JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet / No. 7 GoDaddy.com/Verisign Chevrolet
EVENT – Feed the Children 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
TRACK – Kentucky Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
DATE – Friday, July 8, 2011
TV / RADIO – ESPN (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. EST) / PRN (broadcast begins at 7 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet “Even though we came out of Daytona with two wrecked race cars, last week was a solid effort by everyone at JR Motorsports. To go there and run up front all night like we did, and have a chance to win at the end was big. This week Kentucky will be another test for our GT Vodka team. It seems like it’s been hit or miss at mile-and-a-half tracks for us this year. But I feel like we’re up to the challenge to continue improving each week. “At Kentucky your car has to be very drivable across the bumps. There are bumps everywhere. You’ll run across them on the straightaway, in the corner, at the bottom of the track, and the top of the track. You can’t get away from them. It’s really challenging to get your car to run 170 mph across the racetrack when you’re bouncing all over the place. It puts a big emphasis on the crew chief and the crews to get the car driving properly.”
Kasey Kahne No. 7 GoDaddy.com/VerisignChevrolet “I’m looking forward to running the next two weekends for JR Motorsports and seeing how their cars feel. They’ve put together a solid, competitive program and I’m thankful to be a part of it. I’m excited to work with a different group over there with Tony (Eury) Jr. and Pops (Eury Sr.). It will be nice to work with those guys. “It has been so long since I’ve raced at Kentucky that it’s tough to remember how the races played out. I think it has been seven years since I raced there, but I know the fans should get to see some great racing this weekend between all three series.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK – KAHNE TO DRIVE TWO RACES FOR JRM –Kasey Kahne, a native of Enumclaw, Wash., becomes the fifth driver to pilot the No. 7 GoDaddy.com/VerisignChevrolet for JR Motorsports this season. A veteran of Nationwide Series competition, Kahne holds 169 starts with seven wins, 29 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes. Kentucky marks his sixth race in the series this season. Kahne will also drive for the No. 7 team at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend.
KAHNE AT KENTUCKY – The 31-year-old Kahne has two starts at Kentucky with finishes of 11th and 17th. His most recent Nationwide Series start there came in 2004.
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds two top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 2011. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Danica Patrick and Josh Wise have shared driving duties in the No. 7 Chevrolet throughout the year, each scoring a top-10 finish. The team occupies 12th position in owner points.
JRM IN THE BLUEGRASS STATE – The JR Motorsports organization earned a top-five finish in nearly half its starts at Kentucky. The team has three top-five finishes in seven races at the facility since 2006.
ALMIROLA AT KENTUCKY –Almirola finished sixth in his lone Nationwide Series start at Kentucky in 2007. Racing in the Camping World Truck Series, he earned two top-five and two top-10 finishes in three starts. Comparably, Almirola notched one top-five and two top-10s at the 1.5-mile facilities in Charlotte and Chicagoland this season.
NO. 88 SEASON STATS –The No. 88 team owns one top-five and eight top-10 finishes this season. Almirola is currently ranked sixth in the championship driver points (-81). The No. 88 team is 11th in owner points.
JRM AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS –Almirola will sign autographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area on Friday, July 8, from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST.
WIN DALE JR.’S RIDE –There is still time to win the keys to Dale Jr.’s Camaro. The Dale Jr. Foundation is giving fans the chance to win one of three prizes with the purchase of a $25 raffle ticket, including a shot at Earnhardt Jr.’s own 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. The contest will run through Sept. 1, 2011, with all proceeds benefitting The Dale Jr. Foundation. For complete details visit
