THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 11, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXX
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 11, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Today, tire testing at Watkins Glen wraps up before all Sprint Cup teams start their march down to Dover. If any news comes out of the test, we will have it at Frontstretch.
~~~~~~~~~~
Top News
Wednesday's TV Schedule can be found here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Dover Adds SAFER Barrier, Expands Pit Stalls
Ahead of this weekend's action Dover International Speedway announced some improvements to their one-mile oval. The track has added additional SAFER Barriers, extending protection for the drivers along the turns and also adjusted the size of each pit stall. The changes reduce the number of open stalls at Dover from 43 to 40; that's in line with the new maximum starting field size for NASCAR. Read more
Kansas TV Ratings Up From Rain-Delayed 2015 Edition
Ratings-wise, Saturday night's GoBowling.com 400 was up over last year, the first Sprint Cup race this season to post year-to-year increases in the Nielsen overnights. However, that comes with the caveat that last year's race was delayed by rain, reducing the size of the viewing audience over the course of the night. Read more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Suggestions for the 2017 NASCAR Schedules
Professor of Speed
by Mark Howell
We live in a world of improbabilities.
Bumblebees lack the aerodynamic properties necessary for flight yet they buzz around the flowers in my yard. Hummingbirds flit and hover, as if by magic, between the two hanging baskets on my front porch, doing the impossible as part of their daily routine for survival. The No. 78 Toyota Camry of Martin Truex, Jr. suffered such an improbable part failure at Kansas last Saturday night that veteran NASCAR crew chiefs could do little more than shake their heads and pencil another entry in their catalog of "one of those racing deals". For Truex, it's just par for the course.
And then ... there was Teresa Earnhardt.
It seems improbable to instigate a lawsuit against a stepchild to keep them from legally using their own last name, but there it is.
As Jeff Owens wrote for The Sporting News a couple of days ago: "Dale Earnhardt would roll over in his grave if he knew what was happening to his name, his family and his legacy."
Despite his infamous legend as "The Intimidator" Dale Earnhardt was really anything but one. Sure, Earnhardt would bump, push, and jostle his way into the lead but, as Dr. Jerry Punch once said about it, Dale knew where and when it was appropriate to do so; Earnhardt would only lean on another car if he knew it wouldn't jeopardize the safety of others. The fact that he died doing something as relatively simple as blocking cars from making a run at the lead on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 seemed almost ironic.
And that's when the problems began….
It's no surprise that Dale Earnhardt was considered a "brand." The man himself knew that such an approach was essential for sustaining a successful business long after he'd hung up his helmet and goggles. And being a brand often means generating income even after the original "product" is long gone. Such an idea is nothing new; it's pretty much common knowledge that Elvis Presley continues to be a money machine nearly four decades after his death. The pieces were in place to insure that "Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated" would enjoy the same legacy. It would guarantee an ongoing presence for his family, his fans, and the very sport he dedicated his life to, both figuratively and literally.
It was because Dale Earnhardt, from what I knew of the man, was all about presence.
The last time I was in Dale Earnhardt's presence was in the Media Center at Michigan International Speedway. It was a Saturday in June of 2000, the day before the Kmart 400. I was with Andy Petree Racing as the photographer for Kenny Wallace's website and Earnhardt was hosting a press conference where Steve Park was going to sign a new contract with DEI and Pennzoil. The PR representative for Pennzoil didn't have her camera available, so she asked if I might photograph the event for her. I said I would and took a seat at the front of the room.
Earnhardt, back then was very sociable. He spoke to many of the media people (especially those from the Carolinas, whom he knew) in an easygoing manner. He asked about their families, their children's baseball games, and recent graduations from high school and college. There were no sunglasses, no snarl on his face, and no flippant comments about cars and competitors – we saw Dale Earnhardt, the man, not Earnhardt, The Man.
Come the next February, he was gone.
During the summer of 2001 I stopped for a haircut while doing some work in North Carolina. The barbershop was a little place near the main drag in Statesville. As the barber chatted with me about my work, he mentioned he had two good friends who worked for DEI. These two friends spoke highly of Dale Earnhardt, who supposedly used to stop by the race shop late at night with a roll of hundreds in a pocket of his Wranglers. Dale would wander quietly from crewman to crewman, slipping each employee one or two bills from his roll. The Intimidator would say, "I know you're here late when you'd rather be home with your family, but I wanted to say thanks."
Apparently, according to the barber, this would be followed by a hushed, "…and don't tell Teresa."
So, here we are, watching yet another Earnhardt family drama unfold before our eyes. This one, like the others, is rooted in history and legacy and memory. As William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
This current legal dispute between Teresa and Kerry Earnhardt is all about "What's in a name?" But, unfortunately, it has a distinctly different smell….
Dr. Mark Howell is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at mark.howell@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
compiled by Aaron Bearden
by Tom Bowles
as told to Amy Henderson
as told to Aaron Bearden
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Harry Gant dominated a good chunk of the 1984 Budweiser 500 at Dover, leading 218 laps before dropping out with an oil pan failure. What would cause such a failure?
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Tuesday's Answer:
Tuesday's Answer:
Q: Jeff Gordon dominated the early portions of the 1992 Goodwrench 200 at Dover from one of his 11 career XFINITY Series poles. However, he ran into some trouble that was not of his own doing later on that dropped him to a 18th-place finish. What happened?
A: Gordon led 75 laps on the day, but ended up down the order a little past halfway. Jimmy Spencer spun exiting turn 4, hit the wall, then spun back across the track. Gordon had nowhere to go and hit Spencer. The crash can be seen here.
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
---------------------------
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