Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Apr. 28, 2015
Volume IX, Edition LXIII
What to Watch: Tuesday
Tuesday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
by the Frontstretch Staff
Entry List: Geico 500 at Talladega
Entry List: Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega
New XFINITY Team Reese Racing Enterprises Prepares for Talladega Debut
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FRONTSTRETCH JOB: WEBMASTER
Frontstretch is looking for a talented and motivated individual to fulfill the role of the site's webmaster. The ideal candidate must be highly proficient in WordPress, as the site recently converted from Textpattern to WordPress as the content management system. The webmaster will assist with leftover conversion tasks, work with the management team to implement site enhancements and help troubleshoot problems as they arise. The candidate must also have a working knowledge of search engine optimization strategies to help improve search rankings for the site. Motorsports knowledge is preferred, but not required. The candidate should have on average at least 1-2 hours per week to devote to Fronstretch initiatives. If you are interested, please contact our Business Manager, Tony Lumbis at Tony.Lumbis@gmail.com.
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The Curious Cases of Kurt and Kyle
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
Kurt Busch won his way into the Chase for the second season in a row. Albeit, there's an asterisk lingering after his addition this year. NASCAR decided that when he returned from the great Delaware Family Court debacle it wasn't his fault for missing the races, so they wouldn't penalize him in regards to earning his way into the 2015 playoffs. While I grimaced at the thought of a potential champion having missed three of the qualifying competitions, I could see France & Co.'s position. What they did was plausible. And to top it all off, how the elder Busch has been running since his return to the series has been nothing short of stellar.
Yes, I could stomach Kurt being handed the Cup in Homestead after all is said and done. He will have battled long and hard to get there.
Now, there's another story brewing out there concerning Kyle Busch. On Thursday, France announced that NASCAR would be open to "accommodating" Kyle Busch upon his return to the series after suffering a compound fracture to his right leg and a broken left foot during the XFINITY Series season-opening Alert Today Florida 300. This statement was issued after Kyle addressed the media a week earlier stating he has no definite date when he will return. He is hoping for July at the best.
Out of a seven month regular season, NASCAR is actually thinking about allowing a competitor the opportunity to win the championship after missing at least five months of competition... ??? Did I miss something?
Before we start deciding my incredulity has something to do with a mad crush I have for the older Busch brother vs. the younger, you couldn't be farther from the truth. Neither of the native Las Vegas boys have won their way into my heart. Far from it. Year after year after year, there's usually a headline that involves the words Busch, rude, insulting, childish and NASCAR. If offered the chance to hob nob with one of them, I'd likely turn down the chance. They can drive. They can drive like there's no tomorrow. The fact the younger has yet to win a Cup is simple luck on the part of other competitors. It does not mean they are people I want to count among my acquaintances.
However, if NASCAR truly thinks that permitting Kyle the chance to snag the hardware this season is a logical conclusion to their exception policy, they've got more than a single lug nut missing. I believe the wheel is rolling down the backstretch unaccompanied. It might be getting ready to depart the premises.
There's a difference between taking a week or two off from the job and almost half a year. You've passed the Personal Time Off request line and submitted paperwork for Long-term Disability. Co-workers have filled in your shoes and done the job in your absence. If somebody is going to get the annual award for Outstanding Contribution to the Sport in the Face of Unusual Consequences, it's going to be your substitute drivers. Not you.
This isn't cruel. It's not meant to demean the abilities of the full-time personality or quash the investment of the sponsors. It's real life. 2015 has passed you by. I believe in other sports, they'd call the remainder of 2015 an opportunity for building for 2016--not a chance for taking it all anyway.
Maybe Mr. France had a few too many Long Island Ice Teas before answering questions that day. Maybe he hadn't realized that two months have already passed since Kyle's injury and he still isn't expected at the track anytime soon. And maybe NASCAR simply has no interest in maintaining the integrity of auto racing as a sport and has cut the line at the Next Great Reality network show.
If somebody wants to admit that this is where NASCAR is headed, please tell me. I'll need a moment to decide if I want to tune in anymore.
Sonya's Scrapbook
Why do we try every possible way to finish under the checkers? Because when you sit in the stands all day long, and the race is called before the cars have the chance to battle for the win, it's likely to tick you off. Jeff won his 77th race under the yellow, snapping the Big E's personal record. The Earnhardt fans tossed a few cases of beer onto the track to show their disappointment.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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Margin of victory (in seconds) for Kurt Busch over Kevin Harvick.
1
Kurt Busch's first win of 2015 came Sunday at Richmond.
1
Number of Joe Gibbs Racing cars who finished in the top 18 (Matt Kenseth, 7th). After winning the two prior short-track races in 2015, the team was expected to contend at Richmond.
3
Poles for Joey Logano in 2015 after winning first-career Richmond pole on Friday.
3
DNF's for Tony Stewart in 2015 following his lap 361 accident.
5
Number of second-place finishes for Kevin Harvick in 2015 following a runner-up result on Sunday (10 top-2 finishes in last 12 races)
6
Top 10s for Jeff Gordon in succession after Richmond.
6.4
Average finish for second-place finisher Kevin Harvick through nine races.
7
Different winners in nine races in 2015.
8
Top 10s for Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. after all finishing top 10 in Richmond.
8
Cautions for 53 laps on Sunday.
8
Top 20 finishes for Aric Almirola after finishing 20th on Sunday, one of five drivers with eight in 2015.
12
Lead changes among five drivers.
16
Starting and finishing position for Chase Elliott in his second Cup start.
28
Wins for Stewart-Haas Racing following Busch's Richmond win.
33
Points gap for Kevin Harvick over Joey Logano in the standings.
36th
Qualifying effort for Jimmie Johnson, later finishing third.
48
Points earned by Kurt Busch which equals the maximum points possible in a Sprint Cup Series race.
118
Races run at Richmond in its 62-year history following Sunday.
291
Laps led by race winner Kurt Busch - not only the most in a single race in his career, but more than anyone has led in a race all season.
$226,240
Winning purse for Kurt Busch.
Zach Catanzareti is a Contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at zach.catanzareti@frontstretch.com.
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Monday's Answer:
Q: When the foot stays on the floor repreatedly like it does at Talladega, strange things can happen. The 1999 DieHard 500 saw Mike Skinner eliminated from contention in a very unusual fashion. What happened?
A: On lap 49, Tony Stewart attempted to make a move on Mike Skinner exiting turn 2 for second. Skinner wasn't having any of that and forced Stewart to the apron. Skinner kept leaning on Stewart until both drivers ended up in the wet grass. While Stewart kept control of his Pontiac, Skinner spun across the track, triggering a multi-car crash. The crash can be seen here.Technically, Skinner wasn't hit despite spinning across in front of much of the field. However, he did damage the car in the grass, then got stuck. Chad Little and Brett Bodine were out on the spot. Rusty Wallace and Ernie Irvan made repairs and briefly got back out before pulling in. Gordon returned after repairs and completed 64 more laps to finish 38th. Skinner returned and finished the race in 36th. Stewart, who used his car control to avoid wrecking in the grass, finished fifth.
COMING TOMORROW
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