (of fuel) coming to the white flag."- Jimmie Johnson, tenth, on whether he was disappointed with his finish
"Oh man, I had a really, really good car. The team did a great job and the engine was awesome — everything was as good as it's been all season long except I screwed up and hit the wall. When I did that, I messed the back of the car up pretty bad so we had to work on it the whole race trying to get our lap back. By the end, we were actually really fast again, but the car was still screwed up from where it should have been. We had a winning team today and I just made a mistake and we didn't get to run in the top-5 and shoot for that. But, we definitely had the best car we've had in a long time."- Kasey Kahne, 12th
"It was okay, I was disappointed. I felt like we had a better car than that Saturday. We just never could get the most out of it today. The balance was right, we just didn't have a lot of speed. We'd get a little tight and then a little loose and a little tight and kind of go back and forth on that. I felt very competitive in the corners with most of the guys I was racing with - we just couldn't go any faster."- Brian Vickers, 13th
"We had a good car today and kept fighting back all day long. But, once we hit that debris, it made the car really loose and I was doing the best I could. I still hoped we could finish in the top-10. I saved as much fuel as I could but I guess it just wasn't enough and we ran out with two to go. Just a really disappointing day." - Kyle Busch, 22nd
"I don't think the setup was as far off as just the track position. When we had the problem with the right front, we weren't very good right then. Between the handling as well as track position as well as the problem with the right front, it didn't do us any favors. We got back on the lead lap and drove back up there and I thought we were decent right then. We have to get a little bit better. We have to qualify better; we can't have days like we had today. That's for sure."- Jeff Gordon, 24th, on concerns about the setup being off today with half of the Chase being at mile-and-a-half tracks
Brody Jones is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
Editor's Note: S.D. Grady is on vacation; Sitting In The Stands, A Fan's View will return next week.
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 Thinks Out Loud For Matt: Chicagoland Race Recap
by Tom Bowles
Jimmie Johnson's "Slump:" Why Things Aren't Exactly As They Appear
by Summer Dreyer
David vs. Goliath: Yeley, Blaney Among Those Windswept At Chicagoland
by Bryan Davis Keith
Talking NASCAR TV: NASCAR NonStop Major Step Forward For ESPN
by Phil Allaway
The Big Six: GEICO 400
by Amy Henderson
Editor's Note: Yesterday's Newsletter contained an incorrect link for our website recap of the Fast Five 225. Here is the correct link. Sorry for any inconvenience.
ADVERTISEMENT
Get THE ANNUAL, 2011 Racing Preview for your mobile device.
Go to Frontstretch.com and click on "The Annual" link on the right side to order and download this special issue that includes: Track Information, Driver profiles and In-Depth Features.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Over the years, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been the scene of some quirky wrecks. Tony Kanaan's roll over in the MoveThatBlock.com 225 that was mentioned in yesterday's question is just one of them. In the 1994 Slick 50 200, current sports car racer Scott Sharp had a huge wreck exiting Turn 2. What happened?
Friday's Answer:
Q: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, home to next weekend's Sylvania 300, is a curious case. Unlike most tracks, it does not have a concrete inside wall on the backstretch. The actual wall structure was likely to blame for Tony Kanaan's rollover and port-a-john upending during the MoveThatBlock.com 225 last month. What is the wall structure on the inside of the backstretch at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and why is this setup used?
A: The inside wall for part of the backstretch at New Hampshire is an Armco barrier lined with tires in front of it. There is also a fairly new concrete wall that is also protected by tires. Why? The reason is due to the fact that New Hampshire Motor Speedway has an "outfield" road course (a throwback to when the complex was known as Bryar Motorsports Park). The road course angles to the left, exiting Turn 2 before making a sharp right turn, crossing the backstretch of the oval and up the hill behind. Also, the course is mainly used by motorcycles these days, and unprotected concrete walls are not advisable for motorcycle racers to hit.
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
-- Full Throttle by Mike Neff
-- Numbers Game by Brett Poirier
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Jay Pennell
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice?... another way NASCAR could have avoided this whole fuel mileage mess? Tom looks at that, the difficulties of preventing team orders, quick hits and more in his weekly look at what's going on around the NASCAR circuit.
Beyond the Cockpit: TBA as told to TBA
Another famous driver or crewman stops by for a midweek interview on how they're preparing for the 2011 homestretch.
Voice Of Vito by Vito Pugliese
Vito returns with a look at one of the latest NASCAR controversies surrounding the sport.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Chicagoland-Loudon Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer takes a look at post-Joliet numbers to see who's got the most momentum heading into Loudon... and beyond.
Frontstretch Top Ten by Jeff Meyer
Our weekly list based on the latest NASCAR controversy will start your morning off with a laugh -- guaranteed.
Top 15 Power Rankings by the Frontstretch Staff
Which driver came out of Joliet on top of our 2011 Power Rankings chart? Jimmie Johnson? Carl Edwards? Kevin Harvick? Someone else? Find out who our select Frontstretch experts have labeled as this week's favorite heading into Loudon.
Foto Funnies: GEICO 400 Night Race Edition by Kurt Smith
Kurt's back to leave you laughing with the best photos you didn't see in the papers from NASCAR recently.
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