Presented by Frontstretch.com
Best seat at the track, best view on the net!
Oct. 22, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLXXXV
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Today's TV Listings
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Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Have news for 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
A Most Valuable Lesson
Professor of Speed
by Mark Howell
The best lesson I ever learned while in high school came from a teacher who did not even work in my community. He was a teacher in a neighboring town who also coached that school's varsity golf team. I played golf on my high school's team, so I would see this man periodically at various tournaments around the area.
His lesson had nothing to do, specifically, with the game of golf. The advice he gave came in the form of an old adage that stuck in my memory the very moment I heard it. The teacher / coach was addressing his players before they teed-off in a match against my team. His golfers were lamenting the quite sloppy and fairly menacing weather conditions that often affected outdoor sports during Northeastern autumns - those cold and damp afternoons that chilled you to the bone and challenged your ability to concentrate on what needed to be done.
As his players moaned about the lousy weather and how it would probably affect their performances, the teacher dispensed the advice that has stayed with me - a mere bystander - for the past thirty-plus years. The man crossed his arms, shook his head, and uttered one seemingly-dated sentence: "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, what a merry Christmas it would be…."
This adage comes to mind every time a student explains to me that if they only had more time, or more help, or more resources in the library, or a faster computer, or a better roommate, or no roommate, they could earn "straight A's". The same advice pops into my head whenever my young son says that he really needs a new version of a popular video game system because then he would be on an even footing (my words, not his) with his friends at school.
That teacher's memorable lesson pretty much screamed through my mind as the events at Talladega unfolded last Sunday afternoon….
Here was the "Contender Round" of the Chase coming to a close at the GEICO 500: a race that everyone pretty much defined as the most important and most feared event of the 2014 Sprint Cup postseason. Several major names were in danger of being dumped from title contention, and several other drivers were hoping to hang on and play spoiler - always a possibility at a restrictor plate track like Talladega.
But therein lies the problem: putting too many season-long eggs in one very hard-to-predict basket creates a logical opportunity to wind up with show business yolk all over your face.
You can look at Brian France, but it's impolite to stare….
The newly-structured "Chase for the Championship" format circa 2014 is a lot like Communism: on paper, it looks pretty good, but it's a miserable failure when put into practice. So here we are studying the aftermath of the Talladega race. One not-so-popular driver runs the wheels off his Ford and winds up in Victory Lane with a free pass into the upcoming "Eliminator Round". The second-place finisher is the same driver who one week earlier had Sunday's winner in a headlock; this runner-up pushed his former sparring partner across the finish line while helping him stave off the increasingly-desperate competition.
And what about France's/NASCAR's notion that the title would boil down to a "win-and-in" scenario to both make the Chase and possibly hoist the big hardware in Las Vegas? Don't look now, but the second-place driver at Talladega drove his way into the next round while having to yet step foot in a Winner's Circle in 2014. Such events make it look oh-so-possible that this year's Cup champion will be a driver with zero wins on the year.
Wasn't it Matt Kenseth's one-win title run back in 2003 that led to the "Chase for the Championship"? I know it might be in poor form to write this, but I, for one, hope that Kenseth goes on to snag the title while never winning a race. It will add an anti-climactic air to the season, but it would also demonstrate that there's more to racing than orchestrating a show in hopes of grabbing the public's attention.
So what about that all-essential public attention? The biggest names in NASCAR must be putting all their previous wins to good use and securing their chances at the championship, no?
In a word: no.
Sunday afternoon saw the fall of both Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Not only does their dismissal from the Chase leave Hendrick Motorsports with just one dog in the hunt, but it also robs Brian France of his two most "mainstream" names.
Consider which Sprint Cup drivers have appeared on two of the most popular late-night network television programs within the past two months; while Mr. and Mrs. Main Street might recognize Johnson and Earnhardt as NASCAR "stars", the two fan favorites will be watching someone else grace the sports pages come Monday morning.
Junior says he's looking to win more races but – at this point – who cares? From here on out, "win-and-in" goes the way of "sit-and-spin"; finishing first is fun, but now it's a moot point….
So here's where the advice of that high school teacher/golf coach comes back to mind. While Brian France and his NASCAR brethren might be celebrating the challenging nature of this year's "Chase for the Championship", they are likely also second-guessing what their orchestrated Draconian structure hath wrought. What might have been will be mainstream America's loss. What still could happen might overthrow the whole "winner take all" mindset deemed necessary as a way of attracting fans.
Oh, well; to Martinsville we go….
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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.
@deftlyinane: Jimmy Spencer wrecked once after 7 laps at Texas. Now his car is here in front of this gas station turned bar off 421 pic.twitter.com/umLuirczab
@LeavineFamily95: We are excited to announce that JTS is back on the hood this week! And with a new color scheme! #CancerAwareness pic.twitter.com/XgGAhJxEZz
@LeavineFamily95: We are also still praying for @SteveByrnes12 and honoring him. #SteveStrong pic.twitter.com/20QcS4cYV7
@KevinHamlin: Tracks always have such a different look when we test. @PhoenixRaceway pic.twitter.com/IW0zZMkIwj
@dodgegrrl: Things we do to make @NASCAR for your viewing pleasure on @espn @TalladegaSuperS @odsteve pic.twitter.com/CXu1wbW9mW
@MISpeedway: A throwback to 1968, one month before we opened.#NASCARthrowback #tbt pic.twitter.com/mYDZSoW3dQ
@Riceman61: Not racing, finished my vinyl wall display, collecting classic albums "you mean I can go back to college" pic.twitter.com/XvEKE1ruvi
@ericmcclure: Maryleigh's choice of "sleep"wear certainly has my approval. What do you think @Hefty @ReynoldsWrap pic.twitter.com/gisO1QzVhb
@SamanthaBusch We are in for the ride of our lives!!!! pic.twitter.com/7f0vd2zHM1
@nascarcasm: "No, I'm glad I won. I was just up six times last night changing diapers."#nascar pic.twitter.com/K3a8sDKOKx
@Josh_Wise: I'm eating breakfast- waitress just asked, "what's Dogecoin".
My standard first response has become, "how much time do you have?"
@DeLanaHarvick: Keelan's ready for "Taildega" pic.twitter.com/QHsdUabJP2
@Jeff_Gluck: Kyle Busch did not respond to questions. He walked straight out of garage. pic.twitter.com/KzTWybKHwO
@NASCAR: And then there were 8. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/5F0sSWrzfS
@JimmieJohnson: Thanks for all of the support. We don't have a shot at the big prize but our sights are set on closing the year right.
@NASCAR: When Brad wins, America wins. pic.twitter.com/IOggL6PcTD
@landoncassill: Amazing finish! I want to be clear about something, my team built these cars themselves, in OUR shop. We didn't buy these cars from anyone.
@DaleJr: That deal on the backstretch was just hard racing. Not @gbiffle fault at all. He got an untimely push and was turned into me. Plate racing.
@ClintBowyer: Finally got a picture! Couldn't be prouder of this group. #champions pic.twitter.com/PW7jg56KNX
@DeLanaHarvick: Found this on my phone tonight... Keelan basically summed up my weekend in Dega! pic.twitter.com/J0daXaTS02"
@heymartysnider: He's been my friend since I was a kid. Took me under his wing when I started covering Cup. The sport will miss him. pic.twitter.com/DGNdu4Tek6
@DennyHamlin: So happy for our @FedEx team to be punching out ticket to the next round. Now let's have some fun at some of our best tracks!!
@ClintBowyer Little man chilling with his favorite blanket @kansasspeedway sent him this morning! pic.twitter.com/Nwt5vSKUue
@NASCAR: 22-year old @kylefowlerrace will make his NSCS debut this weekend at @MartinsvilleSwy: nas.cr/1uw9u29 pic.twitter.com/n2gFQJGpQo
@KurtBusch: I'm honored to be representing Team USA at this year's @RaceOfChampions. @RyanHunterReay and I will do our best to make you all proud.
@MatthewDillner: Just saw Trophy Cup vid of @Rico_Abreu pulling Tim Kaeding from his car (fire) Little guy/BIG Heart. #Racer#Respect youtu.be/LrtX3hUZD2g
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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:
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q: In the 2004 Kroger 200 at Martinsville for the Craftsman Truck Series, Travis Kvapil was one of the primary contenders, leading 62 laps. However, he ended up with a very disappointing finish. What happened?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: The fall race weekend at Martinsville in 1995 was plagued by rain. Qualifying for both the Winston Cup Series and the then-SuperTruck Series by Craftsman were both cancelled due to weather, while the truck race started behind schedule due to a wet track. Once the Goody's 150 got underway, Rick Carelli had a good run going until being eliminated on the frontstretch. What happened?
A: Barry Bodine, driving as a teammate to his father Geoff in a nearly identical No. 07 to Geoff's No. 7, lost control and spun on the frontstretch, hitting the outside wall. Bodine then came back across the track, forcing Rick Carelli to the inside. Unfortunately, Carelli could not avoid the No. 07 and launched himself into the air and into the inside wall. Jack Sprague was also clipped in the crash. The crash can be seen here.
Both Bodine and Carelli were out on the spot, but walked away from the crash. Sprague made repairs on pit road and finished 20th, three laps down.
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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 takes a look at the statistical side of NASCAR heading to Martinsville.
Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike is back with your look at the technical side of NASCAR. This week, Kevin "Bono" Manion checks in just in time for a second trip to Martinsville Speedway.
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 Martinsville.
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!
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