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!
May 12, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXXI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Watch: Thursday
- Today, Camping World Truck Series teams hold their practice sessions ahead of tomorrow's Jacob Companies 200 at Dover International Speedway. Neither of them will be televised. In addition, the Verizon IndyCar Series has their first practice session for Saturday's Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. We will have recaps of the sessions at Frontstretch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday's TV Schedule can be found here.
Thursday's TV Schedule can be found here.
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff
Kyle Busch Penalized, Crew Chief Suspended Following Kansas
On Wednesday, NASCAR announced that Kyle Busch's No. 18 team has been hit with a P3 penalty for not safely securing lugnuts. Crew chief Adam Stevens has been fined $20,000 and suspended for this weekend's race in Dover. Busch's front tire changer has also been suspended. Read more
Todd Berrier Will Be Kyle Busch's Interim Crew Chief at Dover
With Wednesday's penalty announcement, Kyle Busch needs someone to head up his crew. NBC Sports is reporting that Todd Berrier will fill-in this weekend at Dover. Read more
NASCAR Reveals Current Top 5 in Sprint Fan Vote
There's eight days and change remaining for you to put in your votes for the Sprint Fan Vote. On Thursday morning, NASCAR released the current top 5 (in no particular order). They are Chase Elliott, Danica Patrick, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Matt DiBenedetto. 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.
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Potts on the Upcoming Indianapolis 500
Potts' Shots
by John Potts
Well, it's gonna be a zoo.
I'm talking about the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race on Sunday, May 29.
One of the more interesting things to come about is the reprinting of a column written for The Indianapolis Star in 1991 by Bill Benner, predicting what the 500 would look like in 2016.
He admitted to drifting into a "semi-conscious" after being overwhelmed by alcohol fumes, and seeing a mirage.
Benner said the president of IMS would be former driver Hiro Matsushita, whose grandfather, the owner of Panasonic, bought it as a reward after King Hiro won the race for the sixth time in 2010.
(That 'King Hiro' comment is mine. I'm told he earned that nickname after Emerson Fittipaldi had problems lapping him and seemed to press his radio button after already starting his transmission. Seems all the crew heard was "…king Hiro.")
Editor's Note: Obviously, this was a little tongue-in-cheek. Matsushita never won a race in 117 career CART starts for a combination of Dick Simon Racing, Arciero Wells Racing, Walker Racing and Dale Coyne Racing. He had seven career top 10 finishes with a best of sixth in the 1994 Marlboro 500 at Michigan, a race plagued by engine failures. His best finish at Indianapolis was tenth in 1995.
Bill also predicted solar-powered cars and incredible speeds, with several races being postponed because of cloudy days. Another interesting comment was that Mario Andretti, at 76, would still be seeking his second victory (as well as his teeth).
He did nail the fact that Georgetown Road would be closed off on Race Day, although Bill thought it would be utilized as a landing strip, and the fact that Pete Dye would redesign the golf course. He correctly predicted the proliferation of suites, which leads to my own next topic.
Last week, the Speedway announced that all reserved seats have been sold out. First time in a looonng time, as I understand it.
This momentous announcement came on the steps of the Indiana Statehouse, with community leaders including Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett flanked by the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy.
My former intern at Indianapolis Raceway Park, IMS president J. Douglas (Probie) Boles, commented, "Every Indianapolis 500 is special, but the buzz surrounding the 100th Running has been building for nearly a year, ever since the checkered flag fell on the 99th, "Our fans are the best in sports and their incredible support of this year's race will make it a truly historic day for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'"
Beyond the grandstands, the new Hulman Terrace Club is also sold out and every IMS suite is full. In fact, several large temporary suites will be erected due to remarkably increased demand. All VIP concert tickets are sold and it is expected that the Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light will reach capacity for the first time.
With a crowd traveling to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 29 that has not been seen in recent years, longtime fans are being encouraged to begin their Race Day routines at least two hours earlier than previous years. All fans will want to arrive early to take advantage of the full 100th Running experience. Highlights include live ESPN SportsCenter tapings in the plaza beginning at 8 a.m., an expanded fan midway and increased concession and vending opportunities.
Like I said, it's gonna be a zoo. They may even surpass 300,000 fans this year.
IMS never releases attendance figures, but it's pretty well acknowledged that the place can seat about 230,000. My friend Curt Cavin of The Indianapolis Star actually counted them all several years ago. I forget his total, but I seem to recall the figure being around 238,000 or so.
Some seats have been removed, but the renovations over the past year have added some with increased amenities and (of course) higher asking prices. Like the press release said, those are all sold out, and they're anticipating selling out the "several large temporary suites" which will be erected as a result of the increased demand.
Can they get 70,000 in the infield on General Admission ticket sales? Sure they can. And if they do, that's another $2.8 million in the coffers.
As you might expect, press requests are also running way ahead of usual. I consider myself lucky to have succeeded and been approved, because the PR department is really getting slammed.
Just happened to think – it will be 60 years since I saw my first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, sitting in Grandstand B across from the pits with my father and my uncle as Pat Flaherty drove A.J. Watson's roadster to victory.
The next year, home on pre-shipment leave from the U.S. Air Force, we were in the same seats as Sam Hanks drove George Salih's innovative "laydown" Offy roadster to the win and then retired in Victory Lane. Missed the next three because of being stationed in northern Japan, but I was there to see A.J. Foyt win his first.
I haven't made every race since because of other commitments as a race official, of course, but I became fan for life, and I've been at every race I could possibly attend.
I expect to go pick up my credentials this Saturday if at all possible, and to stick around to check the place out and watch the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the 2.439-mile road course.
That one won't quite be a zoo, but both times I've been it has been a really good race.
John Potts is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at john.potts@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's Note: The Critic's Annex will return tomorrow.
~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From The 10: NASCAR Power Rankings Pre-Monster Mile
~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From The 10: NASCAR Power Rankings Pre-Monster Mile
"Heard Elliott's car Saturday night described as a 'pile of garbage.' If you're finishing ninth with a pile of garbage for a race car, you're really going somewhere." - Phil Allaway, on Chase Elliott's run on Saturday night.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by Dustin Albino and Sean Fesko
by Toni Montgomery
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the mid-to-late 1990's, Jeff Gordon had a dominant run at Dover. He won three races in a row at one point and led a boat 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?
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: 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?
A: During an interview with Mizlou TV, Gant indicated that he ran over a piece of debris on the track. This must have been a pretty bad piece because that piece broke a header on the engine, then knocked a whole in the oil pan. It then "made a big racket" and started smoking.
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have some news from today while we preview Sunday's AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway.
On Frontstretch.com:
On Frontstretch.com:
Zach Catanzareti answers Four Burning Questions heading into 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
--
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