The Frontstretch Newsletter: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to Sit Out Loudon; Truex Fastest in Practice

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Jul 15, 2016, 2:55:15 PM7/15/16
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THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Jul. 15, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXVII

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What to Watch: Friday


- Today, Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series teams get on the track for practice and (for Sprint Cup teams) qualifying.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND IN NEW HAMPSHIRE THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino)
Zach Catazareti (@ZachRacing)

and our own Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!
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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found
 here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Toyotas Fast In Opening New Hampshire 301 Practice

In the opening Sprint Cup Practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Toyotas once again asserted their authority.  Martin Truex, Jr. was fastest over Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.  Read more

Earnhardt Will Not Race in New Hampshire, Bowman to Fill In

On Thursday afternoon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced that he will miss this weekend's New Hampshire 301 due to "concussion-like symptoms."  Alex Bowman, who drives part-time in the XFINITY Series for JR Motorsports, has been tapped to sub for this weekend.  Read more

Jeff Gordon to Replace Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Indianapolis if Needed

During a press conference Friday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt announced that if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is not healthy enough to race next weekend at Indianapolis, four-time champion Jeff Gordon would come out of retirement to drive Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88.  Read more

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Frontstretch Folio: New Hampshire 301
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series makes their first of two trips to New England.  Coverage of the New Hampshire 301 can be seen on NBCSN starting at Noon with NASCAR America Sunday, followed by Countdown to Green. The green flag is scheduled to drop around 1:50 p.m. Sunday afternoon.  The race can also be heard on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

In last year's race, pit strategy determined the winner.  Kyle Busch made a green-flag stop for four tires.  He then ran down leaders Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski and got back onto the lead lap prior to the final yellow flying with less than 50 laps to go.  After everyone else on the lead lap stopped, Kyle Busch inherited the lead and held on to take his second win a row and third in four weeks,  Keselowski was second, followed by Harvick, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Amongst active drivers, four men have three career wins on the flat track.  Those drivers are Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.  Newman earned his first career win at Loudon in 2002 as a rookie.  Five more drivers (Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch) have two each.

All-time, Jeff Burton has the most victories at Loudon with four.  That includes leading flag-to-flag to win the 2000 Dura Lube/KMart 300.  In addition to the four active drivers with three wins, Jeff Gordon also had three wins at Loudon.  That includes the 1998 Farm Aid on CMT 300 that sparked the "Tiregate" issue after Jack Roush accused Hendrick Motorsports of soaking tires.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.058-mile oval, 301 laps (318.458 miles)
Banking: 2-7 degrees

Straightaways: 1,500 ft., banked 2 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 95,491
Pit Road Speed: 40 mph
Pace Car Speed: 50 mph
Opened: 1990, first Cup race in 1993

Website: http://www.nhms.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhmotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NHMotorSpeedway

Remaining Pre-Race Schedule:

Qualifying: Friday, July 15 at 4:45 p.m. on NBCSN

Practice No. 2: Saturday, July 16, 10 - 10:55 a.m. on CNBC

Happy Hour: Saturday, July 16, 12:30 - 1:25 p.m. on NBCSN

Say What?!

"There’s nothing tricky or fancy about it. It’s just a fun track. It just seems like it’s always been a fun driver’s track. Your car has to work well there but, when you get to racing guys, you’re trying to out-brake them, trying to get your car to turn and you struggle for forward bite. It’s just got a little bit of everything the drivers look for to have a good race.

"It’s a big motor deal. With the corners being so tight, you’ve got to put a lot of gear in the car to get it up off the corner. Forward bite is always an issue there, too, so it’s hard to get up off the corners. Then you’ve got long straightaways where you can kind of relax a little bit. Coming into the corners, you use a lot of brake, and it’s hard to not only get the car stopped, but to get it to turn. Then you go through that challenge all over again." - Tony Stewart

"Loudon is one of the more unique race tracks that we race at.  It’s a little bit flatter one mile race track.  The thing I like about it is you can diamond the corner or run down on the apron a little bit and up the race track.  It gives a lot of opportunities to pass even though it’s difficult.  NESN has been a great supporter of us at Roush and it’s really cool to be able to run this paint scheme at New Hampshire." - Greg Biffle

"Loudon should be fun. I like going to New Hampshire. The race track is great, the fans are amazing in the Northeast and the weather is always nice. It's just a place that I look forward to going to. I also seem to run well there, too. We had a really good run there last year. I think I qualified 13th or 14th in the earlier summer race. So, I always seem to have an optimistic outlook when I head to New Hampshire.

"The bike riding up there is really nice. I've actually got a photo shoot with a bike manufacturer while we're there. We're going to explore New Hampshire and get some good shots." - Landon Cassill

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at ashl...@mail.com.
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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
 
by Zach Catanzareti
 
by Amy Henderson
 
 

Tech Talk: Trent Owens on Brakes, Droop & Drive Off for New Hampshire
as told to Mike Neff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: If you look at the results on Racing-Reference.info of the 2005 Molson Indy Toronto, you'll see that Paul Tracy ran out of fuel and finished 16th.  Let's just say that it was an exciting 16th-place finish.  What happened after his first stop?

Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Thursday's Answer:
 
Q: Jason Keller is best known as being a mainstay in the now-XFINITY Series during his career.  In 1992, he was 22 and just getting started in the series with a limited schedule.  The New England Chevy Dealers 250 was one of five races that he ran that season.  He had a decent day going until he ran into trouble in turn 3.  What happened?

A: Keller was trying to gain on Joe Bessey when Busch North regular Jeff Barry made a dive to the inside.  The two made contact, spinning both cars out.  Keller backed hard into the outside wall while Barry spun.  Mike McLaughlin, Mike Stefanik and Shawna Robinson were also collected.  The crash can be seen here.

Keller was out on the spot, while Barry was eliminated after getting involved in another crash later in the race.  Robinson, McLaughlin and Stefanik continued.
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COMING MONDAY
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have recaps of the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races from Loudon.

On Frontstretch.com:
We'll have a series of post-race commentaries analyzing this weekend's action in Loudon.

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