JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet / No. 7 NASCAR The Game 2011 Chevrolet
EVENT – Nashville 300 (225 laps / 300 miles) TRACK – Nashville Superspeedway (1.33-mile D-shaped oval) DATE – Saturday, April 23, 2011 TV / RADIO – ESPN (coverage begins at 2 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 2:30 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet “Nashville creates such a different challenge for us with the limited banking we have there. The fact that it’s concrete is good because the track doesn’t change much temperature wise. It’s also our first stand-alone race away from the Cup guys, so there will be a lot of attention on the Nationwide regular drivers this week. I really just want to come out of there with a solid finish with our GT Vodka Chevrolet and have a good point’s day.”
What would you do with the guitar trophy if you won it? “I definitely want to take that trophy home, but I’m not into playing guitar. I’ve tried to play, and I always thought it would be cool, but I just can’t seem to make my fingers work that way. I’d probably just set it on the shelf and look at it. It would be an awesome addition to my trophy collection.”
Josh Wise No. 7 NASCAR The Game 2011 Chevrolet “Nashville is a unique place for us to run at. The size of it and it being concrete, sets it apart a little bit. It kind of presents some new challenges compared to some of the other tracks we go to. Even though the fastest groove is on the bottom and it’s pretty much a one groove racetrack, there are still a lot of ways to go through the corner and make the car work. There are a lot of different ways to lift, use the brake and work the throttle. It’s fun.”
What would you do with the guitar trophy if you won it? “If I won the guitar I would for sure play it! I mean, that is what it’s made for, right? I love to play guitar. It has really become a relaxing hobby. So it would be a perfect trophy for me.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK – EXCLUSIVE NASHVILLE PREVIEW VIDEO – Visit www.jrmracing.com on Thursday to watch this week’s exclusive Nashville preview video. Hear firsthand how Almirola and Wise feel about running at the 1.33-mile facility, and listen to what crew chiefs Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Eury Jr. view as the biggest challenge heading into the race weekend.
NASCAR THE GAME 2011 – NASCAR The Game 2011 will be featured on Josh Wise’s No. 7 Chevrolet this weekend in Nashville. NASCAR 2011 The Game, now available for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and coming soon for the Wii, takes the next generation of NASCAR racing to a whole new level, completely capturing the very essence of what makes NASCAR so popular. Players can choose to play as themselves or as one of the sport’s real-world drivers as they battle it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Developed by Eutechnyx and published by Activision, NASCAR The Game 2011 features 22 tracks, with gameplay that supports online racing for up to 16 players (on PS3 and Xbox 360). Visit www.nascarthegame.com for more details.
HEAD-TO-HEAD CHALLENGE – As part of this week’s NASCAR The Game 2011 partnership, Josh Wise challenged his crew chief Tony Eury Jr. to a head-to-head matchup on Xbox 360 at the JRM shop. To view all the action click here.
JRM AT NASHVILLE – JR Motorsports has one win at Nashville Superspeedway in 2008. They’ve also earned four top-five and seven top-10 finishes, leading 101 laps in 14 starts since 2006.
RACING ON CONCRETE – JR Motorsports’ best finish of the season came on the .533-mile concrete oval, Bristol Motor Speedway. It was there team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove the No. 5 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet to a third-place finish. In 2010, JRM earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes at the three concrete tracks on the circuit (Bristol, Dover and Nashville), and led 39 laps.
WISE AT NASHVILLE – Josh Wise made his JR Motorsports debut at Nashville Superspeedway last season (June 5, 2010). He has raced a JRM Chevrolet in 11 races to date, earning two top-10s, eight top-15 finishes and leading three laps. At Nashville, Wise owns three starts with a best finish of 16th and a best start of 12th. Additionally, Wise has one start in Camping World Truck Series competition.
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 NASCAR The Game 2011 team holds one top-five, two top-10 and four top-15 finishes this season. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise have shared driving duties in the No. 7 Chevrolet throughout the year. Patrick earned the team’s best finish of the season when she finished fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the highest finishing female in any NASCAR national touring series race. The team occupies 15th place in owner points.
ALMIROLA AT NASHVILLE – Almirola has two starts at Nashville with one top-10 finish. His most recent start came in 2007 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. In four starts in the Camping World Truck Series, he earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
NO. 88 SEASON STATS – After its third top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Talladega, the No. 88 GT Vodka team’s season tally comes to six top-15 finishes this season. Almirola is currently ranked sixth (-11) in championship points, and the No. 88 is 11th in owner points.
DRIVER APPEARANCES –Race fans will have double the opportunity to meet JRM drivers Aric Almirola and Josh Wise this weekend at Nashville. Both will appear at the NASCAR autograph session on Friday, April 22 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. CST. They’ll also sign autographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area on Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CST.
NEW JRM RACING WEBSITE–JRMracing.com is the digital home of the JR Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series race teams. Visit it for more information about the company, its history, and drivers, including Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise. Watch exclusive video content, including pre- and post-race reports with drivers and crew.
