What to Watch: Tuesday
Today's TV Schedule
DVR Theater
Top News
On Monday night, NASCAR held the joint banquet for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series at the Trump National Doral Miami, site of Wednesday's Championship Media Day. Here, drivers' champions Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton were honored. Owners champions Kyle Busch Motorsports (Camping World Truck Series) and Team Penske (Nationwide Series) were also honored. Read more
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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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Sometimes You Just Need a Second Chance
Despite the fact I am not a fan of the new Chase format, I still have to admit that 2014 was a good season for racing. Mostly, it was a fabulous time for those seeking second chances, and who doesn't love a great underdog story? We're not talking about the third-tier team suddenly rising into the spotlight, but sometimes chances that were snapped up after eons of aggravation. Lots of people departed this NASCAR year accomplishing things many had decided could never happen.
Let's start with the beginning, the Daytona 500 and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The No. 88 had been suffering through a 56 race dry-spell. It seemed as if the Hendrick driver ought to have been winning prior to the February victory, but something always went wrong. But as difficult as those struggles were in 2013, 2014 promised to be a year full of good things for Junior. He finished the year with a grand total of four wins--Daytona, a pair of Pocono trophies and the Martinsville Chase race. No, he didn't take home the Cup, but after rumors of Junior just not having what it takes to run in the big leagues year after year, 2014 put his nay-sayers to bed.
Who else saw 2014 as a second chance? Kurt Busch. Whether we like him or not, at the end of 2013 and his completely unspectacular year with Furniture Row, it really appeared like the writing was on the wall for the 2004 Cup champion. Until Gene Haas pulled out the chair at SHR--creating a fourth team where nobody thought there was money or space f or it. The elder Busch brother did not disappoint his new boss, winning his way into the Chase by snagging the Spring Martinsville trophy. Honestly, the rest of his year didn't look all that bad either, for a team created out of the mists. If it hadn't been for the late season domestic abuse scandal, Kurt should've been looking back on this year with a true sense of accomplishment on the track. We'll see how the courts work this mess out and decide then.
How about AJ Allmendinger? Yes, he is the true definition of a road ringer, but taking a second-tier team to Victory Lane in the Cup Series through sheer determination is worthy of an accolade. Follow that up with the fact that he lost his Penske ride in 2012 due to misuse of a prescription drug, and Dinger's appearance in the Chase earned him lots of cheers. I love a nice overcoming adversity tale with a happy ending.
Now on to the big guns. Jeff Gordon. He had a spectacular year. I won't say anything about old points systems, as that argument is moot. However, the storied veteran's Chase was not a story of pity and woe like 2013--where all he could do was blame others for the 13th slot created solely for him. Instead he earned four wins, 14 Top 5's, 23 Top 10's and an average finish of 10.4. I don't care that he wasn't part of the Final Four. It doesn't matter. Where the media has been writing JG's retirement ticket for the past two years, this season he informed the world he was still the real deal. If you want to see a living legend race, just head to the track next year. Gordon remains the man behind the wheel.
Finally, we'll speak of the Man of the Hour. The Closer. Happy Kevin Harvick. In 2013, he couldn't quell the rumors of how dissatisfied he was with RCR. His lame duck season was still competitive, but angry words were often touted in the garage area. For 13 years, he had raced in the shadow of the organization that lost Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Harvick spent that time always in the spotlight, but never quite at the top of his game. He needed a change. Stewart-Haas Racing offered up the chance, and apparently the kind of dedication and teamwork that clicked for Harvick. It paid off. What a second chance! SHR now has two shiny Cups in their trophy case.
So after all my complaining about exactly how the Chase played out I am still left with a healthy sense of satisfaction with how 2014 ended. Teams came together and grew in unexpected ways, proving that no matter how you think the world will follow a set pattern, there is always a chance life could take a turn for the better. A second chance. Perhaps I'll have to give one of those to the Chase in 2015.
Enjoy your off-season and thanks for visiting with me every week. I'll see you in February!
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Ford EcoBoost 400
1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson Started 27th Finished 13th (Winner, RoTY 2014)
2.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier Started 14th Finished 15th (3rd in RoTY standings)
3.) No. 3 Austin Dillon Started 24th Finished 25th (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.
Numbers Game: Ford EcoBoost 400
0
Laps led by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. at Homestead, giving him a grand total of zero on the season. Stenhouse ran full-time in a sponsored Roush Fenway Racing car, yet only accumulated one top-5 finish and wound up 27th in the final standings.
1
Cup championship won by Kevin Harvick in one season racing for Stewart-Haas Racing.
13
Full-time Cup seasons run by Kevin Harvick at Richard Childress Racing before deciding to make the move to SHR.
2
Races led by Jimmie Johnson during this Chase, the lowest total of his 13-year Cup career.
3
Races won by Kevin Harvick during the Chase: Charlotte, Phoenix, and Homestead.
3
Drivers at Homestead to lead more than one lap Sunday: Denny Hamlin (50), Kevin Harvick (54), and Jeff Gordon (a race-high 161).
4th
Final points position of Joey Logano in this Chase, as 16th at Homestead was his worst finish of the ten-race playoff. Logano would have won in the 2004-13 versions of the Chase, posting a series-best average finish of 6.4.
5
Debris cautions out of 13 thrown at Homestead; this total included four of the last six.
6
Top-5 finishes posted by Brad Keselowski during the Chase, including a 3rd-4th-3rd after a rear end problem all but ended his title chances at Martinsville. Kes ended the year 5th in points, the highest of any Chasers eliminated before the season finale.
7.4
Average start by Brad Keselowski this season, a Cup series best.
8
Poles won by Kevin Harvick this season, more than any other driver in Cup.
10.4
Average finish by Jeff Gordon in Cup this season, a series best.
15
Straight seasons with a Sprint Cup victory for Tony Stewart, a streak which ended Sunday. Stewart wound up behind the wall, dead last after bashing in the front grille and overheating his No. 14 Chevrolet.
17th
Final points position for Kyle Larson, the best of the non-Chasers. Larson was named Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Sunday, posting the best first-year finish in 26 of 36 events.
23
Top-10 finishes earned by Jeff Gordon during the season, a series best. Gordon would have won the Cup title under the old format, besting Joey Logano by 37 points if there was no playoff used.
36
Races completed by Austin Dillon and Jeff Gordon, the only two to complete every event on the Cup circuit this season.
41
Laps led by Ryan Newman this season. That's good for 22nd in the Cup Series, behind non-Chasers like Marcos Ambrose (50), Brian Vickers (53), and teammate Paul Menard (45).
2,137
Laps led by Kevin Harvick, more than any other driver this season.
10,503
Laps run by Jeff Gordon this season, a series best. Gordon also led Sprint Cup with 32 lead-lap finishes in 36 races.
13,872.87
Miles run by rookie Austin Dillon this season, more than any other driver in Sprint Cup.
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 1997, the World Championship was settled at the Jerez Circuit in Southern Spain. The race is best known for Michael Schumacher attempting to take out Jacques Villeneuve at the Dry Sack Curve, failing to do so, and being stripped of his points for the entire 1997 season as a result. However, an incident occurred after the race that led to the track being banned from hosting Formula One races. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In 1994, the Formula One World Championship came down to a duel between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill. Schumacher won the title, but it didn't come without a heap of controversy in Australia. 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 Homestead compiled by Michael Mehedin
We've got our champion and our runners-up. 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!
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