The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 2nd, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CXLIX
Top News
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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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The 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup: Who Ought to Make the Cut?
Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle and Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, and Kevin Harvick have all won their way into the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Matt Kenseth has locked his team into the game by virtue of his standing on points. Two positions remain in the 16-person field, with one race remaining before the new playoffs begin. The question remains: Who will snatch those final spots? Remember, the only way into the Chase is by winning or by managing to drop the No. 31 and No. 16 out of points contention. However, I'm going to avoid the obvious answers (like Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle) and be offering up who ought to make it into the big show. Which five drivers would make the fans of the sport the happiest, if their own driver hasn't already got them buying new T-shirts?
1.) Tony Stewart. Far and away the most polarizing story of the season, NASCAR Nation can't stop talking about Smoke. After a broken leg took him out of racing for the last half of the 2013 season, we really thought we got the old Tony back this year. The No. 14 had been looking mighty racy; that is, until Stewart's involvement in the tragedy and death of Kevin Ward, Jr. at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. NASCAR's sanctioning body has provided a waiver to Stewart for the Chase, should he manage to win a race. If there was a way to show Smoke just how much he means to the sport, and that he is loved, seeing him in the Chase would do it.
2.) Danica Patrick. Before you get all bent out of shape about how only the best teams and drivers should grab a spot in the Chase, remember we've got two underdog teams already in the running. Aric Almirola enjoyed the benefits of a rain-shortened event to get his No. 43 in and AJ Allmendinger strutted his stuff on a road course -- not one of those is to be had in the playoff season. Neither team is expected to make it past the first cutoff and I wouldn't expect the No. 10 team to do that, either. However...
Danica Patrick remains the most visible driver in the NASCAR garage. You can find her name anywhere on the planet. It is not the number of trophies on her mantle that garners the attention, but her incredible positive media presence. Lining her up in the Chase would help the sport grab some sorely needed attention just when the NFL is about to nudge NASCAR off the headlines. Besides, it just doesn't hurt to have a positive role model out there for the next generation of girls who just might grab those trophies.
3.) Kyle Larson. Amazing rookies just haven't been growing on trees as of late. This year is the first in a very long time where a yellow stripe has been figuring in the top 10 on a regular basis. Not only is Larson backing up the hype with positive results, he's also the poster child for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. Adding him to the media blasts that accompany the start of the Chase will only do good things for our sport. Besides, don't we all enjoy a good chat around the water cooler when we find a new hero to cheer for? It's time to breathe new life and a new generation into our sport.
4.) Brian Vickers. When we look to the Sprint Cup driver roster, we are always seeking that smiling role model that we can point to and say, "He really deserves all the money and fame." Vickers has been that guy for a long time. Yet year after year, he's struggled to put together an entire season worthy of adulation, due in part to his health issues. This year, he's driving with the wounded and still recovering Michael Waltrip Racing, which drew away some attention from the usually smiling competitor. He's a good spokesman for his team, but I do think they are not such a great sponsor for him. The taint of last year's Spingate lingers. It's time for Vickers to enjoy some of the spotlight just because he's a nice guy, and a win would do that by launching him into the Chase.
5.) Jamie McMurray. There should always be a nice guy in the garage. For decades, Mark Martin enjoyed the moniker of "gentleman racer." We rarely saw the wiry little driver lose his cool on the track or face to face. Jamie McMurray was cut from the same cloth. Always smiling with a ready, positive comment, there's nothing that can dim Jamie Mac's outlook -- except for the fact he's never managed to pull together that final dash at the end of the year. McMurray's grabbed the big wins, like the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, but the No. 1 is often lost in the mire of the also-ran crowd. Wouldn't it just be nice to add his smiling face to the Chase contenders? There's no reason why he couldn't pull a win out of his helmet this week.
And there we have it -- not the teams who are destined to win at Richmond, but the drivers I would like to see make their way into the Big Show. Sometimes, racing isn't all about winning. Sometimes, we just want a good story to add to the day. I believe Stewart, Patrick, Larson, Vickers and McMurray are the guys and girl able to give us a great show.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Oral-B USA 500
1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson: Started 3rd, Finished 8th (1st in RoTY standings)
2.) No. 7 Michael Annett: Started 25th, Finished 21st (4th in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier: Started 31st, Finished 26th (3rd 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.
Have No Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Atlanta 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 and picks three who stood out.
Underdog Selection No. 1: Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing; started 25th, finished 21st
Annett has had some surprisingly solid runs lately, and this week he was the best among his small-team peers with his 21st-place result. TBR has done well with this team, moving in a positive direction thanks to the sponsorship money Annett brings to the table. It's further evidence that it's lack of money, not lack of talent or dedication, that keeps the small teams from moving up the NASCAR ladder. Annett has had a respectable rookie season and things are looking up for TBR as a whole.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 24th, finished 22nd
Mears' night didn't look good early on, as he fell as low as 40th early and fought handling issues. Mears and the No. 13 team worked to improve the car, though, and by the end of the night, Mears was in a decent if not spectacular position. He's just seven points behind AJ Allmendinger for the top spot among the small teams. Mears' strength lies in his detailed communication with his crew, and with the resources to make positive changes, further improvement could be in the cards.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Justin Allgaier for HScott Motorsports; started 31st, finished 26th
Once again Allgaier had a strong run, finishing better than he started and gaining momentum for his No. 51 team. He's third in rookie points, 34 behind Austin Dillon, who is running for a much more established and better-funded team. Allgaier has shown improvement throughout 2014.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Richmond-II: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
My Atlanta pick was AJ Allmendinger, who qualified 23rd but fell out of the race early after damage from a blown tire and subsequent scrape with the wall (40th). This week, I'm going with Mears, despite Allgaier's better average finish because Mears has more experience at the track, which is known for its trickiness. Don't expect Mears to do anything crazy, like winning the race, but he should deliver his team a solid finish.
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.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Jeff Gordon started the 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo from the pole in the Fall Richmond race running his Chromillusion Bugs Bunny scheme. However, it didn't take long for his night to go right in the toilet. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: The 1988 Miller High Life 400 was the very first race at Richmond International Raceway following the conversion from a narrow, .538-mile oval to a three-quarters of a mile D-shaped oval. The beginning of the race was marked by nearly half the field having to move to the rear. Why did this happen?
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 Atlanta compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jeff Gordon lost just a little bit of his lead after having a tire issue early on. Does that also mean he also lost 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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