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THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 8th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LIII
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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: Johnson Once Again Masters Martinsville
by Justin Tucker
There is absolutely no secret to the fact that Jimmie Johnson loves Martinsville Speedway. In 22 previous starts heading into Sunday's STP Gas Booster 500, Johnson had already compiled an impressive record of seven wins, 15 top 5's, and 19 top 10's.
On Friday, Johnson proved once again he would be the man to beat after shattering the track qualifying record at 98.400 MPH. That momentum carried over on Saturday being in the top 5 in both practice sessions in the 10 lap race averages. Johnson would save the best for last on Sunday by dominating the paper clip once again to score his eighth victory at the legendary speedway.
After the race, Johnson was very happy to claim victory, but didn't seem to think that the race was any different than normal.
"It was just a long-fought day. Martinsville stays the same over the years and you just have to dig-in and get into a rhythm and drive your own race and see how things unfold at the end and how things happen," Johnson said. "Fortunately we didn't have any craziness with two tires or four tires at the end. I feel like the fastest car won the race. It was a very standard Martinsville race; although I thought some guys might peel off and take tires. It was just a hard race. This race track is tough to get around. But we have a great notebook. I've got to thank (crew chief) Chad Knaus and all my guys and everybody back home at Hendrick Motorsports. Life is good. We've had two wins this year."
Johnson who led a race high 330 of the 500 laps on Sunday would prove his strength early on by leading 89 out of the first 90 laps. To describe how dominant Johnson and his Lowe's Chevrolet was all day long, he was never lower than foutth in the running order all race long and the 330 laps was the third most laps he has led in any race during his career.
Clint Bowyer would prove to be one of the few competitors for the 48 of Johnson. Bowyer, who started 15th before marching up into the top 5 early in the race, would find trouble on lap 180 when a chain reaction incident saw him spun out by Martin Truex, Jr. on the frontstretch. The incident would leave him with heavy damage on the right front of his No. 15 Toyota Camry. Relegated back to around 20th position, Bowyer would remain determined to make up ground slicing his way through the field finding his way back to the top 3 with a handful of laps to go. Bowyer had one more chance with about eight laps to go but could not find his around Johnson's 48, forcing him to settle for a second-place finish.
Jeff Gordon scored a much needed third-place finish on Sunday. Gordon who was in the top-5 a majority of the afternoon found himself mid-pack after a round of pit stops midway through the race. Gordon, in typical fashion would begin to march through the field and find himself on the back bumper of Jimmie Johnson with about 45 to go when a late caution killed his momentum and he was never able to stay in contact with Johnson the rest of the way. After Sunday's race, Gordon is 12th in NSCS points.
Kyle Busch continued his hot run of races on Sunday at Martinsville. Busch would prove to be solid all day long in his M&M's Toyota Camry leading 58 laps and scoring his third consecutive top 5 in as many races.
Brad Keselowski finished in sixth, while Jamie McMurray came in seventh. Outside pole sitter Marcos Ambrose finished eighth, while Greg Biffle finished ninth. Mark Martin, subbing for Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, rounded out the top-10.
There were several surprises during Sunday's race at Martinsville. Jamie McMurray would continue a resurgence of sort in 2013 by posting a seventh-place finish at Martinsville. Matt Kenseth would lead 96 laps of Sunday's race, which is more than he had led in his previous 26 Martinsville starts combined. A late shuffle in track position would relegate him to a 14th-place finish. However, the story of the day had to be Danica Patrick. Making her first career start at Martinsville, Patrick spun after rubbing against Ken Schrader 16 laps into the event. Patrick would persevere at one of the toughest tracks in all of NASCAR by coming from two laps down at one point in the race to record a very respectable 12th-place finish in her debut at Martinsville Speedway.
Next weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas for its first night race of the season, the NRA 500 on Saturday night. Coverage starts at 7:00pm EDT on FOX.
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: Earnhardt Jr.'s Off Day Results In Changes at the Top
by Phil Allaway
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 8th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LIII
~~~~~~~~~~
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: Johnson Once Again Masters Martinsville
by Justin Tucker
There is absolutely no secret to the fact that Jimmie Johnson loves Martinsville Speedway. In 22 previous starts heading into Sunday's STP Gas Booster 500, Johnson had already compiled an impressive record of seven wins, 15 top 5's, and 19 top 10's.
On Friday, Johnson proved once again he would be the man to beat after shattering the track qualifying record at 98.400 MPH. That momentum carried over on Saturday being in the top 5 in both practice sessions in the 10 lap race averages. Johnson would save the best for last on Sunday by dominating the paper clip once again to score his eighth victory at the legendary speedway.
After the race, Johnson was very happy to claim victory, but didn't seem to think that the race was any different than normal.
"It was just a long-fought day. Martinsville stays the same over the years and you just have to dig-in and get into a rhythm and drive your own race and see how things unfold at the end and how things happen," Johnson said. "Fortunately we didn't have any craziness with two tires or four tires at the end. I feel like the fastest car won the race. It was a very standard Martinsville race; although I thought some guys might peel off and take tires. It was just a hard race. This race track is tough to get around. But we have a great notebook. I've got to thank (crew chief) Chad Knaus and all my guys and everybody back home at Hendrick Motorsports. Life is good. We've had two wins this year."
Johnson who led a race high 330 of the 500 laps on Sunday would prove his strength early on by leading 89 out of the first 90 laps. To describe how dominant Johnson and his Lowe's Chevrolet was all day long, he was never lower than foutth in the running order all race long and the 330 laps was the third most laps he has led in any race during his career.
Clint Bowyer would prove to be one of the few competitors for the 48 of Johnson. Bowyer, who started 15th before marching up into the top 5 early in the race, would find trouble on lap 180 when a chain reaction incident saw him spun out by Martin Truex, Jr. on the frontstretch. The incident would leave him with heavy damage on the right front of his No. 15 Toyota Camry. Relegated back to around 20th position, Bowyer would remain determined to make up ground slicing his way through the field finding his way back to the top 3 with a handful of laps to go. Bowyer had one more chance with about eight laps to go but could not find his around Johnson's 48, forcing him to settle for a second-place finish.
Jeff Gordon scored a much needed third-place finish on Sunday. Gordon who was in the top-5 a majority of the afternoon found himself mid-pack after a round of pit stops midway through the race. Gordon, in typical fashion would begin to march through the field and find himself on the back bumper of Jimmie Johnson with about 45 to go when a late caution killed his momentum and he was never able to stay in contact with Johnson the rest of the way. After Sunday's race, Gordon is 12th in NSCS points.
Kyle Busch continued his hot run of races on Sunday at Martinsville. Busch would prove to be solid all day long in his M&M's Toyota Camry leading 58 laps and scoring his third consecutive top 5 in as many races.
Brad Keselowski finished in sixth, while Jamie McMurray came in seventh. Outside pole sitter Marcos Ambrose finished eighth, while Greg Biffle finished ninth. Mark Martin, subbing for Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, rounded out the top-10.
There were several surprises during Sunday's race at Martinsville. Jamie McMurray would continue a resurgence of sort in 2013 by posting a seventh-place finish at Martinsville. Matt Kenseth would lead 96 laps of Sunday's race, which is more than he had led in his previous 26 Martinsville starts combined. A late shuffle in track position would relegate him to a 14th-place finish. However, the story of the day had to be Danica Patrick. Making her first career start at Martinsville, Patrick spun after rubbing against Ken Schrader 16 laps into the event. Patrick would persevere at one of the toughest tracks in all of NASCAR by coming from two laps down at one point in the race to record a very respectable 12th-place finish in her debut at Martinsville Speedway.
Next weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas for its first night race of the season, the NRA 500 on Saturday night. Coverage starts at 7:00pm EDT on FOX.
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: Earnhardt Jr.'s Off Day Results In Changes at the Top
by Phil Allaway
Jimmie Johnson's dominant victory on Sunday, mixed in with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s first substandard race of the season brought some changes at the top. Johnson has now regained the points lead. His lead is six over defending champion Brad Keselowski, who finished sixth despite a controversial line violation call on his final pit stop. Earnhardt Jr. dropped to third after finishing 24th on Sunday.
Kyle Busch's improved form of late continued on Sunday in Martinsville. Despite falling back late because of being stuck in the outside line, Busch finished fifth and moved up two places to fourth in points. Kasey Kahne is also up two places to fifth after finishing just in front of Kyle in fourth on Sunday. Kahne is tied with Greg Biffle, who struggled at times on Sunday. Despite getting lapped at one point, Biffle charged back to finish ninth.
Carl Edwards continued the general struggles for Roush Fenway Racing on Sunday, finishing in 15th, but running worse than that for much of the race. The finish dropped him to seventh in the standings. Clint Bowyer's second-place finish on Sunday (despite the early spin) moved him up into a tie with Paul Menard for eighth. Menard had a mediocre run to finish 19th, but that was enough to hold station.
Matt Kenseth faded late to a 14th-place finish, but that was enough to move him up into the top-10 in points. Joey Logano, who received an incredible amount of press leading into the race, fell off in the second half of the race and finished a lap down in 23rd. The result dropped him back to 11th. Finally, Jeff Gordon's third-place finish catapulted him up six places to 12th.
Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 231, 2) Brad Keselowski -6, 3) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -12, 4) Kyle Busch -28, t-5) Kasey Kahne -32, t-5) Greg Biffle -32, 7) Carl Edwards -38, 8) Clint Bowyer -52, t-8) Paul Menard -52, 10) Matt Kenseth -59, 11) Joey Logano -64, 12) Jeff Gordon -67.
Best of the Rest: 13) Jamie McMurray -69, 14) Kevin Harvick -70, 15) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -73, 16) Aric Almirola -82, 17) Casey Mears -85, 18) Denny Hamlin -86.
Wild Cards: 1) Joey Logano (11th in points), 2) Jeff Gordon (12th in points)
Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona, Martinsville), Carl Edwards (Phoenix), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas), Kasey Kahne (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana).
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: Martinsville-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: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 41st, finished 16th
His back ached.
He had a terrible qualifying lap.
He was penalized twice for speeding on pit road and two more times lost several positions on pit stops.
But Casey Mears shone on Sunday nonetheless. He was easily the class of the small team field, racing his way as high as 13th before finishing 16th. Mears flat earned every position he gained, and he was able to outrace some very good drivers on Sunday, including Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Mears said on Friday that he's the best he's ever been, and his season to date backs that up. If he wasn't shown on the broadcast, that's a shame, because it was quite a show. Mears is now 17th in driver points, up four spots from last week; The last time he was in the top 20 in points, he was racing for perennial powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Now he's doing that with a team with less of everything.
This is a team that wants to win, and they do know how—they have two Camping World Truck Series titles. Their struggles at the Cup level illustrate how hard it is to be competitive at that level, but they are slowly but surely making gains toward that end. With both Mears and GEICO signed on through 2014 and the stability that gives them, can they engineer a trip to Victory Lane?
Underdog Selection No. 2: Bobby Labonte for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 31st, finished 21st
This team was the best of the small teams in 2012 on the strength of Labonte's consistency: If he couldn't bring it home in front, he brought it home in one piece. For a team lacking funds to build a fleet of shiny new cars on a whim, that's a big deal. Labonte did it again this week, gaining ten spots over where he started. The car wasn't pristine (whose is after 500 laps at Martinsville?), but it won't require extensive repairs, either.
This team has stagnated a bit in the last year. When 2012 began, it looked as though they were poised to take a step forward, but it hasn't quite panned out, especially when they're compared to Phoenix Racing or Germain Racing. They're as solid as ever, but that's both the blessing and the problem.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Regan Smith for Phoenix Racing; started 18th, finished 22nd
Smith ran just his second Sprint Cup race on the year on Sunday, and while the team never quite found the speed they needed on Sunday. They were one of just three single-car teams to finish in the top 25, but the only one of the three to finish lower than they started, losing four spots between the green flag and the checkered.
The team fell out of the top 10 in owner points for the first time this year; they're now 11th. But a little perspective here: among single car teams, they're nine spots above Germain Racing, and among all teams, they're still ahead of heavyweights like the Nos. 20, 55, 24 and 29, all of which are owned by the wealthiest owners in the sport. And they're still in direct competition with an independent that doesn't even have outside sponsorship many weeks. That says a lot for owner James Finch and for the group of people both behind the wall and in the driver's seat.
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: Sunday's STP Gas Booster 500 was brought to you by the Letter T for tires. We didn't see many of the melted beads that have plagued teams at Martinsville in the past on Sunday. However, tires were very important. They wore fairly quickly, but did not stick in the groove, making for a track that never really rubbered in all weekend. Track position is naturally important at a place as difficult to pass at as Martinsville, but at times, tires were more important. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Martinsville Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Danica Patrick Finishes Strong in Martinsville
When preseason experts and fans predicted where Danica Patrick would have the most successful, Martinsville Speedway certainly wasn't at the top of the list. However, Patrick silenced her critics by finishing in the 12th position, her best finish at any non-restrictor plate track. With this being her first time at paper clip shaped racetrack, expectations were low and the nerves were high.
However, as the laps wound down and the Virginia sun set, Patrick was battling for a top 10 spot with Brian Vickers and Kevin Harvick. Though she would eventually finish in 12th, there was no doubt that this was a success for Patrick and her No. 10 team.
"I feel that is one of the things that I am most proud about is coming back from two laps down and being on the last lap," said Patrick. "Then grabbing a 12th-place finish in the end was good and I think it was the right call to stay out because I don't think tires were quite worth enough to pit, so it was a good run today."
Vickers and Harvick Tangle in Closing Laps
While Patrick was busy securing a solid finish, Brian Vickers and Kevin Harvick were busy securing a rivalry. While racing for position back in tenth, Vickers forced Harvick to maintain his line while Vickers and Patrick raced. In the process, Vickers routinely cut Harvick off. Not taking too kindly to the hard racing, Harvick hooked Vickers' left rear on the cool down lap of the race.
As the cars headed down pit lane, Harvick again expressed his anger by leaning his car against Vickers'. While Harvick declined comment, Vickers had his own theories about what played into Harvick's temper tantrum.
"We haven't really raced that much all day and then he (Harvick) just wrecked us after the checkered flag," said Vickers. "It was a blatant, pretty blatant — he just turned right into us. The 10 (Danica Patrick) and I were racing pretty hard. I got to her and got under her several times and she ran me down in the marbles, ran me across the curb, was blocking pretty bad so I put the bumper to her a little bit. If you're going to block — if you're going to run me across the curb then you have to expect to get the same in return. We raced hard all day and we raced clean with a lot of people. I would say I did the same with Danica — I didn't try to wreck her. If you're going to run me through the marbles then what am I going to do?"
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: STP Gas Booster 500
"Disappointed for sure. We had a fast car all weekend long and really thought we were maybe going to be walking out of here with a Grandfather Clock. I tore the car up pretty bad over here off of (Turn) 4. I checked up and I got hit from behind, pushed into the 1 (Jamie McMurray) and all hell broke loose. All in all, second place isn't bad, but it sure sucks right now." - Clint Bowyer, finished second
"Well, we just didn't need those cautions there at the end. I made a mistake on pit road and got us way behind. But, what an incredible effort for this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet team. They had good pit stops and then they also made great adjustments. We were real tight there at the middle part of the race. And then boy, that thing just took off. On the long runs, I feel like we had the best car. But you know, those cautions are going to come out there. We tried to free it up. We just didn't get it quite freed up enough. So, I was just trying to get the front end to cut and I knew that we just didn't quite have it. We just needed more laps there at the end. Congratulations to Jimmie (Johnson, race winner) though; yes, he is so impressive here but the thing that impresses me the most are those darn poles. Where did that come from? He used to at least give us a shot when he would qualify like 15th. So when those guys get that number one pit stall, they're almost impossible to beat. It was a lot of fun. We needed that third-place finish. So I'm very proud of this team." - Jeff Gordon, finished third
"I don't know [where] anybody that came (to pit road) finished, but we just — getting stuck on the outside lane on restarts just kills you. We fought hard up there and tried to do what we could and just had to fade gracefully, I guess you'd call it. The M&M's guys did a great job today and gave me a really good car. We keep finishing top 5 here all of the time, but it'd sure be nice to figure out some sort of secret that could get us into Victory Lane here. It would be nice to bring home a Grandfather Clock, but not this week." - Kyle Busch, finished fifth
"They've all been hard fought. We seem to run sixth here every time. Sixth is good, but it's just not great. We want to be able to win here and just haven't been strong enough to do that. We've been strong enough to be proud of what we've done, and I'm proud of where we are right here today, but the 48 car is on another level. His car is so much better than everybody else that he just plays with everybody the whole race just to make it look good. That's pretty obvious, but I feel like if we can get our car where he's at, I can beat him." - Brad Keselowski, finished sixth
"We had a really good car at the beginning of the race. Even if we fell back I could get back in the top-5 and then after that little incident we got in. I don't know, I thought the car was going to be better without the bumper cover on it. In the wind tunnel, that is a big advantage. I was actually kind of pumped up that it got ripped off. The car just wasn't as good after that. I think the track, even though you couldn't see rubber, the track got tighter and tighter as the race went on. We adjusted for it, but just didn't have enough speed there at the end. Made a good pit call at the end and got a couple of extra spots. That was a really good day for us." - Jamie McMurray, finished seventh
"It wasn't that great of a result — we were capable of a little bit better, but we just kept stubbing our toe on Friday and then we had a setback when we were about to get into position. I just want to thank Joe Gibbs (team owner, Joe Gibbs Racing). I did not fill Denny Hamlin's shoes, I can tell you that much. He (Hamlin) is the master. I enjoyed this opportunity — it was fun." - Mark Martin, finished tenth
"Considering everything we had to come through it was a decent day to come in 11th. Considering we got in that crash early — a bunch of cars, like a 10-car pileup. I'm not sure what caused the wreck up in front of us. Had a lot of damage on the car, went a lap down and came back from that. The Jet Edge guys did a great job preparing it. Then there at the end we drove all the way back up to the top-five and blew a left-rear tire. I think we cut it. We had great tire wear and I can't imagine we wore the left-rear out. Who knows? That put us another lap down. Then we came back from that to a solid 11th." - Brian Vickers, finished 11th
I think you take what the car gives you and Tony Gibson (crew chief) has a really good track record here, he is a great crew chief, and my car was good all day. We kind of balanced her out after being a little loose to a little tight but we got the GoDaddy.com car back up there. We obviously went down real early with that spin and then were two laps down at one point. So I feel that is one of the things that I am most proud about is coming back from two laps down and being on the last lap. Then grabbing a 12th-place finish in the end was good and I think it was the right call to stay out because I don't think tires were quite worth enough to pit, so it was a good run today." - Danica Patrick, finished 12th
"We ran really great — that's the best we ever ran at Martinsville and the best car I've ever had here by far. That part was all good. We just didn't get the finish, which is disappointing — we've got to start getting some finishes. I had a great car and that's the good part." - Matt Kenseth, finished 14th
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Martinsville Race Recap
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: Milestones Marked While Youth Rises
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the STP Gas Booster 500
by Amy Henderson
Is NASCAR Suffering From A Diva Complex?
by Summer Bedgood
IndyCar Recap: Barber Motorsports Park
by P. Huston Ladner
Tearing Apart The Trucks: Young Guns Excel at Martinsville
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 231, 2) Brad Keselowski -6, 3) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -12, 4) Kyle Busch -28, t-5) Kasey Kahne -32, t-5) Greg Biffle -32, 7) Carl Edwards -38, 8) Clint Bowyer -52, t-8) Paul Menard -52, 10) Matt Kenseth -59, 11) Joey Logano -64, 12) Jeff Gordon -67.
Best of the Rest: 13) Jamie McMurray -69, 14) Kevin Harvick -70, 15) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -73, 16) Aric Almirola -82, 17) Casey Mears -85, 18) Denny Hamlin -86.
Wild Cards: 1) Joey Logano (11th in points), 2) Jeff Gordon (12th in points)
Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona, Martinsville), Carl Edwards (Phoenix), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas), Kasey Kahne (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana).
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: Martinsville-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: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 41st, finished 16th
His back ached.
He had a terrible qualifying lap.
He was penalized twice for speeding on pit road and two more times lost several positions on pit stops.
But Casey Mears shone on Sunday nonetheless. He was easily the class of the small team field, racing his way as high as 13th before finishing 16th. Mears flat earned every position he gained, and he was able to outrace some very good drivers on Sunday, including Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Mears said on Friday that he's the best he's ever been, and his season to date backs that up. If he wasn't shown on the broadcast, that's a shame, because it was quite a show. Mears is now 17th in driver points, up four spots from last week; The last time he was in the top 20 in points, he was racing for perennial powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Now he's doing that with a team with less of everything.
This is a team that wants to win, and they do know how—they have two Camping World Truck Series titles. Their struggles at the Cup level illustrate how hard it is to be competitive at that level, but they are slowly but surely making gains toward that end. With both Mears and GEICO signed on through 2014 and the stability that gives them, can they engineer a trip to Victory Lane?
Underdog Selection No. 2: Bobby Labonte for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 31st, finished 21st
This team was the best of the small teams in 2012 on the strength of Labonte's consistency: If he couldn't bring it home in front, he brought it home in one piece. For a team lacking funds to build a fleet of shiny new cars on a whim, that's a big deal. Labonte did it again this week, gaining ten spots over where he started. The car wasn't pristine (whose is after 500 laps at Martinsville?), but it won't require extensive repairs, either.
This team has stagnated a bit in the last year. When 2012 began, it looked as though they were poised to take a step forward, but it hasn't quite panned out, especially when they're compared to Phoenix Racing or Germain Racing. They're as solid as ever, but that's both the blessing and the problem.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Regan Smith for Phoenix Racing; started 18th, finished 22nd
Smith ran just his second Sprint Cup race on the year on Sunday, and while the team never quite found the speed they needed on Sunday. They were one of just three single-car teams to finish in the top 25, but the only one of the three to finish lower than they started, losing four spots between the green flag and the checkered.
The team fell out of the top 10 in owner points for the first time this year; they're now 11th. But a little perspective here: among single car teams, they're nine spots above Germain Racing, and among all teams, they're still ahead of heavyweights like the Nos. 20, 55, 24 and 29, all of which are owned by the wealthiest owners in the sport. And they're still in direct competition with an independent that doesn't even have outside sponsorship many weeks. That says a lot for owner James Finch and for the group of people both behind the wall and in the driver's seat.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Letter of the Race: Sunday's STP Gas Booster 500 was brought to you by the Letter T for tires. We didn't see many of the melted beads that have plagued teams at Martinsville in the past on Sunday. However, tires were very important. They wore fairly quickly, but did not stick in the groove, making for a track that never really rubbered in all weekend. Track position is naturally important at a place as difficult to pass at as Martinsville, but at times, tires were more important. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Martinsville Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Danica Patrick Finishes Strong in Martinsville
When preseason experts and fans predicted where Danica Patrick would have the most successful, Martinsville Speedway certainly wasn't at the top of the list. However, Patrick silenced her critics by finishing in the 12th position, her best finish at any non-restrictor plate track. With this being her first time at paper clip shaped racetrack, expectations were low and the nerves were high.
However, as the laps wound down and the Virginia sun set, Patrick was battling for a top 10 spot with Brian Vickers and Kevin Harvick. Though she would eventually finish in 12th, there was no doubt that this was a success for Patrick and her No. 10 team.
"I feel that is one of the things that I am most proud about is coming back from two laps down and being on the last lap," said Patrick. "Then grabbing a 12th-place finish in the end was good and I think it was the right call to stay out because I don't think tires were quite worth enough to pit, so it was a good run today."
Vickers and Harvick Tangle in Closing Laps
While Patrick was busy securing a solid finish, Brian Vickers and Kevin Harvick were busy securing a rivalry. While racing for position back in tenth, Vickers forced Harvick to maintain his line while Vickers and Patrick raced. In the process, Vickers routinely cut Harvick off. Not taking too kindly to the hard racing, Harvick hooked Vickers' left rear on the cool down lap of the race.
As the cars headed down pit lane, Harvick again expressed his anger by leaning his car against Vickers'. While Harvick declined comment, Vickers had his own theories about what played into Harvick's temper tantrum.
"We haven't really raced that much all day and then he (Harvick) just wrecked us after the checkered flag," said Vickers. "It was a blatant, pretty blatant — he just turned right into us. The 10 (Danica Patrick) and I were racing pretty hard. I got to her and got under her several times and she ran me down in the marbles, ran me across the curb, was blocking pretty bad so I put the bumper to her a little bit. If you're going to block — if you're going to run me across the curb then you have to expect to get the same in return. We raced hard all day and we raced clean with a lot of people. I would say I did the same with Danica — I didn't try to wreck her. If you're going to run me through the marbles then what am I going to do?"
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: STP Gas Booster 500
"Disappointed for sure. We had a fast car all weekend long and really thought we were maybe going to be walking out of here with a Grandfather Clock. I tore the car up pretty bad over here off of (Turn) 4. I checked up and I got hit from behind, pushed into the 1 (Jamie McMurray) and all hell broke loose. All in all, second place isn't bad, but it sure sucks right now." - Clint Bowyer, finished second
"Well, we just didn't need those cautions there at the end. I made a mistake on pit road and got us way behind. But, what an incredible effort for this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet team. They had good pit stops and then they also made great adjustments. We were real tight there at the middle part of the race. And then boy, that thing just took off. On the long runs, I feel like we had the best car. But you know, those cautions are going to come out there. We tried to free it up. We just didn't get it quite freed up enough. So, I was just trying to get the front end to cut and I knew that we just didn't quite have it. We just needed more laps there at the end. Congratulations to Jimmie (Johnson, race winner) though; yes, he is so impressive here but the thing that impresses me the most are those darn poles. Where did that come from? He used to at least give us a shot when he would qualify like 15th. So when those guys get that number one pit stall, they're almost impossible to beat. It was a lot of fun. We needed that third-place finish. So I'm very proud of this team." - Jeff Gordon, finished third
"I don't know [where] anybody that came (to pit road) finished, but we just — getting stuck on the outside lane on restarts just kills you. We fought hard up there and tried to do what we could and just had to fade gracefully, I guess you'd call it. The M&M's guys did a great job today and gave me a really good car. We keep finishing top 5 here all of the time, but it'd sure be nice to figure out some sort of secret that could get us into Victory Lane here. It would be nice to bring home a Grandfather Clock, but not this week." - Kyle Busch, finished fifth
"They've all been hard fought. We seem to run sixth here every time. Sixth is good, but it's just not great. We want to be able to win here and just haven't been strong enough to do that. We've been strong enough to be proud of what we've done, and I'm proud of where we are right here today, but the 48 car is on another level. His car is so much better than everybody else that he just plays with everybody the whole race just to make it look good. That's pretty obvious, but I feel like if we can get our car where he's at, I can beat him." - Brad Keselowski, finished sixth
"We had a really good car at the beginning of the race. Even if we fell back I could get back in the top-5 and then after that little incident we got in. I don't know, I thought the car was going to be better without the bumper cover on it. In the wind tunnel, that is a big advantage. I was actually kind of pumped up that it got ripped off. The car just wasn't as good after that. I think the track, even though you couldn't see rubber, the track got tighter and tighter as the race went on. We adjusted for it, but just didn't have enough speed there at the end. Made a good pit call at the end and got a couple of extra spots. That was a really good day for us." - Jamie McMurray, finished seventh
"It wasn't that great of a result — we were capable of a little bit better, but we just kept stubbing our toe on Friday and then we had a setback when we were about to get into position. I just want to thank Joe Gibbs (team owner, Joe Gibbs Racing). I did not fill Denny Hamlin's shoes, I can tell you that much. He (Hamlin) is the master. I enjoyed this opportunity — it was fun." - Mark Martin, finished tenth
"Considering everything we had to come through it was a decent day to come in 11th. Considering we got in that crash early — a bunch of cars, like a 10-car pileup. I'm not sure what caused the wreck up in front of us. Had a lot of damage on the car, went a lap down and came back from that. The Jet Edge guys did a great job preparing it. Then there at the end we drove all the way back up to the top-five and blew a left-rear tire. I think we cut it. We had great tire wear and I can't imagine we wore the left-rear out. Who knows? That put us another lap down. Then we came back from that to a solid 11th." - Brian Vickers, finished 11th
I think you take what the car gives you and Tony Gibson (crew chief) has a really good track record here, he is a great crew chief, and my car was good all day. We kind of balanced her out after being a little loose to a little tight but we got the GoDaddy.com car back up there. We obviously went down real early with that spin and then were two laps down at one point. So I feel that is one of the things that I am most proud about is coming back from two laps down and being on the last lap. Then grabbing a 12th-place finish in the end was good and I think it was the right call to stay out because I don't think tires were quite worth enough to pit, so it was a good run today." - Danica Patrick, finished 12th
"We ran really great — that's the best we ever ran at Martinsville and the best car I've ever had here by far. That part was all good. We just didn't get the finish, which is disappointing — we've got to start getting some finishes. I had a great car and that's the good part." - Matt Kenseth, finished 14th
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Martinsville Race Recap
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: Milestones Marked While Youth Rises
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the STP Gas Booster 500
by Amy Henderson
Is NASCAR Suffering From A Diva Complex?
by Summer Bedgood
IndyCar Recap: Barber Motorsports Park
by P. Huston Ladner
Tearing Apart The Trucks: Young Guns Excel at Martinsville
by Beth Lunkenheimer
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1998 Coca-Cola 300 at Texas Motor Speedway is known best as the race in which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. picked up his first career Busch Grand National victory. Jimmy Spencer was a contender to win early on, but what ended up taking him out of the race?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: In 2002, Kevin Harvick was parked for the Virginia 500 at Martinsville by NASCAR. Kenny Wallace took his place in the Goodwrench No. 29. Why?
A: Harvick was parked due to rough driving in the Advance Auto Parts 250 for the then-Craftsman Truck Series the day before. Basically, Harvick stated on his radio that he was sick of Coy Gibbs being in his way and was going to take him out. Then, he did it, in a fashion not dissimilar to what Kyle Busch did to Jennifer Jo Cobb at Bristol. NASCAR did not take kindly to Harvick's actions and parked him for the rest of the race, along with Sunday.
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 Gas Booster 500 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Brad gets us set for 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. This week, the focus is on Brian France and his recent "initiatives" to get the sport back on track.
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.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2013 Frontstretch.com
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1998 Coca-Cola 300 at Texas Motor Speedway is known best as the race in which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. picked up his first career Busch Grand National victory. Jimmy Spencer was a contender to win early on, but what ended up taking him out of the race?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: In 2002, Kevin Harvick was parked for the Virginia 500 at Martinsville by NASCAR. Kenny Wallace took his place in the Goodwrench No. 29. Why?
A: Harvick was parked due to rough driving in the Advance Auto Parts 250 for the then-Craftsman Truck Series the day before. Basically, Harvick stated on his radio that he was sick of Coy Gibbs being in his way and was going to take him out. Then, he did it, in a fashion not dissimilar to what Kyle Busch did to Jennifer Jo Cobb at Bristol. NASCAR did not take kindly to Harvick's actions and parked him for the rest of the race, along with Sunday.
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 Gas Booster 500 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 Fontana and get us ready for Texas.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series were in action at Martinsville Speedway. Meanwhile, the Izod IndyCar Series made their yearly trip to Alabama. Were the telecasts of these events "up to snuff?" Find out in this week's TV Critique.
Brad gets us set for 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. This week, the focus is on Brian France and his recent "initiatives" to get the sport back on track.
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.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2013 Frontstretch.com
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