Frontstretch Newsletter: June 23, 2022
Volume XVI, Edition CIV
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- IMSA support series are practicing today at Watkins Glen International. IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams are due to park in the paddock at Watkins Glen today at 5 p.m.
- World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series teams continue their South Dakota residency at Huset's Speedway for night No. 2 of the Huset's High Bank Nationals. Action starts at 7:45 p.m. ET and will be streamed at DirtVision (subscription required).
- NASCAR teams are traveling today to Nashville Superspeedway. No on-track activity is scheduled. If anything of note breaks, we'll have it for you at Frontstretch.
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Around the World in Motorsports: June 22
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- IMSA announced Wednesday that they have reached an extension with the Stephane Ratel Organization (SRO) that will allow
GT4-spec vehicles to continue to race in IMSA series through the end of 2028. By that point, it will mark 12 years for GT4 cars in IMSA.
Today, GT4-spec cars comprise the Grand Sport class in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. The class was brought in officially at the start of 2017 to revive a stagnant Grand Sport class where car count had cratered as it became more and more difficult (and expensive) to build race cars from a traditional body in white. The 2016 season saw as few as four
cars in the class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and an average of somewhere between eight and 12 cars. This week, there are 28 cars entered in Grand Sport for Saturday's Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 at Watkins Glen International.
- Wednesday night in South Dakota, Spencer Bayston took the lead for good on lap 26 from Kasey Kahne and held on to win Night No. 1 of the Huset's High Bank Nationals at Huset's Speedway. Carson Macedo was second, then Kahne, Buddy Kofoid and James McFadden.
Brad Sweet finished seventh and holds a 42-point lead over Macedo. Sheldon Haudenschild dropped to third, followed by David Gravel and Logan Schuchart.
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| | Bruton Smith, Speedway Motorsports Founder, Dead at
95
O. Bruton Smith, longtime track owner and automotive magnate via Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Sonic Automotive, died Wednesday at the age of 95.
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| | What People are Saying About Bruton
Smith
Bruton Smith is likely one of the most controversial figures in the history of NASCAR, having been involved in stock car racing since the sport's earliest days. Naturally, there were
a lot of people talking about the news on Wednesday.
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| | Brett Moffitt, Our Motorsports Team With Half Off Wholesale, Rehabilitation Enables Dreams for 3
Races
Our Motorsports announced Wednesday that Half Off Wholesale and Rehabilitation Enables Dreams (RED) will serve as co-primary sponsors of Brett Moffitt's No. 02 Chevrolet for
three races.
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Photos are courtesy of Jonathan Ferrey and Ronald Martinez of Getty Images and Nigel Kinrade Photography.
Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
"Yeah, it was officially a Chevy. I told Ron Drager, “When we go through tech, I said
you’re gonna have to use your Ford templates for the body. Tony can’t drive a Ford so it’s a Chevy.” Ron said, “It works for me.” In fact, the next year Tony came back with one of his own cars, Frank beat him by three car lengths that time. The third year [that] Tony came back, I think Frank would have beat him again, except we had a car overheating. Every time a yellow came out, we had to come in and fill it with water." - Larry Clement, on the No. 40 that Tony Stewart drove in the 2001 Federated
Auto Parts 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
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