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February 28th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XXV
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FRONTSTRETCH FANTASY: GET IN THE GAME
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ID: 11132
Password: rickybobby
Come back every Thursday, to the website to get Jeff's advice on who to pick for your team, all season long and see if you can beat your favorite staff members! More special announcements about this league to come.
What to Watch: Thursday
- Today, we will continue to keep tabs on the suspension of Jeremy Clements following comments made in Daytona on Saturday (see below). If any updates break, we'll have it covered for you.
- Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson's Daytona 500 winner's tour continues.0
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Jeremy Clements Suspended Indefinitely
Wednesday evening, NASCAR announced that Jeremy Clements, the owner and driver of the No. 51 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series, has been suspended indefinitely from the Nationwide Series. This suspension is due to a violation of NASCAR's Code of Conduct that occurred on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell was quite terse when asked about it.
"During the course of an interview, Jeremy Clements made an intolerable and insensitive remark," O'Donnell said. "NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that's explicitly spelled out in the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book. We fully expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code."
After the suspension announcement, Clements released a statement about the situation.
"I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team," Clements wrote. "NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said, but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone, or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment."
It is officially unclear as to what Clements said to provoke the suspension. However, ESPN.com's David Newton is reporting that a source is claiming that it was a racial slur that prompted the suspension. If true, it would definitely jive with NASCAR's press release. The Code of Conduct officially bans anyone representing NASCAR in any way, shape or form from engaging in discriminatory actions towards others for any reason.
In their press release, NASCAR stated that Clements' actions violated Sections 7-5 (the Code of Conduct) and 12-1 (The catch-all "Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing") in his interview.
Despite the owner/driver's suspension, Clements' No. 51 is still entered for, and will start Saturday's Dollar General 200. The driver will be announced at a later time. The suspension completely overshadows an announcement the team made minutes before the suspension came down of a sponsorship from the band Hellyeah for Richmond.
Richard Petty Motorsports to Bring Back Petty Blue on a Regular Basis in 2013
Amid much fanfare, Richard Petty Motorsports announced exclusively on NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED that they will be returning the the No. 43 Ford to the traditional "Petty Blue" colors for the remaining 24 races where the team will be sponsored by Smithfield Foods and their subsidiaries. As a result, it will be the first time that the team will run a primarily Petty Blue No. 43 since the earliest days of Petty Enterprises' relationship with STP.
Team co-owner Richard Petty is very happy to make the change.
"I'm really humbled by everyone at Smithfield and all their companies to decide to make this change," Petty said. "They have been great partners for us as a company and this really proves that. Our fans will now be able to easily recognize the No. 43 Ford and Aric [Almirola] on the track throughout the season. It will also bring back a lot of good memories for me each time that I see it."
Smithfield Foods CEO Larry Pope, said to be a longtime NASCAR fan in his own right, is very much in favor of the move.
"We want to connect the tradition and history of Richard Petty and Richard Petty Motorsports fans to our Smithfield Foods family of brands," Pope said. "There is no better way to do that than to bring back the 'Petty Blue' color scheme that all race fans recognize and relate to on the No. 43 Ford. We will now make sure that each time we race this season, our fans will be able to easily recognize Aric [Almirola] on the track and the strong heritage that the Petty and Smithfield Foods brands represent."
While both Petty and Pope are very much in favor of the Petty Blue scheme, which will debut this weekend in Phoenix with Farmland logos on the hood, the Petty Blue colors haven't been completely absent from Sprint Cup in recent years. In a number of races last season, Almirola ran a scheme very similar to what he will race this weekend, most notably at Kansas last October.
Landon Cassill to Drive for Circle Sport at Phoenix, Moon Shine Attitude Attire to Sponsor
On Wednesday, Circle Sport, Inc. announced that they have signed Landon Cassill to drive their No. 33 Chevorlet SS starting this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Last week, Austin Dillon drove the No. 33, but that entry was actually being fielded by Richard Childress Racing. Cassill replaces Stephen Leicht, who drove the No. 33 for much of last season and won the Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Award.
Cassill is very happy to be back in a race car at Phoenix.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping advance Circle Sport to the next level of competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," Cassill said. "I have been part of and understand what it takes for an upstart organization to compete in the Cup Series. They have an established relationship with RCR that I believe will help us, and with the right marketing partners - a company that wants to grow their involvement in the sport - I believe we have just the right opportunity for them with the No. 33 Chevrolet."
For Phoenix, the team has primary sponsorship from Moon Shine Attitude Attire, a company that produces and sells what they describe as "attitude driven, quality, designer casual wear for the outdoor audience." Moon Shine Attitude Attire sells t-shirts, sweaters and hats, mostly with camo-based designs. In addition, they have camouflage wrappings available. To match the tone of the company, Cassill's No. 33 this week will be wrapped in in the company's new Wildfire Camouflage.
This is not the first time that Circle Sport, Inc. and Moon Shine Attitude Attire have partnered up. Last October, they sponsored the team at Kansas and had the car wrapped up in their "Muddy Girl Camouflage" colors. Unfortunately, Leicht failed to qualify for the Hollywood Casino 400.
Phil Parsons Racing Withdraws from Phoenix
Last weekend, Phil Parsons Racing and driver Michael McDowell posted their best-ever finish, a ninth, in the Daytona 500. Things were finally starting to look up for the small operation.
Unfortunately, good fortune in NASCAR can be very short lived.
Just three days after posting that top-10 at Daytona, driver Michael McDowell has stated that the team won't be in Phoenix this weekend for the Subway Fresh Fit 500k.
"Unfortunately, [Phil Parsons Racing] will not be in Phoenix this weekend," McDowell tweeted. We have fallen behind building new Gen6 cars and will be back on track in Vegas."
The introduction of the new Gen6 cars have caught a number of teams out. Some, like Carl Edwards' No. 99 team, have thrashed multiple cars over the past couple of weeks in Daytona and have to deal with limited parts availability to fix their existing cars. Others, like PPR, got the last crack at some of the needed parts and need more time just to be able to put their cars together at all.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, these entries are subject to change right up to race day.
Sprint Cup Series Subway Fresh Fit 500k: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 35- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 44- Scott Riggs for Xxxtreme Motorsports*
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO/JRR*
Number Change:
Swan Racing changes from No. 26 back to No. 30.
Driver Changes:
No. 30- David Stremme returns to the seat, replacing Michael Waltrip.
No. 32- Ken Schrader returns to the seat, replacing Terry Labonte.
No. 33- Landon Cassill is in the seat, replacing Austin Dillon. The team is back to just Joe Falk's Circle Sport organization running the show.
No. 44- Scott Riggs is in the seat, replacing David Reutimann (from Homestead last year).
No. 51- AJ Allmendinger returns to the seat, replacing Regan Smith.
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing
Not Entered:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 52- Brian Keselowski for Hamilton Means Motorsports
Nationwide Series Dollar General 200: 39 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5- Jimmie Johnson for JR Motorsports
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 43- Aric Almirola for Richard Petty Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 4- Daryl Harr returns to the seat, replacing Danny Efland.
No. 5- Jimmie Johnson is in the seat, replacing Kasey Kahne.
No. 23- Harrison Rhodes is in the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr. This will be Rhodes' Nationwide Series debut.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Tony Stewart.
No. 43- Aric Almirola is in the seat, replacing Michael Annett. Annett stepped out of the seat for the weekend due to a broken sternum suffered in Daytona.
No. 51- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Jeremy Clements. Clements is suspended after an inappropriate comment in an interview last weekend.
Since there are only 40 cars entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these teams must still qualify on speed:
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports
No. 60- Travis Pastrana for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 92- Dexter Stacey for KH Motorsports
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 27- Michael McDowell for SR2 Motorsports
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
Not Entered:
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR/Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 34- Danica Patrick for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 85- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
Rolex Sports Car Series' Grand-Am of the Americas presented by GAINSCO and Total: 34 total entries (16 DP, 15 GT, 3 GX)
Daytona Prototype Entries:
No. 01- Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2- Ryan Dalziel and Alex Popow for Starworks Motorsport
No. 3- Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin for 8Star Motorsports
No. 5- Christian Fittipaldi and Brian Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 6- Antonio Pizzonia and Gustavo Yacaman for Michael Shank Racing
No. 8- Brandon Hartley and Scott Mayer for Starworks Motorsport
No. 9- Joao Barbosa and Burt Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 10- Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor for Wayne Taylor Racing
No. 27- Emmanuel Anassis and Anthony Massari for BTE Sport
No. 42- Dane Cameron and Wayne Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 43- Joe and Will Nonnamaker, along with Joe Sahlen for Team Sahlen
No. 60- Oswaldo Negri, Jr. and John Pew for Michael Shank Racing
No. 76- Nic Jonsson and Tracy Krohn for Krohn Racing
No. 77- Jon Bennett and Colin Braun for Doran Racing
No. 90- Ricky Taylor and Richard Westbrook for Spirit of Daytona Racing
No. 99- Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Grand Touring Entries:
No. 03- Mike Hedlund and Johannes van Overbeek for Extreme Speed Motorsports
No. 19- Eduardo Costabal and Eliseo Salazar for Muehlner Motorsports America
No. 31- Eric Curran and Boris Said for Marsh Racing
No. 44- Andy Lally and John Potter for Magnus Racing
No. 52- Ian Baas and Matt Bell for APR Motorsport
No. 57- John Edwards and Robin Liddell for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 59- Andrew Davis and Leh Keen for Brumos Racing
No. 61- Max Papis and Jeff Segal for R. Ferri/AIM Autosport
No. 63- Alessandro Balzan and Alessandro Pier Guidi for Scuderia Corsa Michelotto
No. 69- Emil Assentato and Anthony Lazzaro for AIM Autosport Team FXDD
No. 71- Jason Hart and John McCutchen for Park Place Motorsports
No. 72- Mike Skeen and Mike Vess for Park Place Motorsports
No. 73- Patrick Lindsey and Patrick Long for Park Place Motorsports
No. 93- Michael Marsal and Gunter Schaldach for Turner Motorsport
No. 94- Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana for Turner Motorsport
Grand Touring Experimental Entries:
No. 00- Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez for SpeedSource
No. 38- Jeff Mosing, Dr. Jim Norman and Spencer Pumpelly for BGB Motorsports
No. 70- Tom Long and Sylvain Tremblay for SpeedSource
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
Today's Featured Commentary
A Post-Daytona Diatribe
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
NASCAR has suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements for an apparent insensitive remark to a reporter, this past Daytona 500 weekend. Much speculation has centered on this alleged comment, from fans who have been asking things such as "what on earth did he say?" and "who is Jeremy Clements?" Some accounts have to do with accusing Danica Patrick's team of having cheated to win the pole – and NASCAR being well aware of it. Isn't accusing your opposition of cheating one of the long-standing traditions of NASCAR, particular on the superspeedways? If that's the case, Jack Roush probably would have been punted some time ago. What used to be the culture of "Have At It Boys" has already been reduced to PC Policing run amok. Editor's Note: ESPN.com's David Newton is reporting that Clements apparently used a racial slur towards a writer in Daytona last Saturday.
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Danica Patrick's Daytona 500 was honestly quite impressive. Keep in mind, she's still a rookie at the Cup level and in its biggest race put it on the pole, kept it straight the entire race, didn't put a wheel wrong, didn't cause a massive pile-up (that would be two of the favorites to contend for the Sprint Cup who did that), and didn't bump draft somebody into a spin. She's running a full season in new cars, but is on equal footing in a car that's new to everyone. She also seems a lot more comfortable, relaxed, and not as out of place in her first couple seasons. You can track her comfort level along the same timeline has filing for her divorce I believe. After all, any driver will run quicker after unloading 180lbs of dead weight. Yes, she got her headlight decals sucked off on the final lap, but as Viper told Maverick in Top Gun, "Best to save your airplane – and fight another day." Wait until she posts a top-10 at Bristol, and I bust out some life lessons for you from Rambo: First Blood Part I.
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What was up with 50 Cent – sorry – Actor, Curtis Jackson – going Joe Namath on Erin Andrews before the Daytona 500? Nothing like getting a head turn on national TV. At least he didn't bust out with his chorus from "Get In My Car".
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Think the economy has rebounded and everything is back to 2006 awesomeness? Think again. The entry list is down to 43 cars for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500k, and only 40 cars are entered for Saturday's Dollar General 200. Perhaps it's the long trek out west after having spent a weekend in plate race purgatory for many of the smaller teams. Never understood the schedule or what sadist put this thing together. Don't go to Homestead or anything where it's somewhat close and on the way from Daytona. How about you drive as far as physically possible for three times in the next four weeks. Isn't one of NASCAR's mantras to help cut the cost for teams – particularly the smaller privateers who keep series such as Nationwide with enough cars to fill the field?
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I know I was on about this last year for a good while, but I am absolutely floored that Dodge bailed on NASCAR. With brand identity being the focus of the Generation 6 car, they had the most honest interpretation of a stock car for stockcar racing – and they quit. AFTER winning the championship no less. Interesting as well, as soon as Dodge left, Chevrolet decided it was suddenly safe to bring the Camaro out to the Nationwide Series. Also, Dodge, feel free to can those awful Dodge Dart commercials. They aren't smart or funny. They're irritating. Also, note how everything the Dodge line up used to have to look like the Ram truck; now it looks like the Dart. Don't make it look like the Challenger or anything. It's only the most desirable car in your line up.
----
Which brings me to my final comment. Somebody start passing the collection plate around, so FOX will stop going to commercial with less than 15 laps to go at restrictor plate races. They did it first during the Sprint Unlimited the Saturday before with eight laps to go. Eight. Awesome. Thanks for that.
All afternoon long it was apparent that nobody was going to do anything until the last 20 laps. The last two practice sessions, less than 20 cars each participated, and drivers had said as much they would wait until the end to actually race – as we have seen in virtually every speedway race the past five years. Knowing this, and seeing the lack of action during the middle portions, would you not take the opportunity to run the one last bank of commercials, and not break away from the race, as the actual race begins to take shape and unfold?
I don't need to see the GEICO gecko fake crying or the GEICO pig for the 30th time in three hours, or another irritating Dodge Dart commercial. I was actually longing for an old Michael Waltrip NAPA commercial at one point. At least they had the side-bar coverage, but what is supposed to be the Super Bowl of motorsports, it is treated as a speed bump for the same commercials that have been running for the past three hours.
And for the love of God…STOP with the pre-race concert. It sounds terrible. It's not the Super Bowl halftime show. Stop being something you are not. Like the underground rock band who gets big by being themselves, then goes corporate and tries to be all things to all people, it devolves into instant suck. NASCAR is a lot better at being NASCAR than it is at trying to be the NFL. If only somebody would help communicate the message to them.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer/Assistant Editor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @VitoPugliese.
by Summer Bedgood
NASCAR Fantasy Insider: Are You Ready For Real Racing To Begin?
by Jeff Wolfe
Tech Talk: Alan Gustafson Takes The New Car, And Jeff Gordon Back To The Desert
by Mike Neff
Truckin' Thursdays: Three Drivers To Watch One Race Into 2013
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beyond the Cockpit: Daytona 500 Finish Gives Yeley Great Hope For 2013
by Tony Lumbis
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 Tom Bowles
-- In Case You Missed It by Rick Lunkenheimer
-- 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: Phoenix by Matt Stallknecht
Matt gets your engines revved up for 2013 with a preview of the weekend's Subway Fresh Fit 500k.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin takes over this column for 2013 with a preview of Saturday's Dollar General 200.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Jeb Burton
The driver of the No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet in the Camping World Truck Series stops by to give you a look into his life.
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©2013 Frontstretch.com
-- Top News
by Phil Allaway
Jeremy Clements Suspended Indefinitely
Wednesday evening, NASCAR announced that Jeremy Clements, the owner and driver of the No. 51 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series, has been suspended indefinitely from the Nationwide Series. This suspension is due to a violation of NASCAR's Code of Conduct that occurred on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell was quite terse when asked about it.
"During the course of an interview, Jeremy Clements made an intolerable and insensitive remark," O'Donnell said. "NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that's explicitly spelled out in the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book. We fully expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code."
After the suspension announcement, Clements released a statement about the situation.
"I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team," Clements wrote. "NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said, but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone, or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment."
It is officially unclear as to what Clements said to provoke the suspension. However, ESPN.com's David Newton is reporting that a source is claiming that it was a racial slur that prompted the suspension. If true, it would definitely jive with NASCAR's press release. The Code of Conduct officially bans anyone representing NASCAR in any way, shape or form from engaging in discriminatory actions towards others for any reason.
In their press release, NASCAR stated that Clements' actions violated Sections 7-5 (the Code of Conduct) and 12-1 (The catch-all "Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing") in his interview.
Despite the owner/driver's suspension, Clements' No. 51 is still entered for, and will start Saturday's Dollar General 200. The driver will be announced at a later time. The suspension completely overshadows an announcement the team made minutes before the suspension came down of a sponsorship from the band Hellyeah for Richmond.
Richard Petty Motorsports to Bring Back Petty Blue on a Regular Basis in 2013
Amid much fanfare, Richard Petty Motorsports announced exclusively on NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED that they will be returning the the No. 43 Ford to the traditional "Petty Blue" colors for the remaining 24 races where the team will be sponsored by Smithfield Foods and their subsidiaries. As a result, it will be the first time that the team will run a primarily Petty Blue No. 43 since the earliest days of Petty Enterprises' relationship with STP.
Team co-owner Richard Petty is very happy to make the change.
"I'm really humbled by everyone at Smithfield and all their companies to decide to make this change," Petty said. "They have been great partners for us as a company and this really proves that. Our fans will now be able to easily recognize the No. 43 Ford and Aric [Almirola] on the track throughout the season. It will also bring back a lot of good memories for me each time that I see it."
Smithfield Foods CEO Larry Pope, said to be a longtime NASCAR fan in his own right, is very much in favor of the move.
"We want to connect the tradition and history of Richard Petty and Richard Petty Motorsports fans to our Smithfield Foods family of brands," Pope said. "There is no better way to do that than to bring back the 'Petty Blue' color scheme that all race fans recognize and relate to on the No. 43 Ford. We will now make sure that each time we race this season, our fans will be able to easily recognize Aric [Almirola] on the track and the strong heritage that the Petty and Smithfield Foods brands represent."
While both Petty and Pope are very much in favor of the Petty Blue scheme, which will debut this weekend in Phoenix with Farmland logos on the hood, the Petty Blue colors haven't been completely absent from Sprint Cup in recent years. In a number of races last season, Almirola ran a scheme very similar to what he will race this weekend, most notably at Kansas last October.
Landon Cassill to Drive for Circle Sport at Phoenix, Moon Shine Attitude Attire to Sponsor
On Wednesday, Circle Sport, Inc. announced that they have signed Landon Cassill to drive their No. 33 Chevorlet SS starting this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Last week, Austin Dillon drove the No. 33, but that entry was actually being fielded by Richard Childress Racing. Cassill replaces Stephen Leicht, who drove the No. 33 for much of last season and won the Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Award.
Cassill is very happy to be back in a race car at Phoenix.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping advance Circle Sport to the next level of competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," Cassill said. "I have been part of and understand what it takes for an upstart organization to compete in the Cup Series. They have an established relationship with RCR that I believe will help us, and with the right marketing partners - a company that wants to grow their involvement in the sport - I believe we have just the right opportunity for them with the No. 33 Chevrolet."
For Phoenix, the team has primary sponsorship from Moon Shine Attitude Attire, a company that produces and sells what they describe as "attitude driven, quality, designer casual wear for the outdoor audience." Moon Shine Attitude Attire sells t-shirts, sweaters and hats, mostly with camo-based designs. In addition, they have camouflage wrappings available. To match the tone of the company, Cassill's No. 33 this week will be wrapped in in the company's new Wildfire Camouflage.
This is not the first time that Circle Sport, Inc. and Moon Shine Attitude Attire have partnered up. Last October, they sponsored the team at Kansas and had the car wrapped up in their "Muddy Girl Camouflage" colors. Unfortunately, Leicht failed to qualify for the Hollywood Casino 400.
Phil Parsons Racing Withdraws from Phoenix
Last weekend, Phil Parsons Racing and driver Michael McDowell posted their best-ever finish, a ninth, in the Daytona 500. Things were finally starting to look up for the small operation.
Unfortunately, good fortune in NASCAR can be very short lived.
Just three days after posting that top-10 at Daytona, driver Michael McDowell has stated that the team won't be in Phoenix this weekend for the Subway Fresh Fit 500k.
"Unfortunately, [Phil Parsons Racing] will not be in Phoenix this weekend," McDowell tweeted. We have fallen behind building new Gen6 cars and will be back on track in Vegas."
The introduction of the new Gen6 cars have caught a number of teams out. Some, like Carl Edwards' No. 99 team, have thrashed multiple cars over the past couple of weeks in Daytona and have to deal with limited parts availability to fix their existing cars. Others, like PPR, got the last crack at some of the needed parts and need more time just to be able to put their cars together at all.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, these entries are subject to change right up to race day.
Sprint Cup Series Subway Fresh Fit 500k: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 35- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 44- Scott Riggs for Xxxtreme Motorsports*
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO/JRR*
Number Change:
Swan Racing changes from No. 26 back to No. 30.
Driver Changes:
No. 30- David Stremme returns to the seat, replacing Michael Waltrip.
No. 32- Ken Schrader returns to the seat, replacing Terry Labonte.
No. 33- Landon Cassill is in the seat, replacing Austin Dillon. The team is back to just Joe Falk's Circle Sport organization running the show.
No. 44- Scott Riggs is in the seat, replacing David Reutimann (from Homestead last year).
No. 51- AJ Allmendinger returns to the seat, replacing Regan Smith.
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing
Not Entered:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 52- Brian Keselowski for Hamilton Means Motorsports
Nationwide Series Dollar General 200: 39 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5- Jimmie Johnson for JR Motorsports
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 43- Aric Almirola for Richard Petty Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 4- Daryl Harr returns to the seat, replacing Danny Efland.
No. 5- Jimmie Johnson is in the seat, replacing Kasey Kahne.
No. 23- Harrison Rhodes is in the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr. This will be Rhodes' Nationwide Series debut.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Tony Stewart.
No. 43- Aric Almirola is in the seat, replacing Michael Annett. Annett stepped out of the seat for the weekend due to a broken sternum suffered in Daytona.
No. 51- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Jeremy Clements. Clements is suspended after an inappropriate comment in an interview last weekend.
Since there are only 40 cars entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these teams must still qualify on speed:
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports
No. 60- Travis Pastrana for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 92- Dexter Stacey for KH Motorsports
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 27- Michael McDowell for SR2 Motorsports
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
Not Entered:
No. 8- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for TeamSLR/Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 34- Danica Patrick for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 85- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
Rolex Sports Car Series' Grand-Am of the Americas presented by GAINSCO and Total: 34 total entries (16 DP, 15 GT, 3 GX)
Daytona Prototype Entries:
No. 01- Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2- Ryan Dalziel and Alex Popow for Starworks Motorsport
No. 3- Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin for 8Star Motorsports
No. 5- Christian Fittipaldi and Brian Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 6- Antonio Pizzonia and Gustavo Yacaman for Michael Shank Racing
No. 8- Brandon Hartley and Scott Mayer for Starworks Motorsport
No. 9- Joao Barbosa and Burt Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 10- Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor for Wayne Taylor Racing
No. 27- Emmanuel Anassis and Anthony Massari for BTE Sport
No. 42- Dane Cameron and Wayne Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 43- Joe and Will Nonnamaker, along with Joe Sahlen for Team Sahlen
No. 60- Oswaldo Negri, Jr. and John Pew for Michael Shank Racing
No. 76- Nic Jonsson and Tracy Krohn for Krohn Racing
No. 77- Jon Bennett and Colin Braun for Doran Racing
No. 90- Ricky Taylor and Richard Westbrook for Spirit of Daytona Racing
No. 99- Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Grand Touring Entries:
No. 03- Mike Hedlund and Johannes van Overbeek for Extreme Speed Motorsports
No. 19- Eduardo Costabal and Eliseo Salazar for Muehlner Motorsports America
No. 31- Eric Curran and Boris Said for Marsh Racing
No. 44- Andy Lally and John Potter for Magnus Racing
No. 52- Ian Baas and Matt Bell for APR Motorsport
No. 57- John Edwards and Robin Liddell for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 59- Andrew Davis and Leh Keen for Brumos Racing
No. 61- Max Papis and Jeff Segal for R. Ferri/AIM Autosport
No. 63- Alessandro Balzan and Alessandro Pier Guidi for Scuderia Corsa Michelotto
No. 69- Emil Assentato and Anthony Lazzaro for AIM Autosport Team FXDD
No. 71- Jason Hart and John McCutchen for Park Place Motorsports
No. 72- Mike Skeen and Mike Vess for Park Place Motorsports
No. 73- Patrick Lindsey and Patrick Long for Park Place Motorsports
No. 93- Michael Marsal and Gunter Schaldach for Turner Motorsport
No. 94- Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana for Turner Motorsport
Grand Touring Experimental Entries:
No. 00- Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez for SpeedSource
No. 38- Jeff Mosing, Dr. Jim Norman and Spencer Pumpelly for BGB Motorsports
No. 70- Tom Long and Sylvain Tremblay for SpeedSource
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
A Post-Daytona Diatribe
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
NASCAR has suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements for an apparent insensitive remark to a reporter, this past Daytona 500 weekend. Much speculation has centered on this alleged comment, from fans who have been asking things such as "what on earth did he say?" and "who is Jeremy Clements?" Some accounts have to do with accusing Danica Patrick's team of having cheated to win the pole – and NASCAR being well aware of it. Isn't accusing your opposition of cheating one of the long-standing traditions of NASCAR, particular on the superspeedways? If that's the case, Jack Roush probably would have been punted some time ago. What used to be the culture of "Have At It Boys" has already been reduced to PC Policing run amok. Editor's Note: ESPN.com's David Newton is reporting that Clements apparently used a racial slur towards a writer in Daytona last Saturday.
-----
Danica Patrick's Daytona 500 was honestly quite impressive. Keep in mind, she's still a rookie at the Cup level and in its biggest race put it on the pole, kept it straight the entire race, didn't put a wheel wrong, didn't cause a massive pile-up (that would be two of the favorites to contend for the Sprint Cup who did that), and didn't bump draft somebody into a spin. She's running a full season in new cars, but is on equal footing in a car that's new to everyone. She also seems a lot more comfortable, relaxed, and not as out of place in her first couple seasons. You can track her comfort level along the same timeline has filing for her divorce I believe. After all, any driver will run quicker after unloading 180lbs of dead weight. Yes, she got her headlight decals sucked off on the final lap, but as Viper told Maverick in Top Gun, "Best to save your airplane – and fight another day." Wait until she posts a top-10 at Bristol, and I bust out some life lessons for you from Rambo: First Blood Part I.
----
What was up with 50 Cent – sorry – Actor, Curtis Jackson – going Joe Namath on Erin Andrews before the Daytona 500? Nothing like getting a head turn on national TV. At least he didn't bust out with his chorus from "Get In My Car".
----
Think the economy has rebounded and everything is back to 2006 awesomeness? Think again. The entry list is down to 43 cars for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500k, and only 40 cars are entered for Saturday's Dollar General 200. Perhaps it's the long trek out west after having spent a weekend in plate race purgatory for many of the smaller teams. Never understood the schedule or what sadist put this thing together. Don't go to Homestead or anything where it's somewhat close and on the way from Daytona. How about you drive as far as physically possible for three times in the next four weeks. Isn't one of NASCAR's mantras to help cut the cost for teams – particularly the smaller privateers who keep series such as Nationwide with enough cars to fill the field?
----
I know I was on about this last year for a good while, but I am absolutely floored that Dodge bailed on NASCAR. With brand identity being the focus of the Generation 6 car, they had the most honest interpretation of a stock car for stockcar racing – and they quit. AFTER winning the championship no less. Interesting as well, as soon as Dodge left, Chevrolet decided it was suddenly safe to bring the Camaro out to the Nationwide Series. Also, Dodge, feel free to can those awful Dodge Dart commercials. They aren't smart or funny. They're irritating. Also, note how everything the Dodge line up used to have to look like the Ram truck; now it looks like the Dart. Don't make it look like the Challenger or anything. It's only the most desirable car in your line up.
----
Which brings me to my final comment. Somebody start passing the collection plate around, so FOX will stop going to commercial with less than 15 laps to go at restrictor plate races. They did it first during the Sprint Unlimited the Saturday before with eight laps to go. Eight. Awesome. Thanks for that.
All afternoon long it was apparent that nobody was going to do anything until the last 20 laps. The last two practice sessions, less than 20 cars each participated, and drivers had said as much they would wait until the end to actually race – as we have seen in virtually every speedway race the past five years. Knowing this, and seeing the lack of action during the middle portions, would you not take the opportunity to run the one last bank of commercials, and not break away from the race, as the actual race begins to take shape and unfold?
I don't need to see the GEICO gecko fake crying or the GEICO pig for the 30th time in three hours, or another irritating Dodge Dart commercial. I was actually longing for an old Michael Waltrip NAPA commercial at one point. At least they had the side-bar coverage, but what is supposed to be the Super Bowl of motorsports, it is treated as a speed bump for the same commercials that have been running for the past three hours.
And for the love of God…STOP with the pre-race concert. It sounds terrible. It's not the Super Bowl halftime show. Stop being something you are not. Like the underground rock band who gets big by being themselves, then goes corporate and tries to be all things to all people, it devolves into instant suck. NASCAR is a lot better at being NASCAR than it is at trying to be the NFL. If only somebody would help communicate the message to them.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer/Assistant Editor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @VitoPugliese.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: NextEra Energy Resources 250
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. The original grandmaster plan was to cover SPEED's Richard Petty special that premiered on February 18th. However, Saturday's savage crash at Daytona put the kibosh on that. Substantial emphasis had to be placed on how the networks handled that situation. As a result, I'll cover SPEED's special next week.
For today, we cover the season opener for the Camping World Truck Series on SPEED. 2013 sees essentially no changes to the broadcasts from 2012, and no real change to the style of racing at Daytona as well. How did SPEED do Friday night? Let's find out.
The 2012 Camping World Truck Series season was a battle of epic proportions. There were multiple drivers in contention for the championship right up to the season finale in Homestead, and a record 16 different drivers (including nine first time winners) visited Victory Lane. So naturally, SPEED's first move was to review the 2012 season, montage-style. I'm not against that, but I could see it coming a mile away.
Ray Dunlap, who might be a little more well-known in the sports community since his attempted interview with Mike Stefanik last week went viral, gave a brief review of all the various driver changes and team changes that have taken place in the offseason. I thought it was ok, but I don't think he gave enough explanations of why certain people are off the board. Most notably, Justin Lofton, who was in the race. In his case, he's going to be running in Robby Gordon's Stadium SUPER Trucks in addition to Camping World Truck races. According to the schedule, there are three same day conflicts and a number of same weekend, but different day races. Missing three races means he won't be able to compete for the title, but he'll still be a threat whenever he shows up.
In addition, there was a brief piece where drivers described their final thoughts before the command to start engines. Unfortunately, this didn't really work out all that well. Most of the drivers talked about not being able to hear the command, which took the sails out of the piece.
The primary feature of the Setup was a feature with defending Camping World Truck Series Champion James Buescher...narrated by James Buescher. The idea behind the piece was Buescher talking about how he can repeat as champion in 2013. Buescher came off as determined in the piece, but also boring at the same time. That's gotta be a new one. As a result, the footage from last season ended up being the lynchpin.
Luckily for us viewers, this was a restrictor plate race. As a result, it's very difficult for SPEED to miss much of the action on the track. SPEED (even though it is part of News Corporation) also tends not to zoom in quite as tight as FOX does in their telecasts. Therefore, you can see just a little bit more.
There was more than the appropriate amount of enthusiasm out of the broadcast booth during the telecast as well, which makes the telecast that much better to watch. I know a lot of my readers get irritated with Michael Waltrip's constant presence on telecasts. Here, he's just not as insufferable as he is on FOX. Maybe it's just me being used to him that I don't feel the need to constantly rake him over the coals every week for everything under the sun. I would be stretching to do it. I can deal with Michael now.
On the business side of things, Friday night's race marked the first Camping World Truck Series since NASCAR acquired their own website. Here's a true fact regarding the website: 2013 will be the first full season that NASCAR has ever run their own website. ESPN basically started it in 1996 and ran it until 2000. NASCAR operated it for a few months in 2001, then sold it to Turner Sports, who operated it through the end of last year. Obviously, that lack of website experience shows. While they've come up with a nice looking site and a nice app (NASCAR Mobile '13), they've got problems up the yin yang. You've probably already heard about the RaceView quagmire, so I'm not going to rehash here.
Friday was the first time that NASCAR has a live leaderboard available on their website for the Camping World Truck Series. It's about time. I had wanted that on TruckBuddy for years. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. There's no more TruckBuddy. As TruckBuddy is owned by Turner Sports, they picked it up and went home. No more streaming shots, in-truck cameras and battle cams. Sad thing is, TruckBuddy was the easiest form of RaceBuddy for me to use. It was less graphically intensive, and synced to SPEED's broadcast (that's huge). RaceBuddy for Sprint Cup and Nationwide has been so slow and annoying that I basically can't use it anymore, and that's a shame. It seems so weird not being able to see action during the commercials. Hopefully, NASCAR can come up with something to appease Truck fans.
There was a bit of bad editing during the caution for the big wreck around Lap 55 when SPEED aired an audible F-bomb from Buescher's spotter in a replay. My thoughts on that are simple. If it's something like a live interview, or a crewmember swearing while checking out their stricken car, that's one thing. It's a whole 'nother thing if you have three to five minutes to get rid of that F-bomb, and you fail to do it. TNT screwed up like that a few years ago when Kyle Petty got spun out at Sonoma by Marc Goossens when serving as a "in-car reporter." Oops. That's inexcusable.
Compared to previous truck races in Daytona, Friday night's race ended quite early. SPEED had about 20 minutes that they could fill. Did they use up their slot? No! They chose to do a few post-race interviews, then skedaddle to the sneak preview of RU Faster Than a Redneck? What the heck, man? I know SPEED's been pimping that show all winter, but couldn't it have waited until the appropriate start time. C'mon. I felt shafted. Also, Jon Reep irritates me.
In regards to RU Faster Than a Redneck, it tangentially relates to motorsports. If you guys want me to sit down and review the show for you, I will. I just really feel for Ken Squier. Why the heck was he there with Reep screaming over the top of him with platitudes that make him look like a complete idiot? And who gave Reep a show? I suppose we'll never know.
That's all for this week. Next week, we'll finally sit down and look over SPEED's Richard Petty special, Richard Petty: A Racer's Life. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Phoenix and Austin.
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 Side By Side: Is There a Place in NASCAR for Plates?
"Given recent developments within NASCAR, I believe it's a good time for the sanctioning body to re-think its adherence to superspeedway restrictor plate racing. My proposal involves two fairly simple changes to the status quo. First off, allow teams to tweak or manipulate their electronic fuel injection systems so as to reduce speed by cutting horsepower. We've been told about the relative ease with which EFI allows for custom-tuned allotment of fuel into the engine cylinders…. why not alter the motors and eliminate the need for a restrictor plate that essentially serves the same purpose? "- Dr. Mark Howell, with a proposal to take advantage of fuel injection to rid the sport of the plates.
~~~~~~~~~~
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: A Changing NASCAR World Of Lawsuits & StereotypesThe Critic's Annex: NextEra Energy Resources 250
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. The original grandmaster plan was to cover SPEED's Richard Petty special that premiered on February 18th. However, Saturday's savage crash at Daytona put the kibosh on that. Substantial emphasis had to be placed on how the networks handled that situation. As a result, I'll cover SPEED's special next week.
For today, we cover the season opener for the Camping World Truck Series on SPEED. 2013 sees essentially no changes to the broadcasts from 2012, and no real change to the style of racing at Daytona as well. How did SPEED do Friday night? Let's find out.
The 2012 Camping World Truck Series season was a battle of epic proportions. There were multiple drivers in contention for the championship right up to the season finale in Homestead, and a record 16 different drivers (including nine first time winners) visited Victory Lane. So naturally, SPEED's first move was to review the 2012 season, montage-style. I'm not against that, but I could see it coming a mile away.
Ray Dunlap, who might be a little more well-known in the sports community since his attempted interview with Mike Stefanik last week went viral, gave a brief review of all the various driver changes and team changes that have taken place in the offseason. I thought it was ok, but I don't think he gave enough explanations of why certain people are off the board. Most notably, Justin Lofton, who was in the race. In his case, he's going to be running in Robby Gordon's Stadium SUPER Trucks in addition to Camping World Truck races. According to the schedule, there are three same day conflicts and a number of same weekend, but different day races. Missing three races means he won't be able to compete for the title, but he'll still be a threat whenever he shows up.
In addition, there was a brief piece where drivers described their final thoughts before the command to start engines. Unfortunately, this didn't really work out all that well. Most of the drivers talked about not being able to hear the command, which took the sails out of the piece.
The primary feature of the Setup was a feature with defending Camping World Truck Series Champion James Buescher...narrated by James Buescher. The idea behind the piece was Buescher talking about how he can repeat as champion in 2013. Buescher came off as determined in the piece, but also boring at the same time. That's gotta be a new one. As a result, the footage from last season ended up being the lynchpin.
Luckily for us viewers, this was a restrictor plate race. As a result, it's very difficult for SPEED to miss much of the action on the track. SPEED (even though it is part of News Corporation) also tends not to zoom in quite as tight as FOX does in their telecasts. Therefore, you can see just a little bit more.
There was more than the appropriate amount of enthusiasm out of the broadcast booth during the telecast as well, which makes the telecast that much better to watch. I know a lot of my readers get irritated with Michael Waltrip's constant presence on telecasts. Here, he's just not as insufferable as he is on FOX. Maybe it's just me being used to him that I don't feel the need to constantly rake him over the coals every week for everything under the sun. I would be stretching to do it. I can deal with Michael now.
On the business side of things, Friday night's race marked the first Camping World Truck Series since NASCAR acquired their own website. Here's a true fact regarding the website: 2013 will be the first full season that NASCAR has ever run their own website. ESPN basically started it in 1996 and ran it until 2000. NASCAR operated it for a few months in 2001, then sold it to Turner Sports, who operated it through the end of last year. Obviously, that lack of website experience shows. While they've come up with a nice looking site and a nice app (NASCAR Mobile '13), they've got problems up the yin yang. You've probably already heard about the RaceView quagmire, so I'm not going to rehash here.
Friday was the first time that NASCAR has a live leaderboard available on their website for the Camping World Truck Series. It's about time. I had wanted that on TruckBuddy for years. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. There's no more TruckBuddy. As TruckBuddy is owned by Turner Sports, they picked it up and went home. No more streaming shots, in-truck cameras and battle cams. Sad thing is, TruckBuddy was the easiest form of RaceBuddy for me to use. It was less graphically intensive, and synced to SPEED's broadcast (that's huge). RaceBuddy for Sprint Cup and Nationwide has been so slow and annoying that I basically can't use it anymore, and that's a shame. It seems so weird not being able to see action during the commercials. Hopefully, NASCAR can come up with something to appease Truck fans.
There was a bit of bad editing during the caution for the big wreck around Lap 55 when SPEED aired an audible F-bomb from Buescher's spotter in a replay. My thoughts on that are simple. If it's something like a live interview, or a crewmember swearing while checking out their stricken car, that's one thing. It's a whole 'nother thing if you have three to five minutes to get rid of that F-bomb, and you fail to do it. TNT screwed up like that a few years ago when Kyle Petty got spun out at Sonoma by Marc Goossens when serving as a "in-car reporter." Oops. That's inexcusable.
Compared to previous truck races in Daytona, Friday night's race ended quite early. SPEED had about 20 minutes that they could fill. Did they use up their slot? No! They chose to do a few post-race interviews, then skedaddle to the sneak preview of RU Faster Than a Redneck? What the heck, man? I know SPEED's been pimping that show all winter, but couldn't it have waited until the appropriate start time. C'mon. I felt shafted. Also, Jon Reep irritates me.
In regards to RU Faster Than a Redneck, it tangentially relates to motorsports. If you guys want me to sit down and review the show for you, I will. I just really feel for Ken Squier. Why the heck was he there with Reep screaming over the top of him with platitudes that make him look like a complete idiot? And who gave Reep a show? I suppose we'll never know.
That's all for this week. Next week, we'll finally sit down and look over SPEED's Richard Petty special, Richard Petty: A Racer's Life. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Phoenix and Austin.
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 Side By Side: Is There a Place in NASCAR for Plates?
"Given recent developments within NASCAR, I believe it's a good time for the sanctioning body to re-think its adherence to superspeedway restrictor plate racing. My proposal involves two fairly simple changes to the status quo. First off, allow teams to tweak or manipulate their electronic fuel injection systems so as to reduce speed by cutting horsepower. We've been told about the relative ease with which EFI allows for custom-tuned allotment of fuel into the engine cylinders…. why not alter the motors and eliminate the need for a restrictor plate that essentially serves the same purpose? "- Dr. Mark Howell, with a proposal to take advantage of fuel injection to rid the sport of the plates.
~~~~~~~~~~
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
NASCAR Fantasy Insider: Are You Ready For Real Racing To Begin?
by Jeff Wolfe
Tech Talk: Alan Gustafson Takes The New Car, And Jeff Gordon Back To The Desert
by Mike Neff
Truckin' Thursdays: Three Drivers To Watch One Race Into 2013
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beyond the Cockpit: Daytona 500 Finish Gives Yeley Great Hope For 2013
by Tony Lumbis
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: For Michael Andretti, the first few races of the 2003 IRL season served as the swan song to his illustrious career. In Phoenix, he led 23 laps, but left the one-mile tri-oval with nothing to show for his effort. What happened?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: For 1996, the Craftsman Truck Series' first visit to Phoenix International Raceway was separated from the Copper World Classic and given it's own weekend. However, the attrition followed as well. Future Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick was knocked out of the event very early. What happened?
A: Dave Smith and Bob Keselowski collided on Lap 8 exiting Turn 4. Smith continued on, but Keselowski spun his Winnebago Dodge in front of a pack of drivers. Harvick, Walker Evans, Terry McCarthy, Butch Gilliland and Mike Chase piled in. Kenny Irwin, Jr. also spun to avoid the pile. The crash can be seen live at the 16:00 mark of the race telecast. Keselowski, Harvick, McCarthy and Evans were all eliminated on the spot. Chase and Gilliland went to the garage for repairs, but came back out to finish the race in 29th and 24th, respectively. Irwin and Smith continued on, but later dropped out of the race.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 Tom Bowles
-- In Case You Missed It by Rick Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Phoenix by Matt Stallknecht
Matt gets your engines revved up for 2013 with a preview of the weekend's Subway Fresh Fit 500k.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin takes over this column for 2013 with a preview of Saturday's Dollar General 200.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Jeb Burton
The driver of the No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet in the Camping World Truck Series stops by to give you a look into his life.
-----------------------------
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