THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 12th, 2011
Volume V, Edition LXIII
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Today's Top News
by Tom Bowles
Bayne Secures Sponsors For Talladega, All-Star Race
All's well that ends well in the Trevor Bayne All-Star Race controversy – especially the Wood Brothers' bank account. Multiple sources reported Monday the owners of the No. 21 Ford had sponsorship which allows them to enter their 20-year-old driver in the famed exhibition race, putting to rest any doubts the Daytona 500 winner would be sitting on the sidelines at Charlotte this May. Camping World and Good Sam's RV Club will join forces as primary backers, putting together a two-race deal that also includes this Sunday's race at Talladega.
With this agreement, Bayne's schedule this season has been increased from 17 to 19 total events. The Sprint Cup rookie, a full-time Nationwide Series regular for Roush Fenway Racing hasn't missed a race so far but his team does plan to skip several events in the next few weeks, including April's month-ender at Richmond and the Dover 400-miler in mid-May.
NASCAR Lawsuit Thrown Out, Organization Liable For Payments To Victims
The National Transportation Safety Board had assigned blame to NASCAR in the crash, completing their investigation over two years earlier. The plane was still flown despite a complaint by another pilot of a burning smell inside the cockpit the day before, a precursor to a likely fire that contributed to the deadly incident.
"There is no evidence that Cessna had actual knowledge of the alleged defect," Antoon wrote in the ruling. "There is no evidence that Cessna received any reports or complaints related to the toxicity of burning PVC-insulated wiring prior to this lawsuit."
Texas Overnight TV Ratings, Attendance Stagnant
They say everything's bigger and better in Texas… except when it comes to primetime ratings. Saturday night's 3.7/7 share for the Samsung 500 was down 12 percent compared to the 4.2/10 it scored two years ago in the Nielsens (the 2010 edition of the race was rained out). Attendance at the track was also down slightly from '09, a four percent decrease although an impressive number nonetheless: 168,400 people comprised more than two-and-a-half times the crowd that showed up at Martinsville last week.
For those looking for a silver lining, they can find it in the primetime comparison between Texas and last year's Saturday Spring race at Phoenix, which posted just a 3.4/7 share when held on the same weekend. The raw numbers were also good enough to win the primetime night for FOX over its four network rivals: CBS, NBC, ABC, and the CW.
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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@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. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
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Numbers Game: Samsung Mobile 500
by Brett Poirier
1
The number of top-5 finishes for Nationwide Series point leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. after the first six races. He has a 14-point lead over Jason Leffler, who has yet to record a top-5 finish.
1
The number of victories in the Nationwide Series for the Ford Mustang. Edwards became the first driver to take a Mustang to Victory Lane on Friday night.
2
The number of pit road penalties committed by the No. 00 team (David Reutimann) during a pit stop on lap 115 (pitting before pits were open and too many men over wall). It was an ugly night for them after an early wreck on pit road ended their chances at a solid finish.
2
The number of top-5 finishes for Paul Menard this season after a fifth-place run on Saturday night. Menard had two top-5's in his entire Cup career entering 2011.
4
The number of Roush Fenway Fords that placed in the top seven positions in Saturday night's Samsung Mobile 500.
5
The number of drivers who pulled off the track in the first six laps of Friday's Nationwide Series race at Texas.
11th
The finishing position of Jeff Burton on Saturday night. It was his best finish of 2011 to date.
12
The number of top-10 finishes for Matt Kenseth in 18 starts at Texas.
12
The number of cars on the lead lap at the end of Saturday's Sprint Cup race. It marked the first time this season that the Sprint Cup race had less lead-lap finishers than the Nationwide race on the same weekend.
14
The number of lead-lap finishers in Friday's Nationwide Series race. It was the most of any race this season.
14.5
The average finishing position of Sprint Cup drivers following a win in the previous Sprint Cup race. Last Sunday's Martinsville winner, Kevin Harvick, could only muster a 20th Saturday night.
15th
The finishing position of the top Joe Gibbs Racing car at Texas (Denny Hamlin). Hamlin swept both races at Texas last year.
17th
The finishing position of Trevor Bayne in Saturday's Sprint Cup race. It was his best finish since the Daytona 500 and tied for the second-best finish of his career.
25th
The finishing position of the best-running rookie in Friday's Nationwide Series race (Blake Koch).
76
The number of races since Matt Kenseth's last Sprint Cup win before Saturday night (Auto Club Speedway, in Feb. 22, 2009).
169
The number of laps led by Carl Edwards in the 200-lap Nationwide Series race on Friday night AND the number of laps led by Saturday night's Sprint Cup winner Matt Kenseth.
281
The number of laps completed this season by Joe Nemechek in seven Sprint Cup starts.
$525,886
The amount of money awarded to Matt Kenseth's team for winning the Samsung Mobile 500. It was the second-most given to a race winner this season (Daytona 500).
$1,272,384
The purse for Friday's Nationwide Series race at Texas. It would barely be enough to cover the prize money awarded to the top three finishers in Saturday's Sprint Cup race ($1,149,560 combined).
Brett Poirier is a Website Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at brett.poirier@frontstretch.com.
Today's Featured Commentary
Saturday Nights Are For Racing, Just Not This Early In The Year
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by Mike Neff
Editor's Note: S.D. Grady is out sick this week. Mike Neff is filling in.
Saturday nights have long been the bastion of local short track racing just as Friday nights have been the stronghold of high school football. As the Cup series has faltered over the last few years and searches to try and regain its popularity, they have been invading Saturday nights to the detriment of local racing. From the 1990s onwards, everything from the August Bristol night race to the Winston under the lights at Charlotte showed track promoters that night racing was not only possible but highly successful in the Cup series. Now, at least half of the oval tracks on the schedule have lights, while more races are being moved to the nighttime hours to try and take advantage of the popularity. 11 races in all will be run at night in 2011, nearly one-third of the Sprint Cup schedule.
That's a big change from how it used to be. The first night races in the modern era were held at Bristol and the old Nashville Fairgrounds (no longer on the schedule), but it wasn't because the tracks were trying to hook fans with a gimmick -- it was out of necessity. Both tracks' summer events were held during unsavory times of the year where, like most everywhere else in the country outside of Hawaii, Alaska and San Diego the temperature was extremely high which made things uncomfortable for fans. In Bristol's case, the track owners decided to run the August race at night starting in 1978, and the seed was planted for the phenomenon to grow from that point on.
1992 was the year when things really changed, as Bruton Smith and Humpy Wheeler decided to prove that what others thought was impossible could be done. Always the master promoter, Wheeler decided to run the All-Star race under the lights like local short tracks ran on Saturday nights and proceeded to put lights around the 1.5-mile racing surface at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The result was that the race, which was struggling to gain footing with the fans, became a huge event that was one of the highlights of the season schedule. Another benefit became that the 600-mile race the following weekend could be moved to Sunday night from its traditional Memorial Day slot, giving fans the opportunity to watch both the Indy 500 and then their NASCAR while increasing attendance for that race as well.
With Bruton and his SMI group reaping benefits from night racing at the national touring series level, the folks at ISC decided to take advantage of the advances in technology and lit the 2.5-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway, which allowed them to move the July race to a nighttime start and fans to avoid the Summer heat in Florida. An unintended consequence was that the race now falls in the prime time of rain showers on the Florida peninsula, so there are always weather concerns for the July race.
But while the benefits are certainly there for fans of the Cup series, they are detrimental to all of the short tracks across America that host their races on Saturday nights. The fans who attend local track races are generally fans of NASCAR's Cup tour as well, so when there's a conflict the fans have to decide which to attend. Unfortunately, the loser is often the local track, killing the grassroots competition that produces Cup Series drivers in the first place. The result becomes lower purses, lower car counts and ultimately tougher times for the local promoters trying to get their attendance numbers to increase. They can certainly move their races to a Sunday, but that makes things harder on the competitors who often travel to the tracks to race and have to get back home to work their day jobs on Monday.
While night races obviously are beneficial for fans as the temperatures rise in the summer, there is no reason for a race in April in the state of Texas to be taking place on a Saturday night. The season is just beginning for most of the local short tracks around the country and many of them have historically run their big season-opening races on the first Saturday night in April. Now the folks at NASCAR, and especially the gang at Texas have infringed upon it by running the first race at Texas on a Saturday night. Chasing racings chased away an untold number of fans at short tracks across the country needing momentum for their coming season.
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Dialing It In: Can Practice Make Perfect? David Ragan Sure Hopes So
5 Points To Ponder: Which RCR Will Show Up?, Cole Whitt's Coming, And Do Or Die For...
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In July 1984, Dale Earnhardt won the Talladega 500 at then-Alabama International Motor Speedway. What was notable about this victory?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: The 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega is notable for being the first race in which a driver qualified at over 200 MPH. Benny Parsons, driving a Pontiac LeMans, won the pole for the race and nearly pulled off the win as well. What kept Parsons and his LeMans out of Victory Lane?
A: Entering the final lap, Parsons had a slight lead over Darrell Waltrip, with Terry Labonte and Richard Petty also close in tow. In Turn 2, Parsons made an ill-advised move to break up the draft in the corner by using a much lower line than Waltrip. As a result, Waltrip was able to draft by on the outside entering Turn 3 with help from Labonte. From there, Waltrip was unchallenged as he avenged some demons (he had been defeated twice in a row at Talladega on last-lap passes) to win the Winston 500. Parsons finished third.
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 trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Hey, Frontstretch Readers!
We know you love the roar of raw horsepower under the hood that powers 43 of the best drivers in the world every weekend, but did you ever wonder how the sponsor on top of that hood also contributes to keeping the sport moving? What about the contributions of official NASCAR companies? If you think they are simply writing checks, think again. Check out our newest feature - Sunday Money. This weekly Frontstretch exclusive provides you with a behind the scenes look at how NASCAR, its affiliates and team sponsors approach the daunting task of keeping fans interested and excited about the sport for 38 weeks of the year.
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Summer Dreyer
-- Full Throttle by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice... by Tom Bowles
We've got another batch of talking points coming your way. Among them: the disconnect between the Fords and Front Row Motorsports, Jeff Gordon's "fan favorite" obsession ... by you, the fans, and a look at the randomness of Talladega.
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
The Mirror crew is at it again with more talking points to debate.
Voice of Vito by Vito Pugliese
We're only seven races into the season, but Vito is concerned that some teams are already putting themselves out of contention for the Chase. Find out who those teams are on Wednesday.
Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
Top 15 Power Rankings by the Frontstretch Staff
Which driver came out of Texas on top of our 2011 Power Rankings chart? Jimmie Johnson? Denny Hamlin? Kevin Harvick? Kurt Busch? Someone else? Find out who our select Frontstretch experts have labeled as this week's favorite heading into Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.
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