BRAD SWEET QUICK FACTS No. 32 Great Clips Silverado Phoenix International Raceway Lucas Oil 150 February 25, 2011 No. 32 Great Clips Silverado Team News and Notes
· Prior experience at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) an advantage for Brad Sweet… In just the beginning of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) career, Brad Sweet often straps into his truck at tracks he may have no prior experience at. This weekend at PIR, he has an added advantage stemming from the fact that he has two prior starts at the one-mile oval. In his first start at the Avondale, Ariz.-based track in 2009, which was also his first career NCWTS start, Sweet started 23rd and finished 22nd. Last season, he bettered that performance, starting 13th and bringing home a solid 15th-place finish while completing all of the laps.
· Momentum on Sweet’s side after solid effort in season-opener at Daytona…Last weekend, Sweet made his first ever start at the famed Daytona International Speedway. Proving his abilities on the track, he started 10th and quickly worked his way up into the fourth position. He maintained a place inside the top-five for a majority of the race before a late-race accident took him out of contention.
· Start of a new era for Turner Motorsports… The 2011 season marks the start of a new era for Turner Motorsports. The team has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NCWTS to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series, fielding three entries in the NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Three of the team’s regular NNS drivers (Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier) have been pegged as viable contenders to win the 2011 NNS driver championship.
· Sweet on SIRIUS’ Morning Drive this Friday at 10:30 a.m. EST… Don’t forget to tune in to SIRIUS Radio’s “Morning Drive” with Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone this Friday at 10:30 a.m. to hear Sweet’s take on last weekend’s season-opener at Daytona and his thoughts heading into Friday’s event at PIR.
Brad Sweet on Phoenix International Raceway “I’m excited to go back to Phoenix because it’s one of the few tracks I have some laps under my belt at. I have raced there twice in the Midgets and twice in the Truck Series. In fact, Phoenix is where I made my first Truck Series start. Last fall we had a solid race, starting 13th and finishing 15th. Going back this weekend, I feel like we can spend more time working on handling, as opposed to me needing time to learn my lines and get a feel for the place. I think we will be able to get up to speed pretty quickly and get dialed in. Phoenix is a pretty cool track, but a very tricky one. You have to work really hard throughout practice to find a good balance in your handling. With turns one and two being completely different from three and four, finding that balance can be tough. We had a good run last weekend at Daytona before that late-race accident, and even though this is a whole different type of racing, this Great Clips team is carrying some positive momentum into Phoenix.”
Brad Sweet Career Race by Race NCWTS Stats at Phoenix Int’l Raceway Year/Event Start Finish Laps Status Led 2009 23 22 147/151 running 0 2010 13 15 150/150 running 0 Avg. Start Avg. Finish Total Laps Total Led 18 18.5 99% 0 Brad SweetCareer NCWTS Stats Starts Poles Wins Top-fives Top-10’s Laps Led 11 0 0 0 1 0 Avg. Start Avg. Finish 18.4 18.4
About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas-native, Steve Turner, the racing organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will house three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Brad Sweet. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, who will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com
