Thursday, October 09, 2014

The Fronstretch Newsletter: Follow Charlotte Practice With Frontstretch!

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

Oct. 9, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLXXVI
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What to Watch: Thursday

- Today, racing action at Charlotte Motor Speedway begins in earnest, as both Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams will be on track for practice.  Sprint Cup practice is currently underway; however, due to FOX Sports 1 and 2's coverage of UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers, it will not be televised.  The first Nationwide Series practice, scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m., also will not be televised. Those interested can follow live updates, through Frontstretch at the Twitter feeds listed below.

FRONTSTRETCH AT THE TRACK:
Writers on-site: Amy Henderson, Michael Mehedin, Mike Neff

Today's TV Schedule

Time                                            Telecast                                                                                                                   Network
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m                 NASCAR America                                                                                                  NBC Sports Network
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.                Better Half Dash                                                                                                    FansChoice.tv^
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.                Nationwide Series Happy Hour                                                                             ESPN 2
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.                Sprint Cup Series Qualifying                                                                                 ESPN 2


DVR Theater (Late Thursday Night/Early Friday Morning)
12:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.               Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas: Orange County                                  NBC Sports Network*/ (from September 19)
1:00 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.                 NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (3 episodes)                                                      NBC Sports Network
2:00 a.m. - 3:30 a.m.                 Formula One Grand Prix of Russia Free Practice No. 1                                    NBC Sports Live Xtra$
2:30 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.                 The Grid                                                                                                             NBC Sports Network
6:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.                 Formula One Grand Prix of Russia Free Practice No. 2                                    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

Hornish Announced As Replacement For Ambrose At RPM

Richard Petty Motorsports announced Wednesday that Sam Hornish, Jr., currently running part-time in the Nationwide Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, will slide behind the wheel of their No. 9 Sprint Cup Ford, full-time beginning in 2015.  Hornish is replacing Marcos Ambrose, who is returning to Australia in order to race in the International V8 Supercar Championship.  Read more at Frontstretch

Steve Byrnes To Take Leave of Absence From FOX Sports

FOX Sports announced Wednesday that NASCAR reporter, Camping World Truck Series play-by-play commentator and co-host of NASCAR RaceHub Steve Byrnes will take an indefinite leave of absence in order to deal with a recurrence of cancer.  Read more at Frontstretch

Lilly Diabetes and American Diabetes Association Sign Multi-Year Extension With Roush Fenway Racing, Ryan Reed

On Wednesday, Roush Fenway Racing, in cooperation with Lilly Diabetes and the American Diabetes Association, announced a multi-year extension of the Drive to Stop Diabetes program.  As a result, Ryan Reed will return to the No. 16 Ford in the soon-to-be XFINITY Series.  Read more at Frontstretch


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


Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500: 44 cars entered


Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 6
- Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing

No. 32 - Blake Koch for Go FAS Racing

No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing

No. 77 - Corey LaJoie for Randy Humphrey Racing

No. 83 - JJ Yeley for BK Racing


Driver Changes:
No. 32 - Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Joey Gase. Koch is bringing funding to the organization.
No. 66 - Brett Moffitt returns to the seat, replacing Mike Wallace. Moffitt is running a limited schedule with this program the rest of the season.

Driver who must qualify on speed (top-36)
:
No. 6 - Trevor Bayne for Roush Fenway Racing (No points)

 

Drivers who have provisionals, but could possibly fail to qualify:

No. 7 - Michael Annett for Tommy Baldwin Racing (31st in points, 30 attempts)

No. 23 - Alex Bowman for BK Racing (36th in points, 30 attempts)

No. 26 - Cole Whitt for Swan Racing/BK Racing (33rd in points, 30 attempts)
No. 32 - Blake Koch for Go FAS Racing (38th in points, 30 attempts)

No. 33 - Timmy Hill for Circle Sport (40th in points, 30 attempts)
No. 34 - David Ragan for Front Row Motorsports (32nd in points, 30 attempts)
No. 36 - Reed Sorenson for Tommy Baldwin Racing (34th in points, 30 attempts)
No. 38 - David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports (30th in points, 30 attempts)

No. 40 - Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing (35th in points, 30 attempts)

No. 66 - Brett Moffitt for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing (39th in points, 30 attempts)

No. 77 - Corey LaJoie for Randy Humphrey Racing (47th in points, 15 attempts)
No. 83 - JJ Yeley for BK Racing (41st in points, 30 attempts)
No. 95 - Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing (42nd in points, 17 attempts)

No. 98 - Josh Wise for Phil Parsons Racing (37th in points, 30 attempts)


Not Entered:
No. 37 - Mike Bliss for Tommy Baldwin Racing

Nationwide Series Drive For The Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: 45 cars entered


Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5
- Alex Bowman for JR Motorsports

No. 12 - Ryan Blaney for Team Penske

No. 20 - Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 22 - Brad Keselowski for Team Penske

No. 33 - Cale Conley for Richard Childress Racing

No. 42 - Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports

No. 54 - Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 77 - Jimmy Weller for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci

No. 80 - Ross Chastain for HRE Enterprises

No. 87 - Timmy Hill for Identity Ventures Racing/Rick Ware Racing

No. 98 - Corey LaJoie for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

Driver Changes:

No. 5 - Alex Bowman is in the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.  Bowman is running the No. 5 in a one-off with sponsorship from Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s Dirty 'Mo Radio.
No. 10 - David Starr is in the seat, replacing Blake Koch.

No. 22 - Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 23 - Carlos Contreras returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.

No. 33 - Cale Conley returns to the seat, replacing Paul Menard.
No. 44 - Will Kimmel returns to the seat, replacing David Starr.
No. 72 - Matt Carter returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.  John Jackson was originally entered in the car.
No. 80 - Ross Chastain returns to the seat, replacing Alex Bowman.  Johnny Sauter was originally entered in the car.
No. 87 - Timmy Hill returns to the seat, replacing Jennifer Jo Cobb.  Joe Nemechek was originally entered in the car.


Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 5
- Alex Bowman for JR Motorsports
No. 10 - David Starr for TriStar Motorsports

No. 12 - Ryan Blaney for Team Penske.  Blaney is debuting sponsorship from truck manufacturer Western Star.

No. 17 - Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing

No. 33 - Cale Conley for Richard Childress Racing
No. 46 - Ryan Ellis for The Motorsports Group*

No. 70 - Derrike Cope for Derrike Cope Racing
No. 72 - Matt Carter for Carter Motorsports*
No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*

No. 77 - Jimmy Weller for Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci.  Officially, Weller's car is a second Viva Motorsports entry, but the car Weller is running is the car that normally competes when SS-Green Light Racing is running the No. 55.

No. 80 - Ross Chastain for HRE Enterprises

No. 84 - Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports

No. 89 - Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures*

No. 91 - Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*

No. 98 - Corey LaJoie for Biagi-DenBeste Racing.  LaJoie will compete in all but one of the remaining Nationwide Series races this season for Biagi-DenBeste Racing with Medallion Financial sponsorship.

 

Not Entered:

No. 25 - John Wes Townley for Athenian Motorsports

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

No. 90 - Martin Roy for DGR Motorsports


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.
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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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Today's Featured Commentary
Potts' Shots For The Week of October 6
Potts' Shots
by John Potts

​I do a lot of surfing of the web nowadays, mostly motorsports sites and boards, and I note a lot of the complaints about big-time racing.  Everybody's heard or read the gripes about not being able to tell what kind of car is out there without looking closely at the grill, etc. Seems people would like to see a return to the days when they actually raced cars that looked like those on the streets.

Trust me, that ain't gonna help all that much. It's gotten to the point where I can't tell the newer cars apart when they go by me on the road.  And I've been a "car guy" for years.

What do I think about big-time stock car racing nowadays?  I think it's entirely too sophisticated.

Aero this, aero that.  Everybody tries to get their cars as slick as they can, and then the sanctioning body tries to make sure they're all the same.

The first mention of "aero" I remember was back in 1971 when my friend Bill Kimmel (Frank's dad) flipped his Chevelle while practicing for the ARCA race at Daytona.  Wadded up the car and left Bill in the hospital for awhile with several injuries.

While he was in the crash house, a spotter who had been in one of those Union 76 towers came in and told him his radar showed the car at nearly 190 when it lifted off the track.  That's when we mentioned "aero," but it was part of a longer word – aerodynamics.

Some discussion about this on Facebook brought a comment from a fellow named Pheaton Guinn, who said he'd like to see a return to the days when the engineer was sitting behind the steering wheel instead of in front of a laptop.  As far as I'm concerned, that says it all about the sophistication of the sport today.
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An old friend of mine, Denny Darnell, who has worked for tracks, sanctioning bodies, and pretty much everywhere else in this crazy sport, noted that the two cars Roger Penske has whipping everybody right now, the Nos. 2 and 22, used to be Dodges.

He wondered if maybe somebody at Chrysler is second-guessing themselves about the decision to get out of NASCAR.  I suppose not, because earlier this week they announced a decision to pull all factory support for professional teams in road racing.  That includes the Viper program, I understand.
---
After seeing a video of the devastating accident which caused such grievous injuries to Formula One driver Jules Bianchi at the Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday, I can only say it was one of the worst I've ever seen.  And seeing that video raised some interesting questions…

First, there was a BIG piece of machinery inside the fence picking up a car which had previously spun up against the wall.  Bianchi apparently aquaplaned on the wet surface and went under the rear end of the machinery, where there wasn't room for the car.  I thought the worst as soon as I saw the video.  Before that, I had only heard about it.  His condition is described as "critical but stable" as I'm writing this.

One of the things that bothered me about the video is the course marshal in a tower just before the accident scene waving a green flag.

I talked to someone well versed in road racing procedures, and he told me that apparently the double yellow flag had been pulled at that point and it was back to a "local" yellow, meaning the cars had to slow only at the scene.  The green flag, he told me, meant the course was clear after that point.

That I can understand.  What I can't understand was why they didn't remain under the double yellow, meaning the entire course, with that machinery technically inside the race course. And why wasn't the safety car out?

OK, just my opinion, but we're learning from sources like ESPN drivers like Felipe Massa were complaining. Many felt that the weather was so bad, the race should have been stopped when it started raining hard and visibility became a problem.

John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.
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The Critic's Annex: ARCA 98.9
by Phil Allaway

Welcome back to another edition of the Critic's Annex.  This week, we're diving into the season finale for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.  Anyone who's familiar with the series, especially in past years knows about the phenomenon known as "ARCA Brakes."  That isn't to necessarily say that teams have inferior stopping power in ARCA; after all, most of the cars racing in the series are former Cup cars.  However, some of the more inexperienced drivers may not use them very well.  A search for ARCA Brakes on YouTube reveals videos of crashes from ARCA, and (mostly) Sim racing in which the principle applies.  A compilation of ARCA crashes which contains at least a couple uses of "ARCA Brakes" can be seen here.

Sadly, this phenomenon is something that ARCA is well-known for.  Although these particular types of crashes don't happen at superspeedways as often as they once did, it still happens from time to time and it struck again Friday night.

The big crash broke out on lap 72 when Austin Wayne Self wiped out going for the lead.  It happens.  I'm not holding that against Self.  John Wes Townley, Frank Kimmel and Justin Boston had nowhere to go.  However, James Swanson made that crash way worse than it should have been.

The multi-car crash caused a nine lap caution.  During that time, viewers saw replays of the crash and breakdowns of the incident from Adam Alexander, Phil Parsons and Jeff Hammond in the booth.  When it came to Swanson, they simply stated that it was like he didn't slow down at all.  In cases like Friday night, I would like the TV network airing the race, if at all possible, to track down the person responsible for that craziness.  FOX Sports 2 either did not do it, or tried to and Swanson declined the interview request.  All signs point to Swanson being ok after the wreck.    The only driver interviews after the crash were with Self and Frank Kimmel.  Kimmel then dropped a s-bomb during the interview, which came out of nowhere.  If you've read my critiques in the past, you know that I'm actually fine with the approach taken with Kimmel's comment, but I doubt their bosses were cool with it.

Let's face it.  We've seen some really stupid moves on racetracks in 2014.  Swanson's move is just the latest in a long line of stupidity.  The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring saw two ridiculous crashes (here and here) that should have never happened occur due to boneheaded moves.  The Blancpain Endurance Series opener at Monza saw the collective futility of Vadim Kogay introduced to the world.

What is the common element between Swanson, Kogay (as far as I know), Matteo Malucelli and Gaston Kearby?  None of these guys had to answer to their futility behind the wheel on television.  Malucelli and Kearby were suspended by IMSA for "unjustifiable risk" for their action.  Kogay got bupkis, as far as I know.  Yes, the commentator in the linked Kogay clip hoped that the pit reporter would ask Kogay the "tough question," but there's the issue of a language barrier there (Kogay's first language is Russian).  I feel like in a situation like Friday night, Swanson should have to answer for his actions, not just to his peers, but to the general public as well.  It's good PR.

The addition of Jeff Hammond to the broadcast booth for Friday night was fairly surprising.  Yes, he has booth experience, but the vast majority of that experience is during coverage of practice sessions.  I wasn't sure what to expect out of him.  I thought he was decent and added a fair amount of expertise to the telecast.

Before the wrecking en masse started, there was simply not that much action shown on track.  We had Grant Enfinger and Mitchell racing for the lead early, then Townley took it away and Tifft blitzed him.  Beyond lap 25, there wasn't much of anything going on.  Had Tifft not blown out his right front tire and pounded the wall on lap 45, he could have lapped the field.  Speaking of Tifft's crash, the whole first caution was weird.  Tifft and Will Kimmel both blew tires and crashed at essentially the same time.  Never seen anything quite like it.  The booth thought that there might have been debris on the track, but we never saw anything.  One thought that came to mind was the sidewall buckling, like what happened to Bill Venturini at Daytona in 1995.

Post-race coverage was somewhat short, but that's understandable given that something like 60 percent of the second half of the race was run under yellow.  Mason Mitchell got to celebrate his championship, but since Grant Enfinger blew an engine in Kentucky, all Mitchell had to do to win the title was get in his car, crank his engine and fart.  There should have been a little more time given to the top finishers in the race besides Mitchell.  It was great seeing Ross Kenseth get airtime for his well-deserved third-place finish.

Overall, viewers saw the most important moments of Friday night's race live (Tifft's crash, the pile-ups, the battle for the win between teammates Enfinger and Spencer Gallagher).  However, in between those important moments, it was a lot of nothing.  Yes, the field got spread out early (18 seconds back to third), but there's still battling going on, even with that kind of spread on track.  If Tifft's going to stink up the show like that, you have to show other aspects of the race.

Having said that, I think Friday night might have been the first time that a lot of viewers would have seen Gallagher get interviewed.  It was his first ARCA win and he celebrated in style.  He's come a long way since he first entered ARCA as a quasi-protege of Derrike Cope.  He'll be worth keeping track of in the Camping World Truck Series next season.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the ARCA 98.9.  I'll be back with more TV thoughts here in the coming weeks.  Until then, enjoy this week's action in Charlotte and Sochi.

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 Beyond the Cockpit: Mason Mitchell Makes History in the ARCA Racing Series


"Kinda! At Pocono this year, we were both in the media center for either practice or qualifying and I won the pole for the event that I was in and I followed him up from his interview. He stopped by and we had a quick few second conversation and that was about it. Hopefully someday I get the opportunity to race him. I know he's definitely going to be around for a few more years, but I'm looking forward to that opportunity when that day comes. I've always looked up to him." - Mason Mitchell, on whether he's had the opportunity to meet his idol, Jeff Gordon.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:

as told to Mike Neff


 
by Kevin Rutherford

by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  In 2000, TBS introduced a new feature to their telecast of the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  What was it?

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

Q:  The 1998 UAW-GM Quality 500 ran all the way to twilight due to a red flag less than 100 laps into the race.  Why was this red flag thrown?

A: A water main leaked behind the backstretch, allowing fluids to flow over the wall and onto the track.

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 tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Staff
-- Frontstretch Folio: Charlotte by Brad Morgan
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!


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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


Friday Faceoff by the Frontstretch Staff
Our new feature returns, a shorter, easier-flowing version of Mirror Driving with answers from a greater number of the staff you know and love.

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.

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 Charlotte.

Creed's Corner by Aaron Creed
On a new day, Aaron returns to talk NASCAR at Charlotte.
-----------------------------
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