Chicagoland Speedway
Dollar General 300
September 17, 2011
TV: ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET
RADIO: MRN, 3 p.m. ET
No. 20 Notes of Interest
-Truex’s strong 4th place finish last weekend in Richmond qualified him for the Nationwide Series Dash 4 the Cash at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.
-Saturday marks Truex’s 2nd start at Chicagoland Speedway in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car, and his 13th start in the Nationwide Series in 2011. He finished in the top-20 at Chicagoland earlier this year in the Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry.
-Truex will be working with crew chief Jason Ratcliff for the remainder of the season. Ratcliff and the No. 18 team won last week’s Nationwide Series race in Richmond with JGR teammate Kyle Busch.
-The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry will carry a Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and Schick Xtreme3 co-primary scheme this weekend in Chicago in order to promote the upcoming MTJ Foundation events:
· The 2nd Annual MTJF Fan Event in Manahawkin, NJ on Wed., Sept. 28, 2011.
· The 4th Annual MTJF Golf Tournament presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Thurs., Sept. 29, 2011 at Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ.
· The 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented by Sea Watch International (immediately following the conclusion of the golf tournament).
-These events are a fundraising initiative in Truex’s home state prior to the NASCAR races in Dover, DE. In just three years, these events have raised more than $500,000 for community programs. For more information or to register for these upcoming events, visit www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.
-Truex will also be behind the wheel of the No. 20 in Dover, Kansas and Phoenix.
Ryan Truex on New Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff
“I’ll be working with Jason Ratcliff and all of the 18 guys the next four weeks. I will still be racing the 20 car, but pretty much switching car numbers between the teams. I’m excited for it. We have momentum coming out of these last two weeks. We had good runs so that’s on our side. We’ll just go in with the same mindset as these last two weeks: keep the car in one piece, be there at the end of the race and see if we can make it happen.”
Ryan Truex on Previous Experience at Chicagoland
“It’s good when you go somewhere that you’ve been before just because you are that much more ahead going in to practice. You don’t have to spend the whole practice learning the track. To be able to go in and know what I’m doing, just like we were able to at Richmond, is a big help. I can focus on the car instead of learning the race track.”
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