THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 5th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXLIII
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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: Kahne Swoops Past Gordon, Claims Second Pocono Win
by Justin Tucker
Kasey Kahne came into Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway looking for redemption.
During the June race at Pocono, Kahne's day ended before it even started when mechanical issues forced Kahne to spend much of the first half of the event in the garage. But Sunday afternoon, with his Chase hopes starting to teeter in the balance, Kahne would solidify his spot in NASCAR's postseason with his second win of the year.
Kahne would lead 66 laps at the triangular-shaped track and would dominate much of the second half of the race after his teammate Jimmie Johnson blew a right front tire while leading. Johnson, who made several trips down pit road to repair his Lowe's Planes Chevrolet, would spend much of the latter stages of the race trying to salvage a decent afternoon. Johnson was able to fight his way up to a 13th-place finish, but was never a factor after pancaking the right side of his car.
Kahne's biggest challenge in the closing stages of Sunday's 400-mile event was teammate Jeff Gordon. While Kahne had an eight-second lead and appeared to be cruising to victory, a caution for debris came out with just 12 laps to go. Gordon would power his No. 24 Chevrolet past Kahne on the restart and appeared to be heading to victory at Pocono for a record seventh time. However, Matt Kenseth spun exiting Turn 2 and brought out the final yellow, erasing Gordon's lead.
On the final restart with two laps to go, Gordon got a good restart and pulled out a small gap. However, once he got wound up, Kahne got an excellent run on the outside and would pass Gordon before the exit of turn 2. From here, Kahne was not challenged, pulling away to take the win with a power move that left many impressed.
"I had some help from Kurt Busch, [who] pushed me down the frontstretch, and I just drove into one as far as I felt I could, and I got some speed and momentum down the back and beat Jeff to Turn 2," Kahne said. "That was kind of the race at that point. Once I cleared [Gordon] getting into two, from there it was just don't make a mistake and try to run the quick lap on that last one."
Gordon was pleased with his team's strong, second-place effort but was also heartbroken about the one that got away.
"We had them. We certainly had the position," Gordon said. "I'm pretty disappointed I let him get outside of me in Turn 1."
Chevrolet would continue their domination from last week at Indianapolis by sweeping the top 5 positions in the finishing order. Behind Kahne and Gordon was Kurt Busch in third, tying a season-best result. Indianapolis winner Ryan Newman was fourth, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rounded out the top 5 on Sunday.
Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano would finish sixth and seventh on the afternoon, while Kyle Busch would cross the line in eighth. Tony Stewart in ninth and Greg Biffle would round out the top 10.
Looking at the Chase standings after Pocono, not much has changed up top with the top 5 in points holding station after 21 races. Kyle Busch would move up one spot to sixth and Matt Kenseth would fall back to seventh. Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon would move up to eighth and ninth, respectively, while Greg Biffle would fall two spots to tenth.
Here's a look the GoBowling.com 400 by the numbers. There were 27 lead changes on Sunday among 14 drivers. Kahne would lead the most laps at 66. There were nine cautions for 35 laps, which would slow the race pace down to an average of 129.009 MPH.
Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York and Watkins Glen International Raceway for the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. Green flag is scheduled for 1:19 P.M. ET. Marcos Ambrose is the two-time defending race champion.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
Chasing the Chase: Despite Smacking Wall, Johnson Slightly Increases Lead
by Phil Allaway
Jimmie Johnson had yet another chance on Sunday to put together a 48 Special at Pocono. Sound like a near repeat of last week's point breakdown? Well, it was. Johnson led 43 laps early on and seemed to be the man to beat. Then, he blew a right front tire and slammed the wall exiting Turn 1 on Lap 76. The hit damaged the car, and knocked a plug wire off, putting Johnson on seven cylinders. Once the car was fully repaired, Johnson took advantage of incidents and late cautions to move back up the field to a 13th-place finish. That was just in front of Clint Bowyer. As a result, Johnson gained two points on the MWR driver (Johnson led a lap and Bowyer did not). The lead is now 77 points. Carl Edwards finished two positions in front of Johnson and gained one point on him.Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 5th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXLIII
~~~~~~~~~
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: Kahne Swoops Past Gordon, Claims Second Pocono Win
by Justin Tucker
Kasey Kahne came into Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway looking for redemption.
During the June race at Pocono, Kahne's day ended before it even started when mechanical issues forced Kahne to spend much of the first half of the event in the garage. But Sunday afternoon, with his Chase hopes starting to teeter in the balance, Kahne would solidify his spot in NASCAR's postseason with his second win of the year.
Kahne would lead 66 laps at the triangular-shaped track and would dominate much of the second half of the race after his teammate Jimmie Johnson blew a right front tire while leading. Johnson, who made several trips down pit road to repair his Lowe's Planes Chevrolet, would spend much of the latter stages of the race trying to salvage a decent afternoon. Johnson was able to fight his way up to a 13th-place finish, but was never a factor after pancaking the right side of his car.
Kahne's biggest challenge in the closing stages of Sunday's 400-mile event was teammate Jeff Gordon. While Kahne had an eight-second lead and appeared to be cruising to victory, a caution for debris came out with just 12 laps to go. Gordon would power his No. 24 Chevrolet past Kahne on the restart and appeared to be heading to victory at Pocono for a record seventh time. However, Matt Kenseth spun exiting Turn 2 and brought out the final yellow, erasing Gordon's lead.
On the final restart with two laps to go, Gordon got a good restart and pulled out a small gap. However, once he got wound up, Kahne got an excellent run on the outside and would pass Gordon before the exit of turn 2. From here, Kahne was not challenged, pulling away to take the win with a power move that left many impressed.
"I had some help from Kurt Busch, [who] pushed me down the frontstretch, and I just drove into one as far as I felt I could, and I got some speed and momentum down the back and beat Jeff to Turn 2," Kahne said. "That was kind of the race at that point. Once I cleared [Gordon] getting into two, from there it was just don't make a mistake and try to run the quick lap on that last one."
Gordon was pleased with his team's strong, second-place effort but was also heartbroken about the one that got away.
"We had them. We certainly had the position," Gordon said. "I'm pretty disappointed I let him get outside of me in Turn 1."
Chevrolet would continue their domination from last week at Indianapolis by sweeping the top 5 positions in the finishing order. Behind Kahne and Gordon was Kurt Busch in third, tying a season-best result. Indianapolis winner Ryan Newman was fourth, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rounded out the top 5 on Sunday.
Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano would finish sixth and seventh on the afternoon, while Kyle Busch would cross the line in eighth. Tony Stewart in ninth and Greg Biffle would round out the top 10.
Looking at the Chase standings after Pocono, not much has changed up top with the top 5 in points holding station after 21 races. Kyle Busch would move up one spot to sixth and Matt Kenseth would fall back to seventh. Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon would move up to eighth and ninth, respectively, while Greg Biffle would fall two spots to tenth.
Here's a look the GoBowling.com 400 by the numbers. There were 27 lead changes on Sunday among 14 drivers. Kahne would lead the most laps at 66. There were nine cautions for 35 laps, which would slow the race pace down to an average of 129.009 MPH.
Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York and Watkins Glen International Raceway for the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. Green flag is scheduled for 1:19 P.M. ET. Marcos Ambrose is the two-time defending race champion.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
Chasing the Chase: Despite Smacking Wall, Johnson Slightly Increases Lead
by Phil Allaway
Kevin Harvick had another unsatisfying run on Sunday, finishing in 17th. That run cost some points, but it kept Harvick in fourth. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s fifth-place finish allowed to him to gain on the drivers around him, but he is 19 points out of fourth. Kyle Busch is up one place to sixth after finishing in eighth.
Matt Kenseth is down one place to seventh following a very challenging day. Firstly, Kenseth was merely a victim of first corner contact between Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya. The wall contact put him behind for the whole race. After getting a Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap, Kenseth spun late in the race and hit the inside wall exiting Turn 2. Kenseth brought his car home in 22nd, but was never a factor. Kasey Kahne is up one place to eighth after his victory on Sunday. However, most of the drivers around him in the standings finished right around him. Jeff Gordon is up one place after finishing second.
Greg Biffle's performance just shows how close the points really are. Despite finishing tenth on Sunday, Biffle dropped two places from eighth to the Chase points bubble. He has only a five-point cushion on Tony Stewart, who finished right in front of Biffle in ninth. Brad Keselowski moved up one place to 12th with a sixth-place result, but is still on the outside of the Chase looking in since he has not won a race yet.
Point Standings (Top 10): 1) Jimmie Johnson 772, 2) Clint Bowyer -77, 3) Carl Edwards -84, 4) Kevin Harvick -97, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -116, 6) Kyle Busch -126, 7) Matt Kenseth -134, 8) Kasey Kahne -160, 9) Jeff Gordon -170, 10) Greg Biffle -173.
Point Standings (11-20): 11) Tony Stewart -178, 12) Brad Keselowski -180, 13) Kurt Busch -184, 14) Martin Truex, Jr. -188, 15) Ryan Newman -197, 16) Jamie McMurray -206, 17) Joey Logano -211, 18) Aric Almirola -218, 19) Paul Menard -240, 20) Jeff Burton -265.
Wild Cards: 1) Tony Stewart (11th in points, one win), 2) Martin Truex, Jr. (14th in points, one win)
Currently Ineligible for Wild Card: 1) Ryan Newman (15th in points, one win), 2) 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), 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: Pocono 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: Bobby Labonte for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 33rd, finished 19th
While Labonte started the weekend at the back of the pack, he didn't stay there for long. Labonte was inside the top 20 by lap 40 and, despite dropping into the low 20s a few times, was inside the top 20 at the end as well. Labonte, who has three previous Pocono wins, was the only driver for a small team to end his day with a top-20 finish.
Here's the thing with Labonte, and it might not be what his team wants to hear, but Labonte is finishing where the equipment is capable of finishing almost every week, and some weeks he's probably finishing better than the car should run. The team has likely burned their bridge with the 2000 Cup champ, who will be a good fit for a small operation looking to take the next step. He'd be an excellent choice for FAS Lane Racing in particular as that team struggles to make gains on the car's handling without an experienced driver to give direction most weeks. It would be a shame if Labonte didn't land somewhere next year…and a surprise if a new driver alone makes a big difference at the No. 47.
Underdog Selection No. 2: David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports; started 30th, finished 21st
Ragan had a solid day at Pocono, a track which should be hard on the small teams because of the horsepower and handling needed to be successful. Curiously, though, it's often an opportunity for teams like Ragan's to gain some ground on the big-money ones because it's so hard to get a handle on. Past success doesn't guarantee anything, and teams like Ragan's can capitalize with a decent car.
Front Row's main problem on Sunday was that Ragan was the only one of its drivers to find that modicum if success; both David Gilliland and Josh Wise failed to finish the race. For the team to make it to the next level, all three teams need to be consistent and should look equal on the track. That's not happening yet.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Dave Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing; started 32nd, finished 23rd
One thing that can be said of all three of this week's picks is that they all finished better than they started, something that's not always easy to do on a track where setups cause even the richest teams to have headaches. Blaney gained nine spots from start to finish, and more importantly, the team ran the distance despite not having a sponsor on board. Blaney, whose son, Ryan, won the Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, was able to outrace several of his peers this week.
An unlikely but persistent rumor has linked Ryan Newman with Baldwin's operation in 2014. If that were to come to fruition, Newman could attract some much-needed sponsor dollars to the team, and his feedback and the information he's gathered from his years with some of the sport's top teams would be a valuable asset to the operation, allowing the team to take a big step forward.
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 pick, Bobby Labonte, finished 19th, best among this group of drivers. Does that mean I'm on a roll after picking the best-finishing underdog the last two weeks in a row? Maybe, but maybe I'm just lucky…
In any case, this week's pick for Watkins Glen is Germain Racing driver Casey Mears. Mears has a top-20 average finish at the Glen, including a fourth-place run, and is an excellent road racer. He was the best of the small-team drivers at Sonoma earlier this year, and while his average equals Labonte's at WGI, Mears' Sonoma run gives him the edge this time around. AJ Allmendinger actually has a top-10 average finish in four races at Watkins Glen, and he'll be with the No. 47 team on Sunday. But I'll stick with Mears to be top underdog this weekend.
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 GoBowling.com 400 was brought to you by the Letter R for "Restart." Really, both the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series races could have been characterized as such. Both of these races came down to what happened on those all-important restarts. A good run (possibly with some help from behind) meant you could come out with the lead. A bad one meant that you dropped like a stone. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Pocono Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson Plagued by Tire Problems … Again
For the third time this season, tire issues plagued Jimmie Johnson's day. On par to win a dominating race at Pocono, Johnson had led 43 of the first 75 laps before his right front exploded and sent him hard into the outside wall.
The previous tire issue came in Michigan, where Johnson admitted that he overran the right front tire to try and catch race leader Greg Biffle as the laps wound down. A tire failure in Bristol also has Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus concerned.
"When it went, it just exploded," Johnson said. "I'm not really sure what caused it."
Despite the failure, Johnson was able to finish 13th and even gained two points in the standings over second place Clint Bowyer.
Jeff Gordon Finishes Second in Pocono
It looked like Jeff Gordon might be heading to Victory Lane for the first time in 2013, until teammate Kasey Kahne schooled him on a late race restart. Gordon admittedly went into the first of Pocono's three corners conservatively in order to protect the bottom, allowing Kahne to roar by on the outside.
Though Gordon was able to hang onto second, he was still disappoint in what he felt should have been a victory.
"He was super fast all day," said Gordon, who turned 42 on Sunday. "I mean … they deserved and earned that win today. We had them though."
Gordon moved up one spot in the standings to ninth with the second-place finish.
Letter of the Race: Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 was brought to you by the Letter R for "Restart." Really, both the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series races could have been characterized as such. Both of these races came down to what happened on those all-important restarts. A good run (possibly with some help from behind) meant you could come out with the lead. A bad one meant that you dropped like a stone. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Pocono Stories
by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson Plagued by Tire Problems … Again
For the third time this season, tire issues plagued Jimmie Johnson's day. On par to win a dominating race at Pocono, Johnson had led 43 of the first 75 laps before his right front exploded and sent him hard into the outside wall.
The previous tire issue came in Michigan, where Johnson admitted that he overran the right front tire to try and catch race leader Greg Biffle as the laps wound down. A tire failure in Bristol also has Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus concerned.
"When it went, it just exploded," Johnson said. "I'm not really sure what caused it."
Despite the failure, Johnson was able to finish 13th and even gained two points in the standings over second place Clint Bowyer.
Jeff Gordon Finishes Second in Pocono
It looked like Jeff Gordon might be heading to Victory Lane for the first time in 2013, until teammate Kasey Kahne schooled him on a late race restart. Gordon admittedly went into the first of Pocono's three corners conservatively in order to protect the bottom, allowing Kahne to roar by on the outside.
Though Gordon was able to hang onto second, he was still disappoint in what he felt should have been a victory.
"He was super fast all day," said Gordon, who turned 42 on Sunday. "I mean … they deserved and earned that win today. We had them though."
Gordon moved up one spot in the standings to ninth with the second-place finish.
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: GoBowling.com 400
compiled by Summer Bedgood
"I 'bout gave it away when Jeff (Gordon) got by me. And then I spun the tires a little bit and he got a great jump and Kurt (Busch) pushed me all the to Turn 1, which really helped; and then I had one opportunity. It was either to go for it and make it work, or not. And as good as our car was, our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, all day long, I thought we could make that work on the outside. I just needed to clear him. And when we got to Turn 2, I was able to do that. It was a great race. We had a really fast car. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) called an awesome race and the whole pit crew did a perfect job. We needed this one to get in the Chase. We really did. It feels really good. We have a strong team and they're doing a great job." - Kasey Kahne, race winner
"It's funny how our emotions to go up and down in this sport. Before the race, if you told me that I'd finish second, I'd say that was a great birthday gift. But when you're leading, and take the lead from Kasey (Kahne) the way we did you know, on that restart, I thought we had him. He was better than us but I thought getting out in front I could hold him off. I got a perfect restart that last one and probably jumped him a little bit and I moved up front of him and it looked like I needed to block the inside. I tried to protect the inside and he got out the outside and flat outdrove me through (Turn) 1. I'm disappointed that we didn't get this win. This team has worked so hard to put ourselves in position. I'm really proud of all the efforts by Drive to End Hunger and what they do for the millions of older Americans who are hungry out there. And this is certainly going to contribute toward that. But I'm a little disappointed, but also excited. It was a good point's day for us and we needed that." - Jeff Gordon, finished second
"I was just right there in the mix, you know; on restarts I felt like we gained spots each time. The lap times that we were running before that final pit stop, we weren't able to maintain those at the end. And so temperatures on the track increased. I don't think we changed anything on the car, but I've just got to thank the guys. This was a phenomenal run today to execute and learn from what we did here in June, to post a Top 3, and to run with the guys that we have to run with to make it in the Chase. I'm just real happy with these guys and Furniture Row and our mattress brands that are with us and Monster Energy. It's just good to run strong when it's time. And right now, we're getting that job done, even though we haven't crossed the threshold to win. On that last restart, the only option I had was to push (Kasey) Kahne and I felt like we got hooked-up in one of those two-car drafts and got him clear of the No. 24 (Jeff Gordon). I wanted to go to his high side, but I would have definitely been a fish out of water in the grey area in Turn 1. It would have been pretty big. So, I'm happy for this finish and this team and just the job we're doing." - Kurt Busch, finished third
"It's a good run not as good as it could have been. We struggled in the pits today but overall a good effort. Racing a lot of the guys around us it's where it's important to get the victory. Jeff (Gordon) was really close there and he's fighting for his Wild Card spot. We have a win and we are fighting for a top 10 Wild Card spot, but none-the-less it was a good effort. Just a horrible day in the pits for us. We have to get that figured out." - Ryan Newman, finished fourth
"Well, we changed every part on the car but the engine. I think we helped it a little bit today. We got it to where we could drive it. I want to thank Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and the crew they did a good job putting a good car on the starting line today that was competitive and had a good strategy to get us up front because we qualified so poorly. Just didn't have the edge we needed. I felt good coming in here thought we might win the race, but come up a little short. I want to thank National Guard Youth Foundation for everything they do and helping us out this weekend, being a part of this weekend. I thought it was a good race. I really love coming here. The Mattioli's do a good job; the fans love us coming up here. I would just like to win here one time." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished fifth
"I am more frustrated than tired. I don't know how much those restarts affected us. We caught that one yellow at the worst possible time with about 50 or 60 to go and pitted for four and we were still going to be okay but then we caught another yellow which killed our strategy. It put us behind and we couldn't recover. We were close to the 5 and 24 but they were probably a tad faster. Damn, we were just a little bit short." - Brad Keselowski, finished sixth
"Those restarts helped us. The cautions hurt our strategy a lot but then at the same time the cautions at the end helped us make up what we lost. We put four on and Brad took two and we ended up being the same. It is kind of funny how it worked out on that last stop. We were a lot better than where we finished. Seventh isn't bad, but I thought we were a top-three car today and have been the last few weeks. We need to keep that going and keep the momentum up and keep climbing toward a spot in the Chase. We have a couple top-10 finishes in a row and we have been running up front in the top-five the whole race. That is more of a momentum builder than the actual finish. If we didn't have flat tires, we would be on that top-10 streak still and I would feel pretty comfortable about our Chase hopes. We are still on that borderline where we can't have mistakes or problems or we will be out of it. We just have to keep our heads in the game and keep trying to make up points." - Joey Logano, finished seventh
"We were just a little bit off today. It seemed like we could get going good on restarts and it would drive well for a few laps, then we couldn't keep up as well on the long run. That's about all we had with our M&M's Peanut Butter Camry. Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and the guys worked hard today and we were able to get a top-10 out of day that we were just a little behind." - Kyle Busch, finished eighth
"Good strategy by the crew chief because the driver screwed up today. I got us the pit road speeding penalty and put us back there. Steve's (Addington, crew chief) pretty keen on the pit strategy and what to do to get us back up there. Got us back the track position; I just was a little too tight to stay there. Definitely didn't need the last two cautions there. We were going to run sixth or seventh there. If it went green, we would have stayed there; instead we end up with a ninth. A long day, but glad to have a good day for GoDaddy, Mobil 1, Chevrolet and Bass Pro. I don't know how it was with the point's day, but we had a solid day we've just got to keep clicking them off like this." - Tony Stewart, finished ninth
"That was a tough day. We just couldn't get the balance right and were a little too tight and a little too loose back and forth. We didn't have quite what we needed, but it was good enough for a top-10 finish and we will take that. I am proud of my guys. They worked hard to keep us in the top-10 today." - Greg Biffle, finished tenth
"We ended up 11th, which is probably about where we deserved to end up. I thought we would be worse after that speeding penalty. I am glad we were able to bounce back from that. I would have loved to finish better than that, but that is as hard as I can go. Me, Greg [Biffle] and Marcos [Ambrose] were racing and doing everything we could. I watched them and we did everything we could do but wreck at the finish there. We need to keep working on our cars. It is better than last week, which is good." - Carl Edwards, finished 11th
"Yeah, my day kept needing to be calibrated as the day went on at first. I really felt like we had a shot to win, unfortunately blew a tire off of Turn 1 and ended those hopes there. We worked on the car and got it better. Then, I hit the wall so hard that it knocked a spark plug wire off the spark plug. They were able to find the right plug and get everything hooked back up and the engine took off. Off we went and salvaged a very nice finish." - Jimmie Johnson, finished 13th
"I'm never happy with a top-15, but we are just missing it a little bit. We were better than the 14 (Tony Stewart), but just the debris cautions." - Clint Bowyer, finished 14th
"It was a hard fought 15th-place finish. I was driving as hard as I could and we just couldn't go anywhere. When we started, we were terrible, but Chad (Johnston, crew chief) made good calls on the adjustments. The pit crew did a great job. Our last run was by far, our best run all day. What's amazing is how our car handled up front and in clean air. It was unreal. We'll take that finish and head to my favorite road course, Watkins Glen." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 15th
"I had a pretty decent race car and had some brake issues. We made big gains from last week and from Friday. I'm real proud of everybody here to come up with what they did. The car was pretty good. It was capable — if things would've went right — it was capable of doing better than that. I think we're headed in a nice, positive direction and hopefully we can keep that going." - Mark Martin, finished 18th
"I haven't seen the replay yet but the 42 got us three or four wide and I moved up to give him a whole lane and typical I think he just ran in there and drove right into us. It's not the way we want to start the day for all our Zest people that are here. I thought our Fusion was good in practice on Friday but we won't really get a chance to see how good it was. These guys will work on it and we will get back out there and at least finish." - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished 34th, during his time behind the wall
These cars rely on side force, so when someone's on the outside of you, it always makes you a little bit looser. But, I didn't feel like I went in any more hero-like that time. We were tight in the race and so we had freed it up a little bit and it was better. But then, when they're outside of you, you just get loose. So, just chased it up and it spun around and unfortunately, it ends the day for the GoDaddy car. And it was a good day, you know? For me, I have to sit in my car and say, 'Today's going good if it's a Top 20; it's a good day for me.' So, that's what was happening. Unfortunately, we won't come away with that. But we were better off today than what we've been a lot of other days. So, that's about all there is to say." - Danica Patrick, finished 35th (Crashed Out)
"They just got together and by the time I got there, they were wrecked. It's just kind of how the year's going. We had a good car today, but we just kept getting in trouble. We kept getting ourselves out of track position. When you're in the back of the pack like that, you're more likely to have things happen. I thought we had about a top seven or eight car, and then we had one run where we weren't so good and we lost track position and then we went three-wide into the tunnel and got the quarter panel tore up and we had to fix that. And that just kept putting us further and further back. So, it's just kind of the way the year is going." - Jeff Burton, finished 36th (Crashed Out)
"I am not entirely sure. It felt like a tire went down. The left front was down after the wreck that I saw, but I don't know exactly what happened. It felt like we blew a tire and hit the wall probably at one of the worst places you would want to hit it. It was a hard hit, but I am alright. We will have to go back and try to get 'em next week." - David Gilliland, finished 39th (Crashed Out)
"Well, our car was a handful. I tried to fight through it until that competition caution, but I was getting run over from behind and just holding up traffic. I just let off in the corner and it just breaks loose. It's what we've been fighting really the last seven weeks or so — just cannot get into the corner in our cars. A handful — I mean a handful. I know how to drive this race track and we have just not hit on what it takes here these last couple months to get our speed where it needed to be and we were struggling again today." - Denny Hamlin, finished 43rd (Crashed Out)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Pace Laps: Shaking Down The Chase Field, Brad's Big Night And "Craftiness"
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After The GoBowling.com 400
by Amy Henderson
Jimmie Johnson's Pocono Tire Troubles Were Meaningless ... No, Really
by Summer Bedgood
by Amy Henderson
Jimmie Johnson's Pocono Tire Troubles Were Meaningless ... No, Really
by Summer Bedgood
by Kevin Rutherford
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The Esses at Watkins Glen are a very tight, blind section of race track that can cause some problems. Drivers in the then-Busch North Series quickly found this out on the first lap of their race at Watkins Glen in 2002. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Ricky Rudd earned a victory in the 2001 Pocono 500 for Robert Yates Racing, which marked his first win since merging his former team, Rudd Performance Motorsports, into Yates' team. However, the previous race at Pocono (the 2000 Pennsylvania 500) didn't end quite as well. What happened?
A: On Lap 110, Rudd cut a right front tire at top speed and squealed into the Turn 1 wall hard. It was a very hard hit, which can be seen here.
Rudd drove his Texaco/Havoline Ford back around to the pits, and eventually, the garage despite the heavy damage. However, the crew could not fix the car, forcing Rudd to retire for the day and settle for a 38th-place finish.
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: GoBowling.com 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: GoBowling.com 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 Pocono and get us ready for Watkins Glen.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Pocono-Watkins Glen Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gives up something to look forward to going into Watkins Glen. 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, he touches on Denny Hamlin's confidence level after the driver is suffering through the worst stretch of his career.
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 Watkins Glen. 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, he touches on Denny Hamlin's confidence level after the driver is suffering through the worst stretch of his career.
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 both in action at Pocono Raceway. Meanwhile, the Nationwide Series made their second trip of the year to 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
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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