Frontstretch Newsletter Special Edition - June 28th, 2008

[Frontstretch.com]

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 28th, 2008
Volume II, Edition CXIX

FRONTSTRETCH AT THE TRACK!

All weekend, Amy Henderson will be covering the racing action at New Hampshire. Here's her recap of the top stories hitting New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend:

Today's Top News

It's Official: Mears Will Not Return To Hendrick Motorsports in 2009
Casey Mears said Friday that he has "known for a couple of weeks" that he would not be back in the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2009, revealing the truth while addressing the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to discuss his past, present, and future.  Mears made the release official after rampant speculation throughout the week; on Sunday, ESPN.com initially reported he'd be replaced by 49-year-old Mark Martin, although that has not yet been confirmed.

Mears said that he was obviously disappointed with the decision, stating, " I'd love to be [at HMS], obviously. Hendrick Motorsports is a great oganization."  But the Bakersfield, CA native already has several prospects for 2009, and seems confident he'll land on his feet.  "There are actually good opportunities out there," he continued. "I'm pleasantly surprised. You know, you don't really think about it a whole lot [moving on to something else] - I wasn't thinking about it a lot going into this year. But I'm definitely talking to different people.  There are some good opportunities out there."

This season has been a struggle for Mears, his second with HMS; to date, he has just one Top 5 and three Top 10 finishes while ranking 24th in the standings. But the 30-year-old says his impending release will not impact his effort for the remainder of this season.  "I don't feel any differently about the team, or the organization, or the guys than I did at the beginning of the year," Mears said.  "I feel like every week we have the opportunity to capitalize on a good finish, and for some reason, we just really, really struggle.  The team as a whole has struggled the first half of the season, and it's unfortunate that things happened the way they have; but at the same time, everything happens for a reason."

Harvick Fastest in First Sprint Cup Practice
Right now, he may be out of the Chase, but on Friday, he was busy setting the pace. None other than Kevin Harvick topped the charts in Friday's first Sprint Cup practice Friday, clocking in with a fast lap of 128.697 miles per hour in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.  It was the culmination of a solid practice for the No. 29 team; Harvick posted the session's quick time in the last of 25 laps he completed.  Rounding out the Top 5 behind him were Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer, and Kasey Kahne.  Dario Franchitti was the fastest rookie with his best lap of 127.551 mph, good for 13th overall; Franchitti was also fastest among the drivers who has to qualify for the Lenox 301 on speed.  Series point leader Kyle Busch posted a lap of 127.474 mph, good for 17th best.

Jimmie Johnson Foundation To Give Family a New Home
The first of four homes constructed in a joint project between the San Diego chapter of Habitat for Humanity and the Jimmie Johnson Foundation is complete, it was announced on Friday.  The selection process is now underway to select a family who will receive a new home thanks to the project. Johnson and his wife, Chandra -- co-founders of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation -- will present the keys to the family during the second annual golf tournament in San Diego in late August.  Johnson grew up in El Cajon, California, just outside of San Diego and is committed to giving back to that community as well as the Oklahoma area where Chandra grew up and the Charlotte, North Carolina area, where the couple lives now.  Members of the NASCAR media participated in assembling the gate that will stand outside the first home.

Bowyer, Stremme Lead Nationwide Practices
Clint Bowyer led the field in the first NASCAR Nationwide Series practice Friday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  Bowyer turned a fast lap of 30.070 seconds to top JR Motorsports driver Landon Cassill by .074 of a second in his No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet.  Patrick Carpentier, Mike Wallace, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the Top 5 fastest speeds.  Later on, final practice for the Camping World RV Sales 200 saw David Stremme top the charts with a lap completed in 29.944 seconds, just five one hundredths of a second faster than Kyle Busch -- the only other driver to post a lap under 30 seconds.  Tony Stewart posted a third-best time of 30.031 seconds, while Jason Leffler and Mike Bliss completed the top 5.

Stewart Eying Options
While nothing official has yet been announced, Tony Stewart is still busy weighing his options for 2009; and it looks like it's going to be awhile yet.  Stewart said Friday that he would "absolutely" look into the newest ride up for grabs - the No. 5 entry of Hendrick Motorsports - before making a final decision on his future.  "You've got to," the two-time champion said.  " There's no one in this garage that's not going to look in that direction, so you've got to look at that."  But while it appears that Stewart will search out greener pastures in 2009, he still didn't rule out a return to Joe Gibbs Racing.  "I don't know.  There's a lot of variables to look at still.  The good news is that we have time to look ... but we're going to have to make a decision at some point."

Editor's Note: Despite Stewart's comments, sources of Frontstretch.com's Tom Bowles continue to insist a deal is imminent for Stewart to buy into Haas CNC Racing.

Carpentier Wins Pole at NHMS
Patrick Carpentier took advantage of a rain shower that cooled the track to capture his first career pole position on Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  After over an hour and a half delay due to wet weather, Carpentier turned a lap in 29.349 seconds for a speed of 129.776 miles per hour that was good enough to knock Bobby Labonte out of the top spot.  When asked if the rain had helped his effort, Carpentier joked, "It had nothing to do with the track!"  Carpentier's pole came in his 17th career attempt, and he becomes the first rookie since Denny Hamlin in 2006 to start a race first

Carpentier called his first Sprint Cup pole "amazing."  "The car was great," said Carpentier.  "I'm really happy.  The Berlin City Auto Group is sponsoring us for the weekend, a local dealership here in the area, so this is amazing. I was hoping for rain so we would make the race.  But it didn't and we're on pole, so it's pretty good."

Carpentier's pole is the highlight of a season in which the rookie has made 15 of 17 races on speed to date; 40th in car owner points, his team is left unprotected by the coveted Top 35 rule and is the first such organization to win the pole this year. Starting alongside him in second will be Labonte; he said that his Petty Enterprises team made the right adjustments to ready his car for his qualifying laps.  "We made a couple more changes [after practice] and bolted a couple things on that we thought we'd try.  We left one thing on, and moved 'a little bit of that.'  It was just a good lap," he said.

Behind them, Kevin Harvick will start third in the Lenox 301.  "It was a little bit sketchy," claimed the fastest driver in Friday's practice, who got so loose on his first lap that he touched the wall.  "It was a good lap for us, though. But if we had it to do again, we'd probably tighten the car up just a little bit."

Scott Riggs tied Harvick's time, but will start fourth based on the owner points tiebreaker in his No. 66 Chevrolet. Dale Earnhardt Jr. lines up fifth, while the rest of the Top 10 includes Reed Sorenson, Dario Franchitti (in his career-best start), Martin Truex, Jr., Matt Kenseth, and A.J. Allmendinger.

Marcos Ambrose -- back in the Wood Brothers Ford after a scintillating run at Sonoma -- and Tony Raines in the No. 34 Front Row Chevrolet were the two drivers who failed to qualify.

Frontstretch.com On The Radio!: Editor-In-Chief Tom Bowles will be a guest at 10 AM on Dave Buchanan's show -- WGR Radio in Buffalo, NY. Don't miss it!

Think you have what it takes to write for the Frontstretch?

Are you looking for a fast-growing website that can give you an opportunity to not only share your thoughts on racing, but have FUN doing it with a group of laid-back, dedicated personnel?  Well, we have the place for you.  Frontstretch is actively seeking 1-3 additional writers for both our newsletter and website to add to our dedicated staff.  Follow this link for more information on how you can become a weekly columnist for the site and/or newsletter!

Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Matt Taliaferro's way at matt.ta...@frontstretch.com; and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when he does his weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Fanning The Flames returns Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers! 

Newsletter advertising works!
You just proved it!  We have packages from single insertions to monthly or annual packages surrounding news, columns, and even complete newsletter sponsorships.  If you'd like to find out more, head over to our advertising information page and get started now! 

Frontstretch On The Radio:
Join Frontstretch's Tom Bowles and Matt Taliaferro for their weekly version of the Frontstretch.com / Athlon Sports Racing Podcast Powered By Pepsi.  This week, Tom and Matt will be joined by host Patrick Snow as they wine and dine their way through Northern California en route to finding the remnants of Kyle Busch's surprise trip to Victory Lane. Speaking of surprises, the trio will go over the Mark Martin to Hendrick rumors as they sort out the Silly Season minefield, figure out why road course ringers didn't hit their mark, and look ahead to the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 -- yes, 301 -- at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Unsure when to catch the podcast? Well, the newest version usually comes out by Thursday night and gets archived at racetalkradio.com each Friday. Download us by heading over to http://www.athlonsports.com/racing/inside-racing-powered-by-pepsi, and don't forget to listen in on iTunes each week!! We're under "Athlon Racing Podcast."

And if you're up for it, we're always looking to hear from the fans; be sure to write in and give feedback at inside...@athlonsports.com! Tell us a topic we haven't been chatting about, and we'll be sure to mention it on the air. Of course, the two individual hosts can also be reached at tom.b...@frontstretch.com and matt.ta...@frontstretch.com.

Monday on the Frontstretch:

Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Lenox Industrial Tools 301
by Matt McLaughlin
Before you take that first break mid-morning on Monday, be sure you check out Matt's triumphant return to Thinkin' Out Loud for the best in water cooler fodder.

Bowles-Eye View
By Tom Bowles
Tom gives his views on the weekend events on SI.com.  Want to know what he really thinks? You get that only on the Frontstretch. On Monday, he'll have his full analysis of why things didn't work out at Hendrick for Casey Mears -- and where the journeyman driver goes from here.
 
Bubble Breakdown :  Lenox Industrial Tools 301
by Mike Ravesi
Mike covers all the battles you didn't see this weekend, tracking the fates of teams searching for a coveted spot in the Top 35 in owner points -- and the free ticket into the field each week that goes with it.

Ten Points To Ponder :  Lenox Industrial Tools 301
by Tommy Thompson
Tommy's ten points will leave you wanting for more.  Like eleven.  Or maybe twelve.

Sprint Cup Rookie Report:  Lenox Industrial Tools 301
by Tony Lumbis
Check out Tony's Rookie Report on Monday to see which rookies had the tools to get the job done Sunday in New Hampshire.

Tracking The Trucks: O'Reilly 200
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth's race recap of the Truck Race held at Memphis over the weekend.

Nationwide Series Breakdown : Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com
by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan's race recap of the Nationwide Series race on Saturday at New Hampshire.

Monday, Only In The Frontstretch Newsletter :

Latest news and Highlights from New Hampshire
Secret Star of the Race

Frontstretch Stat Of The Week
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? Well it's as easy as replying directly to this newsletter email or sending an email to edi...@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best and publish them here!

©2008 Frontstretch.com