No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet/No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
EVENT – Ford 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
TRACK – Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
DATE – Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010
TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 4 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 4 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola
No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet
“It’s been a long season but a good one for me. I think my success in the (NASCAR Camping World) Truck Series opened the door for a lot of things to happen, including hooking up with JRM at ORP. That was a big turning point for me this year. Fortunately we ran well enough there that I was able to land a full-time ride with JRM. Now we get the chance to compete for a championship next season.
“I’m excited to have some time off, but I’ll still be looking forward to a fresh start next season. It’s going to be good going into next year knowing the guys on the team and how things work over here. I’ve got a solid relationship with “Pops” (crew chief, Tony Eury Sr.) and I think we both have a good understanding of each other. That’s an important element in racing. I’m glad we had the chance to work together so much over these last couple months. It gives us a good head start heading into 2011.”
Danica Patrick
No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
“It was frustrating following last week’s race. We started off OK, but as the race progressed things kept happening. I just need to start racing competitors the same way they race me. My Go Daddy crew works too hard all weekend for me to let competitors use us up. I’ve always been a clean racer, but sometimes you’ve got to make a statement.
“This is probably one of the busiest racing years I’ve ever had. This whole NASCAR experience really left me out of my element, but it was a lot of fun. I had no idea what to expect when I started the season, and the good thing is we’ve made some progress over the year. It’s funny, in the beginning of the year I wasn’t even familiar with the cockpit of the car. Now I feel a lot more comfortable, both inside the car and on the racetrack. Most everyone has been supportive and patient of my transition, especially Kelley (Earnhardt), Dale (Jr.) and Bob Parsons (Go Daddy CEO and Founder). Tony (Eury) Jr. and my entire Go Daddy crew have been great too, and I want to thank them all for that.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
NEW LOOK FOR THE GO DADDY MACHINE – Patrick’s No. 7 Chevrolet features an all-new paint scheme this weekend, which was designed by Hot Wheels. The design is one of three sketches that Hot Wheels designers created by hand and in digital form. Of those three blueprints, Patrick and Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons mutually selected their favorite. The winning selection features a black No. 7 Chevrolet accentuated with vibrant Go Daddy-green flames that emblazon the hood, roof and sides of the vehicle. A 1:64-scale die-cast version of Patrick’s No. 7 GoDaddy.com Designed by Hot Wheels Chevrolet will be available in retail stores and at track beginning this weekend.
MEET ARIC ALMIROLA AT GT VODKA SIGNING – Fans are welcome to meet Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet, for autographs on Thursday, Nov. 18, from 9:00 – 9:45 p.m. at the Mutineer Restaurant located at 11 SE 1st Ave, Homestead, Fla.
A WRAP FOR DANICA’S ROOKIE CAMPAIGN – Patrick embarks on the 13th and final race of her rookie season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Homestead. In her previous 12 starts, she’s earned a career-best finish of 21st at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with her season-best qualifying effort of 14th coming at Auto Club Speedway. Patrick’s average finish on the season is 28.8.
ALMIROLA’S SUCCESS – In his short time driving the No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet, Almirola has already posted one top-five and four top-10 finishes. His sixth-place finish a PIR last week marked his best Nationwide Series showing at the facility. The eight laps Almirola led on the day also marked a personal best for his 2010 NNS season. His average finish with the 88 team is 10.1.
HOMESTEAD STATS – On the IndyCar side, Patrick owns five starts with one top-five and two top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile speedway. Her career best finish at the facility was a second-place outing earlier this year.
ALMIROLA AT HOMESTEAD – Almirola has four starts at Homestead across NASCAR’s top-three series. His best finish of 14th came during the Camping World Truck Series season finale last year.
SEASON RECAP FOR 88 TEAM – The GT Vodka team has notched one win (Jamie McMurray), seven top-five and 16 top-10 finishes on the year. They’ve also led a total of 124 laps. The team is ranked eighth in owner points with an average finish of 12.8 on the season.
ALL–STAR CAST – Fourteen different drivers have piloted JRM’s No. 88 and No. 7 Nationwide Series entries in 2010. The driver lineup includes Aric Almirola, Steve Arpin, Kelly Bires, Landon Cassill, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Jamie McMurray, Danica Patrick, Coleman Pressley, Greg Sacks, Elliott Sadler, Scott Wimmer and Josh Wise.
SEASON RECAP FOR 7 TEAM – The No. 7 team has secured six top-10 finishes and led 42 laps with seven different drivers in 2010. Fitzpatrick and Wimmer both tied for the team’s best finish of the season with seventh-place showings at Nashville, Road America and Montreal. The team’s average finish on the year is 20.5. They are ranked 17th in 2010 owner points.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Patrick will be available to members of the NASCAR media on Friday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. in the Homestead-Miami Speedway media center.
JRM SOCIAL NETWORKING – Join the JR Motorsports team on Facebook at Facebook.com/dalejr
and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/jrmotorsports.
FREE JR NATION CREW FAN CLUB – Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports encourage fans to join the JR Nation Crew Fan Club for free. The official fan club provides members with exclusive ticket and merchandise offers, in addition to JRM blogs, forums, and chat rooms to interact with other members of JR Nation. For more information, visitwww.jrnation.com
