The Frontstretch Newsletter: Carl Edwards Fastest in Cup Practice; Wood Brothers Full-Time in 2016
Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Nov. 20, 2015
What to Watch: Friday
by The Frontstretch Staff
Wood Brothers, Ryan Blaney Plan Full-Time Cup Schedule in 2016
Daniel Hemric Tops Homestead Truck Practice
On Friday morning, the Camping World Truck Series took to the 1.5 mile Homestead-Miami Speedway for 145 minutes of practice. It took about three minutes for the fastest lap of the session to be set. Daniel Hemric was fastest, followed by Tyler Reddick, Spencer Gallagher, Matt Crafton and Erik Jones. Read more
Marcus Richmond, Red Horse Racing Part Ways
Last Friday, Marcus Richmond was the winning crew chief in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. Today, he's out of a job. Richmond announced on his Twitter page that he is no longer Timothy Peters' crew chief. Butch Hylton is filling in. Read more
Jeff Gordon Talks Championships Past & Future(?) in Homestead
Changes Afoot at Stewart-Haas Racing?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Records and facts
Last year, the first one-race championship playoff played out exactly how the powers that be thought that it would. The Chasers fought to the very end. Kevin Harvick passed Denny Hamlin for the lead on lap 260, then held off a winless Ryan Newman on a late restart to claim the win and the championship. Brad Keselowski was third, followed by Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray.
Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle each have three victories at Homestead-Miami Speedway, tops among all drivers. Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards each have two wins, while six others have one victory.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5 mile oval, 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Banking: 18-20 degrees
Straightaways: 1,760 ft, banked 4 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 46,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1995, first Cup race in 1999
Website: http://www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomesteadMiamiSpeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HomesteadMiami
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice No. 2: Saturday, November 21, 10 - 10:55 a.m. on CNBC
Happy Hour: Saturday, November 14, 1 - 1:50 p.m. on NBCSN
Qualifying: Friday, November 20, 6:15 p.m. on NBCSN
Say What?!
"Homestead is for all the marbles and I can't think of a better place I would want to compete at for the overall title. Not only has Homestead-Miami Speedway been my best track over the past 10 years, but the 1.5-mile tracks have also been strong for our team.
"This is what you dream about as a kid -- the opportunity to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. It's been an incredible year and I am so proud of all of our guys back at the shop in Denver and to our road crew for giving me fast cars week in and week out." - Martin Truex, Jr.
"It feels awesome. This is what the format is and you have to go race against three other guys. The three guys I’m racing with, it’s so cool the storylines that you’re going with there. You’ve got the past champion from last year racing against Kevin Harvick and probably the most dominant car each and every week, the most consistent car. You have Jeff Gordon who has his own stor that he wants to put a chapter to end with for his fifth championship. And, of course, the dark horse, Martin Truex, Jr. being a single-car team and being as stout as they are with Furniture Row, it’s pretty cool to see. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to going out there and performing with those guys and racing them and being the lone Toyota. It’s going to be cool to see that Toyota bug whip the other guys and take home this championship for Toyota and everyone at M&M’S." - Kyle Busch
"I enjoy heading to Homestead and I’ve had some success there in the past. You’ve got to have a good car so you can run the middle, top and bottom of the flat slick race track. We’ve won three times there, so hopefully we can add to that and finish off the season with a solid run." - Greg Biffle
"I can't believe we're at Homestead [Miami Speedway] already. It seems like yesterday we were getting ready for the Daytona 500. There's a lot on the line this weekend with the four guys going for the Championship. Everyone wants to go into the offseason with a win, so there will definitely be a lot of action on the track. We had a solid finish at Homestead last year, and I want to repeat that again for everybody at HScott Motorsports and at BRANDT. This weekend is bittersweet with it being my last Sprint Cup race with HScott Motorsports. Everyone has worked so hard at the team over the years to build it into what it is today, and I'm thankful for the opportunity I've had. I really want to get BRANDT a top 10 this weekend. They've been so supportive of my career, and will continue to be." - Justin Allgaier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: In 1996, Homestead-Miami Speedway (then known as the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex) hosted the season opener for the Craftsman Truck Series. As the series didn't race on any ovals longer than a mile in its inaugural season (or race an event anywhere near the advertised 400 kilometer distance, for that matter), how did NASCAR officiate pit stops so as to keep the playing field as level as possible?
Thursday's Answer:
Q: The
early years of the Daytona Prototype formula saw underpowered
prototypes and relatively low car counts. Despite that, hard racing was
common. Homestead played host to one of the most spectacular races for
the lead in recent memory back in 2004. What happened?
A: Late in the race, Max Papis held the lead with Chip Ganassi's No. 01 CompUSA-sponsored Lexus Riley. However, Jan Magnussen in the Doran Racing Lexus Doran, got to the inside of Papis exiting the infield. Papis wasn't having it and a bumping match ensued. The two bashed each other down the backstretch, then hit again on the frontstretch, likely breaking a part on Magnussen's car. A final bit of contact spun Magnussen out and put Papis in the sand trap, allowing the duo of Andy Wallace and Milka Duno to take the lead and win. The racing can be seen here.
-----------------------------
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!
©2015 Frontstretch.com