Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 25th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition XXIII
~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch at the Track: This weekend, Tom Bowles and Bryan Davis Keith are at Daytona International Speedway this weekend for NASCAR's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. Stay tuned to the website, Facebook and Twitter for all the latest breaking news you'll need all weekend long.
~~~~~~~~~~
Late Model Racer John King Emerges from Daytona Carnage to Claim Upset Victory
by Bryan Davis Keith
It wasn't until lap 95 that this year's Truck race at Daytona saw the proverbial mess hit the fan. But in a final 14-lap stretch that played host to four wrecks and that left only 17 trucks running at the finish, former UARA late model racer John King came out of absolutely nowhere to score his first career Truck win in only his eighth career start, capping a banner night for Red Horse Racing that also Timothy Peters finish runner-up and Todd Bodine fifth.
Getting there wasn't pretty. Drafting in the lead pack late, King ended up triggering the biggest crash of the race on lap 105 when he punted Johnny Sauter into the frontstretch fence battling for the lead. But taking the green flag for the final time on lap 108, King capitalized on starting from the point as the high line faltered, as it did often Friday night. That left the driver of the No. 7 Toyota to take the white flag, and the race win, when a violent crash involving Ron Hornaday and James Buescher sent Joey Coulter's Chevrolet airborne into the catchfence on the frontstretch during the third green-white-checkered attempt. Peters, Justin Lofton, Travis Kvapil and Bodine rounded out the top 5.
For the 22-year-old from Kingsport, TN it was a dream come true in just his eighth career Truck Series start. Entering Daytona with a best career finish of 17th, simply finishing the race would have been considered a major accomplishment.
"This is feature win number three," said King when asked point blank in the media center who he was and where he came from. "I've won one dirt late model race and one late model stock race. I mean, it's unbelievable. I couldn't imagine being here, and we're here."
Though the trucks proved to be a handful for the entire field early in the going, the first 61 laps saw only two on-track incidents, with a lap 62 crash that saw Cale Gale collect Mike Skinner in the tri-oval providing an opportunity for teams to make their final fuel stops heading to the checkered flag. Business then picked up until lap 84, when polesitter Miguel Paludo started the late-race carnage by losing control of his truck in turn 4 and slamming head-on into the inside wall at full speed. The impact was so violent, Paludo's truck rotated 360 degrees in the air after hitting the wall before coming to rest. Paludo walked away unharmed, but damaged a truck that led a race-high 56 lapsw.
From there, the melee was on. Lap 94 saw contact between Dusty Davis and Parker Kligerman trigger a five-car wreck in the back of the field. Come lap 100, Clay Greenfield spun Brad Keselowski in the middle of the pack, wrecking seven trucks and setting up another green-white-checkered attempt. And lap 104 was the incident of the evening, one that saw King spin then-leader Johnny Sauter from the point position... and escape with the top spot himself.
Not penalized for the incident, King held the lead from then on, and was spared from blocking during the 109th and final lap with the race's final wreck. The carnage was also notable, as contact with Ron Hornaday and James Buescher sent Joey Coulter's Chevrolet airborne into the frontstretch catchfence in a wreck eerily similar to Geoffrey Bodine's harrowing 1998 wreck in Truck competition. Though the catchfence held, some debris still made it into the grandstands; one fan was treated and released at a care center at the track, while another was sent to a local hospital for treatment of what the speedway described as "a minor cut."
Ward Burton's first NASCAR start since 2007 started slow, with the No. 27 truck going a lap down and suffering from a chattering problem, but ended with a top-10 result when the dust settled. For a full rundown of final results, click here.
~~~~~~~~~~
News & Notes: Daytona
by Tom Bowles and Bryan Davis Keith
- Danica Patrick made even more headlines on Friday, winning the pole for Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Daytona and becoming the first woman to win a pole in Grand National competition since Shawna Robinson in 1994. She will share the front row for tomorrow's 300-mile race with Trevor Bayne; click here for a full starting lineup.
- Though pack racing has been the norm in both the Truck and Cup races run this far through Speedweeks, expect to see the two-car tandem dominate the show on Saturday. Drivers Jason Bowles and Jeremy Clements both told Frontstretch Friday that their teams and practices have been in preparation for two-car drafting; both drivers attribute the difference to the larger spoiler on the Nationwide Series car making pushing an easier task. Still, that's not a universally held opinion; ML Motorsports' new driver Johanna Long is expecting pack drafting to be the story of the day from DIS.
- With the Daytona 500 field set in stone for Sunday, sponsorship is suddenly coming out of the woodwork for those that started Speedweeks without it. David Stremme's No. 30 car was seen in the garage with JEGS decals on it early this afternoon, a deal completed Friday morning that gives Inception the funding to go the distance.
Meanwhile, late on Friday it was announced Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum would be sponsoring Tony Raines' No. 26 Ford. The Republican candidate, whose rival Mitt Romney is planning on attending the 500 is second in the delegate count for the 2012 party nomination. With that, every entry in the 43-car field now boasts sponsorship for the Daytona 500.
Have news for Tom, Bryan and The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
If you are interested, contact frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com. Please include references to your past work in your e-mail.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Tracking the Trucks: NextEra Energy Resources 250
by Tom Bowles
Beyond the Cockpit: 2009 West Series Champion Jason Bowles Hits the Big Leagues
by Bryan Davis Keith
Who Is John King?
by Tom Bowles
Drive4COPD 300 Starting Lineup
by Tom Bowles
~~~~~~~~~~
This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Nationwide Series Breakdown: DRIVE4COPD 300 by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has all the post-race analysis you need after Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series race from Daytona.
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1988 season marked the end of an era for the Busch Grand National Series. What was no longer allowed to be used following that season?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Daytona 500 Race Recap by Jeff Wolfe
-- Secret Star and Stat of the Race by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Daytona 500 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action from the Daytona.
Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Daytona.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing at Daytona.
Big Six: Daytona 500 by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving the season opener? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing at Daytona.
Pace Laps: Daytona 500 Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
In our newest column this season, we'll take a look at the biggest stories to keep an eye on in each series after a weekend at Daytona.
-----------------------------
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
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 25th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition XXIII
~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch at the Track: This weekend, Tom Bowles and Bryan Davis Keith are at Daytona International Speedway this weekend for NASCAR's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. Stay tuned to the website, Facebook and Twitter for all the latest breaking news you'll need all weekend long.
~~~~~~~~~~
Late Model Racer John King Emerges from Daytona Carnage to Claim Upset Victory
by Bryan Davis Keith
It wasn't until lap 95 that this year's Truck race at Daytona saw the proverbial mess hit the fan. But in a final 14-lap stretch that played host to four wrecks and that left only 17 trucks running at the finish, former UARA late model racer John King came out of absolutely nowhere to score his first career Truck win in only his eighth career start, capping a banner night for Red Horse Racing that also Timothy Peters finish runner-up and Todd Bodine fifth.
Getting there wasn't pretty. Drafting in the lead pack late, King ended up triggering the biggest crash of the race on lap 105 when he punted Johnny Sauter into the frontstretch fence battling for the lead. But taking the green flag for the final time on lap 108, King capitalized on starting from the point as the high line faltered, as it did often Friday night. That left the driver of the No. 7 Toyota to take the white flag, and the race win, when a violent crash involving Ron Hornaday and James Buescher sent Joey Coulter's Chevrolet airborne into the catchfence on the frontstretch during the third green-white-checkered attempt. Peters, Justin Lofton, Travis Kvapil and Bodine rounded out the top 5.
For the 22-year-old from Kingsport, TN it was a dream come true in just his eighth career Truck Series start. Entering Daytona with a best career finish of 17th, simply finishing the race would have been considered a major accomplishment.
"This is feature win number three," said King when asked point blank in the media center who he was and where he came from. "I've won one dirt late model race and one late model stock race. I mean, it's unbelievable. I couldn't imagine being here, and we're here."
Though the trucks proved to be a handful for the entire field early in the going, the first 61 laps saw only two on-track incidents, with a lap 62 crash that saw Cale Gale collect Mike Skinner in the tri-oval providing an opportunity for teams to make their final fuel stops heading to the checkered flag. Business then picked up until lap 84, when polesitter Miguel Paludo started the late-race carnage by losing control of his truck in turn 4 and slamming head-on into the inside wall at full speed. The impact was so violent, Paludo's truck rotated 360 degrees in the air after hitting the wall before coming to rest. Paludo walked away unharmed, but damaged a truck that led a race-high 56 lapsw.
From there, the melee was on. Lap 94 saw contact between Dusty Davis and Parker Kligerman trigger a five-car wreck in the back of the field. Come lap 100, Clay Greenfield spun Brad Keselowski in the middle of the pack, wrecking seven trucks and setting up another green-white-checkered attempt. And lap 104 was the incident of the evening, one that saw King spin then-leader Johnny Sauter from the point position... and escape with the top spot himself.
Not penalized for the incident, King held the lead from then on, and was spared from blocking during the 109th and final lap with the race's final wreck. The carnage was also notable, as contact with Ron Hornaday and James Buescher sent Joey Coulter's Chevrolet airborne into the frontstretch catchfence in a wreck eerily similar to Geoffrey Bodine's harrowing 1998 wreck in Truck competition. Though the catchfence held, some debris still made it into the grandstands; one fan was treated and released at a care center at the track, while another was sent to a local hospital for treatment of what the speedway described as "a minor cut."
Ward Burton's first NASCAR start since 2007 started slow, with the No. 27 truck going a lap down and suffering from a chattering problem, but ended with a top-10 result when the dust settled. For a full rundown of final results, click here.
~~~~~~~~~~
News & Notes: Daytona
by Tom Bowles and Bryan Davis Keith
- Danica Patrick made even more headlines on Friday, winning the pole for Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Daytona and becoming the first woman to win a pole in Grand National competition since Shawna Robinson in 1994. She will share the front row for tomorrow's 300-mile race with Trevor Bayne; click here for a full starting lineup.
- Though pack racing has been the norm in both the Truck and Cup races run this far through Speedweeks, expect to see the two-car tandem dominate the show on Saturday. Drivers Jason Bowles and Jeremy Clements both told Frontstretch Friday that their teams and practices have been in preparation for two-car drafting; both drivers attribute the difference to the larger spoiler on the Nationwide Series car making pushing an easier task. Still, that's not a universally held opinion; ML Motorsports' new driver Johanna Long is expecting pack drafting to be the story of the day from DIS.
- With the Daytona 500 field set in stone for Sunday, sponsorship is suddenly coming out of the woodwork for those that started Speedweeks without it. David Stremme's No. 30 car was seen in the garage with JEGS decals on it early this afternoon, a deal completed Friday morning that gives Inception the funding to go the distance.
Meanwhile, late on Friday it was announced Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum would be sponsoring Tony Raines' No. 26 Ford. The Republican candidate, whose rival Mitt Romney is planning on attending the 500 is second in the delegate count for the 2012 party nomination. With that, every entry in the 43-car field now boasts sponsorship for the Daytona 500.
Have news for Tom, Bryan and The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
Hey Frontstretch Readers,
We are looking for someone who shares our enthusiasm for NASCAR and has an experienced background in web design. Specifically, we are looking for someone who can help maintain and enhance our website, increase our SEO, and upgrade our publishing platform while producing a limited amount of content throughout the season. This job presents a perfect opportunity for someone with a technical background, a person who wants their work to gain national exposure.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Tracking the Trucks: NextEra Energy Resources 250
by Tom Bowles
Beyond the Cockpit: 2009 West Series Champion Jason Bowles Hits the Big Leagues
by Bryan Davis Keith
Who Is John King?
by Tom Bowles
Drive4COPD 300 Starting Lineup
by Tom Bowles
~~~~~~~~~~
This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Nationwide Series Breakdown: DRIVE4COPD 300 by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has all the post-race analysis you need after Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series race from Daytona.
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1988 season marked the end of an era for the Busch Grand National Series. What was no longer allowed to be used following that season?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Daytona 500 Race Recap by Jeff Wolfe
-- Secret Star and Stat of the Race by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Daytona 500 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Sunday afternoon's action from the Daytona.
Monday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Sunday's race from Daytona.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing at Daytona.
Big Six: Daytona 500 by Amy Henderson
Looking for all you need to know leaving the season opener? Amy has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing at Daytona.
Pace Laps: Daytona 500 Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
In our newest column this season, we'll take a look at the biggest stories to keep an eye on in each series after a weekend at Daytona.
-----------------------------
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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