Frontstretch Newsletter: Qatar Joins the World Championship

Published: Fri, 10/01/21

Frontstretch Newsletter: Oct. 1, 2021
Volume: XV, Edition CLXXVIII

What to Watch: Friday

- GMS Racing has an announcement scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET today in the Talladega Garage Experience. They will be announcing their 2022 Camping World Truck Series driver lineup. Frontstretch will be at the announcement and will attempt to bring you additional content in addition to the news.

- The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will be at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Penn. tonight and tomorrow for the Champion Racing Oil National Open. The "Pennsylvania Posse" will be out in force to take on the regulars. Coverage starts tonight at 5:45 p.m. ET on DirtVision.tv.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND IN TALLADEGA THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUE:

Phil Allaway (@Critic84)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates from Las Vegas and Long Beach!!

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

Qatar Joins F1 Schedule for November, 10 Years Starting In 2023

The FIA announced Thursday that the Losail International Circuit in Qatar has been added to the Formula 1 World Championship for this year. The new Grand Prix of Qatar will be Nov. 21. In addition, a contract has been signed that will see F1 in Qatar every year from 2023-2032.

Photo is courtesy of Losail International Circuit.

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: YellaWood 500

by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Talladega for the fifth race of the playoffs. Coverage of the Yellawood 500 begins with Countdown to Green at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. Race coverage is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET, while the green flag should fly around 2:15. Radio coverage will be provided by local MRN radio affiliates and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's YellaWood 500 saw Matt DiBenedetto snatch the lead on a GWC before a multi-car crash broke out to bring out yet another caution, the 13th of a race that took over four hours on the restart.

On the final lap after the final restart, Denny Hamlin was able to draft past DiBenedetto to pick up the victory and lock himself into the Round of 8. Erik Jones was second, then Ty Dillon, William Byron and Chase Elliott. Only 25 of the 39 starters finished the race. Of the 14 that retired, all but one DNF'd due to crash damage.

Among active drivers, Brad Keselowski is the winningest driver at Talladega with six victories. Joey Logano has three wins. Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin each have two. Five other drivers in Sunday's race have a Talladega victory to their names

All-time, Dale Earnhardt is the winningest driver at Talladega with 10 victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski are tied with six while Buddy Baker, Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison have four wins apiece. Logano, Davey Allison, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson each have three wins.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.66-mile tri-oval, 188 laps (500.08 miles)
Banking: 33 degrees
Frontstretch: 4,300 ft., banked 16.5 degrees
Backstretch: 4,000 ft., banked 5.5 degrees
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/talladegasuperspeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/talladegasupers

Say What!

"You have to be aggressive just for the fact that if you’re not aggressive, it always seems like you’re not going to be where you need to be. Nine times out of 10, the aggressor is going to be the guy who comes out on the good side of things just for the fact that you’re making things happen and you’re not waiting for something else to happen. When you wait for something else to happen, that’s usually when you get in trouble because it’s usually someone else’s mess. You can still get in trouble if you’re aggressive, but with this rules package and the way things are, it’s best to stay aggressive and try to stay up front." - Kevin Harvick

"That’s a good question. I don’t know. I think honestly at the end of the day, you hope you are running at the finish and you are going to do whatever is best for you, so I don’t know if you are going to make a move necessarily on who’s around you if they are in the Playoffs or not, you are going to do whatever is in your best interest to get you the best result you can get.

"[My relationship with Talladega has] not been very good lately. We’ve kind of been in bad relationship these last couple of years. I don’t know. I enjoy going there. I enjoy racing there. It just been a real challenge to get to the finish, so hopefully, this time around we will have a little bit better luck. Just been caught up in a lot of accidents. Nowhere to hide there. It’s just not been that good to us. We haven’t finished a speedway race this year, so I guess the odds are in our favor to finish this one, hopefully. We need it. We need a good finish, so hopefully we will get it done." - Martin Truex Jr.

"I think some guys have Talladega figured out a little bit. I don’t think we have figured out the exact things we need at the track to make it to the end, but I feel like we are gaining on it. Superspeedways have been pretty rough on us this season, but hopefully we have built up some good fortune after the way Talladega and Daytona have been this year. The cars aren’t easy to drive in traffic, so it’s definitely nerve-wracking. This weekend gives us the opportunity to go out there and score a lot of points. Our Hendrick Motorsports cars are always super-fast at speedways, so I just need to go out there and do my job and stay out of the possible mess." - Alex Bowman

"Talladega is one that stays circled on the calendar. It gives us a chance to get in the mix and contend for a win. We had a strong car at Daytona. I learned a lot racing around the guys in the front all day. Hopefully we will have the Schluter Systems Camaro dicing it up with the leaders at the end again this weekend." - Corey LaJoie

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:

Friday Faceoff: Does NASCAR Have An Electric Future?

by the Frontstretch Staff

4 Burning Questions: IRP Makes A Comeback

by Michael Finley

Doing It the Old-Fashioned Way

by Mike Neff

Fire on Fridays: Time to Take Talladega Out of the NASCAR Truck Playoffs

by Joy Tomlinson

Stock Car Scoop: Just How Chaotic Will Talladega Be?

by Adam Cheek and Bryan Nolen

Monday at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Talladega and Sebring.

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