THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 3, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CXXXII
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 3, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CXXXII
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What to Watch: Monday- Today, teams are hustling back to their shops to get everything swapped around for next weekend's races at Watkins Glen International. If anything breaks today, we'll be sure to have it for you at Frontstretch.
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Monday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Matt Kenseth Wins As Field Runs Dry in Pocono
Monday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Matt Kenseth Wins As Field Runs Dry in Pocono
On a day that Joey Logano and Kyle Busch dominated the proceedings at Pocono, the finish of Sunday's Sprint Cup 400-miler came down to fuel mileage. Logano and Busch ran dry allowing Matt Kenseth, who was running nearly 20 seconds behind with just a couple of laps to go, to take the lead and take a surprise victory. Brad Keselowski was second followed by Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Greg Biffle. Read more
Two-Time Pocono Winner Kasey Kahne Wrecks Out of Windows 10 400
For Kasey Kahne, Sunday was supposed to be a day that he could help his case for making the Chase. Instead, it was over before lap 5 when Kahne lost control exiting turn 3, slid onto pit road and hit the pit wall. No one was injured, but it was a truly scary moment that prompted a 14-minute red flag for boiler plate wall repairs. Read more
Finally Victorious: Ryan Blaney Wins Wild Race In Iowa
Two-Time Pocono Winner Kasey Kahne Wrecks Out of Windows 10 400
For Kasey Kahne, Sunday was supposed to be a day that he could help his case for making the Chase. Instead, it was over before lap 5 when Kahne lost control exiting turn 3, slid onto pit road and hit the pit wall. No one was injured, but it was a truly scary moment that prompted a 14-minute red flag for boiler plate wall repairs. Read more
Finally Victorious: Ryan Blaney Wins Wild Race In Iowa
Ryan Blaney may have been denied victory in the XFINITY Series at Indianapolis but he more than made up for it Saturday night. Blaney led 252 of the 260 laps to win the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. Regan Smith was second while Richard Childress Racing's Brian Scott, Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-5 finishers. Read more
The Show Continues: Kyle Busch Wins in Truck Series Return at Pocono
The Show Continues: Kyle Busch Wins in Truck Series Return at Pocono
Kyle Busch held off the field through a series of green-white-checkered restarts in order to take the victory Saturday in the first race back driving his own No. 51 Toyota. Kevin Harvick, making his debut for JR Motorsports' truck operation, was second while Tyler Reddick, Cameron Hayley and Austin Dillon rounded out the top 5. Read more
Travis Pastrana Discusses Possibility of Returning to NASCAR
Travis Pastrana Discusses Possibility of Returning to NASCAR
Friday, Travis Pastrana told Frontstretch in an exclusive interview that he is considering a brief return to NASCAR. Pastrana is trying to put together a ride in either the K&N Pro Series East season finale at Dover or the Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. Read more
Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Chasing the Chase: The Points Close Up Substantially Following Harvick's Engine Failure
by Phil Allaway
by Phil Allaway
Kevin Harvick had a very good car Sunday, challenging for the lead early in the race. However, the engine blew on him while leading on lap 20, causing a 42nd-place finish which cost Harvick points to nearly everyone in the field. Harvick, who has led the standings nearly all season suffered his first DNF of the year.
Up until the last couple of laps, Joey Logano was poised to take full advantage. However, he ran out of gas with 2.5 laps to go and had to settle for a 20th-place result. That was enough to cut Harvick's lead to less than a full race, but not much more than that. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., meanwhile was able to make it to the finish and salvaged a fourth-place result out of what could have been a terrible day.
Up until the last couple of laps, Joey Logano was poised to take full advantage. However, he ran out of gas with 2.5 laps to go and had to settle for a 20th-place result. That was enough to cut Harvick's lead to less than a full race, but not much more than that. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., meanwhile was able to make it to the finish and salvaged a fourth-place result out of what could have been a terrible day.
Jimmie Johnson made a big gain in the points by finishing sixth Sunday; however, he is still four points behind Earnhardt Jr. for third. Martin Truex, Jr. had a great day and was running second when he ran out of fuel with two laps to go. Truex finished the race tenth but was busted for speeding on pit road, so he was dropped to 19th. That was still enough to gain on Harvick but not indicative of how his car ran.
Brad Keselowski's day was crazy. He slid into a number of his crewmen on lap 58, causing an uncontrolled tire penalty that cost him a lap. He went from that to making it to the finish on fuel and finishing second. Next in points comes Matt Kenseth, whose surprise win Sunday allowed him to gain as many points as he possibly could on Harvick. However, he only gained a couple of points on Keselowski.
The highest driver in the standings without a win, Jamie McMurray finished 15th after struggling with the handling of his Lexar Chevrolet in the second half of the race. That was still enough to gain a spot in the standings over Kurt Busch, who spun on a restart and was hit by Sam Hornish, Jr., breaking a track bar in the process. Jeff Gordon moved back into the tenth spot after finishing third Sunday.
Brad Keselowski's day was crazy. He slid into a number of his crewmen on lap 58, causing an uncontrolled tire penalty that cost him a lap. He went from that to making it to the finish on fuel and finishing second. Next in points comes Matt Kenseth, whose surprise win Sunday allowed him to gain as many points as he possibly could on Harvick. However, he only gained a couple of points on Keselowski.
The highest driver in the standings without a win, Jamie McMurray finished 15th after struggling with the handling of his Lexar Chevrolet in the second half of the race. That was still enough to gain a spot in the standings over Kurt Busch, who spun on a restart and was hit by Sam Hornish, Jr., breaking a track bar in the process. Jeff Gordon moved back into the tenth spot after finishing third Sunday.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 780, 2) Joey Logano -46, 3) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -63, 4) Jimmie Johnson -67, 5) Martin Truex, Jr. -86, 6) Brad Keselowski -99, 7) Matt Kenseth -118, 8) Jamie McMurray -149, 9) Kurt Busch -160, 10) Jeff Gordon -163, 11) Denny Hamlin -166, 12) Paul Menard -189, 13) Ryan Newman -196, 14) Clint Bowyer -206, 15) Kasey Kahne -221, 16) Carl Edwards -227.
Race Winners Currently Ineligible for Chase: 32) Kyle Busch -462 (13 points out of 30th)
Race Winners: Joey Logano (Daytona-1), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta, Texas, Kansas, Dover), Kevin Harvick (Las Vegas, Phoenix), Brad Keselowski (Fontana), Denny Hamlin (Martinsville), Matt Kenseth (Bristol, Pocono-2), Kurt Busch (Richmond, Michigan), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Talladega, Daytona-2), Carl Edwards (Charlotte), Martin Truex, Jr. (Pocono-1), Kyle Busch (Sonoma, Kentucky, Loudon, Indianapolis)Letter of the Race: Sunday's Windows 10 400 was brought to you by the letter "Q," for "Quirky." The first half of Sunday's race looked a lot like the Camping World Truck and ARCA Racing Series races from Saturday - wreck-strewn and confusing. The second half was calm (for the most part) until everyone's strategy fell apart. - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400
compiled by Phil Allaway
"It was nerve-wracking. I really didn't think the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) was going to make it but I still really wanted to be in front of him. Once I got in front of him I started saving as much as I could. I figured we had a little bit more than Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) was letting on. I saved a lot and I was worried about the 2 (Brad Keselowski) and they said he was out so then I just saved as much as I could. I saw the 22 (Joey Logano) drop and I was like, 'Well, the 18 (Kyle Busch) is going to get another one.' Then, they said he was out off the tunnel. So, it's really, really hard not to go as fast as you can those last few laps. We had a really fast car today, I just had real bad restarts. The thing was a bullet all day so I don't care how we got here, we're here."- Matt Kenseth, race winner
"Well, it would be a long, long list if we talked to a bunch of people in the grandstands and myself, and everybody on pit road and probably people watching at home to find out who was more surprised. That was crazy. I'm so proud of (crew chief) Alan Gustafson and everybody on this AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet. This team fought through a lot. We've been fighting hard. We just haven't been getting the results. Today they stuck with a strategy and it played out. It wasn't looking good at times, but boy, it sure looked good when we crossed the finish line and got the checkered flag."- Jeff Gordon, finished third
"My car ran so good today. That last run of the day I got tight and three guys got by me. We are really excited about getting the Roush Performance Parts Ford Fusion up in the top-five but we had a second or third place car there on speed and got really tight on that last set of tires. I don't know what happened. It was the same air pressure but a little tight. It is a turnaround from where we were in practice and qualifying so we are good with that. We needed all those guys in front of us to run out of gas and have a good run and get a win there but it didn't happen today. We will keep working at it. We need a win to get in the Chase. We won't get in on points. We will have to get in on a win."- Greg Biffle, finished fifth
"It seems that I never come out ahead on these fuel mileage races. We thought we were going to be OK. I am sure other teams who ran out (of fuel) felt the same way. Yeah, it's disappointing but what I am going to take away from this race is how our Furniture Row guys kept on making our Chevrolet better and better during the weekend. We were a contender today and in the big picture that's the most important point for our team as we head into the Chase. We were rolling; we just needed a little more fuel to make it an even better weekend."- Martin Truex, Jr., finished 19th
"I guess our numbers, from what Todd said, were good enough to make it by a half a lap. I was saving fuel just to cushion it. I thought I was going to be good and then I started running out and knew we weren't going to make it. It was tough. We did everything right today. We had such a fast Shell Pennzoil Ford and got clean air and stayed up there and the pit crew did awesome on pit road and kept me up where I needed to. We keep getting so close to these wins and they don't happen and it is so frustrating. The truth is that is if we keep racing hard and racing to the front we will win races. We were so close. You are counting down the laps in your head thinking you are going to make it but just didn't do it. I am so proud still of what we did today and it was a great weekend and we are happy about the speed we have in our cars and the way we executed; we just have to figure out why we didn't have enough gas." - Joey Logano, finished 20th
"I didn't know we were that close. Normally, when we're close or that close I get harped on pretty hard to save fuel. They were just telling me to save -- just to not put too much pressure on the car and everything else. Man, that's a bummer. I wish I would've saved a little more there that last run. I wish I would've known that the 22 (Joey Logano) was that far away from making it. He was way far away from making it. Man, that was just a shame that we weren't able to get it done there. But, this M&M's Crispy Camry again I can't thank my guys enough — Adam Stevens (crew chief) and everybody. We've got fast race cars right now so congratulations to Matt Kenseth for winning today for Joe Gibbs Racing and everybody at home can continue the celebration. It's not the right JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) car for the 18 but it's certainly good for the company." - Kyle Busch, finished 21st
"Yeah, you don't see that every day. I was going into turn 1, wide open on the front stretch and the 7 car was in front of me and at the last second he darted and a tail pipe bounced up and went through the radiator so we lost water pressure and oil pressure and may have lost a Roush Yates engine here. It is really unfortunate because I felt we were getting our car better. We've had a rough month. I feel like we are getting back on track with the AdvoCare Ford and we probably had a top-20 car going so it is unfortunate but you will have that sometimes and today just wasn't our day." - Trevor Bayne, finished 40th
"I just got loose. It was late exit and a lot later than I would have expected. That's why I ended up so far down pit road and that was crazy because I have never ended up there. I just got loose and basically spun and that was it. I tried saving it to try and avoid running into the wall, pit wall then ended up hitting the one on the left and not the one on the right. It's been a rough last month for our Aquafina team. I am not sure why that happened and what happened so quickly there. I couldn't believe I was clear over here this late in the corner and then all the way to the left heading towards pit wall. Then I saw the people and I thought to myself that those guys need to take off running and get out of the way. I didn't know. I hadn't done anything like that before so it was kind of crazy the way it all happened. I don't know why were so far up and what the deal was right there." - Kasey Kahne, finished 43rd (crash)
"It was nerve-wracking. I really didn't think the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) was going to make it but I still really wanted to be in front of him. Once I got in front of him I started saving as much as I could. I figured we had a little bit more than Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) was letting on. I saved a lot and I was worried about the 2 (Brad Keselowski) and they said he was out so then I just saved as much as I could. I saw the 22 (Joey Logano) drop and I was like, 'Well, the 18 (Kyle Busch) is going to get another one.' Then, they said he was out off the tunnel. So, it's really, really hard not to go as fast as you can those last few laps. We had a really fast car today, I just had real bad restarts. The thing was a bullet all day so I don't care how we got here, we're here."- Matt Kenseth, race winner
"Well, it would be a long, long list if we talked to a bunch of people in the grandstands and myself, and everybody on pit road and probably people watching at home to find out who was more surprised. That was crazy. I'm so proud of (crew chief) Alan Gustafson and everybody on this AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet. This team fought through a lot. We've been fighting hard. We just haven't been getting the results. Today they stuck with a strategy and it played out. It wasn't looking good at times, but boy, it sure looked good when we crossed the finish line and got the checkered flag."- Jeff Gordon, finished third
"My car ran so good today. That last run of the day I got tight and three guys got by me. We are really excited about getting the Roush Performance Parts Ford Fusion up in the top-five but we had a second or third place car there on speed and got really tight on that last set of tires. I don't know what happened. It was the same air pressure but a little tight. It is a turnaround from where we were in practice and qualifying so we are good with that. We needed all those guys in front of us to run out of gas and have a good run and get a win there but it didn't happen today. We will keep working at it. We need a win to get in the Chase. We won't get in on points. We will have to get in on a win."- Greg Biffle, finished fifth
"It seems that I never come out ahead on these fuel mileage races. We thought we were going to be OK. I am sure other teams who ran out (of fuel) felt the same way. Yeah, it's disappointing but what I am going to take away from this race is how our Furniture Row guys kept on making our Chevrolet better and better during the weekend. We were a contender today and in the big picture that's the most important point for our team as we head into the Chase. We were rolling; we just needed a little more fuel to make it an even better weekend."- Martin Truex, Jr., finished 19th
"I guess our numbers, from what Todd said, were good enough to make it by a half a lap. I was saving fuel just to cushion it. I thought I was going to be good and then I started running out and knew we weren't going to make it. It was tough. We did everything right today. We had such a fast Shell Pennzoil Ford and got clean air and stayed up there and the pit crew did awesome on pit road and kept me up where I needed to. We keep getting so close to these wins and they don't happen and it is so frustrating. The truth is that is if we keep racing hard and racing to the front we will win races. We were so close. You are counting down the laps in your head thinking you are going to make it but just didn't do it. I am so proud still of what we did today and it was a great weekend and we are happy about the speed we have in our cars and the way we executed; we just have to figure out why we didn't have enough gas." - Joey Logano, finished 20th
"I didn't know we were that close. Normally, when we're close or that close I get harped on pretty hard to save fuel. They were just telling me to save -- just to not put too much pressure on the car and everything else. Man, that's a bummer. I wish I would've saved a little more there that last run. I wish I would've known that the 22 (Joey Logano) was that far away from making it. He was way far away from making it. Man, that was just a shame that we weren't able to get it done there. But, this M&M's Crispy Camry again I can't thank my guys enough — Adam Stevens (crew chief) and everybody. We've got fast race cars right now so congratulations to Matt Kenseth for winning today for Joe Gibbs Racing and everybody at home can continue the celebration. It's not the right JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) car for the 18 but it's certainly good for the company." - Kyle Busch, finished 21st
"Yeah, you don't see that every day. I was going into turn 1, wide open on the front stretch and the 7 car was in front of me and at the last second he darted and a tail pipe bounced up and went through the radiator so we lost water pressure and oil pressure and may have lost a Roush Yates engine here. It is really unfortunate because I felt we were getting our car better. We've had a rough month. I feel like we are getting back on track with the AdvoCare Ford and we probably had a top-20 car going so it is unfortunate but you will have that sometimes and today just wasn't our day." - Trevor Bayne, finished 40th
"I just got loose. It was late exit and a lot later than I would have expected. That's why I ended up so far down pit road and that was crazy because I have never ended up there. I just got loose and basically spun and that was it. I tried saving it to try and avoid running into the wall, pit wall then ended up hitting the one on the left and not the one on the right. It's been a rough last month for our Aquafina team. I am not sure why that happened and what happened so quickly there. I couldn't believe I was clear over here this late in the corner and then all the way to the left heading towards pit wall. Then I saw the people and I thought to myself that those guys need to take off running and get out of the way. I didn't know. I hadn't done anything like that before so it was kind of crazy the way it all happened. I don't know why were so far up and what the deal was right there." - Kasey Kahne, finished 43rd (crash)
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by Amy Henderson
by Summer Bedgood
by the Frontstretch Staff
Safe to say, Joe Gibbs Racing has done a 180
by Jerry Jordan
XFINITY Breakdown: U.S. Cellular 250
Safe to say, Joe Gibbs Racing has done a 180
by Jerry Jordan
XFINITY Breakdown: U.S. Cellular 250
by Aaron Bearden
Tracking the Trucks: Pocono Mountains 150
Tracking the Trucks: Pocono Mountains 150
by Joseph Wolkin
IndyCar Recap: Rahal Wins His 'Hometown' Race
IndyCar Recap: Rahal Wins His 'Hometown' Race
by Huston Ladner
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:Q: The first race at Watkins Glen for what is now Sprint Cup was back in 1957. That predates the permanent circuit by four years. What course did the Grand National teams race on back then?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 2002 Pep Boys Pennsylvania 500 is best known for the huge crash on the first lap involving Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Park. However, Jeremy Mayfield took a big hit during the race as well. What happened?
A: During a round of pit stops, Mayfield was hit from behind in the Tunnel Turn by Jerry Nadeau. Mayfield grazed the outside wall with the right rear, then slid across the track, nicked Jimmy Spencer, then went hard into the Jersey Barriers blocking off part of the infield road course. The crash can be seen here.Mayfield was OK, but done for the day. Nadeau continued, but was eliminated shortly afterwards in another wreck. Spencer ended up with a flat right rear tire, but continued and eventually finished 32nd after blowing an engine.
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COMING TOMORROW
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©2015 Frontstretch.com
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 leaving Pocono.-----------------------------
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!
©2015 Frontstretch.com
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