Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Frontstretch Newsletter: April 17th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 17th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LXIV

What To Watch For: Tuesday

-
A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Marcos Ambrose, and Martin Truex, Jr. are participating in Day 1 of a two-day tire test at Dover Speedway in Delaware. The drivers will try and shake down a new compound designed for better racing at the one-mile oval.

- Dave Blaney's son, Ryan, along with X Games star Travis Pastrana are scheduled to speak to the media about their upcoming NASCAR plans. Ryan will be driving in the Nationwide Series, for Tommy Baldwin Racing while Pastrana is scheduled to run for Pastrana Waltrip Racing. Both are making their season debuts at Richmond.

Today's Top News
by Kevin Rutherford

Phoenix Racing May Not Run Full Season

Despite starting off 2012 with its most high-profile driver ever in Kurt Busch, Phoenix Racing still may not be on track for the full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. In an interview on SPEED's "Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain" Sunday night, team owner James Finch told Despain that lack of funding may keep the No. 51 group from attempting a run at the championship with Busch.

"Well, we're trying. There's a question," said Finch when asked whether or not sponsorship might affect the team's full-season run. "We're off and running and trying. We're talking to some people and going from there. We're headed to Kansas this weekend and hopefully get in the top-10 there and then come back to Talladega and have a really good run. We're optimistic about it. Kurt has put a lot of effort in it. It's kind of like a small team getting a big-time quarterback."

However, a post on Phoenix Racing's Facebook page made by the team's General Manager, Steve Barkdoll stated that there is "NO worries of team running all year, just would like a sponsor, @KurtBusch and @phoenixracing51 deserve one, looking forward to Kansas." So far this season, through seven races Busch has one top-10 finish, three top 15s and sits 26th in Cup Series points. Those numbers already beat what three drivers - Landon Cassill, Bill Elliott, and Boris Said - accumulated in the Finch Racing car throughout all of 2011 combined. However, in that season, despite limited sponsorship from Thank-A-Teacher the team was still forced to park it for one event, Martinsville in the Fall and dial back their effort for several others.

Owens to Crew Chief Turner Motorsports' Cup Debu
t

For Turner Motorsports' Sprint Cup debut, the team turned to a familiar face to crew chief its No. 50 Walmart Chevrolet. Trent Owens, currently the head wrench for Turner's No. 30 entry in the Nationwide Series, will sit atop the pit box when the team attempts July's Daytona Cup race with veteran Bill Elliott as its driver.

"It's exciting to be part of Turner Motorsports' first Cup race with Bill Elliott and support from Walmart," said Owens, who has been crew chief within the organization (formerly known as Braun Racing) for over six seasons. "We've come a long way in just the last two years, so to take this step is really going to be a milestone for everyone who works so hard for this team every day."

The team's debut coincides with sponsor Walmart's Race Time promotion, which includes discounted race tickets, driver appearances and fan events at Walmart stores. The one-race deal, announced in January will be the first time the company has been a primary sponsor on a Sprint Cup car.

News Bites


- Two competitors in this weekend's Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway have announced additional sponsorship that will adorn their trucks during the race. Former series points leader and Red Horse Racing rookie John King will receive backing from CONSOL Energy, which also supported King at last weekend's race at Rockingham. Russ Dugger, who will make his return to the series at Kansas, has also picked up sponsorship for his six-race run with Mario Gosselin's No. 12 team. Vacuworx Global, based in Tulsa, Okla., joins the team as a secondary sponsor to the already-announced JPO Absorbents.

- NASCAR continues to struggle in the Nielsen ratings. Saturday night's race at Texas earned a 3.6 in the overnights, down 3% from last year's 3.7 for the same event. So far this season, five of the six races have suffered from ratings declines.

- Matt Kenseth has picked up an additional race of sponsorship from Zest. The No. 17 team, which is still trying to piece together backing for all 36 Cup Series events will have the soap company on board for Darlington on May 12th.

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
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

We settled onto the hard backless bench and watched the Hobby Stock division take to the track for some hot laps at Lee USA Speedway in Massachusetts. New to this venue and some of the lower divisions running, we grinned at the aged Monte Carlos as they sort of drifted out of Turn 4 and slid up toward the wall.  During the fifteen minutes allotted to the teams to shake out their cars before the heats began, it didn't take much to sort out which drivers were here to fight and which were just here.

Most of the cars sported spots of primer, some decaled flames and the shadows of dents beaten out long ago.  But one was particularly ugly, so much so you couldn't help but point at the tortured machine.  At some point in its past life, a sun roof existed.  Also, the phantom edging from a vinyl roof gave further proof of better days.  On the freshly painted white doors, some electrical tape had been applied to represent the number "08."  I shook my head and thought, "Poor thing."

Despite bad paint jobs, you could tell the Monte Carlos would still beat out the few old-style Camaros when the laps counted.  After all, the boxy front end of the Montes managed to hold a more even keel as they came out of the turns and dove into the corners.  The Camaros, well, their noses bobbed up and down like a Punch and Judy show.  Even on a 3/8-mile bullring, you still need a little bit of handling to land you near Victory Lane.

And then our attention was diverted by a new arrival.  All shiny, the No. 83 sparkled blue and grey under the cloudless April sky.  It was almost as if angels sang as the last car of the group passed through the gate.  I figured this must be the guy who always won every week.

The Monte Carlo body appeared flawless, the engine purred in a rather non-offensive manner and it strutted about the track, avoiding some of the scrappier entrants as they flexed their muscles.  Smart driver, right?  Then it seemed as if it didn't seem to load quite as dramatically in the corners as the rest of the field.  But as most of the other cars had retreated to the pits, I didn't have an opportunity to compare speeds from the pretty car to the ugly cars -- at least not yet. 

In the heat race, the No. 08 started midpack.  But it didn't take long for the blighted black & white car to nip at the heels of the leaders.  Aggressive and yet possessing more than a few driving smarts, I suddenly began to understand what made this particular driver tick.  He wanted it.  He led a hungry charge to the front, so hungry that within just a few laps his tires started to squeal and then slip.  The No. 08 nearly spun up into the wall and then promptly retired from the heat, limping back to the pits.

Meanwhile, that gorgeous No. 83 still tooled around the track, maintaining a neutral path right down the middle of the road.  He kept the tail lights of his fellow competitors in view, but really didn't make a serious attempt to reach those back bumpers.  No squeal could be heard in the corners and his engine sounded more like it was enjoying a Sunday drive, not a dash to the front. So pretty... and somehow, I could suddenly see the same unblemished car appear at the end of the season, ready for its moment of fame.  But would it still be waiting for that moment to arrive?

Which of these two machines did end up in Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon?  The No. 08 rolled onto the track and led the Hobby Stocks to the green for their feature.  He continued to run out front for much of the 25 laps and pulled his very ugly car down the frontstretch in order to receive his trophy.

The young man crawled from his vehicle and looked a bit surprised to see a microphone in his face.  He quickly slipped off his fire jacket (it was hot in there!) and tried to pull a few words together.  Not particularly well-spoken, he thanked his girlfriend, said something about being tired and then mentioned he'd been up with the team all night building a carburetor and finishing up the brand-new car.  My initial impression of the No. 08 vanished like a whiff of smoke, replaced by some serious respect for the young man who fought his way right to the top.

I can't tell you where the pristine No. 83 finished that feature. I was only aware it was nowhere near the leaders when the race came down to the nitty gritty. I don't recall the blue and grey car causing a caution, either.  It was almost as if he didn't exist.

So often on Sundays, we turn on the TV and shut our minds off as the endless miles of blinged-out Cup cars parade around the chosen field of competition.  Every pit boasts a box that could double as a small condominium.  Uniforms match.  Money oozes out every pore of the venue, except for those few start-and-park teams that arrive in unmarked haulers and plant four tires in their pits just to keep the powers that be happy.  The lack of elegance indicates where we can expect that team to perform on any given Sunday.

In this circus of media-hyped glitz, how easy it is to forget the importance of desire and devotion when we sit in judgment of our favorite and not-so-favorite drivers?  To dismiss gargantuan efforts when teams rebuild a demolished car and still manage to eke out those few so-needed points?  We expect the best, because the owners at the Cup level of our sport make sure we know they are here as the real deal.  But how humbling it is to remember that not every swan started life with a silver spoon. 

I don't know the name of the young man in that ugly No. 08 -- there was a distinct lack of programs and results available -- but I'd like to.  I'd like to thank him for reminding me all that glitters is not gold, and the next race I attend I'll give the primer black beater a second glance before I dismiss it.

I hope you get the chance to visit your local track this year and have your own opportunity to discover some of that hidden treasure.  The experience is always worth the trip!

Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Texas:
NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 17th
Finished: 8th (lead lap)
Points Position: 11th

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: Samsung Mobile 500 Edition
by Garrett Horton

2
There were only two caution flags Saturday night, a track record for fewest yellows.  The previous record low for cautions was five, which had occurred four different times – the fall races of 2008 and 2009 as well as both events last year.

4
Four of the first six Nationwide races this year have been won by Nationwide regulars.  The two other winners have been Joey Logano, who runs for Joe Gibbs Racing in Sprint Cup and James Buescher, who is competing full-time in the Camping World Truck Series.
 
11
Matt Kenseth now has 11 top 5's at TMS, more than any other driver.  His fifth-place run marked his fourth consecutive finish of fifth or better at the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

12
There were only 12 cars that finished on the lead lap, matching Martinsville's race two weeks ago for fewest lead lap finishers in 2012.

17
Greg Biffle now has 17 career Sprint Cup wins, moving him into a tie with Marvin Panch and Curtis Turner for 46th-most all-time.

24th
Tony Stewart earned his worst finish of the season this weekend, limping home to a 24th-place effort.  The defending Sprint Cup champion, who had recently developed a hot streak on the 1.5-mile speedways – including winning the last three events – had not finished worse than 24th on this type of speedway since this race two years ago, when he was caught up in an accident after leading 74 laps.
 
156
Jimmie Johnson led a race-high 156 laps.  Prior to Saturday, he had led a total of 119 circuits in his 17 previous starts at TMS.

234
The number of consecutive green-flag laps run to finish the race at Texas. It was the third straight race there was a green-flag run of at least 100 circuits during the event.

773

Rick Hendrick drivers have combined to lead for 773 laps this year, over 400 more than second-most Roush Fenway Racing.  However, the team has still been shutout from the winner's circle this year as Hendrick continues to wait for career win 200 as a car owner.

27,500

Sunday's estimated attendance for NASCAR's long awaited return to Rockingham.  The inaugural Camping World Truck Series race run there marked the first NASCAR-sanctioned event at the popular 1.017-mile speedway since 2004.

Garrett Horton is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at garrrett.horton@frontstretch.com.


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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:


NASCAR's "Alternative" Reality: Time to Give the Points Leader His Due
by Tom Bowles

Five Points to Ponder: Looking for Some Excitement in 2012
by Danny Peters and Bryan Davis Keith

Couch Potato Tuesday: Should ESPN Take a Cue from IndyCar Regarding NASCAR Telecasting?
by Phil Allaway

Tech Talk with Matt McCall: Making Trucks Go Wide Open
by Mike Neff

Who's Hot / Who's Not in NASCAR: Texas-Kansas Edition
by Brett Poirier
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  When Kansas Speedway first opened, back in 2001, it was effectively in the middle of nowhere.  There was basically nothing around the track.  Now, there is the Hollywood Casino that overlooks Turn 2.  Also nearby is a brand new stadium that opened last year.  What is it called and who plays there?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:
  In 2004, Martin Truex, Jr. entered Kansas with a 152-point lead over Kyle Busch in the Busch Series standings.  However, his day was effectively over before it started.  What happened?

A:  On just the third lap of the race, Truex was fighting for second with Ron Hornaday when it appeared that Truex came down on Hornaday in Turn 1.  The two drivers had contact and spun out in front of almost the entire field.  Truex backed hard into the outside wall while Hornaday spun and was able to catch it before having wall contact.  In addition, the No. 00 of Blake Feese spun while trying to avoid the wreck and just nicked the outside wall with his right rear corner.  The crash can be seen in this clip.

Since Hornaday's car was undamaged, he continued on unscathed and eventually finished fifth.  Feese ended up 24th.  As for Truex, he had to go behind the wall for repairs, eventually finishing 42 laps down in 30th.  This would have been a big hit in the points for Truex, but his main competitor, Kyle Busch, was unable to capitalize since he got caught up in a multi-car wreck later on. As a result, Truex lost a mere three points to Kyle.

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
How much can Mark Martin make a difference with a new team early in the season? Tom goes inside the numbers to find out. Plus: mourning the loss of a single-car team, how good was Rockingham's attendance, really, tough times at Kyle Busch Motorsports and more in this weekly column of small but important observations around the NASCAR circuit.

Going Green by Garrett Horton
What's happened to Kyle Busch in 2012? Garrett takes a look at his absence up front in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series this season.

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
All too often lately, we've heard the words "intermediate track" and "boring" uttered in the same sentence. Is that accusation really true, and if so how can NASCAR fix the problem? Our expert roundtable delves deep into the world of 1.5-mile oval depression, discusses Richard Childress Racing's slump, NASCAR Hall of Fame nominations as well as the future of racing at Rockingham.

Frontstretch Top Ten by Jeff Meyer
Jeff is back with another hilarious NASCAR list to leave you laughing Wednesday morning. This week, he looks at the Top Ten things "that could be said" about the race on Saturday night.

Sprint Cup Power Rankings compiled by Summer Dreyer
The Sprint Cup point leader was number one in the race, too, on Saturday night as Greg Biffle ended a 49-race winless streak. But was that performance, combined with consistency enough to rise him up to number one on our list? See who your favorite NASCAR experts from around the web voted to the top of our power rankings poll after a weekend in the Lone Star State.

Beyond The Cockpit: Joey Coulter compiled by Mike Neff
The driver of Richard Childress Racing's No. 22 Chevrolet in the Truck Series talks about avoiding the sophomore slump, the future of his racing career and plenty more in this candid, one-on-one interview conducted at Rockingham.
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