THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 9th, 2012
Volume V, Edition II
Remember, the Newsletter is on a weekly edition this offseason; expect the next version to come out on Tuesday, January 17th after Martin Luther King Day.
Coming up this week:
- Thursday starts NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Three days of open testing for Sprint Cup Series teams are on tap. Morning sessions will be covered live on speedtv.com starting at 9 AM. SPEED will air the afternoon drafting sessions starting at 1 PM (all times Eastern Standard Time).
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
January 9th, 2012
Volume V, Edition II
Remember, the Newsletter is on a weekly edition this offseason; expect the next version to come out on Tuesday, January 17th after Martin Luther King Day.
Coming up this week:
- Thursday starts NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Three days of open testing for Sprint Cup Series teams are on tap. Morning sessions will be covered live on speedtv.com starting at 9 AM. SPEED will air the afternoon drafting sessions starting at 1 PM (all times Eastern Standard Time).
Top News From The Past Week
by Phil Allaway and Tom Bowles
TRG Motorsports Suspends Operations
One of NASCAR's few remaining single-car teams is no more. TRG Motorsports' No. 71 officially suspended operations this week, ending a three-year run at the Sprint Cup Series that never came packaged with the necessary sponsorship to stay competitive. After ending the season on financial fumes and without a full-time driver - rookie Andy Lally parted ways with the team prior to Homestead - the decision was made to shelve this fleet of NASCAR Fords while focusing on the team's successful sports car operation.
"I want to be in Cup, but I want to be there with a proper program," Buckler said to the Daytona Beach News-Journal's Godwin Kelly. "I don't think the way the economy is right now and the amount of money required right now that a single-car team can make it as a good program. I don't want to go without a good program."
Buckler tried various methods of corroboration through the years, working with multi-car giants like Richard Childress Racing and Roush-Fenway for chassis support but was never able to consistently improve the team's finishing efforts. The No. 71 team was at its best in restrictor plate events, collecting its two top-10 finishes at Daytona and Talladega, respectively. Mike Bliss recorded TRG's best performance, a ninth at Daytona in the summer of 2010.
However, despite attracting top-level talent behind the wheel, signing 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte for the first half of that 2010 season the marketing department found their search for sponsorship a fruitless effort. Millions short of the money spent by powerhouses like Hendrick Motorsports, the team was forced to start-and-park in roughly 20 percent of the races they entered through the years in order to stay financially afloat. To their credit, every opportunity there was to go the full distance, TRG would trudge forward but the organization struggled mightily in their final season with limited funding combined with a rookie, raw stock car convert in Andy Lally. The team never scored so much as a top-15 finish in 2011, struggled to stay inside the "locked-in" top-35 teams in owner points and were forced to run a second, start-and-park car last Fall in order to pay the bills.
"I feel very fortunate," Buckler said. "I had some great partners that worked with me and backed me and we learned a lot. It was an expensive lesson that won't go wasted."
Rusty Wallace Racing Parked
On Friday, Rusty Wallace Racing announced that their team has been put on what's being termed a "temporary hiatus." As a result of this change, the day-to-day racing operations have ceased and most of the team's employees have been laid off. Just a small group on the business side remains in order to continue to development opportunities for the future.
As a result of this move, Michael Annett has been released from his No. 62 ride, effective immediately despite retaining primary sponsorship for a full schedule. Pilot Flying J will follow Annett to wherever his next destination may be in NASCAR.
Steve Wallace, Rusty's son, will not be back in the No. 66 but is being considered for several Nationwide Series openings. Despite losing primary sponsor 5-Hour Energy to Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 15 Sprint Cup car, Wallace still has a smaller amount of financial support available to him from a handful of companies. The current plan is to make use of those existing agreements to help Wallace find another ride.
Team owner Rusty Wallace had stated that this move was a last-ditch option a couple of months ago, and was saddened once potential became reality.
"This was a tough decision to make, but it was the most prudent one from a number of perspectives," Wallace said. "While we had several great partners - such as Pilot Flying J - on board for 2012, we just didn't feel that we had enough sponsorship in place to accomplish our goals. A lot of teams would have run with the level of funding we have now, but we want to ensure that our team has the resources necessary to compete and improve our operations. I promised myself and my family long ago that if the team wasn't funded to a level in which we were comfortable, we just wouldn't run it. I've worked way too hard to put part of my life savings into a race team."
In the meantime, Rusty Wallace Racing will focus on their other brands (car dealerships, track design, licensing, etc.) in addition to pursuing a new ride for Steven. If appropriate backing is found, the race team in its previous form could be reconstituted.
Germain Racing To Switch To Ford
On Friday, Germain Racing's No. 13 car announced their switch from Toyota to Ford for the 2012 season. Along with the change in manufacturer, a new partnership was announced that will allow them access to high-end Roush-Yates FR9 engines and Roush chassis. Toyota Racing Development, in limiting the amount of funding they would provide for the 2012 season had no longer listed Germain on their Cup engine and chassis support program for next season.
Driver Casey Mears, signed for a full season is quite excited about the potential 2012 has to offer with the Blue Oval brand.
"This type of news is always good, especially when we as a team know that we'll have some stability moving forward and we can focus 100% of our efforts on improving our performance," Mears said. "GEICO is such an incredible, loyal sponsor and I can't thank them enough for their unconditional support of our team. I appreciate all of the hard work and effort of Bob Germain and everyone in this organization. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this Germain Racing team will do in 2012, especially as we move forward with Roush-Yates power."
Right after the 2011 season, GEICO re-signed with Germain Racing to continue primary sponsorship of the No. 13 through the end of 2014. The deal increases the number of races that GEICO will back financially from 18 to roughly 25. In addition, Mears and crew chief Robert "Bootie" Barker have also been re-signed to long-term deals; however, sponsorship is still being sought for the remaining 11 events. Without it, the No. 13 will simply start-and-park in those races.
Stenhouse To Run Daytona 500; Bayne Officially Driving No. 21 Ford
SceneDaily.com's Bob Pockrass is reporting that 2011 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will drive the No. 6 Ford in the Daytona 500 next month. The No. 6 car has no primary sponsorship at the moment after UPS cut down from a full season deal on the No. 6 to a single-race primary sponsorship on the No. 99 of Carl Edwards, an associate sponsorship deal for the season, and the right to remain as NASCAR's official shipping company.
Since the No. 6 finished in the top-35 in owner points last season and David Ragan won at Daytona in July, Stenhouse will be locked into the Daytona 500 for what will be his second career Cup start. The team is locked-in through Bristol in March, but has no plans to race beyond Daytona. Stenhouse's Nationwide ride is also in jeopardy, as sources say there's not enough funding for the defending champ to run full-time although no final decision has been made.
In the meantime, good friend and teammate Trevor Bayne will defend his Daytona 500 title behind the wheel of the Wood Brothers Ford. That deal, officially announced last week will be for only 12 races this season, with longtime partners Motorcraft and Quick Lane stepping up to fund the program. There's no word yet on whether Bayne will participate part-time or full-time in the Nationwide Series, if at all.
TRG Motorsports Suspends Operations
One of NASCAR's few remaining single-car teams is no more. TRG Motorsports' No. 71 officially suspended operations this week, ending a three-year run at the Sprint Cup Series that never came packaged with the necessary sponsorship to stay competitive. After ending the season on financial fumes and without a full-time driver - rookie Andy Lally parted ways with the team prior to Homestead - the decision was made to shelve this fleet of NASCAR Fords while focusing on the team's successful sports car operation.
"I want to be in Cup, but I want to be there with a proper program," Buckler said to the Daytona Beach News-Journal's Godwin Kelly. "I don't think the way the economy is right now and the amount of money required right now that a single-car team can make it as a good program. I don't want to go without a good program."
Buckler tried various methods of corroboration through the years, working with multi-car giants like Richard Childress Racing and Roush-Fenway for chassis support but was never able to consistently improve the team's finishing efforts. The No. 71 team was at its best in restrictor plate events, collecting its two top-10 finishes at Daytona and Talladega, respectively. Mike Bliss recorded TRG's best performance, a ninth at Daytona in the summer of 2010.
However, despite attracting top-level talent behind the wheel, signing 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte for the first half of that 2010 season the marketing department found their search for sponsorship a fruitless effort. Millions short of the money spent by powerhouses like Hendrick Motorsports, the team was forced to start-and-park in roughly 20 percent of the races they entered through the years in order to stay financially afloat. To their credit, every opportunity there was to go the full distance, TRG would trudge forward but the organization struggled mightily in their final season with limited funding combined with a rookie, raw stock car convert in Andy Lally. The team never scored so much as a top-15 finish in 2011, struggled to stay inside the "locked-in" top-35 teams in owner points and were forced to run a second, start-and-park car last Fall in order to pay the bills.
"I feel very fortunate," Buckler said. "I had some great partners that worked with me and backed me and we learned a lot. It was an expensive lesson that won't go wasted."
Rusty Wallace Racing Parked
On Friday, Rusty Wallace Racing announced that their team has been put on what's being termed a "temporary hiatus." As a result of this change, the day-to-day racing operations have ceased and most of the team's employees have been laid off. Just a small group on the business side remains in order to continue to development opportunities for the future.
As a result of this move, Michael Annett has been released from his No. 62 ride, effective immediately despite retaining primary sponsorship for a full schedule. Pilot Flying J will follow Annett to wherever his next destination may be in NASCAR.
Steve Wallace, Rusty's son, will not be back in the No. 66 but is being considered for several Nationwide Series openings. Despite losing primary sponsor 5-Hour Energy to Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 15 Sprint Cup car, Wallace still has a smaller amount of financial support available to him from a handful of companies. The current plan is to make use of those existing agreements to help Wallace find another ride.
Team owner Rusty Wallace had stated that this move was a last-ditch option a couple of months ago, and was saddened once potential became reality.
"This was a tough decision to make, but it was the most prudent one from a number of perspectives," Wallace said. "While we had several great partners - such as Pilot Flying J - on board for 2012, we just didn't feel that we had enough sponsorship in place to accomplish our goals. A lot of teams would have run with the level of funding we have now, but we want to ensure that our team has the resources necessary to compete and improve our operations. I promised myself and my family long ago that if the team wasn't funded to a level in which we were comfortable, we just wouldn't run it. I've worked way too hard to put part of my life savings into a race team."
In the meantime, Rusty Wallace Racing will focus on their other brands (car dealerships, track design, licensing, etc.) in addition to pursuing a new ride for Steven. If appropriate backing is found, the race team in its previous form could be reconstituted.
Germain Racing To Switch To Ford
On Friday, Germain Racing's No. 13 car announced their switch from Toyota to Ford for the 2012 season. Along with the change in manufacturer, a new partnership was announced that will allow them access to high-end Roush-Yates FR9 engines and Roush chassis. Toyota Racing Development, in limiting the amount of funding they would provide for the 2012 season had no longer listed Germain on their Cup engine and chassis support program for next season.
Driver Casey Mears, signed for a full season is quite excited about the potential 2012 has to offer with the Blue Oval brand.
"This type of news is always good, especially when we as a team know that we'll have some stability moving forward and we can focus 100% of our efforts on improving our performance," Mears said. "GEICO is such an incredible, loyal sponsor and I can't thank them enough for their unconditional support of our team. I appreciate all of the hard work and effort of Bob Germain and everyone in this organization. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this Germain Racing team will do in 2012, especially as we move forward with Roush-Yates power."
Right after the 2011 season, GEICO re-signed with Germain Racing to continue primary sponsorship of the No. 13 through the end of 2014. The deal increases the number of races that GEICO will back financially from 18 to roughly 25. In addition, Mears and crew chief Robert "Bootie" Barker have also been re-signed to long-term deals; however, sponsorship is still being sought for the remaining 11 events. Without it, the No. 13 will simply start-and-park in those races.
Stenhouse To Run Daytona 500; Bayne Officially Driving No. 21 Ford
SceneDaily.com's Bob Pockrass is reporting that 2011 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will drive the No. 6 Ford in the Daytona 500 next month. The No. 6 car has no primary sponsorship at the moment after UPS cut down from a full season deal on the No. 6 to a single-race primary sponsorship on the No. 99 of Carl Edwards, an associate sponsorship deal for the season, and the right to remain as NASCAR's official shipping company.
Since the No. 6 finished in the top-35 in owner points last season and David Ragan won at Daytona in July, Stenhouse will be locked into the Daytona 500 for what will be his second career Cup start. The team is locked-in through Bristol in March, but has no plans to race beyond Daytona. Stenhouse's Nationwide ride is also in jeopardy, as sources say there's not enough funding for the defending champ to run full-time although no final decision has been made.
In the meantime, good friend and teammate Trevor Bayne will defend his Daytona 500 title behind the wheel of the Wood Brothers Ford. That deal, officially announced last week will be for only 12 races this season, with longtime partners Motorcraft and Quick Lane stepping up to fund the program. There's no word yet on whether Bayne will participate part-time or full-time in the Nationwide Series, if at all.
Dakar Rally Update
In the motorcycle category, Frenchman Cyril Despres on the Red Bull-sponsored factory KTM was in the overall lead on the strength of two stage victories. His lead was 7:48 over his teammate, defending champion Marc Coma. However, Despres had a horrible start to today's eighth stage, dropping his entire lead on the road to Coma in less than ten miles (the stage is still in progress as of the writing of this newsletter).
Helder Rodrigues is third overall on his Yamaha, nearly 50 minutes out of the lead. Rodrigues is followed by Paulo Goncalves on a Husqvarna bike, 55:33 behind. However, Goncalves has been given a six-minute penalty that cost him third overall. David Casteu is fifth, 1 hour and 5 minutes back.
In the car category, nine-time winner Stephane Peterhansel still has the lead. His advantage is 11 minutes and 22 seconds over teammate Krzysztof Holowczyc in another Mini Countryman. Robby Gordon is third overall, just 1:47 behind Holowczyc. Gordon still appears to have a very fast Hummer, but continues to be somewhat hamstrung by issues with teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah's No. 300. In Stage 4, Gordon was forced to stop and assist Al-Attiyah for the second time with mechanical problems, which cost him a shot at taking the overall lead away from Holowczyc. The 14th-place finish in the stage dropped Gordon to fifth in the car class. If Al-Attiyah's Hummer isn't having issues, Gordon is right up with the best of the class, although he hasn't won a stage as of yet. Fourth in the class is Joan "Nani" Roma in a third Countryman, 18:05 behind, while Giniel de Villiers in a Toyota rounds out the top 5, a shade over 34 minutes back. Al-Attiyah is sixth overall, despite his mechanical woes, 42 minutes behind.
In the truck category, it is not a complete runaway. Dutch Iveco driver Gerard de Rooy is still leading overall on the strength of four stage victories. However, his margin is only 17:10 over Ales Loprais in the Tatra. In a class where the winning margin at the finish can be measured in hours, this is a fairly close race.
De Rooy's teammate, Hans Stacey is third overall, 33:14 behind. Behind Stacey come three Kamaz. However, the best of the Kamaz trucks is the No. 533, a privateer Kamaz for Team Astana driven by sophomore Artur Ardavichus. The first of the factory Kamaz trucks, the No. 509 driven by Andrey Karginov, is fifth overall, 1 hour and 2 minutes back. The newest factory Kamaz, driven by second-generation driver Ayrat Mardeev, is sixth in class, 1 hour and 13 minutes behind.
After Sunday's rest day, today's eighth stage travels from Copiapo to Antofagasta, Chile. The stage is 722 kilometers (447.64 miles) in length. Of that distance, 477 kilometers (295.74 miles) of the stage is timed. It is sandwiched by two "liaison" sections on public roads.
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 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?
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?
Check back next Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Later this month, it is likely that the pole time for the Rolex 24 at Daytona could dip into the 1:39 bracket, just six seconds off of the all-time track record. What car set the track record for Daytona International Speedway's Rolex 24, and when was it set?
A: The all-time track record on Daytona International Speedway's 3.56-mile infield road course was a 1:33.875 (136.522 mph), set by P.J. Jones back in 1993 during qualifying for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Jones was driving the No. 98 Toyota Eagle Mk III for Dan Gurney's All-American Racers, which was an all-conquering car at the time. Jones won the pole by over three-quarters of a second over his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio II in the No. 99, and he was 2.3 seconds faster than Chip Robinson in the first non-Toyota, a heavily revised Porsche 962.
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 9th 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 9th in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
This Week On The Frontstretch:
Did You Notice? ... by Tom Bowles
Tom's column returns on Wednesday, for certain and will run once a week throughout 2012 as the Sprint Cup season begins to rev up towards Daytona.
Did You Notice? ... by Tom Bowles
Tom's column returns on Wednesday, for certain and will run once a week throughout 2012 as the Sprint Cup season begins to rev up towards Daytona.
------------------------------
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
-- Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
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