Frontstretch Newsletter: April 29, 2022
Volume XVI, Edition LXV
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What to Watch: April 29-May 1
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- NASCAR teams are loading in at Dover Motor Speedway this morning. Today will see NASCAR Xfinity Series teams practice and qualify for tomorrow's A-Game 200. Coverage of that will start at 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. NASCAR Cup Series teams will be in the garage working on
their cars, then going through inspection.
Saturday will have NASCAR Cup Series teams practicing and qualifying starting at 10:30 a.m. ET. This will be aired live on FOX Sports 1. That will be followed up by NASCAR RaceDay - Xfinity Edition at 12:30. Coverage of the A-Game 200 begins at 1:30.
Sunday brings 400 miles of action from Dover, live on FOX Sports 1. More on Sunday's coverage in the Frontstretch Folio below.
The ARCA Menards Series East teams will race in the General Tire 125 at Dover today at 5:30 p.m. ET. The race will be streamed live at FLORacing.com (subscription required).
- NTT IndyCar Series teams will have their first round of practice this afternoon at 4 p.m. ET. That session can be streamed on Peacock. Saturday has two more practice sessions and qualifying, which will also be streamed on Peacock. Coverage Sunday starts at 1 p.m. on NBC.
- IMSA teams will practice today at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Michelin Pilot Challenge teams have qualifying this afternoon. The Pilot Challenge race is 7 p.m. ET Saturday on Peacock, while the WeatherTech race is 3 p.m. ET Sunday right after the INDYCAR race on NBC.
FOLLOW
THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND AT DOVER THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:
Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well
for updates!
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Around the World in Motorsports: April 28
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- There are a couple of last minute driver changes heading into the IMSA weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Team Korthoff Motorsports' Mike Skeen announced on his Instagram Thursday
that he and his longtime girlfriend have tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, Skeen will have to miss this weekend's Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship. Dirk Mueller has been tapped to drive in his place.
This has significant championship implications. Skeen, along with teammate Stevan McAleer, currently lead the GTD points. Skeen being unable to go will mean that McAleer alone will have to continue the quest for the championship.
- Murillo Racing announced on their Facebook Thursday that Jeff Mosing will miss this weekend's IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
120. Kenton Koch, who primarily races an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in Pirelli GT4 America SprintX for BSport Racing, will race in Mosing's place.
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| | All-Star Race, Open Formats
Revealed
On Thursday's edition of NASCAR RaceHub, NASCAR officially announced the race format for the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway. There will be four segments, a pit stop competition and live humans
being shot out of cannons.
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Photo is courtesy of 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 Folio: DuraMAX Drydene 400
by Phil Allaway
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Dover for their only visit of the season. Coverage of the DuraMAX Drydene 400 begins with NASCAR RaceDay at 2 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. The green should fly
around 3:10 p.m. Radio coverage will be provided by local MRN radio affiliates and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel
90).
Records and
facts
Last year's Drydene 400 was dominated by Kyle Larson. Larson led 263 of the 400 laps. However, teammate Alex Bowman beat Larson out of the pits during the caution on lap 304. From there, he held on for the remaining 97 laps to take his first Dover victory. Larson was second, then Chase Elliott and William Byron in the first-ever 1-2-3-4 finish for any team. Joey Logano rounded out the top
five.
Among active drivers, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. each have three Dover victories, which lead the pack. Six others have a win
each.
All-time, Jimmie Johnson is the winningest driver at Dover International Speedway, claiming 11 victories. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison each have seven wins at Dover, tied for the most on the asphalt version of Dover (the track was converted to a concrete surface for 1995). David Pearson and Jeff Gordon each have five wins at
Dover.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1 mile oval, 400 laps (400 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees
Straightaways: 1,076 ft.,
banked 2 degrees
Grandstand
Seating: 95,500
Pit Road Speed: 35 mph
Pace Car Speed: 45 mph
Opened: 1969
Website: http://www.doverspeedway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoverInternationalSpeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonsterMile
Say
What?!
Pre-Race
Schedule:
Practice: Saturday, April 30, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m. on FOX Sports
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Qualifying: Saturday, April 30, 11:30 a.m. on FOX Sports
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"The car itself is really going to perform well – I think we have the potential to see a really good race. If we get some warmer temperatures and the groove widens out, these cars should be very racy on a very racy track. I think it could be a lot of fun and a great race for the fans. If it’s super cool and the track is very fast, it could be a narrower groove and much
harder to pass. We’ll just need to see how the temperatures are, what the tire wear is like and how the track is taking [tire] rubber, but I think it’s going to be great." - Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Kyle
Larson
"In the past, Dover has been one of my favorite racetracks to go to. It’s unique in a lot of ways. Last year, we had a solid run and stayed in the top five for all day. Hopefully we can build on that and try some new stuff this weekend to continue the momentum we’ve had this season. I’m also looking forward to getting back in the Cup car on Sunday
with Action Industries. I felt like we learned a few things at Martinsville. I think Dover is going to be really fast with this Next Gen car, so it should be a fun weekend." - AJ
Allmendinger
"I don’t really know. I’ve been running Dover on the simulator for the last two or three weeks. And I feel like, from a driving standpoint, the new car drives pretty good. I don’t know what to expect, though, it’s hard to say. This car has raced really, really well on high-speed racetracks. Dirty air has been way less of a factor than it was in the old car. But then when we go to the short tracks, it’s kind of been the opposite. So,
I don’t know where Dover’s going to fall in that. I will say the car on the simulator at least drove better than I thought it would, so I’m kind of interested to see what happens when we get there. It’s definitely going to be extremely fast in the corner. From a physical side, it’s going to be probably one of the toughest races this year, just with ride quality and the G-forces and things like that." - Chase
Briscoe
Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.
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