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Budweiser Shootout Invite Adds to Excitement, Workload at Furniture Row Racing

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Official Release
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DENVER (Jan. 19, 2011) — When Furniture Row Racing received the recent news from NASCAR that its driver Regan Smith qualified for the invitational Budweiser Shootout, the excitement meter as well as the work meter hit new levels at the team’s shop in Denver.

The invite to the prestigious, non-points Budweiser Shootout — Saturday night, Feb. 12 at Daytona International Speedway — was on the basis of Smith being a former NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie of the year (2008).

It will mark the first time that Smith and the Furniture Row Racing organization will compete in the Budweiser Shootout, the traditional opening event of Daytona 500 Speedweeks. The shootout lineup will consist of nearly 30 drivers, including the 12 who earned a berth in last year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  

“When I got the call that we’ll be in the Budweiser Shootout it was an awesome piece of news,” said the 27-year-old Smith. “To be a participant in this race instead of a television viewer is not only uplifting, but it also gives us the opportunity to better prepare for the Daytona 500.”

The 75-lap Budweiser Shootout at the newly-paved 2.5-mile superspeedway is a precursor to the Daytona 500. Both the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 (Feb. 20) will be televised nationally on FOX.

“The invite to participate in the Budweiser Shootout was a pleasant surprise,” said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing general manager. “Any chance we get to race is a chance to win and that’s why we do what we do. As our performance increases it is exciting to see the team getting closer to meeting that goal. We’re ready to kick off the new season in the Budweiser Shootout.”

A Question & Answer Session With Engineers from the No. 17 Crown Royal team

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Official Release
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An engineering Q&A session with Mike Bugarewicz and Nick Sandler; engineers on the No. 17 Crown Royal team as they look ahead to what the organization hopes to learn at this week’s preseason test at Daytona International Speedway.

Looking ahead to this week’s test at Daytona International Speedway, what is your focus from the engineering side?

“Essentially it’s an all new track for us,” said Sandler.  “The first step for us will be to look set-up wise and see what we may need to have different with the new surface. The old Daytona surface was really challenging handling-wise for drivers, and before, our focus was helping with mechanical grip as well and making sure that our cars had low drag (resistance).  Now with the track being as smooth as it is with the new pavement, we’re hearing that it’s a lot more like Talladega Superspeedway, which really makes our focus more about getting minimal drag and less about problems with mechanical grip.”

“One of the biggest things we’ve worked on when it comes to working on set-ups for our superspeedway cars is right height control,” stated Bugarewicz.  “This means that we’re working on minimizing how much the splitter on the car wants to move around while our cars are out on the track.  You want your splitter to be low to the track in order to achieve the best aerodynamics.”

“At every track you’re making a compromise between aerodynamics and making that trade-off with how much grip your chassis makes,” explained Sandler.  “So when we go to a track like this new Daytona, our compromise is more on the body control side, since the surface is now a lot smoother with the new surface.”

What’s the first thing you will work on now to adjust the car at a place like Daytona?

“The rear of the car is essentially locked in at a speedway due to specifications from NASCAR,” said Bugarewicz.  “Anything that we would make adjustments to would usually be forward from the rear axle of the car.  It’s usually things with the front suspension that we’d focus on and make adjustments too in order to help our car.”

“In the past you would work to optimize mechanical grip, but now the cars are pinned down, the surface is so smooth, that we think our focus is just going to be decreasing drag.  We don’t think that drivers will be talking about a handling issue at Daytona this week during the test per say.  We’re just going to make sure that we have a great aerodynamic car to get the most speed that we can out of it.”

“It means that a lot of the work that goes into these cars will have taken place before we even get to the track now,” stated Sandler.  The cars are in and out of the wind tunnel, they’re getting measured repeatedly, we take it to the k-rig to measure suspension travel, and by the time it’s loaded on the truck, we should already have minimum drag set.”

Does the smaller restrictor plate affect you all?

“Every team has the same plate mandated by NASCAR,” says Bugarewicz. “We just work with that plate and make sure that we get the best we can out of our cars, but we have great horsepower thanks to our Roush-Yates engines.”

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams.  Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne.  For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com ( http://www.roushfenway.com/ ).  Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway.  For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

STEVE WALLACE TO MAKE SPRINT CUP SERIES DEBUT IN 53RD DAYTONA 500

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Official Release
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–23 Year-Old Set to Write History as Fourth Family Member to Compete in The Great American Race–

MOORESVILLE, NC (January 19, 2011)–Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) announced today that 23 year-old Steve Wallace will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in February’s 53rd annual running of NASCAR’s most prestigious event, the Daytona 500. Wallace will pilot the No. 77 Toyota Camry for RWR at Daytona, with backing from longtime sponsor 5-Hour Energy and new partner Aspen Dental.

When Steve Wallace and the 5-Hour Energy Camry take the green flag on February 20th at NASCAR’s most historic venue, the well-pedigreed racer will write his own chapter in NASCAR history. His Sprint Cup debut will make the Wallace family the first ever to have produced four Daytona 500 competitors, breaking a longtime tie with the Petty, Allison, Earnhardt and Bodine families. When Wallace starts the 2011 event, a member of his family will have competed in 27 of the last 30 Daytona 500s.

The third-generation driver will have familiar leadership for his first run in The Great American Race, as RWR General Manager, Larry Carter, will serve as crew chief for the No. 77 5-Hour Energy Toyota. A veteran Sprint Cup crew chief, Carter led Rusty Wallace to a top-ten in the elder Wallace’s final Daytona 500 in 2005, as well as a fourth-place finish in the July 2005 event at Daytona.

Providing additional comfort to the younger Wallace in his Cup Series debut is a guaranteed place among the 43-car starting field, enabled through an agreement between RWR and Penske Racing.

Said Steve Wallace, “Starting my first Daytona 500 is definitely going to be the most exciting day of my career-make that my life-so far. It’s something that every kid wanting to be a racer-including me-dreams of doing one day. It’s the some of the best drivers in the world competing in the biggest race in the world. I really have to thank 5-Hour Energy and Aspen Dental for making this possible.

“As far as the race, my goals are simple: to stay out of trouble, earn all the respect I can from the other guys and make sure the 5-Hour Energy Toyota is there at the end of the race. The way restrictor plate racing goes, if we can do that, there’s no telling what can happen.”

If his Nationwide Series record is any proof, Wallace has shown his ability to survive-and thrive-on Daytona’s high banks. Wallace has four lead-lap top-15 finishes in his last five Daytona starts, including a top-ten in last February’s 300-miler. In the other event, Wallace ran among the contenders until being taken out by a bizarre incident for which Jason Leffler was penalized five laps.

Team owner Rusty Wallace shares his son’s enthusiasm for the event. “This is a big event for all of us-for Steve, our team, our family and our sponsors,” Wallace stated, “When you’re a young driver coming up, you dream about racing in the Daytona 500 and now Steve’s going to get the opportunity to do it. He’s grown by leaps and bounds as a driver in the Nationwide Series over the last few years and we think he’s ready for this opportunity.

“We’ve been looking at this race as an opportunity for a while, because I really believe that the new pavement at Daytona is going to be a great equalizer among the teams. The cars will have a ton of grip and it’s going to make handling a much smaller part of the equation.

“Our program for Daytona has come together pretty quickly and I really want to thank 5-Hour Energy and Aspen Dental for coming aboard to support it.”

# # #

About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder, Rusty Wallace-one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the prestigious NASCAR Nationwide Series, driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively. RWR entries have been among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver or owner standings in each of the last three seasons. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.

About Living Essentials, LLC

Living Essentials based in Farmington Hills Michigan, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy®, the category leader of 2 oz. liquid energy shots. 5 Hour Energy® is available nationwide in major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass Merchant Warehouse and Convenience Store classes of trade. Living Essentials sells over 7 million bottles of 5 Hour Energy® per week. For more information, please visit 5hourenergy.com.

About Aspen Dental

With more than 275 dental practices in 21 states, Aspen Dental is committed to providing patients with affordable, high-quality dental care in a welcoming environment. Services range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration. Aspen Dental offices are open extended hours, offer affordable fees and a wide range of flexible payment plan options, and work with all insurance providers. Walk-in and emergency patients are welcome. For more information, call 800-ASPEN DENTAL (800-277-3633) or visit www.aspendental.com.

Dreams Do Come True For Brett Hudson

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Official Release
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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 18, 2011) – – Chuck Norris once said, “Dreams do come true, if you want them bad enough. For Owensboro, Kentucky native Brett Hudson that statement could not have been more farther than the truth.    

Last week, Brett Hudson and his Brett Hudson Motorsports (BHM) team participated in a three-day open test at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After two and a half-days of testing, the team loaded up their hauler to make the trek back to Bluegrass State satisfied after Hudson impressed in his first superspeedway test session.

Under the leadership of former ARCA driver turned crew chief John Hayden, BHM unloaded Tuesday morning looking to get a good feeling on their No. 36b Dodge Charger. Utilizing some assistance from the 2008 ARCA Racing Series champion team of Allgaier Motorsports, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Hudson will be a sleeper heading into the season opener next month at Daytona.

Tuesday morning, the avid racecar driver posted the 12th fastest time. In the afternoon session, the team landed 21st out of 40 competitors who took to the daring restrictor plate track. Solid results in day one had the family-owned operation looking forward to day two.

Wednesday morning continued of single-car runs with Hudson in his Chrysler nameplate 19th on the sheets after 42 cars took their tango with the legendary race track. In the afternoon, ARCA Racing Series official opted to open the track to drafting with BHM taking a soft approach and keeping their focus on single-car runs but not ruling out dabbling a little in the drafting department.

Racing inches apart is nothing new to Hudson, but racing inches apart, three, four and sometimes five-wide at nearly 200 miles per hour is a whole new ballgame for the 23-year old. Wrestling very little in the draft, Hudson was able to thrust his Dodge Charger into the 13th position after nailing a time of 48.834 seconds amounting to a speed of 184.298 miles per hour.

“Drafting was pretty cool,” explained Hudson, who plans to make his ARCA Racing Series debut from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next month. “We have to concentrate on qualifying runs, because more than likely we’ll have to qualify on time. However, we knew we could not leave the track without doing some type of drafting. We wanted to make sure the car would “suck up” to the other cars. It’s a good piece, that’s for sure.”

Before loading up and heading home, the team elected to spend Thursday morning doing a couple more single-car runs. During the three-hour session, Hudson maneuvered his No. 36 Brett Hudson Motorsports Dodge Charger around the track in 49.804 seconds at 180.708 miles per hour, landing just outside the top-10 in 11th, his highest position on the sheets.    

Pleased with their results, the team opted out of the Thursday afternoon session and began their 13 hour ride home to Kentucky planning to piece together a game plan that would ensure Hudson the opportunity to cross off an item on his bucket list, racing at the “World Center of Racing.”  

“Overall, we’re very satisfied with the way the test went,” said Hudson, who has 21 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credits. “We came to Daytona with really no big expectations in mind except to get a good feeling for the car and keep making improvements. We did that and more.”   He added, “I have to thank John (Hayden, crew chief), Jared (Bartlett, car chief) and the entire BHM team for helping out at the test. John (Hayden) loves this restrictor plate racing and always has a great setup. I’m looking forward to coming back in less than a month and giving everyone else something to talk about.”  

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona is the first of 19 races on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first of two restrictor plate races this season is set for Saturday, February 12, 2011 slated for 4:00 p.m. live on SPEED.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2011 racing season. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Lisa Hudson of Brett Hudson Motorsports at 270.929.2160 or hudson00@adelphia.net.

Grant Enfinger Racing Ford Fusion Powered By ROUSHYATES Engines Flexes Muscle At Daytona; Fastest On New Pavement

By
Official Release
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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 18, 2011) – – Alabama’s Grant Enfinger had every reason to be smiling as his hauler left the grounds of Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway late last week. The part-time ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards team wowed the ARCA crowd by thrusting its No. 09 Ford Fusion to the top of the overall leader board in a three-day open test session on the newly re-paved 2.5-mile superspeedway.

  Enfinger wasn’t the man behind the wheel. For the test, Enfinger, considered one of ARCA’s finest drivers handed the wheel off to USARacing Pro Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Benny Gordon who maneuvered the No. 09 Grant Enfinger Racing (GER) Ford Fusion for the three day test.

  While it was tough for Enfinger to sit back and watch someone steer his familiar bold and brilliant No. 09 entry, Enfinger had other responsibilities after and being called just days before the test to drive the No. 36 Justin Allgaier Motorsports Dodge Charger for the 2008 ARCA championship team.

  Under the guidance of crew chief Howard Bixman, the No. 09 posted its fastest lap during drafting practice on Wednesday afternoon. Gordon, who plans to make his first ARCA start of the 2011 season at Daytona in less than a month drafted his blue oval around the historic track in 48.414 seconds or 185.897 miles per hour. The fastest time could not be beaten during a full-day of testing on Thursday.

  “I’m real proud of the GER team,” said Enfinger, who intends to compete in the 2011 ARCA season-opener next month. “We showed last year that we have a solid restrictor plate program and from what I can tell, we haven’t lost any steam since then. I want to thank Benny (Gordon), Howard (Bixman) and the entire Grant Enfinger Racing team for their hard work during the test. Our goal is to come back and be as competitive when that green flag drops.”   For Bixman, a well-known fixture in the ARCA community, he echoed similar sentiments of his car owner.

  “Benny (Gordon) did a superb job for his first go-around in an ARCA super speedway car,” Bixman said. “We came here with a plan and to get Benny some laps. But to leave here atop the board it just shows how dedicated and focused this team and talented Benny really is. I want to thank ROUSHYATES Engines and Ford Racing. Hopefully we’ll be able to secure some sponsorship so Grant and this team can be a permanent fixture in the ARCA Racing Series and not just on a part-time basis ”

  For Enfinger, who nearly pulled off his first ARCA victory last April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, he maneuvered the second-fastest time overall in the No. 36 Dodge Charger. His fastest lap of 48.418 seconds or 185.881 miles per hour was just four-one thousands of a second slower than Gordon’s.

  GER will join the remainder of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards teams for the first of 19 races on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule, the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona set for Saturday, February 12, 2011. The event will be televised live on SPEED and is the preamble for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Budweiser Shootout which will commence shortly after the conclusion of the 80-lap / 200-mile contest.

Ryan Wilson To Appear And Speak At Driver Advancement Marketing Summit

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Official Release
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RANDLEMAN, North Carolina (January 19, 2011) – -Ryan Wilson, ”Top Driver” of Richard Petty’s Driver Search II will appear this weekend at the fourth annual Driver Advancement Marketing Summit at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Sunday, January 23, 2011.   Wilson, who currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series (NWAAS) at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway, will be one of several speakers on-hand to discuss his climb up the ladder and how driver development on and off the track has proven to be beneficial to him.

In the fall of 2010, Wilson was one of twelve drivers from across the country who participated in Richard Petty’s Driver Search – a unique four day training camp and competition which included stops at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Concord (N.C.) Speedway and a road-course at Carolina (S.C.) Motorsports Park. Wilson and his fellow drivers took the track in High Performance Karts, USAC Midgets, a NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stock cars, completing 10-modules which, using high-tech digital scoring systems, ultimately determines the “Top Driver”.

Wilson also worked with an instruction staff that included racing icon Ken Schrader, Sprint Cup driver Marcos Ambrose, nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel, legendary crew chief Dale Inman, NASCAR media personality and former driver Kyle Petty, ESPN track reporter Jamie Little and Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo on a variety of topics that surround the territories of being a professional race-car driver.

Through the trial and tribulations, Wilson outdueled his other competitors awarding him a shot to qualify in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at the historic Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. Having never sat in an ARCA car before tackling the track nicknamed “The Rock”, it was easy to see why Wilson beat out his competitors.

After starting 19th, Wilson in the No. 15 Richard Petty’s Driver Search Dodge Charger kept his nose clean, earned the respect of his competitors and took the checkered flag in a respectable and noteworthy 14th position.

“I’m very honored and humbled about being asked to speak about my career and what I’ve learned through the Richard Petty’s Driver Search,” said Wilson. “It was an incredible opportunity and it introduced me to a lot of different areas of the racing scene that I had never had the chance to experience before. I’m thankful to everyone at Petty Holdings and Performance PR Plus for the opportunity to attend.”

The driver of the No. 12 Randolph Bank Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series is preparing for what he is expecting to be a busy but also a winning 2011 racing season.

“We’re going to continue to run at Caraway, but we’re also going to run a couple races in ARCA,” sounded Wilson. “It’s our goal to go and try to win a championship at Caraway but also begin my advancement to the heavier stock cars through the ARCA Racing Series. It’s a great series and I enjoyed myself immensely at Rockingham. I’m looking forward to this year and I cannot continue to thank everyone from my team, my family, my friends and our marketing partners for their support in Ryan Wilson Motorsports.”

In addition to racing at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway and a limited ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule, Wilson will also compete in Late Model stock car events at Ace (N.C.) Speedway and other selected Late Model contests.

Stay tuned for a newly-designed Ryan Wilson Motorsports website. However, in the meantime for more input on Ryan Wilson and his organization, please visit RyanWilsonMotorsports.com.

NASCAR May Be Returning to Simplicity With Points Change

By
SM Staff
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The complex incremental scoring system of points for NASCAR may be out the window in favor of a simpler system.  It may just be that the winner of the race will get 43 points and each finisher after that will get one point less.

An Associated Press release stated the upcoming changes had not been finalized and the source of information, who had been involved in the discussions, wished to remain anonymous.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The current point system has been in place since 1975.  It gives 175 points to the winner and decreases incrementally in five to three points down to 34 points for the driver who finishes 43rd.  In addition five-point bonuses are awarded for leading a lap and leading the most laps.

The proposed system will still award bonus points for the lap leaders and race winners, but it has not been determined exactly how many points it will be.

All the chatter about Brian France changing the Chase to an exotic playoff system also appears to have fallen off the radar.  Apparently NASCAR has listened to drivers and teams who really don’t want the changes.

The rumors of expanding the Chase to 15 drivers did not play well with drivers or fans.  It appears the Chase will basically remain with top 10 drivers following the 26th race.

The remaining two positions in the Chase will go to the drivers who have the most wins and are outside of the top-10 positions.

Preseason testing begins this Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.  NASCAR president, Mike Helton and vice president of competition, Robin Pemberton will discuss some of the planned changes for 2011 during a press conference with the media on Friday.

Any major changes will be announced by Brian France next week during the annual media tour in Charlotte.

It appears NASCAR has listened and found answers in good, old-fashioned simplicity.  Those who are critics of the Chase will still have it, so their complaining will continue.

As for the possible change in points, it should be more fan friendly with the ease of the points calculation after each race.

There will be more changes announced regarding NASCAR policies in the coming days, but for now it appears NASCAR is working toward a cleaner points system and a Chase that encourages wins.

Exotic changes to the sport don’t bode well with the players or the fans and now it appears that will not be an issue.

NASCAR Tinkers While Fans Check Out

By
SM Staff
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NASCAR continues to tinker with at least two of its top three series at the risk of alienating more fans.

Why do they do this? The fans of the Sprint Cup Series had just become accustomed to The Chase, the Lucky Dog, the Shotgun Start, and (unfortunately) the Car of Tomorrow (which properly should be called the Car of Today) in the Sprint Cup Series and what do they do? Talk is they are going to revamp the points system. You know the one created by Bob Latford in 1975 that rewarded consistency over the entire season. What they’ve come up with, according to the Associated Press, is a system that would give the winner of the race 43 points. Each position thereafter would receive one less point than the position ahead of it. In other words, the team/driver that finished second would receive 42 points and the third place team/driver would get 41 points. Last place would yield 1 point.

The problem with all of this is that these changes are manufactured to attain a goal that takes us far away from the traditions of the sport. Take the Nationwide Series for instance. According to drivers who already applied for their licenses, they have to choose only one series to run for the championship. No more running for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series the same season. The point of this is to eliminate the championship going to a Sprint Cup regular, but guess what? It may happen anyway.

If you look at the list of probable Nationwide Series entrants, one name just jumps out at you. Elliott Sadler. Yep, the guy who has been a regular on the Sprint Cup Series for a long time. He even has three wins in Sprint Cup competition, driving for the Wood Brothers, Robert Yates Racing, and the Ray Evernham, George Gillette, and Richard Petty Motorsports teams. Last year, he decided to leave RPM and wound up in the Nationwide Series driving for Kevin Harvick Motorsports, one of the most powerful Nationwide Series teams. He will run for the championship and has to be the odds-on favorite. Imagine that.

The rumored points system would attempt to make a closer championship race, giving the fans what Brian France calls a “seventh game experience.” Funny he would use a baseball term; I always thought the NFL was the target. Regardless, it would mean that a top driver can have a bad day, win the next week, and not be so far behind in the series standings. Other changes could be ten drivers qualifying for the Chase with the two top winners, if they are not part of the top ten taking positions 11 and 12. Once again manufacturing the close finish might have the same appeal to fans that those other ideas in my first paragraph (with the exception of Shotgun Starts) did. They will be yawning. As I’ve said before, most of the older base of fans will consider it a bastardization of their sport, younger fans will continue to turn the channel because they don’t know what the rules are, and both will eventually watch the NBA, MLB or the NFL. And they will wonder why.

If we look at the history of the last decade, NASCAR had a good product that was growing year after year. Television ratings were high and crowds at the track were large. Things started to decline before the Great Recession of 2008, and that event and the constant changes designed to “make things better” turned the base fan away. They haven’t returned. And with gasoline prices rumored to be $4.00 per gallon by May, look for more of the same.

Where does all of this leave us? I’ve long had a problem with Sprint Cup drivers and powerhouse teams (Childress or one of his farm teams, Roush-Fenway, Penske, Gibbs, and Hendrick) dominating the Nationwide Series, but was this the answer? Nationwide Series races are not as well attended as Sprint Cup races, but you can bet the absence of Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch won’t help any. This will all play out, but I don’t have a good feeling about it. The new points system, if rumors are true, may make for a close finish or it may be a runaway. So, nothing has changed except confusion to the fan base. From 2004 until today, NASCAR has been confusing its fans. Yes, the economy is bad, but people resist change. It confuses the young and confounds the old. And the beat goes on.

Preseason Question and Answer with No. 6 UPS Ford Team Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer

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Official Release
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What are you hoping to work on and learn at the Daytona test this week?

“Our plan this week is to visit the new track surface and see where we stand compared to the old Daytona. We’ll basically shake down the car we plan on running in the Daytona 500 and try to get some overall speed, as well as work out some things for qualifying and when it comes to the race.”

What does the restrictor plate change mean?

“The restrictor plate change takes about 30 horsepower away from us, which will probably lead to more side-by-side and tight packs when it comes time to race.”

Did you learn anything from the tire test back in December that you can apply to this test?

“We learned a little bit, but we were cut short. There were some things we found during the first day that we were going to do the second day, but didn’t have the car to do it with. So we came out of the test with a handful of ideas that we will put into our car and try this time.”

Does the new track surface or new nose make much of a difference?

“Yes and yes, they both are quite a bit different than what we had in the past. Daytona was one of the most abrasive tracks we went to the last few years and now, being one of the smoothest, is quite a big change in setup and what you do to prepare for the race. The new nose is something everyone has to deal with. For a team like ours who started to run well at the end of the year it’s a change we’ll have to grasp quickly. It creates a little different balance and as with something new there will be things that come up and we’ll just have to adapt quickly and be ready for them.”

What’s your goal for the 2011 season?

“Our goal is to contend for a Chase spot, win a couple poles and win a race, or be in contention for race wins. We need to build on what we had going the last part of the year. We made some additions to the team that should help and we made some changes to the car over the off season which will hopefully give us more speed.”

What’s your favorite restaurant in Daytona?

“Deck Down Under.”

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com http://www.roushfenway.com/ . Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

CGH Motorsports; Chad Hackenbracht Thankful For Daytona Test

By
Official Release
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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 18, 2011) – – CGH Motorsports heads into the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season locked and loaded hoping to make an impression that will allow the family-owned team to compete in the full schedule. And thanks to an overall top-10 outing in the official Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway open test last week, the team is confident they are heading in the right direction.

Driven by 19-year old Chad Hackenbracht, Hackenbracht unofficially posted the seventh fastest time of the three-day test on Wednesday afternoon after whipping his No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala SS around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 48.522 seconds at 185.483 miles per hour, after being swept into a heavy draft while attempting to make a single-car run at DIS.

Still with the favorable result, the CGH Motorsports team will make a decision this week and decide which of the two Impala SS superspeedway bowtie’s available will put their Concord, North Carolina-based team in the limelight for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona, set for Saturday, January 12th, 2011 live on SPEED.

“We made some serious changes to our No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala SS to put up that lap,” said Hackenbracht, who intends to make his second appearance at the “World Center of Racing” next month. “While the car was strong, it’s not a set-up that we would feel comfortable with for the race, so we’re going to go back to the drawing board and put a setup together that should work to our advantage for both qualifying and the race.”

The former Legend Car Series (LCS) pilot added, “restrictor plate racing is a lot of fun but it can drive you nuts. You want to go out there and be strong by yourself and in the draft. I have a feeling that we’re going to be strong in qualifying; we just need to make sure our Tastee Apple Chevrolet will be able to maneuver from the back to the front and vice-versa. The team has already put a “to-do” list together to better prepare ourselves for what we like to think as the “Super Bowl” of our racing season. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks but hopefully all the work will pay off with a good finish in the race.”

Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway recently went through a major renovation which included a complete re-pavement of the 2.5-mile monster facility. Hackenbracht described the new track’s asphalt as soothing. “They did a great job re-paving the track,” sounded Hackenbracht, who intends to juggle a full-time college schedule while also hoping to become the next ARCA Racing Series champion. “It’s a lot like Talladega but still has that Daytona vibe. The race will not only be electrifying on the track but in the stands too.”

CGH Motorsports is actively seeking additional marketing partners for the full 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule. Single, multi and full-season placements are available on the team’s No. 58 entries. Interested parties are urged to contact Jordan Dahl at 570.234.5449 or jordandahl@cghmotorsports.com.

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com ), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Concord, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team will step up their commitment from a partial schedule and prepare for a hopeful full-season ARCA championship assault beginning in February 2011.

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