THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 8th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XLIV
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Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 8th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XLIV
~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Tuesday
- Despite the rescheduled Duck Commander 500 running yesterday at Texas Motor Speedway, Goodyear is beginning a two-day tire test at Michigan International Speedway ahead of the series' June visit. The drivers listed as participants are Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) with Toyota, Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing) and Trevor Bayne (Wood Brothers Racing) with Ford, and Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Hendrick Motorsports) with Chevrolet. The hope is to find a softer tire compound that produces more wear after a recent repaving resulted in a "hard" compound that upped speeds but produced little need to change tires over the track's 400-mile events.
- First-time Nationwide Series winner Chase Elliott will meet with the national media via teleconference after his thrilling Friday night victory in Texas. Elliott will be joined by his team co-owner, Kelley Earnhardt Miller who will discuss the development of the JR Motorsports Nationwide program.
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
5:00 - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
DV-R Theater (Late Tuesday Night / Early Wednesday Morning)
2:30 AM - 3:00 AM NASCAR Now ESPN2
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Logano's Four Tires Triumph Over Jeff Gordon's Two
by Justin Tucker
Joey Logano would overcome Mother Nature and a green-white-checkered restart with four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon to win the rain-delayed Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Logano, with his trip to Victory Lane Monday afternoon also became the seventh different Sprint Cup driver to win in 2014 in as many races.
Logano, who led a race-high 108 laps on the afternoon, appeared to be on his way to a dominating victory until two laps to go. That's when Kurt Busch blew a left-rear tire on his No. 41 Chevrolet, spraying debris all over the track.
"When you got like 40-something laps after the last pit stop, you got a pretty sizable lead, really all you're thinking is, 'Where is the white flag? Where is the white flag?'" Logano said after the race. "Then, you go into turn one, you see the [No.] 41 up against the wall. You're like, Please no caution, please no caution. Boom, it comes out. You got to be kidding me. You get so mad you can barely control yourself."
This incident, the third for Busch on the day would set up a decisive yellow-flag pit stop before the final restart. Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team then rolled the dice, jumping from sixth to first with only two tires while Logano and his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski would take four. Keselowski, who was second coming in would then get caught speeding while exiting pit road, eliminating him from contention. The Penske Racing driver, after leading 85 laps in his own right dropped to a disappointing 15th on the afternoon.
"That last caution was a shame," Keselowski said, who lost a chance to become the series' first two-time winner. "I was just trying to get a little too much on pit road, wanted to get us out front to be able to win the race and tried a little too hard.”
That left Logano dealing with Gordon and Brian Vickers directly in front on the restart. As the cars accelerated, he wasted no time dispatching Vickers for second and set his sights on the bumper of Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet. On the white-flag lap, Logano was able to take advantage of his four fresh tires to get underneath Gordon, clearing him by the exit of Turn 1.
"I mean, coming in sixth, you're in that position that you can gamble," said Gordon, who did earn a consolation prize -- becoming the Sprint Cup points leader for the first time since the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 (see below). "You're not going to win it with four tires, you're not going to win it with none. I knew it was going to be hard to hold those guys off."
After clearing Gordon, Logano was able to cruise to his fourth career Sprint Cup Series win, his second with Penske in a little over a season with the team. The driver's confidence is high, stemming from crew chief Todd Gordon whom the 23-year-old was quick to praise after the race.
"He (Todd Gordon) made a last-minute decision to put fuel in it, gave me better balance for what I needed and the guys made the 'money stop,'" Logano said of the ending. "I was the first guy out with four tires on."
Behind Logano and Gordon in the top 5 were Kyle Busch in third, followed by Vickers fourth and rookie sensation Kyle Larson in fifth, the only rookie to run inside the top 20. Greg Biffle was sixth, Matt Kenseth seventh, while Clint Bowyer earned his second top-10 result in eighth. Paul Menard earned his fourth top 10 in five races, running ninth while pole sitter Tony Stewart rounded out the top 10.
Monday's race started in bizarre fashion, under a rare, green-yellow flag condition for ten laps to ensure that the 1.5-mile quad-oval was dry and fit for racing. Jet dryers were still on the track during this period to help the process. Unfortunately, the air from the dryers managed to get inside the wheel wells and affect the hood and roof flaps of several cars. Keselowski's Ford actually ended up with a damaged hood hinge, resulting in four pit stops during this period for repairs. Many additional cars came down pit road to fix the flaps as well. NASCAR allowed the cars affected to make their stops without penalty, provided that they not add fuel or change tires in the process.
Then, shortly after going green Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s day ended prematurely after just 14 laps when he misjudged his positioning and clipped the grass in Texas' quad-oval. The miscue resulted in the car digging in, popping a wheelie and shooting the No. 88 Chevrolet straight into a SAFER-less wall, resulting in a fiery crash. Not only did that ruin Earnhardt's day, but it also impacted the race of Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson. Johnson wound up with windshield damage and a bent left-front corner of his No. 48 Chevrolet. Losing multiple laps for repairs, Johnson ended up 25th on the day while Earnhardt Jr. was scored dead last (43rd).
"You can't run through there they way they have these cars on the ground," Earnhardt said of the incident. "Just a mistake on my part. I just didn't know I was that close to the grass, and made a mistake."
Kevin Harvick had another fast race car, one capable of going up and taking the lead away from teammate Stewart on Lap 25. However, Harvick's run of bad luck continued after blowing an engine just a couple of laps later. Harvick ended up 42nd, sitting just 31 points inside the top 30 needed to make the Chase after his win at Phoenix.
A look at the Duck Commander 500 by the numbers. There were 18 lead changes among nine drivers, while seven cautions for 49 laps slowed the pace to 134.191 MPH.
Next weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to legendary Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles' Southern 500. The Green flag is scheduled for 6:45 PM ET on Saturday night.
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: Jeff Gordon's Gamble Provides Him Points Lead
by Phil Allaway
Monday's Duck Commander 500 saw Dale Earnhardt, Jr. give up the points lead just as quickly as he earned it at Martinsville. A crash on Lap 14, as explained above put Earnhardt Jr. out on the spot with a 43rd-place finish. That, combined with Jeff Gordon's runner-up result, moves Gordon up to the points lead for the first time since May 2009. Gordon's advantage is four over Matt Kenseth, whose No. 20 Toyota came up through the pack and had a decent day, running seventh. Carl Edwards, meanwhile maintained the third spot but was never a factor on Monday. He needed two Lucky Dog passes in order to finish on the lead lap in 14th.
By virtue of his victory, Joey Logano moved up four places in the standings to fourth. He is only 12 points behind third-place Edwards. Kyle Busch is up to fifth after a third-place result, leading laps for the fifth straight race as he proves the No. 18 Toyota is a top-tier contender. Joe Gibbs Racing is the only team with two drivers inside the top 5 in series points.
Earnhardt Jr.'s crash made him the big loser of the day, dropping five places into a tie for sixth with teammate Jimmie Johnson. Johnson had a miserable day on Monday. First, debris from Earnhardt Jr.'s car hit his windshield, damaging it like few windshields have been damaged since NASCAR switched to the Lexan binding. Later, a flat right-rear tire prior to the competition caution put Johnson two laps down. While the driver recovered, battling to a 25th-place finish, he never got either of the two laps back.
Earnhardt Jr.'s crash made him the big loser of the day, dropping five places into a tie for sixth with teammate Jimmie Johnson. Johnson had a miserable day on Monday. First, debris from Earnhardt Jr.'s car hit his windshield, damaging it like few windshields have been damaged since NASCAR switched to the Lexan binding. Later, a flat right-rear tire prior to the competition caution put Johnson two laps down. While the driver recovered, battling to a 25th-place finish, he never got either of the two laps back.
Brad Keselowski was one of the top drivers all day at Texas Motor Speedway. However, he was busted for speeding on the final round of stops just before the green-white-checkered finish. Being sent to the rear of the field doomed Keselowski to a 15th-place result after being in position for a top 5. Brian Vickers, meanwhile benefited from that caution and is up four places to ninth after a fourth-place result. He is by far the highest-placed of Michael Waltrip Racing's drivers, armed with three top-10 performances in the last four Cup Series events. Paul Menard, who earned his fourth top-10 finish in the last five races, moved up to tenth in the overall standings.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Jeff Gordon 259, 2) Matt Kenseth -4, 3) Carl Edwards -12, 4) Joey Logano -24, 5) Kyle Busch -28, t-6) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -31, t-6) Jimmie Johnson -31, 8) Brad Keselowski -41, 9) Brian Vickers -54, 10) Paul Menard -56, t-11) Ryan Newman -57, t-11) Austin Dillon -57, 13) Denny Hamlin -62, 14) Tony Stewart -70, t-15) Kyle Larson -72, t-15) Greg Biffle -72, t-15) Clint Bowyer -72.
Outside of the top-16, but in Chase Contention: 25) Kurt Busch -108, 26) Kevin Harvick -121.
Race Winners: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Daytona), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix), 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.
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: Texas 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: Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; started 7th, finished 19th
There are two ways that small teams without the funds to race full-time go about the Cup Series these days: they either start and park, or run a partial schedule. Each has its advantages and pitfalls. For the No. 21 operation, a partial schedule of fully-funded races was the choice, and Bayne did a solid job this week, with an outstanding qualifying effort and a decent enough day. No underdog finished on the lead lap this week; just three finished only a single circuit in arrears. Bayne did lose that lap, along with his peers but was able to put together a top-20 run nonetheless. It's a good recovery for the full-time Nationwide driver after wrecking during that race Friday night.
Underdog Selection No. 2: David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; started 39th, finished 22nd
Gilliland is quietly becoming the go-to driver for this team. Yes, David Ragan grabbed the headlines with his Talladega win last spring, but Gilliland has been more consistent. In the last three weeks, he's been FRM's top finisher; this week, he was second among his peers as well. Gilliland's average finish has been slightly better than Ragan's over the last two seasons, showcasing an ability to finish more races and make the best of bad days. Like all the other small teams, FRM struggles on the intermediates, but Gilliland was able to gain 17 spots from start to finish... all in all, a strong day for the No. 38 bunch.
Underdog Selection No. 3: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 33rd, finished 23rd
Allmendinger and Co. never quite found their stride in Texas, qualifying 33rd and finishing 23rd. It wasn't a bad day, per se, but this team should be capable of running in the top 20 at at least some intermediate tracks. Instead? They finished behind two other small teams that are not nearly as well-equipped. Still, 'Dinger picked up ten spots, start to finish, so the team did improve the car throughout the day -- something others could not.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Darlington: David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports
My pick for Texas was AJ Allmendinger, who finished 23rd, just third in this group behind a couple of surprises in Trevor Bayne and David Gilliland.
This week, it's off to Darlington, the Lady in Black, a track that isn't kind to anyone, let alone the underfunded. My pick for this one is David Ragan who, despite being his team's weaker finisher this year, hasn't been too terrible at Darlington, with a top 5 and a 24.6 average for his career. Ragan needs a good, solid run and this week I feel he can get that.
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: Texas 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: Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; started 7th, finished 19th
There are two ways that small teams without the funds to race full-time go about the Cup Series these days: they either start and park, or run a partial schedule. Each has its advantages and pitfalls. For the No. 21 operation, a partial schedule of fully-funded races was the choice, and Bayne did a solid job this week, with an outstanding qualifying effort and a decent enough day. No underdog finished on the lead lap this week; just three finished only a single circuit in arrears. Bayne did lose that lap, along with his peers but was able to put together a top-20 run nonetheless. It's a good recovery for the full-time Nationwide driver after wrecking during that race Friday night.
Underdog Selection No. 2: David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; started 39th, finished 22nd
Gilliland is quietly becoming the go-to driver for this team. Yes, David Ragan grabbed the headlines with his Talladega win last spring, but Gilliland has been more consistent. In the last three weeks, he's been FRM's top finisher; this week, he was second among his peers as well. Gilliland's average finish has been slightly better than Ragan's over the last two seasons, showcasing an ability to finish more races and make the best of bad days. Like all the other small teams, FRM struggles on the intermediates, but Gilliland was able to gain 17 spots from start to finish... all in all, a strong day for the No. 38 bunch.
Underdog Selection No. 3: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 33rd, finished 23rd
Allmendinger and Co. never quite found their stride in Texas, qualifying 33rd and finishing 23rd. It wasn't a bad day, per se, but this team should be capable of running in the top 20 at at least some intermediate tracks. Instead? They finished behind two other small teams that are not nearly as well-equipped. Still, 'Dinger picked up ten spots, start to finish, so the team did improve the car throughout the day -- something others could not.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Darlington: David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports
My pick for Texas was AJ Allmendinger, who finished 23rd, just third in this group behind a couple of surprises in Trevor Bayne and David Gilliland.
This week, it's off to Darlington, the Lady in Black, a track that isn't kind to anyone, let alone the underfunded. My pick for this one is David Ragan who, despite being his team's weaker finisher this year, hasn't been too terrible at Darlington, with a top 5 and a 24.6 average for his career. Ragan needs a good, solid run and this week I feel he can get that.
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: Monday's Duck Commander 500 was brought to you by the letter "P," for Penskelicious. Roger Penske's two cars dominated the proceedings on Monday, leading 193 of a possible 340 laps. Logano won the race, but the only thing keeping Keselowski from being right there at the finish was a speeding penalty on the final pit stops. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Texas
by Phil Allaway
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Misjudges Grass, Crashes HardLetter of the Race: Monday's Duck Commander 500 was brought to you by the letter "P," for Penskelicious. Roger Penske's two cars dominated the proceedings on Monday, leading 193 of a possible 340 laps. Logano won the race, but the only thing keeping Keselowski from being right there at the finish was a speeding penalty on the final pit stops. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Texas
by Phil Allaway
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. seemed to have a pretty quick car at Texas Motor Speedway Monday. However, his day simply didn't last long enough to be able to show it. On just the third lap of green-flag racing, Earnhardt Jr. went too low in the second dogleg of the quad-oval in an attempt to pass Aric Almirola. The combination of rains saturating the grass and the current rules that allow for cars to be slammed to the ground resulted in Earnhardt Jr.'s nose digging down into the soil and popping a wheelie. Upon landing, the car shot into the outside wall and caught fire.
Earnhardt Jr. was fine after the hit and got out of the car under his own power. Afterwards, he explained what happened to FOX's Jeff Hammond.
"Just ran into the grass on the apron... the front straightaway there," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was following the 43 and just didn't see the grass. Didn't know the grass was down there so close. The way the A-posts are these days, you can't really see to that angle, so I didn't have a good visual as to where the grass was. So, I just got down in there pretty good. That's awful."
Earnhardt Jr. was fine after the hit and got out of the car under his own power. Afterwards, he explained what happened to FOX's Jeff Hammond.
"Just ran into the grass on the apron... the front straightaway there," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was following the 43 and just didn't see the grass. Didn't know the grass was down there so close. The way the A-posts are these days, you can't really see to that angle, so I didn't have a good visual as to where the grass was. So, I just got down in there pretty good. That's awful."
The crew briefly attempted to repair the National Guard Chevrolet, but realized pretty quick that it just wasn't to be. The 43rd-place finish dropped Earnhardt Jr. from the points lead all the way back to sixth.
Kevin Harvick's Bad Luck Continues
Kevin Harvick is said to be a near-lock for the Chase after winning the CNBC Prime's The Profit 500k at Phoenix International Raceway last month. However, since then, Harvick has had almost nothing but bad luck. That continued Monday.
Harvick qualified in the third position and battled his teammate/car owner Tony Stewart early in the race. On Lap 25, Harvick was able to dip his nose in front of Stewart and officially lead the event. However, just a couple of laps later, the telltale smoke signifying a terminal engine issue was obvious for all to see.
Crew chief Rodney Childers described what happened on Twitter.
"Looks like something knocked the oil pump belt off it and then blew up about a 1/2 lap later," Childers tweeted. "Craziest crap ever. I’m still proud of my guys and proud of my driver. We have a great team and we look [forward] to Darlington this weekend."
"Looks like something knocked the oil pump belt off it and then blew up about a 1/2 lap later," Childers tweeted. "Craziest crap ever. I’m still proud of my guys and proud of my driver. We have a great team and we look [forward] to Darlington this weekend."
As for Harvick, he told a Chevrolet PR representative that something happened to the engine after the restart from Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s crash and that the motor quickly blew up. He then refused to talk to the assembled media at the track (including FOX) and left the facility.
The failure puts Harvick back to 26th in points, 121 out of the lead, 65 out of tenth and 35 out of 20th. Without the virtual "win and you're in" policy that is new for 2014, Harvick would likely have his work cut out for him just to get into the Chase at all this season. However, all he would have to do in order to potentially fall back on his Phoenix victory is to stay inside the top 30. Even with all of his issues, Harvick is still 31 points in front of David Gilliland, who is currently 31st in points.
Kligerman's Early Season Woes Continue
Prior to the start of the season, Parker Kligerman was considered to be the third-best rookie of this year's crop. Despite being with the relatively underfunded Swan Racing organization, there was a lot of confidence going into the season after two decent runs for Kligerman late last year. However, no one expected what has happened so far this season to the Westport, CT native.
Kligerman has yet to run a race this season in which he has stayed out on the track all day. Four of the seven races have ended in DNFs, including Monday's Duck Commander 500, and five of the seven races have ended with finishes of 40th or worse.
Kligerman has yet to run a race this season in which he has stayed out on the track all day. Four of the seven races have ended in DNFs, including Monday's Duck Commander 500, and five of the seven races have ended with finishes of 40th or worse.
On Monday, Kligerman was running four laps off the pace when a water leak forced an unscheduled pit stop for repairs. It was discovered that the radiator had been punctured. As a result, the team went behind the wall to replace the radiator and later returned to the event. Kligerman eventually retired the No. 30 late in the race due to additional overheating issues and was credited with a 40th-place finish.
Through seven races, Kligerman has accumulated only 40 points, which puts him in a tie for 39th with Michael McDowell, who is racing part-time for Leavine Family Racing. Ryan Truex, who has DNQ'd twice for BK Racing, is seven points ahead of Kligerman.
Quotes to Remember: Duck Commander 500
compiled by Phil Allaway
compiled by Phil Allaway
"The 24 was lucky enough to have a good enough restart with his older tires. I was able to follow him through, get a second, get a run off of four, cross him over, get the lead. Then we get the win. Just awesome. We've been in contention every race this year to win these things. To get the Shell‑Pennzoil Ford in Victory Lane, it means a lot. It's such a tough racetrack. We have had plenty of time to think about this the last couple days. Pretty cool place to win. I got a ring, guns, a trophy, a hat, a duck call. That's pretty cool." - Joey Logano, race winner
"That was a great call. We lost the handling a little bit when the sun came out. We were looking at about a sixth-place finish there. We were really happy to see that caution and I think we learned a lesson in California when we took four (tires) there that maybe we would have been better off taking two (tires). Alan (Gustafson) and the guys, they were great in the pits all day long. Man, I so badly wanted to get this Texas A&M maroon in Victory Lane today." - Jeff Gordon, finished second
"We had a good racecar today. The Interstate Batteries Camry was pretty good. We come from the back, up to the front, had a good car through the middle. We led some, then Jeff was pretty good. The Penske cars, I went by one of them in one run like he was standing still, then he went by me in the next run like I was standing still. Kind of crazy the way that happened. They come out of nowhere and took off the last 70 laps, 80 laps, whatever it was. They were going to be tough to beat. We had the second‑to‑the‑last stint where we got behind a little bit on our adjustments, we were loose and I lost time to the leaders. When we came in and pitted on that final green-flag pit stop there, Dave and the guys made good adjustments. I was able to come back up and cut my deficit to the leaders probably in half, but I was probably so far behind I wasn't going to get there." - Kyle Busch, finished third
"We really did -- that was a great call by Billy (Scott, crew chief) and the whole crew. The pit guys did a great job all day and they did a good job on that last stop, obviously when it mattered most. Really proud of everyone on this Aaron’s Dream Machine team -- it’s a great campaign this week, we were letting all the fans know that you can own it, we don’t want them just to lease it, we want them to own it and it’s great to get a top-5 here. Just really proud of the effort. We probably didn’t have a car to win, but we made the most of it. We’ll learn from this and we’ll move on to the next race and we gave it our best there at the end." - Brian Vickers, finished fourth
"We had a really good Target Chevy today. We were average on short runs but I thought we were the best car on a long run. Shine (Chris Heroy, crew chief) and everybody did a great job working on it after practice on Friday. We were terrible, so they worked their butts off all weekend and gave us a good finish. I can’t thank those guys enough and all the fans for sticking it out. I’m sorry you guys had to wait a whole extra day, but I’m glad we put on a good finish." - Kyle Larson, finished fifth
"We just have to keep getting our cars better. We’re just not where the other guys are yet, so we’ve got to keep getting better. I feel better, but it seems every week we’ve got [only] one car that is up there. We’ll keep working on it, but this is a step in the right direction from the 16. I think we’re still a little ways off from the rest of the guys." - Greg Biffle, finished sixth
"We just didn’t qualify well and then we just really struggled. So, we just started -- we were just really far off. We were really loose. We got a little bit better, but really nothing we could compete with." - Matt Kenseth, finished seventh
"Obviously, we had a great car at the beginning of the race. Once I got back in traffic, the car didn’t drive as good. Couldn’t make up any track position and the car took a long time to come in. Our car was way better than 13th. Disappointed with that -- we had a top-5 car -- just didn’t finish that well. Made some mistakes on pit road." - Denny Hamlin, finished 13th
"Joey was just awesome today. He had a great car and did a great job. It was a very strange start, but this [No.] 2 team kept working on the car and got it fixed under that first green/yellow and got us to where we were in pretty raceable shape. We just needed a little bit more for the [No.] 22, but had a really good day going all the way until the end." - Brad Keselowski, finished 15th
"We just didn’t have the forward bite that you need on this track. The car would snap loose – it was a handful to drive at times. We fell a lap down (on lap 157) and couldn’t maintain that “Lucky Dog” position to get us back on the lead lap. We eventually got the lap back, but it was a result of the wave around near the end of the race. We didn't nail it today, but our over-the-wall crew sure did with consistently quick pit stops. They are a big asset to our team." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 18th
"The Lowe's team gave me a great car today. It's kind of surreal what happened. Junior hit the grass there and something off his car like a splitter or something just destroyed my windshield and then something hit the nose of the car, too. We were in a good position and were running decent lap times when the right rear blew. I'm glad Junior is alright and hats off to my guys today. We played around with some strategy at the end. They never gave up." - Jimmie Johnson, finished 25th
"Something happened with the engine right after that restart. The Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS was really fast. It’s frustrating. I don’t know what else I can say. I didn’t get any indication that anything was going wrong. Hendrick engines are among the fastest and most reliable engines in the garage. We’ll take it back to the shop and figure out what happened. But that’s a disappointing end to the day." - Kevin Harvick, finished 42nd (blown engine)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Duck Commander 500 Texas Race Analysis
by Mike Neff
"That was a great call. We lost the handling a little bit when the sun came out. We were looking at about a sixth-place finish there. We were really happy to see that caution and I think we learned a lesson in California when we took four (tires) there that maybe we would have been better off taking two (tires). Alan (Gustafson) and the guys, they were great in the pits all day long. Man, I so badly wanted to get this Texas A&M maroon in Victory Lane today." - Jeff Gordon, finished second
"We had a good racecar today. The Interstate Batteries Camry was pretty good. We come from the back, up to the front, had a good car through the middle. We led some, then Jeff was pretty good. The Penske cars, I went by one of them in one run like he was standing still, then he went by me in the next run like I was standing still. Kind of crazy the way that happened. They come out of nowhere and took off the last 70 laps, 80 laps, whatever it was. They were going to be tough to beat. We had the second‑to‑the‑last stint where we got behind a little bit on our adjustments, we were loose and I lost time to the leaders. When we came in and pitted on that final green-flag pit stop there, Dave and the guys made good adjustments. I was able to come back up and cut my deficit to the leaders probably in half, but I was probably so far behind I wasn't going to get there." - Kyle Busch, finished third
"We really did -- that was a great call by Billy (Scott, crew chief) and the whole crew. The pit guys did a great job all day and they did a good job on that last stop, obviously when it mattered most. Really proud of everyone on this Aaron’s Dream Machine team -- it’s a great campaign this week, we were letting all the fans know that you can own it, we don’t want them just to lease it, we want them to own it and it’s great to get a top-5 here. Just really proud of the effort. We probably didn’t have a car to win, but we made the most of it. We’ll learn from this and we’ll move on to the next race and we gave it our best there at the end." - Brian Vickers, finished fourth
"We had a really good Target Chevy today. We were average on short runs but I thought we were the best car on a long run. Shine (Chris Heroy, crew chief) and everybody did a great job working on it after practice on Friday. We were terrible, so they worked their butts off all weekend and gave us a good finish. I can’t thank those guys enough and all the fans for sticking it out. I’m sorry you guys had to wait a whole extra day, but I’m glad we put on a good finish." - Kyle Larson, finished fifth
"We just have to keep getting our cars better. We’re just not where the other guys are yet, so we’ve got to keep getting better. I feel better, but it seems every week we’ve got [only] one car that is up there. We’ll keep working on it, but this is a step in the right direction from the 16. I think we’re still a little ways off from the rest of the guys." - Greg Biffle, finished sixth
"We just didn’t qualify well and then we just really struggled. So, we just started -- we were just really far off. We were really loose. We got a little bit better, but really nothing we could compete with." - Matt Kenseth, finished seventh
"Obviously, we had a great car at the beginning of the race. Once I got back in traffic, the car didn’t drive as good. Couldn’t make up any track position and the car took a long time to come in. Our car was way better than 13th. Disappointed with that -- we had a top-5 car -- just didn’t finish that well. Made some mistakes on pit road." - Denny Hamlin, finished 13th
"Joey was just awesome today. He had a great car and did a great job. It was a very strange start, but this [No.] 2 team kept working on the car and got it fixed under that first green/yellow and got us to where we were in pretty raceable shape. We just needed a little bit more for the [No.] 22, but had a really good day going all the way until the end." - Brad Keselowski, finished 15th
"We just didn’t have the forward bite that you need on this track. The car would snap loose – it was a handful to drive at times. We fell a lap down (on lap 157) and couldn’t maintain that “Lucky Dog” position to get us back on the lead lap. We eventually got the lap back, but it was a result of the wave around near the end of the race. We didn't nail it today, but our over-the-wall crew sure did with consistently quick pit stops. They are a big asset to our team." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished 18th
"The Lowe's team gave me a great car today. It's kind of surreal what happened. Junior hit the grass there and something off his car like a splitter or something just destroyed my windshield and then something hit the nose of the car, too. We were in a good position and were running decent lap times when the right rear blew. I'm glad Junior is alright and hats off to my guys today. We played around with some strategy at the end. They never gave up." - Jimmie Johnson, finished 25th
"Something happened with the engine right after that restart. The Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS was really fast. It’s frustrating. I don’t know what else I can say. I didn’t get any indication that anything was going wrong. Hendrick engines are among the fastest and most reliable engines in the garage. We’ll take it back to the shop and figure out what happened. But that’s a disappointing end to the day." - Kevin Harvick, finished 42nd (blown engine)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Duck Commander 500 Texas Race Analysis
by Mike Neff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After NASCAR's Duck Commander 500
by Amy Henderson
Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: Texas-Darlington Edition
by Brad Morgan
by Phil Allaway
by Jeff Meyer
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1995 TranSouth Financial 400 was the first Winston Cup race at Darlington Raceway after a repave. Speeds were up, and that meant that trouble could erupt even faster. Jeff Gordon dominated the early part of the race, but ended up out early. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Here's an easy one. Davey Allison entered the 1992 Mountain Dew Southern 500 with a chance to become the second driver to win the Winston Million. The caution came out for rain with a little over 70 laps to go. Drivers needed fuel and tires in order to make a stretch run to the finish, but weather created an opportunity for Darrell Waltrip to skip the stop and earn his 84th and final Winston Cup victory. Back then, only NASCAR had access to a radar and they kept it at their "Big Red Truck." Teams would send a crew member to the truck to take a look and gauge their strategy based on what they saw. What did Allison's crew member reportedly say about the radar?
A: The crew member reportedly came back to crew chief Larry McReynolds and said that it was green. Apparently, that meant that it looked good to him. The team chose to pit based on that information. In reality, that meant that the track was surrounded by precipitation. Darrell Waltrip stayed out with that same information and stole the win. Allison was forced to settle for fifth.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1995 TranSouth Financial 400 was the first Winston Cup race at Darlington Raceway after a repave. Speeds were up, and that meant that trouble could erupt even faster. Jeff Gordon dominated the early part of the race, but ended up out early. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Here's an easy one. Davey Allison entered the 1992 Mountain Dew Southern 500 with a chance to become the second driver to win the Winston Million. The caution came out for rain with a little over 70 laps to go. Drivers needed fuel and tires in order to make a stretch run to the finish, but weather created an opportunity for Darrell Waltrip to skip the stop and earn his 84th and final Winston Cup victory. Back then, only NASCAR had access to a radar and they kept it at their "Big Red Truck." Teams would send a crew member to the truck to take a look and gauge their strategy based on what they saw. What did Allison's crew member reportedly say about the radar?
A: The crew member reportedly came back to crew chief Larry McReynolds and said that it was green. Apparently, that meant that it looked good to him. The team chose to pit based on that information. In reality, that meant that the track was surrounded by precipitation. Darrell Waltrip stayed out with that same information and stole the win. Allison was forced to settle for fifth.
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 Wednesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Greg Davis
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Duck Commander 500 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Tom is back with some more quick hits from last weekend in Texas.
The Frontstretch Five by Amy Henderson
Amy steps up with 1,2,3,4,5 reasons you should be concerned about something going on in NASCAR this week.
Open Wheel Wednesday by Matt Stallknecht
Matt returns with another look inside the Verizon IndyCar Series ahead of their visit to Long Beach.
Frontstretch Fan Q&A by Summer Bedgood
Summer returns for her weekly session of answering questions from you, our loyal fans. Do you have a question or comment for Summer? Don't be shy. Just send her an email (summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com) and you might just see your name in print!
NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After Texas compiled by Mike Mehedin
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s early crash on Monday cost him the points lead, but how did it scramble our power rankings? Find out how your favorite national experts voted, laughing along with their one-liners in the latest update of our weekly NASCAR poll.
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.
-----------------------------
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Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2014 Frontstretch.com
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