• Home-track Advantage… The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is heading to Turner Motorsports’ home track this weekend. With the team’s original headquarters in Halletsville, Texas, this is a special track for the organization. Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, and current Turner Motorsports driver, James Buescher, have both won championships for the organization racing Bandolero cars at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Buescher captured the organization’s first NASCAR pole award there in the NNS event last November.
• Kahne back in the seat of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevy at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS)… This weekend at TMS, Kahne will make his third of eight scheduled starts of the season for Turner Motorsports in the No. 38 Chevrolet.
• Kahne knows the way to Victory Lane at TMS! In 10 NNS starts at TMS, Kahne has one win and two top-10 finishes. He has led a cumulative 78 laps and has average start of 13.4 and an average finish of 23.0. It was in the spring of 2005, driving the No. 38 Great Clips machine, that Kahne brought home the winning trophy after starting 25th! Additionally, he has one win at TMS in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.
• Kahne brought Great Clips their first win! From 2003-2005, Kahne and his sponsor, Great Clips, Inc., reached momentous milestones, including capturing Kahne’s first Nationwide Series victory in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was also Great Clips’ first win as a primary sponsor. In 2005, Kahne captured his second career win at Texas Motor Speedway before leaving the Nationwide Series to allow more time for his Sprint Cup Series efforts.
• 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.
• This week’s Impala… The No. 38 Great Clips team will hit the track with chassis TMS-124. This race will be the maiden voyage for this chassis, as it has yet to see on-track action.
• Scan it… If you are trying to hear Kahne’s team communication this weekend, remember to tune your scanner to the No. 30 primary frequency (460.8875). When you want to hear Leffler’s communications with the No. 30 Wolfpack Rentals team, tune your scanner to the No. 38 team’s primary frequency (466.9250).
• 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.
Follow the No. 38 team on Twitter!Twitter.com/No38TurnerNNS
Follow KaseyKahne on Twitter! Twitter.com/Kasey Kahne
Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports
Kahne on Texas Motor Speedway
“I really enjoy racing at Texas! It’s a great facility and with great fans! Racing under the lights is just going to add to the excitement, for the drivers, as well as the fans. I’m really looking forward to working with everyone at Turner Motorsports again this weekend. It’s fun going back to the Nationwide Series knowing that you are going to be in equipment capable of winning! Stewart Cooper (crew chief) and those guys work hard to make sure of that. I have one win with Great Clips at Texas (2005) and I’d love to get that No. 38 back into victory lane again this weekend!”
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
