The Frontstretch Newsletter - June 5th, 2008
Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 5th, 2008
Volume II, Edition C
Today's Top News
by Kurt Allen Smith
McMurray Denies Rumors, Says He's Staying Put at Roush
Jamie McMurray spoke out Wednesday, denying rumors that suggest his impending departure from Roush Fenway Racing at the end of this season. In news first reported by ThatsRacin.com, sources have indicated McMurray is job hunting after being told of his release from RFR one year before the end of his contract in 2009.
"I spoke to [Roush Fenway Racing president] Geoff Smith this morning," McMurray told Fox Sports. "You never know what's going to happen, but as of today there's no truth to that."
McMurray will be making his 200th career Cup start this Sunday at Pocono. He has two wins, one each for Ganassi and Roush, but has struggled since his sole win in the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford -- the Pepsi 400 at Daytona last July. So far this season, he sits 22nd in the Sprint Cup point standings with just two Top 10 finishes to date; that's the worst statistical performance of RFR's five driver fleet.
Should McMurray be released, it could enable Roush Fenway to reduce its stable from five to four race teams one year before NASCAR's 2010 deadline.
Franchitti Back in The No. 40 Car for Pocono
After injuring his ankle in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega this April, Dario Franchitti returns to Cup racing Sunday in the No. 40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi. Franchitti missed a total of six weeks of Cup action after the fracture forced him to the sidelines just seven starts into his rookie season.
The Scotsman competed in the Nationwide Series race at Dover last Saturday and reported feeling "comfortable" in the car after 200 miles of action. An increase to 500 miles is expected to be a big step up, but Franchitti tested the No. 40 at Pocono Raceway last week to prepare for his return.
Franchitti had been replaced by Ken Schrader, Sterling Marlin, and
Jeremy Mayfield in recent weeks. Mayfield did the best of all, driving the car to a 25th place
finish at Dover last week, a performance which led to a thank you from Franchitti on his personal website.
Haas CNC Racing May Appeal Points Penalties
Haas CNC Racing, the owners of the No. 66 and 70 cars in Sprint Cup, are rumored to appeal the penalties levied on the teams by NASCAR at Charlotte last weekend. The two teams were each penalized 150 points, fined $100,000, and had their crew and car chiefs suspended for six events as a result of the infractions. The cars were cited for rear wings that were mounted improperly, with the intent to be readjusted illegally following pre-race inspection.
Scott Riggs, the driver of the No. 66, says that the punishments do not fit the crime, and he reiterated suspended crew chief Bootie Barker's statement that the team had been attaching its rear wing mounts the same way all season. NASCAR representative Ramsey Poston acknowledged that the cars may have passed inspections but added, "That doesn't make it right."
Following the penalty, Riggs' No. 66 is now 36th in the owner standings -- 31 behind a spot in the Top 35 -- and will be forced to qualify on speed at Pocono. The No. 70, owned by Margaret Haas, has dropped to 44th in owner points.
New Fantasy Games Begin This Weekend!
Still wondering why you didn't sign up for any fantasy fun this year? Well, in 2008 it's never too late to play at Frontstretch.com! This Sunday, we have a brand new segment of our most popular game, the Game Of Tomorrow; don't miss out on a chance to pick your dream five-driver roster that could steamroll the competition! And if that's not your speed, perhaps NASCAR Knockout is; after last week's winner was crowned, we're ready to start all over again! That game's super easy; pick one driver each weekend, and hope he finishes in the Top 15 so you don't fall a lap down to the leaders! One thing's for sure, though; you can't compete if you don't sign up! Click here to visit our fantasy pages today.
What's Vexing Vito?
by Vito Pugliese
This is a weekend I have been dreading all year long. Like a visit to the dentist's office, Pocono Raceway -- while a nice place to visit -- produces one of the most painful race viewing experiences of the season. And with what we have come to see with the Car of Tomorrow on tracks larger than .75 miles this season, things are bound to get really ugly, really fast -- there's no stopping this thing.
Literally.
Entering the first turn at Pocono at over 200 mph is going to require a ton of braking and downforce. And if you've noticed, this car doesn't have a whole lot of either. Drivers are reporting nearly half the downforce compared to the last time the series visited here in July of 2007, and each car's brakes will be working harder than ever to whoa down 3,400 lbs. of ugly.
RPMs will be an issue, too; but with the one gear rule instituted a couple of years ago, downshifting is also no longer an option for the Cup cars. Well, you could -- but unless your engine manufacturer is, say, Ferrari or Kawasaki, that's probably not going to work out very well. The tires aren't exactly going to be of much assistance, either. During testing last week at Pocono, defending race winner Jeff Gordon said that he had not felt that uncomfortable in a race car since his rookie season.
And when you consider this track is not exactly known for tight racing as it is, we're in for a real problem. Turn 1 already resembles something Robby Gordon was driving through last weekend in Baja for the old car -- and since this new one has about a thimble full of suspension travel, that ought to be pleasant for the drivers.
Sure, there have been some interesting moments in Pennsylvania in the past -- deer running onto the track, a drunk guy hopping the wall in Turn 1, Tony Stewart turning right on the frontstretch to take out Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards -- but those moments are few and far between. It took a rainstorm in the middle of the race track last June to create some action; and even then, they called the race just past halfway right when the sun was coming out.
During the final test session on May 28th, Kurt Busch got to within about a ½ mile per hour of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s pole winning speed in the last race at Pocono -- so the new cars are still just as fast. But will the racing be just as competitive? In short, I highly doubt it; Hillary Clinton joining John McCain as his Vice Presidential candidate sounds more plausible to me. This car might work on a short track, but with the combination of long straights, high speeds, braking, and these turns that just go on forever, it could make for one long afternoon at Pocono.
Special FS Commentary
Why McMurray Should Stay In The No. 26 -- Sort Of
by Phil Allaway
Recently, rumors have been flying around saying that Jamie McMurray is on the way out of the No. 26 Ford at the end of this season. Now, it is true that McMurray has struggled quite a bit -- at one point this season, things were so bad he even was forced to qualify at Martinsville on speed after his team fell out of the Top 35 in owner points. Good teams get off to slow starts all the time in the Sprint Cup Series simply because of how competitive the series is; but for a team like Roush Fenway, that start was exceptionally slow.
However, since their low point this March, the No. 26 team has made great strides. Since Martinsville, the team has moved up to 23rd in owner points, and McMurray has climbed to 22nd in driver points. The recovery's been based on the strength of consistent finishes inside the Top 20, including two Top 10 finishes (eighth at Martinsville and 10th Sunday at Dover). The team is one that's definitely been gaining momentum -- but the rumors now circulating concerning McMurray's imminent firing could actually hurt this resurgence.
The problem Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) has in keeping McMurray is not because of the driver, or his results on the track. It is mainly because of the four team maximum rule that Roush is technically in violation of. Officially, the rule went into effect a couple of seasons ago, but it allowed teams in violation of the rule a grace period to get down to the maximum number by the beginning of the 2010 season without penalty. Because of that, if Roush were to keep the team, they would be forced to farm the number out to someone else, or fold it after next season -- when McMurray's contract officially expires.
My suggestion is for RFR to essentially send the entire No. 26 car "intact" to Yates Racing -- which RFR already has a technical and marketing relationship with -- creating a third team for that organization. By "intact," this means all the team personnel, owner points, and all existing sponsorship agreements -- even main primary sponsor Crown Royal -- would become property of Yates Racing. Such a move would be very difficult to actually accomplish during the season, but large scale moves like that one have happened before overall. Examples include the Tyler Jet Motorsports (No. 17) / ISM Racing (No. 35, the infamous Tabasco sponsored team) merger in 1998, and the PPM (Peak Performance Motorsports, No. 61) / Front Row Motorsports (Nos. 34 and 92) merger in 2006.
The result of those changes could leave McMurray with the fresh start of going to a new team while keeping the existing chemistry of his current one. The sponsors would already have an existing relationship with McMurray, and that would remove the adjustment period for the sponsors to a new spokesperson. This is similar to GEICO (and the No. 7) following Mike Wallace to Germain Racing in the Nationwide Series after one season of working over with James Finch. RFR would also no longer have to worry about the car count rule, and could work towards resigning some of their other notable employees (like Greg Biffle) while putting some more money into Research and Development to compensate for the team they've left behind.
No matter what happens, though, Jamie McMurray does not deserve to be outright canned -- especially considering how the team has improved recently. Had this been asked a couple of months ago, a different answer might have arisen; however, the situation with RFR makes it so that he's become the perfect sacrificial lamb -- all in order to please NASCAR.
And that leads to the idea I presented above. It would take months to work out; but it could potentially be feasible for both teams, and save McMurray's job in the process.
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FRONTSTRETCH LINE OF THE WEEK
The Best Line From A Story You Need to See
From Did You Notice? ... Family Favoritism, Biting The Hand That Feeds You, And Statistical Silliness? by Tom Bowles
(On NASCAR taking three pages to explain how to calculate a driver's rating) ...This is NASCAR's problem with statistics; you don't ever see anyone in baseball taking three pages to figure out what makes an RBI. Statistics can prove suspect if the common citizen doesn't know how to calculate them, and a formula in which you need to fractionalize a driver's finishing position, average running position, average speed, and fastest lap within each race and then work with the numbers is just too much for the common fan to understand.
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS, BE A NASCAR RACING EXPERT!
How, you ask? The answer is simple: read up on the teams and drivers you love the most, right here on Frontstretch.com! Every day, Kim DeHaven and her helpers Beth Lunkenheimer and Tony Lumbis post reams of PR from teams across the NASCAR-o-sphere. Here's just a sample of the race reports for this week's Pocono 500.
Driver Previews!
Tony Stewart Home Depot Pocono Preview - Pulling for a Pole at Pocono
Brad Keselowski – Nashville Superspeedway NNS Preview
Johnny Benson - Bill Davis Racing Event Preview
Like other Series?
Tony Stewart Racing -- Streaking Into June: World of Outlaws Point Leader Donny Schatz Heads to Knoxville Aiming to Continue His Winning Ways for Tony Stewart Racing (WoO)
Can't stand to watch TNT one more season?
Ride Along with Hamlin, Earnhardt, Gordon and Stewart at Pocono on DIRECTV: Pocono 500 NASCAR HotPass Lineup
Like Top Ten lists? How about acid indigestion? Well then you're gonna LOVE this one
Early Wreck Leads To Heartburn And Indigestion For Several Teams In The Top 10 Tums® Moments
Want More?
You can always see all the PR reports by going to your favorite site on the net, Frontstretch.com!
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, Matt, and moderator Patrick Snow talk us through why the Monster Mile put us to sleep, why Elliott Sadler is keeping Tony Stewart awake at night, and if Joey Logano fulfilled every critics' wildest dreams with his sixth place finish in the Nationwide Series race. And if you're lucky, we might even tackle a Jamie McMurray rumor or two ... because who doesn't like a good Jamie McMurray rumor?
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 iTuneseach 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.
Fanning The Flames : Silly Season Contracts, Old School Drivers, And The "Blow Up" Crowd
by Matt Taliaferro
Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off : Previewing NASCAR's Summer Stretch
by Matt McLaughlin
Fox Is Out, TNT Is In? May God Help Us All!
by Jeff Meyer
Side by Side : Should Roush Let Jamie McMurray Go?
by Doug Turnbull and Bryan Davis Keith
Fantasy Picks 'N' Pans : Can Edwards, Hamlin Repeat Past Pocono Success?
by Bryan Davis Keith and Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q. What was the predecessor to the Roush Roller?
Check back here tomorrow for the answer. Only in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer
Q. Tuesday's question was on the Petty bar. If you know the answer to that, then you'll probably know where the Earnhardt bar is too. Any idea what event prompted NASCAR to mandate its use?
A. The ``Earnhardt bar'' - named for the seven-time Sprint Cup champion who first used the device on his cars - is a piece of the roll cage that starts behind the rear-view mirror and runs down the front of the windshield. It was mandated in 1996 in all divisions of NASCAR following a very gruesome wreck that took the life of Russell Phillips in a NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division race on October 6th, 1995 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
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 tri...@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt. Free!
Tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
Kurt Smith looks back at a week full of news that you might not have seen ... but is important nonetheless.
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Driven To The Past
by John Potts
No need to source his tales of past racing glory: John IS the source. Great stories from NASCAR's past, every Friday on the Frontstretch.
Holding A Pretty Wheel
by Amy Henderson
Amy's weekly NASCAR commentary on the recent news in the sport.
Happy Hour : The Official Journalist Of NASCAR
by Kurt Allen Smith
When you're walking on Pocono, you're walking on the fightin' side of Kurt Allen Smith. He explains why taking a date from the track would be nothing less than a tragic mistake.
Nuts for Nationwide
by Danny Peters
Danny gets us up to speed on all the Nationwide Series comings and goings, including the fallout from one impressive coming out party Joey Logano threw at Dover.
Frontstretch Driver Diary : Rick Crawford
by Rick Crawford
Rick stops by to tell us plenty of exciting inside info now that he's leading the Truck Series standings in his No. 14 Circle Bar Racing Ford.
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