What to Watch: Tuesday
The other team in question is RAB Racing, paired with Brack Maggard's No. 29 that Joe Nemechek attempted to qualify for Sunday's race. Nemechek had posted the 24th-fastest speed for the event, but was discovered to have an improperly sealed oil tank. While NASCAR disallowed Nemechek's time (sending the No. 29 home in the process), a sizable penalty in its own right, NASCAR may choose to further penalize the organization.
Today's TV Schedule
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
DVR Theater
Top News
Richard Petty Motorsports to Move Headquarters
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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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And Then They Saw Red: The Keselowski Debacle
The end is approaching. Four weeks from now, we will be celebrating a new Sprint Cup Champion, or at least a different one from last year. He'll be making a cross-country trek stopping at all the high-profile talk shows, shooting ads and soaking up the adulation of the American public as he's touted as NASCAR royalty. The majority of the viewing public? They'll just nod and smile. "Isn't that wonderful? He looks like a nice boy."
Therein lays the rub. What if Brad Keselowski actually takes this storming perfection all the way to Homestead? What if, after his poor display of judgment and sportsmanship at Charlotte, he still manages to take home the 2014 trophy? Would we actually have a "nice boy" up on the podium, or would some other "achievements" be defining our champ? Which do we really want representing our sport: a pleasant smile or the kind of grit that propels a struggling car straight to the top?
It's a question I've been considering since Keselowski slid up in front of Newman's No. 31 Sunday afternoon, with but a couple laps remaining in the Talladega race. Brad was doing it again, determined to salvage a season at scintillating speed. Would we see the second-place car fly up into the fencing, ensuring Brad's victory no matter the cost?
Since his arrival on the Sprint Cup scene in 2009, I've admired Bad Brad's commitment behind the wheel. He's fearless, determined and sometimes uses his tunnel vision to brush all other comers out of his way. It produces lots of positive results for his team, taking home the Cup in 2012 one year after suffering a broken foot that jumpstarted a floundering Cup career. It seemed that with the injury, paired with anger at his disability he simply funneled all that frustration to the steering wheel, driving the Miller Machine straight to the top. Wow. Just amazing.
But every now and then, Keselowski says and does things that make you step up and consider the measure of the man without the race car. It's not always flattering. The question lingers as to whether or not he is all that NASCAR desires in its most visible representative.
Should any of it matter?
After all, it isn't Keselowski alone that sends the No. 2, Roger Penske-owned machine to Victory Lane. It takes a genius crew chief, car chief, lightning-fast pit crew and a small army of mechanics back at the shop to bring his car up to snuff. That's important, for we tend to forget all the others when it is only the driver's name plastered all over the headlines. The cars don't decide to rip fenders off competitors, and neither do those that put the sheet metal and engine together.
Would it be fair to eliminate the No. 2 from the Championship run simply because its pilot is less than a nice guy?
No, it wouldn't.
The winning team in Homestead will be the machine that has made it through the gauntlet of the 2014 Chase. They will have managed to sort out qualifying, race trim, pit selection, chassis selection, tuned the engine, never slipped up in the pits and put a guy behind the wheel who is overly confident of his ability to push past others who might have a competitive car.
That will be the champion, and it might be Bad Brad, compared to any of the other seven drivers remaining in this insane elimination playoff.
Should it happen... that's OK.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 GEICO 500
1.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - Started 30th, Finished 13th (2nd in RoTY standings)
2.) No. 26 Cole Whitt - Started 22nd, Finished 15th (4th in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - Started 42nd, Finished 17th (1st 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.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The fall race weekend at Martinsville in 1995 was plagued by rain. Qualifying for both the Winston Cup Series and the then-SuperTruck Series by Craftsman were both cancelled due to weather, while the truck race started behind schedule due to a wet track. Once the Goody's 150 got underway, Rick Carelli had a good run going until being eliminated on the frontstretch. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Current Nationwide Series regular Mike Bliss made his Winston Cup debut in the 1998 NAPA AutoCare 500 at Martinsville. Despite qualifying 25th and getting through practice and qualifying clean, Bliss still didn't make it to the green flag before damaging his car. What happened?
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from TBD
-- 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 Talladega compiled by Michael Mehedin
The expected complete shake-up at Talladega occurred, but not quite to the degree that was expected. 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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