THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 17th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition VII
~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Monday
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 17th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition VII
~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Monday
- Today is actually the only quiet day during Speedweeks (no on-track action). Some drivers and crewmembers are taking advantage of the break to actually slip back to Charlotte to relax. For Richard Petty, today is not so relaxing. He's spending today up in Bristol, CT, doing the ESPN Car Wash (a series of interviews and appearances on all different types of media that is nothing short of exhausting). Expect him to show up on your TV multiple times today.
- TV Schedule for today:
Time Telecast Network
4:00pm-5:00pm NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Hamlin Wins Wild Sprint Unlimited
by Justin Tucker
Denny Hamlin stayed up front early and stayed up front often on his way to claiming his second career Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.
The Chesterfield, Virginia native survived a wild, crash filled night and got away from Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch in the closing stages on the final 20 lap segment of the 75 lap non-points event. It appeared that Keselowski and his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano were in prime position to secure a 1-2 Penske finish until Hamlin made a power move, making it three wide with three laps to go for the lead that he would never relinquish.
"That was survival of the fittest for sure," Hamlin said. "With three to go, we were at the tail end of a very small pack. It's really hard to get runs, but this car was phenomenal. You saw it those last couple of laps."
Hamlin would lead at the end of all three segments during Saturday night's race, leading a race high 27 laps. Hamlin was ecstatic about the potential of using Saturday's win as a potential springboard for a rebound 2014 season.
“It’s a great win,” said Hamlin, who followed up his Homestead win last November with another trip to Victory Lane. “You love starting Speedweeks like this. In 2006, it kind of springboarded my career into a great year. [In] 2009, winning Homestead springboarded us into a great 2010 and a championship run. There’s no negatives that come out of a day like today.”
Joining Denny Hamlin in the top 5 on Saturday night was Brad Keselowski in second, Hamlin's JGR teammate Kyle Busch in third, Joey Logano in 4th, and Kevin Harvick battled back from damage in an early wreck to score a fifth-place finish in his debut for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Jamie McMurray, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Matt Kenseth would round out the top 10 of Saturday's Sprint Unlimited. Only eight cars finished the 75 lap event.
A number of favorites encountered accidents on Saturday night, ending their chances of an early season statement win. Six-time Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson would continue his love/hate relationship with Daytona International Speedway. On the final lap of segment 1 while running second, Johnson would lose control of his No. 48 Chevrolet and would slam hard into the inside retaining wall ending his night.
The second segment was slowed by a nine car wreck which began when Matt Kenseth spun sideways after slight contact with Joey Logano. After the dust settled, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. were among the casualties.
“I didn’t see anything from the time it started to the time it ended,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “Talking to Danica when I got in [the Infield Care Center], she said that I drilled her when she was pretty much sitting still. I couldn’t see, couldn’t turn and just really destroyed our Nationwide Insurance Ford.”
"I got hit by my boyfriend. What a bummer," Patrick said.
Before lining up for the final 20 lap segment, the fans voted for a mandatory two tire pit stop to help determine how the cars would line up for the final segment. The No. 11 FedEx team would get the job done on pit road, getting Hamlin out first for the final segment. Segment No. 3 also saw its share of fireworks as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Marcos Ambrose got together, sending both drivers into the outside wall. This ended any chance of victory for the No. 88.
"We just got turned into the wall," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We had a good car, but there's a lot of torn-up cars out there."
Ambrose was apologetic for the incident.
“Yeah, I was trying to push him and there was a little bit of a zig and a little bit of a zag and the next thing you know, I helped him in the fence,” said Ambrose. “I apologize to Junior. I’ll try and find him later on if he wants to talk to me, but that’s just what happens here.”
For as wild and crazy as the racing was on the track, it took an even stranger turn on lap 55 when the pace car caught on fire. Driver Brett Bodine and NASCAR official Buster Auton were able to escape the car unharmed. A statement from Chevrolet on Sunday revealed that "a purpose-built auxiliary electrical kit" was in the trunk of the Chevrolet SS Saturday night in order to operate the numerous lights on the pace car. That kit burst into flames.
It is not the first time that a fire has been caused during a NASCAR by equipment designed to help the event. Robby Gordon was forced to retire from a decent position during the 2001 Global Crossing @ the Glen because of an in-car fire in a battery pack that powered the in-car telemetry for NBC's race broadcast.
Speedweeks at Daytona continues on Tuesday with the second annual UNOH Battle at the Beach Tuesday night for the Whelen Modifieds and the K&N Pro Series East. Coverage will be aired live on FOX Sports 2.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
Daytona 500 Qualifying Recap: Rookie Austin Dillon Claims Daytona 500 Pole
18 years after it last occurred, and 13 years since the number was last on the track, Austin Dillon put the No. 3 of Richard Childress Racing on the top of the speed charts during Daytona 500 qualifying to grab the pole for the 56th Annual Daytona 500. Dillon posted a time of 45.914 seconds at a speed of 196.019 MPH. His time was .039 seconds faster than Martin Truex, Jr., who will start outside of the front row for next Sunday's race. Those two cars are the only cars locked into their starting positions for the race. The remainder of the field will be set by the Budweiser 150 mile qualifying races on Thursday night.
After turning in his lap, Dillon was happy not only with his performance, but that he did the No. 3 justice out on the track.
"You want to perform with the No. 3; everyone wants to see it perform," Dillon said. "It's a long season … and this is one of the top points. You want to carry that momentum going forward. I just have to stay grounded and have fun."
"You want to perform with the No. 3; everyone wants to see it perform," Dillon said. "It's a long season … and this is one of the top points. You want to carry that momentum going forward. I just have to stay grounded and have fun."
The remainder of the top 5 in qualifying were Greg Biffle at 45.961, Carl Edwards with a 45.986 second lap and Ryan Newman who crossed the line in 45.987 seconds. The top 43 cars ran within one second of each other. Josh Wise crossed the line 43rd fastest at 46.860 seconds.
From Sunday's round of qualifying, only the front row is officially set in stone for the Daytona 500. However, 11 additional drivers know that they are officially locked into the field. Biffle, Edwards, Newman and Brad Keselowski are assured of starting spots since they have the four fastest qualifying speeds off the front row. In addition, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (seventh), Jeff Gordon (eighth), Jimmie Johnson (15th), Matt Kenseth (17th), Clint Bowyer (20th), Kyle Busch (21st) and Tony Stewart (35th, via Past Champions' Provisional) are locked in as well. The qualifying order from Sunday set the starting lineups for the two Budweiser Duels scheduled for Thursday night. They are listed below.
Budweiser Duel No. 1 Starting Grid
Row 1: 3 Austin Dillon 16 Greg Biffle
Row 2: 31 Ryan Newman 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Row 3: 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 9 Marcos Ambrose
Row 4: 43 Aric Almirola 22 Joey Logano
Row 5: 20 Matt Kenseth 5 Kasey Kahne
Row 6: 18 Kyle Busch 4 Kevin Harvick
Row 7: 10 Danica Patrick 47 AJ Allmendinger
Row 8: 36 Reed Sorenson 38 David Gilliland
Row 9: 30 Parker Kligerman 14 Tony Stewart
Row 10: 55 Brian Vickers 26 Cole Whitt
Row 11: 95 Michael McDowell 98 Josh Wise
Row 12: 87 Joe Nemechek 23 Alex Bowman
Row 13: 77 Dave Blaney
Budweiser Duel No. 2 Starting Lineup
Row 1: 78 Martin Truex, Jr. 99 Carl Edwards
Row 2: 2 Brad Keselowski 24 Jeff Gordon
Row 3: 27 Paul Menard 33 Brian Scott
Row 4: 48 Jimmie Johnson 13 Casey Mears
Row 5: 7 Michael Annett 15 Clint Bowyer
Row 6: 11 Denny Hamlin 42 Kyle Larson
Row 7: 21 Trevor Bayne 41 Kurt Busch
Row 8: 51 Justin Allgaier 40 Landon Cassill
Row 9: 66 Michael Waltrip 35 Eric McClure
Row 10: 1 Jamie McMurray 34 David Ragan
Row 11: 32 Terry Labonte 52 Bobby Labonte
Row 12: 83 Ryan Truex 93 Morgan Shepherd
The top-15 finishers in each race (not including the pole sitters) will earn starting spots in Rows 2-16 in the Daytona 500. The finishing order of Duel No. 1 will set the inside lane, while Duel No. 2 will set the outside lane. Positions 33-36 (Rows 17-18) will be the four fastest drivers in qualifying (excluding Austin Dillon and Martin Truex, Jr.) that failed to race in through the Budweiser Duels. Positions 37-42 (Rows 19-21) will be provisionals based on 2013 owner points, while Position 43 will be either the most recent past champion not already in the field, or a seventh regular provisional.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
~~~~~~~~~~
Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Pre-Daytona 500 Edition
by Amy Henderson
Are you a fan of a driver from a smaller team? Do you ever see one of these guys on the race results and wonder how he got there? NASCAR's small teams may not get much airtime during the race broadcast, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to talk about. Each week, Amy Henderson takes a peek into how the little guys fared in the race.
Speedweeks kicked off this weekend with the Sprint Unlimited, and other than Terry Labonte starting and parking for Go FAS Racing, there wasn't a small team to be seen. That's to be expected; these teams generally don't have the technology, personnel, or dollars to cart home a lot of pole awards. But after Daytona 500 practice and qualifying, a few of them are looking promising. We won't know for sure how any of them will perform in the Gatorade Duels or the Great American Race until a week from now, so let's take a look at the teams who make up the small-team contingent in NASCAR 2014. Here they are, in numerical order.
Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing; No. 7 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet: Annett bring an infusion of dollars to TBR as he makes his Cup debut; will that be enough to take the team up a notch?
Casey Mears for Germain Racing; No 13 GEICO Chevrolet: This team takes a huge step forward in 2014 thanks to a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. If performance improves to where the team is performing among higher-tier teams on a weekly basis, they will be removed from my small team lists, as happened with Furniture Row Racing in 2013.
Alex Bowman for BK Racing; No 23 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota: This rookie ran well for a medium-size Nationwide team in 2013, but this is a whole new game.
Cole Whitt for Swan Racing; No 26 Swan Energy/Lean 1 Toyota: Is this team ready for a second full-time Cup operation? Is Whitt the right driver for the venture? We'll be looking for answers from them.
Parker Kligerman for Swan Racing; No. 30 Swan Energy/Lean 1/Nutrition 53/Widow Wax Toyota: Two decent runs at the end of 2013 earned Kligerman the full-time ride for the 2014 season. Can he keep up the momentum?
Terry Labonte/Jeffery Earnhardt/others for Go FAS Racing; No 32 Ford: Go Green Racing and FAS Lane Racing merge to create this team. Will it be the next step they needed?
David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports; No 34 CSX/Farm Rich/Taco Bell Ford: Proved that if the cards fall right, a good driver can win. Ragan is an excellent restrictor plate driver…so can he do it again?
Brian Scott/TBA for Circle Sport; No. 33 Whitetail Chevrolet: Cars will be fielded by Richard Childress Racing, so this is another team to watch to see where they really belong.
Eric McClure/TBA for Front Row Motorsports; No. 35 Ford: This team struggled to run the distance in 2013. They'll need dollars to keep them from parking early most weeks.
Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing; No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet: Sorenson is an interesting choice for TBR—he's got talent, but has never reached the potential he's shown.
David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; No 38 Love's Travel Stops Ford: Gilliland didn't visit Victory Lane in 2013 like his teammate, but he was a more consistent performer, making him valuable to his organization and one to watch in this group each week.
Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing; No. 40 Chevrolet: Cassill did more with less than perhaps any other driver in this group last year. Can he do it again?
AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; No. 47 Chevrolet: Like the No. 13, this team inked a deal with RCR wich could propel them a giant step forward. Like the 13, if performance improves to where the team is performing among higher-tier teams on a weekly basis, they will be removed from my small team lists, as happened with Furniture Row Racing in 2013.
Justin Allgaier for HScott Motorsports; No 51 Brandt Chevrolet: Scott has proved his commitment, but he's still a relatively new owner, and he's also got a rookie driver. On the flip side, they've got a full-time sponsor.
Dave Blaney for owner Randy Humphrey; No. 77 Ford: Blaney lost the ride that he drove to 30th in driver points last year. He's now with Humphrey's upstart organization. After a problem with the No. 77, Blaney did even post a time in Daytona 500 qualifying. The team did buy Germain Racing's Fords form 2013, and that was the best of these teams, so that's something, but how long this team lasts remains to be seen.
Joe Nemechek/TBA for Identity Ventures Racing; No. 87 Toyota: Nemechek merges his NEMCO Motorsports with investors to create this team. Nemechek will also race the No. 66 for Michael Waltrip Racing on occasion, so who will fill the seat at the No. 87 for those races remains to be seen.
Ryan Truex for BK Racing; No 83 Burger King/Dr. Pepper/Borla Toyota: Truex is an interesting choice for a team that has failed to show the improvement they should, considering his relative inexperience—Truex has not completed a full season in Nationwide or Trucks.
Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing; No. 98 Ford (Chevrolet after Daytona): Wise made a largely lateral move this season, moving from one start and park car to another.
Part-time teams:
Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; No 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford
JJ Yeley for Xxxtreme Morotsports; No. 44 Ford
Bobby Labonte for HScottMotorsports; No 52 Chevrolet
Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing; No. 95 K-Love Ford
Underdog Pick of the Week-Daytona 500: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
In this section, I'll give you my pick among the small teams to have a strong run in the upcoming race.
Why Mears? Simple. He's been fast all weekend as well as in testing. Mears was 16th in qualifying; only Brian Scott had a better run from among the small teams. Mears in an excellent restrictor-plate racer; he had a ninth-place finish in the July race and he's got better equipment this year by far. His biggest pitfall is that he's a magnet for other people's issues—if he can avoid getting caught up in something not of his making, Mears is a solid pick from among the small teams, and not a bad dark horse pick to win.
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 starting next week after the Daytona 500. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Pre-Daytona 500 Edition
by Amy Henderson
Are you a fan of a driver from a smaller team? Do you ever see one of these guys on the race results and wonder how he got there? NASCAR's small teams may not get much airtime during the race broadcast, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to talk about. Each week, Amy Henderson takes a peek into how the little guys fared in the race.
Speedweeks kicked off this weekend with the Sprint Unlimited, and other than Terry Labonte starting and parking for Go FAS Racing, there wasn't a small team to be seen. That's to be expected; these teams generally don't have the technology, personnel, or dollars to cart home a lot of pole awards. But after Daytona 500 practice and qualifying, a few of them are looking promising. We won't know for sure how any of them will perform in the Gatorade Duels or the Great American Race until a week from now, so let's take a look at the teams who make up the small-team contingent in NASCAR 2014. Here they are, in numerical order.
Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing; No. 7 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet: Annett bring an infusion of dollars to TBR as he makes his Cup debut; will that be enough to take the team up a notch?
Casey Mears for Germain Racing; No 13 GEICO Chevrolet: This team takes a huge step forward in 2014 thanks to a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. If performance improves to where the team is performing among higher-tier teams on a weekly basis, they will be removed from my small team lists, as happened with Furniture Row Racing in 2013.
Alex Bowman for BK Racing; No 23 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota: This rookie ran well for a medium-size Nationwide team in 2013, but this is a whole new game.
Cole Whitt for Swan Racing; No 26 Swan Energy/Lean 1 Toyota: Is this team ready for a second full-time Cup operation? Is Whitt the right driver for the venture? We'll be looking for answers from them.
Parker Kligerman for Swan Racing; No. 30 Swan Energy/Lean 1/Nutrition 53/Widow Wax Toyota: Two decent runs at the end of 2013 earned Kligerman the full-time ride for the 2014 season. Can he keep up the momentum?
Terry Labonte/Jeffery Earnhardt/others for Go FAS Racing; No 32 Ford: Go Green Racing and FAS Lane Racing merge to create this team. Will it be the next step they needed?
David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports; No 34 CSX/Farm Rich/Taco Bell Ford: Proved that if the cards fall right, a good driver can win. Ragan is an excellent restrictor plate driver…so can he do it again?
Brian Scott/TBA for Circle Sport; No. 33 Whitetail Chevrolet: Cars will be fielded by Richard Childress Racing, so this is another team to watch to see where they really belong.
Eric McClure/TBA for Front Row Motorsports; No. 35 Ford: This team struggled to run the distance in 2013. They'll need dollars to keep them from parking early most weeks.
Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing; No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet: Sorenson is an interesting choice for TBR—he's got talent, but has never reached the potential he's shown.
David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; No 38 Love's Travel Stops Ford: Gilliland didn't visit Victory Lane in 2013 like his teammate, but he was a more consistent performer, making him valuable to his organization and one to watch in this group each week.
Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing; No. 40 Chevrolet: Cassill did more with less than perhaps any other driver in this group last year. Can he do it again?
AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; No. 47 Chevrolet: Like the No. 13, this team inked a deal with RCR wich could propel them a giant step forward. Like the 13, if performance improves to where the team is performing among higher-tier teams on a weekly basis, they will be removed from my small team lists, as happened with Furniture Row Racing in 2013.
Justin Allgaier for HScott Motorsports; No 51 Brandt Chevrolet: Scott has proved his commitment, but he's still a relatively new owner, and he's also got a rookie driver. On the flip side, they've got a full-time sponsor.
Dave Blaney for owner Randy Humphrey; No. 77 Ford: Blaney lost the ride that he drove to 30th in driver points last year. He's now with Humphrey's upstart organization. After a problem with the No. 77, Blaney did even post a time in Daytona 500 qualifying. The team did buy Germain Racing's Fords form 2013, and that was the best of these teams, so that's something, but how long this team lasts remains to be seen.
Joe Nemechek/TBA for Identity Ventures Racing; No. 87 Toyota: Nemechek merges his NEMCO Motorsports with investors to create this team. Nemechek will also race the No. 66 for Michael Waltrip Racing on occasion, so who will fill the seat at the No. 87 for those races remains to be seen.
Ryan Truex for BK Racing; No 83 Burger King/Dr. Pepper/Borla Toyota: Truex is an interesting choice for a team that has failed to show the improvement they should, considering his relative inexperience—Truex has not completed a full season in Nationwide or Trucks.
Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing; No. 98 Ford (Chevrolet after Daytona): Wise made a largely lateral move this season, moving from one start and park car to another.
Part-time teams:
Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; No 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford
JJ Yeley for Xxxtreme Morotsports; No. 44 Ford
Bobby Labonte for HScottMotorsports; No 52 Chevrolet
Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing; No. 95 K-Love Ford
Underdog Pick of the Week-Daytona 500: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
In this section, I'll give you my pick among the small teams to have a strong run in the upcoming race.
Why Mears? Simple. He's been fast all weekend as well as in testing. Mears was 16th in qualifying; only Brian Scott had a better run from among the small teams. Mears in an excellent restrictor-plate racer; he had a ninth-place finish in the July race and he's got better equipment this year by far. His biggest pitfall is that he's a magnet for other people's issues—if he can avoid getting caught up in something not of his making, Mears is a solid pick from among the small teams, and not a bad dark horse pick to win.
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 starting next week after the Daytona 500. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
Amy Henderson is a Co-Managing Editor and a Senior Writer at Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
Letter of the Race: Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited was brought to you by the letter "T," for Thin. The reintroduction of the pole element to the race resulted in the smallest starting field in many years. Then, the wrecks dropped the number of cars down into the single digits - Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~
Sidebar Stories: Speedweeks Week 1
by Phil Allaway
Hendrick Customer Teams Suffer Engine Issues
While Hendrick Motorsports itself did not have any engine problems during the first weekend of Speedweeks, three teams who use Hendrick powerplants had serious issues on Saturday once the Daytona 500 cars first got out onto the track. First, Bobby Labonte in the No. 52 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing blew an engine in the tri-oval, sparking a small fire. Later, Tony Stewart blew the engine in his Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in Turn 2. Finally, Danica Patrick had an engine failure in the tri-oval right at the end of his mock qualifying run.
All of the failures appeared to be bottom-end issues with the powerplants. However, Stewart doesn't seem to be concerned about it happening again.
"Not that I’m aware of," Stewart said on Saturday. "[Me and Scott Maxim, Director of Track Support at Hendrick Motorsports] basically just went over what happened. He said the one that is coming down, our back-up motor here; it’s just as good as this one. Not really concerned about it. We only have to make a small run tomorrow. I’m pretty confident we will be fine."
What won't be so fine is that NASCAR has dictated that Stewart, Patrick and Labonte not only will have to start at the rear of their Budweiser Duels on Thursday, but in the Daytona 500 as well. The rationale given is that all three made unapproved engine changes before the prescribed change period. For reference purposes, the legal engine change window is between the end of the Budweiser Duels on Thursday night and the start of Happy Hour on Saturday morning.
Stewart Takes Big Hit in Unlimited, Emerges Just Fine Afterwards
Letter of the Race: Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited was brought to you by the letter "T," for Thin. The reintroduction of the pole element to the race resulted in the smallest starting field in many years. Then, the wrecks dropped the number of cars down into the single digits - Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~
Sidebar Stories: Speedweeks Week 1
by Phil Allaway
Hendrick Customer Teams Suffer Engine Issues
While Hendrick Motorsports itself did not have any engine problems during the first weekend of Speedweeks, three teams who use Hendrick powerplants had serious issues on Saturday once the Daytona 500 cars first got out onto the track. First, Bobby Labonte in the No. 52 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing blew an engine in the tri-oval, sparking a small fire. Later, Tony Stewart blew the engine in his Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in Turn 2. Finally, Danica Patrick had an engine failure in the tri-oval right at the end of his mock qualifying run.
All of the failures appeared to be bottom-end issues with the powerplants. However, Stewart doesn't seem to be concerned about it happening again.
"Not that I’m aware of," Stewart said on Saturday. "[Me and Scott Maxim, Director of Track Support at Hendrick Motorsports] basically just went over what happened. He said the one that is coming down, our back-up motor here; it’s just as good as this one. Not really concerned about it. We only have to make a small run tomorrow. I’m pretty confident we will be fine."
What won't be so fine is that NASCAR has dictated that Stewart, Patrick and Labonte not only will have to start at the rear of their Budweiser Duels on Thursday, but in the Daytona 500 as well. The rationale given is that all three made unapproved engine changes before the prescribed change period. For reference purposes, the legal engine change window is between the end of the Budweiser Duels on Thursday night and the start of Happy Hour on Saturday morning.
Stewart Takes Big Hit in Unlimited, Emerges Just Fine Afterwards
During Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited, one of the most nervous moments occurred on Lap 35 when Tony Stewart was wrapped up in a nine-car crash in the tri-oval. Stewart admitted prior to Speedweeks that his leg is only about 65 percent, which raised the fears of re-injuring the leg in the crash.
However, Stewart was able to get out of his Mobil 1 Chevrolet under his own power. Afterwards, he talked about how he felt physically.
"I was a little nervous about it because I knew we were going to hit nose-first," Stewart said. "But it doesn’t feel bad at all. It doesn’t have any pain. We’ll see when the Adrenalin wears off here in about an hour. So far it feels good."
"I was a little nervous about it because I knew we were going to hit nose-first," Stewart said. "But it doesn’t feel bad at all. It doesn’t have any pain. We’ll see when the Adrenalin wears off here in about an hour. So far it feels good."
Stewart ran well on Saturday night, but the crash relegated him to a 11th-place finish. On Sunday afternoon, Stewart qualified 35th quickest for the Daytona 500. However, he is locked into the field as the most recent past champion not already locked in.
Quotes to Remember: Sprint Unlimited
Quotes to Remember: Sprint Unlimited
compiled by Phil Allaway
"The best car won, that’s for sure. I can’t thank this FedEx team enough. Thank everyone from FedEx Express, this is good. We’re two in a row now. We’re building on something. Still we had a great car all weekend and got to thank FedEx and Toyota and Sprint. Thank the fans for coming out. That was survival of the fittest for sure. With three (laps) to go we’re at the tail end of a very small pack and it’s really hard to get runs, but this car was just phenomenal and you saw it those last couple laps." - Denny Hamlin, Sprint Unlimited winner
"It was definitely a race of attrition. We survived somewhat till the end. Obviously came up one spot short, which in a race like this is all that matters. The cars are a tiny bit more responsive than they were last year. Obviously if the field gets up by the wall, it's pretty tough to make a move.
But all in all I thought it was pretty good racing. This format is great for plate racing. I thought it was a decent night. Obviously if you're not winning in a race like this, it's really kind of irrelevant, none of that stuff matters, so..." - Brad Keselowski, finished second
"You need a lot of help. That there early, I got a good run off of turn four and I don’t know if he was on the brakes to kind of back up to me, I think he got out a little too far and I made an educated decision there to just pull alongside him and side draft him, slow him down, get by him and get back in line. It worked, but those are few and far between probably. With only six or seven cars, whatever was there at the end, you can dive bomb each other, you can switch around and all that all you want just because there’s not a big pack of cars where you’re going to get swallowed up and back to 30th if you do something wrong. It was interesting there at the end and I don’t know that we’ve ever had so few cars at the end." - Kyle Busch, finished third
"For us, we had a really good car. Led several laps in the beginning. Then on that restart we couldn't get organized and wound up getting shuffled to the back. We got to the back, and then they had the wreck, and we hit the wall and bent the splitter up. It wouldn't go through the corner, and like you said, we about got lapped. We kept working on it and working on it and the next thing you know, it was at least drivable and you could hold it wide open again. Heck at one point coming to the white flag, I thought we were going to win the race. So it was a great night for our Jimmy Johns guys. It has kind of turned into a team building exercise from all angles. Aside from all of us wanting to win the race, to come out of here with a fifth place finish and do all the things they did to the car to make it go was pretty awesome." - Kevin Harvick, finished fifth
"Yeah, I’ve never said that the off season was too long until tonight. I think that there are some guys that should have done some SIM racing or something. I think there was a lack of mental preparation. Glad that the Caterpillar Chevrolet made it through all of that and we can at least have another car here for a spare for the rest of the week." - Ryan Newman, finished eighth
"The replay tells a lot more than I knew. Honestly I had no idea anybody was inside of me or had that run and I was watching my mirror, but I was also watching Denny (Hamlin) and I was, in hindsight, probably too focused on trying to help my teammate there. I probably just should’ve stayed in the top lane and kept going, but anyway I was just kind of easing my way down there and had no idea Joey (Logano) was that close to me and our cars got hooked together. I just feel bad all of those cars got wrecked. That’s not the way you want to start a season for sure." - Matt Kenseth, finished tenth (Crashed Out)
"It was pretty wild racing. It’s a big exhibition race where there are no points and everybody is just kind of changing lanes and getting aggressive. It was good, though. The cars were handling well, and the addition of the rear spoiler really took away some of the big runs that you could get because it would stick out there and throw up the drag and put you side by side. I thought it was a good show all up until then." - Kurt Busch, finished 14th (Crashed Out)
~~~~~~~~~~
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 tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500 Qualifying
by Mike Neff
NASCAR 2014 Season Preview: Examining Earnhardt and Patrick's Potential
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Sprint Unlimited
by Amy Henderson
Why Fans Should Be Excited for the 500 Following the Sprint Unlimited
by Summer Bedgood
NASCAR's 2014 Carnage Hid A Quality Comeback Inside
by Tom Bowles
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The Duels at Daytona can be a complete toss-up at times. Sometimes, the races are staid affairs that don't feature much action. Other times, there can be instances that result in a jumbled starting grid for the Daytona 500. The first Twin 125 in 1989 resulted in the latter. What happened here?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: At Daytona and Talladega, the infamous "Big One" can play a role in almost any race on the 2.5 mile tri-oval. In 1993, the entire complexion of the ARCA 200 was changed on the third lap of the race. What happened?
A: Behind leaders Loy Allen, Jr. and Jeff Purvis, Tim Fedewa and Bob Schacht were racing for third when the two drivers had contact in Turn 3. Fedewa spun and blocked the track. From there, the crash was on as the track was blocked. 24 of the 42 starters were involved in the crash to some degree. The crash can be seen in real time here. Ten of those cars were out on the spot. Another five drove away, but retired shortly afterwards.
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 TBA
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Sprint Unlimited by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
With the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500 Qualifying already done with, we'll take a look at which drivers are in position to do well this weekend, and who just wants to get a result and get out of Volusia County.
Racing to the Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.
Voices From The Heartland by Jeff Meyer
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The Duels at Daytona can be a complete toss-up at times. Sometimes, the races are staid affairs that don't feature much action. Other times, there can be instances that result in a jumbled starting grid for the Daytona 500. The first Twin 125 in 1989 resulted in the latter. What happened here?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: At Daytona and Talladega, the infamous "Big One" can play a role in almost any race on the 2.5 mile tri-oval. In 1993, the entire complexion of the ARCA 200 was changed on the third lap of the race. What happened?
A: Behind leaders Loy Allen, Jr. and Jeff Purvis, Tim Fedewa and Bob Schacht were racing for third when the two drivers had contact in Turn 3. Fedewa spun and blocked the track. From there, the crash was on as the track was blocked. 24 of the 42 starters were involved in the crash to some degree. The crash can be seen in real time here. Ten of those cars were out on the spot. Another five drove away, but retired shortly afterwards.
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 TBA
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Sprint Unlimited by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points To Ponder by Danny Peters
Danny's back for another year's worth of points. His weekly edition of talking points will wrap up the Sprint Unlimited and get us ready for the the Budweiser Duels and Daytona 500.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and ARCA Racing Series were all in action at Daytona Internaional Speedway for their season finales. Were the telecasts of these events "up to snuff?" Find out in this week's TV Critique.
With the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500 Qualifying already done with, we'll take a look at which drivers are in position to do well this weekend, and who just wants to get a result and get out of Volusia County.
Racing to the Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.
Voices From The Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Jeff's back with another interesting opinion piece.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2013 Frontstretch.com
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2013 Frontstretch.com
--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
NASCAR and great NASCAR commentary. They can subscribe to the Frontstetch by visiting http://www.frontstretch.com/notice/9557/.
If you want to stop your Frontstretch Newsletter subscription, we're sorry
to see you go. Just send an email to
TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Frontstretch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thefrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
No comments:
Post a Comment