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What to Watch: Tuesday
Today's TV Schedule
5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
7 p.m. - 8 p.m. NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 2*#
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"The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has provided great excitement and intense competition," Penske said. "Brad Keselowski is a champion who competes to win in every race, which is what I expect of him. While the actions by others following the race in Texas were unfortunate, Brad has my 100 percent support as we now move on to Phoenix for the next stage of the NASCAR championship."
Chad Boat, Vektor Vodka Partner for Phoenix Nationwide Race
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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 Wednesday 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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Rivals or Enemies -- It Makes a Difference
"I've been through a lot of rivalries. I've got a little bit of blood on me right now." - Brad Keselowski on pit road Sunday evening
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride)
noun: rivalry; plural noun: rivalries
- competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.
Perhaps it's more accurate to say that Mr. Keselowski believes he is in the midst of rivalries, following a month where he's been in the midst of dodging punches. However, I'm thinking his fellow competitors would call it something entirely different.
When Kevin Harvick gave a well-aimed tap to Keselowski's rear bumper, applied out of the corner during the closing laps of Sunday's race, I don't believe the No. 4 was actually attempting to win the race -- like Brad was. Instead, it appeared that Happy Harvick would have enjoyed seeing the No. 2 fly off into the wall, ending his day as quickly as the Miller Machine finished Jeff Gordon's a couple laps earlier. That's not a rivalry -- it's called retaliation.
However, what's really bizarre is that Harvick wasn't even part of the earlier on-track incident. What motivation did he have on pit road as he admonished Brad with an expletive not for little ears and told him to "go fight his own fight" before shoving him toward a ballistic Jeff Gordon?
Neither did Tony Stewart really have a beef with Bad Brad at the end of the Charlotte race just a couple weeks ago, when he decided to cave in the No. 2's nose with the No. 14. Tony wasn't even running a race, nor was he trying to start a fight in the pits, but he had no compunction about attempting to teach the young gun a lesson. Once again, not a rivalry... more of a whooping.
If Jeff Gordon had slapped four tires on the No. 24 and then went hunting for the No. 2 on Sunday, then by all means, let's call this battle a rivalry. Two guys fighting tooth and nail, attempting to grab that elusive win that would send them to the final race in the 2014 Chase, elbows poking one another, restarts that include some brake checking, and yes, even some rubbing on the frontstretch -- that's a rivalry. Two drivers gunning for the same trophy, regardless of whether tires deflate.
It's not somebody waiting in the pits, helmet off, ready to go three rounds with the oaf who's trying to look innocent and say, "Who? Me?" The fact that the line waiting to take a punch at Keselowski is beginning to wrap around his hauler should be a wake-up call for The New Kid on the Block and Roger Penske. He's going about the whole rivalry thing wrong.
Back in the day -- say, about 1993 -- another kid showed up and started winning races, putting some of the more senior drivers' noses out of joint. He drove a rainbow-colored car and endured plenty of razzing regarding glasses of milk. As it happened, a threatened changing of the guard a certain man with mirrored sunglasses and a cheesy mustache spent time with the media trying to downplay the success that kid over in the No. 24 was having. On track, Earnhardt Sr. gave the upstart team plenty of grief, as the Goodwrench Chevy and the DuPont car swapped paint and crunched many fenders. There were numerous colorful interviews where they blamed one another for the state of their vehicles when the checkers dropped. Gordon fans hated Senior, and the feeling was paid back in spades to the usurper. However, at no time did either driver feel it was necessary to explain their point of view with fists. Enough respect was paid to the establishment by the rookie that all it took to leave a message was a donut on a door. That was a rivalry.
How many drivers are personally ready to take out Keselowski? Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Stewart, Gordon, Harvick are at the top. Kes may believe it's only because they want to win and he's spoiling their day, but when a team that has no immediate interest in the outcome of today's race decides to add their two cents to your lip, you've got a problem. A big one. The line of angry people no longer cares about the trophy when the No. 2 drives into view. All they want is blood. The game is over.
In the long run, Brad may get his wish. The other 42 cars will want nothing more than to pass the No. 2 on the track and the same will apply to the fans. However, before he reaches multiple rivalry status, he will first have to show his fellow garage-mates what it is to be more than a bully on the track, a loudmouth off and one who hides his fists whenever possible. Otherwise, all we'll have to look forward to on any given Sunday is a much sillier version of the WWE.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 AAA Texas 500
1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - Started 17th, Finished 7th (1st in RoTY standings)
2.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier - Started 30th, Finished 20th (3rd in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - Started 29th, Finished 21st (2nd 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: Texas-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 23rd, finished 14th
The No. 47 team established itself as the best among the smaller teams this year even before Allmendinger qualified for the Chase. Unless something changes drastically, you won't see them on the "underdog" list next year as they've fully established themselves among the middle-tier organizations. Allmendinger was best in class at Texas, and while he never contended for the victory, a strong top-15 run was a good way to end the weekend. Allmendinger picked up nine spots and took advantage of several late cautions after falling a lap down early.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 38th, finished 18th
If the No. 47 bunch is the cream of the small-team crop, Mears & Co. have been second-best in class this year, producing some stellar finishes. Mears' 9.5 average finish in restrictor-plate races was second best among all drivers who competed in all four plate races this season; only Denny Hamlin averaged better. While Sunday's 18th-place result wasn't their best performance, it was still one to be proud of. Struggling with handling woes, Mears fell three laps down at one point, but used smart strategy to work his way into the top 12 by the end of the race. Mears still needs to finish consistently in the top 20, considering he and Allmendinger run the same Richard Childress Racing chassis but this team is on the upswing.
Underdog Selection No. 3: Justin Allgaier for HScott Motorsports; started 30th, finished 20th
For a small team, finishing inside the top 20 in today's competition is a good day. Rookie Allgaier and the No. 51 bunch, after a disappointing DNQ at Talladega are putting together some pretty "good days" to end the season. The rookie driver and team owner for this team have begun to learn the ropes, as Texas marked their third straight top-20 finish. This team, after a roller coaster season is putting themselves in a good position for 2015 if they can carry their late-season momentum forward.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Phoenix-II: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing
I was close in Texas as Casey Mears finished second among the small teams to Allmendinger. Allmendinger is my pick this week, and not just because of his Texas momentum. Allmendinger has a stout 16.7 average finish at Phoenix, with a pair of top-10 finishes in 10 races. Look for him to be strong enough Sunday to keep his other small-team rivals behind him.
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!Amy Henderson is a Managing Editor at Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com.
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Numbers Game: AAA Texas 500
0
Top-5 finishes in this eight-race Chase for Denny Hamlin. Hamlin, tied for the championship lead with Joey Logano was 10th at Texas.
1
Top-10 finish for Aric Almirola since a blown engine in Chicagoland effectively ruined his Chase. He followed up with a sixth at Loudon, but has slipped to 21st or worse every race after that; at Texas, he was a mediocre 24th.
2
Laps down Chaser Carl Edwards was at the race's halfway point before a series of cautions, combined with a wave around and a free pass got the No. 99 car back on the lead lap. Edwards charged back to ninth at the finish, a top-10 result that leaves him just a single point outside the top 4.
3
Straight victories by Jimmie Johnson in the Texas fall race. His four career wins at the 1.5-mile oval, in 23 starts lead all NASCAR Cup drivers.
4th
Kyle Busch's finish in Sunday's Cup race, ruining his bid for a Texas trifecta. Busch won the Nationwide and Truck series events this weekend before coming up short in the 500-miler.
5
Chase drivers involved in an accident or who made serious contact with another car at Texas. Only Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick made it to the finish without some level of physical contact.
7
Debris cautions out of a record 13 Sunday at Texas. They were the first seven thrown by NASCAR, mostly for various pieces of rubber on the track. Without them, the first yellow flag would have been on lap 297, more than 400 miles into the race for Brett Moffitt's wreck.
12th
Finish Sunday for Joey Logano at Texas, his worst in this year's Chase.
191
Laps led by Jimmie Johnson, the most of any driver Sunday at Texas. Johnson has led the most laps in two of the last three Chase races.
512
Miles run Sunday after late wrecks forced two green-white-checkered finishes. Only the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Atlanta's Labor Day event and Talladega this fall have run longer.
138,000
Unofficial Texas crowd estimate, from at-track sources, which would make it the largest of this year's Chase.
$6,315,154
Purse for Sunday's race at Texas, the fourth-biggest all year behind the Daytona 500, Indianapolis, and the 500-miler at Texas in the spring.
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:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 2004 Chevy Silverado 150 presented by Valley Chevy Dealers at Phoenix International Raceway, Ted Musgrave was poised to upset the General Motors establishment in their own race, leading 73 laps and being in position to win late. However, something happened to take him clean out of the hunt. What?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1994 Slick 50 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, but he only really dominated because two of his primary competitors were eliminated in a scary crash. What happened?
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:
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 Texas compiled by Michael Mehedin
The last 100 miles on Sunday completely shook up the points, meaning that anything could happen in Phoenix. 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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