[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”199″]
[/media-credit]Turner Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series
Texas Motor Speedway News & Notes
Pre-Race Info for Kasey Kahne, Justin Allgaier and Steve Arpin
KASEY KAHNE QUICK FACTS
No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet
Texas Motor Speedway
O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
April 13, 2012
No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet News and Notes
Kasey Kahne Texas Motor Speedway NNS Stats
Starts Poles Wins Top-Fives Top-10’s DNFs Avg. Start Avg. Finish
11 0 1 1 2 3 13.0 21.9
Kasey Kahne Career NNS Stats
Starts Poles Wins Top-Fives Top-10’s Avg. Start Avg. Finish
180 8 7 34 66 12.7 16.7
Special paint scheme featuring EA Sports for the No. 38 this weekend….
Kahne at Texas Speedway: By the numbers… In 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts at TMS, Kahne has one win (2005), one top-five and two top-10 finishes with a total of 78 laps led. Kahne’s win at TMS in 2005 was during his first tenure driving the No. 38 Great Clips machine before leaving the NNS and progressing up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS).
In NSCS competition at TMS, Kahne is credited with one win (2006), one pole, four top-five and four top-10 finishes. He has a total of 218 laps led with an average start of 12.1 and an average finish of 19.6.
Home-track Advantage… Turner Motorsports considers TMS their home track with the team’s original headquarters based in Halletsville, Texas. Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, and current Turner Motorsports driver, James Buescher, have both won championships for the organization racing Bandolero cars at the 1.5-mile tri-oval.
Who’s on the pit box? Mike Shiplett joined Turner Motorsports in 2012 and has a unique role as he calls the shots for both a veteran (Kahne) and a rookie (Brad Sweet). It is a reunion of sorts for Kahne and Shiplett, who were paired together in the NNS during the 2007 season and put down impressive results including two victories (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, spring events).
This Week’s Impala… The No. 38 team will unload chassis TMS-321 this weekend at TMS. This chassis last saw track time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Kahne finished 10th after starting from the outside pole and leading 40 laps.
In Brad’s World … Don’t think that just because Kahne is behind the wheel that Rookie of the Year contender Sweet is not hard at work himself on the weekends. The rookie travels to the track with the No. 38 team to watch practice, study what his mentor (Kahne) does on the track and watch the race from the spotter’s stand.
Kahne and Sweet: a unique combination… Not only are Kahne and Sweet good friends off the track, but the veteran is serving as mentor to Sweet as he makes the transition from open-wheel competition to stock cars. Sweet was handpicked by Kahne in 2008 to drive for Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) where he has since experienced tremendous success in the World of Outlaws Series. Sweet will continue to compete on a limited basis for KKR when he is not behind the wheel of the No. 38 Great Clips machine in the NNS. You can expect Kahne to be very involved and present in the NNS garage when Sweet is behind the wheel of the No. 38 as he will closely monitor his progress and offer encouragement.
Kahne brought Great Clips their first win! From 2003-2005, Kahne and his sponsor, Great Clips, Inc., reached momentous milestones, including capturing Kahne’s first Nationwide Series victory in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was also Great Clips’ first win as a primary sponsor. In 2005, Kahne captured his second career win at Texas Motor Speedway before leaving the Nationwide Series to allow more time for his Sprint Cup Series efforts.
Great Clips goes racing with the World of Outlaws in 2012! Great Clips will serve as sponsor for KKR driver Joey Saldana for the 2012 World of Outlaws season. The Minneapolis-based company has been a sponsor of KKR for the past two seasons. This year, they will be featured on all three KKR entries – as a primary sponsor on the #9 with Saldana as well as associate sponsor placement on Brad Sweet’s #49 and Cody Darrah’s #5 World of Outlaws cars.
12 Years and Counting… Great Clips, Inc. is currently the longest-running sponsor in the NNS and has used the Nationwide Series as their primary marketing platform for the last 11 years. Their sponsorship began in 2000 with Akins Motorsports as they climbed on board to sponsor the team’s No. 38 entry with driver, Christian Elder. Mark Green piloted the No. 38 for one season before general manager, Doug Stringer, hired up-and-coming talent, Kasey Kahne, thereby solidifying Great Clips’ commitment to their NASCAR sponsorship.
Kahne on racing at Texas Motor Speedway
“I really enjoy racing at Texas! It’s a great facility and with great fans! I’m really looking forward to working with everyone at Turner Motorsports again this weekend. It’s fun going into these races knowing that you are going to be in equipment capable of winning. Mike Shiplett (crew chief) and those guys work hard to make sure of that. I have one win with Great Clips at Texas (2005) and I’d love to get that No. 38 back into victory lane again this weekend!”
Follow the No. 38 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No38TurnerNNS
Follow Kasey Kahne on Twitter! Twitter.com/KaseyKahne
Follow Brad Sweet on Twitter! Twitter.com/KBradSweet49
Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports
About Great Clips: Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has more than 3,000 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world’s largest salon brand. Great Clips salons employ nearly 30,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn advanced skills and the latest trends. Make Great Clips your choice for value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. No appointments needed, and salons are open nights and weekends. And, it’s more convenient than ever with Great Clips’ Online Check-In. To check-in online, visit www.greatclips.com or download the app for Android and iPhone. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit www.greatclips.com.
JUSTIN ALLGAIER QUICK FACTS
No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet
Texas Motor Speedway
O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
April 13, 2012
Media Contact:
Martha McGrath | 704-299-0368
martha.mcgrath@turnermotorsportsllc.com
No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet News and Notes
Weekend Rewind: California – Justin Allgaier and the No. 31 BRANDT team had high hopes for their start at Auto Club Speedway two weeks ago after a very productive practice session and qualifying effort. Allgaier started the race on the front row in the second spot, and ran in the top-five throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately, a cracked radiator caused the engine to expire with just 38 laps to go and Allgaier finished 32nd.
Allgaier at Texas Motor Speedway – Allgaier will make his eighth career start at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. In seven previous attempts, Allgaier has scored two top-10 finishes with an average start of 14.9 and average finish of 14.3. Allgaier calls a sixth-place finish his career-best which came in last spring’s event.
One for the Kids – This week, Allgaier traveled south to Darlington, South Carolina to visit a couple of local schools in the area with fellow NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver Jeremy Clements. The drivers, along with the BRANDT show car (at select stops) will visit Mayo High School, Darlington County Institute of Technology (DCIT), Hartsville Middle School, and W. Hartsville Elementary School. No. 31 team member Cory Donely will join the group and speak to the students at DCIT about his role as team engineer.
Come Ride With Me – On Friday afternoon, Allgaier will be on hand to give pace car rides to some lucky fans, including four BRANDT guests, on behalf of NASCAR. A Chevy Camaro will be the vehicle of choice for the fans as Allgaier takes them for a quick trip around the 1.5-mile speedway.
Coming Home – The trip to Texas is a homecoming for one member of the BRANDT team. Mechanic Ryan Dextraze is from Wichita Falls which is located just over 100 miles northwest of Texas Motor Speedway.
This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Allgaier will pilot TMS-324 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is the same car Allgaier drove two weekends ago in California where he started on the outside row and finished 32nd.
Allgaier on the trip to Texas Motor Speedway:
“I really enjoy Texas and I’m excited to get back on track after our couple of off weekends. Texas is such a fun place to race because of the speeds. It is such a fast track. It will be awesome to be able to race under the lights too on a Friday night. We are bringing back our car from California so everyone on this team has high hopes for the weekend. I would love nothing more than to get BRANDT their first win of the season at Texas and finally get to put on that cowboy hat in victory lane.”
Follow the No. 31 team on Twitter! @No31TurnerNNS
Follow BRANDT on Twitter! @BRANDTRacing
Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports
Starts Poles Wins Top-Fives Top-10’s Avg. Start Avg. Finish
7 0 0 0 2 14.9 14.3
STEVE ARPIN QUICK FACTS
No. 3O mike’s On The Rocks Chevrolet
Texas Motor Speedway
O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
April 13, 2012
No. 30 mike’s On The Rocks Chevrolet News and Notes
This Week’s Impala… The No. 30 mike’s On The Rocks team will bring chassis TMS-312 to Texas Motor Speedway for Arpin’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series race of 2012. TMS-312 is the same chassis that Turner Motorsports driver James Buescher finished 14th with earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Back to Victory Lane… Texas Motor Speedway is a favorite of Arpin’s. The 28-year old scored his first win with Mike’s Hard Lemonade at the 1.5-mile track in 2010. He’s hoping to earn the same result this weekend with mike’s ON THE ROCKS.
Winning Crew Chief… Arpin’s crew chief this weekend will be Trent Owens. Owens led the No. 30 Turner Motorsports team to victory lane with Buescher at Daytona International Speedway in the first race this season.
Staying Busy… Arpin stayed busy over the offseason, racing a dirt modified at Volusia County Speedway during Speed Weeks. The Canadian also recently spent a week in Yuma, Ariz. testing Dale Jr.’s Sprint Cup Series ride.
Follow Me… Visit www.twitter.com/stevearpin, www.facebook.com/stevearpin and www.facebook.com/mikesOnTheRocks for the latest news and updates on Arpin and mike’s ON THE ROCKS.
Watch and Listen… The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 can be seen on ESPN2 on Friday, April 13, with race coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. and live racing action slated for 8:30 p.m. EST. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel 90.
Steve Arpin on driving at Texas Motor Speedway
The Canadian native has been busy in his off-season. Arpin made some laps racing a dirt car at Volusia County Speedway earlier this year. He also spent time at the end of last year testing Dale Jr.’s Sprint Cup Series ride at Yuma Speedway.
“I can’t think of a better place to start this out than Texas Motor Speedway; I love that place! I went to victory lane for the first time with Mike’s Hard Lemonade on the car at Texas in the ARCA race in 2010. Then, we made our Trucks debut there last season, so it’s very fitting to return to Texas for our debut in the No. 30 mike’s On The Rocks Impala too! I am really looking forward to getting back on the track, especially at a fast, fun place like Texas!”
