Frontstretch Newsletter: Sept. 30, 2021
Volume: XV, Edition CLXXVII
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- Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series teams are making their final preparations for this weekend’s action at Talladega before loading up for the six-hour drive to Alabama. If anything of note breaks, we’ll have it for you at Frontstretch.
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Around the World in Motorsports: Sept. 29
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Cunningham owned the Nos. 22 and 77 Fords and Dodges in ARCA fro drivers such as Parker Kligerman, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric and Alex Bowman. Cunningham Racing won 40 ARCA races, but never won a title. Kligerman came the closest, winning nine races in 2009 and missing out on the title by five points. We at Frontstretch send our condolences out to the Cunningham
family.
- Wednesday night was the induction ceremony for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s Class of 2021. Drivers such as Davey Allison and Helio Castroneves were inducted, along with Banjo Matthews, Jack Roush and more.
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| | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. To Stay With JTG in 2022
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. confirmed Thursday afternoon that he will return to JTG-Daugherty Racing full-time in 2022 to drive the No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet. With the No. 37 team shutting down, he will be the only driver in the fold.
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| | Portland International Raceway Highlights 2022 NASCAR Xfinity
Schedule
NASCAR released the 2022 schedule for the Xfinity Series schedule Wednesday. Mid-Ohio has been swapped out in favor of the series’ first trip to the Northwest for a race at Portland International Raceway. Much of the rest of the schedule
shifts mirror the previously announced Cup schedule.
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| | NASCAR Trucks Return to Lucas Oil; 2022 Schedule
Released
In addition to the Xfinity Series, the Camping World Truck Series 2022 schedule was released. The trucks will return to Sonoma for the first time since 1998. In addition, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis returns to the schedule for the first time since 2009.
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| | Denny Hamlin Starts On Cup Pole For Talladega
On the strength of his victory Sunday in Las Vegas, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will start Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway from the pole. Kyle Busch starts second, then Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson.
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| | Jonathan Hassler To Be Ryan Blaney’s Crew Chief In
2022
Team Penske announced Wednesday that Jonathan Hassler, currently the crew chief at Wood Brothers Racing, has been tapped to assume the role as Ryan Blaney’s crew chief at the beginning of 2022.
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| | Justin Allgaier Holds Pole For Xfinity Race At
Talladega
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier will start on pole in Saturday’s Sparks 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. Austin Cindric will start alongside Allgaier, while ALSCO Uniforms 302 winner Josh Berry starts third. Noah Gragson and AJ Allmendinger
round out the top five.
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| | Ben Rhodes Begins On Talladega Truck Pole
By virtue of his second-place finish Friday night in Las Vegas, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes will start on pole in Saturday’s Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Todd Gilliland will start second, followed by Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen
and Austin Hill
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Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography and NASCAR Media via James Gilbert of Getty Images.
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Frontstretch Line Of The Week
”I’m all for the series having a chance to set itself apart from other series, especially the NASCAR Cup Series. But by being the lone series set out as a trial balloon to the Pacific Northwest, the sport puts itself at a great level of risk, and that is unless this race is standing room
only, a la Road America this past July, this northwest experiment could possibly doom a push into a market that the sport could greatly benefit from being part of.” - Brad Harrison, on the Xfinity Series adding Portland International Raceway to the schedule and what could happen.
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