[media-credit name=”daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”274″][/media-credit]Cale Gale
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado
Daytona International Speedway – NextEra Energy Resources 250
February 24, 2012
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet News and Notes
· Double Duty at Daytona… The NextEra Energy Resources 250 will actually be Cale Gale’s second race at Daytona International Speedway this week. Gale wheeled the No. 6 Rheem Chevrolet in the ARCA Racing Series event on Saturday afternoon where he brought home a 13th-place finish. This weekend, Gale is set to make his debut in the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), where he will race all season for Eddie Sharp Racing. By the conclusion of Friday night, Gale is expected to have completed over 450 miles of racing around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Racing for Rookie of the Year… After spending the last six seasons racing part-time schedules at teams like Phoenix Racing and Kevin Harvick Inc., NASCAR driver Cale Gale will finally take on a full-time schedule in the NCWTS with Eddie Sharp Racing. As a result, the 26-year-old Mobile, Ala., native will finally have the opportunity to make an official run at the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title. Over a period of three seasons, Gale has made a total of 10 NCWTS starts.
New Partners, New Places… Cale Gale and Atlanta-based Rheem Manufacturing Company first paired up during the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Later that year, Gale turned heads as he captured the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway and went on to finish fourth at the grueling track in his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. The feat quickly caught the attention and support of Rheem executives, and the duo have worked side-by-side ever since. Gale has competed under the Rheem colors in NCWTS, ARCA, and Super Late Model series events, and will continue that relationship in 2012 at Eddie Sharp Racing.
Listen In… Cale Gale will be on Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody and Angie Skinner at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 20. He will recap the action from the ARCA Racing Series’ Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, and preview the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ NextEra Energy Resources 250 from Daytona International Speedway. Tune in on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90, to hear what the driver of the Rheem Chevrolet has to say. Gale will also be on WBOB Radio in Jacksonville, Fla., with ESR teammates Justin Lofton and Mike Skinner from 11:50 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. on Friday, February 24. Listen online at .
Meet Cale… Fans are invited to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 24th from 2:30-3:15 p.m. The driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs for the crowd.
Follow Cale… Fans are invited to follow Cale Gale, driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, on twitter @CaleGale and on Facebook (facebook.com/CaleGale). Fans can also check out the new www.CaleGale.com for news and updates throughout the weekend.
Get the Inside Scoop… Follow Eddie Sharp Racing on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to get real-time updates and behind the scenes information: @TeamESR or facebook.com/teamesr.
Watch and Listen…The NextEra Energy Resources 250 from Daytona International Speedway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, at 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday, February 24. Practice sessions from the 2.5-mile track will be aired on Thursday, February 23, at 12:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. EST. Qualifying for the 250-mile event will be broadcast on SPEED at 4:00 p.m. EST Friday afternoon.
From the Driver’s Seat
Cale Gale Quotes… On racing at Daytona: “Anything can happen at Daytona. I feel like our Rheem Chevrolet Silverado is really good. Jerry Baxter, my crew chief, and all the ESR guys have been working very hard. We’re excited to start the season off at Daytona International Speedway. We would like nothing more than a good run to start off the year.”
On working with Jerry Baxter and the team at Eddie Sharp Racing… “I’m really excited to work with Jerry Baxter. I feel like he and I are going to have really good chemistry throughout the 2012 season. He has a lot of experience and has worked with a lot of young drivers in the past. With the guys that he has put together, Ray Holm as the truck chief and all the other guys he picked up, I feel like we have one of the strongest teams in the garage. Hopefully we’ll be able to prove it throughout the 2012 season.”
On having the support of Rheem Manufacturing Company… “Having Rheem’s support is a dream come true for me. I’m really excited to have them on board this year. They’re an excellent company with a desire to win in the sport. It truly makes my job easier to have such amazing people to work with and support me.”
From the Pit Box
Jerry Baxter Quotes… On what to expect in Daytona: “With the new cooling package and with no testing, we really don’t know what to expect. We aren’t sure if we’ll be able to run in the tandem at all. The whole beginning of this year needs to be about getting me and Cale on the same page. We need to run every lap we can, and get better every week.”
On working with Cale Gale: “Cale has a lot of desire. He comes to the shop every day; I love that. He’s very smart about trucks, which will make it a lot easier to translate what the truck is doing, what he needs, and what we need to do to help make it happen. He knows about it because he’s been driving, building and working on racecars and trucks his whole life.”
Cale Gale By the Numbers
Cale Gale’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career Stats
Races
Wins
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Poles
Money Won
10
0
1
2
0
$113,299
Cale Gale at Daytona International Speedway (NCWTS)
Series
Date
Race
Start
Finish
Laps
Status
NCWTS
02/16/07
Chevy Silverado HD 250
14
14
100/100
Running
NNS
02/16/08
Camping World 300 Presented by Chevrolet
39
23
120/120
Running
Total / Average
2 Races
26.5
18.5
220 / 220 (100.0%)
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado Truck Information
The No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet team will compete at Daytona International Speedway with chassis #52 as their primary truck. The chassis was built by Kevin Harvick Inc. and last raced at Talladega Superspeedway where Mike Wallace drove to victory lane after starting in the sixth position.
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet / Eddie Sharp Racing Team
Driver: Cale Gale Crew Chief: Jerry Baxter Owner: Eddie Sharp
Front Tire Changer: Joey Forgette Truck Chief: Ray Holm Mechanic: Justin Pfeiffer
Front Tire Carrier: Greg Powell Shock Specialist: Jeff Keller Mechanic: Beau Wilkes
Rear Tire Changer: Ray Holm Jackman: Kevin Teague Motor Tuner: Jimmy Frazier
Rear Tire Carrier: Manning Gregory Gasman: Ben Smith Spotter: Rick Carelli
Pit Crew Coach: Nick Sutton Hauler Driver: Ben Smith PR Rep: Ashleigh Aungst