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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Oct. 6, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLXXIII
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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Logano Wins at Kansas as Chasers Falter
by Justin Tucker
After Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the Contender round and the overall Chase for the Sprint Cup championship picture has been turned upside down. But for one young driver, enjoying a career year, the road to the title is suddenly right side up.
As many of the top contenders would struggle through a cool and windy Fall afternoon, Joey Logano solidified his spot in the Eliminator round, leading a race-high 122 laps and holding off a surging Kyle Larson to score the win. Logano's fifth victory ties his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski for the series lead, keeping his head above water on a day many top rivals drowned.
"Getting us to the next round, that's awesome," Logano said. "This is so much fun, I'm having a blast this year, and we've got a real shot to win this championship. I feel like we're one of the teams to beat."
A fellow young driver rose along with Logano, a 20-something youth movement in full force as Larson spent the closing laps tracking down the No. 22 Ford. Closing the gap to within half-a-second, it looked like the 22-year-old would have his first career win in hand but progress stalled for the rookie just before the checkered flag.
"I stayed within probably six or seven car lengths for 10 to 12 laps, and once I got closer, I got pretty loose," Larson said after collecting his third runner-up finish of 2014. "So I was trying to run even closer to the wall to get some of that air out of my rear spoiler. It was still too loose. I don't think there was anything I could have done there at the end to get any closer than I did."
So Larson settled for second, while Kyle Busch scored a career-best finish at Kansas by coming home third. In the past, Busch has had his championship hopes derailed on many occasions at the 1.5-mile track but avoided calamity and felt like he came away with a moral victory. It was the first top-5 finish for Busch in 15 career starts there.
"I won today," he said. "I just didn't get champagne and a trophy."
Rounding out the top 5 of Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 were Martin Truex, Jr. earning a season-best fourth-place finish while hometown boy Carl Edwards ran fifth. Ryan Newman was sixth, Denny Hamlin seventh, Austin Dillon eighth, Paul Menard ninth, while Brian Vickers rounded out the top 10.
Perhaps the bigger story behind the race winner was how Kansas Speedway lived up to its mantra of impacting the championship picture. Four Chasers finished 22nd or worse, most notably six-time and defending champion Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson's weekend got off to an inauspicious start on Friday after spinning during the opening round of qualifying. That left Johnson starting 32nd, his worst qualifying effort in the Chase since November 2005 and the No. 48 team never fully recovered. Johnson made gains in the early going of the race on Sunday, working his way slowly inside the top 20 until lap 85, when being mired in midpack got the best of him. Shortly after a restart, Greg Biffle made contact with Johnson's No. 48, spinning the Lowe's Chevrolet into the inside wall on the backstretch while collecting Justin Allgaier and Josh Wise in the mess. The wreck forced Johnson to take his car to the garage, losing valuable time en route to a 40th-place finish, scored 87 laps off the pace. Johnson is now 12th in points, 27 behind his Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon for the eighth and final Chase transfer spot with two races remaining.
"It just means we've got to be on our game at Charlotte and Talladega," Johnson said. "We'll see how the other Chasers fare. If I can get taken out today, somebody else can later in this event or at Charlotte. Certainly need W's, I would assume, going forward."
Johnson's teammate, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., also found issues while leading on lap 122. The right front tire let go on his No. 88 Chevrolet, sending him hard into the wall. Earnhardt's team was able to make repairs, but finished 39th after what appeared to be a top-5 caliber day early.
"Just the whole surface of the tire unwound like a string. It just came off the tire and it popped off the corner," said Earnhardt. "Man, that was a great race car. We hadn't been running very good the last several weeks."
Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski also saw their days impacted by contact with the wall, dropping well off the pace and outside the top 8 in points. Their issues impacted the thinking of other drivers, forcing a conservative mindset that burned at least one other Chaser. Kevin Harvick, who started from the pole, grew nervous when his No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet began not to turn. Thinking he had a tire issue, Harvick brought his car down pit road but crew chief Rodney Childers told Harvick that all four tires were fine. Once again, despite having a top-3 car Harvick's chance for the win was lost; he struggled back to finish 12th.
That paved the way for Logano to cruise, with only Larson and Newman, who briefly made it to the front on pit strategy posing as his main competition. Logano now leads the points, in position to challenge for a title at the same age Jeff Gordon, who was the "anointed driver" of the last generation won his first championship in 1995.
"When I see other Chase guys having troubles, that's when you say, holy cow, this is really about a solid finish here today," he said. "It sets you up pretty good for getting to the next round. But you dangle a checkered flag in front of me, I'm going to go."
A look at the Hollywood Casino 400 by the numbers. There were 25 lead changes among eight different drivers and eight cautions for 34 laps slowed the race pace to 141.951 mph. Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500. Green flag is scheduled for 7:46 p.m. ET next Saturday night.
Justin Tucker is a newsletter contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact newsletter manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He didn't have the best car all day but he had the best car when it mattered. Kyle Busch made a late-race pass on Kevin Harvick with 20 laps to go to score his fifth win of the season and the 69th Nationwide Series win of his career in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway.
Busch would beat Harvick to the line by just over a second. Ryan Blaney finished third, Paul Menard fourth, and Ty Dillon finished fifth on another day dominated by Sprint Cup Series regulars.
Saturday's race at Kansas was nothing short of wild and unpredictable as nine cautions slowed the race pace for 42 laps and put an emphasis on track position. As cool temperatures and windy conditions played havoc with car setups and pit strategy, Busch and his main rival Harvick found themselves up front when it mattered most, fighting it out for another win.
Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Trevor Bayne, Brian Scott and Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10. Chase Elliott left Kansas with a strong grasp on the championship as he extended his points lead to 38 over teammate Regan Smith. Ty Dillon remains third while Scott, Sadler, Bayne, Chris Buescher, Brendan Gaughan, Ryan Reed, and James Buescher round out the top 10 in points.
The Good:
Roger Penske appears to have locked up the next up and coming star in the Nationwide Series with Ryan Blaney. Blaney turned in another magnificent effort Saturday, starting second and finishing third. Blaney led 33 laps and ran in the tire tracks of Busch and Harvick down the stretch, acting as a Cup contender on a day where Nationwide and Truck stars appeared a step behind. In his eleven Nationwide starts, Blaney has 10 top-10 finishes, including six top 5s in his last seven Nationwide races. Blaney, set to move up to this series at least part-time next season is already a major force.
If it weren't for Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon would hands down be the Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year in 2014 and maybe even the championship favorite. Dillon picked up his sixth top-5 finish and 22nd top 10 of the season, fifth at Kansas after a strong qualifying effort landed him on the pole. Wins will come soon for Dillon and show Indy wasn't a one trick pony.
The Bad:
That door you just heard slamming was in the face of the last remaining hopes Regan Smith had of winning the championship this season. Smith suffered a broken sway bar in his backup car, the final straw in a difficult weekend after wrecking his primary in qualifying. Smith finished eight laps down in 22nd and lost 12 points to his rookie teammate. Now 38 points behind with just four races to go, Smith needs Chase Elliott to have trouble in order to have a shot by Homestead. While coming back for another year with JR Motorsports, a contract extension that was announced this week Smith has to feel like this year's title is getting away.
The Ugly:
I am all for drivers coming in trying to make their way in NASCAR, but the Milka Duno experiment needs to come to an end. Duno finally qualified for her first Nationwide race this weekend and was out of it just as fast as she got in, crashing just three laps into the 200-lap event. Nothing against Duno, but she should have continued in ARCA or moved to the K&N Series before making a try in Nationwide. If she wants to race, develop her the right way... don't have her out there as a publicity stunt.
Underdog of the Race:
Always good to see David Starr have a great run and that is exactly what he did on Saturday as he finished 15th in his No. 44 Toyota. Starr is a proven winner, a former Truck Series full-timer that deserves another top opportunity in Trucks or Nationwide.
Double Duty and Start and Park Effect:
Eight of the 40 drivers that competed on Saturday also competed on Sunday.
Two of the 40 cars decided to start-and-park.
Final Word:
Kansas definitely moved the needle as far as excitement that Dover failed to deliver and Chase Elliott's only competition after Kansas now is himself. Charlotte might be Elliott's last obstacle in search of his first championship. And for what the drivers and teams battled all day on Saturday, the race was stellar. It's definitely one of the better 1.5-mile events NASCAR has produced this season.
Chasing the Chase: Logano Locks Into Next Round While Others Struggle
Chase Point Standings: 1) Joey Logano 3048, 2) Kyle Busch -6, t-3) Carl Edwards -9, t-3) Ryan Newman -9, 5) Denny Hamlin -11, 6) Kevin Harvick -15, t-7) Matt Kenseth -17, t-7) Jeff Gordon -17, 9) Kasey Kahne -25, 10) Brad Keselowski -39, 11) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -42, 12) Jimmie Johnson -44, 13) AJ Allmendinger -938, 14) Greg Biffle -947, 15) Kurt Busch -973, 16) Aric Almirola -974.
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: Kansas Edition
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. 2: Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing: started 35th, finished 21st
After a terrible Nationwide race on Saturday, Cassill came back Sunday and put up his best unrestricted run of the season. Cassill was aided by three convenient Lucky Dogs shortly after being lapped, but he was able to keep himself out of trouble and earn a decent finish for Hillman Racing's small operation. With the No. 40 car's plans up in the air for 2015, impressive runs like this one will keep them on the track and connected to sponsorship.
Cole Whitt and BK Racing introduced a new primary sponsor, Moen Faucets to the No. 26 Toyota in Kansas. In the race, Whitt struggled with handling issues, but managed to keep himself out of trouble and came home as the second car off the lead lap, albeit three circuits off the pace of the leaders. Still, a top-25 result is a promising performance for this rookie who's weathered adversity throughout the course of 2014. Cassill and Allmendinger were the only small teams in touch with the leaders, exceptions to the rule on an intermediate track that left all other "underdog" operations several laps off the pace. The lack of horsepower for these teams ultimately showed.
Letter of the Race: Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway was brought to you by the Letter S for "Survival." Luckily for the drivers, warmer temperatures on Sunday allowed the groove to expand and lower the likelihood of crashes. However, there were still a number of wrecks and a number of tire issues. Those problems bit the worst teams on-track as well as the very best. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories
by Phil Allaway
"Just the whole surface of the tire unwound like a string. It just came off the tire and it popped off the corner," Earnhardt Jr. said. He later compared the tire to a recap, where tread is replaced on tires in order to give them additional life. It is a move rarely used on tires for passenger cars these days, but is often done to tires on commercial vehicles.
"What a crazy race. We had such a fast Shell Pennzoil Ford again. It is so much fun to race these cars lately. Everyone at Team Penske has given me great stuff to work with. It is awesome to be back in victory lane again. I felt we had a good car all weekend; I wasn't 100 percent sure, but once that top opened up it just took off and there were a couple cars that could run up there and it was me and the [No.] 42 that were the fastest up there. We were able to capitalize and do what we needed to do. It was fun." - Joey Logano, race winner
"I don't know if he was better than us, and I don't know if we were better than him. I thought we were pretty equal and were running about the same laps there on the last run. Our Target Chevrolet SS was really good and we had to work on it just a little on the first run because we were pretty loose, but we got some track position and held it the rest of the race. Just a good finish and we were so even that I couldn't do anything. I was hoping I would get a run on him in traffic and all the lappers were giving us the top, so it kind of made it kind of easy for him to run the top. Another second and can't be too disappointed with it. The wins will be coming, so I just have to be patient and every time I am in the top three, it's just going to make the wins feel that much better. So thanks to Chip, Felix, Target and everybody that sponsors this race car. We have been really fast lately, so hopefully we can start clicking off some wins." - Kyle Larson, finished second
"When the race started, I felt good about it. Honestly, the guys have done a very nice job on the Furniture Row team bringing good race cars the last few weeks. They have been working really hard to get this program turned around. It's nice to get some good results. They really deserve it; they have been working hard for it. Just hope we can keep these good runs going the rest of the year and hopefully be able to come out of the box next year strong. That is what we are planning on." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished fourth
"That was an awesome finish for us. I appreciate everyone coming out here and supporting this [No.] 99 team, it meant the world. We did not run very well all day but that was awesome at the end, a lot of fun. We put it on the top and ran around and it was a lot of fun. We will keep doing what we are doing. I am so proud of my guys, they did great on pit road. Everyone on the Fastenal crew did a great job and Jimmy Fennig made the right calls and we came home with a top 5, so it was a good day." - Carl Edwards, finished fifth
"I just knew we were a sitting duck [on restarts] on the high side. Just kind of really struggled with restarts, I think mostly our setup more than anything. Just a good run for the Caterpillar Chevrolet, it was nice to lead some laps. First time in a long time we have done that, but didn't lead the right ones. We will just keep working on it. Proud of the guys; they are coming to the race track with really good race cars and improved on it the entire weekend. We took advantage of some other people's misfortunes today, a good points day for us." - Ryan Newman, finished sixth
"The car was a handful most of the day. I think we wrecked 15 times and didn't hit anything. We didn't get much practice yesterday — we had a couple shock issues that kind of messed us up for the two practices. Then, we finally got that figured out on the last run of practice. Basically, today's race was our practice. It just took us until the end of the race to kind of get it figured out. There were a few runs there where we were horrible and trying to learn and trying things that didn't work and did work. Then, that last run the guys said, 'Screw it,' and threw the kitchen sink at it with a couple changes where we were trying to learn something for the future and it was just awesome. We drove back up from 20th to 10th and could have been even better if we would have had more time and track position. Proud of the Aaron's Dream Machine guys — they did a good job getting the car better. It was just unfortunate that we weren't better most of the day. We could have been racing for a win. Considering everything we had to overcome this weekend I would say we're pleased, but not satisfied." - Brian Vickers, finished tenth
"This is the best weekend we have had in a long time, for sure. Happy with the car throughout the whole race, we are just lacking a little bit of overall speed. Just going back and forth fighting between tight – mostly tight, we got a little bit loose one time. It was a good car, by far the best we've been. I hate that I gave up that spot on the last restart, but overall points wise it's good. We beat who we need to beat that is behind us. I thought we learned some stuff and made the car way better. That is the best 1.5-mile car I've had in over a year. Hopefully, we learned for Charlotte." - AJ Allmendinger, finished 11th
"Not good — we just got some damage there and took a long time to fix it. That got us way behind and then it was just uphill from there. We had a set of tires that got loose then we had an unscheduled stop and got behind. Just could never get back to the front." - Matt Kenseth, finished 13th
"It was a handful. We were having a pretty solid day with the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet until the No. 1 car (Jamie McMurray) got loose and got into our left rear; was just way over his head. I knew he had a good car. He's been running good, but he just got loose and got into me and got me in the wall. We had a little damage but we just lost all that track position. It is so hard to get it back at this place. We somewhat got it back; and on that last restart, I was just real loose. I'd been a little loose but not that loose. We just fell back. It just wasn't good. We just kind of struggled there. A lot of people had trouble today. So today was a real survival day. We did that. It just felt like we could have finished a lot better than that. We had a good race car. We actually really had a great race car." - Jeff Gordon, finished 14th
"We blew the right front tire. I am not sure why. We didn't have an aggressive setup or anything, we just blew the tire. We've seen signs of this [wear] for three seasons of racing here. There are no margins. The car with the aero has gotten out of control and the specs for the tires aren't designed to handle that and you can point fingers at that either way. There is just no margin. Small variables, when you have no margin small variables are going to get someone and it was our day at the gun today." - Brad Keselowski, finished 36th
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Breaking Down NASCAR's Kansas Chase Race
by Mike Neff
Pace Laps: HMS Flounders, Schumacher Wins Again and Perspective
by the Frontstretch Staff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Hollywood Casino 400
by Summer Bedgood
Will Youth Be Served... Now?
by Tom Bowles
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Winston Cup was a trial by fire for rookie Robert Pressley in 1995. At Charlotte in October, Pressley earned a decent 19th starting spot, but failed to make it to the first pit stop before trouble struck. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: As noted in the Top News section of Friday's Newsletter, this past weekend's Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit was threatened by Typhoon Phanfone. It will not be the first time that the Grand Prix weekend will be affected by a tropical cyclone. The same thing happened in 2004, when Typhoon Ma-On approached the Japanese island of Honshu. How was the weekend re-arranged to avoid the worst of the storm?
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 Greg Davis
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Hollywood Casino 400 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Kansas-Charlotte Edition by Brad Morgan
We'll take a look at which drivers are looking good as just six races remain in the Cup Series season.
Racing to the Point by Brett Poirier
Brett returns with another interesting commentary that'll make you think. This week, he focuses on Jimmie Johnson's worst-case scenario after a Kansas wreck left the six-time champ 12th in the standings.
Jeff returns with his typical blend of sarcastic humor tilted towards one of NASCAR's controversial issues.
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