THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 27th, 2012
Volume V, Edition XVI
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~~~~~~~~~~~
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 27th, 2012
Volume V, Edition XVI
~~~~~~~~~~~
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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Top News
by Jeff Wolfe
Its All About The Rain At Daytona
It was a lot of hurrying up and waiting for NASCAR drivers, officials and fans Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. The 54th Running of the Daytona 500 was scheduled to take place, but the only thing consistently running on the track was rain water trickling down the 31 degree banking in the turns of the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
It was the first time that the race has been delayed a full day by rain. It is rescheduled to start at Noon Monday, that is if the weather holds out. The race will still be televised live flag-to-flag on FOX, but check your local listings to see whether your affiliate is showing the race. The forecast doesn't look that promising for Monday either, with an 80 percent chance of rain for the Daytona area. In fact, instead of Monday Night Football, there very well could be some Monday Night NASCAR. But that remains to be seen.
What everyone at the track saw Sunday was a lot clouds and a lot of rain.
"We attempted our best to try to get the track dry," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "It seemed like every time we got close, another pocket of rain showed up. We waited as long as we could in terms of the process, how long it might take to dry the track, and what was reasonable in terms of our fans staying and enjoying the event."
Chitwood has stated earlier in the day that he would be willing to run a night race, but once the rains came at about 5:15, it would have taken too long to dry out the track and have the race finish at a respectable time, even if it had not rained again.
"Once that happened, we made the decision we would not be able to get the track dry to have an event tonight that would work," Chitwood said.
Fans and drivers were left with nothing to do but wait in or watch the rain all day.
"This is one of the toughest things for us drivers," said Carl Edwards, who is scheduled to start on the pole Monday. "But, I think we'll be just fine. They've been living right to have 53 of these and never have one postponed. That's pretty spectacular."
Along with fans, Edwards and apparently other drivers hope the wait is worth it.
"We'll come race tomorrow," he said. "I think everyone is really excited about this race. All the drivers I've spoken with, you know, the fans, this is going to be a very good Daytona 500. I think NASCAR, they're doing the right thing, you know, not dragging this out. Everybody knows we'll be racing tomorrow during the day. It will be a good event. Just hopefully that weather will hold off and we won't be in this same position again tomorrow."
And that could well happen again. That 80 percent chance of showers calls for showers early and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Then for a 40 percent chance of showers in the evening.
That means a Tuesday race is not of the realm of possibility. But, it wasn't a possibility Chitwood III wanted to consider Sunday night.
"It's tough to even talk Tuesday until we get into tomorrow," he said. "I think the plan with a noon start, I think there is inclement weather in the a.m., but by noon, it looks like the weather is better. We'll play it out best we can.''
If the rain is an issue again, Chitwood said the plan will be to wait it out again.
"We'll wait till the last possible minute that we would not run the race," he said. "We want to exhaust every opportunity of getting the track dry and running the race. I would anticipate 5 or 6 (o'clock) if there was rain on the track, you will see us play out some decisions. I don't even want to talk about Tuesday right now.''
One thing NASCAR officials will likely talk about for Monday is an early yellow as the rain will have washed the track clean of a week's worth of tire wear. It would allow teams to check for tire wear issues early in the race.
"I think NASCAR will have a competition caution," Edwards said. "We'll get to look at the tires. Hopefully, there won't be any trouble. We didn't see any trouble in the Gatorade race or the Shootout."
And in case anyone is looking for any kind of karma in this rainout, the first Chase for the Championship to be pushed to a Monday was last Sept. 18 at Chicagoland. Tony Stewart went on to win the next day. Stewart will be making his 14th attempt to win his first Daytona 500 when the race starts, whenever that might be.
by Jeff Wolfe
Its All About The Rain At Daytona
It was a lot of hurrying up and waiting for NASCAR drivers, officials and fans Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. The 54th Running of the Daytona 500 was scheduled to take place, but the only thing consistently running on the track was rain water trickling down the 31 degree banking in the turns of the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
It was the first time that the race has been delayed a full day by rain. It is rescheduled to start at Noon Monday, that is if the weather holds out. The race will still be televised live flag-to-flag on FOX, but check your local listings to see whether your affiliate is showing the race. The forecast doesn't look that promising for Monday either, with an 80 percent chance of rain for the Daytona area. In fact, instead of Monday Night Football, there very well could be some Monday Night NASCAR. But that remains to be seen.
What everyone at the track saw Sunday was a lot clouds and a lot of rain.
"We attempted our best to try to get the track dry," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "It seemed like every time we got close, another pocket of rain showed up. We waited as long as we could in terms of the process, how long it might take to dry the track, and what was reasonable in terms of our fans staying and enjoying the event."
Chitwood has stated earlier in the day that he would be willing to run a night race, but once the rains came at about 5:15, it would have taken too long to dry out the track and have the race finish at a respectable time, even if it had not rained again.
"Once that happened, we made the decision we would not be able to get the track dry to have an event tonight that would work," Chitwood said.
Fans and drivers were left with nothing to do but wait in or watch the rain all day.
"This is one of the toughest things for us drivers," said Carl Edwards, who is scheduled to start on the pole Monday. "But, I think we'll be just fine. They've been living right to have 53 of these and never have one postponed. That's pretty spectacular."
Along with fans, Edwards and apparently other drivers hope the wait is worth it.
"We'll come race tomorrow," he said. "I think everyone is really excited about this race. All the drivers I've spoken with, you know, the fans, this is going to be a very good Daytona 500. I think NASCAR, they're doing the right thing, you know, not dragging this out. Everybody knows we'll be racing tomorrow during the day. It will be a good event. Just hopefully that weather will hold off and we won't be in this same position again tomorrow."
And that could well happen again. That 80 percent chance of showers calls for showers early and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Then for a 40 percent chance of showers in the evening.
That means a Tuesday race is not of the realm of possibility. But, it wasn't a possibility Chitwood III wanted to consider Sunday night.
"It's tough to even talk Tuesday until we get into tomorrow," he said. "I think the plan with a noon start, I think there is inclement weather in the a.m., but by noon, it looks like the weather is better. We'll play it out best we can.''
If the rain is an issue again, Chitwood said the plan will be to wait it out again.
"We'll wait till the last possible minute that we would not run the race," he said. "We want to exhaust every opportunity of getting the track dry and running the race. I would anticipate 5 or 6 (o'clock) if there was rain on the track, you will see us play out some decisions. I don't even want to talk about Tuesday right now.''
One thing NASCAR officials will likely talk about for Monday is an early yellow as the rain will have washed the track clean of a week's worth of tire wear. It would allow teams to check for tire wear issues early in the race.
"I think NASCAR will have a competition caution," Edwards said. "We'll get to look at the tires. Hopefully, there won't be any trouble. We didn't see any trouble in the Gatorade race or the Shootout."
And in case anyone is looking for any kind of karma in this rainout, the first Chase for the Championship to be pushed to a Monday was last Sept. 18 at Chicagoland. Tony Stewart went on to win the next day. Stewart will be making his 14th attempt to win his first Daytona 500 when the race starts, whenever that might be.
Have news for Jeff and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
Driver Quotes about the Postponement
"I don't know. I just tweeted that I guess I'm gonna have to win the first Monday Daytona 500. As you can tell, I'm still in my uniform because I was optimistic that this weather was gonna get out of here and we were gonna get this thing going, but I'll just have to save my energy for tomorrow. I just can't wait. I guess I'll have to wait until 12 o'clock tomorrow and take that green flag. I'm just excited. I'm still on the front row. Hopefully, the weather is better tomorrow. I know a lot of race fans are disappointed and a lot of people at home on TV, but we just hope they tune in tomorrow. It'll be a great race." - Greg Biffle
"Well, I am assuming they would go til seven or eight o'clock and then if the weather is out of here I guess we almost certainly get it in tomorrow. I don't know that it will change much. It will look neat. That would be neat to run the Daytona 500 under the lights. I think the fans would enjoy that. As far as what I did, it wasn't much. I really did break the awning on my motor home and that was kind of an ordeal. We have it all tied up. Wayne, my motor home driver and I were up on the roof tying it up and pulling fuses and trying to figure that out. That was fun. I just hung out and watched a little of the coverage." - Carl Edwards
"I didn't know when to eat. I didn't know when to rest. I didn't know what to do. I never took my uniform off. I took a nap. I think we cleaned out the refrigerator snacking on things." - Bobby Labonte
"It's a shame Mother Nature won today. Thank you to all of the
"As a result of the rain delay until tomorrow at noon..... Breaking Dawn: Part 1 is playing in the bus. Hubby-asked if he could drink during." - Danica Patrick, via Twitter
"Darn it! I really wanted to race today. I feel bad for the fans that won't be able to come back! Hope to get after it at 12 tomorrow." - Kyle Busch, via Twitter
"Sorry guys. I know you all want to see a race. Crappy way to start the year. Thanks for all of the support." - Jeff Burton, via Twitter
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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!
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Pace Laps: From Daytona Rain To Staying "SAFE" At Myrtle Beach
by the Frontstretch Staff
Driver Quotes about the Postponement
"I don't know. I just tweeted that I guess I'm gonna have to win the first Monday Daytona 500. As you can tell, I'm still in my uniform because I was optimistic that this weather was gonna get out of here and we were gonna get this thing going, but I'll just have to save my energy for tomorrow. I just can't wait. I guess I'll have to wait until 12 o'clock tomorrow and take that green flag. I'm just excited. I'm still on the front row. Hopefully, the weather is better tomorrow. I know a lot of race fans are disappointed and a lot of people at home on TV, but we just hope they tune in tomorrow. It'll be a great race." - Greg Biffle
"Well, I am assuming they would go til seven or eight o'clock and then if the weather is out of here I guess we almost certainly get it in tomorrow. I don't know that it will change much. It will look neat. That would be neat to run the Daytona 500 under the lights. I think the fans would enjoy that. As far as what I did, it wasn't much. I really did break the awning on my motor home and that was kind of an ordeal. We have it all tied up. Wayne, my motor home driver and I were up on the roof tying it up and pulling fuses and trying to figure that out. That was fun. I just hung out and watched a little of the coverage." - Carl Edwards
"I didn't know when to eat. I didn't know when to rest. I didn't know what to do. I never took my uniform off. I took a nap. I think we cleaned out the refrigerator snacking on things." - Bobby Labonte
"It's a shame Mother Nature won today. Thank you to all of the
"As a result of the rain delay until tomorrow at noon..... Breaking Dawn: Part 1 is playing in the bus. Hubby-asked if he could drink during." - Danica Patrick, via Twitter
"Darn it! I really wanted to race today. I feel bad for the fans that won't be able to come back! Hope to get after it at 12 tomorrow." - Kyle Busch, via Twitter
"Sorry guys. I know you all want to see a race. Crappy way to start the year. Thanks for all of the support." - Jeff Burton, via Twitter
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Pace Laps: From Daytona Rain To Staying "SAFE" At Myrtle Beach
by the Frontstretch Staff
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Unlike the Daytona 500, the 400 mile race is generally more susceptible to rain affecting the proceedings. Most recently, the start of the 2010 Coke Zero 400 was delayed over two hours by rain, which resulted in the race ending at 12:50am. However, when was the last time the July race was rain-shortened?
Q: Unlike the Daytona 500, the 400 mile race is generally more susceptible to rain affecting the proceedings. Most recently, the start of the 2010 Coke Zero 400 was delayed over two hours by rain, which resulted in the race ending at 12:50am. However, when was the last time the July race was rain-shortened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
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?
A: 1988 was the last year that rear-wheel drive X-Body body styles were legal in the Busch Grand National Series. Those cars were the late 1970's Chevrolet Novas, Buick Skylarks, Oldsmobile Omegas and Pontiac Venturas that actually predated the series itself. The series had introduced cars based on the GM A-Body cars (Chevrolet Celebrity, Oldsmobile Ciera, Buick Century, Pontiac 6000) starting in 1986 to join the Pontiac Grand-Am, but many teams chose to stay with the older cars.
Coming Tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Daytona 500 Race Recap by Keith Rutherford
-- Top News from Keith Rutherford
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Coming Tomorrow 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 Monday's action from the Daytona.
Tuesday Morning Teardown by Ron Lemasters
Ron returns for a website look at one of the big stories from Monday'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.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, NASCAR's top-3 series each held their season openers. Were these race telecasts up to snuff? Find out in this week's edition of the TV Critique
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