THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Sept. 16, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLIX
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Sept. 16, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLIX
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What to Watch: Tuesday
- It's penalty day, and we may have a taker this week in the Camping World Truck Series. Austin Dillon's No. 20 Chevrolet was discovered to be too low in the front end after Saturday night's Lucas Oil 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. Dillon is ineligible to earn points in the series, but NTS Motorsports' No. 20 team could be the recipient of owner points deductions and a sizable fine. We'll keep you updated at Frontstretch if anything breaks.
- There is a 1 p.m. presser at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte revolving around 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Wendell Scott. The sport's first African-American Hall of Fame inductee will be honored, through a series of special events at the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway. In addition, David Ragan and Darrell Wallace, Jr. are scheduled to be in attendance.
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 2*#
* - Tape Delayed
# - Repeat Coverage
Top News
by Greg Davis and Joseph Wolkin
Tires Stolen During Chicagoland Race WeekendHere's another rather unusual circumstance. According to Motorsport.com, on Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway, unidentified individuals absconded with tires from Brian Vickers and Ryan Truex's teams. Read more at Frontstretch
Joey Logano Blows Engine In Final Stretch At Chicagoland
When Brad Keselowski was charging to the checkered flag in Sunday's MyAfibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, you may have noticed a plume of smoke in the background. That was Joey Logano blowing an engine exiting Turn 4. While Logano still finished fourth, he was lucky to get to the end with a grille that was completely covered by debris. Read more at Frontstretch
Corey LaJoie To Make Sprint Cup Debut At Loudon
For Corey LaJoie, seat time has been a difficult commodity to come across. Loudon this weekend will only be his fourth race of the year. However, that fourth race will be his Sprint Cup Series debut for Randy Humphrey Racing, running their No. 77 Ford in Sunday's Sylvania 300. Read more at Frontstretch
Have news for Greg and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip. And be sure to visit the website for more news, delivered 24/7!
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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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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
The Magic Of A Blue Sky In September
The Magic Of A Blue Sky In September
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
When we were designing our new living room, there was much discussion over how to make it a NASCAR centerpiece without hitting guests over the head with checkered flags and diecasts lining the walls. We agreed upon a subtle track theme -- make the walls sky blue, a brown floor and an oval green carpet to represent the track and infield. But what blue is actually sky blue? Or better yet, what is the color of the sky that reminds you of a day at the track? Thus, I embarked upon the search for September blue, for the month of September inevitably draws my mind to a week at the track, where the campground is cool and quiet for much of our vacation before NASCAR puts up its Friday tents. Those are happy memories, ones that make my September blue living room a constant reminder that with the arrival of Fall comes lots of good things.
Things like a killer kick-off race for the Chase.
Who would've thunk, right? That Chicagoland -- one of NASCAR's much bemoaned cookie-cutters -- was even capable of putting on a show where the up-and-coming rookie would run shoulder-to-shoulder with not one veteran, but three in the closing laps of the race. We had rim-riding, cars jumping the cushion, a little bit of bumper cars between lovers and a bonzai move down the middle--all in 20 laps. Restarts where nobody kept their car on the straight and narrow, and an engine detonating on the last lap.
The Gibbs cars threatened to shed engine parts throughout the afternoon, but never did. Hamlin finished a very respectable sixth with M&M boy right behind him in seventh. Even the No. 43 of Aric Almirola appeared inside the top 10, bringing a fleeting vicarious thrill while we thought he might just buck the odds and win a Chase race. It made his engine failure all the more crushing.
Finally, as Brad K drove the American flag around the frontstretch for his celebratory burnouts, Jeff Gordon climbed out of his second place Chevy and walked straight over to Larson's slightly battered car. We wondered... did Kyle do something wrong? Did Gordon think that all those crossover maneuvers and pulling the air off his fender by the youngling wasn't as awesome as those watching did? Were we going to see some fireworks on pit road?
Not at all. Instead, the acknowledged veteran of the garage told Larson how proud he was of the rookie's efforts -- and gave him some tips on how not to let victory slip from his grasp in the future. What an excellent example of sportsmanship!
All in all, that was a very fine day of racing, setting us up for Race No. 2 in the Challenger Round of the Chase. Which means...
I hauled the RV up to New Hampshire Motor Speedway and parked it under a beautiful September blue sky. There are hot dogs on the grill this evening, I am wearing my new Michigan International Speedway hoodie, and the "Iiiiice-man" is cruising the lots. In short, life is good. It's very good. And come Sunday afternoon, it'll get even better.
I'll see you Sitting in the Stands.
When we were designing our new living room, there was much discussion over how to make it a NASCAR centerpiece without hitting guests over the head with checkered flags and diecasts lining the walls. We agreed upon a subtle track theme -- make the walls sky blue, a brown floor and an oval green carpet to represent the track and infield. But what blue is actually sky blue? Or better yet, what is the color of the sky that reminds you of a day at the track? Thus, I embarked upon the search for September blue, for the month of September inevitably draws my mind to a week at the track, where the campground is cool and quiet for much of our vacation before NASCAR puts up its Friday tents. Those are happy memories, ones that make my September blue living room a constant reminder that with the arrival of Fall comes lots of good things.
Things like a killer kick-off race for the Chase.
Who would've thunk, right? That Chicagoland -- one of NASCAR's much bemoaned cookie-cutters -- was even capable of putting on a show where the up-and-coming rookie would run shoulder-to-shoulder with not one veteran, but three in the closing laps of the race. We had rim-riding, cars jumping the cushion, a little bit of bumper cars between lovers and a bonzai move down the middle--all in 20 laps. Restarts where nobody kept their car on the straight and narrow, and an engine detonating on the last lap.
The Gibbs cars threatened to shed engine parts throughout the afternoon, but never did. Hamlin finished a very respectable sixth with M&M boy right behind him in seventh. Even the No. 43 of Aric Almirola appeared inside the top 10, bringing a fleeting vicarious thrill while we thought he might just buck the odds and win a Chase race. It made his engine failure all the more crushing.
Finally, as Brad K drove the American flag around the frontstretch for his celebratory burnouts, Jeff Gordon climbed out of his second place Chevy and walked straight over to Larson's slightly battered car. We wondered... did Kyle do something wrong? Did Gordon think that all those crossover maneuvers and pulling the air off his fender by the youngling wasn't as awesome as those watching did? Were we going to see some fireworks on pit road?
Not at all. Instead, the acknowledged veteran of the garage told Larson how proud he was of the rookie's efforts -- and gave him some tips on how not to let victory slip from his grasp in the future. What an excellent example of sportsmanship!
All in all, that was a very fine day of racing, setting us up for Race No. 2 in the Challenger Round of the Chase. Which means...
I hauled the RV up to New Hampshire Motor Speedway and parked it under a beautiful September blue sky. There are hot dogs on the grill this evening, I am wearing my new Michigan International Speedway hoodie, and the "Iiiiice-man" is cruising the lots. In short, life is good. It's very good. And come Sunday afternoon, it'll get even better.
I'll see you Sitting in the Stands.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Myafibstory.com 400
1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - started 10th, finished 3rd (1st in RoTY standings)
2.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - started 15th, finished 16th (2nd in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier - started 26th, finished 27th (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 atsonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) athttps://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
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Numbers Game: MyAFibStory.com 400
by Tom Bowles
0
0
Laps led by defending champ Matt Kenseth at Chicagoland. Kenseth, who was never a factor wound up 11th in the race.
1
1
DNF out of 16 Chase contenders Sunday. Aric Almirola blew an engine and wound up 41st.
2
2
Straight victories by Brad Keselowski for the first time in his Sprint Cup career.
3
3
Top-3 finishes for Kyle Larson in his Sprint Cup career to date. Larson is currently 17th in points, highest of all drivers who missed the Chase.
4
Wins in the last eleven races for Brad Keselowski. That equals the total for Hendrick Motorsports' four-car team during that stretch.
6
6
Cautions at Chicagoland Sunday, four of which were for debris on the racetrack (66.6%).
18
18
Top-10 finishes by Jeff Gordon in 27 races, more than any other driver on the circuit. Gordon would be leading the "old" point standings without a Chase.
79
Laps led by Kevin Harvick Sunday, more than any other driver. Harvick still remains winless, though since the Darlington race in mid-April.
$109,401
$109,401
Money won by Aric Almirola, who finished 41st with that blown engine at Chicagoland after running sixth in the late stages.
$131,045
$131,045
Money won by the actual sixth-place finisher, Denny Hamlin.
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
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Brett Poirier
by Jeff Meyer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the Chase, getting off to a good start is imperative. In the inaugural playoff, Kurt Busch won the first Chase race at Loudon and eventually won the title. However, Jeremy Mayfield was nowhere near championship contention once Homestead came around. What happened early on at Loudon to set Mayfield back?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Originally, New Hampshire Motor Speedway had steady banking of "12 minutes" in the turns (approximately seven degrees) when the track opened in 1990. When were the turns reconfigured to the current design and why?
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the Chase, getting off to a good start is imperative. In the inaugural playoff, Kurt Busch won the first Chase race at Loudon and eventually won the title. However, Jeremy Mayfield was nowhere near championship contention once Homestead came around. What happened early on at Loudon to set Mayfield back?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Originally, New Hampshire Motor Speedway had steady banking of "12 minutes" in the turns (approximately seven degrees) when the track opened in 1990. When were the turns reconfigured to the current design and why?
A: The current design of the corners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was constructed in 2002 in time for the New England 300 in July. The overall goal was to make races at the flat oval more competitive. In terms of lead changes, the move has worked to a certain degree. Lead changes are up from 13 a race to 16.2 since the renovation.
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 triviaanswers@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 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 the Frontstretch Staff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Open-Wheel Wednesday by the Frontstretch Staff
We'll take another look inside the Verizon IndyCar Series as the teams begin the offseason.
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Tom returns with his weekly collection of quick hits. Among them: Can the new Chase be considered a success after just one race?
The Frontstretch 5 by Amy Henderson
Amy is back with 1,2,3,4... no, 5 reasons to make your Wednesday NASCAR reading great.
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 Chicagoland compiled by Michael Mehedin
The Chase is here and Brad Keselowski made a statement Sunday afternoon. Does that mean he tops the rankings, too? Find out how your favorite experts voted in the latest edition of our weekly poll.
Beyond The Cockpit: John Force as told to Toni Montgomery
The 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion sits down and tackles a number of topics, as only John Force can. Don't miss this engaging interview conducted at Charlotte over the weekend.
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