The Frontstretch Newsletter: Help Those Affected By Sandy

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
October 30th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CCXVIII

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DONATE TO HELP HURRICANE SANDY VICTIMS
As we awaken Tuesday morning, 2.4 million customers in New Jersey alone are without power, surveying flooding and wind damage from one of the more devastating hurricanes to hit the United States. If you're in an unaffected area, please consider donating to help others who will spend months rebuilding their lives and their homes after Sandy whipped onshore with winds of 80 miles an hour.  Call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit redcross.org or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation today. Every little bit helps.

What To Watch: Tuesday

- Three NASCAR drivers from the sport's top three divisions will be available to the media. Martin Truex, Jr. from the Sprint Cup Series will hold a national teleconference; he's one of 12 involved in the Chase for the Championship. Camping World Truck Series points leader James Buescher will also speak with reporters, along with Nationwide Series title contender Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

Top News
by Tom Bowles

Jeff Burton Gets "Old" Crew Chief

Jeff Burton's pit box will have a familiar face atop it when the Sprint Cup page turns towards 2013. Luke Lambert, who headed the team for the second half of the 2011 season was named crew chief of the No. 31 Chevrolet once again Monday. However, Lambert -- who is currently heading the No. 2 RCR Chevy in the Nationwide Series, leading the points with Elliott Sadler -- will not assume that role until February's Daytona 500. With Sadler & Lambert focused on a title, before Sadler departs the team following the 2012 season Shane Wilson will be tabbed to crew chief the No. 31 for the final three Cup races of 2012. Wilson, the former head wrench for Kevin Harvick until being reassigned in August has several seasons of Sprint Cup experience, with both Harvick and former RCR driver Clint Bowyer.

The changes are the result of former Burton crew chief Drew Blickensderfer handing in his resignation Monday. Blickensderfer, in his first season with the No. 31 had struggled to establish a solid chemistry with his new driver. Sitting 19th in points, Burton has just two top-5 finishes and has led just seven laps in his last 31 starts. A former Daytona 500 winner, with Matt Kenseth in 2009 Blickensderfer did bring success to the plate races; the No. 31 car was in the top 10 for all four, leading 24 laps in the Daytona 500 en route to a fifth-place finish. But that was the highlight of a disappointing 2012 as elsewhere, Burton has struggled with no unrestricted finish better than sixth.

"I want to thank Drew for all of his effort with the No. 31 Caterpillar team this season," said owner Richard Childress in a statement. "He's a great crew chief and I can't say enough about his dedication to RCR. Making the move now, before the season is over, gives Drew some additional time to pursue other opportunities."

Blicksensderfer wasted no time with that, accepting a job to go back with Ford and crew chief the No. 9 car and Marcos Ambrose (see below). Meanwhile, Burton is left with Wilson, then Lambert whose chemistry with the driver was notable the last time the two partnered up. Named an interim crew chief in July, 2011, replacing Todd Berrier Lambert had the No. 31 turned around during last year's Chase. Despite missing the postseason, Burton closed with four top-10 finishes in the final five races, led 54 laps and was leading Texas before running out of gas down the stretch.

Ambrose And "Blick" To Work Together For 2013

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose will be working with his third head wrench this season, beginning this weekend at Texas. Drew Blickensderfer, who resigned from RCR Monday will assume the crew chief role at the No. 9 Ford, signing a deal that takes him through the 2013 season with the team. He'll replace Mike Ford, released from his role after only six races after Ambrose failed to run better than 12th during that stretch. Todd Parrott was at the helm for the first 26 races this season.

Overall, Ambrose has had a rollercoaster year, 18th in the standings with a win, three top-5 results and eight top 10s. The victory at Watkins Glen has also come paired with two poles, pushing the driver's career-best average starting position to 14.6. But the driver has struggled at oval races, posting a best of fifth at Michigan and Bristol in August, a struggle which left him a step behind others when it came to earning a postseason bid. Blickensderfer, with years of Ford experience crew chiefing Matt Kenseth and others in the Roush Fenway camp hopes that particular engineering knowledge can help him turn things around at RPM.

Mike Ford, who was crew chief for Aric Almirola earlier this season at RPM has been released from the team.

News Bites

- Mike Ford won't be on the sidelines long. Multiple reports have him landing at BK Racing, either as crew chief for Landon Cassill's No. 83 or Travis Kvapil's No. 93 Toyota for 2013. Ford was the longtime crew chief for Denny Hamlin before being released from that role at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

- Sunday's win by Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville clinched the manufacturers' championship for Chevrolet. It's the 10th straight year the Bowtie Brigade has taken the trophy at NASCAR's highest level.

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 Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@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
Leave the Utensils on the Table; Dinner Isn't Done Yet
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

Denny Hamlin's season is done.

It is?  When did this happen?  As soon as the No. 11 began its stuttering and rolled to a stop on Lap 391, my Twitter feed exploded with the overused, "Put a fork in him!"  And I wondered why NASCAR Nation decided that the Virginian gave up the ghost yet again in the Chase.

He hadn't done anything wrong, unlike years in the past.  He wasn't sitting with his head in his hands crying, "Woe is me."  He hadn't missed a shift on a restart, cut a tire down on somebody else's fender or simply miscalculated how out of the groove his FedEx Toyota might have slipped.  His car broke.  In a rather unique way, if you think about it.

In all my years watching NASCAR, I don't think I've ever heard of the master switch failing.  Then again, back in the day we didn't have gauge clusters that blinked all colors of the rainbow when the ignition system starts to freak out. The odd mechanical failure would probably have been called something as simple as, "An electrical issue." 

But back to the topic at hand. As Hamlin started and stopped his way around the paperclip track, I did wonder if we were going to see somebody lose the race due to EFI.  Wouldn't that have been something to talk about?  All year, we've been waiting for the new technology to completely fail and here the engine kept turning off, turning on, slowing...  EFI had a wide open opportunity to finally get some of the limelight.

But no.  Instead, a cracked bolt caused the master switch to fail.  How plebian can you get?  And wholly unforeseen.  It lost Hamlin 29 points in the Chase, leaving him 49  behind the new points leader Jimmie Johnson.  Oh no!  49 points?!  It's surely an insurmountable number, isn't it?

Don't be silly.  The winner of a race earns 46 points.  He can then add another point for leading a lap and yet one more for leading the most laps. 48 points, one race.  The last place team will earn a mere one point.  Mathematically, this story is far from over.

Jimmie Johnson might pop a tire on the first lap at Texas and slam into the wall, totaling his No. 48.  Brad Keselowski is capable of missing a shift taking the green flag and detonating his transmission.  I'm not talking about what will likely happen, only what can happen.  Those gremlins don't discriminate when they decide to play havoc with somebody.  Any team, any race can suffer calamity.  Hamlin did.  Why wouldn't the others who are seeking that trophy with an eager eye be susceptible to such capricious luck?

Had Hamlin shown the same traits I've seen in prior championship runs, I might not be making this argument.  He has been the one to crumble under stress in the past.  We watched him try, face difficulties and simply give up. 

But this is 2012.  Hamlin's a little older, a little wiser and has the calm direction of Darian Grubb on top of his pit box to keep him focused on the prize.  He didn't park his No. 11 on Sunday; instead, we watched his crew dangle out the window wrenching like maniacs in order to get those precious laps and save a few more points. 

That kind of determination is found on one kind of team:  One who wins.  They've done it five times this year.  It's wholly conceivable for them to make it six or even seven victories before the year is out.  Hamlin excels at tracks like Phoenix, and doesn't do too bad on those cookie-cutters, either.

Odds are all those naysayers are right, and it's not going to be Hamlin, again.  But this is NASCAR.  The unexpected does happen from time to time, including the improbable victor notching one on their belt and even the anointed son wrecking out of the season.

It's November.  The average NASCAR fan is thoroughly jaded from a season too long and too predictable.  It is times like these we have to remember, the one reason we adore this sport above and beyond all others is that you never know what will happen; not until that final checkered flag flies.

Hamlin might have a hill to climb, but his timer hasn't popped yet.  Don't ruin the fun for yourself.  Let's give him all the credit he and his talented No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team deserve, and just wait for the season to unfold as it will.  May we all be stunned with its final outcome.

Author's Note:  I've finally made it to Facebook!  Come visit with me at http://facebook.com/Author.SDGrady

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: TUMS Fast Relief 500
by Garrett Horton

0
Brad Keselowski has never scored a top-10 finish in eight career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, which is where the series will race this weekend.
 
2
Johnson's win from the pole on Sunday marked just the second time this year a driver has won the race starting from the top spot.  Joey Logano's win at Pocono was the only other event in 2012 that a polesitter went on to win on raceday.

4
Aric Almirola finished fourth at Martinsville, matching his career-best finish.  He also finished fourth in the season finale at Homestead in 2010, driving the RPM No. 9 Budweiser Ford.

6
Kyle Busch has accumulated the sixth-highest total of points during this year's Chase, despite two finishes of 28th and 31st.  Every other finish has been a top-10 effort, and his four top-5 results trail only Jimmie Johnson's five in the last seven races.

8
Jimmie Johnson has led laps in eight consecutive races, including every race in the Chase. 

9
Bobby Labonte finished ninth, his best performance of the season and just his second top 10 in 2012.

11
Johnson's win ended a winless slump for both Hendrick Motorsports and for the entire Chevy camp.  The last time Chevy had won prior to Sunday was 11 races ago at Pocono, when Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon took the rain-shortened victory.

33
Denny Hamlin's frustrating day at Martinsville resulted in a 33rd-place finish, just the second time in 15 starts at the .526-mile paperclip he finished lower than 12th and his worst result since he finished 37th here in his rookie season.

388
Clint Bowyer continues to improve on what has been a career year in 2012, already eclipsing previous single season marks in wins, top 5s, and top 10s.  Bowyer is also on track to record his best-ever average finish for the season.  Another statistical category that now looks like he will best is laps led.  After leading 154 laps on Sunday, Bowyer now has a total of 388 for the year, just 12 short of his personal high of 400 in 2010.

421
Jeff Gordon led a combined total of 421 laps in both Martinsville races this year.  He has led just a total of 133 in all other races in 2012.

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:

Joe Gibbs' Title House Of Horrors
by Tom Bowles

Who's Hot/Who's Not in NASCAR: Martinsville/Texas Edition
by Brett Poirier

ESPN Touts the Three-Headed Behemoth and That Isn't Good
by Phil Allaway

Five Points to Ponder: Haloes, Half-Rides and an Historical Ending?
by Bryan Davis Keith

Tech Talk: Saving Gas While Going Fast in the Lone Star State
by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  As you all know, the Sprint Cup Series (along with the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series) is at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.  However, before the track opened, there was a conflict regarding this name.  Had SMI not come to terms, what would the track have been named instead?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:  In the first few years that the Cup Series raced at Texas Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon simply had no luck on the 1.5-mile quad-oval.  The 1999 Primestar 500 was no different.  What happened to put Gordon out of the race early on?

A:  On Lap 69, Gordon appeared to blow a right-front tire exiting Turn 4.  As a result, Gordon went hard into the outside wall, then spun into the quad-oval grass.  Gordon appeared to be in some pain after the hit and gingerly exited his DuPont Chevrolet.  The car was done for the day and Gordon was credited with a 43rd-place finish.  The crash can be seen at the 5:20 mark of this clip.

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 still has something to prove in the final three races of 2012.

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 Brad Keselowski can keep the pressure on Jimmie Johnson for the final three races, Regan Smith's move to JR Motorsports for 2013, Brian Vickers' decision to stay at MWR for 2013 and more.

Sprint Cup Power Rankings compiled by Summer Bedgood
Did Sunday's on-track action 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 AAA Texas 500 at Texas 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 Toni Montgomery
Toni returns with another interesting commentary about the Izod IndyCar Series. This week, the focus is on Randy Bernard and what the future of IndyCar holds following his departure.
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©2012 Frontstretch.com

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