The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.
A month ago, David Ragan was on top of the world.
He had won a race, was in the top 20 in points and seemed like momentum was clearly on his side to make the Chase, if not as a wild card then as a member of the top 10 in points.
That was a month ago.
On Sunday, Ragan crashed out of the race at Pocono, and in so doing, made his road to the Chase that much bumpier.
_It was a tough weekend for the bubble crowd at Pocono, where even strategy calls didn’t seem to keep the underdogs in contention for long. Without a top-25 result from anyone, the race became more a matter of survival than success, a day at the office with little if anything to hang their hat on. Pocono has a history of tearing up equipment, and more than one driver found himself babying it to the finish in the name of keeping their status intact in owner points._
_So after a weak weekend overall, which teams continue to stand out above the rest? And could rookie Andy Lally keep quietly impressing, just one week after Robby Gordon’s blown engine handed his team, TRG Motorsports a spot inside the top 35? Check out the Bubble Breakdown this week to see how the battle to keep a “locked in” spot is shaking out amongst NASCAR’s little teams that could…_
Best Quote “It’s not me, its good people. It’s having Paul Wolfe [crew chief] and a team that digs. There are so many people to …
Sunday afternoon at Pocono (Aug. 7), Brad Keselowski experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of “the feet” as he fought off a broken …
Carl Edwards has finally broken his silence. After months of giving no indication whether he was staying with Roush Fenway Racing in 2012, he has re-signed with the team that brought him up onto the Sprint Cup scene in 2004. This doesn’t just affect Edwards, however; it has left an impact on many other figures across the Sprint Cup garage. With that said, here are the winners and losers of his contract extension.
*Winners*
*Jack Roush* – Undoubtedly the biggest winner in all of this. He has seen his team enjoy a renaissance year, with two of his drivers having legitimate shots at the title after enduring a couple of seasons of mediocrity. One of those drivers is Edwards, but had he decided to leave, it would have completely demoralized the superb season the Roush camp has been enjoying thus far. More importantly, he can feel better about sponsorship. He has been struggling to find full-time and even part-time sponsors for next year. While sponsor details have yet to be announced with the signing, there is no doubt it will attract sponsors that this will help him big time.
*Did Carl Edwards make the right decision in re-signing with Roush Fenway?*
After months of rampant speculation about where Carl Edwards would be driving in 2012, the 2011 Sprint Cup Series points leader opted this week to stay loyal to Roush Fenway Racing and remain with the organization, spurning Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards and a potential Home Depot sponsorship at JGR may have certainly been appealing, but when it comes to winning races, this was a no-brainer. In seven full seasons with Roush Fenway, Edwards has amassed 19 wins, 79 top 5s and 126 top 10s while becoming the face of the organization and one of the most appealing drivers for fans and sponsors alike.
After weeks of agonizing over whether to stay or leave, NASCAR’s biggest free agent has decided his current home is where the heart is. Carl …
After years of rolled eyeballs and harrumphs of disdain, NASCAR Nation could only shake its collective head and watch the scene unfold – Jeff Gordon scrambling after a late fuel stop in an attempt to catch the No. 27 Chevrolet of Paul Menard as the laps wound down in the Brickyard 400. With three laps remaining, Menard roared past defending winner Jamie McMurray and went on to cross the line of bricks to end what had become a better-than-thirty-year family quest to win at Indianapolis. The tears shed by Paul Menard’s father – the billionaire, John Menard, who owns a chain of Midwest-based home-improvement stores – said it all: all good things come to those who wait – despite what assumptions we in the grandstands (and the garage area, and the media center) had.
And don’t forget to add that good things come to those who work hard, as well, because getting to Victory Lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has not been easy, regardless of the vast Menard fortune
“We’re moving forward like normal,” Camp said, when I asked him to address many fans’ fears of the speedway closing down. “We’re planning for events in 2012 and trying to do anything we can to get butts in the seats and get more fans to come and see races here at Nashville Superspeedway. We are not alone in this softness in attendance, it has affected all NASCAR tracks, so we are just working hard to get people out here and are optimistic that 2012 will be an improvement on 2011 and we’ll get this ship turned around and headed in the right direction.”
Liar! OK, maybe that is a little harsh. I ‘spose they are planning for _some kind_ of events at Nashville, but Camp damn sure knew it wasn’t going to be NASCAR, as yesterday’s announcement of (essentially) Nashville’s closing clearly demonstrates.
Really can’t attribute a question to anyone specific this week. I’ve gotten a LOT of phone calls, e-mails, etc. from people wanting to know how I feel about NASCAR’s decision to move the Nationwide race from Lucas Oil Raceway to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
I’ve touched lightly on this subject once, but just for a sentence or two, and I think the topic deserves its own column. All of those who contacted me assumed, correctly, that I did not look favorably on this decision. That’s putting it mildly. I have to believe a very good friend of mine who covers motorsports for The Indianapolis Star was correct in his question-and-answer blog this week. He said he believes everyone involved in making this decision will come to regret it.