Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 30th, 2013

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

July 30th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXXXIV
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What to Watch For: Tuesday

- Today concludes a two-day testing session at Watkins Glen International.  Five teams are in attendance, shaking down their cars for the Cheez-it 355 in a couple of weeks.  Those teams are Circle Sport, LLC (Ron Fellows), Front Row Motorsports (Michael McDowell in Josh Wise's car, along with David Gilliland), JTG-Daugherty (AJ Allmendinger) and Furniture Row Racing (Kurt Busch).

- Tuesday is also normally NASCAR teleconference day for the national media and today is no different.  This week's guest is K&N Pro Series regular Ryan Gifford, who is scheduled to make his Nationwide Series debut this week in Iowa for Richard Childress Racing.
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Top News
by Tom Bowles

ESPN, TNT Threw NASCAR Away?

Was NBC bidding for the second half of the NASCAR package all by itself? If so, it's a potentially embarrassing moment for the sports network, which paid a large chunk more for NASCAR rights from 2015-24 with their two main competitors sitting down and saying, "No thanks." That's what a Sports Business Daily article is claiming, detailing specific conversations Monday in which both ESPN and TNT, the sport's current television partners chose to opt out after the 2014 season long before the next deal was done.

According to the article, TNT informed NASCAR executives shortly after the July 4th holiday the 2014 season would be their last covering the sport. In the midst of their lowest-rated coverage under the current deal, the network felt future races were not worth the investment. ESPN, a few days later followed suit, claiming an aging fan base, sagging ratings and poor ad sales drove their decision to drop the sport.

In the end, their refusal proved meaningless with NBC swooping in and choosing to grab the rights. A 54 percent increase in payments, beginning with the 2015 season is designed to put NBC Sports Network on the map while executives hope through a variety of factors they can return the sport to the height of its popularity, in 2005.

TV Ratings For The Brickyard Up

ESPN's first Sprint Cup race of 2013 was a success in the Nielsens. The Brickyard 400 drew a 3.4 overnight, up 13% over last year's 3.0. Of course, the 2012 event was run opposite the Opening Weekend of the Olympics but the numbers still compare favorably to audiences of the race from the past six to seven years. A race that ran quickly - two hours, 36 minutes - helped minimize any problems from an event in which cars struggled to pass and two drivers dominated the proceedings up front.

The 3.4 overnight was also the best for the sport since FOX stopped covering in June. None of the TNT events drew higher than a 3.2 overnight (the Daytona event in July had a final rating of 3.5).

Raines In At CircleSport; Cassill To Run Second Car

Tony Raines is back in the Sprint Cup Series, at least for one event. At Pocono this weekend, CircleSport has put the veteran in its No. 33 Chevrolet while running full-time Landon Cassill in a second car, the No. 40 with sponsorship from Interstate Moving Services. Cassill debuted that car at Indianapolis, running 33rd and will continue to drive that car in a limited schedule of races as long as sponsorship permits.

Raines, a veteran of 169 Cup starts competed in seven Sprint Cup races last season, finishing two. He's no stranger to CircleSport, running for the team in the Spring races at Richmond and Talladega last year.

Tony Stewart Teases Mike Neff

Have you seen Smoke poke fun at one of our favorite Frontstretch personalities? Click here to see the YouTube clip that's gone viral this week. What do you think? Did Mr. Neff ask a silly question? Tell us... and by the way, all is well between Smoke and Neffy. They were laughing about this exchange 15 minutes after the fact. Remember, you can follow Neff at @MNeffShortTrack.

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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Today's Featured Commentary
Tony Stewart: The Maker of NASCAR Headlines
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

"He could be the next face of NASCAR!"

These words are spoken just about every year, with a new rookie class taking to the track.  I've said them often enough.  Somewhere in the pits walks a fresh new face with killer on-track talent and a penchant for saying something funny or snarky to the camera.  The media circus laps up the excitement and follows the phenom around, waiting for the next newsworthy activity.

In 1999, Tony Stewart was the new kid on the block, full of himself and equipped with an acerbic tongue.  NASCAR ate it up.  Time passed and our eagle eyes were rewarded with infield drama, shoving matches, finger pointing, punches, scores settled... you name it, Mr. Stewart did it.  He won 48 races, three championships, sported the orange Home Depot colors until he became synonymous with the sponsor and ultimately became known as one of the storied veterans of our sport.  But he wasn't really "The Face of NASCAR."

Other drivers won more races, more Cups and in general maintained their spot in the headlines more effectively than Smoke.  Mr. Stewart, well, he mellowed with age.  He discovered a quirky TV persona and shared his ass-grabbing penchant with the world.  No, he wasn't our poster boy, but certainly a member of the family.

In 2004, he bought Eldora -- the historical dirt track in tiny New Weston, OH -- and in 2009 formed Stewart-Haas Racing.  After driving almost every kind of car available on the planet and proving he could rub bumpers with the best of them, Tony appeared to want something more out of life.  Was it glory he was seeking?  To see his team's name carved into a Sprint Cup Trophy? 

Whatever the answers may be, one thing is clear: Tony Stewart loves every inch of the racing world.  He clearly has no inclination to retire into obscurity simply because he's done just about everything you can with four tires and a steering wheel.  His talents don't simply lie in going fast; he's a marketing master as well. And he knows what sells.

Eldora Speedway rocketed into the mainstream racing world with Stewart's charity race, "The Prelude to the Dream."  Year after year, it drew not only the best drivers in all forms of racing, but also built an avid paying audience beyond the dirt track grandstands.  His Sprint Cup team is now built around the polarizing and entirely sell-able persona of Danica Patrick.  Fans across America let other fans know they loved Stewart's dirt track promotions and they adored the GoDaddy girl in the green No. 10.  Tony could have been called King Midas.

And now, Mr. Stewart has achieved yet another level of success this past week with the arrival of the Camping World Truck Series at his beloved Eldora Speedway, paired with Ryan Newman's dominant performance at the world's most iconic raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Everywhere we looked this week, Smoke has been standing in the spotlight, living large and happy.

It is suddenly very clear, these past 14 years haven't been about putting Tony's sly grin on the face of NASCAR.  His career has been focused on elevating auto racing into a nation's consciousness.  His name has not become synonymous with NASCAR, but with fast cars and fun times.  He seems to have found the magic mix that our sanctioning body is so often looking for, yet struggles to locate: sheer fun.

What's even more exhilarating is that Tony's flight to the stars appears to have just started.  Tracks, drivers, events, winning, promotion, and most of all, forward momentum are driving his success.

I don't know that this story will all end in a huge pot o' gold for Tony Stewart.  I'm not sure that's what he's chasing.  I kind of doubt it.  But I'll tell you what won't surprise me...

When NASCAR goes knocking on his door and hires him as Director of Competition one day.   When that happens, it won't be his face we'll get to know so well, but perhaps a special brand of racing that Tony Stewart has a knack for finding. And if the past is any indication... the future of the sport would burn that much brighter.

In 1999, all we saw was a young eager driver ready to whoop the field's butt come Sunday afternoon.  Oh, how short-sighted we were.

Tony Stewart never was.

Kyle Larson Stat

Series:
Nationwide Series
Track:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Car:
No. 32 Cessna Chevrolet
Qualified:
17th
Finished:
11th (lead lap)
Points Standings:
7th

Series: Camping World Truck Series
Track: Eldora Speedway
Truck: No. 30 Clorox Speedway
Qualified: 13th
Finished: 2nd (lead lap)
Points Standings: n/a (Ineligible for Points)

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/

S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
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Numbers Game: Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 Powered by BigMachineRecords.com
by Tom Bowles

0
Cars who failed to finish Sunday's race. It was the first time since the Richmond "regular season finale" in September, 2008 the entire 43-car field took the checkered flag.

0
Cars who crashed in the Brickyard 400. It's the first time in the history of the event no one so much as spun out during the race.

1
Victory for Ryan Newman in four straight seasons on the Cup circuit. Among those who can't claim the same active streak: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards.

1
Woman, all-time to start the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis after Danica Patrick took the green flag Sunday. She ran 30th.

2
Times rookie Timmy Hill stopped on track for fuel pump issues. He caused two of the three yellow flags in the race; the other was for Jeff Burton's mechanical problems (both men made it back out).

3
Races led by second-place point man Clint Bowyer all season. He led one lap at Indianapolis Sunday, during green-flag pit stops to go along with one at the Daytona 500 and 113 laps led at Richmond.

3
Top-5 finishes by Greg Biffle this season, the fewest of any driver currently in position to make the Chase. He ran 24th on Sunday.

4
Top-10 finishes by Juan Pablo Montoya this season, double his total from 2012. He was ninth Sunday at the Brickyard, a track where he's led a career high number of laps - 203 - in eight starts.

4
Hendrick-powered cars to finish inside the top 4. Stewart-Haas Racing had two of them - winner Ryan Newman and fourth-place Tony Stewart - while Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne were sandwiched in between. All four Hendrick Motorsports cars also ran inside the top 7 (Dale Earnhardt Jr., 6th; Jeff Gordon, 7th).

12
Races since Mark Martin last had a top-5 finish. He was third in the season-opening Daytona 500. His regular ride, the No. 55 car struggled on Sunday, running 23rd despite winning New Hampshire with Brian Vickers two weeks before.

14
Top-10 finishes by Jimmie Johnson this season, which leads all drivers.

23
Cars that finished on the lead lap Sunday despite just three caution flags.

32.0
Average finish of Bobby Labonte since first being replaced by AJ Allmendinger at JTG-Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger's average, during that same stretch is 20.5 in two starts running the No. 47 Toyota.

638
Laps led by Jimmie Johnson in the last eight races. That's a total higher than any other driver has led ALL SEASON with two exceptions: Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch.

Tom Bowles is the Editor-In-Chief of Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Racing To The Point: NASCAR's Two Showcase Events Fall Short
by Brett Poirier

Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Indianapolis-Pocono Edition
by Brad Morgan


Going By The Numbers: Do Lame Duck Drivers Really Win More?
by Summer Bedgood

Five Points to Ponder: Chasing the Chase And Pocono Thrills
by Danny Peters


by Phil Allaway
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  In 1988, Rick Mears won the pole for CART's Quaker State 500 at Pocono Raceway.  However, he didn't last too long before dropping out for the day.  What happened?

Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Monday's Answer:


Q:  The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 is best known as the one race in which Dale Jarrett claimed victory while driving the No. 28 for Robert Yates.  Late in that event, there was an incident that claimed the only DNF (Kenny Wallace) of the day due to crash damage.  What happened?

A: It is a little unclear, but it appears that Wallace and Robert Pressley had contact entering Turn 1.  Wallace spun, hit the wall, then hit it again head-on before spinning into the grass.  Pressley spun into the grass as well, where he was hit by Dave Marcis.  The crash can be seen here.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:

-- Top News from Tom Bowles
-- WTF Wednesday by Ellen Richardson
-- 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
What season is this championship Chase shaping up to be like? Tom takes a look, touches on what could be done to fix Indy and what meaning, if any TNT and ESPN choosing to ditch NASCAR means for the sport.

Beyond the Cockpit: Mike Wallace as told to Phil Allaway
The driver of the No. 01 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet recently sat down with us to discuss the struggles of running for a small team that doesn't have everything, the joy of NASCAR, Chrissy Wallace's plight and more.

Side-by-Side: Ryan Newman's Future? by the Frontstretch Staff
This week, we pose a question about a driver's future in the Sprint Cup Series.  Will A Brickyard 400 Win Land Ryan Newman A Ride With A Top Team In 2014... Or Will He Still Be Standing At The Unemployment Line?  We'll have both sides of the issue for you to devour.

Frontstretch Top 10 by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite writers are back with their Wednesday dose of NASCAR humor that leaves you laughing. Don't miss out!

Open-Wheel Wednesday by the Frontstretch Staff
Our open-wheel experts come together for a roundtable, discussing a number of issues pertinent to the Izod IndyCar Series ahead of this weekend's visit to Mid-Ohio.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 after Indianapolis compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jimmie Johnson continues to impress this season after nearly claiming another perfect finish before a bad final stop dropped him to second.  However, did he maintain number one on our power rankings list? Experts you love from across the web, not just Frontstretch rank the drivers heading into Pocono as our weekly top 15 poll comes up for a vote once again.

Happiness Is... by P. Huston Ladner
Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston looks at the bright side of racing stories we've seen in the past seven days.
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