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And Then There Were Three

By
SM Staff
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And then there were three. That is effectively all there is left in the Chase for the Sprint Cup half way through the playoff. Unless Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick really just drop out over the final three races, that’s all that is left. After Saturday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, I can’t see anyone else even having a chance.

When the field was announced, I really felt like Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch would challenge for the championship and that Jimmie Johnson would have some real competition. It was not to be. Gordon’s team has not shown championship form the latter half of the season, and made some uncommon mistakes at Charlotte. Biffle has run well, but a big disappointment at Dover and another at Auto Club Speedway, tracks where his Roush-Fenway Ford have shined ruined his chances. Edwards usually finds himself just outside the top ten and that’s his undoing. Kyle Busch has two 21st place finishes on his resume (Kansas and Fontana) and that was the end for him. Brother Kurt just hasn’t been very competitive. In the meantime, Johnson has finished first, second, or third in four of the first five playoff races, leaving everyone else to struggle to catch him.

That leaves three likely contenders, and even though each of the three are just a bad day away from elimination, it appears that Johnson has the inside track to the championship. This week the boys head to Martinsville, Virginia, the only short track in the Chase (a big mistake in my opinion—there should be at least two), and a place that Johnson and Hamlin have great success. That should separate the field even more, but then Talladega looms the next week where anything can happen. I imagine we’ll either be down to two contenders or the points standings will be a real mess. Regardless, I can’t see anyone out of the three at the top winning the trophy this year. And other than the threat of Hamlin at Martinsville and Harvick at Talladega, the rest of the schedule seems to be smooth sailing for Johnson. He can run conservatively the rest of the season and cruise to his fifth straight championship, as the others cannot afford one mistake the rest of the way.

It was somewhat amazing to see the emptiness of the campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. The attendance at the race was announced at a tick over 100,000 when there used to be a full house for every race. A lot of this stems from the inevitability of a fifth straight Johnson championship. The glee at Johnson’s bad luck in the beginning of the race led to the realization of Johnson just making another step closed to the fifth straight championship in the closing laps of the race. People left early and even a popular win by Jamie McMurray failed to lift the spirits of the fans. No fault of Johnson or his crew, who are fantastic, but fatalism has gripped the fan base. Why come to a race if you see the same old story five years running?

Under the old points system, Harvick would have a 249-point lead with Johnson in second. The purpose of the Chase was to have a close battle for the championship, but it has artificially made the field closer. Somewhat like the “lucky dog” and “wave around,” it makes the finishing position not exactly what it should be. NASCAR wanted a closer finish, and they have it, but at what cost? Lower television ratings and fan attendance? Yes, the economy is bad, but there’s more to it than that.

David Ragan Takes UPS Charity Ride To Top Ten Finish

By
SM Staff
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David Ragan, normally behind the wheel of his UPS sponsored Cup ride, switched it up this weekend under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway to highlight UPS’ favorite charity, the United Way.  With United Way’s motto ‘Live United’ on the hood, the young driver piloted his No. 6 Ford Fusion to a rare top-ten finish in the Bank of America 500, his second of the 2010 season.

“It was a great run,” Ragan said.  “I think we may have even had a better car than 10th, but, all in all, it was a pretty good night.”

“It seems like a lot of things we needed to do right went how they were supposed to,” Ragan continued.  “We’ve had some real good cars the last couple of weeks and it’s good for United Way and UPS to finish in the top 10.”

Ragan’s crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, attributed the tenth place finish to a good car but also to his driver’s burgeoning confidence.

“I think the most important thing is giving David some confidence,” Blickensderfer said.  “I’m not a miracle worker and I’m not doing anything that’s different than anybody else would do.  I’m just a different guy and it might have lit a spark under David.”

Perhaps David had a bit more pep in his step knowing that one of the nation’s best known charitable brands, the United Way, was also featured prominently on his race car.  UPS, Ragan’s primary sponsor, agreed to step aside for the United Way in honor of UPS being the first corporate donor to surpass one billion dollars in contributions to the charity.

“UPS is a major NASCAR sponsor and approached us about repainting the No. 6 with United Way’s logo and colors,” Joseph V. Haggerty, Chief Operating Officer of United Way Worldwide, said.  “We were of course delighted to have the opportunity to work with UPS, Roush Fenway Racing and driver David Ragan to bring this all together.”

“In addition to the financial resources, UPS employees volunteered more than 1.2 million hours of service last year,” Haggerty continued.  “United Way was thrilled with the opportunity to bring visibility and to thank UPS for all they do for the community every day.”

United Way and UPS celebrated all weekend long at the track, continuing to call attention to their core mission of giving, advocating and volunteering.  Ragan’s top ten finish fire suit and helmet are currently being auctioned off to raise additional dollars for the United Way, capping off the weekend’s race celebrations.

“In addition to co-branded die cast cars, T-shirts,  and lots of publicity, UPS sponsored a race-day volunteer activity, bringing in 50 UPS employees from all of the country to build literacy kits with United Way Worldwide and children from A Child’s Place,” Haggerty said.  “It’s all part of United Way’s focus on improving education, income and health.”

For Ragan, this top ten finish rivaled his best finish at Charlotte in seven attempts.  His previous top ten finish occurred in the fall race there in 2008.

With the great run still fresh in their minds, Ragan and his relatively new crew chief agreed on one thing.  Their relationship is gelling and they are getting better and better each and every week.

“Yeah, we’re getting better and that’s the main thing,” Blickensderfer said.  “You have to be able to get better every single week and to prove that when you run 15th, that wasn’t good enough and you can run 10th.”

Perhaps Ragan summed it up best.  “Hopefully this is some good momentum we can carry with us into next week,” the young driver said.

Ragan will return to his UPS branded No. 6 next week when the Cup Series motors into Martinsville.  The Tums Fast Relief 500 will run on Sunday, October 24th at 1:00 PM EDT on ESPN.

Sprint Cup Series Possibly To Go To Pony Cars

By
SM Staff
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In 2013, a new Sprint Cup Series car is expected to roll out, integrating what they’ve learned from the current car and the new Nationwide Series car.

Speed TV wrote today that there are talks between NASCAR and the manufactures to bring the pony cars from the Nationwide Series to the Cup Series with the new car. Ford will most likely run the Mustang while Chevrolet would run the Camero, Toyota would run the Camry and Dodge wound run the Challenge.  

“The dealers are really excited about the Challenger running in NASCAR because it’s something that (Dodge) sells,” said NASCAR team owner Roger Penske as according to the article. “These are high gross margin vehicles that they love to sell. When you start to look at Camaro and Mustang and Challenger, these are icons in the business.”

“We like to see our iconic brand in all forms of motorsports,” Jamie Allison, director of Ford North American Motorsports. ” … Any further consideration of the Mustang would have to be complemented and linked to more brand identity to the car that’s raced. It can’t just be the current car of tomorrow. It has to be a progression beyond what’s in Nationwide.”

“Chevrolet, in any series that we race in, we’re looking for three things,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet’s general manager. “First, we want to see technologies in the race cars that are applicable to what we do on the production side without driving a tremendous amount of cost. Secondly, we’re (wanting) race series to use biofuels, because that’s what we need to do going forward. Many of our (production) cars are ethanol-capable. And third, we want to see the cars that we race look like the cars that we sell, as close as we can.”

The new Cup Car in 2013 is suppose to take the idea from the Nationwide car in having the frontends look like a real car, though have some structure differences to increase safety and competition.

On the surface, this would look to be a good idea as it’d bring the idea of brand identity back to the series. You may pull some of the old school fans back into the sport as that is something that they’ve complained has been missing. It could also, as Roger Penske states, create the manufacture rivalery of back in the day and bring more discussions forward.

Though on the contrary, this could also be a negative as once again, you’d be bringing the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series to an equal level. The idea of the pony cars for the Nationwide Series cars was to set the Nationwide Series as something different than the Sprint Cup. However with using the same brands and look, aren’t we just staying at the point that we’re at now?

Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford Team Martinsville Advance

By
Official Release
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Kasey Kahne

No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion

TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway

• Last Sunday, Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford, was the 29th runner to cross the finish line in the Kasey Kahne Foundation Five Kahne five-kilometer run in Uptown Charlotte, N.C., but this Sunday he’s looking for a better result in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

• Kahne completed the 3.1-mile run with a time of 22 minutes, 52 seconds (average pace 7:22). The event featured 302 runners, including fellow NASCAR drivers Brad Sweet (21:20), Jimmie Johnson (24:06), Joey Logano (25:36) and Coleman Pressley (28:24). Participating NASCAR media members included ESPN’s Marty Smith (23:23), NASCAR.com’s David Caraviello (27:45) and SceneDaily.com’s Bob Pockrass (31:48). Approximately $30,000 was raised by the run for the Kasey Kahne Foundation. Beneficiaries include the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte and the NC STEM Community Collaborative.

• When Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team arrive at Martinsville Speedway this weekend they will look to improve upon recent runs at the speedway. While their best result in the last seven races at the track is 17th, Kahne and the No. 9 team have finished as high as second at the 0.526-mile track. In 13 races at Martinsville Speedway, Kahne has scored one top five and two top-10 finishes.

• Kevin “Kiwi” Duncan, shock specialist and rear tire carrier for the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team, is one of the 43 crewmen selected to serve as grand marshals for Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500. Duncan, a native of Hamilton, New Zealand, raced motorcycles for years and worked with IndyCar Series teams for years before moving over to NASCAR.

• In the 2010 season Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team have scored three pole awards, seven top fives, nine top-10 finishes and led 337 laps. Kahne is currently ranked 21st in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

• Follow along each weekend with Kahne and the team on Twitter. Check out @kaseykahne for behind-the-scenes information straight from the driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford. Get live updates from the track each weekend from @kk9team, the PR team for Kahne. Also, follow @RPMotorsports for additional information about the Richard Petty Motorsports organization.

• Become a fan of Budweiser on Facebook. Exclusive information on Kasey and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford Team can be found on the Budweiser Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Budweiser.

• For the online version of the Budweiser Racing media guide, please visit .

Kasey Kahne discusses racing at Martinsville Speedway:

What are your thoughts on racing at Martinsville? “As a driver, I’ve learned a lot about racing at Martinsville. The first time I raced at the track, I could barely go around it. I wasn’t even close to qualifying well. The next year, I was better and the car drove ten times better than the year before and we ran second. It’s a tough track and I think that some people pick this track up quicker than others, but I also think that you need a car with a good set up to win a race at Martinsville.”

Does patience play a large role there? “I think it does, but hopefully not as much because you’re not worried about aero here. It’s more about handling and getting the car to turn and trying to get as much forward drive off the corner as you can. That’s the good thing about Martinsville, there’s no real aero tight there. If you’re tight, you’re tight – your car just isn’t turning that day.”

Trevor Bayne — NNS Gateway II Advance

By
Official Release
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Trevor Bayne – NNS ADVANCE

Team: No. 16 Team Wendy Ford Fusion

Race: 5-Hour Energy 250 – Gateway International Raceway

Crew Chief: Rick Viers

Chassis: RK- 346

FAST FACTS:

ROUSH FENWAY RACING WELCOMES TEAM WENDY TO THE NO. 16 – This weekend at Gateway International Raceway, the No. 16 Ford will feature newest Roush Fenway Racing partner, Team Wendy. A leader in protective equipment manufacturing, Team Wendy’s sole mission is to promote helmet safety and to provide the best gear for head protection available. Team Wendy’s Zorbium® Action Pad (ZAP) helmet liner suspension system is the only authorized system for the US Army, Marine Corps and National Guard.

BAYNE GETS FIRST START IN NO. 16 – Trevor Bayne will be in the No. 16 car for the first and only time this season at Gateway this weekend.

Bayne’s crew chief and team will remain in tact, but his car number will change. Erik Darnell returns to the No. 16 3M Ford for his final race next weekend at Texas and Colin Braun will finish out the remainder of the season in the No. 16 Con-way Freight Ford.

BAYNE AT GATEWAY – Bayne has made two previous Nationwide Series starts at Gateway International Raceway. In his most recent start in July, Bayne finished a career-high third after starting from the pole and leading 19 laps. Coincidently, Bayne started alongside current teammate Colin Braun in that race, and both went on to score career-high finishes.

BAYNE AND VIERS GO TO PRACTICE – On Thursday, Bayne and crew chief Rick Viers will travel to the Edward Jones Dome to attend a St. Louis Rams football practice. Both avid football fans, and Viers a former high school football player, will get the rare opportunity of seeing how the NFL’s Rams prepare for their game weekends.

ROUSH FENWAY RACING AT GATEWAY – In 21 starts at Gateway International Raceway, Roush Fenway Racing has notched four wins, nine top-fives, 16 top-10s, two pole awards and 276 laps led. The wins were tallied by Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (3). Edwards has the most recent win which came at the July race.

GATEWAY CHASSIS SELECTION – Crew chief Rick Viers has selected RK-346 for this weekend’s 5-Hour Energy 250 at Gateway International Raceway.

This is the same car teammate Colin Braun drove to a seventh-place finish after starting second at the track earlier in the season.

Bayne, on going to Gateway:

“St. Louis is an awesome track for us. I qualified on the pole and finished third there earlier this season. That was my first top-three in the Nationwide Series.

“It’s a short track and I really like racing short track racing.

It’s what I’ve grown up racing on, and I’m very comfortable there.

Both corners are very different, so you have to match the setup with one corner and just hang on in the other. It’s a lot of fun there, I enjoy it and I’m looking forward to going back to Gateway this weekend.”

Crew chief Rick Viers, on racing in St. Louis with Bayne:

“What a great opportunity the No. 16 team has this week. Having Team Wendy as a new sponsor is really an honor and the type of work they are doing is very exciting. In our last race at Gateway, we started second and finished seventh, our best race to date with Colin [Braun]. We are now returning with Trevor, who knocked Colin off the pole and finished third, and we expect him to be very competitive this weekend. We believe we have the tools to put our driver in a position to win.”

Viers, on going to practice with the St. Louis Rams:

“Getting to attend the St. Louis Rams practice is a really rare opportunity for Trevor and me. Not so much for Trevor because he does things like this a lot, but the fact that both of us get to go together.

Some of the real solid relationship and team building comes at times away from the track and race weekend. This trip gives Trevor and I the opportunity to work on that for sure. Not only that, but it will be really cool to see how other professional teams get themselves ready for their game weekends.”

Roush Fenway Martinsville Advance

By
Official Release
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Tums Fast Relief 500

Sun 10.24.10, 1:00 p.m. EDT

ESPN TV, MRN, Sirius 128

David Ragan, No. 6 UPS Ford

Greg Biffle, No. 16 3M Ford

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Aflac Ford

Roush Fenway Looks to Carry Momentum to Martinsville

After rebounding with a strong outing last weekend at Charlotte, Roush Fenway will look to continue that momentum as the Sprint Cup Series rolls into the short track of Martinsville Speedway, where Roush Fenway has won four times in the Series.

In the Chase

All three of Roush Fenway’s Chase eligiable cars bounced back with solid runs at Charlotte and each will look to build on that this weekend at Martinsville. Greg Biffle used a fifth-place run at CMS to climb back up to eighth in the standings, while Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth remain at seventh and 11th.

Roush Fenway at Martinsville

In 158 starts at the half-mile paper-clip shaped track, Roush Fenway has turned more laps at Martinsville Speedway than any other venue in the Sprint Cup Series, with 76,133 laps completed. During that span, Roush Fenway has collected four wins, four poles, 25 top-five and 56 top-10 finishes. All-in-all Roush Fenway carries a 16.2 average finish to Martinsville this weekend.

Winning Formula

Roush Fenway has won four Sprint Cup races at Martinsville, with three different drivers. However, the team has not visited victory lane at the track since the fall of 2002. Roush Fenway also boasts two truck wins in 46 starts at Martinsville (Fall of ’03 and ’05).

RFR Martinsville Wins

1992-1 Martin Cup

1997-2 Burton Cup

2000-1 Martin Cup

2002-2 Busch Cup

2003-2 Wood Truck

2005-2 Craven Truck

Looking Back

Roush Fenway had its overall most successful outing at Martinsville in the spring of 2002 when it placed all four of its cars inside the top 10. In addition, RFR posted a 1-2 finish at the track in the spring of 2000. Ironically, Roush Fenway has not placed more than one car inside the top five at Martinsville since that finish in 2000.

Chase Races at Martinsville

Carl Edwards finished third at Martinsville in the fall of 2008, for Roush Fenway’s top Martinsville Chase finish, on a day that saw two Roush Fenway Chase cars inside the top 10 and three inside the top 12; Matt Kenseth finished eighth and Greg Biffle was 12th. Kurt Busch and the No. 97 team finished fifth at Martinsville in the fall of 2004 in Roush Fenway’s first Chase outing at the track and Matt Kenseth was fifth there in 2007. All-in-all Roush Fenway has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in 17 Chase eligible races at Martinsville.

Roush Fenway at Martinsville Speedway

Races Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles

CUP 158 4 25 56 4 76133 1324 20.2 17.1 40045.5

NNS 3 0 0 1 0 750 0 28 19.3 394.5

TRUCK 46 2 14 24 3 10256 270 12.4 12.3 5394.6

207 6 39 81 7 87139 1594 20.2 16.233 45834.6

Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance – TUMS Fast Relief 500 – Martinsville Speedway

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Official Release
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Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance

TUMS Fast Relief 500

Martinsville Speedway

Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010

www.media.chrysler.com

www.twitter.com/teamdodge

DODGE AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

• Rusty Wallace posted the last Dodge win at Martinsville in the 2004 spring event, one of seven victories for Wallace at the .526-mile track.

• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) won at Martinsville in 2002 prior to joining the Dodge Motorsports family.

• Dodge has 10 wins at Martinsville including three sweeps (1953, 1956 and 1975).

• Busch is the only current Dodge driver to earn a pole at Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 2006).

THE DODGE BOYS

• Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.

• Dodge’s most recent win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Kurt Busch led 252 of 400 laps en route to victory in the Coca-Cola 600. It was his second win of the 2010 season.

• Dodge teams have posted 47 wins since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.

• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at Martinsville Speedway: Lee Petty, 200-lap race on .500-mile dirt track, 5/17/53. Jim Paschal won the October event, giving Dodge its first season sweep at the track.

DODGE IN THE CHASE: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY • 2004: Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield represented Dodge in the Chase. Newman claimed the pole and led nine laps en route to a third-place finish. Mayfield qualified 11th and finished sixth.

• 2005: Dodge drivers making the elite 10 were Ryan Newman Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace. Newman finished 10th, Wallace 19th and Mayfield 28th.

• 2006: Kasey Kahne was the only Dodge driver to make the Chase. He started 32nd and finished seventh.

• 2007: Kurt Busch was the lone Dodge representative in the Chase. Busch started 11th and finished 31st.

• 2008: There were no Dodges in the 2008 Chase field.

• 2009: Kurt Busch, the lone Dodge entry in the Chase, started 37th and finished 17th.

FAST FACT

• Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started at Martinsville. In 20 starts at the .526-mile track, Busch has a pole, one win, two top fives and four top 10s.

KURT BUSCH – INSIDE THE CHASE NUMBERS

• Busch is competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the fifth time: 2004 – Champion, 2005 – 10th, 2007 – seventh and 2009 – fourth.

• Busch is ninth in the Chase standings after his 30th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend, 237 points behind the leader.

• Busch was ranked sixth, 177 points behind the leader, after five races in the 2009 Chase.

• In 20 previous starts, Busch’s average finish at Martinsville is 21.6; his average start is 19.0.

• Finished 10th in the point standings after 26 races; ranked fifth after the reset for the 2010 Chase.

• Through five Chase races this year, Busch’s average finish is 14.2 • In 31 races this season, Busch has two wins along with nine top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.

• Has competed in 64 Chase races since 2004 (45 have been in a Dodge) with 16 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes.

• Busch’s career-best Chase finish at Martinsville was fifth in 2004. He started seventh and led 120 laps.

DID YOU KNOW?

Lee Petty earned Dodge its first NASCAR victory at Martinsville Speedway in 1953 without leading a single lap. Herb Thomas led the final 127 laps until a check of the scoring cards revealed that Petty had actually won the race. No change was issued on lap leaders.

DODGE MOTORSPORTS ENGINEERING QUOTE OF THE WEEK – HOWARD COMSTOCK “Seven of the last nine races in the Chase are all on high-speed, high-banked tracks. Exactly in the middle of all of that is Martinsville. Neither high-speed nor high-banked, Martinsville remains one of the biggest engineering challenges in Sprint Cup competition. At .533 miles in length with almost no appreciable banking in the corners, the great question is how can you accelerate, stop, and turn a 3,450-pound car 1000 times over 500 laps without failing any components. This is when all of that stress testing done over the years to all of those critical drive-line components is going to pay dividends.”

DODGE DRIVER QUOTES

“We’re coming back into Martinsville with a lot of confidence and a really positive attitude about racing there this weekend. We’ve run very well there through the years, but you wouldn’t know that by just looking at the statistics. The biggest thing is that it’s been seldom that we’ve been able to put together a whole race at Martinsville. We’d start out strong and not be able to get the good finishes we needed. Many times we’ve been strong enough to win a 400-lap race there, but the problem is that Martinsville races are 500-lappers, not 400.”

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Operation Home Front/ Miller Lite Dodge Charger

“At Martinsville, you just have to stay out of trouble, try to keep your nose clean and keep the brakes on the car as much as you can. It’s definitely a tough track, but I feel like I am learning more and more of what I need to do each time we go there. I’ve been to all the tracks enough now that there have been good points that we’ve had during a race. I try to tell myself that if I run well like I have before, and don’t do some of the things that didn’t work out, we’re going to run inside the top 10, if not better.”

Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger

“The No. 12 team had a very successful race at Martinsville in the spring. That was my Cup debut and even though I had a few Truck Series starts there, it was really like going there for the first time. We ran solidly in the top-15 for most of the day and we were able to bring our car home in pretty good shape. I was really proud of the effort that everyone put in. Hopefully, we can ratchet that up a notch or two and get a top-10 effort out of it this weekend.”

Brad Keselowski, No 12 Penske Dodge Charger

ROUSH FENWAY RACING ANNOUNCES TEAM WENDY AS SPONSOR FOR NO. 16 TEAM AT GATEWAY

By
Official Release
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Concord, N.C. (Oct. 19, 2010) – Roush Fenway Racing announced today that Team Wendy has been added to its stable of sponsor partners and will join the No. 16 NASCAR Nationwide Series team this weekend at Gateway International Raceway with Trevor Bayne behind the wheel.

The Cleveland-based Team Wendy was founded in 1997 by Dan T. Moore as a memorial to his daughter Wendy, who died from a traumatic brain injury while skiing. The protective equipment manufacturer has made it its sole mission to promote helmet safety as well as provide the best protective head gear available on the market today. Team Wendy’s Zorbium® Action Pad (ZAPÔ) helmet liner suspension system is the only system authorized for use by the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and National Guard. This system is procured through the mandatory source, National Industries for the Blind (NIB), as part of the AbilityOne™ program.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with Roush Fenway Racing,” said Scott Burk, Team Wendy CEO. “Both Team Wendy and the entire NASCAR family have had a long-standing relationship with the military. Our main goal is to provide the most protective equipment available for the most extreme conditions, whether a battlefield or the racetrack. So sponsorship of a flagship NASCAR team like Roush Fenway makes tremendous sense.”

As Roush Fenway Racing’s newest addition to its driver lineup, Bayne will be making his second Nationwide Series start at Gateway. In his most recent trip to the 1.25-mile track in July, Bayne started from the pole and finished a career-high third after leading 19 laps.

“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to drive the Team Wendy Ford this weekend,” said Bayne. “The work they do and their commitment to safety is so important, especially for our military, which affects us all. This No. 16 team had a really great run at Gateway in July and we are looking for more of the same again this weekend.”

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating nine motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and five in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Trevor Bayne, Colin Braun, Brian Ickler, and Paul Menard. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto 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.

About Team Wendy

Team Wendy is the manufacturer of Zorbium®, an energy-absorbing material engineered to provide the highest level of impact protection.

Since 2005, Team Wendy has provided the most protective, standard-issue issue helmet liners used by the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and National Guard. Team Wendy’s helmet liner systems are the only military products on the market proven to significantly reduce the likelihood of concussion, blunt force trauma and traumatic brain injury. Team Wendy’s Zorbium® line of products is also being developed for use in athletic helmets, vehicle seating and other applications where protection performance is paramount. Team Wendy is a certified Small Business Administration HUBZone company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Team Wendy – Overprotective and Proud of It. ™

JR Motorsports — NNS Gateway II Preview

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Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW

No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet/No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

EVENT – Gateway 250 (200 laps / 250 miles)

TRACK – Gateway International Raceway (1.25-mile oval)

DATE – Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010

TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 3 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 3 p.m. EST)

Josh Wise

No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet

“This is a weekend I’ve had marked on my calendar for a while now. Ever since JRM told me I’d get an opportunity to drive the No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet, I’ve been really excited. I enjoyed working with Tony (Eury) Jr. and all the guys on the 7 car this year, but being able to get in the 88 car is an amazing opportunity. I just want to make the most of it at Gateway for Bill Jordan and all the good folks at Delta Apparel and Realtree Outfitters.

“Gateway has been a decent track for me, and I’m comfortable running there. My last trip there was with the 7 team earlier this year. We were fortunate enough to finish eighth, which was my best run for them. So I can’t think of a better place to try out the 88 car than Gateway. It’s a little weird to think this is the last time we’ll be racing there. Even though the series has been racing at Gateway for 12 years, it’s a neat track with a lot history in the sport.”

Danica Patrick

No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

“I think things are slowly starting to come together for this Go Daddy team. It’s like we have bits and pieces of our race where we show real progress, but something always seems to come up. Our results over the past two weeks are evidence of that. It’s something that comes with the territory. It’s just the unpredictability of racing. We’ll be able to put the whole package together at some point, so we just need to continue to be patient. The good news is, the groundwork is definitely there.

“Pit road is another area we can work on. I felt like I was hustling (getting off pit road last week), but getting up to speed on cold tires is always a display of your comfort level with the car and your ability to take it to the limit and know where that limit is. I’m sure there’s some speed to be found on green-flag stops. We’ll have to look at it and see if there are places to improve for next time.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

SPECIAL GUEST AT ST. LOUIS BLUES GAME – Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, will attend Friday’s National Hockey League (NHL) matchup featuring the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks vs. the St. Louis Blues. Patrick is a special guest of the St. Louis Blues, representing the NASCAR Nationwide Series and she will be ceremoniously dropping the puck to begin the game.

WISE IN THE 88 – Despite eight starts with JRM’s No. 7 team this year, Josh Wise will get his debut in the team’s flagship No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet at Gateway. Wise becomes the ninth driver to pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2010. The team has notched one win, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes on the year. They’ve also led a total of 110 laps, and are coming off consecutive top-10 finishes. Aric Almirola, Steve Arpin, Kelly Bires, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jamie McMurray, Greg Sacks and Elliott Sadler are all racers that have shared driving duties in the 88. The team is ranked eighth in owner points.

2011 PLANS UNVEILVED – JR Motorsports co-owner and general manager, Kelley Earnhardt announced last week that Danica Patrick will compete in the first four races of the 2011 Nationwide Series schedule with the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 19), Phoenix International Raceway (Feb. 26), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 5) and Bristol Motor Speedway (March 19). The races beyond that have not been determined, although Patrick will take on a schedule similar to that of her 13-race rookie campaign.

NO. 7 TEAM TO DATE – The No. 7 team has secured six top-10 finishes and led 42 laps with seven different drivers in 2010, including Aric Almirola, Steve Arpin, Landon Cassill, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Danica Patrick, Scott Wimmer and Josh Wise. The GoDaddy.com team is ranked 16th in 2010 owner points.

WISE AT GATEWAY – Wise has two starts at Gateway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, with his best finish of eighth coming in the No. 7 Chevrolet earlier this year. The 27-year-old also had an eighth-place showing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2007. His most successful race at Gateway was in an ARCA race in 2007 when he started from the pole with a track-record speed and led 35 laps en route to a second-place finish.

DANICA’S SEASON – Patrick embarks on her 10th race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at Gateway. In her previous nine starts, she’s earned a career-best finish of 21st at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Her season-best qualifying effort of 14th came two weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway.

WISE WITH JRM – Gateway marks Wise’s last stint driving for JRM in 2010. The native of Riverside, Calif. has earned one top-10 (Gateway), and six top-15 finishes driving the No. 7 Chevrolet in eight races this season. His average finish in those races is 13.1. Aric Almirola and Danica Patrick will finish out the remainder of the season in the No. 88 and No. 7 Chevrolets.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Patrick will be available to members of the NASCAR media on Friday, Oct. 22, at 12 p.m. CST in Gateway International Raceway infield media center.

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.

Mike Skinner Martinsville Speedway Event Preview

By
Official Release
-

No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra News and Notes

• This Week’s Tundra… The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team and driver Mike Skinner will race MDM-106 in Saturday’s 200-lap NCWTS event at Martinsville Speedway. Earlier this season, Skinner was behind the wheel of MDM-106 running fourth at Martinsville Speedway when contact with another competitor eliminated his chance of victory. More recently, the International Truck/Monaco RVs team competed with MDM-106 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and finished in the 13th position.

• Success at Martinsville Speedway… Skinner has visited victory lane three times at Martinsville Speedway tying him with Dennis Setzer as the winningest NCWTS driver at the Virginia short track. Known for starting up front, Skinner’s three poles rank him second on the all-time list for NCWTS poles at Martinsville Speedway. The 53-year-old veteran leads all NCWTS competitors with 608 laps led around the 0.526-mile track.

• Little Skinner… Be on the lookout for Skinner’s “Mini Me” prior to the race on Saturday afternoon. Skinner’s grandson will join him for the weekend at Martinsville Speedway and will be wearing a firesuit with the International Truck/Monaco RVs colors just like his grandpa.

• Toyota Loyalty… Skinner is the only driver to have piloted a Toyota Tundra in every NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. The two teamed up in 2004 when the manufacturer entered the NASCAR arena.

• Watch and Listen… The Kroger 200 will be broadcast live on SPEED with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 23. Live flag-to-flag coverage can also be heard on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128, beginning at 12:45 p.m. EST.

Mike Skinner on driving at Martinsville Speedway

“I can’t wait to go back to Martinsville [Speedway]. It’s a track where I’ve had a lot of success in all different aspects of my career, and it’s a place that I always look forward to. I’ll have one of my grandsons with me for the race this weekend, so that makes it even more special. He only comes to a handful of races each season, but we always have a lot of fun when he’s at the track. The International Truck/Monaco RVs team has been hard at work the last few weeks; between testing and a few other things they’ve done, I think we’ll have a very competitive Toyota Tundra this weekend.”

Crew Chief Stacy Johnson on racing at Martinsville Speedway

“Mike has been extremely competitive at Martinsville [Speedway]. Our team had a great truck there earlier this season and I think the International Truck/Monaco RVs team has only improved since then. We had a good test at Gresham Motorsports Park and successful trips to both the wind tunnel and seven-post to prepare our truck. I think you’ll see the No. 5 Toyota Tundra racing near the front of the field before the checkered flag falls on Saturday.”

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