THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Want to follow Kyle Larson yourself?
Twitter: @KyleLarsonRacin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyleLarsonRacing
Website (under construction): http://kylelarsonracing.com/
Looking for a little history? Try... http://kylelarsonracing.net/
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Numbers Game: GoBowling.com 400
by Tom Bowles
0
3
4
7
27
Tom Bowles is the Editor-In-Chief of Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Racing To The Point: A Star's Sudden And Painful Decline
by Brett Poirier
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Pocono-Watkins Glen Edition
by Brad Morgan
Going By The Numbers: Kelly Could Join Club Of High-Finishing Foreigners
by Kevin Rutherford
Five Points to Ponder: Chasing the Chase And Pocono Thrills
by Danny Peters
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get 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 tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Tom Bowles
-- WTF Wednesday by Ellen Richardson
Frontstretch Top 10 by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite writers are back with their Wednesday dose of NASCAR humor that leaves you laughing. Don't miss out!
Open-Wheel Wednesday by Toni Montgomery
Toni returns with an article about the Izod IndyCar Series as the series embarks on a two-week break prior to Sonoma.
NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 after Pocono compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jimmie Johnson continues to expand his points lead, even after blowing a tire and hitting the wall. However, did he maintain number one on our power rankings list? Experts you love from across the web, not just Frontstretch rank the drivers heading into Pocono as our weekly top 15 poll comes up for a vote once again.
Beyond the Cockpit: TBA
-----------------------------
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
-- Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 6th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXLIV
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 6th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXLIV
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What to Watch For: Tuesday
- Tuesday is traditionally penalty day in NASCAR, and this week, we have a customer. Timothy Peters' No. 17 measured too low in post-race inspection after Saturday's Pocono Mountains 125. Expect a small points penalty to be levied.
- Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2010 winner at Watkins Glen International, is scheduled to participate in NASCAR's weekly teleconference. We'll keep tabs to see if anything interesting is said.
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Top News
by Tom Bowles
Tony Stewart Breaks Leg, Out For At Least One WeekOne of NASCAR's superstars is now sidelined indefinitely after breaking his right leg. Tony Stewart, the three-time Cup champion broke his right tibia and fibula Monday night, suffering the injuries during a Sprint car crash at Southern Iowa Speedway. An innocent victim, Stewart was collected when a lapped car spun off Turn 4, collecting him and two others while the mess nearly blocked the entire racetrack.
With those injuries, Stewart is sidelined for at least Sunday's race at Watkins Glen. Missing that event will, in all likelihood cost the driver a shot at the Chase; he sits 11th in points, right now but holding a "wild card" position because of his win at Dover in June. Stewart, who's missed out on the postseason just once in his career ('06) has not yet named a replacement for the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet.
The wreck marks the third serious incident for Stewart racing Sprint cars this summer. An earlier wreck at Canadaigua Raceway, out in New York which he took responsibility for collected ten cars and left one driver, 19-year-old Alysha Ruggles with a fractured vertebrae. Then, last Monday at a small dirt track out in Ontario Stewart lost control and rolled his car five times. Walking away from the incident, he remained as enthusiastic as ever about what he's called his "release" from the rigors of stock car racing.
"It's like hitting a reset button for me," he said to USA Today earlier this year. "It's a lot of effort, a lot of money and a lot of time to do all this, but it's worth it. I'm in a fortunate position where I have the resources to do it, but I also don't have a wife and children. I have a German Shepherd who doesn't care where we go. I have the flexibility a lot of these other drivers don't. But even if they had the time, I'm not sure they'd want to go run 70 dirt races on top of a 38-race Cup schedule. It's just what I enjoy."
"It's like hitting a reset button for me," he said to USA Today earlier this year. "It's a lot of effort, a lot of money and a lot of time to do all this, but it's worth it. I'm in a fortunate position where I have the resources to do it, but I also don't have a wife and children. I have a German Shepherd who doesn't care where we go. I have the flexibility a lot of these other drivers don't. But even if they had the time, I'm not sure they'd want to go run 70 dirt races on top of a 38-race Cup schedule. It's just what I enjoy."
Recovery time to get back in the car from broken leg surgery has varied. In 1985, Bill Elliott drove with a broken leg suffered in a crash at Rockingham, two weeks earlier and won the Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta. In comparison, Kyle Petty, back in 1991 had a broken left femur and was out of the car for over three months. Stewart, 42, has not missed a race on the Sprint Cup tour since starting out as a rookie full-time in 1999.
Tony Eury, Sr. Back In NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s former crew chief is back in the sport. Tony Eury, Sr., who once manned the pit box for him and later his JR Motorsports operation has signed on with the No. 23 team in the Nationwide Series. R3 Motorsports, along with its driver Robert Richardson, Jr. hope to benefit from snagging such a high-quality head wrench off the unemployment line.
"We are excited to have Pops on board with us!" said owner Robert Richardson, Sr. in a short release. "We feel with what he brings to the table, this is our opportunity to get our program turned around and become more competitive. "
"We are excited to have Pops on board with us!" said owner Robert Richardson, Sr. in a short release. "We feel with what he brings to the table, this is our opportunity to get our program turned around and become more competitive. "
The No. 23 team has struggled this season, employing a variety of drivers with mediocre results. They've got just one top-10 finish all year, a ninth in the season-opening Daytona race with Richardson, Jr. at the wheel.
News 'N' Notes
- Truck Series crew chief Joe Shear, Jr., last with Thorsport Racing and Johnny Sauter has found a new gig. He'll be turning wrenches for Turn One Motorsports and their driver, Dakoda Armstrong with the No. 60 Chevrolet starting at Michigan in two weeks.
- The Kyle Petty - Denny Hamlin feud continued Monday. After Hamlin called Petty a "moron" on Twitter, then followed up with several disparaging comments about the analyst and how he misinterpreted statements by the driver earlier this month Petty spoke out on the issue.
"If you are going to run your mouth, if you are going to dish it out, you gotta take it, and the bone of contention here is that Denny is 100 percent right," Petty said to the Associated Press. "I can take it, I can say that I'm wrong and that I misinterpreted what Denny said."
"If you are going to run your mouth, if you are going to dish it out, you gotta take it, and the bone of contention here is that Denny is 100 percent right," Petty said to the Associated Press. "I can take it, I can say that I'm wrong and that I misinterpreted what Denny said."
However, Petty stopped short of offering Hamlin a full apology, claiming he was going to before the unfortunate tweet and subsequent comments on Sunday. The two drivers have tussled before, on-track; in 2008, a wreck at Dover in the Fall led to a shouting match between the two over respect.
Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
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Today's Featured Commentary
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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Never Count Out A Four-Time Sprint Cup Champ
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
I do not have enough faith. There, I've said it. Being a Boston Red Sox fan raised back in the day, my confidence in the home team being able to pull it out in the end was sorely tested and eventually demolished somewhere around 1986. Hell, in 2012 the city gave up on the now two-time World Series Champs when Bobby Valentine was hired. Call us the epitome of fickle.
Thus, every time "my driver" (aka Jeff Gordon) crashed out of the race this year I was pretty sure I was watching the beginning of the end for the 42-year-old former champion. When the No. 24 reached the abyss of 21st in points, four weeks into the season, I had already thrown in the towel. All the signs of devastation were there. Jeff would not be in the Chase this year. And maybe that's justified when he can't seem to find any luck over the past... well, it seemed like an eternity.
I need to start chewing on shoe leather.
Jeff Gordon is currently seated ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings after Sunday's GoBowling.com 400. Not only did he climb more firmly into the Chase safety zone, he did so while nearly snagging his first win since Homestead last November.
How did this happen? Where did this sudden stellar performance come from? He's got just as many DNFs this year as last, and we're just a little over halfway through the season. His average finish of 15.7 is the worst since 2005 and just a smidge over his 15.8 from 1994. It looks bad. It looks horrible, if you're a Gordon fan.
And yet, there he is, running in the Top 10 nearly every week he isn't shaking bumpers with the SAFER barrier. Consistency does still reward the downtrodden in NASCAR. And if one thing earns you a Cup for your mantle -- or even four, like Mr. Gordon -- it's the ability to consistently perform at the top of your sport week after week after week, even when you can't seem to get out of your own way.
The history of stock car racing is littered with great drivers who earned a single Cup title. Yes, it took lots of driving talent, a rock solid machine and smarter crew chief to win the championship. But grabbing a solo Cup does not earn you a spot as a HoF contestant. It takes more to be considered one of the very best. Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 team have that "more." And maybe I was too eager to forget it.
For here they are, logging strong runs one after the other, adjusting, and overcoming those mistakes that take out lesser mortals. It's why they've got four of the big trophies. It's why it is still not out of the realm of possibility to see Jeff Gordon earn another title before he does decide to hang up the steering wheel.
I am humbled. I am sorry. And I am thrilled. Jeff Gordon is gonna make the Chase!
Kyle Larson Stat
Series: Nationwide Series
Track: Iowa Speedway
Car: No. 32 Eveready Chevrolet
Qualified: 11th
Finished: 5th (lead lap)
Points Standings: 6th
I do not have enough faith. There, I've said it. Being a Boston Red Sox fan raised back in the day, my confidence in the home team being able to pull it out in the end was sorely tested and eventually demolished somewhere around 1986. Hell, in 2012 the city gave up on the now two-time World Series Champs when Bobby Valentine was hired. Call us the epitome of fickle.
Thus, every time "my driver" (aka Jeff Gordon) crashed out of the race this year I was pretty sure I was watching the beginning of the end for the 42-year-old former champion. When the No. 24 reached the abyss of 21st in points, four weeks into the season, I had already thrown in the towel. All the signs of devastation were there. Jeff would not be in the Chase this year. And maybe that's justified when he can't seem to find any luck over the past... well, it seemed like an eternity.
I need to start chewing on shoe leather.
Jeff Gordon is currently seated ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings after Sunday's GoBowling.com 400. Not only did he climb more firmly into the Chase safety zone, he did so while nearly snagging his first win since Homestead last November.
How did this happen? Where did this sudden stellar performance come from? He's got just as many DNFs this year as last, and we're just a little over halfway through the season. His average finish of 15.7 is the worst since 2005 and just a smidge over his 15.8 from 1994. It looks bad. It looks horrible, if you're a Gordon fan.
And yet, there he is, running in the Top 10 nearly every week he isn't shaking bumpers with the SAFER barrier. Consistency does still reward the downtrodden in NASCAR. And if one thing earns you a Cup for your mantle -- or even four, like Mr. Gordon -- it's the ability to consistently perform at the top of your sport week after week after week, even when you can't seem to get out of your own way.
The history of stock car racing is littered with great drivers who earned a single Cup title. Yes, it took lots of driving talent, a rock solid machine and smarter crew chief to win the championship. But grabbing a solo Cup does not earn you a spot as a HoF contestant. It takes more to be considered one of the very best. Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 team have that "more." And maybe I was too eager to forget it.
For here they are, logging strong runs one after the other, adjusting, and overcoming those mistakes that take out lesser mortals. It's why they've got four of the big trophies. It's why it is still not out of the realm of possibility to see Jeff Gordon earn another title before he does decide to hang up the steering wheel.
I am humbled. I am sorry. And I am thrilled. Jeff Gordon is gonna make the Chase!
Kyle Larson Stat
Series: Nationwide Series
Track: Iowa Speedway
Car: No. 32 Eveready Chevrolet
Qualified: 11th
Finished: 5th (lead lap)
Points Standings: 6th
Want to follow Kyle Larson yourself?
Twitter: @KyleLarsonRacin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyleLarsonRacing
Website (under construction): http://kylelarsonracing.com/
Looking for a little history? Try... http://kylelarsonracing.net/
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Numbers Game: GoBowling.com 400
by Tom Bowles
0
Wins for Clint Bowyer despite sitting second in the standings. No driver has ever won the NASCAR Cup Series title without scoring a victory.
1
1
Lap led by Aric Almirola Sunday at Pocono. Despite being on the fringes of Chase contention (18th in the standings) that's just the second lap he's led all season long.
2
2
Top-10 finishes in the last three races by Brad Keselowski following a sixth-place performance at Pocono. In the previous 11 races, he'd had just two top-10 results.
3
Drivers who have started every race in 2013 but still do not have a top-10 finish. They are rookie Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., David Reutimann, and Travis Kvapil.
4
Hendrick-powered cars in the top 5 Sunday. Only Kurt Busch (third) broke up the order of Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Ryan Newman.
5
5
Number of races this season where Jimmie Johnson has led at least 40 laps but failed to win the race. He led 43 Sunday, in position to dominate the event at Pocono until a right front tire failure sent him hard into the wall. He ran 13th.
6
6
Finishes outside the top 30 for Danica Patrick this season, including three straight. She wrecked out of the race on Sunday, taking Travis Kvapil, Jeff Burton, and Paul Menard along for the ride.
7
Straight races Denny Hamlin has run outside the top 15. It's the first time that's happened in his Cup Series career.
9
9
Cautions thrown at Pocono Sunday, including two for debris on the racetrack. The second of those was thrown with just 12 laps remaining in the race.
13
13
Races since Paul Menard had a top-10 finish. That's dropped him from 10th in points to 19th, on the fringes of Chase contention.
27
Lead changes Sunday at Pocono, the most for a race at that track since 30 in June of 2004. Jimmie Johnson won that event.
66
66
Laps led by Kasey Kahne, the most of any driver Sunday. He quietly ranks fourth on the circuit in laps led behind the dominant trio of Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth.
$101,535
$101,535
Money won by Greg Biffle for finishing 10th in Sunday's race.
$120,946
$120,946
Money won by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. after crashing on the first lap, then limping around the track to run 34th.
Tom Bowles is the Editor-In-Chief of Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Racing To The Point: A Star's Sudden And Painful Decline
by Brett Poirier
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Pocono-Watkins Glen Edition
by Brad Morgan
Going By The Numbers: Kelly Could Join Club Of High-Finishing Foreigners
by Kevin Rutherford
Five Points to Ponder: Chasing the Chase And Pocono Thrills
by Danny Peters
by Phil Allaway
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1999 Lysol 200 is best known as the race in which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. successfully outdueled Ron Fellows to claim his one and only career victory on a road course. Retired racer Curtis Markham was having a great run for Parker Racing, but it came to an end with just under ten laps to go. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
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?
A: On the very first lap of the Little Trees 150, Scott Bouley came across the front end of Travis Benjamin's No. 93 and spun in the middle of the track exiting Turn 3. Kelly Moore and Mike Speakman piled in, blocking the track. The back of the field then piled in, seemingly unsighted. Troy Williams ran over the back of another car and rolled up and over the Armco barrier, coming to rest right side up inside of the wall. The crash can be seen here.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1999 Lysol 200 is best known as the race in which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. successfully outdueled Ron Fellows to claim his one and only career victory on a road course. Retired racer Curtis Markham was having a great run for Parker Racing, but it came to an end with just under ten laps to go. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
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?
A: On the very first lap of the Little Trees 150, Scott Bouley came across the front end of Travis Benjamin's No. 93 and spun in the middle of the track exiting Turn 3. Kelly Moore and Mike Speakman piled in, blocking the track. The back of the field then piled in, seemingly unsighted. Troy Williams ran over the back of another car and rolled up and over the Armco barrier, coming to rest right side up inside of the wall. The crash can be seen here.
At least a dozen cars were involved, and the red flag was flown because the track was legitimately blocked. Seven of the drivers in the crash were out on the spot (Williams, Speakman, Martin Truex, Jr., Ted Christopher, Kip Stockwell, John Kohler, and John Cerbone).
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get 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 tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Tom Bowles
-- WTF Wednesday by Ellen Richardson
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Kevin Rutherford
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Tom has the latest on Tony Stewart's injury, what it could mean for the Chase and how it affects other drivers going forward among his list of small but notable observations on the sport.Side-by-Side: Ryan Newman's Future? by the Frontstretch Staff
This week, we pose a question about a driver's future in the Sprint Cup Series. Will A Brickyard 400 Win Land Ryan Newman A Ride With A Top Team In 2014... Or Will He Still Be Standing At The Unemployment Line? We'll have both sides of the issue for you to devour.
Frontstretch Top 10 by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite writers are back with their Wednesday dose of NASCAR humor that leaves you laughing. Don't miss out!
Open-Wheel Wednesday by Toni Montgomery
Toni returns with an article about the Izod IndyCar Series as the series embarks on a two-week break prior to Sonoma.
NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 after Pocono compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jimmie Johnson continues to expand his points lead, even after blowing a tire and hitting the wall. However, did he maintain number one on our power rankings list? Experts you love from across the web, not just Frontstretch rank the drivers heading into Pocono as our weekly top 15 poll comes up for a vote once again.
Happiness Is... by P. Huston Ladner
Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston looks at the bright side of racing stories we've seen in the past seven days.Beyond the Cockpit: TBA
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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