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

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

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

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.”

Defending Winner Timothy Peters Excited For Return To His Home Town Track; Martinsville Speedway

TIMOTHY PETERS QUICK FACTS

Martinsville Speedway

Kroger 200

October 23, 2010

  • Peters at Martinsville…Timothy Peters heads to his home track this weekend as the defending race winner. Peters led 84 laps en route to his first career victory at the Virginia paperclip last fall. Martinsville Speedway is a track that Peters knows well. In nine previous starts, he has earned five top-10 and two top-five finishes including one trip to Victory Lane in 2009 and a fourth place finish earlier this spring. Peters is hungry for the win again this fall and knows just what it takes to get there.

 

  • It’s All In The Preparation…Timothy Peters used the three weeks off to prepare himself for this event at Martinsville Speedway. On October 3rd, he participated in the Virginia Is For Lovers 300 Late Model race at his home track. Peters completed the entire 200 lap event and earned a sixth place finish overall. Last Friday, Peters and his Red Horse Racing team headed to The Motor Mile in Radford, VA to shake down the Martinsville primary chassis. The #17 learned some things at the test they feel will play into their favor on Saturday.

                                                                 

  • Every Point Counts…As the season winds down, Peters knows that every point he earns in these last five events will be valuable. Currently tied for fifth in the driver point standings, Peters is determined to gain as many spots as possible before the checkered flag falls at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He is just 35 points behind the fourth spot and 161 points back from second.

 

  • Wiss On Board At Martinsville… Wiss® cutting products have been earning a reputation for craftsmanship and long life since 1848. Go to any race garage or pit toolbox and chances are you’ll find several pairs of Wiss Metalmaster® compound action snips … they’ve been the preferred brand with sheet metal pros for over 50 years. The wide Wiss product line now includes snips, scissors, industrial shears, utility knives, and HVAC tools … all with famous Wiss quality built in.  

 

Timothy Peters on racing at Martinsville Speedway “ I’m really looking forward to Martinsville this weekend. My face just lights up when I say the word “Martinsville”! I just hope we can repeat what we did last year. I’ve always loved that place; it just fits my driving style. It was so special to get my first win in front of all the home town friends and family. Martinsville is kind of like Daytona because you never know what’s going to happen. I think the extra 200 laps from the late model race is really going to help me. We just need to keep the fenders on and be up front at the end and I think we will have a strong shot and getting back to Victory Lane.”

Jeff Hensley on racing at Martinsville Speedway  “I love Martinsville race week because it’s close to home. We had a good run in the spring. We finished fourth but we know where we got beat and how we got beat and we know how to  make it better. We just missed it a little in March but I’m confident we will have what it takes this weekend. With this race being 50 laps shorter than it was in the spring, Timothy will be racing hard every lap. We just need to keep the truck in good shape and be there in the end.”

Equipment Information Timothy Peters will compete with chassis #137 in Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. This is the same chassis he raced at Martinsville in March where he started fifth and finished fourth.  

Timothy Peters Seeks Sponsorship Partner Peters is still seeking sponsorship for his #17 Toyota Tundra. Red Horse Racing is currently running the #17 without primary sponsorship. For more information on sponsorship opportunities please contact Tom DeLoach at 704-662-0039.

Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion Named WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Roswell, Ga (October 19, 2010) – Kevin “Bono” Manion, crew chief for the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet driven by Jamie McMurray, has been named the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As temperatures cooled drastically from the start of the race until the end, McMurray made seven quick pit stops throughout the evening, and Manion made the right adjustments during each to help him advance the No. 1 car from its 27th starting position. McMurray took the lead for the first time on lap 133 of the 334-lap event, but it was the final 22 laps that paid off.

On the last restart on lap 312, in which Bono chose not to pit under caution, McMurray kept his track position and found himself second to Kyle Busch. Once the green flag waved, McMurray inched ahead of Busch coming out of turn two in first and held on for the win, his third of the season.

“It was just our night,” said McMurray, who led three times for 65 laps. “Our car was unbelievable those last like 25 or 30 laps, it was effortless to drive and it had a lot of speed in it. It was just a really good night for us.”

“Going back to May, (where McMurray finished 2nd in the Coke 600 at CMS) Bono and the team had a great performance, and they just picked up where they left off here at CMS,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative Jeff Hammond. “His strong leadership and making the right adjustments put Jamie and the No. 1 car in the position to win.”

WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief Results

Frank Kerr and his driver Marcos Ambrose came home a solid 16th in what was an up-and-down evening. Kerr had the No. 47 Camry strong all night, and Ambrose overcame a spin as well as a pit road penalty to secure their respectable finish.

Todd Berrier, Jeff Burton and the No. 31 CAT team finished in a disappointing 20th after Burton experienced a loose handling race car late in the event. He had been in the top 10 most of the race prior to the handling woes.

WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief Team

Berrier, Kerr and Hammond, along with representatives from the WYPALL Wipers brand, serve as the panel for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge and vote for the weekly crew chief winners. In addition to the $500 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at season’s end.

Former winners of the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge include Tony Eury, Sr. (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), Robbie Reiser (Matt Kenseth), Doug Richert (Greg Biffle), Mike Ford (Denny Hamlin) and Chad Knaus (Jimmie Johnson).

About WYPALL Wipers

WYPALL is a brand of Kimberly-Clark Professional. Since 2004, WYPALL Wipers has been affiliated with some of racings top teams. Offering heavy-duty to versatile light-duty towels, WYPALL Wipers provide race teams with a number of products that demonstrate strength and durability. Defeating the toughest of challenges, from absorbing tough grease and oil to wiping down windshields without leaving residue behind, WYPALL Wipers continue to offer performance and versatility.

The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge will continue throughout the 2010 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto www.wypall.com.

CHEVY NSCS AT MARTINSVILLE TWO: Team Chevy Advance

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

TUMS FAST RELIEF 500

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

MARTINSVILLE, VA

OCTOBER 24, 2010

 

CHEVROLET WINS 34th MANUFACTURERS’ CUP:  Following the results of the 30th race of the season at Auto Club (CA) Speedway, Chevrolet clinched the 2010 Manufacturers’ Cup in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.

With five races remaining in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup tour, seven different drivers have contributed to Chevrolet’s 17 victories thus far this year: Jimmie Johnson (six), Kevin Harvick (three), Jamie McMurray (three), Tony Stewart (two), and Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Clint Bowyer (one apiece).

Chevrolet won its first Manufacturers’ Cup honor in 1958; and this year’s win marks the eighth consecutive season that Team Chevy has captured the title (2003-’10).

 

TEAM CHEVY AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY – PAT SUHY, GM RACING NASCAR GROUP MANAGER: “This week’s race at Martinsville Speedway marks the start of the second half of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.  There are six Chevrolet drivers in the running and Jimmie Johnson comes into this race holding the lead.  A Team Chevy driver has won four of the first five Chase races this year.  Those four wins, coupled with the 13 that came during the first 26 races this year, are ongoing proof that Chevrolet has the best teams running the best cars in NASCAR.

“It’s a joint effort by the team and the manufacturer to make sure that all the ingredients come together to create a fast race car.  On the manufacturer’s side, we’re constantly working to make sure that we support our teams with the tools and technology that they can really use both on and off of the race track.  The foundation is the parts we produce that are built into the Sprint Cup cars you see winning races.  Chevrolet engine blocks, heads, and manifolds are the key elements of a reliable and powerful engine.  Body parts, from the front bumper to the tail, provide a competitive aerodynamic platform.  Our dedicated GM Racing engineers and program managers work on these parts from start to finish and are always looking at ways to improve the next generation.  Throughout the process we rely on input from our key partner teams to make sure we’re giving them the winning tools.  Their input and feedback is of crucial importance to the process, and a key factor in our combined success.

“The race on Sunday at Martinsville is sure to be a good one.  With close quarters racing and tight pit lane, the drivers, pit crews and crew chiefs will have to be on their toes for all 500 laps.  Given the historical performance of Chevy teams at this track, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate in victory lane when the checkered flag flies.”

TEAM CHEVY IN 2010 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:

  • Race wins – 17 as of race 31 of 36
  • Poles – 14 as of race 31 of 36
  • Laps led – 4,692 (51.1% of possible 9,177)
  • Top-five finishes – 84 (54.2% of possible)
  • Top-10 finishes – 154 (49.7% of possible)
  • Team Chevy has six (6) drivers in the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. After three (3) of 10 races, the order is:
    • Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet – points leader
    • Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet – 3rd in the standings
    • Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Families Appreciation Chevrolet – 4th in point standings
    • Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice  Chevrolet – 6th in the standings
    • Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet – 10th in the points order
    • Clint Bowyer, No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet – 12th  in points

 

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY:

  • A Chevrolet driver has won 46 of the 123 NSCS races at Martinsville Speedway (MS)
  • Chevy has 48 poles at MS
  • Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, has one (1) win at MS
  • Bobby Labonte, No. 09 C & J Energy Chevrolet has won once (1) at MS
  • Team Chevy drivers have scored 223 top-five finishes and 414 top-10 finishes at MS
  • A Chevrolet has led 23,490 laps (42.3% of 55,587 possible) at MS
  • Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Families Appreciation Chevrolet, has seven (7) MS victories, more than any other active driver
  • Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, has six (6) victories at the .526-mile oval
  •  Mark Martin, No. 5 GoDaddy.com/eBay Motors Chevrolet, has two (2) MS victories
  • Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet has won twice (2) at MS

 

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:

 

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – POINTS LEADER: “It took a while to get there (successful at Martinsville). And when I came into the sport, I had two years in ASA and thought that the short tracks would fit well for me and it was quite the opposite. It took a long time to understand the big car, the radial tire, the extra power, and how to maneuver around on a short track. But the track at Martinsville, especially when the rubber is laid down, reminds me of some of my off-road stuff where we would have barrels or tractor tires stacked up as the turn-marker, but it was that tight of a radius. And when the rubber lays down, especially the right-side rubber on corner exit at Martinsville, you have to change your line to not run through the rubber at the wrong spot. We had a really exciting finish there in the spring with the double-file restart.  First and foremost, you would have to assume the front-row outside driver—the old theory of eight wheels are better than four is going to come into play—and whoever the inside car is going to lean on him pretty heavily.  There we can turn people around pretty easily.  It could.  I’ve heard Jeff [Gordon] make those comments on how double-file restarts could affect things.  I naturally think that he’s speaking more to the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks because the cars are really out of control in low-air situations.  You have more control over your car at Martinsville than at any of the other tracks on a double-file restart.  We’ll see.  Who I wouldn’t want next to me? Man, I guess whoever would be second in points.  We’re going to be gouging for every single point at that part of the race and the way the points are stacked up, the top-five are all guys that are really good at Martinsville.  It could be exciting.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET – 3RD IN STANDINGS: “I think we’ve run well there (at Martinsville). We ran well at the first race and had some mechanical issues. We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. I think (Jeff) Burton had the fastest car there last time and wound up getting a flat tire, so we will look at those notes and go from there and see what happens. When it comes to thinking about being or not being aggressive because it is in the Chase, in my mind, nine times out of 10, the aggressor comes out up top. So, I’ll take that tenth of a percent and 10% chance of making a mistake and having things happen. But, if you don’t protect yourself in trying to go forward, you are going to get run over. Usually, by trying to stay out of trouble, you usually find more trouble than you will just going and racing like you normally do. Here is my motto through the whole thing.  You don’t have to win it in one week, but, you sure can lose it in one. So you just have to go out and protect yourself the best you can and race as hard as you can and get the best finish that you can.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT/NATIONAL GUARD FAMILIES APPRECIATION CHEVROLET – 4TH IN STANDINGS:  “Martinsville. I always love going to Martinsville. I feel like we’re really good there. The cars handle well there. I like the track. We just tested at Little Rock last week to try and get prepared for that race. So, it’s a track that I think as a group we carry a lot of confidence going into. I would like to see more short tracks (on the schedule). We only have two half-mile tracks. Richmond is a nice short track but it’s even a little bit big. It acts a little bit more like a Charlotte. Aerodynamics plays a pretty big role there. It would be pretty cool to have something sort of in between a Martinsville and a Bristol; a little bit more banking and a little bit more sweeping corners. That would be very cool. I’m a big fan of that.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/OLD SPICE CHEVROLET – 6TH IN STANDINGS: “You can have it (success at Martinsville), for sure. It’s knowing that feel, it’s finding that combination that works, and the next time you come back to that track you know what that feel is like and you know what you’re looking for in practice for it to be good in the race. During the race, the track changes quite a bit, but you know when you kind of have that rhythm. You have the timing of what it was like, you just know what that feel is in the car that you’re looking for, not necessarily to be good in Happy Hour as much as to be good for the race. When you’ve had a good weekend, the next time you go back it’s just easier to try to go back and mimic that feel. That’s why when guys hit on something they’re normally good for a while until the package changes quite a bit, and then once that changes, you have to learn a different feel. Normally for a while you can have that, and different guys, if you look over the history, have kind of had runs at it. It seems like whether it’s a three or four or five-race period, guys get that feel of it and know what that tire likes, what the chassis combination likes at that time, and they kind of have that and they know how to adapt to it.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 10TH IN STANDINGS: “We had a great shot to win that race (Spring, 2010) and ended up cutting a right front tire real real late. Led a lot of that race and thought we had a opportunity. So have been waiting on this; would kind of like to go back and redeem that.  It is a real balance of over-driving and not driving hard enough. It is a one-corner-at-a-time race track. You can’t think ahead. You have to be in the moment and pay attention to what you are doing right now. If you do that, that is when you have your best races there. It is real hard to plan ahead there, so many things happen. It is a matter of being smart, aggressive, consistent-all those things really mean a lot there. It is very cool to race in your hometown. I grew up about an hour from Martinsville and raced late models there as a kid.  I can remember them announcing they were going to run late model races at Martinsville and it was like ‘oh my gosh, that is incredible that we will have a chance to do that’. That track has always meant a lot. Got lucky enough to win the first Nationwide race I ran there and have run really well there.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 BB&T CHEVROLET – 12TH IN STANDINGS: “I do like Martinsville. It took a while to learn it. It is very challenging, a lot of fun and you have to look at it like that. You have to look at it as a challenge. It is one of the tracks that I feel like someday I can win a race there. It is very intense all the time. You are always in traffic and there is no room to breathe. But that is what you grew up doing. It reminds me of the old short tracks where you are beating and banging on each other and you get up on the wheel and make things happen. I want this championship to come home to RCR. Obviously, you want it to be you, but it is looking like that’s not going to happen. Kevin (Harvick) is our best shot. Jeff (Burton) is not out of the thing by any means. Our cars are capable of getting the job done. Kevin has done a great job all year long of leading the championship points so I don’t think it is a fluke that he is up front and in the running for it right now.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – 13TH IN STANDINGS: “Martinsville is always a good track for me and one that I’ve consistently been fast at. At Martinsville it’s really hard to discipline yourself to wait long enough to get back into the gas on the straightaways, so it’s a track that you really seem to focus on developing your rhythm. Compared to larger oval tracks, at Martinsville you feel like you’re going so slow that it’s hard to make yourself wait long enough to push the gas down. I really love going to Martinsville though; short tracks like Martinsville and the road courses are some of my favorite places to race at during the season. We had a great run going earlier this season, before we had some cooling issues with the brakes, which caused the bead to melt on our tire.  But, we hope to have that remedied,  and bring home a great finish.  We’ve really got some good momentum going right now, so I’m hoping to keep that up!”

 

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 TORNADOS CHEVROLET – 14TH IN STANDINGS: “I like the short track racing. The more a driver has input, especially with some of the race tracks we go to, you don’t have to brake a lot, the more the driver has input, the more the driver has an effect. The short track racing I definitely enjoy because of that. You go to a place like Michigan or California, it takes less driver and more car than it does at a short track in my opinion. That is one of the things that I enjoy about Martinsville. We had a good run there in the spring. We were fastest in practice, but we had to start pretty deep in the field because qualifying got rained out. But we had a good enough car that I was able to drive it into the top 10 and race there all day. And there at the end, Tony Gibson used some strategy and made a pit call that put us in position to win the race with just a handful of laps to go. I was just unlucky on the outside there on the last restart. To get a top-four out of that and on older tires, I can’t complain. So,  I look forward to going back. Gibson is a great fan of Martinsville and short track racing and he’s got a great understanding of the racecar there and what I like, and that makes a big difference obviously for me. We’ve been able to get three top-10 finishes in our three trips to Martinsville, and we’re looking forward to continuing that streak. It is a fun race track as long as you stay out of trouble and keep your brakes cool.”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM/EBAY MOTORS CHEVROLET – 15TH IN STANDINGS: “Martinsville was one of our more spectacular races this season. If you just look at the stats, you won’t see that, but we had one of the strongest race cars at the track that day. We led for awhile but then had a pit road penalty midway through the race – a freak deal with the air hose really – but our car was so strong that we got back into the top 10. Then, probably from pushing the car so hard to get back to the front, we cut a tire and that cost us what would have been a really, really good finish. Our car was so, so good and I think we should be that way again this weekend.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 16TH IN STANDINGS: “We’ve run good at Martinsville. It’s a track I really enjoy racing at. Something about the way it’s designed suits my driving style. We came close to a win there last year and hopefully we can be up there in the front contending for a win again this time around.”

 

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET – 19TH IN STANDINGS: “I love going to Martinsville. There is just a lot of good history there. It is an old racetrack, and it is a short track. Martinsville is so unique being a paperclip and flat. You have to really get your car working pretty good through the corners and be able to be competitive in the race; it is really, really imperative that your car handles well, because there is not much adjustment to the line in the corner that you can make to try to make up for something that your car isn’t doing correctly. So you really have to work hard with your team and show up pretty good out of the box.”

 

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET – 30th IN STANDINGS:  “The past two races on intermediate tracks our Furniture Row Chevrolet had solid performances with finishes of 12th and 13th. We always felt that these type of tracks suits us the best. We also knew that we needed to step up the pace on short tracks. That’s why we have done some recent testing — at Milwaukee and Richmond — to improve our performances at the smaller venues. I am confident that we can continue our recent success at Martinsville this weekend. In order to be a competitive team you need to run well at all types of tracks. So, a good result this weekend at the half-mile Martinsville track will go a long way in our confidence level. It sure feels good knowing that our hard work this year is paying off with better performances.”

 

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships

            Total (1949 – 2010): 34

            First title for Chevrolet: 1958

            Highest number of consecutive titles: 9 (1983 – 91)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

 

Drivers Championships

            Total (1949 – 2009): 26

            First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

            Highest number of consecutive titles: 6 (1993 – 98)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Event Victories

            2010 Race Wins: 17

            Total Chevrolet race wins: 668 (1949 – to date) (2,276 possible = 29.3%)

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – 2007

Poles Won to Date: 608

Laps Lead to Date: 199,670

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,356

 

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 6,859

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date

           

            GM: 1,003

            Chevrolet: 668

            Pontiac: 155

            Oldsmobile: 115

            Buick: 65

            Ford: 697

            Ford: 597

            Mercury: 96

            Lincoln: 4

            Chrysler: 456

            Dodge: 207

            Plymouth: 190

            Chrysler: 59

            Toyota: 31

 

 

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Biffle Martinsville Notes

Biffle on Martinsville: “Well, it’s obvious by looking at my stats that Martinsville has been a tough place for me. We’ve had a few decent runs there but getting your car to turn can make the difference between a fun race at Martinsville and a long day at Martinsville. When the car is turning and you can get off of the corners on the gas, the race at Martinsville can be one of the most fun races of the season but when it won’t turn or your brakes a failing, it is probably my least favorite track on the circuit. I would say our goal this weekend is to leave Martinsville with a top-10 finish like we did in the spring.”

Erwin on Martinsville: “The key this weekend will be to get the car to rotate through the center so the driver can get into the gas as soon as possible coming off of the corner. We have been able to run in the top 10 at Martinsville and we just need to be able to do that this weekend. As always, qualifying well will be extremely important because it is generally easier to stay up front at Martinsville than to get up front at Martinsville.”

Martinsville Notes

• Biffle and the 3M team moved up to eighth in the standings following their fifth-place finish in Charlotte; they are 225 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson but only 48 points out of fifth.

• Biffle’s average finish at Martinsville is 22.3 from an average starting position of 19.8.

• Earlier this season at Martinsville, Biffle finished 10th which was his sixth top-10 finish in a row.

• In Biffle’s first ever start at Martinsville during the 1998 Truck Series season, he captured the pole and drove to an eighth-place finish.

• For more information about the innovative products offered by 3M, visit www.shop3M.com.

David Ragan – Martinsville Advance

David Ragan – NSCS ADVANCE

Team: No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Chassis: Primary: RK-635 Last ran Richmond – finished 23rd

Backup: RK-633 Last ran Michigan in the fall of 2009 – finished 30th

Ragan, NSCS at Martinsville Speedway:

Date Event S F Laps Led Status Money

3-29-10 Goody’s Pain Relief 500 27 16 508/508 0 Running $85,050

10-25-09 Tums Fast Relief 500 14 22 500/501 0 Running $82,675

3-29-09 Goody’s Pain Relief 500 26 27 498/500 0 Running $82,375

10-19-08 TUMS QuikPak 500 13 13 504/504 0 Running $85,300

3-30-08 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 4 11 500/500 0 Running $87,200

10-21-07 Subway 500 41 26 505/506 0 Running $101,650

4-1-07 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 27 15 500/500 0 Running $113,250

10-22-06 Subway 500 41 25 500/500 0 Running $66,125

Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Led Money

Spring 4 0 0 0 0 0 $367,875

Fall 4 0 0 0 0 0 $335,750

Cumulative 8 0 0 0 0 0 $703,625

Ragan on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“I really enjoy going to Martinsville, it’s one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. It’s such a unique track and it’s nice that it is pretty close to home. Coming off a strong run at Charlotte our UPS team should be primed up and ready for another. Martinsville is a fun track with aggressive racing. Short track racing is my favorite and I think we’ve got a fast UPS Ford for this weekend.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“I’m actually pretty excited about Martinsville this weekend. David runs well there, has a good record at Martinsville and is the main guy around Roush for the short track tests. He’s been to Little Rock a few times already this year. We’ve got momentum on our side coming off a top-10 finish at Charlotte and it seems like we keep getting better and faster every week. Hopefully we can carry over the momentum and get a good finish in our UPS Ford this weekend at Martinsville.”

FAST FACTS

David Ragan made his Sprint Cup Series debut in 2006, competing in two races that year. The second of which came at Martinsville Speedway where Ragan finished 25th. Ragan has seven races under his belt at Martinsville since his debut. His best finish came in the spring of 2008 where he qualified fourth and finished 11th.

Ragan has completed 4015 of a possible 4019 laps he has competed in at Martinsville, giving him a 99.9-percent mark on laps completed. Despite the high percentage, a finish inside the top 10 has eluded Ragan.

In 2006 Ragan made two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway. His best finish came in the October event where Ragan finished 20th.

Carl Edwards Martinsville Fast Facts

Carl Edwards – NSCS MARTINSVILLE ADVANCE

Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-647 This car last raced at Loudon in Sept. ’10,

Finished 11th

Edwards, NSCS at Martinsville Speedway:

Date Event S F Laps Led Status Money

3-29-10 Goody’s Pain Relief 500 13 8 508/508 0 Running $118,723

10-25-09 Tums Fast Relief 500 29 20 501/501 0 Running $122,256

3-29-09 Goody’s Pain Relief 500 5 26 498/500 0 Running $120,856

10-19-08 Tums Quickpak 500 4 3 504/504 0 Running $145,850

3-30-08 Goody’s 500 27 9 500/500 0 Running $123,775

10-21-07 Subway 500 20 11 506/506 0 Running $82,275

4-1-07 Goody’s 500 9 17 500/500 0 Running $82,050

10-22-06 Subway 500 27 12 500/500 0 Running $90,250

4-2-06 Direct TV 500 15 16 500/500 0 Running $89,100

10-23-05 Subway 500 18 26 499/500 0 Running $82,650

4-10-05 Advance Auto Parts 500 36 38 321/500 0 Running $81,875

10-24-04 Subway 500 22 24 500/500 0 Running $92,042

Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Led Money

Cumulative 12 0 1 3 0 0 $1,231,702

QUOTES

Carl Edwards on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“Martinsville is so tough, especially with the double-file restarts. It’s kind of a chaotic moment when you go down into turn one and it really depends who is over-aggressive, who bumps who, how things shake out. If everybody runs like they should, it’s really hard to pass people two-wide at Martinsville already. It’s when people are over-aggressive that you can take advantage. Hopefully, we can do that. Matt (Kenseth) almost won the thing the last time we were there, so I feel like we can run well enough, we just have to make the right calls.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“Martinsville is a demanding track, both physically and mentally. It’s a difficult place to get the car handling just right and the driver has to be patient in traffic to save the brakes. It’s a very long race so you can’t wear out your brakes in the first half of the race. Martinsville is a good track for Denny (Hamlin) and Jimmie (Johnson) so we will need to be on top of our game there, on the track and in the pits, if we hope to gain any ground on them in the points.”

FAST FACTS

Carl Edwards enters Martinsville seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase point standings, 200 markers behind point leader Jimmie Johnson. He has earned seven top-five, 16 top-10 finishes and two poles this season.

FOR THE RECORD… In 12 starts at the 0.526-mile track, Edwards has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.8, and his average finish is 17.5. Edwards has completed 97 percent (5837 of 6019) of laps in Cup competition attempted at Martinsville Speedway.

Edwards’ best career finish at Martinsville came back in 2003, when he finished second in the Camping World Truck Series race. He started that race from the pole.

IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 12 races at Martinsville, Edwards has turned 99 of the track’s fastest laps (11thmost), spent 3,026 laps in the top 15, but has not led a lap there. Martinsville and Watkins Glen are the only two tracks on the NSCS circuit that he has failed to lead a lap.

ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 crew will unload RK-647 for the weekend. Edwards raced this car at Loudon last month where he finished 11th.

REWIND, MARTINSVILLE, OCTOBER 2009… Edwards put together a solid run at Martinsville, but bad luck on the final lap left him in 20th place. He was in 12th place for a green-white-checker finish but his driveshaft gave up on the final lap which caused him to brush the wall in the last turn to finish 20th.

Matt Kenseth – Crown Royal Black Racing – Martinsville Advance

Matt Kenseth – NSCS ADVANCE

Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Chassis: Primary: RK-704 (last run at New Hampshire)

Kenseth NSCS record at Martinsville Speedway:

Date Event S F Laps Status Earnings

04/09/00 Goody’s 500 31 21 498/500 Running $38,625

10/01/00 NAPA Autocare 500 37 34 447/500 Running $32,700

04/08/01 Virginia 500 25 6 500/500 Running $57,750

10/15/01 Old Dominion 500 22 36 459/500 Rear End $37,725

04/14/02 Virginia 500 26 2 500/500 Running $97,165

10/20/02 Old Dominion 500 17 19 499/500 Running $55,875

04/13/03 Virginia 500 34 22 499/500 Running $66,725

10/19/03 Subway 500 14 13 500/500 Running $68,400

04/18/04 Advance Auto Parts 500 29 8 500/500 Running $113,728

10/24/04 Subway 500 25 16 500/500 Running $108,203

04/10/05 Advance Auto Parts 500 18 11 500/500 Running $118,186

10/23/05 Subway 500 25 12 500/500 Running $116,461

04/02/06 DirecTV 500 16 24 493/500 Accident $113,491

10/22/06 Subway 500 20 11 500/500 Running $118,716

04/01/07 Goody’s 500 33 10 500/500 Running $130,266

10/21/07 Subway 500 24 5 506/506 Running $147,916

03/30/08 Goody’s 500 28 30 496/500 Running $117,066

10/19/08 Tums 500 11 8 504/504 Running $123,416

03/29/09 Goody’s 500 10 23 499/500 Running $119,715

10/25/09 Tums 500 32 14 501/501 Running $120,290

03/29/10 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 2 18 508/508 Running $118,951

Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Earnings

Cumulative 21 0 2 6 0 $2,021,370

Kenseth on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“It’s really hard to be patient at Martinsville because it always seems like you’re getting run into or you’re running into somebody. We’re always racing for the little bit of room we have on the track, so it can easily become a frustrating place. It’s not a tricky racetrack to get around, but a lot of times, it gets tough to be able to tell my crew what we need to change on the car in order to have it handle exactly how I need it to. It’s a place where you race hard all day long in order to get good track position, but you have to be patient as well in order to get a solid finish.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“Martinsville Speedway is your typical short track racing because it’s always a place where there’s a lot of rubbing and racing for position during the race. Qualifying is really important at short tracks, as well as having a car that drives well in the turns. We’ll make sure that our No. 17 Ford turns well in the center of the turns for Matt, but it also needs to have good speed and grip off the turns in order to race down the short straightaways.”

FAST FACTS:

• Kenseth has an average starting position of 22.8 and an average finishing position of 16.3 at Martinsville

• In 21 starts, Kenseth has achieved two top-five’s, and six top-10’s at Martinsville in the Cup series

• Kenseth has completed 10,409 of 10,519 (99.0 percent) laps at Martinsville and led for a total of 68 laps

• This weekend at Martinsville, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion

• Entering this weekend, Kenseth is currently eleventh in the NSCS driver point standings