Thursday morning he’ll visit a Charlotte elementary school to encourage literacy followed Friday with an appearance at Joe Gibbs Racing’s Fanfest. Throw in some media interviews and sponsor work and you have the ingredients of a busy week before turning a wheel in the Aaron’s Dream Machine or his Nationwide car.
VICKERS ON A HECTIC CHARLOTTE WEEK: “Sure it’s a busy time, but it’s also a lot of fun. The fans and partners do so much for everyone in this sport that whenever we get a chance to give back to the fans at things like MWR’s Open House or JGR’s Fanfest we want to do it. The partners like Aaron’s and Dollar General also come up with some pretty cool stuff all the time usually in support of a charity. It’s an honor to do events like that.”
RACING CHARLOTTE: “You might look at it and ask if we can keep our focus, but that’s not a problem. Racing is priority one and that will never change. Whether it’s signing autographs, playing putt putt or practicing the car, my focus is always going to be on getting our Aaron’s Dream Machine ready for Saturday night’s race. We had a very fast car Sunday in Kansas. I really believe I was going to win the race. But, we got caught up in a wreck and that killed our chances. I think we have a real shot here at Charlotte. MWR won this race last year with Clint (Bowyer) and Martin (Truex Jr.) has always been good on the 1.5-mile tracks. I know the guys on the No. 55 are going to Charlotte with the thought in mind that we are going to bring home the trophy.”
NOTES:
· MWR OPEN HOUSE: Michael Waltrip Racing will hold an open house at its Cornelius, N.C. race shop on Wednesday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Fans may tour the shop, get autographs from MWR drivers and Miss Sprint Cup, enjoy sponsor displays, music, free food and drinks. MWR recently completed several capital improvements, including a new 7,500-square-foot training facility for its pit crews. Fans will be allowed access to the shop floor Wednesday for an up close view of the team’s Toyotas as it prepares for Saturday’s Chase for the Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. MWR is at 20310 Chartwell Center Drive off exit 28 on I-77 in Cornelius, N.C. about 15 miles north of Charlotte, N.C. The race shop is open to the public throughout the year.
· CHASSIS: Primary 774 – Mark Martin finished 9th at Dover in June & 23rd at Indianapolis in July.
· No. 55 Crew:
Ex. VP Comp. – Scott Miller
Car Chief/7thman – Steve Channing
Front Changer – Ryan Langley
Rear Changer – Shannon Myers
Front Carrier – Chris Hall
Rear Carrier – Mark Kennerly
Jackman – Tony Cardamone
Gas man – Brian Dheel
2nd Gas Man – Kelly Johnson
Spotter – Curtis Markham
Engineer – Billy Scott
2nd Engineer – Scott McDougall
Tires – Kevin White
Eng.Tuner – Denny Chandler (TRD)
Shocks – Mike (Nook) McCarville
Front Mechanic – Jacen Johns
Interior Mech. – David Cropps
Truck Driver – Glenn Shano
2nd Truck Driver – John Murphy
Pit Coach – Greg Miller
Dir. Race Eng. – Chad Walter
Ex. VP Engineering – Tom German
· VICKERS AT CHARLOTTE: Vickers owns two top-fives and three top-10 finishes in 14 starts. He has an average start of 18.3 and average finish of 22.9. His highest finish came in the 2007 and 2009 races in May when he finished fifth.
· VICKERS AT MWR: In 21 races Vickers owns a victory, five top-fives, and 10 top-10s driving MWR’s No. 55 Toyota.
· CAREER STATS: Vickers owns three Sprint Cup, three Nationwide and a Sprint Open victory. He’s led 1,189 laps in Sprint Cup competition. He’s won 11 Sprint Cup poles. Vickers has started 279 Sprint Cup races and 147 Nationwide. He is the 2003 Nation-wide Series Champion.
· NO. 55 in 2014: Aaron’s, Inc. announced Aug. 13 it had reached a multi-year agreement to sponsor Vickers in the No. 55. Vickers has raced the No. 55 on a part-time basis the last two seasons for MWR posting several impressive performances including his third career victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14. Beginning in 2014, he’ll pilot the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine with a fresh new paint scheme. Aaron’s will sponsor each race during the length of the agreement.
· SOCIAL STOP: Make MWR’s “Social Stop” your second screen to follow all the racing and social media action when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this weekend. MWR’s “Social Stop” goes live race morning allowing fans to view information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube all on one page. Twitter feeds from MWR drivers, media members and NASCAR fans will populate the page. Visitors can also interact with fellow race fans and answer poll questions on the page. Visit www.facebook.com/michaelwaltripracing or www.MichaelWaltripRacing.com/social.
· AARON’S: All October, Aaron’s is helping you score big on all the best brands! Spin our in-store wheel and you could win up to $100 off your first month’s lease. Register in-store or online at Aarons.com/bigscore to win a $5,000 shopping spree. As always, you’re pre-approved for up to $2,000 in merchandise. Score big and own easier at Aaron’s today!
· INSIDER PROGRAM: MWR launched its Insider Program in 2013 that offers all race fans sponsor discounts, specials on merchandise, exclusive pictures and video content plus fan giveaways throughout the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Fans can access the MWR Insider Program through the CardStar application available on most smartphones. MWR will work on behalf of the fans to expand the offerings beyond just its current sponsor line-up, aggregating industry-wide deals and discounts. Fans can text MWR to 42828 to get the card for free. Offers include free headset with rental of a FanVision unit ($19.99 value) and 25% off Toyota Racing merchandise at Toyota Racing.com.
