THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 12th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XCI
----------------
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 12th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XCI
----------------
What to Watch: Thursday
- There will be no on-track activity at either Michigan International Speedway or Gateway Motorsports Park today. However, all three of NASCAR's National Series will be offloading at the track and going through typical preparations.
- Meanwhile, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, tonight will see the starting lineup set for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will air on the FOX family of networks, starting Saturday morning at 8:30 AM EDT. We'll have a recap of qualifying in tomorrow's edition of the Frontstretch Newsletter.
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 2*#
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Kurt Busch: 36 NBC Sports Network#
7:30 PM - 8:00 PM FOX Sports 1 on 1: Jimmie Johnson FOX Sports 2#
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM The 600: History of NASCAR's Toughest Race FOX Sports 2#
10:00 PM - 11:00 PM Kurt Busch: 36 Director's Cup NBC Sports Network#
DVR Theater (Late Thursday Night / Early Friday Morning)
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road: Indianapolis NBC Sports Network*/ (from May 23)2:00 AM - 3:00 AM Road to Indy NBC Sports Network
* - Tape-Delayed
/ - Highlighted Coverage
# - Repeat Telecast
Top News
by Phil Allaway
by Phil Allaway
Jeremy Mayfield Goes On Record
On Wednesday, currently suspended Sprint Cup Series driver Jeremy Mayfield sat down with Sporting News' Bob Pockrass for a no holds barred one-on-one interview. Why? According to Mayfield, he and Shana (his wife) believe that the whole story from Day One has been from NASCAR's point of view. As a result, the Mayfields need to get everything out there from their point of view in order to get closure on the whole affair.
The interview was originally going to be live streamed on YouTube. However, there were a series of technical issues. As a result, the whole interview was conducted, then uploaded to YouTube at 10pm Wednesday night. The whole interview can be viewed here.
Mayfield's primary goal was to clear up misconceptions about himself. In the interview, he states that he is not on drugs. He rarely drinks alcohol (a couple of beers a year, if that). He also stated that he doesn't steal or break into buildings, referencing the charges that he either broke into Red Bull Racing Team's headquarters, or aided the people who did break in and steal equipment from the former race team's shop.
Mayfield did admit to the possession of stolen property, which was found when a search warrant was executed on his former property.
"I bought some stuff from a guy, thinking that it wasn't stolen, just like anybody else would do." Mayfield said. "There were articles of stolen [goods] on my property, but I found out after the fact. I wish that had never happened, but it did."
The search warrant on his property, which Mayfield described as being a form of legalized robbery, resulted in Mayfield being charged with 22 felonies. With the help of his legal team, Mayfield pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors via an Alford plea. An Alford plea is pleading guilty to a crime, but protesting innocence. Ultimately, it means that the defendant did not commit the crime, but that evidence exists that could prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. That allowed Mayfield to walk away after paying fines and start anew.
Mayfield believes that it was not a mistake to fight NASCAR's suspension.
"Was it a mistake? No," Mayfield proclaimed. "I don't think it was a mistake. I think it was something that I believed in. I have my beliefs, just like everyone else does. Could we have handled it in a different way? Sure. Brian [France] and I could have sat down, talked about it and worked it out in a different way, but we didn't."
In 2009, Mayfield had doubts about the new drug testing. He was not opposed to the system in general, but he didn't like the fact that only one lab (Aegis, run by Dr. David Black) was in charge of the testing. Also, he claimed that the testing protocol was somewhat messy and uncontrolled, something that he stated that other drivers complained about back in 2009.
"There's too many doubts from the moment you walk into the trailer and you pee in a cup," Mayfield said. "You walk in and you see these cups laying all over this table; it's a mess." He relayed a story about how he was going to pee in a cup, only to be stopped by a technician because he didn't wash his hands. Mayfield washed his hands, then asked for paper towels to dry his hands. There weren't any, so he wiped his hands on his pants, grabbed the cup that the tech was still holding and peed.
Mayfield also claimed that Dr. Black himself tested his sample, which is highly unusual because Dr. Black has a staff of technicians that do the testing on a regular basis. Mayfield believes in complete transparency; it's one of the primary reasons why he did the interview with Pockrass. However, he states that Dr. Black is not being transparent. Dr. Black's presence constitutes a form of conflict of interest.
NASCAR's deal with the Aegis lab allows for Aegis to test both the "A" and "B" samples in these situations. Drivers do not have the opportunity to take samples from the NASCAR drug test to other labs. In Mayfield's case, he had another test done at another lab called LabCorp, and that came back with a negative result. Since Mayfield's situation arose, NASCAR amended the Substance Abuse Policy to allow the parties to have an independent party observe the testing of the "B" sample.
Mayfield officially challenges Aegis' credibility since they did the drug testing for the WWE shortly before NASCAR tapped them to run the drug tests as part of the Substance Abuse Policy. Their tests failed to detect Chris Benoit's steroid abuse. After he killed himself, his wife and son in 2007, the autopsy on Benoit's body did find the steroids.
On the subject of meds, Mayfield stated that his Primary Care Physician prescribed him Adderall for ADHD. He went to NASCAR with that information, and they told him to notify Dr. Black after Richmond in 2009. It took two days for Mayfield to get a hold of Dr. Black, and the doctor told him that he was too old to be taking Adderall. Mayfield said if that were the case, he'd stop immediately, and he did (he claims that he hasn't taken Adderall since that day in 2009). He also never knew that Adderall was considered a banned substance, a true statement at the time since NASCAR intentionally did not submit a list of banned substances to drivers when the Substance Abuse Policy was instituted. Drivers would have only known the most obvious substances that would have been forbidden (Ex: "Drugs of Abuse," alcohol within a certain amount of time before on-track activity, etc.).
The only reason why Mayfield has never considered entering NASCAR's Road to Recovery is that he truly believes that he has nothing to recover from, rendering the whole process useless. He believes that he did everything right, stating that the Medical Resource Officer (MRO) told him to get all his medical documents in order and if everything there was true, the test would be converted into a negative test. He believes that the ultimate reason why everything occurred is that NASCAR's system is flawed and that they don't want to admit it.
Finally, Mayfield stated that after he won an injunction to return to the track, NASCAR became very angry and tested him again in an attempt to get him re-suspended. Those samples were sent both to Aegis and a second company whose owner Mayfield alleges has a conflict of interest with Dr. Black.
Mayfield believes that some kind of players' union, or in this case, a racer's union, would help fix a number of the problems with the Substance Abuse Policy. Unfortunately, NASCAR has historically been extremely opposed to any kind of union involvement in the sport. An attempt to unionize drivers in the early 1960's with help from the Teamsters led to Curtis Turner being banned from the sport in his prime. Another attempt at unionization resulted in the mass walkout at Talladega in September, 1969 over safety concerns. Bill France, Sr. immediately broke the union by bringing in scab drivers and teams (mostly teams that had competed in the Sportsman race) to race in place of the Grand National teams in the inaugural Talladega 500.
Today, Mayfield considers himself to be a "Professional Laborer who races on Friday and Saturday nights." He is racing Modifieds with his own small operation. His long term goal is to race all over the country on dirt and pavement. He never stated any specific desire to return to NASCAR during the 74 minute interview.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, these entries are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400: 45 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman-Circle Sport Racing
No. 44- JJ Yeley for Swan Racing/Xxxtreme Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 12- Juan Pablo Montoya is in the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 33- David Stremme returns to the seat, replacing Alex Kennedy.
No. 66- Brett Moffitt returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
Drivers who must qualify on speed (top-36):
No. 12- Juan Pablo Montoya for Team Penske (47th in points, 1 attempt)
No. 77- Dave Blaney for Randy Humphrey Racing (48th in points, 12 attempts)
Drivers who have provisionals, but may still fail to qualify:
No. 21- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing (42nd in points, 5 attempts)
No. 23- Alex Bowman for BK Racing (36th in points, 14 attempts)
No. 26- Cole Whitt for Swan Racing/BK Racing (32nd in points, 14 attempts)
No. 32- Travis Kvapil for Go FAS Racing (37th in points, 14 attempts)
No. 33- David Stremme for Hillman-Circle Sport Racing (41st in points, 14 attempts)
No. 34- David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports (34th in points, 14 attempts)
No. 36- Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing (35th in points, 14 attempts)
No. 38- David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports (33rd in points, 14 attempts)
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman-Circle Sport Racing (31st in points, 14 attempts)
No. 44- JJ Yeley for Swan Racing/Xxxtreme Motorsports (43rd in points, 14 attempts)
No. 66- Brett Moffitt for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing (39th in points, 14 attempts)
No. 83- Ryan Truex for BK Racing (40th in points, 14 attempts)
No. 98- Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing (38th in points, 14 attempts)
Nationwide Series Ollie's Bargain Outlet 250: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 22- Joey Logano for Team Penske
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 42- Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 80- Ross Chastain for HRE Motorsports
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for Identity Ventures Racing
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 10- Kevin Lepage returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
No. 20- Sam Hornish, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Matt Kenseth.
No. 23- Ryan Ellis is in the seat, replacing Timmy Hill. Robert Richardson, Jr. was originally entered.
No. 33- Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Cale Conley.
No. 44- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Paulie Harraka.
No. 55- Jamie Dick returns to the seat, replacing Todd Bodine.
No. 67- Benny Gordon is in the seat, replacing Willie Allen.
No. 80- Ross Chastain is in the seat, replacing Johnny Sauter.
No. 93- Harrison Rhodes returns to the seat, replacing Josh Reaume.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 10- Kevin Lepage for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 13- Carl Long for Carl Long Racing*
No. 17- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 33- Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 46- Matt DiBenedetto for The Motorsports Group*
No. 67- Benny Gordon for Martins Motorsports
No. 70- Derrike Cope for Creation-Cope Racing
No. 72- Matt Carter for Carter Racing*
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 76- Tommy Joe Martins for Martins Motorsports
No. 80- Ross Chastain for HRE Motorsports
No. 88- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for JR Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
Not Entered:
No. 15- Rick Ware Racing
Camping World Truck Series Drivin' for Linemen 200: 30 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points: None
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Ray Black, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing BJ McLeod.
No. 0- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis.
No. 8- John Hunter Nemechek returns to the seat, replacing his father Joe Nemechek.
No. 9- Chase Pistone returns to the seat, replacing Brennan Newberry.
No. 20- Gray Gaulding returns to the seat, replacing Justin Lofton.
Since there are only 30 trucks entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these drivers must still qualify on speed:
No. 00- Cole Custer for Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young's Motorsports
No. 0- Unknown driver for JJC Racing*
No. 12- Ted Minor for Cefalia Racing
No. 36- Scott Stenzel for MB Motorsports*
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
ARCA Racing Series Corrigan Oil 200: 32 cars entered
Driver Changes:
No. 06- Wayne Peterson returns to the seat, replacing Steve Fox.
No. 0- James Swanson returns to the seat, replacing Don Thompson.
No. 3- Ron Cox is in the seat, replacing Karl Weber.
No. 10- Rick Clifton returns to the seat, replacing Ed Pompa.
No. 40- David Sear is in the seat, replacing Jay Curry.
No. 48- Brad Smith returns to the seat, replacing Rick Cifton.
No. 52- Ken Schrader returns to the seat, replacing Matt Tifft.
No. 66- Austin Theriault is in the seat, replacing Tom Berte.
No. 97- Tom O'Leary, IV is in the seat, replacing Tim Viens.
Notable Entries:
No. 15- John Wes Townley for Venturini Motorsports
No. 22- Austin Wayne Self for Cunningham Motorsports
No. 25- Justin Boston for Venturini Motorsports
No. 44- Frank Kimmel for Win-Tron Racing
No. 52- Ken Schrader for Ken Schrader Racing
No. 69- Will Kimmel for Kimmel Racing
No. 77- Tom Hessert for Cunningham Motorsports
No. 88- Justin Allison for Team BCR
No. 90- Grant Enfinger for Team BCR
No. 98- Mason Mitchell for Mason Mitchell Motorsports
Not Entered:
No. 4- Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 5- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 7- Brent Cross for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 43- Kyle Martel for Martel Racing
No. 86- Nick Igdalsky for Grewohl Racing
World Endurance Championship 24 Hours of Le Mans: 55 cars in 4 classes
Unclassified:
No. 0- Satoshi Motoyama/Lucas Ordoñez/Wolfgang Riep for Nissan Motorsports Global
Prototype 1 (P1) Entries: 9
No. 1- Lucas di Grassi/Marc Gené/Tom Kristensen for Audi Sport Team Joest
No. 2- Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoit Tréluyer for Audi Sport Team Joest
No. 3- Filipe Albuquerque/Marco Bonanomi/Oliver Jarvis for Audi Sport Team Joest
No. 7- Kazuki Nakajima/Stéphane Sarrazin/Alexander Wurz for Toyota Racing
No. 8- Sébastien Buemi/Anthony Davidson/Nicolas Lapierre for Toyota Racing
No. 12- Mathias Beche/Nick Heidfeld/Nicolas Prost for Rebellion Racing
No. 13- Andrea Belicchi/Dominik Kraihamer/Fabio Leimer for Rebellion Racing
No. 14- Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb for Porsche Team
No. 20- Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber for Porsche Team
Prototype 2 (P2) Entries: 17
No. 24- Vincent Capillaire/Jan Charouz/René Rast for Sebastien Loeb Racing
No. 26- Julien Canal/Olivier Pla/Roman Rusinov for G-Drive Racing (OAK Racing)
No. 27- Anton Ladygin/Mika Salo/Sergey Zlobin for SMP Racing
No. 29- Nicolas Leutwiler/Leo Roussel/Julien Schnell for Pegasus Racing
No. 33- David Cheng/Adderley Fong/Ho-Pin Tung for OAK Racing
No. 34- Michel Frey/Franck Mailleux/Jon Lancaster for Race Performance
No. 35- Alex Brundle/Jann Mardenborough/Mark Shulzhitskiy for OAK Racing
No. 36- Paul-Loup Chatin/Nelson Panciatici/Oliver Webb for Signatech Alpine
No. 37- Kirill Ladygin/Nicolas Minassian/Maurizio Mediani for SMP Racing
No. 38- Simon Dolan/Harry Tincknell/Oliver Turvey for Jota Sport
No. 41- Alessandro Latif/Michael Nunemann/James Winslow for Greaves Motorsport
No. 42- Chris Dyson/Tom Kimber-Smith/Matt McMurry for Caterham Racing (Greaves Motorsport)
No. 43- Romain Brandela/Gary Hirsch/Christian Klien for Newblood by Morand Racing
No. 46- Ludovic Badey/Tristan Gommendy/Pierre Thiriet for Thiriet by TDS Racing
No. 47- Richard Bradley/Matthew Howson/Alexandre Imperatiori for KCMG
No. 48- Nathanel Berthon/Karun Chandhok/Ricardo Gonzalez for Murphy Prototypes
No. 50- Keiko Ihara/Pierre Ragues/Ricky Taylor for Larbre Competition
Grand Touring Endurance-Professional (GTE-Pro) Entries: 9
No. 51- Gianmaria Bruni/Giancarlo Fisichella/Toni Vilander for AF-Corse
No. 52- Matt Griffin/Federico Leo/Alvaro Parente for RAM Racing
No. 71- Olivier Beretta/James Calado/Davide Rigon for AF-Corse
No. 73- Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Jordan Taylor for Corvette Racing
No. 74- Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook for Corvette Racing
No. 91- Jörg Bergmeister/Patrick Pilet/Nick Tandy for Porsche Team Manthey
No. 92- Marco Holzer/Frédéric Makowiecki/Richard Lietz for Porsche Team Manthey
No. 97- Stefan Mücke/Bruno Senna/Darren Turner for Aston Martin Racing
No. 99- Alex MacDowall/Darryl O'Young/Fernando Rees for Aston Martin Racing
Grand Touring Endurance-Amateur (GTE-Am) Entries: 19
No. 53- Archie Hamilton/Johnny Mowlem/Mark Patterson for RAM Racing
No. 57- Ben Collins/Nic Jönsson/Tracy Krohn for Krohn Racing
No. 58- Soheil Ayari/Fabien Barthen/Anthony Pons for Team Sofrev ASP
No. 60- Lorenzo Case/Raffaele Gianmaria/Peter Mann for AF-Corse
No. 61- Marco Cioci/Luis Perez Companc/Mirko Venturi for AF-Corse
No. 62- Jean-Marc Bachelier/Howard Blank/Yannick Mallegol for AF-Corse
No. 66- Abdulaziz Turki Al-Falsal/Seth Neiman/Spencer Pumpelly for JMW Motorsport/Flying Lizard Motorsports
No. 67- Eric Helary/Erik Maris/Jean-Marc Merlin for IMSA Performance Matmut
No. 70- Pierre Ehret/Shinji Nakano/Martin Rich for Team Taisan
No. 72- Aleksey Basov/Andrea Bertolini/Victor Shaitar for SMP Racing
No. 75- Emmanuel Collard/Markus Palttala/François Perrodo for ProSpeed Competition
No. 76- Nicolas Armindo/David Hallyday/Raymond Narac for IMSA Performance Matmut
No. 77- Patrick Dempsey/Joe Foster/Patrick Long for Dempsey Racing/Proton Competition
No. 79- Jeroen Bleekemolen/Bret Curtis/Cooper MacNeil for ProSpeed Competition
No. 81- Sam Bird/Michele Rugolo/Stephen Wyatt for AF-Corse
No. 88- Khaled Al-Qubaisi/Klaus Bachler/Christian Ried for Proton Competition
No. 90- Frankie Montecalvo/Gianluca Roda/Paolo Ruberti for 8Star Motorsports
No. 95- David Heinemeier-Hansson/Kristian Poulsen/Nicki Thiim for Aston Martin Racing
No. 98- Paul Dalla Lana/Pedro Lamy/Christoffer Nygaard for Aston Martin Racing
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 9- Lotus (P1)
No. 21- Jonny Kane/Nick Leventis/Danny Watts for Strakka Racing (P2)
No. 22- Millennium Racing (P2)
Unknown Numbers: SRT Motorsports (2 GTE-Pro's), Craft Racing
Le Mans Update: Porsche 1-2 in Wednesday Qualifying, Loic Duval Out of 24 after Horrific Crash
On Wednesday, the 55 entrants in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans got to get out onto the track for their first day of action. That action consisted of two free practice sessions and the first of three qualifying sessions.
During the second practice session, Loic Duval was driving the No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro through the Porsche Curves when he lost control. The Audi spun and became airborne before hitting the catchfence. The rear two-thirds of the Audi were destroyed.
According to the ACO's official statement, Duval was extracted from the car, placed into an ambulance and transported to the Le Mans Centre Hospitalier. The statement described Duval's condition as "encouraging" at the time.
Since then, Audi Sport announced on their official Twitter feed that Duval was completely unhurt except for two skin grazes. Regardless, Duval has still been ruled out of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He will be replaced by Audi reserve driver (and former Formula One racer) Marc Gené, who was scheduled to race a Zytek chassis in the P2 class for Jota Sport. Gené will be replaced at Jota Sport by Oliver Turvey.
The qualifying session was marred by additional wrecks which shortened what was supposed to be a two hour session to just 46 minutes. 8Star Motorsports' GTE-AM class No. 90 Ferrari F458 Italia and the No. 37 SMP Racing P2-class ORECA 03-Nissan had incidents that brought out red flags. The biggest wreck involved the No. 99 Aston Martin V8 Vantage driven by Fernando Rees in the GTE-Pro class in the Porsche Curves. The Aston Martin hit the wall hard enough to necessitate barrier repairs. As a result, the session was declared complete 30 minutes early.
At the time the session was curtailed, the two Porsche 919 Hybrids were 1-2 overall. Former Rolex Series competitor Brendon Hartley in the No. 20 Porsche turned in the fastest time with a 3:23.179 (150.057 mph). Teammate Neel Jani was second with a time of 3:23.928 (149.506 mph).
Toyota, with their 1000 horsepower TS040 chassis were third and fourth. Audi's two remaining R18 e-tron quattros (Nos. 2 and 3) were fifth and sixth. The No. 1 chassis will have to be rebuilt after Duval's massive crash and as a result, the car did not take part in the session.
Rebellion Racing's two R-One chassis are the sole entrants in the LMP1-L class, a class for non-diesel, non-hybrid P1 cars for privateers. Their fastest entry was ten seconds off of the Porsches with a best lap of 3:33.177 (143.019 mph).
In P2, the G-Drive Racing No. 26 Morgan-Nissan driven by TUSC regular Olivier Pla was fastest with a lap of 3:38.843 (139.316 mph), good enough for ninth overall. That is nearly two-thirds of a second faster than Paul-Loup Chatin in No. 36 Alpine A450 from Signatech Alpine and Alexander Imperatori in the No. 47 ORECA 03-Nissan.
GTE-Pro saw Gianmaria Bruni turn in the best lap in the class, a 3:54.754 (129.874 mph) good enough for 25th overall. However, four different manufacturers are in the top-4 in the class. Second is the No. 97 Aston Martin V8 Vantage driven by Stefan Mücke, then the No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR for Frédéric Makowiecki and the No. 73 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
Finally, GTE-Am saw SMP Racing's No. 72 Ferrari F458 Italia driven by former Rebellion Racing driver Andrea Bertolini was fastest with a time of 3:56.787 (128.759 mph). The time is good enough for 30th overall and faster than four GTE-Pro entries (remember, GTE-Am cars must have no more than one "professional" driver and must use a car that is at least one year old).
The No. 61 AF-Corse Ferrari is second in class, less than a tenth and a half behind. Patrick Long, driving the No. 77 Porsche 911 RSR (2013-spec) for Dempsey Racing (with Proton Competition) was third quickest in class.
Qualifying resumes tonight with two more rounds. Round 2 will be from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM local time (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT), while the final qualifying session will be after dark from 10:00 PM – 12:00 AM local time (4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT).
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.
~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Potts' Thoughts About the SVRA at IMS
Potts' Shots
by John Potts
Last Saturday, I was privileged to spend a full day at one of the most enjoyable events ever.
While I was at Indianapolis Raceway Park, we had a couple of vintage racing events on the road course in the late 90s – but they were nothing like the Brickyard Invitational put on by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, using the 2.44-mile road course and the famous 2.5-mile oval.
There were somewhere between 700 and 750 race cars on the property. I hadn't seen that many in one place since the last time I was at the U.S. Nationals. I recall my first NHRA Division 3 "points meet" at IRP back in 1985. We had like 485 cars. I drove around on a golf cart, came back to the office and accused Bob Daniels of using mirrors because there couldn't be that many drag racers in the world. Little did I know.
At IMS on Saturday, I saw everything from a 1909 Alco-6 "Black Beast" to a NASCAR No. 99 Ford with the Aflac duck on the quarter-panel. That's more than 100 years of racing history, folks.
One of the big thrills was seeing the open wheel classes on the oval. If you weren't there, it's hard to imagine midgets (yes, midgets!), sprint cars, Silver Crown cars, historic open wheelers, roadsters, rear-engine Indy cars, and even a couple of big-block modifieds going down the front straightaway.
Among the loudest things I heard echoing off those grandstands in that session were a Watson roadster with a four-cam Ford in it and the 1936 Ford modified. Bobby Unser even took a spin in his 1981 Norton-sponsored 500 winning car.
I was watching all this from the fourth floor deck of the Media Center, and went back inside after the session. After a few minutes I heard a very familiar sound go by. Back outside, the first thing I saw was a whale-tail Porsche coming down the straight at maybe 150 miles an hour, and I'm sure the driver was just thrilling himself to death. Then a No. 2 Miller Lite Ford and a No. 6 Valvoline Pontiac, followed closely by the aforementioned No. 99 Ford, practically blew his doors off.
While the open wheelers, particularly the midgets and sprint cars, were taking it easy in their session, these people were pedal-to-the-metal. And they took the prize for the loudest things all day. There was an old Cale Yarborough No. 11 Oldsmobile, a Kevin Harvick Busch Series No. 2 as well as a No. 29 Goodwrench Chevrolet, a Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet, and…if I keep going I'll forget something. Even a No. 90 Heilig-Myers Ford with Dick Trickle's name over the door.
Cruising through the garage area and paddock was just like a Goodguys Rod & Custom and drag race show, but with closed-course race cars.
One of the higher-ups in the SVRA said we could count on them coming back, and I certainly hope this is going to be an annual event. It should be part of every road racing or oval racing fan's bucket list.
The highlight of the racing was a pro-am "legends" road race with Indianapolis 500 veterans in muscle cars, pairing amateur drivers/owners with the professionals. Al Unser won the thing in a Corvette, but the racing, to put it mildly, was ferocious at times.
Bear in mind this is supposed to be "gentleman's style" racing. No contact, of course. Uh-huh. Tell that to people like Little Al, Dick Simon, Lyn St. James, etc. That image when out the window when Buddy Lazier came rolling down the pit lane in a 1970 Camaro with the front end all bashed in.
Every one of the veteran drivers professed to having had a great time and looking forward to doing it again. Well, Dick Simon admitted that, on his first practice lap, he was having so much fun that he suddenly realized he couldn't go into Turn 1 of the road course as fast as he was going. SVRA's motto is "Some people collect art. We race it." And they do.
This dissertation wouldn't be complete without a word about a friend I met several years ago at IRP. Turner Woodard is a car nut and collector, and he has the resources to pretty much buy what he wants and do what he wants with it. Doug Boles, the president of IMS, said he didn't think anybody had as much fun as Turner did at this event.
As an aside – Doug was once an intern working for me at IRP. I now call him "Probie." He told a couple of photographers Saturday that I got him started. Not really. He had a passion for racing, and I was just the first guy to get to see it.
Anyway, I met Turner during one of our Friday afternoon "open" test days on the road course at IRP. We used to charge $100 a car and have fun all day. John Best of Anderson, our photographer liaison and at the time SCCA's Indy Region Flag Chief, and I used to coordinate these things. We'd switch off being race control and chief starter.
One Friday about 30 minutes before quitting time, Turner shows up with a Ferrari and wants to know how he gets in on the fun. I told him he gives me $100, but it didn't look like there was going to be time for more than a few laps.
He said that was no problem, peeled off a Franklin and handed it to me, then went back to the car and got in line for the next (and last) closed wheel session of the day. At the next one, he showed up early in the morning with three or four cars and had himself a blast.
After shut-down time, I was talking to him and Best in the paddock area, and mentioned that I'd be back, I had to go downtown and pick up my wife after she got off work.
Turner tosses me a set of keys and says, "Here, take the yellow Testarossa."
Oh, it was tempting, but I told him there was no way I was driving that Ferrari through rush-hour traffic in Indianapolis on a Friday afternoon. Besides, my wife would never believe it was me in that car when I pulled up outside Old Navy.
Last Saturday, I was privileged to spend a full day at one of the most enjoyable events ever.
While I was at Indianapolis Raceway Park, we had a couple of vintage racing events on the road course in the late 90s – but they were nothing like the Brickyard Invitational put on by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, using the 2.44-mile road course and the famous 2.5-mile oval.
There were somewhere between 700 and 750 race cars on the property. I hadn't seen that many in one place since the last time I was at the U.S. Nationals. I recall my first NHRA Division 3 "points meet" at IRP back in 1985. We had like 485 cars. I drove around on a golf cart, came back to the office and accused Bob Daniels of using mirrors because there couldn't be that many drag racers in the world. Little did I know.
At IMS on Saturday, I saw everything from a 1909 Alco-6 "Black Beast" to a NASCAR No. 99 Ford with the Aflac duck on the quarter-panel. That's more than 100 years of racing history, folks.
One of the big thrills was seeing the open wheel classes on the oval. If you weren't there, it's hard to imagine midgets (yes, midgets!), sprint cars, Silver Crown cars, historic open wheelers, roadsters, rear-engine Indy cars, and even a couple of big-block modifieds going down the front straightaway.
Among the loudest things I heard echoing off those grandstands in that session were a Watson roadster with a four-cam Ford in it and the 1936 Ford modified. Bobby Unser even took a spin in his 1981 Norton-sponsored 500 winning car.
I was watching all this from the fourth floor deck of the Media Center, and went back inside after the session. After a few minutes I heard a very familiar sound go by. Back outside, the first thing I saw was a whale-tail Porsche coming down the straight at maybe 150 miles an hour, and I'm sure the driver was just thrilling himself to death. Then a No. 2 Miller Lite Ford and a No. 6 Valvoline Pontiac, followed closely by the aforementioned No. 99 Ford, practically blew his doors off.
While the open wheelers, particularly the midgets and sprint cars, were taking it easy in their session, these people were pedal-to-the-metal. And they took the prize for the loudest things all day. There was an old Cale Yarborough No. 11 Oldsmobile, a Kevin Harvick Busch Series No. 2 as well as a No. 29 Goodwrench Chevrolet, a Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet, and…if I keep going I'll forget something. Even a No. 90 Heilig-Myers Ford with Dick Trickle's name over the door.
Cruising through the garage area and paddock was just like a Goodguys Rod & Custom and drag race show, but with closed-course race cars.
One of the higher-ups in the SVRA said we could count on them coming back, and I certainly hope this is going to be an annual event. It should be part of every road racing or oval racing fan's bucket list.
The highlight of the racing was a pro-am "legends" road race with Indianapolis 500 veterans in muscle cars, pairing amateur drivers/owners with the professionals. Al Unser won the thing in a Corvette, but the racing, to put it mildly, was ferocious at times.
Bear in mind this is supposed to be "gentleman's style" racing. No contact, of course. Uh-huh. Tell that to people like Little Al, Dick Simon, Lyn St. James, etc. That image when out the window when Buddy Lazier came rolling down the pit lane in a 1970 Camaro with the front end all bashed in.
Every one of the veteran drivers professed to having had a great time and looking forward to doing it again. Well, Dick Simon admitted that, on his first practice lap, he was having so much fun that he suddenly realized he couldn't go into Turn 1 of the road course as fast as he was going. SVRA's motto is "Some people collect art. We race it." And they do.
This dissertation wouldn't be complete without a word about a friend I met several years ago at IRP. Turner Woodard is a car nut and collector, and he has the resources to pretty much buy what he wants and do what he wants with it. Doug Boles, the president of IMS, said he didn't think anybody had as much fun as Turner did at this event.
As an aside – Doug was once an intern working for me at IRP. I now call him "Probie." He told a couple of photographers Saturday that I got him started. Not really. He had a passion for racing, and I was just the first guy to get to see it.
Anyway, I met Turner during one of our Friday afternoon "open" test days on the road course at IRP. We used to charge $100 a car and have fun all day. John Best of Anderson, our photographer liaison and at the time SCCA's Indy Region Flag Chief, and I used to coordinate these things. We'd switch off being race control and chief starter.
One Friday about 30 minutes before quitting time, Turner shows up with a Ferrari and wants to know how he gets in on the fun. I told him he gives me $100, but it didn't look like there was going to be time for more than a few laps.
He said that was no problem, peeled off a Franklin and handed it to me, then went back to the car and got in line for the next (and last) closed wheel session of the day. At the next one, he showed up early in the morning with three or four cars and had himself a blast.
After shut-down time, I was talking to him and Best in the paddock area, and mentioned that I'd be back, I had to go downtown and pick up my wife after she got off work.
Turner tosses me a set of keys and says, "Here, take the yellow Testarossa."
Oh, it was tempting, but I told him there was no way I was driving that Ferrari through rush-hour traffic in Indianapolis on a Friday afternoon. Besides, my wife would never believe it was me in that car when I pulled up outside Old Navy.
John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVERTISEMENT
Download the all-new Dover International Speedway Mobile App!
Control your race weekend right in the palm of your hand with the brand new mobile app from Dover International Speedway, available on all iPhone, iPad and Android devices. This new app gives you the ability to purchase race tickets, helps you find your grandstand seats, features a comprehensive listing of race weekend activities and allows you to build your own, customized race weekend calendar, plus much more. Get it now at iTunes or the Google Play Store, and your race weekend will never be the same!
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to another edition of the Critic's Annex, where I take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. On Sunday afternoon after NBC wrapped up their coverage of the Grand Prix of Canada at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I was expecting to review that show. Then, NBC Sports Network pulled a fast one and announced a last-minute Director's Cut edition. Since I crave content, I decided to write about the longer show. The piece will not be a compare-and-contrast. It will only concern the Director's Cut.The show starts off by showing Kurt Busch's practice crash and Busch talking about how dangerous racing at Indianapolis is in an IndyCar. He described what happened in that incident later in the piece.
Busch considers the double to be the biggest challenge of his entire career. There are few people who understand what to expect. Busch has Tony Stewart as an owner (the only man to complete all 1100 miles back in 2001), and he seeks Stewart's advice on how to handle the situation. Stewart isn't interviewed separately by the production, but we see him talking to Busch.
After setting the mood, the special flashes back to last year, when Busch first got a chance to drive an IndyCar. Busch loved the experience, but at the time, didn't think that anything would come of it. Then, the contract came out and was signed.
We see footage of Busch doing Rookie Orientation back in April. Patricia Driscoll, Kurt's girlfirend, is there every step of the way. She's also a little more nervous than normal, especially once Busch gets up to speed, but apparently no more nervous than when Busch races at Daytona or Talladega. Busch tries to put her at ease, even describing the helmet removal system that the Holmatro Safety Team uses in order to remove the helmet from a driver who had crashed. It is something that has only been used in a race situation once or twice (I personally recall Sebastian Saavedra's helmet being removed after a wreck like that). Ultimately, Driscoll is in charge of the logistics for the whole month. On Carb Day, she gets in one of the two-seaters for a very brisk ride in order to clear her mind. Apparently, she was driven at 206 mph.
Naturally, anyone planning on doing 1100 miles of racing has to have a decent training regimen and Busch is no different. He has a personal trainer in Maryland (where he lives with Driscoll most of the time these days) that puts him through the paces.
The Director's Cut special really veers away from the rigid 36 hour time frame of most of the _____:36 shows. Instead, we see Busch's exploits over the whole two weeks. We see Busch describing the sensations of 220-230 mph to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. prior to the Sprint All-Star Race. The race itself was more or less glossed over.
From Indianapolis after the crash, Busch went to New York City for publicity (not just a Busch thing as drivers were sent all over the country to promote the Indianapolis 500), then to Charlotte to qualify. Carb Day wasn't really shown much, but time was given to a party at the Andretti Autosport shop. It's very different as compared to how Busch usually prepares the night before a race.
We don't see much of the pre-race stuff on race day, and almost none of Busch's preparation. What we do see is Busch interacting with other drivers (Ex: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Juan Pablo Montoya) and being told the procedure of driver introductions. After a clip of Jim Nabors singing "Back Home Again in Indiana," we get right to the race. Busch explains that he felt roughly 15 laps into the race that they were going to go green for a long time. He explains that Turn 2 was the toughest part of the track because of wind blowing over the suites and creating a dead spot.
After the race ends, we see Busch celebrating his sixth-place finish with his crew at Andretti Autosport and talking briefly with media members (no one from ESPN). Then, it was time to go. Also of note, Busch loves to impersonate Arnold Schwarznegger here ("Get to da choppa!"). During said flight, he gets an IV from an onboard nurse to replenish fluids. In addition, he ate a little and used wet wipes to "take a shower" on the plane.
What's really noticeable here is just how little time on the show is actually spent on the Coca-Cola 600. It's literally only the last couple of minutes. I'd argue that the way that race turned out is part of the reason why that approach was taken. It's still weak, though. Roughly 80 percent of the show was IndyCar-centered. I did expect more of a focus to be given to the IndyCar portion since 1) Kurt Busch is a complete rookie who prior to the Indianapolis 500, had never raced an IndyCar and 2) NBC isn't televising NASCAR races just yet, but they are a primary TV partner for the Verizon IndyCar Series. However, I didn't quite expect the focus that we got. I was surprised that Parker Kligerman, Busch's backup driver in Charlotte, never appeared on the show in any way (not even a soundbite). Kligerman's work is probably at least part of the reason that the No. 41 ran so well during the 600 before the engine problems popped up.
Ultimately, the show is enjoyable to watch, but a bit different from what I expected. Simply put, I was expecting the show to be a showcase of NBC's future NASCAR ties in addition to their current IndyCar relationship. I definitely didn't get that.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the Director's Cut of Kurt Busch:36. Next week, I'll be back with another look at motorsports programming. Until then, enjoy the action from Michigan, Gateway and Le Mans. I know I will.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Kyle Larson on the Tricky Triangle, 2014 Aspirations and Home Ownership
"Anyone can lay down a fast lap. What's more important is how you run with a lot of laps on your tires. Even though we're 10th on the speed charts, I wouldn't say we are a 10th place car right now." - Kyle Larson on being able to race well at Pocono. It's obvious that he figured out what he needed.
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
Going By the Numbers: A Rookie's Way To Stay Relevant... Laps Completed?
by Kevin Rutherford
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Kyle Larson on the Tricky Triangle, 2014 Aspirations and Home Ownership
"Anyone can lay down a fast lap. What's more important is how you run with a lot of laps on your tires. Even though we're 10th on the speed charts, I wouldn't say we are a 10th place car right now." - Kyle Larson on being able to race well at Pocono. It's obvious that he figured out what he needed.
~~~~~~~~~~
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:
Going By the Numbers: A Rookie's Way To Stay Relevant... Laps Completed?
by Kevin Rutherford
as told to Mike Neff
by Greg Davis
by Vito Pugliese
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: 1994 saw Group C cars outlawed from Le Mans, replaced by open-top World Sports Cars and GT1 cars. However, the overall winner looked very similar to a Group C Porsche 962. How did that car even get in the race?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: In the 2003 Sirius 400, Geoff Bodine made his one and only start of the season in his brother's No. 11 Hooters Ford. What happened to result in Geoff getting the call to drive?
A: Brett Bodine suffered a failure on his car and hit the wall hard in Turn 1. The car rode the wall, then veered down the track and accelerated head-on into a tire barrier that had been placed in front of the inside wall, completely writing off likely the best car Bodine had in his stable. The crash can be seen here.Brett suffered a concussion and a broken clavicle in the crash and, as seen in the clip, had to be carried out of the car. With Hooters ending their sponsorship after Michigan, Brett never started another Cup race.
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 Staff
-- 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 pertinent issues in NASCAR. Topics include the championship chances for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Pocono and whether the changes at the track had any real effect on the racing, NASCAR's return to Gateway Motorsports Park, and more.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Frontstretch Foto Funnies by the Frontstretch Staff
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Nuts For Nationwide by Kelly Crandall
Kelly returns to bring us up-to-date on NASCAR's second-tier series as they return to the track this weekend at Michigan.
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.
-----------------------------
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
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
No comments:
Post a Comment