The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 19th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CXXXIX
Top News
Ernie Cope to Serve As Chase Elliott's Crew Chief in 2015
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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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It's Time to Make Better Decisions About What We Know to Be True
"Make no judgments where you have no compassion." -- Anne McCaffrey
That was a great race on Sunday! It certainly made my day, what with Jeff Gordon notching his 91st win. Wow, can you believe his career? Of course you can. You, my friends, are NASCAR fans -- as am I. Logano looked mighty sad when he missed the last restart, didn't he? You also know that JJ and Newman had words post-race, and that Jimmie brushed it aside as Ryan being Ryan. You may have felt sorry for Kyle Larson when his No. 42 hit the wall, placing him out of the Chase, at least for the moment. Did you chuckle or just get irritated as Danica took out half the field? And Harvick... still no win at Michigan!
Perhaps the hardest storyline to watch unfold was Jeff Burton's. Sitting in the No. 14 in place of Tony Stewart, the car suffered a broken tailpipe, dropping their Chevy out of competition for enough laps to ruin their day. The stress of the last week could be seen in every crew member's face and heard in Burton's voice as he chatted with the press. There would not even be a good finish to soften the day.
We know all of these facts because we watched the event unfold before our eyes. We cannot be led away from the truth when we saw it happen. However, things do occur that we did not witness. What do we do then? We rely upon the media to deliver unbiased, verified data. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case of late.
Monday, I came into work and was greeted with a co-worker who actually wanted to talk NASCAR for the first time ever. I looked forward to the conversation. Perhaps all the headlines of recent got him to watch a race.
Instead... I remain disillusioned. All he wanted to know was a question that, to him held an inevitable answer: when Tony Stewart was going to be arrested for murder. Yes, a full ten days after the sensational headlines and he's still obsessing. He then continued to spout all the half-truths and internet garbage regarding the Kevin Ward, Jr. tragedy, complete with the trashy legal analysis regarding Stewart's guaranteed future behind bars. He also spouted quotes from the sheriff's department that were never made.
I snapped and explained what was true and what was not. What we know and what we don't. And most of all, yelled at him for believing every piece of crap he sees. But what really grinds my gears is that this conversation wasn't the first I had in the past week where Nancy Grace apparently became an auto racing expert in a matter of seconds. Perhaps the discussion that sent me over the edge was another ignoramus who not only knew exactly what happened at Canandaigua but was also privy to the shooting in Ferguson, MO.
I know telling the press to hold to their standards and only report what can be verified as true, resisting making sheer conjecture while delivering it to the viewing sheep known as The World is pointless. But on a grassroots level, I do believe I can make a difference. I did this week. I spent enough time with the misled and showed them the press releases and actual quotes from all parties involved. Then, I told them to go digging and find the same from Ferguson. It's a quest for them to draw their own conclusions, using the gray matter between their ears instead of leaping off cliffs because the television told them to.
I'm reaching out to you to join forces and do the same. Help to stop the stupidity. If you hear somebody spreading answers regarding an open investigation, filled with questions please make them stop. Share your knowledge and understanding. Seek out the truth, relying only upon real experts, not the ones found on the side of the road with a nightly talk show or trashy website. It's only when we understand the facts -- unsullied by the light of a media feeding frenzy -- that we start to realize it is only with compassion for all the parties involved that we'll find the light at the end of the tunnel of such tragedies.
One can only hope the media moguls will learn that lesson, one of these days. Until then, we're on our own. Keep thinking, America.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Pure Michigan 400
1.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - Started 8th, Finished 22nd (2nd in RoTY standings)
2.) No. 26 Cole Whitt - Started 36th, Finished 25th (5th in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 23 Alex Bowman - Started 32nd, Finished 26th (6th in RoTY standings)
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.
0
Laps led by any Toyota driver on Sunday, at a race (Michigan) which is supposed to be the main showcase for all three manufacturers. How bad have things been for Toyota? The last time they led a race was Pocono, two weeks ago when Matt Kenseth popped in front of the field for just three of 200 laps.
1
Roush Fenway Racing car to run inside the top 10 in both Michigan races this season (Greg Biffle). That's the lowest total for the organization since 1989, when they ran just one car on the Cup circuit (Mark Martin). RFR, whose 13 victories in the Irish Hills are the most for them at any track also failed to lead a lap in both Michigan races.
2
Of 8 cautions Sunday that were either competition based or for debris on the racetrack. That's the most for the Cup Series in any race since New Hampshire in July.
3
DNFs this season for Kyle Larson, all of them due to in-race wrecks. The rookie, who was dead last Sunday now sits 24 points outside a Chase "transfer spot" with three races remaining.
4
Straight second-place results at Michigan for Kevin Harvick. In three of those races, Harvick failed to lead a lap despite finishing in the runner-up spot.
4.25
Average finish over the past four races for Joey Logano as his Penske Racing team gets revved up for the Chase.
5
Drivers inside the top 30 in Sprint Cup points who now must win in order to make the Chase. That list includes some heavy hitters: Martin Truex, Jr., Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Danica Patrick, Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett are now over 141 points behind the last transfer spot, Greg Biffle, and have only one route left to make the field: win.
8
Victories for Hendrick Motorsports in the last 13 Cup races. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have three apiece while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has two. By comparison, no other organization on the Cup circuit has more than two during the same stretch (Penske Racing - Brad Keselowski).
8
Intermediate races held at 1.5 or 2-mile tracks this season. Of those, Hendrick Motorsports has won the most (four) followed by Penske Racing with three and Joe Gibbs Racing with one (Kyle Busch - Fontana). Remember, the Chase has five of ten tracks that are 1.5 miles in length (Chicagoland, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas, and Homestead).
11
Straight top-15 finishes for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. It's the longest active streak of any Sprint Cup driver.13
40.3
91
Career series victories for Jeff Gordon, leaving him just 14 short of David Pearson for second on the all-time Cup win list. Gordon, at his current pace would catch Pearson during the 2019 season at the age of 48.
$109,900
Money won by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sunday for running all 200 laps and finishing fifth.
$119,646
Money won by Kyle Busch Sunday for crashing within five laps and running 39th.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1999 Goody's Headache Powders 500 is best known for Dale Earnhardt "rattling Terry Labonte's cage" all over Turn 2 on the final lap. Jimmy Spencer benefited from the crash to finish second. What did he try to do after the race?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In the past, the summer race at Bristol was one of the most physically demanding races on the schedule. Taking relief at some point during the race was nothing to be ashamed of. When lights were installed in 1979, that changed to a certain degree, but it was still quite taxing. In 1987, Neil Bonnett was forced to take relief from Ken Schrader during the Busch 500. Why?
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Ashley McCubbin
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Open-Wheel Wednesday by the Frontstretch Staff
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Amy steps up with 1,2,3,4,5 reasons you should be concerned about something going on in NASCAR this week.
NASCAR Mailbox by Summer Bedgood
Summer's ready to once again answer 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 Michigan compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jeff Gordon regained the points lead on Sunday after claiming his third win of the year. Does that also mean he regained the lead in the Power Rankings? Not necessarily. Find out how your favorite experts voted in the latest edition of our weekly poll.
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 editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
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