Alex Bowman
No. 99 Windows Surface Toyota Camry
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: History 300 – May 25, 2012
Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway
News & Notes:
This Week’s Windows Surface Toyota … Alex Bowman will pilot RAB Racing Chassis No. 42 in Saturday’s History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This chassis last saw action Texas Motor Speedway last month, when Bowman qualified this Toyota Camry on the pole.
Welcome Aboard… Microsoft joins RAB Racing as a primary sponsor of the No. 99 Toyota Camry. Toyota teams – including RAB Racing – have been utilizing its line-of-business Windows 8 Trackside app to enhance their performance on and off the racetrack. Developed by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and running on the Windows Surface Pro, RAB Racing is able to monitor real-time performance data, conveniently and portably. Because of its ability to share data with the crew instantaneously, the application has quickly become a staple of the team’s strategy.
First Timer … Though Bowman has recorded laps at many of the tracks on the Nationwide Series circuit throughout his seasons in the K&N Pro Series and the ARCA Racing Series, he has not yet competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As he heads out on the 1.5-mile oval for Nationwide Series practice this Wednesday, these will truly be his first laps here.
Homecoming … Robby Benton, owner of RAB Racing, hails from Harrisburg, N.C., graduated from North Mecklenberg High School and attended UNC Charlotte. He began his racing career racing go-carts at Woodleaf Speedway in Salisbury, NC when he was 14 years old. Benton went on to race in the ARCA Series, where he earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes in 11 starts. From there, Benton made a combined seven starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series, before climbing out of the driver’s seat and focusing on team ownership. Benton’s Concord, N.C.-based RAB Racing has earned one win, one pole, four top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
RAB Racing at Charlotte … RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has competed in eight Nationwide Series events at Charlotte Motor Speedway since their inaugural year of competition in 2009. RAB Racing has accumulated two top-20 finishes, including a best showing of 16th, which came with driver Kenny Wallace in 2011.
Rice at Charlotte … Crew chief of the No. 99 Toyota Camry, Chris Rice, has sat atop the pit box at Charlotte Motor Speedway eight times in his Nationwide Series career, amassing two top-10s and six top-20 finishes with drivers Stacy Compton, Shelby Howard, Wallace, and Scott Wimmer.
Get to the Points … As we head into the tenth race of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, Bowman currently occupies the ninth position in the drivers’ point standings, only 35 points out of the top five and 84 points behind leader Regan Smith. Owner Robby Benton holds steady at 13th position in the Nationwide Series owners’ point standings.
Rookie Battle… Following his 17th place finish at Darlington Raceway, Bowman sits in the second position in the Rookie of the Year point standings, nine points behind Kyle Larson.
Catch the Action … Saturday’s History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be televised live Saturday, May 25 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST on ABC and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network.
Get Social … Don’t miss any updates from Bowman and RAB Racing. Follow them on Twitter @AlexBRacing and @RAB_Racing.
Alex Bowman Quotes:
“What a big weekend we’ve got ahead of us, really excited for my first big time NASCAR race on Memorial Day Weekend. Another milestone for our team is the announcement of having Windows 8 Surface Tablet coming aboard for this race, they’ve been a great supporter of our team, I love their product and use it every day at home. Charlotte Motor Speedway is a place where I’ve always wanted to run before and really looking forward to my first few laps out there and of course the race on Saturday. We’ve also got an autograph session at Food Lion Speed Street on Friday as well as a visit to Sedgefield Middle School on Friday apart of my “Drive Away Bullying” campaign.”
Chris Rice Quotes:
“Charlotte is exciting because it changes from day to day and from day to night. Though it’s still your mile and a half cookie-cutter track, the track’s temperature makes a huge difference on the car’s handling. I’d consider Turn 1 and 2 some of the easiest corners on the NASCAR circuit, while Turns 3 and 4 are some of the most difficult, so there is a balance that you have to hit. I feel like our Windows Surface Toyota Camry will run well here. It’s the same car that Alex snagged the pole with at Texas Motor Speedway and we’ve taken it to the wind tunnel since and made it even better.”
