THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 12th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LXI
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 12th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LXI
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Editor's Note No. 1: Frontstretch has a brand new, redesigned Facebook page. Click Here to "Like" Us and get a direct connect to all your Frontstretch favorites along with polls, interaction with fans and so much more.
Editor's Note No. 2: In Numbers Game on Tuesday, we erroneously printed that Carl Edwards was the first repeat winner at Texas when he claimed his second win there in 2008. In actuality, Jeff Burton became the first two-time winner at TMS when he won in April, 2007 for Richard Childress Racing. He had previously won the inaugural Interstate Batteries 500 in April, 1997. As a result, the correct number for that particular entry would have been 12 instead of 14. We are sorry for this screw-up.
What to Watch: Thursday
The race weekend in Texas gets underway this afternoon. The Sprint Cup Series is scheduled to run a two-hour practice session from 5:30-7:30pm EDT (4:30-6:30pm CDT). This will be televised live on SPEED. The Nationwide Series is also scheduled to practice from 7:40-9:00pm EDT (6:40-8:00pm CDT). However, this session is not scheduled to be televised.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
NASCAR Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Hall of Fame Nominees
On Wednesday evening during a special edition of NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED, the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Class were announced. As is the norm, the 20 nominees from last year's list that were not inducted return for another go-around along with five new nominees. The new nominees contained a couple of surprises.
Returning Nominees:
Buck Baker- Two-time Grand National Champion (1956-1957)
Red Byron- 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Champion
Richard Childress- Grand National/Winston Cup driver (1969-1981), Grand National/Winston Cup car owner (1969-present), six Winston Cup Championships with Dale Earnhardt (1986-1987, 1990-1991, 1993-1994), three-time Busch/Nationwide Series championships (2001, 2006, 2008), 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman champion truck owner
Jerry Cook- Six-time NASCAR Modified Champion in the pre-modern era.
H. Clay Earles- Promoter of Martinsville Speedway
Tim Flock- Two-time Grand National Champion (1952, 1955)
Rick Hendrick- Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup car owner 1984-present, 199 wins, ten Cup championships (1995-1998, 2001, 2006-2010)
Jack Ingram- Two-time NASCAR Budweiser Late Model/Busch Grand National Champion (1982, 1985), 31 victories, multiple time Late Model Sportsman champion in pre-modern era
Bobby Isaac- 1970 Grand National Champion, 37 career wins
Fred Lorenzen- 1965 Daytona 500 winner, 26 career Grand National wins
Cotton Owens- Longtime Grand National car owner, champion car owner in 1966 with David Pearson, nine career wins as a driver
Raymond Parks- Owner of Red Byron's championship winning car in 1949
Benny Parsons- 1973 Winston Cup Champion, former broadcaster with ESPN, ABC, SETN, NBC and TNT
Les Richter- Current Pro Football Hall of Famer, Former General Manager of Riverside International Raceway, Former NASCAR Executive
Fireball Roberts- Driver in Grand National, 1958-1964. 33 career wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500
T. Wayne Robertson- Former RJReynolds Senior Vice President
Herb Thomas- First two-time Grand National Champion (1951, 1953)
Curtis Turner- 17 career Grand National wins
Joe Weatherly- Two-time Grand National Champion (1962-1963)
Leonard Wood- Part-owner of Wood Brothers Racing, former Crew Chief
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New Additions:
Ray Fox- Former Grand National car owner
Anne B. France- Bill France, Sr.'s wife and the first Secretary and Treasurer of NASCAR and ISC
Ralph Seagraves- Brought Winston sponsorship to NASCAR
Rusty Wallace- 1984 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, 1989 Winston Cup Champion, 55 career Cup victories
Wendell Scott- Only African-American to ever win a Cup race, 495 career starts
Wednesday's nominees were put together by a 21 person Nominating Committee. This committee includes three groups of people. The first is the NASCAR Hall of Fame itself, which is represented by Executive Director Winston Kelley and Historian Buz McKim.
The second group consists of NASCAR Officials. Represented here is NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, Vice Chairman Jim France, Senior Vice President Paul Brooks, President Mike Helton, Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell, Competition Administrator Jerry Cook and former Vice President Ken Clapp.
Finally, the third group consists of Track Owners and Operators. This group consists of Lesa France Kennedy, CEO of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway (and part-time racer in his own right), Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage, Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark, Tony George, former President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of the Izod IndyCar Series, Dover Motorsports, Inc. CEO Denis McGlynn, Looie McNally, member of the Pocono Raceway Board of Directors, Bowman Gray Stadium Operator Dale Pinilis, Riverhead Raceway Operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (they get one vote between them), Rockford Speedway Owner/Operator Jody Deery and former Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Operator Jim Williams.
These 21 people will be joined by 33 additional voters to vote on the 25 nominees on May 23rd. Fans will once again serve as the 55th vote. Those who would like to vote can go here. The top-5 vote getters will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January, 2013.
Sorenson to Drive for FAS Lane Racing at Texas, Jani-King to Sponsor
On Wednesday, FAS Lane Racing announced that they have signed Reed Sorenson to drive their No. 32 Ford in Saturday night's Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition, the No. 32 will carrying primary sponsorship from Jani-King.
FAS Lane Racing team owner Frank Stoddard is very pleased to have Jani-King onboard for this weekend.
"We welcome the opportunity to have Texas-based Jani-King in what has quickly become a popular night race at Texas Motor Speedway," Stoddard said. "The team was able to regroup a little bit with the off-week for the holiday and we are ready to get back to work this week in Texas and provide Jani-King with a solid performance on Saturday night. We also look forward to the addition of Reed [Sorenson] for this week and putting together a good run."
FAS Lane Racing is currently 33rd in owners' points and is locked into Saturday night's 500 mile race. However, Sorenson is ineligible to earn owners points because he declared to run for the Nationwide Series championship.
For Jani-King, this is far from their first involvement in stock car. The janitorial company has served as a primary sponsor for teams in the now-Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, in addition to ASA and ARCA. In 2001, Jani-King served as the primary sponsor of Scott Wimmer's No. 23 for Bill Davis Racing for the full season. Wimmer finished 11th in points carrying the black and white colors. For 2002, the company moved to the-then new FitzBradshaw Racing to sponsor their No. 12 Chevrolets for Kerry Earnhardt in seven races. Earnhardt's best finish was an eighth at Nashville in April.
Jani-King also had a long relationship with Mike Garvey, which culminated in a number of Cup races in 2005. Garvey's best finish was a 25th at Pocono. Previously, the company had sponsored him in ASA. The company also sponsored Mark Gibson's team in ARCA in the late 1990's.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for TriStar Motorsports
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 32- Reed Sorenson for FAS Lane Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 32- Reed Sorenson will be in the seat, replacing Ken Schrader.
No. 33- Tony Raines will be in the seat, replacing Hermie Sadler.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
No. 74- Stacy Compton will be in the seat, replacing Reed Sorenson.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 10- David Reutimann for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 49- J.J. Yeley for Robinson-Blakeney Racing
No. 74- Stacy Compton for Turn One Racing*
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports*
No. 95- Scott Speed for Leavine Family Racing
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing*
Entered, but already withdrawn:
No. 37- MaxQ Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 52- Hamilton-Means Racing
Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 27- David Ragan for GC Motorsports International
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 41- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Key Motorsports
No. 47- Scott Speed for Key Motorsports
No. 54- Kurt Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 08- Kyle Fowler returns to the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 09- Ryan Truex will be in the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace. Truex brings sponsorship to the team from Grime Boss.
No. 4- Danny Efland returns to the seat, replacing Daryl Harr.
No. 15- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 20- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Truex.
No. 27- David Ragan returns to the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley.
No. 30- Steve Arpin is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Brendan Gaughan.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne returns to the seat, replacing Brad Sweet.
No. 39- Kelly Bires is in the seat, replacing Joey Gase. Bires is bringing sponsorship to the team from FentonMotors.com.
No. 41- Timmy Hill is in the seat, replacing Blake Koch. This marks Hill's return to the Nationwide Series. He will drive the rest of the Nationwide schedule.
No. 54- Kurt Busch is in the seat, replacing his younger brother Kyle. This is the first of 20 races that Kurt will drive.
No. 70- Johanna Long returns to the seat, replacing David Green.
No. 74- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 08- Kyle Fowler for Randy Hill Racing
No. 5- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 15- Blake Koch for Rick Ware Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 27- David Ragan for GC Motorsports International
No. 39- Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing
No. 41- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Key Motorsports*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Key Motorsports*
No. 47- Scott Speed for Key Motorsports*
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Tim Schendel for Means Motorsports
No. 72- John Jackson for Carter Racing*
No. 74- Unknown driver for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Faith Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 28- Kevin Lepage for Robinson-Blakeney Racing
No. 60- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing
Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200: 41 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 07- Johnny Chapman for SS-Green Light Racing
No. 4- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 92- David Reutimann for RBR Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Johnny Chapman is in the seat, replacing Jake Crum.
No. 2- Tim George, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the seat, replacing Chris Lafferty.
No. 74- Brian Weber returns to the seat, replacing Rick Crawford. Weber was originally entered in the No. 74 at Martinsville and practiced the truck. However, before qualifying, he was replaced by Crawford.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young Racing. If Young qualifies for the race, he will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 09- John Wes Townley for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 4- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 9- Ron Hornaday, Jr. for Joe Denette Motorsports (Has second crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 11- Todd Bodine for Red Horse Racing (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 14- Brennan Newberry for Bob Newberry Racing
No. 28- Wes Burton for FDNY Racing
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Racing
No. 70- Jeff Agnew for Level 7 Motorsports
No. 74- Brian Weber for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Racing
No. 81- David Starr for Billy Ballew Motorsports
No. 84- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
No. 92- David Reutimann for RBR Motorsports
No. 98- Dakoda Armstrong for ThorSport Racing
Entered, but already withdrawn:
No. 8- Eddie Sharp Racing. With the points not being used, Norm Benning is now locked in.
Izod IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach: 26 cars entered:
Driver Changes: None
Entries:
No. 2- Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske
No. 3- Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4- J.R. Hildebrand for Panther Racing
No. 5- E.J. Viso for KV Racing Technologies
No. 6- Katherine Legge for Lotus-Dragon Racing
No. 7- Sebastien Bourdais for Lotus-Dragon Racing
No. 8- Rubens Barrichello for KV Racing Technologies
No. 9- Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10- Dario Franchitti for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11- Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies with SH Racing
No. 12- Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14- Mike Conway for AJ Foyt Enterprises
No. 15- Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18- Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19- James Jakes for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20- Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 22- Oriol Servia for Lotus-DRR
No. 26- Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27- James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 28- Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 38- Graham Rahal for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 67- Josef Newgarden for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77- Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports
No. 78- Simona de Silvestro for Lotus-HVM Racing
No. 83- Charlie Kimball for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98- Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
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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
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominations Need Some Tweaking
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Looking through the names and considering the impact each had on the sport, everybody on the list clearly deserves a spot in the Hall, as well as an appropriate retrospective on their career, lives, and contribution to our sport.
With that said, NASCAR is in a bit of a precarious situation with announcing this many people and only five spots on hand every year.
NASCAR and its Hall of Fame is unique, as so many of the sports legends are still alive and able to share their stories with those fans who have been here from the beginning, as well as those who just started tuning in the last few years. They should be honored and their story told by them – while they still have the opportunity to do so. After all, _Band of Brothers_ was so gripping because it was made when many were still alive to share their experiences – not interpreted by somebody without any frame of reference.
Am I likening racing cars to storming the beach at Normandy? Not at all, its just that the racing world and landscape today is far different than the one that was shaped just a little more than 60 years ago by many who are still around to relive it.
One of the names on the list who is deserving of a Hall of Fame honor is that of the Golden Boy, Fred Lorenzen. For those of you who may be friends with him on Facebook, you probably saw this sobering post by his daughter Wednesday evening. For those who are not, please read below:
Ok friends and fans, this is Fred's daughter writing today. As most of you know, Freddie has dementia, a form of Alzheimer's. It's amazing how clearly he remembers his days of racing and how hard it is to see day to day confusion. He loves to hear stories, posts and pictures from [Facebook].
I haven't pushed in the past for votes for my dad, but as I feel my dad declining, I know the right thing to do is encourage you loyal fans to vote for Fast Freddie. He's laid the foundation for what NASCAR is today. He's never let a fan down and is known for his sincerity, passion, hard work and truly being a pioneer of racing-knowing the ins and outs of his car and working non-stop with his crew.
Over the past years, I've been humbled to learn, MY DAD is so many people's hero. He always said his fans were his heroes. Well heroes, let's be Dad's heroes again and give his one LAST major racing memory and VOTE to get him inducted in the Hall of Fame THIS YEAR while he can appreciate knowing the honor? After all, he deserves it.
With our sincere thanks, Amanda and Chris
Editor's Note: This passage has been edited for clarity purposes only. There was absolutely no intent to change the meaning of anything written.
With Lorenzen in poor health, hopefully in the future some deference will be given to those that are still with us to be nominated for induction ahead of those who are still active in the sport and in good health. While Richard Childress, Jack Roush, and Rick Hendrick have all had a significant impact on the sport over the last 25 years, they are still very active in racing and no worse for wear – Jack's frequent radical vertical impact aerial exercises not withstanding.
I feel there should be some subjective criteria for the Hall of Fame these first few years to help build the base of the Hall, and to honor those who are still here to be honored. There should be three spots for drivers, two for mechanics, one for car owners and one for promoters, as well as a posthumous inductee for either of those roles. That way those who left us will be sure to be honored, as well as the fortunate few who have served their time and are still alive to receive the fruits of their labors.
Prayers and best wishes for Fred Lorenzen and his family, and hopes that he is able to see himself into the Hall of Fame – while he still can.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com.
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COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
Editor's Note No. 1: Frontstretch has a brand new, redesigned Facebook page. Click Here to "Like" Us and get a direct connect to all your Frontstretch favorites along with polls, interaction with fans and so much more.
Editor's Note No. 2: In Numbers Game on Tuesday, we erroneously printed that Carl Edwards was the first repeat winner at Texas when he claimed his second win there in 2008. In actuality, Jeff Burton became the first two-time winner at TMS when he won in April, 2007 for Richard Childress Racing. He had previously won the inaugural Interstate Batteries 500 in April, 1997. As a result, the correct number for that particular entry would have been 12 instead of 14. We are sorry for this screw-up.
What to Watch: Thursday
The race weekend in Texas gets underway this afternoon. The Sprint Cup Series is scheduled to run a two-hour practice session from 5:30-7:30pm EDT (4:30-6:30pm CDT). This will be televised live on SPEED. The Nationwide Series is also scheduled to practice from 7:40-9:00pm EDT (6:40-8:00pm CDT). However, this session is not scheduled to be televised.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
NASCAR Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Hall of Fame Nominees
On Wednesday evening during a special edition of NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED, the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Class were announced. As is the norm, the 20 nominees from last year's list that were not inducted return for another go-around along with five new nominees. The new nominees contained a couple of surprises.
Returning Nominees:
Buck Baker- Two-time Grand National Champion (1956-1957)
Red Byron- 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Champion
Richard Childress- Grand National/Winston Cup driver (1969-1981), Grand National/Winston Cup car owner (1969-present), six Winston Cup Championships with Dale Earnhardt (1986-1987, 1990-1991, 1993-1994), three-time Busch/Nationwide Series championships (2001, 2006, 2008), 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman champion truck owner
Jerry Cook- Six-time NASCAR Modified Champion in the pre-modern era.
H. Clay Earles- Promoter of Martinsville Speedway
Tim Flock- Two-time Grand National Champion (1952, 1955)
Rick Hendrick- Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup car owner 1984-present, 199 wins, ten Cup championships (1995-1998, 2001, 2006-2010)
Jack Ingram- Two-time NASCAR Budweiser Late Model/Busch Grand National Champion (1982, 1985), 31 victories, multiple time Late Model Sportsman champion in pre-modern era
Bobby Isaac- 1970 Grand National Champion, 37 career wins
Fred Lorenzen- 1965 Daytona 500 winner, 26 career Grand National wins
Cotton Owens- Longtime Grand National car owner, champion car owner in 1966 with David Pearson, nine career wins as a driver
Raymond Parks- Owner of Red Byron's championship winning car in 1949
Benny Parsons- 1973 Winston Cup Champion, former broadcaster with ESPN, ABC, SETN, NBC and TNT
Les Richter- Current Pro Football Hall of Famer, Former General Manager of Riverside International Raceway, Former NASCAR Executive
Fireball Roberts- Driver in Grand National, 1958-1964. 33 career wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500
T. Wayne Robertson- Former RJReynolds Senior Vice President
Herb Thomas- First two-time Grand National Champion (1951, 1953)
Curtis Turner- 17 career Grand National wins
Joe Weatherly- Two-time Grand National Champion (1962-1963)
Leonard Wood- Part-owner of Wood Brothers Racing, former Crew Chief
------------------------------
New Additions:
Ray Fox- Former Grand National car owner
Anne B. France- Bill France, Sr.'s wife and the first Secretary and Treasurer of NASCAR and ISC
Ralph Seagraves- Brought Winston sponsorship to NASCAR
Rusty Wallace- 1984 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, 1989 Winston Cup Champion, 55 career Cup victories
Wendell Scott- Only African-American to ever win a Cup race, 495 career starts
Wednesday's nominees were put together by a 21 person Nominating Committee. This committee includes three groups of people. The first is the NASCAR Hall of Fame itself, which is represented by Executive Director Winston Kelley and Historian Buz McKim.
The second group consists of NASCAR Officials. Represented here is NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, Vice Chairman Jim France, Senior Vice President Paul Brooks, President Mike Helton, Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell, Competition Administrator Jerry Cook and former Vice President Ken Clapp.
Finally, the third group consists of Track Owners and Operators. This group consists of Lesa France Kennedy, CEO of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway (and part-time racer in his own right), Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage, Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark, Tony George, former President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of the Izod IndyCar Series, Dover Motorsports, Inc. CEO Denis McGlynn, Looie McNally, member of the Pocono Raceway Board of Directors, Bowman Gray Stadium Operator Dale Pinilis, Riverhead Raceway Operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (they get one vote between them), Rockford Speedway Owner/Operator Jody Deery and former Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Operator Jim Williams.
These 21 people will be joined by 33 additional voters to vote on the 25 nominees on May 23rd. Fans will once again serve as the 55th vote. Those who would like to vote can go here. The top-5 vote getters will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January, 2013.
Sorenson to Drive for FAS Lane Racing at Texas, Jani-King to Sponsor
On Wednesday, FAS Lane Racing announced that they have signed Reed Sorenson to drive their No. 32 Ford in Saturday night's Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition, the No. 32 will carrying primary sponsorship from Jani-King.
FAS Lane Racing team owner Frank Stoddard is very pleased to have Jani-King onboard for this weekend.
"We welcome the opportunity to have Texas-based Jani-King in what has quickly become a popular night race at Texas Motor Speedway," Stoddard said. "The team was able to regroup a little bit with the off-week for the holiday and we are ready to get back to work this week in Texas and provide Jani-King with a solid performance on Saturday night. We also look forward to the addition of Reed [Sorenson] for this week and putting together a good run."
FAS Lane Racing is currently 33rd in owners' points and is locked into Saturday night's 500 mile race. However, Sorenson is ineligible to earn owners points because he declared to run for the Nationwide Series championship.
For Jani-King, this is far from their first involvement in stock car. The janitorial company has served as a primary sponsor for teams in the now-Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, in addition to ASA and ARCA. In 2001, Jani-King served as the primary sponsor of Scott Wimmer's No. 23 for Bill Davis Racing for the full season. Wimmer finished 11th in points carrying the black and white colors. For 2002, the company moved to the-then new FitzBradshaw Racing to sponsor their No. 12 Chevrolets for Kerry Earnhardt in seven races. Earnhardt's best finish was an eighth at Nashville in April.
Jani-King also had a long relationship with Mike Garvey, which culminated in a number of Cup races in 2005. Garvey's best finish was a 25th at Pocono. Previously, the company had sponsored him in ASA. The company also sponsored Mark Gibson's team in ARCA in the late 1990's.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for TriStar Motorsports
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 32- Reed Sorenson for FAS Lane Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 32- Reed Sorenson will be in the seat, replacing Ken Schrader.
No. 33- Tony Raines will be in the seat, replacing Hermie Sadler.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
No. 74- Stacy Compton will be in the seat, replacing Reed Sorenson.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 10- David Reutimann for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 49- J.J. Yeley for Robinson-Blakeney Racing
No. 74- Stacy Compton for Turn One Racing*
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports*
No. 95- Scott Speed for Leavine Family Racing
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing*
Entered, but already withdrawn:
No. 37- MaxQ Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 52- Hamilton-Means Racing
Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 27- David Ragan for GC Motorsports International
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 41- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Key Motorsports
No. 47- Scott Speed for Key Motorsports
No. 54- Kurt Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 08- Kyle Fowler returns to the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 09- Ryan Truex will be in the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace. Truex brings sponsorship to the team from Grime Boss.
No. 4- Danny Efland returns to the seat, replacing Daryl Harr.
No. 15- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 20- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Truex.
No. 27- David Ragan returns to the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley.
No. 30- Steve Arpin is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Brendan Gaughan.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne returns to the seat, replacing Brad Sweet.
No. 39- Kelly Bires is in the seat, replacing Joey Gase. Bires is bringing sponsorship to the team from FentonMotors.com.
No. 41- Timmy Hill is in the seat, replacing Blake Koch. This marks Hill's return to the Nationwide Series. He will drive the rest of the Nationwide schedule.
No. 54- Kurt Busch is in the seat, replacing his younger brother Kyle. This is the first of 20 races that Kurt will drive.
No. 70- Johanna Long returns to the seat, replacing David Green.
No. 74- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 08- Kyle Fowler for Randy Hill Racing
No. 5- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 15- Blake Koch for Rick Ware Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 27- David Ragan for GC Motorsports International
No. 39- Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing
No. 41- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Key Motorsports*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Key Motorsports*
No. 47- Scott Speed for Key Motorsports*
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Tim Schendel for Means Motorsports
No. 72- John Jackson for Carter Racing*
No. 74- Unknown driver for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Faith Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 28- Kevin Lepage for Robinson-Blakeney Racing
No. 60- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing
Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200: 41 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 07- Johnny Chapman for SS-Green Light Racing
No. 4- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 92- David Reutimann for RBR Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Johnny Chapman is in the seat, replacing Jake Crum.
No. 2- Tim George, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the seat, replacing Chris Lafferty.
No. 74- Brian Weber returns to the seat, replacing Rick Crawford. Weber was originally entered in the No. 74 at Martinsville and practiced the truck. However, before qualifying, he was replaced by Crawford.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young Racing. If Young qualifies for the race, he will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 09- John Wes Townley for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 4- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 9- Ron Hornaday, Jr. for Joe Denette Motorsports (Has second crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 11- Todd Bodine for Red Horse Racing (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 14- Brennan Newberry for Bob Newberry Racing
No. 28- Wes Burton for FDNY Racing
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Racing
No. 70- Jeff Agnew for Level 7 Motorsports
No. 74- Brian Weber for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Racing
No. 81- David Starr for Billy Ballew Motorsports
No. 84- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
No. 92- David Reutimann for RBR Motorsports
No. 98- Dakoda Armstrong for ThorSport Racing
Entered, but already withdrawn:
No. 8- Eddie Sharp Racing. With the points not being used, Norm Benning is now locked in.
Izod IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach: 26 cars entered:
Driver Changes: None
Entries:
No. 2- Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske
No. 3- Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4- J.R. Hildebrand for Panther Racing
No. 5- E.J. Viso for KV Racing Technologies
No. 6- Katherine Legge for Lotus-Dragon Racing
No. 7- Sebastien Bourdais for Lotus-Dragon Racing
No. 8- Rubens Barrichello for KV Racing Technologies
No. 9- Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10- Dario Franchitti for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11- Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies with SH Racing
No. 12- Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14- Mike Conway for AJ Foyt Enterprises
No. 15- Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18- Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19- James Jakes for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20- Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 22- Oriol Servia for Lotus-DRR
No. 26- Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27- James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 28- Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 38- Graham Rahal for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 67- Josef Newgarden for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77- Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports
No. 78- Simona de Silvestro for Lotus-HVM Racing
No. 83- Charlie Kimball for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98- Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominations Need Some Tweaking
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Looking through the names and considering the impact each had on the sport, everybody on the list clearly deserves a spot in the Hall, as well as an appropriate retrospective on their career, lives, and contribution to our sport.
With that said, NASCAR is in a bit of a precarious situation with announcing this many people and only five spots on hand every year.
NASCAR and its Hall of Fame is unique, as so many of the sports legends are still alive and able to share their stories with those fans who have been here from the beginning, as well as those who just started tuning in the last few years. They should be honored and their story told by them – while they still have the opportunity to do so. After all, _Band of Brothers_ was so gripping because it was made when many were still alive to share their experiences – not interpreted by somebody without any frame of reference.
Am I likening racing cars to storming the beach at Normandy? Not at all, its just that the racing world and landscape today is far different than the one that was shaped just a little more than 60 years ago by many who are still around to relive it.
One of the names on the list who is deserving of a Hall of Fame honor is that of the Golden Boy, Fred Lorenzen. For those of you who may be friends with him on Facebook, you probably saw this sobering post by his daughter Wednesday evening. For those who are not, please read below:
Ok friends and fans, this is Fred's daughter writing today. As most of you know, Freddie has dementia, a form of Alzheimer's. It's amazing how clearly he remembers his days of racing and how hard it is to see day to day confusion. He loves to hear stories, posts and pictures from [Facebook].
I haven't pushed in the past for votes for my dad, but as I feel my dad declining, I know the right thing to do is encourage you loyal fans to vote for Fast Freddie. He's laid the foundation for what NASCAR is today. He's never let a fan down and is known for his sincerity, passion, hard work and truly being a pioneer of racing-knowing the ins and outs of his car and working non-stop with his crew.
Over the past years, I've been humbled to learn, MY DAD is so many people's hero. He always said his fans were his heroes. Well heroes, let's be Dad's heroes again and give his one LAST major racing memory and VOTE to get him inducted in the Hall of Fame THIS YEAR while he can appreciate knowing the honor? After all, he deserves it.
With our sincere thanks, Amanda and Chris
Editor's Note: This passage has been edited for clarity purposes only. There was absolutely no intent to change the meaning of anything written.
With Lorenzen in poor health, hopefully in the future some deference will be given to those that are still with us to be nominated for induction ahead of those who are still active in the sport and in good health. While Richard Childress, Jack Roush, and Rick Hendrick have all had a significant impact on the sport over the last 25 years, they are still very active in racing and no worse for wear – Jack's frequent radical vertical impact aerial exercises not withstanding.
I feel there should be some subjective criteria for the Hall of Fame these first few years to help build the base of the Hall, and to honor those who are still here to be honored. There should be three spots for drivers, two for mechanics, one for car owners and one for promoters, as well as a posthumous inductee for either of those roles. That way those who left us will be sure to be honored, as well as the fortunate few who have served their time and are still alive to receive the fruits of their labors.
Prayers and best wishes for Fred Lorenzen and his family, and hopes that he is able to see himself into the Hall of Fame – while he still can.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: NASCAR RaceHub Announces the Nominees
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take a look at additional motorsports-related television programming. The past week and change has been slim pickings at best for motorsports programming. Just plain nothing on. Of course, having said that, this weekend is the complete opposite with almost every series of note in action, as well as the local racing scene in Upstate New York (where I'm based) getting up and running.
As you may know, Wednesday was a big day for NASCAR since the nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2013 were announced. The Hall of Fame's announcement venue of choice: A regularly-scheduled episode of SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub. Interesting. Let us take a look.
Danielle Trotta, fresh off getting "owned" during an interview with Clint Bowyer on Tuesday (everything I've read about Bowyer off the track characterize his actions on the show as par for the course and absolutely no reflection on Trotta), hosted Wednesday's show. Since I've rarely actually sat down and critiqued this show, I'll state her for the record that I am pro-Trotta. I like her on the show. Its her primary (or secondary) gig for most of the year (once Fall comes, she also does work with ACC football), so she's grown quite comfortable in the role.
Here, she hosted the show with Rick Allen and Larry McReynolds in the studio with their opinions of the nominees. Allen talked about how he had voted for ten of the 15 people that had been inducted and what he was thinking. Meanwhile, McReynolds talked about how the voters nailed the first 15 picks.
Ultimately, the 25 nominees were spread throughout the one hour show. Probably not the best way to go, to be honest. There is something to be said about making the audience wait in order to build up the suspense, but no one was going to get spoofed here. Here's a bit of inside information. NASCAR didn't send out the official press release with the nominees until after SPEED finished their little exposition. As a result, we all learned who got picked at the same time everyone else did.
John Daly wrote on Tuesday that he believes that the NASCAR Media Group could have made a whole big special out of announcing the nominees with three minute vignettes about each nominee. With commercials and analysis, it would have been a two-hour show and he suggested that Mike Joy host it. I suppose something like that would be more interesting to watch on a Wednesday night than reruns of Pass Time and Dumbest Stuff on Wheels, but he's suggesting a longer special than what will likely be put out when the inductees are announced next month.
If you absolutely had to maintain NASCAR RaceHub's exclusive on the announcement, they could have done it differently. Dedicate the entire first half of the show to unveiling the nominees with Trotta, Allen and McReynolds. Maybe just take what ultimately aired and reorder the segments so that all the Hall of Fame discussion is together. Then, cover what I'm about to get it.
Following the unveiling of the first five nominees (all returning, in alphabetical order), Trotta threw the show to Rockingham, where a feature about Rockingham Speedway getting ready for their first Camping World Truck Series race aired. Wendy Venturini talked to track owner/promoter Andy Hillenburg and other notable figures in the Rockingham area (Rockingham Mayor Gene McLaurin, Richmond County Manager Rick Sago, Richmond County Chairman of Commissions Kenneth Robinette) about their thoughts about having a NASCAR race back at Rockingham for the first time since 2004. The excitement is very high at the high-banked slightly more than one mile tri-oval. I'll definitely be watching that race.
The next two segments featured the next ten nominees. Allen and McReynolds talked about the nominees and described what made the nominees really stand out. Generally, this wasn't a bad discussion. These nominee discussions were sandwiched by a look at Texas Motor Speedway's top-5 moments (Inside Note: In Albany, the first Cup race at Texas was pre-empted due to a local Arthritis Telethon, thus, I never saw it).
After going through the first 15 nominees, Allen and McReynolds took a short break. Perhaps, they went to go get some chicken tenders. While they were out, BK Racing's Landon Cassill and Travis Kvapil came on set to talk with Trotta. The topics of discussion were how the team came together to start the season (at the absolute last minute), how Cassill and Kvapil got their rides, and the battle to stay in the top-35 in owners points. Also of note, the new Dr. Pepper paint scheme for the No. 93 was shown via pictures. This car will race this weekend in Texas. I guess the interview was informative, but it was definitely a little one-sided. Kvapil barely got to say anything. It was mostly Trotta and Cassill. That's a shame.
The second part of a two-part interview (conducted by Steve Byrnes) with Kasey Kahne was next. Here, Kahne talks about the early days of his race career when he was scraping to get by in Indiana. It was an interesting piece. Wish I saw part No. 1 first, though.
Finally, after the review of the 20 returning nominees, the five new nominees were announced. This group was broken down into the three non-drivers, and the two drivers. The inclusion of Anne B. France as a nominee here is already quite controversial. ESPN's David Newton has already come out against the nomination, and others are sure to follow. Here, Allen and McReynolds, along with NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley seemed to realize that there might be griping here, so they decided to try to put out the flames. They did an ok job.
Each of the two new driver nominees (Rusty Wallace and Wendell Scott) were discussed. McReynolds discussed Scott with almost the exact same terminology that he had discussed Jack Ingram earlier in the show (He described Scott as being a "one man show.") The idea of Scott changing his own tire is almost mythological these days in NASCAR, especially since seemingly no one has brought forth any evidence of this (Regardless, ESPN tried to re-create this in their docudrama, Wendell Scott: A Race Story, which will air on ESPN Classic Saturday morning at 7:30). We do know that Morgan Shepherd did it once in a Truck race around 2000, and I believe evidence exists of that (he apparently borrowed equipment from Stan Boyd's team and did his solo pit stop under a caution). Meanwhile, based on the discussion on the show, you'd think Wallace would be a near-lock to get in on the first try.
Generally, NASCAR RaceHub is a great show, but they went about announcing the nominees wrong. This is a rather important announcement, and it was treated like events on the most recent version of American Gladiators. Let's just say they liked to build up suspense by going to commercial break right as events were starting. That irritated me while watching contenders lose in the Joust, and it irritates me here. They should have grouped all the nominee reveals and discussion together. Then, you could have your time with BK Racing and the taped footage from Byrnes' chat with Kasey Kahne. I think it would have worked better than what we ultimately got. A rare miss. Regardless, it was definitely a good idea to have Allen and McReynolds, both of whom served as Hall of Fame voters last year, in the studio to discuss the nominees. For next year, they need to group it better.
I hope you liked this look at SPEED's not-so-special look at the nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2013. Check back next Thursday for more criticism and possible praise. Until then, enjoy the action this weekend in Texas, Long Beach and Shanghai.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Mirror Driving: Franchise Talk, Victory Droughts, And NASCAR's Short Track Future
"Busch/Nationwide teams moving up have never really done well, even after winning in Nationwide. Anyone remember the A.G. Dillard team in the mid-1990s? That's just one example of many failures. " - Phil Allaway on Rick Ware Racing becoming the latest in a number of failures for secondary level teams attempting to move up to Cup.
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: NASCAR RaceHub Announces the Nominees
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take a look at additional motorsports-related television programming. The past week and change has been slim pickings at best for motorsports programming. Just plain nothing on. Of course, having said that, this weekend is the complete opposite with almost every series of note in action, as well as the local racing scene in Upstate New York (where I'm based) getting up and running.
As you may know, Wednesday was a big day for NASCAR since the nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2013 were announced. The Hall of Fame's announcement venue of choice: A regularly-scheduled episode of SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub. Interesting. Let us take a look.
Danielle Trotta, fresh off getting "owned" during an interview with Clint Bowyer on Tuesday (everything I've read about Bowyer off the track characterize his actions on the show as par for the course and absolutely no reflection on Trotta), hosted Wednesday's show. Since I've rarely actually sat down and critiqued this show, I'll state her for the record that I am pro-Trotta. I like her on the show. Its her primary (or secondary) gig for most of the year (once Fall comes, she also does work with ACC football), so she's grown quite comfortable in the role.
Here, she hosted the show with Rick Allen and Larry McReynolds in the studio with their opinions of the nominees. Allen talked about how he had voted for ten of the 15 people that had been inducted and what he was thinking. Meanwhile, McReynolds talked about how the voters nailed the first 15 picks.
Ultimately, the 25 nominees were spread throughout the one hour show. Probably not the best way to go, to be honest. There is something to be said about making the audience wait in order to build up the suspense, but no one was going to get spoofed here. Here's a bit of inside information. NASCAR didn't send out the official press release with the nominees until after SPEED finished their little exposition. As a result, we all learned who got picked at the same time everyone else did.
John Daly wrote on Tuesday that he believes that the NASCAR Media Group could have made a whole big special out of announcing the nominees with three minute vignettes about each nominee. With commercials and analysis, it would have been a two-hour show and he suggested that Mike Joy host it. I suppose something like that would be more interesting to watch on a Wednesday night than reruns of Pass Time and Dumbest Stuff on Wheels, but he's suggesting a longer special than what will likely be put out when the inductees are announced next month.
If you absolutely had to maintain NASCAR RaceHub's exclusive on the announcement, they could have done it differently. Dedicate the entire first half of the show to unveiling the nominees with Trotta, Allen and McReynolds. Maybe just take what ultimately aired and reorder the segments so that all the Hall of Fame discussion is together. Then, cover what I'm about to get it.
Following the unveiling of the first five nominees (all returning, in alphabetical order), Trotta threw the show to Rockingham, where a feature about Rockingham Speedway getting ready for their first Camping World Truck Series race aired. Wendy Venturini talked to track owner/promoter Andy Hillenburg and other notable figures in the Rockingham area (Rockingham Mayor Gene McLaurin, Richmond County Manager Rick Sago, Richmond County Chairman of Commissions Kenneth Robinette) about their thoughts about having a NASCAR race back at Rockingham for the first time since 2004. The excitement is very high at the high-banked slightly more than one mile tri-oval. I'll definitely be watching that race.
The next two segments featured the next ten nominees. Allen and McReynolds talked about the nominees and described what made the nominees really stand out. Generally, this wasn't a bad discussion. These nominee discussions were sandwiched by a look at Texas Motor Speedway's top-5 moments (Inside Note: In Albany, the first Cup race at Texas was pre-empted due to a local Arthritis Telethon, thus, I never saw it).
After going through the first 15 nominees, Allen and McReynolds took a short break. Perhaps, they went to go get some chicken tenders. While they were out, BK Racing's Landon Cassill and Travis Kvapil came on set to talk with Trotta. The topics of discussion were how the team came together to start the season (at the absolute last minute), how Cassill and Kvapil got their rides, and the battle to stay in the top-35 in owners points. Also of note, the new Dr. Pepper paint scheme for the No. 93 was shown via pictures. This car will race this weekend in Texas. I guess the interview was informative, but it was definitely a little one-sided. Kvapil barely got to say anything. It was mostly Trotta and Cassill. That's a shame.
The second part of a two-part interview (conducted by Steve Byrnes) with Kasey Kahne was next. Here, Kahne talks about the early days of his race career when he was scraping to get by in Indiana. It was an interesting piece. Wish I saw part No. 1 first, though.
Finally, after the review of the 20 returning nominees, the five new nominees were announced. This group was broken down into the three non-drivers, and the two drivers. The inclusion of Anne B. France as a nominee here is already quite controversial. ESPN's David Newton has already come out against the nomination, and others are sure to follow. Here, Allen and McReynolds, along with NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley seemed to realize that there might be griping here, so they decided to try to put out the flames. They did an ok job.
Each of the two new driver nominees (Rusty Wallace and Wendell Scott) were discussed. McReynolds discussed Scott with almost the exact same terminology that he had discussed Jack Ingram earlier in the show (He described Scott as being a "one man show.") The idea of Scott changing his own tire is almost mythological these days in NASCAR, especially since seemingly no one has brought forth any evidence of this (Regardless, ESPN tried to re-create this in their docudrama, Wendell Scott: A Race Story, which will air on ESPN Classic Saturday morning at 7:30). We do know that Morgan Shepherd did it once in a Truck race around 2000, and I believe evidence exists of that (he apparently borrowed equipment from Stan Boyd's team and did his solo pit stop under a caution). Meanwhile, based on the discussion on the show, you'd think Wallace would be a near-lock to get in on the first try.
Generally, NASCAR RaceHub is a great show, but they went about announcing the nominees wrong. This is a rather important announcement, and it was treated like events on the most recent version of American Gladiators. Let's just say they liked to build up suspense by going to commercial break right as events were starting. That irritated me while watching contenders lose in the Joust, and it irritates me here. They should have grouped all the nominee reveals and discussion together. Then, you could have your time with BK Racing and the taped footage from Byrnes' chat with Kasey Kahne. I think it would have worked better than what we ultimately got. A rare miss. Regardless, it was definitely a good idea to have Allen and McReynolds, both of whom served as Hall of Fame voters last year, in the studio to discuss the nominees. For next year, they need to group it better.
I hope you liked this look at SPEED's not-so-special look at the nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2013. Check back next Thursday for more criticism and possible praise. Until then, enjoy the action this weekend in Texas, Long Beach and Shanghai.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Mirror Driving: Franchise Talk, Victory Droughts, And NASCAR's Short Track Future
"Busch/Nationwide teams moving up have never really done well, even after winning in Nationwide. Anyone remember the A.G. Dillard team in the mid-1990s? That's just one example of many failures. " - Phil Allaway on Rick Ware Racing becoming the latest in a number of failures for secondary level teams attempting to move up to Cup.
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
Dollars And Sense: Should NASCAR Expect Higher Ratings Following An Off Weekend?
by Jesse Medford
Preaching to Non-Believers
by Mark Howell
Truckin' Thursdays: NASCAR's Return to The Rock
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Potts' Shots: How Bill France Doubled Down on Daytona International Speedway
by John Potts
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Speaking of the 1998 Texas 500, there were issues during First Round Qualifying for the race. What happened?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: On Monday's edition of NASCAR Now (aired at 1 AM EDT), ESPN showed a clip of the big wreck that started the inaugural Interstate Batteries 500 at Texas Motor Speedway back in 1997. 1998 didn't start all that much better at TMS. What happened?
A: The field managed to make it an extra mile and a half before all heck broke loose in Turn 1. It is unclear from the replays, but it appeared that Rick Mast and Jeff Gordon collided, putting both cars into the outside wall. John Andretti went on the apron, lost control and spun into the wall, taking Kevin Lepage and Ernie Irvan with him. Meanwhile, Darrell Waltrip (driving the No. 1 while Steve Park was recovering from a broken leg) got in the back of Hut Stricklin and Kenny Wallace, spinning both drivers out. Dale Earnhardt was caught up in it while trying to avoid the crash, while Ted Musgrave also received damage. The crash can be seen live at the 7:00 mark of this clip, then replays continue into this clip.
Thankfully, everyone either drove away under their own power, or walked away from the crash. NASCAR was forced to throw a red flag in order to clean the track up. Mast, Andretti and Irvan were out on the spot, while Stricklin only briefly got back out on track. Gordon, Musgrave and Kenny Wallace got back out on track, but eventually pulled in due to "handling woes." Of the cars involved in the crash, only Earnhardt and Lepage finished the race in 35th and 37th, respectively.
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Jeff Wolfe
-- In Case You Missed It by Nick Schwartz
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Justin Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer is back with a four-part look at some interesting stories as we look forward to Saturday night's Cup race in Texas.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy is back with another interesting commentary.
Friday Fast Forward Into NASCAR's Future by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan returns with another interesting commentary piece on the Nationwide Series to get you ready for Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Landon Cassill as told to TBA
We're unveiling a new Diary Friday at Frontstretch. Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 83 Burger King Toyota for BK Racing will stop by and talk about his season so far as well as some other topics.
-----------------------------Thankfully, everyone either drove away under their own power, or walked away from the crash. NASCAR was forced to throw a red flag in order to clean the track up. Mast, Andretti and Irvan were out on the spot, while Stricklin only briefly got back out on track. Gordon, Musgrave and Kenny Wallace got back out on track, but eventually pulled in due to "handling woes." Of the cars involved in the crash, only Earnhardt and Lepage finished the race in 35th and 37th, respectively.
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Jeff Wolfe
-- In Case You Missed It by Nick Schwartz
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Justin Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer is back with a four-part look at some interesting stories as we look forward to Saturday night's Cup race in Texas.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy is back with another interesting commentary.
Friday Fast Forward Into NASCAR's Future by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan returns with another interesting commentary piece on the Nationwide Series to get you ready for Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Landon Cassill as told to TBA
We're unveiling a new Diary Friday at Frontstretch. Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 83 Burger King Toyota for BK Racing will stop by and talk about his season so far as well as some other topics.
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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