Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 19th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XVI
~~~~~~~~~~
What To Watch: Tuesday
- Daytona's Battle of The Beach, the series of short track races on a makeshift, 0.4-mile oval anchored by the racetrack's backstretch comes its two-day conclusion. The Whelen Modified Race will run at 7 PM while the K&N Series Divisions will follow at 8:30 ET. Both those events, 150 laps in length will be televised live on SPEED.
FRONTSTRETCH FANTASY: GET IN THE GAME
Want to compete against some of your favorite Frontstretch writers this season? Our fantasy guru, Jeff Wolfe has created a Yahoo! league and wants you, our faithful readers to join in the fun with us. All you need is a Yahoo! ID and an internet connection... go through the following steps:
1) Sign in to Yahoo!, then go to http://racing.fantasysports.yahoo.com/auto
2) Create Your Team
3) Join our Group!
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.
Top News
by Tom Bowles
Ryan Truex To Truck Series
Martin's little brother is getting a big opportunity in the Camping World Truck Series. Former K&N Series champion Ryan Truex, just 20 years old has signed with Turner Scott Motorsports to run Daytona in their No. 30 Chevrolet Silverado. Sponsorship will come from Bass Pro Shops, in a one-race deal although both sides are working to secure funding for more events.
"Huge thanks to
Truex fills the vacancy created when Nelson Piquet, Jr. moved up with Turner Scott Motorsports to the Nationwide Series in 2013. Truex has limited experience in the Trucks, with just two career starts but scored a top-10 finish (ninth) at Phoenix last November.
Daytona Practice: Cup, Nationwide, Trucks ALL OFF until Wednesday. For short track action, see Mike Neff's Battle Of The Beach below.
- Jamie Dick announced Monday he'll run a full Nationwide Series slate of races with Viva Motorsports. Funding will come from a variety of supporters, including Viva Auto Group, Bestway Auto and new associate sponsor Media Latino Communications (MLC). He'll campaign Chevrolets with the number 55 on the side. In 17 career starts in the division, Dick has a best result of 18th at Phoenix last November.
- Ryan Truex, in addition to his Truck deal announced Monday he'll be making his Sprint Cup debut with Phoenix Racing's No. 51 team. The plan is to run the Richmond race, this April with additional opportunities possible with sponsor funding. Truex will also run the Indianapolis Nationwide Series race, with Turner Scott Motorsports and has other possibilities for more events in that division.
- NASCAR enjoyed a boost from Danica Patrick's push for the pole in Daytona qualifying. That Sunday afternoon televised block pulled a 2.0 overnight rating in the Nielsens, an 11% increase from 2012. No official ratings for Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited have been released; at-track attendance figures were also left unreported.
- Monday marked the 12-year anniversary of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s death in the 2001 Daytona 500.
Larson Prevails In Battle Of The Beach
by Mike Neff
The Late Model stocks have been a staple of NASCAR Short Track racing for some 30 years, so it was appropriate that the first of the three races that will make up Daytona's Battle at the Beach would be the Late Model event. The best Late Model drivers in the country, including a national champion and five State Champions, comprised the field of 29 cars.
2013 Nationwide Series regular Kyle Larson was determined to beat them all. While CE Falk led 61 laps total and most of the last half of the race, he ended up sitting sideways at the checkered flag. Entering the final two turns, Larson got under Falk's back bumper coming off of turn four, hit him once, then picked him up and turned him into the infield to take the win. Falk stayed in the gas, spun around and rebounded to finish third behind Ben Rhodes. Anthony Anders put in a workman like effort to finish the race in fourth ahead of Deac McCaskill who rounded out the top five.
The race started with Larson and Rhodes on the front row. Rhodes led for the first half of the race with Larson in second for a few restarts before Falk overtook him on a particularly bad restart for Larson. Falk held onto the second position and made a couple of very strong pushes to try and grab the top spot before finally making a crossover maneuver after the halfway point to assume the point. He then led the race until lap 144, when Larson took first place away. Falk rebounded to reassume the lead one lap later, then held it until the final corner when he was held up by a lapped car -- that allowed Larson to get to his bumper and turn him into the infield to grab the win.
Larson's victory is his first in the three races that he will compete in during the Battle at the Beach. He was 15th fastest in the K&N series practice on Monday and fastest in his first ever time in a Modified.
Race Notes: Coleman Pressley was the fastest car in practice but struggled in his heat race and started the feature in 11th. He only completed 12 laps in the main event before he was sidelined with mechanical failure... Austin Self got together with Jake Crum on lap 31 and both ended their race at that point... Matt Leicht had a incident-shortened evening when he was part of a five-car melee in turn three on lap 69... Nate Monteith had the most dramatic exit of the evening when his smoking car finally expired on lap 106 and burst into a fireball coming down the front straight... There were nine total caution periods for a total of 59 laps, a fairly high number for a 150-lap event. But after a race filled with fits and starts and very few green flag runs of more than five laps, the final 37 circuits were green.... There were three leaders who traded the lead four times. Rhodes led the first 87 laps of the event before surrendering the lead to Falk. Falk was on point for 62 laps, only giving up the top spot on lap 142 and the final lap.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Battle at the Beach
Race Results
1) 98 – Kyle Larson
2) 46 – Ben Rhodes
3) 40 – CE Falk III
4) 36 - Anthony Anders
5) 08 – Deac McCaskill
6) 83 – Matt Bowling
7) 1 – Lee Pulliam
8) 30 – Dalton Zehr
9) 7 – Brandon Rogers
10) 72 – Garrett Campbell
11) 81 – Rusty Skewes
12) 12 – Jared Marks
13) 28 – Tyler Audie
14) 15 – Trey Hutchens
15) 47 – Mike Looney
16) 22 – Tyler Howell
17) 0 – Jake Engle
18) 3 – Kaz Grala
19) 44 – Nate Monteith
20) 8 – Myatt Snyder
21) 2 – Trey Gibson
22) 71 – L.B. Skaggs
23) 21 – Matt Leicht
24) 89 – Adam Royle
25) 01 – Jake Crum
26) 07 – Austin Wayne Self
27) 4 – Mackena Bell
28) 59 – Coleman Pressley
29) 41 – Wes Falk
Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Daytona International Speedway: The Track I Love, I Hate, and Love Again
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
It's a beautiful place, a true monument to all we hold dear as racing fans. Daytona International Speedway stands tall in the soft Florida wind, the pattern of the encompassing catchfence blending with the swaying fronds of the palm trees and the rippling water across Lake Lloyd.
We love it here. Most fanciers of automotive machines do. It is where cars trail around the infield for 24 hours, all to earn some fancy Rolex watch. Motorcycles of all breeds descend for a week of two-wheeled celebration. Now there's a short track, so even more of the motorhead population can come witness glory in this iconic place.
Besides all the engine-propelled partying, NASCAR's year begins here. To us, Daytona represents fresh starts and impossible dreams come true, second chances and celebrations gone wild.
Once upon a time, we raced on the sands of the not-so-distant beach. Now we're running on asphalt, nearly five lanes wide and banked 31 degrees in the monstrous turns that never end. Speeds wind up to near 200mph. It is gargantuan and gorgeous, a track that speaks to the still burgeoning history of auto racing where we recall days of glory even as the grid is set for the next Great American Race. It calls to us to come and see!
Unfortunately, every year I ponder my immutable work schedule and sigh. I will not get to attend the Daytona 500, once again. There will not be the opportunity to see 43 cars cross the start/finish line or to cover my ears when the engines strain against the restrictions placed upon them. I will not see Tony Stewart win his first 500 -- echoing another first by Dale Earnhardt, Sr. so many years ago. I will not wiggle in my seat as the pack tightens up, forcing the drivers to squeeze too many machines in a much too small piece of moving real estate. My heart won't slam in my chest, because only when you're at the track can you completely abandon yourself to the competitive animal that lives inside every race fan.
I also won't stand in horror when somebody slips just a fraction of an inch too far to the left and 15 cars pile into the fence, sheet metal rending, fuel bursting into flame and more than one vehicle tumbling to a stop on the infield. No, I won't.
But I will be sitting on my couch holding my head in my hands, questioning exactly why we return to Daytona and Talladega twice a year, every year, and most likely will continue to do so through the foreseeable future.
You see, I hate those car-munching pig piles. I react in a much more visceral way compared to the usual sinking stomach sensation I have to wrecks at any other track. It's not the actual accident that upsets me. It's the sheer magnitude of the destruction that makes my heart sink and the knowledge that for two-thirds of those teams affected, they had little or nothing to do with the end of their day.
Racing is all about living on the edge of control. The plate tracks simply step over the cliff. And it is then, when we've abandoned our hold on the steering wheel, that I've stopped watching a high-speed competition and entered into the world of base spectacle. I begin to feel cheated of my day of racing. Anger follows. I will grumble and complain, wring my hands, and write a few hundred chosen words on the evils of irresponsible sanctioning bodies that enjoy playing roulette with their most prized assets -- the drivers.
Then, I look again. Riding the banks of Turns Three and Four, a pack of screaming cars appear, the metal of their machines reflecting the setting sun. They seem to defy gravity. Inches separate bumpers and fenders while my heart catches in my throat.
There is simply nothing like it. When the draft is working, when that minute edge remains under the steely grip of the pilot and when all else is as it should be, Daytona is once again the best place to watch the fastest stock cars compete.
I love it. I hate it. I am a simple NASCAR fan in conflict, but still one who is looking forward to the drop of the green flag come Sunday afternoon.
NASCAR fans! Start your engines.
Kyle Larson Stats
Series: ARCA
Race: Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona
Car: No 4 Cessna Chevrolet
Qualified: 11th
Finished: 2nd
Series: USAC Midgets
Race: 30-Lap Main at New Smyrna
Car: #17B
Started: 3rd
Finished: 1st
Series: Whelen All-American Series
Race: UNOH Battle at the Beach from Daytona
Car: No. 98 curb.com
Started: 2nd
Finished: 1st
Want to follow Kyle Larson yourself?
Twitter: @KyleLarsonRacin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyleLarsonRacing
Website (under construction): http://kylelarsonracing.com/
Looking for a little history? Try: http://kylelarsonracing.net/
Author's Note: I've finally made it to Facebook! Come visit with me at http://facebook.com/Author.SDGrady
S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch.com. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Win A Free FanVision Rental!
This week, we're tying a new contest into our weekly Foto Funnies! Check out this week's Foto Funnies on Wednesday and come up with the funniest possible caption for the photo provided. The winner, as judged by the editors at Frontstretch.com, will receive a free FanVision rental at any Sprint Cup race during the 2013 season, courtesy of the folks at Sprint FanVision!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Numbers Game: Sprint Unlimited / Daytona Qualifying
by Tom Bowles
0
The number of laps led by Hendrick Motorsports in Saturday night's race despite making up 21% of the field (four of 19 cars).
0
The number of poles won by Ryan Newman in 2012 after averaging four for the first twelve years of his career. The shutout led to his exclusion from the Unlimited after the first year they reverted back to "old school" rules (pole winners in 2012 and past winners of the event only).
2
The number of laps run by Terry Labonte before pulling into the garage for a "vibration."
$15,700
The approximate number of dollars, per lap earned by Labonte for that performance.
4
The number of rookie pole sitters for the Daytona 500 in NASCAR's modern era: Loy Allen, Jr. (1994), Mike Skinner (1997) and Jimmie Johnson (2002).
12th
Best finish out of those rookie pole sitters, by Skinner in 1997.
1
Total number of laps led by those rookie pole sitters in those events. Only Skinner was actually able to stay up front, for just one lap.
3
The number of victories for Kevin Harvick in the Sprint Unlimited (formerly Bud Shootout/Busch Clash) after his win on Saturday night. That's second-best all-time to Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (six).
18th
The previous best starting spot for any woman in the 54-year history of the Daytona 500. Janet Guthrie, in 1980 accomplished the record while driving for Rod Osterlund (she finished 11th).
40,000-45,000
At-track attendance estimate by our writer Mike Neff, who was working at the speedway. Last year, the event was listed with an attendance of 82,000.
$205,075
Purse money reserved for Sprint Unlimited winner Kevin Harvick.
Tom Bowles is the Editor-In-Chief of Frontstretch.com. He can be reached at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Short-Term Memory Loss: Earnhardt's Concussion Issue Fading Into Background
by Brett Poirier
Who's Hot / Who's Not in NASCAR: Sprint Unlimited-Daytona 500 Edition
by Brad Morgan
Going By The Numbers: It's Time For NASCAR's New Plate Racing Head Honcho
by Kevin Rutherford
Five Points to Ponder: A Reigning Champ Flying Under The Radar & Daytona Dreams
by Danny Peters
Couch Potato Tuesday: John Wes Townley Got Served
by Phil Allaway
~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Daytona is abuzz this week about Tony Stewart potentially ending his 0-for-14 drought in the Great American Race. However, there are plenty of other Sprint Cup drivers who are suffering far worse. Who has the longest current 500 drought among active drivers?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In 1989, Neil Bonnett returned to the Wood Brothers to replace Kyle Petty in the CITGO Ford No. 21. However, his return to the car did not last long. What happened?
A: That year's Speedweeks was disastrous for Bonnett. Caught up in a wreck, not of his making during a Twin 125 qualifier he started a disappointing 38th. Then, just two laps into the Daytona 500 an oil line came loose as Bonnett came through the tri-oval. That caused the CITGO Ford to catch fire, quickly enough that Bonnett had to maneuver to the inside, underneath the apron and "abandon ship" rather than bring his ailing car down pit road. The incident, which caused the race's first caution can be seen at the 7:45 mark of this clip.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Tom Bowles
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Kevin Rutherford
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Tom returns with a series of "quick hit" discussion points. Among them: why the Sprint Unlimited tells us little, if anything about the Daytona 500 and why the Great American Race, in turn tells us little if anything about the championship Chase.
Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Our weekly feature for our readers where we'll have a special guest stop by on a weekly basis to discuss the technical aspects of the sport is back for 2013. This time, "Slugger" Labbe, Paul Menard's head wrench stops by to talk Speedweeks to date. He'll tell us what adjustments top teams are going to need to make with what they've learned so far about the Gen-6.
Side by Side: All-Star Parking by the Frontstretch Staff
An old standby column returns, our weekly staff debate on a major NASCAR topic facing the sport. This week's edition involves Terry Labonte, who start-and-parked in an exhibition race after completing just two laps. Should he, or the team be penalized by NASCAR for taking advantage of his "special" status?
Beyond the Cockpit: TBA
It'll be a surprise tomorrow, as either a top-level Cup driver or one from the Truck Series will stop by and dish on all sorts of topics pre-Daytona.
Sprint Cup Top 15 Power Rankings by the Frontstretch Staff... and more
They're baaack! Your favorite rankings return as we pre-rank the drivers for 2013 before the Great American Race. See who some of your favorite writers, from both the Frontstretch and across the web have pegged as the driver with the most momentum heading into the coming season.
Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
We'll have a top ten list that will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2013 Frontstretch.com --
--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
NASCAR and great NASCAR commentary. They can subscribe to the Frontstetch by visiting http://www.frontstretch.com/notice/9557/.
If you want to stop your Frontstretch Newsletter subscription, we're sorry
to see you go. Just send an email to
TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Frontstretch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thefrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
No comments:
Post a Comment