The Frontstretch Newsletter: December 9th, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

December 9th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCXVII

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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 16th.

What to Watch: December 9-15

- Today, NASCAR was scheduled to hold a test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sprint Cup teams to try out potential new intermediate packages.  However, NASCAR announced the postponement of the test to Wednesday at 10am this morning due to inclement weather.

- Richard Childress Racing is scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday where they are expected to clarify their lineup for 2014.  There is a good sporting chance that Austin Dillon will be announced as Kevin Harvick's replacement, in addition to the No. 3 being reintroduced to full-time competition in Sprint Cup.

- TV Schedule for December 9-15:

Monday, December 9

Time                                 Telecast                                                                 Network

4:00pm-5:00pm             NASCAR RaceHub                                              FOX Sports 1

9:00-10:00pm                 British Touring Car Championship: Snetterton        FOX Sports 2*/ (from August 3-4)

10:00-11:00pm               DTM: Moscow                                                      FOX Sports 2*/ (from August 4)

Tuesday, December 10

Time                                 Telecast                                            Network

12:00-1:00pm                   NASCAR RaceHub                         FOX Sports 1

Wednesday, December 11

Time                                  Telecast                                           Network

12:00-1:00pm                    NASCAR RaceHub                        FOX Sports 1

Thursday, December 5

Time                                    Telecast                                                       Network

11:00am-12:00pm            NASCAR RaceHub                                   FOX Sports 1

Friday, December 6
Time                                   Telecast                                                             Network

4:00-5:00pm                     NASCAR RaceHub                                          FOX Sports 1

Sunday, December 15

Time                                   Telecast                                                               Network

4:00-6:00pm                     V8 Supercar Championship Series Sydney NRMA Motoring & Services 500  FOX Sports 2*/ (from December 7-8)

6:00-7:00pm                     WTCC: Argentina                                                 FOX Sports 2*/ (from August 4)

7:00-8:00pm                     WTCC: Sonoma                                FOX Sports 2*/ (from September 8)

9:00pm-12:00am             World of Outlaws World Finals Night 1    CBS Sports Network (from November 8)

*- Tape Delayed

/- Highlighted coverage

Top News
by Phil Allaway and Mike Neff

NASCAR Celebrates Champions' Week In Las Vegas

Last week, NASCAR held its annual Champions' Week events in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The centerpiece of the celebration was the annual Sprint Cup Series Banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas.  Here, each of the top-10 drivers were given trophies and allowed speeches in a star-studded ceremonies.

Thursday was the annual NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon, where a number of season-long contingency awards were given out.  Here are the winners.

  NMPA Myers Brothers Award: Tony Stewart
  NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  Buddy Shuman Award: Chevrolet Division of General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Toyota
  NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: Coca-Cola
  3M Lap Leader Award: Matt Kenseth
  American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kyle Busch
  Coors Light Pole Award: Denny Hamlin
  Duralast Brakes "Brake in the Race" Award: Jimmie Johnson
  Freescale "Wide Open" Award: Matt Kenseth
  Goodyear Tires Award (Champion): Jimmie Johnson
  MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Scott Fox, Hendrick Motorsports #48 team
  Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Hendrick Motorsports #88 team
  Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Matt Kenseth
  MOOG Steering & Suspension Problem Solver of the Year Award: Matt Borland, crew chief #39 Stewart-Haas Racing team
  Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award: Carl Edwards
  Sunoco Diamond Performance Award (Champion): Jimmie Johnson
  Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  Champion Sponsor Award: Lowe's
  Champion Crew Chief: Chad Knaus

Stewart earning the Myers Brothers Award was a special moment as the three-time champion, still recovering from his injuries in a sprint car crash, walked up to the stage (with some assistance to get up the stairs) to accept.  The Myers Brothers Award recognizes an individual or a group of people who have made "outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing."

NASCAR Announces Modifications To NASCAR Hall Of Fame Eligibility And Selection Process

On Thursday, NASCAR announced a number of changes to the selection process for the NASCAR Hall of Fame (NHOF), including a modification to driver eligibility parameters and the creation of a new award to honor significant contributions to the growth and success of the sport.

In all, six changes and updates will be made starting with the selection of the Class of 2015 – all designed to improve upon an already strong process that has led to the selection of 25 deserving inductees.

"We're very proud of how the NASCAR Hall of Fame has evolved and believe the first five classes reflect the strength of the nominating and voting procedures, with voices from every corner of our industry included in the selection process," said Brett Jewkes, NASCAR vice president and chief communications officer. "Based on feedback from voters, industry leaders, media who cover our sport and the fans, we believe the changes announced today are a strong recognition of the uniqueness of our sport and will make the overall selection process even stronger in how we honor those who have driven NASCAR to great success on and off the track."

Following is a summary of changes:

Driver Eligibility

Currently, drivers who have competed in NASCAR for at least 10 years and been retired for three years are eligible for nomination to the NHOF. That will not change.

Moving forward, however, drivers who have competed for a minimum of 10 years and reached their 55th birthday on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year are immediately eligible for the NHOF. Also, any competitor who has competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR competition by Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year is automatically eligible, regardless of age.

Drivers may continue to compete after reaching any of the aforementioned milestones without compromising eligibility for nomination or induction.

Nominating Committee Will Select Five Fewer Nominees for Enshrinement

Throughout its history, the NHOF Nominating Committee has selected 25 nominees each year to be discussed and voted on for NHOF enshrinement. That number will be reduced to 20 starting with the selection process for the 2015 class.

Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR

Beginning with the 2015 class, a new award – Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR – will be initiated to honor significant contributions to the growth and esteem of NASCAR.

Potential Landmark Award recipients could include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners will remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.

Five nominees will be selected by the NHOF Nominating Committee and then be voted on by the Voting Panel. To win the award, an individual must appear on at least 60 percent of the ballots and no more than one award will be presented annually. Voting for this award will occur immediately following the voting for the NHOF class and be monitored by the same independent accounting firm that oversees NHOF voting.

Nominating Committee to Meet, Vote on 20 NHOF Nominees / Five Landmark Award Nominees

For the first time, the Nominating Committee will meet in person to discuss, debate and vote to create two ballots – the NHOF ballot and the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR ballot. Previously, the committee submitted nominees via mail to an independent accounting firm that tallies the nominations in order to create the final NHOF ballot.

The Nominating Committee will meet during Speedweeks at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, and the nominees for both ballots will be announced later that day.

Nominees To Be Recused From the Nominating / Voting Process

Any member of the Nominating Committee or Voting Panel who appeared on the previous year's ballot or current year's ballot will now be recused from participating in the nominating and / or voting process for as long as he / she appears on the ballot. If an individual who is currently on the Nominating Committee or Voting Panel is inducted, or is no longer included on a final ballot, he or she is immediately reinstated to active participation on the panel(s).

Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Added To Voting Panel

As was already announced on Nov. 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the annual NASCAR Championship Contenders Press Conference, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will be added to the following year's voting panel.

That means Jimmie Johnson, who captured his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, will be included in the selection meeting and can cast a vote for the NHOF Class of 2015 on Voting Day, Wednesday, May 21, 2014.

NBC Sports Makes a Splash

While NASCAR was celebrating the 2013 season with Champions' Week in Las Vegas, NBC Sports made a couple of big announcements pertaining to their on-air lineup when they take over the second half of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide seasons in 2015.

On Tuesday, NBC Sports announced the signing of Jeff Burton as the lead analyst on NASCAR broadcasts when the new deal kicks in.  Burton has limited experience on television, but is considered to be one of the most respected people in the Sprint Cup garage.

Burton is very happy to make his move up to the broadcast booth.

"This is an exciting new challenge and I am thrilled to be joining the NBC Sports family," Burton said.  "I will prepare for each race as if I were driving in it, and I look forward to sharing my experience, views and insights with all the dedicated and passionate NASCAR fans."

For NBC Sports' Sam Flood, this was a natural move to acquire Burton's services.

"Jeff Burton was always the first person we would seek out when there was breaking news or an issue that needed to be covered throughout our previous contract with NASCAR, so he was the first person we called for this role," Flood said on Tuesday.  "His insights, keen observations and many trophies have earned the respect of everyone involved with the sport.  He will be an outstanding analyst, and has everyone here looking even more forward to getting started."

Burton will get some airtime on the NBC Sports Network in 2014, contributing to NASCAR programming on the cable channel.  The release does not note what that programming might be.  NBC Sports Network also aired some ARCA races this past season.  If they re-up for another package of races in 2014, Burton may get some work covering ARCA.  Regardless, the opportunities on TV will not conflict with Burton's schedule in the No. 66 for Michael Waltrip Racing.  In 2015, Burton will be dedicated full-time to NBC Sports.

Wednesday brought another big announcement from NBC Sports.  Here, it was announced that NBC Sports has signed Rick Allen to serve as the play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports' NASCAR coverage starting in 2015.

Allen, who attempted to earn a play-by-play gig for Cup Series races prior to the beginning of the 2001 season, is overjoyed at his new opportunity.  However, he still recognizes that he can't do everything alone.

"I've had the good fortune to work with some of the most talented people in this industry over the last decade," Allen said.  "Now I'm excited to be a part of the incredible team that NBC Sports is assembling for their NASCAR coverage."

Last week's announcement will not affect Allen's plans for 2014.  He will still be the play-by-play commentator for FOX Sports 1's coverage of the Camping World Truck Series, along with FOX Sports' coverage of the ARCA Racing Series.

Swan Racing to Expand; Kligerman and Whitt To Drive

On Tuesday, Swan Racing announced that they will expand to a two-car operation for the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season.  Parker Kligerman and Cole Whitt, who both drove the No. 30 last season, have been named as the team's full-time drivers.  They will both compete for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

Team owner Brandon Davis is happy with the team's progress in 2013 and is very excited about the future of the operation.

"When we launched Swan Racing we pledged to race hard every lap of every race," Davis said.  "That's what we have done and what we will continue to do.  We learned a lot this year and now is the time to plan for the long term future by adding more resources to be more competitive."

Kligerman and Whitt are both quite excited about the future with Swan Racing.

"The team is expecting steady improvement and we are in good position to deliver," Kligerman said.  "Personally, I am looking forward to working with Cole as a teammate and as a competitor for Rookie of the Year honors."

"I am really impressed by how everything is coming together for Swan Racing.  This is the place to be and we are going to truly take the next step in 2014," Whitt said.  "Parker and I will learn a lot from each other next year while racing hard every lap of every race.  I'm ready to get started!"

The team is currently in the process of relocating to a new 25,000 square foot shop in Statesville, North Carolina.  In addition, they are still working on at least one more car number, hiring a crew chief for the second team, and the signing of sponsors in addition to Swan Energy, Lean1 (via Nutrition53) and Genny Light (signed for two races in 2014)

Erik Jones Wins Snowball Derby After Elliott DQ'd

Chase Elliott was the dominant driver all week at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.  On Saturday night, he won the Snowflake 100 for Pro Late Models from the pole.  Sunday saw Elliott start from pole (with a track record) for the 300-lap Snowball Derby for Super Late Models.

Throughout the race, Elliott was the driver to beat, leading 227 of 300 laps and systematically running away from the field to claim the win.  Or, did he?

In order for a win to be official, the winning car must pass technical inspection.  During the post-race technical inspection, Elliott's car was found to have ballast made of tungsten, an extra dense metal.  While commonplace in Sprint Cup, tungsten ballast is strictly forbidden in the rules for the Snowball Derby, mainly to save teams money.

As a result, Elliott was disqualified from the event and credited with a 37th-place finish.  Erik Jones, who crossed the line in second, was given the victory after passing post-race inspection.  For the part-time Camping World Truck Series competitor, it is his second straight Snowball Derby win.

Grant Enfinger finished second despite running for much of the race on seven cylinders and having loose lugnuts at the finish.  Austin Theriault was third, while Hunter Robbins and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top-5.

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: Quick Thoughts on NBC's Moves
by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Hope you're having fun during the offseason.  This is going to be a short opinion piece this week, nothing substantial.

As you read above, NBC Sports was quite busy last week with two major announcements pertaining to their on-air lineup for 2014.  First, Jeff Burton signed on to work as an analyst.  He'll start off with studio work on the NBC Sports Network in addition to his part-time gig with Michael Waltrip Racing before going full-time on TV in 2015.

NBC Sports probably could not have found a better inexperienced analyst than Burton.  He is one of the most articulate drivers in the garage and someone who is willing to educate themselves as much as possible.  He is also once of the most respected people in NASCAR.  That means that viewers will probably get a little more inside information.

I feel like Burton in the broadcast booth will be similar to Ricky Craven in the booth on ESPN.  I think that it will be a delightful feel.  Race fans are going to benefit greatly from NBC Sports' move.

Secondly, we have the signing of Rick Allen to serve as the play-by-play commentator for NASCAR races on NBC and NBC Sports Network starting in 2015.  Honestly, when this was announced, I was very happy.  Allen is consistently great to listen to on SPEED/FOX Sports 1's Camping World Truck Series telecasts and I have no doubt that he will transfer his enthusiasm to calls of Sprint Cup races.

However, upon additional thought, I feel that Allen might not have been NBC Sports' first choice.  As you're likely aware of, NBC bid an incredible amount of money, $4.4 billion over ten years, to regain NASCAR rights.  Because of that, I think that Allen's hiring may have been a cost cutting move over getting Allen Bestwick back.

Regardless, I think NBC Sports won't be unhappy with Allen as their lead man in the booth.  I think he'll help Burton along as he transitions into television full-time as well.  Also, we likely won't have the stupidity that often marks FOX telecasts with ridiculousness.

The rest of the on-air roles for NBC's broadcasts are still up in the air.  I'm operating under the assumption that NBC will have a three-man booth in 2015.  As a result, there is one more person that is yet to named for that analyst role.  In recent years, there has been a trend towards having a former crew chief in the broadcast booth in order to help viewers understand the more technical aspects of the sport.  However, when NBC last had NASCAR rights, they did not have a former crew chief in the booth (Wally Dallenbach, Jr. and Benny Parsons joined Bestwick and later Bill Weber in the booth).

For the remaining on-air spots (pit reporters), that is still completely up in the air.  However, I would expect at least one person to move to NBC from ESPN/ABC at the end of next season.  I also wouldn't be surprised if a sizable chunk of NASCAR on ESPN's current production staff makes the move to NBC for 2015.  In reality, a number of ESPN compound staffers previously worked on NBC's NASCAR telecasts from 2001-2006.

At this point, it's so far, so good for NBC.  However, we're still 19 months away from NBC fully returning to NASCAR.  Anything can happen over that period of time.

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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TODAY AT THE FRONTSTRETCH:

2013 NASCAR Driver Review: Trevor Bayne

by Vito Pugliese

2013 NASCAR Driver Review: Ryan Blaney

by S.D. Grady

2013 NASCAR Driver Review: Jeff Gordon
by S.D. Grady

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

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

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?

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

Last Monday's Answer:

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?

A: NASCAR's move after the fatal accident was not to immediately curtail pit road speeds, which were unrestricted at the time of the crash.  Instead, they controversially chose to ban tire changes under any circumstances under caution.  Pit stops would still be allowed under yellow, but for everything except tires.  If you changed tires under yellow, it was an automatic one-lap penalty, regardless of need.  The rest of the changes are described well in this clip by Ned Jarrett for CBS Sports.

The rule changes meant that all tire changes had to be done under green.  As a result, teams tried to stay on pit road for as little time as possible.  Two tire changes were the norm and some drivers went the vast majority of the Daytona 500 on the same left side tires.  Unfortunately, the whole system turned out to be a confusing quagmire, forcing NASCAR to introduce pit road speed limits and allow tire changes under yellow later in the year.

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 16th 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.

Open Wheel Wednesday: Team Reviews by the Frontstretch Staff

With the driver reviews wrapped up, we'll take a look at the individual teams in the Izod IndyCar Series.
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