Friday, July 17, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Two Driver Changes for Eldora

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

- Today, Sprint Cup teams are scheduled for two practice sessions for Sunday's 5-Hour ENERGY 301.  Meanwhile, the XFINITY Series has practice scheduled as well.

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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato
Tuesday here.
 
Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Chad Boat to Make Truck Series Debut at Eldora Speedway

Billy Boat Motorsports has announced that part-time XFINITY Series racer Chad Boat will drive the No. 15 Chevrolet in next week's 1-800 CarCash Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway.  Boat will be driving in place of regular driver Mason Mingus.  Boat, much like his father and team owner, Billy, has years of experience on dirt tracks all over the Midwest.  Sponsorship will be provided by CorvetteParts.net.  Read more

Wendell Chavous To Run Eldora, Remainder of 2015 Season

On Thursday, Wendell Chavous announced on his Facebook page that he will return to Premium Motorsports' No. 94 Chevrolet at Eldora Speedway next week, replacing Timmy Hill, who was originally entered in the truck.  In addition, he will drive the truck for the remainder of the season.  Read more

NASCAR Issues Warnings to Four Teams Following Kentucky

FoxSports.com is reporting that four Sprint Cup teams have received written warnings as a result of issues in Kentucky inspection.  Those teams are Germain Racing's No. 13, Roush Fenway Racing's No. 16, Circle Sport's No. 33 and Front Row Motorsports' No. 34.  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: 5-Hour ENERGY 301
by Phil Allaway

The Sprint Cup Series returns to New England for their 41st visit to the flat New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 5-Hour ENERGY 301.  The race can be seen at 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon on NBCSN; the race can also be heard on your local PRN affiliate or SiriusXM Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 301 laps (318.458 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and facts

Brad Keselowski took the lead in last year's July race at Loudon on lap 270 and looked to have the victory sewn up.  However, a late crash for Justin Allgaier set up a green-white-checkered finish.  Keselowski then had to hold off Kyle Busch to take the victory.

Five different drivers (Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman) have three wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, tops overall in the previous 40 races at the facility.  Of this group, Stewart has visited Victory Lane most recently in the fall of 2011.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5-mile tri-oval, 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Banking: 2-7 degrees in turns

Straights: 1,500 ft. banked 2 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 95,491
Pit Road Speed: 40 mph
Pace Car Speed: 50 mph
Opened: 1990 (first Cup race in 1993)

Website: http://www.nhms.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhmotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NHMotorSpeedway

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice 1: Friday, July 17, 11:30 - 12:55 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Practice 2: Saturday, July 18 ,10 - 10:55 a.m. ET on NBCSN

Happy Hour: Saturday, July 18, 12:30 - 1:25 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Qualifying: Friday, July 17 at 4:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Say What?!

"Loudon is probably one of the toughest racetracks for me personally. It's so flat, and it's hard to pass. It's just one groove. But Donnie (Wingo) has some stuff he wants to try and feels pretty good about, so we'll look forward to that. I've had some decent finishes and run OK there, and we'll hope to make some progress when we go back this week." - David Gilliland

"I've always enjoyed going to Loudon. I've had some good finishes there. It's one of those tracks that you really have to stay on top of. With the rubber buildup on the track, the conditions are always changing from the beginning of the weekend to the race and even from the start of the race to the end. You just have to be on your toes to make sure you're putting together the best strategy and making the best adjustments to deal with the changing track conditions. I'm looking forward to having Shaw's with us for both of the New Hampshire races. RPM continues to bring new sponsors to the team and it's great that Shaw's is making the most out of their partnership. They're getting their customers involved and one lucky fan will get to have dinner with The King."-  Sam Hornish, Jr.

"I like New Hampshire [Motor Speedway] because it's a fast flat track. It's a shorter track, and I really like the challenge the smaller tracks present. Our short-track program has improved throughout the season, and any opportunity I get to race on one I always enjoy it. I remember this race very vividly from last year. Unfortunately, we had a good race going, we got down to just a few laps to go and we ended up with a wrecked car. We finished 20th in the fall race last year, and I'm hoping to improve on that finish. I'm happy to be back in the BRANDT red car for the next couple of weeks." - Justin Allgaier

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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IndyCar In Brief: Iowa Corn Indy 300

by Huston Ladner

Iowa Corn 300

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2015

Track: Iowa Speedway, a 7/8-mile (0.894-mile) oval in Newton, Iowa

Race distance: 300 laps / 268.2 miles

Firestone tire allotment: Nine sets for use through the weekend

Twitter: @iowaspeedway @IndyCar, #IowaCorn300, #IndyCar

2014 race winner: Ryan Hunter-Reay

2014 Verizon P1 Award winner: Scott Dixon, 34.5588 seconds, 186.256 mph (two laps)

One-lap qualifying record: Helio Castroneves, 17.2283 seconds, 186.809 mph, July 11, 2014

Two-lap qualifying record: Scott Dixon, 34.5588 seconds, 186.256 mph, July 11, 2014

NBCSN television broadcasts: Qualifying, 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 18 (same-day tape delay); Race, 8 p.m. ET Saturday, July 18 (live).

Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season and this weekend's qualifying session are available live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.

Race notes:     

* There have been eight different winners in 12 Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2015.

* The Iowa Corn 300 will be the fifth of six oval races on the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.

* The Iowa Corn 300 will be the ninth Verizon IndyCar Series event at Iowa Speedway. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the only active driver to win at Iowa Speedway more than once, winning in 2012 and '14.

* Andretti Autosport has won six of the eight races at Iowa Speedway, including the last five in a row.

* Kanaan has finished on the podium in the last five races at Iowa Speedway after failing to finish better than 15th in his first three starts. Andretti has finished on the podium in four of his eight starts at Iowa Speedway. Dixon has started on pole three times (two earned) and has seven top-10 finishes at Iowa in eight starts; he has never finished better than third.

* Hunter-Reay and Franchitti are the only drivers to win at Iowa Speedway and win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship in the same season.

* No driver has won the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Iowa Speedway from the pole.

* Four drivers have competed in every Verizon IndyCar Series race at Iowa: Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Dixon and Kanaan.

* Kanaan seeks to start his 246th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his IndyCar-record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland.

* With its next Verizon IndyCar Series victory, Chip Ganassi Racing will earn its 100th Indy car race win.

Who Ya Got:

Matt Stallknecht is going with Tony Kanaan while Toni Montgomery thinks Scott Dixon will earn the win. Huston Ladner sees Helio Castroneves atop the podium.

Quotable:

Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "Iowa is such a little bullring, it's so fast.  The G-loadings that you're getting and how quick they get the cars to perform around the track is spectacular."

Tony Kanaan (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "I can't wait to get back to Iowa this weekend – there's just something about these short ovals that I love. It's always such an exciting race, and with the way we've been running this season, I don't see this weekend's race being any different."

Takuma Sato (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): "Iowa Speedway is small and short but I like it a lot. I think it's a good contrast from some superspeedways but it's suited for IndyCar. It's a different style but it's so much fun with such close racing with good driver's actions. I mean, we drive really hard with lots of throttle control. I have great memories of my earlier visits but I do have a lack of good fortune there. Hopefully, we can change that this weekend."

Graham Rahal (No. 15 Steak & Shake Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda): "I really think we can continue to be competitive in Iowa.  We found some things for our short track setup in Milwaukee that are really going to help us going forward. There is no doubt in my mind that this team will show improvement at Iowa. Even last year we had a pretty good run, the car was fairly competitive so hopefully, all those things considered, I hope we can have a good, successful event. The team has done an excellent job, the pit stops have been incredible, everybody is just working really well together and that's a big part of our results."

Huston Ladner is an Editor at Frontstretch, specializing in IndyCar.  He can be reached via e-mail at huston.ladner@frontstretch.com.

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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
by Matt Stallknecht

by Amy Henderson

as told to Mike Neff

by Sean Fesko
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:
Parker Johnstone's time in CART was a struggle, to say the least.  The 1997 Miller 200 at the Milwaukee Mile was looking to be a bright spot as he had qualified sixth.  However, it wasn't meant to be.  What took him out of the race?

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

Thursday's Answer:

Q: Rodney Combs was having a great day at New Hampshire International Speedway in the 1994 New England Chevy Dealers 250.  With a little more than 100 laps to go, Combs was second behind Randy LaJoie.  Then, it all ended just that quick.  What happened?

A: Combs was running second when he was hit from behind by Kevin LePage entering turn 3.  Combs spun and backed hard into the wall, ending his day.

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COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have a recap of Sunday's 5-Hour ENERGY 301, plus an update on the points and any other news that breaks this weekend.

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

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