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Thursday, July 04, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 4th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 4th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXIX
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What to Watch: Thursday

- Today, on-track action is set to begin at Daytona International Speedway. Two practice sessions will be held for both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. The times are as follows (all times are in Eastern Daylight Time, adjust for your own time zone):

2:30 - 3:50 PM Nationwide Series Practice No. 1

4:00 - 5:20 PM Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1

5:30 - 6:25 PM Nationwide Series Happy Hour

6:35 - 8:00 PM Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour

Top News
by Phil Allaway

Tire Testing to Continue

MRN's Jeff Wackerlin is reporting that Goodyear is currently planning on holding two more tire tests in the coming weeks in order to determine proper tire compounds for intermediate tracks.

The first of these scheduled tests will take place at Kansas Speedway on July 16th and 17th. Three teams have already been nominated to take part. Those teams are Roush Fenway Racing, with their No. 16 Ford driven by Greg Biffle; Furniture Row Racing with their No. 78 Chevrolet driven by Kurt Busch; and Joe Gibbs Racing, with their No. 18 Toyota driven by Kyle Busch.

In the case of Atlanta Motor Speedway, Goodyear held a tire test there just two weeks ago. However, the tire manufacturer is bringing a new tire combination to Atlanta for the AdvoCare 500 weekend in early September. As a result, they want to test again so that they're sure they have the right tire.

"We went back and poured over the data [after the original test]," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's Director of Racing Tire Sales. "Looks like we'll be coming back with a different right-side tire versus what we have raced there the last couple years. We're putting the final touches on that, but it looks like that's the way we'll be going. Cars were plenty fast and pretty tough on right sides. It's a big, fast race track with long corners so we're seeing a lot of wear and a lot of heat. That's why we feel like a right-side change is warranted for that track."

No teams were officially announced for the second Atlanta tire test. However, it is currently scheduled to be held on August 6th. In addition to the aforementioned two sessions, Goodyear is scheduled to hold three more tire tests before the end of 2013. One will be at Phoenix International Raceway, while there will also be tire tests at Richmond International Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway prior to the start of the 2014 season.

City Chevrolet To Sponsor Phoenix Racing, Kurt Busch At Daytona

On Wednesday, a combination of the Armed Forces Foundation, Phoenix Racing and Rick Hendrick announced that City Chevrolet will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Kurt Busch in Friday night's Subway Firecracker 250. The car will carry a retro paint scheme based upon the first car that Cole Trickle raced in Winston Cup in the 1990 film Days of Thunder.

Busch is very happy to carry the yellow and neon green colors at Daytona.

"To be able to drive the City Chevrolet car at Daytona is awesome," Busch said. "I really appreciate everyone wanting to do something special for my last ride with Phoenix Racing. Being able to drive this iconic car in the Subway Firecracker
250 to raise awareness for the Armed Forces Foundation's Help Save Our Troops campaign makes it all the more meaningful. I can't wait to get out there, drop the hammer and maybe do a little rubbin."

This will not be the first time that Busch has raced a paint scheme from a NASCAR movie. Last season, Busch raced a "Me" car in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. That car was officially sponsored by the Armed Forces Foundation, but featured the scheme that Ricky Bobby drove in the climatic final race in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

City Chevrolet is actually a Chevrolet dealership in Charlotte, North Carolina that is considered the flagship dealership of the Hendrick Automotive Group. Also, this will not be the first time that the green and yellow colors will have run in the Nationwide Series. In 1990, Greg Sacks drove two races in a City Chevrolet-sponsored No. 46 for Hendrick. Sacks' best finish was third in the Goody's 300 at Daytona.

Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.

Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400: 43 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 33 - Landon Cassill for Circle Sport, LLC
No. 35 - Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports/JRR

Driver Changes:
No. 32 - Terry Labonte returns to the seat, replacing Ken Schrader. Labonte is running the restrictor plate races for the team in 2013.
No. 47 - Bobby Labonte returns to the seat, replacing AJ Allmendinger. Labonte will be the full-time driver for most of the remainder of the season.
No. 51 - AJ Allmendinger returns to the seat, replacing Austin Dillon. Allmendinger will drive in the last three races James Finch will own the team: Daytona, Loudon, and Indianapolis.
No. 55 - Michael Waltrip returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers. Waltrip is running the remaining plate races for the team this season.

Since there are only 43 entries, no one will fail to qualify.

Not Entered:
No. 19 - Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 44 - Scott Riggs for Xxxtreme Motorsports

Nationwide Series Subway Firecracker 250: 43 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 1 - Kurt Busch for Phoenix Racing
No. 18 - Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22 - Joey Logano for Penske Racing
No. 33 - Ty Dillon for Richard Childress Racing
No. 34 - James Buescher for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 54 - Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 18 - Matt Kenseth returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 22 - Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 23 - Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Harrison Rhodes.
No. 24 - Jason White returns to the seat, replacing Ken Butler, III.
No. 33 - Ty Dillon returns to the seat, replacing Matt Crafton.
No. 70 - Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 74 - Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 79 - Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to the seat, replacing Bryan Silas.

Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00 - Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports
No. 1 - Kurt Busch for Phoenix Racing
No. 10 - Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 18 - Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 34 - James Buescher for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 42 - Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 52 - Joey Gase for Jimmy Means Motorsports
No. 55 - Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports
No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 85 - Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 89 - Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
No. 92 - Dexter Stacey for KH Motorsports
No. 98 - Kevin Swindell for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

*- Expected to Start-and-Park

Not Entered:
No. 46 - JJ Yeley for The Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 73 - Derrike Cope for Derrike Cope, Inc.

Izod IndyCar Series Pocono IndyCar 400: 24 cars entered

Driver Changes:
No. 4 - Ryan Briscoe returns to the seat, replacing Oriol Servia.
No. 18 - Pippa Mann returns to the seat, replacing Ana Beatriz.

Entries:
No. 1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 3 - Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4 - Ryan Briscoe for Panther Racing
No. 5 - EJ Viso for Andretti Autosport/Team Venezuela
No. 6 - Sebastian Saavedra for Dragon Racing
No. 7 - Sebastien Bourdais for Dragon Racing
No. 9 - Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10 - Dario Franchitti for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11 - Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies
No. 12 - Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14 - Takuma Sato for AJ Foyt Enterprises
No. 15 - Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 16 - James Jakes for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18 - Pippa Mann for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19 - Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20 - Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 25 - Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27 - James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 55 - Tristan Vautier for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
No. 67 - Josef Newgarden for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77 - Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Racing
No. 78 - Simona de Silvestro for KV Racing Technologies
No. 83 - Charlie Kimball for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98 - Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

American Le Mans Series Northeast Grand Prix: 34 cars entered in 5 classes

Prototype 1 (P1) Entries:
No. 0 - Katherine Legge/Andy Meyrick for DeltaWing Racing Cars
No. 6 - Klaus Graf/Lucas Luhr for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
No. 16 - Chris Dyson/Guy Smith for Dyson Racing

Prototype 2 (P2) Entries:
No. 01 - Guy Cosmo/Scott Sharp for Extreme Speed Motorsports
No. 02 - Ed Brown/Johannes van Overbeek for Extreme Speed Motorsports
No. 551 - Marino Franchitti/Scott Tucker for Level 5 Motorsports
No. 552 - Ryan Briscoe/Scott Tucker for Level 5 Motorsports

Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) Entries:
No. 05 - Jonathan Bennett/Colin Braun for CORE Autosport
No. 7 - Tomy Drissi/Rusty Mitchell for BAR1 Motorsports
No. 8 - Chris Cumming/Kyle Marcelli for BAR1 Motorsports
No. 9 - Duncan Ende/Bruno Junqueira for RSR Racing
No. 18 - Tristan Nunez/Charlie Shears for Performance Tech Motorsports
No. 52 - Mike Guasch/David Cheng for PR1 Mathaisen Motorsports
No. 81 - Mirco Schultis/Renger van der Zande for 8star Mishumotors

Grand Touring (GT) Entries:
No. 06 - Tom Kimber-Smith/Patrick Long for CORE Autosport
No. 3 - Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen for Corvette Racing
No. 4 - Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner for Corvette Racing
No. 17 - Wolf Henzler/Bryan Sellers for Team Falken Tire
No. 23 - Townsend Bell/Bill Sweedler for Team West/AJR/Boardwalk Ferrari
No. 48 - Marco Holzer/Bryce Miller for Paul Miller Racing
No. 55 - Bill Auberlen/Maxime Martin for BMW Team RLL
No. 56 - Dirk Müller/John Edwards for BMW Team RLL
No. 62 - Olivier Beretta/Matteo Malucelli for Risi Competizione
No. 91 - Dominik Farnbacher/Marc Goossens for SRT Motorsports
No. 93 - Jonathan Bomarito/Kuno Wittmer for SRT Motorsports

Grand Touring Challenge (GTC) Entries:
No. 10 - Mike Avenatti/Andrew Davis for Dempsey Del Piero Racing
No. 11 - Mike Hedlund/Jan Heylen for JDX Motorsports
No. 22 - Jeroen Bleekemolen/Cooper MacNeil for Alex Job Racing
No. 27 - Patrick Dempsey/Andy Lally for Dempsey Del Piero Racing
No. 30 - Henrique Cisneros/Nicolas Armindo for NGT Motorsport
No. 44 - Seth Neiman/Dion von Moltke for Flying Lizard Motorsports
No. 45 - Nelson Canache/Spencer Pumpelly for Flying Lizard Motorsports
No. 66 - Damien Faulkner/Ben Keating for TRG
No. 68 - Unknown drivers for TRG

News and Notes:

- Since it is the 4th of July, a number of teams will be running patriotic-themed schemes on their race cars this weekend in Daytona. Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski will both be running schemes that debuted at Charlotte Motor Speedway Memorial Day weekend. Danica Patrick will have a special scheme incorporating red, white and blue with the normal GoDaddy green in order to advertise new .us domains. Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle will also have cars with patriotic colors.

In the Nationwide Series, Parker Kligerman will run a special patriotic themed No. 77 Toyota Camry. Originally, the car was going to carry Toyota logos, but Bandit Chippers will sponsor the ride instead.

Have news for Phil and 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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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
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Editor's Note: What's Vexing Vito will return next week.

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The Critic's Annex: Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen

by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. While NASCAR's top series were all dealing with inclement weather in Kentucky, the Rolex Sports Car Series made their one and only trip of the season to Upstate New York. However, they also issues with weather.

The Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen is a round of the Rolex Sports Car Series, and round No. 2 of the North American Endurance Championship, a "championship within a championship" designed to rewards teams instead of drivers. It's confusing as heck. I hope that doesn't come back for 2014 when the merger will be in full effect.

How did SPEED do with the telecast? Let's take a look.

Even though the Six Hour race at Watkins Glen is a historic event in it's own right, it is just one race in a 12-race schedule. To that degree, SPEED's race telecast started out by looking at the point battles in the Daytona Prototype and Grand Touring classes. The Grand Touring Experimental (GX) class was more or less excluded here because the class has really not been much of a battle thus far.

For Watkins Glen, SPEED decided to expand their pit reporting corps from two to three people. The third man in the pits ended up being the inexperienced (at pit reporting, but definitely not driving) Darren Law. Law made his pit reporting debut earlier this season at Road Atlanta earlier this year. In that circumstance, Law was working in place of regular pit reporter Brian Till, who was doing play-by-play for ESPN's coverage of the American Le Mans Series race at Long Beach.

Law appears to enjoy his work on pit road, but he's got a ways to go before he can be considered a good pit reporter. On Sunday, Law bungled names (I believe that he referred to Katie Crawford, Engineer of the No. 42 BMW Riley for Team Sahlen by the wrong name to her face at one point), and just plain seemed unprepared at times. I think Law may have taken the gig thinking that it was going to be a cake walk. I've never worked as a pit reporter on a telecast, but I've interviewed drivers after races in the past. That type of work requires people that can think very quickly on their feet and come up with decent questions on the spot. I don't think Law's quite there just yet.

I think that SPEED is currently using Law in an unusual hybrid role between a pit reporter and a guest analyst. For example, they will ask Law about certain things that happened in the past in reference to a specific driver's style. This occurred after Max Angelelli was warned about rough driving after nearly pushing Christian Fittipaldi into the wall following an overtaking maneuver. This prompted a look back at when Law was essentially crashed by Angelelli using a similar move last year at Barber Park.

In addition, I wasn't really feeling how SPEED was covering the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing team late in the race. Yes, due to a series of wrecks and mechanical issues, the No. 60 entered Watkins Glen last of the 13 teams that had raced in all of the previous events thus far in 2013. Also, Oswaldo (Ozz) Negri, Jr. had missed most of the season due to an off-season mountain biking crash that left him with a shattered ankle. Regardless, it seemed like the booth was all but outright rooting for the No. 60 to win the race late. I don't think the broadcast booth is really supposed to do that. However, the cruel fate of a forced off-course excursion (Fittipaldi got loose, forcing Negri to drive into the grass to avoid hitting him) forced the team to pit in the final 20 minutes to remove caked on mud and grass from the grille.

Aside from Law's growing pains, SPEED showed a fair amount of coverage of the on-track action. The trio of Bob Varsha, Dorsey Schroeder and Calvin Fish, even though they haven't always worked together, mesh very well. There are jocular moments and serious moments during the race and these are handled just fine.

There were also a few great in-car shots from the race telecast. One of them was when the transmission decided to disintegrate in the No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda 6GX. The 6 was trudging along when all of a sudden, a loud grinding noise, accompanied by a massive vibration broke out. Varsha referred to it as the sound of money going away.

Another nice in-car camera was on the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley DPG3 driven by Justin Wilson and Gustavo Yacaman. It appeared to be mounted under the rear bodywork and showed off the amount of suspension travel that the Daytona Prototypes have to deal with at Watkins Glen. With pavement that has aged quite a bit with the help of relatively harsh New York winters, it is quite a test.

In a rehash of a feature SPEED showed during their 24 Hours of Le Mans coverage, SPEED sent Justin Bell out into the campgrounds to find the wildest bunch of fans that he could. After hanging out with a family camping out near "The Boot," he eventually finds a group of people that fit the bill. Now, at Le Mans, such a feature should have never aired. It was in at best, bad taste. Here, it wasn't quite as bad, although it was still weird to watch.

Post-race coverage was fairly decent. SPEED provided viewers with interviews of two drivers from each class-winning car (No. 5 Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette PD, No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in GT and the No. 00 SpeedSource Mazda 6GX). In addition, there were also interviews with the second-place drivers (Michael Valiante and Stephane Sarrazin) from 8 Star Motorsports. There were also checks of the point standings in the DP and GT classes, along with a check of the North American Endurance Championship standings before SPEED left the air.

Overall, I did enjoy watching SPEED's telecast from Watkins Glen. There was a lot of on-track action that SPEED did their best to show all the viewers. Generally, SPEED went where the action was. GX was more or less ignored, with the exception of when the No. 70 destroyed it's gearbox. Then again, only one of the three entries managed to even finish the race. The issues listed above are the primary issues that I had with the telecast. However, 95 percent of what viewers got to see on Sunday was excellent.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at SPEED's telecast of the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen. Check out next week's edition of the Critic's Annex, where we'll have yet another race telecast to critique. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Daytona, Pocono, Lime Rock and the Nürburgring.

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

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Race fans, do you love Frontstretch.com's coverage of NASCAR's top 3 series, IndyCar, Formula One and Short Track Racing? Do you want to read even more about your favorite sport? Then check out the industry's newest racing publication, Motorsport Illustrated News!, which is available both in print and in digital format! As one of our loyal readers, you'll receive 15% off any subscription when you use the coupon code fs2013.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week

From Petty Bashing Patrick Is The Pot Calling The Kettle Black

"Patrick is a poor qualifier right now, but Petty should have had one of the provisional spots named after him. And if you're wondering how Petty stayed in the sport for that long with that kind of performance, look no further than his legendary father, Richard Petty, who was at least part of the ownership group of Kyle's race team during those years when he would've otherwise been on the sidelines." - Brett Poirier describes essentially the entire second half of Kyle Petty's career in the Cup Series.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Tech Talk: Matt Puccia Puts Together A Plate Racing Plan For Daytona
by Mike Neff

Fantasy Insider: A Daytona Fantasy

by Jeff Wolfe

NASCAR Mailbox: Restarts, Underdogs, and Flubs
by Summer Bedgood

Truckin' Thursdays: Introducing Turner Motorsports' Harry Scott, Jr.
by Beth Lunkenheimer

Mirror Driving: Busting Through Slumps And Safety On Independence Day

by the Frontstretch Staff

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: In 1995, ESPN held a special simulcast telecast of the Pepsi 400 from Daytona. How did these race simulcasts work?

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

Wednesday's Answer:

Q: Up until 2010, the Rolex Sports Car Series served as the tertiary series during the Independence Day race weekend in Daytona. When Robin Liddell brought home his No. 57 Chevrolet Camaro home third in GT back in 2010, he did so while completely red in the face and wiped out. What happened to cause this condition?

A: According to Team Manager Mike Johnson, Liddell had had issues with his cool suit in the practice sessions leading up to the race. As a result, he chose to race without it. He ended up roasting himself in the midday heat at Daytona because of that move.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Frontstretch Folio: Daytona by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Four Burning Questions: Daytona-2 by Matt Stallknecht
Matt will get your engines revved up for 2013 with a preview of this weekend's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.

Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin has another interesting look at the Nationwide Series prior to the Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway

Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.

Formula One Fridays by Andy Hollis

Our expert returns with his weekly dish on what you should care about as the 2013 season in F1 rolls on.

Frontstretch Foto Funnies by the Frontstretch Staff

Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.

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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!
©2013 Frontstretch.com

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Wednesday, July 03, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 3rd, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 3rd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXIX

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Top News

by Tom Bowles

Travis Kvapil Gets New Crew Chief

BK Racing, struggling to find consistency this season has made a change at its No. 93 team. Mike Ford, former crew chief for Travis Kvapil has moved back into a Director Of Competition role, replaced by Dale Ferguson. Ferguson, who spent several seasons at Rusty Wallace, Incorporated before that team virtually suspended operations moves up from head engineer to take on the role.

Kvapil has struggled this season, posting a best result of 17th while accumulating six DNFs, most due to engine failures. The BK Racing outfit, along with second car David Reutimann has yet to score a top-10 finish all season.

TriStar Motorsports Gets Sponsor

Full-time Nationwide Series driver Mike Bliss has finally earned some primary sponsorship to go along with his ride at TriStar Motorsports. Tweaker Energy Shot, a new "drink" on the market similar to 5-Hour Energy has agreed to back the car in a five-race deal that starts at Daytona Friday night. Just five years old, the young company is making its first foray into NASCAR sponsorship.

Bliss, 48, has one top-10 finish with the team this season, a 10th at Iowa. He is 13th in series points while start-and-parking the team's Cup operation for extra money to help fund this car and the No. 44 driven by Cole Whitt.

News 'N' Notes

- Despite the rain delay, viewership for Sprint Cup's Kentucky race actually rose compared to last year. Sunday's event drew a 2.6 in the Nielsens, a three percent uptick from 2012 but the overall audience, of 3.9 million registered as the lowest to watch a points-paying race this year.

Four races into TNT's season, the network continues to show double-digit declines in both ratings and viewership from 2012.

- Well wishes go out to AJ Foyt, recovering in a Houston hospital this week after full hip replacement surgery. Foyt, 78, a four-time Indy 500 winner is expected to make a full recovery.

Have news for Tom and 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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ADVERTISEMENT

Race fans, do you love Frontstretch.com's coverage of NASCAR's top 3 series, IndyCar, Formula One and Short Track Racing? Do you want to read even more about your favorite sport? Then check out the industry's newest racing publication, Motorsport Illustrated News!, which is available both in print and in digital format! As one of our loyal readers, you'll receive 15% off any subscription when you use the coupon code fs2013.

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Today's Featured Commentary

NASCAR Returns to Daytona: Fireworks or Fizzle?

WTF Wednesdays

by Ellen Richardson

The 4th of July holiday is upon us and while many may be heading out of town for vacation or planning family barbecues, drivers and teams in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series will be making their way back to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway for the Subway Firecracker 250 and Coke Zero 400 this weekend.

Although this high-speed tri-oval is arguably one of my favorites, which has produced some pretty exciting racing in the past, I have to wonder if fans will spend their holiday weekend in this Speedway's stands or glued to their television sets?

As has been consistently reported this season, both fan attendance and viewership has continued on a sharp decline. In fact, I was rather disappointed to see the number of empty seats last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. I was also not surprised to see many NASCAR fans buzzing about what happened at our local NASCAR home tracks more often this week versus the results from Kentucky.

So, what might keep this weekend's NASCAR racing action from fizzling out? As many who follow this sport are well aware, Danica Patrick has skyrocketed back to the top of media chatter following Kyle Petty's recent comments about her not being a race car driver. The 2013 Daytona 500 pole winner will now make her way back to the track where she made heads turn earlier this season. As sports fans continue to feed off of the latest chatter about their favorite athletes, this ongoing feud between Petty and Patrick is sure to have them tuning in to not only see what might be said at the track, but whether Danica will use this critique to fuel her competitive fire.

Meanwhile, fan safety, just six months after a devastating incident in the Nationwide Series will be on the forefront of many peoples' minds. Although time has helped heal wounds from the frightening Kyle Larson crash on the final laps of that season opener, the risks remain. Following Larson's crash, Speedway officials jumped into action to reinforce the crossover gates in the track safety fencing that failed to stop debris from injuring race fans in attendance at the DriveForCOPD 300 earlier this season. According to Speedway spokesman, Andrew Booth the safety enhancements will be completed prior to this weekend's racing action.

These improvements are somewhat good news, but I can't help but wonder if they are enough. Is it me, or does anyone else remember watching a tire fly over this gate following this crash? How exactly is reinforcing this crossover gate supposed to eliminate the chances of that happening again? Now I am finding out that Daytona International Speedway has been approved for an enormously expensive frontstretch redevelopment project which aims to enhance the overall fan experience? Yes, I'm about to say it – WTF??

Why wasn't this expense earmarked to improve overall driver and fan safety at this historic speedway? As you can tell, this has my blood boiling and will definitely have me tuning in and praying that something awful doesn't happen again that will have both International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR second guessing this decision.

Where am I hanging most of my hopes for fireworks at Daytona? Not only on what might be an interesting flyover and fireworks show, but on those drivers and teams who have turned heads this season. Case in point: rising NASCAR Nationwide star Larson will return for a chance to actually cross the finish line in Friday night's Subway Firecracker 250. Of course, the media is sure to fill our heads with Patrick on Saturday night, but I will also be watching those Sprint Cup drivers who seem to have the most heart and determination this season – namely Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin. And who could resist also tuning in to find out if Five-Time will throw yet another temper tantrum?

So, as you gather around your friends and family to salute America and our freedom during this holiday weekend be sure to show your NASCAR fan pride by purchasing your Speedway race tickets or tuning in. Until then... Happy 4th of July, Frontstretch.com fans!!

Ellen Richardson is a Newsletter Contributor for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via e-mail at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com. Follow her on Twitter @EllenNRich.

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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!

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Tweet 'N' Greet
by Kevin Rutherford

Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Kevin Rutherford will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.

So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...

@mattkenseth: Wow! What an incredible day, thanks #Team20!

@keselowski (Brad Keselowski): Wish we coulda gone the full distance last night, still a Fun race. Hoping for a similar result tonight @KySpeedway #2Crew

@tydillon: Winner winner chicken dinner thank you fans for all the support man it feels good!

@KurtBusch: Congrats to my buddy @mattkenseth - fuel only for the win. Great but ballsy call. You've got that 20 car back to championship status

@BubbaWallace (Darrell Wallace, Jr.): Time to get this season turned around. Right now.

@brennannewberry: Had a fast @TeamNTS24Truck Bummed we didn't get 2 show it tonight "Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm."

@AndyLally: road racing fans & drivers.. The Oak Tree has fallen at VIR. A living piece of racing history has left us #OakTreeTurn

@mw55 (Michael Waltrip): Next week is no good for me. The @JonasBrothers are in town. Oh shoot. I did it again.

@claygreenfield: Well that's a first. Bomb squad was called to one of my jobs bc someone reported the weight we hold strings down with as a suspicious box

@Elliott_Sadler: Thoughts and prayers out to the families of the 19 firefighters whose lives were taken too soon in Arizona.. Their bravery is unmeasurable

@MartinTruexJr56: I had a dream at 7am that i was missing practice, nope it was just a ride along waking me up. #HappyBirthday

@JamesBuescher: Racing on a Thursday night has me so screwed up... I have said today is Saturday several times!

@Kenny_Wallace: Have you all noticed how TWITTER is NOW normal? People have QUIT saying "R u on twitter" everyone does it now and it's Normal..

@pkligerman (Parker Kligerman): My hotel room is either 100 degrees or -7... Currently at -7 where my hands are freezing off when I txt. #Firstworldproblems

@BlakeKochRacing: For sure don't want to be any closer to this thing. http://instagram.com/p/bRaShUul_L/

@DakodaArmstrong: Doing a straight line test today, but pretty awesome when you ask your phone to take you to NASA Kennedy Space Center pic.twitter.com/V8horDslWU

@stevearpin: Not really my thing for breakfast!! What happened to scrambled eggs and a piece of ham!!! pic.twitter.com/sQDAbZJveQ

@ericmcclure: The @espn sportscenter feature on soldiers coming home is touching. So incredibly thankful for those serving home & abroad

@kevinharvick: Lemon face at dinner! #birthdayweek https://vine.co/v/haU9qEEFIwZ

Kevin Rutherford is an Assistant Editor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at kevin.rutherford@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at@Surfwax83.

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ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Did You Notice? ... Plate Racing Parity, Economic Blame Game And Quick Hits

by Tom Bowles

Happiness Is...Timing, Cherubic NASCAR, Safety, and Anticipation

by Huston Ladner

Denny Hamlin Must Take Time to Heal Properly

by Summer Bedgood

Top Ten Things Overheard at the NASCAR Fourth of July Party

by the Frontstretch Staff

NASCAR Writer Power Rankings: Top 15 After Kentucky

compiled by Michael Mehedin

A Time to Shine: INDYCAR's Return to Pocono

by Matt Stallknecht

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: Up until 2010, the Rolex Sports Car Series served as the tertiary series during the Independence Day race weekend in Daytona. When Robin Liddell brought home his No. 57 Chevrolet Camaro home third in GT back in 2010, he did so while completely red in the face and wiped out. What happened to cause this condition?

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

Tuesday's Answer:

Q: Prior to the 1990 Pepsi 400, a huge crash in practice resulted in leg injuries to both Darrell Waltrip and Dave Marcis. Marcis' team did not have a backup car for the race. Where did they get a backup car from?

A: Marcis got a backup car from J.D. McDuffie. In fact, it was the very Pontiac Grand Prix that McDuffie had failed to qualify for the race with. Marcis managed to start the race and hung back. This allowed him to miss the massive wreck at the end of the first lap. After the huge crash, Marcis got out of the car and McDuffie replaced him.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Critic's Annex by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, the Line of the Week and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of weekly storylines. Topics this week include Brad Keselowski's downfall, the impact of a Nationwide or Truck Series win over Sprint Cup regulars and so much more.

Frontstretch Fan Q&A by Summer Bedgood
Summer takes on your NASCAR questions and answers them to the best of her ability. Be sure to send your questions in if there's something that's been nagging at you and you might see your name in print.

Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike has a Sprint Cup Series crew chief stop by to talk about the technical side of NASCAR. This week, Matt Puccia stops by as the series heads off to Daytona.

Fantasy Insider by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff brings fantasy racing back to Frontstretch this season. The week, he has your best bets as you fill out your roster for Daytona.

Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth is back with all of the latest and greatest to come out of the Truck Series. This week, Turner Scott Motorsports co-owner Harry Scott, Jr. joins the diary rotation with an inside look at the organization and what makes it tick.

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: NASCAR Tracks Hurting?

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 2nd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXVIII

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What to Watch For: Tuesday

- Today, Joe Gibbs Racing (Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams) and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will conclude their two-day test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The test is open to the public for free and will go on until 5 PM. Drivers scheduled to test include Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers and Elliott Sadler.

- Two major NASCAR personalities will meet with the media for their weekly teleconference. Talladega winner David Ragan, driving for Front Row Motorsports will take questions along with Danica Patrick's crew chief Tony Gibson.

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Top News

by Tom Bowles

Hamlin Cleared To Test, Plans To Run Full Season

Less than two days after a hard hit at Kentucky, NASCAR's Denny Hamlin appears well on the road to recovery. After an extended stay at the infield care center Sunday, following a blown tire that sent his car slamming into the outside wall, there were concerns the driver had aggravated a compression fracture in his lower back from Fontana in March. That injury had kept him out of four races, putting him 104 points outside the top 20 and left his Chase chances on life support.

But it turns out there was little, if anything to worry about. Doctors in Indianapolis cleared Hamlin to test Monday and all indications are the driver will be 100 percent for Daytona on Saturday night. The eight-year veteran, who has said previously he's had extensive back issues that should require further surgery insists he'll finish the season in the No. 11 Toyota, a move his organization fully supports.

"I think Denny, he's had one back issue, he's kind of had that for a long time," said car owner Joe Gibbs Sunday night. "I think he's kind of used to dealing with that. I think Denny wants to stay after it and we have a chance to get some wins for FedEx."

The driver had also complained of headaches after the Kentucky crash but doctors found no reason to diagnose a concussion Monday. Hamlin then turned laps above 200 miles an hour in a testing session preparing for the Brickyard 400 the end of this month.

"We're just going to try to win races," he said after exiting the race Sunday. "That's my job for the rest of the year – to try to win races and do the best I can for my sponsors and my team."

Currently 25^th in the season standings, Hamlin has four top-10 finishes in 13 starts this season.

Successful First Day At The Brickyard

One day into a two-day test at Indianapolis, drivers are raving about how NASCAR's Gen-6 car could finally improve racing at the much-maligned 2.5-mile oval. After several boring events the last few years, combined with tire compounds that struggled to last at the track drivers from both Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Hendrick Motorsports were raving about the new rubber Goodyear provided.

"They figured it out," claimed Juan Pablo Montoya, one of several drivers who turned laps above 200 miles an hour. "The grip level is really good."

"The testing has been pretty good today," added Jamie McMurray. "It's our first time here with this car, and it seems like some of the setup stuff is a little different from what we've been doing here the last couple of years."

Those comments echo several other drivers, who tested this Spring and had nothing but positive things to say about how the Gen-6, combined with better tires should lead to improved racing the end of the month. Both EGR and Hendrick were using one of their four NASCAR-sanctioned tests at the facility.

News 'N' Notes

- Camping World has signed on to be the title sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire in two weeks. The event will be known, from this point on as the Camping World RV Sales 301. "This is a natural, tailor-made partnership," NHMS Vice President Jerry Gappens said in announcing the move. "We have one of the strongest RV camping bases of any NASCAR track, located in a major market and a strong platform to help market the Camping World brand and its products."

- Speedway Motorsports, Inc., according to an article in the Las Vegas Review Journal is seeing their revenue continue to fall. Revenues for the first three months of 2013 were down to $84.2 million, a slight drop from $84.8 million a year ago. But over a five-year period, from 2008 to 2012 was where the numbers were really eye-catching. Revenue from racetrack admission, a key part of overall profit dropped from $188 million to $116 million, a drop of 38.2 percent as the company struggles to bring fans to the racetrack.

"Management believes many of our revenue categories continue to be negatively impacted by declines in consumer and corporate spending from the recession," claimed the annual report filed with these figures. "Including high unemployment, high fuel, food and health-care costs, difficult housing markets and other economic factors."

The company owns about a dozen Sprint Cup race dates, with tracks that include Kentucky, New Hampshire, Las Vegas, Texas and Charlotte.

Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.

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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!

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Today's Featured Commentary

Does NASCAR Need Danica? Whether She Can Race or Not

Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View

by S.D. Grady

In the past few days, since Kyle Petty expounded his opinion that Danica Patrick can go fast, but she can't race, much has been bandied about regarding her actual talent and value as a driver for NASCAR. While scrolling through chat rooms, I read statements by fans such as she's only a pretty face, isn't very competitive, continues to struggle even after several years behind the wheel of a stock car... we've heard it all before.

That includes the bit about how all she brings to the sport is sponsor dollars, a marketer that shouldn't be who NASCAR encourages to enter into our multi-billion dollar enterprise. Who needs a personable young woman, who is attractive, can speak to the camera without stuttering and is able to keep her car on the track -- more or less -- while she runs 180 mph into the corner?

A question, indeed.

Then Sunday afternoon arrived. The field of 43 cars roared to life and rolled off, ready to take the green. It was a day late, but we had waited for the best drivers in the world to battle once again under the Kentucky sun. Early on, we did have a good race. Restarts brought us three-wide battles. It appeared maybe the big boys would provide the kind of excitement the Nationwide race lacked.

That was, until Kurt Busch decided it was a really good idea to dive down onto the skirt in order to try and pass Brad Keselowski. There was a huge impact, cars spinning, crunching and erupting into flame. Kurt Busch forgot what patience was, that there was a huge bump down on the transition, and drove without thought for an instant. Severe repercussions to fellow competitors ensued.

It was a stupid move. One made in the heat of battle. One made by a driver who is willing to sacrifice his bumper in order to get ahead. It's called the competitive edge. The desire to win at all costs, whether that affects him or others. Busch will do anything in hopes of snaring the checkers. It is what helped him win a Cup. It is what many say is a result of a lack of character.

Kurt Busch has in his 14-year career won 24 Sprint Cup races, one championship, been arrested for a DUI, annoyed a police officer, assaulted and harassed media, been hired and fired, and generally become known as the driver you don't want to work with. Interviews with the elder Busch brother have become something of a mine field. Will we get the usual platitudes expected of a professional driver or the caustic diatribe Kurt is better known for? Sponsors know he's wildly talented, and still would rather not touch him with a 12-foot pole.

Yet despite all that, he does keep the small, underfunded No. 78 team within camera shot every week. Busch can wheel a stock car as few ever have. He is one of the chosen few.

There we have it; an untried, commercially successful rookie that has yet to prove herself on track and a world-weary veteran who has difficulty playing by the rules. Still, the question remains: What is it we want in a NASCAR superstar?

If we don't want a sparkling pony, capable of drawing oohs and aahs out of every car crazy girl -- and more than a few men -- as our Most Popular Driver, what do we want? Wildly talented ones who are incapable of generating loyalty in the vast viewing public due to a complete lack of self-control? Is NASCAR a sport or just a massive marketing machine?

It seems the racing fan base can't come up with a real answer to this question. Jimmie Johnson wins too much, is as bland as vanilla pudding and looks nice on a billboard. Matt Kenseth, even with sarcastic responses couldn't elicit a fan following through a camera even if he wore JJ's infamous "circus afro." Jeff Gordon won too much, drove for the wrong guy and runs an international charity like he has all the time in the world. Brad Keselowski lacks a filter on his mouth and his tweeting fingers. Joey Logano wishes he had the brawn and ability to back up his words.

As quick as we are to blindly follow a winner, we are just as fast to condemn a driver for erring in judgment one too many times in a day.

The fact is, we want a hero. A driver who wins, is gracious, gritty, strong, sympathetic, media savvy, friendly to animals, quirky, and on the very rare occasion, outright blunt. It's an elusive mix that is yet to be found among the human population. Many fans hoped Danica Patrick might be the magic bullet. It is perhaps their disillusionment that has resulted in such a vocal trashing of her on-track abilities.

Ultimately, NASCAR (the marketing machine) wants the entire cast filled: the pretty boy, the prodigal son, the sexy heroine, the politician, the villain and the champion. They already exist, for the most part, in the cast of characters we know as NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers. Whether they will all raise the Cup one day, or continue to pursue the elusive win for their entire career, fleshing out the storyline that the sanctioning body hungers for and needs in order to run another installment of "As NASCAR Turns" is what makes the sport tick so continuously.

Does NASCAR need drivers like Danica and Busch? Yes, they do. Are these drivers good for the sport?

As long as NASCAR cashes checks written by some of the largest corporations in America, absolutely. In a 43-car field, each week everybody plays a part in competition. Without mediocrity, and devilish trash talking, the shattering talent of the true leaders in this sport wouldn't shine quite so brightly.

Kyle Larson Stat

Series: Nationwide Series
Track: Kentucky
Car: No. 32 Clear Men Chevrolet
Qualified: 21st
Finished: 7th
Points Standings: 6th

Want to follow Kyle Larson yourself?

Twitter: @KyleLarsonRacin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyleLarsonRacing
Website (under construction): http://kylelarsonracing.com/
Looking for a little history? Try... http://kylelarsonracing.net/

S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail 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.
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ADVERTISEMENT
Race fans, do you love Frontstretch.com's coverage of NASCAR's top 3 series, IndyCar, Formula One and Short Track Racing? Do you want to read even more about your favorite sport? Then check out the industry's newest racing publication, Motorsport Illustrated News!, which is available both in print and in digital format! As one of our loyal readers, you'll receive 15% off any subscription when you use the coupon code fs2013.

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Numbers Game: Quaker State 400

by Tom Bowles

0
Laps led by Kasey Kahne Sunday at Kentucky. He's led 289 on intermediates this season, collecting two runner-up finishes on 1.5-mile ovals but could do no better than 11th in the Bluegrass State.

0
Top-5 finishes for Marcos Ambrose this season. He was in contention late during the race at Kentucky but faded to 13th down the stretch… he's led just a single lap on an oval in 2013 (Martinsville).

1
Top-5 finish for Jamie McMurray in the last two seasons after his runner-up performance at Kentucky. It was his first top 5 since Bristol, in August of 2011 and his best result since winning Charlotte in the Fall of 2010.

2
Races in the last five where Jimmie Johnson has led more than 140 laps and failed to win. There was Dover (143 – 17th) and Kentucky on Sunday, where spinning out on a late restart had him fading to ninth after leading 182 of 267 laps.

3
Straight finishes outside the top 10 for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., tying a season high. Earnhardt won the pole at Kentucky but running over debris early left him needing repairs to the grille; he finished 12th.

4
Victories by Matt Kenseth this season, tying his most on the Cup circuit since 2006.

6
Consecutive top-11 finishes for Joey Logano, moving him up to 10th in the series standings. Logano now has five top-5 results this season, just two off his career high and more than double what he had last year for Joe Gibbs Racing.

7
Straight top-10 finishes for Kevin Harvick, a streak that includes a win and has launched him to fourth in points, 66 above the Chase cutoff of 11th place.

10
Number of top-10 finishes for Clint Bowyer without collecting a win, the most of any driver. Despite being third in points, he's led just two events all year: Daytona (one lap in the 500) and Richmond (113 laps before finishing second).

10
Cautions at Kentucky Sunday, just two off the season high of 12 set at Martinsville. The first two races at Kentucky caused ten cautions combined.

16
Races since the only top 10 scored by a rookie candidate this season. Danica Patrick was 23rd at Kentucky; her eighth-place run at Daytona is the best for a rookie to date. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Timmy Hill have yet to score a top-10 finish.

182
Laps completed in six starts by Scott Riggs this season. That's an average of 30 laps per event; he's start-and-parked each time he's made the field for Xxxtreme Motorsports and their No. 44 Ford. In fact, Riggs has not finished a Sprint Cup event since April 2010, running 28th for now-defunct Keyed Up Motorsports and their No. 90 Ford.

$131,101
Money won by Brad Keselowski after crashing early in Sunday's Kentucky event and finishing 33rd.

$130,338
Money won by teammate Joey Logano after running the whole race at Kentucky and finishing fourth.

Tom Bowles is the Editor-In-Chief of Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
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ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Petty Bashing Patrick Is The Pot Calling The Kettle Black
by Brett Poirier

Who's Hot / Who's Not In Sprint Cup: Kentucky-Daytona Edition
by Brad Morgan

Going By the Numbers: Don't Look Now, But Kyle Larson's Comin'
by Kevin Rutherford

Five Points To Ponder: Who Is Making Noise Halfway Through The Year?
by P. Huston Ladner

Couch Potato Tuesday: Telecasts Struggling With NASCAR Rules
by Phil Allaway

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: Prior to the 1990 Pepsi 400, a huge crash in practice resulted in leg injuries to both Darrell Waltrip and Dave Marcis. Marcis' team did not have a backup car for the race. Where did they get a backup car from?

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

Monday's Answer:

Q: The Nationwide Series added a second race at Daytona International Speedway for the 2002 season. Joe Nemechek won the race from pole and led 76 laps. However, he had to hold off a snarling pack for the final three laps after a big wreck. What happened?

A: On lap 96, Jack Sprague and Todd Bodine rubbed up against each other in Turn 2. Sprague got loose, rubbed against Bodine again, then went hard into the wall. Bodine hit the wall as well. From there, Sprague came down the track and hit Kasey Kahne... causing the incident to spread. The crash can be seen here.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Tom Bowles
-- WTF Wednesday by Ellen Richardson

-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Kevin Rutherford
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Did You Notice? by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice... how radically different plate races really are? Tom tackles that, the plight of winless drivers and more in his latest list of small but important observations surrounding the sport.

Side By Side: Surgery or No Surgery? by Amy Henderson and Summer Bedgood

This week, we discuss Denny Hamlin's plans for the remainder of 2013 since his chances of making the Chase are currently somewhere between slim and none. Earlier this year, Hamlin said that if he missed so many races that he wouldn't make the Chase, he'd take the rest of the season to get necessary back surgery and heal/rehab from it. Now that the Chase is virtually a pipe dream for Hamlin at best, is the better career move continuing to race for the rest of 2013, or should he get the surgery now and come back 100% at Daytona in February?

Frontstretch Top 10 by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite writers are back with their Wednesday dose of NASCAR humor that leaves you laughing. Don't miss out!

Open-Wheel Wednesday by Matt Stallknecht
Matt returns with a special look at the Izod IndyCar Series ahead of open-wheel racing's return to Pocono Raceway.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After Kentucky compiled by Michael Mehedin
Despite a late spin, Jimmie Johnson was able to add to his points lead on Sunday at Kentucky. However, did he maintain number one on our power rankings list? Experts you love from across the web, not just Frontstretch rank the drivers heading into Kentucky as our weekly top 15 poll comes up for a vote once again.

Happiness Is... by P. Huston Ladner

Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston looks at the bright side of racing stories we've seen in the past seven days.

Monday, July 01, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 1st, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 1st, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXVII

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Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.

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Sprint Cup Race Recap: Kenseth Wins With Successful Gamble
by Justin Tucker

Matt Kenseth's strength on 1.5 mile race track in 2013 is unquestioned. Coming into Sunday's rain-delayed race at Kentucky Speedway, Kenseth had already collected wins at Las Vegas and Kansas, which are sister tracks to Kentucky. With about 20 laps to go, it took a brave pit call from crew chief Jason Ratcliff and a rare mistake from Jimmie Johnson for Kenseth to cash in at Kentucky for his series-leading fourth win of the season.

With 21 laps to go, Kenseth took no tires on what would prove to be the final stop of the race while Jimmie Johnson opted for two right side tires. On the restart, Johnson would get a bad restart, causing him to be swamped by other drivers. In Turn 1, Johnson would lose the handle on his No. 48 Chevrolet and spin, bringing out one more caution. While Kenseth maintained the lead, Johnson was forced to come back down pit road and change four tires. The stop put Johnson back to 25th-place on the final restart. With the four fresh tires, Johnson would rocket back up through the field to rally to finish ninth. Johnson would lead a race high 182 laps on the afternoon. After the race, Johnson refused an interview with TNT, but stated on the radio that he was upset with Kenseth's conduct on the restart.

With Johnson out of the picture, Kenseth was left to battle Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray for the win. A short battle between Bowyer and McMurray was all Kenseth needed as he would manage to hold off McMurray by .699 seconds to claim his 28th career victory.

A jubilant Kenseth thanked his crew after the race.

"I don't even know what to say. Thank you, guys. This is unbelievable. Thank you so much," Kenseth said. "Great job. It was a team effort. You guys make me look so good every week. I couldn't be any happier and prouder to be a part of this."

McMurray, Bowyer, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch would round out the top 5 on the afternoon at Kentucky. Kurt Busch was sixth, followed by Martin Truex, Jr. and Jeff Gordon. Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-10.

Sunday's race at Kentucky had its share of bizarre moments. Just after a competition caution, Denny Hamlin cut his right front tire. While trying to nurse the FedEx Toyota to pit road, the tire carcass came off, rolled across some grass and onto the race track in Turn 4. The carcass rolled right in front of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was battling teammate Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Earnhardt Jr. would make contact with the tire damaging the front of his National Guard Chevrolet. After hitting Earnhardt's splitter, the carcass hit Johnson's right front corner, putting a dent right at the headlight. Johnson's car ended up being just fine, while Earnhardt Jr. struggled with his No. 88 Chevrolet for much of the rest of the race, leaving him with a 12th-place finish.

Defending Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski would take a huge hit towards his chase and repeat hopes on Sunday. On lap 49, Kurt Busch made a move below the yellow line in the tri-oval in order to pass Keselowski. While down there, Busch clipped a drainage grate, getting all four wheels briefly off the ground. This shot Busch up the track and into the left rear of Keselowski's No. 2 Miller Lite Ford. Keselowski spun onto the apron, then back up on the racing surface, where Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Travis Kvapil, Paul Menard and Landon Cassill were collected. The wreck was not only huge for Keselowski's chase hopes but for Biffle's as well as he would also be collected in the melee that saw seven cars receive significant damage.

"Sucks to get taken out like that," said Biffle, who in the prior three races had one victory, a second-place finish and three top 10s.

Keselowski wasn't pleased, either.

"No reason to drive like an animal," said Keselowski, who fell out of the top 10 in points for the first time all season. "Apparently, I'm the only one who got that memo."

The aftermath of Sunday's wreck would leave Biffle in 9th and Keselowski in 13th in the standings.

A look at the Quaker State 400 behind the numbers on Sunday. The race saw 11 lead changes, ten cautions for 42 laps, and an average race speed of 131.948 MPH. Jimmie Johnson would lead the most laps at 182.

The Sprint Cup Series heads back to the high banks of Daytona on Saturday night for the Coke Zero 400. Green flag from Daytona is scheduled for 7:49 P.M. ET on TNT.

Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.

Chasing the Chase: Johnson Still Gains Ground Despite Late Spin
by Phil Allaway

Jimmie Johnson was well on his way to yet another Perfect 48 on Sunday. That is, until Brian Vickers blew a tire and crashed, bringing out the ninth yellow of the day. The spin on the restart dropped him all the way to 25th with just 17 laps to go while Carl Edwards was in the top-10. However, Johnson made an epic charge to get all the way back to a ninth-place finish. Meanwhile, Edwards' car fell off a cliff, dropping back to 21st. As a result, Johnson's points lead has increased back up to 38 points. Clint Bowyer's third-place finish keeps him third in points, but puts him just three behind Edwards.

Kevin Harvick had a relatively quiet run on Sunday to pick up another top-10 finish. That was good enough for him to hold serve. Matt Kenseth's fourth victory of the year did not gain him any positions, but it did allow him to make up points on everyone. He's still in fifth, 16 points behind Harvick. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is now back in sole possession of sixth after his 12th-place finish. However, after hitting the carcass of Denny Hamlin's tire early in the race, he was quite pleased to end up there.

Kyle Busch is up one place to seventh this week after finishing fourth. This was despite an early race spin on the backstretch. Martin Truex, Jr.'s improved form continued on Sunday with another top-10 despite a bad car. That moved him up two places to eighth. Greg Biffle dropped from a tie for sixth to ninth after getting caught up in the big crash with Brad Keselowski, Travis Kvapil and others early in the race. Biffle did come back to finish the race, but ended up 116 laps down in 34th.

With his fourth-place finish on Sunday, Joey Logano moved back into the top-10 in points for the first time since Fontana. Due to his early crash, Brad Keselowski fell out of the top-10. He is scored 13th, 14 points out of tenth.

Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 610, 2) Carl Edwards -38, 3) Clint Bowyer -41, 4) Kevin Harvick -66, 5) Matt Kenseth -82, 6) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -98, 7) Kyle Busch -110, 8) Martin Truex, Jr. -120, 9) Greg Biffle -121, 10) Joey Logano -131.

Best of the Rest: 11) Kasey Kahne -132, 12) Jeff Gordon -133, 13) Brad Keselowski -145, 14) Kurt Busch -147, 15) Paul Menard -151, t-16) Tony Stewart -153, t-16) Aric Almirola -153, 18) Ryan Newman -162, 19) Jamie McMurray -173, 20) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -177.

Wild Cards: 1) Kasey Kahne (11th in points, one win), 2) Tony Stewart (tied for 16th in points, one win)

Currently Ineligible for Wild Card: 1) David Ragan (29th in points, one win)

Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona, Martinsville, Pocono), Carl Edwards (Phoenix), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas, Kansas, Darlington, Kentucky), Kasey Kahne (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana, Texas), Kevin Harvick (Richmond, Charlotte), David Ragan (Talladega), Tony Stewart (Dover), Greg Biffle (Michigan), Martin Truex, Jr. (Sonoma)

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.

Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Kentucky Edition
by Amy Henderson

Editor's Note: This year, we're going to switch things up a little bit. Instead of just focusing upon one underdog (or underreported) car in the Secret Star section, we will point out three smaller teams that put up good finishes each week.

Underdog Selection No. 1: Casey Mears for Germain Racing; started 31st, finished 18th

Once again, this team continues to show its strength among its peers with Mears gaining 13 positions from start to finish on an intermediate track. What's the secret to Mears' recent gains? It's not just one thing. First, Germain Racing has struggled in the Sprint Cup ranks, mostly because of lack of money, but they are a championship NASCAR team and eventually, that experience is going to pay off as it's beginning to now. Also, with more money to buy better equipment and build better cars, the excellent communication between Mears and crew chief Bootie Barker is starting to pay real dividends as the team is able to produce the kind of cars Mears needs with more regularity.

Given the competition today, finishing in the top 20 is a good day for any of these smaller teams. The overall series points tell the tale-the teams ahead of Mears in the standings have considerably larger budgets and either have full alliances with bigger teams or are a bigger team themselves. A great day would be a top 10, and that's a reachable goal for some of these teams; the No. 13 should be able to get there a time or two this year. They already have more than twice as many top 20's as they did after 17 races a year ago. In short this is a team headed in the right direction.

Underdog Selection No. 2: AJ Allmendinger for JTG-Daugherty Racing; started 17th, finished 22nd

This team has taken a bit of a tumble this year, falling from best among the small teams to third among them in owner points behind Phoenix Racing and Germain Racing. Still, they're ahead of most of their peers, and the recent panic-mode move of making a mid-year driver change seems a little over the top. What's even more puzzling is that the team apparently intends to flip-flop between Bobby Labonte and other drivers for the remainder of the year. If the problem is equipment (which is the most likely possibility since this team dropped a technical alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing before the 2012 season), it would seem as though having one driver in the seat, whether that's Labonte, Allmendinger, or someone else, would be the best chance of figuring out how to improve the cars. If it's other personnel that need to be changed, the team just makes it more difficult for people to perform if they're preparing cars for multiple drivers.

Allmendinger did have a solid run at Kentucky to follow up a strong qualifying run. For a while it looked as though a top-15 finish might be a possibility, but in the end, the team faded to 22nd. It was their sixth-best run in 17 races so far, definitely not terrible…but not the improvement they're looking for, either.

Underdog Selection No. 3: David Stremme for Swan Racing; started 28th, finished 25th

Yes, Stremme finished one position behind Phoenix Racing's Austin Dillon, and I'm in no way slighting Dillon or detracting from a decent day, but this team deserves a mention this week. Stremme has quietly put together some decent days for this team in 2013, sometimes beating teams in their money bracket who should, on paper, be beating them. This weekend, they were fourth among the other underdogs, and the teams who beat them have more money and more experience.

This team did have an easier start-up in that they had some chassis and equipment from buying out Inception Motorsports at the end of last year, but that they are improving faster than some more established small teams, like Tommy Baldwin Racing and FAS Lane Racing, has been a complete surprise. Yes, they've faced the struggles that new teams face and continue to do so, but they are making the gains that suggest that they could turn themselves into one of the better teams in this group in a few more years. In today's NASCAR, that's a good deal of success.

Underdog Pick of the Week-Daytona: David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports

In this section, I'll give you my pick among the small teams to have a strong run in the upcoming race.

This week's pick is David Gilliland. I'm going a bit out on a limb with this one, as Gilliland's Daytona average lags a bit behind David Ragan's, Bobby Labonte's, and Casey Mears', but he was second at Talladega this spring behind Ragan, and the pair easily proved this team's mettle on restrictor plate tracks, while Labonte's future is uncertain and Mears has had terrible luck on plate tracks this year. Gilliland could be a surprise in the top 10 this Saturday night.

Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during the race broadcasts? Amy has all the small teams covered each and every week in The Big Six. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!

Amy Henderson is a Co-Managing Editor and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Writer_Amy.

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Letter of the Race: Sunday's Toyota Save Mart 350 was brought to you by the Letter C for "Clean Air." We know that you probably don't want to hear that, but it ended up being very important on Sunday. Jason Ratcliff's decision to not take tires on the final stop was predicated solely on getting out in front. While some drivers had cars good enough to overcome the clean air advantage (Johnson, namely), others were dependent on the clean air in order to go as quick as they could. - Phil Allaway

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Sidebar Kentucky Stories
by Summer Bedgood

Johnson Overcomes Adversity, Finishes Ninth

For most of Sunday's rain-postponed race in Kentucky, it looked like Jimmie Johnson would be the victor. Johnson, who led a dominating 182 of the 267 laps, seemed unstoppable when even a casing off of Denny Hamlin's car slid up the racetrack and onto Johnson's nose. The damage didn't seem to hurt him and much of the field was seemingly racing for second as the laps wound down.

However, his day would soon turn sour.

Brian Vickers would suffer a tire blowout late in the going, causing a caution that would ultimately setup the final pitstop of the day. Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus would make a call for two right side tires, but would ultimately lose the race off of pit road to Matt Kenseth, whose crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, opted for fuel only.

Johnson suffered from a poor restart once the race resumed, and slid back several positions. As the field headed into Turn 1, Johnson's car snapped loose, and he slid through the field. Though he would suffer no damage, Johnson would have to head to pit road and work his way up through the field if he was to have any hope of salvaging his day.

He did just that, weaving his way through traffic to ultimately finish in the ninth position while Kenseth went on to win the race.

"We were kind of in an awkward situation in that restart there," Johnson said post-race. "And then we were like three- and four-wide going in the corner, then something happened with the air and just kind of turned me around. … At least we rallied back for a good finish."

Johnson maintains his lead in the points standings, and currently holds a 38 point advantage over second-place Carl Edwards.

Denny Hamlin Suffers Brief Health Scare in Kentucky

After Denny Hamlin was forced to sit out of four points paying races this season following a crash earlier this year in Fontana that resulted in a broken vertebra, the idea was explored that Hamlin sit out the rest of the season in an effort to ensure that he didn't further injure his back. However, as soon as he received medical clearance to return to the racecar, though, Hamlin did, despite knowing that he would need to undergo further surgery at some point this year.

As Hamlin has been fighting and clawing his way up the standings in an effort to put himself in position to make the Chase via a wild card spot, Hamlin has suffered some hard hits, including last weekend in Kentucky.

Hamlin suffered two tire failures during the course of the event, the second of which sent him into the outside wall with a hard impact. Though Hamlin was able to drive his car back to the infield and as a result was not required to visit the Infield Care Center, he decided to do so anyway due to a nasty headache he was dealing with after the crash.

"I had to take a moment when I got out of the car to kind of gather my thoughts, because I didn't feel all that great," Hamlin said. "The medical staff came and checked me out, and we decided to come here and check everything out, and everybody did the procedures you're supposed to do. Really as a driver, it's up to you. When you drive your car back, it's up to you to make the right decision to get checked out or not. Obviously, I believe in the NASCAR medical staff, so this what we do."

Hamlin claims to have hit his knee on the steering wheel during the impact and compared the hit to a crash he sustained during a test at Kansas Speedway last fall. Though there was some concern surrounding his back, Hamlin brushed it off saying, "That was the least of the concerns after this."

Hamlin finished 35th and his hopes of making the Chase are now all but gone.

Ratcliff's Gamble Turns Into Victory

As the field headed down pit road for what would be the final pitstop of the day, Matt Kenseth's crew chief Jason Ratcliff had a decision to make. As he weighed his decisions on what call to make, he opted for track position and made the call for his crew to take fuel only.

He was the only one, as nearly every other frontrunner decided to take two right side tires for a compromise between track position and some much-need rubber.

The track position paid off for Kenseth, as the lane choice on the restart gave him a jump on the field. With Johnson falling back after his own issues, Kenseth easily cruised to victory while Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer battled for second behind him.

After the race, Ratcliff was surprised he was the only one to make the call for fuel only.

"I felt like more guys, and actually when we rolled off pit road and I saw what everybody did, I looked to the guy beside me and I'm like, I can't believe we are the only one that did that," Ratcliff said during media availability.

Kenseth and the No. 20 team are now fifth in points, 82 points back.

Summer Bedgood is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SummerBedgood.

Quotes to Remember: Quaker State 400
compiled by Summer Bedgood

"I didn't roll the dice, Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) did. I thought he was slightly crazy when that happened. First of all, I just have to thank the Lord for putting me here — this is such a great team and [a] great opportunity for me. It's just been an unbelievable season and year of my life honestly. Also need to thank Sprint, Dollar General, Home Depot, Husky Tools, Toyota — thanks to our partners. Jason did a great job — I didn't think there was any way that we were going to hold on for that win. He made the right call at the right time and those guys got it done." - Matt Kenseth, race winner

"I kind of knew that if we could get Matt (Kenseth) position that he would make a good fight out of it and he obviously did. We got a couple good restarts there. Once he got out front and got rolling — the 1 (Jamie McMurray) car was coming and there were some good cars behind us there, but I knew that was going to be our only shot to get it done today. In the position we're in now with the 20 car — we've had some success at the start of the season and we can take some shots like this and we can take some chances. This was one where I came short a few times on the Nationwide side as a crew chief and this is one that is really special to me. To get it in the Cup Series is a huge, huge deal. I have to thank these guys — everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing — just a tremendous win. Probably, they're all my favorites, but this one is a standout for the year for me for sure." - Jason Ratcliff, winning crew chief

"Yes, it was a really good day for us. I wasn't sure after Happy Hour what we had. We've had really quick cars for the last two months, and have not been able to capitalize on it. We've had really unfortunate luck. But cool to have a really good run. I was quite a bit quicker than him (Clint Bowyer), and I guess the No. 20 (Matt Kenseth) wasn't on tires, so you are just fighting to get by as quick as you can because you never know when a caution is going to come out, or how it is going to play out." - Jamie McMurray, finished second

"Well, to be honest with you, I was blocking hoping I was running out of laps. It was just too many to be blocking like that. I knew he (Jamie McMurray) was a lot faster. I was either going to get myself wrecked or let it go and I chose to let it go. Good day for us. Obviously when you get that close at the end you can smell a chance at the win – just not our day yet. I'm proud of the way our team is working together and keeps clicking off solid finishes. This is what we have to do this time of year and hopefully those wins will come when the time is right." - Clint Bowyer, finished third

"I felt like we were good enough to win for a little bit. I thought we were as good as the 20 or even better. It is all about getting the clean air. It was hard to pass out there. The guys did a great job with the Shell Pennzoil Ford. We lost track position on the restart before the last one and then we made up a lot at the end. We were sitting pretty in fourth when the caution came out and that usually puts you second or third at first. I was hoping for one more caution because I thought I was in the cat-bird seat if that happened." - Joey Logano, finished fourth

"We had a decent race car today — it wasn't great. I knew unloading here that it was going to be a tough weekend and a tough race. This is the most ill-handling you're going to have, but whoever is the least ill-handling car is going to win. We had our work cut out for us today — that's for sure, getting spun out early and then coming back through and working hard. The Doublemint Camry was good and at points in the race it seemed it was really consistent for me to drive. I don't think the left side tire was the right tire choice for coming here, but we all had to deal through it. We did the best we could and we ended up with a top-five. All things considered, it was a good day for us. You always want to be better and we see our teammate in victory lane so we know there's something better out there." - Kyle Busch, finished fifth

"We dodged a lot of bullets today. We didn't have a very good car all day long. Track position was important and we got it a few times and we lost it a few times. One time, we pitted and [the] caution came out and we had to take the wave around. Just could never get the car right today — really loose in and really tight off. The track didn't seem like it was really any different from the start to the finish — it really never changed. We just never could get the car in the race track and I feel very lucky to finish where we did. We were bad all day, but the one run was really bad and we were seventh or eighth before we put tires on and we tried to make it better and we made it worse and fell back to 18th or 20th or something and then had to work our way back and it was difficult. These are the kind of days that we need when we don't have a good car. Just persevere, fight through it and get a top-10." - Martin Truex, Jr., finished seventh

"We had an awesome fast Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet that is for sure. I think we passed more cars than anybody. These pit stops just aren't going our way. If we try to stretch it doesn't work our way. If we try to pit early it doesn't work our way. I don't know, you just have to keep working hard at it and hope they fall your way eventually. Pit stops were great when we had them. The car was awesome on the race track. It took a little while for it to come in and that last restart I kind of timed it and the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) spun his tires and stacked us up, then cars were four-wide. That didn't certainly work out in our favor." - Jeff Gordon, finished eighth

"I don't know. We were kind of in an awkward situation in that restart there. And then we were like three and four wide going in the corner, then something happened with the air and just kind of turned me around. Unfortunate, but at least we rallied back for a good finish. The No. 20 (Matt Kenseth) broke the pace car speed, which you aren't supposed to, but they aren't calling guys on that so I need to start trying that in the future." - Jimmie Johnson, finished ninth

"You just fix [the splitter] and keep going. The guys did a good job on pit road all day long working on it and trying to fix everything. I'm not sure we got everything back where it is supposed to be, but we did well-enough to get a decent finish out it. Just proud of how hard the team worked. Did a good job for qualifying, and put a good car out there for the race. Can't do anything about what happened out there on the race track with that casing. They worked hard on it to get it right, and get it good enough where we could run well. So, they deserve a lot of credit today." - Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 12th

"Man, I don't understand what happened there. We just got back in traffic and we were terrible at the end. I thought we were really good out front when we had track position. We were really good when we were out front. There at the end, I just couldn't make anything happen. It was definitely a frustrating situation there. We are going to have to try to figure that out. That was really surprising. It was kind of a different experience there. We were feeling really good and having a good time out there for a little while but it turned out terribly. I guess that is the way it goes." - Carl Edwards, finished 21st

"Man, that was a hard hit. It was a hard fought day — the guys and everyone on this Aaron's Dream Machine did a great job making it better. We were way too tight to start, but man, we had a good car there at the end. We drove up to the front, we pitted and we were one car length away from making it to pit road before the caution came out and the lights came on right before we crossed the line. We would have come out in the lead if we would have made it and unfortunately we came out at the tail end of the field then clawed our way back to the top-5. We were running great right there with two tires — those guys had four and just lost a tire. Not really sure what happened, it just blew going into three. Really hard hit. I just hate it.

It was great to have the Louisville Cardinals on the car this week. Thank Aaron's for putting them on there and especially here in the state of Kentucky. Love to have gotten them a victory, but unfortunately it just wasn't our day. Just didn't have luck on our side and then this tire just kind of put a fork in it. We had a good car. I think if we would have had four tires and track position there at the end we could have given those guys a run for their money." - Brian Vickers, finished 31st (Crashed Out)

"It was frustrating for sure. That move there onto the apron was definitely uncalled for. I don't know what Kurt (Busch) was doing down there. Unfortunately, it collected us and a bunch of other cars and it really put us in a bad spot. We were just holding onto the top-10 there and we were one bad race away from falling out and I am sure with that finish we have. I am proud of the guys working hard. It was a close call whether or not we could get that thing fixed to get back out there. The guys were able to do it and gain us back another six spots which could be really huge as we go through the next couple of months. I am proud of that effort but the rest of it I feel was out of our control." - Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Brad Keselowski, finished 33rd

"Definitely have to proceed on. I have a test in Indy tomorrow that we're going to do to try to get better and get to performing better. Really today it was the best performance for us in a while. Hopefully at least something to build off of even though we don't have a good finish." - Denny Hamlin, finished 35th (Crashed Out)

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Thinkin' Out Loud: Kentucky Race Recap
by Mike Neff

Pace Laps: Championship Material, Bright Spots and Walking Away
by the Frontstretch Staff

The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Quaker State 400
by Amy Henderson

This Just In: Jimmie Johnson Is Stupidly Whining About Restarts Again
by Summer Bedgood

Keselowski Needs To Turn Around Poor Results -- And Fast
by Kevin Rutherford

From Saturday:

Nationwide Breakdown: Feed the Children 300

by Kevin Rutherford

Tracking the Trucks: UNOH 225

by Beth Lunkenheimer

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The Nationwide Series added a second race at Daytona International Speedway for the 2002 season. Joe Nemechek won the race from pole and led 76 laps. However, he had to hold off a snarling pack for the final three laps after a big wreck. What happened?

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

Friday's Answer:

Q: From 2001 until last year, the Rolex Series held a "200-mile" race at Watkins Glen on the undercard of the Sprint Cup Series. The 2004 Sahlen's 200 is rather infamous for a huge crash. What happened?

A: Just before the halfway point of the race, the heavens opened. In all honesty, the situation was not all that different from what happened in Saturday's Continental Series race at Watkins Glen, which will air Sunday at 4pm on SPEED. Roughly eight different cars that were struggling to get back to pit road on slick tires flew off the road at Turn 11, smashing into the styrofoam blocks and each other. The craziness can be seen here.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: Quaker State 400 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Five Points To Ponder by P. Huston Ladner
Huston returns for his weekly edition of talking points, which will wrap up the action at Kentucky and get us ready for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, all three of NASCAR's National Series were at Kentucky Speedway. How were these races broadcast, and were they broadcast well? Find out in our weekly TV Critique.

Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Kentucky-Daytona Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gets us set for Daytona while tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.

Racing To The Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think.

Going By The Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin enlightens us with his weekly statistics column based on trends we've been seeing in the Cup Series so far this season.

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The Frontstretch Newsletter: NASCAR Tracks Hurting?

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The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 1st, 2013

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