The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 13th, 2009
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THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 13th, 2009
Volume III, Edition CXXVII
Sprint Cup Race Recap
Martin Wins Season-High Fourth Race At Chicagoland
by Tom Bowles
Heading into this season, Mark Martin had gone more than three and one half years without a Sprint Cup victory.
Now, he can't go without one for more than three and a half weeks.
Charging from his 14th starting spot, Martin picked up his season-high fourth victory of 2009 Saturday night, leading 195 of 267 laps in dominating Chicagoland's Lifelock.com 400. The driver's 39th career win was his first on the 1.5-mile oval where he had finished no better than 6th in eight previous career starts. But you couldn't tell that from the way the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet literally ran roughshod over the field, winning the race off pit road under caution on Lap 41 and running virtually unchallenged up front for most of the race's next 200 laps.
Indeed, Martin's only brush with defeat came after the race's fourth caution on Lap 224, in which Jimmie Johnson got a great jump on the restart and blew by his teammate to take the lead. Temporarily shuffled to fourth, Martin returned to the point 28 laps later when contact between Johnson and Denny Hamlin shuffled the No. 48 backwards on another double file restart. Immediately afterward, Hamlin and Brian Vickers tangled while scrapping for the lead, driving both men up the track and giving Martin the momentum he needed to get back to the front.
The whole sequence didn't leave Martin too thrilled with NASCAR's new rules, of which he and his car could have wound up an innocent victim. However, in the end he was able to not only survive but thrive through one more restart -- a green-white-checkered with teammate Jeff Gordon alongside -- to pull off a victory the day before Rick Hendrick's 60th birthday.
"The double-file restarts are to mess the best car up so he doesn't win," he joked afterwards. "It did ... but we luckily pulled it off anyway."
As for the trio who messed up in front of him, none had hard feelings concerning a sequence of contact that essentially cost each of them a shot at the win.
"That was just hard racing," Vickers said afterwards. "I don't know what happened between him (Denny Hamlin) and Jimmie (Johnson). I don't know if Jimmie (Johnson) just got loose or he (Denny Hamlin) got into Jimmie (Johnson). I thought we had him clear coming off of (turn) two. But, he hung in there on our right rear and he did his job. He was pretty tight. Too tight for his good -- and my good. It ended up getting us really loose."
"The guy on the inside is at the mercy of the guy on the outside," added Hamlin on the contact. "You can only really run into the corner so hard. We held (Vickers) tight and he got into us and knocked us up the track, but that was double-file restarts. We wouldn't have been in position to win that race if it wasn't for that. We took advantage of every opportunity we had tonight."
In the meantime, Gordon took advantage of slightly fresher tires than the leaders to climb to second by the finish, with Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Hamlin rounding out the top 5. Ryan Newman, Vickers, Johnson, Clint Bowyer, and Juan Pablo Montoya finished off the top 10. Most of the 400 miles were run under relatively calm conditions, with just two cautions for debris in the first 200 laps of the race.
The Race To The Chase (Top 12 In Points)
by Phil Allaway
Despite starting way back in 32nd place and enduring several issues on pit road, Tony Stewart was able to drive all the way up through the field at Chicagoland to finish fourth. This resulted in a loss of only five points to Jeff Gordon, who took advantage of fresh tires late in the race to wind up second. The margin between them is now 175 points going into Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson's tough late-race restart cost him on the track but not in the points, as he held on to third in the standings well ahead of Kurt Busch. Busch was also in contention to win late, but contact with rival Johnson eventually resulted in a tire rub. Busch was forced to pit late under caution to fix the damage, resulting in a 17th place finish that stripped away valuable momentum from his team. Busch remains in fourth, but is now 358 out of the lead with just seven races to go until the Chase.
Denny Hamlin is up one spot to fifth in the standings this week after a strong fifth place finish. Hamlin swapped spots with Carl Edwards, who had a good run on Saturday night, but fell back after contact with Jeff Gordon caused him to fade to 14th. Ryan Newman remains in the seventh position after coming home sixth. Newman was very quiet on Saturday night, but benefitted from the late race chaos to claim a top 10. Kasey Kahne is the big mover of the week, up four positions to eighth after a hard fought race left him third on the track at the checkered flag.
Juan Pablo Montoya is up two spots this week to the ninth spot after a tenth place finish. He’s followed by Kyle Busch, who is down two spots to tenth after a miserable night. First, the car would not handle, leading to a confrontation with the wall and numerous other “moments” out on the track. Then, the engine lost a cylinder. Kyle Busch gunned the engine big time leaving pit road, leaving many to question whether Kyle was trying to imitate Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder when he clutched his engine. Then, the parts finally blew, causing a wreck. Busch ended up 33rd at the end of the night. In the meantime, Mark Martin, Saturday night’s winner, is now back in the top 12 in 11th position, with Matt Kenseth slipping down to 12th. Greg Biffle dropped even further, to 13th, ten points behind Kenseth, but he's only 13 points behind Kyle Busch at the moment.
Tracking The Top 35
by Phil Allaway
The distance between the Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34, driven by John Andretti, and the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota of Scott Speed expanded once again Saturday night. The margin is now 190 points, meaning it's impossible for his car to be overtaken until the second week of August.
Scott Speed qualified second on Thursday night, completing a Red Bull Racing Team sweep of the Front Row. Speed held steady in the Top 5 during the first stint, then fell back like a brick right after the first pit stop, eventually dropping into the 30’s. Adding insult to injury, Speed’s night eventually ended when Paul Menard cut his tire and crashed. Speed was then hit by Jamie McMurray and spun into the No. 31 of Jeff Burton, knocking both cars out of the race and crediting Speed with a 36th place finish.
Andretti’s No. 34, carrying the logos of Long John Silver's (like Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Foods) had a typical night for him on Saturday, staying out of trouble while not exactly being all that fast out on the track in comparison to the rest of the field. After starting 40th, Andretti slowly moved up the order as other teams ran into issues, eventually finishing 30th, two laps down.
The Front Row Motorsports No. 34 is basically locked into 35th in owners’ points, since they are currently 121 behind the No. 7 of Robby Gordon (who finished 34th, 30 laps down on Saturday night after spending a brief amount of time in the garage).
Have news from the Frontstretch? Contact us at ashl...@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
Secret Star of the Race: The Best Run You Never Saw
It was at this race one year ago where A.J. Allmendinger finally turned over a new leaf with Team Red Bull. Armed with then-crew chief Jimmy Elledge by his side, he scored a 13th-place finish and followed it up with the first top 10 of his career at Indianapolis in the very next race. Fast forwarding to 2009, the 'Dinger may be with a different team and have a few more top finishes under his belt -- but this run at Chicagoland remained the same on a weekend where he looked to build the same type of momentum. Starting 20th, the No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge hovered there for the vast majority of the race, falling a lap down until the 5th caution of the day gave him a free pass on Lap 228. From there, both driver and team made the most of their opportunity as both the final set of Goodyears and adjustments by current crew chief Sammy Johns left the car at its best. Coming home 13th for a second straight year, only time will tell if the 'Dinger can use the same type of momentum this year to propel him to an even better finish at Indy -- but considering it's his third top 20 in his last four starts, I'd say this once-floundering car is heading back in the right direction. - Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 6. That's the all-time record for the most poles won in a season without winning a race, set by Alan Kulwicki in 1989 and matched by Ken Schrader in 1993. It's a dubious mark that Brian Vickers -- currently winless with Team Red Bull -- is on pace to shatter. Collecting his fifth pole in just 15 qualifying attempts this season at Chicagoland, it's clear TRB has its one-lap setups figured out. Now, they just have to work on making them last up front for a full three hours; Vickers has yet to collect better than a 7th place finish in any of those races in which he's started up front. - Tom Bowles
Big Six: Lifelock.com 400
by Amy Henderson
Who… gets my shoutout of the race?
It’s a tough week to have to choose this one, but I’m going with a driver who, a year ago, was labeled as just another open-wheel convert who couldn’t seem to figure out stock cars. Fast forward to the present, though, and Juan Pablo Montoya seems to have it figured out nicely, thank you very much. Montoya’s tenth-place run was his ninth top 10 of the year, already a career best, and Montoya also moved up two spots in points, hanging on firmly to a Chase berth with just seven races to go before the championship run begins.
What... was that?
Does anyone understand the penalty handed down to Reed Sorenson after Sorenson passed another car entering pit road? Sorenson failed to comply with the pass-through penalty, and NASCAR put out the black flag, as is standard procedure. When Sorenson still failed to comply, he got the black flag with the white cross - meaning NASCAR would pull his scorecard if he did not comply immediately. Well, they did ... for one lap. I thought it was standard procedure to pull the card until the driver complied, not just as a one-lap penalty. Sorenson did eventually do so - but why the inconsistency with scoring? Oh, wait…it is NASCAR…
Where… did the polesitter wind up?
Not where he should have (see below). Brian Vickers certainly had a top 5 car on Saturday, if not one capable of winning outright until Denny Hamlin punted him out of the way 15 laps from the finish. Vickers regained control of the car, but it cost he and Team Red Bull dearly in the form of an eighth place finish. Vickers can still brag, however, as his five poles lead the Sprint Cup circuit so far this year.
When… will I be loved?
For the second straight week, it’s Denny Hamlin’s turn to take the mike and turn the karaoke to the Everly Brothers after punting the race leader not once, but twice during the closing laps. Jimmie Johnson was leading and Brian Vickers second and in the low line on lap 251 after a restart on lap 250. Hamlin tried to put his car in a place where he had no business trying to fit, and shoved Johnson out of the way. That might have looked less intentional and more like a racing incident had Hamlin then not turned down to slam into new leader Vickers one lap later, sending him wobbling as well. A bump and run for the win on the last lap makes for an exciting finish .... but two of them a good 15 laps before the checkers is either dirty or just stupid driving.
Why ... are these even rumors?
Given that rumors often turn out to be true…if you were Joe Gibbs, why would you start a fourth team…for David Gilliland? Gilliland is a mediocre driver who had one win in the Nationwide Series. It was a great feel-good story, but it’s long since over, and there are better drivers available. Regan Smith would be crazy not to jump at the chance, and if Brad Keselowski does sign with Penske Racing, Justin Allgaier will be in need of a ride as well -- even without a win, Allgaier impresses me far more in a Nationwide car than Gilliland ever did. He’s not that young, not that good looking, not that talented…yet teams think he’s all that and a bag of chips. Meanwhile, perhaps this bridge has been too well and truly burned, but it’s also rumored that Yates will give both Bobby Labonte and Paul Menard the heave-ho after this season, and well, frankly, to pass over Labonte for Gilliland is… slightly short-sighted.
How… big will the penalty be for Martin Truex, Jr.?
The news that Truex failed post-race inspections should send a warning to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing that they might want to have an interim crew chief on standby for "Bono" Manion. The car failed for having a quarterpanel too high, and precedent has been set for messing around with the body on the CoT. A quarter too low can be more easily explained away as a part failure, but too high with no on-track incident to blame will be harder to pass off as incidental. Unless the team can prove something happened to cause the infraction, look for Manion to get a long vacation and for both he and Teresa Earnhardt / Chip Ganassi to have lighter pocketbooks to go with the lovely matching points penalty.
Danny is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached at danny....@frontstretch.com.
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Matt Taliaferro's way at matt.ta...@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Fanning The Flames returns Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
As The Cookie Cutter Crumbles: NASCAR's Intermediate Track Boom Turned Bust
by Tom Bowles
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Chicagoland Race Recap
by Matt McLaughlin
Five Points To Ponder: Chicagoland Edition
by Mike Lovecchio
"Rookies" Logano, Ambrose Take Advantage Of A Late Race Shootout -- Chicago Style
by Tony Lumbis
Bubble Breakdown: Late Race Trouble Negates Good Efforts From Menard And Keselowski
by Mike Ravesi
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Dollar General 300
by Bryan Davis Keith
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: With 50-year-old Mark Martin's season-high four wins sparking talk of a possible title run, here's one we haven't asked in awhile ... who's NASCAR's oldest Cup Series champion?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Chicagoland is one of six active tracks where three-time champ Jimmie Johnson hasn't won. Can you name the others?
A: Among those tracks Johnson still has to conquer are the road courses of Watkins Glen and Infineon Raceway, as well as the short track of Bristol and the 2-mile oval up in Michigan. Rounding out his 0-for tracks is a cruel irony of sorts: the three-time champ still has yet to visit the Winner's Circle at the very track where he's been crowned each of the past three years: Homestead-Miami.
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 tri...@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 Cami Starr
-- Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View by S.D. Grady
This Week's Topic: Not Everybody Likes Double-File Restarts ... And Here's Why
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Beyond The Cockpit: Brian Vickers as told to Amy Henderson
In his third year over at Team Red Bull, former Hendrick driver Brian Vickers couldn't be happier to be associated with the mid-level program. What makes the difference for him at TRB as opposed to HMS? Amy attempts to figure out why amidst a myriad of on and off-the-track topics in our weekly Driver Q & A.
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Compelling weekly NASCAR commentary from our sensational (not slumping) sophomore columnist.
Talking NASCAR TV by Phil Allaway
TNT wrapped up their six-race stint covering the Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland. How did their broadcasts rate, and what do they need to work on for 2010? Phil drops by to give a quick wrapup of the highs and lows of the network's coverage, as well as giving a little attention to ESPN's Nationwide telecast in his weekly TV critique.
Who's Hot / Who's Not In Sprint Cup by Doug Turnbull
Chicagoland double-file restarts may have left your driver sliding back at the finish. With those frantic final cautions jumbling up the field, Doug takes a look at which drivers got stopped in their tracks during the closing laps near the Windy City -- and which ones have the wind of momentum blowing at their backs heading to Indy next week.
Running Their Mouth: Lifelock.com 400 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Some claimed the racing at Chicagoland was boring, but the drivers sure weren't falling asleep on the couch! Beth has the best of all the post-race conversation after Cup drivers emerged from their cars Saturday night.
------------------------------
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 13th, 2009
Volume III, Edition CXXVII
Sprint Cup Race Recap
Martin Wins Season-High Fourth Race At Chicagoland
by Tom Bowles
Heading into this season, Mark Martin had gone more than three and one half years without a Sprint Cup victory.
Now, he can't go without one for more than three and a half weeks.
Charging from his 14th starting spot, Martin picked up his season-high fourth victory of 2009 Saturday night, leading 195 of 267 laps in dominating Chicagoland's Lifelock.com 400. The driver's 39th career win was his first on the 1.5-mile oval where he had finished no better than 6th in eight previous career starts. But you couldn't tell that from the way the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet literally ran roughshod over the field, winning the race off pit road under caution on Lap 41 and running virtually unchallenged up front for most of the race's next 200 laps.
Indeed, Martin's only brush with defeat came after the race's fourth caution on Lap 224, in which Jimmie Johnson got a great jump on the restart and blew by his teammate to take the lead. Temporarily shuffled to fourth, Martin returned to the point 28 laps later when contact between Johnson and Denny Hamlin shuffled the No. 48 backwards on another double file restart. Immediately afterward, Hamlin and Brian Vickers tangled while scrapping for the lead, driving both men up the track and giving Martin the momentum he needed to get back to the front.
The whole sequence didn't leave Martin too thrilled with NASCAR's new rules, of which he and his car could have wound up an innocent victim. However, in the end he was able to not only survive but thrive through one more restart -- a green-white-checkered with teammate Jeff Gordon alongside -- to pull off a victory the day before Rick Hendrick's 60th birthday.
"The double-file restarts are to mess the best car up so he doesn't win," he joked afterwards. "It did ... but we luckily pulled it off anyway."
As for the trio who messed up in front of him, none had hard feelings concerning a sequence of contact that essentially cost each of them a shot at the win.
"That was just hard racing," Vickers said afterwards. "I don't know what happened between him (Denny Hamlin) and Jimmie (Johnson). I don't know if Jimmie (Johnson) just got loose or he (Denny Hamlin) got into Jimmie (Johnson). I thought we had him clear coming off of (turn) two. But, he hung in there on our right rear and he did his job. He was pretty tight. Too tight for his good -- and my good. It ended up getting us really loose."
"The guy on the inside is at the mercy of the guy on the outside," added Hamlin on the contact. "You can only really run into the corner so hard. We held (Vickers) tight and he got into us and knocked us up the track, but that was double-file restarts. We wouldn't have been in position to win that race if it wasn't for that. We took advantage of every opportunity we had tonight."
In the meantime, Gordon took advantage of slightly fresher tires than the leaders to climb to second by the finish, with Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Hamlin rounding out the top 5. Ryan Newman, Vickers, Johnson, Clint Bowyer, and Juan Pablo Montoya finished off the top 10. Most of the 400 miles were run under relatively calm conditions, with just two cautions for debris in the first 200 laps of the race.
The Race To The Chase (Top 12 In Points)
by Phil Allaway
Despite starting way back in 32nd place and enduring several issues on pit road, Tony Stewart was able to drive all the way up through the field at Chicagoland to finish fourth. This resulted in a loss of only five points to Jeff Gordon, who took advantage of fresh tires late in the race to wind up second. The margin between them is now 175 points going into Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson's tough late-race restart cost him on the track but not in the points, as he held on to third in the standings well ahead of Kurt Busch. Busch was also in contention to win late, but contact with rival Johnson eventually resulted in a tire rub. Busch was forced to pit late under caution to fix the damage, resulting in a 17th place finish that stripped away valuable momentum from his team. Busch remains in fourth, but is now 358 out of the lead with just seven races to go until the Chase.
Denny Hamlin is up one spot to fifth in the standings this week after a strong fifth place finish. Hamlin swapped spots with Carl Edwards, who had a good run on Saturday night, but fell back after contact with Jeff Gordon caused him to fade to 14th. Ryan Newman remains in the seventh position after coming home sixth. Newman was very quiet on Saturday night, but benefitted from the late race chaos to claim a top 10. Kasey Kahne is the big mover of the week, up four positions to eighth after a hard fought race left him third on the track at the checkered flag.
Juan Pablo Montoya is up two spots this week to the ninth spot after a tenth place finish. He’s followed by Kyle Busch, who is down two spots to tenth after a miserable night. First, the car would not handle, leading to a confrontation with the wall and numerous other “moments” out on the track. Then, the engine lost a cylinder. Kyle Busch gunned the engine big time leaving pit road, leaving many to question whether Kyle was trying to imitate Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder when he clutched his engine. Then, the parts finally blew, causing a wreck. Busch ended up 33rd at the end of the night. In the meantime, Mark Martin, Saturday night’s winner, is now back in the top 12 in 11th position, with Matt Kenseth slipping down to 12th. Greg Biffle dropped even further, to 13th, ten points behind Kenseth, but he's only 13 points behind Kyle Busch at the moment.
Tracking The Top 35
by Phil Allaway
The distance between the Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34, driven by John Andretti, and the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota of Scott Speed expanded once again Saturday night. The margin is now 190 points, meaning it's impossible for his car to be overtaken until the second week of August.
Scott Speed qualified second on Thursday night, completing a Red Bull Racing Team sweep of the Front Row. Speed held steady in the Top 5 during the first stint, then fell back like a brick right after the first pit stop, eventually dropping into the 30’s. Adding insult to injury, Speed’s night eventually ended when Paul Menard cut his tire and crashed. Speed was then hit by Jamie McMurray and spun into the No. 31 of Jeff Burton, knocking both cars out of the race and crediting Speed with a 36th place finish.
Andretti’s No. 34, carrying the logos of Long John Silver's (like Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Foods) had a typical night for him on Saturday, staying out of trouble while not exactly being all that fast out on the track in comparison to the rest of the field. After starting 40th, Andretti slowly moved up the order as other teams ran into issues, eventually finishing 30th, two laps down.
The Front Row Motorsports No. 34 is basically locked into 35th in owners’ points, since they are currently 121 behind the No. 7 of Robby Gordon (who finished 34th, 30 laps down on Saturday night after spending a brief amount of time in the garage).
Have news from the Frontstretch? Contact us at ashl...@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
Secret Star of the Race: The Best Run You Never Saw
It was at this race one year ago where A.J. Allmendinger finally turned over a new leaf with Team Red Bull. Armed with then-crew chief Jimmy Elledge by his side, he scored a 13th-place finish and followed it up with the first top 10 of his career at Indianapolis in the very next race. Fast forwarding to 2009, the 'Dinger may be with a different team and have a few more top finishes under his belt -- but this run at Chicagoland remained the same on a weekend where he looked to build the same type of momentum. Starting 20th, the No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge hovered there for the vast majority of the race, falling a lap down until the 5th caution of the day gave him a free pass on Lap 228. From there, both driver and team made the most of their opportunity as both the final set of Goodyears and adjustments by current crew chief Sammy Johns left the car at its best. Coming home 13th for a second straight year, only time will tell if the 'Dinger can use the same type of momentum this year to propel him to an even better finish at Indy -- but considering it's his third top 20 in his last four starts, I'd say this once-floundering car is heading back in the right direction. - Tom Bowles
STAT OF THE WEEK: 6. That's the all-time record for the most poles won in a season without winning a race, set by Alan Kulwicki in 1989 and matched by Ken Schrader in 1993. It's a dubious mark that Brian Vickers -- currently winless with Team Red Bull -- is on pace to shatter. Collecting his fifth pole in just 15 qualifying attempts this season at Chicagoland, it's clear TRB has its one-lap setups figured out. Now, they just have to work on making them last up front for a full three hours; Vickers has yet to collect better than a 7th place finish in any of those races in which he's started up front. - Tom Bowles
Big Six: Lifelock.com 400
by Amy Henderson
Who… gets my shoutout of the race?
It’s a tough week to have to choose this one, but I’m going with a driver who, a year ago, was labeled as just another open-wheel convert who couldn’t seem to figure out stock cars. Fast forward to the present, though, and Juan Pablo Montoya seems to have it figured out nicely, thank you very much. Montoya’s tenth-place run was his ninth top 10 of the year, already a career best, and Montoya also moved up two spots in points, hanging on firmly to a Chase berth with just seven races to go before the championship run begins.
What... was that?
Does anyone understand the penalty handed down to Reed Sorenson after Sorenson passed another car entering pit road? Sorenson failed to comply with the pass-through penalty, and NASCAR put out the black flag, as is standard procedure. When Sorenson still failed to comply, he got the black flag with the white cross - meaning NASCAR would pull his scorecard if he did not comply immediately. Well, they did ... for one lap. I thought it was standard procedure to pull the card until the driver complied, not just as a one-lap penalty. Sorenson did eventually do so - but why the inconsistency with scoring? Oh, wait…it is NASCAR…
Where… did the polesitter wind up?
Not where he should have (see below). Brian Vickers certainly had a top 5 car on Saturday, if not one capable of winning outright until Denny Hamlin punted him out of the way 15 laps from the finish. Vickers regained control of the car, but it cost he and Team Red Bull dearly in the form of an eighth place finish. Vickers can still brag, however, as his five poles lead the Sprint Cup circuit so far this year.
When… will I be loved?
For the second straight week, it’s Denny Hamlin’s turn to take the mike and turn the karaoke to the Everly Brothers after punting the race leader not once, but twice during the closing laps. Jimmie Johnson was leading and Brian Vickers second and in the low line on lap 251 after a restart on lap 250. Hamlin tried to put his car in a place where he had no business trying to fit, and shoved Johnson out of the way. That might have looked less intentional and more like a racing incident had Hamlin then not turned down to slam into new leader Vickers one lap later, sending him wobbling as well. A bump and run for the win on the last lap makes for an exciting finish .... but two of them a good 15 laps before the checkers is either dirty or just stupid driving.
Why ... are these even rumors?
Given that rumors often turn out to be true…if you were Joe Gibbs, why would you start a fourth team…for David Gilliland? Gilliland is a mediocre driver who had one win in the Nationwide Series. It was a great feel-good story, but it’s long since over, and there are better drivers available. Regan Smith would be crazy not to jump at the chance, and if Brad Keselowski does sign with Penske Racing, Justin Allgaier will be in need of a ride as well -- even without a win, Allgaier impresses me far more in a Nationwide car than Gilliland ever did. He’s not that young, not that good looking, not that talented…yet teams think he’s all that and a bag of chips. Meanwhile, perhaps this bridge has been too well and truly burned, but it’s also rumored that Yates will give both Bobby Labonte and Paul Menard the heave-ho after this season, and well, frankly, to pass over Labonte for Gilliland is… slightly short-sighted.
How… big will the penalty be for Martin Truex, Jr.?
The news that Truex failed post-race inspections should send a warning to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing that they might want to have an interim crew chief on standby for "Bono" Manion. The car failed for having a quarterpanel too high, and precedent has been set for messing around with the body on the CoT. A quarter too low can be more easily explained away as a part failure, but too high with no on-track incident to blame will be harder to pass off as incidental. Unless the team can prove something happened to cause the infraction, look for Manion to get a long vacation and for both he and Teresa Earnhardt / Chip Ganassi to have lighter pocketbooks to go with the lovely matching points penalty.
Danny is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached at danny....@frontstretch.com.
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Matt Taliaferro's way at matt.ta...@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Fanning The Flames returns Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
As The Cookie Cutter Crumbles: NASCAR's Intermediate Track Boom Turned Bust
by Tom Bowles
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Chicagoland Race Recap
by Matt McLaughlin
Five Points To Ponder: Chicagoland Edition
by Mike Lovecchio
"Rookies" Logano, Ambrose Take Advantage Of A Late Race Shootout -- Chicago Style
by Tony Lumbis
Bubble Breakdown: Late Race Trouble Negates Good Efforts From Menard And Keselowski
by Mike Ravesi
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Dollar General 300
by Bryan Davis Keith
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: With 50-year-old Mark Martin's season-high four wins sparking talk of a possible title run, here's one we haven't asked in awhile ... who's NASCAR's oldest Cup Series champion?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Chicagoland is one of six active tracks where three-time champ Jimmie Johnson hasn't won. Can you name the others?
A: Among those tracks Johnson still has to conquer are the road courses of Watkins Glen and Infineon Raceway, as well as the short track of Bristol and the 2-mile oval up in Michigan. Rounding out his 0-for tracks is a cruel irony of sorts: the three-time champ still has yet to visit the Winner's Circle at the very track where he's been crowned each of the past three years: Homestead-Miami.
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Cami Starr
-- Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View by S.D. Grady
This Week's Topic: Not Everybody Likes Double-File Restarts ... And Here's Why
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Beyond The Cockpit: Brian Vickers as told to Amy Henderson
In his third year over at Team Red Bull, former Hendrick driver Brian Vickers couldn't be happier to be associated with the mid-level program. What makes the difference for him at TRB as opposed to HMS? Amy attempts to figure out why amidst a myriad of on and off-the-track topics in our weekly Driver Q & A.
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Compelling weekly NASCAR commentary from our sensational (not slumping) sophomore columnist.
Talking NASCAR TV by Phil Allaway
TNT wrapped up their six-race stint covering the Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland. How did their broadcasts rate, and what do they need to work on for 2010? Phil drops by to give a quick wrapup of the highs and lows of the network's coverage, as well as giving a little attention to ESPN's Nationwide telecast in his weekly TV critique.
Who's Hot / Who's Not In Sprint Cup by Doug Turnbull
Chicagoland double-file restarts may have left your driver sliding back at the finish. With those frantic final cautions jumbling up the field, Doug takes a look at which drivers got stopped in their tracks during the closing laps near the Windy City -- and which ones have the wind of momentum blowing at their backs heading to Indy next week.
Running Their Mouth: Lifelock.com 400 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Some claimed the racing at Chicagoland was boring, but the drivers sure weren't falling asleep on the couch! Beth has the best of all the post-race conversation after Cup drivers emerged from their cars Saturday night.
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©2009 Frontstretch.com
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 edi...@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2009 Frontstretch.com
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