Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Frontstretch Newsletter: NORTH WILKESBORO CLOSES, May 10th, 2011

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 10th, 2011
Volume V, Edition LXXXIV
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BREAKING NEWS: North Wilkesboro announced Monday night they're closing down operations, effective immediately. Here's Mike Neff's brief on this developing story:

For the last 1 ½ years, Speedway Associates Inc. has taken race fans and Wilkes County residents on a history-making ride with the reopening of North Wilkesboro Speedway, one of stock car racing's oldest facilities that had been shuttered for 14 years. However, the business climate and a lack of working capital has now brought everything at the historic facility to a screeching halt, effective immediately.

"Simply put, we made a lot of improvements to the speedway," Speedway Associates Inc. President Alton McBride Jr. said Monday. "We lined up some great events. However, even though we can project positive income from events at the speedway, we do not have the money needed on the front end to make those events happen. In spite of our complete investment in the speedway and in this community, we have run out of money necessary to go forward.      

"Personally, I cannot say enough about the fans, competitors and businesses that have supported us. The companies that we have partnered with are incredible and we have a priceless relationship with each and every one of them. However, Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway has not experienced the support from several corporate and/or local businesses that either promised it or cheered the reopening of the facility. A lot was promised to HNWS, but only some of them followed through on their promises. SAI put a substantial amount of money into this motorsports venture and this historic facility with every intention of fulfilling its three year lease/purchase agreement."

What happens now is unknown, but if SAI defaults Bruton Smith will retain ownership of the facility. Smith was asking $12 million to sell the property before this three-year deal came into place.

For more information, check out the press release here. We'll have more on the shocking turn of events for one of NASCAR's historic tracks in tomorrow's Newsletter.

Today's Top News
by Tom Bowles

NOTE: At press time, there's no word on possible penalties from Darlington driver altercations. We have two situations NASCAR is studying: Ryan Newman vs. Juan Pablo Montoya (NASCAR Hauler, Friday: Neither side has confirmed nor denied published reports of a punch being thrown) and Kevin Harvick vs. Kyle Busch (on-track contact, then off-track scuffling which included Busch pushing Harvick's unmanned car out of the way on pit road). Penalties are typically announced on Tuesday afternoon; as soon as we have them, we'll post them immediately on our main website, Frontstretch.com so keep checking back!

Green Smoke Steps Up To Sponsor T.J. Bell, New Team In Sprint Cup

One week after its Darlington debut, a new team owned by a familiar face has found additional sponsorship to keep racing. Green Smoke, a leading brand of electronic cigarettes announced Monday they'll back Joe Falk's Sprint Cup effort, the No. 50 Toyota in a total of three events starting with Memorial Day Weekend's Coca-Cola 600. Truck Series veteran turned Cup Series rookie T.J. Bell will slide behind the wheel for the race.

"NASCAR represents the passion and peak performance of American race car driving to a worldwide audience, and T.J Bell epitomizes the NASCAR competitive spirit at its very best," said Steven Arnold, VP of Marketing & Customer Satisfaction for Green Smoke in a press release revealing the agreement. "A gifted driver at the threshold of an exciting career, T.J.'s talent has captured the attention of the American public in past performances in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  Bell's No. 50 Green Smoke® Toyota Camry will be state-of-the-art equipment; we look forward to seeing Bell and the Green Smoke® Toyota Camry competing among the biggest names in NASCAR."

Bell, 30, will run the car in all Green Smoke-sponsored events. It's all part of a return to the series for Falk, who ran 47 Cup races from 1997-2000 with a variety of drivers before closing up shop. The Virginian, who owns an auto dealership in Chesapeake was last seen backing Larry Gunselman's Cup effort with the No. 64 (now the No. 37) program.

For more on Bell, this new team, their short-term future together and more check out a special one-on-one Beyond The Cockpit interview with Frontstretch.com's Mike Neff tomorrow.

Fuel Injection Allowed At Testing, Eye Towards 2012 Incorporation

Over the weekend, NASCAR officially announced teams can begin using fuel-injected engines for testing. Reported by the Virginian Pilot's Dustin Long, the green light begins at an open practice day for Kentucky in July, continuing through a number of Goodyear tire tests scheduled for later this season and Phoenix's test on its new surface in the Fall. Additional dates are expected to be added, an exception to the "no testing" rules as the series wants to give every team an opportunity to experiment before the change officially gets put into place for 2012.

"I would fully expect that this fall we'll be ready for some pretty serious testing on it,'' NASCAR's Sprint Cup Director John Darby said, who strongly indicated Talladega could be a testing ground used multiple times before next year. "We've got to test on a restrictor-plate track with fuel injection.''

Currently, NASCAR uses carburetor engines but that has been phased out of the cars you drive on the street for decades.

Darlington Overnight TV Ratings Down

On the track, the Lady In Black delivered Saturday night, complete with a hair-raising finish, some post-race fireworks, and an upset winner.

The problem? By nearly midnight EST, people weren't tuning in to watch. Overnight ratings for the Southern 500 were down 10 percent year-to-year, from a 3.9 to 3.5 as NASCAR continued its mostly downward slide in television viewership since March. In the last seven races, no NASCAR event has shown an increase from either 2010 (or in the case of two rainout comparisons, 2009) numbers.

In this case, the NBA clearly cut into the sport's audience, a Miami Heat – Boston Celtics matchup earning a 32% larger audience than a year ago. From the 8:00 to 9:00 hour, during that NBA pregame show NASCAR had 6.56 million viewers to 5.72 for ABC. But once the game began, during the 9:00 hour NASCAR's audience dropped to 6.18 million, falling behind ABC's NBA broadcast which saw their numbers rise to 7.18.

Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
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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:  Showtime Southern 500
by Brett Poirier
 
0
The number of top-10 finishes this season for Jeff Burton after 10 Sprint Cup races. He is 24th in the series standings with two DNFs.
 
1
The number of wins separating Kyle Busch (48) and all-time Nationwide Series wins leader Mark Martin (49) after Busch won on Friday.
 
4
The number of top-5 finishes for Ryan Newman this season after a fifth-place showing at Darlington on Saturday.  Newman had four top-5's all of last season.

6
Top-5 finishes this season for Sprint Cup point leader Carl Edwards (He was second on Saturday). Edwards had nine in 36 races last season.

7
The number of cars parked after 87 laps in Saturday's Sprint Cup race at Darlington.  None were out due to accidents.
 
8
The number of different winners in the first ten races of the Sprint Cup season.
 
12
The number of cars that were off the track with various mechanical issues after 42 laps were completed in Friday's Nationwide Series race.
 
17
The number of bonus points accrued by Kyle Busch this season, the most of any Sprint Cup Series driver.

17.4
The average finishing position of Sprint Cup drivers following a win in the previous Sprint Cup race in 2011.  After winning at Richmond, Kyle Busch was 11th at Richmond.

20
The number of cars within three laps of the race leader at the end of the Nationwide Series race on Friday.
 
23rd
The starting position of Saturday's race winner Regan Smith.  It was his worst qualifying effort of the year.
 
25
The number of cars on the track after 110 laps of Friday's Nationwide Series race.

27th
The points position of Regan Smith following Saturday's win.  He is 29 points out of 20th (Martin Truex, Jr.) and even with the win is unlikely to make the Chase for the Cup.

31st
The finishing position of Clint Bowyer in Saturday's Sprint Cup race.  It was his best finish in his last three starts at the track (previously 32nd and 37th).

104
The number of Sprint Cup starts Regan Smith had without a top-5 finish (his whole career) before winning at Darlington on Saturday.
 
348
The number of laps completed by Joe Nemechek through ten Sprint Cup Series races.  He ran 22 laps on Saturday and finished 42nd.  Regan Smith completed 370 laps on Saturday, more than Nemechek has completed in ten races combined.

797
The number of laps led this season by Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series.  He led 78 laps at Darlington and has led laps in eight of the first ten races.

$912
The difference in prize money awarded between 21st-place finisher Kevin Lepage in Friday's Nationwide Series race and 43rd-place finisher James Hylton ($10,188). Lepage completed 143 laps compared to Hylton's two, proving that it pays off to start-and-park.

1955
The last time the No. 78 went to Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series.  Jim Paschal won at Columbia, S.C. on July 9, 1955.
 
2003
The last time a single-car team went to Victory Lane at Darlington.  Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch to the line in the No. 32 Tide car for owner Cal Wells in the spring race.  The last time a single-car team won the Southern 500 was when Darrell Waltrip won a rain-shortened event in his own No. 17 in 1992.
 
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
Stunned Into Silence By Stupidity
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
 
You just never know what's going to happen in NASCAR.
 
As a fan, I hold to that hopeful mantra on a week-to-week basis, praying for the unusual and quirky turns of our sport to draw my attention.  Despite a promising start to the season, sparked with a little no-name called Trevor Bayne winning the Daytona 500 these ensuing weeks have been not much more than so many races with fairly exciting finishes.
 
I will admit that there have been nice stories, such as Jeff Gordon making it back to Victory Lane, Carl Edwards doing a backflip for us, Kyle Busch doing what he does so well... perhaps not all nice stories.  And even this week we were treated to a green-white-checker finish with (did you rub your eyes?) Regan Smith driving away, brushing the wall and legitimately winning his first Cup race in the Southern 500.

But still, I wasn't dumbfounded; this upset was believable.  After all, that black No. 78 has been lurking in and out of the top 15 for a good portion of the last six months. 
 
Nonetheless, I sit here with my jaw still dangling, because it just ain't everyday that you see an unmanned stock car get punted down pit road, slamming into pit wall as crew members scurry to avoid it.  That was…unexpected, more or less.
 
I expected Kevin Harvick to hunt down Kyle Busch after the checkered flag dropped. After all, it was fairly obvious the No. 18 intentionally hooked the No. 29 on the track after some three-wide rubbing.  I wasn't terribly surprised when Busch tried to avoid a confrontation and swerved back onto the track after the race, or sit there waiting for the game of chicken to commence.  I waited, with a bit of impatience, for Harvick to pull his helmet off and head over to the No. 18 to get his pound of flesh.  I just wasn't expecting Kyle Busch to do a hit and run on pit road.
 
Neither were a small army of crew members and officials.  Men jumped as the black No. 29 crumpled its nose against the wall.  Heads turned.  Arms waved.  People yelled and pointed.  This move was certainly a surprise.
 
Crew members expect a certain amount of havoc when they sign on as part of an over-the-wall gang.  With up to 43 cars pitting in a thirty second window, there will be a plethora of lug nuts scudding off the cement and into your shins, gasoline splashing over your fire suit, sparks flying, gas cans getting jammed in the filler, forgotten wrenches spinning across the road, tires bouncing every which way…it's a mine field!  Heck, the front tire carrier for the No. 27 car, Eric Pringle, discovered this the hard way on Saturday night as Paul Menard started to pull out of his pits before Pringle was done pulling tape off the grill.  Pringle was pushed a few feet down pit road on his back before the No. 27 came to a stop. 
 
That kind of mayhem is what the hard card holding members of NASCAR signed up for.  In the heat of the race, it is possible that parts of or possibly entire cars will make unexpected appearances in random portions of the track.  Everyone wears helmets, gloves, and tough uniforms designed to help protect the fragile crewman or official.  Your head is on a swivel, not so much to watch the race as to prepare for any incoming missiles.  This is serious business.
 
What pit road employees did not take out insurance on is two bullheaded idiots who decided that racing hard on the track wasn't enough.  Harvick was looking for a fight.  Busch was intent on running away from it, if at all possible.  Apparently neither of them paused long enough to let their overtaxed brain cells calculate what the results might be if they gave in to their inner animal.
 
As I said, my jaw is still dangling at the sheer stupidity of the moment.
 
You just never know what might happen next in NASCAR… you think they might bring out a boxing ring to take around to the tracks?  It might just save a few innocent bystanders from the wrath of the intellectually challenged.

S.D. Grady is an Assistant Editor for Frontstretch.com.  She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com.  Follow her on Twitter at @laregna.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
 
The Yellow Stripe:  Who Will Be Sprint Cup's Next First-Time Winner?
by Phil Allaway
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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:  The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Dover is best known for three things.  It was the first race for the Cup Series on the then-new concrete surface, dubbed "White Lightning."  Kyle Petty came from 37th to claim his eighth and final victory.  However, it is also well-known for a huge crash just a couple of laps into the race.  What happened to start the melee?

Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:
Q:  ESPN used footage for their video, Racing Tough! from the 1990 Budweiser 500 at Dover.  Derrike Cope won the race, earning his (and Whitcomb Motorsports') second and final victory.  Further back, Alan Kulwicki and Michael Waltrip each had terrible days, finishing 24th and 26th, respectively after having a collision.  What happened?

A:  On Lap 76, Waltrip spun his No. 30 Country Time/Maxwell Pontiac exiting Turn 2.  As is the norm at Dover, the Pontiac slid down the track after spinning up towards the wall.  Kulwicki came into the scene with nowhere to go except right into the side of Waltrip's Grand Prix.  Both cars went behind the wall for repairs.  Kulwicki was able to return to the race first, but he finished 87 laps down to Cope.  Waltrip was a further 44 laps behind Kulwicki.
 
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: a look back at a choice Joe Gibbs Racing could have made between Regan Smith and Joey Logano. Could it be possible they made the wrong one?
 
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
The Mirror crew is at it again with more talking points to debate.  Topics include whether Regan Smith could potentially parlay his Darlington victory into a new ride for 2012, whether there are any potential rivalries in the Nationwide Series, if NASCAR is moving ahead too quickly with fuel injection, and more.

Frontstretch Top Ten by Jeff Meyer
Our weekly list based on the latest NASCAR controversy will start your morning off with a laugh -- guaranteed.
 
Top 15 Power Rankings by the Frontstretch Staff
Which driver came out of Darlington on top of our 2011 Power Rankings chart? Jimmie Johnson? Carl Edwards? Kevin Harvick? Someone else? Find out who our select Frontstretch experts have labeled as this week's favorite heading into Dover.
 
Voice of Vito by TBA
Vito is off this week, but we'll have another writer sub in with a likely reaction to any penalties handed down Tuesday afternoon.
 
Beyond The Cockpit: T.J. Bell by Mike Neff
The Camping World Truck Series veteran made his Sprint Cup debut at Darlington on Saturday night.  However, before he did, Bell sat down with our Mike Neff to discuss how his deal came together with Joe Falk's new program.
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©2011 Frontstretch.com

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