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NASCAR Will Use New Spoiler At Martinsville
posted by Jay Pennell
Wednesday March 17, 2010
During a press conference for the Sprint All-Star Race in Charlotte, N.C. today, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton confirmed the Sprint Cup Series would officially make the transition to the rear spoiler beginning with the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway. Pemberton said 83 spoilers had been sent to the teams on Monday. Teams tested the new rear spoiler on Tuesday at the Talladega Superspeedway, where the cars reached speeds well over 200mph in the draft. Throughout the test, NASCAR tried different combinations of spoiler height and restrictor plate size. Next week there is a two-day (Tuesday and Wednesday) test planned at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, where over 50 teams are scheduled to participate. Along with the return of the rear spoiler, Pemberton explained NASCAR is still working on other changes to the aero package on the Sprint Cup cars that will go into effect at all the tracks, possibly starting as soon as Texas in April.
High speeds in Talladega at first CoT spoiler test
posted by Doug Turnbull
Tuesday March 16, 2010
The highly anticipated first official spoiler test for the Car of Tomorrow may be noteworthy for other reasons. In an attempt to break up the large packs of cars, a notorious characteristic for restrictor plate tracks like Talladega, NASCAR allowed teams to try plates with larger holes – they started with a record size plate of 66/64th of an inch before shortening to 62/64ths of an inch after speeds were listed as too high. Just how high did those speeds go? Sources tell Frontstretch.com that this change, combined with the replacement of the rear wing with the traditional spoiler and the lowering of the front edge of the rear quarterpanels on both sides of the race car, allowed cars to approach straightaway speeds of up to 208 mph and average laps over the 200 mph mark. To set a mark for comparison, Juan Pablo Montoya’s April 2009 Talladega pole speed was 188.171 mph. Since speeds were in the 200 mph range, the same source says that NASCAR may consider having teams change the gear ratios on the cars, instead of decreasing the plate holes going forward, so the packs will remain broken up. Interestingly enough, the higher speeds come in light of the infamous Brad Keselowski-Carl Edwards race car flipping episode at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago, Ryan Newman’s incredible end-over-end flip at Talladega last October, and Keselowski turning Edwards airborne into the Talladega frontstretch catchfence last April. Read Wednesday’s Frontstretch.com Newsletter for more details on the Talladega spoiler test.
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. |
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In A Nutshell: While the race as a whole was far from perfect, Saturday’s finish was exactly what NASCAR dreams about at Vegas. Jeff Burton, determined not to fade at the finish like he did in California, staged one of the greatest last lap comebacks in recent history to cause a fairy tale ending. Burton held the lead when the race restarted with 10 laps left after a red flag for a Kasey Kahne wreck, but Kyle Busch slipped by with six to go and appeared to have the race all but won. Burton actually lost ground when he slid into the wall and nearly spun out another time trying to reel Busch in, but as the two took the white flag, Burton was making that time up fast. With Busch holding firmly to the bottom, Burton made his move to the high side, and the two bumped several times heading towards the finish line. Coming off turn four, Busch couldn’t hold the inside, hit the side of Burton’s No. 29 Chevrolet and spun out across the line, taking the checkered flag backwards on his way to the wall while Burton took the win. Busch still got second, with Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and David Stremme rounding out the Top 5 finishers.
Who Should Have Won: Jeff Burton. Realistically, Burton was only one of the drivers with a good enough car to win this one. Both of the Busch brothers spent some time at the front, among others, and Kyle Busch especially gets an honorable mention for not only leading a large chunk of this race, but also for giving it his all and winding up a pile of wreckage in the end. Burton gets the overall nod from me for the way he ran down Busch in the end even after wrecking (just without hitting much) twice. When you can actually see someone gobbling up car lengths on each lap, you know you have a determined driver that's going to make the finish something to see.
Three Questions You Should Be Asking After the Race Weekend
1) Were the changes to Las Vegas Motor Speedway a mistake?
I'm not sure there are a lot of fans of the reconfigured and resurfaced track after the carnage that happened out there during the race. It would not be an exaggeration to call the Sam's Town 300 a wreckfest, and it bit the experienced as well as the inexperienced. Twelve cars were retired after accidents, ironic considering the speedway went through a track record twelve cautions for 58 laps. Some blamed the tires, some blamed the repaving job, still others blamed their cars…but all agreed there is more work to be done before this track reaches its true potential.
2) Should tires be changed after a different compound has been tested?
Goodyear decided to bring a harder compound tire than the one used in testing this January, so most of what the teams learned in testing was useless for the race in March. Teams were left scrambling to figure out setups this weekend, and the results were evident in the inordinate number of scary loose race cars out there during the event.
3) Could the Busch Series have put on the kind of show they did without the Cup drivers?
There's a fascinating question, as the top finishers and front runners all day were once again Cup drivers, including the two that made it a finish to remember.
Worth Noting/Points Shuffle:
Shane Huffman came home ninth to take the spot as the highest finishing non-Cup driver. Marcos Ambrose continues a nice first season so far with a tenth place result to capture the Raybestos Rookie of the Race award for the second time in three events. Ambrose leads the rookie standings by two points over Juan Pablo Montoya.
As far as the championship is concerned, early favorite Carl Edwards continues to lead the point standings, now ahead by 68 over second place Denny Hamlin. Dave Blaney holds down third spot, 129 points behind the leader, while Kevin Harvick and Marcos Ambrose moved up one spot apiece to round out the Top . Jon Wood moved up three spots to sixth, while Greg Biffle slid back three spots to seventh. Tony Stewart, Mike Wallace, and Kyle Busch complete the Top 10.
Buschwhacker Watch:
Buschwhackers in this race: 26
Starting spots taken by Buschwhackers YTD: 82 of 170
Buschwhackers finishing in Top 10: 8
Buschwhackers finishing in Top 10 YTD: 30 of 40
Races won by Buschwhackers YTD: 4 of 4
Buschwhackers ranked in Top 10 in Busch Series points standings: 7
Quotable:
"That's all skill, man. What are you talking about luck? I hit the pit box trying to park the car after the race, and that's about all I hit. It was loose racing. Those tires are so hard and the track was really slippery. We just fought all day." Marcos Ambrose joking when told he was lucky not to hit anything when he spun out during the race
"It's been a long time since we've had conditions like this. Charlotte was pretty bad, but you could still drive 'em. Here, you can't even drive 'em. I don't have any idea what tomorrow's going to [be] like." Greg Biffle
"The track is slick, super slick. With the hard tires and the heat, it's playing havoc on a lot of people. It's just real slick, you just have to be real careful." David Gilliland
"I knew after the test that this race - the Cup race and this race, in particular - were going to be battles of attrition. So, every time I thought about doing something that you would deem as stupid or something a little on the risky side, in the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘You did this same stuff the last two years, and at the end of the year you regretted it,' because these are races that you're in, you have a problem and then you look back and say, ‘Look at how many points I lost by doing that.'" Jon Wood
Next Up: The Busch Series returns to the East coast and Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Nicorette 300. Coverage starts at 3:00 PM ET on ABC on Saturday, March 17th.
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