Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Frontstretch Newsletter: 2016 Camping World Truck Series Schedule Out

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Nov. 11, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CCIV
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Happy Veterans Day!

What to Watch: Wednesday

- Today, the long haul to Arizona continues for race teams.  If anything significant breaks, we'll be sure to have it for you at Frontstretch.

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

Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff

2016 Truck Series Schedule Features Minor Changes

Tuesday, NASCAR unveiled its 2016 schedule for the Camping World Truck Series.  Once again, there will be 23 races and the schedule will continue to be backloaded with only three races before the beginning of May.  Changes include Iowa becoming a support race to the XFINITY Series in June and new weekends for four other events.  Each track has also been contracted to hold Truck Series events through 2020.  Read more

Some Brandon Jones, GMS Racing Penalties Reduced, Others Upheld

Tuesday, the National Motorsports Appeal Panel convened to hear GMS Racing's appeal of their P4 penalty from Talladega.  For the most part, each part of the penalty for this Camping World Truck Series team was upheld.  However, crew chief Shane Huffman's suspension was reduced from three races to two due to the appeal hearing not being held in a timely fashion.  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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Today's Featured Commentary
Down the Rabbit Hole
Professor of Speed
by Mark Howell

"Curiouser and curiouser!" exclaimed the title character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 literary classic Alice in Wonderland.

Alice must be following this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship….

Just when the bizarre events of Martinsville settled down to a dull roar, along came the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Never have more unusual situations affected more teams in such a short period of time.

Ten laps in, Joey Logano blew a left-rear tire and set the tone for Sunday's race. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. blew a right front 40 laps later. Ryan Newman lost a left rear on lap 145 while both Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson suffered tire failures on two different occasions. Kyle Busch also had tire woes in the Lone Star State but could hit the pits quickly and hold his ground.

Adding to last Sunday's fun, Denny Hamlin lost a fuel pump early, Martin Truex, Jr. lost power steering late, and there were four separate cautions solely for debris. Oh, and non-Chaser Jimmie Johnson passed Brad "The Dominator" Keselowski with three laps to go to take the win.

Just another day in NASCAR Nation as the 2015 Sprint Cup season winds down….

Not that many other Cup races this year have ended so competitively. Complaints about "dirty" air, the benefit of running up front, and challenges posed by the dreaded aero push have reduced much of this year's action to elaborate exercises in "follow the leader". But even though it looked like Keselowski was headed to Homestead by way of Victory Lane at Texas the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet team proved otherwise.

The collective efforts of Penske Racing for 2015 have now led to two glaring conclusions. Keselowski should win, and Logano must win, at Phoenix this week if either hopes to make the "Final Four" and have a shot at running for the title. After decent seasons, it all comes down to this weekend….

Remember what Alice said.

The constructed tension of the Chase format is a harsh reality of NASCAR racing. It seems as if the cars themselves are succumbing to the strain of going fast or going home. Along with tires and fuel pumps we've seen rear axle seals, roof hatches, gear shift levers, and exhaust pipes make problems for drivers and their crews – problems that have directly affected the composition of title contenders.

Then there have been the tracks themselves. With each race in the Chase we seem to be prematurely linking drivers to their best chances for success. Racing at Talladega? Give the win to Junior. Off to Martinsville? Hats off to Jeff Gordon. Going to Texas? Hitch your wagon to Jimmie Johnson.

And next weekend? We'd have to be the Mad Hatter to not consider Kevin Harvick the favorite. We may as well hand him the trophy now and give everyone a much-deserved break before heading to South Florida….

But how dare we think of time off at such a chaotic point in the season? Just like there's a fine line between competition and contact, or racing and retribution, there's an equally fine line between 2015 and 2016. As soon as the checkered flag flies over Homestead on November 22nd Sprint Cup teams will devote their energies full-time to Speedweeks 2016. The new low-downforce package, plus changes to restrictor plate engine configuration, will wait for no one.

That's why the Chase, as it approaches its final two races, elimination of half the title contenders, and the eventual crowning of the 2015 Cup champion reminds me of Lewis Carroll's famous story. As the Queen-of-Hearts said to Alice: "My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere, you must run twice as fast as that."

This season feels like we've been running awfully fast for an awfully long time. With only one driver locked into the final at Homestead, and seven needing wins and/or top-5 finishes to make the cut, I'm guessing Chase teams are feeling the same way.

I offer just three simple words of advice, courtesy of the Caterpillar, as we approach this weekend's Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix: "Keep your temper."

That said…. Drivers, have at it!

Dr. Mark Howell is a contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at mark.howell@frontstretch.com.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:


as told to Beth Lunkenheimer

by Amy Henderson
compiled by Brett Winningham
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  In the 2004 Checker Auto Parts 500, Elliott Sadler was a contender early in the race, leading 16 laps.  However, he ended up 38th on the afternoon.  What happened?

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

Tuesday's Answer:

Q:  In 2003 fans gathered at Interlagos did not actually see the winner, Giancarlo Fisichella, receive his trophy for claiming the completely crazy victory in the Grand Prix of Brazil.  Who did receive the trophy and when did Fisichella get his well-deserved hardware?

A:  This incident was a direct result of the FIA's rules on races being cut short.  If a race is red-flagged and declared complete short of the scheduled distance, the final results are taken from a two-lap countback.  Previous occasions in which the rule has come into play was Monaco in 1984 and the 1992 Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst, which was called due to a multi-car crash.  

In this situation, Giancarlo Fisichella had taken advantage of Bridgestone's superior rain tires and taken the lead from Kimi Raikkonen on lap 54. Partway through the 55th lap, Mark Webber crashed on the run up the pit straight, shedding significant debris (including three wheels) onto the track.  As a result, the Safety Car was dispatched.  The leaders had to comb their way through the debris.  Shortly after Fisichella and Raikkonen got through, third-place Fernando Alonso hit debris and was pitched into a tire barrier.  The hit then flung Alonso across the track and into a concrete wall.  The second wreck caused the red flag.  Since the race was already doubtful to reach the scheduled distance before the Safety Car was dispatched, it was declared complete.  The mess at the end of the race can be seen here, in Portuguese since FOM won't allow English-language clips of this incident on YouTube.

The stewards originally thought that the red came out before Fisichella completed lap 55, so they declared the race complete as of 53 laps, giving the win to Raikkonen.  He earned the spoils and the winner's trophy.  Fisichella was second and Alonso third.  Alonso was injured in the crash and did not appear at the podium ceremony.

Following additional review of timing and scoring, Fisichella was determined to have started lap 56 prior to the red flag being displayed.  As a result, Fisichella was given the win five days after the race.  A special ceremony was held next Friday morning at the Grand Prix of San Marino (12 days after the race) where the McLaren team presented Fisichella with the winner's trophy and team owner Eddie Jordan (now of the BBC) with the winning constructor's trophy.  For Jordan, the victory was one of only three point-scoring results for the entire season (they finished ninth in the Constructor's Championship, only beating the scoreless Minardi).
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have any news that breaks in the world of NASCAR.

On Frontstretch.com:
Beth Lunkenheimer will take a look inside the Camping World Truck Series ahead of Friday night's Lucas Oil 150.
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Posted by Curious ... at 8:10 AM

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