The Frontstretch Newsletter: March 6th, 2014

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 6th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XXI
----------------
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.

Frontstretch seeking NASCAR Nationwide Series Writer

Do you have strong writing, communication skills and a passion for racing?  If so, The Frontstretch is looking for YOU!  We have an opening on our staff for a writer to focus on the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2014, including post-race coverage and a weekly column covering current storylines in the series.  If you have extensive knowledge of the Nationwide Series, the ability to work on a deadline, and want to join a staff of passionate writers, please click HERE for application instructions.  Show us what you've got!

What to Watch: Thursday

- Today, Sprint Cup teams will have a four hour test session to better understand the new rules package for intermediate tracks.  The session will run from 3:00-7:00pm EST.  Unfortunately, there will be no TV coverage of the session.

Today's TV Schedule

Time                                 Telecast                            Network

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

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

Top News
by Phil Allaway

Matt Crafton To Stand By Sunday For Paul Menard

MRN is reporting that Paul Menard's wife, Jennifer, is getting very close to giving birth to the couple's first child.  As a result, Paul is making plans to be there when his wife goes into labor.  If this happens during the race weekend in Las Vegas, Menard's plan is to jet back to Charlotte for the birth of his child.  Defending Camping World Truck Series champion and fellow Menards-backed driver Matt Crafton will be on standby to replace Menard if that scenario goes down.

Crafton understands that it would be a fairly tough circumstance if he were called in to drive in this scenario, but he's ready.

"It’s tough, because you just don’t know when or even if it will happen, but kind of like that backup quarterback, you have to be ready at any time," Crafton said.  "Paul and I have been good friends going back to 2001. We’ve raced together and I actually spotted for him early in his career. For him to have the confidence in me to get the job done if he has to head back home - that’s awesome."

In 13 previous starts at Las Vegas in the Camping World Truck Series, Crafton has five top-5 and six top-10 finishes.  He has finished second three times, most recently to Nelson Piquet, Jr. in 2012.

Southeastern Mills Joins JTG-Daugherty Racing

On Wednesday, JTG-Daugherty Racing announced the signing of Southeastern Mills, a Georgia-based company that manufactures soup mixes and seasonings, to an associate sponsorship deal.  Under this deal, Southeastern Mills will serve as an associate sponsor on the No. 47 Chevrolets driven by AJ Allmendinger in the Sprint Cup Series via the Southeastern Mills and Shore Lunch labels in selected races this season.

JTG-Daugherty Racing co-owner Tad Geschickter is happy to have Southeastern Mills join JTG-Daugherty Racing’s portfolio of sponsors.

“Southeastern Mills’ business philosophy is similar to ours and we are fortunate to represent a sophisticated food company like theirs,” Geschickter said.  “Their company started with ‘a vision, entrepreneurial spirit and determination’ as did JTG Daugherty Racing. It’s a good fit for our company and our business model.”

The release did not state which races would feature associate sponsorship from Southeastern Mills.

Servia to Run Limited Schedule With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

On Wednesday, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced the signing of veteran Oriol Servia to a contract that will see the Catalonian driver drive the No. 16 Honda-powered Dallara DW12 in at least four IndyCar Series events in 2014 as a teammate to full-time driver Graham Rahal.  Additional events could be added if more sponsorship can be found.  Servia replaces English driver James Jakes, who will not return to the team in 2014.  Jakes has not announced any plans for 2014.  His website simply states, “Stay Tuned” at the moment.

Team co-owner Bobby Rahal is very happy to have Servia in the fold.

“We have had the pleasure of working with Oriol before and are looking forward to his return,” Rahal said.  “I have always respected his ability to develop the race car and be a productive member of the team so when it came time to consider the possibility of a second entry he was right at the top of the list. We are happy to have him back and look forward to having him help the team progress toward the front.”

Servia is happy to have at least a partial ride for the 2014 season.

“Continuity is a very important part of success in any racing team,” Servia said.  “By my moving to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, this happens at many different levels. On the team side, in 2009 we did the 500 together as a one-off race. We were running very strong until we had a fuel pump fail on us but that one race left us with a sensation that we could do great things together. That same year I did a short stint at Newman/Haas/Lanigan where my teammate was Graham (Rahal) and that also started a great chemistry between us that trans¬lated to results on track where we finished third and fourth in the last race we ran.”

As Rahal stated above, Servia drove one race with the team in the past.  That race was the 2009 Indianapolis 500, where Servia drove in an one-off third entry.  Servia started 25th, ran decent, but fell out due to fuel pressure issues.

No sponsorship for Servia was announced in the press release.  Currently, the schedule has Servia participating in the open test scheduled for March 17 at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.  He will make his race debut in the No. 16 at Long Beach in April.  He will also race at Barber Park, the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and in the Indianapolis 500.

Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night.  However, they are still subject to change.

Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400: 48 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 35- Blake Koch for Front Row Motorsports
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for Identity Ventures Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 33- Timmy Hill is in the seat, replacing Brian Scott.
No. 44- JJ Yeley is in the seat, replacing Scott Riggs.
No. 66- Jeff Burton is in the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek.
No. 87- Joe Nemechek returns to the seat, replacing Morgan Shepherd.

Drivers who must qualify on speed (top-36):
No. 26- Cole Whitt for Swan Racing
No. 41- Kurt Busch for Stewart-Haas Racing (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions’ Provisional)
No. 44- JJ Yeley for Xxxtreme Motorsports
No. 77- Dave Blaney for Randy Humphrey Racing
No. 95- Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing

Drivers who have provisionals, but are at risk at failing to qualify:
No. 23- Alex Bowman for BK Racing (34th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)
No. 32- Travis Kvapil for Go FAS Racing (37th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)
No. 33- Timmy Hill for Circle Sport (38th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)
No. 35- Blake Koch for Front Row Motorsports (39th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)
No. 36- Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing (35th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing (43rd in owners’ points, 16 attempts)
No. 83- Ryan Truex for BK Racing (36th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for Identity Ventures Racing (40th in owners’ points, 36 attempts)

Nationwide Series Boyd Gaming 300: 40 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 20- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Team Penske
No. 24- Ryan Ellis for SR2 Motorsports
No. 33- Matt Crafton for Richard Childress Racing
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. 87- Joe Nemechek for Identity Ventures Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 10- Jeff Green returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
No. 23- Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Carlos Contreras.
No. 24- Ryan Ellis returns to the seat, replacing Ruben Garcia, Jr.
No. 44- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Will Kimmel.
No. 87- Joe Nemechek returns to the seat, replacing Daryl Harr.
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 93- Matt Carter returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.

Since there are only 40 cars entered, no one will fail to qualify.  However, these drivers still must qualify on speed:
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports
No. 17- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 28- Mike Wallace for JGL Racing
No. 46- Matt DiBenedetto for The Motorsports Group*
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci
No. 60- Chris Buescher for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 76- Tommy Joe Martins for Martins Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for Identity Ventures Racing
No. 93- Matt Carter for JGL Racing*
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

*- Expected to Start-and-Park

Not Entered:
No. 90- Martin Roy for Gosselin Motorsports

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.
 
~~~~~~~~~~

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: Toyota 120
by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to another edition of the Critic’s Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports programming available.  As you know, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series spent last weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.  Those two races aired live and I’ve already critiqued those telecasts.  There were two more series there last weekend as well.  One was the K&N Pro Series West, which held their season opening 75 mile race on Thursday night.  That race is scheduled to air tomorrow afternoon at 1pm on FOX Sports 1.  The other series there was the Toyota Series, NASCAR’s fourth member of the Grand National division (in addition to the K&N Pro Series divisions and Canadian Tire Series).

The Toyota Series (formerly the NASCAR Mexico Series) is NASCAR’s lone series that races primarily in Mexico.  This year marked the second consecutive year that the series would start its season with a race in Phoenix.  Last year’s event was 75 laps, but this year’s saw it extended to 120 laps.  Mun2, a bilingual channel owned by NBC Universal aired live coverage of the race.  It was a very good race with an exciting finish.  But, how did Mun2 do with the telecast?  Let’s take a look.

Ok, before we get into the real nitty gritty of this review, I must let it be known that I don’t speak Spanish.  I only know a few Spanish words.  However, much like with Spanish language game shows such as ¿Qué dice la Gente? on Telefutura, I don’t find it too difficult to get what’s going on (Note: ¿Qué dice la Gente? is a Spanish language version of Family Feud that was based out of Miami and replaced the Mexican version of the show, 100 Mexicanos Dijeron, on Telefutura in 2006).

The broadcast on Mun2 was brought to viewers by Deportes Telemundo.  This is basically the Sports Department of Telemundo, another NBCUniversal channel.  Clips of Sprint Cup cars racing were used in the intro for the race, even though this wasn’t the Sprint Cup Series racing.  I suppose that they’ll use that opening for actual Sprint Cup races next year.

In the broadcast booth, Mun2 had Omar Amador and Jessi Losada.  Losada is primarily a soccer commentator who usually works with Andres Cantor.  Even if you don’t recognize Cantor’s name, you would recognize his voice.  For example, Cantor did this funny GEICO commercial a couple of years ago.  Amador is involved with a show called Ritmo Deportivo, which covers action sports.  I suppose stock car racing could be considered an action sport, although such a title here in the United States is given to stuff like BMX or skateboarding.  They also had a couple of guests in the booth, one you’ll likely recognize and one you won’t.

Joining Losada and Amador on the broadcast was Ana Jurka as the broadcast’s only pit reporter.  Jurka, originally from Honduras, but now living in Miami, was just recently called up to Deportes Telemundo from WTMO (Telemundo Orlando), where she was a sportscaster.  At Deportes Telemundo, Jurka’s role is described as a “reporter and co-host for a number of network properties.”

Since this was Mun2’s first telecast of the Toyota Series, it was clearly designed in such a fashion to teach viewers.  There was a graphic before the race started displaying the different flags and what they mean.  However, the telecast didn’t teach much to the viewers about the Toyota Series cars.  A quick look online reveals that they are likely the weakest NASCAR sanctioned touring series.  The cars have engines that produce roughly 400 horsepower, but weigh slightly under 2700 pounds.  I thought that they race a little like limited late models.

Now, not all the names in this race would be complete mysteries to viewers.  The man that got most of the focus on the telecast (and the only in-car camera) was Daniel Suarez, the undefeated man (in 2014) who is currently on a four race winning streak.  Other familiar names here would include Antonio Perez, Jorge Goeters and Rogelio Lopez, who have made Nationwide starts in the past.  Also, we had Mario Dominguez, a former CART and Champ Car racer who infamously claimed his first win in Surfer’s Paradise in 2002 in a race where heavy rains forced all but nine laps to be run under caution and pit windows gave him the lead.  Finally, we had Ruben Garcia, Jr., the son of former K&N Pro Series West driver Ruben Garcia who made his Nationwide debut with SR2 Motorsports on Saturday.

Suarez got a huge chunk of the focus because he was clearly the fastest guy in town.  Probably the only reason why he didn’t lead over 100 laps was that he got penalized after his only pit stop on Lap 47.  However, if educating viewers about this series was truly Mun2’s concern, they shouldn’t have focused on him as much as they did.  Suarez is one of the few drivers in the series with name recognition outside of the series.

Once the race started, the coverage stayed on without commercial interruption through the first two cautions, which I found interesting.  That came back to haunt them later on.  Mun2 decided to take their first commercial break on Lap 20.  Just as they were going to break, a big wreck broke out on the backstretch involving Jorge and Patrick Goeters, along with Hugo Olivares.  We could see the wreck happening on screen, but the commentators (who were live at the track in Avondale, by the way) didn’t say anything.  They just kept throwing the telecast to the commercial.  That’s weak.  After the break, they showed a brief replay of what happened.

Speaking of commercials, just prior to breaks, there would be these segments where Sprint Cup drivers would give the Spanish terms for various racing terms.  If you ever wanted to hear Clint Bowyer ask “Where’s the restroom?” in Spanish, this is the place for you.  After the race, there were bloopers shown where the drivers flubbed their lines.  Patently hilarious.  Clint Bowyer is gold here.

Amador and Losada were joined in the broadcast booth by two racers who weren’t on the track that night.  One was Hector Aguirre, who raced in the NASCAR Stock V6 Series, the support series to the Toyota Series.  The second was German Quiroga, a past champion of the Toyota Series who is currently full-time in the Camping World Truck Series.  It seemed like they were generally staying on topic here.

The racing that we got on Mun2 was generally pretty good.  Despite the excessive focus on Suarez, we still got a good amount of racing for position through the field.  Admittedly, if this was the first Toyota Series race you ever watched on television, I think you would have been very happy with the on-track action.  The commentators mainly kept calm until the final 15 or so laps.  Then, Losada darn near turned into Cantor.  Things got downright lively for the excellent finish.

Post-race coverage was decent in length, but lacking in content.  Viewers got an interview with Suarez in Victory Lane, the unofficial results, the aforementioned blooper reel, and analysis in the booth from Amador, Losada and Quiroga.  That was nearly 25 minutes of post-race coverage (including commercials).  I feel like Mun2 could have gotten more driver interviews to help fill that time.  At the very least, they could have gotten Jurka to interview Rodrigo Peralta and/or Antonio Perez.

Overall, this was a good start for Mun2.  There are good things here, and bad things.  Obviously, don’t cut to commercial when your cameras are showing a live wreck.  The scroll that Mun2 used was functional, but it reminded me of something SprintVision would have used about five years ago.  I think that could be modernized.  I like Losada’s enthusiasm in the broadcast booth.  I can take or leave having the special guests in there, though.  I thought Jurka was underutilized.  She would give pit reports, but never talked to anyone that was behind the wall.  Now, that could be because they refused to go on-air, but I think she should have had a bigger role in the telecast than she did.

Also, note that the Toyota Series did factor into the $4.4 billion that NBC is paying for their part of the next TV deal.  That means that you should expect more Toyota Series races on American TV.  Maybe not necessarily on Mun2, though.  Maybe on regular Telemundo.  I’m not opposed to that, especially if they were like this race.

I hope you liked this look at Mun2’s broadcast of the Toyota 120.  Next week, I’ll have my first look at NBC Sports Network’s NASCAR America.  Until then, enjoy this weekend’s racing in Las Vegas.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frontstretch Line of the Week

From Kurt Busch And The Double: Really?!

"Busch’s endeavor to race in both events comes at a great time for both INDYCAR and NASCAR. First, he’s doing something that the two leagues have failed to do for some time now, and that is to build a bridge. INDYCAR has certainly struggled through leadership issues in the past few years, and the merger between itself and CART came way too late, but they’re trying – and they’re putting on some good races. NASCAR’s refusal to work with them is a show of power akin to Big Brother beating up on Little Brother just because. "- Huston Ladner on Kurt Busch's attempt at the Indianapolis 500-Coca-Cola 600 double.
~~~~~~~~~~

ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand?  A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!  Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.

~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Voice of Vito: Rodney's Renaissance, Scheduling Suggestions & Opportunity
by Vito Pugliese

Fantasy Insider: Know When To Hold 'Em, When To Fold 'Em At Vegas
by Jeff Wolfe

Going By the Numbers: Strong Start Likely Good News For Harvick's Season

by Kevin Rutherford

Tech Talk: Vegas Variables, Knockout Nuances, and All Things Aero With Matt Puccia
as told to Mike Neff

Truckin' Thursdays: Drivers Worth Watching This Season
by Beth Lunkenheimer

~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The 1999 Vegas.com 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Indy Racing League was a bit of a wreckfest.  There were 11 cautions for 70 laps, and all of those cautions were due to incidents.  Current ESPN analyst Scott Goodyear was eliminated in one of the incidents.  What happened?

Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Wednesday's Answer:

Q:  Sebastien Bourdais won the last Champ Car race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2005 (at that time, the Champ Car World Series shared a bill with the then-Craftsman Truck Series).  Bourdais won the race without a piece of bodywork for most of the race.  What was he missing and why?

A:  Shortly before the first pit stop of the race, Bourdais lost his shock cover, a small piece of bodywork that covered up the front springs on his Lola.  It literally blew off the car in the tri-oval.  Rather than take the time under green to track down a replacement and install it during a pit stop, the Newman/Haas Racing team let it be. The shock cover taking a vacation can be seen in real time here.

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 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!

~~~~~~~~~~

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 potential early season trends after the first two races, the knockout qualifying format, incoming talent into the Nationwide Series, 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.

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.

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