Friday, May 01, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Erik Jones Replaces Ragan in No. 18 at Kansas, Talladega Practice Begins

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 1, 2015
Volume IX, Edition LXVI
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What to Watch: Friday

- Today, we've got racing.  The ARCA Racing Series will race for 200 miles (shortened from 250 miles) this evening starting at 6 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. CDT).  The race will air live on FOX Sports 1.  Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series teams will hold their practice sessions on the 2.66 mile tri-oval as well.  The TV schedule for today can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday (link below).
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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato
Tuesday here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Erik Jones Named as Driver of No. 18 Starting at Kansas

On Thursday, Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed rumors that had been flying NASCAR for weeks.  The team named Erik Jones to drive the No. 18 M&M's Toyota full-time starting at Kansas until Kyle Busch is healthy enough to return to the car.  Read more
Kroger Signs Multi-Year Extension with JTG-Daugherty Racing and AJ Allmendinger
 
On Thursday, JTG-Daugherty Racing announced a contract extension with Kroger.  The extension, which goes into effect this weekend at Talladega, will see the United States' largest grocery store chain serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 47 Chevrolet for 24 races a season.  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: GEICO 500
by Rick Lunkenheimer

The Sprint Cup Series heads off to Talladega Superspeedway for the first of two events at the Alabama track. Coverage for the GEICO 500 will begin at 1 p.m. ET on FOX; the race can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate or SiriusXM channel 90. Drivers will compete for 188 laps (500.08 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and facts
Bill Elliott set the qualifying record on April 30, 1987 with a speed of 212.809 mph (44.998 sec.). Elliot led for 48 laps in his No. 9 Coors Ford before an engine failure forced him to settle for a 22nd-place finish.

Denny Hamlin is the defending winner of this race. After starting 34th, Hamlin led just 12 laps en route to the win under caution over Greg Biffle. Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top 5.

Track Facts

Track / Race Length: 2.66-mile quad oval, 188 laps (500.08 miles)
Banking: Turns: 33 degrees; Tri-oval: 18 degrees
Frontstretch: 4,300 feet; banked 16.5 degrees
Backstretch: 4,000; banked 2 degrees
Pit Road Speed: 55mph
Pace Car Speed: 70mph
Grandstand Seating: 78,000
Track last paved: Summer 2006
Opened: 1969
Website: http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/talladegasuperspeedway
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/talladegasupers

VIPs

Grand Marshal / Command: Senior Airman James A. Sottile, Maxwell AFB
Honorary Starter / Wave Green Flag: Technical Sergeant Jason D. Floyd, Maxwell AFB
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Ole Miss Football Coach Hugh Freeze
Invocation: Allen Singley, Alabama Raceway Ministries / Student Pastor, Grandview Baptist Church, Dothan, AL.
National Anthem: 313th United States Army Band

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Friday, May 1, 2 - 2:55 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Friday, May 1, 4:30 - 5:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Qualifying: Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX

Say What?!

"For us, as long as we can get comfortable in the draft and find track position towards the end, we'll be fine. Anything can happen riding around those packs, so hopefully we're lucky to avoid any trouble that might occur."- Michael Annett

"Talladega [Superspeedway] is one of my favorite tracks going all of the way back to my days there in the ARCA Series. This weekend's qualifying format will be different, but I think it will work out really well for all of the teams. Obviously, a key to this weekend is to miss all of the accidents, so that we have a shot at the end. I've talked with my teammate Michael [Annett], and we discussed what we plan on doing for our strategy during practice and the race. I know we have a good BRANDT Chevy prepared for this weekend." - Justin Allgaier

"Heading to Talladega I am honored to get to drive the No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota. The car is capable of winning the race and that makes me smile. Having gotten a win there before, plus memories of running up front and drafting with my teammate Dale Jr. (Earnhardt) back in the day has made Talladega special to me. When I was a kid Talladega was one of the closest NASCAR tracks to Kentucky. Me and my buddies would load up and go down there a lot and watch my brother race. So to head down there with a team led by Billy Scott (crew chief) I know we will have a fast car and have a chance to run up front. It's just a great feeling to have!" - Michael Waltrip

Rick Lunkenheimer is a Contributor and Photographer for Frontstretch. He can be reached at rick.lunkenheimer@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 Kevin Rutherford
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The 1987 Winston 500 is best known for Bobby Allison's crash into the catchfence, a wreck that still plays a role in NASCAR today since the continued usage of restrictor plates is a legacy of that crash.  However, the only driver that actually got hurt that day at Talladega was Ken Ragan.  What happened to Ragan?

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

Thursday's Answer:

Q: Past races at Talladega have plagued by disappointed fans throwing beers (or, at Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s suggestion, toilet paper) onto the track in disgust after races that ended inappropriately.  However, there has also been an occasion that the Spring race at Talladega was been put under caution early on due to such ridiculous behavior.  Name the year that this happened.

A: Such a scenario happened in 1994 during the Winston Select 500.  Geoff Bodine crashed in turn 3 to bring out the caution on lap 20.  During the yellow, the frontrunners radioed in that fans were throwing cans onto the track towards the end of the tri-oval.  Sure enough, they were.  The reaction was quite negative from the broadcast booth, knowing that this happened the same day that Ayrton Senna was killed at Imola.  The whole situation, including Bodine's crash can be seen here.

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

On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have a series of post-race commentaries breaking down the action from Talladega.
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