The Frontstretch Newsletter: May 10th, 2012
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May 10, 2012, 11:38:47 AM5/10/12
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THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 10th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LXXXI
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
May 10th, 2012
Volume VI, Edition LXXXI
~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's Note: Frontstretch has a brand new, redesigned Facebook page. Click Here to "Like" Us and get a direct connect to all your Frontstretch favorites along with polls, interaction with fans and so much more.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Roush Fenway Racing to Announce New Sponsor and Number for Kenseth
On Wednesday, Roush Fenway Racing announced that a press conference has been scheduled for 10:30am Monday morning in the Great Hall at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte. According to the invite, the team will announce a new multi-year primary sponsorship for Matt Kenseth's car. In addition, a new number will be announced.
Ever since the announcement of the press conference was made, there has been a substantial amount of conjecture as to which sponsor would require Kenseth's team to change their number. Some possibilities were thrown out there, like 7-Eleven and the H.J. Heinz Company. Both companies have insisted on number branding in the past to benefit their backing. In 7-Eleven's case, they signed on to sponsor Petty Enterprises' No. 42 and driver Kyle Petty for 1983. Come Daytona, the No. 42 had been replaced with No. 7. When Petty moved to the Wood Brothers for 1985, he took the sponsor and the number with him. Heinz is a former primary sponsor in the Cup Series for Rod Osterland's team back in 1989 and 1990, using the infamous No. 57 at time. Jack Daniels has also insisted on using the No. 7 (or some form of the No. 7) on their cars in NASCAR and in the V8 Supercars in Australia.
For Kenseth, his time with the No. 17 predates his time in the Sprint Cup Series. The number belonged to Robbie Reiser, a longtime rival of Kenseth's on the short tracks of Wisconsin. In the mid-1990's, Reiser attempted a relatively unsuccessful move into the then-Busch Grand National Series with his own team, Reiser Racing. By 1997, he had acquired full-time sponsorship from Kraft Foods (via Kraft Singles) and signed Tim Bender to drive. When Bender didn't work out in the No. 17, Reiser tapped Kenseth to replace him. We'll have more about this news item in next Tuesday's Newsletter.
McClure to Miss Darlington, Jeff Green to Move to No. 14
On Wednesday, TriStar Motorsports announced that Eric McClure, driver of the Nationwide Series No. 14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota, will sit out Friday night's VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 due to the concussion that he suffered at Talladega last weekend. The move appears to be a holdout move, as there would not have been a full week between races.
Jeff Green, who normally drives TriStar Motorsports' No. 10 entry, will fill in at Darlington in the No. 14. Tony Raines has been signed to drive the No. 10 while Green drives the No. 14.
Edwards to Make Broadcast Debut Friday Night
On Wednesday, ESPN announced that Carl Edwards has officially joined the Worldwide Leader in Sports as a part-time booth analyst. He will serve as a lead analyst in two Nationwide Series broadcasts. The first of these broadcasts will be Friday night's VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 from Darlington Raceway.
Edwards is very pleased to finally be able to make his race telecast debut.
"I am humbled by this opportunity to broadcast for ESPN and be part of their team," Edwards said. "I am honestly a little nervous as it will be my first time being part of the broadcast. ESPN has been a great partner for everyone in NASCAR and I hope I can add some insight for the fans."
For Edwards, Friday night will be his first time in the broadcast booth. However, it will not be his first time on ESPN's airwaves. For the past two seasons, Edwards has helped to break down Cup races during ESPN's portion of the season in the Pit Studio during Sportscenter. He has also made the trudge out to the Pit Studio during races that he has dropped out of in the past as well (Ex: New Hampshire in July, 2011). Edwards will also be in the broadcast booth for the Feed the Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway on June 29.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Bojangles Southern 500: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 10- Danica Patrick for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 32- Reed Sorenson for FAS Lane Racing
No. 74- Cole Whitt for Turn One Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 10- Danica Patrick returns to the seat, replacing David Reutimann. This is Patrick's second race of the season in the No. 10. Stewart-Haas Racing will operate the team.
No. 23- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr.
No. 32- Reed Sorenson returns to the seat, replacing Terry Labonte.
No. 33- Stephen Leicht returns to the seat, replacing Tony Raines.
No. 52- Mike Skinner is in the seat, replacing Scott Speed.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Michael Waltrip.
No. 79- Scott Speed is in the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 93- David Reutimann returns to the seat, replacing Travis Kvapil.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports*
No. 33- Stephen Leicht for LJ Racing
No. 49- J.J. Yeley for Robinson-Blakeney Racing
No. 52- Mike Skinner for Hamilton Means Racing
No. 74- Cole Whitt for Turn One Racing*
No. 79- Scott Speed for Go Green Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports*
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing
Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 10- Tony Raines for TriStar Motorsports
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 30- James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group
No. 47- Scott Speed for Team Motorsports Group
No. 54- Kurt Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 08- Matt Frahm is in the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 10- Tony Raines is in the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 14- Jeff Green is in the seat, replacing Eric McClure. McClure is sitting out this weekend's race after suffering a concussion and internal bruising in a late race crash at Talladega.
No. 15- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 20- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Truex.
No. 23- Jamie Dick returns to the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr.
No. 24- Casey Roderick is in the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
No. 33- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne returns to the seat, replacing Brad Sweet.
No. 52- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage.
No. 54- Kurt Busch returns to the seat, replacing Kyle Busch.
No. 70- Derrike Cope is in the seat, replacing Johanna Long. This car will be run by Robinson-Blakeney Racing since ML Motorsports is technically a part-time team.
No. 75- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
No. 99- Travis Pastrana returns to the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace.
Since there are only 43 entries, no one will fail to qualify. However, these teams must still qualify on speed:
No. 10- Tony Raines for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 15- Blake Koch for Rick Ware Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 36- Ryan Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 39- Josh Richards for Go Green Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 47- Scott Speed for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Unknown driver for Means Motorsports
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john....@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. Potts' Shots will run on Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Quick Shots Going to Darlington
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
On Wednesday, a Forsyth County judge ordered Jeremy Mayfield to pay $1 Million to a Catawba, NC postal worker, who was attached by his five pit bulls. To quote the admiral from Top Gun during the climatic final dogfighting (get it?!!) scene, “…There’s five?!!” First off, good luck getting that money. He’s been out of a ride for nearly three years, and Mayfield just got his house yanked form him for defaulting on the $3 million property, as well as a buttload of legal bills. It turns out fighting a legal battle against a billion dollar organization and fending off charges of receiving stolen property can take a toll on the pocket book.
Mayfield is charged with five counts of felonious breaking and entering of tractor-trailers and one count of felony larceny. He is also charged with two counts of felony breaking and entering and felony larceny from a building dating back to 2010.
Which, if you’re going to be running a fledgling meth ring, I guess it makes sense that you’d have five pit bulls lopse in your yard.
Denny Hamlin is paying homage to Cale Yarborough this weekend at Darlington, honoring the Timmonsville, SC native and his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Yarborough won his three consecutive Winston Cup titles driving the No. 11 of Junior Johnson from in 1976, ’77, and ’78.
Kind of a strange pairing with these two if you think about it: Hamlin who was very open about seeing a sports psychologist following his meltdown and subsequent championship fold at Phoenix in 2010, and his admission last year that neither he or Mike Ford wanted to be the alpha-male and take charge over the No. 11 team. Yarborough on the other hand got bit by a cottonmouth when he was a toddler, jumped out of a plane and bounced after the chute failed to deploy, had the chance to play in the NFL, and got shot in the foot at a burger joint, and is generally accepted as one of the toughest and badass guys in the sport’s history. One just hopes that Hamlin doesn’t try to imitate Cale, and drive over the wall like he did in the 1965 Southern 500.
In another bit of irony, Hamlin will be sponsored by Sport Clips this weekend, while Cale still sports the most incredible comb-over in recorded history.
- Danica Patrick will be the third woman this weekend to compete in the Cup race at Darlington, following Janet Guthrie and Shawna Robinson. There’s a bit of a hollow beating to that drum however. Danica is guaranteed a spot in the field based on owner points complied by her and David Reutimann in Tommy Baldwin’s No. 10 car…or Tony Stewart’s…or Rick Hendrick’s….or wherever it came from this weekend. Plus, being the third person to do anything kind of puts that individual in an awkward position. If you’re the first, it’s groundbreaking. If you’re number two, it will receive some attention, but little more than a blurb at the end of a tabloid news program. If you’re the third person…well, then you’re basically doing a bad Bob Dole impression.
I just hope that she makes it through the race unscathed. If not, it won’t be any worse than when Elliott Sadler took out Tony Stewart on the second lap in 2008…or when Dale Earnhardt passed out on the first lap in 1997. Everybody has trouble here, and the boo birds will probably be out in force the second she goes a lap down.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.p...@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
COME JOIN THE FRONTSTRETCH FAMILY!
Editor's Note: Frontstretch has a brand new, redesigned Facebook page. Click Here to "Like" Us and get a direct connect to all your Frontstretch favorites along with polls, interaction with fans and so much more.
Top News
by Phil Allaway
Roush Fenway Racing to Announce New Sponsor and Number for Kenseth
On Wednesday, Roush Fenway Racing announced that a press conference has been scheduled for 10:30am Monday morning in the Great Hall at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte. According to the invite, the team will announce a new multi-year primary sponsorship for Matt Kenseth's car. In addition, a new number will be announced.
Ever since the announcement of the press conference was made, there has been a substantial amount of conjecture as to which sponsor would require Kenseth's team to change their number. Some possibilities were thrown out there, like 7-Eleven and the H.J. Heinz Company. Both companies have insisted on number branding in the past to benefit their backing. In 7-Eleven's case, they signed on to sponsor Petty Enterprises' No. 42 and driver Kyle Petty for 1983. Come Daytona, the No. 42 had been replaced with No. 7. When Petty moved to the Wood Brothers for 1985, he took the sponsor and the number with him. Heinz is a former primary sponsor in the Cup Series for Rod Osterland's team back in 1989 and 1990, using the infamous No. 57 at time. Jack Daniels has also insisted on using the No. 7 (or some form of the No. 7) on their cars in NASCAR and in the V8 Supercars in Australia.
For Kenseth, his time with the No. 17 predates his time in the Sprint Cup Series. The number belonged to Robbie Reiser, a longtime rival of Kenseth's on the short tracks of Wisconsin. In the mid-1990's, Reiser attempted a relatively unsuccessful move into the then-Busch Grand National Series with his own team, Reiser Racing. By 1997, he had acquired full-time sponsorship from Kraft Foods (via Kraft Singles) and signed Tim Bender to drive. When Bender didn't work out in the No. 17, Reiser tapped Kenseth to replace him. We'll have more about this news item in next Tuesday's Newsletter.
McClure to Miss Darlington, Jeff Green to Move to No. 14
On Wednesday, TriStar Motorsports announced that Eric McClure, driver of the Nationwide Series No. 14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota, will sit out Friday night's VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 due to the concussion that he suffered at Talladega last weekend. The move appears to be a holdout move, as there would not have been a full week between races.
Jeff Green, who normally drives TriStar Motorsports' No. 10 entry, will fill in at Darlington in the No. 14. Tony Raines has been signed to drive the No. 10 while Green drives the No. 14.
Edwards to Make Broadcast Debut Friday Night
On Wednesday, ESPN announced that Carl Edwards has officially joined the Worldwide Leader in Sports as a part-time booth analyst. He will serve as a lead analyst in two Nationwide Series broadcasts. The first of these broadcasts will be Friday night's VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 from Darlington Raceway.
Edwards is very pleased to finally be able to make his race telecast debut.
"I am humbled by this opportunity to broadcast for ESPN and be part of their team," Edwards said. "I am honestly a little nervous as it will be my first time being part of the broadcast. ESPN has been a great partner for everyone in NASCAR and I hope I can add some insight for the fans."
For Edwards, Friday night will be his first time in the broadcast booth. However, it will not be his first time on ESPN's airwaves. For the past two seasons, Edwards has helped to break down Cup races during ESPN's portion of the season in the Pit Studio during Sportscenter. He has also made the trudge out to the Pit Studio during races that he has dropped out of in the past as well (Ex: New Hampshire in July, 2011). Edwards will also be in the broadcast booth for the Feed the Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway on June 29.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Bojangles Southern 500: 46 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 10- Danica Patrick for Tommy Baldwin Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 32- Reed Sorenson for FAS Lane Racing
No. 74- Cole Whitt for Turn One Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports
Driver Changes:
No. 10- Danica Patrick returns to the seat, replacing David Reutimann. This is Patrick's second race of the season in the No. 10. Stewart-Haas Racing will operate the team.
No. 23- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr.
No. 32- Reed Sorenson returns to the seat, replacing Terry Labonte.
No. 33- Stephen Leicht returns to the seat, replacing Tony Raines.
No. 52- Mike Skinner is in the seat, replacing Scott Speed.
No. 55- Mark Martin returns to the seat, replacing Michael Waltrip.
No. 79- Scott Speed is in the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 93- David Reutimann returns to the seat, replacing Travis Kvapil.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 19- Mike Bliss for Humphrey-Smith Racing*
No. 23- Scott Riggs for R3 Motorsports*
No. 26- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports*
No. 30- David Stremme for Inception Motorsports*
No. 33- Stephen Leicht for LJ Racing
No. 49- J.J. Yeley for Robinson-Blakeney Racing
No. 52- Mike Skinner for Hamilton Means Racing
No. 74- Cole Whitt for Turn One Racing*
No. 79- Scott Speed for Go Green Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports*
No. 98- Michael McDowell for Phil Parsons Racing
Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 10- Tony Raines for TriStar Motorsports
No. 18- Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Brad Keselowski for Penske Racing
No. 30- James Buescher for Turner Motorsports
No. 33- Brendan Gaughan for Richard Childress Racing
No. 38- Kasey Kahne for Turner Motorsports
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group
No. 47- Scott Speed for Team Motorsports Group
No. 54- Kurt Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 08- Matt Frahm is in the seat, replacing Tim Andrews.
No. 10- Tony Raines is in the seat, replacing Jeff Green.
No. 14- Jeff Green is in the seat, replacing Eric McClure. McClure is sitting out this weekend's race after suffering a concussion and internal bruising in a late race crash at Talladega.
No. 15- Blake Koch returns to the seat, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt.
No. 18- Denny Hamlin returns to the seat, replacing Joey Logano.
No. 20- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Truex.
No. 23- Jamie Dick returns to the seat, replacing Robert Richardson, Jr.
No. 24- Casey Roderick is in the seat, replacing John Wes Townley.
No. 33- Brendan Gaughan returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Harvick.
No. 38- Kasey Kahne returns to the seat, replacing Brad Sweet.
No. 52- An unknown driver will be in the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage.
No. 54- Kurt Busch returns to the seat, replacing Kyle Busch.
No. 70- Derrike Cope is in the seat, replacing Johanna Long. This car will be run by Robinson-Blakeney Racing since ML Motorsports is technically a part-time team.
No. 75- Scott Riggs returns to the seat, replacing Blake Koch.
No. 99- Travis Pastrana returns to the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace.
Since there are only 43 entries, no one will fail to qualify. However, these teams must still qualify on speed:
No. 10- Tony Raines for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 15- Blake Koch for Rick Ware Racing
No. 20- Joey Logano for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 36- Ryan Blaney for Tommy Baldwin Racing
No. 39- Josh Richards for Go Green Racing
No. 42- Josh Wise for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 46- Chase Miller for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 47- Scott Speed for Team Motorsports Group*
No. 50- T.J. Bell for MAKE Motorsports
No. 52- Unknown driver for Means Motorsports
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing*
No. 75- Scott Riggs for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them John Potts' way at john....@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. Potts' Shots will run on Thursday with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Quick Shots Going to Darlington
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
On Wednesday, a Forsyth County judge ordered Jeremy Mayfield to pay $1 Million to a Catawba, NC postal worker, who was attached by his five pit bulls. To quote the admiral from Top Gun during the climatic final dogfighting (get it?!!) scene, “…There’s five?!!” First off, good luck getting that money. He’s been out of a ride for nearly three years, and Mayfield just got his house yanked form him for defaulting on the $3 million property, as well as a buttload of legal bills. It turns out fighting a legal battle against a billion dollar organization and fending off charges of receiving stolen property can take a toll on the pocket book.
Mayfield is charged with five counts of felonious breaking and entering of tractor-trailers and one count of felony larceny. He is also charged with two counts of felony breaking and entering and felony larceny from a building dating back to 2010.
Which, if you’re going to be running a fledgling meth ring, I guess it makes sense that you’d have five pit bulls lopse in your yard.
Denny Hamlin is paying homage to Cale Yarborough this weekend at Darlington, honoring the Timmonsville, SC native and his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Yarborough won his three consecutive Winston Cup titles driving the No. 11 of Junior Johnson from in 1976, ’77, and ’78.
Kind of a strange pairing with these two if you think about it: Hamlin who was very open about seeing a sports psychologist following his meltdown and subsequent championship fold at Phoenix in 2010, and his admission last year that neither he or Mike Ford wanted to be the alpha-male and take charge over the No. 11 team. Yarborough on the other hand got bit by a cottonmouth when he was a toddler, jumped out of a plane and bounced after the chute failed to deploy, had the chance to play in the NFL, and got shot in the foot at a burger joint, and is generally accepted as one of the toughest and badass guys in the sport’s history. One just hopes that Hamlin doesn’t try to imitate Cale, and drive over the wall like he did in the 1965 Southern 500.
In another bit of irony, Hamlin will be sponsored by Sport Clips this weekend, while Cale still sports the most incredible comb-over in recorded history.
- Danica Patrick will be the third woman this weekend to compete in the Cup race at Darlington, following Janet Guthrie and Shawna Robinson. There’s a bit of a hollow beating to that drum however. Danica is guaranteed a spot in the field based on owner points complied by her and David Reutimann in Tommy Baldwin’s No. 10 car…or Tony Stewart’s…or Rick Hendrick’s….or wherever it came from this weekend. Plus, being the third person to do anything kind of puts that individual in an awkward position. If you’re the first, it’s groundbreaking. If you’re number two, it will receive some attention, but little more than a blurb at the end of a tabloid news program. If you’re the third person…well, then you’re basically doing a bad Bob Dole impression.
I just hope that she makes it through the race unscathed. If not, it won’t be any worse than when Elliott Sadler took out Tony Stewart on the second lap in 2008…or when Dale Earnhardt passed out on the first lap in 1997. Everybody has trouble here, and the boo birds will probably be out in force the second she goes a lap down.
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.p...@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
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who can help maintain and enhance our website, increase our SEO, and upgrade our
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The Critic's Annex: Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, the section of Thursday's Newsletter where I take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. Even with the trio of races in Talladega last weekend, motorsports offerings on television were actually quite thin.
However, on Saturday afternoon while the Nationwide race was on ABC, SPEED quietly debuted Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts. It is the sequel to 2009's Truth in 24, a look into Audi's preparations for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans with their R10 prototype. That year, Audi emerged victorious despite having a inferior car to Peuegot's 908 HDi FAP. ESPN aired the special in a time buy situation on ESPN 2. For those of you who have not seen the documentary, it is available for download on iTunes right now. Its on my iPod Touch so I can watch it on the flight to Orlando from Albany on July 3 if I so choose.
Truth in 24 II goes back to the same well once again. This time, its 2011, and Audi is preparing their new challenger, the Audi R18, to do battle with the Peugeot 908 at Le Mans.
However, unlike the first Truth in 24, significantly less time is spent covering the car's development. To me, that really took away from the documentary. As a result, the show is 30 minutes shorter than the first Truth in 24. If the R18 were a proven piece, I might be able to understand that strategy, but it wasn't. Le Mans was only the second race for the R18 (the Spa 6 Hours, held in May, was the car's first outing). I would have liked to see a fair amount of coverage on how the R18 came to be, and what went into aspects like the car's crash testing. Anyone who checked out Le Mans last year (or, simply checked out a website like speedtv.com or jalopnik.com the weekend of the race) saw the kind of...abuse the R18's were subjected to during the race.
The Peuegot 908's were a little more race tested prior to Le Mans. Then again, their debut at Sebring didn't go all that well either. They got trounced by a combination of the privateer ORECA team with a 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and Highcroft Racing with their gasoline-powered HPD ARX-01e (Note: Highcroft Racing has not raced since Sebring last year since they are currently developing the Delta Wing for Le Mans next month). They were also given a run for their money by Audi with their obsolete "R15++" (Seriously, that is what they called it).
The beginning of the program was spent more or less recapping some of Audi's previous adventures at Le Mans, including the 2008 victory covered in the first Truth in 24. However, in 2009, Audi's team was beaten for the first time since 1999 (yes, Bentley won in 2003 with their Speed 8, but that was an Audi factory effort) by Peuegot. After a return to victory in 2010 in a still-inferior R15 after the Peugeots all broke, the company set out to build a brand new, closed-cockpit challenger.
The three driver pairings and their engineers were introduced to the audience (No. 1- Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and Romain Dumas, Race Engineer: Kyle Wilson-Clarke, No. 2- Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fässler, Race Engineer: Leena Gade, No. 3- Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen, Race Engineer: Howden "H" Haynes). However, either the documentary switched the cars for Wilson-Clarke and Haynes, or John Hindhaugh screwed it up. One of the two. Regardless, it caused a little confusion.
There was a brief recap of practice and qualifying, where two of the three Audis crashed. One ran afoul of a GT car in what was claimed to be the Arnage corner (slowest on the track), while Tom Kristensen spun the No. 3 into the tires at Tertre Rouge, the corner that leads onto the Mulsanne Straight. The wrecks put the team behind, but they were still able to outqualify the Peugeots, something that hadn't been done in years.
The race was a battle for the ages. Audi set a blistering pace over the 24 hours, desperate to make up nearly two minutes on the Peugeots due to a pit strategy that would require the cars to make roughly three extra pit stops over the 24 hour distance. For car No. 3, the race ended right at the end of the first hour when Allan McNish had contact with the No. 58 Luxury Racing Ferrari while passing the No. 1 Audi, sliding through the sand trap and going into the barriers. This sent debris flying down on a group of photographers and other credentialed people.
McNish recapped what he saw during the wreck, and his emotions afterwards. He got out of the car unscathed, but the car was a complete write-off. When Rockenfeller had his huge crash (caused in part by the slower Ferrari No. 71 driven by Robert Kauffmann) on the run to Indianapolis, they did the same thing. The only difference is that there wasn't as much footage of the crash since it occurred after 10:30pm and it was dark outside. When its dark outside at Le Mans, the French camera operators go back to their hotel rooms for the night, leaving only a few cameras manned. Since I watched the race live last year, I saw the coverage of the wreck and the fear of what was going on at the time was palpable.
As the race continued on, the focus was more on the battle between Peuegot and Audi, and how Peugeot's slower cars were effectively running blocker. Such a strategy would get Peugeot's cars sent to the penalty box in almost every series on earth, but they were not penalized for their actions, which Hindhaugh declared to be way over the line.
Ultimately, a decision to quintuple-stint drivers and tires (five tanks of fuel, roughly 55 laps or four hours) helped preserve a 13.8 second victory over the No. 9 Peuegot. After the race, there was some coverage of the podium ceremony and general wrap-up of the event.
I simply did not enjoy the sequel as much as I did the original. Its as if they assumed that if you're watching this, then you watched the first one. I don't think documentaries like Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts are supposed to work that way. The setup for this was a lot more like Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. After reading that last sentence, you're probably wondering Why I would compare a racing documentary to a low-budget movie based on an Adult Swim cartoon? Because both films assumed that the viewer had a significant amount of previous knowledge of the subject matter. The Aqua Teen movie expects viewers to know who Dr. Weird and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future are. You probably wouldn't have a clue if you never saw the show. You'd look at the movie etiquette piece prior to the film Editor's Note: Link contains profanity and insane stuff, viewer discretion advised and wonder just what the heck you were getting into.
Having said all that, I still enjoyed the documentary. Its just not as good as the first one. I'd definitely recommend viewing the first one prior to watching the sequel.
Also, don't expect a Truth in 24 about this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, scheduled for June 16-17 (Michigan weekend). Peuegot's surprising pullout earlier this year and Toyota debuting a new hybrid prototype at Le Mans has basically given Audi the race on a platter with French fried potatoes. Even then, Audi has developed an improved car called the R18 Ultra and a new hybrid version called the R18 E-Tron Quattro (the car has electric motors attached to the front wheels, creating a quasi-four wheel drive setup). In other words, if one of Audi's four entries doesn't win Le Mans this year, it will be a massive upset.
Thank you for checking out this look at Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts. Check out the Annex next week for another look at additional motorsports-related programming. Until then, enjoy this weekend's racing in Darlington, Salinas, CA (Laguna Seca), Millville, NJ and Barcelona.
Phil Allaway is a Senior Writer and the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.a...@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: A Surging Sophomore Relives His Rise To NASCAR
"I do have funny thing that people who follow me on Twitter will know, I have a large, stuffed animal, giraffe, that we consider our pet at my apartment. He’s the best pet in the world because you don’t have to clean up after him and he doesn’t do anything. We don’t have to do anything for him, he’s self-sufficient so he’s the best pet I can ask for." - Parker Kligerman on his "pet."
~~~~~~~~~~
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....@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
MPM2Nite: Driver No. 14: 1 4 the Record Books
by Matt McLaughlin
~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, the section of Thursday's Newsletter where I take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. Even with the trio of races in Talladega last weekend, motorsports offerings on television were actually quite thin.
However, on Saturday afternoon while the Nationwide race was on ABC, SPEED quietly debuted Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts. It is the sequel to 2009's Truth in 24, a look into Audi's preparations for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans with their R10 prototype. That year, Audi emerged victorious despite having a inferior car to Peuegot's 908 HDi FAP. ESPN aired the special in a time buy situation on ESPN 2. For those of you who have not seen the documentary, it is available for download on iTunes right now. Its on my iPod Touch so I can watch it on the flight to Orlando from Albany on July 3 if I so choose.
Truth in 24 II goes back to the same well once again. This time, its 2011, and Audi is preparing their new challenger, the Audi R18, to do battle with the Peugeot 908 at Le Mans.
However, unlike the first Truth in 24, significantly less time is spent covering the car's development. To me, that really took away from the documentary. As a result, the show is 30 minutes shorter than the first Truth in 24. If the R18 were a proven piece, I might be able to understand that strategy, but it wasn't. Le Mans was only the second race for the R18 (the Spa 6 Hours, held in May, was the car's first outing). I would have liked to see a fair amount of coverage on how the R18 came to be, and what went into aspects like the car's crash testing. Anyone who checked out Le Mans last year (or, simply checked out a website like speedtv.com or jalopnik.com the weekend of the race) saw the kind of...abuse the R18's were subjected to during the race.
The Peuegot 908's were a little more race tested prior to Le Mans. Then again, their debut at Sebring didn't go all that well either. They got trounced by a combination of the privateer ORECA team with a 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and Highcroft Racing with their gasoline-powered HPD ARX-01e (Note: Highcroft Racing has not raced since Sebring last year since they are currently developing the Delta Wing for Le Mans next month). They were also given a run for their money by Audi with their obsolete "R15++" (Seriously, that is what they called it).
The beginning of the program was spent more or less recapping some of Audi's previous adventures at Le Mans, including the 2008 victory covered in the first Truth in 24. However, in 2009, Audi's team was beaten for the first time since 1999 (yes, Bentley won in 2003 with their Speed 8, but that was an Audi factory effort) by Peuegot. After a return to victory in 2010 in a still-inferior R15 after the Peugeots all broke, the company set out to build a brand new, closed-cockpit challenger.
The three driver pairings and their engineers were introduced to the audience (No. 1- Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and Romain Dumas, Race Engineer: Kyle Wilson-Clarke, No. 2- Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fässler, Race Engineer: Leena Gade, No. 3- Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen, Race Engineer: Howden "H" Haynes). However, either the documentary switched the cars for Wilson-Clarke and Haynes, or John Hindhaugh screwed it up. One of the two. Regardless, it caused a little confusion.
There was a brief recap of practice and qualifying, where two of the three Audis crashed. One ran afoul of a GT car in what was claimed to be the Arnage corner (slowest on the track), while Tom Kristensen spun the No. 3 into the tires at Tertre Rouge, the corner that leads onto the Mulsanne Straight. The wrecks put the team behind, but they were still able to outqualify the Peugeots, something that hadn't been done in years.
The race was a battle for the ages. Audi set a blistering pace over the 24 hours, desperate to make up nearly two minutes on the Peugeots due to a pit strategy that would require the cars to make roughly three extra pit stops over the 24 hour distance. For car No. 3, the race ended right at the end of the first hour when Allan McNish had contact with the No. 58 Luxury Racing Ferrari while passing the No. 1 Audi, sliding through the sand trap and going into the barriers. This sent debris flying down on a group of photographers and other credentialed people.
McNish recapped what he saw during the wreck, and his emotions afterwards. He got out of the car unscathed, but the car was a complete write-off. When Rockenfeller had his huge crash (caused in part by the slower Ferrari No. 71 driven by Robert Kauffmann) on the run to Indianapolis, they did the same thing. The only difference is that there wasn't as much footage of the crash since it occurred after 10:30pm and it was dark outside. When its dark outside at Le Mans, the French camera operators go back to their hotel rooms for the night, leaving only a few cameras manned. Since I watched the race live last year, I saw the coverage of the wreck and the fear of what was going on at the time was palpable.
As the race continued on, the focus was more on the battle between Peuegot and Audi, and how Peugeot's slower cars were effectively running blocker. Such a strategy would get Peugeot's cars sent to the penalty box in almost every series on earth, but they were not penalized for their actions, which Hindhaugh declared to be way over the line.
Ultimately, a decision to quintuple-stint drivers and tires (five tanks of fuel, roughly 55 laps or four hours) helped preserve a 13.8 second victory over the No. 9 Peuegot. After the race, there was some coverage of the podium ceremony and general wrap-up of the event.
I simply did not enjoy the sequel as much as I did the original. Its as if they assumed that if you're watching this, then you watched the first one. I don't think documentaries like Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts are supposed to work that way. The setup for this was a lot more like Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. After reading that last sentence, you're probably wondering Why I would compare a racing documentary to a low-budget movie based on an Adult Swim cartoon? Because both films assumed that the viewer had a significant amount of previous knowledge of the subject matter. The Aqua Teen movie expects viewers to know who Dr. Weird and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future are. You probably wouldn't have a clue if you never saw the show. You'd look at the movie etiquette piece prior to the film Editor's Note: Link contains profanity and insane stuff, viewer discretion advised and wonder just what the heck you were getting into.
Having said all that, I still enjoyed the documentary. Its just not as good as the first one. I'd definitely recommend viewing the first one prior to watching the sequel.
Also, don't expect a Truth in 24 about this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, scheduled for June 16-17 (Michigan weekend). Peuegot's surprising pullout earlier this year and Toyota debuting a new hybrid prototype at Le Mans has basically given Audi the race on a platter with French fried potatoes. Even then, Audi has developed an improved car called the R18 Ultra and a new hybrid version called the R18 E-Tron Quattro (the car has electric motors attached to the front wheels, creating a quasi-four wheel drive setup). In other words, if one of Audi's four entries doesn't win Le Mans this year, it will be a massive upset.
Thank you for checking out this look at Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts. Check out the Annex next week for another look at additional motorsports-related programming. Until then, enjoy this weekend's racing in Darlington, Salinas, CA (Laguna Seca), Millville, NJ and Barcelona.
Phil Allaway is a Senior Writer and the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.a...@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond the Cockpit: A Surging Sophomore Relives His Rise To NASCAR
"I do have funny thing that people who follow me on Twitter will know, I have a large, stuffed animal, giraffe, that we consider our pet at my apartment. He’s the best pet in the world because you don’t have to clean up after him and he doesn’t do anything. We don’t have to do anything for him, he’s self-sufficient so he’s the best pet I can ask for." - Parker Kligerman on his "pet."
~~~~~~~~~~
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....@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
MPM2Nite: Driver No. 14: 1 4 the Record Books
by Matt McLaughlin
Dollars And Sense: Danica Patrick, NASCAR's Lady In Green
by Jesse Medford
Potts' Shots: The Penalities Of Deliberately Crashing Someone...Or Not
by John Potts
Professor Of Speed: Cutting The Ties That Bind
by Mark Howell
~~~~~~~~~~
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: Tim Richmond won the 1986 Southern 500 at Darlington. However, something incredibly weird happened during the race. What was this?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: Today, Darlington Raceway's only Sprint Cup race is a 500-mile event. However, the "old" Spring race at Darlington - back when the venue had two Cup dates - was shortened, for a time from 500 miles (367 laps) to 400 miles (293 laps) in 1994. Why did that happen?
A: Two reasons. One is that the move was made to differentiate the Spring race from the far more recognizable Southern 500. However, the primary reason was that NASCAR was beginning an era of race shortening. Cutting the Spring race at Darlington to 400 miles was only the beginning. 1995 saw Rockingham's fall race drop down to 400 miles and the Spring race followed suit in 1996. Dover's races were dropped down to 400 miles after the Spring race in 1997. At the time, Darlington, Rockingham and Dover had the longest races (by race time) on the circuit.
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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Jeff Wolfe
-- In Case You Missed It by Nick Schwartz
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Darlington Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer is back with a four-part look at some interesting stories as we look forward to Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy's back with another interesting commentary.
Friday Fast Forward Into NASCAR's Future by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan returns with another interesting commentary piece on the Nationwide Series ahead of their race in Darlington.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Kenny Wallace as told to Amy Henderson
Wallace, who returns to the now-renumbered No. 99 Toyota this weekend in Talladega, returns to talk about the past few weeks on and off the track.
Formula One Friday by Andy Hollis
This week, Andy tackles a very difficult question. Ranking the top-10 drivers. Who makes the list? Check it out to find out.
-----------------------------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!
~~~~~~~~~~
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Jeff Wolfe
-- In Case You Missed It by Nick Schwartz
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Four Burning Questions: Darlington Edition by Summer Dreyer
Summer is back with a four-part look at some interesting stories as we look forward to Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy's back with another interesting commentary.
Friday Fast Forward Into NASCAR's Future by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan returns with another interesting commentary piece on the Nationwide Series ahead of their race in Darlington.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Driver Diary: Kenny Wallace as told to Amy Henderson
Wallace, who returns to the now-renumbered No. 99 Toyota this weekend in Talladega, returns to talk about the past few weeks on and off the track.
Formula One Friday by Andy Hollis
This week, Andy tackles a very difficult question. Ranking the top-10 drivers. Who makes the list? Check it out to find out.
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 edi...@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
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