Friday, October 10, 2014

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Kyle Busch Wins Bank of America 500 Pole; Kurt Busch Sets Track Record

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Oct. 10, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLXXVII

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This Weekend's TV Schedule

Friday, October 10

Time                                     Telecast                                                                                                                                                                                Network

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.         Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 2                                                                                                                                     ESPN 2
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.         Countdown to F1                                                                                                                                                                 NBC Sports Network
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.         Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour                                                                                                                                         ESPN 2
7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.         NASCAR Countdown                                                                                                                                                          ESPN 2
7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.       Nationwide Series Drive For The Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina      ESPN 2

Saturday, October 11

Time                                      Telecast                                                                                                               Network

12:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.        Formula One Grand Prix of Russia Free Practice No. 2                            NBC Sports Network*# (from October 10)
2:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.          Formula Off-Road presented by Traxxas: Coronado Speed Festival      NBC Sports Network*/ (from September 21)
3:40 a.m. - 4:40 a.m.          Whelen Euro Series: Le Mans, Elite 1 Qualifying                                        FansChoice.tv^
4:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m.          Formula One Grand Prix of Russia Free Practice No. 3                            NBC Sports Live Xtra$
5:10 a.m. - 6:10 a.m.          Whelen Euro Series: Le Mans, Elite 2 Qualifying                                        FansChoice.tv^
7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.          Formula One Grand Prix of Russia Qualifying                                             NBC Sports Network
7:25 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.          Whelen Euro Series: Le Mans, Elite 1 Saturday Race                               FansChoice.tv^
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.      Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion                                                           FOX Sports 1*/ (from August 14-17)
10:05 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.     Whelen Euro Series: Le Mans, Elite 2 Saturday Race                               FansChoice.tv^
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.      The 10: NASCAR's Greatest Races                                                              FOX Sports 1#
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.        GP2 Series: Russia                                                                                          NBC Sports Network*
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.          K&N Pro Series East Drive Sober 150                                                          FOX Sports 2*/# (from September 26)
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.          NASCAR RaceDay                                                                                            FOX Sports 2
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.          AMA Pro Flat Track: Pomona, Timed Practice                                             FansChoice.tv^
7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.          NASCAR Countdown                                                                                        ABC
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.          Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion                                                           FOX Sports 2*/# (from August 14-17)
7:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.        Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500                                                       ABC
9:30 p.m. - 1:10 a.m.          AMA Pro Flat Track: Pomona, Main Events                                                   FansChoice.tv^

Sunday, October 12

Time                                       Telecast                                                                                                               Network

12:00 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.         Formula One Grand Prix of Russia Qualifying                                             NBC Sports Network*# (from October 11)
12:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.         motoGP World Championship Grand Prix of Japan                                   FOX Sports 1
2:30 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.            NASCAR America: Scan All 43                                                                        NBC Sports Network#
3:00 a.m. - 3:30 a.m.            NASCAR Victory Lane                                                                                       FOX Sports 1*
3:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m.            Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500                                                       ESPN 2*/# (from October 11)
5:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.            Whelen Euro Series: Le Mans, Elite 1 Sunday Race                                 FansChoice.tv^
6:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.            F1 Countdown                                                                                                    NBC Sports Network
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.            Formula One Grand Prix of Russia                                                                NBC Sports Network
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.            F1 Extra                                                                                                                NBC Sports Network
9:25 a.m. - 11:55 a.m.          Whelen Euro Series: Le Mans, Elite 2 Sunday Race                                 FansChoice.tv^
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.          NASCAR Victory Lane                                                                                       FOX Sports 1*#
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.          IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: Road Atlanta                      FOX Sports 1*/ (from October 3)
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.          Rally America Climb to the Clouds (Mt. Washington Hill Climb)             NBC Sports Network*/# (from June 27-29)
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.            F1 Countdown                                                                                                    NBC Sports Network*#
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.            Formula One Grand Prix of Russia                                                                NBC Sports Network*#
4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.            F1 Extra                                                                                                                NBC Sports Network*#
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.            Formula DRIFT: Throwdown, Part No. 1                                                        NBC Sports Network*/ (from July 18)
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.            Moto3: Japan                                                                                                       FOX Sports 2*
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.            Moto2: Japan                                                                                                       FOX Sports 2*
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.            motoGP World Championship Grand Prix of Japan                                    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


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Top News
by Michael Mehedin & Justin Tucker

Kyle Busch Wins Pole for Bank of America 500

The sun set, the temperatures went down and the speeds went up.In the first of three qualifying rounds, 21 drivers eclipsed the old track qualifying record. In the end, Kyle Busch posted the fastest time in the third and final qualifying round to claim the pole for Saturday night's Bank of America 500, the only night race in the Chase. Read more

A.J. Foyt to Open Race Shop in Indiana

The Speedway Redevelopment Committee and A.J. Foyt Racing signed agreements on Thursday for purchase and renovation of a 45,000 square foot facility in Speedway, Ind. The new Indiana location will serve as an extension of A.J. Foyt Racing's team offices located in Waller, Texas. Read more

Kristen Yeley Wins Better Half Dash

It was a wild (and short) race, but in the end Kristen Yeley was the victor in the fourth annual Better Half Dash. Read more

Alex Bowman Wins Final Nationwide Series Practice in Charlotte

Making a rare appearance for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Alex Bowman is making the most of his opportunity, winning final practice in the No. 5 Chevrolet (180.856 mph) Friday evening (Oct. 9). Read more

Trevor Bayne Wins First Nationwide Series Practice

Kyle Busch paced a majority of the opening practice session for the Nationwide Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, late in the one-hour session, Trevor Bayne put his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford atop the practice chart with a speed of 180.856 mph (29.858 sec.). 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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Frontstretch Folio: Bank of America 500
by Brad Morgan

The Sprint Cup Series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 31st race of the 2014 season Saturday, Oct. 11. Television coverage of the Bank of America 500 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC; your local Performance Racing Network (PRN) affiliate and SiriusXM Radio Channel 90 will provide the radio broadcast. Drivers will compete for at least 334 laps (501 miles) before the checkered flag waves.

Records and Facts

Jimmie Johnson started from the pole and led a race-high 164 laps en route to a victory in May's Coca-Cola 600. It was Johnson's first win of the year and gave him a probable Chase berth. He'll likely need an eighth win there to recover from a 40th at Kansas Speedway last week.

Johnson started from 37th to win the Coca-Cola 600 in 2003, the worst starting position of any previous CMS winner.

Points leader Joey Logano holds the best average finish among active drivers, a 10.545 mark accumulated over 11 starts.

Track Facts

Track Length: 1.5-mile quad oval
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Degree of Banking: 24 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,980 ft., 5 degrees of banking
Backstretch: 1,500 ft., 5 degrees of banking
Grandstand Seating: 134,000
Website: http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteMotorSpeedway
Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteMotorSpeedway

Pre-race Schedule

Practices: Thursday, Oct. 9, 1:30 - 3 p.m. ET
Friday, Oct. 10, 3 - 3:50 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Happy Hour: Friday, Oct. 10, 5:30 - 6:50 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Qualifying: Thursday, Oct. 9, 7:20 p.m. ET on ESPN2

VIPs

Grand Marshals / Command: Coast Guard Master Chief Ronald Latronico, Army Sergeant First Class Cameron Abbott, Navy Petty Officer (ABE1) Bryan Phillippe, Air Force Staff Sergeant, Eric Larmay, Marine Corporal Damien Brown
Honorary Starter / Wave Green Flag: Jeff Sinchak, Wounded Warrior Project, Warriors Speak
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Rich Feinberg, Vice President, Motorsports, Production, ESPN
Invocation: Jim Daley, Focus on the Family
National Anthem: Ashanti, GRAMMY Award-Winning singer, songwriter, producer
Flyover: TBA

Race Day Forecast

Sunday: Chance of Storms
Precipitation: 40 Percent
High: 82
Low: 64

They Said It:

"I think the biggest challenge about Charlotte is how much the track changes from practice. You practice all during the day and then you go into night racing. You've got to know what kind of adjustments to make to your car and how well you can race at night. Typically, you go back to your night notes. For us, we've run well there in the past and like going there. It's a fun place to race and adds to the excitement of spending some time at home." - Kyle Busch

"When you say [Charlotte is] a must win that doesn't sound like it's easier, but I knew as soon as we had trouble last week. There are two kinds of approaches and they are both equally as nerve racking. The one approach is to run well and hope that nothing bad happens and the other approach is if something has happened you can really just kind of go for broke. I feel less pressure now I think than I did before the race at Kansas. Even I think if we had run in the top five last week I think today still under the circumstances now I still feel less pressure for some reason – it's weird. I just think that we have a shot and I feel good about it. I think our team is good. I think we are good enough. I think we should go out there and win. I believe we will." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

"I feel good about where we're at. There are some guys that are faster than us week in and week out and they had some issues (at Kansas) — we didn't and kind of capitalized on that and finished well. Proud of the team — Kansas was a good run for us and those are the type of runs that we need to keep moving on. We'll take sevenths all the way out." - Denny Hamlin

"We are just not where we want to be. Bottom line. We're working very hard to get there. This sport is not forgiving. What you have accomplished in the past doesn't buy you a damn thing for the present. You have to go out there and earn it, and make the most of it. We've been a third to fifth place car, and we can finish there and run there, but we haven't been a dominant car. We are certainly hoping that when we come to tracks that have been very good for the No. 48, that we're able to find that little bit. Find that extra 10th that put us in that position and get our mojo going the right way." - Jimmie Johnson

"I'm definitely leaving [race tracks] feeling good. Yeah, it is a little bit frustrating to come that close and not get wins, but it's also nice to see yourself running in the top three with everybody that's in the Cup field. It's amazingly tough. It's really exciting but a little bit frustrating at the same time, but I still definitely leave in a good mood. It would be kind of weird to leave the racetrack in a bad mood for finishing second." - Kyle Larson

"I feel like I'm a lot better prepared [for NSCS competition]. I think that at the point that I was getting ready to go full-time in my first go-round, it was maybe at the course of having about 12 or 15 stock car races in general under my belt. So obviously having that opportunity I've got to work with quite a few different crew chiefs over the past couple years and really what that allows me to do is be able to better understand what's going through their heads and pick up things I like from one crew chief to the next and be able to – in my routine about the way that I translate my notes and my thoughts on the car and the direction that we need to go – I'm better able to express those feelings and to lead the crew chief in the direction and also at the same time I'm better able to understand when they've got a good point of the direction they want to head in and I can feel free to release the reins a little bit there." - Sam Hornish,  Jr.

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

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Have a keen eye for racing news and want to show off your chops in front of an international audience? Frontstretch is looking for news writers to join our staff! We're looking for writers who can help us break and report on news from inside the racing community, from fielding press releases to going out and getting the story yourself. Interested applicants should email frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with your name, contact info and three audition pieces -- two news stories taken from the day's breaking stories and one column/commentary piece. Please email Frontstretch with any questions.

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Keepin' It Short: Myers Wins the Battle, Seuss Wins the War
by Mike Neff

The Southern Slam 150 brings the stars of the Whelen Southern Modified tour to the big stage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is the season finale for the tour, putting a bow on the 15 race season that sees the tour run at eight different tracks across four states from Florida to Tennessee. When the green flag flew, Andy Seuss had to finish 12th or better to win his first ever tour title. As the race unfolded, Seuss started in the fifth position and maintained that slot for the majority of the race, coming home in fifth to land his first Whelen Southern Modified tour title. Burt Myers scored the victory for his fourth of the season and his third in the five years that the season finale has been contested at Charlotte.

Ryan Preece started on the pole after posting a 14.612 second lap at 61.593 mph. He led the first 64 laps of the race but, just after lap 50 the left front tire began to show some glowing and eventually flames under braking. As the flames intensified the wheel began to smoke. On lap 62 the flames were quite pronounced. Preece tried to use less brake the subsequent lap but it was in vain and the brakes failed on lap 64. The seal failed on the left front brake caliper, ultimately causing the failure.

Brunnhoelzl took over the lead and brought the field to green on a lap 81. Myers was to his outside and the two battled side-by-side for six laps before another caution flew. Myers was ahead at the line at the end of the lap before the caution and inherited the lead when the field was aligned for the next restart. He led the remainder of the race, including through a final Green-White-Checkered finish. The win marks the first time in his illustrious career that Myers has won four events in one tour season.

Myers was followed to the line by JR Bertuccio, Brunnhoelzl, Kyle Ebersole and Seuss. The back half of the top 10 was comprised of Zach Brewer, Cole Powell, Mike Norman, Danny Bohn and Luke Fleming. Norman made an impressive run, starting in 22nd and racing all of the way to eighth. The unofficial Rookie of the Year is Spencer Davis.

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:

Nuts for Nationwide: Regan Smith's 2015 Could Be His Most Important Year Yet
by Joseph Wolkin

Holding a Pretty Wheel: May the Best Man Have a Chance to Win
by Amy Henderson

Does the Future Continue to Look Bright for Jamie McMurray?
by Aaron Creed

Friday Faceoff: Grey Areas, Hendrick Woes, and Rating the Rookies
by Frontstretch Staff

Frontstretch Foto Funnies: No, Really, It's My Week
by Frontstretch Staff

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA

Q: In 1986, Cale Yarborough entered the Oakwood Homes 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the defending champion of the event.  However, his defense of the trophy barely got past the one-quarter mark before it ended.  What happened?

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

Thursday's Answer:

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

A: The new feature, known as No Brakes Coverage, was the very first usage of side-by-side commercials in motorsports.  TBS picked a great race to debut it in, since the 500 mile race ended up having 46 lead changes.  Unfortunately, when Turner Sports (via TNT) teamed up with NBC to cover the second half of the Winston Cup and Busch series schedules for 2001, No Brakes Coverage did not come along for the ride.

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:
-- Bank of America 500 Race Recap by Justin Tucker
-- Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here by Amy Henderson
-- Sidebar Stories: Charlotte by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch Columns and More!

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This Weekend on Frontstretch:

Four Burning Questions: Charlotte by Matt Stallknecht
Matt covers all the big stories and questions heading into the sport's home track of Charlotte.

Nationwide Breakdown: Bank of America 500 by Mike Mehedin
Joseph has all the post-race analysis you need following Friday's Nationwide Series race from Charlotte.

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Monday on Frontstretch:

Thinkin' Out Loud: Bank of America 500
 by Mike Neff
Mike covers all the details and post-race analysis from Charlotte.

Big Six: Bank of America 500 by Amy Henderson
Amy tackles the who, what, when, where, how and why from Charlotte.

Pace Laps: All Racing Series by the Frontstretch Staff
Our staff keeps you posted on all the racing action that occurred over the weekend.

Commentary by Mike Mehedin
Mike takes on one of the biggest storylines coming out of Charlotte over the weekend.

Bowles-Eye View by Tom Bowles
Tom returns to tackle one of the most important storylines post-Charlotte.
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