Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 30th, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXXV
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Frontstretch sends its well wishes, prayers, and support to all our Southern U.S., Joplin, MO and Western Massachusetts 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, Massachusetts and Missouri through the Salvation Army.
What to Watch: Thursday
by Phil Allaway
Michael Waltrip's love affair with sports car racing continues. On the heels of multiple appearances in endurance races overseas for AF Corse, Waltrip seems to be likely to throw his team into sports cars full-time domestically.
SiriusXM's Dave Moody is reporting that Waltrip, along with partner Rob Kauffman, are in Daytona Beach meeting with Grand-Am CEO/co-founder Jim France about potentially entering his team into the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is still relatively early in the game, but more than likely, it is a go. Heading up the team will be Steve Hallam, a former Formula One engineer who currently serves as Michael Waltrip Racing's Executive Vice President for Competition.
Such a move surrounding Waltrip entering sports cars full-time has been rumored for months. Waltrip seems to take a lot of enjoyment from his racing in Europe and the Middle East behind the wheel of (mainly) a Ferrari F430. The 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this month was the first time that Waltrip and Kaufmann had driven a Ferrari 458 Italia.
There is no indication as to whether Waltrip's team will focus on the Daytona Prototype or Grand Touring (GT) class at this point. However, Grand-Am declared the Ferrari 458 Italia eligible to compete in the series months ago (they announced the eligibility in a press conference at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January). The original expectation was that a team could have had a 458 on track by April, but no one has entered one yet.
Will Kimmel to Make Nationwide Debut at Kentucky
The Southern Indiana News and Tribune is reporting that Will Kimmel, the nephew of nine-time ARCA Racing Series Champion Frank Kimmel, will be making his Nationwide Series debut next weekend in Kentucky Speedway in the Feed the Children 300. He will be driving the No. 39 Ford Mustang for Go Green Racing.
Kimmel is excited for his first crack at the Nationwide Series.
"The level of competition goes way up when you race at that level," Kimmel said. "I hope to run good and run the whole 200 laps. I'm going to have to race my butt off to finish 25th."
It might a tough road for Kimmel to have a decent finish, but he will not have to worry about qualifying on speed. Go Green Racing's No. 39 is currently 26th in owners' points, 35 points ahead of Morgan Shepherd's No. 89 in 31st. However, three teams in front of the No. 39 have not attempted all the races, so they are not locked in. The final locked-in team is the No. 52 for Means Motorsports, which is 33rd in owners' points, 84 behind the No. 39.
Last year, Kimmel made his Camping World Truck Series debut in a No. 44 Ford fielded by his father (and Frank's brother) Bill. Carrying sponsorship from Lucas Oil, Kimmel stayed out of trouble and moved up from his 36th starting spot to finish two laps down in 21st.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 38- Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 51- Landon Cassill for Phoenix Racing
No. 60- Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 81- Scott Riggs for Whitney Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 97- Kevin Conway for NEMCO Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 35- Geoff Bodine is in the seat, replacing Steve Park.
No. 37- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Chris Cook.
No. 38- Travis Kvapil returns to the seat, replacing Tony Ave.
No. 46- J.J. Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Andy Pilgrim.
No. 51- Landon Cassill returns to the seat, replacing Boris Said.
No. 81- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Brian Simo.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
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. 60- Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 66- Michael McDowell for HP Racing, LLC
No. 71- Andy Lally for TRG Motorsports
No. 81- Scott Riggs for Whitney Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 97- Kevin Conway for NEMCO Motorsports
Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 1- Jamie McMurray for Phoenix Racing
No. 4- Kevin Harvick for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 9- Tony Stewart for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
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- Ricky Carmichael for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Clint Bowyer for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 41- Jeffrey Earnhardt for Rick Ware Racing
No. 60- Carl Edwards for Roush Fenway Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 1- Jamie McMurray is in the seat, replacing Landon Cassill.
No. 4- Kevin Harvick is in the seat, replacing Tony Stewart.
No. 7- Danica Patrick returns to the seat, replacing Ron Fellows.
No. 18- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 22- Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Jacques Villeneuve.
No. 23- Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Alex Kennedy.
No. 33- Clint Bowyer returns to the seat, replacing Max Papis.
No. 41- Jeffrey Earnhardt is in the seat, replacing Doug Harrington.
No. 60- Carl Edwards returns to the seat, replacing Billy Johnson.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 07- Danny Efland for Danny Efland Racing
No. 1- Jamie McMurray for Phoenix
No. 4- Kevin Harvick for Kevin Harvick, Inc. (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 9- Tony Stewart for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 13- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 16- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 21- Tim George, Jr. for Richard Childress Racing
No. 41- Jeffrey Earnhardt for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Tim Andrews for Key Motorsports
No. 44- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Has second crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 46- Chase Miller for Key Motorsports
No. 68- Matt Carter for Fleur-de-Lis Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Harmon Motorsports
No. 97- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports (Has third crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)
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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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What's Vexing Vito
Walking through the garage area at Michigan International Speedway a couple of weeks ago, I was struck by a number of things, the least of which was the tool crib of the No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Team. One thing that is apparent, you can definitely tell that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is very close to getting back to the shades of his former self again. The quality of Pit Lizard seen loitering around the No. 88 AMP Energy hauler and garage stall was markedly improved over the past two seasons.
Speaking of lady friends, note how Kurt Busch's turnaround coincides nicely with his new love interest Patricia Driscoll, head of the Armed Forces Foundation. Busch filed for divorce from wife Eva earlier this season. Busch need not worry about any on-track incidents with anybody either; Ms. Driscoll also heads up Frontline Defense Systems, LLC – a private security firm and Department of Defense contractor. Anytime a DoD contractor cites "providing solutions" in their mission statement, it is usually PC-speak meaning that bad guys get deleted.
While walking the roof over looking pit road at MIS two weekends ago, I noticed Richard Childress spotting for his four teams, all the while being approached by more than a couple of fans "congratulating" him on his fine for punching Kyle Busch. I think what I was more startled by, was the practice of ironing a crease in ones jeans – particularly Wranglers. That sure is a lot of preparation and presentation for a $20 pair of pants. I'm not putting them down, but maybe if RC loosened up and dialed down the starch a bit, he wouldn't be throwing hay makers in the garage area.
During the fracas in Turn 11 on Lap 39 (what a coincidence – read on) at Infineon Raceway, it was completely lost on the announcers that Juan Pablo Montoya took out Ryan Newman – again. This, after Newman popped JPM in the nose during a meeting regarding previous rough housing on the track, which led to a rumored Montoya lawsuit against the driver irreverently referred to by some as "Bulldozer."
Today's Featured Commentary
The Good, Bad, & The Ugly About Twitter In NASCAR
by Brody Jones
Unless NASCAR fans have taken residence under a rock, it's very hard to ignore the presence the social networking site, Twitter, and their role in the world of NASCAR. In a world where NASCAR fans have short attention spans, Twitter has become a source of news, information, and communication between drivers, crew members, and those who work in the world of NASCAR Media. Media personalities such as Jeff Gluck and Bob Pockrass have carved themselves a niche audience of sorts on Twitter. Many of the NASCAR drivers have their own Twitter accounts, with a few exceptions. There are also crew members who have jumped on board the Twitter phenomenon.
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The Critic's Annex: Rolex Sports Car Series 250 by Visit Florida
Hello, race fans. Greetings from 30,000 feet. Its once again time for The Critic's Annex, where I take an additional look at racing-related television programming. Saturday afternoon was a doubleheader at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In addition to the Bucyrus 200 for the Nationwide Series that ran later in the day, the Rolex Sports Car Series raced at 11am local time as a prelude to the Nationwide race.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
"It looked like an ARCA race out there, though I'm definitely not complaining. Especially in those last 10 laps, I'm shocked the race ended under green."- Summer Dreyer's opinion of the run to the checkers on Sunday, although ARCA road races can be even crazier than that.
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: The List Of Problems More Short Track Races Would Solve
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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: Just because the checkered flag has already fallen doesn't necessarily mean that the on-track action is over for the day. In the 1980 Firecracker 400, there was a serious crash that occurred while the leaders were on their cool down lap. What happened?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Rick Wilson was a snakebit driver for much of his career in Winston Cup (and who now lives on as a call to cheers at various NASCAR gatherings (seriously)). However, in 1988, he was one of the strongest drivers in the field. However, he did something that proved to be his downfall in the Pepsi 400 and prevented himself from getting his first career win. What was it?
A: As sad as this sounds, Wilson's downfall was working with Bill Elliott. Wilson's car was one of the strongest out there that day. Meanwhile, Elliott had some issues that resulted in him nearly being lapped by Wilson. Wilson ended up drafting Elliott for a while until a caution flew and allowed Elliott to drive all the way around the track.
Later, after a bad pitstop under the final caution put Wilson back in the pack, Wilson drafted behind Elliott and got to second, but could not get by him at the line. It was the closest that Wilson ever got to winning a Cup race.
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 Brody Jones
-- In Case You Missed It by Brett Poirier
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Daytona by Mike Lovecchio
We'll give you a look at important things to look forward to at Daytona International Speedway this weekend in our racing preview.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Beth Lunkenheimer
Goin' Green by Garrett Horton
Garrett returns with more commentary and insight.
Nuts For Nationwide by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan returns to take a look inside the Nationwide Series ahead of Friday night's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
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