THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Nov. 12, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CCV
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Nov. 12, 2015
Volume IX, Edition CCV
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What to Watch: Thursday
- Today is pull-in day for NASCAR's National Series at Phoenix International Raceway, but there is on-track activity as well. The Camping World Truck Series will have one session starting at 2:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. EST) for 145 minutes. It will not be televised.
- Also, tonight is the Casino Arizona 100, the season finale for the K&N Pro Series West at Phoenix International Raceway. The race will air on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. on NBCSN.
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Thursday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Headlines List of Post-Texas Warnings
by the Frontstretch Staff
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Headlines List of Post-Texas Warnings
On Wednesday, NASCAR released the weekly list of warnings. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s team was warned for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice. He was penalized with the last pick of pit stall last week. Four other Cup teams and two of JGR's XFINITY teams were also warned for various violations. Read more
Alex Bowman Joins JR Motorsports for 2016
Alex Bowman Joins JR Motorsports for 2016
On Wednesday, JR Motorsports announced the signing of Alex Bowman to a deal that will see him drive the No. 88 Chevrolet in the XFINITY Series for nine races in 2016 as part of an all-start team of drivers. Read more
Atlanta to Add SAFER Barrier for 2016
Atlanta to Add SAFER Barrier for 2016
Atlanta Motor Speedway announced on Wednesday that they will be adding 4700 feet of SAFER Barrier to the 1.54 mile quad-oval in time for the track's NASCAR race weekend in February. The entire outside wall and most of the inside walls will be covered by the time the 2016 season begins. 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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Editor's Note: Potts' Shots will return in the future.~~~~~~~~~~
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The Critic's Annex: 1997 Stevens Beil/Genuine Car Parts 200
by Phil Allaway
Today, we're looking at the 1997 event, which was broadcast live on TNN. Eli Gold, then the network's play-by-play commentator for Winston Cup races, was on hand for the call. He was joined by Phil Parsons, who was still full-time in the Busch Grand National Series, but who already had a fair amount of TV experience dating back into the 1980's.
After a brief introduction that talked about the points battle between Jack Sprague and Rich Bickle, we got to the brass tacks. Terry Cook won his first career pole for ThorSport Racing in the PBA Tour Chevrolet. However, he then wrecked his truck on the second lap of qualifying and had to start in the rear. Viewers saw a replay of that crash (which occurred a little more than three hours before the start of the race) and an interview with Cook. Unfortunately, he was not a factor and finished a lap down in 18th (but he successfully got his revenge on the square in 1998).
Early on, fans were treated to a great battle for the lead between Ron Hornaday, Jr. and Tony Raines. Hornaday clearly had the faster truck and was trying like heck to get past, both inside and outside. Raines protected where he could. The usage of the in-truck cameras on both vehicles worked out great. Little did we know that this was going to be the only real battle for the lead all day.
The in-truck camera on Raines' Dodge featured a fair amount of fluttering. There are a couple of reasons why that could happen. One is an engine miss. I don't think that was the case, but it's possible. Traction control is another, although I think NASCAR would have found that.
Unlike today, the use of the ticker scoreboard at the top of the screen was quite rare. TNN's at the time was quite similar to what we have today from NBC, but far more rudimentary. I think the ticker got more usage on TNN's Winston Cup broadcasts, but let's face it, it's quite useful.
The relatively minor crash that effectively ended the day of John Blewett, III actually got a decent amount of time. We got replays of the incident and one of TNN's cameras actually showed Blewett's crew working on the brake lines under the hood. Today, such coverage of a relative unknown's incident after crossing paths with Mike Bliss would be unlikely at best.
One of the stories of the race was Bickle driving hurt in the No. 17 after this nasty crash at the Brickyard 400 the previous week. Bickle was shown suiting up with extra padding inside of his firesuit. Randy Renfrow was standing by for relief, but Bickle stayed in there. For good reason, he was able to finish third from 22nd on the grid.
At the time, the Craftsman Truck Series had halftime breaks to facilitate races at venues that weren't really suitable for live pit stops. Here, that meant five minutes to make some changes and change tires. Matt Yocum was the only pit reporter on duty and he spent the break interviewing Bickle and Hornaday while capturing the overall feel of the race. Not half bad.
There was also a full field rundown and Gold covered the sponsorship woes of Geoff Bodine Racing and Tammy Jo Kirk, best known as the winner of the Snowball Derby in 1994. The short story was that her sponsor, Lovable Bras, went bankrupt in the middle of the season, leaving her without backing. The story was that Kirk was trying to put together a one-race deal for Nashville at the time. When Nashville came around, Geoff Bodine's son Barry was in the No. 7 with Kirk relegated to the No. 07. After a 14th-place finish there, Kirk left the team and did the rest of the season in three different rides.
There was also a full field rundown and Gold covered the sponsorship woes of Geoff Bodine Racing and Tammy Jo Kirk, best known as the winner of the Snowball Derby in 1994. The short story was that her sponsor, Lovable Bras, went bankrupt in the middle of the season, leaving her without backing. The story was that Kirk was trying to put together a one-race deal for Nashville at the time. When Nashville came around, Geoff Bodine's son Barry was in the No. 7 with Kirk relegated to the No. 07. After a 14th-place finish there, Kirk left the team and did the rest of the season in three different rides.
Even though Hornaday led all but 19 laps, it was not easy for him. Jack Sprague and Joe Ruttman gave him heck, especially late in the race. The styrofoam blocks on the outside walls that got a fair amount of coverage didn't come into play all that much. Other than Cook's crash in qualifying, the only time they came into play was when Dave Rezendes spun and hit them in turn 3 on final lap of the race.
Post-race coverage was relatively brief. TNN aired a post-race interview with Hornaday that was simulcast on the PA system at the track. In addition, Yocum interviewed Ruttman, who insinuated that Hornaday intentionally slowed down so that Bickle would catch him and prevent him from being a threat for the win. Interesting.
Overall, TNN often brought a "down home" flavor to their broadcasts and this one was no exception to the rule. The halftime break didn't just allow the teams to cut costs, but the broadcasters as well. Regardless, there was good racing and enthusiastic commentary. When this race was run, I was 13 and not really a fan of Gold. Today, I view him as a very knowledgeable broadcaster (even though his primary focus is Alabama football) who was a very good fit for TNN. Parsons was pretty good as well and brought good commentary to the broadcast from the view of an active driver.
Unfortunately, Flemington Speedway is no more. The fairgrounds were sold to developers and a Walmart stands where the track once did. It's a great shame. Let's just hope the trucks don't completely lose track of their short track roots.
That's all for this week. Hope you liked this look down memory lane as there will be more of them in the offseason. Next week, we'll be back with more motorsports commentary. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action in Phoenix and Sao Paulo.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Michael Annett on Fire Recovery, Racing Roots & Hockey
From Beyond the Cockpit: Michael Annett on Fire Recovery, Racing Roots & Hockey
"The first thing was that I thought the crew chief was joking. I was in the gym on Thrusday back in North Carolina. I was there and I thought 'this has been a really good day so far' and you're just waiting for something bad to happen. I never thought it would be to the extent that it was. Obviously, I've never dealt with anything like this before; I don't think anyone on the team has.
There were a lot of unknowns and everybody really came together and did their part. It was my job thinking of inside the cockpit of what I needed, and it took a lot of help and a lot of fast action from a lot of people to get to where we are now." - Michael Annett, on his reaction to the hauler fire that claimed his race cars for Texas last week.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by P. Huston Ladner
by Aaron Bearden and Sean Fesko
by Toni Montgomery
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt had a jovial friendship during their years racing against each other in Winston Cup, but the 1993 Slick 50 500k at Phoenix featured a spat between the champion and the rook. What happened?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
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?
A: It appears that Sadler's plight may have been self-inflicted. Sadler hit hte wall exiting turn 4 on lap 153. That contact blew the right front tire, which pitched him hard into the wall in turn 1, trashing his Pedigree Ford in the process. The crash can be seen here. Sadler was forced to the garage for repairs, but eventually returned and finished 60 laps down.
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll cover breaking news from Phoenix and preview this weekend's action.
On Frontstretch.com:
Zach Catanzareti answers Four Burning Questions heading into this weekend's Cup race at Phoenix.
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©2015 Frontstretch.com
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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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