Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Apr. 21, 2015
Volume IX, Edition XLIX
What to Watch: Tuesday
Tuesday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here
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by the Frontstretch Staff
RCR To Appeal NMAP Decision to Final Appeals Officer
Over the weekend, Richard Childress Racing officially decided to appeal Thursday's decision of the National Motorsports Appeal Board that came as a result of the P5 penalties levied after Fontana. The additional post-race penalties were deducted as a result of last week's hearing, but the suspensions remained. No date has been set for the final appeal. Read more
Toyota Owners 400 Sees 45 Entrants
Denny Hamlin Pairs with NBCSN to Televise Short Track Showdown
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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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Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
"And the leader comes down out of Four…"
All through any broadcast from Bristol, you hear the catch phrases that often include words like up, down, climbing, dropping. They mention how you're in the Smoky Mountains, but racing in Thunder Valley. It's a continuous use of opposite comparatives. But what is true when we run at the Last Great Coliseum?
Well, that the Sprint Cup cars are running at the bottom of a mixing bowl, on top of a leveled hill, hidden in a rocky valley. The stands tower over the racing surface, setting the fans up as the greatest judges—ready to turn their thumbs up or down according to the thrill of the afternoon. To attain your seat you will have to trek across lush, green terraced hills down into the parking areas from where you may have to climb up an endless switchback, before you are asked to crawl the final hundred stairs up to your aerie.
Now that your breath has been ripped from your lagging body by the stress of carrying a case of beer for miles, you might think it's time to relax. But no.
Once the engines turn over, and the balanced rumble echoes up the glistening rows before it can escape into the mythical mists of the mountains, you will again be beaten back and down. There is no escaping the shriek of the race pack. The tension builds throughout the race, broken by the occasional impact with the wall when the car slides up the banking. Yes, they will drop into the infield, where teams will work to put their egg back together again.
So went Sunday afternoon and into the evening. Our hopes of a race were dashed early on by sodden clouds, only to be brought back up as the mountain gods teased us over and over with glimpses of clearing skies. Oh, how fickle they are!
The list of drivers that suffered equally as the whims of this high-banked monster grew in size—up and up the totals went of those who crumpled bumpers. Joey Logano was the first whose desires were smashed into so many pebbles collected in a rain puddle. Add to his trials, Keselowski and Harvick—at times all of the Hendrick boys had Fate come calling in one form or another. Was there any time where NASCAR Nation's wishes were safe? I'd love to see the fantasy league points as they equally rode the roller coaster of a Bristol race day.
Some call it a great equalizer track, much like its oversized cousins Talladega and Daytona—but no. The superspeedways will simply crush you under their behemoth heels. Bristol tosses you about, pulling the trophy out of reach only to dangle it so close once more. It's not so much of a crap shoot as a lesson in humility, for the competitors and the fans. Who was ready to see Larson win his first, or Gordon snatch a victory for his last full year? How about Cousin Carl putting last year's rain win to bed by beating the night mists that climbed over the lights to the checkered flag—that would've been masterful.
Yes, we all came to the altar of auto racing on Sunday afternoon in the hopes of being thrilled. A true moment where we rise up together as fans. Who doesn't love a good ol' fashioned short track? But we were not to eat the whole tamale at once. Even the final laps had to be stretched out by the last of the raindrops, falling from the heavens—dashing hopes and daring finishes.
There is a true rhythm to Bristol. We certainly got to experience it all this past weekend. When I return to the hallowed hills, I know what I and all the teams are in for—a deluge of ups and downs.
Sonya's Scrapbook
It's not a great moment in his career, but surely notable. Carl Edwards wins the 2013 Fall race, and due to the shenanigans executed by MWR, Jeff Gordon is awarded a magical 13th spot in the Chase. We revisit moments in history so we can avoid repeating them...right?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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Seconds by which Matt Kenseth gapped runner-up Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag.
1
Position race winner Matt Kenseth started the Food City 500.
1
Amount of career top 10s for Justin Allgaier after scoring an eighth Sunday night at Bristol.
3:37:54
Time of the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes. That does not include the over four hours spent under the red flag at laps 23, 274 and 506.
4th
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s finishing position, Roush Fenway Racing's best of 2015.
6
Career top 10s for Danica Patrick after Sunday, breaking a tie with Janet Guthrie for most by a female.
6th
Finishing position for Tony Stewart, standing as his best of the season.
11
Cautions thrown during the day and night at Bristol.
18
Age of Erik Jones, who turned in his first laps behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup Series car during Sunday's race.
19
Lap in which both Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski crashed on the frontstretch.
19th
Finishing position for Sam Hornish, Jr. It was his first top 20 since the Daytona 500.
20
Car number of the race-winning Toyota of Matt Kenseth.
21
Lead changes among six different drivers.
47
Laps led by race winner Matt Kenseth.
74.997
Average race speed (in mph).
109
Number of races ran at Bristol Motor Speedway after Sunday night.
116
Sprint Cup wins for Joe Gibbs Racing after Matt Kenseth's Bristol win.
128.632 mph
Pole speed for Matt Kenseth.
311
Lap in which Kevin Harvick was collected in a crash with David Ragan, Jimmie Johnson and Jeb Burton.
321
Career top 5's for Jeff Gordon following his third-place result at Bristol.
511
The total number of laps ran in the previously scheduled 500-lap Bristol race.
$217,961
Race-winning purse for Matt Kenseth.
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: As you may remember, the former Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway was completed encircled by Armco guardrails. There was not a concrete wall to be found. Having no concrete walls can lead to some bizarre instances. Derrike Cope had a bizarre incident early in the final race on the fairgounds half-mile. What happened?
A: Cope spun just after a restart and hit the wall in turn 1 and hit the wall head-on before sweeping around and hitting the wall again. Cope tried to drive away, but the car stalled on the backstretch. The crash can be seen here.COMING TOMORROW
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