THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 9th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXI
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Frontstretch at the Track: Tom Bowles, Danny Peters and Bryan Davis Keith are live at Pocono. Stayed tuned to the Breaking News box, Twitter (@thefrontstretch, @NASCARBowles, @DannyPeters, @BryanDavisKeith) and Facebook for all of the latest news as it happens.
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Johnny Sauter Scores Much-Needed Victory at Texas
by Beth Lunkenheimer
When the checkered flag flew over the WinStar World Casino 400 Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway, it was Johnny Sauter who crossed the start / finish line first. And this time, it was for real. Just a year removed from a black flag for changing lanes too soon cost him a victory in a strong showing, the driver of the No. 13 Toyota headed to victory lane for his first career victory at the mile-and-a-half track. Matt Crafton barely edged Joey Coulter at the start / finish line for ThorSport's first one-two finish since Las Vegas in 2009. Brendan Gaughan and Nelson Piquet, Jr. rounded out the top 5. The race was slowed by seven cautions for 32 laps.
Editor's Note: For a full recap of the WinStar World Casino 400, check out Tracking the Trucks by Beth Lunkenheimer.
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Martin Leads Friday Practice At Pocono - Pavement Praised By Drivers
by Tom Bowles
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Two days after leading the first all-day test at Pocono Raceway, Mark Martin and the No. 55 Toyota continued to put up impressive numbers on the charts Friday afternoon during Cup practice. Posting a fast time of 50.173 seconds, or 179.379 miles an hour he paced the field as all 44 cars entered for the Cup Series race took at least one lap around the 2.5-mile, triangular-shaped track.
How much have the speeds picked up? Martin's best lap on the first day of testing was nearly 1.2 seconds slower, a time of 51.317 seconds and 175.380 miles an hour. Clearly, teams and drivers are "finding their groove" although the problem for all teams involved remains the same: a one-groove racetrack. Overall, though reaction from both drivers and crew chiefs remains positive that Pocono not only made the right changes, they produced an A+ paving job compared to recent renovations at other tracks.
"A groove hasn't opened up a lot yet," admitted Jimmie Johnson Friday morning. "I hope that it does. It usually takes us a little while to find a second or third lane, but I have to comment on the comfort of the cars around here at these higher speeds. Charlotte, Phoenix, we go to some of these places with the new asphalt aggregate and we can't get a tire to stick to it. [At Pocono], I don't think it could have gone much better."
Jamie McMurray, second-fastest in Friday practice has been a bit of a surprise; he's never finished better than ninth in eighteen career Pocono starts. However, a feel-good feeling from April appears to have carried over as participation in a Goodyear tire test on the new asphalt appears to have left him with a bit of an edge.
"I'm looking forward to the race," he said, driving for an Earnhardt Ganassi outfit that has yet to score a top-5 finish all season. "I [used to hate] this place. It was my least favorite track to come to. I don't know why, I just never really cared for Pocono."
A few drivers still have that feeling; Tony Stewart, who was eighth in first practice said curtly: "We'll all be a lot happier" when asked when shortening the race distance from 500 to 400 miles will affect the competition. But for the most part, the buzz in the garage Friday has teams happy not only with the asphalt but Goodyear's effort in making sure the first race after the repave would result in a strong, solid compound they could rely on.
"The tire is so good," said Dale Earnhardt, Jr. "You don't need to come for tires. You've just got to get the thing full of fuel somewhere close to making the rest of the race."
Jimmie Johnson was fourth in the first Friday practice, followed by AJ Allmendinger, who also participated in April's tire test here. Among those drivers struggling were Carl Edwards (24th), Joey Logano (27th), and Jeff Burton (32nd), who ran slower than five teams expected to start-and-park. Logano was the only car to run ten consecutive laps, posting an average speed of 174.172 miles an hour in race trim. That's still faster than the track qualifying record (172.055 MPH) despite his struggles.
Pocono News and Notes
by Tom Bowles
- Reed Sorenson and FAS Lane Racing picked up some last-minute sponsorship for Pocono, courtesy a little "hometown support." Two Pennsylvania-based companies, Herr's Potato Chips and Hero Energy Shot will combine to back the No. 32 Ford for Sunday's 400-miler. The partnership will also be aimed to raise money for those in need; proceeds from every Hero Energy Shot sale go to non-profit organizations that support our military, firefighters, police and first responders.
"I'm really excited to be affiliated with these two local companies that do so much to help American heroes in need," said Frank Stoddard, owner of FAS Lane Racing. "We have a lot to do to get ready for our race package on this newly paved track. We want to give our new sponsors something to be proud about and feel that we have a great opportunity to do so this year. Our crew absolutely loves the snack foods from Herr's and the Hero Energy Shots get them through their really long days getting our cars prepared for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series."
In just eight months, Hero Energy Shot has increased their distribution to a total of over 4,000 stores. Sorenson, their driver hopes to repay them with a strong performance, although his best finish in nine career Pocono starts is 20th place.
- Despite speeds reported as high as 214 miles an hour going into Turn 1, NASCAR remained adamant Friday restrictor plates will not be used on the Cup cars heading into Sunday's race. Several drivers used the word "comfortable" when describing speeds and there was very little, if any chatter about safety concerns heading into the 400-mile event. The sanctioning body also claimed plates were currently not being considered for another repaved speedway, Michigan, next Sunday.
- The "Kurt Busch" soap opera appeared to slow down a bit Friday, with replacement David Reutimann relatively decent in both practice sessions replacing the suspended driver (18th and 17th, respectively.) At least one owner, though, despite rearing his head in the Bob Pockrass controversy a few days earlier, admits this recent outburst will make it hard for Busch to return to a top-tier level within the Sprint Cup garage.
"Half of the battle is getting a good sponsor," said Tony Stewart. "And if the sponsors are leery, then it puts you in a bad spot as an owner unless you have unlimited funding and can just put in there whoever you want, it's definitely a huge concern."
Pocono Final Practice
For Joey Logano, later is better. Sliced Bread sliced his way to the top in NASCAR's final Pocono practice session, posting a time of 179.501 miles an hour. The No. 20 Toyota had struggled early in the day but got stronger as grip got weaker on Pocono's shining new asphalt.
As with the first Friday session, the practice was uneventful apart from Stephen Leicht hitting a groundhog on-track. No major incidents were reported, and passing was at a premium with drivers trying to work in race trim without taking any chances on what's continued to be a one-groove raceway. Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Paul Menard, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-5 drivers in speed.
Poole Wins Pole For ARCA Race
by Tom Bowles
Brennan Poole may only be 21, but he's driving like he's been a part of stock car racing for 20 years. The young driver, backed by ARCA power Venturini Motorsports mastered the 2.5-mile triangle with ease on Friday, shattering the ARCA track record in earning his first pole position of 2012. Pacing the field with a lap of 51.857 seconds, or 173.854 miles an hour Poole continued his team's momentum after a dominant victory at Elko Speedway last weekend.
"My car's just strong," said the 21-year-old, giving all the credit to a dedicated crew that's now boosted him to the top of the point standings. "We hit our marks. It was a lot of fun – sideways through the tunnel turn, I was holding my breath."
Kevin Swindell, Chad Hackenbracht, Matt Lofton, and Frank Kimmel rounded out the top-5 fastest qualifiers. Tom Hessert, second in the standings qualified a disappointing 18th, nearly four seconds off the pace of Poole's lap. In fact, one of the big issues entering Saturday will be how the leaders and ARCA handle slower traffic; the difference between 1st and 25th on the grid was over eight seconds and a whopping 23 miles an hour.
"It's just going to be about anticipating on the track and figuring out where you're going to catch lapped cars," Poole said when asked about the vast difference in speed. "Hopefully, those guys will do their homework, and for us, we've got to take it one lap at a time tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it."
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Sounds of the Media Center - Pocono 400
compiled by Tony Lumbis
TONY STEWART:
THIS IS YOUR THIRD DAY HERE. WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE TRACK?
It's definitely an improvement over where it's been. It needed a facelift eventually. It's still challenging. It's got a lot of grip right now. But the thing I was probably most impressed with wasn't necessarily the track, but Goodyear brought a tire that is stable right off the bat. That's something we normally fight when we go to a track that's been repaved. It has a lot of grip, but you also get a lot of instability and I think the tire they've brought here has made everybody pretty comfortable right off the bat.
HOW DO YOU THINK 200 MILES IS GOING TO CHANGE STRATEGY HERE THIS WEEKEND?
Not very much. Four hundred is a lot better deal for all of us.
DOES THAT MAKE FOR A BETTER RACE?
I think so. Five hundred miles here just for some reason just seems to get drug-out and drawn-out. I think you're still going to have the same quality of racing, just you don't have to wait that extra hour for that exciting conclusion.
SPEEDS YOU ARE CARRYING INTO TURN 1 AND THE FACT THAT A LOT OF GUYS ARE SAYING IT'S FAIRLY SINGLE-GROOVE DOWN THERE, IS THAT ANY CONCERN REGARDING RESTARTS OR LATER ON?
I think it's going to keep getting wider. We're going to have an ARCA race they're going to go through the same thing. I would say during their race it's going to widen-out some and just the more we run on it, just like anything else, it'll build a second groove. But you're definitely going to be on your toes on restarts. You aren't going to see four and five-wide going down in there like what we used to I don't think.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT ALAN KULWICKI? IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO THAT HE WON HERE
I really didn't know Alan and don't know near as much about him as I would like. But I still say that he did something that nobody is ever going to do again. There's never going to be a driver that's going to start from scratch and go out and win a championship as an owner/driver. He still stet a bar that I don't think anybody will duplicate.
CLINT BOWYER:
DOES A SHORTER POCONO RACE LEND ITSELF TO MORE STRATEGY?
I think that's just it -- the strategy. I think it could shake that up for the better. This track, it's been a fuel mileage race in the past and a little bit shorter race could shake that up. And it just seemed like this is a track that we got strung out and it was just a bit too long. Hopefully, a shorter race will create some excitement within that and we can put on a good show for the fans.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT TURN ONE?
You definitely make sure the brakes are in working condition before you go out. You're sailing it off in there at a pretty good clip. (Turn) one has some banking to it and within that the car takes some load and feels secure. Getting into (turn) three actually for me -- it's flat, you're carrying a lot of speed over there and the car can really step out from underneath of you and there's no banking to hold you if it ever did slip. If you ever get up out of the groove and get in the dirty part of the track, you're going to be in trouble in a hurry. I would say, in my opinion, if there's some cautions on Sunday I would think that it would be in turn three -- cars trying to get underneath each other loose, getting up into the dirty part of the track and getting somebody in trouble. There's no grip patch in turn three anymore. No cushion.
ARE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING STRUGGLE THIS SEASON?
I'm not there anymore, so -- I mean, it is what it is. I guess you never wish bad things upon anybody, but if you're not there anymore you don't really care as long as they are behind you.
JEFF GORDON:
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GUYS THAT YOU CAN MAKE THE CHASE?
I am very confident in how fast our race cars are. If I was really confident in us making the Chase then we wouldn't be 22nd or wherever we are in points. I'm confident that we've got tracks coming up on the schedule that we can win at. If we can get those wins, we will make it.
CAN YOU TAKE ANY CONFIDENCE FROM YOUR PAST TRACK RECORD HERE AT POCONO INTO THIS WEEKEND?
Things have changed a lot with the repave. Essentially it's the same old Pocono but quite a bit different. I felt really confident in the way our car drove yesterday in the test in the final laps that we made not just our qualifying run but we made a little bit of a longer run and the car was really heading in the right direction. I think that while the track is smooth and has a lot of grip and is a lot faster; it still has Pocono characteristics which I'm really glad, because I love this track. I wouldn't put this one at the top of the list of tracks I thought we could win at that are coming up, but it might surprise us.
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MATTIOLI FAMILY HOW WILL THIS RACE BE DIFFERENT BEING AS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES THAT DOC WON'T BE HERE?
It's definitely going to be different. I built a great relationship with Doc over the years. Most of it was walking across that stage at driver introductions. He and Rose just always being present, the first ones you always came across to greet. He was just always kind to me. He kind of had an ongoing joke with me that he would say to me every time I walked across that stage. So this weekend it's going to be a lot different not hearing those words coming from him.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KURT BUSCH'S SUSPENSION?
I was a little bit surprised. I know what Kurt was saying was out of line. You never know what is going to constitute sitting at home for the weekend. Obviously a lot of these things are happening you have to regulate certain areas of the sport. You would think he had gotten enough wake up calls, but certain things continue. The one thing I will say is that I really support Bob Pockrass in this situation. I don't think Bob asked anything out of line. I don't think he provoked anything. I think he was just following up on some things that Kurt really was leading to. I think Bob is one of the premier writers, investigative reporters in the garage area. I think nobody works harder than this guy. The job of the media is to create entertainment for people to watch and read. We as competitors have to understand that side of it. If you don't like his question don't answer it. It doesn't mean that you have to go to the level that Kurt went to in how he responded to him.
MATT KENSETH:
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE FIVE DAYS AT ONE TRACK? IS THERE ANY CONCERN HAVING YOUR CREW GUYS SEQUESTERED FOR SO LONG IN ONE AREA?
I'd be more concerned about my team if we were in Vegas for five days than Pocono (laughter). I don't know what they're gonna do here. Hike themselves to death? I'm not sure (laughter). I'm not too worried about those guys. It's been alright being here. There's not a lot going on. I've enjoyed the couple days of testing and it's been fun to get on track and try some stuff. We don't get to test at any places we really get to race, so I've enjoyed that. We ran through some different stuff and got used to the track, so it's been good. It feels like the start of a normal weekend. It's been alright and it's been nice to have a couple nights to just kind of relax.
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
HOW DO YOU GUYS PLAN TO PASS HERE? BUMP THEM OR PUSH THEM?
Yeah, there's going to be hard to bump people out of the way because we're going so fast. I think even the slightest bump would wreck a car. So, if the cars were going a little bit slower and that track was a little wider, and the groove was a little wider, you could probably move people around. I think one of the ways you'll see the most passing is on a restart when somebody gets underneath somebody in (Turns) 1 and 2 and the guy on the outside is able to race him through that corner and they sort of get bottled-up and slow off of Turn 2, you're going to see a lot of guys taking advantage of people and making it three-wide, maybe four-wide heading into the Tunnel Turn. You'll see a lot of that, I bet. But anytime a couple of guys get caught-up racing each other or somebody has the slightest of runs of them, they're going to try to go three-wide and force an issue into the next corner because general passing as we know it is going to be real challenging until the surface widens up and the track ages a little bit.
GREG BIFFLE:
WE'VE HEARD THIS TRACK IS UNLIKE OTHER ONES THAT HAVE BEEN REPAVED. WILL GUYS BE MORE COMFORTABLE GOING UP AND LOOKING FOR A SECOND LANE?
I think so. I'll have to say I've gotten out of the groove a couple times and normally it's damage control trying not to wreck it, and I've gotten out of the groove a little bit and I've been able to push the gas down halfway and drive off that corner – kind of sliding with the front and the back – but it gives you a little confidence that there's still a little bit of grip there. As it starts widening out, guys are gonna start experimenting up there and widening the corner out and things like that, so it will be kind of single-lane racing, but we'll be able to pass, I'm sure, with the extra width we've already got on the race track from the white line to the groove right now. Traditionally, the tunnel is still gonna be single-lane. We're going so much faster through there. The thing feels narrow for one car, I can't imagine trying to get two cars through there before it was the same way, but I think you're gonna see a lot of racing in both one and two and three and four down the frontstretch and these straightaways.
REGAN SMITH:
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR TEAM'S CHANCES THIS WEEKEND?
I like our primary car for Pocono a lot better than the one we tested. We found some stuff at the end that I think is going to be good for the first part of the weekend. The weather is going to be much different than it was when we tested so that will have an impact. We're finding out what the sun does to the new asphalt. Some places get really slick and some get really tight. I think our chances are as good as anybody's but with that being said, our focus right now is to get back to the top 10 and consistently run in that area. We would be happy with a top 10 day.
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Beyond the Cockpit: Todd Bodine
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Todd Bodine came into Texas Motor Speedway with his first victory of the season with Red Horse Racing after grabbing the rain-shortened win last weekend at Dover. He sat down with Frontstretch.com's Beth Lunkenheimer Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway to talk about his season, the future of the team and more. Despite having a strong truck in practice Thursday night, the WinStar World Casino 400 turned into a disappointment for the driver of the No. 11 Toyota. Having completed just 31 laps, Bodine's oil pump let go, forcing him to retire to a disappointing 30th-place finish. He dropped four spots in the points standings to 10th and sits 60 markers behind leader Justin Lofton.
How did it feel to get that win so quickly with a team that you didn't expect to be with until a couple weeks before the season started?
"It's very gratifying to be able to come to a new team and six races in get the first win. It says a lot for this team. Rick Gay has done a great job with this team for three or four years now and to finally get the first win as a team was pretty cool. Tom (DeLoach, team owner) took a chance bringing me in without a sponsor and doing this a little bit out of his pocket. We've had a little bit of sponsorship, but for the most part he's doing it out of his pocket. That takes a pretty good commitment and it's nice to be able to reward him.
How did the deal with Red Horse Racing come about?
"When I found out last year that Germain Racing was not going to run trucks this year, the first thing I did was march down two trailers to talk to Tom (DeLoach). Tom and myself had talked about doing this for a number of years, and if we ever got the chance and the opportunity we'd love to do it. There was the chance and the opportunity and I was ready to go.
Does Tom have plans to continue regardless of whether you find sponsorship?
You'll have to ask Tom. I think if there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel, I think probably not. But my wife is working on sponsorship and she's really having some success. We're close to getting some things done, so I'm pretty sure if it takes two, three, four weeks to get something done, then he's going to continue.
What's the secret to your mile-and-a-half success, especially with six wins here at Texas alone?
First you have to have good trucks that are fast, and we're fortunate to have great Tundras the whole time. Some people have tracks that they like, and I think mile-and-a-halfs just suit my style. You gotta be able to run as close to wide open as you can and be on the edge as close as you can without going over, and I've been fortunate enough to get to that point. But you gotta have everything--you gotta have luck. One year, we had carburetor issues and almost went a lap down, got a caution, fixed the carburetor and came back to win the race (2007). You gotta have luck too.
What's your favorite track to race at, or do you even have a favorite?
I don't. Honestly, all of them. It sounds like a corny standard answer, but if I'm driving, I'm having fun.
I was looking at your hobbies on your website and I was a little intrigued to see interior design amongst the racer-type stuff like bobsledding, motorcycle riding, etc. How did that come about?
I have always had an artistic knack for just all kinds of things. I enjoy it. I did most of our house; Janet helped, but I did most of our house. I've helped friends with their stuff. It's just something I enjoy.
What's the strangest request you've ever had from a fan?
The most common is signing body parts. There's intoxicated women that love to have you sign a body part, and you have little kids that want you to sign their forehead or their arm. And I don't do any of that; I refuse to sign their bodies.
Beth Lunkenheimer is the Co-Managing Editor for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via email at beth.lunkenheimer@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Tracking the Trucks: WinStar World Casino 400
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Poole, Venturini Poised to Take Charge in ARCA Series Title Race
by Bryan Davis Keith
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1999 Pocono 500 was the first race of a Pocono sweep for Bobby Labonte. However, it is likely best known for a crash involving Dave Marcis. What happened?
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:
-- Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR 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: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action from Pocono.
Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Pocono.
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 Pocono.
Big Six: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving Sunday's event at Pocono? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing.
Pace Laps: Pocono / Texas 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 Texas and Pocono.
IZOD IndyCar Race Recap: Firestone 550 by Toni Montgomery
Matt has all of the post race analysis you need following Saturday night's IZOD IndyCar Series race from Texas.
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 9th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXI
~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch at the Track: Tom Bowles, Danny Peters and Bryan Davis Keith are live at Pocono. Stayed tuned to the Breaking News box, Twitter (@thefrontstretch, @NASCARBowles, @DannyPeters, @BryanDavisKeith) and Facebook for all of the latest news as it happens.
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Johnny Sauter Scores Much-Needed Victory at Texas
by Beth Lunkenheimer
When the checkered flag flew over the WinStar World Casino 400 Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway, it was Johnny Sauter who crossed the start / finish line first. And this time, it was for real. Just a year removed from a black flag for changing lanes too soon cost him a victory in a strong showing, the driver of the No. 13 Toyota headed to victory lane for his first career victory at the mile-and-a-half track. Matt Crafton barely edged Joey Coulter at the start / finish line for ThorSport's first one-two finish since Las Vegas in 2009. Brendan Gaughan and Nelson Piquet, Jr. rounded out the top 5. The race was slowed by seven cautions for 32 laps.
Editor's Note: For a full recap of the WinStar World Casino 400, check out Tracking the Trucks by Beth Lunkenheimer.
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Martin Leads Friday Practice At Pocono - Pavement Praised By Drivers
by Tom Bowles
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Two days after leading the first all-day test at Pocono Raceway, Mark Martin and the No. 55 Toyota continued to put up impressive numbers on the charts Friday afternoon during Cup practice. Posting a fast time of 50.173 seconds, or 179.379 miles an hour he paced the field as all 44 cars entered for the Cup Series race took at least one lap around the 2.5-mile, triangular-shaped track.
How much have the speeds picked up? Martin's best lap on the first day of testing was nearly 1.2 seconds slower, a time of 51.317 seconds and 175.380 miles an hour. Clearly, teams and drivers are "finding their groove" although the problem for all teams involved remains the same: a one-groove racetrack. Overall, though reaction from both drivers and crew chiefs remains positive that Pocono not only made the right changes, they produced an A+ paving job compared to recent renovations at other tracks.
"A groove hasn't opened up a lot yet," admitted Jimmie Johnson Friday morning. "I hope that it does. It usually takes us a little while to find a second or third lane, but I have to comment on the comfort of the cars around here at these higher speeds. Charlotte, Phoenix, we go to some of these places with the new asphalt aggregate and we can't get a tire to stick to it. [At Pocono], I don't think it could have gone much better."
Jamie McMurray, second-fastest in Friday practice has been a bit of a surprise; he's never finished better than ninth in eighteen career Pocono starts. However, a feel-good feeling from April appears to have carried over as participation in a Goodyear tire test on the new asphalt appears to have left him with a bit of an edge.
"I'm looking forward to the race," he said, driving for an Earnhardt Ganassi outfit that has yet to score a top-5 finish all season. "I [used to hate] this place. It was my least favorite track to come to. I don't know why, I just never really cared for Pocono."
A few drivers still have that feeling; Tony Stewart, who was eighth in first practice said curtly: "We'll all be a lot happier" when asked when shortening the race distance from 500 to 400 miles will affect the competition. But for the most part, the buzz in the garage Friday has teams happy not only with the asphalt but Goodyear's effort in making sure the first race after the repave would result in a strong, solid compound they could rely on.
"The tire is so good," said Dale Earnhardt, Jr. "You don't need to come for tires. You've just got to get the thing full of fuel somewhere close to making the rest of the race."
Jimmie Johnson was fourth in the first Friday practice, followed by AJ Allmendinger, who also participated in April's tire test here. Among those drivers struggling were Carl Edwards (24th), Joey Logano (27th), and Jeff Burton (32nd), who ran slower than five teams expected to start-and-park. Logano was the only car to run ten consecutive laps, posting an average speed of 174.172 miles an hour in race trim. That's still faster than the track qualifying record (172.055 MPH) despite his struggles.
Pocono News and Notes
by Tom Bowles
- Reed Sorenson and FAS Lane Racing picked up some last-minute sponsorship for Pocono, courtesy a little "hometown support." Two Pennsylvania-based companies, Herr's Potato Chips and Hero Energy Shot will combine to back the No. 32 Ford for Sunday's 400-miler. The partnership will also be aimed to raise money for those in need; proceeds from every Hero Energy Shot sale go to non-profit organizations that support our military, firefighters, police and first responders.
"I'm really excited to be affiliated with these two local companies that do so much to help American heroes in need," said Frank Stoddard, owner of FAS Lane Racing. "We have a lot to do to get ready for our race package on this newly paved track. We want to give our new sponsors something to be proud about and feel that we have a great opportunity to do so this year. Our crew absolutely loves the snack foods from Herr's and the Hero Energy Shots get them through their really long days getting our cars prepared for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series."
In just eight months, Hero Energy Shot has increased their distribution to a total of over 4,000 stores. Sorenson, their driver hopes to repay them with a strong performance, although his best finish in nine career Pocono starts is 20th place.
- Despite speeds reported as high as 214 miles an hour going into Turn 1, NASCAR remained adamant Friday restrictor plates will not be used on the Cup cars heading into Sunday's race. Several drivers used the word "comfortable" when describing speeds and there was very little, if any chatter about safety concerns heading into the 400-mile event. The sanctioning body also claimed plates were currently not being considered for another repaved speedway, Michigan, next Sunday.
- The "Kurt Busch" soap opera appeared to slow down a bit Friday, with replacement David Reutimann relatively decent in both practice sessions replacing the suspended driver (18th and 17th, respectively.) At least one owner, though, despite rearing his head in the Bob Pockrass controversy a few days earlier, admits this recent outburst will make it hard for Busch to return to a top-tier level within the Sprint Cup garage.
"Half of the battle is getting a good sponsor," said Tony Stewart. "And if the sponsors are leery, then it puts you in a bad spot as an owner unless you have unlimited funding and can just put in there whoever you want, it's definitely a huge concern."
Pocono Final Practice
For Joey Logano, later is better. Sliced Bread sliced his way to the top in NASCAR's final Pocono practice session, posting a time of 179.501 miles an hour. The No. 20 Toyota had struggled early in the day but got stronger as grip got weaker on Pocono's shining new asphalt.
As with the first Friday session, the practice was uneventful apart from Stephen Leicht hitting a groundhog on-track. No major incidents were reported, and passing was at a premium with drivers trying to work in race trim without taking any chances on what's continued to be a one-groove raceway. Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Paul Menard, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-5 drivers in speed.
Poole Wins Pole For ARCA Race
by Tom Bowles
Brennan Poole may only be 21, but he's driving like he's been a part of stock car racing for 20 years. The young driver, backed by ARCA power Venturini Motorsports mastered the 2.5-mile triangle with ease on Friday, shattering the ARCA track record in earning his first pole position of 2012. Pacing the field with a lap of 51.857 seconds, or 173.854 miles an hour Poole continued his team's momentum after a dominant victory at Elko Speedway last weekend.
"My car's just strong," said the 21-year-old, giving all the credit to a dedicated crew that's now boosted him to the top of the point standings. "We hit our marks. It was a lot of fun – sideways through the tunnel turn, I was holding my breath."
Kevin Swindell, Chad Hackenbracht, Matt Lofton, and Frank Kimmel rounded out the top-5 fastest qualifiers. Tom Hessert, second in the standings qualified a disappointing 18th, nearly four seconds off the pace of Poole's lap. In fact, one of the big issues entering Saturday will be how the leaders and ARCA handle slower traffic; the difference between 1st and 25th on the grid was over eight seconds and a whopping 23 miles an hour.
"It's just going to be about anticipating on the track and figuring out where you're going to catch lapped cars," Poole said when asked about the vast difference in speed. "Hopefully, those guys will do their homework, and for us, we've got to take it one lap at a time tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it."
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Sounds of the Media Center - Pocono 400
compiled by Tony Lumbis
TONY STEWART:
THIS IS YOUR THIRD DAY HERE. WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE TRACK?
It's definitely an improvement over where it's been. It needed a facelift eventually. It's still challenging. It's got a lot of grip right now. But the thing I was probably most impressed with wasn't necessarily the track, but Goodyear brought a tire that is stable right off the bat. That's something we normally fight when we go to a track that's been repaved. It has a lot of grip, but you also get a lot of instability and I think the tire they've brought here has made everybody pretty comfortable right off the bat.
HOW DO YOU THINK 200 MILES IS GOING TO CHANGE STRATEGY HERE THIS WEEKEND?
Not very much. Four hundred is a lot better deal for all of us.
DOES THAT MAKE FOR A BETTER RACE?
I think so. Five hundred miles here just for some reason just seems to get drug-out and drawn-out. I think you're still going to have the same quality of racing, just you don't have to wait that extra hour for that exciting conclusion.
SPEEDS YOU ARE CARRYING INTO TURN 1 AND THE FACT THAT A LOT OF GUYS ARE SAYING IT'S FAIRLY SINGLE-GROOVE DOWN THERE, IS THAT ANY CONCERN REGARDING RESTARTS OR LATER ON?
I think it's going to keep getting wider. We're going to have an ARCA race they're going to go through the same thing. I would say during their race it's going to widen-out some and just the more we run on it, just like anything else, it'll build a second groove. But you're definitely going to be on your toes on restarts. You aren't going to see four and five-wide going down in there like what we used to I don't think.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT ALAN KULWICKI? IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO THAT HE WON HERE
I really didn't know Alan and don't know near as much about him as I would like. But I still say that he did something that nobody is ever going to do again. There's never going to be a driver that's going to start from scratch and go out and win a championship as an owner/driver. He still stet a bar that I don't think anybody will duplicate.
CLINT BOWYER:
DOES A SHORTER POCONO RACE LEND ITSELF TO MORE STRATEGY?
I think that's just it -- the strategy. I think it could shake that up for the better. This track, it's been a fuel mileage race in the past and a little bit shorter race could shake that up. And it just seemed like this is a track that we got strung out and it was just a bit too long. Hopefully, a shorter race will create some excitement within that and we can put on a good show for the fans.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT TURN ONE?
You definitely make sure the brakes are in working condition before you go out. You're sailing it off in there at a pretty good clip. (Turn) one has some banking to it and within that the car takes some load and feels secure. Getting into (turn) three actually for me -- it's flat, you're carrying a lot of speed over there and the car can really step out from underneath of you and there's no banking to hold you if it ever did slip. If you ever get up out of the groove and get in the dirty part of the track, you're going to be in trouble in a hurry. I would say, in my opinion, if there's some cautions on Sunday I would think that it would be in turn three -- cars trying to get underneath each other loose, getting up into the dirty part of the track and getting somebody in trouble. There's no grip patch in turn three anymore. No cushion.
ARE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING STRUGGLE THIS SEASON?
I'm not there anymore, so -- I mean, it is what it is. I guess you never wish bad things upon anybody, but if you're not there anymore you don't really care as long as they are behind you.
JEFF GORDON:
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GUYS THAT YOU CAN MAKE THE CHASE?
I am very confident in how fast our race cars are. If I was really confident in us making the Chase then we wouldn't be 22nd or wherever we are in points. I'm confident that we've got tracks coming up on the schedule that we can win at. If we can get those wins, we will make it.
CAN YOU TAKE ANY CONFIDENCE FROM YOUR PAST TRACK RECORD HERE AT POCONO INTO THIS WEEKEND?
Things have changed a lot with the repave. Essentially it's the same old Pocono but quite a bit different. I felt really confident in the way our car drove yesterday in the test in the final laps that we made not just our qualifying run but we made a little bit of a longer run and the car was really heading in the right direction. I think that while the track is smooth and has a lot of grip and is a lot faster; it still has Pocono characteristics which I'm really glad, because I love this track. I wouldn't put this one at the top of the list of tracks I thought we could win at that are coming up, but it might surprise us.
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MATTIOLI FAMILY HOW WILL THIS RACE BE DIFFERENT BEING AS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES THAT DOC WON'T BE HERE?
It's definitely going to be different. I built a great relationship with Doc over the years. Most of it was walking across that stage at driver introductions. He and Rose just always being present, the first ones you always came across to greet. He was just always kind to me. He kind of had an ongoing joke with me that he would say to me every time I walked across that stage. So this weekend it's going to be a lot different not hearing those words coming from him.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KURT BUSCH'S SUSPENSION?
I was a little bit surprised. I know what Kurt was saying was out of line. You never know what is going to constitute sitting at home for the weekend. Obviously a lot of these things are happening you have to regulate certain areas of the sport. You would think he had gotten enough wake up calls, but certain things continue. The one thing I will say is that I really support Bob Pockrass in this situation. I don't think Bob asked anything out of line. I don't think he provoked anything. I think he was just following up on some things that Kurt really was leading to. I think Bob is one of the premier writers, investigative reporters in the garage area. I think nobody works harder than this guy. The job of the media is to create entertainment for people to watch and read. We as competitors have to understand that side of it. If you don't like his question don't answer it. It doesn't mean that you have to go to the level that Kurt went to in how he responded to him.
MATT KENSETH:
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE FIVE DAYS AT ONE TRACK? IS THERE ANY CONCERN HAVING YOUR CREW GUYS SEQUESTERED FOR SO LONG IN ONE AREA?
I'd be more concerned about my team if we were in Vegas for five days than Pocono (laughter). I don't know what they're gonna do here. Hike themselves to death? I'm not sure (laughter). I'm not too worried about those guys. It's been alright being here. There's not a lot going on. I've enjoyed the couple days of testing and it's been fun to get on track and try some stuff. We don't get to test at any places we really get to race, so I've enjoyed that. We ran through some different stuff and got used to the track, so it's been good. It feels like the start of a normal weekend. It's been alright and it's been nice to have a couple nights to just kind of relax.
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
HOW DO YOU GUYS PLAN TO PASS HERE? BUMP THEM OR PUSH THEM?
Yeah, there's going to be hard to bump people out of the way because we're going so fast. I think even the slightest bump would wreck a car. So, if the cars were going a little bit slower and that track was a little wider, and the groove was a little wider, you could probably move people around. I think one of the ways you'll see the most passing is on a restart when somebody gets underneath somebody in (Turns) 1 and 2 and the guy on the outside is able to race him through that corner and they sort of get bottled-up and slow off of Turn 2, you're going to see a lot of guys taking advantage of people and making it three-wide, maybe four-wide heading into the Tunnel Turn. You'll see a lot of that, I bet. But anytime a couple of guys get caught-up racing each other or somebody has the slightest of runs of them, they're going to try to go three-wide and force an issue into the next corner because general passing as we know it is going to be real challenging until the surface widens up and the track ages a little bit.
GREG BIFFLE:
WE'VE HEARD THIS TRACK IS UNLIKE OTHER ONES THAT HAVE BEEN REPAVED. WILL GUYS BE MORE COMFORTABLE GOING UP AND LOOKING FOR A SECOND LANE?
I think so. I'll have to say I've gotten out of the groove a couple times and normally it's damage control trying not to wreck it, and I've gotten out of the groove a little bit and I've been able to push the gas down halfway and drive off that corner – kind of sliding with the front and the back – but it gives you a little confidence that there's still a little bit of grip there. As it starts widening out, guys are gonna start experimenting up there and widening the corner out and things like that, so it will be kind of single-lane racing, but we'll be able to pass, I'm sure, with the extra width we've already got on the race track from the white line to the groove right now. Traditionally, the tunnel is still gonna be single-lane. We're going so much faster through there. The thing feels narrow for one car, I can't imagine trying to get two cars through there before it was the same way, but I think you're gonna see a lot of racing in both one and two and three and four down the frontstretch and these straightaways.
REGAN SMITH:
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR TEAM'S CHANCES THIS WEEKEND?
I like our primary car for Pocono a lot better than the one we tested. We found some stuff at the end that I think is going to be good for the first part of the weekend. The weather is going to be much different than it was when we tested so that will have an impact. We're finding out what the sun does to the new asphalt. Some places get really slick and some get really tight. I think our chances are as good as anybody's but with that being said, our focus right now is to get back to the top 10 and consistently run in that area. We would be happy with a top 10 day.
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Beyond the Cockpit: Todd Bodine
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Todd Bodine came into Texas Motor Speedway with his first victory of the season with Red Horse Racing after grabbing the rain-shortened win last weekend at Dover. He sat down with Frontstretch.com's Beth Lunkenheimer Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway to talk about his season, the future of the team and more. Despite having a strong truck in practice Thursday night, the WinStar World Casino 400 turned into a disappointment for the driver of the No. 11 Toyota. Having completed just 31 laps, Bodine's oil pump let go, forcing him to retire to a disappointing 30th-place finish. He dropped four spots in the points standings to 10th and sits 60 markers behind leader Justin Lofton.
How did it feel to get that win so quickly with a team that you didn't expect to be with until a couple weeks before the season started?
"It's very gratifying to be able to come to a new team and six races in get the first win. It says a lot for this team. Rick Gay has done a great job with this team for three or four years now and to finally get the first win as a team was pretty cool. Tom (DeLoach, team owner) took a chance bringing me in without a sponsor and doing this a little bit out of his pocket. We've had a little bit of sponsorship, but for the most part he's doing it out of his pocket. That takes a pretty good commitment and it's nice to be able to reward him.
How did the deal with Red Horse Racing come about?
"When I found out last year that Germain Racing was not going to run trucks this year, the first thing I did was march down two trailers to talk to Tom (DeLoach). Tom and myself had talked about doing this for a number of years, and if we ever got the chance and the opportunity we'd love to do it. There was the chance and the opportunity and I was ready to go.
Does Tom have plans to continue regardless of whether you find sponsorship?
You'll have to ask Tom. I think if there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel, I think probably not. But my wife is working on sponsorship and she's really having some success. We're close to getting some things done, so I'm pretty sure if it takes two, three, four weeks to get something done, then he's going to continue.
What's the secret to your mile-and-a-half success, especially with six wins here at Texas alone?
First you have to have good trucks that are fast, and we're fortunate to have great Tundras the whole time. Some people have tracks that they like, and I think mile-and-a-halfs just suit my style. You gotta be able to run as close to wide open as you can and be on the edge as close as you can without going over, and I've been fortunate enough to get to that point. But you gotta have everything--you gotta have luck. One year, we had carburetor issues and almost went a lap down, got a caution, fixed the carburetor and came back to win the race (2007). You gotta have luck too.
What's your favorite track to race at, or do you even have a favorite?
I don't. Honestly, all of them. It sounds like a corny standard answer, but if I'm driving, I'm having fun.
I was looking at your hobbies on your website and I was a little intrigued to see interior design amongst the racer-type stuff like bobsledding, motorcycle riding, etc. How did that come about?
I have always had an artistic knack for just all kinds of things. I enjoy it. I did most of our house; Janet helped, but I did most of our house. I've helped friends with their stuff. It's just something I enjoy.
What's the strangest request you've ever had from a fan?
The most common is signing body parts. There's intoxicated women that love to have you sign a body part, and you have little kids that want you to sign their forehead or their arm. And I don't do any of that; I refuse to sign their bodies.
Beth Lunkenheimer is the Co-Managing Editor for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via email at beth.lunkenheimer@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Tracking the Trucks: WinStar World Casino 400
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Poole, Venturini Poised to Take Charge in ARCA Series Title Race
by Bryan Davis Keith
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1999 Pocono 500 was the first race of a Pocono sweep for Bobby Labonte. However, it is likely best known for a crash involving Dave Marcis. What happened?
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:
-- Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR 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: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action from Pocono.
Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Pocono.
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 Pocono.
Big Six: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving Sunday's event at Pocono? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing.
Pace Laps: Pocono / Texas 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 Texas and Pocono.
IZOD IndyCar Race Recap: Firestone 550 by Toni Montgomery
Matt has all of the post race analysis you need following Saturday night's IZOD IndyCar Series race from Texas.
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