Friday, April 17, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: RCR Penalties Reduced on Appeal, But Still Strict

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Apr. 17, 2015
Volume IX, Edition LVII
~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Friday

- On-track activity at Bristol Motor Speedway will begin late this morning as the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series teams will be practicing for both of their races.  Later this afternoon, the Cup teams will qualify in what is a session nearly guaranteed to see the lowest lap times of the season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH AT THE TRACK! We're at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series action. Follow our own Amy Henderson at @Writer_Amy for updates from Texas.  Also, be sure to check our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest news, reaction, and results from a full day of racing, no matter your preference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weekend's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato
Tuesday here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Richard Childress Racing Appeal Heard, Fines Reduced

On Thursday, Richard Childress Racing presented their case to the National Motorsports Appeal Board in regards to the P5 penalty that was levied against the No. 31 team for illegal tire bleeding.  Following deliberations, the panel determined that the penalties did in fact occur.  However, in their ruling, the post-race additional penalties were cut.  Newman and the No. 31 team will get 25 points back, while crew chief Luke Lambert's fine is reduced to $75,000.  The suspension will stay the same.  Read more

Premium Motorsports, Brendan Gaughan Announce New Sponsor for Bristol

On Thursday, Premium Motorsports announced that Vydox Plus, a male enhancement supplement, will serve as the primary on the No. 62 Chevrolet driven by Brendan Gaughan this weekend at Bristol.  Read more

Pippa Mann Confirms 2015 Indianapolis 500 Run

On Thursday, Pippa Mann announced that she has signed up to return to Dale Coyne Racing to compete in the Indianapolis 500.  Mann will be backed by the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and will be racing to promote breast cancer awareness.  Read more

Michael Annett Has PhilMor on Car at Bristol

For Bristol, Michael Annett's No. 46 Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet will be sporting special colors to promote PhilMor, Pilot/Flying J's new travel mugs.  The mugs are $1.99 each with a Pilot MyRewards card and can be refilled at any time in Pilot/Flying J locations at a discount.  Read more

Matt Crafton to Race TORC Season Opener at Texas

The TORC Series announced earlier this week that they will have a special guest at their season opener at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway next week.  Two-time defending Camping World Truck Series Champion Matt Crafton will drive the Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit PRO 4WD truck next weekend.  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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 the 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Folio: Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer
by Phil Allaway

The Sprint Cup Series rolls into Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for its first assault of 2015 on the concrete. Television coverage of the Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX; the race can also be heard on your local PRN affiliate and SiriusXM channel 90. Drivers will compete for 334 laps (501 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and Facts

Track Facts
Track / Race Length
: 0.533 mile concrete oval / 500 laps (266.5 miles)
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Degree of Banking: 24-30 degrees
Frontstretch: 650 ft., 4-9 degrees of banking
Backstretch: 650 ft., 4-9 degrees of banking
Grandstand Seating: 153,000
Website: http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bristolmotorspeedway

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMSUpdates

Pre-race Schedule

Practice No. 1: Friday, April 17 12 p.m. - 1:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Practice No. 2: Saturday, April 18, 8:30 a.m. - 9:25 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Saturday, April 18 11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Qualifying: Friday, April 17 at 4:45 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

VIPs:
Welcome: TBA
Top 10 Driver Intros: TBA
Grand Marshal / Command: Ella and Leo Gordon (Jeff Gordon's children)
Honorary Starter / Wave Green Flag: TBA
Honorary Pace Car Driver: TBA
Invocation: TBA
National Anthem: TBA

Race Day Forecast
Sunday: Cloudy with Periods of Rain; Chance of rain: 90%
High: 67
Low: 56

Best Bets: Top 10 Driver Ratings at Texas Motor Speedway (courtesy of NASCAR)

#20-Matt Kenseth 103.4
#24-Jeff Gordon 99.9
#2-Brad Keselowski 98.6
#16-Greg Biffle 93.5
#48-Jimmie Johnson 91.9
#4-Kevin Harvick 91.6
#41-Kurt Busch 91.6
#42-Kyle Larson 91.6
#11-Denny Hamlin 90.1
#19-Carl Edwards 89.9

Note: Kyle Busch was second on the list with a rating of 100.0, but he is still out recovering from his leg injuries at Daytona.

They Said It:

"Bristol [Motor Speedway] is one of the tracks that we go to that has a little extra special meaning. I got my first XFINITY win there, and that's something I'll never forget. It's such a challenging track, and I can really make a difference there as a driver. Every year that we go to Bristol, the track builds more character the more we race on it, and as it ages. I remember this race being a big confidence booster for me last year. This is a big weekend with Auto-Owners Insurance on the car. They are going to have several guests at the track, so it's important to give them something to cheer about." - Justin Allgaier

"I do. I like Bristol. Obviously, it can be a little bit – the cars definitely got in a train last time we were here. It was tough. It was a little bit hard to pass. But like I said, that is why the bottom becomes important because, if you get stuck or even if you start on the bottom on a restart, if your car is turning, you can make that work, I think, for a little while. I think qualifying is going to be really important, so I'm definitely going to find myself doing a lot more qualifying runs – as many as possible before qualifying in the afternoon. But, I've liked Bristol since the first time I came here." - Danica Patrick

"Well, Bristol is a lot different than it used to be. The fast way around the racetrack it up against the wall now, so it becomes a little bit harder to pass. They're also making some changes to the soft walls on the straightaways, so I think that's going to make the bottom even harder to run. We'll see what the weekend brings and try to keep track position as we go through the day to run up against the wall.

"It's usually a lot cooler, so in the spring you don't fight a lot of the same things that you fight in the fall. Obviously we have different rules this year, so I think we're going to have to adjust to that, as well. I think it will be a lot like it is everywhere else in terms of the new rules – you're just going to have a lot more throttle time through the corner, which at Bristol sounds hard to believe, but you're going to have more throttle time through the corners." - Kevin Harvick

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

TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:

by Joseph Wolkin

by Matt Stallknecht

by Becca Gladden
by P. Huston Ladner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: Much like he did the previous summer in the infamous 1999 Goody's Headache Powders 500, Dale Earnhardt had an excellent car during the Food City 500 and he took that car to the lead just before halfway.  His lead didn't even last 40 seconds before heck went down.  What happened?

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

Thursday's Answer:

Q: Races at Bristol can be quite bizarre at times.  In the 1998 Food City 500, Ted Musgrave finished on the lead lap in eighth for then-Roush Racing.  However, he also got up on a fellow driver's hood early in the race.  What happened?

A: Musgrave got in the back of Todd Bodine, spinning the Tabasco Pontiac.  However, Musgrave left himself no room to get past Bodine, so he legitimately drove over the left front corner of Bodine's No. 35 and spun himself out as well.  The crash, which can be seen in real time from Bodine's in-car camera, can be seen here.

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

On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have a series of post-race commentaries breaking down the action from Bristol, along with a recap of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
 -----------------------------
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

--
--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
NASCAR and great NASCAR commentary. They can subscribe to the Frontstetch by visiting http://www.frontstretch.com/notice/9557/.
 
If you want to stop your Frontstretch Newsletter subscription, we're sorry
to see you go. Just send an email to
TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Frontstretch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thefrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

No comments:

Post a Comment