Monday, April 09, 2012

The Frontstretch Newsletter: April 9th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 9th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LVIII

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Top News
by Phil Allaway

Austin Dillon to Star in ESPN Commercial

On Friday, ESPN announced that Nationwide Series driver Austin Dillon will be featured in a new promotional commercial for their coverage of the Nationwide Series.  The spot has been entitled "The Next Generation" and will begin airing this week.

According to ESPN's press release, the promotional spot will follow Dillon's career from go-karts to dirt late models and the Camping World Truck Series.  The No. 3 will also have a role in the commercial.  An unnamed crewmember will open a garage door to display the black No. 3 and symbolically pass it on to Dillon.

The promotional spot was created by the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy.  This company is best known in sports circles for creating the Just Do It tagline for Nike, along with the "This is SportsCenter" series of commercials that have aired on the ESPN family of networks since 1994.

Darlington Raceway Unveils Special Cale Yarborough Ticket Package

On Saturday, Darlington Raceway announced a special partnership with the NASCAR Hall of Fame for a special ticket package for the Bojangles' Southern 500 in May in honor of 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Cale Yarborough, who grew up in Timmonsville, 15 miles south of the 1.366 mile egg-shaped oval.

The package, which costs $59 per person, buys a seat in the Pearson grandstand for the Bojangles' Southern 500 on May 12 (Note: The Pearson Grandstand is located in Turn 4).  In addition, each package would include a ticket to the NASCAR Hall of Fame that can be used at any time during the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, a NASCAR Hall of Fame Yearbook, and an opportunity to meet-and-greet with Yarborough on race day.  The $59 package is a $36 discount on the regular price.

The meet-and-greet with Yarborough is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 12 in the Darlington Raceway Fan 101 tent behind the frontstretch grandstands.  The autograph session will take place around 2:30pm on race day.

Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning is proud of South Carolina's native son's forthcoming induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"Congratulations to Cale on his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Cale is very deserving of his induction and his commitment and dedication to the growth and success of NASCAR and stock car racing is unparalleled," Browning said.  "To have a hometown hero like Cale have success at the sports greatest level is wonderful for our state. We are proud of the fact that he still calls his native Timmonsville home and Darlington Raceway his hometown track."

In addition to the meet-and-greet, Darlington Raceway is planning on honoring Yarborough during the pre-race ceremonies prior to the Bojangles' Southern 500.  The track also referenced "other activities" that Yarborough will be participating in during the race weekend.  However, those activities have not been announced yet.

Richard Childress Racing to Hold Pit Combine

This week, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is hosting a Pit Crew Training Combine at the team's shop in Welcome, NC.  The goal is to find new talent that could potentially be plugged into current pit crews at RCR.

The combine is scheduled to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 10-11 from 2:30-4:30pm each day.  Tuesday's tryouts will focus on gasmen and jackman, while Wednesday's tryouts will be focused on tire changers and tire carriers.  According to the team, the combine is open to all experienced pit crew members as well as serious athletes who desire to become a pit crew member.  Participants will be put through a series of agility workouts and physical tests.  These tasks will range from regular training programs to simulated pit stops in high-pressure situations.  Participants will also have the input of respected veterans as to how to prepare physically and mentally for the high-pressure situations that come with being part of a pit crew.

For Eric Wilson, RCR's Director of Human Performance, these combines are a great way to look at potential talent.

"This event is an exciting opportunity for anyone with a passion to become a full-time pit crew member with an elite racing organization," Wilson said.  "With the right attitude and preparation, this combine could be a vital step towards an athlete's goal of taking that next step in their career."

Even though RCR is hosting the event and could technically have first crack at those who do best in the tryouts, it it not a closed audition.  The event is completely open to the public.  As a result, representatives from other Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series can and likely will be there to evaluate the gathered talent.  The general public is also welcome to spectate.  No fees will be charged to aspiring crewmembers.  All RCR asks of competitors is that they show up to the RCR shop prior to the start time in proper gear, ready to workout.  They also must check in at the reception desk.

Have news for Phil 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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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: Texas Motor Speedway's inaugural race for the now-Izod IndyCar Series was for lack of a better word, a quagmire.  Yes, there were wrecks, just like when the Cup Series raced there a couple of months earlier.  However, additional issues outside of the control of the track caused big problems.  What happened?

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

Q: In 1993, The Pantry 500 at Hickory Motor Speedway (a 300 lap Busch race with a late model race on the card as well) debuted three fairly high-profile driver pairings.  Can you name them?

A: Firstly, Robert Pressley parted ways with the Alliance Racing team prior to the race, ending a relationship that dated back into the late 1980's (remember, Pressley's time in the No. 59 preceded Alliance coming onboard and the team was setup for Pressley by childhood friend Brad Daugherty).  Pressley ended up finishing out the season in the No. 0 Oldsmobile in place of Rick Mast in a temporary gig (For 1994, Pressley went to the No. 99 Chevrolet after Ricky Craven left to form his own team).  Pressley was replaced by former NASCAR Sportsman Series driver Dennis Setzer, in his first chance at the big time.  Recently crowned ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series Champion Johnny Benson went into the No. 74 Staff America Chevrolet in place of Jack Sprague, who had unfortunately torn up a bunch of equipment during the season.

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 Kevin Rutherford
--
Sitting In the Stands: A Fan's View by S.D. Grady
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, the Line of the Week and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup by StarCoach Race Tours: Off Week No. 1-Texas Edition by Brett Poirier
With six races in the books, Brett looks at what trends are developing in NASCAR's two top series and which drivers are sizzling hot to start the season... while others are still stuck as if it never began.

Five Points To Ponder by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has his weekly edition of talking points to wrap up the first off-week of the season and get us ready for Texas.

Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
With all of the major race series off last weekend, we take a look at a couple of tape delayed telecasts that happened to air on SPEED this past weekend from Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama and Symmonds Plains Raceway in Tasmania.  Were the race telecasts for these events up to snuff? Find out in this week's edition of the TV Critique.

Tech Talk by Mike Neff
This year, we have an interesting new weekly feature for our readers where we'll have a special guest stop by on a weekly basis to discuss the technical aspects of our sport.

The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
Danny returns with another interesting commentary.
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