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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
April 28th, 2011
Volume V, Edition LXXV
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Frontstretch sends its well wishes, prayers, and support to all our Southern fans affected by the swath of tornadoes these last 48 hours. To help out recovery efforts, text "GIVE" to 80888 to donate $10 towards disaster relief efforts in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama through the Salvation Army.
Stories to Watch: Thursday
Today's Top News
by Phil Allaway
Through eight races, Hamlin is 17th in points and without a top-5 finish. The team hasn't seemed to be the same since current crew chief Ford taunted the No. 48 car at Texas last fall, just after taking the point lead. The next weekend, Hamlin ran low on fuel while running up front at Phoenix, forcing the car to pit, dropping him to 12th in the final running order and costing him a good chunk of that cushion. Homestead ended up being an absolute nightmare, resulting in Jimmie Johnson, not Hamlin, walking out of the racetrack with his fifth straight championship.
As for Logano, he's sadly never lived up to his initial expectations, currently 24th in points despite 2011 being his third season in the series. Armed with a championship team and championship-winning crew chief, he has only one career victory (a quirky one, thanks to an impeccably timed caution for rain that ended the New Hampshire race while he was leading) and only five top-5's in 83 career starts.
Golden Corral to Sponsor TBR for 19 races; Big Red Signs On For Five
On Wednesday, Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) announced that Golden Corral, the chain of buffet-style restaurants that served as the team's primary sponsor at Daytona and Talladega, has signed a deal that will see the red and white colors back on the No. 36 for 19 of the remaining 28 races. In the nine races that they will not be the primary sponsor, Golden Corral will be on the No. 36 as a major associate.
In addition, Big Red has signed on to sponsor the team for five races. Big Red also owns All Sport, which sponsored the No. 36 at Martinsville. Those events will be at Infineon Raceway, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Chicagoland, and Texas (November).
Team owner Tommy Baldwin is very pleased to have Golden Corral back on the car for a more long-term deal.
"We are thrilled to have Golden Corral come back and support us for the rest of the season," Baldwin said. "Golden Corral is a well-established company, and we are proud they recognized our team's hard work and performance. We look forward to competing for a top-10 for the 'Racing for America's Families' promotion and will work hard to build successful programs with all of our partners."
The Racing for America's Families Initiative that Baldwin referenced is nothing new. Simply put, it is an offer for kids to eat for free the day after a race if Dave Blaney can finish in the top 10. It requires an adult to purchase a meal at the regular price (limit two children per adult purchase) and for the adult to bring a printed copy of the race results to the restaurant. Golden Corral introduced the campaign when they sponsored the No. 28 of Travis Kvapil in 2009. It was on the TV panel of Kvapil's car, just like it was in the two races this season that Golden Corral was on the No. 36.
Interestingly enough, among the 19 races in which Golden Corral will serve as primary sponsor includes the Coke Zero 400. TBR previously announced a fan sponsorship initiative for Daytona centered upon a paint scheme tribute to "Old Blue," a modified from the late 1960's and early 1970's. On the page for the donations, the team did make reference (in the fine print) of having the right to switch race weekends for the tribute car.
Baldwin stated on his UStream page that the sponsorship leaves the No. 36 with only three races unsponsored for the rest of the season. Those races are both of the Michigan events, and the October race in Kansas. However, Baldwin has confirmed that the team will be racing those three events, regardless of sponsorship meaning there's one less start-and-parker in the Sprint Cup garage these days.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of the publication of this Newsletter. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400: 44 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 09 - Landon Cassill for Phoenix Racing
No. 38 - Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 60 - Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 46 - J.J. Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Bill Elliott. This is not really a change since Elliott was only in the No. 46 at Talladega to get it into the race. Yeley replaced Elliott during the event.
No. 92 - Brian Keselowski returns to the seat, replacing Dennis Setzer. Keselowski has been recovering from gall bladder surgery.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 30 - David Stremme for Inception Motorsports (making its Sprint Cup debut)
No. 36 - Dave Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 37 - Tony Raines for Front Row Motorsports / MaxQ Motorsports
No. 38 - Travis Kvapil for Front Row Motorsports
No. 46 - J.J. Yeley for Whitney Motorsports
No. 60 - Mike Skinner for Germain Racing
No. 66 - Michael McDowell for HP Racing, LLC
No. 87 - Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
No. 92 - Brian Keselowski for K-Automotive Motorsports
Nationwide Series BUBBA Burger 250: 42 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 20 - Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22 - Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 30 - James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33 - Paul Menard for Kevin Harvick, Inc.
No. 60 - Carl Edwards for Roush Fenway Racing
No. 70 - David Stremme for ML Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 18 - Kelly Bires is in the seat, replacing Kyle Busch.
No. 20 - Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 30 - James Buescher returns to the seat, replacing Mikey Kile.
No. 33 - Paul Menard returns to the seat, replacing Austin Dillon.
No. 39 - Charles Lewandoski returns to the seat, replacing Danny O'Quinn, Jr.
No. 52 - Kevin Lepage returns to the seat, replacing Tim Schendel.
Since there are only 42 cars entered, no one will go home. However, these cars must qualify on speed:
No. 12 - Sam Hornish, Jr. for Penske Racing
No. 13 - Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 23 - Robert Richardson, Jr. for R3 Motorsports
No. 41 - Carl Long for Rick Ware Racing
No. 44 - Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports
No. 49 - Dennis Setzer for Jay Robinson Racing
No. 52 - Kevin Lepage for Means Motorsports
No. 68 - Matt Carter for Fleur-de-Lis Motorsports
No. 74 - Mike Harmon for Harmon Motorsports
No. 75 - Johnny Chapman for Rick Ware Racing
No. 79 - Tim Andrews for 2nd Chance Motorsports
No. 89 - Morgan Shepherd for Faith Motorsports
Rensi Motorsports Not Shut Down?
Yesterday, we reported that Rensi Motorsports had appeared to close its doors following multiple DNQ's and start-and-parks early on in the season. On Wednesday, the team put out a press release that basically states that they are still alive. However, they have pulled back a little.
According to the release, Lepage was asked to drive the No. 52 for Means Motorsports by racedaysponsor.com, which had been on both of the Rensi Motorsports Fords (Nos. 24 and 25) early on in the season, in addition to Jeremy Clements' No. 51. Lepage is still officially the team's driver for the No. 24. However, no mention was made of the team's No. 25, or of driver Kelly Bires.
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.
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Hey Frontstretch Readers!
We know you love the roar of raw horsepower under the hood that powers 43 of the best drivers in the world every weekend, but did you ever wonder how the sponsor on top of that hood also contributes to keeping the sport moving? What about the contributions of official NASCAR companies? If you think they are simply writing checks, think again. Check out our newest feature - Sunday Money. This weekly Frontstretch exclusive provides you with a behind the scenes look how NASCAR, its affiliates and team sponsors approach the daunting task of keeping fans interested and excited about the sport for 38 weeks of the year.
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Editor's Note: What's Vexing Vito will not be seen this week. Vito simply didn't have anything that was Vexing him this week. Tune in next Thursday to see if something is grinding his gears.
Today's Featured Commentary
Nationwide Series Has Gone From Bad To Worse
by Brody Jones
In most sports, athletes do not go to a lower level of competition under the guise of "gaining experience." Imagine if the locked-out NFL players decided, "Hey, let's play college football this year to gain experience!" One could only imagine the uproar that would create. But in the wacky world of NASCAR, such is the case in the Nationwide Series on a regular basis. Drivers such as Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and others frequently dip into the Triple-A series of NASCAR to do the racing equivalent of a high school student beating up a middle school student for their lunch money by winning 99% of the races, hogging up all the television coverage, and the end result? A series that just ten years ago was thriving is now in critical condition and things are only going to get worse before they get better.
Ever since Kevin Harvick started the double-dipping trend in 2001, victories for Nationwide Series regulars, over time, have become few and far between. With a 28 percent cut in purses over the past two years and ESPN's coverage focusing on Cup drivers, Danica Patrick and Steven Wallace, for the most part, what do Nationwide Series drivers and teams have to look forward to these days? Justin Allgaier and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. are tied for the points lead with Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Aric Almirola, Trevor Bayne, and Elliott Sadler all in striking distance of the championship. Yet when the mainstream media talks about this phenomenon, it's only mentioned in passing.
A great deal of the blame for this pandemic rests on the shoulders of Nationwide Series officials, whom during the offseason had the chance to somewhat right the wrongs of recent years. But, apparently, those efforts to change things for the better were about as sincere as a politician promising to lower gas prices. The series did not place any limits on how many races Cup drivers could attempt and their solution to not give the Cup drivers any points hasn't deterred the usual bullies from their usual chicanery of entering every race to either pay for their helicopter bill or stroke their ego. So far, the only Nationwide regulars to consistently contend with their Cup brethren have been Stenhouse, Bayne, and (to a certain extent) Allgaier, Sorenson, and Leffler. While Almirola and Sadler are in the thick of the points chase, they've largely been non-factors in each race they've entered.
This past weekend at Nashville, with the Cup drivers dominating everything in sight, the atmosphere was almost like being alive for one's own funeral. The defeatist mentality seems to be hovering over the series like a storm cloud with the gap between Cup teams and Nationwide Series teams growing more and more each week. On one prominent racing message board, going into this week's race at Richmond, some were hoping that Cup regular Paul Menard would win just for the sake of someone different going to Victory Lane. That right there is proof of how bad things truly are in the Nationwide Series. When fans are hoping a mid-pack (albeit upper mid-pack) Cup regular wins a race in the series just so Kyle Busch, Edwards, Brad Keselowski, or Logano doesn't wind up in Victory Lane, something is horribly wrong with its identity.
The sad truth is had Nationwide Series officials just placed some kind of limit on how many Nationwide starts a Cup regular could make, that would have been a great step in the right direction. But, it seems like Nationwide Series officials are about as inept as the Oakland Raiders in recent years, stopping short of a step that would have truly curbed Cup participation. And, amazingly, these Cup drivers are in complete and total denial that they are the problem with the series. Brad Keselowski, for example, has tweeted on more than one occasion that he doesn't feel that it's wrong for him to run a full schedule in the Nationwide Series. In fact, he has been downright condescending to anyone that dares to even imply that to him. Edwards has also stated he doesn't see the problem with it.
But the real question now is, can the series be saved before it's too late?
Brody Jones is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch.com. You can contact Brody via e-mail at brody.jones@frontstretch.com.
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The Critic's Annex: ITM 400 Hamilton
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where I take an additional look at race telecasts available to viewers. On Easter Weekend, pickings were quite slim as to what I could cover for this column. The Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series were the only American-based four-wheeled series in action last weekend. There wasn't even all that much tape-delayed action on television. However, there was one race on SPEED last weekend.
That race was the ITM 400 Hamilton, held over the weekend of April 16-17 on the streets of Hamilton, New Zealand. In the past, the race was held at Pukekohe Park Raceway in Pukekohe, New Zealand. That particular circuit was relatively short and a little narrow, with Armco barriers relatively close to the track. Basically, a much shorter Watkins Glen. I personally would describe the track as "quaint."
The move to Hamilton, a city of 203,000 about 30 miles south of Pukekohe, was just another sign of V8 Supercar Australia's desire to be closer to major metro areas. In a sense, it is not dissimilar to what is going on (or rumored to be going on) in Formula One. Bernie Ecclestone is well-known for playing circuits and countries against each other in order to get the most money for himself. However, he is also known for being willing to ditch perfectly good permanent road courses in favor of street races that may not be anywhere near as competitive, but are closer to population centers.
In the V8 Supercars, we have a domestic series (more or less) that has only seven races (out of 14) on permanent road courses in Australia, and eight overall. The other races (including the non-points race at the Australian Grand Prix) are held on street courses. Yes, I'm including Bathurst in there as well because the Bathurst circuit is comprised of public roads. It is a street course. It just doesn't look like one. Pukekohe Park is not the only course that has been ditched in favor of street courses recently. The best permanent circuit in Australia, Eastern Creek Raceway, does not have a date for the V8 Supercars. Instead, the season ends at Homebush, a street circuit near Olympic Park in Downtown Sydney. Let's just say that the circuit is simply not the best for anything. It should be noted that the race Homebush officially replaced was at Oran Park, a track since shutdown to make way for a housing project, but the only reason Oran Park hosted that race was to give the track a swansong. Eastern Creek hosted that round prior to 2008.
Enough of the track ranting. Onto the critique.
Firstly, the introductions by Marcos Ambrose that were included in each telecast last season are gone for 2011. I've got nothing against Ambrose, but it made it look like us viewers had no clue what we were seeing. Its not like SPEED hadn't shown the series before. When the current deal was signed right before the Homebush round in 2009, the series had only been off SPEED for two years.
The telecast started off with certain drivers (Greg Murphy, Jamie Whincup, etc.) giving their opinion on the Hamilton Street Circuit. The general opinion was that the event would be a slugfest. I'm not a fan of the track design, especially the nasty tire chicane in the middle of the backstretch. That's just not cool. Of course, that was assuming that it stayed dry, which didn't happen for Qualifying, or Race No. 1. Instead, survival was the name of the game.
There was a recap of Qualifying and the Top-10 Shootout before getting into the action in Race No. 1. If you remember my V8 Supercar telecast critiques from last year, I was very critical of play-by-play commentator Matthew White, who I described as boring. White appears to be more lively in 2011. However, I'd argue that a lot of the liveliness was due to the crazy driving conditions. To give you guys a NASCAR equivalent, think back to the 2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It was like that for about two-thirds of the race.
Possibly the biggest story of the race (besides the rain) was the mess pit road became because of the rain. A substantial amount of time was spent showing the chaos (wrecks in the pits, a cameraman hit by Shane van Gisbergen's No. 9 Ford Falcon, Whincup's hit on the pit wall, and other shenanigans). It should be noted that the pit road pit limit in the V8 Supercars is a uniform 40 kilometers per hour, which is about 24 miles per hour.
However, one pretty big issue that I had with the broadcasts from 2010 remains. That is the fact that the broadcast maintains a heavy focus on the very front of the field. Based on YouTube videos I've watched, it has been the general rule of the game dating back for 30 years. Is that what the general public in Australia wants to see? I'm not sure. I don't live there and have never been there. I do know that quite a few V8 Supercars fans in Australia want the Seven Network to show more racing further down in the pack. Maybe they do show more, but not in the condensed telecasts that we get here on SPEED.
Finally, with about two laps to go, the coverage showed Jason Bargwanna's No. 14 coming out of the pits after what the commentators theorized was a splash-and-go. He was about 10-15 seconds behind the leader when he stopped and finished 84 seconds behind. Yes, he might have been close on fuel, but I noticed something else. His rear diffuser was loose from earlier contact. Last year, Whincup was black flagged and forced to pit during the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide for the same thing. Even with a 40 kph speed limit, I doubt a splash-and-go would cost him a full minute on the track. Not cool.
After Race No. 1, there was only a quick interview with winner Rick Kelly as soon as he got out of the car before going off to commercial.
Before Race No. 2 started, there was a quick recap of the regular Qualifying session, and a quick interview with both the aforementioned Rick Kelly and his brother (and teammate) Todd. This is because the Kelly brothers swept the front row. In the race itself, the coverage was more of the same, heavily focused on the racing up front. Had they strayed from the absolute front for a little bit, they would be able to catch a lot more things live, like the crash between Todd Kelly and Tony D'Alberto that brought out the fourth full course yellow. They were in the top-10, yet the Seven Network missed the whole wreck and had to show it via replay.
Another gripe I had with the broadcast was the Seven Network's substantial reliance on speed shots. These speed shots would allow the full field (or probably 75 percent, minimum) to go by every time they were used. Sure, its nice to get a sense of the speed on track, but that's overkill, simple as that.
The cuts to fit the races within the two hour time limit (with commercials) continue to annoy me. I think V8 Supercars Australia should have come up with a slightly better deal to allow for live coverage of some of their races. With the time difference, most of the races would be airing in the middle of the night. Bathurst would be in prime time here (roughly an 8pm EDT start).
Post-race coverage saw interviews with Ross Stone (co-owner of Stone Brothers Racing) and Race No. 2 winner van Gisbergen. It should be noted that interviewing the winner as soon as he exits his car is new for the Seven Network this season. Last year, winners were interviewed on the podium. I'd argue that its likely better because it shows more of a team element, but there are people that don't really agree with it, either.
The overall telecast was heavily stilted towards the front of the pack. The editing of the production made it look like no one below eighth or so really mattered at all in the race. That is, unless they wrecked or had something else happen to them. The Seven Network, like many of NASCAR's TV partners, need to realize that every one of the 28 drivers on the grid have fans. Some more than others. The scroll (at the bottom of the screen here instead of on the top) is not a crutch.
That is all for this week. Hope you enjoy this weekend's action from Richmond International Raceway and Sao Paulo, Brazil. I'll be back here next week with a review of SPEED's broadcast of the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. Bye now.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Mirror Driving: Carl's Contract, All-Star Racers And A Solution to Nationwide Interlopers
"I guarantee Edwards will stay with [Roush Fenway Racing]. If not, I will quit [Frontstretch]." - Yep. Jeff Meyer laid it down on the line. Don't worry though, folks. I don't think Jeff's going anywhere...
Have a nominee for Line of the Week? Email Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com and you may see yourself in this space next week!
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
MPM2Nite: Getting The Big Guys to Stop Picking On Little Guys
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400, Geoff Bodine made his return to the Winston Cup Series after recovering from injuries suffered in his infamous crash at Daytona. Bodine ran well during the race, but eventually had to take relief. Who relieved him and what happened to Bodine's No. 60 Power Team Chevrolet after Bodine stepped out of the car?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was quoted a couple of years ago as saying that Richmond International Raceway needs to have sealer on it so that there can be better side-by-side racing. Was that the real reason for sealer being laid down on the track, beginning in 1998? Or, was there another reason?
A: The real reason that sealer was laid down in 1998 was that the pavement at that point was original from when the track was reconfigured in 1988. Virginia was coming off of a couple of relatively cold (compared to normal) winters that were really starting to take their toll, so the fact that the sealer led drivers to run further up the track was a positive side effect.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take 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 by Summer Dreyer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- In Case You Missed It by Brett Poirier
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Richmond by Mike Lovecchio
Mike brings us his look at important things to look forward to at Richmond International Raceway this weekend in our racing preview.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns with another interesting commentary.
Driver Diary: Regan Smith as told to Tony Lumbis
Special Column TBA... PLUS, the debut of our Frontstretch podcast!
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