THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 26th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XC
~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 26th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XC
~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Live: At The Track
Be sure to follow your Frontstretch feed on both Facebook and Twitter as two of your favorite writers are live with coverage all weekend long. Amy Henderson (@Writer_Amy) and Mike Neff (@MNeffShortTrack) will be manning the ship down in Charlotte.
~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Sunday
- You know the answer! One of the greatest days in racing already begun by the Grand Prix of Monaco. Here's a look at the TV schedule...
11:00 AM 97th Indianapolis 500 ABC
5:30 PM NASCAR Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 FOX
Top News
by Amy Henderson
France Addresses Media at Charlotte
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France addressed the assembled media at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday to discuss the sport and field questions. France opened with comments on the Gen-6 race car, saying that while NASCAR is basically happy with the new chassis, its performance is still a long-term project.
"(The Gen-6) continues to evolve for us," France said. "We're looking at that carefully in terms of the driver feedback, the racing action on the track, all the rest. We like what we see. Although, like anything that is new, we're always trying to make some improvements on that and we'll be doing that as we go along."
So far no major changes have been made on the newest style of race cars, and reviews of the racing have been mixed. France said that the ultimate goal is to put races back in the hands of teams as much as possible.
"If you ask any driver," he said. "they would like to win the race by 10 seconds. But we want to see a more fair balance where the best drivers and the best teams on a given night who race just a little bit harder, make just a little bit bigger effort."
France also spoke about the success of the sport's diversity initiative, citing drivers like Kyle Larson and Darrell Wallace, Jr., who came from the program into national touring divisions with top-level teams. Both have been competitive, with Larson currently ninth in Nationwide Series points and poised to contend for the Rookie of the Year title.
Another topic of discussion was the hiring of Gene Stefanyshyn at their Research and Development Center. France told the media, "We'll be going in a direction that I've told everybody, which is we're going to use a lot more science than art in establishing the very thing that matters most, which is safety, of course, but also putting ourselves in a position to have the closest, tightest competition possible. That's what Gene's task is. He'll work very closely with the existing group in competition. And over time, we believe we can make improvements on a central goal of ours. A central goal of NASCAR is to obviously have safe racing and at the same time have the tightest, closest races in the world. That's our mission. It's harder than ever to do, to accomplish, but that's our goal, that's our mission."
France also addressed the media's questions on attendance and ratings, saying that NASCAR is satisfied with the numbers. He admitted that they have leveled off in recent years, but added that a large crowd that doesn't fill a huge venue is still a large crowd. He also said that his preference would be to keep Charlotte's fall race, amid rumors that track owner Bruton Smith will request the track's date be move to Las Vegas next year. He also said that improvements like the Air Titan track dryers will help keep fans interested by shortening rain delays.
Wood Brothers Make Milestone Start
When Trevor Bayne takes the green flag for the Coca-Cola 600, it will mark a special race for his team. Wood Brothers Racing will make their 1,400th start in the Cup Series this weekend.
The team made their series debut at Martinsville, in 1953 with Glen Wood behind the wheel, going on to field cars for many different drivers during seven decades in NASCAR. That's included David Pearson, A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, Curtis Turner, Donnie Allison, Dan Gurney, Neil Bonnett, and Dale Jarrett. Current driver Bayne took the famed No. 21 to Victory Lane in the 2011 Daytona 500, one of 98 career wins they've scored in NASCAR's top division.
Team co-owner Eddie Wood spoke about the milestone start this weekend, adding that their long relationship with Ford was one key to the team's success and longevity. "We all feel very fortunate to be where we are today," Wood said. "We couldn't have done it without having great drivers in our cars over the years, from my dad in the beginning to Trevor Bayne today. And we couldn't have done it without the support of Ford Motor Company. They've been right there with us through the great times and the struggles. The people at Ford and Motorcraft/Quick Lane have been like family to us for more than 60 years."
Bayne will start 29th on Sunday evening.
Weekend Racing Primer - One More Time, In Case You Missed It
Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600: Starting Lineup
Row 1
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, 195.624 MPH.
Kurt Busch, No. 78 Chevy, 195.221 MPH.
Row 2
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, 195.094 MPH.
Mark Martin, No. 55 Toyota, 194.595 MPH.
Row 3
Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, 194.503 MPH.
Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevy, 194.309 MPH.
Row 4
Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, 194.238 MPH.
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, 193.952 MPH.
Row 5
Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevy, 193.694 MPH.
Ryan Newman, No. 39 Chevy, 193.639 MPH.
Row 6
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Chevy, 193.444 MPH.
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevy, 193.292 MPH.
Row 7
Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford, 193.271 MPH.
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevy, 192.961 MPH.
Row 8
Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Chevy, 192.520 MPH.
Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Chevy, 192.287 MPH.
Row 9
Martin Truex, Jr., No. 56 Toyota, 192.191 MPH.
Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, 192.130 MPH.
Row 10
Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Ford, 192.123 MPH.
Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, 191.884 MPH.
Row 11
Casey Mears, No. 13 Ford, 191.884 MPH.
Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevy, 191.727 MPH.**
** - On Friday, Menard announced a long-term contract extension to stay on with Richard Childress Racing for the foreseeable future. Menard, who is sponsored by his family-owned home improvement stores company was in the last year of his contract with the team.
Row 12
J.J. Yeley, No. 36 Chevy, 190.988 MPH.
Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevy, 190.826 MPH.
Row 13
Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevy, 190.792 MPH.
David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, 190.665 MPH.
Row 14
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Chevy, 190.490 MPH.
Travis Kvapil, No. 93 Toyota, 190.416 MPH.
Row 15
Trevor Bayne, No. 21 Ford, 190.409 MPH.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., No. 17 Ford, 190.241 MPH.
Row 16
Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, 190.047 MPH.
Michael McDowell, No. 98 Ford, 189.967 MPH.
Row 17
Dave Blaney, No. 7 Chevy, 189.793 MPH.
Bobby Labonte, No. 47 Toyota, 189.401 MPH.
Row 18
David Ragan, No. 34 Ford, 189.049 MPH.
Regan Smith, No. 51 Chevy, 188.725 MPH.
Row 19
David Reutimann, No. 83 Toyota, 188.383 MPH. (Provisional)
David Stremme, No. 30 Toyota, 188.265 MPH. (Provisional)
Row 20
Timmy Hill, No. 32 Ford, 188.114 MPH. (Provisional)
Joe Nemechek, No. 87 Toyota, 188.081 MPH. (Provisional)
Row 21
Landon Cassill, No. 33 Chevy, 188.075 MPH. (Provisional)
Josh Wise, No. 35 Ford, 186.406 MPH. (Provisional)
Row 22
Scott Speed, No. 95 Ford, 188.659 MPH. (Provisional)
Indy 500: Starting Lineup (with four-lap average qualifying speeds)
Row 1
Ed Carpenter, No. 20, 228.762 MPH.
Carlos Munoz, No. 26, 228.342 MPH.
Marco Andretti, No. 25, 228.261 MPH.
Row 2
E.J. Viso, No. 5, 228.150 MPH.
AJ Allmendinger, No. 2, 228.099 MPH.
Will Power, No. 12, 228.087 MPH.
Row 3
Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 1, 227.904 MPH.
Helio Castroneves, No. 3, 227.762 MPH.
Helio Castroneves, No. 3, 227.762 MPH.
James Hinchcliffe, No. 27, 227.070 MPH.
Row 4
JR Hildebrand, No. 4, 227.441 MPH.
Alex Tagliani, No. 98, 227.386 MPH.
Tony Kanaan, No. 11, 226.949 MPH.
Row 5
Oriol Servia, No. 22, 226.810 MPH.
Justin Wilson, No. 19, 226.370 MPH.
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 7, 226.196 MPH.
Row 6
Scott Dixon, No. 9, 226.158 MPH.
Dario Franchitti, No. 10, 226.069 MPH.
Takuma Sato, No. 14, 225.892 MPH.
Row 7
Charlie Kimball, No. 83, 225.880 MPH.
James Jakes, No. 16, 225.809 MPH.
Simon Pagneaud, No. 77, 225.674 MPH.
Row 8
Townsend Bell, No. 60, 225.643 MPH.
Ryan Briscoe, Nol. 8, 225.265 MPH.
Simona De Silvestro, No. 78, 225.226 MPH.
Row 9
Josef Newgarden, No. 21, 225.731 MPH.
Graham Rahal, No. 15, 225.007 MPH.
Sebastian Saavedra, No. 6, 224.929 MPH.
Row 10
Tristan Vautier, No. 55, 224.870 MPH.
Ana Beatriz, No. 18, 224.184 MPH.
Pippa Mann, No. 63, 224.005 MPH.
Row 11
Conor Daly, No. 41, 223.582 MPH.
Buddy Lazier, No. 91, 223.442 MPH.
Katherine Legge, No. 81, 223.176 MPH.
Row 11
Conor Daly, No. 41, 223.582 MPH.
Buddy Lazier, No. 91, 223.442 MPH.
Katherine Legge, No. 81, 223.176 MPH.
Kyle Busch Wins 7th Nationwide Series Race At Charlotte, Sixth Of Season
Kyle Busch was dominant at Charlotte Saturday, leading 186 of 200 laps to score his series-best sixth win of the season in the Nationwide Series. Busch, who was winless with his own team a year ago is reaping the benefits of Joe Gibbs Racing technology after they absorbed his No. 54 Toyota back into their program along with sponsor Monster Energy.
Busch, who managed several late restarts successfully led a cadre of Cup drivers who swept four of the top-5 positions. Kasey Kahne came home in second place, followed by Joey Logano; Kevin Harvick was just a step behind them in fifth. Only Kyle Larson, who ran fourth in his Turner Scott Chevrolet broke through for Nationwide Series regulars.
Busch, who managed several late restarts successfully led a cadre of Cup drivers who swept four of the top-5 positions. Kasey Kahne came home in second place, followed by Joey Logano; Kevin Harvick was just a step behind them in fifth. Only Kyle Larson, who ran fourth in his Turner Scott Chevrolet broke through for Nationwide Series regulars.
For more information on this race, please check out Mike Neff's column on the website.
Have news for Amy and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Coca-Cola 600 by Mike Neff
Mike is back with his overall thoughts from Sunday night's longest race of the year from Charlotte.
Commentary by Summer Bedgood
Summer takes a look at one of the biggest stories to come out of Charlotte.
Commentary by TBA
One of the Frontstretch Staff members will stop by with their thoughts on Sunday night's action from Charlotte.
Big Six: Coca-Cola 600 by Amy Henderson
Amy has your weekly look at the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How from a weekend of racing at Charlotte.
Pace Laps: Charlotte Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
It's back again this season! The staff gets together to help you catch up on the latest and greatest going on in each series coming out of a weekend at Charlotte.
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Coca-Cola 600 by Mike Neff
Mike is back with his overall thoughts from Sunday night's longest race of the year from Charlotte.
Commentary by Summer Bedgood
Summer takes a look at one of the biggest stories to come out of Charlotte.
Commentary by TBA
One of the Frontstretch Staff members will stop by with their thoughts on Sunday night's action from Charlotte.
Big Six: Coca-Cola 600 by Amy Henderson
Amy has your weekly look at the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How from a weekend of racing at Charlotte.
Pace Laps: Charlotte Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
It's back again this season! The staff gets together to help you catch up on the latest and greatest going on in each series coming out of a weekend at Charlotte.
Indy 500 Breakdown by Toni Montgomery
Toni has all the post-race analysis you need from the Brickyard following the IZOD IndyCar Series' crown jewel event.
-----------------------------
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
--
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