Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Frontstretch Newsletter: No Army For Newman

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 10th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CXXVIII

Editor's Note: We apologize for the late delivery of the Newsletter this afternoon. It will be sent overnight tonight and back on its late night/early AM schedule the rest of the week. - The FS Staff

What To Watch: Tuesday

- Tuesday is penalty day in NASCAR, and it is likely to be a busy day.  We should find out whether Austin Dillon will be penalized further for the failure to cap of the cooling hose during Nationwide Qualifying on Friday night. Penalties will likely involve a suspension for Crew Chief Danny Stockman.  Since Tony Stewart got caught with the same infraction, penalties for the No. 14 are likely as well.  Also, penalties against the No. 18 Nationwide team for measuring too low at the end of the Subway Jalapeno 250 should be on tap as well.  Finally, there may be more information that surfaces about A.J. Allmendinger's plight.

Today's Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff

U.S. Army Leaving No. 39 Team For 2013

The U.S. Army's tour of duty in NASCAR is reaching an end. The military announced Tuesday they will not return to the Stewart-Haas Racing team in 2013, focusing their marketing efforts elsewhere and leaving the organization hunting for primary sponsorship.

"The U.S. Army has worked with Stewart-Haas Racing in a mutually beneficial and highly successful relationship for the past four seasons," said Army Marketing and Research Group Director John Myers Tuesday. "And they've performed superbly as our partner on and off the track. The same can be said of other members of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series family we have sponsored during the past 10 seasons. The sport, our drivers and the passionate NASCAR fans embraced the Army's participation and created a tremendous opportunity for Americans to learn more about the profession of the Army Strong Soldier."

This branch of the military first sponsored what was MB2 Motorsports and Jerry Nadeau on the Cup level in 2003, continuing with the team until their 2007 purchase by Bobby Ginn and subsequent merger with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. The U.S. Army then moved over to SHR prior to the start of the 2009 season, remaining there despite increasing pressure from Capitol Hill to pull the plug. Last year, a bill to ban military sponsorships in certain arenas, including racing was pushed through to the U.S. House of Representatives but ultimately defeated on the floor. The Army was mum on whether behind-the-scenes pressure forced the move, only acknowledging it was time to head in a new direction.

"We remain very proud of our representation of the U.S. Army and its brave Soldiers who are 100 percent committed to our country," said SHR Executive Vice President Brett Frood in a statement acknowledging their departure. "We will continue to activate on behalf of the U.S. Army for the rest of 2012, while also growing our other dynamic partnerships at Stewart-Haas Racing for the future."

As for the No. 39 team, the plan remains for the car to be a full-time competitor on the Sprint Cup circuit in 2013, joining Stewart and likely the No. 10 GoDaddy-sponsored car of Danica Patrick. Several other partners remain connected to the car, including Outback Steakhouse and Quicken Loans as the organization seeks another company to step up to the plate.

A.J. Allmendinger Asks For "B" Sample To Be Tested -- Hornish In No. 22 For New Hampshire

The drug drama As Penske Racing Turns continues Tuesday, with A.J. Allmendinger specifically requesting his "B" sample be tested by NASCAR three days after a positive result on his "A" sample took him out of the No. 22 Dodge for Daytona. Allmendinger's agent, Tara Ragan, spoke out on Monday and claimed the driver was "shocked" by the allegations, unable to comment but diligently working behind the scenes to get the issue worked out as quickly as possible.

For the time being, Penske has announced Sam Hornish, Jr. will again man the No. 22 Dodge this weekend at New Hampshire. Hornish, running full-time in the Nationwide Series for the organization was 33rd at Daytona after being felled by a cut tire. Hornish, in interviews this week has stated his desire to run the Dodge permanently should Allmendinger's suspension become indefinite for drug use -- he was a full-time competitor in Sprint Cup from 2008-10 before a lack of sponsorship forced him to step back down a level.

NASCAR has remained silent on which drug Allmendinger tested positive for; there's also no timetable as to when the "B" results will come back. It's been a nightmare for the 30-year-old Californian, in his first year with Penske that's seen him post just one top-5 finish with a car that made the Chase in 2011. He currently sits 23rd in the series standings and will almost certainly lose any chance to make the postseason with a second stint out of the car this Sunday.

Danica Patrick's 10-Race Schedule Finalized

Turns out Dorothy's not in Kansas anymore; come this Fall, Danica will be taking her place. Ms. Patrick had the last of her 10 Sprint Cup races named Tuesday, rounding out her 2012 schedule with Kansas Speedway in the Fall as she preps for a possible jump to the series full-time in 2013. The decision to choose this event was made due to an extra day of testing added for the Thursday before the race; Kansas was repaved following the conclusion of April's Sprint Cup event.

"I've always liked racing at Kansas Speedway," Patrick said. in a release announcing the move. "I think the extra day of testing will be very beneficial, not only to prepare for the race weekend, but to learn for the rest of 2012 and looking ahead to 2013 with Stewart-Haas Racing. The more track time I can get, the better, so I'm happy to be driving the GoDaddy.com Chevy at Kansas."

Patrick's schedule now includes the August night race at Bristol, Atlanta in September, Chicagoland in September, Dover in September, Kansas in October, Texas in November and Phoenix in the series' penultimate event of 2012. She's already completed races at Daytona, Darlington, and Charlotte, producing a best finish of 30th in three Sprint Cup starts.

News Bites

- TNT is smiling this week after TV ratings at Daytona produced the best audience during their summer stretch. The network's Wide Open coverage drew a 3.1 rating, even with last year's performance with a viewership of 6.184 million. That's the highest audience for the event since July, 2008; so far this season, the network has drawn even or increased its ratings in four of five Sprint Cup races televised.

- Morgan Shepherd's self-owned Nationwide Series team will be back in action this weekend in New Hampshire. Shepherd, who skipped the race at Daytona due to budgetary issues has pledged to keep going with his No. 89 Faith Motorsports team as long as they can stretch the budget.

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
What's New and Exciting at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

It's Sunday afternoon and we pulled our RV into lot S9 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  The hum of generators and the murmur of friends chatting fills the air--not to mention the whine of the tuners (I beg the Vettes' pardon!) taking their rides around the track.  It's a day full of anticipation, especially when puffy clouds float overhead.  The possibilities of the upcoming race weekend tease at you.

There will be beer and BBQ, campfires and scanners.  T-shirts. Iiiiiice (I don't know how else to repeat the unique call of the ICE vendor) and lots of good times.  But days like drop-off Sunday also offer up a unique opportunity to the average race fan; the chance to poke your nose into all the nooks and crannies of the track without competing with 90k other fans.

As campers we take note of certain basic services--like trash.  Apparently 40 of the metal drums used as trash cans in the vast campgrounds were burned during Bike Week, and have not been replaced.  Instead there will be piles of trash bags lining the walkways throughout the campgrounds, so all the day ticket holders get to walk through the trash and think pleasant things about the messy campers.  Nice.  We were told by the parking staff this is a cost saving measure.  Maybe we could forego using the dump station at the end of the weekend, too.   (Yes, I'm calling the trash deal a cheap maneuver!)

On the prettier side, it's fairly obvious that Mr. Gappens and SMI are still focusing on polishing the appearance of the overall facility.  Outside Turn Two a new retaining wall has been built and the entire area leveled and paved.  This will expand display and vendor areas.  The trash tubes from the mezzanine in the Concord Grandstand have been hidden under the stands, eliminating an ugly dumpster in the middle of the lines of fans waiting to have their bags inspected.  The gravel/dirt footpath spectators created over years up to the road course grandstands has been paved and connected to the sidewalk.

For those with infield access and don't have a golf cart, a handy sidewalk has been added to the tunnel.  No more getting run over by haulers! This makes me very happy.  I'm not sure if it's permanent, but a very small grandstand is now located infield for the backstretch.  I can see this being used as an additional spotter area.

It appears there's a new sponsor on the trams and the tram stops.  Not much in the way of a physical improvement, but the trams do look spiffy.   And there's a new entrance to the main office!  Sort of all glassed in and modern.  Not too bad.

These all seem like little things, but year after year, addition after addition, the improvements do positively affect the first impressions fans, teams and sponsors hold of this facility. 

To further add to the ticket value, NHMS is now offering perks to their returning fan base in the form of discounted camping, pre-race pit passes, access to non-NASCAR events and other special Loud'n Proud promotions when you renew early.  If you visit the track every year as I do, call the NHMS Guest Services at (603) 783-4931 to renew your tickets and ask for the program!

One more thing before I take off for the track:  I caught the crew building the Global RallyCross ramps while we were wandering around.  Were you aware the $500k cars will be racing on plywood, pressure treated 4x4's and 2x4's?  My jaw was on the ground.  The ramps for the elevated hairpin are constructed with nothing more than the above.  I'm hoping an asphalt application will be added...but the actual layout of the course was still being decided as I asked questions.  The office kept calling up the boys with the hammers and telling them to change stuff.   The ramps for the tabletop jump are reassuringly metal plates.  The entire race will be held on the tight frontstretch and is scheduled to start at 7pm on Saturday night.  I hope the race runs on time as sunset is scheduled for 8:24pm local time--and we don't have lights!  Also, the crew gets to put all the pieces of the track in place after the Nationwide race finishes at about 5:30pm.  I am completely agog at the behind the scenes maneuvering needed to pull off this latest addition to a New Hampshire race weekend.

Of course, Saturday also brings the Whelen Modified Series, green flag to fall at 1:00pm.  If you're heading up there, don't miss this always exciting race.

That's all for this week.  I will see you Sittin' In the Stands at New Hampshire Motor Speedway!

Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Daytona: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 
3rd
Finished: 
31st (crash, 19 laps down)
Laps Led:
13
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: Coke Zero 400
by Garrett Horton

2.0
Matt Kenseth's average finish in his last three Daytona races (3rd Saturday, won the 2012 Daytona 500, and 2nd in last year's Coke Zero 400).

2nd
Jeff Burton posted his best finish of the season at Daytona, coming home in the runner-up spot.  It's just his second top-5 of the year, with his other one coming here in the season opening Daytona 500 when he finished fifth.

7

Joey Logano now has seven top-10 finishes in 2012, more than his total from last year of six.

8.3
The average starting position of Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle through 18 races, the highest amongst drivers who have started every race.  Mark Martin has an average starting spot of 7.8, including a series high three poles, but has only started 12 races. 

11th

David Reutimann's finishing position Saturday night, easily eclipsing his previous season-best of 21st at Pocono and Bristol.

12
There were just 12 lead changes in Saturday's Coke Zero 400, the fewest since the rain shortened Daytona 500 in 2009, when there were only nine lead changes.

13
Halfway through the season, there is a three way tie for most top-10's between Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnahrdt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, with 13 apiece. 

16th
Travis Kvapil finished 16th at Daytona, matching his season best from Talladega in May.  This comes one week after posting another solid run at Kentucky, where he finished 17th in the BK Racing entry. 

21st
Greg Biffle has back-to-back finishes of 21st after finishing outside the top-20 just once in the first 16 weeks.

23

There are 23 drivers who have scored more points than Kyle Busch in the last six races, including A.J. Allmendinger who did not compete at Daytona due his suspension.

30
With Tony's Stewarts fourth career Cup win at Daytona, it moved him into second place for most overall wins at Daytona with 18, but has yet to win the biggest one of all, the Daytona 500.  The man he is behind on Daytona's win list, Dale Earnhardt, won 30 of his record 34 Daytona races before finally capturing the 500 in 1998.

37.6
Jimmie Johnson's average finish in the three restrictor plate races this season.  He hasn't finished worse than 12th in any other race this year.

42nd
Even though he qualified on outside the front row during Friday's time trials, Tony Stewart's time was disallowed due to an open cooling hose and was credited with an official starting position of 42nd.  This is the worst starting position for a race winner in NASCAR's modern era, and furthest back someone has started to win since Fonty Flock started 43rd in a field of 49 entries at Raleigh Speedway in 1953.
 
212
Of Matt Kenseth's 327 laps led for the season, 212 of them have come on the restrictor plate races this year.

665
Stewart has led more laps than any other active driver at Daytona, leading the field for 665 circuits in his 28 starts at the 2.5 mile speedway.

5187

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has completed all 5187 laps run this season, the only driver to do so.

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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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:


Five Points to Ponder: Of Drugs, Developing Drivers, Drafting and Daytona
by Bryan Davis Keith


Tony Gibson: Rolling the Center on the Cup Circuit's Flat Tracks
by Mike Neff

Who's Hot/Who's Not in NASCAR: Daytona/New Hampshire Edition
by Brett Poirier

Because You Asked: Why I Love NASCAR
by Danny Peters

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  In 2000, New Hampshire was in the spotlight because of the crashes that took the lives of both Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin, Jr. in Turn 3, likely due to stuck throttles.  Thankfully, no one died, but the Truck Series was not immune from that problem on the 1.058-mile oval.  What happened early on in the race?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:
  New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been home to some rather unusual moments in the past.  Tomas Scheckter's roll during last year's MoveThatBlock.com 225 and the proto john taking a hit are just two examples of this.  However, when CART raced in New Hampshire, there were some unusual moments as well.  Like a crash involving Scott Sharp that occurred during the 1994 race.  What happened?

A:  The race had already been under caution for almost the entire first 12 laps due to a crash involving Arie Luyendyk and Jacques Villeneuve.  On the restart, Mike Groff spun exiting Turn 2 and hit the wall.  At the same time, Sharp spun and backed up and over Groff's No. 10.  The result was Sharp doing two barrel rolls before coming to rest upside-down.  Groff's car simply rolled into the inside wall.  Both drivers were ok, but done for the day.  The wreck can be seen in this clip.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee:  If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs!  If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

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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 Army's bailing could turn all attention to the No. 88? Tom Bowles on the military moving on and so much more in his long of small but important observations around the NASCAR circuit.

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different topics, including whether A.J. Allmendinger can actually comeback from and thrive after his positive test, the best of the smaller outfits 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 all the crashing 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 Loudon.

Beyond The Cockpit: Jeff Burton as told to Phil Allaway
Prior to Saturday night's second-place finish, Burton was 20th in points with only a couple of top-10 finishes. The driver of the Caterpillar Chevrolet sat down in Daytona to discuss his season to date, his opinion on some of the current controversies enveloping the sport and so much more.

Open-Wheel Wednesday by Matt Stallknecht
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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