THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Feb. 19, 2015
Volume IX, Edition XIX
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Feb. 19, 2015
Volume IX, Edition XIX
~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Thursday- Today's the day. By 11 p.m. tonight, we'll know who is going to start the Daytona 500 on Sunday and be guaranteed roughly $250,000. The Budweiser Duels at Daytona start at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. Pre-race coverage starts with NASCAR RaceDay at 5 p.m.
- Prior to the Budweiser Duels, the Camping World Truck Series teams will take to the track for their two practice sessions ahead of their season opener. Practice is due to start at 1:30 p.m., after the final Sprint Cup practice prior to the Duels.
Thursday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Kyle Busch Paces Third Daytona 500 Practice Amid Danica Patrick Crash
by the Frontstretch Staff
Kyle Busch Paces Third Daytona 500 Practice Amid Danica Patrick Crash
Wednesday brought the Sprint Cup cars back out onto the track for a couple of practice sessions ahead of Thursday night's Budweiser Duels at Daytona. It took less than ten minutes for all heck to break loose on the backstretch. Three drivers, including Danica Patrick, were forced to go to backup cars and will start in the rear of their assigned Budweiser Duel. Read more
Alex Bowman Wins Fourth Daytona 500 Practice
After the excitement of the first practice session on Wednesday, teams scaled their preparation back a tad in the second session. Only 29 of the 49 entrants turned in laps, led by Tommy Baldwin Racing's Alex Bowman. Read more
NASCAR Changes XFINITY, Truck Daytona Qualifying After Cup Fiasco
In the wake of Sunday's shenanigans in Daytona on network television, NASCAR announced rule changes to the qualifying format for the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series for this weekend. The groups have been further split down and the time limit within each round has been shortened. Read more
Ratings Increase Substantially for Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 Qualifying
On Tuesday, overnight ratings were released for FOX's broadcast of Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited. The network heads were likely quite pleased that their telecast averaged a 3.2 rating for the night, up 78 percent from the 1.8 that the race received last year on FOX Sports 1. Also, according to TV by the Numbers, the telecast had the second-highest rating of the evening in the all-important 18-to-49 age demographic. However, the race is down slightly from the 2013 telecast, making it the least-watched Sprint Unlimited to air on the main FOX broadcast network.
On Tuesday, overnight ratings were released for FOX's broadcast of Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited. The network heads were likely quite pleased that their telecast averaged a 3.2 rating for the night, up 78 percent from the 1.8 that the race received last year on FOX Sports 1. Also, according to TV by the Numbers, the telecast had the second-highest rating of the evening in the all-important 18-to-49 age demographic. However, the race is down slightly from the 2013 telecast, making it the least-watched Sprint Unlimited to air on the main FOX broadcast network.
The coverage saw FOX take second out of the four full broadcast networks in primetime Saturday. NBC defeated FOX with a rerun of Dateline and its Saturday Night Live Valentine's Special. Cable network TNT posted the highest ratings of the evening with their coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night from Madison Square Garden in New York.
FOX's coverage of Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying on Sunday posted a 2.1 rating, an increase of 24 percent over 2014. It is the best rating for qualifying on FOX since 2009. Coverage of tonight's Budweiser Duels at Daytona will air on FOX Sports 1 starting at 7 p.m.
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FRONTSTRETCH JOB: WEBMASTER
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leftover conversion tasks, work with the management team to implement site enhancements and help troubleshoot problems as they arise. The candidate must also have a working knowledge of search engine optimization strategies to help improve search rankings for the site. Motorsports knowledge is
preferred but not required. The candidate should have on average at least 1-2 hours per week to devote to Fronstretch initiatives. If you are interested, please contact our Business Manager, Tony Lumbis at Tony.Lumbis@gmail.com.
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It's going to be pretty tough to come up with something new to say about the debacle that NASCAR called qualifying at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. Pretty much everything has been said, not much of it laudatory to NASCAR. I'll just try to vent my own feelings on the deal.
I was extremely apprehensive from the time the sport announced that they were using this format last year. The reason? Drivers have been telling us for years now that we shouldn't pay much attention to the times and speeds recorded in practice on the high-speed tracks.
I can recall Jeff Gordon saying, "Those speeds are skewed all over the chart because of the draft in practice. There's no way to find out just how fast a car is unless it's out there by itself."
So, in their infinite wisdom, NASCAR decides to turn qualifying into what amounts to another practice session. They call it "knockout" qualifying, and it lived up to that name on Sunday.
First, nobody wants to go out until they've got their strategy down pat, including who they want to run with, and everybody wants to wait until they'll get just one good lap. So, in a five-minute session, the format which was supposed to bring more excitement to qualifying, ostensibly to bring the fans back, featured nearly four minutes of cars sitting on pit road.
Let's face it; if you don't have a fast car to draft with, it doesn't matter how fast your car is. But hey, at least NASCAR's brought more excitement; now, we have the prospect of "The Big One" in qualifying.
With slightly over a minute left in the session, madness ensued. In Session 1a on Sunday, there was so much jockeying around and trying to get in the right line that the rubbin' started early.
Reed Sorenson got a quarterpanel pulled away from a tire before he ever got on the track, and there's no doubt it was holding him back like the parachute on a dragster. With the damage located on one side of the car, it also had to make that piece hard to handle.
I don't know if that led to the contact which caused that big wreck or not, but I think there's a good chance it did.
At any rate, I hope the nabobs of NASCAR were happy. Car owners, drivers, crew members, and particularly fabricators were definitely not.
As Clint Bowyer pointed out, teams spend months preparing a car for this race, and point toward qualifying because making the show is half the battle. Polishing, wind tunnel testing, making sure the car will fit the NASCAR egg-crate template, etc., is all part of said preparation.
I had to admire Clint Bowyer's gumption in making no bones about it after that big crash. He said it wasn't the drivers' fault, and flatly stated that it was NASCAR's fault because of their format.
Another driver pointed out that it's pretty hard to stand behind NASCAR when something like this disaster happens.
At any rate, several teams are going to backup cars for Thursday's Budweiser Duel events, meaning some of them are going to have to push pretty hard to get a good starting position.
Well, that'll make those two races pretty interesting, anyway.
No sooner than it was over on Sunday, the conspiracy theorists were out in force. Jeff Gordon on the pole for his last Daytona 500? Obviously rigged by NASCAR, right? Look for circling black helicopters. Jimmie Johnson second fastest? Same deal, no doubt.
I've watched Jeff since he first got in a USAC midget at what was then Indianapolis Raceway Park in May of 1989, set a new track record, and went on to win the Budweiser Night Before the 500.
We couldn't even pose him with a can of the sponsor's product because he was too young at the time. Didn't graduate from high school until more than a week later. (That race had a way of attracting young winners. Same thing happened with Ryan Newman a few years later when another beer was the sponsor.)
So, I'm a Jeff Gordon fan. Jimmie Johnson, maybe not so much, but I'm not gonna say there was any hanky-panky involved.
But hey, that's half the fun of living in this great land. As of right now, we can all think and say pretty much what we want.
On to another topic…
The current Kurt Busch situation. I'm sure everybody's well-versed on this case, also, because it's been going on for a while. Kurt has been accused of bashing his ex-girlfriend's head against a wall in his motorhome after she showed up unannounced, as I understand it.
Now that a judge has decreed that Kurt has to stay at least 100 yards from her, people are saying NASCAR needs to suspend him or punish him in some way until this situation is resolved. Some of those are probably the same folks who wanted Tony Stewart drawn and quartered before that situation in New York was fully investigated.
What do I think? I'm no big fan of Kurt's, but from what I've read the woman involved seems to be bat-crap crazy, and he probably doesn't want to get close to her anymore anyways.
The real shame in this situation is the effect it's bound to have on her young son, who supposedly witnessed it all. That's where the focus should be.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer at Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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"I have a dog named Roscoe. He's an idiot. He is kind of funky. I got a phone call today that he farted and literally blew a bubble out of his butt. I guess that is kind of funky right? I feel like he's probably not supposed to do that (laughs)." - Alex Bowman, on his dog Roscoe
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Today's Featured Commentary
A NASCAR Qualifying Quandary
Potts' Shots
by John PottsPotts' Shots
It's going to be pretty tough to come up with something new to say about the debacle that NASCAR called qualifying at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. Pretty much everything has been said, not much of it laudatory to NASCAR. I'll just try to vent my own feelings on the deal.
I was extremely apprehensive from the time the sport announced that they were using this format last year. The reason? Drivers have been telling us for years now that we shouldn't pay much attention to the times and speeds recorded in practice on the high-speed tracks.
I can recall Jeff Gordon saying, "Those speeds are skewed all over the chart because of the draft in practice. There's no way to find out just how fast a car is unless it's out there by itself."
So, in their infinite wisdom, NASCAR decides to turn qualifying into what amounts to another practice session. They call it "knockout" qualifying, and it lived up to that name on Sunday.
First, nobody wants to go out until they've got their strategy down pat, including who they want to run with, and everybody wants to wait until they'll get just one good lap. So, in a five-minute session, the format which was supposed to bring more excitement to qualifying, ostensibly to bring the fans back, featured nearly four minutes of cars sitting on pit road.
Let's face it; if you don't have a fast car to draft with, it doesn't matter how fast your car is. But hey, at least NASCAR's brought more excitement; now, we have the prospect of "The Big One" in qualifying.
With slightly over a minute left in the session, madness ensued. In Session 1a on Sunday, there was so much jockeying around and trying to get in the right line that the rubbin' started early.
Reed Sorenson got a quarterpanel pulled away from a tire before he ever got on the track, and there's no doubt it was holding him back like the parachute on a dragster. With the damage located on one side of the car, it also had to make that piece hard to handle.
I don't know if that led to the contact which caused that big wreck or not, but I think there's a good chance it did.
At any rate, I hope the nabobs of NASCAR were happy. Car owners, drivers, crew members, and particularly fabricators were definitely not.
As Clint Bowyer pointed out, teams spend months preparing a car for this race, and point toward qualifying because making the show is half the battle. Polishing, wind tunnel testing, making sure the car will fit the NASCAR egg-crate template, etc., is all part of said preparation.
I had to admire Clint Bowyer's gumption in making no bones about it after that big crash. He said it wasn't the drivers' fault, and flatly stated that it was NASCAR's fault because of their format.
Another driver pointed out that it's pretty hard to stand behind NASCAR when something like this disaster happens.
At any rate, several teams are going to backup cars for Thursday's Budweiser Duel events, meaning some of them are going to have to push pretty hard to get a good starting position.
Well, that'll make those two races pretty interesting, anyway.
No sooner than it was over on Sunday, the conspiracy theorists were out in force. Jeff Gordon on the pole for his last Daytona 500? Obviously rigged by NASCAR, right? Look for circling black helicopters. Jimmie Johnson second fastest? Same deal, no doubt.
I've watched Jeff since he first got in a USAC midget at what was then Indianapolis Raceway Park in May of 1989, set a new track record, and went on to win the Budweiser Night Before the 500.
We couldn't even pose him with a can of the sponsor's product because he was too young at the time. Didn't graduate from high school until more than a week later. (That race had a way of attracting young winners. Same thing happened with Ryan Newman a few years later when another beer was the sponsor.)
So, I'm a Jeff Gordon fan. Jimmie Johnson, maybe not so much, but I'm not gonna say there was any hanky-panky involved.
But hey, that's half the fun of living in this great land. As of right now, we can all think and say pretty much what we want.
On to another topic…
The current Kurt Busch situation. I'm sure everybody's well-versed on this case, also, because it's been going on for a while. Kurt has been accused of bashing his ex-girlfriend's head against a wall in his motorhome after she showed up unannounced, as I understand it.
Now that a judge has decreed that Kurt has to stay at least 100 yards from her, people are saying NASCAR needs to suspend him or punish him in some way until this situation is resolved. Some of those are probably the same folks who wanted Tony Stewart drawn and quartered before that situation in New York was fully investigated.
What do I think? I'm no big fan of Kurt's, but from what I've read the woman involved seems to be bat-crap crazy, and he probably doesn't want to get close to her anymore anyways.
The real shame in this situation is the effect it's bound to have on her young son, who supposedly witnessed it all. That's where the focus should be.
John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.
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The Critic's Annex: A Perfect Storm: The 1979 Daytona 500
by Phil Allaway
More than likely, the 1979 Daytona 500 is at least partially responsible for me having this column. Having a somewhat captive audience with very little pay TV available (yes, cable was around in early 1979, but a number of the most popular cable channels hadn't launched yet) allowed people that would not have even considered watching a race to give it a chance. Since 1979, NASCAR (and auto racing in general) has grown to the point that we can have 12 hours straight of racing on TV, which is what FOX Sports 1 is planning for today, starting with a repeat of Saturday's ARCA race at 10 a.m.
Overall, the special presentation that FOX Sports 1 premiered last week was not wholly about the 1979 Daytona 500. While yes, the race was covered, the show also covered everything that surrounded the race. Heck, they even got President Carter to come on and talk about the era. I know he hasn't been President in 34 years, but it's still a big get for FOX Sports and NASCAR.
In the 1970s, NASCAR was far more regionalized than it is today, not just in its fan base and where most of the drivers were from, but where they raced as well. Once the Modern Era began in 1972, only two tracks west of the Mississippi River (Riverside International Raceway and Texas World Speedway) hosted Cup races for the rest of the decade. Only two more north of the Mason-Dixon Line (Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway, the latter beginning in 1974) were part of the schedule. If anything, the move into the Modern Era actually restricted the potential growth of the Winston Cup Series because it took them out of a lot of non-traditional markets for the sport.
The refrain in that special was that NASCAR positioned itself as a regional, Southern sport. That's not really true. Maybe NASCAR was, but that's because of their own actions, along with some influence from North Carolina-based R.J. Reynolds. Stock car racing was popular all over the country, especially in the 1950s. NASCAR was either unable or unwilling to take full control of the situation.
Bill France, Sr. may have been a great leader, but he really didn't have the foresight to convince broadcasters that the sport was anything more than something worth 20 minutes on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Bill France, Jr. did have that foresight, but ended up having to spend years building NASCAR's TV presence. Getting a live, flag-to-flag broadcast on TV was first accomplished in 1971 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Unfortunately, the race wasn't all that exciting and the broadcasters balked at future events, despite what amounted to an All-Star team working the telecast (ABC had Jim McKay and Chris Economaki in the booth that day, with Ken Squier in the pits). Even races like the Daytona 500 were aired in highlighted form, either via tape delay or live (Example: the final 40 laps of the 1976 Daytona 500 were aired live on ABC). Remember, the Indianapolis 500 was aired in a somewhat bizarre tape-delayed fashion at the time (it would air in a three-hour timeslot on ABC in primetime, but would be put together in such a fashion that footage of racing would repeat itself).
I previously knew that Squier was instrumental in convincing CBS to air the Daytona 500, but I didn't realize a couple of other aspects of Squier's pitch prior to watching the special. The use of Darrell Waltrip, then a 31-year-old up-and-coming hotshoe as opposed to a 68-year-old analyst, in his pitch was likely instrumental. Sports TV executives in those days likely would have known who Richard Petty was and maybe David Pearson. Beyond those two men, crickets. Squier likely needed to convince CBS that NASCAR had more than one or two marketable names. Waltrip at the time was a brash driver who had ruffled his share of feathers.
Second, I didn't realize how long the negotiations took. It was well over a year before the race that they started. While the back-and-forth appeared to be a little tense, based on the recollections on the special, it was also extremely enlightening. Bill France, Sr.'s contention was that he wanted a blackout for the entire Southeast so that he could protect the gate. The viewpoint of the NASCAR founder was that if the race were on TV, no one would go. It took hours of negotiations to convince the elder France to drop his demand for the good of the sport.
After the deal was finalized, France apparently took the network executives out to dinner and picked up the tab. The restaurant was not fancy in any way, shape or form. It was a Steak & Shake.
CBS Sports sent the same crew that had produced the broadcast for Super Bowl XIII two weeks earlier to Daytona to cover the race. It was a crew that had very little experience covering the sport, but likely the best crew that CBS Sports had on their payroll at the time. Squier believed that the assembled production crew may not have known much about NASCAR, but believed that they cared about their output. That's actually still an issue today.
For on-air personalities, CBS tapped Squier himself for play-by-play and paired him with David Hobbs, then an active racer in IMSA. For pit reporters, MRN Radio's Ned Jarrett was tapped, along with Car & Driver Editor Brock Yates (at the time, Yates was also organizing what ended up being the final Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, which occurred six weeks after the event). By all means, CBS gathered a knowledgeable group of people to cover NASCAR's Super Bowl.
For on-air personalities, CBS tapped Squier himself for play-by-play and paired him with David Hobbs, then an active racer in IMSA. For pit reporters, MRN Radio's Ned Jarrett was tapped, along with Car & Driver Editor Brock Yates (at the time, Yates was also organizing what ended up being the final Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, which occurred six weeks after the event). By all means, CBS gathered a knowledgeable group of people to cover NASCAR's Super Bowl.
The production crew decided to make the Daytona 500 unlike any race that had ever been covered to that point. The idea of a speed shot camera hadn't been invented yet. With robotics in cameras all but non-existent in 1979, that meant finding a cameraman with enough courage to station himself at a hole in the catchfence. They found a guy, Joe Sicota, gave him a motorcycle helmet and told him to have at it. Sicota performed the task for many years, providing action shots such as Cale Yarborough's infamous crash in qualifying for the 1983 Daytona 500. The in-car camera was a bit of a holy grail for CBS. They put a near full-sized camera in Benny Parsons' No. 27 for the race, but that was far from ideal for multiple reasons. Ultimately, in-car cameras on CBS didn't come into their own until CBS partnered with Australia's Seven Network to license their RaceCam technology in 1981.
The race just so happened to fall when the 20th strongest winter storm of the previous century was hitting the Northeast. Like many strong winter storms, this particular one had a southern rain element. That rain element hit Daytona the night before and the morning of the race. It should also be noted that the winter of 1978-79 was part of a series of really cold winters. As a result, it actually snowed as far south as St. Augustine, which is only 55 miles north of Daytona Beach. Even once the sun came out, it was still a cold, raw day by Central Florida standards.
I found it surprising that NASCAR let CBS' pit reporters go over the wall during stops and stick their microphones in to talk to drivers. Viewers got quotes from Darrell Waltrip and Buddy Baker via that approach. Jarrett, and to a lesser extent, Yates, were known quantities to the drivers at the time. There was a level of trust on display. Today, IMSA is pretty much the only sanctioning body in the United States that allows pit reporters to go over the wall during the race. They don't do interviews over the wall, but they did as recently as the mid-1990s.
Donnie Allison still seems a little bitter from losing this race. He admitted that he shut the door, but didn't take any blame for what was clearly his fault. He ran Cale Yarborough down to the grass. As it turned out, Allison never really got many more opportunities to win in Winston Cup. He ended up with seven top-5 finishes in 1979 (including Daytona, where he was credited with a fourth-place result). However, after '79, Allison only had four more top 5s for the rest of his career. Hoss Ellington dumped Allison in the middle of 1980, leading to a revolving door of rides. In the 1981 World 600, Allison was seriously injured in a crash with Dick Brooks and raced only sparingly afterwards.
Did the 1979 Daytona 500 telecast help grow NASCAR? Most definitely. The rise of cable television in the 1980s, touched upon only at the end of the show, probably helped even more. Those networks needed content to broadcast and NASCAR was there for them. Had the CBS coverage not happened, perhaps the rise of the sport would have been delayed. The cable outlets (ESPN, TBS, TNN via Diamond P Sports) would need to have been sold harder on the sport before signing on. Ken Squier and CBS effectively did NASCAR's leg work for them. There still would have been increased coverage of the sport, but full coverage of Winston Cup likely would have come a few years later than it did.
FOX Sports and NASCAR put together a great special about everything surrounding the 1979 Daytona 500. However, there was something missing from the show. That "something" is what happened between Yarborough and the Allisons once they left Daytona.
You really thought they'd let it go after the fight and everything? Heck to the no. Sure, they were fined $6,000 each, a hefty sum for the times that put Bobby Allison in the hole for the week (the fine was more than his cut of the purse), but they weren't done with each other. After a rare snowout at Richmond, the action resumed in Rockingham. Donnie Allison and Yarborough barely made it ten laps in the race before they wrecked each other.
According to Mark Bechtel's book He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back: The True Story Of The Year The King, Jaws, Earnhardt, And The Rest Of NASCAR's Feudin', Fightin' Good Ol' Boys Put Stock Car Racing On The Map (highly recommended), Yarborough reportedly moved down on Donnie Allison while fighting for the lead in turn 3 (the roles were reversed this time as Yarborough was leading and Donnie Allison was challenging). However, as it was lap 10, the rest of the field was still nearby. The resulting wreck also wrapped up Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and Ricky Rudd. Rudd, Bonnett, Donnie Allison, Baker and Petty were all out on the spot.
You really thought they'd let it go after the fight and everything? Heck to the no. Sure, they were fined $6,000 each, a hefty sum for the times that put Bobby Allison in the hole for the week (the fine was more than his cut of the purse), but they weren't done with each other. After a rare snowout at Richmond, the action resumed in Rockingham. Donnie Allison and Yarborough barely made it ten laps in the race before they wrecked each other.
According to Mark Bechtel's book He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back: The True Story Of The Year The King, Jaws, Earnhardt, And The Rest Of NASCAR's Feudin', Fightin' Good Ol' Boys Put Stock Car Racing On The Map (highly recommended), Yarborough reportedly moved down on Donnie Allison while fighting for the lead in turn 3 (the roles were reversed this time as Yarborough was leading and Donnie Allison was challenging). However, as it was lap 10, the rest of the field was still nearby. The resulting wreck also wrapped up Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and Ricky Rudd. Rudd, Bonnett, Donnie Allison, Baker and Petty were all out on the spot.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer at Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Alex Bowman, New Teams and New Tricks"I have a dog named Roscoe. He's an idiot. He is kind of funky. I got a phone call today that he farted and literally blew a bubble out of his butt. I guess that is kind of funky right? I feel like he's probably not supposed to do that (laughs)." - Alex Bowman, on his dog Roscoe
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by P. Huston Ladner
by Toni Montgomery
by Mike Neff
by Matt McLaughlin
by Sean Fesko
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
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!
©2015 Frontstretch.com
Q: In 1996, Bobby Labonte rolled his Interstate Batteries Chevrolet during the Gatorade Twin 125s. What did the flip reveal that allowed for an "IndyCar-style" whine that Runt Pittman had pioneered for Morgan-McClure Motorsports the previous year?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: This year's Daytona 500 has 49 cars competing for 43 starting spots. But in the 1980s, there were many more entries, sometimes into the 70s. As a result, with so many teams failing to qualify, NASCAR held a 30-lap consolation race the day after the Twin 125s; the 1984 consolation event had 25 starters out of a possible 30. The late Connie Saylor picked up $5,500 for the win, but the race featured one of the scariest wrecks of Speedweeks. What happened?
A: Exiting turn 4, Natz Peters spun his No. 60 Oldsmobile Cutlass and hit the inside Armco guardrail. The Armco shot Peters back across the track and directly into the path of Jim Hurlbert's No. 34. Hurlbert had nowhere to go but directly into Peters. The result was a massive fireball. The crash can be seen here.
Peters suffered burns in the crash, but was otherwise OK. He never started another Cup race after this crash, but he did compete in a Busch Grand National race at Darlington later that year. Hurlbert was not so lucky. He suffered a broken leg in addition to burns, a broken jaw and broken teeth. Hurlbert appears to have never attempted another Cup race after the crash, but he did compete intermittently in ARCA in the years afterward.
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COMING TOMORROW
COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have a recap of the Budweiser Duels at Daytona, a Folio previewing Sunday's Daytona 500 and more.
On Frontstretch.com:
Amy Henderson, Tom Bowles (LIVE from Daytona), Matt Stallknecht and more break down the action they saw in Thursday's Duel races.
-----------------------------
-----------------------------
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!
©2015 Frontstretch.com
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