Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Re: Wish you a warm 2014

Thank you Thomas! Hope to meet you in person one of these days!

Best,
Joanna


: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Joanna Ebenstein
Creative Director, The Morbid Anatomy Museum
morbidanatomy.blogspot.com
Phone: + 1-718-702-5937

Mailing address:
c/o The Morbid Anatomy Library
543 Union Street #1E
Brooklyn NY 11215




On Dec 30, 2013, at 9:07 AM, Thomas Weynants - Media Archaeology - wrote:

Wish you a warm 2014

 
 
 
Thomas Weynants
www.visual-media.eu

-- 
Visual Media displays a very wide field of wondrous devices which opens a lot of opportunities for research and discovering in the field of Media Archeology.
To find out, visit the online Archeological Media_Museum of Early Visual Media.
http://www.visual-media.eu
 
All requests are welcome via this group.
 
Thomas Weynants
thomas@visual-media.eu
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<Happy_Merry_2014.jpg>

Re: Wishing you a ...

... Happy New Year.
One filled with exciting (re)discovery.

Warmth from the SF Bay Area to all.

Yours,
Miron Murcury

--
Visual Media displays a very wide field of wondrous devices which opens a lot of opportunities for research and discovering in the field of Media Archeology.
To find out, visit the online Archeological Media_Museum of Early Visual Media.
http://www.visual-media.eu
 
All requests are welcome via this group.
 
Thomas Weynants
thomas@visual-media.eu
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Monday, December 30, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: December 30th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
December 30th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCXX

~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's Note: This is the final Newsletter of 2013.  We'll be back with the first Newsletter of 2014 on Monday, January 6th.

For a full schedule of our upcoming driver reviews, click here.

- TV Schedule for December 30-January 5, 2014:

Monday, December 30
Time                                 Telecast                                                                 Network
4:00pm-5:00pm             NASCAR RaceHub                                              FOX Sports 1
9:00-10:00pm                 British Touring Car Championship: Brands Hatch GP        FOX Sports 2*/ (from October 12-13)
10:00-11:00pm              DTM: Zandvoort                                                      FOX Sports 2*/ (from September 29)

Thursday, January 2
Time                                  Telecast                                           Network
4:00-5:00pm                    NASCAR RaceHub                        FOX Sports 1

Friday, January 3
Time                                    Telecast                                               Network
4:00pm-5:00pm            NASCAR RaceHub                                 FOX Sports 1

Saturday, January 4
Time                                   Telecast                                                                 Network
10:00pm-1:30am                AMA Monster Energy Supercross: Anaheim 1       FOX Sports 1

*- Tape Delayed
/- Highlighted coverage

What to Watch: December 30-January 5

- This weekend is the Roar Before the 24, the annual preseason test ahead of January 25-26's Rolex 24.  67 teams have entered the test session, which will show off a number of new driver pairings, new teams and new equipment packages.  We'll have a write-up about the session in next Monday's Newsletter.

Top News
by Phil Allaway

Michael Schumacher In Critical Condition Following Ski Accident

Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition in a hospital in Grenoble, France after suffering a severe head injury in a crash while skiing in the French Alps on Sunday morning.  According to Schumacher's management, the retired champion was skiing when he fell and hit his head on a rock.

At first, the injuries did not appear to be all that serious.  Schumacher, who was wearing a ski helmet at the time of the crash was conscious.  He was still airlifted off the mountain as a precautionary measure.  While on the way to the hospital, Schumacher's condition significantly worsened to the point where he had slipped into a coma by the time he reached the hospital.

Once at the hospital, Schumacher was diagnosed with severe head trauma and a cerebral hemorrhage.  These injuries required immediate surgical treatment to relieve pressure and relieve bleeding.  The surgery was successful.

A press conference early this morning at the hospital revealed that the situation is still very much touch-and-go.

"[Schumacher] is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation," one of Schumacher's doctors stated earlier this morning.  "We are working hour by hour."  

Schumacher's body temperature has been lowered so that his brain can recover more easily.   In addition, Schumacher also has bilateral lesions on his brain as a result of the hit.

We at Frontstretch wish Schumacher as speedy a recovery as possible under the circumstances.

Andy Granatelli Dead at 90

On Sunday, Andy Granatelli, race promoter, car owner, and CEO of STP Oil Company, passed away as a result of congested heart failure.  Granatelli was 90 years old.

Granatelli is best known as the CEO of STP Oil Company (now part of the Armored AutoGroup along with Armor All) and a regular car owner at the Indianapolis 500.  Most notably, Granatelli ran turbine powered Lotus chassis in 1967 and 1968.  The car came very close in the hands of Parnelli Jones (1967) and Joe Leonard (1968) to winning the 500 before having mechanical issues.  Granatelli did finally reach Victory Lane at Indianapolis with Mario Andretti in 1969.

Granatelli also signed the deal to sponsor Richard Petty's No. 43 in NASCAR starting in 1972.  A compromise had to be reached in order to keep the "Petty Blue" colors on the No. 43 instead of STP's all red scheme, but the relationship continued all the way to 2000.  Eventually, the mix of Petty Blue and STP red even came to Indianapolis.  Gordon Johncock won the 1982 Indianapolis 500 driving an STP-sponsored Wildcat chassis.

Granatelli was also a race promoter of weekly events at Solider Field in Chicago prior to the Bears moving in (the Bears played their home games at Wrigley Field at the time) .  These races were highly attended affairs that included a small selection of house drivers that would intentionally crash, and an ambulance that would often get caught up in the race and eject a stretcher.

In addition to racing endeavors (and STP), Granatelli also owned Andy Granatelli's Tuneup Masters, a chain of auto repair shops and did significant work with Studebaker in the 1960's.

Granatelli is survived by his wife Dolly and sons Vince and Anthony.  Frontstretch sends their condolences to the Granatelli family.

Slight Change to Spoiler Rules For Daytona

Last week, we reported on NASCAR's rule changes for the 2014 season.  At the time, they stated that the rules for Daytona and Talladega would remain unchanged for 2014.  That is no longer the case.

Last Monday, NASCAR announced via tweet that the spoiler height has been increased from four inches to 4.5 inches.  The reason for the move was to provide the cars with more rear downforce, which would make the cars more stable.  The change will be applied to all the cars starting with the Preseason Thunder tests in Daytona next week.

FAS Lane Racing and Go Green Racing Combine Forces for No. 32

On Christmas Eve, FAS Lane Racing and Go Green Racing announced that the small operations have entered into a joint venture for the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season.  This joint venture is designed to maximize the competitiveness of the organization.

Go Green Racing owner Archie St. Hilaire is very happy about the move.

"Frank has a great program here at FAS Lane Racing and we believe that by combining our resources, we can take the program to the next level," St. Hilaire said.  "It's been my goal to race in the Sprint Cup Series on a weekly basis and this joint venture makes the most sense for both parties."

Stoddard appears to be very appreciative of no longer having to go it alone.

"
Archie coming on board is great for FAS Lane Racing," Stoddard said.  "It's going to allow us to both work at growing and improving the overall operation of our team.  The move also allows me to concentrate, along with Archie, more on the business side of the operation. I have spread myself too thin with my multiple roles over the past three seasons. We will both be able to work harder with our existing sponsors as well as the many new ones we look forward to working with."

Go Green Racing has previously competed in the Sprint Cup Series with the No. 79 in a start-and-park capacity.  In addition, they fielded the No. 52 for Paulie Harraka at Sonoma in June.  That was supposed to be the first of a few races for Harraka, but Harraka crashed into the back of Alex Kennedy on pit road prior to the start, then crashed in the race itself.

Dan Stillman has been hired to serve as the team's crew chief, replacing Stoddard.  The move frees up Stoddard to focus more on the business side of the operation.  Stillman most recently served as the crew chief for Red Horse Racing's No. 77 driven by German Quiroga in the Camping World Truck Series.

In addition, the combined organization announced that Terry Labonte will return to the team to make his third consecutive start in the Daytona 500 in the No. 32 Ford.  No sponsorship was announced.  Additional drivers to fill in the reminder of the schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ADVERTISEMENT
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~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  Bristol Motor Speedway converted their racing surface from asphalt to concrete in time for the 1992 Bud 500.  Why was this move made?

Check back next Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Last Monday's Answer:

Q:  Eddie Irvine made his Formula One debut in the Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit in 1993.  Here, he finished sixth and earned one point and a punch.  Why did he receive a knuckle sandwich?

A: Irvine effectively got in Senna's way while trying to keep from being lapped (along with Damon Hill).  Senna lost 15 seconds to Alain Prost while dealing with the pair.  While Senna was able to recover and win easily, he was still not pleased with the rookie.  After the race, an argument began between the two drivers.  Part of that argument could be seen here.  The punch occurred after the clip ended.

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 Monday, January 6th, 2014 in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles and more!

-----------------------------
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

Re: Wish you a warm 2014

Happy New Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSD19m6yn7g
Paolo Brenni




Il 30.12.2013 15:07, Thomas Weynants - Media Archaeology - ha scritto:

Wish you a warm 2014

 

 

 

Thomas Weynants
www.visual-media.eu

--
Visual Media displays a very wide field of wondrous devices which opens a lot of opportunities for research and discovering in the field of Media Archeology.
To find out, visit the online Archeological Media_Museum of Early Visual Media.
http://www.visual-media.eu
 
All requests are welcome via this group.
 
Thomas Weynants
thomas@visual-media.eu
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Early Visual Media Archeology" group.
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Questa e-mail è priva di virus e malware perché è attiva la protezione avast! Antivirus .


Wish you a warm 2014

Wish you a warm 2014

 

 

 

Thomas Weynants
www.visual-media.eu

Monday, December 23, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: December 23rd, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
December 23rd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCXIX

~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's Note: Remember that we are back down to one newsletter a week here in the offseason.  The next newsletter will be sent on Monday, December 30th.

- TV Schedule for December 23-29:

Monday, December 23
Time                                 Telecast                                                                 Network
4:00pm-5:00pm             NASCAR RaceHub                                              FOX Sports 1
9:00-10:00pm                 British Touring Car Championship: Rockingham        FOX Sports 2*/ (from September 14-15)
10:00-11:00pm              DTM: Oschersleben                                                    FOX Sports 2*/ (from September 15)

Tuesday, December 24
Time                                 Telecast                                            Network
4:00-5:00pm                   NASCAR RaceHub                         FOX Sports 1

Wednesday, December 25
Time                                  Telecast                                                                   Network
11:00pm-12:00am             British Touring Car Championship: Silverstone        FOX Sports 2*/ (from September 28-29)

Thursday, December 26
Time                                    Telecast                                              Network
4:00pm-5:00pm            NASCAR RaceHub                                 FOX Sports 1

Friday, December 27
Time                                   Telecast                                                             Network
4:00-5:00pm                     NASCAR RaceHub                                          FOX Sports 1

Sunday, December 29
Time                                   Telecast                                                               Network
6:00-7:00pm                     FIA GT Series Year in Review                             FOX Sports 2
7:00-8:00pm                     FIA WTCC Year in Review                                   FOX Sports 2

*- Tape Delayed
/- Highlighted coverage

Top News
by Phil Allaway

NASCAR Announces Rule Changes For 2014

On Tuesday, NASCAR announced a series of rule changes for the 2014 season that are designed to help enhance competition at the intermediate tracks.  There will be no changes in the rule packages for the restrictor plate races at all.

The most visible changes will revolve around the front end of the car.  There are no longer any minimum or maximum height requirements at the front of the car.  In addition, the minimum size limit for springs has been reduced.

Teams will run an eight-inch tall spoiler, which is slightly taller than last season.  Also, the splitter remains, but it will be squared off instead of rounded.

Representatives of NASCAR seem to be fairly pleased with their changes, despite their last minute feel.

"I think it's important to set the expectations here," said Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR's Vice President of Innovation and Racing Development.  "We did this very late. We're here in the middle of December running these tests, and we have to get things out for, obviously, the '14 race season. So the things or the dials or the things we could do for the '14 race season were somewhat limited on by timing. So it shouldn't be construed that this is the final solution. The amount of flexibility we had given timing was not as great as we have say working on the '15 season [when] we've got a whole year ahead of us. So this is really the first installment in a journey towards a continual improvement process in regards to our race product.

So, yeah, what we did is we did play with downforce on the car, the amount, and we did play with the balance of front to rear. So we did do those things.  For '15 we'll try some other things."

The tapered spacer, which was tested during the Charlotte test, will not be implemented in 2014.  However, it is still potentially on the table for 2015.

Billy Scott to Serve as Vickers' Crew Chief

On Thursday, Michael Waltrip Racing announced that Billy Scott will take over as the crew chief of the No. 55 Aaron's Toyota starting in Daytona.  He will replace Scott Miller, who served in the role after Rodney Childers left the team.  Miller will return to his previous position of the organization's Executive Vice President of Competition.

Scott is an engineer who worked in the Camping World Truck Series before going to college to get his degree.  He previously served as the team's lead engineer for the last two seasons.

Scott is very grateful for the opportunity to lead a crew for the first time.

"
I'm honored, but I also know this is a big responsibility," Scott said.  "We have very high expectations for the Aaron's Dream Machine in 2014.  Brian has been incredible to work with and is a winner, so we can't wait to get 2014 started."

Vickers is very happy that Scott got the nod.

"I've been around Billy the last two seasons and he's demonstrated a strong knowledge of what makes these cars go fast," Vickers said.  "I have a lot of faith in Billy. This is one of the strongest teams I've had and that's a great feeling heading into a new season."

Sharp Gallaher Racing Torn Asunder


Back in August, Eddie Sharp took on California-based real estate developer Bill Gallaher as a partner in his race team.  At the time, it was considered to be beneficial to the whole program.  Now, not so much.

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's Dave Moody reported last Monday that nearly all of Sharp Gallaher Racing's employees were laid off and the team shut down.  This was not due to an apparent lack of sponsorship.  Instead, the issues stemmed from a conflict between Sharp and Gallaher.

Gallaher reportedly told Sharp that his services wouldn't be required in the future.  Naturally, Sharp was none too pleased at Gallaher's move.  A power struggle resulted in the team laying off all but one person and shutting down.

Last season, Sharp Gallaher Racing fielded the full-time No. 8 Chevrolet for Max Gresham, along with the part-time Nos. 6 and 33.  The team's best finish was a third with Gresham at Charlotte.  Justin Lofton also earned top-5's at Daytona and Texas (November).

There is a chance that the team could re-open and continue under Gallaher's ssole ownership.  However, for now, the team is closed.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: The NASCAR Broadcast All-Star Team
by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to another edition of the Critic's Annex, where I talk about motorsports programming.  I hope you're enjoying the holiday season thus far.  I'm sitting here watching Dave Rieff mistake Tim Currier for Billy VanInwegen on the World Finals broadcast on CBS Sports Network.  Rieff's pretty good with the NHRA on ESPN, but he's not the most knowledgeable with the Super DirtCar Series.

Normally, I'd be relaxing, playing the daily challenges in Rayman Legends or binge watching Night Court or Gilmore Girls on DVD.  However, while I was on work on Friday, I noticed something while at work.  Jim Noble, Host of Tradin' Paint (with Buddy Baker, subbing for Chocolate Myers) on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and one of the few pit reporters I've had the pleasure of meeting in the past, asked a question to his listeners.  That question was simple.  Who is your dream NASCAR broadcast booth, past, present or future?

For the record, Noble chose Ken Squier, Benny Parsons and Ray Evernham.  An interesting trio, to be sure.  Squier and Parsons actually did work together briefly with CBS back in 1984.  Parsons also worked with Evernham on ABC in 2000.

Naturally, Noble broaching the issue and all the various suggestions that were tweeted to Noble triggered my thoughts as well.  You know what that means by now.  I'm doing it too, and going the extra mile by adding in pit reporters as well.  We're not going to talk about infield pit studios because they bog down broadcasts.  

Also of note, I have Noble's blessing to do this.  In fact, he tweeted to me that he's looking forward to what I come up with.

My mentality with race broadcasts is that they're mostly all business.  However, they must have a fun time giving us the business.  We'll start with the all-important broadcast booth and go from there.

Play-by-Play: 1992 Mike Joy.  Yes, I'm using years for my picks, just like Bill Simmons did with his all-time All-Star teams in "The Book of Basketball".  Why?  Because commentators do change over the years as they age.  In the case of Mike Joy, it's a little less noticeable than with others.  This is why Ken Squier doesn't get the slot here with me.

In 1992, Joy was the play-by-play man for TNN's Winston Cup and Busch Grand National broadcasts.  In addition, he also did pit reporting work on CBS' three Cup telecasts.  At the time, he was more or less on the top of his game.  Very crisp in the booth and easy to listen to, along with being just as knowledgeable as he is now.  Also, he didn't have to wrestle with his colleagues in order to do his job, which I feel he has to do way too often on FOX.

Play-by-Play Omissions:

1. Allen Bestwick- Likely one of the toughest cuts.  Bestwick is a consummate professional in the broadcast booth with the benefit of seniority.  Many fans are angry that he is likely out of the broadcast booth in the Cup Series after next season.

2. Bob Jenkins- Beginning in 1989, when he was permanently paired with Parsons and Ned Jarrett for Cup races, Jenkins more or less relinquished more and more control over the years to his analysts.  This could have been somewhat dangerous.  However, in Jarrett and Parsons, Jenkins had two of the most dependable guys in sports broadcasting at the time.  They knew their spots and were not the kind of people who would take over a broadcast.  Prior to 1988, Jenkins didn't really a driving expert in the booth with him all that often (there are exceptions to that rule, though).  In those circumstances, he would carry broadcasts a lot more.

3. Ken Squier (prior to about 1994)- When he was on top of his game, Squier was very good.  However, he hung on way too long (through 1997 before CBS made him a host).  By the end of his career, Squier was clearly starting to slip, and it only got worse over time.  It's sad to see.  I once compared him to a professor I had at Seton Hall, Dr. Daniel J. Leab.  He had a class on U.S. Diplomatic History that I took back in 2005.  My takeaway: The dude's brilliant (also, I didn't realize that he was pushing 70 at the time), but he had some strange quirks, including the tendency to lose focus while lecturing.  I feel like Squier was similar at times.  I'd love to sit down and just listen to the guy talk (I'm sure he's got stories for days), but there are better choices for the booth.

4. Eli Gold- Replaced Joy as TNN's play-by-play man in 1996.  At the time, I thought that Gold's voice grated on me.  I suppose that's because he's mainly a radio guy (today, Gold hosts multiple radio shows and is the voice of Alabama football and the Rolex Series).  He brought that mentality to television.  It definitely took some getting used to.  I suppose it's not as bad as what happens when Bob Costas calls a basketball game like it's on radio.

5. Rick Allen- Since Allen's never called a Cup race before, I have no idea what he'd be like there (although we'll find out in July 2015).  However, based on his performance with the trucks over the past 11 years, I think this would probably be where he would rank.

6. Ralph Sheheen- Most of Sheheen's play-by-play experience is in lower series (ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series, Hooters Cup, etc.).  However, Sheheen took over in a pinch back in 2009 after Bill Weber was suspended and later fired for some kind of altercation at a hotel in Manchester, NH (the details of which were never made public).  Sheheen did very well working with Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. in a pinch.

7. Bill Weber- Unfortunately, Weber had the tendency to irritate people during his time in the booth (and probably before that).  While he was always well-prepared, it appears that he carried himself in such a fashion that people didn't like him, and it came out at times during telecasts, much to NBC/TNT's detriment.

8. Marty Reid- Reid had 30+ years of booth experience and was seemingly at the top of the profession in 2010.  However, he imploded his way out of a job.  Reid was never really at his best in NASCAR.  I thought he was best in sports cars, a place he hasn't been since the 1990's.

9. Adam Alexander- We've had a couple of years with Alexander in the booth, and I'm just not feeling him.  He's ok, but nothing special.  I feel like TNT should have kept Sheheen in the booth instead.  However, he is getting a little more booth work outside of NASCAR these days (college football with FOX Sports 1).

Off the Board: Barney Hall- Yes, The Joker's Wild gets a reference here.  I noticed that some fans picked Barney Hall as their play-by-play pick.  However, Hall has next to no play-by-play experience on television.  He was supposed to be alongside of Jenkins for ESPN's first-ever Winston Cup telecast from Rockingham in 1981 (tape-delayed).  However, according to his replacement (Gold) during a 2011 interview on NASCAR Now, he soured on the gig last minute.  He's another guy that I don't have much of a frame of reference for what he was like in his prime.  Remember, calling a race on radio is quite a bit different than on television.

First Color Analyst: 1993 Benny Parsons.  Any time between 1990-2000 would have been fine here.  I agree with Noble's choice of Parsons here.  At the time, he was a recent retiree from driving and knew quite a bit about the current machinery.  Much like Andy Petree today, Parsons would spend a great amount of time in the garage, learning as much as he possibly could about the new innovations and various issues of the time.

In addition, Parsons was clearly a fun-loving kind of guy, but knew when he had to be serious.  I feel that a couple of today's analysts don't really get that.

Second Color Analyst: 2013 Ricky Craven.  This is actually a very tough choice since there are a number of people that can actually fit this role nicely.  I chose Craven despite a general lack of experience in the booth just because he essentially carried Marty Reid in the booth for much of this season.  He's very knowledgeable about the sport and can explain things very easily in a way that is not condescending.

Analyst Omissions:

1. Andy Petree- Seriously, this was basically a coin toss.  Petree has a lot of the same qualities that Craven exhibits, plus additional booth experience.

2. Ned Jarrett- My main issue with Jarrett is the threat of favoritism that came from his son Dale's participation in most of the races he called on television.  It just shows that you can't please everyone.  He can't openly root for Dale because it's unprofessional, and he can't treat Dale like everyone else because it's his son and doing that would anger people close to him.  Having said all that, Jarrett is a very gracious person and well-respected.  Probably very easy to work with and fairly knowledgeable, despite having been out of the seat for 22 years by the time he got to ESPN.

3. Buddy Baker/Neil Bonnett (tie)- When I was younger, I actually did prefer TNN telecasts to ESPN for a time.  In addition to Joy, these two men were the reason why.  Both are easy talking men who were very knowledgeable about the sport.  I wish Bonnett were still around.  He'd be 67 now.  I don't know what he'd be doing, but I'm sure that he would still be involved in NASCAR in some capacity.

4. Kyle Petty- A refreshing force in the broadcast booth.  Someone who can take what he hears and translates them into reality without a filter.  It's an interesting way to commentate on a race.  Petty has no peers here, so he and he alone will determine how it ultimately pans out.  So far, so good.

5. David Hobbs- Back in the late 1970's and 1980's, Hobbs served as Squier's driver analyst on off-weekends (and sometimes, simply off-days) from his sports car racing career on CBS.  Hobbs only has a little experience in NASCAR, but he was relatively similar (albeit less ridiculous) to how he is today with Formula One on the NBC Sports Network.  Generally enjoyable to listen to.  He's considered to be so entwined with Formula One coverage that people forget that he used to do NASCAR telecasts (and sports cars, for that matter).

6. Phil Parsons- Works decently as a straight man to Rick Allen on Camping World Truck, K&N Pro and Whelen Modified telecasts, not to mention the ARCA Racing Series.  However, he is substandard at best as a pit reporter and should not be working the pits with a car in the field under any circumstances.

7. Dale Jarrett- Seems to take a lot of vacations.  ESPN heavily promoted Jarrett's move to the broadcast booth after he retired, but I don't think he's been anything special.  He gets the job done, but doesn't really rock the boat.

8. Larry McReynolds- To say nothing else about McReynolds, he is prepared.  He probably goes through a five-subject notebook every couple of weeks just to be able to do his job.  On that note, I hope FOX buys him his notebooks.  However, the way he goes about explaining things is polarizing at times.  Not because he's telling viewers incorrect information (it's correct), but it makes him look stupid.  McReynolds (and our next entry) makes unusual use of the English language and it turns a number of people off.  I feel like having him in the broadcast booth does not necessarily help grow the sport.

9. Wally Dallenbach, Jr. - These days, I see Dallenbach more as an IndyCar analyst than a Sprint Cup analyst, despite much more experience in NASCAR.  He's not bad, but he doesn't seem to have much fun covering Cup.  It seems to only be a job to him.

10. Darrell Waltrip- Good lord, this guy irritates me at times, and my readers as well.  Very knowledgeable, but makes people think that he's biased (and at times, he is, especially if it involves his brother Michael).  May be a little too close to Kyle Busch.  The Boogittys have to go.  Admittedly had trouble explaining why things happened when he first got in the broadcast booth, but slowly figured things out.

11. Larry Nuber- Nuber did have his moments in the booth, but the general opinion of this dude (and it showed at times) was that he didn't really give his all into the broadcasts.  He would babble at times.  Lots of nonsense.  However, "the Nube" did have a sense for talent.  Regardless, getting demoted to a Pit Center setup in 1988 and eventually dumped must have hurt.  Yeah, he eventually landed at TNN as the play-by-play man for the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series, but that was multiple steps below working Cup telecasts for both ESPN and CBS.

12. Ray Evernham- I'll admit that I found Noble's choice of Evernham to be interesting (of note, Evernham graciously thanked Noble for the nod).  I remember Evernham being a bit of a wreck on ABC in 2000.  Today, he's a much better analyst on ESPN.  He will likely move up with his continued form.

13. Justin Allgaier- I hate to rank him here since he's such a young 'un, but Allgaier has the tendency to dominate proceedings in the booth.  That's not a good quality.  If he plans to have a future on float screens or whatever we have by the time he retires in 2034, he would need to learn to temper himself.  Believe it or not, this is a good problem to have.  Better than the opposite.

14. Rusty Wallace- ESPN's big get for 2007 had absolutely bupkis for experience.  So, ESPN sent Wallace to IndyCar for 2006 to get experience.  He learned some bad habits there that he brought to then-NEXTEL Cup races.  Wallace only lasted a little over a year in the booth before ESPN demoted him in favor of Dale Jarrett.  Wallace is more or less the opposite of Dale Jarrett in the booth, but also hogs arguments.

15. Michael Waltrip- Essentially has all of the same issues as his brother.  Doesn't really speak all that clearly at times.  Probably suited for not much more than what he does now with the Camping World Truck Series on FOX Sports 1.

I cannot rank people with either no analysis track record, or a very limited one.  As a result, there will be no rankings for Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Chuck Bown, Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace, Joe Gibbs, Richard Petty or Dave Marcis.

Pit Reporters:

1. 1981 Chris Economaki- I know, you're probably thinking something along the lines of "Phil, this dude's the enlightened monarch of motorsports journalism.  How could you put him in the pits?"  The answer is that the vast majority of the work I've seen from Economaki has been from pit road, either with actual pit reporting, or doing interviews from a raised stage like in the 1993 Daytona 500 telecast.  He even did pit reports at the Bathurst 1000 for years.  CBS only aired that race once from what I can remember (1981), and that appeared to be some kind of agreement with the Seven Network that allowed CBS a crack at RaceCam.  Economaki still covered a number of 1000 kilometer classics at Bathurst for the Australian audience, even without the American network backing.  Let's face facts.  The dude knew more about racing than I will ever know.

2. 1995 Dr. Jerry Punch- Maybe he's not the best play-by-play man (Something that Punch actually told me in 2009 at Watkins Glen), but he's very, very good in the pits.  Having Buford T. Justice's seniority doesn't hurt as well.  Also, has a great impression of Economaki.  Seriously.

3. 2002 Dick Berggren- It says a lot that FOX willingly crippled their own pit coverage this past season just so they didn't have to replace Berggren after he retired.

4. 1992 Glenn Jarrett – Possibly the toughest spot of all.  This could have gone to a number of different people, and I doubt anyone would have complained.  In 1992, Glenn was more or less the primary pit reporter for TNN.  He was very good in covering the happenings on pit road, especially with the Busch Grand National races being on a much smaller scale as compared to what we see now.  Also, there's something about a reporter saying "The track's tearing up something awful" that I like (although I don't like stupid moves by track management leading to stupidity).

Pit Reporter Omissions:

1. Krista Voda

2. Steve Byrnes

3. Matt Yocum

4. John Kernan

5. Dave Burns

6. John Kernan

7. Jamie Little/Shannon Spake (tie)

9. Wendy Venturini

10. Vince Welch

11. Mike Hogewood

12. Jeanne Zelasko

I'd argue that any of the top 7-9 in the omission list could have taken Jarrett's spot.  That's why it is so tough to pick.  I think it's easier to explain why those at the bottom couldn't make the elite list.  Zelasko didn't seem to be well respected during her time on pit road for FOX (not by FOX, but by the teams).  I guess they thought she didn't know anything.  She would often leave to focus on baseball, leaving the NASCAR coverage high and dry.  I don't have much of a body of work for Hogewood.  I thought he was ok on TBS, but nothing special.  Welch has always struck me as an IndyCar guy.  I feel he's the frontrunner to replace Reid in the booth for ESPN starting in March in St. Petersburg.

Venturini would be the Wild Card here.  She has no experience as a pit reporter on regular Sprint Cup TV race telecasts.  However, she has worked extensively as a pit reporter for Cup races on radio, ARCA telecasts, Truck telecasts, and with DirecTV NASCAR HotPass (which I did not have access to because of a lack of DirecTV).  I have no reason to believe that she wouldn't excel if FOX gave her the chance.


Also, for the sake of reference, the inspiration for this article (Jim Noble) has less pit reporting experience on television than Venturini (I think I've seen him pit reporting for maybe 15-20 Nationwide races on ESPN 2 during split weekends).  Everyone else has at least 50 and most have hundreds.  Therefore, it's a little tough to rate him.

Obviously, this list can be debated as much as your heart desires.  The group that I came up with would be a trio for the booth that all knows each other and will probably get along well.  They are knowledgeable and great to listen to.  Is it the best possible trio?  Maybe.  But, that's the beauty of the whole exercise.

I hope you enjoyed this conjecture piece.  I'll be back in 2014 with a sixth year of critiquing.  Until then, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  Eddie Irvine made his Formula One debut in the Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit in 1993.  Here, he finished sixth and earned one point and a punch.  Why did he receive a knuckle sandwich?

Check back next Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Last Monday's Answer:

Q:  For 2014, Formula One rules require 1.6 liter turbocharged V6 engines.  While quite small in displacement, these are not the smallest engines ever in the World Championship era.  When were smaller engines run in the World Championship?

A: In 1961, Formula One changed the engine rules to mandate 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engines.  These engines ran until 1965.  In addition, supercharged and/or turbocharged engines have been limited to 1.5 liters for most of the time that they were allowed in Formula 1.

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 Monday, December 23rd in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles and more!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming This Week at Frontstretch

Our driver reviews are taking the week off for Christmas.  Look for them to return on January 6, 2014.

-----------------------------
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

Monday, December 16, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: December 16th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
December 16th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCXVIII

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Editor's Note: Remember that we are back down to one newsletter a week here in the offseason.  The next newsletter will be sent on Monday, December 23rd.

- TV Schedule for December 16-22:

Monday, December 16
Time                                 Telecast                                                                 Network
4:00pm-5:00pm             NASCAR RaceHub                                              FOX Sports 1
9:00-10:00pm                 British Touring Car Championship: Knockhill        FOX Sports 2*/ (from August 24-25)
10:00-11:00pm              DTM: Nurburgring                                                      FOX Sports 2*/ (from August 18)

Tuesday, December 17
Time                                 Telecast                                            Network
12:00-1:00pm                   NASCAR RaceHub                         FOX Sports 1

Wednesday, December 18
Time                                  Telecast                                           Network
12:00-1:00pm                    NASCAR RaceHub                        FOX Sports 1

Thursday, December 19
Time                                    Telecast                                                       Network
4:00pm-5:00pm            NASCAR RaceHub                                 FOX Sports 1

Friday, December 20
Time                                   Telecast                                                             Network
4:00-5:00pm                     NASCAR RaceHub                                          FOX Sports 1

Sunday, December 22
Time                                   Telecast                                                               Network
6:00-7:00pm                     WTCC: Japan                                                 FOX Sports 2*/ (from September 21-22)
7:00-8:00pm                     WTCC: China                                FOX Sports 2*/ (from November 2-3)
8:00-9:00pm                     WTCC: Macau                                    FOX Sports 2*/ (from November 16-17)
9:00pm-12:00am             World of Outlaws World Finals Night 2    CBS Sports Network*/ (from November 9)

*- Tape Delayed
/- Highlighted coverage

Top News
by Phil Allaway

NASCAR Holds Intermediate Test at Charlotte Motor Speedway

NASCAR was scheduled to hold a test session at CHarlotte Motor Speedway last Monday in order to test out various packages for the 2014 season.  However, persistent rains resulted in the test being delayed to Wednesday.

A large contingent of 30 cars gathered at the 1.5 mile quad-oval for the test.  By manufacturer, those teams were:

Chevrolet: 1- Jamie McMurray, 4- Kevin Harvick, 5- Kasey Kahne, 7- Michael Annett, 24- Regan Smith (testing in place of Jeff Gordon), 29- Austin Dillon, 31- Ryan Newman, 36- JJ Yeley, 41- Kurt Busch, 42- Kyle Larson, 47- AJ Allmendinger, 78- Martin Truex, Jr., 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Ford: 2- Brad Keselowski, 9- Marcos Ambrose, 16- Greg Biffle, 17- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 22- Joey Logano, 38- David Gilliland, 43- Aric Almirola, 52- Jeffrey Earnhardt, 99- Carl Edwards

Toyota: 11- Denny Hamlin, 15- Clint Bowyer, 18- Kyle Busch, 20- Matt Kenseth, 30- Cole Whitt, 55- Jeff Burton (testing in place of Brian Vickers), 83- Alex Bowman (testing in place of David Reutimann), 93- Travis Kvapil

Once the rains exited the picture, a slightly different type of test was arragined.  Normally, test sessions are open tests where teams could go out and test certain setups and hopefully improve on them, similar to practice sessions.  NASCAR had different plans.

At first, teams were allowed regular runs to set up their cars, but that was only the preliminary on-track action.  NASCAR organized five mini-races with various rule changes incorporated into the cars. 

At the start, the cars had nine inch tall rear spoilers, but in later races, that height was cut to 8.375 inches and later 7.75 inches.  There was also a minimum ground clearance of four inches for side skirts.  Roof strips and tapered spacers were introduced in later races.

If the overall goal of these mock races was to achieve more competitive racing at the front of the field, none of the trials actually worked.  There were a grand total of two lead changes in the five mock races combined.   However, there was some side-by-side action.

Kevin Harvick won three of the five races, while Kyle Larson won the other two.  Harvick was never seriously challenged in his three wins, winning by at least 3.5 seconds.  Larson was threatened in his wins, but was never overtaken.

Austin Dillon to the No. 3 For 2014. General Mills, Dow Chemical and Bass Pro Shops to Sponsor

NASCAR being forced to move their open test to Wednesday also forced Richard Childress Racing to move a previously announced press conference from their shop to Charlotte Motor Speedway.  The announcement that was made was one that had been expected for months.

Austin Dillon will move up to the Sprint Cup Series full-time starting in 2014, replacing Kevin Harvick in what was the No. 29.  The No. 29 will change back to the No. 3 as well.  Sponsorship will be provided by Bass Pro Shops (a previous sponsor of Dillon's in the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series), General Mills (via Cheerios, which moves over from the No. 31), and new sponsor Dow Chemical.  Gil Martin, who served as Harvick's crew chief last season, will continue in the role with Dillon.

Dillon is very happy about moving up to Sprint Cup and being able to keep his grandfather's No. 3.

"My grandfather and everyone at RCR have done a great job of not pushing me too quickly into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," Dillon said.  "I feel like I've been able to spend adequate time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series preparing for this next step in my career. I am thrilled to be making this move with partners like Dow and Cheerios, along with some long-time partners who have supported me and RCR throughout my career. I am truly grateful and looking forward to this opportunity."

Dow Chemical's Executive Vice President Joe Harlan believes in Dillon's pedigree on the racetrack and RCR's history.

"We see this as a great opportunity to partner with a historic team like Richard Childress Racing that is synonymous with success, integrity and championships, and a championship driver in Austin Dillon," Harlan said.  "Austin's winning passion is representative of Dow. Our employees and customers were very supportive of our debut into our partnership with RCR during 2013 and they are looking forward to continued involvement with Austin next year. Dow's technology-focused, market-driven, customer-centric organization aligns perfectly with the performance-driven values of RCR and NASCAR. We look forward to being a part of Austin's rookie NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and continued success in NASCAR."

For Dow Chemical, this is their first entry into Sprint Cup in many years.  Back in 1970, they served as the primary sponsor of Ray Nichels' No. 99 Dodge driven by Charlie Glotzbach.  Glotzbach earned two victories in the purple Dodge, one being a Daytona 500 Qualifier (when those were still run for points), and a win from pole at Michigan.

Before announcing that Dillon would drive the No. 3, car owner Richard Childress sought the permission of Dale Earnhardt's family.  They agreed to the move.  

Also announced on Wednesday was the selling of RCR's Camping World Truck Series equipment to ARCA/Truck team Gallagher Motorsports.  That team will field former RCR truck racer Joey Coulter full-time and ARCA driver Spencer Gallagher part-time.

James Buescher Moves to RAB Racing

On Friday, Turner Scott Motorsports announced that James Buescher, son-in-law of team co-owner Steve Turner, would be leaving the team to seek other opportunties.  Turner described the move as Buescher "graduating" from the team.  It didn't take long for Buescher's destination to become public.

Roughly a half-hour after Buescher's departure from Turner Scott Motorsports was announced, another press release announced that Buescher will drive full-time in the Nationwide Series for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard in their No. 99 Toyota.  According to the press release, it is a multi-year deal for the 2012 Camping World Truck Series Champion.  Buescher will officially replace Alex Bowman, who ran into sponsor issues and was forced to miss the final race of the season at Homestead.

Buescher is very happy to make the move to RAB Racing and very proud of his time with Turner Scott Motorsports.

"My first couple of years in NASCAR have been a dream come true, and I can't thank Turner Scott Motorsports enough for the opportunity they have given me to develop my skills," Buescher said.  "I am very excited to be able to take the next step in my career, and I couldn't be more thrilled about the opportunity that RAB Racing is giving me to run full time in the Nationwide Series. I am really excited to get back behind the wheel of a Toyota and I am looking forward to driving their cars next year.  RAB Racing is a solid organization with great people; I can't wait to get to work with them."

Team co-owner Robby Benton is pleased to take on a championship winning driver.

"
Everyone at RAB Racing is honored to have James come on board to drive our No. 99 Toyota Camry," Benton said.  "James has a tremendous amount of talent and experience, and we feel like he will take our program to the next level. I'm looking forward to what will likely be a very special season, not only for our team, but all of our partners as well. This is a great addition to the Toyota family, and I'm proud James saw the strength in our team to further his career."

No sponsorship was mentioned in the press release.  However, the team states that there will be future announcements in regards to sponsors for the organization.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 AT THE FRONTSTRETCH:

2013 NASCAR Driver Review: Greg Biffle
by Tony Lumbis

by Phil Allaway

by Beth Lunkenheimer


For a full schedule of our upcoming driver reviews, click here.

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  For 2014, Formula One rules require 1.6 liter turbocharged V6 engines.  While quite small in displacement, these are not the smallest engines ever in the World Championship era.  When were smaller engines run in the World Championship?

Check back next Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Last Monday's Answer:

Q:  When he was still a regular commentator for SPEED, Jimmy Spencer was a noted critic against road racing.  However, Spencer does have a victory on a road course.  When did this occur, and in what series?

A: On an off weekend from the Winston Cup Series, Spencer traveled to Brainerd, MN to race in the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series Brainerd 300k at Brainerd International Raceway.  Driving a Chevrlolet Lumina Z34, Spencer took the lead with five laps to go when Johnny Benson cut a tire and held on to win.  Here's the moment when Spencer took the lead.

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 Monday, December 23rd in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles and more!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming This Week at Frontstretch

2013 NASCAR Driver Reviews by the Frontstretch Staff
With the Chasers and champions out of the way, we continue with reviews of more drivers from the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

-----------------------------
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