 |
 |
 |
Jimmie Johnson wins the Sprint All-Star race.....again
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 19, 2013
Five-time is now four-time when it comes to the Sprint All-Star race. Coming into Saturday night’s race, Johnson was tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for most wins in the annual event with three wins. Johnson bided his time, restarted the last segment in the second spot, dueled Kasey Kahne for two laps to secure the lead and pulled away to a convincing win. Joey Logano started the last segment in the seventh position, took advantage of a slip up by Kyle Busch on the start of the final segment, and ultimately came home in the runner-up spot. Kyle Busch rebounded from his slip up to muscle his way back to third. Kahne started the final segment on the pole but couldn’t hold off Johnson on the first few laps of the restart and ended up fourth. Kurt Busch won two segments, was the first on pit road for the money pit stop, but finished the event in fifth place. Jimmie Johnson summed up his results in two words, “we’re lucky”. It was tongue in cheek but Johnson was poking fun at the people who continue to accuse the No. 48 of preferential treatment, fixed races, and a blind eye to cheating. Johnson has one of the highest winning percentages in NASCAR history and it comes from natural talent and chemistry with his crew. This race also now ties Johnson with Davey Allison as the only two drivers to win the race in back-to-back years. Logano and Busch visited with the media after the race to speak about their runs. Logano was understandably upbeat about his second while Busch was quite dejected, having another All-Star race slip out of his grasp. Kahne spoke about the elephant in the room that is the length of the segments in the race during his post race availability on pit road. He noted that the inherent problem with the format is that the car is designed with downforce, on a track that is cool and has a bunch of grip. The only way to make the races exciting after the first couple of laps of racing would be to extend the segments to the The first 20 lap segment was won by Kurt Busch. Segment two went to his brother Kyle. That segment win allowed Bruton Smith to breathe more easily since he put up a $1,000,000 bonus to anyone who won all four of the segments. Segment three also went to the younger Busch, while the fourth segment win was tallied in brother Kurt’ s account.
Kyle Busch wins the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 17, 2013
‘Rowdy’ Busch was back in his familiar No. 51 truck at his favorite track on the Truck schedule. Busch led 80 laps and thought he should have led more but had a fuel issue on pit road that resulted in him having to battle back through the field. The race was slowed by eight cautions that helped him work his way back through the field. Busch beat Brendan Gaughan to the finish by .488 seconds, while Max Gresham chased them both to the line for his first top three finish of his Truck career. Matt Crafton came home in fourth place after having to battle through a couple of tire mishaps during the event. Ty Dillon rounded out the top 5 for his first finish that high this season. Busch led the race three times for his 80 laps. Miguel Paludo was second on the laps led board with 33. Gaughan, Gresham and Dillon also scored bonus points for leading laps. There were two cautions in the first 72 laps of the race while 29 of the last 62 laps were completed under the yellow flag. Jeb Burton started the race on the pole but did not lead a lap. He did however end the race as the Rookie of the Race for his 13th place finish. Matt Crafton leads Burton by 22 points in the season standings after five races this season.
Matt Kenseth Snatches Victory from the Jaws of Defeat at Darlington
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 12, 2013
Kyle Busch appeared to be headed for another weekend sweep after winning the Nationwide race at Darlington on Friday night. However, a funny thing happened as they were bringing out the dustpan. Matt Kenseth chased down the dominant car of the night, passed him with relative ease and then strolled away to a 3.165 second victory. Kenseth led the final 13 laps after Busch had held the point for 265 of the 354 laps leading up to Kenseth’s race winning pass. After Kenseth worked around Busch, the No. 18 slid rapidly backwards over the final eight laps to fall from second to sixth place. Joe Gibbs Racing did manage a 1-2 finish after sweeping the podium in Friday night’s Nationwide tilt. Denny Hamlin, in his first full race back in the car since his vertebrae fracture at California, soldiered through the pain of his arms, neck and shoulders more than his recovered back to wrestle a second place finish away from the Lady in Black. Coming home in third was Jeff Gordon, who turned his 700th career start into a top 3 finish. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 in the Bojangles Southern 500. Kurt Busch started the race on the pole and led the first 51 laps before coming to the pits for a green flag stop. After the stops cycled through Busch was back at the point for 18 more laps before his brother began his domination. The race went green for the first 302 laps save a seven lap caution stint from lap 125 to lap 131. The final 65 laps saw four more cautions that flew for accidents involving Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne. The race saw four leaders including Jeff Gordon in addition to the Busch brothers and Kenseth. The win is Kenseth’s 27th of his career and breaks a tie between himself and his teammate Kyle Busch. The win is Kenseth’s third this season which is the most among all of the competitors in the Cup series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Rookie of the Race. Jeff Gordon’s top 5 finish was his 300th of his career. He joins Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only four drivers in the history of the sport to accomplish such a feat.
Busch Dominates at Darlington as JGR Sets Nationwide Series Record
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 10, 2013
Kyle Busch dominated the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 on Friday night en route to his 56th career Nationwide Series victory and fifth series win of 2013. Joe Gibbs Racing in general was the class of the field all night at Darlington Raceway, claiming four of the top 5 finishing spots, with only fourth-place Joey Logano keeping them from sweeping the top four spots. It was a historic night for JGR, as no team has ever before placed four cars in the top 5. Elliott Sadler finished second to Busch and Brian Vickers third, with Logano and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top 5. Busch led 107 of 147 laps on the way to the win. Sadler was the best among the Nationwide Regulars, finishing second despite an early spin in Turn 2, and gained points on leader Regan Smith, who finished seventh. Kyle Larson continued to impress at the Lady in Black, posting a sixth-place finish in his first Darlington start as he runs for rookie honors. Sam Hornish, Jr., who remained second in points, finished eighth while Kasey Kahne and Justin Allgaier filled the top 10. Smith now leads Nationwide Series points by 28 over Hornish. Sadler jumps two spots to third on his second-place run as Justin Allgaier fell one place to fourth. Vickers gained three sports and is now fifth, 49 behind Smith. Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson round out the top 10.
Joe Gibbs Racing Penalties Reduced Following Appeal
posted by Summer Bedgood
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Joe Gibbs Racing had many of their penalties for the No. 20 team reduced during the appeal process on Wednesday. Driver Matt Kenseth and owner Joe Gibbs had their points penalties reduced from 50 to 12 points. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s suspension has also been dropped from seven races to one, though he will still be forced to pay the $200,000 fine. Not all of the penalties were reduced, however. Toyota Racing’s manufacturer points penalty was increased from five points to seven. All other penalties were dropped, including the suspension of Joe Gibbs’ owners license, the loss of bonus points for the Chase earned at Kansas Speedway, and the loss of eligibility into the Sprint Unlimited garnered from the pole at Kansas Speedway. JGR has accepted the penalties and will not appeal further. Following a dominant win at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago, Kenseth’s car failed post-race inspection when it was found that a connecting rod was 2.7 grams below the minimum weight. Toyota Racing Development accepted the blame for the incident. The reduction moves Kenseth up to fourth in points, 66 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. JGR has not announced who will replace Ratcliff this weekend in Darlington. The appeal was heard by Mark Arute, Dennis McGlynn, and Jack Housby. NASCAR cannot appeal the revised penalties.
Penske Has Suspensions Reduced On Appeal
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Roger Penske’s team got some relief Tuesday from NASCAR’s Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook, as he chose to reduce penalties assessed to that organization at Texas Motor Speedway in early April. Middlebrook, after hearing the evidence from both sides Tuesday chose to reduce all suspensions in the case from six to two weeks, plus NASCAR’s All-Star Race on May 18th. That means the final consequences for both teams are the following: No. 2 car No. 22 car Other Middlebrook’s official statement was short, simply stating, “After looking at all the facts, data, and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties. However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the All-Star race to two points races and the All-Star Race.” However, it seemed both sides, after presenting their cases were far more pleased with how the case was handled during this portion of the appeal. “We were able to talk about areas we worked in,” said Roger Penske, referring to the “gray area” of the NASCAR rulebook officials ultimately felt stepped over the line. “I’m very happy with the outcome. This sport has been built on innovation. All of us have tried to innovate in areas not defined in the rulebook. We were in that area.” In conversations with the parties involved, it was clear the controversy surrounded parts designed to increase the rear-end angle at the back of both cars. In past years, with innovation limited through the Car of Tomorrow templates teams have played around with suspension systems designed to make the rear end of the car easier to “move.” The more the car skews in the corner, the easier it can be to handle and gain extra speed. However, NASCAR had made rules designed to curb those types of innovations this year and made the determination Penske parts to build the rear suspension were unapproved. Why they had gone undetected in previous inspections was never addressed, along with claims someone else in the garage had alerted officials to possible inappropriate car construction. One thing Penske did admit, though is had this decision been issued by the initial appeals panel, he would not have pressed his luck with Middlebrook. “All of us,” he said. “Have lost points for certain infractions over the years. The key thing is to have people back at the racetrack operating in full control.” The end results leave Logano 18th in points, 146 behind championship leader Jimmie Johnson and 43 outside a Chase position. Keselowski is far more stable; fifth in points, he’s 69 behind and 45 ahead of 11th-place Matt Kenseth. Neither of the Penske cars have won a race this season. “Moved on from last few weeks,” Keselowski tweeted Wednesday morning. “And ready to focus on @TooToughToTame (Darlington Raceway).” The next round of NASCAR penalty appeals, focusing on Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth will be heard on Wednesday morning. Connect with Tom!
Penske Racing LOSES Penalty Case, Will Appeal To NSCRC John Middlebrook
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 1, 2013
A three-member panel Wednesday unanimously upheld penalties assessed to Penske Racing after pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Comprised of Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, Bowman-Gray President Dale Pinilis and former NASCAR VP Paul Brooks, the trio determined the sanctioning body’s evidence was enough to “convict” Penske to the tune of points lost, suspensions given and $200,000 in fines. Roger Penske, in response has pledged to send a final appeal to National Stock Car Racing Commissioner John Middlebrook. That hearing will occur Tuesday, May 7th at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Here’s a quick list of what penalties are pending (everything but the points deductions will be deferred, pending Middlebrook’s approval until after the final appeal): No. 2 team No. 22 team Both teams NASCAR’s representation included Sprint Cup Director John Darby but not Vice President Robin Pemberton, who was whisked away to Florida on jury duty. Owner Roger Penske was in attendance to defend the allegations along with Team Manager Travis Geisler, Tim Cindric, Walt Czarnecki, Joey Logano’s crew chief Todd Gordon along with several other key principles. UPDATE: The National Stock Car Racing Commission issued a brief statement, reviewing the penalties and then explaining the following. “Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.” “The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.” Connect with Tom!
Kyle Busch Wins Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday April 26, 2013
Who says Joe Gibbs Racing teammates don’t get along? Kyle Busch is certainly receiving gifts, from Denny Hamlin in the form of shiny trophies from winning the latter’s annual charity event. Rowdy was romping through the field again at Richmond Thursday night, taking control at the race’s midpoint and cruising during the latter stages to win the Showdown for the third time in the past six years. In a race that benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation, created to help those with cystic fibrosis Busch had his late model hitting on all cyilnders down the stretch. Pulling away from fellow Cup driver David Ragan, in the final segment of the 75-lap race the outcome was simply never in doubt following a 5-minute break for pit stops prior to Lap 47. Ben Rhodes, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., and Garrett Campbell rounded out the top-5 finishers. Other Cup drivers, including defending race champion Tony Stewart were in the field but never a factor up front. Smoke, actually extending his slumping start to 2013 into this race got wrecked before the halfway point and wound up 28th. Matt Kenseth, still distraught after a midweek penalty virtually negated his win at Kansas was never truly competitive, either; he finished 22nd. Also on Thursday night, African-American driver Ryan Gifford won the first K&N Pro Series East race of his young career. Surviving a five-lap shootout, following a red flag he cruised home over Brandon Gdovic. Connect with Tom!
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Penalized As Engine Fails Kansas Post-Race Inspection
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday April 24, 2013
Until the end of time, Matt Kenseth can say he crossed the finish line first at Kansas Sunday. NASCAR Record Books will say the same. But after a harsh series of penalties announced on Wednesday, should they stand that’s about the only thing Kenseth can hang his hat on after a successful weekend turned sour. According to multiple reports, officials at the NASCAR R & D Center in North Carolina discovered a connecting rod on Kenseth’s engine, brought in for Kansas post-race inspection weighed three grams less than the minimum weight of 525g. The consequences, announced today are crippling for both driver and team. Kenseth, along with car owner Joe Gibbs have been docked 50 driver and owner points, actually reducing their overall totals heading into Kansas even though the No. 20 car won the race. That lost chunk of points drops Kenseth from eighth to 14th in the standings. More importantly, the win “won’t count” for either bonus points in the Chase or determine postseason eligibility; that means the driver, now in “Wild Card” position is considered to have one win so far this season instead of two. That’s just the tip of the iceberg on these consequences. Crew chief Jason Radcliffe, fined $200,000 based on the infraction has also been suspended for the next six Sprint Cup points events, along with the All-Star Race. Toyota, whose TRD engine department ultimately supplies the JGR powerplants has had five points deducted from its total in the manufacturer’s championship. And finally, Joe Gibbs himself, already docked 50 owner points has had his license suspended by NASCAR, which means he’s ineligible to accrue owner points for the No. 20 until the next six Sprint Cup Series points races are completed. Gibbs, NASCAR has clarified will still be able to travel to the racetrack despite a suspended license. In a tersely worded statement, the owner says he’ll appeal the ruling, which violated three parts of the series rulebook. The one most pertinent is Section 20-5.5.3(E) which states only magnetic steel connecting rods, with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted. Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4J, which gives officials the right to penalize for parts they claim do not conform to NASCAR rules were also cited in the sport’s official release. Toyota Racing Development’s Lee White, in a statement released early this afternoon took responsibility for the violation. During NASCAR’s routine post-race tear down of Matt Kenseth’s race-winning car and engine from Kansas Speedway,” he stated, “One of our engine connecting rods weighed in approximately three grams under the legal minimum weight of 525 grams. None of the other seven connecting rods were found to be under the minimum weight. We take full responsibility for this issue with the engine used by the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team this past Sunday in Kansas — JGR is not involved in the process of selecting parts or assembling the Cup Series engines. It was a simple oversight on TRD’s part and there was no intent to deceive, or to gain any type of competitive advantage. Toyota is a company that was built on integrity, and that remains one of the guiding principles of the company. The goal of TRD has always been — and will continue to be — to build high-performance engines that are reliable, durable and powerful, and within the guidelines established by NASCAR.” Kenseth, who has led 482 laps this season, two higher than his total last year has been one of the strongest competitiors on the Sprint Cup track in 2013. His engines have also passed several previous inspections.
Johnny Sauter Penalized For Fuel Cell Infraction At Kansas
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday April 24, 2013
Thorsport Racing, along with former Truck Series point leader Johnny Sauter are reeling this Wednesday after a major penalty involving their No. 98 Toyota. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the team was fined $10,000, crew chief Joel Shear has been suspended for four races and 25 owner points were taken away as a result of a faulty fuel cell, confiscated during pre-race inspection at Kansas. Driver Sauter was also hit was a loss of 25 points, completely reshaping the championship Chase heading into the next race of the season at Charlotte May 17th. According to NASCAR officials, the team violated multiple sections of the rulebook. The key ones involve Section 20B-16 and 20B-16.1B, regarding the proper size and functioning of fuel cells. “Once a fuel cell or fuel cell components have been certified,” the rules say, “Modifications of any kind will not be permitted.” The 16.1B portion refers to black safety foam, with a minimum height of eight inches that must be used as a safety mechanism when putting together the fuel cell itself. By violating that rule, NASCAR is insinuating the team modified or enhanced the cell in some way by cutting back / replacing that foam. Section 12-1, actions detrimental to stock car racing was also listed as a rules violation along with 12-4K, which gives NASCAR Officials the leeway to penalize teams when they feel previously legal equipment was modified, in any manner after being initially inspected. Thorsport, as of yet has not said whether they plan to appeal. The penalties mean Matt Crafton becomes the new Truck Series point leader, by 13 over Jeb Burton while Sauter gets pushed back into a tie for second place. |
||
 |
Find tons of cheap tickets to 2012 speedway races like Talladega NASCAR schedule, Brickyard 400 at Indy Motor Speedway, Coca Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway tickets plus the full 2012 Monster Jam schedule
Don't miss this week's edition!
Frontstretch Podcast: November 18th Edition
Check in with Matt and Jay on their site at CareyandCoffey.com.
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| Subscribe to The Frontstretch Newsletter |
To the Point: Tony Stewart came out and laid waste to the field on Sunday, leading 232 of 300 laps at New Hampshire to win his third race in his last four starts. Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Bush, and Greg Biffle came closest to the dust left behind by Stewart to finish in the Top 5.
Who Should Have Won: Tony Stewart. Stewart easily had the best car all day, and while it looked like the brothers Busch might have something for Tony after the race’s final caution, in the end Stewart was simply toying with them. In fact, perhaps the only challenge Stewart had during the entire race weekend was climbing the fence for the second time in a month to celebrate another win.
Five Questions You Should be Asking After the Race Weekend:
1) Who the heck lit a fire under Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing? Can they take the points lead from Jimmie Johnson in the next month, and if they do, will they ever give it back, Chase be damned?
2) How can the Goodyear tires struggle at a track like Chicagoland, a relatively new track that shouldn’t be going around shredding rubber, but then hold up perfectly fine at New Hampshire, a track known to be tough on tires? Some things just boggle the mind.
3) What mysteriously went on to give Mike Bliss a black eye, and why is everybody being so tight-lipped about it in the Jeff Gordon camp? Yes, what goes on outside the track is your own business, but it is notable that if Gordon punched Bliss in the garage area, he’d probably be sitting on the sidelines Sunday. Is that fair?
4) Does Michael Waltrip’s sudden departure from DEI mean that the Eurys aren’t far behind? The Toyota rumor of signing Waltrip as a full-time driver makes perfect sense. What a marketing coup if that is true; all Waltrip has to do is take a one-year gig at Roush or Haas CNC Racing, and then be the big-name driver Toyota needs to debut in 2007. And will the resulting distraction of all this hurt Earnhardt Jr.’s Chase chances?
5) A question for Kevin LePage, boSPOKER.net, and the #37…how much money can a sponsor give a team when their entire business is based around playing poker…for free? Hope this isn’t a scam, but after LePage was part of the failed YokeTV deal with Morgan-McClure in 2004, it’s a little surprising to see him be a part of a ”.com” sponsor no one’s heard of a second time around.
Who’s Smiling on Monday:
Kurt Busch. The 97 team seemed to have fallen flat as of late, having fallen to 10th in the point standings with just one Top 5 to show for themselves since mid-April. And at a track where he’s won two straight races, Busch got off to a rough start; he spun by lap 30, and a poor pit stop dropped him back to 38th position after the first 60 circuits. But Busch battled back to the front and finished second on a day where he clearly had the second-best car to winner Tony Stewart. More importantly, he gained five spots in the points and some breathing room in the fight to defend his title.
Kyle Busch. The younger brother of the defending champion had a more consistent day, running in the Top 5 and briefly challenging Stewart to grab his first Cup win after the final restart on lap 240. The younger Busch’s aggressiveness there may have caused his car to fade some late, as he fell back to 4th by race’s end; he fought tooth and nail with hard-charger Greg Biffle to keep that position, too, something Busch may not continue to do once points-racing and the experience factor start setting in. But after recording his 5th Top 5 finish in 19 starts, he continues to impress.
Bobby Labonte. It’s been a week of wild rumors for Labonte, with newspaper and the internet suddenly reporting that the veteran driver would leave Gibbs after the 2005 season. Not only did Labonte angrily deny his imminent departure from Gibbs, but he let his driving do the talking on the track, with a strong third-place finish that was easily his best run of the year, apart from his near-upset win in the Coca-Cola 600.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. After his surprising win, Jr. needed a solid run that would maintain his momentum, and he didn’t disappoint, despite having to deal with the media hoopla dealing with the future of the 15 car all weekend. The 8 team has been consistent at New Hampshire, with three Top 10 finishes in Jr.’s last four starts there heading into Sunday, and he ran a smooth race with a decent car to a ninth-place finish. Suddenly, a Chase bid hanging on life support is starting to look like a possibility.
Matt Kenseth. Sure, Kenseth certainly wasn’t thrilled about punting his future teammate into the wall on lap 30 (read McMurray below for more info), but the bottom line is the 17 car came home 10th, the team’s 6th finish of 11th or better in the last 7 races, and moved to 160 points out of 10th. Kenseth’s been able to remain under the radar with the misfortunes of Gordon and Earnhardt, Jr. ahead of him, but the 2003 champion may be quietly be putting himself in the best position of all 3 to make NASCAR’s version of the “postseason.”
Who’s Hungover:
Jeff Gordon. The weekend didn’t start on the right note for Jeff, with questions asked about a mysterious black eye on Mike Bliss’s face, stemming from a supposed confrontation at the airport about Gordon’s wreck at Chicagoland. And by the end of the weekend, it was the 24 team staring at another “black eye.” Gordon was quietly running around in 6th, trying to sew up a Top 10 to get on track, when the brakes failed with only a handful of laps remaining. Gordon soldiered on to 25th, and would have likely finished worse if NASCAR had taken the car off the track for failing to meet minimum speed as it was clearly doing. Jeff wouldn’t speak to reporters for half an hour after the event, and it’s clear the frustration is clearly taking its toll. Word is Brian France is readying his emergency 100-point “good guy” bonus for drivers he needs to see in the postseason in case it’s needed for the 24.
Jamie McMurray. The newest member of the Roush Racing family looks like he’s going to have to sit down and talk with one of his teammates before he heads over to join the team. Matt Kenseth was rumored to be angry with Jamie McMurray back at Pocono in June, claiming he held him up, and whether it was that incident or Matt just not thinking, McMurray was all but run over and put into the wall to cause one of the race’s first cautions. McMurray responded by trying to run into Matt on the track, and clearly was not happy. Nor should he be; the wreck dropped him to 11th in points, exactly where the 42 was last year when they were in the outside looking in on the Chase.
Elliott Sadler. It’s well known that Sadler and McMurray are buddies off the track, but I’m sure Elliott was none too happy about sharing the “I got dumped” award with his friend on Sunday. Sadler was having a solid Top 10 run when Mark Martin, of all people, hit him in the rear heading into Turn 3 and wrecked his day. Tough to get mad when the driver that hits you is known to race clean; however, the DNF dropped Sadler to 9th in the standings, and three straight finishes outside the Top 20 have now dropped the 38 car out of “lock” status for the Chase. As such, Sadler was nowhere to be found when the media came to interview him after the race.
Worth Noting:
Stewart’s win marked the first time in his Nextel Cup career he had won three races in four starts. Traditionally a late bloomer, it’s also the fastest Stewart has gotten to three wins in a season since 2000, when he won six times. Where was Stewart’s third win that year? New Hampshire.
Kurt Busch’s 2nd-place run was his best since winning at Phoenix in April (11 races).
Bobby Labonte’s 3rd-place finish was only his second Top 5 all season.
Rusty Wallace’s 8th place finish was his 8th straight run he finished 12th or better.
After a promising start to the season, Sunday’s 29th-place finish was the fifth time in the past six races Kyle Petty failed to finish in the Top 25.
Points Shuffle:
The points battle at the top closed up on Sunday, with Jimmie Johnson having an uncharacteristic “under the radar” type of day and finishing 13th. Combined with Tony Stewart’s win and Greg Biffle’s 5th-place finish, Johnson’s lead now stands at 77 over Biffle and 85 over Stewart. It’s the closest Stewart has come to leading the points this late in the year since the 20’s championship year in 2002.
Behind the Top 3, Rusty Wallace seems to have nearly locked up a Chase spot, now 230 points behind Johnson, but 95 ahead of the 5th-place tie behind him and over 200 points ahead of 11th place Jamie McMurray. The 5th-place tie belongs to Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, with Mark Martin and Jeremy Mayfield close behind in 7th and 8th.
Sadler’s crash dropped him to 9th in the standings, the last driver within 400 points of leader Jimmie Johnson. Dale Jarrett benefited from Jamie McMurray’s wreck to move into 10th place and the final Chase spot. Behind him, McMurray fell to 11th, followed by Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Gordon. Dale Jr. finds himself 59 points out of 10th, while Gordon is 120 behind with 7 races to go.
Bobby Labonte and Ricky Rudd continued their surge in the points after disastrous starts, now 23rd and 24th, respectively. But at this point, their chances for the chances are near-impossible at best.
Quotable:
“Yes, it wore me out climbing up the fence again today. And yes, I’m still too old and still too fat to be doing it. (But) I’m going to have to hire a trainer because I plan on winning some more races this year.” – Tony Stewart
“I just pretty much got taken out. I had him (Kenseth) cleared on both deals, and when you wreck somebody there’s just no excuse in it.” – Jamie McMurray, on his wreck with Matt Kenseth
“I didn’t think Biffle raced me as clean as I wanted to be raced. I wanted to make sure it was over and done with there before we got on any more weeks. He’s going for a championship here and I don’t want to screw him up.” – Kyle Busch, explaining why he briefly talked with Biffle after the event about their late-race battle for 4th
“Today is all about the pit crew and the driver…We had a 35th-place car at best.” -Robbie Reiser, crew chief for Matt Kenseth’s #17 car (Matt finished 10th)
Next Up:
The Nextel Cup crew series heads back to the mountains of Pocono Raceway this Sunday for the July running of the track’s 500-mile race.
Wednesday on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice? … The Evolution Of An Ending, Double Duty’s Drought And Charlotte Controversy
Side by Side: Daytona Or Indy — Which Race Is More Important?
Life at the 55: How Engineering and Technology Brought Billy Scott into NASCAR
Top Ten Ways Drivers Entertain Themselves During A 600-Mile Race
Open-Wheel Wednesday: The History of the Indianapolis 500
A Good Friend Mourns: Dick Trickle Remembered
Happiness Is… Racing, Racing, Racing
FREE NEWSLETTER! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
NEW YEAR? NEW NEWSLETTER. LOOKING FOR THE INFO YOU NEED ABOUT NASCAR IN 2013 – SENT RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. The Frontstretch Newsletter gives you more of the daily news, commentary, and racing features from your favorite writers you know and love. Don’t waste another minute – click here to sign up and get all the information you need. We’re here to make sure you stay informed … so make sure you jump on for the ride!
©2000 - 2008 Thomas Bowles and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!
