THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Mar. 26, 2015
Volume IX, Edition XL
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What to Watch: Thursday- Today is pull-in day at Martinsville Speedway for Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series teams. Meanwhile, the Verizon IndyCar Series circus has already set up in St. Petersburg along with Pirelli World Challenge. On-track action begins bright and early on Friday.
Thursday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
by the Frontstretch Staff
J.D. Gibbs Undergoing Treatment for Impairment of Brain Function
On Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced that JGR President J.D. Gibbs has entered into treatment for issues pertaining to brain function. According to the team, Gibbs had recently been suffering from speech and processing issues prior to seeking treatment. Read more
NASCAR Issues Penalties for Auto Club Infractions
NASCAR Issues Penalties for Auto Club Infractions
On Wednesday, NASCAR announced penatlies stemming from two infractions at Auto Club Speedway. First, Slugger Labbe (crew chief for Brian Scott's No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing) has been suspended for three races while the Childress/Circle Sport team has been penalized 25 points. Meanwhile, Mark "Hollywood" Armstrong has been suspended until Apr. 21 for what he described on Twitter as driving too fast into the infield at Auto Club Speedway, then parking in the wrong lot against the directive of an official. Read more
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FRONTSTRETCH JOB: WEBMASTER
Frontstretch.com is looking for a talented and motivated individual to fulfill the role of the site's webmaster. The ideal candidate must be highly proficient in WordPress, as the site recently converted from Textpattern to WordPress as its content management system. The webmaster will assist with 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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Today's Featured Commentary
Memories of Earl Baltes
Potts' Shots
Potts' Shots
by John Potts
I spent a lot of time this week thinking about Earl Baltes…
As just about everyone in the motorsports world knows by know, the man considered to be one of the greatest short track promoters in our sport passed away at the age of 93.
I first had contact with him when I flagged a 500-lap ARCA race at Eldora (honest!). Seems the Dayton 500 had been "transplanted" to the dirt for that particular year.
Had a hard time walking up the bank to get to the flagstand because it was so wet and slick, but after a few laps of dodgem car type racing with full-size stock cars, it worked.
The track got black and hard. I was told by several people that this wasn't the way it usually was for short races, but Earl knew this wasn't his usual type of race, and he knew what he was doing, as usual. The ARCA cars were on pavement tires, and after those first few laps they worked perfectly. As I recall, Les Snow won it.
After that marathon was over, Earl came up to me and said anytime I wanted to flag for him, I'd be welcome. He called a couple of times. I flagged a sprint car race (first one I'd ever done on a half-mile) at Dayton when he was leasing that place, and I did several local races at Dayton for him.
I really had only two real run-ins with him. Once while he was leasing Salem, my wife handled the phones for him in the office, and he got kind of testy with her. I objected, and we had it out (verbally). She didn't work for him anymore, and the incident was never mentioned again.
The second time came when we had an ARCA 500-lapper at Salem and were qualifying on Saturday.
A team that had come in late was trying to qualify right at cut-off time for the first session. I gave them an extra practice lap before throwing the green. I was working from the track (it was a long day) and Earl was standing down there near me.
When I held up one finger to indicate one more before green, he blew up, asking what I was doing. I told him. He said, "I'll tell you when to throw the flag!"
I knew he had a lot on his mind, with a BIG race coming up the next day and maybe 40 people in the grandstands for that qualifying day, but felt I had to draw a line. After I got the car qualified, I went over and told him, "There are the flags. You're welcome to use them the rest of the day, but tomorrow you need to get your own set or bring in another man."
He looked frustrated, and I saw him walk over to John Marcum.
John later told me Earl asked what he was going to do, and he told him, "You have two choices. Finish the day yourself and find another flagman tomorrow, or apologize to him and let him do his job. I use him quite a bit, and he's never disappointed me. My deal with him is that when the cars are on the track, he's in charge."
Earl came over and apologized, and I continued to work for him. At one local show at Dayton, he introduced me at the drivers' meeting and said, "We've got a pretty damn good flagman here. He won't even take any #$%@ off of me."
At RPM meetings and other gatherings where we crossed paths, he never failed to come over and ask if I was ready to work for him again. Even when I was with IRP for 15 years, he'd say, "You must be pretty good at that PR stuff too, for Bob Daniels to hire you."
As an aside, John Marcum was fibbing just a little. We did have one small disagreement at Salem one day. Somebody jumped the start on a heat race, and I refused the start. John came out on the track and yelled up, "What was wrong with that?" My reply was "I didn't like it!" He laughed and walked off. All this was in front of the crowd.
I've told the story before about the time at Salem when Frank Canale told me not to go yellow after a spin on the backstretch when I couldn't see where the car was because the tower was in the way, and another car later spun into it. Both Frank and John apologized for that one, and John emphasized, "He's in charge when the cars are running."
Sadly, it's not that way anymore. I can understand the tower making calls on really big speedways, but you don't have time on short tracks to make decisions by committee. My son quit a flagging job because he didn't want to be a robot flagwaver.
Earl pretty much gave me the leeway to make decisions on the flagstand, and we got along fine. On some matters which didn't particularly apply to flagging the race, he'd ask my opinion, which I considered a compliment.
When he first leased Salem, I was working at the old Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville, and when hearing about it Milt Hartlauf said, "He does things his way, but you can't argue with success. And there's no doubt this man has been successful."
I'll admit he also taught me a bit about promotion. Like don't ever admit you're having a good day.
One of his favorite sayings, which has been quoted many times this week, was, "If I could have just sold one more hot dog, we might have broken even." This was usually said while looking at a full grandstand.
There are few promoters who were more respected by the competitors, fans, and his peers. I was fortunate to have worked for some of those – like Hartlauf, Daniels, Marcum, Rex Robbins, Bob Harmon, Bob Hall, and a couple more.
The guy did OK for a former musician who saw a race, and decided to carve a race track on some property he owned near the Indiana-Ohio border.
Sorry to ramble, but Earl's passing brought back all these memories and more.
I spent a lot of time this week thinking about Earl Baltes…
As just about everyone in the motorsports world knows by know, the man considered to be one of the greatest short track promoters in our sport passed away at the age of 93.
I first had contact with him when I flagged a 500-lap ARCA race at Eldora (honest!). Seems the Dayton 500 had been "transplanted" to the dirt for that particular year.
Had a hard time walking up the bank to get to the flagstand because it was so wet and slick, but after a few laps of dodgem car type racing with full-size stock cars, it worked.
The track got black and hard. I was told by several people that this wasn't the way it usually was for short races, but Earl knew this wasn't his usual type of race, and he knew what he was doing, as usual. The ARCA cars were on pavement tires, and after those first few laps they worked perfectly. As I recall, Les Snow won it.
After that marathon was over, Earl came up to me and said anytime I wanted to flag for him, I'd be welcome. He called a couple of times. I flagged a sprint car race (first one I'd ever done on a half-mile) at Dayton when he was leasing that place, and I did several local races at Dayton for him.
I really had only two real run-ins with him. Once while he was leasing Salem, my wife handled the phones for him in the office, and he got kind of testy with her. I objected, and we had it out (verbally). She didn't work for him anymore, and the incident was never mentioned again.
The second time came when we had an ARCA 500-lapper at Salem and were qualifying on Saturday.
A team that had come in late was trying to qualify right at cut-off time for the first session. I gave them an extra practice lap before throwing the green. I was working from the track (it was a long day) and Earl was standing down there near me.
When I held up one finger to indicate one more before green, he blew up, asking what I was doing. I told him. He said, "I'll tell you when to throw the flag!"
I knew he had a lot on his mind, with a BIG race coming up the next day and maybe 40 people in the grandstands for that qualifying day, but felt I had to draw a line. After I got the car qualified, I went over and told him, "There are the flags. You're welcome to use them the rest of the day, but tomorrow you need to get your own set or bring in another man."
He looked frustrated, and I saw him walk over to John Marcum.
John later told me Earl asked what he was going to do, and he told him, "You have two choices. Finish the day yourself and find another flagman tomorrow, or apologize to him and let him do his job. I use him quite a bit, and he's never disappointed me. My deal with him is that when the cars are on the track, he's in charge."
Earl came over and apologized, and I continued to work for him. At one local show at Dayton, he introduced me at the drivers' meeting and said, "We've got a pretty damn good flagman here. He won't even take any #$%@ off of me."
At RPM meetings and other gatherings where we crossed paths, he never failed to come over and ask if I was ready to work for him again. Even when I was with IRP for 15 years, he'd say, "You must be pretty good at that PR stuff too, for Bob Daniels to hire you."
As an aside, John Marcum was fibbing just a little. We did have one small disagreement at Salem one day. Somebody jumped the start on a heat race, and I refused the start. John came out on the track and yelled up, "What was wrong with that?" My reply was "I didn't like it!" He laughed and walked off. All this was in front of the crowd.
I've told the story before about the time at Salem when Frank Canale told me not to go yellow after a spin on the backstretch when I couldn't see where the car was because the tower was in the way, and another car later spun into it. Both Frank and John apologized for that one, and John emphasized, "He's in charge when the cars are running."
Sadly, it's not that way anymore. I can understand the tower making calls on really big speedways, but you don't have time on short tracks to make decisions by committee. My son quit a flagging job because he didn't want to be a robot flagwaver.
Earl pretty much gave me the leeway to make decisions on the flagstand, and we got along fine. On some matters which didn't particularly apply to flagging the race, he'd ask my opinion, which I considered a compliment.
When he first leased Salem, I was working at the old Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville, and when hearing about it Milt Hartlauf said, "He does things his way, but you can't argue with success. And there's no doubt this man has been successful."
I'll admit he also taught me a bit about promotion. Like don't ever admit you're having a good day.
One of his favorite sayings, which has been quoted many times this week, was, "If I could have just sold one more hot dog, we might have broken even." This was usually said while looking at a full grandstand.
There are few promoters who were more respected by the competitors, fans, and his peers. I was fortunate to have worked for some of those – like Hartlauf, Daniels, Marcum, Rex Robbins, Bob Harmon, Bob Hall, and a couple more.
The guy did OK for a former musician who saw a race, and decided to carve a race track on some property he owned near the Indiana-Ohio border.
Sorry to ramble, but Earl's passing brought back all these memories and more.
Tony Stewart, since purchasing Eldora Speedway, has continued the traditions there, and I'm going to assume there will be an Earl Baltes Memorial event inaugurated in the near future.
John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.
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Editor's Note: The Critic's Annex will return next week.
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Tweet N Greet: Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. & More"Never watched a race in a suit before. Weird!!!" - Clint Bowyer, on watching the XFINITY Series Drive4Clots.com 300 from the broadcast booth on Saturday, via Twitter.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by Beth Lunkenheimer
by P. Huston Ladner
by Toni Montgomery
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In 1989, Dale Earnhardt started his No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet on the pole position in the Goody's 500 at Martinsville. Familiar territory for sure. However, Earnhardt didn't qualify the car. Who did, and why?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Today, Martinsville is well-known for the concrete in the turn and asphalt straightaways. Why did the track originally go to that setup?
A: Back in the 1970's, Martinsville Speedway was 100% asphalt. However, that pavement in the turns was getting beat up badly in the turns by both Cup cars and Modifieds. Eventually, H. Clay Earles had the bottom two lanes in the turns concreted in order to save money from not having to constantly fix the turns.
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COMING TOMORROW
COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have a recap of Thursday's breaking news for you as well as a preview of Sunday's race in Martinsville.
On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have some discussion questions to cover ahead of this weekend's STP 500. Joseph Wolkin will cast his Eyes on XFINITY as the teams take their first week off of the season, and we'll have news updates on practice and qualifying.-----------------------------
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