The Frontstretch Newsletter - June 26th, 2008
Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
June 26th, 2008
Volume II, Edition CXVII
Today's Top News
by Bryan Davis Keith
Decision on Kentucky Speedway Anti-Trust Suit Likely Delayed
The U.S. Court of Appeals has extended the deadline for submission of final briefs in the Kentucky Speedway anti-trust lawsuit from August 11 to October 27, likely delaying a decision in the controversial proceeding until next year. The suit alleges that NASCAR, along with International Speedway Corporation, has been collaborating to keep independent tracks such as the Kentucky Speedway from obtaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race dates.
A hearing to decide the matter will be held after the October 27 submission deadline, with the decision coming down a couple of months later. The current proceeding is an appeal by the Speedway, which was found earlier not to have sufficient evidence against ISC and NASCAR.
Kentucky Speedway, which in agreement has been sold to Speedway Motorsports, Incorporated, has been urged by SMI owner Bruton Smith to drop the suit. Smith believes a continuance being thought will harm the track's chances of obtaining a Sprint Cup race.
D.J. Kennington Redefining Double Duty This Weekend at Loudon
D.J. Kennington, driving his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will be pulling double duty of a different nature this weekend. Kennington, who is scheduled to drive 29 of 35 races for MacDonald Motorsports' No. 81 team this season, is also competing full-time in NASCAR's Canadian Tire Series.
This Saturday, Kennington will attempt to race both at Loudon and at Barrie Speedway some 600 miles away. The double will be an extremely difficult feat for Kennington to accomplish, with the Loudon race going green at 3 PM and Barrie at 8 PM. But, said Kennington "all I have to do is cross over a big pond, right?"
This isn't the first time that Kennington pulled international double duty, and it won't be the last time this season. Two weeks ago, Kennington practiced his Canadian car Friday at the Mossport International Speedway in Canada, drove to Sparta, Kentucky for the Nationwide race, and then drove directly back to Mossport on Saturday night for Sunday's Canadian Tire race.
Kennington plans to pull international double duty 13 times this season, all without a jet plane. Said Kennington of his travels, "I work on my cars, I tune my engines in the Nationwide Series, and I drive to racetracks, even though I have to cross the border."
"It's living a dream…one country at a time."
What's Vexing Vito?
by Vito Pugliese
The more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2008, we find ourselves in the midst of an election cycle with an economy that is teetering on the brink of collapse, sky-rocketing energy costs, and a future that looks about as uncertain as Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears' job status for next season. Caught in the middle of this is motorsports and -- most notably -- the biggest draw in North American auto racing, NASCAR. It was just four short years ago, back when gas was hovering around the bargain basement price of $2.00 a gallon, that NASCAR Dad's replaced "Soccer Moms" as the demographic du jour of the political parties and representative media. But with energy and fuel prices spiraling out of control, one wonders how long until racing draws the ire of the media, politicos, and pundits alike?
In 1974 during the fuel crisis, spawned by OPEC shutting off the spigots bringing to bear an era of gas lines and fuel rationing (hey, at least it's not that bad yet, right?), NASCAR and motorsports in general came under scrutiny for wasting fuel. Never mind that no car during the dawn of catalytic converters and 8:1 compression engines ran on 110 octane leaded race fuel; but in response to this, NASCAR cut the distances to many races by 10%. The Daytona 500 that year won by Richard Petty was, in effect, 450 miles long, an anomaly that hasn't occurred the exact same way since. Might this history revisit us yet again in our current troubled times? With the EPA enforcing ever-tightening Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) regulations to 35 mpg by 2020, and SUVs and pickup trucks falling out of favor as a gallon of the cheap stuff eclipses Taco Bell combo meal prices, it is only a matter of time before our beloved stock cars catch the attention of media and enivroMENTALists alike.
But are race cars really so inefficient? Consider the following:
A Sprint Cup race car, be it a Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, or --gack-- Toyota, weighs in at a solid 3,400lbs. The engines are 5.8L V-8s, tuned not by an electronic computer-controlled fuel injection system with a myriad of sensors and monitors, but rather a carburetor design of some 40 years old, controlled by a conglomeration of springs, screws, and rotating metal plates. They ride on 15" racing slicks that are often barely inflated to sustain tire pressures over a long run, have a 4-speed manual transmission transmitting power back to a gear ratio that, depending on the track, is typically in 3.80-3.90 range. The engines are taxed --mostly at wide-open throttle -- for nearly four hours, and produce in excess of 850 horsepower. And these cars do this while achieving a little over 5 miles per gallon of $6.25 per gallon Sunoco 98 Octane unleaded race fuel...
Let's compare this to my car during my recent jaunts to cover the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
A 2007 Ford Mustang GT – weighing in at nearly 3700lbs with a full tank of fuel and my fat ass in the captain's chair, has an aluminum 300hp 4.6L V8 with three valves per cylinder, a computer controlled fuel management system with drive-by-wire throttle, variable cam timing, a 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive, and highway friendly rear gearing and 18" tires. Running this car at the speed limit on the expressway, kicking it into neutral and coasting whenever possible on downward grades, and avoiding idling for long periods of time, it might eek out 26mpg. But get it into the city in some stop and go traffic, and you're looking at 18 mpg. Start romping on it and rowing through the gears like Bob Glidden, and the little tell-tale trip computer is the bearer of bad tidings: you're suddenly on the downside of the teens and teetering on single digits. What's more, I'm the one who has to pay for it – not the government, and not Joe Taxpayer.
It just goes to show, should any of your liberal, tree-hugging, Caribou-loving, Polar Bear-celebrating, Prius-driving friends start giving you grief about race cars wasting gas, tell them about your humble scribe and his mass-produced, rattley, conglomeration of plastic bits flying together in loose formation. At least I can tell you that every computer controlled gadget available to Dearborn and Flat Rock, Michigan will be tuned to its whereabouts.
You read the columns of your favorite writer every week. You play Frontstretch Fantasy Racing games, and you even get the Frontstretch newsletter delivered to your email inbox daily. But have you joined the Frontstretch Forums? Talk about your favorite driver, join in the discussion on all of the latest news and rumors in NASCAR, and brag to your fantasy racing opponents about how well you're doing. Click here to join today!
FRONTSTRETCH LINE OF THE WEEK
The Best Line From A Story You Need to See
From Mirror Driving : Martin's Big Move, Harvick's Big Mistake, And NASCAR's Big Attendance Problem by the Frontstretch Staff
I don't think Harvick was over the line, per se — it was an accident, not intentional — but it was a stupid move. And I blame him for having to watch that insufferable little puke taking a bow on the Start / Finish line.
-- Amy Henderson destroying her chances to spend the holidays sipping Miller Lite and snacking on M&M's with Kyle, Kurt and Eva.
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!
David Gilliland - FreeCreditReport.com Racing - New Hampshire Advance
Old Spice Racing: Tony Stewart NASCAR Nationwide Series Advance for New Hampshire
Keven Wood Looking To Improve Finish At Memphis
Looks like someone's got plenty of time on his hands nowadays
Jarrett Named Grand Marshal For Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola
With heavy hearts, they carry on
Toliver carries heavy heart into Norwalk
Scelzi taking time to relax and enjoy family before Norwalk
Beckman reflects, prepares for Norwalk
Sponsorship News
MC2 Energy Drink Racing and Driver Garrett Liberty Join Forces for 7 Nationwide Series Races
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 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
Fanning The Flames : Vague Rules, Driver Moves, And A Long Dry Spell
by Matt Taliaferro
Beyond The Cockpit : Regan Smith Optimistic About Future ... Even Racing In Canada
by Tony Lumbis
DEI Up In Arms Over Intended Humor
by Jeff Meyer
Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off : Fast, Loud Cars
by Matt McLaughlin
Fantasy Picks 'N' Pans : How To Get The Extra Mile From Your Team At Loudon
by Bryan Keith and Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q. This driver spent a good part of his career driving a car that had a sponsor called "Studebaker Test Parts" in both NASCAR and NHRA competition, yet he never drove a Studebaker in either series. Who was this driver?
Check back here tomorrow for the answer. Only in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer
Q. This owner gave his driver a Rolls Royce for winning a race. Who was he?
A. Owner Felix Sabates gave driver Kyle Petty a Rolls Royce after Petty won the 500 lap race at Rockingham, NC, on March 4, 1990.
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:
Be sure to check in with Kim this week when she lays out the facts this week from New Hampshire!
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
Don't miss this week's Driven to the Past as John treats us to another story; this time, he delves into old school USAC racing.
Holding A Pretty Wheel
by Bryan Davis Keith
This week, Amy takes a week off and Bryan fills in with something, how should we say it? A little less ladylike.
Happy Hour : The Official Journalist Of NASCAR
by Kurt Allen Smith
Kurt chimes in with his opinion of the Mauricia Grant lawsuit, and you'll want to listen to what he has to say.
Tearing Apart the Trucks
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Driver Diary : Kenny Wallace
by Kenny Wallace
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 comments and publish them here!
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