The Frontstretch Newsletter: Rolex 24 Wrapup

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 30th, 2012
Volume V, Edition X

News of Note: Services for Dr. Joseph Mattioli were held today. A special version of the Frontstretch Newsletter will have an update as the Pocono patriarch was put to rest with his final viewing and burial in Northeast Pennsylvania.
 
Rolex Sports Car Series Recap: Allmendinger Leads Michael Shank Racing to Overall Victory at Rolex 24
by Phil Allaway

Going into this past weekend's 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, the biggest stories were the new cars in the Daytona Prototype and Grand Touring classes, and the large field of GT cars (46 in all, although only 44 took the green flag).  After the January open testing session, the consensus was that the Riley's were a little off the pace and that the Corvette DP's would stomp the field.

That did not turn out to be the case.

Ryan Dalziel qualified a Ford-powered Riley DPG3 on pole and beat out the best of the Corvette DP's to do it.  Once the race started, Dalziel drove off to a comfortable advantage over the pack.  However, a couple of the Corvette DP's had immediate issues.  Darren Law brought the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP to the pits at the end of the first lap with a misfire in the engine.  The crew facilitated a quick fix, but the car was off of the lead lap and out of any real contention.  Less than a half-hour later, the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette DP driven by Max Angelelli also suffered engine problems and went to the garage for a fix.  After a short stay, the car went back out, but the problem remained.  After a couple of hours of repairs, the car was officially parked for the event, a soul-crushing disappointment for a team that most felt had the fastest car.

Dalziel led until the first round of stops, when he got out and Enzo Potolicchio got in.  Once the stops were over, the No. 8 maintained the lead, but was under heavy pressure from Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP, eventually ceding the lead three laps later.

Throughout the early going, the vast majority of the DP class was able to stay on the lead lap and remain in contention.  However, once darkness fell over Daytona, problems began to take their toll.  The No. 99 Corvette DP lost significant time after a rock punctured the radiator.  Later on, the water pump belt failed, resulting in a long stay in the garage area for repairs.  In the 12th hour, the Krohn Racing No. 76 went to the garage to replace the rear end.  The Spirit of Daytona No. 90 also spent significant time in the garage.  After returning to the race, Gurney later stuffed the No. 99 into the tires, necessitating a full course yellow to extricate him from the wreckage.

In the end, the race ended up being a fight between the pole-sitting No. 8 Starworks Motorsports Ford Riley DPG3 shared by Dalziel, Potolicchio, Lucas Luhr, Allan McNish and Alex Popow versus the similar No. 60 for Michael Shank Racing shared by AJ Allmendinger, Justin Wilson, Ozz Negri, Jr. and John Pew. The two BMW Riley DPG3's, running for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates also remained within striking distance.

These four teams swapped the lead back and forth throughout the race.  Eventually, the two Ganassi cars ran into problems; firstly, the No. 02 entry with bad pit stops during the night that dropped them off the lead lap.  However, the No. 01 was still right in contention until the last hour of the race.  After making their last pit stop, driver Scott Pruett appeared to stall the car.  Unfortunately, what really happened was that he ripped first and second gear out of the car while trying to restart after coming off the air jacks.  A stop-and-go penalty for speeding on pit road and another stop for a new gear cluster dropped the No. 01 right out of contention.  They would eventually finish sixth, four laps down.

As a result, the final hours of the race constituted a massive duel between the No. 8 Starworks Ford Riley (after having survived some contact at the Bus Stop in Hour 18) and the No. 60 MSR Ford Riley.  When Allan McNish was in the No. 8, the racing became a little rough.  With a couple of hours to go, A.J. Allmendinger attempted to pass on the outside entering the Infield for the lead.  McNish raced Allmendinger hard, nearly pushing him off the road to maintain the advantage.  A little later, Allmendinger got on the inside of McNish exiting the Infield and the two exchanged at least two side-bumps in Turn 2 on the tri-oval before getting past.  This move elicited gasps from the assembled crowd.  Allmendinger was able to take the position away, and an unrelated full course yellow for debris came out just afterwards that warded off additional contact.

Eventually, the hard pace took a toll on the No. 8 and the car eventually began to drop back.  During the final segment of the race, Dalziel was given the the task of chasing down and passing Allmendinger for the win.  But Allmendinger spent the last hour of the race turning in a series of qualifying-like laps, a frenetic speed making it impossible for anyone to catch up.

Allmendinger brought the No. 60 LiveOn.org Ford Riley DPG3 home to claim the first victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona for Michael Shank Racing.  Following the race, Allmendinger was very pleased to be able to pick up the victory for the team, a great award after seven years of trying.

"Michael Shank Racing has gone through a lot to get to this point.  It's really cool not only win the race, but to have... all the guys that have worked really hard to make it possible," Allmendinger said.  "Its the same group of guys that I've seen for the last seven years.  Its a small group of guys that Mike [Shank] puts together and they work their butts off."

Behind the winning No. 60, Starworks Motorsports' No. 8 held on for second with the driving team of Dalziel, McNish, Lucas Luhr, Enzo Potolicchio, and Alex Popow.  The problems on the No. 01 allowed the second Michael Shank Racing entry, the No. 6 Ford Riley Mk XX driven by Michael McDowell, Jorge Goncalvez, Gustavo Yacaman and British Formula 3 Champion Felipe Nasr, to round out the podium.  The Ganassi-owned No. 02 BMW Riley DPG3 driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti finished fourth, unable to get back the laps that they lost.  The Action Express Racing No. 5 Corvette DP, which ran all but flawlessly after the engine misfire at the start, rounded out the top-5.

In the GT class, it was a Porsche show for almost the entire race.  At one point, Porsche 911 GT3's took up the first six places in GT.  The No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche driven by Marc Lieb, Leh Keen, Andrew Davis and Hurley Haywood started from pole and was particularly strong, at one point having a full lap over the rest of the class.  However, power steering issues, untimely cautions and bad pit strategy did them in.  Their misfortune allowed the No. 44 Porsche 911 GT3 for Magnus Racing, driven by Andy Lally, Richard Lietz, Rene Rast and team co-owner John Potter to claim the class victory.  It is the first-ever Rolex Sports Car Series victory for Magnus Racing.

After the race, lead driver Andy Lally was particularly pleased to be able to claim the class victory in his debut with Magnus Racing in such a tough and competitive race.

"I don't think anybody is going to win a race like this ever again," Lally said.  "It was said all month long leading up to this as the entry list grew and grew and grew that we had nine different makes of cars and world champions from all over the world, from Formula 1 to NASCAR to IndyCars to international sports car endurance superheroes, factory Porsche kits like these guys that just fly around like under qualifying speed laps, and it was pretty cool for Magnus Racing.  I'm sure the whole entire crew is proud and entitled to a lot of celebration tonight. "

Behind the No. 44 were the defending champions TRG with their No. 67 and drivers Wolf Henzler, Marc Goossens, Spencer Pumpelly, Steven Bertheau and Jeroen Bleekemolen.  Completing the podium was the Brumos No. 59.  As as far as fan favorites were concerned, the No. 40 for Dempsey Racing was never in contention during the event because the competition was that much tougher than last year.  Still, the Mazda RX-8 finished tenth in class with the driver lineup of Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Tom Long, Charles Espenlaub and late addition Charles Putnam.  Also, the No. 56 AF-Waltrip Ferrari was fairly strong early on with Rui Aguas in the car, but steadily dropped back to a 22nd-place finish in GT with Aguas, Michael Waltrip, Rob Kauffman and Travis Pastrana driving.  The effort was slowed by a stint in the garage late in the race and a spin into the tires by Waltrip in the closing minutes.

Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip. 

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Remembering Doc Mattioli: A Legacy Beyond the Racetrack
by Tony Lumbis

Just in case you missed them, we have completed our annual Driver Reviews. If you'd like to review them, JUST HEAD HERE AND YOU'LL FIND THEM ALL LISTED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q:  In 2002, Doran Racing won the last Rolex 24 at Daytona before the introduction of the Daytona Prototype formula.  What car did the team field, and what engine were they using?

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

Last Monday's Answer:

Q:  There have been quite a few Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers over the past nine seasons.  However, the manufacturer whose Daytona Prototype was used the least in the Rolex Sports Car Series was Chase.  What car was the Chase designed to look like?

A:  The Chase was designed to look like the Mosler MT900R, a car that had previously raced in the Rolex Sports Car Series in the GT and GTS classes.  The car never ran full-time in the series and only a couple of examples were even raced at all.

 

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!
 
Coming Tuesday, January 31st in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Alterações na Política de Privacidade e nos Termos de Serviço do Google

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Caro usuário do Google, Estamos substituindo mais de 60 políticas de privacidade diferentes do Google por uma política mais concisa e fácil de ler. A nova política abrange vários produtos e recursos, refletindo nosso objetivo de criar uma experiência extremamente simples e intuitiva em todos os produtos do Google. Isto é importante. Assim, dedique alguns minutos para ler as versões atualizadas da nossa Política de Privacidade e dos nossos Termos de Serviço em http://www.google.com/policies. Estas mudanças entrarão em vigor no dia 1º de março de 2012.
Uma política, uma experiência no Google
Fácil de trabalhar em vários produtos Nossa nova política reflete nosso desejo de criar uma experiência de produto simples, que ofereça o que você precisar, quando você quiser. Seja ao ler um e-mail que o faça lembrar de marcar um encontro familiar ou encontrar um vídeo favorito que você queira compartilhar, queremos que você possa utilizar com facilidade o Gmail, o Google Agenda, a ferramenta de pesquisa, o YouTube ou o que mais você quiser.		Sob medida para você Se você fizer login no Google, podemos sugerir consultas de pesquisa ou adequar os resultados da pesquisa de acordo com os interesses que você expressou no Google+, Gmail e YouTube. Assim, poderemos compreender melhor qual versão do Pink ou Jaguar você está pesquisando e oferecer esses resultados com mais rapidez.		Compartilhar e colaborar é fácil Ao postar ou criar um documento on-line, é provável que você queira que outras pessoas o vejam e contribuam. Ao lembrar as informações de contato das pessoas com quem você deseja compartilhar, facilitamos seu compartilhamento em qualquer produto ou serviço do Google com o mínimo de cliques e erros.
A proteção de sua privacidade não mudou. Nosso objetivo é fornecer a você o máximo de transparência e de escolha possível, por meio de produtos como Google Dashboard e Gerenciador de preferências de anúncios entre outras ferramentas. Nossos princípios de privacidade permanecem os mesmos. Ainda, nunca venderemos nem compartilharemos suas informações profissionais sem sua permissão (a não ser em raras circunstâncias, como solicitações legais legítimas).		Alguma dúvida? Temos a resposta. Visite nossas Perguntas frequentes em http://www.google.com/policies/faq para saber mais sobre estas mudanças. (Imaginamos que nossos usuários podem ter uma pergunta ou vinte e duas.)
Aviso de alteração A nova Política de Privacidade e os novos Termos de Serviço do entrarão em vigor em 1º de março de 2012. Se optar por continuar usando o Google assim que a alteração ocorrer, você fará isso de acordo com a nova Política de Privacidade e os Termos de Serviço. Não responda a este e-mail. Respostas enviadas para este endereço não serão respondidas. Nunca insira sua senha após abrir um link que aponte para um site não confiável. Em vez disso, acesse diretamente o site, como mail.google.com ou www.google.com/accounts. O Google nunca mandará um e-mail pedindo sua senha ou outra informação confidencial.

The Frontstretch Newsletter SPECIAL EDITION: January 28th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 28th, 2012
Volume V, Edition IX

Remember: be sure to check out Frontstretch.com's Breaking News on the website, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and Phil Allaway's Twitter @Critic84 for all the latest on the Rolex 24!

Continential Tire Sports Car Challenge Recap: Roush Performance Takes BMW Performance 200
by Phil Allaway

For the past couple of years, Roush Fenway Racing's No. 61 has not had the best of luck at Daytona.  In 2010, a mechanical failure resulted in a 37th-place finish in class.  Last year, Jack Roush, Jr. overshot Turn 1 and crashed early in the race.  Teammate Billy Johnson did not even get into the car.

However, this year, the team was ready.  Teammate Shelby Blackstock took the pole in the No. 51, while Roush, Jr. qualified on the outside pole.  However, just like in NASCAR, the draft is strong at Daytona, even in the rain.  When the race started, the two Fords were swept up by the No. 01 CKS Autosport Camaro driven by Eric Curran and the No. 55 Multimatic Aston Martin driven by Joe Foster.  Blackstock and Roush, Jr. ended up fifth and sixth after the first lap.

Curran led the race until he stopped on Lap 11 to change to dry tires.  Shortly afterwards, the yellow came out, bringing the rest of the field to pit road and Curran eventually regained the lead.

In the Street Tuner class, Andy Lally led the field to green in his Kia Forte Koup and was unchallenged for the first few laps.  However, just before the first yellow, Lally was overtaken for the lead by David Levine in the No. 81 Bimmerworld BMW 328i.

The yellow flags played a substantial role in the overall outcome of the event.  Teams would choose to go off-sequence with the leaders in order to put themselves higher up in the order.  During the third full course yellow, all of the leaders pitted, allowing David Empringham to take the lead in the No. 83 Porsche 997, followed by the No. 35 Subaru Impreza WRX-Sti of Andrew Aquilante and Dean Martin in the No. 52 Ford Mustang.

On the restart, Empringham pulled away while Martin and Aquilante fought hard for second.  However, another yellow for separate crashes involving Terry Borcheller's BMW 128i, Kyle Gimple's Mini Cooper S and James Gue's brand-new Ford Focus ST-R brought the drivers up front back to pit road.

These stops gave the lead to Billy Johnson, Jack Roush, Jr.'s co-driver in the No. 61 Ford Mustang 302R, while a fleet of BMW M3's chased behind.  From then on, Johnson fought to keep the M3's from Fall-Line Motorsports, Rum Bum Racing and Turner Motorsport from getting past.  After one last yellow, Johnson was able to hold off the three Fall-Line BMW's to claim Roush Fenway Racing's first victory in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Daytona.

Following the race, Johnson was relieved to get over the team's past issues at Daytona to take the win.

"Its great to be able to finish this race first after not being able to finish it the last two years," Johnson said.  "To be able to come back and...start off the season on a good note rather than in a hole with zero points is just huge.  Its going to change everything going forward for the rest of the season."

Behind Johnson and Roush, Jr. was the pairing of Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putnam in second.  Their teammates Bryan Sellers and Mark Boden brought the No. 46 for Fall-Line home in third.  Al Carter and Hugh Plumb finished fourth in another Fall-Line BMW, while the Rum Bum No. 13 of Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi, who had won the race the previous two years, rounded out the top-5.

Michael Marsal and Boris Said finished sixth, while their teammates Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana were right behind in seventh.  Lucas Luhr and Alex Popow drove the No. 02 Mustang for Starworks to an eighth-place finish, while Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio in another Starworks Mustang finished ninth.  The pole-sitting No. 51 Mustang of Shelby Blackstock and Jade Buford rounded out the top-10.

Meanwhile, if you were looking for a place to see tandem drafting now that NASCAR is trying to rid Sprint Cup of it, the Street Tuner class was the place to look.  Pierre Kleinubing was literally pushed past Greg Liefooghe to the lead with one lap to go by Nic Jonsson (Lally's teammate).  Over the final lap, Kleinubing's i-Moto Mazdaspeed 3 and Jonsson's Kia fought hard, even having contact while racing to the finish.  The contact between Jonsson and Kleinubing cost Jonsson some momentum, which allows Kleinubing to beat Jonsson by a mere seven thousandths of a second to take the Street Tuner victory.

After the race, Kleinubing was happy for the help that he received from Jonsson to help him win.
"Nic [Jonsson] gave me a big push so that I could get by [Liefooghe]," Kleinubing said.  "Once we got side-by-side, we rubbed a bit and that slowed [Jonsson's] momentum and that allowed me to get by again."

Greg Liefooghe and David Levine held on to finish third in a BMW 330i.  Taylor Hacquard and Glenn Bocchino in another i-Moto Mazdaspeed 3 were fourth, while Tom Dyer and Izzy Sanchez, Jr. in the third i-Moto Mazda rounded out the top-5.

Jesse Combs and Jeff Mosing's BMW 330i was sixth in ST, while Kevin Gleason and Robert Stout were seventh.  John Capestro-Dubets and team owner James Clay in the second Bimmerworld BMW 330i was eighth, while Cory Friedman and Mac McGehee in a Porsche Boxster were ninth.  The BMW 128i of Ryan Ellis and Tyler McQuarrie rounded out the top-10.

Top News
by Phil Allaway

A.J. Foyt to Miss Rolex 24, Sir Jackie to Sub

A.J. Foyt, the 77-year old former overall winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona who was supposed to serve as the Grand Marshal for today's Rolex 24 at Daytona, was forced to pull out of his role on Friday.  The reason is due to Foyt being hospitalized in Houston, Texas for complications, specifically an infection, resulting from a recent knee surgery.  He is expected to make a full recovery.

Foyt issued a statement on Friday stating why he could be in Daytona to fulfill his Grand Marshal duties.

"I am really sorry that I can't be there this weekend for the Rolex 24," Foyt said.  "I was really looking forward to it because I thought it was a great honor to be asked to be the Grand Marshal of the 50th Anniversary of tht race and considered it to be one of the great highlights of my career.  I feel so bad that I let everyone down.  I was also looking forward to seeing some of my old friends and the race cars that I drove in that race.  It was going to be a really fun weekend for me, but I guess I'll be watching the race from my hospital room- yep the doctors pulled rank on me.  And I hate to admit, but I think they're right--this time.  I'd like to wish everyone a safe race and I'll be with you in spirit."

This morning, Grand-Am announced that Sir Jackie Stewart will take Foyt's place as Grand Marshal.  Stewart spoke about the honor earlier today.

"I'm delighted to be the honorary official to start the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24, but I'm so sorry the great A.J. couldn't be with us today," Stewart said.  "It's also wonderful to see so many international drivers here to compete in this historic Rolex 24."

We at Frontstretch wish Foyt a speedy recovery from his infection.

McCumbee to Focus on Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in 2012

On Thursday, CJ Wilson Racing introduced their four full-time drivers to the assembled media at Daytona International Speedway.  One of those drivers was Chad McCumbee, formerly of SS-Green Light Racing and MRD Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series.

For McCumbee, such a move was predecated on having fun and needing something to do.  Last season, with literally no road racing experience, McCumbee got behind the wheel of a CJ Wilson Racing-owned Mazda MX-5 in the SCCA Playboy MX-5 Cup, a spec series featuring identical Mazda MX-5 roadsters with roll cages.

For 2012, CJ Wilson Racing has moved up to the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, the Rolex Sports Car Series' main support class.  The team has a Mazda MX-5 and a Mazdaspeed 3 in their stable.  McCumbee will drive the team's No. 03 ModSpace Mazda Mazdaspeed 3.

When questioned about his overall focus for 2012, McCumbee stated that he is 100 percent dedicated to CJ Wilson Racing and the No. 03 for the full season.  If an offer comes along from a NASCAR team for a part-time or one-off effort, he would listen if it could possibly be beneficial for all parties, including CJ Wilson Racing.

Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip. 

Just in case you missed them, we have completed our annual Driver Reviews. If you'd like to review them, JUST HEAD HERE AND YOU'LL FIND THEM ALL LISTED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q:  There have been quite a few Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers over the past nine seasons.  However, the manufacturer whose Daytona Prototype was used the least in the Rolex Sports Car Series was Chase.  What car was the Chase designed to look like?

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

 

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!
 
Coming Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Rolex 24 Recap by Phil Allaway
-- Media Tour Wrap-up, links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

This Weekend On The Frontstretch:

LIVE Blogging And Updates On The Rolex 24 From Daytona by Phil Allaway
Check out the main page of the website, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and our Breaking News page for the latest on the Grand Am season-opening event.

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Frontstretch Newsletter: NASCAR Loses A Legend, Who Won Rolex 24 Pole And...

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 27th, 2012
Volume V, Edition VIII

Remember: be sure to check out Frontstretch.com's Breaking News on the website, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and Phil Allaway's Twitter @Critic84 for all the latest on the Rolex 24!

BREAKING: Dr. Joe Mattioli Passes
by Tom Bowles

One of the sport's legendary racetrack owners, spearheading the last independently-owned Sprint Cup facility has died. Dr. Joe Mattioli, 86, passed away Thursday afternoon at the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center after a lengthy illness. A dentist by trade, the patriarch of one of the most influential NASCAR families staked the biggest portion of his reputation on racing, constructing the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway in Northeast Pennsylvania and convincing the most popular series in the country to stage races there. Constructed in the early 1960's, the "Tricky Triangle" as it's become known has hosted a total of 68 Cup Series events, beginning in 1974. Pocono Raceway is also home to a successful driving experience, a mainstay for the ARCA Series (two races per year) and has recently hosted one Camping World Truck Series event per season. Open-wheel cars also once graced the asphalt at a facility that has grown to hold over 100,000 fans.

But Mattioli's legacy reaches far beyond the racetrack. His land in Northeast PA is now home to a 25-acre solar energy system, made up of 40,000 American-made photovoltaic modules that will produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy over the next 20 years. Opened in 2010, it makes the raceway the largest solar-powered sports facility in the country, spearheading NASCAR's push towards protecting the environment and renewable energy.

A Navy medic during World War II, Mattioli went to Temple University in Philadelphia, PA through the G.I. Bill and established a successful dental practice in the area. Investing in real estate during the ensuing decades allowed him to accumulate wealth and establish the funding necessary to build the racetrack, which now has expanded to include nearby lodging year-round among other projects, past, present and future which have helped boost the economy in the Pocono Mountain Region.

"'Doc' was a true leader in every sense of the word," said the Mattioli family in a statement. "As a visionary, he brought an unknown sport into an alien place, where he along with his unstoppable will and undeniable tenacity built one of the biggest monuments of sports.  His passion for his projects was only overshadowed by his deep love for his family, which he gave to all of us hand over fist."

For years, other corporations have looked to buy the speedway and the surrounding land but Mattioli would never sell. That leaves Pocono one of just three tracks on the NASCAR schedule not owned by NASCAR-linked International Speedway Corporation or Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (Indianapolis and Dover are the other two). Mattioli also steadfastly clung to the track's 500-mile distances, a tradition that was only recently changed for 2012.

The good doctor leaves behind his wife Rose - the couple was married 63 years - three children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In August, 2011 he had retired from his role as President of the Raceway and left the day-to-day operations in the hands of grandchildren Brandon, Nick, and Ashley Igdalsky. There are no plans to sell the facility in the wake of his death; in fact, it was left in a trust so the track will remain in family hands for generations to come.

"They can't touch it," he said last year in a conversation recounted by Brendan Gaughan Thursday on SiriusXM's NASCAR channel. "They're going to learn how to run it or starve."

Chances are, with the great teacher the grandkids had to learn from success, not starvation will be the modus operandi for years to come.

 

Top News From Thursday's Media Tour

by Mike Neff

Walmart To NASCAR... For One Race

The Walmart chain has been around for 50 years, an anniversary they're looking to celebrate in 2012 with a special promotion... in NASCAR. The company will debut as a primary sponsor this season, running the July race at Daytona with a 56-year-old icon in Bill Elliott in a deal that dips their toe into individual team support. Elliott will be running a Turner Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet with the number 50 emblazoned on the side, helping the full-time Nationwide effort take their first steps towards Cup competition. He will also be making numerous personal appearances at Walmart stores across the country as a lead up to the big race in July.

In another NASCAR-themed association, Walmart will be offering their $99 Family Track Pack for 17 different races this season, starting with the Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas, March 11th and finishing up with the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte, October 13th. The Track Pack includes four discount race tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks, and a race program. The reduced prices save fans more than $100 and are available at Walmart.com and Ticketmaster locations in select Walmart stores. Walmart is also going to be giving fans even more accessibility to drivers and fan events with their Race Time 2012 program. There will be a larger selection of authentic NASCAR gear at stores, as more than triple the number of companies from last year will be placing displays of merchandise in Walmarts across the country. Local stores are also doubling the number of driver appearances that will take place in Sprint Cup markets during race weekends.

With these increased partnerships, does that mean the retail giant is looking to become a full-time primary sponsor in 2013? For now, the answer is no and the company Thursday insisted their Turner Motorsports backing was a "special promotion" that would be only for one race. When asked if this deal will turn into some kind of sponsorship for his son Chase in the future, Elliott took a more global, politically correct view. "I don't know that it is going to directly give anything to him," he said. "But it will hopefully open the door for Walmart to do more sponsorship in the future." - Mike Neff

Penske Racing Retains New Sponsors, Retains Their Flagship

Roger Penske has been at this NASCAR game for more than 30 years, over 20 consecutive after starting his flagship No. 2 car with Rusty Wallace in 1991. Well, during his NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway time on Thursday he shared that one of his longest-running sponsors is going to keep on that ride with the 74-year-old, at least for a few more seasons. MillerCoors announced that they were extending their relationship with Penske Racing, which they've had since 1991 through the conclusion of the 2015 season. Driver Brad Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe, the 1-2 punch behind the wheel of that car had their contract extended through the same timeframe after finishing inside the top 5 in points last year.

Penske also revealed new sponsorship deals with Snap-On and Wurth, along with an increased deal with Alliance Truck Parts that will allow Sam Hornish, Jr. to race his Dodge full-time in the Nationwide Series. Those financial partnerships solidify the organization at a time when other teams are cutting back, allowing them to grow their program for 2012.

On the Cup side, Brad Keselowski and A.J. Allmendinger will be piloting Penske's two entries, with Allmendinger taking over the No. 22 while Keselowski continues to pilot the flagship No. 2. Keselowski is coming off of a Chase berth and feels strongly that the team can contend for a title this season. Allmendinger is moving from one of the sports most iconic cars, the No. 43 Petty Enterprises ride, to climb behind the wheel for one of auto racing's most successful car owners and hopes to score his first Cup victory.

"It has been an amazing ride to get to this point. I've worked hard for five years and went through a lot of ups and downs," said the Californian. "Right now, this is my time to have a chance at it."

Sam Hornish, coming off of his first career Nationwide win at Phoenix last Fall, will be running the complete season in that series with an eye on the championship. Alliance Truck Parts has stepped up from their six-race schedule in 2011 to sponsoring 24 Nationwide Series races this coming season, with the rest of the season fully funded. Finally, Parker Kligerman will be sharing the 2010 championship No. 22 with Keselowski, in addition to running a full Truck series schedule in Keselowski's No. 29 entry. - Mike Neff

For more information on the sport's "State of The Sport" address, which closed the media tour check out Amy Henderson's column on the website.

Ryan Dalziel Wins Overall Pole for Rolex 24, Brumos Racing on GT Pole
by Phil Allaway

For Starworks Motorsport, the past five months have been quite the roller coaster, one that's tested every team member's mental endurance.

But Friday morning, their trials and tribulations were rewarded with the pole position for Grand Am's season-opening race.

Driver Ryan Dalziel, in the No. 8 car went out and turned in a lap of 1:41.119, the fastest lap of the entire weekend, in order to win the overall pole for the 50th Running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.  He was 12 hundredths of a second faster than Max Angelelli in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP as the front row was set for the weekend race.

"I think [the Chevys] are the cars to beat, but we put together a really good lap," Dalziel said.  "Just have to give massive amounts of credit to Starworks and my new engineer this year, Steve Chalice."

It's been a long road back to the top for his program. Back in September, Starworks won their first Rolex Sports Car Series event at the season finale at Mid-Ohio after a trying season of team and driver development.  But afterwards, they were slow to acquire their new Riley DPG3 chassis for use in the 2012 season, to the point one of their cars is running last year's model here.

Heading into Daytona, the team had one car that was close to being ready for the "Roar Before the 24" test a few weeks ago, but they chose not to bring it to the track and tested the older car while still planning to debut the new car in the endurance classic.  Then, the team suffered a "strange" engine failure right when they started the car before the first practice. Instantaneously, the first practice was dashed as the team replaced the Ford engine in the garage.  Once that was done, driver Ryan Dalziel went out in the second practice session and drove for 45 minutes, the brand-new No. 8 car's very first laps on any racetrack but posted only the seventh-fastest time. However, when the 15-minute free qualifying session came along, Dalziel was definitely on his "A-Game," even in the very unfamiliar confines of the Riley DPG3.

Dalziel's pole-winning lap was 1.4 seconds faster than any lap he put down in the single practice session that he ran, and roughly eight-tenths of a second faster than anyone turned in the two practice sessions on Thursday.  However, the lap is still one second slower than Jörg Bergmeister's pole time from last year.

Further back in the field, Scott Dixon qualified the Chip Ganassi-owned No. 02 third in the session.  GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing's Alex Gurney and Spirit of Daytona's Antonio Garcia rounded out the top-5.

Two cars failed to take part in qualifying and will start at the back of the DP field.  The No. 5 Chevrolet Corvette DP for Action Express Racing crashed in Thursday's second practice session with Darren Law at the wheel.  Law is OK, but the car spent the rest of the day in the garage getting repaired.  Also, the defending champion No. 01 from Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates suffered an engine failure in the second practice session.  As a result, the team spent qualifying hard at work installing a new BMW engine.

In the Grand Touring (GT) class, the track was far more busy with over 40 cars of various makes out on the track at the same time to set their fastest possible laps.  With only 15 minutes to get their times in and limited space on-track, some drivers took unusual chances to be able to get a gap large enough so that they could turn in  a lap unimpeded.

For example, 2011 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year Andy Lally, driving the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3, managed to hook up in a tandem draft with the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT.R of Robin Liddell in order to clear slower traffic.  Others, like Jordan Taylor for Autohaus Motorsports, simply lost it while trying to put up their best times.

In the end, it was the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche 911 GT3 driven by Andrew Davis who took the pole with a lap of 1:49.342, just 15 thousandths of a second faster than Jeff Segal's No. 69 Ferrari 458 Italia for Aim Autosport.

Afterward, Davis was relieved to snag the top spot.

"That was an intense session.  I pushed as hard as I could from the first lap out," Davis said.  "We struggled in the first two sessions today, so this is very unexpected.  I gotta say that this just shows that Brumos Racing never stops fighting."

Lally qualified third quickest in his Porsche, while Patrick Long was fourth in the Flying Lizard/Wright Porsche 911 GT3.  Wayne Nonnamaker was fifth in the Team Sahlen No. 42 Mazda RX-8.  Originally, the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Gianmaria "Gimmi" Bruni qualified fifth in class.  However, Grand-Am meticulously inspects the top-5 qualifiers after the session ends publicly.  There, inspectors found that the car failed the ride height test.  As a result, the No. 62's times were disallowed and the car will have to start at the rear of the field.

Other notables include the No. 15 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing 22nd in GT (34th overall), the No. 56 Ferrari 458 Italia for AF-Waltrip 25th in GT, the No. 40 Mazda RX-8 for Dempsey Racing 26th in GT, and the No. 94 BMW M3 for Turner Motorsport 29th in GT.

Four cars did not take time during the session.  The No. 68 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for TRG crashed during the first practice session and spent all day getting repaired in the garage.  The No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Rick Ware Racing did not take a lap all day, and neither did the No. 49 Mazda RX-8 for Team Sahlen.  They are likely entered as backup cars for their respective teams (backup cars in Grand-Am cannot carry the same number as the primary car).  Also, the No. 19 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Muehlner Motorsports America chose not to take part in qualifying.

Have news for Tom, Mike, Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
 

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
By Trying To Stop Two From Going Forward, NASCAR Is Taking One Gaint Step Backward
by Amy Henderson

Turning Back the Clock: 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona
by Phil Allaway

Time To Set Your Watches: Your 2012 Rolex 24 Preview, Part IV
by Phil Allaway

Just in case you missed them, we have completed our annual Driver Reviews. If you'd like to review them, JUST HEAD HERE AND YOU'LL FIND THEM ALL LISTED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q:  There have been quite a few Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers over the past nine seasons.  However, the manufacturer whose Daytona Prototype was used the least in the Rolex Sports Car Series was Chase.  What car was the Chase designed to look like?

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

 

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!
 
Coming Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Rolex 24 Recap by Phil Allaway
-- Media Tour Wrap-up, links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

This Weekend On The Frontstretch:

LIVE Blogging And Updates On The Rolex 24 From Daytona by Phil Allaway
Check out the main page of the website, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and our Breaking News page for the latest on the Grand Am season-opening event.

------------------------------
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!
©2012 Frontstretch.com

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The Frontstretch Newsletter: January 26th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 26th, 2012
Volume V, Edition VIII

SPRINT CUP MEDIA TOUR: DAY FOUR. Attention, Frontstretch Readers! With the 2012 season gearing up, the Sprint Cup Media Tour is finally upon us and our website returns with full coverage. The Newsletter resumes its daily distribution, while writers Amy Henderson, Mike Neff, and Jay Pennell provide all the news and information you need directly from Charlotte.

Check out Frontstretch.com's Breaking News on the website, Amy's Twitter @Writer_Amy, Jay's Twitter @jaywpennell, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and this Newsletter tomorrow for all the latest!

 

Top News From Wednesday's Media Tour

by Jay Pennell, Amy Henderson and Mike Neff

Harvicks Expecting

Speculation raged late last season after the surprising merger of Kevin Harvick Inc. with Richard Childress Racing. Many pointed to potential marital problems between owners, not to mention husband and wife, Kevin and DeLana, as the "real" reason for the changes.

Yet, when asked about life after KHI Wednesday on the Media Tour, Harvick set things straight on why the couple decided to give up control of the company they had built from the ground to become a championship-caliber team - and the answer produced a surprise for most everyone in the room.

"For me and my wife, to not have the race team this winter has been pretty different," Harvick said when asked about not having to worry about running a team this offseason. "As we worked through a lot of things, basically what we've got to do is go on vacation, we got to try to learn how to be normal, and DeLana is 14 weeks pregnant."

A shock to most in the crowd, including those within RCR, Harvick's announcement cleared the air on the couple's decision last year to merge their organization with RCR.

"I think this is the last piece," the driver confirmed. "Where everybody can finally put all the pieces together and say, 'Oh, I guess it all adds up, I guess they wanted to move to a different phase of their life and do something different.'"

The baby is due midsummer, roughly a month before the Chase for the championship and, without KHI has changed DeLana's role from business owner to expectant mother. But now that DeLana is carrying their first child, don't expect to see her donning a firesuit anytime soon.

"You might not ever see her in a firesuit again, to be honest with you," Harvick said, beaming with a smile. "You might have seen the last days of that. I guess that's still to be determined, but you won't (see it) any time soon." - Jay Pennell

Sadler And Gaughan To Split RCR's No. 33 In First Five Races

Richard Childress Racing announced on Wednesday driver Elliot Sadler will run the No. 33 Chevrolet in the season-opening Daytona 500 with sponsorship from General Mills and Kroger.

After that event, Brendan Gaughan will climb behind the wheel of the No. 33 for the next four races with backing from South Point Casinos.

Nationwide Series team manager Gil Martin will serve as crew chief for the car during the first five events. Using the 2011 owner points, the No. 33 team will be locked into those first five races of the season and run the distance in each.

"It's great to be back in the Daytona 500," said Sadler, who is running for the Nationwide title full-time with RCR and feels he has a second shot at winning the Great American Race - the Virginian was leading in 2009 moments before Matt Kenseth blew by in a rain-shortened finish. "When we started putting this program together, the first thing that came to mind is how strong RCR's plate program has always been. We're going to go out and have a legitimate chance to win the race. Speedweeks can't get here soon enough!"

While Sadler will run his 13th Daytona 500, Gaughan will run the next four Sprint Cup Series events. Already slated to run 10 Nationwide Series and eight races in the Camping World Truck Series for RCR, Gaughan is mirroring Sadler and attempting to climb his way back to the top. A former Sprint Cup Series driver, Gaughan has spent the last eight seasons racing in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, but jumped at the opportunity to join a high quality race team, knowing he was climbing into solid, proven equipment.

"This, for me, is the dream come true of a second chance," he said. "You don't normally get them. If you do get them, they're normally not of this caliber. You've usually got to do something on that's in that little bit lower-tier to come out and shock the world. To be able to come out with a team that's close to the Chase, in it, just barely out of it this year, a crew chief with four Cup wins last year with the organization, for me, this is the chance I've waited eight years for."

"I always said, if I ever go back it's going to be more on my terms and the right opportunity. I think I waited just about right."

A lot has changed in the eight years since Gaughan last competed in the Sprint Cup Series full-time. But he feels his experience with the Nationwide Series car, and some testing in Cup - he even ran a race for TRG Motorsports - plus the high quality of the team have him prepared to make a return.

"The biggest thing that gives me confidence," he explained. "Is Shane Wilson (crew chief on Kevin Harvick's No. 29 car) was in the shop yesterday and he said, 'This car was built for you."

While he is open to more Sprint Cup races if the proper funding comes about, Gaughan is content with his schedule and committed to working his way up within a proven organization - although he won't rule out any possibility.

"Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered," he said. "All I'm looking forward to is four races. I'm not going to sit here and say, 'If we get a top-5, we can get it!' Nope. If I get top-5, I'm going to sit here and cry my ass off. It's going to be phenomenal for me to get it. I'm going to do every bit I can in those four (races)." - Jay Pennell

Furniture Row Racing: Think Of Us As Fourth RCR Car

The Furniture Row Racing operation is perhaps the most unique in all of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Unlike the other full-time operations, Furniture Row's "home base" is located in Denver, Colo. – a far cry from Race City, U.S.A.

Yet despite their separation for the rest of the sport, the team has been able to find success at the highest level of American motorsports. A lot of that success, though, is thanks to their partnership with Richard Childress Racing, a theme that echoed throughout their stop on the Sprint Cup Media Tour.

"Our relationship with RCR couldn't possibly be any closer," Competition Director Mark McArdle said. "Every aspect of their activities get communicated to us real time."
That includes a constant and instantaneous sharing of information at the shops, during practice sessions and during races.

"They essentially operate as an open book for us," McArdle added. "I think the easiest way to think about it now that RCR has retracted down to three cars is to think of Furniture Row Racing as essentially the fourth car in their stable, in the perspective of sharing technical information."

McArdle said the biggest advantage the team gains through its partnership with RCR can sometimes be difficult to see, but gives them the feel of a multi-car organization. 

"If you're stuck on island as a one-car team – with only your input, with only your DNA and only your own thought process to carry you forward – it's very easy to get off on the wrong path," he said. "What's beneficial about essentially being part of a four-car team is we can instantly share information."

Along with that "open book" policy, McArdle said the second most beneficial aspect of the partnership is the simple "assurance" that they have quality equipment, the same used by Kevin Harvick and the rest of the RCR drivers.

However, according to members of both teams, the relationship is not as one-sided as you might believe.

"They have a great group of people over there," said RCR Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon. "Their engineering staff is super strong; we lean on them too. They're great people and it means a lot."

Dillon explained the distance between to two organizations – over 1,500 miles – can actually be an advantage in creating such a strong partnership.

"That probably makes it easier," Dillon explained. "They don't have people leaving them. When people move out there to work for them, they're going to be there. So, when you're sharing information with them you're not worried about them carrying it to other teams."

Regan Smith, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, explained the relationship has "always been close."

"Personally, I don't compare it to any other relationship (in the garage), because I think ours is more open than anybody else is out there and continues to get that way," he said. "We've grown as a team to the point where they'll come to us and say, 'We need that part or piece, and you guys make it. Can you get your guys to make it for us?' That was the moment, for me, when I realized this thing is working now, this is how we want it to be." - Jay Pennell

Daugherty Sets Top 20 Goal For JTG

JTG-Daugherty Racing is entering the 2012 season with higher expectations than ever and a vision for the future that includes expansion to include a second car.  The team had considered adding one this year, but decided that it wasn't the right time, as they will have to convert to the new 2013 racecar after this November. That makes building a fleet of this year's model for one season impractical.

So for now, the single-car operation will work within its means to hopefully produce its first win on the Cup level. The team announced sponsorship for 2012, which includes Kroger and the USO for the Daytona 500 to join a long list of primaries that combine to fill the 36-race schedule.  Kimberly-Clark returns to the car, along with such brands as Kingsford Charcoal and Clorox.  Bubba Burger will be the primary sponsor at Pocono and Chicago while the team expects to make additional sponsorship announcements for their team and driver, Bobby Labonte, in upcoming weeks.

Having the veteran leadership of Labonte, the 2000 Sprint Cup champion, has been a key to the team's growth.  Team co-owner Brad Daugherty says that Labonte's leadership is an important part of team dynamics.  "Bobby is so calm, and his wisdom has been the greatest part of all," Daugherty told the assembled media on Wednesday morning. "He does a great job of giving everyone on our race team feedback.  Not just the crew chief; he talks to everyone.  He talks to the tire changer, he talks to the gas man.  He talks to everyone, and he gives them very calm, individualized, and focused information.  That makes it great for us as a young race team.  We have information that we can build upon that he's given us…obviously, he's very knowledgeable, so when something goes wrong, I'm yelling and screaming and losing my mind, he can put perspective on it and give us some building points to take out of a bad situation and next time, we can build on it and make it better.  That veteran leadership and experience is so valuable."

Daugherty also said that the newly combined engine departments at Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing give the team confidence in the durability and power of their equipment.  The team had considered switching manufacturers after the 2011 season, but decided to stick with Toyota when it became clear that the equipment would be more competitive.  "You take their resources, their technology, that combination, and I think it gives us a very formidable component to go out and compete with the FR9 and the GM product," Daugherty said.  "It's great for guys like us, because now we can get our motors from TRD and it's going to be one reliable product.  We'll all be sharing the same information.  They're going to glean from Joe Gibbs and vice versa.  I think it's going to be the best of both worlds going forward.  Reliability - as long as that's there, we know the power will be there."

Of course, JTG will be managing that information from a different locale, moving out after three-plus years of being housed at Michel Waltrip Racing. Daugherty went on to say that one reason the team decided to split from their close alliance with MWR after last season was to build continuity and to unite the team toward their original goal.  The team has settled back into their original headquarters in the Wood Brothers shop, though they will race MWR chassis this year.  "We're all racers," Daugherty said.  "Everyone in that race shop is working hard together, trying to build that family.  We want a family atmosphere, because when we're at the racetrack and things get a little bit sideways, you want to be able to rely on one another in order to get the results we're looking for.  It's all about being on the same page.  It's all about being selfless and working as a group.  Everybody's got a job to do.  You expect me to do my job; I expect you to do yours.  If I know you're going to do your job, then I know I can do my job."

Although surviving in NASCAR today has become an uphill battle for the smaller teams, 2011 proved that there is hope for them when the Wood Brothers and Furniture Row Racing, both single-car teams, visited Victory Lane.  Daugherty said that the challenge for smaller teams is to take care of equipment and to use resources wisely.  "We're looking at a sport that has become two or three pods of monster teams," Daugherty commented.  "We want to see more teams like ours be successful.  Is it hard?  Heck yeah.  I mean, I'm going against a guy like Roger Penske or Rick Hendrick who has resources that are just through the wazoo.  He may have ten of what I have one of, so I've got to make the most of what I've got.  I don't have a throwaway.  It's a challenge."

"I want to be successful racing," the former basketball star added.  "I want to put a better product on the racetrack.  The way we raced last year was just unacceptable.  We're better than that and we want to show it. I'd be really disappointed if we weren't a top-20 race team.  We can go toe to to with Rick Hendrick and the other big boys. We're expecting big things."

To do that, they'll have to drastically improve as Labonte registered just one top-5 finish in 2012. But for the optimistic Daugherty, everything from making the Chase to visiting Victory Lane is possible with the right combination of personnel.

"This is a hard, tough sport.  Nothing is guaranteed," Daugherty said.  "There are a lot of moving pieces and parts.  Just because we say we're going to have a great year, doesn't mean a thing.  We've got to show up just like we did at Daytona last year [where the team helped push Trevor Bayne to victory].  I mean, we almost won the thing, and I'm going back this year thinking we can do the same thing, but just continue on from it." - Amy Henderson

Kentucky Speedway Is Fixing It

2011 saw the first Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway with Kyle Busch taking home the trophy at the end of the weekend; but thousands within what was supposed to be a "sold out" crowd never got to see it. Instead, they were turned away, part of one of the biggest traffic nightmares since Woodstock which left race fans holding tickets that they didn't get to use for that event. The controversy sparked months of discussing the problems; but now, as we head into 2012 it's the solutions that matter the most. So Bruton Smith and Mark Simendinger, the General Manager of Kentucky Speedway, met with the media Wednesday morning during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway to outline how the problems from that weekend are being corrected.

The track is spending $80,000,000 to acquire land, upgrade parking areas and construct tunnels and bridges to make fan parking and movement far greater than last year. The speedway has purchased two tracts of land, across Kentucky Highway 35 from the facility, that amount to 173 usable acres of additional parking. They have also done some grading of property already owned by the track that was previously inhospitable to parking that can now accommodate fans' vehicles. The end result of the expansion of parking is going to be space to house the vehicles of up to 56,000 additional fans over last year.

The track is also installing a pedestrian tunnel under Highway 35 to allow fans to migrate to the speedway without having to cross the roadway, which is the major artery for traffic flow into the venue. The Highway is also being expanded by the state of Kentucky to a robust seven lanes which should help reduce the congestion that was a major problem last year getting off of Interstate 71. In addition to the Highway 35 expansion, the state has also added to Interstate 71 which now has four lanes for traffic flow and exit 57 off of the Interstate which now will have three lanes to better remove the traffic from the expressway.

In other aesthetic improvements, the concourse of the race track is going to have four additional restrooms from last season which are already well underway and should be completed in the very near future. SMI is also adding a new bridge over the infield tunnel road for improved tram flow so that fans can be shuttled around the property more efficiently. Additional trams have also been purchased which will add more capacity to the fan flow capabilities of the track.

Smith bemoaned the fact that the track couldn't change the past. "We ought to be able to redo our inaugural weekend," he said. "We should have a second inaugural race in June. We're gonna do it right this time." Only time will tell; all of the projects have a estimated completion date of May 4th, which is well in advance of the June 28th-30th race weekend. - Mike Neff

For more information on the Fusion, along with pictures please check out Jay Pennell's column on the subject below.

Have news for Amy, Jay, Mike and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us atashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
 

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Pressure Cooker: Hendrick Motorsports Driven to Perform

by Amy Henderson

Time To Set Your Watches: Your 2012 Rolex 24 Preview, Part III
by Phil Allaway

Just in case you missed them, we have completed our annual Driver Reviews. If you'd like to review them, JUST HEAD HERE AND YOU'LL FIND THEM ALL LISTED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q:  There have been quite a few Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers over the past nine seasons.  However, the manufacturer whose Daytona Prototype was used the least in the Rolex Sports Car Series was Chase.  What car was the Chase designed to look like?

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

 

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!
 
Coming Tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Media Tour: Day Four Recap by Amy Henderson, Mike Neff, and Jay Pennell
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

Coming This Week at The Frontstretch:

Epic Rolex 24 Preview: Four Parts by Phil Allaway
With Frontstretch having a presence this weekend at the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach, we'll bring you a comprehensive preview of the twice-around-the-clock race.

Turning Back The Clock: 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona by Phil Allaway
Also, in anticipation of the big race, we'll also bring a write-up of a classic Rolex event.

Plus Media Tour coverage, the return of Mirror Driving, Tom Bowles' columns (finally) and so much more!

------------------------------
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!
©2012 Frontstretch.com

--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
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TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.

The Frontstretch Newsletter: January 25th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 25th, 2012
Volume V, Edition VII

SPRINT CUP MEDIA TOUR: DAY THREE. Attention, Frontstretch Readers! With the 2012 season gearing up, the Sprint Cup Media Tour is finally upon us and our website returns with full coverage. The Newsletter resumes its daily distribution, while writers Amy Henderson, Mike Neff, and Jay Pennell provide all the news and information you need directly from Charlotte.

Check out Frontstretch.com's Breaking News on the website, Amy's Twitter @Writer_Amy, Jay's Twitter @jaywpennell, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and this Newsletter tomorrow for all the latest!

 

Top News From Tuesday's Media Tour

by Amy Henderson and Mike Neff

Sponsorship Stable at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Team Looks to Ramp Up Performance

Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates kicks of 2012 with something many teams don't have: full sponsorship for both of the team's cars, driven by Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya. During the media gathering at the team's shop, owner Chip Ganassi praised the team's marketing department for raising millions at a time others in NASCAR are simply struggling to make it to the track.

The list of companies signed up this season are all over the map. Target will return as primary sponsor for Montoya, with additional backing from Energizer Batteries, Clorox, Huggies, and Degree for Men.  Bass Pro Shops and McDonald's return to McMurray's team, which also unveiled three additional primary paint schemes, including the Belkin Chevrolet that will run at Martinsville this spring and the red, black and silver LiftMaster Chevy that will be seen at Loudon later this year.

Joining McMurray's team for the first time in 2012 is Banana Boat with a bright orange car reminiscent of the company's sunscreen bottles. The Banana Boat Cool Zone car will make its racetrack debut at Pocono on June.  The company will also have a Cool Zone for fans at ten races this year, when fans can enter a sweepstakes to meet McMurray and his team.  Banana Boat will cover Ganassi's entire organization in 2012, also adorning the rear wing of IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti's race car.

With the money side taken care of, the talk heading into 2012 turns to performance.  2011 was a disappointing year for both Montoya and McMurray, who finished 21st and 27th in points, respectively.  But nobody is panicking; at least, nobody left working there.  Owner Ganassi made sweeping changes within the organization this offseason, cutting everyone from the bottom of the ladder to top executives in an effort to bring about a necessary change in chemistry.  Now, says Ganassi, it's time to put the new personnel to the test, seeing how the adjustments shake out within the first few months.

 "It's time to just go racing," Ganassi told the media on Tuesday.  "It's a matter of putting the right people in place and letting them do their jobs.  It was obviously time to make a change, and we took a big swipe at it… if more changes need to be done, we'll make those as well."

"It's behind us," echoed minority owner Felix Sabates, who added that what draws him to NASCAR is the people, both on the team and in the garage. "I own part of the Bobcats and you can't compare that to racing people.  When you go in the garage, you're part of a big family."

Now, that family will work on pressing the reset button, with both Montoya and McMurray anxious to put 2011 in the rear-view mirror.  "There were a lot of distractions," said Montoya, whose longtime crew chief Brian Pattie was fired midseason (Hendrick engineer Chris Heroy is the permanent replacement).  "The teams were headed the wrong way.  Chip handled it well and hired a bunch of people.  You can see the changes, and I can't wait to get to the racetrack."

"When you have a season like that it makes you appreciate what we had in 2010 and hopefully what we're going to have this year…I think our excitement comes from the changes that we've seen," McMurray added. "We've made a lot of changes to our cars."  McMurray won three times in 2010, including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 and hopes to return to the same level of success in 2012. - Amy Henderson

Charlotte Motor Speedway Prepares For Ambitious 2012

The hosts of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour, Charlotte Motor Speedway, unveiled an ambitious 2012 schedule that confirms their position as "The Greatest Place to See the Race." The megaplex that is the Charlotte Motor Speedway grounds will play host to no less than 114 events in 2012. There will be activities from NASCAR, NHRA, INEX and World of Outlaws as all three venues on the property - the 1.5-mile oval Charlotte Motor Speedway, the zMAX Dragway and the Dirt Track at Charlotte - will host multiple series throughout the year.

Activities will begin March 3rd with the first of four Saturdays of Spring Meltdown Test and Tune sessions at zMAX Dragway; they'll conclude on November 23rd with the annual race ticket and souvenir blowout. In between will be two NHRA events, including the Four-Wide Spring Nationals once again coming to the zMAX Dragway, the Legends Big Money 100, the Coca-Cola 600 and the World of Outlaws World Finals.

A new event that is going to take place in 2012 is the Vietnam Veterans Homecoming Celebration that will be held on March 31st. The event, taking place with support from the USO of North Carolina and the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, is designed to honor those who served in the Vietnam War and will include live music, military displays and demonstrations, as well as military salutes.

As part of the Pre-Race activities for the All-Star race in May, three-time GRAMMY nominee Blake Shelton, CMA's reigning Male Vocalist of the Year will perform a concert. The show will take place in the infield between turns one and two and will be sponsored by Target. Shelton is not only the back-to-back Male Vocalist of the Year but was named Favorite Country Male Artist by the American Music Awards and is currently up for three GRAMMY awards: Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song and Best Country Album. Shelton is also a coach on NBC's "The Voice" and will be performing a duet with his wife Miranda Lambert at this year's Super Bowl.

The Speedway is offering some outstanding discounts for fans with season ticket packages for both Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMAX Dragway. NASCAR fans will receive great value with the season ticket package that includes a pit pass for the All-Star race, a ticket to the Dollar General 300 Nationwide race, six free guest passes to the Speedway Club, 10 percent off of souvenirs, 10 percent off entry to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, VIP parking, a season ticket holder hard card and more.

For drag racing fans, they can pick up the NHRA season tickets which include six days of racing at the world's only four-lane, all concrete dragway. It also affords fans 15 percent off of tickets, VIP parking, 10 percent off souvenirs, a season ticket holder hard card and more.

2012 is going to be a banner year at Charlotte Motor Speedway and fans will have a myriad of opportunities to experience the thrilling action at all of the venues on the property. - Mike Neff

Roush Fenway Racing Celebrates 25 Years In 2012

The lunch stop on the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway was for Roush Fenway Racing, who is celebrating their 25th season in the Cup Series. The organization, which started as a one-car effort with driver Mark Martin and sponsor Stroh's Light in 1988 has come a long way from its humble beginnings. As part of the décor, there was a different trophy on every table that represented a different win or accomplishment in each of the 25 years of the company. Awards included the first win for the organization, which was scored by Mark Martin at Rockingham in 1989 and both Cup series championships captured by the organization (Matt Kenseth, 2003 and Kurt Busch, 2004). The lunch concluded with discussion time with most of the team's drivers or principals.

The lunch was highlighted by Jack Roush reviewing the successes of the company, including the 299 victories that have been notched by the organization. He concluded with looking forward to the 2012 season and the potential for success that lays in front of all of the teams under the Roush Fenway banner.

Some interesting news from the lunch included the state of their Nationwide program. At this point, the team has enough sponsorship to run one and a half Nationwide efforts this year, a full-time effort for defending champ Ricky Stenhouse and a part-time role for Trevor Bayne. There are negotiations underway that could lead to an announcement next week of a deal that would add a second full-time team to the lineup; Bayne, already set running a part-time schedule for the Wood Brothers in Cup has his fingers crossed the money comes through. What's notable is that Carl Edwards is not planning to run in the Nationwide Series at this time, cutting back his schedule to focus on Cup after seven years of "double dipping" full-time in that division. Roush also pointed out that the tough economic times resulted in the reduction of the Cup series efforts from four teams to three, which caused David Ragan to move to Front Row Motorsports.

Another fact about the Nationwide effort was that the championship team of Stenhouse had been gutted to move members up to various Cup teams within the company. To start 2012, there are only four members of the team who celebrated the 2011 series championship.

Roush hopes that getting to the 300-win count does not take longer than the first week of the racing calendar in 2012 but, looking at the tremendous success of the organization over the last 25 years, it shouldn't take very long for that checkered flag to be claimed. - Mike Neff

Ford Unveils 2013 Fusion Race Car

In the biggest announcement so far of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ford Racing took the wraps off of their 2013 Ford Fusion. The car incorporates common areas agreed upon by all manufacturers with style components unique to the 2013 production car to give fans a race car that truly resembles the street version of the Fusion. While there are most likely going to be some tweaks to the design the car is definitely a much needed change from the current race car and a vast improvement toward bringing the stock back to stock car racing.

The car was a collaborative effort across many different parts of the Ford organization. One of the key members of the project was Garen Nicoghosian, Design Manager for specialty vehicles who was oozing with pride over the car as the assembled members of the media commented on the great looks. He's a fan of the cars that used to race in the old Trans Am series and it shows in the end product. "I am a big fan of the flared fenders," Nicoghosian said. "The body style and the proportions we came up with lent itself to the flared fenders and the planted look that it gives to the car. It reminds you a lot of a Porsche 911 in how it just looks planted into the track."

While the other manufacturers have not yet unveiled their proposed cars for 2013, Ford has certainly set the bar high with their Ford Fusion. - Mike Neff

For more information on the Fusion, along with pictures please check out Jay Pennell's column on the subject below.

Have news for Amy, Jay, Mike and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us atashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
 

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Bold But Breathtaking Move: Ford Unveils 2013 Ford Fusion Body Style
by Jay Pennell

Mirror Driving: Danica's Surprise, Carl & Kyle's Restriction, And Judging Underdogs
by the Frontstretch Staff

Time To Set Your Watches: Your Rolex 24 Preview, Part II
by Phil Allaway

Just in case you missed them, we have completed our annual Driver Reviews. If you'd like to review them, JUST HEAD HERE AND YOU'LL FIND THEM ALL LISTED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q:  There have been quite a few Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers over the past nine seasons.  However, the manufacturer whose Daytona Prototype was used the least in the Rolex Sports Car Series was Chase.  What car was the Chase designed to look like?

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

 

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!
 
Coming Tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Media Tour: Day Two Recap by Amy Henderson, Mike Neff, and Jay Pennell
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

Coming This Week at The Frontstretch:

Epic Rolex 24 Preview: Four Parts by Phil Allaway
With Frontstretch having a presence this weekend at the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach, we'll bring you a comprehensive preview of the twice-around-the-clock race.

Turning Back The Clock: 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona by Phil Allaway
Also, in anticipation of the big race, we'll also bring a write-up of a classic Rolex event.

Plus Media Tour coverage, the return of Mirror Driving, Tom Bowles' columns (finally) and so much more!

------------------------------
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!
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The Frontstretch Newsletter: Media Tour, Day 1 Wrapup

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 24th, 2012
Volume V, Edition VI

SPRINT CUP MEDIA TOUR: DAY TWO. Attention, Frontstretch Readers! With the 2012 season gearing up, the Sprint Cup Media Tour is finally upon us and our website returns with full coverage. The Newsletter resumes its daily distribution, while writers Amy Henderson, Mike Neff, and Jay Pennell provide all the news and information you need directly from Charlotte.

What's On Tap On The Media Tour Today:

- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

- Charlotte Motor Speedway

- Roush Fenway Racing

- Ford Racing

- Announcements From The NASCAR Nationwide Series, and More

Check out Frontstretch.com's Breaking News on the website, Amy's Twitter @Writer_Amy, Jay's Twitter @jaywpennell, our Twitter @TheFrontstretch and this Newsletter tomorrow for all the latest!

 

Top News Monday's Media Tour

by Amy Henderson and Jay Pennell

Stewart-Haas Racing Expecting Big 2012

After winning the closest title battle in NASCAR history, Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas Racing team are back and ready to defend their crown in 2012.  The team has somewhat of a new look this year, with three new faces introduced Monday on the first day of the Sprint Media Tour. The first is directly connected to Stewart himself; he has a new crew chief in Steve Addington, who joins the organization after serving as head wrench for Kurt Busch at Penske Racing last year.  In the midst of lunch at the shop, Addington admitted Stewart texted him at 2:30 AM after winning the championship at Homestead, the ultimate sign of persistence throughout the Fall months that paid off with the crew chief making the switch to replace Darian Grubb at the champ's No. 14 Chevrolet.

"It's been awesome," he said of his first few months working with the organization. "These guys have been very, very welcoming. To me, the supporting cast within an organization makes you successful and that's what I'm looking forward to [at SHR]."

"We're just a bunch of low-key, down-to-earth racers that want to race, and that's the attitude that Steve has too coming in here," added Stewart, aware of the expectations in replacing a mechanic who contributed to five victories in the last ten races of 2011. "I'm not putting any pressure on him, and we both know there's going to be a period of getting to learn each other. I think it's going to be laid back and we're going to have a lot of fun."

The organization is also expanding, adding a third car with Danica Patrick in the new No. 10 GoDaddy.com-sponsored car.  Patrick will combine with Greg Zipadelli, the final major addition who worked with Stewart during Stewart's entire tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing. After ten years on the box with Stewart, he moves to Competition Director at SHR and will also serve as Patrick's crew chief this year.  

Patrick will run a limited Cup schedule in 2012, including the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. However, she will not attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 this year, the first time since 2004 she won't be pursuing the biggest open-wheel trophy in America.  

"It was just something that didn't work out on the business side of things," was her reasoning for the decision, claiming NASCAR's "hometown pull" of Charlotte was enough to add it to her list of a tentative ten-race Cup schedule. "I'm hopeful to do [Indy] in the future, and maybe it will be a double, but this year, it didn't happen."

As part of the full-time stock car transition, Patrick will devote the majority of her time to the Nationwide Series; she'll run for the title with JR Motorsports in the No. 7. She says that expectations in that series are to run "solid top-10, top-5.  I'd like to get to Victory Lane." Her career best is currently fourth, scored at the 1.5-mile intermediate oval of Las Vegas last March in roughly two dozen starts of NASCAR Nationwide competition.

In her Cup ride, Patrick will be looking mainly for seat time. "Running in the top 20 may be a good goal," she says.  Zipadelli and Stewart agreed that the most important thing for Patrick will be to finish races and to gain as much experience behind the wheel as possible.  For the season opener, though, Patrick has a loftier goal.  "I feel good about it.  We have a good chance to win," said the open-wheel convert, citing Trevor Bayne's victory in 2011 as an inspiration for that statement.

The team also announced additional sponsorship for 2012 from Aspen Dental, tacked on to Ryan Newman's No. 39 car.  Stewart called 2012 "our best year" as far as financial support, adding that while there is pressure to repeat as champion, from the sponsor side of the coin, that's a very good thing as your primary backers are squarely in the spotlight. Newman is grateful for the additional funding, too, as most of the companies jumping on board (Outback Steakhouse and Quicken Loans, among others) have stepped up to be on the hood of his car for several events.   

"We're really proud to partner up with these new sponsors, that haven't been a part of NASCAR at all," said the veteran, although he admitted the higher exposure level adds pressure to perform. "Just from our standpoint, when you have great sponsors you're allowed to get great people and do great things."

Newman enters 2012 looking to visit Victory Lane for the third straight year, his team unchanged and led by crew chief Tony Gibson. The group made the postseason last year, but never contended en route to a ho-hum 10th-place finish in the final standings.

"From a team standpoint, it's great to have all our group back," he added. "The Chase was a bit of a struggle for us, but you work through those things and get better."

As for Cup's reigning titlist, Stewart had just one small announcement: he'll run the season-opening Nationwide Series race in 2012 in the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing, backed by Nabisco's OREO brand.  Otherwise, February will be business as usual while Smoke begins his championship defense with the sport's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. It's a race which the three-time champion has never won, despite dominating at Daytona in the Nationwide Series and winning three times in the July Cup race. - Amy Henderson

Stewart-Haas Racing, In A Nutshell

No. 14 Chevrolet: Driver Tony Stewart, Crew Chief Steve Addington, Primary Sponsors Mobil 1, Office Depot, Burger King

No. 39 Chevrolet: Driver Ryan Newman, Crew Chief Tony Gibson, Primary Sponsors U.S. Army, Tornados, Quicken Loans, Outback Steakhouse, Aspen Dental

No. 10 Chevrolet (10-race schedule, beginning with February's Daytona 500): Driver Danica Patrick, Crew Chief Greg Zipadelli, Primary Sponsor GoDaddy.com

Bold Italics = New For 2012

Joe Gibbs Racing Enters 2012 With Confidence

There are no changes to Joe Gibbs Racing's Sprint Cup driver lineup for 2012, but several key positions changed hands, bringing two new crew chiefs to the fold as well as giving Michael McDowell an expanded Nationwide Series role.  McDowell, who subbed in the Cup Series for Kyle Busch at Texas will run a limited schedule in the No. 18 NNS Pizza Ranch car, combining with Denny Hamlin while Brian Scott returns to that series full-time in 2012 with sponsorship from Dollar General.  In addition, development driver Darrell Wallace, Jr. will race a few select Nationwide events as the season progresses. Kyle Busch will not race in the Nationwide Series for JGR at all this year, but will make up to 15 starts in his own car, the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota.  Busch will also not race in the Camping World Truck Series, reportedly at owner Joe Gibbs' request though he will field the No. 18 for Jason Leffler and possibly other drivers to be announced later.

In the Cup garage, Jason Ratcliff will take over crew chief duties for Joey Logano after the departure of Greg Zipadelli to Stewart-Haas Racing and reigning Cup champion crew chief Darian Grubb takes the reins for the No. 11 team and driver Denny Hamlin.  Dave Rogers and Kyle Busch enter 2012 as the only pair to have worked together in 2011.  But don't think new faces in new places have slowed the momentum of the three-car juggernaut, who's also dealing with a transition from their own engines to ones provided by Toyota Racing Development. In particular, Hamlin says that these adjustments have boosted his confidence level, with new race cars and a new crew chief leading to a renewed faith in the program. 

"There's a lot of energy in the shop," he said. "For [Grubb] to pick me as his driver... he had an offer from every team in the garage area. It's a big deal, it gives you the faith that the guy's got a lot of faith in your talents, that he thinks he can bring you another championship."

Logano says that he is working hard on improving himself as a driver, consulting a sports psychologist to gain confidence and he's excited to work with Ratcliff.  "This is going to give me a fresh start," said the fourth-year driver Monday on the Sprint NASCAR Media Tour.  "I can kind of make it more my team [without former head wrench Greg Zipadelli], and that's a big deal."  Logano also noted that despite the fact that his contract is up after this year, he is confident. "There might be more pressure to perform, but I feel like I can do it, more than I could last year, even," he added. "So they sort of balance each other out."

Joe Gibbs told the media that all of the team's 2011 sponsors have signed to return for 2012, providing stability for the entire team.  This includes M&M's and Interstate Batteries on the No. 18, FedEx on the No. 11, and Home Depot on the No. 20.  Dollar General announced that it would join JGR's sponsor fold this year last October. - Amy Henderson

Joe Gibbs Racing, In A Nutshell

Sprint Cup

No. 11 Toyota: Driver Denny Hamlin, Crew Chief Darian Grubb, Primary Sponsors Fed Ex, Sport Clips

No. 18 Toyota: Driver Kyle Busch, Crew Chief Dave Rogers, Primary Sponsors M&M's, Interstate Batteries

No. 20 Toyota: Driver Joey Logano, Crew Chief Jason Ratcliffe, Primary Sponsors Home Depot, Dollar General

Nationwide

No. 11 Toyota: Driver Brian Scott, Primary Sponsor Dollar General 

No. 18 Toyota: Drivers Denny Hamlin, Michael McDowell, Darrell Wallace, Jr.?

No. 20 Toyota: Drivers Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin

Possible Additional Drivers TBA

Bold Italics = New For 2012

Busch Focused On Cup In 2012

Kyle Busch addressed the media on Monday as part of Joe Gibbs Racing's stop on the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour, revealing his plans to run fifteen Nationwide Series races and skip the Camping World Truck Series altogether. It's not that Busch, who won the 2009 Nationwide Series title while also racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series, wants to curb his on-track fun.  But as a team owner, he realizes there are other things to consider, long-term team survival issues that go beyond a November suspension for aggressive driving towards Truck Series veteran Ron Hornaday.

That's led to a serious reduction in his "extracurricular activities." Busch will test the waters of the Nationwide Series for the first time this year as a car owner, splitting the driving duties with his older brother Kurt.  But he will not race in the Camping World Truck Series at all, choosing instead to let Jason Leffler pilot the No. 18 truck for 14 of 22 races.  Drivers and sponsors for the remaining eight races have yet to be determined, but it won't be Busch.

His "official" reason, a marked departure from previous years in which Busch ran as many races as he could - often to the dismay of race fans - is simple. Beyond keeping the Cup sponsors happy, Busch can be a team owner long after his driving days are behind him.  But that won't work if those backers expect Busch to be behind the wheel every season.  

"This is a year for growth," Busch told the assembled media on Monday.  "Dollar General is good with having Jason Leffler as their driver.  For me, I've always wanted to build Kyle Busch Motorsports into a place that doesn't need Kyle Busch to sustain itself.  That's where I want to grow; that's where I want to be with it.  I haven't been able to get to that point yet.  The sponsors haven't stepped in and said, 'Hey, we want to try somebody else behind the wheel,' which I'm all for."

Busch added that he will miss running in the trucks, the series where he ran with the name "Rowdy" on the door, but that he knows it's for the best.  "I'm definitely going to miss it," he reminisced. "I've had a great time over there, running against the other competitors and winning, and getting recognition for the sponsors that we have.  I think that's been great over the last two years that we've done it, and unfortunately, I'm going to take a step back this season and not run it, to allow Kyle Busch Motorsports to develop into something that can sustain itself without me behind the wheel all the time." - Amy Henderson

Michael Waltrip Racing Boasts New Driver Lineup, Expects To Contend In Chase

Michael Waltrip enjoys the spotlight, and Monday's Sprint Media Tour stop at Michael Waltrip Racing was no different. Instead of the normal press conferences where owners tout the talents of their drivers, Waltrip hosted a talk show-style event where he interviewed his new team. 

The over-the-top owner prodded Clint Bowyer about letting him run a dirt car, which Bowyer laughingly declined. Waltrip then played the age card with 53-year-old Mark Martin, saying when he gets out of the car and Mark gets in he likes to say, "Out with the old and in with the older." He then pointed out Martin Truex, Jr. had done a lot of the hard work in paving the way at MWR, to which Truex told his new teammates, "I took all the lumps for you guys." 

All kidding aside, MWR is in a no-excuse year with new drivers Martin and Bowyer joining the team, pairing with the "veteran" Truex who endured an up-and-down year in 2011. But new technology, new chassis and a partnership with Toyota Racing Development have the organization poised to move into that next level of Sprint Cup Series organizations in 2012. 

"The hopes have been replaced with confidence that we can contend, we can win and we can earn a spot in the Chase," Waltrip said, claiming the team's partnership with TRD has elevated MWR into the top tier.

After a rough few years in the sport, MWR has honed its technology and the resources at its disposal to run consistently week-in and week-out.

"I feel like we have the best I've ever seen in the engineering department," Truex, who joined the team in 2010, said. "Our simulation stuff is second to none. You can ask anyone in the garage, they'll tell you that. We have a lot of things going for us, and we need to make it happen now." - Jay Pennell

Michael Waltrip Racing, In A Nutshell

Sprint Cup

No. 15 Toyota: Driver Clint Bowyer, Crew Chief Brian Pattie, Primary Sponsor 5-Hour Energy 

No. 55 Toyota: Drivers Mark Martin (25 Races), Michael Waltrip (5 Races), Crew Chief Rodney Childers, Primary Sponsor Aaron's (30 Races)

No. 56 Toyota: Driver Martin Truex, Jr., Crew Chief Chad Johnston, Primary Sponsor NAPA Auto Parts

NOTE: The No. 47 JTG Daugherty Team receives Michael Waltrip Racing equipment but is not owned by Waltrip or the MWR organization.

Nationwide (NOTE: Team only partially owned by Michael Waltrip)

No. 99 Toyota (seven-race schedule, beginning at Richmond): Driver Travis Pastrana, Crew Chief Mike Greci, Primary Sponsor Boost Mobile 

Bold Italics = New For 2012

In Case You Missed It: NASCAR Acceleration Weekend Getting Fans Revved Up

by Mike Neff

This past Saturday, NASCAR hosted Acceleration Weekend 2012 at the Charlotte Convention Center. The event afforded fans the opportunity to see most of their favorite drivers up close, learn about a majority of the racetracks on the Cup schedule, and interact with some of the sponsors and supporters of NASCAR. An estimated 5,000 fans attended the event, which harkened back to the Winston Cup Preview that used to be held in Winston-Salem before the Cup season would start.

The anticipation for the festivities on Saturday was obviously high as fans were already lined up outside of the Convention Center on Friday night in order to have first dibs on wristbands for the autograph sessions of the top 12 drivers in Sprint Cup points. Along with those 12 drivers were Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya to give fans a wide variety of superstars to choose from. Most every other driver from the Cup series, along with the champions from the Trucks and Nationwide and a majority of the drivers in those divisions were available for any fans who chose to wait in line during their autograph sessions. 

In addition to the drivers, the new Sprint Cup Girl lineup for 2012 was unveiled. Returning from last season are Kim Coons and Jaclyn Roney while replacing longtime lineup member Monica Polumbo, who has gone on to begin what is sure to be a storied radio career, is Kristen Beat. Miss Coors Light, Rachel Rupert, also confirmed that she will be at the track every week this season.

In the main hall, where the non-Chase drivers were signing autographs, there were several race cars sporting their 2012 paint schemes. Fans could also see the first Ford race car ever, the Daytona 500-winning car of Trevor Bayne and an interactive car from Denny Hamlin. Fans were also able to listen to driver interviews hosted by Rutledge Wood. All of the drivers who appeared in the great hall where fans were required to have wrist bands for autographs came through the stage at some point in time for an interview. 

There were also giveaways for fans from Sprint and the twelve race tracks represented. Fans also had the chance to see some of the latest diecast offerings from Lionel. The NASCAR Foundation and Hall of Fame along with 15 sponsors had booths that allowed fans to get free trinkets, interact with personalities and learn about their new offerings for 2012. 

In conjunction with the current stars of NASCAR in the Convention Center, the Hall of Fame had storytelling times with current and former inductees into the Hall. Fans were treated to an exchange between Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers, who admitted that they have reconciled from their famous 1979 altercation. Junior Johnson sat down with fans to talk about his moonshining days and the early years of the sport, while The Wood Brothers spoke about the 20 drivers who have been in their cars that are part of the top 50 NASCAR drivers of all time.  Finally, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond reminisced about their great run of success with Junior Johnson.

The entire weekend, and specifically Saturday, was a great jumpstart to the 2012 NASCAR season. Fans stood in the rain to secure wristbands and were rewarded with a brush with their favorite drivers. The legends of the past regaled fans with their stories and the current venues of the sport enticed fans to return to their daring bull rings of speed. When it was all said and done, fans were ecstatic about their experience and NASCAR is ready for a great 2012.

Have news for Amy, Jay, Mike and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us atashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
 

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Dialing It In: Close-Knit Group Of Racers Sets Stewart-Haas Apart

by Jay Pennell

Time To Set Your Watches: Your 2012 Rolex 24 Preview, Part I

by Phil Allaway

Just in case you missed them, we have completed our annual Driver Reviews. If you'd like to review them, JUST HEAD HERE AND YOU'LL FIND THEM ALL LISTED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q:  There have been quite a few Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers over the past nine seasons.  However, the manufacturer whose Daytona Prototype was used the least in the Rolex Sports Car Series was Chase.  What car was the Chase designed to look like?

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

 

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!
 
Coming Tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Media Tour: Day Two Recap by Amy Henderson, Mike Neff, and Jay Pennell
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

Coming This Week at The Frontstretch:

Epic Rolex 24 Preview: Four Parts by Phil Allaway
With Frontstretch having a presence this weekend at the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach, we'll bring you a comprehensive preview of the twice-around-the-clock race.

Turning Back The Clock: 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona by Phil Allaway
Also, in anticipation of the big race, we'll also bring a write-up of a classic Rolex event.

Plus Media Tour coverage, the return of Mirror Driving, Tom Bowles' columns (finally) and so much more!

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