Tuesday, July 12, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Indianapolis Open Test Starts Today

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Jul. 12, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXIV
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What to Watch: Tuesday

- Today is the first day of a two-day test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  12 teams are scheduled to test on the 2.5-mile oval in preparation for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 24.  If anything of note comes out of the test, we will have it for you at Frontstretch.

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Tuesday's TV Schedule can be found here.
 
Top News
by the Frontstretch Staff

Entry List: New Hampshire 301

Monday, NASCAR released the entry list for Sunday's New Hampshire 301.  40 cars are entered, meaning no cars will fail to qualify for Sunday's race.  The only driver changes of note are Eddie MacDonald replacing rookie Jeffrey Earnhardt in the Go FAS Racing No. 32 and Michael McDowell returning to the No. 95, replacing Ty Dillon.  Read more

Entry List: AutoLotto 200

The entry list for Saturday's AutoLotto 200 is out for the XFINITY Series.  41 cars are currently on it, meaning that one driver will fail to qualify.  However, both of the Obaika Racing entries, the Nos. 97 and 77 remain without a driver at this time.  We'll have to wait and see if both cars show up; in the past, they've withdrawn the No. 77 when it's not needed to "fill out" the grid.  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.

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Today's Featured Commentary
Some Safe Tailgating Tips for Your Next NASCAR Race
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

While the Sprint Cup Series was sorting out the new configuration and pavement of Kentucky Speedway Saturday evening, fans were momentarily distracted by a truck bursting into flames inside one of the track parking lots.  While initial conjecture had the fire starting in the BBQ tied to the pickup bed, track workers reported it really began in the passenger compartment.  A person was pulled from the truck during rescue operations but thankfully, no injuries were reported.  Despite the terrifying prospect of somebody being harmed in the fire, the story simply became a sad tale of a few people looking for a different ride home after the race.

Perhaps what grabbed our attention was the fact we can easily see a fire starting in a BBQ in one of the crowded lots while everyone is sitting in the grandstands.  No matter what grabbed us, here are a few safe tailgating tips you should also pay attention to, making sure all our future visits to the track have happy endings.

1) Turn off the grill and disconnect the propane thirty minutes before heading into your seats.

Give all the hot surfaces time to cool before moving and securing your BBQ. By disconnecting the tank from the grill, there will no possibility of forgetting to turn off the burner.  While you are the host for your tailgating party, it is easy to get distracted and forget a few basics, so make turning off the stove is more of a chore and less of hitting a switch.

2) When wearing the chef's hat, hold off on downing the six-pack.

It's fine! You can still get down to partying once your responsibilities at the stove are over.  With your perceptions intact, not only will you be able to safely operate the grill, food will more likely reach safe serving temperatures and fewer hot dogs will end up on the ground.

3) Set up the kitchen as far away from the truck as possible.

The tight confines of a parking lot always offer challenges in where to squeeze your pop-up canopy, but think for a moment of the consequences should your fuel supply actually catch fire. How many vehicles could be taken out? Search out a secluded corner of the lot and spread out.

4) Bring a fire extinguisher.

You can pick one up at the home improvement store for around $20.  Add it to the tailgating supplies and leave it there.  Read the instructions and share the knowledge with your entire family.

5) Wait to tie down the BBQ to the truck bed until after the race.

While most straps are made of fabric that is more likely to melt than burn, why take a chance? If you strap the hot grill down while it is still sizzling, just think of those Kentucky truck fire images and consider the possible consequences.

6) Help your neighbor break down before the race.

Hey! Why not?  He's a fan, too. It wasn't just the single truck that burned over the weekend; the vehicles on either side of it were damaged as well.  While running your safety list, it won't take long to check and see if his setup is stored safely, too.

While the fire at Kentucky was decidedly a curiosity, it was a good reminder that when we are parked in the massive lots of a NASCAR race, it wouldn't take too much for a small problem to turn into a catastrophe. If we remember our scout training and use it wisely, we'll all have a safer and happier day at the track.

SOMETHING SHINY

A little bit of American creativity was used to rubber up the brand new surface at Kentucky Speedway. Instead of dragging tires around on a long chain in the tried and true tradition, they rigged up a tractor and called it the Tire Dragon. With the tires rotating in reverse at one mile an hour, the tractor pulled them forward at five miles an hour, literally ripping the rubber off the Goodyears and rubbing it into the racing surface.  180 tires later, we were ready to race.

S.D. Grady is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch and runs a NASCAR blog called the S-Curves. She can be reached via email at sonya.grady@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @laregna and on her Facebook page (she's an author, too!) at https://www.facebook.com/Author.SDGrady.

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Numbers Game: Quaker State 400
by Tom Bowles

0
Cautions for debris Sunday. It's the first time we've seen that in a Cup race since Martinsville.

1
Race won this season for both Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick despite being 1-2 in laps led this season (866 and 829, respectively).

2
Straight races in which zero of the four Hendrick Motorsports cars have finished inside the top 10. One week after a Daytona disaster, two more of the HMS cars wrecked Saturday night (Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott) while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the best of the rest (13th). 

3
Of the last four races on the Cup circuit have been won by Team Penske. (Joey Logano - Michigan; Brad Keselowski - Daytona & Kentucky).

50% (3 of 6)
Winning percentage for Brad Keselowski at Kentucky, the highest of any driver.

4
Victories by Brad Keselowski this season, the most of any Sprint Cup driver through 18 races.

5
Winless drivers that would make the Chase if the season ended today. They are: Chase Elliott, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray.

7
Straight top-20 finishes by Kyle Larson. It's put the third-year driver within 27 points of making the Chase grid after a rough start to the season.

9
Finishes for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. outside the top 10 in the last ten races. That's the worst slump for him since the middle of the 2011 season.

25%
Of the field (eight of 40 cars) Saturday night who failed to finish the race due to wrecks. 

Tom Bowles is the Editor-in-Chief of Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at tbowles81@yahoo.com.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:

by Matt McLaughlin

by Danny Peters

The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR's Small Teams from Kentucky to New Hampshire
by Amy Henderson


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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: In 2001, then-New Hampshire International Speedway had a fresh layer of sealer laid down on the 1.058-mile oval.  The sealer and the Goodyear tire made the track a bit tricky that day and Jeremy Mayfield found that out the hard way.  What happened?

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

Monday's Answer:

Q:  The 1996 Jiffy Lube 300 is best known as the comeback win for Ernie Irvan after his near-fatal crash in 1994 at Michigan International Speedway.  However, the veteran didn't dominate the race (he led 38 laps all day).  What happened to make Irvan the primary threat for the win late in the race?

A: Jeff Gordon was leading with a little more than 60 laps to go when his car just plain quit in Turn 2.  The team thought at first that it was an issue with the distributor, a rare part to fail.  Eventually, the car was retired due to ignition issues.  The moment that Gordon's day effectively ended can be seen here.
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have more NASCAR news to report along with a weekly commentary on the state of the sport.

On Frontstretch.com:
23 years after his tragic death, Matt McLaughlin revisits the NASCAR career of Davey Allison.
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