Frontstretch Newsletter: The New Michael Jordan-Denny Hamlin Team Breaks Cover

Published: Fri, 10/23/20

Frontstretch Newsletter: Oct. 23, 2020
Volume: XIV, Edition CLVI

Around the World in Motorsports: Oct. 22-23

- Root Insurance, a new tech-based insurance company, announced a new partnership with Bubba Wallace on Thursday. They did so with an unapologetic 77-second clip on Twitter. It appears that this is a personal services deal for Wallace. No mention has been made of special races that Root Insurance will sponsor.

- In the first Free Practice session of the weekend at Portimao, Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas was quickest with a lap at 132.733 mph. He was a third of a second faster than Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third quickest, then Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Alexander Albon.

- The second Free Practice session was marred by two red flags. Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri burst into flames at the halfway point of the session. Later on, Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Point's Lance Stroll collided entering turn 1, resulting in Stroll ending up in the gravel.

Also, the first 30 minutes of the 90-minute session was a dedicated Pirelli tire test for a potential new 2021 hard tire compound. Most of the drivers complained of a lack of grip and a number of cars spun.

Once the session concluded, Bottas was once again fastest with a lap at 133.585 mph. This was nearly six-tenths of a second faster than Verstappen before his incident. McLaren's Lando Norris was third fastest, then Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.

For those of you watching qualifying Saturday morning on ESPN2, getting a clean lap could be an issue, especially in Q1. Drivers such as Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo never got truly clean laps in the session.

- At the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, multiple rounds of qualifying were held Thursday for this weekend's Total 24 Hours of Spa. Through those rounds, held in partially wet conditions, Audi Sport Team WRT's Dries Vanthoor, Kelvin van der Linde and Christopher Mies combined to set the fastest overall time with a lap average between the three of them at 101.015 mph.

- The SRO held their annual press conference Friday at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Here, calendars for the majority of the SRO-sanctioned series were announced (SRO America schedules for 2021 have already been announced). In addition, SRO CEO Stephane Ratel announced a new initiative for amateur drivers to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the GT3 formula that will be centered around one four-day weekend at Monza.

What to Watch:

- Xfinity Series teams are currently en route to Texas for this weekend's action. There is no on-track action scheduled today.

- Timmy Hill has indicated that he will be making an announcement today at 4 p.m. about his 2021 racing plans.

- INDYCAR action in St. Petersburg gets underway tomorrow. However, there is some support practice today.

- The top 20 starting spots for this weekend's Total 24 Hours of Spa will be set today. Super Pole qualifying coverage is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. today and can be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.

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

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan Team Named 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace to Drive No. 23

The new joint venture between Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan was officially announced on Thursday. The team will be known as 23XI Racing (pronounced "twenty-three eleven"). The team will use the No. 23.

Go FAS Racing Running Part-Time Next Year, Selling Charter

Go FAS Racing announced Thursday that they are selling the half-interest in their charter and will drop down to a part-time schedule in 2021. The team will announce their driver at a later date.

Josh Berry Running Part Time for JR Motorsports in Xfinity in 2021

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Thursday that Josh Berry, the current NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Championship, will drive a 12-race schedule in JR Motorsports' No. 8 in the Xfinity Series in 2021 while Sam Mayer is still under 18.

2020 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Finalists Revealed

Comcast announced the finalists for their Community Champion of the Year award. This award, traditionally handed out in the days leading up to NASCAR's season finale to a personality in motorsports that uses their reach to help others. The candidates are Bubba Wallace, Matt Kaulig and Clay Campbell.

Photos are 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.

Newsletter Exclusive:

Frontstretch Folio: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500

by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Fort Worth for the eighth race of the playoffs and the second race of the Round of 8. Coverage of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 begins with NASCAR America Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN. That is followed by Countdown to Green at 3 p.m.. The green flag should fly around 3:35. Radio coverage will be provided by local PRN radio affiliates and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's AAA Texas 500 saw no real dominant driver early on. However, Kevin Harvick came to the forefront late in the race. He took the lead from Aric Almirola on lap 255 and only relinquished it to make his final pit stop. Once he regained the lead when Kyle Busch made his final stop on lap 314, Harvick pulled away to take the victory and lock himself into the Championship 4.

Alrmirola finished second, 1.594 seconds back. Daniel Suarez finished third in what is his most recent top five finish. Joey Logano was fourth, while Alex Bowman was fifth.

Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leader in triumphs at Texas Motor Speedway with seven career victories. Carl Edwards has four career wins. Harvick, along with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch each have three Texas victories. Four separate drivers (Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton) have two wins. 12 more drivers have a win a piece, including Austin Dillon, who won in July.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5-mile quad-oval, 334 laps (501 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees

Frontstretch: 2,250 ft., banked 5 degrees

Backstretch: 1,330 ft., banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 128,655

Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1997

Website: http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway

Say What?!

"Texas is a track I had circled on the list this year. It’s a track that I have really become comfortable with over the years. Last year, we had an incredible run and came up just short of a win and we weren’t in the playoffs at that point. We’re in the same position this year and we’ve had a much better year. I’m really excited to see if we can keep it up front this weekend.

"I think the most difficult thing at Texas is that it’s repaved and they changed the banking in turns one and two, and it’s just the speed you carry through the banked corner of turns three and four, and then you have to get slowed down for the flat turns 1 and 2. That has made it very challenging. Then, the exit of turn 2 is very flat, so you’re carrying some speed there and the car just doesn’t have a lot of grip because there isn’t any banking." - Aric Almirola

"Texas is just a different animal since the repave and I feel like we had some great runs there. I love going to Texas before they repaved it and just felt like I had a nice feel of the racetrack and I knew what I wanted. It was a very, kind of natural thing for me for whatever reason. I kind of lucked into that I guess, but man after the repave it’s been a struggle. I feel like it’s one of our worst tracks as a team and Texas is a bad place to struggle because if you make it to the Round of 8 it’s a track that seems like it’s always right there at the tail end of the season. It’s an important track to have a good performance at that can propel you to a potential final four run. Those types of struggles at a track like that, where it falls in the playoffs is not ideal so I hope we can get a little better out there." - Chase Elliott

"I know they’ve been working on the track, but you are still trying to put rubber down. With the smooth surface, it’s hard to understand what you’re feeling with your car because you can think you’re tight, you’ve got all the grip in the world, you’re going around the corner and then, ‘Boom,’ it just busts loose right out from under you with no warning. That’s why the older racetracks, the more aged race tracks – the Atlantas, the Californias – you’re sliding the whole time, so you’re already against the slide. You don’t have maximum grip. You’re already playing with it and trying to get the most out of yourself and the car that you possibly can. At Texas, you’re not just locked down, you’re locked in solid, then it can jump out from under you in a hurry. We were OK there last year but would like to have a good run there on Sunday with our Zombie Skittles Toyota." - Kyle Busch

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.

Today at Frontstretch:

4 Burning Questions: Just How Bad Is the Current Rules Package?

by Michael Finley

Holding a Pretty Wheel: Are NASCAR’s Cookie Cutters Beginning to Crumble?

by Amy Henderson

Fire on Fridays: Chip Ganassi’s Hendrick Engine Woes Are a Playoff Trend That Breeds Conspiracy Theories

by Michael Massie

NASCAR 101: The Youngest Active Owners in NASCAR

by Kevin Rutherford

Stock Car Scoop: Bubba Wallace’s New Number

by Bryan Nolen

Monday at Frontstretch.com:

Are you looking for full breakdowns of all the action from Texas? We've got you covered there. We'll also have a recap of Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series season finale from St. Petersburg.

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