Friday, July 25, 2014

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Brickyard 400 Practice Update

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 25th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CXXII

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FRONTSTRETCH AT THE TRACK!
INDIANAPOLIS - MIKE NEFF & KELLY CRANDALL


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This Weekend's TV Schedule

Friday, July 25
Time                              Telecast                                                                                                                                 Network
2:30 PM - 5:15 PM        IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Brickyard Sports Car Challenge                 IMSA.com/FansChoice.tv^
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM        NASCAR America                                                                                                            NBC Sports Network
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM        TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Brickyard Grand Prix                                      FOX Sports 1
8:30 PM - 9:00 PM        The 10: Greatest Finishes                                                                                                FOX Sports 1#
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM      ARCA Racing Series Scott Get Geared Up 200                                                              FOX Sports 1
9:15 PM - 11:45 PM      NHRA Sonoma Nationals First Round Qualifying                                                               ESPN3$

Saturday, July 26
Time                               Telecast                                                                                                                               Network
3:00 AM - 4:30 AM         Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1                                                                                      FOX Sports 1*# (from July 25)
4:30 AM - 6:00 AM         Nationwide Series Practice No. 1                                                                                     FOX Sports 1*# (from July 25)
5:00 AM - 6:00 AM         Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Free Practice No. 3                                               NBC Sports Live Xtra$
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM         Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Qualifying                                                              CNBC
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM       SCORE Baja 500                                                                                                             CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 6-8)
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM       Sprint Cup Series Happy Hours                                                                                       ESPN 2
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM     K&N Pro Series West NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 (Stateline Speedway)                    FOX Sports 1*/ (from July 12)
11:45 AM - 1:45 PM       Langley Speedway Practice                                                                                            FansChoice.tv^
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM       Nationwide Series Qualifying                                                                                          FOX Sports 1
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM        Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Qualifying                                                            NBC Sports Network*#
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM          Red Bull Global RallyCross: Charlotte                                                                           NBC
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM          Sprint Cup Series Qualifying                                                                                         ESPN
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM          Lake County Speedway Hot Laps                                                                                 FansChoice.tv^
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM          NASCAR Countdown                                                                                                    ESPN
4:30 PM - 7:00 PM          Nationwide Series Lilly Diabetes 250                                                                            ESPN
4:50 PM - 6:50 PM          Evergreen Speedway Practice                                                                                      FansChoice.tv^
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM          GP2 Series: Hungary                                                                                                    NBC Sports Network*
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM          Langley Speedway Qualifying                                                                                       FansChoice.tv^
5:15 PM - 6:00 PM          AMA Pro Flat Track Sacramento Mile Practice                                                             FansChoice.tv^
5:55 PM - 9:55 PM          Lake County Speedway: Mardi Gras Night                                                                   FansChoice.tv^
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM          AMA Pro Motocross Championship: Washougal                                                          NBC Sports Network
6:55 PM - 10:55 PM        Langley Speedway Hampton Heat 200 at the Races                                                  FansChoice.tv^
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM          NHRA Sonoma Nationals Final Qualifications                                                             ESPN 2*/
8:00 PM - 8:45 PM          Evergreen Speedway Qualifying                                                                                 FansChoice.tv^
8:55 PM - 9:45 PM          Evergreen Speedway Heat Races                                                                              FansChoice.tv^
9:15 PM - 10:45 PM        AMA Pro Flat Track: Sacramento Mile                                                                        FansChoice.tv^
10:00 PM - 1:30 AM        Evergreen Speedway Harley-Davidson Night                                                             FansChoice.tv^

Sunday, July 27
Time                                  Telecast                                                                                                                               Network
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM           F1 Countdown                                                                                                                        CNBC
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM         Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary                                                                                     CNBC
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM         K&N Pro Series East JEGS 150                                                                                            FOX Sports 1*/ (from July 19)
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM       F1 Extra                                                                                                                                 CNBC
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM       NASCAR RaceDay                                                                                                               FOX Sports 1
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM         NASCAR Countdown                                                                                                            ESPN
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM           Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal presents the John Wayne Walding 400                             ESPN
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM           F1 Countdown                                                                                                                     NBC Sports Network*#
2:00 PM - 8:00 PM           NHRA Sonoma Nationals Final Eliminations                                                                       ESPN3$
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM           Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary                                                                                   NBC Sports Network*#
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM           F1 Extra                                                                                                                               NBC Sports Network*#
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM         NHRA Sonoma Nationals Final Eliminations                                                                       ESPN2*/
10:30 PM - 11:00 PM       NASCAR Victory Lane                                                                                                        FOX Sports 1

* - Tape Delayed
/ - Highlighted Coverage
# - Repeat Coverage
^ - Available via free online streaming
$ - Available via password-protected online streaming.  Check with your internet and/or programming provider for availability
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Indy Practice Summary
by Mike Neff

Friday was the first day of on-track activity for the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup teams. The Nationwide cars were on track for their only two practice sessions of the weekend while the Cup teams hit the track just once. When the red and black flags waived a the end of the sessions, David Ragan was quickest in the first session for the Nationwide Series while Ty Dillon was at the top of the charts in the final session. On the Cup side of the ledger it was Matt Kenseth who led the charge.

Ragan was best in practice one for the Nationwide teams with a 49.712 second lap at a speed of 181.043 mph. He was followed by Dillon, who tripped the clock at 49.743 seconds and a speed of 180.930 mph. The top two drivers were the only ones who timed in under the 50 second barrier. Third on the sheet was Dylan Kwasniewski at 50.018 seconds and a speed of 179.935 mph. Brendan Gaughan ran a 179.856 mph lap in 50.040 seconds to slot in fourth in the practice while Paul Menard went 179.817 in 50.051 seconds to round out the Top 5. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson completed the Top 10.

In the second and final round of Nationwide practice, Dillon backed up his efforts from the first practice as the only competitor to eclipse the 50-second barrier in both sessions. Dillon's 49.932-second lap was 180.245 mph. Brian Scott muscled a 50.396-second lap to best everyone besides Dillon with a speed of 178.588 mph. Busch, the Nationwide Series track record holder turned in a 178.338 mph lap in 50.466 seconds for third fastest. Harvick clocked in one hundredth of a second slower than Busch at 50.476 seconds and 178.303 mph. Rounding out the top 5 was Matt Kenseth, who cranked off a 177.746 mph lap in 50.634 seconds. The remainder of the top 10 was comprised of Logano, Menard, Smith, Trevor Bayne and Ragan.

The Cup practice saw a mad dash at the beginning of the session followed by a steady flow of cars the rest of the time period. Playing off of his success in the Nationwide practice, Kenseth crossed the line fastest at a 48.313-second clip. That was good for a 186.285 mph lap. Clint Bowyer was equally fast on his first lap on the track, crossing the line in 48.369 seconds at 186.070 mph. Brad Keselowski was third quick of the Sprint Cup series when he turned a lap of 185.939 mph in 46.405 seconds. Jimmie Johnson took two laps in the session before his best time of 48.479 seconds clocked him in at 185.647 mph. Finishing off the Top 5 in the Cup series was Larson. He utilized his knowledge from the Nationwide practices to muscle his No. 42 ride across the line in 48.532 seconds with a speed of 185.445. The final five in the Top 10 were Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Logano, Marcuos Ambrose and Harvick.

Saturday's schedule of events kicks off with the final practice for the Cup series at 9:00 AM. The Nationwide teams are on track for qualifying at 12:10 while the Cup teams qualify at 2:10. The final activity for the day is the Lilly Diabetes 250 for the Nationwide Series.

Top News
by Justin Tucker

Jeremy Clements Racing Announces New Crowd Funding Campaign

Jeremy Clements Racing announced on Thursday the launch of  "Help Jeremy Clements Achieve Greatness," an Indiegogo campaign to help support Clements' efforts in the Nationwide Series. Read more

Ambrose, Penske Near V8 Supercar Deal

From all appearances over the last couple of weeks, it was starting to look certain that Marcos Ambrose would return to Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 9 Ford Fusion in 2015. However, a report surfaced on Thursday that Ambrose would be leaving NASCAR at the end of this season and returning to his native Australia. Read more

Hamilton Confident in Future Despite Vettel Rumors

2008 Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton insists that his long-term future with Mercedes is not in doubt, despite increasing speculation linking four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel to the team. Read more

Have news for Justin and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.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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Frontstretch Folio: Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400

The Sprint Cup Series will travels to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 20th race of the 2014 season on Sunday, July 27. Television coverage of the Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 begins at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN; the IMS Racing Network and SiriusXM Radio Channel 90 will handle the radio broadcast. Drivers will compete for at least 160 laps (400 miles) before the checkered flag waves.

Records and Facts

Ryan Newman assumed the lead after the final round of pit stops in last season's Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 and held off Jimmie Johnson for his first ever victory at the Brickyard. Newman also won the pole of the race, the 50th of his career.

Johnson came up short on that occasion, but has celebrated four previous Indianapolis wins – enough to tie with teammate Jeff Gordon for wins by a Cup driver – including a 2008 race that's also notable for the widespread tire issues experienced by several teams. That race included a record six competition cautions as teams received time to change tires.

Gordon – the winner of the inaugural Brickyard 400 – along with Jeff Burton, Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte are the only drivers to have competed in all 20 NSCS events at IMS. Currently, only Gordon and Labonte are included on the entry list for this year's race.

Track Facts

Track Length: 2.5-mile quad oval

Pit Road Speed: 55 mph

Degree of Banking: 9 degrees

Frontstretch: 3,330 ft., 0 degrees of banking

Backstretch: 3,300 ft., 0 degrees of banking

Grandstand Seating: 235,000

Website: http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IndianapolisMotorSpeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/IndyTalk

Pre-race Schedule

Practices: Friday, July 25, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Happy Hour: Saturday, July 26, 9 - 11 a.m. ET on ESPN2

Qualifying: Saturday, July 26, 2:10 p.m. ET on ESPN2

VIPs

Grand Marshal: TBA 

Command to start engines: Mary Hulman George 

Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA 

Invocation: TBA 

National Anthem: TBA 

Flyover: TBA

Race Day Forecast

Sunday: Thunderstorms

High: 84

Low: 62

Precipitation: 90 percent

They Said It

"Indy is a tough place to get your Kingsford Chevrolet SS to turn and not over rotate. Turn 1, you are just going so fast and that corner comes up quick and invites you to drive in too deep. It's about flow. Turn 2 is loose in, but critical to get back to power. Turn 3 is the most wide open corner with a lot of grip and the most speed in. Turn 4, when you get off the corner, it gets loose on exit. Indy is a rhythm place. Being up front is critical because in traffic is worse. When you are up front, it makes the race easier to call and drive. It's just so tough when you are in traffic." – AJ Allmendinger

"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years [since the inaugural IMS event]. That was such a big event, and Ernie Irvan and I had a great battle where we were passing each other for the top spot before he had a tire issue. Growing up in nearby Pittsboro (Indiana) made that such a special win for me." – Jeff Gordon

"Everyone risks it all for Indianapolis. I'm excited because for a long stretch now we have been able to go there and get it right and be competitive with this Lowe's team. So now I unload there and I understand how to drive the track and I'm able to get us in that window to be competitive. It's a huge honor to be out there kissing the bricks at the end – something I would love to do again." – Jimmie Johnson

"It's hard to rationalize a race beating the Daytona 500, but with all that happened to me last year, winning the 2013 Brickyard 400 is kind of in a tie with me winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500. I went through a lot last year. Plus, I am from Indiana and that place is important to my state. I think the most important part of winning at Indy is appreciating the history of the speedway and the history of all the race car drivers who have competed there. Then, to see the list of drivers who have actually fulfilled their dreams of winning there, it's pretty amazing." – Ryan Newman

"The biggest reason is that the speeds are so high and there's not a lot of banking. There are other things such as a temperature-sensitive racetrack with all four corners being different. You really got to get your car figured out for all four corners, which is a huge challenge, especially when the sun and shade move around. Aero also comes into play with the high speeds. It's just a very difficult place to race." – Martin Truex Jr.

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Keepin' It Short: Short Track Racing Saved From Extinction
by Mike Neff

Everyone who has ever raced or worked on a race car at a local track or a national series venue has done it. You go to the sign-in gate and put your signature on the 15-inch long pad filled with legalese. Some people may have read it once but, for the most part, you sign it because you have to and you want to race. 

The purpose is to release the race track from liability if you get hurt. It doesn't give them free license to run a death trap but, provided they make every reasonable effort to make the place safe, you acknowledge that racing is dangerous and you might get hurt.

This week in Pennsylvania that premise was challenged. In 2008, John Westbrook flipped over the wall at Williams Grove Speedway and went down an embankment to an access road. He suffered injuries that left him a quadriplegic. He sued the speedway for negligence, claiming a catch fence would have prevented the injuries he sustained. 

Williams Grove argued that, by signing the waiver, Westbrook released the speedway from liability. Westbrook's attorney argued that the waiver did not have the date line or witness line completed so it was not a valid release.

A jury sided with Williams Grove and supported the validity of the release waiver, and that single decision very well saved local short track racing from extinction. 

The release of liability waiver is what allows local race tracks to put on events with an insurance policy that is affordable. It prevents the speedways from losing everything in the event of a catastrophic incident but the premiums are reasonable due to the fact that the speedways are released from liability for every little nick, scrape, cut or serious injury due to racing. The sport of auto racing is inherently dangerous. Whether racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or at Kam Kartway in Texas, the potential for injury or death is very real. If every race track was liable for every single injury, the insurance premiums would be crippling.

In reality, if the race tracks were liable for everyone the odds are that insurance would be impossible to secure. Most, if not all race tracks in the country would probably close due to the enormous financial burden of paying insurance premiums. Those tracks that were able to stay open would have to charge such high ticket prices and back gate fees to cover their insurance premiums that people would not be able to afford to go to or compete in races. In the end it would have been the death knell for local short track racing.

As it is, the system that is currently in place has been upheld. Tracks do have the responsibility to make every sensible effort to provide a safe racing environment. However, racing has an inherent risk and the competitors and their crew members must accept a large part of that burden themselves. That relationship is what makes local racing work and thankfully a jury in Pennsylvania was able to understand that and save local racing from extinction.

Whelen All-American National Championship

The top of the national point standings remained virtually unchanged this week as Anthony Anders did not compete and Lee Pulliam scored a single win in the double features he ran at Southern National to only add three points to his season total. Pulliam now trails Anders by 10 points. Keith Rocco ran two races as well, notching one top 5 and increasing his point total by four points to 650. Peyton Sellers is still in fourth, running two races scoring one top 5 and two top 10s. His 621 point total was unchanged. Rounding out the top 5 is still Dillon Bassett. He also ran the twin features at Southern National finishing in the top 5 in both races and closing to within 13 points of Sellers with his 608 point total.

In the second half of the top 10, Ryan Preece ran one race but finished outside the top 10, failing to add to his point total. Kres Vandyke remains in seventh, having not competed in any races this week. Tommy Lemons, Jr. was also at Southern National for the twin features, coming home with two top-5 finishes and bumping up his season total to 576 points. That vaulted him over Matt Bowling for eighth. Bowling ran two races and come home with two top 5s, but only added four points to his season total. Rounding out the top 10 in points is Chad Finchum. He also did not run this week but hangs onto the 10th spot in the points.

1 Anthony Anders Myrtle, Greenville, Anderson, Hickory 35 19 30 33 694
2 Lee Pulliam South Boston, Southern National, Motor Mile, Caraway, Greenville 30 14 25 26 684
3 Keith Rocco Waterford, Stafford, Thompson 24 8 19 22 650
4 Peyton Sellers Caraway, S Boston, Motor Mile 24 5 20 24 621
5 Dillon Bassett Southern Natl, Hickory, Greenville, East Carolina, Caraway, Anderson 23 7 19 22 608
6 Ryan Preece Waterford, Riverhead, Stafford 22 8 17 21 586
7 Kres Vandyke Kingsport, Lonesome Pine 20 8 18 19 582
8 Tommy Lemons Jr. Southern National, Caraway, Motor Mile, South Boston 30 4 17 23 576
9 Matt Bowling Langley, Southern National, Motor Mile, South Boston 27 2 19 23 574
10 Chad Finchum Kingsport, Lonesome Pine 20 9 17 17 535

The Whelen All-American Series features an inverted point format. Car count determines the points competitors can receive. Points are awarded in ascending order from last place at a rate of two points per position. Last place receives two points, next-to-last scores four and on up through the field to the winner. The maximum number of cars awarded points in a single event is 18. The winner of the event receives three bonus points if they start the race in position one through nine. If they start in 10th or further back they will receive five bonus points. Drivers can collect points for their 18 best finishes recorded before Sept. 22, 2014. The maximum number of points a driver can receive is 738.

The Short Track Schedule for July 25-31 can be found here.

Mike Neff is a senior writer for Frontstretch.com. Feedback can be sent to mike.neff@frontstretch.com.

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
 
Q: In addition to its propensity to create stretched out races, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's relatively narrow width has caused problems in the past.  The 2004 Brickyard 400 is no exception.  Just before halfway, the frontstretch took its toll.  What happened?

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

Thursday's Answer:

Q: In 1998, Steve Park returned from a broken leg at Indianapolis.  Running a reverse paint scheme, Park did decently, but failed to finish the race.  What happened to put him out?

A: Coming to ten laps to go, Park spun in turn 3 and impacted the wall. At the same time, Ricky Rudd blew a right front tire, ruining his day as he was running seventh at the time.  Park was one of the 29 cars on the lead lap at time of his crash.  Unfortunately, there is no footage online of his crash.  Luckily, Park was OK and did not aggravate his previous injury in any way.

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 Monday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 Race Recap by Justin Tucker
-- Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here by Amy Henderson
-- Sidebar Stories: Indianapolis by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch Columns and More!

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This Weekend on the Frontstretch:

Four Burning Questions: Indianapolis by Matt Stallknecht
Matt covers all the big stories and questions entering the Brickyard.

Nationwide Breakdown: Lilly Diabetes 250 by TBD
Kelly has all the post-race analysis you need following Saturday's Nationwide Series race from Indianapolis.

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Monday on the Frontstretch:

Thinkin' Out Loud: Brickyard 400 by Mike Neff
Mike covers all the details and post-race analysis from Indianapolis.

Big Six: Brickyard 400 by Amy Henderson
Amy tackles the who, what, when, where, how and why from Indianapolis.

Pace Laps: All Racing Series by the Frontstretch Staff
Our staff keeps you posted on all the racing action that occurred over the weekend.

Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom returns to tackle one of the most important storylines post-Indianapolis.

Other Columns TBD

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