Monday, November 09, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Jimmie Johnson Spoils Brad Keselowski's Victory Strut

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Nov. 9, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CCII

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What to Watch: Monday

- Today, many of the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams are still in Texas as auxiliary haulers are at the track in order to swap out equipment for this weekend's race (Texas Motor Speedway is roughly halfway between the Charlotte area and Phoenix).  Using Hendrick Motorsports as an example, it would be 45 hours of driving just to go back to Concord and drive to Phoenix from there in a car.  With a Class 8 transporter, it's quite a bit longer.  We're not even including the gear swap out that would take place back at the shop instead of in Texas.

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Monday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
 
 
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff

Jimmie Johnson Pounces To Sixth Texas Victory

Brad Keselowski dominated Sunday's AAA Texas 500, leading 312 of 334 laps.  However, Jimmie Johnson ran him down after a late caution for debris and took the lead with three laps to go, holding on for his third Texas win in a row.  Keselowski was second while Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-5 finishers.  Read more

Brad Keselowski Wins O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

Kyle Larson was in position to claim victory in Saturday's XFINITY Series race at Texas. However, a persistent left-rear tire rub that had plagued the team all weekend finally caused it to blow with under 25 laps remaining.  That gave the lead to Brad Keselowski who held on to win over fellow Cup regular Austin Dillon. Erik Jones, Ty Dillon, and Daniel Suarez made up the rest of the top-5 performers.  Read more

Erik Jones Claims Victory, Extends Points Lead at Texas

Friday night, Erik Jones dominated proceedings in the Camping World Truck Series, leading 117 of 147 laps to take his third win of the year at the perfect time. Daniel Suarez was second in their Texas 350-kilometer race followed by Ryan Blaney, Matt Crafton and Tyler Reddick.  Read more

Martin Truex, Jr. Sometimes "Frustrated" at Underdog Label

Of the eight teams remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, seven come from large multi-car teams.  Then, you have Martin Truex, Jr. who hails from the single-car outfit Furniture Row Racing out of Colorado.  Naturally, many observers see the small operation as an underdog, but Truex doesn't take kindly to that.  Read more

Joey Logano "Disgusted" By Fan Reaction at Martinsville

When Joey Logano was put in the wall by Matt Kenseth in Martinsville, the crash was greeted with loud cheers from the assembled crowd in the stands.  Logano, in addition to hating Kenseth's move, stated that he found the crowd's reaction to the wreck disgusting.  Read more

Brad Keselowski Sees Value in Double-Duty Race Weekends

Last weekend saw no practice for the Sprint Cup Series after Friday due to overnight rains and persistent weepers.  It is situations like that, Brad Keselowski explains which justifies why he likes to compete in the XFINITY Series along with Sprint Cup events.  Read more

Chris Buescher "Good" With Racing XFINITY in 2016

During a press conference Friday XFINITY Series points leader Chris Buescher stated that his plans were not set in stone for 2016.  Buescher believes that he'll be back full-time in the XFINITY Series although he's thankful for this year's Sprint Cup experience with Front Row Motorsports.  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: 7 Chasers in a Pack; Points Largely Unchanged
by Phil Allaway

With only one exception all the Chasers managed to post good finishes Sunday in Texas.  Jeff Gordon, already locked into the next round kept himself out of trouble and came home ninth.  That was enough for him to keep the points lead, but just barely as he was second worst of the eight Chasers.  His lead is two points over Kyle Busch, who had a great run to fourth Sunday and kept second in the standings.  Kevin Harvick finished third and is third in points, but he had to overcome two flat tires to get there.  Martin Truex, Jr. fell back to fourth due to two separate problems (a loose right-front wheel and the loss of power steering) that developed late in the race. Those issues dropped him from the battle for the win to eighth in the final rundown.

Carl Edwards maintained fifth and actually made up some points on Gordon and Truex. Realistically, he's the only other driver that can sneak into the Final Four through points barring a wreck or mechanical problem; the gap between Edwards and fourth-place Truex is seven heading to one of Edwards' better tracks in Phoenix. 

Brad Keselowski also gained points; however, missing out on that automatic bid hurts.  Instead of being locked into Homestead he'll likely have to win in Phoenix to qualify unless something crazy happens.  Kurt Busch finished seventh and made next to no progress toward advancing, putting the Stewart-Haas Racing driver in the same "must win" boat.  Finally, Joey Logano blew a left-rear tire on lap 10 that completely ruined his day.  After spending 66 laps inside the garage Logano came back and finished 40th.  However, he is 63 points out of fourth and is mathematically eliminated without a victory.

Outside the Chase, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the best of the bunch after his wild ride to finish sixth after "unzipping" a right-front tire, getting a Lucky Dog, racing to the podium, hitting the wall, spinning out and losing a lap, then getting another Lucky Dog to run sixth at Texas.  Earnhardt Jr. is two points ahead of Denny Hamlin, who had a miserable day with fuel pump issues dropping him to a 38th-place finish.  Ryan Newman is just four points behind Hamlin in 11th despite cutting a left-rear tire and finishing a lap down in 22nd.  Jimmie Johnson's victory moved him up to 12th, 19 points out of ninth.

Eliminator Round Point Standings: 1) Jeff Gordon 4080, 2) Kyle Busch -2, 3) Kevin Harvick -3, 4) Martin Truex, Jr. -6, 5) Carl Edwards -13, 6) Brad Keselowski -25, 7) Kurt Busch -34, 8) Joey Logano -69.

Best of the Rest: 9) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2259, 10) Denny Hamlin -2, 11) Ryan Newman -6, 12) Jimmie Johnson -19, 13) Jamie McMurray -24, 14) Paul Menard -51, 15) Matt Kenseth -62, 16) Clint Bowyer -104, 17) Aric Almirola -1354, 18) Kasey Kahne -1361, 19) Greg Biffle -1436, 20) Kyle Larson -1448, 21) Austin Dillon -1479, 22) Casey Mears -1527.

Regular Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 1234, 2) Joey Logano -17, 3) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -87, 4) Brad Keselowski -96, 5) Martin Truex, Jr. -132, 6) Jimmie Johnson -154, 7) Denny Hamlin -187, 8) Carl Edwards -192, 9) Kurt Busch -199, 10) Jeff Gordon -202, 11) Matt Kenseth -225, 12) Jamie McMurray -242, 13) Ryan Newman -243, 14) Paul Menard -316, 15) Aric Almirola -331, 16) Kasey Kahne -338.

Drivers Outside the top 16 in the Chase: 20) Kyle Busch -455.

Race Winners: Joey Logano (Daytona-1, Watkins Glen, Bristol-2, Charlotte-2, Kansas-2, Talladega-2), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta, Texas-1, Kansas-1, Dover-1, Texas-2), Kevin Harvick (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dover-2), Brad Keselowski (Fontana), Denny Hamlin (Martinsville-1, 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), Jeff Gordon (Martinsville-2).

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Letter of the Race: Sunday's AAA Texas 500 was brought to you by the letter "T," for "Tire Issues." While tire woes didn't determine who won Sunday cut and blown out Goodyears were a serious issue on the rear of the car. "Unzippered" right front tires were also a concern throughout the 500-mile event.  - Phil Allaway

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Quotes to Remember: AAA Texas 500
compiled by Phil Allaway

"I just kept pressure on [Brad Keselowski].  I could see that he was really tight and that was the first I had seen him that vulnerable all day.  I just kept the pressure on him, kept searching for a line.  He saw me coming on the top and protected it.  I just kept trying to put pressure on him hoping for a mistake.  He got real loose off of turn 2 and I had a big run down the backstretch and drove it in really far into turn 3 hoping to hear 'clear.'  Once I did I knew I was home free... Those emotions [from being eliminated from the Chase] were weeks ago now, so we have just been focused on winning races and helping our teammates advance through the rounds.  We got the No. 24 through last week and now it's time to go out here and not have to worry about teammates and just go for a win and we got it.  Just very rewarding, this No. 48 team worked all year to be in championship contention.  It's tough to work so hard all year long and not have a shot at the championship.  This is kind of a silver lining in that." - Jimmie Johnson, race winner

"The No. 48 car had mega turn that last run and I couldn't keep the turn and it kept pushing real bad. I did everything I could to hold [Jimmie Johnson] off but he was way faster that last run. Their team did a hell of a job and found speed and my team did a hell of a job too. We led 300-some laps and these debris yellows always favor someone and it wasn't our day for them to favor us. I am still very proud of our effort today. We will have a great shot at winning next week. We really needed to win this one and I know I gave it my all." - Brad Keselowski, finished second

"We were kind of off in the middle and late middle stages of the race and we kind of just drifted to about 10th and I really wasn't too optimistic about what we had going on, but I was still confident in Adam Stevens (crew chief) and the guys to give me some really good adjustments and low and behold they did. They kept working on this thing for me and we had a really, really fast M&M's Camry on the long run – we were a tenth or a half-tenth better than most of those guys. We just lost so much ground on the short run today. Wish we had a little bit better piece for the short run, but all in all I can't be more than happy coming home with a top-5 finish and seeing the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) win today, that was good for our situation. I feel for Brad (Keselowski), but you know that's why it's racing." - Kyle Busch, finished fourth

"We fought hard today. My guys did a great job with limited practice. Our Sport Clips Camry was good. About two-thirds, middle part of the race I thought we had something and then the track kind of went away from us, the balance did a little bit and raced it back. Fifth was as good as we could get at the end. Another restart would have meant a lot – we could have been top 3, but that's a decent day." - Carl Edwards, finished fifth

"We just think about what would have happened had we not had the drama.  I was having too much fun out there and got loose, three-wide after a restart and tagged the wall real good and bent the car up pretty bad and knocked the rear deck lid off of it. We got the chance to fix it and we just had a real fast car.  I think we had the best car here.  Just can't hit the wall, but man we were just having fun, running hard.  Got to do that every once in a while. I made a mistake today." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished sixth

"Felt pretty good, top 10, I would have liked to have had a little bit more.  We just didn't have much on the short runs.  It was something that we really struggled with today.  This place is tricky with the bumps and the speeds that we are running.  Something good to build on and work on... I thought we learned a lot this weekend.  I think we certainly know that our cars are fast because our teammate won.  Congrats to [Jimmie Johnson], I think that's awesome he beat the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski).  That is spectacular; I'm going to give him a big hug for that.  At the same time I think that we were here to execute and push hard, try to win, but also to just learn what we could.  I thought we learned some stuff." - Jeff Gordon, finished ninth

"I wish we could have been a little stronger there at the end. We had that right front go down and it tore the nose up pretty good so kind of took us out of a shot at a top 10. To still come home 12th is a good day for us. We worked hard all day to really keep the thing balanced and good and strong. Just when we cut that right front, it tore the nose up enough to make a difference and kind of take us out of it... Just staying in it and staying out front, that's the biggest thing you need to do [in a Sprint Cup car]. I thought we did a decent job of staying in the top 10 all day up to that point. Other than that, it was a good day for us. The DeWalt Camry was fast most of the day and we made decent adjustments to stay up with the track. The track changed a lot from start to finish so that was another thing we were trying to keep up with." - Erik Jones, finished 12th

"I had a good car I just kept trying to destroy it.  They did a good job [Brian] Burns (crew chief) and my guys and especially Todd [Parrott] coming in and really trying to help make us better these last few races.  I've always liked this place and we have always been pretty good here.  Hopefully, it's a good start to a really good weekend." - AJ Allmendinger, finished 17th

"No, [the tire] just blew apart off of turn 2. The left-rear tire came apart and shredded everything inside the car. It did a lot more damage than just the tire blowing apart. I don't know. We needed to win. We aren't out of it though. This team isn't quitting yet. We will go out there and gain a couple points, which don't mean anything but we will go to Phoenix and try to win that one. It is unfortunate. It just wasn't in the plans today." - Joey Logano, finished 40th

"We had a good car and we were driving forward early and I got into the wall off four trying to pass somebody and cut a right-front tire down. Hit the wall pretty hard in one and two and ruined our day. It is all my fault. I hit the wall all by myself and ruined a very fast race car. That is really unfortunate. I think with how we started out today it is kind of a good thing with what we learned and really makes you look forward to Homestead." - Ryan Blaney, finished 43rd (Crashed out)

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.

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by Jerry Jordan

FROM ATHLON SPORTS:

by Tom Bowles

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  In 1993, Alain Prost was dominating the Grand Prix of Brazil at Interlagos.  However, he wasn't above taking chances.  That came back to haunt him.  What happened?

Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Friday's Answer:

Q:  The 2000 O'Reilly 400 at Texas Motor Speedway was sadly overshadowed by the crash that took the life of Tony Roper.  Later in the event, there was a bizarre crash on the backstretch involving Derrike Cope.  What happened?

A: Jack Sprague got loose in turn 2 underneath Andy Houston and spun.  Sprague gunned the throttle and kept his truck out of the outside wall but came back across the track and drilled Cope in the side.  The hit threw Cope's Dodge on its side and ripped the passenger door off the truck.  The crash can be seen here.  Both Sprague and Cope were OK but done for the day.

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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 Texas.
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