THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 11th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCX
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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.
We came into Sunday's AdvoCare 500k with a clear cut two man race for the Sprint Cup between Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Now, Johnson nearly stands alone. After a third-place finish, Johnson now has a 28 point lead over his closest competitor. For Kenseth, Sunday was a miserable day spent trying to deal with an ill-handling car. Didn't help that his crew made a four-tire change that was more at home in 1986 than 2013. Race winner Kevin Harvick is only six points behind Kenseth in third.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 11th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCX
~~~~~~~~~
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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Happy Veteran's Day! Thanks to those who continue to serve.
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Harvick Wins After Edwards Runs Dry, Johnson Consolidates Lead
by Justin Tucker
Kevin Harvick has established a history of being in the right place at the right time. Harvick, who has earned the nickname "The Closer" due to his late race winning passes, added another to his resume on Sunday when he passed Carl Edwards as he run out of fuel with two laps to go to claim his fourth win of the season in the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix.
Harvick, who led a race high 70 laps on the afternoon, said he saw Edwards starting to slow with around two laps to go and saw his opportunity.
"I saw him slowing with about - maybe - a lap and a half, two laps to go," said Harvick. "(Team owner) Richard (Childress) came across the radio and said he was slowing down. I'm like, 'Dang, we might still be in this thing.' Edwards, who was looking for a Phoenix sweep, managed to nurse his No. 99 Ford to a 21st-place finish.
"We just miscalculated," Edwards said. "I thought we were a lap to the good. I was saving just a little bit of fuel but obviously, not enough. I don't know if I could have saved a lap and kept Kevin behind me, in hindsight, but that's a tough way to lose one. We haven't run out of fuel in a long time."
While Harvick drove away with the trophy from Phoenix, Jimmie Johnson took one giant step towards immortality and his sixth championship with a third-place finish on Sunday. Things did not come easy for Johnson, however, as there were a couple of near misses for the 48, including on the first lap when Johnson made contact with Joey Logano racing through turns 3 and 4. Overall, Johnson was pleased with the 3rd place effort but isn't taking anything for granted next Sunday.
"I knew I had a great race car and that makes life a lot easier," said Johnson. "I really had to fall back on my dirt driving skills racing out here in the desert all the years that I did. All those incidences were close. The second one [with Carl Edwards], I thought I was hitting the wall so I was glad that we got it gathered back up and got it going.
"Just excited to go racing," Johnson continued. "I'm in a position I want to be in. I want to go down there and need to defend the championship."
Joining Harvick and Johnson in the top 5 on Sunday at Phoenix were Johnson's Hendrick teammates Kasey Kahne in second and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who overcame a loose wheel early to finish fourth. Kurt Busch would round out the top 5. Juan Pablo Montoya finished in sixth, while Kyle Busch was seventh. Martin Truex, Jr. was eighth, followed by Joey Logano. Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10.
Matt Kenseth, who entered Sunday's race just seven points behind Johnson, took a likely crushing blow to any remaining championship hopes as he would fight an ill-handling Dollar General Toyota all day long. Kenseth would struggle to a 23rd-place finish, leaving him a seeming insurmountable 28 points behind Johnson heading into next week's finale. The poor performance left Kenseth nothing short of baffled.
"No, because we haven't had a day like this all year," Kenseth said when asked if he expected anything like Sunday's effort. "I can't say I was overly confident about what we had. It didn't drive well or we would have been up there with the front group. I did all I could with it, which wasn't much."
A look at Sunday's AdvoCare 500 by the numbers. There were 23 lead changes among 12 different drivers, and eight cautions for 49 laps slowed the race pace to an average speed of 105.733 MPH.
The Sprint Cup Series will head to the Homestead Miami Speedway for the final race of the 2013 season. The Ford EcoBoost 400 is scheduled to go green at 3:16 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.
Happy Veteran's Day! Thanks to those who continue to serve.
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Harvick Wins After Edwards Runs Dry, Johnson Consolidates Lead
by Justin Tucker
Kevin Harvick has established a history of being in the right place at the right time. Harvick, who has earned the nickname "The Closer" due to his late race winning passes, added another to his resume on Sunday when he passed Carl Edwards as he run out of fuel with two laps to go to claim his fourth win of the season in the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix.
Harvick, who led a race high 70 laps on the afternoon, said he saw Edwards starting to slow with around two laps to go and saw his opportunity.
"I saw him slowing with about - maybe - a lap and a half, two laps to go," said Harvick. "(Team owner) Richard (Childress) came across the radio and said he was slowing down. I'm like, 'Dang, we might still be in this thing.' Edwards, who was looking for a Phoenix sweep, managed to nurse his No. 99 Ford to a 21st-place finish.
"We just miscalculated," Edwards said. "I thought we were a lap to the good. I was saving just a little bit of fuel but obviously, not enough. I don't know if I could have saved a lap and kept Kevin behind me, in hindsight, but that's a tough way to lose one. We haven't run out of fuel in a long time."
While Harvick drove away with the trophy from Phoenix, Jimmie Johnson took one giant step towards immortality and his sixth championship with a third-place finish on Sunday. Things did not come easy for Johnson, however, as there were a couple of near misses for the 48, including on the first lap when Johnson made contact with Joey Logano racing through turns 3 and 4. Overall, Johnson was pleased with the 3rd place effort but isn't taking anything for granted next Sunday.
"I knew I had a great race car and that makes life a lot easier," said Johnson. "I really had to fall back on my dirt driving skills racing out here in the desert all the years that I did. All those incidences were close. The second one [with Carl Edwards], I thought I was hitting the wall so I was glad that we got it gathered back up and got it going.
"Just excited to go racing," Johnson continued. "I'm in a position I want to be in. I want to go down there and need to defend the championship."
Joining Harvick and Johnson in the top 5 on Sunday at Phoenix were Johnson's Hendrick teammates Kasey Kahne in second and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who overcame a loose wheel early to finish fourth. Kurt Busch would round out the top 5. Juan Pablo Montoya finished in sixth, while Kyle Busch was seventh. Martin Truex, Jr. was eighth, followed by Joey Logano. Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10.
Matt Kenseth, who entered Sunday's race just seven points behind Johnson, took a likely crushing blow to any remaining championship hopes as he would fight an ill-handling Dollar General Toyota all day long. Kenseth would struggle to a 23rd-place finish, leaving him a seeming insurmountable 28 points behind Johnson heading into next week's finale. The poor performance left Kenseth nothing short of baffled.
"No, because we haven't had a day like this all year," Kenseth said when asked if he expected anything like Sunday's effort. "I can't say I was overly confident about what we had. It didn't drive well or we would have been up there with the front group. I did all I could with it, which wasn't much."
A look at Sunday's AdvoCare 500 by the numbers. There were 23 lead changes among 12 different drivers, and eight cautions for 49 laps slowed the race pace to an average speed of 105.733 MPH.
The Sprint Cup Series will head to the Homestead Miami Speedway for the final race of the 2013 season. The Ford EcoBoost 400 is scheduled to go green at 3:16 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: Bad Luck All But Hands Johnson The Title On A Platter
by Phil Allaway
by Phil Allaway
Kyle Busch's seventh-place finish on Sunday kept him up in fourth. However, he has now been officially eliminated from championship contention. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remains in fourth after another top-5 finish. Jeff Gordon holds onto sixth after finishing in 14th.
Greg Biffle moved up to seventh after finishing in 13th. That was quite the accomplishment after having to change a transmission on race morning and starting from the rear of the field. Biffle overtook Clint Bowyer, who had a fairly miserable day and finished 20th. Joey Logano is in ninth after a ninth-place finish.
Two points behind Logano is Kurt Busch in tenth. Remember that despite there being 13 drivers in the Chase, only ten get seats at the banquet in Las Vegas. Kurt has a 26 point lead over Ryan Newman in 11th. Newman had a decent run to finish tenth on Sunday, but he's going to need a pretty big swing in Homestead to get on stage. Kasey Kahne is up one place to 12th after finishing second. Finally, Carl Edwards rounds out the top-13. Edwards nearly had the race won before running out of gas on the backstretch with less than two laps to go. He would eventually finish 21st.
Outside of the Chase, Brad Keselowski continues to be the best of those not in the Chase after finishing 11th Sunday. He has a nine point advantage over Jamie McMurray.
Chase Point Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 2384, 2) Matt Kenseth -28, 3) Kevin Harvick -34, 4) Kyle Busch -57, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -63, 6) Jeff Gordon -80, 7) Greg Biffle -83, 8) Clint Bowyer -87, 9) Joey Logano -97, 10) Kurt Busch -99, 11) Ryan Newman -125, 12) Kasey Kahne -132, 13) Carl Edwards -134.
Best of the Rest (14-23): 14) Brad Keselowski 1002, 15) Jamie McMurray -9, 16) Martin Truex, Jr. -44, 17) Paul Menard -58, 18) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -115, t-19) Jeff Burton -117, t-19) Aric Almirola -117, 21) Juan Pablo Montoya -134, 22) Marcos Ambrose -148, 23) Denny Hamlin -296.
Non-Chase Point Standings (top-23): 1) Jimmie Johnson 1213, 2) Kevin Harvick -41, 3) Matt Kenseth -65, 4) Kyle Busch -87, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -111, 6) Carl Edwards -127, 7) Clint Bowyer -137, 8) Greg Biffle -156, 9) Jeff Gordon -159, 10) Kurt Busch -166, 11) Joey Logano -178, 12) Brad Keselowski -211, 13) Ryan Newman -213, 14) Jamie McMurray -220, 15) Kasey Kahne -222, 16) Martin Truex, Jr. -255, 17) Paul Menard -269, 18) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -326, t-19) Jeff Burton -328, t-19) Aric Almirola -328, 21) Juan Pablo Montoya -345, 22) Marcos Ambrose -359, 23) Denny Hamlin -507.
Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona-1, Martinsville-1, Pocono-1, Daytona-2, Dover-2, Texas-2), Carl Edwards (Phoenix-1, Richmond-2), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas, Kansas-1, Darlington, Kentucky, Bristol-2, Chicagoland, New Hampshire-2), Kasey Kahne (Bristol-1, Pocono-2), Kyle Busch (Fontana, Texas-1, Watkins Glen, Atlanta), Kevin Harvick (Richmond-1, Charlotte, Kansas-2, Phoenix-2), David Ragan (Talladega), Tony Stewart (Dover-1), Greg Biffle (Michigan-1), Martin Truex, Jr. (Sonoma), Brian Vickers (New Hampshire-1), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis), Joey Logano (Michigan-2), Brad Keselowski (Charlotte-2), Jamie McMurray (Talladega-2), Jeff Gordon (Martinsville-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: Phoenix-2 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 26th, finished 22nd
In one way, it was fitting to see Labonte go out on top of his direct competition. The 2000 Cup champion will certainly be missed as his career came to what's likely its conclusion on Sunday. Labonte has struggled to stay relevant in recent years, running with teams that were mid-pack at best, but if you have time, hit YouTube and take a look back on his career-Labonte is a winner and a class act, and, along with Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, and Ken Schrader, who will also step out of the driver's seat for the final time in 2013, represents the closing of an era in the sport.
Underdog Selection No. 2: David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; started 33rd, finished 24th
Gilliland once again quietly brought home FRM's best finish of the day. That's been an increasing trend of late; in the last ten races, dating back to Richmond, Gilliland has outplaced Ragan six times, and in that span, his average finish is nearly five spots better than Ragan's…and for the season, Gilliland's average finish is better as well. In a sport where consistency is important, Gilliland is finding that for his team.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 30th, finished 27th
Mears was third among the underdogs on track this weekend, but overall, the performance for the No. 13 was disappointing. In the spring race at Phoenix, Mears finished 14th, kicking off a string of finishes that saw him climb as high as 17th in driver points and made people look twice at the No. 13 team. The team had an excellent first half of the season, but has not been able to maintain where they started. In the first half of the season, the team posted eight top-20 runs, including a ninth-place at Daytona in July. Since then, Mears has cracked the top 20 just once. He'll finish the season on top of the small teams in points, but the team needs to pick up the pace in 2014.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Homestead: AJ Allmendinger 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.
My Phoenix pick was Casey Mears, who had a mediocre day, third among his peers.
This week gives me one last chance to make a good pick, and I think Allmendinger is it. In four races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Allmendinger has two top 10's and a top 5 and an average finish of 10.2-good for fourth among all drivers with more than one Cup start at Homestead. Sure it's only four starts, but all of them were for a mid-tier team, and that speaks well of his chances this week.
Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during the race broadcasts? Amy has all the small teams covered each and every week in The Big Six. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's Talladega race was brought to you by the letter "M," for Miscues. Phoenix is one of those tracks where you have to be nearly perfect to win. Any mistake at all is going to cost you dearly, and it is very difficult to make up for those mistakes. Carl Edwards had a big advantage, yet his team decided to rush the fuel on the final stop. That came back to bite them hard. Matt Kenseth had to deal with a pit stop that looked like something out of 1986 instead of 2013. That's just not going to work. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was forced to pit under green due to a loose wheel. Granted, Earnhardt Jr. recovered from that setback, but he needed the help of multiple cautions before he could get a Lucky Dog, then strategy had to go his way. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Phoenix
by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson Extends Points LeadLetter of the Race: Sunday's Talladega race was brought to you by the letter "M," for Miscues. Phoenix is one of those tracks where you have to be nearly perfect to win. Any mistake at all is going to cost you dearly, and it is very difficult to make up for those mistakes. Carl Edwards had a big advantage, yet his team decided to rush the fuel on the final stop. That came back to bite them hard. Matt Kenseth had to deal with a pit stop that looked like something out of 1986 instead of 2013. That's just not going to work. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was forced to pit under green due to a loose wheel. Granted, Earnhardt Jr. recovered from that setback, but he needed the help of multiple cautions before he could get a Lucky Dog, then strategy had to go his way. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Phoenix
by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth were separated by just seven points heading into the AdvoCare 500, the semi-final race of the season. While Kenseth was hoping to close that points gap, Johnson has his eyes set on Victory Lane and began the weekend by winning the pole.
However, Kenseth would struggle mightily in the race, failing to lead even one lap and struggling to even make it into the top 10. Though Johnson had two close run-ins on the track that almost sent him to the garage, he would finish third. Kenseth, on the other hand, would finish 23rd.
This would leave a 28 point gap between Johnson and Kenseth when the race ended, meaning that all Johnson has to do in Homestead is finish 23rd or better and he will have his sixth career Sprint Cup Series championship.
"Just excited to go racing," said Johnson. "I'm in a position I want to be in. I want to go down there and need to defend the championship. We've got a nice points lead so happy to be back on the West Coast. I want to say hey to everybody in the stands. Thanks to all those No. 48 fans out there and we will go to Homestead and race some more."
Johnson has an average finish of 10.7 at Homestead.
Leader Carl Edwards Runs Out of Gas on Final Lap
Carl Edwards was cruising to victory on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway when his tank began to sputter. As the white flag was waving in the air, Edwards slowed dramatically and Kevin Harvick cruised right on by to win the race. Some miscalculated fuel strategy would lead to the loss and it was one that was heartbreaking for Edwards and his 99 team.
"We played the strategy very well," said Edwards. "We did a really good job, but we just needed a little more fuel. We just miscalculated. I thought we were a lap to the good. I was saving just a little bit of fuel, but obviously not enough. I don't know if I could have saved a lap and kept Kevin behind me in hindsight, but that's a tough way to lose one there. We haven't run out of fuel in a long time."
Edwards has two prior victories this season, with the last win coming at the fall Richmond race. Edwards is 13th in the points, 134 points out of the lead.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Recovers from Loose Wheel
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had momentum coming into Phoenix with a second-place run at Texas, and was hoping to follow it up with a win in Phoenix. While that didn't happen, Earnhardt Jr. would finish in the fourth position for his ninth top-five finish of the year.
It wouldn't be without its challenges, however, and Earnhardt Jr. suffered a rather large one on lap 63. Earnhardt Jr. had to come to pit road in order to fix a loose wheel, a problem that also deterred the team during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. The unscheduled pitstop trapped Earnhardt Jr. a lap down, and it appeared that his chances of following up his stellar finish in Texas was over.
However, the team was able to recover from the incident with some pit strategy and Earnhardt Jr.'s driving. As the checkered flag flew, Earnhardt Jr. would cross the finish line in the fourth position.
"We had a fast car," said Earnhardt Jr. "I thought Steve Letarte (crew chief) could get some good strategy to get us back up into the top-10, top-five and I was real happy with the way we were able to rebound."
Earnhardt Jr. is currently fifth in points, 63 points behind the leader with one race remaining. He is not eligible to win the championship.
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: AdvoCare 500k
compiled by Phil Allaway
"Yeah, we didn't [make many changes]. You know you never know how the caution flags are going to fly. We wound up on the opposite side of. You've got a 50/50 shot at the strategy, but our car was fast enough to make up ground through traffic. We were able to make some aggressive moves through the day and be able to put ourselves in position to win and here we are." - Kevin Harvick, race winner
"Yeah there was just really a lot of strategies throughout the race. Everybody was kind of switching about 10 or 15 cars who were in the front and who weren't. We were able to work our way back. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) had a great strategy throughout the race and we got our car really good about (lap) 150. I got a little loose in the last restart, but actually the last full run prior to the restart as well. Just felt good about our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. We made some big gains from yesterday and nice second-place finish. I wish I could have held off (Kevin) Harvick once Carl (Edwards) ran out, but that is the way it goes. We had a strong car today." - Kasey Kahne, finished second
"I knew I had a great race car and that makes life a lot easier. I really had to fall back on my dirt driving skills racing out here in the desert all the years that I did. All those incidences were close. The second one, I thought I was hitting the wall so I was glad that we got it gathered back up and got it going. Then the No. 20 (Matt Kenseth) wasn't having the best day, so after that issue we came to pit road and left and I expected him to be ahead of me and he was behind me. So at that point I knew I was in good shape relative to the championship battle; knew I had a good car, knew I could get through traffic, and I knew it was just about getting points on him at that point." - Jimmie Johnson, finished third
"Well we were fifth today and maybe we were an eighth-place car. We got up as high as fourth. We put a good effort in and we just didn't have the muscle those top-five guys had. With (Carl) Edwards running out of gas that put us fifth and we will take that. This is a single car team in the Chase with the big dogs and we have had a very successful season. It's tough we haven't won, but we have been knocking on the door. We will give it everything we've got next week in Miami. It's been a good run. Really have to thank those Furniture Row guys out of Colorado." - _Kurt Busch, finished fifth
"It was a battle all day with our M&M's Camry. I don't know why, we just didn't have what we needed. We never seemed to have the ticket we needed today. We got better all day, which was a positive and salvaged something out of nothing -- so all things considering it was okay. It's so late in the year, you're just running laps now and getting what you can get and seeing if you can win next weekend at Homestead to finish the year." - Kyle Busch, finished seventh
"We had a good NAPA Toyota all weekend long and Chad (Johnston, crew chief) decided to make a whole lot of wholesale changes. We had no idea what kind of car we would have today, but it worked out just fine. We'll take a top-10 any day. We got just one more to go as a NAPA team. We hope to make it a good one." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished eighth
"There was a lot of strategy and it confused the heck out of me. At times we were leading the race and at times we were 24th. It's hard to say where we were. I felt like we were maybe a fifth-place car, which is kind of what we thought we were going into the race. We stayed out one time and then we had to pit under green and then coming to the end of the race I had to start saving fuel to make it. At that point it looked like we were in really bad shape because we really needed a caution. I started saving fuel and gave up about five or six spots, and then the caution came out and we restarted 14th and got up to ninth. We just needed the cautions to get going again, so we had a decent car. We didn't really lose much in points, but, overall, it was a weird race because you don't know where you're at and you just pass the cars in front of you. I didn't know what place I was in, I just kept running because it was too confusing for me." - Joey Logano, finished ninth
"We had a good strategy, but we ran out of fuel coming to pit road. We had an opportunity to make something of it, but running out of fuel cost us four or five spots. That was probably the difference between us finishing fifth to where we actually finished, in 10th. Matt Borland and the guys worked hard to make the Quicken Loans Chevrolet better over the course of the weekend, and once we got in clean air the car was actually pretty good. But track position was everything. When we had it, the car was pretty good. When we didn't, it was so hard to pass. But we got another top-10 finish, which means Quicken Loans will pay 10 more mortgages and everyone can head to Outback Steakhouse for a Bloomin' Onion." - Ryan Newman, finished tenth
"We played the strategy very well. We did a really good job, but we just needed a little more fuel. We just miscalculated. I thought we were a lap to the good. I was saving just a little bit of fuel, but obviously not enough. I don't know if I could have saved a lap and kept Kevin behind me in hindsight, but that's a tough way to lose one there. We haven't run out of fuel in a long time." - Carl Edwards, finished 21st
"I think the day is pretty self-explanatory. We just really struggled. Honestly, it was the first day like that -- that we've had all season long. That just -- gosh that speaks volumes about my team, we haven't had a day like that all year where we've been far enough (back) where we couldn't stay on the lead lap. Just couldn't be prouder to drive the Dollar General Camry. It was an unfortunate, disappointing day, but man we did the best we could do. We just were off today." - Matt Kenseth, finished 23rd
"Pretty rough day -- I'm glad those don't come around too often. Everybody's going to say, 'Oh well, the pressure got to them.' Just poor execution. On a track that's so hard to pass -- you're trying to make up for something that you did earlier -- and then it just snowballs on you. And the car just wasn't -- you know, it wasn't responding to changes. We would make a change and it wouldn't help it. So, we'd put that back and make another change, and I don't know that it was better or worse. It was like, 'Man, just quit working on the thing. It's just not responding.' And you get back in traffic and it compounds it. So, I think we were just trying to make something out of nothing. I don't really think we had a strong car at all today, unfortunately. And, then just snowballed and got us way behind, makes up on pit road -- that's a perfect storm. You go to put left sides on and nobody comes down pit road behind you. You're thinking, 'Man, let's just put four on.' And the bad part about it is you've already called lefts and your guys have left side tires in their hands. It's really bad. Just a bad job on my part today." - Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for Matt Kenseth
"I'm fine -- didn't have brakes coming down the front straightaway. Down the back straight the pedal got a little soft and I told the guys this pedal is a little bit soft and we got off into turn one and didn't have any brakes at all. I pumped it a couple times and it was just all rear brakes at that point and it snapped around in the fence. I hate for Horizon and all the guys we had on the car this weekend. It looked like we were going to have a pretty decent weekend and it's just a disappointment -- tore up a pretty good race car." - David Reutimann, finished 39th (Crashed Out)
"I guess they spun in front of us. I was racing the 7 (Dave Blaney) for the 'Lucky Dog' and I was racing pretty hard. Just was kind of focused on that and didn't really realize that they were wadding up in front of us. Just a victim of it, I guess. Feel bad for my guys and hopefully can come back with something better next time. I just feel bad for everybody. More or less, I was just racing the 7 for the 'Lucky Dog' -- so thanks to my guys for all the hard work." - Cole Whitt, finished 40th (Crashed Out)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Phoenix-2 NASCAR Weekend Recap
by Mike Neff
by Amy Henderson
by Summer Bedgood
Pace Laps: Those Other Points Battles... That Help When You're Searching For A Ride
by the Frontstretch Staff
Pace Laps: Those Other Points Battles... That Help When You're Searching For A Ride
by the Frontstretch Staff
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1996 Jiffy Lube Miami 300 saw Kevin Lepage pick up his first career Busch Grand National win for David Ridling with sponsorship from the French energy drink Hype. However, early on, there was a fairly large crash that involved over half a dozen cars. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: In 1995, Ernie Irvan was the dominant man in Phoenix. After crashing his primary car in practice, Irvan flew up from the rear to lead a race-high 111 laps. However, in ten laps, he went from leading the race to out. What happened?
A: Irvan was leading the race by about three seconds over Mark Martin when Winston West regular Doug George spun and hit the wall just before the crossover bridge in Turns 3 and 4. This brought the leaders to pit road.
The combination of Irvan getting blocked in his pit stall, and an inexperienced crew dropped Irvan to fourth for the restart. Shortly afterwards, smoke could be seen out of Irvan's exhaust pipes and that was the end of his day.
The combination of Irvan getting blocked in his pit stall, and an inexperienced crew dropped Irvan to fourth for the restart. Shortly afterwards, smoke could be seen out of Irvan's exhaust pipes and that was the end of his day.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: AdvoCare 500k 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: AdvoCare 500k 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 in Phoenix and get us ready for Homestead.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Phoenix-Homestead Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gives us something to look forward to going into the season finale in South Florida. He's tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.
Racing To The Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.
Going By The Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin enlightens us with his weekly statistics column based on trends we've been seeing in the Cup Series so far this season.
Brad gives us something to look forward to going into the season finale in South Florida. He's tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.
Racing To The Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.
Going By The Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin enlightens us with his weekly statistics column based on trends we've been seeing in the Cup Series so far this season.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, all three of NASCAR's National series were in action at Phoenix International Raceway. How were these races presented? Find out in our weekly TV critique.
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