Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Frontstretch Newsletter: NASCAR Stars Spread Out All Over North America To Promote Chase

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

Sept. 11, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLVI
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What to Watch: Thursday

- Today is the start of tripleheader weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.  The Camping World Truck Series teams will be out on track for their two practice sessions ahead of Friday night's Lucas Oil 225.  Neither of these will be televised; however, we will have a write-up of the two sessions late this afternoon at Frontstretch and in tomorrow's edition of the Frontstretch Newsletter.

- As for the Chasers, they're all gathering in Chicago today (joining Kyle Busch, who was already there on Wednesday) for the culmination of Chase Grid Live, a NASCAR Experience in Downtown Chicago designed to promote the Chase For The Sprint Cup.  Today's events include a meet-and-greet for fans with Rusty Wallace, a Q&A session hosted by Miss Sprint Cup (Note: NASCAR does not specify which Miss Sprint Cup) and Rutledge Wood involving a number of drivers from the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, along with members of NASCAR Next.  Finally, Chase Grid Live wraps up with the 16 Challenge Event, where all 16 Chasers will gather on stage for some fun, unpredictable "extracurricular activities" in front of the fans.

Today's TV Schedule

Time                                      Telecast                                                                                                                  Network
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. - 7:30 p.m.          NASCAR RaceHub                                                                                                FOX Sports 2*#

DVR Theater (Late Thursday Night/Early Friday Morning)
1:00 a.m. - 1:30 a.m           NASCAR's The List: Iconic Cars                                                                          NBC Sports Network#
1:30 a.m - 2:00 a.m.           NASCAR's The List: Tracks                                                                                 NBC Sports Network#
2:00 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.          NASCAR's The List: Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Moments                                             NBC Sports Network#
2:30 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.          The Grid                                                                                                               NBC Sports Network
 
* - Tape Delayed
/ - Highlighted Coverage
# - Repeat Coverage
$ - Available via password-protected online streaming.  Check with your internet and/or programming provider for availability.

Top News
by Phil Allaway

Chasers Travel Across North America to Promote Chase For The Sprint Cup

On Wednesday, the 16 drivers who qualified for this year's Sprint Cup Chase were dispatched all over the continent in order to help promote the upcoming ten-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.  However, the drivers front and center for the Chase push were Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in Los Angeles, Kevin Harvick in Connecticut and Jimmie Johnson in New York.  Read more at Frontstretch

Suarez Announces Two Short-Term Deals

Current NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series point leader Daniel Suarez had a very busy Wednesday.  First, Venturini Motorsports announced that he would make his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut at Kentucky Speedway later this month.  Later in the afternoon, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard announced that Suarez would attempt to qualify their second entry, the No. 29, at Chicagoland Speedway for Saturday's Jimmy John's Freaky Fast 300 (the No. 29 is not locked into the field).  Getting a jump start on their sponsorship, both of the entries announced Wednesday announced Arris will support their efforts, the company planning to back Suarez full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2015.  Read more at Frontstretch

Ditech To Serve As Associate Sponsor For Harvick

Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Wednesday that they have signed Ditech Mortgage Corp. to serve as an associate sponsor on the No. 4 Chevrolets driven by Kevin Harvick.  The deal is for multiple years, effective immediately.  Read more at Frontstretch

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

 

Sprint Cup Series Myafibstory.com 400: 43 cars entered

 

Number Change:
- Circle Sport's No. 90 changes back to No. 33.


Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 32
- Joey Gase for Go FAS Racing

No. 37 - Mike Bliss for Tommy Baldwin Racing

No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing

No. 66 - Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing


Driver Changes:
No. 32
- Joey Gase is in the seat, replacing Travis Kvapil.  Gase will be making his Sprint Cup Series debut in a one-race deal.

No. 33 - Travis Kvapil is in the seat, replacing David Stremme. Circle Sport is using a variety of wheelmen in the seat as they look for a full-time driver in 2015.

 

Since there are only 43 cars entered, no one will fail to qualify.

 

Not Entered:
No. 75
- Clay Rogers for Beard Motorsports

No. 93 - JJ Yeley for BK Racing

 

Nationwide Series Jimmy John's Freaky Fast 300: 43 cars entered


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

No. 20 - Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 22 - Ryan Blaney for Team Penske

No. 33 - Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing

No. 42 - Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports

No. 54 - Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 55 - Brennan Newberry for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci/SS-Green Light Racing

No. 80 - Ross Chastain for HRE Enterprises

No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for Identity Ventures Racing

No. 98 - Aric Almirola for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

 

Driver Changes:
No. 10
- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Mike Bliss. Koch is running the team's start-and-park entry.
No. 14 - Eric McClure returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Green. McClure is the full-time driver of the car.
No. 19 - Mike Bliss returns to the seat, replacing Hermie Sadler. Bliss is running with sponsorship from Tweaker Energy Shot.
No. 20 - Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Matt Kenseth. Hamlin is part of the Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup rotation of drivers that shares this ride.
No. 29 - Daniel Suarez is in the seat, replacing Kelly Admiraal. Suarez is making his debut in this ride.
No. 33 - Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Cale Conley. Menard is part of Richard Childress Racing's Sprint Cup rotation of drivers that shares this ride.
No. 46 - Ryan Ellis returns to the seat, replacing Matt Frahm. Ellis will start-and-park this machine.
No. 55 - Brennan Newberry returns to the seat, replacing Jamie Dick. Newberry brings funding to take the seat.
No. 74 - Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage. Harmon owns the car.
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek returns to the seat, replacing Josh Reaume. Nemechek owns the car.
No. 93 - Mike Wallace returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis. Wallace is running a limited schedule for JGL when no driver brings funding to the seat.

No. 98 - Aric Almirola is in the seat, replacing David Ragan. Almirola is running two Nationwide Series races for this limited schedule program.


Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 5
- Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports

No. 10 - Blake Koch for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 17 - Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing

No. 29 - Daniel Suarez for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard

No. 33 - Paul Menard for Richard Childress Racing
No. 46 - Ryan Ellis 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. 80 - Ross Chastain for HRE Enterprises

No. 89 - Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures*

No. 90 - Martin Roy for DGR Motorsports
No. 98 - Aric Almirola for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

 

Not Entered:
No. 84
- Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports

No. 91 - TriStar Motorsports

 

Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 225: 30 trucks entered


Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:

No. 20 - Austin Dillon for NTS Motorsports

No. 51 - Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports


Driver Changes:
No. 07
- Todd Shafer returns to the seat, replacing Ray Courtemanche, Jr.

No. 08 - Ray Black, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing B.J. McLeod.

No. 8 - Joe Nemechek returns to the seat, replacing his son John Hunter Nemechek. John Hunter is still under 18 and not yet approved to run at Chicagoland.

No. 12 - Ted Minor returns to the seat, replacing Eric Caudell.

No. 19 - Tyler Reddick returns to the seat, replacing Alex Tagliani. Reddick, a rookie is running a limited schedule with Brad Keselowski Racing.
No. 20 - Austin Dillon returns to the seat, replacing Gray Gaulding. Dillon is back in the saddle in a one-race deal.

No. 32 - Tayler Malsam returns to the seat, replacing Cameron Hayley. Malsam brings sponsorship to the Turner Scott Motorsports effort.

No. 36 - Scott Stenzel returns to the seat, replacing Justin Jennings. Stenzel will start-and-park this truck, a backup to MB Motorsports.
No. 51 - Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Erik Jones. Kyle Busch owns this truck.

No. 63 - Justin Jennings returns to the seat, replacing Scott Stenzel. Jennings is the full-time driver in the MB Motorsports ride.
No. 74 - Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Dustin Hapka. Harmon owns the truck.

 

Since there are only 30 trucks entered, no one will fail to qualify.  However, these drivers must still qualify on speed:
No. 05
- John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports

No. 12 - Ted Minor for Cefalia Motorsports

No. 36 - Scott Stenzel for MB Motorsports

No. 40 - Todd Peck for Peck Motorsports

No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing


Not Entered:

No. 53 - Andrew Ranger for NDS Motorsports

 

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Federated Car Care Fall Classic presented by JayC Food Stores: 34 cars entered

 

Driver Changes:

No. 00 - Billy Alger is in the seat, replacing Wayne Peterson.
No. 0 - Con Nicolopoulos returns to the seat, replacing Joe Walsh.  Wayne Peterson was originally entered in the car.
No. 10 - Ed Pompa returns to the seat, replacing Tyler Speer.

No. 40 - Josh Reeves is in the seat, replacing Roger Carter.

No. 49 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Brad Stiffler.

No. 55 - Cody Coughlin returns to the seat, replacing Brennan Poole.
No. 66 - An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Bob Strait.

No. 68 - Michael Lira returns to the seat, replacing Chris Bailey, Jr.

No. 72 - Anderson Bowen is in the seat, replacing Tom Hessert III.

No. 99 - An unknown driver will be 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. 37 - Kyle Benjamin for Kyle Benjamin Racing

No. 44 - Frank Kimmel for Win-Tron Racing

No. 52 - Ken Schrader for Ken Schrader Racing

No. 55 - Cody Coughlin for Venturini Motorsports

No. 69 - Will Kimmel for Kimmel Racing

No. 72 - Anderson Bowen for Cunningham Motorsports

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. 5 - Mark Littleton
No. 16 - Kelly Kovski for Allgaier Motorsports

No. 24 - Ryan Unzicker for Hendren Motorsports

No. 71 - Shane Cockrum

No. 89 - Tanner Tallarico for Lafferty Motorsports


Have news for Phil, Summer  and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip. Comments can also be sent to frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com.
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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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Editor's Note: Potts' Shots will return next week.
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The Critic's Annex: Bakersfield 150
by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take another look at motorsports-related programming.  Last Saturday, FOX Sports 1 premiered their tape-delayed coverage of the most recent K&N Pro Series West race at Kern County Raceway, held on August 30.  For FOX Sports (or any national media outlet, for that matter), Saturday was the very first telecast from the relatively new short track built as a replacement for the now-bulldozed Mesa Marin Raceway. 

Ray Dunlap and Phil Parsons were in the booth for FOX Sports while relative newcomer Heather DeBeaux was in the pits.  DeBeaux only debuted on K&N Pro Series West telecasts at Stateline Speedway in July, but she's been working with FOX Sports 1 (and before that, SPEED) for the past couple of years behind the scenes.  Overall, she isn't bad in her role.  While most of her responsibilities in the past have not had the urgency of pit reporting, DeBeaux has stepped up her game when needed. 

The telecast format was quite typical for K&N West.  We got a quick interview with the pole sitter (Greg Pursley), a check of the starting lineup, and we were off to the races. The coverage of the competition was OK, but really nothing special.  In FOX Sports 1's defense, there really wasn't all that much racing for position.  However, when an actual battle broke out, the track really came into its own.  You could the side-by-side racing that everyone likes; unfortunately, it was few and far between, a problem out of the TV broadcaster's control.

What really stood out, hurting all aspects of the telecast and fan experience was a car count of just 18.  That's including Jesse Little, who is actually a K&N Pro Series East regular who made the trip to "whack" the K&N Pro Series West.  Once Bakersfield attrition started, the track just seemed emptier and emptier (a grand total of 14 cars finished and maybe 12 of them were running competitively).  The track claims that Kern County Raceway is a half-mile, but it looks bigger than that.  That low of a car count at Kern County really shows up.  It's not the lowest car count of the year, as both Stateline Speedway and Colorado National Speedway had 17 starters, but those are smaller tracks.  It won't look as bad there. 

Post-race content was fairly typical.  We got interviews with the top-3 finishers (Dylan Lupton, Brandon McReynolds and Jesse Little) plus checks of the unofficial results and points standings.  However, the race clearly swung because of the black flag on the final restart that was given to Greg Pursley from the lead.  Pursley, who had led 128 circuits, was bumped back to ninth, the last car on the lead lap.  Apparently, the restart zone is not absolute in the K&N Pro Series West like it is in Sprint Cup.  Instead, it's a vicinity deal and NASCAR believed that Pursley jumped the restart.  Based on the telecast, I'm really unsure where the restart line is supposed to be.  There are lines on the track, but it was stated that those were not the lines that NASCAR was using.  It's confusing. 

A situation like this one is where doing booth commentary in post-production back in Charlotte instead of sending booth commentators to Bakersfield costs you (granted, had they sent commentators to Bakersfield, it's anyone's guess who would have been calling this race).  At the bare minimum, FOX Sports 1 should have gotten one of the K&N Pro Series West officials on the phone to explain the situation to the viewers, or even had that person fly to Charlotte and pipe into the booth at that point of the race.  Anything would have been better than forcing Dunlap and Parsons to make it up as they went along.  To FOX Sports 1's credit, they did have DeBeaux try to nail down Pursley for a post-race interview. Pursley declined, respectfully and it makes perfect sense that he wouldn't want to talk right then. However, considering the tape delay you could make a case television could have caught the driver later, once he calmed down and added that to the final broadcast.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the K&N Pro Series West Bakersfield 150 from Kern County Raceway.  It's a great-looking facility that can put on good races if you can get a decent car count.  Next week, we'll be taking a look at the new FIA Formula E Championship's debut race from Beijing.  We'll be talking about all-new technology, the rather ridiculous car swaps and more. 

Until then, enjoy the tripleheader from Joliet.

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.

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Frontstretch Line of the Week


From Tech Talk: Get Prepped for the Chase With Kenseth Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff


"The pit guns we used, there was nothing new at Atlanta and they are the same guns we've been using for a while. It is very common. Nobody has gone down to Sears and bought a pit gun and brought it to the race track in 15 years. For the general public, working on pit guns is nothing new. I think our group is just really good. When you look at it, the No. 11 team has been superior since the season started. They've been superior for the last three years. If you look at history, there isn't a team on pit road that can pit a car faster than the No. 11 car in the last two or three years. I think they got a favorable pit stall at Atlanta and it just worked out for them and they were able to shine."- Jason Ratcliff on Joe Gibbs Racing's air guns
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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.

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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
 
as told to Mike Neff

 
by Kevin Rutherford

by Beth Lunkenheimer
~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

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?

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

Q:  In 2002, Kevin Harvick won the Tropicana 400 for his second straight win on the then-new 1.5-mile tri-oval.  However, it was not easy as part of Harvick's day was spent facing the wrong way.  What happened?

A: With 70 laps to go, the field was bunched up after a restart.  Harvick made a three-wide move on the inside in the tri-oval to get past Kurt Busch.  Busch and Harvick brushed against each other, forcing Harvick to the apron to collect himself.  Harvick all but had his Goodwrench Chevrolet saved, but then spun in turn 1.  The incident can be seen here.  Jerry Nadeau, Elliott Sadler (whose spin had brought out the previous caution and bunched up the field), Jimmy Spencer and Hut Stricklin were also involved in the aftermath.

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:


Friday Faceoff by the Frontstretch Staff
This week, we're debuting a new feature, a shorter, easier-flowing version of Mirror Driving with answers from a greater number of the staff you know and love.

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 Joseph Wolkin
Joseph returns to bring us up-to-date on NASCAR's second-tier series as they return to the track this weekend in Joliet.

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.
-----------------------------
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

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