Mooresville, NC,(June 16, 2011) -Andy Lally prepares to take the #71 TRG Motorsports Ford to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the running of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400.
Lally is coming off of a season-best qualifying effort last weekend at Pocono. This will be Lally’s first trip to the 2-mile-long oval in the Irish Hills of Brooklyn, Michigan.
Andy Lally commented, “Our qualifying effort last weekend in Pocono definitely showed the strides we are making towards being more competitive. I haven’t been to Michigan before, but I’m expecting it to be somewhat similar to Fontana. Our goal this weekend is to come home with a solid finish and take some momentum with us as we head into Sonoma.”
This week, the #71 team participated in a test session at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for next weekend’s race in Sonoma, CA. The test left Lally optimistic, “We’ve had two good tests for our road course program. Last week we went to Road Atlanta and were very pleased with our racecar. This week we were able to use what we learned at Road Atlanta and test at VIR. I’m certainly looking forward to taking a one week break from the ovals and return to my road racing roots.”
While this weekend will mark Lally’s first Michigan start, it will be the 28th career start at the track for crew chief Doug Richert. Richert’s Michigan résumé includes nine top-10 finishes and a pair of victories. Richert said, “Historically, Michigan has been a good track for the Ford program. I think we’re very fortunate to have Roush Yates horsepower under the hood this weekend. Our team has been putting forth a lot of effort recently and I think it’s starting to show.”
Team owner Kevin Buckler is anticipating a good weekend as well. He said, “We are looking for another strong qualifying performance this weekend and hopefully a good race this time!! Every single week we figure a little more out about these cars and how to make them and Andy more competitive. I am very proud of the team and see that we are gaining on it every single week. We hope to be able to stick it back in the top 35 before we head to Sonoma next week.”
Qualifying for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 will be broadcast live on SPEED Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. Race coverage will begin Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on TNT. The race can be heard on affiliated Motor Racing Network (MRN) stations and Sirius XM Satellite Radio 90.
TRG would like to thank associate sponsors Interstate Moving Services, TIFCO Industries, Super Eco-Fuel Saver, Stone Harbor Investment Partners, HPT, Guardian Angel Motorsports, ACG Motorsports, Savory Thymes.com, and Adobe Road Winery for their support.
TRG is a full-service motorsports company offering a total driver ladder approach, as well as comprehensive sponsorship and business opportunities. For drivers, this approach starts with track days, goes to club events, up into street stock series and culminates in the ultimate goal of professional motorsports. For sponsors and business partners, this method starts with everything from executive events, to traditional sponsorship models, all the way to comprehensive business-to-business opportunities and experiential marketing. With facilities in Petaluma, California and Mooresville, North Carolina the team can offer turn-key marketing programs as well as arrive-and-drive support.
The company’s NASCAR operations are headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry and has the capacity to run ARCA, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series.
The Racer’s Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing. The team boasts Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in Grand-Am with 32. The team’s resume is highlighted by five championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories, and a Le Mans 24 Hour win.
For more information please contact Donato Bonacquisto at (704) 905-2791 or
