Friday, April 24, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: NASCAR Makes Some Changes As Richmond Heats Up

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Apr. 24, 2015
Volume IX, Edition LXI
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What to Watch: Friday

- Today, on-track action starts bright and early with XFINITY Series cars on the track at 8:30 a.m. to get ready for tonight's ToyotaCare 250.  The Sprint Cup Series will also be on track to practice and qualify today.
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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato
Tuesday here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

NASCAR Announces New Rule Changes


Recently, NASCAR announced some new rule changes that will go into effect this weekend at Richmond.  Teams will be required to use one transmission and rear-end gear per weekend at most tracks (exceptions being the Daytona 500, the road courses, Martinsville and exhibition races).  In addition, the driver, crew chief and spotter must be able to communicate on the same frequency at all times.  Read more

Michael Waltrip to Race No. 55 Toyota at Talladega

Michael Waltrip Racing announced on Thursday that team co-owner Michael Waltrip will return to the seat of the Aaron's Dream Machine for the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.  After Talladega, the future of Brett Mofffitt in the No. 55 is unclear.  Read more

Modified Driver Tommy Barrett, Jr Arrested for DUI

RaceDayCT is reporting that Whelen Modified Tour driver Tommy Barrett, Jr. has been parked for this weekend's Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway by Our Motorsports owner Chris Our.  The parking is in response to Barrett being arrested for DUI last week.  Keith Rocco will drive in Barrett's place. Read more

The Pete Store Returns to Front Row Motorsports

Recently, Front Row Motorsports announced that The Pete Store, the largest privately-held Peterbilt dealer in the United States, has signed a multi-race deal to serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 38 Ford driven by David Gilliland starting this weekend at Richmond.  Read more

Tommy Baldwin Racing Announces Sponsorship for Richmond


Tommy Baldwin Racing recently announced that DOC 360, a new brand of soft drink, will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 7 Chevrolet driven by Alex Bowman this weekend at Richmond.  Read more

Ashley Force Hood Named VP of John Force Racing, Inc.


On Thursday, John Force Racing announced the merging of their two companies, John Force Racing and John Force Entertainment into one entity that will be known as John Force Racing.  Force's daughter, Ashley Force Hood, the former head of John Force Entertainment, has been named the new Vice President of the combined company.  Read more
 
Have news for The Frontstretch?  Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.

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Frontstretch Folio: Toyota Owners 400
by Phil Allaway

The Sprint Cup Series rolls into Richmond International Raceway this weekend for the second short track race in a row. Television coverage of the Toyota Owners 400 begins at 7 p.m. Saturday night ET on FOX; the race can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate and SiriusXM channel 90. Drivers will compete for 400 laps (300 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and Facts

Track Facts
Track / Race Length
: 0.75 mile "D-shaped" oval / 400 laps (300 miles)
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Degree of Banking: 14 degrees
Frontstretch: 1290 ft., 8 degrees of banking
Backstretch: 860 ft., 2 degrees of banking
Grandstand Seating: 71,000
Website: http://www.rir.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichmondInternationalRaceway

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RIRInsider

Pre-race Schedule

Practice No. 1: Friday, April 24 11 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Friday, April 24 1 p.m. - 2:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Qualifying: Friday, April 24 at 5:45 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Race Day Forecast
Saturday: Cloudy with Periods of Rain; Chance of rain: 90%
High: 58
Low: 46

Sunday (If required): Rain, then clearing late; Chance of rain: 90%
High: 57
Low: 44

Best Bets: Top 10 Driver Ratings at Richmond International Raceway (courtesy of NASCAR)

#11-Denny Hamlin 110.7
#4-Kevin Harvick 110.3
#15-Clint Bowyer 99.6
#24-Jeff Gordon 99.3
#14-Tony Stewart 94.0
#31-Ryan Newman 92.5
#2-Brad Keselowski 91.6
#41-Kurt Busch 91.5
#19-Carl Edwards 89.1
#48-Jimmie Johnson 88.8

They Said It:

"Richmond has been a very successful racetrack for us as we've gone through the years. We didn't run as well as we all wanted to last year at the Richmond races, so I think as we go back this year we're going to shoot to be a little better than we were last year. We'll try some different things. It's been a very good racetrack for me in the past and I'm looking forward to going back. I like the short, flat tracks.

"I remember the ones I lost more than I do the ones I won. I think the first one where Ricky Rudd and I were racing in 2001 was pretty cool. But I think as you look back at the last one we won in 2013 as part of a green-white-checkered finish, I think we came from seventh to win, so I didn't really expect to win that one. I think the other two were probably fairly strong nights for us." - Kevin Harvick

"You know, this has always been a tough place for me. Even with the win there, I still just find it to be one of the more difficult tracks to get a handle on. It's a short track but it's pretty unique because, other than the fact that it's less than a mile in length, it really doesn't compare to a Martinsville or Phoenix. It's pretty wide whereas, at some of our other short tracks, you are dealing with one-lane racing grooves. It's almost like a 1.5-mile track that has been packaged into a three-quarter-mile track. It's a place where you can get caught in the outside lane on restarts but you won't necessarily fall back 10 or more positions like you would at a Martinsville because, if your car is handling, you are able to maintain position. The last few times we've been there, though, the bottom is the place to be. Aside from it being the shortest way around the track, you can get more aggressive in the bottom lane and, if you have to, you can move people to advance your position." - Kurt Busch

"Richmond is a very dynamic track. I love the place. It's a plan where finesse is important, but speed and handling are just as crucial. It's a one-day show Friday, so we need to take advantage of practice and get our No. 25 Zaxby's Chevrolet Camaro dialed. In qualifying, I'd like to qualify in the top-15, so we have a shot at a good finish in the race." - Dylan Lupton

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:

by the Frontstretch Staff

by Matt Stallknecht

by Amy Henderson

as told to Mike Neff
by P. Huston Ladner

by David Ifeguni
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The 2003 Spring race weekend at Richmond was a rough and tumble affair marked by pole winner Jerry Nadeau suffering career-ending injuries in a practice crash and rain.  Early on, Ryan Newman was one of the potential contenders, but he was eliminated from a chance to win at the two-thirds' mark.  What happened?

Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Thursday's Answer:

Q: In the rain-delayed 2002 Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond, Ward Burton led the most laps from the pole (125).  However, he finished in a miserable 30th, 36 laps down.  What happened?

A: Shortly after halfway, Burton pulled his Caterpillar Dodge into the garage out of a top 5 position after having transmission issues.  Naturally, Burton was quite dejected after leading a quarter of the scheduled distance.  Here is Burton's car in the garage and a very brief interview with Dick Berggren about what happened.

COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have recaps of both NASCAR races this weekend from Richmond, along with any notable news that breaks.

On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have a series of post-race commentaries breaking down the action from Richmond, along with a recap of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
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