THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 29th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXXXVII
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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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Home Sweet Home: Newman Realizes Dream, Wins At Indy
by Justin Tucker
Ryan Newman, like every child growing up in Indiana has dreamed of one day winning at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Newman, a native of South Bend, Indiana, came into Sunday's Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 Powered by BigMachineRecords.com riding the wave of a 49-race winless streak that stretched back to Martinsville in April 2012. After being informed two weeks ago that he would not return to Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman rose to the occasion on one of NASCAR's biggest stages and outdueled Jimmie Johnson down the stretch to win the Brickyard 400.
"I don't realize it yet. It's a dream come true," Newman said. "It can't hit you all at once, it's not good enough. It will take a week or so for it to sink in."
From the outset on Sunday, Newman and Johnson would prove to be the class of the field as they would combine to lead 118 of the 160 laps on Sunday afternoon. It appeared for much of the late stages of the race that Johnson was well on his way to claiming his record fifth Brickyard win until a slow, four-tire pit stop with 27 laps to go allowed Newman to capitalize on Matt Borland's two-tire pit call down the stretch. Darting out in front, Newman would hold off Johnson by 2.657 seconds to claim his 17th career NSCS win.
Teammate and car owner Tony Stewart was ecstatic during post-race interviews.
"He just had an awesome weekend," Stewart said. "I kept looking up the board and watching and I was scared to ask where he was at and how big of a lead he had. I didn't want to jinx him. Just really proud of him -- he's a great teammate and an even better friend."
Points leader Jimmie Johnson continued his amazing 2013 season on Sunday by leading 73 laps and finishing second. Johnson extended his points lead over Clint Bowyer to 75 points, but was disappointed about letting another Indy win slip away.
"There's definitely disappointment there, but that's racing. It happens," Johnson said. "We win as a team, lose as a team. There's been some late race mistakes on my behalf that have taken race wins away from us. Granted, not a major event like this. We still ended up second."
Johnson's teammate Kasey Kahne brought his No. 5 Chevrolet home in the third spot while Stewart finished fourth. Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 5.
Hendrick-powered cars swept the top 4 spots in the running order on Sunday.
"We had pretty good power all day long, there were several scenarios where I noticed it," Stewart said. "That's what you expect from Hendrick."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rebounded from a loose wheel on lap 13 to finish sixth with teammate Jeff Gordon right behind him in seventh. Joey Logano was eighth, Juan Pablo Montoya ninth, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10.
Here's a quick look at the Brickyard 400 by the numbers. There were 20 lead changes among 12 drivers, while the average race speed was 153.485 MPH -- meaning the event was completed in just two hours, 36 minutes. There were only 3 cautions for 14 laps, none of which were for wrecks or debris.
Sunday's Brickyard 400 proved to be entertaining and one filled with high drama in the closing stages. Once again, track position and pit stops would mean the difference in the end in determining who went to Victory Lane.
The Sprint Cup Series moves on to Pocono next weekend for the GoBowling.com 400. Jimmie Johnson captured the first race at Pocono in June and looks for his second track sweep of 2013. Green flag at Pocono is scheduled for 1:19 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: Johnson Expands Lead Again After Rivals Struggle
by Phil Allaway
Jimmie Johnson had yet another chance on Sunday to put together a 48 Special at Indianapolis. However, a lug nut on the right rear cost the No. 48 team four seconds on pit road, more than enough for Ryan Newman to claim the win. However, Johnson still finished way ahead of his rivals. As a result, his lead is now the biggest of the season at 75 points over Clint Bowyer, who used an alternate pit strategy that didn't work out and relegated him to a 20th-place finish. Carl Edwards ran up front early on, but dropped back to a 13th-place finish. While that allowed him to gain points on Bowyer, he still lost ground to Johnson.Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 29th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXXXVII
~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~
Home Sweet Home: Newman Realizes Dream, Wins At Indy
by Justin Tucker
Ryan Newman, like every child growing up in Indiana has dreamed of one day winning at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Newman, a native of South Bend, Indiana, came into Sunday's Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 Powered by BigMachineRecords.com riding the wave of a 49-race winless streak that stretched back to Martinsville in April 2012. After being informed two weeks ago that he would not return to Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman rose to the occasion on one of NASCAR's biggest stages and outdueled Jimmie Johnson down the stretch to win the Brickyard 400.
"I don't realize it yet. It's a dream come true," Newman said. "It can't hit you all at once, it's not good enough. It will take a week or so for it to sink in."
From the outset on Sunday, Newman and Johnson would prove to be the class of the field as they would combine to lead 118 of the 160 laps on Sunday afternoon. It appeared for much of the late stages of the race that Johnson was well on his way to claiming his record fifth Brickyard win until a slow, four-tire pit stop with 27 laps to go allowed Newman to capitalize on Matt Borland's two-tire pit call down the stretch. Darting out in front, Newman would hold off Johnson by 2.657 seconds to claim his 17th career NSCS win.
Teammate and car owner Tony Stewart was ecstatic during post-race interviews.
"He just had an awesome weekend," Stewart said. "I kept looking up the board and watching and I was scared to ask where he was at and how big of a lead he had. I didn't want to jinx him. Just really proud of him -- he's a great teammate and an even better friend."
Points leader Jimmie Johnson continued his amazing 2013 season on Sunday by leading 73 laps and finishing second. Johnson extended his points lead over Clint Bowyer to 75 points, but was disappointed about letting another Indy win slip away.
"There's definitely disappointment there, but that's racing. It happens," Johnson said. "We win as a team, lose as a team. There's been some late race mistakes on my behalf that have taken race wins away from us. Granted, not a major event like this. We still ended up second."
Johnson's teammate Kasey Kahne brought his No. 5 Chevrolet home in the third spot while Stewart finished fourth. Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 5.
Hendrick-powered cars swept the top 4 spots in the running order on Sunday.
"We had pretty good power all day long, there were several scenarios where I noticed it," Stewart said. "That's what you expect from Hendrick."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rebounded from a loose wheel on lap 13 to finish sixth with teammate Jeff Gordon right behind him in seventh. Joey Logano was eighth, Juan Pablo Montoya ninth, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10.
Here's a quick look at the Brickyard 400 by the numbers. There were 20 lead changes among 12 drivers, while the average race speed was 153.485 MPH -- meaning the event was completed in just two hours, 36 minutes. There were only 3 cautions for 14 laps, none of which were for wrecks or debris.
Sunday's Brickyard 400 proved to be entertaining and one filled with high drama in the closing stages. Once again, track position and pit stops would mean the difference in the end in determining who went to Victory Lane.
The Sprint Cup Series moves on to Pocono next weekend for the GoBowling.com 400. Jimmie Johnson captured the first race at Pocono in June and looks for his second track sweep of 2013. Green flag at Pocono is scheduled for 1:19 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: Johnson Expands Lead Again After Rivals Struggle
by Phil Allaway
Kevin Harvick also had an off day at Indianapolis on Sunday, finishing a distant 19th. That was still enough to maintain fourth in points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s sixth-place finish would normally be enough to gain him some positions. However, Earnhardt Jr. entered Indianapolis nearly a full race out of fourth in the standings. He's still 32 points behind Harvick. Matt Kenseth had a good run to finish fifth and maintain sixth in points.
Kyle Busch finished a respectable tenth and kept his seventh spot in the standings. Meanwhile, Greg Biffle struggled to a 24th-place finish, one lap down. While it didn't cost him a position in the standings, he did lose 14 points to Kyle Busch. Kasey Kahne is up one place to ninth in points after finishing a strong third in his Great Clips Chevrolet. Finally, Jeff Gordon's seventh-place finish has allowed him to climb back into the top 10 in points.
Even though Gordon is back in the top-10, his margin for error is almost nothing. Tony Stewart is just one point behind Gordon in 11th after finishing fourth on Sunday. Thanks to his win earlier this year at Dover, Stewart is the No. 1 Wild Card at the moment. Martin Truex, Jr., who lost a place in the standings Sunday after finishing 11th, is 12th in points and has the second Wild Card.
Point Standings (Top 10): 1) Jimmie Johnson 740, 2) Clint Bowyer -75, 3) Carl Edwards -85, 4) Kevin Harvick -92, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -124, 6) Matt Kenseth -125, 7) Kyle Busch -130, 8) Greg Biffle -175, 9) Kasey Kahne -176, 10) Jeff Gordon -181.
Point Standings (11-20): 11) Tony Stewart -182, 12) Martin Truex, Jr. -186, 13) Brad Keselowski -187, 14) Kurt Busch -194, 15) Jamie McMurray -203, 16) Ryan Newman -206, 17) Aric Almirola -211, 18) Joey Logano -216, 19) Paul Menard -220, 20) Jeff Burton -241.
Wild Cards: 1) Tony Stewart (11th in points, one win), 2) Martin Truex, Jr. (12th 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), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis)
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: AJ Allmendinger for Phoenix Racing; started 14th, finished 22nd
Indianapolis is one of the tracks where the disparity between the teams with money to burn and those without really shows, and this week was no exception, with not a single underdog to be found in the top 20. Allmendinger was the best among his peers this week, with an excellent qualifying effort and a decent finish; considering rumors swirling around the No. 51, that's impressive enough.
Allmendinger almost pulled off an Indianapolis 500 win earlier this year; a seat belt malfunction is possibly the only reason that Allmendinger doesn't have a Borg-Warner trophy in his case right now. With that in mind, his top finish among the small teams in the NASCAR event shouldn't come as a surprise.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 30th, finished 27th
Mears has a mixed record at Indy, with a pole and a top-10 finish but a 24.1 average finish. He probably can also get some extra pointers from his uncle Rick Mears, who has four Indianapolis 500 wins, but after a downright rotten week at Loudon in which the No. 13 was collateral damage, destroyed in a spat between Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick, Mears needed to bounce back more than anything. And he did, for the most part, finishing 27th, which puts him second in class this week (the No. 33 finished one spot ahead of Mears, but when Austin Dillon drives it, it's a full-out RCR effort). he had a strong outing last time out at Pocono ,as well, so there's no reason to think this team is stuck in the doldrums.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; started 28th, finished 28th
While it's become clear that Bayne's learning curve is a bit steeper than many thought it would be after the young driver won the 2011 Daytona 500, Bayne does a decent job for the Wood Brothers part-time team, and he's a careful driver who brings his cars home in one piece if he avoids other people's trouble. For a team with limited resources, that's important. This team is making it work on a limited schedule, too; they have three top-20 finishes in their last four races, a solid effort from a team running only a handful of races.
Underdog Pick of the Week-Pocono II: Bobby Labonte for JTG-Daugherty 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 picks, AJ Allmendinger and Casey Mears, came home 22nd and 27th, first and third among their underdog peers, so I'm looking to get on a roll this week, and I think Labonte is the man to get it done. He was the fourth-finishing underdog at Pocono in June, but has the highest overall average finish among this group at 20.1. Plus, with recent team shakeups, he's got something to prove, and that could be the motivation to make Labonte best in class this week.
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 Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 Powered by BigMachineRecords.com was brought to you by the Letter M for "Miscue." With very few cautions to reset the field and the vast majority of pit stops occurring under green, it was very important for teams to be perfect on pit road in order to have a chance to win. Jimmie Johnson's pit crew was not perfect when it counted, and it cost them. Yes, they waltzed out of Indianapolis with a 75-point lead in the standings, but they missed out on paydirt that could have helped them where they really count their money - the Chase. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Loudon Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Johnson, Pit Crew Make Rare Mistake in Indy
Jimmie Johnson was poised to win his fifth Brickyard 400 on Sunday, dominating a race that he was already highly favored to win. As the laps wound down, he was already well on his way to pulling it off.
A four-tire stop by crew chief Chad Knaus, with right around 27 laps remaining seemed to be the right call, until an issue with the right rear tire turned what should have been a 13 second stop into 17 seconds. Johnson lost valuable time on track and was running several seconds behind race leader Ryan Newman when pit stops cycled through.
Despite the fact that Johnson was able to cut a chunk of the deficit to Newman as the laps wound down, it was too steep of a hill to climb. Johnson would finish second to Newman with just under three seconds separating the two of them.
"We have a lot to be proud of over the course of the weekend," Johnson said, still rebounding from the disappointment post-race. "We'll do the best to let it roll off our shoulders by (Monday) afternoon."
Johnson maintains a significant point lead in the standings, with 75 points separating himself and second-place Clint Bowyer.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Races With Heavy Heart, Finishes Sixth
It was a rough day for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on Sunday after having learned of the passing of a close family member prior to the race.
Randy Earnhardt, Earnhardt's uncle and the brother of the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr., passed away at the age of 60 after a long battle with cancer. Earnhardt was close to Randy and expressed his grief after the race on Sunday.
"It is just very, very sad, but I am glad his suffering is over with," said Earnhardt. "He is going to be missed. He was awesome, such an awesome guy. He kept things together (at DEI). He was in charge of a lot of different things. Mainly in charge of where every nut and bolt was. He was accountable for everything. After the racing, after I left and everything kind of went away, he stuck around. He was loyal to Dad, and really looked after everything that was there and that was my Father's and what would have been important to him as far as material things. Randy really looked after that. It is tough. It is part of life, and it is hard to get used to. I am just glad his suffering is over with; he was having a real hard time. I loved him dearly, and will miss him a lot."
Earnhardt's start to the race was tough, too. Only 12 laps in, Earnhardt had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose lug nut that was suspected by crew chief Steve Letarte to have been loose even as the field came to green.
Afterwards, a luckily timed caution and some hard work allowed for Earnhardt to get back on cycle with the rest of the field, even though the untimely stop had left him off sequence for much of the first portion of the race.
Finally, a strategy call by Letarte put Earnhardt in premium position, setting up him up as high as fourth at one point. Though their fuel and strategy didn't win them the race, it did pan out for a top-10 finish for the No. 88 team.
"I thought the strategy was good," said Earnhardt. "We had a loose wheel on the start of the race; that was weird to have a loose wheel then. We changed our strategy and made it work. The car had good speed."
The sixth-place finish was Earnhardt's 11th top 10 in 20 races this season.
Letter of the Race: Sunday's Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 Powered by BigMachineRecords.com was brought to you by the Letter M for "Miscue." With very few cautions to reset the field and the vast majority of pit stops occurring under green, it was very important for teams to be perfect on pit road in order to have a chance to win. Jimmie Johnson's pit crew was not perfect when it counted, and it cost them. Yes, they waltzed out of Indianapolis with a 75-point lead in the standings, but they missed out on paydirt that could have helped them where they really count their money - the Chase. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Loudon Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Johnson, Pit Crew Make Rare Mistake in Indy
Jimmie Johnson was poised to win his fifth Brickyard 400 on Sunday, dominating a race that he was already highly favored to win. As the laps wound down, he was already well on his way to pulling it off.
A four-tire stop by crew chief Chad Knaus, with right around 27 laps remaining seemed to be the right call, until an issue with the right rear tire turned what should have been a 13 second stop into 17 seconds. Johnson lost valuable time on track and was running several seconds behind race leader Ryan Newman when pit stops cycled through.
Despite the fact that Johnson was able to cut a chunk of the deficit to Newman as the laps wound down, it was too steep of a hill to climb. Johnson would finish second to Newman with just under three seconds separating the two of them.
"We have a lot to be proud of over the course of the weekend," Johnson said, still rebounding from the disappointment post-race. "We'll do the best to let it roll off our shoulders by (Monday) afternoon."
Johnson maintains a significant point lead in the standings, with 75 points separating himself and second-place Clint Bowyer.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Races With Heavy Heart, Finishes Sixth
It was a rough day for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on Sunday after having learned of the passing of a close family member prior to the race.
Randy Earnhardt, Earnhardt's uncle and the brother of the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr., passed away at the age of 60 after a long battle with cancer. Earnhardt was close to Randy and expressed his grief after the race on Sunday.
"It is just very, very sad, but I am glad his suffering is over with," said Earnhardt. "He is going to be missed. He was awesome, such an awesome guy. He kept things together (at DEI). He was in charge of a lot of different things. Mainly in charge of where every nut and bolt was. He was accountable for everything. After the racing, after I left and everything kind of went away, he stuck around. He was loyal to Dad, and really looked after everything that was there and that was my Father's and what would have been important to him as far as material things. Randy really looked after that. It is tough. It is part of life, and it is hard to get used to. I am just glad his suffering is over with; he was having a real hard time. I loved him dearly, and will miss him a lot."
Earnhardt's start to the race was tough, too. Only 12 laps in, Earnhardt had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose lug nut that was suspected by crew chief Steve Letarte to have been loose even as the field came to green.
Afterwards, a luckily timed caution and some hard work allowed for Earnhardt to get back on cycle with the rest of the field, even though the untimely stop had left him off sequence for much of the first portion of the race.
Finally, a strategy call by Letarte put Earnhardt in premium position, setting up him up as high as fourth at one point. Though their fuel and strategy didn't win them the race, it did pan out for a top-10 finish for the No. 88 team.
"I thought the strategy was good," said Earnhardt. "We had a loose wheel on the start of the race; that was weird to have a loose wheel then. We changed our strategy and made it work. The car had good speed."
The sixth-place finish was Earnhardt's 11th top 10 in 20 races this season.
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: Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com
compiled by Summer Bedgood
"Just stay green that was the biggest thing was I knew we had a good car. Quicken Loans Chevrolet was good all day. First of all, I have to thank Quicken, Outback, Wix Filters, Aspen Dental, Code 3, State Water Heaters, Haas Automation, Sprint for giving us this opportunity, an ice cold Coca-Cola and Chevrolet. Starting on the pole and winning the race just an awesome day for us. I've got to thank all the fans for coming out. Matt Borland (crew chief) made an awesome call. I've won more races with him on old tires and out of gas than I have with four tires and the best car. Hendrick horsepower was the main thing today. Thank Tony Stewart and everybody at Stewart-Haas this is a dream come true for me I can't wait to get over and push my lips against those bricks." - Ryan Newman, finished first
"There is definitely disappointment there, but this is racing, that stuff happens. I have given away a couple late in the race myself this year. We win as a team we lose as a team, it's just how it is. I wouldn't take another race team out there. I'm very proud of this KOBALT Tools Chevrolet team and everything that goes into it. Great day, Ryan (Newman) was fast all day long. I can't take anything away from him. At the beginning of the race he paced everything for a long time. I think he got mired back in traffic for a while there. Towards the end of the race he worked his way back to the front and he was plenty fast. A big hats off to Ryan and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing." - Jimmie Johnson, finished second
"Yeah I think we did the whole race at times. We just really got going at the end of the race. We had a really fast Great Clips Chevrolet. We kept falling back too far. Just things happen and we got back and then you have to pass. You get so far behind with track position here. It takes a while to get back to the front. The guys did a nice job, had a really fast car. Great Hendrick horsepower was key and congrats to Ryan (Newman) he had a big weekend. He deserved it and needed it." - Kasey Kahne, finished third
"I can't wait to give him a hug and congratulate him. He has just done an awesome job all weekend getting on the pole and he was in the hunt all day. He led early obviously and it was down to him and the No. 48 car that was easy to see. I didn't know what the strategy was going to be at the end. I just kept looking up at the board and watching. I was scared to ask where he was at and how big of a lead he had. Finally, with three (laps) to go I couldn't wait any longer, I finally asked and wanted to know what was going on. I just didn't want to jink him. Just kept watching the jumbo trons every time we would come off of (turn) four and was watching to see where he was at. Just really proud of him. He's a great teammate he's an even better friend. Just couldn't be happy for him, this is awesome, this is our home race. Couldn't be any better than this." - Tony Stewart, finished fourth
"None of them are easy, but today was difficult. We had really, really great pit stops from my Dollar General crew and Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) made a great call to get us some track position. That's really what got us our top-five. We didn't have a car that good today. We were just off all weekend. We never hit it exactly right. Great adjustments for today. Great adjustments during the race — with strategy and pit stops — got us a good finish out of the day." - Matt Kenseth, finished fifth
"I thought it was good. We had good speed. I thought the strategy was good. We had a loose wheel on the start of the race; that was weird to have a loose wheel then. We changed our strategy and made it work. The car had good speed. Right at the end, we were either running out of gas, or had a little bit of an engine problem the last two or three laps. I almost lost another spot. But the car just quit running at the end. I don't know if it was out of fuel or what. But the fuel pressure was good." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished sixth
"You had to fight extremely hard today. It was just pit strategy and speed in the car and traffic it was not easy I can tell you that." - Jeff Gordon, finished seventh
"I was confused. I didn't know what was going on but Todd did a good job making the calls today. I feel like he gave us the opportunity to gain the track position we needed. We just weren't quite as fast as we needed to be. We led some laps but the 48 was just so fast plus he had new tires. We lost a little there and then we had some issues on pit road today that cost us about three or four spots. I feel like we could have finished in the top-five and am proud of the effort the guys put into this car. We weren't really sure how we were going to be. I am glad we got a decent finish again and hopefully we get these troubles out of the way and get back on a top-10 streak and makeup the points we've lost the last two weeks." - Joey Logano, finished eighth
"Yes, the strategies were kind of weird. It kind of hurt us in track position. Our car wasn't that good that good on the straight today; I don't know why. We will have to look at it. Even when I got a good run, it kind of bogged down. Just really struggled with the balance. We had a pretty competitive car at the beginning of the race, but it just couldn't seem to be able to keep up with the race track. Everything I did, it still wouldn't turn at all, we all the entry stability." - Juan Pablo Montoya, finished ninth
"We called a two-tire stop and we had a hiccup on the right side and at that point you're going to leave pit road last so you might as well just sit in your box, take your four tires, make your adjustment and move on. We could have left pit road a lot earlier, but we still would have been last. We just took the time since we had a bobble — we just took the time to get the car where we wanted it and not try to race anyone. The goal was to come down and have a right-side tire stop and beat people off pit road like we typically do. We were off a little bit on pit road today and it cost us there. The team did a great job and there at the end, Kyle (Busch) did a great job digging down deep. I think we were 22nd with 40 (laps) to go and got a top-10 out of it. With 40 to go if you had asked me, 'Would you be happy with a top-10?' I would have told you, 'Yeah.' I better not be disappointed now." - Dave Rogers, crew chief for Kyle Busch, finished tenth
"We did — it was a hell of a battle out there all day. We had our hands full all day long — that's for sure. Just kept fighting hard — kept fighting, fighting, fighting. We didn't get a lot of cautions so we had to do a lot of it when the field was strung out and that made it tough. We did have the one caution and we did get a real good restart and we were able to get a couple there. Just had a decent car on the long runs — we weren't blazing fast by any means, but we were just steady. We would get one or two or three (cars) every run. The guys were really good on pit road and we got a couple there. Just dug deep today and did what we had to do for the Chase deal." - Martin Truex Jr., finished 11th
"The early part of the race went real well. We had track position. This whole event track position was key. It was very difficult for me to pass people. We lost our track position on the restart and Tony made it four-wide. I made the decision to not go down there and wreck everybody and that cost us a lot of track position. We made it back to 13th. I am proud of my guys. They brought a really good race car, but we just really struggled on some parts of the track that we don't normally struggle on." - Carl Edwards, finished 13th
"The 14th-place finish is unacceptable. We were strong in practice but had trouble in the race running in traffic. The car was loose and didn't have the traction that was needed on this track. We've accomplished a lot thus far this season, but one area we need to improve upon is finishing strong. No question we have to run better than we did today if we want to get into the top-10. We are definitely capable of making it happen, but we need to have strong finishes in the next six races." - Kurt Busch, finished 14th
"That was definitely not the day we wanted. It was an up and down day and the way the cycles ended it was down on the finish. I don't think that was indicative of how we ran. That has been the story of the year. We were probably a fifth-to-tenth-place car, which isn't where we want to be and we know we have work to do to make our stuff faster, but we weren't a 21st-place car, it is just the way things worked out. It has been one of those years where when we have a car that is fast enough to contend and win races, it turns into a strategy race and when we don't have car fast enough and we play strategy, it turns into a race like today where it was about speed. We haven't been able to catch it the right way. In reality, we would like to be fast everywhere but that hasn't been the case for us. That is what we need to work on." - Brad Keselowski, finished 21st
"We were pretty crippled with an ill race car. We weren't able to make any real significant improvements on it. I think the team did a great job of battling. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) had great pit strategy. He did a great job of executing with what we had." - Mark Martin, finished 23rd
"You know it just wasn't anything special. I just kind of kept with it and hoped to catch a break somewhere or that the car would get a lot better and it just kind of stayed real steady. We took two tires on one of the stops and we got track position out of it, but unfortunately it just didn't run very well. So, we tried something; it just didn't work and that's that. It just was what it was. When we came into this weekend, I said okay, I'm not going to try to take anything from the car that it doesn't really have and unfortunately that's what we had today; or that's what I had today." - Danica Patrick, finished 30th
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Brickyard 400
by Amy Henderson
The Brickyard, Despite Its Misgivings, Deserves Its Place On The Schedule
by Summer Bedgood
by Amy Henderson
The Brickyard, Despite Its Misgivings, Deserves Its Place On The Schedule
by Summer Bedgood
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 is best known as the one race in which Dale Jarrett claimed victory while driving the No. 28 for Robert Yates. Late in that race, there was an incident that claimed the only DNF (Kenny Wallace) of the day due to crash damage. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Later in the 1998 Brickyard 400, Jimmy Spencer suffered his second injury at Indianapolis. How did it happen and how badly was he hurt?
A: With six laps to go, Jeff Green had contact with Spencer's left rear corner, spinning Spencer hard into the wall, left front first. The wreck can be seen here.
Spencer suffered a shoulder injury in the crash and was forced to take relief from Boris Said the next weekend in Watkins Glen. He also later sat out Bristol and allowed Ted Musgrave to take his place.
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: Crown Royal presents the Samuel Deeds 400 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Crown Royal presents the Samuel Deeds 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 Indianapolis and get us ready for Pocono.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Indianapolis-Pocono Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gives up something to look forward to going into Indianapolis. 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.
Brad gives up something to look forward to going into Indianapolis. 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 Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, the Camping World Truck Series was in Eldora. How were these races broadcasted? You'll have to check out Tuesday's column to find out.
-----------------------------
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©2013 Frontstretch.com
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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