THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 22nd, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition LXXVI
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Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 22nd, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition LXXVI
----------------
What to Watch: Thursday
- Today is the official start of on-track activities from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will be on track today with Sprint Cup Qualifying set for 7:00 PM tonight. Our own Mike Neff and Amy Henderson will be at the track today covering the action. Follow Mike and Amy, in addition to our own Twitter feed for updates live from the track.
Today's TV Schedule
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Sprint Cup Series Sprint All-Star Race FOX Sports 1*/# (from May 17)
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1 FOX Sports 1
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Nationwide Series Practice No. 1 FOX Sports 1
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Nationwide Series Happy Hour FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Sprint Cup Series Qualifying FOX Sports 1
8:30 PM - 9:30 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
9:30 PM - 10:00 PM 100,000 Cameras FOX Sports 1
DVR Theater (Late Thursday Night / Early Friday Morning)
3:00 AM - 4:30 AM Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1 FOX Sports 1*#
4:30 AM - 6:00 AM Sprint Cup Series Qualifying FOX Sports 1*#
*- Tape-Delayed
/- Highlighted Coverage
#- Repeat Telecast
Top News
by Phil Allaway and Summer Bedgood
by Phil Allaway and Summer Bedgood
2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
Five new inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced on Wednesday in a star-studded press event in Charlotte. The 2015 class will comprise of Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly, and Rex White after the panel of experts whittled down the list of 20 finalists in a closed-door voting session. The sixth five-person class was the first group in which all inductees were drivers, with Elliott earning 87% of the vote. Scott earned 58%, Weatherly had 53%, White 43%, and Lorenzen 30%.
Additionally, Anne B. France, wife of Bill France, won the inaugural Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Anne France, who passed away in 1992, served as secretary and treasurer of NASCAR and, later, International Speedway Corporation.
Reaction from the racing community was swift and positive, with much of the focus surrounding Elliott. The first winner of NASCAR's "Winston Million," a prize offered for taking three of the sport's "crown jewel" races "Awesome Bill" earned the bonus in 1985, taking the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 at Talladega and the Southern 500 at Darlington in what became a national media spectacle.
"What a day!" said son Chase after his father's induction announcement. "Extremely excited for dad and all that he has accomplished in his career, very well deserved in my book!"
"What a day!" said son Chase after his father's induction announcement. "Extremely excited for dad and all that he has accomplished in his career, very well deserved in my book!"
Heavy praise was also heaped upon Scott, the first African-American to win a NASCAR event back in December 1963 in Jacksonville and whose candidacy has been trumpeted by millions of fans and those inside the sport. The independent owner/driver was joined by Weatherly, a two-time NASCAR champion from the 1960s whose life was cut short in a racing accident. White, the 1960 NASCAR Cup titlist and 26-time race winner Lorenzen rounded out the list.
Earning the sixth highest number of votes, just missing out on induction were Jerry Cook, followed by Robert Yates and Benny Parsons.
For the first time in Hall of Fame history, an active driver contributed to the vote with Jimmie Johnson serving as a member of the Voting Panel. A total of 54 votes were cast, one of those coming from the fans, who cast the most number of votes for Scott. Elliott, Parsons, White, and Terry Labonte were the next highest vote-getters in that realm, respectively. Normally, 56 total votes are cast, but Jerry Cook is part of the Nominating Committee in the NASCAR Officials category, while Robert Yates is part of the Voting Panel as a former owner. Since both were nominated, they were recused from participating. Additionally, Ken Squier was recused from voting for the Landmark Award because of the fact that he was a nominee for it.
Induction Day for the 2015 class will take place on January 30th. The induction ceremony will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
Vickers Crashes During Tire Test
Normally, Goodyear tire tests are designed to try out new potential rubber combinations for upcoming races. Once the Goodyear work is done, it can become a freebie information session that doesn't count against the four allowable tests at Cup tracks each year.
Brian Vickers was one of a number of drivers at Kentucky Speedway yesterday for a crucial tire test ahead of the Quaker State 400 next month. After only ten laps on a set of tires, his right front wheel came apart entering Turn 3 at speed. As a result, Vickers went hard into the outside wall.
The driver was OK afterwards and thanked fans for their concern on Twitter.
"Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and concern," Vickers tweeted. "Really hard hit. Sore but OK. Looks like the RF wheel came apart going into 3."
"Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and concern," Vickers tweeted. "Really hard hit. Sore but OK. Looks like the RF wheel came apart going into 3."
The Kentucky test is considered very crucial because Kentucky Speedway is the bumpiest track in Sprint Cup after Auto Club Speedway. Auto Club Speedway was the site of repeated left-side tire failures during the race. The issues were traced first to teams intentionally running low tire pressure and then expanded to include the new rules that disregard ride height not being taken into account. It's possible repaving could occur at Kentucky, following the season if an appropriate compound doesn't reduce the number of problems.
The test, which concluded yesterday, featured teams from all three of NASCAR's National Series. In addition to Vickers, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski were in attendance on the Cup side. Representing the Nationwide Series were Regan Smith and Trevor Bayne while the Camping World Truck Series had Matt Crafton and Ben Kennedy on hand, respectively.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 32 - Blake Koch for Go FAS Racing
No. 33 - Brian Scott for Circle Sport, LLC/Richard Childress Racing
No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing
No. 44 - JJ Yeley for Swan Racing/Xxxtreme Motorsports
No. 66 - Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 33 - Brian Scott returns to the seat, replacing David Stremme. Scott is running a limited schedule in preparation for a full-time run at the Cup Series in 2015.
Drivers who must qualify on speed (top-36):
No. 77 - Dave Blaney for Randy Humphrey Racing (48th in points, 9 attempts)
No. 95 - Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing (44th in points, 8 attempts)
Drivers who have provisionals, but might still fail to qualify:
No. 7 - Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing (31st in points, 11 attempts)
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing (42nd in points, 4 attempts)
No. 23 - Alex Bowman for BK Racing (35th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 26 - Cole Whitt for Swan Racing/BK Racing (33rd in points, 11 attempts)
No. 32 - Blake Koch for Go FAS Racing (38th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 33 - Brian Scott for Circle Sport, LLC/Richard Childress Racing (41st in points, 11 attempts)
No. 34 - David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports (36th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 36 - Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing (34th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 38 - David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports (32nd in points, 11 attempts)
No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing (30th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 44 - JJ Yeley for Swan Racing/Xxxtreme Motorsports (43rd in points, 11 attempts)
No. 66 - Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing (39th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 83 - Ryan Truex for BK Racing (40th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 98 - Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing (37th in points, 11 attempts)
Nationwide Series History 300: 42 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5 - Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports
No. 20 - Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22 - Brad Keselowski for Team Penske
No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports
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. 55 - Ross Chastain for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci/SS-Green Light Racing
No. 80 - Johnny Sauter for HRE Enterprises
No. 98 - Jeb Burton for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 5 - Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Austin Theriault. Harvick is running a limited schedule as JR Motorsports splits the No. 5 ride among several drivers.
No. 20 - Matt Kenseth returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell. Kenseth is running a limited schedule as Joe Gibbs Racing splits the No. 20 ride among several drivers.
No. 22 - Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney. Keselowski is running a limited schedule as Penske Racing splits the No. 22 ride among several drivers.
No. 31 - Dylan Kwasniewski returns to the seat, replacing Chase Pistone. Kwasniewski runs the No. 42 in races Kyle Larson doesn't.
No. 40 - Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing Matt DiBenedetto. Wise was running the Cup All-Star Race Saturday night and missed Iowa.
No. 42 - Kyle Larson returns to the seat, replacing Dylan Kwasniewski. Larson was running the Cup All-Star Race Saturday night and missed Iowa.
No. 44 - David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Hal Martin. Starr brings sponsorship to a TriStar program where he's running a limited schedule.
No. 46 - Matt DiBenedetto returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis. DiBenedetto was moved up from the start-and-park ride when Wise missed Iowa.
No. 54 - Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Sam Hornish, Jr. Busch is running the majority of races with this JGR team.
No. 55 - Ross Chastain is in the seat, replacing Caleb Roark. Chastain will be making his Nationwide Series debut.
No. 86 - Kyle Fowler is in the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek. Fowler is an up-and-comer running with sponsorship from Bubba Burger.
No. 87 - Chris Cockrum is in the seat, replacing Tim Schendel. Cockrum brings funding to this NEMCO Motorsports seat.
No. 93 - Mike Wallace returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long. Wallace is running a majority of races for the team as funding permits.
No. 98 - Jeb Burton is in the seat, replacing Ryan Gifford. Burton has a one-race deal with a new wine company to run in the Nationwide Series for this "Driver Development" program.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 17 - Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 23 - Carlos Contreras for R3 Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports
No. 46 - Matt DiBenedetto for The Motorsports Group*
No. 70 - Derrike Cope for Creation-Cope Racing
No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 76 - Tommy Joe Martins for Martins Motorsports
No. 80 - Johnny Sauter for HRE Enterprises
No. 84 - Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports
No. 86 - Kyle Fowler for DRG Motorsports
No. 98 - Jeb Burton for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 10 - Blake Koch for TriStar Motorsports
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 32 - Blake Koch for Go FAS Racing
No. 33 - Brian Scott for Circle Sport, LLC/Richard Childress Racing
No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing
No. 44 - JJ Yeley for Swan Racing/Xxxtreme Motorsports
No. 66 - Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 33 - Brian Scott returns to the seat, replacing David Stremme. Scott is running a limited schedule in preparation for a full-time run at the Cup Series in 2015.
Drivers who must qualify on speed (top-36):
No. 77 - Dave Blaney for Randy Humphrey Racing (48th in points, 9 attempts)
No. 95 - Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing (44th in points, 8 attempts)
Drivers who have provisionals, but might still fail to qualify:
No. 7 - Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing (31st in points, 11 attempts)
No. 21 - Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing (42nd in points, 4 attempts)
No. 23 - Alex Bowman for BK Racing (35th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 26 - Cole Whitt for Swan Racing/BK Racing (33rd in points, 11 attempts)
No. 32 - Blake Koch for Go FAS Racing (38th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 33 - Brian Scott for Circle Sport, LLC/Richard Childress Racing (41st in points, 11 attempts)
No. 34 - David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports (36th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 36 - Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing (34th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 38 - David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports (32nd in points, 11 attempts)
No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing (30th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 44 - JJ Yeley for Swan Racing/Xxxtreme Motorsports (43rd in points, 11 attempts)
No. 66 - Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing (39th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 83 - Ryan Truex for BK Racing (40th in points, 11 attempts)
No. 98 - Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing (37th in points, 11 attempts)
Nationwide Series History 300: 42 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5 - Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports
No. 20 - Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22 - Brad Keselowski for Team Penske
No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports
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. 55 - Ross Chastain for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci/SS-Green Light Racing
No. 80 - Johnny Sauter for HRE Enterprises
No. 98 - Jeb Burton for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 5 - Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Austin Theriault. Harvick is running a limited schedule as JR Motorsports splits the No. 5 ride among several drivers.
No. 20 - Matt Kenseth returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell. Kenseth is running a limited schedule as Joe Gibbs Racing splits the No. 20 ride among several drivers.
No. 22 - Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney. Keselowski is running a limited schedule as Penske Racing splits the No. 22 ride among several drivers.
No. 31 - Dylan Kwasniewski returns to the seat, replacing Chase Pistone. Kwasniewski runs the No. 42 in races Kyle Larson doesn't.
No. 40 - Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing Matt DiBenedetto. Wise was running the Cup All-Star Race Saturday night and missed Iowa.
No. 42 - Kyle Larson returns to the seat, replacing Dylan Kwasniewski. Larson was running the Cup All-Star Race Saturday night and missed Iowa.
No. 44 - David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Hal Martin. Starr brings sponsorship to a TriStar program where he's running a limited schedule.
No. 46 - Matt DiBenedetto returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis. DiBenedetto was moved up from the start-and-park ride when Wise missed Iowa.
No. 54 - Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Sam Hornish, Jr. Busch is running the majority of races with this JGR team.
No. 55 - Ross Chastain is in the seat, replacing Caleb Roark. Chastain will be making his Nationwide Series debut.
No. 86 - Kyle Fowler is in the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek. Fowler is an up-and-comer running with sponsorship from Bubba Burger.
No. 87 - Chris Cockrum is in the seat, replacing Tim Schendel. Cockrum brings funding to this NEMCO Motorsports seat.
No. 93 - Mike Wallace returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long. Wallace is running a majority of races for the team as funding permits.
No. 98 - Jeb Burton is in the seat, replacing Ryan Gifford. Burton has a one-race deal with a new wine company to run in the Nationwide Series for this "Driver Development" program.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 17 - Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 23 - Carlos Contreras for R3 Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports
No. 46 - Matt DiBenedetto for The Motorsports Group*
No. 70 - Derrike Cope for Creation-Cope Racing
No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 76 - Tommy Joe Martins for Martins Motorsports
No. 80 - Johnny Sauter for HRE Enterprises
No. 84 - Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports
No. 86 - Kyle Fowler for DRG Motorsports
No. 98 - Jeb Burton for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 10 - Blake Koch for TriStar Motorsports
News 'n Notes:
- HScott Motorsports will carry primary sponsorship from HendrickCars.com in this weekend's Coca-Cola 600, with rookie Justin Allgaier remaining in the driver's seat. The deal appears to be for just one race, but it is not the first time that the car search website has sponsored the program. In fact, dating back to when James Finch still owned the single-car effort, Sunday will be the tenth time that HendrickCars.com's black, white and red colors will be on the No. 51. The team's best finish with HendrickCars.com sponsorship is a sixth with Regan Smith in last year's Aaron's 499 at Talladega.
- Overnight TV Ratings for the All-Star Race are in... and they're not good. A 1.7, while admirable on FOX Sports 1 also amounted to the lowest for this event since NASCAR went national with its television contract in 2001. It's down 15% for the 2.0 SPEED scored last year in the Nielsens, for this event and continuing a trend of declines the sport has experienced all season. Not a single event so far in 2014 has posted a better rating and only one (Darlington) has gotten an increase in viewership.
Have news for Phil, Summer and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip. Comments can also be sent to frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com.
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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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Today's Featured Commentary
Potts' Thoughts About Indianapolis Qualifying
Potts' Shots
by John Potts
If the intent of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was to put some of the old excitement back into the month of May by changing the qualifying format, they succeeded – at least as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, sure, there are naysayers who contend nothing they do can get the old "buzz" back, but I understand that. I'd like to see the engines back in the front, but that ain't happenin', so we'd best look on the bright side of what we've got. For the first time I can recall in a bunch of years, we had virtually no downtime on the 2.5-mile rectangle while the track was open for practice or qualifying. The only time it happened was after a quick shower about 3:10 PM on Saturday. I don't know how many times I've sat out there, particularly on the third day when they had four days of qualifying and saw very little action, even practice. Things always picked up on the final day, known back then as "bump day," when teams were scurrying to get up to speed and making banzai runs to get in the show. Of course, they had upwards of 50 entries in some of those years.
The cost of racing has trimmed the amount of participation, and this year there were (surprise!) exactly 33 entries. Nobody entered another car before Saturday evening's deadline to be able to give it a shot on Sunday.
If you haven't heard about the qualifying format, it was pretty simple once they explained it to me:
- Everybody gets as many attempts as they want to make on Saturday. No more three-try limit. You can get right back in line and go out again when you get to the front, without withdrawing your best qualifying speed from your previous run or runs.
- Now, there's also an "express" lane. Get in that line and you automatically cut the other line and go back out. The only catch is that you have to withdraw your previous qualifying speed.
- Also, putting some spice into things is the awarding of points. You get 33 for the fastest on Saturday, down to one point for 33rd-fastest.
- On Sunday, everybody's time is withdrawn. Everybody gets one more shot. Those who qualified 10th through 33rd go out first, in reverse order of their qualifying speed, to set those 24 positions.
- Then, the fast nine go out in reverse order to determine the top three rows. Also, points are being awarded from nine for first down to one for ninth. Needless to say, this hefty bonus rearranged the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings.
There's another thing about points for this race: the 500 will carry double points this year. I don't consider that too "new." I can recall when the national championship was determined with the winner of each race getting two points per mile, second getting 1.6 (I think), and so on. That meant the 500 winner had a 1,000-point day while most of the other races were 100-milers.
As anybody who is interested already knows, Ed Carpenter of Indianapolis, driving his own Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka-sponsored car, won the pole for the second straight year. It was popular with the crowd, of course but it's not going to have much effect on the points in that regard, as Ed plans to drive only the ovals in the series this year and has contracted Mike Conway to handle the car on the road courses.
Personally, I liked it a lot because Ed is the last of the drivers to come up the old-fashioned way – through midgets, sprints, and Silver Crown cars. He also was the only driver in the field who has won a USAC sprint car feature at Salem. Another trivia note – Carpenter's the third driver who drove in the United Midget Racing Association TQ Midget series to sit on the pole at Indianapolis. For your edification, the other two were Pancho Carter (1985) and Tony Stewart (1996).
Ed was just a tenth of a second quicker than James Hinchcliffe, who had a good run spoiled by a bobble in Turn 3 on his final lap. He had to crack the throttle.
"I was screaming in my helmet in Turn 4 and all down the front straightaway," he said.
Still, that gave Carpenter a four-lap average of 230.839 to shoot at, and he responded with a 231.067.
When asked when he knew that he had the pole, Carpenter responded simply, "When I came off Turn 4 and didn't have to lift."
Hinchcliffe, after suffering a concussion the previous Saturday in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course, had just been cleared to drive again on Thursday. Carpenter joins names such as Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Tom Sneva, Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves as back-to-back pole winners.
"It's awesome to do this two years in a row; I was surprised last year and didn't expect to do it this year with such deep competition. It's exciting, but after going through this last year and not winning the race I've been so much more determined," Carpenter related.
The driver noted that he led 37 laps last year but finished tenth, and added, "Now it's all about the race, and we want to close the deal."
More notes: six of the 24 qualifiers in Sunday's round had four-lap averages above 230 mph, and all but four of them were better than their Saturday times.
OK, NASCAR fans, now let's talk about Kurt Busch.
I think he's doing fine. He didn't put a wheel wrong until Monday's practice, when he got into the wall coming off Turn 2. The crash also produced the Line of the Week. "Wrigley Field has ivy on their walls. We've got a Busch."
Kurt said it was a result of relaxing just a bit.
"With an IndyCar, you've got to be on edge all the time," he said.
That was a scary crash, but he climbed out OK. With this year's rules, he'll keep his starting spot with the backup car.
For a second, it looked like it was going to be even scarier. The car corrected and would have gone nose first into the wall, but Busch recorrected and slammed into the concrete right-side first.
For the most part, he's getting great marks from the Indy veterans.
Eddie Cheever, now working with ABC for the TV broadcast, said, "There's always this big debate in motor racing: 'Which are the best race car drivers in the States.' I think it's awesome that somebody would actually take that leap and measure himself up to other people."
Busch has also been welcomed warmly by the crowd at Indy. During a qualifying draw Friday, track announcer Bob Jenkins summoned Busch to a microphone at the front of a room full of drivers and team executives, asking, "Are you having as much fun as we are watching you?" (Busch's reply: "It's been a blast.") In the track's interview room Saturday, moderator Pat Sullivan introduced Busch with this compliment: "A general comment, from all of us at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we're glad to have a driver of your talents cross over to the Indianapolis 500. It means a lot to all of us."
Cheever said Busch has restored buzz missing from a race that has battled to regain its luster two decades since a bitter rift between teams and track management resulted in many stars being absent for several years.
"I think everybody was very disappointed when Danica Patrick went to NASCAR (in 2012)," Cheever said. "There was a moment of pause. I think if Busch continues to do what he's doing, he'll bring what she took away plus something. I knew very little about him. Obviously, the Busch brothers are very colorful, so it's always fun to see what sort of trouble they're in, but I read his résumé and said, 'Oh my God, this guy is big-time impressive.' It's the stuff that fairy tales are made of, so if he does well, a lot of NASCAR fans will tune in to the 500."
In 2001, Stewart had the best showing by a driver starting both races. Busch's car owner and NASCAR teammate was sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte, the first to complete all 1,100 miles on the same day. [Editor's Note: Stewart is the only driver to successfully complete all 1,100 miles in the double.]
Montoya said of Busch, "He's doing a really good job in a really good car with a good team (Andretti Autosport). The racing will be harder, because he's not 100% sure what he's going to get."
I can't wait until this coming Sunday.
If the intent of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was to put some of the old excitement back into the month of May by changing the qualifying format, they succeeded – at least as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, sure, there are naysayers who contend nothing they do can get the old "buzz" back, but I understand that. I'd like to see the engines back in the front, but that ain't happenin', so we'd best look on the bright side of what we've got. For the first time I can recall in a bunch of years, we had virtually no downtime on the 2.5-mile rectangle while the track was open for practice or qualifying. The only time it happened was after a quick shower about 3:10 PM on Saturday. I don't know how many times I've sat out there, particularly on the third day when they had four days of qualifying and saw very little action, even practice. Things always picked up on the final day, known back then as "bump day," when teams were scurrying to get up to speed and making banzai runs to get in the show. Of course, they had upwards of 50 entries in some of those years.
The cost of racing has trimmed the amount of participation, and this year there were (surprise!) exactly 33 entries. Nobody entered another car before Saturday evening's deadline to be able to give it a shot on Sunday.
If you haven't heard about the qualifying format, it was pretty simple once they explained it to me:
- Everybody gets as many attempts as they want to make on Saturday. No more three-try limit. You can get right back in line and go out again when you get to the front, without withdrawing your best qualifying speed from your previous run or runs.
- Now, there's also an "express" lane. Get in that line and you automatically cut the other line and go back out. The only catch is that you have to withdraw your previous qualifying speed.
- Also, putting some spice into things is the awarding of points. You get 33 for the fastest on Saturday, down to one point for 33rd-fastest.
- On Sunday, everybody's time is withdrawn. Everybody gets one more shot. Those who qualified 10th through 33rd go out first, in reverse order of their qualifying speed, to set those 24 positions.
- Then, the fast nine go out in reverse order to determine the top three rows. Also, points are being awarded from nine for first down to one for ninth. Needless to say, this hefty bonus rearranged the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings.
There's another thing about points for this race: the 500 will carry double points this year. I don't consider that too "new." I can recall when the national championship was determined with the winner of each race getting two points per mile, second getting 1.6 (I think), and so on. That meant the 500 winner had a 1,000-point day while most of the other races were 100-milers.
As anybody who is interested already knows, Ed Carpenter of Indianapolis, driving his own Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka-sponsored car, won the pole for the second straight year. It was popular with the crowd, of course but it's not going to have much effect on the points in that regard, as Ed plans to drive only the ovals in the series this year and has contracted Mike Conway to handle the car on the road courses.
Personally, I liked it a lot because Ed is the last of the drivers to come up the old-fashioned way – through midgets, sprints, and Silver Crown cars. He also was the only driver in the field who has won a USAC sprint car feature at Salem. Another trivia note – Carpenter's the third driver who drove in the United Midget Racing Association TQ Midget series to sit on the pole at Indianapolis. For your edification, the other two were Pancho Carter (1985) and Tony Stewart (1996).
Ed was just a tenth of a second quicker than James Hinchcliffe, who had a good run spoiled by a bobble in Turn 3 on his final lap. He had to crack the throttle.
"I was screaming in my helmet in Turn 4 and all down the front straightaway," he said.
Still, that gave Carpenter a four-lap average of 230.839 to shoot at, and he responded with a 231.067.
When asked when he knew that he had the pole, Carpenter responded simply, "When I came off Turn 4 and didn't have to lift."
Hinchcliffe, after suffering a concussion the previous Saturday in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course, had just been cleared to drive again on Thursday. Carpenter joins names such as Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Tom Sneva, Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves as back-to-back pole winners.
"It's awesome to do this two years in a row; I was surprised last year and didn't expect to do it this year with such deep competition. It's exciting, but after going through this last year and not winning the race I've been so much more determined," Carpenter related.
The driver noted that he led 37 laps last year but finished tenth, and added, "Now it's all about the race, and we want to close the deal."
More notes: six of the 24 qualifiers in Sunday's round had four-lap averages above 230 mph, and all but four of them were better than their Saturday times.
OK, NASCAR fans, now let's talk about Kurt Busch.
I think he's doing fine. He didn't put a wheel wrong until Monday's practice, when he got into the wall coming off Turn 2. The crash also produced the Line of the Week. "Wrigley Field has ivy on their walls. We've got a Busch."
Kurt said it was a result of relaxing just a bit.
"With an IndyCar, you've got to be on edge all the time," he said.
That was a scary crash, but he climbed out OK. With this year's rules, he'll keep his starting spot with the backup car.
For a second, it looked like it was going to be even scarier. The car corrected and would have gone nose first into the wall, but Busch recorrected and slammed into the concrete right-side first.
For the most part, he's getting great marks from the Indy veterans.
Eddie Cheever, now working with ABC for the TV broadcast, said, "There's always this big debate in motor racing: 'Which are the best race car drivers in the States.' I think it's awesome that somebody would actually take that leap and measure himself up to other people."
Busch has also been welcomed warmly by the crowd at Indy. During a qualifying draw Friday, track announcer Bob Jenkins summoned Busch to a microphone at the front of a room full of drivers and team executives, asking, "Are you having as much fun as we are watching you?" (Busch's reply: "It's been a blast.") In the track's interview room Saturday, moderator Pat Sullivan introduced Busch with this compliment: "A general comment, from all of us at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we're glad to have a driver of your talents cross over to the Indianapolis 500. It means a lot to all of us."
Cheever said Busch has restored buzz missing from a race that has battled to regain its luster two decades since a bitter rift between teams and track management resulted in many stars being absent for several years.
"I think everybody was very disappointed when Danica Patrick went to NASCAR (in 2012)," Cheever said. "There was a moment of pause. I think if Busch continues to do what he's doing, he'll bring what she took away plus something. I knew very little about him. Obviously, the Busch brothers are very colorful, so it's always fun to see what sort of trouble they're in, but I read his résumé and said, 'Oh my God, this guy is big-time impressive.' It's the stuff that fairy tales are made of, so if he does well, a lot of NASCAR fans will tune in to the 500."
In 2001, Stewart had the best showing by a driver starting both races. Busch's car owner and NASCAR teammate was sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte, the first to complete all 1,100 miles on the same day. [Editor's Note: Stewart is the only driver to successfully complete all 1,100 miles in the double.]
Montoya said of Busch, "He's doing a really good job in a really good car with a good team (Andretti Autosport). The racing will be harder, because he's not 100% sure what he's going to get."
I can't wait until this coming Sunday.
John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. While the Verizon IndyCar Series teams were qualifying in Indianapolis, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards was in action at Toledo Speedway, home of what has to be the smallest pit stalls of any track that hosts a major stock car touring series and has live pit stops. Before we get into the critique, I just have a couple of news bits that I want to cover. In Tuesday's critique, I listed an "Unknown F1 Documentary" for Saturday night. At the time, there was no actual information on what it was. Now, I know that it is the documentary 1. I actually have a copy of the Michael Fassender-narrated documentary here on DVD (I bought it a few months back for $10 at Target). It's decent, but it's quite dark because it spends a lot of time talking about death. Also of note, NBC Sports Network will be airing Kurt Busch: 36 on June 8th. If you've seen any of the IndyCar 36 shows in the past, it will be the same general idea. NBC Sports Network cameras will follow Busch around for 36 hours. Of course, during this time, he will be doing the double. I think it will be a must-watch.
OK, back to ARCA. Similar to Talladega, there were no pre-race driver interviews. The drivers were already in their cars prior to the telecast starting. However, there was still five minutes before the command to start engines. That time was spent previewing the race and talking about storylines. The ultra-tight pit road was one of them, considering the pit boxes at Toledo are 18 feet long and maybe ten feet wide. It's like watching pit stops during Winston Cup races at Riverside back in the 1980s if you made the pit lane itself half the width. In other words, you had a complete quagmire. FOX Sports 1 could have aired some taped interviews here. Based on what was said after the race, they did conduct some, but chose not to air them (it seems they were used for background only).
During the race, it was fairly obvious that FOX Sports 1 had a more frugal production offering at Toledo than almost every other track they've covered a race at this season. Because of the production offerings, it simply wasn't possible to catch as much on camera. For example, Thomas Praytor crashed out of the race on Lap 103. The only replay of the wreck caught Praytor mid-spin headed towards the outside wall, where he proceeded to back in, then sideswipe a Styrofoam block. Nothing in that replay would have told viewers what happened to cause the wreck. Luckily, viewers did get to see an interview with Praytor in which he filled in the blanks. According to the driver, something in the rear end broke and put him into the wall on the backstretch, then spun him out and caused contact with the Turn 3 wall.
Another incident that FOX didn't catch was whatever happened to Jay Curry's No. 40 Dodge that brought out the second caution on Lap 67. According to the race's official results, Curry busted his clutch. However, I don't believe that would explain how Curry ended up parking his car at the exit of pit road. It just didn't make sense to me. Unless something else was going wrong (low oil pressure or something like that), you don't use the clutch under green at Toledo. There's no shifting there outside of restarts and avoiding wrecks.
Finally, despite all the time that FOX Sports 1 had with their post-race coverage (see below), they never tracked down any of the tires that failed in the final ten laps of the race. I'd argue part of the reason why that occurred was that Ray Dunlap and Jim Tretow didn't leave the paved infield area near the start-finish line, after the race ended until after FOX Sports 1 left the air. However, I'm sure there was a handheld camera somewhere that could have shown the tires. Gallagher mentioned in his interview that he melted the bead on his right front Hoosier. We have a general idea of what that looks like from all the races at Martinsville, but I still would have liked to see the tires that failed.
Despite the frugal offerings, there was a decent amount of on-track battling for position. FOX Sports 1 did a great job in following that action. They also had the good fortune to pick three drivers (Spencer Gallagher, Justin Boston and Cody Coughlin) to carry in-car cameras that spent the entire race right up in the middle of the pack. Rick Allen and Phil Parsons did a great job commentating on the action. They always seem to know when to turn it on and keep it low-key. Then again, Allen and Parsons have been working together since 2003. Between the Craftsman/Camping World Truck Series, ARCA and K&N Pro Series events, they've probably done 400 or more races together in the booth live, or in a studio. They know each other's tendencies and how to work off each other.
The overall coverage was inclusive of everyone that was on the lead lap, more or less. As the race continued on, the focus tended to narrow. Regardless, it was still more inclusive than a number of the Sprint Cup races on FOX have been so far this season.
Since the race was given a two-hour timeslot and lasted only 75 minutes, there was plenty of time for post-race coverage. At least nine drivers were interviewed on-air, in addition to the winning crew chief (Kevin Reed). There was also a check of the unofficial results before FOX left the air. Length-wise, the post-race coverage was exponentially longer than what viewers have gotten at Daytona and Talladega combined.
I really did enjoy watching the Menards 200 on FOX Sports 1. There was good action all day on the half-mile short track and FOX Sports 1 did a good job bringing that to viewers. Although a good chunk of the discussion before the race was centered upon Frank Kimmel, Kimmel ultimately didn't play that big of a role in the race and was treated as he should have been.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the ARCA Racing Series' Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care. Come back next week for a critique of one of the new documentaries that FOX Sports 1 is premiering this weekend. One is Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship. This show is a look back at the six-way battle for the 1992 Winston Cup title and the fact that Alan Kulwicki didn't get a chance to truly enjoy it before he died. The other is The 600: History of NASCAR's Toughest Race. That's pretty self-explanatory.
Until then, enjoy the sweetest weekend of racing this season.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer at 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: Ben Kennedy on Rookie Challenges, NASCAR Goals and ALS Awareness
"We won at Bowman Gray last year, and I think it has some of the same fundamentals and characteristics. It's honestly not that difficult. It's just staying out of trouble, getting a good setup underneath you and surviving all the wrecks. I've always had this mentality that if you're in the last 50 laps, you have a better shot at winning than you do at the beginning of the race. We just survived; our setup wasn't that great at the beginning and we made good adjustments under all of the pit stops. That helped us a ton and we put on a newer set at the end. We just came cruising up through there, and guys were wrecking left and right. We just went through the eye of the storm and that's where we ended up." - Ben Kennedy, on racing at Martinsville
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Ben Kennedy on Rookie Challenges, NASCAR Goals and ALS Awareness
"We won at Bowman Gray last year, and I think it has some of the same fundamentals and characteristics. It's honestly not that difficult. It's just staying out of trouble, getting a good setup underneath you and surviving all the wrecks. I've always had this mentality that if you're in the last 50 laps, you have a better shot at winning than you do at the beginning of the race. We just survived; our setup wasn't that great at the beginning and we made good adjustments under all of the pit stops. That helped us a ton and we put on a newer set at the end. We just came cruising up through there, and guys were wrecking left and right. We just went through the eye of the storm and that's where we ended up." - Ben Kennedy, on racing at Martinsville
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
NASCAR Hall of Fame Class Needs Room For Three More
by Vito Pugliese
Going By the Numbers: Scrutinizing the Hall of Fame Inductees
by Kevin Rutherford
by Vito Pugliese
Going By the Numbers: Scrutinizing the Hall of Fame Inductees
by Kevin Rutherford
as told to Mike Neff
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Here's an easy one for today. In order to ward off a repave in 2005, Humpy Wheeler had the surface at then-Lowe's Motor Speedway put through a process to smooth out the bumps. What was this process called?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: The 1992 Indianapolis 500 is officially the coldest 500-mile race at IMS ever run (the track's website states that the high temperature that day was just 58 degrees). Roberto Guerrero set a record four-lap average of 232.482 in the No. 36 Quaker State Buick-powered Lola for King Racing to sit on the pole. However, his day went from incredible to embarrassing very quickly. What happened?
A: Guerrero didn't even make it to the green flag. On the second pace lap, Guerrero spun out and hit the inside wall after trying to accelerate slightly. It was likely one of the most ridiculous moments at Indianapolis in the entire 1990s. The crash can be seen here. Guerrero walked away from the crash, but he received a DNS (Did Not Start).At the time the crash happened, it was barely 50 degrees outside with a brisk headwind down the the backstretch. Track temperatures were likely some of the coldest encountered by CART teams in the last 30 years.
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 Staff
-- 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 pertinent issues in NASCAR. Topics include whether Kurt Busch's attempt at the double has received the attention that it deserves, if Roush Fenway Racing needs more changes than just the axing of Chip Bolin, Nationwide Series surprises and more.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary. This week, she focuses on the "little things" that still make stock car racing one of the best in the world prior to one of their longest races, the Coke 600.
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary. This week, she focuses on the "little things" that still make stock car racing one of the best in the world prior to one of their longest races, the Coke 600.
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.
Nuts For Nationwide by Kelly Crandall
Kelly returns to bring us up-to-date on NASCAR's second-tier series as they return to North Carolina for a home game. This week, Kelly focuses on what fans should like about this division these days rather than what they should detest.
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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©2014 Frontstretch.com
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
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