THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 17th, 2012
Volume V, Edition III
Remember, the Newsletter is on a weekly edition this offseason; expect the next version to come out on Monday, January 23rd.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 17th, 2012
Volume V, Edition III
Remember, the Newsletter is on a weekly edition this offseason; expect the next version to come out on Monday, January 23rd.
Top News From The Past Week
by Phil Allaway
NASCAR Holds Preseason Thunder in Daytona
Last week, NASCAR held their annual Preseason Thunder at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Unlike recent years, there were a whole series of rule changes that were trotted out during the session in an attempt to break up the two-car tandems that were the norm in restrictor plate races last season. The cars came to Daytona with a brand-new rules package mandating the grille opening be raised to the top of the front bumper, decreased water pressure, a smaller spoiler and larger restrictor plate.
How did these rules affect the on-track action? In the first day, the fastest single-car run was set by Jeff Gordon at 46.687 seconds (192.773 mph). In the afternoon drafting sessions, the fastest laps were at over 202 mph. However, NASCAR was unhappy with the amount of tandem drafting that was happening in the session.
For Day 2, new rules were enacted. These increased the restrictor plate size from 29/32nds of an inch to 15/16ths of an inch and decreased the size of the grille opening. The additional power available increased speeds in solo runs to levels not seen since 1999. Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch both turned laps over 196 mph. In two-car drafts, laps of over 204 mph were recorded. The afternoon session saw NASCAR's request for a large scale pack draft answered. Speeds in the packs and tandems were nearly identical, with times down into the 43-second bracket. NASCAR determined that those speeds were too fast, resulting in a return to the 29/32nds of an inch plate for the third day.
On Saturday, the fastest solo speeds were turned in by Paul Menard at over 192.5 mph, while drafting speeds were in the 198-201 range, a speed that is likely more comfortable for NASCAR. However, there was a crash in the afternoon pack drafting session involving Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Montoya appeared to have contact with Earnhardt, Jr. exiting Turn 2, which turned the No. 88 into Burton. Burton and Earnhardt, Jr. then spun towards the inside wall. Both drivers were OK, but both cars were done for the day.
The official rules for Speedweeks are still not set in stone, with more tweaks expected in the weeks to come.
Ragan to Front Row Motorsports
On Monday, Front Row Motorsports announced their driver lineup for the 2012 season. The Denver, North Carolina-based team has retained David Gilliland, who drove the team's No. 34 Ford last year. However, Gilliland will shift over to the No. 38, replacing Travis Kvapil.
Replacing Gilliland in the No. 34 will be newcomer David Ragan, formerly of Roush Fenway Racing. Ragan comes to the team after winning his first career Sprint Cup race in last year's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. However, cutbacks from Roush Fenway Racing forced Ragan from the No. 6 at the end of the season. Ragan technically remained under contract with Roush Fenway Racing at the end of 2011, but opted out of his deal in order to pursue the No. 22 ride at Penske Racing following the team's "mutual split" from Kurt Busch.
Ragan is happy to have found a full-time ride for the 2012 season and believes that Front Row Motorsports is on the upswing.
"Front Row has made great progress in the last few years, and I look forward to helping them advance to the next level," Ragan said. "I think the team appreciates what I can bring to the table, and I think it's a good opportunity for both of us. I've also enjoyed a long relationship with Ford and I'm glad that I'll get to keep working with them."
Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins is very pleased to have Ragan on board for 2012.
"I am committed to building a competitive race team by employing the same fundamental business principles that have worked for my other successful endeavors, and it all begins with the people," Jenkins said. "When you look at some of the large, storied teams in NASCAR that have been running for decades, we're still pretty young by comparison. But I like the upgrades we're making and the improvements we're seeing, and I am confident we will be able to compete with them on a consistent basis in the not-too-distant future. Ragan is a proven competitor and race winner, Gilliland had a really solid season for us last year, Roush Yates engines are the best in the sport, and Ford continues to provide invaluable support, so I feel like 2012 is really going to be our year to step up to the next level."
The team is continuing to work toward finding sponsorships for both the No. 34 and 38. However, there was no mention of whether the team was considering running the No. 55, which start-and-parked a series of races towards the end of 2011.
Townley Returns to NASCAR
RAB Racing with Brack Maggard announced last week that former Nationwide Series driver John Wes Townley will return to NASCAR this season to drive full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old Georgia native will be making his return to the series. Previously, he drove seven races in 2008 for Roush Fenway Racing, collecting two 18th-place finishes at Martinsville and Talladega for his personal bests.
For his part, Townley appears to be happy to be back in NASCAR.
"I'm looking forward to this year," Townley said on Friday. "It's good to be racing in the Camping World Truck Series again, and doing it with RAB Racing makes it that much better."
RAB Racing owner Robby Benton is happy to expand his race team with Townley back in the fold.
"I'm looking forward to expanding our operation and racing in the Camping World Truck Series," Benton said. "We'll have a presence in two NASCAR garage areas this year, and I'm happy to be adding another Toyota entry. We started our current Nationwide Series with John Wes, and we're happy to be starting our Truck Series presence with him as well."
In all of Townley's previous efforts in NASCAR, he has been synonymous with his sponsor, Zaxby's, the fast food chain that Townley's father, Tony, co-founded in 1990. However, there is no reference to Zaxby's being involved at all in RAB Racing's press release. Instead, the release noted that sponsorship for Townley's truck would be provided by new sponsors that haven't been announced as of yet. In addition, some of RAB Racing's Nationwide sponsors will also be on Townley's truck.
This will be Townley's third stint with RAB Racing. Townley previously ran the full 2008 ARCA Re/Max Series schedule for the team. There, Townley finished seventh in points with one top-5 finish (a fifth at Kentucky) and 8 top 10s. For 2009, the whole team moved up to the Nationwide Series to contest the full schedule. The step up in difficulty really hurt both the team and Townley. Townley failed to qualify for six races and failed to finish ten others while getting himself into quite a bit of trouble on the track. Townley was even taken out of the seat in favor of Travis Kvapil at Richmond in September in order to gauge the team's standing.
For 2010, Townley left RAB Racing and took his backing from Zaxby's to Richard Childress Racing to drive their No. 21 Chevrolet. However, RCR parked Townley after a practice crash in Phoenix and eventually reached a settlement to end Townley's tenure with the team, but keep Zaxby's on as a sponsor on a reduced scale. Townley returned to RAB Racing for a second stint later in the season, racing in four more events in the No. 09 before (according to SBNation's Jeff Gluck) apparently no-showing Richmond in September.
NASCAR Holds Preseason Thunder in Daytona
Last week, NASCAR held their annual Preseason Thunder at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Unlike recent years, there were a whole series of rule changes that were trotted out during the session in an attempt to break up the two-car tandems that were the norm in restrictor plate races last season. The cars came to Daytona with a brand-new rules package mandating the grille opening be raised to the top of the front bumper, decreased water pressure, a smaller spoiler and larger restrictor plate.
How did these rules affect the on-track action? In the first day, the fastest single-car run was set by Jeff Gordon at 46.687 seconds (192.773 mph). In the afternoon drafting sessions, the fastest laps were at over 202 mph. However, NASCAR was unhappy with the amount of tandem drafting that was happening in the session.
For Day 2, new rules were enacted. These increased the restrictor plate size from 29/32nds of an inch to 15/16ths of an inch and decreased the size of the grille opening. The additional power available increased speeds in solo runs to levels not seen since 1999. Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch both turned laps over 196 mph. In two-car drafts, laps of over 204 mph were recorded. The afternoon session saw NASCAR's request for a large scale pack draft answered. Speeds in the packs and tandems were nearly identical, with times down into the 43-second bracket. NASCAR determined that those speeds were too fast, resulting in a return to the 29/32nds of an inch plate for the third day.
On Saturday, the fastest solo speeds were turned in by Paul Menard at over 192.5 mph, while drafting speeds were in the 198-201 range, a speed that is likely more comfortable for NASCAR. However, there was a crash in the afternoon pack drafting session involving Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Montoya appeared to have contact with Earnhardt, Jr. exiting Turn 2, which turned the No. 88 into Burton. Burton and Earnhardt, Jr. then spun towards the inside wall. Both drivers were OK, but both cars were done for the day.
The official rules for Speedweeks are still not set in stone, with more tweaks expected in the weeks to come.
Ragan to Front Row Motorsports
On Monday, Front Row Motorsports announced their driver lineup for the 2012 season. The Denver, North Carolina-based team has retained David Gilliland, who drove the team's No. 34 Ford last year. However, Gilliland will shift over to the No. 38, replacing Travis Kvapil.
Replacing Gilliland in the No. 34 will be newcomer David Ragan, formerly of Roush Fenway Racing. Ragan comes to the team after winning his first career Sprint Cup race in last year's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. However, cutbacks from Roush Fenway Racing forced Ragan from the No. 6 at the end of the season. Ragan technically remained under contract with Roush Fenway Racing at the end of 2011, but opted out of his deal in order to pursue the No. 22 ride at Penske Racing following the team's "mutual split" from Kurt Busch.
Ragan is happy to have found a full-time ride for the 2012 season and believes that Front Row Motorsports is on the upswing.
"Front Row has made great progress in the last few years, and I look forward to helping them advance to the next level," Ragan said. "I think the team appreciates what I can bring to the table, and I think it's a good opportunity for both of us. I've also enjoyed a long relationship with Ford and I'm glad that I'll get to keep working with them."
Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins is very pleased to have Ragan on board for 2012.
"I am committed to building a competitive race team by employing the same fundamental business principles that have worked for my other successful endeavors, and it all begins with the people," Jenkins said. "When you look at some of the large, storied teams in NASCAR that have been running for decades, we're still pretty young by comparison. But I like the upgrades we're making and the improvements we're seeing, and I am confident we will be able to compete with them on a consistent basis in the not-too-distant future. Ragan is a proven competitor and race winner, Gilliland had a really solid season for us last year, Roush Yates engines are the best in the sport, and Ford continues to provide invaluable support, so I feel like 2012 is really going to be our year to step up to the next level."
The team is continuing to work toward finding sponsorships for both the No. 34 and 38. However, there was no mention of whether the team was considering running the No. 55, which start-and-parked a series of races towards the end of 2011.
Townley Returns to NASCAR
RAB Racing with Brack Maggard announced last week that former Nationwide Series driver John Wes Townley will return to NASCAR this season to drive full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old Georgia native will be making his return to the series. Previously, he drove seven races in 2008 for Roush Fenway Racing, collecting two 18th-place finishes at Martinsville and Talladega for his personal bests.
For his part, Townley appears to be happy to be back in NASCAR.
"I'm looking forward to this year," Townley said on Friday. "It's good to be racing in the Camping World Truck Series again, and doing it with RAB Racing makes it that much better."
RAB Racing owner Robby Benton is happy to expand his race team with Townley back in the fold.
"I'm looking forward to expanding our operation and racing in the Camping World Truck Series," Benton said. "We'll have a presence in two NASCAR garage areas this year, and I'm happy to be adding another Toyota entry. We started our current Nationwide Series with John Wes, and we're happy to be starting our Truck Series presence with him as well."
In all of Townley's previous efforts in NASCAR, he has been synonymous with his sponsor, Zaxby's, the fast food chain that Townley's father, Tony, co-founded in 1990. However, there is no reference to Zaxby's being involved at all in RAB Racing's press release. Instead, the release noted that sponsorship for Townley's truck would be provided by new sponsors that haven't been announced as of yet. In addition, some of RAB Racing's Nationwide sponsors will also be on Townley's truck.
This will be Townley's third stint with RAB Racing. Townley previously ran the full 2008 ARCA Re/Max Series schedule for the team. There, Townley finished seventh in points with one top-5 finish (a fifth at Kentucky) and 8 top 10s. For 2009, the whole team moved up to the Nationwide Series to contest the full schedule. The step up in difficulty really hurt both the team and Townley. Townley failed to qualify for six races and failed to finish ten others while getting himself into quite a bit of trouble on the track. Townley was even taken out of the seat in favor of Travis Kvapil at Richmond in September in order to gauge the team's standing.
For 2010, Townley left RAB Racing and took his backing from Zaxby's to Richard Childress Racing to drive their No. 21 Chevrolet. However, RCR parked Townley after a practice crash in Phoenix and eventually reached a settlement to end Townley's tenure with the team, but keep Zaxby's on as a sponsor on a reduced scale. Townley returned to RAB Racing for a second stint later in the season, racing in four more events in the No. 09 before (according to SBNation's Jeff Gluck) apparently no-showing Richmond in September.
Dakar Rally Update
American Robby Gordon at the beginning of last week was in contention for the overall win, just a few minutes behind Peterhansel on the strength of a victory in Stage 9. However, Gordon was disqualified for an apparent illegal air induction system that could draw air that had been deflated from the tires into the engine to improve performance. According to the rules, two-wheel drive vehicles (of which Gordon's Hummer is one of them) can run tire deflation devices, and Gordon has run the offending setup for the last few years in the Dakar Rally. Gordon immediately appealed the ruling, which allowed him to continue in the event.
Gordon still continued to be competitive after the ruling, winning Stages 12 and 14 after capping off the inflation system (and going to great lengths to show anyone who would listen that he did). However, mechanical issues with the CV Joint and a somewhat controversial coming together with Peterhansel that forced Gordon off a small cliff dropped Gordon to a fifth-place finish overall, 2 hours and 16 minutes behind.
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.
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 2004, the Crawford Daytona Prototype made its Grand-Am debut in the Rolex 24. After racing in a very difficult event (it rained for most of the race, to the point that the race was red-flagged for hours), the No. 2 CITGO-sponsored Crawford was leading in the closing hours and basically had the race won. What happened that ultimately prevented the Crawford team from winning overall?
Q: In 2004, the Crawford Daytona Prototype made its Grand-Am debut in the Rolex 24. After racing in a very difficult event (it rained for most of the race, to the point that the race was red-flagged for hours), the No. 2 CITGO-sponsored Crawford was leading in the closing hours and basically had the race won. What happened that ultimately prevented the Crawford team from winning overall?
Check back next Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: In 1997, Dyson Racing claimed the overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with their Rain-X sponsored Riley and Scott-Ford. However, it was not an easy task. What happened to the car late in the race?
A: Late in the race, the Riley & Scott-Ford started to smoke heavily due to an oil leak and a lost cylinder in the engine. The team was forced to make multiple stops in order to add oil to the engine. This dropped their advantage down to just over a lap at the finish, but the No. 20 was able to hold off the Scandia Racing No. 3 Ferrari 333sp to claim the overall victory.
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!
Hey, Frontstretch Readers!
We know you love the roar of raw horsepower under the hood that powers 43 of the best drivers in the world every weekend, but did you ever wonder how the sponsor on top of that hood also contributes to keeping the sport moving? What about the contributions of official NASCAR companies? If you think they are simply writing checks, think again. Check out our newest feature - Sunday Money. This weekly Frontstretch exclusive provides you with a behind the scenes look at how NASCAR, its affiliates and team sponsors approach the daunting task of keeping fans interested and excited about the sport for 38 weeks of the year.
Coming Monday, January 23th in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Hey, Frontstretch Readers!
We know you love the roar of raw horsepower under the hood that powers 43 of the best drivers in the world every weekend, but did you ever wonder how the sponsor on top of that hood also contributes to keeping the sport moving? What about the contributions of official NASCAR companies? If you think they are simply writing checks, think again. Check out our newest feature - Sunday Money. This weekly Frontstretch exclusive provides you with a behind the scenes look at how NASCAR, its affiliates and team sponsors approach the daunting task of keeping fans interested and excited about the sport for 38 weeks of the year.
Coming Monday, January 23th in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
------------------------------
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-- Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
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