Mooresville, N.C. (August 15, 2011) – Turner Motorsports is pleased to announce that Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 08 BRANDT/Realtree Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Newman and Turner Motorsports will honor the life of former employee and family friend Beau Slocumb, who lost his battle with cancer this past spring, with a special paint scheme featuring the No. 08, Slocumb’s car number during his racing career. All the money received by Turner Motorsportsfrom the NCWTS event will be donated to Slocumb’s widow to assist with medical expenses.
A native of Macon, Ga., Slocumb was a racer himself, having made four ARCA Racing Series starts in 2009 and logging an impressive 7.0 starting average combined with a solid 11.2 average finish. The 26-year-old driver logged a pair of top-10 finishes over those four starts including a career-best fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Slocumb began his career racing Legends cars and climbed the professional ladder through the late model ranks, earning 131 feature wins in Legends and late model competition, eventually making his mark in the ARCA series. He is survived by his wife Jessica, parents Burke “Buster” and Jeanne, brothers Seth and Daniel and sister Maggie.
Newman and his wife Krissie are longtime friends of the Slocumb family and feel honored to be paying tribute to their close friends.
“I look forward to driving the race that my good friend Beau Slocumb always dreamed of. This is his ride; I just wish he were here to drive it. This is for his family and for the dream he always wished would come true. Beau ran a camo car and it will be great to honor him with a Realtree paint scheme and the Chevy Truck. Thank you Turner Motorsports, Team Realtree, BRANDT, and Chevrolet for giving us this opportunity,” said Newman.
Newman has one NCWTS win at Atlanta Motor Speedway coming in October, 2008. He has a total of three NCWTS starts, racking up one win, three top-five and three top-10 finishes. 2011 marks his 10th full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and his third with Stewart-Haas Racing. During his tenure in the series, Newman has collected 15 wins, 78 top-five finishes, 144 top-10 finishes and 47 pole awards. Already a member of the Turner Motorsports family, Newman made his debut with the team’s Nationwide Series program at Phoenix International Raceway bringing home a fourth-place finish in the No. 30 Chevrolet Impala.
“Realtree is honored to be a part of the effort to contribute to Beau’s family,” said Bill Jordan, President of Realtree. “It is certainly rewarding to help the Slocumb’s through this difficult time. I’m sure everyone watching this race will be thinking of Beau and pulling for Ryan to win.”
To Turner Motorsports, Slocumb was a family member who will always be remembered as someone who was a part of building this organization into what it is today.
“We built this organization and race team as a family and we wanted to honor Beau in a special way. The No. 08 was Beau’s car number and to have Ryan run that same number and paint scheme at Atlanta will be something special to all involved,” said team owner Steve Turner.
“As part of the Turner Motorsports family, we are privileged to help put the 08 truck on the track. Hats off to Turner Motorsports and Ryan Newman for pulling this together,” said Rick Brandt, President and CEO of BRANDT. “This tribute fits the values that we hold dear at BRANDT. A family-owned business ourselves, we’ll be in Atlanta with some of our customers to celebrate Beau’s life and career.”
About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas businessman Steve Turner, the organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will compete with three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR NationwideSeries. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher, Brad Sweet, Mikey Kile, Steve Arpin, Blake Feese and Brandon McReynolds. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors’ powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, which will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com.
About BRANDT – BRANDT was founded in 1953 by Glen Brandt and his sister Evelyn Brandt Thomas to help Illinois farmers adopt new and profitable technologies for their operations. The company has experienced aggressive growth under the leadership of President and CEO Rick Brandt. Innovation, technology and strong customer service are a few of the core beliefs that have made BRANDT a leader in today’s agriculture industry. BRANDT’s focus is providing the products and services that give the end user the best opportunity for maximum return on their investment by taking control.
BRANDT consists of three operating divisions: Specialty Formulations, Retail Agronomy and Dealer Support.
For more information, visit BRANDT on the web at: www.brandt.com
About RealtreeR- RealtreeR is the creator and marketer of the world’s most versatile camo patterns. No matter where you hunt or enjoy the outdoors, there’s no better way to blend in with your surroundings than by wearing Realtree camo. For more information, visit Realtree on the web at: www.realtree.com
