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The Hot Pass: Front Row Motorsports picking up pace
John Andretti, driver of the #34 Taco Bell Chevrolet, drives during practice for the NASCAR...
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
If you haven’t heard of Front Row Motorsports yet, you will.With Ford Racing’s expansion from seven full-time teams in 2009 to as many as 13 in 2010, Front Row Motorsports will field three cars for at least the first five races of the Sprint Cup season — and perhaps the entire year.
Travis Kvapil and Kevin Conway are locked into the Nos. 34 and 37, respectively, for the season. Conway, who is running for Raybestos Rookie of the Year, will retain the top 35 position in owner points from 2009, which will secure his position in the starting lineups through Bristol in March.
For Front Row, this is the next step in its progression. Since 2005, team owner Bob Jenkins has dabbled in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series. For the first time last year, Jenkins attempted to run the full season with John Andretti in the No. 34 car and a cast of drivers including Tony Raines and Kvapil in the second car, the No. 37.
In the process of dismantling Petty Enterprises after the 2008 season, team manager Jerry Freeze met Jenkins, who was looking to increase his inventory. Although times were tough for many in NASCAR, Jenkins found it to be the right time to expand his operation, and Freeze was perfect for the general manager’s position. By the Bristol race last March, Freeze was on board.
Freeze and Jenkins realized early in their relationship that, in order to take FRR to the next level, they needed to make changes. When Doug Yates reached out to the company last fall about a potential engine deal, the decision to move to Ford became clear.
“We were weighing our option for the next move,” Freeze said. “We really didn’t have any support from Chevrolet except for the decals. Bob had bought a lot of equipment from EGR (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing) and Joe Gibbs Racing, but it became dated and we were falling behind. ... (Ford was) looking to expand and were willing to embrace our team with technological support. So the decision was very easy."
Freeze, 46, a native of Arlington, Va., who started his NASCAR career as Adam Petty’s team manager in 1998, said he considers himself more of an operations guy than a mechanic. Conway calls Freeze “one of the hardest-working guys in the sport."
“He's the one-man band that keeps everything at Front Row Motorsports together,” Conway said.
Engineer Brian Burns will join crew chief Steven Lane with Kvapil on the No. 34 car. Veteran Peter Sospenzo will crew chief the No. 37 for Conway with Mark Hendrickson as the engineer. A third driver has yet to be named for FRR. David Gilliland has been mentioned as a possibility, but he is also under consideration for the BAM Racing ride.
RCR drivers committed to revitalization
RCR experienced its first winless season since 2004. And after all three drivers qualified for the Chase in 2008, the highest points standings finish by a driver on the RCR roster was Clint Bowyer's 15th. Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick ended the season 17th and 19th, respectively.
Bowyer, who placed in the top five in the standings the two previous years and was running at the finish of all 36 races, lacked the consistency he had enjoyed in the past. He would not use his new team as an excuse for last season and did not mince words when targeting the shortcomings. What does the company need in order to post more competitive numbers? “Better equipment,” he answered.
However, Bowyer said he was encouraged by the improvements the company made toward the end of the season — particularly moving engineer Scott Miller off the No. 31 pit box to manage the competition department.
“Bringing Scott Miller over, I think he just helps support those crew chiefs and keeping them pointed in the right direction,” Bowyer said. “Again, I keep using direction, but I think that's something that we were behind on is direction. Richard for so many years has carried the load on his shoulders, and you just can't do that anymore. It's no longer 20 guys working on a race team; there's 400 people working. It's not fair to look to him for the answer all the time."
Harvick, like Bowyer, sprinted out of the gate but fell off the pace early in the season. Harvick climbed from 25th to 19th in points over the last half of the season and echoed Bowyer’s sentiments on “direction." Harvick scored two top fives in the final three races, including a third-place finish in the season finale at Homestead.
"At the beginning of the year last year, we went the wrong direction with our stuff and our cars," Harvick said, "and we tried to cover it up with crew-chief swaps and different things like that, and in the end it was just about making our cars right and doing the things that it took.”
Harvick politely refused to talk about his plans for 2011. Harvick, who is in a contract year, declined to “get in the middle of it” but said his “main goal for the season is to have fun. ... When it all boils down to it, it's all about winning races, and that's all I care about.”
Keselowski: Penske turning around
The No. 12 Penske Dodge has suffered through a few lean years. But newcomer Brad Keselowski seemed convinced team owner Roger Penske has taken the necessary steps to turn that team around.
“It takes a team to win,” Keselowski said. “It doesn't take a driver, it takes a team, and for everybody to understand that, which has been a major part of the process since Day One when I met with Mr. Penske and his group about coming over here was understanding that I alone, I can't fix anything myself. We all have to work together.
"I don't have any magic cures or magic wand other than heart and desire and a passion to win. There's some skills that come with that, yes, but it's the passion that makes the most difference.”
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