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Edwards Placed On Probation For Three Races
posted by Jay Pennell
Tuesday March 9, 2010
NASCAR President Mike Helton addressed the media Tuesday afternoon following Sunday’s late-race incident between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Well over 100 laps down, Edwards intentionally spun Keselowski through the tri-oval while Keselowski was running sixth. The No. 12 car lifted in the air and slammed the outside wall with the driver’s side window. NASCAR parked Edwards for his actions and ordered him to the NASCAR hauler for further discussion on the matter. Tuesday, Helton explained Edwards would be placed on probation for the next three races and the drivers and their teams would meet with NASCAR about the situation. “Following that incident we asked the driver of the 99 to visit us in the hauler, and we made it very clear to him that these actions were not acceptable and did go beyond what we said back in January about putting the driving back in the hands of the drivers,” Helton said. “We believe the driver of the 99 understands our position at this point.” For NASCAR, the biggest issue emerging from Sunday’s incident was the fact the No. 12 car lifted into the air. “But the bigger topic is the 12 car getting airborne at a mile-and-a-half track which we typically don’t see,” Helton said. “It’s been years since we’ve seen that. So a lot of our effort yesterday, today and until we find resolve to it is figuring out how it happened, why it happened and what we can do to prevent it from happening in the future.”
Keyed Up and Key Motorsports split
posted by Doug Turnbull
Saturday March 6, 2010
If missing the first three races to date was not enough drama for the No. 90 Keyed Up Motorsports Chevy team and Casey Mears, organizational upheaval may tip the scales. A member with the team tells Frontstretch.com that Raymond Key’s Cup operation, originally formed with ties to Curtis Key’s teams in the Nationwide and Truck Series, has become its own entity. As of Monday, the team began a move into Tommy Baldwin Racing’s old shop while planning to continue trying to qualify on Cup races. However, if sponsorship for the team fails to pan out, Keyed-Up may vie for a partial schedule similar to that of the Wood Brothers and only run about 12 races the rest of the year.
Wood Brothers running FR9 for now, Roush says no big problems with new motor
posted by Doug Turnbull
Saturday March 6, 2010
Ford’s new FR9 motor has not made a speedy entrance to the Sprint Cup Series, mainly because the Ford teams need adequate supplies from the engine parts vendors and not because of performance problems, says team owner Jack Roush. Claiming the engine will perform well over the long-term, he still expects the new design to be “the Ford engine of the future” and fully in use by the end of 2010. While his four Ford teams are not running the revamped engine, Roush revealed that the Wood Brothers Ford team will run the FR9 this weekend at Atlanta and in April at Texas. Beyond that, either Roush nor Ford officials have announced a set schedule for full or future implementation of the power plants.
Crawford says truck team is 'close' on sponsorship
posted by Doug Turnbull
Saturday March 6, 2010
While never a standout in the Camping World Truck Series, Rick Crawford has experienced moderate success over his long career in NASCAR’s third-tier. After losing sponsorship at the end of 2009, his Circle Bar Racing team finds itself on the ropes, wondering how many races the future may hold. The veteran Crawford, though, remains optimistic a deal is imminent. “I would say we’re pretty close on signing a sponsor for the 2010 season and 2011 and beyond. [Not starting 2010 with a sponsor] was a matter of losing a sponsor late last year and [the prospective sponsor] getting its marketing efforts done. We’ve got the contracts ready; we’re waiting to get that signed.” Crawford started 2010 with a DNF at Daytona, placing 28th.
Justin Marks Wins The ARCA Race!
posted by Thomas Bowles
Saturday February 27, 2010
Justin Marks won a rain-shortened event at Palm Beach Saturday, collecting his first ever win in the series. Robb Brent, Blake Koch, Tom Hessert III, and Steve Arpin rounds out the top 5. Stay tuned to Frontstretch.com for plenty of post-race coverage on both the website and our Newsletter.
Looking For ARCA Coverage? We Got It!
posted by Thomas Bowles
Saturday February 27, 2010
While the ARCA race at Palm Beach may not be televised … we’ve got you covered. Our own Bryan Davis Keith is at Palm Beach all weekend and will be posting news, commentary, and features from the Florida road course both on the website and in our newsletter. Don’t miss out! And don’t forget, our own Tom Bowles is spending the weekend in Vegas, too … so we’ve got you covered from all angles. Just another reason why we’re the best seat at the track and the best view on the ‘net!
Carter Simo still plans 2010 Cup races
posted by Doug Turnbull
Friday February 19, 2010
One story lost in the shadow of Speedweeks in Daytona was the absence of Carter Simo Racing’s No. 08 car. Much of the team’s equipment was put up for auction Tuesday; however, a source tells Frontstretch.com the operation still plans to field a car in 2010, with a limited schedule of races TBD. CSR may also try and field a car for the Talladega ARCA race in April; until then, most of the team’s employees have been temporarily released and are working for other teams in the sport. In mid-2009, team owner John Carter bought the assets of beleaguered owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield, using the newly purchased equipment and Toyotas to field entries in five races with two-time champion driver Terry Labonte. Equipment issues kept the team from cracking the top 30 in those races. Road course ringer Boris Said also wielded No. 08 Fords last year at both road course races, scoring the team’s season-best finish of 24th at Infineon. Later on that season, Said and longtime partner Mark Simo split, creating the newly-named Carter Simo racing with Labonte behind the wheel. On Tuesday, CSR only placed the equipment purchased from Mayfield on the block, including five Toyotas, a race hauler, and other pit equipment and tools. However, the source says that the team still owns three old Yates chassis and an old Ganassi piece (all of which they converted to Dodges last year) in the shop, with plans on returning to the track midseason pending sponsorship. The move is similar to what happened with Carter Simo last year, in which they took a four-month break between Daytona and Infineon while preparing to race at specific tracks. CSR, which still splits its time between its shops in Charlotte and in Toccoa, Georgia, just has to modify the top of the noses on their cars before returning to the track, due to a minor, lightly-discussed rules change before the season. As for CSR’s 2009 drivers and whether they will return to the team, Boris Said currently is driving the No. 26 for Bill Jenkins’ Latitude 43 Motorsports, and is working on a long-term deal that should remove him as an option. Terry Labonte is also out of the running; he and former owner Bill Stavola formed Stavola Labonte Racing in 2009, but are currently sidelined due to a lack of sponsorship. According to sources, Labonte was offered but initially turned down a return to the No. 08. A John Carter-owned car did participate in the ARCA race at Daytona on February 6th. Former CSR driver James Hylton borrowed a car from Carter, then leased it to driver Jill George for the race. But George infamously crashed the No. 48 roof-first into the wall just 25 laps into the 80-lap Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, finishing 31st in the 43 car field.
Parrott In As Crew Chief For Kenseth
posted by Jay Pennell
Wednesday February 17, 2010
Less than a week into the 2010 season and Roush Fenway Racing has already made a switch at the crew chief position. News broke on Wednesday that Todd Parrott would take over atop the pit box for the No. 17 team with driver Matt Kenseth, replacing Drew Blickensderfer. The Kenseth-Blickensderfer combination won last year’s Daytona 500 and backed it up by winning the next weekend at the Auto Club Speedway. Despite their strong start out of the box, the No. 17 team failed to live up to expectations in 2009, scoring seven top-5s, 12 top-10s and failing to make, along with missing the Chase. Now after an 8th place finish in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Blickensderfer is headed to the Roush Fenway Racing R&D Department and Parrott is taking over as crew chief.
Danica Out in Daytona
posted by Mike Lovecchio
Saturday February 13, 2010
A lap 79 crash abruptly ended Danica Patrick’s first career NASCAR start Saturday in Daytona. Patrick went a lap down early in the race and later got back on the lead lap on lap 55 via the “Lucky Dog” rule. As she began moving through the field, she was collected in an incident that involved 12 cars. “I’m just going to take away the fact that I know what it’s going to be like out there come next year,” she said. “I felt we would’ve finished strong if we would’ve finished, but as you can see it’s easier said than done.”
Truck Series Race Postponed Until 7:00 PM Saturday
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday February 12, 2010
It’s official – Friday track activities were washed out by the weather. Not only was Nationwide qualifying pushed back, but the Truck race was postponed, too – they’ll run at 7:00 PM Saturday night. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest news ‘n’ notes from the track! |
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Each week, the Frontstretch hosts a live blog during the Sprint Cup race. It’s a great way for readers to interact alongside their favorite Frontstretch writers with videos, live commentary, and live polls. Four of this week’s “Five Points” were polls taken during the Texas live blog.
Five Points to Ponder:
ONE: Is it now a two driver race for the Chase?
It took just a few minutes into Sunday’s Dickie’s 500 for fans to remember just how unpredictable racing really is. It’s easy to forget sometimes, when Jimmie Johnson puts on a clinic week in and week out — but once Sam Hornish, Jr. turned the No. 48 car and sent Johnson into the wall, fans stopped wondering if the three-time defending champion could clinch another title next week and started rooting for Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon to narrow the deficit. Gordon and the No. 24 team failed to step up, finishing 13th, but it was his teammate Mark Martin who played the correct fuel strategy in the final laps to maintain a 4th place finish, closing the gap to 73 points between he and Johnson. With Gordon 112 points back, it is now a two man battle for the title, with Martin now heading to Phoenix where he won earlier this season. Martin may need Johnson to slip up again to take the crown, but as we saw Sunday… anything can happen.
TWO: Given Sunday’s events, do you still think Jimmie Johnson will win the championship?
Fan Vote – YES: 83%; NO: 17%
Even sporting the Darth Vader look didn’t detract fans from thinking Johnson is still in line for his fourth title.
Yes, Mark Martin is just 73 points out of first. Yes, he won at Phoenix this spring. Yes, he has more experience than anybody in the series. But does anybody really expect Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus to let a fourth consecutive championship slip out of their grip? Racing is unpredictable by nature, but it will take either a mechanical failure or another crash for the No. 48 to lose this title. This is the most consistent team of this era, and for them to have two bad races out of the final three and lose a 184-point lead with the championship on the line – it’s just something I don’t see happening.
THREE: Do you like fuel mileage races?
Fan Vote – YES: 50%; NO: 50%
The fan vote is an accurate representation of the tug of war that goes on in my own mind when races play out the way they did on Sunday. On one hand, I like the unpredictability a fuel mileage race holds – wondering who can make it on fuel, holding your breath to see if they finish the final laps – but I’d also rather see a race play out on the racetrack. It was truly a shame to see Kyle Busch miss out on the weekend trifecta because he ran out of fuel when he had the best car. In the end, you just have to chalk up fuel mileage races as a part of racing, and remember – at least there was no phantom debris caution that set up a green-white-checkered.
FOUR: Did the increased coverage of Johnson’s repairs help or hurt ESPN on ABC’s broadcast?
Fan Vote – HELPED: 33%: HURT: 67%
I doubt anybody expected Jimmie Johnson to run into problems immediately following the drop of the green flag, but the ESPN on ABC crew did a fantastic job calling an audible and delivering updates to fans throughout Johnson’s hour long stay in the garage. It was true reality TV watching Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team, along with help from other Hendrick crew members, race the clock and completely rebuild a car fast enough to get back on track in time to make up positions. In the end, by repairing the car in just over an hour, Johnson was able to make up a crucial five spots on the track — 15 points that could prove critical come Homestead. I, for one, loved the coverage of the repairs, but could have done without the, “In case you missed it…” and replay every five minutes throughout the day.
FIVE: Will Danica Patrick ever become a full-time Sprint Cup driver?
_Fan Vote – YES: 33%; NO: 67%
Before Sunday’s race started, I figured I’d poll fans’ thoughts on one of the bigger news items this week – the Danica Patrick rumor of signing with JR Motorsports for a limited Nationwide schedule in 2010. Some fans were impressed that she’s easing into stock car racing and seems to want to accept the challenge, while others thought she was going for the money and celebrity. But in the end, when asked if she would ever get a chance to be a full-time Sprint Cup driver, 67 percent of viewers voted “No.” To me, it comes down to one thing: what she decides to do with her IndyCar career. I understand she’s running the full schedule next season no matter what happens in the Nationwide Series, but if she continues to run both IndyCar and Nationwide in 2011, I don’t see it happening. You simply can’t compete in both series, and if she ever wants a legitimate NASCAR Sprint Cup career, she’s going to need to put all of her focus in the stock car racing. It might be a big risk, but it could also reap a big reward.
Notes to Ponder:
Near triple: Kyle Busch may not be the most popular driver in the series, but it was a shame to not see him pull off the triple this weekend when he had the best car Sunday. Running out of fuel with two laps left, Busch went from leading to 11th in the final rundown.
Townley: John Wes Townley secured a Nationwide Series ride with RCR in 2010 largely due to his sponsor, Zaxby’s. Let’s hope it allows him to showcase his potential.
Buescher’s promotion:.19-year-old James Buescher will run full-time next season for Phoenix Racing in the Nationwide Series. It’s a great opportunity for one of the sport’s bright young talent.
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THE FREE FRONTSTRETCH PODCAST IS BACK – WITH CAREY AND COFFEY!
LATEST EDITION – FANS SOUNDING OFF ON CARL AND BRAD
Jay Coffey and Matt Carey are back in action for Frontstretch, contributing a second season’s worth of weekly podcasts you can’t find anywhere else. Click here to hear the latest edition from the hosts of the Carey and Coffey show, where they take a look back at the Carl-Brad feud through your comments and Tweets about the incident. It seems like everyone has something to say about it all, so C&C take the best of the best while making their own opinions heard on the wreck that sparked a national furor.
So click on the link, sit back, and relax. Once you’re done, if you like what you hear be sure to visit Careyandcoffey.com to get the latest news and information about their show that’s on-air every Sunday morning both online and with ESPN Radio in Southern CT.
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