What to Watch: Tuesday
- TriStar Motorsports announced on their Twitter feed that Ross Chastain will drive the No. 10 Toyota in the season-ending Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Details of the deal will be announced next week, but it appears that Chastain will not be start-and-parking. In addition, the team announced the return of Tweaker Energy Shot as the primary sponsor on Mike Bliss' No. 19 this weekend at Texas.
Today's TV Schedule
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
DVR Theater
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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Five Things You Don't Do at Martinsville...Or So I Thought
1.) Turn Right in the Corner
I really thought this was pretty basic when you sign up to be a NASCAR driver. You are forever seeking the infield in this sport. If you want to visit the grandstands, it's best done on foot. In order to gain ground on the track you focus on turning left, left, left. Therefore, I am stymied as to why Kasey Kahne or Brian Vickers would even think that turning right in the middle of the corner would result in anything but lots of carnage, scrunched metal and tempers fraying...oh, wait. Nevermind.
2.) Stop When Exiting Pit Road
We all know whatever it is you do in NASCAR, it's always a race to be first: first one to line up for practice, first team in the garage in the morning, first to take the green flag, first one on pit road, first one off pit road...
Except when Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin tried out braking one another departing pit road. Usually drivers are cheered on by their spotter as they exit to go, go, go but not too fast, or you'll get hit for speeding. Definitely don't stop. That will only result in somebody plowing into your bumper and losing more precious spots on the track. Unless of course you don't want that spot on the track.
Hamlin and Gordon knew restarting on the outside was death to second-place and did all they could to grab the correct place to line up for the restart. Clever drivers. Not clever enough, as neither pilot ended up in Victory Lane.
3.) Give a really pleasant interview when your name is Kurt Busch
There are a few things you can generally rely on at a NASCAR event: the Hendrick contingent will be running up front, there will be several debris cautions for unseen bits of rubber and plastic during the race, and it's always reassuring to know that when a Busch brother meets unfortunate circumstances he'll provide an interview that is likely to offend his owner, sponsor, media and much of the viewing public.
I think I landed in OZ when Kurt Busch's oil line gave way and caught fire during a caution. Was that the same man who has verbally abused police officers, insulted many members of the media, made enemies out of drivers young and old and has generally been known as a porcupine best left alone in the garage? He was practically giggling as he gave a farewell speech for his teammates. I'm still puzzling over what happened there.
4.) Win the Race When You're Out of the Chase
Look, there are three races left to determine who the Four Horsemen will be when we arrive in Homestead. It has been preordained by NASCAR that three of the four spots will be given to the remaining Chasers who win Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix. What does Junior think he's doing by stealing the grandfather clock after failing to move forward into the Eliminator Round? Teams will have to actually run for points positions in order to be eligible for the Cup. Oh hey, isn't that how the championship has been decided for the past thirty-odd years?
The more things change... (Go Junior!)
5.) Jump Up and Down on the Stage When You've Just Won a Clock
All I can say is it was a mighty good thing that two guys were giving the clock a bear hug while the Junior Nation mosh-pit took over the makeshift Victory Lane stage Sunday afternoon. That thing was rocking! There's nothing better than seeing a team toss sponsors and major media outlets aside in order to give themselves a huge pat on the back. But after all the sweat and tears they shed getting to that point, it's wise not to destroy your trophy before you even get it home. (Kyle Busch anybody?)
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500
1.) No. 3 Austin Dillon Started 19th Finished 12th (2nd in RoTY standings)
2.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier Started 22nd Finished 17th (3rd in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 26 Cole Whitt Started 36th Finished 18th (4th 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 email 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: Martinsville II 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: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 15th, finished 9th
Allmendinger has been strong at Martinsville in the past, so it should not be a surprise that he led the way for the small teams this weekend. His top-10 run means that Allmendinger has another top 10 to call his own this week—as in his top 10 points position. If he can finish there, what a story it would make for a team that was struggling to find itself just a year ago.
Underdog Selection No. 2: David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports; started 29th, finished 10th
Ragan probably wasn't on a lot of people's radar on Sunday. His march into the top 10 was methodical and largely done in stealth mode…there wasn't a lot of talk about his day. Ragan took his light blue Wendell Scott Hall of Fame tribute car (Scott also drove the No. 34) through the field from 29th to be in the mix at the finish, using a combination of pit strategy and passing to take his best finish of 2014.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Justin Allgaier for HScott Motorsports; started 22nd, finished 17th
Allgaier continues to improve on a weekly basis. He finished six spots higher than he did in his Martinsville Cup debut in the spring. As Allgaier and his team evolve, the top-20 finishes are getting more frequent—he's now got three in the last five races, not a bad tally for a single-car team with new ownership and a new driver this year.
Underdog Pick of the Week-Texas II: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
I got it right at Martinsville, picking AJ Allmendinger to grab the top spot among the small teams, and he delivered on that with a top-10 run. This week, it's off to Texas, another of the 1.5-mile tracks that are so difficult for the smaller teams to master with their limited resources. Despite repeated frustration with Texas, Mears has a 20.5 average finish, best among the small teams. He's also got a pair of top-5's from his days at Chip Ganassi Racing, so he knows how to get around the place.
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: Texas Motor Speedway has only had their fall Sprint Cup race since 2005. How did the track actually get that race?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: The 2011 WinStar World Casino 350k is best known for Kyle Busch's intentional crash of Ron Hornaday, Jr. that got him parked for the remainder of the weekend. However, that intentional crash actually occurred under caution. What caused the yellow prior to the intentional crash?
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from TBD
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Allen Bedgood
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
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 Martinsville compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jeff Gordon is back on top of the Chase standings. However, how did the action at Martinsville affect the Power Rankings? 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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