Friday, May 27, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: See Your Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 27, 2016
Volume X, Edition LXXXII

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What to Watch: Friday


- Today, the track is cold in both Charlotte and Monaco.  However, it is Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  That means final practice ahead of the Indianapolis 500, the Freedom 100 for Indy Lights, and the annual Pit Stop Competition.  Meanwhile, it's Day No. 1 for Pirelli World Challenge at Lime Rock.  Three races are on tap.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IS LIKELY THE BIGGEST RACING WEEKEND OF THE YEAR.  WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED AT MULTIPLE SITES.  FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:
 
CHARLOTTE:
Amy Henderson (@Writer_Amy)
Zach Catanzareti (@ZachRacing)
 
INDIANAPOLIS:
Aaron Bearden (@AaronBearden93)
Mike Neff (@MNeffShortTrack)
John Potts (currently not active on Twitter)

LIME ROCK:
Phil Allaway (@Critic84)
  
and our own Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!
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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found
 here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff
 
Martin Truex, Jr. Scores Coca-Cola 600 Pole

Thursday night, Martin Truex, Jr. turned in a lap of 28.077 seconds (192.328 mph) to win the pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.  Joey Logano will start alongside, followed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.  Only 40 drivers made qualifying attempts so all cars wound up making the race.  Read more  

Kurt Busch Paces Opening Coca-Cola 600 Practice

Earlier Thursday, Kurt Busch was fastest in opening Sprint Cup Practice at Charlotte in the heat of the day.  Busch's lap of 28.002 seconds (192.843 mph) was nearly a quarter of a second faster than Jimmie Johnson in second.  Carl Edwards was third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson.  Read more

XFINITY Series Regulars Sweep Practice Sessions at Charlotte

Thursday, the XFINITY Series regulars came to play during their two practice sessions ahead of Saturday's Hisense 4K TV 300.  Erik Jones was fastest in the first session, while Ty Dillon was quickest in the second.  Read more
 
NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program Hosting First Annual Pit Crew Combine

Thursday, NASCAR announced a new Pit Crew Combine as part of the ongoing Drive for Diversity.  The goal is to identify minorities and women that would make good future crewmembers.  Read more
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Frontstretch Folio: Coca-Cola 600
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, points are back on the line as the Sprint Cup Series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the longest race of the year.  Coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 can be seen on FOX starting at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday while the green flag flies around 6:20.  The race can be heard on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

In last year's Coca-Cola 600, Carl Edwards took the lead following the final round of green-flag pit stops and pulled away to win by nearly five seconds over Greg Biffle.

Among active drivers, Jimmie Johnson is the winningest driver at Charlotte with seven career victories on the quad-oval.  He just plain owned the place for a couple of years in the mid-2000s, winning four races in a row from 2004-2005.  Kasey Kahne has four career wins (plus one All-Star Race victory) while Kevin Harvick has three.

All-time, Johnson's seven wins actually top the charts. Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison both have six while Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt have five apiece.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5-mile quad-oval, 50 laps (75 miles) for Sprint Showdown, 113 laps (169.5 miles) for the Sprint All-Star Race
Banking: 24 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,952.8 ft., banked 5 degrees

Backstretch: 1,360 ft., banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 89,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1960

Website: http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy

Remaining Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice No. 2: Saturday, May 28, 10 - 10:55 a.m. on FOX Sports 1

Happy Hour: Saturday, May 28, 1 - 1:50 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Say What?!

"Having a car balance that you can adjust because so much changes from the day when it's hot and sunny, and then you get into the night when it cools down a little bit without any sun on the track. The track changes for grip. So if you can tighten your car up at the right times and do it the right way to where you don't lose the attitude that you are looking for throughout the race, that's key." - Kasey Kahne

"It just depends on how hot it is, honestly. If it's a good weekend and the weather is nice, then it's more mentally challenging than physically challenging. Either way, it's still challenging both mentally and physically in some way, shape or form. The hardest part mentally is just getting yourself to overcome that last hundred miles because you are used to the 400 or 500-mile races." - Kevin Harvick

"I like Charlotte. It's really nice for the crews because it's a home race for them. They get to sleep in their own bed and a lot of their family and friends are there. So you want to give them a good performance. It's fun for me at Charlotte because a lot of the crews have young kids, so it's fun to meet them and see them around the hauler during the race weekend. It's just a bit of a different experience than a lot of the tracks we go to... A lot is made about the Coca-Cola 600 being another 100 miles longer and it being a long race. We have a lot of races that are already 500 miles long and we have a lot of races that go from day to night, so it's really not unfamiliar territory. It can make a bad day worse if the race is even longer. If the car is good, then the day is easy. It never feels all that long and, hopefully, it's not super-hot out. Other than that, it's just another race, honestly. But, it is a big event that you want to do well at." - Danica Patrick

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at ashland10@mail.com.

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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
 
by Zach Catanzareti
 
by Mike Neff

by Amy Henderson
 
by Sean Fesko
 
 
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The 2005 Coca-Cola 600 is best known for the fact that it set the all-time record in the Sprint Cup Series for cautions with 22.  One of those yellows was caused by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being overzealous.  What happened?

Check back tomorrow for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Thursday's Answer:

Q: In 1994, John Andretti attempted the first Indy-Charlotte double.  After finishing ninth at Indianapolis despite getting hit by Dennis Vitolo, Andretti traveled to Charlotte to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet.  Why did his Coca-Cola 600 race fail to match that open-wheel success?

A: Andretti qualified a strong ninth for the Coca-Cola 600, but had to start in the rear due to missing the Driver's Meeting for obvious reasons.  In the race, Andretti struggled and was running a couple of laps down when he spun and hit the wall on lap 90.  That can be seen here.  Andretti continued on after that incident but later retired due to engine problems.

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COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have recaps of the Sprint Cup and XFINITY series events from Charlotte Motor Speedway, in addition to the Indianapolis 500.  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 Charlotte, Indianapolis, and Lime Rock.

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