JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW
No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet No. 7 GoDaddy.com/Get Together/Get Online.ORG Chevrolet
EVENT – Great Clips 300 (195 laps / 300.3 miles)
TRACK – Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)
DATE – Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011
TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. EST) / PRN (broadcast begins at 7 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet “Atlanta is such a fast track. It’s a little bumpy, and man, you’re flying. You’re wide open, going across the bumps, chewing up tires. That place eats tires alive. You can go out on stickers and run two or three laps, come in, then go back out and you’ll be half a second slower. Handling is critical. Atlanta is old and wore out. For the 300 miles we race there you better be prepared to slide all over the place. It makes for a crew chief’s nightmare. You’re always on the edge of out of control there. But you have the option to move around. Up top, there’s fresher pavement, so you can find some grip up there.”
Jamie McMurray No. 7 GoDaddy.com/Get Together/Get Online.ORG Chevrolet “I can’t think of a better place to reunite with JRM than at Atlanta. I had a ton of fun running with these guys last summer, and I’m excited to be coming back as the defending race winner here. Last year, we had a lot of success with the 88 team, but this time around I’ll be with Tony (Eury) Jr. and the 7 team. Looking at a 300-mile race at Atlanta, you can’t underestimate the importance of clean air at that track. Being out front was critical with the cars last year, and it will be even more with the new cars in the Nationwide Series this year.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
NO. 88 HELLMANN’S TEAM IN DOMINANT FORM – Almirola and the No. 88 Hellmann’s team are riding a solid streak of success into Atlanta Motor Speedway. The team earned its fifth top-five finish in the past seven races in last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Almirola has scored the most points of any Nationwide Series regular in that span (256). The Hellmann’s team’s season tally now stands at six top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. The team is ranked eighth in owner points.
MCMURRAY TO DRIVE THREE RACES IN NO. 7 CHEVROLET – Jamie McMurray, the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 champion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will rejoin JR Motorsports to pilot the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. McMurray is the defending race winner of the Great Clips 300. His victory accompanied four top-fives, six top-10s, and 72 laps led with the No. 88 team last season. The Joplin, Mo. native holds an average finish of 6.2 with JRM. This year he’ll be paired with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. in races at Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 17) and Dover International Speedway (Oct. 1).
DEFENDING RACE WINNERS –The No. 88 Hellmann’s team contended from the very beginning of last year’s Great Clips 300, leading 48 laps on the night. But it was a stellar restart on lap 172 which proved the deciding factor for the team. The No. 88 machine powered past Brad Keselowski on the inside line and held the lead for the final 23 laps to earn JRM its first victory of 2010 and ninth overall win.
.ORG LOGO FEATURED ON NO. 7 CHEVROLET- .ORG is the domain of choice for companies, organizations, and individuals – all of whom share the belief that channeling passion toward a shared purpose is the foundation of success. People turn to .ORG to mobilize their communities, achieve a common goal, or pursue a shared cause.
1.5-MILE TRACKS IN 2011 – The JR Motorsports team has three top-five and five top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile facilities this season. This includes races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
McMURRAY IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES – McMurray has two wins (2002, 2010), two top-five and four top-10s at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 54 laps led. He has two starts in NNS competition this season, driving for James Finch at Talladega and Daytona.
ALMIROLA AT ATLANTA – Almirola holds one start at Atlanta in Nationwide Series competition and a single start in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009. The bulk of his success at the 1.5-mile facility came in the Camping World Truck Series where he has a best finish of third.
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies 11th position in owner points.
ALMIROLA AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS – Aric Almirola will signautographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler, located in the fan concourse area, on Saturday, Sept. 3, from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. EST.
JR NATION GREAT GIVEWAY – From Aug. 28 to Oct. 16, 2011, the JR Nation web site, the official fan club site for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports, is giving away a prize a day for 50 days to both new and existing fan club members. All fans must do is log on to www.jrnation.com and click on the register now banner. In addition to the 50 daily prizes, JR Nation is offering a grand prize of an $888 gift card for use in the JR Nation online store. 10 second-place winners will receive an $88 gift card also for use in the JR Nation online store. Daily prizes include autographed memorabilia from Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise.
WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website www.jrmracing.com, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. Click hereto view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more.
