THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 20th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition X
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FRONTSTRETCH AT DAYTONA: Remember, our own Tom Bowles and Mike Neff are in Daytona and have all the latest news on their Twitter feeds: @MNeffShortTrack and @NASCARBowles. Add them and join in the discussion.
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FRONTSTRETCH FANTASY: GET IN THE GAME
Frontstretch's own Jeff Wolfe is once again running a private NASCAR Fantasy league this season on Yahoo! We'll have more of our writers onboard to compete against you. If you're interested, go here and create a Yahoo! account (if you don't already have one). Once that's completed, create your team and click on Join a Group. Then, click on Join a Private Group once there. Here, you'll have to enter our League ID and password. The League ID is 10532, and the password is "stenica." We hope to see you there!
Come back every Thursday to the website to get Jeff's advice on who to pick for your team, all season long and see if you can beat your favorite staff members! More special announcements about this league to come.
What to Watch: Thursday
- Today, we will finally determine where everyone is to start in Sunday's Daytona 500. That will be done via the Budweiser Duels, two 150-mile races where the top-15 (or 16, if the pole sitters finish in the top-15) will lock in their starting spots for the Great American Race. The remainder of the spots will be determined by a combination of qualifying speeds and provisionals. Coverage starts with a special edition of NASCAR RaceDay at 6:00pm EST on FOX Sports 1, with the races themselves following at 7:00pm EST
- Before we get down to business with the Duels, the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series will both be out on track for two sessions each. The Nationwide sessions will be from 12:00pm-1:30pm and 3:00-4:30pm, while the Camping World Truck sessions will be from 1:30-3:00pm and 4:30-6:00pm. All four practice sessions will air back-to-back-to-back-to-back on FOX Sports 1.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Sprint Cup Practice Marred By Wrecks
Wednesday saw the Sprint Cup Series teams return to the track for drafting practice. However, the first of these sessions was marred by two big crashes.
Early on, a piece of debris went through the nose of Cole Whitt’s No. 26 Speed Stick GEAR Toyota. The debris cut Whitt’s right front tire, putting the rookie into the Turn 3 wall. While trying to avoid Whitt, Brian Vickers ran across the nose of Casey Mears’ GEICO Chevrolet and spun onto the apron. Vickers overcorrected on the apron and spun up the track and hit the wall head on. A cowl flew off of Vickers’ car after the wall contact and lodged itself in the front nose of Jeff Gordon’s Chevrolet. Both Vickers and Whitt were ok after the crash. Vickers went to a backup car, while Whitt’s team is repairing the No. 26 (NASCAR originally reported that the team was going to a backup, but they eventually decided to repair the car).
Shortly afterwards, Matt Kenseth drifted across Joey Logano’s nose entering the tri-oval. This move got Logano out of shape and into Trevor Bayne. Logano then spun into Paul Menard, who then spun into Parker Kligerman. Kligerman’s car popped a wheelie and impacted the catchfence with the front end of his Toyota. The No. 30 then rode on top of the wall (and Menard’s Chevrolet) before rolling onto his roof and sliding to a stop at pit exit upside down. Ryan Truex and Dave Blaney were also wrapped up in the crash. There were no driver injuries in the crash and no one in the grandstands was injured.
The crash resulted in the first practice session being cut short due to a hole being ripped in the fence in two places. Safety crews replaced the fencing and one support cable prior to the start of the second Cup practice session at 6:15pm.
Kligerman, Menard, Logano and Ryan Truex have all gone to backup cars and will start at the rear of their respective Budweiser Duels. The Wood Brothers have repaired Bayne’s No. 21. However, Blaney’s No. 77 team did not have a backup car available to them and spent much of their time after the crash frantically trying to get a car to replace their own No. 77. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. Sporting News’ Bob Pockrass reported after the second practice that the Humphrey-Smith team was packing up, preparing to withdraw their entry and haul back to Charlotte.
Before the first practice was curtailed, AJ Allmendinger turned in the fastest lap of the session at 45.096 seconds (199.574 mph). Vickers was second, followed by Logano. Bayne was fourth, while Michael Waltrip rounded out the top-5. Only 34 cars turned in laps in the session, which only lasted roughly 34 minutes.
The second practice was much calmer than the first. The packs were kept down to a more manageable size (no larger than eight cars). Side-by-side drafting was rare and three-wide drafting, like what was going on when the big crash happened in the first session, didn’t happen at all.
Out of the 40 cars that turned in laps, Denny Hamlin was fastest with a lap at 45.096 seconds, equal to what Allmendinger turned in to lead the first session. Just one-thousandth of a second behind was Kasey Kahne in second. Waltrip was third, followed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Greg Biffle and Eric McClure.
Of those who crashed in the first session, three of the drivers (Logano, Menard and Vickers) all got on track with their backup cars. In order to save his car, Vickers chose to stick to single-car runs, while Menard and Logano got back in the draft.
Kennedy Leads Camping World Truck Series First Practice
Prior to the first Sprint Cup practice of the day, the Camping World Truck Series teams took to the track for their first practice of the season. It was also the first chance for teams to try out their new body styles in an official session.
With the new group qualifying session set to be used in Daytona for the first time, most of the field focused on running in the draft. Rookie Ben Kennedy for Turner Scott Motorsports turned in the fastest lap of the day at 46.679 seconds (192.806 mph). Teammate Ron Hornaday, Jr. was second fastest, followed by Matt Crafton. Joey Coulter was fourth quickest, while John Wes Townley was the fastest of those who have to qualify on speed in fifth.
The session was not without incident, though. Brennan Newberry had a rather unusual failure when the hood pins failed on his GunBroker Chevrolet. When this happened, the hood whipped open and pounded the roof of the No. 24. NTS Motorsports has been forced to go to a backup truck for Newberry as a result. In addition, French racer Michel Disdier, who will make his Camping World Truck Series debut Friday night for SS-Green Light Racing, blew an engine in his No. 07. The engine change will force Disdier to start from the rear of the field in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday. They are still subject to change.
Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300: 49 cars entered
Number Changes:
- JR Motorsports’ No. 5 changes to No. 9.
- Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 32 changes to No. 42.
- Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 changes to No. 62.
Owner Point Acquisitions/Swaps:
- Roush Fenway Racing’s Nos. 16 and 60 have swapped points.
- RSS Racing’s No. 39 has acquired the points from Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 77.
- Jimmy Means Racing has acquired the points from Go Green Racing’s No. 79.
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 20- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Team Penske
No. 30- Danica Patrick for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 39- Ryan Sieg for RSS Racing
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 42- Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 80- Johnny Sauter for Hattori Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 00- Jason White returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
No. 01- Landon Cassill is in the seat, replacing Mike Wallace.
No. 3- Ty Dillon is in the seat, replacing his brother Austin.
No. 4- Jeffrey Earnhardt in the seat, replacing Landon Cassill.
No. 9- Chase Elliott is in the seat, replacing Brad Sweet. This will be Elliott’s Nationwide Series debut.
No. 10- David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 14- Eric McClure returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 15- Carlos Contreras is in the seat, replacing Chase Miller.
No. 19- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong.
No. 20- Matt Kenseth is in the seat, replacing Drew Herring.
No. 22- Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 23- Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
No. 24- Harrison Rhodes is in the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis.
No. 29- Scott Lagasse, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace.
No. 30- Danica Patrick is in the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr.
No. 31- Dylan Kwasniewski is in the seat, replacing Justin Allgaier. This will be Kwasniewski’s Nationwide Series debut.
No. 40- Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing T.J. Bell.
No. 43- Dakoda Armstrong is in the seat, replacing Michael Annett.
No. 44- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Cole Whitt.
No. 60- Chris Buescher is in the seat, replacing Travis Pastrana.
No. 62- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Ty Dillon.
No. 70- Derrike Cope returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 91- Jeff Green returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 98- David Ragan is in the seat, replacing Kevin Swindell.
No. 99- James Buescher is in the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Jason White for SR2 Motorsports
No. 10- David Starr for TriStar Motorsports
No. 13- Carl Long
No. 15- Carlos Contreras for Rick Ware Racing
No. 17- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 28- Mike Wallace for JGL Racing
No. 29- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 37- Matt DiBenedetto for Vision Racing
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci
No. 60- Chris Buescher for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 67- Clay Greenfield for Martins Motorsports
No. 76- Willie Allen for Martins Motorsports
No. 80- Johnny Sauter for Hattori Racing
No. 84- Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports
No. 85- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports (Has second crack at the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 91- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 93- Matt Carter for JGL Racing
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Not Entered:
No. 9- Corey LaJoie for Richard Petty Motorsports
No. 12- Sam Hornish, Jr. for Team Penske
No. 48- Team Penske
No. 77- Parker Kligerman for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 79- Bryan Silas for Go Green Racing
No. 92- Dexter Stacey for KH Motorsports
Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250: 38 trucks entered
Number Changes:
- NTS Motorsports’ No. 9 changes to No. 20.
- SWM-NEMCO Motorsports’ No. 22 changes to No. 8.
- SS-Green Light Racing/Billy Ballew Motorsports’ No. 81 changes to No. 08.
Owner Point Acquisitions/Swaps:
- SWM-NEMCO Motorsports’ No. 8 has acquired the owners’ points of Sharp Gallaher Racing’s No. 8.
- GMS Racing’s No. 21 has acquired the owners’ points of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3.
- Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 30 is using the owners’ points from Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 32.
- Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 32 is using the owners’ points from Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 4.
- Win-Tron Racing’s No. 35 has acquired the owners’ points of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18.
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 8- Joe Nemechek for SWM-NEMCO Motorsports
No. 28- Ryan Ellis for FDNY Racing
No. 32- Ryan Truex for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 51- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 58- Parker Kligerman for BRG Motorsports
No. 93- Jason White for RSS Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Michel Disdier is in the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley. If Disdier qualifies, he will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 5- John Wes Townley is in the seat, replacing Tim George, Jr.
No. 7- Brian Ickler is in the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
No. 8- Joe Nemechek is in the seat, replacing John Hunter Nemechek.
No. 13- Jeb Burton is in the seat, replacing Frank Kimmel.
No. 19- Tyler Reddick is in the seat, replacing Ross Chastain. Reddick will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 20- John King is in the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr.
No. 21- Joey Coulter is in the seat, replacing Spencer Gallagher.
No. 30- Ron Hornaday, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Ben Kennedy.
No. 31- Ben Kennedy is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 32- Ryan Truex is in the seat, replacing Miguel Paludo.
No. 50- Travis Kvapil is in the seat, replacing Bradley Riethmeyer.
No. 60- Charles Lewandoski is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong.
No. 74- Chris Cockrum is in the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 84- Chris Fontaine returns to the seat, replacing D.J. Kennington.
No. 92- Ross Chastain is in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 93- Jason White is in the seat, replacing Travis Kvapil.
No. 99- Bryan Silas returns to the seat, replacing Chad McCumbee.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young’s Motorsports
No. 5- John Wes Townley for Wauters Motorsports
No. 13- Jeb Burton for ThorSport Racing
No. 28- Ryan Ellis for FDNY Racing
No. 40- Todd Peck for Peck Motorsports
No. 50- Travis Kvapil for MAKE Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 58- Parker Kligerman for BRG Motorsports
No. 63- Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 82- Sean Corr for Empire Racing
No. 84- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
No. 92- Ross Chastain for RBR Enterprises
No. 93- Jason White for RSS Racing
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 83- Chris Fontaine, Inc.
Not Entered:
No. 3- Ty Dillon for Richard Childress Racing
No. 4- Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 6- Austin Dillon for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 8- Max Gresham for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 18- Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 27- Jeff Agnew for Team 7 Motorsports
No. 33- Cale Gale for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 34- Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing
No. 62- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 78- BJ McLeod
News Bites:
- NASCAR officially unveiled the new bodies for the Camping World Truck Series Wednesday morning in the Sprint Fanzone at Daytona International Speedway. Much like with the introduction of the Gen-6 cars in Sprint Cup for last season and the Nationwide COT’s in 2010, NASCAR praised the new bodies for matching their showroom counterparts more closely.
The changes come at a time when all three manufacturers have either released brand new full-size pickups, or have unveiled a new full-size pickup. The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra are both already on the market, while the new Ford F-150 is based on the 2015 F-150, which was unveiled last month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
- Goodyear announced on Wednesday that they changed the branding on tires used in the Camping World Truck Series from Goodyear Wrangler to Goodyear Eagle for the 2014 season. The move was undertaken because the Wrangler line of Goodyear tires is more oriented towards those consumers that travel off-road. According to Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s Director of Race Tire Sales, consumers who do not take their trucks off-road are more likely to purchase tires off of their Eagle line than Wrangler. It marks a return of sorts. The Camping World Truck Series ran on Goodyear Eagle tires from the beginning in 1995 up until the end of 2003.
The Wrangler branding was simply that, a tire branding. The tires were identical to those being run by the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, but with different branding.
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
The Critic's Annex: Return of the 3
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic’s Annex, now in its fifth season of providing additional motorsports-related TV critiques. Much like the previous four years, I plan to cover races that cannot fit into the Couch Potato Tuesday critiques at Frontstretch. TV shows will be covered as well. I’m really looking forward to what NBC Sports Network’s NASCAR America will be like. I currently plan on watching the whole premiere week, then writing about the show for the March 6th edition of the Annex.
For this week, we have Return of the 3. The topic is self-explanatory. Ever since the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 and Richard Childress’ decision to put the number on a moratorium, there has been plenty of discussion about what to do with the No. 3. Turns out that Childress and Earnhardt already had a grandmaster plan.
Before we get to the present, the show goes through the history of the No. 3 prior to Childress getting the number. In the 1960’s, the number was associated with Ray Fox’s team with drivers like David Pearson and Junior Johnson. There are interviews with Junior Johnson, Darrell Waltrip and Buddy Baker about their memories of the No. 3. In Baker’s case, he was talking about his own time driving the No. 3 and his father Buck’s time in the car as well.
With Childress, FOX Sports 1 did rehash some of their content from their special, “A Racer’s Life: Richard Childress” from last season. However, we got some new content as well. Childress talks about Farrell Hinkle, a friend of his who worked as a painter and designed the No. 3 for him. Apparently, he and Childress were having a few cold ones that night and he got to sketching. That scenario has led to all kinds of different things occurring in the past. Hinkle admits that he and Childress disagreed on which way the number should lean.
The two year period that Ricky Rudd drove the car with Piedmont Airlines sponsorship was mentioned, but it was as close to glossing over it as you can get. If you want to know more about that period of history for Childress and the No. 3, I would recommend checking out the aforementioned Childress special from last year.
There was a section dedicated to Hank Jones, a former Earnhardt pit crew member who created a line of merchandise to capitalize on the No. 3 and Earnhardt’s nickname, “The Intimidator.” Jones claimed that his vision was to have a trailer that looked just like the transporter, full of merchandise. It would bring the fans out like crazy. Sounds simple, but it worked. At that time, large merchandise trailers were relatively rare at races. If teams sold gear, it was out of much smaller trailers. Eventually, the other teams caught on. Today, there are fewer merchandise trailers at the track compared to even the late 1990’s.
Childress explained that he didn’t want to run the No. 3 after Earnhardt died. He simply told NASCAR to give him the lowest number they had (No. 29) and they went on from there.
The show covered a young bandolero racer out of Kannapolis, NC named Kodie Conner that drives a bandolero painted like Earnhardt’s Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet that he won the 1998 Daytona 500 with. Often times these days, such a move is met with a cease and desist, threats of lawsuits, or requests for licensing fees. Not here. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finds the idea of people running cars on short tracks painted up as tributes to his father as quite flattering. Essentially the ultimate compliment. I like that attitude. We live in a litigious society these days. While some people selling knockoff merchandise have been given the cease and desists from Childress, Motorsports Authentics and the Earnhardt family in recent years, I’m fine with people on short tracks running that scheme and number as a tribute.
Likely the best personal example that I can give to the No. 3 and Earnhardt’s popularity was the 2010 Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona for the Nationwide Series when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove the Wrangler-sponsored No. 3. That was my first time in Daytona for Frontstretch. My friend Brien drove up from Daytona for the race and instead of covering the event from the Media Center, I went up and sat in the Roberts Tower with him. The three finger salutes on Lap 3 were impromptu. The three finger salutes after Earnhardt Jr. won were impromptu. Never really experienced anything like that before. I thought it I don’t recall a call being put out for fans to do that. The call was put out to do it at the 2011 Daytona 500 with the ten-year anniversary of Earnhardt’s death having just passed.
While a number of fans really wanted Earnhardt Jr. to take over his father’s number full-time, I’m completely fine with him not wanting to do it. After the race at Daytona in 2010, he stated multiple times that he was done with it for good. It came up numerous times post-race, including in the “press conference”: http://youtu.be/swJkXLrYxiM?t=6m6s.
It seems that the people with whom Childress sought input was not restricted to members of his own and Earnhardt’s families. He apparently sought the input of Sam Bass, the noted artist who had a very close relationship with Earnhardt (Bass bought the land for his art gallery from Earnhardt, designed the original “E-Stripes” for DEI, and would have Earnhardt pitch him ideas for paintings).
Austin Dillon, who will be leading the field to green on Sunday in the No. 3 (provided that he doesn’t wreck between now and then) isn’t even mentioned until past the two-thirds’ mark. I’m fine with that. With the long history of the No. 3 in NASCAR, he kind of just showed up last week in comparison. Dillon did state that he sought the approval of Earnhardt Jr. before getting the number.
Childress believes that having Dillon drive the No. 3 will ultimately be positive for Earnhardt’s legacy. It’s a little early to tell at this point. The belief is that the number will allow newer fans to connect with Richard Childress Racing and for Richard Childress Racing to reconnect with older fans. That’s possible. Then again, they’re still selling Earnhardt merchandise at tracks to this day. As recently as 2010, Earnhardt gear was the fifth most popular sold at tracks. There is still an Earnhardt merchandise trailer at the track every week. Recently, it was merged in with the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team’s merchandise trailer. However, since Teresa Earnhardt sold her share of the team back to Ganassi, it would not be out of the question to have a standalone Earnhardt trailer again (or one merged with the merchandise trailer for Austin Dillon).
Dillon’s realistic with his goals for 2014. He wants to win Rookie of the Year and hopefully win a race. That’s totally feasible. He’s waltzed right into a car that made the Chase last year. Dillon probably won’t finish in the top-5 in points, but he’ll acquit himself well.
While the show did have some interesting parts (particularly the parts with Ferrell Hinkle and Hank Jones, which were new to me), much of the rest of the piece didn’t seem necessary to me. For a lot of the people that contributed to the piece, it seemed difficult for them to disassociate the number from Earnhardt. That’s going to take a lot of getting used to for everyone this year. Perhaps the show would have worked better as a long feature on NASCAR RaceHub. Maybe it lasts 16-22 minutes instead of 44.
It appears that Childress feels a little relieved that this is finally happening, and that it’s happening (more or less) on his terms. He’s probably been badgered about the issue for the last decade. Everyone else seems to be fine with it (or, at least everyone that appeared on the show). Earnhardt’s mother, Martha, apparently did have some reservations that she talked about last week with Steve Byrnes before she gave her ok. The short version of it is that she didn’t want Dillon driving a primarily black No. 3.
That’s all for this week. Next week, we’ll have another edition of the Critic’s Annex. I’m currently undecided on what it will cover right now, but there are a few options out there. Until then, I hope you enjoy the Budweiser Duels and the season openers for all three of the “National” series in Daytona.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond The Cockpit: Justin Allgaier on New Opportunities and Being a Dad
"It was awesome. To be able to experience that with her family and my family. As much as I want her to grow, it is nice to document all of the firsts and to just watch her grow, and she sure has been. Next year will be even better because we can get her actual toys that she’ll know what to do with instead of just staring at them."- Justin Allgaier, on spending his first Christmas with his daughter, Harper.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Me and The 3: Famous Number's Return Elicits Varied Response
by Vito Pugliese
Fantasy Insider: Doubling Down on Daytona Fantasy Picks
by Jeff Wolfe
Going By the Numbers: Judging The 2014 Sprint Cup Rookie Class
by Kevin Rutherford
Tech Talk: Doug Yates Gets Ford Revved Up For 2014
by the Frontstretch Staff
Truckin' Thursdays: The 2014 Season Dawns
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Ashley McCubbin
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
February 20th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition X
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FRONTSTRETCH AT DAYTONA: Remember, our own Tom Bowles and Mike Neff are in Daytona and have all the latest news on their Twitter feeds: @MNeffShortTrack and @NASCARBowles. Add them and join in the discussion.
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FRONTSTRETCH FANTASY: GET IN THE GAME
Frontstretch's own Jeff Wolfe is once again running a private NASCAR Fantasy league this season on Yahoo! We'll have more of our writers onboard to compete against you. If you're interested, go here and create a Yahoo! account (if you don't already have one). Once that's completed, create your team and click on Join a Group. Then, click on Join a Private Group once there. Here, you'll have to enter our League ID and password. The League ID is 10532, and the password is "stenica." We hope to see you there!
Come back every Thursday to the website to get Jeff's advice on who to pick for your team, all season long and see if you can beat your favorite staff members! More special announcements about this league to come.
What to Watch: Thursday
- Today, we will finally determine where everyone is to start in Sunday's Daytona 500. That will be done via the Budweiser Duels, two 150-mile races where the top-15 (or 16, if the pole sitters finish in the top-15) will lock in their starting spots for the Great American Race. The remainder of the spots will be determined by a combination of qualifying speeds and provisionals. Coverage starts with a special edition of NASCAR RaceDay at 6:00pm EST on FOX Sports 1, with the races themselves following at 7:00pm EST
- Before we get down to business with the Duels, the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series will both be out on track for two sessions each. The Nationwide sessions will be from 12:00pm-1:30pm and 3:00-4:30pm, while the Camping World Truck sessions will be from 1:30-3:00pm and 4:30-6:00pm. All four practice sessions will air back-to-back-to-back-to-back on FOX Sports 1.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Sprint Cup Practice Marred By Wrecks
Wednesday saw the Sprint Cup Series teams return to the track for drafting practice. However, the first of these sessions was marred by two big crashes.
Early on, a piece of debris went through the nose of Cole Whitt’s No. 26 Speed Stick GEAR Toyota. The debris cut Whitt’s right front tire, putting the rookie into the Turn 3 wall. While trying to avoid Whitt, Brian Vickers ran across the nose of Casey Mears’ GEICO Chevrolet and spun onto the apron. Vickers overcorrected on the apron and spun up the track and hit the wall head on. A cowl flew off of Vickers’ car after the wall contact and lodged itself in the front nose of Jeff Gordon’s Chevrolet. Both Vickers and Whitt were ok after the crash. Vickers went to a backup car, while Whitt’s team is repairing the No. 26 (NASCAR originally reported that the team was going to a backup, but they eventually decided to repair the car).
Shortly afterwards, Matt Kenseth drifted across Joey Logano’s nose entering the tri-oval. This move got Logano out of shape and into Trevor Bayne. Logano then spun into Paul Menard, who then spun into Parker Kligerman. Kligerman’s car popped a wheelie and impacted the catchfence with the front end of his Toyota. The No. 30 then rode on top of the wall (and Menard’s Chevrolet) before rolling onto his roof and sliding to a stop at pit exit upside down. Ryan Truex and Dave Blaney were also wrapped up in the crash. There were no driver injuries in the crash and no one in the grandstands was injured.
The crash resulted in the first practice session being cut short due to a hole being ripped in the fence in two places. Safety crews replaced the fencing and one support cable prior to the start of the second Cup practice session at 6:15pm.
Kligerman, Menard, Logano and Ryan Truex have all gone to backup cars and will start at the rear of their respective Budweiser Duels. The Wood Brothers have repaired Bayne’s No. 21. However, Blaney’s No. 77 team did not have a backup car available to them and spent much of their time after the crash frantically trying to get a car to replace their own No. 77. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. Sporting News’ Bob Pockrass reported after the second practice that the Humphrey-Smith team was packing up, preparing to withdraw their entry and haul back to Charlotte.
Before the first practice was curtailed, AJ Allmendinger turned in the fastest lap of the session at 45.096 seconds (199.574 mph). Vickers was second, followed by Logano. Bayne was fourth, while Michael Waltrip rounded out the top-5. Only 34 cars turned in laps in the session, which only lasted roughly 34 minutes.
The second practice was much calmer than the first. The packs were kept down to a more manageable size (no larger than eight cars). Side-by-side drafting was rare and three-wide drafting, like what was going on when the big crash happened in the first session, didn’t happen at all.
Out of the 40 cars that turned in laps, Denny Hamlin was fastest with a lap at 45.096 seconds, equal to what Allmendinger turned in to lead the first session. Just one-thousandth of a second behind was Kasey Kahne in second. Waltrip was third, followed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Greg Biffle and Eric McClure.
Of those who crashed in the first session, three of the drivers (Logano, Menard and Vickers) all got on track with their backup cars. In order to save his car, Vickers chose to stick to single-car runs, while Menard and Logano got back in the draft.
Kennedy Leads Camping World Truck Series First Practice
Prior to the first Sprint Cup practice of the day, the Camping World Truck Series teams took to the track for their first practice of the season. It was also the first chance for teams to try out their new body styles in an official session.
With the new group qualifying session set to be used in Daytona for the first time, most of the field focused on running in the draft. Rookie Ben Kennedy for Turner Scott Motorsports turned in the fastest lap of the day at 46.679 seconds (192.806 mph). Teammate Ron Hornaday, Jr. was second fastest, followed by Matt Crafton. Joey Coulter was fourth quickest, while John Wes Townley was the fastest of those who have to qualify on speed in fifth.
The session was not without incident, though. Brennan Newberry had a rather unusual failure when the hood pins failed on his GunBroker Chevrolet. When this happened, the hood whipped open and pounded the roof of the No. 24. NTS Motorsports has been forced to go to a backup truck for Newberry as a result. In addition, French racer Michel Disdier, who will make his Camping World Truck Series debut Friday night for SS-Green Light Racing, blew an engine in his No. 07. The engine change will force Disdier to start from the rear of the field in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday. They are still subject to change.
Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300: 49 cars entered
Number Changes:
- JR Motorsports’ No. 5 changes to No. 9.
- Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 32 changes to No. 42.
- Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 changes to No. 62.
Owner Point Acquisitions/Swaps:
- Roush Fenway Racing’s Nos. 16 and 60 have swapped points.
- RSS Racing’s No. 39 has acquired the points from Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 77.
- Jimmy Means Racing has acquired the points from Go Green Racing’s No. 79.
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 20- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Team Penske
No. 30- Danica Patrick for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 39- Ryan Sieg for RSS Racing
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 42- Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 80- Johnny Sauter for Hattori Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 00- Jason White returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
No. 01- Landon Cassill is in the seat, replacing Mike Wallace.
No. 3- Ty Dillon is in the seat, replacing his brother Austin.
No. 4- Jeffrey Earnhardt in the seat, replacing Landon Cassill.
No. 9- Chase Elliott is in the seat, replacing Brad Sweet. This will be Elliott’s Nationwide Series debut.
No. 10- David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 14- Eric McClure returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 15- Carlos Contreras is in the seat, replacing Chase Miller.
No. 19- Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong.
No. 20- Matt Kenseth is in the seat, replacing Drew Herring.
No. 22- Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 23- Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
No. 24- Harrison Rhodes is in the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis.
No. 29- Scott Lagasse, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace.
No. 30- Danica Patrick is in the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr.
No. 31- Dylan Kwasniewski is in the seat, replacing Justin Allgaier. This will be Kwasniewski’s Nationwide Series debut.
No. 40- Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing T.J. Bell.
No. 43- Dakoda Armstrong is in the seat, replacing Michael Annett.
No. 44- Blake Koch is in the seat, replacing Cole Whitt.
No. 60- Chris Buescher is in the seat, replacing Travis Pastrana.
No. 62- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Ty Dillon.
No. 70- Derrike Cope returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 91- Jeff Green returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 98- David Ragan is in the seat, replacing Kevin Swindell.
No. 99- James Buescher is in the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Jason White for SR2 Motorsports
No. 10- David Starr for TriStar Motorsports
No. 13- Carl Long
No. 15- Carlos Contreras for Rick Ware Racing
No. 17- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 28- Mike Wallace for JGL Racing
No. 29- Scott Lagasse, Jr. for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 37- Matt DiBenedetto for Vision Racing
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci
No. 60- Chris Buescher for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 67- Clay Greenfield for Martins Motorsports
No. 76- Willie Allen for Martins Motorsports
No. 80- Johnny Sauter for Hattori Racing
No. 84- Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports
No. 85- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports (Has second crack at the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 91- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 93- Matt Carter for JGL Racing
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Not Entered:
No. 9- Corey LaJoie for Richard Petty Motorsports
No. 12- Sam Hornish, Jr. for Team Penske
No. 48- Team Penske
No. 77- Parker Kligerman for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 79- Bryan Silas for Go Green Racing
No. 92- Dexter Stacey for KH Motorsports
Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250: 38 trucks entered
Number Changes:
- NTS Motorsports’ No. 9 changes to No. 20.
- SWM-NEMCO Motorsports’ No. 22 changes to No. 8.
- SS-Green Light Racing/Billy Ballew Motorsports’ No. 81 changes to No. 08.
Owner Point Acquisitions/Swaps:
- SWM-NEMCO Motorsports’ No. 8 has acquired the owners’ points of Sharp Gallaher Racing’s No. 8.
- GMS Racing’s No. 21 has acquired the owners’ points of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3.
- Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 30 is using the owners’ points from Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 32.
- Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 32 is using the owners’ points from Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 4.
- Win-Tron Racing’s No. 35 has acquired the owners’ points of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18.
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 8- Joe Nemechek for SWM-NEMCO Motorsports
No. 28- Ryan Ellis for FDNY Racing
No. 32- Ryan Truex for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 51- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 58- Parker Kligerman for BRG Motorsports
No. 93- Jason White for RSS Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Michel Disdier is in the seat, replacing J.J. Yeley. If Disdier qualifies, he will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 5- John Wes Townley is in the seat, replacing Tim George, Jr.
No. 7- Brian Ickler is in the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
No. 8- Joe Nemechek is in the seat, replacing John Hunter Nemechek.
No. 13- Jeb Burton is in the seat, replacing Frank Kimmel.
No. 19- Tyler Reddick is in the seat, replacing Ross Chastain. Reddick will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.
No. 20- John King is in the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr.
No. 21- Joey Coulter is in the seat, replacing Spencer Gallagher.
No. 30- Ron Hornaday, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Ben Kennedy.
No. 31- Ben Kennedy is in the seat, replacing James Buescher.
No. 32- Ryan Truex is in the seat, replacing Miguel Paludo.
No. 50- Travis Kvapil is in the seat, replacing Bradley Riethmeyer.
No. 60- Charles Lewandoski is in the seat, replacing Dakoda Armstrong.
No. 74- Chris Cockrum is in the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 84- Chris Fontaine returns to the seat, replacing D.J. Kennington.
No. 92- Ross Chastain is in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 93- Jason White is in the seat, replacing Travis Kvapil.
No. 99- Bryan Silas returns to the seat, replacing Chad McCumbee.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young’s Motorsports
No. 5- John Wes Townley for Wauters Motorsports
No. 13- Jeb Burton for ThorSport Racing
No. 28- Ryan Ellis for FDNY Racing
No. 40- Todd Peck for Peck Motorsports
No. 50- Travis Kvapil for MAKE Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 58- Parker Kligerman for BRG Motorsports
No. 63- Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports
No. 75- Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports
No. 82- Sean Corr for Empire Racing
No. 84- Chris Fontaine for Chris Fontaine, Inc.
No. 92- Ross Chastain for RBR Enterprises
No. 93- Jason White for RSS Racing
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 83- Chris Fontaine, Inc.
Not Entered:
No. 3- Ty Dillon for Richard Childress Racing
No. 4- Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 6- Austin Dillon for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 8- Max Gresham for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 18- Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 27- Jeff Agnew for Team 7 Motorsports
No. 33- Cale Gale for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 34- Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 38- Chris Jones for RSS Racing
No. 62- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 78- BJ McLeod
News Bites:
- NASCAR officially unveiled the new bodies for the Camping World Truck Series Wednesday morning in the Sprint Fanzone at Daytona International Speedway. Much like with the introduction of the Gen-6 cars in Sprint Cup for last season and the Nationwide COT’s in 2010, NASCAR praised the new bodies for matching their showroom counterparts more closely.
The changes come at a time when all three manufacturers have either released brand new full-size pickups, or have unveiled a new full-size pickup. The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra are both already on the market, while the new Ford F-150 is based on the 2015 F-150, which was unveiled last month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
- Goodyear announced on Wednesday that they changed the branding on tires used in the Camping World Truck Series from Goodyear Wrangler to Goodyear Eagle for the 2014 season. The move was undertaken because the Wrangler line of Goodyear tires is more oriented towards those consumers that travel off-road. According to Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s Director of Race Tire Sales, consumers who do not take their trucks off-road are more likely to purchase tires off of their Eagle line than Wrangler. It marks a return of sorts. The Camping World Truck Series ran on Goodyear Eagle tires from the beginning in 1995 up until the end of 2003.
The Wrangler branding was simply that, a tire branding. The tires were identical to those being run by the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, but with different branding.
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
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The Critic's Annex: Return of the 3
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic’s Annex, now in its fifth season of providing additional motorsports-related TV critiques. Much like the previous four years, I plan to cover races that cannot fit into the Couch Potato Tuesday critiques at Frontstretch. TV shows will be covered as well. I’m really looking forward to what NBC Sports Network’s NASCAR America will be like. I currently plan on watching the whole premiere week, then writing about the show for the March 6th edition of the Annex.
For this week, we have Return of the 3. The topic is self-explanatory. Ever since the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 and Richard Childress’ decision to put the number on a moratorium, there has been plenty of discussion about what to do with the No. 3. Turns out that Childress and Earnhardt already had a grandmaster plan.
Before we get to the present, the show goes through the history of the No. 3 prior to Childress getting the number. In the 1960’s, the number was associated with Ray Fox’s team with drivers like David Pearson and Junior Johnson. There are interviews with Junior Johnson, Darrell Waltrip and Buddy Baker about their memories of the No. 3. In Baker’s case, he was talking about his own time driving the No. 3 and his father Buck’s time in the car as well.
With Childress, FOX Sports 1 did rehash some of their content from their special, “A Racer’s Life: Richard Childress” from last season. However, we got some new content as well. Childress talks about Farrell Hinkle, a friend of his who worked as a painter and designed the No. 3 for him. Apparently, he and Childress were having a few cold ones that night and he got to sketching. That scenario has led to all kinds of different things occurring in the past. Hinkle admits that he and Childress disagreed on which way the number should lean.
The two year period that Ricky Rudd drove the car with Piedmont Airlines sponsorship was mentioned, but it was as close to glossing over it as you can get. If you want to know more about that period of history for Childress and the No. 3, I would recommend checking out the aforementioned Childress special from last year.
There was a section dedicated to Hank Jones, a former Earnhardt pit crew member who created a line of merchandise to capitalize on the No. 3 and Earnhardt’s nickname, “The Intimidator.” Jones claimed that his vision was to have a trailer that looked just like the transporter, full of merchandise. It would bring the fans out like crazy. Sounds simple, but it worked. At that time, large merchandise trailers were relatively rare at races. If teams sold gear, it was out of much smaller trailers. Eventually, the other teams caught on. Today, there are fewer merchandise trailers at the track compared to even the late 1990’s.
Childress explained that he didn’t want to run the No. 3 after Earnhardt died. He simply told NASCAR to give him the lowest number they had (No. 29) and they went on from there.
The show covered a young bandolero racer out of Kannapolis, NC named Kodie Conner that drives a bandolero painted like Earnhardt’s Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet that he won the 1998 Daytona 500 with. Often times these days, such a move is met with a cease and desist, threats of lawsuits, or requests for licensing fees. Not here. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finds the idea of people running cars on short tracks painted up as tributes to his father as quite flattering. Essentially the ultimate compliment. I like that attitude. We live in a litigious society these days. While some people selling knockoff merchandise have been given the cease and desists from Childress, Motorsports Authentics and the Earnhardt family in recent years, I’m fine with people on short tracks running that scheme and number as a tribute.
Likely the best personal example that I can give to the No. 3 and Earnhardt’s popularity was the 2010 Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona for the Nationwide Series when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove the Wrangler-sponsored No. 3. That was my first time in Daytona for Frontstretch. My friend Brien drove up from Daytona for the race and instead of covering the event from the Media Center, I went up and sat in the Roberts Tower with him. The three finger salutes on Lap 3 were impromptu. The three finger salutes after Earnhardt Jr. won were impromptu. Never really experienced anything like that before. I thought it I don’t recall a call being put out for fans to do that. The call was put out to do it at the 2011 Daytona 500 with the ten-year anniversary of Earnhardt’s death having just passed.
While a number of fans really wanted Earnhardt Jr. to take over his father’s number full-time, I’m completely fine with him not wanting to do it. After the race at Daytona in 2010, he stated multiple times that he was done with it for good. It came up numerous times post-race, including in the “press conference”: http://youtu.be/swJkXLrYxiM?t=6m6s.
It seems that the people with whom Childress sought input was not restricted to members of his own and Earnhardt’s families. He apparently sought the input of Sam Bass, the noted artist who had a very close relationship with Earnhardt (Bass bought the land for his art gallery from Earnhardt, designed the original “E-Stripes” for DEI, and would have Earnhardt pitch him ideas for paintings).
Austin Dillon, who will be leading the field to green on Sunday in the No. 3 (provided that he doesn’t wreck between now and then) isn’t even mentioned until past the two-thirds’ mark. I’m fine with that. With the long history of the No. 3 in NASCAR, he kind of just showed up last week in comparison. Dillon did state that he sought the approval of Earnhardt Jr. before getting the number.
Childress believes that having Dillon drive the No. 3 will ultimately be positive for Earnhardt’s legacy. It’s a little early to tell at this point. The belief is that the number will allow newer fans to connect with Richard Childress Racing and for Richard Childress Racing to reconnect with older fans. That’s possible. Then again, they’re still selling Earnhardt merchandise at tracks to this day. As recently as 2010, Earnhardt gear was the fifth most popular sold at tracks. There is still an Earnhardt merchandise trailer at the track every week. Recently, it was merged in with the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team’s merchandise trailer. However, since Teresa Earnhardt sold her share of the team back to Ganassi, it would not be out of the question to have a standalone Earnhardt trailer again (or one merged with the merchandise trailer for Austin Dillon).
Dillon’s realistic with his goals for 2014. He wants to win Rookie of the Year and hopefully win a race. That’s totally feasible. He’s waltzed right into a car that made the Chase last year. Dillon probably won’t finish in the top-5 in points, but he’ll acquit himself well.
While the show did have some interesting parts (particularly the parts with Ferrell Hinkle and Hank Jones, which were new to me), much of the rest of the piece didn’t seem necessary to me. For a lot of the people that contributed to the piece, it seemed difficult for them to disassociate the number from Earnhardt. That’s going to take a lot of getting used to for everyone this year. Perhaps the show would have worked better as a long feature on NASCAR RaceHub. Maybe it lasts 16-22 minutes instead of 44.
It appears that Childress feels a little relieved that this is finally happening, and that it’s happening (more or less) on his terms. He’s probably been badgered about the issue for the last decade. Everyone else seems to be fine with it (or, at least everyone that appeared on the show). Earnhardt’s mother, Martha, apparently did have some reservations that she talked about last week with Steve Byrnes before she gave her ok. The short version of it is that she didn’t want Dillon driving a primarily black No. 3.
That’s all for this week. Next week, we’ll have another edition of the Critic’s Annex. I’m currently undecided on what it will cover right now, but there are a few options out there. Until then, I hope you enjoy the Budweiser Duels and the season openers for all three of the “National” series in Daytona.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond The Cockpit: Justin Allgaier on New Opportunities and Being a Dad
"It was awesome. To be able to experience that with her family and my family. As much as I want her to grow, it is nice to document all of the firsts and to just watch her grow, and she sure has been. Next year will be even better because we can get her actual toys that she’ll know what to do with instead of just staring at them."- Justin Allgaier, on spending his first Christmas with his daughter, Harper.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Vito Pugliese
Fantasy Insider: Doubling Down on Daytona Fantasy Picks
by Jeff Wolfe
Going By the Numbers: Judging The 2014 Sprint Cup Rookie Class
by Kevin Rutherford
Tech Talk: Doug Yates Gets Ford Revved Up For 2014
by the Frontstretch Staff
Truckin' Thursdays: The 2014 Season Dawns
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In 1994, NASCAR introduced roof flaps to the Winston Cup and Busch Grand National Series. Since it was the '90's, outside of shows like Inside Winston Cup Racing on TNN, the flaps were not well publicized on television. How did CBS show off the new flaps?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Joe Nemechek won the 1992 Busch Grand National Championship by just three points over Bobby Labonte. However, his season started in a very painful fashion. What happened?
A: Nemechek rubbed up against the No. 45 of Jimmy Spencer in Turn 1 and spun onto the apron. The Texas Pete Chevrolet then spun up the track and hit the wall flush on the rear end. Right after he hit the wall, Chuck Bown hit Nemechek, slightly lifting the No. 87 into the air. Todd Bodine then hit Nemechek as well. This was more than enough to spark a fire, and since this crash occurred only a couple of laps after a pit stop, the fire was quite substantial. The crash can be seen here.Nemechek was burned in the crash pretty badly, but did not miss a race. After being pulled from the car by Todd Bodine and Bobby Labonte, he was blasted in the face by a safety worker with spray from a fire extinguisher.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Ashley McCubbin
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
A collection of your favorite writers are back to discuss a number of pertainent issues in NASCAR. Topics this week include the multitude of major changes instituted for 2014 (penalty system, new Chase format, etc.), Denny Hamlin's changes for a resurgence, the Sprint Unlimited crashfest and more.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Frontstretch Foto Funnies by the Frontstretch Staff
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Happiness Is... by P. Huston Ladner
Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston takes a look at the racing stories from the last seven days that should leave you smiling.
Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston takes a look at the racing stories from the last seven days that should leave you smiling.
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