The Frontstretch Newsletter: Watch J.J.'s Team Do The Harlem Shake

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 26th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XXIII

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What To Watch: Tuesday

- Jimmie Johnson's week long celebrity status continues. The 2013 winner of the Harley J. Earl trophy will discuss the race on ABC's Good Morning America, be the featured guest of NASCAR's weekly teleconference with reporters, do several national radio hits and end the night showing up on CBS' The Late Show With David Letterman.

- Bored this morning? Try checking out the No. 48's teams version of the Harlem Shake -- currently making the rounds across the internet. Johnson and crew did this video the night after winning the Daytona 500.

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Top News
by Tom Bowles

Johnson Celebrates Daytona 500 Wins, Makes Appearances

One day after his second Daytona 500 victory, Jimmie Johnson has yet to come up for air. A busy list of national appearances filled up his Monday, starting bright and early with a 7 AM champion's breakfast at the speedway and ending with a Charlotte SPEED TV appearance on NASCAR RaceHub. In between, there were appearances on SportsCenter, the Dan Patrick Radio Show, the Jim Rome Show and even a chat with fans on ESPN.com.  It's enough to run any person ragged on a normal day, let alone someone who had just partied hard after winning the 500 the night before.

This time, though it appears Johnson learned a lesson from his other major accomplishments: don't stay up all night.

"We did get a few hours of sleep, better than other championship years," he explained to SPEED's Danielle Trotta Monday night.  "In the 500 [after winning in 2006], I think I went without sleep, and that didn't work well for the work day following.  [So] I'm on a few hours of sleep and feeling well, spent a lot of time with the crew guys, as we kept the security guards at Daytona International Speedway busy last night."

The highlight of Johnson's day, post-fun then became that morning breakfast where his No. 48 car was dedicated to the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building (formerly Daytona USA, and later, the Daytona 500 Experience). That's where it will stay, for the next 12 months as the "reward" for winning the sport's biggest race. However, losing one of their best restrictor plate cars didn't seem to bother the driver, crew chief Chad Knaus, and car owner Rick Hendrick, all of whom were honored for their achievement.

"This is a dream race; everyone wants to come to Daytona," said Knaus, who "officially" won for the first time on Sunday after being suspended for the team's first win in '06.  "I remember sitting on the sofa in the early 1970s, watching the Daytona 500 and wanting to be a part of it for years.  To finally be able to be down here in Victory Lane with the [No.] 48 car and Jimmie and the rest of my guys, it's a fantastic thing and I'm honored to be the crew chief on this race team."

Johnson also talked proudly of his family Monday, including two-year-old daughter Genevieve, who was one of many able to be a part of his victory celebration.  Several drivers, in the last 24 hours have either personally congratulated the five-time champion or sent Twitter messages of support, a sign of how well-liked he is throughout the garage area.

"It's overwhelming, all of the emotions that run through your mind," he said of winning for a second time.  "Team, family, friends, fans, there's so much going on when you're in Victory Lane.  The cameras are there and the magnitude of the Daytona 500 sets in.  It's a lot to take in."

It's also a bonus he'll have to balance while adjusting to the race week ahead. Johnson, while in the midst of his national media tour will still stop and be a part of the weekly Hendrick Motorsports debrief tomorrow morning.

Daytona Loves Danica?  500 Ratings Up 30 Percent

The racing, for many fans may have left something to be desired at times Sunday but one thing's for certain: they all stuck with it, in near-record numbers.  Ratings for the 55th Daytona 500 raised eyebrows Monday with a 10.0 overnight, up 30 percent from last year's 7.7 in what's the best initial Nielsen total for the race since 2006.  In fact, with a strong push from the local markets the final estimated audience could surpass that year's 11.3, the record high for the race since it was televised, flag-to-flag for the first time in 1979.  Whether it was Danica's pole-winning run, the near-tragedy during the Nationwide race Saturday or NASCAR's new Gen-6 model the message of additional support they all caused was loud and clear.

An exciting finish, where Jimmie Johnson battled Brad Keselowski to assume the point with ten laps left certainly bumped up the numbers, too. During that final stretch, from 4:30 to 4:45 ET FOX pulled a rating of 12.8 with an impressive 26 share. ("Share" is the percentage of households with the television on tuned into a particular channel). Considering all the choices people have these days, with hundreds of options on high-end cable packages luring that many new eyes in, flipping through the channels was impressive.

30% also marks the best year-to-year increase for the event in its television history.  Greensboro posted the highest individual market rating, with 21.2 but the audience was also up significantly in major cities (New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles) where stock cars aren't the central focus.

News 'N' Notes
-    ESPN's Marty Smith reported an exceptional story Monday night that Tony Stewart visited hospitalized fans still recovering from injuries sustained during Saturday's Nationwide Series wreck. At press time, seven were still hospitalized and it was reported Stewart visited with six, leaving each with a signed Bass Pro Series cap and a smile on their faces as the former Sprint Cup champ turned his vocal concern into action.

-    Voting for NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award, sponsored by the National Motorsports Press Association began on Monday. Fans can go to www.MostPopularDriver.com, register, then cast a vote, once a day for any of the 39 eligible drivers to win the award. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., for the 10th straight year captured the award in 2012.

-    Problems over the weekend with NASCAR's RaceView service prompted the organization to send an apology email to subscribers Monday. While the actual number of problems remained unclear, Twitter lit up during the Daytona 500 with subscribers angry with and/or unable to access their premium purchases, giving them everything from Driver Audio on a scanner to exclusive live stat and pit stop information.

In a statement, the website said, "Prior to the Daytona 500, we attempted to implement several technical solutions in order to provide a working product. While many subscribers were able to successfully enjoy RaceView during the race, we understand there were many who continued to have problems. NASCAR.com is not satisfied with RaceView at this point in time. We are examining the entire process and technical operation, and plan to communicate additional information on RaceView as we head into Sunday's Sprint Cup Race at Phoenix."

Refunds were not offered as a part of directly reaching out to customers. It's important to note NASCAR.com, once run by television partner Turner is now being operated by the sanctioning body itself. Portions of RaceView are operated under a partnership with a separate vendor.

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 is back once again in 2013. 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
NASCAR: Never the Same Old Story
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

More often than not, the sun beats down on the racing surface.  There's a sense of excitement in the air as crews bolt together displays and pit boxes.  Hot dogs, burgers and other greasy foods lure you to the concession stands.  In the RV lots, BBQs are fired up and tales swapped.  You're enjoying a race weekend.  For the most part, it is just like any other...isn't it?

Ah, but there's where you are wrong.  Daytona's palm trees and ocean breezes are gone with the larger-than-life pre-race concerts and monstrous crowds.  Now, the real nitty-gritty of the weekly racing circus begins.  No specially built cars, overly complicated qualifying procedures or Mickey Mouse atmosphere remains.  Come Thursday, the teams will have arrived in Phoenix, and the "real" season will begin.   Here, we have rattlesnakes, a dusty mountain range and a track the shape of... well... I'm not sure what you want to call it.  It is different.

Different as the varying stories that litter NASCAR headlines every single week.  

Nah, that can't be.  It's always the same old story, every week, you protest.   

Well now, let's review the headlines generated by the finish of the Daytona 500 and see what they tell us:

Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500 in his 400th Sprint Cup start, proving what we already know: Mr. Five-Time is still as competitive today as he was when he won his first Cup.  However, it was interesting to note that this was Chad Knaus' first Daytona 500 victory, as the last time Jimmie earned the Harley J. Earl trophy, Chad was suspended for fiddling with parts, as he does so well.   

On the final lap, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made a run at the top spot, which if you're not a J.J. fan, there's a good possibility you've got Junior's back.  Oh, it felt good to see him make that charge to the front after spending the entire race mired more or less in the single-file train.  But, you know, Junior isn't so young anymore.  We've seen the "I almost made it!" headline before from the No. 88.  Still, the last second charge got National Guard fans out of their seats. 

Now, if you weren't happy J.J. took the checkers and Junior was nearly there, it still probably made your eyes bug a bit to see the No. 55 of Mark Martin getting into it at the end.  Oh, what a celebration that would be if he had snared the checkers! I'm sure Mark's bus would be rolling with the hip-hop, even as his neighbors asked him to turn it down.  If you're ever looking for a driver to represent both the youth and age of our sport, the wrinkled veteran has that spot on lockdown.

Farther down the finishing order we have to give kudos to Danica Patrick.  Yes, she finished eighth, setting all kinds of records for the fairer sex.  And after winning the pole, leading the race and clinging to the top-5 throughout most of the afternoon, I admit to being impressed.  Well, as much as doing well in a plate race can impress anyone.  Do you think Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. just might have some real competition for the Rookie of the Year?  I wasn't expecting that to be a possibility.  I like surprises.  Come on, girl.  Prove all my preconceptions wrong.  I dare you!

And finally, ninth and tenth sported a couple of no-name faces, which we usually see happen in the final results of a plate race.  Michael McDowell and J.J. Yeley got themselves some valuable face time as they piloted their second and third-tier teams to extremely respectable finishes.   It's one of the best aspects of NASCAR, that it is still possible on a random afternoon for a smaller team, with empty wallets, to pull off a miracle every now and then.  Even though we're watching the cream of the crop compete, in the same instant we are reminded that not everybody able to pilot a car belongs to the stables of Hendrick, Gibbs, Roush, RCR and Penske.   Would I necessarily sign them to a contract?  Maybe not, but the thought is still worth considering.

So to review, that's five stories of varying interest, and certainly not to be found altogether every week: 
A champion seeking to grab his throne one more time.
The iconic driver with a name from the past and a massive fan base belonging to the present looking like he might be able to do something with that No. 88.
A man who won't retire and still likes to mix it up with the young 'uns daring Junior to bring it on!
Our own Go-Daddy girl, she drove like a race car driver this week and made sure every news station in America mentioned NASCAR.
A pair of stock car pilots who reminded us that the track is big enough to include the little guys, too.

Next Sunday the place, names and cars will shift around, giving us all something new to think about as we wait for the trucks to pack up and head to Vegas.  It's one of the best things of our sport.  There's never a dull moment and we're never in want of a really good story to swap.

At Phoenix, we return to the scene of the Great Rivalry of 2012.  Will Jeff and Clint make up?  You'll just have to tune in to find out.

Kyle Larson's Stats: 

Series: NWMT
Race: UNOH Battle at the Beach (Daytona) on Tuesday night
Car: 7NY Menards
Started: 2nd
Finished: 16th (Crash)

Series:  K&N Pro Series
Race: UNOH Battle at the Beach (Daytona) on Tuesday night
Car: No. 69 Curb Records Toyota Camry
Starting: 15th
Finished: 10th (Officially out due to last-lap crash)

Series: Nationwide Series
Race: Drive4COPD 300 (Daytona) on Saturday
Car: No. 32 Clorox Chevrolet Camaro
Qualified: 21st
Finished: 13th (running, as reported by the Official NASCAR Results. Technically, his car crossed the start/finish line to take the checkered flag)

Larson chose not to run Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala after the horrendous accident at the end of the Daytona NNS race.

Want to follow Kyle Larson yourself?

Twitter: @KyleLarsonRacin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyleLarsonRacing
Website (under construction): http://kylelarsonracing.com/
Looking for a little history? Try: http://kylelarsonracing.net/

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: Daytona 500
by Tom Bowles

0
Laps led by Carl Edwards in his last 13 Cup races, compared to the five wrecks he'd been involved in with both January testing and Daytona Speedweeks.

1
The number of start-and-parkers combined in NASCAR's top three series this weekend, including zero in Sunday's Daytona 500.  TriStar's No. 10 (Driver: Jeff Green) in the Nationwide Series Saturday was the only one to spoil an otherwise healthy car count.

2
The number of wrecks Brad Keselowski was involved in before taking the lead in the Daytona 500.  He was in the first multi-car wreck, then helped start the Lap 139 one which eliminated Trevor Bayne, Edwards, Austin Dillon and others from contention.

5th
The next record Danica Patrick hopes to topple. That's the highest finish by a woman, in Cup Series history accomplished by Sara Christian after a 1949 event at Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburgh, PA. Patrick was eighth on Sunday

9
The number of lead changes over the final 28 laps of the race as compared to 19 in the first 172.  If those late-race numbers held serve over the course of 500 miles, Daytona would have had 64 lead changes, the second-best in the race's 55-year history.

33
The number of restrictor plate races won since Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s last victory in them, the Fall 2004 race at Talladega. During that span, he's been second four times, with three of those runner-up finishes collected in the season-opening Daytona 500.

55
The number of career starts, just one more than his age (54) Mark Martin has at Daytona without winning either February's 500-mile Super Bowl or the 400-mile July 4th NASCAR event.  It's the longest drought, for any track he's had in his Cup career.

1977
The last time a woman led a lap in a NASCAR Cup race before Danica Patrick accomplished the feat on Sunday. Janet Guthrie, in the season-ending race in Ontario led five laps under caution with her No. 68 Kelly Girl-sponsored Chevrolet.  As a bonus, here's some footage from when Guthrie led at Ontario.

2006
The last time someone captured the Daytona 500 and went on to win the Sprint Cup championship. Who was that masked man?  Oh, right; Jimmie Johnson.

$267,637
Purse money collected by the 43rd-place finisher (David Ragan) in the 2012 Daytona 500.

$264,354
Purse money collected by the 43rd-place finisher (Joe Nemechek) in the 2013 Daytona 500. (1.2 percent decline. Remember, NASCAR said they're taking away money from the last-place finishers this season to try and deter the start-and-park practice; Nemechek had a legitimate mechanical gremlin in the 500.)

$1,525,275
Purse money collected by Jimmie Johnson for winning the 55th Daytona 500.

$1,520,642
Purse money collected by fourth-place point finisher Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2012 over a full season of Nationwide Series competition.

Tom Bowles is the Editor-In-Chief of Frontstretch.com. He can be reached at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Fans Still Not Ready to Give Danica Patrick Their Support
by Brett Poirier

Who's Hot / Who's Not in NASCAR: Daytona-Phoenix Edition
by Brad Morgan

Going By The Numbers: Retaining Daytona 500 Magic Isn't Easy
by Kevin Rutherford

Five Points to Ponder: Edwards' Early End, Bowyer-Gordon And Old Habits Die Hard
by Danny Peters

Couch Potato Tuesday: Did ESPN, FOX, SPEED Cover Larson's Crash Right?
by Phil Allaway

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  The 2005 Bashas' Supermarkets 200 saw Greg Biffle win from way back in 20th on the grid.  However, it was far from easy for him.  What did he have to overcome in order to take his Henkel Ford to Victory Lane for Brewco Motorsports?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:  In February 1995, Phoenix International Raceway hosted the first-ever points race for the Truck Series, an 80-lap race run as part of the Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic. However, there was an early multi-truck crash in Turn 4. What happened here?

A:  It is a little unclear, but it appeared that Tobey Butler and Bill Sedgwick collided in Turn 3 and both spun. Butler got into the outside wall, while Sedgwick spun in the middle of the track. Jerry Glanville got loose under braking and collided with John Borneman (his son, John III, raced recently in the Nationwide Series), spinning both drivers into the wall.  Steve McEachern spun and grazed up against Bob Keselowski.  Finally, T.J. Clark spun on his own behind everyone else and hit the wall.  Ultimately, everyone except Borneman and Clark were able to continue.  The crash can be seen at the 3:05 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 Tom Bowles
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Kevin Rutherford
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice?...the one thing 50 Cent couldn't find on Sunday? See what one small comment can do to make a big impact on a sport trying to grow, make note of sponsorship snafus and more in this list of small but important observations revolving around the sport.

Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Our weekly feature for our readers where we'll have a special guest stop by to discuss the technical aspects of the sport is back for 2013. This week, our special guest is Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Jeff Gordon who will discuss setting up the new Gen-6 car at an unrestricted track for the first time, racing in the desert, and how to handle overheating issues at Daytona.

Side by Side: The Future of Restrictor Plate Racing by the Frontstretch Staff
An old standby column returns, our weekly staff debate on a major NASCAR topic facing the sport. This week's edition tackles the tricky issue of restrictor plate racing.  Is it time for NASCAR to address the issue once again after Kyle Larson's ride into the catchfence and the injuries that resulted from it, or chalk it up to a freak accident and carry on?

Beyond the Cockpit: TBA

Sprint Cup Top 15 Power Rankings compiled by Michael Mehedin
They're baaack! Your favorite rankings return as we rank the drivers after Sunday's Daytona 500. See who some of your favorite writers, from both the Frontstretch and across the web have pegged as the driver with the most momentum as of now.

Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
This Week's Topic: Top Ten Ways To Celebrate Your Daytona 500 Victory.  The answers will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.
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