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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
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by the Frontstretch Staff
Jeb Burton To Make Truck Series Return Friday Night
JR Motorsports announced Monday Sprint Cup rookie Jeb Burton will drive the team's No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet in Friday night's WinStar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway. Burton, a former Truck Series full-timer replaces Cole Custer, still ineligible to race at superspeedways under NASCAR's "under 18" age restrictions. Read more
INDYCAR Releases 2016 Testing Schedule, Regulations
Monday, INDYCAR announced a new suite of testing regulations for the 2016 season. Teams are allowed eight full test days in addition to a two-day promoter test in February at Phoenix International Raceway. Mileage for each car is limited to 10,000 for the year. Read more
Entry List: AAA Texas 500
Entry List: O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge
Entry List: WinStar World Casino 350k
The Camping World Truck Series returns to Texas for their second visit of the year. Currently, only 30 trucks are listed as competing in Friday night's race; however, MAKE Motorsports' two-car team should be added to make a full field of 32. Read more
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Jeff Gordon's 93rd Win: Just What NASCAR Needed
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady
And the crowd went wild.
You saw it. I saw it. Just about everybody who turned on sports television Sunday night saw it. Matt Kenseth aimed his No. 20 at the rear bumper of Joey Logano at Martinsville and gave Sliced Bread a nice shove into the wall. Whether you are a Kenseth fan, Logano fan, Jeff Gordon fan, NASCAR fan, Kyle Busch fan or even a Danica Patrick fan that moment got you to do one thing — you started yammering about your favorite sport. The Chase sucks, Kenseth is a candy-ass villain, Joey got what he deserved, Gordon might get what he doesn't quite deserve…take your pick.
There are those in that moment who declared they would never watch another NASCAR race, some who are holding their breath for Tuesday's inevitable announcements and others who just leapt out of their seats to scream. Yes, NASCAR Nation is talking. The funny thing is boredom doesn't seem to be at the top of the topic list for once. There are even people complaining that Cup racing isn't a sport anymore, just entertainment. Maybe they're right.
However, I know for certain that I haven't enjoyed myself so much on a NASCAR afternoon in a very long time. Had Kenseth been the mature gentleman he's often purported to be I would've sighed when the No. 22 took home the checkers yet again. There would have been a sentimental moan as Gordon closed out yet another disappointing day. The Chase would have lined up in the predictable manner that it has been laying out for the last couple months. And I'd be sitting here trying to drum up a column as the 36-race parade plodded to its conclusion. All because nobody wanted to be a spoil sport and ruin somebody else's day.
Well, thank goodness that passion and competition usually come in the same package. That Matt Kenseth cares more about his pride, his team than common sense about his chosen profession. That fans will still voice their excitement when the unexpected happens.
I'm not talking right and wrong here. That's for somebody else to try and detangle. What I'm enjoying is that NASCAR Nation is suddenly engaged. Some call the Chase a scripted roulette wheel; frankly, they're not too far off the mark. However, humanity does enjoy a good show after all is said and done... and that is exactly what we got.
Young driver after years of mediocrity (Logano) suddenly finds his feet and starts winning; he's brash and a loudmouth. The fans start to love to hate him, as do his competitors. A random series of events then conspire to make him look like even more of a chump. Next, a veteran who is due his day in the sun gets fed up and takes the boy to school, stealing his thunder while opening up surprise possibilities for another, NASCAR's retiring hero. We end the day crying with tears of joy, simmering anger, denial of culpability or acceptance of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the class is waiting for the principal to bring down the wrath of a god.
Yes, I'm all good. Despite any misgivings that might linger in my heart's sense of fair play, I'm also sure that Mr. France and company are laughing their way to the bank today.
Love it or hate it, the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 was classic NASCAR.
Sonya's Scrapbook
2015 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500
That, my dears, is what you call an instant classic. Should the Rainbow Warriors pull off the impossible, we'll be talking about Sunday's Martinsville race for years to come.
S.D. Grady is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via email at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.
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Beside The Rising Tide: Accidents Will Happen
by Matt McLaughlin
Who's Hot and Who's Not in NASCAR: Texas Edition
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Monday's Answer:
Q: Prior to the construction of Texas Motor Speedway there were USAC Gold Crown races run at Texas World Speedway near College Station. The run-up to the 1978 Texas 200 was marred by protests. What happened?
A: There was a spat between the teams running 4-cylinder engines (mainly Offenhausers) as opposed to those running 8 cylinders. Dan Gurney, who was in the broadcast booth with Ken Squier that day for CBS, described it as a "boost-limiting" device that must be carried in qualifying. The device was said to give the 8-cylinder teams an unfair advantage over the 4-cylinder teams. The pre-race coverage gives an excellent explanation of the situation.
Two quick notes: 1) Gurney is a team owner in the event (he's fielding the No. 48 for Bobby Unser) and he finds the squabbling to be detrimental to the sport. Earlier in the year, he penned the "White Paper" that led to the creation of CART. 2) Apparently, Patrick Racing's sponsor, northAmerican Van Lines, protested the rules as well.
COMING TOMORROW
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