The Frontstretch Newsletter: August 14th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 14th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXI

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Top News
by Tom Bowles

Logano Emerging As Leading Candidate For No. 22 Ride

Roger Penske's top choice for the No. 22 appears to be not much older than the car number he'd be driving. 22-year-old Joey Logano, currently with Joe Gibbs Racing is emerging as the favorite, according to a SportingNews report although Penske himself indicated last weekend no decision had been made. The car owner hopes to make an announcement on a full-time driver for 2013 within the next month.

At the moment, Sam Hornish, Jr. is occupying the seat after AJ Allmendinger was suspended, then released for failing a drug test after Kentucky in June. Hornish has impressed as of late, snagging a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen on Sunday and drives the team's Nationwide Series entry full-time, making him a logical choice. But Penske's original plan was to find sponsorship for a third Cup car, with Hornish as the driver and that option looks to be preferred at this point.

Logano's contract with JGR is up at the end of this season. He's been offered a contract extension by the team for 2013 but will be out of his ride; Matt Kenseth is almost certainly manning the No. 20, meaning Logano's contract would be contingent on sponsorship funding for a new, fourth car.

Sponsorship Search For Stewart-Haas Racing Continues

Ryan Newman's 2013 plans appear to rest exclusively with his current team. Negotiations continue with the Cup veteran, whose contract is up after this season but a statement by SHR Tuesday claimed, "Stewart-Haas Racing continues to negotiate with one driver and one driver only for the #39 car, and that driver is Ryan Newman."

The car remains without sponsorship for at least a dozen events next year, as the U.S. Army declined an opportunity to re-sign with the program. Reports have the team negotiating for additional funding from current sponsors Quicken Loans, Outback Steakhouse, and even new 2013 teammate Danica Patrick's sponsor GoDaddy in order to fill the gaps and keep the No. 39 on-track.

Newman recently denied he'd been in contact with Penske about their 2013 program.

Jerry Grant Dead At 77

The first man ever to turn a lap faster than 200 MPH in an IndyCar has passed away. Jerry Grant died Sunday at the age of 77 after an undisclosed illness. A competitor in open-wheel and NASCAR for nearly 20 years, his 201+ mph lap at Ontario, CA in 1972 broke the barrier for IndyCars on a closed course. Sadly, the pole-winning run never translated into race trim; shortly after the green flag fell, on race day the engine expired keeping Grant from ever completing a lap.

That event would mark a high point in Grant's winless USAC career. The California-based driver, who was primarily a road racing specialist did compete in the Indy 500 ten times, posting a best finish of seventh in 1970 and nearly won the event in 1972, leading 16 laps before being felled by a late pit stop that disqualified him from the race.

Grant also competed in a handful of NASCAR events, from 1965 to 1974 with a best finish of fifth, twice. One of those events was the 1967 Daytona 500, the very same one fellow open-wheeler Mario Andretti came out on top.

Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.

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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!

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Today's Featured Commentary
Watkins Glen's Near Perfect Finish Makes Memories and Ratings
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

The sound of the gunshot ricochets off the multitudes that fill the stadium.  The runners leap up.  Heartbeats, the thump of feet and harsh breathing fill the air.  In this moment, only the finish line matters.  The tape snaps and the chaos of the fans suddenly impedes upon the competitor's awareness.

Yes, millions watched the race, but if you ask the spectators what about those few seconds or minutes they'll remember, the answers won't be of legs pumping.  They will recall the stunned smile of victory, a flag draped over shoulders and a kiss placed upon an aging picture.  It is the moment where any meeting of individuals, such as the just completed Summer Olympics, makes the leap from mere competition and morphs into worldwide spectacle.

It is spectacle that has forever marked NASCAR as the premiere form of auto racing in America, and some could argue, the world. 

Normally the responsibility of creating the eye candy for the fans gets passed off to the track promoters.  Rock concerts, fireworks, can koozies and insane stunts are only some of the carrots dangled in front of the fan with the cash.  However, the races I hold most fond in my personal scrapbook are those that combine some good old beatin' and bangin' followed by a Victory Lane celebration with more than a hat dance included.

We got that in spades at Watkins Glen this past Sunday.  During the final lap, racing fans were treated to the best example of "have at it, boys," we've seen in years.  The No.'s 9 and 2 both had the car and the driver needed to steal the win from the other.  There was dirt and dust and dents.  Had Ambrose and Keselowski simply put a fender to a bumper at the right time, instead of ecstatic teams shaking hands on pit road, we would've had more whining from the victor and the first loser than we cared to hear.

That finish was, quite simply, perfect. 

The action on the track sent me rocketing off the couch.  The cats ran for cover and I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what just happened.  I was thrilled that the two cars took the game all the way to the finish line.  What made it better were the post-race shots of the Miller Lite boys shaking hands with the Stanley crew, and not a frown to be seen anywhere. 

How often is it that even the battling teams are as thrilled with the outcome of the race as the fans? Only when said competitors are aware that what they just created was one of those rare spectacles that becomes a branding moment for NASCAR and their individual careers.

Brad Keselowski said it all as he entered the media center post race. "That ought to be worth a few ratings points."  And probably another 100,000 followers on Twitter.

ESPN will burn the midnight oil to craft a thrilling highlight reel, complete with a few choice quotes from Keselowski, and run it every time they think NASCAR could use a little bump.  The ratings and attendance for the races leading up to the Chase will benefit from Sunday's post-race euphoria and the sport can hope another asphalt miracle will happen.

Fans tune in when underdogs steal a win, when their favorite literally pushes a rival across the finish line and when something wholly unexpected happens.  Surprise always trumps consistency in the, "Hey! Watch this!" category. 

There are reasons why NASCAR has a 43 car field, one being that with enough cars on a track at some point they are likely to come together in conflict.  However, that hasn't occurred on a weekly basis as the sport turned more and more to cookie-cutter tracks in an effort to snare the elusive aero control that the car builders and drivers strive to conquer.  We've watched the side-by-side action of the short tracks turn into afternoon long parades.  Road courses don't always stave off the boredom.  Even in the opening laps of Sunday's Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen, I wondered if anybody would be seeing much of Kyle Busch until the checkers fell.

But we were pleasantly surprised, weren't we?  Parts failures, fuel snafus and a random car fire all combined to serve us up one hell of a finish.  The kind we'll be talking about for years to come. 

Sideways cars, blurred hands trying to keep their machine straight, bumpers inches from their target and...smiles.  Great big grins (Does anybody have a bigger smile than Ambrose?) all up and down pit road graced the tire carriers, crew chiefs, drivers and fans alike. 

That's the moment we'll recall for years to come.  That's the one where young and old joined together and proclaimed, "Now you know why we're race fans!"

Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Watkins Glen: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 23th
Finished: 43th (DNF, crash)
Points Position: 11th

S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch.com.  She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com.  Follow her on Twitter at @laregna.

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Numbers Game: Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen
by Garrett Horton

2
This marked the second race in 2012 where there was a lead change on the final lap. The other came at Daytona a few weeks ago.

3
This is the third win for Ford this year.  Ambrose joins Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle as representatives of the Blue Oval in Victory Lane in 2012.

4
Brian Vickers didn't even get to complete a lap in the No. 55 Toyota on Sunday due to an engine failure.  It marked the fourth engine failure for the No. 55 in 2012.

6
Sunday's runner-up Brad Keselowski has six consecutive top-10 finishes, the longest current streak.

7
Kyle Busch finished in the top 10 at Watkins Glen for the seventh straight race.  In fact, the only time he failed to finish outside the top 10 there was his rookie year in 2005, when he finished 33rd.

12
Martin Truex, Jr. finished tenth on Sunday, his 12th top-10 of the year which matches his total from all of 2011 combined.

16th
Paul Menard is currently the highest driver in points without a top-5 finish in 2012, sitting 16th in the standings.  His best result so far was a sixth in the season-opening Daytona 500.

20.4
Joey Logano's average finish since winning Pocono eight races ago.

21.0
As bad as it's been for Logano since his Pocono victory, it's been slightly worse for his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.  Hamlin's average finish in the same span has been a 21.0.  Sunday's engine failure/fire only made things worse for Hamlin.

32
Jimmie Johnson is the points leader for the first time this year, and for the first time in the last 32 races.  The last time the five-time champ was atop the standings was race 25 in Atlanta last year.

44
Marcos Ambrose sits 44 points behind the second occupant of the wildcard spot for this year's Chase, Ryan Newman. 

45
Sam Hornish posted his first top-5 since the August Michigan event in 2009. It's his first in his last 45 Cup races run and only the third in his Sprint Cup career.

2006
When Marcos Ambrose picked up his second career win at Watkins Glen, he became the first driver since Denny Hamlin in 2005 to win his first two Sprint Cup races at the same track.  Hamlin won his first two Cup points races at Pocono Raceway (he also won the 2006 Budweiser Shootout, but that is an exhibition race).

Garrett Horton is a Contributor to Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at garrett.horton@frontstretch.com.  Follow him on Twitter at @Garrett_Horton.

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Five Points to Ponder: Keselowski, Road Courses and "Real Racing"
by Bryan Davis Keith

Who's Hot/ Who's Not in NASCAR: Watkins Glen/ Michigan Edition
by Brett Poirier

Steve Letarte on Repeating at Michigan, New Tire
by Mike Neff

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  In 1992, Harry Gant claimed his final Winston Cup victory in the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway.  How did Gant pull this win off, and at the same time, amend his existing record for the oldest driver to win a Cup race?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Friday's Answer:

Q:  In the 1998 Bud at the Glen, Jeff Gordon shared the front row with Ron Fellows, who drove the No. 96 Caterpillar Chevrolet for American Equipment Racing (possibly the weakest full-time team in Cup at the time).  Fellows ended up finishing a distant 42nd, 21 laps down in the race.  What happened?

A:  According to Fellows, he apparently lost drive to one of the rear wheels on a restart.  On the radio, this was described as a massive vibration.  However, it was not caused by a broken axle, as they were checked and determined to be just fine.  Regardless, the Caterpillar crew meticulously fixed up the No. 96 and got Fellows back on track.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee:  If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs!  If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Brad Morgan
-- Commentary Article by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
What made Watkins Glen so competitive? Tom Bowles on some keys that might revitalize a full field of 43, the Free Agent that wasn't and more in his small but important list of small observations around the circuit.

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different topics. Among them: Should NASCAR have thrown a caution (or even a red flag) to clean up the oil from Bobby Labonte's at the end of Sunday's race, the benefits of road racing in the Chase, and whether its worth it for the Nationwide Series to race in Montreal.

Kevin's Corner by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin is back with a look at songs that can be considered to be "NASCAR Anthems."  Will one of your favorites make the list?  Well, you'll have to check it out to see.

Frontstretch Top Ten by Jeff Meyer
We'll have a top ten list that will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.

Open-Wheel Wednesday by P. Huston Ladner
Huston will take on one of the top IndyCar storylines of the week in our look at open-wheel.

Beyond The Cockpit: TBA

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