The Frontstretch Newsletter: Another Full-Time Nationwide Announcement

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 6th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CCXXIII
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HAPPY ELECTION DAY, AMERICAN SUBSCRIBERS!
MAKE SURE TO UTILIZE YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT AND VOTE!
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DONATE TO HELP HURRICANE SANDY VICTIMS
We are a full week past Hurricane Sandy's initial impact on the East Coast.  However, the suffering continues and help is still needed.  If you're in an unaffected area, please consider donating to help others who will spend months rebuilding their lives and their homes after Sandy whipped onshore with winds of 80 miles an hour.  Call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit redcross.org or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation today. Every little bit helps.
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What To Watch: Tuesday

- Tuesday will bring together two NASCAR-organized media teleconferences.  Brad Keselowski, runner-up to Jimmie Johnson for the Cup championship will be available while newly-crowned K&N Pro Series East Champion Kyle Larson (who is racing this weekend in the Lucas Oil 150 Camping World Truck Series race) will also drop in.

- It's uncertain if any penalties from the Austin Dillon - Denny Hamlin confrontation in the Nationwide Series will occur. But if they do... today is the day penalty announcements typically get released in the sport.

Top News
by Tom Bowles

Vickers Back Into The Nationwide Series Full-Time

Ten years after winning the championship, at age 20 Brian Vickers will take a second crack at NASCAR's second-tier division. The driver signed with Joe Gibbs Racing's Nationwide Series program Monday, returning for a full season with support from sponsor Dollar General. Vickers will replace Brian Scott, who struggled this season, with two top-5 finishes in 31 starts and no wins during a two-year tenure with the team. The hope is the former champ brings the car back up to the performance of the Nos. 18 and 20, mostly run by JGR Cup regulars and continually successful. Joey Logano, on the Nationwide side has a series-leading eight victories with JGR equipment.

"When you look at the Nationwide Series over the past several years, no team has dominated like Joe Gibbs Racing," claimed Vickers in a press release announcing the move. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get Dollar General, Toyota and JGR a Nationwide Series Championship next season."

Vickers has run with Dollar General backing several times before, in the Nationwide Series with Turner Motorsports; most recently, he manned the car last season after Reed Sorenson was fired from the No. 32 car. Those efforts didn't produce a victory - in fact, Vickers is without one in 58 spot starts since departing the series full-time after 2003. But all sides are excited that his arrival, plus the consistency of a full-time effort will quickly produce the type of results that earned him a championship in the first place. That's good publicity for a company whose presence is increasing in the sport.

"We are very excited about growing our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General's chairman and CEO. "NASCAR effectively reaches our customers, and our racing program has proven to be successful in helping us build our brand. We're thrilled to have Brian Vickers driving Dollar General-branded race cars next season."

Vickers will remain employed by Michael Waltrip Racing, on the Cup side where he is signed for nine races next season in the No. 55 Toyota. Both MWR and JGR appear to be candidates for his services, full-time on the Cup level in 2014 if sponsorship can be secured.

Matt Kenseth To Share Sponsorship With Dollar General, Home Depot

Dollar General's increased interest in NASCAR expands over into the Cup Series. Next season, Matt Kenseth will carry DG colors for 17 races, including the sport's Daytona 500 as the company shoulders more of the load formerly carried full-time by The Home Depot.

"Dollar General is a fantastic partner for us at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it's exciting to see how well the company uses its program to support its branding and marketing efforts," said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR in a release. "They have a tremendous enthusiasm for our sport, and I know Matt (Kenseth) and Brian (Vickers) are looking forward to representing Dollar General and having a lot of success on the track."

Home Depot will fill out the primary sponsorship of the No. 20 car for the remaining 19 points-paying events on the schedule. DG, whose internal research frequently links NASCAR and its customers has a long-term goal of becoming a full-time Cup Series sponsor down the line. That opens the door for perhaps a fourth JGR Toyota entry, in 2014 should additional sponsorship be secured on the No. 20.

Kenseth, the defending Daytona 500 champion will spend his first season driving for Joe Gibbs Racing full-time in 2013.

News Bites

- There's no word on the status of the other JGR Nationwide teams on top of this announcement. However, sources persist Elliott Sadler will run a second, full-time JGR car with OneMain Financial sponsorship in 2013; the deal will also give him a limited number of starts on the Cup level. A third, full-time JGR Nationwide Toyota will then, in theory be run for two of the team's Cup regulars, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, as well as developmental driver Darrell Wallace, Jr. The status of others who have driven for the program, including Michael McDowell, Ryan Truex, and Drew Herring is unknown. Brian Scott has been talking to several teams, both on the Nationwide level and Cup (Phoenix Racing) but a final decision on 2013 has not been reached.

- Don't expect NASCAR to change the way it judges race restarts. Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton, in comments to ESPN claimed there was little to no advantage gained from either Brad Keselowski or Jimmie Johnson in a series of final green-flag restarts at Texas. Both men, fans and other drivers believed had accelerated long before the "restart zone" designated by NASCAR to begin the acceleration back to the start/finish line; in particular, Kyle Busch complained about Keselowski jumping the start as much as "three car lengths" before it was legal. "There was nothing that put up a red flag," Pemberton said. "The point is, all in all, when you look at 300 yards of the front stretch, it looked pretty fair.'

- Official ratings have not been released by NASCAR yet, but reports have the Texas race down more than 10 percent in the Nielsens. If that's true, the 2012 Chase will continue its decline as the lowest-rated final 10 events since the sport's first national TV contract in 2001.

Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.

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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column has a new sheriff in town. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
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Today's Featured Commentary
Voting for No Change in NASCAR
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

NASCAR's got to change!  Isn't that the platform just about all of NASCAR Nation has been chanting for the past few years?  And yet even though we go to the voting booth (um, er, track) or don't, things haven't changed.  Somehow, the cookie cutter tracks still make up the vast majority of our schedule, the leader always drives off into the sunset without being challenged, Jimmie Johnson is going to be the Champ yet again and those damn kids are just around messing things up for the big boys...

Uh, wait a minute.  What kids?  For the past couple years, there's been a dearth of applicants for the Rookie of the Year honors in the Cup Series.  The ones that have appeared certainly haven't done anything to create any excitement in the "new kid on the block" world.  Does the name Conway ring a bell?  No?  Oh.  Well...anyway. 

If these assertions are all true, then how could Denny Hamlin possibly be having a meltdown post-Nationwide race in Texas over a very young, inexperienced racer failing to show the proper respect to his elders?

Because things never change.  And in this case, that's all to the good.

In the closing laps of Saturday's O'Reilly Autoparts Challenge, rookie Austin Dillon got a little close to Denny Hamlin's No. 18.  There was a little rubbin', some wiggling and a door-to-door conversation exchanged between the pair.  They drove on, bumper-to-bumper and Hamlin finished a very respectable fifth just in front of Dillon's sixth.  But neither driver appeared pleased at how it ended.

They continued their discussion all the way into the pits, where both teams got together for some polite conversation over exactly who was supposed to be giving and taking.  Nobody was accepting of the other point of view, but it was Hamlin who managed to snare the cameras and microphones, offering up some of the best of this year's "I'm Top Dog around here and I don't know what he was thinking" quotes.

"First of all, he got his ride because of his name."

Alright.  You got me on that one, Denny.  The older Dillon brother undoubtedly is driving the No. 3 Chevy because Grandpa is Richard Childress.  Still, it sounded a bit petulant right off the bat.

"If he's points racing, you can't crowd a guy that's running (for wins)."

Oh, please.  Right there, you've lost me.  So, the guys running for points in Nationwide are supposed to ride around in the back and not ding up the Cup boys' rides?  What?  Furthermore, you probably don't expect a rookie, one who so happens already has a Truck Series championship under his belt, to be able to rattle your cage.  It's an entitlement thing.  And it comes to every driver who has ever lived at the top of the mountain, only to have one of the new kids in town try to become king.

Yes, Austin Dillon has a very good machine under his butt, thanks to the money and knowledge of his extremely successful grandfather.  On the other hand, he hasn't done too bad in backing up the nice ride with competitive driving ability.  We have watched him take the dive through the tri-oval grass more than once. But he is relatively new to the garage area, and if there's one thing we've seen through the years, the veterans of this sport love nothing more than giving the rookies crap.

Wasn't it just a couple years ago a certain Bad Brad lingered on the tongue of every reporter and competitor in the Nationwide garage?  Too cocky.  Too impetuous. Doesn't have any respect.  Aggressive.  Don't know what he's thinking...  Boy, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Or going back a ways, who can forget the classic jibes that flew back and forth between Earnhardt Sr. and a certain young gun driving in a rainbow-colored car?  He needs more experience, hasn't paid his dues, can't just walk in and think he's the best thing ever... maybe he should have some milk and cookies in Victory Lane.  The milk mustache looked mighty impressive at the Cup Championship banquet, didn't it?

The fact is there is a large percentage of rookies that arrive in the upper echelons of NASCAR in slow machines funded by relatives who want to see their kid succeed, often combined with a limited amount of experience and talent.  Invariably, the resident winners get a little jaded when yet another new eager face appears and proceeds to do every stupid thing in the book, as it is usually combined with an exceedingly large sheet metal bill.  The insults regarding driving ability start to fly, along with unhelpful suggestions on how to improve.  The cycle continues.  The veterans get cranky and the rookies look foolish.

But every once in a while the unexpected happens; a new star begins their climb to the stratosphere.  Along the way we are treated to stunning examples of luck, good and bad.  Wrecks happen due to somebody's fault or not and those tried and true faces we know so well from media appearances get a little bent out of shape.  I believe Austin Dillon just might be the next driver to create a little havoc amongst his "betters."  He's already doing a stellar job.  

Times in these NASCAR parts never change, and in this instance, that's a very good thing.  It means Mr. Hamlin will just have to get over it and rub elbows with Austin Dillon and that silly hat over and over again.

Author's Note:  I've finally made it to Facebook!  Come visit with me at http://facebook.com/Author.SDGrady

S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch.com.  She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com.  Follow her on Twitter at @laregna.

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Numbers Game: AAA Texas 500
by Garrett Horton

2
Despite being considered just a two-man race for this year's Sprint Cup championship, there are only two of the 12 Chasers that have been mathematically eliminated from the title hunt.  With two races left, any driver within 96 points of the number one spot still has a shot to win, even if it's a long shot.   Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are the only Chase drivers that are further back than 96 markers.

5
Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Jimmie Johnson are in a three-way tie for the series lead in wins with five apiece.  Tony Stewart was the only driver last year to have more than four victories.

6
In last week's Numbers Game piece, it was mentioned how Brad Keselowski had never scored a top-10 finish at the Texas Motor Speedway. He was able to buck that trend on Sunday, and it was the sixth track this year he has earned his first top-10 performance at, joining Charlotte, Dover, Daytona, Phoenix, and Richmond.

8
Kurt Busch finished eighth at Texas, his first top-10 result in just his fourth race with Furniture Row Motorsports and only his third top-10 finish all year after spending most of the year driving in James Finch's unsponsored No. 51 entry.

9
Kevin Harvick finished ninth on Sunday, which was not only his best finish in the Chase this year, but also his first top-10 result in the last eight races.

10
There are ten drivers who already have at least ten top-10 finishes or more in 2012 with still two races to go.  There were only six drivers who had double digit top 10s last year.

204
Jimmie Johnson has won the pole and the race for the last two weeks, marking the first time in the last 204 events that a driver has done so.  Teammate and co-owner Jeff Gordon was the last driver to accomplish this feat, when he won the pole and race at Phoenix at Talladega in the spring of 2007.

700
Johnson's win on Sunday marked a historical accomplishment for Chevrolet, as it was the manufacturer's 700th overall in NASCAR competition, more than any other automaker in series history.  Their first win in the sport come over 50 years ago, when Fonty Flock first brought them to Victory Lane in 1955 at Columbia Raceway. 

$89,561
The race winnings for Sunday's last-place finisher Reed Sorenson.  He completed just six laps before retiring due to "electrical" issues, yet still made over $20,000 more than Saturday night's Nationwide series winner Kevin Harvick, who collected $66,175 for his efforts.

Garrett Horton is a Contributor to Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at garrett.horton@frontstretch.com.  Follow him on Twitter at @Garrett_Horton.

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Pastrana's 2013 Title Chase Surprising, but Exciting for Nationwide Series
by Kevin Rutherford

Who's Hot/Who's Not in NASCAR: Texas/Phoenix Edition
by Brett Poirier

Couch Potato Tuesday: Title-itis Hurts Telecasts in All Three Series
by Phil Allaway

Five Points to Ponder: Yellow Flags, Timely Contracts and Lost Enthusiasm
by Bryan Davis Keith

Tech Talk: Darian Grubb and Putting the Power Down at Phoenix
by Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  Phoenix's fall race has often been run on Halloween weekend in the past.  The 1995 Dura Lube 500k was no exception.  Kyle Petty's Coors Light Pontiac ran a special black and orange paint scheme with a pumpkin on the hood designed by Kyle's daughter, Montgomery Lee.  However, that wasn't the original plan for the hood.  What was originally supposed to be on the hood of Kyle's Pontiac?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:  Up until 2006, the Rolex Series raced on Phoenix International Raceway's infield road course early on in the season.  In the 2004 running of the race, Kyle Petty raced in the GT class in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS.  What color was Petty's car (that he shared with Gunnar Jeannette) and what was the team's sponsor?

A:  Petty drove a pink Porsche 911 GT3-RS with sliver flames (and purple headlight covers).  The car ran sponsorship from the then-upcoming Pixar film Cars.  The car can be seen here.  Cars also sponsored the car Petty drove in the Rolex 24 that year, but that car was a Daytona Prototype (Jeannette was also part of the driver lineup there).    That car was black with flames.  If you're wondering how Petty racing a Porsche in April was possible, it was because the event was held on Easter weekend, a traditional weekend off for the Sprint Cup Series.

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

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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Brad Morgan
-- Beth's Brief by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Tom returns with a series of "quick hit" discussion points. Among them: Is the Chase points system really reflective of how drivers have run this postseason? A surprising stat from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing that might surprise you, and more.

Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different subjects.  This week's topics include whether Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson jumped late restarts, the Cup debut of Xxxtreme Motorsports this weekend, the Hamlin-Austin Dillon conflict and more.

Sprint Cup Power Rankings compiled by Summer Bedgood
Did Sunday's on-track action significantly shake up our Power Rankings according to our experts?  You'll have to check it out in order to see where the drivers stand going into Sunday's Adovcare 500k at Phoenix International Raceway.

The Yellow Stripe by Danny Peters
After a one-day delay, Danny is back with another commentary to make you think.  This week, the topic is Hurricane Sandy, its horrific effects on NYC and how a little NASCAR can sometimes make a big difference in a crisis.

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

Open-Wheel Wednesday by Matt Stallknecht
Matt returns with another interesting commentary about the Izod IndyCar Series.
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