Frontstretch Newsletter: July 18, 2022
Volume XVI, Edition XCVI
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- NASCAR teams are arriving back at their shops after yesterday's race in New Hampshire. Entry lists for Pocono should be released today. We'll have those and anything else that breaks for you at Frontstretch.
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Around the World in Motorsports: July 15-17
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- In Indy Pro 2000 action in Toronto, Louis Foster led flag-to-flag Saturday to win Race No. 1 at Exhibition Place. He finished 5.2348 seconds ahead of Enaam Ahmed. Josh Green was third, then Reece Gold and Nolan Siegel.
Race No. 2 on Sunday morning was more of the same as Foster again led flag-to-flag from the pole to sweep the weekend. He ended up 7.4653 seconds ahead of Gold at the finish. Yuven Sundaramoorthy was third, then Jack William Miller and Braden Eves.
Through 14 of 18 races, Foster has a 71-point lead over Gold. Ahmed is third in points, then Siegel and Green.
- Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship teams were also in action in Toronto. Race No. 1 Saturday saw Myles Rowe take the lead from teammate Jace Denmark on lap 3 and pull away to take the win. He ended up 5.8524 seconds ahead of Denmark at the finish. Jagger Jones was third, then Michal d'Orlando and Jacob Douglas.
Race No. 2 Sunday morning saw Denmark lead flag-to-flag from pole to pick up the win by 1.7783 seconds over Thomas Nepveu. Dylan Christie was third, then d'Orlando and Rowe.
With only a tripleheader weekend at Portland remaining, Rowe has a 23-point lead over d'Orlando. Denmark is third in points, then Jones and Billy Frazer.
- Rains Friday night in Eldora made Saturday at Eldora Speedway into a doubleheader. In the morning, David Gravel swept past Rico Abreu on lap 9 and held on to win the Knight Before the Kings Royal, his second win of the week. Abreu was second, then Brad Sweet, Spencer Bayston and Hunter Schuerenberg.
Later that evening, teams were back on track for the 39th Annual Kings Royal. The result ended up much like Thursday's Historical Big 1. Brent Marks drove up from sixth on the grid and took the lead from Brian Brown on lap 22. He then held on to win his first Kings Royal. Over four days, Marks won $276,125. Donny Schatz ended up second, followed by
Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart and Kyle Larson. For more on the Kings Royal, check out Thinkin' Dirty.
- Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship teams were in Millville, Minn. for the annual visit to Spring Creek. In the 450cc class, Eli Tomac took the lead on the first lap from Joey Savatgy. He ended up losing the advantage to Chase Sexton, but regained the advantage when Sexton crashed with 10 minutes to go. From there, he pulled away to take the
victory.
Tomac ended up 14.432 seconds ahead of Sexton at the finish. Jason Anderson was third, then Ryan Dungey and Christian Craig.
Moto No. 2 saw Tomac get the lead early on from Sexton. This time, the Honda rider was able to stalk Tomac for much of the race. However, he couldn't get by as the Yamaha rider took the sweep by 1.795 seconds. Craig was third, then Anderson and Justin Barcia, who was more than a minute behind.
With a minimum score of two, Tomac claimed the overall victory, followed by Sexton, Anderson, Craig and Dungey. Tomac also has the points lead by five over Sexton. Anderson is third, then Ken Roczen and Craig.
- In the 250cc class, the Lawrence brothers were once again the class of the field. Jett Lawrence led early, but Hunter Lawrence took the lead when Jett slowed due to an incident for Justin Cooper.
The Lawrence brothers battled each other for the lead and rode away from the rest of the pack. Late in the race, lapped traffic hampered Hunter, which allowed Jett to retake the advantage and hold on to win. Hunter was a half-second back, followed by Jo Shimoda, Max Vohland and RJ Hampshire.
Moto No. 2 saw Jett Lawrence take the lead a couple of minutes into the race. From there, he pulled away to take victory by 7.94 seconds over Shimoda. Cooper was third, then Hampshire and Hunter Lawrence.
With a minimum score of two, Jett Lawrence took the round victory. Shimoda was second, then Hunter Lawrence, Cooper and Hampshire. Points-wise, Jett Lawrence holds a 27-point lead over his brother Hunter. Shimoda is third, then Cooper and Levi Kitchen.
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| | Christopher Bell Holds Off Chase Elliott, Others for New Hampshire
Win
Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell passed Chase Elliott late Sunday, then pulled away to win the Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Elliott was second, then
Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick.
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| | Ty Dillon Out at Petty GMS After
2022
PettyGMS Racing announced Friday that Ty Dillon will not be back in the No. 42 Chevrolet in 2023. He will finish out the year in the car.
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| | Former NASCAR Driver Bobby East Dead at
37
News broke Saturday that former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and USAC racer Bobby East was killed Wednesday after being stabbed at a gas station. He was
37.
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| | Justin Allgaier Earns Chevy’s 1st Xfinity Victory in 15 Years at New
Hampshire
JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier emerged victorious in a chaotic 200-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Trevor Bayne was second, then
Brandon Brown, Jeremy Clements and Sheldon Creed. Clements and Creed were elevated into the top five after Landon Cassill and Noah Gragson were disqualified.
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| | For Landon Cassill, New Hampshire Heartbreak Hints at Better
Days
Saturday's Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was shaping up to be a career day for Landon Cassill. He was fighting for the lead late in the race before dropping to
third. Then a disqualification completely ruined things.
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| | Scott Dixon Wins in Toronto, Ties Mario Andretti With 52
Wins
Scott Dixon took the lead early Sunday at Exhibition Place, then held on to win the Honda Indy Toronto, tying him with Mario Andretti on the all-time wins list. Colton Herta
was second, then Felix Rosenqvist, Graham Rahal and Marcus Ericsson.
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| | Pfaff Motorsports Wins FCP Euro Northeast Grand
Prix
Pfaff Motorsports' Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet capped off a dominant weekend at Lime Rock Park by winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship FCP Euro Northeast Grand
Prix Saturday. Paul Miller Racing's Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow won in GTD.
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| | Rebel Rock Racing’s Robin Liddell, Frank Depew Win at Lime
Rock
Rebel Rock Racing's Robin Liddell passed PF Racing's Kyle Marcelli with 11 minutes to go to earn the victory in the Lime Rock Park 120 for himself and Frank DePew.
JDC-Miller MotorSports' Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor won in TCR.
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| | Tony Stewart Continues Dirt Dominance, Wins SRX Race at
I-55
Tony Stewart dominated the Camping World SRX Series race Saturday night at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 to claim his second win of the year. Marco Andretti was second,
then Ken Schrader, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle.
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Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography, Joe Skibinski of INDYCAR Media, and our own Phil Allaway and Michael Finley.
Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Seeking the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: Chase Elliott Exits Loudon With An Advantage of More Than a Race
by Phil Allaway
Chase Elliott had another excellent day Sunday in New Hampshire, scoring a second-place finish. That allowed him to expand his points lead up to 67 points over Ross Chastain. Chastain finished eighth Sunday. Ryan Blaney spun and backed into the wall in turn 4. He
ultimately ended up finishing 18th, which dropped him one place to third. Martin Truex Jr. led 172 laps, but ended up fourth. That performance moved him two positions to fourth. He is now the final driver in the playoffs on points.
Kyle Larson is down one place to fifth after his fuel-only final stop backfired on him. He ended up a lap down in 14th. Kyle Busch finished 12th after two spinouts. That dropped him back to sixth. Joey Logano had to pit for a splash of fuel late, which dropped him to a 24th-place finish. He is still
in seventh. Christopher Bell remains in eighth despite his first Cup oval victory.
Kevin Harvick finished fifth Sunday and moved up two places to ninth. However, since Bell won, he is now the first driver out of the playoffs, 68 points behind Truex. William Byron finished 11th and remains in 10th. Alex Bowman was eliminated in the opening laps and finished 35th. That dropped him back to
11th. Aric Almirola got stuck in third gear at one point and had to go to the garage. Almirola finished 31st and stays in 12th.
Austin Cindric remains in 13th after finishing 13th, while Kurt Busch is up two places to 14th after recovering from a green-flag stop with 30 laps to go to finish 10th. Daniel Suarez finished ninth and stays in 15th. Tyler Reddick is down two places to 16th after finishing
21st.
Chase Briscoe led laps and finished 15th. This was enough to move him up one place to 17th. Briscoe jumped over Erik Jones, who finished 19th. Denny Hamlin is still in 19th after finishing sixth, while Austin Dillon rounds out the top 20.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Chase Elliott 734, 2) Ross Chastain -67, 3) Ryan Blaney -78, 4) Martin Truex Jr. -115, 5) Kyle
Larson -118, 6) Kyle Busch -140, 7) Joey Logano -152, 8) Christopher Bell -164, 9) Kevin Harvick -183, 10) William Byron -198, 11) Alex Bowman -224, 12) Aric Almirola -244, 13) Austin Cindric -245,
14) Kurt Busch -249, 15) Daniel Suarez -255, 16) Tyler Reddick -260.
Outside of the Top 16, but still in the Playoffs: t-17) Chase Briscoe -269, 19) Denny Hamlin
-293.
Playoff Points: 1) Chase Elliott 20, t-2) William Byron -7, t-2) Ross Chastain -7, t-4) Denny Hamlin -8, t-4) Joey Logano -8, t-6) Kurt Busch -13, t-6) Kyle Larson -13, t-6) Daniel Suarez -13, t-6) Tyler
Reddick -13, t-6) Chase Briscoe -13, t-6) Martin Truex Jr. -13, t-12) Alex Bowman -14, t-12) Kyle Busch -14, t-12) Austin Cindric -14, t-15)
Christopher Bell -15, t-15) Ryan Blaney -15, 17) Darrell Wallace Jr.
-19.
Stage Points: 1) Chase Elliott 190,
2) Ryan Blaney -31, 3) Martin Truex Jr. -39, 4) Joey Logano -43, 5) Kyle Larson -44, 6) Ross Chastain -51, 7) William Byron -56, 8) Kyle Busch -69, 9) Christopher Bell -75, 10) Tyler Reddick -102, 11)
Chase Briscoe -105, 12) Denny Hamlin -106, 13) Kurt Busch -111, 14) Erik Jones -118, 15) Alex Bowman -124, 16) Kevin Harvick -127.
Outside of the Top 16, but still in the Playoffs: 19) Daniel Suarez -131, 20) Austin Cindric -136.
Note: The Stage Points also include the Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona.
Old Point Standings (1-16): 1) Chase Elliott 635, 2) Ross Chastain -21, 3) Ryan Blaney -40, 4) Kevin Harvick -64, 5) Martin Truex Jr. -66,
6) Kyle Busch -69, 7) Kyle Larson -74, 8) Christopher Bell -94, 9) Austin Cindric -117, t-10) Joey Logano -118, t-10) Alex Bowman -118, 12) Aric Almirola -125, 13) Daniel Suarez -130, 14) Kurt
Busch -141, 15) William Byron -142, 16) Michael McDowell -154.
Outside of the Top 16, but still in the Playoffs: t-18) Chase Briscoe
-159, 20) Tyler Reddick -162, 22) Denny Hamlin -189.
Note: These
standings are based on the old point system that was used before stages were created.
WC Points (1-16): 1) Chase Elliott 2812, 2) Ross Chastain -36,
3) Ryan Blaney -116, 4) Kyle Busch -204, 5) Kyle Larson -221, 6) Kevin Harvick -230, 7) Martin Truex Jr. -268, 8) Christopher Bell -315, 9) Joey Logano -353, 10) Austin Cindric -415, 11) Alex Bowman -417, 12) Daniel Suarez -442, t-13) Kurt Busch -450, t-13) Aric Almirola -450, 15) William Byron -471, 16) Tyler Reddick -514.
Outside of the Top 16, but still in the Playoffs: 19) Chase Briscoe -538,
21) Denny Hamlin -619.
Note No. 1: The WC points are based on the original points
system created by Bob Latford in 1975.
Race Winners: Austin Cindric (Daytona), Kyle Larson (Fontana), Alex Bowman (Las Vegas), Chase Briscoe (Phoenix), William Byron (Atlanta-1, Martinsville), Ross Chastain (Circuit of the Americas, Talladega), Denny Hamlin (Richmond, Charlotte), Kyle Busch (Bristol), Chase Elliott (Dover,
Nashville, Atlanta-2), Joey Logano (Darlington, Gateway), Kurt Busch (Kansas), Daniel Suarez (Sonoma), Tyler Reddick (Road America), Christopher Bell (Loudon)
Note: Race wins in Italics do not count towards playoff eligibility.
Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.
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Seeking the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs: AJ Allmendinger Holds On After Crash-Filled Saturday
by Phil Allaway
AJ Allmendinger ran well Saturday until he got caught up in a crash late in the second stage. He would eventually finish three laps down in 20th. That cost him some of his lead. His advantage is down to 16 points over new second-place man Justin Allgaier, who claimed his third win ot the year. Ty Gibbs had mechanical issues
late after earning 18 stage points. Gibbs' 21st-place finish dropped him to third. Josh Berry ran extremely well Saturday, but spun exiting turn 2 on lap 125. The resulting multi-car crash put him out for the day, but he remains in fourth.
Noah Gragson finished fourth on the road, but was disqualified for failing the height measurements. Despite that, he stays in fifth. Austin Hill finished seventh and holds onto sixth. Brandon Jones crashed out in the same crash that Allmendinger was in. He stays in seventh, but lost ground. Sam Mayer is still in eight.
Riley Herbst is ninth after crashing out and finishing 30th. Daniel Hemric is 10th after a crash of his own. Ryan Sieg was eliminated in the same crash as Hemric after winning stage one. He's still in 11th. Landon Cassill finished third on the road, but was also disqualified. He is still the last driver in the playoffs.
Cassill's advantage is 61 points over Brandon Brown. Brown's third-place finish moved him up to 13th. Sheldon Creed had one of his best runs of the year, finishing fifth. That keeps him in 14th. Anthony Alfredo crashed out and drops to 15th in points. Brett Moffitt has sole possession of 16th.
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Point Standings (1-16): 1) AJ Allmendinger 702, 2) Justin Allgaier -16, 3) Ty Gibbs -28, 4) Josh Berry -87, 5) Noah Gragson -99, 6) Austin Hill -133, 7) Brandon Jones -165,
8) Sam Mayer -190, 9) Riley Herbst -209, 10) Daniel Hemric -237, 11) Ryan Sieg -263, 12) Landon Cassill -280, 13) Brandon Brown -341, 14) Sheldon Creed -343, 15) Anthony Alfredo -349, 16) Brett Moffitt -359.
Note No. 1: Drivers in Bold have locked into the playoffs.
Note No. 2: Drivers in italics are either ineligible for the playoffs, or outside of the top 12.
Playoff Points: 1) Ty Gibbs 23, 2) Justin Allgaier -3, 3) Noah Gragson -7, 4) Josh Berry -8, 5) AJ Allmendinger -11, 6) Austin Hill -12, 7) Brandon Jones
-17, t-8) Daniel Hemric -21, t-8) Trevor Bayne -21, t-8) Sam Mayer -21, t-11) Ryan Sieg -22, t-11) Myatt Snider -22.
Note: If they were eligible, Cole Custer would be tied for seventh, Tyler Reddick ninth, Kyle Larson tied for 10th, and John Hunter Nemechek and William Byron tied for 14th in playoff points.
Stage Points: 1) Justin Allgaier 192, 2) Ty Gibbs -8, 3) Josh Berry -31, 4) Noah Gragson -35, 5) AJ Allmendinger -38, 6) Sam Mayer -75, 7) Brandon Jones
-85, 8) Daniel Hemric -99, 9) Austin Hill -103, 10) Trevor Bayne -125, 11) Riley Herbst -127, 12) Ryan Sieg -141, 13) Brandon Brown -146, 14) Landon Cassill -147, 15) Sheldon Creed -155, 16) Ryan Truex -164.
Note: If he were eligible, John Hunter Nemechek would be 12th in stage points.
Old Point Standings (1-16): 1) AJ Allmendinger 623, 2) Ty Gibbs -47, 3) Justin Allgaier -59, 4) Austin Hill -65, 5) Josh Berry -87, 6) Noah Gragson -98, 7) Brandon Jones -114,
8) Riley Herbst -126, 9) Sam Mayer -153, 10) Ryan Sieg -159, 11) Daniel Hemric -175, 12) Landon Cassill -177, 13) Brett Moffitt -219, 14) Anthony Alfredo -223, 15) Sheldon Creed -224, 16) Brandon Brown -232.
WC Points (1-16): 1) AJ Allmendinger 2708, 2) Ty Gibbs -155, 3) Justin Allgaier -189, 4) Austin Hill -215, 5) Josh Berry -274, 6) Noah Gragson
-292, 7) Brandon Jones -406, 8) Riley Herbst -426, 9) Sam Mayer -495, 10) Ryan Sieg -571, 11) Daniel Hemric -599, 12) Landon Cassill -607, 13) Sheldon Creed -752, 14) Brett Moffitt -767, 15) Anthony Alfredo
-770, 16) Brandon Brown -792.
Race Winners: Austin Hill (Daytona, Atlanta-2), Cole Custer (Fontana), Ty Gibbs (Las Vegas, Atlanta-1, Richmond, Road America), Noah Gragson (Phoenix, Talladega), AJ Allmendinger (Circuit of the Americas, Portland), Brandon Jones (Martinsville), Josh Berry (Dover, Charlotte), Justin Allgaier (Darlington, Nashville, Loudon), Tyler Reddick (Texas)
Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.
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Seeking the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs: Off-Week Update No. 8
by Phil Allaway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was off last weekend. They will be racing Saturday at Pocono Raceway in the CRC Brakleen 150, the final race of the regular season.
When the teams get to Pocono, Zane Smith will not need to do much more than start the race to win the regular season title as he has a 58-point lead over Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Chandler Smith. Stewart Friesen is fourth, followed by Ben Rhodes. Ty
Majeski and Christian Eckes have already clinched playoff spots on points.
Matt Crafton is currently the last driver in the playoffs on points. He has a 19-point advantage over Derek Kraus, which is a doable amount of points to make up. Tyler Ankrum, Matt DiBenedetto and anyone behind them would need to win Saturday to qualify, if they're even eligible.
Point Standings (1-16): 1) Zane Smith 584, t-2) John Hunter Nemechek -58, t-2) Chandler Smith -58, 4) Stewart Friesen -69, 5) Ben Rhodes -70, 6) Ty Majeski
-81, 7) Christian Eckes -93, 8) Carson Hocevar -116, 9) Grant Enfinger -158, 10) Matt Crafton -186, 11) Derek Kraus -205, 12) Tyler Ankrum -232, 13) Matt DiBenedetto -249, 14) Tanner Gray
-258, 15) Chase Purdy -290, 16) Parker Kligerman -302.
Playoff Points: 1) Zane Smith 22, 2) Ben Rhodes -9, 3) Corey Heim -13, t-4) John Hunter Nemechek -14, t-4) Ryan Preece -14, 6) Parker Kligerman
-15, t-7) Stewart Friesen -16, t-7) Chandler Smith -16, 9) Carson Hocevar -19, 10) Ty Majeski -21, .
Note: If they were eligible for Playoff Points, Todd Gilliland would be tied for sixth, while Kyle Busch, William Byron and Ross Chastain would be tied for eighth.
Stage Points: 1) John Hunter Nemechek 147, t-2) Zane Smith -4, t-2) Ben Rhodes -4, 4) Ty Majeski -38, 5) Chandler Smith -41, 6) Stewart Friesen -48, 7) Carson Hocevar
-50, 8) Christian Eckes -53, 9) Derek Kraus -65, 10) Corey Heim -73, 11) Grant Enfinger -77, t-12) Parker Kligerman -87, t-12) Ryan Preece -87,
14) Matt Crafton -94, 15) Tanner Gray -109, 16) Tyler Ankrum -111.
Old Point Standings (1-16): 1) Zane Smith 392, 2) Chandler Smith -27, 3) Stewart Friesen -31, 4) Ty Majeski -43, 5) Christian Eckes -45, 6) John Hunter Nemechek
-61, 7) Carson Hocevar -68, 8) Ben Rhodes -71, 9) Grant Enfinger -91, 10) Matt Crafton -103, 11) Tyler Ankrum -135, 12) Matt DiBenedetto -146, 13) Derek Kraus -148, 14) Tanner Gray
-161, 15) Chase Purdy -167, 16) Colby Howard -190.
WC Points (1-16): 1) Zane Smith 2239, 2) Chandler Smith -107, 3) Stewart Friesen -129, 4) Christian Eckes -156, 5) Ty Majeski -173, 6) John Hunter Nemechek -197, 7) Carson
Hocevar -234, 8) Ben Rhodes -240, 9) Grant Enfinger -321, 10) Matt Crafton -388, 11) Tyler Ankrum -494, 12) Derek Kraus -506, 13) Matt DiBenedetto -533, 14) Tanner Gray -566, 15) Chase Purdy
-674, 16) Colby Howard -679.
Race Winners: Zane Smith (Daytona, Circuit of the Americas, Kansas), Chandler Smith (Las Vegas), Corey Heim (Atlanta, Gateway), William Byron (Martinsville), Ben Rhodes (Bristol), John Hunter Nemechek (Darlington), Stewart Friesen (Texas), Ross Chastain (Charlotte), Kyle Busch (Sonoma), Todd Gilliland (Knoxville), Ryan Preece (Nashville), Parker Kligerman (Mid-Ohio)
Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's Ambetter 301 was brought to you by the letter T for Tires. Unlike recent years, tires were a little more important Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. dominated the race, but a
bad tire strategy choice kept him out of victory lane. - Phil Allaway
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Quotes to Remember: Ambetter 301
complied by Phil Allaway
"Man, that one was much needed right there. I’ll tell you what, that was a hell of a race from my viewpoint. That was so much fun racing with [Kurt Busch[, [Joey Logano] and [Chase Elliott]. We were all running different lines. That was a blast. Just so happy. So happy to be here at Joe Gibbs Racing, all our partners on this No. 20
car. It’s good to get Rheem back in Victory Lane.
"Just looking at all the crowd, and winning Cup races is hard. You guys are awesome, thank you for coming out, but it just seems like we’ve been so close and then we’ve fallen off a little bit last week. I was talking to my best friend, and I told him, earlier in the year I felt like
we were right on the verge of winning and then the last couple weeks I felt like we were pretty far away, but here we are today." - Christopher Bell, race winner
"I just need to do a better job again. The same conversation as Road America, unfortunately. I feel like it was a poor run of execution on my end throughout that last run. I feel like it took me awhile to get past Joey [Logano] and [Kurt Busch], and I had to run a little harder than I
wanted to. I got in front of those guys, just made a couple of mistakes and couldn’t get much breathing room. Christopher [Bell] did a good job. Congrats to those guys. They’ve been close to winning, so that’s cool.
"Obviously for us, we were in a position where guys at this level really should close out a race if you have the lead like that, so just poor effort on my part." - Chase Elliott, finished second
"Just proud. Proud of our team, proud of myself. Staying in it there. This last month has been pretty much hell for me. A good day for our DraftKings Toyota Camry TRD. Definitely needed this. Hats off to everybody back at the shop. Brought a decent car, I wasn’t really happy with it, but it had speed. I told myself this morning that this could be a long day and to
prepare for that, but here we are." - Bubba Wallace, finished third
"Just put on two tires and got in a bad spot on the restart. I got put three-wide and [Joey Logano] didn’t get going and I was on the inside behind him. I tried to shove him to get him going and get us going and [Kevin] Harvick made it three-wide and put us in a bad spot. And just my
car was terrible on two tires and couldn’t go anywhere. Just should have put four tires on I guess.
"We had the car to do it, we just screwed it up. It’s frustrating and disappointing, but congrats to [Christopher Bell]. Obviously, they were smarter than we were at the end." - Martin Truex Jr., finished fourth
"A lot. We put two tires on there, which we all thought was the right thing to do and it just would not get going. We were sliding up the race track and it took seven or eight laps to get the car underneath ya and then about 20 laps to get the pace back. Then at the end, everybody was
just out of tires. I am proud of everybody on our GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang. We will keep plugging away." - Kevin Harvick, finished fifth
"Hot in the cars and we all let our tempers get the best of us. We had a decent day here. The Kohler Generators Ford Mustang climbed really far that last run. I think we went from somewhere around the late teens and 20’s up to seventh on that last run. I am proud of our team for the
effort today. It was certainly an up and down day today and it was good to finish on an up note." - Brad Keselowski, finished seventh
"Yeah, live by the sword, die by the sword. We did it in the second stage to get track position and it worked. Then we did it again to get track position and the race ran long and it didn’t work. I thought we were pretty decent once we got up there and had a shot at taking the lead
from Kurt [Busch] but then [Chase Elliott] missed the mark by a mile and knocked our toe our or camber or something in the left rear suspension. I don’t know why he had to do that, but I am pretty sure that was not a good move on his part. So, that is that." - Joey Logano, finished 24th
"It just got hung in between fourth and third gear on the downshift there. I had it happen earlier in the day when I wasn’t around anybody. I just thought I wasn’t pushing it into gear hard enough or whatever the case may have been. We were racing hard on the restart there underneath
[Harrison Burton]. I tried pushing it down to third and it just got hung between fourth and third, and it just locked both rear tires up so they weren’t turning. I hate that other guys were involved. We’ll have to take a look at it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. It was a weird thing.. the first thing we’ve had all year with the transaxle.
"It’s been a tough stretch. I feel bad for my No. 7 Spire Motorsports team. We were trying to pull off another good week from last weekend’s momentum. It wasn’t meant to be, but we’ll get them next week." - Corey LaJoie, finished 32nd (Crashed out)
"We qualified bad. Unfortunately, they were just racing hard. It looked like [Ty Dillon] and [Justin Haley] got together. The No. 42 just overcorrected and stuffed us in the fence.
"Bummer. I hate it for everybody at Ally and Hendrick Motorsports. We’ll move onto the next one." - Alex Bowman, finished 35th (Crashed out)
Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.
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