THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 29th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LXIX
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Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 29th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LXIX
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Harvick Closes the Deal, Wins at Richmond
by Justin Tucker
Coming into the 2013 season the one word that could sum up Kevin Harvick's season outlook was uncertainty.
Harvick, who made the announcement last season that he would be leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of 2013 for Stewart-Haas Racing, faced doubt and questions about his decision to leave the only organization he has ever known in his NASCAR career. Many wondered if Harvick and the 29 team would fall victim to the "lame duck" label placed upon him by so many.
On Saturday night, Harvick answered all those questions by winning the Toyota Owners 400 for his third career victory on the .75 mile speedway.
Harvick would rocket through traffic on the final restart driving from seventh to the lead in the final two laps to score his 20th career NSCS win.
"Just shifted gears, hit the pedal and hoped for the best," Harvick said when he was asked about the final restart. "They all went high and I went low. The seas kind of parted there. They didn't get a very good restart, and my car launched. I was able to take it three-wide, those guys all drove it in hard, and I was able to get by the next two. I only had one to go by the time I got to the backstretch."
"That was vintage Kevin Harvick right there," crew chief Gil Martin said.
Pole sitter Matt Kenseth set the early pace on Saturday night by leading the opening 36 laps of the 400 lap event. Kenseth, whose No. 20 team was crushed by NASCAR with penalties early this week for an engine failing secondary inspection after winning the STP 400 at Kansas last Sunday, would fight handling issues after halfway resulting in a seventh-place finish. Kenseth would lead 140 of the 406 laps run on Saturday night.
Clint Bowyer came into Richmond off the heels of three consecutive top 5 finishes. On Saturday night, he would score his fourth consecutive top 5 finish in as many races by finishing second. Bowyer, who has proven to be one of NASCAR's best on the short tracks would prove to be strong all night long leading 113 laps and was never outside the top 10 in the running order at any point on Saturday. With his second-place finish, Bowyer would move up to fifth in the NSCS standings.
Unquestionably, Juan Pablo Montoya had the run of the night. To say the last three seasons have been full of frustration for the driver out of Columbia is an understatement. On Saturday night, Montoya almost put three years of frustration to bed. Montoya's No. 42 Chevrolet was one of the strongest cars in the field all night long, never running outside the top 10 at any point in the race and had the race in his grasp until Brian Vickers pounded the outside wall with four laps to go, bringing out the final caution of the night. Montoya would then pit from the lead and drop back to sixth in the running order. A bad restart ended any chance of victory, leaving him to settle for a fourth-place finish. The fourth-place finish was Montoya's first top 5 in the last 75 races.
"I was like, 'Really? Really?," Montoya said about the caution. He pounded his fist on the steering wheel when the yellow flag waved. "That is what we needed," he said. "I felt like last week we had a top-five car as well, but not quite a car to win. I think this weekend, we came here and tested, and the guys did an amazing job, and we had a good car all weekend."
Jeff Burton would score his first top 5 of 2013 on Saturday night by finishing fifth at his home race track. The finish moved Burton up to 19th in the standings, 53 points out of tenth.
Richmond would prove to be unkind to Kyle Busch on Saturday night. After winning the last four Spring races at Richmond International Raceway, many believed it was a near certainty that Busch would make it five in a row. However, with 75 to go, those chances went up in smoke after Tony Stewart got loose entering Turn 1 and hit Jimmie Johnson, spinning both cars out. Busch had nowhere to go and hit Johnson. The resulting severe front end damage made his M&M's Toyota uncompetitive for the rest of the race. Busch eventually finished 24th.
Brad Keselowski had a rough night at Richmond as well. On lap 157 Keselowski would blow a right front tire, sending him into the outside wall. After fighting back into the top 10, the current series champion's night would go south after dropping a cylinder with 23 laps to go, leaving him to settle for a 33rd-place finish.
It is not often you can finish 12th and extend your series points lead, but that is exactly what Jimmie Johnson did on Saturday. After being caught up in two separate incidents, Johnson would wheel his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet home to a 12th-place finish and extended his points lead to 43 over Carl Edwards.
It was a typical Richmond style race. Close quarters racing and cautions near the end that would impact the race's outcome. Plus, there was post-race fireworks between Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart during the cool down laps. Kurt discussed the final restart after the race.
"We were hoping to be on the right sequence at the end," Kurt said. "Some guys had older tires. Some guys had newer tires. We were in the mix. A green-white-checkered at the end, it is just chaos. Cars are everywhere. People are beating and banging and shoving each other out of the way. It's pretty wild."
The top 10 from Saturday night's Toyota Owners 400 were Harvick, Bowyer, Logano, Montoya, Burton, Edwards, Kenseth, Almirola, Kurt Busch, and Earnhardt Jr.
Next week the Sprint Cup Series heads to the ultra fast Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron's 499. Green flag next Sunday is scheduled for 1:19 P.M. EST.
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: Despite Issues Johnson's Lead Continues To Expand
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Harvick Closes the Deal, Wins at Richmond
by Justin Tucker
Coming into the 2013 season the one word that could sum up Kevin Harvick's season outlook was uncertainty.
Harvick, who made the announcement last season that he would be leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of 2013 for Stewart-Haas Racing, faced doubt and questions about his decision to leave the only organization he has ever known in his NASCAR career. Many wondered if Harvick and the 29 team would fall victim to the "lame duck" label placed upon him by so many.
On Saturday night, Harvick answered all those questions by winning the Toyota Owners 400 for his third career victory on the .75 mile speedway.
Harvick would rocket through traffic on the final restart driving from seventh to the lead in the final two laps to score his 20th career NSCS win.
"Just shifted gears, hit the pedal and hoped for the best," Harvick said when he was asked about the final restart. "They all went high and I went low. The seas kind of parted there. They didn't get a very good restart, and my car launched. I was able to take it three-wide, those guys all drove it in hard, and I was able to get by the next two. I only had one to go by the time I got to the backstretch."
"That was vintage Kevin Harvick right there," crew chief Gil Martin said.
Pole sitter Matt Kenseth set the early pace on Saturday night by leading the opening 36 laps of the 400 lap event. Kenseth, whose No. 20 team was crushed by NASCAR with penalties early this week for an engine failing secondary inspection after winning the STP 400 at Kansas last Sunday, would fight handling issues after halfway resulting in a seventh-place finish. Kenseth would lead 140 of the 406 laps run on Saturday night.
Clint Bowyer came into Richmond off the heels of three consecutive top 5 finishes. On Saturday night, he would score his fourth consecutive top 5 finish in as many races by finishing second. Bowyer, who has proven to be one of NASCAR's best on the short tracks would prove to be strong all night long leading 113 laps and was never outside the top 10 in the running order at any point on Saturday. With his second-place finish, Bowyer would move up to fifth in the NSCS standings.
Unquestionably, Juan Pablo Montoya had the run of the night. To say the last three seasons have been full of frustration for the driver out of Columbia is an understatement. On Saturday night, Montoya almost put three years of frustration to bed. Montoya's No. 42 Chevrolet was one of the strongest cars in the field all night long, never running outside the top 10 at any point in the race and had the race in his grasp until Brian Vickers pounded the outside wall with four laps to go, bringing out the final caution of the night. Montoya would then pit from the lead and drop back to sixth in the running order. A bad restart ended any chance of victory, leaving him to settle for a fourth-place finish. The fourth-place finish was Montoya's first top 5 in the last 75 races.
"I was like, 'Really? Really?," Montoya said about the caution. He pounded his fist on the steering wheel when the yellow flag waved. "That is what we needed," he said. "I felt like last week we had a top-five car as well, but not quite a car to win. I think this weekend, we came here and tested, and the guys did an amazing job, and we had a good car all weekend."
Jeff Burton would score his first top 5 of 2013 on Saturday night by finishing fifth at his home race track. The finish moved Burton up to 19th in the standings, 53 points out of tenth.
Richmond would prove to be unkind to Kyle Busch on Saturday night. After winning the last four Spring races at Richmond International Raceway, many believed it was a near certainty that Busch would make it five in a row. However, with 75 to go, those chances went up in smoke after Tony Stewart got loose entering Turn 1 and hit Jimmie Johnson, spinning both cars out. Busch had nowhere to go and hit Johnson. The resulting severe front end damage made his M&M's Toyota uncompetitive for the rest of the race. Busch eventually finished 24th.
Brad Keselowski had a rough night at Richmond as well. On lap 157 Keselowski would blow a right front tire, sending him into the outside wall. After fighting back into the top 10, the current series champion's night would go south after dropping a cylinder with 23 laps to go, leaving him to settle for a 33rd-place finish.
It is not often you can finish 12th and extend your series points lead, but that is exactly what Jimmie Johnson did on Saturday. After being caught up in two separate incidents, Johnson would wheel his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet home to a 12th-place finish and extended his points lead to 43 over Carl Edwards.
It was a typical Richmond style race. Close quarters racing and cautions near the end that would impact the race's outcome. Plus, there was post-race fireworks between Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart during the cool down laps. Kurt discussed the final restart after the race.
"We were hoping to be on the right sequence at the end," Kurt said. "Some guys had older tires. Some guys had newer tires. We were in the mix. A green-white-checkered at the end, it is just chaos. Cars are everywhere. People are beating and banging and shoving each other out of the way. It's pretty wild."
The top 10 from Saturday night's Toyota Owners 400 were Harvick, Bowyer, Logano, Montoya, Burton, Edwards, Kenseth, Almirola, Kurt Busch, and Earnhardt Jr.
Next week the Sprint Cup Series heads to the ultra fast Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron's 499. Green flag next Sunday is scheduled for 1:19 P.M. EST.
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: Despite Issues Johnson's Lead Continues To Expand
by Phil Allaway
By all means, Jimmie Johnson did not have a good weekend in Richmond. He qualified lousy and got caught up in a wreck late in the race. However, he was able to move himself back up to 12th by the finish. With some of his main competitiors also having issues, Johnson was able to increase his lead to 43 points over new second-place man Carl Edwards. Edwards moved up four places in the stands by virtue of his sixth-place finish. Kasey Kahne got caught up in a wreck with Mark Martin late in the race and finished a disappointing 21st. This dropped him into a tie for third with teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished tenth.Clint Bowyer's second-place finish moved him up three places to fifth in the standings, while Brad Keselowski's late engine woes dropped him three places. Kyle Busch stayed in the seventh spot despite his poor finish, but he's had two consecutive bad weeks. Greg Biffle had a terrible night, spinning early and damaging his No. 16 Ford. He eventually finished 15 laps down in 36th, dropping four places in the standings as a result.
Kevin Harvick's come from behind victory boosted him back up into the top 10 in points. He's now tied with teammate Paul Menard, who stayed out of trouble and finished 13th. Menard has a 13 point lead on Aric Almirola for the final locked-in spot to the Chase. Jamie McMurray rounds out the top 12 after freefalling from second to 26th on the green-white-checker due to old tires.
Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 343, 2) Carl Edwards -43, t-3) Kasey Kahne -46, t-3) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -46, 5) Clint Bowyer -53, 6) Brad Keselowski -59, 7) Kyle Busch -65, 8) Greg Biffle -71, t-9) Kevin Harvick -71, 10) Paul Menard -72, 11) Aric Almirola -85, 12) Jamie McMurray -98.
Best of the Rest: 13) Matt Kenseth -102, 14) Jeff Gordon -108, 15) Martin Truex, Jr. -112, 16) Ryan Newman -114, 17) Joey Logano -115, 18) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -119.
Wild Cards: 1) Matt Kenseth (13th in points, 2 wins, but only one for bonus purposes), 2) Aric Almirola (11th in points, no wins)
Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona, Martinsville), Carl Edwards (Phoenix), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas, Kansas), Kasey Kahne (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana, Texas), Kevin Harvick (Richmond).
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: Richmond-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: AJ Allmendinger for Phoenix Racing; started 24th, finished 14th
Phoenix Racing continues to make the right moves and, despite a revolving door of drivers, is getting the finishes to show for it. Sure, they're a Hendrick Motorsports affiliate, but not at the level some people think. They run Hendrick chassis and engines, but in exchange they develop pit crew members for HMS…meaning they can be taken away, and they have run experimental engine or chassis packages in exchange for a discount.
This week, they looked like several other small teams—a mid-pack effort. Until, that is, they took a late race gamble to stay out on old tires before the green-white-checkered run. While it didn't pay off with the top-5 finish they hoped for, they did steal about ten spots from where they had been running. That makes the gamble a smart one; too often the smaller teams make the safe choice as a defensive move, and this time, Allmendinger and Co. went on the offense, and it paid off. The team remains 15th in owner points, eight spots higher than the next single-car team.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Bobby Labonte for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 32nd, finished 19th
The JTG-Daugherty group has struggled a bit in 2013; though they've maintained the status quo, the improvement of several of their peers has left them a bit behind. This team expected vast improvement over the last couple of years and had hoped to add a second car…but that hasn't happened.
At Richmond, though, Labonte was one of several underdogs to remind us that RIR is still a drivers' track. He scored his first top-20 finish since Daytona and finished on his career Richmond average of 19th. That's a good beginning, but now the question is whether this team can be a top-20 contender on a more regular basis.
Underdog Selection No. 3: David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports; started 20th, finished 20th
David Ragan hasn't made a lot of noise in 2013, but he did score his first top-20 at Richmond. Front Row Motorsports is another team who should be performing better by now, their fifth full season in the Sprint Cup ranks. Ragan is a better driver than he's sometimes given credit for, and, if the equipment was there, should be able to be counted on for a handful of top-15 finishes and a top 10 here and there. He does have a win at Daytona, and the restrictor plate tracks are his forte, so if he can avoid trouble, Talladega is a good chance for this team to capitalize on his talent and swing a little momentum their way.
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 Toyota Owners 400 was brought to you by the Letter S, for "snakebitten." A number of drivers could have had excellent finishes, but simply fell victim to bad luck. Juan Pablo Montoya prrobably would have won the race had Brian Vickers not crashed and brought out the caution. Jimmie Johnson probably would have finished in the top 5 had he not been rubbed by an out of control Tony Stewart into a spin. Brad Keselowski was on his way to a solid finish before his engine betrayed him. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Kansas Stories
by Summer Bedgood
According to the Associated Press, three Toyota engines have been recalled by the manufacturer from Clint Bowyer's No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing team. This was in response to the penalty NASCAR issued to Matt Kenseth's No. 20 team after a connecting rod was found to be outside the tolerance per the NASCAR rulebook.
One of the engines recalled was in the plans to be used for last Saturday night's race in Richmond.
"We took every connecting rod in our inventory and removed anything that was too close for comfort," Toyota Racing Development vice president David Wilson told The Associated Press.
At least one connecting rod in each of the three engines raised red flags for Toyota.
Juan Pablo Montoya Sends Message in Richmond
With sponsor Depend on board for the night, Juan Pablo Montoya surprised many last Saturday night in Richmond, leading 67 laps and finishing fourth. The finish was his first top 5 since the spring Martinsville race in 2011, and the most laps he's led since holding the top spot at Watkins Glen for 74 circuits.
While Montoya does have two career wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he has yet to win on an oval. His closest opportunity came at Indianapolis in 2009 when he led 116 laps. A pit penalty prevented him from winning.
The top 5 in Richmond was his first one of the year. He is currently 25th in points.
Busch Butts Head With Three Different Drivers
The typical Saturday night short track racing tempers were in the air following the Toyota Owners 400 in Richmond. While battling for position at the end of the race, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart found each other in a precarious situation. Stewart and Busch made contact on the track, and Stewart made clear his displeasure post-race. The two exchanged words next to their haulers in the garage area after the race.
Kenseth, who was also battling with Busch at the end, also felt like Busch made some misguided moves at the end of the race. Kenseth also nudged him slightly after the race, and Busch nudged him, though the two never said anything to each other on pit road or in the garage.
"He just destroyed my car after the race," Kenseth said in the garage post-race. "I think it's probably a good thing he didn't come down here, because my boys are going to have to fix it and they're not too happy."
Finally, Martin Truex, Jr. was hooked by Busch during an earlier restart while the two were running towards the front. Truex was none too pleased following the conclusion of the event.
"He just had us in a bad position and wouldn't let off the gas," Truex said. "...I ran him hard, I ran him tight, but I gave him plenty of room. He was driving in over his head trying to get a win, I guess."
Busch, however, was defensive of his racing.
"It was a free-for-all at the end," said Busch. "Everybody was slamming everybody. I'm getting hit from behind. We got shucked out of there, too."
Busch finished ninth, while Stewart settled for 18th. Kenseth was seventh, while Truex was 17th.
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.
Quotes to Remember: Toyota Owners 400
"That was a heck of a first lap of the restart. I thought that the outside line might have the advantage because it had a couple of guys with new tires in the second row, and lined up on the outside. But the two tires – these cars drive a lot off the left rear – and we only took two tires, and they didn't get that great of restart but my car launched, and I was able to drive it in the first corner and hope for the best down there. I figured four, eight, 12…how many ever tires that were on the outside of me would be better than none. It all worked out, and here we are." - Kevin Harvick, winner
"We had a good car — we just didn't have a great car. It seemed like we were just too tight on the throttle — it wouldn't quite turn and come up off. It really got wild there at the end — I was just lucky enough to be on the bottom. They started making holes up there in front of me and the seas parted, and I just followed suit behind (Kevin) Harvick. It was a good run. Thanks to Toyota for coming on board to sponsor this race — wish we could have won the Toyota race, but second's not bad." - Clint Bowyer, finished second
"Pissed off. Everybody on the Depend Chevy this week did an amazing job. We had a great car. Same as last week, we had a great car. The pit crew redeemed themselves tonight. They did a great job all day, no mistakes. That is what we needed. We needed to come out of here and do with everybody smart, as he did. It is the luck of the draw. We restarted on the outside, and we were screwed." - Juan Pablo Montoya, fourth
"We were seventh there; thought I had the No. 22 (Joey Logano) beat before the caution came out. The caution came out and what the heck, we might as well try something. Luke (Lambert) made a good call there, and obviously new tires a lot better. But, worth a shot. We were going to maybe finish sixth without the caution so to pick up a spot from it was worth a shot." - Jeff Burton, finished fifth
"At a track like this track position is so important and we saw that at the end there. All in all it was a great night and we had a fast race car and some really hard racing. I had a blast and the middle 50-percent of the race or so was about as much fun as I've ever had at Richmond." - Carl Edwards, finished sixth
"It was up and down. In the beginning of the race, we were real strong and in the middle of the race we probably had a fifth to sixth-place car or something like that. We got it pretty good again. That last restart, just being on the outside and the 78 (Kurt Busch) drove up through there and knocked my whole side off and put me in the marbles. Just two laps, everybody is going to go for it and go for every hole they've got. That's the best I could do so it looks like if I could have drawn the inside line instead of the outside line then maybe I could have ran second. Just starting on the top you knew they were going to be three and four-wide and it was just tough." - Matt Kenseth, finished seventh
"That was incredible and a lot of hard work. Great day by our guys who never gave up. That is what it takes in this series. You can not give up. At one point we were almost a lap down. We were in big trouble and Todd Parrott made so many adjustments and kept making it better and better and better. There at the end we were a solid top seven car and I was really proud of that. That was a great run for us in the hometown of Smithfield and I am really proud of that." - Aric Almirola, finished eighth
"It was an awesome run just to be in the top-five all night. Just nice and steady, waiting for the race to come to us. We didn't make many adjustments on the Furniture Row car. We were hoping to be on the right sequence at the end. Some guys had older tires. Some guys had newer tires. We were in the mixed. A green-white-checkered at the end, it is just chaos. Cars are everywhere. People are beating and banging and shoving each other out of the way. It's pretty wild." _- Kurt Busch, finished ninth
"We fought the car all night long and finally got some track position back — we fought really hard for that. It's a shame to get to where we were there and get spun. A little bit disappointed, but that's the way it goes on short tracks I guess. I'll remember if we get in that position again what I'll do to Kurt (Busch)." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 17th
"We had just a solid day. We started 20th and finished 20th. You would look at that and think it was a slow day. Actually at times we had a top-12, top-14 car, but when we were off-sequence on the leaders we were around 25th and 30th. But we did a good job on pit road and we never gave up. We worked hard all night, and maybe left a few spots on the table, but all in all it was a good night for us." - David Ragan, finished 20th
"Something broke in the engine. It was a long day but I felt we were going to get something out of it. We had a bad pit stop and then blew a tire and drove back up to the front. I thought I had a tire going down again and didn't and got the Lucky Dog and got back out there thinking we would still have a top-10 or top-five day. Then whatever happened with the engine. It was just one of those deals and a long day but we kept finding a way to get back through all the adversity but there was nothing we could do about the last one." - Brad Keselowski, finished 33rd
"We just got caught up in an accident. The effort by these guys was tremendous. We worked on this car all night, we were competitive and I think we were getting it better and better as the race went on. Would have liked to have been in the mix there at the end." - Mark Martin, finished 38th
"This is so disappointing for us. It appears we've blown an engine. We've had fantastic power from Ford Racing and Roush Yates Engines so we can't complain. It's just the racing gods aren't on our side this year. We were fast tonight and ran top 10. We are proud of that and will have to regroup and go to Talladega." - Marcos Ambrose, finished 42nd (Engine Failure)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Mike Neff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Toyota Owners 400
by Amy Henderson
Diva Complex 2.0: Why It Won't Ever Go Away
by Summer Bedgood
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: For many years, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega had a Pontiac Le Mans that Phil Parsons crashed in the 1983 Winston 500 on display. What happened to make that Le Mans into a museum piece?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 1986 Miller High Life 400 at Richmond is best known for the infamous crash involving Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip that gifted Kyle Petty his first career victory. While Kyle might have been the only guy to walk out of Richmond happy on February 23, 1986, Ricky Rudd was not so happy, having lasted only 17 laps. What happened to him in those 17 laps?
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: For many years, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega had a Pontiac Le Mans that Phil Parsons crashed in the 1983 Winston 500 on display. What happened to make that Le Mans into a museum piece?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 1986 Miller High Life 400 at Richmond is best known for the infamous crash involving Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip that gifted Kyle Petty his first career victory. While Kyle might have been the only guy to walk out of Richmond happy on February 23, 1986, Ricky Rudd was not so happy, having lasted only 17 laps. What happened to him in those 17 laps?
A: Well, it was an eventful 17 laps for Rudd. After an unrelated crash brought out an early caution, Rudd turned Lake Speed into the Turn 1 wall on the restart. Gettting caught up high cost Rudd a number of spots. Not even a lap after the next restart, Rudd was swept up into a pile-up in Turns 3 and 4 that involved roughly eight different drivers. Both of the aforementioned incidents can be seen in this clip.
Both Rudd and Phil Parsons were eliminated in the second crash. However, this wreck is more notable for a couple of other things that occurred. One is Bill Elliott's car getting hung up on the guardrail. The other is that oil went everywhere, completely blocking the vision of many drivers. Some pitted to get their windshields cleaned. Dale Earnhardt took advantage of his can-do attitude and reached a different solution to the problem.
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: Toyota Owners 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 Richmond and get us ready for Talladega.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were in action at Richmond International Raceway. How did ESPN and FOX fare with their telecasts? Find out tomorrow.
Brad gets us set for our second restrictor plate race of the year 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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