THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 18th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LX
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Top News
by Phil Allaway
Penske Racing Penalized Heavily For Rear-End Housing Infractions
On Tuesday's edition of NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED, it was reported that they did not know the extent of the penalties that would be levied against Penske Racing after their rear-end housings were confiscated prior to the NRA 500. However, they did report that the penalties would be "severe."
They were not wrong.
On Wednesday, NASCAR dropped the hammer on both of Penske Racing's Fords. Both the No. 2 and No. 22 teams were docked 25 driver's and 25 owners' points each. In addition, both teams' crew chiefs (Paul Wolfe and Todd Gordon) have been fined $100,000 each. Finally, the crew chiefs, car chiefs (Jerry Kelley and Raymond Fox) and head engineers (Brian Wilson and Samuel Stanley), in addition to Travis Geisler, who serves as a team manager for both teams, have been suspended for six weeks. Finally, all seven team members will be placed on probation until the end of the year. For the sake of this penal action, NASCAR does not count the Sprint All-Star Race as a race since no points are awarded. As a result, the suspension is actually seven weeks.
In their release, NASCAR stated that both teams violated multiple sections of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book. The sections cited were Section 12-1 (Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing), 12-4J (Determination by a NASCAR official that parts and/or equipment do not conform to NASCAR rules), and 20-12. Section 20-12 states, "All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted, in a completed form/assembly, to the office of the NASCAR Competition Administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond normal rotation or suspension travel."
Penske Racing announced via their Facebook page that they will appeal the ruling using the appropriate process. As a result, the seven suspended crew members will be at the track this weekend in Kansas.
If the penalty is upheld after the appeal, Keselowski wpuld drop from second, nine points behind Jimmie Johnson to fourth, 34 points back. Meanwhile, Logano would drop from ninth, 62 points behind Johnson to 14th, 87 points back.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 18th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition LX
~~~~~~~~~~
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Penske Racing Penalized Heavily For Rear-End Housing Infractions
On Tuesday's edition of NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED, it was reported that they did not know the extent of the penalties that would be levied against Penske Racing after their rear-end housings were confiscated prior to the NRA 500. However, they did report that the penalties would be "severe."
They were not wrong.
On Wednesday, NASCAR dropped the hammer on both of Penske Racing's Fords. Both the No. 2 and No. 22 teams were docked 25 driver's and 25 owners' points each. In addition, both teams' crew chiefs (Paul Wolfe and Todd Gordon) have been fined $100,000 each. Finally, the crew chiefs, car chiefs (Jerry Kelley and Raymond Fox) and head engineers (Brian Wilson and Samuel Stanley), in addition to Travis Geisler, who serves as a team manager for both teams, have been suspended for six weeks. Finally, all seven team members will be placed on probation until the end of the year. For the sake of this penal action, NASCAR does not count the Sprint All-Star Race as a race since no points are awarded. As a result, the suspension is actually seven weeks.
In their release, NASCAR stated that both teams violated multiple sections of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book. The sections cited were Section 12-1 (Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing), 12-4J (Determination by a NASCAR official that parts and/or equipment do not conform to NASCAR rules), and 20-12. Section 20-12 states, "All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted, in a completed form/assembly, to the office of the NASCAR Competition Administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond normal rotation or suspension travel."
Penske Racing announced via their Facebook page that they will appeal the ruling using the appropriate process. As a result, the seven suspended crew members will be at the track this weekend in Kansas.
If the penalty is upheld after the appeal, Keselowski wpuld drop from second, nine points behind Jimmie Johnson to fourth, 34 points back. Meanwhile, Logano would drop from ninth, 62 points behind Johnson to 14th, 87 points back.
Paul Menard would move back up to ninth in points, while Matt Kenseth would move into tenth, the final guaranteed Chase spot. The Wild Cards would be occupied by Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray.
Truex Docked Points for Measurement Violation
At the same time that NASCAR dropped the hammer on Penske Racing, they also announced penalties against the No. 56 team. After Saturday night's NRA 500, Martin Truex, Jr.'s No. 56 measured too low in the front end in post-race inspection.
As a result, NASCAR has docked the No. 56 team six driver points and six owner points. Crew chief Chad Johnston has been fined $25,000 and will be placed on probation for the next six points races.
In their explanation, NASCAR cited that the team violated a couple of sections of the aforementioned rulebook. Those were Sections 12-1, 12-4J and 20-12.8.1B (Failing to meet the minimum height requirement during post-race inspection).
Following the announcement, Michael Waltrip Racing released a statement where they honored NASCAR's call.
"Michael Waltrip Racing is sensitive to working within the guidelines of NASCAR policy. This infraction clearly occurred as a result of a malfunction caused by race conditions. Therefore, we will not appeal. We thank NASCAR for providing a fair and equitable platform for all of its competitors and respect its decisions."
Prior to the penalty, Truex was in a three-way tie for 16th in points with Ryan Newman and Marcos Ambrose, 37 points out of tenth. As a result of the penalty, Truex drops to 19th, 43 points out of tenth.
Hornaday Penalized for Intentional Contact with Darrell Wallace, Jr.
Also on Wednesday, NASCAR announced penalties against Camping World Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday, Jr. However, unlike those penalties levied against Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Martin Truex, Jr., this penalty came as a result of on-track behavior.
Late in Sunday's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Rock presented by Cheerwine, Hornaday appeared unhappy with the way that Wallace was racing him. After an unrelated caution flew late in the event, Hornaday intended to give Wallace a message. The result was that Wallace was turned into the Turn 3 wall, at race speeds despite the caution flag and had to drop out of the race. At the time, Hornaday was sent to the end of the line for the green-white-checker restart. He would eventually finish 15th. After the race, Hornaday admitted fault, claiming he knew it was a stupid move.
That was not enough to satisfy NASCAR.
NASCAR dropped the hammer on Hornaday, fining him $25,000 and docking him 25 driver points. Hornaday was also placed on probation until June 12, which covers the next four races. In their explanation, NASCAR stated that Hornaday violated only Section 12-1 (Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing) of the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rule Book.
After Hornaday's 15th-place finish on Sunday, he was fourth in points, 30 points behind Johnny Sauter. The penalty drops Hornaday back to 13th in the standings, 55 points behind.
NTS Motorsports announced on their Facebook page that they support NASCAR's ruling and penalties. They also stated that they will not appeal.
Goodyear Hosts Tire Test in Daytona
On Wednesday, Goodyear wrapped up a two-day tire test at Daytona International Speedway. Drivers from all three manufacturers participated in single-car and multi-car runs in order to figure out the right tire package for July 6th's Coke Zero 400.
The participating drivers were as follows:
Chevrolet:
No. 1 - Jamie McMurray for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
No. 5 - Kasey Kahne and Regan Smith for Hendrick Motorsports
No. 10 - Danica Patrick for Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 33 - Austin Dillon for Richard Childress Racing
Ford:
No. 16 - Greg Biffle for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 17 - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 99 - Carl Edwards for Roush Fenway Racing
Toyota:
No. 18 - Michael McDowell (in place of Kyle Busch) for Joe Gibbs Racing
No times were released from the two days' worth of track time. Also, there were no wrecks during the session, a welcome change from the incidents that plagued the Preseason Thunder tests back in January.
Entry List Update
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are subject to change right up until race time.
Sprint Cup Series STP 400: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 11 - Brian Vickers for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 12 - Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 35 - Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports
No. 51 - Regan Smith for Phoenix Racing
No. 81 - Elliott Sadler for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports/JRR
Driver Changes:
No. 51 - Regan Smith returns to the seat, replacing Austin Dillon. Smith is sharing the ride this season, running a limited schedule along with Dillon and A.J. Allmendinger.
Drivers who must qualify in the top-36 on speed:
No. 12 - Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing (2013 Cup debut)
No. 81 - Elliott Sadler for Joe Gibbs Racing (2013 Cup debut)
Drivers next in line to be bumped out of field:
No. 19 - Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing (44th in owners points)
No. 44 - Scott Riggs for Xxxtreme Motorsports (45th in owners points)
No. 98 - Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing (42nd in owners points)
Not Entered:
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 95 - Scott Speed for Leavine Family Racing
Camping World Truck Series SFP 250: 37 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 6- Danny Efland for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 19 - Joey Logano for Brad Keselowski Racing
No. 51 - Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 07 - Jamie Dick is in the seat, bringing sponsorship money and replacing Johnny Chapman.
No. 1 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing T.J. Bell.
No. 6 - Danny Efland is in the seat, replacing Tyler Young. This will be Efland's 2013 Truck debut after being released by JD Motorsports in the Nationwide Series.
No. 30 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Kyle Larson.
No. 51 - Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Erik Jones.
No. 63 - Justin Jennings returns to the seat, replacing Scott Stenzel.
No. 84 - Chris Fontaine returns to the seat, replacing Mike Harmon.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 0 - Scott Saunders for JJC Racing
No. 1 - Unknown driver for Rick Ware Racing/MAKE Motorsports
No. 10 - Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 14 - Brennan Newberry for NTS Motorsports
No. 21 - Spencer Gallagher for Gallagher Motorsports
No. 27 - Jeff Agnew for Hillman Racing
No. 57 - Norm Benning for Norm Benning Racing
No. 63 - Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports
No. 68 - Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Motorsports
No. 84 - Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
No. 93 - Chris Jones for RSS Racing
No. 99 - Bryan Silas for T3R2
Not Entered:
No. 28 - Andy Seuss for FDNY Racing
No. 52 - Tyler Reddick for Ken Schrader Racing
No. 75 - Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 92 - Clay Rogers for RBR Enterprises
Izod IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach: 27 cars entered
Driver Changes: None
Entries:
No. 1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 2 - AJ Allmendinger for Team Penske
No. 3 - Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4 - JR Hildebrand for Panther Racing
No. 5 - EJ Viso for Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM
No. 6 - Sebastian Saavedra for Dragon Racing
No. 7 - Sebastien Bourdais for Dragon Racing
No. 9 - Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10 - Dario Franchitti for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11 - Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technology
No. 12 - Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14 - Takuma Sato for A.J. Foyt Enterprises
No. 15 - Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 16 - James Jakes for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 17 - Mike Conway for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18 - Ana Beatriz for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19 - Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20 - Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 22 - Oriol Servia for Panther-DRR
No. 25 - Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27 - James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 55 - Tristan Vautier for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
No. 67 - Josef Newgarden for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77 - Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports
No. 78 - Simona de Silvestro for KV Racing Technology
No. 83 - Charlie Kimball for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98 - Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
Rolex Sports Car Series Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta: 28 cars entered (13 DP, 12 GT, 3 GX)
Daytona Prototype Entries:
No. 01 - Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2 - Ryan Dalziel and Alex Popow for Starworks with Alex Popow
No. 3 - Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin for 8Star Motorsports
No. 5 - Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi for Action Express Racing
No. 6 - Antonio Pizzonia and Gustavo Yacaman for Michael Shank Racing
No. 8 - Brendon Hartley and Scott Mayer for Starworks Motorsport
No. 9 - Brian and Burt Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 10 - Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor for Wayne Taylor Racing
No. 42 - Dane Cameron and Wayne Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 43 - Joe and Will Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 60 - John Pew and Michael Valiante for Michael Shank 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. 18 - Unknown drivers 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. 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 Paul Westphal for Scuderia Corsa
No. 69 - Emil Assentato and Anthony Lazzaro for AIM Autosport Team FXDD
No. 71 - Jason Hart and John McCutchen for Park Place Motorsports
No. 73 - Patrick Long and Patrick Lindsey for Park Place Motorsports
No. 93 - Michael Marsal and Gunter Schaldach for Turner Motorsport
No. 94 - Paul Dalla Lana and Billy Johnson for Turner Motorsport
Grand Touring Experimental (GX) Entries:
No. 00 - Andrew Carbonell and Joel Miller for Yellow Dragon Motorsports/SpeedSource
No. 38 - Dr. Jim Norman and an unknown driver for BGB Motorsports
No. 70 - Tom Long and Sylvain Tremblay for SpeedSource
Not Entered:
No. 72 - Mike Vess and Mike Skeen for Park Place Motorsports
No. 72 - Mike Vess and Mike Skeen for Park Place Motorsports
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!
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Today's Featured Commentary
Penske Penalties: Passive Punishment for Past Sins?
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and the entire Penske organization have had a tumultuous last few weeks. First, you had the dustup at Fontana, with Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart antagonizing Logano in various ways. Then, there was Saturday night's exercise in stress management, with getting the cars yanked out of inspection and on the grid as everybody else was getting ready to take off and race. Top 10s for both cars (including a fifth for Logano) were followed by Brad expressing his displeasure over what he perceives as being singled out for the last week in the garage area, then going to The White House as part of his 2012 Championship recognition – under the specter of a terror attack that had occurred just 24 hours earlier.
On Wednesday, NASCAR's hammer came down on the entire raceday braintrust of the No. 2 and 22 teams. Crew Chiefs Paul Wolfe and Todd Gordon are both benched for six weeks, based on the confiscation of parts from Texas. While a crew chief suspension is usually expected, what wasn't was the suspension of the car chiefs (responsible for execution of setup changes and race day checks) along with their lead engineers. For Keselowski's No. 2 team, car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and team manager Travis Geisler (who also covers the No. 22) are out for six weeks plus the All-Star Race. For Logano's group, in addition to Gordon, car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley are out the same length of time, just as this team was starting to get its legs underneath them and gain some momentum.
Ouch. Kind of makes the matching $100,000 fines seem paltry by comparison.
Sure, the commensurate 25-point fines are salt in the wound as well, but also look at the races these influential people are going to be out for. I'll start with Richmond, should an appeal be denied by then – it's the first time with the Gen-6 car, and it's the last race before the Chase starts. It might be helpful to know how the car drives there considering the hole they're going to have to dig out of. Then comes Talladega: The No. 2 is the defending champion, and he finished fourth at the Daytona 500 this year with a garbage bag for a front clip. Dover? Second race in The Chase. Pocono? Yeah, why would you want a track to help prep for The Brickyard? Southern 500 at Darlington – the Lady In Black is also the granddaddy of superspeedway races. Perhaps the most damning of them all, though is missing Charlotte. The All-Star Race is where everybody's friends and families show up, at the capital of NASCAR. It's a big money race, and a chance to prep for one of NASCAR's other crown jewel events – The Coca-Cola 600.
Now that we know the harsh judgment that was visited upon the Captain's crew this week, let's take a look at the root cause of the issue.
This is the first fine with the new Gen-6 car. The last time we had a new car, the first fines were doled out at about this same time, when Tony Eury, Jr. was sent packing from Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team for six weeks for an improper spoiler mount prior to the Southern 500 -- as well as a 100-point fine. NASCAR wanted to make sure they sent a message to the teams: no screwing around with the car. This time around, the fine and scramble in the inspection area was for rear-end housings that did not fit "the spirit of the rule."
Spirit of the rule? So if I'm at 7-Eleven, do I get booted for wearing pasties, tightie whities and slippers because it does not fit "The spirit of the rule" of no shirt, no shoes, no service? Either it's illegal or it's not. If you don't like the spirit of the interpretation, fix your rule. That's what's done in legislatures across the fruited plain when there's a law that's confusing or difficult to enforce.
And why so harsh, so soon – particularly to the defending champion – a couple of days before he's to travel to the nation's capital, meet with the President, and represent the sport? My personal feelings are that this seems like unofficial punishment for comments Keselowski made about the sport prior to the season starting, and NASCAR's way of evening things out for Joe Gibbs Racing after Joey Logano's rift with Denny Hamlin led to Hamlin's fractured vertebrae (i.e., busted spine bone), and six weeks on the sidelines. Hamlin actually tweeted following the announcement of the penalties, "NASCAR docked points.. Can I have em? Pretty please? #chase." He had also tweeted that Logano cost him more than 25 points at Fontana.
This reaction, coupled with the blatant blown pit box non-violation at Martinsville, and connecting the dots becomes a bit easier.
And what of this, "bull$***" taking place in the garage that Keselowski was referring to after the race at Texas? One rumor has Chad Knaus, of all people narcing on the Nos. 2 and 22 to NASCAR, based on where their garage stall was to them over the weekend and the view he had of the cars. At Martinsville two weeks ago, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano got together during practice, with Knaus expressing his displeasure of the incident to Todd Gordon, Logano's crew chief. Is this further retribution stemming from an isolated on-track incident?
Knaus calling out somebody for creatively interpreting rules is ironic at best – after all, he's more or less become synonymous with the term "six-race suspension" over the years, though it has never seemed to affect the team's performance. The first time it happened as crew chief with Hendrick Motorsports, in 2006, they won the first two of the first three races of the season. Calling on Darian Grubb, who was the team engineer at the time, to step atop the box those victories included the Daytona 500.
I will say this much, in NASCAR's defense. Remember, it was the Penske cars who also introduced at Charlotte the offset rear-end housings with the CoT that had them crabbed out like a B-52 on final approach in an effort to generate more side-force in the corners. This isn't their first go-round with tail happy trickery.
But past history there never resulted in a fine; instead, engineers were rewarded with solid finishes for their creativity. While I understand the need to enforce rules and contain competition with regards to engineering and gaining an unfair advantage (which is an oxymoron in and of itself) what I can't grasp is NASCAR's fanatical hatred of anything remotely opposed to "the spirit" of their new car. It's as if they feel they've put it all on black on the Gen-6, as if it is the sole make-or-break item that will dictate the future and success of the sport. First, Denny Hamlin states that it was difficult to pass with – but they're working on it, and they instantly fine him, but later everything is deemed as settled. Huh?
The next week, everybody had nothing but good things to say about the car and how fun it was, while at the same time there were privately a lot of unhappy people in the garage area who were not at liberty to discuss why specifically – but you can draw your own conclusions based on the general consensus regarding mentioning anything remotely critical of the sport to anybody with a microphone, camera, or notepad.
NASCAR needs to realize something, and it's what fans know, and will tell anybody who will listen. This sport is successful and will grow for one reason and one reason only: the drivers, the fans' access to them, and the actual product on the track and the television screen. The latter probably got a little too close for comfort, with the graphic last-lap accident at the Daytona Nationwide race in February, but it is the drivers and the personalities in the garage who will continue carry this sport, as they always have for the past 65 years.
With manufacturer identity hanging by a thread last season, did anybody really notice beside diehard Mopar fans that a Dodge won the title at Homestead and only Ralph Gilles was on hand to greet Keselowski afterwards? Of course not. What does everybody remember? Brad hammered, dominating a half-gallon of Miller Lite on SportsCenter, and giving the best post-championship interview, ever, hands down, no use trying to find something better.
Gen-6 car? Looks better than the one before, but guess what? It's still mainly stickers, the Charger was the most real of the four unveiled last year but is nowhere to be found, and you can't race with it on a superspeedway -- yet -- just like with the CoT in 2007. This weekend, however should be interesting with it at Kansas, considering corner entry speeds expected to be in well in excess of 210 mph – on a 1.5-mile track. Plenty of growing pains are still ahead, no matter what they're going to make drivers say.
That being said, I will be the first one Friday morning at MIS in June, parked down by Turn 1 to see these bastards wide open at 9,500 rpm, hitting 220 mph. With any luck, Paul Wolfe, Todd Gordon, Travis Geisler, and the rest of the gang will be back there with me by then, too, and NASCAR will have learned a lesson in what really matters.
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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The Critic's Annex: Real Sports' Christmas Time
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming available on television. Earlier this week, I promised you a look at the V8 Supercars' Microsoft Office 365, held on April 6-7 from Symmonds Plains Raceway in Tasmania. However, things can change from time to time.
On Tuesday night, HBO aired a piece on their sports magazine show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. This is typically an excellent show with great production values. Many notable people in sports journalism work on the show today, or have in the past (Fun Fact: ESPN's Shannon Spake used to be a Producer for Real Sports before joining SPEED).
For the benefit of our audience, we'll just focus on the racing-related portion of the show. That segment was entitled, "Christmas Time," a look at Christmas Abbott, who is currently attempting to become a full-time pit crew member with Michael Waltrip Racing. According to the credits, Maggie Burbank produced the piece, while John Franco presented it.
The feature starts off in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway. Franco talks with Abbott about her attempt to get a foothold as a tire changer in the Sprint Cup Series. In addition, we see Abbott shadowing Mark Martin's pit crew during the Subway Fresh Fit 500k, much like a prospective teacher does during a field experience while in college.
Abbott explained to Franco that she had never even given being on a pit crew a thought until last year, when a friend pitched her the idea of hanging around a crew for a day. She decided to press her luck and fell in love with the idea of doing pit stops while at a pit challenge. She's hooked, simple as that.
Next, we meet Ted Bullard, Jr. a former NASCAR team executive who launched the idea of finding a female athlete to train for pit crew duties a couple of years ago. He believes that Abbott is the perfect woman for his endeavor, so much so that he quit his job and manages her full-time. Yes, he considers it to be a marketing ploy.
In Abbott, you have an elite athlete that is well-known in CrossFit circles. For those of you unsure what CrossFit is, it's basically a state of mind these days. The general idea is that it involves short workouts at a super-high intensity. Think P90X, or Insanity. We're talking the kind of stuff that Samantha Busch would be at home doing (she showed her fitness off once on an episode of Trackside Live last year). One of the signature CrossFit exercises is the "Fran," which is 21 barbell thrusters, then 21 pull-ups, 15 thrusters, then 15 pull-ups, then nine and nine. Here's a clip of Abbott doing it. I can't claim to have done this before, but it is incredibly taxing. Also, before you ask, Abbott's doing something called Kipping Pull-ups in the clip. While she does not fully pull herself up, it is more taxing on the body than a regular pull-up.
Abbott is also a past participant in the CrossFit games. That particular competition airs from time to time on ESPN2 and features a variety of high impact physical activities, some of which honestly make me scratch my head. The idea is to keep everyone on their toes. That goes for the viewers as well. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that she's attractive.
We learned how Abbott actually got into CrossFit. Namely, because while she was in Iraq as a contractor to the U.S. Army (basically, she did laundry over there) she was shown a video called "Nasty Girls," depicting a number of women working out. Abbott was enthralled and wanted to do it. Upon returning to the United States, Abbott dedicated her life to CrossFit. Today, she owns her own CrossFit gym in the Charlotte area and trains new CrossFit instructors. I'm not 100 percent on this next point, but I think she trained three of my friends who are instructors at CrossFit Beyond in Albany, NY. Regardless, they've been begging me to interview her for the last four months.
One thing is true, Abbott landed at the right Cup team. Michael Waltrip Racing has put a lot of time, practice, and money into many of the ideals of fitness that Abbott teaches. Take the new pit crew training facility that MWR announced earlier this year. CrossFit will play a significant role there. In Catching Speed last year, members of Clint Bowyer's crew were shown using CrossFit elements (in addition to a bunch of other stuff clearly designed to tie in with John Deere) to train. It is a place where her ideas will be openly accepted.
In closing, Franco and Gumbel discuss whether Abbott will eventually be on a top pit crew. They believe that she possibly could, but not right now. However, they're so convinced that it is a marketing ploy that Bullard might be fine with that. I do warn Franco and Gumbel not to underestimate someone like Abbott. She'll just use that as fuel to better herself.
I don't know if Abbott will end up full-time with MWR, but I'm sure someone will take a chance on her eventually after the MWR exclusivity ends at the end of the year. The piece does mention that she does go over the wall part-time for JJC Racing (Jennifer Jo Cobb's team).
When the piece originally aired on Tuesday night, there was quite the uproar on Twitter. Why? Because Franco and Burbank failed to properly fact check. If Abbott were to get a full-time gig over the wall for a NASCAR team, she wouldn't be the first woman to do it. That "fact" was something that was pounded home throughout the feature. In reality, Nicole Addison, who worked on pit crews back around 2004-2005, was the first full-time over-the-wall tire changer. Chris Showalter claims that Addison was one of the best tire changers he ever had.
There have also been women on pit road in all kinds of other roles (tire specialists, NASCAR officials, etc.), in addition to a couple of all-female pit crews in the past. Shawna Robinson had one in a truck race at Texas Motor Speedway. In ARCA, Bill Venturini had an all-female pit crew for years. Here's a clip of them in action at Atlanta in 1986. Franco referenced that there had been female crew members in lower levels in the past, but it's as if they don't matter. Not the best way to go about things. Also of note, a fired-up Brendan Gaughan got in a Twitter war with Bullard and his wife over the piece. One thing is definitely true about Gaughan. He isn't afraid to voice his opinion.
Unfortunately, not being up on your factual information will hurt your feature. It makes you look like a bunch of idiots. HBO, you're better than that. I also didn't really like the whole publicity thing. Bullard is just unlikable, simple as that. There's always money to be made with everything, but I'm pretty sure by this point that Abbott wants to be a tire changer for more reasons than just being famous. That's a lot of work that she has to put in for it just to be for fame.
Luckily for everyone involved, Real Sports is the kind of show that will go back to previous stories and provide updates and/or make corrections. Look for an addition to this story fairly soon. Addison, who just appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Wednesday night with Claire B. Lang, has apparently already been contacted by Real Sports, so we'll have a whole new segment to look at a little later this season.
I hope you liked today's look at Christmas Time. Next week, we'll be back with another look at motorsports-related programming. Until then, enjoy the action this weekend from Kansas, Long Beach and Bahrain.
The Critic's Annex: Real Sports' Christmas Time
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming available on television. Earlier this week, I promised you a look at the V8 Supercars' Microsoft Office 365, held on April 6-7 from Symmonds Plains Raceway in Tasmania. However, things can change from time to time.
On Tuesday night, HBO aired a piece on their sports magazine show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. This is typically an excellent show with great production values. Many notable people in sports journalism work on the show today, or have in the past (Fun Fact: ESPN's Shannon Spake used to be a Producer for Real Sports before joining SPEED).
For the benefit of our audience, we'll just focus on the racing-related portion of the show. That segment was entitled, "Christmas Time," a look at Christmas Abbott, who is currently attempting to become a full-time pit crew member with Michael Waltrip Racing. According to the credits, Maggie Burbank produced the piece, while John Franco presented it.
The feature starts off in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway. Franco talks with Abbott about her attempt to get a foothold as a tire changer in the Sprint Cup Series. In addition, we see Abbott shadowing Mark Martin's pit crew during the Subway Fresh Fit 500k, much like a prospective teacher does during a field experience while in college.
Abbott explained to Franco that she had never even given being on a pit crew a thought until last year, when a friend pitched her the idea of hanging around a crew for a day. She decided to press her luck and fell in love with the idea of doing pit stops while at a pit challenge. She's hooked, simple as that.
Next, we meet Ted Bullard, Jr. a former NASCAR team executive who launched the idea of finding a female athlete to train for pit crew duties a couple of years ago. He believes that Abbott is the perfect woman for his endeavor, so much so that he quit his job and manages her full-time. Yes, he considers it to be a marketing ploy.
In Abbott, you have an elite athlete that is well-known in CrossFit circles. For those of you unsure what CrossFit is, it's basically a state of mind these days. The general idea is that it involves short workouts at a super-high intensity. Think P90X, or Insanity. We're talking the kind of stuff that Samantha Busch would be at home doing (she showed her fitness off once on an episode of Trackside Live last year). One of the signature CrossFit exercises is the "Fran," which is 21 barbell thrusters, then 21 pull-ups, 15 thrusters, then 15 pull-ups, then nine and nine. Here's a clip of Abbott doing it. I can't claim to have done this before, but it is incredibly taxing. Also, before you ask, Abbott's doing something called Kipping Pull-ups in the clip. While she does not fully pull herself up, it is more taxing on the body than a regular pull-up.
Abbott is also a past participant in the CrossFit games. That particular competition airs from time to time on ESPN2 and features a variety of high impact physical activities, some of which honestly make me scratch my head. The idea is to keep everyone on their toes. That goes for the viewers as well. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that she's attractive.
We learned how Abbott actually got into CrossFit. Namely, because while she was in Iraq as a contractor to the U.S. Army (basically, she did laundry over there) she was shown a video called "Nasty Girls," depicting a number of women working out. Abbott was enthralled and wanted to do it. Upon returning to the United States, Abbott dedicated her life to CrossFit. Today, she owns her own CrossFit gym in the Charlotte area and trains new CrossFit instructors. I'm not 100 percent on this next point, but I think she trained three of my friends who are instructors at CrossFit Beyond in Albany, NY. Regardless, they've been begging me to interview her for the last four months.
One thing is true, Abbott landed at the right Cup team. Michael Waltrip Racing has put a lot of time, practice, and money into many of the ideals of fitness that Abbott teaches. Take the new pit crew training facility that MWR announced earlier this year. CrossFit will play a significant role there. In Catching Speed last year, members of Clint Bowyer's crew were shown using CrossFit elements (in addition to a bunch of other stuff clearly designed to tie in with John Deere) to train. It is a place where her ideas will be openly accepted.
In closing, Franco and Gumbel discuss whether Abbott will eventually be on a top pit crew. They believe that she possibly could, but not right now. However, they're so convinced that it is a marketing ploy that Bullard might be fine with that. I do warn Franco and Gumbel not to underestimate someone like Abbott. She'll just use that as fuel to better herself.
I don't know if Abbott will end up full-time with MWR, but I'm sure someone will take a chance on her eventually after the MWR exclusivity ends at the end of the year. The piece does mention that she does go over the wall part-time for JJC Racing (Jennifer Jo Cobb's team).
When the piece originally aired on Tuesday night, there was quite the uproar on Twitter. Why? Because Franco and Burbank failed to properly fact check. If Abbott were to get a full-time gig over the wall for a NASCAR team, she wouldn't be the first woman to do it. That "fact" was something that was pounded home throughout the feature. In reality, Nicole Addison, who worked on pit crews back around 2004-2005, was the first full-time over-the-wall tire changer. Chris Showalter claims that Addison was one of the best tire changers he ever had.
There have also been women on pit road in all kinds of other roles (tire specialists, NASCAR officials, etc.), in addition to a couple of all-female pit crews in the past. Shawna Robinson had one in a truck race at Texas Motor Speedway. In ARCA, Bill Venturini had an all-female pit crew for years. Here's a clip of them in action at Atlanta in 1986. Franco referenced that there had been female crew members in lower levels in the past, but it's as if they don't matter. Not the best way to go about things. Also of note, a fired-up Brendan Gaughan got in a Twitter war with Bullard and his wife over the piece. One thing is definitely true about Gaughan. He isn't afraid to voice his opinion.
Unfortunately, not being up on your factual information will hurt your feature. It makes you look like a bunch of idiots. HBO, you're better than that. I also didn't really like the whole publicity thing. Bullard is just unlikable, simple as that. There's always money to be made with everything, but I'm pretty sure by this point that Abbott wants to be a tire changer for more reasons than just being famous. That's a lot of work that she has to put in for it just to be for fame.
Luckily for everyone involved, Real Sports is the kind of show that will go back to previous stories and provide updates and/or make corrections. Look for an addition to this story fairly soon. Addison, who just appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Wednesday night with Claire B. Lang, has apparently already been contacted by Real Sports, so we'll have a whole new segment to look at a little later this season.
I hope you liked today's look at Christmas Time. Next week, we'll be back with another look at motorsports-related programming. Until then, enjoy the action this weekend from Kansas, Long Beach and Bahrain.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Side By Side: Will Junior Retire As A Champion Or An Also-Ran?
"At that moment, any legitimate chance Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ever had of winning a Sprint Cup championship was swept under a tidal wave of new found stress. This level of pressure, brought on by the expectations of (dare I say) millions of heartbroken Dale Earnhardt, Sr. fans, would affect the third-generation driver's shot at ever taking home the big prize."- Dr. Mark Howell, on how the death of Dale Earnhardt made it impossible for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win a Cup title.
~~~~~~~~~~
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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:
Mirror Driving: NASCAR Stuck In A Box... Have We Reached Maximum Speed?
by the Frontstretch Staff
ADVERTISEMENT
Race fans, do you love Frontstretch.com's coverage of NASCAR's top 3 series, IndyCar, Formula One and Short Track Racing? Do you want to read even more about your favorite sport? Then check out the industry's newest racing publication, Motorsport Illustrated News!, which is available both in print and in digital format! As one of our loyal readers, you'll receive 15% off any subscription when you use the coupon code fs2013.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Side By Side: Will Junior Retire As A Champion Or An Also-Ran?
"At that moment, any legitimate chance Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ever had of winning a Sprint Cup championship was swept under a tidal wave of new found stress. This level of pressure, brought on by the expectations of (dare I say) millions of heartbroken Dale Earnhardt, Sr. fans, would affect the third-generation driver's shot at ever taking home the big prize."- Dr. Mark Howell, on how the death of Dale Earnhardt made it impossible for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win a Cup title.
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
Mirror Driving: NASCAR Stuck In A Box... Have We Reached Maximum Speed?
by the Frontstretch Staff
by Summer Bedgood
Fantasy Insider: Good Picks, Bad Picks and Sleepers, Oh My!
by Jeff Wolfe
Truckin' Thursdays: Kansas Kind To First-Time Victors
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Former Truck Series racer Kelly Sutton (currently recovering from a severe motorcycle crash near Baltimore) had an arduous time in the series, never finishing better than 15th in 54 career starts. Kansas in 2005 was no better. What happened to Sutton that day?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: In the 2002 Ameristar Casino Indy 200, Tomas Scheckter dominated the proceedings for Cheever Racing. However, with just a few laps to go, it ended in tears for the rookie. What happened?
A: Scheckter had dominated the race, leading over 100 laps before he developed a slow leak in his right rear tire. The car quickly became undrivable and he crashed out in the lead, in Turn 2 with ten laps to go. The crash can be seen here.This was not the only time that season that Scheckter crashed out of the lead. Scheckter's first Indianapolis 500 earlier that year ended up against the wall exiting Turn 4 after leading 85 laps. Eventually, Scheckter did reach pay dirt at Michigan.
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 Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Frontstretch Folio: Kansas by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
IndyCar Preview: Long Beach by Toni Montgomery
Toni takes a look at the Izod IndyCar Series ahead of their race on the Streets of Long Beach, California.
Four Burning Questions: Kansas by Matt Stallknecht
Matt gets your engines revved up for 2013 with a preview of this weekend's STP 400.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin has another interesting look at the Nationwide Series while the teams take another week off.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Brendan Gaughan as told to Amy Henderson
The driver of the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado returns to talk about the last few weeks on and off the track.
Formula 1 Fridays by Andy Hollis
This weekend, the World Championship moves to the always controversial nation of Bahrain, where unrest still continues. Andy's here to talk about racing in the legitimate desert island that is Bahrain.
-----------------------------
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
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
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