THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
October 18th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CCX
-----------------
What to Watch: Thursday
- On Thursday, the open testing is scheduled to continue at Kansas Speedway. Teams are scheduled to be out on the track from 8:30am-12:30pm local time. In addition, the Nationwide teams are scheduled to have additional practice time as well. Sprint Cup teams have the option of testing either their current cars, or their 2013 COT's as well. In addition, there will be a four hour test/practice session for the Nationwide Series today from 1-5pm local time. Neither of these sessions will be televised.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Sprint Cup Series Teams Take to Reconfigured Kansas Speedway
On Wednesday, the Sprint Cup Series teams were scheduled to have an open test session at the newly reconfigured Kansas Speedway. However, rain completely wiped out the morning test session and most of the afternoon test as well. The skies did clear up, allowing the track to be dried in time for a two-hour session in the late afternoon, though.
During that session, most teams ran the cars that they will likely race this weekend. However, four organizations tested their 2013 COT chassis. Those were Penske Racing and Wood Brothers Racing in Ford Fusions, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with the as-of-yet not unveiled Chevrolet SS, and Michael Waltrip Racing with their new Camry. 30 of the assembled cars broke the existing track record of 180.856 mph, which is currently held by Matt Kenseth. The fastest lap turned in the session was a 29.205 second lap (184.900 mph) by Greg Biffle.
Regardless of the speeds, the general opinion coming out of the test is that Kansas Speedway is now a completely different animal.
"This track went from being pretty abrasive and wearing the tires out to now [being] smooth and super fast," said Jeff Gordon. "We're having fun out there, going really fast and having a lot of grip and testing and trying a lot of new things. That part of it is very interesting and fun."
Biffle is a little nervous based on his experiences on the new surface.
"This tire has all the grip in the world, and then it has none," Biffle said to NASCAR.com. "There's no forgiveness. And that's the hardest to drive. If a car slides around a lot, you can at least control it. But here? You're like, 'whew, thank God -- that was almost a backup [car].' It's that treacherous, kind of. [The tires] start chattering, and it's gone."
One thing that is somewhat uniform is the belief by drivers and NASCAR officials that with the expanded testing, that the groove will eventually widen out and provide better racing by Saturday and Sunday. This was noted by a number of drivers, along with NASCAR's Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton.
Earnhardt Jr. Recovery Update
On Wednesday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s sister and business manager Kelley Earnhardt-Miller gave an official update on Earnhardt Jr.'s condition ten days after the concussion at Talladega. So far, so good.
"Dale has been following the doctor's orders to rest up," Earnhardt-Miller said on JR Nation. "The doctor did relax his orders a little last week and allowed him to watch some television and play a little video games. He's [just] not supposed to 'stress his brain'."
Recently, Earnhardt Jr. traveled to Pittsburgh to meet with a group of doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center led by Dr. Mickey Collins. While there, the doctors put Earnhardt Jr. through a series of tests in order to determine how well the recovery is going. Back home in North Carolina, Earnhardt Jr. will continue with some of the therapies prescribed to him, while remaining in communication with the doctors in Pittsburgh and neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty.
As of now, Earnhardt Jr. appears to still be on schedule to at least test a Sprint Cup car next week so that he can be cleared to race at Martinsville on October 28. It is unclear where that test would take place, although there are a couple of decent options in the Carolinas that would suffice just fine (examples include "Little Rock" at Rockingham Speedway and Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina). If everything goes to plan, Earnhardt Jr. would be back in the seat at Martinsville.
Moon Shine Attitude Attire to Sponsor Circle Sport at Kansas
On Wednesday, Circle Point, LLC announced a one-race deal that will see their No. 33 Chevrolet emblazoned with the logos of Moon Shine Attitude Attire this weekend at Kansas Speedway. According to their website, Moon Shine Attitude Attire describes themselves as a producer of "attitude driven, quality, designed causal wear for the outdoor audience."
Team owner Joe Falk is very happy to have Moon Shine Attitude Apparel onboard this weekend at Kansas.
"When we saw the Moon Shine logo, it immediately clicked that they had a brand intended for NASCAR," Falk said. "They have an image that will connect with NASCAR's fan base and plays to the roots of the sport. The Muddy Girl camouflage pattern is not only visually appealing, but it will also help draw attention to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an initiative that the entire NASCAR community has embraced."
Moon Shine President Travis Mattern is very happy to bring his company into the Sprint Cup Series.
"We are honored that Circle Sport has given us this prime means to further brand our product line. Moonshine was the start of all motorsports and that played a part in the reasoning for our company name," Mattern said. "In the past, we have focused our marketing efforts in the outdoor industry, but through 2012, we have done a lot more in the motorsports industry and it has been successful. The diversity of our company leaves the door open to endless possibilities and this opportunity with Circle Sport is a perfect example of that."
This is not Moon Shine Attitude Attire's first foray into motorsports. The company serves as the official apparel company for Hillman Racing. Their website has t-shirts on sale featuring Jeb Burton, who drove for the team at the beginning of the season. In addition, the company also sponsors race teams on the local level.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400: 47 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 10- Danica Patrick for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
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. 32- Timmy Hill for FAS Lane Racing
No. 33- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
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.
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- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
No. 37- J.J. Yeley for Tommy Baldwin Racing/MaxQ 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*
Not Entered:
No. 6- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 300: 44 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 13- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 18- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 30- James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 47- J.J. Yeley for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 00- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Angela Cope.
No. 08- Scott Saunders is in the seat, replacing Kyle Fowler.
No. 15- Timmy Hill returns to the seat, replacing Stanton Barrett.
No. 18- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Denny Hamlin.
No. 22- Ryan Blaney returns to the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 24- Derek White returns to the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 39- Dexter Stacey returns to the seat, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt.
No. 41- Nur Ali is in the seat, replacing Timmy Hill. This will be Ali's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 44- Hal Martin is in the seat, replacing Jeff Green. This will be Martin's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 70- Johanna Long returns to the seat, replacing Tony Raines.
No. 71- Carl Long returns to the seat, replacing Matt Carter.
No. 74- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing David Green.
No. 99- Kenny Wallace returns to the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 08- Scott Saunders for Randy Hill Racing/Go Green Racing
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR
No. 10- Charles Lewandoski for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 13- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 15- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 47- J.J. Yeley for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 52- Joey Gase for Means Motorsports
No. 71- Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 74- Unknown driver for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Racing Ventures
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Not Entered:
No. 20- Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 36- Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
No. 98- Reed Sorenson for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
ARCA Racing Series Kansas Lottery 98.9: 40 cars entered
Driver Changes:
No. 09- Grant Enfinger is in the seat, replacing Frankie Kimmel.
No. 0- Mike Harmon is in the seat, replacing Brett Hudson.
No. 2- Dustin Hapka is in the seat, replacing Tim Walter.
No. 32- Chris Windom is in the seat, replacing Mason Mingus.
No. 35- John Wes Townley is in the seat, replacing Nelson Canache.
No. 36- Ricky Ehrgott is in the seat, replacing Grant Enfinger.
No. 52- Chad Boat is in the seat, replacing Tom Hessert, III.
No. 55- Kevin Swindell returns to the seat, replacing Erik Jones.
No. 66- Nelson Canache returns to the seat, replacing Thomas Praytor.
No. 69- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Brad Lloyd.
No. 99- Brandon Davis returns to the seat, replacing Blake Hillard.
Notable Entries:
No. 04- Maryeve Dufault for Carter 2 Motorsports
No. 09- Grant Enfinger for Bixman Racing
No. 5- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 15- Ryan Reed for Venturini Motorsports
No. 22- Alex Bowman for Cunningham Motorsports
No. 23- Spencer Gallagher for Gallagher Racing
No. 25- Brennan Poole for Venturini Motorsports
No. 35- John Wes Townley for Venturini Motorsports
No. 44- Frank Kimmel for ThorSport Racing
No. 52- Chad Boat for Ken Schrader Racing
No. 55- Kevin Swindell for Venturini Motorsports
No. 58- Chad Hackenbracht for CGH Motorsports
No. 92- Brennan Newberry for NTS Motorsports
American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda: 42 cars entered
Prototype 1 (P1) Entries:
No. 6- Lucas Luhr, Klaus Graf and Romain Dumas for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing (HPD ARX-03a Honda)
No. 12- Neel Jani, Andrea Belicchi and Nicolas Prost for Rebellion Racing (Lola B12/60 Toyota)
No. 16- Chris Dyson, Guy Smith and Steven Kane for Dyson Racing (Lola B12/60 Mazda)
No. 20- Tony Burgess, Mark Patterson and Chris McMurry for Dyson Racing (Lola B11/66 Mazda)
Prototype 2 (P2) Entries:
No. 1- Alex Brundle, Tom Kimber-Smith and Alex Buncombe for Greaves Motorsports (Zytek Z11SN Nissan)
No. 27- Patrick Dempsey, Dane Cameron and Joe Foster for Dempsey Racing (Lola B12/87 Judd)
No. 35- Jacques Nicolet, Bertrand Baguette and Olivier Pla for OAK Racing (Morgan-Nissan)
No. 37- David Heinemeier Hansson, Eric Lux and Martin Plowman for Conquest Racing (Morgan-Nissan)
No. 46- Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Christophe Tinseau for Thiriet by TDS Racing (ORECA 03-Nissan)
No. 95- Scott Tucker, Dario and Marino Franchitti for Level 5 Motorsports (HPD ARX-03b Honda)
No. 055- Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz for Level 5 Motorsports (HPD ARX-03b Honda)
No. 118- Brendon Hartley, Warren Hughes and Jody Firth for Murphy Prototypes (ORECA 03-Nissan)
Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC)
No. 05- Jonathan Bennett, Ricardo Gonzalez and Colin Braun for CORE Autosport (ORECA FLM09)
No. 06- Alex Popow, Ryan Dalziel and Mark Wilkins for CORE Autosport (ORECA FLM09)
No. 8- Kyle Marceli, Matt Downs and Chapman Ducote for Merchant Services Racing (ORECA FLM09)
No. 9- Bruno Junqueira, Tomy Drissi and Ricardo Vera for RSR Racing (ORECA FLM09)
No. 25- Henri Richard, Duncan Ende and Ryan Lewis for Dempsey Racing (ORECA FLM09)
No. 52- Rudy Junco, Ken Dobson and Elton Julian for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports (ORECA FLM09)
Grand Touring (GT):
No. 01- Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Toni Vilander for Extreme Speed Motorsports (Ferrari 458 Italia)
No. 02- Guy Cosmo, Ed Brown and Anthony Lazzaro for Extreme Speed Motorsports (Ferrari 458 Italia)
No. 3- Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor for Corvette Racing (Chevrolet Corvette ZR1)
No. 4- Oliver Gavin, Richard Westbrook and Tommy Milner for Corvette Racing (Chevrolet Corvette ZR1)
No. 17- Wolf Henzler, Martin Ragginger and Bryan Sellers for Team Falken Tire (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 23- Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler and Johnny Mowlem for Alex Job Racing (Lotus Evora)
No. 44- Seth Neiman, Marco Holzer and Nick Tandy for Flying Lizard Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 45- Patrick Long, Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet for Flying Lizard Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 48- Bryce Miller, Richard Lietz and Sascha Maassen for Paul Miller Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 55- Jörg Müller, Bill Auberlen and Jonathan Summerton for BMW Team RLL (BMW M3)
No. 56- Dirk Müller, Jonathan Summerton and Uwe Alzen for BMW Team RLL (BMW M3)
No. 91- Kuno Wittmer, Dominic Farnbacher and Ryan Hunter-Reay for SRT Motorsports (SRT Viper GT3R)
No. 93- Marc Goossens, Tommy Kendall and Jonathan Bomarito for SRT Motorsports (SRT Viper GT3R)
GTE-Am (Grand Touring Endurance-Amateur)
No. 60- Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Marco Cioci and Matt Griffin for AF Corse (Ferrari 458 Italia)
No. 67- Anthony Pons, Nicolas Armindo and Raymond Narac for IMSA Performance Matmut (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
Grand Touring Challenge (GTC)
No. 11- Chris Cumming and Michael Valiante for JDX Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 22- Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and Dion von Möltke for Alex Job Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 24- Bob Faieta, Michael Avenatti and David Calvert-Jones for Alex Job Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 30- Henrique Cisneros, Mario Farnbacher and Jakub Giermaziak for NGT Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 31- Angel Benitez, Jr., Mark Bullitt and Jeff Segal for NGT Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 34- Peter LeSaffre, Damien Faulkner and Brian Wong for Green Hornet Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 66- Emilio Di Guida, Nelson Canache and Spencer Pumpelly for TRG Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 68- Emmanuel Collard, Mike Hedlund and Manuel Gutierrez, Jr. for TRG Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
Unclassified Experimental Vehicle:
No. 0- Gunnar Jeannette and Lucas Ordonez for Highcroft Racing (The DeltaWing)
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 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 October 17th
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
The news this week that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was sitting out the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte came as a total shock to those in the sport and fans alike. Despite being in the midst of a title fight, and heading to what is essentially his home track, Junior pulled the plug and opted to sit out the next two races.
Suffering two concussions in three months is not normal; suffering multiple concussions over the course of ten years even less so. There are three other instances in his career that you can check off to him suffering a concussion: California 2002, Dover 2003 and the 2004 ALMS practice crash where he got knocked out for a second and suffered burns on his neck and legs.
A week earlier, Robert Griffin, III quarterback for Dale Jr.'s beloved Washington Redskins suffered a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons. Originally he was supposed to sit out, but returned to play this past Sunday. While RGIII and company won, another multiple concussion victim Jahvid Best of the Detroit Lions underwent further neurological tests following a concussion suffered one year ago. After suffering concussions in college and in his brief NFL career that began in 2010, he is still not cleared to play, and will likely not play again.
Considering the career of a race car driver can extend into his 50's (see: Mark Martin) or even further beyond that (see: Morgan Shepherd), Junior has made the correct decision. Beyond that, the quality of life, and absence of the onset of dementia, seizures, and other related maladies takes precedence over strapping into a car for a few hours which in his case, would have apparently resulted in an engine failure. The guy has made a boatload of money and has found somebody who he might be able to enjoy it and his life with, and still drive competitively in the future if he wants to.
Racing with busted ribs or a broken wrist? Awesome. Racing with a bruised brain? It's stupid and unnecessary.
-----------------------------------------------
So far in this year's Chase we've been treated to three fuel mileage races, a drubbing by Denny at Loudon, and a Green-White-Wrecker gimmick gone awry at Talladega. Tell me again how adding a road course to The Chase is heresy, and how they're not that large of a part of the landscape of NASCAR. As big of a deal as is made of The Chase, and it being a 12-round knockout battle, it's simply not living up to the hype, and likely turning off fan and casual fan alike.
Yeah, I know; we harp on it constantly, but just because FOX signed up for another decade doesn't mean things are all good. Battles of years past would usually come down to a fuel mileage race here and there – but all of them? Between the enhanced reliability of the cars, indestructibility of the COT, and fuel cells that hold 20 percent less fuel than before, without a debris caution or errant water bottle, more races are going to end in such a fashion. It was interesting however being at the race this past Saturday in Charlotte, and listenting to Brad Keselowski shut his engine off entering Turn One occasionally trying to stretch his fuel even before the final pit stop.
It's interesting in the same way Formula One is interesting, based on the strategy that plays out, but it's not exactly Kyle Petty and Davey Allison coming to the checkered flag back in 1992. Oh and the next race? Kansas. With new pavement and a history of its own of drawn out green flag runs, take a wild guess how this one's going to end up.
---------------------------------------------------
The emergence of Michael Waltrip Racing this year has largely been attributed to the trio of Competition Director Scott Miller, Clint Bowyer, and Mark Martin. One of the unsung heroes of this team's rise to becoming a top tier Cup team just a few years removed from being just another mid-pack lap maker, is returning for 2013 and beyond. Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 55 Toyotas driven by Martin, Waltrip, and Brian Vickers was re-signed this week to remain atop the pit box for that group.
Childers had presided over MWR's previous wins at Charlotte in 2009 and Chicagoland in 2010 with former driver David Reutimann. The team that shares seats with three different drivers is currently 14th in owner's points, despite suffering multiple engine failures this year, and getting impaled on Michigan's pit wall. Martin has captured four poles this year, was in position to win at Pocono, while Waltrip was in the process of passing for the lead at Talladega when Tony Stewart pulled a U-y in the middle of Turn 4. In Brian Vickers' seven starts, he's notched three top-5 finishes, and four top-10's.
Considering he's fielding a top-5 car consistently with three different guys, Martin's assessment of Childers being the most underrated crew chief in the sport is spot on.
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!
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
October 18th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CCX
-----------------
What to Watch: Thursday
- On Thursday, the open testing is scheduled to continue at Kansas Speedway. Teams are scheduled to be out on the track from 8:30am-12:30pm local time. In addition, the Nationwide teams are scheduled to have additional practice time as well. Sprint Cup teams have the option of testing either their current cars, or their 2013 COT's as well. In addition, there will be a four hour test/practice session for the Nationwide Series today from 1-5pm local time. Neither of these sessions will be televised.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Sprint Cup Series Teams Take to Reconfigured Kansas Speedway
On Wednesday, the Sprint Cup Series teams were scheduled to have an open test session at the newly reconfigured Kansas Speedway. However, rain completely wiped out the morning test session and most of the afternoon test as well. The skies did clear up, allowing the track to be dried in time for a two-hour session in the late afternoon, though.
During that session, most teams ran the cars that they will likely race this weekend. However, four organizations tested their 2013 COT chassis. Those were Penske Racing and Wood Brothers Racing in Ford Fusions, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with the as-of-yet not unveiled Chevrolet SS, and Michael Waltrip Racing with their new Camry. 30 of the assembled cars broke the existing track record of 180.856 mph, which is currently held by Matt Kenseth. The fastest lap turned in the session was a 29.205 second lap (184.900 mph) by Greg Biffle.
Regardless of the speeds, the general opinion coming out of the test is that Kansas Speedway is now a completely different animal.
"This track went from being pretty abrasive and wearing the tires out to now [being] smooth and super fast," said Jeff Gordon. "We're having fun out there, going really fast and having a lot of grip and testing and trying a lot of new things. That part of it is very interesting and fun."
Biffle is a little nervous based on his experiences on the new surface.
"This tire has all the grip in the world, and then it has none," Biffle said to NASCAR.com. "There's no forgiveness. And that's the hardest to drive. If a car slides around a lot, you can at least control it. But here? You're like, 'whew, thank God -- that was almost a backup [car].' It's that treacherous, kind of. [The tires] start chattering, and it's gone."
One thing that is somewhat uniform is the belief by drivers and NASCAR officials that with the expanded testing, that the groove will eventually widen out and provide better racing by Saturday and Sunday. This was noted by a number of drivers, along with NASCAR's Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton.
Earnhardt Jr. Recovery Update
On Wednesday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s sister and business manager Kelley Earnhardt-Miller gave an official update on Earnhardt Jr.'s condition ten days after the concussion at Talladega. So far, so good.
"Dale has been following the doctor's orders to rest up," Earnhardt-Miller said on JR Nation. "The doctor did relax his orders a little last week and allowed him to watch some television and play a little video games. He's [just] not supposed to 'stress his brain'."
Recently, Earnhardt Jr. traveled to Pittsburgh to meet with a group of doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center led by Dr. Mickey Collins. While there, the doctors put Earnhardt Jr. through a series of tests in order to determine how well the recovery is going. Back home in North Carolina, Earnhardt Jr. will continue with some of the therapies prescribed to him, while remaining in communication with the doctors in Pittsburgh and neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty.
As of now, Earnhardt Jr. appears to still be on schedule to at least test a Sprint Cup car next week so that he can be cleared to race at Martinsville on October 28. It is unclear where that test would take place, although there are a couple of decent options in the Carolinas that would suffice just fine (examples include "Little Rock" at Rockingham Speedway and Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina). If everything goes to plan, Earnhardt Jr. would be back in the seat at Martinsville.
Moon Shine Attitude Attire to Sponsor Circle Sport at Kansas
On Wednesday, Circle Point, LLC announced a one-race deal that will see their No. 33 Chevrolet emblazoned with the logos of Moon Shine Attitude Attire this weekend at Kansas Speedway. According to their website, Moon Shine Attitude Attire describes themselves as a producer of "attitude driven, quality, designed causal wear for the outdoor audience."
Team owner Joe Falk is very happy to have Moon Shine Attitude Apparel onboard this weekend at Kansas.
"When we saw the Moon Shine logo, it immediately clicked that they had a brand intended for NASCAR," Falk said. "They have an image that will connect with NASCAR's fan base and plays to the roots of the sport. The Muddy Girl camouflage pattern is not only visually appealing, but it will also help draw attention to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an initiative that the entire NASCAR community has embraced."
Moon Shine President Travis Mattern is very happy to bring his company into the Sprint Cup Series.
"We are honored that Circle Sport has given us this prime means to further brand our product line. Moonshine was the start of all motorsports and that played a part in the reasoning for our company name," Mattern said. "In the past, we have focused our marketing efforts in the outdoor industry, but through 2012, we have done a lot more in the motorsports industry and it has been successful. The diversity of our company leaves the door open to endless possibilities and this opportunity with Circle Sport is a perfect example of that."
This is not Moon Shine Attitude Attire's first foray into motorsports. The company serves as the official apparel company for Hillman Racing. Their website has t-shirts on sale featuring Jeb Burton, who drove for the team at the beginning of the season. In addition, the company also sponsors race teams on the local level.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400: 47 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 10- Danica Patrick for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
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. 32- Timmy Hill for FAS Lane Racing
No. 33- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
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.
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- Cole Whitt for Circle Point, LLC
No. 37- J.J. Yeley for Tommy Baldwin Racing/MaxQ 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*
Not Entered:
No. 6- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 300: 44 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 13- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 18- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 30- James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 47- J.J. Yeley for Team Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 00- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Angela Cope.
No. 08- Scott Saunders is in the seat, replacing Kyle Fowler.
No. 15- Timmy Hill returns to the seat, replacing Stanton Barrett.
No. 18- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Denny Hamlin.
No. 22- Ryan Blaney returns to the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 24- Derek White returns to the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 39- Dexter Stacey returns to the seat, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt.
No. 41- Nur Ali is in the seat, replacing Timmy Hill. This will be Ali's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 44- Hal Martin is in the seat, replacing Jeff Green. This will be Martin's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 70- Johanna Long returns to the seat, replacing Tony Raines.
No. 71- Carl Long returns to the seat, replacing Matt Carter.
No. 74- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing David Green.
No. 99- Kenny Wallace returns to the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 08- Scott Saunders for Randy Hill Racing/Go Green Racing
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR
No. 10- Charles Lewandoski for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 13- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 15- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 47- J.J. Yeley for Team Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 52- Joey Gase for Means Motorsports
No. 71- Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 74- Unknown driver for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Racing Ventures
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Not Entered:
No. 20- Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 36- Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
No. 98- Reed Sorenson for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
ARCA Racing Series Kansas Lottery 98.9: 40 cars entered
Driver Changes:
No. 09- Grant Enfinger is in the seat, replacing Frankie Kimmel.
No. 0- Mike Harmon is in the seat, replacing Brett Hudson.
No. 2- Dustin Hapka is in the seat, replacing Tim Walter.
No. 32- Chris Windom is in the seat, replacing Mason Mingus.
No. 35- John Wes Townley is in the seat, replacing Nelson Canache.
No. 36- Ricky Ehrgott is in the seat, replacing Grant Enfinger.
No. 52- Chad Boat is in the seat, replacing Tom Hessert, III.
No. 55- Kevin Swindell returns to the seat, replacing Erik Jones.
No. 66- Nelson Canache returns to the seat, replacing Thomas Praytor.
No. 69- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Brad Lloyd.
No. 99- Brandon Davis returns to the seat, replacing Blake Hillard.
Notable Entries:
No. 04- Maryeve Dufault for Carter 2 Motorsports
No. 09- Grant Enfinger for Bixman Racing
No. 5- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 15- Ryan Reed for Venturini Motorsports
No. 22- Alex Bowman for Cunningham Motorsports
No. 23- Spencer Gallagher for Gallagher Racing
No. 25- Brennan Poole for Venturini Motorsports
No. 35- John Wes Townley for Venturini Motorsports
No. 44- Frank Kimmel for ThorSport Racing
No. 52- Chad Boat for Ken Schrader Racing
No. 55- Kevin Swindell for Venturini Motorsports
No. 58- Chad Hackenbracht for CGH Motorsports
No. 92- Brennan Newberry for NTS Motorsports
American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda: 42 cars entered
Prototype 1 (P1) Entries:
No. 6- Lucas Luhr, Klaus Graf and Romain Dumas for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing (HPD ARX-03a Honda)
No. 12- Neel Jani, Andrea Belicchi and Nicolas Prost for Rebellion Racing (Lola B12/60 Toyota)
No. 16- Chris Dyson, Guy Smith and Steven Kane for Dyson Racing (Lola B12/60 Mazda)
No. 20- Tony Burgess, Mark Patterson and Chris McMurry for Dyson Racing (Lola B11/66 Mazda)
Prototype 2 (P2) Entries:
No. 1- Alex Brundle, Tom Kimber-Smith and Alex Buncombe for Greaves Motorsports (Zytek Z11SN Nissan)
No. 27- Patrick Dempsey, Dane Cameron and Joe Foster for Dempsey Racing (Lola B12/87 Judd)
No. 35- Jacques Nicolet, Bertrand Baguette and Olivier Pla for OAK Racing (Morgan-Nissan)
No. 37- David Heinemeier Hansson, Eric Lux and Martin Plowman for Conquest Racing (Morgan-Nissan)
No. 46- Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Christophe Tinseau for Thiriet by TDS Racing (ORECA 03-Nissan)
No. 95- Scott Tucker, Dario and Marino Franchitti for Level 5 Motorsports (HPD ARX-03b Honda)
No. 055- Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz for Level 5 Motorsports (HPD ARX-03b Honda)
No. 118- Brendon Hartley, Warren Hughes and Jody Firth for Murphy Prototypes (ORECA 03-Nissan)
Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC)
No. 05- Jonathan Bennett, Ricardo Gonzalez and Colin Braun for CORE Autosport (ORECA FLM09)
No. 06- Alex Popow, Ryan Dalziel and Mark Wilkins for CORE Autosport (ORECA FLM09)
No. 8- Kyle Marceli, Matt Downs and Chapman Ducote for Merchant Services Racing (ORECA FLM09)
No. 9- Bruno Junqueira, Tomy Drissi and Ricardo Vera for RSR Racing (ORECA FLM09)
No. 25- Henri Richard, Duncan Ende and Ryan Lewis for Dempsey Racing (ORECA FLM09)
No. 52- Rudy Junco, Ken Dobson and Elton Julian for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports (ORECA FLM09)
Grand Touring (GT):
No. 01- Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Toni Vilander for Extreme Speed Motorsports (Ferrari 458 Italia)
No. 02- Guy Cosmo, Ed Brown and Anthony Lazzaro for Extreme Speed Motorsports (Ferrari 458 Italia)
No. 3- Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor for Corvette Racing (Chevrolet Corvette ZR1)
No. 4- Oliver Gavin, Richard Westbrook and Tommy Milner for Corvette Racing (Chevrolet Corvette ZR1)
No. 17- Wolf Henzler, Martin Ragginger and Bryan Sellers for Team Falken Tire (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 23- Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler and Johnny Mowlem for Alex Job Racing (Lotus Evora)
No. 44- Seth Neiman, Marco Holzer and Nick Tandy for Flying Lizard Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 45- Patrick Long, Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet for Flying Lizard Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 48- Bryce Miller, Richard Lietz and Sascha Maassen for Paul Miller Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
No. 55- Jörg Müller, Bill Auberlen and Jonathan Summerton for BMW Team RLL (BMW M3)
No. 56- Dirk Müller, Jonathan Summerton and Uwe Alzen for BMW Team RLL (BMW M3)
No. 91- Kuno Wittmer, Dominic Farnbacher and Ryan Hunter-Reay for SRT Motorsports (SRT Viper GT3R)
No. 93- Marc Goossens, Tommy Kendall and Jonathan Bomarito for SRT Motorsports (SRT Viper GT3R)
GTE-Am (Grand Touring Endurance-Amateur)
No. 60- Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Marco Cioci and Matt Griffin for AF Corse (Ferrari 458 Italia)
No. 67- Anthony Pons, Nicolas Armindo and Raymond Narac for IMSA Performance Matmut (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
Grand Touring Challenge (GTC)
No. 11- Chris Cumming and Michael Valiante for JDX Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 22- Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and Dion von Möltke for Alex Job Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 24- Bob Faieta, Michael Avenatti and David Calvert-Jones for Alex Job Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 30- Henrique Cisneros, Mario Farnbacher and Jakub Giermaziak for NGT Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 31- Angel Benitez, Jr., Mark Bullitt and Jeff Segal for NGT Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 34- Peter LeSaffre, Damien Faulkner and Brian Wong for Green Hornet Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 66- Emilio Di Guida, Nelson Canache and Spencer Pumpelly for TRG Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
No. 68- Emmanuel Collard, Mike Hedlund and Manuel Gutierrez, Jr. for TRG Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
Unclassified Experimental Vehicle:
No. 0- Gunnar Jeannette and Lucas Ordonez for Highcroft Racing (The DeltaWing)
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 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 October 17th
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
The news this week that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was sitting out the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte came as a total shock to those in the sport and fans alike. Despite being in the midst of a title fight, and heading to what is essentially his home track, Junior pulled the plug and opted to sit out the next two races.
Suffering two concussions in three months is not normal; suffering multiple concussions over the course of ten years even less so. There are three other instances in his career that you can check off to him suffering a concussion: California 2002, Dover 2003 and the 2004 ALMS practice crash where he got knocked out for a second and suffered burns on his neck and legs.
A week earlier, Robert Griffin, III quarterback for Dale Jr.'s beloved Washington Redskins suffered a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons. Originally he was supposed to sit out, but returned to play this past Sunday. While RGIII and company won, another multiple concussion victim Jahvid Best of the Detroit Lions underwent further neurological tests following a concussion suffered one year ago. After suffering concussions in college and in his brief NFL career that began in 2010, he is still not cleared to play, and will likely not play again.
Considering the career of a race car driver can extend into his 50's (see: Mark Martin) or even further beyond that (see: Morgan Shepherd), Junior has made the correct decision. Beyond that, the quality of life, and absence of the onset of dementia, seizures, and other related maladies takes precedence over strapping into a car for a few hours which in his case, would have apparently resulted in an engine failure. The guy has made a boatload of money and has found somebody who he might be able to enjoy it and his life with, and still drive competitively in the future if he wants to.
Racing with busted ribs or a broken wrist? Awesome. Racing with a bruised brain? It's stupid and unnecessary.
-----------------------------------------------
So far in this year's Chase we've been treated to three fuel mileage races, a drubbing by Denny at Loudon, and a Green-White-Wrecker gimmick gone awry at Talladega. Tell me again how adding a road course to The Chase is heresy, and how they're not that large of a part of the landscape of NASCAR. As big of a deal as is made of The Chase, and it being a 12-round knockout battle, it's simply not living up to the hype, and likely turning off fan and casual fan alike.
Yeah, I know; we harp on it constantly, but just because FOX signed up for another decade doesn't mean things are all good. Battles of years past would usually come down to a fuel mileage race here and there – but all of them? Between the enhanced reliability of the cars, indestructibility of the COT, and fuel cells that hold 20 percent less fuel than before, without a debris caution or errant water bottle, more races are going to end in such a fashion. It was interesting however being at the race this past Saturday in Charlotte, and listenting to Brad Keselowski shut his engine off entering Turn One occasionally trying to stretch his fuel even before the final pit stop.
It's interesting in the same way Formula One is interesting, based on the strategy that plays out, but it's not exactly Kyle Petty and Davey Allison coming to the checkered flag back in 1992. Oh and the next race? Kansas. With new pavement and a history of its own of drawn out green flag runs, take a wild guess how this one's going to end up.
---------------------------------------------------
The emergence of Michael Waltrip Racing this year has largely been attributed to the trio of Competition Director Scott Miller, Clint Bowyer, and Mark Martin. One of the unsung heroes of this team's rise to becoming a top tier Cup team just a few years removed from being just another mid-pack lap maker, is returning for 2013 and beyond. Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 55 Toyotas driven by Martin, Waltrip, and Brian Vickers was re-signed this week to remain atop the pit box for that group.
Childers had presided over MWR's previous wins at Charlotte in 2009 and Chicagoland in 2010 with former driver David Reutimann. The team that shares seats with three different drivers is currently 14th in owner's points, despite suffering multiple engine failures this year, and getting impaled on Michigan's pit wall. Martin has captured four poles this year, was in position to win at Pocono, while Waltrip was in the process of passing for the lead at Talladega when Tony Stewart pulled a U-y in the middle of Turn 4. In Brian Vickers' seven starts, he's notched three top-5 finishes, and four top-10's.
Considering he's fielding a top-5 car consistently with three different guys, Martin's assessment of Childers being the most underrated crew chief in the sport is spot on.
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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Hey Frontstretch Readers,
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: Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge's Grand Sport Race at Lime Rock Park
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. This past weekend, SPEED televised tape-delayed coverage of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge's season finales at Lime Rock Park, which were originally run on September 28 and 29. Due to the 1.53 mile configuration of Lime Rock Park and the fact that nearly 60 cars between the two classes were entered, split races were instituted.
The Street Tuner season finale, which aired on Saturday, was run during a driving rain. It was not complete chaos on-track, but early leader Jesse Combs did get his BMW stuck in the mud after coming into contact with a lapped car. Meanwhile, the Grand Sport season finale was held on Saturday morning on a dry track. Now, since I just so happened to be at the track for this race, I will add in some of my own thoughts from that day as well, since it turned out to be one of the weirdest races I'd ever seen.
The race telecast started off with the broadcast booth previewing the race while the cars were rolling off the grid in the background. In addition, there were interviews with two of the drivers in contention for the championship, David Empringham and Matt Plumb (their teammates were starting the race, and that became a big story for Plumb).
Due to the fact that the Grand Sport cars had not been on track all weekend in the dry, Grand-Am chose to scrub qualifying and start the race on points. This put the three teams in contention for the title (No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro, No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911 and No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 911) right up at the front.
Dorsey Schroeder mentioned the "lakes" in some of the runoff areas on the course. Due to rains before the weekend even started, track crews drained the runoff in anticipation for Friday's on-track action. However, the heavy rains that fell on Friday thoroughly soaked the runoff and brought the ponds back. In the Street Tuner, one of the RSR Motorsports Mini Cooper S's got off the road and went through a pond, creating a large water splash before continuing.
Since the race was aired in a two-hour timeslot, there was a fair amount of material that got cut. SPEED cut away to their first break on Lap 6 or so, then returned at Lap 18. In that time, Roger Miller spun his No. 158 Ford Mustang in Turn 3. Also, Tim Bell spun his No. 6 Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 2 and got stuck in the mud. This brought out a full course caution and resulted in some early stops. SPEED returned at the end of this yellow.
Schroeder was quite critical of Nick Longhi's driving during his 26-minute stint in the No. 13. This was because Longhi was using a very defensive driving style. Schroeder wouldn't exactly call it "blocking," but said that it was borderline and quite pointless for less than a half-hour into the race.
Now, the 26 minutes that I mentioned earlier ended up being very important. On the telecast here, the booth was pretty convinced that Longhi had sacrificed his championship chances for the good of the team. During the actual race, it was not so certain. Even after the race was over, it was unclear whether or not the series was going to give Longhi credit for his time in the car. The post-race press conference made it sound like there was still deliberations going on. In contrast, the BGB Motorsports team waited for a few laps under the yellow until they were sure they were good on time before stopping. Ultimately, that move won them the title.
I was surprised that SPEED only covered the crash that took Lawson Aschenbach in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet out of the race (and brought out the third full course yellow of the day) in an Up to Speed segment. Since Aschenbach and teammate Eric Curran were still in championship contention at the beginning of the day, you'd think it would get an added focus. I suppose not. Didn't really like that much.
The fourth caution and the reason for it was also cut out of the broadcast. Here, Tim Fox was spun into the wall on the No Name Straight after some contact. Since Fox resumed, that wasn't what brought out the yellow. Before Fox could get his Aston Martin back to pit road, the engine blew and the car came to a stop at West Bend (Turn 6). Later, the fifth caution was cut out as well. This saw the No. 35 Subaru of Andrew Aquilante spin into the tires at Turn 1 (Big Bend) after contact from Bill Auberlen's Turner Motorsport BMW No. 96. Auberlen was shown taking his stop-and-go for avoidable contact.
There were also some news bites that were mentioned during the race. The schedules for both the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) were announced. The only difference between the two is that the CTSCC will not go to Detroit, where the Rolex Series runs as the primary support to the Izod IndyCar Series. Another news bite that was announced on-air is that Rebel Rock Racing will run as a factory Scion team in the Street Tuner class next year. They'll be running rear-wheel drive Scion FR-S's. For driver Robert Stout, it is a return for him. Previously, Stout raced a Scion tC in World Challenge.
Post-race coverage featured interviews with winners Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi (note that Brian Till specifically mentioned about how Longhi would not get a share of the title, despite Grand-Am mentioning that it was still possible in the press conference 20 minutes after that interview). Then, the coverage cut suddenly to Leigh Diffey in the broadcast booth. Here, in a segment taped after sunset that afternoon (the race actually finished around 1pm, mind you), Diffey explained that Matt Plumb would not be getting drivers' points because of an error by Rum Bum Racing.
As has been previously reported here at Frontstretch, Matt Plumb was entered in both the winning No. 13 Porsche and the No. 3 BMW M3 that the team entered as well (that particular car was driven by Billy Johnson and Jeff Segal to a fifth-place finish). That's all fine and dandy. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you start one of those cars. Matt did not drive the No. 3 at all, and let Longhi start the No. 13. As a result, he was ineligible for driver points and had to surrender all purse money.
SPEED then showed the revised drivers' points, showing that Empringham and John Farano won the title by 29 points over Matt Bell. Matt Plumb and Longhi ended in a joint third, 32 points back. This situation resulted in the commentators having to do their post-race analysis in post-production, possibly back in Charlotte while the screen showed a slow motion image of Matt Plumb celebrating his win. There was an additional interview with actual factual champions Empringham and Farano on the frontstretch, but this was done something like 45 minutes after the race ended and they seemed more bummed out than anything else. Of note, Empringham and Farano did not get a champion's press conference, as that was given to Matt Plumb earlier that afternoon.
This race contained quite a bit of action for position on track and SPEED did a pretty good in showing it. There was a lot of instances of contact as well. SPEED did not do such a great job of showing that, as I've mentioned above. The commentary was spot on with plenty of enthusiasm. The team of Diffey, Fish and Schroeder definitely love to cover this type of racing and it shows both with the commentary you see during the race, and the somewhat dejected feeling afterwards. You could tell that they didn't want the championship to be decided by "paperwork," in Schroeder's own words. But, it is true that the rule is in black and white. Grand-Am, unlike NASCAR, puts all their rules right out there on their website. On page 13 of the General Sporting Regulations, Section 5.2 puts the rule in question in writing. Man, I wish we had this at our disposal for Sprint Cup, but I digress.
Now, the conduct in the telecast was most definitely not a form of favoritism towards Matt Plumb or Rum Bum Racing, but more of a personal opinion. Matt Plumb won the championship on the track by winning the race. It's not his fault that his team screwed up, for lack of better words. However, they screwed up the paperwork, and lost the title for their driver. With this in play, they still would have lost the title even if Longhi did the minimum 30 minutes in the car. Rum Bum Racing will have to be content with the team championship for 2012, but they'll be back as strong as ever in January at Daytona.
I hope you liked this look at the Grand Sport season finale from Lime Rock Park. Next week, I'll cover the American Le Mans Series season finale, the Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda from Road Atlanta. Until then, enjoy the racing this weekend from Kansas and Braselton, GA.
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 Professor of Speed: A Difficult Lesson To Learn
"Maybe if LeeRoy Yarbrough paid more attention to his symptoms, he'd have been able to avoid his eventual tragic demise. If his family, his fellow racers, an alert doctor, or even NASCAR had been more aware of concussions and their dangers, perhaps Yarbrough's tale would have had a happy ending. His "official" cause of death was cited as the result of traumatic brain injury (TBI), but I fail to see much difference between what used to be considered TBI and what doctors today define as CTE. "- Dr. Mark Howell, on the late LeeRoy Yarbrough, and his demise as a result of head injuries and dementia.
~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Frontstretch Fan Q & A: Finding NASCAR Drivers Old and New--
The Critic's Annex: Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge's Grand Sport Race at Lime Rock Park
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. This past weekend, SPEED televised tape-delayed coverage of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge's season finales at Lime Rock Park, which were originally run on September 28 and 29. Due to the 1.53 mile configuration of Lime Rock Park and the fact that nearly 60 cars between the two classes were entered, split races were instituted.
The Street Tuner season finale, which aired on Saturday, was run during a driving rain. It was not complete chaos on-track, but early leader Jesse Combs did get his BMW stuck in the mud after coming into contact with a lapped car. Meanwhile, the Grand Sport season finale was held on Saturday morning on a dry track. Now, since I just so happened to be at the track for this race, I will add in some of my own thoughts from that day as well, since it turned out to be one of the weirdest races I'd ever seen.
The race telecast started off with the broadcast booth previewing the race while the cars were rolling off the grid in the background. In addition, there were interviews with two of the drivers in contention for the championship, David Empringham and Matt Plumb (their teammates were starting the race, and that became a big story for Plumb).
Due to the fact that the Grand Sport cars had not been on track all weekend in the dry, Grand-Am chose to scrub qualifying and start the race on points. This put the three teams in contention for the title (No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro, No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911 and No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 911) right up at the front.
Dorsey Schroeder mentioned the "lakes" in some of the runoff areas on the course. Due to rains before the weekend even started, track crews drained the runoff in anticipation for Friday's on-track action. However, the heavy rains that fell on Friday thoroughly soaked the runoff and brought the ponds back. In the Street Tuner, one of the RSR Motorsports Mini Cooper S's got off the road and went through a pond, creating a large water splash before continuing.
Since the race was aired in a two-hour timeslot, there was a fair amount of material that got cut. SPEED cut away to their first break on Lap 6 or so, then returned at Lap 18. In that time, Roger Miller spun his No. 158 Ford Mustang in Turn 3. Also, Tim Bell spun his No. 6 Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 2 and got stuck in the mud. This brought out a full course caution and resulted in some early stops. SPEED returned at the end of this yellow.
Schroeder was quite critical of Nick Longhi's driving during his 26-minute stint in the No. 13. This was because Longhi was using a very defensive driving style. Schroeder wouldn't exactly call it "blocking," but said that it was borderline and quite pointless for less than a half-hour into the race.
Now, the 26 minutes that I mentioned earlier ended up being very important. On the telecast here, the booth was pretty convinced that Longhi had sacrificed his championship chances for the good of the team. During the actual race, it was not so certain. Even after the race was over, it was unclear whether or not the series was going to give Longhi credit for his time in the car. The post-race press conference made it sound like there was still deliberations going on. In contrast, the BGB Motorsports team waited for a few laps under the yellow until they were sure they were good on time before stopping. Ultimately, that move won them the title.
I was surprised that SPEED only covered the crash that took Lawson Aschenbach in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet out of the race (and brought out the third full course yellow of the day) in an Up to Speed segment. Since Aschenbach and teammate Eric Curran were still in championship contention at the beginning of the day, you'd think it would get an added focus. I suppose not. Didn't really like that much.
The fourth caution and the reason for it was also cut out of the broadcast. Here, Tim Fox was spun into the wall on the No Name Straight after some contact. Since Fox resumed, that wasn't what brought out the yellow. Before Fox could get his Aston Martin back to pit road, the engine blew and the car came to a stop at West Bend (Turn 6). Later, the fifth caution was cut out as well. This saw the No. 35 Subaru of Andrew Aquilante spin into the tires at Turn 1 (Big Bend) after contact from Bill Auberlen's Turner Motorsport BMW No. 96. Auberlen was shown taking his stop-and-go for avoidable contact.
There were also some news bites that were mentioned during the race. The schedules for both the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) were announced. The only difference between the two is that the CTSCC will not go to Detroit, where the Rolex Series runs as the primary support to the Izod IndyCar Series. Another news bite that was announced on-air is that Rebel Rock Racing will run as a factory Scion team in the Street Tuner class next year. They'll be running rear-wheel drive Scion FR-S's. For driver Robert Stout, it is a return for him. Previously, Stout raced a Scion tC in World Challenge.
Post-race coverage featured interviews with winners Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi (note that Brian Till specifically mentioned about how Longhi would not get a share of the title, despite Grand-Am mentioning that it was still possible in the press conference 20 minutes after that interview). Then, the coverage cut suddenly to Leigh Diffey in the broadcast booth. Here, in a segment taped after sunset that afternoon (the race actually finished around 1pm, mind you), Diffey explained that Matt Plumb would not be getting drivers' points because of an error by Rum Bum Racing.
As has been previously reported here at Frontstretch, Matt Plumb was entered in both the winning No. 13 Porsche and the No. 3 BMW M3 that the team entered as well (that particular car was driven by Billy Johnson and Jeff Segal to a fifth-place finish). That's all fine and dandy. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you start one of those cars. Matt did not drive the No. 3 at all, and let Longhi start the No. 13. As a result, he was ineligible for driver points and had to surrender all purse money.
SPEED then showed the revised drivers' points, showing that Empringham and John Farano won the title by 29 points over Matt Bell. Matt Plumb and Longhi ended in a joint third, 32 points back. This situation resulted in the commentators having to do their post-race analysis in post-production, possibly back in Charlotte while the screen showed a slow motion image of Matt Plumb celebrating his win. There was an additional interview with actual factual champions Empringham and Farano on the frontstretch, but this was done something like 45 minutes after the race ended and they seemed more bummed out than anything else. Of note, Empringham and Farano did not get a champion's press conference, as that was given to Matt Plumb earlier that afternoon.
This race contained quite a bit of action for position on track and SPEED did a pretty good in showing it. There was a lot of instances of contact as well. SPEED did not do such a great job of showing that, as I've mentioned above. The commentary was spot on with plenty of enthusiasm. The team of Diffey, Fish and Schroeder definitely love to cover this type of racing and it shows both with the commentary you see during the race, and the somewhat dejected feeling afterwards. You could tell that they didn't want the championship to be decided by "paperwork," in Schroeder's own words. But, it is true that the rule is in black and white. Grand-Am, unlike NASCAR, puts all their rules right out there on their website. On page 13 of the General Sporting Regulations, Section 5.2 puts the rule in question in writing. Man, I wish we had this at our disposal for Sprint Cup, but I digress.
Now, the conduct in the telecast was most definitely not a form of favoritism towards Matt Plumb or Rum Bum Racing, but more of a personal opinion. Matt Plumb won the championship on the track by winning the race. It's not his fault that his team screwed up, for lack of better words. However, they screwed up the paperwork, and lost the title for their driver. With this in play, they still would have lost the title even if Longhi did the minimum 30 minutes in the car. Rum Bum Racing will have to be content with the team championship for 2012, but they'll be back as strong as ever in January at Daytona.
I hope you liked this look at the Grand Sport season finale from Lime Rock Park. Next week, I'll cover the American Le Mans Series season finale, the Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda from Road Atlanta. Until then, enjoy the racing this weekend from Kansas and Braselton, GA.
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 Professor of Speed: A Difficult Lesson To Learn
"Maybe if LeeRoy Yarbrough paid more attention to his symptoms, he'd have been able to avoid his eventual tragic demise. If his family, his fellow racers, an alert doctor, or even NASCAR had been more aware of concussions and their dangers, perhaps Yarbrough's tale would have had a happy ending. His "official" cause of death was cited as the result of traumatic brain injury (TBI), but I fail to see much difference between what used to be considered TBI and what doctors today define as CTE. "- Dr. Mark Howell, on the late LeeRoy Yarbrough, and his demise as a result of head injuries and dementia.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Summer Bedgood
Beyond the Cockpit: James Buescher On Starting Out, Moving Up, and Title Hopes
as told to Phil Allaway
Professor Of Speed: A Difficult Lesson To Learn
by Mark Howell
Truckin' Thursdays: Rule Changes, Off Weekends and Back to Dirt?
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 2002 Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway appeared to get off to a somewhat quiet start. According to Benny Parsons, drivers were being quite courteous to each other in the first few laps. Of course, that didn't last long as a big wreck broke out shortly afterward. What happened to cause this wreck?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: In 2001, the then-Craftsman Truck Series and the then-Indy Racing Northern Light Series shared the first major race weekend at Kansas Speedway. The truck race was won by the late Ricky Hendrick, while Eddie Cheever won the Indy race. Scott Sharp also claimed the first Indy pole at Kansas, and ran very well before dropping out. What happened?
A: Sharp was running towards the front of the field when his car appeared to suffer some type of mechanical failure on Lap 137. As a result, Sharp's car suddenly swapped ends and went hard into the outside wall in Turn 4. Sharp was ok, but his car was thrashed. The crash can briefly be seen at the :55 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!
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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: Kansas by Matt Stallknecht
We'll help prepare you for the Hollywood Casino, Race No. 4 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 as the teams enjoy their final off-week of the season..
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 India at the Buddh International Circuit.
Michael Annett Driver Diary as told to Toni Montgomery
Michael returns to talk about the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte, the increased focus on concussions and Halloween.
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