THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 8th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LXXX
What to Watch: Tuesday
by Phil Allaway
- Tuesday is normally penalty day in NASCAR, and this week should be no different. Last Thursday, Penske Racing's Nos. 12 and 22 Nationwide Series cars (driven by Sam Hornish, Jr. and Brad Keselowski, respectively), were found to have unapproved modifications to the front noses. The teams were given the chance to fix them before on-track activity began. However, those teams will likely see a fine coming today.
Today's Top News
by Kevin Rutherford
Fans who have enjoyed the bevy of attractions offered at the end of each season in Las Vegas during NASCAR's Sprint Cup Champion's Week should have plenty to cheer about. On Monday, NASCAR announced that Champions Week will return to Vegas this November, with plans to hold the ceremony in the Sin City through 2014, barring further extensions.
This November will mark the fourth consecutive season that NASCAR teams and fans alike will venture to Las Vegas for the ceremony and surrounding festivities. Fans reportedly can expect many of the same attractions, which in years past have included a driver Q&A session and a parade down the Las Vegas Strip, to continue.
"Experience tells us that Las Vegas creates the perfect backdrop for our sport and our fans to join us in celebrating a NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship," said Steve Phelps, Chief Marketing Officer for NASCAR. "Returning Champion's Week and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards to Vegas for the next three years will help our loyal fans crystallize their plans to join us in putting the finishing touches on the season that was with a series of intriguing events across the city."
The final awards ceremony will be held Friday, Nov. 30, at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Prior to moving the awards ceremony to Las Vegas in 2009, the awards show was held in New York City beginning in 1981.
Hammond Reports Truck Break-In at Shop
FOX Network broadcaster and former Sprint Cup championship-winning crew chief Jeff Hammond reported a break-in, larceny and vandalism to a truck at his Cleveland, N.C. shop.
According to a sheriff's office report, Hammond reported that a 1988 truck at his Cleveland shop had been broken into at some point over the last few weeks. A hydraulic tank and one set of copper lines were reported missing, valued at $300 and $100, respectively, while a set of hoses and another set of copper lines were also damaged.
The local sheriff's office is investigating the incident.
Peck Motorsports, Stopain Announce Partnership
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series newcomer Todd Peck may have not run a race in the series just yet in 2012, but he and Peck Motorsports have continued to prepare themselves for what is currently a five-race schedule in the series this season.
Troy Healthcare, LLC, which makes Stopain topical pain relief products, has teamed with Peck Motorsports as a primary sponsor for the team and its No. 96, beginning at Iowa Speedway in July.
Stopain will also partner with the team to promote the Arthritis Foundation through various race and Foundation events throughout 2012.
Peck, the nephew of former NASCAR Busch Series driver Tom Peck, competed in three Camping World Truck events during the 2011 season, with a best finish of 27th at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Be Careful What You Wish For, You Just Might Get It
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Be Careful What You Wish For, You Just Might Get It
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
"I think we ought to make it a Figure 8."
Most assuredly, awkward silence reigned amongst the media reporters as they exchange confused glances at Tony Stewart's declaration on what to do with Talladega. And I sat here and thought, "Well, why the hell not? Great idea!"
After the unusual conclusion to Sunday's Aarons 499--where the field did not wreck coming to the checkers or even in Turn 1, like the Nationwide Series did the day before--Tony Stewart met with all and sundry to answer questions. Except he didn't. It was more like a Q&A from the Twilight Zone, where the answers belonged to some other place and time. These sarcastic comments, made with an expressionless face as only the best straight man in the business can summon, could not possibly be part of a NASCAR PR session. The fact it was says much about the state of affairs at Talladega and the general dissatisfaction a visit to the aged venue always generates.
We hate it. We--as in the fans, the drivers, the owners...the list goes on. We hate the carnage, the crazy simulated racing which can short circuit the most stayed racer on the roster, and the irrelevance to NASCAR as a whole. Generally, by the end of a plate race I am angry at somebody, and it's usually difficult to pinpoint at just who. This week the irritation drifted more in the direction of those that thought reducing the effectiveness of the tandem would benefit the overall show.
We got what the lower ratings and dropping attendance at the plate races seemed to indicate--NASCAR fans didn't like the tandem. So, we got the pack back. Yeah, like that is so much better than a day long game of strategy conducted via the spotter stand. The pack, combined with no communications, brought back three to four-wide and six deep racing which when the drivers come to a restart or near the end of the race invariably results in a heap of shredded metal. On Saturday, we even got the trip to the local trauma center via helicopter.
That sucks--that's about as polite as I can phrase it and not get called to the principal's office.
Talladega isn't a race, it's a demolition derby. I, for one, have never shilled out cash to attend one of those events, NASCAR sanctioned or not. I can't even think of a single redeeming reason I would attend a race at 'Dega. Not when it's a fact the fastest car won't win, and it's a long shot that an also-ran has an equally good chance of capturing gold on any given Sunday. Where is the value in an event where Lady Luck not only will wreck an even playing field but send in a bulldozer followed by a tilt-a-whirl to finish the job off?
Yes, Cup racing is the home to Spectacle in America. It preys on the basest instincts in humanity, dangling carnage and body parts before our eyes in hopes of stealing a few more of our hard earned dollars. Unfortunately, the fans of NASCAR have spoken and trained the suits that we respond well to those stimuli. The coliseums at Daytona and 'Dega stand as proof of our willingness to spend cash on bloodletting.
And now we watched another race at the aforementioned shrine to speed and we are unhappy...again.
We didn't like strung out fields. We dissed the metal eating packs. Men ran shrieking into the night when the cars paired up for their debut. Slam-drafting, enlarged radiators, shrinking fuel cells, rear wings, missing SAFER barriers, tires, shredded pavement...all of these things have been blamed for some travesty of a race in the past decade. Every post-race meet and greet with the drivers has sounded much like Stewart's diatribe of suppressed anger. Every year there is a new list of regulations designed to stymie the much bemoaned problems of the previous meet. Yet, the cycle continues to repeat.
So, if ISC and NASCAR have been unable to fix the racing via re-engineering the rulebook and the actual car...what is left to blame?
The track. Talladega and Daytona are too damn big to race on. It's a simple equation. Unrestricted, the cars run too fast. Restricted they become 195 mph time bombs unable to escape the eddies of their comrade's airstream. There's nothing to be done except perhaps one...
Turn it into a Figure 8.
Why not? The resultant race couldn't possibly be any worse than what we've got now.
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Talladega: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 17th
Finished: 13th
Led: 1 Lap
Points Position: 10th
by S.D. Grady
"I think we ought to make it a Figure 8."
Most assuredly, awkward silence reigned amongst the media reporters as they exchange confused glances at Tony Stewart's declaration on what to do with Talladega. And I sat here and thought, "Well, why the hell not? Great idea!"
After the unusual conclusion to Sunday's Aarons 499--where the field did not wreck coming to the checkers or even in Turn 1, like the Nationwide Series did the day before--Tony Stewart met with all and sundry to answer questions. Except he didn't. It was more like a Q&A from the Twilight Zone, where the answers belonged to some other place and time. These sarcastic comments, made with an expressionless face as only the best straight man in the business can summon, could not possibly be part of a NASCAR PR session. The fact it was says much about the state of affairs at Talladega and the general dissatisfaction a visit to the aged venue always generates.
We hate it. We--as in the fans, the drivers, the owners...the list goes on. We hate the carnage, the crazy simulated racing which can short circuit the most stayed racer on the roster, and the irrelevance to NASCAR as a whole. Generally, by the end of a plate race I am angry at somebody, and it's usually difficult to pinpoint at just who. This week the irritation drifted more in the direction of those that thought reducing the effectiveness of the tandem would benefit the overall show.
We got what the lower ratings and dropping attendance at the plate races seemed to indicate--NASCAR fans didn't like the tandem. So, we got the pack back. Yeah, like that is so much better than a day long game of strategy conducted via the spotter stand. The pack, combined with no communications, brought back three to four-wide and six deep racing which when the drivers come to a restart or near the end of the race invariably results in a heap of shredded metal. On Saturday, we even got the trip to the local trauma center via helicopter.
That sucks--that's about as polite as I can phrase it and not get called to the principal's office.
Talladega isn't a race, it's a demolition derby. I, for one, have never shilled out cash to attend one of those events, NASCAR sanctioned or not. I can't even think of a single redeeming reason I would attend a race at 'Dega. Not when it's a fact the fastest car won't win, and it's a long shot that an also-ran has an equally good chance of capturing gold on any given Sunday. Where is the value in an event where Lady Luck not only will wreck an even playing field but send in a bulldozer followed by a tilt-a-whirl to finish the job off?
Yes, Cup racing is the home to Spectacle in America. It preys on the basest instincts in humanity, dangling carnage and body parts before our eyes in hopes of stealing a few more of our hard earned dollars. Unfortunately, the fans of NASCAR have spoken and trained the suits that we respond well to those stimuli. The coliseums at Daytona and 'Dega stand as proof of our willingness to spend cash on bloodletting.
And now we watched another race at the aforementioned shrine to speed and we are unhappy...again.
We didn't like strung out fields. We dissed the metal eating packs. Men ran shrieking into the night when the cars paired up for their debut. Slam-drafting, enlarged radiators, shrinking fuel cells, rear wings, missing SAFER barriers, tires, shredded pavement...all of these things have been blamed for some travesty of a race in the past decade. Every post-race meet and greet with the drivers has sounded much like Stewart's diatribe of suppressed anger. Every year there is a new list of regulations designed to stymie the much bemoaned problems of the previous meet. Yet, the cycle continues to repeat.
So, if ISC and NASCAR have been unable to fix the racing via re-engineering the rulebook and the actual car...what is left to blame?
The track. Talladega and Daytona are too damn big to race on. It's a simple equation. Unrestricted, the cars run too fast. Restricted they become 195 mph time bombs unable to escape the eddies of their comrade's airstream. There's nothing to be done except perhaps one...
Turn it into a Figure 8.
Why not? The resultant race couldn't possibly be any worse than what we've got now.
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Talladega: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 17th
Finished: 13th
Led: 1 Lap
Points Position: 10th
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Numbers Game: Aaron's 499
by Garrett Horton
3
Despite not picking up the win after leading on the race's final restart, Matt Kenseth's third place finish matched his career best at the 2.66 mile superspeedway. In a bit of a coincidence, his other third-place result came in the 2005 UAW-Ford 500, when the Ricky Bobby "Me" machine was running some laps on the track.
3.4
Clint Bowyer's average finish in the last five Talladega races. In his eight Talladega starts prior, his best effort had been a fifth.
7
David Ragan continues to be strong at Talladega, finishing in a season high seventh-place. It marks his fourth top-10 effort in 11 races at the speedway, and his first one with his new team Front Row Motorsports.
12
Kasey Kahne is back on track after a terrible start to the season, having moved up 12 positions from 331st to 19th in the standings the last four races. In addition, his 11 laps led at Talladega where the first laps he has led all year.
13
Even at Talladega, starting position has proved to be important this year. Race winner Brad Keselowski started the day in 13th, matching the furthest back a race winner has started this season.
23
It took 23 races for Kevin Harvick to post his DNF at Talladega. The 2010 spring winner was caught up in the lap 186 accident that involved eight other cars.
24
Only 24 cars completed the race on Sunday, a season low.
26.5
Martin Truex's average finish the last two weeks after having not finished lower than 17th in the first eight races.
62
Jimmie Johnson would be much happier with his season if it didn't include stops to Daytona at Talladega. While he has completed every lap in all the non-restrictor plate races this year, he has run just 62 of the combined 396 laps at NASCAR's two biggest tracks.
73
The new Mr. Restrictor Plate? Matt Kenseth led a race high 73 laps during the Aaron's 499. This is the most number of laps he has led in a single restrictor plate race, eclipsing his previous high of 50 which came in the most recent event at Daytona.
73
Carl Edwards is looking to snap a winless streak that is now up to 43 races, but it was another streak that ended on Sunday; by crashing out in the lap 142 "Big One" it marked the first time since the spring race at Texas two years ago that Edwards failed to finish a race, snapping a streak of 73 straight races without a DNF.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrrett.horton@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Is Roush Fenway Racing the Team to Beat in 2012?
by Danny Peters
Five Points to Ponder: Making Moves--Winning, Losing and Surprising
by Bryan Davis Keith
Couch Potato Tuesday: Commercials Hurt a Decent FOX Broadcast
by Phil Allaway
Making Tires Last at Darlington - NASCAR Tech Talk with Todd Berrier
by Mike Neff
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Here's an easy one. For the 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the start-finish line was moved to the backstretch. Why was this done?
~~~~~~~~~~
Numbers Game: Aaron's 499
by Garrett Horton
3
Despite not picking up the win after leading on the race's final restart, Matt Kenseth's third place finish matched his career best at the 2.66 mile superspeedway. In a bit of a coincidence, his other third-place result came in the 2005 UAW-Ford 500, when the Ricky Bobby "Me" machine was running some laps on the track.
3.4
Clint Bowyer's average finish in the last five Talladega races. In his eight Talladega starts prior, his best effort had been a fifth.
7
David Ragan continues to be strong at Talladega, finishing in a season high seventh-place. It marks his fourth top-10 effort in 11 races at the speedway, and his first one with his new team Front Row Motorsports.
12
Kasey Kahne is back on track after a terrible start to the season, having moved up 12 positions from 331st to 19th in the standings the last four races. In addition, his 11 laps led at Talladega where the first laps he has led all year.
13
Even at Talladega, starting position has proved to be important this year. Race winner Brad Keselowski started the day in 13th, matching the furthest back a race winner has started this season.
23
It took 23 races for Kevin Harvick to post his DNF at Talladega. The 2010 spring winner was caught up in the lap 186 accident that involved eight other cars.
24
Only 24 cars completed the race on Sunday, a season low.
26.5
Martin Truex's average finish the last two weeks after having not finished lower than 17th in the first eight races.
62
Jimmie Johnson would be much happier with his season if it didn't include stops to Daytona at Talladega. While he has completed every lap in all the non-restrictor plate races this year, he has run just 62 of the combined 396 laps at NASCAR's two biggest tracks.
73
The new Mr. Restrictor Plate? Matt Kenseth led a race high 73 laps during the Aaron's 499. This is the most number of laps he has led in a single restrictor plate race, eclipsing his previous high of 50 which came in the most recent event at Daytona.
73
Carl Edwards is looking to snap a winless streak that is now up to 43 races, but it was another streak that ended on Sunday; by crashing out in the lap 142 "Big One" it marked the first time since the spring race at Texas two years ago that Edwards failed to finish a race, snapping a streak of 73 straight races without a DNF.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrrett.horton@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Is Roush Fenway Racing the Team to Beat in 2012?
by Danny Peters
Five Points to Ponder: Making Moves--Winning, Losing and Surprising
by Bryan Davis Keith
Couch Potato Tuesday: Commercials Hurt a Decent FOX Broadcast
by Phil Allaway
Making Tires Last at Darlington - NASCAR Tech Talk with Todd Berrier
by Mike Neff
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Here's an easy one. For the 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the start-finish line was moved to the backstretch. Why was this done?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: The 1988 Gatorade 200 for the Busch Grand National Series was a relatively tame race won by Harry Gant. In fact, Gant was at one point on a lap of his own. However, something very unusual happened after the race. What was it?
A: After the race, Tommy Houston was driving down pit road. Meanwhile, the pace car was on the racetrack itself and attempted to make a left turn into the garage at the end of pit road. Neither party ever saw the other. Houston ended up t-boning the pace car. Everyone was ok, but both cars had definitely seen better days. The scene starts after a commercial break at the 21:05 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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Brad Morgan
-- Full Throttle by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Tom is back with his series of quick hits after Talladega.
Going Green by Garrett Horton
This week, Garrett takes a look at Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s start to the 2012 season. Is he really "back?" Was he ever gone? We'll find out together.
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different topics, including Danica Patrick's hit on Sam Hornish, Jr., whether NASCAR's rules adversely affected the racing on Sunday, who is most likely to end a long winless streak in Darlington, and more.
Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
We'll have a top ten list that will tickle your funny bone .
Sprint Cup Power Rankings compiled by Summer Dreyer
Talladega mixed up the point standings just a little. But, was Sunday's action enough to cause a substantial shift in the points? See who your favorite NASCAR experts from around the web voted to the top of our power rankings poll after a toss up in Talladega.
Beyond The Cockpit: TBA
-----------------------------
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
-- Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
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