Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Michigan International Speedway Loses their President

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 24, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXLV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Wednesday

- Today is penalty day in NASCAR.  The biggest name that will be penalized is Brad Keselowski as Keselowski flunked the post-race laser inspection Sunday.  In addition to a likely P3 for Keselowski, you'll see the usual suite of warnings and small penalties to be announced later this afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday's TV Schedule can be found here.

Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff

Michigan Track President Roger Curtis Leaving the Speedway

Michigan International Speedway announced on Tuesday that track president Roger Curtis will be leaving his position, effective immediately.  No specific reason was stated for his departure, only that he was "seeking other opportunities."  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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Featured Commentary
Burning Passion
Professor of Speed
by Mark Howell
 
There's something special about your first time.

Winning a race, I mean.

This past weekend was perhaps a first in NASCAR history: three first-time winners in the three national touring divisions during a single weekend.

Three first-time winners. Three first-time celebrations.

It reminds me of high school. Everyone is amused by the burnouts.

As we await NASCAR's final decision regarding the policing of victory celebrations given their penchant for rendering cars unable to be easily or thoroughly inspected, we can only marvel at the qualities of the celebrations we witnessed last weekend.

But first we need to marvel at the performances that resulted in these three wins.

Brett Moffitt finally led a lap after five NCWTS starts:  as in the final lap at Michigan International Speedway to win the "Careers for Veterans 200." Moffitt wheeled his Toyota Tundra like a seasoned veteran, in his own right, to earn his first career truck series victory. And the celebratory burnout that followed Moffitt's win was nothing short of magical.

As in, it was as if Moffitt had the power to conjure up clouds of smoke that blinded the crowd's view of his No. 11 Toyota as it spun its wheels near the finish line. The truck all but disappeared in the post-race whiteout.

Usually we don't see whiteouts in Michigan until at least January.

Meanwhile, across Lake Michigan over in Wisconsin, first-time XFINITY winner Michael McDowell led teammate Brendan Gaughan in an overtime one-two finish for Richard Childress Racing in the "Road America 180." The narrow layout of Road America made a sweeping, sliding burnout almost impossible to accomplish, so McDowell did the next best thing.
He pointed his Chevrolet Camaro's nose toward the retaining wall and let 'er rip.

McDowell's car was, like Moffitt's, swallowed up in a cloud of thick white tire smoke. If anything, NASCAR executives should have been pleased by what McDowell did because his winning Chevy remained pretty much intact. Post-race inspection wasn't hampered by bent sheet metal and crumpled front and rear clips.

Meanwhile, back in the Wolverine State, there were the events of Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Larson finally got the 300-pound Sprint Cup monkey off his back when he took the checkered flag and won the "Pure Michigan 400." His restart with only nine laps to go was nothing short of perfect, albeit made all the better with a bit of help from Michigander Brad Keselowski. Chase Elliott could only follow Larson as the Target Chevrolet zeroed in on the finish line and win number one for the 24-year old "Drive for Diversity" program graduate.
And there was much rejoicing.

For starters, Kyle Larson finally got a Cup Series win. The victory (his first in 99 Cup starts) locked him into this year's Chase for the Championship and snapped a 99-race drought at Chip Ganassi Racing. The timing of this particular win could not have been better. Not only did it accomplish all of the factors just mentioned, but it also occurred at MIS, a race track with a rather interesting Victory Lane.

As Kyle Larson demonstrated last Sunday.

I'm one who complains about the overdone nature of the victory burnout. Seen one burnout, you've seen them all. Or so I used to think….

Maybe it's just the excitement of scoring that first major win, or maybe it's just the fact that a younger driver understands how to generate an all-important viral moment, but what Kyle Larson did at MIS was quite amazing.

Where else can a driver spin his car into Victory Lane?
 
The winners' circle at Michigan is such that the champion can park right in front of the fans – no rolling your machine down pit road and into some secluded spot near the garages…. Victory Lane at MIS is a grassy slide off the frontstretch in clear view of the media, and Larson took full advantage of this prime real estate.

Watch his burnout and you'll see more than just tire smoke. You'll see, through the clouds, Larson twirling his No. 42 Chevrolet into Victory Lane, and doing so while having his hands and his steering wheel out the driver's side window. I caught the play-by-play of Larson's post-race celebration on the radio, and even experienced pit reporters seemed truly amazed by what they were seeing.

As burnouts go, Larson's was truly an in-your-face, drop-the-microphone kind of display, a display intended to announce his rise to championship contention. He may not have dropped his mic, but he did something even cooler.

He dropped his steering wheel. While sliding into Victory Lane. While bathed in tire smoke from two worn-out Goodyears.

We rarely get to see performances like we did last weekend, and that's truly too bad. There's something reaffirming about celebrating a first-time win. And we got to do that three times in three divisions.

The first time is always memorable. It's apparently a good thing to celebrate, too….

Dr. Mark Howell is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at mhowell@nmc.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:

as told to Zach Catanzareti

by Sean Fesko

by Jeff Wolfe

compiled by Aaron Bearden

~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500 is best known for Jeff Gordon winning the Winston Million and Dale Earnhardt's mystery ailment.  The day was also pretty miserable for Rusty Wallace, who was done almost as soon as the race started.  What happened?

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

Tuesday's Answer:

Q:  In the 1996 Mountain Dew Southern 500, Hut Stricklin was a surprise contender for the victory in the Circuit City Ford.  However, he was slowed by an issue late in the race.  What was it?

A: In order to cut downforce and increase speed, the Stavola Brothers team closed off the top air inlet with tape (on a 1996 Ford Thunderbird, this was the half-circle shaped opening).  As a result, the car would run a little warmer.  At a place like Darlington, running a bunch of tape was not necessarily a good thing since the cars would pick up a lot of sand.

As a result, a number of drivers ran hot late in the race, like Terry Labonte.  Stricklin's No. 8 was not immune to overheating issues.  For the last 90 laps or so, the car ran warm and spat water out the overflow from time to time.  During his final stop, the Stavola Brothers crew didn't remove any tape, but sprayed water into the grille, as can be seen here.

Jeff Gordon believed that Stricklin wasn't going to make the finish because of water loss.  That's just one of the reasons why the then-defending Cup champion pounced on Stricklin and took the lead with 16 laps to go.

~~~~~~~~~~
COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have any news that breaks in the world of NASCAR, plus a look at Saturday's Careers for Veterans 200 in the Critic's Annex.

On Frontstretch.com:
Toni Montgomery returns with her weekly look at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Nitro Shots.
---------------------------
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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Digest for rec.games.trivia@googlegroups.com - 1 update in 1 topic

Calvin <334152@gmail.com>: Aug 30 07:35PM -0700

On Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 11:18:25 AM UTC+10, Dan Blum wrote:
 
> > > Old school. I like your style.
 
> > when I was little the only thing we had to play with were cooling rocks...
 
> Yours had solidified into rocks? Lucky.
 
Lugsoorry.
 
cheers,
calvin
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Betty Jane France Dies

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 30, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXLIX
~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Tuesday

- After the relatively big news that broke last night and was officially announced this morning, Tuesday will be a quiet day.  Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 team will get their uppance tomorrow.  In the meantime, the rest of today should be quiet.  If anything breaks, we'll have it for you at Frontstretch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Betty Jane France Dies

Early Tuesday morning, NASCAR announced that Betty Jane France, widow of Bill France, Jr. and mother of NASCAR CEO Brian France, died Monday night from an undisclosed illness.  Read more

Entry List: Bojangles' Southern 500

The entry list for Sunday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 is out.  40 cars are entered, and at least 35 have throwback schemes.  No one will fail to quality.  Read more

Entry List: VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200

The XFINITY Series entry list for Darlington is out as well.  40 cars are entered.  There are a number of returning drivers in rides this week (Ex: Paul Menard in the No. 2, Denny Hamlin in the No. 18, Ryan Blaney in the No. 22, etc.).  Also, there are multiple rides with drivers that have yet to be announced.  Read more

Entry List: Chevrolet Silverado 250

The Camping World Truck Series entry list is out.  32 trucks are entered, meaning no one will miss the field.  Notables include NASCAR Next driver Gary Klutt in the No. 51 for his series debut and the return of Austin Cindric in the BKR No. 2 Ford.  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.

~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
The Tale of the NASCAR Fan's T-shirt
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

Ah, the morning after an unexpected win in the Sprint Cup Series.  There ought to be a T-shirt in my dresser that can celebrate the place or time of Kyle Larson's accomplishment.  I started digging through the drawer, then checked the other drawer where older shirts go to hide before getting donated.  Huh. Really? I never added a Larson shirt to my collection?  I've got two for Chase Elliott. There's the Denny Hamlin first win, Tony Stewart's double-duty, Matt Kenseth rookie one...Jeff Gordon, Jeff Gordon, and the new throwback paint job for Jeff Gordon...I must have a Target shirt!

No, I don't.  Perhaps that was the jinx on Larson as he struggled through his rookie and sophomore years in Cup. I didn't commit my belief that he would be an incredible addition to the Cup driver lineup into an active part of my wardrobe.  No hat. No sweater...oh, wait.  I remember now.  Two years before Montoya wrecked the jet dryer, I picked up a No. 42 Havoline jacket on clearance.  That had Larson's number while I tried to keep the budget under control.

When I was a newbie to the NASCAR scene a couple or few decades ago, I really didn't get this "never throw it out" T-shirt rule to which racing fans adhere.  I'd be at a car show and shook my head.  Could you believe the geezer over at the slot-car game with a faded Dale Sr. t-shirt? Did he have no self-respect? Why hadn't somebody got him a shirt that wasn't stretched, stained and torn?

Because, these shirts are part of our documentation of the best moments in our entertainment lives.

The Town Fair Tire 100 shirt I settled on I picked up the year I sat with Kyle Larson's family in the grandstands and watched this unknown kid win the K&N Pro East series race at New Hampshire.  It was a great day.  We explained some of the NASCAR rules to his grandparents, who had flown out from California for the day. They had only watched Kyle win in his sprint cars, and didn't know what they thought about these big stock cars. Kyle only knew he could drive them.

The shirt has long since lost its bright white background, and the graphics for the modified cars are fading.  You could say perhaps it has lost a little bit of its inexperience and traded it in for the polish of knowledge; a little like Kyle Larson.

Well, well. What a freakin' weekend!  Three new winners in three series.    Three Young Guns finishing in the Top 4 of the Cup race. Ladies and gentlemen, the future of NASCAR isn't coming.  It's here.

I still gotta add a new shirt to the closet.

SOMETHING SHINY

What about that burnout?  How often can you say you burned up your tires IN Victory Lane?  With the steering wheel hanging out the window? Fantastic celebration for Kyle Larson.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's Note: Numbers Game will return next week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:

by Danny Peters

by Matt McLaughlin

by Jeff Wolfe

The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR's Small Teams From Michigan to Darlington
by Amy Henderson


~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: In the 1996 Mountain Dew Southern 500, Hut Stricklin was a surprise contender for the victory in the Circuit City Ford.  However, he was slowed by an issue late in the race.  What was it?

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

Monday's Answer:

Q:  In 1992, Davey Allison had a chance to win the Winston Million at Darlington.  He was running in the top 5 when the yellow flew for rain.  Crew chief Larry McReynolds sent a crewmember to look at NASCAR's radar.  What did that crewmember reportedly say when asked what it looked like?

A: You ever wonder why Larry McReynolds is so addicted to The Weather Channel?  This race is one of the reasons why.

Evidently, the crewmember returned to Davey Allison's pit and said that it looked green to him.  Unfortunately for the team, this guy didn't have much experience reading a radar.  He thought that green meant that everything was good.  I suppose so if you were a farmer in need of precipitation for your crops.

In this case, it was green because rain was swamping the area.  McReynolds took his crewmember's word for it and pitted Allison.  Had the race fully restarted, he would have had enough fuel to go to the end 500 mile distance.  The race was cut short after 298 laps due to rain.  Allison finished fifth
~~~~~~~~~~
COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have the latest NASCAR news along with a weekly commentary from our Professor of Speed on the state of the sport.

On Frontstretch.com:
The weekly Frontstretch 5 returns with five things to look out for.
 -----------------------------
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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Digest for rec.games.trivia@googlegroups.com - 3 updates in 1 topic

Calvin <334152@gmail.com>: Aug 29 04:10PM -0700

On Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 10:04:09 PM UTC+10, Erland Sommarskog wrote:
 
> 1. It starts with Rosanna, but what does it end with?
 
> 2. The ruins of the ancient city of Carthage are located in which
> present-day country?
 
Tunisia
 
> 3. The United Arab Republic originally consisted of which two
> present-day countries?
 
Syria and Egypt
 
> 4. "You must remember this: A kiss is still a kiss". Which film is it?
 
Casablanca
 
> can't take a taxi cab to Timbuktu"
> The title of the song is "Life is Hard" - but what's the name of
> the band?
 
Africa
 
> 6. Cheick Sallah Cissé made himself a national hero in the recent Olympic
> Games in Rio by winning the first gold medal ever for the Ivory Coast.
> In which sport did he compete?
 
Athletics
 
> of bandy is not very big. In the world championships different
> divisions there are teams from Europe, Asia and North America.
> There is also a team representing an African country. Which?
 
Morocco

> what?
 
> 10. What geopolitical feature is more or less unique to Denmark and
> Equatorial Guinea?
 
A dependency larger in area that them
 
> 11. For half a point each, tell me in which country you bump into if
> you start in 0°N, 0°E and sail due
> a) North
 
Portugal
 
> b) East
 
Angola
 
> sufficiently specific.
 
> 13. By age, who is the currently the oldest head of state? Give
> either the name or position + country.
 
Mugabe
 
> 14. Miles Davis's double album from 1974 "Get Up with It" features
> the half-hour long "Calypso Frelimo". What is Frelimo here?
 
> 15. The rocker Mannfred Mann hails from which country?
 
South Africa
 
> 16. Name any person who was awarded an Oscar for his or her
> involvement in the film "Out of Africa".
 
Streep
 
Nice quiz thanks.
 
cheers,
calvin
swp <Stephen.W.Perry@gmail.com>: Aug 29 05:43PM -0700

On Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 11:08:35 AM UTC-4, Gareth Owen wrote:
 
> > "it's a feeling" (unless you meant the other side, in which case it's
> > "africa")
 
> Old school. I like your style.
 
when I was little the only thing we had to play with were cooling rocks...
 
swp
tool@panix.com (Dan Blum): Aug 30 01:18AM

> > > "africa")
 
> > Old school. I like your style.
 
> when I was little the only thing we had to play with were cooling rocks...
 
Yours had solidified into rocks? Lucky.
 
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum tool@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
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Monday, August 29, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Kyle Larson Takes First Career Sprint Cup Win at Michigan

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 29, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXLVIII

~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Monday

- Today, teams are traveling back to North Carolina to swap out for this weekend's throwback weekend in Darlington.  For Cup and XFINITY teams, its a short haul (for the most part) to Darlington for "Throwback Weekend."  Should be fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Finally: Kyle Larson Tops Chase Elliott for Michigan Win

On Sunday, Kyle Larson finally broke through for his first career Sprint Cup victory, passing Chase Elliott on the final restart with nine laps to go.  Elliott was second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick.  Read more

Restart Issues Again Cost Chase Elliott a Breakthrough Victory in Michigan

For Chase Elliott, those dang restarts continue to be the bane of his existence at Michigan.  Elliott led Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 on the final restart with nine laps to go.  He then spun his tires, losing both the lead and the win.  Read more

Chris Buescher Salvages 35th-Place Run to Stay Chase Eligible After Michigan

Chris Buescher entered Sunday with a chance to further lock himself into the Chase.  However, issues under the hood dropped him to the rear.  Buescher eventually recovered to 35th by the finish, keeping him on the right side of the bubble with two races remaining in NASCAR's regular season.  Read more

Michael McDowell Finally Masters Road America

Michael McDowell led 24 of the 48 laps on Saturday to earn his first career XFINITY Series victory in the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville.  Teammate Brendan Gaughan was second, followed by Alex Tagliani, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Reed.  Read more

Brett Moffitt Goes Three-Wide to Steal Michigan Truck Victory

On Saturday, Brett Moffitt made a daring three-wide move on the final lap and just squeaked out his first career Camping World Truck Series victory in the Careers for Veterans 200.  Timothy Peters was second, followed by Daniel Hemric, William Byron and Cameron Hayley.  Read more

Cole Custer Out of the Chase Grid, but Uninjured After Late Michigan Crash

Cole Custer needed to put up a good run Saturday in order to improve his Chase chances.  Unfortunately, his day ended in a big wreck in turn 2 while fighting for third.  Custer was OK, but rather dejected afterwards.  Read more

Christopher Bell, Spencer Gallagher Unhurt in Vicious Michigan Crash

Cole Custer was not the only driver to have a big shunt on Saturday.  Christopher Bell took a hit to the drivers' side from Spencer Gallagher on lap 73 in turn 3.  Both drivers walked away from the scary incident.  Read more

Graham Rahal Tops James Hinchcliffe by .0080 Seconds in Texas Photo Finish

Saturday night, Graham Rahal was able to get past James Hinchcliffe and Tony Kanaan on the last lap, just barely managing to snag his first victory of the year.  Hinchcliffe was eight-thousandths of a second back in second, followed by Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, and Helio Castroneves.  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.

~~~~~~~~~~
Chasing the Chase: Harvick Holds Serve in Michigan
by Phil Allaway

Sunday did not see all that much change in the standings.  Points leader Kevin Harvick finished fifth, while Brad Keselowski used pit strategy to take an inferior car to a third-place finish.  As a result, the points lead has closed up by two.  Harvick leads by 25 with two regular season races remaining.  Carl Edwards finished seventh and moved up one place to third in points.  Edwards displaced Kurt Busch, who finished 12th, as both drivers look ahead to September.

Joey Logano started from the pole and led 24 laps, but handling issues dropped him to a tenth-place finish.  That was enough to hold onto fifth in points and put him within five points of fourth.  Kyle Busch maintained the sixth spot, but lost more ground as a result of an early spin he never recovered from.  That means Denny Hamlin is now only five points behind his teammate in seventh, closing the gap by 10 after finishing ninth.  Martin Truex, Jr. is eighth, but he's nearly 40 points out of seventh after the car fell off the jack during a pit stop.  That instance hurt the car's aerodynamics, effectively ruining Truex's day.

Jimmie Johnson had a quiet, but strong day on Sunday, leading 37 laps and finishing sixth.  That was enough to maintain ninth in points and put him within striking distance of Truex.  Matt Kenseth started and finished in 13th, although he did run better than that during the race.  The mediocre run kept him tenth in points, but cost him some ground.  

Chase Elliott's second-place finish moved him up one place to 11th.  He's just five points from re-entering the top 10.  Elliott overtook Austin Dillon in the standings, who had a somewhat average run to finish 16th. Jamie McMurray had a solid eighth-place finish on Sunday to maintain 13th.  He is now the last driver in the Chase on points.  Ryan Newman is now 15 points outside of the Chase in 14th.  Kyle Larson's breakthrough victory on Sunday not only put him in the Chase, but also moved him up one place to 15th in the standings.  Kasey Kahne is 16th.

Further back, Tony Stewart clinched his spot in the Chase by finishing 21st on Sunday.  He is now 93 points ahead of 31st-place David Ragan.  Chris Buescher maintained 30th in points Sunday, but struggled with issues under the hood on the way to a 35th-place finish. He's only seven points ahead of Ragan with two races remaining.

Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 799, 2) Brad Keselowski -25, 3) Carl Edwards -75, 4) Kurt Busch -78, 5) Joey Logano -83, 6) Kyle Busch -103, 7) Denny Hamlin -108, 8) Martin Truex, Jr. -147, 9) Jimmie Johnson -151, 10) Matt Kenseth -166, 11) Chase Elliott -171, 12) Austin Dillon -177, 13) Jamie McMurray -183, 14) Ryan Newman -198, 15) Kyle Larson -217, 16) Kasey Kahne -235.

Outside the top 16, but Chase-eligible: 26) Tony Stewart -379, 30) Chris Buescher -465.

Race Winners: Denny Hamlin (Daytona-1, Watkins Glen), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta, Auto Club), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas, Talladega, Daytona-2, Kentucky), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix, Bristol-2), Kyle Busch (Martinsville, Texas, Kansas, Indianapolis), Carl Edwards (Bristol-1, Richmond), Matt Kenseth (Dover, Loudon), Martin Truex, Jr. (Charlotte), Kurt Busch (Pocono-1), Joey Logano (Michigan-1), Tony Stewart (Sonoma), Chris Buescher (Pocono-2), Kyle Larson (Michigan-2)
 
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at ashland10@mail.com.
~~~~~~~~~~

Letter of the Race: Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 was brought to you by the letter "J," for "Jubliation."  For Kyle Larson, he's been close to Victory Lane multiple times during his time in the No. 42, but Sunday was a true breakthrough.  Larson's victory celebration, which involved donuts without the steering wheel attached and donuts in Victory Lane, was one-of-a-kind as well.  - Phil Allaway

~~~~~~~~~~

Quotes to Remember: Pure Michigan 400
compiled by Phil Allaway

"I was teared up that whole last few laps because I could just feel it. It was finally going to be it. This one is for the Clauson family. We really miss Bryan. We love you guys. We're going to miss him. We parked it for him, so that's really cool... we had a lot of work to do for that first third of the race and got it done. Thanks to Target. Thanks to everyone on this team. Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and the pit crew and everybody. We messed up that last stop but we made it back." - Kyle Larson, race winner

"[I] just [needed] a better restart again.  That was what it was all about, for sure.  Once that guy (Larson) got out front it was really hard to pass.  My guys did such a good job today of making the most of pit road. That was the only place you could make a large sum of ground in a short period of time.  They did exactly what I asked them to do.  I said, 'You guys are going to have to bail me out here; I messed up.' They did. They got us the lead just like I asked and I gave it away again.  It's one of those things where you do or you don't and I didn't.  You just got to recognize your mistakes, look at the positives I guess and move on down the road." - Chase Elliott, finished second

"You could see these restarts here at Michigan just get really crazy towards the end.  I was watching on TV, they get really crazy at the end.  The 42 had a good run.  The 24 was really good.  We were a third‑place car most of the day.  On long runs, we were maybe the best car.  For most of the day we were a third‑place car.  Finished where we deserved.  At the end, I gave Kyle a really good push.  Looked like Chase spun his tires a little bit.  Next thing you know, we were off to the races.  I got up to second.  I wasn't as fast as Chase, wasn't able to get by him.  Kyle was able to drive away, which was kind of the tale of the tape there on the short run. All in all, a really strong day for the Miller Lite team.  I think we would have been a little bit better if we could have got the sun to stay out.  The clouds came out in the end.  We were at our best when the sun was out.  All in all, a lot to be proud of.  A heck of an effort.  Seems like every time we come here, we want to win so bad, we run third or fourth every time, which is really good in the Sprint Cup Series, but it's certainly not the win we're looking for. Good and bad, I guess." - Brad Keselowski, finished third

"We were up towards the front most of the day and some runs were better than others. It is kind of a decent day for us. It is nothing to complain about. I thought we were in a decent spot there that last restart and it didn't work out great. Congrats to Larson. That is cool to see a rookie winning. These are the days we need. These are the days this team deserves. We always want to win in Ford's backyard but we will go on to Darlington and try to get it done there." - Ryan Blaney, finished fourth

"Yeah, just a very good day for all of Hendrick Motorsports.  Unfortunately, one of our cars didn't win today.  We had an issue with some fueling on pit road that dropped us back.  Then, I thought I had a right-rear tire going down.  To rally back and end up sixth is good.  We are working hard and it's nice to see the speed showing.  There has been a lot of hard work for months and months and months going into this.  We didn't see the consistency in speed that we wanted, but this weekend we've had it from day one until now.  It's going in the right direction." - Jimmie Johnson, finished sixth

"We just struggled with speed – really a lot of little things. The car was tight then it was loose, but really just lacked the speed that the leaders had for the most part. Struggled on restarts a little bit too on the bottom lane. Overall, we had about a fifth-place car and we ended up in the top 10 so not too bad." - Denny Hamlin, finished ninth

"We kind of ended on a down note there. I don't know. We lost our track position early in the race which hurt us and then we got our car balance fixed but it is so hard to pass. To get back up there was challenging. We came back down pit road there at the end to take four and somehow I guess the No. 4 car hooked our air gun and sent the rear air gun flying and we lost time in the pits. We were the last car on the lead lap on that last run and got back to 10th so I am proud of the effort this weekend. The pole was nice; we just weren't as competitive as we were in the spring race. Our car drove the same; everyone just got better." - Joey Logano, finished tenth

"That is the best we have been here for sure.  We made a lot of gains and our long run car was really good.  Just never could get going on restarts.  I was always just… I couldn't figure out where I needed to run.  That last caution hurt us a lot.  Just didn't get a good restart.  I didn't get to the outside quick enough and then we were just too loose there.  I still should have gotten to the top earlier.  I was trying to see what was going to happen and I didn't get to the outside quick enough.  Just wish I would have got more there.  I thought we deserved better than a 15th, but we haven't been close to being 15th here in three years.  It's definitely a lot of gains there.  Overall, happy, but just in the short-term disappointed with the finish." - AJ Allmendinger, finished 15th

"The finishing order makes it look that way, but we actually had a pretty fast car. We ran some really fast laps, but we just got in a bad spot there on the restart and got sucked around and wore off part of our splitter, but even after that we were one of the probably five or six quickest cars on the racetrack and just whenever we got in the lucky dog spot we ran there for I can't tell you how many laps and just didn't get a caution. The leaders started lapping cars again and we just couldn't catch that caution to get back on the lead lap and really show what we had." - Adam Stevens, crew chief for Kyle Busch, finished 19th

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 – Kyle Larson Comes Away with First Sprint Cup Win at Michigan

by Bryan Gable

by Beth Lunkenheimer
~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: In 1992, Davey Allison had a chance to win the Winston Million at Darlington.  He was running in the top 5 when the yellow flew for rain.  Crew chief Larry McReynolds sent a crewmember to look at NASCAR's radar.  What did that crewmember reportedly say when asked what it looked like?

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

Friday's Answer:

Q:  CART races at Michigan in the mid-1980s were wreckfests.  The 1984 Michigan 500 is probably best known for a crash just after halfway that ended the season for Chip Ganassi.  Mario Andretti won over Tom Sneva, but the finish was marred by another huge crash.  What happened?

A: On the final lap, Pancho Carter had a run on Rick Mears for third when his No. 77 lost control in the middle of the backstretch.  Carter spun and hit the Armco that acted as the outside wall on the backstretch at the time.  The bodywork sheared apart on contact.  Carter then slid onto the grass and barrel rolled.  The crash (and finish) can be seen here.

Carter was taken off on a stretcher, but suffered only minor injuries.  He was back in the car four weeks later at Pocono.  At Michigan, Carter was credited with a sixth-place finish despite the crash.

~~~~~~~~~~
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 following Sunday's action in Michigan.
 -----------------------------
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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Friday, August 26, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Michigan Gets Underway

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 26, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXLVII

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

What to Watch: Friday


- Today, Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series teams will be on track for practice at Michigan International Speedway.  Cup Series teams are set to qualify a little after 5 p.m.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND AT MICHIGAN THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUE:

Aaron Bearden (@AaronBearden93)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!
~~~~~~~~~~

This weekend's TV Schedule can be found
 here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

NASCAR NEXT Driver Gary Klutt to Drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports in Canada

On Thursday, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Gary Klutt, a member of NASCAR Next and a regular in the Pinty's Series, will make his Camping World Truck Series debut at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.  Klutt will be driving the No. 51 Toyota in place of Cody Coughlin.  Read more

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Frontstretch Folio: Pure Michigan 400
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series makes their second visit of the season to the Irish Hills of Michigan in order to race at Michigan International Speedway.  The Pure Michigan 400 can be seen on NBCSN starting with NASCAR America Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by Countdown to Green. The green flag is scheduled to drop around 2:20 p.m.  The race can also be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's Pure Michigan 400 was the second and final race with NASCAR's high-drag aerodynamic package.  What did that do?  It created high in-car temperatures (at Casey Mears' headrest, it was 155 degrees by lap 50), but also made passing very difficult.

Matt Kenseth led 146 laps and took the victory in last year's event, one that was criticized for a lack of action.  Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Martin Truex, Jr., Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin.

Among active drivers, Greg Biffle stands alone with four victories at the two-mile track.  Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte (not entered this week) and defending race winner Kurt Busch each have three Michigan wins while Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have two apiece.

All-time, David Pearson is the winningest driver at Michigan with nine career victories, including three in a row at one point.  His first Michigan win came in the Yankee 600, an attempt to run a 600-mile race at Michigan.  It ended up being rain-shortened to 165 laps of the scheduled 300.  

Cale Yarborough is second all-time at MIS with eight wins, followed by Bill Elliott with seven.  Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace both have five victories apiece.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2-mile "D-Shaped" oval, 200 laps (400 miles)
Banking: 18 degrees
Frontstretch: 3,600 ft., banked 12 degrees

Backstretch: 2,242 ft., banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 71,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1968 (first Cup race in 1969)

Website: http://www.mispeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MISpeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MISpeedway

Remaining Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice No. 1: Friday, August 26, 12 - 1:25 p.m. on NBCSN

Qualifying: Friday, August 26, 5:15 p.m. on NBCSN

Practice No. 2: Saturday, August 27, 8:30 - 9:25 a.m. on CNBC

Happy Hour: Saturday, August 26, 11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. on CNBC

Say What?!

"How you finish at Michigan depends on how your day is going. If you're having a good day, it's not really hard to tell your guys what you need and everyone is in a good mood. If you're having a bad day, you can get behind at Michigan really fast. Usually, when you're hooked up at Michigan, the leaders have clean air and move through traffic pretty well. But, if you're in the middle of the pack, you find yourself getting behind and going a lap down pretty quickly. You're going to end up with a green-flag pit stop and a whole bunch of green-flag laps. You just have to be going from the time the green flag drops and keep yourself in position at the end." - Kevin Harvick

"I think it is good to go back a second time to Michigan and let the teams have another shot at the downforce package. From my standpoint, the first Michigan, with the lower downforce, it was still Michigan. It still raced the same. It was still tough to pass. It's been that way ever since we've resurfaced the racetrack. So, I don't put a lot of weight in the package as the culprit there. Going back a second time with it, hopefully we refine our cars and we can race a little bit better." - Jimmie Johnson

"I think the downforce changes are a good direction and it's the direction the series is trying to go. I think it's cool that we ran it at Michigan before and we'll get to run it at Michigan again, to be able to go back-to-back with the package is good. Everybody can use what they learned and run it again.

"It's a pretty big difference this year compared to last year. That high-drag package just punched such a big hole. It was really hard to get around other cars. Less downforce definitely makes a difference. We're still carrying an awful lot of speed through the corners, so it's not like it takes out the aero effect completely, but it can definitely minimize it." - Landon Cassill

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at ashland10@mail.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:

by Amy Henderson
 
 

Tech Talk: Tires, Aero, Firewalls and Fuel with Jason Ratcliff
as told to Mike Neff

ATHLON SPORTS:

by Tom Bowles

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: CART races at Michigan in the mid-1980s were wreckfests.  The 1984 Michigan 500 is probably best known for a crash just after halfway that ended the season for Chip Ganassi.  Mario Andretti won over Tom Sneva, but the finish was marred by another huge crash.  What happened?

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

Thursday's Answer:
 
Q: In 2003, Jimmy Spencer was suspended following a post-race altercation with Kurt Busch (specifically, Spencer punched Kurt Busch square in the face through his window, similar to what Michael Waltrip did on pit road to Lake Speed in 1995).  What happened to elicit that kind of angry reaction from Spencer?

A: At the time, Busch and Spencer had been in the middle of an on-track rivalry for nearly a year and a half.  It was obvious that they didn't like each other at the time.  The rivalry came to a head when Busch and Spencer had contact on the frontstretch while battling for fourth.  The contact can be seen here.

The incident looks innocuous, but there was intent behind it.  Busch claimed on his radio that he was trying to intentionally cut Spencer's tire and he failed to do it.  That's not cool, especially at the speeds you can reach at Michigan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have recaps of the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series races from Michigan, in addition to any other news that breaks.

On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have a series of post-race commentaries analyzing this weekend's action at Michigan International Speedway.
-----------------------------
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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