Tuesday, June 03, 2014

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Eldora Improvements Announced

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

June 3rd, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition LXXXIV
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What To Watch: Tuesday

- Once again, teams are headed out to various race tracks to get some testing for upcoming races in.  Among them: New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host a two-day test, starting today for Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.  Fans in the area can watch for free from the grandstands on both days.  The sessions are expected to last from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.

Today's TV Schedule
Time                                          Telecast                                                                           Network
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM                   NASCAR America                                                             NBC Sports Network
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM                   NASCAR RaceHub                                                           FOX Sports 1
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM                   NASCAR RaceHub                                                           FOX Sports 2*#

DVR Theater (Late Tuesday Night/Early Wednesday Morning)
2:30 AM - 3:00 AM                   NASCAR Now                                                                  ESPN2

Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff

Eldora Announces Adjustments For Upcoming Truck Race

The second dirt track race in Camping World Truck Series history will have a few new rules along with it. Eldora Speedway's July event, one of the most anticipated on the schedule this season had some tweaks to qualifying announced Tuesday that should add to the excitement out in Ohio. The 30-truck field, which will contain 20 "locked in" starters based on Truck owner points will now get set by qualifying races that are 10 laps instead of eight.

In each qualifying race, there will be five Trucks who transfer into the main "feature:" the top four already "locked in" based on their spot in the owner standings and one driver who must make it based on their finishing position. After a series of five qualifying races, the "last chance" race will set positions 26-29, with spot 30 reserved for either a past champion or the fifth-place finisher in that event.

Also new for 2014: pitting during competition cautions is now optional. That's designed to increase strategy and shuffle up the field for a race that saw some of the most exciting passing and side-by-side action of anyplace on the circuit last season.

"Last year's inaugural event at Eldora Speedway was an incredible success, and these enhancements will only increase the excitement for our fans," said Chad Little, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series managing director in an official statement. "NASCAR continually works with team owners and drivers to ensure that NASCAR fans get what they've come to expect out of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – close, thrilling racing, every single lap."

Other minor tweaks include a random draw to determine qualifying order (standard two-lap runs will determine the lineup for qualifying races, the old format used by NASCAR prior to 2014). Also, the top five trucks who fail to qualify (DNQ) will still receive owner points for their effort.

This year's race at Eldora is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23rd.

AJ Allmendinger Tests at Sonoma Today

Driver of the No. 47 Chevy SS for JTG Daugherty Racing, AJ Allmendinger will test at Sonoma Raceway in California's wine country today. The test session is to work on the setup of the No. 47 machine, fine-tuning it for Allmendinger and crew chief Brian Burns prior to the Toyota/Save Mart 350, held June 22nd at the 2.52-mile road course.

Allmendinger, who is currently 20th in the Sprint Cup points standings, has had great success on road courses over his career. The 32-year-old has posted his only NASCAR national touring series victories in the Nationwide Series at road courses, winning in 2013 at both Road America in the Johnsonville Sausage 200, along with the Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Tickets are still available for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. Fans should visit http://www.racesonoma.com/ for more information.

Dover Overnight TV Ratings Down

In what has become a refrain in the Sprint Cup Series thus far in 2014, the overnight ratings from FOX's telecast of Sunday's FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks are in, and they are not exactly great.  The race pulled in an overnight rating of 3.3, a decrease of six percent from last year's 3.5.  It is the lowest overnight rating ever for a Sunday race on FOX and is tied for the third lowest overnight rating ever for the network.

The final ratings for Sunday's race will not be available until later this week.  NASCAR races tend to trend upward when the smaller markets are factored into the Nielsen equation; however, it's almost certain FOX's season will end without a single ratings increase in any race they covered in 2014.

News 'N' Notes

- Redds Apple Ale will be the primary sponsor on board the No. 2 Ford Fusion of Brad Keselowski for Team Penske this upcoming weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway. It's part of a special deal highlighting some of Miller's other alcoholic brands; the company backs Keselowski for 24 of the 36 points-paying races on the schedule.


- Keselowski's pit crew, who struggled late at Dover is still adjusting to a series of changes made after the Coca-Cola 600. The biggest adjustment? Hunter Masling replaced Nick Krizmanich as Front Tire Changer for the race weekend; Masling also is a part of the No. 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series pit crew for Team Penske's Discount Tire car. Internally, the team feels like a few races have been lost due to poor pit stops that hurt their track position.


- TUSC regular and 2011 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year Andy Lally announced Monday on his Twitter page that he is attempting to secure sponsorship to drive in the Nationwide Series Gardner Denver 200 Fired Up by Johnsonville at Road America June 21.  Lally currently cannot say which team that he's going to drive for, but he has more than half of the necessary funding already in hand.  Fans can help Lally's sponsorship effort.  In order to do so, follow Lally's Twitter feed and contact him at the e-mail address listed.

Have news for Greg and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.

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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 2014. 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!

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Today's Featured Commentary
Next Verse, Same as The First: NASCAR Duplicating Johnson's Story
Sitting In The Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

What do you do when the Master of All no longer has new challenges presented to him?

Sunday afternoon, Jimmie Johnson did it again.  He won the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.  This race was the ninth time he has taken home the Monster Trophy.  In fact, you sort of expected it when the green flag dropped under those blue skies.  After all, he's got the Monster Mile's number, able to espouse the manner in which you must attack the corners, sail down the exits into the straightaways, and avoid calamity.  Chad Knaus has a notebook so thick here, it can be picked up on radar over at the airbase.  How is anybody ever going to be able to dethrone the No. 48 team?

Well, considering we're about to take off for the Summer NASCAR program, where we visit other historic tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit, I don't know that defeating Johnson is something the rest of the field can accomplish.  We've been here before: Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, Daytona and New Hampshire and I'm sorry to say, Six-Pack has demonstrated near mastery of all these venues.  While I have yet to visit all of the storied locations listed on the Cup calendar, I'm well aware the competitors have -- over and over again.

What we have here is the same characters in the same locations trying to beat the same guy.  The lack of true change and challenge is... disappointing.  And if NASCAR ever wonders at the gleaming reflections of empty grandstands, well there's only so many times people are willing to listen to the same old story. 

What is to be done?  How about take Chad's notebook and throw it out.  In other words, I'd really enjoy seeing the boys take on a new track.  Shuffle up the schedule of the same twenty-odd venues and present some real problems to the heroes of NASCAR.  Introducing new road courses to the Nationwide Series is all well and good, but it doesn't affect the show where the real TV ratings are generated.  I know city courses would never stand up to our stock cars, but there are some tracks out there that could host the big show once and provide the kind of distraction that could only improve competition.

I don't want to scratch Darlington from the schedule, nor the Brickyard.  I'm not advocating the removal of any venue.  I'd just like to see a greater variety and improved chances for all the teams to stretch their comfort zones.

Sometimes, when Corporate America gets too bogged down in their money machines, we lose sight of everything that made us as great as we are.  NASCAR requires the fancy garages, grandstands of a certain caliber, etc. in order to add a track to their schedule.  Making sure it all glitters for the cameras is one thing, but providing new puzzle blocks is far more interesting to not only the teams, but the avid sports fan.

So, while I pack my RV and ready for my cross-country adventure to Michigan International Speedway, not only am I looking forward to visiting a track I never have before, but I shall continue to ponder on where else we could send our speeding heroes in an effort to give us a surprise once in a while. It would be nice, wouldn't it?

2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats

Top Three Rookies for the 2014 FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

1.) No. 42 Kyle Larson - Started 5th, (dropped to the rear w/engine change), Finished 11th
2.) No. 3 Austin Dillon - Started 23rd, Finished 20th
3.) No. 51 Justin Allgaier - Started 30th, Finished 26th


S.D. Grady is a Senior Editor for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via e-mail at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
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Numbers Game: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks
by Tom Bowles

0
Laps led by rookie Kyle Larson this season despite sitting 10th in series points. Larson, who came from the back Sunday gained 32 spots over the course of the day at Dover, driving up from 43rd to 11th.

1
Lap led Sunday by second-place finisher Brad Keselowski, who won the pole for Sunday's race.

2
Cautions in the last 155 laps at Dover, both for debris. Debris and "fluid" have been the reason for 10 of the 19 yellow flags in the last three Sprint Cup races held at the track.

3
Drivers this season with multiple Sprint Cup victories: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Joey Logano. They each have two.

3
Full teams that would be in the 16-driver Chase as of now. Joe Gibbs Racing (all 3 cars), Penske Racing (Joey Logano & Brad Keselowski) and Richard Childress Racing (Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, and Ryan Newman).

4
Straight races without a top-10 result for Tony Stewart before the 2013 winner of this event finished Sunday in seventh place.

8
Cautions for 41 laps Sunday, including a 22-minute red flag to repatch Dover's concrete "hole" in Turn 2.

9th
Points position of Denny Hamlin this season despite failing to start the race at Fontana. Hamlin ran fifth Sunday.

9
Career Cup victories for Johnson at Dover, more than any other driver in NASCAR history.

19
The age of Dover's concrete surface, put in prior to the 1995 season. There's no immediate plans for the track to repave after Sunday's "hole."

22nd
The finish of Brett Moffitt in his Sprint Cup debut. Moffitt had a combined three starts in NASCAR's Nationwide and Truck divisions before trying his hand at Cup.

22
Laps behind, combined for Blake Koch in his two starts with underfunded GO FAS Racing. Koch ran 35th and 30th, respectively before turning the wheel back over to Travis Kvapil beginning this Sunday at Pocono.

48
Starts with Roush Fenway's No. 17 car before Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. suffered his first DNF with the team: a vicious wreck Sunday at Dover that left him 41st.

85
Consecutive races Greg Biffle has been running at the finish. That breaks a NASCAR Cup record held by Herman Beam since the 1960s.

963
Laps led by Jimmie Johnson this season, now the most of any driver on the circuit.

2,976
Laps led by Jimmie Johnson at Dover, the most in the history of the track for a NASCAR Cup driver and the most for Johnson anyplace on the circuit.

$115,595
Money won by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for finishing ninth, on the lead lap Sunday.

$127,110
Money won by Greg Biffle for crashing at Dover and running 38th, 108 laps down.

Tom Bowles is the Editor-in-Chief of Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at tom.bowles@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

by Tom Bowles
by Brett Poirier
by Danny Peters
by Jeff Meyer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  For long-time independent racer Buddy Arrington, the 1986 Miller High Life 500 was a typical race.  Having endured for much of the distance as others dropped out due to mechanical issues, Arrington was in line for a top-20 result before his day came to an end just short of the finish.  What happened?

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

Monday's Answer:


Q:  The 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 500 at then-Pocono International Raceway set a Winston Cup record at the time.  What was this record?

A:  At the time, the race set the all-time Cup record for number of cars on the lead lap at the finish, with 22.  The number was boosted by a record 13 cautions for 44 laps, which slowed the average speed to just over 120 miles per hour for the 500-mile distance.

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 Ashley McCubbin
-- Professor of Speed by Dr. Mark Howell
-- Tweet 'N' Greet by Allen Bedgood
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


Open-Wheel Wednesday
by the Frontstretch Staff
This week, we'll have your favorite writers discussing the important topics in the Verizon IndyCar Series ahead of Saturday night's Firestone 600 -- including a full debrief of the Indy 500 late last month.

Beyond The Cockpit: Brett Moffitt as told to Tom Bowles
Brett who? Tom interviews the surprise 22nd-place finisher at Dover who dazzled in his Cup debut, bringing a severely underfunded car a top-25 finish at a track (Dover) that typically eats up rookies and spits them out.

Did You Notice?...
by Tom Bowles
How ownership within the racing world is dying from the ground up? Tom looks at how you recruit a few good rich people, a tale of two tracks and some quick hits about the point standings and more in this weekly look at small but important observations surrounding the sport.

The Frontstretch Five
by Amy Henderson
Amy steps up with 1,2,3,4,5 reasons you should be concerned about something going on in NASCAR this week.

NASCAR Mailbox
by Summer Bedgood
Summer returns for her weekly session of answering questions from you, our loyal fans. Do you have a question or comment for Summer? Don't be shy. Just send her an email (summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com) and you might just see your name in print!

NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After Dover
compiled by Summer Bedgood
Jimmie Johnson is on a roll once again.  How did Sunday's action affect the rankings?  Find out how your favorite national experts voted, laughing along with their one-liners in the latest update of our weekly NASCAR poll.
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