Frontstretch Newsletter: Kris Wright Tests Positive for COVID-19; Bubba Wallace Gets Truck Ride for Bristo

Published: Fri, 03/19/21

Frontstretch Newsletter: March 19, 2021
Volume: XV, Edition XXXV

Around the World in Motorsports: March 18-19

- Thursday saw the very first race for the new Porsche Carrera Cup North America at Sebring International Raceway. Kelly-Moss Road and Race's Sebastian Priaulx led flag-to-flag from the pole to claim victory. Teammate Kay van Berlo was second, then Leh Keen, Parker Thompson and Dylan Murry. Race No. 2 is on right now and can be seen at IMSA.com and NBC Sports' TrackPass service.

- The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires was also in action Thursday and did not disappoint. The race came down to a duel between Selin Rollan and Daytona winners Michael Carter and Gresham Wagner. The three drivers exited Sunset Bend side-by-side and rubbed to the line. When the checkered flag fell, Rollan claimed victory over Carter by one-thousandth of a second. Wagner was third, followed by Justin Piscitell and Drake Kemper.

- Race No. 2 Friday morning had more than it's share of action as well. This race came down to a duel between Carter and Wagner. Carter got a run off of turn 16 on the final lap and took the lead away. However, he went wide in Sunset Bend, allowing Wagner to get back past to take his third win of the year. Carter was second, then Bryan Ortiz. Sam Paley was fourth, while Aaron Jeansonne finished fifth despite losing bodywork on the final lap.

- Sports car racer Marcel Faessler announced his retirement from full-time racing on Thursday. Faessler, 44, most recently raced as an endurance driver for Corvette Racing. Prior to that, he raced full-time in DTM and was part of Audi's factory squad. With Audi, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times (2011-2012, 2014).

- Tony Stewart is officially off the market. The three-time Cup champion and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing got engaged Thursday to his girlfriend, NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series racer Leah Pruett.

What to Watch:

- Today, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge teams will race for two hours in the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120. The green flag is scheduled to fall at 2:35 p.m. The action can be seen on NBC Sports' TrackPass service.

- NASCAR teams will begin to pull into Atlanta Motor Speedway today for this weekend's action. If anything of note breaks, we'll have it for you.

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

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

TRD President: Returning to Previous Practice/Qualifying Procedures ‘Unnecessary,’ ‘Expensive’

On Thursday, Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson went on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and was asked about the race weekend format going forward. Wilson had some thoughts.

Kris Wright Tests Positive for COVID-19, Josh Berry Driving at Atlanta

Young's Motorsports announced Friday morning that Kris Wright has tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to miss Saturday's Fr8 Auctions 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Josh Berry will make his Camping World Truck Series debut in his place.

Bubba Wallace to Compete in Bristol Dirt Truck Race

Spencer Davis Motorsports announced Thursday that Bubba Wallace will drive the team's No. 11 Toyota in the Pinty's Dirt Race at Bristol. Wallace, who hasn't raced in the series since he subbed for the suspended Austin Wayne Self in 2019, will bring sponsorship from Columbia Sportswear.

Myatt Snider Running Bristol Dirt Truck Race

Reaume Brothers Racing announced Thursday that Xfinity Series regular Myatt Snider will drive the team's No. 33 Chevrolet in the Pinty's Dirt Race. Sponsorship will be provided by Louisiana Hot Sauce.

JR Heffner Driving for Jordan Anderson in Bristol Dirt Truck Race

Jordan Anderson Racing announced Thursday that Lebanon Valley Speedway Big Block Modified regular JR Heffner will drive the team's No. 3 Chevrolet in the Pinty's Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 27.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Participating in Bristol Dirt iRacing Event

Next week kicks off the second annual eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational. Big names are scheduled to take part. They'll be joined by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has indicated that he will participate in the season opener at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway on March 24.

Action Express Racing Sweeps Thursday Sebring Practices

Action Express Racing's Felipe Nasr was dominant Thursday in practice for Saturday's Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts. Nasr was fastest overall for the day with a lap at 126.765 mph.

Maxwell Root Wins Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Pole

Maxwell Root, driving for Wright Motorsports in place of the injured Ryan Hardwick, won the pole for Friday's IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Thursday with a lap at 102.527 mph.

Bill Auberlen Quickest in Sebring Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice

Turner Motorsport's Bill Auberlen was quickest in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice Thursday at Sebring International Raceway. Auberlen's lap at 102.937 mph was nearly a half-second faster than anyone else.

Alex Palou Dominates IndyCar iRacing Race at Montreal

Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou dominated the first INDYCAR iRacing Challenge race of 2021 Thursday night. Palou led all but a couple of laps on his way to victory at the virtual Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Braden Eves was second, then Scott McLaughlin, James Davison and Sage Karam.

Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography, iRacing via INDYCAR, IMSA, Christian Koelle and our own Mike Neff.

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: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series will make their lone visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Coverage of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 will start at 1 p.m. Sunday with NASCAR RaceDay on FOX Sports 1. The show moves to FOX at 2:30 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to drop around 3:10. In addition, the event can also be heard on your local PRN affiliate or SiriusXM Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 325 laps (500.5 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and facts

Last year's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 saw the final stage of the race run caution-free. Kevin Harvick seems to have mastered the skill of being able to run at the very bottom of the track at Atlanta and that skill helped him once again.

Harvick took the lead on a lap 218 restart from Kyle Busch and only relinquished it over the final 107 laps to make a pit stop. No one could handle the veteran, who held on to take the win.

Harvick finished 3.527 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch. Martin Truex Jr. was third, then Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin.

Among active drivers, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick are tied for the most wins with three. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch each have two. All-time, the late Dale Earnhardt tops the win charts with nine wins, while Cale Yarborough has seven. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison have six wins each.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.54-mile quad-oval, 325 laps (500 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees

Frontstretch: 2,332 ft, banked 5 degrees

Backstretch: 1,800 ft., banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 75,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1960

Website: http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amsupdates

Say What?!

"Atlanta is a fun place to race that many of us enjoy. The surface is so worn out that you have to manage your tires. The preferred line is the ‘Harvick’ line – on the bottom – and I’ve worked hard in the past to really get that line working in turns three and four. In turns one and two, you can run the top but it’s really hard on the tires. I’m looking forward to it because I think we’ll have a really fast car there." - Kyle Larson

"The old pavement gives the track character. It’s fun to race on, and it has multiple grooves. Tracks get better with age, and Atlanta is definitely an old one. It’s extremely fun." - Matt DiBenedetto

"Tires will be very important to having a successful race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Even with the downforce package we have, tires still remain as a key to this track due to the extremely worn-out surface. Last year, I was still getting a feel for a Cup car when we raced at Atlanta and thought I had a tire going down during the first stage, so now that I know what that feels like I know what to watch out for. We had some handling issues during last year’s race too where our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE would swing from being way too loose to way too tight, so my team has looked back at last year’s notes a lot this week to prepare and have a better handling No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet this time around. I enjoy racing at Atlanta with its old track surface, so I’m excited for this weekend." - Tyler Reddick

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of NASCAR Media via Getty Images.

Today at Frontstretch:

Friday Faceoff: Should More Teams Let a Dirt Ace Pilot Their Bristol Entry?

by the Frontstretch Staff

4 Burning Questions: The Search for Even More Money

by Michael Finley

Fire on Fridays: Despite the Hype, NASCAR is Going to Atlanta This Weekend, Not Bristol

by Michael Massie

Win &... Not In?

by Mike Neff

NASCAR 101: Drivers Who Are Getting Dirt Experience Before the Bristol Cup Race

by Zach Gillispie

Monday at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have a series of post-race commentaries analyzing this weekend's action. Should be some interesting racing in Atlanta. We'll also have recaps from Sebring.

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