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Best seat at the track, best view on the net!
Nov. 5, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition CC
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Top News
by Ashley McCubbin
NASCAR Issues Penalties Against No. 5 and No. 24 Teams Following Texas Fight
Following the brawl at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday night, NASCAR has issued penalties against crew members on both the No. 5 and No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports teams.
Jeremy Fuller from Kasey Kahne's No. 5 team, along with Dwayne Doucette and Jason Ingle from Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team, have been each fined $25,000 and suspended from NASCAR through the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points races. The three crew members were found in violation of section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing) and section 12-4.9 (Behavioral penalty – involved in a post-race physical altercation with a driver on pit road). Another Jeff Gordon crew member was suspended three races, paired with a $10,000 fine while crew chiefs Kenny Francis and Alan Gustafson got socked with $50,000 bills and probation. Read more.
NASCAR announced Tuesday that Darrell Wallace Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kenzie Ruston and Kyle Larson will be featured on Nickelodeon as part of their new docuseries titled "Hammer Down." The shows, eight to 12 minutes in length, will allow young fans a glimpse into the lives of young athletes. Read more.
Eric Phillips Moves to XFINITY Series With Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015
During an interview with Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, crew chief Eric Phillips revealed that he will be moving from Kyle Busch Motorsports' NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team to Joe Gibbs Racing's Xfinity Series (currently the NASCAR Nationwide Series) operation in 2015.
"I'm gonna be moving on, I'm gonna go to JGR at the end of the year," Phillips said. "I can't talk about what all's going to take place there but I'm excited about that. Obviously, it's a big deal to leave KBM, but I'm looking forward to what JGR brings next year." Read more.
NASCAR unveils 2015 K&N Pro Series East/West car at SEMA Show
On Tuesday, NASCAR unveiled the 2015 K&N Pro Series East/West car at the SEMA automotive specialty products trade show inside the Las Vegas Convention Center.
"This car is not only a pretty good-looking piece, it's a game changer," NASCAR Touring Series Managing Director Brad Moran said while unveiling the next-generation car. The new body features panels made from a composite laminate blend that are bolted together in a new 12-flange construction. The body will replace the steel-shelled cars in a design that's 35 pounds lighter and brings it closer to how NASCAR's top-tier series cars are constructed. Read more.
Ty Dillon to Run Phoenix Sprint Cup Series Race for Circle Sport Racing
Circle Sport Racing announced Tuesday that Ty Dillon will run the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. It will mark his second career Sprint Cup Series start after debuting earlier this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Read more.
Brandon Jones To RCR Nationwide Series Car In 2015
Brandon Jones is moving on up. The Truck Series part-time competitor is adding the Nationwide Series to his resume next season, signing a deal that will launch him into a part-time role with Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 car. Read more.
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Today's Featured Commentary
Fiddling With the Format
Professor of Speed
by Mark Howell
The 2014 Sprint Cup "Chase for the Championship" is taking an expected and fully-recognizable turn toward the traumatic. As the Eliminator Round winds down, with only this week's race at Phoenix separating the "Elite Eight" from the "Final Four", an old saying comes to mind.
I've been thinking about the adage "Nero fiddled while Rome burned".
Most people have no problem watching as others suffer or panic. Think about how traffic slows to a near stop in the vicinity of an accident, or how we often stare with curiosity as someone melts down before a sales clerk, a teacher, or a neighbor. A child at my son's elementary school recently suffered an asthma attack during an event, and the entire crowd in attendance (except for a very quick-thinking teacher) stopped to watch as the young boy dropped to the ground gasping for breath. Such events cause us to watch in both horror and amazement, our interest piqued by the prospects of what we might be witnessing.
But therein lies the problem: while we wonder at the event unfolding before our eyes, we lose sight of what's really occurring around us. The potential for trauma and the thrill of drama blinds us to the realities of the situation at hand.
Hence my thinking of the aforementioned phrase during the closing laps of last weekend's Sprint Cup race in Texas.
The atmosphere surrounding the event's conclusion was already tense: a second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish in the penultimate race of the Eliminator Round with title contenders lurking at the front of the field. Given the "win-and-in" mindset of this year's Chase format, there were several teams wildly desperate to punch their ticket for the championship race at Homestead-Miami with a victory in Fort Worth.
As the events unfolded in Texas, I was somehow reminded of the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? In the movie - directed by the late Sydney Pollack and starring Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Bonnie Bedelia, and Susannah York - a diverse assortment of couples take part in a dance marathon during the Great Depression in hopes of winning a $1,500 cash prize. The couples are eventually entangled in a plan set up by the marathon's host to attract more spectators; the dancers are required to race around the ballroom with the slowest participants being eliminated from the event. As the marathon begins to unravel for a variety of reasons, the host then tries to have one couple get married during the competition. Their refusal to go along with the stunt leads to them quitting the marathon.
Long story short: the dance marathon is not what it seems on the surface. Instead of being a contest that tests a couple's endurance on the dance floor, it turns into a manipulated game designed to attract larger audiences who will pay to see the carnage as it escalates. As the desperate couples fight to earn what they think will be a $1,500 cash prize, the marathon organizer admits that the reward - after all expenses have been covered - will essentially be nothing. The dancers are merely there to put on a show for the assembled audience. The sport becomes a spectacle.
What Sydney Pollack's 1969 movie (based on a novel written by Horace McCoy in 1935) demonstrated was oddly similar to what transpired at both Charlotte and Fort Worth these last few weeks. As an angry Jeff Gordon confronted Brad Keselowski on pit road on Sunday evening, and as their respective race teams skirmished in the aftermath of the AAA Texas 500, I could not help but reflect on the nature of this year's more competitive Chase format.
Competitive conflict might seem exciting, but at what point does determination shift into desperation? When does the need to produce drama lead to an increase in post-race trauma? By creating a championship structure that emphasizes success at all costs, the eventual result will naturally become an atmosphere where racing is replaced by recklessness and rage.
Not to assign blame to drivers or teams here; there is a fine line between racing accidents and poor decisions. While the new Chase format is creating anxiety and anger, it still, however, seems ill-suited to attract the numbers of spectators so desperately sought by NASCAR. Both professional and college football continue to steal NASCAR's thunder, even with the prescribed pressure cooker that is the Chase for the Championship circa 2014.
So is NASCAR fiddling while team relationships and reputations are burning to the ground? It's sad to say, but that seems to be the case. The more contemporary stock car racing resembles its old-school (dare I say redneck?) roots, the more mainstream audiences will stare at the wreckage, and the antics, and then go about their business.
Don't forget what they do when horses are too damaged to race any more….
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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.
@DISUpdates: It's been just over one year since steel installation for #DAYTONARising has begun. Check out how far we've come! pic.twitter.com/7qlOI93RwD
@DaleJr: At Homestead test a woman said she was a fan since she was 7 yrs old. I didn't ask her current age, but she looked well into her 20s.
@brennanpoole: Well the cats out of the bag lol I'm going to be running the televised races for BCR in the ARCA. instagram.com/p/u0mftutQjf/
@TheAlexHayden: The car is ready for @DaleJr! @MRNRadio #AskMRN pic.twitter.com/1BRuHniCg7
@jfcassidy: This is a top team story of '14. Talented driver & a team full of grit. @RyanSiegRacing @PullAPartAuto @NASCAR_NNS pic.twitter.com/7cg0987cz8
@BubbaWallace: It's been a good day! My buddy @Drew_Herring got married! And we're in Columbia for some @Vol_Football #VFL pic.twitter.com/eEnzJQhyFt
@NASCAR_Wonka: Don't forget to fall-back tonight. #DaylightSilasTime pic.twitter.com/iQ6RASxDuZ
@DeLanaHarvick: Always a difficult day, even 9 years later. Thankfully time does ease the pain and the memories are with me 4ever. Miss you every day dad…
@RodneyChilders4: I hope my phone changes time like it supposed to… I walked in the garage late @amsupdates about 5 or 6years ago and was SO embarrassed
@JimmieJohnson: No chance I could just drive by... Even if I was on my way home from dinner. pic.twitter.com/rUpGLbKbTB
@joeycoulter: Ladies & Gentlemen I give you fried oreos! #latenight #latenightsnacks #friednation @97patrickstar pic.twitter.com/7qybCdooID
@DaleJr: I left an autographed napkin at the Marriott across from @TXMotorSpeedway #DaleCall pic.twitter.com/oiCpVtRHqK
@prnbrett: Headed from @TXMotorSpeedway and greeted by this sunrise. Nice. @PRNlive pic.twitter.com/FblEuOzDDk
@TheAlexHayden: Anyone else pick the marshmallows out and eat them last? pic.twitter.com/waWRSrvyoY
@PPistone: #Harvicking pic.twitter.com/asIWcjW3LN
@ChevroletPref: Say hello to@JimmieJohnson's incredible LT1-powered #CHEVYSEMA '71 #Corvette concept! s.chevy.com/yy4 pic.twitter.com/i11LMdrmjG
@missjfish: Just got caught up on DVR, so proud of @mw55 and @EmmaSlaterDance! For someone w/no dance experience, they gave it their all! Well done!!
@Mc_Driver (Michael McDowell): Harvested my first mature buck today. It has taken me 5 years. No fence, no pens, lots of hours. Really excited! pic.twitter.com/DWNwgYeqlP
@TonyStewart: Proud of@mw55. He had the balls to do something none of us would have. Much respect my friend
@TonyStewart: Trust me, people can say what they want to, it just makes them look bad. Let's keep the hammer down! Let it roll off.
@SpotterBrett: go vote. Hundreds of millions were spent on commercials. Fictitious mind you. But they're invested. Holla.
@SpotterBrett: And it amazes me people won't tell you who they voted for.... Are you ashamed. People need more confidence and need to stop being sensitive
@3widemiddle (Chris Lambert): The next few posts are strictly my opinion! Don't agree w/me, all good, I respect that, but I'm not gonna debate about any of it.
@3widemiddle: 1-Let the drivers race each other however they see fit. Anything short of flat dumping is on.Rubbing, moving & roughing up is all "game on".
@3widemiddle: 2-But let them approach each other after race on pit rd, in garage w/out crews intervening. Make them be responsible for their actions!
@3widemiddle: 3-Crews can only get involved, separate them if it gets physical beyond grabbing each other. If punches are thrown or they go to the ground.
@3widemiddle: And last, to those that are gonna say"But the crews have just as much invested as the drivers. They have a right to be pissed too".
@3widemiddle: That is 100% correct, but we aren't in control of the race cars. The drivers are the faces, the leaders of our teams. They are the ones...
@3widemiddle: ...who could be hurt/injured if another driver uses them up. They are the ones w/the most to lose. I'd say most can take care of themselves.
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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 2007 Arizona Travel 200 for the then-Busch Series at PIR, Greg Biffle was an early threat to win, leading 21 laps. However, he fell victim to one of PIR's environmental hazards. What happened?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: In the 2004 Chevy Silverado 150 presented by Valley Chevy Dealers at Phoenix International Raceway, Ted Musgrave was poised to upset the General Motors establishment in their own race, leading 73 laps and putting himself in position to win late. However, something happened to take him clean out of the hunt. What?
A: Musgrave was leading with 28 laps to go when he cut a right-front tire. The failure allowed David Starr to take the lead and defend General Motors' honor. In Musgrave's case, he didn't lose as much ground as he could have because of a multi-truck crash involving Ken Weaver, Robert Huffman, Brandon Whitt, Terry Cook and Deborah Renshaw. As a result, he lost only one lap as opposed to the two he likely would have lost had the race gone green and finished 19th. The cut tire and crash can both be seen here.
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Phil Allaway
-- Critic's Annex by Phil Allaway
-- 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 Phoenix. This week, it's a peek at what could have been for Kyle Busch's strongest Chase of his career.
Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike is back with your look at the technical side of NASCAR. This week, it's Tony Gibson who stops by.
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 Phoenix.
Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth returns with your weekly look at the state of the Camping World Truck Series.
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