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Top News
by Ashley McCubbin and Beth Lunkenheimer
On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Richard Petty Motorsports announced a partnership with Biagi-DenBeste Racing that will have Corey LaJoie driving for BDR in four of the last five NASCAR Nationwide Series races. LaJoie, a current RPM development driver, will race this weekend at Kansas Speedway, before running at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami. Read more.
Mike Harmon and No. 74 Team Penalized Following 5-Hour Energy 200
NASCAR announced on Tuesday, Sept. 30 that the No. 74 team with driver Mike Harmon has been penalized as a result of a rules infraction during practice for the 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway. Read more.
NASCAR Suspends Crew Member for Violating Substance Abuse Policy
NASCAR announced on Sept. 30 that William Coralline, a crew member in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the sanctioning body's Substance Abuse Policy. Coralline's violation was found by NASCAR officials on September 24th. Read more.
Have news for Ashley and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip. And be sure to visit the website for more news, delivered 24/7!
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Today's Featured Commentary
Professor of Speed
by Mark Howell
Last Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Dover marked the transition from the Challenger Round of the Chase for the Championship to the Contender Round of NASCAR's revamped post-season. Once the checkered flag flew over the Monster Mile, Jeff Gordon headed once again to Victory Lane, and the field of sixteen title candidates was culled to a mere dozen hopefuls.
But then, on Sunday, there was also a letter….
USA Today published an "open letter to the public" that had been submitted to the newspaper by Wendi Ward. Ms. Ward is the sister of Kevin Ward, Sr. and the aunt of the late Kevin Ward, Jr. Ward, Jr. was killed in the tragic sprint car accident that rocked the motorsports community to its core last month.
NASCAR Nation knows the story: the death, the blurry home video, the funeral, the investigation, the involvement of a grand jury, and Stewart's acquittal after a few hours of deliberation. Perhaps the most stunning discovery to emerge from the process was the fact that Ward – according to the toxicology screening done during his autopsy – was found to be under (as quoted from USA Today) the "influence of marijuana at a high enough level to impair judgment."
And so, the pillorying of the late Kevin Ward, Jr. began, and the aftermath of the entire ordeal prompted the Ward family – via the letter by Wendi Ward – to speak out in response to the situation.
Suddenly, there was more to think about on Sunday afternoon than Jeff Gordon's win at Dover.
As the heading accompanying my essay states, I am known as "The Professor of Speed". That's because I am – in my "day job" – an actual college professor who teaches courses in composition, advanced writing, and assorted topics in popular culture. I have been teaching both college and university-level courses for almost 25 years (ugh!), so I have some experience with which to back up my title.
I have also been around motorsports (primarily NASCAR) since childhood, so I get the "speed" part, too….
Hence my interest in Wendi Ward's letter. As an academic who spends most days reading, assessing, and scoring student writing – with emphasis on the crafting of argumentative essays – I felt compelled to critique Ms. Ward's work through what students know as the technique of rhetorical analysis.
Simply put: how did Wendi Ward structure and support the statements she shared in her open letter to the public?
For starters, a letter "to the public" sends the writer down a most perilous path. The first rule of writing is to consider and/or predict your readership; writing for such a large and anonymous audience can set the rhetorical bar dangerously high. Perhaps Ward believed casting a wide net would snare readers seeking her family's point of view regarding the grand jury's ultimate decision.
As Wendi Ward put it: I want to say that no matter what people think or say, our family does not need others to determine what we feel or know about Kevin Ward, Jr. …. What I want people to understand are the questions.
Right here, the letter slides into speculation, and this is not the way to argue against statements already made public and supported with evidence. By posing questions, attempts at arguing an opposing perspective turns into an opinion-driven "laundry list" of accusations.
Again, according to Ms. Ward: Why was the toxicology report even an issue? Seems to me the wrong man was on trial. Tell me why Tony Stewart was not taken in for testing, why his car wasn't impounded. Tell me how a man the size of Kevin can make a sprint car turn to the right on impact. Tell me how a lap before (the incident) everything was fine, but the following lap was poor lighting. Tell me how a NASCAR star totally forgot what caution means. Maybe he should get a different headset so he is able to hear on the radio that the car in caution is up high, so go low. Or was he low until he rounded the corner and saw Kevin, Jr. standing up for himself?
The late British philosopher Stephen Toulmin studied this aspect of argument: the use of hidden assumptions buried within layers of writing and the presence of what he called "warranting assumptions". To Toulmin, each supporting statement carries with it an implied assumption, and these often questionable declarations suggest an agenda lurking behind a writer's words.
So when questions are raised about inequities in the accident investigation, what we really get are biased accusations suggesting errors that blurred the truth behind the events of August 9th.
Unfortunately, the truth is elusive prey to catch….
To her credit, Wendi Ward suggests as much, but then she seems to rely on bias to gloss over the underlying assumption that Tony Stewart was cleared not because of relevant evidence, but because of his status within NASCAR: I guess we will never know why all of this was not taken into consideration. Or will we never know why a fellow driver did not check on this young man or his family? Or do we know why?
Ms. Ward then relies on a logical fallacy known as a "hasty generalization" to dismiss any further criticism: I do, because I have seen the video. It's there, and it's real…. I can't speak for others…. I only hope some people take a minute to make sure they have done no wrong before throwing stones.
If Ward is acknowledging the fact that footage of the fatal event does indeed exist, she is correct. If Ward is suggesting the footage implicates Stewart in her nephew's death, then she is suggesting that Stewart's wealth and fame influenced the results of the entire investigation.
And here is where Wendi Ward seems to present her primary concern: the "high level" of marijuana mentioned in the autopsy's toxicology report. Ms. Ward says: This means nothing to me, but I want to say it is my understanding that pot stays in a person's system days, weeks, possibly months. Rumor has it that it may be legalized and prescribed for some patients, so then will these people have their drivers' licenses taken away because it makes you react – supposedly — in a certain way? To me, that's not the case. It's known to mellow a person. We understand that the report showed marijuana, but we as a family don't believe he was under the influence or impaired at the time due to the 10 hours prior to the race that he spent with the family.
Here is another example of a logical fallacy, this one known as a "red herring". This fallacy involves using irrelevant or vague information in order to deliberately change the subject at hand. By suggesting that marijuana use is believed to result in little more than implied behaviors, Ward tries to insist that the toxicology report proved nothing regarding Kevin's behavior both before and after the contact with Stewart's car.
Ward's focus, at this point, becomes not her nephew's anger, but Tony Stewart's. As she writes: What we do believe is that maybe people react to certain situations because of anger. I've seen it in NASCAR, sports functions and even on our own roads. And yes, these people have to pay for their actions. Well, I guess it depends on who you are.
This is called an ad hominem fallacy – an attack against a person's character. The strategy serves as a nice place from which to make an appeal to the reader's sense of emotion. How better to vindicate a wronged individual than by trumpeting all he stood for and all that has been lost?
In the words of Wendi Ward: Kevin Ward, Jr. was an amazing person. His life was wrapped around family, friends and racing, which he started at age 4. Just a small-town boy having fun until the days turned into years, and it then became his passion and life. The trophies, plaques and pictures that fill his home, garage and workshop show his hard work and dedication to racing – his love for the sport.Through it all, he had the support of his family and friends behind him. He opened his life to our community. As you would go by the shop where he and his dad worked on the car for the upcoming race or after a race, the doors would be wide open and there would always be people in and out wishing him luck, sharing a story, offering a hand or simply just standing there in their own way saying, "We're here for you, bud."…. The tracks that have since honored Kevin Ward, Jr. with memorial events, his name in the ESS (Empire Super Sprints) Hall of Fame, the many lives that have been changed forever – that's all because of one person's love and respect for others. And that, to me, is what a person is made of. His smile will forever be what gets us through.
Such familial and communal memories are important when compartmentalizing the brief life and racing career of Kevin Ward Jr. While Ward's death was indeed tragic, one cannot help but consider the aftermath of the grand jury's decision: the fact that the coroner's toxicology report will keep Ward's family from suing Tony Stewart for damages. Agree or not, the "high enough level" of marijuana in Ward's system was enough to bring this painful story to its rightful close.
So, while driven by heart-wrenching emotion, personal opinions, and the feeling that the family's story was overshadowed by Tony Stewart being found not guilty, Wendi Ward's letter comes across as an attempt at catharsis, albeit one that could have been better constructed. This should have been treated as a first draft that led to a more rhetorically-sound finished version.
Ms. Ward's letter does not warrant a grade. Losing her nephew and dealing with public scrutiny is more than most of us could rightfully handle….
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Tweet 'N' Greet
by Allen Bedgood
Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Allen Bedgood will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.
@DavidStremme: Just want to say I'm happy for my friend @TonyStewart People don't know how big of a heart he has.
@MeganFOXSports: NEWS: In 2015, @NASCARONFOX welcomes @JamieLittleESPN as pit reporter for #NASCAR Sprint Cup & NNS coverage http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/jamie-little-joins-nascar-on-fox-team-as-pit-reporter-in-2015-092514 …
@EddieDHondt: Great day for our @TeamHendrick #24 team today. Executed on all levels. So proud to be a part of this team.
@eric15650: pic.twitter.com/dvC3ZiwPUR -- Brad K hauler that blew a tire, and I missed the checkers.
@KevinHarvick: No time to be mad cars are fast just bad luck! We move on to the next round so let's have a toast! @Budweiser pic.twitter.com/q8rXBdcDdg
@Jeff_Gluck: Quiet Track, Dover.#NASCAR @ Dover International Speedway http://instagram.com/p/tgk5KzNXus/
@nascarcasm: Weather forecast for this week calls for world getting 100% AWESOMER because there will be another Bowyer unleashed. #nascar
@TeamHendrick: pic.twitter.com/U4QkVers31 -- #ChaseVictorySelfie "...nice shot of "The Man" and his friend!
@jaywpennell: Thanks for a great #NASCAR weekend @MonsterMile. pic.twitter.com/vL3aZkIodU
@AllWaltrip: I didn't think 22 years ago that one day I would be congratulating @JeffGordonWeb on his 92 #SprintCupSeries win, now I'm thinking 100!
@PhilParsons98: This picture was taken 30 years ago yesterday. I'm very fortunate! pic.twitter.com/8czEKHqjpg
@ClaireBLang: @TonyStewart at driver intros at Atlanta said he thought he walked out in @DaleJr spot...most humbling and flattering support of his career.
@KaitlynNVincie: Tony Stewart bravely addresses dozens of questions from media. Continued thoughts with Tony & Ward family as their healing process continues
@SherryPollex: My big day out with momma and my new hairdo #gonnabebaldsoon pic.twitter.com/F5rPUebSS1
@bobpockrass: Dover putting in a new catchfence, increasing the height from 15 feet to 21 feet. #nascar
@NASCARonNBC: . @DaleJr clearly has respect for @aric_almirola and his crew! #RESPECT @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/H8Y951o9P7
@Brent_Wentz: the Red Rag in the back pocket must just be an "Earnhardt Thing", @DaleJr was sporting it long ago. #Legit pic.twitter.com/fuaCiw0Uz6
@Kenny_Wallace: NOTHING makes sense in October, Its all a Do Over. GO @Cardinals pic.twitter.com/6bruveod3y
@SluggerLabbe: RIP Gordon Gibbs. You were a true legend to the @Nascar sport #gooddude
@PeytonSellers: Arrowhead is on fire tonight! Go Chiefs pic.twitter.com/1WQLfHzeMI
@RodneyChilders4: I have to admit.. A 19 hour day is kinda a long day.. #pooped
@EricMcClure: Awesome to see @royals in the playoffs. Have a friend in the organization & always pull for Ned Yost, a former Brave.
@RodneyChilders4: The reason the current testing policy is not the right way.. The teams can't control the weather. pic.twitter.com/AUvMD9xW1Z
@nascarcasm: Halloween costume idea - show up at your party drunk in jorts and a backwards hat, then climb onto the roof of the house. #nascar
@NASCARonNBC: This guy was waiting for @JeffGordonWeb at the shop this morning! (via @RayEvernham) pic.twitter.com/WjefpWUWVd
@nateryan: Saddened by the death of Ben Blake. Covered #nascar/racing many years. ... Great writer.
@roushfenway: A behind the scenes look at @stenhousejr @FastenalRacing photo shoot. #RFRDriven pic.twitter.com/p7haRg8G7R
@MattYocum: Someone's spent time in the north.#RoadSalt#Trouble pic.twitter.com/KxEhYlkgFm
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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2014. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Wednesday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
This show featured over 2,600 Mustangs, 10,000 spectators and raised $35,000 for the Special Olympics. This clip is a "must see" for Mustang and sports car enthusiasts! After checking out the video, be sure to sign up for the American Muscle YouTube channel and of course, check out the American Muscle link on the Frontstretch homepage any time you need quality parts for your Mustang!
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q: We're going a little different on today's question. In 2003, Rich Bickle finished 13th in the then-Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway while carrying sponsorship from Vokal Clothing. Who created Vokal Clothing?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: For Casey Atwood, things were looking up towards the end of his rookie year in Cup. At Kansas, Atwood earned the fifth starting spot. Problem is, he barely got the race started before his day ended. What happened?
A: Atwood started the race in fifth, but ran afoul of Stacy Compton in turn 1. Compton, who started fourth, attempted to come down upon Atwood and had contact with the young rookie. Atwood spun and hit the wall hard, collecting John Andretti in the process. Ricky Craven also spun and damaged his Tide Ford. The start of the race, along with the crash, can be seen here.
Atwood was out on the spot, finishing 43rd with zero laps completed. Andretti went behind the wall for repairs. He would eventually finish 39th, 121 laps down. Craven, despite damage to the rear end and the rear spoiler, finished two laps down in 21st after being repaired 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 triviaanswer@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Phil Allaway
-- Critic's Annex by Phil Allaway
-- Potts' Shots by John Potts
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Happiness Is... by P. Huston Ladner
Huston's weekly column pops up on a new day as he runs through what's good in the world of racing.
Going by the Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin returns with a look at the statistical side of NASCAR.
Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike is back with your look at the technical side of NASCAR. This week, Matt Kenseth's crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, checks in just ahead of the first race in the Contender Round of the Chase at Kansas.
Fantasy Insider by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff is back with your look at the best bets to fill your fantasy roster. This week, he sets you up for success as we head into Kansas.
Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth returns with your weekly look at the state of the Camping World Truck Series.
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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
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