The Frontstretch Newsletter: Stewart Returns

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com

The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

August 29th, 2014

Volume VIII, Edition CXLVII

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Editor's Note: While we do not have anyone at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, we will have Mike Neff live-tweeting the upcoming Tony Stewart press conference at 1 p.m. EDT.  Just go to our Twitter page (http://twitter.com/Frontstretch) to follow along.  In addition, Amy Henderson will be live-tweeting as well on her own Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/Writer_Amy).

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This Weekend's TV Schedule

Friday, August 29

Time                                        Telecast                                                                                                       Network

1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m               The 10: Earnhardt Moments                                                                        FOX Sports 1#!

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m               NASCAR RaceHub Special                                                                          FOX Sports 1!

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.              Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1                                                                 FOX Sports 1

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.              Nationwide Series Practice No. 1                                                                FOX Sports 1

5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.              NASCAR America                                                                                        NBC Sports Network

5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.              NASCAR Live                                                                                              FOX Sports 1

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.              Nationwide Series Happy Hour                                                                    FOX Sports 1

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.              NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals First Round Qualifying          ESPN3$

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.              Verizon IndyCar Series Qualifying                                                               NBC Sports Network

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.              Sprint Cup Series Qualifying                                                                       FOX Sports 1

Saturday, August 30

Time                                       Telecast                                                                                                        Network

4:30 a.m. - 6:00 a.m.             Sprint Cup Series Qualifying                                                                         FOX Sports 1*# (from August 29)

6:00 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.             The 10: Greatest Drivers in NASCAR History                                                  FOX Sports 1#

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.         Sprint Cup Series Qualifying                                                                         FOX Sports 1*# (from August 29)

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.           NASCAR America: Scan All 43                                                                     NBC Sports Network#

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.             Whelen Southern Modified Tour Practice                                                      FansChoice.tv^

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.             Pirelli World Challenge: Sonoma                                                                  NBC Sports Network* (from August 23-24)

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.             Southern National Motorsports Park Practice                                                 FansChoice.tv^

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.             Langley Speedway Practice                                                                          FansChoice.tv^

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.             Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 2                                                                   FOX Sports 2

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.             Lake County Speedway Hot Laps                                                                  FansChoice.tv^

4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.             Whelen Southern Modified Tour Qualifying                                                 FansChoice.tv^

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.             Nationwide Series Qualifying                                                                        FOX Sports 2

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.             Langley Speedway Qualifying                                                                      FansChoice.tv^

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.             Southern National Motorsports Park Qualifying                                             FansChoice.tv^

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.             Evergreen Speedway Practice                                                                      FansChoice.tv^

5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.             Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship                              FOX Sports 2#

5:55 p.m. - 9:55 p.m.             Lake County Speedway Browns vs. Steelers Night                                        FansChoice.tv^

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.             Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour                                                                       FOX Sports 2

6:45 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.           Southern National Motorsports Park Labor Day 260                                      FansChoice.tv^

6:50 p.m. - 8:20 p.m.             Langley Speedway Bayport Credit Union Night, Part 1                                 FansChoice.tv^

7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.             NASCAR Countdown                                                                                    ESPN 2

7:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.             Evergreen Speedway Qualifying                                                                  FansChoice.tv^

7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.           Nationwide Series Great Clips 300                                                               ESPN 2

8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.             Whelen Southern Modified Tour Bayport 150                                              FansChoice.tv^

8:55 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.             Evergreen Speedway Heat Races                                                                 FansChoice.tv^

9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.             Verizon IndyCar Series MavTV 500                                                              NBC Sports Network

9:30 p.m. - 11:00 a.m.           Langley Speedway Bayport Credit Union Night, Part 2                                 FansChoice.tv^

10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.         Evergreen Speedway Rory Price Memorial                                                  FansChoice.tv^

Sunday, August 31

Time                                       Telecast                                                                                                       Network

8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.            motoGP World Championship Grand Prix of Great Britain                           FOX Sports 1

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.          IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: VIR                                        FOX Sports 1*/ (from August 23)

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.            NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals Qualifying, Part 1                  ESPN 2

11:15 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.            AMA Pro Flat Track: The Springfield Mile, Timed Practice                          FansChoice.tv^

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.           Whelen Modified Tour/Whelen Southern Modified Tour Bush's Beans 150   FOX Sports 1*/ (from August 20)

1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.              NCWTS Setup                                                                                              FOX Sports 1

1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.              Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250k                                FOX Sports 1

2:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.              AMA Pro Flat Track: The Springfield Mile, Main Events                              FansChoice.tv^

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.              Rally America New England Forest Rally                                                     NBC Sports Network*/ (from July 18-19)

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.              NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals Qualifying, Part 2                  ESPN 2

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.              NASCAR RaceDay                                                                                       FOX Sports 1

7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.              NASCAR Countdown                                                                                    ESPN

7:30 p.m - 11:30 p.m.             Sprint Cup Series Oral-B USA 500                                                                ESPN

8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.              Moto2: Great Britain                                                                                     FOX Sports 2*

9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.            Moto3: Great Britain                                                                                     FOX Sports 2*

* - 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

! - Telecast will be interrupted for a live press conference.  The 10 will be interrupted for Tony Stewart's press conference, while RaceHub will be interrupted for Mike Helton's press conference.

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Top News

by Justin Tucker

Tony Stewart to Return to Racing This Weekend

Tony Stewart hasn't been at or near a race track following an Aug. 9 sprint car racing accident that claimed the life of Kevin Ward, Jr., but all that's set to change this weekend. Stewart-Haas Racing announced today (Aug. 28) that the three-time Cup Series champion will return to competition this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Read more

 

Comcast Xfinity to Become Title Sponsor of NASCAR's Second-Tier Series: Report

The Nationwide Series looks to finally have its new name. According to Sports Business Journal, NASCAR and Comcast plan to announce next Wednesday (Sept. 3) a 10-year agreement that will see what is currently known as the Nationwide Series transformed into the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Read more

 

Harry Scott Files Notice of Suit Against Steve Turner Over Race Team

In what has already been a chaotic situation this week for Turner Scott Motorsports, more fuel was added to the fire on Thursday as reports surfaced that Harry Scott has threatened to sue Steve Turner over management of the organization. Sporting News reports that Scott has filed a notice of suit in North Carolina Superior Court, with 20 days given to file said suit. 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: Oral-B USA 500

by Brad Morgan

The Sprint Cup Series travels to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 25th race of the 2014 season Sunday, Aug. 31. Television coverage of the Oral-B USA 500 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN; your local Performance Racing Network (PRN) affiliate and SiriusXM Radio Channel 90 will have the radio broadcast. Drivers will compete for at least 325 laps (500.5 miles) before the checkered flag waves.

Records and Facts

Kyle Busch led the final 36 laps and beat out Joey Logano for the win last year at AMS, it was Busch's second win there in 16 career starts.

Bobby Labonte leads all active drivers with six AMS wins but he isn't entered in Sunday's race. Jeff Gordon, with five wins, has more victories than any other driver currently on the entry list.

Track Facts

Track Length: 1.5-mile quad oval
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Degree of Banking: 24 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,332 ft., five degrees of banking
Backstretch: 1,800 ft., five degrees of banking
Grandstand Seating: 99,000
Website: http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/atlmotorspeedway
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amsupdates

Pre-race Schedule

Practices: Friday, Aug. 29, 2:30 - 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Aug. 30, 3 - 3:50 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2

Happy Hour: Saturday, Aug. 30, 6 - 6:50 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2

Qualifying: Friday, Aug. 29, 7:10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

VIPs

Grand Marshal: TBA
Command to start engines: TBA
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Invocation: TBA
National Anthem: Will Chase
Flyover: TBA

Race Day Forecast

Sunday: Chance of Storm
Precipitation: 20 percent
High: 88
Low: 70

They Said It:

"We are in the position now where winning is all that matters to get into The Chase for us. We aren't going to leave anything on the table. The focus is to win this weekend or at Richmond and leave nothing else to chance. Our fate is in our hands, and we know the challenge. It's just time to go out and execute." - Marcos Ambrose

"Atlanta is a unique track because it's one of the more worn out 1.5-mile tracks that we go to on the circuit. It's also very bumpy, so getting a compromise of balance of being able to get through the bumps is important." - Greg Biffle

"Obviously, the Hendrick engines are the best right now, but Atlanta is such big handling. I would say the power comes more into play in qualifying than what it will in the race. You spend so much of the race in Atlanta sliding around that I think a good handling car will overcome horsepower. I think, if you could pick one or the other, you would take the car that handles really well versus the car with the most power. I don't know that the engines, once we get through qualifying, are going to be as big of an advantage as what they are at a place like Michigan or Charlotte, tracks that you can use a lot of throttle throughout the run." - Jamie McMurray

"Yeah, if you took a poll of all the drivers, the number one track to race at is going to be Atlanta for everyone's vote. It's abrasive, it wears out tires and we slide around the track. It's really fast for one lap, then it progressively gets worse from there. All of these factors make it really fun for drivers." - Paul Menard

"I don't see it as the final tune-up [for the Chase]. I see it as another opportunity. It is such a different animal of a race track because of the way the tires fall off. You really don't see that as much with the track's coming up, except for a place like Texas. I see Atlanta as its own kind of animal because of the tire-track combination. But it is important. It does build confidence, which is probably more important than the actual balance of the car." - Ryan Newman

Brad Morgan is a senior writer for Frontstretch. Email him at brad.morgan@frontstretch.com.

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Keepin' It Short: It's Time for the Biggest of the Big

by Mike Neff

Keepin' it Short always likes to look for the big events - whether it is the Chili Bowl, the Snowball Derby, the World 100 or the Super DIRT Week, the big races are highlights of the racing season.

This coming week in Boone, Iowa, is the biggest of them all. The Super Nationals at Boone Speedway draw in more competitors and put on more races in a six-day period than any other event in racing. In 2013 there were 824 competitors who raced during the Super Nationals. They run races in Hobby Stocks, Sport Compacts, SportMods, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and the signature division Modifieds.

The racing begins on Monday Deery Brothers Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods. Tuesday features Sport Compacts, Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods and SportMods. Wednesday has Stock Cars and more Hobby Stocks, SportMods and Northern SportMods. Thursday will see the Stock Cars, SportMods and the beginning of Modified action. Friday will showcase the Stock Cars, SportMods and the All-Star Invitational. The Invitational will feature a field of 30 Modified drivers selected by fans. Saturday is the big day with SportMods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, and Modifieds.

The racing is obviously the focal point of the week but it is not the entire experience. The manufacturer's row will have over 40 vendors showcasing their wares to the fans and competitors. There is a party on Sunday before the week begins that features live music and sets the tone for the whole week. The whole week is a family camping extravaganza with thousands of people on the grounds enthralled by racing and the general camaraderie of socializing with people with a similar love for racing.

One highlight of the week that is truly unique to Boone is the track preparation. The art of preparing a race track is part science, part brute force and part voodoo. The people at Boone have turned it into a choreographed dance of farm equipment like no one has seen anywhere else. In less than 15 minutes the track crew tills up the track, waters it and repacks it for more races. This action doesn't take place once a night. Depending on weather conditions and the races that have taken place the track will be prepped as quickly as every six races or as long as every 15 races. The average is about every 10.

For those folks who can't make it to Boone, the opportunity to watch the Nationals is available online through XSAN, which will have a free preview from the Sprint Car Nationals at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska on Saturday. The entire Super Nationals can be seen, at least 10 hours of racing per day for six days, for $150. If you are in the Midwest and you want to head to Boone the ticket prices for the grandstand seats are $20 on Monday and Friday, $15 Tuesday through Thursday and then $25 on Saturday.

There are big races all season long and some are bigger than others. The Super Nationals in Boone are the biggest and you don't want to miss them.

Whelen All-American National Championship

The available days to score points toward the national title are running out quickly. Anthony Anders holds a 10-point lead over Lee Pulliam and with Greenville-Pickens allowiing Anders to start 10th for feature races while Pulliam is racing at tracks that require him to start last if he doesn't want to start where he qualifies, it looks like Anders has the title all but locked up. As the K&N Series prepares to head to Greenville next weekend the track is quiet this week. Anders had said earlier this season that he'd head to South Boston at some point this season to race. This weekend would be the ideal time for him to do so.

Third in points is still Keith Rocco, who ran twice this past week and picked up a win and two top-5 finishes. Rocco is 18 points behind Pulliam, who scored two wins this past week but did not pick up any additional points.

Dillon Bassett had a huge week, racing four times and winning all four events including two wins at Hickory Motor Speedway over Anders, who finished fifth and eighth in those two events. Bassett jumped over Ryan Preece to reclaim fourth in the standings. Preece ran two races over the week and scored a win and two top 5s. He is 12 points behind Bassett after the youngster's great weekend.

Peyton Sellers and Kres Vandyke did not race but maintain sixth and seventh in points, respectively. Tommy Lemons, Jr. ran two races, scoring a top 5 and two top 10s and adding four points to his season total. Chad Finchum did not race but stays in ninth, while Matt Bowling fell out of the top 10, being replaced by Stewart Friesen.

Place Name Tracks Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Points

1 Anthony Anders Anderson, Myrtle, Hickory, Greenville 46 27 40 44 718
2 Lee Pulliam Caraway, S Boston, Greenville, Motor Mile, Southern Natl 40 21 35 36 708
3 Keith Rocco Waterford, Stafford, Thompson 38 13 30 33 690
4 Dillon Bassett East Carolina, Caraway, Motor Mile, Langley, Anderson, Greenville, Southern Natl, Hickory 31 12 26 30 649
5 Ryan Preece Riverhead, Thompson, Stafford, Waterford 39 12 32 36 637
6 Peyton Sellers Langley, Motor Mile, Caraway, S Boston 29 5 24 29 629
7 Kres Vandyke Kingsport, Motor Mile, L Pine 28 8 24 26 620
8 Tommy Lemons, Jr Southern Natl, Caraway, Motor Mile, S Boston 36 6 22 29 611
9 Chad Finchum L Pine, Kingsport 26 12 22 23 601
10 Stewart Friesen Utica Rome, Grandview 19 7 18 18 599

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 September 22nd. The maximum number of points a driver can receive is 738.

This week's racing schedule 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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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:

Rising Smoke: Tony Stewart's Return from Tragedy
by Amy Henderson

Happiness Is…Denny Hamlin, the Schedule, and Tony Stewart's Return
by Huston Ladner

Nuts for Nationwide: It's No Longer the Kyle Busch Series
by Kelly Crandall

Mirror Driving: Bristol Breakdown, Busch's Behavior, and Title Talk

by the Frontstretch Staff

Frontstretch Foto Funnies: I am the Start/Finish Line
by the Frontstretch Staff

IndyCar Preview: ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at MAVTV 500
by Toni Montgomery

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
 
Q: In 1997, the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series competed in the Reese's 400k, the first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the reconfiguration from a 1.522-mile true oval to a 1.54 mile quad-oval.  Benny Parsons made a rather famous (and hilarious) exclamation coming to the white flag.  Name the exclamation.

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

Thursday's Answer:

Q: Bill Elliott's third of four consecutive wins early in the 1992 Winston Cup season came at Atlanta Motor Speedway by the substantial margin of 18 seconds.  How did Elliott pull such a victory off?

A: Elliott was actually having a mediocre day when Mike Wallace crashed to bring out a caution with 44 laps to go, during the final round of pit stops.  Elliott had not stopped yet and was able to beat Harry Gant to the start-finish line to keep himself on a lap of his own.  Elliott was able to pit, get four tires, and drive to victory unmolested as the rest of the drivers on the lead lap had to start directly in front of Elliott and chase him down.  Also of note, the race was plagued by rain, so much so that ABC left the telecast during a red flag after 51 laps and never returned.

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:

-- Oral-B USA 500 Race Recap by Justin Tucker

-- Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here by Amy Henderson

-- Sidebar Stories: Atlanta by Phil Allaway

-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch Columns and More!

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This Weekend on the Frontstretch:

Four Burning Questions: Atlanta by Matt Stallknecht

Matt covers all the big stories and questions in Atlanta.

Nationwide Breakdown: Nationwide Great Clips 300 by Joseph Wolkin

We'll have all the post-race analysis you need following this weekend's action at Atlanta.

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Monday on the Frontstretch:

Thinkin' Out Loud: Oral-B USA 500 by Mike Neff

Mike covers all the details and post-race analysis from Atlanta.

Big Six: Oral-B USA 500 by Amy Henderson

Amy tackles the who, what, when, where, how and why from Atlanta.

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-Atlanta.

Cracking the Case by Aaron Creed

Aaron has his take on a developing story from the weekend.

Tracking the Trucks: Chevrolet Silverado 250 by Beth Lunkenheimer

The Truck Series makes its only trip to Canada and Beth has all the stories from a weekend north of the border.

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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

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Turner Scott Motorsports Turned Upside Down

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
August 28th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CXLVI
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What to Watch: Thursday

- Today, we will likely hear from Stewart-Haas Racing as to what Tony Stewart's plans are for this weekend (if any) in Atlanta.  The team has stated that Stewart will continue to determine whether he will race on a week-to-week basis.

Today's TV Schedule

Time                                   Telecast                                                                                                                                         Network

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.     Blancpain Endurance Series Total 24 Hours of Spa                                                                    CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 26-27)

5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.         NASCAR America                                                                                                                        NBC Sports Network

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.         NASCAR RaceHub                                                                                                                      FOX Sports 1

6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.         Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship                                                           FOX Sports 2#

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.         NASCAR RaceHub                                                                                                                     FOX Sports 2*#

8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.         AMA Pro Motocross Series: Utah, 450 Class Moto No. 2                                                          NBC Sports Network*# (from August 23)

DVR Theater (Late Thursday Night/Early Friday Morning)

1:00 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.         NASCAR America: Scan All 43                                                                                                 NBC Sports Network

1:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.         The Grid                                                                                                                                    NBC Sports Network

2:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.         Bull Global RallyCross: Daytona                                                                                              NBC Sports Network*# (from August 23)

 

* - Tape Delayed

/ - Highlighted Coverage

# - Repeat Coverage

Top News
by Phil Allaway

Steve Turner and Harry Scott, Jr. Have Undisclosed Dispute, Creating Rift in Turner Scott Motorsports

On Wednesday afternoon, news emerged of a rift at Turner Scott Motorsports between co-owners Steve Turner and Harry Scott, Jr. which threatened to tear the entire organization apart.  For now, it appears that the vast majority of the teams will continue.  However, Ron Hornaday's No. 30 team in the Camping World Truck Series, currently third in points, will not make the trip to Ontario for Sunday's race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.  Read more at Frontstretch ... also, see Beth Lunkenheimer's special report.

Snap-on Re-signs with Team Penske

On Wednesday morning, Team Penske announced that Snap-on had signed a multi-year deal to continue as a company-wise associate sponsor and part-time primary sponsor in the Nationwide Series.  The deal continues a relationship between the two organizations that is currently in its fourth decade.  Read more at Fronstretch.

Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night.  However, they are still subject to change.

Sprint Cup Series Oral-B USA 500: 44 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 32 - JJ Yeley for Go FAS Racing
No. 33 - Ty Dillon for Circle Sport/Richard Childress Racing

No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing

No. 77 - Joe Nemechek for Randy Humphrey Racing

Driver Changes:

No. 14 - An unknown driver will be in the seat.  Officially, Tony Stewart is entered, but Stewart-Haas Racing has not announced whether Stewart will drive, or even travel to Atlanta for this weekend's action. Jeff Burton is the likely sub if Stewart sits out.
No. 33 - Ty Dillon is in the seat, replacing David Stremme.  If he qualifies, Dillon will make his Sprint Cup Series debut.

No. 77 - Joe Nemechek is in the seat, replacing Nelson Piquet, Jr. Nemechek shifts to this team from Jay Robinson Racing, where he's run the majority of the Cup season to date.

 

Driver who must qualify on speed (top-36):

No. 77- Joe Nemechek for Randy Humphrey Racing (48^th in points, 13 attempts)

Drivers who have provisionals, but could fail to qualify:
No. 7 - Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing (31^st in points, 24 attempts)

No. 23 - Alex Bowman for BK Racing (37^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 26 - Cole Whitt for Swan Racing/BK Racing (33^rd in points, 24 attempts)

No. 32 - JJ Yeley for Go FAS Racing (38^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 33 - Ty Dillon for Circle Sport/Richard Childress Racing (41^st in points, 24 attempts)

No. 34 - David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports (32^nd in points, 24 attempts)
No. 36 - Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing (34^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 38 - David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports (30^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing (35^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 66 - Brett Moffitt for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing (39^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 83 - Ryan Truex for BK Racing (40^th in points, 24 attempts)

No. 95 - Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing (42^nd in points, 14 attempts)

No. 98 - Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing (36^th in points, 24 attempts)

 

Nationwide Series Great Clips 300: 41 cars entered

 

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5 - Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports

No. 20 - Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22 - Joey Logano for Team Penske

No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports

No. 42 - Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports

No. 54 - Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 87 - Chris Cockrum for Identity Ventures Racing/Rick Ware Racing

No. 98 - David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

Driver Changes:
No. 10 - Jeff Green returns to the seat, replacing Mike Bliss. This team will start-and-park.

No. 19 - Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Hermie Sadler. Bliss returns to his normal ride, adjusted based on funding for TriStar.
No. 20 - Matt Kenseth returns to the seat, replacing Erik Jones. This JGR car rotates between Cup drivers and some up-and-coming youngsters.
No. 22 - Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney. Logano is sharing this car with Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney the rest of the season.
No. 23 - Carlos Contreras returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch. Contreras continues to run a limited schedule based on funding for Rick Ware.
No. 46 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Matt Frahm. This car is a start-and-park effort for Key Motorsports.
No. 74 - Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage. Harmon owns the car.
No. 87 - Chris Cockrum returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill. Cockrum runs based on funding for Joe Nemechek's team.

Drivers who must qualify on speed:

No. 5 - Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)

No. 10 - Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Has second crack at the Past Champions' Provisional)*

No. 13 - Carl Long for Carl Long Racing*

No. 17 - Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing

No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports

No. 46 - Unknown driver for The Motorsports Group*

No. 70 - Derrike Cope for Derrike Cope Racing

No. 72 - John Jackson for Carter Motorsports*

No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing

No. 89 - Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures*

No. 98 - David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

 

Not Entered:

No. 29 - Milka Duno for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard

No. 37 - Ryan Ellis for Vision Racing

No. 84 - Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports

No. 86 - Jake Crum for DRG Motorsports

No. 91 - TriStar Motorsports

 

Camping World Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250k: 28 trucks entered

Driver Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 19 - Alex Tagliani for Brad Keselowski Racing

 

Driver Changes:
No. 07 - Ray Courtemanche, Jr. is in the seat, replacing B.J. McLeod.  Courtemanche will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.

No. 19 - Alex Tagliani is in the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.  Tagliani will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.

No. 32 - Cameron Hayley is in the seat, replacing Ben Rhodes.  Hayley will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.

No. 36 - Justin Jennings is in the seat, replacing Blake Koch. This truck typically start-and-parks.

No. 51 - Erik Jones returns to the seat, replacing Kyle Busch. Jones is splitting the schedule with his Cup Series driver and Truck owner.
No. 63 - Scott Stenzel returns to the seat, replacing Justin Jennings. Stenzel is running a one-race deal.

 

Since there are only 28 trucks entered, no one will fail to qualify.  However, these drivers must still qualify on speed:
No. 0 - Caleb Roark for JJC Racing*

No. 36 - Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports*

No. 53 - Andrew Ranger for NDS Motorsports.  This race will be Ranger's Camping World Truck Series debut.

* - Expected to Start-and-Park

Withdrawn:
No. 30 - Ron Hornaday for Turner Scott Motorsports

 

Not Entered:

No. 01 - Jake Crum for Jake Crum Motorsports

No. 03 - Mike Affarano for Affarano Motorsports

No. 05 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports

No. 23 - Max Gresham for GMS Racing

No. 25 - Justin Boston for Venturini Motorsports

No. 28 - Bryan Dauzat for FDNY Racing
No. 33 - Brandon Jones for Turner Scott Motorsports

No. 75 - Caleb Holman for Henderson Motorsports

No. 80 - Jody Knowles

No. 92 - Corey LaJoie for RBR Enterprises

 

ARCA Racing Series Southern Illinois 100: 30 cars entered

 

Driver Changes:

No. 0 - Wayne Peterson returns to the seat, replacing Con Nicolopoulos.
No. 10 - Tyler Speer is in the seat, replacing Ed Pompa.

No. 40 - Ray Ciccarelli returns to the seat, replacing Roger Carter.

No. 49 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Brian Norton.

No. 52 - Ken Schrader returns to the seat, replacing Matt Tifft.
No. 55 - Brennan Poole returns to the seat, replacing Ben Rhodes.

No. 66 - Bob Strait returns to the seat, replacing Brennan Poole.

No. 68 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Will Kimmel.
No. 69 - Will Kimmel returns to the seat, replacing Kenny Mathews.
No. 77 - Tom Hessert, III returns to the seat, replacing Anderson Bowen.

No. 97 - An unknown driver is in the seat, replacing Emerson Newton-John.

No. 99 - An unknown driver is in the seat, replacing Tom Woodin.

 

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. 55 - Brennan Poole for Venturini Motorsports

No. 69 - Will Kimmel for Kimmel Racing

No. 77 - Tom Hessert, III for Cunningham Motorsports

No. 90 - Grant Enfinger for Team BCR/GMS Racing

No. 98 - Mason Mitchell for Mason Mitchell Motorsports

 

Not Entered:

No. 4 - Brandon Jones for Turner Scott Motorsports

No. 12 - Tyler Audie for Kyle Beattie Motorsports

No. 37 - Kyle Benjamin for Kyle Benjamin Motorsports

No. 47 - Christian Celaya for Stange Racing

No. 72 - Cunningham Motorsports

 

Verizon IndyCar Series MavTV 500: 22 cars entered

 

Driver Changes:
No. 20 - Ed Carpenter returns to the seat, replacing Mike Conway.

 

Entries:

No. 2 - Juan Pablo Montoya for Team Penske

No. 3 - Helio Castroneves for Team Penske

No. 7 - Mikhail Aleshin for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

No. 8 - Ryan Briscoe for NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing

No. 9 - Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing

No. 10 - Tony Kanaan for Target Chip Ganassi Racing

No. 11 - Sebastien Bourdais for KVSH Racing

No. 12 - Will Power for Team Penske

No. 14 - Takuma Sato for A.J. Foyt Enterprises

No. 15 - Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

No. 17 - Sebastian Saavedra for AFS Racing

No. 18 - Carlos Huertas for Dale Coyne Racing

No. 19 - Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing

No. 20 - Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing

No. 25 - Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport

No. 27 - James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport

No. 28 - Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport

No. 34 - Carlos Munoz for HVM/Andretti Autosport

No. 67 - Josef Newgarden for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing

No. 77 - Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Racing

No. 83 - Charlie Kimball for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing

No. 98 - Jack Hawksworth for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

Have news for Phil 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' Shots for August 28

Potts Shots
by John Potts

I can't take credit for this one. It comes to me from Frank Scott, a friend from Louisville who is still active as the weekly announcer at the Sportsdrome in Jeffersonville, IN, across the Ohio from Louisville. He knows a lot of the same people I do, and is responsible for taking care of a Facebook page featuring the old Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville, which was active from 1961 through 1980. Each time I log on to it, I have to wonder if there is another short track which has been out of business for more than 30 years with more than 1,800 members.

Here it is, in Frank's words…

"In a recent conversation with 10-Time ARCA Series Champion Frank Kimmel, his thoughts turned to present-day drivers. For instance, he told me he and Ken Schrader and Kyle Busch were sharing stories and Charlie Glotzbach's name came up. To Kimmel and Schrader's surprise, Rowdy didn't know who "Chargin" Charlie was."

"Well, Glotzbach happened to be there at the event that day and Kimmel took him over and introduced him. Rowdy and Glotzbach sat and talked for quite some time and both came away with a mutual respect for each other. It only figures - their driving styles and brushes with the hierarchy of NASCAR seem to closely resemble one another."

"Keep in mind, Charlie won Cup events at Charlotte, Michigan and Atlanta, but his win at Bristol was maybe the most impressive. In 1971, Glotzbach won the caution-free Volunteer 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in a record pace that still stands. The race was completed with an average speed of 101.074 mph (two hours, 38 minutes) at the .533-mile (at the time) track. Glotzbach required relief during the middle of the race from Friday Hassler. The track is known for a high number of cautions."

"My most vivid memory of Glotzbach is when he tested for Chrysler Corporation when they were experimenting with the new high-winged, Dodge Daytona Charger. Charlie was clocked at 242 mph on Chrysler's Chelsea, Michigan test track on bias ply tires, not the safer radials we have today."

"In September of 1969, Glotzbach set a World Record of 199.466 mph at Talladega, driving the Nichels Engineering No. 88 Dodge Charger Daytona."

"Glotzbach, now age 76 and operating a truck dealership in Sellersburg, IN, was the Fairgrounds Motor Speedway's 1978 Late Model Division Champion after winning four NASCAR Cup Series events. He had 50 starts in the series and won twelve pole positions - that's one pole for every five starts. Yes… I think Rowdy was impressed.

"Frank Kimmel ended our conversation by stating: 'Think that's something? Matt Crafton (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series star) didn't even know who David Pearson is'."

Maybe stories like this one are the reason I feel so strongly about the history of our sport. Times like those may never come again. It's nice to sit back and remember when you could tell what kind of car a driver was in with just a glance.

John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Critic's Annex: Herr's Live Life with Flavor 200/UNOH 200 presented by Zloop

by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming.  We've reached a milestone today.  This is the 400th critique that I have written for Frontstretch since taking the column over at the beginning of 2009.  That is not a misprint.

This week, we're bringing you two races here in the critique.  Originally, the Annex was just going to cover the ARCA race from Madison International Speedway.  However, Couch Potato Tuesday ran long  so as a result, we're including the Camping World Truck Series coverage here as well.  Enjoy.

Herr's Live Live with Flavor 200

Unlike what CBS Sports Network's website and TV Guide was stating recently, Sunday's telecast from Madison International Speedway was the third and final ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards telecast of the year for the CBS Sports Network.  The crowd was not particularly all that great for the 200-lap race, but 28 cars were ready to have at it.  How did CBS Sports Network handle the telecast?  Let's take a look.

Pre-race coverage had a little more meat to it than you typically see on ARCA broadcasts.  Viewers saw pre-race interviews with the top two drivers in the points (Grant Enfinger and Mason Mitchell) prior to the opening ceremonies.  Blake Rayne was back once again at the track to sing the national anthem for what has to be the third time in a couple of months (he also did a pre-race concert as well).  ARCA appears to be going all out to help promote the film The Identical.  We're talking constant commercials, promos, sponsorship of multiple teams (the film served as Brennan Poole's primary sponsor in the race and was on the hood of John Wes Townley's Zaxby's Toyota as well).  This film is one that I have not seen any advertising for outside of ARCA race telecasts.  By all indications, it is a relatively low budget film that I guess is suitable for family audiences, but may make the audience cry.  It comes out September 5th in theaters.  We'll see how it ultimately does.

Rick Benjamin's Carolinas Production Group produces the CBS Sports Network ARCA broadcasts (along with last year's NBC Sports Network broadcasts) and they do it in a more thrifty fashion than most of the other productions that I critique for Frontstretch.  In my critique of the Akona 250 earlier this year, I noted that the company wasn't really used to doing live telecasts.  That continued Sunday to a certain extent.  During the first caution, Brennan Poole's Toyota suffered a brake fire on pit road.  CBS Sports Network's cameras did catch the fire and the booth referenced it.  However, they didn't stay on the issue at that time.  Instead, viewers could see the smoke from Poole's No. 66 way in the background as Benjamin threw the telecast to a commercial.  To say that that particular segment of the broadcast was less than ideal would be an understatement.  After the commercial break, viewers saw Poole's burnt Toyota parked behind the wall, out of the race due to a fire.

There was a fair amount of racing for position presented during the race, especially during the first half when the cars were closer together.  Enfinger and Mitchell had a great scrap for the lead that everyone in attendance must have loved.  However, as the event wound on, two things happened.  First, there was a lot of attrition.  Keep in mind that we're talking about a race in which 13 of the 28 starters finished.  That takes away a lot of opportunities for on-track battles.  Second, there was a long green-flag run that probably would have gone to the finish had Enfinger not suffered a massive mechanical failure with less than 30 laps to go.  By the time Enfinger broke, he had a lead of over half a lap over second-place Justin Boston and only a couple of drivers were left on the lead lap.

Enfinger's issues blew up the front of the field, putting a number of drivers back in contention.  I don't believe that CBS Sports Network explained this scenario well enough.  Kyle Weatherman, who finished seventh on the lead lap, earned the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap when Enfinger broke. That was fine... except he was the first driver two laps down at the time of the break.  It could be assumed that a number of people would get laps back when the leader gets an 11-second lead, then breaks but the whole situation needed to be explained better.

Post-race coverage was marred by technical issues.  With Dick Berggren serving as the telecast's sole pit reporter, those problems cut down on the amount of post-race content that we could get, despite a prodigous amount on time on the network's hands.  Viewers only saw three driver interviews, plus one with team manager Billy Venturini, along with checks of the unofficial results and point standings prior to the end of the telecast.  The technical mistakes made Berggren look bad, but they appeared to be beyond his control.

Overall, the telecast had its moments.  There was some good side-by-side racing early on.  However, most of the second half of the race just wasn't all that exciting.  That wasn't CBS Sports Network's fault.  Arguably, the Winchester race was the best of the three CBS Sports Network ARCA telecasts this season.  It's a good place to start.  It's unclear if the fledgling cable network will be back with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in 2015, but I wouldn't mind having them around again.  Racing fills a lot of airtime on CBS Sports Network during the football offseason.  Perhaps 2015 will bring CBS Sports Network to places like Salem, Springfield and DuQuoin (Note: The 2015 ARCA schedule is not out yet, so I cannot tell for sure they'll be racing there).

UNOH 200 presented by Zloop

The Camping World Truck Series was supposed to return to action Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Unfortunately, that just wasn't in the cards.  The race had to be run Thursday morning so that the transporters could get out of the infield and make way for the Sprint Cup haulers.  How did FOX Sports 1 handle what ended up being two days at the track?  Let's take a look.

Bristol did see a change in their on-air crew.  Ray Dunlap, who normally works as a pit reporter, did not make the trip to Bristol.  According to the telecast, Dunlap's mother-in-law died recently and Dunlap chose to be with his family.  Bob Dillner served as his replacement.  Krista Voda was originally going to pitch in as well, but the rain delay wiped that plan out.

Prior to the rain starting, the primary feature of the Setup was a piece on current K&N Pro Series points leader Ben Rhodes, a 17-year-old high school student from Louisville, KY.  The piece served as an introduction to the racer.  In addition, we see how Rhodes' family has tried to keep him grounded in reality.  He goes to what he terms a "regular school" (in reality, it's a parochial school as opposed to a public school) as opposed to going to school online, being homeschooled, or homeschooling himself (Ryan Truex took this route).  The piece made Rhodes come off as a fairly normal 17-year-old.  Obviously, he's anything but (apparently, he got his high school principal Hot Passes for Bristol), but he's definitely someone worth watching in the future... that is, if the current conflict between Steve Turner and Harry Scott, Jr. doesn't halt his development.

FOX Sports 1 seemed to not acknowledge the rain that was obviously falling for quite a while.  It's a kind of behavior that's rather agitating to me.  They seem to operate under the opinion that if you don't mention weather, it'll go away.  It's a six-year-old's method to deal with problems.  At this point, I feel that it's a form of lying.  If it's going to rain or actually raining, don't hide it. 

ESPN actually is a lot better at informing viewers about impending weather than FOX Sports these days.  Obviously, they don't want to talk about it, but they do it because they have to.  With FOX, we get posturing, hiding of the truth, and the whole "Vortex Theory," which is nothing more than a pile of steaming garbage.

Despite the rain, viewers didn't get all that much in the way of extra coverage.  To be fair, FS1 had was a legitimate reason for that.  There was lightning in the area, and that's a no go, especially since the lightning strike at Pocono in 2012 that killed a fan.  As a result, FOX Sports 1 replayed the feature about the Nemecheks from earlier this season before cutting to two episodes of The 10 that were shot something like four years ago.

When coverage resumed at 10 a.m. last Thursday, it started with opening ceremonies, then the command.  Steve Byrnes thought that UNOH President Dr. Jeffrey A. Jarvis' command reminded him of George Thorogood in "Bad to the Bone."  I thought it was more like the Boogie Man's No. 2 in an episode of The Powerpuff Girls.  Yes, you read that correctly.

In that particular episode, the Boogie Man has a "Grandmaster Plan" to block out the sun so that the Earth would be plunged into perpetual darkness, ensuring that his nocturnal friends can party forever.  Well, Thursday's race was not a perpetual party.  It was more like a pantsing.

About 85 percent of the race telecast was centered upon Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, who ran 1-2 for the vast majority of the race until late in the going.  There were other races happening, but they were ignored.  That's a great shame.  One of their dropbacks from the leaders did result in FOX Sports 1 catching the wreck that brought out the fourth and final caution live, but I'd argue that it was more luck than anything else.

The strict focus on Busch and Keselowski resulted in a series of topics repeating themselves in the commentary.  An example of this point was the constant trolling of when Keselowski was going to win a Camping World Truck Series race.  Admittedly, that was a topic that had already gotten overblown when Keselowski showed up in the broadcast booth at Michigan a few weeks earlier.  It was annoying then, and it's annoying now.

Post-race coverage was quite expansive since FOX Sports 1 really didn't have a set timeslot for the race with the postponement.  Also, there was nothing of note that the race would be pre-empting (a repeat of a profile of UFC fighter Johny Hendricks was originally scheduled in the slot).  Viewers were treated to ten driver interviews (Keselowski got two), plus an interview with winning crew chief Doug Randolph.  There was a check of the point standings, a recap of the race and post-race analysis before FOX Sports 1 left the air at Noon.

I didn't particularly enjoy last Thursday's race telecast as much as I normally would.  The focus was so strict that it was hard at times to follow the action.  There's more to a Truck race than Busch and Keselowski.  I know that FOX Sports 1 knows that, but it sure seems like they had some brain fade on Thursday.

I hope you today's edition of the Critic's Annex.  Next week, we'll be back with a look at the MavTV 500 from Auto Club Speedway.  It's going to be near 100 degrees on Saturday, so it will likely be very slippery on the two-mile, D-shaped oval.  Until then, enjoy this weekend's action from Fontana, Atlanta and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

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: Corey LaJoie on Looking for Sponsors, Learning from the King and Concord Speedway

"I see him quite a bit. He is awesome. Just to have his knowledge to pick from is awesome. There is only so much you can learn from somebody on the racetrack. Just some pointers here and there. He can't obviously tell you how to drive the race car. To see what kind of an icon he is off of the racetrack and how kind he is to people and attentive. That is what I need to focus on. He'll make time for anyone, any time of the day. As big of a figure as he is in the sport, to still take care of the people who got him to where he is is pretty cool to see at 76 or however old he is." - Corey LaJoie, on spending time around Richard Petty
~~~~~~~~~~

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 AT FRONTSTRETCH:

 

NASCAR Tech Talk: Matt Puccia "Labors" Through Atlanta And Life On The Bubble

as told to Mike Neff

Fantasy Insider: Gauging NASCAR "Bubble" Brilliance At Atlanta
by Jeff Wolfe

Truckin' Thursdays: Divorce Papers - Making Sense of Turner Scott Motorsports

by Beth Lunkenheimer

 

Going By the Numbers: NASCAR Bubble Drivers "Chasing" ... What, Exactly?

by Kevin Rutherford

Voice of Vito: Truck Termination, Schedule Shortcomings And JGR Shakeup?
by Vito Pugliese

~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  Bill Elliott's third of four consecutive wins early in the 1992 Winston Cup season came at Atlanta Motor Speedway by the substantial margin of 18 seconds.  How did Elliott pull such a victory off?

Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Wednesday's Answer:

Q:  Up until the start of NASCAR's series-wide TV deals in 2001, the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was one of the few races that was on network television every year.  Coverage was shown live on ABC.  However, 1993 was an exception to that rule.  Why was this so, and what happened to the race telecast?

A: When the Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 was originally scheduled to run, the entire Atlanta metro area was paralyzed what became known as "Superstorm '93," a massive snowstorm that blanketed most of the Eastern United States with heavy snows.  Atlanta was socked in for days, resulting in the postponement of both the Busch Grand National and Winston Cup races.  While the Busch Grand National race was postponed to November and run as part of a tripleheader, the Cup race was postponed a week.

ABC decided not to return to Atlanta for the rescheduled race, which was held during the first off week of the year.  TNN agreed to pick up the race at the last minute.  It was the only NASCAR race at Atlanta ever televised on the Nashville-based network.

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

Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a number of pertinent issues including the action at Bristol Saturday night, the role of television media in NASCAR, contenders for the Camping World Truck Series championship and more.

IndyCar Preview: Fontana by the FS IndyCar Staff
We'll have a preview of Saturday night's MaVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway, the season finale for the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
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.

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 Atlanta.

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.

-----------------------------
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