Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Sept. 12, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLVII
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This Weekend's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
* - 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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Top News
by Justin Tucker
Ryan Blaney, Johnny Sauter Pace Truck Practices at Chicagoland
The Camping World Truck Series rolled into the windy city and the Chicagoland Speedway on Thursday for practices leading up to tomorrow night's Lucas Oil 225 - and if Thursday is any indication, Ryan Blaney and Johnny Sauter will be tough to beat come Friday. Read more
Tony Stewart Investigation Complete, Case Sent to District Attorney
Three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will learn his fate late next week on whether or not he will be charged in the fatal sprint car accident that claimed the life of Kevin Ward, Jr. Read more
NASCAR Holds Chase Across North America Tour to Promote Chase
On Wednesday, the 16 drivers who qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup were dispatched all over the continent in order to help promote the upcoming 10-race battle. For the first time, locations outside of the United States were chosen for drivers to travel to. Jeff Gordon spent his day in Toronto, while Carl Edwards spent Wednesday in Mexico City. Read more
Have news for Justin and 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: MyAFibStory.com 400
by Brad Morgan
The Sprint Cup Series travels to Chicagoland Speedway for the 27th race of the 2014 season on Sunday, Sept. 14. Television coverage of the MyAFibStory.com 400 begins at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN; your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate and SiriusXM Radio Channel 90 will handle the radio broadcast. Drivers will compete for at least 267 laps (400.5 miles) before the checkered flag waves.
Records and Facts
Matt Kenseth, the defending Chicagoland winner, entered the 2013 Chase as its number one seed. Kenseth held the lead before rain interupted the GEICO 400 and beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch back to the stripe after racing resumed, denying Busch a weekend sweep. JGR has the most wins at Chicagoland with four, while Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Team Penske each have two. Tony Stewart (3) and Kevin Harvick (2) are the only drivers to compile multiple wins in the track's previous 13 NSCS races.
Track Facts
Track Length: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Degree of Banking: 18 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,400 ft., 11 degrees of banking
Backstretch: 1700 ft., 5 degrees of banking
Grandstand Seating: 75,000
Website: http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChicagolandSpeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChicagolndSpdwy
Pre-race Schedule
Practices: Friday, Sept. 12, 1 - 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Sept. 13, 11 - 11:50 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2 - 2:50 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2
Qualifying: Friday, Sept. 12 at 6:40 p.m. ET on ESPN2
VIPs
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal/Command to start engines: Austin Mahone
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Invocation: TBA
National Anthem: TBA
Flyover: TBA
Race Day Forecast
Sunday: Partly Cloudy
High: 64
Low: 50
They Said It:
"For our race team entering the Chase, it's the first race at Chicagoland Speedway that's pretty important. We've got to go out there and run well. We have always struggled a little bit at the mile-and-a-half tracks. We're trying to get better. If we go to Chicago and have a great race, that gives us momentum that we can take into Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway), which is a track I have always enjoyed. Then next up is Dover (International Speedway) and it's another track I enjoy racing. I think it is different for everybody, but really I think it comes down to Chicago. If you start off bad, you've only got two races to make it up. The only way to make it up is to either win or have two great races just to make it into the next round. I think Chicago sets the tone for everybody in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup." - AJ Allmendinger
"My fondness for Chicago has been well documented over the years. It's my kind of town. I'm a diehard Chicago sports fan – I've always loved the Cubs and the Bears in both good and bad times. I am hoping my fondness for Chicago will rub off at Chicagoland Speedway and I'll have a breakthrough race there on Sunday afternoon. I finally got my first top-five there last year. For us to do well in the Chase, we'll have to master the 1.5-mile tracks like Chicagoland since there are five of them in the Chase." - Kurt Busch
"It's time to get to it. I'm looking forward to sitting down with (crew chief) Steve (Letarte) and our engineers to prepare, set our goals for each individual race. Steve has some great ideas and I really believe in his direction. We've got a great team around us. We want to put our best foot forward in the Chase and be one of those teams in the battle going into Homestead. But as a company, I don't think we could be any more prepared than we are." - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"Chicago is one of the older surfaces we go to, which lends itself to being wide. You can run all over the track depending on where your tires are and what part of the fuel run you are in. It's similar to Atlanta or Texas where you can start searching to try and find grip, which is what drivers like. It's got some character to it, the backstretch is curved and there are a lot of bumps throughout the corners, which keep getting worse with weather and age. So there's a lot of character at this track." - Paul Menard
"We're not in the Chase and that's disappointing. But that doesn't mean we're throwing away the next 10 races. We have our own Chase and that's to improve and get our Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet running better and having it be a contender week in and week out. Everyone at Furniture Row Racing will be working hard to find that sweet spot in the next 10 races. Regarding Chicagoland Speedway, the one thing that stands out about the track is that the backstretch straightaway is not straight. So that's a little different than anywhere we go. The track is along the lines of Homestead and Atlanta as far as the asphalt getting worn out. But it's fun to race at Chicagoland – it gets racey there and that's what we all like to see. The seams in the track are always an issue at high- speed venues, but Chicagoland isn't as bad as other high-speed tracks. However, it's a difficult track to get through the bumps, probably more so this year than ever." - Martin Truex Jr.
Brad Morgan is a senior writer for Frontstretch. Email him at brad.morgan@frontstretch.com.
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Keepin' It Short: Settling It in Nova Scotia
by Mike Neff
The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour has been racing hard since the end of May. They have contested 11 events in five different cities with five different drivers going to Victory Lane. Dylan Blenkhorn leads the series with three wins. John Flemming leads the points by 44 over Jonathan Hicken, both of whom have multiple wins this season. Hicken has taken home the trophy three times while Flemming has done so twice. Flemming is a four-time and defending champion in the series. A driver can earn 200 points in a race and the minimum is 150 so it is possible for Flemming to lose the title. If Flemming can finish 17th it won't matter what Hicken does, the season championship will belong to Flemming.
The series finale will take place at Scotia Speedworld this coming Saturday with the Dartmouth Dodge 200. The winner of the title will walk away with $10,000. The prize fund for the season is $50,000 and many of the drivers are trying to improve their lot to grab more of the cash by the time the checkered flag flies. One of the post season awards that will be handed out after the race is the Rookie of the Year. Sarah McKay has the award locked up and will be crowned at the conclusion on Saturday. She won't be the only female driver in the race as Emily Meehan will be making her debut in the Pro Stock Tour after winning in Bandoleros and Legends at Scotia Speedworld.
Race Time Radio will be streaming the race online for free. It can be heard on www.racetimeradio.com. Just click the "Listen Live" link in the upper right of the page. You can also download their smart phone App, for iPad, iPhone, & Android. The 2014 Atlantic Cat 250 was streamed live by over 170,000 people on www.racetimeradio.com.
If you are in the area and want to see the race in person, admission to Scotia Speedworld Saturday is $30 for adults; $5 for youth; pit admission is $35. Two day passes are also available - adults are $35, two day pit passes are $40 and include admission to the Weekly Racing Series Season Finale, Friday at 7 p.m. Children 7 and under are admitted for free all weekend. Tickets will be available at the gates on race day. (Cash Only)
EXPECTED ENTRY LIST – DARTMOUTH DODGE 200 (as of Sept 10)
No. 02 – Brad Eddy – Lower Sackville, NS
No. 0 - Shawn Turple - Enfield, NS
No. 3 - Jason Hathaway - Dutton, ON
No. 5 – Jonathan Hicken – Brudenell, PE
No. 8 - Kent Vincent - Westmoreland, PE
No. 14 – Terry Dougay – Albany, PE
No. 18 – Darren MacKinnon – Charlottetown, PE
No. 21 - Shawn Pierce - Bridgewater, NS
No. 24 – Steve Ross – Waverly, NS
No. 29 - Greg Proude - Springvale, PE
No. 32 – Sarah McKay – Quispamsis, NB
No. 44 – Russell Smith Jr – Lakeside, NS
No. 45 - Leonard Boutilier – Dutch Settlement, NS
No. 52 - Shawn Tucker - Fredericton, NB
No. 53 – Cole Butcher – Porter's Lake, NS
No. 66 – Daryl Mahar – Hubley, NS
No. 67 – Dylan Blenkhorn – Truro, NS
No. 75 – Emily Meehan – Rawdon, NS
No. 80 - Roger Miller - Kennetcook, NS
No. 89 – Donald Chisholm – Antigonish, NS
No. 97 - John Flemming - Halifax, NS
No. 99 - Craig Slaunwhite - Terence Bay, NS
*Entry list subject to change without notice
Past Champions of the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour
2001: Wayne Smith
2002: John Flemming
2003: John Flemming
2004: Shawn Tucker
2005: Rollie MacDonald
2006: John Flemming
2007: Shawn Tucker
2008: Wayne Smith
2009: Shawn Turple
2010: Shawn Tucker
2011: Wayne Smith
2012: Shawn Turple
2013: John Flemming
Whelen All-American National Championship
Another week closer to crowning the champion and Anthony Anders was unable to add to his season total. Anders ran one race this week but only managed a top-5 finish. His closest competitor Lee Pulliam ran two races and won both of them but did not start 10th or further back so he did not add any more points to his total. Keith Rocco ran one race this weekend but a top 10 was all he could muster, leaving his point total unchanged as well. Fourth place Dillon Bassett ran two races and put two top 5s under his belt but he did not increase his season total. Ryan Preece maintains his fifth place position after two races netted him two top-5 finishes and added four points to his total. He is now six points behind Bassett for fourth.
Chad Finchum maintained his sixth place position with two races that garnered a win and two top-5 finishes. Finchum added nine points to his season total and sits four points out of the top 5. Peyton Sellers hangs onto seventh in points with two races that saw him score one top-5 run. His finish did not improve his season total at all. Kres Vandyke settled for two top 5 runs this week. He gained two points and is now one marker behind Sellers for seventh. Tommy Lemons Jr. put two top 5s in the books in his two races this week as well but did not improve his season total. Stewart Friesen once again rounds out the top 10 with a top 5 and two top 10s this week, increasing his point total by two. He's now four points out of ninth with two weeks of point accumulation remaining.
1 Anthony Anders Anderson, Myrtle, Hickory, Greenville 47 27 41 45 718
2 Lee Pulliam Caraway, S Boston, Greenville, Motor Mile, Southern Natl 44 24 39 40 708
3 Keith Rocco Waterford, Stafford, Thompson 41 13 31 35 690
4 Dillon Bassett East Carolina, Caraway, Motor Mile, Langley, Anderson, Greenville, Southern Natl, Hickory 34 13 31 35 649
5 Ryan Preece Riverhead, Thompson, Stafford, Waterford 42 12 35 39 643
6 Chad Finchum L Pine, Kingsport 30 16 26 27 630
7 Peyton Sellers Langley, Motor Mile, Caraway, S Boston 33 5 26 32 629
8 Kres Vandyke Kingsport, Motor Mile, L Pine 34 8 30 32 628
9 Tommy Lemons, Jr Southern Natl, Caraway, Motor Mile, S Boston 40 6 26 33 611
10 Stewart Friesen Utica Rome, Grandview 21 7 19 20 607
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. 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:
Friday Faceoff: Cheap Championships, Driver Disappointments & Joe's Woes
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. claimed victory in the 2005 USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway for his only victory of the season. Given that Earnhardt Jr. was coming off of a year with six wins and a third-place finish in the points, why was the Chicagoland victory so unexpected?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer:
Q: Tony Stewart won the 2004 Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, but it didn't come without controversy. What happened at the midpoint of the race that put a cloud over the victory?
A: On a restart, Stewart got an excellent start and passed Sterling Marlin legally on the outside. Kasey Kahne was leading, but did not take tires under yellow. Stewart ran into the back of Kahne exiting the tri-oval and spun Kahne head-on into the wall. The resulting pile-up involved Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Dave Blaney, Jeff Burton, Scott Riggs, John Andretti and Jeff Gordon. The crash can be seen here.
Kahne's team was very angry with the circumstances and charged down to Stewart's pit. A confrontation was the result. While Stewart won the race, both Kahne and Blaney were out on the spot. Burton and Riggs continued after repairs behind the wall. The others continued after repairs on pit road.
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:
-- MyAFibStory.com 400 Race Recap by Justin Tucker
-- Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here by Amy Henderson
-- Sidebar Stories: Chicagoland by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch Columns and More!
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This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Chicagoland by Matt Stallknecht
Matt covers all the big stories and questions heading into the first race of the 2014 Chase For The Sprint Cup.
Nationwide Breakdown: Jimmy John's Freaky Fast 300 by Joseph Wolkin
Joseph has all the post-race analysis you need following Saturday's race at Chicagoland.
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Monday on the Frontstretch:
Thinkin' Out Loud: MyAFibStory.com 400 by Mike Neff
Mike covers all the details and post-race analysis from Chicagoland.
Big Six: MyAFibStory.com 400 by Amy Henderson
Amy tackles the who, what, when, where, how and why from Chicagoland.
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-Chicagoland.
Cracking the Case by Aaron Creed
Aaron has his take on a developing story from the weekend.
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