Monday, July 15, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 15th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 15th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXXVIII

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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Vickers Uses Pit Strategy, Pace to Grab First Win Since 2009
by Justin Tucker

The joy in Brian Vickers' voice after Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway said it all.  After taking the checkered flag Vickers said over the radio, "Hey career! Welcome back baby!''

Vickers came into Sunday's race at New Hampshire on the heels of a 75 race winless streak dating back to Michigan in August 2009 and looking to solidify his future with Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2014 season.  After passing Tony Stewart with 16 laps to go to take the lead, Vickers would hold off Stewart and Kyle Busch on a Green-White-Checker finish to claim his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.  More importantly, Vickers took a step in securing his future in Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 in 2014.

Fighting through adversity is nothing new for Vickers.  In 2010, Vickers missed much of the season with life threatening blood clots and since then it has been a fight to get back on NASCAR's top level.

After the race, Vickers talked about his odyssey in getting back into the NSCS.

"I couldn't have been through more trials and tribulations.  Nothing's a guarantee in life," said Vickers.  "I learned that the hard way.  Even when you think it's done, it's not done, but it definitely goes a long way."

Kyle Busch would have a stellar day at New Hampshire, leading 54 of 302 laps in bringing home a second-place finish but Busch was none too pleased about his finish in a post race interview.

"I think we were the fastest car here today," said Busch. "… I guess I burn the front tires off of it when we're here.  I don't know what the deal is."

Jeff Burton would enjoy his finest performance of the season on Sunday by bringing his No. 31 Chevrolet home in third.  Brad Keselowski and Aric Almirola would round out the top 5 on the afternoon.

Series points leader Jimmie Johnson was the biggest mover on the afternoon,  Starting 43rd after his qualifying effort was disallowed on Friday after failing post qualifying inspection, Johnson would bring his No. 48 Chevrolet home in sixth-place and would increase his series points to 56 over Clint Bowyer.  Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Jeff Gordon would round out the top 10 at New Hampshire.

Sunday's race at New Hampshire proved to be a typical New Hampshire race.  Track position was king and fuel mileage would play a huge role in the finishing order as Tony Stewart would run out of gas during the final two laps.  The lack of fuel dropped him from second to a 26th-place finish on the day.

A look at Sunday's race by the numbers.  There was 12 cautions for 58 laps, ten lead changes among six different drivers with Kurt Busch leading the most laps with 102, and the average race speed was 98.735 MPH.

The Sprint Cup Series takes next weekend off but will return to the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 28th for the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400. Green flag from the Brickyard is scheduled for 1:20 P.M. ET.

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: Another Perfect 48 Gives Johnson a Full Race Lead Again
by Phil Allaway

For points leader Jimmie Johnson, his weekend was horrible leading up to Sunday's race.  He was fast in practice, but had trouble in inspection prior to qualifying.  He qualified second, then flunked inspection and had to start in the rear.  Then, he had to go through pre-race inspection multiple times.  Once the race started, it was like nothing had happened.  Johnson came up through the field to finish sixth.  That, combined with a 13th-place finish for Clint Bowyer, allowed him to increase his lead once again.  The margin is now 56 points going into the final week off of the year.  Carl Edwards had a very quiet day in Loudon, but eventually climbed up to an eighth-place finish to minimize his losses to Johnson.

Despite early contact with Marcos Ambrose that damaged the Budweiser Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick was able to charge up through the field from the twenties to finish seventh and lost only one point to Johnson.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 14th and maintained fifth in the points, but ran better than his finishing position for most of the race.  Matt Kenseth is still in sixth after finishing ninth on Sunday.  Officially, Kenseth only has sixth thanks to a tiebraker since he is tied on points with teammate Kyle Busch, who finished second on Sunday.

Greg Biffle maintained the eighth position, but really didn't have the greatest race on his way to a 15th-place finish.  Brad Keselowski is back into the top-10 after a drought-breaking fourth-place finish.  Kasey Kahne is also back in the top-10 after posting an 11th-place finish.

Beyond tenth, the standings are very close.  Martin Truex, Jr. and Jeff Gordon are tied for 11th, two points behind Kahne.  Tony Stewart, who ran out of gas coming to the white flag and finished 26th, is five points out in 13th.  Kurt Busch lost all of his gains from Daytona, but is still only ten points out of the Chase in 14th.

Brian Vickers' victory has created an interesting situation. The No. 55 for Michael Waltrip Racing is now ahead of Stewart's No. 14 in owner's points.  As a result, the No. 55 is in position to earn the second Wild Card into the Owner's Chase, which would be a first under the various Chase formats.

Point Standings (Top 10): 1) Jimmie Johnson 696, 2) Clint Bowyer -56, 3) Carl Edwards -73, 4) Kevin Harvick -74, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -118, t-6) Matt Kenseth -120, 7) Kyle Busch -120, 8) Greg Biffle -151, 9) Brad Keselowski -167, 10) Kasey Kahne -173.

Drivers Point Standings (11-20): t-11) Martin Truex, Jr. -175, t-11) Jeff Gordon -175, 13) Tony Stewart -178, 14) Kurt Busch -180, 15) Jamie McMurray -189, 16) Aric Almirola -194, 17) Jeff Burton -198, t-18) Joey Logano -209, t-18) Ryan Newman -209, t-18) Paul Menard -209.

Owners Point Standings (11-20): t-11) 56-Michael Waltrip Racing -175, t-11) 24-Hendrick Motorsports -175, 13) 55-Michael Waltrip Racing -176, 14) 14-Stewart-Haas Racing -178, 15) 78-Furniture Row Racing -180, 16) 1-Earnhardt Ganassi Racing -189, 17) 43-Richard Petty Motorsports -194, 18) 31-Richard Childress Racing, t-19) 22-Penske Racing -209, t-19) 39-Stewart-Haas Racing -209, t-19) 27-Richard Childress Racing -209.

Driver Wild Cards: 1) Martin Truex, Jr. (11th in points, one win), 2) Tony Stewart (13th in points, one win)

Owner Wild Cards: 1) 56-Michael Waltrip Racing (11th in points, one win), 2) 55-Michael Waltrip Racing (13th in points, one win)

Currently Ineligible for Wild Card: 1) David Ragan (28th in points, one win)

Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona-1, Martinsville, Pocono, Daytona-2), Carl Edwards (Phoenix), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas, Kansas, Darlington, Kentucky), Kasey Kahne (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Auto Club, Texas), Kevin Harvick (Richmond, Charlotte), David Ragan (Talladega), Tony Stewart (Dover), Greg Biffle (Michigan), Martin Truex, Jr. (Sonoma), Brian Vickers (Loudon)

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: Loudon 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: David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; started 24th, finished 18th

Gilliland has routinely played second fiddle to his FRM teammate, David Ragan, who came to the team with a Cup win on his resume from Roush Fenway Racing and added to that this spring at Talladega.  But in reality, Gilliland has been just as valuable to his team; not only did he push Ragan to the 'Dega win, his average finish of 25.6 is a position better than Ragan's 26.5 this year, and he's emerged as a fairly consistent driver as well, something this small team needs if they are to contend for more wins and move up the ultra-competitive Cup ladder.

While Gilliland's greatest success is in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and he hasn't set the Cup world on fire, he's tough and solid as a competitor.  He's completed 95.1% of laps in this year's Cup races, another team best, and those are the kind of numbers that are important for a progressing small team.

Underdog Selection No. 2: David Stremme for Swan Racing; started 42nd, finished 20th

Stremme and Co. have had few surprises in store in 2013.  Since Swan Racing's purchase of Inception Motorsports in the offseason, they're finishing races and have shown flashes of something more than simply finishing.  A top-20 run here and there for a team that was parking a year ago isn't a given, just ask Josh Wise or Landon Cassill if it is.  Stremme has a pair of top 20's on the non-restrictor plate tracks this year to go with a 12th at Talladega this spring, and this team has shown strength.  What they now need to find is consistency, but they seem to be on the right track overall.  For a team that some questioned would even be in existence by now, they're doing things right.

Underdog Selection No. 3: Bobby Labonte for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 33rd, finished 27th

Yes, other teams in this group finished ahead of Labonte this weekend at Loudon.  But the finish doesn't tell the story of a team that ran in the top 5 for much of the last third of the race, falling to 27th only because the fuel tank ran dry with just a handful of laps remaining.  And Labonte was masterful, running speeds equal to team like the points-leading No. 48, outdriving Jimmie Johnson and others more than once late in the race.

In other words, when the going got tough, Labonte proved he could run with anyone and more than hold his own.  Unfortunately, this team that needs a bulldog in the driver's seat may have already burned this bridge to the pilings and if they do indeed send Labonte packing at season's end, may have trouble finding a driver of his caliber to take over the reins.  The driver isn't the problem, and Labonte put an exclamation point on that this week.

Underdog Pick of the Week-Indianapolis: AJ Allmendinger for Phoenix Racing

In this section, I'll give you my pick among the small teams to have a strong run in the upcoming race. 

Last week's pick, David Reutimann, came home 28th, a distant seventh among his underdog peers, so I'm looking for a little redemption this week, and if recent weeks and past Indy performance are any indication, Allmendinger's the right choice to get it.  Not only did he come within the click of a seat belt to victory in the Indianapolis 500 earlier this year, but he's got an average finish of 17th at IMS in a Cup car, so he can get around the historic track in a car with fenders as well.  I am going to hedge my bet just a bit, however, because Allmendinger has not been confirmed as the team's Indy entry and take Germain Racing's Casey Mears as a second pick; Mears has a pole and a top-10 finish at Indianapolis, and while a couple other drivers in this group have a higher average finish over the years, Mears has the best car among them this year, and has shown some strength in recent weeks.

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 Camping World RV Sales 301 was brought to you by the Letter S for "Strategy."  New Hampshire Motor Speedway is not the easiest track to pass at.  As a result, whoever ultimately goes to Victory Lane must have one of two traits.  Either a completely dominant car that can usurp any strategy, or a good car that can take advantage of good strategy.  Despite a rather embarrassing penalty early in the race, Brian Vickers and his team had a great strategy, and that, along with an adequate amount of petrol, allowed him to overhaul Tony Stewart to take the win.  - Phil Allaway

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Sidebar Loudon Stories
by Summer Bedgood

Jimmie Johnson Charges Through Field, Finishes Sixth

After Jimmie Johnson's time was disallowed following qualifying on Friday after the car was discovered to be too low in post-qualifying inspection, many wondered if Johnson would be able to rebound from the penalty.  Johnson was required to start from the back of the pack on Sunday at a track that is usually difficult to pass on.

However, his doubters were silenced shortly after the green flag fell.  After 50 laps, Johnson had already worked his way inside the top 20 and finally broke into the top 10 around lap 165 in the 301 lap event.  Though Johnson never led any laps, he was able to stay inside the top 10 and finish in the sixth position.

"We had a great race car," said Johnson.  "Once you get to the top 10, that's a different game trying to pass cars and work your way to the front there.  Really, the lane that you were in on a restart had a huge impact on how many cars you could pass.  A few times I was on the outside and made my way to third and then a few times on the inside and I slipped back.  All in all a great day for the Lowe's team and just very proud of the effort these guys put in week in and week out.  We are all going to enjoy this off week and then come back and get ready to go to Indy."

Johnson maintained his points lead and currently holds a 56 point advantage over second-place Clint Bowyer.

Kurt Busch Finishes 31st, Loses Ground in Chase

Kurt Busch had arguably the best racecar Sunday in New Hampshire, leading 104 of the 302 laps in the race in dominating fashion.  It looked like he might be on his way to his first victory of he season.

However, an incident involving Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman knocked him out of the race for several laps.  Kenseth appeared to lightly tap the back end of Busch's car while he was racing with Newman for position.  Though Kenseth denied any contact, and camera angles could not confirm one way or the other, Busch slid up into Newman and both slid up the track and into the outside retaining wall.

While Newman was knocked out of the race, Busch's Furniture Row Racing crew was able to get the car patched up well enough to continue racing after spending several laps in the garage area.  Busch would eventually finish the race in the 31st position, 19 laps down.

"We struggled terribly today," said Busch.  "We were able to make something out of it, but we've got a lot of work to do before we come back." 

Busch fell from ninth in points to 14th.  Without a win, Busch will need to make up some serious ground if he is to have any hope in making the Chase.

Summer Bedgood is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SummerBedgood.

Quotes to Remember: Camping World RV Sales 301
compiled by Summer Bedgood

"Absolutely, it couldn't have been filled with more trials and tribulations, but thanks to so much support from friends and family and this year my fiancée Sarah (Kensington) — she's stuck in traffic right now.  I want her to get back.  But I've got to thank Ty (Norris, MWR executive vice president) for making that phone call and giving me the chance, and Rob (Kauffmann, MWR co-owner) and Michael (Waltrip, MWR co-owner) for believing in me, this whole crew.  The Aaron's Dream Machine — man, this thing was good today.  We had a mishap in the pits and got us a lap down, but we got it back.  One of our crew members had to leave — the engine tuner, Denny (Chandler) — his father's not doing well, so we're thinking of him.  Man, just thank God for the chance and the opportunity to come back and this team and Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and just everyone believing in me and giving me a second chance." - Brian Vickers, race winner

"I can remember the day Clyde (Vickers, Brian Vickers' father) walked into our go-kart shop in Cornelius, North Carolina and said he wanted to buy his eight-year-old kid a go-kart.  So, we got it together overnight and they came and picked it up the next day and then a good friend of ours helped Brian get started.  This means a lot to me.  We've been hot and cold over the years.  With MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing), we got to win our first race together in 2009 and our second race as a company in 2010 at Chicago, and it's something that you think about every single weekend.  This weekend, we knew we had a good car.  A lot of people probably saw I said something last night about how I was going to not sleep all night, but when you've got a car that good in practice and you know you can make a small change to make it really, really good, it's hard to sleep at night.  We made a few changes this morning and actually what we did didn't work and we got going along through the race there and first pit stop of the race we made a mistake on pit road.  We made a really big adjustment — a double adjustment in the rear — and left the wrench on the deck lid and it ended up getting a penalty and getting a lap down and we all fought all day and Brian never gave up and just drove his butt off all day, and we just got the right opportunity at the end.  Sometimes days go your way and sometimes they don't, and we've had plenty that haven't. So, just very fortunate that things worked out at the end the way that they did.  The Toyota horsepower and having great fuel mileage all weekend, we knew this morning if it came down to a fuel mileage race we were going to be in really good shape.  Just happy for everybody, happy for everybody at MWR — the 250-some employees that we have that put all these cars together — and just really happy with Aaron's.  They've been a big supporter of myself and this team and everybody at MWR for a long time and been wanting to get them a real win.  Everybody said the win in Charlotte wasn't a real win because we won it in the rain, so we got them a real win now.  It means a lot to me and it's good for our team." - Rodney Childers, winning crew chief

"Rodney Childers deserves to run for a championship as a crew chief.  About a year-and-a-half ago, we told him that we were going to run Mark Martin in 24 races and Michael (Waltrip, co-owner) in the speedway races and we were not even sure who was going to drive the other races at that point.  And Rodney has everybody knocking on his door, always, and we respect that, but he made the choice to stay and that was a big choice for our organization.  One of the very first things we talked about was racing for an owner's championship — let's shake up the system.  We'll have multiple drivers, but if we can win some races and be in a situation where we can run for an owner's championship that can be just as remarkable as running for a driver's championship, so our team has rallied around that." - Ty Norris, executive vice president of Michael Waltrip Racing

"I think we were the fastest car here today.  Definitely on the short run.  I guess I burned my front tires off — I don't know what the deal is.  We were out front, we were leading, we were doing fine, we get to lapped traffic and I can't turn any more.  It's just accustomed to how my driving style is, I guess.  I hate it because we had such a great race car here.  This Interstate Batteries Camry was awesome today and these guys deserve to be in Victory Lane.  I don't know what to do on these long runs.  That's all there was to it.  That's our day.  Just got to get better on figuring out what I got to do to do that in order to be able to pass lapped cars."

On his brother's crash:

"I really hate it that Kurt got tore up and I felt like he had the best car here today.  He was definitely good. He could definitely roll the long runs for sure and I was proud of those guys, but man [that was] just stupidity.

On Ryan Newman:

"I mean Ryan Newman is the biggest stupid idiot out here. And he's a big ogre and he can do whatever he wants because he can probably kick anybody's butt, so no sense in getting into a fight with him. But glad he is out of a job." - Kyle Busch, finished second

"It was a lot of work.  We had a really good car.  We thought the CAT Chevrolet was as good as anybody.  The No. 78 was better than everybody, but once he had his problems, then I think that opened the door for us.  Just the cautions didn't fall quite the way we needed them to, none-the-less we had a good day.  I'm proud of everybody.  A lot of people have given up on this team and myself, but Caterpillar and Cheerios and Chevrolet and all the people that help us so much they haven't.  We haven't given up on ourselves either.  We are going to keep working.  We don't feel like we are out of this thing.  We feel like we know we have an uphill battle, but we feel like we still have a shot at it." - Jeff Burton, finished third

"That was a grueling race for sure.  We fought hard all day and came home with a fourth, so that was a decent day.  I thought we had a shot at it.  The 18 and 78 were really good and I hadn't been around the 55 all day until the end but man that last run he was definitely fast and deserved the win.  Great job to them.  It was a decent day for the Miller Lite Ford Fusion, we just needed a little bit more to win." - Brad Keselowski, finished fourth

"Our Smithfield Ford Fusion wasn't very good all day.  We really struggled and Todd saw that track position was really important so we took two tires on one of those cautions and that was really bad so we came back down pit road and took four tires when everybody else stayed out and that gave us the opportunity when everyone else came to pit to make it on fuel and we stayed out.  That was a great pit call by Todd Parrott and all these guys on this Smithfield Ford Fusion did a great job and that is nice.  It is a great way to go into the off weekend." - Aric Almirola, finished fifth

"We had a great race car.  Once you get to the top 10 that's a different game trying to pass cars and work your way to the front there.  Really the lane that you were in on a restart had a huge impact on how many cars you could pass.  A few times I was on the outside and made my way to third and then a few times on the inside and I slipped back.  All in all a great day for the Lowe's team and just very proud of the effort these guys put in week in and week out.  We are all going to enjoy this off week and then come back and get ready to go to Indy."  - Jimmie Johnson, finished sixth

"We made the best of a bad situation and that's all you can do.  We wanted to make today a non-issue and I think that's exactly what we did.  We didn't need to win today, but the most important thing is we didn't need to lose.  And I think we came out of here with a solid run." - Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson

"That was a hell of a battle.  I am pretty proud of how everybody fought really hard the whole time and we ended up with a top-10.  The car was not as good as we finished and we made some things happened on the restarts which we haven't been able to do for awhile, so that was really nice.  I had a good time out there and we were able to get a good finish out of a crazy day, so that is good." - Carl Edwards, finished eighth

"It was kind of uphill.  I had a good car — probably the best car I've ever had here — probably a top-three to five car, for sure.  Kind of lost our track position when Kurt (Busch) cleaned out (Ryan) Newman.  I had to stop to miss that wreck.  Lost all our track position again.  Just wasn't good enough to get it all back." - Matt Kenseth, finished ninth

"I am pretty impressed with the team and thank them for hanging in there with me.  It was a frustrating day.  We just weren't really good with the car all weekend.  We had to fight through.  We had track position and we were maintaining that.  And the strategies just started getting all over the place and we lost that track position.  It was just a real struggle.  I just appreciate the team working hard and hanging in there with me and to come back and get a Top 10 is pretty impressive."  - Jeff Gordon, finished tenth

"Pretty nervous, I mean it's hard to calculate how much we are saving on the cautions so thought we were about three quarters of a lap to the good there before that last caution.  Obviously didn't get saved as much as I thought we would."  - Tony Stewart, finished 26th


"I just got hit from behind.  There was three-wide action, everybody's going hard and I think they are about ready to get the gear in it so we are going to jump back in the car.  (Matt) Kenseth was in the middle and he was in the middle on the back straightaway.  The car gets light when there is no air on the rear spoiler back there.  I'm going to get back in the car." - Kurt Busch, finished 31st

"We struggled a lot, which was pretty disappointing.  We came up here and tested and we didn't really get any faster when we tested here but we felt we had a decent package to come back with.  Really, all our Roush Fenway cars struggled.  We ran right there with Greg [Biffle] and Carl [Edwards].  Greg had a couple runs where he was up front but for the most part we were all pretty close, just not close enough to the front.  We tried getting our track position by staying out and restarting fifth on no tires and that didn't work out for us.  So then we took four tires there at the end and could make the outside work and then I think we got up to 16th and would get trapped on the bottom and you can't get up to the top.  So that is what kind of got us back to where we were." - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished 34th

"It's good to see it to get the visual on it.  What it felt like was either I misjudged the braking or everyone jammed up a little bit.  I got sideways trying to slow down so that I didn't drive up into the back of anyone.  I just got sideways and there is nothing you can do.  The worst part is that you know obviously I didn't want to take anybody with me.  I feel bad what can I say.  We were having a reasonable race and just didn't mean to do it." - Danica Patrick, finished 37th

"We just got whacked by a bunch of guys the No. 18 hit me first, the No. 2 hit me next and then I guess it was Kurt (Busch) that went underneath three-wide and by passed the No. 20 come and clipped us and knocked us into the fence and took himself out.  That was the best I could tell.  I don't know. 

After seeing the replay of the crash, courtesy of TNT: I guess the No. 20 had a little influence on it.  We kind of were in a bad spot having a little bit older tires.  We didn't have the greatest car, but have to thank Wix's for jumping on board and sponsoring us.  That is not the press we wanted to give them, but just a lot of disrespect from a bunch of guys on restarts.  What comes around goes around." - Ryan Newman, finished 39th

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  After the death of Ayrton Senna at the Grand Prix of San Marino in 1994, tracks around the world took all kinds of measures to slow cars down.  Mosport Park (now known as Canadian Tire Motorsports Park) was no different.  What did they do to try to slow cars down on their circuit?

Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Friday's Answer:

Q:  The 1996 Jiffy Lube 300 at then-New Hampshire International Speedway is best known as the race in which Ernie Irvan completed his comeback from near-fatal injuries to return to Victory Lane.  Joe Nemechek qualified a decent 11th on Friday but had multiple issues in the race.  What happened?

A: The trouble started early on.  Dale Jarrett spun on the third lap after contact from Jeff Gordon.  Nemechek slowed for the spun and was hit from behind by Sterling Marlin.  Nemechek spun as a result and hit Jarrett, damaging the right front corner of Nemechek's Burger King Chevrolet (and the left side of Jarrett's car behind the left front tire).  The wreck can be seen at the 11:35 mark of this clip.  Jarrett recovered and eventually finished second, giving Robert Yates Racing their first one-two finish.

Despite the early incident, Nemechek was still having a decent day.  After dropping back to 38th, Nemechek worked his way back up into the top-15.  Nemechek and Ted Musgrave were battling for 15th when the two had contact in Turn 3 on Lap 198.  Nemechek tried to save it, but just couldn't keep from spinning into the concrete.  This particular wreck put him out for the day.

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: Camping World RV Sales 301 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 New Hampshire and get us ready for the off week.

Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: New Hampshire-Off Week 2 Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gives up something to look forward to during the off-week. He's tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.

Racing To The Point 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.

Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were both in action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, the Camping World Truck Series was in Iowa. How were these races broadcasted? You'll have to check out Tuesday's column to find out.
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©2013 Frontstretch.com

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Posted by Curious ... at 10:50 AM

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