THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Oct. 26, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CXCII
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Oct. 26, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CXCII
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What to Watch: Monday- The fallout from the finish of Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500 continues today. There's no word from NASCAR on when or if a decision will be made on Kevin Harvick's intentional wreck.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Joey Logano Sweeps Contender Round with Bizarre Talladega Win
Joey Logano Sweeps Contender Round with Bizarre Talladega Win
Sunday, Joey Logano was crowned the winner in one of the most bizarre finishes to a NASCAR race in modern history. Logano managed to hold off Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the final laps under green, then claimed the lead when Greg Biffle was forced to pit for fuel under caution prior to a green-white-checkered finish. Following a waived-off attempt, Logano managed to be in front of Earnhardt Jr. when the caution flew for a multi-car wreck to claim his sixth win of 2015 and a sweep of the Contender Round. Earnhardt, Jr. was second while Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards rounded out the top 5. Read more
Timothy Peters Wins NCWTS Race Under Caution
Timothy Peters Wins NCWTS Race Under Caution
Saturday, Timothy Peters led 23 laps and managed to get himself out in front when a collision between John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher on the backstretch during a green-white-checkered finish froze the field a lap and a half early. Brandon Jones was second while Mason Mingus finished a career-best third. Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick were fourth and fifth, respectively to widen their lead in the title race over reigning points champion 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: Logano's Contender Round Sweep Means the Top 8 Advance
by Phil Allaway
by Phil Allaway
Had Jamie McMurray not blown an engine, Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500 very well could have had a different conclusion. Joey Logano was the beneficiary of what amounted to two green-white-checkered finishing attempts that collectively totaled maybe a quarter-mile distance out of a possible 5.12 miles. His victory allowed him to sweep the Contender Round, leaving a total of seven spots behind him available based on points. It's the first time any driver has "swept" a round under the new playoff format.
Carl Edwards was the "Best of the Rest;" he finished fifth Sunday and that was enough to gain two positions to second. Jeff Gordon ran third and finished this round in the third spot; he advances as the lone driver left in title contention who hasn't won a race. Kurt Busch, meanwhile ran tenth at Talladega and dropped a place in the standings to fourth. Busch enters the next round as one of two drivers left (joining brother Kyle) to remain championship eligible despite missing at least one race during the regular season.
Brad Keselowski's fourth-place result, while not the win he was looking for moved him up two places to fifth in points. He advanced along with sixth-place point man Martin Truex, Jr.; Truex came home seventh with his Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Chevrolet. Truex had to fight back from a lap down, slicing back through the field after he lost the draft following the first pit stop.
Kevin Harvick's late-race incident, his contact with Trevor Bayne that effectively ended Sunday's race at Talladega has been the subject of controversy; several drivers claim the wreck was intentional. At this time, he has unofficially been credited with 15th, enough to give him the seventh spot in points, a "great save" considering his engine was going sour over the final few laps. Rounding out the top 8 in the standings is Kyle Busch who ran 11th, just good enough to crack the next round.
Ryan Newman gained one spot in points by finishing 12th Sunday; however, that was not nearly enough to move forward. Denny Hamlin entered Talladega second in the standings but the optional roof hatch broke a hinge. Multiple pit stops for repairs dropped him two laps down and completely out of the hunt to advance; getting involved in the big crash at the finish capped off a truly miserable day where he fell to tenth in points.
The two drivers in a "must win" situation entering Talladega failed to do so. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. did everything he needed to advance, but he was second (despite having a run on Logano) when the caution ended the race. Matt Kenseth, who was also caught up in the big crash, wound up 12th in points.
Eliminator Round Point Standings: t-1) Joey Logano 4000, t-1) Carl Edwards 4000, t-1) Jeff Gordon 4000, t-1) Kurt Busch 4000, t-1) Brad Keselowski 4000, t-1) Martin Truex, Jr. 4000, t-1) Kevin Harvick 4000, t-1) Kyle Busch 4000
Best of the Rest: 9) Denny Hamlin 2209, 10) Ryan Newman -15, 11) Matt Kenseth -18, 12) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -28, 13) Jimmie Johnson -48, 14) Jamie McMurray -50, 15) Paul Menard -61, 16) Clint Bowyer -86, 17) Aric Almirola -1360, 18) Kasey Kahne -1372, 19) Greg Biffle -1431, 20) Kyle Larson -1432, 21) Austin Dillon -1491, 22) Casey Mears -1524.
Contender Round Point Standings after Talladega: 1) Joey Logano 3142, 2) Carl Edwards -27, 3) Jeff Gordon -29, 4) Kurt Busch -30, 5) Brad Keselowski -31, 6) Martin Truex, Jr. -35, 7) Kevin Harvick -41, 8) Kyle Busch -44, 9) Ryan Newman -47, 10) Denny Hamlin -52, 11) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -59, 12) Matt Kenseth -88.
Best of the Rest: 13) Jimmie Johnson 2161, 14) Jamie McMurray -2, 15) Paul Menard -13, 16) Clint Bowyer -38.
Regular Point Standings (1-16): 1) Joey Logano 1204, 2) Kevin Harvick -49, 3) Brad Keselowski -123, 4) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -135, 5) Martin Truex, Jr. -178, 6) Matt Kenseth -201, 7) Jimmie Johnson -203, 8) Denny Hamlin -205, 9) Kurt Busch -217, 10) Carl Edwards -231, 11) Jeff Gordon -254, 12) Ryan Newman -272, 13) Jamie McMurray -288, 14) Paul Menard -346, 15) Aric Almirola -355, 16) Clint Bowyer -365.
Drivers Outside the top 16 in the Chase: 21) Kyle Busch -505.
Race Winners: Joey Logano (Daytona-1, Watkins Glen, Bristol-2, Charlotte-2, Kansas-2, Talladega-2), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta, Texas, Kansas-1, Dover-1), Kevin Harvick (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dover-2), Brad Keselowski (Fontana), Denny Hamlin (Martinsville, Chicagoland), Matt Kenseth (Bristol-1, Pocono-2, Michigan-2, Richmond-2, Loudon-2), Kurt Busch (Richmond-1, Michigan-1), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Talladega-1, Daytona-2), Carl Edwards (Charlotte-1, Darlington), Martin Truex, Jr. (Pocono-1), Kyle Busch (Sonoma, Kentucky, Loudon-1, Indianapolis)Letter of the Race: Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500 was brought to you by the letter "R," for "Rule Change." NASCAR instituted the one green-white-checkered rule in an attempt to try to prevent the kind of nightmare that marred the finish of the Coke Zero 400 back in July. Officials had good intentions but it ended up creating the actions we saw at the end of Sunday's race. NASCAR will have to think long and hard about how their decision-making can affect things when it comes to rule changes to the overall structure of the race in the future . - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: CampingWorld.com 500
compiled by Phil Allaway
"I had a good start and then the 24 (Jeff Gordon) was pushing me and the plan worked perfectly but the inside lane started pulling back up. I saw the lights come on when I was still in the lead and I thought we had it. It is all about how the timing loops are and the camera is placed to make sure that is what happened. It is such a crazy race. There were such long green flag runs, you never see that. To pull it into Victory Lane here at Talladega is so cool." - Joey Logano, race winner
"I couldn't believe he (Joey Logano) gave me the bottom. I was like 'Man, this is a gift.' I was going to win the race for sure, but that caution came out. I'm fine with the new rule. Everybody is going to debate that we were thinking before the race that they made a good change on the green-white-checkered to go to one and I still feel that way. Per the rules we run second. I can live with that. The No. 22 (Joey Logano) did a great job. He had a hell of a round winning all three races. If he wins the championship, he can look back on this round here as the one that set him up. I'm proud of what we did today. We did everything we needed to do, just fell about the width of the splitter short. You know how I hate that splitter (already), so, now there's another reason (laughs)." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished second
"I felt like I was on the seesaw today. My head was under the back of it. It's crazy how fast things can change and how much is out of your control. We were sitting out there riding a lap down for about 100 laps thinking that we were going to need an act of God to get back on the lead lap and have a fighting chance. We kept fighting and fighting and had a good sequence of green-flag stops to establish ourselves in that front single-file line ahead of the guys we were racing. Then, we got lucky and got a caution. Once we were back in the game, we felt good about it. But it was still nerve-wracking down to the end. The first one, I spun the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) out in front of me, and I was never on the gas pedal. I was on the brake as hard as I could without locking up the front tires. I was getting hit over and over. The 48 got spun and luckily we didn't get spun out or our day would have been over." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished seventh
"That's what we pretty much planned all day today was to just race and whatever happened, happened. It was crazy the way it always happens here, but I guess that's what does always happen here. However, it was or is, it's good if we're in and we're moving in. That's what this team needs and what we need – I guess the farthest I've ever gone before." - Kyle Busch, finished 11th
"It wasn't running really well on the restarts. Then, at the end I was trying to get out of the way. I don't know if I clipped the 6 or if he came across as I was coming up. It was one of those days where everything went well until the very end -- the bottom fell out on those last couple of restarts when it cooled off. It was a broken exhaust pipe or something. We weren't running very well there at the end on restarts and we were just trying to get out of the way. I don't know if I clipped the No. 6 (Trevor Bayne) or if he came across as I was coming up." - Kevin Harvick, finished 15th
"It was really unfortunate. We had a great strategy and had a great car. We were really close to winning it. It's unfortunate that one of those cars blew up and brought the caution out. There's nothing we can do about that." - Greg Biffle, finished 20th
"That's a crappy way for Harvick to have to get in the Chase is to wreck somebody – what I believe to be on purpose – maybe it wasn't. The restart before that he had engine problems and got out of the way. I think he realized if the caution came out he was gonna be fine, so I go by and get hooked in the left rear. Harvick is a really good driver. I think he knows the limits of his car and where it's at, so that's why I think it was intentional. To me, we had a really good AdvoCare Ford Fusion. I ran really good all day and was able to work my way toward the front. I felt like we had a top-10 run, no doubt, and then you finish like that it ticks you off a little bit." - Trevor Bayne, finished 21st
"It was really unfortunate. We had a great strategy and had a great car. We were really close to winning it. It's unfortunate that one of those cars blew up and brought the caution out. There's nothing we can do about that." - Greg Biffle, finished 20th
"That's a crappy way for Harvick to have to get in the Chase is to wreck somebody – what I believe to be on purpose – maybe it wasn't. The restart before that he had engine problems and got out of the way. I think he realized if the caution came out he was gonna be fine, so I go by and get hooked in the left rear. Harvick is a really good driver. I think he knows the limits of his car and where it's at, so that's why I think it was intentional. To me, we had a really good AdvoCare Ford Fusion. I ran really good all day and was able to work my way toward the front. I felt like we had a top-10 run, no doubt, and then you finish like that it ticks you off a little bit." - Trevor Bayne, finished 21st
"Well, at the end, the 4 (Kevin Harvick) knew he was blew up and we had the first attempt, but I guess they said it wasn't an attempt, although they threw the green, so it seems like we attempted the start and there was a wreck. So then they tried it again and the 4 knew he was blew up, so he said he was going to stay in his lane, so the 6 (Trevor Bayne) then went up and outside and he clipped him and caused a wreck because he knew he'd make the Chase that way, so it's – I got wrecked out two weeks in a row from people doing what they had to do to make the Chase, but call it what you want. But I just feel like they lost total control of this whole thing. It's not what racing is all about. The 22 (Joey Logano) last week wrecks us for the win to get in, to keep us out and get him in and then today we've got a chance, he's lined up behind, he's dragging the brakes, he's trying not to go. He's doing everything he can to make it worse for you, so he's standing there in Victory Lane and he's happy, but the racing is just – it's just kind of out of control." - Matt Kenseth, finished 26th
"The 4 (Kevin Harvick) could only run about 30 miles per hour so I think he saw people coming and he knew he was going to be 30th, last car on the lead lap so he caused the wreck. That's not here nor there. We had a self-inflicted day, took us four times to get our roof fixed. It's unfortunate, I feel like I've done all I could possibly do to advance in a three-race season. I feel like we could have won next week. I really can't spin any positive on it right now." - Denny Hamlin, finished 37th (crashed out)
"It was a good day for us. We had a good car and we were just starting to make our way toward the front then we lost oil pressure and unfortunately it gave up on us. These guys worked really hard to give me a fast race car and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion was going to be really good today. It was a lot of fun out there for sure. Plate races are always a lot of fun. Roush Yates does a great job for us, so we'll go to Texas and hopefully we'll have a better run there." - Ryan Blaney, finished 43rd (blown engine)
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud – Logano Scores Third Straight as GWC Fades to Yellow
by Mike Neff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2015 CampingWorld.com 500
by Amy Henderson
Up To Speed: Make No Mistake, There Were Two "Attempts" at a GWC in Talladega
by Summer Bedgood
Pace Laps: Championships and Future Stars
by the Frontstretch Staff
Tracking the Trucks: Fred's 250 powered by Coca-Cola
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Thinkin' Out Loud – Logano Scores Third Straight as GWC Fades to Yellow
by Mike Neff
The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2015 CampingWorld.com 500
by Amy Henderson
Up To Speed: Make No Mistake, There Were Two "Attempts" at a GWC in Talladega
by Summer Bedgood
Pace Laps: Championships and Future Stars
by the Frontstretch Staff
Tracking the Trucks: Fred's 250 powered by Coca-Cola
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:Q: In 1989, Jimmy Hensley won the pole for the Goody's 500 at Martinsville while qualifying Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet. Why was Hensley in Earnhardt's car?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Friday's Answer:
Q: In 1987, NASCAR was essentially forced to slow the cars down at Talladega after Bobby Allison's infamous crash into the catchfence in the Winston 500. The plates didn't come around until 1988, though. What was first on the list of moves to slow cars?
A: NASCAR's first move was to introduce 390 cfm carburetors, similar to what was being used in the Busch Grand National Series at the time, to the unrestricted Cup engines. At Daytona, the pole speed dropped 13 mph while Talladega's pole speed dropped to just under 204. In addition, passenger-side windows were also required, a first in Winston Cup.~~~~~~~~~~
COMING TOMORROW
-----------------------------COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have breaking news from Monday and S.D. Grady returns with Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View.
On Frontstretch.com:
Danny Peters returns with Five Points to Ponder after Sunday's race in Talladega.Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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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