Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 29th, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXLIV
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Editor's Note - Frontstretch Podcast: Host Doug Turnbull is on vacation this week, and so is the Frontstretch Podcast. However, it will return next Friday with a wrap-up of the racing in Indiana, the latest news of the week and much more.
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Top News
by Summer Dreyer
Crown Royal Sponsoring 2012 Brickyard 400
The name of next year's Brickyard 400 will be a mouthful, with Crown Royal coming on board to sponsor the prestigious event as The Crown Royal "Your Name Here" 400 at the Brickyard. A title which is typically associated with Richmond, Crown Royal will be continuing a trend of bringing attention to the men and women who serve in the U.S. military along with other American heroes such as firefighters and police officers.
"We look forward to an exciting partnership with Crown Royal and an opportunity to showcase our appreciation for those who make a difference in our communities," said IMS president and CEO Jeff Belskus. "It is great to have a partner like Crown Royal to provide race fans with an exciting and unique race experience at the Brickyard."
The winner of the "Your Name Here" 400 will see their name up in lights if they are chosen, with their story and others being shared throughout the weekend along with a message of drinking alcohol responsibly.
"We are incredibly excited to have the chance to take our annual program to the next level at one of the most historic venues in motorsports," said Yvonne Briese, VP Marketing, DIAGEO North American Whisky. "In addition to providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our winner, we take great pride in the fact that we are able to acknowledge so many people who do so much for others and ask for nothing in return."
Todd Bodine Secure for Remainder of Season
Germain Racing and Randy Moss Motorsports have combined forces to put Todd Bodine in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series truck for the remainder of the season, with both organizations splitting the duties, according to SceneDaily.com. After Germain Racing fell short on funding and feared having to skip the race at Iowa Speedway, the deal with RMM came together and last year's NCWTS champion will race in the No. 5 Toyota for the remainder of the season.
"We were going to sit some races out," said Bodine. "Actually we were planning on sitting eight races out because those were the eight races we didn't have covered for sponsorship."
Bed Red, Inc. will serve as the sponsor in this weekend's race at Lucas Oil Raceway, with RMM's sponsor Trucks / Monaco RVs and Germain's sponsor Tire Kingdom / Service Central and Valvoline covering the remaining 12 races.
Bodine is currently tenth in the standings, 81 points out of the lead with three top 5s and five top 10s to his credit. Bodine finished seventh at Lucas Oil Raceway last season.
Have news for Summer 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 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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In Case You Missed It
by Brett Poirier
Second Annual Brickyard Beach Bash is Back
All Brickyard 400 ticket holders can enjoy the Second Annual Brickyard Beach Bash in Turn 3 of the infield at Indianapolis. 2008 Playboy Playmate of the Month A.J. Alexander will host the festivities and multi-platinum R&B, hip-hop, and reggae fusion artist Iyaz will perform.
There will also be a bikini and hot body contest, a dance party, go-go dancers, beer pong and volleyball. Tickets start at $30 for the Brickyard 400.
Michigan Puts Starter, Grand Marshal Positions Up For Auction
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Foundation has teamed up with Michigan International Speedway to auction off the Honorary Starter and Grand Marshal positions for the VFW 200 Camping World Truck Series race on August 20 at the track. All proceeds will benefit the VFW's "Return the Favor" campaign, which honors military personnel and their families for their sacrifices.
Along with their race-day positions, the winning bidders will also receive free passes to the VFW Pit Road Suite, mention during the driver's meeting and during driver introductions and a photo with the race winner in victory lane. Fans can bid online at http://foundation.nascar.com/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=204 until July 31.
Atlanta Will Host Lynyrd Skynard
Lynyrd Skynard will headline the Fast Cars and Guitars concert at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 4th before the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup race. There will also be a "Battle of the Bands" between local rock and country performers. Two finalists from each genre will play before Great Clips 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday. Fans will vote on their favorites on Saturday to come back and perform before Lynyrd Skynard on Sunday.
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Hey Frontstretch Readers!
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 Folio: Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com
by Summer Dreyer
This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com. Sunday's race will be the 20th race of the season, and will be broadcast live Sunday, July 31st, at 1 PM ET on ESPN. Drivers will compete for 160 laps for 400 miles before taking the checkered flag.
Records and Facts
Casey Mears holds the track qualifying record with a lap of 48.311 sec at 186.293 mph during qualifying for the 2004 Brickyard 400. Mears finished second after leading only two laps. The pole was Mears second consecutive front row starting spot, and would be his final pole position of the season. Mears finished out the season 22nd in points with one top 5 and nine top 10s in 36 races.
Bobby Labonte holds the record for the fastest race run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with a speed of 155.912 mph in the 2000 Brickyard 400. Labonte led 21 of 160 laps and had a margin of victory of 4.229 sec over second-place Rusty Wallace. Bill Elliott finished third, followed by Jerry Nadeau and Tony Stewart to round out the top 5. Labonte won a total of four races in the 2000 season, and went on to win the Sprint Cup Series championship with 19 top 5s, 24 top 10s, and an average finish of seventh in 34 races.
Jamie McMurray is the defending race winner of this event, leading 16 of 160 laps to win the 2010 Brickyard 400 by 1.391 seconds over second-place Kevin Harvick. Greg Biffle finished third, followed by Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart to round out the top 5. The win was McMurray's second of three victories that season, finishing out the season 14th in points with nine top 5s, 12 top 10s, and an average finish of 16th.
Track Facts
Track/Race Length: 160 laps (400 miles), 2.5-mile quad-oval
Degree of Banking: 9 degrees in the corners
Frontstretch: 3,330 ft., banked 0 degrees
Backstretch: 3,330 ft., banked 0 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 257,325
Pre-race Schedule
Practice: Friday, July 29, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM ET on SPEED; Friday, July 29, 3:15 – 4:30 PM ET on SPEED
Qualifying: Saturday, July 30, 2:10 PM ET on ESPN2
Happy Hour: Saturday, July 30, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET on ESPN2
VIPs
Grand Marshal: Mary Hulman George
National Anthem: Rascal Flatts
God Bless America: Reba McEntire
Flyover: 4 Navy T-45 Goshawks
Race Day Forecast
Sunday: Mostly sunny, 10% chance of rain
High: 92
Low: 72
Say What?!
"Indianapolis is probably one of the trickiest places we go to on the schedule – Pocono being one, Darlington being one, Indy being another. It's so hard to find a particular line that really, really works for you or really works for your car because the groove is so narrow. It's plenty wide for one or one-and-a-half cars, but the line that you run around there, you vary six inches and it feels so different. You really have to be particular in hitting your marks and getting your car set up. The way that it changes throughout the weekend, going from practice, when there's not much rubber on the racetrack, and then to the race, with a lot of rubber on the racetrack – the trajectory of the corners changes. How wide do you enter the corner? How long do you stay out? How sharp do you turn down? Indy's definitely a particular racetrack and it's exciting for us all to go there, especially with the history there and the prestige of winning that event. I'd love nothing more than to win there on Sunday with my M&M's Camry. It would be something cool. Been close a couple times, but I'd like to get a little closer." -Kyle Busch
"Coming to the Brickyard, I've always said that it's special. The history of the sport, the history of motorsports here at this Speedway is something I have always appreciated, and I look forward to trying to add my name to that record book. To me, it is still awesome to either be a fan or a driver here at Indianapolis. To come down the front chute and hear the echo of the car, the horsepower, we approach 205 mph or whatever it is. Take a 3,400-pound car that is pretty top-heavy around the corner as fast as we do is really amazing. The cars have changed, the tires have changed, the racetrack has changed just a little bit, but the fans here are amazing. They keep coming back. I'm really appreciative of the opportunity to come to the Brickyard. I've always said that I love the history of motorsports and there's no better place than the Brickyard when it comes to the history of speed." -Ryan Newman
"Like most of us, I love the history of the track. I remember growing up watching the Indy 500 on TV and some of my heroes, Rick Mears and Danny Sullivan, some of these guys winning races there. I never imagined I would be in the Sprint Cup Series, and I never imagined I would have the opportunity to race in Indy at the same places as all of these legends have in the past. With all of that, it's just a special place, similar to Daytona. A lot of history and a lot of legends of the sport have raced at Indy. It's neat to be able to race on the track like all of these people have in the past." -Travis Kvapil
Summer Dreyer is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via email at summer.dreyer@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Four Burning Questions: Who Needs To Get It Done, Final Round For The Short Track, and Pastrana Arrives
by Mike Lovecchio
The Track That Stole NASCAR's Innocence
by Amy Henderson
Going Green: Montoya, Indy, and the Definition of a NASCAR Career
by Brody Jones
Casey Mears Driver Diary: Road Courses, Daytona Success, and Looking Ahead
as told to Amy Henderson
Tearing Apart the Trucks: A Farewell to Lucas Oil Raceway
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1995 Brickyard 400, won by Dale Earnhardt, was delayed for hours due to rain. Once the race got started, it was a very clean 400 mile run, however, there was one close call for Earnhardt and the rest of the leaders. What happened?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer:
Q: Prior to 1994, Indianapolis Raceway Park had a very quirky pit road procedure. What was the setup like?
A: There was one relatively short pit road that contained roughly 16-17 pit stalls. Behind the wall and effectively back-to-back with the regular pits was another line of 16-17 pit stalls parallel to the regular stalls. However, teams on the back side of the pits would have to come over the pit wall from the right side of the car instead of the left side. It was considered to be a big disadvantage to have to pit in the back, especially once pit road speed limits were introduced.
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 Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com Race Recap by TBA
-- Mouthing Off: Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com by Brody Jones
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action from the Brickyard.
Bubble Breakdown by Bryan Davis Keith
Who's hot and who's not towards the back end of the owner points battle? Bryan brings the stories you didn't hear about into print from Sunday's race from Indianapolis.
Special Commentary by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race at the Brickyard.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing in Indianapolis.
Big Six: Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com by Amy Henderson
Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing at the Brickyard.
Nationwide Series Breakdown: 30th Annual Kroger 200 by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has all the post-race analysis you need after Saturday night's final Nationwide Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway.
Tracking the Trucks: AAA Insurance 200 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth has all the post-race analysis you need after Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race from Lucas Oil Raceway.
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