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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 16th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XCIII
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: O For No More, Johnson Wins at Michigan
by Justin Tucker
For as many ways as there is to win a Sprint Cup Series race, there are just as many ways to lose one. In Jimmie Johnson's case at Michigan International Speedway, he had achieved every which way to lose.
Coming into Sunday's Quicken Loans 400, Johnson was winless in 24 career starts on the two-mile D shaped oval, but it wasn't the lack of wins at MIS that everybody was talking about. Instead, it was the ways that Johnson had lost at MIS that was the hot topic. From running out of gas to blowing engines and everything in between had kept Johnson from going to Victory Lane. Finally on Sunday, it all came together for the six-time champion as he would lead 39 laps on the afternoon and execute Chad Knaus' pit strategy to perfection. He would take the lead for good on lap 191, then held off Kevin Harvick by 1.214 seconds to score his first Michigan win and 69th cup series win of his career.
"We've figured out every way to lose this race and today we were able to get it done," Johnson said in Victory Lane. Given his past history at Michigan, Johnson admitted he was nervous in the closing laps even cracking a joke about what could happen near the finish.
"About 200 yards before the finish line I knew if the car exploded I'd still make it across the line," Johnson said with a chuckle, "so that's when I finally relaxed."
This was Johnson's third win in the last four races and Hendrick Motorsports' fifth win in a row dating back to Jeff Gordon's win at Kansas.
Pole sitter Kevin Harvick had the dominant car for much of the afternoon, leading a race high 63 laps. Unfortunately, Harvick was burned once again after not pitting on lap 123 with the rest of the leaders. It was a mistake Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers took full responsibility for post race and tweeted the following.
"I made a mistake not pitting earlier in the race that ended up costing us the race. @KevinHarvick and the guys did a great job all day," Childers tweeted after the race.
Childers' tweet was small consolation to Harvick, who declined all television and radio interviews, but made the mandatory trip to the Media Center post-race. Harvick's disappointment was evident.
"The car was fast, just wound up on the wrong side of all the strategy," Harvick said after his third consecutive second-place finish at Michigan. "We finished second, and that's it."
It was a day truly dominated by Chevrolet as they would grab seven of the top 10 finishing positions. Rounding out the top 5 in Sunday's Quicken Loans 400 were Brad Keselowski in third, Paul Menard, who won Saturday's Nationwide race in fourth, and Kasey Kahne in fifth.
Points leader Jeff Gordon would come home in sixth, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was seventh. Rookie Kyle Larson finished eighth, while Joey Logano was ninth. Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10.
Several big names would find the Irish hills of Michigan none too kind on Sunday. Kyle Busch was running as high as sixth prior to the left rear wheel hub breaking on his No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry on Lap 79. Busch would take his car to the garage for lengthy repairs and fall out of contention. Busch would eventually finish 31 laps down in 41st. Brian Vickers' day was effectively done before it got started after a lap 1 wreck which put the No. 55 Toyota behind the wheel for many laps. Vickers would finish 42nd. Roush Fenway teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, who have accounted for six wins at Michigan, were never a factor as their Ford's were off on speed all weekend. Biffle would finish 20th and Edwards 23rd respectively. Denny Hamlin's roller coaster season went down again after being involved in a late race wreck. Hamlin finished 29th.
Juan Pablo Montoya made his highly anticipated return to NASCAR on Sunday. Montoya, who went back to his open wheel roots and IndyCar full-time this season, drove a third entry for Team Penske and after struggling with the car much of the weekend, Montoya was able to race the #12 SKF Ford Fusion to an 18th-place finish after starting 28th.
A look at the Quicken Loans 400 by the numbers. There were 25 lead changes among 13 different drivers and eight cautions for 36 laps slowed the race pace to 143.441 MPH.
Next week the Sprint Cup Series will be turning both left and right as they head to the heart of California Wine Country, Sonoma, CA, for the Toyota/ Save Mart 350K. Green flag is scheduled for 3:19 P.M. ET on TNT.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Chasing the Chase: Gordon Maintains Lead, But An Old Challenger Awaits
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: Michigan 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, we take a peek into how the little guys fared in the race.
Underdog Selection No. 1: Justin Allgaier for HScott Motorsports; started 17th, finished 16th
Finally, Allgaier got his day in the sun. After a slow start to 2014 with new team ownership, Allgaier and crew were able to put it all together for a strong finish at the head of the small-team class. This team is still a step behind where it was a year ago, but it is showing signs of a turnaround in recent weeks, and this time out, Allgaier put together a solid effort from qualifying on. It's too soon to say this team has turned it around, but they do have a look of improvement about them as the season goes on.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing; started 23rd, finished 19th
Wood Brothers racing continues to use their limited schedule to their benefit, posing their second top 20 in their last two starts and fourth in six races so far this year. A top-20 effort might not seem like a big deal, but for an underfunded, part-time, single-car team, it's a pretty good benchmark. With Bayne leaving for a full-time ride with Roush Fenway racing next year, the team is in position to help develop another driver in the series, and while the team's glory days are in the past, they have a future in the series, racing on heir own terms.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing; started 37th, finished 21st
Despite his relative lack of Sprint Cup experience, Annett is quietly putting together a decent showing with this team, with sponsorship from pilot Flying J beginning to make a difference for the TBR team. Annett has outpaced his teammate, Reed Sorenson, 11 times in the 15 races they've both competed in and he's been improving. He's had a little bad luck, but Annett is quietly exceeding expectations for a rookie driver with an underdog team.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Sonoma: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing
Our pick last week as well, AJ Allmendinger wasn't as strong at Michigan as he might have been, finishing a fourth-in-class 24th on the day.
As the series swings west to Sonoma for the first road course event of the year, though, Allmendinger remains my pick. In two starts in the Nationwide Series last year, both on road courses, Allmendinger won both times out. True, that was in one of the best cars in the field, but Allmendinger still made it happen with a crew he hadn't had time to gel with. Look for him to be top of the small-team class this week…and don't be surprised if he beats several of the sport's elite. Victory Lane? Not likely, but not totally out of reach.
Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during the race broadcasts? Amy has all the small teams covered each and every week in The Big Six. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
Letter of the Race: Sunday's Quicken Loans 400 was brought to you by the letter "S," for Spread Out. Even with eight cautions on Sunday, much of the race was spent with the leader not really being challenged all that much. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Michigan
by Phil Allaway and Justin Tucker
Homestead Miami Speedway announced on Sunday Morning that they have extended their partnership with the Ford Motor Company in a multi-year deal that runs through the 2019 season with an option through the 2024 season.
Ford Motor Company has been the official sponsor of the Homestead Miami Speedway since 2002. Homestead Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer, Ford Executive Vice President and President of the Americas Joe Hinrichs, and Director of Ford Racing's Jamie Allison made the announcement at Michigan International Speedway.
"Ford is our longest running partner. We are incredibly proud to continue our mutually beneficial long partnership with Ford Motor Company and look forward to many thrilling moments on and around the track in the years to come," said Becherer. "Ford is the winningest manufacturer since we started hosting NASCAR's Championships twelve years ago, and it is only fitting that their name is attached to our championship race weekend in November. History will be made and the drama will be at an all-time high this year with the new format in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship during the Ford EcoBoost 400, starting with what will likely be the most compelling qualifying session of the year on Friday night before the Ford EcoBoost 200. I can't think of a better partner to have than Ford Motor Company as we enter this new era at Homestead-Miami Speedway."
"Extending this long-term sponsorship agreement with Homestead-Miami Speedway is great opportunity for Ford," said Hinrichs. "The Ford Championship Weekend has been a very successful event for us over the past 12 years, especially the chance for the fans to take part in our interactive consumer display with our latest production cars and trucks. With the exciting changes to NASCAR's Chase playoffs this year, we know this should be a big weekend for all of us."
From Our NEW Up To Speed Section On The Website...
"Just so happy to do it. We've always talked about winning here and have been so close. I want to thank all the fans for the awesome turnout today. There was a bunch of you out there. Big thanks to Lowe's and KOBALT. Want to encourage everybody with the rest of the afternoon, the nice day that you have, to go to Lowe's and buy some stuff and plant it in your yard, or whatever you have got to do. But just an awesome performance. As those laps wounds down at the end, I was just wondering what was going to happen and fortunately nothing did." - Jimmie Johnson, race winner
"In my opinion, that Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet belongs in Victory Lane. But, we lost some track position and when we lost track position, we knew it wasn't going to handle good; we were just super loose even when we got clean air. That probably hurt us more than anything. We just never could move forward. And then there at the end, we came in and took two tires and boom, the thing was gone and flying again. So, yeah, sixth is not really indicative of the race car or what I felt like we were capable of, but we'll certainly take it." - Jeff Gordon, finished sixth
"We had a little tough luck on the pit stop. Got a little behind on tires there so we came in and got lefts (side tires) and went to the back of the field and were real fortunate we were able to drive up there and run seventh. Otherwise we had a great day on pit road. Steve (Letarte, crew chief) did a great job. That last run we gave up a couple of spot being super loose. I don't know, we didn't do any adjustments, but the car just didn't like that set of tires. That's a decent run. I'm disappointed. We should have finished three or four spots better than that. That upsets you a little bit." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished seventh. He proceeded to stay up all night thinking about the seventh-place finish.
"I didn't think you could pass this many cars at Michigan. We just fought hard all day long. I spun in the beginning, and hate it for whoever I collected. I know the No. 78 raced me hard all day, so I'm sure he was in it. I feel bad for anybody that got collected in that. Fought back into the top-five. Had a great Target Chevy. There late in the race, I sped on pit road trying to get around Clint. Oh well, it probably hurt us five or so positions, maybe more. I don't know how Jimmie was, or where we would have wound up behind him. All-in-all a good day. Another top-10 for us. Go on to Sonoma next week. Home state, so I will hang out with some friends, and see what we can do there." - Kyle Larson, finished eighth
"Going into today I didn't think our car was gonna be very good, but Todd made some good changes overnight and made us more competitive. We seemed to have some good restarts all day, except for the last one, which is the most important one. We got the run we needed and then got loose and got stuck in the middle of three-wide and lost all the air in the car and lost my momentum so I went back a little bit. That's the only time you're able to pass someone, so you've got to be able to push really hard at those times and we weren't able to capitalize after that. I think we fell back to maybe eighth or ninth and that' s where we rode the rest of the day. All the guys on this Shell/Pennzoil team did everything they were supposed to do. The strategy got a little mixed up at one point and then we didn't get the best last restart and that's what it is. If you put us out front, we can lead laps. If you put us second or third, we'd probably stay there. You place us 10th and we'd probably stay there, too. It's really tough to pass." - Joey Logano, finished ninth
"Really it was about where I thought we would be -- it's about how we ran most of the weekend unfortunately. Just don't have it -- I don't know how else to explain it. We just can't fix it on pit road. We were pretty close now and then on balance, but just can't get within close enough speed of the leaders to be able to hang on to the track position even when the team gives it to me. It's disappointing. I feel like this is a really good track for me and we have just really been off all weekend." - Matt Kenseth, finished 14th
"That was a big struggle. It was pretty tough, but we worked hard and didn't quit. Fortunately, we have a win to get us in the Chase, but we've just got to get better as a group. That's the way it is." - Carl Edwards, finished 23rd
""It's frustrating. I wish I knew -- the car just came around going into (turn) three. I was trying to back the corner up and was taking it easy and just got loose and it just came around from me. I saved it all the way up to the wall and I thought I had it saved and ultimately it just came around and I lost it. I don't know what happened. The car just came out from under me. The track seems really slick right now and it's frustrating. Everyone on this Aaron's Dream Machine did a great job all weekend and we had a really fast car. It's always frustrating to be out this early." - Brian Vickers, finished 42nd
"I feel horrible. We started last and had plenty of time. I saw it and was getting slowed down and was creeping down by the grass. It was almost like a situation where I was going too slow, instead of just driving through the wreck. Once I got to the grass I couldn't go any lower. The car wouldn't turn in the grass and he just kept coming down and it peeled the right-front off of it. The car is hurt pretty bad, so I feel bad for the Go Green Team. Bummer. Lap one. What a disappointing day, but we'll go out there and ride around and finish it out." - Travis Kvapil, finished 43rd (Crashed Out)
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Quicken Loans 400
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: Hendrick Horsepower, RHR's Rebound and a Surprise Nationwide Winner
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Quicken Loans 400
by Amy Henderson
The Dynasty NASCAR Built… Or Is It Hendrick?
by Tom Bowles
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: For Joe Nemechek, Sears Point Raceway (now Sonoma Raceway) was always a hard nut to crack. After 16 starts, Nemechek's average finish is just 29.5 (his best finish is 11th in 2000). Early in his Cup career, Nemechek fell victim to the same issue in consecutive years in Sonoma. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 1986 Miller American 400 at Michigan International Speedway is best known as Richard Petty's 1,000th career start in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. For Cale Yarborough, the day was going OK, but ended around the two-thirds' mark. What happened?
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 triviaanswers@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Quicken Loans 400 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points To Ponder: Michigan by Danny Peters
Danny returns, wrapping up storylines that are settling this Tuesday while getting us prepped for Sonoma this weekend.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were both in action at Michigan International Speedway. Meanwhile, the Camping World Truck Series made their return to Gateway Motorsports Park after four years. How good were these broadcasts?
We'll take a look at which drivers are looking good as the summer stretch begins, along with who needs some help.
Racing to the Point by Brett Poirier
Brett returns with another interesting commentary.
Voices From The Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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