Monday, February 15, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Hamlin Wins Sprint Unlimited, Chase Elliott on 500 Pole

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Feb. 15, 2016
Volume X, Edition VI

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What to Watch: Monday

- Today is more or less an off day.  The track is closed and teams will not be back on the track until Wednesday.  Some meetings will likely be held, especially for teams that must race into the Daytona 500 on Thursday.  Otherwise, it's a quiet day.  The entry lists for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 and PowerShares QQQ 300 should be released at some point today.  We'll have those lists and any other news that breaks on Frontstretch.

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

Denny Hamlin Withstands Mayhem, Wins Third Sprint Unlimited

Saturday night saw 25 Sprint Cup drivers return to the track to race a scheduled 75 laps.  It turned into a wreckfest.  Denny Hamlin chose to stop at lap 22, prior to the segment break, to fill his tank and made that last to take his third Sprint Unlimited victory.  Joey Logano was second, followed by Paul Menard, Kyle Larson and Casey Mears.  Read more

Chase Elliott Wins Pole for First Daytona 500

On Sunday afternoon, 44 cars took to the track for single-car runs to determine the front row for this Sunday's Daytona 500.  Chase Elliott won the pole with a lap at 196.314 mph.  Matt Kenseth will start alongside.  Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers had their laps disallowed due to track bar issues.  In addition, Martin Truex, Jr. did not make a lap due to a roof flap issue.  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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Letter of the Race: Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited was brought to you by the letter "T," for Tires. While tire wear itself didn't appear to be an issue on Saturday, no less than three wrecks were caused by tire failures.  It could have been simply because of slivers of debris on-track, or it could be a sign of something to come.   - Phil Allaway

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Quotes to Remember: Sprint Unlimited
compiled by Phil Allaway

"Well, it's the best position to be in, but there were a lot of times where I just couldn't hold off the cars that were coming.  They came with a run that was so significant that I just had to pick, okay, I'm going to end up being side by side, so figure out whether I wanted to be on the top or the bottom, and a lot of that is a split‑second decision based off of who's behind them.            

"So I knew whoever was pushing them was going to stay with them, so I had to look at fourth place when those cars were coming to see whether I wanted to be behind that person or the person that was third, and so I always made sure ‑‑ I did damage control when guys did get up beside me and made sure that I put myself in the lane that I felt the most comfortable the person behind me was going to give me the shove.  A lot of it was Matt most times and then Carl at the end, as well." - Denny Hamlin, race winner, on being up front.

"It was crazy like normal right? What a great race. I had a great Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion and we kept working our way up from the back and it was hard for us to get that lead. We had a decent start and the 20 was pushing me well and we were trying to get the right push. Larson and I worked really well together all day. I got him there at the end right behind me and I don't know what started that crash there at the end. We were so close, right next to the 11 when they started crashing there. It is a good start for the weekend and I am proud of what we did. I want to get out there for the 500 now and try to get another big trophy." - Joey Logano, finished second

"It was a lot of fun. We struggled with speed by ourselves, but the car just drafted really well. I picked some wrong lanes and I picked some right lanes and in the end, the middle worked pretty well. It was a wild race and a lot of fun.

"If you had room, you could really get a run and shoot a gap, but a lot of times you were just bogged-in and you just couldn't go anywhere. Kyle [Larson] was really good at making an extra lane in the middle and I kind of followed him for a little bit. You could get really good runs. It was just, what do with it." - Paul Menard, finished third

"We were just dodging wrecks and we ended up with a flat right-rear (tire) at one point, probably from some debris. We just never really got into the rhythm to break through to get to the top four. We got up as high as fifth and then on one of the restarts when you have damage on the rear of your car it's basically a 'don't follow me' sign and everybody went the other way. I needed to be more on defense. Thanks to Monster Energy, Haas Automation it was a good debut to see everybody work together, get the pit crew out there and work in the draft. We have a much better car and the way that everything shakes up for the Daytona 500." - Kurt Busch, finished seventh

"We got in some trouble there early and had the side ripped off. They won't let you race without door foam and apparently, I guess maybe you have to have the door on as well. The door holds the foam in. We had to repair that and it cost us a lot of laps. If the car can run we want to be out there competing and we stayed out of the way. We want to compete and finish every lap we can finish. We learned a lot about our crash repair. When we tore the rocker panel off the car we didn't have a way to mount the door to the car without the rocker, so we understand a little bit more about how to instant repair our car in situations like this. If we knew that stuff we probably wouldn't have lost that many laps and might have had a chance to get some of them back and get back on the lead lap. The car was fast, just couldn't really figure out how to get up through there and then I started seeing some opportunities and we started moving forward that thing with (Brian) Vickers happened, he had a little flat." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished 15th

"The car was spinning and the next thing I know I am in the grass and that absolutely destroys these cars. I didn't hit anything else after I got clipped, I just went through the grass and it completely destroyed this car. It sucks but it is alright. Our Smithfield Ford Fusion was driving really good tonight and I was happy about that. We can take some notes from tonight and get ready for the Daytona 500." - Aric Almirola, finished 18th (Crashed out)

"I mean it's just the way this racing is. (Jamie) McMurray tried to make a move that probably didn't need to be made at that time, but it's the Sprint Unlimited that is what we do. It was a tough night. We got a little bit of damage early in that first wreck. I think it was probably good to have a little wreck management to figure out what we need to do. We didn't have quite the speed we wanted, but I kind of figured out where I needed to run overall to get some laps it was good. You don't want to end like this, but to get Kroger and our new partners Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine out there. I thought if we could get to the end you never know what happens." - AJ Allmendinger, finished 21st (Crashed Out)

"I could see the hole closing up. I was trying to get out of it and I avoided from crashing the two guys that closed the door on me, but I got hit from behind and that's what sent me down through the infield. I was just trying hard on one of those nights. I was certainly trying to see what I could get with and what I couldn't by being aggressive, and we're down.

"I was trying to back out of it. I don't think the two guys I was trying to be in the middle of, knew that I was there and I could see the door closing. I was trying to back out of it. I did a decent job getting out of there and not spinning the No. 1 (McMurray) and the No. 13 (Mears) and I got hit from behind and that sent me down to the infield. It's unfortunate because the hole was there and I had a good run coming up through the center but they just started closing the door on me." - Jimmie Johnson, finished 22nd (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 Aaron Bearden

by Amy Henderson

by the Frontstretch Staff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  Season-opening races in Daytona are prone to rather substantial crashes.  The 1992 Goody's 300 for the Busch Grand National Series was no exception.  What happened that resulted in most of the series' championship contenders for the year being eliminated all at once?

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

Friday's Answer:

Q:  In the early 1990's, Phoenix Racing had a close relationship with Morgan-McClure Motorsports.  That allowed the South Carolina-based team access to great chassis.  In 1993, Jeff Purvis won the ARCA 200 at Daytona going away.  What pedigree did the Chevrolet Lumina that Purvis drove have?

A: The No. 1 Chevrolet that Purvis drove to victory that day was the same car in which Ernie Irvan won the 1991 Daytona 500 for Morgan-McClure Motorsports.  Granted, there had been some changes to the car since then (for example, the spoiler was much bigger by 1993 and the restrictor plate had smaller holes), but the car was still every bit of a tough out.  Once a good chunk of the competition was eliminated in an early crash, Purvis was able to drive away from the field and turn in qualifying laps.
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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 the opening weekend of Speedweeks.  In addition, we'll have additional commentaries including thoughts on Jeff Gordon's Sprint Cup debut in the broadcast booth.
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