The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 16th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXXIX
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As for the Chevrolet Silverado that Heffner was driving, it seems like things are looking up for the Modified regular.
NASCAR To Publicize Rule Book, Crystallize Penalty Procedure
For years, drivers, crew members, the media, and fans have asked for the NASCAR rulebook to be revamped.
Come 2015, they'll be getting their wish. NASCAR announced sweeping changes Monday to both the way they officiate inspection and the way in which penalties will be issued, including putting the entire rulebook out to the public, in a Word document for anyone to see. NASCAR Vice President Steve O'Donnell said the adjustments will take place over a significant length of time, put in place to make sure procedures become more "black and white" as opposed to a "grey area" of uncertainty that has surrounded violations for certain penalties in recent years.In total, there's 11 initiatives in four different areas that NASCAR has planned to unveil by 2015. The first of those areas involves governance of the sport, as the sanctioning body looks to move more rules decisions from officials to the R&D Center, in North Carolina while doing more inspections before cars hit the racetrack. The goal is to enhance the amount of practice time, during a race weekend while making it easier to fix potential problems. The appeals process will also be revamped, matching up appeals board members with their areas of expertise whenever NASCAR issues a set of consequences. In the past, someone like a track owner, with no technical expertise would sit on a three-member panel and hear a penalty about a car failing to meet basic templates. That, according to NASCAR executives will be phased out by 2015.
The next area of improvement involves the rules. NASCAR is looking to simplify the rulebook, increasing objectivity by drawing specific designs teams must follow in order to know they're following proper procedure. Every violation, in the rulebook will now come attached to an actual penalty so there's no drama as to what these teams will be docked for those violations. There will also be a formal parts approval and submission process, increasing the consistency of enforcement across NASCAR's top three series while the rulebook will soon be available to the public.
NASCAR's third area involves penalties, where they're planning to strengthen the "deterrence model," reducing inspection required to ensure competitive racing. The more the rules are explained, with strong penalties enforced for violations the less likely officials feel like teams will break the rules.
Finally, the fourth area of improvement involves officiating and technology on pit road. Computers will take more control within inspection, enhancing the effectiveness of the process and making it quicker for teams to get approval before hitting the track. It was a landmark series of announcements, positively received by teams and drivers as the sport looks to launch itself into a long-term future of parity and "clarity" when it comes to the way they enforce competition.
Newman Responds To Kyle Busch's Comments
One day after Kyle Busch called him an "idiot," in response to being involved in a wreck Busch's older brother Kurt NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman got busy standing up for himself. During an interview on SIRIUS XM, NASCAR Radio Channel 90 he had a few insults to throw back at the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
"We know he's not very bright," he said. "I'm sure if I rearrange his face, I might fix it. He's frustrated finishing third [actually second] or wherever he was after hitting me first and then giving me a little rub down the straightaway. Just imagine how I feel. It is what it is. We know he's not very bright. He's a heck of a talent, but not very bright."
Newman, who's officially without a ride for next season did stop short of claiming he'd take revenge on his rival on track. The irony is that the man he wrecked, Kurt is rumored to potentially a teammate of his next year at either Furniture Row Racing or through that organization's strong partnership with Richard Childress Racing.
Phoenix Racing Sale Not Done ... Yet
Monday, July 15th was supposed to be the day Phoenix Racing would be sold to the highest bidder. However, owner James Finch claimed the sale was still pending, with the transaction still expected to be completed before the Brickyard 400 weekend, at Indianapolis July 26th – 28th.
If Finch still owns the No. 51 car, following the conclusion of that race he'll close the South Carolina shop and suspend operations until a buyer is found. However, General Manager Steve Barkdoll has made clear cars are being built for future races, as the team has every intention of finishing the season under new ownership. AJ Allmendinger, who has driven the majority of races inside the car will be behind the wheel for Indianapolis and Pocono the following week, if the team keeps operating.
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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
Even the most die-hard fans who sit in the seats at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had to admit the racing for the past few years has been something less than exciting. Year after year, we were awarded gas mileage races where there was no possibility of catching the leader after the first lap. Where had the races gone where drivers were able to at least catch the leaders? No, passing had never been easy--even before the progressive banking was introduced back in 2002. But with the arrival of the CoT's, passing had become something of a Dodo bird at the Magic Mile.
That changed this past weekend during the Camping World 301 RV Sales 301. I was not the only ticket holder who left the track thinking I had just watched one of the best races at New Hampshire in years. Those who sat around me were all smiling when the checkers fell. Junior, Kyle Busch and even Smoke fans smiled when Vicker's No. 55 died on the frontstretch, its burnout nothing more than vapors left in the fuel cell. That had been one great race.
Yes, the leaders had the upper hand after the first lap or so of green flag competition, but the challengers were never out of the picture. Even when it looked like Kurt Busch just might find his Cinderella ending, there was always two or more competitors in his rear-view mirror. The turns remained difficult to navigate--one of the well-known quirks of NHMS--and pit strategy was still a major player in the afternoon's excitement. In fact, if you look at the lead change stats for last July's race vs. this year's, it doesn't appear like the day was much different one year to the next.
But it was. What was the difference? Besides the side-by-side competition to be seen through the field? Could the non-story of the year been behind all this? None other than the Gen-6 car?
Where the ugly CoT gave rock solid car control on the Northeastern flat track, this year's iteration of NASCAR's approved vehicle appeared to be a little more slippery in the corners. While running 3-wide in the variable banked corners was possible, it was also to be seen that cars that ran at the front of the pack for many laps would suddenly wobble or bobble. Shades of the older version of NHIS appeared before our eyes. Not only would track position be key for winning, handling was also required. Handling that would need adjustments through the afternoon.
Cars with questionable handling will result in...cautions. The last couple races at NHMS have had fine examples of appearances by the elusive Jacques Debris. The mysterious yellows were close to the only things that gave the afternoons any kind of pacing, save for the hum of cars playing follow the leader. Sunday didn't need a manufactured pause in the excitement. We saw blown tires, bumper-to-bumper action, moments of retribution and just plain, "I don't know how I hit you" racing.
Had the last caution not flown (and I never did see what the safety truck picked up) all the requirements for an entertaining afternoon had already been met. To have Brian Vickers win, taking his comeback story all the way to the top, was just the icing on the cake.
Some tracks i.e. Bristol, have made changes to the surface in order to generate a better show for the fans. New Hampshire has hosted Sprint Cup events over the past two decades. And yes, they did introduce the variable banking in 2002 to provide a racier event for the heavy Cup cars. But it didn't work. At least not until now.
At long last we were awarded the results NHMS has been hoping for: a tricky track the Sprint Cup cars are able to navigate (most of the time) and provide an afternoon long show worthy of a NSCS ticket. Here's hoping September will bring a repeat performance.
Kyle Larson Stat
Series: Nationwide
Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Car: No. 32 McDonald's Chevrolet
Qualified: 13th
Finished: 14th
Points Standings: 7th
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: Camping World RV Sales 301
0
Laps led Sunday by any car from Hendrick Motorsports. That's the first time they've been shut out since Richmond at the end of April.
1
Lap led by Aric Almirola all season, the fewest for any driver in contention for the Chase. Almirola was fifth on Sunday, his first top-5 result of the year and moved to 16th in points, just 21 outside the top 10.
2
Wins by those in the "25" car, formerly driven by Brian Vickers since the driver left the team at the end of 2006. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has both of them.
2
Wins by Brian Vickers since leaving Hendrick Motorsports at the end of '06. He won at Michigan, for Red Bull Racing in the summer of '09 and pulled into Victory Lane at New Hampshire Sunday.
3
Straight finishes outside the top 10 for Greg Biffle, including a 15th at New Hampshire Sunday. That's also the number of top-5 finishes he has, all season which is the least of any driver currently in position to make the Chase.
3rd
Jeff Burton's finishing position at Loudon. That's his best, at a track without a restrictor plate since Dover in the Fall of 2010.
7
Top-10 finishes this season in 19 starts for the No. 55 car. Brian Vickers has two, along with Michael Waltrip while Mark Martin has three in 12 starts.
9
Consecutive top-10 finishes for Kevin Harvick. Of note: he's won once during that span, but only led in two of those races.
11
Winners in the last eleven Sprint Cup races held out at New Hampshire. That's the longest active streak for any NASCAR facility.
12
Number of cautions at New Hampshire Sunday, the most for a race there in nine years. Five of those 12 were for debris as the longest green-flag run was just 58 laps.
12
Races since Kyle Busch won on the Sprint Cup level. He led 53 laps Sunday en route to a runner-up finish.
14
Laps led by Brad Keselowski, the most for the reigning champ in any race since Bristol back in March.
262
Laps led by Kurt Busch this season, the most of any driver without a win on the Cup circuit. Only Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Kasey Kahne have led more.
$214,075
Money won by first-place finisher Brian Vickers Sunday.
$228,043
Money won by second-place finisher Kyle Busch Sunday.
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 Manipulation Nearly Costs Vickers
by Brett Poirier
Who's Hot / Who's Not In Sprint Cup: New Hampshire-Off Week 2 Edition
by Brad Morgan
After Drought, Vickers Continues Trend Of Part-Time Winners
by Kevin Rutherford
Five Points to Ponder: Watching Words, Chase Finalists, ESPN On-Deck And More
by Danny Peters
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Bobby Hamilton, Jr. completed dominated the 2003 Tropicana Twister 300 at Chicagoland Speedway for the second of what turned out to be a four-win season. However, Kerry Earnhardt's day was over before it got going. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: After the death of Ayrton Senna at the Grand Prix of San Marino in 1994, tracks around the world took all kinds of measures to slow cars down. Mosport Park (now known as Canadian Tire Motorsports Park) was no different. What did they do to try to slow cars down on their circuit?
A: Many tracks approached the quandry by building new chicanes, permanent or not. In Mosport's case, a temporary tire chicane was placed on the Mario Andretti Straightaway in order to slow cars down. After a year or so, the chicane was removed.
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
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice? by Tom Bowles
Did You Notice... the "wild card" race that continues to heat up? Tom keeps profiling the top contenders while pulling together some reflections on NASCAR's new rules.
Side By Side: Getting Busted By Inspectors by TBA
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 Matt Stallknecht
Matt returns with a special look at the Izod IndyCar Series as they take a couple of weeks off after the grueling doubleheader in Toronto.
NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After Loudon compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jimmie Johnson continues to impress this season after claiming a sixth-place finish despite all of his inspection issues. 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 Kentucky as our weekly top 15 poll comes up for a vote once again.
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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