THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 18th, 2012
Volume V, Edition CXII
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Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 18th, 2012
Volume V, Edition CXII
~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Share your voice!
Hey race fans! Amy Henderson is looking for fans' voices for an upcoming column on television coverage of NASCAR drivers. Do your favorites get enough coverage? Please click here to take a short survey and share your opinion. Just to give you a little extra reason to weigh in, we'll send two randomly chosen participants a surprise prize package! (Frontstretch Staff and their families are not eligible. Sorry, guys.)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Junior Puts Losing Streak In Rear-View Mirror With Michigan Victory
by Jeff Wolfe
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. didn't have to answer the "Why?" question after Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Michigan International Speedway.
For the first time in four years, he got to answer the "How?" one, as in "How did you win?"
Earnhardt Jr. broke his 143-race victory drought at the track he last won on and on the same holiday, Father's Day. Maybe just as important as the fact that he won was the way he won. He didn't need to gamble on fuel, or use a different pit strategy to work his way up front, or a late caution to help him stay there. He had the fastest car of the day, leading a race-high 95 laps.
Riding inside a special Batman-themed car, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver showed Superhero-like dominance on the final two restarts after yellow flags. Leading 65 of the final 74 laps, he only lost the lead during cycles of green-flag pit stops, coasting to victory by over five seconds. Yet after all the years, the bad breaks and the oh-so-close moments Earnhardt was still on pins and needles heading to the checkered flag.
"I was so nervous in the last few laps of that race four years ago, and today, this was the worst - that's the worst feeling riding around there with 15 laps to go wondering what's going to happen or how you were going to lose," Earnhardt Jr. said with a laugh.
"I was just thinking, 'man, those laps could not go by fast enough.' I was like - I've got a big lead, I'm going to take it easy - no, I want to run it hard, get it over with. So I was just in there going crazy, thinking - and I'm looking all around the racetrack hoping there's no debris around the next corner. I just knew I was going to come around the next corner and see a piece of metal laying in the racetrack. I was just waiting on something to happen. So that was terrifying, to be honest with you."
There's been plenty of justification for Earnhardt Jr.'s fears. He had been close to winning on several occasions, including seven second-place finishes in this four-year span. He ran out of gas while leading on the final lap of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte last year. As recently as last week at Pocono, he appeared to have the fastest car late in the race, but had to surrender the lead to pit for fuel.
There were no such concerns Sunday.
When Earnhardt Jr. pitted for the final time with 36 laps remaining, second-place Tony Stewart came in right behind him. At the time, Earnhardt Jr.'s lead had been less than a second over the No. 14. But Stewart, the defending champion, had to stay in his pit for about an extra two seconds to get the second can of fuel in. Once all of the green flag stops were completed, Earnhardt Jr.'s lead had grown to more than three seconds over Stewart and it was all she wrote from there on out.
"I saved a little in my pocket in the last 50 laps and ran only as hard as I thought I needed to," Earnhardt Jr. said. "And at the end of the race, this thing was a rocket and I couldn't slow it down. It was so fast."
Earnhardt's 19th career victory also continued a recent stretch of success for Hendrick Motorsports. Jimmie Johnson gave team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th career win at Darlington, then won the non-points All-Star Race and at Dover two weeks ago. Kasey Kahne won the Coca-Cola 600 three weeks ago in between, part of a surge that now has him in contention for a "wild card" spot in the Chase. The Hendrick streak has only been interrupted by Joe Gibbs Racing's Joey Logano at Pocono last week.
"Well, you know, a little bit of a slow start, but we had a lot of speed," said Hendrick, who could not attend Sunday's race. "Then we get the 200th win and then the All-Star race, and Kasey gets a win, Jimmie gets another one, and I thought Dale had a real shot last week at Pocono. But to get it this weekend, that's outstanding. It's a huge load off our backs."
Of course, there were 42 other drivers in this race, too. Sunday's major obstacle for the teams was adjusting to a new tire, one they were given with only an hour of practice late Saturday as high speeds on the newly repaved track were causing some of the old Goodyears to blister. Some teams still reported problems with the right rear Sunday, an issue Earnhardt Jr. was particularly conscious of late in the race.
"I wasn't very confident after the practice last night," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was worried about tire issues and stuff like that, even late in the race because our car kind of started turning better, and I was thinking, man, I'm going to work the right rear a little harder."
But the rubber held up, as it did pretty much across the board with only a handful of major tire failures during the race. The reaction on the competition was mixed; side-by-side racing, at times after restarts was few and far between with drivers concerned about high speeds and the potential for blowouts. However, Stewart was among several drivers who praised Goodyear for the changes, despite noting there needs to be further testing and better compounds to improve the racing in August.
"Every one of us need to walk through the garage, stop at Goodyear and shake every one of their guy's hands," said Stewart. "Because there were a lot of guys that worked really hard yesterday just getting the tires inside the track, they had to load them in, in the back of pickup trucks because they didn't get here before qualifying started. They were trucking in tires, literally in the back of pickups to get them in, and there was a lot of Goodyear texts that were mounting and dismounting and balancing a lot of tires. Without those guys' effort, we would not have had the show that we had today."
The defending champ, while unable to challenge Earnhardt, clearly had the second-best car and credited his team for working hard. Even though Stewart qualified seventh before the tire switch, he pointed out that they weren't confident after the late Saturday practice, being 28th on the speed chart.
"We had a fast car all week until the Happy Hour session last night, and you know, we just couldn't get a hold of the racetrack," Stewart said. "But I'm really proud of (crew chief) Steve Addington and our engineers. They did a great job overnight and we started the day pretty much toward the front and never really lost that track position all day. We had a pretty good car that we could pass with. It was hard to pass, but it wasn't impossible. But like I say, I was really, really proud of our guys."
Rounding out the top-10 finishers in front of an estimated crowd of 82,000 fans were Matt Kenseth in third followed by Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, polesitter Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick. The race had eight cautions for 39 laps, but none for debris during the second half of the race.
That was a huge sigh of relief for Earnhardt Jr., voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver the past nine years, who was glad his fan base could throw caution to the wind for at least this week.
"I know there was a lot of people that were happy today," he said. "I could tell -- I felt the fan base. I felt the excitement and the emotion from them immediately. As soon as I got out of the car, that was my initial thoughts was about how many people were in their living rooms screaming at the top of their lungs and running out in the yard or whatever they do. I just wish I could see it all at once."
Earnhardt Jr.'s next chance at victory will be next Sunday on the road course at Sonoma, CA. Pre-race coverage starts at 2 PM ET on TNT, while the race coverage itself gets underway at 3 PM.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
Tracking The Chase: Win Put Junior Close to Top Spot
by Jeff Wolfe
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. isn't in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead yet, but he inched closer to leader Matt Kenseth with Sunday's win at Michigan International Speedway. While Junior won to close within four points of the lead, Kenseth had a strong third-place finish to help keep him in the top spot for at least one more week. The victory included a declaration by NASCAR President Mike Helton that Junior is the driver to beat for the championship this year.
"Mike's an awesome dude," Earnhardt said when told of the comments. "You know, between him and (team owner) Rick (Hendrick), it doesn't come any better when it comes to having it all together and being a sharp person. I trust him all the time for guidance and advice and leadership, because he's so awesome at it."
Of course, there are other drivers who will have something to say about Helton's call. Besides Kenseth remaining atop the points, Greg Biffle bounced back from Pocono's engine failure, scoring a fourth-place Michigan result that leaves him only 17 markers back. Then there's Junior's teammate, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who moved up one spot to fourth in the standings with a fifth-place finish Sunday and is now just 33 points out of the lead.
Further back lies Denny Hamlin, who fell to fifth as part of an awful day for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin finished 34th due an accident and ensuing fire, one scary enough other crew members, including from rival Ryan Newman's team helped out to ensure the driver's safety exiting the car. It was part of an awful day for Joe Gibbs Racing: Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano all had wrecks or mechanical failures that left them far off the pace by the checkered flag.
Six through ten in the standings held serve with 11 races to go before the Chase. Kevin Harvick, with a reasonable 10th-place finish in the race stayed in sixth. Martin Truex, Jr. was all but invisible at Michigan, but a 12th-place result leaves him a solid seventh in the points. While Tony Stewart did remain eighth in the standings, his runner-up Michigan performance did help in that he is now 36 points ahead of 11th-place Carl Edwards. Clint Bowyer, who snagged his third straight top 10 on Sunday sits ninth, 25 ahead of Cousin Carl.
The real battle is in 10th and 11th: Edwards sits just two points behind tenth-place Brad Keselowski for that final spot. A winless Edwards needs to move up to make it in; Keselowski, with his two wins looks relatively safe either way.
After the top 10 comes the "wild card" slots: the two drivers inside the top 20 in points with the most wins make the Chase. At the moment, those two would be 12th-place Kyle Busch and 13th-place Ryan Newman, each with one victory. However, if Keselowski is bumped out of the top 10 by Edwards, that would make him the first "wild card" and then the second and final slot would go to the driver with the most wins and next most points. In this case, that would be Busch, although the No. 18 is in a downward spiral. The team experienced its third straight engine problem Sunday and hasn't finished higher than 29th this month.
Having their Chase chances hurt due to accidents Sunday were Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne, who each have one win. Logano, who finished 35th, remained 15th in the standings but is now 20 points behind Newman and 25 behind Busch. Kahne, who finished 33rd, remained in 16th, but is now 36 behind Newman and 41 behind Busch.
A driver who entered the top 20 in points was Jeff Gordon, now 20th after finishing sixth on Sunday. The Sonoma road course is next on the schedule, a place where Gordon is capable of winning and making him a factor in the Chase battle, too.
Standings: 1) Matt Kenseth 565, 2) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -4, 3) Greg Biffle -17, 4) Jimmie Johnson -33, 5) Denny Hamlin -51, 6) Kevin Harvick -61, 7) Martin Truex, Jr. -68, 8) Tony Stewart -74, 9) Clint Bowyer -84, 10) Brad Keselowski -107.
Wild Cards: Kyle Busch, 12th in points, 1 win; Ryan Newman, 13th in points, 1 win.
Race Winners: Matt Kenseth (Daytona), Denny Hamlin (Phoenix, Kansas), Tony Stewart (Las Vegas, Fontana), Brad Keselowski (Bristol, Talladega), Ryan Newman (Martinsville), Greg Biffle (Texas), Kyle Busch (Richmond), Jimmie Johnson (Darlington, Dover), Kasey Kahne (Charlotte), Joey Logano (Pocono), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Michigan).
Tracking the Top 35: Cushion Remains Large, But Narrows Slightly
While NASCAR guarantees a starting spot for the top 35 in the point standings each week, those close, or the one on, the 35th-place bubble still have plenty of cushion as there is a 52-point gap between the 35th-place car and the 36th-place car. The No. 32 Ford of FAS Lane Racing, driven by Ken Schrader Sunday sits in the 35th spot after losing two positions in the standings, but the lead over No. 33 car driven by Austin Dillon Sunday is more than a full race's worth. Schrader finished 31st Sunday while Dillon was 24th; the No. 33 car, typically run by Circle Sport Racing was all RCR this weekend.
On a positive note, Landon Cassill finished a strong 18th, one lap down on Sunday for his beleaguered BK Racing outfit. The performance was enough to move the No. 83 team up two places, to 32nd in owner points and provide a bit more cushion for the growing first-year team. It's clear the No. 83 continues to show promise... as long as Cassill manages to keep himself out of trouble.
Here's your owner point standings around the all-important cutoff:
29) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Ragan), 111 points ahead of 36th.
t-30) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - David Gilliland), 96 points ahead of 36th.
t-30) BK Racing (No. 93 – Travis Kvapil), 96 points ahead of 36th.
32) BK Racing (No. 83 - Landon Cassill), 64 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 10 – Tony Raines), 59 points ahead of 36th.
34) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), 55 points ahead of 36th.
35) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – Ken Schrader), 52 points ahead of 36th.
36) Richard Childress Racing/LJ Racing (No. 33 – Austin Dillon), 52 points behind 35th.
37) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), 85 points behind 35th.
38) Robinson-Blakeney Racing (No. 49 - J.J. Yeley), 96 points behind 35th.
39) Inception Motorsports (No. 30 - David Stremme), 99 points behind 35th.
40) Phil Parsons Racing (No. 98 – Michael McDowell), 119 points behind 35th.
41) Front Row Motorsports (No. 26 - Josh Wise), 132 points behind 35th.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
Le Mans Recap: Audi Completes 1-2-3, e-tron Quattros 1-2 at Le Mans
by Phil Allaway
Going into this past weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the general notion was that the race was Audi's to lose, to the point no one else would even be in the same stratosphere. Well, that did not turn out to be the case, as Audi's superior reliability once again won out. The No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, driven by Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoit Treluyer were able to defend their overall victory from last year, but not without some bad luck for one of their teammates.
The No. 2 e-tron Quattro shared by Allan McNish, Rinaldo (Dindo) Capello and Tom Kristensen was leading late in the race when McNish collided with a slower GTE-Am Ferrari 458 Italia in the Porsche Curves. McNish spun and hit the Armco barriers, damaging the car and forcing the team to put the car in the garage briefly for repairs. This garage stay allowed the No. 1 to win the race by one full lap. The No. 4 Audi R18 Ultra driven by Oliver Jarvis, Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Bonanomi rounded out the podium in third overall, three laps down at the finish.
The main competition to the Audis at Le Mans came from Toyota. Even though the cars were somewhat rushed into action early after Peugeot's unexpected withdrawal prior to the start of the season, the Toyotas were very competitive. The TS030's had a straight-line speed advantage over the R18's and used it to their advantage during the race. However, neither of their entries were able to make to the halfway point.
The No. 8 driven by Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin was taken out in a scary crash at the five-hour mark. Davidson was coming up to lap the No. 81 AF Corse-entered GTE-Am Ferrari driven by Piergiusepee Perazzini. As the cars entered the turn immediately before the Mulsanne corner, Perazzini appeared to turn into the left rear of Davidson's Toyota. Davidson's car spun, took flight and did a complete flip in the air before coming down hard on the left rear corner and slamming head-on into the tire barrier. Perazzini's Ferrari also spun and broadsided the tires with enough force that the Ferrari rolled onto its top. Davidson was hospitalized with two broken vertebrae in his back as a result of the crash, while Perazzini walked away.
The No. 7 Toyota driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima was the faster of the two entries all weekend and legitimately took the fight to the Audis. After nightfall, the No. 7 briefly took over the overall lead. However, shortly afterwards, the Toyota's engine failed, putting the team out of the race. In the unofficial regular LMP1 division (for those entries in the class that do not have Diesel and/or Hybrid technology), the No. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60-Toyota driven by Nick Heidfeld, Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost finished highest, fourth overall, ten laps off the pace after running a near flawless event. The team also expanded their lead in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) point standings as a result of their finish (Note: Factory teams are ineligible to earn points).
In LMP2, it was the No. 44 Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX-03b Honda driven by Rolex Sports Car Series regulars Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio, along with Tom Kimber-Smith that claimed the class victory and seventh overall after running a near-flawless race. This backs up the team's victory at Sebring in March. Their winning margin was one lap over the surprisingly strong No. 46 Thiriet Racing ORECA 03-Nissan driven by team owner Pierre Thiriet, Christophe Tinseau and Mathias Beche. The No. 49 Pecom Racing ORECA 03-Nissan driven by Pierre Kaffer, Soheil Ayari and Luiz Perez Companc was another lap off the pace in third.
In GTE-Pro, AF Corse's strongest entry, the No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia driven by former Formula One drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria (Gimmi) Bruni, along with Toni Vilander claimed the class victory. Their margin was three laps over the No. 59 Ferrari 458 Italia from Luxury Racing. The No. 97 Aston Martin for Adrian Fernandez, Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke finished third in class despite a late-race crash into the tire barriers at the Indianapolis corner.
The GTE-Am class went right down the final 30 minutes of the race. The No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that had been driven masterfully by Nicolas Armindo for the previous couple of hours made an ill-advised driver change on the final stop so that Anthony Pons could drive to the finish. The change dropped the team's lead over Larbre Competition's No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette C6-ZR1 driven by Pedro Lamy, Julien Canal and Patrick Bornhauser from 35 to ten seconds. The Corvette quickly made that gap up and took over the lead with less than ten laps to go. A flat left rear tire on the Porsche ended any hopes that the French squad had as the No. 50 pulled away to take the class victory. The No. 57 Ferrari for Krohn Racing rounded out the top-10.
Finally, the Delta Wing acquitted itself quite well at Le Mans. Unfortunately, the team's early efforts in the race were thwarted by an off-the-shelf shifting piece breaking, resulting in a stay in the garage. The team's race ended in the seventh hour when the car was hip-checked (for lack of a better term) into the wall in the Porsche Curves by the No. 7 Toyota driven by Nakajima. Nakajima later admitted fault for the incident. The team generally considers the race to be a success, despite the car being unable to finish.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was run as the third round of the new-for-2012 WEC. The series now takes over two months off before returning at the end of August for the Six Hours of Silverstone. Teams racing in the American Le Mans Series presented by Patron Tequila will be back in action on July 7th at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Secret Star Of The Race: The Best Run You Never Saw
For Juan Pablo Montoya, his season has been defined by the words "jet dryer explosion" since that once-in-a-lifetime Daytona 500. Still, this team can't put that rarity in the rear-view mirror because of a disturbing lack of speed at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing; through the first 14 races, Montoya and teammate Jamie McMurray remained without a top-5 finish.
That didn't change on Sunday, but for the first time since March the Target Chevy of Montoya proved capable of running up front. Leading a total of four laps, he remained a top-10 contender all day with a car that appeared to be junk after Saturday's practice.
"I will tell you the truth, yesterday when they changed tires I was really worried. I called my dad this morning to wish him a Happy Father's day and he said 'how is the car?'," Montoya joked Sunday night. "I said 'if it handles the way it handled yesterday we are going to get lapped every 20 laps (laughs).' Our team has a lot of potential and today we showed a little bit of what we can do."
It's a small step in the right direction at the perfect time; this Sunday, we head to one of two tracks Montoya has won at in the past, Sonoma Raceway. Can this Sunday be the one for an upset win that launches the driver of the No. 42 into "wild card" Chase contention? - Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 0. That's the number of top-5 finishes for Trevor Bayne since winning last year's Daytona 500. Bayne, who looked to have a promising run in store Sunday blew an engine on his Wood Brothers Ford inside the first 10 laps of the race and finished a distant 42nd. Yes, he doesn't have a full-time ride still but when will the one-hit wonder whispers start? - Tom Bowles
by Jeff Wolfe
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. didn't have to answer the "Why?" question after Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Michigan International Speedway.
For the first time in four years, he got to answer the "How?" one, as in "How did you win?"
Earnhardt Jr. broke his 143-race victory drought at the track he last won on and on the same holiday, Father's Day. Maybe just as important as the fact that he won was the way he won. He didn't need to gamble on fuel, or use a different pit strategy to work his way up front, or a late caution to help him stay there. He had the fastest car of the day, leading a race-high 95 laps.
Riding inside a special Batman-themed car, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver showed Superhero-like dominance on the final two restarts after yellow flags. Leading 65 of the final 74 laps, he only lost the lead during cycles of green-flag pit stops, coasting to victory by over five seconds. Yet after all the years, the bad breaks and the oh-so-close moments Earnhardt was still on pins and needles heading to the checkered flag.
"I was so nervous in the last few laps of that race four years ago, and today, this was the worst - that's the worst feeling riding around there with 15 laps to go wondering what's going to happen or how you were going to lose," Earnhardt Jr. said with a laugh.
"I was just thinking, 'man, those laps could not go by fast enough.' I was like - I've got a big lead, I'm going to take it easy - no, I want to run it hard, get it over with. So I was just in there going crazy, thinking - and I'm looking all around the racetrack hoping there's no debris around the next corner. I just knew I was going to come around the next corner and see a piece of metal laying in the racetrack. I was just waiting on something to happen. So that was terrifying, to be honest with you."
There's been plenty of justification for Earnhardt Jr.'s fears. He had been close to winning on several occasions, including seven second-place finishes in this four-year span. He ran out of gas while leading on the final lap of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte last year. As recently as last week at Pocono, he appeared to have the fastest car late in the race, but had to surrender the lead to pit for fuel.
There were no such concerns Sunday.
When Earnhardt Jr. pitted for the final time with 36 laps remaining, second-place Tony Stewart came in right behind him. At the time, Earnhardt Jr.'s lead had been less than a second over the No. 14. But Stewart, the defending champion, had to stay in his pit for about an extra two seconds to get the second can of fuel in. Once all of the green flag stops were completed, Earnhardt Jr.'s lead had grown to more than three seconds over Stewart and it was all she wrote from there on out.
"I saved a little in my pocket in the last 50 laps and ran only as hard as I thought I needed to," Earnhardt Jr. said. "And at the end of the race, this thing was a rocket and I couldn't slow it down. It was so fast."
Earnhardt's 19th career victory also continued a recent stretch of success for Hendrick Motorsports. Jimmie Johnson gave team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th career win at Darlington, then won the non-points All-Star Race and at Dover two weeks ago. Kasey Kahne won the Coca-Cola 600 three weeks ago in between, part of a surge that now has him in contention for a "wild card" spot in the Chase. The Hendrick streak has only been interrupted by Joe Gibbs Racing's Joey Logano at Pocono last week.
"Well, you know, a little bit of a slow start, but we had a lot of speed," said Hendrick, who could not attend Sunday's race. "Then we get the 200th win and then the All-Star race, and Kasey gets a win, Jimmie gets another one, and I thought Dale had a real shot last week at Pocono. But to get it this weekend, that's outstanding. It's a huge load off our backs."
Of course, there were 42 other drivers in this race, too. Sunday's major obstacle for the teams was adjusting to a new tire, one they were given with only an hour of practice late Saturday as high speeds on the newly repaved track were causing some of the old Goodyears to blister. Some teams still reported problems with the right rear Sunday, an issue Earnhardt Jr. was particularly conscious of late in the race.
"I wasn't very confident after the practice last night," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was worried about tire issues and stuff like that, even late in the race because our car kind of started turning better, and I was thinking, man, I'm going to work the right rear a little harder."
But the rubber held up, as it did pretty much across the board with only a handful of major tire failures during the race. The reaction on the competition was mixed; side-by-side racing, at times after restarts was few and far between with drivers concerned about high speeds and the potential for blowouts. However, Stewart was among several drivers who praised Goodyear for the changes, despite noting there needs to be further testing and better compounds to improve the racing in August.
"Every one of us need to walk through the garage, stop at Goodyear and shake every one of their guy's hands," said Stewart. "Because there were a lot of guys that worked really hard yesterday just getting the tires inside the track, they had to load them in, in the back of pickup trucks because they didn't get here before qualifying started. They were trucking in tires, literally in the back of pickups to get them in, and there was a lot of Goodyear texts that were mounting and dismounting and balancing a lot of tires. Without those guys' effort, we would not have had the show that we had today."
The defending champ, while unable to challenge Earnhardt, clearly had the second-best car and credited his team for working hard. Even though Stewart qualified seventh before the tire switch, he pointed out that they weren't confident after the late Saturday practice, being 28th on the speed chart.
"We had a fast car all week until the Happy Hour session last night, and you know, we just couldn't get a hold of the racetrack," Stewart said. "But I'm really proud of (crew chief) Steve Addington and our engineers. They did a great job overnight and we started the day pretty much toward the front and never really lost that track position all day. We had a pretty good car that we could pass with. It was hard to pass, but it wasn't impossible. But like I say, I was really, really proud of our guys."
Rounding out the top-10 finishers in front of an estimated crowd of 82,000 fans were Matt Kenseth in third followed by Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, polesitter Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick. The race had eight cautions for 39 laps, but none for debris during the second half of the race.
That was a huge sigh of relief for Earnhardt Jr., voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver the past nine years, who was glad his fan base could throw caution to the wind for at least this week.
"I know there was a lot of people that were happy today," he said. "I could tell -- I felt the fan base. I felt the excitement and the emotion from them immediately. As soon as I got out of the car, that was my initial thoughts was about how many people were in their living rooms screaming at the top of their lungs and running out in the yard or whatever they do. I just wish I could see it all at once."
Earnhardt Jr.'s next chance at victory will be next Sunday on the road course at Sonoma, CA. Pre-race coverage starts at 2 PM ET on TNT, while the race coverage itself gets underway at 3 PM.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
Tracking The Chase: Win Put Junior Close to Top Spot
by Jeff Wolfe
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. isn't in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead yet, but he inched closer to leader Matt Kenseth with Sunday's win at Michigan International Speedway. While Junior won to close within four points of the lead, Kenseth had a strong third-place finish to help keep him in the top spot for at least one more week. The victory included a declaration by NASCAR President Mike Helton that Junior is the driver to beat for the championship this year.
"Mike's an awesome dude," Earnhardt said when told of the comments. "You know, between him and (team owner) Rick (Hendrick), it doesn't come any better when it comes to having it all together and being a sharp person. I trust him all the time for guidance and advice and leadership, because he's so awesome at it."
Of course, there are other drivers who will have something to say about Helton's call. Besides Kenseth remaining atop the points, Greg Biffle bounced back from Pocono's engine failure, scoring a fourth-place Michigan result that leaves him only 17 markers back. Then there's Junior's teammate, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who moved up one spot to fourth in the standings with a fifth-place finish Sunday and is now just 33 points out of the lead.
Further back lies Denny Hamlin, who fell to fifth as part of an awful day for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin finished 34th due an accident and ensuing fire, one scary enough other crew members, including from rival Ryan Newman's team helped out to ensure the driver's safety exiting the car. It was part of an awful day for Joe Gibbs Racing: Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano all had wrecks or mechanical failures that left them far off the pace by the checkered flag.
Six through ten in the standings held serve with 11 races to go before the Chase. Kevin Harvick, with a reasonable 10th-place finish in the race stayed in sixth. Martin Truex, Jr. was all but invisible at Michigan, but a 12th-place result leaves him a solid seventh in the points. While Tony Stewart did remain eighth in the standings, his runner-up Michigan performance did help in that he is now 36 points ahead of 11th-place Carl Edwards. Clint Bowyer, who snagged his third straight top 10 on Sunday sits ninth, 25 ahead of Cousin Carl.
The real battle is in 10th and 11th: Edwards sits just two points behind tenth-place Brad Keselowski for that final spot. A winless Edwards needs to move up to make it in; Keselowski, with his two wins looks relatively safe either way.
After the top 10 comes the "wild card" slots: the two drivers inside the top 20 in points with the most wins make the Chase. At the moment, those two would be 12th-place Kyle Busch and 13th-place Ryan Newman, each with one victory. However, if Keselowski is bumped out of the top 10 by Edwards, that would make him the first "wild card" and then the second and final slot would go to the driver with the most wins and next most points. In this case, that would be Busch, although the No. 18 is in a downward spiral. The team experienced its third straight engine problem Sunday and hasn't finished higher than 29th this month.
Having their Chase chances hurt due to accidents Sunday were Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne, who each have one win. Logano, who finished 35th, remained 15th in the standings but is now 20 points behind Newman and 25 behind Busch. Kahne, who finished 33rd, remained in 16th, but is now 36 behind Newman and 41 behind Busch.
A driver who entered the top 20 in points was Jeff Gordon, now 20th after finishing sixth on Sunday. The Sonoma road course is next on the schedule, a place where Gordon is capable of winning and making him a factor in the Chase battle, too.
Standings: 1) Matt Kenseth 565, 2) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -4, 3) Greg Biffle -17, 4) Jimmie Johnson -33, 5) Denny Hamlin -51, 6) Kevin Harvick -61, 7) Martin Truex, Jr. -68, 8) Tony Stewart -74, 9) Clint Bowyer -84, 10) Brad Keselowski -107.
Wild Cards: Kyle Busch, 12th in points, 1 win; Ryan Newman, 13th in points, 1 win.
Race Winners: Matt Kenseth (Daytona), Denny Hamlin (Phoenix, Kansas), Tony Stewart (Las Vegas, Fontana), Brad Keselowski (Bristol, Talladega), Ryan Newman (Martinsville), Greg Biffle (Texas), Kyle Busch (Richmond), Jimmie Johnson (Darlington, Dover), Kasey Kahne (Charlotte), Joey Logano (Pocono), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Michigan).
Tracking the Top 35: Cushion Remains Large, But Narrows Slightly
While NASCAR guarantees a starting spot for the top 35 in the point standings each week, those close, or the one on, the 35th-place bubble still have plenty of cushion as there is a 52-point gap between the 35th-place car and the 36th-place car. The No. 32 Ford of FAS Lane Racing, driven by Ken Schrader Sunday sits in the 35th spot after losing two positions in the standings, but the lead over No. 33 car driven by Austin Dillon Sunday is more than a full race's worth. Schrader finished 31st Sunday while Dillon was 24th; the No. 33 car, typically run by Circle Sport Racing was all RCR this weekend.
On a positive note, Landon Cassill finished a strong 18th, one lap down on Sunday for his beleaguered BK Racing outfit. The performance was enough to move the No. 83 team up two places, to 32nd in owner points and provide a bit more cushion for the growing first-year team. It's clear the No. 83 continues to show promise... as long as Cassill manages to keep himself out of trouble.
Here's your owner point standings around the all-important cutoff:
29) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Ragan), 111 points ahead of 36th.
t-30) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - David Gilliland), 96 points ahead of 36th.
t-30) BK Racing (No. 93 – Travis Kvapil), 96 points ahead of 36th.
32) BK Racing (No. 83 - Landon Cassill), 64 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 10 – Tony Raines), 59 points ahead of 36th.
34) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), 55 points ahead of 36th.
35) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – Ken Schrader), 52 points ahead of 36th.
36) Richard Childress Racing/LJ Racing (No. 33 – Austin Dillon), 52 points behind 35th.
37) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), 85 points behind 35th.
38) Robinson-Blakeney Racing (No. 49 - J.J. Yeley), 96 points behind 35th.
39) Inception Motorsports (No. 30 - David Stremme), 99 points behind 35th.
40) Phil Parsons Racing (No. 98 – Michael McDowell), 119 points behind 35th.
41) Front Row Motorsports (No. 26 - Josh Wise), 132 points behind 35th.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
Le Mans Recap: Audi Completes 1-2-3, e-tron Quattros 1-2 at Le Mans
by Phil Allaway
Going into this past weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the general notion was that the race was Audi's to lose, to the point no one else would even be in the same stratosphere. Well, that did not turn out to be the case, as Audi's superior reliability once again won out. The No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, driven by Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoit Treluyer were able to defend their overall victory from last year, but not without some bad luck for one of their teammates.
The No. 2 e-tron Quattro shared by Allan McNish, Rinaldo (Dindo) Capello and Tom Kristensen was leading late in the race when McNish collided with a slower GTE-Am Ferrari 458 Italia in the Porsche Curves. McNish spun and hit the Armco barriers, damaging the car and forcing the team to put the car in the garage briefly for repairs. This garage stay allowed the No. 1 to win the race by one full lap. The No. 4 Audi R18 Ultra driven by Oliver Jarvis, Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Bonanomi rounded out the podium in third overall, three laps down at the finish.
The main competition to the Audis at Le Mans came from Toyota. Even though the cars were somewhat rushed into action early after Peugeot's unexpected withdrawal prior to the start of the season, the Toyotas were very competitive. The TS030's had a straight-line speed advantage over the R18's and used it to their advantage during the race. However, neither of their entries were able to make to the halfway point.
The No. 8 driven by Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin was taken out in a scary crash at the five-hour mark. Davidson was coming up to lap the No. 81 AF Corse-entered GTE-Am Ferrari driven by Piergiusepee Perazzini. As the cars entered the turn immediately before the Mulsanne corner, Perazzini appeared to turn into the left rear of Davidson's Toyota. Davidson's car spun, took flight and did a complete flip in the air before coming down hard on the left rear corner and slamming head-on into the tire barrier. Perazzini's Ferrari also spun and broadsided the tires with enough force that the Ferrari rolled onto its top. Davidson was hospitalized with two broken vertebrae in his back as a result of the crash, while Perazzini walked away.
The No. 7 Toyota driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima was the faster of the two entries all weekend and legitimately took the fight to the Audis. After nightfall, the No. 7 briefly took over the overall lead. However, shortly afterwards, the Toyota's engine failed, putting the team out of the race. In the unofficial regular LMP1 division (for those entries in the class that do not have Diesel and/or Hybrid technology), the No. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60-Toyota driven by Nick Heidfeld, Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost finished highest, fourth overall, ten laps off the pace after running a near flawless event. The team also expanded their lead in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) point standings as a result of their finish (Note: Factory teams are ineligible to earn points).
In LMP2, it was the No. 44 Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX-03b Honda driven by Rolex Sports Car Series regulars Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio, along with Tom Kimber-Smith that claimed the class victory and seventh overall after running a near-flawless race. This backs up the team's victory at Sebring in March. Their winning margin was one lap over the surprisingly strong No. 46 Thiriet Racing ORECA 03-Nissan driven by team owner Pierre Thiriet, Christophe Tinseau and Mathias Beche. The No. 49 Pecom Racing ORECA 03-Nissan driven by Pierre Kaffer, Soheil Ayari and Luiz Perez Companc was another lap off the pace in third.
In GTE-Pro, AF Corse's strongest entry, the No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia driven by former Formula One drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria (Gimmi) Bruni, along with Toni Vilander claimed the class victory. Their margin was three laps over the No. 59 Ferrari 458 Italia from Luxury Racing. The No. 97 Aston Martin for Adrian Fernandez, Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke finished third in class despite a late-race crash into the tire barriers at the Indianapolis corner.
The GTE-Am class went right down the final 30 minutes of the race. The No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that had been driven masterfully by Nicolas Armindo for the previous couple of hours made an ill-advised driver change on the final stop so that Anthony Pons could drive to the finish. The change dropped the team's lead over Larbre Competition's No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette C6-ZR1 driven by Pedro Lamy, Julien Canal and Patrick Bornhauser from 35 to ten seconds. The Corvette quickly made that gap up and took over the lead with less than ten laps to go. A flat left rear tire on the Porsche ended any hopes that the French squad had as the No. 50 pulled away to take the class victory. The No. 57 Ferrari for Krohn Racing rounded out the top-10.
Finally, the Delta Wing acquitted itself quite well at Le Mans. Unfortunately, the team's early efforts in the race were thwarted by an off-the-shelf shifting piece breaking, resulting in a stay in the garage. The team's race ended in the seventh hour when the car was hip-checked (for lack of a better term) into the wall in the Porsche Curves by the No. 7 Toyota driven by Nakajima. Nakajima later admitted fault for the incident. The team generally considers the race to be a success, despite the car being unable to finish.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was run as the third round of the new-for-2012 WEC. The series now takes over two months off before returning at the end of August for the Six Hours of Silverstone. Teams racing in the American Le Mans Series presented by Patron Tequila will be back in action on July 7th at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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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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Secret Star Of The Race: The Best Run You Never Saw
For Juan Pablo Montoya, his season has been defined by the words "jet dryer explosion" since that once-in-a-lifetime Daytona 500. Still, this team can't put that rarity in the rear-view mirror because of a disturbing lack of speed at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing; through the first 14 races, Montoya and teammate Jamie McMurray remained without a top-5 finish.
That didn't change on Sunday, but for the first time since March the Target Chevy of Montoya proved capable of running up front. Leading a total of four laps, he remained a top-10 contender all day with a car that appeared to be junk after Saturday's practice.
"I will tell you the truth, yesterday when they changed tires I was really worried. I called my dad this morning to wish him a Happy Father's day and he said 'how is the car?'," Montoya joked Sunday night. "I said 'if it handles the way it handled yesterday we are going to get lapped every 20 laps (laughs).' Our team has a lot of potential and today we showed a little bit of what we can do."
It's a small step in the right direction at the perfect time; this Sunday, we head to one of two tracks Montoya has won at in the past, Sonoma Raceway. Can this Sunday be the one for an upset win that launches the driver of the No. 42 into "wild card" Chase contention? - Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 0. That's the number of top-5 finishes for Trevor Bayne since winning last year's Daytona 500. Bayne, who looked to have a promising run in store Sunday blew an engine on his Wood Brothers Ford inside the first 10 laps of the race and finished a distant 42nd. Yes, he doesn't have a full-time ride still but when will the one-hit wonder whispers start? - Tom Bowles
~~~~~~~~~~~
Quotes To Remember: Quicken Loans 400
"To do it for my fans, they've stuck behind me for all these years. And I know exactly what they've been thinking about and how long they've been wanting us to get into Victory Lane. And so this is for them. I appreciate their loyalty and their support. And we wouldn't have made it back to Victory Lane without it. That's who I've got to give all the credit to." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after his victory
"Never in a moment or a day did I ever question his desire to drive. We sat down kind of when the whole deal came together. We spent some time that offseason. We went to Vegas for the banquet and a couple other things and I laid out what I thought would be a good plan to approach the season, no different than I would for any of the other years. And he was completely on board, gave his opinion on things which were great. Any time you can get an opinion of a veteran driver, a guy that's won that many races, that only makes your team stronger. We went to New Smyrna to make laps, and from day forward, we have been all steam ahead. One thing I can say, we have had bad runs, good runs, disagreements, agreements, but from the day we started working together, I hope he's never questioned my desire to improve the team and to run well and I never have questioned his desire and where he stands as far as the team and what our goals are when we came in here." - Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief
"It's not a national holiday, guys. This morning, they were celebrating his fourth anniversary of his last win, so I guess we are all in a state of mourning now because he's broke that streak." - Tony Stewart to the media after finishing second to Earnhardt
"Fortunately, we were able to come back — we passed a ton of cars today. It's hard to pass here. That says a lot about the car. Just one of them days where we just couldn't catch a break." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 12th
"I've never actually been in that position before. I'd seen it with other guys, but I've never known what it's actually like but it gets hot. I thought for a second there I was okay. It was just in the back and then something exploded in the front and it caught on fire. Thankfully we got everything that we have safety-wise. I messed up the 16′s (Greg Biffle) pit box. Just one of those days. I'll be glad to get out of Michigan. One good thing at least is that Ryan's (Newman) guys came and got me out and a couple of the 18 (Kyle Busch) guys. NASCAR is a family and anytime anyone is trouble, everyone is going to go try to help. It's good that those guys were around and willing to take a chance." - Denny Hamlin, finished 34th after crashing out
"The restarts are pretty hairy. Then it kind of spreads out after about 15 or 20 laps — you can start forming runs and start to pass guys. Every time you got an opportunity to pass someone, you have to take it because it's hard to pass. That's what makes it a little risky out there." - Joey Logano, after wrecking en route to 35th
~~~~~~~~~~~
Quotes To Remember: Quicken Loans 400
"To do it for my fans, they've stuck behind me for all these years. And I know exactly what they've been thinking about and how long they've been wanting us to get into Victory Lane. And so this is for them. I appreciate their loyalty and their support. And we wouldn't have made it back to Victory Lane without it. That's who I've got to give all the credit to." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after his victory
"Never in a moment or a day did I ever question his desire to drive. We sat down kind of when the whole deal came together. We spent some time that offseason. We went to Vegas for the banquet and a couple other things and I laid out what I thought would be a good plan to approach the season, no different than I would for any of the other years. And he was completely on board, gave his opinion on things which were great. Any time you can get an opinion of a veteran driver, a guy that's won that many races, that only makes your team stronger. We went to New Smyrna to make laps, and from day forward, we have been all steam ahead. One thing I can say, we have had bad runs, good runs, disagreements, agreements, but from the day we started working together, I hope he's never questioned my desire to improve the team and to run well and I never have questioned his desire and where he stands as far as the team and what our goals are when we came in here." - Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief
"It's not a national holiday, guys. This morning, they were celebrating his fourth anniversary of his last win, so I guess we are all in a state of mourning now because he's broke that streak." - Tony Stewart to the media after finishing second to Earnhardt
"Fortunately, we were able to come back — we passed a ton of cars today. It's hard to pass here. That says a lot about the car. Just one of them days where we just couldn't catch a break." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 12th
"I've never actually been in that position before. I'd seen it with other guys, but I've never known what it's actually like but it gets hot. I thought for a second there I was okay. It was just in the back and then something exploded in the front and it caught on fire. Thankfully we got everything that we have safety-wise. I messed up the 16′s (Greg Biffle) pit box. Just one of those days. I'll be glad to get out of Michigan. One good thing at least is that Ryan's (Newman) guys came and got me out and a couple of the 18 (Kyle Busch) guys. NASCAR is a family and anytime anyone is trouble, everyone is going to go try to help. It's good that those guys were around and willing to take a chance." - Denny Hamlin, finished 34th after crashing out
"The restarts are pretty hairy. Then it kind of spreads out after about 15 or 20 laps — you can start forming runs and start to pass guys. Every time you got an opportunity to pass someone, you have to take it because it's hard to pass. That's what makes it a little risky out there." - Joey Logano, after wrecking en route to 35th
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Michigan-1 Race Recap
by Matt McLaughlin
The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Quicken Loans 400
by Amy Henderson
Pace Laps: Edwards' Jinx, RCR's Conundrum, and a Brewing Rivalry
by the Frontstretch Staff
by Tom Bowles
Earnhardt Victory a Winning Situation For NASCAR
by Kevin Rutherford
IndyCar Race Recap: Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ
by Toni Montgomery
FROM THE WEEKEND:
ARCA Racing Series Breakdown: RainEater Wiper Blades 200
by Bryan Davis Keith
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Alliance Truck Parts 250
by Bryan Davis Keith
Earnhardt Victory a Winning Situation For NASCAR
by Kevin Rutherford
IndyCar Race Recap: Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ
by Toni Montgomery
FROM THE WEEKEND:
ARCA Racing Series Breakdown: RainEater Wiper Blades 200
by Bryan Davis Keith
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Alliance Truck Parts 250
by Bryan Davis Keith
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300, Geoff Bodine had to contend with the rare one-lap shootout to preserve what turned out to be the final victory for car owner Bud Moore. Why was the race put under yellow so late in the event?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: For Lake Speed, the 1996 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 at Michigan International Speedway was one of his best runs of the season. He qualified in the top 10, led seven laps and stayed up in the hunt all day. Then, trouble ended his afternoon. What happened?
A: Speed had been up front for most of the race, but chose to make a four-tire stop under the previous yellow. This decision put him back in the pack. While running mid-pack, Sterling Marlin simply got loose underneath Speed and went up the track in Turn 3. Marlin hit Speed in the left-rear corner, spinning out the SPAM Ford and putting it hard into the wall. Marlin followed into the wall as well. Both cars were badly damaged and retired on the spot. The crash can be seen at the 1:57:40 mark of the race telecast on ESPN.
Q: In the 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300, Geoff Bodine had to contend with the rare one-lap shootout to preserve what turned out to be the final victory for car owner Bud Moore. Why was the race put under yellow so late in the event?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: For Lake Speed, the 1996 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 at Michigan International Speedway was one of his best runs of the season. He qualified in the top 10, led seven laps and stayed up in the hunt all day. Then, trouble ended his afternoon. What happened?
A: Speed had been up front for most of the race, but chose to make a four-tire stop under the previous yellow. This decision put him back in the pack. While running mid-pack, Sterling Marlin simply got loose underneath Speed and went up the track in Turn 3. Marlin hit Speed in the left-rear corner, spinning out the SPAM Ford and putting it hard into the wall. Marlin followed into the wall as well. Both cars were badly damaged and retired on the spot. The crash can be seen at the 1:57:40 mark of the race telecast on ESPN.
Coming Tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Kevin Rutherford
-- Sitting In the Stands: A Fan's View by S.D. Grady
-- This Week's Topic: Thoughts Post-Le Mans
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Coming Tomorrow On The Frontstretch:
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny returns with another intriguing commentary in the world of motorsports.
5 Points To Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan brings you a series of storylines setting you up for Sonoma.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup Presented by StarCoach Race Tours: Michigan-Sonoma Edition by Brett Poirier
With the two repaved major speedways in the rearview mirror, Brett looks at what positive trends are developing in NASCAR's two top series and which drivers need a breather heading into Sunday's road race at the newly-rechristened Sonoma Raceway.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series raced on the new pavement at Michigan International Speedway. Meanwhile, the Izod IndyCar Series raced at The Milwaukee Mile. Were the race telecasts for these events up to snuff? Find out in this week's edition of the TV Critique.
We'll have a special Cup Series guest stop by to discuss the technical aspects of our sport.
------------------------------
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