THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 20th, 2011
Volume V, Edition LXIX
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 20th, 2011
Volume V, Edition LXIX
~~~~~~~~~~
Top News
by Summer Dreyer
Jeff Burton Re-Signs with RCR
Richard Childress Racing, Caterpillar, and Jeff Burton announced Tuesday they have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract extension to continue their partnership. Caterpillar will remain as primary sponsor on the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Burton, who has been driving for RCR since 2004.
"I'm excited to continue my relationship with both Richard Childress and Caterpillar," commented Burton. "Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of great people at Caterpillar and I look forward to providing their employees, dealers and customers continued success both on and off the track. Continuing my career at RCR was a top priority for me and it's great to have the support of Caterpillar behind us."
Burton is currently 22nd in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points after eight races and is 110 points out of the lead. Since joining the organization in mid-2004, he's secured four victories, four Chase appearances, four poles, and 89 top-10 finishes. At 43, the driver is one of the oldest full-time veterans on the circuit, but there's no word on whether he expects this contract to be his final one driving within the sport.
NASCAR The Game 2011, Eutechnyx To Sponsor Josh Wise at Nashville
This weekend, the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Josh Wise will have a new paint scheme on the car with Eutechnyx jumping on board for this weekend's race at Nashville Superspeedway. NASCAR The Game 2011, released on March 29th, will be featured on the hood; the video game was also given to a few team members at JRM along with an Xbox 360.
Wise is currently 15th in points, 91 points out of the lead. His best career finish at Nashville came last season in the form of a 16th-place finish.
Austin Dillon Set To Debut With KHI in Nashville
Currently seventh in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings, Austin Dillon will make the next step up the NASCAR ladder this weekend. Dillon will be pulling double-duty in both the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races in Nashville, as Dillon makes his debut with Kevin Harvick, Inc.'s team this weekend in the Nationwide Series.
Dillon will be behind the wheel of KHI's No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet and will make his eighth career series start. His career best finish of fourth came at Memphis Motorsports Park back in 2008.
by Summer Dreyer
Jeff Burton Re-Signs with RCR
Richard Childress Racing, Caterpillar, and Jeff Burton announced Tuesday they have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract extension to continue their partnership. Caterpillar will remain as primary sponsor on the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Burton, who has been driving for RCR since 2004.
"I'm excited to continue my relationship with both Richard Childress and Caterpillar," commented Burton. "Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of great people at Caterpillar and I look forward to providing their employees, dealers and customers continued success both on and off the track. Continuing my career at RCR was a top priority for me and it's great to have the support of Caterpillar behind us."
Burton is currently 22nd in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points after eight races and is 110 points out of the lead. Since joining the organization in mid-2004, he's secured four victories, four Chase appearances, four poles, and 89 top-10 finishes. At 43, the driver is one of the oldest full-time veterans on the circuit, but there's no word on whether he expects this contract to be his final one driving within the sport.
NASCAR The Game 2011, Eutechnyx To Sponsor Josh Wise at Nashville
This weekend, the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Josh Wise will have a new paint scheme on the car with Eutechnyx jumping on board for this weekend's race at Nashville Superspeedway. NASCAR The Game 2011, released on March 29th, will be featured on the hood; the video game was also given to a few team members at JRM along with an Xbox 360.
Wise is currently 15th in points, 91 points out of the lead. His best career finish at Nashville came last season in the form of a 16th-place finish.
Austin Dillon Set To Debut With KHI in Nashville
Currently seventh in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings, Austin Dillon will make the next step up the NASCAR ladder this weekend. Dillon will be pulling double-duty in both the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races in Nashville, as Dillon makes his debut with Kevin Harvick, Inc.'s team this weekend in the Nationwide Series.
Dillon will be behind the wheel of KHI's No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet and will make his eighth career series start. His career best finish of fourth came at Memphis Motorsports Park back in 2008.
Have news for Summer and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee List Once Again Misses the Mark
Full Throttle
by Mike Neff
The nominees for the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame have been announced and now the voting committee has until June 12th to determine who will receive their ballots and ultimately become the next class of five inductees into the Hall of Fame. The 20 people who were on the list last year return along with five new names to replace the five that were named to the 2011 class. H. Clay Earles, Bobby Isaac, Cotton Owens, Les Richter and Leonard Wood are the first time additions to the nominee list this year.
The nominee list in alphabetical order from NASCAR media services:
Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier series championships (1956-57)
Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion
H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway
Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion
Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier series champion
Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion
Dale Inman, eight-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief
Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier series champion
Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600
Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson
Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion
Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway
Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR premier series races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Senior VP
Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier series champion, 1951, '53
Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"
Darrell Waltrip, 84 wins and three NASCAR premier series championships
Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier series champion
Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success
Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops
Cale Yarborough, three consecutive NASCAR premier series titles, 1976-78
As with any Hall of Fame or list in general that purports to identify the best or greatest at anything, there will always be some debate about who belongs on the list and who does not. The nominee list for the NASCAR Hall of Fame is no exception. The balance between administrators, drivers and mechanics is always going to be difficult to orchestrate and this year portrays that difficulty with five new names added to the fray.
So what is the background behind the new men on the list? Leonard Wood is a much-deserved addition, for sure; he's the other part of the two-brother tandem that started the famed No. 21 Ford all those years ago. The Wood Brothers realistically should be inducted as a single group, but that is not how the Hall wants to conduct business; now, though, Leonard at least becomes an option next to his brother Glen so that, when the time comes, they'll hopefully both go into the Hall together. In the grand scheme of things it would be great to see Delano, Glen, Leonard, Len and Eddie Wood all go in as one but that might make for a rather boring induction ceremony.
Cotton Owens, included for his driving exploits also falls into the owner/driver category similar to Junior Johnson. Owens won nine races as a driver, including the 1957 Daytona race on the beach/road course, but he also won 38 races as an owner, including the 1966 series championship with David Pearson behind the wheel. Owens owned the car that Pearson drove to victory 27 times and also hired Junior Johnson for four races. But clearly, he was no slouch behind the wheel either; Owens was named to the list of 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history during the 1998 50th anniversary of the sport.
Les Richter, aside from being a Pro Football Hall of Fame member was also an administrator who was the president of Riverside International Raceway, a Vice President of Competition and a Senior Vice President of Operations for NASCAR. He finished out his racing administration career as the Vice President of Special Projects at Auto Club Speedway. While Richter did bring NASCAR to California with two different race tracks, there are certainly some people who deserve to be on the list ahead of him.
Bobby Isaac, whose career ended early due to a heart attack in the 1970s along with Martinsville's H. Clay Earles are certainly worthy of inclusion ... at some point. But two names omitted from the list, to me are even more surprising now that we're in the third year of Hall of Fame nominees: SMI track owner Bruton Smith and legendary engine man Smokey Yunick. Both of these men have notoriously battled with the France family throughout the life of NASCAR and that would seem to be the only reason their names weren't included among this next set of five.
Smith owns nearly half of the race tracks where NASCAR holds their national touring races and has spent quite a bit of his money purchasing tracks to move dates to his bigger facilities. Smith pioneered lighting race tracks over one mile in length and brought many of the Intermediate/Cookie cutter tracks to the schedule. Most of the tracks he purchased to move the dates to those tracks were short tracks that are now sorely missed on the NASCAR Cup schedule.
Yunick is one of the most innovative car builders and mechanics in the history of the sport. While it may no longer be the case, at one time he and Junior Johnson were responsible for well over half of the rules in the NASCAR rule book. Yunick owned 57 Cup series wins, two championships and an Indianapolis 500 victory. He is also responsible for at least nine U.S. Patents. He was notorious for working in the gray area of the rule book, once including 11 feet of fuel line in the race car because the rules did not limit the length of fuel line, just the diameter. The end result was that Yunick's car could hold an additional five gallons of fuel in the line. When NASCAR confiscated his gas tank at Daytona International Speedway he got in the car and drove it the six miles down the road to his shop with just the fuel in the line.
The names on the nominee list are, without a doubt, deserving of being enshrined in the Hall of Fame someday. However, there are at least two names that, without question, should be on the list before some of the others. Let's hope that there aren't personal agendas at play in determining the list but, until the voting numbers are made public we'll never know.
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tweet 'N' Greet
by Jay Pennell
Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Jay Pennell will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.
So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...
@RyanMcGeeESPN: At what point does Joe Gibbs Racing hire @DrPhil? #NASCAR
@KrissieNewman: I hate this place!
@BradCColeman: Wow!!!!! What a finish!!!
@KevinHamlin: Crazy. P2 two weeks in a row. Good for points but makes u want the W more. Thx to @31n2Spotter & @twoninereyes for spotting my guy all day.
@landoncassill: Did anyone else notice that we were actually pretty good and drafted well with everyone else before we got crashed? #bumdeal
@JLogano (Joey Logano): finally got our first top 10. Sorry to @KyleBusch it was just part of this racing we worked real good up to that point
@KyleBusch: Well, you'll have days like that. Thanks to @JLogano for the job well done all day. Wasn't his fault. Just a product of this kind of racing.
@Tjmajors: I've never won and finished 4th in the same race lol.
@31n2Spotter (Brett Griffin): "@dustinlong: #NASCAR Kevin Conway collects $79,181." ~~ he should get the % of laps he ran outta that total.
@AndyLally: Tough being the new guy. Every restart was like being the last kid picked for the kickball game.
@JimmieJohnson: I hope you all thought that was exciting! Awesome day for HMS, that race was won on teamwork/JR. Thanks to all my fans, let's party!
@SummerDreyer: This season has been amazing. JJ is the 7th different winner in eight races this season. Can't ask for a whole lot more than that. #NASCAR
@KevinHarvick: Dear people the 48 did not go below the line he won the damn race in Talladega fashion... roll on with it.
@keselowski (Brad Keselowski): Tuff day here in dega Blue deuce was fast again... Not mad at Kurt, Just wondering if we should have rode around in the back...
@keselowski: I really don't like riding in the back all day, then racing at the end. It's smart/wins this style race, but not what r sport is all about.
@31n2Spotter: How many people did the 22 wreck today?! I hope he didn't drive home...
@mw55 (Michael Waltrip): I'm not here to argue. Just be happy for Joe. And Dave. And terry. And jj. Both Yeley and Johnson. And say wow !!!! What a race.
@mw55: Good night yall. I'm going to golden corral. Damn that NASCAR advertising really works.
@keselowski: To clarify my thoughts on 2 car. Jeff g. Summed it up best, dega has been won by cars riding in the back for the first half for years.
@keselowski: The 2 car tandem, while different than pack racing requires greater talented drivers than ever before. Hard to show that on tv though.
@keselowski: The difference now isn't 2 car draft, it's us, the fan, teams, drivers…We're no longer ok with just a gr8 finish, like the 2 car produces
@keselowski: We all want the whole race to be gr8. NASCAR is very close to this on plate tracks. With a few small changes, we'd have an even better show.
@Tjmajors: @keselowski thank you thank you
@keselowski: The change to cot cars really made plate racing better IMO. We just need a way to reward those who race hard early in the race. Not sure how.
@keselowski: One of the gr8 things about r sport is how it evolves. Over the last few years biggest unspoken evolution has been in car reliability.
@keselowski: 4-5-600 mile race were BIG deal becuz of r cars reliability issues, ability to dial setup in mid race. Now not so much, less comers & goers.
@tomjensen100 (Tom Jensen): @keselowski I wish more of your competitors would publicly discuss issues — Fans would be better informed, good ideas would follow.
@keselowski: I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do like to hear my fans input when it comes to the sport I love. For this reason (cont.)
@keselowski: I believe NASCAR gives me some leniency with my twitter account. Remember, they like to hear from u too! Yes they do read… ;)
@keselowski: One last thought I gotta share on twitter before I go. It's gonna be long… But here it goes Oh and wanna hear your feedback…
@keselowski: Biggest problem facing the sport is the recession (over or not). Ex: dega cheap backstretch seats were full today. Frontstretch not so much.
@keselowski: Much more complicated than that though. Rec. Woke up the country in many ways, things have changed. We all want best value out of r $.
@keselowski: How we think of r cars has changed accordingly. We used to b ok driving American made cars that wouldn't run more than 5 years. Not now.
@keselowski: My dad tells stories of driving across the country as a kid and breaking down over and over. This is the foundation of our sport's 500 races.
@keselowski: For his generation, 500 miles was a big deal! Now, we expect the best out of our cars. 4 this reason my gen. doesn't identify with long races.
@keselowski: This is a large part of why the car companies went under also why they're back. The diff. between the new and old @dodge cars is amazing. #honest.
@keselowski: Our sport still has great qualities (the endurance basis withstanding). Today's finish was a great example. Hungry, driven & talented teams.
@keselowski: I quite honestly believe, our sport at its best (like today's finish) is better than any other (sorry NFL fans). Just need it the whole race.
@31n2Spotter: Based on how many folks asked what happened to the 31 today, I think tv needs 2 lean on pit reporters more. Cover the race not just the lead.
@31n2Spotter: pit reporters lean on crew chiefs, pr folk and scanners for info…they can get the story. So why is stuff often not covered? Idk the answer.
@31n2Spotter: Maybe tv director should watch replay of race with 100 race fans…your perception is all that matters.
@31n2Spotter: I'm off that soapbox. Just amazes me how many folks ask "what happened" every week.
@keselowski: And back to ratings. Very sad to hear about people who lost their $4 cable in recession. Underrated reason… : (
Jay Pennell is an Assistant Editor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at jaywpennell@yahoo.com, and you can also check out his work at allleftturns.com or jaywpennell.blogspot.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Did You Notice? ... One For The Underdogs, Zero For The Free Agents
by Tom Bowles
Top Ten Reasons The FANS Think Dale Jr. Is Running So Well This Year
by Jeff Meyer
Mirror Driving: Playing By The Rules, Speed Dating, And Silliness
by the Frontstretch Staff
Turning Back The Clock: 1992 Mountain Dew 500
by Phil Allaway
Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Talladega
by Mike Neff
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee List Once Again Misses the Mark
Full Throttle
by Mike Neff
The nominees for the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame have been announced and now the voting committee has until June 12th to determine who will receive their ballots and ultimately become the next class of five inductees into the Hall of Fame. The 20 people who were on the list last year return along with five new names to replace the five that were named to the 2011 class. H. Clay Earles, Bobby Isaac, Cotton Owens, Les Richter and Leonard Wood are the first time additions to the nominee list this year.
The nominee list in alphabetical order from NASCAR media services:
Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier series championships (1956-57)
Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion
H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway
Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion
Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier series champion
Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion
Dale Inman, eight-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief
Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier series champion
Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600
Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson
Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion
Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway
Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR premier series races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Senior VP
Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier series champion, 1951, '53
Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"
Darrell Waltrip, 84 wins and three NASCAR premier series championships
Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier series champion
Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success
Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops
Cale Yarborough, three consecutive NASCAR premier series titles, 1976-78
As with any Hall of Fame or list in general that purports to identify the best or greatest at anything, there will always be some debate about who belongs on the list and who does not. The nominee list for the NASCAR Hall of Fame is no exception. The balance between administrators, drivers and mechanics is always going to be difficult to orchestrate and this year portrays that difficulty with five new names added to the fray.
So what is the background behind the new men on the list? Leonard Wood is a much-deserved addition, for sure; he's the other part of the two-brother tandem that started the famed No. 21 Ford all those years ago. The Wood Brothers realistically should be inducted as a single group, but that is not how the Hall wants to conduct business; now, though, Leonard at least becomes an option next to his brother Glen so that, when the time comes, they'll hopefully both go into the Hall together. In the grand scheme of things it would be great to see Delano, Glen, Leonard, Len and Eddie Wood all go in as one but that might make for a rather boring induction ceremony.
Cotton Owens, included for his driving exploits also falls into the owner/driver category similar to Junior Johnson. Owens won nine races as a driver, including the 1957 Daytona race on the beach/road course, but he also won 38 races as an owner, including the 1966 series championship with David Pearson behind the wheel. Owens owned the car that Pearson drove to victory 27 times and also hired Junior Johnson for four races. But clearly, he was no slouch behind the wheel either; Owens was named to the list of 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history during the 1998 50th anniversary of the sport.
Les Richter, aside from being a Pro Football Hall of Fame member was also an administrator who was the president of Riverside International Raceway, a Vice President of Competition and a Senior Vice President of Operations for NASCAR. He finished out his racing administration career as the Vice President of Special Projects at Auto Club Speedway. While Richter did bring NASCAR to California with two different race tracks, there are certainly some people who deserve to be on the list ahead of him.
Bobby Isaac, whose career ended early due to a heart attack in the 1970s along with Martinsville's H. Clay Earles are certainly worthy of inclusion ... at some point. But two names omitted from the list, to me are even more surprising now that we're in the third year of Hall of Fame nominees: SMI track owner Bruton Smith and legendary engine man Smokey Yunick. Both of these men have notoriously battled with the France family throughout the life of NASCAR and that would seem to be the only reason their names weren't included among this next set of five.
Smith owns nearly half of the race tracks where NASCAR holds their national touring races and has spent quite a bit of his money purchasing tracks to move dates to his bigger facilities. Smith pioneered lighting race tracks over one mile in length and brought many of the Intermediate/Cookie cutter tracks to the schedule. Most of the tracks he purchased to move the dates to those tracks were short tracks that are now sorely missed on the NASCAR Cup schedule.
Yunick is one of the most innovative car builders and mechanics in the history of the sport. While it may no longer be the case, at one time he and Junior Johnson were responsible for well over half of the rules in the NASCAR rule book. Yunick owned 57 Cup series wins, two championships and an Indianapolis 500 victory. He is also responsible for at least nine U.S. Patents. He was notorious for working in the gray area of the rule book, once including 11 feet of fuel line in the race car because the rules did not limit the length of fuel line, just the diameter. The end result was that Yunick's car could hold an additional five gallons of fuel in the line. When NASCAR confiscated his gas tank at Daytona International Speedway he got in the car and drove it the six miles down the road to his shop with just the fuel in the line.
The names on the nominee list are, without a doubt, deserving of being enshrined in the Hall of Fame someday. However, there are at least two names that, without question, should be on the list before some of the others. Let's hope that there aren't personal agendas at play in determining the list but, until the voting numbers are made public we'll never know.
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tweet 'N' Greet
by Jay Pennell
Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Jay Pennell will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.
So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...
@RyanMcGeeESPN: At what point does Joe Gibbs Racing hire @DrPhil? #NASCAR
@KrissieNewman: I hate this place!
@BradCColeman: Wow!!!!! What a finish!!!
@KevinHamlin: Crazy. P2 two weeks in a row. Good for points but makes u want the W more. Thx to @31n2Spotter & @twoninereyes for spotting my guy all day.
@landoncassill: Did anyone else notice that we were actually pretty good and drafted well with everyone else before we got crashed? #bumdeal
@JLogano (Joey Logano): finally got our first top 10. Sorry to @KyleBusch it was just part of this racing we worked real good up to that point
@KyleBusch: Well, you'll have days like that. Thanks to @JLogano for the job well done all day. Wasn't his fault. Just a product of this kind of racing.
@Tjmajors: I've never won and finished 4th in the same race lol.
@31n2Spotter (Brett Griffin): "@dustinlong: #NASCAR Kevin Conway collects $79,181." ~~ he should get the % of laps he ran outta that total.
@AndyLally: Tough being the new guy. Every restart was like being the last kid picked for the kickball game.
@JimmieJohnson: I hope you all thought that was exciting! Awesome day for HMS, that race was won on teamwork/JR. Thanks to all my fans, let's party!
@SummerDreyer: This season has been amazing. JJ is the 7th different winner in eight races this season. Can't ask for a whole lot more than that. #NASCAR
@KevinHarvick: Dear people the 48 did not go below the line he won the damn race in Talladega fashion... roll on with it.
@keselowski (Brad Keselowski): Tuff day here in dega Blue deuce was fast again... Not mad at Kurt, Just wondering if we should have rode around in the back...
@keselowski: I really don't like riding in the back all day, then racing at the end. It's smart/wins this style race, but not what r sport is all about.
@31n2Spotter: How many people did the 22 wreck today?! I hope he didn't drive home...
@mw55 (Michael Waltrip): I'm not here to argue. Just be happy for Joe. And Dave. And terry. And jj. Both Yeley and Johnson. And say wow !!!! What a race.
@mw55: Good night yall. I'm going to golden corral. Damn that NASCAR advertising really works.
@keselowski: To clarify my thoughts on 2 car. Jeff g. Summed it up best, dega has been won by cars riding in the back for the first half for years.
@keselowski: The 2 car tandem, while different than pack racing requires greater talented drivers than ever before. Hard to show that on tv though.
@keselowski: The difference now isn't 2 car draft, it's us, the fan, teams, drivers…We're no longer ok with just a gr8 finish, like the 2 car produces
@keselowski: We all want the whole race to be gr8. NASCAR is very close to this on plate tracks. With a few small changes, we'd have an even better show.
@Tjmajors: @keselowski thank you thank you
@keselowski: The change to cot cars really made plate racing better IMO. We just need a way to reward those who race hard early in the race. Not sure how.
@keselowski: One of the gr8 things about r sport is how it evolves. Over the last few years biggest unspoken evolution has been in car reliability.
@keselowski: 4-5-600 mile race were BIG deal becuz of r cars reliability issues, ability to dial setup in mid race. Now not so much, less comers & goers.
@tomjensen100 (Tom Jensen): @keselowski I wish more of your competitors would publicly discuss issues — Fans would be better informed, good ideas would follow.
@keselowski: I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do like to hear my fans input when it comes to the sport I love. For this reason (cont.)
@keselowski: I believe NASCAR gives me some leniency with my twitter account. Remember, they like to hear from u too! Yes they do read… ;)
@keselowski: One last thought I gotta share on twitter before I go. It's gonna be long… But here it goes Oh and wanna hear your feedback…
@keselowski: Biggest problem facing the sport is the recession (over or not). Ex: dega cheap backstretch seats were full today. Frontstretch not so much.
@keselowski: Much more complicated than that though. Rec. Woke up the country in many ways, things have changed. We all want best value out of r $.
@keselowski: How we think of r cars has changed accordingly. We used to b ok driving American made cars that wouldn't run more than 5 years. Not now.
@keselowski: My dad tells stories of driving across the country as a kid and breaking down over and over. This is the foundation of our sport's 500 races.
@keselowski: For his generation, 500 miles was a big deal! Now, we expect the best out of our cars. 4 this reason my gen. doesn't identify with long races.
@keselowski: This is a large part of why the car companies went under also why they're back. The diff. between the new and old @dodge cars is amazing. #honest.
@keselowski: Our sport still has great qualities (the endurance basis withstanding). Today's finish was a great example. Hungry, driven & talented teams.
@keselowski: I quite honestly believe, our sport at its best (like today's finish) is better than any other (sorry NFL fans). Just need it the whole race.
@31n2Spotter: Based on how many folks asked what happened to the 31 today, I think tv needs 2 lean on pit reporters more. Cover the race not just the lead.
@31n2Spotter: pit reporters lean on crew chiefs, pr folk and scanners for info…they can get the story. So why is stuff often not covered? Idk the answer.
@31n2Spotter: Maybe tv director should watch replay of race with 100 race fans…your perception is all that matters.
@31n2Spotter: I'm off that soapbox. Just amazes me how many folks ask "what happened" every week.
@keselowski: And back to ratings. Very sad to hear about people who lost their $4 cable in recession. Underrated reason… : (
Jay Pennell is an Assistant Editor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at jaywpennell@yahoo.com, and you can also check out his work at allleftturns.com or jaywpennell.blogspot.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Did You Notice? ... One For The Underdogs, Zero For The Free Agents
by Tom Bowles
Top Ten Reasons The FANS Think Dale Jr. Is Running So Well This Year
by Jeff Meyer
Mirror Driving: Playing By The Rules, Speed Dating, And Silliness
by the Frontstretch Staff
Turning Back The Clock: 1992 Mountain Dew 500
by Phil Allaway
Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Talladega
by Mike Neff
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: For Brendan Gaughan, the 2009 Federated Auto Parts 300 was a race that he'd rather forget. A terrible handling No. 62 Toyota guaranteed a bad night. However, another instance just put the icing on the cake. What happened?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: When the Izod IndyCar Series held races at Nashville Superspeedway, the track was not the best for action due to the fact that the groove never really widened out enough to allow drivers to pass, or even to run side-by-side. In addition to lackluster on-track action, it also led to unusual wrecks, like what happened to Airton Dare in 2001. What caused Dare to crash hard?
A: On Lap 103, there was a collision between Greg Ray and Eddie Cheever exiting Turn 2. Eliseo Salazar spun his No. 14 to avoid the wreck, only be to be hit by Al Unser, Jr. Dare also tried to avoid the crash, but ran over the back of Mark Dismore. The crash can be seen at the :25 mark of this clip.
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Shakedown Session by Brody Jones
-- What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
MPM2Nite by Matt McLaughlin
Matt McLaughlin is back again this season with his usual sarcastic sense of humor.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Your favorite midwestern writer is back for another season of making you want to laugh, cry and even pull your hair out. Want to know what he's writing about this week? So do we. Tune in tomorrow to find out!
Potts' Shots by John Potts
Fanning the Flames has become Potts' Shots, and John Potts is here to answer your questions in our weekly fan Q & A. Do you have something you'd like to ask John? Don't sit on the sidelines! Send it to john.potts@frontstretch.com, and you just may see your question in print next week!
Fantasy Insider by Brett Poirier
In a special off-week edition, Brett takes a look at the biggest surprises and disappointments so far this season.
5th Column TBA
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Shakedown Session by Brody Jones
-- What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
MPM2Nite by Matt McLaughlin
Matt McLaughlin is back again this season with his usual sarcastic sense of humor.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Your favorite midwestern writer is back for another season of making you want to laugh, cry and even pull your hair out. Want to know what he's writing about this week? So do we. Tune in tomorrow to find out!
Potts' Shots by John Potts
Fanning the Flames has become Potts' Shots, and John Potts is here to answer your questions in our weekly fan Q & A. Do you have something you'd like to ask John? Don't sit on the sidelines! Send it to john.potts@frontstretch.com, and you just may see your question in print next week!
Fantasy Insider by Brett Poirier
In a special off-week edition, Brett takes a look at the biggest surprises and disappointments so far this season.
5th Column TBA
------------------------------
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Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2011 Frontstretch.com
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2011 Frontstretch.com
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