No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet/No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
EVENT – Dollar General 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
TRACK – Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)
DATE – Friday, Oct. 15, 2010
TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. EST) / PRN (broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola
No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet
“I love working for JR Motorsports and being surrounded by a good group of people. Dale Jr. and Kelley (Earnhardt) let you be who you want to be. They give you all the resources and tools you need to be competitive. If you look out in their shop, they have everything they need to go out and win races and compete for a championship. I consider myself really lucky to have landed here. I feel like I can come here, be competitive, and win races.
“This weekend is going to be interesting in the Nationwide Series new car. We’ve been trying to learn as much as we can with this Hellmann’s Chevrolet. We have a whole day to test. That is something I’m looking forward to. Our goals for the race are simple. I’d really like to go there and qualify well. The Hellmann’s Chevrolet has run well this season, and we want to do our part for them at Charlotte. We’ve qualified in the top-10 every time I’ve been in the 88. So if we qualify in the top-10 and run in the top-10, I’ll call it a strong day. And you never know what could happen at the end of 300 miles.”
Danica Patrick
No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
“Last week’s race was unfortunate. But our Go Daddy team can be happy with the fact that we had a solid run going. And despite the results, I know we were on the cusp of having a breakthrough day. Charlotte will be a different experience because we’ll be running the new Nationwide Series car. I know the Go Daddy team and everyone at JRM for that matter, has put a lot of time and energy into this new car program. I’m grateful for the extended practice session on Wednesday, too. I think that will go a long way.
“I can see why everyone gets so excited to race at Charlotte. With so many of the drivers living in this area, it’s like a homecoming event. Plus, a race under the lights, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“I remember going down the back straightaway (in a go kart as a kid) where Turns 3 and 4 are on the main track and pretending I was racing cars out there on the track. I took a ride there in a two-seat race car with the Petty Driving Experience where you pay money and get to ride in the passenger’s seat. I also remember walking the track one time and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, the banking is so steep you can barely walk on it.’ So I have a lot of memories from Charlotte. That includes everything from visiting a slot car track where we would hang out as kids to the (North Carolina) red clay.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
JRM FALL FAN DAY FROM OCT. 14 – 17 – The festivities for JR Motorsports fall fan day begin on Thursday, Oct. 14, and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 17. The JRM fan zone and retail store will open on Oct. 14, at 8:30 a.m., to be followed by an autograph session featuring JRM drivers Aric Almirola, Danica Patrick, Josh Wise and co-owner Kelley Earnhardt at 10:30 a.m. (200 wristbands for the autograph session will be distributed on Wednesday, Oct. 13, in the retail store beginning at 8:30 a.m.). Fans can enjoy sponsor displays, food, and live radio remote broadcasts, as well as the first annual JRM car show, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first 50 fans in attendance on Oct. 14 – 16 will also receive free JRM goodie bags. For a complete schedule visit www.dalejr.com or check out the JR Motorsports Facebook page.
CHARLOTTE STATS – Almirola has four starts at Charlotte with one top-five and one top-10 finish. His best finish of fourth came while driving for Joe Gibbs in the fall of 2007. In Almirola’s four starts this season with JR Motorsports, he’s notched one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
NIGHT RACIN’ – In three night races at the 1.5-mile facilities of Atlanta, Chicagoland and Kentucky this season, the No. 88 Chevrolet scored an average finish of 9.3. The two drivers splitting duties at those tracks were Coleman Pressley and Jamie McMurray.
A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE – Patrick will debut at Charlotte in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet on Saturday, but it won’t be her first time racing at the track. The Roscoe, Ill. native drove go karts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course as a youngster.
FOURTH FOR NNS NEW CAR – This weekend is the final of four races for the Nationwide Series new car before it sees fulltime action in 2011. The new car debuted at Daytona International Speedway earlier this summer, and then raced at Michigan International Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
NEW CAR STATS FOR NO. 88 – The No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet team has earned an average finish of 13.6 in the three new car races this season. The team’s highest finish in the new car was a seventh-place showing at Michigan with driver Elliott Sadler.
HELLMANN’S FINALE – The familiar yellow and blue No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet will see its final race of 2010 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hellmann’s has been featured seven times on the No. 88 this season. The team earned one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes during that time.
NO. 88 TEAM TO DATE – The No. 88 team has notched one win, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes with nine different drivers on the year. They’ve also led a total of 109 laps. Jamie McMurray earned the team’s first victory of the season at Atlanta. They’re ranked ninth in 2010 owner points.
NO. 7 TEAM TO DATE – The No. 7 team has secured six top-10 finishes and led 42 laps with six different drivers in 2010. J.R. Fitzpatrick and Scott Wimmer tied for the team’s best finish of the year. Both drivers earned seventh-place finishes. They’re ranked 16th in 2010 owner points.
FOUNDATION FAST LAPS – The Dale Jr. Foundation still has a few opportunities remaining as part of Dale Jr. Day with the NASCAR Racing Experience on Oct. 18, 2010. Fans can drive a real No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet or even ride with Dale Jr. for a few heart-pounding laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway. 100 percent of the proceeds of the rides with Dale Jr. and a portion of the proceeds from the racing school rides will benefit several key charities that The Dale Jr. Foundation supports, including Blessings in a Backpack, Speedway Children’s Charities and the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. For more information go to: http://www.nascarracingexperience.com/NRE/DaleJrDay/index.html
FREE JR NATION CREW FAN CLUB – Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports encourage fans to join the JR Nation Crew Fan Club for free. The official fan club provides members with exclusive ticket and merchandise offers, in addition to JRM blogs, forums, and chat rooms to interact with other members of JR Nation. For more information, visitwww.jrnation.com.
