Wednesday, March 07, 2012

The Frontstretch Newsletter: March 7th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 7th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition XXXIII

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Top News
by Brad Morgan

Truck Series Tests at Rockingham

Onlookers have finally been able to welcome the sights and sounds of NASCAR back to legendary Rockingham Speedway.  On Tuesday, the historic track hosted Day One of a Goodyear tire test in preparation for the upcoming Camping World Truck Series race scheduled for April 15th. Fans were admitted into the track for free to watch as drivers James Buescher, Jason Leffler, and Timothy Peters logged laps and gathered research for their teams.

The drivers were able to make 20-lap runs around the 1.017-mile speedway, prepping for the first official NASCAR competition since the February, 2004 Nextel Cup race held there. But according to an official press release, little has changed since NASCAR last visited the track. 

"Tires are [still] going to be really important here, because the surface is so hard on tires and you would group this place and Darlington together on the way it treated tires. It makes for a lot of fun behind the wheel," said Leffler.  "It's a technical race track. It's a driver's race track… it's a shame we don't come here more often."

Fan support at Rockingham will likely be high despite NASCAR's long hiatus away from the hollowed grounds.  The trucks should have the stands packed out of pure anticipation that has been building since the race date was announced last Fall.
   
"There are a lot of families that are going to the beach that week and they are going to come by and check out the trucks. Very cool that the race is bringing the buzz around the area that it has been. They are going to get their money's worth, for sure," Peters said.

After the day's events, all drivers were satisfied as it seems apparent that "The Rock" is prepped and ready to handle the Trucks.

"Productive Tire test at The Rock today! The race here is going to be a blast," Buescher said via Twitter.

Testing will resume today, March 7th, and admission for fans will once again be free. The Good Sam Roadside Assistance Carolina 200 will be the third event on the Truck Series schedule this season.

Robby Gordon Interested in Remaining with Dodge

After driving for every manufacturer running in Sprint Cup today, Robby Gordon is satisfied by his current affiliation with Dodge, one that began prior to the 2011 season. Unfortunately, he may be the only one left who currently feels this way.

Following the news that Penske Racing, Dodge's highest profile organization, will switch to rival Ford after the 2012 season, the outlook for the manufacturer remains hazy.  Despite plans to unveil a new Charger model for the next campaign later this year, Dodge now faces uncertainty because the single-car operation at Robby Gordon Motorsports (RGM) is the only full-time team slated to return for 2013.

According to SceneDaily.com writer Bob Pockrass, though, the owner/driver remains optimistic that Dodge could choose to offer more support to RGM as a result. 

"I've had a good relationship with these guys," Gordon said.  "I don't know if they're going to choose us.  Time will tell if they choose us or if they have to choose a big name."

Pockrass stated that the 19-year veteran receives various parts as a component of his current agreement with Dodge, but any additional assistance would be helpful.  Funding is tight for Gordon, who has been forced to cut back and run partial schedules in each of the last two seasons.

The California native plans to attempt all 36 races with Dodge in 2012. Heading into this week's event at Las Vegas, Gordon has qualified for both races in his No. 7 Mapei/Speed Energy Charger; an engine failure at Daytona, followed by a start-and-park in Phoenix resulted in 41st-place finishes for each event.

Another Suspect Charged in Jeremy Mayfield Theft Case

A Catawba County, N.C. man has been charged in connection with the ongoing theft case involving former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield. According to the Hudson Valley Police Department, Rusty Alex Canipe was indicted on four counts of felony larceny that he allegedly committed while a part of Mayfield's purported crime ring; he later received a bond set at $100,000 after turning himself over to authorities.

Canipe is one of several people allegedly involved in a series of theft crimes which were apparently used to fund the past driver's meth habit. While the entire criminal operation seems to have taken place on a large scale, he faces charges that are based on a minor incident.  According to a report on WBTV.com, the accused robber was charged in connection with the Feb. 26, 2011 theft of numerous trailers and pieces of furniture belonging to Anderson Truck Lines.

This indictment is but more bad news for Mayfield, who was taken into custody last November after police seized meth and later roughly $100,000 worth of stolen furniture, firearms, heavy machinery, equipment believed to belong to Red Bull Racing and other allegedly stolen items found on his property.  The two-time Chase veteran has already been dealt blows to his image as a result of his ban from sanctioned racing events and ensuing battles with NASCAR in court, following a second positive test for methamphetamine during the 2009 season.

Have news for Brad and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.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 Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!

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Today's Featured Commentary

Sometimes You Must Teach an Old Driver New Tricks
Full Throttle
by Mike Neff

The Cup Series has introduced Electronic Fuel Injection for the 2012 racing season, a sharp learning curve for everyone from the mechanics to the men behind the wheel. As an example, after two races we've already seen a couple of engine failures and at least one three-time series champ bitten by the idiosyncrasies of a computer in the car. For while the technology has at least moved the top stock car series in the country closer to the 21st Century, it is a new and different system for drivers who have not yet had to deal with the procedural steps of rebooting their race cars.

During the NASCAR Media Tour in January, several different crew chiefs mentioned how dealing with race cars that were out of fuel would take more steps to reset the EFI systems than just turning the car off, then on like the drivers did in the "old days." While teams would not have to use the squirt bottles of gas or ether that they used to employ on pit lane to get cars to refire, the drivers would have to remember to power their cars completely off and back on in order for the EFI computer to reset itself. If the pumps ran dry in the fuel cell, the system would apparently shut down and would not restart without the power being recycled to the main unit.

Depending on the crew chief, different stories were told that month about how the system would reprime once a fuel cell ran dry. Some crew chiefs stated that the sending units in the fuel cell would immediately start picking up fuel as soon as the gas was put back into the cell. Other head wrenches, though felt as though getting the system to begin sending fuel to the engine again it would require some very specific steps performed in a unique order to make the pumps begin reoperating effectively. While not having teams forcing gas into the carburetor while the team pushes the car down pit lane is a benefit, getting the system to build up the necessary pressure in order to function may or may not be a difficult task.

This past weekend, the issues for Tony Stewart bring up a couple of interesting questions. Stewart has proven, during a successful stock car racing career, that if the time calls for it he can save enough petroleum to nab a win. However, with the EFI system, some of his techniques may be a bit more risky than they were in the past. Apparently Stewart turned off his car while trying to save gas and, after turning the system back on, the car would not re-fire. After some exhaustive investigation by his crew, they ascertained that a breaker had been tripped on the unit. Once that breaker was reset, of course the system functioned as anticipated but it was too late. Unfortunately for Stewart, the field had passed pit road twice while they were trying to diagnose the issue and the defending champ was relegated to a 22nd-place finish after charging to what would have been a solid top 10.

In Frontstretch's first Tech Talk article this week, Brian Keselowski discussed his views about the system and the fact that, while the fuel cell may be able to be sucked dry, the amount of fuel that it takes to make the system run properly may actually mean that the teams can't really utilize all of it because there is a residual amount of gas that will be in the system when the pressure required to make it run falls below a certain level. Therefore, while there may be some fuel in the cell, one of the two sending units may run dry and result in a drop in pressure that won't allow the system to get the gas into the cylinders at the necessary levels for the engine to run.

As people adapted to cassette tapes and then CDs, or VHS tapes to DVDs, the racers in the Cup Series will adapt to the ins and outs of the EFI system. It most certainly will take some trial and error. Some people will most certainly be bitten, like Stewart was this past weekend and have to suffer through a less than ideal finish. Knowing the brains that are in the pits of the Cup Series, though it wouldn't surprise anyone to have them come up with a less cumbersome method of restarting the system, including some lights that tell the driver if he has waited long enough and whether the system is prepared to be rebooted. They'll also probably develop more efficient sending units that will be able to get every last drop out of the fuel cell because one thing is for sure about drivers; they'll push their cars to the very limits and that includes sucking every drop of gas out of their tanks.

Drivers are some adaptive creatures and, as things develop and advance, the best ones embrace those changes and advance with them. Radial tires caused a lot of headaches for those who had been on bias ply versions for a long time, while drivers with less experience in the Cup Series actually embraced them more quickly. For some drivers, they never adapted; others figured them out and excelled. The same thing has occurred with the new car design in the Cup Series. Some drivers have truly struggled with the new car, whether it is the handling or what it takes to make it go fast, but the best have learned how to make it work and some of the newer drivers in the series have embraced the new design more readily.

The EFI system is just the latest in a long line of major changes in the Cup Series that will take some getting used to. The drivers and teams who learn to maximize it first will have the most success but, in the long run, the best drivers and teams will rise to the top and win with the new technology.

When it is all said and done, you can teach old drivers new tricks.

Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.

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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.
 
If you are interested, contact frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com. Please include references to your past work in your e-mail.

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Tweet 'N' Greet
by Summer Dreyer

Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Summer Dreyer will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.

So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...
 
@DeLanaHarvick: Still got a solid second place finish!!! Nice job by the 29 guys today. Even though we didn't get the win big picture it was a solid day.

@JonEdwards24:
#DaleJr., @SteveLetarte and @JeffGordonWeb after@PhoenixRaceway event. #jeffgordon twitpic.com/8s4831

@landoncassill:
Man, we got knocked into the fence and broke an oil line. We were very fast though, should be OK this year

@bscottracing (Brian Scott):
Good work by all the @JoeGibbsRacing guys in @PhoenixRaceway today! Way to go boys! Congrats @dennyhamlin!

@MartinTruexJr56:
Awesome job by @napaknowhow @MWRteam we fought the hard fight of track position all day. But the @NAPAFilters car was a rocket in clean air

@EddieDHondt:
Driver fought very hard for that finish today. Nice rebound from last week's misfortune. Great team effort.

@Regan_Smith_:
Well we were in good position at the end, just a lil short on fuel. Proud of my guys worked hard all weekend at a track we struggled last yr

@jamiemcmurray:
Had to put Jake down, got in a small wreck, ran out of gas and then blew up the engine. Tough weekend.

@mattkenseth:
Tough weekend, for all the struggles we had I guess we will take 13th and head to Vegas. Team did great, driver not so great!

@keselowski (Brad Keselowski):
Decent 5th place day here @PhoenixRaceway My team was on it today! Fun race at the end eh @JimmieJohnson ;)

@JeffGordonWeb:
Great effort from our team today. Alan made some food calls to get track position. 8th place a good finish considering we started 30th.

@mattkenseth:
I am dying to get home and see my sweet wife and kids... now airplane is broke! I'm wondering if I will ever get to go home!

Summer Dreyer is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via email at summer.dreyer@frontstretch.com.

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: In 1997, Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the first-ever race west of the Mississippi River for the then-Busch Grand National Series.  As it was held on an off weekend for Winston Cup (the race was the same weekend that the first race at Richmond had been the previous year, but RIR had successfully lobbied to get their date moved to June to avoid the habitually cold March weather) many Cup regulars made the trip out to Nevada.

One of these drivers, Joe Nemechek, had an excellent run, leading 49 laps.  Unfortunately, his day ended in the concrete.  What happened to put him there?

Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Tuesday's Answer:

Q: The 1999 Las Vegas 400 is best known for the battle for the win between the Burton brothers.  However, rookie Tony Stewart's day was effectively over before it even started.  What happened?

A: On Lap 8, Johnny Benson got his No. 26 Cheerios Ford loose exiting Turn 4 and got into the wall, right-rear first.  When Benson came off the wall, he spun and hit Stewart, causing both drivers to crash.  Both men spent significant time behind the wall getting repairs, but eventually returned to the race.  Stewart finished 83 laps down in 36th, while Benson finished 107 laps down in 38th.  The crash can be seen as it happened at the 4:57 mark of this clip.

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 Phil Allaway
--
What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- NEW! Frontstretch Newsletter Feature: Kickin' It With Paulie Harraka by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, the Line of the Week and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


MPM2Nite by Matt McLaughlin
Matt McLaughlin is back again this season with his usual sarcastic sense of humor ... and incomparable insight.

Potts' Shots by John Potts
Fanning the Flames has become Potts' Shots, and John Potts is here to answer your questions in our weekly Fan Q & A. Do you have something you'd like to ask John? Don't sit on the sidelines! Send it to john.potts@frontstretch.com, and you just may see your question in print next week!

Professor Of Speed by Mark Howell
Our professor of racing history "has at it" with another column pertinent to the sport at large.

Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth is back this year on a new night, but it's the same great commentary you've come to enjoy!

Special 5th Column TBD

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©2012 Frontstretch.com

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