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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*#
DVR Theater
Top News
Chris Buescher to Run Eli Lilly Sponsorship at Homestead
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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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How NASCAR's Season Ended One Race Too Soon
Who are the drivers in the final round of the Chase?
Did it take longer than 30 seconds to answer the question? If so, there may be a good reason for your -- shall we call it disinterest? It's because your driver didn't make it through to the final cut. In fact, most of the sports' favorites didn't survive this latest iteration of the Sprint Cup Championship points/playoff/sudden death system. And that may be a disaster in the making for NASCAR.
Let's be clear on something first. It's not expected that the most popular drivers will actually become the champion each year. However, it's always good to have one of those heroes gunning for the big trophy come November. It keeps the ratings up.
Heading into Homestead, we have Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman left for the title bout. While all of them most assuredly have a fan base, and deservedly so, they are not the marquee names that the tracks plaster on their pre-race ads. All of them have been also-rans in years past, but the vast majority of NASCAR nation is simply not up to speed on these stats. Come next Sunday, when the boys down in Daytona wish to reap the rewards of this year's championship challenge, they might be hoping that the NFL self-detonates on Saturday, leaving sports fans little choice when the green flag drops.
Why? Well, for every Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon fan, the season is over. It sounded like a death knell during the last lap of the Phoenix race or even as far back as Talladega. It's over. We're done. What reason is there to turn on the television next Sunday? We might as well wait for February. Isn't my football team playing? Yes? They still have a mathematical chance for the playoffs? OK! I have somebody to cheer for again!
We'd like to say that we're just racing fans, not a driver's fan. But for those of us who wear numbered T-shirts on a daily basis, try as we might, it's extremely hard to be so philosophical when our favorite's season is officially "over."
As a Boston sports fan, I'm very well versed in how the postseason works. You cheer, bleed, cry and endure sleepless nights as each round of the playoffs commence. When the inevitable occurs -- the team loses -- you lick your wounds, turn off the TV and wait for next year. Done. Finished. There is no watching the next round just to see who wins. I can't even tell you who was in the World Series this year, because as a fan of the Boston Red Sox, it simply doesn't matter who got the trophy if it wasn't my B's.
Thus, for the millions of NASCAR fans whose team is out, I ask a simple question: why should they tune in for Homestead? Just to see who will snare the big hardware and the money? While the sanctioning body did an effective job at hyping the Chase this year, and built a certain amount of curiosity in the casual racing fan base, it failed to grab the classic fan's heart. And now, with all the headliners out of the final picture, we are left watching the buildup to a race that simply doesn't mean a hill of beans to the majority of the people who spend their hard-earned money on cable bills, race tickets and T-shirts.
Yes, NASCAR got what they wanted -- seasons made or broken by a single lap of racing. Was it worth the all the upheaval and risk? We'll see when the ratings are out for Homestead. That's what the men in suits are watching, right?
Here's my two cents on the matter: I'm thinking the boardroom will be mighty quiet come Monday morning.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for Sunday's Quicken Loans Race For Heroes 500k
1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - Started 8th, Finished 13th (1st for RoTY)
2.) No. 7 Michael Annett - Started 30th, Finished 26th (5th for RoTY)
3.) No. 23 Alex Bowman - Started 36th, Finished 32nd (6th for RoTY)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.
Numbers Game: Quicken Loans Race For Heroes 500k
0
1
1
2
3
Championships Jeff Gordon would have "won" without a playoff system in place: 2004, '07, and potentially this year. Gordon, without the Chase would lead Joey Logano by 29 points heading into the Homestead season finale.
4
5
6
7
8
17
18
78%
$96,265
$119,066
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 2003, the Craftsman Truck Series came down to a great duel at Homestead for the championship, battling among four drivers separated by just 39 points. Brendan Gaughan was looking good to claim the hardware when trouble broke out. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In the first race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the now-Camping World Truck Series, Geoff Bodine started from the pole and led early. Despite a great truck, though Bodine ended his race on the hook. 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 Phoenix compiled by Michael Mehedin
We've got our final four Chasers. But are they actually the top-4 drivers in Sprint Cup? 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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