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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
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"We suffered more than ever before this year with rain-outs at our weekly series tracks," O'Donnell explained. "Our goal is to develop this so that it's feasible for a short track to be able to purchase one of these or be given the technology and use that for their tracks as well. It's really a game-changer not only at the national series [level], but all throughout racing."
No financial terms were disclosed as to how NASCAR "sold" the Air Titan nationally. The equipment was unavailable last month at Chicagoland, due to cost concerns which helped contribute to a messy rain delay that saw a day race end at near midnight ET. As for the schedule itself, O'Donnell acknowledged officials are looking at possible major changes, in coordination with new TV partner NBC coming on board in 2015 but claims any type of adjustment, to either the Chase or racetracks themselves is a long-term process.
"It's not as easy as just flipping the switch and moving one," he said. "There's a lot of things that come into play with weather, TV calendars, travel. So it's something that we're taking a bigger look at every year. I think that we're more open than we've ever been to looking at those things."
The Nationwide and Truck Series schedules are expected to be released next week. NASCAR and Eldora have confirmed their dirt race will return, for a second season in the Truck Series on Wednesday, July 23rd.
Gilliland, Ragan Re-Sign With Front Row Motorsports
One of the sport's David vs. Goliath-type programs is keeping its two Davids intact for 2014. Drivers David Ragan and David Gilliland reupped with the organization in 2014, continuing their association with the No. 34 and No. 38 Fords, respectively. Ragan, this Spring's Talladega winner will begin his third season with the program while Gilliland, the seasoned veteran of the organization will return for his fifth.
"This has been a milestone year for us, and we're extremely happy that two of the guys who helped get us here will be back next year," said team owner Bob Jenkins. "We're improving our race program, attracting more sponsors, and setting and achieving higher and higher goals each year. Having David and David, our one-two punch, back in those cars next year is central to continuing our growth and improvement."
In addition to FRM's first win, that 'Dega triumph in April they're enjoying their best average finish on the Cup level. Ragan's number of 26.3, for top-tier Cup organizations would be considered disappointing; however, for an underdog like this one it's slow, steady progress. Gilliland, with an average result of 27.0 has also had a strong year, tying his best Cup finish of second at Talladega while posting five top-20 finishes.
"This is definitely not the same team I came to five years ago," said Gilliland. "We've made big strides across the board, and I'm proud to have been a part of that progress. Now that we have almost a full year working with this Generation-6 car under our belt, I think the potential for next year is even greater for us."
The team employs a third driver, Josh Wise, who drives the No. 35 Ford in every race but has start-and-parked in 11 of his 30 starts, including six of the last seven. Funding issues have crept into play, making his 2014 status unclear although the team is expected to run all three cars the distance this weekend.
News 'N' Notes
As NASCAR raced at its home track of Charlotte Motor Speedway, I was actually looking forward to watching the Bank of America 500 from what is usually the best seat in the house – live from the infield. For fans, the infield is like the Holy Grail of racing seats. It's a chance to catch a glimpse of or even spend some off-the-cuff moments with your favorite driver/celebrity, have an up close look at what goes on in the planning of this rather large race event and partake in the camaraderie of fellow race fans who have come from far and wide. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience... at least, it used to be.
As I made my way into the infield after some confusion issues with uninformed parking staff, I actually felt the energy from the amazingly fun and friendly fans who crowded the innards of the 1.5-mile oval. Where else could you see a person decked out in duct tape underwear? As I made my way to the infield party that I was assisting with for a motorsports-related charity, I was happy to see that a local MDA child would be attending her first live NASCAR race. While she seemed excited, there was also an air of disappointment in her face after learning that her favorite driver, Kyle Busch, wouldn't be able to even say a quick hello to this die-hard fan whose family had been unable to send her to a live race of this magnitude in the past.
This unfortunate, off-track incident was combined with plenty of discouraging moments on it. With my blood pumping and my excitement rising, the "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" call was made as NASCAR's top competitors took to the track for one of the least dramatic races at its home track. In fact, as the laps wound down, there was very little passing or drivers pushing each other around. It's a pretty surprising development considering this event was a Chase race. As I strolled through the infield to gauge fan interest, I was less than surprised to see many fans turning their attention away from the track to keep from dozing off. This boredom was also evident when watching the few fans in the stands who were barely making a sound or jumping out of their seats, even as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took a brief lead.
Per today's norm, much of their attention was directed back to this race (that is, by the fans who remained in attendance) only during the final twenty laps. That's when some actual competition ensued between race leaders Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski. Keselowski couldn't have said it better in his Victory Lane celebration, high off that side-by-side battle for the win when he said, "I love hard racing with less drama." Don't get me wrong; I love nail-biting competition, too. But can you really call all 334 laps of what we saw Saturday night "hard racing?" I have to give a major WTF here! I guess this driver has forgotten the good old days when dramatic moments were sprinkled across three hours... not three minutes.
Speaking of, one of the few dramatic moments of the night wasn't even on the track; it was the tightrope walk by famed daredevils Nick and Lijana Wallenda, 150 feet above Charlotte Motor Speedway's trioval. Michael Waltrip Racing driver Clint Bowyer couldn't have summed up what I heard from many fans in the infield better when he tweeted, "Hey Nik Wallenda! This track doesn't exactly have a good track record with cables." Of course, this skywalk could have been made a little bit more exciting by having the tightrope strung from one end of the superspeedway to the next and having a helicopter pick up the two daredevils at the end. Just a thought... but I digress. The bottom line is when the "athletes" that grab the most attention aren't even inside a race car, during a stock car competition you've got a lot of work to do to improve your product.
My trip to the infield, unfortunately verified the reasons NASCAR pursued Monday's test at Charlotte Motor Speedway to improve handling of the sport's Gen-6 chassis next season. Let's just hope these efforts are continued, with engineers finding ways to stop the bleeding of single-file, tedious competition on-track. NASCAR's problems in that arena couldn't have been any more evident than it was this weekend at what should be one of its most celebrated races.
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!
by Kevin Rutherford
Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Kevin Rutherford will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.
So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...
@MartinTruexJr56: Had a sh*tty day but I have discovered the Redneck stereo now all is well. pic.twitter.com/4rzFOx37JD
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 frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com for details.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
compiled by Michael Mehedin
Happiness Is...Championships, Tests, Intelligence, and BV
Top Ten Real Reasons For The Late Debris Caution At Charlotte
by the Frontstretch Staff
Beyond the Cockpit: David Gilliland On Opportunities And Being A Father
What other force did Earnhardt have to race against here? It was the rain. Dark clouds had moved over the 2.66-mile tri-oval in the closing laps. Less than a minute after Earnhardt won the race, it started pouring down rain. Here's a clip of the final seven laps. Note how dirty Earnhardt is in Victory Lane.
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Critic's Annex by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, the Line of the Week and more!
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of weekly storylines. This week's topics include debris cautions, the latest Truck Series schedule break, and of course, Talladega.
Frontstretch Fan Q&A by Summer Bedgood
Summer takes on your NASCAR questions and answers them to the best of her ability. Be sure to send your questions in if there's something that's been nagging at you and you might see your name in print.
Fantasy Insider by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff brings fantasy racing back to Frontstretch this season. The week, he has your best bets as you fill out your roster for Talladega.
Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike has a Sprint Cup Series crew chief stop by to talk about the technical side of NASCAR.
Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth is back with all of the latest and greatest storylines to come out of the Truck Series. This week, Beth takes a look at the five most important stories to watch in the final five events of the season.
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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