THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Qualifying: Friday, May 13, 3:45 p.m. on FOX Sports 1
Kicking butt was the objective here for Penske. Mission accomplished. But how did ABC handle the stomping?
To ABC, the big story of the day was Mario Andretti making his final start at Indianapolis at age 54. He didn't last all that long in the race, but since Mario was viewed as a living legend (and still is), it got a lot of play. I couldn't even tell you how he would have done in the race. Mario's pressure release valve quit under the second caution because he let his revs drop too low. I have no doubt that the producers were facepalming when that happened like in Naked Gun 33 1/3 when Lt. Drebin screws up and gives up the gun. As it stands, ABC dedicated their entire intro (using the Delta Force theme that ABC used at Indianapolis for a number of years) to Mario's career. Other than that, there was no special feature dedicated to Mario.
In reality, the Mercedes-Benz 500I was the big story in retrospect but it really didn't get a lot of play before the race. ABC interviewed Roger Penske about it but they didn't go into any real depth about the engine. My guess is that they tried but Penske and/or Ilmor told them heck to the no. As a result, there were a bunch of question marks about the powerplant that probably weren't answered until the aforementioned book was released. Bobby Unser actually referred to it as "bought technology" during the race that could have been badged as a Kodak or a Bill Clinton. While that is true, Mercedes-Benz technically wasn't paying to put their name on the 500I. They had already signed a deal with Ilmor to badge their CART engines starting in 1995, but the regular Ilmor engines in the field were just Ilmors that year after Chevrolet pulled out at the end of 1993.
I know that we're talking 1994 here but ABC really didn't do a very good job explaining just how fast the Mercedes-powered Penskes of Al Unser, Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi really were. These were the days before permanent on-screen field rundowns. 1994 was the year that ABC (and ESPN) introduced a translucent lap counter but we were still 15 months or so away from the pylon coming into use. Intervals were very rare. We did get some trap speeds at times and the Penskes were capable of up to 244 mph on the straights on new tires, apparently... but nothing more than that.
A memorable interview was when Nigel Mansell was interviewed after being run over by Vitolo under caution (that whole mess is almost a column in and of itself). According to Dr. Henry Bock (in a later interview), Mansell walked out of his exam partway through. Bock thought Mansell had a concussion (and Mansell, for how angry he was at the time, seemed to believe Bock) but the driver refused to go to IU Health Methodist Hospital.
The commentary itself was OK. Bobby Unser is an acquired taste, much like Eli Gold. I've never particularly liked him (I think he's hokey in the booth) but he can be informative. Page was solid, but the production seemed to fail him at times. The Mansell-Vitolo incident is just one example of that; ABC outright missed what Vitolo did to end up on top of Mansell. Not cool. It seemed like the production was just behind for much of the day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Sunday's Cup race will be the 43rd Cup race at Dover since the track was concreted. Prior to that, the track was asphalt. What would be done to the track every year?
-- Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 13, 2016
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 13, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXXII
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Friday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH SUPPORTS THE DRIVE FOR AUTISM
For the fourth straight year at Dover the "Autism Day at the Races" event will be available for families who have an individual with autism. Utilizing Dover's unique indoor grandstand, plus the adjoining ballrooms "Autism Day At The Races" allows families to enjoy the race together, giving kids with sensory issues a place to decompress if things get overwhelming.
Thanks to support from Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Disney Pixar, AAA and Smithfield Foods the families will have access to cool toys and games, a quiet room with bean bag chairs, Pixar movies and books and great food -- especially the hickory-smoked bacon! Plus, the great people of Dover Speedway are offering special ticket prices with a direct donation to the autism community to fans who want to have the traditional grandstand experience.
Go to AAADriveForAutism.com for more information and to see how you can help this great cause!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Friday
- Today is race day for the Camping World Truck Series. 200 miles of action is on tap tonight. Before that, we have qualifying (weather permitting, of course) for both the Camping World Truck and Sprint Cup series. We'll have plenty of updates for you at Frontstretch while we wait for the weather to clear up.
NOTE: IT IS CURRENTLY RAINING AT DOVER. THERE HAVE BEEN NO ANNOUNCEMENTS AS TO QUALIFYING OR RACE DELAYS/CANCELLATIONS AS OF YET.
FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND IN KANSAS THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:
Joseph Wolkin (@JosephNASCAR)
Zach Catanzareti (@ZachRacing)
and our own Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!
Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff
by The Frontstretch Staff
Kevin Harvick Wins Opening Sprint Cup Practice in Dover
The new low-downforce package plus new tires equals high speeds in Dover. Kevin Harvick turned in a lap at 21.799 seconds (165.145 mph) to top the speed charts, well below the track record time for this one-mile oval. Read more
Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray Wreck in Sprint Cup Series Practice at Dover
Opening practice for the Sprint Cup Series was slowed by a big wreck on the frontstretch. Danica Patrick appeared to suffer a rear gear failure, a problem which caused the track to get oiled down and spun herself into the inside wall on the frontstretch. Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray both smacked the wall hard behind her. Read more
Erik Jones Tops Troublesome Opening XFINITY Practice at Dover
Early this morning, the XFINITY Series took to Dover's high-banked concrete bowl for an hour of practice. Erik Jones ended up on top of the speed chart in a session interrupted by three crashes. Paul Menard, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and Jeb Burton all found themselves victims of a speedway that lives up to its Monster Mile nickname. Read more
William Byron, Cole Custer Lead Thursday Dover Truck Practices
Thursday, Camping World Truck Series teams took to Dover International Speedway for two one-hour practices ahead of today's Jacob Companies 200. William Byron was fastest in the opening session while Cole Custer was fastest in Happy Hour. Read more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Folio: AAA 400 Drive for Autism
by Phil Allaway
This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series travels to Dover for their first assault of the year on the concrete high banks. Coverage of the AAA Drive for Autism 400 can be seen on FOX Sports 1 starting at 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday while the green flag will fly around 1:20 p.m. It can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Records and facts
Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick dominated last year's FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks, combining to lead 222 of the 400 laps. However, Jimmie Johnson was up in the hunt all day and took the lead on a late restart from Harvick. Johnson held on through a green-white-checkered restart to take his tenth career win at Dover. Harvick was second followed by Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola.
Johnson's win last year was his 10th career victory at Dover in 30 career starts, tops all-time. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison each have seven wins apiece. Behind Johnson, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have three wins each among active drivers.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1-mile oval, 400 laps (400 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees
Straightaways: 1,076 ft., banked 9 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 85,000
Pit Road Speed: 35 mph
Pace Car Speed: 45 mph
Opened: 1969
Website: http://www.doverspeedway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoverInternationalSpeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonsterMile
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice No. 1: Friday, May 13, 11 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. on FOX Sports 1
Qualifying: Friday, May 13, 3:45 p.m. on FOX Sports 1
Practice No. 2: Saturday, May 14, 9:30 - 10:20 a.m. on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Saturday, May 14, 12:30 - 1:25 p.m. on FOX Sports 2
Say What?!
"There is just something about Dover that fits my driving style. There is some weird pressure that comes with that – we aren't too happy when we aren't running up to our expectations. It's a tough race for sure and so many things can go wrong but it also suits (No. 48 team crew chief) Chad Knaus' style. When I think back to having 10 wins at Dover I just think about the three or four that got away from me over the years. It's an unbelievable track; I wish we raced at Dover more than twice a year." - Jimmie Johnson
"Dover is another track that's going to be a lot of fun with the different tire that they bring and the low downforce package. I can definitely get into it. The bumps at Dover are a huge factor because it's such a harsh race track. It's a tough place. The bumps into Turn 3 are pretty harsh on the car and then the concrete itself has a very high-frequency feel. The shock package there is so important. The fact that you're landing into the banking as hard as you do, it kind of takes your breath away for a couple laps if it's your first run on the track on Friday morning or if you're qualifying." - Landon Cassill
"Dover is a tough track; hence the nickname 'Monster Mile'. The turns are unique because of the way you drive up out of them. Track position is crucial so qualifying on Friday is really important. This weekend we will debut our SunnyD Ford which is one of my favorite schemes so far. Last year, we finished eighth so I'm confident that we can earn another top-10 finish this weekend." - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: Beast Edition
by Phil Allaway
Chaps, there's been a change in plans. Originally, I planned on talking about the DTM season opener from Hockenheim last weekend in this space. We would have had a nice discussion about DTM's DRS, how much I dislike the current version of the Hockenheimring and how brittle the cars actually are. Oh, and the fact that IMSA's been trying to bring a DTM series to the United States for the last six years and have absolutely nothing to show for it.
Instead, we're going back into the vault to take a look at the 1994 Indianapolis 500. Recently, I've been reading Jade Gurss' Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Engine That Shocked The Racing World At The Indy 500, a book that dives in-depth into the development from scratch of a special pushrod engine to take advantage of a USAC rule. I'm not done yet, but I can tell you that it's a good book and that I've enjoyed reading up to this point. I just wish that it was available for non-Kindle e-Readers (I have a relatively new Nook). Also, availability is quite limited. I had to buy the hardcover book online to get it at all. For those of you who are history buffs and like some technical reading every once in a while, I highly recommend it.
Kicking butt was the objective here for Penske. Mission accomplished. But how did ABC handle the stomping?
To ABC, the big story of the day was Mario Andretti making his final start at Indianapolis at age 54. He didn't last all that long in the race, but since Mario was viewed as a living legend (and still is), it got a lot of play. I couldn't even tell you how he would have done in the race. Mario's pressure release valve quit under the second caution because he let his revs drop too low. I have no doubt that the producers were facepalming when that happened like in Naked Gun 33 1/3 when Lt. Drebin screws up and gives up the gun. As it stands, ABC dedicated their entire intro (using the Delta Force theme that ABC used at Indianapolis for a number of years) to Mario's career. Other than that, there was no special feature dedicated to Mario.
Critiquing as many races as I have for Frontstretch since 2009 (I don't have a raw count of that, but with over 530 critiques, it has to be something like 900), that's one of the aspects of the coverage that stands out. They had a one hour pre-race show with basically no features. Today, you get pieces that run the gamut from legitimately interesting to ridiculous (the milk piece from a couple of years ago is one example). They split the field into four groups: The Champions (past winners), Contenders, Rookies and those with limited success. This separation was good because they actually said something about all 33 starters. That's not common at all anymore.
There were also a number of pre-race interviews (13 in all) prior to the race with all kinds of people. I think Tim Allen didn't like Jack Arute much, though. He kind of dissed him on live TV while sitting in Mark Smith's No. 15 Craftsman Lola (which failed to qualify for the race).
In reality, the Mercedes-Benz 500I was the big story in retrospect but it really didn't get a lot of play before the race. ABC interviewed Roger Penske about it but they didn't go into any real depth about the engine. My guess is that they tried but Penske and/or Ilmor told them heck to the no. As a result, there were a bunch of question marks about the powerplant that probably weren't answered until the aforementioned book was released. Bobby Unser actually referred to it as "bought technology" during the race that could have been badged as a Kodak or a Bill Clinton. While that is true, Mercedes-Benz technically wasn't paying to put their name on the 500I. They had already signed a deal with Ilmor to badge their CART engines starting in 1995, but the regular Ilmor engines in the field were just Ilmors that year after Chevrolet pulled out at the end of 1993.
1994 was also Honda's return to CART after a number of years away (they had a small program in the late 1980s). Unfortunately, they didn't come close to making the field. Bobby Rahal and teammate Mike Groff had to acquire Ilmors just to earn a spot on the grid. While the booth did talk about Rahal's struggles (he had failed to qualify for the race in 1993 as the defending CART champion due to a bad chassis choice) there was no mention at all of Honda on the broadcast.
For Indianapolis, ABC went with a four-man commentary team. Paul Page and Sam Posey were in the broadcast booth while Bobby Unser and Danny Sullivan (in a one-year retirement at the time) were stationed in turns 2 and 4, respectively. Ultimately, it was an interesting setup in that Sullivan and Bobby Unser were able to see things that Page and Posey could not. They were analysts, but also on-air spotters. This came in handy when Dennis Vitolo spun on lap 6. Only Sullivan saw the incident happen in real time.
Missing restarts was a bit of a problem on the day. I'm not sure if it's just the currently available clip on YouTube or what but it seems that ABC missed at least three restarts due to commercials that day. That's not acceptable, especially since cautions in CART are longer than they are in series like Sprint Cup.
I know that we're talking 1994 here but ABC really didn't do a very good job explaining just how fast the Mercedes-powered Penskes of Al Unser, Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi really were. These were the days before permanent on-screen field rundowns. 1994 was the year that ABC (and ESPN) introduced a translucent lap counter but we were still 15 months or so away from the pylon coming into use. Intervals were very rare. We did get some trap speeds at times and the Penskes were capable of up to 244 mph on the straights on new tires, apparently... but nothing more than that.
Even with three early yellows there were only nine cars on the lead lap after 100 miles. We did get some lap times that indicated that Fittipaldi and Al Unser, Jr, were lapping at about 201-210 mph during their runs. That would not have been an all-conquering pace at the time. At least, it wouldn't have been enough (to me, at least) to destroy the field, but they did.
Later in the race, it was legitimately just the top 2 Penske racers with Jacques Villeneuve alternating between being on the lead lap or a lap down due to pit strategy. When that happens, you have to show racing where you can. Luckily, there was some good stuff further back. Robby Gordon and Raul Boesel had a great scrap for fourth early that saw outside passes, side-by-side action and drafting. Good stuff. Other battles were highlighted as well. In addition, there was a lot of content from those who had dropped out of the race.
A memorable interview was when Nigel Mansell was interviewed after being run over by Vitolo under caution (that whole mess is almost a column in and of itself). According to Dr. Henry Bock (in a later interview), Mansell walked out of his exam partway through. Bock thought Mansell had a concussion (and Mansell, for how angry he was at the time, seemed to believe Bock) but the driver refused to go to IU Health Methodist Hospital.
ABC, to their credit, got everyone involved for interviews, including Vitolo, who took full responsibility for the mess (he was going way too fast and screwed up). Vitolo also gave an explanation for the incident that cannot be backed up with visual evidence. He claimed that he hit John Andretti and that launched him into Mansell. I wouldn't be surprised if he knocked Mansell's roll hoop off in the process, thus resulting in Mansell taking an undertray to the helmet.
Prior to the race, Mansell was asked if he was going to return to Formula One (at the time, rumors had it that Frank Williams was going to pay Mansell eight figures to drive the No. 2 Williams as a long-term replacement for the late Ayrton Senna). Mansell's response was, "Beg your pardon?" If anything, the crash in the race more or less cemented Mansell's move back to Formula One. Yes, he finished out the season, but dabbled in Formula One, sharing the No. 2 with rookie David Coulthard for the rest of the year and ultimately winning in Adelaide.
Post-race coverage was actually quite brief. We got a long interview with Al Unser, Jr. in Victory Lane and Fittipaldi got his time on-air before the checkers flew. He described his car as "beautiful." Had Fittipaldi not wrecked, he probably would have won by a full lap.
Overall, the broadcast by today's standards had flashes of great coverage. However, that great coverage was buried at times under some bias and, in all honesty, not a lot of action. Secrecy kept a lot of information from being disseminated and that's not ABC's fault.
The commentary itself was OK. Bobby Unser is an acquired taste, much like Eli Gold. I've never particularly liked him (I think he's hokey in the booth) but he can be informative. Page was solid, but the production seemed to fail him at times. The Mansell-Vitolo incident is just one example of that; ABC outright missed what Vitolo did to end up on top of Mansell. Not cool. It seemed like the production was just behind for much of the day.
I hope you liked this look back at the 1994 Indianapolis 500, nicknamed Beast Edition in honor of the Mercedes-Benz engine's nickname. It's always interesting looking back at these races, knowing that exactly one of the drivers in the field still races full-time today (Robby Gordon, in his own creation, SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road).
Enjoy this weekend's action at Dover, Indianapolis and Barcelona.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
by Zach Catanzareti
by Mike Neff
by Sean Fesko
Friday Faceoff: Should Excessive Burnouts Put Teams on the Hot Seat?
by the Frontstretch Staff
by the Frontstretch Staff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Sunday's Cup race will be the 43rd Cup race at Dover since the track was concreted. Prior to that, the track was asphalt. What would be done to the track every year?
Check back tomorrow for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer:
Thursday's Answer:
Q: In the mid-to-late 1990s Jeff Gordon had a dominant run at Dover. He won three races in a row at one point and led a boatload of laps, including all but 25 laps of the Spring race in 1998. However, Gordon failed to complete the deal on that dominant performance, then failed the next year as well for the same reason. What was it?
A: Fuel mileage doomed Gordon's chances at a couple of more wins. In the 1998 MBNA Platinum 400, Gordon led 375 laps but had to pit with seven laps to go for a splash of fuel. Being as far ahead as he was from most of the rest of the field, Gordon was still able to finish third. The next year was very similar at the end of the race. Gordon led late but had to stop with six laps to go for fuel. In that race, Gordon finished second, 22 seconds behind as the only other driver on the lead lap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----------------------------
COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have recaps of the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck series events from Dover International Speedway. There will also be an update on the points and any other news that breaks.
On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have a series of post-race commentaries analyzing this weekend's action in Dover.-----------------------------
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
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
--
Feel free to forward this newsletter if you have any friends who loves
NASCAR and great NASCAR commentary. They can subscribe to the Frontstetch by visiting http://www.frontstretch.com/notice/9557/.
If you want to stop your Frontstretch Newsletter subscription, we're sorry
to see you go. Just send an email to
TheFrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com from the address that you
recieve the Frontstretch Newsletter.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Frontstretch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thefrontstretch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment