THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 19th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CLIV
~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 19th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CLIV
~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch For: Monday
- Over the weekend, news of Mark Martin buying out the remainder of his contract with Michael Waltrip Racing to order to drive the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 in place of the injured Tony Stewart emerged. It advanced quickly from rumor to a done deal, according to multiple sources. Expect an announcement either today or tomorrow that Martin will drive the rest of the season in the car, with the possible exception of Talladega, where Austin Dillon will return to the seat.
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Logano Boosts Chase Hopes, Wins at Michigan
by Justin Tucker
Joey Logano came into this weekend at Michigan International Speedway needing a spark for his 2013 season. Logano entered Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 sitting 16th in points and on the outside looking in as far as the Chase for the Sprint Cup is concerned. On Friday, Logano would claim the pole with a new track record and on Sunday Afternoon, he would firmly place his name squarely in the chase conversation by winning the Pure Michigan 400 for his third career Sprint Cup Series victory.
Logano, who led a race high 51 laps on the afternoon, would find his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford up front most of the day. However, in the closing stages of the race he was chasing down Mark Martin, who was trying to stretch his fuel to the finish. With three laps to go, Martin's No. 55 would run out of fuel allowing Logano to cruise by for the lead. Logano would then hold off a charging Kevin Harvick by 1.018 seconds to claim the victory.
An jubilant Logano after the race spoke highly of his reinvigorated Chase hopes.
"This is huge for our chase hopes," Logano said after the race. "We needed this to have a shot at getting in the Chase. We're close now, but we can't make any mistakes. This sure does help a lot".
Kevin Harvick would continue to have a strong final season for Richard Childress Racing on Sunday by scoring a second-place finish at Michigan, while Kurt Busch continued his season of redemption on Sunday by finishing third and moving up from 11th to ninth in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Paul Menard would finish fourth, while Clint Bowyer would recover from a spin on lap 1 to record a fifth-place finish.
Marcos Ambrose would recover from a disappointing Watkins Glen to finish sixth, while Kasey Kahne would carry the banner for Hendrick Motorsports on the day in seventh. Jeff Burton was eighth, and Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards rounded out the top 10.
Points leader Jimmie Johnson's struggles would continue at Michigan on Sunday. Coming into Sunday's race at Michigan, Johnson had never won at the 2 mile oval and never seemed to have a chance to change that on Sunday. Johnson's bad luck started on Saturday after crashing his primary car for Sunday's race during final practice. Going to a backup meant that Johnson had to start at the rear of the field. In the race, Johnson was very competitive and quickly moved up into the top-15. However, just after the first green-flag pit stop of the race, Johnson's chance for that elusive first Michigan win ended 54 laps into the race as the motor of his No. 48 Chevrolet let go, leaving Johnson to settle for a 40th-place finish. This marked Johnson's third consecutive finish of 27th or worse at Michigan.
"Coming down the back straightaway, I felt it drop a couple of cylinders and knew we were in trouble," Johnson said. "So, [I] brought it to pit road and unfortunately it finally broke all the way and locked up. It would be nice to have salvaged something and maybe pulled the down cylinder parts out you know the valve train parts out and get back out on the track, but the engine didn't live long enough once it broke. These things break pretty quick and that was the end of it."
Johnson's Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would also have a rough day at Michigan on Sunday. Earnhardt Jr. led 20 laps on Sunday, but smacked the turn 2 wall on lap 135 after blowing a right front tire. Earnhardt Jr. would finish 29 laps down in 36th-place after spending time in the garage getting repairs. As a result, Earnhardt Jr. dropped from sixth to seventh in the points, only 20 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with three races to go before the Chase field is set at Richmond.
Sunday's race at Michigan played out like a typical Michigan race with track position and fuel mileage being key at the end. A look at the numbers from Sunday's race at Michigan. There was 20 lead changes among 12 different drivers, while nine cautions for 34 laps slowed the average race speed down to 144.593 MPH.
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Thunder Valley and the Bristol Motor Speedway next Saturday night for the Irwin Tools Night Race. Green flag at Bristol is scheduled for 7:43 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 Comes Back To The Pack
by Phil Allaway
It had to happen sometime. Jimmie Johnson simply could not go an entire 36-race season without having some kind of significant bad luck hamper his effort. Michigan was a season's worth of bad luck in one weekend. After more issues in pre-qualifying inspection, Johnson qualified third, then crashed that car in practice on Saturday. Going to the backup car meant that Johnson had to start in the rear. The backup car was very good as well, allowing Johnson to climb into the top-10 before the engine failed. Johnson's 40th-place finish means that a lot of drivers are much closer in the standings than they've been in weeks.Sprint Cup Race Recap: Logano Boosts Chase Hopes, Wins at Michigan
by Justin Tucker
Joey Logano came into this weekend at Michigan International Speedway needing a spark for his 2013 season. Logano entered Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 sitting 16th in points and on the outside looking in as far as the Chase for the Sprint Cup is concerned. On Friday, Logano would claim the pole with a new track record and on Sunday Afternoon, he would firmly place his name squarely in the chase conversation by winning the Pure Michigan 400 for his third career Sprint Cup Series victory.
Logano, who led a race high 51 laps on the afternoon, would find his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford up front most of the day. However, in the closing stages of the race he was chasing down Mark Martin, who was trying to stretch his fuel to the finish. With three laps to go, Martin's No. 55 would run out of fuel allowing Logano to cruise by for the lead. Logano would then hold off a charging Kevin Harvick by 1.018 seconds to claim the victory.
An jubilant Logano after the race spoke highly of his reinvigorated Chase hopes.
"This is huge for our chase hopes," Logano said after the race. "We needed this to have a shot at getting in the Chase. We're close now, but we can't make any mistakes. This sure does help a lot".
Kevin Harvick would continue to have a strong final season for Richard Childress Racing on Sunday by scoring a second-place finish at Michigan, while Kurt Busch continued his season of redemption on Sunday by finishing third and moving up from 11th to ninth in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Paul Menard would finish fourth, while Clint Bowyer would recover from a spin on lap 1 to record a fifth-place finish.
Marcos Ambrose would recover from a disappointing Watkins Glen to finish sixth, while Kasey Kahne would carry the banner for Hendrick Motorsports on the day in seventh. Jeff Burton was eighth, and Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards rounded out the top 10.
Points leader Jimmie Johnson's struggles would continue at Michigan on Sunday. Coming into Sunday's race at Michigan, Johnson had never won at the 2 mile oval and never seemed to have a chance to change that on Sunday. Johnson's bad luck started on Saturday after crashing his primary car for Sunday's race during final practice. Going to a backup meant that Johnson had to start at the rear of the field. In the race, Johnson was very competitive and quickly moved up into the top-15. However, just after the first green-flag pit stop of the race, Johnson's chance for that elusive first Michigan win ended 54 laps into the race as the motor of his No. 48 Chevrolet let go, leaving Johnson to settle for a 40th-place finish. This marked Johnson's third consecutive finish of 27th or worse at Michigan.
"Coming down the back straightaway, I felt it drop a couple of cylinders and knew we were in trouble," Johnson said. "So, [I] brought it to pit road and unfortunately it finally broke all the way and locked up. It would be nice to have salvaged something and maybe pulled the down cylinder parts out you know the valve train parts out and get back out on the track, but the engine didn't live long enough once it broke. These things break pretty quick and that was the end of it."
Johnson's Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would also have a rough day at Michigan on Sunday. Earnhardt Jr. led 20 laps on Sunday, but smacked the turn 2 wall on lap 135 after blowing a right front tire. Earnhardt Jr. would finish 29 laps down in 36th-place after spending time in the garage getting repairs. As a result, Earnhardt Jr. dropped from sixth to seventh in the points, only 20 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with three races to go before the Chase field is set at Richmond.
Sunday's race at Michigan played out like a typical Michigan race with track position and fuel mileage being key at the end. A look at the numbers from Sunday's race at Michigan. There was 20 lead changes among 12 different drivers, while nine cautions for 34 laps slowed the average race speed down to 144.593 MPH.
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Thunder Valley and the Bristol Motor Speedway next Saturday night for the Irwin Tools Night Race. Green flag at Bristol is scheduled for 7:43 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 Comes Back To The Pack
by Phil Allaway
Despite spinning out on the very first lap of the race, Clint Bowyer came back to finish fifth. As a result, Johnson's lead has dropped from 75 to 41 points. Carl Edwards finished a respectable tenth to maintain third in the standings. Kevin Harvick maintained the fourth spot in the standings after finishing second. Kyle Busch held onto fifth despite two incidents on-track that dropped him to a 31st-place finish. Yes, Kyle still gained a little on Johnson, but definitely a missed opportunity.
Matt Kenseth moved up one place to sixth, despite having an off-day and finishing 15th. That gain is because of the problems that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had. Earnhardt Jr. ran very well, but hit the wall in Turn 2 after blowing a right front tire with 65 laps to go. This dropped him back to a 36th-place finish. Brad Keselowski maintained the eighth spot in points after finishing in 12th.
Kurt Busch's third-place finish moved him and the No. 78 team back up into the top-10 and a spot in the Chase, jumping over Greg Biffle in the process. However, Biffle still had a good day, leading 28 laps and finishing ninth. Kasey Kahne is four points out of the top-10 after finishing seventh on Sunday and has possession of the first Wild Card. Martin Truex, Jr., who finished 16th on Sunday, dropped back to 12th in points as a result. However, by virtue of his win at Sonoma, he has possession of the final Wild Card with a seven point gap over Joey Logano.
Point Standings (Top 10): 1) Jimmie Johnson 813, 2) Clint Bowyer -41, 3) Carl Edwards -51, 4) Kevin Harvick -64, 5) Kyle Busch -107, 6) Matt Kenseth -125, 7) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -134, 8) Brad Keselowski -146, 9) Kurt Busch -148, 10) Greg Biffle -150.
Driver Point Standings (11-20): 11) Kasey Kahne -154, 12) Martin Truex, Jr. -160, 13) Joey Logano -167, 14) Jeff Gordon -176, 15) Ryan Newman -177, 16) Jamie McMurray -191, 17) Paul Menard -214, 18) Tony Stewart -219, 19) Aric Almirola -226, 20) Jeff Burton -252.
Owner Point Standings (11-20): 11) 5- Hendrick Motorsports -154, t-12) 56- Michael Waltrip Racing -160, t-12) 14- Stewart-Haas Racing -160, 14) 22- Penske Racing -167, 15) 24- Hendrick Motorsports -176, 16) 39- Stewart-Haas Racing -177, 17) 1- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing -191, 18) 27- Richard Childress Racing -214, 19) 55- Michael Waltrip Racing -216, 20) 43- Richard Petty Motorsports -226.
Driver Wild Cards: 1) Kasey Kahne (11th in points, two wins), 2) Martin Truex, Jr. (12th in points, one win)
Owner Wild Cards: 1) 5- Hendrick Motorsports (11th in points, two wins), 2) 56- Michael Waltrip Racing (12th in points, one win, via third tiebreaker)
Currently Ineligible for Wild Card: 1) Joey Logano (13th in points, one win), 2) Ryan Newman (15th in points, one win), 3) Tony Stewart (18th in points, one win), 4) David Ragan (26th 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, Pocono-2), Kyle Busch (Auto Club, Texas, Watkins Glen), Kevin Harvick (Richmond, Charlotte), David Ragan (Talladega), Tony Stewart (Dover), Greg Biffle (Michigan), Martin Truex, Jr. (Sonoma), Brian Vickers (Loudon), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis), Joey Logano (Michigan-2)
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: Michigan Edition
by Amy Henderson
Editor's Note: This year, we're going to switch things up a little bit. Instead of just focusing upon one underdog (or underreported) car in the Secret Star section, we will point out three smaller teams that put up good finishes each week.
Underdog Selection No. 1: Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; started 18th, finished 21st
Here's a team that takes a different approach to racing on a budget. Instead of racing with less for a whole year, or resorting to starting and parking, the No. 21 bunch chooses to run a limited schedule with full sponsorship for the races they do select to run. Michigan might seem a bit of an odd choice because the big intermediate tracks are so punishing for teams without the equipment and resources to manufacture both speed and handling seemingly on a whim, but Bayne is solid on this type of track in his top-level Nationwide Series ride, so from that angle it makes more sense.
The weekend was tough on the small teams, and this team, the best among them, finished 21st. It's a little discouraging not to see a single underdog in the top 20, but that's the nature of these tracks and the downside of being a single-car team. Bayne didn't underperform and neither did his team.
Underdog Selection No. 2: David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports; started 24th, finished 24th
Ragan might not be the first driver to come to mind when it comes to Michigan success, but he's not bad there; his 24th-place finish this week was actually five spots worse than his MIS average. Ragan was just one of three small-team drivers to post a top 25 finish this week, along with Bayne and Casey Mears, which illustrates just how tough the place is on an underfunded operation.
It was a good thing for Front Row Motorsports that Ragan did carry the torch; he was the only FRM driver to complete all 200 laps as David Gilliland lost his engine 35 laps shy of the checkers and Josh Wise had to park early (and this team has improved in that area drastically; Wise has been going the distance the majority of weeks, so credit where it's due). It was a tough week for the organization, so Ragan offered a definite bright spot.
Underdog Selection No. 3: David Stremme for Swan Racing; started 36th, finished 26th
While he wasn't one of the three underdogs to finish in the top 25, Stremme fell just short, coming home 26th. What was impressive about his day was that the three drivers in this group who finished ahead of him (Bayne, Ragan, and Mears) all drive for much more established teams, while Swan Racing is in its first year after purchasing Inception Motorsports after the 2012 season. It was easy for skeptics to pounce on this team as the season began—they were largely self-funded, which can spell disaster, or at least start-and-park. But the team has stayed the course, and Stremme is regularly outperforming the drivers for some more established teams, such as BK Racing. His average finish is inside the top 30…and that's not something a bunch of drivers in this group can say. If they can get funding to take the next step, they bear watching.
Underdog Pick of the Week-Bristol: David Stremme for Swan 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, Bobby Labonte, finished 35th after blowing a tire and spinning, causing considerable damage to the No. 47. At least I can hold my head up because he was running in the top 25 for part of the day before the tire issue.
This week, the series heads to Bristol, and I'm going to go with David Stremme. That's a little more out on a limb than some picks as a few drivers in this group have better finishes than Stremme, but consider this: Bobby Labonte's team isn't getting it done for their driver. Ditto BK Racing. David Ragan has a decent average, but most of his success came with a much bigger team, and while Casey Mears won the pole on his fastest practice speed last year and had an excellent run, Stremme's average finish is still about half a spot higher than Mears'. So my pick has some merit to it, and I think Stremme can be best in class this weekend at the bullring.
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 Pure Michigan 400 was brought to you by the Letter P for "Pit Strategy." Even though much of the race saw drivers on similar strategies, the last three cautions saw some alternate strategies. Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski and others pitted on Lap 150. However, shortly after that restart, Kyle Busch crashed in Turn 2, allowing everyone else to pit. Essentially, those on the first strategy were sunk at that point and had two options. Keselowski chose to pit when Busch spun out again with 25 to go. Martin hoped for another yellow so he could stretch his fuel. However, even if he got that yellow, it would have been debatable if he would have made it, knowing that he ran out with 3.5 laps to go. - Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~
Sidebar Michigan Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson's Michigan Jinx Continues
Jimmie Johnson's Achilles' heel of Michigan International Raceway continued on Sunday, where he finished 40th after an engine blew on lap 55 of the race.
Johnson had to start from the rear of the field on Sunday after crashing his primary car in a practice session on Saturday. Johnson was up to 22nd by lap 18 and was even able to lead a few laps during a round of green flag pit cycles.
However, MIS continued to be a track that plagues Johnson. The track is one of only five at which Johnson has failed to win.
"I'm not really concerned," Johnson said. "I hate having momentum not work in our favor late in a season. I think we would have had a very strong race today, if not a win, and that momentum is key going into the Chase. That's the biggest downfall to me."
Johnson still maintains his points lead over second-place Clint Bowyer.
Mark Martin Falls Short in Fuel Mileage Gamble
What may very well wind up to be Mark Martin's final start in the No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota generated quite a bit of disappointment for Martin. Martin was leading the race with four laps to go during Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Raceway when his fuel cell ran dry. After making a pit stop to fill his tank just enough to finish, Martin drove across the line in the 27th position, allowing Joey Logano to take the victory.
Martin is expected to be announced today as the interim driver for the injured Tony Stewart, who severely injured his leg in a sprint car accident two weeks ago.
"We're going for W's. These guys really wanted to get a win with me," said Martin. "They've gotten one with Brian (Vickers) already. They've been close with me and with Michael (Waltrip) as well. They were going for it."
Martin has run a limited schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing this season, running 16 of the 23 races so far in 2013. He has accumulated one top five, four top 10s, and an average finish of 15th.
Brad Keselowski, Crew Chief Paul Wolfe Play it Safe
"I don't want to points race."
Brad Keselowski radioed this to his crew as the end of Sunday's race at Michigan drew nearer, and argued with crew chief Paul Wolfe whether or not to head to pit road while under caution with 27 laps remaining.
Wolfe admitted to Keselowski that they didn't have the fuel to finish the race, and they risked finishing outside of the top 20 and missing out on valuable points. Keselowski and the No. 2 team risk falling out of the top 10 in points as the Chase draws ever nearer, and they don't have a win to rely on a wild card.
When team owner Roger Penske came over the radio and said, "We have to pit" at the end of the race, the argument was over. Keselowski pulled the Blue Deuce onto pit road.
Keselowski finished 12th, much to the chagrin of the defending Sprint Cup Series champion.
"It's the same (expletive) deal every week," Keselowski said post-race. "The yellows fall exactly the wrong way to screw our strategy. That can't keep going that way. Eventually it's like blackjack, you aren't going to keep turning 15 or 16 on every damn hand. Eventually, you are going to turn a good hand. We just didn't catch it today."
Wolfe felt they made the right call.
"Absolutely, because I think (Martin) was 27th, and we would have been one spot ahead of him," said Wolfe. "At the end of the day, that call kept us in the top 10 where we need to be."
Letter of the Race: Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 was brought to you by the Letter P for "Pit Strategy." Even though much of the race saw drivers on similar strategies, the last three cautions saw some alternate strategies. Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski and others pitted on Lap 150. However, shortly after that restart, Kyle Busch crashed in Turn 2, allowing everyone else to pit. Essentially, those on the first strategy were sunk at that point and had two options. Keselowski chose to pit when Busch spun out again with 25 to go. Martin hoped for another yellow so he could stretch his fuel. However, even if he got that yellow, it would have been debatable if he would have made it, knowing that he ran out with 3.5 laps to go. - Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~
Sidebar Michigan Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson's Michigan Jinx Continues
Jimmie Johnson's Achilles' heel of Michigan International Raceway continued on Sunday, where he finished 40th after an engine blew on lap 55 of the race.
Johnson had to start from the rear of the field on Sunday after crashing his primary car in a practice session on Saturday. Johnson was up to 22nd by lap 18 and was even able to lead a few laps during a round of green flag pit cycles.
However, MIS continued to be a track that plagues Johnson. The track is one of only five at which Johnson has failed to win.
"I'm not really concerned," Johnson said. "I hate having momentum not work in our favor late in a season. I think we would have had a very strong race today, if not a win, and that momentum is key going into the Chase. That's the biggest downfall to me."
Johnson still maintains his points lead over second-place Clint Bowyer.
Mark Martin Falls Short in Fuel Mileage Gamble
What may very well wind up to be Mark Martin's final start in the No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota generated quite a bit of disappointment for Martin. Martin was leading the race with four laps to go during Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Raceway when his fuel cell ran dry. After making a pit stop to fill his tank just enough to finish, Martin drove across the line in the 27th position, allowing Joey Logano to take the victory.
Martin is expected to be announced today as the interim driver for the injured Tony Stewart, who severely injured his leg in a sprint car accident two weeks ago.
"We're going for W's. These guys really wanted to get a win with me," said Martin. "They've gotten one with Brian (Vickers) already. They've been close with me and with Michael (Waltrip) as well. They were going for it."
Martin has run a limited schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing this season, running 16 of the 23 races so far in 2013. He has accumulated one top five, four top 10s, and an average finish of 15th.
Brad Keselowski, Crew Chief Paul Wolfe Play it Safe
"I don't want to points race."
Brad Keselowski radioed this to his crew as the end of Sunday's race at Michigan drew nearer, and argued with crew chief Paul Wolfe whether or not to head to pit road while under caution with 27 laps remaining.
Wolfe admitted to Keselowski that they didn't have the fuel to finish the race, and they risked finishing outside of the top 20 and missing out on valuable points. Keselowski and the No. 2 team risk falling out of the top 10 in points as the Chase draws ever nearer, and they don't have a win to rely on a wild card.
When team owner Roger Penske came over the radio and said, "We have to pit" at the end of the race, the argument was over. Keselowski pulled the Blue Deuce onto pit road.
Keselowski finished 12th, much to the chagrin of the defending Sprint Cup Series champion.
"It's the same (expletive) deal every week," Keselowski said post-race. "The yellows fall exactly the wrong way to screw our strategy. That can't keep going that way. Eventually it's like blackjack, you aren't going to keep turning 15 or 16 on every damn hand. Eventually, you are going to turn a good hand. We just didn't catch it today."
Wolfe felt they made the right call.
"Absolutely, because I think (Martin) was 27th, and we would have been one spot ahead of him," said Wolfe. "At the end of the day, that call kept us in the top 10 where we need to be."
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: Pure Michigan 400
compiled by Summer Bedgood
"I was trying to. I noticed [Mark Martin] was lifting early because I was catching him on entry. He was able to pull me on exit. I wanted to get by him because I knew the 29 was fast too and trying to get the clean air on the Ford. It is so cool to be here in Victory Lane. It is crazy racing Mark Martin, my childhood hero, I was able to race against him in Pocono last year for the win. It is so cool racing against a guy like that. This is huge for our Chase hopes. We needed this to have a shot at getting in the Chase. We are close now, but we can't make any mistakes. This sure does help a lot." - Joey Logano, finished first
"You know, we never really got out in front by ourselves today, but our Rheem Chevrolet was really good. I've got to thank everybody who is a part of this car. I just mistimed that last restart there. I was rolling pretty good on the No. 55 (Mark Martin) and going to beat him to the start/finish line, so I had to check up and that allowed the No. 22 (Logano) to kind of make it three-wide and get under me and then we had to fight back from there. But all in all it was a good day and we tried a lot of different stuff today and it seemed to run pretty good." - Kevin Harvick, finished second
"A good day. At the end of the day, we have our weaknesses and pit road and restarts are [two] of them. It's just like our Achilles Heel, but to be in position to win at the end, we had it, we just didn't have the speed. So we can't blame those items as a result of our third-place. But, here we are talking third-place and that's what's awesome about our effort today to bounce back from where we were at the first Michigan and what we've learned since June to be where we are now. Teams have to move quick to find technology and this little team keeps continuing to do that. Call these guys a big team, Furniture Row Racing. This is awesome. Thanks to them and everybody that keeps putting their hand on this car to put us in Chase position." - Kurt Busch, finished third
"We had a good car all weekend. We didn't qualify very good and I knew that the car had some speed in it, but it mostly just drove really good all weekend. Lacked a little bit of speed to run with Joey (Logano) and even Kevin (Harvick) was too fast at the end. Slugger (Labbe, crew chief) made some good calls to get some track position when to take two (tires), when to take four (tires). Matt Krueter (gasman) filled up the car with plenty of gas at the end and everybody at RCR I'm just really proud of them. We needed a good run and we've got four RCR built cars in the top 10." - Paul Menard, finished fourth
"Beats the hell out of me. Man, what a long day. Spinning out on the first lap I'm like — I couldn't figure out — a lot of times you just know that you're hanging it out too much and trying to get too much out of it and you wreck on your own. I didn't think that was the case. I was trying to get around the 2 (Brad Keselowski), felt good, wide open, good 'ole girl stuck and all the sudden it wasn't stuck and away I went. Hard fought battle for our 5-hour ENERGY Toyota. All these guys they just don't give up. That's what I love about this team, this organization. That's why we're where we're at in the points. Obviously, we want to start winning races, but those days like that are what win championships. You've got to be able to make good out of a bad situation and certainly we just kept working and kept working and kept working to get better and better and finally ended up with a top-five. Unbelievable." - Clint Bowyer, finished fifth
"It's good to be disappointed with eighth that is a good thing. We had a lot of speed at times we had the best car on the track. We just struggled with tires more than other people did. When we put tires on it seemed like it hurt us more than others. When we had our sequence of tires that we wanted our car was really happy. That next to last caution was not what we needed. Pitting under green and being able to put four (tires) on right there would have been a hundred percent for us. We were about five laps from pitting and that caution came out. That kind of sealed us. Just because of what we had going on with our car, but it's a good day. That's a step in the right direction, no drama, got what we deserved and we will go on." - Jeff Burton, finished eighth
"We bumped the 2 coming out of the pits in that scramble at the end and hurt the left front fender. That might have been some of our problem. Our cars are way, way better out front than they are in traffic. That is really tough for us." - Greg Biffle, finished ninth
"Oh yeah, it is the same deal every week. The yellows fall exactly the wrong way to screw up our strategy. That can't keep going that way. Its like Black Jack, you aren't going to keep turning 15 or 16 on every hand. Eventually you are going to turn a good hand. We just didn't catch it today." - Brad Keselowski, finished 12th
"It was up and down. Definitely scared myself at the beginning it was too early to be wrecking out there. I apologize to the No. 36 team and JJ Yeley. I didn't mean to get into them like that at all. I just grabbed the brakes and locked them down in the rear, couldn't steer out of it. Luckily we had saved enough car where we could work on it, get some track position. Steve (Addington, crew chief) made some great calls on track position and can't say enough about them guys. They did a great job." - Austin Dillon, finished 14th
"Our biggest problem was we were way off on speed. We didn't handle perfect either, but we had a couple runs that were pretty good and then it seemed like the time we took fuel only and didn't put any tires on, we just got really loose and got to the back. We never could really overcome that. We came and got tires at the end and worked on it at the end and worked on it a little bit. We just couldn't make any ground up." - Matt Kenseth, finished 15th
"We were just hoping for one more yellow. It's not a bummer — so proud of Rodney Childers (crew chief) and Michael Waltrip Racing and everybody on the Aaron's team. They put us in position. We just needed one more yellow and we could have done it." - Mark Martin, finished 27th
"It's just the tire; we've had a lot of problems with. I think this is the same tire we struggled with the last race. But, I don't know, you know. It's just kind of frustrating. It's just bad luck. If we keep running like we're supposed to run and like we've been running, we'll get on into the Chase and not have to worry about it. But this bad luck, we need to shake that. We just can't keep having this every week. It's been biting us every week. So we'll just have to see what happens." - Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 36th
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Race fans, do you love Frontstretch.com's coverage of NASCAR's top 3 series, IndyCar, Formula One and Short Track Racing? Do you want to read even more about your favorite sport? Then check out the industry's newest racing publication, Motorsport Illustrated News!, which is available both in print and in digital format! As one of our loyal readers, you'll receive 15% off any subscription when you use the coupon code fs2013.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Pace Laps: Penske's Power Move, A Successful Debut And Championship Comebacks
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Pure Michigan 400
by Amy Henderson
Joey Logano's Win At Penske Racing Was A Long Time Coming
by Summer Bedgood
by Amy Henderson
Joey Logano's Win At Penske Racing Was A Long Time Coming
by Summer Bedgood
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Even in the early 1990's, Cup drivers "whacking" the Busch Grand National support races was fairly common. Morgan Shepherd was running very well in the 1992 Food City 250 at Bristol until it all went wrong in Turn 1. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 2003 GFS Marketplace 400 is best known for Jimmy Spencer going after Kurt Busch after the race and punching him square in the nose, earning a one-race suspension for it. Why did he go after Kurt Busch?
A: Kurt Busch tried to intentionally cut Spencer's left front tire at speed on the frontstretch while battling for fifth. Maybe nothing would have come out of that if Busch hadn't outright admitted to what he was doing on the radio during the next caution. Here's the intentional contact that led to the post-race confrontation.
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: Pure Michigan 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: Pure Michigan 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 Michigan and get us ready for Bristol.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Michigan-Bristol Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gives up something to look forward to going into Bristol. 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. This week, The focus is on Roger Penske and the gambles he's taken to get his team where they are today.
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 Bristol. 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. This week, The focus is on Roger Penske and the gambles he's taken to get his team where they are today.
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 Camping World Truck Series were in action at Michigan International Speedway. Meanwhile, the Nationwide Series made their first-ever trip to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. How did ESPN and FOX Sports 1 do last weekend? Find out in our weekly TV critique.
-----------------------------
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
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
No comments:
Post a Comment