Turner Scott Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series News & Notes: Auto Club Speedway
Nelson Piquet Jr.
No. 30 Qualcomm Chevrolet Camaro
Auto Club Speedway | Royal Purple 300
March 23, 2013
Bristol Recap… Falling victim to an incident in the early stages of the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300, Nelson Piquet Jr. and the No. 30 WORX Yard Tools team were forced to retire early from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday. Starting from the 19th position, Piquet Jr. was working his way into the top-15 when he was collected in an accident as another competitor slid up the track, leaving Piquet Jr. with nowhere to go. The No. 30 Chevrolet Camaro sustained irreparable damage, relegating Piquet Jr. to a 34th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This Week’s Camaro… The No. 30 Qualcomm team will have chassis TSM-329 this Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. This will be the first appearance for this chassis during the 2013 season.
Welcome Back… For the first time in 2013, Turner Scott Motorsports Partner Qualcomm will be the primary sponsor for Piquet Jr. and No. 30 Turner Scott Motorsports team for this week’s Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway. Qualcomm Incorporated is the world leader in next-generation mobile technologies. For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere. For more information, please visit www.qualcomm.com.
Amongst the Stars… Piquet Jr., TSM teammate Kyle Larson, and several other NNS drivers will be heading out to Los Angeles early this week to mingle amongst the stars. They will be taking in a LA Clippers game Wednesday evening, and Thursday they will tour MTV and Disney. On Friday, Piquet Jr. will be attending the NNS autograph session to meet fans following the final practice session on Friday afternoon at 4:30 pm PT in the fan midway.
Watch and Listen… The Royal Purple 300 can be seen live on Saturday, March 23 on ESPN. Race coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. EST. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Nelson Piquet Jr. on his first trip to Auto Club Speedway:
“Everyone has put last week behind us, I’m looking forward to getting back into the car this week, I’ve only seen tape of the races from Auto Club but it looks like it’s a nice track with lots of room to race. I’m looking forward to giving Qualcomm and my team a solid run this week and build some momentum heading into the off-weekend.”
NNS Career Results at Auto Club Speedway:
Piquet Jr. will be making his first career Auto Club Speedway NNS start on Saturday, March 23, in the Royal Purple 300.
Justin Allgaier
No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet Camaro
Auto Club Speedway | Royal Purple 300
March 23, 2013
Auto Club Weekend…Following a Coors Light Pole Award and an eighth-place finish in the Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Allgaier and the No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro team head out west. Allgaier will be making his seventh career start at Auto Club Speedway (ACS). Last year, Allgaier was leading the race when an engine failure ended his day prematurely and relegated him to a 32nd-place finish.
2013 Point Standings… With three top-10 and one top-five finish in the first four races of 2013, Allgaier’s consistent performance has helped him remain second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) point standings.
Driver Rating…Allgaier has the highest average driver rating, 93.4, among drivers who have made six starts at ACS and competed fulltime in the Nationwide Series in 2012. (Driver Rating formula combines wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, laps led and lead-lap finishes.)
Big Weekend for BRANDT…BRANDT will host the No. 31 BRANDT crew members and guests at K1 Speed in Ontario, CA for an evening of go-kart racing on Friday. BRANDT will also host approximately 185 employees and customers this weekend at ACS. The guests will be treated to a garage tour and hospitality before enjoying the Royal Purple 300 from the grandstands.
Meet Justin…Allgaier will be attending the Auto Club Speedway NNS autograph session to meet and sign for fans following NNS final practice on Friday, March 22 from 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. PDT in the fan midway.
From the Crew Chief, Scott Zipadelli…”Auto Club [Speedway] is a fast and bumpy track. As the track ages, the bumps are more noticeable and it lacks grip. There’s not a lot of cautions so we have to be prepared for long green flag runs and green flag pit stops. Justin really likes the track and I expect we will have a good weekend with the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy Camaro.”
Justin Allgaier on Auto Club Speedway
“Auto Club [Speedway] is a very fast 2-mile track with a couple of different racing lines to make passes. We qualified well there last season and were leading the race before we had an engine problem, so I’m hoping for a better result this year.”
NNS results at Auto Club Speedway:
Starts: 6
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top 5: 0
Top 10: 2
Laps Led: 3
Average Start: 9.7
Average Finish: 15.2
Kyle Larson
No. 32 Eveready Chevrolet Camaro
Auto Club Speedway | Royal Purple 300
March 23, 2013
Close to Home… Elk Grove, California native Kyle Larson will return to his home state this weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Royal Purple 300. Hailing from the northern portion of the Golden State, Larson began building his racing resume at just seven years of age, with California presenting itself as a hot bed of motorsports opportunities for his career. Larson collected several triumphs in midgets and sprint cars over the next three years and was crowned “King of California” in 2010 as the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series Champion. With that kind of history, the Turner Scott Motorsports driver anticipates the return to his home state.
“I’ve done a lot of traveling over the past couple years, so it will be nice to come back to California and Auto Club Speedway,” Larson said. “I remember going to a lot of races all over California when I was younger, and there were a lot of tracks I’ve raced on that gave me good opportunities to grow and succeed. Though Fontana is pretty far from my hometown, it’s always nice to come home and race in your home state.”
Looking Back… Kyle Larson and the No. 32 Turner Scott Motorsports team went to Thunder Valley for the NNS Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 hoping to come away with a clean finish in their Cottonelle Camaro after a tough start to the 2012 season. Steering clear of any trouble and methodically picking his way through the field, Larson found himself in striking distance on the final lap to battle for the win. Going door-to-door as he crossed the stripe under the checkered flag, Larson came away with runner-up honors in the second-closest NNS finish in history at Bristol.
Lefty’s Reading Challenge… Larson will spend some time in Lefty’s Fun Zone at Auto Club Speedway prior to Saturday’s qualifying session at 9:45 am, reading to some of the elementary school winners of Lefty’s Reading Challenge.
This Week’s Camaro… The No. 32 Eveready Chevy Camaro team has prepared chassis TSM-331 for competition this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. This Camaro was completely rebuilt in the offseason and will see its first track time this weekend.
Crew Chief Keys… “I’m really excited to go to Auto Club Speedway because it’s a track I’ve always had good success at,” Owens explained. “We can build off of the momentum we had at Bristol too; I’m really proud of our team and how they improved the car from the beginning of the weekend to battling for the win on Saturday. It’s easy when everything is perfect all weekend, but when you can build on something like that, it’s really encouraging.”
Kyle Larson on Auto Club Speedway
“I haven’t raced at Auto Club Speedway, but I’ve watched a bunch of races and it looks like a lot of fun to me. It seems like the track has aged, so I’m thinking it will be slick and challenging. There’s more than one groove, which makes for great racing. I’m really looking forward to going there with our Eveready Camaro.”
NNS Career Results at Auto Club Speedway:
Larson will be making his first career Auto Club Speedway NNS start on Saturday, March 23, in the Royal Purple 300.
