JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW
No. 88 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Chevrolet / No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
EVENT – John Deere Dealers 250 (250 laps / 218.75 miles)
TRACK – Iowa Speedway (.875-mile tri-oval)
DATE – Sunday, May 22, 2011
TV / RADIO – ABC (coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola
No. 88 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Chevrolet
“Anytime you’re able to run door-to-door with your competitors, it’s fun. The fact that you can race side-by-side is one of the coolest things about Iowa. I don’t think they intended the track surface to be as rough as it is. It’s really rough in turns one and two, and that’s ok, it gives the racetrack more character and makes everyone work that much harder.
“Our entire team, and JRM as a whole, has been working hard to get our program back to where we need to be. This new car is definitely a challenge. It really is a whole new ball game this year. I think our short track program seems to be one of our strongest suites this year. A top-five would be great for our 88 team and that’s our focus for this weekend.”
Josh Wise
No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
“Iowa is just an enjoyable track to drive. It’s a 7/8ths-mile track, but it drives almost like you’re at a 1.5-mile track. It’s that fast. In my opinion, it’s unique to have something like that. We’re getting to the gas early and hard in the corner, and you carry a ton of corner speed.
“I’m pumped to have Go Daddy back on our No. 7 car this weekend. Go Daddy is a great partner, and I want to thank Dr. Bob Parsons for being such an avid supporter of our program. We’re going to have quite a few guests from Go Daddy attending the race since they have offices in Iowa. It will be a good time, for sure. We ran well with this chassis last time we raced it in Richmond. I have a lot of confidence in our 7 team that we can do the same at Iowa.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
2009 WINNERS – The No. 88 team won the inaugural Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway in 2009. The team started 11th and led 121 of 250 laps en route to its second of four victories during the 2009 season. The JRM Nos. 88 and 7 teams have four starts there, averaging a finish of 15.2.
NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2011 – JR Motorsports will honor the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees on the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend in Iowa. The car will pay tribute to Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson and Lee Petty, as the group becomes the second class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2011.
SHORT TRACK STATS – Four of Almirola’s eight career top-10 finishes with JR Motorsports have come at short tracks. He has scored top-10s at Bristol, Dover, Lucas Oil Raceway and Phoenix. His third-place run at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis last summer was his best finish with JRM.
EXCLUSIVE IOWA PREVIEW VIDEO – Find out what differentiates Iowa Speedway from Richmond Int’l Speedway in this week’s exclusive Iowa preview video on http://www.jrmracing.com/ www.jrmracing.com.
SEASON UPDATE FOR WISE – Wise scored a sixth-place finish at Richmond last month to secure his best finish with JRM. His 2011 statistics in six races with the No. 7 include two top-10s and four top-15 finishes. Wise also led a total of 10 laps in the No. 7 Chevrolet (Nashville, Dover). He holds one previous Nationwide Series start at Iowa in the No. 7 car and finished 11th in 2010. The Riverside, Calif. is ranked 10th in the driver championship standings (-105).
ALMIROLA AT IOWA – Almirola owns one start in the Nationwide Series Iowa. He also has two starts in the Camping World Truck Series with a best finish of 2nd (2009). Additionally, he has never qualified outside the top-10 in two truck starts at Iowa.
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds one top-five, four top-10 and seven top-15 finishes in 2011. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise have shared driving duties in the No. 7 Chevrolet throughout the year, each scoring at least a top-10 finish. 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 12th position in owner points.
NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 squad owns five top-10 and nine top-15 finishes this season. Almirola is currently ranked sixth (-40) in championship points. The No. 88 team is 11th in owner points.
JRM DRIVER APPEARANCES – Aric Almirola and Josh Wise will attend an autograph signing at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, May 22, from 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. CST.
2011 RACE WEEK ACTIVITIES AT JRM – Beginning on Thurs., May 26, and continuing through Mon., May 30, fans are invited to the JRM facilities in Mooresville, N.C. for festivities surrounding Charlotte race weeks. Highlighting the action is an autograph session on Fri., May 27 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., which features Aric Almirola, Josh Wise, and Kelley Earnhardt. Karsyn Elledge, L.W. Miller, and late model driver, Josh Berry will also be included in the session. 200 tickets will be distributed for the session. Click http://www.jrmracing.com/news/2011/05/04/may-race-week-activities-at-jr-mot orsports> here for more information.
VISIT THE RELAUNCHED ALMIROLA WEBSITE – Are you a fan of Aric Almirola? Visit his newly relaunched website at www.aricalmirola.com and get inside access to all the cool and interesting facts about the Tampa, Fla. native. The site includes a complete biography, photo gallery, and updated race reports.
NEW JRM RACING WEBSITE – http://www.jrmracing.com/ 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-race reports with drivers and crew.
