Tuesday, June 05, 2012

The Frontstretch Newsletter: The Latest On Kurt Busch

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 5th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CIII

What To Watch: Tuesday

- A day after Kurt Busch's suspension went public, James Finch is toying with expanding his comments and jumping on satellite radio (SIRIUSXM Channel 90 - the NASCAR Channel). Rumors are running wild about Busch's possible firing, as Finch told ESPN.com he would decide his driver's future after an in-person meeting within the next few days.

- Joey Logano will meet with the national media as he hopes to parlay a season-best, 8th-place finish at Pocono into some momentum that will lead him towards the Chase. Adam Alexander and Kyle Petty, heading up NASCAR on TNT's coverage for the summer will also hold a presser to introduce some of the network's new features and overall philosophy for 2012.

BREAKING NEWS
The Latest: Kurt Busch Suspended Through June 13th
by Amy Henderson (with some assists from the Frontstretch Staff)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race at Pocono this weekend, but notably absent will be 2004 champion Kurt Busch. On Monday, the sanctioning body suspended the Phoenix Racing driver for ten days, punishment for Busch violating his probation after losing his cool during an interview with a media member. On Saturday, following the Nationwide race at Dover Busch threatened Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass on pit road after Pockrass asked Busch whether being on probation with the sanctioning body made him drive differently on the racetrack.  The question came after Busch had contact with Justin Allgaier, causing both drivers to engage in a heated postrace discussion about the incident.  Busch's angry response was then captured by a SPEED television camera and has since gone viral on the Internet.

"It refrains me from not beating the f--- out of you right now because you ask me stupid questions," was Busch's terse reply.

Busch has been on NASCAR probation since an incident at Darlington in which he did a burnout through Ryan Newman's pit box and then rammed Newman's car on pit road. Angry over a late-race spin, one that Newman had no involvement in Busch later claimed that he didn't see the No. 39 because he was taking his helmet off. That still earned him a $50,000 fine from NASCAR, probation through July 25th and criticism from Newman, who insinuated the driver had anger management issues.

This week's suspension is for violations of Section 12-1 of the NASCAR rule book, in particular actions detrimental to stock car racing and verbal abuse of a media member.  In addition, Busch's probationary period was extended through December 31st, meaning any subsequent infractions could earn an even harsher penalty.

In response to the incident, Busch issued the following statement: "I accept NASCAR's decision. I put them in a box, they had to take action and it's my fault for putting them in this position. I apologize for the comments I made to Bob Pockrass." There is no word yet from Phoenix Racing as to who will replace Busch for this weekend at Pocono or whether the car will run the distance, though the names Brian Vickers and David Reutimann's names were thrown around by Finch in a phone call with ESPN.com's David Newton; at this time, the No. 51 is unsponsored heading into Sunday's 400-miler.

"If he's going to kill himself, I'm not going to be in the airplane with him. If that's what he's planning on doing, I am going to get out," Finch said. "We'll get squared away. There are a helluva lot of (drivers) out there."

Busch's latest incident was the second time since November in which the driver has been penalized for his treatment of media members.  He was fined $50,000 after the 2011 season finale in Homestead after an obscenity-filled tirade at ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch was caught on video. There was speculation at the time that the incident was the final straw in Busch's subsequent release from Penske Racing. Busch also had well-publicized confrontations with two reporters following last Fall's race at Richmond, though he was not penalized for either incident.

Suspensions are relatively rare in NASCAR.  In fact, this move marks just the third time since 2007 that a driver has been forced to sit out a race. Kyle Busch was parked at Texas last year after an on-track run-in with Ron Hornaday, Jr.; back in 2007, Robby Gordon sat out an August Pocono visit after failing to heed instructions from NASCAR officials during a Nationwide race at Montreal.  Busch's suspension also marks the first time since 2003 that this type of punishment has been given for an incident that occurred off the track.  Ironically, Busch was the "innocent victim" in the last one as Jimmy Spencer was forced to sit out the Bristol night race for his off-track behavior following an incident between the two at Michigan. Spencer reportedly punched Busch, after the race once he learned Busch was trying to intentionally wreck him during that event.

FRONTSTRETCH KURT BUSCH REAX (TOM BOWLES):
Badly Branded: YouTube Changing NASCAR's Game For Busch

Today's Top News
by Kevin Rutherford

Appeals Court Rules for France in Lawsuit

A Florida appeals court Friday ruled in favor of Brian France in a case stemming from a lawsuit alleging that France's ex-wife illegally recorded telephone calls between them.  The court's decision overturned a circuit judge's earlier decision to dismiss the case.

The lawsuit centers around a Florida law stating that telephone calls in the state cannot be recorded without all involved parties' permission.  A circuit judge originally dismissed the case on the grounds that France's ex-wife Megan recorded the calls while in North Carolina, which does not have the same law concerning phone recordings.

The appeals court sided with France, NASCAR's CEO and Chairman, based on a 2003 Florida Supreme Court decision. The two remain entangled in a messy divorce case that continues on.

HendrickCars.com Sponsoring FAS Lane at Road Courses, Said Driving

Frank Stoddard's FAS Lane Racing team picked up sponsorship for the Sprint Cup Series road course races later in the season.  The owner will also be reunited with a longtime partner for the two events.

HendrickCars.com will adorn FAS Lane's No. 32 car at the Cup events at Sonoma Raceway (formerly Infineon Raceway) in June and at August's race at Watkins Glen International.  Road course ace Boris Said will pilot the team's Ford Fusion.

Said, who drove for Phoenix Racing at the road courses in 2011, joins up with Stoddard for the first time since racing for Bill Jenkins' No. 26 in 2010, a car for which Stoddard was the crew chief.  The California native has one pole, one top 5 and seven top-10s between the two tracks in 23 starts, a history of competitiveness that also includes a 1998 Sonoma victory in the Camping World Truck Series. 

Hendrick, who runs Chevrolets is supporting a Ford program for the first time through his business ventures. However, Said also has history with the team's new sponsor, working with Hendrick as a business partner at his BMW of Murrietta dealership.

HendrickCars.com will also support FAS Lane as an associate sponsor in select races later this season with Ken Schrader - a former full-time Hendrick Motorsports driver - behind the wheel.

Miller Returning to NASCAR at Texas

Brandon Miller, a former young gun in the NASCAR ranks, will return to action for the first time since 2007 at this weekend's Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Miller, now 30 years old, will compete in the Winstar World Casino 400 for NTS Motorsports, a team for which rookie driver Brennan Newberry usually drives.  Miller has been working as Newberry's driving coach, and will take a turn behind the wheel while the young driver prepares for the June 15th ARCA race at Michigan.

As a former Richard Childress Racing development driver, Miller raced in multiple events for the powerhouse team and for Kevin Harvick, Inc. between 2003 and 2007, posting a best finish of eighth in the Truck Series and eighth in the Nationwide Series.

NTS Motorsports is hoping to secure sponsorship to run Miller in more events in 2012.

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
Dale Jr.'s Shades of Grey or How to Grab a NASCAR Fan's Attention
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

Hah!  Made you look.  Yes, the title to this column is a completely gratuitous effort to add to the web crawlers' pile of Google results for two of the most popular catch phrases in today's pop culture.  I could have popped Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch or Jeff Gordon into the title, but if I'm really going to go for the big hit, I might as well utilize the most easily recognized name in NASCAR.

The fact is, every week when I tune into the endless hours of pre-race programming, the vast majority of the shows are crammed with segments that focus on familiar names that are sure to stop us in our daily chores and actually force us to pay attention to the bright box in the entertainment center.  But you know what?  I'm beginning to think screaming, "Kurt yelled at a reporter again!" or "Danica failed to finish in the top 10!" is a rather shabby way to cover a sport.

I realize in this day and age of "reality TV" we -- the television audience -- have been programmed to react to manufactured drama as a matter of course.  Without the proper music cue and melodramatic waving of arms and distraught announcers, it seems network personnel believe the average American is unable to discern whether a 142-race winless streak is a bad thing or not.  Well, it's not good, but after almost four years since Mr. Earnhardt's presence in Victory Lane, is it even a storyline that deserves any kind of attention at all?

So often, we are caught in between the fine line of watching a live sporting event and what has been determined to be entertainment.  I often wonder exactly how those production meetings work prior to going live... make sure to mention these five drivers.  It doesn't matter if they've brought a competitive machine today -- or even ever!  Ratings are key.

Ratings for TV, hits for online media and circulation for print.  Numbers -- not people.  In the grand world of advertising, that which also fuels the teams of NASCAR, the ultimate payoff is garnered from a great commercial.  Catch phrases, words that incite and titillating topics such as Kurt Busch's latest pit road tirade have actually nothing to do with the race we watch.  The coverage is self-serving, transparent, devoid of depth and honesty.

Of course, we could actually lay all the blame on the networks' doorstep for the packaged product served up to us week in and week out. But you know what? That would be ignoring the real reason FOX and its relatives generate eye candy full of hot topics. 

It draws a response.  When Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 wins for the millionth time this decade, we may bemoan the camera's apparent love affair with his face, but the fact we make any noise at all guarantees that the suits will repeat the interview ad nauseum. 

It all comes down to how we, as humans are predictable creatures and the people paid to study our viewing and spending habits are well aware of our foibles - we can't help but reveal them. So, I am sorry to say the only real way to change the depressingly crisp television coverage of our rough and ready sport is to STOP WATCHING.  As long as the devoted fans continue to click on every mention of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Danica Patrick, and even Jimmie Johnson such that we can voice our adoration or derision, we will continue to be fed their manufactured presence.

It's up to you and me, folks.  Our cable boxes, visits to internet chat sites and purchase of printed media are the flags NASCAR uses to create the product we watch.  Take a moment and make sure the message you are sending is the right one.

Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Dover: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 17th
Finished: 30th (crash, 67 laps down)
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.

~~~~~~~~~~

Numbers Game: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks
by Garrett Horton

2
This is just the second time ever both Busch brothers have DNF'd in a race in which they both entered and the first time since the Atlanta fall race back in 2004. 

2nd
Saturday and Sunday Dover winners Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson both started the day from the second spot.  For Johnson, three of his past four wins have come from starting on the outside pole.

3
After going 16 races being stuck on 199 wins, Hendrick Motorsports has now won the last three Cup races – four if you include the Sprint All-Star Race.

4
Race winners in Sprint Cup have started second four times since a pole sitter last went to Victory Lane 30 races ago.

6
Since Mike Ford started calling the shots atop the pit box at Talladega four races ago, Aric Almirola has climbed six spots in the standings, going from 23rd to 17th.  The stretch has included Almirola's first career pole at Charlotte last week and season-high, sixth-place finish this past weekend at Dover.

8
Eight of the 13 races that have been run this year have had at least one stretch of 100 laps or more without a caution flag.

11th
Matt Kenseth's worst finish in the last eight races was an 11th at Richmond.  In typical Kenseth fashion, he has slowly crept up towards the top during this span – he has gone from sixth in the points, 22 markers behind the points lead, to just one point behind teammate and points leader Greg Biffle.

13
Tony Stewart gained 13 positions, and points, by coming back out and completing the race after being involved in a Lap 9 wreck.  When he went behind the wall he was listed at 38th position, but ended the day in 25th.  In doing so, he actually managed to move up a spot in the points to eighth.

17th
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s strong season continues.  Not only did he manage to score a fourth at Dover, his first top 5 since 2007, and continue his streak of completing every lap run this year, his worst finish of the season remains a 17th. That means he's the only driver to have finished in the top 20 in every race this year.

20.5
Ryan Newman has struggled since winning Martinsville, averaging worse than a 20th-place finish in the last seven races.

25th
It was mentioned a couple times during the broadcast how Tony Stewart ran the full race in last week's Coke 600, finished 25th and managed the same result this week at Dover despite being almost 70 laps off the pace.  Ironically, Smoke finished 25th at Dover last Fall as well, but finished only two laps down.

29th
Kyle Busch barely finished half of the race - completing 202 laps before his engine expired – yet still finished 29th. 

1,066
Dover wasn't always such a struggle for three-time champ Tony Stewart.  In his first 11 starts at the Monster Mile, he led a total of 1,066 laps with two wins and a finish of no worse than 11th.  In his 16 starts since, however, he has led just six total laps.

Garrett Horton is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at 
garrett.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:


Badly Branded: YouTube Changing NASCAR's Game For Busch
by Tom Bowles

Five Points to Ponder: On Self-Destruction, Old Faces and Favors
by Bryan Keith

Couch Potato Tuesday: The End of the Season for FOX
by Phil Allaway

NASCAR Tech Talk: Brian Pattie on Attacking the New Surface at Pocono
by Mike Neff

Who's Hot / Who's Not in NASCAR: Dover-Pocono Edition
by Brett Poirier

~~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  In the 1996 UAW-GM Teamwork 500, Dale Jarrett's day ended after 37 laps with engine trouble.  However, he came out of the race weekend worse off than with just a broken crankshaft.  What happened?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:
  In 1994, Geoff Bodine won the Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono Raceway.  What was the most notable fact about that race now?

A:  During the tire war in 1994, Hoosier had their moments.  The July race in Pocono was what amounted to a coming-out party, as Hoosier swept the top-4 finishing positions.  Even more unusual was the fact that Bodine's three nearest competitors were all rookies.  Ward Burton started and finished the race in second, driving the No. 31 Hardee's Chevrolet for A.G. Dillard.  This result was by far Ward's best run during his rookie season.  Joe Nemechek, in the Hedrick Racing No. 41 finished third, which was tied for the team's best-ever finish in the Cup Series (Ricky Craven later finished third at Rockingham in February, 1996).  Finally, Jeff Burton in the Stavola Brothers No. 8 was fourth.

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
Kurt Busch has had a lot of problems off the track in 2012. But what about on it? Tom Bowles studies that, a peculiar sighting from Dover that could set a future standard, a budding free agent crop and more in this list of small but important observations around the Sprint Cup circuit.

Yellow Stripes by Danny Peters
Bumped on Monday by breaking news, Danny breaks the story Wednesday of your driver's Chase chances halfway through the regular season. Who's in... who's out.. and who's on the bubble?

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different topics, including NASCAR's suspension of Kurt Busch, who's welcoming and/or dreading the off-week in the Nationwide Series, the potential of testing being opened up by NASCAR 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 Bedgood
Biffle just managed to keep the points lead for himself, but did he stay at the top of the rankings after Sunday's Monster Mile game of survivor?  See who your favorite NASCAR experts from around the web voted to the top of our power rankings poll prior to Sunday's Pocono 400-miler.

Beyond The Cockpit: A Surprise as told to Tom Bowles
Stop by for our weekly Q & A with a surprise guest this week.
-----------------------------
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

--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
NASCAR and great NASCAR commentary. They can subscribe to the Frontstetch by visiting http://www.frontstretch.com/notice/9557/.
 
If you want to stop your Frontstretch Newsletter subscription, we're sorry
to see you go. Just send an email to
TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.

No comments:

Post a Comment