THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Mar. 31, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXI
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FRONTSTRETCH JOBS: SALES & BRANDING MANAGER
Frontstretch is seeking a dynamic, creative individual to head our sales team. The individual would be responsible for the following:
– Engaging new partners and taking the lead in brokering agreements for sales & advertising across all Frontstretch outlets: Website, Newsletter, Podcast, and video content
– Responding to exposure inquiries from potential advertisers
– Working with our social media team to enhance the marketing and branding experience for our advertising clients
The position will be a direct report to our Business and Financial Manager, a position that also will work closely with the Majority Owner and Social Media team. A fast-growing website whose writers have won multiple NMPA Awards, the Frontstretch is well-positioned for success in 2016 and has a healthy audience of over seven figures per year. The role, while initially commission-based offers a generous percentage and perks down the road for this startup company. Frontstretch management has, in many cases been in place for nearly a decade before becoming a for-profit website and we're excited to welcome the right person into this family atmosphere.
– Engaging new partners and taking the lead in brokering agreements for sales & advertising across all Frontstretch outlets: Website, Newsletter, Podcast, and video content
– Responding to exposure inquiries from potential advertisers
– Working with our social media team to enhance the marketing and branding experience for our advertising clients
The position will be a direct report to our Business and Financial Manager, a position that also will work closely with the Majority Owner and Social Media team. A fast-growing website whose writers have won multiple NMPA Awards, the Frontstretch is well-positioned for success in 2016 and has a healthy audience of over seven figures per year. The role, while initially commission-based offers a generous percentage and perks down the road for this startup company. Frontstretch management has, in many cases been in place for nearly a decade before becoming a for-profit website and we're excited to welcome the right person into this family atmosphere.
Interested parties should email tbowles81@yahoo.com with a short note on why they're interested and their current resume.
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What to Watch: Thursday
- Today is pull-in day for the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series teams at Martinsville. Truck teams will get four hours of work in this afternoon in the "garage" (read: pit road). No on-track action is scheduled.
- Meanwhile, INDYCAR teams are pulling into Phoenix International Raceway today as well. Some teams have already experienced trouble before even getting to the track, as you can see below.
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Thursday's TV Schedule can be found here.
Thursday's TV Schedule can be found here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Derek White Surrenders In Smuggling Investigation
Wednesday, XFINITY Series driver/owner Derek White surrendered to Quebec Provincial Police in response to a warrant for his arrest in relation to a massive tobacco smuggling operation, said to be the largest ever in North America. White is charged with Conspiracy, Profiteering from a Criminal Organization and Fraud against the [Canadian] government for a sum of over a half billion Canadian dollars. Read more
KVSH Racing Set Back By Transporter Fire
On Wednesday, a transporter belonging to KVSH Racing's No. 11 INDYCAR team caught fire on the interstate en route to this weekend's race in Phoenix. No injuries were reported and most of the equipment came out of the fire unscathed. 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 next week.
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Editor's Note: Potts' Shots will return next week.
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The Critic's Annex: Haas F1: America's Return to the Grid
by Phil Allaway
Welcome back, everyone. We've had a slight change of plan for this week. Couch Potato Tuesday focused on the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 from Irwindale, Ca. My plan was to split that column with NBCSN's Haas F1 Special. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass but we have the space to review that special here.
The show was billed as an unprecedented look inside of a Formula One team. These days, the fact that you're seeing anything beyond what FOM gives you is pretty rare.
Guenther Steiner, Haas F1 Team Principal, explained the extent of the team's relationship with Scuderia Ferrari that has helped them prepare for the launch. They're using Ferrari power units, gearboxes and suspensions. Sure, that partnership helps, but it's not that easy. We see footage of the first Haas chassis being built at Dallara's shops in Italy prior to the first open test. It appears to be a complete thrash. The team rented out a small body shop to paint the individual body work pieces in order to avoid the time crunch.
What stood out the most to be early on was the censorship. I don't mean profanities; the show was actually quite clean in that respect. By censorship, I mean the obscuring of certain parts of the team. There was definitely some equipment that the team didn't want NBCSN's cameras to show to the public. That included the power unit, some suspension parts and more. While I understand why they did that (you don't want the opposition to get a looksies before the season starts) it made an issue that the team had during their Barcelona test very difficult to understand. I couldn't tell what the deuce it was. Apparently, they had a wing failure but we couldn't see what the failure was because it was censored. Most everything that occurred in the garage during the test also went on behind placards that blocked any view into the stall. It looks bizarre, to be honest, but we've never really seen much in the way of video from a Formula One test session.
The show featured interviews with the two drivers (Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez) about the development of the car. They both seemed to be fairly pumped, but realistic.
Team owner Gene Haas does show up in the special, but not all that much. He doesn't even appear at all until after the halfway point of the show. Given that he may not have been present for much of the build, he's been viewing things (partially) from afar. He's generally happy with the progress but while Haas was in Barcelona for the entire two weeks of testing, he only appears once.
On the final day of the test, Grosjean crashed in turn 4. We hear the full explanation for what happened (Grosjean hit debris and went straight off course) then explanations for additional issues. Finally, we end with the test debrief, in which the team breaks down their sessions and give their thoughts. Here, Gutierrez appeared to be a little frustrated with the team. He claimed that they lost a lot of time due to simple issues and had problems with the comfort in the car. Steiner defuses Gutierrez's concerns and insists that things will get better. Sure enough, they did in Melbourne.
Now, they just have to get their pit stops in order. Yes, Grosjean finished sixth at Albert Park, but they planned on one-stopping the race, and took that stop under the red flag when Fernando Alonso and Gutierrez crashed. What we did see as far as pit stop practice is concerned was rather dodgy.
Overall, though the pictures were amazing and the stops themselves looked incredible. People often describe a pit stop in the Sprint Cup Series as choreographed action. Well, essentially everything in Formula One on and off the track is like that.
Admittedly, it is a little unbelievable that the Haas F1 Team would be willing to let NBCSN's cameras in. Despite the obvious obscuring that made the broadcast, they did an excellent job displaying just what it's like to be part of a brand-new Formula One team, despite the special itself being a bit of a rush job. According to tweets from NBC Sports' Blair Soden, the production team at NBCSN (which Soden was a part of) had only a week to put the special together before it aired. For that timeframe, they did a great job. Much like early episodes of South Park on Comedy Central, subsequent re-airings of the show fixed some audio issues that could not be taken care of before the premiere.
Grosjean and Gutierrez came off as being quite impressed with how far the team has come in their time with the organization. Grosjean appears to be more confident than Gutierrez but spirits appeared to be relatively high for a startup team.
Also, I cannot end this piece without mentioning one fact. The team officially has two bases. One is in the U.K. while the other is next door to Stewart-Haas Racing in Kannapolis, N.C. We didn't get to see any of either base, other than exterior shots of the buildings. Everything was in either Italy or Barcelona. I'd like to know how much of the important development work actually takes place in North Carolina. Not so much specifics but enough to know that having a North Carolina base is more than just for show.
For those who want to know the inner workings of Formula One testing, I would definitely recommend this special. I feel that I learned a lot and that the footage presented here was very interesting. The Haas F1 Team appears to be a very professional organization, but they're not completely stuffy. That's a plus for a series that at times seems way too insular for its own good.
I hope you enjoyed this look at Haas F1: America's Return to the Grid. Next week, we'll be back with more criticism. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action in Martinsville, Phoenix, Bahrain and Long Beach.
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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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Ryan Blaney Bringing Success Back to the Wood Brothers
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: Ryan Blaney Bringing Success Back to the Wood Brothers
"We raced Bandolero cars back in the day when we were 10 years old. We were good friends back then and when we started racing different race cars, we actually split up. We didn't race against each other for a long time. We kind of separated and then we both started running full-time in the Truck Series, and we've been really good pals ever since. It's just kind of neat to have friends on the racetrack. Honestly, I'd rather have more friends than enemies on the racetrack." - Ryan Blaney on his friendship on and off the track with Darrell Wallace, Jr.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by Sean Fesko and Michael Finley
by Toni Montgomery
by Bryan Gable
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In 1998, Bobby Hamilton led 379 laps en route to his second win at Martinsville and the final Winston Cup win for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. He didn't exactly need any help getting that victory, but he got some on Friday afternoon. What happened?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: In 2002, the Virginia 500 at Martinsville rolled off with Kenny Wallace driving the Goodwrench No. 29. That was not the norm at the time. What happened that resulted in Kevin Harvick having to sit out the race?
A: During the Advance Auto Parts 250 for the then-Craftsman Truck Series the day before, Kevin Harvick spun out Coy Gibbs on a restart. It didn't look that bad, but Harvick prefaced the wreck by stating on the radio that he was going to get Gibbs. NASCAR heard that communication and parked Harvick after the incident. They then suspended Harvick for the Cup race the next day, necessitating Kenny Wallace's services. Wallace ended up finishing 32nd in the race.
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have some news from today while we preview Sunday's STP 500.
On Frontstretch.com:
On Frontstretch.com:
Zach Catanzareti answers Four Burning Questions heading into this weekend's action in Martinsville.
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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!
©2016 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!
©2016 Frontstretch.com
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