Frontstretch Newsletter: Parker Kligerman Is Wrapping Things Up In The Driver's Seat

Published: Fri, 10/04/24

Frontstretch Newsletter: Oct. 4, 2024
Volume XVIII, Edition CLXXXI

Help Those In Need From Hurricane Helene

As you're likely aware of by now, Hurricane Helene has devastated a significant chunk of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and Florida. In western parts of North Carolina, some areas have experienced flooding that hasn't been seen since the 18th century. To that end, we at Frontstretch want to help the relief efforts.

To that end, Frontstretch is supporting Operation Airdrop's Operation Helene, which is organizing donations in the Charlotte area and airlifting supplies to areas that have been cutoff due to flooding. If you are able, you can donate financially to the effort here.

If you're local to the Charlotte area, you can volunteer to help with the effort. In addition, there is a designated spot to drop off donations at the Walmart Supercenter in Concord, N.C. The address is 5825 Thunder Rd. NW, Concord, NC 28027. This is off Exit 49 of Interstate 85 (Concord Mills Boulevard/Bruton Smith Boulevard). The donations are picked up every day at 5 p.m. ET so that they can be hustled to nearby Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (for plane flights) or to Hickory Regional Airport (for helicopters) for the airlifts.

What to Watch: Oct. 4-6

- Today, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will take center stage at Talladega Superspeedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Craftsman Truck Series teams are scheduled to qualify today at 1 p.m. ET. There will be live coverage on FOX Sports 2.

Coverage of the Love's RV Stop 225 will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. The green flag will fly around 4:50 p.m. ET.

- NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams are loading into the garage today and will have a day of work, although neither series will go on the tri-oval today.

Xfinity Series teams are scheduled to qualify at Noon ET. The session will begin with streaming live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App. USA Network will pick up the session in progress at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Coverage of the United Rentals 250 will begin with NASCAR Countdown Live at 3:30 p.m. ET on The CW (check your local listings for channel number). The race is airing as the second part of a CW Sports tripleheader after a football game between Wake Forest and N.C. State. The football game could run long, cutting into pre-race coverage. Race coverage will begin at 4 p.m. ET with the green at 4:10 p.m. ET.

There is also the possibility of some affiliates of The CW airing syndicated college football games in place of the race. We will check the listings of every CW affiliate in the country tonight. If that ends up being the case, we'll have a list of the affected markets and alternate channels (if available) for you at Frontstretch.

- The ARCA Menards Series will wrap up their season this weekend at Toledo Speedway, ARCA's hometown. Practice is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. ET Saturday morning. Qualifying will be at 1 p.m. ET. Neither session will be televised.

Coverage of the Owens Corning 200 is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET on FS2 with a simulcast on FLORacing. The green flag is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

- ARCA Menards Series West teams will be in action Saturday night at All-American Speedway in Roseville, Calif. Practice is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET Saturday, while qualifying will follow shortly afterwards.

Coverage of the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Berco Redwood is scheduled to begin at 10:45 p.m. ET Saturday night on FLORacing. The green flag is scheduled to fall at 10:55 p.m. ET.

- The Intercontinental GT Challenge is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Indianapolis 8 Hour, which is combined with SRO America's final race weekend of the season. Teams practiced all day yesterday, while Mustang Challenge teams had Race No. 1.

Qualifying sessions have been held this morning for SRO America's support series. Pre-Qualifying for the Indianapolis 8 Hour is also complete. Results can be seen below.

Regular qualifying is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET this afternoon on the GT World YouTube channel, while the Pole Shootout is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. ET.

GT America powered by AWS has their first race of the weekend this afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage is scheduled to start at 12:50 p.m. ET. That will be followed by Mustang Challenge Race No. 2 at 1:55 p.m. ET on Peacock. Finally, TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Race No. 1 will be at 4:30 p.m. ET. The GT America and TC America races will be on both the GT World YouTube channel and SpeedSport1.

Saturday will start off with Pirelli GT4 America SprintX Race No. 1 at 8:35 a.m. ET, followed by Toyota GR Cup North America Race No. 1, which will feature the professional racing debut of Keanu Reeves.

Coverage of the Indianapolis 8 Hour is scheduled to begin at Noon ET on the GT World YouTube channel and SpeedSport1. The green flag is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. ET.

The remainder of SRO America's schedule will be completed Sunday morning. These races will begin at 8:35 a.m. ET and will be carried on GT World YouTube channel and SpeedSport1.

- The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is at Williams Grove Speedway this weekend for the Weis Markets National Open presented by Sage Fruit. Coverage is scheduled to begin both tonight and Saturday at 6:45 p.m. ET on DirtVision.

- The USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship continues with the BC39 weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway both tonight and tomorrow. Coverage will air starting at 5 p.m. ET on FLORacing.

- This weekend is also the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 for late models at Martinsville Speedway. This year, they'll be joined by the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup for a 100-lap feature. Coverage from Martinsville is scheduled to start Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FLORacing.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

TALLADEGA:

Caleb Barnes (@calebbarnes_)

Bryan Nolen (@RealBryanNolen)

TOLEDO:

Anthony Damcott (@AnthonyDamcott)

Mark Kristl (@MarkKristl)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates from Talladega!

TV Schedule: Here

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Around the World in Motorsports: Oct. 3-4

- In Free Practice Thursday evening in Indianapolis, GMG Racing's Ayhancan Guven was fastest overall in his Porsche with a lap at 104.708 mph around the 2.439-mile infield road course. His lap was .039 seconds faster than Earl Bamber Racing's Bastian Buus. Flying Lizard Motorsports' Nick Yelloly was third in his BMW, then Herberth Motorsport's Patric Niederhauser. The SunEnergy1 Racing/75 Express Mercedes of Lucas Auer was fifth.

The top Pro entry in the field was Random Vandals Racing's Connor de Phillippi, who was sixth overall in his BMW.

In the Pre-Qualifying session earlier today, Wright Motorsports' Laurin Heinrich was fastest overall with a lap at 105.297 mph. That lap is .038 seconds faster than Earl Bamber Racing's Brendon Leitch. De Phillippi was third, then Racers Edge Motorsports' Gabby Chaves in the sole Acura in the field. Team WRT's Dries Vanthoor was fifth.

How do these speeds compare to what we saw a couple of weeks ago when IMSA was in Indianapolis? The GTD Pro pole lap from Heinrich was 105.635 mph, a little more than two-tenths of a second quicker than the best lap of practice. The GTD pole from Mikael Grenier was 105.108 mph, a little slower. Despite the differences in tires (Pirellis as compared to IMSA's Michelins) and overall rules, the lap times are similar.

Frontstretch Videos:

Parker Kligerman Is Embracing His Final Full-Time Season

Bringing The Heat: Parker Kligerman Wants to Go Out on Top

Newsletter Exclusive:

Frontstretch Folio: YellaWood 500
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series travels to Alabama for the final superspeedway race of the year. Coverage of the YellaWood 500 begins with Countdown to Green at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. Race coverage starts at 2 p.m. ET with the green flag around 2:15 p.m. ET. It can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Unlike seemingly every other superspeedway race in recent years, last year's YellaWood 500 did not come down to a GWC. Instead, the final 13 laps ran under green.

Kevin Harvick was in good position to potentially win in his final start at Talladega. However, Ryan Blaney was able to sweep past with two laps to go. From there, Blaney held off the pack to take the victory.

Harvick finished second on the track, .012 seconds behind Blaney. However, he was disqualified for an issue with the windshield fasteners.

As a result, William Byron was elevated to second. Denny Hamlin was third, then Corey LaJoie and Austin Cindric.

Among active drivers, Brad Keselowski has the most victories with six. Blaney and Joey Logano have three wins each, while four different drivers (Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson (not entered)) have two each.

All-time, Dale Earnhardt had the most success at Talladega, winning 10 times. The last of his 76 career wins came in the 2000 Winston 500 with his infamous charge from 18th in the final three laps. Dale Earnhardt Jr. with six wins is tied for second all-time with former teammate Jeff Gordon and Keselowski. Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker and Darrell Waltrip all have four wins each.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.66-mile tri-oval, 188 laps (500.08 miles)
Banking: 33 degrees

Frontstretch: 4,300 feet, banked 18 degrees in tri-oval

Backstretch: 4,000 feet, banked minimal

Grandstand Seating: 78,000
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pace Car Speed: 65 mph
Opened: 1969

Website: http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TALLADEGA

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TALLADEGA

Pre-Race Schedule:

Qualifying: Saturday, Oct. 5, 1:30 p.m. ET on USA Network

Say What?!

"Talladega is a lot different than normal weeks. It’s a lot of strategy and a lot of talk with my teammates and trying to plan to work together to get to the end of that thing. It seems like every time we go back there it’s a little bit different. It’s changed a lot over the years and a lot in the past few. It’s been quite a bit different racing there with this car. Still trying to figure out how to get that first win at Talladega. We’ve been close there before and ran really strong there last year with our Bass Pro Shops Camry, so just looking to build on that and focus on what it’s going to take to try and get our first win there." - Martin Truex Jr.

"Front Row Motorsports has always performed well at Talladega. We know it’s a great opportunity for us to win with our very strong superspeedway program. This weekend is a big one for us and we want to take advantage of it. It’s just a matter of executing and being there on the final lap." - Michael McDowell

"Superspeedway racing is unpredictable. Anything can happen. If we can finish the race with a clean car, then we will probably have a great result and might even be in the best position at the end. We just have to execute at the highest level for all 500 miles of the race. I’m really proud of my Spire Motorsports team and the turnaround we have had in the second half of the season. We are going to build off our 10th-place finish last weekend and continue to show everyone what we are capable of." - Zane Smith

"I certainly have high expectations because the last time I was in the car, we finished sixth. We certainly want to go back there and improve on that finish. Beard Motorsports always brings a really fast Chevrolet Camaro. I’m proud to represent their family and be part of the team. I always have a ton of fun driving their race cars. I will be doing double duty for the third time this year with both the Cup and Xfinity Series races. And I really enjoy superspeedway racing. It’s just right up my alley. I’m prepared to go there and compete for the win in both races." - Anthony Alfredo

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Today at Frontstretch:

Parker Kligerman Enjoying Final Full-Time Season, Ready for Next Chapter

as told to Stephen Stumpf

Friday Faceoff: Who Will Have a Better 2025: Carson Kvapil or Connor Zilisch?

by the Frontstretch Staff

Fire on Fridays: Could NASCAR Retaliate Against 23XI & FRM?

by Anthony Damcott

NASCAR 101: The New Solution to Cars Flipping May Surprise Some

by Tanner Marlar

NASCAR on TV This Week: Oct. 4 – 6

by Phil Allaway

Short Track Weekly: The Legend of Lee Pulliam Continues

by Chase Folsom

Weekend Primer: YellaWood 500

by Stephen Stumpf

Bringing the Heat: Parker Kligerman Wants To Go Out on Top

with Tom Bowles, Parker Kligerman, Bryan Nolen and Stephen Stumpf

Tomorrow at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Talladega, Indianapolis, Toledo and Roseville.

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