The Frontstretch Newsletter - July 24th, 2007
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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 24th, 2007
Volume I, Edition LXXII
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Today's Top News
Bristol Still A Thing Of Beauty After Resurfacing
Whenever the words "repaving" and race track are used in the same sentence, skepticism ensues. Incidents like the "levigation" at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the "sealer" incident at Richmond this decade have taught the NASCAR faithful how easy it can be to take the delicate balance of a track and rip it to shreds.
Luckily, it appears Bristol learned from those mistakes.
Truck Series teams took to the track on Monday for the first official test since the track ripped up their surface and repaved after the Spring races at the facility this March. Gone is the familiar concrete surface, replaced by new asphalt that is expected to turn Bristol into a whole new breed of animal this August.
If you listen to the drivers, though, there's no reason to be afraid.
"You can't compare it at all," said 2006 Truck Champ Todd Bodine when asked about the new surface. "The old Bristol was classic, and everybody either loved it or hated it. Now, I can't see how everybody can't love it."
The appreciation didn't stop there.
"This is by far the best revamping of a track ever, no doubt about it," he continued. "The people here knew how they wanted to make this place with the redo, and they went out and did it. This is the way it should be done. It's going to be so much fun to run on, and you're definitely going to be able to pass."
"Cars and trucks will be able to run every groove, and I think you're going to have three grooves."
"They did a great job with the track and they left some of the characteristics of Bristol," added Rick Crawford, driver of the No. 14 Circle Bar Ford. "It's really fun to drive."
"You don't always like to go test but I tell you, I would come to Bristol just to burn tires up. It's a great, exciting place to run at."
Burning tires up developed into perhaps the only concern about the new track during the day, as several teams complained the compound Goodyear has is too hard to help develop a second groove. Considering the history of recent track repavings, too, it usually takes two, three events for the surface to truly develop into something competitive.But that didn't keep the compliments from rolling in.
"I'm sure you'll have some whiny babies complaining about something, but I absolutely love this place," claimed Mike Skinner. "It's going to be hard to ever get me to say anything bad about Bristol."
As testing completed, it was Travis Kvapil who led the way on the half-mile bullring, clocking in with a speed of 119.626 miles an hour in his No. 6 K&N Filters Ford. Ted Musgrave, Terry Cook, Mike Skinner, and Jack Sprague rounded out the Top 5 speeds of 29 teams that participated in the one-day test.
NASCAR Busch Series teams take to the track tomorrow for their first crack at the new surface.
Tony Talk
Don't Blame Ginn; Blame The Money He Needs
Editor's Note: Sonya Grady is on vacation; she'll return next week with more of her original commentary from a Fan's Perspective. In the meantime, rookie reporter and Frontstretch.com columnist Tony Lumbis fills in.
Ginn Racing was the surprise headliner to start the 2007 season. Mark Martin had come within inches of winning the Daytona 500, Joe Nemechek started the year with two top-15 finishes, and Sterling Marlin was enjoying some strong runs that unfortunately were ended by awful luck. By the end of February, the team was being labeled the New Kid On The Block, the mid-major surprise capable of challenging heavyweight Hendrick, Gibbs, and Childress at the top of the racing world.
Not anymore.Five months later, the organization is clearly "off the pace", releasing Marlin and putting Nemechek on hiatus due to a lack of funding. Was this due to team owner Bobby Ginn's poor planning? Possibly, but we can't put complete blame on Mr. Ginn, as many have suggested be done. Instead, we need to understand his reasoning; this owner was forced to succumb to what has become the new NASCAR, which caters to sponsors and young guns more than experience. To grasp the concept, one needs to look no further than his former employees, Nemechek and Marlin, drivers who have now twice fallen victim to this trend over the past four years.
Everyone remembers the 2002 season in which Sterling Marlin won two races and was in the thick of the points battle before a season-ending injury ended his championship hopes. The Tennessean enjoyed some solid runs in the years that followed, but was nowhere near as competitive as he was in '02. Not all the blame could be placed on Marlin, however, as none of Chip Ganassi's three cars reached Victory Lane during the following three years; it was clear that the driver wasn't the problem within a troubled organization. Unfortunately, that didn't matter; at the end of 2005, the two-time Daytona 500 champ was still released. Why? The primary sponsor of the No. 40 car, Coors Light, desired younger representation for their company. Even though this meant replacing Marlin with David Stremme, who had finished no better than 10th in the Busch Series rankings throughout his career, Ganassi's hand was forced.
Joe Nemechek wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire a few years ago, either. But in his first full year driving for Rick Hendrick, "Front Row Joe" won at Richmond and had the No. 25 Chevy running better than it had in the years before during a 2003 season that appeared filled with future potential. However, as the season wore down, Mr. Hendrick made the call to go with eventual 2003 Busch Series Champion Brian Vickers, who would bring the backing of GMAC with him and simplify a sponsor search that would have been needed to retain Nemechek's services. Without any money, Joe would simply become the odd man out.
I'm not saying that Marlin and Nemechek are superstars who deserve top notch rides at this point of their career. However, they are respectable veterans who know how to take care of equipment and serve as team leaders. Few would argue that Stremme, who has had two top 10s in the year and half since taking over the Coors Light car, could have used an extra year or two in the Busch Series. By the same token, Brian Vickers, who had enjoyed moderate success with Hendrick, eventually became frustrated with being the low man on the totem pole and bolted for Team Red Bull. Perhaps some additional experience in Busch would've better prepared Vickers to run at the same level as his highly successful teammates.
These are only two of the most recent victims that the sponsorship
era in NASCAR has claimed. Now, Bobby Ginn must also bow to the powers
that be in the corporate world, hoping that the young, fresh face of
Regan Smith will more easily attract financial backing than the
50-year-old Sterling Marlin. Gone for now are times when team owners
have the complete say in who pilots their multi-million dollar
machines; it's one of the sacrifices they pay for the increased
exposure and popularity of America's No. 2 sport.
Tony Lumbis can be reached at
to...@frontstretch.com.
Who's Not / Who's Not In Nextel Cup : Race to The Chase Special Edition
by Cami Starr
Could Cracks Be Forming In The Foundation Of Junior Nation?
by Mike Neff
Running Their Mouth : Gateway 250
by Beth Lunkenheimer
Win tickets to the sold out Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway from Dick Berggren and Speedway Illustrated. Click here to enter!
N A S C A P P E R T R I V I A
Q. What former Indy and NASCAR driver drove both his last Indy car and NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
Monday's Trivia Answer : Q: How many drivers have raced at Indianapolis in both the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400?
Nine drivers have raced in the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 during their careers: John Andretti, Geoff
Brabham, A.J. Foyt, Larry Foyt, Robby Gordon, Jason Leffler, Scott Pruett, Tony Stewart, and Danny
Sullivan.
Coming this week on The Frontstretch :
David Starr tells all in his exclusive Driver Diary, this Friday only on Frontstretch.com.
Turn Around And Catch Turn 5:
Have you been missing Frontstretch's exclusive racing cartoon, Turn 5? Well, it's time you check it out! Join the adventures of Phil Filler and his low-budget, Nextel Cup-aspiring race team as they try and race with the big boys every Sunday. Along the way, he runs into hilarious adventures with NASCAR-obsessed wife Velma Lou McAllister, fast-talking agent Earl Sweeney, and loyal crew member Porkchop McBride. Get in tune with our cartoon by checking out the archives here; you won't be disappointed! and starting this Friday, watch out for the Best of Turn 5; it's eight of your favorite strips from this season to get you back into the spirit of following your favorite comic strip!
Tomorrow, Only In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
Special Edition of the Frontstretch Top Ten
Coming tomorrow on the Frontstretch :
Frontstretch Top Ten
by Kim DeHaven and Amy Henderson
Kim and Amy inject a little weekly NASCAR humor into our lives.
Mirror Driving
by The Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite writers look back on the off week and talk ESPN's return to Nextel Cup, Sam Hornish's possible Nextel Cup debut, and who's in - and who's out - as the Chase for the Nextel Cup hits a critical stretch.
Thompson In Turn 5
by Tommy Thompson
NASCAR Commentary; this week, Tommy informs us about the horrors of Bobby Ginn - and why we should all be appalled.
by Vito Pugliese
This week, Vito makes his voice heard on .