Friday, August 02, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: August 2nd, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

August 2nd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXLII

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What to Watch: Weekend Racing Schedule

Friday, August 2
Time    Telecast    Network


1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Sprint Cup Series Practice SPEED*
3:00 – 5:00 PM Sprint Cup Series Qualifying SPEED
5:00 – 6:30 PM ARCA Racing Series ModSpace 125 SPEED

Saturday, August 3
Time    Telecast    Network

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 2 SPEED
10:00 – 11:30 AM Camping World Truck Series Qualifying SPEED
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour SPEED
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM NCWTS Setup SPEED
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 125 SPEED
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Izod IndyCar Series Qualifying NBC Sports Network*
8:00 PM – 10:30 PM Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 ESPN

Sunday, August 4
Time    Telecast    Network

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM NASCAR Countdown ESPN
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Sprint Cup Series GoBowling.com 400 ESPN
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Firestone Indy Lights: Mid-Ohio NBC Sports Network*
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM V8 Supercar Championship Series Ipswich 360 SPEED*
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Izod IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio NBC Sports Network

*- Tape Delayed

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Top News
by Justin Tucker

Fellows Returns to JRM's No. 5 at Mid-Ohio

There will be a familiar face behind the wheel of JR Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet when the Nationwide Series makes its debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in two weeks. Accomplished road racer Ron Fellows returns and will carry primary sponsorship from AER Manufacturing, a world wide leader in engine manufacturing for the last 60 years. JR Motorsports General Manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller made the announcement early Thursday Morning.

"We're thrilled to have Ron back in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the sixth consecutive year," said Earnhardt Miller. "Ron is a fierce competitor to watch and a tremendous talent who isn't satisfied with anything less than victory. As always, he'll bring a wealth of experience and know how to our road course program at Mid-Ohio."

Fellows is no stranger to success with JRM. He won at Montreal in August, 2008, driving the organization's No. 5 Chevrolet. In his 24 career starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Fellows has four wins -- three of them coming at Watkins Glen -- 12 top 5s and 15 top 10s to go along with two poles. 

Fellows shared JRM's excitement about the upcoming race at Mid-Ohio.

"I'm extremely grateful to Dale Jr., Kelley and my friends at AER Manufacturing for helping put this program together," Fellows said. "As a racer, anytime you can get in the type of equipment that JRM offers, you expect good things. If our past success is any indication, I think we have a great chance of ending up in Victory Lane at Mid-Ohio. With the series heading there for the first time, it will be an exciting race for sure."

NASCAR and FOX Sports Extend Rights Agreement

NASCAR and FOX Sports announced Thursday that they have extended their multi-year platform agreement just struck last October for two more seasons beyond the 2022 NASCAR season.

The announcement comes just 10 days after NASCAR signed a 10-year deal with NBC Universal, and the two agreements secure all NASCAR television rights through 2024. The FOX extension begins in 2015 and adds the exclusive rights to three additional Sprint Cup Series races and 14 Nationwide Series races.

"FOX Sports has been an outstanding partner for NASCAR and we could not be more pleased with the additional commitment they are making to our sport and the fans," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "FOX Sports has delivered for our fans a number of innovations that have changed how our sport is presented, and our entire industry has now come to expect excellence from NASCAR on FOX. We believe this new agreement underscores our shared commitment to the fans over the next decade."

"FOX Sports is now the exclusive home of NASCAR, the most popular racing series in America, for the first five months of every season through 2024," said FOX Sports Co-Presidents and COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks. "The Nationwide Series is second only to NASCAR Sprint Cup as the most-watched auto racing in the country.  FOX Sports now owns the sport every weekend from Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 through June, and we expect these events to provide significant viewership for FOX Sports 1. The addition of Nationwide to the 1,100 hours of original motorsports programming already scheduled clearly puts FOX Sports at the front of the race to serve motorsports fans in the U.S."

FOX Sports began covering NASCAR in 2001 and will launch its new, all sports network FOX Sports 1 on August 17th with live coverage of the Camping World Truck Series from the Michigan International Speedway.

Have news for Justin and 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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In Case You Missed It
by Beth Lunkenheimer

Ricky Ehrgott to Debut at Pocono


Just four years ago, Sprint Car racer Ricky Ehrgott suffered a torn artery during a qualifying session at Kokomo Speedway in Indiana, but on Saturday, he'll make his first career Camping World Truck Series start. In a last minute deal, Ehrgott signed on to pilot the No. 81 Rev1 Power Services / Platinum Welath Partners Toyota for SS Green Light Racing.

"I'm very excited about running at Pocono Raceway this weekend for SS Green Light Racing and Bobby Dotter. This is a huge opportunity and while I'm completely humbled by the chance to compete in NASCAR, I definitely want to make the best of it," said Ehrgott. "Without Bobby, this weekend would not be possible and I'm not forgetting that. I'm going to learn a lot, but I'm hoping we can be competitive and have a good run. I haven't really set any big expectations for myself, other than finish the race competitively.

"The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is where I want to be, but we need sponsorship to make that happen. Right now though, I'm focused on Pocono and then we'll regroup and see what's next."

The Brandon, Florida native plans to lean on best friend Tom Hessert, III, who is competing in Friday night's ARCA Racing Series event for advice on tackling the Tricky Triangle.

Showalter Makes 450th Start

Camping World Truck Series crew chief Chris Showalter will make his 450th career "start" on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. Showalter, who currently calls the shots for Max Gresham, has worked with several drivers throughout the years, including Travis Kvapil during his 2003 championship run. He's the only crew chief who has made every start since the inaugural season of the Truck Series.

McClures Welcome Fifth Daughter

Eric McClure and wife Miranda welcomed their fifth daughter into their family on Wednesday afternoon. Myanna Brookleigh weighed in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 18 inches long. She joins her older sisters Mabreigh, Maryleigh, Mirabella and Merritt.

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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!


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Frontstretch Folio: GoBowling.com 400
by Beth Lunkenheimer

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Pocono on Sunday afternoon. The GoBowling.com 400 is the 21st race of the 2013 season and will be broadcast live on ESPN at 1:00 PM ET. The race can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate or SiriusXM Radio Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 160 laps (400 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and Facts:

Joey Logano holds the track qualifying record at Pocono with a lap of 179.598 mph for last year's June race at Pocono. He led 49 of 160 laps, including the last four, en route to his second career victory. Mark Martin finished second, followed by Tony Stewart. Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top 5.

Jeff Gordon is the defending winner of this race. After starting 27th, Gordon led just eight laps in the rain-shortened event. Teammate Kasey Kahne finished second, followed by Martin Truex, Jr. in third. Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart rounded out the top 5.

Track Facts:

Track / Race Length:
2.5-mile tri-oval; 160 laps (400 miles)
Seating: 100,000
Opened: 1974
Website: http://www.poconoraceway.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/poconoraceway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/IndyTalk

VIPs

Grand Marshal / Command:
Actor Dane Cook, star of "Disney's Planes"
Honorary Starter: GoBowling.com 400 "Stop Your Thirst & Start The Race" Sweepstakes winner Justin Small of Rock Hill, South Carolina
National Anthem: Independent Artist Eric Lee Beddingfield
Flyover: Crop duster reflecting Disney Planes character Dusty

Pre-Race Schedule

Practices:
Friday, August 2, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM on SPEED same day delay at 1:00 PM ET
Saturday, August 3, 9:00 - 9:50 AM ET on SPEED
Happy Hour: Saturday, August 3, 11:30 AM - 12:20 PM ET on SPEED
Qualifying: Friday, August 2 at 3:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, re-air scheduled at 8:00pm/et.

Race Day Forecast

Saturday:
Sunny
High: 72
Low: 50

They Said It:

"The trickiest of the corners is the Tunnel Turn at Pocono Raceway. It is not a common corner. Pocono is indeed a tricky track and you have to negotiate all three corners. Going into this weekend you never know about how your car will handle because it might be different from last time. It is always a challenge." Bobby Labonte

"[Pocono is] one of my favorite racetracks just because it is so difficult. It's really fun to drive. I like it because it's challenging. Each corner is different – different radius, different banking, different bumps. Each straightaway is a different length. It just seems like it's a driver's racetrack and a crew chief's racetrack because he has to get the car to the driver's liking in all three corners. It's all about matching up the combination of how the crew chief sets up the car relative to how the driver drives the racecar to make a happy package and have a shot at victory. It's fun to have unique situations and unique racetracks. We look forward to going to Pocono each and every time." Ryan Newman

"I feel good about going back to Pocono (Raceway). We ran well there in June, but didn't finish as high as we should have. I feel like we can build on that with these Gen-6 cars. We can also apply some stuff we learned last weekend at Indianapolis (Motor Speedway). Not a lot of information because of the mechanical issue, but a little bit more now that Pocono has a smoother surface. Pocono is a fun race track and one of the hardest on the schedule even after the repave. You have to be aggressive there and drive really hard." Jeff Burton

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Keepin' It Short: Going For the Cup
by Mike Neff

Dirt Modified racing in the United States has been growing at a rapid pace over the last decade, and one of the premier sanctioning bodies in the world of the Dirt Modified is the United States Modified Touring Series. The USMTS runs races throughout the heartland of America. They run races from Minnesota to Texas and everywhere in between. Their regular season is called the Casey's Cup Series, sponsored by the Casey's General Store convenience stores. It is divided into three regions, North, Central and South. The schedule wraps up the last week of July for two regions and the end of June in the third. The regular season sets the stage for the finale, The Hunt for the Casey's Cup, a 20 race marathon that lasts just over a month and crowns the Casey's Cup Champion.

Tonight will be the opening round of the Hunt as the USMTS Modifieds take to the 3/8-mile surface at Batesville Motor Speedway. Johnny Scott won the Southern Region of the Casey's Cup and finished in the top 5 of the Northen and Central regions. As a result he sits atop the points heading into the hunt. Zack VanderBeek did not win a race this season but was the model of consistency which allowed him to finish in the top 4 of all three regions. As a result, he is the number two qualifier for the Hunt. Jason Hughes enters the Hunt in the third position in points and with momentum on his side after coming off of a victory in the 3rd Annual World Modified Dirt Champoinship. Kelly Shryock's name is synonymous with Dirt Modified racing. He looks to continue building his impressive legacy with a win in the Hunt from the fourth place in points. Stormy Scott, the twin brother of Johnny and last year's point leader at the beginning of the Hunt rounds out the top 5 in points.

The points heading into the Hunt for the Casey's Cup are:

1. 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. ... 99
2. 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa. ... 97
3. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. ... 94
4. 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa. ... 89
5. 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. ... 84
6. 99h Trevor Hunt, Kearney, Mo. ... 76
7. 01 Joey Galloway, Manor, Sask., Canada ... 70
8. 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ... 59
9. 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla. ... 54
10. 00 Masen Big Eagle, Manor, Sask., Canada ... 52
10. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas. ... 52
12. 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo. ... 35
13. V2 Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, Minn. ... 34
14. 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas. ... 33
15. 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn. ... 30
16. 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas. ... 28
17. 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa. ... 26
17. 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo. ... 26
17. 89c Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas. ... 26
20. 7 Ron Jones, Princeton, Minn. ... 25
21. 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Adel, Iowa. ... 24
21. 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas. ... 24
23. 1k Pat Graham, Ames, Iowa. ... 23
24. 36 Jeff Conner, Panora, Iowa. ... 22
25. 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa. ... 14
26. 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan. ... 13
27. 5* Casey Penn, Shreveport, La. ... 11
28. 91 Joe Duvall, Chelsea, Okla. ... 10

The schedule runs from August 2nd through September 19th. 19 races take place in the 31 days from August 2nd to September 1st. The finale is at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, MN. The full schedule:

THE HUNT FOR THE USMTS CASEY'S CUP:
Friday, Aug. 2 ... Batesville Motor Speedway, Locust Grove, Ark.
Saturday, Aug. 3 ... West Plains Motor Speedway, West Plains, Mo.
Sunday, Aug. 4 ... Monett Speedway, Monett, Mo.
Thursday, Aug. 8 ... I-35 Speedway, Winston, Mo.
Friday, Aug. 9 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Saturday, Aug. 10 ... Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo.
Sunday, Aug. 11 ... I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb.
Wednesday, Aug. 14 ... Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis.
Thursday, Aug. 15 ... Rice Lake Speedway, Rice Lake, Wis.
Friday, Aug. 16 ... Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis.
Saturday, Aug. 17 ... Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie, Minn.
Sunday, Aug. 18 ... Granite City Speedway, Sauk Rapids, Minn.
Thursday, Aug. 22 ... Valley Speedway, Grain Valley, Mo.
Friday, Aug. 23 ... Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Saturday, Aug. 24 ... Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla.
Thursday, Aug. 29 ... Cedar County Raceway, Tipton, Iowa
Friday, Aug. 30 ... Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn.
Saturday, Aug. 31 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Sunday, Sept.  1 ... Dodge County Speedway, Kasson, Minn.
Thursday, Sept.  19 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
If you are a fan of Dirt Modified racing, or even if you haven't ever attended a Mod race before, take a chance over the next month to see the best in the business running across the Midwest before they head to Boone to compete in the Nationals.

Whelen All-American Series National Points Battle

The top of the National Point Standings really did not see any substantial movement this week. Lee Pulliam and Deac McCaskill did not run any races and, even though Keith Rocco ran two, he only picked up two points by landing one top 5 and two top 10s over the weekend. Ryan Preece made the big jump of the week moving from sixth to fourth by winning his only start of the weekend. CE Falk III landed a top 5 in his lone start while Chad Finchum put two more wins in the column in the two races that he ran this weekend. Burt Myers did not run while Todd Ceravolo scored another top 5. Ted Christopher took advantage of Jason Myers not running and jumped back into the top 10. The sprint to the finish is upon us. It is hard to say who will come out on top but Pulliam and McCaskill are getting ready to battle to the end on the short tracks of the Southeast.

Position Name Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Points
1 Lee Pulliam 30 17 27 28 753
2 Deac McCaskill 27 11 21 26 745
3 Keith Rocco 32 10 20 27 692
4 Ryan Preece 27 9 18 22 673
5 Tommy Lemons, Jr. 27 4 21 25 665
6 CE Falk III 23 7 20 20 661
7 Chad Finchum 22 5 12 18 623
8 Burt Myers 18 6 12 17 606
9 Todd Ceravolo 21 1 15 21 575
10 Ted Christopher 22 2 11 15 568

This Weekend's Racing Schedule

Friday    08/02/13    Batesville Motor Speedway    Locust Grove    AR    USMTS Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Calistoga Speedway    Calistoga    CA    West Coast Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Stafford Motor Speedway    Stafford    CT    Whelen Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Iowa Speedway    Newton     IA    K&N Pro Series East
Friday    08/02/13    Iowa Speedway    Newton     IA    K&N Pro Series West
Friday    08/02/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    360 Nationals ASCS Winged Sprints
Friday    08/02/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    ASCS Winged Sprints
Friday    08/02/13    Jacksonville Speedway    Jacksonville    IL    305 Winged Sprints
Friday    08/02/13    Jacksonville Speedway    Jacksonville    IL    Hornets
Friday    08/02/13    Jacksonville Speedway    Jacksonville    IL    Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Jacksonville Speedway    Jacksonville    IL    Stock Cars
Friday    08/02/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    Spoon 6-Shooters
Friday    08/02/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    Street Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Hornets
Friday    08/02/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Limited Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Pro-Crate Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Tri-City Speedway    Pontoon Beach    IL    UMP Factory Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    Tri-City Speedway    Pontoon Beach    IL    UMP Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Tri-City Speedway    Pontoon Beach    IL    UMP Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Tri-City Speedway    Pontoon Beach    IL    UMP Pro-Crate Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Tri-City Speedway    Pontoon Beach    IL    UMP Sport Compacts
Friday    08/02/13    Newton Park    Lakeville    IN     USAC National Quarter Midgets
Friday    08/02/13    Belleville High Banks    Belleville    KS    USAC Silver Crown
Friday    08/02/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Mini Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Outlaw Sportsman
Friday    08/02/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Pro Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Street Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    Mt. Pleasant Speedway    Mt. Pleasant    MI    Sunoco American Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Federated Auto Parts Raceway    Pevely    MO    World of Outlaw Sprint Cars
Friday    08/02/13    El Paso Speedway Park    El Paso     TX    Championship Dirt Motorsports Super Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    RPM Speedway    Crandall    TX    Factory Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    RPM Speedway    Crandall    TX    Limited Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    RPM Speedway    Crandall    TX    Sprint Cars
Friday    08/02/13    RPM Speedway    Crandall    TX    Street Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    RPM Speedway    Crandall    TX    USRA Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Cedar Lake Speedway    Richmond    WI    World of Outlaw Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Manitowoc County Fairgrounds    Manitowoc    WI    Grand Nationals
Friday    08/02/13    Manitowoc County Fairgrounds    Manitowoc    WI    MSA 360 Sprints
Friday    08/02/13    Manitowoc County Fairgrounds    Manitowoc    WI    Street Stocks
Friday    08/02/13    Manitowoc County Fairgrounds    Manitowoc    WI    WDLMA Late Models
Friday    08/02/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Dirt Devils
Friday    08/02/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Grand Nationals
Friday    08/02/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Modifieds
Friday    08/02/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Sport Mods
Friday    08/02/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    South Alabama Speedway    Opp    AL    Viper Super Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    South Alabama Speedway    Ozark    AL    Viper Super Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Riverside International Speedway    West Memphis    AR    305 Winged Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Riverside International Speedway    West Memphis    AR    600 Mini Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Riverside International Speedway    West Memphis    AR    Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Riverside International Speedway    West Memphis    AR    Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Riverside International Speedway    West Memphis    AR    Stock Cars
Saturday    08/03/13    Central Arizona Raceway    Casa Grande    AZ    IMCA Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Central Arizona Raceway    Casa Grande    AZ    Pure Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Central Arizona Raceway    Casa Grande    AZ    Southwest Mod Lites
Saturday    08/03/13    Central Arizona Raceway    Casa Grande    AZ    X-Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Bakersfield Speedway    Bakersfield    CA    Mini Dwarfs
Saturday    08/03/13    Bakersfield Speedway    Bakersfield    CA    Mini Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Bakersfield Speedway    Bakersfield    CA    Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Bakersfield Speedway    Bakersfield    CA    Sport Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Kings Speedway    Hanford    CA    USAC West Coast Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Madera Speedway    Madera    CA    4-Cylinders
Saturday    08/03/13    Madera Speedway    Madera    CA    Hobby Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Madera Speedway    Madera    CA    Limited Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Madera Speedway    Madera    CA    MST
Saturday    08/03/13    Madera Speedway    Madera    CA    Sport Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Madera Speedway    Madera    CA    Valley Sportsman
Saturday    08/03/13    Placerville Speedway    Placerville    CA    360 Winged Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Placerville Speedway    Placerville    CA    BCRA Midgets
Saturday    08/03/13    Placerville Speedway    Placerville    CA    Midget Lites
Saturday    08/03/13    Placerville Speedway    Placerville    CA    Vintage Hardtops
Saturday    08/03/13    34 Raceway    Burlington    IA    305 Sprint Cars
Saturday    08/03/13    34 Raceway    Burlington    IA    4-Cylinders
Saturday    08/03/13    34 Raceway    Burlington    IA    IMCA Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    34 Raceway    Burlington    IA    IMCA Stock Cars
Saturday    08/03/13    34 Raceway    Burlington    IA    Mod Lites
Saturday    08/03/13    34 Raceway    Burlington    IA    Sport Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    305 Winged Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    360 Nationals ASCS Winged Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    ASCS Winged Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Meridian Speedway    Meridian    ID    Jr. Stingers
Saturday    08/03/13    Meridian Speedway    Meridian    ID    Mini Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Meridian Speedway    Meridian    ID    Pro-4s
Saturday    08/03/13    Fairbury American Legion Speedway    Fairbury    IL    UMP Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Fairbury American Legion Speedway    Fairbury    IL    UMP Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Fairbury American Legion Speedway    Fairbury    IL    UMP Sportsman
Saturday    08/03/13    Fairbury American Legion Speedway    Fairbury    IL    UMP Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Highland Speedway    Highland    IL    UMP Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Highland Speedway    Highland    IL    UMP Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Highland Speedway    Highland    IL    UMP Pro Crate Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Highland Speedway    Highland    IL    UMP Sport Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Highland Speedway    Highland    IL    UMP Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Peoria Speedway    Peoria    IL    Hornets
Saturday    08/03/13    Peoria Speedway    Peoria    IL    Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Peoria Speedway    Peoria    IL    Lightning Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Peoria Speedway    Peoria    IL    Limited Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Peoria Speedway    Peoria    IL    Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Peoria Speedway    Peoria    IL    Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    Lite Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    Spoon 6-Shooters
Saturday    08/03/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Hornets
Saturday    08/03/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Limited Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Spoon River Speedway    Canton    IL    UMP Pro-Crate Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Tri-State Speedway    Haubstadt    IN    Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Tri-State Speedway    Haubstadt    IN    MSCS Sprint Cars
Saturday    08/03/13    Newton Park    Lakeville    IN     USAC National Quarter Midgets
Saturday    08/03/13    Plymouth Speedway    Plymouth    IN     USAC 600 Mini Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Belleville High Banks    Belleville    KS    USAC Western States Midgets
Saturday    08/03/13    Beech Ridge Motor Speedway    Scarborough     ME    Valenti Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Elko Speedway    Elko     MN    Big 8 Cars 2X
Saturday    08/03/13    Elko Speedway    Elko     MN    Legends 2X
Saturday    08/03/13    Elko Speedway    Elko     MN    Mini Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Elko Speedway    Elko     MN    Power Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Elko Speedway    Elko     MN    Super Late Models 2X
Saturday    08/03/13    Elko Speedway    Elko     MN    Thunder Cars 2X
Saturday    08/03/13    Federated Auto Parts Raceway    Pevely    MO    World of Outlaw Sprint Cars
Saturday    08/03/13    Lucas Oil Speedway    Wheatland    MO    A-Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Lucas Oil Speedway    Wheatland    MO    B-Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Lucas Oil Speedway    Wheatland    MO    Factory Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Lucas Oil Speedway    Wheatland    MO    ULMA Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Washington Town and Country Fair    Washington    MO    POWRi Speedway Motors 600 Outlaw Micro Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    West Plains Motor Speedway    West Plains    MO    USMTS Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Bowman-Gray Stadium    Winston-Salem    NC    Whelen Southern Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    County Line Raceway    Elm City     NC    Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    County Line Raceway    Elm City     NC    Pure Stock 4 Cylinder 2x
Saturday    08/03/13    County Line Raceway    Elm City     NC    Pure Stock V-8
Saturday    08/03/13    County Line Raceway    Elm City     NC    Super Stock 4 Cylinders
Saturday    08/03/13    County Line Raceway    Elm City     NC    Thunder & Lightning
Saturday    08/03/13    East Lincoln Speedway    Stanley    NC    Limited Sportsman
Saturday    08/03/13    East Lincoln Speedway    Stanley    NC    Micro Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    East Lincoln Speedway    Stanley    NC    Renegades
Saturday    08/03/13    East Lincoln Speedway    Stanley    NC    Stock 4
Saturday    08/03/13    East Lincoln Speedway    Stanley    NC    Super Stock 4 Cylinders
Saturday    08/03/13    Hickory Motor Speedway    Newton     NC    Limited Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Hickory Motor Speedway    Newton     NC    Renegades
Saturday    08/03/13    Hickory Motor Speedway    Newton     NC    Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Hickory Motor Speedway    Newton     NC    Super Trucks
Saturday    08/03/13    Hickory Motor Speedway    Newton     NC    Whelen All-American Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern National Motorsports Park    Kenly    NC    PASS Pro Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern National Motorsports Park    Kenly    NC    PASS South Super Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern New Mexico Speedway    Las Cruces    NM    Championship Dirt Motorsports Super Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern New Mexico Speedway    Las Cruces    NM    Hornets
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern New Mexico Speedway    Las Cruces    NM    UMP Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern New Mexico Speedway    Las Cruces    NM    USRA Limited X-Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Southern New Mexico Speedway    Las Cruces    NM    USRA Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Eldora Speedway    Rossburg    OH    Sunoco American Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Hermiston Super Oval     Hermison     OR    Modifieds
Saturday    08/03/13    Hermiston Super Oval     Hermison     OR    Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Hermiston Super Oval     Hermison     OR    Super Minis
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Half Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Heavy 160 Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Heavy Honda Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Heavy World Formula Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Jr. Animal Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Jr. Honda Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Jr. Novice Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Light 160 Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Sr. Honda Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    West End Raceway    Gilbert     PA    Sr. Novice Quarter Midget
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Modified Street Bomber
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Openwheel
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Outlaw Pony
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Pure Pony
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Rookie Pony
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Street Stock Bomber
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Super Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Duck River Raceway Park    Wheel    TN    Two Barrel Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Texana Raceway Park    Edna    TX    Dwarf/Mod Lites
Saturday    08/03/13    Texana Raceway Park    Edna    TX    Hot Stock Trucks
Saturday    08/03/13    Texana Raceway Park    Edna    TX    Mini Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Texana Raceway Park    Edna    TX    Pure Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Texana Raceway Park    Edna    TX    Sport Mods
Saturday    08/03/13    Texana Raceway Park    Edna    TX    Street Stocks
Saturday    08/03/13    Lonesome Pine Raceway    Coeburn    VA    Iron Warrior
Saturday    08/03/13    Lonesome Pine Raceway    Coeburn    VA    Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    Lonesome Pine Raceway    Coeburn    VA    Mod 4
Saturday    08/03/13    Lonesome Pine Raceway    Coeburn    VA    Pure 4
Saturday    08/03/13    Lonesome Pine Raceway    Coeburn    VA    Pure Streets
Saturday    08/03/13    Lonesome Pine Raceway    Coeburn    VA    Super Streets
Saturday    08/03/13    South Boston Speedway    South Boston    VA    Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    South Boston Speedway    South Boston    VA    Limited Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    South Boston Speedway    South Boston    VA    Pure Stock
Saturday    08/03/13    Evergreen Speedway    Monroe    WA    ASA Northwest Sprint Cars
Saturday    08/03/13    Skagit Speedway    Alger    WA    410 Winged Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Skagit Speedway    Alger    WA    Outlaw Hornets
Saturday    08/03/13    Skagit Speedway    Alger    WA    Sportsman Sprints
Saturday    08/03/13    Skagit Speedway    Alger    WA    USAC Midgets
Saturday    08/03/13    Cedar Lake Speedway    Richmond    WI    World of Outlaw Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway    LaCrosse    WI    Late Models
Saturday    08/03/13    LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway    LaCrosse    WI    Sportsman
Saturday    08/03/13    LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway    LaCrosse    WI    Thunderstox
Saturday    08/03/13    I-77 Raceway Park    Ripley    WV    FASTRAK Pro Late Models
Sunday    08/04/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    410 Winged Sprints
Sunday    08/04/13    Quincy Raceways    Quincy    IL    IMCA Northern Sport Mods
Sunday    08/04/13    Quincy Raceways    Quincy    IL    IMCA Sport Compacts
Sunday    08/04/13    Quincy Raceways    Quincy    IL    IMCA Stock Cars
Sunday    08/04/13    Quincy Raceways    Quincy    IL    UMP Late Models
Sunday    08/04/13    Quincy Raceways    Quincy    IL    UMP Modifieds
Sunday    08/04/13    Vermillion County Speedway    Danville    IL    MOWA Sprint Cars
Sunday    08/04/13    Newton Park    Lakeville    IN     USAC National Quarter Midgets
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Figure 8
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Mini Modifieds
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Mini Stocks
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Pure Stocks
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Sportsman
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Street Stocks
Sunday    08/04/13    Kentucky Motor Speedway    Whitesville    KY    Thunder Stocks
Sunday    08/04/13    Monett Speedway    Monett    MO    USMTS Modifieds
Sunday    08/04/13    White Mountain Motorsports Park    North Woodstock    NH    PASS North Super Late Models
Sunday    08/04/13    Oyster Bed Speedway    Oyster Bed Bridge    PE    Parts for Trucks Pro Stocks
Sunday    08/04/13    Skagit Speedway    Alger    WA    USAC Northwest Ignite Midgets
Sunday    08/04/13    Angell Park Speedway    Sun Prairie     WI    Badger Micro Sprints
Sunday    08/04/13    Angell Park Speedway    Sun Prairie     WI    Badger Midgets
Sunday    08/04/13    Angell Park Speedway    Sun Prairie     WI    Legends
Monday    08/05/13    Independence Motor Speedway    Independence    IA    World of Outlaw Late Models
Monday    08/05/13    Southern Iowa Speedway    Oskaloosa    IA    ASCS Winged Sprints
Tuesday    08/06/13    Southern Iowa Speedway    Oskaloosa    IA    USAC Sprint Cars
Tuesday    08/06/13    Autodrome Chaudiere    Vallee-Junction     Quebec    PASS North Super Late Models
Tuesday    08/06/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Dirt Devils
Tuesday    08/06/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Grand Nationals
Tuesday    08/06/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Modifieds
Tuesday    08/06/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Sport Mods
Tuesday    08/06/13    Oshkosh Speedzone    Oshkosh    WI    Street Stocks
Wednesday    08/07/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    Knoxville Nationals World of Outlaw Sprint Cars
Wednesday    08/07/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    4-Cylinder
Wednesday    08/07/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Ladies Full-Size
Wednesday    08/07/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Outlaw Full Size
Wednesday    08/07/13    Oxford Plains Speedway    Oxford    ME    Sport Trucks
Thursday    08/08/13    Knoxville Raceway    Knoxville    IA    Knoxville Nationals World of Outlaw Sprint Cars
Thursday    08/08/13    Florence Speedway    Walton    KY    Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models

Mike Neff is a Senior Writer and the Short Track Reporter for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at mike.neff@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MNeffShortTrack.

~~~~~~~~~~

ADVERTISEMENT
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand?  A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!  Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.

~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

Nuts for Nationwide: Travis Sauter Continues Family Legacy With NASCAR Debut
by Kevin Rutherford

Four Burning Questions in Pocono: Kahne's Poor Luck and The Decline of the Start and Park
by Matt Stallknecht
as told to Amy Henderson
by Amy Henderson

~~~~~~~~~~

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: Ricky Rudd earned a victory in the 2001 Pocono 500 for Robert Yates Racing, which marked his first win since merging his former team, Rudd Performance Motorsports, into Yates' team.  However, the previous race at Pocono (the 2000 Pennsylvania 500) didn't end quite as well.  What happened?

Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Thursday's Answer:

Q: The 1991 Miller Genuine Draft 500, shortened to 448 miles due to rain, was won by Rusty Wallace.  However, the race may be most notable for a big wreck exiting Turn 3.  What happened and who was considered to be solely to blame?

A: Hut Stricklin had just taken the lead away from Ernie Irvan on Lap 71, however, Stricklin set up the pass with a very close call in the Tunnel Turn.  It appears that Irvan took exception to that because in Turn 3, Irvan got in the back of Stricklin and spun him in front of the whole field.  Seven additional cars (Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Alan Kulwicki, Darrell Waltrip, Ken Schrader, Bobby Hillin, Jr. (driving in place of the injured Kyle Petty) and Richard Petty) were collected in the wreck.  The crash can be seen here.

Most of the drivers involved in the crash spent significant time behind the wall; a handful eventually dropped out of the race.  Stricklin's car was undamaged, allowing him to come back to finish fourth.  The wreck was just one more strike against Irvan, a driver who at the time was believed to be too aggressive on the track.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee:  If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs!  If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE! 

~~~~~~~~~~

Monday on the Frontstretch:

Thinkin' Out Loud: GoBowling.com 400 by Mike Neff
Mike is back with his overall thoughts from Sunday afternoon's race from Pocono.

Commentary
by Summer Bedgood
Summer takes a look at one of the biggest stories to come out of Pocono.

Commentary by Tom Bowles
One of the Frontstretch staff members stops by with their thoughts on Sunday afternoon's action from Pocono.

Big Six:
GoBowling.com 400 by Amy Henderson
Amy has your weekly look at the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How from a weekend of racing at Pocono.

Pace Laps: Pocono / Iowa Weekend by the Frontstretch Staff
It's back again this season! The staff gets together to help you catch up on the latest and greatest going on in each series coming out of a weekend of racing at Pocono.

Tracking the Trucks: Pocono Mountains 125 by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth has all the post-race analysis you need following Saturday afternoon's Camping World Truck Series race from Pocono.

Nationwide Series Breakdown: US Cellular 250 by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin has all the post-race analysis you need following Saturday night's Nationwide Series race from Iowa.

-----------------------------
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!

©2013 Frontstretch.com

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Thursday, August 01, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: August 1st, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

August 1st, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CXLI
~~~~~~~~~~

What to Watch For: Thursday

- Today is the opening day of on-track action at Pocono Raceway.  While the Sprint Cup Series doesn't get on track until tomorrow, the ARCA Racing Series will be on track for their first practice session starting at 3:00pm this afternoon.

Top News
by Phil Allaway

NASCAR Media Tour to See Changes In 2014

The Charlotte Observer's Jim Utter is reporting that the Charlotte Motor Speedway-hosted Preseason Media Tour will see some changes starting in 2014.  In the past, the event has been centered around a local hotel in the Concord area, which would also serve as host to the NMPA's (National Motorsports Press Association) annual banquet and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

For 2014, the media tour will be centered at Uptown Charlotte's NASCAR Hall of Fame.  In addition, the tour will shrink from four days to three (January 28-30, 2014).  The NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for January 29th and will serve as the centerpiece of the Media Tour.

Charlotte Motor Speedway seems to believe that the consolidation is a good move for all parties involved.

"After gathering a lot of feedback from media and the race teams, we're working with NASCAR, Sprint and our industry partners on a more consolidated schedule and format for the media tour in 2014," said Scott Cooper, Charlotte Motor Speedway's Vice President of Communications.  "There's still a lot to be determined, but our goal remains the same as it has for the last three decades – to deliver the best preseason publicity event found in any sport."

Brett Jewkes, NASCAR's Chief Communications Officer, agrees as well.

"[The consolidation] is a great evolution of the season kickoff week and something many people in the industry have wanted to explore," Jewkes said.  "With the Hall of Fame inductions in the heart of the annual preseason media tour, we think it will help drive media attendance for that event as well and create great efficiency for the media, track, teams, drivers and NASCAR.  It's going to be a great way to kick off next season."

While some activites were based around hotels in the past, the Media Tour often consisted of media riding chartered buses from shop to shop, where teams would have special media receptions.  In 2014, most of the events will take place either at the NASCAR Hall of Fame itself, or somewhere close by.

Kyle Busch Motorsports to Promote FOX Sports 1

Kyle Busch Motorsports announced on Wednesday that their No. 18 truck and Joey Coulter will be sponsored by FOX Sports for the next two races.  The sponsorship is designed to promote the new FOX Sports 1 cable network, a competitor to ESPN that will replace SPEED and is due to launch on August 17.  In addition, the No. 18 truck will have a countdown on the quarterpanels showing the number of days until the relaunch (currently 16 days away).

According to FOX Sports PR, this is the first time that the company has outright sponsored a team.  However, it is not the first time that FOX Sports logos have appeared on a car.  During Darrell Waltrip's final season as a driver in Cup back in 2000, FOX Sports logos could be found on his Big K/Route 66 Jeans Ford to promote his then-future career as a FOX analyst.

Logano to Drive Third Penske Entry in Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

USA Today's Jeff Gluck reported on Wednesday that Joey Logano will be entered in the Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on August 10.  Since Brad Keselowski will be driving the No. 22 that Logano normally uses, the team has entered a third car for Logano.  That car, which will carry Discount Tire sponsorship, will use the No. 48, a number used in the past by Innovative Motorsports, and most recently, a start-and-park team from Jay Robinson Racing.

Driving the No. 48 naturally evokes thoughts of Jimmie Johnson, teammate Keselowski's primary rival for the championship last year.  When asked about that fact, Logano joked about it.

""I said, 'Well, I'm just going to call him 'Chad,' and he can call me 'Jimmie,'" Logano said.  ""I think if I don't win in the 48 car, we've got an issue."

In reality, Penske Racing chose the No. 48 because they thought it was the best number out of the limited number available.  More importantly, Logano will not have any points to fall back on, so he will have to qualify on speed.

Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night.  However, they are still subject to change.

Sprint Cup Series GoBowling.com 400: 44 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 19
- Alex Kennedy for Humphrey-Smith Racing
No. 33- Tony Raines for Circle Sport, LLC
No. 35- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing/Circle Sport, LLC
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports/JRR

Driver Changes:
No. 19
- Alex Kennedy returns to the seat, replacing Mike Bliss.
No. 33- Tony Raines is in the seat, replacing Austin Dillon.
No. 52- Brian Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Morgan Shepherd.

Driver who must qualify on speed (in the top-36):
No. 40
- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing/Circle Sport, LLC

Drivers with access to a provisional, but still at threat of failing to qualify:
No. 19
- Alex Kennedy for Humphrey-Smith Racing (44th in owners' points, 18 attempts)
No. 32- Timmy Hill for FAS Lane Racing (38th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 33- Tony Raines for Circle Sport, LLC (36th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 35- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports (39th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 36- JJ Yeley for Tommy Baldwin Racing (35th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 52- Brian Keselowski for BK Motorsports (45th in owners' points, 4 attempts)
No. 83- David Reutimann for BK Racing (34th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports/JRR (40th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 93- Travis Kvapil for BK Racing (37th in owners' points, 20 attempts)
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing (42nd in owners' points, 17 attempts)

Not Entered:
No. 21
- Trevor Bayne for Wood Brothers Racing
No. 95- Scott Speed for Leavine Family Racing

Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250: 40 cars entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 22
- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 46- JJ Yeley for The Motorsports Group, LLC

Driver Changes:
No. 00
- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing David Green.
No. 4- Daryl Harr returns to the seat, replacing Landon Cassill.
No. 5- Brad Sweet returns to the seat, replacing Kasey Kahne.
No. 22- Brad Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 23- Richard Harriman is in the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr.  This will be Harriman's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 24- Brett Butler returns to the seat, replacing his brother Ken.
No. 33- Ryan Gifford is in the seat, replacing Paul Menard.  This will be Gifford's Nationwide Series debut.
No. 42- TJ Bell returns to the seat, replacing Josh Wise.
No. 54- Drew Herring returns to the seat, replacing Kyle Busch.
No. 74- Kevin Lepage returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 79- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Kyle Fowler.
No. 87- Travis Sauter is in the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek.  This will be Sauter's Nationwide Series debut.

Since there are only 40 entries, no one will fail to qualify.  However, these teams still must qualify on speed:
No. 00
- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 15- Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing
No. 29- Kenny Wallace for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 42- TJ Bell for The Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- JJ Yeley for The Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 50- Danny Efland for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Joey Gase for Jimmy Means Racing
No. 74- Kevin Lepage for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures

Not Entered:
No. 17
- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 18- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 21- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 37- Matt DiBenedetto for Vision Racing
No. 39- Ryan Sieg for RSS Racing
No. 55- David Starr for Viva Motorsports
No. 98- Kevin Swindell for Biagi-DenBeste Racing

Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 125: 35 trucks entered

Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points: None

Driver Changes:
No. 07
- Chris Cockrum returns to the seat, replacing Jimmy Weller.
No. 0- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Chris Lafferty.
No. 5- Tim George, Jr. returns to the seat, replacing Jason Bowles.
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the seat, replacing her father Joe.
No. 19- Ross Chastain returns to the seat, replacing Dave Blaney.
No. 28- Dominick Casola is in the seat, replacing Andy Seuss.
No. 30- Todd Bodine is in the seat, replacing Kyle Larson.
No. 39- Ryan Sieg returns to the seat, replacing Austin Dillon.
No. 51- Chad Hackenbracht returns to the seat, replacing Scott Bloomquist.
No. 81- David Starr returns to the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace.
No. 84- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Jeff Babcock.

Since there are only 35 entries, no one will fail to qualify.  However, these teams still must qualify on speed:
No. 0
- Unknown driver for JJC Racing*
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 28- Dominick Casola for FDNY Racing
No. 40- Todd Peck for Peck Motorsports
No. 59- Kyle Martel for Martel Racing
No. 82- Sean Corr for Empire Racing
No. 84- Mike Harmon for Chris Fontaine, Inc./Mike Harmon Racing
No. 93- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*

Not Entered:
No. 6
- Jared Landers for Eddie Sharp Racing
No. 34- Ryan Newman for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 44- JR Heffner for North American Racing
No. 52- Ken Schrader for Ken Schrader Racing
No. 63- Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports
No. 68- Clay Greenfield for Clay Greenfield Motorsports

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards ModSpace 125: 37 cars entered

Driver Changes:
No. 0
- Don Thompson returns to the seat, replacing Steve Fox.
No. 3- Steve Fox returns to the seat, replacing Dr. Ed Bull.
No. 11- Dick Doheny is in the seat, replacing Kyle Weatherman.
No. 15- Erik Jones is in the seat, replacing Nelson Canache.
No. 17- Corey LaJoie returns to the seat, replacing George Cushman.
No. 22- Will Kimmel returns to the seat, replacing Austin Self.
No. 55- Taylor Ferns returns to the seat, replacing Brian Wong.
No. 68- Chris Bailey, Jr. is in the seat, replacing Mark Gibson.
No. 69- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Will Kimmel.
No. 82- Mason Mitchell is in the seat, replacing Sean Corr.
No. 99- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Chris Buescher.

Notable Entries:
No. 02
- Josh Williams for Williams Motorsports
No. 5- Bobby Gerhart for Bobby Gerhart Racing
No. 9- Chase Elliott for Hendrick Motorsports
No. 15- Erik Jones for Venturini Motorsports
No. 17- Corey LaJoie for Roulo Brothers Racing
No. 22- Will Kimmel for Cunningham Motorsports
No. 23- Spencer Gallagher for Gallagher Motorsports
No. 25- Justin Boston for Venturini Motorsports
No. 32- Mason Mingus for Win-Tron Racing
No. 44- Frank Kimmel for ThorSport Racing
No. 77- Tom Hessert for Cunningham Motorsports
No. 84- Chad Boat for Billy Boat Motorsports
No. 92- Brennan Newberry for NTS Motorsports

Not Entered:
No. 24
- Steve Minghenelli
No. 43- David Levine for David Levine Racing
No. 53- Andrew Ranger for NDS Motorsports
No. 67- Kimmel Racing
No. 85- Tim Cowen for Cowen Racing
No. 86- Robert Mitten for Quarterley Racing
No. 89- Matt Tifft for Win-Tron Racing

Izod IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio: 24 cars entered

Driver Changes:
No. 4
- Oriol Servia returns to the seat, replacing Carlos Munoz.  Munoz replaced Ryan Briscoe for Race 2 in Toronto after Briscoe broke his wrist in Race 1.
No. 18- James Davison is in the seat, replacing Mike Conway.  Davison will be making his Izod IndyCar Series debut.
No. 98- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Alex Tagliani.  Luca Filippi, who tested the car on Wednesday, may ultimately drive the car.

Entries:
No. 1
- Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport
No. 3- Helio Castroneves for Team Penske
No. 4- Oriol Servia for Panther Racing
No. 5- EJ Viso for Andretti Autosport/Team Venezuela
No. 6- Sebastian Saavedra for Dragon Racing
No. 7- Sebastien Bourdais for Dragon Racing
No. 9- Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10- Dario Franchitti for Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 11- Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technologies
No. 12- Will Power for Team Penske
No. 14- Takuma Sato for AJ Foyt Enterprises
No. 15- Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 16- James Jakes for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No. 18- James Davison for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19- Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne Racing
No. 20- Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing
No. 25- Marco Andretti for Andretti Autosport
No. 27- James Hinchcliffe for Andretti Autosport
No. 55- Tristan Vautier for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
No. 67- Josef Newgarden for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
No. 77- Simon Pagenaud for Schmidt-Hamilton Racing
No. 83- Charlie Kimball for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 98- Unknown driver for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
 
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.

~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Formula For Success, Midsummer Malaise, And Newman Is Born Again
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese

Well, it's the week following the Brickyard 400, and what is everybody talking about? Right, that dirt track Truck race from Eldora.

It's appropriate that the Brickyard 400 followed ESPN's announcement that they are bailing on the sport they built from the early 1980s through 2000, and then again starting in 2007. They cited an aging demographic, and difficulty finding sponsorship for the races. The latter I can believe; despite recent inflated economic figures that contradict startling reports such as the manufacturing hub of the western hemisphere going bankrupt, and 4 out of 5 Americans near the poverty level, things still aren't that great when it takes $20 million a year to show up to the track and not make a fool out of yourself.

As for the aging demographic and lack of new fans, you can pin that one solely on the geniuses who fiddled around with 30 years of unbridled success, coupled with a goofy looking car that Vin Diesel would have rejected out of hand, as well as the Mario Kart points gimmick which changed more often than Robby Gordon changed crew chiefs and car manufacturers. Sports Illustrated in 1994 had a cover emblazoned with "America's Hottest Sport", with the No. 4 Kodak Chevrolet streaking by. Kodak recently filed for bankruptcy, but luckily NBC was ready to step up to the plate and revive their NASCAR coverage which ended in 2006.

Coupled with their recent addition of Formula One, are NBC and NBC Sports Network primed to become the ESPN of the 1990's as we move into the second decade of the millennium?

Hopefully NBC and NASCAR take a lesson from Tony Stewart's experiment at his dirt track. You know what gets fans interested about the sport and talking about it again in the same sort of manic tone that has been heard for the last two weeks? Keep it simple, the product on the track is what sells tickets and attracts new eyes to the sport.

Bragging about grille inserts and headlight stickers from grocery getters and rental cars, does not do anything but distract from the obvious issues that have required attention for the past five years. That is not meant to sound all bleak, gloom & doom, and spouting the same sour grapes that many have re-hashed since the economic downturn of 2008. What that dirt race on a Wednesday night proved was that NASCAR is still relevant, still viable, and tweakable to fit the changing landscape of sports entertainment.

Between the Wednesday night Truck race at Eldora and the 2012 Daytona 500 that ran on Monday night, the ingredients for success have been laid out; the sweet spot lies somewhere in between.

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Ryan Newman's Brickyard 400 was as timely as they come. He and crew chief Matt Borland reunited again from their tenure together at Penske Racing, have picked up where things left off since he and Jimmie Johnson raised the bar to a new level during their rookie campaigns of 2002. While Newman is allegedly in scramble mode looking for a ride next year, I don't think it's as dire as it is being made out to be. He was long rumored to be leading candidate to replace Kevin Harvick next season, and this win probably helps more with sponsorship rather than proving himself to Richard Childress.

I suspect we'll see the No. 39 in Victory Lane at least one more time this year. Remember all those races Newman and Borland won together on pit strategy and fuel mileage by running smaller carburetors, sacrificing a couple of peak horsepower for a significant gain in fuel economy? Much is made about Newman being an engineer, but when that mode of thinking and creativity is coupled with another engineer in Matt Borland, expect to see more of the same that we saw at Indy as the year winds down and 2014 begins to take shape.

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I still can't believe Dodge halfway through 2013, is still nowhere to be found, heard of, or even mentioned in any breath returning to Sprint Cup, Nationwide, or the Camping World Truck Series under the Ram banner. As a lifelong Mopar nut, it pains me to no end that the third leg of The Big Three is still absent from the premier motorsports divisions in North America.

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I read a tweet this week that read, "Following up Indy with Pocono is like following up Valium with chloroform."

Kind of hard to disagree with that one. Again, this is a perfect time to adjust the schedule and avoid consecutive lack-luster, low-impact, parades that occur at this time of the year. Before The Chase came along, Talladega was ran in July – and let's face it, what we wouldn't give for a replay of the May race again right now. Mix in Martinsville, a new road course that is designed for racing (i.e., the carousel course of Infineon) and not to place seats (i.e., the current layout of Infineon), head to Road America, Montreal, SOMETHING out of the ordinary for a change. And spare me the argument of "well it only holds 50,000 people…"

With the way that tracks are scrapping grandstands like Fred Sanford, it doesn't sound like attendance is really an issue to worry about at this point. Besides, the tracks get a good chunk of the TV money anyway, so it isn't like they're banking on the gate to turn a profit.

What is needed now, is freshness, innovation, and something to spark conversation. We don't need to fiddle with the Chase again, unless fiddling means doing away with forever and ever. No, we don't need to be running on dirt, but what Eldora continues to reaffirm, is that when fan interest is piqued, they will respond en mass. If they really want some world-wide buzz, why not run a Cup race in conjunction with the Circuit of The Americas Formula One race in Austin, Texas?

That track is big enough to race cement trucks on, and Texas Motor Speedway is consistently a Top 5 track attendance wise, so there would be butts in the seats for sure. Moreover, you could expose Formula One Fan to the Left Turn Only circuit with our rudimentary 1980's throttle body fuel injection systems and solid rear axles. Even the gang from Top Gear made the trip over from the UK a couple of years ago to TMS to show the rest of the world what NASCAR is all about.

Well, Hammond came....and as all Top Gear fans know, he really is an American after all.

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The Critic's Annex: Brickyard Grand Prix
by Phil Allaway

Hello, race fans.  Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming that was available for consumption.  In addition to the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races that were held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Grand-Am's Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge also raced on the track's 2.534 mile infield road course.  While the CTSCC race has not actually aired on regular television yet (it airs this weekend), the Rolex Series event aired Friday night.

However, before I start, I should mention that tonight is the debut of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards on the NBC Sports Network.  The Herr's Chase the Taste 200 from Winchester Speedway will air at 11pm.  Now, I cannot recall seeing any promotion for the races.  I actually failed to mention the race in my listings on Tuesday.  We'll see how NBC Sports Network does with the telecast.

Now, back to your scheduled programming.  While the race did air on Friday, it was actually tape delayed.  The telecast started just before the race actually ended in real time.  A fair amount of the pre-race discussion was centered upon the North American Endurance Championship, a championship-within-a-championship for the team.  I'd argue that the whole thing is confusing to most race fans.  I don't know if it will be back for 2014 as part of United SportsCar Racing, but I hope not.

In addition to the NAEC discussion, there were also taped pre-race interviews with Tony Kanaan, AJ Allmendinger and Rubens Barrichello, all hired guns brought in to run at Indy.

For those of you who thought that ESPN's telecast of Sunday's Sprint Cup race was light on actual racing for position, the Rolex Series race would have been a pretty good antidote for that.  There was quite a bit of action for position that was shown between the Daytona Prototype and Grand Touring classes.

Granted, the infield road course at Indianapolis is what it is.  It isn't the most exciting course on earth.  In fact, I'm sure that most of my readers, even those who don't give a hoot about road racing, could probably name at least one road course that is more exciting.

Even with all the on-track battles for position (and I will tell you that there were a lot more than I was expecting), a lot of the commentary was centered on the confusing NAEC.  Maybe it's just the fact that the NAEC is a team championship, something that hasn't really been awarded in American motorsports since Trans-Am in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  On paper, the whole thing shouldn't be all that confusing.  However, in practice, it really is.  I felt that it took away from my enjoyment of the rest of the race.

I have not heard anything on whether the NAEC will be back for 2014 as part of USCR.  If it does return, it would be longer than three races (at the absolute minimum, it would be four races long (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta (Petit Le Mans))).

The rule changes that have come into Grand-Am this season as part of Step 1 of the Grand-Am/ALMS merger have affected the racing.  Paul Walter has been brought in from ALMS to head up Race Control.  Previously, Grand-Am had a reputation for allowing causal contact on-track and understanding that spins that occur due to contact just happen sometimes in racing.  That's not true anymore.  More than likely, unless you get forced off the road and uncontrollably hit someone, like the late Ferrari-Porsche crash at Lime Rock in ALMS, you're probably getting a "Stop+60," which is nearly guaranteed to ruin your race.  On Friday, the penalties were once again flying as multiple DP teams were hit with the penalties.

SPEED was unable to catch all of these incidents, even after they occurred.  An example of this was when Sebastien Bourdais spun out Ozz Negri in the infield.  Richard Westbrook also spun in the incident, but that was more or less unrelated (he also spun on his own).  We saw live footage of Bourdais pitting to serve his Stop+60, then the booth realized that they never showed us what happened to result in Bourdais' penalty.  Yeah, that's not so good.

Post-race coverage was fairly typical.  SPEED provided viewers with interviews with all of the class winners (Ryan Dalziel and Alex Popow in DP, Max Papis and Jeff Segal in GT, Tom Long and Sylvain Tremblay in GX).  In addition, there were checks of the point standings for GT and DP.  Finally, after a commercial break, there was the presentation of the North American Endurance Championship trophy to Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates.  For GT and GX, the trophy presentations were not shown, but SPEED did talk to Stevenson Motorsports Team Manager Mike Johnson and SpeedSource team owner Tremblay to get their reactions.

Despite the difficulties that SPEED sometimes had in bringing viewers everything that went on during Friday's three-hour tour, I thought that they did a decent job in broadcasting the race.  The action on-track was pretty good and the commentators definitely seemed to be into the action that was out there.  I wasn't into the whole NAEC thing, but since it was the third and final race of the competition and there was $175,000 up for grabs, I understand why SPEED made such a big deal out of it.  Having said that, it doesn't mean that I like it.

That's about all for this week.  I hope you enjoyed this look at SPEED's telecast of the Brickyard Grand Prix.  Check out next week's edition of the Annex, when I'll be looking at coverage of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.  Until then, enjoy this weekend's action at Pocono, Mid-Ohio and Iowa.

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week


"I don't know how Corporate America operates when you can't get ahold of the decisionmakers. You might as well take every website in the world that has contact information on the back of it, and you might as well throw that away because nobody responds to it."  - Mike Wallace, on the difficulties involved in just getting in the door to even pitch sponsorships to businesses.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Jeff Wolfe

NASCAR Mailbox: Riding Around, Sharing Information, And Wake-Up Calls
by Summer Bedgood

Truckin' Thursdays: Midseason Checkup
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q:  The 1991 Miller Genuine Draft 500, shortened to 448 miles due to rain, was won by Rusty Wallace.  However, the race may be most notable for a big wreck exiting Turn 3.  What happened and who was considered to be solely to blame?
 
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Wednesday's Answer:

Q:  The 2004 Pocono 400 was a rather decisive race that ultimately led to the introduction of Green-White-Checker situations to the then-NEXTEL Cup Series.  What happened?

A: With just five laps to go, both Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett suffered engine failures to bring out the yellow.  At the time, there was a drop dead lap where if the yellow flew after that point, NASCAR would not throw a red flag, thus guaranteeing a finish under yellow.  Here, the yellow flew at the end of Lap 196, but NASCAR didn't immediately throw the red.

Meanwhile, prior to the caution, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick got in a bumping match over 11th.  Harvick, unhappy about being shoved the length of the North Straight, dumped Kenseth exiting Turn 3.  A lap later, Kenseth dumped Harvick.  The lack of a red flag, plus the spinouts meant the race had to finish under caution, angering fans.  The beers flew onto the track once again, but this time, some cretin threw a small cooler, which hit the assistant flagman in the head.  The whole sequence can be seen here.  Ultimately, the Pocono instance was the last straw.  One month later, GWC's were introduced to the NEXTEL Cup Series.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


Holding A Pretty Wheel 
by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.

IndyCar In-Depth by P. Huston Ladner
Huston is back to preview this weekend's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio for the Izod IndyCar Series.

Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin has another interesting look at the Nationwide Series prior to this weekend's U.S. Cellular 250 from Iowa Speedway

Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.

Frontstretch Foto Funnies
by the Frontstretch Staff
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.

Driver Diary: Brendan Gaughan as told to Amy Henderson
The driver of the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado in the Camping World Truck Series returns to talk about the past month, on and off the track.
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