JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW
No. 88 Degree Men Chevrolet / No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
EVENT – Food City 250 (250 laps / 133.24 miles)
TRACK – Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile concrete oval)
DATE – Friday, Aug. 26, 2011
TV / RADIO – ESPN (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. EST) / PRN (broadcast begins at 7 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola No. 88 Degree Men Chevrolet
“Anytime I see a Friday night of short track racing on the schedule, I get excited. I love racing at Bristol. It’s loud and noisy. You’re fighting for every inch of the racetrack, and it feels like you’re driving in an arena. You’ll see guys start out running on the bottom, but as the concrete takes rubber you’ll see them start moving higher and higher. There’s a lot of grip up there once the rubber gets down. It’s a lot of fun to race on because you can move your car around to help yourself.”
Do you have a favorite Bristol memory? “My greatest Bristol memory is probably the second time I ever raced there in a Cup car. We had a great car and ran well. I think it was the last 30 or 40 laps of the race, and I raced with Jeff Gordon. He was the king of Bristol! He won a lot there and had good cars. To race with him as hard as I did, and to beat him, that was my best memory.”
Josh Wise No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
“I was thrilled to be able to come out of Iowa in my last JRM race with a top-five finish for theTaxSlayer.com team. It was great for me and for the team, just something we really needed. We had solid practices, and we put together a great race. If we can execute with the same precision we’ll come out of Bristol in good shape. We’re also bringing back the same car that we scored a couple of top-10s with (Nashville and Richmond). So we have confidence on our side heading into this weekend.”
What is your best Bristol memory? “It was probably last year’s night race. I got to race the No. 7 Hot Wheels car which was a really cool paint scheme. It was cool to be at such an awesome race like that, with such an awesome opportunity, and we had a really good car. It was just a lot of fun.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
NEW LOOK FOR DEGREE MEN AT BRISTOL – JRM’s flagship No. 88 Chevrolet will take on a new look with the Degree Men Adrenaline Series paint scheme this weekend. The Degree Men Adrenaline Series responds to increases in physical exertion, making it perfect for a hot night under the lights at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. The special paint features gold, black and silver colors with reflective Degree Men logos on the quarter panels. Degree V12, part of the Adrenaline Series, will be featured on the hood of the No. 88.
ALMIROLA TO COMPETE IN WARRIOR DASH – Almirola, along with his wife and several crew members of the No. 88 Degree Men team, will compete in the Warrior Dash this Saturday afternoon in Huntersville, N.C. The Warrior Dash is a 3.08-mile extreme run that puts competitors through a rigorous series of 11 different challenges. Competitors must traverse an obstacle course which includes mud trenches, fire pits and waist-deep water. Look for video of the team’s adventure exclusively on http://www.jrmracing.com/ www.jrmracing.com in the coming weeks.
CONCRETE CRUISER – Almirola’s statistics on the four concrete races this year continue to impress. He has notched a top-10 finish at each of those facilities, including Bristol, Dover and twice at Nashville. The Tampa, Fla. native is averaging a finish of 8.5 on concrete ovals in 2011.
SUCCESSFUL 2011 SEASON – JRM’s three-car team has combined to score 13 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes through the first 24 races this season. The tally encompasses the organization’s two full-time rides, the Nos. 88 and 7 Chevrolets, along with its part-time operation, the No. 5 Chevrolet. Every one of the team’s seven drivers have contributed to the feat, including Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick and Josh Wise.
BULLRING STATS FOR JRM – JRM holds one win, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes at Bristol with drivers Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Scott Wimmer. The team has led 91 laps at the facility.
ALMIROLA AT BRISTOL – Almirola holds four NNS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, posting consecutive top-10 finishes in his last two starts.Five starts in NSCS competition, earning one top-10 and two top-15s.three starts in NCWTS, with one top-five and two top-10 finishes.scored a second-place finish in his most recent start (2010) at Bristol in the NCWTS.
WISE STATS – In three starts at Bristol, Wise holds a best finish of 15th (summer 2010). He owns 12 starts with JRM this season, earning one top-five, three top-10 and six top-15 finishes. The 28-year-old scored his career best finish of fourth with the team earlier this month at Iowa Speedway. Following this week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Wise will again see action in the No. 7 TaxSlayer.com at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 14.
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies 10th position in owner points.
NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 team owns five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes this season. The team is ranked ninth in owner points.
BUY FOUR TICKETS GET ONE FREE FOR WIN DALE JR.’S RIDE RAFFLE – August is the final month to enter for a chance to win the keys to Dale Jr.’s Camaro. The Dale Jr. Foundation is giving fans the opportunity 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. As a special incentive this month, if fans buy four raffle tickets, they’ll get a fifth free. The contest will run through Sept. 1, 2011, with all proceeds benefiting The Dale Jr. Foundation. For complete details visit http://www.windalejrsride.com/.
WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website http://www.jrmracing.com/, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. http://www.jrmracing.com/media/videos/ Click here to view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more
