THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 27th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXCIII
-----------------
Hey Race Fans! Do you think you can predict the finishing order of this year's Chase? If you can, we'll give you our shirt! If you want a chance to win a Frontstretch T-Shirt and a free FanVision rental for a race weekend in 2013, now is your chance. Simply submit a list of the 12 Chase drivers in the order you think they will finish. You have until the end of the race at Dover to make your picks - but after the checkered flag flies on that race, we will not accept any more submissions. Then, we'll hang on to all of your predictions until after the final race in Homestead and tally them up. If you can correctly place all 12, you win the T-Shirt and the FanVision rental! If nobody places all 12 correctly, we'll give the prize to whomever can get the most drivers in their correct points positions at the end of the year. Please submit your entries to FrontstretchEditors@googlegroups.com by the moment of the checkered flag at Dover! We will accept only one entry per person (if you submit more than one list, we will only take the FIRST one you submitted!) Good luck!
Editor's Note: This weekend, we will have representatives at both Dover International Speedway for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races, and at Lime Rock Park for the Grand-Am Championship Weekend. We will be providing updates from both tracks, so check out our Twitter feed this weekend for inside information direct from the track!
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Kurt Busch to Replace Regan Smith at Furniture Row Early?
On Tuesday, Kurt Busch announced live on SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub that he would be taking over the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet on a full-time basis at the beginning of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. However, it appears that the move could come sooner than later.
Smith, during an appearance on ESPN's NASCAR Now Wednesday, stated that he may not last out the season in the No. 78.
"I know that I am in the car through Talladega," Smith told ESPN's Shannon Spake on NASCAR Now. "Beyond that, I cannot say because I really don't know."
Meanwhile, NASCAR RaceHub is reporting that the deal is already done to allow for Busch to move over to the No. 78 full-time starting at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This would leave Smith out in the cold, while Phoenix Racing would be left scrambling to find a replacement driver for the remaining six races. It is currently unclear what Phoenix Racing's would be if such a move were made.
Malsam, TriStar Motorsports Separate; Driver Switches to Compensate
On Wednesday, TriStar Motorsports announced that Tayler Malsam has left the team, effective immediately. As a result, TriStar Motorsports has moved Mike Bliss and his Bandit Chippers sponsorship over to the No. 19, while Jeff Green will drive the No. 44. The No. 10, which was originally scheduled to be driven and parked this weekend by Green, currently has no driver listed on the entry list. The No. 14 team will be unchanged as a result of this move.
Team owner Mark Smith is grateful for Malsam's efforts in the car this season.
"All of us at TriStar Motorsports appreciate what Tayler has done for our race team this year," Smith said. "Tayler did a great job for us and we wish him nothing but the best of luck as he explores future opportunities in this sport. I think it is really important for us as a team to set our sights on the future and take appropriate steps in that direction."
Prior to Wednesday's announcement, Malsam was 13th in Nationwide Series point with one top-10 finish. This was a sixth in the season-opening Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway (he managed to avoid the last-lap melee exiting Turn 4). Since then, Malsam's best finish was a 12th last month at Bristol.
What is next for TriStar Motorsports? As noted last week here in the Frontstretch Newsletter, the team has already signed Hal Martin to drive a few races this year and a campaign for Rookie of the Year in 2013 with a hodgepodge of as-of-yet unannounced Southern sponsors. This move will allow Martin to be able to make his debut at Kansas in a car that is locked into the field at the bare minimum.
Safeway and Rancher's Reserve to Sponsor Stenhouse at Dover
On Wednesday, Roush Fenway Racing announced a two-race sponsorship deal that will see Safeway Supermarkets and Rancher's Reserve, a brand of meat sold at Safeway, serve as primary sponsors on both the No. 6 Ford Mustang in Saturday's OneMain Financial 200 in the Nationwide Series and the No. 6 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series' AAA 400 on Sunday. According to Beef Magazine, Rancher's Reserve is supplied to Safeway exclusively by Cargill Meat Solutions, an existing sponsor of Stenhouse in the Nationwide Series.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AAA 400: 48 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 6- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 10- Danica Patrick for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 22- Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 32- T.J. Bell for FAS Lane Racing
No. 33- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
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. 10- Danica Patrick returns to the seat, replacing David Reutimann.
No. 19- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 32- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing Mike Olsen.
No. 33- Cole Whitt returns to the seat, replacing Stephen Leicht.
No. 36- J.J. Yeley is in the seat, replacing Tony Raines.
No. 37- Dave Blaney is in the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 6- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith 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- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
No. 37- Dave Blaney for Front Row Motorsports/MaxQ Motorsports*
No. 49- Jason Leffler for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 79- Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing*
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*
Nationwide Series OneMain Financial 200: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 00- Michael McDowell for SR2 Motorsports/Ruch Motorsports
No. 18- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 27- J.J. Yeley for GC Motorsports International
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 70- Tony Raines for ML Motorsports/Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 00- Michael McDowell is in the seat, replacing Tanner Berryhill. Blake Koch was originally entered in this car.
No. 08- Danny Efland is in the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
No. 4- Brad Teague returns to the seat, replacing Danny Efland.
No. 10- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Charles Lewandoski. Jeff Green was originally scheduled to drive the car before Tayler Malsam left the team.
No. 18- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Drew Herring.
No. 19- Mike Bliss is in the seat, replacing Tayler Malsam. Malsam left TriStar Motorsports Tuesday.
No. 24- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Benny Gordon. Both Gordon and Dusty Davis had both been entered in the car before SR2 Motorsports announced Koch as their driver early Thursday morning.
No. 27- J.J. Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Andrew Ranger.
No. 30- Alex Bowman returns to the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Brendan Gaughan.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne returns to the seat, replacing Brad Sweet.
No. 39- Tim Andrews returns to the seat, replacing Josh Richards.
No. 42- Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing Matt Frahm.
No. 44- Jeff Green is in the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 47- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Matt DiBenedetto.
No. 50- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 52- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Joey Gase.
No. 54- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing his brother Kurt.
No. 70- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 71- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 75- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Matt Carter.
No. 99- Ryan Truex returns to the seat, replacing Alex Bowman.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Michael McDowell for SR2 Motorsports/Ruch Motorsports*
No. 08- Danny Efland for Randy Hill Racing/Go Green Racing*
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 15- Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 20- Darrell Wallace, Jr. for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 27- J.J. Yeley for GC Motorsports International
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 47- Unknown driver for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 50- Unknown driver for MAKE Motorsports*
No. 52- Unknown driver for Means Motorsports
No. 71- Unknown driver for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
Not Entered:
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR
Camping World Truck Series Smith's 350k: 33 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 18- David Mayhew for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 98- Travis Pastrana for ThorSport Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Johnny Chapman returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Agnew.
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Tim George, Jr.
No. 5- Ryan Reed is in the seat, replacing John King. This will be Reed's Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 18- David Mayhew is in the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 29- Grant Enfinger is in the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 65- Chris Lafferty is in the seat, replacing Justin Jennings.
No. 93- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Johnny Chapman.
No. 98- Travis Pastrana is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong. This will be Pastrana's Camping World Truck Series debut.
Since there are only 33 teams entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these drivers must still qualify on speed:
No. 00- Unknown driver for Lind Motorsports
No. 5- Ryan Reed for Wauters Motorsports
No. 7- Parker Kligerman for Red Horse Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*
No. 65- Chris Lafferty for MB Motorsports
No. 98- Travis Pastrana for ThorSport Racing
Not Entered:
No. 01- Jake Crum for Crum Motorsports
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing
No. 4- Dakoda Armstrong for Turner Motorsports
No. 8- Max Gresham for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 37- RSS Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Championship Weekend: 27 cars entered (9 DP, 18 GT)
Daytona Prototype Entries:
No. 01- Memo Rojas/Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2- Alex Popow/Alex Tagliani for Starworks Motorsport
No. 5- Terry Borcheller/David Donohue/Brian Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 8- Ryan Dalziel/Alex Tagliani for Starworks Motorsport
No. 9- Joao Barbosa/Darren Law for Action Express Racing
No. 10- Ricky Taylor/Max Angelelli for SunTrust Racing
No. 60- John Pew/Ozz Negri for Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian
No. 90- Antonio Garcia/Richard Westbrook for Spirit of Daytona Racing
No. 99- Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Grand Touring Entries:
No. 31- Boris Said/Eric Curran for Marsh Racing
No. 40- Joe Foster/Tom Long for Dempsey Racing
No. 41- Charles Espenlaub/Charles Putman for Dempsey Racing
No. 42- Joe and Wayne Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 43- Wayne Nonnamaker/Dane Cameron for Team Sahlen
No. 44- John Potter/Andy Lally for Magnus Racing
No. 49- Joe Sahlen/Will Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 51- Dr. Jim Norman/Dion von Moltke for APR Motorsport
No. 57- John Edwards/Robin Liddell for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 63- Alessandro Balzan/Johannes van Overbeek for Scuderia Corsa
No. 66- Spencer Pumpelly/Bob Doyle for TRG
No. 69- Emil Assentato/Jeff Segal for AIM Autosport Team FXDD with Ferrari
No. 70- Jonathan Bomarito/Sylvain Tremblay for SpeedSource
No. 73- Eric Foss/Patrick Lindsey/Jason Hart for Horton Autosport
No. 87- Jan Heylen/Tony Ave/Doug Peterson for Vehicle Technologies
No. 93- Will Turner/Michael Marsal for Turner Motorsport
No. 94- Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana for Turner Motorsport
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Season Finales: 63 cars entered (28 GS, 35 ST)
Note: Due to Lime Rock Park's diminutive (by road course standards) size, the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes are running separate races this weekend. The ST race is scheduled for Friday afternoon, while the GS race will be Saturday morning.
Grand Sport Entries:
No. 00- Ashley McCalmont/Brett Sandberg for CKS Autosport
No. 01- Eric Curran/Lawson Aschenbach for CKS Autosport
No. 08- Jim Jonsin/Robert Stout for Rebel Rock Racing
No. 3- Jeff Segal/ for Rum Bum Racing
No. 6- Tim Bell/Gunter Schaldach for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 9- Matt Bell/John Edwards for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 13- Nick Longhi/Matt Plumb for Rum Bum Racing
No. 21- Dave Mundy/Tony Rivera for Roush Performance
No. 35- Andrew Aquilante/Bret Spaude for Subaru Road Racing Team
No. 37- Rich Jones/Mike Lavigne for JOMAC Racing
No. 38- Ryan Eversley/Craig Stanton/John Tecce for BGB Motorsports
No. 41- Hector Guerrero/ for APR Motorsport
No. 45- Hugh Plumb/Al Carter for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 46- Mark Boden/Bryan Sellers for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 48- Charles Espenlaub/Charles Putman for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 51- Joey Atterbury/Shelby Blackstock for Roush Performance
No. 55- Joe Foster/Scott Maxwell for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 61- Billy Johnson/Jack Roush, Jr. for Roush Performance (this team may withdraw due to crash damage from Laguna Seca)
No. 62- Jordan Taylor/George Richardson for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 68- Alec Udell/Nick Galante for Capaldi Racing
No. 71- Jade Buford/Tonis Kasemets for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 78- Justin Piscitell/Roberto Dal Pont for Racers Edge Motorsports
No. 83- David Empringham/John Farano for BGB Motorsports
No. 96- Bill Auberlen/Don Salama for Turner Motorsport
No. 97- Michael Marsal/Boris Said for Turner Motorsport
No. 99- Rob Ecklin, Jr./Steven Philipps for Automatic Racing
No. 140- Tim Fox/Kris Wilson for Automatic Racing
No. 158- Ian James/Roger Miller for Dempsey Racing
Street Tuner Entries:
No. 03- Chad McCumbee/Jason Saini for CJ Wilson Racing
No. 04- Kyle Gimple/Marc Miller for CJ Wilson Racing
No. 8- Tyler Cooke/Dillon Machavern for Freedom Autosport
No. 10- Nic Jonsson/Andy Lally for Kinetic/Kia Racing
No. 12- Matt and Mark Pombo for Kinetic/Kia Racing
No. 15- Gunnar Jeannette/James Gue for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 16- Nick Mancuso/Bret Seafuse for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 23- Terry Borcheller/Mike LaMarra for Burton Racing
No. 24- Cory Friedman/David Baum for Autometrics Motorsports
No. 25- Tom Long/Derek Whitis for Freedom Autosport
No. 26- Rhett O'Doski/Andrew Carbonell for Freedom Autosport
No. 30- Ryan Ellis/Glenn Bocchino for i-Moto Racing
No. 31- Pierre Kleinubing/Jayson Clunie for i-Moto Racing
No. 32- Tom Dyer/Izzy Sanchez for i-Moto Racing
No. 40- Dinah Weisberg/Steven McAleer for Berg Racing
No. 50- Eric Curran/John Weisberg for Berg Racing
No. 56- Jesse Combs/Jeff Mosing for RACE EPIC/Murillo Racing
No. 60- Elivan Goulart/Robert Nimkoff for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 63- Johnny Kanavas/ for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 66- AJ and Jameson Riley for Riley Racing
No. 74- Andrew Novich/Adam Burrows for Compass360 Racing
No. 75- Ryan Eversley/Ray Mason for Compass360 Racing
No. 76- David Thilenius/Gareth Nixon for Compass360 Racing
No. 77- Sarah Cattaneo/ for Compass360 Racing
No. 80- John Capestro-Dubets/James Clay for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 81- David Levine/Greg Liefooghe for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 82- Seth Thomas/Daniel Rogers for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 131- Juan Alvarez/Juan Sierra Lendle for APR Motorsport
No. 161- Josh Hurley/Nate Norenberg for APR Motorsport
No. 171- David Cheng/Aleks Altberg for APR Motorsport
No. 191- Daniel La Riva/Christian Perez for APR Motorsport
No. 195- Chris Puskar/Dicky Riegel for RSR Motorsports
No. 196- Ron Farmer/Jason Hart for RSR Motorsports
No. 197- Owen Trinkler/Corey Fergus for RSR Motorsports
No. 198- Chris Knox/Randall Smalley for RSR Motorsports
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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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
Today's Featured Commentary
Quick Hits for September 27th
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
Kurt Busch and Furniture Row Racing announced this week that Busch will be replacing Smith in their flat black No. 78 Chevrolets for 2013. While the move is a step up for Busch from James Finch's largely unsponsored entries that they've campaigned for this season, it seems like it may be a springboard to an even bright future for Busch in 2014. Furniture Row Racing has a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, despite Denver, CO being a bit removed from Welcome, NC where RCR is centered.
This week Childress himself expressed support for Busch saying that he hates to see great talent wasted. With Kevin Harvick being in a contract year for 2013, and rumors that Jeff Burton's lackluster two seasons at RCR may have him up for evaluation, it is a plausible scenario. Even with Burton's performance woes, I feel he would be a viable candidate to remain in the No. 31, a car he has driven for nearly eight seasons, after joining RCR midway through 2004.
Busch and Burton were once teammates at then-Roush Racing, and it was with Jeff Burton's urging that Kurt Busch was given the Jimmy Fennig team of then driver Mark Martin, who eventually went on to win the inaugural Nextel Cup in 2004. Paul Menard is signed through 2013 as well, but likely wouldn't go anyway with the funding and sponsorship that he brings. There has been a rumored fourth RCR entry in the works, but perhaps that will depend on how Kurt's "audition" goes in the No. 78 next season. If there's one owner who can get through to Busch, it just might be Childress. After all, look how he got through to his brother…
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The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule was released this week to great fanfare. Well, not really. Not at all, actually. Same races, same dates for the most part, and same scheduling. Talladega goes back to October 20th, the Chase starts at Chicago for reasons unknown to anybody looking to instill some sort of excitement into what is supposed to be a nail-bitter of a title fight every year. Again, no road courses in the final ten races, no change of scenery…and they wonder why interest and excitement continues to dwindle and wane.
The bottom line is this: NASCAR needs to do something about the schedule, and quickly. Time to face the fact – you aren't going to out NFL the NFL, even if they do have scab refs who just make up the rules as they go along. Heck, you could argue that they're taking a page from NASCAR's book what with the way some of these calls have gone the first few weeks of the season.
The first two races of The Chase should not be at the most mind-numbing tracks on the circuit, and next year make it three of the first four with a repaved Kansas joining the party. What, Fontana doesn't want any of this either? You know what, screw it, ditch Talladega, and give Bruton his Las Vegas date he's been pining forever too while you're at it. Just finish the job, get it over with, and make it as sanitary, sterile, and predictable as possible. Yeah Texas is sweet too, I loved that 14-second interval between the top-3 cars there in April, that was radical. Want to make a decent chase and make it interesting for the viewer? Here's your ultimate Chase lineup:
1. Charlotte – Best to kick it off in the hub of the sport, where people actually care about what's going on and will cover it appropriately. Why not use the NFL season opener to help promote the Chase instead of trying to compete with America's new national pasttime?
2. Talladega – BAM – see how I did that? Smallest action track to the largest action track. If you blow it and get sucked into the tornado of sheetmetal here, you still have eight weeks to overcome it.
3. Michigan – Notre Dame isn't coming to Ann Arbor after next year and State usually plays a scrub team that weekend anyway. It's still low 70's here this time of year too folks.
4. Dover – Big Bristol. People seem to show up for this. And it's more entertaining than New Hampshire.
5. Phoenix – Bang. Short Track No. 2. Sad that this is what constitutes a short track now, but whatever, at least it'll be sunny out.
6. Watkins Glen – changing seasons, fall foliage, deer running across the track…perfect.
7. Darlington – Yup. Night race too. If you're not going to run it on Labor Day, don't run it on Mother's Day and call it The Southern 500. That doesn't make any damned sense.
8. Texas – Yeah, might as well have a mile and a halfer in here somewhere.
9. Homestead – Nobody ever really tries that hard here. Not since Kurt Busch almost impaled his car into pit wall after the wheel fell off in 2004.
10. Atlanta – Yeah, that's right. Call it the Atlanta Journal 500 again as well. Can still run all three series here as well. It worked for 20 years this way, it can work again.
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Get the feeling that Kyle Busch has suddenly become the odd-man out at Joe Gibbs Racing? Joey Logano was not quite living up to (lofty) expectations after replacing Tony Stewart, and is now off to greener (well, yellower…) pastures at Penske Racing. Denny Hamlin is calling his shots, winning races, seeing shrinks, and at least maintaining some semblance of positivity. KB? Bailing out of the car after missing the Chase, blowing off the owner, snipping at the crew as the engine's going south, and just being generally pissy, constantly.
Now word comes that Elliott Sadler will be in a Gibbs Nationwide car full-time next season, with a potential Sprint Cup entry on a part-time basis if sponsorship is available. Sadler has said that his goal is to be a full-time driver again and to make it back to the Chase in the Sprint Cup Series. Kyle's contract is up at the end of 2013, and Sadler did drive the M&M's car a few years ago. With 2003 champion Matt Kenseth coming aboard next season with his pair of Daytona 500 wins coupled with Hamlin's leadership and demeanor, might Kyle be the odd-man out at JGR? Time, his attitude, and how the 2013 season starts off - will tell the story.
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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COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 27th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CLXCIII
-----------------
Hey Race Fans! Do you think you can predict the finishing order of this year's Chase? If you can, we'll give you our shirt! If you want a chance to win a Frontstretch T-Shirt and a free FanVision rental for a race weekend in 2013, now is your chance. Simply submit a list of the 12 Chase drivers in the order you think they will finish. You have until the end of the race at Dover to make your picks - but after the checkered flag flies on that race, we will not accept any more submissions. Then, we'll hang on to all of your predictions until after the final race in Homestead and tally them up. If you can correctly place all 12, you win the T-Shirt and the FanVision rental! If nobody places all 12 correctly, we'll give the prize to whomever can get the most drivers in their correct points positions at the end of the year. Please submit your entries to FrontstretchEditors@googlegroups.com by the moment of the checkered flag at Dover! We will accept only one entry per person (if you submit more than one list, we will only take the FIRST one you submitted!) Good luck!
Editor's Note: This weekend, we will have representatives at both Dover International Speedway for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races, and at Lime Rock Park for the Grand-Am Championship Weekend. We will be providing updates from both tracks, so check out our Twitter feed this weekend for inside information direct from the track!
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Kurt Busch to Replace Regan Smith at Furniture Row Early?
On Tuesday, Kurt Busch announced live on SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub that he would be taking over the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet on a full-time basis at the beginning of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. However, it appears that the move could come sooner than later.
Smith, during an appearance on ESPN's NASCAR Now Wednesday, stated that he may not last out the season in the No. 78.
"I know that I am in the car through Talladega," Smith told ESPN's Shannon Spake on NASCAR Now. "Beyond that, I cannot say because I really don't know."
Meanwhile, NASCAR RaceHub is reporting that the deal is already done to allow for Busch to move over to the No. 78 full-time starting at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This would leave Smith out in the cold, while Phoenix Racing would be left scrambling to find a replacement driver for the remaining six races. It is currently unclear what Phoenix Racing's would be if such a move were made.
Malsam, TriStar Motorsports Separate; Driver Switches to Compensate
On Wednesday, TriStar Motorsports announced that Tayler Malsam has left the team, effective immediately. As a result, TriStar Motorsports has moved Mike Bliss and his Bandit Chippers sponsorship over to the No. 19, while Jeff Green will drive the No. 44. The No. 10, which was originally scheduled to be driven and parked this weekend by Green, currently has no driver listed on the entry list. The No. 14 team will be unchanged as a result of this move.
Team owner Mark Smith is grateful for Malsam's efforts in the car this season.
"All of us at TriStar Motorsports appreciate what Tayler has done for our race team this year," Smith said. "Tayler did a great job for us and we wish him nothing but the best of luck as he explores future opportunities in this sport. I think it is really important for us as a team to set our sights on the future and take appropriate steps in that direction."
Prior to Wednesday's announcement, Malsam was 13th in Nationwide Series point with one top-10 finish. This was a sixth in the season-opening Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway (he managed to avoid the last-lap melee exiting Turn 4). Since then, Malsam's best finish was a 12th last month at Bristol.
What is next for TriStar Motorsports? As noted last week here in the Frontstretch Newsletter, the team has already signed Hal Martin to drive a few races this year and a campaign for Rookie of the Year in 2013 with a hodgepodge of as-of-yet unannounced Southern sponsors. This move will allow Martin to be able to make his debut at Kansas in a car that is locked into the field at the bare minimum.
Safeway and Rancher's Reserve to Sponsor Stenhouse at Dover
On Wednesday, Roush Fenway Racing announced a two-race sponsorship deal that will see Safeway Supermarkets and Rancher's Reserve, a brand of meat sold at Safeway, serve as primary sponsors on both the No. 6 Ford Mustang in Saturday's OneMain Financial 200 in the Nationwide Series and the No. 6 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series' AAA 400 on Sunday. According to Beef Magazine, Rancher's Reserve is supplied to Safeway exclusively by Cargill Meat Solutions, an existing sponsor of Stenhouse in the Nationwide Series.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AAA 400: 48 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 6- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 10- Danica Patrick for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 22- Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 32- T.J. Bell for FAS Lane Racing
No. 33- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
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. 10- Danica Patrick returns to the seat, replacing David Reutimann.
No. 19- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 32- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing Mike Olsen.
No. 33- Cole Whitt returns to the seat, replacing Stephen Leicht.
No. 36- J.J. Yeley is in the seat, replacing Tony Raines.
No. 37- Dave Blaney is in the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 6- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith 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- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
No. 37- Dave Blaney for Front Row Motorsports/MaxQ Motorsports*
No. 49- Jason Leffler for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 79- Kelly Bires for Go Green Racing*
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*
Nationwide Series OneMain Financial 200: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 00- Michael McDowell for SR2 Motorsports/Ruch Motorsports
No. 18- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 27- J.J. Yeley for GC Motorsports International
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 70- Tony Raines for ML Motorsports/Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 00- Michael McDowell is in the seat, replacing Tanner Berryhill. Blake Koch was originally entered in this car.
No. 08- Danny Efland is in the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
No. 4- Brad Teague returns to the seat, replacing Danny Efland.
No. 10- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Charles Lewandoski. Jeff Green was originally scheduled to drive the car before Tayler Malsam left the team.
No. 18- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Drew Herring.
No. 19- Mike Bliss is in the seat, replacing Tayler Malsam. Malsam left TriStar Motorsports Tuesday.
No. 24- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Benny Gordon. Both Gordon and Dusty Davis had both been entered in the car before SR2 Motorsports announced Koch as their driver early Thursday morning.
No. 27- J.J. Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Andrew Ranger.
No. 30- Alex Bowman returns to the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Brendan Gaughan.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne returns to the seat, replacing Brad Sweet.
No. 39- Tim Andrews returns to the seat, replacing Josh Richards.
No. 42- Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing Matt Frahm.
No. 44- Jeff Green is in the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 47- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Matt DiBenedetto.
No. 50- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 52- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Joey Gase.
No. 54- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing his brother Kurt.
No. 70- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 71- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 75- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Matt Carter.
No. 99- Ryan Truex returns to the seat, replacing Alex Bowman.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Michael McDowell for SR2 Motorsports/Ruch Motorsports*
No. 08- Danny Efland for Randy Hill Racing/Go Green Racing*
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 15- Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 20- Darrell Wallace, Jr. for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 27- J.J. Yeley for GC Motorsports International
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 47- Unknown driver for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 50- Unknown driver for MAKE Motorsports*
No. 52- Unknown driver for Means Motorsports
No. 71- Unknown driver for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
Not Entered:
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR
Camping World Truck Series Smith's 350k: 33 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 18- David Mayhew for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 98- Travis Pastrana for ThorSport Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Johnny Chapman returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Agnew.
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Tim George, Jr.
No. 5- Ryan Reed is in the seat, replacing John King. This will be Reed's Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 18- David Mayhew is in the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 29- Grant Enfinger is in the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 65- Chris Lafferty is in the seat, replacing Justin Jennings.
No. 93- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Johnny Chapman.
No. 98- Travis Pastrana is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong. This will be Pastrana's Camping World Truck Series debut.
Since there are only 33 teams entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these drivers must still qualify on speed:
No. 00- Unknown driver for Lind Motorsports
No. 5- Ryan Reed for Wauters Motorsports
No. 7- Parker Kligerman for Red Horse Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*
No. 65- Chris Lafferty for MB Motorsports
No. 98- Travis Pastrana for ThorSport Racing
Not Entered:
No. 01- Jake Crum for Crum Motorsports
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing
No. 4- Dakoda Armstrong for Turner Motorsports
No. 8- Max Gresham for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 37- RSS Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Championship Weekend: 27 cars entered (9 DP, 18 GT)
Daytona Prototype Entries:
No. 01- Memo Rojas/Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2- Alex Popow/Alex Tagliani for Starworks Motorsport
No. 5- Terry Borcheller/David Donohue/Brian Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 8- Ryan Dalziel/Alex Tagliani for Starworks Motorsport
No. 9- Joao Barbosa/Darren Law for Action Express Racing
No. 10- Ricky Taylor/Max Angelelli for SunTrust Racing
No. 60- John Pew/Ozz Negri for Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian
No. 90- Antonio Garcia/Richard Westbrook for Spirit of Daytona Racing
No. 99- Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Grand Touring Entries:
No. 31- Boris Said/Eric Curran for Marsh Racing
No. 40- Joe Foster/Tom Long for Dempsey Racing
No. 41- Charles Espenlaub/Charles Putman for Dempsey Racing
No. 42- Joe and Wayne Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 43- Wayne Nonnamaker/Dane Cameron for Team Sahlen
No. 44- John Potter/Andy Lally for Magnus Racing
No. 49- Joe Sahlen/Will Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 51- Dr. Jim Norman/Dion von Moltke for APR Motorsport
No. 57- John Edwards/Robin Liddell for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 63- Alessandro Balzan/Johannes van Overbeek for Scuderia Corsa
No. 66- Spencer Pumpelly/Bob Doyle for TRG
No. 69- Emil Assentato/Jeff Segal for AIM Autosport Team FXDD with Ferrari
No. 70- Jonathan Bomarito/Sylvain Tremblay for SpeedSource
No. 73- Eric Foss/Patrick Lindsey/Jason Hart for Horton Autosport
No. 87- Jan Heylen/Tony Ave/Doug Peterson for Vehicle Technologies
No. 93- Will Turner/Michael Marsal for Turner Motorsport
No. 94- Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana for Turner Motorsport
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Season Finales: 63 cars entered (28 GS, 35 ST)
Note: Due to Lime Rock Park's diminutive (by road course standards) size, the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes are running separate races this weekend. The ST race is scheduled for Friday afternoon, while the GS race will be Saturday morning.
Grand Sport Entries:
No. 00- Ashley McCalmont/Brett Sandberg for CKS Autosport
No. 01- Eric Curran/Lawson Aschenbach for CKS Autosport
No. 08- Jim Jonsin/Robert Stout for Rebel Rock Racing
No. 3- Jeff Segal/ for Rum Bum Racing
No. 6- Tim Bell/Gunter Schaldach for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 9- Matt Bell/John Edwards for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 13- Nick Longhi/Matt Plumb for Rum Bum Racing
No. 21- Dave Mundy/Tony Rivera for Roush Performance
No. 35- Andrew Aquilante/Bret Spaude for Subaru Road Racing Team
No. 37- Rich Jones/Mike Lavigne for JOMAC Racing
No. 38- Ryan Eversley/Craig Stanton/John Tecce for BGB Motorsports
No. 41- Hector Guerrero/ for APR Motorsport
No. 45- Hugh Plumb/Al Carter for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 46- Mark Boden/Bryan Sellers for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 48- Charles Espenlaub/Charles Putman for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 51- Joey Atterbury/Shelby Blackstock for Roush Performance
No. 55- Joe Foster/Scott Maxwell for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 61- Billy Johnson/Jack Roush, Jr. for Roush Performance (this team may withdraw due to crash damage from Laguna Seca)
No. 62- Jordan Taylor/George Richardson for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 68- Alec Udell/Nick Galante for Capaldi Racing
No. 71- Jade Buford/Tonis Kasemets for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 78- Justin Piscitell/Roberto Dal Pont for Racers Edge Motorsports
No. 83- David Empringham/John Farano for BGB Motorsports
No. 96- Bill Auberlen/Don Salama for Turner Motorsport
No. 97- Michael Marsal/Boris Said for Turner Motorsport
No. 99- Rob Ecklin, Jr./Steven Philipps for Automatic Racing
No. 140- Tim Fox/Kris Wilson for Automatic Racing
No. 158- Ian James/Roger Miller for Dempsey Racing
Street Tuner Entries:
No. 03- Chad McCumbee/Jason Saini for CJ Wilson Racing
No. 04- Kyle Gimple/Marc Miller for CJ Wilson Racing
No. 8- Tyler Cooke/Dillon Machavern for Freedom Autosport
No. 10- Nic Jonsson/Andy Lally for Kinetic/Kia Racing
No. 12- Matt and Mark Pombo for Kinetic/Kia Racing
No. 15- Gunnar Jeannette/James Gue for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 16- Nick Mancuso/Bret Seafuse for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 23- Terry Borcheller/Mike LaMarra for Burton Racing
No. 24- Cory Friedman/David Baum for Autometrics Motorsports
No. 25- Tom Long/Derek Whitis for Freedom Autosport
No. 26- Rhett O'Doski/Andrew Carbonell for Freedom Autosport
No. 30- Ryan Ellis/Glenn Bocchino for i-Moto Racing
No. 31- Pierre Kleinubing/Jayson Clunie for i-Moto Racing
No. 32- Tom Dyer/Izzy Sanchez for i-Moto Racing
No. 40- Dinah Weisberg/Steven McAleer for Berg Racing
No. 50- Eric Curran/John Weisberg for Berg Racing
No. 56- Jesse Combs/Jeff Mosing for RACE EPIC/Murillo Racing
No. 60- Elivan Goulart/Robert Nimkoff for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 63- Johnny Kanavas/ for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 66- AJ and Jameson Riley for Riley Racing
No. 74- Andrew Novich/Adam Burrows for Compass360 Racing
No. 75- Ryan Eversley/Ray Mason for Compass360 Racing
No. 76- David Thilenius/Gareth Nixon for Compass360 Racing
No. 77- Sarah Cattaneo/ for Compass360 Racing
No. 80- John Capestro-Dubets/James Clay for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 81- David Levine/Greg Liefooghe for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 82- Seth Thomas/Daniel Rogers for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 131- Juan Alvarez/Juan Sierra Lendle for APR Motorsport
No. 161- Josh Hurley/Nate Norenberg for APR Motorsport
No. 171- David Cheng/Aleks Altberg for APR Motorsport
No. 191- Daniel La Riva/Christian Perez for APR Motorsport
No. 195- Chris Puskar/Dicky Riegel for RSR Motorsports
No. 196- Ron Farmer/Jason Hart for RSR Motorsports
No. 197- Owen Trinkler/Corey Fergus for RSR Motorsports
No. 198- Chris Knox/Randall Smalley for RSR Motorsports
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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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
Today's Featured Commentary
Quick Hits for September 27th
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
Kurt Busch and Furniture Row Racing announced this week that Busch will be replacing Smith in their flat black No. 78 Chevrolets for 2013. While the move is a step up for Busch from James Finch's largely unsponsored entries that they've campaigned for this season, it seems like it may be a springboard to an even bright future for Busch in 2014. Furniture Row Racing has a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, despite Denver, CO being a bit removed from Welcome, NC where RCR is centered.
This week Childress himself expressed support for Busch saying that he hates to see great talent wasted. With Kevin Harvick being in a contract year for 2013, and rumors that Jeff Burton's lackluster two seasons at RCR may have him up for evaluation, it is a plausible scenario. Even with Burton's performance woes, I feel he would be a viable candidate to remain in the No. 31, a car he has driven for nearly eight seasons, after joining RCR midway through 2004.
Busch and Burton were once teammates at then-Roush Racing, and it was with Jeff Burton's urging that Kurt Busch was given the Jimmy Fennig team of then driver Mark Martin, who eventually went on to win the inaugural Nextel Cup in 2004. Paul Menard is signed through 2013 as well, but likely wouldn't go anyway with the funding and sponsorship that he brings. There has been a rumored fourth RCR entry in the works, but perhaps that will depend on how Kurt's "audition" goes in the No. 78 next season. If there's one owner who can get through to Busch, it just might be Childress. After all, look how he got through to his brother…
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The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule was released this week to great fanfare. Well, not really. Not at all, actually. Same races, same dates for the most part, and same scheduling. Talladega goes back to October 20th, the Chase starts at Chicago for reasons unknown to anybody looking to instill some sort of excitement into what is supposed to be a nail-bitter of a title fight every year. Again, no road courses in the final ten races, no change of scenery…and they wonder why interest and excitement continues to dwindle and wane.
The bottom line is this: NASCAR needs to do something about the schedule, and quickly. Time to face the fact – you aren't going to out NFL the NFL, even if they do have scab refs who just make up the rules as they go along. Heck, you could argue that they're taking a page from NASCAR's book what with the way some of these calls have gone the first few weeks of the season.
The first two races of The Chase should not be at the most mind-numbing tracks on the circuit, and next year make it three of the first four with a repaved Kansas joining the party. What, Fontana doesn't want any of this either? You know what, screw it, ditch Talladega, and give Bruton his Las Vegas date he's been pining forever too while you're at it. Just finish the job, get it over with, and make it as sanitary, sterile, and predictable as possible. Yeah Texas is sweet too, I loved that 14-second interval between the top-3 cars there in April, that was radical. Want to make a decent chase and make it interesting for the viewer? Here's your ultimate Chase lineup:
1. Charlotte – Best to kick it off in the hub of the sport, where people actually care about what's going on and will cover it appropriately. Why not use the NFL season opener to help promote the Chase instead of trying to compete with America's new national pasttime?
2. Talladega – BAM – see how I did that? Smallest action track to the largest action track. If you blow it and get sucked into the tornado of sheetmetal here, you still have eight weeks to overcome it.
3. Michigan – Notre Dame isn't coming to Ann Arbor after next year and State usually plays a scrub team that weekend anyway. It's still low 70's here this time of year too folks.
4. Dover – Big Bristol. People seem to show up for this. And it's more entertaining than New Hampshire.
5. Phoenix – Bang. Short Track No. 2. Sad that this is what constitutes a short track now, but whatever, at least it'll be sunny out.
6. Watkins Glen – changing seasons, fall foliage, deer running across the track…perfect.
7. Darlington – Yup. Night race too. If you're not going to run it on Labor Day, don't run it on Mother's Day and call it The Southern 500. That doesn't make any damned sense.
8. Texas – Yeah, might as well have a mile and a halfer in here somewhere.
9. Homestead – Nobody ever really tries that hard here. Not since Kurt Busch almost impaled his car into pit wall after the wheel fell off in 2004.
10. Atlanta – Yeah, that's right. Call it the Atlanta Journal 500 again as well. Can still run all three series here as well. It worked for 20 years this way, it can work again.
---------
Get the feeling that Kyle Busch has suddenly become the odd-man out at Joe Gibbs Racing? Joey Logano was not quite living up to (lofty) expectations after replacing Tony Stewart, and is now off to greener (well, yellower…) pastures at Penske Racing. Denny Hamlin is calling his shots, winning races, seeing shrinks, and at least maintaining some semblance of positivity. KB? Bailing out of the car after missing the Chase, blowing off the owner, snipping at the crew as the engine's going south, and just being generally pissy, constantly.
Now word comes that Elliott Sadler will be in a Gibbs Nationwide car full-time next season, with a potential Sprint Cup entry on a part-time basis if sponsorship is available. Sadler has said that his goal is to be a full-time driver again and to make it back to the Chase in the Sprint Cup Series. Kyle's contract is up at the end of 2013, and Sadler did drive the M&M's car a few years ago. With 2003 champion Matt Kenseth coming aboard next season with his pair of Daytona 500 wins coupled with Hamlin's leadership and demeanor, might Kyle be the odd-man out at JGR? Time, his attitude, and how the 2013 season starts off - will tell the story.
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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The Critic's Annex: F.W. Webb 100
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where criticism of motorsports-related programming and racing video games is the name of the game. As many of you are well aware of, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of the marquee tracks on the calendar of the Whelen Modified Tour. In all honesty, it basically replaced the races on the now-defunct three-quarter mile oval at Pocono Raceway as the main show for the series.
In the past, TNN would televise the series at then-New Hampshire International Speedway whenever they raced in support of the Cup Series. Since the beginning of the series-wide TV deals for NASCAR's top-3 series, coverage has been quite a bit more sporadic. Generally speaking, SPEED usually covers these races either live or via tape delay. That wasn't the case back in July. That race got "custody of my diddly-squat" of actual coverage. At the time, the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol appeared to be the only Modified race all season that would be televised at all. That's like a kick in the nuts for the series, especially since the last two seasons have seen virtually every race televised in some form, either on SPEED or Versus (now the NBC Sports Network).
In the case of last week at New Hampshire, SPEED quietly made a last-minute announcement that they would televise the race live at Noon in between all of their coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Las Vegas. I was pretty pleased with the move, and I'm sure that SPEED's on-air personalities were definitely in favor of that. However, SPEED's auction coverage did led to some changes.
Since Mike Joy was in Las Vegas fulfilling his hosting duties, Bob Dillner took his place as the play-by-play man. Dillner may be knowledgeable in the broadcast booth, but I just don't think that he was all that great up there. He would need quite a bit of practice. Dillner was joined by the semi-retired Dick Berggren, who was just fine.
There was a rather strange issue with some of the graphics early in Saturday's telecast. Whenever SPEED would show a graphic with ten drivers on it (point standings, starting lineup, etc.), the person in seventh would always be listed as Ward Burton, regardless of who it actually was supposed to be. A quick check of Burton's career results shows that he never set foot in a Modified. My best guess as to why this happened is that SPEED's production crew uses Ward's name as a placeholder on graphics when showing them off. Perhaps, there was an issue that prohibited the production crew from replacing Ward's name with the correct one. That would be the only way that I could understand this happening four or five times.
Pre-race coverage was relatively brief. There was an interview with pole-sitter (and former Camping World Truck Series race winner) Donny Lia, a check of the point standings, and a look back at the July event for the Modifieds, specifically the finish. You know, the one that I mentioned earlier that wasn't televised except in highlight packages on SPEED Center.
Dillner and Berggren definitely seemed to like the racing that we got in Saturday's race. However, the action that we were shown was mainly up front for much of the race. Ryan Newman came up from the rear of the field (after a tire change that was against the rules) to finish fourth. There really wasn't all that much coverage of him before he got up front. Its arguable that the reason for that was the rapid fire amount of lead changes.
The rapid-fire lead changes and constant battles at the very front of the field also resulted in some incidents not being replayed. On the third lap of the race, Rob Fuller spun out in Turn 2. This did not bring out a yellow. There was never any replay shown of this incident. I think that it would be have been at least somewhat important due to the fact that Fuller pulled out of the race shortly afterwards due to a "crash." It would be impossible for viewers to tell if it was an S&P, or if Fuller somehow broke something that caused his brief spin and eventual retirement from the race. SPEED could have at least replayed this incident during the first yellow for Rowan Pennink's spin, but they chose not to.
Its also worth noting that the lap counter didn't show up on SPEED's graphics until Lap 12. Maybe that's not all that big a deal to many of you, but as part of my prep work for these critiques, I also take notes on the race itself. As a result, a normal race will see a couple of pages of notes. I'm not exactly Larry McReynolds with his weekly giant tomes of notes, or even Shannon Spake with her five-subject notebooks back in 2009 (Note: I don't know how many pages of notes that Spake was writing up each weekend back then, but she definitely had a five subject notebook with notes in it when I interviewed her), but I need my notes in order to setup up thoughts. Not having a lap counter means that I have to guess when things happened, and that bites.
SPEED employed their time-shifting strategy often used on Sprint Cup Qualifying telecasts on Saturday. As a result, viewers didn't really miss all that much when commercial breaks were taken. I suggest the fast and furious action at the front of the field required this. Otherwise, they'd spend a substantial amount of each segment reviewing what happened during the commercials. Obviously, that would take away from the "live" action (it should be noted that the telecast did start live, but drifted away from live throughout the race).
Post-race coverage was relatively thin. SPEED provided three post-race interviews (winner Doug Coby, Donny Lia, and Ted Christopher, who crashed at the white flag). There were also checks of the unofficial results and point standings before SPEED's two-hour timeslot expired.
First off, if you would have told me that a 100 lap Modified race would fill a two hour slot, I probably would have laughed at you. Especially after how clean the first half of the race was. The action that we saw in the telecast was very good, although I also believe that it was focused too much on the front. Regardless, Modified races are exciting to watch, and Saturday's F.W. Webb 100 was no exception to the rule.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the F.W. Webb 100. Next week, we're going to take a look at Showtime's Inside NASCAR, which has recently returned from a near seven month hiatus for the Chase. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Lime Rock Park, Las Vegas and Dover.
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 IndyCar Year In Review: Drivers 14th thru 26th
"Unlike his Dale Coyne Racing teammate Justin Wilson, James Jakes was pretty much an invisible man this year. For us and other media who strive to cover all drivers, we'll make note of this for next year."- From our driver reviews. James Jakes just could not stand out this year.
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
--
The Critic's Annex: F.W. Webb 100
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where criticism of motorsports-related programming and racing video games is the name of the game. As many of you are well aware of, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of the marquee tracks on the calendar of the Whelen Modified Tour. In all honesty, it basically replaced the races on the now-defunct three-quarter mile oval at Pocono Raceway as the main show for the series.
In the past, TNN would televise the series at then-New Hampshire International Speedway whenever they raced in support of the Cup Series. Since the beginning of the series-wide TV deals for NASCAR's top-3 series, coverage has been quite a bit more sporadic. Generally speaking, SPEED usually covers these races either live or via tape delay. That wasn't the case back in July. That race got "custody of my diddly-squat" of actual coverage. At the time, the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol appeared to be the only Modified race all season that would be televised at all. That's like a kick in the nuts for the series, especially since the last two seasons have seen virtually every race televised in some form, either on SPEED or Versus (now the NBC Sports Network).
In the case of last week at New Hampshire, SPEED quietly made a last-minute announcement that they would televise the race live at Noon in between all of their coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Las Vegas. I was pretty pleased with the move, and I'm sure that SPEED's on-air personalities were definitely in favor of that. However, SPEED's auction coverage did led to some changes.
Since Mike Joy was in Las Vegas fulfilling his hosting duties, Bob Dillner took his place as the play-by-play man. Dillner may be knowledgeable in the broadcast booth, but I just don't think that he was all that great up there. He would need quite a bit of practice. Dillner was joined by the semi-retired Dick Berggren, who was just fine.
There was a rather strange issue with some of the graphics early in Saturday's telecast. Whenever SPEED would show a graphic with ten drivers on it (point standings, starting lineup, etc.), the person in seventh would always be listed as Ward Burton, regardless of who it actually was supposed to be. A quick check of Burton's career results shows that he never set foot in a Modified. My best guess as to why this happened is that SPEED's production crew uses Ward's name as a placeholder on graphics when showing them off. Perhaps, there was an issue that prohibited the production crew from replacing Ward's name with the correct one. That would be the only way that I could understand this happening four or five times.
Pre-race coverage was relatively brief. There was an interview with pole-sitter (and former Camping World Truck Series race winner) Donny Lia, a check of the point standings, and a look back at the July event for the Modifieds, specifically the finish. You know, the one that I mentioned earlier that wasn't televised except in highlight packages on SPEED Center.
Dillner and Berggren definitely seemed to like the racing that we got in Saturday's race. However, the action that we were shown was mainly up front for much of the race. Ryan Newman came up from the rear of the field (after a tire change that was against the rules) to finish fourth. There really wasn't all that much coverage of him before he got up front. Its arguable that the reason for that was the rapid fire amount of lead changes.
The rapid-fire lead changes and constant battles at the very front of the field also resulted in some incidents not being replayed. On the third lap of the race, Rob Fuller spun out in Turn 2. This did not bring out a yellow. There was never any replay shown of this incident. I think that it would be have been at least somewhat important due to the fact that Fuller pulled out of the race shortly afterwards due to a "crash." It would be impossible for viewers to tell if it was an S&P, or if Fuller somehow broke something that caused his brief spin and eventual retirement from the race. SPEED could have at least replayed this incident during the first yellow for Rowan Pennink's spin, but they chose not to.
Its also worth noting that the lap counter didn't show up on SPEED's graphics until Lap 12. Maybe that's not all that big a deal to many of you, but as part of my prep work for these critiques, I also take notes on the race itself. As a result, a normal race will see a couple of pages of notes. I'm not exactly Larry McReynolds with his weekly giant tomes of notes, or even Shannon Spake with her five-subject notebooks back in 2009 (Note: I don't know how many pages of notes that Spake was writing up each weekend back then, but she definitely had a five subject notebook with notes in it when I interviewed her), but I need my notes in order to setup up thoughts. Not having a lap counter means that I have to guess when things happened, and that bites.
SPEED employed their time-shifting strategy often used on Sprint Cup Qualifying telecasts on Saturday. As a result, viewers didn't really miss all that much when commercial breaks were taken. I suggest the fast and furious action at the front of the field required this. Otherwise, they'd spend a substantial amount of each segment reviewing what happened during the commercials. Obviously, that would take away from the "live" action (it should be noted that the telecast did start live, but drifted away from live throughout the race).
Post-race coverage was relatively thin. SPEED provided three post-race interviews (winner Doug Coby, Donny Lia, and Ted Christopher, who crashed at the white flag). There were also checks of the unofficial results and point standings before SPEED's two-hour timeslot expired.
First off, if you would have told me that a 100 lap Modified race would fill a two hour slot, I probably would have laughed at you. Especially after how clean the first half of the race was. The action that we saw in the telecast was very good, although I also believe that it was focused too much on the front. Regardless, Modified races are exciting to watch, and Saturday's F.W. Webb 100 was no exception to the rule.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the F.W. Webb 100. Next week, we're going to take a look at Showtime's Inside NASCAR, which has recently returned from a near seven month hiatus for the Chase. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Lime Rock Park, Las Vegas and Dover.
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.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From IndyCar Year In Review: Drivers 14th thru 26th
"Unlike his Dale Coyne Racing teammate Justin Wilson, James Jakes was pretty much an invisible man this year. For us and other media who strive to cover all drivers, we'll make note of this for next year."- From our driver reviews. James Jakes just could not stand out this year.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Fans Have Questions, We Have Answers: NASCAR Thursday Roundup
by Summer Bedgood
Beyond the Cockpit: Parker Kligerman on Transitions And Championship Dreams
as told to Beth Lunkenheimer
Professor Of Speed: The Power of Numbers
by Mark Howell
Truckin' Thursdays: Same Story, Different Year: Will History Repeat?
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Note: These are links from earlier this week that failed to make it into the Newsletter:
Mirror Driving: Championship Consistency, Regan's Release and Turning a Blind Eye
by the Frontstretch Staff
Did You Notice?...Risk vs. Stability, And What the NFL Can Learn From NASCAR
by Tom Bowles
Tracking the Trucks: Kentucky 201
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Jeff Gordon dominated the 1995 MBNA 500, leading 400 of the 500 laps on his way to his first career win at Dover. However, there was a rather unusual wreck involving Dale Jarrett and Mike Wallace late in the race. What happened here?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: In 1994, Jeff Burton was by far the best driver out of a large rookie class ('94 also happened to be the first time that the Cup Series had 40 full-time teams). Burton was leading the Splitfire Spark Plugs 400 at Dover when things suddenly went wrong in a hurry. What happened?
A: Burton was coming off of Turn 4 on Lap 190 when his right front tire blew. Burton had nowhere to go but straight into the wall at the beginning of the frontstretch. The car caught fire and ricoheted across the track to slam into the inside wall. The crash, which can be seen here, was very scary. Members of Burton's pit crew along with Jeff Gordon's crew rushed across pit road and pulled Burton out of his destroyed race car unharmed. Unfortunately (and rather obviously, based on the clip), Burton was done for the day.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 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!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Dover by Matt Stallknecht
We'll help prepare you for the AAA 400, Race No. 3 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
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's OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Formula One Fridays by Andy Hollis
Andy returns with another look at the World Championship as the teams prepare for next weekend's Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit.
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