THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 27th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition XLVIII
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What To Watch: TuesdayTuesday is a relatively slow news day this week in NASCAR with no penalties to speak of. However, it's not completely devoid of activity. Charlotte Motor Speedway is holding a press conference today where they will talk about the upcoming Sprint All-Star Weekend, scheduled for May 17th -19th. A release put out by the track on Monday mentioned that a exciting fan promotion will be announced.
Today's Top News
by Kevin Rutherford
Court Refuses to Reinstate Mayfield Lawsuit
Ex-NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield's lawsuit against NASCAR won't be getting revived anytime soon. A federal appeals court in Virginia on Monday unanimously refused to reinstate Mayfield's suit over his 2009 suspension for failing a random drug test at Richmond.
The court, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled that U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen did not abuse his discretion when he dismissed Mayfield's case. The complaint was directed at NASCAR, Brian France and Aegis, the drug-testing company that conducted his test.
Mayfield claimed defamation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, breach of contract and negligence following a France-helmed press conference in which the NASCAR CEO suspended Mayfield after the driver tested positive for methamphetamine. The driver claimed that a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications led to the positive test. The case was originally dismissed by Mullen because Mayfield had twice signed documents waiving his right to sue.
"In this case, the liability waiver is enforceable under Florida law," Judge Roger Gregory wrote in the court opinion. "As for the new defamation allegations and the new additional tort claims, we find that permitting (Mayfield) to amend their complaint would be prejudicial to (NASCAR)."
Judge Barbara Milano Keenan and visiting U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady joined Gregory in the unanimous decision.
"NASCAR is pleased that today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court's original decision in May 2010 in Jeremy Mayfield v. NASCAR," Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR Senior Vice President, Racing Operations, said in a later statement. "This case was never about anything more than NASCAR's ability to keep the sport clean and our competitors safe."
Mayfield's attorney, Dan Marino, released a statement that "We are studying the court's opinion and determining our next steps."
Johnson Begins "Helmet of Hope" Campaign
The Jimmie Johnson Foundation's 2012 "Helmet of Hope" campaign kicked off last weekend at Auto Club Speedway by announcing the title sponsor of the program, Blue Bunny Ice Cream.
The campaign begins this weekend in Martinsville and runs for six races, ending at Darlington in May.
As part of "Helmet of Hope," fans can nominate their favorite charity to get a chance at a $10,000 grant and recognition on Johnson's helmet at June's Infineon Speedway race.
Each selected charity will also receive a Blue Bunny ice cream party.
Pocono Raceway and Rapid Running Announce Half-Marathon
Pocono Raceway, along with Rapid Running, have announced the formation of the Rapid Running Pocono Half Marathon, to be held for the first time Saturday, May 5, in Long Pond, PA.
Runners will find the finish line within the two-and-a-half-mile superspeedway. Spectators will also be entertained throughout the race by live bands situated throughout the course and at the post-race area.
The half-marathon will take place at 8 AM, with a 5K race occurring at 8:15 AM. A one-mile kids' run, which will be held on Friday, May 4, will take place within the speedway at 6:30 PM.
The current fee for runners is $75 for the half-marathon, $25 for the 5K and $10 for the kids' race, though the fee may vary closer to the actual event.
A pasta dinner will held for race participants Friday from 4-7 PM, followed by a concert and Broadway show.
Fontana TV Ratings Down
On Monday, the overnight TV ratings for FOX's telecast of the Auto Club 400 were released, and the findings were not too good. The race earned an overnight rating of 3.4 with a seven share, a 17 percent decrease from last year and making it the least-watched event of 2012. The reasons for the decrease are many. In addition to the fact that the race was run up against coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Elite Eight for the second consecutive year, the telecast actually ended a half-hour early after the race was shortened due to rain. Under normal circumstances, NASCAR races gain viewership up until the end of the race. Sunday's anti-climatic ending did not allow this buildup to happen. Through five races, NASCAR on FOX is down nine percent in the metered (overnight) markets with an average rating of 4.9/10 share.
Have news for Kevin and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
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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!
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Today's Featured Commentary
Figuring Out the Fickle NASCAR Fan
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's Featured Commentary
Figuring Out the Fickle NASCAR Fan
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
The green flag dropped. The field took the first turn, and in a matter of minutes it began to string out. Cameras zoomed in on the leaders, taking in the sponsors splashed across the fenders and the afternoon moved along. There were pit stops, engine failures, frustrated teammates and at long last a victor.
Funny thing is, the race I watched ended with Helio Castroneves climbing a fence next to a sign emblazoned with "Dan Wheldon Way" instead of a drawn-out wait for NASCAR to call the soggy race official and Tony Stewart the victor out in Fontana. The fact is, I never watched the Cup race this week, and unfortunately I will admit I didn't miss it at all. I could make some derogatory comments about the two-miler near L.A., but that really wasn't the reason. Life interfered. I just couldn't squeeze in my usual dose of NASCAR, and found myself tuning in ABC because even if I couldn't watch the usual suspects take their parade laps I could watch somebody race.
However, taking the time to enjoy the IZOD IndyCars for the first time since the infamous crash at Vegas last year, I did get to watch racing without bias. Not to cheer for a particular driver, watch the points system change on a weekly basis or wonder which team would park before lap 10. I have no real emotion invested in the pointy cars, just simple curiosity as a fan of all things that go fast.
But, I did actually watch the race in St. Petersburg from flag-to-flag - it kept my attention. I can guarantee you had I been around to watch the Fontana parade, I would have been wandering around the house looking for laundry to fold. I know what I'm going to get at California. Three-wide racing, but only when the cars get close enough to one another to do something about that, long green-flag runs and the occasional fuel mileage deal. I know the end to the story before it even begins.
For me, the St. Pete's meet provided a new track and even new cars! Hey! Did you see the new fenders on the IndyCars? Unlike the horrid attempt by NASCAR to make the Sprint Cup cars fly, the new body parts on the IndyCars are actually attractive. I could read sponsors and numbers on the side of the cars -- something I don't recall being able to do when the series visited New Hampshire Motor Speedway last summer. I took a moment to think about attending a temporary road course race for IndyCar and thought it would at least be a new experience.
One of the charms of NASCAR remains the adage that you never really know what might happen at the track. The problem with the advent of the cookie-cutters is the unexpected tends not to happen as often as it did in the past. Predictability and repeat non-stellar performances at the same venues year after year wear on our nerves. We become disenchanted... otherwise, I wouldn't have completely abandoned all thought of watching the Auto Club 400 on the DVR.
I'm not saying the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg provided better entertainment than the Sprint Cup event. It was different, that's all. I spent about 2 1/2 hours watching single-file racing, with the leader usually seconds ahead of his pursuer. The coverage was marginally interesting. I heard there were rumors of passing in the ranks, but ABC didn't show it to me. All in all, my Sunday afternoon contained its requisite amount of racing, without knowing ahead of time what this particular track had in store for me. And something new is always intriguing, at least the first time around.
However, if a NASCAR fan is easily swayed from their traditional weekend diet of stock cars turning left due to years of uninteresting feats at a particular locale, the powers that be ought to start thinking outside the oval. Don't abandon a location forever, just change it up a bit! Stock cars on the streets of Baltimore, anybody? I'm thinking that might be an excellent place to start.
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Auto Club Speedway: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 21st
Finished: 35th (DNF, engine)
Points Position: 17th
by S.D. Grady
The green flag dropped. The field took the first turn, and in a matter of minutes it began to string out. Cameras zoomed in on the leaders, taking in the sponsors splashed across the fenders and the afternoon moved along. There were pit stops, engine failures, frustrated teammates and at long last a victor.
Funny thing is, the race I watched ended with Helio Castroneves climbing a fence next to a sign emblazoned with "Dan Wheldon Way" instead of a drawn-out wait for NASCAR to call the soggy race official and Tony Stewart the victor out in Fontana. The fact is, I never watched the Cup race this week, and unfortunately I will admit I didn't miss it at all. I could make some derogatory comments about the two-miler near L.A., but that really wasn't the reason. Life interfered. I just couldn't squeeze in my usual dose of NASCAR, and found myself tuning in ABC because even if I couldn't watch the usual suspects take their parade laps I could watch somebody race.
However, taking the time to enjoy the IZOD IndyCars for the first time since the infamous crash at Vegas last year, I did get to watch racing without bias. Not to cheer for a particular driver, watch the points system change on a weekly basis or wonder which team would park before lap 10. I have no real emotion invested in the pointy cars, just simple curiosity as a fan of all things that go fast.
But, I did actually watch the race in St. Petersburg from flag-to-flag - it kept my attention. I can guarantee you had I been around to watch the Fontana parade, I would have been wandering around the house looking for laundry to fold. I know what I'm going to get at California. Three-wide racing, but only when the cars get close enough to one another to do something about that, long green-flag runs and the occasional fuel mileage deal. I know the end to the story before it even begins.
For me, the St. Pete's meet provided a new track and even new cars! Hey! Did you see the new fenders on the IndyCars? Unlike the horrid attempt by NASCAR to make the Sprint Cup cars fly, the new body parts on the IndyCars are actually attractive. I could read sponsors and numbers on the side of the cars -- something I don't recall being able to do when the series visited New Hampshire Motor Speedway last summer. I took a moment to think about attending a temporary road course race for IndyCar and thought it would at least be a new experience.
One of the charms of NASCAR remains the adage that you never really know what might happen at the track. The problem with the advent of the cookie-cutters is the unexpected tends not to happen as often as it did in the past. Predictability and repeat non-stellar performances at the same venues year after year wear on our nerves. We become disenchanted... otherwise, I wouldn't have completely abandoned all thought of watching the Auto Club 400 on the DVR.
I'm not saying the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg provided better entertainment than the Sprint Cup event. It was different, that's all. I spent about 2 1/2 hours watching single-file racing, with the leader usually seconds ahead of his pursuer. The coverage was marginally interesting. I heard there were rumors of passing in the ranks, but ABC didn't show it to me. All in all, my Sunday afternoon contained its requisite amount of racing, without knowing ahead of time what this particular track had in store for me. And something new is always intriguing, at least the first time around.
However, if a NASCAR fan is easily swayed from their traditional weekend diet of stock cars turning left due to years of uninteresting feats at a particular locale, the powers that be ought to start thinking outside the oval. Don't abandon a location forever, just change it up a bit! Stock cars on the streets of Baltimore, anybody? I'm thinking that might be an excellent place to start.
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Auto Club Speedway: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 21st
Finished: 35th (DNF, engine)
Points Position: 17th
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna.
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Numbers Game: Auto Club 400
by Garrett Horton
1
There was only one yellow flag in Sunday's running of the Auto Club 400. The number of cautions, the last of which turned out to be the end of the race, was the fewest since October of 2002 at Talladega, when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the checkered flag without a single caution flag.
4
Points leader Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson have finished in the top 10 in four of the first five races this year, more than any other driver.
7
Tony Stewart now has 7 Sprint Cup victories in his last 15 races, the most he has ever had in that time span.
9th
Kurt Busch picked up his first top 10 of the season on Sunday, finishing ninth. The result moved him to a season-high 23rd in the driver standings. It's a better start than his replacement in the No. 22 Penske Dodge, A.J. Allmendinger, who has yet to pick up a top 10 this year and sits all the way back in 26th in points.
12
It has been nearly 12 years since Stewart last got some help from Mother Nature. His last rain-shortened victory came at Loudon, NH in the 2000 thatlook.com 300, when the race was called after 273 of the scheduled 300 laps. Ironically, Stewart had a rain-shortened win just four races prior in 2000 at Michigan, when the race was called six laps prior to the scheduled distance.
13
Of the drivers who have run in every race this year, there are 13 of them that have yet to lead a lap in 2012, and the list includes some surprising names. Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, and Juan Pablo Montoya are four notables who have yet to lead the pack to the stripe.
17th
One of this season's early surprises, Martin Truex, Jr. hasn't finished lower than 17th all year.
25th
Jeff Gordon's points rank after five races, the lowest he has ever been this deep into a season.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrrett.horton@frontstretch.com.
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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 ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Five Points to Ponder: Green Flags, Hungry Drivers and an Exciting Race
by Bryan Davis Keith
Long Term Prognosis Solid for Kahne Despite Tough Start to 2012
by Danny Peters
Who's Hot / Who's Not In NASCAR: Auto Club-Martinsville Edition
by Brett Poirier
Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Lays an Egg in Fontana
by Phil Allaway
Tech Talk with Slugger Labbe: Keeping Cool at Martinsville
by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: During the 1995 Goody's 500 (then the fall race), Ted Musgrave finished 29th after getting involved in an unusual wreck on the backstretch. What happened?
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Numbers Game: Auto Club 400
by Garrett Horton
1
There was only one yellow flag in Sunday's running of the Auto Club 400. The number of cautions, the last of which turned out to be the end of the race, was the fewest since October of 2002 at Talladega, when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the checkered flag without a single caution flag.
4
Points leader Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson have finished in the top 10 in four of the first five races this year, more than any other driver.
7
Tony Stewart now has 7 Sprint Cup victories in his last 15 races, the most he has ever had in that time span.
9th
Kurt Busch picked up his first top 10 of the season on Sunday, finishing ninth. The result moved him to a season-high 23rd in the driver standings. It's a better start than his replacement in the No. 22 Penske Dodge, A.J. Allmendinger, who has yet to pick up a top 10 this year and sits all the way back in 26th in points.
12
It has been nearly 12 years since Stewart last got some help from Mother Nature. His last rain-shortened victory came at Loudon, NH in the 2000 thatlook.com 300, when the race was called after 273 of the scheduled 300 laps. Ironically, Stewart had a rain-shortened win just four races prior in 2000 at Michigan, when the race was called six laps prior to the scheduled distance.
13
Of the drivers who have run in every race this year, there are 13 of them that have yet to lead a lap in 2012, and the list includes some surprising names. Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, and Juan Pablo Montoya are four notables who have yet to lead the pack to the stripe.
17th
One of this season's early surprises, Martin Truex, Jr. hasn't finished lower than 17th all year.
25th
Jeff Gordon's points rank after five races, the lowest he has ever been this deep into a season.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrrett.horton@frontstretch.com.
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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 ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Five Points to Ponder: Green Flags, Hungry Drivers and an Exciting Race
by Bryan Davis Keith
Long Term Prognosis Solid for Kahne Despite Tough Start to 2012
by Danny Peters
Who's Hot / Who's Not In NASCAR: Auto Club-Martinsville Edition
by Brett Poirier
Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Lays an Egg in Fontana
by Phil Allaway
Tech Talk with Slugger Labbe: Keeping Cool at Martinsville
by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: During the 1995 Goody's 500 (then the fall race), Ted Musgrave finished 29th after getting involved in an unusual wreck on the backstretch. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: The Spring race at Martinsville was the last Cup event to receive a live, flag-to-flag telecast from television (the first of these actually occurred in 1996). Why?
A: For many years, Martinsville's Spring race coincided with the second day of the NFL Draft. Since ESPN built the NFL Draft from literally nothing, TV-wise to a massive three-day extravaganza, they continue to have strong feelings for it to this day. As a result of that, the second day of the draft aired live on ESPN instead of the race until 1996, when it was moved to ESPN2.
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!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Brad Morgan
-- Full Throttle by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice? ... by Tom Bowles
Did you notice the pressure's off, early in the regular season for so many teams? Tom Bowles explains why that can turn fans off, looks at the possible end of the road for Jeremy Mayfield and more in the latest edition of small but important observations around the NASCAR circuit.
Beyond The Cockpit: Landon Cassill as told to Amy Henderson
The driver of the No. 83 BK Racing Toyota dishes on life with his new team, the pressure of racing in the Cup Series and so much more in our latest weekly driver interview feature.
Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
Get laughing to start your day with another hilarious edition of our NASCAR staff top 10 list.
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Can Greg Biffle keep it up? Our Mirror Driving experts debate his future atop the Sprint Cup standings, along with the return of "Rivalry Week," Kurt Busch's competitiveness and plenty of other NASCAR topics in the weekly writer roundtable.
Top 15 Power Rankings after the Auto Club 400 compiled by Summer Dreyer
Was Tony's second win in five races enough to leave him number one on our list? See who your favorite NASCAR experts from across the country voted first in our AP-style, top 15 poll.
Going Green by Garrett Horton
Garrett returns to his usual Wednesday slot with another thought-provoking NASCAR commentary.
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
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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