The Frontstretch Newsletter: October 15th, 2011

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
October 15, 2011
Volume V, Edition CCXVIII

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NEW PODCAST! Don't forget our new FREE weekly audio segments hosted by Doug Turnbull. Click here for the October 14th edition that features Bobby Labonte as our main racing guest.

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Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup Practice #2

by Mike Neff

 

The second of three practice sessions for the Sprint Cup cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway wrapped up at 5:15 on Friday. Brad Keselowski set the fast time for the session on his first of 32 laps with a time of 28.810 seconds for a speed of 187.435 mph. Keselowski bested Kasey Kahne by .007 seconds.

 

Kahne's best lap was on his second of 27 laps in the session when he clocked a time of 28.817 seconds which is a speed of 187.389 mph. Third fastest in the practice was Ryan Newman who turned in a 28.836 second lap on his first of 34 laps, that is a speed of 187.266 mph. Kurt Busch turned the fourth fastest lap of the day with a time of 28.839 seconds for a speed of 187.246 mph. Tony Stewart rounded out the top 5 in the session and will start the Bank of America 500 on the pole. Stewart's lap was a 28.906 second lap that was equal to 186.812 mph.

 

The other Chase drivers in the second practice:

 

6) Kyle Busch – 28.915 – 186.754
7) Jimmie  Johnson – 28.944 – 186.567
10) Carl Edwards – 28.984 – 186.310
18) Kevin  Harvick – 28.984 – 186.310
19) Denny Hamlin – 29.016 – 186.104
20) Matt Kenseth – 29.084 – 185.669
24) Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 29.182 – 185.046
31) Jeff Gordon – 29.198 – 184.944

 

Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup Final Practice

 

The third and final practice session for the Sprint Cup cars wrapped up at Charlotte at 6:50 with Kasey Kahne on top of the speed chart with a 28.700 second lap for a speed of 188.153 mph on the 29th lap out of the 45 he ran. Second to Kahne was Paul Menard with a 28.738 second lap on the first of his 31 laps that was good for a speed of 187.905 mph. Greg Biffle clocked in third fastest on the second on his 35 laps with a 28.824 second lap for a speed of 187.344 mph. Fourth quick in the final practice was jimmie Johnson who turned in a 187.285 mph lap in 28.833 seconds on the 34th of the 52 laps he completed in the session. The final member of the fast five in the final session was Jeff Burton whose first lap on the track was a 28.855 second lap at a speed of 187.143 mph before he turned another 59 laps.

 

The other Chase drivers in the final practice:

 

6) Ryan Newman – 28.878 – 186.994
8) Jeff Gordon – 28.887 – 186.935
10) Kurt Busch – 28.894 – 186.890
13) Kyle Busch – 28.916 – 186.748
16) Tony Stewart – 28.938 – 186.606
18) Brad Keselowski – 28.941 – 186.587
19) Carl Edwards – 28.943 – 186.574
20) Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 28.952 – 186.516
22) Denny Hamlin – 28.966 – 186.425
25) Kevin Harvick – 29.005 – 186.175
26) Matt Kenseth – 29.006 – 186.168

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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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News and Notes: Charlotte
by Amy Henderson and Mike Neff

Kenny Wallace Ties Nationwide Series Record

 

When Kenny Wallace took the green flag for the Dollar General 300 Miles for Courage on Friday night, it marked the 519th time that Wallace has started a race in the series since making his debut in 1989. 

 

That number ties Jason Keller for the most in series history.

 

Wallace is 14th on the all-time NASCAR start list with 874 races across the three national touring divisions.  He has nine wins and 170 top-10 finishes in Nationwide Series competition and is a former Rookie of the Year and three-time Most Popular Driver in that series as well.  Wallace currently drives the No. 09 Toyotas of RAB racing.  He ran a special paint scheme at Charlotte with the names of nearly two thousand fans who each paid $20 for a piece of the race sponsorship.

 

TaxSlayer To Expand NASCAR Involvement

 

TaxSlayer.com announced Friday that the company will sponsor a total of 14 Nationwide Series races for JR Motorsports in 2012, including twelve races with Aric Almirola and a pair with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Daytona and Bristol.

 

In addition to the sponsorship of the racecars, TaxSlayer announced that they will sponsor the TaxSlayer.com Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence, which award motorsports journalists in several categories for capturing "the passion, excitement, and compelling stories of motorsports."  The winner in each category will receive a special plaque and a $1,000 donation to the charity of that journalist's choice.

 

Kid's Dental Health a Focus at Charlotte Thanks to ADA and Greg Biffle

 

The American Dental Association, Henry Schein, Inc. and 3M ESIPE are teaming up with Greg Biffle and Roush Fenway racing to promote dental health for kids this weekend during the Bank of America 500. Biffle's No. 16 car and uniform will be sporting a Give Kids a Smile logo while the program will be giving free dental evaluations in the "Kid Zone" next to the "Fan Zone" outside of the track on Saturday from  11:00 AM through 4:00 PM.

 

Volunteer dentists and other dental professionals will provide underserved children free  dental evaluations, fluoride treatments, and  dental sealants at this unique event. Children will receive digital X-rays embedded in a wristband as their badge of honor for participating. The event also is an advance celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Give Kids a Smile program next year. This event follows the oral health car education event held March 12th during NASCAR Speedfest at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 7,000 children participated in that event, receiving a "Speedfest Kit" that included a oral

health tip card, a toothbrush, Colgate toothpaste and Henry Schein dental floss.

 

In its ninth year the Give Kids a Smile program has had more than 12,000 dentists participate nationwide, providing free oral health care to more than 400,000 underserved kids.

 

Flying J Truck Challenge Winners Announced

 

For the eighth year in a row the Pilot Flying J Travel Centers sponsored the Truck Driver Challenge for the hauler drivers and support drivers in NASCAR. The drivers competed in four different "chicanes" during the season at Darlington, Bristol and twice at Charlotte. The drivers combined results in three of the chicanes, along with their results in written quizzes determined where they finished. Jamie "Montana" Price, the driver for Kyle Busch, was the overall winner who took home the $50,000 champion's check. Tom McCrimmon, driver for Joey Logano was the second place finisher while Glen  Shano was the last driver on the podium.

 

Price has been driving a hauler for nine seasons and has been driving trucks since  he  grew up on a  farm in Montana 30 years ago. This was the first year he competed in  the Driver Challenge.  "This is an incredible honor to win this competition against so many great drivers," said Price. "It is unbelievable getting to work for Joe Gibbs Racing. It is like a  family that is made up of winners. You are surrounded by great people and it makes winning easier."

 

McCrimmon has been driving haulers for JGR for six years and driving trucks for 25 years. He started in NASCAR as a mechanic for Darrell Waltrip who helped with truck driving because he had the license to do it. Shano has been driving for Michael Waltrip Racing for four years and driving trucks since 2004. Before that he was a homebuilder in San Diego who was involved with racing his whole life thanks to his dad who raced in Canada, California and the Carolinas.

 

New Sprint Cup team announced for 2012

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup garage is going to have a new team present in 2012 for at least part of the schedule as Sinica Motorsports is going to attempt to make a foray into the top level of stock car racing. George Sinica and Jason Miles are co-owners of the venture that is going to offer Grant Enfinger his first opportunity to compete in the Cup series. Sinica will be the first Latin American car owner in Sprint Cup.

 

The team will field Chevrolets, some garnered from Richard Childress Racing with engines from ECR and Pro Motors. They plan to run 10-15 races at this point but will do more if sponsorship can be secured. Sinica plans to run full races, it is not going to be a start and park operation.

 

Allen Wellman will be the crew chief for the team. He owns B.W. Race Cars in Fallston, NC. They currently have six full-time employees but are looking for fill more positions quickly. The organization is going to attempt to run one to three races before the end of the2011 season to allow Enfinger to get some seat time in a Cup car before Daytona in February.

 

The team has a relationship with a past Cup series champion that will be utilized if the team needs to ensure they will make races via the past champion's provisional.

 

Joe Gibbs Racing and Sunoco Providing Local Drivers a Chance at a "Big League" Test

 

The Sunoco Driven Challenge, developed by Joe Gibbs Racing and Sunoco is going to provide local drivers from across the country the opportunity to compete for a chance to test with one of NASCAR's top organizations. Drivers in five different racing series will accumulate points in a unique system throughout the 2012 racing season to determine the ultimate winner of the Challenge. The top point scorer will receive a test with Joe Gibbs Racing in a K&N Pro Series car at the conclusion of the season, a tour of JGR's Huntersville headquarters and a meeting with J.D. Gibbs, the president of JGR.

In addition to the driver a lucky fan and a guest will join in on the driver's experience with all of the expenses paid on a trip to Charlotte. In Charlotte they will tour the JGR race shop, meet J.D. Gibbs, and attend the test session. Prizes will include Joe Gibbs Driven oil products, Sunoco fuel, and the opportunity to attend a driving school.

 

To be eligible to win the competition the drivers must be entered in one of the following grassroots series: PASS North, PASS South, CRA, ASA Midwest Tour or SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series. Each week the points will be totaled based on a driver's finish in their respective series' race and once each series concludes its season a winner will be determined. Drivers will be evaluated on a standardized point system with the top 10 drivers in each race, as well as the pole sitter, earning points. Points will then accumulate across the season and will be standardized based on the total number of races in each series. The driver with the highest average number of points at the end of the season will be named the Sunoco Driven Challenge Champion and win the grand prize.

Hornaday Scores First Pole of Season in Las Vegas
by Beth Lunkenheimer

Ron Hornaday, Jr. scored his first pole of the season when he beat out point leader Austin Dillon by a slim 0.046 seconds in Friday's qualifying session. The driver of the No. 2 Champion Chevrolet posted a 176.056 mph lap in 30.672 sec. Rookie Parker Kilgerman starts third, scoring his sixth top 5 qualifying spot this season. Teammates Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton round out the top 5.

The pole is Hornaday's second at the 1.5-mile track, however he still remains winless in ten starts. In 2008, the veteran started on the pole and led just one lap en route to a fifth-place finish.

James Buescher, who trails Dillon by just three points in the standings starts sixth. Rookie Nelso Piquet, Jr and Brian Ickler fill in the fourth row, and Ricky Carmichael and Rookie Miguel Paludo round out the top 10. With only 34 trucks on the entry list, every team that turned a lap made the field.

Editor's Note: Did you miss the live coverage from Charlotte Motor Speedway today? You can keep yourself up to date all weekend long with Mike Neff and Amy Henderson live at the track on Twitter (@thefrontstretch) and in our Breaking News Box on the main page.

Friday's Live Updates:

Four Nationwide Stars Have Extra Incentive Friday Night
Sinica Motorsports Entering Cup Series in 2012

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 special 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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Edwards Wins Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage

by Mike Neff

 

Carl Edwards took advantage of a push from his teammate Trevor Bayne on a late race restart to pull ahead of Kyle Busch and held on to win the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Edwards only led the race one time for the final five laps en route to the victory. The No. 99 beat Busch's No. 18 to the finish line by .223 seconds. Trevor Bayne in his No. 16 held onto third place after pushing Edwards to the lead. Elliott Sadler and Brian Scott rounded out the top 5.

 

Brad Keselowski rebounded from a flat tire to come home in sixth place after leading a race high 119 laps. Justin Allgaier crossed the finish line in seventh ahead of pole sitter Paul Menard. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. kept his points lead with a ninth-place finish as he floundered at the end of the race and Brian Vickers rounded out the top 10.

 

The victory was Edwards' 37th career win, trailing only Busch and Mark Martin on the all-time wins list. This was his eighth win of the 2011 season and 24th top-10 finish of the year. This marks the second time that he has taken home the trophy from Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Nationwide Series.

 

"Trevor was behind me, so that's what got me the lead," Edwards said. "That meant a lot. He could have gone three-wide so this is huge. I hit the wall really hard (early in the race) and messed the right side of the car up, but it's a big week for Ford. It's the 110th anniversary of Ford Racing."

 

Busch was not very talkative after the race but did have an opinion of why he didn't get the win. "I got out-motored and didn't have enough under the hood," he said. "Unfortunately the Toyotas don't have enough horsepower."

 

Sadler was the highest finishing driver in the Nationwide "Dash for Cash" in the final race of the promotion and took home an extra $100,000 for the effort, along with a lucky fan – Joe Thornton.

"It's a thrill just to come to the races, but to win the $100,000 I'm speechless," said Thornton, 61 of New Port Richey, Florida. "I don't know what we're going to do with it, my wife wants to pay the house off. We'll see. It's just unbelievable."

 

Sadler was also pleased with the finish of the race in relation to Stenhouse.

"We chipped away at it a little bit. I think we got five points tonight. If we can do that every race we'll be right there at Homestead." 

 

Keselowski was realistic in his post race quotes.

"It wasn't meant to be today. The Discount Tire Dodge Challenger was fast. We had a shot at winning today and just ran over something while leading and cut down the right rear tire. I was still able to get up to sixth on those last restarts from 13th which I guess was okay. Honestly, I felt like if I had a couple more cracks at it, I could have got back up to the lead. Just wrong place, wrong time. One of those days."

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. holds a 15-point lead over Elliott Sadler. Aric Almirola and Justin Allgaier each moved up a spot and find themselves separated by a mere four points. Reed Sorenson rounds out the top 5, down two spots since being released from his No. 32 Turner Motorsports ride just under two weeks ago.

 

Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for The Frontstretch.  You can contact him at mike.neff@frontstretch.com .

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Today's Featured Commentary

Nationwide Series is a Classic Worth Restoring, Not Scrapping

by Amy Henderson

 

"It should go away.  Its time has passed."

 

"Obsolete."

 

"Who needs it?"

 

Words like these have been bandied around recently, and while you might think they were about that hulking beast of an ancient desktop computer or yesterday's model of cell phone, the words are aimed at something much bigger…something that we can't afford to toss aside like an outgrown toy.

 

The NASCAR Nationwide Series.

 

That's right.  There are those (and growing in numbers, if recent comments are any indication) who would like to see the series scrapped, making the Camping World Truck Series the premier development series in the sport.  The reasoning is that the series has become nothing more than Cup Lite, drawn away from its roots and intentions so far that it cannot turn back.  That it has no purpose in today's NASCAR.  That its time has passed.

 

Those people are wrong.

 

The series is necessary to NASCAR's health as a whole, providing driver development on a level that the Truck Series can't, in cars that are much closer to their Cup counterparts aerodynamically.  It's also been the home of several veteran racers who did not choose to race in the Cup Series for a variety of reasons. The series is a valuable addition to the sport.

 

Like a vintage automobile, the series doesn't need the junk heap, it needs fixing, one piece at a time, until it's a viable entity of its own right.  And like the restoration of that aging automobile, it will cost both time and money to make it right. 

 

Which is true of quality workmanship in any capacity.  Replacing a broken foundation can't be done in a single day; in fact, it takes many smaller steps to complete the job so that the structure on top is sound.  While NASCAR, and many fans, don't want to hear it, the first repair is to limit the participation of Cup drivers and owners.  Not to say that a Cup owner shouldn't field a development team, but rather that is _all_ they should be allowed to field.  Cup drivers should be limited in both the number of races they run and in the tracks at which they can run. Five to eight races, to be run only at tracks where the driver does not have a Sprint Cup race win, and with no more than three or four Cup drivers in a single race would give the younger drivers the experience of racing with the Cup guys while giving them the chance to race for wins and championships without having drivers with more experience and five times the money bowl them over week after week.

 

In order for such a measure to work, there needs to be a massive overhaul of the series' marketing strategy.  The series needs and deserves heavy promotion that is clearly separate from other series.  Race fans need to know the drivers, to see them for the lion's share of the television broadcasts, or they will lose interest.  If the Nationwide drivers got similar exposure to the Cup boys, many of them would be equally popular.  NASCAR needs to work with broadcasters, sponsors, and tracks to make that happen.

The schedule also must be adjusted to make the series viable again.  The series was once a short track series, less of a development series for Cup and more of its own entity.  These days, there needs to be a balance.  The days of running at Myrtle Beach and South Boston are gone, but the series needs more stand alone events at a wide variety of tracks. The series should include more races at tracks a mile or less in length, but some races on the bigger tracks are important as well, because the young drivers do need to gain the experience on those tracks if they are to become Cup drivers; they simply will not be given the time to learn them in their early Cup careers in today's environment, so they do need to be prepared somewhat.  That's not to say they should always run those tracks in conjunction with the Cup Series; some stand-alone races would be beneficial as well.

 

This is a series worth fixing for so many reasons.  Hundreds of people's livelihoods are wrapped up in it as is so much of NASCAR's history.  The series does have its own heroes and villains, and it's up to NASCAR to showcase them in order that the fans will want to take the time to get to know them.  The onus is on us all, from NASCAR, to sponsors, to television and radio broadcasters, the media, and race fans.

 

Just like that classic car, it's worth restoring the Nationwide Series because underneath the tarnished exterior is something worth saving, something special that should never be lost to time.  The time to step up is now, and the step has to come from every side.  A classic is worth that.  The Nationwide Series is worth it.

 

Amy Henderson is a Senior Editor for the Frontstretch.  You can contact her by emailing her at amy.henderson@frontstretch.com .

 

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Hey Frontstretch Readers!
Did you know The Frontstretch has a weekly podcast? Hosted by Doug Turnbull, the latest podcast comes out every Friday. This week, Doug and columnist Mike Neff break down who needs the best run at Charlotte, the roadblocks standing in the way of the 2012 Nationwide and Truck Series schedules and much more! Check it out here!

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Is the Rumor Mill Grinding the No. 22 to a Halt in the Chase?

by Amy Henderson

Sunday Money Sponsored Column: An Honorable A-"Ward" - Special Mechanic Heads NASCAR Contingency Winners
by Tom Bowles

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q: In addition to the NASCAR and IRL events, Charlotte Motor Speedway used to host a somewhat successful International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) event on the infield road course. How did the Camel GT drivers describe the 2.25-mile course that was being used?

Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

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:
-- Bank of America 500 Race Recap by TBA
-- Running Their Mouth: Bank of America 500 by Brody Jones
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
 
Monday on the Frontstretch:

Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Bank of America 500 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Saturday night's action from the Charlotte.

David vs. Goliath 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 Saturday's race from Charlotte.

Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Kansas.

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 from Kansas.

Big Six: Bank of America 500 by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving the fourth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing at Charlotte.

Nationwide Series Breakdown: Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage by TBA
We'll have all the post-race analysis you need after Friday night's Nationwide Series race from Charlotte.

Tracking the Trucks: Smith's 350 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth has all the post-race analysis you need after Saturday afternoon's Camping World Truck Series race from Las Vegas.

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