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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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Bubble Breakdown: Michael Waltrip Bounces Back With Strong 17th To Solidify Spot In Top 35
Mike Ravesi · Monday June 8, 2009
Bubble Breakdown:
If you make the long and winding drive down Long Pond Drive you’ll come upon the Speedway in the woods known as Pocono International Raceway. In 2008, this track was nothing short of disaster for the bubble teams and 2009 wasn’t much kinder to them. It started Friday when qualifying was rained out, meaning that the teams would have to start from the rear of the field. Add in the fact that passing is so difficult in these cars and it’s a long grueling race anyway and you have a long afternoon for the teams hovering around the top 35. The end result was only Michael Waltrip posting a top 25 finish among our drivers and that included a pair of spins. So to see how badly the bubble teams struggled on Sunday, read on in this week’s edition of the bubble breakdown.
The Good:
Michael Waltrip takes the gold medal this week as the top finishing bubble driver. Waltrip was able to overcome a pair of spins on and entering pit road by stretching his fuel to the end to post the team’s best finish since a 13th at Martinsville. Waltrip struggled a bit early but was the recipient of the lucky dog pass on lap 159 and managed to stay on the lead lap for the remainder of the race. His 17th place run extended his team’s cushion over 36th to a very comfortable 310 points and in all probability they won’t have a problem remaining in the top 35 for the rest of 2009.
Unlike his Rousch Fenway Racing teammates, David Ragan really didn’t have much success at Pocono on Sunday. Ragan spent most of the race battling with Robby Gordon for the lucky dog spot until late when he was able to grab a few positions as some drivers pitted for gas or ran out of fuel. The late charge enabled David to move his UPS Racing No. 6 Ford Fusion up to 26th spot as the checkered flag flew. Not a great run but definitely enough to maintain a healthy cushion ahead of the bubble. And to be quite honest there aren’t any drivers outside the top 35 that look like a real threat to get into a guaranteed starting spot anyway.
Unlike his Roush Fenway teammates that were battling up front, David Ragan spent most of his day at Pocono battling for the Lucky Dog position. But his mediocre 26th place finish was good enough to keep him solidly in the top 35.
Like Ragan, Paul Menard really didn’t have much of a run going until late when some drivers fell out of contention with fuel issues. Between that and the fact that the leaders were running pace lap times, Paul was able to race his way back on to the lead lap at the very end of the race and post a 29th place finish. Not great, but he did bring home the Robert Yates Racing No. 98 Ford Fusion in one piece and maintain his 33rd spot in the owner’s standings.
The Bad:
Robby Gordon’s crew chief showed he had a very good grip on NASCAR’s new restart rule, getting a lap back by staying out and pitting under green to get one of the team’s two laps back just prior to the half way point in the race. What he didn’t have a good grip on was the left front of his driver’s No. 7 Toyota. Gordon made multiple trips to the pits during a stint just past the midway point, changing everything from tires to you name it in an attempt to figure out the problem. Finally Kirk Almquist told Robby “something must be broke, you’re gonna just have to deal with it.” Robby dealt with it to the tune of a 31st place finish. While not a great finish, he does maintain his 34th place in the owner’s standings.
Despite the fact that Front Row Racing has not posted a single run better than 25th since the season opening Daytona 500, the No. 82 Team Red Bull Racing Toyota driven by Scott Speed hasn’t been able to crack the top 35. Speed and crew chief Jimmy Elledge again failed to get the car to Speed’s liking, resulting in another finish outside the top 30. While he did beat John Andretti in the finishing order 32 – 35, it wasn’t enough to get a guaranteed starting spot when the field goes to Michigan next week. Speed shaved nine points off of their deficit and is still 41 points out of the top 35.
I really thought Phoenix Racing would attempt to make a serious charge at making the top 35 after the team won at Talladega. I was wrong. No team that finishes 140 laps down to Dexter Bean is going to make a serious run at anything. The team’s 09 Dodge driven by Sterling Marlin this past Sunday finished just 63 laps before retiring with a fuel pump issue and was credited with a 39th place finish.
The Ugly:
Dave Blaney in the No. 66 Prism Motorsports Toyota won the leapfrog battle amongst the start and park teams last Sunday. Blaney and Nemco Motorsports No. 87 Toyota driven by Joe Nemechek*both parked and came back out with Blaney completing one more lap then Nemechek. *David Gilliland had a heartbreaking run as his ignition quit while clinging to the 42nd position with just 166 laps left and Patrick Carpentier brought up the rear in Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 36 Toyota.
A Look Ahead:
NASCAR heads out to Michigan next week and that is just music to the ears of David Ragan. In two events at the Michigan International Speedway Ragan had a June run consisting of a 13th place starting spot and an eighth place finish, and followed it up in August with a 16th place qualifying effort and a third place finish. Also looking forward to next weekend would be Paul Menard. While qualifying was a bit sketchy he managed to put up a finishing average of 18th. And of course the start and park crew will fill up the 40th place spots, David Gilliland and Scott Speed will be in the 36th to 39th, and John Andretti will wind up in 35th and manage to hang onto the last guaranteed starting spot for another week.
So there you have it, your bubble breakdown for the Pocono 500. Check back next week to see how your favorite bubble dwellers fared at Michigan and don’t forget to check out the newsletter on Friday to see the head to head picks between Philip Allaway and myself. Until next Monday, so long from the bubble.
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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