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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 18th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXXXVI
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Hey Race Fans! Do you think you can predict the finishing order of this year's Chase? If you can, we'll give you our shirt! If you want a chance to win a Frontstretch T-Shirt and a free FanVision rental for a race weekend in 2013, now is your chance. Simply submit a list of the 12 Chase drivers in the order you think they will finish. You have until the end of the race at Dover to make your picks - but after the checkered flag flies on that race, we will not accept any more submissions. Then, we'll hang on to all of your predictions until after the final race in Homestead and tally them up. If you can correctly place all 12, you win the T-Shirt and the FanVision rental! If nobody places all 12 correctly, we'll give the prize to whomever can get the most drivers in their correct points positions at the end of the year. Please submit your entries to FrontstretchEditors@googlegroups.com by the moment of the checkered flag at Dover! We will accept only one entry per person (if you submit more than one list, we will only take the FIRST one you submitted!) Good luck!
What To Watch: Tuesday
- Greg Biffle is scheduled to speak with the national media through a weekly teleconference. Biffle, who led the points for more weeks in the regular season than any other driver sits eighth in the Chase, 19 points off the lead after a disappointing 13th-place finish to start the postseason Sunday at Chicagoland.
Top News
by Tom Bowles
Tony Eury, Jr. Out At JR Motorsports
A little less than five years ago, the red carpet was being rolled out for Tony Eury, Jr. to accompany Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to Hendrick Motorsports. Now, the crew chief who directed his former driver to multiple Chase appearances doesn't even have a job at the family business.
Eury, Jr. was released from Earnhardt's Nationwide team, JR Motorsports on Monday, formally removed from his role as crew chief of Danica Patrick's No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Eury had been assigned the job after losing his position as Earnhardt's crew chief within Hendrick Motorsports at the conclusion of the 2009 season; in his place, Ryan Pemberton is expected to take over.
"They're trying to fix the competition of the cars," Eury said to Lee Spencer of FOXSports.com Monday. "They thought they could do better without me there. They hired Ryan and Ryan's their guy."
Patrick has struggled this season, her first on the Nationwide level with just two top-10 finishes in 26 starts. She's currently 11th in the standings, posting just 12 lead-lap finishes and has led just 37 laps. During three years with Eury, she's snagged just one top-5 result -- a fourth at Las Vegas -- and has never developed into the type of championship-level performer the team was hoping for prior to her jump to Sprint Cup full-time in 2013.
"I love him like a brother," Earnhardt claimed of Eury, Jr. in a press release. "You'll never hear me say a bad thing about him. I know he'll have much success in anything he does going forward."
The move comes less than a month after Eury's father, Tony Sr. was released from his JR Motorsports role as Director of Competition. The uncle and cousin of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., respectively they've been connected to the driver's racing career, or team since his rise up to the Cup Series in the late 1990s.
Patrick's mediocrity in the Nationwide Series has been part of a larger competitive downturn in the last three years for Earnhardt's Nationwide Series organization. Since Brad Keselowski left the company in 2009, they've won just once (Jamie McMurray - 2010, Atlanta) led an average of less than 150 laps each season and collected a total of 30 top-5 finishes. In comparison, Keselowski on his own had 22 top-5 results, led 381 laps and was in championship contention for much of the '09 season.
There's no word yet on whether any additional changes will occur to JR Motorsports' other team, the No. 88 Chevrolet driven by Cole Whitt. Pemberton, though, is expected to be on top of the box for Patrick beginning at Kentucky Speedway this weekend.
Chicagoland Confirmed As 2013 Chase Opener
The Windy City will see the start of the Chase breeze through again in 2013. This Sunday, NASCAR confirmed the track will once again host the opening event of its 10-race, Sprint Cup postseason playoff. It'll be the third straight year the 1.5-mile oval has taken center stage after the opener was moved from New Hampshire Motor Speedway at the conclusion of the 2010 season.
The move comes despite lagging attendance at the facility - there were just 65,000 tickets sold for Sunday (see Numbers Game below for more info) - and worries about the quality of competition. There were 16 lead changes Sunday but just one on-track pass for first place under green. However, the facility, which has held a spot on the Cup Series schedule since 2001 remains the best option for NASCAR to connect to a major market at the start of its postseason slate.
At this point, the majority of tracks have now released their 2013 Sprint Cup dates in anticipation of a full schedule being released. With no major changes expected, that could come as early as this weekend at Loudon.
News Bites
- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.'s late-season schedule will consist of at least one Sprint Cup event. The Nationwide Series point leader is now scheduled to run next Sunday at Dover in NASCAR's top-level division, driving Roush Fenway Racing's No. 6 as he prepares for the step up full-time in 2013.
- ESPN analyst Ricky Craven has been named to wave the green flag for Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky. The 46-year-old former Cup driver will be honored while Gallatin County, Kentucky Judge Executive Ken McFarland serves as grand marshal.
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 A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column has a new sheriff in town. Send your question Summer Dreyer's way at summer.dreyer@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
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Today's Featured Commentary
Some Unfamiliar Faces Appearing in NASCAR's Victory Lane... Awesome!
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
Something odd is happening in NASCAR. Should you only watch the Cup coverage on Sunday, you wouldn't notice. But tune in on Saturday or even the occasional Friday and the difference can't be avoided. After about four seasons, a herd of young drivers are ready to stampede over the list of about thirty names that headline our sport week after week.
Who are they? Let me introduce you.
On Saturday at Iowa, Ryan Blaney -- all of a whole 18 years old -- became the youngest driver ever to win a Camping World Truck Series race. Yes, he is the son of a Cup veteran, a note that certainly earned him the media spotlight earlier this season, but it wasn't his Dad beating out hard-edged wheelers like Todd Bodine and Johnny Sauter restart after restart. Did I mention the youngest ever? Destroying the old record held by one Kyle Busch, who may finally have some competition on hand, the teenager can not only can take him on, fender for fender -- but he wasn't even born in the same decade (and Kyle's just 27).
It should also be noted Blaney wasn't the only "wheelman" unable to raise a cold one in the top 5 at Iowa. Ty Dillon, one of the two much discussed and touted grandchildren of Richard Childress driving the famed black No. 3, just passed his 20th birthday in February. But the low number of years accrued in this pair's lifetime doesn't indicate an inability to bring it when the green flag drops. In fact, look at who's at the top of the points race in the Truck Series. That's right -- like his brother, Ty's wasting no time in adding a series championship to his list of achievements.
Now, one could dismiss this success as a result of having the perfectly set-up truck, bringing Blaney or Dillon along for the ride. But no. There's just too much competition even in NASCAR's third-tier racing series for that statement to hold water. We're seeing more youngsters trading paint (you can add Parker Kligerman, James Beuscher, Joey Coulter...sheesh, look at 'em all!) We're seeing them turn the tradition of the Truck Series upside down.
In the past, if you lost your ride in the Cup Series, a Truck team snatched you up and you'd have a real chance at making good. Mike Skinner, Johnny Benson, Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday, Ted Musgrave; the list goes on. All of them were capable of teaching any new rookies their place in the world and introducing them to the ways of beatin' and bangin' that is an integral part of stock car competition. Along the way, the veterans stomped the field and became champions.
But it seems, like our entire sport, the Truck Series is evolving into something new. Something younger. Drivers like Blaney and Dillon are arriving on NASCAR's doorstep in machines capable of taking on the vets, and they are also gaining training in lower series before they do their first big national TV interview. Now, instead of an uncertain rookie, we have young, eager and capable talents ready to race and to win.
Win races and even series titles. Austin Dillon stole the Truck trophy in 2011 and is currently giving another youngster -- yes, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.'s been in the headlines of late, too -- a run for the money in the Nationwide Series. All the while, Elliott Sadler's frustration with his inability to just put the young 'uns away grows week after week. His No. 2 was supposed to be a shoe-in for the NNS trophy. So much for the older and wiser dominating NASCAR, everywhere we look.
So yes, go ahead and grumble that all SPEED and ESPN can talk about are the aging Chasers and their regular appearances in the lesser series; the networks' lack of peripheral vision is too true. But know there's hope! We will have a brighter future, one that has not been pimped and pushed by a certain .com. The sound of different names can be heard every week. They are even becoming familiar. These guys can muscle their way around an oval, look at the camera while smiling and even go chest-to-chest with some of the most intimidating personalities in the garage.
NASCAR isn't dying. It's actually enjoying a rebirth. I'm loving every minute of it.
Author's Note: I finally made it to Facebook! You may follow my doings on and off the track when you like my page: http://facebook.com/Author.SDGrady
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Chicagoland: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 12th
Finished: 12th (lead lap)
Points Position: 11th
Chicagoland: NSCS in the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 41st
Finished: 25th (running, two laps down)
Points Position: Not eligible for points in this series
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: GEICO 400
by Garrett Horton
0
Despite all of Jimmie Johnson's Chase accomplishments, there is still a goose egg in the win column for Chase race openers.
2
The number of times a driver who won the Chase opener went on to win the championship – Kurt Busch in 2004 and Tony Stewart in 2011.
2 hours, 47 minutes, 37 seconds
The amount of time it took to complete 267 laps in Sunday's running of the Geico 400. That's the 17th event this season, out of 27 that a Cup race was finished in less than three hours.
3.6
Jimmie Johnson has an average finish of 3.6 in the 10 Chase races where he started from the pole, and has finished top 5 or better in the last seven.
4
Unlucky 13? Not in the 2012 Sprint Cup season. Brad Keselowski won from the 13th starting position, the fourth time this year a driver has gone on to Victory Lane after starting in this spot. The only other starting position that has generated that many wins this year is from fifth place.
8
Brad Keselowski earned his eighth career Sprint Cup victory on Sunday, moving him into a tie with Kyle Petty for 61st most all-time.
10
Jeff Gordon now has ten finishes of 20th or worse in 2012, slightly under his total of 12 top 10's on the year.
10.0
The average finishing position of the eventual Cup champion in the first Chase race.
11
Sam Hornish, Jr. has finished 11th in three consecutive events.
12
Ryan Newman has 12 wins in a Dodge, more than any other driver since the manufacturer returned to the sport in 2001. Brad Keselowski has some work to do if he wishes to exceed that mark as seven of his eight wins have come with Dodge. Penske Racing had announced earlier this year they are switching to Ford in 2013, leaving Chrysler Group, LLC with no other option but to leave the sport once again after this year.
13
Regular season points champ Greg Biffle continued his Chicago struggles on Sunday, coming home in 13th place. In ten races at the speedway, he has only finished inside the top 10 once.
15
Martin Truex, Jr. posted his 15th top-10 result of the season at Chicagoland, eclipsing his previous personal best of 14 in 2007, which was the only other year he has made the Chase.
58
This is the first time in 58 races that a Dodge driver has led the point standings. Kurt Busch had led the points after race four in Bristol of last year driving the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge entry.
65,000
The estimated attendance for Sunday's race, the third-lowest for any Cup event this season. Only Martinsville and Darlington - with 63,000 fans, respectively in their small-market regions - drew a smaller at-track audience.
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: The Chase is Here...and In Like a Lamb
by Bryan Davis Keith
Who's Hot/Who's Not in NASCAR: Chicago/New Hampshire Edition
by Brett Poirier
Tech Talk: Trying to Recapture the Magic at Loudon for Tony Stewart
by Mike Neff
Opening Day for NASCAR's Chase Sets the Tone on ESPN
by Phil Allaway
One Year Later: The IndyCar Finale
by Danny Peters
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Even before the current oval was built in Loudon, NH, there were a couple of NASCAR races run on the 1.6-mile road course for a series known as NASCAR North. What was NASCAR North?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Prior to the construction of the current 1.058-mile oval at what is now New Hampshire Motor Speedway, what was located on the site of the oval in Loudon?
A: Before the property's purchase and reconstruction, the property was known as Bryar Motorsports Park, a 1.6-mile road course that hosted SCCA club races and the annual Loudon Classic for motorcycles. The start-finish line of the current oval is roughly where Bryar's start-finish line was, but the road course was run clockwise. This is a picture of the control tower at Bryar Motorsports Park back in 1987, just three short years before the complex was razed to build the then-New Hampshire International Speedway.
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
-- Beth's Brief 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
Tom returns with a series of "quick hit" discussion points. Among them: who is really running JR Motorsports? And can a "family" business succeed in NASCAR anymore?
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different subjects. This week's topics include whether Jeff Gordon is already out of the championship hunt after Sunday, if AJ Allmendinger is ready to be reinstated by NASCAR, whether the Sprint Cup schedule needs to be overhauled, and more.
Sprint Cup Power Rankings compiled by Summer Bedgood
Did Sunday's action in Joliet significantly shake up our Power Rankings? You'll have to check it out in order to see where the drivers stand going into Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Kevin's Corner by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin's back with another interesting commentary.
Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
We'll have a top ten list that will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.
Open-Wheel Wednesday by the Frontstretch Staff
With the season now complete and Ryan Hunter-Reay crowned as champion, our staff convenes to review the biggest stories going into the offseason.
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