Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes
NSCS Race Advance
HELUVA GOOD! Sour Cream Dips 400 Michigan International Speedway
Sunday, June 19, 2011
DODGE NEWS AND NOTES
· Kurt Busch is the only Sprint Cup Series driver who has been in the top-10 of driver points all season. He has scored more points – 121 – in the last three races than any other driver in the top 10. Kevin Harvick has earned 119, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 118.
· Robby Gordon returns as the driver of the No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger this weekend at MIS. Johnny Sauter and Scott Wimmer filled in the last two races. Gordon must make the field on time this weekend as the No. 7 is not in the top 35 in owner points.
DODGE AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
· Dodge has won nine races at Michigan International Speedway (Charlie Glotzbach, Richard Petty (2), Sterling Marlin, Ryan Newman (2), Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch.
· Kurt Busch started from the pole at MIS last June, his first at the two-mile track. He won the rain-shortened race in August 2007 after starting 15th. He has two wins at MIS and eight top-10 finishes in 20 starts.
· Dodge holds the MIS qualifying record of 37.069 seconds, 194.232 mph (Ryan Newman, June 2005).
· A Dodge has started from the pole seven times at MIS.
THE DODGE BOYS
· Dodge has 208 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.
· Dodge’s most recent win came at Kansas Speedway. Brad Keselowski led nine of 267 laps en route to his victory in the STP 400. The victory is Dodge’s first of the 2011 season.
· Dodge teams have posted 48 victories since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
· Dodge has posted wins each season since its return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).
· Dodge earned victories at the season opening Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duel at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
· Dodge claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· Penske Racing and Dodge will be seeking a fourth straight pole this weekend at MIS. The last time Penske and Dodge recorded four consecutive poles was in 2004 (Charlotte, Martinsville, Atlanta and Phoenix).
· There have been 83 Sprint Cup races at MIS. The first was run June 15, 1969. There have been two races at the track every year except 1973.
DID YOU KNOW
· Dodge’s Brad Keselowski and father Bob are two of eight drivers from Michigan who have won an event in one of NASCAR’s three touring series (Brad – 2 Sprint Cup, 12 Nationwide and Bob – 1 Camping World Truck).
ODDS AND ENDS
· Dodge’s Kurt Busch has posted three consecutive top 10s in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger (Charlotte 4th, Kansas 9th and Pocono 2nd). His second-place finish last weekend at Pocono was a season best.
· Dodge earned its third consecutive pole of the season last weekend at Pocono.
· Brad Keselowski is one of three drivers outside the top-12 in the driver point standings with a win this season.
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY BEST
· Kurt Busch Start – Pole – 2010 (June) Finish – Win – 2003, 07 (Jun/Aug)
· Brad Keselowski Start – 12th – 2008 (Aug.) Finish – 24th – 2008 (Aug.)
· Robby Gordon Start – Third – 2003 (Aug.) Finish – Sixth – 2003 (Aug.)
FROM THE ENGINEER “As we come to the two-mile, wide-open spaces of Michigan, it’s hard to believe it’s been nearly three months since we ran on the same length oval at Fontana. The two tracks are very similar, not the same, but similar and teams tend to use notes from one to the other. Fontana in March was the first time we ran on a two-mile track with NASCAR’s new lower front fascia. Lessons learned from that race should give teams a better starting point for their aerodynamic package for MIS. Michigan is unique in many ways and the aerodynamic package that teams need here is at the forefront of that uniqueness.” Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering
FROM THE CREW CHIEF: STEVE ADDINGTON “I’ll bet if you look back at the record book, you’ll see that a huge proportion of the Michigan races were won because of fuel mileage. The reason for that is simple – there are always so few cautions on that track. It’s so wide and there is so much racing room, you don’t see guys running into each other like you do on most of the other tracks. But with the importance of getting the race wins and probably 20 or more teams out there truly capable of winning, you can bet on it being a fuel-mileage deal at Michigan.”
DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I think if you look at the way that our team is performing, we’re more than capable of being in the top-20 on our own merits with the way that we’ve been running. We just need to continue to execute. We’re a team that is growing stronger every week. If we can continue to grow as we’ve grown so far and at the same rate, I think that not only will we be a Chase-capable team, perhaps makes some noise in it.” Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T
DODGE QUOTES “Really, the fuel mileage importance has become the nature of our sport, like it or not. With NASCAR changing the points system around and throwing the ‘wild card’ entry into the Chase by race wins, it’s sent the importance of winning through the roof. Teams are willing to take more chances than ever. They’ll roll the dice and throw caution to the wind. We’ve seen it in almost all the races recently. At Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600, there were all the cars trying to go the distance stretching their fuel and running out at the end.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
“I always have a lot of fun when it’s time to head to Michigan. It’s one of those tracks that mean so much to me and my family. I remember going there watching my dad race back when I was a little kid and can remember coming through the tunnel amazed at how big this place was to me. It’s cool to be back home and race in front of family and friends. It’s in Dodge’s backyard and we certainly know how important of a race it is for them. They’ve been a tremendous help to our program and to get them, a long with Miller Lite, in Victory Lane would be awesome.” Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T
