Tuesday, August 09, 2016

The Frontstretch Newsletter: Mid-Ohio Entry List is Out

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Aug. 9, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXXXIV
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What to Watch: Tuesday

- Today is a relatively quiet day in motorsports.  With Sprint Cup off this week, don't expect a whole lot to go on after the weekly penalty report is posted.  That said, if anything of note breaks, we'll 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: Mid-Ohio Challenge

On Monday, NASCAR released the entry list for Saturday's Mid-Ohio Challenge.  40 cars are currently entered.  Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 is listed with a TBA driver.  Look for an announcement soon.  Hint: It's not Andy Lally.  He tried, but JGR wanted money.  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
Whatever It Takes: A Tale of Two Teams
Sitting in the Stands: A Fan's View
by S.D. Grady

Denny Hamlin arrived in Victory Lane on his own two feet, having left the No. 11 FedEx Toyota at the Start/Finish line in a smoking heap.  However, he wasn't exactly dancing.  He walked gingerly.  Watching him climb from his car was a study in agony.  What was wrong? Did he hit something?

No.  It was as simple as experiencing back spasms when he woke up on Sunday morning.

I cringed when he said that, having experienced what a spasm can do to a person.  He even said he had doubts earlier in the day if he belonged in the car at all on Sunday.  It's the kind of pain where you don't want to stay seated, or standing, or walking, and reaching for a glass of water has the potential of sending you to the floor in a quivering pile.  There's no pill or potion that makes it all better.  Time. You need lots of time.

Not Hamlin.  He had a race to win and a Chase team to keep in the game for our rapidly approaching playoff excitement.  He was willing to do whatever it takes to win. That would be the hallmark of a true champion (please see comeback kid Kyle Busch for definition.)

Chris Buescher. Do you remember him from last week's win at foggy Pocono?  Yes, he's the driver of the underfunded and underperforming No. 34 Ford of Front Row Motorsports.  With his victory, he has the opportunity to make it into the Chase if he simply manages to get his car in the top 30 in points.  If you run every week and finish every race, that's not a real difficult goal.

However, the No. 34 has completed a race on the lead lap only four times in 2016, and four other times he wrecked out.  He has an average finish of 27.9.  Now you can see that it's going to be a close call if he can earn his way into the Chase.

On the positive side, Ford Performance has made a public commitment to this also-ran team that the No. 34 will be starting the Chase as a Contender. They are throwing equipment and personnel at the problem, and the Front Row team has picked up the gauntlet.

When Buescher got collected in the Lap 85 wreck on Sunday, he was prepared to drive his battered vehicle to pit road for repairs.  But NASCAR wouldn't give him a push out of the mud.  The team lost precious time as Chris took a ride to the care center and his car was towed to the garage. But they didn't give up.  They could still gain a position or two if they got their car back out before the end of the race which was just four laps away.

They did it!  The combined will of driver and team saw the No. 34 finish in 30th place, maintaining its 31st points position, and still within shouting distance of achieving the impossible dream: a place in the Chase.

Two teams battled it out under differing conditions, and with different goals in mind, but they both placed the highest priority on making it all come true and living the mantra, "Whatever it takes."  In my eyes, both Hamlin and Buescher earned a trophy on Sunday.  But we'll just have to accept a spot in the Chase for them instead.

SOMETHING SHINY

Have you noticed the peacock?  NBC Sports broadcast of NASCAR events includes a color coded peacock in the upper right hand corner of your screen.  The little guy's feathers turn bright green for a start/restart and after about 20 or 30 seconds, he fluffs his tail back into the rainbow.  He does this dance for cautions, final laps, and red flags.  Check it out during the Bristol broadcast.

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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Editor's Note: Numbers Game will run Wednesday.
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TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:

by Matt McLaughlin

by Jeff Wolfe

The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR's Small Teams Through Watkins Glen
by Clayton Caldwell


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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: While the track is quite twisty, Mid-Ohio is known for some spectacular wrecks.  Michael Andretti had one during the 1998 Miller Lite 200.  What happened?

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

Monday's Answer:

Q:  At Mid-Ohio, XFINITY Series teams compete on a 2.258-mile circuit.  However, this particular layout has not always been available.  When was it created?

A: The full straight between turn 1 and the Keyhole was created for the 1990 season.  Previously, cars had to turn into an elongated bus stop prior to reaching the Keyhole.  That setup can be seen in this IROC race from 1986.
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COMING TOMORROW
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have the latest NASCAR news along with a weekly commentary from our Professor of Speed on the state of the sport.

On Frontstretch.com:
Michael Finley subs for Amy Henderson with the weekly Frontstretch Five.
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