THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 30th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXXIII
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Top News
by Phil Allaway
Goodyear Completes Tire Test at Kansas Speedway; Earnhardt Jr. Crashes
On Wednesday, Goodyear wrapped up their two-day tire test on the recently repaved and revamped Kansas Speedway. Unfortunately, the final day was not trouble free.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. blew a right front tire and crashed hard into the wall. He was able to walk away uninjured from the crash. The car Earnhardt Jr. was driving has been described as "heavily damaged," though. According to USA Today's Nate Ryan on SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub, Earnhardt Jr. was roughly 20 laps into a run on the "control tire" when it was cut by some kind of debris on the track. It should be noted that the "control tire" was the tire used a couple of weeks ago at Michigan.
Greg Stucker, Goodyear's Director of Race Tires, was generally pleased with what he saw this week.
"After two days of testing...we saw what was expected of a newly-repaved track -- smooth, black asphalt and a considerable amount of grip," said Stucker. "It took about a half-day of running with the nine cars involved in the test, but the track took rubber nicely and a narrow groove developed. The [Michigan tire] proved to be the correct choice based upon tire temperatures, wear and driver comments, and I'd say it is currently the leading candidate for our Kansas race tire."
In addition to Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88, Chevrolet was represented by Richard Childress Racing's No. 27 for Paul Menard, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' No. 42 for Juan Pablo Montoya and Furniture Row Racing's No. 78 for Regan Smith. Ford was represented by Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 9 for Marcos Ambrose and Roush Fenway Racing's No. 17 for Matt Kenseth. Toyota was represented by Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 for Joey Logano and Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 for Mark Martin. Finally, Dodge was represented by Penske Racing's No. 2 for Brad Keselowski.
Kenseth to Gibbs to Finally be Announced Next Week
Ever since Matt Kenseth announced that he would be leaving Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the 2012 season, rumors have been flying that Kenseth would be going to Joe Gibbs Racing, either in a brand-new fourth car (that would be guaranteed to start the first five races of 2013 with Kenseth's Past Champions' Provisional), or in the No. 20 in place of Joey Logano. Kenseth has been silent on the topic for months and no one at Joe Gibbs Racing has talked on the record about Kenseth.
However, that might finally be coming to an end.
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's Dave Moody is reporting that there will be a big announcement next Tuesday (September 4) in Atlanta. In that press conference, Kenseth is expected to be announced as the new driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for 2013. The location makes sense since Home Depot is an Atlanta-based corporation and the announcement will come on the heels of Sunday night's AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
As for current driver Joey Logano, his plans for 2013 appear to still be up in the air. Logano's name has surfaced as a potential full-time replacement for the fired AJ Allmendinger in the No. 22 for Penske Racing if the team chooses not to keep Sam Hornish, Jr. in the seat. If Joe Gibbs Racing can acquire sponsorship, they could run Logano in a fourth full-time Sprint Cup car, or have him a Nationwide car for the organization. Logano is said to have soured on this potential scenario in recent weeks, but it could still be in play.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500: 47 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 22- Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 49- Jason Leffler for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 91- Reed Sorenson for Humphrey-Smith Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 32- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing Ken Schrader.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 33- Stephen Leicht for Circle Point Racing
No. 37- J.J. Yeley for Tommy Baldwin Racing/MaxQ Motorsports*
No. 49- Jason Leffler for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports*
No. 91- Reed Sorenson for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 95- Scott Speed for Leavine Family Racing
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing*
Not Entered:
No. 79- Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing
Nationwide Series NRA American Warrior 300: 44 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 30- James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 47- Stephen Leicht for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 70- Tony Raines for ML Motorsports/Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 71- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 08- Kyle Fowler returns to the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 4- Danny Efland returns to the seat, replacing Brad Teague.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 30- James Buescher returns to the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr.
No. 39- Matt Carter is in the seat, replacing Josh Richards.
No. 50- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 70- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 71- Scott Riggs is in the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Rick Crawford.
No. 99- Travis Pastrana returns to the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 08- Kyle Fowler for Randy Hill Racing
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 15- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Matt DiBenedetto for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 47- Stephen Leicht for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Joey Gase for Means Motorsports
No. 71- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 72- John Jackson for Carter Racing*
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Racing Ventures
No. 98- Reed Sorenson for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Not Entered:
No. 36- Ryan Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 60- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 75- Rick Ware Racing
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200: 38 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing
No. 5- Aric Almirola for Wauters Motorsports
No. 18- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 29- Ryan Blaney for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 51- Kurt Busch for Billy Ballew Motorsports/Phoenix Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 0- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Brandon Knupp.
No. 07- Johnny Chapman returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Agnew.
No. 2- Tim George, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Brendan Gaughan.
No. 5- Aric Almirola is in the seat, replacing Johnny Chapman. Paulie Harraka has officially split from Wauters Motorsports.
No. 8- Max Gresham is in the seat, replacing Mike Skinner.
No. 18- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 27- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing BJ McLeod.
No. 29- Ryan Blaney is in the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 38- Chris Jones returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer.
No. 84- Chris Fontaine returns to the seat, replacing Russ Dugger.
No. 93- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Chris Jones.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing*
No. 07- Johnny Chapman for SS-Green Light Racing*
No. 4- Kyle Larson for Turner Motorsports
No. 8- Max Gresham for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*
No. 51- Kurt Busch for Billy Ballew Motorsports/Phoenix Racing
No. 57- Norm Benning for Norm Benning Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 81- David Starr for Joey Arrington Racing
No. 92- Chad McCumbee for RBR Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 36- Grant Enfinger for Allgaier Motorsports
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Motorsports
No. 86- Clay Greenfield Motorsports
Izod IndyCar Series Baltimore Grand Prix presented by SRT: 25 cars entered
Driver Changes:
No. 67- Bruno Junqueira is in the seat, replacing Josef Newgarden. Newgarden suffered a finger injury in a late race crash at Sonoma.
Entries:
No. 2- Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske
No. 3- Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4- J.R. Hildebrand for Panther Racing
No. 5- E.J. Viso for KV Racing Technologies
No. 7- Sebastien Bourdais for Dragon Racing
No. 8- Rubens Barrichello for KV Racing Technologies
No. 9- Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10- Dario Franchitti for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11- Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies with SH Racing
No. 12- Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14- Mike Conway for AJ Foyt Enterprises
No. 15- Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18- Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19- James Jakes for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20- Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 22- Oriol Servia for Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 26- Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27- James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 28- Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 38- Graham Rahal for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 67- Bruno Junqueira for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77- Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports
No. 78- Simona de Silvestro for Lotus-HVM Racing
No. 83- Charlie Kimball for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98- Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
Not Entered:
No. 6- Katherine Legge for Dragon Racing
No. 17- Sebastian Saavedra for AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport
Harraka Out at Wauters Motorsports
During Wednesday's edition of NASCAR RaceHub, it was announced that Paulie Harraka and Wauters Motorsports have parted ways, effective immediately. Aric Almirola has been tapped to drive the No. 5 Ford in Friday night's Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200.
Harraka has missed the last two races as Wauters Motorsports decided to regroup instead of traveling to Michigan and Bristol. Despite skipping those races, the team is still locked in due to a brief partnership that allowed RSS Racing to use the No. 5 for one of their trucks. Scott Riggs and Johnny Chapman start-and-parked the No. 5 Chevrolet the past couple of weeks.
Harraka's rookie year has been a struggle up to this point. In 11 starts, Harraka's best finishes have been a pair of 17ths at Dover and Kentucky. Crashes have plagued Harraka's season as well, with all four of his DNF's due to wrecks. In addition, Harraka was involved in wrecks in two additional races. These incidents, like the one at Pocono, have spoiled good runs. As a result, Harraka is currently 22nd in drivers points, while the No. 5 is 24th in owners' points.
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Today's Featured Commentary
Knee Jerk Wigouts, Smoke Spinouts, Potential Rainouts
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
So we're five days following Bristol, and everybody is still atwitter about Tony Stewart going hammer-throw with his helmet at Matt Kenseth. While it was a throwback to the old days when things made sense in Thunder Valley, it was actually one of those watershed moments that helped attract and interest new fans to the sport.
One of my cop buddies played Big Ten baseball, and is involved in every single fantasy league for stick and ball sports you could think of, but has no clue whatsoever about auto racing. I talked to him Monday and he was still cracking up about Tony Stewart, two-hand firing his brain bucket at Matt K. Jay Mohr, who was guest hosting The Jungle with Jim Rome on Monday was laughing and referencing the incident, and despite hosting the NASCAR Banquet a couple of years, is not a big racing guy either. Whatever your take on the Stewart/Kenseth saga, it's good for the sport.
That being said, it was also pretty silly. My favorite part anytime this happens are the knee-jerk nail bitters who instantly belt out "he could've hurt or KILLED someone!" Yeah, the helmet could have ricocheted back and hit him in the face (which would have been The Three Stooges-caliber funny), or the official (collateral damage), but the wild scenarios of what if Kenseth swerved and hit somebody, or those who think that a 30mph fiberglass orb is going to penetrate freaking bullet-proof glass were peppering call-in shows and message boards alike.
Just like Kurt Busch could've "killed somebody" when he stopped alongside Tony Stewart on pit road at Dover a few years ago, taking issue with being pushed the length of the front straight, and for being wrecked at Daytona following Bud Shootout practice, where Busch was then popped by Stewart in the NASCAR hauler. Or when Tony Stewart turned Jeff Gordon on pit road at Bristol back in '01.
Or when Tony Stewart swerved across four lanes of traffic to put Matt Kenseth in the grass at Daytona in 2006.
Oh wait. That literally could have killed him as he spun back into on-coming 200mph traffic. This just days after Tony Stewart declared following the Bud Shootout, "We're going to kill somebody racing like this."
Hmmm. Seems to be a common thread in said scenarios…
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With all of the hoopla surrounding Saturday night's race, was it really all it was cracked up to be?
I mean toss out the Stewart helmet chuck and Danica pointing at a guy…was it really different than the Spring race? You had the big wreck early with Kahne, Edwards, Harvick, and Kyle Busch, then the two teammates tangling between Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon. The margin of victory was .714 in March, on Saturday night it was 1.103 seconds back to runner up Jimmie Johnson.
Five years ago at Bristol it was all about who could get around the bottom the quickest. Following the repave a couple of years back, it was like a mini-Michigan, with multiple grooves working well equally. Now it's the second coming of Winchester Speedway or Darlington, Jr. with everybody hunting the high line to keep up speed and maintain momentum on the high-banked half-mile.
Better? Worse? Eh, not really either – just different. Yes everybody is mad that Danica didn't throw her hat at the No. 78 of Regan Smith. Its probably for the best that she didn't, as then she would have to endure a bunch of "she throws like a girl" smack. Besides, the last time she showed some emotion after falling out of a race, she was roundly criticized for it at MIS in 2006.
----------------
With Hurricane Isaac having made landfall Wednesday morning, over 18" of rain had fallen in New Orleans in less than 24 hours. As more moisture is being sucked up from the Gulf of Mexico with the storm, there is a 40-60-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms from Sunday through Saturday this week in the Atlanta, GA area. Yeah, great – a 50-percent average. Either it might rain…or it might not. Why not just make that the forecast every day, and be right, 100-percent of the time?
Let's say it did get rained out for a few days in a row, and the race had to be postponed. When would it be run? There are no off-dates from now until the end of the season. I'm sure the purists and old-schoolers would just be absolutely heart-broken if we had to wrap up The Chase and crown the champion the final race of the year in Atlanta.
----------------
Okay so Carl Edwards has categorically denied he will be driving the No. 22 or be sponsored by Shell next year, even if Penske is switching to Ford (which I still think is about the worst decision, ever…), and Matt Kenseth is taking over the No. 20 from Joey Logano at JGR. Logano has something in the works, but can't say what it is yet. So why all the secrecy and long, drawn out discourse?
I know, the marketing materials have to be made, and they have to get the new guy a fire suit and resticker the car with next year's manufacturer and paint scheme, and take a few smiling-with-hands-on-hips/stern-look-with-arms-folded promo photos. If everybody already knows the outcome, then why not make it official so the guys on the outside can let it be made known, so they can start looking for a place elsewhere to drive?
And how in the world does the 2011 Daytona 500 winner still not have a sponsor or a ride for 2012 or all of 2013 yet, save for a tentative full-time Nationwide season? Hopefully the election year uncertainty will come to close here after the first Tuesday in November, and the sponsorship outlook will improve for those teams and drivers who desperately need it to.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @VitoPugliese.
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Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 30th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXXIII
--
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Goodyear Completes Tire Test at Kansas Speedway; Earnhardt Jr. Crashes
On Wednesday, Goodyear wrapped up their two-day tire test on the recently repaved and revamped Kansas Speedway. Unfortunately, the final day was not trouble free.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. blew a right front tire and crashed hard into the wall. He was able to walk away uninjured from the crash. The car Earnhardt Jr. was driving has been described as "heavily damaged," though. According to USA Today's Nate Ryan on SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub, Earnhardt Jr. was roughly 20 laps into a run on the "control tire" when it was cut by some kind of debris on the track. It should be noted that the "control tire" was the tire used a couple of weeks ago at Michigan.
Greg Stucker, Goodyear's Director of Race Tires, was generally pleased with what he saw this week.
"After two days of testing...we saw what was expected of a newly-repaved track -- smooth, black asphalt and a considerable amount of grip," said Stucker. "It took about a half-day of running with the nine cars involved in the test, but the track took rubber nicely and a narrow groove developed. The [Michigan tire] proved to be the correct choice based upon tire temperatures, wear and driver comments, and I'd say it is currently the leading candidate for our Kansas race tire."
In addition to Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88, Chevrolet was represented by Richard Childress Racing's No. 27 for Paul Menard, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' No. 42 for Juan Pablo Montoya and Furniture Row Racing's No. 78 for Regan Smith. Ford was represented by Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 9 for Marcos Ambrose and Roush Fenway Racing's No. 17 for Matt Kenseth. Toyota was represented by Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 for Joey Logano and Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 for Mark Martin. Finally, Dodge was represented by Penske Racing's No. 2 for Brad Keselowski.
Kenseth to Gibbs to Finally be Announced Next Week
Ever since Matt Kenseth announced that he would be leaving Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the 2012 season, rumors have been flying that Kenseth would be going to Joe Gibbs Racing, either in a brand-new fourth car (that would be guaranteed to start the first five races of 2013 with Kenseth's Past Champions' Provisional), or in the No. 20 in place of Joey Logano. Kenseth has been silent on the topic for months and no one at Joe Gibbs Racing has talked on the record about Kenseth.
However, that might finally be coming to an end.
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's Dave Moody is reporting that there will be a big announcement next Tuesday (September 4) in Atlanta. In that press conference, Kenseth is expected to be announced as the new driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for 2013. The location makes sense since Home Depot is an Atlanta-based corporation and the announcement will come on the heels of Sunday night's AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
As for current driver Joey Logano, his plans for 2013 appear to still be up in the air. Logano's name has surfaced as a potential full-time replacement for the fired AJ Allmendinger in the No. 22 for Penske Racing if the team chooses not to keep Sam Hornish, Jr. in the seat. If Joe Gibbs Racing can acquire sponsorship, they could run Logano in a fourth full-time Sprint Cup car, or have him a Nationwide car for the organization. Logano is said to have soured on this potential scenario in recent weeks, but it could still be in play.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500: 47 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 22- Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 49- Jason Leffler for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 91- Reed Sorenson for Humphrey-Smith Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 32- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing Ken Schrader.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 33- Stephen Leicht for Circle Point Racing
No. 37- J.J. Yeley for Tommy Baldwin Racing/MaxQ Motorsports*
No. 49- Jason Leffler for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports*
No. 91- Reed Sorenson for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 95- Scott Speed for Leavine Family Racing
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing*
Not Entered:
No. 79- Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing
Nationwide Series NRA American Warrior 300: 44 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 30- James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 47- Stephen Leicht for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 70- Tony Raines for ML Motorsports/Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 71- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 08- Kyle Fowler returns to the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 4- Danny Efland returns to the seat, replacing Brad Teague.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 30- James Buescher returns to the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr.
No. 39- Matt Carter is in the seat, replacing Josh Richards.
No. 50- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 70- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 71- Scott Riggs is in the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Rick Crawford.
No. 99- Travis Pastrana returns to the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 08- Kyle Fowler for Randy Hill Racing
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 15- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Matt DiBenedetto for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 47- Stephen Leicht for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Joey Gase for Means Motorsports
No. 71- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 72- John Jackson for Carter Racing*
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Racing Ventures
No. 98- Reed Sorenson for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Not Entered:
No. 36- Ryan Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 60- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 75- Rick Ware Racing
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200: 38 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing
No. 5- Aric Almirola for Wauters Motorsports
No. 18- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 29- Ryan Blaney for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 51- Kurt Busch for Billy Ballew Motorsports/Phoenix Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 0- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Brandon Knupp.
No. 07- Johnny Chapman returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Agnew.
No. 2- Tim George, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Brendan Gaughan.
No. 5- Aric Almirola is in the seat, replacing Johnny Chapman. Paulie Harraka has officially split from Wauters Motorsports.
No. 8- Max Gresham is in the seat, replacing Mike Skinner.
No. 18- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 27- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing BJ McLeod.
No. 29- Ryan Blaney is in the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 38- Chris Jones returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer.
No. 84- Chris Fontaine returns to the seat, replacing Russ Dugger.
No. 93- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Chris Jones.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing*
No. 07- Johnny Chapman for SS-Green Light Racing*
No. 4- Kyle Larson for Turner Motorsports
No. 8- Max Gresham for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*
No. 51- Kurt Busch for Billy Ballew Motorsports/Phoenix Racing
No. 57- Norm Benning for Norm Benning Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 81- David Starr for Joey Arrington Racing
No. 92- Chad McCumbee for RBR Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 36- Grant Enfinger for Allgaier Motorsports
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Motorsports
No. 86- Clay Greenfield Motorsports
Izod IndyCar Series Baltimore Grand Prix presented by SRT: 25 cars entered
Driver Changes:
No. 67- Bruno Junqueira is in the seat, replacing Josef Newgarden. Newgarden suffered a finger injury in a late race crash at Sonoma.
Entries:
No. 2- Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske
No. 3- Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4- J.R. Hildebrand for Panther Racing
No. 5- E.J. Viso for KV Racing Technologies
No. 7- Sebastien Bourdais for Dragon Racing
No. 8- Rubens Barrichello for KV Racing Technologies
No. 9- Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10- Dario Franchitti for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11- Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies with SH Racing
No. 12- Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14- Mike Conway for AJ Foyt Enterprises
No. 15- Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18- Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19- James Jakes for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20- Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 22- Oriol Servia for Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 26- Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27- James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 28- Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 38- Graham Rahal for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 67- Bruno Junqueira for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77- Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports
No. 78- Simona de Silvestro for Lotus-HVM Racing
No. 83- Charlie Kimball for Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98- Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
Not Entered:
No. 6- Katherine Legge for Dragon Racing
No. 17- Sebastian Saavedra for AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport
Harraka Out at Wauters Motorsports
During Wednesday's edition of NASCAR RaceHub, it was announced that Paulie Harraka and Wauters Motorsports have parted ways, effective immediately. Aric Almirola has been tapped to drive the No. 5 Ford in Friday night's Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200.
Harraka has missed the last two races as Wauters Motorsports decided to regroup instead of traveling to Michigan and Bristol. Despite skipping those races, the team is still locked in due to a brief partnership that allowed RSS Racing to use the No. 5 for one of their trucks. Scott Riggs and Johnny Chapman start-and-parked the No. 5 Chevrolet the past couple of weeks.
Harraka's rookie year has been a struggle up to this point. In 11 starts, Harraka's best finishes have been a pair of 17ths at Dover and Kentucky. Crashes have plagued Harraka's season as well, with all four of his DNF's due to wrecks. In addition, Harraka was involved in wrecks in two additional races. These incidents, like the one at Pocono, have spoiled good runs. As a result, Harraka is currently 22nd in drivers points, while the No. 5 is 24th in owners' points.
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john.potts@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Potts' Shots will run on Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
Today's Featured Commentary
Knee Jerk Wigouts, Smoke Spinouts, Potential Rainouts
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
So we're five days following Bristol, and everybody is still atwitter about Tony Stewart going hammer-throw with his helmet at Matt Kenseth. While it was a throwback to the old days when things made sense in Thunder Valley, it was actually one of those watershed moments that helped attract and interest new fans to the sport.
One of my cop buddies played Big Ten baseball, and is involved in every single fantasy league for stick and ball sports you could think of, but has no clue whatsoever about auto racing. I talked to him Monday and he was still cracking up about Tony Stewart, two-hand firing his brain bucket at Matt K. Jay Mohr, who was guest hosting The Jungle with Jim Rome on Monday was laughing and referencing the incident, and despite hosting the NASCAR Banquet a couple of years, is not a big racing guy either. Whatever your take on the Stewart/Kenseth saga, it's good for the sport.
That being said, it was also pretty silly. My favorite part anytime this happens are the knee-jerk nail bitters who instantly belt out "he could've hurt or KILLED someone!" Yeah, the helmet could have ricocheted back and hit him in the face (which would have been The Three Stooges-caliber funny), or the official (collateral damage), but the wild scenarios of what if Kenseth swerved and hit somebody, or those who think that a 30mph fiberglass orb is going to penetrate freaking bullet-proof glass were peppering call-in shows and message boards alike.
Just like Kurt Busch could've "killed somebody" when he stopped alongside Tony Stewart on pit road at Dover a few years ago, taking issue with being pushed the length of the front straight, and for being wrecked at Daytona following Bud Shootout practice, where Busch was then popped by Stewart in the NASCAR hauler. Or when Tony Stewart turned Jeff Gordon on pit road at Bristol back in '01.
Or when Tony Stewart swerved across four lanes of traffic to put Matt Kenseth in the grass at Daytona in 2006.
Oh wait. That literally could have killed him as he spun back into on-coming 200mph traffic. This just days after Tony Stewart declared following the Bud Shootout, "We're going to kill somebody racing like this."
Hmmm. Seems to be a common thread in said scenarios…
-----------------
With all of the hoopla surrounding Saturday night's race, was it really all it was cracked up to be?
I mean toss out the Stewart helmet chuck and Danica pointing at a guy…was it really different than the Spring race? You had the big wreck early with Kahne, Edwards, Harvick, and Kyle Busch, then the two teammates tangling between Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon. The margin of victory was .714 in March, on Saturday night it was 1.103 seconds back to runner up Jimmie Johnson.
Five years ago at Bristol it was all about who could get around the bottom the quickest. Following the repave a couple of years back, it was like a mini-Michigan, with multiple grooves working well equally. Now it's the second coming of Winchester Speedway or Darlington, Jr. with everybody hunting the high line to keep up speed and maintain momentum on the high-banked half-mile.
Better? Worse? Eh, not really either – just different. Yes everybody is mad that Danica didn't throw her hat at the No. 78 of Regan Smith. Its probably for the best that she didn't, as then she would have to endure a bunch of "she throws like a girl" smack. Besides, the last time she showed some emotion after falling out of a race, she was roundly criticized for it at MIS in 2006.
----------------
With Hurricane Isaac having made landfall Wednesday morning, over 18" of rain had fallen in New Orleans in less than 24 hours. As more moisture is being sucked up from the Gulf of Mexico with the storm, there is a 40-60-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms from Sunday through Saturday this week in the Atlanta, GA area. Yeah, great – a 50-percent average. Either it might rain…or it might not. Why not just make that the forecast every day, and be right, 100-percent of the time?
Let's say it did get rained out for a few days in a row, and the race had to be postponed. When would it be run? There are no off-dates from now until the end of the season. I'm sure the purists and old-schoolers would just be absolutely heart-broken if we had to wrap up The Chase and crown the champion the final race of the year in Atlanta.
----------------
Okay so Carl Edwards has categorically denied he will be driving the No. 22 or be sponsored by Shell next year, even if Penske is switching to Ford (which I still think is about the worst decision, ever…), and Matt Kenseth is taking over the No. 20 from Joey Logano at JGR. Logano has something in the works, but can't say what it is yet. So why all the secrecy and long, drawn out discourse?
I know, the marketing materials have to be made, and they have to get the new guy a fire suit and resticker the car with next year's manufacturer and paint scheme, and take a few smiling-with-hands-on-hips/stern-look-with-arms-folded promo photos. If everybody already knows the outcome, then why not make it official so the guys on the outside can let it be made known, so they can start looking for a place elsewhere to drive?
And how in the world does the 2011 Daytona 500 winner still not have a sponsor or a ride for 2012 or all of 2013 yet, save for a tentative full-time Nationwide season? Hopefully the election year uncertainty will come to close here after the first Tuesday in November, and the sponsorship outlook will improve for those teams and drivers who desperately need it to.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @VitoPugliese.
~~~~~~~~~~
COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
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We are looking for someone who shares our enthusiasm for NASCAR and has an experienced background in web design. Specifically, we are looking for someone who can help maintain and enhance our website, increase our SEO, and upgrade our publishing platform while producing a limited amount of content throughout the season. This job presents a perfect opportunity for someone with a technical background, a person who wants their work to gain national exposure.
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The Critic's Annex: GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. On Sunday afternoon, once the craziness at Bristol Motor Speedway had wrapped up for the weekend (but apparently, not the traffic jams), the Izod IndyCar Series came back out to play at Sonoma Raceway in California.
As is the norm with NBC Sports Network's telecasts, IndyCar Central led off the show. However, this edition of the show was a little different than normal. Some of the typical features, like "ProfessorB" and Robin Miller's Grid Run were not included this week. Perhaps they'll return in Baltimore.
What did make the show was the normal recap of the previous race (Mid-Ohio) and four pre-race interviews. The primary feature of the show had cameras go to meet up with Helio Castroneves at his house. Viewers were treated to shots of Castroneves interacting with his daughter, Mikaella and talking about his goals. Of course, this came after he showed off a couple of his take-home Borg Warner Trophies (nowhere near the size of the ginormous thing presented to the winner at the Indianapolis 500) and the crystal ball that he won on Dancing With The Stars (which he then promoted since he's doing the All-Star season of the show after the season ends).
Since Sonoma Raceway had a somewhat revised layout for this season, NBC Sports Network went about showing this in two different ways. One was with the help of the new simulator, Simraceway. Wally Dallenbach, Jr. got into a sweet-looking pod and drove a simulated Dallara DW12 around the circuit. He was 13 seconds off the pace of the real cars, but seemed to really have fun with it. Simraceway appears to be a new competitor to iRacing and has an endorser in recent Izod IndyCar Series driver (and current contributor to Jalopnik) Alex Lloyd.
The other way the new configuration was shown off was via an in-car lap done in practice by J.R. Hildebrand. However, unbeknownst to some of NBC Sports Network's viewers (but definitely knownst to me), race sponsor GoPro put this two minute clip on YouTube and it was being used as a commercial prior to videos all weekend. I suppose that's a nice way to promote the race, the series and Hildebrand. However, I don't recall it showing fans when the race was going to be on and where they could view it, which is a bit of an ongoing issue with the series. Being the complete YouTube addict that I am, I probably saw it 12-15 times before the race (mind you, the stuff I was watching had nothing to do with racing). It would play before almost every video I watched. Crazy.
With the first 64 (of 85) laps being run under green, NBC Sports Network's race coverage was quite varied. Their coverage shifted between different parts of the field in order to be as complete as possible. Since Will Power managed to run away and hide from the rest of the field, this would have been one of the only ways that fans would have seen much passing.
One of the more interesting battles that was highlighted Sunday was a sweet fight for what I think was 18th between Sebastian Saavedra and Oriol Servia. The two drivers managed to go side-by-side all the way from Turn 11 to Turn 3a on the next lap. Since Sonoma's on the Sprint Cup schedule, you likely know that it would mean they were side-by-side the entire run up the hill before Saavedra finally took the spot. That was a very nice battle, shown via the blimp view. If this race were on ABC with ESPN's normal production crew for Izod IndyCar Series races, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have seen this.
While I am most definitely praising NBC Sports Network's inclusiveness, I do need to draw attention to a couple of things. During the race, a fair amount of time was given to the fact that the series had gone 2.5 races without a full-course yellow (Jenkins pointed this out). A couple of the commentators, especially Robin Miller in the pits, were all but praying for a caution on-air. I find that a little unprofessional.
Speaking of Miller, he really doesn't have all that much to do on these broadcasts outside of pre-race. I feel like the network made a mistake and removed the wrong person from the telecast. Unless he's doing something silly, Miller doesn't add anything to the race telecasts, despite his wealth of knowledge. They probably should have kept Lindy Thackston on as a pit reporter (last I heard, she's working with Ed Carpenter Racing and their sponsor, Fuzzy's Vodka, as some kind of Social Media Director).
Post-race coverage was actually a little frugal by NBC Sports Network standards. There were four driver interviews, plus an interview with the winning car owner (Roger Penske) prior to the telecast ending. The unofficial results were restricted to only the scroll, while Jenkins notified viewers of the points. No points graphic was shown post-race. Honestly, that was a bit of a letdown.
However, they did air footage of Ryan Hunter-Reay confronting Alex Tagliani and essentially asking him "What the Deuce?" after Tagliani dumped Hunter-Reay while battling for third. Getting Hunter-Reay on for an interview (he finished a lap down in 20th, so he was under no obligation to stick around longer than it took for him to swap his firesuit for trousers) was quite interesting, though. You could see the disappointment and frustration in Hunter-Reay during that short interview.
Overall, this was a pretty good race to watch, despite the fact that there really wasn't all that much action up front. There was good action to be had all over the field, and the NBC Sports Network did a great job bringing that action to viewers. We're better off for that.
I hope you liked this look at NBC Sports Network's broadcast of the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Tune in next week for a look at the special, Catching Speed. This one-hour show, scheduled to air Sunday afternoon on ABC (here in the Eastern Time Zone, its scheduled to air at 2pm EDT, but check your local listings just to make sure), will follow around Clint Bowyer's team during their race preparations. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Spa, Atlanta and Baltimore.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Bristol-2
"Keselowski's paint scheme must have been so confusing to the drunks in Bristol. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been a bump and run from Jeff Gordon. We all know now that that didn't happen but just imagine ... a bunch of wasted, shirtless rednecks sitting in the stands squinting at that No. 2, wondering when the clock went back 10 years. Priceless."- Summer Bedgood, on Brad Keselowski last weekend in Bristol.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
--
The Critic's Annex: GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. On Sunday afternoon, once the craziness at Bristol Motor Speedway had wrapped up for the weekend (but apparently, not the traffic jams), the Izod IndyCar Series came back out to play at Sonoma Raceway in California.
As is the norm with NBC Sports Network's telecasts, IndyCar Central led off the show. However, this edition of the show was a little different than normal. Some of the typical features, like "ProfessorB" and Robin Miller's Grid Run were not included this week. Perhaps they'll return in Baltimore.
What did make the show was the normal recap of the previous race (Mid-Ohio) and four pre-race interviews. The primary feature of the show had cameras go to meet up with Helio Castroneves at his house. Viewers were treated to shots of Castroneves interacting with his daughter, Mikaella and talking about his goals. Of course, this came after he showed off a couple of his take-home Borg Warner Trophies (nowhere near the size of the ginormous thing presented to the winner at the Indianapolis 500) and the crystal ball that he won on Dancing With The Stars (which he then promoted since he's doing the All-Star season of the show after the season ends).
Since Sonoma Raceway had a somewhat revised layout for this season, NBC Sports Network went about showing this in two different ways. One was with the help of the new simulator, Simraceway. Wally Dallenbach, Jr. got into a sweet-looking pod and drove a simulated Dallara DW12 around the circuit. He was 13 seconds off the pace of the real cars, but seemed to really have fun with it. Simraceway appears to be a new competitor to iRacing and has an endorser in recent Izod IndyCar Series driver (and current contributor to Jalopnik) Alex Lloyd.
The other way the new configuration was shown off was via an in-car lap done in practice by J.R. Hildebrand. However, unbeknownst to some of NBC Sports Network's viewers (but definitely knownst to me), race sponsor GoPro put this two minute clip on YouTube and it was being used as a commercial prior to videos all weekend. I suppose that's a nice way to promote the race, the series and Hildebrand. However, I don't recall it showing fans when the race was going to be on and where they could view it, which is a bit of an ongoing issue with the series. Being the complete YouTube addict that I am, I probably saw it 12-15 times before the race (mind you, the stuff I was watching had nothing to do with racing). It would play before almost every video I watched. Crazy.
With the first 64 (of 85) laps being run under green, NBC Sports Network's race coverage was quite varied. Their coverage shifted between different parts of the field in order to be as complete as possible. Since Will Power managed to run away and hide from the rest of the field, this would have been one of the only ways that fans would have seen much passing.
One of the more interesting battles that was highlighted Sunday was a sweet fight for what I think was 18th between Sebastian Saavedra and Oriol Servia. The two drivers managed to go side-by-side all the way from Turn 11 to Turn 3a on the next lap. Since Sonoma's on the Sprint Cup schedule, you likely know that it would mean they were side-by-side the entire run up the hill before Saavedra finally took the spot. That was a very nice battle, shown via the blimp view. If this race were on ABC with ESPN's normal production crew for Izod IndyCar Series races, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have seen this.
While I am most definitely praising NBC Sports Network's inclusiveness, I do need to draw attention to a couple of things. During the race, a fair amount of time was given to the fact that the series had gone 2.5 races without a full-course yellow (Jenkins pointed this out). A couple of the commentators, especially Robin Miller in the pits, were all but praying for a caution on-air. I find that a little unprofessional.
Speaking of Miller, he really doesn't have all that much to do on these broadcasts outside of pre-race. I feel like the network made a mistake and removed the wrong person from the telecast. Unless he's doing something silly, Miller doesn't add anything to the race telecasts, despite his wealth of knowledge. They probably should have kept Lindy Thackston on as a pit reporter (last I heard, she's working with Ed Carpenter Racing and their sponsor, Fuzzy's Vodka, as some kind of Social Media Director).
Post-race coverage was actually a little frugal by NBC Sports Network standards. There were four driver interviews, plus an interview with the winning car owner (Roger Penske) prior to the telecast ending. The unofficial results were restricted to only the scroll, while Jenkins notified viewers of the points. No points graphic was shown post-race. Honestly, that was a bit of a letdown.
However, they did air footage of Ryan Hunter-Reay confronting Alex Tagliani and essentially asking him "What the Deuce?" after Tagliani dumped Hunter-Reay while battling for third. Getting Hunter-Reay on for an interview (he finished a lap down in 20th, so he was under no obligation to stick around longer than it took for him to swap his firesuit for trousers) was quite interesting, though. You could see the disappointment and frustration in Hunter-Reay during that short interview.
Overall, this was a pretty good race to watch, despite the fact that there really wasn't all that much action up front. There was good action to be had all over the field, and the NBC Sports Network did a great job bringing that action to viewers. We're better off for that.
I hope you liked this look at NBC Sports Network's broadcast of the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Tune in next week for a look at the special, Catching Speed. This one-hour show, scheduled to air Sunday afternoon on ABC (here in the Eastern Time Zone, its scheduled to air at 2pm EDT, but check your local listings just to make sure), will follow around Clint Bowyer's team during their race preparations. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Spa, Atlanta and Baltimore.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Bristol-2
"Keselowski's paint scheme must have been so confusing to the drunks in Bristol. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been a bump and run from Jeff Gordon. We all know now that that didn't happen but just imagine ... a bunch of wasted, shirtless rednecks sitting in the stands squinting at that No. 2, wondering when the clock went back 10 years. Priceless."- Summer Bedgood, on Brad Keselowski last weekend in Bristol.
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Potts' Shots: Agreeing To Disagree - To A Degree
by John Potts
Professor Of Speed: The Importance of Being Ambrose
by Mark Howell
Truckin' Thursdays: Miguel Paludo on Bristol, Birthdays and More
by Beth Lunkenheimer
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Once Jeff Gordon officially clinched the 1995 Winston Cup Championship at about the one-third mark of the NAPA 500 (Robert Pressley's blown engine made it impossible for Gordon to be caught by Dale Earnhardt), Gordon's team adopted an extremely laid back attitude. This extended to pit road as well. What they did do late in the race that raised eyebrows and cracked up some commentators?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Most of us remember the infamous 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for its title chase with six drivers eligible at the start of the race. By the three-quarters mark, it was legitimately down to three (Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki and Bill Elliott). However, Allison was eliminated from contention after a crash. What happened?
A: Allison was racing behind Ernie Irvan when Irvan suddenly lost control of his Kodak Chevrolet exiting Turn 4. Irvan swerved to avoid Terry Labonte, then spun back up the track and into the wall. Allison had nowhere to go and hit Irvan before spinning into the inside wall. The Texaco/Havoline Ford was able to continue after repairs, but Allison's championship hopes were over. He would eventually finish 27th, 43 laps down. The crash can be seen at the 1:45 mark of 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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Jeff Wolfe
-- In Case You Missed It by Nick Schwartz
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Atlanta by Summer Bedgood
Summer returns to help prepare you for Atlanta's trio of night races.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another interesting Friday commentary.
Friday Fast Forward Into NASCAR's Future by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan returns with another interesting commentary piece on the Nationwide Series to prepare you for Saturday night's NRA American Warrior 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Landon Cassill as told to Summer Bedgood
Landon returns to talk about his past month on and off the track.
-----------------------------
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