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.

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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.

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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! 

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

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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.

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