THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 1st, 2011
Volume V, Edition CLXXXI
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Frontstretch sends its well wishes, prayers, and support to all our fans affected by the swath of horrible storms over the past few months. To help out recovery efforts, text "GIVE" to 80888 to donate $10 towards disaster relief efforts in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri and Vermont through the Salvation Army.
Today's Top News
by Phil Allaway
Wednesday was the second and final day of tire testing at the revamped Phoenix International Raceway. Unfortunately for the teams chosen to do the tire testing, they were not expecting the testing to done during a period of not necessarily record warmth, but record staying power. Wednesday was the tenth consecutive day that Phoenix was under an Excessive Heat Warning. Temperatures on both testing days exceeded 110 degrees (it was 113 for a high on Wednesday).
As a result, speeds were significantly slower on Tuesday than teams expect they'll be when the Sprint Cup Series travels out to Phoenix in November. Unofficial lap times were in the 27 second bracket, significantly slower than the cars were in February. For this test, Goodyear recruited some of the best teams in NASCAR to provide data. Those five teams were the No. 14 of Tony Stewart for Stewart-Haas Racing, the No. 18 of Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing, the No. 22 of Kurt Busch for Penske Racing, the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson for Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 99 of Carl Edwards for Roush Fenway Racing.
Driver opinions of the new surface were generally positive. The track is considered to be very smooth, but the extreme heat made it very difficult to work in a second groove.
Goodyear's own representatives attested to the difficulty dealing with the harsh conditions.
"Being on track at 6:30 each morning and working through 110-plus-degree temperatures was not easy," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's Director of Racing. "Since we were the first cars on the new surface, getting a handle on the grip level of the asphalt and the configuration of the track was a struggle for a while, but we accumulated a large number of laps and test data over the two days. We met with all five drivers and crew chiefs together to get their collective feedback. We've still got a lot of information to digest and discuss, but we feel confident we can determine a good combination for the pre-race testing in October, and the race in November."
NASCAR still plans on holding an open test for the Sprint Cup Series teams at Phoenix on October 4. However, before that test, Goodyear will be holding another official tire test, this time at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 27-28. The stated goal is to improve the tires at Bristol, and by extension, at other concrete tracks as well since the cars tend to pick up all the rubber they lay down during cautions.
The teams that will test at Bristol include the No. 1 of Jamie McMurray for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, the No. 9 of Marcos Ambrose for Richard Petty Motorsports, the No. 13 of Casey Mears for Germain Racing and the No. 78 of Regan Smith for Furniture Row Racing.
Front Row Motorsports Announces Sponsors for Atlanta
On Wednesday, Front Row Motorsports announced new sponsors for this weekend's AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Firstly, the team's No. 38 will be sponsored by Vampt, a new brand of malt beverage that has been launched in Arizona. Vampt has two agave-infused flavors at launch, "Smooth Talker" with nectarine flavoring and "Midnight Warrior" with citrus flavoring. According to the team's press release, the beverage will be available in the Atlanta area starting this fall.
As a result of the sponsorship, Front Row Motorsports has executed a driver swap, placing J.J. Yeley into the No. 38, while Travis Kvapil will drive the No. 55. When asked about the deal by fans on Twitter, Kvapil stated that "My agreement with Front Row Motorsports is not for all 36 races, and another driver brought sponsor money." Taken at face value, it means that Yeley was able to find this backing on his own.
Regardless of how he obtained the backing, Yeley is very pleased to have Vampt onboard.
"It's awesome to have a new sponsor, who's also new to the sport and so excited to get involved, going to Atlanta, which is one of the fastest racetracks we go to," Yeley said. "It being a night race just adds to the excitement. So, for us to go to a racetrack that I really enjoy racing at with full sponsorship from Vampt on board our Ford Fusion, I just know that they're going to love it. We hope to keep the intensity going with Vampt and Front Row Motorsports so we can build on the relationship that we've started with this first race. We'd love to get them on board to make this a weekly process, where we can go to the racetrack with them and help market their product. The fans of our sport are very loyal to the brands that they see out on the track every weekend. I've already seen a note from a fan who said he was going out to buy Vampt, and the car hasn't even hit the track yet."
Meanwhile, in an attempt to gain exposure for one of Yum! Foods' other brands, the team's No. 34 this week will run the logos of A&W Restaurants. The sponsorship, much like the team's normal sponsorship from Taco Bell and Long John Silvers, is an extension of team owner Bob Jenkins' day job (he is a franchisee of Yum! Foods' various chains, of which A&W Restaurants is one of the chains).
Entry List Update
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500: 47 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 32- Mike Bliss for FAS Lane Racing
No. 46- Scott Speed for Whitney Motorsports
No. 51- Landon Cassill for Phoenix Racing
No. 55- Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 60- Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 95- David Starr for Leavine Family Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 32- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Terry Labonte.
No. 37- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 38- J.J. Yeley is in the seat, replacing Travis Kvapil.
No. 51- Landon Cassill returns to the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 55- Travis Kvapil is in the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 7- Robby Gordon for Robby Gordon Motorsports
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 35- Geoff Bodine for Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 37- An unknown driver for MaxQ Motorsports
No. 38- J.J. Yeley for Front Row Motorsports
No. 46- Scott Speed for Whitney Motorsports
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 55- Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 60- Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 66- Michael McDowell for HP Racing, LLC
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 95- David Starr for Leavine Family Racing
Nationwide Series Great Clips 300: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 7- Jamie McMurray for JR Motorsports
No. 18- Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 60- Carl Edwards for Roush Fenway Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 7- Jamie McMurray is in the seat, replacing Josh Wise.
No. 20- Ryan Truex is in the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 22- Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Parker Kligerman.
No. 23- Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Clint Bowyer.
No. 39- Matt Carter is in the seat, replacing Fain Skinner.
No. 40- Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing Scott Wimmer.
No. 41- Carl Long returns to the seat, replacing Johnny Chapman.
No. 47- Charles Lewandoski returns to the seat, replacing Brian Keselowski.
No. 70- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing David Stremme.
No. 71- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Matt Carter. Carter is actually currently listed in both the No. 39 and No. 71, but a release has been issued confirming that Carter will be in the No. 39.
No. 75- Johnny Chapman returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 03- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports
No. 13- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 16- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 20- Ryan Truex for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 41- Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Tim Andrews for Key Motorsports
No. 44- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports
No. 46- Chase Miller for Key Motorsports
No. 47- Charles Lewandoski for Key Motorsports
No. 49- Mark Green for Jay Robinson Racing
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 71- Unknown driver for Rick Ware Racing
No. 72- John Jackson for Carter Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Harmon Motorsports
No. 75- Johnny Chapman for Rick Ware Racing
Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Club 200: 37 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 08- Ryan Newman for Turner Motorsports
No. 2- Clint Bowyer for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 18- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Butch Miller returns to the seat, replacing John King.
No. 09- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Bryan Silas.
No. 2- Clint Bowyer returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 66- Chris Cockrum is in the seat, replacing Ross Chastain. This will be Cockrum's first career Camping World Truck Series start.
No. 98- Justin Marks is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 08- Ryan Newman for Turner Motorsports
No. 09- Unknown driver for Chris Baluch
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 15- Josh Richards for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 20- Johanna Long for Panhandle Motorsports
No. 51- Colin Braun for Billy Ballew Motorsports
No. 63- Jack Smith for Mittler Brothers Racing
No. 78- BJ McLeod
No. 84- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
No. 98- Justin Marks for ThorSport Racing
No. 99- Charles Vest for Chase Mattioli Motorsports
Izod IndyCar Series Baltimore Grand Prix: 28 cars entered
Driver Changes:
No. 78- Simona de Silvestro returns to the seat, replacing Simon Pagenaud. Pagenaud was brought in because de Silvestro was turned away at customs and forced to return to Switzerland last week due to "customs issues."
Entries:
No. 06- James Hinchcliffe for Newman/Haas Racing
No. 07- Tomas Scheckter for SH Racing
No. 2- Oriol Servia for Newman/Haas Racing
No. 3- Helio Castroneves for Penske Racing
No. 4- JR Hildebrand for Panther Racing
No. 5- Takuma Sato for KV Racing Technologies
No. 6- Ryan Briscoe for Penske Racing
No. 7- Danica Patrick for Andretti Autosport
No. 9- Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10- Dario Franchitti for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 12- Will Power for Penske Racing
No. 14- Vitor Meira for AJ Foyt Racing
No. 17- Martin Plowman for AFS Racing
No. 18- James Jakes for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19- Sebastien Bourdais for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 22- Giorgio Pantano for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 24- Ana Beatriz for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 26- Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27- Mike Conway for Andretti Autosport
No. 28- Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 34- Sebastian Saavedra for Conquest Racing
No. 38- Graham Rahal for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 59- E.J. Viso for KV Racing Technologies
No. 67- Ed Carpenter for Sarah Fisher Racing
No. 77- Alex Tagliani for Sam Schmidt Motorsports
No. 78- Simona de Silvestro for HVM Racing
No. 82- Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies
No. 83- Charlie Kimball for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
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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What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
Kevin Harvick was a guest of he Bert Show on Atlanta's Q100 radio station Tuesday, hosted by Bert Weis. Harvick deemed Kyle Busch a – er – slang term for a feminine hygiene disposal device. Now that's kind of the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it? Over Harvick's ten year career, he's gone out of his way to get into it with virtually every driver in the field at some point, all the while making really bad jokes on camera and then smiling and laughing at them.
Yes, Kyle has had his moments, but for Harvick to carry a grudge over something that happened six years ago with a driver whose meteoric rise to success almost mirrors his own – you think they'd be best buds.
Will Clint Bowyer jump ship or stay put? Bowyer is the next big domino to fall in the silly season of NASCAR – which really hasn't been that, funny. Carl Edwards' rumored move to Joe Gibbs Racing never materialized, so that kind of put the kibosh on things for the most part. David Ragan's position is much safer than it was six months ago following his win at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July, but that has been a trip up for Bowyer. He was under consideration at Roush Fenway Racing when Carl Edwards's decision was up in the air, and he was also rumored to be under consideration at Red Bull Racing – before they went bull-y up.
Richard Petty Motorsports owner Andrew Murstein, recently stated publicly that an offer had been made to Bowyer, but nothing further has been announced. The big hold up with RCR appears to be sponsorship for the full season, and Bowyer's reluctance to take a salary cut. On the other hand, Ford is making a push to keep its drivers as of late, and would likely be very involved in assisting their only full-time team outside of Roush Fenway in recruiting someone of Bowyer's talent, performance, and pedigree.
With Atlanta coming up this weekend for all three touring Series, those already locked into the Chase have another luxury that is not afforded to those who are not within the Top-10: loafing it. The seeding process, however, affords the opportunity to go for broke and win a race to get in for those drivers who are not already qualified as the wild cards. In addition, those locked in have another advantage that the new structure might help: If they were to be injured and unable to start or compete at Richmond, they could still keep their position in the Chase. The likelihood of such an event is low, but look how injuries have affected the Championship chases in years past.
Two that readily come to mind are Davey Allison in 1992 and Rusty Wallace in 1993. Those guys probably would have done well to take a week off at some point in the season, or at least just get a relief driver and not worry about points in the middle of the season. Dale Earnhardt driving with a broken shoulder in 1996 might have liked a week out of the seat too; but then again, he would not have won the pole and set a track record at Watkins Glen, two weeks after getting busted up at Talladega.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com.
Editor's Note: Shakedown Session Will Return Next Week.~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
Kevin Harvick was a guest of he Bert Show on Atlanta's Q100 radio station Tuesday, hosted by Bert Weis. Harvick deemed Kyle Busch a – er – slang term for a feminine hygiene disposal device. Now that's kind of the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it? Over Harvick's ten year career, he's gone out of his way to get into it with virtually every driver in the field at some point, all the while making really bad jokes on camera and then smiling and laughing at them.
Yes, Kyle has had his moments, but for Harvick to carry a grudge over something that happened six years ago with a driver whose meteoric rise to success almost mirrors his own – you think they'd be best buds.
Will Clint Bowyer jump ship or stay put? Bowyer is the next big domino to fall in the silly season of NASCAR – which really hasn't been that, funny. Carl Edwards' rumored move to Joe Gibbs Racing never materialized, so that kind of put the kibosh on things for the most part. David Ragan's position is much safer than it was six months ago following his win at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July, but that has been a trip up for Bowyer. He was under consideration at Roush Fenway Racing when Carl Edwards's decision was up in the air, and he was also rumored to be under consideration at Red Bull Racing – before they went bull-y up.
Richard Petty Motorsports owner Andrew Murstein, recently stated publicly that an offer had been made to Bowyer, but nothing further has been announced. The big hold up with RCR appears to be sponsorship for the full season, and Bowyer's reluctance to take a salary cut. On the other hand, Ford is making a push to keep its drivers as of late, and would likely be very involved in assisting their only full-time team outside of Roush Fenway in recruiting someone of Bowyer's talent, performance, and pedigree.
With Atlanta coming up this weekend for all three touring Series, those already locked into the Chase have another luxury that is not afforded to those who are not within the Top-10: loafing it. The seeding process, however, affords the opportunity to go for broke and win a race to get in for those drivers who are not already qualified as the wild cards. In addition, those locked in have another advantage that the new structure might help: If they were to be injured and unable to start or compete at Richmond, they could still keep their position in the Chase. The likelihood of such an event is low, but look how injuries have affected the Championship chases in years past.
Two that readily come to mind are Davey Allison in 1992 and Rusty Wallace in 1993. Those guys probably would have done well to take a week off at some point in the season, or at least just get a relief driver and not worry about points in the middle of the season. Dale Earnhardt driving with a broken shoulder in 1996 might have liked a week out of the seat too; but then again, he would not have won the pole and set a track record at Watkins Glen, two weeks after getting busted up at Talladega.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com.
The Critic's Annex: Wednesday Night at Bristol
by Phil Allaway
Now, Darrell Waltrip is not the only racer ever to emerge from Owensboro, Kentucky to race in the Cup Series. It turns out that he was only the first of no less than six to pull off the feat. However, he was by far the most successful of the bunch, winning 84 races (including 12 in consecutive years in 1981 and 1982 while driving Buicks for Junior Johnson) and three Winston Cup Championships. The other five guys (brother Michael, Jeremy Mayfield, Stuart Kirby, Jeff Green and David Green) combined for eight Cup victories.
However, what do we know about Darrell Waltrip? Ok, what do you we know about him that can't be taken from what we see on TV, or from his autobiography, _DW: A Life Spent Going Around In Circles_ (which was pretty good)? Let's find out.
The show starts off the day after the announcement of Darrell getting into the NASCAR Hall of Fame with Darrell driving a pick-up truck to Owensboro through the countryside and eventually into the City of Owensboro, talking about various things that he remembered about the city from years gone by. This included a short tour of the neighborhood where he grew up, which mainly consisted of relatively small single-family houses in what he described as the blue-collar, or "poor" side of town. There was also a stop at the local Pepsi bottling plant, where his father Leroy worked. A small contingent of people met Darrell there, including a couple of workers who worked with Leroy and a Buick Regal painted up to look like Darrell's No. 11 Mountain Dew-sponsored car.
Darrell and his wife, Stevie then talked about how they met at a now-defunct drive-in theater and how they dated for a mere nine months before marrying. Darrell then gives viewers a tour of the area where he had his infamous roll over crash while driving a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396. Apparently, he was going "Kyle Busch speed" (I'm unclear as if that actually meant he was driving 128, or if it just seemed like 128) and trying to elude a cop while on the way to Stevie's house. He clicked off his headlights, then drove through a four-way intersection in an attempt to lose the cop, which he did. He turned on his lights and discovered that he'd driven off the road and up a bank. The result was that the Chevelle ended up upside-down in Stevie's front yard. Darrell was ok.
Next stop was the Owensboro-Daviess County Visitors Bureau, where Darrell was in for a surprise. Turns out that he took the woman behind the counter to the prom way back in 1965. She even has proof. Chuckles were had by all. Next was a quick look at the Daviess County Hall of Fame, where Darrell is already a member, along with his brother Michael and other notables like Rex Chapman, Johnny Depp and Nicky Hayden.
Darrell mentions about Owensboro proclaiming themselves to be the BBQ capital of the world (they really do, this can be backed up with evidence), so they hit up the Moonlite B-B-Q for ribs, and some more reminiscing with friends. Of course, even the general public got in on it as well. Darrell signed some autographs here and there. Some random dude took a picture from his truck, which is always good for a laugh.
Next stop was Kentucky Motor Speedway, a place that Darrell didn't really race at, but some of the other drivers I mentioned earlier did. Most of Darrell's short track racing took place at other venues, but he believes that his successes gave the impetus to build a track in the Owensboro area. However, Darrell did tell a story about wrecking his car in a heat race and landing off the backstretch, upside-down and missing one shoe. He then jumped in a lower-midfield car that was offered to him and won from the rare.
This concluded the Owensboro tour. From here on was basically a look at Darrell's Winston Cup career, with sound bites from those he worked with during said career. A fair amount of coverage was given to Johnson's deal with Mountain Dew and the resulting apprehension of running green anything on the car and on the crew. Jeff Hammond mentioned about the rarity of crew uniforms at the time, which is true. Hal Needham also commented about that in his recent autobiography, Stuntman (at the time, he co-owned Mach 1 Racing, the No. 22 (and later 33) Pontiac sponsored by Skoal. A significant emphasis was placed on the first year with Junior Johnson (1981), perhaps too much. Granted, there was a lot going on internally within the team, but the career coverage was quite stilted.
Finally, the special finished out with quick looks at Darrell's TV career with FOX Sports and his involvement with Jerry Carroll, the original owner of Kentucky Speedway. Knowing when this special actually premiered (during the Kentucky Cup weekend), it was somewhat surprising that it was all but glossed over.
Also, it should be noted that comedian and current game show host Bill Engvall served as a host and narrator of the show. However, Engvall's role was quite limited. Basically, all he did the first 45 minutes was introduce the show coming out of commercial breaks.
Admittedly, I was expecting a completely different kind of show when this special was announced. I was thinking that the show was going to be closer to a "This Is Your Life" kind of thing. Since it was during the TNT portion of the season, Darrell was doing NASCAR RaceDay. I figured something like a live show where various people from Darrell's part would be introduced to a welcoming crowd and then they would start to spin stories about Darrell's past. Yeah, my idea definitely sounds clichéd, but that was my original thought.
However, what SPEED came up with was fairly interesting. I've never to Owensboro, so it was nice to be able to see what it looks like. Some of the stories that Darrell told would be familiar to anyone who has read his autobiography (I've read it through multiple times). For example, I clearly remembered reading about the chase scene that resulted in Darrell rolling the Chevelle. For the record, yes, the area where Stevie grew up does appear to be pretty ritzy by Owensboro standards. Of course, something that is "ritzy" in Owensboro is not likely to cost as much to live in as a ritzy place anywhere in the state of New York (where I am) would cost.
However, some of the stuff we saw even surprised Darrell. I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting to run into a former prom date while he was in town. Believe me, if I actually had a prom date and ran into that woman I took under those circumstances, I'd be surprised, too.
Personally, I would have preferred to have a little more content about Darrell's career in the show. However, the show's sponsorship from Diet Mountain Dew resulted in a Mountain Dew bias. That is officially bush league. Granted, I found it interesting that they talked with Joe Block, the former Vice President of Communications for PepsiCo when they signed the Mountain Dew deal, since he gave some interesting information about the sponsorship that was relatively new to me (The France family officially recommended that Mountain Dew actively pursue either Darrell or Dale Earnhardt). Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had a fair amount of airtime (wearing a Diet Mountain Dew T-Shirt) where he would talk about watching Darrell dominate at North Wilkesboro in the early 1980's. However, despite the fact that Earnhardt, Jr. is basically the NASCAR historian of the current Sprint Cup grid, he seemed incredibly out of place on the show, like he was just there because Mountain Dew sponsors him. Not cool.
I hope you liked this look at Darrell Waltrip: A Hometown Hero. Check back next Thursday for a look at The Day: 1992 Hooters 500. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Atlanta and Baltimore.
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. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
This week, we have an exclusive Q&A from Bristol's Post-Race Press Conference!
Mike Neff: "Brad, there were a lot of people, me included, that thought it was a really stupid move to get out of the Hendrick pipeline and jump over to Penske to get into a Cup ride when you did, and I'll admit I was obviously wrong about that. Does it feel extra good -- obviously winning feels good, but does it feel extra good when you outrun the Hendrick guys to do it?"
Mike Neff: "Brad, there were a lot of people, me included, that thought it was a really stupid move to get out of the Hendrick pipeline and jump over to Penske to get into a Cup ride when you did, and I'll admit I was obviously wrong about that. Does it feel extra good -- obviously winning feels good, but does it feel extra good when you outrun the Hendrick guys to do it?"
Brad Keselowski: "Oh, man. Well, there's no doubt that that was a very difficult decision –(Chad Knaus stops into the Media Center to give Brad a thumbs up after his win) - hey, it's Chad. Hey, Chad. I'd better wait until he leaves the room to answer that.
Sometimes in life you have to step back and look at the complete picture and be able to see the complete picture and know that you have to let go to get what you want, let go of what you have, leave your comfort zone to make it to the next level. And I'm sure, although I did not have a spot at Hendrick for the 2010 season, I'm sure Rick and his team would have figured something out.
But I wasn't sure what that was going to be. And I had an incredible opportunity that Roger gave me. I knew that if I made the most of it, that he would reward me. I knew how loyal he was from talking to him and kind of checking out the sources and felt like I was being afforded an opportunity to create something.
And if I had gone to Hendrick or waited it out, there was a long list of bad things that could have happened and a very short list of positive things that could have happened. And I didn't see that at Penske. I only saw a list of things that were good that could have happened, and the biggest negative that could happen was everybody telling me I was an idiot. Well, people tell me I'm an idiot every day, so I'm pretty much immune to that.
But I felt like by having an opportunity to create a Nationwide program from the ground up, to create it with perhaps the vision that I had with having a guy like Paul to crew chief it and having some of the people behind the scenes inside of it -- and Paul put a lot of that together. He deserves an amazing part of the credit. I felt like that would perhaps offset the Cup stuff.
And I'll be honest, last year in Cup, I was miserable. There were a lot of people that told me, "you should have waited, you should have waited.
But there just wasn't an opportunity, and it's such a tough question to answer because no one here can sit here knowing all the pieces to the puzzle. Quite honestly, I can't tell you all of them, and have all the information that I had, and with all the information I had, I believe in my heart that this was the right decision.
And I'm glad we're able to perform now and prove to everyone that it was. I think the performance at the end of the day is always the proof.
I'm really proud of this whole group to be able to prove that this was the right call. It certainly wasn't the easy call, but this was the right call. And I think Paul would tell you, too, that he had other opportunities besides Penske that certainly were easier calls to make. But at the end, this means more. This means more, it really does.
It's been since 2005 since two cars from Penske Racing have made the Chase, and I think that was the only year. And I don't think there's really ever been a year where both cars have been competitive and really winning races like there is now. I'd like to think that Paul and I are both a large part of that, and essentially we've taken what was the 12 team, turned it into the 2 team, created two amazing groups with great sponsors like Shell and Miller that can really do this and do it right, and everyone is being rewarded.
Not the easy call, for sure, but it's looking real good right now."
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: 1313 Turkey Court
by Matt McLaughlin
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
MPM2Nite: 1313 Turkey Court
by Matt McLaughlin
by Summer Dreyer
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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 the late 1990's, the United States Formula Ford 2000 Series held at least one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, they did not use the full 1.54 mile quad-oval configuration for their races. How was the track modified to fit the smaller open-wheeled cars?
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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 the late 1990's, the United States Formula Ford 2000 Series held at least one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, they did not use the full 1.54 mile quad-oval configuration for their races. How was the track modified to fit the smaller open-wheeled cars?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: You may wonder why ESPN's pit reporters always wear fire suits on pit road while FOX's pit reporters make do with Polo shirts and khakis. It dates back to March of 1989 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. What happened?
A: After the halfway point of the race, Richard Petty pitted his STP Pontiac for a routine four tire pit stop. Dr. Jerry Punch, who was pit reporting for ABC that day, was commentating on the stop. Suddenly, there was a big fuel spill. A couple of seconds later, a spark ignited those flames, leading to a very dangerous situation in the pits. At the time, Dr. Punch described it as one of the scariest situations he'd ever witnessed in the pits. Dr. Punch was wearing, by decree of ABC, a three-piece suit in the pits, which could be considered less than ideal in the best of circumstances. Dr. Punch was uninjured, but the incident led to fire suits being required in the pits by ESPN shortly afterwards.
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: Atlanta by Mike Lovecchio
We'll have a preview of the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races this weekend in Atlanta.
Special Commentary by TBA
-- In Case You Missed It by Brett Poirier
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Atlanta by Mike Lovecchio
We'll have a preview of the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races this weekend in Atlanta.
Special Commentary by TBA
We'll have a special commentary in place of Amy's Holding A Pretty Wheel this week. Don't worry, Amy's commentary will return next week.
Goin' Green by Garrett Horton
For most of this season, only the No. 31 team has struggled at Richard Childress Racing. However, those struggles have recently spread to the rest of the four-car organization. Garrett will take a look at these struggles and what can be done to fix them.
Goin' Green by Garrett Horton
For most of this season, only the No. 31 team has struggled at Richard Childress Racing. However, those struggles have recently spread to the rest of the four-car organization. Garrett will take a look at these struggles and what can be done to fix them.
Tearing Apart The Trucks by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth returns with an intriguing commentary ahead of the series making their annual visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Driver Diary: Marcos Ambrose as told to Toni Montgomery
The driver of the No. 9 Stanley Tools Ford returns for another interesting look at the past month on and off the track.
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Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2011 Frontstretch.com
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Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2011 Frontstretch.com
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