THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 6th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXXXI
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Daytona Notes
by Phil Allaway
Almirola Quickest in First Sprint Cup Session at Daytona
In the first practice session for Sprint Cup, there were two dominant strategies. One was single-car runs, preferred by teams that need to get into the race on speed Friday afternoon though some teams locked into the field did the same. The other, much more widely used strategy was to run in a large pack in order to simulate temperatures for the race.
In this setup, Aric Almirola ran the fastest lap with a time of 44.563 seconds (201.961 mph) in the middle of the draft. Almirola's teammate Marcos Ambrose was second fastest, followed by Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle. Most of the teams locked into the field stayed out on track for roughly half of a fuel run. However, Tony Stewart turned in 49 laps in the session, by far the most of anyone. His team had a number of things that they wanted to try in the session, so they did multiple runs before eventually running out of fuel during the session.
Among the drivers that must qualify Friday on speed, Trevor Bayne was fastest with a time of 46.704 seconds (192.703 mph), good enough for 32nd quickest on the charts. Bill Elliott, driving in a one-off Walmart-sponsored No. 50 for Turner Motorsports, was the second fastest go-or-go-homer with a lap of 47.088 seconds (191.131 mph), while Mike Bliss was the third fastest.
Those drivers that could potentially be in trouble in qualifying are Robert Richardson, Jr., Stephen Leicht and J.J. Yeley, who were the three slowest drivers of those that must qualify on speed. To make matters worse for Richardson, his car started smoking during the session, forcing an early end to his on-track activities and a caution to fly.
Another team that chose an interesting strategy for the session was the No. 11, normally driven by Denny Hamlin. Due to back spasms, Hamlin chose to take Thursday off and skip the Subway Jalapeno 250 all together. Originally, Joey Logano was supposed to fill-in briefly during the first session. However, Kyle Busch ended up driving the No. 11 for a mere three laps by himself, turning a quick lap of 46.863 seconds, good enough for 33rd quickest. After that, the team finished for the day.
Multiple teams chose to sit out the second session. In fact, Brad Keselowski even held his weekly press conference at his hauler during the session (his team was one of many who skipped the session).
Just 24 cars participated and featured much of the same strategies of the opening session, just with fewer cars. The first half of the session saw a medium-sized pack on-track, while much of the rest of the time was nearly exclusive to single-car runs.
Jamie McMurray turned in the fastest lap of the session with a speed of 197.837 mph while in the big pack. Michael Waltrip was second quickest, followed by Kurt Busch, Travis Kvapil and Almirola.
In the single-car runs, Bayne was again fastest with a lap of 46.221 seconds (194.717 mph); it was the fastest single-car run of the entire day. Elliott was second, followed by Joe Nemechek. Richardson, Yeley and Leicht were the three slowest drivers in the session.
Stenhouse Fastest in Nationwide First Practice; Keselowski Quickest in Sparsely Attended Happy Hour
For the Nationwide Series, it is a completely different style of racing. Tandem drafting is still the way to go in order to maintain any kind of speed on track. To that end, the pairs sprouted as soon as the track opened up.
The fastest of these pairs were Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Clint Bowyer, who both turned in laps of 47.109 seconds (191.046 mph) to lead the session. Bowyer is a last-minute replacement for Joey Logano, who was shifted over to the No. 18 when Hamlin pulled out of the race. The Busch brothers (Kurt and Kyle) were third and fourth quickest, respectively, while JR Motorsports teammates Cole Whitt and Danica Patrick were fifth and sixth.
For those that have to qualify on speed Friday, the opening practice was a completely different story. Those teams concentrated on single-car runs. The fastest single-car run, however, was set by Brad Keselowski in the locked-in No. 22. His lap of 50.594 seconds (177.887 mph) was 19th quickest.
The fastest go-or-go-homer in single-car runs was the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet driven by Bobby Santos, III. Santos' lap of 51.195 seconds (175.798 mph) was good enough for 24th quickest. Jeffrey Earnhardt, Jeff Green and Bryan Silas were the next three go-or-go-homers. Everyone except for Casey Roderick took time in the session.
The slowest drivers not locked-in were Joey Gase, Josh Wise and T.J. Bell. However, with the withdrawl of Morgan Shepherd Thursday morning, there are only 43 cars attempting the event and no one will fail to qualify.
The vast majority of the teams elected to skip the one hour Happy Hour session with only 15 drivers participating. Only the two Penske Racing teammates (Keselowski and Sam Hornish, Jr.) engaged in tandem drafting during the session. As a result, they turned in the two fastest times.
Jeffrey Earnhardt, Casey Roderick and Timmy Hill raced together in a single-file regular draft during the session. They had the third, fourth and fifth fastest laps of the session, two full seconds slower than the Penske duo. The remaining teams focused on single-car runs.
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Top News
by Jeff Wolfe
Bad Back Sidelines Hamlin For Sprint Cup Practice, Nationwide Race
Denny Hamlin did not participate in NASCAR Sprint Cup practice Thursday afternoon at Daytona due a bad back. Hamlin's car was driven by Joe Gibbs racing teammate Kyle Busch drove Hamlin's No. 11 for just three laps before the team called it a day. According to a report by AOL Sporting News' Bob Pockrass, Hamlin has also opted out of running tonight's Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250. Hamlin had been slated to drive the No. 18 car in the Nationwide race, however Logano will now take that seat and Clint Bowyer will drive the No. 20.
In an Associated Press report, Hamlin said he woke up with sore back earlier this week and thought it was "in the best interest of the team to sit it out." He also said he believed the injury was nothing serious.
Hamlin, however, must qualify his Sprint Cup car tonight to be eligible for Saturday's race, and he must at least start Saturday's race to be eligible for the driver's points. As of Thursday afternoon, team officials did not anticipate needing a backup driver for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400.
Hamlin is currently fifth in the points standings with two victories this year. He's coming off of a solid third-place finish last weekend at Kentucky.
Nationwide Dash 4 Cash Will Give Fans a Chance To Win Big Bucks
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will start its annual Dash 4 Cash series this weekend at Daytona. Friday night's Nationwide race will serve as the qualifying race to see which four drivers will be eligible for the first Dash 4 Cash race. The first four finishers who are eligible for the Nationwide points title, will be considered eligible for the cash prize.
The actual Dash 4 Cash competition will start at New Hampshire July 14th. The first finisher of the four eligible drivers will receive $100,000 in cash along with an automatic spot into the next Dash 4 Cash race. Those other races are July 22nd at Chicagoland, July 28th at Indianapolis and August 4th at Iowa. The eligible driver who finishes highest among the four drivers each week will advance as well as the next three Nationwide eligible points drivers. However, if the same driver finishes first among the four eligible drivers each week, then that driver will win $1 million.
"I've been waiting for these races," said Austin Dillon who scored his first career Nationwide victory last weekend in Kentucky. "It's going to be a wild one at Daytona and anybody can put themselves in a position for $100,000 going into New Hampshire. I'm going to try to stay out of trouble early and have a shot at the end to be one of those top four to have a chance at the Dash 4 Cash (bonus) next week."
Drivers will also win the same amount of money for their fan partners, as Elliott Sadler won $100,000 for his fan partner, Joe Thornton, from Virginia, last year.
"We've always been a 'fans first' sport and to bring them in to have the opportunity to win this kind of money is awesome," Sadler said.
For more information and to sign up fans can visit NASCAR.com/Dash4Cash.
Earnhardt Jr. To Drive Patriotic Scheme At Daytona
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet will feature a different look when it takes to the track Saturday night at Daytona. As part of the NASCAR Unites – An American Salute program, Earnhardt, Jr.'s paint scheme will honor National Guard soldiers as well as Independence Day. The scheme is the final in the six-week program that began with the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte.The National Guard is the country's oldest Armed Forces component.
Earnhardt, Jr. is currently second in the Sprint Cup points standings, 11 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. He broke his 143-race losing streak three weeks ago on Father's Day at Michigan.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 6th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXXXI
~~~~~~~~~~
Daytona Notes
by Phil Allaway
Almirola Quickest in First Sprint Cup Session at Daytona
In the first practice session for Sprint Cup, there were two dominant strategies. One was single-car runs, preferred by teams that need to get into the race on speed Friday afternoon though some teams locked into the field did the same. The other, much more widely used strategy was to run in a large pack in order to simulate temperatures for the race.
In this setup, Aric Almirola ran the fastest lap with a time of 44.563 seconds (201.961 mph) in the middle of the draft. Almirola's teammate Marcos Ambrose was second fastest, followed by Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle. Most of the teams locked into the field stayed out on track for roughly half of a fuel run. However, Tony Stewart turned in 49 laps in the session, by far the most of anyone. His team had a number of things that they wanted to try in the session, so they did multiple runs before eventually running out of fuel during the session.
Among the drivers that must qualify Friday on speed, Trevor Bayne was fastest with a time of 46.704 seconds (192.703 mph), good enough for 32nd quickest on the charts. Bill Elliott, driving in a one-off Walmart-sponsored No. 50 for Turner Motorsports, was the second fastest go-or-go-homer with a lap of 47.088 seconds (191.131 mph), while Mike Bliss was the third fastest.
Those drivers that could potentially be in trouble in qualifying are Robert Richardson, Jr., Stephen Leicht and J.J. Yeley, who were the three slowest drivers of those that must qualify on speed. To make matters worse for Richardson, his car started smoking during the session, forcing an early end to his on-track activities and a caution to fly.
Another team that chose an interesting strategy for the session was the No. 11, normally driven by Denny Hamlin. Due to back spasms, Hamlin chose to take Thursday off and skip the Subway Jalapeno 250 all together. Originally, Joey Logano was supposed to fill-in briefly during the first session. However, Kyle Busch ended up driving the No. 11 for a mere three laps by himself, turning a quick lap of 46.863 seconds, good enough for 33rd quickest. After that, the team finished for the day.
Multiple teams chose to sit out the second session. In fact, Brad Keselowski even held his weekly press conference at his hauler during the session (his team was one of many who skipped the session).
Just 24 cars participated and featured much of the same strategies of the opening session, just with fewer cars. The first half of the session saw a medium-sized pack on-track, while much of the rest of the time was nearly exclusive to single-car runs.
Jamie McMurray turned in the fastest lap of the session with a speed of 197.837 mph while in the big pack. Michael Waltrip was second quickest, followed by Kurt Busch, Travis Kvapil and Almirola.
In the single-car runs, Bayne was again fastest with a lap of 46.221 seconds (194.717 mph); it was the fastest single-car run of the entire day. Elliott was second, followed by Joe Nemechek. Richardson, Yeley and Leicht were the three slowest drivers in the session.
Stenhouse Fastest in Nationwide First Practice; Keselowski Quickest in Sparsely Attended Happy Hour
For the Nationwide Series, it is a completely different style of racing. Tandem drafting is still the way to go in order to maintain any kind of speed on track. To that end, the pairs sprouted as soon as the track opened up.
The fastest of these pairs were Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Clint Bowyer, who both turned in laps of 47.109 seconds (191.046 mph) to lead the session. Bowyer is a last-minute replacement for Joey Logano, who was shifted over to the No. 18 when Hamlin pulled out of the race. The Busch brothers (Kurt and Kyle) were third and fourth quickest, respectively, while JR Motorsports teammates Cole Whitt and Danica Patrick were fifth and sixth.
For those that have to qualify on speed Friday, the opening practice was a completely different story. Those teams concentrated on single-car runs. The fastest single-car run, however, was set by Brad Keselowski in the locked-in No. 22. His lap of 50.594 seconds (177.887 mph) was 19th quickest.
The fastest go-or-go-homer in single-car runs was the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet driven by Bobby Santos, III. Santos' lap of 51.195 seconds (175.798 mph) was good enough for 24th quickest. Jeffrey Earnhardt, Jeff Green and Bryan Silas were the next three go-or-go-homers. Everyone except for Casey Roderick took time in the session.
The slowest drivers not locked-in were Joey Gase, Josh Wise and T.J. Bell. However, with the withdrawl of Morgan Shepherd Thursday morning, there are only 43 cars attempting the event and no one will fail to qualify.
The vast majority of the teams elected to skip the one hour Happy Hour session with only 15 drivers participating. Only the two Penske Racing teammates (Keselowski and Sam Hornish, Jr.) engaged in tandem drafting during the session. As a result, they turned in the two fastest times.
Jeffrey Earnhardt, Casey Roderick and Timmy Hill raced together in a single-file regular draft during the session. They had the third, fourth and fifth fastest laps of the session, two full seconds slower than the Penske duo. The remaining teams focused on single-car runs.
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Top News
by Jeff Wolfe
Bad Back Sidelines Hamlin For Sprint Cup Practice, Nationwide Race
Denny Hamlin did not participate in NASCAR Sprint Cup practice Thursday afternoon at Daytona due a bad back. Hamlin's car was driven by Joe Gibbs racing teammate Kyle Busch drove Hamlin's No. 11 for just three laps before the team called it a day. According to a report by AOL Sporting News' Bob Pockrass, Hamlin has also opted out of running tonight's Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250. Hamlin had been slated to drive the No. 18 car in the Nationwide race, however Logano will now take that seat and Clint Bowyer will drive the No. 20.
In an Associated Press report, Hamlin said he woke up with sore back earlier this week and thought it was "in the best interest of the team to sit it out." He also said he believed the injury was nothing serious.
Hamlin, however, must qualify his Sprint Cup car tonight to be eligible for Saturday's race, and he must at least start Saturday's race to be eligible for the driver's points. As of Thursday afternoon, team officials did not anticipate needing a backup driver for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400.
Hamlin is currently fifth in the points standings with two victories this year. He's coming off of a solid third-place finish last weekend at Kentucky.
Nationwide Dash 4 Cash Will Give Fans a Chance To Win Big Bucks
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will start its annual Dash 4 Cash series this weekend at Daytona. Friday night's Nationwide race will serve as the qualifying race to see which four drivers will be eligible for the first Dash 4 Cash race. The first four finishers who are eligible for the Nationwide points title, will be considered eligible for the cash prize.
The actual Dash 4 Cash competition will start at New Hampshire July 14th. The first finisher of the four eligible drivers will receive $100,000 in cash along with an automatic spot into the next Dash 4 Cash race. Those other races are July 22nd at Chicagoland, July 28th at Indianapolis and August 4th at Iowa. The eligible driver who finishes highest among the four drivers each week will advance as well as the next three Nationwide eligible points drivers. However, if the same driver finishes first among the four eligible drivers each week, then that driver will win $1 million.
"I've been waiting for these races," said Austin Dillon who scored his first career Nationwide victory last weekend in Kentucky. "It's going to be a wild one at Daytona and anybody can put themselves in a position for $100,000 going into New Hampshire. I'm going to try to stay out of trouble early and have a shot at the end to be one of those top four to have a chance at the Dash 4 Cash (bonus) next week."
Drivers will also win the same amount of money for their fan partners, as Elliott Sadler won $100,000 for his fan partner, Joe Thornton, from Virginia, last year.
"We've always been a 'fans first' sport and to bring them in to have the opportunity to win this kind of money is awesome," Sadler said.
For more information and to sign up fans can visit NASCAR.com/Dash4Cash.
Earnhardt Jr. To Drive Patriotic Scheme At Daytona
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet will feature a different look when it takes to the track Saturday night at Daytona. As part of the NASCAR Unites – An American Salute program, Earnhardt, Jr.'s paint scheme will honor National Guard soldiers as well as Independence Day. The scheme is the final in the six-week program that began with the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte.The National Guard is the country's oldest Armed Forces component.
Earnhardt, Jr. is currently second in the Sprint Cup points standings, 11 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. He broke his 143-race losing streak three weeks ago on Father's Day at Michigan.
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COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
If you are interested, contact frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com. Please include references to your past work in your e-mail.
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In Case You Missed It
by Beth Lunkenheimer
TNT Wide Open Coverage Returns
For the sixth consecutive year, the Coke Zero 400 will be presented in TNT's Wide Open format beginning at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday night. The Wide Open Coverage, which debuted during the July 2007 event at Daytona, features continuous race coverage without the traditional commercial breaks. Instead, the network will use a letterbox format to run the race and advertisements side by side. Additionally, the race will be simulcast on truTV for the first time ever.
NASCAR Fills More Integrated Marketing Communications Slots
NASCAR announced earlier this week that Sabrina Macias, former Vice President of Edelamn Worldwide, has joined the sanctioning body'ss Integrated Marketing Communications team; she will serve as Director of Brand and Consumer Marketing Communications. Additionally, Jon Schwartz has been promoted from Director of Business Communications to Senior Director of Business and Brand Communcations, a "day-to-day oversight responsibility for several key business units." Chris Tropeano, formerly Associate Director of Communications at Sports Illustrated has been hired as Senior Manager of Business Communications.
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Keepin' It Short: A Family Affair at Charlotte Motor Speedway
by Mike Neff
The Big Money 100 is in the books with Tyler Green taking the win over most of the best Legend drivers in the country Tuesday night. Tyler is the son of Mark Green and nephew of Jeff and David. Green has been in the top 10 the last two years of the big money races at Charlotte but has not been able to make it to victory lane before this year. Green is one of four members of the Green clan who is competing at Charlotte this Summer but, at least for now, has the bragging rights among all of them.
Jeff Green, the 2000 Nationwide Series champion, competes in the Masters division at the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout with his brother Mark. Jeff was the Masters division champion in 2011 but this season is not running the full series so he will not repeat as the title holder. Mark has missed a week of the Shootout already so it will be tough for him to make it to the top of the standings.
Along with Tyler, Austin Green, Tyler's cousin and David Green's son is working his way into racing in the Bandolero divisions. Austin has been running in Bandoleros three years and is currently leading the Bandits division with two wins during the 2012 Jack in the Box Summer Shootout.
While Austin is leading the point standings in Bandoleros, it is big cousin Tyler who just notched the family's biggest INEX racing victory. Tyler brought home a $25,000 check for the win in the Big Money 100 that may help continue his driving career or may be used as a distraction to racing. Asked after the Victory Lane celebration on Tuesday night, Green told Frontstretch.com "We've been putting everything into racing for years. Maybe we'll take this money and buy a boat."
The Greens run their INEX racing out of TyMark racing, which is a combination of Tyler and Mark Greens' names. TyMark also helps out other race teams who are competing in INEX racing. Dylan Smith, who is a Rev Racing employee and is trying to make a name for himself in racing has used the Greens' help to get his Legend car program off of the ground this year and is improving weekly in the Semi-Pro division.
Racing is in the blood, either of people or entire families. There is no question that it runs deep in the veins of the Greens. While the professional driving careers of Jeff, Mark and David have come to an end, they're still spending time at the race track and passing along their knowledge to their kids and others. Austin and Tyler are in the process of developing their careers and, if the right break comes their way, just might be able to follow in their parents footsteps to compete on the national stage. If not, they're going to keep getting after it in the INEX ranks at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout.
Whelen All-American Points Battle
After leading the points since the very first standings were posted in May, Anthony Anders has finally lost his hold on the top spot. Anders' lack of wins caught up with him and he slid to fourth in the standings with 565 points. Replacing Anders at the top of the list is Ted Christopher, the 2001 Whelen All-American Champion who has clawed his way out front with 604 total points. Christopher has already maxed out on races and in fact has the maximum number of top 5s so gaining points from here is going to be difficult. Nate Monteith continues to ride the resurgence of Kingsport Speedway to second in points with six wins and 586 points.
One driver you don't see in the top 10 is Lee Pulliam. Motor Mile called off their racing program last weekend when the heavy weather moved through the area so Pulliam did not get a race in. He's already made up for it this week with wins at South Boston and Caraway. He's also heading to Deac McCaskill's home track of Southern National on Saturday to try and notch three wins in one week. McCaskill will not make it easy on him but Pulliam very well could make a jump from 11th to the top 5 depending on his luck Saturday.
Position Name Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Total Points
1. Ted Christopher 23 4 18 19 604
2. Nate Monteith 19 6 14 16 586
3. Keith Rocco 22 7 12 16 571
4. Anthony Anders 32 2 19 29 565
5. Ryan Preece 21 5 13 17 539
6. Deac McCaskill 16 11 15 16 531
7. C.E. Falk III 17 9 13 15 521
8. Matt Bowling 18 1 13 16 493
9. Duane Howard 12 7 11 12 481
10. Jase Kaser 16 5 10 13 481
ASA National Points Race
Shelby Stroebel continues to dominate at Meridian Speedway in the Modifieds. Stroebel has yet to lose a race in a Modified at his home track. At I-44 Lebanon Speedway Mike Slone is maintaining a slim lead over Matt Walace. Unfortunately for the I-44 gang this week their schedule has been postponed due to the excessive heat that is gripping the Midwest. In the Eastern Region Barry Beggarly, the defending National Champion, scored his second win of the season at Ace Speedway which gives him an average of 2.3163, which puts him third overall in the National Championship Points race.
East Region
1. Barry Beggarly 2.3163
2. Dustin Rumley 2.2663
3. Speedy Faucette 2.1499
4. Rodney Cook 2.0584
5. Dennis Queen 2.0389
West Region
1. Shelby Stroebel 2.8309
2. Mike Slone 2.3560
3. Rus Ward 2.2293
4. Matt Wallace 2.1319
5. Jentry Pisca 2.0089
Throughout the season, drivers competing in the premiere divisions at eligible ASA Member Tracks are in the running for the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship. In order to have a chance for the national title, a driver must first win their 2012 track championship.
Speednetdirect.com, for the fifth year in a row, will tabulate the National Championship standings. Using a proprietary formula that creates an average based on wins, finishing positions, number of cars passed, car counts and events. The driver who wins their track championship and has the highest average over the other ASA Member Track champions will win the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship. Full standings are available at www.speednetdirect.com. Click on the ASA Member Track logo at the top of the page.
This Week's Race Schedule
Fri : July 6th – Penton Raceway ; Penton : AL – Nesmith Dirt Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Beebe Speedway ; Beebe : AR – USCS 600 Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Beebe Speedway ; Paragould : AR – USCS Outlaw Thunder Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – Limited Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – SK Lights
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – SK Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Farmer City Speedway ; Farmer City : IL – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Fri : July 6th – Farmer City Speedway ; Farmer City : IL – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Fri : July 6th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC Midwest Focus Midgets
Fri : July 6th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC MOPAR National Midgets
Fri : July 6th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – Hornets
Fri : July 6th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – Legends
Fri : July 6th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – Roadsters
Fri : July 6th – Rapid Speedway ; Rock Rapids : IA – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – USRA Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – IMCA Stock Cars
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – WISSOTA Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Malden Speedway ; Malden : MO – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Malden Speedway ; Malden : MO – Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Malden Speedway ; Malden : MO – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Magnolia Motor Speedway ; Columbus : MS – Clash at the Mag Lucas Oil Late Models Qualifying and Heats
Fri : July 6th – Caraway Speedway ; Asheboro : NC – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Caraway Speedway ; Asheboro : NC – NASCAR Whelen Southern Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – NDRA Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – Open Wheel Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Jackson County Speedway ; Jackson : OH – Veteran's Appreciation Night Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Jackson County Speedway ; Jackson : OH – Veteran's Appreciation Night Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Jackson County Speedway ; Jackson : OH – Veteran's Appreciation Night Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Toledo Speedway ; Toledo : OH – ARCA Gold Cup
Fri : July 6th – Big Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – 358 Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Big Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – Sportsman
Fri : July 6th – Big Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – ARDC Midgets
Fri : July 6th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Super Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – IMCA Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – IMCA Sport Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – IMCA Stock
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – Street Stock
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – SST Series
Fri : July 6th – Amsoil Speedway ; Superior : WI – World of Outlaws Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Cedar Lake Speedway ; New Richmond : WI – World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Manitowoc County Fairgrounds ; Manitowoc : WI – Pat Rand Memorial Wisconsin Dirt Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Manitowoc County Fairgrounds ; Manitowoc : WI – Pat Rand Memorial Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Manitowoc County Fairgrounds ; Manitowoc : WI – Pat Rand Memorial Street Stock
Fri : July 6th – Oshkosh Speedzone Winnebago County Fairgrounds ; Oshkosh : WI – IMCA Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Oshkosh Speedzone Winnebago County Fairgrounds ; Oshkosh : WI – IMCA Sport Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Oshkosh Speedzone Winnebago County Fairgrounds ; Oshkosh : WI – Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Crate Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – KMSA
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Outlaw Thunder
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Street Stock
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Super Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Penton Raceway ; Penton : AL – Nesmith Dirt Late Models
Sat : July 7th – South Alabama Speedway ; Kinston : AL – Viper Pro Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – 305 Winged Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – 360 Winged Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Madera Speedway ; Madera : CA – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Madera Speedway ; Madera : CA – Hobby Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Petaluma Speedway ; Petaluma : CA – California Civil War Series Sprint Cars
Sat : July 7th – New Senoia Raceway ; Senoia : GA – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Peoria Speedway ; Peoria : IL – Limited Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Peoria Speedway ; Peoria : IL – Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Peoria Speedway ; Peoria : IL – Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC Midwest Focus Midgets
Sat : July 7th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC MOPAR National Midgets
Sat : July 7th – South Bend Speedway ; South Bend : IN – Mid-Season Championship Late Models
Sat : July 7th – South Bend Speedway ; South Bend : IN – Mid-Season Championship Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – South Bend Speedway ; South Bend : IN – Mid-Season Championship Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – 34th Annual MDA Triple 8 Championship Stocks Backwards Figure 8
Sat : July 7th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – 34th Annual MDA Triple 8 Championship Late Model 3 Features
Sat : July 7th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – 34th Annual MDA Triple 8 Championship Hornets Figure 8
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Stock Cars
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Sport Mods
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Pure Street
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Mini-Stock
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Outlaw Mini-Cup
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Baby Grand
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Pro Challenge
Sat : July 7th – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway ; Scarborough : ME – PASS North Super Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Outlaws
Sat : July 7th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Strictly Stock
Sat : July 7th – Berlin Raceway ; Marne : MI – Top Speed Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Kalamazoo Speedway ; Kalamazoo : MI – Outlaw Super Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Kalamazoo Speedway ; Kalamazoo : MI – Super Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Deer Creek Speedway ; Spring Valley : MN – World of Outlaws Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Deer Creek Speedway ; Spring Valley : MN – USMTS Casey's Cup Qualifier Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Super Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Magnolia Motor Speedway ; Columbus : MS – Clash at the Mag Lucas Oil Late Models
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – ASA Late Models
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Lucky 21 Sportsman Doubleheader
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Road Warriors
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Chargers
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships Factory Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships A-Mods
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships B-Mods
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships United Late Model Association Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Junction Motor Speedway ; McCool Junction : NE – Super Late Model Racing Series
Sat : July 7th – Speedway 660 ; Fredericton : New Brunswick – Parts for Trucks Pro Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Monadnock Speedway ; Winchester : NH – MRS Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Dunn Tire Raceway Park ; Lancaster : NY – Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – Dunn Tire Raceway Park ; Lancaster : NY – Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Dunn Tire Raceway Park ; Lancaster : NY – TQ Midgets
Sat : July 7th – Southern National Raceway Park ; Kenly : NC – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – IMCA Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – Wissota Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Shadybowl Speedway ; DeGraff : OH – Jeg's All Star Pro Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Emo Speedway ; Emo : Ontario – 8th Annual Mid-Season Shootout Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Emo Speedway ; Emo : Ontario – 8th Annual Mid-Season Shootout Wissota Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Emo Speedway ; Emo : Ontario – 8th Annual Mid-Season Shootout Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Lincoln Speedway ; Abbottstown : PA – 358 Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Lincoln Speedway ; Abbottstown : PA – 358 Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Lincoln Speedway ; Abbottstown : PA – 305 Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Little Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – Slingshots
Sat : July 7th – Little Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – Thunder Cars
Sat : July 7th – Mountain Speedway ; St. John's : PA – Sport Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Mountain Speedway ; St. John's : PA – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Mountain Speedway ; St. John's : PA – Factory Stocks
Sat : July 7th – I-90 Speedway ; Hartford : SD – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Rocky Mountain Raceway ; West Valley City : UT – Rocky Mountain Challenge Series Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Beaver Dam Speedway ; Beaver Dam : WI – World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
Sat : July 7th – Cedar Lake Speedway ; New Richmond : WI – Firecracker Special Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Cedar Lake Speedway ; New Richmond : WI – Firecracker Special Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – TNT Speedway ; Three Lakes : WI – Mid-Season Championships Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – TNT Speedway ; Three Lakes : WI – Mid-Season ChampionshipsWissota Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Wilmot Raceway ; Wilmot : WI – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Sat : July 7th – Wilmot Raceway ; Wilmot : WI – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Sun : July 8th – Tri-State Speedway ; Haubstadt : IN – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Sun : July 8th – Tri-State Speedway ; Haubstadt : IN – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Sun : July 8th – Dawson County Raceway ; Lexington : NE – Super Late Model Racing Series
Sun : July 8th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Sun : July 8th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Sun : July 8th – Thunder Mountain Speedway ; Bottineau : ND – Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sun : July 8th – Thunder Mountain Speedway ; Bottineau : ND – Sport Stocks
Sun : July 8th – Angell Park Speedway ; Sun Prairie : WI – USAC MOPAR National Midgets
Mon : July 9th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Mon : July 9th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Mon : July 9th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Tue : July 10th – West Liberty Raceway ; West Liberty : IA – Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Models
Tue : July 10th – Florence Speedway ; Florence : KY – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Tue : July 10th – Florence Speedway ; Florence : KY – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Tue : July 10th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Tue : July 10th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Tue : July 10th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – IMCA Street Stocks
Wed : July 11th – I-35 Speedway ; Mason City : IA – Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Models
Wed : July 11th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Outlaws
Wed : July 11th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Rebels
Wed : July 11th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Renegades
Wed : July 11th – Electric City Speedway ; Great Falls : MT – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Wed : July 11th – Millbridge Speedway ; Millbridge : NC – Mini Outlaw Sprint Karts
Wed : July 11th – Williston Basin Speedway ; Williston : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Wed : July 11th – Williston Basin Speedway ; Williston : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Wed : July 11th – Limaland Motorsports Park ; Lima : OH – World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
Wed : July 11th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – IMCA Modifieds
Wed : July 11th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – IMCA Street Stocks
Thu : July 12th – Red River Co-op Speedway ; Winnipeg : Manitoba – World of Outlaws Late Models
Thu : July 12th – I-35 Speedway ; Winston : MO – USMTS National Championship Series Modifieds
Thu : July 12th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Thu : July 12th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
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Fantasy Friday: Coke Zero 400
by Jeff Wolfe
Here we are with the second race at Daytona upon us, but more importantly, it's getting closer to crunch time in the series' regular 26-race season. The top 10 in points and the next two drivers with the most wins in the top 20 in points will make NASCAR's playoffs, the Chase for the Championship. Among the names who would not be in the Chase if it started this week are Carl Edwards, last year's runnerup and Jeff Gordon. Edwards is 11th in points and Gordon is 18th in points and neither have a win this season. But a win by each of them would either put them in, or on the cusp of making the Chase. So they may be thinking more about winning now, then just a good finish.
It's always tricky at these plate tracks because of the close racing and large packs or cars. A driver can run well for say, 150 of the scheduled 160 laps of this race, and get caught in "The Big One" or maybe a jet dryer fire, and still end up finishing 30-something.
Top 5 Picks
Tony Stewart - For reasons beyond even his explanation, he does well in the July Daytona race, but has yet to win the 500. Stewart has three victories in this race and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him make it four.
Matt Kenseth - He won the Daytona 500 and will try to become the fifth driver to win both Daytona races in the same year. The most underrated champion and current points leader.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - He's always a big threat to win on a plate track and he has two wins in the Daytona July race and he will have a special patriotic paint scheme. All that may be too much for the rest of the field to overcome.
Kevin Harvick - He's been under the radar lately, but he's got two wins in the July Daytona race and usually about the time you forget about him is when he strikes for the victory.
Jimmie Johnson - Don't look now but ol' five-time sits just 23 points out of the lead. His season started with a disaster in Daytona and, he'd like nothing more than a little redemption for his team and maybe even his C-posts.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda - Jeff Gordon has been running much better lately. He piled up a long list of bad luck finishes early in the season and that's all that's keeping me from picking him this week. This really is a case of a guy who could win it (he's done it six times) or finish well back in the pack.
ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP
Here's a look at how last week's picks fared at Kentucky
Kyle Busch: 10th. Led a race high 118 laps, only to be derailed by a broken shock mount.
Jimmie Johnson: 6th Also was contending for win until he thought a tire was going down late in race, but rallied late.
Tony Stewart: 32nd. Early fuel injection issue cost him a lot of laps early in race.
Brad Keselowski: 1st. Was strong all night, and then led last 56 laps.
Matt Kenseth: 7th. Another solid run for the points leader.
Season Stats
85 Predictions
9 wins
31 top 5s
42 top 10s
Grade for the week: B+. I gave you the winner in Keselowski and then three others in the top 10. Both Busch and Johnson would have been in the top 5 if not for their issues and Kenseth is consistent as always. Stewart still has not won at Kentucky and Darlington, the last two tracks he needs to cross off of his list.
One Last Thing: Matt Kenseth will attempt to do something that only four drivers have accomplished, win the July Daytona race the same year as winning the Daytona 500. Those who have accomplished the feat are Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarborough, Fireball Roberts and most recently Bobby Allison who swept both events at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in 1982.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Folio: Coke Zero 400
by Rick Lunkenheimer
The 18th race on the 2012 schedule takes us back to Daytona International Speedway, located on the east coast of sunny Florida. The Coke Zero 400 will be broadcast live on TNT Saturday July 7th at 6:30 PM EDT. Radio coverage will begin at the same time on MRN and SiriusXM Radio channel 90. Drivers will compete 160 laps for 400 miles before taking the checkered flag.
Records and Facts
Bill Elliott, holds the track qualifying record with a speed of 210.361 mph (42.783 sec) behind the wheel of his No. 9 Coors Ford for the 1987 Daytona 500. Elliott led 104 of 200 laps en route to a three car-length victory over Benny Parsons. Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt rounded out the top 5.
Bobby Allison holds the 400-mile race record at Daytona with an average speed of 173.473 mph in the 1980 Firecracker 400. Allison started 14th and led 63 laps, en route to his second of four victories that season. David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker and Richard Petty rounded out the top 5.
David Ragan is the defending winner of the Coke Zero 400. He led just 15 laps en route to his first career victory under caution ahead of Matt Kenseth. Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 5.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.5-mile tri-oval; 160 laps, 400 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns 31 degrees; Tri-oval 18 degrees
Frontstretch: Length: 3,800 feet; banked six degrees
Backstretch: Length: 3,400 feet; banked six degrees
Grandstand Seating: 168,000.
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pre-Race Schedule
Qualifying: Friday, July 6 at 4:10 PM EDT on SPEED
VIPs
Grand Marshal / Command: Retired Florida State Seminoles Coach Bobby Bowden
National Anthem: Headline News Anchor and Country Singer Robin Meade
Race Day Forecast
Saturday: Isolated Thunderstorms, Chance of rain 30%
High: 91
Low: 73
Say What?!?
"I've always said there is luck in racing. You create the destiny of your own luck. That luck can be good or bad . You have to prepare yourself to get out of the bad luck and into the good luck. When I won, part of it was lucky, part of it was the timing of things, part of it was Kurt (Busch) driving his tail off to get behind me coming off turn two. That was skill, and for me it was luck. It's all a matter of opinion. You can ask the 42 other guys out there, and they might have thought I got lucky when I won. For me, I thought it was skill." -Ryan Newman
"The race situation is a lot different from practice. You tend to have a much larger pack of cars and that makes a really big difference. But you're still able to figure out what your car likes and dislikes in the draft during practice. It may not be exactly what you'll experience in the race, but it's the closest thing to it. Basically, it gives you an idea of what your car is capable of and where you need to be to make the moves you want." -Tony Stewart
"It's always good to have our friends at Kingsford on board especially during the holidays. Fourth of July is the perfect time to spend time with your family and grill out. When I think of Daytona, I think of family because it's a race that's always ran on Saturday. So, a lot of people go down for the race and usually stay an extra day or two. Me and my family are spending a couple days at home this week before driving down to Daytona. We're not doing a whole lot this week, but we will during our off week coming up in a couple weeks. Grilling will definitely be involved." -Bobby Labonte
Rick Lunkenheimer is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at rick.lunkenheimer@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
NASCAR Needs Yellow Flag Common Sense, Not Smoke & Mirrors
by Amy Henderson
Four Burning Questions: Points, Penalties, and Back Pain
by Summer Bedgood
Eric McClure Seeks Return to Normalcy After Trying Start to 2012
by Bryan Davis Keith
At Daytona, Bruton Smith's Caution Suggestion Dominates Discussion
by Phil Allaway
Michael Annett Driver Diary: Happy Birthday Boss!
as told to Toni Montgomery
IndyCar Preview: 2012 Honda Indy Toronto
by Danny Peters
Formula 1 Friday: The Shadow of Danger Looms Large Once Again...
by Andy Hollis
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 1997 Pepsi 400 (the final one held during the daytime), John Andretti led 113 laps to pick up his first career victory and the only win for Cale Yarborough Motorsports. However, Andretti's win was overshadowed by a last-lap wreck. What happened?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer:
Q: As we race fans know quite well, just because the winner has already taken the checkered flag doesn't mean that dangerous things cannot still occur. That was shown quite vividly at the end of the 1980 Firecracker 400. What happened here?
A: After Bobby Allison had already won the race for Bud Moore Engineering and was part way through his cool down lap, Phil Finney spun exiting Turn 4 and began to lift slightly off the ground before impact the inside berm hard with the passenger side. Finney's No. 04 was launched into the air from the impact and did a 180 before landing hard on its right rear corner at the entrance to pit road. The crash can be seen in this clip. Jim McKay and Sam Posey have the call for ABC's Wide World of Sports. Finney suffered a concussion in the crash, along with some bumps and bruises. He ultimately recovered, but never started another race in the Cup Series.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take 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 Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Coke Zero 400 Race Recap by Jeff Wolfe
-- Secret Star and Stat of the Race by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Coke Zero 400 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Saturday night's race from Daytona.
Monday Morning Teardown by TBA
A website look at one of the big stories from Saturday's race from Kentucky.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing at Daytona.
Big Six: Coke Zero 400 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Looking for all you need to know leaving Saturday's event at Daytona? Beth has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing.
Pace Laps: Daytona Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
In our newest column this season, we'll take a look at the biggest stories to keep an eye on in each series after a weekend at Daytona.
Nationwide Breakdown: Subway Jalapeno 250 by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has all the post-race analysis you need following Friday night's Nationwide Series race from Daytona.
IndyCar Series Race Recap: Honda Indy Toronto by Matt Stallknecht
Matt has all the post-race analysis you need following Sunday afternoon's IZOD IndyCar Series race from Toronto.
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©2012 Frontstretch.com
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In Case You Missed It
by Beth Lunkenheimer
TNT Wide Open Coverage Returns
For the sixth consecutive year, the Coke Zero 400 will be presented in TNT's Wide Open format beginning at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday night. The Wide Open Coverage, which debuted during the July 2007 event at Daytona, features continuous race coverage without the traditional commercial breaks. Instead, the network will use a letterbox format to run the race and advertisements side by side. Additionally, the race will be simulcast on truTV for the first time ever.
NASCAR Fills More Integrated Marketing Communications Slots
NASCAR announced earlier this week that Sabrina Macias, former Vice President of Edelamn Worldwide, has joined the sanctioning body'ss Integrated Marketing Communications team; she will serve as Director of Brand and Consumer Marketing Communications. Additionally, Jon Schwartz has been promoted from Director of Business Communications to Senior Director of Business and Brand Communcations, a "day-to-day oversight responsibility for several key business units." Chris Tropeano, formerly Associate Director of Communications at Sports Illustrated has been hired as Senior Manager of Business Communications.
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Keepin' It Short: A Family Affair at Charlotte Motor Speedway
by Mike Neff
The Big Money 100 is in the books with Tyler Green taking the win over most of the best Legend drivers in the country Tuesday night. Tyler is the son of Mark Green and nephew of Jeff and David. Green has been in the top 10 the last two years of the big money races at Charlotte but has not been able to make it to victory lane before this year. Green is one of four members of the Green clan who is competing at Charlotte this Summer but, at least for now, has the bragging rights among all of them.
Jeff Green, the 2000 Nationwide Series champion, competes in the Masters division at the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout with his brother Mark. Jeff was the Masters division champion in 2011 but this season is not running the full series so he will not repeat as the title holder. Mark has missed a week of the Shootout already so it will be tough for him to make it to the top of the standings.
Along with Tyler, Austin Green, Tyler's cousin and David Green's son is working his way into racing in the Bandolero divisions. Austin has been running in Bandoleros three years and is currently leading the Bandits division with two wins during the 2012 Jack in the Box Summer Shootout.
While Austin is leading the point standings in Bandoleros, it is big cousin Tyler who just notched the family's biggest INEX racing victory. Tyler brought home a $25,000 check for the win in the Big Money 100 that may help continue his driving career or may be used as a distraction to racing. Asked after the Victory Lane celebration on Tuesday night, Green told Frontstretch.com "We've been putting everything into racing for years. Maybe we'll take this money and buy a boat."
The Greens run their INEX racing out of TyMark racing, which is a combination of Tyler and Mark Greens' names. TyMark also helps out other race teams who are competing in INEX racing. Dylan Smith, who is a Rev Racing employee and is trying to make a name for himself in racing has used the Greens' help to get his Legend car program off of the ground this year and is improving weekly in the Semi-Pro division.
Racing is in the blood, either of people or entire families. There is no question that it runs deep in the veins of the Greens. While the professional driving careers of Jeff, Mark and David have come to an end, they're still spending time at the race track and passing along their knowledge to their kids and others. Austin and Tyler are in the process of developing their careers and, if the right break comes their way, just might be able to follow in their parents footsteps to compete on the national stage. If not, they're going to keep getting after it in the INEX ranks at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout.
Whelen All-American Points Battle
After leading the points since the very first standings were posted in May, Anthony Anders has finally lost his hold on the top spot. Anders' lack of wins caught up with him and he slid to fourth in the standings with 565 points. Replacing Anders at the top of the list is Ted Christopher, the 2001 Whelen All-American Champion who has clawed his way out front with 604 total points. Christopher has already maxed out on races and in fact has the maximum number of top 5s so gaining points from here is going to be difficult. Nate Monteith continues to ride the resurgence of Kingsport Speedway to second in points with six wins and 586 points.
One driver you don't see in the top 10 is Lee Pulliam. Motor Mile called off their racing program last weekend when the heavy weather moved through the area so Pulliam did not get a race in. He's already made up for it this week with wins at South Boston and Caraway. He's also heading to Deac McCaskill's home track of Southern National on Saturday to try and notch three wins in one week. McCaskill will not make it easy on him but Pulliam very well could make a jump from 11th to the top 5 depending on his luck Saturday.
Position Name Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Total Points
1. Ted Christopher 23 4 18 19 604
2. Nate Monteith 19 6 14 16 586
3. Keith Rocco 22 7 12 16 571
4. Anthony Anders 32 2 19 29 565
5. Ryan Preece 21 5 13 17 539
6. Deac McCaskill 16 11 15 16 531
7. C.E. Falk III 17 9 13 15 521
8. Matt Bowling 18 1 13 16 493
9. Duane Howard 12 7 11 12 481
10. Jase Kaser 16 5 10 13 481
ASA National Points Race
Shelby Stroebel continues to dominate at Meridian Speedway in the Modifieds. Stroebel has yet to lose a race in a Modified at his home track. At I-44 Lebanon Speedway Mike Slone is maintaining a slim lead over Matt Walace. Unfortunately for the I-44 gang this week their schedule has been postponed due to the excessive heat that is gripping the Midwest. In the Eastern Region Barry Beggarly, the defending National Champion, scored his second win of the season at Ace Speedway which gives him an average of 2.3163, which puts him third overall in the National Championship Points race.
East Region
1. Barry Beggarly 2.3163
2. Dustin Rumley 2.2663
3. Speedy Faucette 2.1499
4. Rodney Cook 2.0584
5. Dennis Queen 2.0389
West Region
1. Shelby Stroebel 2.8309
2. Mike Slone 2.3560
3. Rus Ward 2.2293
4. Matt Wallace 2.1319
5. Jentry Pisca 2.0089
Throughout the season, drivers competing in the premiere divisions at eligible ASA Member Tracks are in the running for the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship. In order to have a chance for the national title, a driver must first win their 2012 track championship.
Speednetdirect.com, for the fifth year in a row, will tabulate the National Championship standings. Using a proprietary formula that creates an average based on wins, finishing positions, number of cars passed, car counts and events. The driver who wins their track championship and has the highest average over the other ASA Member Track champions will win the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship. Full standings are available at www.speednetdirect.com. Click on the ASA Member Track logo at the top of the page.
This Week's Race Schedule
Fri : July 6th – Penton Raceway ; Penton : AL – Nesmith Dirt Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Beebe Speedway ; Beebe : AR – USCS 600 Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Beebe Speedway ; Paragould : AR – USCS Outlaw Thunder Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – Limited Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – SK Lights
Fri : July 6th – Stafford Speedway ; Stafford Springs : CT – SK Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Farmer City Speedway ; Farmer City : IL – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Fri : July 6th – Farmer City Speedway ; Farmer City : IL – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Fri : July 6th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC Midwest Focus Midgets
Fri : July 6th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC MOPAR National Midgets
Fri : July 6th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – Hornets
Fri : July 6th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – Legends
Fri : July 6th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – Roadsters
Fri : July 6th – Rapid Speedway ; Rock Rapids : IA – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – USRA Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – IMCA Stock Cars
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Chateau Raceway ; Lansing : MN – WISSOTA Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Malden Speedway ; Malden : MO – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Malden Speedway ; Malden : MO – Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Malden Speedway ; Malden : MO – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Magnolia Motor Speedway ; Columbus : MS – Clash at the Mag Lucas Oil Late Models Qualifying and Heats
Fri : July 6th – Caraway Speedway ; Asheboro : NC – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Caraway Speedway ; Asheboro : NC – NASCAR Whelen Southern Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – NDRA Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – Open Wheel Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Carolina Speedway ; Gastonia : NC – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Jackson County Speedway ; Jackson : OH – Veteran's Appreciation Night Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Jackson County Speedway ; Jackson : OH – Veteran's Appreciation Night Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Jackson County Speedway ; Jackson : OH – Veteran's Appreciation Night Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Toledo Speedway ; Toledo : OH – ARCA Gold Cup
Fri : July 6th – Big Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – 358 Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Big Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – Sportsman
Fri : July 6th – Big Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – ARDC Midgets
Fri : July 6th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Street Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Super Stocks
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – IMCA Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – IMCA Sport Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – IMCA Stock
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – Street Stock
Fri : July 6th – Mountain Creek Speedway ; Grand Prairie : TX – SST Series
Fri : July 6th – Amsoil Speedway ; Superior : WI – World of Outlaws Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Cedar Lake Speedway ; New Richmond : WI – World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Manitowoc County Fairgrounds ; Manitowoc : WI – Pat Rand Memorial Wisconsin Dirt Late Models
Fri : July 6th – Manitowoc County Fairgrounds ; Manitowoc : WI – Pat Rand Memorial Sprint Cars
Fri : July 6th – Manitowoc County Fairgrounds ; Manitowoc : WI – Pat Rand Memorial Street Stock
Fri : July 6th – Oshkosh Speedzone Winnebago County Fairgrounds ; Oshkosh : WI – IMCA Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Oshkosh Speedzone Winnebago County Fairgrounds ; Oshkosh : WI – IMCA Sport Modifieds
Fri : July 6th – Oshkosh Speedzone Winnebago County Fairgrounds ; Oshkosh : WI – Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Crate Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – KMSA
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Outlaw Thunder
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Street Stock
Sat : July 7th – Green Valley Speedway ; Glencoe : AL – Super Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Penton Raceway ; Penton : AL – Nesmith Dirt Late Models
Sat : July 7th – South Alabama Speedway ; Kinston : AL – Viper Pro Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – 305 Winged Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – 360 Winged Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Riverside International Speedway ; West Memphis : AR – Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Madera Speedway ; Madera : CA – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Madera Speedway ; Madera : CA – Hobby Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Petaluma Speedway ; Petaluma : CA – California Civil War Series Sprint Cars
Sat : July 7th – New Senoia Raceway ; Senoia : GA – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Peoria Speedway ; Peoria : IL – Limited Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Peoria Speedway ; Peoria : IL – Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Peoria Speedway ; Peoria : IL – Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC Midwest Focus Midgets
Sat : July 7th – Plymouth Speedway ; Plymouth : IN – USAC MOPAR National Midgets
Sat : July 7th – South Bend Speedway ; South Bend : IN – Mid-Season Championship Late Models
Sat : July 7th – South Bend Speedway ; South Bend : IN – Mid-Season Championship Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – South Bend Speedway ; South Bend : IN – Mid-Season Championship Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – 34th Annual MDA Triple 8 Championship Stocks Backwards Figure 8
Sat : July 7th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – 34th Annual MDA Triple 8 Championship Late Model 3 Features
Sat : July 7th – Speedrome ; Indianapolis : IN – 34th Annual MDA Triple 8 Championship Hornets Figure 8
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Stock Cars
Sat : July 7th – Independence Motor Speedway ; Independence : IA – IMCA Sport Mods
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Pure Street
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Mini-Stock
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Outlaw Mini-Cup
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Baby Grand
Sat : July 7th – Corbin Speedway ; Corbin : KY – Pro Challenge
Sat : July 7th – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway ; Scarborough : ME – PASS North Super Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Outlaws
Sat : July 7th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Strictly Stock
Sat : July 7th – Berlin Raceway ; Marne : MI – Top Speed Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Kalamazoo Speedway ; Kalamazoo : MI – Outlaw Super Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Kalamazoo Speedway ; Kalamazoo : MI – Super Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Deer Creek Speedway ; Spring Valley : MN – World of Outlaws Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Deer Creek Speedway ; Spring Valley : MN – USMTS Casey's Cup Qualifier Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – North Central Speedway ; Brainerd : MN – Wissota Super Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Magnolia Motor Speedway ; Columbus : MS – Clash at the Mag Lucas Oil Late Models
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – ASA Late Models
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Lucky 21 Sportsman Doubleheader
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Road Warriors
Sat : July 7th – I-44 Speedway ; Lebanon : MO – Chargers
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships Factory Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships A-Mods
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships B-Mods
Sat : July 7th – Lucas Oil Speedway ; Wheatland : MO – Mid-Season Championships United Late Model Association Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Junction Motor Speedway ; McCool Junction : NE – Super Late Model Racing Series
Sat : July 7th – Speedway 660 ; Fredericton : New Brunswick – Parts for Trucks Pro Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Monadnock Speedway ; Winchester : NH – MRS Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Dunn Tire Raceway Park ; Lancaster : NY – Sportsman
Sat : July 7th – Dunn Tire Raceway Park ; Lancaster : NY – Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Dunn Tire Raceway Park ; Lancaster : NY – TQ Midgets
Sat : July 7th – Southern National Raceway Park ; Kenly : NC – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – IMCA Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – Wissota Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Shadybowl Speedway ; DeGraff : OH – Jeg's All Star Pro Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Emo Speedway ; Emo : Ontario – 8th Annual Mid-Season Shootout Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Emo Speedway ; Emo : Ontario – 8th Annual Mid-Season Shootout Wissota Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Emo Speedway ; Emo : Ontario – 8th Annual Mid-Season Shootout Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Lincoln Speedway ; Abbottstown : PA – 358 Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Lincoln Speedway ; Abbottstown : PA – 358 Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Lincoln Speedway ; Abbottstown : PA – 305 Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Little Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – Slingshots
Sat : July 7th – Little Diamond Speedway ; Minersville : PA – Thunder Cars
Sat : July 7th – Mountain Speedway ; St. John's : PA – Sport Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – Mountain Speedway ; St. John's : PA – Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Mountain Speedway ; St. John's : PA – Factory Stocks
Sat : July 7th – I-90 Speedway ; Hartford : SD – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Sat : July 7th – Rocky Mountain Raceway ; West Valley City : UT – Rocky Mountain Challenge Series Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Beaver Dam Speedway ; Beaver Dam : WI – World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
Sat : July 7th – Cedar Lake Speedway ; New Richmond : WI – Firecracker Special Late Models
Sat : July 7th – Cedar Lake Speedway ; New Richmond : WI – Firecracker Special Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – TNT Speedway ; Three Lakes : WI – Mid-Season Championships Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sat : July 7th – TNT Speedway ; Three Lakes : WI – Mid-Season ChampionshipsWissota Street Stocks
Sat : July 7th – Wilmot Raceway ; Wilmot : WI – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Sat : July 7th – Wilmot Raceway ; Wilmot : WI – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Sun : July 8th – Tri-State Speedway ; Haubstadt : IN – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Sun : July 8th – Tri-State Speedway ; Haubstadt : IN – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Sun : July 8th – Dawson County Raceway ; Lexington : NE – Super Late Model Racing Series
Sun : July 8th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Sun : July 8th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Sun : July 8th – Thunder Mountain Speedway ; Bottineau : ND – Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Sun : July 8th – Thunder Mountain Speedway ; Bottineau : ND – Sport Stocks
Sun : July 8th – Angell Park Speedway ; Sun Prairie : WI – USAC MOPAR National Midgets
Mon : July 9th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Mon : July 9th – Nodak Speedway ; Minot : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Mon : July 9th – Black Hills Speedway ; Rapid City : SD – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Tue : July 10th – West Liberty Raceway ; West Liberty : IA – Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Models
Tue : July 10th – Florence Speedway ; Florence : KY – Hell Tour DIRTCar Late Models Summer Nationals
Tue : July 10th – Florence Speedway ; Florence : KY – DIRTCar Summit UMP Modified Nationals
Tue : July 10th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Tue : July 10th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Tue : July 10th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – IMCA Street Stocks
Wed : July 11th – I-35 Speedway ; Mason City : IA – Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Models
Wed : July 11th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Outlaws
Wed : July 11th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Rebels
Wed : July 11th – Oxford Plains Speedway ; Oxford Plains : ME – Renegades
Wed : July 11th – Electric City Speedway ; Great Falls : MT – Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints
Wed : July 11th – Millbridge Speedway ; Millbridge : NC – Mini Outlaw Sprint Karts
Wed : July 11th – Williston Basin Speedway ; Williston : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Wed : July 11th – Williston Basin Speedway ; Williston : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Wed : July 11th – Limaland Motorsports Park ; Lima : OH – World of Outlaws Sprint Cars
Wed : July 11th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – IMCA Modifieds
Wed : July 11th – Estevan Motor Speedway ; Estevan : Saskatchewan – IMCA Street Stocks
Thu : July 12th – Red River Co-op Speedway ; Winnipeg : Manitoba – World of Outlaws Late Models
Thu : July 12th – I-35 Speedway ; Winston : MO – USMTS National Championship Series Modifieds
Thu : July 12th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Modifieds
Thu : July 12th – Southwest Speedway ; Dickinson : ND – Dakota Track Side Classic Tour IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars
Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
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Fantasy Friday: Coke Zero 400
by Jeff Wolfe
Here we are with the second race at Daytona upon us, but more importantly, it's getting closer to crunch time in the series' regular 26-race season. The top 10 in points and the next two drivers with the most wins in the top 20 in points will make NASCAR's playoffs, the Chase for the Championship. Among the names who would not be in the Chase if it started this week are Carl Edwards, last year's runnerup and Jeff Gordon. Edwards is 11th in points and Gordon is 18th in points and neither have a win this season. But a win by each of them would either put them in, or on the cusp of making the Chase. So they may be thinking more about winning now, then just a good finish.
It's always tricky at these plate tracks because of the close racing and large packs or cars. A driver can run well for say, 150 of the scheduled 160 laps of this race, and get caught in "The Big One" or maybe a jet dryer fire, and still end up finishing 30-something.
Top 5 Picks
Tony Stewart - For reasons beyond even his explanation, he does well in the July Daytona race, but has yet to win the 500. Stewart has three victories in this race and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him make it four.
Matt Kenseth - He won the Daytona 500 and will try to become the fifth driver to win both Daytona races in the same year. The most underrated champion and current points leader.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - He's always a big threat to win on a plate track and he has two wins in the Daytona July race and he will have a special patriotic paint scheme. All that may be too much for the rest of the field to overcome.
Kevin Harvick - He's been under the radar lately, but he's got two wins in the July Daytona race and usually about the time you forget about him is when he strikes for the victory.
Jimmie Johnson - Don't look now but ol' five-time sits just 23 points out of the lead. His season started with a disaster in Daytona and, he'd like nothing more than a little redemption for his team and maybe even his C-posts.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda - Jeff Gordon has been running much better lately. He piled up a long list of bad luck finishes early in the season and that's all that's keeping me from picking him this week. This really is a case of a guy who could win it (he's done it six times) or finish well back in the pack.
ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP
Here's a look at how last week's picks fared at Kentucky
Kyle Busch: 10th. Led a race high 118 laps, only to be derailed by a broken shock mount.
Jimmie Johnson: 6th Also was contending for win until he thought a tire was going down late in race, but rallied late.
Tony Stewart: 32nd. Early fuel injection issue cost him a lot of laps early in race.
Brad Keselowski: 1st. Was strong all night, and then led last 56 laps.
Matt Kenseth: 7th. Another solid run for the points leader.
Season Stats
85 Predictions
9 wins
31 top 5s
42 top 10s
Grade for the week: B+. I gave you the winner in Keselowski and then three others in the top 10. Both Busch and Johnson would have been in the top 5 if not for their issues and Kenseth is consistent as always. Stewart still has not won at Kentucky and Darlington, the last two tracks he needs to cross off of his list.
One Last Thing: Matt Kenseth will attempt to do something that only four drivers have accomplished, win the July Daytona race the same year as winning the Daytona 500. Those who have accomplished the feat are Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarborough, Fireball Roberts and most recently Bobby Allison who swept both events at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in 1982.
Jeff Wolfe is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at jeff.wolfe@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Folio: Coke Zero 400
by Rick Lunkenheimer
The 18th race on the 2012 schedule takes us back to Daytona International Speedway, located on the east coast of sunny Florida. The Coke Zero 400 will be broadcast live on TNT Saturday July 7th at 6:30 PM EDT. Radio coverage will begin at the same time on MRN and SiriusXM Radio channel 90. Drivers will compete 160 laps for 400 miles before taking the checkered flag.
Records and Facts
Bill Elliott, holds the track qualifying record with a speed of 210.361 mph (42.783 sec) behind the wheel of his No. 9 Coors Ford for the 1987 Daytona 500. Elliott led 104 of 200 laps en route to a three car-length victory over Benny Parsons. Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt rounded out the top 5.
Bobby Allison holds the 400-mile race record at Daytona with an average speed of 173.473 mph in the 1980 Firecracker 400. Allison started 14th and led 63 laps, en route to his second of four victories that season. David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker and Richard Petty rounded out the top 5.
David Ragan is the defending winner of the Coke Zero 400. He led just 15 laps en route to his first career victory under caution ahead of Matt Kenseth. Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 5.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.5-mile tri-oval; 160 laps, 400 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns 31 degrees; Tri-oval 18 degrees
Frontstretch: Length: 3,800 feet; banked six degrees
Backstretch: Length: 3,400 feet; banked six degrees
Grandstand Seating: 168,000.
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pre-Race Schedule
Qualifying: Friday, July 6 at 4:10 PM EDT on SPEED
VIPs
Grand Marshal / Command: Retired Florida State Seminoles Coach Bobby Bowden
National Anthem: Headline News Anchor and Country Singer Robin Meade
Race Day Forecast
Saturday: Isolated Thunderstorms, Chance of rain 30%
High: 91
Low: 73
Say What?!?
"I've always said there is luck in racing. You create the destiny of your own luck. That luck can be good or bad . You have to prepare yourself to get out of the bad luck and into the good luck. When I won, part of it was lucky, part of it was the timing of things, part of it was Kurt (Busch) driving his tail off to get behind me coming off turn two. That was skill, and for me it was luck. It's all a matter of opinion. You can ask the 42 other guys out there, and they might have thought I got lucky when I won. For me, I thought it was skill." -Ryan Newman
"The race situation is a lot different from practice. You tend to have a much larger pack of cars and that makes a really big difference. But you're still able to figure out what your car likes and dislikes in the draft during practice. It may not be exactly what you'll experience in the race, but it's the closest thing to it. Basically, it gives you an idea of what your car is capable of and where you need to be to make the moves you want." -Tony Stewart
"It's always good to have our friends at Kingsford on board especially during the holidays. Fourth of July is the perfect time to spend time with your family and grill out. When I think of Daytona, I think of family because it's a race that's always ran on Saturday. So, a lot of people go down for the race and usually stay an extra day or two. Me and my family are spending a couple days at home this week before driving down to Daytona. We're not doing a whole lot this week, but we will during our off week coming up in a couple weeks. Grilling will definitely be involved." -Bobby Labonte
Rick Lunkenheimer is a Contributor for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at rick.lunkenheimer@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
NASCAR Needs Yellow Flag Common Sense, Not Smoke & Mirrors
by Amy Henderson
Four Burning Questions: Points, Penalties, and Back Pain
by Summer Bedgood
Eric McClure Seeks Return to Normalcy After Trying Start to 2012
by Bryan Davis Keith
At Daytona, Bruton Smith's Caution Suggestion Dominates Discussion
by Phil Allaway
Michael Annett Driver Diary: Happy Birthday Boss!
as told to Toni Montgomery
IndyCar Preview: 2012 Honda Indy Toronto
by Danny Peters
Formula 1 Friday: The Shadow of Danger Looms Large Once Again...
by Andy Hollis
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 1997 Pepsi 400 (the final one held during the daytime), John Andretti led 113 laps to pick up his first career victory and the only win for Cale Yarborough Motorsports. However, Andretti's win was overshadowed by a last-lap wreck. What happened?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer:
Q: As we race fans know quite well, just because the winner has already taken the checkered flag doesn't mean that dangerous things cannot still occur. That was shown quite vividly at the end of the 1980 Firecracker 400. What happened here?
A: After Bobby Allison had already won the race for Bud Moore Engineering and was part way through his cool down lap, Phil Finney spun exiting Turn 4 and began to lift slightly off the ground before impact the inside berm hard with the passenger side. Finney's No. 04 was launched into the air from the impact and did a 180 before landing hard on its right rear corner at the entrance to pit road. The crash can be seen in this clip. Jim McKay and Sam Posey have the call for ABC's Wide World of Sports. Finney suffered a concussion in the crash, along with some bumps and bruises. He ultimately recovered, but never started another race in the Cup Series.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take 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 Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Coke Zero 400 Race Recap by Jeff Wolfe
-- Secret Star and Stat of the Race by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Monday on the Frontstretch:
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Coke Zero 400 by Matt McLaughlin
Matt will be here with his overall thoughts about the action from Saturday night's race from Daytona.
Monday Morning Teardown by TBA
A website look at one of the big stories from Saturday's race from Kentucky.
Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom brings back his weekly post-race commentary with all of the insight you need from a weekend of racing at Daytona.
Big Six: Coke Zero 400 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Looking for all you need to know leaving Saturday's event at Daytona? Beth has your who, what, when, where, why and how from a weekend of racing.
Pace Laps: Daytona Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
In our newest column this season, we'll take a look at the biggest stories to keep an eye on in each series after a weekend at Daytona.
Nationwide Breakdown: Subway Jalapeno 250 by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan has all the post-race analysis you need following Friday night's Nationwide Series race from Daytona.
IndyCar Series Race Recap: Honda Indy Toronto by Matt Stallknecht
Matt has all the post-race analysis you need following Sunday afternoon's IZOD IndyCar Series race from Toronto.
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