The Frontstretch Newsletter: August 28th, 2012

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 28th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXXI

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Top News
by Tom Bowles

Truex Signs Extension To Stay With Michael Waltrip Racing

Martin Truex, Jr. is hoping 2012 won't be the last time he makes the Chase in the No. 56 NAPA Toyota. The driver, after months of negotiations is set to sign an extension to remain with his Michael Waltrip Racing team for the foreseeable future. As ESPN.com first reported, a press conference has been set up at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday where the contract, his 2013 car and future plans will be officially unveiled. Owner Michael Waltrip, NASCAR President Mike Helton and NAPA executives are expected to be among those in attendance.

Both Truex's deal, as well as NAPA's was set to expire at the end of 2012. However, the driver has remained adamant throughout he wanted to stay a part of a program that currently has him fifth in points, just 52 behind leader Greg Biffle. Truex has 13 top-10 finishes this season, his most in five years and has a solid average finishing position of 11.2. While still winless, it's easily the closest he's been to visiting Victory Lane since joining Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2010.

Pilot Recovered From Tragic Helicopter Crash

The body of a helicopter pilot who was ferrying people to and from Bristol Motor Speedway has been recovered. After an extensive search-and-rescue effort, 64-year-old Bill R. Starnes of Blountsville, Tennessee was pulled from South Holston Lake three days after his helicopter lost control and crashed into it. At the time, Starnes was the only one on board.

An investigation into the crash continues while an autopsy will be performed on Starnes this week. The helicopter had just dropped off six passengers at the speedway, on Friday night when the crash occurred at approximately 10:30 PM. 

NASCAR: No Penalty For Stewart

A helmet throw by Tony Stewart won't cost him in the point standings - or his wallet. NASCAR confirmed Monday the defending Sprint Cup champ won't be penalized for his actions after being involved in an incident Saturday night with Matt Kenseth at Bristol Motor Speedway. Stewart, whose car was eliminated from victory contention got out of the car and threw his helmet at Kenseth's No. 17 Ford. He later insinuated he would "run over Kenseth every chance I got" the rest of the season in retaliation for what he thought was a Kenseth error that left both cars spinning into the inside wall after battling for the lead.

Smoke ended up 27th in the race, his third straight finish outside the top 15. That's dropped him to 10th in the standings, just 16 ahead of Kasey Kahne for the final "points" position in the Chase.

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
Sometimes the Ticket Sales Aren't All About the Racing, Even at Bristol
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

Yep, Bristol's Night Race was awesome.   Sitting in the exit of Turn 4, I was immersed in watching the drivers think their way through a new track and ultimately was delighted with the old-new-mini-Darlington. 

But you've heard all this.  By Tuesday, just about every NASCAR journalist out there has spun their own interpretation on the on-track extravaganza we all enjoyed on Saturday night.  There's another side to Bristol which the television really doesn't adequately display -- it's the rest of the show.  And let me tell you folks, the Cup race weekend is a really big show in these parts.  Bigger than any other track I've been to.

For years and years I've been told that New Hampshire has the most campers of any track.  I don't think so.  Perhaps on track property, but in Bristol, TN you have to take into account Farmer Bob's acres, and the Earhart Campground, and the myriad of other front lawns and church parking lots that fill up by Saturday morning.  Its stunning.  Outside Gate 13, the closest terraced hills are adorned by a virtual high rise condominium built entirely out of RV's.  Legions of fans were already in residence by Tuesday--when we finally parked our rig on the top of the Dragstrip.

Still, bringing in 100,000 tourists is old hat to NASCAR and to this small city in the hills of Tennessee.  Nothing really new there, is there?  Oh hold on.  There's track hospitality, and then there's Bristol.  At the Food City down Veterans Highway another patron--clearly a local--stopped us and welcomed us to town, complete with genuine smile and the soft southern drawl.  Danny at Appalachian Tire helped us replace our spare tire after a blowout.  Everywhere we went staff members sported NASCAR t-shirts, smiled and wished us a good race.  Okay, in a tough economy an area might want to roll out the red carpet to garner a few extra dollars.  Totally makes sense.  But all this welcome felt like a bit more.

Bristol, the track and the city, threw their hearts into making sure every fan attending had a great time.  From the tram drivers to the ticket takers I piled up the, "Have a good time, now," with each interaction.

Then there's Fan Fest, a daylong festival in downtown Bristol that culminates with the Hauler Parade.  Really, it doesn't take an entire day to welcome NASCAR to town, but they did it anyway.  Free food sampling, lots of great music, driver appearances, vendors...dazzling.  Besides the aforementioned, Jerry Callwell opened the gates to the track so we could watch the haulers park in their tight spots in the infield.  Fans new and old filled the section around us enjoying this slow motion spectacle.

We exchanged memories and knowledge, our northern accent always earning us a pleasant and interested, "So, where ya'll from?"  That was Thursday.  The weekend barely started and already I had added the Bristol area as one of the more pleasant tracks I have visited in my life.

Everywhere I turned another small touch of hospitality appeared that said not only did Bruton Smith fix the track surface, effort was also made to draw back the ticket holders that had been leaving as quickly as the TV ratings dropped with the aborted 2007 track reconfiguration.  I could decide the grandiose welcome mat was a direct result, but honestly it didn't feel that way.  Simply, SMI and Bristol tool a hard look at how things ought to be done and put those results into action.

I'm very thankful.  Thankful for the fireworks on Thursday night (sorry for waking up your kids, drivers!  Oh, wait! We're having a great time at the track.  Not sorry.) The free track walk Wednesday night after the truck race.  Fireworks on Saturday.  A ticker tape celebration--snow!  It wasn't snow, just confetti flying from the tip top of the grandstands, blanketing every smiling fan.  The pre-race, starring Juan Pablo Montoya's "Great Balls of Fire" and Denny Hamlin's "Wobble". 

Really, each addition to the usual NASCAR circus was executed with style and energy.  The giant flag, parajumpers, the entire crowd singing "God Bless the USA"....  Each time I think I've thought of every little extra I enjoyed, there's another one that pops up.

Except for the 45 minute traffic back-up I suffered through Sunday morning, my visit to Bristol Motor Speedway is filled with positive memories; the way a racing week ought to be.  In fact when I combine the entire experience, including the awesome racing, I don't think it will long before the Bristol ticket will once again be an endangered species.

Sonya's Weekly Danica Stat
Bristol: NNS in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 34th
Finished: 9th (lead lap)
Points Position: 10th

Bristol: NSCS in the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Qualified: 43rd (based on practice speed)
Finished: 29th (DNF, crash, 66 laps down)
Points Position: N/A (Not eligible to earn Sprint Cup points)

If you're wondering what else a Bostonian was thinking while she toured Bristol, TN, you can visit my blog at http://queensdomain.blogspot.com/

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: Irwin Tools Night Race
by Garrett Horton

2
Kevin Harvick has led a total of two laps in the last 15 races. 

3
Denny Hamlin has three wins this season, with all of them coming on tracks where he has never won at previously.

4
The last four top-5 finishes Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has recorded have all been fourth-place efforts.

5th
Marcos Ambrose finished fifth at Bristol, marking the first time in his Sprint Cup series career that he has had three consecutive top-5 finishes.

7
Kurt Busch has failed to finish on the lead lap in the last 7 races.

11
Kevin Harvick, who placed in the top-5 in two of the first five races this year, has just one since, which was at Dover, 11 races ago.

12
Kyle Busch hasn't posted back-to-back top-10 finishes in his last 12 starts.

13
There were 13 cautions Saturday night at Bristol, easily the most in a race this year.  The previous high had been the season opening Daytona 500 with ten, the only other race this year with double-digit caution flags.

19th
Greg Biffle finished 19th in Saturday's Irwin Tools Night Race.  That was the highest finishing driver out of not only Roush Fenway Racing, but other powerhouse teams like Penske Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing.

20
Denny Hamlin picked up his 20th career victory Saturday night, moving him into a tie with Speedy Thompson for 35th most all time.

23rd
Michael McDowell, who has start and parked in all but three races he has qualified for this year, finished 23rd at Bristol, only four laps off the pace. It is his best finish so far this year, and has was his third best result in 103 Cup races he has entered.

26
Bristol pole sitter Casey Mears led 26 laps Saturday, the most laps he has led in a race since Kansas in 2008, when he lead 29 laps while driving for Richard Childress Racing.

139
Joey Logano led 139 laps Saturday, more than anyone else.  The last time a driver was credited with leading the most laps at Bristol with a lower total than Logano's was Kurt Busch in March of 2004, when paced the field for 119 of the 500 laps run.

200
The car No. 11 has visited victory lane 200 times in the history of NASCAR, more than any other number.  Car No. 43 is second most with 198 trips to the winner's circle. 

Garrett Horton is a Contributor to Frontstretch.  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: The Anger of Stewart and Sadler and the the Title Races They Could Derail
by Bryan Davis Keith

Who's Hot/ Who's Not in NASCAR: Bristol/ Atlanta Edition
by Brett Poirier

Darian Grubb: Ready for High Speed and Atlanta's Ever Changing Track
by Mike Neff

Five Points to Ponder: Wild Things On-Track Impact Bristol, the Chase
by Danny Peters

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Fails to Carry Excitement to Cup Telecast
by Phil Allaway
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  Jeff Gordon entered the 1995 NAPA 500 needing to finish only 41st or better to claim his first Winston Cup Championship.  However, just to make it that much more of a sure thing, Hendrick Motorsports entered a fourth car, the No. 58, in the field.  Jimmy Horton, who had subbed in the No. 17 for Darrell Waltrip after Waltrip broke his leg in 1990 at Daytona in a practice crash, was tapped to drive.  However, when the race came around, Jeff Purvis was in the driver's seat.  Why was this switch made?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:  Mark Martin led 190 laps to claim victory in the 1991 Hardee's 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway while Dale Earnhardt was officially crowned Winston Cup Champion for the fifth time.  However, another big announcement was made that weekend.  What was it?

A:  For lack of better words, Atlanta Motor Speedway unveiled a Master Plan for renovations to the facility.  This effectively planned out most of what we see now at the track, including the quad-oval design, condominiums and such.  Construction didn't really start for another couple of years, with the quad-oval being opened up in 1997.

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
-- Commentary Article by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different topics. Among them: Whether Tony Stewart is really angry enough at Matt Kenseth to actually make good on his threats of retaliation, if Saturday night's Irwin Tools Night Race was enough to satisfy fans of the "Old Bristol," who is in line to win the Camping World Truck Series championship, and more.

Kevin's Corner by Kevin Rutherford
Probably the most infamous moment in Saturday night's Irwin Tools Night Race was Tony Stewart's helmet throw.  Of course, this is nothing new in NASCAR.  Kevin will talk about other helmet throwing instances in NASCAR history.

Frontstretch Top Ten by Jeff Meyer
We'll have a top ten list that will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.

Open-Wheel Wednesday by Toni Montgomery
Toni's back with another look inside the Izod IndyCar Series ahead of this weekend's Baltimore Grand Prix.
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