THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 17th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXXXV
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Keselowski Blows Away Field Late to Win at Chicagoland
by Jeff Wolfe
Brad Keselowski drives car No. 2. But maybe it was the fear of being No. 2 that propelled Keselowski to victory in the first race of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship.
Keselowski had three wins during the 26-race regular season, but the team feared it wouldn't be good enough to compete against the likes of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the final ten races. So, not content with the possibility of being No. 2 behind Johnson's No. 48, the team brought a new car to Chicagoland Sunday in front of 65,000 fans and took it to his biggest rival after the day's final pit stop.
"We knew we needed a little speed here," said Keselowski's crew chief, Paul Wolfe. "Through the summer months we had some great races and great finishes, but we knew we needed a little more to run with the 48. Now, we were able to see the results today."
While Keselowski was in the top-3 most of the event, he hadn't been able to put much pressure on Johnson. The No. 48 car led 172 of the 267 laps and as the final green-flag pit stops began, that Chevy had just over a one-second lead on Keselowski.
While Johnson pitted first with 38 laps remaining, Keselowski came in a lap later. When he exited pit road, he came out even with Johnson and took the lead for good on lap 242 in a race that had four cautions for 23 laps and went green for the final 73.
"I feel like as the closing laps came down there, the second part of the race, it looked like it was going to be between us and the 48," Wolfe said. "Obviously clean air is so important, and to be able to come down pit road and have a great stop like we did and be able to just clear and get back on the racetrack, I felt like that was the key."
Johnson expressed some concern over the radio that Keselowski had come up on the racing surface too soon after the final pit stop, resulting in crew chief Chad Knaus asking NASCAR to take a look at it. Officials reviewed the film and determined that Keselowski's re-entry was fine.
"Yeah, I think you look at it, there is no enforced line like you see in other sports, and that's not a bad thing," Keselowski said. "That's just one more thing to monitor during the race. It's a policy of merging down the backstretch, off of Turn 2 I think it said specifically in the driver's meeting, and I feel like that's what we did."
And when reviewing the results of the race, Johnson acknowledged that Keselowski was simply faster in those final laps.
"The last maybe three runs he was definitely a factor," said Johnson. "The last one he was just better. "
Keselowski, who has eight career Sprint Cup victories, said he wasn't holding anything back over the final 50 miles in case Johnson had a little extra left in the tank.
"We were both showing our hand," he said. "I don't know if the 48 slowed down or we sped up, but for some reason we just took off. It seemed like this race was about 20 laps longer than I wanted to be. It feels like Round 1 of a heavyweight title bout. It feels good to win it and it's great, but there are a lot of rounds left."
And while, of course, everyone wants to win, taking the first race of the Chase is no guarantee of a championship. Only Kurt Busch in 2004, the first year of the Chase, and Tony Stewart last year have won the first race and gone on to win the title. Keselowski had expressed his unhappiness earlier this year saying Johnson, one of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the Chase, had an unfair advantage, comparing the rest of the field to driving trucks compared to Johnson's car.
Now, it's Keselowski who has the edge in the points.
"Rusty (Wallace, the retired and long-time driver of the No. 2) would say, I'm driving a hot rod right now," Keselowski said. "I'm driving a hot rod now instead of truck."
Following Keselowski and Johnson in the top-10 were Kasey Kahne in third, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr. and Clint Bowyer.
While Kahne was in the top five most of the day, he could never mount a serious challenge for the lead as he never led a lap.
"It was good all day, but not as good as the 48, or good as Brad at the end," Kahne said of his car. "I felt good about it, but we couldn't get it any better."
Feeling good was a fresh feeling for Keselowski's owner Roger Penske, just 24 hours removed from driver Will Power losing the IndyCar championship by three points. Plus, Penske is the lone NASCAR owner that uses a Dodge; the manufacturer announced earlier this year that it was pulling out of the sport after Penske announced it was moving to Ford for the 2013 season. Some wondered whether the organization would get the support needed to mount a challenge in the postseason, much less contend for Sprint Cup's highest honor.
But what could be an awkward situation was a winning one Sunday.
"I think the one thing we both have done, we've clasped our hands and said we're going to go for it and do our very best, because they've been a great partner and I think the cooperation technically that they've had with our chassis guys, our engine people and aerodynamic people has been terrific," Penske said. "We might be backing out of the garage, but I certainly want to leave them with the best results we can."
And no one could argue with those results Sunday. Up next, the Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sylvania 300, race No. 2 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Coverage begins Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm EDT with the actual race beginning shortly after 2:00.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 17th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXXXV
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Keselowski Blows Away Field Late to Win at Chicagoland
by Jeff Wolfe
Brad Keselowski drives car No. 2. But maybe it was the fear of being No. 2 that propelled Keselowski to victory in the first race of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship.
Keselowski had three wins during the 26-race regular season, but the team feared it wouldn't be good enough to compete against the likes of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the final ten races. So, not content with the possibility of being No. 2 behind Johnson's No. 48, the team brought a new car to Chicagoland Sunday in front of 65,000 fans and took it to his biggest rival after the day's final pit stop.
"We knew we needed a little speed here," said Keselowski's crew chief, Paul Wolfe. "Through the summer months we had some great races and great finishes, but we knew we needed a little more to run with the 48. Now, we were able to see the results today."
While Keselowski was in the top-3 most of the event, he hadn't been able to put much pressure on Johnson. The No. 48 car led 172 of the 267 laps and as the final green-flag pit stops began, that Chevy had just over a one-second lead on Keselowski.
While Johnson pitted first with 38 laps remaining, Keselowski came in a lap later. When he exited pit road, he came out even with Johnson and took the lead for good on lap 242 in a race that had four cautions for 23 laps and went green for the final 73.
"I feel like as the closing laps came down there, the second part of the race, it looked like it was going to be between us and the 48," Wolfe said. "Obviously clean air is so important, and to be able to come down pit road and have a great stop like we did and be able to just clear and get back on the racetrack, I felt like that was the key."
Johnson expressed some concern over the radio that Keselowski had come up on the racing surface too soon after the final pit stop, resulting in crew chief Chad Knaus asking NASCAR to take a look at it. Officials reviewed the film and determined that Keselowski's re-entry was fine.
"Yeah, I think you look at it, there is no enforced line like you see in other sports, and that's not a bad thing," Keselowski said. "That's just one more thing to monitor during the race. It's a policy of merging down the backstretch, off of Turn 2 I think it said specifically in the driver's meeting, and I feel like that's what we did."
And when reviewing the results of the race, Johnson acknowledged that Keselowski was simply faster in those final laps.
"The last maybe three runs he was definitely a factor," said Johnson. "The last one he was just better. "
Keselowski, who has eight career Sprint Cup victories, said he wasn't holding anything back over the final 50 miles in case Johnson had a little extra left in the tank.
"We were both showing our hand," he said. "I don't know if the 48 slowed down or we sped up, but for some reason we just took off. It seemed like this race was about 20 laps longer than I wanted to be. It feels like Round 1 of a heavyweight title bout. It feels good to win it and it's great, but there are a lot of rounds left."
And while, of course, everyone wants to win, taking the first race of the Chase is no guarantee of a championship. Only Kurt Busch in 2004, the first year of the Chase, and Tony Stewart last year have won the first race and gone on to win the title. Keselowski had expressed his unhappiness earlier this year saying Johnson, one of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the Chase, had an unfair advantage, comparing the rest of the field to driving trucks compared to Johnson's car.
Now, it's Keselowski who has the edge in the points.
"Rusty (Wallace, the retired and long-time driver of the No. 2) would say, I'm driving a hot rod right now," Keselowski said. "I'm driving a hot rod now instead of truck."
Following Keselowski and Johnson in the top-10 were Kasey Kahne in third, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr. and Clint Bowyer.
While Kahne was in the top five most of the day, he could never mount a serious challenge for the lead as he never led a lap.
"It was good all day, but not as good as the 48, or good as Brad at the end," Kahne said of his car. "I felt good about it, but we couldn't get it any better."
Feeling good was a fresh feeling for Keselowski's owner Roger Penske, just 24 hours removed from driver Will Power losing the IndyCar championship by three points. Plus, Penske is the lone NASCAR owner that uses a Dodge; the manufacturer announced earlier this year that it was pulling out of the sport after Penske announced it was moving to Ford for the 2013 season. Some wondered whether the organization would get the support needed to mount a challenge in the postseason, much less contend for Sprint Cup's highest honor.
But what could be an awkward situation was a winning one Sunday.
"I think the one thing we both have done, we've clasped our hands and said we're going to go for it and do our very best, because they've been a great partner and I think the cooperation technically that they've had with our chassis guys, our engine people and aerodynamic people has been terrific," Penske said. "We might be backing out of the garage, but I certainly want to leave them with the best results we can."
And no one could argue with those results Sunday. Up next, the Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sylvania 300, race No. 2 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Coverage begins Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm EDT with the actual race beginning shortly after 2:00.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Chasing the Chase: Top-10 Clinch Chase Spots, But Final Wild Card Up for Grabs
by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin had good runs going at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday afternoon in the first race of the Sprint Cup Chase for the championship, the first race in NASCAR's 10-race playoff system.
But they ended in disappointment.
Gordon's bad fortune came first. After starting 19th, he had moved up into the top-5 by the time the second half of the race started. Gordon was in fourth on lap 187 when disaster struck. He was heading into Turn 1 when the throttle stuck, sending him into the wall and effectively out of the race. The result was a 35th-place finish that put him 47 points behind leader and Sunday's race winner Brad Keselowski.
"We were having a good day," Gordon said. "We had a throttle stick. I just let off the throttle and it didn't come all the way back. In this deal, you can't afford to have issues like that."
Hamlin's issue came much later … the final lap of the race. He appeared set to finish ninth, but ran out of gas and had to settle for 16th. That cost him precious points as he is now fourth in the standings, 15 behind Keselowski.
"We didn't get the car full (of gas)," Hamlin said of the last pit stop. "We decided to make an adjustment and not put the full fuel in it. They told me it was four laps short, but I couldn't slow down enough. It's tough to lose that many spots that late. It's a thing we have to learn and grow from."
Hamlin came into Sunday with the points lead, based on his four wins earlier this season.
A couple of drivers that avoided disaster were Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr.
Earnhardt had to start the race at the back of the field after he blew his engine after qualifying on Saturday. He managed to finish eighth and sits in seventh place in the Chase, 17 points behind Keselowski.
"I'm disappointed in myself in making a mistake with the engine and having to start in the back," Earnhardt said. "The first 100 to 130 laps, we had a really fast car. We made a couple of adjustments that didn't help us out and we sort of made the car ordinary."
Ordinary was actually just fine with Truex. The team had trouble with the splitter being too low early in the race and struggled to stay in the top 20. But adjustments helped him to a ninth-place finish Sunday, putting him in ninth in the standings, 21 points behind Keselowski.
Matt Kenseth also didn't have the greatest of days. He finished 18th and had his car lose a shock absorber at one point in the race.
So where does that leave us now? Keselowski's three-point lead on Johnson in second gives them both breathing room heading to Loudon. Tony Stewart is third, a sixth-place finish leaving him eight points back and the only other driver within double digits of the top.
Chase for the Championship Standings: 1) Brad Keselowski 2056, 2) Jimmie Johnson -3, 3) Tony Stewart -8, t-4) Denny Hamlin -15, t-4) Kasey Kahne -15, t-4) Clint Bowyer -15, 7) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -17, 8) Greg Biffle -19, 9) Martin Truex, Jr. -21, 10) Kevin Harvick -24, 11) Matt Kenseth -26, 12) Jeff Gordon -47.
Best of the Rest: 13) Kyle Busch 814, 14) Ryan Newman -41, 15) Carl Edwards -42, 16) Paul Menard -54, 17) Marcos Ambrose -62.
Race Winners: Matt Kenseth (Daytona 500), Denny Hamlin (Phoenix, Kansas, Bristol 2, Atlanta), Tony Stewart (Las Vegas, Fontana, Daytona 2), Brad Keselowski (Bristol, Talladega, Kentucky, Chicagoland 2), Ryan Newman (Martinsville), Greg Biffle (Texas, Michigan 2), Kyle Busch (Richmond), Jimmie Johnson (Darlington, Dover, Indianapolis), Kasey Kahne (Charlotte, New Hampshire), Joey Logano (Pocono 1), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Michigan 1), Clint Bowyer (Sonoma, Richmond 2), Jeff Gordon (Pocono 2), Marcos Ambrose (Watkins Glen).
Tracking The Top 35: Bayne Shrinks the Gap, But It's Still Huge
The gap between the 35th and 36th place cars shrunk by nine points after Sunday's race at Chicagoland, dropping to 115 points; but that's like trying to shrink the Grand Canyon. The top-35 in owner points are guaranteed a starting spot in each week's race, and as has been the case since the first two months of the season, the margin remains a wide one.
The No. 36 car driven by Dave Blaney finished 33rd, but the car owned by Tommy Baldwin Racing lost 13 points to the No. 21 car driven by Trevor Bayne, who finished 20th. Bayne's second consecutive top-20 finish was enough for the No. 21 to once again leapfrog the Circle Point No. 33 into 36th in owner points. For Circle Point this week, Cole Whitt was a late change behind the wheel; however, the team still pulled its car in early, a start-and-park job leaving them a lowly 37th.
Here's your owners point standings around the all-important cutoff...
29) Germain Racing (No. 13 – Casey Mears), 237 points ahead of 36th.
30) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - David Gilliland), 234 points ahead of 36th.
31) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Ragan), 227 points ahead of 36th.
32) BK Racing (No. 83 - Landon Cassill), 203 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing / Stewart-Haas Racing (No. 10 – Danica Patrick), 158 points ahead of 36th.
34) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – T.J. Bell), 130 points ahead of 36th.
35) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), 115 points ahead of 36th.
36) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), 115 points behind 35th.
37) Circle Point, LLC (No. 33 – Cole Whitt), 128 points behind 35th.
38) Inception Motorsports (No. 30 – David Stremme), 157 points behind 35th.
39) Robinson-Blakeney Racing (No. 49 – Jason Leffler), 198 points behind 35th.
40) Front Row Motorsports (No. 26 - Josh Wise), 208 points behind 35th.
41) Phil Parsons Racing (No. 98 – Michael McDowell), 209 points behind 35th.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Secret Star of the Week: The Race You Never Saw
Since we're now in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, it seems like anyone who isn't in the Chase could be worthy of these honors. However, that is a complaint for another place and another day -- the bottom line is the intense Chaser focus on ESPN's part means that a number of great runs really weren't recognized. One of these runs was the performance put together by Joey Logano.
After announcing his departure from the team at the end of the season a couple of weeks ago, Logano put up one of his worst performances of the season at Richmond. However, "Sliced Bread" was slicing through the field all weekend in Joliet. Logano qualified a strong tenth, then quickly moved into the top 5, spending much of the race there while toiling in anonymity. He dropped back on the final run of the race to finish seventh, definitely one of Logano's best runs of 2012 while giving the No. 20 team some momentum for the rest of the season. - Phil Allaway
STAT OF THE WEEK: 13. This represents the number of drivers who finished less than 35 laps during Saturday's Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. None of these teams were eliminated in wrecks; it was all drivers parking it for the day. That's just one more sign that something needs to be done in order to curb costs and attract sponsors to NASCAR's secondary series. - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: GEICO 400
"We probably passed more cars than anybody today, so not exactly what we were looking for. We were just a little bit off and we'll keep working on it, but if we can be a little bit off and end up with a top-10, then we're in good shape." - Tony Stewart, finished sixth
"Obviously a very frustrating ending. We ran strong in the beginning and then had some issues on pit road that pushed us back in the pack. But we kept on plugging away and just before the engine started to smoke, I felt we were on pace to have at least a top-15 finish." - Regan Smith, finished 34th (Blown Engine)
"I think we made a lot of progress in the race. I think Zip (Greg Zipadelli, race strategist) did a good job of changing the car and making good changes each time. We got a little bit loose toward the end, and I feel like we lost a little bit of ground in that run. But then in the last run, I felt like we got a little bit of that back, and, if anything, we were a little tight. So be careful what you ask for, I guess. Ultimately I think it was generally a big improvement on overall lap time throughout a run, and that is the kind of stuff we need to be doing." - Danica Patrick, finished 25th.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Chicagoland Race Recap
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: NASCAR's Chicagoland "Cutoff," Mental Mistakes And Big Payoffs
by the Frontstretch Staff
Elimination Station: Whittling Down Title Contenders After Week 1
by Tom Bowles
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the GEICO 400
by Amy Henderson
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Dollar General 300
by Bryan Davis Keith
IndyCar Race Recap: MavTV 500
by Toni Montgomery
Tracking the Trucks: American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
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?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Kevin Harvick may have won the first two Tropicana 400s run at Chicagoland Speedway, but repeating turned out to be a very difficult task. What happened to put Harvick way back in the pack?
A: Shortly after a restart, Harvick rubbed up against Kurt Busch in the tri-oval. This contact put Harvick down on the apron entering Turn 1. Upon reaching the 18 degree banks, Harvick then spun in front of half of the field. No one touched him, but a secondary crash collected Jerry Nadeau, Hut Stricklin, and Jimmy Spencer. The incident can be seen starting at the 1:55 mark of this clip. Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. have the call for NBC.
Harvick was the only driver to come out of this incident unscathed. Nadeau and Stricklin each spent time off track before re-entering the race and later dropping out. Stricklin finished 36th, while Nadeau was 37th. Spencer finished 28 laps down in 32nd after his stint inside the garage for repairs.
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!
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: GEICO 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: Richmond / Chicago Edition by Brett Poirier
The Chase is here, and Brett takes a look at which drivers are in position to take the field by storm... and which ones are already taking a look ahead towards 2013.
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. This week, Steve Addington comes by to talk setup for Tony Stewart's No. 14 and what it takes to make the Magic Mile "magical" this postseason.
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny is back with another commentary to make you think. This year, he looks at the one-year mark after the death of Dan Wheldon and how closure came to the IndyCar Series on the heels of a tragedy-free weekend out in Fontana.
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
Chasing the Chase: Top-10 Clinch Chase Spots, But Final Wild Card Up for Grabs
by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin had good runs going at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday afternoon in the first race of the Sprint Cup Chase for the championship, the first race in NASCAR's 10-race playoff system.
But they ended in disappointment.
Gordon's bad fortune came first. After starting 19th, he had moved up into the top-5 by the time the second half of the race started. Gordon was in fourth on lap 187 when disaster struck. He was heading into Turn 1 when the throttle stuck, sending him into the wall and effectively out of the race. The result was a 35th-place finish that put him 47 points behind leader and Sunday's race winner Brad Keselowski.
"We were having a good day," Gordon said. "We had a throttle stick. I just let off the throttle and it didn't come all the way back. In this deal, you can't afford to have issues like that."
Hamlin's issue came much later … the final lap of the race. He appeared set to finish ninth, but ran out of gas and had to settle for 16th. That cost him precious points as he is now fourth in the standings, 15 behind Keselowski.
"We didn't get the car full (of gas)," Hamlin said of the last pit stop. "We decided to make an adjustment and not put the full fuel in it. They told me it was four laps short, but I couldn't slow down enough. It's tough to lose that many spots that late. It's a thing we have to learn and grow from."
Hamlin came into Sunday with the points lead, based on his four wins earlier this season.
A couple of drivers that avoided disaster were Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr.
Earnhardt had to start the race at the back of the field after he blew his engine after qualifying on Saturday. He managed to finish eighth and sits in seventh place in the Chase, 17 points behind Keselowski.
"I'm disappointed in myself in making a mistake with the engine and having to start in the back," Earnhardt said. "The first 100 to 130 laps, we had a really fast car. We made a couple of adjustments that didn't help us out and we sort of made the car ordinary."
Ordinary was actually just fine with Truex. The team had trouble with the splitter being too low early in the race and struggled to stay in the top 20. But adjustments helped him to a ninth-place finish Sunday, putting him in ninth in the standings, 21 points behind Keselowski.
Matt Kenseth also didn't have the greatest of days. He finished 18th and had his car lose a shock absorber at one point in the race.
So where does that leave us now? Keselowski's three-point lead on Johnson in second gives them both breathing room heading to Loudon. Tony Stewart is third, a sixth-place finish leaving him eight points back and the only other driver within double digits of the top.
Chase for the Championship Standings: 1) Brad Keselowski 2056, 2) Jimmie Johnson -3, 3) Tony Stewart -8, t-4) Denny Hamlin -15, t-4) Kasey Kahne -15, t-4) Clint Bowyer -15, 7) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -17, 8) Greg Biffle -19, 9) Martin Truex, Jr. -21, 10) Kevin Harvick -24, 11) Matt Kenseth -26, 12) Jeff Gordon -47.
Best of the Rest: 13) Kyle Busch 814, 14) Ryan Newman -41, 15) Carl Edwards -42, 16) Paul Menard -54, 17) Marcos Ambrose -62.
Race Winners: Matt Kenseth (Daytona 500), Denny Hamlin (Phoenix, Kansas, Bristol 2, Atlanta), Tony Stewart (Las Vegas, Fontana, Daytona 2), Brad Keselowski (Bristol, Talladega, Kentucky, Chicagoland 2), Ryan Newman (Martinsville), Greg Biffle (Texas, Michigan 2), Kyle Busch (Richmond), Jimmie Johnson (Darlington, Dover, Indianapolis), Kasey Kahne (Charlotte, New Hampshire), Joey Logano (Pocono 1), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Michigan 1), Clint Bowyer (Sonoma, Richmond 2), Jeff Gordon (Pocono 2), Marcos Ambrose (Watkins Glen).
Tracking The Top 35: Bayne Shrinks the Gap, But It's Still Huge
The gap between the 35th and 36th place cars shrunk by nine points after Sunday's race at Chicagoland, dropping to 115 points; but that's like trying to shrink the Grand Canyon. The top-35 in owner points are guaranteed a starting spot in each week's race, and as has been the case since the first two months of the season, the margin remains a wide one.
The No. 36 car driven by Dave Blaney finished 33rd, but the car owned by Tommy Baldwin Racing lost 13 points to the No. 21 car driven by Trevor Bayne, who finished 20th. Bayne's second consecutive top-20 finish was enough for the No. 21 to once again leapfrog the Circle Point No. 33 into 36th in owner points. For Circle Point this week, Cole Whitt was a late change behind the wheel; however, the team still pulled its car in early, a start-and-park job leaving them a lowly 37th.
Here's your owners point standings around the all-important cutoff...
29) Germain Racing (No. 13 – Casey Mears), 237 points ahead of 36th.
30) Front Row Motorsports (No. 38 - David Gilliland), 234 points ahead of 36th.
31) Front Row Motorsports (No. 34 - David Ragan), 227 points ahead of 36th.
32) BK Racing (No. 83 - Landon Cassill), 203 points ahead of 36th.
33) Tommy Baldwin Racing / Stewart-Haas Racing (No. 10 – Danica Patrick), 158 points ahead of 36th.
34) FAS Lane Racing (No. 32 – T.J. Bell), 130 points ahead of 36th.
35) Tommy Baldwin Racing (No. 36 – Dave Blaney), 115 points ahead of 36th.
36) Wood Brothers Racing (No. 21 - Trevor Bayne), 115 points behind 35th.
37) Circle Point, LLC (No. 33 – Cole Whitt), 128 points behind 35th.
38) Inception Motorsports (No. 30 – David Stremme), 157 points behind 35th.
39) Robinson-Blakeney Racing (No. 49 – Jason Leffler), 198 points behind 35th.
40) Front Row Motorsports (No. 26 - Josh Wise), 208 points behind 35th.
41) Phil Parsons Racing (No. 98 – Michael McDowell), 209 points behind 35th.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Secret Star of the Week: The Race You Never Saw
Since we're now in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, it seems like anyone who isn't in the Chase could be worthy of these honors. However, that is a complaint for another place and another day -- the bottom line is the intense Chaser focus on ESPN's part means that a number of great runs really weren't recognized. One of these runs was the performance put together by Joey Logano.
After announcing his departure from the team at the end of the season a couple of weeks ago, Logano put up one of his worst performances of the season at Richmond. However, "Sliced Bread" was slicing through the field all weekend in Joliet. Logano qualified a strong tenth, then quickly moved into the top 5, spending much of the race there while toiling in anonymity. He dropped back on the final run of the race to finish seventh, definitely one of Logano's best runs of 2012 while giving the No. 20 team some momentum for the rest of the season. - Phil Allaway
STAT OF THE WEEK: 13. This represents the number of drivers who finished less than 35 laps during Saturday's Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. None of these teams were eliminated in wrecks; it was all drivers parking it for the day. That's just one more sign that something needs to be done in order to curb costs and attract sponsors to NASCAR's secondary series. - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: GEICO 400
"We probably passed more cars than anybody today, so not exactly what we were looking for. We were just a little bit off and we'll keep working on it, but if we can be a little bit off and end up with a top-10, then we're in good shape." - Tony Stewart, finished sixth
"Obviously a very frustrating ending. We ran strong in the beginning and then had some issues on pit road that pushed us back in the pack. But we kept on plugging away and just before the engine started to smoke, I felt we were on pace to have at least a top-15 finish." - Regan Smith, finished 34th (Blown Engine)
"I think we made a lot of progress in the race. I think Zip (Greg Zipadelli, race strategist) did a good job of changing the car and making good changes each time. We got a little bit loose toward the end, and I feel like we lost a little bit of ground in that run. But then in the last run, I felt like we got a little bit of that back, and, if anything, we were a little tight. So be careful what you ask for, I guess. Ultimately I think it was generally a big improvement on overall lap time throughout a run, and that is the kind of stuff we need to be doing." - Danica Patrick, finished 25th.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Chicagoland Race Recap
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: NASCAR's Chicagoland "Cutoff," Mental Mistakes And Big Payoffs
by the Frontstretch Staff
Elimination Station: Whittling Down Title Contenders After Week 1
by Tom Bowles
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the GEICO 400
by Amy Henderson
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Dollar General 300
by Bryan Davis Keith
IndyCar Race Recap: MavTV 500
by Toni Montgomery
Tracking the Trucks: American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
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?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Kevin Harvick may have won the first two Tropicana 400s run at Chicagoland Speedway, but repeating turned out to be a very difficult task. What happened to put Harvick way back in the pack?
A: Shortly after a restart, Harvick rubbed up against Kurt Busch in the tri-oval. This contact put Harvick down on the apron entering Turn 1. Upon reaching the 18 degree banks, Harvick then spun in front of half of the field. No one touched him, but a secondary crash collected Jerry Nadeau, Hut Stricklin, and Jimmy Spencer. The incident can be seen starting at the 1:55 mark of this clip. Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. have the call for NBC.
Harvick was the only driver to come out of this incident unscathed. Nadeau and Stricklin each spent time off track before re-entering the race and later dropping out. Stricklin finished 36th, while Nadeau was 37th. Spencer finished 28 laps down in 32nd after his stint inside the garage for repairs.
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!
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: GEICO 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: Richmond / Chicago Edition by Brett Poirier
The Chase is here, and Brett takes a look at which drivers are in position to take the field by storm... and which ones are already taking a look ahead towards 2013.
Five Points To Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has his weekly edition of talking points to wrap up Chicagoland and get us ready for Loudon.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
The Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were each in action at Chicagoland Speedway this week. Meanwhile, the Izod IndyCar Series held their season finale at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday night. Were the telecasts of these events "up to snuff?" Find out in this week's 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. This week, Steve Addington comes by to talk setup for Tony Stewart's No. 14 and what it takes to make the Magic Mile "magical" this postseason.
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny is back with another commentary to make you think. This year, he looks at the one-year mark after the death of Dan Wheldon and how closure came to the IndyCar Series on the heels of a tragedy-free weekend out in Fontana.
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