THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 4, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXV
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 4, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXV
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- Today, NASCAR should release the weekly penalty report. Expect the normal assortment of warnings for various inspection issues. Also, don't be surprised if Greg Ives receives some kind of penalty for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s steering wheel coming off during the race Sunday, even though Earnhardt Jr. has admitted that it's totally on him.
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Top News
Wednesday's TV Schedule can be found here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
David Ragan Adds BUBBA Burger Sponsorship for Charlotte
Tuesday, BK Racing announced that BUBBA Burger will be joining the team as the primary sponsor of the No. 23 for the upcoming Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600. The sponsorship follows a trend where Ragan has been backed by companies other than his owner's main connections (Dr. Pepper, Burger King) in recent weeks. Read more
Talladega TV Ratings Draw Even with 2015
Sunday's GEICO 500 drew a 3.8 overnight rating on FOX, equal to what the race pulled last year in the Nielsens. It was the second most-watched sporting event of the weekend after Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors-Portland Trail Blazers series in the NBA. Read more
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Editor's Note: Professor of Speed will return next week. Our professor is currently busy assessing student essays. as the end-of-semester crush is real for both students and faculty. Contributor Michael Finley is subbing in.
Editor's Note: Professor of Speed will return next week. Our professor is currently busy assessing student essays. as the end-of-semester crush is real for both students and faculty. Contributor Michael Finley is subbing in.
Today's Featured Commentary
Suggestions for the 2017 NASCAR Schedules
by Michael Finley
Several sources reported this week, including our own Jerry Jordan NASCAR will be announcing their Sprint Cup season schedule Thursday. It used to be one of the most highly-anticipated moments of the year. However, with the number of races for each track locked down until 2020, there isn't much NASCAR can do to change what tracks their series are racing on. The number of adjustments that could be made (but never were) in the past are now a virtual impossibility.
That being said, we know there will be changes to at least a few dates on next season's schedule; the Daytona 500 already announced it will move its 2017 February race back one weekend. So there's an opening for at least some minor tweaking; here are four realistic changes I would make for next season considering that. Note that I can't just say "Hey, let's get rid of a Pocono race for Iowa!" because of the aforementioned contracts with Sprint Cup Series tracks. So I'm not going to speculate about something NASCAR cannot do. I also left the Chase alone as those individual tracks won't be moved from their primetime place on the schedule due to logistics (and money).
1. Move Around The Short Track Schedule For The Lower Series
The lack of short tracks on the schedule stands out in NASCAR's two lower series: XFINITY and Camping World Trucks. As it stands right now, the trucks do not have a race at Richmond and the XFINITY Series does not have a race at Martinsville. It's a shame considering those tracks are suffering through attendance woes.
An easy way to potentially solve both problems? Move the spring XFINITY Series race at Richmond to Martinsville a few weeks earlier and move the spring Truck Series race at Martinsville to Richmond a few weeks later. The trucks would still have their fall date at Martinsville, increasing the importance of that one-time appearance while the XFINITY Series keeps their early September race at Richmond, a prequel to the Cup Series' regular-season finale. It's an easy way to bring some unique excitement to these short tracks and mix up the schedule for the sport's lower series.
2. A Gap Between Bristol and Darlington
An easy change to make is the moving of the final off weekend of the season to the last weekend of August, making a weeklong gap between the traditional Bristol night race and Labor Day weekend's Southern 500.
It's a good part of the season to have an off weekend, as it gives everybody a little break after the summer stretch of races that ends at Bristol. It also lets everybody breathe a bit before the craziness that is Darlington, Richmond, and the ten-race Chase.
3. Move Dover Back to June
Having lived in the area for the past couple of years, this race just needs to be back in June. The weather here is just crazy at this time of year and those three weeks really can make a difference. For example, just last week in my own area about an hour south of the track we had chilly weather, rain, and later on in the week perfect weather followed by thunderstorms.
June would be a lot warmer than how it could be next weekend, the temperatures would be far less volatile and the chance for a rain-free event would be much higher.
Editor's Note: According to an article from Jerry Jordan at Kickin' The Tires, this adjustment is likely to happen.
4. Primetime Races in the Summer
The summer months are a dry period for most sports. Unless you are a baseball or racing fan there are not a whole lot of options to watch. One idea thrown around the past few years to capitalize on this "lull" period are primetime races in the middle of the week for NASCAR.
It's been requested by fans, media members, and even drivers. Brad Keselowski has been the biggest proponent of at least trying out these types of shows; however, NASCAR has been hesitant and gone no further than the Truck Series Wednesday night July special at Eldora.
It's important, however, to tread lightly on this matter. The first season of primetime races would have to primarily be an experiment to see if attendance and/or ratings would suffer.
2017 would actually be a golden opportunity to try this out. Why? The first two races in July this season are Daytona and Kentucky. If the Daytona race is moved to its more traditional date of July 4th and Kentucky moved to July 10th in 2017, those races would be on a Tuesday and a Monday night, respectively. It doesn't hurt the schedule at all, giving teams six days before the next race. It also gives two nights the series can experiment on and if one performs better than the other night in ratings or attendance it could help the series roll out more midweek races in 2018 and beyond.
Michael Finley is a Contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at michaelfinley010@gmail.com.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
compiled by Aaron Bearden
by Tom Bowles
as told to Amy Henderson
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Tomas Scheckter's 2002 IRL season was very unusual. He showed superior pace as compared to much of the field but kept having problems that took away his chances at Victory Lane. During the Kansas weekend Scheckter led more than half the race but wasn't around for the finish. What happened?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: Chad Boat made his ARCA superspeedway debut at Kansas Speedway back in 2012. However, that debut didn't last very long. What happened to put him out of the race?
A: On the second lap, Boat got loose exiting turn 2 and spun. He was then T-boned right in the drivers' door by Matt Lofton. The force of that hit flipped Boat's Chevrolet over and the car came to rest after one complete roll. The crash can be seen here.
Boat walked away from the wreck, as did Lofton. Both cars were out, though. Chad Hackenbracht, who was also involved, continued after repairs.
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COMING TOMORROW
COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have any news that breaks in the world of NASCAR. In addition, we'll take a look at some more motorsports coverage in the Critic's Annex.
On Frontstretch.com:
Toni Montgomery returns with her weekly look at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Nitro Shots.
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