THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 21st, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXCVII
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 21st, 2011
Volume V, Edition CXCVII
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What To Watch: Wednesday
With nothing major on the calendar, all eyes turn to when and how NASCAR's 2012 schedules will be made public. Typically completed well before Labor Day, some track closures and date switches to the Nationwide and Truck Series schedules have left those divisions still scrambling to fill their calendars. But the Cup side, according to several sources is all but done as just about every one of next season's 38 race dates (36 + the Bud Shootout and All-Star Race) has been released by the individual tracks.
Top News
by Tom Bowles
Scott Miller Leaving RCR For Michael Waltrip Racing; Day Named Interim Replacement
One of Richard Childress' right-hand mechanical men is jumping ship. Scott Miller, the Director Of Competition for Childress' four-car Cup operation abruptly left the company Tuesday, moving to Michael Waltrip Racing to fill a similar role beginning in 2012.
Miller, in his second stint with the organization had held his current position since the Fall of 2009. Rehired as a team engineer prior to the 2004 season, he went on to crew chief Dave Blaney's No. 07 Chevy before a successful stint with Jeff Burton beginning in late 2005. During their four seasons together, the two made the Chase three times, collected four poles and won four races for Burton on the Cup level. In his most recent role, Miller returned RCR's then-three Cup cars to postseason competition in 2010 and has helped spur the development of Kevin Harvick's title-contending No. 29 machine this season. The 54-year old Miller, a North Carolina native had previously worked for RCR during a three-year stint from 1997 to 1999.
The timing of the move is surprising, considering Harvick currently leads the Sprint Cup point standings while MWR doesn't need their position filled until 2012. Steve Hallam, the current Director Of Competition there is leaving to join the Australian V8 Supercar Series following the season. MWR also has no cars in the Chase, meaning any information Miller sneaks over now could not necessarily be used against them for the championship.
Childress, acknowledging Miller's dismissal in a press release immediately named Kent Day the Interim Director of Competition. Day, 49, a former chief engineer for Penske Racing has been Technical Director for RCR since the start of the 2009 season.
"Kent brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new position," said Mike Dillon, RCR's Vice President of Competition in a statement. "As technical director, he played an integral role in the overhaul and turnaround of RCR's competition department beginning in mid-2008. He already understands our competition philosophy and will now play an even more important role in RCR's on-track success."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. To Change Primary Sponsors In 2012
The No. 88 car will have a new look to go with its driver's new contract next season. Hendrick Motorsports, who recently re-signed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. through the year 2017 will put Diet Mountain Dew on the side of his Chevy for 16 events in 2012. Sponsor PepsiCo, who has been marketing its AMP Energy brand through Earnhardt will instead put that company on the car for only four of their 20 races. AMP will also continue serving as a major associate, its branding still visible but secondary to a Mountain Dew brand the company hopes will benefit more from its Earnhardt association.
"The story is really about opportunity," George Cox, Mountain Dew brand manager told the Sports Business Journal, who first reported the move. "With Dew, Dale and NASCAR there's this awesome marriage. Dale is the embodiment of the person we're trying to target with Diet Dew. We wanted to tap into that equity Dew has in NASCAR and put it into overdrive with Dale."
The move, which will also cause a drastic paint scheme redesign is expected to be made official by the end of the week. The soft drink company, with one year left on their deal will continue to share sponsorship with the National Guard in 2012.
Leffler Out At Turner Motorsports Next Season?
In a move first announced last Friday, during ESPN coverage of the Nationwide race Jason Leffler confirmed to SceneDaily he's looking for a ride in 2012. While Great Clips will return to the No. 38 car, it's confirmed Turner Motorsports will pair that sponsor up with another driver, possibly Reed Sorenson as Dollar General is expected to move elsewhere next season.
In six-plus seasons driving for Turner and former owner Todd Braun, Leffler has one win, 31 top-5, and 84 top-10 finishes in the Nationwide Series. Now 36, this organization has been his permanent home since being released as the first-ever driver of the No. 11 Fed Ex car for Joe Gibbs.
Leffler told SceneDaily the opportunity exists to return to the team, but only if a primary sponsor can be found.
News Bites
- Kevin Harvick's pit crew has a new look this Chase, changes made before Chicagoland to help give the No. 29 car the best chance to win. First reported by The Sporting News, Harvick's team now has five members from Clint Bowyer's team: his front tire carrier, rear tire carrier, front tire changer, rear tire changer and jack man have made the swap. Only Gasman Mike Morrison remains in place from a No. 29 squad that fired their pit crew coach, Matt Clark, earlier this season after a series of slow stops at Michigan.
It's not the first time we've seen this move happen at RCR. Last Fall, halfway through the Chase the No. 33 and No. 29 crews were swapped entirely once Bowyer was effectively out of title contention.
- TV ratings for the Nationwide Series were disappointing this weekend. The Chicagoland race pulled just a 1.1 on ESPN, well below last year's 1.3 Nielsen number for the same event in July 2010. Viewership also declined, from nearly 1.82 million viewers to just over 1.45. Even June's Chicagoland standalone event, a first for the Nationwide Series pulled a 1.4 rating and had an audience of slightly over 2 million.
Now compare that to the Truck Series, enjoying record ratings this season that only continued their upward climb Friday night. Austin Dillon's Chicagoland victory earned a .85 in the Nielsens, up 47 percent from the race held at the 1.5-mile oval last season. Overall, NASCAR's third-tier division has had ratings spike eight percent versus 2010, on pace to become the most-watched season since the series moved to SPEED network in 2003.
- A.J. Allmendinger will have a new one-race primary sponsor down the stretch. AdvoCare, which had recently backed the No. 95 Cup car driven by David Starr will move over to Richard Petty Motorsports for October's race at Martinsville. The health and wellness company has also dabbled in backing entries in the Nationwide Series, Trucks, and appeared as the primary sponsor of Atlanta's Labor Day weekend Cup race.
- According to SceneDaily, sources say Jacques Villeneuve is among those interested in purchasing the former Red Bull Racing operation. The former Canadian F1 star, also an Indy 500 winner ran two Nationwide races this season for Roger Penske, finishing third at Elkhart Lake in June. Villeneuve, who had a Cup deal fall apart with Bill Davis a few years back is reportedly looking for investors that will leave him in the seat and allow him to share seat time with another driver.
- And just in the nick of time before posting... the Chase for the Sprint Cup got off to a soggy, slumping start on TV. Just 2.179 million watched Monday's Chicagoland event on ESPN, a paltry 1.8 Nielsen rating on par with other rain-delayed events this season on the network. However, that marks far below the 2.1 rating, 3.677 million audience who tuned in for New Hampshire's 2010 Chase kickoff last September.
Three of the last six Sprint Cup events have now been postponed a day or more due to rain.
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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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Shakedown Session by Brody Jones
-- What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points to Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan is back with our weekly edition of talking points that will set the stage for the second Chase race this coming weekend at New Hampshire.
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
The Mirror crew is at it again with more talking points to debate. Topics include who's in and out of the championship battle after Chase Race number one, where Clint Bowyer will end up, and more.
Going Green by Garrett Horton
Garrett's column has moved to Thursdays now, but it's still the same great commentary it has always been! This week, Garrett takes a look at the winners and losers of round one in the Chase.
Potts' Shots by John Potts
Fanning the Flames has become Potts' Shots, and John Potts is here to answer your questions in our weekly Fan Q & A. Do you have something you'd like to ask John? Don't sit on the sidelines! Send it to john.potts@frontstretch.com, and you just may see your question in print next week!
Fantasy Insider by Brett Poirier
Did your fantasy racing team take a hit at Chicagoland when so many drivers ran out of fuel? Well, Brett has just what you need to know to turn things around when choosing your teams for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
6th Column TBA by Mark Howell
Our professor of racing history "has at it" with another column pertinent to the sport at large.
What To Watch: Wednesday
With nothing major on the calendar, all eyes turn to when and how NASCAR's 2012 schedules will be made public. Typically completed well before Labor Day, some track closures and date switches to the Nationwide and Truck Series schedules have left those divisions still scrambling to fill their calendars. But the Cup side, according to several sources is all but done as just about every one of next season's 38 race dates (36 + the Bud Shootout and All-Star Race) has been released by the individual tracks.
Top News
by Tom Bowles
Scott Miller Leaving RCR For Michael Waltrip Racing; Day Named Interim Replacement
One of Richard Childress' right-hand mechanical men is jumping ship. Scott Miller, the Director Of Competition for Childress' four-car Cup operation abruptly left the company Tuesday, moving to Michael Waltrip Racing to fill a similar role beginning in 2012.
Miller, in his second stint with the organization had held his current position since the Fall of 2009. Rehired as a team engineer prior to the 2004 season, he went on to crew chief Dave Blaney's No. 07 Chevy before a successful stint with Jeff Burton beginning in late 2005. During their four seasons together, the two made the Chase three times, collected four poles and won four races for Burton on the Cup level. In his most recent role, Miller returned RCR's then-three Cup cars to postseason competition in 2010 and has helped spur the development of Kevin Harvick's title-contending No. 29 machine this season. The 54-year old Miller, a North Carolina native had previously worked for RCR during a three-year stint from 1997 to 1999.
The timing of the move is surprising, considering Harvick currently leads the Sprint Cup point standings while MWR doesn't need their position filled until 2012. Steve Hallam, the current Director Of Competition there is leaving to join the Australian V8 Supercar Series following the season. MWR also has no cars in the Chase, meaning any information Miller sneaks over now could not necessarily be used against them for the championship.
Childress, acknowledging Miller's dismissal in a press release immediately named Kent Day the Interim Director of Competition. Day, 49, a former chief engineer for Penske Racing has been Technical Director for RCR since the start of the 2009 season.
"Kent brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new position," said Mike Dillon, RCR's Vice President of Competition in a statement. "As technical director, he played an integral role in the overhaul and turnaround of RCR's competition department beginning in mid-2008. He already understands our competition philosophy and will now play an even more important role in RCR's on-track success."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. To Change Primary Sponsors In 2012
The No. 88 car will have a new look to go with its driver's new contract next season. Hendrick Motorsports, who recently re-signed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. through the year 2017 will put Diet Mountain Dew on the side of his Chevy for 16 events in 2012. Sponsor PepsiCo, who has been marketing its AMP Energy brand through Earnhardt will instead put that company on the car for only four of their 20 races. AMP will also continue serving as a major associate, its branding still visible but secondary to a Mountain Dew brand the company hopes will benefit more from its Earnhardt association.
"The story is really about opportunity," George Cox, Mountain Dew brand manager told the Sports Business Journal, who first reported the move. "With Dew, Dale and NASCAR there's this awesome marriage. Dale is the embodiment of the person we're trying to target with Diet Dew. We wanted to tap into that equity Dew has in NASCAR and put it into overdrive with Dale."
The move, which will also cause a drastic paint scheme redesign is expected to be made official by the end of the week. The soft drink company, with one year left on their deal will continue to share sponsorship with the National Guard in 2012.
Leffler Out At Turner Motorsports Next Season?
In a move first announced last Friday, during ESPN coverage of the Nationwide race Jason Leffler confirmed to SceneDaily he's looking for a ride in 2012. While Great Clips will return to the No. 38 car, it's confirmed Turner Motorsports will pair that sponsor up with another driver, possibly Reed Sorenson as Dollar General is expected to move elsewhere next season.
In six-plus seasons driving for Turner and former owner Todd Braun, Leffler has one win, 31 top-5, and 84 top-10 finishes in the Nationwide Series. Now 36, this organization has been his permanent home since being released as the first-ever driver of the No. 11 Fed Ex car for Joe Gibbs.
Leffler told SceneDaily the opportunity exists to return to the team, but only if a primary sponsor can be found.
News Bites
- Kevin Harvick's pit crew has a new look this Chase, changes made before Chicagoland to help give the No. 29 car the best chance to win. First reported by The Sporting News, Harvick's team now has five members from Clint Bowyer's team: his front tire carrier, rear tire carrier, front tire changer, rear tire changer and jack man have made the swap. Only Gasman Mike Morrison remains in place from a No. 29 squad that fired their pit crew coach, Matt Clark, earlier this season after a series of slow stops at Michigan.
It's not the first time we've seen this move happen at RCR. Last Fall, halfway through the Chase the No. 33 and No. 29 crews were swapped entirely once Bowyer was effectively out of title contention.
- TV ratings for the Nationwide Series were disappointing this weekend. The Chicagoland race pulled just a 1.1 on ESPN, well below last year's 1.3 Nielsen number for the same event in July 2010. Viewership also declined, from nearly 1.82 million viewers to just over 1.45. Even June's Chicagoland standalone event, a first for the Nationwide Series pulled a 1.4 rating and had an audience of slightly over 2 million.
Now compare that to the Truck Series, enjoying record ratings this season that only continued their upward climb Friday night. Austin Dillon's Chicagoland victory earned a .85 in the Nielsens, up 47 percent from the race held at the 1.5-mile oval last season. Overall, NASCAR's third-tier division has had ratings spike eight percent versus 2010, on pace to become the most-watched season since the series moved to SPEED network in 2003.
- A.J. Allmendinger will have a new one-race primary sponsor down the stretch. AdvoCare, which had recently backed the No. 95 Cup car driven by David Starr will move over to Richard Petty Motorsports for October's race at Martinsville. The health and wellness company has also dabbled in backing entries in the Nationwide Series, Trucks, and appeared as the primary sponsor of Atlanta's Labor Day weekend Cup race.
- According to SceneDaily, sources say Jacques Villeneuve is among those interested in purchasing the former Red Bull Racing operation. The former Canadian F1 star, also an Indy 500 winner ran two Nationwide races this season for Roger Penske, finishing third at Elkhart Lake in June. Villeneuve, who had a Cup deal fall apart with Bill Davis a few years back is reportedly looking for investors that will leave him in the seat and allow him to share seat time with another driver.
- And just in the nick of time before posting... the Chase for the Sprint Cup got off to a soggy, slumping start on TV. Just 2.179 million watched Monday's Chicagoland event on ESPN, a paltry 1.8 Nielsen rating on par with other rain-delayed events this season on the network. However, that marks far below the 2.1 rating, 3.677 million audience who tuned in for New Hampshire's 2010 Chase kickoff last September.
Three of the last six Sprint Cup events have now been postponed a day or more due to rain.
Have news for Tom 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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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
by Brett Poirier
1
Laps Jeff Gordon and David Gilliland were each penalized for speeding down pit road at the end of Monday's race at Chicagoland.
1
Cautions caused by racing accidents on Monday at Chicagoland. There were six cautions in the race. The only caution for an accident came out when J.J. Yeley brushed the wall.
5
Top-5 finishes for Brad Keselowski in the last seven Sprint Cup Series races.
6
Top-5 finishes for Kevin Harvick in 11 starts at Chicagoland.
6
Top-5 finishes for Carl Edwards in seven starts in 2011 at tracks of 1.5 miles in length. Edwards finished fourth on Monday.
7
Victories for Tony Stewart in Chase races.
7th
Finishing position for Clint Bowyer at Chicagoland, the highest finishing non-Chase driver on Monday.
9
Top-10 finishes for Tony Stewart in 11 Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland; he picked up his third victory at the track on Monday.
13
Consecutive years Tony Stewart has visited Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series. Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace hold the modern-era record at 16.
14
Races since Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last scored a top-5 finish before finishing third on Monday.
16
Different drivers to win in 27 Sprint Cup Series races this season.
16.5
Average finishing position of Sprint Cup drivers following a win in the previous Sprint Cup race in 2011. After winning at Richmond, Kevin Harvick finished second at Chicagoland.
21st
Matt Kenseth's finishing position on Monday at Chicagoland. Kenseth ran out of gas on the final lap and was penalized for receiving assistance from another car, a loss of 17 positions after taking the white flag lap in fourth place.
40
Sprint Cup Series victories for Tony Stewart after winning at Chicagoland on Monday. Stewart tied Mark Martin for 16th on the all-time list.
41
Points separating Denny Hamlin (12th in points) from point leader Kevin Harvick. After one race, Hamlin trails by almost a whole race in the standings.
55
Top-10 finishes for Jimmie Johnson in 71 career Chase races. He was 10th on Monday.
1,031
Laps completed this season by Joe Nemechek through 27 Sprint Cup races. He ran 45 laps at Chicagoland and crossed the 1,000-lap plateau on his way to a 40th-place finish.
1,191
Laps led this season by Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series, a number that leads all drivers. He paced the field for seven laps and finished 22nd Monday at Chicagoland, meaning Busch has led in 20 of the first 27 races.
Brett Poirier is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at brett.poirier@frontstretch.com.
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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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Today's Featured Commentary
Note to RCR: No Need to Make Title Chase Harder
Full Throttle
by Mike Neff
Some of you older fans may remember the original primetime soap opera called Peyton Place. It was a show filled with people hopping from bed to bed, creating all sorts of deception and intrigue while hyping the drama in virtually every scene. Well, over the last few weeks we've seen the same thing happening over at KHI and RCR, and it keeps getting more and more interesting as the days go by. For the purposes of this article, we'll try and deal with what we know and not what the rumors are.
There are always adjustments going on in the garage area that change the dynamics of teams, but it seems like there have been quite a few of them swirling around the RCR / KHI group. The Clint Bowyer saga has been hanging over the RCR organization all season; however, the spotlight didn't shine on the team until Carl Edwards, the big free agent heading into 2012, inked his deal in early August. Once Edwards put his name on the dotted line, though, the media spotlight immediately switched to the Emporia, Kansas driver and seemed to cause the situation to go downhill. Bowyer and Childress appeared quite positive early in the year that they were going to get a deal done, but once they became the focal point, the pressure seemed to make things contentious.
In the last few weeks it has appeared, from the outside looking in, as though the parties have come to an impasse. Childress has been unable to secure sponsorship for Bowyer and the result is the deal can't be sealed. While Childress maintains he's still trying to put a package together on the No. 33 for next season, at this point it looks like Bowyer, packaged himself with 5-Hour Energy, is heading to Michael Waltrip Racing. Once again, another driver will not finish his career with the organization where he started.
While those negotiations were heading south, it was announced that Childress was releasing their pit crew coach after a difficult time by the No. 29 crew at Michigan in August. Matt Clark has been with the organization since 2008 and had put together and coached the pit crews for all Cup, Nationwide, Truck and ARCA teams that were racing in some form under the RCR umbrella. While pit crew difficulties happen for every team from time to time, they were amplified by the volatility of Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. While most organizations would have worked through the problems during the season, letting the coach go at the end of it, RCR made the decision in the middle of the year. They replaced Clark with Eric Wilson, who was the jackman for Harvick's crew and worked last year at Richard Petty Motorsports as both a jackman and pit crew coach.
The next act in the RCR / KHI play was the subtle statements by Kevin Harvick at Bristol that the landscape of KHI would be very different in 2012. That opened up the speculation about what that actually meant to the organization for next season. Within a couple of weeks, the announcement came out that KHI was basically shutting down. The Nationwide operation would be moved back to RCR, which had just moved the effort to KHI the year before, and the Truck operation would either shut down or be sold to someone else. One of the most successful teams in the Truck Series, who had set a record with five race wins in a row, was going to completely bail out of the sport despite its two championships. There are all sorts of questions swirling about the real reasons behind the move, but what we know for sure is 140 people are looking for work at this point in time in the Kernersville, NC area. There will hopefully be some opportunities at RCR, but Harvick could offer no guarantees.
Then, the battle for the Sprint Cup championship took center stage, RCR doing everything it can to put Harvick in position to succeed. That includes revamping his crew; now that Bowyer is most likely leaving the operation, his tire changers, carriers and jackman are once again being moved over to Harvick's team for the Chase. The same thing happened last year, only it was six races in once Bowyer, also involved in the playoff was effectively eliminated from title contention. Harvick is the big dog at RCR, there is no question about that, and his constant displeasure with his pit crew's performance most certainly gets him the pick of the litter - especially when he's the only driver in the Chase for the organization. Bowyer's status as a lame duck definitely didn't help in his efforts to keep his guys going over his wall.
Then, the latest chapter in the story came about Tuesday when the Competition Director at RCR parted ways with the company. Scott Miller had been in the role at RCR since 2009, an employee since 2004 and was actually working his second stint with the organization. Similar to the pit crew coach maneuver, it is odd for a team, especially one with a driver who is leading the point standings, to just let someone with that much power go just like that. Chemistry is a key in racing, not only between driver and crew chief, but also from top to bottom of an organization. Any disruption in the flow of people and work for a championship-contending team can throw the effort off balance, torpedoing the whole effort during a playoff where even one mulligan is sometimes too much.
So is leading the points for Harvick a major deception? Running for a championship is a dicey proposition that can take a wrong turn at any point, and any unnecessary waves can rock the boat enough to take it off course and prevent it from achieving its goal. The folks at RCR and KHI have thrown more than their fair share of rocks into the pond, causing some major ripples that are going to be hard to overcome by Harvick over the next nine races. He may be the man to beat right now, but the behind the scenes disruptions might make it very difficult for him to hold that position going forward.
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
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Tweet 'N' Greet
by Jay Pennell
Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Jay Pennell will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.
So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...
@AllWaltrip (Darrell Waltrip): what an awesome day, just got back from fishing, caught 8 big blue fish and a couple a strippers, a large time was had by all!
@CopaCavanna (Alan Cavanna): Awesome day or unfortunate error? RT @AllWaltrip: just got back from fishing, caught 8 big blue fish and a couple a strippers.
@jaywpennell: @AllWaltrip We need to go fishing some time...
@AllWaltrip: oops, that would be stripers, you know fish, good thing the girls was with me, that tweet could be problematic!
@jeff_gluck: I see a future sponsor promotion: "Win a fishing trip with @allwaltrip!" Seriously, every male NASCAR fan would apply.
@queers4gears (Queers4Gears): @jeff_gluck not every male fan
@stevewallace66: I wish 5 hour energy and clint bowyer good luck next year we are a nationwide team and they won't to go cup racing
@stevewallace66: 5 hour is a great company and has helped me greatly wish them the best of luck!!!!
@stevewallace66: My dad's team has alot of good stuff going on right now we will survive trust me!!! We are tuff!!!!!!!
@landoncassill: Dear #avis, I know I'm under 25 but I'd like approval to rent mid-sized suvs. I haven't crashed since daytona I'm a good driver I promise
@JimmieJohnson: I'm totally impressed with the fans up in the stands. Still raining and no start time in sight. #dedication
@odsteve (Steve O'Donnell): Sorry fans. We can't get it in, pouring rain right now. Have to call it. Really appreciate all the @ChicagolndSpdwy fans #loyal
@odsteve: For those asking, we start earlier on rain out to have as many hours as possible to get race in - next race factors in w/travel as well
@nascarcasm: Someone remind Kasey Kahne that speeding on pit road won't make the season end any faster. #RBR #nascar
@RTruex00 (Ryan Truex): Martin is leading and espn still doesnt say a word about him
@keselowski (Brad Keselowski): Haha Love it RT @fordmartin2: told my civics teacher i had to use restroom. was in bathroom for 15 min watching race...wow what a finish!!!"
@MonteDutton: #nascar Ol' Smoke, he cuts through traffic the same way he cuts through writers. He can do it all.
@jeff_gluck: Tony Stewart comes in and immediately calls media "idiots," says @DNewtonespn is the biggest one and notes @JennaFryer "can't shut up." Nice
@JennaFryer: Chuckles in the room when Darian says he sometimes has to convince Stewart his rah-rahs "aren't just blowing Smoke"
@matt_kenseth17: That was beyond frustrating. Running 50 laps half throttle and still running out of gas stinks. Hope we can race cars the next 9 weeks.
@matt_kenseth17: The no pushing on last lap rule has always been in effect, @NASCAR is right to penalize us. Just wish I would have thought about rule sooner
@matt_kenseth17: Also big thanks to @jjyeley1 for trying to help! Not a lot of guys would do that, and I appreciate it!
@matt_kenseth17: With all these fuel mileage races it might not be a bad idea to not allow pushing at any time during race.
@MartinTruexJr56: Fuel mileage races suck. Goodbye chicago
@keselowski: fuel mileage races like today's should all but go away with fuel injection next year. #saves4you @nateryan @jeff_gluck
@KevinHamlin: Everyone's bitching about a fuel mileage race. The racing for the lead looked great to me toward the end, with a little strategy mixed in.
@NASCARBowles (Tom Bowles): I saw enough of the GEICO caveman in, like, 2008. Oh well, at least he's not promoting his new TV sitcom #thatshiphassailed
@mw55 (Michael Waltrip): Mwr has had very productive conversations with Clint and a sponsor. Today, however, we are not in a position to make a formal announcement.
Jay Pennell is an Assistant Editor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at jaywpennell@yahoo.com, and you can also check out his work at allleftturns.com or jaywpennell.blogspot.com![]()
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Did You Notice? ... Pressing The Panic Button, NASCAR "Independents" And Quick Hits
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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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Numbers Game
by Brett Poirier
1
Laps Jeff Gordon and David Gilliland were each penalized for speeding down pit road at the end of Monday's race at Chicagoland.
1
Cautions caused by racing accidents on Monday at Chicagoland. There were six cautions in the race. The only caution for an accident came out when J.J. Yeley brushed the wall.
5
Top-5 finishes for Brad Keselowski in the last seven Sprint Cup Series races.
6
Top-5 finishes for Kevin Harvick in 11 starts at Chicagoland.
6
Top-5 finishes for Carl Edwards in seven starts in 2011 at tracks of 1.5 miles in length. Edwards finished fourth on Monday.
7
Victories for Tony Stewart in Chase races.
7th
Finishing position for Clint Bowyer at Chicagoland, the highest finishing non-Chase driver on Monday.
9
Top-10 finishes for Tony Stewart in 11 Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland; he picked up his third victory at the track on Monday.
13
Consecutive years Tony Stewart has visited Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series. Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace hold the modern-era record at 16.
14
Races since Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last scored a top-5 finish before finishing third on Monday.
16
Different drivers to win in 27 Sprint Cup Series races this season.
16.5
Average finishing position of Sprint Cup drivers following a win in the previous Sprint Cup race in 2011. After winning at Richmond, Kevin Harvick finished second at Chicagoland.
21st
Matt Kenseth's finishing position on Monday at Chicagoland. Kenseth ran out of gas on the final lap and was penalized for receiving assistance from another car, a loss of 17 positions after taking the white flag lap in fourth place.
40
Sprint Cup Series victories for Tony Stewart after winning at Chicagoland on Monday. Stewart tied Mark Martin for 16th on the all-time list.
41
Points separating Denny Hamlin (12th in points) from point leader Kevin Harvick. After one race, Hamlin trails by almost a whole race in the standings.
55
Top-10 finishes for Jimmie Johnson in 71 career Chase races. He was 10th on Monday.
1,031
Laps completed this season by Joe Nemechek through 27 Sprint Cup races. He ran 45 laps at Chicagoland and crossed the 1,000-lap plateau on his way to a 40th-place finish.
1,191
Laps led this season by Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series, a number that leads all drivers. He paced the field for seven laps and finished 22nd Monday at Chicagoland, meaning Busch has led in 20 of the first 27 races.
Brett Poirier is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at brett.poirier@frontstretch.com.
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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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Today's Featured Commentary
Note to RCR: No Need to Make Title Chase Harder
Full Throttle
by Mike Neff
Some of you older fans may remember the original primetime soap opera called Peyton Place. It was a show filled with people hopping from bed to bed, creating all sorts of deception and intrigue while hyping the drama in virtually every scene. Well, over the last few weeks we've seen the same thing happening over at KHI and RCR, and it keeps getting more and more interesting as the days go by. For the purposes of this article, we'll try and deal with what we know and not what the rumors are.
There are always adjustments going on in the garage area that change the dynamics of teams, but it seems like there have been quite a few of them swirling around the RCR / KHI group. The Clint Bowyer saga has been hanging over the RCR organization all season; however, the spotlight didn't shine on the team until Carl Edwards, the big free agent heading into 2012, inked his deal in early August. Once Edwards put his name on the dotted line, though, the media spotlight immediately switched to the Emporia, Kansas driver and seemed to cause the situation to go downhill. Bowyer and Childress appeared quite positive early in the year that they were going to get a deal done, but once they became the focal point, the pressure seemed to make things contentious.
In the last few weeks it has appeared, from the outside looking in, as though the parties have come to an impasse. Childress has been unable to secure sponsorship for Bowyer and the result is the deal can't be sealed. While Childress maintains he's still trying to put a package together on the No. 33 for next season, at this point it looks like Bowyer, packaged himself with 5-Hour Energy, is heading to Michael Waltrip Racing. Once again, another driver will not finish his career with the organization where he started.
While those negotiations were heading south, it was announced that Childress was releasing their pit crew coach after a difficult time by the No. 29 crew at Michigan in August. Matt Clark has been with the organization since 2008 and had put together and coached the pit crews for all Cup, Nationwide, Truck and ARCA teams that were racing in some form under the RCR umbrella. While pit crew difficulties happen for every team from time to time, they were amplified by the volatility of Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. While most organizations would have worked through the problems during the season, letting the coach go at the end of it, RCR made the decision in the middle of the year. They replaced Clark with Eric Wilson, who was the jackman for Harvick's crew and worked last year at Richard Petty Motorsports as both a jackman and pit crew coach.
The next act in the RCR / KHI play was the subtle statements by Kevin Harvick at Bristol that the landscape of KHI would be very different in 2012. That opened up the speculation about what that actually meant to the organization for next season. Within a couple of weeks, the announcement came out that KHI was basically shutting down. The Nationwide operation would be moved back to RCR, which had just moved the effort to KHI the year before, and the Truck operation would either shut down or be sold to someone else. One of the most successful teams in the Truck Series, who had set a record with five race wins in a row, was going to completely bail out of the sport despite its two championships. There are all sorts of questions swirling about the real reasons behind the move, but what we know for sure is 140 people are looking for work at this point in time in the Kernersville, NC area. There will hopefully be some opportunities at RCR, but Harvick could offer no guarantees.
Then, the battle for the Sprint Cup championship took center stage, RCR doing everything it can to put Harvick in position to succeed. That includes revamping his crew; now that Bowyer is most likely leaving the operation, his tire changers, carriers and jackman are once again being moved over to Harvick's team for the Chase. The same thing happened last year, only it was six races in once Bowyer, also involved in the playoff was effectively eliminated from title contention. Harvick is the big dog at RCR, there is no question about that, and his constant displeasure with his pit crew's performance most certainly gets him the pick of the litter - especially when he's the only driver in the Chase for the organization. Bowyer's status as a lame duck definitely didn't help in his efforts to keep his guys going over his wall.
Then, the latest chapter in the story came about Tuesday when the Competition Director at RCR parted ways with the company. Scott Miller had been in the role at RCR since 2009, an employee since 2004 and was actually working his second stint with the organization. Similar to the pit crew coach maneuver, it is odd for a team, especially one with a driver who is leading the point standings, to just let someone with that much power go just like that. Chemistry is a key in racing, not only between driver and crew chief, but also from top to bottom of an organization. Any disruption in the flow of people and work for a championship-contending team can throw the effort off balance, torpedoing the whole effort during a playoff where even one mulligan is sometimes too much.
So is leading the points for Harvick a major deception? Running for a championship is a dicey proposition that can take a wrong turn at any point, and any unnecessary waves can rock the boat enough to take it off course and prevent it from achieving its goal. The folks at RCR and KHI have thrown more than their fair share of rocks into the pond, causing some major ripples that are going to be hard to overcome by Harvick over the next nine races. He may be the man to beat right now, but the behind the scenes disruptions might make it very difficult for him to hold that position going forward.
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
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Tweet 'N' Greet
by Jay Pennell
Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Jay Pennell will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.
So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...
@AllWaltrip (Darrell Waltrip): what an awesome day, just got back from fishing, caught 8 big blue fish and a couple a strippers, a large time was had by all!
@CopaCavanna (Alan Cavanna): Awesome day or unfortunate error? RT @AllWaltrip: just got back from fishing, caught 8 big blue fish and a couple a strippers.
@jaywpennell: @AllWaltrip We need to go fishing some time...
@AllWaltrip: oops, that would be stripers, you know fish, good thing the girls was with me, that tweet could be problematic!
@jeff_gluck: I see a future sponsor promotion: "Win a fishing trip with @allwaltrip!" Seriously, every male NASCAR fan would apply.
@queers4gears (Queers4Gears): @jeff_gluck not every male fan
@stevewallace66: I wish 5 hour energy and clint bowyer good luck next year we are a nationwide team and they won't to go cup racing
@stevewallace66: 5 hour is a great company and has helped me greatly wish them the best of luck!!!!
@stevewallace66: My dad's team has alot of good stuff going on right now we will survive trust me!!! We are tuff!!!!!!!
@landoncassill: Dear #avis, I know I'm under 25 but I'd like approval to rent mid-sized suvs. I haven't crashed since daytona I'm a good driver I promise
@JimmieJohnson: I'm totally impressed with the fans up in the stands. Still raining and no start time in sight. #dedication
@odsteve (Steve O'Donnell): Sorry fans. We can't get it in, pouring rain right now. Have to call it. Really appreciate all the @ChicagolndSpdwy fans #loyal
@odsteve: For those asking, we start earlier on rain out to have as many hours as possible to get race in - next race factors in w/travel as well
@nascarcasm: Someone remind Kasey Kahne that speeding on pit road won't make the season end any faster. #RBR #nascar
@RTruex00 (Ryan Truex): Martin is leading and espn still doesnt say a word about him
@keselowski (Brad Keselowski): Haha Love it RT @fordmartin2: told my civics teacher i had to use restroom. was in bathroom for 15 min watching race...wow what a finish!!!"
@MonteDutton: #nascar Ol' Smoke, he cuts through traffic the same way he cuts through writers. He can do it all.
@jeff_gluck: Tony Stewart comes in and immediately calls media "idiots," says @DNewtonespn is the biggest one and notes @JennaFryer "can't shut up." Nice
@JennaFryer: Chuckles in the room when Darian says he sometimes has to convince Stewart his rah-rahs "aren't just blowing Smoke"
@matt_kenseth17: That was beyond frustrating. Running 50 laps half throttle and still running out of gas stinks. Hope we can race cars the next 9 weeks.
@matt_kenseth17: The no pushing on last lap rule has always been in effect, @NASCAR is right to penalize us. Just wish I would have thought about rule sooner
@matt_kenseth17: Also big thanks to @jjyeley1 for trying to help! Not a lot of guys would do that, and I appreciate it!
@matt_kenseth17: With all these fuel mileage races it might not be a bad idea to not allow pushing at any time during race.
@MartinTruexJr56: Fuel mileage races suck. Goodbye chicago
@keselowski: fuel mileage races like today's should all but go away with fuel injection next year. #saves4you @nateryan @jeff_gluck
@KevinHamlin: Everyone's bitching about a fuel mileage race. The racing for the lead looked great to me toward the end, with a little strategy mixed in.
@NASCARBowles (Tom Bowles): I saw enough of the GEICO caveman in, like, 2008. Oh well, at least he's not promoting his new TV sitcom #thatshiphassailed
@mw55 (Michael Waltrip): Mwr has had very productive conversations with Clint and a sponsor. Today, however, we are not in a position to make a formal announcement.
Jay Pennell is an Assistant Editor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at jaywpennell@yahoo.com, and you can also check out his work at allleftturns.com or jaywpennell.blogspot.com
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Did You Notice? ... Pressing The Panic Button, NASCAR "Independents" And Quick Hits
by Tom Bowles
Who's Hot / Who's Not in NASCAR: Chicago-Loudon Edition
by Summer Dreyer
Kyle Busch: Another Chase Calamity?
by Vito Pugliese
Peter Visconti: Sometimes, Dreams Do Come True
by Phil Allaway
Top Ten "Yeah, Right! Whatever You Say" Statements
by Jeff Meyer
Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Chicagoland
compiled by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Who's Hot / Who's Not in NASCAR: Chicago-Loudon Edition
by Summer Dreyer
Kyle Busch: Another Chase Calamity?
by Vito Pugliese
Peter Visconti: Sometimes, Dreams Do Come True
by Phil Allaway
Top Ten "Yeah, Right! Whatever You Say" Statements
by Jeff Meyer
Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Chicagoland
compiled by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the inaugural Slick 50 300 for the Cup Series at then-New Hampshire International Speedway, Jeff Burton made his debut driving a No. 0 Ford for FILMar Racing sponsored by TIC Financial. What was TIC Financial?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: Over the years, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been the scene of some quirky wrecks. Tony Kanaan's roll over in the MoveThatBlock.com 225 that was mentioned in yesterday's question is just one of them. In the 1994 Slick 50 200, current sports car racer Scott Sharp had a huge wreck exiting Turn 2. What happened?
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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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Shakedown Session by Brody Jones
-- What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points to Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan is back with our weekly edition of talking points that will set the stage for the second Chase race this coming weekend at New Hampshire.
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
The Mirror crew is at it again with more talking points to debate. Topics include who's in and out of the championship battle after Chase Race number one, where Clint Bowyer will end up, and more.
Going Green by Garrett Horton
Garrett's column has moved to Thursdays now, but it's still the same great commentary it has always been! This week, Garrett takes a look at the winners and losers of round one in the Chase.
Potts' Shots by John Potts
Fanning the Flames has become Potts' Shots, and John Potts is here to answer your questions in our weekly Fan Q & A. Do you have something you'd like to ask John? Don't sit on the sidelines! Send it to john.potts@frontstretch.com, and you just may see your question in print next week!
Fantasy Insider by Brett Poirier
Did your fantasy racing team take a hit at Chicagoland when so many drivers ran out of fuel? Well, Brett has just what you need to know to turn things around when choosing your teams for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
6th Column TBA by Mark Howell
Our professor of racing history "has at it" with another column pertinent to the sport at large.
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Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2011 Frontstretch.com
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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