THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 14th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XLVIII
~~~~~~~~~~
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 14th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XLVIII
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
~~~~~~~~~~
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Harvick Dominates The Lady, Wins At Darlington
by Justin Tucker
For the first time since Phoenix, Kevin Harvick finally had the perfect weekend. In the last five races leading up to Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500, it had been a case of whatever could go wrong did for Harvick and his No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet. Harvick hadn't finished better than seventh in those races and slumped to outside the top 35 in the remaining events.
Saturday night would be a much different outcome, the Lady In Black saving her love for Mr. Harvick. With just 63 career laps led at the egg-shaped oval, entering the night the veteran had a breakthrough, leading a race-high 238 of 374 laps on his way to a decisive first career Cup Series win at Darlington. Harvick not only took advantage of a fast race car, but also pit strategy. Under the ninth caution, Harvick took four tires while most of his competition took two. That dropped him to fifth, after a commanding lead but two green-white-checkered restarts then allowed him to work around challengers Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to retake control.
Harvick was happy and somewhat relieved after scoring the victory Saturday night.
"It feels great," he said. "It's allowed us with the way the points system is to go for wins and not have to worry about the bad weeks too much."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would come tantalizingly close to his first Darlington win, but it wasn't meant to be after the final series of cautions set him up for success. Taking two tires after a yellow for Joey Logano's broken left-front hub, with ten laps left Earnhardt found an opportunity after Harvick's comfortable lead got erased. Stuck behind Johnson initially, settling for second a tenth caution for contact between Denny Hamlin and Travis Kvapil gave Earnhardt an opening to briefly take the lead. But the No. 88, who blew by his teammate on the first green-white-checkered couldn't hold off a fast-charging Harvick during the second after Kurt Busch's crash sent the race into "double overtime."
"It hurts a little bit to come this close," Earnhardt said, as he has yet to duplicate his father's Darlington success. "Running second's great, but nobody's really going to remember that."
Jimmie Johnson would rebound after a frustrating weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson, who started 26th, really struggled through the initial 40 laps of the race. Chad Knaus, worried about said handling made the call to bring Johnson down pit road several times under the first caution. It's a move that paid off as Johnson began to work through the field, moving to second before the final series of cautions gifted him the lead through a two-tire stop. However, Johnson would be shuffled back to third on the second-to-last restart after Harvick gave Earnhardt Jr. a push, leaving the ending squarely between the Nos. 4 and 88. That left Johnson pleased with the effort, but realizing there is more work to do to get to Victory Lane.
"Things were really going our way when we took the two tires and got the restart under control,'' Johnson said. "Then, [another] caution came out. At that point, I knew that us on two tires were probably in big trouble. (Harvick) worked his way up there. We had to gamble to kind of take a shot at getting a win. Chad played it right. We were in the right position, but just caught two cautions at the end that kept us from going to Victory Lane.''
Joining Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson in the top 5 of Saturday's Bojangles' Southern 500 were 2013 winner Matt Kenseth in fourth and Greg Biffle in fifth. Kyle Busch finished sixth, while seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon wound up seventh. Kyle Larson was the highest finishing rookie in eighth, while Tony Stewart came back from a lap down to finish ninth. Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.
A look at the Bojangles' Southern 500 by the numbers. There were 22 lead changes among 12 different drivers and 11 cautions for 50 laps slowed the race pace down to 131.211 MPH. It was a tough night for rookies, three of whom caused the race's first four caution flags. Ryan Truex, Michael Annett and Cole Whitt were among those who needed extensive time behind the wall, earning Darlington stripes that were matched by veterans Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne later in the race.
The Sprint Cup Series takes next weekend off for Easter, but returns in two weeks to the "action track" at Richmond International Raceway for the Toyota Owners' 400. The green flag is scheduled for 7:14 PM ET on FOX.
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: Gordon Maintains Lead Despite Bad Restarts
by Phil Allaway
In Darlington, points leader Jeff Gordon was in position to pick up a top-5 finish. Unfortunately, restarts have been Gordon's Achilles Heel in recent years and Saturday night was just one more example of that. As a result, the two GWC's dropped the four-time champ to a seventh-place result, ruining what could have been a much better night. As Matt Kenseth ended up rising to fourth, a late-race Darlington bounce Gordon's lead was cut to just one point, the slimmest of margins. Carl Edwards remains in third spot, but fell to 19 points back in the standings. Much like in Texas, the No. 99 Ford found itself a lap down with 100 laps to go and needed a Lucky Dog to get back in the hunt. Edwards wound up 13th after charging forward late.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s recovery from his last-place finish in Texas began in earnest with a second place Saturday night in Darlington. That was good enough to move Earnhardt up two places to fourth, just seven points behind Edwards. Just behind Earnhardt is his shopmate, Jimmie Johnson, after a third-place result. Kyle Busch is one point behind Johnson in sixth. However, to punctuate how close the points are, Busch finished sixth and still lost a spot to Johnson after Darlington.
Brad Keselowski is up one place to seventh in the standings. However, that move came after a fairly mediocre 17th-place result. Joey Logano was the big loser of the week, dropping four places to eighth after breaking a front hub with less than ten laps to go in regulation Saturday. The breakage plummeted Logano to a 36th-place finish. Behind him, Ryan Newman is up two places to ninth after a solid tenth-place run, while rookie Austin Dillon returns to the top 10 in points after slotting right behind his teammate in 11th.
Officially, the only driver that is absolutely "locked into" the Chase, provided that he stays inside the top 30 in points is Kevin Harvick by virtue of his second win of the year Saturday night. However, the win only boosted Harvick from 25th to 22nd in points.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Jeff Gordon 297, 2) Matt Kenseth -1, 3) Carl Edwards -19, 4) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -26, 5) Jimmie Johnson -27, 6) Kyle Busch -28, 7) Brad Keselowski -51, 8) Joey Logano -52, 9) Ryan Newman -61, 10) Austin Dillon -62, 11) Greg Biffle -70, t-12) Tony Stewart -73, t-12) Brian Vickers -73, t-14) Kyle Larson -74, t-14) Denny Hamlin -74, 16) Clint Bowyer -78.
Outside of the top-16, but in Chase Contention: t-22) Kevin Harvick -111, 26) Kurt Busch -133.
Race Winners: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Daytona), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix, Darlington), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas), Carl Edwards (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana), Kurt Busch (Martinsville), Joey Logano (Texas)
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.
Chase Elliott Shocks the Establishment...Again
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: Darlington 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: Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing; started 29th, finished 21st
Wise wasn't the top finisher among the small teams; AJ Allmendinger (15th) and Casey Mears (18th) posted better results. But while those drivers are on the rise thanks to technical alliances, with Richard Childress Racing playing a heavy factor this one was previously ridiculed for starting-and-parking on a weekly basis. Until 2014, anyway. This year, they've finished all eight races — that's already more than they completed in all of 2013. What's more, Darlington was the team's first lead-lap finish of the season as well, a big accomplishment. That means the No. 98 bunch gets top honors this week for a great weekend at one of the sport's most difficult tracks.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing; started 35th, finished 25th
Again, we're a little out of order here. Justin Allgaier had a better run than Cassill, but his 23rd-place finish is about where that team should expect to wind up. Cassill's team, by comparison is having some impressive runs with equipment that's underfunded, even by some of the other small teams' standards. At Martinsville, a track where they've run used brakes (!) in the past, Cassill posted a lead-lap finish. This week, he was two laps down, but he fought to 25th, ten spots better than he started, and had a better result than a lot of big-team drivers, too. Cassill is an example of talent shining through despite the equipment he's in, and in turn, getting a team that badly needs it a little media notice.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 31st, finished 18th
Mears finally got the kind of finish he should be getting on intermediate tracks, but what was impressive about his 18th-place run is twofold. The team was able to make the right adjustments, at the right times to make the car better throughout the race, something they have struggled with at times this season. Secondly, they gained Mears positions on nearly every pit stop, which will be critical for this team as they grow and try to compete with those running at the next level. Mears brings to the job a smart, steady presence behind the wheel — he's going to bring the No. 13 home in one piece unless getting caught up in someone else's mess. Germain Racing has the pieces; now, they need to put them together consistently.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Richmond: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing
My pick for Darlington was David Ragan, whose run was foiled by a Darlington Stripe that went a little too far. He finished 32nd, eighth in the small teams class and several laps behind. Not my best week...
This week, the Cup Series is off for Easter, and they return to action April 26th at the short track in Richmond. My pick for that race is AJ Allmendinger, whose pair of top 10s and 20.7 average get the nod over David Ragan's three top 5s and 21.1 average. Allmendinger has easily been the most consistent driver in this group in recent weeks, while Ragan hasn't finished better than 20th at the track with his current team.
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: Darlington 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: Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing; started 29th, finished 21st
Wise wasn't the top finisher among the small teams; AJ Allmendinger (15th) and Casey Mears (18th) posted better results. But while those drivers are on the rise thanks to technical alliances, with Richard Childress Racing playing a heavy factor this one was previously ridiculed for starting-and-parking on a weekly basis. Until 2014, anyway. This year, they've finished all eight races — that's already more than they completed in all of 2013. What's more, Darlington was the team's first lead-lap finish of the season as well, a big accomplishment. That means the No. 98 bunch gets top honors this week for a great weekend at one of the sport's most difficult tracks.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing; started 35th, finished 25th
Again, we're a little out of order here. Justin Allgaier had a better run than Cassill, but his 23rd-place finish is about where that team should expect to wind up. Cassill's team, by comparison is having some impressive runs with equipment that's underfunded, even by some of the other small teams' standards. At Martinsville, a track where they've run used brakes (!) in the past, Cassill posted a lead-lap finish. This week, he was two laps down, but he fought to 25th, ten spots better than he started, and had a better result than a lot of big-team drivers, too. Cassill is an example of talent shining through despite the equipment he's in, and in turn, getting a team that badly needs it a little media notice.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 31st, finished 18th
Mears finally got the kind of finish he should be getting on intermediate tracks, but what was impressive about his 18th-place run is twofold. The team was able to make the right adjustments, at the right times to make the car better throughout the race, something they have struggled with at times this season. Secondly, they gained Mears positions on nearly every pit stop, which will be critical for this team as they grow and try to compete with those running at the next level. Mears brings to the job a smart, steady presence behind the wheel — he's going to bring the No. 13 home in one piece unless getting caught up in someone else's mess. Germain Racing has the pieces; now, they need to put them together consistently.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Richmond: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing
My pick for Darlington was David Ragan, whose run was foiled by a Darlington Stripe that went a little too far. He finished 32nd, eighth in the small teams class and several laps behind. Not my best week...
This week, the Cup Series is off for Easter, and they return to action April 26th at the short track in Richmond. My pick for that race is AJ Allmendinger, whose pair of top 10s and 20.7 average get the nod over David Ragan's three top 5s and 21.1 average. Allmendinger has easily been the most consistent driver in this group in recent weeks, while Ragan hasn't finished better than 20th at the track with his current team.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Letters of the Races: Sunday's STP 500 was brought to you by the letter "D," for Dominant. Kevin Harvick was nearly untouchable on Saturday night, leading 238 of the 374 laps, quite rare by today's standards. His four-tire strategy under the ninth caution nearly cost him the victory, but Harvick was able to recover all he lost. - Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~
Sidebar Stories: Darlington
by Phil Allaway
Letters of the Races: Sunday's STP 500 was brought to you by the letter "D," for Dominant. Kevin Harvick was nearly untouchable on Saturday night, leading 238 of the 374 laps, quite rare by today's standards. His four-tire strategy under the ninth caution nearly cost him the victory, but Harvick was able to recover all he lost. - Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~
Sidebar Stories: Darlington
by Phil Allaway
Kurt Busch's Tough Season Continues With Crash
Yes, Kurt Busch has a victory at Martinsville. However, through eight races, it is one of only two solid runs on paper he has had all season. Outside of Martinsville and Fontana, Busch has not finished inside the top 20, despite the speed of Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets.
Saturday night was shaping up to be decent; not spectacular, but the kind of run that the team needs to be able to get a rhythm going. Busch restarted in the top 10 on the first green-white-checkered restart, after a lead-lap performance all day but got bogged down in Turn 2. That allowed Clint Bowyer to get a run on Busch, taking Bowyer right into Busch's rear bumper. The contact proved impossible for Busch to recover from as he spun and hit the inside wall head-on.
Saturday night was shaping up to be decent; not spectacular, but the kind of run that the team needs to be able to get a rhythm going. Busch restarted in the top 10 on the first green-white-checkered restart, after a lead-lap performance all day but got bogged down in Turn 2. That allowed Clint Bowyer to get a run on Busch, taking Bowyer right into Busch's rear bumper. The contact proved impossible for Busch to recover from as he spun and hit the inside wall head-on.
Busch was uninjured in the crash but displayed his displeasure with Bowyer afterwards. Later, he talked about the incident.
"That was a terrible way to end what could have been a decent night," Busch said. "We struggled at times to get the balance of the Haas Automation Chevrolet right, but we kind of found our spot just past the halfway point and made slight adjustments the rest of the way. We called for a two-tire stop at the end, hoping to gain some track position, but it seemed like everyone had the same idea. We gained a little, but the guys behind us all had four tires. I tried to hold them off the best I could, but someone moved me out of their way and it ruined our night. I hate it for the team, but we keep learning each week and we will get better."
The crash dropped Busch from a potential top-10 finish to a 31st-place result. In addition, Busch is down to 26th in points. While he is still safe inside the top 30 (he's nearly a full race ahead of Reed Sorenson in 31st), the driver is also 71 points out of 10th and needs to get some kind of momentum going after the off week.
"That was a terrible way to end what could have been a decent night," Busch said. "We struggled at times to get the balance of the Haas Automation Chevrolet right, but we kind of found our spot just past the halfway point and made slight adjustments the rest of the way. We called for a two-tire stop at the end, hoping to gain some track position, but it seemed like everyone had the same idea. We gained a little, but the guys behind us all had four tires. I tried to hold them off the best I could, but someone moved me out of their way and it ruined our night. I hate it for the team, but we keep learning each week and we will get better."
The crash dropped Busch from a potential top-10 finish to a 31st-place result. In addition, Busch is down to 26th in points. While he is still safe inside the top 30 (he's nearly a full race ahead of Reed Sorenson in 31st), the driver is also 71 points out of 10th and needs to get some kind of momentum going after the off week.
Some believed the run that 18-year-old Chase Elliott put together at Texas Motor Speedway was some kind of fluke. However, Friday night's performance likely put an end to any of that talk. Elliott led 52 laps on the evening, but had to fight from fifth on a green-white-checkered restart to regain control of the event. Blowing by Elliott Sadler on the final lap, while weaving through Cup veterans the youngster took his second consecutive win at a track he'd never raced on before. The win gives Elliott a 13-point lead in the Nationwide standings over teammate Regan Smith.
For more on Elliott's big night and other stories from Friday night's VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200, check out Kelly Crandall's Nationwide Breakdown.
Billy Standridge Passes Away
Billy Standridge Passes Away
On race day at Darlington, the NASCAR community received some sad news when it was announced that Billy Standridge, a former competitor in the Cup and then-Busch Grand National Series died late Friday night/early Saturday morning as a result of cancer. Standridge was 60.
Standridge made 23 career starts in the Cup Series with a career-best finish of 14th at Darlington in March 1995. In the Busch Grand National Series, Standridge raced two full-time seasons (1988-89) in a pink No. 47 Pontiac, earning five top-10 finishes. His best result was a sixth at Martinsville in September 1989.
Standridge is survived by his wife and two daughters. We at Frontstretch extend our condolences to the family.
Quotes to Remember: Bojangles' Southern 500
compiled by Phil Allaway
"It was just one of those deals where the strategy was going to be hard to overcome without those green-white-checkers there at the end. The cautions all lined up and this Budweiser Chevrolet was unbelievable all night. We were able to hang on there at the end and I knew I had that high line. I hadn't showed it to them all night on the restarts and I wanted to save it until the very end. I kind of learned that last night as we were in the Nationwide race. It was a good tool in your tool bag to have there at the end." - Kevin Harvick, race winner
"Just didn't have enough tires, you know. (Kevin) Harvick had the best car and the best tires at the end. It was real hard to hold him off. I should have probably ran the top down there in (Turns) 3 and 4 and made him go around the bottom, but I think he was going to get us anyway and we were going to try. A great run, good job by my team, this isn't one of my best tracks so my team gave me a great car. I've got to give them a lot of credit." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished second
"First and foremost, I'm just thankful that my guys never quit working and never stopped trying. We didn't qualify well and really the first quarter of the race, the car was really far off. Chad (crew chief, Knaus) took big swings at this car and got this Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevy flying. It was really competitive. The restart at the end, I was talking to the guys on the radio and they said the outside was kind of the place to be. I hadn't seen the front all night long and I was talking to Junior as I got out of the car and he said that was a bad move. And then certainly the push that the No. 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) got from the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) got him by me. But before that, we had two or three (laps) to go and I had a nice lead and I thought it was going to come our way, but it just didn't work out." - Jimmie Johnson, finished third
"We went back and forth. We were better than I thought we were going to be -- I was pretty pleased with it really. There were three or four cars, five cars really in the playing field we couldn't run with. I thought we made great adjustments tonight and had good pit stops. We did a ton of adjustments in the pits and came up with a good finish." - Matt Kenseth, finished fourth
"We worked really hard all night and probably didn't have a fifth-place car. But we worked really hard on it and we had good pit stops and track position was everything tonight. Those last restarts we were on the outside, the inside and then the outside and we picked up one or two spots there at the end. Everybody worked hard and we will keep working on our car. We have to get better here but we will keep working at it." - Greg Biffle, finished fifth
"I guess we should be happy with sixth considering how we could have finished with our M&M's Camry. I'm a little disappointed because I really feel like we should have gotten fourth, but we seemed to always be behind one of the cars spinning the tires on the restarts at the end. It's a top 10 which is good going into the off week." - Kyle Busch, finished sixth
"We had a really strong race car and everything was going really well. Kevin (Harvick) definitely that number one pit stall and he was fast too, but I thought we were a little bit better than him on certain runs. There towards the end, I don't know... we just kind of started fading. I got into the wall a little bit and got the right side flattened up a little bit and then from there, our night just went downhill. We just made some mistakes and got behind. We were the last car on two tires and then got ate up on those restarts. Actually, that last one wasn't bad to come home seventh. I thought it was going to be a lot worse than that. Good to be leading the points. I feel like a missed opportunity, but another great race car and I'm happy about that." - Jeff Gordon, finished seventh
"A lot of guys had really loose race cars and this drove so much different than what it did in practice. We had a 20th-place race car and finished 14th with it. It is a good points night and we will keep chipping away. It is a lot of positives for us from the weekend with good qualifying on Friday. We just have to work out how to make these cars run when the tape comes off the nose. This is the most worn out I have been in my NASCAR career. I think I just wore it out. I am pleased we finished and got back up on the lead lap." - Marcos Ambrose, finished 14th
"It was a long night. We didn't get the finish we wanted, that is for sure. We ran a lot better than where we finished. We got used up on those last restarts and took some bad lines that didn't go and what not. That is just part of the deal at this place and we will just have to move on to next week. The track was slick but it is the same for everybody, so that is part of the unique challenge of Darlington that we all love." - Brad Keselowski, finished 17th
"We had a decent car. On one run, we took two tires and the thing drove better than it did when we had four tires and I don't know why. We were okay out front and I'm sure a lot of it is just the handle. We struggled a little more in traffic than a lot of the guys just kind of up on top of the track. The guys did a really good job making the car better all night. I think we had at least a top-10 car, maybe a top-five and if the cards would have been played right maybe even a win. Obviously, that one time we took two and stayed there. When we got four, we couldn't stay there. I don't know why that is, but I think we're making progress. We weren't as good tonight as we've been, but we were decent. I think we learned a lot... just very frustrating. Everyone on this team did a great job with the car and made the car better all weekend. Billy (Scott, crew chief) called a really good race. The pit guys did a great job in the pits. Really proud of the whole Aaron's Toyota team -- they did a good job." - Brian Vickers, finished 26th after spinning, heading onto pit road just before his final green-flag stop
"We had an issue with the right front hub which broke. It sucks, because you run the whole race and get nothing to show for it at the end. I feel like we had a top-5 car once the sun went down, and we were able to tune our car into where we needed to and get our track position back up there. It is unfortunate that the right front hub broke and then that messed with the rotor and into the caliper and everything gets hot and breaks after that. Unfortunately, we don't get to have fun at the end of this thing." - Joey Logano, finished 35th (broken hub)
"I hit the wall like 10 laps before and I guess the right-front tire just went down. Kind of rode the wall in (Turns) 3 and 4 and I guess I was just in denial, I guess I didn't realize the right-front tire was down." - Paul Menard, finished 41st (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: Darlington Stripes, Cautions, Strategy and a career Grand Slam
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: A Veteran's Struggles, Taming Darlington Rookie Style and Putting it All on the Line
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Bojangles Southern 500
by Amy Henderson
Despite Winning Ways, Consistency Still Necessary for SHR to Contend for a Championship
by Aaron Creed
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: Bojangles' Southern 500 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
We'll take a look at which drivers are sitting pretty after eight 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.
Voices From The Heartland by Jeff Meyer
"It was just one of those deals where the strategy was going to be hard to overcome without those green-white-checkers there at the end. The cautions all lined up and this Budweiser Chevrolet was unbelievable all night. We were able to hang on there at the end and I knew I had that high line. I hadn't showed it to them all night on the restarts and I wanted to save it until the very end. I kind of learned that last night as we were in the Nationwide race. It was a good tool in your tool bag to have there at the end." - Kevin Harvick, race winner
"Just didn't have enough tires, you know. (Kevin) Harvick had the best car and the best tires at the end. It was real hard to hold him off. I should have probably ran the top down there in (Turns) 3 and 4 and made him go around the bottom, but I think he was going to get us anyway and we were going to try. A great run, good job by my team, this isn't one of my best tracks so my team gave me a great car. I've got to give them a lot of credit." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished second
"First and foremost, I'm just thankful that my guys never quit working and never stopped trying. We didn't qualify well and really the first quarter of the race, the car was really far off. Chad (crew chief, Knaus) took big swings at this car and got this Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevy flying. It was really competitive. The restart at the end, I was talking to the guys on the radio and they said the outside was kind of the place to be. I hadn't seen the front all night long and I was talking to Junior as I got out of the car and he said that was a bad move. And then certainly the push that the No. 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) got from the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) got him by me. But before that, we had two or three (laps) to go and I had a nice lead and I thought it was going to come our way, but it just didn't work out." - Jimmie Johnson, finished third
"We went back and forth. We were better than I thought we were going to be -- I was pretty pleased with it really. There were three or four cars, five cars really in the playing field we couldn't run with. I thought we made great adjustments tonight and had good pit stops. We did a ton of adjustments in the pits and came up with a good finish." - Matt Kenseth, finished fourth
"We worked really hard all night and probably didn't have a fifth-place car. But we worked really hard on it and we had good pit stops and track position was everything tonight. Those last restarts we were on the outside, the inside and then the outside and we picked up one or two spots there at the end. Everybody worked hard and we will keep working on our car. We have to get better here but we will keep working at it." - Greg Biffle, finished fifth
"I guess we should be happy with sixth considering how we could have finished with our M&M's Camry. I'm a little disappointed because I really feel like we should have gotten fourth, but we seemed to always be behind one of the cars spinning the tires on the restarts at the end. It's a top 10 which is good going into the off week." - Kyle Busch, finished sixth
"We had a really strong race car and everything was going really well. Kevin (Harvick) definitely that number one pit stall and he was fast too, but I thought we were a little bit better than him on certain runs. There towards the end, I don't know... we just kind of started fading. I got into the wall a little bit and got the right side flattened up a little bit and then from there, our night just went downhill. We just made some mistakes and got behind. We were the last car on two tires and then got ate up on those restarts. Actually, that last one wasn't bad to come home seventh. I thought it was going to be a lot worse than that. Good to be leading the points. I feel like a missed opportunity, but another great race car and I'm happy about that." - Jeff Gordon, finished seventh
"A lot of guys had really loose race cars and this drove so much different than what it did in practice. We had a 20th-place race car and finished 14th with it. It is a good points night and we will keep chipping away. It is a lot of positives for us from the weekend with good qualifying on Friday. We just have to work out how to make these cars run when the tape comes off the nose. This is the most worn out I have been in my NASCAR career. I think I just wore it out. I am pleased we finished and got back up on the lead lap." - Marcos Ambrose, finished 14th
"It was a long night. We didn't get the finish we wanted, that is for sure. We ran a lot better than where we finished. We got used up on those last restarts and took some bad lines that didn't go and what not. That is just part of the deal at this place and we will just have to move on to next week. The track was slick but it is the same for everybody, so that is part of the unique challenge of Darlington that we all love." - Brad Keselowski, finished 17th
"We had a decent car. On one run, we took two tires and the thing drove better than it did when we had four tires and I don't know why. We were okay out front and I'm sure a lot of it is just the handle. We struggled a little more in traffic than a lot of the guys just kind of up on top of the track. The guys did a really good job making the car better all night. I think we had at least a top-10 car, maybe a top-five and if the cards would have been played right maybe even a win. Obviously, that one time we took two and stayed there. When we got four, we couldn't stay there. I don't know why that is, but I think we're making progress. We weren't as good tonight as we've been, but we were decent. I think we learned a lot... just very frustrating. Everyone on this team did a great job with the car and made the car better all weekend. Billy (Scott, crew chief) called a really good race. The pit guys did a great job in the pits. Really proud of the whole Aaron's Toyota team -- they did a good job." - Brian Vickers, finished 26th after spinning, heading onto pit road just before his final green-flag stop
"We had an issue with the right front hub which broke. It sucks, because you run the whole race and get nothing to show for it at the end. I feel like we had a top-5 car once the sun went down, and we were able to tune our car into where we needed to and get our track position back up there. It is unfortunate that the right front hub broke and then that messed with the rotor and into the caliper and everything gets hot and breaks after that. Unfortunately, we don't get to have fun at the end of this thing." - Joey Logano, finished 35th (broken hub)
"I hit the wall like 10 laps before and I guess the right-front tire just went down. Kind of rode the wall in (Turns) 3 and 4 and I guess I was just in denial, I guess I didn't realize the right-front tire was down." - Paul Menard, finished 41st (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: Darlington Stripes, Cautions, Strategy and a career Grand Slam
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: A Veteran's Struggles, Taming Darlington Rookie Style and Putting it All on the Line
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Bojangles Southern 500
by Amy Henderson
Despite Winning Ways, Consistency Still Necessary for SHR to Contend for a Championship
by Aaron Creed
by Tom Bowles
by Mike Neff
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Towards the end of Formula One's tenure in Long Beach, there was a chicane installed on Shoreline Drive near the current pit-in on the course. Why?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: In 2001, Kurt Busch (a rookie at the time) won the pole and led 74 laps in the Mountain Dew Southern 500. However, he ended up finishing way back in the pack. What happened?
A: Busch had already fallen off the pace when he lost a cylinder while running up front. He was running a lap down with a little less than 100 laps to go when he pounded the wall in Turn 2, pancaking the side of his Sharpie/Rubbermaid Ford. Unfortunately, TNT did not air a replay of Busch's crash. Viewers only saw this aftermath footage of Busch grinding down the pit lane.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Towards the end of Formula One's tenure in Long Beach, there was a chicane installed on Shoreline Drive near the current pit-in on the course. Why?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: In 2001, Kurt Busch (a rookie at the time) won the pole and led 74 laps in the Mountain Dew Southern 500. However, he ended up finishing way back in the pack. What happened?
A: Busch had already fallen off the pace when he lost a cylinder while running up front. He was running a lap down with a little less than 100 laps to go when he pounded the wall in Turn 2, pancaking the side of his Sharpie/Rubbermaid Ford. Unfortunately, TNT did not air a replay of Busch's crash. Viewers only saw this aftermath footage of Busch grinding down the pit lane.
Busch's team repaired the No. 97 Ford and sent him back on track. He would eventually finish in 39th, 51 laps down.
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: Bojangles' Southern 500 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Special Beyond The Cockpit: Ron Capps by Toni Montgomery
Toni sits down with the NHRA superstar to talk about life in the (very) fast lane of professional drag racing. Also, which NASCAR star could slide himself behind the wheel of a Funny Car someday? Find out while spending time with one of the more engaging drivers throughout all of motorsports.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series both raced at Darlington Speedway. Meanwhile, the Verizon IndyCar Series ran their first race of the season on NBC Sports Network in Long Beach, California. 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 eight 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.
Voices From The Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Jeff returns with his typical blend of sarcastic humor tilted towards one of NASCAR's controversial issues.
-----------------------------
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
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
--
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/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment