THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 24th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XXXIII
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Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 24th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XXXIII
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Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
5:00 - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Kyle Busch WIns Tire-Plagued Auto Club 400
by Justin Tucker
Kyle Busch avoided what much of the field couldn't Sunday, charging to his first win of the season in a green-white-checkered finish in Sunday's Auto Club 400. NASCAR's lone race in southern California this season had a lone problem that stuck out - flat left-side tires - but Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing avoided the plague and had the push on a final restart to get the job done.
Busch, after surging to the front held off a mighty charge from rookie phenom Kyle Larson to score his second consecutive Fontana win, the 29th Cup Series victory of his career. The Las Vegas, Nevada native became the fifth different winner of 2014, all while virtually securing his spot in the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“Holy cow, what do you expect when you have a green-white-checkered finish and everyone comes down pit road to put on four tires," Busch said. "That’s a Days of Thunder thing right there. ‘What do you mean, there’s two laps to go, everybody is to pit, Cole.' I came off the fourth turn in disbelief that we won this thing, because we were mediocre all day. It was really weird for us, not a race that we're typically used to. But, now there's a load off your shoulders -- you can go out the rest of the season and race the way you want to."
When asked about his battle with Larson, Busch gave the 21-year-old rookie tons of praise post-race. "What a shoe that boy is," Busch said of the rookie, who won his first career Nationwide race the day before.
Larson continued his meteoric rise by scoring his best career Cup Series finish of second. Larson would charge from ninth on the final restart, moving to the back bumper of Busch in turn 4 but came up just short this time in the battle between the two.
"Yeah, it's been a really good weekend," said Larson. "I guess you couldn't ask for more, but was surprised to get up there late in the race. We were probably a 12th-place car for most of the day. I don't know where everybody went, but I somehow ended up in second and it entered my mind, 'We might sweep the weekend.'"
The story of the day in the Auto Club 400 was a rash of tire failures that plagued many favorites near the front of the pack. Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson was one of the last, most notable victims. He was cruising towards a sixth victory at the speedway when the left-front tire gave out on his No. 48 Chevrolet with seven laps to go, forcing him to pit road. Johnson would wind up 24th despite leading a race-high 104 laps on the afternoon. Kevin Harvick would also suffer a similar fate as Johnson. Two tire failures would negate any chance for a solid finish for the No. 4 car, leaving Harvick to settle for a 36th-place finish, two laps down.
And those were just some of the faster cars victimized by tires unable to hold up. The list was long, as many other teams would have issues running on the weathered, two-mile oval. After the race, Goodyear attributed the failures on NASCAR's new aerodynamic package which attributes to higher speeds and more stress on the tires. That stress was evident on the bumpy backstretch of Auto Club Speedway, which is where many left-sides officially got "torn up."
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Kyle Busch WIns Tire-Plagued Auto Club 400
by Justin Tucker
Kyle Busch avoided what much of the field couldn't Sunday, charging to his first win of the season in a green-white-checkered finish in Sunday's Auto Club 400. NASCAR's lone race in southern California this season had a lone problem that stuck out - flat left-side tires - but Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing avoided the plague and had the push on a final restart to get the job done.
Busch, after surging to the front held off a mighty charge from rookie phenom Kyle Larson to score his second consecutive Fontana win, the 29th Cup Series victory of his career. The Las Vegas, Nevada native became the fifth different winner of 2014, all while virtually securing his spot in the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“Holy cow, what do you expect when you have a green-white-checkered finish and everyone comes down pit road to put on four tires," Busch said. "That’s a Days of Thunder thing right there. ‘What do you mean, there’s two laps to go, everybody is to pit, Cole.' I came off the fourth turn in disbelief that we won this thing, because we were mediocre all day. It was really weird for us, not a race that we're typically used to. But, now there's a load off your shoulders -- you can go out the rest of the season and race the way you want to."
When asked about his battle with Larson, Busch gave the 21-year-old rookie tons of praise post-race. "What a shoe that boy is," Busch said of the rookie, who won his first career Nationwide race the day before.
Larson continued his meteoric rise by scoring his best career Cup Series finish of second. Larson would charge from ninth on the final restart, moving to the back bumper of Busch in turn 4 but came up just short this time in the battle between the two.
"Yeah, it's been a really good weekend," said Larson. "I guess you couldn't ask for more, but was surprised to get up there late in the race. We were probably a 12th-place car for most of the day. I don't know where everybody went, but I somehow ended up in second and it entered my mind, 'We might sweep the weekend.'"
The story of the day in the Auto Club 400 was a rash of tire failures that plagued many favorites near the front of the pack. Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson was one of the last, most notable victims. He was cruising towards a sixth victory at the speedway when the left-front tire gave out on his No. 48 Chevrolet with seven laps to go, forcing him to pit road. Johnson would wind up 24th despite leading a race-high 104 laps on the afternoon. Kevin Harvick would also suffer a similar fate as Johnson. Two tire failures would negate any chance for a solid finish for the No. 4 car, leaving Harvick to settle for a 36th-place finish, two laps down.
And those were just some of the faster cars victimized by tires unable to hold up. The list was long, as many other teams would have issues running on the weathered, two-mile oval. After the race, Goodyear attributed the failures on NASCAR's new aerodynamic package which attributes to higher speeds and more stress on the tires. That stress was evident on the bumpy backstretch of Auto Club Speedway, which is where many left-sides officially got "torn up."
The problems caused the final caution, with Clint Bowyer spinning out in Turn 4, nursing a flat while Jeff Gordon was comfortably out front. But Gordon lost track position on the ensuing yellow-flag stops, dropping outside the top 5 while the lead turned over to underdog Landon Cassill. Cassill, who stayed out on old tires was a sitting duck on the restart, with Kyle Busch able to thread through traffic and come right from Row 3 straight to the front.
Among those Busch passed were his brother, Kurt, who earned a season-best finish of third. Kyle's teammate, Matt Kenseth, was fourth while Tony Stewart was fifth with his second consecutive top-5 result, taking only two fresh tires on that crucial final stop. Jamie McMurray finished in sixth, while Brian Vickers was seventh, recovering from a midrace speeding penalty to drive through the pack. AJ Allmendinger finished eighth, an impressive performance for JTG Daugherty while Paul Menard came from the rear of the field to run ninth. Carl Edwards rounded out the top-10 performers.
A look at Sunday's Auto Club 400 by the numbers. There were a record 35 lead changes among 15 different drivers and nine cautions for 42 laps would slow the race pace to 132.987 MPH.
Next Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the world famous paper clip of Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500. Green flag is scheduled for 1:13 PM 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: Edwards Claims Point Lead After Keselowski's Tire Woes
A look at Sunday's Auto Club 400 by the numbers. There were a record 35 lead changes among 15 different drivers and nine cautions for 42 laps would slow the race pace to 132.987 MPH.
Next Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the world famous paper clip of Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500. Green flag is scheduled for 1:13 PM 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: Edwards Claims Point Lead After Keselowski's Tire Woes
by Phil Allaway
Tire issues on Sunday were equal opportunity offenders at Auto Club Speedway. Six of the top-10 drivers after Bristol cut at least one of their left-side Goodyears, forcing unscheduled stops and spins that trapped many a lap behind. However, the comeback made after the crisis was key to success in the standings. For example, Carl Edwards cut a left-rear tire, spun in Turn 2 and brought out the caution on Lap 118. From there, Edwards got a Lucky Dog, then worked his way back up to a tenth-place finish. That was enough to take over the points lead. Just one point behind Edwards is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who lost a tire, hit the wall hard, then had a flat for a second time later on. Despite crew chief Steve Letarte, at one point wondering whether the No. 88 team had enough tires to finish the race they somehow recovered to run 12th. Jeff Gordon, meanwhile managed to not have a tire issue all day, but lost the lead on the final stop before the green-white-checkered restart and fell to 13th.Brad Keselowski cut two tires in practice Saturday, then another one early in the race. However, he was able to recover from that to run in the top 5 in the final ten laps before losing yet another left-rear under green. It was too late to recover from that catastrophe, so Keselowski had to settle for a 26th-place finish. That dropped him back to fourth in the standings. Matt Kenseth is up three places this week, to fifth after running a strong fourth on Sunday. There were no tire problems there, for all of Joe Gibbs Racing and Jimmie Johnson could nearly say the same. Hendrick's top driver, who dominated up front had the race won before cutting a left front on Lap 194. Taking the wavearound got Johnson back on the lead lap, for the GWC, but he couldn't do much with it and slumped to 24th. He's sixth in the current standings as a result.
Up seven places this week is Kyle Busch, to seventh in points by virtue of snatching his victory on the final lap. Ryan Newman is now eighth after running 20th Sunday, a top-10 contender until tire problems bit him late. His teammate, rookie Austin Dillon has cracked the top-10 in points, right with Newman after a steady, 11th-place result by comparison. Finally, there's Joey Logano, who rounds out the top 10 but was unable to repeat his 2013 Fontana success. He dropped four places due to a rear-end issue that forced the No. 22 to the garage for 11 laps.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Carl Edwards 186, 2) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -1, 3) Jeff Gordon -2, 4) Brad Keselowski -4, 5) Matt Kenseth -7, 6) Jimmie Johnson -21, 7) Kyle Busch -28, t-8) Ryan Newman -36, t-8) Austin Dillon -36, 10) Joey Logano -40, 11) Denny Hamlin -46, 12) Jamie McMurray -48, 13) Brian Vickers -49, 14) Paul Menard -52, 15) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -54, 16) Kyle Larson -55.
Outside of the top-16, but in Chase Contention: 25) Kevin Harvick -89.
Race Winners: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Daytona), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas), Carl Edwards (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana)
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.
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.
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Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Fontana 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.
Underdog Selection No. 1: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 18th, finished eighth
Richard Childress Racing is having a strong year, and this week, that parlayed into a strong day for two RCR satellite teams. Allmendinger had a decent starting spot and an excellent finish, moving up to come home eighth with his first top 10 of 2014. It's an incredible day for JTG, whose consistency led to its best finish on-track since Bobby Labonte ran seventh at Loudon, driving the No. 47 way back in July of 2011. But this result is what this team should be looking at this season, RCR support making top 10s possible, while top 15s and 20s should now be a weekly expectation. Allmendinger has had strong runs in Fontana before, and showed some chops this week as well, mixing it up with the sport's elite down the stretch.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 31st, finished 15th
This team finished the weekend right on target with a top-15 result, without tire problems and with all four fenders intact. They didn't start off strong, qualifying just 31st, and Mears struggled with the handling all day. But when it counted, the team got it right and Mears was able to move forward at the end, a solid day which also puts him 18th in driver points. Germain needs to pick it up a bit in qualifying, and their intermediate setups are still the weak link. But this program can be a top-20 team when all is said and done.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Cole Whitt for Swan Racing; started 34th, finished 18th
For a team that just got started a year ago, Swan Racing is looking fairly stout. Whitt laid down his best career Cup finish this weekend, and they've shown steady improvement as a team so far. Adding a second car this season may have slowed the growth a little, but if the No. 26 can continue to have solid results, it will turn into a benefit as the information the teams can share gets better. A year ago, we were wondering how long they'd last in the sport. Now, Swan's establishing themselves as an upstart with potential going forward.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Martinsville I: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
My pick for Fontana was AJ Allmendinger, who came through big time, scoring a top 10.
This week, I'll be looking to start a winning streak as the Cup Series swings to Martinsville and the series' shortest track. My pick for the race is Casey Mears, who's been solid on the short tracks, which suit his driving style well. Mears has three top 10s at Martinsville, where he completed all but one lap in 2013.
Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during 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!
Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Fontana 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.
Underdog Selection No. 1: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 18th, finished eighth
Richard Childress Racing is having a strong year, and this week, that parlayed into a strong day for two RCR satellite teams. Allmendinger had a decent starting spot and an excellent finish, moving up to come home eighth with his first top 10 of 2014. It's an incredible day for JTG, whose consistency led to its best finish on-track since Bobby Labonte ran seventh at Loudon, driving the No. 47 way back in July of 2011. But this result is what this team should be looking at this season, RCR support making top 10s possible, while top 15s and 20s should now be a weekly expectation. Allmendinger has had strong runs in Fontana before, and showed some chops this week as well, mixing it up with the sport's elite down the stretch.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 31st, finished 15th
This team finished the weekend right on target with a top-15 result, without tire problems and with all four fenders intact. They didn't start off strong, qualifying just 31st, and Mears struggled with the handling all day. But when it counted, the team got it right and Mears was able to move forward at the end, a solid day which also puts him 18th in driver points. Germain needs to pick it up a bit in qualifying, and their intermediate setups are still the weak link. But this program can be a top-20 team when all is said and done.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Cole Whitt for Swan Racing; started 34th, finished 18th
For a team that just got started a year ago, Swan Racing is looking fairly stout. Whitt laid down his best career Cup finish this weekend, and they've shown steady improvement as a team so far. Adding a second car this season may have slowed the growth a little, but if the No. 26 can continue to have solid results, it will turn into a benefit as the information the teams can share gets better. A year ago, we were wondering how long they'd last in the sport. Now, Swan's establishing themselves as an upstart with potential going forward.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Martinsville I: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
My pick for Fontana was AJ Allmendinger, who came through big time, scoring a top 10.
This week, I'll be looking to start a winning streak as the Cup Series swings to Martinsville and the series' shortest track. My pick for the race is Casey Mears, who's been solid on the short tracks, which suit his driving style well. Mears has three top 10s at Martinsville, where he completed all but one lap in 2013.
Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during race broadcasts? Amy has all the small teams covered each and every week in The Big Six. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
Amy Henderson is a Co-Managing Editor and a Senior Writer at Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com.
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's Auto Club 400 was brought to you by the letter "U," for Uncertainity. Sprint Cup drivers never seemed to know just how long their tires could last all weekend in Fontana due to the sheer forces being exerted on the left-side tires. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Fontana
by Phil Allaway
Hamlin Misses Race Due to Sinus IssuesLetter of the Race: Sunday's Auto Club 400 was brought to you by the letter "U," for Uncertainity. Sprint Cup drivers never seemed to know just how long their tires could last all weekend in Fontana due to the sheer forces being exerted on the left-side tires. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Fontana
by Phil Allaway
Roughly 33 minutes before the command to start engines, at Auto Club Speedway Joe Gibbs Racing announced Denny Hamlin was sitting out Sunday's Auto Club 400. The reason? He had developed a sinus infection that was heavily affecting his vision, making it impossible to see clearly and race safely at 200 miles an hour. Sam Hornish, Jr., who was in Fontana to serve as Matt Kenseth's standby driver in case Kenseth's wife were to go into labor, was tapped with absolutely no practice to drive Hamlin's No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota. Hornish drove the car to a respectable, 17th-place finish, coming from dead last to the top 10 at one point during the event.
Hamlin was sent to a local hospital for treatment, including CAT scans in order to find the source of his blinding headaches. According to Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin was later released, but he will be evaluated again later this week back in Charlotte in order to determine medical approval to race at Martinsville.
Tire Problems Adversely Affect Auto Club 400
The big problem on Sunday was unquestionably the issues with left-side tires that resulted in no less than 16 flat, left-side Goodyears. These issues were responsible for five of the race's nine cautions. Was the blame solely with Goodyear? Some drivers would like to say no.
"Tires, Goodyear is doing a good job," Kurt Busch said during his post-race press conference. "It's the same type of tire. But here's what we have. We have faster cars, more downforce, and NASCAR is allowing us to put whatever cambers we want into the cars, and therefore it's up to the team's discretion if you're going to have a problem or not. I've been in this game 15 years, and normally NASCAR mandates what certain air pressures you have to run and what cambers you have to run not to have a black eye for Goodyear. By no means is this a problem for Goodyear, it's actually a thumbs up for NASCAR allowing the teams to get aggressive in all areas."
"Tires, Goodyear is doing a good job," Kurt Busch said during his post-race press conference. "It's the same type of tire. But here's what we have. We have faster cars, more downforce, and NASCAR is allowing us to put whatever cambers we want into the cars, and therefore it's up to the team's discretion if you're going to have a problem or not. I've been in this game 15 years, and normally NASCAR mandates what certain air pressures you have to run and what cambers you have to run not to have a black eye for Goodyear. By no means is this a problem for Goodyear, it's actually a thumbs up for NASCAR allowing the teams to get aggressive in all areas."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., meanwhile seemed to blame the very bumpy track on the backstretch for the failures. His two flat tires caused Steve Letarte, at one point to question whether the team would have enough rubber to finish the race.
"To be honest with you, the back straightaway is very rough and I think the tire can’t handle the load that it goes through on that back straightaway," Earnhardt Jr. said. "And it’s just tearing the tire up where the sidewall and tread are put together. I think that’s why the tire comes apart. I think that’s why a left rear here and a left front there and it’s not air pressure and things like that. We’re moving air pressure around and it ain’t saving the tire. There’s bumps on the back straightaway that get worse and worse. They don’t need to pave the racetrack. Just pave the back straightaway. Not very cheap, but I’ll bet you won’t have any tire problems anymore."
"To be honest with you, the back straightaway is very rough and I think the tire can’t handle the load that it goes through on that back straightaway," Earnhardt Jr. said. "And it’s just tearing the tire up where the sidewall and tread are put together. I think that’s why the tire comes apart. I think that’s why a left rear here and a left front there and it’s not air pressure and things like that. We’re moving air pressure around and it ain’t saving the tire. There’s bumps on the back straightaway that get worse and worse. They don’t need to pave the racetrack. Just pave the back straightaway. Not very cheap, but I’ll bet you won’t have any tire problems anymore."
Teammate Jimmie Johnson, who suffered tire failure with less than ten laps left had a different view. He, along with a few others blamed Goodyear for the problems, with Chad Knaus once again spouting sarcastically, "It's all our fault" before listing a number of tracks - Phoenix and Michigan among them - where tires have failed miserably in recent years. The numbers would show the depth of Sunday's struggles; the longest green-flag run was 28 laps, or 56 miles with many left-sides lasting as little as 15 laps.
The tire that Goodyear brought to Fontana was the same one that had been raced at the speedway since 2012, with few problems. However, the new aerodynamic rules for 2014 put roughly 800 additional pounds of downforce on the cars, and that appears to be more than the tires could bear. There is a Goodyear tire test at Kentucky Speedway scheduled for May 20th - 21st, a next-step session that may be key to developing a tire that can withstand those forces.
Multiple FOX Personalities Dealing With Loss
For three of FOX's TV personalities, the Fontana weekend was difficult, doing their job as they had to deal with the loss of loved ones. On Friday afternoon, news reached Fontana that Howard Roberts, father of John Roberts, had passed away at the age of 81. Roberts was anchoring FOX Sports 1's coverage from Fontana when notified of his father's death during a commercial break. Roberts then chose to continue on and finish the show before returning to North Carolina. Services for Roberts will be today, 3 PM at Raymer Funeral Home in Huntersville, North Carolina.
After Sunday's race concluded, news broke that Bobby Waltrip, brother of Darrell and Michael, had also passed away. Bobby briefly worked for brother Darrell's Winston Cup team in the early 1990s, but is likely best known for his contributions to go-kart racing. No birthdate went public, but the middle Waltrip brother was believed to be in his early 60s at the time of death.
Frontstretch sends our condolences to the Roberts and Waltrip families.
Frontstretch sends our condolences to the Roberts and Waltrip families.
Quotes to Remember: Auto Club 400
compiled by Phil Allaway
"Yeah, [the race] was a lot of fun today. We struggled or not really struggled but we were just off a little bit all day long. Got caught speeding and was worried we would get a long green-flag run there and maybe go a lap down. But we were able to stay on the lead lap. We were really good on long runs, never really good on a short run. Shine (Chris Heroy, crew chief) and everybody on this Target Chevy made great adjustments during that last pit stop to get me tightened up so I could go hard for a couple of laps. Was not expecting to get up that far ahead, I thought starting on the inside we might be in trouble because I was really good early on the outside. I could drive by a couple of rows up top in (Turns) one and two. Somehow, we got to second and I was thinking maybe… I didn’t know where Kyle (Busch) was going to go in (Turns) three and four because I hadn’t seen him all day. So I just kind of followed him in there, but we will take a second. It seems like I run second a lot in stock cars, but I will take a second here at California." - Kyle Larson, finished second
"Well, it wasn’t very good at the beginning. I had a problem where I spun. Chad (Johnston) thought it might have been a cut tire and I had to tell him that it was just driver error more than cut tire. I messed up and spun early. The guys did an awesome job, we kept fighting the balance really loose off the corners. Chad kept working on it. We had really good pit stops at the end when we needed it, got track position at the end and Chad Johnston had another great call to get us another top-five." - Tony Stewart, finished fifth
"I don’t know where to begin with the disappointment for this Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet team. They gave me the most incredible race car today and it is just so disappointing for it to end like that. I hate [that] the caution came out. I hate Goodyear was not prepared today for what happened. They are so good at what they do and that is just uncalled for. We were having a tire issue there on that last long run and I just backed off. When I saw the No. 48 had issues, I was just hoping we would make it to the end and I was just going as slow as I possibly could trying to maintain the lead and cars were blowing tires left and right all around me. It’s unfortunate that was happening. But most importantly, that the caution came out because we did not need that restart." - Jeff Gordon, finished 13th
"It seems like some of our most trying weekends end up with our better results. We will take it and we will know that there is so much more potential for those weekends where we feel like we are running a lot better. It was a steady race. My hope was our car was close on the first run, and it really wasn’t too bad to start off with. It was so we just made little adjustments here and there and you know, I don’t think we were extremely fast, but we were fast enough to pick them off and move up and have a steady day. That is what we did. It’s nice when you get fortunate and lucky and your best running position on track happens to be the last lap so I will take it -- that doesn’t normally happen." - Danica Patrick, finished 14th
"We can’t seem to catch a break. We lead for a while, we came back after confusion with the lights on pit road and were in contention to win at the end. However, we started feeling a vibration with about four to go and it just didn’t make it. It just stinks for this team. We had an awesome PEAK Toyota and we had [a] shot to win today." - Clint Bowyer, finished 16th
"Every time we felt the momentum swing our way this weekend, we seemed to take a punch in the gut. After a strong qualifying effort (12th) Friday we blew a tire in practice and had to go to the backup car. The guys worked overtime on Saturday and then made a number of changes to the car for today's race. We weren't perfect at the beginning, but the Furniture Row Chevy was moving forward. Then, I ran over some debris that cracked the splitter, which put us at an aerodynamic disadvantage. We fixed the problem as best as we could and we were moving forward again later in the race. But the splitter damage eventually caused additional damage to the car, which knocked us to the back again. Finishing 23rd isn't great, but we fought as hard as we could for every inch of it. Just a rough weekend overall." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 23rd
"Yeah, we did an awesome job as a race team. We did everything we could to win the race today, unfortunately something out of our control let us down. I had that feeling I thought we were going to win here at my home track once again and just a bummer it didn’t work out. But Spring is Calling, this No. 48 is fast and we will come back next week to a very strong race track for this Lowe’s Chevrolet and hopefully get the job done there." - Jimmie Johnson, finished 24th
"There were a lot of reasons why we blew a tire today or two or five over the weekend and the field did. I don’t know what to really say about it. As a driver, you are left between the choice of driving your car to the limit and blowing a tire out or being a wuss and saving it. I saved it as best as I could and probably arguably was not following the 100-percent rule until the last run. That is what you had to do. It was the box we were all forced into today. I pushed it hard on the last run and I was one of at least three guys that blew a tire. It was really unfortunate. If I didn’t push the car hard, I wasn’t going to have a good day. It was a matter of who blew it first. I was the second one to blow it but I didn’t blow a tire big enough to get a yellow. I am not going to say [air pressure] wasn’t a factor, but at the end of the day, you can’t add 500-600 pounds of downforce to a race car along with a track that has bumps like you are on a freeway in Michigan. The tires just aren’t made for it. There is not enough margin in the cars and tires to do that and that is what we saw today." - Brad Keselowski, finished 26th
"We blew two tires, but honestly regardless of that it didn’t really matter. We were a 40th-place car with tires blowing or not and that is where we finished. We were just awful today. We have to get a lot better." - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., finished 34th
"The first laps in the car we drove all the way up to third just tuning it in as we went. It was fast. I think we had a shot at winning this one. The last two weeks we had a shot at winning and had mechanical issues. Today, it was the gear. I am pretty frustrated but at least we are fast. We have that going for us. We are fast enough to win these things. The last two weeks we came home 40th and 20th because of mechanical issues and that makes you frustrated, as it should." - Joey Logano, finished 39th
"We just got wrecked by the 13 car [Casey Mears] while running about 20th, having a solid top-20 day... we had a shot at a top-15 day. Our pit crew was awesome today; we had magnificent stops. The car was awesome, but we got wrecked. It just continues the last four weeks of bad luck. Not quite sure what else I can say. I've never been through anything like this. We showed speed, which is a good thing and hopefully, we can get it turned around soon." - Parker Kligerman, finished 42nd (Crashed out)
"It's pretty obvious what happened. The 33 was obviously a dart without feathers and coming across the racetrack. He ran right into me. It's a shame for our Farmland team, our Ford Fusion was getting a lot better. We didn't start off the race like we had wanted to but got it a lot better. Man, he came from all the way at the bottom of the racetrack and ran into me. He's not even racing this series for points. He's out there having fun because his daddy gets to pay for it and he wrecked us. That’s frustrating." - Aric Almirola, finished 43rd (Crashed Out)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud – Auto Club 400
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: Golden State, Kyle, INDYCAR Points, KOMA, IMSA, and More
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Auto Club 400
by Amy Henderson
Talent Outweighs Money - Larson Continuously Showing He Can Get the Job Done
by Aaron Creed
by Tom Bowles
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1995 Hanes 500 is notable for one fact. What is it?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 2001 Marlboro 500 was the most competitive race in CART history with 73 lead changes. However, the race only ran to 88 percent of its scheduled distance. Why?
A: The entire day on Sunday was pushed back due to overnight rains and the track drying that followed. As a result of that, and a Dayton Indy Lights race (won by Townsend Bell over Dan Wheldon) that ran when the race was supposed to start, time was already an issue. A number of incidents in the 500-miler and the loss of Daylight Savings meant that the race ran up against darkness, forcing the trimming of race distance twice.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1995 Hanes 500 is notable for one fact. What is it?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 2001 Marlboro 500 was the most competitive race in CART history with 73 lead changes. However, the race only ran to 88 percent of its scheduled distance. Why?
A: The entire day on Sunday was pushed back due to overnight rains and the track drying that followed. As a result of that, and a Dayton Indy Lights race (won by Townsend Bell over Dan Wheldon) that ran when the race was supposed to start, time was already an issue. A number of incidents in the 500-miler and the loss of Daylight Savings meant that the race ran up against darkness, forcing the trimming of race distance twice.
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 Greg Davis
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Auto Club 400 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points to Ponder by Danny Peters
Danny returns for his weekly edition of talking points, which will wrap up the action in Fontana and get us ready for Martinsville.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were in California to race at Auto Club Speedway. Were the telecasts of these events "up to snuff?" Find out in this week's TV Critique.
We'll take a look at which drivers are sitting pretty after five races -- and who is looking forward to Easter Break at home.
Racing to the Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think. This week, Brett talks the current state of the Nationwide Series.
Voices From The Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Jeff returns with his typical blend of sarcastic humor tilted towards one of NASCAR's controversial issues.
-----------------------------
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©2014 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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
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