· Kahne back in the seat of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevy at Bristol… This weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kahne will make his second start of the season for Turner Motorsports in the No. 38 Chevrolet.
· Bristol Motor Speedway, by the numbers… In 13 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kahne has one win, three top-five and three top-10 finishes to his credit. He has led a cumulative 131 laps at the famed half-mile track and has an average start of 15.2 and an average finish of 20.8. In the fall of 2007, Kahne fended off current Turner Motorsports teammate, Jason Leffler, to bring home the winner’s trophy.
· Sparks flew in Kahne’s last trip to Bristol… Last fall in the No. 38 Great Clips machine, Kahne had one of the fastest cars on the track, storming from deep in the field into the top-10. His evening ended on lap 80 as contact with another competitor flipped him on his side and he slid around the turn three wall leaving an impressive shower of sparks behind him.
· Who’s on the pit box? Stewart Cooper will call the shots for Kahne and serve as crew chief for the No. 38 Great Clips team in the eight races that he is behind the wheel.
· Turner Motorsports has five chances to make it two in a row… Could Turner Motorsports make it two in a row this weekend? Following the team’s first NASCAR victory two weeks ago at Las Vegas with Mark Martin, Turner Motorsports will try to go for back-to-back wins this weekend. The team has five chances with Kahne (No. 38), Sorenson (No. 32), Allgaier (No. 31), Leffler (No. 30) and Buescher (No. 34), who is making his first NNS start of the 2011 season, all battling it out in Saturday’s Scott’s EZ Seed 300.
· This week’s Impala… The No. 38 Great Clips team will hit the track with chassis TMS-113. This chassis last saw track time at Phoenix International Raceway, where Ryan Newman started sixth and finished fourth.
· Start of a new era for Turner Motorsports… The 2011 season marks the start of a new era for Turner Motorsports. The team has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series, fielding three entries in the NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Three of the team’s regular NNS drivers (Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier) have been pegged as viable contenders to win the 2011 NNS driver championship.
· Happy 10-Year Anniversary, Great Clips… This season marks Great Clips’ 10-year anniversary as a primary sponsor in the NNS. The Minneapolis-based Great Clips, Inc., which is currently the longest-running primary sponsor in the series, came onto the scene in 2001 as a primary sponsor of Akins Motorsports No. 38 entry, then driven by Christian Elder.
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Kahne on Bristol Motor Speedway
Due to how tight the track is, in addition to the steep banking, it’s really easy to lose speed there. Passing can be pretty difficult at times. A good handling car is important at a short-track like Bristol. You really have to work in practice to get the car where you want it for the race. Staying out of trouble is the key. I’ve been involved in accidents running in the back and I’ve gotten into accidents while running up front. Trouble can find you anywhere on this track, so that’s probably the biggest challenge when you go into a race at Bristol.
About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas-native, Steve Turner, the racing organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will house three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Brad Sweet. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, who will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com
