Friday, September 04, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski Pace Darlington Practice/Open Test

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Sep. 4, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CLVI
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What to Watch: Friday

- Remember, we have a new Frontstretch VIP for a Day contest situated around the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway (adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway).  Two winners will receive tickets to the Carolina Nationals, parking and a meet and greet.  Details are here.
 
FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND IN DARLINGTON FROM OUR COLLEAGUE:

Mike Neff (@MNeffShortTrack)
 
and our own Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!
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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato
Tuesday here.
 
Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski Lead Darlington Cup Practices

For the Sprint Cup Series, Friday constituted both an open test and practice for Sunday's Bojangles' Southern 500.  As a result, practice was a little more laid back than normal.  Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski were fastest in the two practice sessions, but the new package proved to be the star of the day.  Tires fell off by as much as two seconds over a run and the cars were all over the track in an attempt to find grip.  Read more

Sprint Cup Veterans Dominate Darlington XFINITY Practices

Another support race to Cup, another Gibbs-Penske duel.  If practice is any indication, Saturday's VFW Help a Hero Sport Clips 200 could very well be another duel between Joey Logano and Kyle Busch.  The two Sprint Cup racers were fastest in the two XFINITY practice sessions Friday at Darlington Raceway.  Read more

Michael Waltrip Racing Planning Layoff of Over 200 Employees

FOX Sports is reporting that Michael Waltrip Racing has filed notice with the North Carolina Department of Commerce that they plan to lay off 217 employees starting at the beginning of November.  Once the season ends, the company will start liquidation procedures.  Read more

Advocare Adds Chris Buescher Sponsorship for 6 Races

Roush Fenway Racing announced on Thursday that AdvoCare, primary sponsor of their No. 6 Ford for Trevor Bayne in Sprint Cup, has signed on to supplement that sponsorship with six races as primary sponsor on Chris Buescher's No. 60.  The first race that Buescher will run with the AdvoCare colors will be Saturday afternoon's VFW Help a Hero Sport Clips 200 at Darlington Raceway.  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: Bojangles' Southern 500
by Phil Allaway

The Sprint Cup Series returns to Darlington for their one and only visit of the year.  The Bojangles' Southern 500 can be seen at 7 p.m. Sunday night on NBC; the event can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate or SiriusXM Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 367 laps (501.322 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and facts

Last year, Kevin Harvick dominated much of the race, leading 238 laps.  However, he still had to pass Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on a Green-White-Checker to take the victory.  Earnhardt Jr. held on for second, followed by Jimmie Johnson. Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-10.

All-time, David Pearson has the most wins at the "Track Too Tough to Tame" with 10, the most recent of the wins coming in the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 in 1980.  Dale Earnhardt has nine wins, including season sweeps in 1987 and 1990.

Among active drivers, Jeff Gordon with seven has the most victories.  Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson has three wins, while Greg Biffle has two.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, 367 laps (501.322 miles)
Banking: 25 degrees in Turns 1-2, 23 degrees in Turns 3-4

Frontstretch: 1,229 ft., banked 3 degrees

Backstretch: 1,229 ft., banked 3 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 58,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 50 mph
Opened: 1950

Website: http://www.darlingtonraceway.com

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TooToughToTame

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice 1: Friday, September 4, 11 a.m. - 12:55 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Happy Hour: Friday, September 4, 4:30 p.m. - 6:25 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Qualifying: Saturday, September 5 at 1:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Say What?!

"A lot of it has to do with the history of the track. If you can say you won a race at Darlington – that's a feather in your cap. That's something to be proud of, knowing that you're in a group of drivers with names like Pearson and Petty – the pioneers of our sport who you hear stories about the races they ran there and the races they won there.

Darlington is such a tough track to get a handle on and to be good at all day. You don't see a lot of guys who have a lot of success there. You see only a handful of guys who religiously run well there. That just shows you how difficult Darlington is to get a handle on. If you can have a good day and win there, it's a track that's like winning at Bristol. It's the same type of feeling – knowing that you conquered something that's very hard to obtain." - Tony Stewart

"Darlington [Raceway] is a unique track. This weekend is going to be extra special since it's Labor Day weekend and the track has put a lot of effort into the throwback theme. BRANDT was kind enough to work with us on a throwback paint scheme. It's modeled after the No. 51 Cup car that AJ Foyt drove. AJ was someone that I admired growing up and still do to this day. We had some bad luck in this race last year with a loose wheel, but I know the guys at HScott Motorsports have prepared a great car. To win at Darlington would be very special. There's so much history and nostalgia associated with the track." - Justin Allgaier

"Darlington is just an awesome racetrack -- it's so much fun and definitely a challenge. It's a place you can never let your guard down. Driving down in the corner and sliding the car right up against the wall, knowing that the closer you can get to the wall the faster you will go. It's hard to not hit the wall and that's why you're on the edge the entire time at Darlington. You have to be aggressive there but at the same time be perfect because you're about a half-of-an-inch away from the wall. It's just a ton of fun to race at Darlington." - Martin Truex, Jr.

"I've never been to Darlington — never seen the place — but I'm kind of excited about it. It's seems like a really cool racetrack and I think it will be a lot of fun. You run right up by the fence there. That's where the most speed is. So, I'm looking forward to it, even though I don't know really what to expect. But it should be fun." - Brett Moffitt

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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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
by Matt Stallknecht

by the Frontstretch Staff

as told to Mike Neff

by Amy Henderson

by Kevin Rutherford

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:
The rain/darkness-shortened 1993 Mountain Dew Southern 500 marked the debut of Ernie Irvan in the No. 28 Texaco/Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing.  How did Irvan get that ride?

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

Thursday's Answer:

Q:  In 1996, Dale Jarrett had a chance to become the second driver to win the Winston Million at Darlington Raceway.  He qualified on the pole and was leading early on when he stuffed it in the wall.  What caused Jarrett to crash?

A: Jarrett, who was leading at the time, hit oil that had been laid down by Ed Berrier's Mt. Olive Ford and went into the wall in what was then turn 3 (now turn 1).  But, Jarrett wasn't the only one to taste concrete.  Rusty Wallace crashed as well, along with Ernie Irvan.  None of the drivers retired from the race, although Berrier only briefly returned before retiring.  Jarrett ended up finishing two laps down in 14th.

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COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have recaps of the Sprint Cup and XFINITY races from Darlington, 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 this weekend's action in Darlington and looking forward to Richmond.
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