The Frontstretch: The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Southern 500 by Amy Henderson -- Monday May 14, 2012

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The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Southern 500

Amy Henderson · Monday May 14, 2012

 

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Saturday night’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered with each week with the answers to six race day questions, covering all five W’s and even the H…the Big Six.

After a rough 2011, Joey Logano is all smiles this season with two straight Nationwide wins to go with a solid, 15th-place position in Sprint Cup points.

Who…gets my shoutout of the race?

After making a rather stealthy climb from his 21st-place start into the top 10, Joey Logano had a brush with the Turn 4 wall at Darlington Saturday night. Logano dropped out of sight with a bad tire rub, seemingly out of contention after the halfway point but the fourth-year Cup Series veteran was far from done. The youngster, who has won the last two Nationwide Series races and sits 15th in Sprint Cup points, made a steady climb back into the top 10, rising to tenth by the checkered flag. It seems three months after crew chief Jason Ratcliffe came on board and the team began an effort to build around Logano, the work is paying off: he has three top-10 finishes so far this year, none lower than 26th and sits within striking distance of the Chase. Compare that to 2011, when Logano had just one top 10 in eleven races, two outside the top 30 and sat languishing outside the top 20 in Sprint Cup points. Does Darlington’s success mean the young driver nicknamed “Sliced Bread” for his talent is finally hitting his stride?

What… was THAT?

After seven months peppered with near misses and a night wrought with fuel mileage drama, car owner Rick Hendrick reached a milestone that only one other team has ever reached: 200 Cup Series wins. Only Petty Enterprises has more with 268.

When Hendrick entered the Cup scene as a car owner, armed with the vision of a multi-car superteam in the 1980’s most rivals were single-car outfits. That model was not just a necessity, in most cases but the NASCAR ideal: two-car programs like Junior Johnson’s often ended with drivers fighting, not forging a partnership for success. Hendrick was told his concept would never click, yet the car owner committed to it, setting about proving the naysayers wrong. His first win as a car owner came at NASCAR’s oldest track, Martinsville Speedway, with driver Geoff Bodine in 1984. 28 years later, and 26 years after expanding into a multi-car operation, Jimmie Johnson delivered win No. 200.

In between, HMS has won races at 25 different tracks, with 15 drivers and 21 crew chiefs and has captured the most prestigious trophies on the circuit, including the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400 race events. Hendrick has ten Cup championships as an owner with three different drivers (Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Terry Labonte) as well as multiple Nationwide and Truck Series titles, while his multi-car team model has become the gold standard in NASCAR today. Turns out that was some idea…

Where…did the polesitter wind up?

Greg Biffle set a blistering pace on his qualifying run, and early on in Saturday night’s race, it looked as though he’d be an all-night contender as he led twice for a total of 74 laps. However, as night fell with a bang over the Track Too Tough To Tame, Biffle’s fortunes faded along with his car’s handling. Biffle was able to hang in the top 10 for much of the latter stages, but when all was said and done, he was forced to settle for a 12th-place finish, at his worst when his rivals were at their best. The Ford driver still holds onto the points lead, but teammate Matt Kenseth is gaining, surging after a sixth-place effort on Saturday. Biffle’s lead shrank to just two points over Kenseth, though he gained a little breathing room over third-place Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who struggled to 17th and fell to 14 points off the pace.

When…will I be loved?

The Track Too Tough to Tame produced a race that was tamer than usual, but hotter heads prevailed on pit road after the race. Apparently, Kurt Busch, unhappy with Ryan Newman for a late-race tangle, bumped Newman’s car on pit road, igniting a scuffle between team members from the Nos. 51 and 39. That will likely lead to hefty penalties for Newman’s gas man, who bumped a NASCAR official trying to break up the fracas. Busch and Newman didn’t get involved in the physical fighting, but if NASCAR determines that Busch hit Newman intentionally on pit road, that will likely mean a penalty for the beleaguered driver as well. For Busch, 2012 is supposed to be a year of redemption after Busch’s behavior led to his dismissal from Penske Racing at the end of 2011. With just a one-year deal at Phoenix Racing, Busch may not have many bridges left to burn at this point.

Why…is Darlington called the Lady in Black, anyway?

Because that’s the color NASCAR’s grande dame wears after every race. The nickname comes from the tendency of drivers to run mere inches off the outside wall for the last 60 years. By the end of a race, the walls in the corners are coated with black from the tires as the cars earn their “Darlington stripes” by brushing the wall ever so lightly, lap after lap. The black marks often extend all the way through both turns and onto what is now the frontstretch. Running so close to the wall for 367 laps is truly racing on the razor’s edge, because of the enhanced risk taking that line poses. The high line at Darlington has always been the fastest way around, and to win after 500 miles of flirting with the Lady is one of the most prized accomplishments a driver can have in his career.

Being at the track, not on the couch allows fans to see there’s more side-by-side racing this season than what’s typically been shown on TV.

How…come so many people think caution free equals boring?

There’s been a bit of a back-and-forth recently between two factions of fans, as some have complained about the boring nature of long, green-flag runs. That’s left the media in a tough spot, forced to speculate if these critics would rather have manufactured cautions or lots of wrecks. But what I think it boils down to is a matter of perspective. Many race fans have a particular driver they pull for, and it’s possible that how that driver is faring colors their perspective on the race. If he’s not doing well, especially if another driver is dominating, perhaps a long green-flag run seems lackluster. Double that if the driver who is leading is one they have a dislike for.

Meanwhile, those arguing that the green flag racing winds up just as exciting might be watching with a broader perspective; rather than pinning their hopes on any driver, they’re watching the details. You can have a battle for 23rd place, one that goes on lap after lap without that ugly yellow flag interruption. Or how about a tenth-place driver picking off the competition, one by one, stalking each in turn and timing the perfect move? Because they’re watching with an eye for the whole picture, the picture they see is different. This view is also harder, if not impossible to see on the television broadcasts, so if you’re not watching from the stands at a track, you aren’t going to see it. That difference was palpable as I watched from the press box Saturday night; being there allows you to see racing you’ll never see or hear about, side-by-side action that makes 2012 seem far more exciting than it’s been portrayed.

There are, of course, other factors in this complex situation. But part of it is a matter of the perspective fans are watching from… and that will never change.

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Wayne T Morgan
05/14/2012 01:40 PM
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True T.V. doesn’t do racing justis by not showing the racing in the “pack” but most often it’s better than what’s up front. See it live for your thrills no matter what type it is.

jerseygirl
05/14/2012 03:36 PM
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I was at the race in Darlington and it was amazing to see the race go green that long. Fascinating to watch in person. The problem though is that TV does a pretty terrible job of showing what IS interesting during GF stretches. At Darlington there was a lot of setups for passes but if the fans at home don’t get to see it, it appears boring. I could watch the action all over the track, so I enjoyed it more.

That said, at the BIG tracks where there is NO passing going on, I do lean towards it being boring. However, I don’t want NASCAR manipulating the race, not to manufacture excitement. Fix the blasted car and the tire issues, take some of the stupid rules OUT and let them race. NASCAR has become a victim of the law of unintended consequences with all of it’s rules.

On the issue of the media vs the fans, you need to add the “some” drivers vs the fans in this discussion as well. I don’t go to the track or watch races on TV to watch them wreck – never have, but I am also extremely annoyed with drivers, the media (both radio AND TV) and NASCAR itself, spending time disrespecting and insulting its fan base in the way they have over the past few years really, although over the past few weeks its been especially bad. DW started it, JJ got into the act and Stewart and Truex have jumped in. It costs quite a bit of money to go to a race. So why should I be happy to be insulted by drivers and the media if I say I’m disappointed in the product that I’ve paid for? Sorry, but if I buy something and I’m dissatisfied by it, I will contact the company and tell them my reasons.

Most of the time, the response will be “sorry you didn’t like it, how can we help?” NOT, you’re too stupid to know a good thing when you see it. Honestly would you buy that product again?

I’m already less interested in NASCAR than ever due to the chase, the brick on wheels, tires, the fact that the last 10 races are all that matter, the terrible TV coverage by ALL the broadcast partners, when you add to it abuse from the drivers, that is just the last straw.

Maybe they will all be happier when the fans simply don’t care enough to even complain any more?

Joe
05/14/2012 06:37 PM
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Watch MLB ,NHL, NFL, or even the PGA on TV and you will actually see some semblence of what the sport is about. NOT SO WITH THE WAY FOX HAS RUINED THE TV COVERAGE. Stinking corporate greed on the part of FOX and it’s parent company is what is killing NASCAR. Why? Because that little imp Brian France has set a precedent of selling out to the highest bidder REGARDLESS of what it does to what is left of our “sport”. Think about this: Where is “professional” wrestling these days? Hmmmm. Keep treating NASCAR like a “show” Brian and watch the whole thing go where this “product” belongs….in the sewer.

Jed Zeplin
05/14/2012 10:23 PM
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I think the initial anger and ensuing confrontation between the Busch and Newman crews was over Kurt endangering many of the #39 crew members with his extreme burnout exiting his pit. The post-race pit road bump was a secondary issue.

Andy90
05/14/2012 10:47 PM
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I don’t care one way or another if the race is a crash-fest. What I WOULD like to see is the final 25 laps be caution free and we have an actual race to the finish.

It didn’t used to be this way. At the very least, I want stronger penalties for those who cause a crash just after the green-white-checker call. These are the some of the best drivers in the USA. The sport can’t get any respect if they drive like a drunken 16 year old.

grumpiestoldman
05/15/2012 11:21 AM
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Newman’s enraged out-of-control gas man has to be banned from all NASCAR tracks. That dude is a menace to society. It took four or five guys to hold him back.

Steve K
05/15/2012 03:01 PM
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The no caution thing is simple. If I am at the race I need a chance to use the restroom without missing a lot of laps. If I am at home watching on TV, the commercials have to be run during green flag laps and I miss a good chunk of the race. For me it is that simple.

 

Contact Amy Henderson

Recent articles from Amy Henderson:

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Announces Partnership with Cessna, Textron
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Want to know more about Amy or see an archive of all of her articles? Check out her bio page for more information.