The Frontstretch Newsletter: James Buescher's Team Penalized For Bar From Parts Unknown

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 19th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XXX

~~~~~~~~~~

What to Watch: Wednesday

- Today is the second and final day of an open test for Camping World Truck Series teams at Martinsville Speedway ahead of March 29th's Kroger 250.  According to the track, the teams participating include HAAS Racing, Red Horse Racing (Brian Ickler, Timothy Peters and German Quiroga), NTS Motorsports (Gray Gaulding and Chase Pistone), DGM Racing, and Win-Tron Racing (Mason Mingus).

TV Schedule for today:

Time                                        Telecast                                                                                       Network

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

1:00-3:00pm                            IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: Sebring      FOX Sports 1*/

5:00-5:30pm                            NASCAR America                                                                     NBC Sports Network

DVR Theater (Late Wednesday Night/Early Thursday Morning)

2:00am-2:30am                       NASCAR Now                                                                            ESPN 2

*- Tape Delayed

/- Highlighted Coverage

~~~~~~~~~~

Top News

by Ashley McCubbin 

No. 99 Nationwide Series Team Penalized For Losing Weight at Bristol

NASCAR announced today that they have penalized the Nationwide Series No. 99 RAB Racing team a P3 level penalty for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 20A-2.3A (added car weight; improperly attached weight; loss of weight during the event) of the 2014 NASCAR rule book. Crew chief Chris Rice was fined $10,000 and placed on probation until the end of the year, while car chief John Guerra was placed on probation until the end of the year.

The penalty stems from a bar that fell off of Buescher's car during Saturday's race and slid onto the racing surface directly in front of eventual race winner Kyle Busch.  This was caught on camera by ESPN during their telecast  The bar then drew the fourth caution of the race on Lap 214.

James Buescher drives the No. 99 for RAB Racing and finished 13th in last weekend's race at Bristol. Buescher currently sits eighth in series points, 34 points behind points leader Regan Smith.

The next race for Buescher and the NASCAR Nationwide Series is the TreatMyClot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway. The race will air this Saturday at 5PM ET on ESPN.
 

Larson doesn’t foresee NASCAR limiting Cup drivers running Nationwide 

Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson was the guest on NASCAR’s weekly media teleconference call today to discuss his thoughts on the season and other topics related to NASCAR.

One of the topics that has garnered a lot of attention lately is Sprint Cup Series drivers running races in the Nationwide Series. Larson is running all the companion races this season, and says that the experience helps him.  

“I think it helps a little bit just knowing how the track might change throughout a race,” he commented.

There are discussions that NASCAR may limit or completely stop Cup drivers from running in the lower-tier division. Larson says that he’d be disappointed if that happened, but he does not see it happening in the future.

“I think the Nationwide regulars like Cup guys running with them, " said Larson. "I know I do. I consider myself still young, I guess, in racing stock cars. Whenever I’m out there with guys like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, I can see them in front of me, I’m learning a lot from them."

“I like it," he continued. "I think it’s good for the development side of the young drivers ’cause it is a development series for those kids.  I think it’s a good thing for NASCAR to have the Cup guys in there because it’s just going to make their series more competitive when those young guys move up.”
 

Will Power sweeps top of the chart honors at IndyCar Barber Test 

The past two days the Verizon IndyCar series has been testing at Barber Motorsports Park in preparation for their season – and the theme was the same both days as Will Power topped the charts.

On Monday, Will Power topped the speed charts in his No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet with a lap of 01:07.6492 seconds around the 2.3 mile road course. Today, Power once again would top the speed charts, this time with a lap of 1 minute, 7.0608 seconds.

"Coming back to Barber, hopefully we found a happy place," Power commented. "Obviously the temperature will be a lot different, and I think that brings out imbalances in the car. It was so cold today and there was so much grip, I think it was hard to get good reads on changes. We'll see where we go and head to St. Pete, it's going to be really tight."

The test was delayed both days due to heavy fog and mist in the morning, but the second day certainly allowed teams to show their level of competition in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Justin Wilson was second quickest in his Dale Coyne Racing Honda, four-hundreths off of Power's quick time. Defending Series Champion Scott Dixon was third fastest, followed by Takuma Sato and Ryan Briscoe. Helio Castroneves was sixth quickest, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud.

The Verizon IndyCar Series will kick off their season next weekend at St. Petersburg.

Have news for Ashley and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.

~~~~~~~~~~

GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!

~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Featured Commentary

From Eight, You Get Two

by Mark Howell

Given what we have seen over the first four events of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, it looks as though the Rookie-of-the-Year battle is going to be a two-horse race. Not that we should have doubted as much, but there’s always hope that an over-looked driver will rise to the occasion and show that motorsports tradition can turn against itself.

Motorsports tradition dictates that the biggest teams with the biggest budgets and the biggest sponsors will take home the biggest prizes. As the late Neil Bonnett used to say, “How fast can you afford to go?” 

Looking over this year’s Sprint Cup rookie class, I’d say there are two drivers – Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson – who could respond:  “Real fast!” 

Dillon is, as NASCAR Nation knows, a grandson of legendary car owner and former journeyman driver Richard Childress – he being the “RC” in RCR and the owner who won six Sprint Cup championships with the late Dale Earnhardt. Dillon has arguably unlimited resources at his beck-and-call, including corporate coffers deep with cash, a team staffed with knowledgeable and experienced people, and an almost-automatic fan base that’s devoted to the iconic No. 3 that’s emblazoned all over his Chevrolets.

Austin Dillon is talented and experienced for a young man of his age, having won both the Camping World Truck Series title (in 2011) and the Nationwide Series championship (last year). His full-time Sprint Cup debut netted him the pole position in last month’s Daytona 500, and it marked the return of the energy that so often surrounded the exploits of Dale Earnhardt as each new season began.

Another full-time Sprint Cup debut we saw at Daytona was that of Kyle Larson, a talented young driver who took the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet when it was vacated by Juan Pablo Montoya at the end of the 2013 racing season. 

Larson, like Austin Dillon, also enjoys the benefit of having an experienced car owner – the respected Chip Ganassi – and a dedicated primary sponsor (in Target) that is actively involved in NASCAR. The retail chain uses its Sprint Cup visibility to promote a number of ancillary products and firms that participate in association with the overall parent company. Such valuable connections can only serve to help the young Larson emerge – like Dillon – as a future NASCAR superstar.

To Larson’s credit, add in the fact that the California native is perhaps the most racially-diverse hotshoe in NASCAR competition to date. His Japanese-American heritage placed Kyle squarely atop the sanctioning body’s sometimes-criticized “Drive for Diversity” campaign. Seeing a driver emerge from that program with a well-financed ride with a top-tier race team (a team, by the way, that hired him first as part of its own “in-house” development program) shows that advantages exist for those who show talent and devotion to the sport.

But what about the six others campaigning to be named NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Rookie-of-the-Year? What about Michael Annett and Ryan Truex? What about Cole Whitt and Alex Bowman? How about Parker Kligerman and Nationwide veteran Justin Allgaier? Don’t they each have talent and dedication, too? Aren’t they all trying to make a go of it at the pinnacle of stock car racing? 

Of course they are. That’s why they’re part of the deeply-gifted 2014 rookie class. The problem is these young guns tend to be short on legal-currency-backed bullets.

And this shortage is not, fundamentally, their fault. The issue, as do most issues in motorsports, stems back to sponsorship, or a lack thereof. What separates Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson from their first-year peers? Look at the companies whose names and colors adorn their race cars. The financial clout of those businesses (General Mills, Dow Chemicals, Target, Clorox, and many others) provides these two drivers with the added boost they need to rise above the clutter of this year’s rookie crop.

Want proof? Review the finishing order of Sunday’s water-logged race at Bristol. You’ll find Larson sitting in tenth place and Dillon coming home in eleventh. The next rookie to cross the stripe? It was Justin Allgaier finishing 17th. Look back at the finishing order for Las Vegas, and you’ll see much the same:  Dillon in 16th place, Larson in 19th place, and Michael Annett running 29th. Talent is a wonderful thing to possess, but even more wonderful is a corporate sugar daddy who’s willing to write big support checks. cash is the trick if you want to be quick….

That’s the awful truth across all forms of motorsports, from the FIA and NASCAR to lawnmower racing at the county fair. This adage gets amplified when it comes to the Sprint Cup Series, with its wide media coverage and the division’s hopes for a bright and competitive future. But until sponsors are willing to gamble on lesser-known names or lesser-accomplished talents, the rookies who rise to the top will be those who snag dollars as readily as they snag top-ten finishes.

That said, it looks like a two-horse race despite having eight in the paddock….   

Mark Howell is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via email at mark.howell@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter@DrMarkDHowell.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tweet 'N' Greet

by Allen Bedgood

Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Allen Bedgood will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.

So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...

@KyleLarsonRacin -- Watching the @worldofoutlaws run at my all time favorite race track Thunderbowl Raceway. This is a rim ridin joint!! pic.twitter.com/ZkCZBs0EdS

@Mc_Driver (Michael McDowell) --  Cool to get my 150th @NASCAR Sprint Cup start. 135 of 150 have been #GoOrGoHome.

@ClintBowyer --  Pretty sure this is going to be my next hotrod… pic.twitter.com/575oM2WfnK

@Kenny_Wallace -- The DIRT is RED and Hard here at @carolinaspeed pic.twitter.com/GaVMEm7Ywz

@MISroger -- From the big freeze to the big thaw @MISpeedway pic.twitter.com/l5jUfG0bF2

@larrymac28 -- We love us some Air Titan Think it should run for president! @nascaronfox #nascar #fb #letsgoracing pic.twitter.com/9IuQT746xX

@BMSUpdates -- VIDEO: Jet dryers and Air Titans dry the high banks of Bristol. ttps://vine.co/v/MhZZzOW0Ytj

@bobpockrass -- Car covers coming off. Jet driers and air Titan on track. Intros have started. #nascar pic.twitter.com/d04f5W5Bd0

@PRNlive -- Fans & crew guys working hard to get pit stalls dry here @BMSupdates. #NASCAR #FoodCity500 pic.twitter.com/vRszABN1cq

@mw55 -- Look who's up! @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/7nIx54k3qo

@Riceman61 -- NASCAR officials are in place now, including Mike Helton, pretty good sign we might go racing.@PRNlive pic.twitter.com/8e19H7c2Nr

@SummerBedgood --  All Cassill needs now is  “Just Married” painted on his rear window.

@LeavineFamily95 -- Ready with @SunocoRacing fuel for the next pit stop in the @LeavineFamily95 pit at @BMSupdates. #FoodCity500 pic.twitter.com/0t6UyfcfLs

@MartySmithESPN -- Knaus to JJ: "The tire just f----- came apart. It's not even flat. The tread just fell off of it. The rest of the tire is f---- great.

@NASCAR_Wonka -- Jimmie just gave his shredded tire to Carl Edwards so Carl can use it as a jump rope. *jumping rope, Rocky-style pics coming soon.

@nateryan -- In Fox interview, Jimmie Johnson contests tire wear being the culprit. "Tire still had air in it. Something made it come apart." #nascar

@bobpockrass -- Tire in Jimmie Johnson stall. Crew members from other teams coming over to take look. #nascar pic.twitter.com/IxpoX3HBFR

@DaleJr -- Headed over to @TeamHendrick to ring the victory bell for the @DISupdates 500 win. Can ya believe it took us this long. #busyasheck

@KyleLarsonRacin -- Had a good time last night Bristol. Thought we could snag a top 5 finish but I'll take a 10th after first few weeks. Great weekend overall.

@EarnhardtKelley -- Come to LA for business and lived through my first earthquake.

@LindyHornaday -- 35 yrs ago today I married the Love of my Life. Happy anniversary Ron Hornaday.

@PPistone -- Hey @SouthwestAir-why when I want to fly my family of three on your airline for vacation you charge more for the third ticket I buy? #thanks

@SluggerLabbe -- @RCR27PMenard transporter is loaded for @ACSupdates. I'm going home now. #22hourworkdayssuck. @NASCAR

@Josh_Wise -- Super pumped that so many people recognized our efforts this weekend. With some sponsorship, the sky is the limit for us @PPR98

@Kenny_Wallace -- Here is my 2014 DIRT Schedule ..... RT “@tHE_oNE2009: Do you race in Indiana ever?” pic.twitter.com/8ab6BC80fU

@NASCARIllustr8d -- All you need to know — and more — about Carl Edwards' win @BMSupdates last night. He can buy a lot of @Kelloggs_US. pic.twitter.com/8dSNwF3KL7

@Justin_Fiedler -- Uh oh... #Bristol #helmetcam pic.twitter.com/m1mHsExCSc

Allen Bedgood is a Newsletter Contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via email at allen.bedgood@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter @AllenBedgood.

~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Beyond the Cockpit: Austin Dillon Stops By After Taking No. 3 To No. 1 Spot In Rookie Race

by Mike Neff

NASCAR Mailbox: Don't Be 'Bossy' to Jimmie Johnson

by Summer Bedgood

The Frontstretch Five Gimmick-Free Ways To Make NASCAR Better

by Amy Henderson

Did You Notice? ... Toyota Trouble, Limping Into Action And Testing The Waters

by Tom Bowles

NASCAR National Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Bristol

compiled by Mike Mehedin

~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
 
Q:  This past weekend, the Formula One World Championship began with the Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park in Melbourne. The race marked the debut of the new 1.6 liter Turbo v6 engine formula. When was the last time prior to last weekend that turbos were legal in Formula One?

Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Tuesday's Answer:

Q:  The 1997 Auto Club 200 at California Speedway was the one and only race in what is now the K&N Pro Series West to ever air live on network television.  Mike Wallace finished second to Ken Schrader in the race.  However, he was not supposed to be in the event.  What caused LJ Racing to enter him at the last minute?

A: Wallace actually went to Fontana to attempt the California 500, but failed to qualify.  It was his eighth DNQ in 15 attempts to that point.  With only 25 cars entered for the 200 mile undercard event (one of which actually failed to start the race), Wallace was allowed to enter last minute and start at the rear of the field.


Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- Critic's Annex by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:

Voice of Vito by Vito Pugliese
Vito returns to the website this year with his unique views on everything racing. 

Going by the Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin returns with a look at the statistical side of NASCAR.

Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike is back with your look at the technical side of NASCAR.

Fantasy Insider by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff is back with your look at the best bets to fill your fantasy roster. This week, he's got the inside take on who to choose for Bristol.

Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth is back with your weekly look at the state of the Camping World Truck Series.

-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email tofrontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com

--
--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
NASCAR and great NASCAR commentary. They can subscribe to the Frontstetch by visiting http://www.frontstretch.com/notice/9557/.
 
If you want to stop your Frontstretch Newsletter subscription, we're sorry
to see you go. Just send an email to
TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Frontstretch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thefrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.