The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 15th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CXIV
Top News
Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced Monday afternoon that the track has partnered with global pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly and Company to become the title sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The race, which now will be called the "Lilly Diabetes 250", is a multi-year deal with Lilly and IMS. Read more at Frontstretch.
On Monday, TriStar Motorsports of the NASCAR Nationwide Series announced that Plan B Sales will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 44 Toyota Camry, driven by David Starr this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway for the EnjoyIllinois.com 300. Plan B Sales, based in Concord, NC is one of the largest re-sellers of Lionel diecast and Chase Authentics apparel in motorsports. Read more at Frontstretch.
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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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NASCAR Needs to Worry About the Racing, Not the Ticket Sales
When you arrive at the track and park your RV, you expect the campground to get more crowded as the week goes along. The same applies to the grandstand. Thursday brings out your camper-wanderers. They stroll along the frontstretch, watching the advance production crews begin to wire the place for Sunday. Friday invites the early race fans in with qualifying festivities and maybe a local feature. Saturday, the excitement continues to build with the arrival of the Nationwide Series, culminating in the massive Sprint Cup event on Sunday. By then, at least in days gone by, you can't wiggle enough room between your seatmates to comfortably settle your bottom. It's something akin to insane, all these fans squashed into one place on one day.
I did mention "in days gone by."
Early Saturday afternoon, I grabbed a couple prime seats in the middle of Turns 1 & 2 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, along with my cooler and husband. Plenty of other folks arrived. We exchanged excitement for the upcoming Whelen Modified Tour race, and the weekend in general. Then, we focused on the track -- because the Sunoco 100 was one hell of a race. The leaders traded off, lap after lap. It was, indeed, a Loudon classic as Bobby Santos III sailed past Teddy Christopher on the last lap to take the win. It was a thrilling, on your feet, kind of a show.
And then... they left. Not just the Modifieds. The fans!
The Nationwide race was due to take the green in just about an hour. The stands emptied out -- I figured for burgers and restrooms. But, the fans never came back. And the ones that did? Well, as Brad Keselowski made it clear there wouldn't be any meaningful competition today, the rest followed suit. Lap after lap saw seat after seat vacate.
NASCAR Nation has been saying it for years: the product being offered up for our consumption is subpar. If the best crowd on Saturday shows up for a racing series not even part of the development system, NASCAR is broken into tiny little bits. Can a major racing venue still bring in 30,000 people for a secondary series? Sure, but the New Hampshire fans spoke loud and clear; what they really want to see is competitive action, not big names. Certainly, not the big names. I haven't had so much room around me on Sunday afternoon since I can't remember.
So, if the fans won't come out for the fancy sponsor-painted series on Sunday, wouldn't it be better if we had the big party on Saturday night? The subject of installing lights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been a favorite topic among fans and management for years. What would lights bring? More fans?
The front-end math might be misleading. Yes, I believe the Cup race would sell more seats for the one-night show. However, as far as those who invest their weekends in a NASCAR race, the loss of one of the days is... disappointing. Gone would be the never-ending tailgate party, campfires that don't quite go out, and the wonder of enjoying multiple series during one overdose of NASCAR. Besides, the current setup still brings in around 30,000 fans on Saturday, adding to the 70,000 - 80,000 that attend on Sunday. People aside, the most money would be generated from new television and sponsor opportunities that a Saturday night broadcast would bring; just more cash for those that already have billions in their pockets.
So trying to fix a lack of dollars coming in from ticket sales, to be traded off for TV ads is short-sighted. If fans are vacating their seats when the superstars take to the track, nobody should be thinking about what day is the better one to race on. How to bring the excitement of the Modified races back to the top tiers of stock car racing is the bigger question.
Then, you won't have to worry about how to sell more tickets, but where to put more seats.
2014 Sonya Strictly by the Stats
Top Three Rookies for 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301
1) No. 42 - Kyle Larson: Started 13th, Finished 3rd (1st in RoTY standings)
2) No. 3 - Austin Dillon: Started 23rd, Finished 14th (2nd in RoTY standings)
3) No. 26 - Cole Whitt: Started 35th, Finished 28th (5th in RoTY standings)
Numbers Game: Camping World RV Sales 301
by Tom Bowles
0
Laps led by Tony Stewart Sunday. Stewart, who led 84 laps in this race last season remains winless in 2014, outside the "Chase grid" as it currently stands.
1
Cup race finished by 72-year-old Morgan Shepherd this season after running the distance at New Hampshire. Shepherd, who wound up 27 laps off the pace hadn't run a Cup race to completion since the 2004 July race down in Daytona.
2
Top-10 finishes by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. this season (including a ninth at New Hampshire) at any track where NASCAR runs without a restrictor plate. Stenhouse sits a distant 28th in points.
3
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who finished inside the top 10 Sunday. It's the first time that's happened since the 2013 season finale at Homestead.
4
Of seven NASCAR cautions called at New Hampshire were for "debris." Ironically, it was an unquestionable reason for a yellow flag (Justin Allgaier's wreck) that precipitated a green-white-checkered overtime finish.
5
Drivers who would make the Chase on points if the season ended today: Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, and Kyle Larson.
6
Number, out of the last seven races where Carl Edwards has run outside the top 10, including a ho-hum 13th on Sunday. Lone exception? Sonoma, where the No. 99 car wound up in Victory Lane.
7
Straight top-15, lead-lap finishes for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt wound up the only Hendrick Motorsports car to post inside the top 10 at New Hampshire (10th).
10
Laps led by Ryan Newman, all season long. That's compared to 11 for underdog driver Landon Cassill; however, as of now Newman is seventh in the standings, on the strength of seven top-10 finishes and is solidly in position to make the Chase.
14
Laps led by Kyle Larson at New Hampshire, a career high for him in any Cup race.
323
Miles run on Sunday, the most for any Cup race at New Hampshire since 2006.
$109,565
Money won by Denny Hamlin for finishing eighth.
$114,091
Money won by Jimmie Johnson for crashing and finishing 42nd.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Team Penske's Gil de Ferran dominated the 2001 Molson Indy Toronto, leading 49 laps. However, he was eliminated with a little less than 20 laps to go. What happened?
Check back Wednesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Monday's Answer:
Q: In 1999, Dario Franchitti led flag-to-flag to win the Molson Indy Toronto. However, eventual champion Juan Pablo Montoya's day started out just OK, but ended early. What happened?
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Ashley McCubbin
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Open Wheel Wednesday by the Frontstretch Staff
Did You Notice? by Tom Bowles
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 Loudon compiled by Michael Mehedin
Jeff Gordon still leads the points, but running out of fuel cost him some of his points lead. 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.
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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