Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 1st, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LII
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EDITOR'S NOTE: FRONTSTRETCH HAS A BRAND NEW, REDESIGNED FACEBOOK PAGE! CLICK HERE TO "LIKE" US AND GET A DIRECT CONNECT TO ALL YOUR FRONTSTRETCH FAVORITES ALONG WITH POLLS, INTERACTION WITH FANS AND SO MUCH MORE.
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Top News
by Amy Henderson
Kahne On Pole For Sunday's Race At Martinsville
Harvick Dominates Field, Sets Record In Kroger 250
Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' 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 that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
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Special Holding A Pretty Wheel Commentary: In Racing, It's All About Redemption
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 1st, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LII
~~~~~~~~~~
EDITOR'S NOTE: FRONTSTRETCH HAS A BRAND NEW, REDESIGNED FACEBOOK PAGE! CLICK HERE TO "LIKE" US AND GET A DIRECT CONNECT TO ALL YOUR FRONTSTRETCH FAVORITES ALONG WITH POLLS, INTERACTION WITH FANS AND SO MUCH MORE.
~~~~~~~~~~
Top News
by Amy Henderson
Kahne On Pole For Sunday's Race At Martinsville
Kasey Kahne became the first repeat pole winner of 2012 with his performance in Saturday's Sprint Cup qualifying session for the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Kahne, who has been plagued by bad luck and despite his two poles sits 27th in driver points, turned a lap around the .529-mile oval in 19.496 seconds for a top speed of 97.128 miles per hour. Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and Ryan Newman rounded out the top 5.
The field was so competitive that the top 38 cars were separated by less than half a second.
Time trials are not drama free, however. The No. 37 of Tony Raines initially made the event on speed, which would have sent J.J. Yeley and the No. 49 home, but Raines' car failed post-qualifying inspection, measuring too low, and his time was disallowed. Because the No. 37 was not in the top 35 in car owner points, they were not guaranteed a starting spot. As a result, Yeley will make the field on Sunday, starting 43rd.
Also of note: Harvick, starting second, is making his 400th Cup start this weekend. Harvick won this race a year ago and has Hendrick Motorsports continues its quest for its 200th Cup victory. In addition to Kahne on the pole, HMS drivers in the field include Jeff Gordon (starting 9th), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (starting 14th), and Jimmie Johnson (starting 22nd). Among them, Gordon has seven Martinsville wins and Johnson six. Earnhardt and Kahne have never won at Martinsville, though Earnhardt finished second in the 2011 spring race. Defending Cup champion and winner of last fall's Martinsville event, Tony Stewart starts 15th.
Harvick Dominates Field, Sets Record In Kroger 250
Rookie Ty Dillon and championship hopeful James Buscher tried to mount a charge on a late restart, but it was Kevin Harvick who went to victory lane on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway in the Kroger 250 with a dominating performance at the .526-mile short track. Harvick led all but two of the 250 laps on his way to the win. Ty Dillon led two laps very early in the event, but the other 248 were all Harvick, all the time.
The race behind Harvick was much more hotly contested, and as is typical of Martinsville, it wasn't incident-free. There were a total of seven cautions for 49 laps throughout the event. The first yellow flag flew at lap 22 for three laps as Justin Lofton got into Ron Hornaday, Jr. and sent him spinning. The leaders did not pit, and Harvick got the first of many big restarts, jumping in front of Dillon from the outside lane. Dillon appeared at times to have a truck that could race with Harvick, but Harvick's experience on the restarts made the difference.
Martinsville is notoriously hard on tires, as drivers use their brakes harder than any other track, and this week was no different. The first tire problem came at lap 76, when Joey Coulter's right front let go in turn 3. Coulter's truck sustained damage to the right front fender, but Coulter was able to drive it back to pit road. This time, the leaders took advantage of the slowdown in action to pit for fresh rubber and fuel.
Just 11 laps after returning to green flag conditions after Coulter's accident, John Wes Townley got into J.R. Fitzpatrick, collecting Jeff Agnew in the process. Harvick got the jump on the field on the lap 99 restart, but the caution flag flew again on lap 112 when the No. 15 truck of Dusty Davis stalled on the frontstretch and would not refire. The caution period stretched to ten laps when the safety workers had difficulty getting the car on the tow truck.
Harvick led the field to the green flag once again and was able to stretch out a sizeable lead over Dillon when the tire issues returned and David Starr spun in turn 2 on lap 159, bringing out caution number five for a total of six laps. The slowdown proved to be only a minor inconvenience to Harvick, who led the field off pit road and stretched out another big lead in the laps following the restart. David Reutimann was the next to bring out the yellow flag in turn 1 on lap 228. The leaders elected not to pit with just over 10 laps remaining.
Harvick didn't have time to take off on the lap 234 restart as the final caution of the day flew for a tangle in turn 4 between Max Gresham and Jeb Burton, who made his CWTS debut this week, qualifying seventh and racing on the lead lap all day long. Burton would eventually recover and finish 13th after the incident.
With just six laps to settle the race, Harvick made it clear from the drop of the green flag that he didn't intend to make a race out of it, Dillon and Buescher waged a furious battle for the runner-up spot. Dillon was able to hang on and keep the position, while Buescher had to be content with third place. Justin Lofton and Timothy Peters rounded out the top 5.
Nelson Piquet, Jr, who won the K&N Pro Series East race at Bristol two weeks ago to become just the fifth foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR event, finished sixth. Ross Chastain, Jason Leffler, John King, and Jason White completed the top 10.
The rookie King leaves Martinsville with a one-point lead over Timothy Peters in Camping World Truck Series standings. Lofton, Dillon, and Buescher fill in the top 5. Harvick is ineligible to earn CWTS points because he is racing for a Sprint Cup Championship. The No. 2 truck that he piloted is currently sixth in owner points for Richard Childress Racing and owner-of-record Delana Harvick.
Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' 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 that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
Special Holding A Pretty Wheel Commentary: In Racing, It's All About Redemption
by Amy Henderson
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FRONTSTRETCH IS EXPANDING... INTO OPEN-WHEEL!
Have an itch for the IndyCars? Looking for a part-time writing gig? Well, then Frontstretch may be the place for you. We're looking for one fill-in IndyCar writer to handle about ten preview and recap columns over the course of the 2012 season. Deadlines will be on Thursday and Sunday nights; if interested, going through the Frontstretch audition process (with an emphasis on open-wheel instead of NASCAR) is required. Questions? Concerns? Or simply ready to send your pieces in? Contact us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com.
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ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Questions Still Loom for Townley, RAB Racing Following Martinsville
When Brian Vickers climbed into a Sprint Cup racecar at Bristol for the first time since an uncertain November, he was determined to answer the questions that had dogged him for nearly two years, ever since he found himself lying in a hospital bed, wondering if he would race again. Ever since a 2011 season plagued with uncharacteristically aggressive racing. Looking back, now, after Vickers' stellar top-5 run at Bristol, it's easy to think that perhaps some of that aggression stemmed from fear-his race team was closing down after the season, and there simply were no decent full-time rides available. Perhaps Vickers' on-track actions were the hallmark of a driver trying far too hard to impress…and ending up doing just the opposite. In any case, that's behind him now. Vickers has an eight-race deal in place with Michael Waltrip Racing, with seven more races left to run this year. Seven more chances to prove himself worthy of a full-time ride. Seven more chances at redemption.
Racing is a game of redemption. Teams and drivers race for it every week: redemption for a mistake, redemption with the competition, redemption in the eyes of the fans. It's the common theme of every team, every race: to redeem themselves for past transgressions, whether they won last week or came in last. In a sport with 42 losers in every contest, there is always room to wonder where things went awry, always a time to beat yourself up over something you could have done. A speeding penalty, a botched pit stop, misguided strategy, a wreck, having to pull an undamaged racecar into the garage early, losing your ride to the Next Big Thing. What did or did not happen doesn't matter. Whatever it was, their only option is to come back and prove the world wrong next week.
Redemption.
There are 42 teams looking for it this week. And the one team that found it in Victory Lane last week will be looking for it next week.
It doesn't matter how good you are. Four championships, five? For Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, two of the best of their era, there are still the ones they _didn't_ win to motivate them to win one more. How about Carl Edwards, the runner-up? That's twice, now, and last year, all it would have taken was one single spot in any Chase race. One spot and he'd be champion. These men want it more than ever.
Redemption.
The start-and-parkers want it as badly as the champion. Give JJ Yeley or Scott Speed just one full race, one chance to prove they can do this if only they had the chance. The upstarts like Landon Cassill want that one day when they beat the champion because they knew all along they could. How about Kasey Kahne with the best equipment in the garage and searching for the wins that should follow? Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have the added weight of carrying a name on their shoulders. Winning proves they deserve it. Martin Truex, Jr. is in a contract year, needing to prove he can perform if he wants to keep his seat
Redemption.
Racing is a game of redemption. At some level every driver, every crewman, every person in the garage is looking for it in one form or another. The fans expect it, the sponsors demand it, and the teams sometimes winder if it will ever come. For some it means winning, for others, simply being able to show up and race. In a game with 42 losers, everyone has something to prove.
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH IS EXPANDING... INTO OPEN-WHEEL!
Have an itch for the IndyCars? Looking for a part-time writing gig? Well, then Frontstretch may be the place for you. We're looking for one fill-in IndyCar writer to handle about ten preview and recap columns over the course of the 2012 season. Deadlines will be on Thursday and Sunday nights; if interested, going through the Frontstretch audition process (with an emphasis on open-wheel instead of NASCAR) is required. Questions? Concerns? Or simply ready to send your pieces in? Contact us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Questions Still Loom for Townley, RAB Racing Following Martinsville
by Bryan Keith
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1996 Goody's Headache Powders 500 is best known as the race in which Terry Labonte overtook Richard Petty with his 514th consecutive start (nowadays, the record is 787 by Ricky Rudd). However, it also marked the surprise Cup Series debut of Stacy Compton, whose late model team put together an effort to qualify ninth. Where did the Dean Monroe-owned team get their equipment from?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take 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!
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Coming Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Goody's Fast Relief 500 Race Recap by Jeff Wolfe
-- Secret Star and Stat of the Race by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Goody's Fast Relief 500 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action at Martinsville.
Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Martinsville.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing at Martinsville.
Big Six: Goody's Fast Relief 500 by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving Sunday's event at Martinsville? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing.
Pace Laps: Martinsville Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
In our newest column this season, we'll take a look at the biggest stories to keep an eye on in each series after a weekend at Martinsville.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2012 Frontstretch.com
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1996 Goody's Headache Powders 500 is best known as the race in which Terry Labonte overtook Richard Petty with his 514th consecutive start (nowadays, the record is 787 by Ricky Rudd). However, it also marked the surprise Cup Series debut of Stacy Compton, whose late model team put together an effort to qualify ninth. Where did the Dean Monroe-owned team get their equipment from?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take 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 Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Goody's Fast Relief 500 Race Recap by Jeff Wolfe
-- Secret Star and Stat of the Race by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Goody's Fast Relief 500 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action at Martinsville.
Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Martinsville.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing at Martinsville.
Big Six: Goody's Fast Relief 500 by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving Sunday's event at Martinsville? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing.
Pace Laps: Martinsville Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
In our newest column this season, we'll take a look at the biggest stories to keep an eye on in each series after a weekend at Martinsville.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2012 Frontstretch.com
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