THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 2, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXIII
- Today, expect some hot takes on restrictor plate racing. Then again, that is the norm after each race at both Daytona and Talladega. The flipping of multiple race cars is a concern going forward, though and could be addressed as soon as this afternoon by top NASCAR officials.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Brad Keselowski Takes Wacky Victory in Talladega
Sunday, Brad Keselowski reigned supreme after taking the lead on lap 172 and holding off the pack to take his fourth career victory at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Kyle Busch was second, followed by a beaten-up No. 3 for Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray and Chase Elliott. Read more
Chris Buescher Flips in Vicious Multi-Car Crash
One of the most spectacular crashes Sunday at Talladega occurred just after halfway when Austin Dillon was turned into the outside wall on the backstretch by David Gilliland. The resulting chain reaction saw Michael Annett hit Chris Buescher in the right-rear corner sending Buescher flipping down the backstretch. Everyone walked away uninjured. Read more
Dale Earnhardt Jr., "Amelia" Lost in Early Talladega Tussle
Despite all the work done to rebuild "Amelia" after a crash in the Daytona 500 Hendrick Motorsports could not solve the car's handling issues. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. broke loose by himself on lap 50, collecting teammate Kasey Kahne along with Matt DiBenedetto as the No. 88 went for a wild ride into the Talladega wall. Read more
Carl Edwards Crashes, Collects Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Talladega
Earnhardt Jr.'s misery continued later in the race. After a rare steering wheel issue under yellow Carl Edwards blew a right front tire and took himself and Earnhardt Jr. hard into the turn 1 wall. That crash finished both cars off for the day. Read more
Elliott Sadler Wins In Wild Talladega Finish
Elliott Sadler claimed his first XFINITY Series victory in two years Saturday at Talladega, just managing to keep himself up front long enough for the caution to come out following a scary wreck in the tri-oval on the final lap. Justin Allgaier was second followed by Brennan Poole, who was first to the line before the review changed the result. Jeremy Clements and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-5 finishers. Read more
Logano, Koch OK After Vicious Talladega Crash
Saturday's Sparks Energy 300 ended in NASCAR Overtime with Joey Logano and Elliott Sadler having contact in the tri-oval. Logano got loose, corrected and went head-on into the outside wall. Logano was then hit hard by Blake Koch, the contact spinning Logano's car around in the air. Both drivers walked away uninjured. Read more
Brennan Poole Cherishes NASCAR Opportunity Despite Close Loss
For a couple of minutes Saturday Brennan Poole was a winner in the XFINITY Series before video review took it away from him. However, Poole's not that sore over a defeat that could potentially make the difference in him making this year's XFINITY Series Chase. 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: Harvick Regains Lead after Wreck-Strewn Race
by Phil Allaway
Talladega always has the ability to jumble up the standings. Just reaching the finish with a situation like Sunday's will benefit you. Kevin Harvick technically did, despite being turned into the wall on the last lap and sliding across the line in 15th. That performance was enough to allow him to regain the points lead he lost in Richmond. Harvick's advantage is now nine over Kyle Busch, the lead Joe Gibbs Racing driver who finished second on Sunday and did not wreck. Carl Edwards dropped from the points lead to third after crashing twice and finishing 35th.
Jimmie Johnson is down one spot to fourth in points after getting caught up in the lap 96 crash on the backstretch, then getting caught up in the "Big One" inside turn 1. He would finish 22nd. Joey Logano stays in fifth despite getting caught up in the lap 181 backstretch crash and finishing 25th. Kurt Busch also stays sixth in the standings; however, he made up a lot of ground by making it to the finish in eighth. Brad Keselowski, by virtue of his win and maximum points, gains two spots and is now seventh in the standings.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s miserable day and last-place finish only cost him one place in points. However, he is now 20 points out of seventh place. Martin Truex, Jr. is up one position to ninth after backing into the wall during the "Big One." Somehow, the car still managed to finish not only on the lead lap but in 13th place. Austin Dillon, meanwhile is up to tenth after finishing a strong third. However, you would have never guessed that just by looking at his car. Chase Elliott is now in a standalone 11th in points after his third top-5 finish of the year.
Denny Hamlin is 12th in the standings followed by Jamie McMurray, who made up significant ground with his fifth-place result. AJ Allmendinger is up three places to 14th despite his last-lap wreck while Matt Kenseth basically lost nothing by rolling with eight laps to go and dropping to 23rd. Trevor Bayne rounds out the current Chasers with a top-10 finish at Talladega sneaking him inside the top 16.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 351, 2) Kyle Busch -9, 3) Carl Edwards -14, 4) Jimmie Johnson -22, 5) Joey Logano -35, 6) Kurt Busch -39, 7) Brad Keselowski -51, 8) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -71, 9) Martin Truex, Jr. -77, 10) Austin Dillon -79, 11) Chase Elliott -80, 12) Denny Hamlin -82, 13) Jamie McMurray -90, 14) AJ Allmendinger -119, 15) Matt Kenseth -120, 16) Trevor Bayne -123.
Race Winners: Denny Hamlin (Daytona), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta, Auto Club), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas, Talladega), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix), Kyle Busch (Martinsville, Texas), Carl Edwards (Bristol, Richmond)
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's GEICO 500 was brought to you by the letter "C," for Chances. With the race under threat of being shortened due to rain seemingly all day every driver in the field appeared on edge. Since no one knew how long the race would run, drivers were putting themselves in places where they normally wouldn't, leading to a crash-filled restrictor plate affair. Despite the threat, it never rained until an hour after the race ended. Then, it poured like heck. - Phil Allaway
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's GEICO 500 was brought to you by the letter "C," for Chances. With the race under threat of being shortened due to rain seemingly all day every driver in the field appeared on edge. Since no one knew how long the race would run, drivers were putting themselves in places where they normally wouldn't, leading to a crash-filled restrictor plate affair. Despite the threat, it never rained until an hour after the race ended. Then, it poured like heck. - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: GEICO 500
compiled by Phil Allaway
"I didn't have a great frame to see what happened to everyone else. The guys at Team Penske gave me a great Miller Lite Ford and this Fusion was hauling it. One of the best tickets to stay out of the wrecks at Talladega is if you can stay up front, you've got a great shot of not getting wrecked. But this No. 2. Daytona didn't go the way we wanted it to go. We thought we were gonna be better than that, but we just didn't show the speed in the 500 and the guys went to work and they brought me a really strong car here for Talladega. I'm so proud of everybody at Team Penske. To be back in Victory Lane with two wins this year, and we feel like we can get a lot more. We're growing as a team. We made a lot of changes at Team Penske and this feels really good, really good." - Brad Keselowski
"It was some moves that you made that were just lucky and just trying to get through some of the holes that were there and that were forming and guys bumping and banging each other, pushing all around and everything and trying to get the most out of what we had with our Skittles Camry. You know, second's not bad. I think the quota of three cars on their lids today is a little high, but it's racing." - Kyle Busch
"My car was actually probably dragging; the No. 1 (Jamie McMurray) could stick to my back bumper and he gave me a heck of a push all the way through (Turns) 3 and 4 and when he did that, I knew we were going to have a shot at it. But as soon as I pulled out, it was kind of a parachute but I had to make a shot at it. I wanted to have a shot at the win. If I would have pushed the No. 18 (Kyle Busch), he might have beaten the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski), I don't know. But hat's off to these guys. They fought so hard. We pitted 15 times, they said. That's amazing. The car was killed, and to come home with a third-place finish we've got to thank the good Lord above." - Austin Dillon
"We had a really strong car. Fighting from behind, it's hard to get it up front. I felt like if we could lead a pack at any point, we would have put ourselves up front. Early one, once I first got in the car, we drove right up into the top 10 really quick and we had some air on the nose and were able to go. The team built an awesome race car. I just kind of got mired back. I made some mistakes being my first time here racing. But we were able to dodge crashes and survive here, which is the big thing. We made some good moves at the end to get us into the top 6 or 7." - Ty Dillon, finished sixth (Tony Stewart gets credit for it since he started the car)
"It was a good day. We felt like earlier in the race I couldn't pick a lane that was worth a dang. We kept going backwards. Hopefully this turns around for us. There was one run before we got in that wreck where we got up through there into the top 10. I think we got to fifth actually again and then lost spots on the last pit stop. We got in that wreck, too. They did a good job fixing it. It ran fine after that. I didn't want to see that last caution. I thought we were set up good to go to the end there and I wanted to keep digging. Everyone bailed to the top and I didn't have a lot of help on the bottom. That was unfortunate but overall a decent day for us." - Ryan Blaney, finished ninth
"Very, very insane. You get butterflies in your stomach even thinking about coming here because you don't know what will happen. You can have a great day and win. Even in the overtime I was sitting third and could have won or ended up on a wrecker with the roof torn off. It is hard to race here without being nervous or anxious. We were on the bottom on that last restart, when they all went to the top I might as well just be driving out of the rear-view mirror trying not to get run over. We pushed the 41 to a really good start. I think he might have cleared the 2 and I had help from the 21 but I think the damage on the 21 deterred some help. They all went to the top and we ended up 10th. I thought we had a great race car. I am proud of what my guys brought to the track this weekend but we finished tenth." - Trevor Bayne
"I think we have a pretty good superspeedway car. They draft well. I am proud of my guys getting it fixed. There were just a ton of wrecks here today and it is a really tough race. I am proud to bring this Fusion home in 11th today." - Landon Cassill
"Landon Cassill trying to cause a wreck for the last 40 laps and he finally got it done there at the end. It was just unfortunate for our Busch Trophy Can Chevrolet. We just got shuffled out there and in a pretty big wreck there at the end. But all-in-all it was an OK day. We led some laps and ran up front; just got shuffled out when the No. 20 and don't remember who else. We got back there and racing where we didn't need to be racing and got crashed. We still finished, it is just torn up." - Kevin Harvick, finished 15th
"We got behind a little bit there and I went to pass the 22 (Joey Logano) and he ran me off the racetrack and lost four or five spots and then got us back there where we didn't want to be. I don't know, somebody must have gotten turned out of the top lane and just collected me. I was just going straight and saw a car come from the right side and cleaned our clock." - Matt Kenseth, finished 23rd (crashed out)
"I mean, I'm OK. I got an X-Ray so that was a concern. Just taking a deep breath. I hit my foot pretty hard and hit my arm pretty hard. I have hit the inside wall at a superspeedway I think like four times now and that was the hardest. You know these races are just…I get the running close and pushing. But the No. 95 was just drilling me every time. There is a high likelihood that he can take himself out. I'm all about bumping, and pushing and being close but when you hit people with a certain amount of momentum, it is a problem. I can't quite remember exactly what started it. I know I got drilled from behind and turned sideways and...hello, wall." - Danica Patrick, finished 24th
"We crashed. That is part of Talladega. 75 percent of us crashed, I think. Congratulations to my teammate. That is great for them. It is a bummer for us, though. We were in decent position towards the end. I don't know. Something happened up top and cars came down across my nose. It is what it is." - Joey Logano, finished 25th
"Yeah, the biggest thing is just something just let go there and you hate to collect anybody, so definitely sorry to the 88 (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) guys for getting their car involved in that. We had something torn up there, drove down into turn 1 and I just felt the right front fall down and that was it. You're kind of just along for the ride, but we appreciate the fans coming out. I appreciate everyone from ARRIS being here – wish we could have had a better run for them, but we'll go racing at Kansas." - Carl Edwards, finished 35th (crashed out)
"It was so quick I never had any time to react. We got clipped in the right rear and as soon as it turned, it went up on its lid. I thought we were clear of the wreck. I saw it happening in front of us and checked up and the next thing I knew I was upside down. I am pretty sick and tired of speedway racing at this point. It has been a rough year for that. We felt we were decent this race. We were holding our own and waiting but here we are. It is unfortunate. I really hate it for the guys." - Chris Buescher, finished 37th (crashed out)
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at
phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Drops Malachi Crunch on the Talladega Demo Derby for Second Win of the Season
by Mike Neff
The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 GEICO 500
by Amy Henderson
NASCAR Brings Perfect Talladega Storm without a Drop of Rain
Thinkin' Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Drops Malachi Crunch on the Talladega Demo Derby for Second Win of the Season
by Mike Neff
The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 GEICO 500
by Amy Henderson
NASCAR Brings Perfect Talladega Storm without a Drop of Rain
by Aaron Bearden
Up to Speed: Kenseth V. Logano Apparently Isn't Over
by Summer Bedgood
Pace Laps: Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano Tangle, Jeremy Clements' Strong Run and Nico Rosberg Wins Again
by the Frontstretch Staff
by Bryan Gable
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: After the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994 a number of tracks made configuration changes in the name of safety. The Circuit de Spa-Francochamps in Belgium was no different. What did they do to the 4.3-mile track in response to Senna's death?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Friday's Answer:
Q: Here's an easy one. In 1994, Mark Martin ended up in a place that is realistically no longer possible to put yourself in after a crash at Talladega unless something insane occurs. What happened?
A: Martin was running in the lead pack when Todd Bodine and Greg Sacks collided while racing for third. A multi-car crash developed. Jeff Burton spun and collected Martin, whose car hung a hard left and traveled onto the infield road course. He hit the corner of an Armco barrier, which allowed him to get behind it, then smashed into a chain-link fence and another Armco barrier. The crash can be seen here.
Martin got out of the car under his own power, but was very sore afterwards. He was done for the day.
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
-----------------------------COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have breaking news from Monday, Tom Bowles gives you a stats breakdown of Talladega in Numbers Game 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 following Sunday's action 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!
©2016 Frontstretch.com
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