The Frontstretch Newsletter: July 4th, 2008
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Jul 3, 2008, 11:24:28 PM7/3/08
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THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 4th, 2008
Volume II, Edition CXXV
Today's Top News
by Kurt Smith
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
July 4th, 2008
Volume II, Edition CXXV
Today's Top News
by Kurt Smith
Mark Martin Believed To Be Replacement For Mears In No. 5 For 2009
In a news conference on Friday, Hendrick Motorsports is expected to announce Mark Martin as driver of the No. 5 car next season, following the departure of current driver Casey Mears. Martin has been in talks with Hendrick for some time. It was already announced earlier in the week that Aric Almirola will be driving the No. 8 for DEI full time next year.
It is not known whether Martin will run a full- or part-time schedule with Hendrick next season, but unconfirmed sources say that he will make one last run at a Sprint Cup championship. Martin has finished second in the Cup standings four times. He is currently 49 years old.
Driving for DEI on a part-time basis this season, Martin has 12 starts, with two Top 5 finishes and five Top 10s. He nearly won the Phoenix race but fell short and finished fifth when his team decided not to gamble on fuel mileage.
NASCAR Establishes Scholarship Fund In Honor Of Fallen Cup Official
Following the death of NASCAR Sprint Cup official Brienne Davis, NASCAR has established a scholarship with the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) for women who seek automotive careers.
The Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund will award a $10,000 scholarship each year to a qualified student who is applying for the NASCAR Technical Automotive program at UTI. The first scholarship was made available through proceeds from the auction sale of the NASCAR Performance Show Car at NASCAR Day 2008.
"NASCAR is proud to be able to honor the memory of Brienne as one of its shining stars who dedicated her time and energy to serving the sport in various roles," said Odis Lloyd, managing director of the automotive aftermarket at NASCAR. "In doing so we also open additional opportunities for women to follow in Brienne's path and learn valuable skills through the NASCAR Technical Institute and pursue their career goals."
Future funding for scholarships will come from charitable gifts to the UTI Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation.
In Case You Missed It
by Kurt Smith
Sauter to Attempt Brickyard and Chicago Field For EM Motorsports
Johnny Sauter, former driver of the No. 70 Chevrolet for Haas Motorsports, will attempt to qualify the No. 08 Dodge Charger for EM Motorsports in the upcoming races at Chicagoland Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. EM Motorsports has not yet qualified for a Sprint Cup race this season.
The No. 08 car will be sponsored by FUBAR, a performance beverage. The crew chief will be Charles Swing.
Sauter has made two starts at Chicagoland with a high finish of 22nd, and one start at Indianapolis with a finish of 37th. He made four starts in the No. 70 for Haas this season, with his best finish a 33rd at Richmond.
Kerry Earnhardt to attempt to qualify for Daytona Nationwide Series race
Kerry Earnhardt, son of the late NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, will attempt to race in the Nationwide Series this Friday night for DEI, the company started by his father and owned by his widow Teresa. Earnhardt will drive the No. 8 Chevrolet.
"It's the best feeling of my racing career when I sit behind the wheel of a DEI car," said Earnhardt. "It's also exciting to return to the Nationwide Series and visit with old friends I haven't seen in awhile. Thanks to Teresa and all the guys at DEI for supporting me, I'm really looking forward to it."
Earnhardt has 69 starts in the Nationwide Series, but only four in the last four seasons and one race in the last two. He finished 25th at Daytona last year.
Petty, Dallenbach To Make Appearance Promoting "Portraits of NASCAR" Book
NASCAR drivers and TNT Commentators Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach will be participating in a book signing event this Saturday at Daytona. The event is to promote the book "Portraits of NASCAR", a new collaboration from author Robin Dallenbach and photographer Anita Rich in which both Petty and Dallenbach and their families are among those featured. Robin Dallenbach has been married to Wally for 23 years.
The book profiles several drivers in their lives away from the track with black and white photos. Personalities profiled include Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Rusty Wallace and Jimmie Johnson.
TNT's 'Wide Open Coverage' returns with Daytona race
The TNT network will bring back its "Wide Open Coverage" for this week's Coke Zero 400, with its list of sponsors including Coke Zero, Coors Light, HP, Papa John's, Sprint, Subway, Toyota, US Army, Viagra and Warner Bros.
TNT's Wide Open Coverage is a new format that provides continuous race coverage without commercial breaks. The broadcast instead has animated messages, unique branded content and on-screen graphics. TNT first debuted Wide Open Coverage in last year's Pepsi 400.
"Wide Open Coverage is a truly unique television concept that provides sponsors with the opportunity to reach the audience in a new and different way while giving fans more racing action," said Trish Frohman, executive vice president of Turner Sports sales. "We're thrilled to bring back this exciting race presentation and continue to offer our advertising partners innovative concepts that showcase their brand and tell their story with dynamic flair."
Frontstretch Folio: Coke Zero 400
By Kim DeHaven
by Kurt Smith
Sauter to Attempt Brickyard and Chicago Field For EM Motorsports
Johnny Sauter, former driver of the No. 70 Chevrolet for Haas Motorsports, will attempt to qualify the No. 08 Dodge Charger for EM Motorsports in the upcoming races at Chicagoland Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. EM Motorsports has not yet qualified for a Sprint Cup race this season.
The No. 08 car will be sponsored by FUBAR, a performance beverage. The crew chief will be Charles Swing.
Sauter has made two starts at Chicagoland with a high finish of 22nd, and one start at Indianapolis with a finish of 37th. He made four starts in the No. 70 for Haas this season, with his best finish a 33rd at Richmond.
Kerry Earnhardt to attempt to qualify for Daytona Nationwide Series race
Kerry Earnhardt, son of the late NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, will attempt to race in the Nationwide Series this Friday night for DEI, the company started by his father and owned by his widow Teresa. Earnhardt will drive the No. 8 Chevrolet.
"It's the best feeling of my racing career when I sit behind the wheel of a DEI car," said Earnhardt. "It's also exciting to return to the Nationwide Series and visit with old friends I haven't seen in awhile. Thanks to Teresa and all the guys at DEI for supporting me, I'm really looking forward to it."
Earnhardt has 69 starts in the Nationwide Series, but only four in the last four seasons and one race in the last two. He finished 25th at Daytona last year.
Petty, Dallenbach To Make Appearance Promoting "Portraits of NASCAR" Book
NASCAR drivers and TNT Commentators Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach will be participating in a book signing event this Saturday at Daytona. The event is to promote the book "Portraits of NASCAR", a new collaboration from author Robin Dallenbach and photographer Anita Rich in which both Petty and Dallenbach and their families are among those featured. Robin Dallenbach has been married to Wally for 23 years.
The book profiles several drivers in their lives away from the track with black and white photos. Personalities profiled include Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Rusty Wallace and Jimmie Johnson.
TNT's 'Wide Open Coverage' returns with Daytona race
The TNT network will bring back its "Wide Open Coverage" for this week's Coke Zero 400, with its list of sponsors including Coke Zero, Coors Light, HP, Papa John's, Sprint, Subway, Toyota, US Army, Viagra and Warner Bros.
TNT's Wide Open Coverage is a new format that provides continuous race coverage without commercial breaks. The broadcast instead has animated messages, unique branded content and on-screen graphics. TNT first debuted Wide Open Coverage in last year's Pepsi 400.
"Wide Open Coverage is a truly unique television concept that provides sponsors with the opportunity to reach the audience in a new and different way while giving fans more racing action," said Trish Frohman, executive vice president of Turner Sports sales. "We're thrilled to bring back this exciting race presentation and continue to offer our advertising partners innovative concepts that showcase their brand and tell their story with dynamic flair."
Frontstretch Folio: Coke Zero 400
By Kim DeHaven
The Sprint Cup Series visits the Sunshine State this weekend to race under the lights at the Daytona International Speedway. The Coke Zero 400 is the 18th race of the 2008 Sprint Cup season and will be broadcast live on Saturday, July 5th at 8:00 pm ET on TNT, with radio coverage by MRN affiliates nationwide. Competitors will make 160 circuits for 400 miles around the 2.5 mile superspeedway in their quest for the checkered flag.
Records and Facts
Bill Elliott holds the record for the fastest lap at Daytona International Speedway, posting a qualifying lap with a time of 42.783 seconds and a speed of 210.364 mph to win the pole for the 1987 running of the Daytona 500.
Cale Yarborough holds the record for the most poles recorded at Daytona International Speedway with 13; eight of those came in the summer race. Qualifying was rained out for last year's event. Jimmie Johnson was the pole sitter in this year's Daytona 500.
Bobby Allison holds the record for the fastest 400 mile race run at Daytona International Speedway. He attained the record of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 21 seconds with an average speed of 173.473 mph on July 4, 1980 in the Firecracker 400.
Richard Petty holds the record for most victories at Daytona International Speedway with 10 wins, three of those coming in the summer race. Jamie McMurray won the event last year. Ryan Newman is the most recent winner at the track, winning this year's Daytona 500.
Track Facts
Track/Race Length: 2.5 mile tri-oval superspeedway, 160 laps, 400 miles
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Corners: Banked 31 degrees
Frontstretch: 3,800 feet
Straights: Banked 6 degrees
Tri-oval: Banked 18 degrees
Backstretch: 3,400 feet, Banked 3 degrees
Grandstand seating: 168,000
Pre-race Schedule (all times eastern)
Practice - Thursday, July 3 at 4:00 p.m. on SPEED
Happy Hour Practice - Thursday, July 3 at 6:30 p.m. on SPEED
Qualifying - Friday, July 4 at 4:00 p.m. on SPEED
VIPs
Grand Marshall/Command to start engines: Dale Jarrett
National Anthem: Lady Antebellum
Military Flyover: F-15's 58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base in Ft. Walton Beach, FL
Say What?!?
"The key to Daytona is just staying out of trouble. You want to have a fast car. You want to be up front, because hopefully that's where the wrecks won't be. And you have to have a little racing luck on your side—just be in the right place at the right time. You have to have good fundamentals, solid pit stops and you have to keep your fenders clean" - Ryan Newman
"There are a lot of things that happen in superspeedway racing and at Daytona that are out of your control. Sometimes you get lucky and make it through an accident, and sometimes you get caught up in someone else's wreck. It's just a part of superspeedway racing. You know a wreck is going to happen, but you always hope to avoid it." - J.J. Yeley
TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by John Potts
by Amy Henderson
by Kurt Smith
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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 go the extra mile to figure out whose fuel held up in New Hampshire ... and whose tank got filled up with tears of sadness instead of raindrops. Together, we'll figure out Dario Franchitti's future, the ghosts of Silly Seasons Past, and if you're lucky, you might walk away with a prediction or two for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
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.
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA
Q. Not only was he the first driver to lead every lap on the way to winning a NASCAR Grand National race, he did it twice in a row! Who was this driver?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer
Q. Cup level drivers have come to us from all but one continent, Antartica. Who was the only driver that hailed from Africa to start a NASCAR Cup race?
A. On August 12, 1990, Sarel van der Merwe started in the Bud at the Glen in the No. 17 Chevy for Rick Hendrick in substitution for Darrell Waltrip who had been injured in a crash in practice for the Firecracker 400 that year, causing him to miss six races. Van der Merwe started the race in 20th, scoring a DNF due to a crash, finishing 24th.
.
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!
Q. Not only was he the first driver to lead every lap on the way to winning a NASCAR Grand National race, he did it twice in a row! Who was this driver?
Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Thursday's Answer
Q. Cup level drivers have come to us from all but one continent, Antartica. Who was the only driver that hailed from Africa to start a NASCAR Cup race?
A. On August 12, 1990, Sarel van der Merwe started in the Bud at the Glen in the No. 17 Chevy for Rick Hendrick in substitution for Darrell Waltrip who had been injured in a crash in practice for the Firecracker 400 that year, causing him to miss six races. Van der Merwe started the race in 20th, scoring a DNF due to a crash, finishing 24th.
.
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!
Monday on the Frontstretch
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud:
by Matt McLaughlin
Before you take that first break mid-morning on Monday, be sure you check out Matt's views on Thinkin' Out Loud for the best in water cooler fodder.
Bowles-Eye View
By Tom Bowles
Tom gives his views on the weekend events on SI.com. Want to know what he really thinks? You get that only on the Frontstretch.
By Tom Bowles
Tom gives his views on the weekend events on SI.com. Want to know what he really thinks? You get that only on the Frontstretch.
Ten Points To Ponder : Coke Zero 400
by Tommy Thompson
Tommy's ten points will leave you wanting for more. Like eleven. Or maybe twelve.
by Tommy Thompson
Tommy's ten points will leave you wanting for more. Like eleven. Or maybe twelve.
Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Coke Zero 400
by Tony Lumbis
Check out Tony's Rookie Report on Monday to see which rookies missed the big one Saturday night at Daytona
Nationwide Series Breakdown : Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
by Bryan Davis Keith
Bryan's race recap of the Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
Monday, Only In The Frontstretch Newsletter :
Latest news and Highlights from Sonoma
Secret Star of the Race
Frontstretch Stat Of The WeekLatest news and Highlights from Sonoma
Secret Star of the Race
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