THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 15th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LVII
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Rowdy Rules the Lone Star State, Sweeps at TMS
by Justin Tucker
Kyle Busch set the tone for this weekend's NRA 500 on Friday Evening. Busch captured the pole with a track record speed of 196.299 MPH and, to top the night off, he captured the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 for his third consecutive Nationwide Series win.
The only question that remained was whether Busch could sweep the weekend and capture his first Sprint Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway. After the smoke cleared Saturday night, Busch answered that question with a resounding yes, winning his second race of the year going away over Martin Truex, Jr.
Busch, who led a race-high 171 laps, found his toughest competition of the night to be Truex. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver, who came into the NRA 500 on a 209-race winless streak, led 142 laps of his own, matching Busch for most of the night and actually seemed to have victory within reach until a late caution with 16 laps to go. That's when Busch's No. 18 crew proved to be on the money, beating Truex's No. 56 crew with an incredible 11.7 second, four-tire stop which proved to be the difference. Busch would pull away on the restart and hold Truex at bay for the final 15 laps, using clean air to his advantage.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 15th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LVII
~~~~~~~~~~
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Rowdy Rules the Lone Star State, Sweeps at TMS
by Justin Tucker
Kyle Busch set the tone for this weekend's NRA 500 on Friday Evening. Busch captured the pole with a track record speed of 196.299 MPH and, to top the night off, he captured the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 for his third consecutive Nationwide Series win.
The only question that remained was whether Busch could sweep the weekend and capture his first Sprint Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway. After the smoke cleared Saturday night, Busch answered that question with a resounding yes, winning his second race of the year going away over Martin Truex, Jr.
Busch, who led a race-high 171 laps, found his toughest competition of the night to be Truex. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver, who came into the NRA 500 on a 209-race winless streak, led 142 laps of his own, matching Busch for most of the night and actually seemed to have victory within reach until a late caution with 16 laps to go. That's when Busch's No. 18 crew proved to be on the money, beating Truex's No. 56 crew with an incredible 11.7 second, four-tire stop which proved to be the difference. Busch would pull away on the restart and hold Truex at bay for the final 15 laps, using clean air to his advantage.
After the race, Busch was very pleased with a car he felt allowed him to move around on track a but more than the rest.
"Tonight it was all about staying up front, keeping it clean, and running as hard as we could," he said. "This was a fast race, man. I'm telling you. There was a lot of speed out there and being able to carry a lot of speed throughout the turns and down the straightaways tonight throughout the whole race. I ran 100% much of the race. So it was a tough day there for a little bit, getting loose, trying to slide around, trying to find grip, being able to move to the middle or move to the top."
"Tonight it was all about staying up front, keeping it clean, and running as hard as we could," he said. "This was a fast race, man. I'm telling you. There was a lot of speed out there and being able to carry a lot of speed throughout the turns and down the straightaways tonight throughout the whole race. I ran 100% much of the race. So it was a tough day there for a little bit, getting loose, trying to slide around, trying to find grip, being able to move to the middle or move to the top."
Truex, meanwhile showed obvious frustration during his post-race interview.
"I'm tired of finishing second. This is getting old," he said. "Shoulda, woulda, coulda..."
Regardless of how irritating it may have been for Truex to be denied victory once again, he still benefited from the run, which moved him up to a tie for 16th in the standings.
Further back, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle proved that Roush Fenway Racing is still a force to be reckoned with at Texas; they came home third and fourth in the running order. Joey Logano rounded out the top 5. Jimmie Johnson continued his solid and steady 2013 season by recording his fifth top-10 in seven races this season, coming home sixth and extending his points lead to nine over Brad Keselowski. Aric Almirola, Brian Vickers (subbing for Denny Hamlin), Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10 results.
Penske Racing's weekend at Texas Motor Speedway was an adventure, to say the least. Prior to the race, both the No. 2 of Keselowski and No. 22 of Logano were found to have illegal rear end housings, forced by NASCAR to change parts before the race. Even with the issues, which forced Logano to start at the rear of the field, both the Penske vehicles turned in solid performances with Logano finishing fifth and Keselowski ninth.
Despite his top-10 finish, Keselowski was still not so pleased with NASCAR and voiced his sentiments after the race.
"There is no team in this garage with the integrity of the 2 team," Keselowski said. "The way we have been treated over the last seven days is absolutely shameful."
Penalties stemming from the illegal parts could be announced as early as Monday by NASCAR.
Jeff Gordon's night at Texas went from good, to great, to awful in one fell swoop. Gordon's No. 24 was fast all night long as he proved to be one of only two drivers that could pass Kyle Busch under green. But Gordon, who led 15 laps on the evening, found trouble with 28 laps to go when the left front hub burned up on his Chevrolet. The failure relegated Gordon to a 38th-place finish, dropping him to 15th in the standings.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also met difficulties Saturday night. On lap 188, Earnhardt Jr. came down pit road with a battery issue. The stop cost him two laps, and the lack of a proper tachometer led to speeding and a pass-through penalty. Earnhardt Jr. would eventually finish four laps down in 29th. Earnhardt Jr. fell from third to a tie for fifth in the standings, 35 markers behind his teammate Johnson.
The Sprint Cup Series next heads to the heartland of America next week at Kansas Speedway. The STP 400 at Kansas is scheduled for Sunday afternoon with a 1:16 PM ET start time.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
Chasing the Chase: Status Quo at the Front...For Now
by Phil Allaway
Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 269, 2) Brad Keselowski -9, 3) Kyle Busch -18, 4) Greg Biffle -30, t-5) Carl Edwards -35, t-5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -35, 7) Kasey Kahne -37, 8) Clint Bowyer -61, 9) Joey Logano -62, 10) Paul Menard -63, 11) Matt Kenseth -65, 12) Kevin Harvick -77.
Best of the Rest: 13) Jamie McMurray -79, 14) Aric Almirola -83, 15) Jeff Gordon -98, t-16) Martin Truex, Jr. -100, t-16) Ryan Newman -100, t-16) Marcos Ambrose -100.
Wild Cards: 1) Matt Kenseth (11th in points, one win) 2) Kevin Harvick (12th in points, no wins)
Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona, Martinsville), Carl Edwards (Phoenix), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas), Kasey Kahne (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana, Texas).
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Texas-1 Edition
by Amy Henderson
Editor's Note: This year, we're going to switch things up a little bit. Instead of just focusing upon one underdog (or underreported) car in the Secret Star section, we will point out three smaller teams that put up good finishes each week.
Underdog Selection No. 1: Trevor Bayne for Wood Bros. Racing; started 22nd, finished 18th
Bayne made the most of a mediocre car Saturday night, becoming the only driver for a single-car effort to finish inside the top 20. The 1.5-mile tracks, unfortunately for these smaller teams, are the most plentiful on the circuit and the ones where inequality of equipment between the big teams and the small ones really shows.
It's a bit puzzling why Wood Brothers Racing chooses the cookie-cutter tracks for a large chunk of their schedule, skipping places like Martinsville, where they have a better shot at a good finish. Bayne is good on the 1.5-milers, though and they had a solid effort on Sunday, coming home best in class. You also have to admire this team for running a partial schedule where they feel they can be competitive, spending more money on each effort instead of spreading themselves thin by running every race and riding around in the back. The downside is that as quickly as setups evolve, they are in constant danger of falling further behind, while some other teams are better able to keep up with changes. Good thing Bayne's expertise took center stage here; he has a former Nationwide Series win at Texas and showcased consistency throughout the night.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Travis Kvapil and David Reutimann for BK Racing; started 32nd, 38th; finished 22nd, 24th
22nd and 24th might not seem like cause for celebration, but BK Racing badly needed a shot in the arm; they found one this week. It's hard to separate one BK driver from the other most times, because they have a strong tendency to run very similarly and to finish within a spot or two of each other. The good thing about that is both teams in the organization are obviously on the same page and working together well.
The downside? If one of these two cars doesn't run good, chances are, the other one won't either. The team slowly improved as a whole through 2012, but early 2013 was a different story. Kvapil in the No. 93 bested his 2013 average finish by ten spots on Saturday. He's suffered two engine failures this year and his previous best result was 25th at Daytona.
Newcomer David Reutimann finished 16th at Daytona but likewise scored his second-best finish of the year this weekend. This results sheet is where, after last year, these teams should be running, with perhaps the occasional top 20 tossed in. Instead, they seem to have taken a step back or at least stagnated a bit; Texas definitely gave them a boost.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Dave Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing; started 28th, finished 25th
Blaney got possibly the most TV time he's had all year at Texas; unfortunately for him, it was because FOX showed footage of Kyle Busch giving Blaney a side slam because he was in the preferred line of entry to pit road. Busch nearly missed the commitment line as a result, although Blaney did nothing wrong; he was the first one to break for the pits and was entitled to the line of his choice. Whatever your call on that little incident, we can all agree no sponsor wants their only airtime to be because their driver was getting pancaked.
A big plus for Tommy Baldwin Racing this year is stability. So far, both the No. 7 and 36 have avoided having to park early, though each has a DNF for a legitimate failure. That's a step in the right direction, and this year the team doesn't have the distraction of fielding a car for Danica Patrick and displacing one of their own drivers. Building consistency within their programs, they've shown they can at least hold their own among their small-team peers.
Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during the race broadcasts? Amy has all the small teams covered each and every week in The Big Six. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
Amy Henderson is a Co-Managing Editor and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Writer_Amy.
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Letter of the Race: Saturday night's NRA 500 was brought to you by the Letter Q for Quick. Not only did Kyle Busch set a new track record on Friday night, but he was consistently one of the fastest cars on the track all weekend. Finally, Busch's pit crew gave him one of the fastest pit stops of the whole season (according to Crew Chief Dave Rogers, it was an 11.7 second stop, which doesn't jive with FOX, who claimed that it was a still very fast 12.0) to give him the lead that made the difference at Texas. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Texas Stories
by Phil Allaway and Summer Bedgood
Race Fan Commits Suicide During NRA 500
The National Rifle Association (NRA), signing on to sponsor Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway put the event squarely in the crossfire of the fierce debate over gun control that is currently enveloping the United States. On Saturday night, there may have been some more fuel poured onto the debate fire.
The Associated Press is reporting that 42-year old Kirk Franklin of Saginaw, Texas committed suicide in the infield at Texas Motor Speedway during the NRA 500 by shooting himself in the head. According to Fort Worth Police, Franklin's incident occurred after engaging in an argument with other campers around a pick-up truck.
In Texas, it is officially illegal to bring a firearm to any indoor or outdoor sporting event. Texas Motor Speedway also has a policy that prohibits fans from bringing weapons onto the track's sprawling property, let alone the infield camping areas.
Ill Bobby Labonte Replaced by Michael McDowell
As a stomach bug swept through the NASCAR garage area, Bobby Labonte was one of a few drivers affected between the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series. With his illness, his team had already fitted a seat for Mike Bliss to replace him.
However, after 40 laps, Labonte decided he couldn't say in the car any longer and drove to the garage. After heading to the Infield Care Center, the team was left scrambling to find a driver as Bliss was still on track. Eventually, they were able to put Michael McDowell in after McDowell's team started and parked.
The No. 47 car finished 42nd after an engine failure.
Hendrick Motorsports Teammates Suffer Long Nights
Hendrick Motorsports drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon both had long nights at Texas Motor Speedway.
It started on lap 188 when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pitted under green because he had lost power. Diagnosing it as a dead battery, Earnhardt Jr. headed to pit road where then the team told Earnhardt to flip the switch to the other battery. Earnhardt could have likely saved the team a lot of trouble afterwards, as the loss of battery caused the tachometer to fail. As a result, Earnhardt couldn't see his speed heading to pit road. Forced to do a pass thru penalty, crew chief Steve Letarte called Earnhardt in for tires.
Unfortunately for the No. 88 team, NASCAR told the team they were not allowed to make a pit stop while serving a pass through, and again they had to come down pit road. Earnhardt would eventually finish 29th, four laps off the pace.
Meanwhile, teammate Jeff Gordon suffered a broken tire hub with 28 laps to go. Gordon, who was running third, was unable to have the damage repaired and would head to the garage area. He would finish 38th.
Martin Truex, Jr.'s Car Fails Post-Race Inspection
Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 56 Toyota was deemed "too low in the front" by NASCAR following Saturday night's 500-mile race at Texas Motor Speedway. This issue came just an hour or so removed after Truex's heartbreaking second-place finish, leading 142 of the 334 laps. An ill-timed and controversial debris caution prevented Truex from going to Victory Lane.
Truex's crew chief Chad Johnston explained what happened with the car: "We tried to pull the shaft out of the body, and it's just (stuck). There's something going on, whether it's debris (inside) or parts and pieces of the shock."
Truex could be facing a possible six-point penalty. Kyle Busch received a six-point penalty and a $25,000 fine for his crew chief when he was too low in tech in 2011.
Summer Bedgood is an Assistant Editor for Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SummerBedgood.
Today's Featured Commentary
Rockingham Is Just About The Perfect Race Track
Rockingham Is Just About The Perfect Race Track
Full Throttle
by Mike Neff
There are many race tracks around the world; to call one "perfect," from anyone's view is a subjective opinion. You may like Bristol, for example while I think Martinsville is the epitomy of "perfection;" both are perfectly acceptable answers. But in looking at the tracks on the NASCAR circuit, I think we can all agree the primary ingredients necessary to make an oval fantastic are all present at the Rock. Its length, at slightly over one mile allows for fast racing, but the tightness of the turns keeps the vehicles from going too fast. The unique degrees of banking allow for multiple grooves of racing, helping the fans see the action. It also helps the competitors make their vehicles drive the way they would like. Finally, the surface of the track is perfect for wearing out tires and forcing drivers to manage them in order to make it to the end of races.
A one mile racetrack is just about the perfect distance for an oval, in my opinion. 3/4 and 7/8-mile versions, like Iowa offer a slightly better viewing opportunity for fans, but the one-mile track, with long straights, semi-tight corners and an arching tri-oval is very close to an ideal configuration. Rockingham's backstretch is also banked, making it fan friendly so that the old garage area on the inside of the back straight does not obstruct the view from the stands. The corners are highly banked, as well which lets the fans see everything from the top to the bottom while the sweeping tri-oval gives fans a full view of the action from Turn 4 to Turn 1.
The racing surface at Rockingham is loaded with "character." There are bumps and cracks that can cause cars to shift and dart, which makes the driver have to actually drive the car rather than holding the wheel. The tire wear causes lap times to slow down considerably from the start of a run to the end, giving a benefit to teams who can pit off sequence and save a set of tires for a late-race run. The slipping and sliding associated with worn tires can also make overtaking a little more dicey, resulting in race leaders sometimes losing advantages because they have to avoid being caught up with a lapped car.
Besides the amenities, the track and the sight angles, the other piece that cannot be discounted is the genuine nature of the people who work at and for the race track. The low country of North Carolina is home to some of the nicest people you will ever meet and they bend over backwards to make sure that your experience at their race track is a good one. Every person you run into at the facility has a smile, a kind word and a giving attitude. If they have it in their power to make something happen for you while you're at their racetrack, they'll make it happen.
Add it all up, and a race at Rockingham is a special experience because it encompasses everything that a race fan could ask for. There will be fast laps, tight racing, multiple grooves, plenty of passing and, more times than not, a very close finish to the event. Some drivers might leave the track with hurt feelings but most of the time, they walk out of the garage smiling, laughing and joking with each other about what a fantastic time they had putting on a great show for the fans and racing in close quarters with each other.
Rockingham might not be the most famous racetrack on the planet. It might not have the unbridled beauty and charisma of the Nurburgring. It may not have the lengthy history of Indianapolis. It may not have the pedigree of Daytona but it is, without a doubt, as close to a perfect racetrack as you will find anywhere on the face of the earth.
by Mike Neff
There are many race tracks around the world; to call one "perfect," from anyone's view is a subjective opinion. You may like Bristol, for example while I think Martinsville is the epitomy of "perfection;" both are perfectly acceptable answers. But in looking at the tracks on the NASCAR circuit, I think we can all agree the primary ingredients necessary to make an oval fantastic are all present at the Rock. Its length, at slightly over one mile allows for fast racing, but the tightness of the turns keeps the vehicles from going too fast. The unique degrees of banking allow for multiple grooves of racing, helping the fans see the action. It also helps the competitors make their vehicles drive the way they would like. Finally, the surface of the track is perfect for wearing out tires and forcing drivers to manage them in order to make it to the end of races.
A one mile racetrack is just about the perfect distance for an oval, in my opinion. 3/4 and 7/8-mile versions, like Iowa offer a slightly better viewing opportunity for fans, but the one-mile track, with long straights, semi-tight corners and an arching tri-oval is very close to an ideal configuration. Rockingham's backstretch is also banked, making it fan friendly so that the old garage area on the inside of the back straight does not obstruct the view from the stands. The corners are highly banked, as well which lets the fans see everything from the top to the bottom while the sweeping tri-oval gives fans a full view of the action from Turn 4 to Turn 1.
The racing surface at Rockingham is loaded with "character." There are bumps and cracks that can cause cars to shift and dart, which makes the driver have to actually drive the car rather than holding the wheel. The tire wear causes lap times to slow down considerably from the start of a run to the end, giving a benefit to teams who can pit off sequence and save a set of tires for a late-race run. The slipping and sliding associated with worn tires can also make overtaking a little more dicey, resulting in race leaders sometimes losing advantages because they have to avoid being caught up with a lapped car.
Besides the amenities, the track and the sight angles, the other piece that cannot be discounted is the genuine nature of the people who work at and for the race track. The low country of North Carolina is home to some of the nicest people you will ever meet and they bend over backwards to make sure that your experience at their race track is a good one. Every person you run into at the facility has a smile, a kind word and a giving attitude. If they have it in their power to make something happen for you while you're at their racetrack, they'll make it happen.
Add it all up, and a race at Rockingham is a special experience because it encompasses everything that a race fan could ask for. There will be fast laps, tight racing, multiple grooves, plenty of passing and, more times than not, a very close finish to the event. Some drivers might leave the track with hurt feelings but most of the time, they walk out of the garage smiling, laughing and joking with each other about what a fantastic time they had putting on a great show for the fans and racing in close quarters with each other.
Rockingham might not be the most famous racetrack on the planet. It might not have the unbridled beauty and charisma of the Nurburgring. It may not have the lengthy history of Indianapolis. It may not have the pedigree of Daytona but it is, without a doubt, as close to a perfect racetrack as you will find anywhere on the face of the earth.
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
Quotes to Remember: NRA 500
"That feels good. Ah man, for Interstate Batteries and Norm Miller to be in Victory Lane in Texas — nothing better than putting him right here. Great race car. Dave Rogers (crew chief) and these guys gave me a great piece today. We ran up front all day long. If it wasn't for my pit crew, who is the most awesome crew ever and since 2008 we've been together — haven't had any change overs. Man, those guys were awesome. They pulled out one heck of a stop right there at the end to put us up front and give us that lead and to be able to bring it home. I thank M&M's and Toyota, of course, Monster Energy, Sprint — without Sprint this wouldn't be a sport, so we appreciate them. Of course the fans, we have to thank them also." - Kyle Busch, winner
"I'm just disappointed. The race was over when we got beat out of the pits. The bottom was so fast for a couple laps and I was really worried, honestly, that I was going to lose second because Carl (Edwards) was on the inside of me. I was just somehow able to run (turns) one and two wide open and get him cleared. Just the guy that gets clean air is hard to get. It's hard to catch in ten laps and I just was a little bit tight behind Kyle (Busch). I started catching him as we were running — just out of time. The race was over in the pits. Proud of my team. Proud of the NAPA guys — Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and everyone. We've had a tough season. We had a great car all weekend long. We definitely had a car worth — you know, capable of winning. Man, I'm just tired of finishing second. It's getting old." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished second
"It was pretty eventful. We had a very, very long night. Early in the race, the car was really good when the sun was still out and then it got really bad. I almost pulled in because I was so wrecking loose that I thought it might be better to just pull in and lose a lap or two to get it fixed, but, fortunately, we stayed out and we stayed on the lead lap. Then the tailpipes – something broke or cracked in the tailpipes. I thought the engine was blowing up for the whole race. That got worse, and then on one of the restarts I tightened my belts and I unhooked my whole seatbelt system coming to the green, so I haven't had that happen since I was running my dirt car. I told them out there, 'I don't know what the state laws are or whatever,' but I went ahead and hooked them back up. That was pretty crazy, and then we stayed on the lead lap and then Jimmy (Fennig, crew chief) did a great job. We adjusted more things tonight. We pulled shims and put more rounds everywhere than I think I've ever done in a race and had a good pit strategy and, fortunately, we came home third. That's a gift for us. I know Martin is not happy with second, but I'm real happy with third." - Carl Edwards, finished third
"I thought starting at the back was gonna be tough after qualifying 35th, but then I got a pit road penalty with 100 to go and had to start at the tail end of the longest line behind the wavearounds, so that made it a tough night to get back to fourth, but my guys did a great job. They got me back up there. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be standing here. We had a really tough car to drive. It was very hard to drive. We've just got to keep working on it. We're not quite as good as a few of those guys, but we definitely had a top-5 car. Maybe if we would have qualified up there and been up there all night we could have worked on it and got it a little better, but it was still a tough night." - Greg Biffle, finished fourth
"It was one of the toughest races I think we've ever dealt with and to come home with a top-5 out of something like that, we couldn't be more excited. It was almost a third-place finish there if the last caution had come out, but these guys worked really hard on this Shell/Pennzoil Ford on getting us out at least to race. We dug our way up there a little bit and had a bad stop and went down a lap. We got our Lucky Dog, then slowly and methodically worked our way up. We just had no short run speed. We had long run speed, but it took us 30 laps to get going and then we were as fast as the leaders, but it took us 30 laps to get where we needed to be." - Joey Logano, finished fifth
"It feels great. Honestly, I guess I'm pleased but not satisfied. A top-10, we ran top-five a lot of the night for the first time with a new team — the whole FedEx team. Like I said, we're pleased, but I wanted to win. I guess that's what we're here for. I thought we had a really great car in practice and it turned out to be a lot looser than I thought. We fought that all night, just really bad loose in. We were afraid of that and sure enough, it was the case. The guys did great. Darian (Grubb, crew chief) never got frustrated, never gave up — if he did, it never came on the radio. They just kept working all night and we got better and better. We brought it home for an eighth-place finish." - Brian Vickers, finished eighth
"Things didn't obviously start off the way we wanted it to and we had some issues on pit road where we lost some spots. Then, we had a loose wheel and nothing was going our way, but nobody gave up and Brad kept driving his butt off and we slowly kept chipping away at it. Before we knew it, we were in contention to get the free pass. It was like we needed just one more run to really get up and contend for a nice top 5 but, overall, I'm real proud of the effort. We continue to come out here each and every week and put ourselves toward the front, if not contend for wins. Obviously, we feel like without some of the issues tonight we probably would have had a shot at that again, so we just have to keep working and doing what we've been doing and we'll get our share of wins." - Paul Wolfe, Crew Chief for Brad Keselowski, finished ninth
"We just had a battery go dead and didn't diagnose it correctly to just switch it. We have two batteries in there; we have a switch in the driver's seat that goes from one to two. I didn't know it was a battery until we got down on pit road and I got to looking at the gauges and really understanding. At that point, we had lost a couple of laps. I couldn't control my speed on pit road because the motor was not running coming on. So we sped there and we came down pit road to serve the penalty but Steve (Letarte, crew chief) wanted to get tires. You can't get tires serving a penalty so we had to come back and then serve the penalty." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished 29th
"When you're running solidly in the top 5 and then have a parts failure knock you out of contention, it's very frustrating. We came in here with a fast race car, qualified on the front row and continued the strong performance until we had a part on the fuel injection system break. What's done is done and we have to put tonight behind us and focus on getting these problems rectified sooner rather than later. I feel confident that we'll have another fast Furniture Row Chevrolet SS in Kansas next week." - Kurt Busch, finished 37th
"I'm not sure, maybe a burned wheel bearing or something. No signs, just went down the back straightaway and went to go to the brake and the brake pedal was spongy and the car just didn't turn. I thought I had a left-front tire going down. Man, that was unfortunate. That Cromax Pro Chevy was awesome fast. It was so much fun to drive and what a great job this team has done to prepare for this weekend and hopefully more to come on these mile and a halfs with more cars like that. We'll learn what happened and we'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Most importantly, we know we have a fast race car and we know we can put another fast race car out there on the track." - Jeff Gordon, finished 38th (failed to finish due to hub failure)
"I just cut a left-rear tire down and spun. It's kind of tough to go straight when you lose a left-rear tire. I really would have liked to have seen how our car was gonna drive when the sun went all the way down. I felt like it was pretty good where the sun was already down and the track was shaded. I felt like our car was pretty good, but it's just a tough break and we'll get back out there and try to gain as many points as we can." - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.. finished 40th
"We were going to run until the first caution and then put Mike Bliss in the No. 47 Bush's Toyota, but Mike ran longer than they anticipated and Bobby (Labonte) got really sick. We decided to park it and get Bobby out to be evaluated and treated at the infield care center. Michael McDowell became available and we worked the seat enough to get him in, but unfortunately he couldn't really move his arms. Then we had an engine problem that ultimately ended our night." - Bobby Hutchens, JTG Daugherty Racing, finished 42nd
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Pace Laps: Second's The First Loser, Defining Dominance And A Champion's Challenge
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the NRA 500
by Amy Henderson
NASCAR Wants Silence? No One Gives a Rip Anymore
by Summer Bedgood
Tearing Apart The Trucks: Hornaday Loses His Head at Rockingham
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Roughly 60 miles away from Kansas Speedway is Heartland Park Topeka, a facility that hosts NHRA Drag Racing and a number of road races. In 1995, the track hosted the first road race for the then-NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman. However, the race all but ended the career of Kerry Teague. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: For Jeff Gordon, Texas Motor Speedway was just the absolute worst place for him in the 1990s. He managed to wreck the first four times that the Cup Series raced at TMS. Those wrecks ranged from the benign to the painful. The 1999 PRIMESTAR 500 was the most painful of these incidents. What happened?
A: Gordon was running in second on Lap 68 when a right-front tire went down on the No. 24. Gordon's DuPont Chevrolet shot up and hit the outside wall exiting Turn 4, then slid down and spun in the quad-oval grass. The crash can be seen at the 5:20 mark of this clip.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Roughly 60 miles away from Kansas Speedway is Heartland Park Topeka, a facility that hosts NHRA Drag Racing and a number of road races. In 1995, the track hosted the first road race for the then-NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman. However, the race all but ended the career of Kerry Teague. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: For Jeff Gordon, Texas Motor Speedway was just the absolute worst place for him in the 1990s. He managed to wreck the first four times that the Cup Series raced at TMS. Those wrecks ranged from the benign to the painful. The 1999 PRIMESTAR 500 was the most painful of these incidents. What happened?
A: Gordon was running in second on Lap 68 when a right-front tire went down on the No. 24. Gordon's DuPont Chevrolet shot up and hit the outside wall exiting Turn 4, then slid down and spun in the quad-oval grass. The crash can be seen at the 5:20 mark of this clip.
Gordon was quite sore after the crash (shown clearly in the aforementioned clip) and needed assistance to exit his Monte Carlo. The car was done for the day, giving Gordon a 43rd-place finish.
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: STP 400 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points To Ponder by Danny Peters
Danny returns for his weekly edition of talking points, which will wrap up the action at Texas and get us ready for Kansas.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were in action at Texas Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, the Camping World Truck Series made their second-ever visit to Rockingham. Were the telecasts of these events "up to snuff?" Find out in this week's TV Critique.
Brad gets us set for week two of intermediate track racing while tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.
Speedy Discoveries by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.
Going By The Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin enlightens us with his weekly statistics column based on trends we've been seeing in the Cup Series so far this season.
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