The Frontstretch Newsletter: November 7th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 7th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCVIII

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What to Watch: Thursday

- Thursday is the start of the race weekend in Phoenix.  Camping World Truck Series teams will be out on track for two practice sessions today.  The first session will be held from 5:30 - 6:25 PM EDT, while "Happy Hour" will be held from 7:35 - 9:00 PM EDT.  There will be no TV coverage of either session.

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Top News
by Phil Allaway

Possible Changes to Sprint Cup Cars For 2014

Recently, NASCAR held a test at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the Bank of America 500 to test certain packages for next season.  The goal was to find a package that would improve the on-track product.

Mike Mulhern is reporting that NASCAR is considering using a tapered spacer on Sprint Cup engines next season.  If they are used, it would decrease horsepower by approximately ten percent, or 90 horsepower.  In addition, the roof spoilers that NASCAR used for five restrictor plate races (Talladega in October, 2000 and all four plate races in 2001) were considered, but ultimately dismissed.  Larger rear spoilers are also on the table, as are vents in the rear bumpers to vent under car airflow.

Of course, this is all still unofficial.  After the season ends, there will be another open test at Charlotte Motor Speedway where additional components will be tested.  It may be after Christmas before a final formula is announced.  Regardless, one team owner is skeptical.

"NASCAR continues to look for the utopian circumstance that takes every spectator's breath away every lap," Jack Roush said.  "It's an impossible thing they're looking for, to make the thing increasingly exciting.  Because there is only so much you can do with four tires and a 3400-pound car.  They're looking for something that I'm afraid will not have an impact on the racing but which will cost everyone a lot of money."

Lexar to Sponsor No. 1 at Phoenix

On Wednesday, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing announced that they have reached a deal for Lexar, a manufacturer of flash drives, SD memory cards and card readers, to serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Jamie McMurray this weekend at Phoenix.  Lexar is an existing vendor partner on the No. 42 Target Chevrolet driven by Juan Pablo Montoya.  Companies that serve as vendor sponsors on Target-sponsored cars both in Sprint Cup and the Izod IndyCar Series can also serve as a primary sponsor for a race or two (Ex: Clorox, Energizer, Polaroid).

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is happy to have Lexar onboard for Phoenix.

"Lexar has been a great partner to Chip Ganassi Racing Teams for many years," said Steve Lauletta, President of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (includes the Sprint Cup organization, plus the IndyCar and United SportsCar Racing teams).  " I feel the duration of our relationship is a reflection of a partnership that provides mutual value to each organization.  It gives us a great amount of pride to have them extend their allegiance to our team through this affiliation with Jamie and the No. 1 team in Phoenix."

Lexar echoed Lauletta's thoughts.

"We're excited to extend our sponsorship with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and watch Jamie McMurray lead the pack in the No. 1 Lexar Chevrolet SS," said Jeff Cable, Lexar's Director of Marketing.  "When it comes to great performance, high speeds, and reliability, Jamie's got all three, and these are the same attributes the Lexar brand supports, which is why we're excited to team up with him and EGR this coming week."

For Lexar, this will be their first-ever primary sponsorship in NASCAR.  However, Lexar has served as the primary sponsor of Dario Franchitti's No. 10 in the Izod IndyCar Series on three separate occasions.  Their best finish with Franchitti was a fifth in Sao Paulo in 2012.

Ultra Wheel to Sponsor Tommy Baldwin Racing at Phoenix

On Wednesday, Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that they have reached a deal that will see Ultra Wheel serve as the primary sponsor of the team's No. 7 Chevrolet for Dave Blaney in Sunday's AdvoCare 500k at Phoenix International Raceway.  Ultra Wheel will be using the race to promote their line of Xtreme Race Wheels.

"We are happy to be teaming up with Ultra Wheel for the upcoming race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway," Baldwin said.  "Jim Smith is familiar with the motorsports industry and how things work, which helps to create a great partnership for both TBR and Ultra Wheel."

If the name Jim Smith sounds familiar, you're right.  Smith is a former desert racer whose race team, Ultra Motorsports, was one of the launch organizations in the then-NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman (now the Camping World Truck Series).  From 1995-2005, drivers in Ultra Motorsports equipment won 36 races and claimed the 2005 championship with Ted Musgrave.  Smith also purchased Mattei Motorsports and operated a Sprint Cup team full-time from late 2000 to 2003 (part-time in 2004).  Smith's best finish in the Cup Series as an owner was a second at then-Sears Point Raceway in 2001 with Robby Gordon.

Also, it should be noted that Ultra Wheel used to be known as Ultra Wheels.  Ultra Wheels was featured on Smith's trucks (Mike Bliss full-time, and part-time entries for Butch Gilliland and Dave Ashley) in 1995.  In addition, the brand has been featured on Sprint Cup cars before, but not in a long time.  Jeff Green drove a third entry for Junior Johnson in the 1994 Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Later, Smith attempted a go in Cup in 1997 with Mike Bliss driving a No. 02 Ford with Ultra Wheels and Dickies on the car.  Unfortunately, Bliss failed to qualify for the races he attempted.

Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night.  However, they are still subject to change.

Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500k: 43 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 30- Cole Whitt for Swan Racing
No. 33- Tony Raines for Circle Sport, LLC
No. 35- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing/Circle Sport, LLC
No. 51- Justin Allgaier for Phoenix Racing
No. 55- Elliott Sadler for Michael Waltrip Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports/JRR
No. 95- Reed Sorenson for Leavine Family Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 30- Cole Whitt returns to the seat, replacing Parker Kligerman.
No. 33- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Austin Dillon.

Since there are only 43 entries, no one will fail to qualify.

Nationwide Series ServiceMaster 200: 41 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 23- Timmy Hill for R3 Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 44- Chad Hackenbracht for TriStar Motorsports
No. 48- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 4- Daryl Harr returns to the seat, replacing Landon Cassill.
No. 10- Jeff Green returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 14- Eric McClure returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.  This is dependent on McClure feeling well enough to drive.
No. 16- Ryan Reed returns to the seat, replacing Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
No. 20- Drew Herring is in the seat, replacing Denny Hamlin.
No. 23- Timmy Hill is in the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Ty Dillon.
No. 44- Chad Hackenbracht returns to the seat, replacing Cole Whitt.
No. 48- Ryan Blaney is in the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 55- Jamie Dick returns to the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 70- Derrike Cope is in the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 79- Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to the seat, replacing Bryan Silas.

Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 16- Ryan Reed for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 48- Ryan Blaney for Penske Racing
No. 52- Joey Gase for Jimmy Means Racing
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
No. 98- Kevin Swindell for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

Not Listed, but Supposedly Entered:
No. 56- Kelly Admiraal for Admiraal Racing

Not Entered:
No. 92- Dexter Stacey for KH Motorsports

Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150: 35 trucks entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 84- Mike Harmon for Chris Fontaine, Inc./Mike Harmon Racing
No. 97- Steve Wallace for Adrian Carriers Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 07- Chris Cockrum returns to the seat, replacing JJ Yeley (unclear since SS-Green Light Racing often lists Cockrum as the driver, then makes a last minute change).
No. 1- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
No. 6- Daniel Hemric returns to the seat, replacing Justin Lofton.
No. 19- Ross Chastain returns to the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 33- Cale Gale is in the seat, replacing Brandon Jones.
No. 39- Ryan Sieg returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Lynch.
No. 51- Erik Jones returns to the seat, replacing Kyle Busch.
No. 93- Chris Jones returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Sieg.

Since there are only 35 trucks entered, no one will fail to qualify.  However, these teams must still qualify on speed:
No. 1- Unknown driver for Rick Ware Racing
No. 6- Daniel Hemric for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 12- Steve Smith for Cefalia Racing
No. 22- John Hunter Nemechek for SWM/NEMCO Racing
No. 33- Cale Gale for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 35- Mason Mingus for Win-Tron Racing
No. 93- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*
No. 94- Chase Elliott for Hendrick Motorsports
No. 97- Steve Wallace for Adrian Carriers Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park

Not Entered:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young's Motorsports
No. 0- Chris Lafferty for JJC Racing
No. 21- Spencer Gallagher for Gallagher Motorsports
No. 38- RSS Racing
No. 63- Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports
No. 75- Morgan Shepherd for Norm Benning Racing
No. 92- Scott Riggs for RBR Enterprises

News 'n Notes:

- ThorSport Racing announced that they will field a third entry, the No. 13, for ten-time ARCA Racing Series Champion Frank Kimmel in next weekend's Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Sponsorship will be provided by Ansell and Menards.  The move could be seen as an attempt to stack the deck in teammate Matt Crafton's favor as far as the championship is concerned.  However, there is still the chance that Crafton could clinch the title tomorrow night in Phoenix.

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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Editor's Note: What's Vexing Vito will return next week.

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The Critic's Annex: Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart
by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where I take an additional look at available motorsports coverage on television.  I originally planned to take a look at the Road Atlanta 115, which aired on FOX Sports 2 at 10 AM Saturday morning.  Unfortunately, that was not possible, however, I did have a backup plan.

Sunday afternoon saw FOX Sports 1 air the season finale for the Whelen Modified Tour at Noon, right before NASCAR RaceDay Fueled by Sunoco.  The venue: the 73-year old Thompson International Speedway in Northeastern Connecticut.  Admittedly, I had never seen a race on television from Thompson before, so I thought that this was going to be a nice treat, a warm-up prior to the Chaseathon that was the AAA Texas 500.  How did FOX Sports do with the Modifieds?  Let's take a look.

Thompson was the only tape-delayed Modified telecast of the season (the race was held on October 20, which is admittedly kinda late for racing here in the Northeast).  Usually, we see Mike Joy in the booth for the Modifieds since he's very knowledgeable about the division. Instead, we get Bob Dillner in the play-by-play role, with Phil Parsons, who I can fairly confidently state has never driven a Modified (but wouldn't mind having at it sometime).  I have no issues with Dillner being there, though, because he is quite experienced covering Modifieds as well, having grown up in Suffolk County on Long Island.  Dillner and Parsons are joined by regular K&N Pro Series pit reporter Derek Pernesiglio.

Pre-race coverage was relatively limited.  There was a check of the points, along with interviews with points leader Ryan Preece and pole sitter Bobby Santos, III.  This is ultimately on par with what we got at Bristol and New Hampshire.

Thompson is more or less what you would get if you paved Lebanon Valley Speedway, the nearest dirt track to where I live.  The Connecticut oval is just shy of three-fifths of a mile with high banks in the turns.  Interesting place.  They're also trying to recapture their road racing heritage by rebuilding the road course, which will include part of the oval.

The editing of the race to fit a one hour time slot was a little tough to take.  Good chunks of the race had to be excised.  For example, they went to caution at Lap 10 and came back at Lap 42, right after Rob Fuller was dumped.  Pernesiglio interviewed Fuller, who stated that Ron Silk took him out.  Unfortunately, it was very hard to tell that from the one replay we got.

Admittedly, the race was a bit of a wreckfest.  This was a 150-lap race where more than a quarter of it was spent under caution.  However, when the drivers weren't putting around under yellow, there was a lot of good racing on the high banks.  Thompson has multiple grooves and we saw a good bit of side-by-side racing.  Despite a somewhat limited number of cameras at the track, we generally saw most of the action that occurred, including almost all of the incidents (many of which in real time).

Dillner and Parsons were very enthusiastic about the on-track action, which made the telecast that much better.  Pernesiglio races in his own right, having competed in the Midget race that preceded the Whelen Modified Tour event.  This created a rare instance in which the pit reporter was actually able to add more from the driver's standpoint about Thompson than the booth analyst.  Perhaps Parsons and Pernesiglio should have traded places for the day.

Post-race coverage was somewhat typical.  We got interviews with winner Rowan Pennink and series champion Preece.  There were also checks of the unofficial results and final point standings before leaving for Texas.

Overall, I enjoyed watching the race.  There was a lot of good action and I'm sure that the fans that paid $55 a pop for three days of action (every ticket was a three day ticket, hence the hefty fee) got their money's worth.  I hope you enjoyed this look at the Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart, the headlining event of the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing.  Next week, I'll be back with another event to take a look at.  Until then, enjoy this weekend's racing in Phoenix.

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer at Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.

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Frontstretch Line of the Week

From Beyond the Cockpit: John Hunter Nemechek Working His Way Into NASCAR

"We have before. We've run three of them. I've beaten him twice and he's beaten me once. I don't let him live that down." - John Hunter Nemechek, on racing against his father.

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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.

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Fantasy Insider: Phoenix Makes Or Breaks Your Season

by Jeff Wolfe

NASCAR Mailbox: Payback, Milestones, And Crying Over Spilled Milk
by Summer Bedgood

Truckin' Thursdays: Miguel Paludo On Diabetes Awareness Month And Tough Racing
by Beth Lunkenheimer

Tech Talk: Darian Grubb Dishes On Denny's Recent Success, Phoenix Setup

by Mike Neff

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  Davey Allison claimed victory in the 1991 Pyroil 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the first Winston Cup race from Phoenix aired on TNN.  However, for Richard Petty, one of the few Cup regulars with experience at Phoenix before the Cup Series traveled to Arizona, the day didn't last very long.  What happened?

 

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

Wednesday's Answer:

Q:  In the 2000 Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500k at Phoenix International Raceway, Ken Schrader had all the elements in place for a good day.  He qualified a season-best sixth, his best effort of the whole season.  Plus, he was at a track where he had won a number of times in the past.  However, his day turned miserable pretty quick.  What happened?

A: Early on, Schrader was able to keep pace, but slowly but surely, the handle went away.  As a result, Schrader dropped out of the top-25.  Later, a blown tire forced him to pit under green and dropped him to 40th.  Schrader had only moved back up to 36th before another blown tire put the Pedigree Pontiac into the wall.  Coverage can be seen here.

Schrader's No. 36 was heavily damaged, but the MB2 Motorsports team set out to try to fix it.  They were successful and Schrader was able to finish the race 52 laps down in 40th.

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!

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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Four Burning Questions: Phoenix by Matt Stallknecht
How will Sprint Cup's final flat track race of the season turn out? Matt gives us a preview while looking at four major storylines the race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway should provide.

Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary. This week, Amy takes a closer look at another one of the small teams in NASCAR, FAS Lane Racing.

Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin has another interesting look at the Nationwide Series as they head off to Phoenix.

Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.

Frontstretch Foto Funnies by the Frontstretch Staff

Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.

Formula 1 Fridays by Andy Hollis

Andy returns to give us an excellent look into Formula One as the teams take a week off prior to the final two races of the season.

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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!

In response to Sham, Sham: Did Driver Try to Fool the IRS? by Ellen Richardson in Wednesday's Newsletter:

From Brian Holland:

Ellen, Ellen, Ellen... Did you even review your article prior to posting...?

"The most comical part of this whole story is that it is starting to sound all too familiar.  That's right, we have heard something very similar from Montoya's soon-to-be Penske Racing IndyCar teammate Helio Castroneves.  This popular open wheel driver, who was just 27 points away from this season's IndyCar championship, was acquitted on federal felony tax fraud charges in 2009." 

and then you close with:

"The silver lining in all of this is knowing that those who cheat – even cheat the IRS – usually end up getting caught instead of relying on the fans to clean up their mess up in the long run.  Can you say WTF?"

Guilty until proven innocent, and then still guilty by accusation?  Ironically enough, Dictionary.com's sample sentence mirrors your writing.

ac·quit [uh-kwit] Show IPA

1. to relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty: They acquitted him of the crime. The jury acquitted her, but I still think she's guilty.

Are you now, or have you ever been employed by the IRS or the current administration? If not, I suggest you look into the NSA. And one final thing, apologize to both Juan and Helio.

From Mike Kumbalek:

I must strongly disagree with your article.

Castroneves did nothing illegal.  He followed the IRS rules and regulations to the exact letter of the law.  This was proven in court.  Now you accuse Montoya of doing something illegal when you state in your article that he did the same as Castroneves. The actions which were proven legal. Yet you admit you are not a tax expert, yet you pass judgment.  What are the qualifications of your so-called expert?  Did you research that item.  Before you throw any stones, would your tax return pass a IRS audit, have you ever cheated, or used any gray areas?

Why are you so quick to condemn other people?

No, I am not a Montoya fan.  I have never met the man.  However. the United States has this idea innocent until proven guilty.

©2013 Frontstretch.com

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