Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: March 28th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

March 28th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XLV
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Latest On Hamlin Situation
per Mike Neff

A Thursday teleconference with J.D. Gibbs did not lead to an official announcement on Hamlin's replacement at the No. 11 car. Frontstretch reported yesterday Elliott Sadler was the frontrunner for that seat.

Sources late yesterday confirmed that Brian Vickers had been put in the mix, at the last minute through the interest of sponsor Fed Ex in negotiations to drive some of the races Hamlin is out but there were mitigating factors. Fed Ex, one of the few primary sponsors left in the sport desires sponsor exclusivity and Vickers driving the No. 11 would limit exposure with sponsor Aaron's during that time. Since Vickers is the top candidate to drive the No. 55 car, full-time in 2014 there was an additional level of concern such a "swap" would cause on all sides. That additional behind-the-scenes brokering is what could stretch this announcement, along with a final schedule out for several days.

Keep it here for all the latest updates on this developing story.

Top News

by Phil Allaway

Hamlin and Logano Communicate; Feud Over?

Whenever there is a significant incident in NASCAR involving on-track contact, it is generally expected that drivers take it upon themselves to contact the other party and talk it out in an attempt to clear the airThese conversations are often done over the phone, while house calls have also been made in the past.

Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, the main belligerents in the last-lap incident in Fontana, have not talked to each other face-to-face since the crash.  However, they did recently exchange text messages.

"It didn't go well," Hamlin stated in a matter-of-fact fashion to the Associated Press.

Penske Racing owner Roger Penske, speaking from the Pro-Am event at the Shell Houston Open, just wants the whole affair to go away.

"
There's a lot of noise about a lot of things that are said at these races," Penske said on Wednesday to the Associated Press' Chris Duncan.  "People are at a high pitch and I think other people need to settle down and realize that's the sport. We're just going to have to keep our heads on." 

Penske and Logano were both playing in the Pro-Am portion of the event, where Logano declined interview requests.


Brad Keselowski Launches New Website

On Wednesday, Brad Keselowski announced the relaunch of his personal website, BradRacing.com.  According to the site's press release, the site will provide "increased access to the Penske Racing driver and Brad Keselowski Racing owner."  The site, which takes a page from NASCAR's own redesigned website, will be one of the first in the NASCAR industry designed to give users on desktops, laptops, tablets and other mobile devices a complete, easy-to-navigate experience.

Keselowski is very happy to open his revamped personal website and hopes that fans like it.

"
We're fortunate to compete in a sport with such a large and loyal fan base," Keselowski said.  "This site is designed to be at the forefront of digital media and primarily with the fans in mind as a platform for them to engage and interact with me and each other in new and different ways."

Once the site is completely live next week, there will be individual mini-sites within the website for every race in which Keselowski is scheduled to compete in.  These sites will contain comprehensive news updates and multimedia content.  Fans will be able to contribute to the mini-sites, and so will Keselowski. 

In addition, The Crew Challenge will launch on April 5th at Martinsville as a way for fans to contribute content to BradRacing.com.  According to the site, they are looking for "t
hings that capture a unique perspective on a race. Things that make a statement. Things that show your passion. Things that show intelligence or wit. Things that are fun and entertaining. Things that, taken together, help tell the story of each of Brad's races in a dynamic way." Note: Italics are emphasized at BradRacing.com.  Fans can submit videos, photos, stories, drawings, race analysis, commentary, interviews, or even recreations of race events in games like NASCAR Racing 2003 Season or NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. 

Fans will earn points based on how much content is accepted by the website, and by how much it is liked by other fans.  The points can be redeemed to acquire merchandise, and some additional prizes will be awarded at season's end.  If you'd like to sign up early and earn bonus points, go here and fill out the form
.  Keselowski will announce more detailed information on this particular aspect of the site via his Twitter feed next week.

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
Joey Logano At A Crossroads
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese

As we approach Daytona Speedweeks' 2013 kickoff this weekend, with Media Day well underway as you read this article there is as much talk about looking to the past as there is heading towards the future.

The Gen-6 car will make its debut in competition for the first time Saturday night in the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race. The sixth iteration to the Cup car to compete is really, in my mind version 3.0 for the CoT. After an update in 2010, one that axed the front splitter and rear wing, the latest version is said to embrace more of the street car cues of its production counterparts. Much like the Nationwide Series regained some notoriety, starting to develop an image of its own with the throwback styling of the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang, the Cup cars now look more "street stock" than they have in nearly 20 years.

There will be aspects, though that harken back to a simpler time with the new car. Much like in the early 1980s, Dodge has all but vanished once again from NASCAR, save for Morgan Shepherd's effort in the Nationwide Series. Chevrolet has been left thumping their chest about the new SS being the only rear-wheel drive, V8 powered production car in the field – albeit due to Dodge's departure – although their car isn't due in showrooms until the end of the year. (And had to be engineered in Australia, then rebadged from the long defunct Pontiac G8. Lumina fans, take heart.) Even Ford is appearing retro in various ways; well, at least "one of them" is. The Wood Brothers announced that 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne will be piloting the colors driven to victory 50 years ago by DeWayne "Tiny" Lund for this year's event. Lund's win was as unlikely as Bayne's, as he was a substitute driver, filling in for the injured Marvin Panch whose life he saved just days earlier.

Holding true to tradition is the running of the Busch Cla… er, the Bud Shoot… I mean, the Sprint Unlimited as the first race of the season. It used to be held the week before the Daytona 500 during the day, and it was quite simple: a 20-lap sprint (literally) to the finish, with no pit stops needed. In 1991, when restrictor plates made things pretty boring, the format was updated. The race was broken into two ten-lap, green-flag segments, with the field inverted for the second ten-lapper. Considering what today's plate races have devolved into – riding around for three hours before trying the last 20 laps – this format would probably be ideal nowadays.

Alas, further tinkering with perfection was preferred, and the race was eventually drug out to a 25-lap first segment, then intermission, followed by a 50-lap race. Why, I have no clue. Probably because you can sell more commercials and beer over the course of 75 laps.

This year, governing has gone out the window, and the fans will now be responsible for voting on the segments. The race's eligibility, taking a turn towards history is limited to previous year pole winners only, and prior winners of the event -- not "whomever has a full-time ride this coming season." The lineup will be determined on race day by a fan vote, based on career Wins, 2012 Points Standings Finish, most nose hair, or the order in which they won their poles the previous year. The format itself will also be a fan vote, broken up into three segments totaling 75 laps. 

While I am not really a fan of the constant format fiddling of this event, The All-Star Race, or the points system, it is a definite change to what we had become accustomed to. As much flack as NASCAR takes, you have to give them credit for finally listening to the fans – those who were actually still showing up and tuning in. Nobody liked the splitter and the wing – boom, outta here. Two-car tandems getting boring? Cover up the grille and make it run hot quicker. That Fusion looks nothing like what Carl Edwards has ripped the front end off of? Suddenly, cars look like cars again. Kind of.

There's even a new truck, the "Air Titan," which is said to reduce track-drying time by up to 80%. Presumably, since it also blows mainly compressed air, its flash point and burn rate is also greatly reduced if JPM is in the neighborhood.

What is a bit frustrating, however is that we're a week off of what the schedule should truly be and always had been until last year. The Daytona 500 is supposed to be run the second Sunday in February. Last year, tradition was tinkered with, and look what happened – the first rain delay in this great race's history and an event that nearly got finished on Tuesday afternoon. Had the Unlimited been run last week, well it would have been smack dab in the middle of the massive blizzard that buried much of the Northeastern United States. I seem to remember that happening back in 1979 and it being kind of a big deal, one that minted a legion of new race fans who were forced to watch TV that day.

Perhaps with this new car, new format, and a new attitude within the sanctioning body, we can pick up where things left off back in '79 one more time.


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.
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Editor's Note: The Critic's Annex will return next week due to a lack of content to actually critique.

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Frontstretch Line of the Week

From Did You Notice? ... Back-Breaking Maneuvers, The Perfect Combination And A Secret Success

"
Who would have thought, two years ago we'd be five races into 2013 and Paul Menard would still be driving for Richard Childress, let alone the most consistent wheelman on the team?  "- Tom Bowles, on Paul Menard's consistent performance to start the season.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

NASCAR Fan Q & A: How Much Does Media Really Influence Viewership?
by Summer Bedgood

Truckin' Thursdays: Miguel Paludo on Time Off, Testing and Illnesses
by Beth Lunkenheimer

Tech Talk: Bono Manion Takes Stock Of NASCAR's New Stock Car
by Mike Neff

Mirror Driving: NASCAR Surprises And Disappointments In 2013
by the Frontstretch Staff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  In the rough and tumble 1996 BellSouth Mobility Opryland USA 320 at Nashville Speedway, Todd Bodine was in position to pick up the first victory for ProMotion Motorsports.  However, Bodine's potential winning run came to an end with 25 laps to go.  What happened?

Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Wednesday's Answer:

Q:  If you've seen the movie Smokey and the Bandit Part II, then you've seen footage of a race between a bunch of trucks at then-Atlanta International Raceway. That one-off race in 1979 that was filmed for the movie resulted in the creation of the Great American Truck Race for 1980. However, what was the main problem with racing eight ton trucks at superspeedways?

A:  The one downside to this particular brand of truck racing was the complete and total lack of support from tire manufacturers.  As a result, teams raced on street tires that had a large amount of the tread shaved off in order to dissipate heat.  The beginning of this clip shows some of the issues and what little the teams could do to stop it.  Unfortunately, there just wasn't any way to prevent a bunch of right front tires from blowing out.

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 Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!


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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


Formula 1 Fridays by Andy Hollis
Andy takes a look at what's happening with the biggest racing series overseas.

Four Burning Questions: Off Week by Matt Stallknecht
Matt takes time out during this break in NASCAR action to assess the 2013 season to date.

Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.

Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.

Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
With the Nationwide Series at a brief stopping point, Kevin checks out the highs and lows of the 2013 season to date.

Kyle Larson Driver Diary as told to Mike Neff
Larson stops by to give his take on how his season has gone so far in the Nationwide Series.
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©2013 Frontstretch.com

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