THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 1, 2015
Volume IX, Edition LXXXVII
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 1, 2015
Volume IX, Edition LXXXVII
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What to Watch: Monday- Monday appears to be a relatively quiet day in the world of NASCAR. However, if news breaks, we'll be here to cover it at Frontstretch.
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Monday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Jimmie Johnson Extends Record with 10th Dover Victory
Tyler Reddick Tames The Monster Mile; Makes a Statement
Monday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Jimmie Johnson Extends Record with 10th Dover Victory
Sunday, Jimmie Johnson didn't necessarily have the best car, but he was there when it counted. Taking the lead on lap 383 from Kevin Harvick, Johnson held on with old tires to take his fourth win of the season and tenth of his career at Dover International Speedway. Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola. Read more
Chris Buescher Maintains Fuel, Steals Dover Victory
Chris Buescher Maintains Fuel, Steals Dover Victory
XFINITY Series point leader Chris Buescher was able to make his fuel last the final 98 laps Saturday to claim his second win in three weeks. It was the first victory for an XFINITY Series regular at Dover since 2005. Read more
Mike Bliss to Race Part-Time for Remainder of XFINITY Series Season
Saturday, Mike Bliss told Frontstretch that he has cut back to a part-time schedule in the XFINITY Series as a result of Eric McClure returning to TriStar Motorsports. McClure's return resulted in TriStar giving McClure the No. 19 team. The No. 19 that start-and-parked with Jeff Green on Saturday is the former No. 10. Read more
Tyler Reddick Tames The Monster Mile; Makes a Statement
Brad Keselowski Racing's Tyler Reddick ran down Erik Jones in traffic and took the lead with eight laps to go. From there, Reddick pulled away to take his second win of the season in a wreck-strewn Lucas Oil 200 on Friday. Daniel Suarez was second followed by Jones, Daniel Hemric and Matt Crafton. Read more
Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Chasing the Chase: Status Quo is Reestablished
by Phil Allaway
Sunday afternoon brought more of the status quo thus far in 2015. Kevin Harvick's second-place finish allowed him to expand his points lead back out to 44 over Martin Truex, Jr. Truex again led 131 laps, but could not put himself in position to challenge for the win late, even with fresh tires. Jimmie Johnson's tenth career victory at Dover allowed him to move into a tie for third with Joey Logano. Since Johnson has four wins to Logano's one, he gets the spot.by Phil Allaway
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had an up-and-down day after having to start in the rear due to a rear gear change. Earnhardt Jr. moved up as high as the top 10 before being penalized for speeding on pit road under green. He would eventually finish 14th and drop to fifth in the standings. Brad Keselowski maintains the sixth spot in points, but lost a fair amount of ground after finishing 12th. Keselowski struggled with an ill-handling car all afternoon and could only use pit strategy to work his way toward the front. Jamie McMurray moved up to seventh in points after finishing on the lead lap, coming home a strong seventh.
Kasey Kahne gained two places to move up to eighth after his fourth-place finish from near total obscurity on Sunday. Kahne leapfrogged his teammate Jeff Gordon in the process, but Gordon's own tenth-place result was good enough to maintain the ninth spot. Aric Almirola's decision to take four tires late allowed him to finish fifth and move up two places to tenth in the standings. It was Almirola's first top-5 finish of 2015.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 516, 2) Martin Truex, Jr. -44, t-3) Jimmie Johnson -76, t-3) Joey Logano -76, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -84, 6) Brad Keselowski -102, 7) Jamie McMurray -126, 8) Kasey Kahne -131, 9) Jeff Gordon -136, 10) Aric Almirola -138, 11) Matt Kenseth -139, 12) Paul Menard -144, 13) Ryan Newman -147, 14) Denny Hamlin -171, 15) Kurt Busch -176, 16) Carl Edwards -178.
Race Winners: Joey Logano (Daytona), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta, Texas, Kansas, Dover), Kevin Harvick (Las Vegas, Phoenix), Brad Keselowski (Fontana), Denny Hamlin (Martinsville), Matt Kenseth (Bristol), Kurt Busch (Richmond), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Talladega), Carl Edwards (Charlotte)
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks was brought to you by the letter "N," for Normal. Despite the race being dominated by Martin Truex, Jr. and Denny Hamlin, it was once again Jimmie Johnson who reigned supreme at Dover. For the most part, the race was not all that exciting, either.. - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks
compiled by Phil Allaway
"It certainly plays a role. I don't doubt that at all. It helps me learn about my hydration and nutrition and getting ready. I rode 52 [miles] yesterday; I'm not sure that was the smartest thing to do, but I know what I'm capable of and felt just fine doing it. And, I've got a great rhythm. I've got great support at home. I want to thank Chani; I wish she were here. And 'hi', to my little girls sitting on the couch, watching. I'll be there soon and can't wait to see them." - Jimmie Johnson, race winner, on his conditioning
"We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts. Once the track bar broke, we were pretty much in a box and just kind of had to hold on for the first 25 laps and if we weren't in the front then we struggled to just maintain what we had. All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it's been a good racetrack for us. We've led laps and just haven't quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day." - Kevin Harvick, finished second
"We started back because we didn't qualify good. But we went forward all day. We had a good day. Started 25th and drove forward throughout the whole race. We got to 12th/13th and kind of stood there for a little while and Keith (Rodden, crew chief) found a way to get us track position there at the end. I was able to get to second on the outside on the restart and basically the guy in fourth got to second on the outside on the final start and I ended up fourth. It was kind of just the way it goes late in the race on old tires, but we did all we could. We had a pretty good run in Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. The guys did a good job throughout the whole race, pit stops, everything about it was good. We just came up fourth." - Kasey Kahne, finished fourth
"I earned my money today that is for sure. This Smithfield Ford Fusion was a handful most of the day. It started off extremely tight. Trent Owens and the guys made really good adjustments on the car and got it better and better. Finally we weren't the lucky dog, we raced and stayed on the lead lap and when the caution came out we got a chance to restart with the leaders. That was the big break for us. Every time we would get the lucky dog I had to start dead last and 30-40-50 laps the leaders were right back on me. It was a great day for us, a really good points day for us. I am proud of Trent Owens and all the guys at Richard Petty Motorsports. They have been working their guts out trying to bring better cars to the racetrack week in and week out. We have to get better qualifying. That is our Achilles heel right now. We start too deep in the field every week. All in all, it was a good day for us and I am ready to go to Pocono." - Aric Almirola, finished fifth
"We just weren't quite fast enough. We just keep having the same issues and are we are trying to figure out how to get these cars faster, that is the problem right now. We just aren't fast enough. We tried to go for it there with the pit strategy and staying out and trying to get a caution. That is the only way we can win the race when we aren't fast enough and that didn't play out either. We went down a lap and got the lucky dog at the end there and ended up coming home 11th. I was hoping for another quick caution and I could have stirred it up with them and given it a shot." - Joey Logano, finished 11th
"I'm proud of our GoDaddy Chevrolet team. We all stuck together and dug deep. It was a challenging race, but we made the most out of each situation. We have a ways to go but everyone on our crew did a good job. We had good pit stops and made strides through the race. We win or lose as a team and this was a total team effort. I'm confident we can build on this heading into the next few races." - Danica Patrick, finished 15th
"It's a bad day. We were pretty good at the beginning, not so good in the middle and pretty good at the end. We drove our way back to the top-five and just restarts are crazy. Obviously the track leaves a lot of marbles, so it's very, very slick and you just couldn't grab hold – even new tires would not grab hold of the surface. Just staying out and track position was key." - Denny Hamlin, finished 21st
"We were in position for a top-10 finish. I was racing the 27 for position when [Denny Hamlin's crash] happened in front of us. I had him on my outside so I wasn't able to get to the wall. I saw him turn, and I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid him. It's frustrating when something like that happens and it ruins your day. We'll focus on the positive, we were going to have a top-10 finish. I'm proud of the guys on this Haas Automation team, they kept adjusting on the racecar all day. We didn't get the finish we deserved, but we'll have notes to build off when we come back here in the fall." - Kurt Busch, finished 31st
"I don't know. I guess Brian (Scott) said his spotter didn't say anything and he just chopped the corner and I was under him already and it just sucked me around. I hate it. I hate it for my guys. Man, we had a really good run going obviously — we ran in the top-five all day long. Just hate it for the Skittles Camry and everybody at M&M Mars. This is a shame. This isn't what we need, and we weren't going to win today but it doesn't help when you finish 40th." - Kyle Busch, finished 36th
"It is a bummer. It has been a really solid weekend for us. Our EcoBoost Fusion has been pretty consistently in the top-15 and I think whatever we have going on kind of started in the first run. We were okay and holding our own and then I started getting really tight. We corded the right front, came down pit road and put a new tire on it and everything was good. We started having battery issues and I had turn off all my fans so it was getting pretty warm in the car. We had a battery issue and then had something let go on the right front suspension. It is a real tough end for our decent weekend that we have had up until now." - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., finished 37th
"That is partially just Dover racing. It is unfortunate for our AdvoCare Ford. We weren't very good to start but started making progress there. Off of turn four I was racing side by side with the 46 for multiple laps and there is a lot of give and take. I kept giving him the top and coming off the corner I got a little tight and then he was there and once we touched the first time you are hooked together and it turns you. It is really unfortunate. I am not sure what else to say about it. I felt we were making progress on our race car. I don't think we had a great car today by any means but you never want to tear them up. It really stinks." - Trevor Bayne, finished 43rd
"We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts. Once the track bar broke, we were pretty much in a box and just kind of had to hold on for the first 25 laps and if we weren't in the front then we struggled to just maintain what we had. All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it's been a good racetrack for us. We've led laps and just haven't quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day." - Kevin Harvick, finished second
"We started back because we didn't qualify good. But we went forward all day. We had a good day. Started 25th and drove forward throughout the whole race. We got to 12th/13th and kind of stood there for a little while and Keith (Rodden, crew chief) found a way to get us track position there at the end. I was able to get to second on the outside on the restart and basically the guy in fourth got to second on the outside on the final start and I ended up fourth. It was kind of just the way it goes late in the race on old tires, but we did all we could. We had a pretty good run in Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. The guys did a good job throughout the whole race, pit stops, everything about it was good. We just came up fourth." - Kasey Kahne, finished fourth
"I earned my money today that is for sure. This Smithfield Ford Fusion was a handful most of the day. It started off extremely tight. Trent Owens and the guys made really good adjustments on the car and got it better and better. Finally we weren't the lucky dog, we raced and stayed on the lead lap and when the caution came out we got a chance to restart with the leaders. That was the big break for us. Every time we would get the lucky dog I had to start dead last and 30-40-50 laps the leaders were right back on me. It was a great day for us, a really good points day for us. I am proud of Trent Owens and all the guys at Richard Petty Motorsports. They have been working their guts out trying to bring better cars to the racetrack week in and week out. We have to get better qualifying. That is our Achilles heel right now. We start too deep in the field every week. All in all, it was a good day for us and I am ready to go to Pocono." - Aric Almirola, finished fifth
"We just weren't quite fast enough. We just keep having the same issues and are we are trying to figure out how to get these cars faster, that is the problem right now. We just aren't fast enough. We tried to go for it there with the pit strategy and staying out and trying to get a caution. That is the only way we can win the race when we aren't fast enough and that didn't play out either. We went down a lap and got the lucky dog at the end there and ended up coming home 11th. I was hoping for another quick caution and I could have stirred it up with them and given it a shot." - Joey Logano, finished 11th
"I'm proud of our GoDaddy Chevrolet team. We all stuck together and dug deep. It was a challenging race, but we made the most out of each situation. We have a ways to go but everyone on our crew did a good job. We had good pit stops and made strides through the race. We win or lose as a team and this was a total team effort. I'm confident we can build on this heading into the next few races." - Danica Patrick, finished 15th
"It's a bad day. We were pretty good at the beginning, not so good in the middle and pretty good at the end. We drove our way back to the top-five and just restarts are crazy. Obviously the track leaves a lot of marbles, so it's very, very slick and you just couldn't grab hold – even new tires would not grab hold of the surface. Just staying out and track position was key." - Denny Hamlin, finished 21st
"We were in position for a top-10 finish. I was racing the 27 for position when [Denny Hamlin's crash] happened in front of us. I had him on my outside so I wasn't able to get to the wall. I saw him turn, and I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid him. It's frustrating when something like that happens and it ruins your day. We'll focus on the positive, we were going to have a top-10 finish. I'm proud of the guys on this Haas Automation team, they kept adjusting on the racecar all day. We didn't get the finish we deserved, but we'll have notes to build off when we come back here in the fall." - Kurt Busch, finished 31st
"I don't know. I guess Brian (Scott) said his spotter didn't say anything and he just chopped the corner and I was under him already and it just sucked me around. I hate it. I hate it for my guys. Man, we had a really good run going obviously — we ran in the top-five all day long. Just hate it for the Skittles Camry and everybody at M&M Mars. This is a shame. This isn't what we need, and we weren't going to win today but it doesn't help when you finish 40th." - Kyle Busch, finished 36th
"It is a bummer. It has been a really solid weekend for us. Our EcoBoost Fusion has been pretty consistently in the top-15 and I think whatever we have going on kind of started in the first run. We were okay and holding our own and then I started getting really tight. We corded the right front, came down pit road and put a new tire on it and everything was good. We started having battery issues and I had turn off all my fans so it was getting pretty warm in the car. We had a battery issue and then had something let go on the right front suspension. It is a real tough end for our decent weekend that we have had up until now." - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., finished 37th
"That is partially just Dover racing. It is unfortunate for our AdvoCare Ford. We weren't very good to start but started making progress there. Off of turn four I was racing side by side with the 46 for multiple laps and there is a lot of give and take. I kept giving him the top and coming off the corner I got a little tight and then he was there and once we touched the first time you are hooked together and it turns you. It is really unfortunate. I am not sure what else to say about it. I felt we were making progress on our race car. I don't think we had a great car today by any means but you never want to tear them up. It really stinks." - Trevor Bayne, finished 43rd
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by Amy Henderson
by Joseph Wolkin
by Jerry Jordan
by the Frontstretch Staff
by Joseph Wolkin
by Tom Bowles
by Beth Lunkenheimer
by Matt Weaver
Rapid Reaction: Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Race No. 2
Rapid Reaction: Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Race No. 2
by Matt Weaver
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono Raceway was likely shaping up to be one of the best races in the career of Rob Moroso. Two-thirds of the way through the race, Moroso was right in the hunt for the win before it came to an end. What happened to put Moroso out?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 1996 Miller 500 at Dover was a tame race by Dover standards with only five yellows over the 500-mile distance. Of course, it still took over four hours to complete. The most memorable aspect of that race was a special paint scheme that Kyle Petty ran in the event. The scheme was not a promotion. Why was it run?
A: The scheme was run as a protest by SabCo Racing owner Felix Sabates over a call during the previous week's Coca-Cola 600. Kyle Petty was given a five-lap penalty for rough driving when he was judged responsible for a restart crash just before halfway. Two laps were added to the penalty for a total of seven due to Sabates' arguing.
Instead of the red and blue scheme that Petty normally ran in 1996, SabCo Racing's protest scheme was a black car with silver trim and white numbers. The idea was that Sabates thought that Dale Earnhardt wouldn't have copped a five-lap penalty in their same situation.
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have breaking news from Monday and S.D. Grady's Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View commentary.
On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have Five Points To Ponder after last weekend's action in Dover.-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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