THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 25th, 2011
Volume V, Edition LXXII
Weekend's Top News
by Tom Bowles and Phil Allaway
NOTE: For full Nationwide and Truck Series recaps, please check out our Nationwide and Truck Breakdowns on the main portion of our website, Frontstretch.com.
Busch 1st Quarter Driver Of The Year
Kyle Busch has spent the first three months of NASCAR season racking up wins in each of the sport's top three series. With seven victories in 21 starts, his pace of 33.3 percent has him winning faster than some of the greatest drivers in history for their careers: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, even Richard Petty.
It hasn't gone unnoticed. Busch won 1st Quarter Driver of the Year balloting, edging out Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick in results announced Monday morning. Earning nine first-place votes from 21 racing journalists who vote on the award, Busch's accomplishments were enough to overshadow Edwards' climb to the top of the Sprint Cup point standings and Harvick's charge to back-to-back victories at Fontana and Martinsville.
NOTE: For full Nationwide and Truck Series recaps, please check out our Nationwide and Truck Breakdowns on the main portion of our website, Frontstretch.com.
Busch 1st Quarter Driver Of The Year
Kyle Busch has spent the first three months of NASCAR season racking up wins in each of the sport's top three series. With seven victories in 21 starts, his pace of 33.3 percent has him winning faster than some of the greatest drivers in history for their careers: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, even Richard Petty.
It hasn't gone unnoticed. Busch won 1st Quarter Driver of the Year balloting, edging out Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick in results announced Monday morning. Earning nine first-place votes from 21 racing journalists who vote on the award, Busch's accomplishments were enough to overshadow Edwards' climb to the top of the Sprint Cup point standings and Harvick's charge to back-to-back victories at Fontana and Martinsville.
"Calling Kyle Busch versatile would be an understatement," said Barry Schmoyer, President of the Driver of the Year foundation. "He certainly proved that he is a triple-threat to win on any given weekend. And he's only 25 years old. I wouldn't be surprised if, some year soon, I will be handing him the Driver of the Year trophy."
Busch is sixth in Cup points after eight events, with five top-10 finishes to date. Four of his eight wins have come in the Nationwide Series, where he's won half his starts to go along with two in Craftsman Trucks and a dominating Cup performance at Bristol.
Top 3 Vote-Getters:
1) Busch 121 (9 first-place votes)
2) Edwards 89 (6)
3) Harvick 84 (6)
(Award voted on with a 9,6,4,3,2,1 system)
For a full list of who votes on the award, check out driveroftheyear.com.
Mayfield's Dogs On The Attack
In a bizarre story, Jeremy Mayfield's pit bulls have been placed under quarantine after an attack on a mail carrier delivering a package. According to WSOCtv.com, Mary Bolton was attempting to leave a box on the front door of the Mayfield home last week when five dogs came charging at her. Mayfield came out to assist immediately, but by then it was too late; the dogs had bit Bolton several times, causing her hospitalization with injuries to her arms, legs, and shoulders.
There's no word from the police as to whether Mayfield will face charges for the incident. The dogs will remain in quarantine for ten days at Catawba County Animal Shelter pending resolution on the case.
Waltrip Testing At Le Mans
Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip had a different type of Easter celebration this year; he spent the holiday testing with co-owner Rob Kauffman for the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 11th-12th. Michael Waltrip Racing plans to participate in the event with both men as co-pilots of the car; Rui Aguas of Portugal will also man the squad competing in the prestigious event.
During testing, Aguas posted the fastest time of slightly over four minutes, six seconds. Waltrip was clocked in at 4:17 while Kauffman posted a 4:21. The team will run the #71 on the eight-mile circuit, the latest venture for Waltrip himself since retiring from NASCAR full-time in 2009; he still plans a limited Cup schedule for the rest of 2011.
Busch is sixth in Cup points after eight events, with five top-10 finishes to date. Four of his eight wins have come in the Nationwide Series, where he's won half his starts to go along with two in Craftsman Trucks and a dominating Cup performance at Bristol.
Top 3 Vote-Getters:
1) Busch 121 (9 first-place votes)
2) Edwards 89 (6)
3) Harvick 84 (6)
(Award voted on with a 9,6,4,3,2,1 system)
For a full list of who votes on the award, check out driveroftheyear.com.
Mayfield's Dogs On The Attack
In a bizarre story, Jeremy Mayfield's pit bulls have been placed under quarantine after an attack on a mail carrier delivering a package. According to WSOCtv.com, Mary Bolton was attempting to leave a box on the front door of the Mayfield home last week when five dogs came charging at her. Mayfield came out to assist immediately, but by then it was too late; the dogs had bit Bolton several times, causing her hospitalization with injuries to her arms, legs, and shoulders.
There's no word from the police as to whether Mayfield will face charges for the incident. The dogs will remain in quarantine for ten days at Catawba County Animal Shelter pending resolution on the case.
Waltrip Testing At Le Mans
Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip had a different type of Easter celebration this year; he spent the holiday testing with co-owner Rob Kauffman for the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 11th-12th. Michael Waltrip Racing plans to participate in the event with both men as co-pilots of the car; Rui Aguas of Portugal will also man the squad competing in the prestigious event.
During testing, Aguas posted the fastest time of slightly over four minutes, six seconds. Waltrip was clocked in at 4:17 while Kauffman posted a 4:21. The team will run the #71 on the eight-mile circuit, the latest venture for Waltrip himself since retiring from NASCAR full-time in 2009; he still plans a limited Cup schedule for the rest of 2011.
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments about 2011? John's got answers!
A new year means a new columnist to answer all your pressing questions about the sport! Our legendary flagman John Potts is taking over our Fan Q & A, so be sure to stack his inbox with plenty of queries and comments for the New Year! Send them his 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!
Secret Star of the Race: The Race You Never Saw
Secret Star of the Race: The Race You Never Saw
However, just beyond that quartet were a number of interesting stories. There was Camping World Truck Series regular Austin Dillon's seventh-place finish that stands out, for one. But, we're not going to talk about Dillon because he didn't really need to gamble to get there. He was strong all weekend.
Instead, Josh Wise, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet sponsored by Eutechnyx, the developers of NASCAR 2011: The Game, took a huge gamble in order to improve his track position late in the race. A decision to go with fuel only on the final stop gave Wise the lead on Lap 171 with a pack of wolves (Edwards, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, etc.) in hot pursuit.
Wise's older tires proved to be no match for the Sprint Cup regulars, but he was still able to hold his own on the final green flag run of the race, eventually bringing the No. 7 home in the ninth spot for a solid top-10 finish. For Wise, it's been an up-and-down 2011 season so far, switching back-and-forth between JR Motorsports' No. 7 Chevrolet and Go Green Racing's No. 39 Ford. Saturday's run was only his fourth career top-10 finish in 54 starts.
Wise's previous outings in the No. 7 have been solid, if unspectacular; a small tidbit mentioned during the ESPN telecast drives that point home more than anything else. Apparently, the whole time that Wise has been driving for JR Motorsports (12 starts after Saturday), he's crinkled up one fender. Wise appears to drive very carefully in an attempt to avoid writing off his race car because, in building up his racing career he has had to pay to repair wrecked race cars himself for just about every other team he's driven for. It's led crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. to tell Wise over the radio to be more aggressive.
Saturday's ninth-place finish moved Wise up to 12th in points. If he can continue his good runs in the No. 7, he could definitely contend for top-5 finishes later in the season. Running the full season might be difficult due to Danica Patrick's schedule, though. - Phil Allaway
STAT OF THE WEEK: 27. During one of the weekends most likely to see Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series regulars assert themselves and take control of the proceedings, the Cup drivers just weren't having it. The number refers to the total number of laps led by series regulars out of a possible 375 at Nashville Superspeedway this past weekend. Not too good. - Phil Allaway
Big Six: Nashville
by Amy Henderson
Who…gets my shoutout of the race?
Who…gets my shoutout of the race?
There need to be a pair of shoutouts this weekend! The Truck Series honor goes to Nelson Piquet, Jr., who ran a solid race on Friday night for Kevin Harvick, Inc. and finished second, making him the highest-finishing series regular on Friday. Piquet didn't come by that finish easily, either. He had to pass truck standout Timothy Peters as well as four-time series champion and teammate Ron Hornaday, Jr. in the final three laps to lay claim to the runner-up spot. If anybody was still wondering why KHI hired the former F1 driver, the talent Piquet showed on Friday is why.
On the Nationwide side of the weekend, the honor goes to a CWTS driver, too. In just his eighth Nationwide Series start (and his first at Nashville), Austin Dillon came home a very respectable seventh. That's four spots better than Dillon finished on Friday in the series where he's currently a title contender, sitting seventh in driver points. The future at Richard Childress Racing is looking bright.
What… was THAT?
If I were in charge of such things, and I heard a driver and crew chief making a somewhat cryptic call to switch ignition boxes on the radio on the final restart of a race, I'd have inspectors all over that racecar like white on rice looking for traction control. It's not unheard of for drivers to switch boxes during a race, as the rev limiter is often set differently in each box, allowing for higher RPM in certain situations. However the cryptic nature of the transmission ("What do you want to do here?" "Let's go with 2" instead of, "Hey, dude, change ignition boxes to see if we can get some more power on the restart") coupled with an unbelievable restart should have resulted in a bolt-by-bolt teardown in Concord. If that's done and nothing is found, fine. But it sounded suspicious, especially coupled with a restart that so easily outstripped the king of restarts. Things that make you go "hmmmmm…"
Where…did the polesitter wind up?
On Friday night, the polesitter wound up in victory lane after outjumping Ron Hornaday on the final restart and riding off into the sunset while Hornaday battled with Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Timothy Peters before settling for fourth in a race that far outshone that of the race winner. Who, incidentally was one half of the duo making the cryptic radio call noted above.
Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series polesitter didn't fare quite as well, finishing fourth. He had a strong car all day, and if he didn't win, he did beat every series regular in the field, losing out only to his Sprint Cup peers.
When…will I be loved?
There really wasn't a clear-cut villain in either race this weekend, so I'm going to take a different track. Online voting for the Most Popular Driver award for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series doesn't usually start until midsummer, but I'm wondering: will drivers ineligible for points in these series also be ineligible for this award? If fans can vote for the Cup drivers in either lower series, then NASCAR will once again be the villain for allowing the bullies to steal the little kids' lunch money. If they leave those ineligible for points off the popularity ballots, then they deserve kudos for asking fans to think outside the Cup box and choose someone truly worthy.
Why…didn't I mention a single Sprint Cup Driver by name in this column?
That's an easy one. It's because they already get too much credit from the rest of the media for their minor league feats. I'm not going to spend this column glorifying unsportsmanlike conduct when I can use it to promote the drivers who don't get to race on Sunday as well.
How…accurate is the argument that fans wouldn't show up for Nationwide or truck races if the Cup interlopers weren't there?
I'm not a market researcher, so I'm not going to tell you the secret formula for figuring this out. I can, however, share a story. I was traveling with a friend, also a longtime race fan, to western North Carolina early on Saturday for a day of shopping. The topic of the race came up, and I said to her, "You know, we could make the Nationwide race if we drove straight to Nashville." We gave the idea some thought; we could be home by midnight or so and the weather was perfect.
But then my friend said, "You know, if I didn't already know who was going to win, I'd do it. But the Cup drivers ruin the show for me. I don't want to pay to watch a Nationwide race with those guys in it." So, in the end, there were two people who didn't buy a ticket precisely because the Cup guys were in the race. That's in direct contradiction to NASCAR's claim. It was just two people. But perhaps, just perhaps, there are more people like my friend and me out there - people that NASCAR is losing ticket sales to. We had a wonderful day at the Biltmore Estate, incidentally. They make great wine and the gardens are beautiful this time of year…
Amy Henderson is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Bowles-Eye View: As The Cookie Cutter Crumbles: What We Can Learn From Their Demise
by John Potts
by Bryan Davis Keith
by Beth Lunkenheimer
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In March 1990, Mark Martin claimed his one and only Cup victory at Richmond in the Pontiac Excitement 400. However, he was penalized after the race. What was illegal about Martin's Folgers Ford?
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In March 1990, Mark Martin claimed his one and only Cup victory at Richmond in the Pontiac Excitement 400. However, he was penalized after the race. What was illegal about Martin's Folgers Ford?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 1984 Coors 420 was a great race that came down to a duel between the quasi-teammates for Junior Johnson at the time (Darrell Waltrip and Neil Bonnett). However, the finish of the race was actually disputed. What happened?
Friday's Answer:
Q: The 1984 Coors 420 was a great race that came down to a duel between the quasi-teammates for Junior Johnson at the time (Darrell Waltrip and Neil Bonnett). However, the finish of the race was actually disputed. What happened?
A: There was a late collision that put the race under caution with just one lap to go. Without the use of intentional red flags to guarantee a green flag finish and/or green-white-checker, the race simply ended under yellow back then. Waltrip was racing for the win with Bonnett at the time of the yellow. Keep in mind that Waltrip and Bonnett's Budweiser Chevrolets were painted identically to each other (Waltrip was No. 11 and Bonnett was No. 12).
Bonnett was originally determined to have won the race back to the line, and thus the race itself. However, Waltrip protested the finish, claiming that he beat Bonnett to the line. Eventually, evidence was found that proved Waltrip correct, giving him the win.
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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Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Garrett Horton
-- Sitting In The Stands: A Fans' View by S.D. Grady
This Week's Topic: The "Perpetual Silence" of the Nationwide Series' Real Stars
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny is back with another captivating commentary.
What's Hot / What's Not in Sprint Cup: Talladega-Richmond Edition by Summer Dreyer
Danny is back with another captivating commentary.
What's Hot / What's Not in Sprint Cup: Talladega-Richmond Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer takes a look at post-Talladega numbers to see who's got the most momentum heading into Richmond... and beyond.
Five Points To Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan's back with his weekly edition of talking points to get you set for the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Talking NASCAR TV by Phil Allaway
Last weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series raced at Nashville Superspeedway. The Sprint Cup Series was off for Easter, but a couple of the series' stars made the trip as well. Were these telecasts up to snuff, or did they leave something to be desired? Check out our weekly TV critique to find out.
Fact or Fiction by Tom Bowles
Tom looks at some conclusions that could be made after the off week and determines whether they're true or not.
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