THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 1st, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CCXX
-----------------
DONATE TO HELP HURRICANE SANDY VICTIMS
Millions are grappling with the effects from one of the more devastating hurricanes to hit the United States. 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.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Update on Nationwide to Trois-Rivieres
Sources have notified The Frontstretch that there is a big announcement scheduled for Thursday in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec at 1:30 PM. It appears likely that the city's street circuit will announce the addition of the NASCAR Nationwide Series to the city's GP3R Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres.
Last year, IndyCar's Firestone Indy Lights and NASCAR's Canadian Tire Series were the co-headliners in Trois-Rivieres. However, Firestone Indy Lights continues to suffer from low car count. Only 11 cars contested the Trois-Rivieres round. A couple of weeks ago, Trois-Rivieres announced that Firestone Indy Lights would not be on the schedule for 2013, despite the series being under contract to race at Trois-Rivieres through next year. IndyCar had failed to meet the minimum number of starters (17) for their two years in Trois-Rivieres. As a result, they were considered to have breached their own contract. GP3R CEO Dominic Fugure was more than ready to go on without Firestone Indy Lights, stating that he had 11 races on the docket for 2013 anyway.
However, an article from Montreal-based La Presse (translated from French via Google Translate) after Firestone Indy Lights' pullout argues that the GP3R organizers may be trying to lure in Germany's DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) for 2014. That series, which features silhouette Audi R5, BMW M3 and Mercedes C-Class coupe racers. Canadian Bruno Spengler is the series' reigning champion. If so, the Nationwide Series racing in Trois-Rivieres could prove to be only a one year deal, or the series could end up sharing the marque with DTM in 2014.
Ever since the announcement was made that the Nationwide Series would not return to Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for 2013, NASCAR has been trying to find a replacement Canadian venue. Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formerly Mosport International Raceway) was considered to be a likely target, but the track was unable to meet NASCAR's standards.
NASCAR Plaza Sold
The Charlotte Business Journal is reporting that Parkway Properties has agreed to purchase NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story skyscraper adjacent to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte after making an unsolicited bid for the property a couple of weeks earlier. The price tag: $100 million.
Parkway Properties President and Chief Executive James Heistand couldn't be happier with the purchase.
"The purchase of NASCAR Plaza represents another off-market transaction that enables us to expand in one of our key, target submarkets with a high-quality asset," said Heistand. "NASCAR Plaza has a strong tenant base and is the headquarters for several well-known companies. We expect to create additional value through leasing and rent growth in a submarket that we believe will outperform during a recovery.
According to their website, Parkway Properties specializes in ownership of "qualify office properties in higher growth submarkets in the Sunbelt region of the United States." It is far from the company's first acquisition in the Charlotte area. Recently, the company acquired the 47-story Hearst Tower for $250 million from Bank of America. In addition, the company also has Mallard Creek, Oak Hill Business Park and Parkway Plaza, a series of business parks in the Charlotte area in their expansive portfolio.
The two largest lessees currently in NASCAR Plaza are NASCAR itself, which leases 139,000 square feet of office space and Chiquita International, which houses their world headquarters in the building. Chiquita's arrival in 2011 helped spur a substantial turnaround for the building. In January, 2011, the building was bought out of foreclosure by two venture capital firms, Trinity Capital Advisors and Rubenstein Partners. At the time, NASCAR was the primary tenant, but over 60 percent of the building was vacant. Since then, the two firms espoused an aggressive pricing policy for new lessees that has resulted in the building going from 37 percent occupancy to 88 percent occupancy in less than two years.
Ali Forced by NASCAR to Withdraw
As noted below in our weekly Entry List Update, Nur Ali was entered in Saturday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway for Rick Ware Racing, but withdrew. Why is this so? According to the Associated Press, NASCAR refused to approve Ali for Texas after what was viewed as a less than stellar debut in Kansas. Two weeks ago, Ali struggled to find the pace in practice and hold his line, which drew the ire of his fellow drivers. Late in practice, Ali collided with Erik Darnell while trying to enter pit road. In the race, Ali was substantially off the pace before crashing out and finishing 33rd.
Ali has accepted NASCAR's decree and tells the AP that he plans to attempt Phoenix instead.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500: 46 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. 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. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 33- Stephen Leicht for Circle Point, 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*
Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 03- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 30- Ryan Newman for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Kevin Harvick 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
Driver Changes:
No. 10- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 13- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Jennifer Jo Cobb.
No. 15- Timmy Hill returns to the seat, replacing Stanton Barrett.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 19- Hal Martin is in the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 24- David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Derek White. Benny Gordon was originally entered as the driver.
No. 30- Ryan Newman is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Paul Menard.
No. 39- Tim Andrews returns to the seat, replacing Dexter Stacey.
No. 41- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Nur Ali.
No. 44- John Blankenship returns to the seat, replacing Hal Martin. This entry will be fielded by Tommy Baldwin Racing.
No. 74- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
No. 98- Kevin Swindell is in the seat, replacing Reed Sorenson.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports/Ruch Motorsports*
No. 03- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports
No. 08- Scott Saunders for Randy Hill Racing/Go Green Racing
No. 10- Mike Bliss for TriStar Motorsports
No. 13- Unknown driver for JJC Racing
No. 15- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs 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. 74- Unknown driver for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
No. 91- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 98- Kevin Swindell for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 75- Nur Ali for Rick Ware Racing
Not Entered:
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR
No. 28- Tony Raines for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 71- Rick Ware Racing
Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350k: 37 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 5- Aric Almirola for Wauters Motorsports
No. 18- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 19- David Mayhew for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 4- Brandon McReynolds is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong. If he qualifies, this will mark McReynolds' Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 5- Aric Almirola returns to the seat, replacing Josh Richards.
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the seat, replacing Jake Crum.
No. 18- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 27- BJ McLeod returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Truex.
No. 38- Chris Jones returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer.
No. 51- German Quiroga returns to the seat, replacing Denny Hamlin.
No. 83- Chris Fontaine is in the seat, replacing Brandon Duchscherer (from 2009).
No. 84- Russ Dugger returns to the seat, replacing Chris Fontaine.
No. 93- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Tim George, Jr.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing*
No. 4- Brandon McReynolds for Turner Motorsports
No. 5- Aric Almirola for Wauters Motorsports
No. 7- Parker Kligerman for Red Horse Racing
No. 8- Max Gresham for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 19- David Mayhew for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing
No. 51- German Quiroga for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 81- David Starr for Billy Ballew Motorsports
No. 83- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
Not Entered:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young Motorsports
No. 14- Brennan Newberry for NTS Motorsports
No. 35- Matt Merrell for Win-Tron Racing
No. 36- Grant Enfinger for Allgaier Motorsports
No. 60- Peyton Sellers for Turn One Racing
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Motorsports
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 92- Scott Riggs for RBR Motorsports
No. 96- Todd Peck for Peck Motorsports
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
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 November 1st
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
The crew chief situation at Richard Childress Racing is in revolving door mode again, as it was announced this week that Drew Blickensderfer would be departing from the organization, while Shane Wilson will finish out the final three races of the year. Elliott Sadler's Nationwide Series crew chief Luke Lambert will take over as crew chief of the No. 31 of Jeff Burton for the 2013 campaign.
Heard this one before? Usually it's the No. 29 team that is the catalyst of an annual team or crew chief swap this time of year – but to their credit, they got theirs out of the way a few months early. Shane Wilson was Harvick's crew chief the first half of the year, until he realized how much he missed yelling and insulting Gil Martin. Luke Lambert finished out the year with Jeff Burton in 2011, narrowly losing to Clint Bowyer at the finish line at the fall race in Talladega.
RCR has been in a bit of downward spiral the past couple of seasons, amidst a host of personnel changes. Competition Director Scott Miller to Michael Waltrip Racing, while Todd Berrier moved over to the satellite operation of Furniture Row Racing. The No. 33 team could not sustain sponsorship, which prompted Clint Bowyer's move to MWR as well, helping elevate it to legitimate Cup-contender status. Elliott Sadler will be out the door shortly as well, moving to Joe Gibbs Racing. While Sadler and Childress' grandson Austin Dillon are first and third respectively in the Nationwide standings, the performance at RCR leaves a bit to be desired.
Jeff Burton has not won a race since 2008, and is having yet another miserable season. Sitting 19th in points, his pair of Top 5s and six Top 10s are on par with last season, which saw him finish 20th in points, with two Top 5s and five Top 10s. Teammate Paul Menard is 16th in points, while Kevin Harvick is 11th-place in the Chase Standings; the only reason he's not 12th is because Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took off two weeks with a concussion. While this has been the pattern for RCR the past couple of years, the continued struggles of the No. 31 team are particularly puzzling.
Might a change to the COT V3.0 next season be the equalizer that Burton needs to get his career going again? If not, at what point does Burton explore his options and see where else he may consider going?
This year's World Series between my Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants was the second-lowest viewed ever. I mean, I understand, why wouldn't you want to see the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, last year's MVP, and this year's Home Run Derby winner? On SF's side, you had an improbable collection of cast-offs, one-offs, and solid young players, who came from within a few outs of elimination to win their second World Series in three years. Similar comparisons could be made to this year's title fight between Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski.
Two teams, neck and neck, the Five-Time champion versus the young upstart who established himself as a prime-time player late last season, in the swan song for one of America's most storied automakers. A 2.8 rating for Martinsville was down over 20% from a year ago – and you can't blame the NHL season starting for this one.
A week after Jimmie Johnson drove his crippled car to a Top 10 at repaved Kansas, and the return of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to the track, you'd think there would be a few more eyes on the prize – particularly with the World Series wrapping up 12 hours earlier. Perhaps Sandy had something to do with it, as many were shoring up their homes, bracing for the impact. Or perhaps in a season full of fuel mileage finishes and lack of head to head in-race Chase competition, people are just wore out after 33 weeks of this.
My bet is on the latter.
The season is way too long and needs to be shortened considerably. 30-31 weeks is ideal. Give the teams and the fans a break. Supply and demand are not that hard to manage. FOX wanted the first half of the season and they got it; the second half hasn't been hashed out yet and for good reason. The Chase Tracks need fixing, and the schedule needs cutting. Making laps and excuses for constant exercises in fuel economy are not good for racing and turning NASCAR into NAPCAR at the most inopportune time. Heading into Texas where in April, the final 234 laps were run caution free, and Greg Biffle won by 3.235 seconds over Jimmie Johnson, don't expect the ratings to look much different.
Also, here we are in November now…and nobody has got into a fight yet. About the only one who shows any gumption lately is Danica Patrick. Maybe that's what might be needed to turn the ratings race around. Unfortunately, anybody who's even near the front right now doesn't have beef with anyone and they're all pretty even-keeled guys. Here's hoping Kurt, Kyle, and Kevin get things together by this time again next season.
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!
November 1st, 2012
Volume VI, Edition CCXX
-----------------
DONATE TO HELP HURRICANE SANDY VICTIMS
Millions are grappling with the effects from one of the more devastating hurricanes to hit the United States. 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.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Update on Nationwide to Trois-Rivieres
Sources have notified The Frontstretch that there is a big announcement scheduled for Thursday in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec at 1:30 PM. It appears likely that the city's street circuit will announce the addition of the NASCAR Nationwide Series to the city's GP3R Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres.
Last year, IndyCar's Firestone Indy Lights and NASCAR's Canadian Tire Series were the co-headliners in Trois-Rivieres. However, Firestone Indy Lights continues to suffer from low car count. Only 11 cars contested the Trois-Rivieres round. A couple of weeks ago, Trois-Rivieres announced that Firestone Indy Lights would not be on the schedule for 2013, despite the series being under contract to race at Trois-Rivieres through next year. IndyCar had failed to meet the minimum number of starters (17) for their two years in Trois-Rivieres. As a result, they were considered to have breached their own contract. GP3R CEO Dominic Fugure was more than ready to go on without Firestone Indy Lights, stating that he had 11 races on the docket for 2013 anyway.
However, an article from Montreal-based La Presse (translated from French via Google Translate) after Firestone Indy Lights' pullout argues that the GP3R organizers may be trying to lure in Germany's DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) for 2014. That series, which features silhouette Audi R5, BMW M3 and Mercedes C-Class coupe racers. Canadian Bruno Spengler is the series' reigning champion. If so, the Nationwide Series racing in Trois-Rivieres could prove to be only a one year deal, or the series could end up sharing the marque with DTM in 2014.
Ever since the announcement was made that the Nationwide Series would not return to Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for 2013, NASCAR has been trying to find a replacement Canadian venue. Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formerly Mosport International Raceway) was considered to be a likely target, but the track was unable to meet NASCAR's standards.
NASCAR Plaza Sold
The Charlotte Business Journal is reporting that Parkway Properties has agreed to purchase NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story skyscraper adjacent to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte after making an unsolicited bid for the property a couple of weeks earlier. The price tag: $100 million.
Parkway Properties President and Chief Executive James Heistand couldn't be happier with the purchase.
"The purchase of NASCAR Plaza represents another off-market transaction that enables us to expand in one of our key, target submarkets with a high-quality asset," said Heistand. "NASCAR Plaza has a strong tenant base and is the headquarters for several well-known companies. We expect to create additional value through leasing and rent growth in a submarket that we believe will outperform during a recovery.
According to their website, Parkway Properties specializes in ownership of "qualify office properties in higher growth submarkets in the Sunbelt region of the United States." It is far from the company's first acquisition in the Charlotte area. Recently, the company acquired the 47-story Hearst Tower for $250 million from Bank of America. In addition, the company also has Mallard Creek, Oak Hill Business Park and Parkway Plaza, a series of business parks in the Charlotte area in their expansive portfolio.
The two largest lessees currently in NASCAR Plaza are NASCAR itself, which leases 139,000 square feet of office space and Chiquita International, which houses their world headquarters in the building. Chiquita's arrival in 2011 helped spur a substantial turnaround for the building. In January, 2011, the building was bought out of foreclosure by two venture capital firms, Trinity Capital Advisors and Rubenstein Partners. At the time, NASCAR was the primary tenant, but over 60 percent of the building was vacant. Since then, the two firms espoused an aggressive pricing policy for new lessees that has resulted in the building going from 37 percent occupancy to 88 percent occupancy in less than two years.
Ali Forced by NASCAR to Withdraw
As noted below in our weekly Entry List Update, Nur Ali was entered in Saturday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway for Rick Ware Racing, but withdrew. Why is this so? According to the Associated Press, NASCAR refused to approve Ali for Texas after what was viewed as a less than stellar debut in Kansas. Two weeks ago, Ali struggled to find the pace in practice and hold his line, which drew the ire of his fellow drivers. Late in practice, Ali collided with Erik Darnell while trying to enter pit road. In the race, Ali was substantially off the pace before crashing out and finishing 33rd.
Ali has accepted NASCAR's decree and tells the AP that he plans to attempt Phoenix instead.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500: 46 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. 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. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Brian Vickers.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports
No. 33- Stephen Leicht for Circle Point, 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*
Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 03- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 30- Ryan Newman for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Kevin Harvick 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
Driver Changes:
No. 10- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 13- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Jennifer Jo Cobb.
No. 15- Timmy Hill returns to the seat, replacing Stanton Barrett.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 19- Hal Martin is in the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 24- David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Derek White. Benny Gordon was originally entered as the driver.
No. 30- Ryan Newman is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Paul Menard.
No. 39- Tim Andrews returns to the seat, replacing Dexter Stacey.
No. 41- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Nur Ali.
No. 44- John Blankenship returns to the seat, replacing Hal Martin. This entry will be fielded by Tommy Baldwin Racing.
No. 74- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
No. 98- Kevin Swindell is in the seat, replacing Reed Sorenson.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports/Ruch Motorsports*
No. 03- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports
No. 08- Scott Saunders for Randy Hill Racing/Go Green Racing
No. 10- Mike Bliss for TriStar Motorsports
No. 13- Unknown driver for JJC Racing
No. 15- Timmy Hill for Rick Ware Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs 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. 74- Unknown driver for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 86- Kevin Lepage for Deware Motorsports
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
No. 91- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 98- Kevin Swindell for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 75- Nur Ali for Rick Ware Racing
Not Entered:
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR
No. 28- Tony Raines for Robinson-Blakeney Motorsports
No. 71- Rick Ware Racing
Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350k: 37 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 5- Aric Almirola for Wauters Motorsports
No. 18- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 19- David Mayhew for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 2- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 4- Brandon McReynolds is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong. If he qualifies, this will mark McReynolds' Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 5- Aric Almirola returns to the seat, replacing Josh Richards.
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the seat, replacing Jake Crum.
No. 18- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 27- BJ McLeod returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Truex.
No. 38- Chris Jones returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer.
No. 51- German Quiroga returns to the seat, replacing Denny Hamlin.
No. 83- Chris Fontaine is in the seat, replacing Brandon Duchscherer (from 2009).
No. 84- Russ Dugger returns to the seat, replacing Chris Fontaine.
No. 93- Dennis Setzer returns to the seat, replacing Tim George, Jr.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 0- Blake Koch for JJC Racing*
No. 4- Brandon McReynolds for Turner Motorsports
No. 5- Aric Almirola for Wauters Motorsports
No. 7- Parker Kligerman for Red Horse Racing
No. 8- Max Gresham for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 19- David Mayhew for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing
No. 51- German Quiroga for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 81- David Starr for Billy Ballew Motorsports
No. 83- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
Not Entered:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young Motorsports
No. 14- Brennan Newberry for NTS Motorsports
No. 35- Matt Merrell for Win-Tron Racing
No. 36- Grant Enfinger for Allgaier Motorsports
No. 60- Peyton Sellers for Turn One Racing
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Motorsports
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 92- Scott Riggs for RBR Motorsports
No. 96- Todd Peck for Peck Motorsports
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
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 November 1st
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
The crew chief situation at Richard Childress Racing is in revolving door mode again, as it was announced this week that Drew Blickensderfer would be departing from the organization, while Shane Wilson will finish out the final three races of the year. Elliott Sadler's Nationwide Series crew chief Luke Lambert will take over as crew chief of the No. 31 of Jeff Burton for the 2013 campaign.
Heard this one before? Usually it's the No. 29 team that is the catalyst of an annual team or crew chief swap this time of year – but to their credit, they got theirs out of the way a few months early. Shane Wilson was Harvick's crew chief the first half of the year, until he realized how much he missed yelling and insulting Gil Martin. Luke Lambert finished out the year with Jeff Burton in 2011, narrowly losing to Clint Bowyer at the finish line at the fall race in Talladega.
RCR has been in a bit of downward spiral the past couple of seasons, amidst a host of personnel changes. Competition Director Scott Miller to Michael Waltrip Racing, while Todd Berrier moved over to the satellite operation of Furniture Row Racing. The No. 33 team could not sustain sponsorship, which prompted Clint Bowyer's move to MWR as well, helping elevate it to legitimate Cup-contender status. Elliott Sadler will be out the door shortly as well, moving to Joe Gibbs Racing. While Sadler and Childress' grandson Austin Dillon are first and third respectively in the Nationwide standings, the performance at RCR leaves a bit to be desired.
Jeff Burton has not won a race since 2008, and is having yet another miserable season. Sitting 19th in points, his pair of Top 5s and six Top 10s are on par with last season, which saw him finish 20th in points, with two Top 5s and five Top 10s. Teammate Paul Menard is 16th in points, while Kevin Harvick is 11th-place in the Chase Standings; the only reason he's not 12th is because Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took off two weeks with a concussion. While this has been the pattern for RCR the past couple of years, the continued struggles of the No. 31 team are particularly puzzling.
Might a change to the COT V3.0 next season be the equalizer that Burton needs to get his career going again? If not, at what point does Burton explore his options and see where else he may consider going?
This year's World Series between my Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants was the second-lowest viewed ever. I mean, I understand, why wouldn't you want to see the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, last year's MVP, and this year's Home Run Derby winner? On SF's side, you had an improbable collection of cast-offs, one-offs, and solid young players, who came from within a few outs of elimination to win their second World Series in three years. Similar comparisons could be made to this year's title fight between Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski.
Two teams, neck and neck, the Five-Time champion versus the young upstart who established himself as a prime-time player late last season, in the swan song for one of America's most storied automakers. A 2.8 rating for Martinsville was down over 20% from a year ago – and you can't blame the NHL season starting for this one.
A week after Jimmie Johnson drove his crippled car to a Top 10 at repaved Kansas, and the return of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to the track, you'd think there would be a few more eyes on the prize – particularly with the World Series wrapping up 12 hours earlier. Perhaps Sandy had something to do with it, as many were shoring up their homes, bracing for the impact. Or perhaps in a season full of fuel mileage finishes and lack of head to head in-race Chase competition, people are just wore out after 33 weeks of this.
My bet is on the latter.
The season is way too long and needs to be shortened considerably. 30-31 weeks is ideal. Give the teams and the fans a break. Supply and demand are not that hard to manage. FOX wanted the first half of the season and they got it; the second half hasn't been hashed out yet and for good reason. The Chase Tracks need fixing, and the schedule needs cutting. Making laps and excuses for constant exercises in fuel economy are not good for racing and turning NASCAR into NAPCAR at the most inopportune time. Heading into Texas where in April, the final 234 laps were run caution free, and Greg Biffle won by 3.235 seconds over Jimmie Johnson, don't expect the ratings to look much different.
Also, here we are in November now…and nobody has got into a fight yet. About the only one who shows any gumption lately is Danica Patrick. Maybe that's what might be needed to turn the ratings race around. Unfortunately, anybody who's even near the front right now doesn't have beef with anyone and they're all pretty even-keeled guys. Here's hoping Kurt, Kyle, and Kevin get things together by this time again next season.
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: VP Small Engine Fuels 200
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. Outside of the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series teams racing in Martinsville this past weekend, there really wasn't all that much racing available for public consumption on television. However, on Saturday night, SPEED aired tape-delayed coverage of the 41st running of the VP Small Engine Fuels 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds.
This is the premiere race of the Super DirtCar Series, a class for Northeast Big Block Modifieds. The series is mostly within the state of New York, but there were multiple Canadian races on the schedule, along with a new race in Central Michigan for this year. In addition, there are the long hauls that bookend the season (the non-points UNOH DirtCar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barbersville, FL and this weekend's World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte).
Now, since this race aired nearly three weeks after it ran, I already knew that the event was rain-shortened. I figured that the rains would have some kind of effect on the telecast. However, I wasn't expecting 22 minutes of pre-race (including commercials). In this time, SPEED did four driver interviews and recapped October 5th's qualifying heat races, followed by October 6th's Gander Mountain 150 for the 358 Modifieds.
Of note, the only difference between a big block and a 358 is the engine. The cars can be switched between class specifications in a matter of hours if you were strapped for time, had all the necessary equipment, and had a large pool of available crewmembers. In fact, no less than four different classes can run the same chassis.
Once the race got underway, SPEED was able to bring viewers radio chatter between Brett Hearn and his crew chief/nephew Matt Hearn. This is incredibly rare because DirtCar rules actually ban two-way radios at most races. They can only be used three times a year. Those are in the two main races at Syracuse, and in the Eastern States 200. Otherwise, only one-way radio communication via Raceceiver devices is allowed. This is the same rule that DirtCar-sanctioned regular features and heat races are governed under. In those cases, the only voice that drivers will hear in their ears is from race control.
During the first caution, SPEED took some time to talk about the spoiler change made on Rick Laubach's No. 7 in an attempt to get more downforce. Unfortunately, unlike the Sprint Cup cars of old, spoilers are not adjustable on Big Block Modifieds. Hence, in order to make such an adjustment, the whole spoiler had to be unscrewed and replaced on pit road. Interesting little bit there.
Also, on a more somber note, Ralph Sheheen and Shane Andrews referenced the unfortunate passing of Glenmont, NY's J.C. Flach (in an off-track incident at his home) when his brother Keith pitted his car. J.C. was a regular in the Modified class at Lebanon Valley along with Keith, and their cousin Mark, Jr. (the defending rookie of the race at Syracuse who failed to qualify this year). This was not completely laid out on-air, but Keith's switch to the No. 77j (he formerly raced the No. 43) is not a one-off. It is permanent and this has been confirmed to me by multiple people very close to the Flach team.
I know this has nothing to do with television, but it must be stated here that J.C.'s death at the young age of 29 really hit the local racing community in the Albany area hard. The Flachs are a long-time racing family that campaigns three full-time Modifieds at Lebanon Valley (on the surface, it looked like a three-car team, but it was closer to a two-car team for J.C. and Keith, while Mark, Jr. had his own deal). They are also very well respected in the pits. The memorial to J.C. at Lebanon Valley saw most of the drivers that race at Lebanon Valley raise their helmets in salute to J.C. while Keith drove J.C.'s car slowly around the high banked oval back in September. J.C. only won one career feature at Lebanon Valley and he made the most of it. His crew did as well, including daring me to go into their trailer and interview J.C. while he was butt naked (dead serious, this happened). I passed on that and waited until he was decent. J.C. was one of the friendliest racers at Lebanon Valley and he will be missed greatly.
Much of the race coverage was ultimately centered at the very front of the field. If you don't like Brett Hearn, too bad. You got a healthy dose of him and his nephew throughout the two-hour broadcast. Would have liked to see more racing for position on the telecast.
If you remember last year's write-up, I mentioned there that substantial chunks of the race were cut out. It was the sad side effect of a three-hour plus race being cut into a two-hour timeslot. This year, with the race being rain-shortened to 113 laps, there was nothing of that sort. Also, that race should have been red flagged before halfway. It was unraceable by Lap 94. Of course, having said that, I've seen races start in conditions much worse than that. Last year's already delayed Mr. Dirt Track U.S.A. at Lebanon Valley started in a driving rainstorm that lasted for the first 25 laps. This was foreign territory for everyone (the race got delayed due to Irene, then Lee's remnants affected it on the rain date), but they got that race in.
I'm not necessarily surprised at Shane Andrews talking about the Big Block Modifieds being "sleek" automobiles. Andrews' full-time job is to cover the promote the series. He's usually on the PA system during the races (for lack of better words, he's the voice of the Super DirtCar Series). However, I respectfully disagree. They may weigh somewhere between 2300-2450 pounds. However, they are some of the tallest race cars I've been around. The center of gravity is quite high on those cars. The fact that they have engines of up to 467 cubic inches makes them as fast as they are. I don't doubt that the cars make 800 horsepower or more.
Once the yellow finally flew for rain on Lap 106, SPEED conducted a couple of interviews before the race was called, and three afterwards (including with Hearn, who ultimately won). There was also a piece where they tried to show what the drivers' vision was really like out there. Not too good. However, they should have smudged some dirt on there as well.
Overall, by the standards set by last year's telecast, this one was more enjoyable. However, focusing solely on the front of the field bites. I'm sure the crowd at the track back on October 7th would agree with me (remember, what we saw on SPEED is what was on the jumbotrons at the track, with SPEED's graphics added in). Ralph Sheheen was solid, but I found Andrews repetitive and quite the shill in the booth. But, we're talking about someone employed by the series, so he's expected to be a shill.
Also, before I go, I should give a little more background to some of the medical issues that Hearn talked about on Wind Tunnel Sunday night. What happened was that Hearn was at Albany-Saratoga Speedway back in August prepping for a regular night of racing when he suddenly collapsed. He was taken to a hospital in Saratoga Springs, NY, where he spent nearly a week. While there, he was given an ultrasound and they discovered a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). This is what he described as "blood clots." Serious stuff. Basically, this could have led to a Pulmonary Embolism (PE). As you may remember, this is what happened to Brian Vickers back in 2010, although I don't recall him collapsing. Hearn has told me that he doesn't know how the clots formed. Neither do his doctors.
Yes, Hearn missed two races in the Super DirtCar Series (Merrittville, Ontario and Ionia, Michigan) as a result of the health scare, but even if he ran those races, he wouldn't be leading the points. Truth is, Hearn scored some points for the races he missed. DirtCar rules allow for appearance points to be given to drivers that miss events due to medical circumstances if they have a Platinum license. Hearn has one. This also allowed him to also earn appearance points for the race that he missed at Lebanon Valley as well (this rule was conspicuously posted at the Valley the one week that Hearn missed).
Thank you for checking out my look at SPEED's telecast of the VP Small Engine Fuels 200. Tune in next week for my look at SPEED's telecast of the Peak Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action in Charlotte, Justin, Texas, and Abu Dhabi.
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 Beyond the Cockpit: Jeff Agnew Chasing The Dream
"I really don't want to. (laughs) Like I said, if we can keep coming out and being fairly competitive and seem to be doing something I want to do it as long as we can."- Jeff Agnew, on how long he's willing to keep racing
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Frontstretch Fan Q&A: NASCAR Mulligans And Night Racing--
The Critic's Annex: VP Small Engine Fuels 200
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. Outside of the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series teams racing in Martinsville this past weekend, there really wasn't all that much racing available for public consumption on television. However, on Saturday night, SPEED aired tape-delayed coverage of the 41st running of the VP Small Engine Fuels 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds.
This is the premiere race of the Super DirtCar Series, a class for Northeast Big Block Modifieds. The series is mostly within the state of New York, but there were multiple Canadian races on the schedule, along with a new race in Central Michigan for this year. In addition, there are the long hauls that bookend the season (the non-points UNOH DirtCar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barbersville, FL and this weekend's World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte).
Now, since this race aired nearly three weeks after it ran, I already knew that the event was rain-shortened. I figured that the rains would have some kind of effect on the telecast. However, I wasn't expecting 22 minutes of pre-race (including commercials). In this time, SPEED did four driver interviews and recapped October 5th's qualifying heat races, followed by October 6th's Gander Mountain 150 for the 358 Modifieds.
Of note, the only difference between a big block and a 358 is the engine. The cars can be switched between class specifications in a matter of hours if you were strapped for time, had all the necessary equipment, and had a large pool of available crewmembers. In fact, no less than four different classes can run the same chassis.
Once the race got underway, SPEED was able to bring viewers radio chatter between Brett Hearn and his crew chief/nephew Matt Hearn. This is incredibly rare because DirtCar rules actually ban two-way radios at most races. They can only be used three times a year. Those are in the two main races at Syracuse, and in the Eastern States 200. Otherwise, only one-way radio communication via Raceceiver devices is allowed. This is the same rule that DirtCar-sanctioned regular features and heat races are governed under. In those cases, the only voice that drivers will hear in their ears is from race control.
During the first caution, SPEED took some time to talk about the spoiler change made on Rick Laubach's No. 7 in an attempt to get more downforce. Unfortunately, unlike the Sprint Cup cars of old, spoilers are not adjustable on Big Block Modifieds. Hence, in order to make such an adjustment, the whole spoiler had to be unscrewed and replaced on pit road. Interesting little bit there.
Also, on a more somber note, Ralph Sheheen and Shane Andrews referenced the unfortunate passing of Glenmont, NY's J.C. Flach (in an off-track incident at his home) when his brother Keith pitted his car. J.C. was a regular in the Modified class at Lebanon Valley along with Keith, and their cousin Mark, Jr. (the defending rookie of the race at Syracuse who failed to qualify this year). This was not completely laid out on-air, but Keith's switch to the No. 77j (he formerly raced the No. 43) is not a one-off. It is permanent and this has been confirmed to me by multiple people very close to the Flach team.
I know this has nothing to do with television, but it must be stated here that J.C.'s death at the young age of 29 really hit the local racing community in the Albany area hard. The Flachs are a long-time racing family that campaigns three full-time Modifieds at Lebanon Valley (on the surface, it looked like a three-car team, but it was closer to a two-car team for J.C. and Keith, while Mark, Jr. had his own deal). They are also very well respected in the pits. The memorial to J.C. at Lebanon Valley saw most of the drivers that race at Lebanon Valley raise their helmets in salute to J.C. while Keith drove J.C.'s car slowly around the high banked oval back in September. J.C. only won one career feature at Lebanon Valley and he made the most of it. His crew did as well, including daring me to go into their trailer and interview J.C. while he was butt naked (dead serious, this happened). I passed on that and waited until he was decent. J.C. was one of the friendliest racers at Lebanon Valley and he will be missed greatly.
Much of the race coverage was ultimately centered at the very front of the field. If you don't like Brett Hearn, too bad. You got a healthy dose of him and his nephew throughout the two-hour broadcast. Would have liked to see more racing for position on the telecast.
If you remember last year's write-up, I mentioned there that substantial chunks of the race were cut out. It was the sad side effect of a three-hour plus race being cut into a two-hour timeslot. This year, with the race being rain-shortened to 113 laps, there was nothing of that sort. Also, that race should have been red flagged before halfway. It was unraceable by Lap 94. Of course, having said that, I've seen races start in conditions much worse than that. Last year's already delayed Mr. Dirt Track U.S.A. at Lebanon Valley started in a driving rainstorm that lasted for the first 25 laps. This was foreign territory for everyone (the race got delayed due to Irene, then Lee's remnants affected it on the rain date), but they got that race in.
I'm not necessarily surprised at Shane Andrews talking about the Big Block Modifieds being "sleek" automobiles. Andrews' full-time job is to cover the promote the series. He's usually on the PA system during the races (for lack of better words, he's the voice of the Super DirtCar Series). However, I respectfully disagree. They may weigh somewhere between 2300-2450 pounds. However, they are some of the tallest race cars I've been around. The center of gravity is quite high on those cars. The fact that they have engines of up to 467 cubic inches makes them as fast as they are. I don't doubt that the cars make 800 horsepower or more.
Once the yellow finally flew for rain on Lap 106, SPEED conducted a couple of interviews before the race was called, and three afterwards (including with Hearn, who ultimately won). There was also a piece where they tried to show what the drivers' vision was really like out there. Not too good. However, they should have smudged some dirt on there as well.
Overall, by the standards set by last year's telecast, this one was more enjoyable. However, focusing solely on the front of the field bites. I'm sure the crowd at the track back on October 7th would agree with me (remember, what we saw on SPEED is what was on the jumbotrons at the track, with SPEED's graphics added in). Ralph Sheheen was solid, but I found Andrews repetitive and quite the shill in the booth. But, we're talking about someone employed by the series, so he's expected to be a shill.
Also, before I go, I should give a little more background to some of the medical issues that Hearn talked about on Wind Tunnel Sunday night. What happened was that Hearn was at Albany-Saratoga Speedway back in August prepping for a regular night of racing when he suddenly collapsed. He was taken to a hospital in Saratoga Springs, NY, where he spent nearly a week. While there, he was given an ultrasound and they discovered a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). This is what he described as "blood clots." Serious stuff. Basically, this could have led to a Pulmonary Embolism (PE). As you may remember, this is what happened to Brian Vickers back in 2010, although I don't recall him collapsing. Hearn has told me that he doesn't know how the clots formed. Neither do his doctors.
Yes, Hearn missed two races in the Super DirtCar Series (Merrittville, Ontario and Ionia, Michigan) as a result of the health scare, but even if he ran those races, he wouldn't be leading the points. Truth is, Hearn scored some points for the races he missed. DirtCar rules allow for appearance points to be given to drivers that miss events due to medical circumstances if they have a Platinum license. Hearn has one. This also allowed him to also earn appearance points for the race that he missed at Lebanon Valley as well (this rule was conspicuously posted at the Valley the one week that Hearn missed).
Thank you for checking out my look at SPEED's telecast of the VP Small Engine Fuels 200. Tune in next week for my look at SPEED's telecast of the Peak Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action in Charlotte, Justin, Texas, and Abu Dhabi.
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 Beyond the Cockpit: Jeff Agnew Chasing The Dream
"I really don't want to. (laughs) Like I said, if we can keep coming out and being fairly competitive and seem to be doing something I want to do it as long as we can."- Jeff Agnew, on how long he's willing to keep racing
~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Summer Bedgood
Beyond the Cockpit: Jeff Agnew Chasing The Dream
as told to Phil Allaway
Professor Of Speed: So Many Options, So Little to See
by Mark Howell
Truckin' Thursdays: Career Milestones, Sponsorship GOOD News and More
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Ten Years Is All It Takes
by Tom Bowles
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Greg Ray had a very fast Dallara at Texas Motor Speedway during the 1998 True Value 500. With a couple of laps to go, it was clear that Ray was faster than leader Billy Boat. However, he was unable to take the advantage away. Why is this so?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: The 1998 Coca-Cola 300 at Texas Motor Speedway is best known as the race in which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. picked up his first Busch Grand National victory at the expense of Joe Nemechek. However, as seemed to be the norm at Texas the first few years, the early part of the event was marked by wrecks. First Joe Bessey and Doug Reid wrecked on the frontstretch. Shortly afterwards, Wayne Grubb got involved in his own wreck. What happened?
A: Grubb was running very well with his Link-Belt Chevrolet, but seemed to get in Jimmy Spencer's way. Spencer gave Grubb a slight tap exiting Turn 2, which spun Grubb's No. 83 out. After a full 360, Grubb broadsided the outside wall with the right side of his car. This broke the steering, resulting in the car turning back into the wall. The crash can be seen at the 10:45 mark of this clip. Grubb was ok, but the steering and suspension damage put him out 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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Jeff Wolfe
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Texas by Matt Stallknecht
We'll help prepare you for the AAA Texas 500, Race No. 8 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 get ready for Texas this weekend.
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 this weekend's Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Regan Smith Driver Diary as told to Tony Lumbis
Regan returns to talk about some of the more interesting aspects of his past month.
-----------------------------
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