THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
December 2nd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCXVI
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
December 2nd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCXVI
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Editor's Note No. 1: A very early version of this Newsletter was accidentally sent out in the wee hours of this morning before most of the content could be added in. We are very sorry about this issue.
Editor's Note No. 2: Remember that we are back down to one newsletter a week here in the offseason. The next newsletter will be sent on Monday, December 9th.
What to Watch: December 2-8
- This week is Championship Week in Las Vegas, NV ahead of Friday night's Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony. There will be activities much of the week that will wrap up the season and pay tribute to fans.
Tuesday: Eli Gold will have Jimmie Johnson as a guest on NASCAR Live on MRN Radio from 7:00-8:00pm EST. This will be an audience participation event at the Wynn Sports Book.
Tuesday: Eli Gold will have Jimmie Johnson as a guest on NASCAR Live on MRN Radio from 7:00-8:00pm EST. This will be an audience participation event at the Wynn Sports Book.
In addition, Tony Stewart will be hosting a special Tony Stewart Live radio show with Matt Yocum from Charlotte. This show, which will replace the Stewie Awards, will see Stewart and Yocum review the 2013 season and interview Johnson via satellite from Las Vegas following Johnson's appearance on NASCAR Live. The show is scheduled to air on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 7:00-9:00pm.
Wednesday: Fanfest at the Fremont Street Experience. In addition, there will be a reception for the four Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Finalists.
Thursday: A very busy day. The NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon is scheduled for late morning at the Wynn's Encore Ballroom. Here, drivers will pick up contingency awards and other major NMPA awards, such as the NMPA Spirit Award, will be announced.
Afterwards, the 13 Chasers will gather on the Las Vegas Strip for the NASCAR Victory Lap, always a popular sight with the assembled masses.
Finally, NASCAR After the Lap at the Palms Hotel and Casino wraps the day with an "unfiltered roundtable involving every Chase driver." All three events will be streamed live at NASCAR.com.
Friday: The top-10 drivers in Sprint Cup are feted at the banquet. Jay Mohr is scheduled to host the three hour event, which will be aired live on FOX Sports 2. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio will also provide radio coverage. It will also feature performances from John Mellencamp, Dierks Bentley and Sara Bareilles in addition to the speeches.
- TV Schedule for December 2-8:
Monday, December 2
Time Telecast Network
4:00pm-5:00pm NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
9:00-10:00pm British Touring Car Championship: Croft FOX Sports 2*/ (from June 22-23)
10:00-11:00pm DTM: Norisring FOX Sports 2*/ (from July 14)
Tuesday, December 3
Time Telecast Network
4:00-5:00pm NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
Wednesday, December 4
Time Telecast Network
4:00-5:00pm NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
Thursday, December 5
Time Telecast Network
2:00-5:30pm NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon NASCAR.com^
4:00-5:00pm NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
6:30-~7:30pm NASCAR Victory Lap NASCAR.com^
~7:30-9:30pm NASCAR After the Lap NASCAR.com^
Friday, December 6
Time Telecast Network
Time Telecast Network
4:00-5:00pm NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
9:00pm-12:00am Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony FOX Sports 2
Sunday, December 8
Time Telecast Network
6:00-7:00pm WTCC: Portugal FOX Sports 2*/ (from June 30)
7:00-8:00pm FIA GT Series: Azerbaijan FOX Sports 2*/ (from November 24)
*- Tape Delayed
/- Highlighted coverage
~ Approximate
^- Available via free online streaming
Top News
by Phil Allaway and Mike Neff
by Phil Allaway and Mike Neff
NASCAR Purchases Iowa Speedway
In a strategic move designed to expand its commitment to enhancing event experiences and fan engagement, as well as solidify the future of one of the premier racing and entertainment facilities in the Midwest, NASCAR announced today that it has purchased Iowa Speedway. The agreement, finalized today under a wholly-owned subsidiary, Iowa Speedway, LLC, is effective immediately.
"Iowa Speedway is a great entertainment facility with a very bright future," said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR vice president, strategic development. "The facility has the support of the region, it's positioned well in the heart of the Midwest, and year in and year out it provides great short-track racing action for motorsports fans.
"NASCAR ownership will allow us to draw on the entire resources of our company. It also provides us with the opportunity to execute first-hand a number of entertainment ideas and engagement opportunities with fans – much of which we have outlined repeatedly as the core of our Industry Action Plan."
The facility, located 30 miles east of Des Moines in Newton, features a fast, .875-mile asphalt paved tri-oval designed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace. The Speedway released its 2014 schedule earlier this month, encompassing three weekends, one each in May, July and August. The schedule will include two NASCAR Nationwide Series races, a combination NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and IndyCar Series weekend, plus two additional NASCAR K&N Pro Series support races. NASCAR has no plans for Iowa Speedway to host a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race next year or in the immediate future.
NASCAR will host a special event in Des Moines on Thursday, Dec. 12, to outline additional details on the purchase and plans for the future. Information on this event will be announced soon.
The 2014 Iowa Speedway season opens May 17-18, with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East versus West Challenge on Saturday night. The stars and cars of the NASCAR Nationwide Series then will battle on Sunday in a 250-lap, high-speed contest. The race marks the only Sunday afternoon event of the season at Iowa Speedway.
The new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series / IndyCar Series race weekend at Iowa Speedway is slated for July 11-12. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race Friday night and feature short-track racing action that has become synonymous with the series in the American Ethanol 200. The first-ever Iowa Corn Indy 300 will follow on Saturday night.
On Friday, Aug. 1, a second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East versus West challenge race will be held followed by a second NASCAR Nationwide Series 250-lap event on Saturday under the lights.
Season ticket holders may renew their tickets for the 2014 season, and will have an exclusive right to secure their current seats until Dec. 14. All other seats are available for purchase immediately, with season ticket prices starting at $95. All season tickets will include a guaranteed seat location, complimentary Casey's Fan Walk pass and an opportunity to participate in pre-race ceremonies. Season tickets, parking passes and onsite camping options are available online at www.iowaspeedway.com, or by calling the toll-free ticketing hotline, 866-RUSTY-GO (787-8946).
Iowa Speedway's ticketing office, located at 3333 Rusty Wallace Drive in Newton, also will be open to assist customers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, holidays excepted.
2014 IOWA SPEEDWAY EVENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 17 – NASCAR K&N Pro Series East vs. West Challenge
Sunday, May 18 – NASCAR Nationwide Series
Friday, July 11 – American Ethanol 200, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Saturday, July 12 – Iowa Corn Indy 300, IndyCar Series
Friday, August 1 – NASCAR K&N Pro Series East vs. West Challenge
Saturday, August 2 – NASCAR Nationwide
NASCAR Announces New Guidelines for Race Sponsors
On Tuesday, NASCAR introduced a new policy regarding title sponsors for races. Previously, tracks were free to negotiate their own deals regarding race sponsorships with little oversight from NASCAR. Now, the rules have changed a little.
The new policy, quietly instituted in October, but not revealed until Dover Motorsports, Inc. filed their sanctioning agreement for 2014 (publicly available since Dover Motorsports, Inc. is a publicly-held corporation), states that NASCAR has final approval over race sponsors. As part of the sanctioning agreement that tracks sign with NASCAR, they must submit their race entitlement sponsors to NASCAR for approval.
"(NASCAR) will disapprove a prospective entitlement sponsor only if such prospective entitlement sponsor's brand has been tarnished by, controversy, crisis or circumstance such that its association with the event would damage the NASCAR brand or the image of the sport or … it would damage the (broadcasting) network's ability to sell advertising," the agreement states.
Reached for comment last week, NASCAR Spokesman David Higdon was matter-of-fact when asked about the change.
"As part of the normal course of annually reviewing our sanction language, there are some changes that take place," Higdon told Sporting News' Bob Pockrass. "This is one of those situations. We previously said we'd take a look at this area of the sanctioning agreements, adjust as needed, and that's what we've done."
"As part of the normal course of annually reviewing our sanction language, there are some changes that take place," Higdon told Sporting News' Bob Pockrass. "This is one of those situations. We previously said we'd take a look at this area of the sanctioning agreements, adjust as needed, and that's what we've done."
If the title sponsor is disapproved, tracks have two potential routes to take. They can resubmit a modified sponsorship. Alternate brands affiliated with the disallowed company could be allowed. If not possible, the decision can be appealed to a three-person panel which includes NASCAR President Mike Helton, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell and an additional wild card NASCAR Vice President.
The move was made in reaction to Texas Motor Speedway's controversial signing of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to sponsor the Spring race at the 1.5 mile quad-oval last April, and the uproar that resulted from it in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings in Connecticut. Under the new rules, the NRA would likely be discouraged from race sponsorship with just the NRA name. If that occurred, it isl possible that they could sponsor a race through one of their programs, or as a way to support troops (which they have done in the past). However, there has been no request from any track received by NASCAR for the NRA to sponsor a race.
JTG-Daugherty Racing Forms Alliance with RCR, Switches to Chevrolet
Last Monday, JTG-Daugherty Racing announced that they have entered into a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing (RCR), effective immediately. As a result, JTG-Daugherty Racing will receive ECR engines and RCR engineering services during the 2014 season. JTG-Daugherty Racing will switch from Toyota to Chevrolet in order to take advantage of the new alliance.
Last Monday, JTG-Daugherty Racing announced that they have entered into a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing (RCR), effective immediately. As a result, JTG-Daugherty Racing will receive ECR engines and RCR engineering services during the 2014 season. JTG-Daugherty Racing will switch from Toyota to Chevrolet in order to take advantage of the new alliance.
JTG-Daugherty Racing co-owner Tad Geschickter is confident that this new alliance is the best path forward for his single-car operation.
"We certainly appreciate all the support that TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has provided to JTG Daugherty Racing for five years and we are great fans of their business model," Geschickter said last Monday. "As a single-car team, we feel that aligning directly with a successful multi-car organization like Richard Childress Racing is what will work best for us in 2014. With our RCR alliance and AJ [Allmendinger] behind the wheel, we are looking forward to a fresh start in 2014."
"We certainly appreciate all the support that TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has provided to JTG Daugherty Racing for five years and we are great fans of their business model," Geschickter said last Monday. "As a single-car team, we feel that aligning directly with a successful multi-car organization like Richard Childress Racing is what will work best for us in 2014. With our RCR alliance and AJ [Allmendinger] behind the wheel, we are looking forward to a fresh start in 2014."
With the addition of JTG-Daugherty Racing into the fold, RCR now has alliances with three single-car operations. JTG-Daugherty Racing joins Furniture Row Motorsports and Germain Racing.
While this will mark the first time that JTG-Daugherty Racing has fielded Chevrolets in Sprint Cup, the team does have a fairly long history with Chevrolet. When the organization first entered the Busch Grand National Series in 1995, the team fielded Sunoco 260-sponsored Chevrolets for Jeff Fuller. The team, then known as ST Motorsports, fielded Chevrolets through the end of 2003 before switching to Ford. Fuller managed to get the team to Victory Lane in 1996 at Bristol.
NASCAR Family Milestones Reached
Over the past week, two NASCAR families have marked major milestones. On Thanksgiving, Aric Almirola and his wife, Janice, welcomed their second child into the world. Their newborn daughter, Abby Lynn, is doing very well. Abby Lynn joins older brother Alex.
In addition, Clint Bowyer popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, Lorra Podsiadlo last weekend. Podsiadlo happily accepted and later tweeted a picture of her rather substantially sized diamond engagement ring. We at Frontstretch send our congrats to both the Almirolas and Bowyer and his new fiance.
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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The Critic's Annex: Casino Arizona 50
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take a look at race telecasts that normally cannot be covered in the normal critiques. With the season over, we'll have critiques here in the Newsletter from time to time. A couple of weeks ago, we promised a look at the Casino Arizona 50, the season finale for the K&N Pro Series West. Unfortunately, due to issues beyond our control, that wasn't possible a couple of weeks ago. However, it is possible now.
This 50 lapper was held immediately after the ServiceMaster 200 for the Nationwide Series at Phoenix International Raceway. Phil Parsons and Rick Allen had the call for FOX Sports, while Jim Tretow was working the pits. I found that fact interesting for a couple of reasons. One, it was a Sprint Cup weekend, so FOX Sports had any number of people in the garage that could have filled that role. Two, it was a K&N West race. Tretow usually does pit work for ARCA Racing Series events. There are two people, Derek Pernesiglio and Bernadette Sanicola, that usually work the pits for K&N races, and neither were anywhere to be seen here. I don't personally have issues with Tretow, but I found the decision slightly puzzling.
Prior to the start of the race, Tretow conducted pre-race interviews with points leader Derek Thorn, defending race winner Michael Self and pole sitter Cole Custer. Compared to a typical K&N broadcast, this was a little more pre-race content than normal.
With the race being as short as it was, the only real cutting that occurred was during the red flag a couple of laps into the race due to the big crash on the initial start. As a result, we saw the vast majority of the race, and a good amount of racing for position. There wasn't all that much emphasis on the championship battle between Thorn, Greg Pursley and Cameron Hayley. Instead, the telecast seemed to focus on the action towards the front of the race.
Post-race coverage featured interviews with race winner Gray Gaulding and champion Thorn. There was also an interview with the not-so-pleased Custer after he was taken out. There was a reference to some kind of confrontation between Custer and Gaulding's crews following the race, but that did not make the telecast.
Admittedly, some of the accounts that I read about this incident following the race (but before it aired on television) made the crash sound worse than it was. However, Gaulding appeared to have next to no remorse for his actions.
That's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed this look back at the Casino Arizona 50. We'll be back soon with another telecast to be critiqued. Until then, enjoy Champions' Week in Las Vegas.
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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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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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.
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by Amy Henderson
For a full schedule of our upcoming driver reviews, click here.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In response to the death of Mike Rich at Atlanta in November, 1990, NASCAR made drastic changes to pit road procedure for the 1991 Daytona 500. What were these changes?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Last Monday's Answer:
Last Monday's Answer:
Q: In 1994, Jimmy Horton finished a lap down in 19th in the Daytona 500 driving the No. 80 FinaLube Ford for Stan Hover. However, he was not originally supposed to have that backing. Where did the sponsorship come from?
A: The sponsorship was originally supposed to be on the Dick Moroso-owned No. 20 Ford, driven by Buddy Baker. However, Baker crashed on the very first lap of the second Gatorade Twin 125 and was unable to continue. Having qualified 50th fastest and his team not having any points meant that Baker did not have a provisional to fall back on.. As a result, Fina was free to look around in order to get their colors out there on race day.
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 9th 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
This week, we'll be profiling the seasons of the Chasers, along with top drivers from the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.
Open Wheel Wednesday: Driver Reviews, Part 2 by the Frontstretch Staff
We'll also finish off the Izod IndyCar Series driver reviews that were started a couple of weeks ago.
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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!
©2013 Frontstretch.com
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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