The Frontstretch Newsletter: May 26th, 2011

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 26th, 2011
Volume V, Edition XCVIII
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What To Watch For: Thursday

- Don't forget! Cup practice and qualifying happens today, NOT Friday as the Nationwide teams also take to the track in Charlotte. Here's a quick look at the schedule:

- Nationwide Practice #1: 2:00 - 3:20 ET

- Cup Practice #1: 3:30 - 5:00 ET

- Nationwide Practice #2: 5:10 - 6:30 ET

- Cup Qualifying: 7:10 ET (LIVE On SPEED)

Top 12 Press Conferences also happen today, along with a long list of announcements. Among those scheduled in the Media Center include Trevor Bayne (speaking in public for the first time since his illness), Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch (speaking in public for the first time since his speeding ticket), Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, and the official announcement of the Nationwide Series' Dash 4 Cash Program for 2011 series regulars.

Frontstretch sends its well wishes, prayers, and support to all our Southern fans affected by the swath of tornadoes over the past few weeks. To help out recovery efforts, text "GIVE" to 80888 to donate $10 towards disaster relief efforts in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Missouri through the Salvation Army.
 
Today's Top News
by Phil Allaway
 
Trevor Bayne To Miss Charlotte, Return to Nationwide Series at Chicagoland

Roush Fenway Racing announced on Wednesday that Trevor Bayne will not make his scheduled return to the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series this weekend at Charlotte, as originally planned.  Instead, Bayne will return to the Nationwide Series No. 16 next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.  His return to the Wood Brothers' No. 21 appears to be a little further off, likely at Michigan in three weeks.

The reasoning given for the move is purely precautionary.  Officially, no setbacks have been noted in Bayne's recovery.

"By all standards, Trevor had a great week," said Steve Newmark, President of Roush Fenway Racing.  "His symptoms have completely subsided.  However, we feel it is in his best interest for us to exercise an abundance of caution with this matter and withhold him from racing this weekend; especially considering the length of the races and the fact that Trevor is just starting to get back into his daily routine.  Although Trevor would have preferred to compete in all 900 miles this weekend, he respects and understands our decision and will shift his considerable focus to his return at Chicagoland."

Roush Fenway Racing has tapped Cup regular Matt Kenseth to drive the No. 16 in place of Bayne in Saturday's Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Kenseth last drove the No. 16 at Atlanta in the Great Clips 300 last September; in that event, he started 16th and finished fifth.

Stenhouse to Sub for Bayne at Charlotte

Fresh off of his first career Nationwide Series victory at Iowa Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. has to be on an emotional high. 

It just got better. Wood Brothers Racing announced Wednesday that the Iowa winner will attempt to qualify for his Sprint Cup Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford tonight at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Stenhouse will sub for teammate Trevor Bayne, out of the car for one more event due to health-related issues.

Stenhouse admits it's not the ideal way to start your career in Sprint Cup; still, he's pumped up just to get his chance.

"Obviously, it's not the circumstances that you want to make your first Sprint Cup start, but you grow up dreaming about this moment and I am excited and grateful for the opportunity; to not only make my first start, but to be able to drive the No. 21 Ford of the Wood Brothers in one of the biggest races of the season," Stenhouse said.  "Hopefully we can give [Bayne] an effort that will make [him] proud before we turn the car back over to [him] for the rest of the season."

Since the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 has not raced since April, the team now has to qualify on speed as the car has fallen outside the top 35 in owner points.  That leaves extra pressure on Stenhouse to get the job done tonight.

Entry List Update:
Note:  These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night.  However, they are still subject to change.

Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600:  48 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 09 - Landon Cassill for Phoenix Racing
No. 21 - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 32 - Mike Bliss for FAS Lane Racing
No. 38 - Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 50 - T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 60 - Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 77 - Scott Wimmer for Robby Gordon Motorsports
No. 81 - Scott Riggs for Whitney Motorsports
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 95 - David Starr for Leavine-Fenton Motorsports

Driver Changes:
No. 7 - Robby Gordon returns to the seat, replacing Scott Wimmer. Gordon will run the distance in this car.
No. 21 - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be in the seat, replacing Trevor Bayne due to Bayne's continued battle with an undisclosed illness.
No. 66 - Michael McDowell returns to the seat, replacing Todd Bodine. This entry is expected to start-and-park.
No. 81 - Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley. This entry is expected to start-and-park.

Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 21 - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 30 - David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 37 - Tony Raines for Front Row Motorsports/MaxQ Motorsports
No. 38 - Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 46 - J.J. Yeley for Whitney Motorsports
No. 50 - T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 60 - Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 66 - Michael McDowell for HP Racing, LLC
No. 71 - Andy Lally for TRG Motorsports
No. 77 - Scott Wimmer for Robby Gordon Motorsports
No. 81 - Scott Riggs for Whitney Motorsports
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 95 - David Starr for Leavine-Fenton Motorsports

Nationwide Series Top Gear 300:  46 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 16 - Matt Kenseth for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 18 - Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20 - Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22 - Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 30 - Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 33 - Kevin Harvick for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 60 - Carl Edwards for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 87 - Kimi Raikkonen for NEMCO Motorsports/Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 99 - Cole Whitt for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 04 - Kelly Bires is in the seat, replacing Charles Lewandoski. This entry is expected to start-and-park.
No. 16 - Matt Kenseth will be in the seat, replacing Kevin Swindell. Trevor Bayne will be held out one more week due to health-related issues.
No. 18 - Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 20 - Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Drew Herring.
No. 28 - Derrike Cope returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer.
No. 30 - Kasey Kahne is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 39 - Danny Efland returns to the seat, replacing Luis Martinez, Jr.
No. 41 - Jeffrey Earnhardt is in the seat, replacing Carl Long. The team will run the distance as Earnhardt reunites ith the team.
No. 44 - Jeff Green returns to the seat, replacing Angela Cope. This entry is expected to start-and-park.
No. 46 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Tim Andrews. This entry is expected to start-and-park.
No. 49 - David Green returns to the seat, replacing Brad Teague. This entry is expected to start-and-park.
No. 52 - Kevin Lepage returns to the seat, replacing Daryl Harr.
No. 70 - Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Scott Wimmer. This team is, in essence the second Jay Robinson car this weekend, responsible for keeping ML Motorsports inside the top 30 in owner points.
No. 75 - Carl Long is in the seat, replacing Johnny Chapman. This entry is expected to start-and-park.
No. 87 - Kimi Raikkonen is in the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek.  It will be Raikkonen's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 99 - Cole Whitt is in the seat, replacing Ryan Truex. Truex's last race with this team is expected to be next week at Chicagoland.

Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 04 - Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing
No. 12 - Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 13 - Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 16 - Matt Kenseth for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 40 - Charles Lewandoski for Key Motorsports
No. 41 - Jeffrey Earnhardt for Rick Ware Racing
No. 44 - Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 46 - An unknown driver for Key Motorsports
No. 49 - David Green for Jay Robinson Racing (Has second crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 52 - Kevin Lepage for Means Motorsports
No. 68 - Matt Carter for Fleur-de-Lis Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 72 - John Jackson
No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Harmon Motorsports
No. 75 - Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing
No. 79 - Tim Andrews for 2nd Chance Motorsports
No. 97 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports (Has third crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)

Have news for Phil and The Frontstretch?  Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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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 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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Editor's Note: What's Vexing Vito is on hiatus ... but don't worry fans, Vito is still with us. He's on an official leave of absence and is expected to return on Thursday, June 16th.
 
Today's Featured Commentary
Too Much, Too Soon For Raikkonen?

Shakedown Session
by Brody Jones

It generally takes a great deal of hard work and sacrifice to make headway into NASCAR.  Some drivers spend a few years in various lower divisions (i.e. ARCA, USAR Pro Cup, UARA, etc.) before giving NASCAR a shot.  While a good number of drivers get a one-off deal or even a full season in the Truck or Nationwide Series, chances are 95 percent of these drivers will not make it beyond the lower levels of NASCAR.  The trend a few years back was to hire USAC drivers and now, following the success of Juan Pablo Montoya, NASCAR owners have gone in the direction of hiring open wheel drivers from either the Izod IndyCar Series or Formula One.  The latest to come from this trend is Kimi Raikkonen and following a mid-pack Camping World Truck Series finish, he's all of a sudden promoted to the Nationwide Series and has even tested a Cup car (and crashed it).  Which begs the question, is Raikkonen getting in over his head?

Make no mistake, Kimi Raikkonen is an immensely talented driver in Formula One, with a World Drivers' Championship in 2007 to his credit, and has competed in the World Rally Championship the past few years in cars somewhat like what NASCAR has.  Bu,t even the most lay observer of NASCAR has to be spinning their head like Linda Blair in "The Exorcist" at how Raikkonen has already merited a Cup test and a Nationwide Series start based on one Truck Series start where, truth be told, despite running well and avoiding damage from the countless cautions, he still only finished 15th at the end of the night.  And somehow, this justifies Raikkonen getting a Nationwide Series ride?  It's akin to telling a high school football star "You're going to the NFL now.  Have fun!" basically on a sink-or-swim principle.

Raikkonen might have a vast amount of credentials from Formula One, but most of the open wheel competitors have not found NASCAR to be as easy as they had first anticipated.  Drivers such as Paul Tracy, Dario Franchitti, AJ Foyt IV, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier, Sam Hornish, Jr., and Scott Speed among others found themselves either out of the sport within a handful of races or, in the cases of Villeneuve, Carpentier, Speed, and Hornish Jr., having their time in NASCAR be very, very limited.  Even Juan Pablo Montoya has had only limited success as going into his fifth full-time season, he has still yet to capture his first NASCAR oval victory.  The only driver with open-wheel experience in recent years to have truly succeeded in NASCAR is Tony Stewart, but his success is more a testament to the immense amount of talent Stewart truly possesses.

While it's much too soon to dictate whether Raikkonen will thrive where so many others have failed, trying to accelerate his learning curve much faster than necessary is likely only going to cause his NASCAR career to flame out faster than a Pauly Shore comeback.  Even Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart were smart enough to run full-time in the Nationwide Series before even entertaining the thoughts of moving to the highest level of NASCAR competition.  And yes, even Danica Patrick, for as much criticism as she has received in NASCAR, deserves credit for the fact that she has been content to gain experience in the Nationwide Series before even thinking about a move to the Sprint Cup Series.  For Raikkonen to only have one Truck Series start and move up to a higher level of competition so soon is a recipe for disaster.  His Cup test for Robby Gordon at Virginia International Raceway seemed to confirm that as he did his best Carl Edwards All-Star Race impression by only taking six laps to rip the nose off of his car.

One can only hope that Raikkonen uses his Virginia misadventure as a learning experience and shrewdly realizes that he needs more time in a lower series to further acclimate himself to NASCAR's COT before it's too late.  But, in today's NASCAR, money speaks louder than anything and if the price is right, "The Iceman" will inevitably make it to Sprint Cup.  But the big question is will his career melt down to nothing under the pressure or will he remain calm, cool, and collective in the world of NASCAR?

Brody Jones is a Website Contributor to Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
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The Critic's Annex:  2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 
by Phil Allaway
 
Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where I take an additional look at motorsports-related broadcasts.  On Monday night, the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte held their second annual Induction Ceremony at their massive complex in Uptown Charlotte.  SPEED provided a tape-delayed broadcast of the proceedings that ran for 2.5 hours.

 

OK, before we even get into the actual critique of the event, I (along with many other Twitter users) was tipped off that the ceremony was being aired on a one-hour delay.  Yet, at the end of the introduction, an unseen Rick Allen bellowed that the ceremony was being televised live.  That's false advertising and thus, bush league.  Some of the inductees, like Ned Jarrett were likely not told that the event was tape-delayed, so they made reference to the broadcast during their speeches.  SPEED, you're better than that.

 

Mike Joy hosted the ceremony in front of an audience of hundreds.  He briefly introduced the two living members of the Inaugural class from last year (Richard Petty and Junior Johnson) and then the four living members of the 2011 class (Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson, and Bobby Allison), along with the family of the late Lee Petty.  Following the introductions, a montage of clips honoring the inductees and their accomplishments aired.  Interesting footage that was included there was film from the first Strictly Stock race at Charlotte Speedway.  Yes, there is footage of Lee Petty driving his thrashed (and borrowed) car in the first race of what is now the Sprint Cup Series.

Each inductee had a special guest send in a taped congratulation that aired before their specific induction.  In order, those introductions were done by Tom Brokaw, President George H.W. Bush, Ken Squier, Nick Saban and Richard Petty.

 

Each of the five inductees had short clips that talked about the inductee's accomplishments in and out of the sport.  Moore's was first.  Half of it talked about his time as a team owner and mechanic.  The other half talked about his time in the U.S. Army during World War II, specifically his role in charging Omaha Beach on D-Day (June 6, 1944).  The clips for Lee Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison focused on their racing careers exclusively, while Ned Jarrett's covered his racing and broadcasting careers.

 

Barney Hall introduced Moore with a ten-minute speech filled with memories of both Moore's accomplishments, but also on a personal level.  Apparently, when he met Moore, he was constantly talking about "...breasts, legs and thighs."  You can imagine what that meant.  Hall seemed really quiet while giving his speech.  Don't understand why.  Everything else seemed to be fine.  He's not too quiet on the radio, and more than loud enough to be heard in person (I had the pleasure of meeting him in Daytona last July).  Just weird.

 

As Petty was the only posthumous inductee, he was introduced by his four grandsons (Kyle, Ritchie, Tim and Mark), three of which actually started races in NASCAR (Kyle and Ritchie both have Sprint Cup starts, while Mark started some Truck races as a teammate to Steve Grissom in 2000).  The four grandsons simply voiced their sentiments for their grandfather from the heart, which was quite touching.

Richard Petty and his brother Maurice served as the inductors for their father.  They gave relatively short speeches before accepting gifts on their father's behalf.

 

Ned Jarrett was introduced by his three children, Patti, Glenn and Dale.  Ned talked about being blessed about all sorts of things in his speech, including his broken back, which he states that the physical therapy and exercise required to keep him mobile helps his vascular system.

 

Bobby Allison was introduced by his brother Donnie, who proceeded to read off a prepared speech for about ten minutes.  Very, very dry, but he hit all his points.  Bobby himself was far more engaging than Donnie.

 

David Pearson was introduced by Russell Branham, a former PR minion for Pearson's Busch Grand National team in the 1980's and Leonard Wood, one of the Wood Brothers (and Pearson's former car owner).  In his speech, David talked about some of his memories from decades of involvement in the sport.

 

Following each inductee's speech, Krista Voda would conduct what amounted to an exit interview.  On paper, it didn't really sound necessary.  However, when the inductees reached the podium, they were all reading prepared speeches that, while interesting and even at times a little funny, were quite dry.  Voda's role was to get the inductee's present thoughts, and she did a good job of that.

 

I found the ceremony to be quite appropriate.  Since NASCAR RaceHub aired right before the actual ceremony, there was only so much buildup.  If you remember last year, they aired the walk-in show and it went on and on, turning into complete overkill after awhile.  SPEED's presence this time was generally concise and their on-air personalities more or less stayed out of the way since it really wasn't about them.  I enjoyed watching the show and hearing the old stories.  Granted, I'm too young to actually remember 90 percent of what was said when it happened, but I still found it quite interesting.

 

I hope you enjoyed this look at SPEED's coverage of the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  Next week, we go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to cover Carb Day.  Until then, enjoy the sweetest race weekend of the entire season. 

Phil Allaway is a Senior Writer and the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week

From Mirror Driving: Kyle's Ticket
 
"Being young is NO excuse for being stupid.  That's a narrow 2-lane road.  [North Carolina] law says you can lose your license for a year." - Amy Henderson, a resident of Troutman, North Carolina, ranting about Kyle Busch's citation for doing 128 in a 45, which occurred very close to Troutman.  That narrow two-lane road, which winds through mainly residential areas with recent developments built off of it, would likely have a much lower speed limit in other parts of the country, and Mr. Busch would be lucky to avoid jail time.
 
Have a nominee for Line of the Week? Email Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com and you may see yourself in this space next week!
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
 
MPM2Nite: Why The World 600 Still Matters

by Matt McLaughlin
 
Potts' Shots: The Future Of Local Short Tracks

by John Potts
  
Voices From The Heartland: One-Line NASCAR Zingers For A Busy News Week

by Jeff Meyer
 
Learning From History: NASCAR's All-Star Conspiracy Theory

by Mark Howell

Fantasy Insider: All-Star Races Often Tell Tale Of "600"
by Brett Poirier
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Get THE ANNUAL, 2011 Racing Preview for your mobile device.
Go to Frontstretch.com and click on "The Annual" link on the right side to order and download this special issue that includes: Track Information, Driver profiles and In-Depth Features.
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  In 2005, then-Lowe's Motor Speedway General Manager Humpy Wheeler announced his infamous "levigation" of the 1.5 mile quad-oval's track surface.  We all remember how that turned out.  However, how old was the pavement that Wheeler had levigated?

Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Wednesday's Answer:
 
Q:  The 2000 Coca-Cola 600 is best known as the race where Matt Kenseth picked up his first career Winston Cup victory.  However, there was also a special promotion that was held that weekend.  What was it?

 
A:  In honor of Memorial Day weekend, NASCAR had five teams run special paint schemes to commemorate the five branches of the United States Armed Forces.  However, the circumstances were substantially different as compared to the first time that NASCAR did it back in 1991.  For one, the United States was not actively involved in a major military operation at the time.  At the time of the original promotion, the First Gulf War was underway.  Two, the branches' colors did not go on unsponsored cars like they did in 1991.  The schemes were done in partnership with the existing primary sponsors (in parentheses).

Army: 31 - Mike Skinner (Lowe's)

Navy:  4 - Bobby Hamilton (Kodak)

Air Force:  88 - Dale Jarrett (Ford Motor Company/Quality Care)

Marines:  28 - Ricky Rudd (Texaco/Havoline)

Coast Guard:  25 - Jerry Nadeau (Michael Holigan)

 
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee:  Take 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 tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Summer Dreyer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- In Case You Missed It by Brett Poirier
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
 
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Four Burning Questions: Coca-Cola 600 by Mike Lovecchio
We'll give you a look at important things to look forward to at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend in our racing preview.
 
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan fills in for Amy this weekend with another intriguing commentary heading into Charlotte.

 
Goin' Green by Garrett Horton
Garrett returns with more commentary and insight.

 
Driver Diary: Regan Smith as told to Tony Lumbis

Regan returns to talk about the past few weeks on and off the track, including his recent victory in May's Southern 500.

Nuts For Nationwide by Bryan Davis Keith

Bryan returns to take a look inside the Nationwide Series ahead of Saturday's Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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©2011 Frontstretch.com

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