Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Oct. 17, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CLXXXII
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TODAY'S FOCUS: The Force Family
Beyond the Cockpit with John and Courtney Force: May the Forces Be With You
by Frontstretch Staff
by Frontstretch Staff
THURSDAY'S FOCUS: How the NHRA Helps Involved Companies and the NASCAR-NHRA Connection
WEDNESDAY'S FOCUS: Sponsorship in the NHRA
MONDAY'S FOCUS: NHRA's Family Affair
This Weekend's TV Schedule
Friday, October 17
Time Telecast Network
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. The 10: Talladega Moments FOX Sports 1#
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. K&N Pro Series West Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 FOX Sports 1*/ (from October 11)
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1 FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. NASCAR Live No. 2 FOX Sports 1
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour FOX Sports 1
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Camping World Truck Series Qualifying FOX Sports 1
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. NASCAR RaceHub FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The 10: Talladega Moments FOX Sports 2#
9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion FOX Sports 2*/# (from August 14-17)
10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour FOX Sports 2*#
Saturday, October 18
Time Telecast Network
4:30 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. The 10: Talladega Moments FOX Sports 1#
5:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour FOX Sports 1*# (from October 17)
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. K&N Pro Series West Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 FOX Sports 1*/# (from October 11)
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour FOX Sports 1*# (from October 17)
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. NCWTS Setup FOX
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion FOX Sports 2*/# (from August 14-17)
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Camping World Truck Series fred's 250 FOX
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Lake County Speedway Hot Laps FansChoice.tv^
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sprint Cup Series Qualifying ESPNEWS
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tucson Speedway Practice FansChoice.tv^
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Lake County Speedway Speed-Tacular Preliminaries FansChoice.tv^
8:20 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Tucson Speedway Qualifying FansChoice.tv^
9:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Monster Energy Supercross Pregame FOX Sports 2
9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Monster Energy Cup: Las Vegas FOX Sports 2
9:55 p.m. - 12:55 a.m. Tucson Speedway Fan Appreciation Night at the Races FansChoice.tv^
Sunday, October 19
Time Telecast Network
12:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. motoGP World Championship Grand Prix of Australia FOX Sports 1
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lake County Speedway Hot Laps FansChoice.tv^
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. NASCAR RaceDay FOX Sports 1
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. NASCAR Countdown ESPN
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Lake County Speedway Speed-Tacular Features FansChoice.tv^
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 ESPN
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Moto3: Australia FOX Sports 2*
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Blancpain Sprint Series: Zolder CBS Sports Network* (from October 18-19)
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Formula DRIFT: Throwdown, Part No. 2 NBC Sports Network*/ (from July 19)
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Moto2: Australia FOX Sports 2*
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. motoGP World Championship Grand Prix of Australia FOX Sports 2*/#
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. DTM: Hockenheim No. 2 CBS Sports Network*
DVR Theater (Early Monday Morning)
12:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. NASCAR Victory Lane FOX Sports 1*
1:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m. Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 ESPN 2*/# (from October 19)
2:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m. DTM: Hockenheim No. 2 CBS Sports Network*# (from October 19)
4:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. Blancpain Sprint Series: Zolder CBS Sports Network*# (from October 18-19)
/ - 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 Justin Tucker and Joseph Wolkin
David Ragan was considered to be one of the hot free agents in the garage ahead of the 2015 season. Rumors were running rampant that he would be the one to replace Marcos Ambrose as the driver of the No. 9 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports until RPM signed Sam Hornish, Jr. last week. Ragan said despite the Petty rumors there was never any genuine interest between him and Petty for that ride - just preliminary conversations. Read more
Wood Brothers Set for Milestone at Talladega
Nothing says tradition in NASCAR like the name of the legendary Wood brothers. Compiling over 1,400 starts, 98 wins, 337 top 5s, and 622 top-10 finishes, Wood Brothers Racing has enjoyed success to the highest level over its 61-year history in the sport. Read more
Brandon Jones Teams With GMS Racing in Truck Series
Rising star Brandon Jones will join GMS Racing for the remainder of the Camping World Truck Series season, starting next weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Jones will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado with veteran crew chief Shane Huffman calling the shots atop the pit box. Read more
Kaz Grala to Race for Ben Kennedy Racing in 2015
Kaz Grala will be running with a different organization in 2015. Grala, 15, announced on Thursday morning that he will be joining forces with Ben Kennedy Racing. Although sponsorship details were not immediately announced, he will be replacing Kenzie Ruston with the organization. Read more
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Frontstretch Folio: GEICO 500
by Brad Morgan
The Sprint Cup Series travels back to Talladega Superspeedway for the 32nd race of the 2014 season on Sunday, Oct. 19. Television coverage of the GEICO 500 begins at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN; your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate and Sirius XM Channel 90 will handle the radio broadcast. Drivers will compete for at least 188 laps (500 miles) before the checkered flag waves.
Records and Facts
Denny Hamlin won at Talladega in May, a victory that punched his ticket for the Chase and snapped a career-long restrictor plate racing winless drought.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. leads the series in consecutive Talladega wins with four, set between 2001-2003.
Brad Keselowski is the only active driver to win at Talladega in his track debut.
Richard Childress Racing has the most victories at Talladega with 12, followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 11.
Track Facts
Track Length: 2.66-mile quad oval
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Degree of Banking: turns - 33 degrees, tri-oval - 18 degrees
Frontstretch: 4,300 ft., 16.5 degrees of banking
Backstretch: 4,000 ft., 2 degrees of banking
Grandstand Seating: 78,000
Website: http://talladegasuperspeedway.calls.net/?homepage=true
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalladegaSuperspeedway
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalladegaSuperS
Pre-race Schedule
Practices: Friday, Oct. 17, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Friday, Oct. 17, 4:30 - 5:20 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Qualifying: Saturday, Oct. 18, 4:40 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS
VIPs
Grand Marshal/Command: Rhett Rayburn, regional vice president, GEICO
Honorary Pace Car Driver: TBA
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: US Army SFC James W. Knight
Invocation: TBA
National Anthem: 313th United States Army Band
Flyover: GEICO Skytypers
Race Day Forecast
Sunday: Partly Cloudy
High: 73
Low: 46
They Said It:
"The key there is to somehow stay out of trouble. At Talladega, you pretty much stay around the bottom, since there is a lot of grip there, and you can pretty much run wide open every single lap. Everyone can run up on top of each other. When you get single-file at the bottom, sometimes it's hard to get a lane on the outside with enough good cars to get something going. It can be frustrating at times because of that. It also seems to still put on a good race each time we go there. If you can be a contender and stay in line on the bottom, you can make it a pretty easy and safe race. Normally, guys are not content doing that, so that's when it starts to get crazy." - Kyle Busch
"Go out there and win it (Talladega). We can do it; we have won there a lot of time. I know what we need to do. We will just have to build a fast car and hope that we don't have any gremlins and try to go out there and win it." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
"Staying out of the 'big one,' the crash that takes out so many cars, is crucial to having success at Talladega. So many strategies – like staying in front or staying in the back – can be used during the race, however, there's no perfect strategy to run this race. You just have to hope your car is in one piece at the end of the race. The big one could lead to a big swing in the points." - Jeff Gordon
"We definitely didn't get the finish we needed in Charlotte and its forced us into the position of having to win this weekend in Talladega. Our speedway program at Hendrick Motorsports is top-notch and I'll have the equipment I need to make a run at it. I can't control the rest of the field though and we are just going to need some luck heading into this weekend. If anyone can pull it off, this No. 48 Lowe's team can." - Jimmie Johnson
"I don't think there is more pressure, I think there are more questions. We saw some guys at Kansas and Charlotte who had some misfortune that are guys who don't usually have issues like the [Nos.] 88, the 2 and the 48. Those guys have their work cut out for them. Talladega is left and you have three guys in trouble. There is going to be some different approaches no doubt at Talladega, but I don't see it as added pressure. I still take the same approach to the first Talladega as I do the second Talladega. You're still racing for points and positions, and obviously a win to keep yourself in the Chase and on to the next bracket." - Ryan Newman
Brad Morgan is a senior writer for Frontstretch. Email him at brad.morgan@frontstretch.com.
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Keepin' It Short: Time to Crown Some World Champions
by Mike Neff
The Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series runs a grueling schedule of 47 events that crisscrosses the country from Georgia to Ohio and West Virginia to Oklahoma. After the thousands of laps and tens of thousands of miles traveled, it all comes down to this weekend. The 34th Annual Dirt Track World Championships will be held at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Ohio. The UMP Modifieds and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models will be tearing up the 3/8 mile high banked clay oval to settle the season champion and rookie of the year for Lucas Oil and the World Champion for both sanctions.
Portsmouth Raceway Park opened in 1990 with a two race schedule. In 1992 the facility was preparing for a huge two-day show over the 4th of July weekend. There was a large amount of heavy machinery that had been brought in to make last minute preparations for the first really big race. The night before the event the track was fogged in thanks to its picturesque location at the confluence of the Scioto River and the Ohio River. In the middle of the night vandals climbed aboard a bull dozer and leveled the buildings, the grandstands and the restaurant on premises. The community rallied around the track and rebuilt everything. Within two weeks of the devastation the track was reopened for business.
The facility has undergone continuous improvement and renovation. The track now seats 10,000 people in the grandstands and 300 in the pit stands. The track was built by Boone Coleman as a place for his son Tim to practice with his Mini Sprint. After spending the time and effort to build the track he decided to try and make some of his money back and that is how Portsmouth Raceway Park was built. It is now operated by Boone's widow Joyce, his son Tim and Tim's wife Jenny. Donna Rayburn is the track promoter.
The Dirt Track World Championship started in 1981 at Pennsboro Speedway. It has been held at numerous venues but has called Portsmouth Raceway Park home for the last three years. The highlight of the championship this year is the title chase for the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models. Jimmy Owens is the defending series champion, but he is 75 points behind Don O'Neal for the lead in the points coming into the weekend. If O'Neal can finish eighth or better Saturday, then he will be the champion. If he can't then it will all depend on where the two combatants shake out. If the points battle ends in a tie, Owens will win on the tie break of most wins in the season by virtue of having eight to O'Neals seven.
If you want to go to the Dirt Track World Championship, a three day general admission pass is $40. For an extra $5 you can have a reserved seat. For $50 you can purchase a pit pass. Again, for an extra $5 you can have a reserved seat with the pit pass. Children from 7-11 get in for $10, under 7 are free.
This Week's Racing Calendar can be found here.
Mike Neff is a senior writer for Frontstretch. Feedback can be sent to mike.neff@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
Nuts for Nationwide: RAB Racing and James Buescher Looking to Get Back to Consistency
by Joseph Wolkin
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Allmendinger All the Way
by Amy Henderson
Search for On-Track Improvement Needed After Off-Track Drama
by Aaron Creed
Friday Faceoff: Penalities, Fireworks, and Momentum
by Frontstretch Staff
Frontstretch Foto Funnies: He Doesn't Even Turn!
by Frontstretch Staff
Beyond the Cockpit with John and Courtney Force: May the Forces Be With You
by Frontstretch Staff
Tech Talk: More to Driving the Pace Car than Meets the Eye
by Frontstretch Staff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q: In 1985, the Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds-owned Mach 1 team successfully managed to gain approval from NASCAR to have a special system installed on Harry Gant's No. 33 Skoal Bandit Chevrolet for the Talladega 500. What was this system?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer:
Q: The 1986 Talladega 500 is best known for extreme heat and the radical attrition that resulted from it (only 14 of the 40 starters finished the race). In the end, it came down to roughly a dozen cars battling for the win. However, a last-lap incident whittled the pack down significantly. What happened?
A: In the free-for-all for position on the final lap, Bobby Allison was tapped in the left rear corner by Sterling Marlin entering turn 1. Allison spun out and was hit by Kyle Petty and Rick Wilson. While Petty spun onto the apron, Wilson hit Jim Sauter, putting both drivers into the wall, in addition to Allison. Joe Ruttman hit Allison as well before spinning onto the apron. The crash can be seen here.
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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-- GEICO 500 Race Recap by Justin Tucker
-- Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here by Amy Henderson
-- Sidebar Stories: Talladega by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch Columns and More!
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This Weekend on Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Talladega by Matt Stallknecht
Matt covers all the big stories and questions heading into what will likely be the craziest race of the Chase at Talladega.
Tracking the Trucks by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth has all the post-race analysis you need following Saturday's Truck Series race from Talladega.
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Monday on Frontstretch:
Thinkin' Out Loud: GEICO 500 by Mike Neff
Mike covers all the details and post-race analysis from Talladega.
Big Six: GEICO 500 by Amy Henderson
Amy tackles the who, what, when, where, how and why from Talladega.
Pace Laps: All Racing Series by the Frontstretch Staff
Our staff keeps you posted on all the racing action that occurred over the weekend.
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 toeditors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
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