THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 3rd, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXXIII
- Today, each of the four manufacturers will submit their 2013 Sprint Cup cars for final approval. This deadline finishes a process that began back in late 2010 and will result in substantial changes to what fans will see out on the track next season. Chevrolet will submit the SS Performance sedan (although they still haven't unveiled the car yet) while Toyota will submit their Camry. Ford, the first manufacturer to unveil their 2013 design, will submit their new Fusion (we're still a couple of months from the street car's release) while Dodge will submit their Charger.
- Aric Almirola will participate in a video teleconference for the media this afternoon at 3pm. During said event, Almirola will publicize the fact that he's running the U.S. Air Force colors this weekend in Daytona.
Today's Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Austin Dillon Penalized For Kentucky Infraction
Austin Dillon's post-race problems at Kentucky hit him hard in the standings on Monday. NASCAR penalized the Nationwide Series championship leader six points after his car was found to be too low in the rear during post-race inspection, clouding a dominating victory in which the No. 3 Chevy led all but eight laps of the race. In their release, officials noted the car was in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules) and 20A-12.8.1C (body height requirements failed to meet the minimum rear car heights) of the 2012 NASCAR rule book. Crew chief Danny Stockman, Jr., already on probation for a previous violation has been fined $10,000 but not suspended; instead, he and car chief Robert Strmiska will remain on probation until December 31st.
Owner in name only Morgan Shepherd (the car is a Richard Childress Racing machine) was also docked six points in the standings as a result of this ruling. Those adjustments are enough to hand the top spot in driver points back to teammate Elliott Sadler; he now leads Dillon by four, while the No. 3 falls to third in owner points, a whopping 41 behind the No. 18 team owned by Joe Gibbs.
The penalty, while tough for Dillon could have been much worse. The 42 points he earned at Kentucky now is equivalent to a second-place finish in the race.
Crew Chief Change In The Truck Series
RBR Enterprises has itself a new head wrench in the Truck Series. Kevin "Cowboy" Starland, former crew chief for Turn One Racing's No. 60 has signed on to helm the No. 92 and its part-time schedule for the rest of the 2012 season. Starland replaces Jason Overstreet, whose future with the program, if there's one at all remains unclear from the release.
David Reutimann drives this part-time Truck and has enjoyed limited success with it in 2012. So far this season, he has an average finish of 19th in three starts, running inside the top 20 in each race attempted after failing to qualify for Daytona's season-opening event.
News Bites
- Mike Bliss has signed a one-race deal with the start-and-park No. 98 Phil Parsons team for Daytona. Regular driver Michael McDowell will take the weekend off after the death of his father-in-law.
- Saturday's Nationwide Series race from Kentucky resulted in a ratings boom for ESPN. The event scored a 1.4 in the Nielsens, with 1.925 million viewers tuning in. That's a 27% increase from last year's audience and makes it the most-viewed edition of that particular race on the network.
Have news for Tom 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
Bringing Back the Youth and Excitement to NASCAR
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
Bringing Back the Youth and Excitement to NASCAR
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
News Bulletin: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is to replace Matt Kenseth in the No. 17 in 2013. Okay, I know. Old news. And perhaps "old" might be the real operative word in this driver move that heralded the start of Silly Season 2012.
Over the past week, I've read many an article dissecting just what this change meant to Kenseth, Jack Roush, Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs, etc. etc. Some wondered why, why, why? Others mentioned the almighty dollar, some the fabled robot demeanor and a few talked of Kenseth's age as being the reason why Roush no longer could find a seat for his one Sprint Cup Champion in an impressive stable of drivers. All are believable reasons for the end of this contract. But the age thing really stuck with me, as I passed the fourth decade marker a bit back myself.
40? Kenseth was 40? Wow, it just didn't seem that long ago that I plunked down my $20 for his first Cup win T-Shirt. Where had all the time gone? And who else on the weekly roster might be facing similar difficulties in the near future, as their shelf life becomes a larger part of the successful sponsor/driver relationship? The column of names that meet this criteria is a little shocking: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton. And guess who else is less than three years away from turning 40? None other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Yes, every marketer's golden boy is not immortal.
When I gathered all those names, wins and even championships in one place a little voice started talking. This 40+ club represents more than a group of drivers -- they were the changing tide of NASCAR during the 1990's and early 2000's that heralded a huge wave of popularity in the sport. Each one arrived on the Cup scene with a stampede and sirens blaring.
It was an exciting time. Each season brought with it a parade of rookies who showed no fear, hungry to meet a few walls and tear up some fenders. They walked with attitude, sometimes created a ruckus in the pits and in general gave the racing fan something to get excited about. Victory came to them quickly, and for some, often. As fans, we rode the wave with them and couldn't wait for the next race, the next track and emptied our wallets hoping our new hero would take us to new heights. Heady times, indeed.
But times have changed in the past few years. Yes, the economy sank to the bottom of the sea. War stole headlines more often than not. And we blamed the downturn in NASCAR's popularity on the inability to compete with putting food on the table. That was not the complete picture, though. Our sport has been lacking something critical recently -- youth.
It's been years since we've enjoyed a real run for Rookie of the Year. Joey Logano came as an anointed prince; his success was a foregone conclusion, expectations which took all the fun out of cheering for an underdog. The rise and fall of over eager wannabe's adds to the thrill of observing our veterans put on clinics, reading the draft and using the wall to corner. Young guns draw the jaded attention of aging fans and sponsors, inciting us to get up off the bench and yell.
I've no doubt that Matt Kenseth still has years of competitive driving in him -- maybe even another Cup or two. With age comes wisdom and maturity. He knows when to back off instead of plowing through somebody's rear bumper, as much as when to put the hammer down and never let up. He and his comrades have much to teach those up-and-coming wheelmen in this series.
Yes, it may taste sour to see our most adored drivers being delegated to the back seat. But NASCAR needs the young blood of Stenhouse Jr. and others like him to reinvigorate the series. It's time for us to look to the future as often as we enjoy fond memories. The likes of Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski require new competition, as much as they desire to stand up to those from the older generation.
The great Kenseth domino has tipped; a "young gun" has been handed a new opportunity. I'm thinking it's possibly the best news for NASCAR I've heard in quite a long time.
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Kentucky: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 11th
Finished: 12th, two laps down
Points Position: 9th
by S.D. Grady
News Bulletin: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is to replace Matt Kenseth in the No. 17 in 2013. Okay, I know. Old news. And perhaps "old" might be the real operative word in this driver move that heralded the start of Silly Season 2012.
Over the past week, I've read many an article dissecting just what this change meant to Kenseth, Jack Roush, Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs, etc. etc. Some wondered why, why, why? Others mentioned the almighty dollar, some the fabled robot demeanor and a few talked of Kenseth's age as being the reason why Roush no longer could find a seat for his one Sprint Cup Champion in an impressive stable of drivers. All are believable reasons for the end of this contract. But the age thing really stuck with me, as I passed the fourth decade marker a bit back myself.
40? Kenseth was 40? Wow, it just didn't seem that long ago that I plunked down my $20 for his first Cup win T-Shirt. Where had all the time gone? And who else on the weekly roster might be facing similar difficulties in the near future, as their shelf life becomes a larger part of the successful sponsor/driver relationship? The column of names that meet this criteria is a little shocking: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton. And guess who else is less than three years away from turning 40? None other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Yes, every marketer's golden boy is not immortal.
When I gathered all those names, wins and even championships in one place a little voice started talking. This 40+ club represents more than a group of drivers -- they were the changing tide of NASCAR during the 1990's and early 2000's that heralded a huge wave of popularity in the sport. Each one arrived on the Cup scene with a stampede and sirens blaring.
It was an exciting time. Each season brought with it a parade of rookies who showed no fear, hungry to meet a few walls and tear up some fenders. They walked with attitude, sometimes created a ruckus in the pits and in general gave the racing fan something to get excited about. Victory came to them quickly, and for some, often. As fans, we rode the wave with them and couldn't wait for the next race, the next track and emptied our wallets hoping our new hero would take us to new heights. Heady times, indeed.
But times have changed in the past few years. Yes, the economy sank to the bottom of the sea. War stole headlines more often than not. And we blamed the downturn in NASCAR's popularity on the inability to compete with putting food on the table. That was not the complete picture, though. Our sport has been lacking something critical recently -- youth.
It's been years since we've enjoyed a real run for Rookie of the Year. Joey Logano came as an anointed prince; his success was a foregone conclusion, expectations which took all the fun out of cheering for an underdog. The rise and fall of over eager wannabe's adds to the thrill of observing our veterans put on clinics, reading the draft and using the wall to corner. Young guns draw the jaded attention of aging fans and sponsors, inciting us to get up off the bench and yell.
I've no doubt that Matt Kenseth still has years of competitive driving in him -- maybe even another Cup or two. With age comes wisdom and maturity. He knows when to back off instead of plowing through somebody's rear bumper, as much as when to put the hammer down and never let up. He and his comrades have much to teach those up-and-coming wheelmen in this series.
Yes, it may taste sour to see our most adored drivers being delegated to the back seat. But NASCAR needs the young blood of Stenhouse Jr. and others like him to reinvigorate the series. It's time for us to look to the future as often as we enjoy fond memories. The likes of Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski require new competition, as much as they desire to stand up to those from the older generation.
The great Kenseth domino has tipped; a "young gun" has been handed a new opportunity. I'm thinking it's possibly the best news for NASCAR I've heard in quite a long time.
Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Kentucky: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 11th
Finished: 12th, two laps down
Points Position: 9th
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: Quaker State 400
by Garrett Horton
2
All four Rick Hendrick cars placed in the top 10 at Kentucky, the second time this year it has happened. Ironically, the other time came during a Saturday night race, at Texas Motor Speedway, also a 1.5-mile oval.
3rd
Jimmie Johnson has now moved up to a season high of third in the standings, completely erasing any memories of his slow start. However, if his 25-point penalty from the season opener at Daytona remained, he would be only one spot further back in fourth.
4th
Greg Biffle, who has led the points for most of the year, fell back to fourth in the standings, the lowest he has been throughout all of 2012.
5
Five drivers have finished in the top 10 in the first two Kentucky events: Saturday's winner Brad Keselowski, last year's Kentucky champion Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth.
11
It has now been 11 races since Ryan Newman's last top 10, which was his win at Martinsville back in April. Surprisingly enough, he hasn't fallen too far back in the points, only dropping from 8th to a three-way tie for 14th. Unfortunately for Newman, one of the drivers he is tied with is fellow one-time winner in 2012 Kasey Kahne; Newman would lose the tiebreaker to Kahne based off of next highest finish. Prior to crashing out in the Quaker State 400, Newman had been holding on to the second "wild card" spot for several weeks.
13
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. already has 13 top-10 finishes in 2012, eclipsing his total of 12 for the entire 2011 season.
16.2
Jeff Gordon's career average finish at Daytona International Speedway, the highest amongst Chase hopefuls 11th through 20th in the standings. Additionally, his six wins at the 2.5-mile oval are more than any other active driver.
22
Since moving up to the Cup Series with Jack Roush in 2000, Matt Kenseth has accumulated 22 victories, the sixth highest total in that span.
26
Jimmie Johnson earned his 26th career pole at Kentucky, but it was his first in nearly two years, with the last one coming at the 2010 Fall event at Dover.
30th
Michael Waltrip finished 30th piloting the No. 55 Aaron's Camry at his home track, the lowest finish for the No. 55 this season where it was running at the end. Mark Martin placed 33rd at Kansas and 34th at Charlotte after late-race engine failures eliminated him from possible top-10 results.
32nd
Going in with three consecutive top-3 finishes, Tony Stewart finished 32nd Saturday night, his worst outing of the season.
238
Jimmie Johnson has accumulated 238 points over the last six races, 13 more than second-place Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrett.horton@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Garrett_Horton.
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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:
Five Points to Ponder: The (Lack of) Legitimacy of NASCAR Racing
by Bryan Davis Keith
Couch Potato Tuesday: KFC Overload Masks Substandard TNT Coverage
by Phil Allaway
Crew Chief Shane Wilson on Keeping Cool in the Daytona Heat
by Mike Neff
Who's Hot/Who's Not in NASCAR: Kentucky/Daytona Edition
by Brett Poirier
NASCAR 2012: Halfway Home with Plenty More in Store
by Danny Peters
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Speaking of the 1990 Pepsi 400, that race was infamously plagued by a 24-car crash right at the beginning of Lap 2. The wreck was caused when Greg Sacks and Derrike Cope had contact in the tri-oval and spun in front of the whole field. However, a ruling led to Sacks being a sitting duck at the start. What happened?
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Numbers Game: Quaker State 400
by Garrett Horton
2
All four Rick Hendrick cars placed in the top 10 at Kentucky, the second time this year it has happened. Ironically, the other time came during a Saturday night race, at Texas Motor Speedway, also a 1.5-mile oval.
3rd
Jimmie Johnson has now moved up to a season high of third in the standings, completely erasing any memories of his slow start. However, if his 25-point penalty from the season opener at Daytona remained, he would be only one spot further back in fourth.
4th
Greg Biffle, who has led the points for most of the year, fell back to fourth in the standings, the lowest he has been throughout all of 2012.
5
Five drivers have finished in the top 10 in the first two Kentucky events: Saturday's winner Brad Keselowski, last year's Kentucky champion Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth.
11
It has now been 11 races since Ryan Newman's last top 10, which was his win at Martinsville back in April. Surprisingly enough, he hasn't fallen too far back in the points, only dropping from 8th to a three-way tie for 14th. Unfortunately for Newman, one of the drivers he is tied with is fellow one-time winner in 2012 Kasey Kahne; Newman would lose the tiebreaker to Kahne based off of next highest finish. Prior to crashing out in the Quaker State 400, Newman had been holding on to the second "wild card" spot for several weeks.
13
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. already has 13 top-10 finishes in 2012, eclipsing his total of 12 for the entire 2011 season.
16.2
Jeff Gordon's career average finish at Daytona International Speedway, the highest amongst Chase hopefuls 11th through 20th in the standings. Additionally, his six wins at the 2.5-mile oval are more than any other active driver.
22
Since moving up to the Cup Series with Jack Roush in 2000, Matt Kenseth has accumulated 22 victories, the sixth highest total in that span.
26
Jimmie Johnson earned his 26th career pole at Kentucky, but it was his first in nearly two years, with the last one coming at the 2010 Fall event at Dover.
30th
Michael Waltrip finished 30th piloting the No. 55 Aaron's Camry at his home track, the lowest finish for the No. 55 this season where it was running at the end. Mark Martin placed 33rd at Kansas and 34th at Charlotte after late-race engine failures eliminated him from possible top-10 results.
32nd
Going in with three consecutive top-3 finishes, Tony Stewart finished 32nd Saturday night, his worst outing of the season.
238
Jimmie Johnson has accumulated 238 points over the last six races, 13 more than second-place Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Garrett Horton is a Contributor to Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at garrett.horton@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Garrett_Horton.
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
Five Points to Ponder: The (Lack of) Legitimacy of NASCAR Racing
by Bryan Davis Keith
Couch Potato Tuesday: KFC Overload Masks Substandard TNT Coverage
by Phil Allaway
Crew Chief Shane Wilson on Keeping Cool in the Daytona Heat
by Mike Neff
Who's Hot/Who's Not in NASCAR: Kentucky/Daytona Edition
by Brett Poirier
NASCAR 2012: Halfway Home with Plenty More in Store
by Danny Peters
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Speaking of the 1990 Pepsi 400, that race was infamously plagued by a 24-car crash right at the beginning of Lap 2. The wreck was caused when Greg Sacks and Derrike Cope had contact in the tri-oval and spun in front of the whole field. However, a ruling led to Sacks being a sitting duck at the start. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: The 400-mile race at Daytona was one of the last races on the Cup calendar to get a flag-to-flag telecast, the first of those being in 1989 (granted, it was still tape-delayed). Why was this so?
A: There are a couple of different answers to this question. First up is the fact that NASCAR used to hold the-then Firecracker 400 on July 4th regardless of the day of the week through 1987 (the 1987 race just so happened to be on a Saturday, though). Midweek races, regardless of holidays, are a bit tough to handle. Also, the race had a traditional start time of 10 AM in order to avoid the fierceness of the Central Florida sun and the mid-afternoon Florida thunderstorms that can pop up at any time. The goal was to be done with the race by 12:30 or so and be at the beach by 3. The race didn't get a full telecast until it moved to ESPN for 1989. Prior to that, there was highlighted coverage each year from 1961 onwards on ABC's Wide World of Sports. ESPN tape-delayed the race in 1989, then televised the event live for the first time in 1990 after the start was pushed back to 11 AM.
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
Did You Notice? ... how the most important Silly Season chip may be coming from open-wheel? And that restrictor plate racing should define the mission of "start-and-parkers?" Tom is back with his list of small but important observations around the Sprint Cup circuit.
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different topics, including whether Brad Keselowski is a championship contender after Saturday night's win in Kentucky, whether Danny Stockman should have been suspended after Austin Dillon's car flunked post-race technical inspection, Richard Petty's overall influence on the sport and more.
Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
We'll have a top ten list that will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.
Sprint Cup Power Rankings compiled by Summer Bedgood
Did Brad Keselowski's victory Saturday night significantly shake up our Power Rankings? You'll have to check it out in order to see where the drivers stand going into Daytona.
Beyond The Cockpit: Timmy Hill as told to Bryan Keith
Starting the season running for Rookie of the Year in Cup, Timmy Hill lasted just one month before moving his money back into the Nationwide Series. What went wrong, how has the transition backward been and what is the plan for the future? Bryan Keith sits down with the youngster who evaluates a roller coaster 2012 season to date.
Open-Wheel Wednesday by Toni Montgomery
It's a new weekly article here at Frontstretch covering the Izod IndyCar Series. And yes, the name is very similar to the themed day on rpm2night back in the 1990s.
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
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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