The Frontstretch Newsletter: March 12th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 12th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XXXIII

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Editor's Note: A past edition of "Letter Of The Race" along with a few computer glitches that posted Daytona 500 titles were included in yesterday's Newsletter. We apologize for the errors and any confusion they may have caused. - Eds.
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What To Watch: Tuesday

- Today, a handful of Camping World Truck Series drivers will begin a two-day test down at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.  Among the more notable drivers expected to be in attendance are rookies Jeb Burton and Chase Elliott, along with reigning champion James Buescher for Turner Scott Motorsports and former Truck Series regular Scott Riggs for RBR Motorsports.  Note that Elliott, just 17 years of age, will be testing a truck from Turner Scott Motorsports, but that particular truck will be fielded by Hendrick when he makes his debut next month.

- In addition to it being the traditional penalty day in NASCAR (none are expected this week), Tuesday is also teleconference day with the national media.  Today, NASCAR has two drivers, Aric Almirola from Sprint Cup and Elliott Sadler from the Nationwide Series scheduled to speak with the press.

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Top News
by Tom Bowles

Kahne, Earnhardt Swap Race Dates At JR Motorsports

JR Motorsports made a slight adjustment in their Nationwide Series driver lineup Monday.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was supposed to race at Talladega in his No. 88 will now drive at Chicagoland instead. In his place will step Kahne, running the No. 5 in an 11-race schedule who now jumps in on Talladega weekend, with his car in order to keep a Sprint Cup presence on the team.

Officially, JR Motorsports claimed the switch was designed to give Earnhardt the best chance to succeed this Fall; Chicagoland's 1.5-mile oval is the first track within NASCAR's ten-race Chase.  Since the Cup Series only runs once there, experience is crucial and Earnhardt has struggled somewhat in recent years – he's gone five races on the Cup side without leading a lap.

"Kasey and I were chatting about our Nationwide Series schedules, and I was looking for more track time at a place like Chicago," confirmed Earnhardt, Jr. in a press release announcing the move.  "Kasey mentioned how he would love a shot at winning at Talladega.  Fortunately, we have a partner like Great Clips that was willing to work with us.  One of our 2013 goals at JR Motorsports is to be a better asset to Hendrick Motorsports.  For me personally, this scheduling change helps us do just that."

It's also notable that Earnhardt, whose last concussion was suffered at Talladega, got caught up in the wild series of wrecks during Daytona's February Nationwide race.  Back then, he considered himself "lucky" to not get hurt once again and with the arbitrary nature of plate racing, sitting out that extra event is the best way to prevent re-injury.

FAS Lane Racing Has Full-Time Sponsor?

Fortunes could be looking up for one of Sprint Cup's underdog programs. FAS Lane Racing announced in a Facebook post Monday they're closing in on a three-year deal with a major sponsor.  Details and a timeline for the announcement were not given; however, the move was promptly retweeted by rookie Timmy Hill, set to make his 2013 debut with the team beginning at Fontana next Sunday.

At the moment, Hill is scheduled to run 18-20 events with NASCAR veterans Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader filling out the rest of the schedule for FAS Lane.  So far, it's been a difficult start, with wrecks in two of the first three races and no top 25 finishes to date.  Terry Labonte, with a 26th at Daytona has the best performance for the No. 32 Ford team; he'll drive at Bristol this Sunday.

NASCAR Ratings Decline For Vegas

After a promising start to 2013, NASCAR's Nielsen numbers are continuing their downward slide.  Sunday's Las Vegas event posted a 4.4 overnight rating, a four percent decline over last year's 4.6.  That marks the second-smallest viewership watching the race in Sin City since the sport's national TV contract first went into effect, in 2001.  Only the 2010 edition of the race, which competed against the U.S. – Canada hockey gold medal game pulled in a lesser audience.

FOX's overnight numbers for the season, three races in are up a total of 14 percent. But that number can be deceiving, exclusively tied to the sport's Daytona 500.  The two races since, at both Phoenix and Vegas have failed to improve on their 2012 benchmarks.

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

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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column 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!
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Editor's Note: S.D. Grady is out for today.  However, another one of our writers, Matt Stallknecht, has stepped up with a column of his own for your reading pleasure.

Today's Featured Commentary
Despite a Thrilling Finish in Vegas, Gen-6 is Still a Work in Progress
A Burning Question Answered? Tuesday Special Commentary From Our NASCAR Racing Preview Analyst
by Matt Stallknecht

"We're getting there." That's the general consensus regarding the raciness of the Gen-6 car after the first true test of its abilities this past Sunday.  It wasn't truly scintillating until the last 30 laps, but the Kobalt Tools 400 offered just enough action, passing, and side-by-side competition to whet the appetite of fans who have been starved for good racing after two parade-like affairs to start the season.

All in all, both the eyeball test and NASCAR scoring indicated that the Gen-6 was actually pretty racy in its first event on one of NASCAR's ubiquitous, 1.5-mile tracks.  According to the sport's loop data, there were a total of 31 green flag passes for the lead on Sunday, the highest total at Las Vegas since 2007, perhaps suggesting that clean air is less of an advantage up front than in years past.

From my vantage point, it visibly appeared that cars were able to pass for the lead with relative ease provided that their equipment was cooperating with them; both Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch routinely were able to drive up, through traffic into first place despite being stuck in dirty air.  Green flag passing totals as a whole were up as well, as 2,342 such passes were made, nearly double the total from 2012 (1,301).  This data suggests that the cars are more manageable to drive in traffic and capable of making passes mid-pack, both key factors in providing good competition.

Don't get me wrong; there's still plenty of room for improvement. Clean air, while certainly appearing to have less of an advantage than it had in the CoT era, is still very much a factor, and the tires are still rock hard.  Matt Kenseth made the second of those issues apparent at the end of the race; despite running on tires that were decidedly older than second place Kasey Kahne, Kenseth was still able to hold off every attack that his rival made.  Yes, Kenseth certainly deserves a great deal of credit for simply out-driving Kahne when it mattered most (and truthfully, that is still the primary reason why he won, despite what some will tell you). But there is no way in hell, under "normal" circumstances that Kenseth should have been able to hold off the fastest car in the race on tires that were some 15 laps older than the rest of the lead lap cars.  Combine those tire issues with the weakened-but-still-effective clean air advantage, and it's easy to see why Kahne couldn't get the job done at the end.

The onus is now on both NASCAR and Goodyear to get to work on improving what they've created.  Vegas verified that it can be racy - and that the car itself is off to a decent start - but in order to get back to the kind of scintillating 1.5-miler racing that permeated the late '90s and early 2000s (Go to YouTube and search for clips of the 2001 Spring Atlanta race to get an idea of what I'm talking about) there are still a variety of things that need to be changed.

First and foremost, Goodyear absolutely must develop softer tires that have more falloff.  If nothing else these past two weeks, we've learned that these tires are utterly sub-par.  More falloff will allow for teams to find more mechanical grip, which should translate into more on-track passing.  On the topic of mechanical grip, it is imperative that NASCAR keeps working on increasing it across the board while lessening aero dependency, as this adjustment becomes is the cure for aero push. Mike Neff suggested in Thinkin' Out Loud yesterday that this problem could be fixed, quicker by raising the cars off the ground by a few inches, thus preventing the teams from sealing the nose and allowing trailing cars to get more air.  I tend to agree with him.

The last fix on the list is to slow these cars down.  The higher the speeds are, the more prevalent that the aero push phenomenon becomes, meaning passing gets increasingly more difficult.  During the best period of 1.5-miler racing in the mid-to-late '90s, cars were usually sailing into the corners at around 188-194 mph depending on the track.  The cars of today fly into the corners at around 198-204.  Getting us back to the "old school" times should promote closer racing, and luckily, that may be happening sometime soon.  Multiple people I have talked to (including our own Amy Henderson, who mentioned it in her Big Six article yesterday) have indicated that NASCAR is considering using a tapered spacer (similar to the one used in Nationwide) to slow down corner entry speeds.  That could be coming in the next month or so -- be sure to keep an eye out for that.

Alas, although Vegas offered a good glimpse of what these Gen-6 cars are capable of, NASCAR cannot sit on its laurels... not by a long shot.  This car is still a ways from being as competitive as it could be, and it is up to the brains in Daytona Beach to continue taking a proactive approach to making them better. That's because, as cliché as it sounds, the fate of the sport truly does depend on it.

Kyle Larson Stat

Series: Nationwide Series
Race: Sam's Town 300
Car: No. 32 Eveready Chevrolet
Started: 13th
Finished: 32nd (Crashed out, completed 182 laps)
Points Standing: 14th

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/

Matt Stallknecht is a Website Contributor for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at matt.stallknecht@frontstretch.com.  Follow him on Twitter at @MStall41.

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Numbers Game: Kobalt Tools 400
by Mike Neff

0
Dollars Denny Hamlin has vowed to pay towards his $25,000 fine received after besmirching the technological wonder that is the Gen-6 car.

1
Laps led by Clint Bowyer in 2013, as opposed to 388 during the full schedule last season.

2
Rookie of the race awards garnered by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. so far in 2013; Danica Patrick has scored the other in Sprint Cup.

3
Top 5s for Brad Keselowski this season in the first three races, the only driver to accomplish this feat.

4
Number of Cup races won by a driver on their birthday (Cale Yarborough (2), Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth).

5
Caution flags for 25 laps in Sunday's race. That's the fewest for a Cup race in Las Vegas since 2000.

6
Bonus points apiece (for wins and laps led) scored by Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth this season. They lead all Cup drivers.

7
Number of top 10s scored by Matt Kenseth in his career at Las Vegas, in just 14 career starts (50% ratio). His 513 laps led there is fourth-best for him amongst all tracks on the circuit.

13
The number of point positions lost by J.J. Yeley on Sunday, the most by anyone. He has an average finish of 32nd since running 10th in the 2013 Daytona 500.

17
The number of point positions gained by Kasey Kahne on Sunday, the most by anyone. Kahne was runner-up at Vegas following two lackluster races to start 2013.

18th
Finishing position for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., the Rookie of the Race.

19
Number of cars that finished on the lead lap Sunday.

22
Number of lead changes in the 2013 edition of the Vegas race -- the most since 2007.

25
Number of victories in Matt Kenseth's career.

41
Matt Kenseth's age on Sunday.

114
Laps led by Kasey Kahne at Vegas, the most of the race.

$3,070.72
The amount of money Michael McDowell earned per lap for each of his 21 laps completed on Sunday.

$65,590
Prize money scored by Jeff Green in three Nationwide races this season. He's finished none of them.

$223,100
Total prize money won by Nationwide points leader Sam Hornish through three races.

$438,883
Cash Josh Wise has taken home in his three starts in 2013.

$1,948,512
Prize money claimed by Jimmie Johnson in three Cup races this season.

Mike Neff is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at mike.neff@frontstretch.com.  Follow him on Twitter at @MNeffShortTrack.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

What Does NASCAR Want: Candid Answers Or Sponsor Whores?
by Brett Poirier

Who's Hot / Who's Not In NASCAR: Las Vegas-Bristol Edition
by Brad Morgan

Going By The Numbers: New Driver, New Team, Better NASCAR Results?
by Kevin Rutherford

Five Points to Ponder: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of NASCAR Parity
by P. Huston Ladner

Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX's Pre-Race - Not In-Race - Coverage Concern
by Phil Allaway

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q:  The 1994 Goody's 250 at Bristol is best known for Mark Martin's premature pull-in that cost him the victory.  What put the race under yellow to set up Martin's error?
 
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Monday's Answer:

Q:  If you take a look at the track page for Bristol on Racing-Reference, you'll notice that the 1991 Valleydale Meats 500 had an astounding 40 lead changes.  However, the race wasn't exactly that competitive.  What caused the record high number of lead changes?

A:  At the time, there were a series of rule changes sweeping through NASCAR. The death of Mike Rich, a crewmember on Bill Elliott's pit crew at Atlanta the previous November had led NASCAR to ban changing tires under caution for the Daytona 500. By Bristol, you could change tires under yellow, but they split the field such that those with the blue stickers (drivers in odd starting spots) pitted first, then the orange drivers (those with even starting spots) came in on the next lap.  On restarts, odd-stickered drivers were in one lane, while even-stickered drivers were in the other.  As a result, there were a number of lead changes that occurred during cautions (19 of the 40 that 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!

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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!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Did You Notice?... by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice?... How losing grassroots support can have its consequences? Which Busch brother is better at Bristol? And so much more in this list of small but important observations surrounding the sport.

Side by Side: To Shave or Not To Shave? 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 takes a look at Bristol's banks.  Was SMI Chairman O. Bruton Smith right to grind the upper groove in the turns, or should he have left them be?

Sprint Cup Top 15 Power Rankings compiled by Michael Mehedin
It's baaack! Your favorite poll returns as we rank the drivers after Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400. See who some of your favorite writers, from both the Frontstretch and across the web have pegged as the #1 driver with the most momentum as of now.

Beyond The Cockpit: Michael McDowell interviewed by Tom Bowles
The wheelman of the No. 98 Ford, for Phil Parsons Racing stops by to talk about his surprising Daytona 500 performance, the struggles of the new car and how the underdog teams can compete against their "big team" counterparts.

Frontstretch Top Ten by the Frontstretch Staff
This Week's Topic: Top Ten Alternative Punishments for Drivers Who Say Things NASCAR Doesn't Like.  The answers will tickle your funny bone, guaranteed.

Open-Wheel Wednesday by Toni Montgomery
Toni's back with a look inside the Izod IndyCar Series as the teams come ever closer to their season opener in St. Petersburg.

Column TBA
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