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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
by the Frontstretch Staff
Jimmy Means Racing Crewman Injured in Hauler Fire
Entry List: Hisense 200
The XFINITY Series returns to support status this weekend at Dover. The Cup stars (Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon) are back to battle the XFINITY Series regulars. 41 cars are currently entered for the 40-car field. Read more
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Jeff Gordon's Duck Tour -- Was It Really Wicked Awesome?
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
Just how special was Jeff Gordon's pre-race lap in a Boston Duck Tour boat? Did you miss its five seconds of fame during the Countdown to Green? Well, to this New England sports fan, it was the highlight of the entire race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- one chock full of firsts and new records. Yes, it outshined the groundbreaking ceremony for the Northeast Motorsports Museum Friday afternoon. It bypassed the thrill of having the Camping World Truck Series take its 500th green flag. It totally blew by the second race in the 2015 Chase. It even managed to eke past Jeff Gordon setting a new Iron Man record with 789 consecutive race starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Really? It was that grand? The boat is kind of silly looking, something you find in tourist attractions across America. How can one with a No. 24 banner stuck to its side mean something extra?
Because this is New England.
In 2002, the New England Patriots had just won the Super Bowl. Boston needed to put on a celebration. The mayor asked around at the various trolley companies for transportation through the city streets in our first rolling rally. No, the team wouldn't just get on a stage and make speeches. Millions of fans would jam the city sidewalks in the middle of winter and scream out adulation for their champions. The Boston Duck Boat Tours -- a fledgling company established just eight years earlier -- stepped up to the plate and offered up their ducks for free. The parade was awesome!
Over the next thirteen years, including during Snowmageddon in 2015, the Ducks have been called upon repeatedly to carry our championship teams, the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics, and they've answered the summons each time they've brought home the hardware. Not only do the members of the winning teams ride the ducks, they bring their families, support staff, trophies and anything else that can be jammed on top of the crafts. It is a party of epic proportions.
Now, Jeff Gordon may not be the reigning NASCAR champion, but his 23 years as pilot of the No. 24 Chevrolet is certainly something to celebrate. Add that it's his final appearance at NHMS as a driver, notching that epic 789th start at the same time and it called for more than just a collector coin and extra handshake during driver intros. The Duck Boat fit the bill.
Every New England fan in the stands understood in their very bones what that Duck meant. Jeff Gordon is our Champion, one who ought to be held up and thanked in as grand a fashion as humanly possible. So we did, under a cloudless September sky in the tree-covered hills of New Hampshire. His entire team and family were welcomed onto the Duck. Daughter Ella even gave a little jump of excitement when she climbed on board. They toured the track for the very last time and the stands erupted in cheers of gratitude.
It was a nearly perfect day -- one I shall always cherish.
Sonya's Scrapbook
So, we're in the Chase. Jeff Gordon sorely needs a win. Do you think he might be able to repeat his performance from last year's AAA 400?S.D. Grady is a Senior Writer 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. Grady also provided the picture of the Duck Boat from Loudon above. She was at the race.
0
Wins for Kevin Harvick at Dover in the Sprint Cup Series. Harvick, the reigning series champion will likely need a victory there to advance into the next round of this Chase.
1
Lap led by Joey Logano this Chase. Logano, third at Loudon would be the season points leader if the standings didn't reset themselves after Richmond.
2
Points between 11th place Jamie McMurray in the standings and 14th place Paul Menard. Only the top 12 drivers make the next round of the Chase.
3
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers to finish inside the top 5 at New Hampshire. The JGR trio of Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards sit 1-2-4 in points two races into the Chase.
4
Races since a Sprint Cup driver failed to finish due to mechanical failure. Michael Annett and Matt Kenseth were the last to do so; both blew engines during the Bristol night race in August.
5
Wins by Matt Kenseth this season, including Sunday's triumph at New Hampshire. Only in 2013 (seven victories) has Kenseth taken more trophies in Cup.
8
Chasers to run inside the top 10 Sunday. Only Greg Biffle (fourth) and Kasey Kahne (ninth) broke the string of contenders.
8
Toyota teams preparing to run full-time next year. Toyota will drop from nine to eight with the subtraction of two-car Michael Waltrip Racing. Sunday, they announced Furniture Row Racing will join their group next year, but the No. 78 team will only field one full-time car.
13
Spots gained by Brad Keselowski after being penalized for jumping the final green-flag restart. Keselowski's rally left him 12th at the finish.
23
Points lost by Kevin Harvick after running out of fuel in New Hampshire's final three laps. Harvick, leading at the time wound up 21st and now sits 23 points out of a top 12 transfer spot.
78%
Of cautions Sunday that were for actual on-track accidents. Only two were for "other" issues. One was for fluid on the track from Landon Cassill and the other was for a spring rubber lying on the racetrack.
216
Laps led by Kevin Harvick at New Hampshire, the most of any driver.
$121,210
Money won by Martin Truex, Jr. for running eighth Sunday.
$123,533
Money won by Kyle Busch for finishing 37th.
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The Price Of NASCAR Legends Lost
by Tom Bowles
Beside the Rising Tide: A Fine Line For Keselowski On Restart
by Matt McLaughlin
Who's Hot and Who's Not in NASCAR: Dover Edition
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Monday's Answer:
Q: For two years, the Indy Racing League held races at then-Dover Downs International Raceway. In the 1999 event, Eliseo Salazar was involved in a nasty crash. What happened?
A: Salazar was in turn 2 when the rear wing folded down, making it completely useless. Salazar spun and hit the wall on the drivers' side hard enough that his FUBU-sponsored No. 6 got up on its side. Salazar then spun down the track and was hit by John Hollandsworth, Jr. The crash can be seen here.
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COMING TOMORROW
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