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Jeff Gordon Spotter Jeff Dickerson Is Home With Hendrick Motorsports

By
SM Staff
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In the early part of the 2010 season, Jeff Dickerson was on the spotter’s stand for driver Kyle Busch, a former Hendrick Motorsport team member.  But a change was made midway in the season and Dickerson returned home to HMS to spot for four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

[media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”267″][/media-credit]Dickerson is most excited to be reunited with crew chief Alan Gustafson, Busch’s former crew chief while at Hendrick.  Gustafson was part of the major crew chief swap at Hendrick Motorsports, moving from the pit box of Mark Martin to Jeff Gordon.

“Alan Gustafson is one of my true loves in that garage,” Dickerson said.  “He is responsible for my success in this sport as much as anybody.  So to be reunited with him and those guys, it’s kind of like going home.”

“It didn’t really take much to get re-acclimated with those guys because those relationships never really ended,” Dickerson continued.  “That’s really just been a lot of fun.”

“Alan and I approach the race the same,” Dickerson said.  “He taught me everything I know.”

As far as working with driver Jeff Gordon, Dickerson is feeling equally at home on the spotter’s stand.

“Everything’s been good,” Dickerson said. “I’m obviously excited as everybody to get a chance at that championship.  But we have to close some races out.”

“Last year, we were so close to winning some races and we couldn’t close them out.  Hopefully we can get that monkey off our back.”

Dickerson said that his transition to Gordon was made most easy by the driver himself.

“Jeff basically said for me to do my deal and he would figure it out,” Dickerson said.  “When they came and got me Jeff was looking for something different so he has done a really good job adapting to me.  He’s really made a nice soft landing for me.”

“Any feedback that he has for me is in real time,” Dickerson continued.  “He is very open as far as feedback from me as far as what he needs to be doing.  No one is worried about hurting anyone’s feelings.  We’re just always trying to learn.”

As at home with Jeff Gordon that Dickerson feels, he is definitely not feeling comfortable quite yet with the style of racing that has presented itself so far at Daytona.

“We’re all still learning about this tandem racing,” Dickerson said.  “I’m as curious as anybody how this is going to go with 43 of us out there.  The cars on the race track are also still trying to figure that out.”

Dickerson is also trying to figure out just how to make the appropriate deals up on the spotters’ stand that will most benefit his driver and team.

“In the past, it was let’s make a deal, but you knew you were going to get screwed,” Dickerson said.  “If it was one big pack, you could jump in and jump out and everything was great.”

“But now when you make a deal with someone, you sit in tandem and it’s a deal,” Dickerson continued.  “Now you need somebody more than you needed them before.”

Dickerson described the spotters’ stand at Daytona as basically a “train wreck” given this new style of racing.

“You’re running around making deals with whoever the guy is that’s ahead or behind or who is lined up behind you,” Dickerson said.  “We’re all running into each other just trying to adapt.”

Dickerson also predicted that the partnerships that are formed in the Daytona 500 will last throughout most of the race.  This very situation occurred in Gordon’s duel, where he worked with young Trevor Bayne throughout, only to get caught up in a wreck at the end of the race.

“I think Trevor Bayne did a great job,” Dickerson said.  “Can you only imagine being that old and having Jeff Gordon coming to you saying ‘Hey bud, we’re going to be working together today?’  It was just unfortunate that we all got caught up there in the end but he kept his poise.”

“It could have been David Pearson in the car,” Dickerson continued.  “He looked beyond his years.  There’s been a lot of great guys that have run that car and it looked like anyone of them was in there.  He did a great job.”

“Jeff would have no problem working with him again.”

Unfortunately the two working together did not last during the final laps of the race.  Both Bayne and Gordon wrecked, with Bayne finishing 19th and Gordon finishing in the 12th position.

“We were very fortunate to get through that with what we got,” Dickerson said.  “We’re really lucky because we could have been in the same position that the 88 is having to start at the back.  And that’s not what you want to do when you’re guaranteed a starting spot from the front row in this deal.”

When Sunday rolls around and the Daytona 500 gets underway, Dickerson said that what he will be most surprised about is if the cars can really run like they did in the duel races for 500 miles.

“I will be surprised if these guys can do this for 500 miles,” Dickerson said. “I am also curious to see how we are going to do that with 43 guys out there.”

“It’s going to be as intense and crazy as you’ve ever seen.”

Dickerson will get the opportunity to see just how intense the racing will be when he takes the spotter’s stand for America’s Super Bowl of racing.

Until then, he will continue to savor his homecoming with the No. 24 team and his Hendrick Motorsports family.

Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – Keys to the Daytona 500

By
Official Release
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Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 Denny Darnell Scott Sebastian Dodge Motorsports PR Daytona Int’l Speedway Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Keys for Success: Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Feb. 19, 2011) – Each race weekend, select Dodge Motorsports engineers, crew chiefs, drivers, engine specialists and team members give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, the green flag drops at the ‘World Center of Racing’.

Track: Daytona International Speedway (race 1 of 36 NSCS point events)

Race: 53rd annual Daytona 500

Track Length: 2.5-miles (200 laps)

Race Record: Buddy Baker, 177.602 mph (Feb. 17, 1980)

Trivia Question: What is the record for laps led by a race winner at the Daytona 500? (Answer Below)

HOWARD COMSTOCK (Dodge Motorsports Engineering) “You can’t ignore how important good drafting partners will be. In the Duels, we saw drafting partners lead the race, but once they broke apart during a pit stop, they couldn’t get hooked back together and fell back into the field. That’s key because based upon everything that we’ve seen in Speedweeks thus far, unless you have a good drafting partner, you’re not going to be able to get to the front of the field and have a shot at winning the Daytona 500.

“A second key to the Daytona 500 will be how drivers manage engine temperature while in the draft. If you get the engine too hot, you lose water. If you lose water, the engine will get hotter and you won’t be able to run 500 miles. You can see the catastrophic potential.

“Finally, pit stops are always critical, but with the elimination of the catch can man, the choreography is different this year. The fueling process has changed and, on most teams, chassis adjustments will no longer be made by the gas man. Tomorrow, a fraction of a second will be critical in maintaining contact with the drafting partner.”

Answer to Trivia Question: 184 – (Richard Petty – 1964)

Race Schedule App For Droid Smart Phones

By
Official Release
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What Time is the Race? There’s Now an App for That

Android App Provides Instant TV Information for Fans of Eight Racing Series

Asheville, NC, February 18, 2011 – SpeedWeekly Magazine, “Your Racing News Source,” is living up its billing by providing auto racing fans with a free Android App for the most popular auto racing television schedules. The App includes the start time and network of every nationally-televised race in eight different race series. A similar App for the Apple iPhone will soon be available.

The free App, available for download from the Android Market on your phone or by visiting SpeedWeekly.net, provides the schedules for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, along with the complete schedules for ARCA, IndyCar, Formula One, Grand Am and American LeMans. The App premieres during NASCAR’s SpeedWeeks, the week leading up to the Daytona 500.

“This new SpeedWeekly App is a major advancement for race fans on the go,” said Rick Bradham, Publisher of SpeedWeekly Magazine. “Other Apps may offer TV information about a specific network or racing series, but ours is the first to cover all nationally-televised races for eight of the world’s most popular auto racing series.”

The user-friendly App allows fans to select a series and date and find the name of the race, the track, the start time, and the network televising the race. After each race, the name of the winning driver will replace the start time and network on the App.

“Whether fans are on the road, in a different time zone, or just away from their computers, they can easily find the start time and network for all their favorite races. This exclusive new App puts the power of a complete program guide in the palm of your hand,” said Bradham.

In addition to the new App, SpeedWeekly offers two website widgets that provide an auto racing TV schedule. To grab a widget for your site, go to speedweekly.net and select “TV Schedules” from the toolbar. Choose either the small or large widget, grab it and paste it to your website.

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SpeedWeekly Magazine, “Your Racing News Source,” is a weekly publication dedicated to NASCAR and local racing. SpeedWeekly is distributed weekly at local race tracks, auto racing museums, race team facilities, select retailers and by subscription service. Local racing coverage includes all divisions and classes at 27 asphalt oval tracks in the Southeast along with 12 traveling series including ARCA, UARA, USAR and PASS South.

Pearson’s Daytona 500 Winner Was One Memorable Mercury

By
Official Release
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As he watches his rookie driver Trevor Bayne work his way into a job in the Sprint Cup Series, Eddie Wood can’t help but think back to the days when he was just coming into his own as a mechanic on his family’s race team.

[media-credit name=”woodbrothersracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”193″][/media-credit]One race that stands above the rest from Wood’s early days as a full-time mechanic was the 1976 Daytona 500, a race that is rated by many as having the most exciting finish ever in NASCAR.

In that race, the Woods’ driver David Pearson drove a 1976 Mercury Montego.

Eddie Wood, now a co-owner of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion driven by Bayne, remembers that the car arrived at the team’s race shop in Stuart, Va., as just a rolling chassis with the roof and quarter panels tack welded on. It was built up to that point by famed car builder Banjo Matthews, and it was up to the team to complete the car and prepare it for racing. Unlike today, where teams prepare fleets of cars to start the season, the Woods had just one car to build. And whereas today’s race teams have dozens of mechanics assigned to car preparation, the Woods handled that basically by themselves.

Team founder Glen Wood, his brother Leonard, and Glen’s sons Eddie and Len had just one full-time employee besides themselves working in the shop.

Eddie Wood, then 24, said he and his brother decided they’d like to paint the inside of their car something other than the dull flat black that it had been in the past. Their inspiration came in part from seeing their friends and rivals at Petty Enterprises paint the insides of their cars blue.

Wood said the first color chosen for the Mercury’s interior was silver.

“We painted it in the middle of the floor,” Wood said.

But when it was done, it just didn’t look right.

“We got together, Len, myself and Leonard and got lacquer thinner and some rags and wiped all that paint off,” he said. “Then we painted it in red lacquer.”

Wood said that experience illustrated how his uncle Leonard, who is still regarded as one of the brightest minds in the NASCAR garage, was patient with his nephews and willing to try their ideas on a race car.

But, as Wood pointed out, Leonard’s primary focus was on that No. 21 and making it fast. And at the race tracks, when Len and Eddie would wander around the garage and check out other cars, Leonard never ventured far from the No. 21’s garage stall.

“He stuck close with the car,” Wood said. “It was his baby.”
 

For the ’76 Daytona 500, Leonard’s baby was one of the best in the field.

A former Woods driver, A.J. Foyt led the most laps that day, but his Hoss Ellington Chevrolet blew an engine. Buddy Baker, who would eventually drive the No. 21, led 28 laps in Bud Moore’s Ford, but also blew an engine.

But all the while, from the drop of the green flag, the two drivers at the head of the class were Pearson and Richard Petty, just as they were at countless other races and countless other tracks back in the day.

The Pettys and Woods were fierce rivals, but also friends. It was true then, and it’s true today. “We’ve always been friends with the Pettys,” Wood said. “When we were running a limited schedule and happened to fall out of a race, we’d go stand with Dale Inman in Petty’s pits. It’s still that way today.”

As the laps wound down back in February of 1976, Pearson led from Lap 177 to 187. Then Petty led from 188-199.

As usual for those times, Eddie Wood was the only team member in radio contact with Pearson. “Leonard was the crew chief and changed tires, and he didn’t want to be bothered with the radio,” Wood said.

As Pearson trailed Petty under the white flag, Wood keyed his radio and asked his driver:

“Can you get him?”

The reply was brief: “I don’t know.”

The cars went out of sight into Turn One. With no TV monitor and no vantage point providing a view of the backstretch, Wood and the rest of the people on pit road were left to wonder what was happening.

As the cars roared off Turn Two down the backstretch, the crowd began to stand up. A roar was building.

Pearson came on the radio with a simple update: “I got him.”

Pearson went high to the lead, but Petty came back on the low side. The two future Hall of Famers ran side by side, but a slight bump set in motion a series of events that have become an unforgettable part of Daytona and NASCAR lore.

Wood still couldn’t see what was happening and only got a brief report from Pearson over the radio: “He hit me.”

By this point, everybody at Daytona International Speedway was going wild. “Especially me,” Wood said. “I knew what had happened before they came into sight.”

Wood looked to his right and saw Petty’s Dodge sliding through the grass toward the plane of the finish line. But he slid to a stop just shy of victory.

Then Wood heard Pearson on the radio, asking: “Where’s Richard?”

It was a moment that clearly illustrated just how calm Pearson was in that situation compared to everyone else around him.

“I couldn’t even find the button to push to answer him,” Wood said.

When Wood finally got the message back to Pearson that Petty had not crossed the finish line, Pearson responded, as calm as ever: “I’m coming.”

And he won the Daytona 500, at about 20 miles per hour.

Wood said that over the years, he’s watched replays of that finish, and come to appreciate even more just how calm the Silver Fox was in those critical moments.

“When he asked me ‘Where’s Richard’ he was spinning,” Wood said. “He had clutched the car and was keeping it running, which was using both feet. He had to use one hand to push the talk button, which was on his shoulder harness, and he still had to steer the car.

“And there was no emotion in his voice.”

In the years since, moments like that have helped build a special bond between Pearson and Wood.

“There was nobody monitoring the radio,” Wood said. “I’m the only one that knows just how calm he was.”

But the story of that Mercury and David Pearson didn’t end with that finish. The car was rebuilt and Pearson drove it to victory in the sport’s other two big races that year – the World 600 at Charlotte and the Southern 500 at Darlington, all won with the same engine block that was in the car at Daytona.

The car later served as a show car for series sponsor Winston, then ended up parked out back of the Woods’ shop in Stuart, made obsolete by NASCAR’s downsizing of the Cup cars.

“We sold it for $200 just to get it out of the way,” Wood said.

The car found its way to a junkyard in Florida, where it was rescued and restored. At last report it was on display in the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Neb.

TOYOTA NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Daytona International Speedway

By
Official Release
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Toyota team owner and driver Michael Waltrip earned his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory in Friday night’s 250-mile race at Daytona International Speedway.

Waltrip made the race-winning pass in the final turn at the 2.5-mile superspeedway to record the fifth straight win for a Tundra driver at Daytona.

The 47-year-old became the 22nd driver in NASCAR history to win a race in all three national series.

Tundra drivers Miguel Paludo (fourth) and Kyle Busch (fifth) registered top-five results.

Tundra drivers Timothy Peters (11th), Max Papis (12th), David Starr (13th), Craig Goess Jr. (16th), Justin Lofton (18th), Chris Fontaine (19th), Aric Almirola (22nd), Todd Bodine (23rd), Brendan Gaughan (26th), Travis Kvapil (29th) and Johanna Long (32nd) were also in the field.

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 15 Wounded Warrior Project Toyota Tundra, Vision Aviation Racing Finishing Position: 1st How does it feel to win tonight’s race? “I’m just so thankful. I want to thank the fans, man. They keep us going and they’ve just been so good to us. Camping World and this whole Truck series. I’ve been an admirer of it from the SPEED booth. It’s just very emotional. I didn’t know I could push Elliott (Sadler) all the way around there. I was able to do it. I didn’t know I could do that and I wouldn’t have known it if it weren’t for Kyle Busch. That’s how good he is. He taught me how to win a race. God bless Dale (Earnhardt) and his family and his fans. I came here to celebrate his life with my black truck and my No. 15 car, I didn’t come to celebrate a win. This feels really good. I’m thankful for this.”

When did you know inside the truck that you could win this race? “I pulled out and I still didn’t know because I didn’t know how much my truck would bog down. I didn’t know if maybe Elliott (Sadler) could tick back inside of me. I didn’t know until I saw the checkered. I’m just so thankful. I don’t even know these guys. They wanted me to drive their truck and Jerry (Baxter, NNS crew chief) wants me to drive his car tomorrow and Bobby Kennedy (NSCS crew chief) and those guys at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) want me to drive on Sunday. It wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for this guy (Rob Kauffman, MWR co-owner). MWR was up a creek and Rob showed up with a paddle and now we’ve got our feet under us and maybe we could do this on Sunday too.”

How emotional is this win? “Ten years ago I stood here and I thought it was the greatest day ever and it turned out to be the worst day ever. I just wanted to come back here this year and honor Dale (Earnhardt) and thank him and give his fans something to cheer for with the No. 15 car, the No. 15 truck and the honorary paint scheme. I wanted to thank him and his fans. This is an amazing run. If it hadn’t have been for Kyle Busch I wouldn’t have known I could’ve did what I did. That’s how good he is. I saw him doing something and I thought, ‘Well, darn, I guess I’m going to have to do that in order to preserve this victory.’ And then it turned out that was how I won was pushing Elliott (Sadler) away from everybody. Congratulations to Elliott Sadler. He held onto that truck and I was pushing him all over the place. It feels really good to win a truck race. I haven’t won one before. I’ve been close a time or two and to pull into victory lane in the Vision Airlines Toyota with the NASCAR RaceView onboard. This is going to be the most amazing Daytona 500 ever. These drivers just figure out no matter what the rules are, no matter what the package looks like early, they figure out how to make it crazy at the end, and we did that today.”

What was your plan for the final lap of the race? “I thought I needed to go high. There was a line over there to the left that you can’t go under and it’s easy to crowd a guy toward that line because he’s got to give up before he goes out of bounds. But, when you crowd him toward the wall you’re going to crash too because he will turn you into the wall. So, I thought the high side was the smart way to go because if Elliott (Sadler) tried to squeeze me off we would’ve both crashed and then it would’ve been a David Pearson and Richard Petty finish and one of us would still be happy. I thought the high side was the way to go and it worked. Elliott and I were both just guessing. I would’ve taken the outside if I were leading, working a deal with the guy in second. There were trucks behind us we didn’t know about and hadn’t been there all day. We made a deal and we raced for it just like we said we would do and he’s just a great competitor. He’s (Elliott Sadler) going to be a championship contender. I love racing with him. He and I both have something in common with Dale (Earnhardt) — Elliott shares the same birthday with Dale and I knew if he won we would get to be happy because of that and if I won because of the anniversary of the day that Dale made me a winner. He’s made a lot of people in this world a winner that admired him and looked up to him, and if you knew Dale Earnhardt you’re a better person because of it. I’m so thankful that I can stand here in victory lane and honor him.”

MIGUEL PALUDO, No. 7 Stemco Duroline Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing Finishing Position: 4th Are you happy with your finish? “Yeah, was pretty good. First time here in Daytona. I talk to a lot of the drivers before this race. They said, ‘Man, you have to be patient till the last lap. So I did that. Since the 22 (Joey Coulter) went into the wall, I saw that it would be my night because I got lucky. I had a lot of accidents in front of me, beside me. We were pretty good. The truck was real fast on the drafting. Is unbelievable to finish fourth first time here.”

How did you get through the big wreck in the race? “For me, I don’t remember which truck it was. He was sideways in front of me. My only choice was inside lane. So I push inside, brake a little bit. As I said, I got lucky because I didn’t hit anything. I was watching the replay later. I couldn’t believe it.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Dollar General Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports Finishing Position: 5th What did you see happen with the accident late in the race? “It happened behind us, so I don’t know. I just kind of got collected into the deal. I saw (James) Buescher make it three- wide and he didn’t have anywhere to go, so I don’t know where he was trying to go. He made it three-wide and all those guys just got tight I guess and they started banging sides off each other a little bit. Finally, it just like ricocheted up to the front. People don’t know what Daytona means — these guys with the No. 92 Ricky Benton team (driver Clay Rogers) are pretty pumped up right now. So, I’m glad I could help them out and push them to the front. I was trying to do the same with the No. 84 (Chris Fontaine) there and I was going to melt this Triad engine down. We were coming like a freight train and that thing was steaming. Tell you what, these guys on this Dollar General Kyle Busch Motorsports Tundra did an awesome job today. It’s pretty special to be here and come home with a top-five at Daytona. We missed out on that opportunity last year. We had a strong truck. It was fast. We could never get hooked up to get up front with somebody and pushed them enough. I don’t know if everybody was scared or what, but we kind of saw why. With five to go, everybody just got in a melee and started wrecking, but we made it through. We’ll take this back home and fix it up and get it ready for Talladega”

Why were you the only one able to ride the high side of the track? “Cause you got to push. All the rest of these guys, they don’t have the experience to do it. Nothing against them. They’re truck drivers and they’re getting used to it. They’re getting there way up the ladder. That’s what it’s all about. I was actually surprised to see the 2 (Elliott Sadler) and the 15 (Michael Waltrip) and some of the other guys not do it sooner. It just took way too long in the race to finally get it going. Once the 84 (Chris Fontaine) and I got up there to the front and then 15 (Michael Waltrip) and the 2 (Elliott Sadler) started pushing each other so we couldn’t fall down to the bottom. I was hoping we could blow by them quick enough to fall down and we could let my engine cool off and push the 84 (Chris Fontaine) the rest of the way to checkered. Anything you try to plan — one more corner and it gets thrown out the window. Daytona is a whole other bird.”

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 K&N Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing Finishing Position: 11th How was your race tonight? “It isn’t what we want, but it ran in one piece. I can say that was the best part about the whole night probably was that we were one piece. I K&N Filters Crescent Tundra struggled all night long. It just wouldn’t suck up, it was very disappointing. That last restart I was getting all I could get and it just wasn’t going. We’ll be alright next go round.”

MAX PAPIS, No. 9 GEICO Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 12th

DAVID STARR, No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra, SS Green Light Racing Finishing Position: 13th

CRAIG GOESS, No. 46 Greenville Toyota Toyota Tundra, Eddie Sharp Racing Finishing Position: 16th

JUSTIN LOFTON, No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 18th

CHRIS FONTAINE, No. 84 Glenden Enterprises Toyota Tundra, Chris Fontaine Inc. Finishing Position: 19th What happened to take you out of the race? “I have no idea. I didn’t know if I was in the middle or if we were three-wide

Emotional win for Waltrip

By
SM Staff
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Michael Waltrip passed Elliott Sadler heading to the finish line in Friday nights NextEra Energy Resources 250 Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]This was Waltrip’s first truck series victory, 10 years to the day after his first Daytona 500 victory and on the anniversary of his former boss’ death, Dale Earnhardt.

It was a very emotional win for Waltrip and had tears in his eyes as he talked about what this win meant.

“I came here to celebrate his life with my black truck and my No. 15 car.  I didn’t come here to celebrate a win.” Waltrip said.

Jennifer Jo Cobb finished sixth and also became the highest finish in the Truck Series for a woman.

Nationwide Insurance Adds Danica Patrick to You and Me Both Junior Team

By
SM Staff
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Move over ‘You and Me Both Junior’ as there is a new girl on the team.  Nationwide Insurance announced today that Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports, will join her boss and the Earnhardt family as part of the Nationwide promotion team.

[media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”257″][/media-credit]Patrick, who is also a Nationwide customer as are Dale Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt, met with the media at Daytona International Speedway to announce the new partnership.

“We are thrilled to be here to talk today about our relationship with JR Motorsports,” Jennifer Hanley, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nationwide, said. “We have been in a relationship from a motor sports perspective for four years.”

“One of the nice things that happened when we came together is that we learned that the Earnhardt family has been long-time customers of Nationwide,” Hanley continued.  “In fact, the relationship spanned over thirty years.  So, it was a great story for us to tell together.”

“With the addition of Danica now to JR Motorsports, it gives us a fresh, new opportunity to talk about new products and services that our company has,” Hanley said. “One of those new products is the vanishing deductible.  We were able to bring Danica together with Dale to bring some humor to a spot that features both racers.”

The commercial, shot on location at Charlotte Motor Speedway, shows Jr. and Danica on pit road.  Danica encourages Junior to “Go Long” and tells him to “Keep Going” until he vanishes from the picture, all the while explaining the benefits of Nationwide’s new Vanishing Deductible plan.

As Danica rambles on, the commercial turns to Dale Junior driving away from the track, sharing the fact that something else has been vanishing besides his presence on pit road.  In fact, Junior shares that Danica’s ride home as just vanished, as he smirks in a self-satisfied way and drives off pit road.

The commercial was previewed in the media center and drew an enormous laugh, particularly after Junior’s wicked grin and ditching of his protege.

“Thank you for laughing because that really was the reaction we wanted,” Patrick said.  “It was really fun to shoot.”

“Dale and I had worked together on a music video but it’s been a while,” Patrick said.  She and Junior had shot a Jay-Z music video “Show Me What You Got” in Monaco in 2006.

“So, it was nice to do that and nice to do that with my boss as well,” Patrick said.  “I really like the commercial and I felt like I was getting it as we were doing it.  I think that in any successful campaign the product is good too.”

“I’m honored to be with Nationwide now,” Patrick continued.  “But being with Dale is icing on the cake.”

For his part, Junior also enjoyed his time shooting the commercial with Danica.

“I expect the ‘Go Long’ TV spot will be one of the most popular,” Junior said.  “This was my first commercial with Danica Patrick so everyone will have to determine who played their role the best.”

While both of the ‘stars’ were praising each other, they both acknowledged that shooting the commercial was quite a bit of work.   They still worked through it in record time, completing their task in about four hours.

“Well, we did many shots,” Patrick said.  “Dale did his share of running.  He got himself a work out.”

Patrick also joked that the filming had to be completed expeditiously on her account.

“It’s really about my hair,” Patrick said.  “It’s about the hair blowing in my face, so it was about getting it out of my mouth.”

As does her boss, Patrick too has absolute faith that the commercial will be a hit, especially as she watched the reaction of all in the media center.  Nationwide is also sure that the commercial will benefit their product.

“In pre-market testing, the 2011 ad featuring Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Danica Patrick has shown double digit increase over the 2010 ads.” Hanley said. “We think NASCAR fans will enjoy the banter between the two superstars.”

Kelley Earnhardt also echoed the commitment of JR Motorsports, as well as the Earnhardt family, to Nationwide Insurance.

“Pretty much what it means to our family is an authentic long-standing relationship,” Earnhardt said.  “To have this partnership has been a win win for JR Motorsports and Nationwide.  We’ve done a lot of fun things together and it’s been fun to add Danica to that mix.”

Dale Junior added his appreciation to Nationwide Insurance, not just from a business perspective as sponsor of the Nationwide Series, but also on a personal level.

“One of the best things that I can do is align myself with companies and brands that I actively use,” Junior said.  “This is a partnership that is as genuine as they come.”

“Nationwide was recognized by NASCAR this past year for their marketing achievements and TV campaigns,” Junior continued.  “It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

The new Nationwide commercial will debut nationally on ESPN during the Daytona Nationwide race.  It will also be run for audiences outside of motor sports, which is intended to reach an even broader audience.

EXPERIENCE TWICE THE THRILLS WITH THE KURT BUSCH DOUBLE DEUCE TICKET PACKAGE

By
Official Release
-

~It’s a win-win for race fans when Kurt Busch driver of the No.22 won the Budweiser Shootout and the Gatorade Duel Race 1~

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (Feb. 18, 2011) – Whether you’re a fan of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch or you’re a fan looking for an incredible deal for the upcoming Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway, don’t pass up the opportunity to experience twice the excitement with the Kurt Busch Double Deuce ticket package.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Dodge sailed into Gatorade Victory Lane twice this week winning Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout and the first Gatorade Duel race on Thursday. By winning the first Gatorade Duel, Busch set the starting order for the inside row for NASCAR’s “Great American Race” – the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 20.

To help celebrate the pair of wins for the Automobile Club of Southern California sponsored driver, Auto Club Speedway is offering race fans the chance to purchase the Kurt Busch Double Deuce ticket package for just $99 (a $200 value), which includes:

. Pair of tickets to the Auto Club 400 (rows 11-14) on Sunday, March 27

. Pair of Pre-Race Pit Passes

. Scanner Rental with a pair of headphones

In addition to the Kurt Busch Double Deuce ticket package, Auto Club Speedway offers free parking and allows fans to bring in their own food, making race weekend an incredible value full of fun and entertainment.

The Kurt Busch Double Deuce ticket package is available now through February 28, 2011, while supplies last. For more information or to purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com www.autoclubspeedway.com or visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.

###

About Auto Club Speedway

Look for some amazing racing when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 400 on March 27. After October’s NSCS race, drivers, media and spectators proclaimed that race as possibly the best ever at Auto Club Speedway- five-wide racing at over 200 mph on the NASCAR circuit! For tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223) or visit www.autoclubspeedway.com www.autoclubspeedway.com for more information.

Robert Richardson Jr. Puts Wildlife Conservation Society Into Daytona NNS Opener

By
Official Release
-

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (February 18, 2011) – – Robert Richardson Jr., qualified his No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge Challenger R/T 38th Friday afternoon at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway securing the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) a starting position for tomorrow’s DRIVE4COPD 300, the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season-opener.

Richardson Jr., who is pulling double-duty this weekend by also partaking in Sunday’s prestigious Daytona 500, maneuvered his brilliantly designed No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge Challenger R/T around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in a time of 51.064 seconds at 176.249 miles per hour.

Boasting a defying paint scheme, crafted by the legendary NASCAR artist Sam Bass, the No. 23 Dodge Challenger will display a tiger, an elephant, a penguin, a dolphin and a turtle along with the Wildlife Conservation Society logo. R3 Motorsports, Sponsormonsters and WCS will use this recently announced partnership to bring further awareness to the need to save wildlife and wild places around the globe.

“The car was real smooth, it drove real well,” said Richardson, who will make his 70th career Nationwide start and ninth at Daytona Saturday afternoon. “I just want to thank everyone who has commented on the paint scheme. It’s really cool to be driving something this neat. Hopefully, we can have a good run tomorrow and put this No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge Challenger R/T up front.”

On Thursday morning, Richardson Jr., the McKinney, Texas native drafted his WCS Dodge Challenger R/T to the 11th fastest time proving that has a car competitive enough to be a threat in the 30th annual DRIVE4COPD 300.

“I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again, we have a real good race car,” sounded Richardson Jr. “It may not have been super fast by itself, but she really hauls in the draft and that’s when it counts. Our biggest goal is to avoid any trouble on the track and be around with five laps to go so we can give everyone that supports WCS something to cheer about!”

The green flag waives in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 (120 laps / 300 miles) at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway shortly after 1:00 p.m. Eastern on February 19th with live coverage on ESPN2, MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Channel 128).

For further information and to join WCS’s mission, please logon to their website at WCS.org. http://www.wcs.org/

About WCS:

Founded in 1895, the Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. They do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to its platform, because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

Miss Coors Light Is Living Her NASCAR Dream

By
SM Staff
-

Kicking off her first official year as ambassador not only for Coors Light, the official beer of NASCAR, but for the sport itself, Rachel Rupert could not be more excited to be in Daytona for the first race of the season.

“I started out last year and had the ten races of the Chase,” Rupert said.  “So, that was really exciting and kind of got my foot in the door to see what my job was going to be about.”

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”113″][/media-credit]One of the primary functions of her role is to celebrate with the top qualifier for the Cup race, as Coors Light is the official sponsor of the pole award.

“Each week, the driver of the pole position receives the award,” Rupert said.  “And every Thursday evening, we have appearances at different bars around the track in celebration of the pole award.”

Miss Coors Light is not just busy on pole night, but is also on the move morning, noon and night throughout the race weekend, including appearances at the track and in the local area.

“I love doing the appearances,” Rupert said.  “It’s so  much fun.”  The only down side that she has currently identified is that often she is mistaken for a driver in her fire suit uniform.

At the track, Miss Coors Light’s major duty is mixing it up with the fans.  She poses for countless pictures with the fans, as well as encouraging fans to follow her on her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/misscoorslight.

Rupert got her gig as the spokesperson for Miss Coors Light after an intense audition, that not only tested her interaction with people but also her knowledge of the sport.  Lest anyone think Rupert is just a pretty face, she is in fact an absolute, die hard race fan.  In fact,  her father started taking her to races at the ripe old age of seven years and she has loved the sport ever since.

“My dad loves this sport,” Rupert said.  “When I was a little girl, we would watch the race every Sunday and he made me pay attention.”

“I knew I wanted to be involved in this sport,” Miss Coors Light said.  “So I started doing promotional work with an agency and that’s when they asked me to try out for this position.”

Rupert now invites her father to go to the track with her, which is he does, particularly at the tracks close to home.  Her role has also given her father access to special NASCAR experiences, which he would not have had otherwise.

“Being Miss Coors Light and having my job, it has opened a lot of doors,” Rupert said.  “So, I’m getting him experiences that he would have never dreamed of.  He is loving it.”

This weekend is especially important to Rupert and her family as her father was a huge Dale Earnhardt, Sr. fan.  While she would often devil him by claiming Jeff Gordon as her driver, Rupert said that both Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Jr. have special places in her heart.

“That kind of breaks my heart,” Rupert said of the tenth anniversary this weekend of the loss of Earnhardt.  “It’s very touchy.  Ten years, that’s tough.”

“But Dale Jr. won the Coors Light Pole award so that was very emotional.”

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignleft” width=”148″][/media-credit]While Rupert considers herself blessed to have met so many of the drivers, including some of her favorites, it is the fans that really keep her going.

“I just love the fans,” Miss Coors Light said.  “Their passion is like no other sport.”

Unfortunately, sometimes the fans may just get a little too passionate.  One of the most common occupational hazards for her are marriage proposals, in addition to the occasional product being spilled on her at events.

“I get marriage proposals like you wouldn’t believe,” Rupert said.  “I’ve also been asked if I was the pot hole girl, from the GEICO commercial.”

Miss Coors Light is also not the only Miss in the garage area, including several Miss Sprint Cups, who also serve as ambassadors for the sport.

“We all get along so well,” Rupert said.  “We hang out outside of the track and since we are the girls in fire suits, we have to relate to each other.”

While she and the girls get along famously, enjoying their time at the track and with the fans, Rupert is also a self-proclaimed homebody.  In fact, she describes the perfect evening as being at home with her poodle Daisy curled up on the couch.

Rupert’s other major hobby, which many may find surprising, is fishing, which she loves to do in the Lake Norman area.

Whether at home or at the track, Miss Coors Light is most appreciative of her current assignment.  In fact, she states there is nothing else in the world she could imagine herself doing.

“I’m definitely living my dream this year,” Rupert said.

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