THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 30th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXXXVIII
USE FANVISION AT THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND... FOR FREE!
That's right! Frontstretch is running a competition in the Newsletter this week where one lucky fan will win a free weekend of FanVision at Pocono, the newest way to get the inside story on all your NASCAR stars at the track through team radio transmissions, up-to-the-date field summaries and so much more. How can you win? Look for a special trivia question on our Twitter feed (@TheFrontstretch) sometime this week; the right answer could land you with the latest, greatest at-track technology right at your fingertips this Sunday! But you can't participate if you don't follow our feed; so don't hesitate! Jump on Twitter today and give us a look.
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Top News
by Jeff Wolfe
Jimmie Johnson Makes History At Indy, Ties Record With Fourth Career Victory At Track
Jimmie Johnson sure hopes history repeats itself. If that happens, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet might have a new nickname when the season is over, because "Five-Time" won't really work with a six-pack of championship hardware.
Johnson, often called "five-time" for his five NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, won his fourth Brickyard 400 Sunday. Of the previous 18 winners of the race, eight have gone on to win the title. At least on Sunday, Johnson looked like a good bet to make it nine, in which case he might have to be called six-timer.
He could be called nothing but fast in this win at Indy. After wresting control from Denny Hamlin early in the race, Johnson was in the lead much of the rest of the way in the 160-lap, 400-mile event at the famed 2.5-mile oval. Johnson led 99 laps and became the first driver who has led the most laps in the race to also win at Indy since 2007, when three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart took the checkers.
"I slept well last night knowing I had such a good car and feeling that today was going to be my day," said the superstar, who picked up his 58th career victory and third this season. "Winning is great but the way you win is just as important."
Johnson was helped by the fact his main challengers each had some type of issue to deal without throughout the race. Early on, Hamlin was in control and led the first 26 laps, but lost the lead to Johnson after pit stops cycled through under green. Johnson beat Hamlin out of the pits on lap 28 to get the advantage, one the No. 11 team could never quite earn back.
And for good reason. After the first of five cautions on lap 42, for a Travis Kvapil spin, Brad Keselowski, who was on a different pit strategy, joined Johnson and Hamlin at the front of the pack for the restart. That's when Hamlin's car lost its grip and slipped up out of the narrow racing groove at Indianapolis, dropping him back to 14th and costing him the track position needed to truly contend.
That passed things off to Keselowski, who also had his moments in the bright sun at Indy, leading for 22 laps. And even though he was on a slightly different pit strategy, once the stops cycled through about midway through the race, he had a lead on Johnson from laps 76-89 and seemed destined to be a factor. After Keselowsi pitted on lap 90, though the third caution of the day came out on lap 95, meaning he could stay out while the rest of the leaders came into the pits. However, Regan Smith, also looking for track position, took just two tires on the stop and started second next to Keselowski.
On the ensuing restart, Keselowski was trying to pass Smith on the outside but got loose and also went up out of the groove. He fell to sixth and Johnson took advantage by taking the lead. That left eventual second-place finisher Kyle Busch as the only other potential challenger for Johnson on the day. Busch, too, had his moments as he led briefly for three laps. However, he had issues on pit road when after leaving his pit box on a yellow flag, the car belched black smoke for a moment, costing him several positions before picking up speed again. While the team recovered, the speed in the car was never good enough; Johnson beat the No. 18 car to the line by about four seconds.
"If it wasn't for the No. 48, we were probably in our zip code on the rest of the field, but Jimmie Johnson was in his own country today, so we just couldn't keep up with him," Busch said. "We had a really good car today. My team brought a phenomenal piece here, and we worked on it well this weekend."
Good, but not good enough to make this type of J.J. history. Johnson joined a phenomenal group of four-time winners at Indy, including Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, IndyCar legends A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears and Formula One legend Michael Schumacher.
"To come here and win is a huge honor," Johnson said. "And to win four – four wins … I'm at a loss for words. It was a total team effort, and we put it to them today. It was nice.
"I can remember watching the (Indy) 500 on the couch with my grandfather, and I remember him telling me he came to Indy. Man, you just hope to race here, and it is nice to create my own family memories here."
Johnson said the key moment for him in this race came on the next-to-last restart, when he spun his tires just a bit, allowing third-place finisher Greg Biffle to take a brief lead and then getting side-by-side with Busch before regaining his grip and pulling away.
"That was my moment of panic when I thought I had lost the race, but then I was able to get back into the lead," he said. "On the last restart, I got away quickly and was able to manage it."
Also managing to finish in the top 10 were Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fourth, then Gordon, Hamlin, Newman, Truex Jr., Keselowski and Stewart in front of an estimated crowd of 125,000, marking the fifth straight decrease in attendance at for the Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis. But it wasn't just the track accountants who left Sunday night fairly upset. Stewart, who considers the speedway his home track, made it clear he wasn't happy with some drivers during the race.
"There are guys who just forget about what we are supposed to be doing here," Stewart said. "They are more worried about blocking the guys behind them than trying to pass the guys in front of them. You just race them how they race. We'll just keep adapting to how they want to race."
The Sprint Cup Series will race again next Sunday at another 2.5-mile track at Pocono on a 1 p.m. start on ESPN.
Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 30th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXXXVIII
USE FANVISION AT THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND... FOR FREE!
That's right! Frontstretch is running a competition in the Newsletter this week where one lucky fan will win a free weekend of FanVision at Pocono, the newest way to get the inside story on all your NASCAR stars at the track through team radio transmissions, up-to-the-date field summaries and so much more. How can you win? Look for a special trivia question on our Twitter feed (@TheFrontstretch) sometime this week; the right answer could land you with the latest, greatest at-track technology right at your fingertips this Sunday! But you can't participate if you don't follow our feed; so don't hesitate! Jump on Twitter today and give us a look.
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Top News
by Jeff Wolfe
Jimmie Johnson Makes History At Indy, Ties Record With Fourth Career Victory At Track
Jimmie Johnson sure hopes history repeats itself. If that happens, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet might have a new nickname when the season is over, because "Five-Time" won't really work with a six-pack of championship hardware.
Johnson, often called "five-time" for his five NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, won his fourth Brickyard 400 Sunday. Of the previous 18 winners of the race, eight have gone on to win the title. At least on Sunday, Johnson looked like a good bet to make it nine, in which case he might have to be called six-timer.
He could be called nothing but fast in this win at Indy. After wresting control from Denny Hamlin early in the race, Johnson was in the lead much of the rest of the way in the 160-lap, 400-mile event at the famed 2.5-mile oval. Johnson led 99 laps and became the first driver who has led the most laps in the race to also win at Indy since 2007, when three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart took the checkers.
"I slept well last night knowing I had such a good car and feeling that today was going to be my day," said the superstar, who picked up his 58th career victory and third this season. "Winning is great but the way you win is just as important."
Johnson was helped by the fact his main challengers each had some type of issue to deal without throughout the race. Early on, Hamlin was in control and led the first 26 laps, but lost the lead to Johnson after pit stops cycled through under green. Johnson beat Hamlin out of the pits on lap 28 to get the advantage, one the No. 11 team could never quite earn back.
And for good reason. After the first of five cautions on lap 42, for a Travis Kvapil spin, Brad Keselowski, who was on a different pit strategy, joined Johnson and Hamlin at the front of the pack for the restart. That's when Hamlin's car lost its grip and slipped up out of the narrow racing groove at Indianapolis, dropping him back to 14th and costing him the track position needed to truly contend.
That passed things off to Keselowski, who also had his moments in the bright sun at Indy, leading for 22 laps. And even though he was on a slightly different pit strategy, once the stops cycled through about midway through the race, he had a lead on Johnson from laps 76-89 and seemed destined to be a factor. After Keselowsi pitted on lap 90, though the third caution of the day came out on lap 95, meaning he could stay out while the rest of the leaders came into the pits. However, Regan Smith, also looking for track position, took just two tires on the stop and started second next to Keselowski.
On the ensuing restart, Keselowski was trying to pass Smith on the outside but got loose and also went up out of the groove. He fell to sixth and Johnson took advantage by taking the lead. That left eventual second-place finisher Kyle Busch as the only other potential challenger for Johnson on the day. Busch, too, had his moments as he led briefly for three laps. However, he had issues on pit road when after leaving his pit box on a yellow flag, the car belched black smoke for a moment, costing him several positions before picking up speed again. While the team recovered, the speed in the car was never good enough; Johnson beat the No. 18 car to the line by about four seconds.
"If it wasn't for the No. 48, we were probably in our zip code on the rest of the field, but Jimmie Johnson was in his own country today, so we just couldn't keep up with him," Busch said. "We had a really good car today. My team brought a phenomenal piece here, and we worked on it well this weekend."
Good, but not good enough to make this type of J.J. history. Johnson joined a phenomenal group of four-time winners at Indy, including Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, IndyCar legends A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears and Formula One legend Michael Schumacher.
"To come here and win is a huge honor," Johnson said. "And to win four – four wins … I'm at a loss for words. It was a total team effort, and we put it to them today. It was nice.
"I can remember watching the (Indy) 500 on the couch with my grandfather, and I remember him telling me he came to Indy. Man, you just hope to race here, and it is nice to create my own family memories here."
Johnson said the key moment for him in this race came on the next-to-last restart, when he spun his tires just a bit, allowing third-place finisher Greg Biffle to take a brief lead and then getting side-by-side with Busch before regaining his grip and pulling away.
"That was my moment of panic when I thought I had lost the race, but then I was able to get back into the lead," he said. "On the last restart, I got away quickly and was able to manage it."
Also managing to finish in the top 10 were Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fourth, then Gordon, Hamlin, Newman, Truex Jr., Keselowski and Stewart in front of an estimated crowd of 125,000, marking the fifth straight decrease in attendance at for the Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis. But it wasn't just the track accountants who left Sunday night fairly upset. Stewart, who considers the speedway his home track, made it clear he wasn't happy with some drivers during the race.
"There are guys who just forget about what we are supposed to be doing here," Stewart said. "They are more worried about blocking the guys behind them than trying to pass the guys in front of them. You just race them how they race. We'll just keep adapting to how they want to race."
The Sprint Cup Series will race again next Sunday at another 2.5-mile track at Pocono on a 1 p.m. start on ESPN.
Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Chasing the Chase: Earnhardt Back In The Points Lead
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. broke his 143-race, four-year losing streak earlier this year, and now, for the first time in eight years, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver finds himself with the Sprint Cup point lead. Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth Sunday at Indianapolis, while previous points leader Matt Kenseth was involved in a crash on lap 133 that caused him to finish 35th. That swung the edge to Earnhardt, by 14 points with only six races remaining in NASCAR's regular season. Kenseth, whose DNF was his first of the year, secured just his second finish outside the top 20 in nineteen starts.
Greg Biffle, third in the race sits third in points; behind him, the other big winner in the championship race Sunday was race winner Jimmie Johnson. He is now fourth in the standings, 27 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt Jr. and five behind third-place Biffle; he also joined Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski as the other drivers with three victories this season. When the standings for NASCAR's version of the playoffs, the Chase for the Championship are reset with 10 races to go, it will be based on victories, meaning Johnson, Stewart and Keselowski would be on top at the moment.
Behind those top drivers, fifth through tenth remained solidly ahead of their main competitors. Indy polesitter Denny Hamlin's top-10 finish left him fifth; Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex, Jr. and Tony Stewart are sixth, seventh, and eighth, with the three of them separated by no more than a single point. Brad Keselowski, despite a late-race dropoff jumped up a position to ninth while Clint Bowyer, after a midrace crash dropped a spot. His 15th-place finish at the Brickyard leaves him 10th, but a healthy 55 points ahead of 11th-place Kyle Busch.
Behind those ten, the next two drivers with the most wins and in the top 20 in points will also make the Chase as wild cards. Busch has a victory, making him safe while Kasey Kahne has two wins this year and is 13th in points after finishing 12th Sunday. That makes him the first wild-card qualifier, while sitting in the final spot is Kyle Busch.
The other drivers with a win this season not inside the top 10 are Ryan Newman and Joey Logano. Newman finished seventh Sunday and is 15 points behind Busch. Logano dropped to 17th in points after finishing 33rd, 16 laps down due to being involved in the same crash as Kenseth. That leaves him 44 points behind Busch, a number large enough it likely means he would most need another victory to make the Chase.
Three drivers who could put themselves in the middle of the Chase "wild card" scene with a win are Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Paul Menard. Edwards fell to 12th in points as he had engine troubles early Sunday and finished 29th; however, he is still just six points behind Busch. Gordon and Menard are each 24 points behind Busch, respectively and close enough to cause him problems with a victory. Gordon is in 15th in the standings after finishing fifth on Sunday. Menard, who won at the Brickyard last year, is 16th in points after finishing 14th.
I'll end with a quick note: of the previous 18 Sprint Cup races at Indianapolis, the season champion has emerged from the top six finishers 14 times. Looking down the list of top 6 finishers Sunday, only Gordon is currently not in the Chase.
Standings: 1) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 731, 2) Matt Kenseth -14, 3) Greg Biffle -22, 4) Jimmie Johnson -27, 5) Denny Hamlin -64, 6) Kevin Harvick -78, 7) Martin Truex, Jr. -78, 8) Tony Stewart -79, 9) Brad Keselowski -82, 10) Clint Bowyer -88.
Chase "Wild Cards:" Kasey Kahne 13th in points, 2 wins; Kyle Busch 11th in points, 1 win.
Race Winners: Matt Kenseth (Daytona 500), Denny Hamlin (Phoenix, Kansas), Tony Stewart (Las Vegas, Fontana, Daytona-2), Brad Keselowski (Bristol, Talladega, Kentucky), Ryan Newman (Martinsville), Greg Biffle (Texas), Kyle Busch (Richmond), Jimmie Johnson (Darlington, Dover, Indianapolis), Kasey Kahne (Charlotte, New Hampshire), Joey Logano (Pocono), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Michigan), Clint Bowyer (Sonoma).
Tracking The Top 35: Gap Between 35th And 36th Grows Larger
While NASCAR guarantees a starting spot for just the top 35 in owner points each week, those close to the 35th-place bubble still have big cushions as the gap between the 35th-place car and the 36th-place car grew by 8 points on Sunday. The No. 36, owned by Tommy Baldwin Racing and driven by Dave Blaney sits in the 35th spot while the No. 33 car, driven by Stephen Leicht and owned by Joe Falk is in 36th. Blaney finished 33rd Sunday, putting together a solid lead-lap finish while Leicht battled engine issues most of the day en route to 31st. That leaves the gap a healthy 86 - almost two full races' worth of points - with 17 races left to go in the season.
Few of the teams on the bubble, besides Blaney had a solid run on Sunday. Trevor Bayne was the best of the bunch, coming home a quality 17th driving the Wood Brothers Ford as they continue their limited schedule of events.
Here's your owners point standings around the all-important cutoff...
29) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Ragan) 155 points ahead of 36th.
30) BK Racing (No. 93 – Travis Kvapil), 148 points ahead of 36th.
31) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - David Gilliland), 145 points ahead of 36th.
32) BK Racing (No. 83 - Landon Cassill), 110 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing (No. 10 – J.J. Yeley), 102 points ahead of 36th.
34) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – Ken Schrader), 98 points ahead of 36th.
35) Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), 86 points ahead of 36th.
36) Richard Childress Racing/LJ Racing (No. 33 – Stephen Leicht), 86 points behind 35th.
37) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), 108 points behind 35th.
39) Inception Motorsports (No. 30 – David Stremme), 124 points behind 35th.
38) Robinson-Blakeney Racing (No. 49 – not entered at Indianapolis), 147 points behind 35th.
40) Front Row Motorsports (No. 26 - Josh Wise), 160 points behind 35th.
41) Parsons Racing (No. 98 – Michael McDowell), 171 points behind 35th.
Jeff Wolfe is a Frontstretch.com Contributor. He can be reached at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Secret Star Of The Race: The Best Run You Never Saw
40 laps into the Brickyard 400, Sam Hornish, Jr. looked like a teenage amateur at Indianapolis – not a former Indy 500 winner with one of the most successful track records of any driver. Instead, the open-wheeler turned Cup Series hopeful was sitting 26th, on the tail end of the lead lap and frustrated over a third straight mediocre start behind the wheel of the No. 22 Dodge he earned through Penske loyalty. Granted a substitute role for the now-indefinitely suspended AJ Allmendinger, full-time work is still no guarantee; at some point, the man must put his best foot forward in order to go from placeholder to earning the permanent job.
Perhaps that moment came Sunday, Lady Luck providing a perfect assist with a caution for Travis Kvapil's hard crash on Lap 42. That incident, giving Hornish a second chance, would not go to waste. The team made adjustments, working hard to improve the car and feedback between driver and crew chief Todd Gordon seemed to finally click. At one point, in the race's second half the car rose all way to the fringes of the top 10 before Hornish faded slightly for a 16th-place, lead-lap finish by the checkered flag.
"I'm proud of the effort and run we had with the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge today," said Hornish, who had his best run on the Cup Series level since a 15th at Talladega in the Fall of 2010. "This is a tough place to pass for stock cars and I thought we did a good job working our way through the field.
"It looked like we were heading toward a top-10 on our last run when the car just loosened up and we couldn't make the passes that we needed to late in the race."
At times during the second half, at the peak of his performance Hornish was running lap times in clean air equivalent to the fifth-fastest car. But like many drivers complained about on Sunday, the dreaded aero push – more prevalent at Indianapolis than almost any other track – made coming up on a car, let alone getting around them an equivalent to a handling nightmare.
"You can be three-tenths faster than the guy in front of you but when you get within five car lengths of him, it's really hard to get by," he explained. "You have to keep pressuring until they make a mistake. It's not like a lot of other tracks. That's what makes this place so challenging."
Still, looking ahead Hornish has given himself an opportunity to prove he deserves a full-time shot behind the wheel. Already, owner Roger Penske has extended this "temporary" assignment through Watkins Glen as his driver showcased noticeable improvement during a race from start to finish.
"I thought Sam did an awesome job," summed up crew chief Todd Gordon. "It was a day that we can build off of and move forward."
For Hornish, the chance to revive a Cup Series career clearly depends on it. – Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 279. That's the number of races since Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last held the Cup Series point lead, at Talladega in October of 2004 before a 25-point penalty for swearing on television (yes, that actually happened) handed it to Kurt Busch. NASCAR's Son of the Intimidator has been staring at second or worse ever since, even failing to make the Chase four times over the last seven seasons as critics openly questioned his driving talent. But what's even more amazing about Junior's points "futility" of sorts is that season is the only one of his career where he's landed atop the standings. In total, over 12 years on the Cup circuit Earnhardt has now led the points for a total of a dozen weeks (11 if you don't count the time before the Talladega penalty). Not only is that an eyebrow-raising stat, but it's just a shade higher than his father's seven championships; in comparison, Dale Sr.'s total number of weeks at number one is closer to, say, 200. Like Father, like son? Apparently not in this case. - Tom Bowles
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Quotes To Remember: Brickyard 400
"Well, I hope we have that same swagger everywhere we go. I mean, that's what we try to do. We don't put any more effort in — you can't put any more effort in than we do here, but I'll tell you, when you start believing that you've got it figured out is when you'll get your butt handed to you because so many times when we've been dominant at a place, something happens at the very end, and that's what I was concerned about today." - Rick Hendrick on being successful at Indy
"I'm a lot happier today than I've been in the last two months. Just so many frustrating days, including yesterday having the fastest car. I know what Jimmie (Johnson) feels like today because I had that yesterday, but I didn't win. We kind of gave that one away too." - Kyle Busch, finished second
"It didn't really matter if you were in front of him or not, he was going to pass you in about four or five laps anyway. His car was just really, really good. Sometimes you don't want the guy behind you, if inevitably he's going to pass you no matter what." - Greg Biffle, finished third
"We would actually rather us two to fight for the championship at the end knowing one of us is going to get it for the company. If I could line that up right now, I would. That is how I'd have it." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished fourth, on the potential of fighting for the championship with Jimmie Johnson
"I'm pretty disappointed really. It's always nice to finish in the top five but at this point in the season, the way our season has gone with so many missed opportunities that we've had, I feel like it was a little bit of a missed opportunity today. We needed track position there at the end and we didn't get it when it counted most and it cost us." - Jeff Gordon, finished fifth
"The Hendrick cars had something going on with the back of their cars that's unique. Other than that, they were the dominant cars. No one was going to run with them, especially the 48 (Jimmie Johnson). The 24 (Jeff Gordon) found something there at the very end that was beneficial. We had about a fourth, fifth, sixth-place car and that's kind of where we ended up. Once I got back there, I was able to maintain and make up a little ground, but I wasn't going to go any further forward than where I was." - Denny Hamlin, finished sixth
"It's almost impossible unless you're really faster than the guy in front of you. It's so hard to pass and everyone who finishes second to 43rd is going to tell you that same thing. It's frustrating, but it's part of it. We come to this track that wasn't necessarily made for our cars and it's just tough. The aero is so important anyway with our cars that you put us on a flat track with a lot of speed, it's going to be dramatic." - Denny Hamlin on passing at Indy
"I think it will involve lots of pushing on the right pedal and turning left and going as fast as possible. We have to take chances. We have to go race. We can do that, we can race like that. It will actually be a big relief in a way because there is no other choice. We just go race for wins. I wouldn't bet against us. We can do it." - Carl Edwards on his strategy going forward
"We could stay up in the top-10 most of the day but we didn't have a better car than that. If you put us seventh or eight we could run there and if you put us 15th we would run there unfortunately. We got back there and some guys were driving pretty crazy. I guess at the very end of it the 21 and 78 were mad at each other and running into each other and then the 20 was trying to pass the 21 and just lost control of his car." - Matt Kenseth on his day... and his wreck (35th)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Brickyard 400 Race Recap
by Matt McLaughlin
Pace Laps: Winning At All Costs, RestartGate, And Going Dancing Again
by the Frontstretch Staff
Best NASCAR Driver Of The Modern Era? Building A Case, Brick By Brick(yard)
by Tom Bowles
Has Earnhardt Jr.'s Time Finally Come?
by Mike Neff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Brickyard 400
by Phil Allaway
Nationwide Breakdown: Indiana 250
by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 1990 AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono Raceway, Darrell Waltrip started the race just two weeks after breaking his leg in a practice crash at Daytona. Under an agreement between Waltrip, his doctor and NASCAR, he would run only one lap before coming in and handing over the Tide Chevrolet to Jimmy Horton. However, when Waltrip came in for the change, Horton was penalized by NASCAR. Since there was no pit road speed limit at the time (they were instituted early in 1991), he could not be held in the pits for that; and Dave Marcis, who did a similar driver swap that weekend, was not penalized for doing it. So why was the No. 17 held?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: This year's Indianapolis 500 was the first one since 1996 to feature cars with turbocharged engines. The 1996 race was marked by pole sitter Scott Brayton dying days after claiming the pole (and a long-retired Danny Ongais coming in to finish seventh), outdated cars (some by as many as three years) and a winner (Buddy Lazier) who all but couldn't get out of the car on his own due to prior injuries. However, Tony Stewart appeared to be the dominant force in his No. 20 Glidden-sponsored Lola Menard V6. What ultimately took him out of the event?
A: Engine issues took Stewart out of third place on Lap 81. Earlier in the event, Stewart had apparently adjusted too much boost into his turbocharged engines and unseated the pop-off valve, eventually blowing his V6. While running too much boost, Stewart was turning laps at near qualifying pace, setting himself up for a possible charge to the front... but it was not to be. After hitting the garage, Stewart was angry, calling the pop-off valves assigned by USAC as "junk." The instance can be seen at the 3:15 mark of this clip while Stewart's interview can be seen here.
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:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- This Week's Topic: What If... An Earnhardt Really Did Rule The NASCAR World Again?
-- Numbers Game: Brickyard 400 by Garrett Horton
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup by StarCoach Race Tours: Indianapolis - Pocono Edition by Brett Poirier
With just six races left until the Chase, Brett takes a look at which drivers are in perfect position to make the field... and which ones are already taking a look ahead towards 2013. Can Pocono be the weekend those slumping wheelmen turn it all around?
This year, we have an interesting new weekly feature for our readers where we'll have a special guest stop by on a weekly basis to discuss the technical aspects of our sport. Pocono is up next, with a special guest giving us the inside dish on how to set up a car for the Tricky Triangle.
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny returns with another interesting commentary. This week, he tackles the sudden rush of labeling Jimmie Johnson this year's Cup Series championship favorite.
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Chasing the Chase: Earnhardt Back In The Points Lead
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. broke his 143-race, four-year losing streak earlier this year, and now, for the first time in eight years, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver finds himself with the Sprint Cup point lead. Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth Sunday at Indianapolis, while previous points leader Matt Kenseth was involved in a crash on lap 133 that caused him to finish 35th. That swung the edge to Earnhardt, by 14 points with only six races remaining in NASCAR's regular season. Kenseth, whose DNF was his first of the year, secured just his second finish outside the top 20 in nineteen starts.
Greg Biffle, third in the race sits third in points; behind him, the other big winner in the championship race Sunday was race winner Jimmie Johnson. He is now fourth in the standings, 27 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt Jr. and five behind third-place Biffle; he also joined Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski as the other drivers with three victories this season. When the standings for NASCAR's version of the playoffs, the Chase for the Championship are reset with 10 races to go, it will be based on victories, meaning Johnson, Stewart and Keselowski would be on top at the moment.
Behind those top drivers, fifth through tenth remained solidly ahead of their main competitors. Indy polesitter Denny Hamlin's top-10 finish left him fifth; Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex, Jr. and Tony Stewart are sixth, seventh, and eighth, with the three of them separated by no more than a single point. Brad Keselowski, despite a late-race dropoff jumped up a position to ninth while Clint Bowyer, after a midrace crash dropped a spot. His 15th-place finish at the Brickyard leaves him 10th, but a healthy 55 points ahead of 11th-place Kyle Busch.
Behind those ten, the next two drivers with the most wins and in the top 20 in points will also make the Chase as wild cards. Busch has a victory, making him safe while Kasey Kahne has two wins this year and is 13th in points after finishing 12th Sunday. That makes him the first wild-card qualifier, while sitting in the final spot is Kyle Busch.
The other drivers with a win this season not inside the top 10 are Ryan Newman and Joey Logano. Newman finished seventh Sunday and is 15 points behind Busch. Logano dropped to 17th in points after finishing 33rd, 16 laps down due to being involved in the same crash as Kenseth. That leaves him 44 points behind Busch, a number large enough it likely means he would most need another victory to make the Chase.
Three drivers who could put themselves in the middle of the Chase "wild card" scene with a win are Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Paul Menard. Edwards fell to 12th in points as he had engine troubles early Sunday and finished 29th; however, he is still just six points behind Busch. Gordon and Menard are each 24 points behind Busch, respectively and close enough to cause him problems with a victory. Gordon is in 15th in the standings after finishing fifth on Sunday. Menard, who won at the Brickyard last year, is 16th in points after finishing 14th.
I'll end with a quick note: of the previous 18 Sprint Cup races at Indianapolis, the season champion has emerged from the top six finishers 14 times. Looking down the list of top 6 finishers Sunday, only Gordon is currently not in the Chase.
Standings: 1) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 731, 2) Matt Kenseth -14, 3) Greg Biffle -22, 4) Jimmie Johnson -27, 5) Denny Hamlin -64, 6) Kevin Harvick -78, 7) Martin Truex, Jr. -78, 8) Tony Stewart -79, 9) Brad Keselowski -82, 10) Clint Bowyer -88.
Chase "Wild Cards:" Kasey Kahne 13th in points, 2 wins; Kyle Busch 11th in points, 1 win.
Race Winners: Matt Kenseth (Daytona 500), Denny Hamlin (Phoenix, Kansas), Tony Stewart (Las Vegas, Fontana, Daytona-2), Brad Keselowski (Bristol, Talladega, Kentucky), Ryan Newman (Martinsville), Greg Biffle (Texas), Kyle Busch (Richmond), Jimmie Johnson (Darlington, Dover, Indianapolis), Kasey Kahne (Charlotte, New Hampshire), Joey Logano (Pocono), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Michigan), Clint Bowyer (Sonoma).
Tracking The Top 35: Gap Between 35th And 36th Grows Larger
While NASCAR guarantees a starting spot for just the top 35 in owner points each week, those close to the 35th-place bubble still have big cushions as the gap between the 35th-place car and the 36th-place car grew by 8 points on Sunday. The No. 36, owned by Tommy Baldwin Racing and driven by Dave Blaney sits in the 35th spot while the No. 33 car, driven by Stephen Leicht and owned by Joe Falk is in 36th. Blaney finished 33rd Sunday, putting together a solid lead-lap finish while Leicht battled engine issues most of the day en route to 31st. That leaves the gap a healthy 86 - almost two full races' worth of points - with 17 races left to go in the season.
Few of the teams on the bubble, besides Blaney had a solid run on Sunday. Trevor Bayne was the best of the bunch, coming home a quality 17th driving the Wood Brothers Ford as they continue their limited schedule of events.
Here's your owners point standings around the all-important cutoff...
29) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Ragan) 155 points ahead of 36th.
30) BK Racing (No. 93 – Travis Kvapil), 148 points ahead of 36th.
31) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - David Gilliland), 145 points ahead of 36th.
32) BK Racing (No. 83 - Landon Cassill), 110 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing (No. 10 – J.J. Yeley), 102 points ahead of 36th.
34) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – Ken Schrader), 98 points ahead of 36th.
35) Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), 86 points ahead of 36th.
36) Richard Childress Racing/LJ Racing (No. 33 – Stephen Leicht), 86 points behind 35th.
37) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), 108 points behind 35th.
39) Inception Motorsports (No. 30 – David Stremme), 124 points behind 35th.
38) Robinson-Blakeney Racing (No. 49 – not entered at Indianapolis), 147 points behind 35th.
40) Front Row Motorsports (No. 26 - Josh Wise), 160 points behind 35th.
41) Parsons Racing (No. 98 – Michael McDowell), 171 points behind 35th.
Jeff Wolfe is a Frontstretch.com Contributor. He can be reached at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Secret Star Of The Race: The Best Run You Never Saw
40 laps into the Brickyard 400, Sam Hornish, Jr. looked like a teenage amateur at Indianapolis – not a former Indy 500 winner with one of the most successful track records of any driver. Instead, the open-wheeler turned Cup Series hopeful was sitting 26th, on the tail end of the lead lap and frustrated over a third straight mediocre start behind the wheel of the No. 22 Dodge he earned through Penske loyalty. Granted a substitute role for the now-indefinitely suspended AJ Allmendinger, full-time work is still no guarantee; at some point, the man must put his best foot forward in order to go from placeholder to earning the permanent job.
Perhaps that moment came Sunday, Lady Luck providing a perfect assist with a caution for Travis Kvapil's hard crash on Lap 42. That incident, giving Hornish a second chance, would not go to waste. The team made adjustments, working hard to improve the car and feedback between driver and crew chief Todd Gordon seemed to finally click. At one point, in the race's second half the car rose all way to the fringes of the top 10 before Hornish faded slightly for a 16th-place, lead-lap finish by the checkered flag.
"I'm proud of the effort and run we had with the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge today," said Hornish, who had his best run on the Cup Series level since a 15th at Talladega in the Fall of 2010. "This is a tough place to pass for stock cars and I thought we did a good job working our way through the field.
"It looked like we were heading toward a top-10 on our last run when the car just loosened up and we couldn't make the passes that we needed to late in the race."
At times during the second half, at the peak of his performance Hornish was running lap times in clean air equivalent to the fifth-fastest car. But like many drivers complained about on Sunday, the dreaded aero push – more prevalent at Indianapolis than almost any other track – made coming up on a car, let alone getting around them an equivalent to a handling nightmare.
"You can be three-tenths faster than the guy in front of you but when you get within five car lengths of him, it's really hard to get by," he explained. "You have to keep pressuring until they make a mistake. It's not like a lot of other tracks. That's what makes this place so challenging."
Still, looking ahead Hornish has given himself an opportunity to prove he deserves a full-time shot behind the wheel. Already, owner Roger Penske has extended this "temporary" assignment through Watkins Glen as his driver showcased noticeable improvement during a race from start to finish.
"I thought Sam did an awesome job," summed up crew chief Todd Gordon. "It was a day that we can build off of and move forward."
For Hornish, the chance to revive a Cup Series career clearly depends on it. – Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 279. That's the number of races since Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last held the Cup Series point lead, at Talladega in October of 2004 before a 25-point penalty for swearing on television (yes, that actually happened) handed it to Kurt Busch. NASCAR's Son of the Intimidator has been staring at second or worse ever since, even failing to make the Chase four times over the last seven seasons as critics openly questioned his driving talent. But what's even more amazing about Junior's points "futility" of sorts is that season is the only one of his career where he's landed atop the standings. In total, over 12 years on the Cup circuit Earnhardt has now led the points for a total of a dozen weeks (11 if you don't count the time before the Talladega penalty). Not only is that an eyebrow-raising stat, but it's just a shade higher than his father's seven championships; in comparison, Dale Sr.'s total number of weeks at number one is closer to, say, 200. Like Father, like son? Apparently not in this case. - Tom Bowles
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Quotes To Remember: Brickyard 400
"Well, I hope we have that same swagger everywhere we go. I mean, that's what we try to do. We don't put any more effort in — you can't put any more effort in than we do here, but I'll tell you, when you start believing that you've got it figured out is when you'll get your butt handed to you because so many times when we've been dominant at a place, something happens at the very end, and that's what I was concerned about today." - Rick Hendrick on being successful at Indy
"I'm a lot happier today than I've been in the last two months. Just so many frustrating days, including yesterday having the fastest car. I know what Jimmie (Johnson) feels like today because I had that yesterday, but I didn't win. We kind of gave that one away too." - Kyle Busch, finished second
"It didn't really matter if you were in front of him or not, he was going to pass you in about four or five laps anyway. His car was just really, really good. Sometimes you don't want the guy behind you, if inevitably he's going to pass you no matter what." - Greg Biffle, finished third
"We would actually rather us two to fight for the championship at the end knowing one of us is going to get it for the company. If I could line that up right now, I would. That is how I'd have it." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished fourth, on the potential of fighting for the championship with Jimmie Johnson
"I'm pretty disappointed really. It's always nice to finish in the top five but at this point in the season, the way our season has gone with so many missed opportunities that we've had, I feel like it was a little bit of a missed opportunity today. We needed track position there at the end and we didn't get it when it counted most and it cost us." - Jeff Gordon, finished fifth
"The Hendrick cars had something going on with the back of their cars that's unique. Other than that, they were the dominant cars. No one was going to run with them, especially the 48 (Jimmie Johnson). The 24 (Jeff Gordon) found something there at the very end that was beneficial. We had about a fourth, fifth, sixth-place car and that's kind of where we ended up. Once I got back there, I was able to maintain and make up a little ground, but I wasn't going to go any further forward than where I was." - Denny Hamlin, finished sixth
"It's almost impossible unless you're really faster than the guy in front of you. It's so hard to pass and everyone who finishes second to 43rd is going to tell you that same thing. It's frustrating, but it's part of it. We come to this track that wasn't necessarily made for our cars and it's just tough. The aero is so important anyway with our cars that you put us on a flat track with a lot of speed, it's going to be dramatic." - Denny Hamlin on passing at Indy
"We had excellent pit strategy. Paul Wolfe and the team should be very proud of that. I just made too many mistakes. It's hard to be mad with a top 10. I'm not mad, but no, I'm not happy. I want to win these races. I want to be a legit contender to win the big races and we were today. I just didn't close it out. We had a strong shot at getting a top two or three and didn't. I don't have much more to add to that." - Brad Keselowski, finished ninth
"We definitely made contact. I'll talk to him about it. I just raced the 78 (Regan Smith) real clean and didn't get the same in return. That's racing." - Brad Keselowski on his midrace incident, up front with Regan Smith
"We were junk all weekend. No matter if we were turning left or going straight. That pretty much summed up today." -Kevin Harvick, finished 13th
"Just was racing and got on that outside — them outsides on the restarts, you're in no man's land. You try to get to the bottom as quick and efficiently as possible, but the 31 (Jeff Burton) got to the inside of the 42 (Juan Pablo Montoya) and I realized that I was three-wide on the outside and tried to get out of there and just barely caught in the left-front and cut my tire down, spun out. Anytime you spin out on a track like this, you usually end up crashing in the infield. Just thankfully everything worked out and we ended up with a top-15. Not what we wanted, but it could have been a heck of a lot worse." - Clint Bowyer, finished 15th
"To see those 12 names on our car was quite emotional, they shouldn't have been on our car. Those 12 people should have been watching the race today or doing something else on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It hurts and we all deeply mourn this unspeakable tragedy." - Regan Smith, on the names of the Aurora, Colorado shooting victims written on his Furniture Row Chevrolet
"I think it will involve lots of pushing on the right pedal and turning left and going as fast as possible. We have to take chances. We have to go race. We can do that, we can race like that. It will actually be a big relief in a way because there is no other choice. We just go race for wins. I wouldn't bet against us. We can do it." - Carl Edwards on his strategy going forward
"We could stay up in the top-10 most of the day but we didn't have a better car than that. If you put us seventh or eight we could run there and if you put us 15th we would run there unfortunately. We got back there and some guys were driving pretty crazy. I guess at the very end of it the 21 and 78 were mad at each other and running into each other and then the 20 was trying to pass the 21 and just lost control of his car." - Matt Kenseth on his day... and his wreck (35th)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Brickyard 400 Race Recap
by Matt McLaughlin
Pace Laps: Winning At All Costs, RestartGate, And Going Dancing Again
by the Frontstretch Staff
Best NASCAR Driver Of The Modern Era? Building A Case, Brick By Brick(yard)
by Tom Bowles
Has Earnhardt Jr.'s Time Finally Come?
by Mike Neff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Brickyard 400
by Phil Allaway
Nationwide Breakdown: Indiana 250
by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 1990 AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono Raceway, Darrell Waltrip started the race just two weeks after breaking his leg in a practice crash at Daytona. Under an agreement between Waltrip, his doctor and NASCAR, he would run only one lap before coming in and handing over the Tide Chevrolet to Jimmy Horton. However, when Waltrip came in for the change, Horton was penalized by NASCAR. Since there was no pit road speed limit at the time (they were instituted early in 1991), he could not be held in the pits for that; and Dave Marcis, who did a similar driver swap that weekend, was not penalized for doing it. So why was the No. 17 held?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: This year's Indianapolis 500 was the first one since 1996 to feature cars with turbocharged engines. The 1996 race was marked by pole sitter Scott Brayton dying days after claiming the pole (and a long-retired Danny Ongais coming in to finish seventh), outdated cars (some by as many as three years) and a winner (Buddy Lazier) who all but couldn't get out of the car on his own due to prior injuries. However, Tony Stewart appeared to be the dominant force in his No. 20 Glidden-sponsored Lola Menard V6. What ultimately took him out of the event?
A: Engine issues took Stewart out of third place on Lap 81. Earlier in the event, Stewart had apparently adjusted too much boost into his turbocharged engines and unseated the pop-off valve, eventually blowing his V6. While running too much boost, Stewart was turning laps at near qualifying pace, setting himself up for a possible charge to the front... but it was not to be. After hitting the garage, Stewart was angry, calling the pop-off valves assigned by USAC as "junk." The instance can be seen at the 3:15 mark of this clip while Stewart's interview can be seen here.
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:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- This Week's Topic: What If... An Earnhardt Really Did Rule The NASCAR World Again?
-- Numbers Game: Brickyard 400 by Garrett Horton
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup by StarCoach Race Tours: Indianapolis - Pocono Edition by Brett Poirier
With just six races left until the Chase, Brett takes a look at which drivers are in perfect position to make the field... and which ones are already taking a look ahead towards 2013. Can Pocono be the weekend those slumping wheelmen turn it all around?
Five Points To Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has his weekly edition of talking points to wrap up the first off-week of the season and get us ready for Pocono. Among them: the fallout from Elliott Sadler's restart gone wrong at Indy, why the outside line was such a problem at the 2.5-mile oval and attendance, attendance, attendance.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
ESPN kicked off their 17 races of Sprint Cup coverage with Sunday's Brickyard 400. How did they do in their transition back to NASCAR's top level? Phil Allaway breaks down their strategy, how Saturday's Nationwide telecast was affected and more in his weekly TV Critique.
This year, we have an interesting new weekly feature for our readers where we'll have a special guest stop by on a weekly basis to discuss the technical aspects of our sport. Pocono is up next, with a special guest giving us the inside dish on how to set up a car for the Tricky Triangle.
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny returns with another interesting commentary. This week, he tackles the sudden rush of labeling Jimmie Johnson this year's Cup Series championship favorite.
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