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Top News
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 27th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition LXXIX
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 27th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition LXXIX
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What To Watch: Tuesday- We've got testing today. Most Sprint Cup teams are out on the road this week, running in clandestine and non-clandestine locations. The biggest non-clandestine test is a two-day one being held at Pocono Raceway, starting today that will feature 12 different teams. (No. 1 - Jamie McMurray, No. 3 - Austin Dillon, No. 7 - Michael Annett, No. 15 - Clint Bowyer, No. 27 - Paul Menard, No. 31 - Ryan Newman, No. 36 - Reed Sorenson, No. 42 - Kyle Larson, No. 51 - Justin Allgaier, No. 55 - Brian Vickers, No. 66 - Jeff Burton, and No. 78 - Martin Truex, Jr.). The test is open to the public to watch on both days.
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 2*#
DVR Theater (Late Tuesday Night/Early Wednesday Morning)
2:30 AM - 3:00 AM NASCAR Now ESPN2
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Greg Biffle Out At Roush Fenway?
One of the longest-tenured Sprint Cup drivers in the sport could be spending 2015 driving for someone else. Our own Amy Henderson is reporting Greg Biffle, in his twelfth full season driving for Roush Fenway Racing will leave the team effective the end of 2014. Biffle's contract is expiring, along with sponsor 3M which has left him one of NASCAR's most prized free agents, a fact not lost on the 44-year-old in an interview with NASCAR SIRIUSXM Radio last month.
"I think there's plenty of opportunities in the industry to be in competitive cars," he said. "I enjoy being at Roush Fenway. I love 3M. We have a great relationship and the program works really, really well for 3M ... Plain and simple, I've got options. I know I'm going to be racing. I know I'm going to be driving a car. So I'm not worried."
Roush is the only team Biffle has driven for on the Cup level. In 414 career starts, he's won 19 times, collecting 87 top-5 finishes and 12 pole positions. Making the Chase in seven out of its eleven seasons, he finished runner-up to Tony Stewart for the 2005 championship and was 11th in the points last season. So far in 2014, though Biffle has struggled as part of an organization-wide drop in speed for Roush Fenway Racing. With only two top-5 finishes, Biffle sits winless, 11th in points and is in danger of missing this year's Chase.
Stewart Back In A Sprint Car
Tony Stewart is back driving the same type of car that left him with a serious injury last August. "Smoke" drove a Sprint Car at a private test Monday, 9 1/2 months after the broken right leg that derailed the second half of his 2013 Sprint Cup season.
It's unknown when Stewart will actually race a Sprint Car again against other competitors. Still less than 100 percent, continuing rehabilitation his Cup results have showcased the slowness of the recovery. Stewart sits outside the top 20 in points, having led just one race this season in his self-owned No. 14 Chevrolet.
The test was held at a private location, set up in part by a longtime backer of Stewart's, Rush Trucking Centers.
News 'N' Notes
- Jeff Green was named as the driver of TriStar Motorsports' No. 14 Monday for five races later this season. The former Nationwide Series champion, who's been parking the team's No. 10 for several years will drive at Dover this weekend, then Michigan in June, Mid-Ohio in August, Richmond in September and then again at Dover later that month. Green will drive the distance in all events, sponsored by full-time driver Eric McClure's longtime backer, Hefty.
- Former Nationwide Series driver Johanna Long told Popular Speed this weekend she's closing in on a return to the sport later this summer. Currently running Late Models full-time, down in Florida Long has been without a ride since the ML Motorsports No. 70 closed up shop (and transferred some of its equipment/owner points to Derrike Cope) at the conclusion of the 2013 season. "We are working really hard," she said. "We have some leads right now and are presenting them to different teams and them to the sponsors. So I think that by the end of the year, you should see me back out there but if you don't, it's not because I've given up. You've got to keep on digging."
Have news for Kevin and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2014. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
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Today's Featured Commentary
Running the Indy - Charlotte Double: Why Do It?
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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2014. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Running the Indy - Charlotte Double: Why Do It?
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has been the best day for racing fans for quite some time now. Not only are we treated to the longest race on the NASCAR schedule (the Coco-Cola 600), but F1 kicks off the day with the annual Monaco Grand Prix, followed shortly thereafter with the most important race of the year, the Indianapolis 500. It's no wonder that we work our weekend festivities around this day, scheduling barbeques and pool parties for Saturday or Monday. We've got some serious television lined up on Sunday.
I wouldn't call enjoying the Triple Treat something to put on a bucket list as a spectator, but one driver did write down doing Double Duty as one thing he needed to cross off his life list. Kurt Busch became the fourth driver in 20 years to attempt racing both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 on the same day. The challenge remains 1,100 miles to run total on two very different tracks, in vastly different machines, and in two separate states. For any pilot who has crossed over from IndyCar to NASCAR -- or vice versa -- at any time in their career, it's known that doing so is extremely difficult. Hopping from one cockpit to another in under two hours? Well, you can't possibly hope to win. So, why do it? What is the intrigue for a champion of NASCAR to take on the Brickyard in a much smaller car?
Perhaps because it is something we deem impossible.
I, as a regular commuter, know that it would be near impossible to climb into a stock car and not hit the wall on my first lap. It's sort of like having never taking a swimming lesson and jumping into the deep end at the YMCA. Yet, if I was given the opportunity to take all the appropriate lessons and precautions -- oh, hell yeah! Lemme at it! To do something that's completely beyond my daily comfort zone, if only once in my life would be a thrill.
Ah. There you go. Kurt Busch was seeking his moment of greatness. And like the three drivers who also attempted this stunning feat, it earned him my respect. While John Andretti and Robby Gordon never managed to gain the highest accolades in NASCAR, they still remained on my weekly radar in large part due to their Double Duty attempts.
Simply showing up on Sunday, punching the clock and climbing into their daily "offices" wasn't enough for them. They wanted to experience more, even though they lived at the pinnacle of auto racing. And for Tony Stewart? Well, after he arrived in NASCAR in 1999, leaving behind his ride over at the Indy camp, executing the Double Duty in 2001 was simply a nod to his old life. See? I can master more than one ride at a time. While he had already grabbed my attention as a rookie, it was the Double that notched Stewart into my permanent list of drivers to cheer for.
So, why do it? Because it's hard, nobody has ever won both races in the same day, and if we learn one thing on the best day in racing, it's that sometimes simply the act of going farther than anybody else is a race in itself.
I hope Kurt Busch tries again next year, as his sixth-place run at Indy was impressive. Wouldn't it be beyond awesome to have him follow in Tony Stewart's steps and log a top 10 in both races? Oh, so impossible. And so worth pursuing.
That Bucket List isn't quite done. No, not by a long shot.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Coca-Cola 600
1.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - Started 32nd, Finished 16th
2.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - Started 25th, Finished 18th
3.) No. 26 Cole Whitt - Started 31st, Finished 27th
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
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ADVERTISEMENT
Numbers Game: Coca-Cola 600
by Tom Bowles
0
Laps led by Kasey Kahne in this year's Coke 600 (14th-place finish). The struggling Hendrick Motorsports driver had led 262 circuits in the previous three editions of the race.
0
Top-10 finishes or laps led for Austin Dillon since winning the Daytona 500 pole as a rookie. (He led one circuit in that race, winding up ninth).
1
Finish for Matt Kenseth lower than 13th all season, a 37th at Talladega. However, Kenseth still hasn't won.
2
Drivers this season who have led over 600 laps: Kevin Harvick (772) and Jimmie Johnson (691). Both combined to lead 264 of 400 circuits at Charlotte.
3
Debris cautions out of the first four waved in the first 227 laps of the race.
4
Engine failures in the Coke 600, just the third time since 2007 we've had that many. Two (Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart) were from Stewart-Haas Racing.
7
Points wins for Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte, the most for any driver in Cup Series history.
7
Front-row starting spots for Brad Keselowski in twelve races this season. Only once has he qualified outside the top 15.
8
Cautions for 44 laps Sunday, although none were in the first 150 miles.
11
Years since Jimmie Johnson won this late in the season. He captured the Coca-Cola 600 in 2003, then caught fire, winding up the year second in points with three wins.
16
Laps led by potential 2014 free agent Carl Edwards since winning Bristol for Roush Fenway Racing back in March.
The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has been the best day for racing fans for quite some time now. Not only are we treated to the longest race on the NASCAR schedule (the Coco-Cola 600), but F1 kicks off the day with the annual Monaco Grand Prix, followed shortly thereafter with the most important race of the year, the Indianapolis 500. It's no wonder that we work our weekend festivities around this day, scheduling barbeques and pool parties for Saturday or Monday. We've got some serious television lined up on Sunday.
I wouldn't call enjoying the Triple Treat something to put on a bucket list as a spectator, but one driver did write down doing Double Duty as one thing he needed to cross off his life list. Kurt Busch became the fourth driver in 20 years to attempt racing both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 on the same day. The challenge remains 1,100 miles to run total on two very different tracks, in vastly different machines, and in two separate states. For any pilot who has crossed over from IndyCar to NASCAR -- or vice versa -- at any time in their career, it's known that doing so is extremely difficult. Hopping from one cockpit to another in under two hours? Well, you can't possibly hope to win. So, why do it? What is the intrigue for a champion of NASCAR to take on the Brickyard in a much smaller car?
Perhaps because it is something we deem impossible.
I, as a regular commuter, know that it would be near impossible to climb into a stock car and not hit the wall on my first lap. It's sort of like having never taking a swimming lesson and jumping into the deep end at the YMCA. Yet, if I was given the opportunity to take all the appropriate lessons and precautions -- oh, hell yeah! Lemme at it! To do something that's completely beyond my daily comfort zone, if only once in my life would be a thrill.
Ah. There you go. Kurt Busch was seeking his moment of greatness. And like the three drivers who also attempted this stunning feat, it earned him my respect. While John Andretti and Robby Gordon never managed to gain the highest accolades in NASCAR, they still remained on my weekly radar in large part due to their Double Duty attempts.
Simply showing up on Sunday, punching the clock and climbing into their daily "offices" wasn't enough for them. They wanted to experience more, even though they lived at the pinnacle of auto racing. And for Tony Stewart? Well, after he arrived in NASCAR in 1999, leaving behind his ride over at the Indy camp, executing the Double Duty in 2001 was simply a nod to his old life. See? I can master more than one ride at a time. While he had already grabbed my attention as a rookie, it was the Double that notched Stewart into my permanent list of drivers to cheer for.
So, why do it? Because it's hard, nobody has ever won both races in the same day, and if we learn one thing on the best day in racing, it's that sometimes simply the act of going farther than anybody else is a race in itself.
I hope Kurt Busch tries again next year, as his sixth-place run at Indy was impressive. Wouldn't it be beyond awesome to have him follow in Tony Stewart's steps and log a top 10 in both races? Oh, so impossible. And so worth pursuing.
That Bucket List isn't quite done. No, not by a long shot.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Coca-Cola 600
1.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - Started 32nd, Finished 16th
2.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - Started 25th, Finished 18th
3.) No. 26 Cole Whitt - Started 31st, Finished 27th
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Numbers Game: Coca-Cola 600
by Tom Bowles
0
Laps led by Kasey Kahne in this year's Coke 600 (14th-place finish). The struggling Hendrick Motorsports driver had led 262 circuits in the previous three editions of the race.
0
Top-10 finishes or laps led for Austin Dillon since winning the Daytona 500 pole as a rookie. (He led one circuit in that race, winding up ninth).
1
Finish for Matt Kenseth lower than 13th all season, a 37th at Talladega. However, Kenseth still hasn't won.
2
Drivers this season who have led over 600 laps: Kevin Harvick (772) and Jimmie Johnson (691). Both combined to lead 264 of 400 circuits at Charlotte.
3
Debris cautions out of the first four waved in the first 227 laps of the race.
4
Engine failures in the Coke 600, just the third time since 2007 we've had that many. Two (Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart) were from Stewart-Haas Racing.
7
Points wins for Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte, the most for any driver in Cup Series history.
7
Front-row starting spots for Brad Keselowski in twelve races this season. Only once has he qualified outside the top 15.
8
Cautions for 44 laps Sunday, although none were in the first 150 miles.
11
Years since Jimmie Johnson won this late in the season. He captured the Coca-Cola 600 in 2003, then caught fire, winding up the year second in points with three wins.
16
Laps led by potential 2014 free agent Carl Edwards since winning Bristol for Roush Fenway Racing back in March.
23.0
Average finish for Kurt Busch after his "double." Kurt was sixth in the Indy 500 before blowing his engine in the Coke 600, running 40th. Tony Stewart, in 2001 (third at Charlotte, sixth at Indy) remains the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles in one day.
34
Lead changes in the Coca-Cola 600, the same as Sunday's Indy 500. Problem is, NASCAR had 400 laps to do that compared to 200 for Indianapolis.
$103,435
Money won by Trevor Bayne for finishing 20th Sunday night.
$103,154
Money won by Justin Allgaier for going behind the wall and running 37th. No wonder why Bayne is jumping up to Roush?
34
Lead changes in the Coca-Cola 600, the same as Sunday's Indy 500. Problem is, NASCAR had 400 laps to do that compared to 200 for Indianapolis.
$103,435
Money won by Trevor Bayne for finishing 20th Sunday night.
$103,154
Money won by Justin Allgaier for going behind the wall and running 37th. No wonder why Bayne is jumping up to Roush?
Tom Bowles is the Editor-in-Chief of Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Greg Davis
by Brad Morgan
by Jeff Meyer
by Phil Allaway
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1992 Goodwrench 200 at Dover for the Busch Grand National Series had a short field of just 27 cars. Of those 27, second-year driver Jeff Gordon was one of the fastest, starting from the outside pole and leading 75 laps. However, he ended up with a very disappointing finish. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In the 1993 Budweiser 500, there were a number of on-track incidents. But none of them caused as much anger as the one that brought out the 13th caution on Lap 417. What happened?
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1992 Goodwrench 200 at Dover for the Busch Grand National Series had a short field of just 27 cars. Of those 27, second-year driver Jeff Gordon was one of the fastest, starting from the outside pole and leading 75 laps. However, he ended up with a very disappointing finish. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In the 1993 Budweiser 500, there were a number of on-track incidents. But none of them caused as much anger as the one that brought out the 13th caution on Lap 417. What happened?
A: Darrell Waltrip was running decently in his Western Auto Chevrolet, in position for a potential top-10 finish when he was approached by rookie Jeff Gordon. Gordon wanted to get by Waltrip and didn't seem to use any patience, simply rooting the three-time Winston Cup Champion out of the way and into the Turn 4 wall. Waltrip, needless to say, was not happy.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get 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 tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Ashley McCubbin
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Ashley McCubbin
-- Professor of Speed by Dr. Mark Howell
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Allen Bedgood
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Open-Wheel Wednesday by Matt Stallknecht
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Open-Wheel Wednesday by Matt Stallknecht
Matt is back with another interesting look at the Verizon IndyCar Series, analyzing the Indy 500 ahead of this weekend's Chevrolet Duals in Detroit.
Mike sits down with the Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year contender to talk about how his season has gone to date and how he was "thrown into the NASCAR fire," so to speak at age 16.
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice, as Spring turns into Summer the race for the Chase is more set than we might think? Does that mean we'll actually focus on individual races from now on? Tom Bowles reports on that, whether the Indy-NASCAR double was a missed opportunity and more.
Racing to the Point by Brett Poirier
Relocated from Tuesday for one week only, Brett returns with another interesting commentary. This week, it's all about the Hall of Fame as Brett goes over the short and long-term future for choosing inductees.
NASCAR Mailbox 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 Charlotte compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jimmie Johnson finally got to Victory Lane on Sunday night: surprise, surprise. How did Sunday's action affect the rankings? Find out how your favorite national experts voted, laughing along with their one-liners in the latest update of our weekly NASCAR poll.
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