Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Official Release

  • Greg Biffle Phoenix Notes

    Biffle on Phoenix: “I really can’t wait to go to Phoenix this weekend. I love that track and I love going out west. We’ve run well there but we don’t have a win there yet in the cup car. In order to run well at Phoenix, you really have to work on getting your car to handle well at both ends which can be difficult because they are very different. I would say the only other track that is so different at both ends is Darlington. If we can get that figured out, we should have a really good race in Phoenix. We didn’t quite have the setup where it needed to be for the race there in the spring but I think we’ve learned a few things since then.”

    Erwin on Phoenix: “We’re taking the same car to Phoenix that we won with at Kansas so if we can just get the setup right this time, we should have a good race. We have run well there in the past but during the spring race, it seemed like none of the adjustments we made seemed to help. We’ve done a lot of testing this year and we’re taking all of that information to try to get the setup where it needs to be this weekend. Last weekend was very disappointing for this team and they’re ready to get back to the track and take the win we should have had in Texas.”

    Phoenix Notes

    • Biffle and the 3M team moved up to ninth in the standings following their fifth-place finish in Texas; they are 372 points behind leader Denny Hamlin but only nine points out of eighth.

    • Biffle’s average finish at Phoenix is 15.4 from an average starting position of 14.3.

    • The 3M Ford will have a special Scotch Brand paint scheme for this weekend’s race in Phoenix.

    • The total amount of Scotch® Transparent Tape sold to homes and offices in the United States each year would go around the Earth 165 times.

    • There are more than 400 varieties of tapes sold under the Scotch® and 3M™ brands. Visit www.scotchbrand.com for more information.

  • Matt Kenseth – Valvoline Racing – Phoenix Advance

    Matt Kenseth – NSCS ADVANCE

    Team: No. 17 Valvoline Ford Fusion

    Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

    Chassis: Primary: RK-698 (last run at Kansas)

    Kenseth NSCS record at Phoenix International Raceway:

    Date Event S F Laps Status Earnings

    11/05/00 Checker Auto Parts 500 12 42 53/312 Crash $45,700

    10/28/01 Checker Auto Parts 500 38 4 312/312 Running $97,960

    11/10/02 Checker Auto Parts 500 28 1 312/312 Running $211,895

    11/02/03 Checker Auto Parts 500 37 6 312/312 Running $86,000

    11/07/04 Checker Auto Parts 500 16 36 280/315 Engine $101,903

    04/23/05 Subway Fresh 500 17 42 164/312 Crash $107,021

    11/13/05 Checker Auto Parts 500 16 32 310/312 Running $109,161

    04/22/06 Subway Fresh 500 4 3 312/312 Running $168,116

    11/12/06 Checker Auto Parts 500 10 13 312/312 Running $86,700

    04/21/07 Subway Fresh Fit 500 17 5 312/312 Running $149,766

    11/11/07 Checker Auto Parts 500 18 3 312/312 Running $172,291

    04/12/08 Subway Fresh Fit 500 27 38 269/312 Running $111,466

    11/09/08 Checker Auto Parts 500 34 15 313/313 Running $117,291

    04/18/09 Subway Fresh Fit 500 17 27 311/312 Running $113,440

    11/15/09 Checker Auto Parts 500 28 18 311/312 Running $115,765

    04/10/10 Subway Fresh Fit 600 27 6 378/378 Running $154,651

    Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Earnings

    Cumulative 16 1 5 7 0 $1,949,126

    Kenseth on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:

    “Phoenix is a track that I really enjoy racing at. There are a lot of challenges when we race there, and we need to make sure that our Valvoline Ford handles well in all of the track’s different corners in race trim. Qualifying is really important at Phoenix because it is difficult to pass, so track position is always a focus for our team when we arrive on Friday. If we can get our car to handle well, get good track position, and have fast pit stops, I think we can get another good finish for our No. 17 team this weekend.”

    Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:

    “We’re basing our set-up for this weekend after what our team ran earlier this year at Phoenix since we felt it was a pretty good car overall. One of the main challenges of racing at Phoenix is always making sure the driver can see since the sun drops right in their line of sight early on in the race. This is another weekend where it’s hard to pass, so track position will be important and we’ll work on qualifying set-ups on Friday in an effort to get good track position right from the start of the race.”

    FAST FACTS:

    • Kenseth has an average starting position of 21.6 and an average finishing position of 18.2 at Phoenix

    • In 16 starts, Kenseth has achieved one win, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes at Phoenix in the Sprint Cup series

    • Kenseth has completed 4,573 of 5,062 (90.3 percent) laps at Phoenix and led for a total of 159 laps

    • This weekend at Phoenix, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Valvoline Ford Fusion

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

  • Kevin Harvick Phoenix International Raceway Preview (No. 33 NNS)

    SUCCESS IN THE DESERT: Closing in on the final races of the 2010 Nationwide Series schedule, Bakersfield, California native Kevin Harvick returns to one of his most successful NASCAR tracks, the one-mile tri-oval of Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Harvick will pilot the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet this weekend for his 17th-career Nationwide Series start at the track. In 16 previous starts at PIR, Harvick has earned one win, 12 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. His average start is 9.5 and average finish is 7.7.

    In addition to his success on the track in the Nationwide Series, Harvick has 15 Cup starts with two victories, three top-five and six top-10 finishes. In the Truck Series, Harvick has 10 starts with four wins (all in KHI-owned trucks), five top-five and five top-10 finishes.

    TRIPLE EFFECT? THINK AGAIN: This week will mark the first time in four years that Harvick will not pilot a KHI truck in the Camping World Truck Series in the November event at the one-mile Phoenix track. For his competitors, this could be a good thing. Harvick has won the last two Truck Series events at the track and has won four of the last five Truck Series races he has entered at PIR. To say this is one of his favorite tracks may be an understatement, but this year, Harvick will step aside and hand the reins of the No. 2 truck over to Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer and focus his attention on a double dose, competing in the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series and the No. 29 Shell Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series.

    ELITE GROUP: Harvick became the first driver at PIR to win a race in all three of NASCAR’s elite series by scoring his first Truck Series win in 2002, followed by a sweep in 2006 of the Nationwide and Cup Series events. Kyle Busch has also completed this task at PIR. Harvick is one of only five drivers to accomplish this feat of winning in all three of NASCAR’s top Series at the same track and one of only 20 drivers to win in all three series.

    In addition to his wins at PIR, Harvick completed this same feat at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this year when he won the NASCAR Truck Series event in March. To accompany his Truck win, Harvick won his first career Sprint Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile track in 2001 and earned his first Nationwide Series win at the track in 2009.

    BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:

    Does Phoenix fall into the same category as a short track like Martinsville or Richmond? “I don’t really see Phoenix as a short track. Even though places like Phoenix and New Hampshire are only a mile, they both have a lot of room to race. Phoenix is always a fun race track. There are always at least two lanes, and sometimes even more, to pass.”

    What makes Phoenix International Raceway a good track for you?: “Phoenix is a place for me that’s a lot of fun just because it’s a place where I grew up racing and the track hasn’t changed a whole lot. Obviously the surroundings have changed a little bit on the outside, but it’s a place that I enjoy going to. I enjoy the flat tracks and it creates a unique challenge because the asphalt’s worn out and it’s got a lot of cracks and crevices. It’s one of those places where you have to get your car to handle a little bit differently on each end and you have to drive a little different on each end. You have to get your car to handle and have good forward bite up off the corner.”

    What is your favorite memory from Phoenix? “A lot of things have happened at Phoenix. I have been fortunate to win in all three divisions. I ran one of my first truck races there in a truck that we built ourselves and was fortunate to win. I grew up racing at Phoenix. That was kind of like our Daytona every year for the Southwest Tour and Winston West. It is a good place to race and always a lot of fun to go back and see friends and family you don’t see a lot. There are just a lot of memories on the track and off the track. I don’t know if I can narrow it down to just one.”

    CHASSIS HISTORY: For the 34th stop of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, the No. 33 Rheem team will unload chassis No. 058 for team co-owner Harvick. Most recently, this chassis was piloted by Mike Bliss at Gateway (Ill.) International Raceway where he earned the fourth starting position and led 10 laps before coming up one spot short to finish second. This chassis’ previous on-track appearances include the July race at Gateway International Raceway where Harvick started the race 10th and following a late-race accident finished 16th, New Hampshire Motor Speedway where Harvick started the race third and led six laps before finishing seventh. Prior to New Hampshire, this chassis was on track at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway where Harvick finished the race seventh and the race earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway where Harvick scored a second-place finish.

    PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Entering the final three-race stretch of the 2010 season, Harvick piloted the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet from the second position to an eighth-place finish during the 33rd stop of the 2010 Nationwide Series season in the Lone Star State at Texas Motor Speedway. Fighting a loose-handling car from the start of the race, Harvick overcame a bad set of tires and a slow pit stop to earn the team’s 28th top-10 finish of the year.

    ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Nationwide Series by following @KHI_NNS. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Truck Series teams @KHI_TruckSeries. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick @KevinHarvick and @DeLanaHarvick.

    ONLINE MEDIA KITS: Media members can now access KHI media kits online at KevinHarvickInc.com. Included on the site are driver bios, driver and team images, KHI history and statistics, team profiles and schedules. Please contact Alicia Deal (adeal@kevinharvickinc.com) at KHI for access to the new site.

    Kevin Harvick

    Nationwide Stats at Phoenix

    Year No. Team Start Finish

    2010 33 KHI 10 2

    2009 33 KHI 4 2

    2009 33 KHI 6 5

    2008 33 KHI 4 3

    2008 33 KHI 5 4

    2007 21 RCR 6 5

    2007 77 KHI 35 9

    2006 21 RCR 6 2

    2006 21 RCR 14 1

    2005 21 RCR 10 4

    2005 21 RCR 7 4

    2004 21 RCR 6 13

    2003 21 RCR 1 2

    2002 29 RCR 12 37

    2001 2 RCR 2 3

    2000 2 RCR 25 27

    *KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc.

    *RCR: Richard Childress Racing

    About Rheem:

    Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is a privately held company with headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. In its 81st year of operation, the company distributes throughout North America and world markets an award-winning line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating, cooling, water heating, whole-home standby generators, controls, pool and spa heaters, indoor air purification products and commercial boilers. The nation’s leading consumer products review magazine recently reported that Rheem products have been rated most reliable among all leading brands by tens of thousands of consumers. The premium brands of Rheem Manufacturing Company include Ruud, Raypak and Rheem. Rheem Manufacturing Company is the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet Nationwide® Series car and is an associate sponsor of KHI’s No 33 truck in the Camping World Truck Series.

    About Kevin Harvick Inc.:

    Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.

  • No. 00 TUMS Toyota to Tackle Challenging Phoenix Oval

    · TUMS Racing and the No. 00 TUMS Toyota returns to the track at Phoenix International Raceway for the Kobalt Tools 500. This will mark the final time in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season that TUMS will appear as a primary paint scheme.

    · At the flat desert oval, David Reutimann has scored two top-10 finishes (eighth and 10, respectively in 2009) and two top-eight starting positions (fourth and eighth).

    · Reutimann is currently 18th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. He has won in all three major NASCAR series and was the 2007 Nationwide Series championship runner-up. In addition to the Sprint Cup win at Charlotte Motor Speedway and most recently at Chicagoland Speedway, he has three poles, 11 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in 133 career Cup starts.

    · Note: Hi-resolution images are available upon request.

    About TUMS®

    For more than 75 years, TUMS® has been a fast, effective treatment for heartburn and acid indigestion, neutralizing stomach acid on contact. Today, TUMS is the number one antacid in America, used by more people than any other brand to treat heartburn.

    About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

    GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include alli®, Nicorette®, NicoDerm® CQ and Commit® as well as many medicine cabinet staples, including Abreva®, Aquafresh®, Sensodyne,® Tums® and Breathe Right®.

    About GlaxoSmithKline

    GlaxoSmithKline — one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies — is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information visit: http://www.gsk.com.

  • Carl Edwards Phoenix Fast Facts

    Carl Edwards – NSCS PHOENIX ADVANCE

    Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

    Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

    Chassis: RK-695 This car last raced at Kansas in October,

    finished sixth

    Edwards, NSCS at Phoenix International Raceway:

    Date Event S F Laps Led Status Money

    4-10-10 Subway Fresh Fit 600 9 7 378/378 0 Running $130,448

    11-15-09 Checker O’Reilly 500 25 16 312/312 0 Running $119,206

    4-18-09 Subway Fresh Fit 500 11 10 312/312 0 Running $127,756

    11-9-08 Checker O’Reilly AP 500 15 4 313/313 0 Running $165,000

    4-12-08 Subway Fresh Fit 500 3 4 312/312 0 Running $158,585

    11-11-07 Checker Auto Parts 500 1 42 125/312 87 Engine $98,115

    4-21-07 Subway Fresh Fit 500 28 11 312/312 0 Running $83,625

    11-12-06 Checker Auto Parts 500 12 5 312/312 0 Running $120,425

    4-22-06 Subway Fresh 500 5 4 312/312 0 Running $126,685

    11-13-05 Checker Auto Parts 500 3 6 312/312 0 Running $101,900

    4-23-05 Subway Fresh 500 11 7 312/312 0 Running $100,125

    11-7-04 Checker Auto Parts 500 29 37 272/315 0 Running $84,417

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

    Cumulative 12 0 4 8 1 87 $1,410,977

    QUOTES

    Carl Edwards on racing at Phoenix:

    “Phoenix is the first place I ever raced on pavement in a USAC Silver Crown car. It’s a driver’s race track. It’s a track where the driver can make a big difference. Obviously, your car has to be set up really well, but once the car is perfect, that’s a track where it truly comes down to the driver. It’s such a unique track, it’s got bumps and it’s really unique. If you win that race, it’s one you can really be proud of, so I’d love to win a Cup race out there.”

    Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Phoenix:

    “We have had very fast race cars in the past at Phoenix but Carl has yet to win a Cup race there. Phoenix is a unique race track in shape and that makes it a challenge relative to car handling – it is hard to setup the car so it handles just right at both ends. We’re taking a car that has run well in the three races we’ve taken it to this year. It was new at Indy and our best finish with it was third at Michigan. Hopefully it can help us get a win this weekend.”

    FAST FACTS

    Carl Edwards enters Phoenix fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, 317 markers behind point leader Denny Hamlin. He has earned seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes this season, as well as two poles.

    FOR THE RECORD… In 12 starts at the one-mile track, Edwards has four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. His average start is 12.7, and his average finish is 12.8. Edwards has completed 94 percent (3584 of 3814) of laps in Cup competition attempted at Phoenix.

    IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 12 races at Phoenix, Edwards has turned 194 of the track’s fastest laps (fifth most), spent 2,465 laps in the top 15, and has led 87 laps. He has a driver rating of 98.6 (fifth best).

    ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 crew will unload RK-695 at Phoenix. Edwards raced this car at Kansas in October where he finished sixth. It also raced at MIS in August and Indy in July. This car has not finished outside the top seven in its three starts.

    HITTING THE PAVEMENT…Phoenix International Raceway is where Edwards made his first start on a pavement track in 2001. He drove a USAC Silver Crown car.

    REWIND, PHOENIX, NOVEMBER 2009… Edwards started the race mid-pack and with few cautions during the race struggled to gain track position. The crew made adjustments to the Aflac Ford throughout the race to improve the handling, but in the end a 16th-place finish was the best Edwards could get.

  • Gil Martin Wins WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Year; Will serve as Grand Marshal for WYPALL* 200 in Phoenix

    Roswell, GA (November 8, 2010) – By helping his driver stay on or near the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for most of the 2010 season with crafty, gutsy and successful race decisions, Gil Martin, crew chief for the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, is a land slide victor as the 2010 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. 

    A formal announcement will be made this Friday, November 12th, at Phoenix International Raceway’s Media center where Martin will be presented with a $20,000 check from WYPALL Wipers. 

    Martin will also be honored by being asked to serve as the Grand Marshal for Saturday’s WYPALL* 200 Powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional NASCAR Nationwide Series event at PIR. It is the first time a current crew chief has been the Grand Marshal for one of NASCAR’s premier top-three series’ events.

    Incredibly, Martin won seven (7) WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race awards, which were presented after each Sprint Cup Series race. Finishing second with three awards each were 2008 and 2009 award recipient Chad Knaus (crew chief of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet and driver Jimmie Johnson) and Kevin “Bono” Manion (Crew Chief for the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and driver Jamie McMurray).

    Entering Phoenix, Martin led the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team to three wins, fifteen (15) top-five and twenty four (24) top-10 results. Harvick and his Martin-led team stood atop the championship standings for fifteen (15) straight races in 2010 before the final 10-race chase began on Sept. 14th.  The team sits third, 59 points behind, in the title standings with two races remaining.

    Martin, who got his first win as a Crew Chief in 2001 and has six (6) Cup wins overall, was the first Crew Chief in NASCAR History to win in all three of its top divisions – the Camping World Truck Series, the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series.

    Fans can see Martin as the Grand Marshal give the live call to start the engines Saturday on ESPN2 at 4 pm EST, when the green flag falls for the WYPALL 200 * Powered By Kimberly-Clark Professional.

    “[Gil] Martin and his team have had an amazing year, something to be proud of for sure,” said NASCAR television analyst and former champion crew chief Jeff Hammond, who is a spokesperson for WYPALL.  “Martin really displayed great leadership on so many occasions this year.  My congratulations go to him and his entire crew for an outstanding year. He truly deserves being named the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year.”

    The 2010 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge has been a season-long contest that has strived each week to determine the best crew chiefs in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage.  Following each Cup race, a panel including Hammond, and Sprint Cup Crew Chiefs Todd Berrier (No. 31 – Jeff Burton) and Frank Kerr (No. 47 – Marcos Ambrose) voted to determine which Crew Chief demonstrated the most outstanding strategy and leadership during the race. 

    “The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge spotlights the crew chief’s efforts each and every race,” said Stephanie Rossignol, Business leader for Kimberly-Clark Professional and the WYPALL Brand.  “WYPALL Wipers and crew chiefs are a natural fit. Crew chiefs only want to use reliable products on their cars and engines, that’s why they choose WYPALL Wipers. Our products are used to wipe up the toughest, most stubborn messes including oil and grease, and we want to focus on the men who put WYPALL Wipers to use each week.  That’s why we continue to show our appreciation to the crew chiefs.”

    Martin joins of list of prominent crew chiefs who have won the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year including the aforementioned Knaus (twice, ’09/’10), Mike Ford, Tony Eury Sr., Robbie Reiser, and Doug Richert.

    About WYPALL* Wipers

    WYPALL is a brand of Kimberly-Clark Professional. Since 2004, WYPALL Wipers has been affiliated with some of racing’s top teams.  Offering heavy-duty to versatile light-duty towels, WYPALL Wipers provides race teams with a number of products providing 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. 

    For more information log onto www.wypall.com.

  • Joey Logano / No. 20 GameStop Toyota Preview – Wypall 200 at Phoenix Int’l Raceway

    No. 20 GameStop Toyota News, Notes & Paint Scheme:

    · No. 20 IN AN IMPORTANT POINTS BATTLE: While the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver’s championship has already been decided, and the owner’s points battle is still being contested between the No. 18 and the No. 22 cars, Logano and the GameStop team are in a points battle of their own. All season long, the No. 20 Toyota has been in a battle with the No. 33 of Kevin Harvick Inc. for the third-place points position in the owner’s standings. With two races remaining, Logano and the GameStop team are just 67 points behind the No. 33 for the third position. Logano closed the gap considerably last weekend with his fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

    · PDP & AFTERGLOW IN “CONTROL” OF THE No. 20 IN PHOENIX: Each and every week, the No. 20 GameStop Toyota carries a special look, most of the time featuring looks of the hottest games on the market. This week, the No. 20 will have a special “glow” to it. Performance Designed Products (PDP) and its AFTERGLOW™ line of gaming system controllers will adorn the No. 20 GameStop Toyota at Phoenix International Raceway. PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ line of controllers features an array of LED lights that shine through the clear casing and can be turned on and off, or set to light up when the controller vibrates. PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ line includes controllers for the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3. PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ product line has met with critical acclaim since the products’ launch in May of 2010.

    · APRIL REDEMPTION ON LOGANO’S MIND: Phoenix International Raceway hasn’t been a bad track for Logano statistically. The 20-year-old had recorded top-10 finishes in all three of his previous starts at the one-mile oval, including a fourth-place run in the spring race of 2009. However, it’s the race in April of this season that stands out the most in his mind. Logano found himself in the lead with just 10 laps to go in the spring race at Phoenix. However, contact on pit road with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch caused damage to Logano’s No. 20 Toyota and resulted in Logano falling from first to an eventual 10th-place finish over the race’s final laps.

    · STAT OF THE WEEK: 50%. Logano is now batting .500 when it comes to his NASCAR Nationwide Series career and top-five finishes. With his fourth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway, Logano now has 32-career top-five finishes in 64 Nationwide Series starts dating back to his first start in 2008. Therefore, one out of every two races that Logano has entered in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he has found himself finishing in the top five.

    · FEATURED ON THE No. 20: GameStop #4977 in Rosemont, IL will be the featured store on the lower rear quarter panel of the No. 20 GameStop Toyota this weekend in Phoenix.

    Logano’s Season-To-Date NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:

    Starts

    Wins

    Top 5

    Top 10

    Poles

    Laps Led

    Earnings

    Avg. Start

    Avg. Finish

    23

    2

    14

    22

    6

    575

    $868,750

    5.2

    4.9

    Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:

    Starts

    Wins

    Top 5

    Top 10

    Poles

    Laps Led

    Earnings

    Avg. Start

    Avg. Finish

    64

    8

    32

    52

    13

    1307

    $2,465,729

    7.4

    7.1

    Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Phoenix International Raceway:

    Starts

    Wins

    Top 5

    Top 10

    Poles

    Laps Led

    Earnings

    Avg. Start

    Avg. Finish

    3

    0

    1

    3

    0

    21

    $81,868

    7.7

    8

    Joey Logano Quotes:

    “I’m ready for Phoenix considering the wave of momentum my Joe Gibbs Racing teams have been on in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series. It’s not like I think I’ve really changed anything in my driving style, but things are just clicking right now in both series and that builds your confidence and makes you go out there and think that you can win every race you enter. And the confidence I’ve gotten from running good in the Sprint Cup Series is definitely coming over to the Nationwide side when I get in the GameStop Toyota. I know that we can win the race every time we unload the car. We just need to put together a perfect weekend, and we’ll get it.

    “Phoenix is a cool track, because it is unlike anywhere else we go the rest of the year. It’s flat and a mile long, a little like New Hampshire, but the dogleg in the backstretch really makes it unique. It’s not what you would call a cookie-cutter racetrack, and that always makes going there a lot of fun. I’ve had a decent amount of success there, but not until this year did I say I felt like I could win a race there. I thought we had a good shot back in April until we got together with Kyle in the pits. Now, I want to go back and finish what we were 10 laps away from.

    “I got a chance to see what the car is going to look like in Phoenix, and it’s crazy looking. It’s got a big controller on the hood and has some really cool colors to it. I always like racing some of these cars that look totally different. That is one of the best things about GameStop. You never know what is going to come out of the trailer until you see if for the first time. I think a lot of the other teams look forward to seeing what our cars look like ever week as well.”

    Kevin Kidd Quotes:

    “Like Joey told me earlier this week, we’ve got some unfinished business at Phoenix, and we plan on going there and trying to get the win this weekend. It’s always a little tough to swallow not winning a race when you are leading with less than 10 laps to go like we were in April. But we have to put that behind us and just use that at motivation to get the GameStop Toyota up to the front.

    “We’re taking a different car this time then we ran at Phoenix earlier this year, but it’s a car that we’ve run several times before and had success with it. It’s been our Loudon car the last couple of years. We won a pole with it last year and led laps both times we’ve had it there. Joey also ran it at Phoenix last year and started second and finished fourth, so it’s a good car. We know we can take some of our notes from those New Hampshire races and the past Phoenix races and try and put this car back into Victory Lane. We’ve got a points battle to look out for and the best way to make up points is to finish ahead of everyone else.”

    No. 20 GameStop Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

    Crew Chief – Kevin Kidd Car Chief – Tony Hamm Engine Builder – Mark Cronquist

    Lead Engineer – Mike Lorusso Engine Specialist – Dan Bajek Spotter – Mark Robertson

    Jackman – TJ Ford Front Tire Changer – Nick Krizmanich Front Tire Carrier – Kyle Coolidge

    Gas Man – Chris Webb Rear Tire Changer – Chris McMullen Rear Tire Carrier – Matt Tyrell

    Catch Can – Brian Larson Tire Specialist – Ryan Martin Shock Specialist – Joel Weidman

    Mechanics – Matt Aschbrenner & Ben Chase Truck Driver – Charles Sampson & Ashley Brotherton

  • Colin Braun — NNS Phoenix II Advance

    Colin Braun – NNS ADVANCE
    Team:        No. 16 Con-way Freight Ford Fusion
    Race:        WYPALL 200
    Crew Chief:        Chad Norris
    Chassis:        RK- 461
           
    FAST FACTS:
    BRAUN MAKING RETURN TRIP TO PHOENIX – Colin Braun will make his second
    trip of 2010 to Phoenix International Raceway in the No. 16 Con-way
    Freight Ford this weekend.  In his first race in April, Braun started a
    promising eighth, but finished 24th after being caught in a multi-car
    accident on the front stretch during a restart.

    CON-WAY FOR FINAL TWO – Long-time Roush Fenway Racing sponsor/partner
    Con-way Freight will be on board the No. 16 Ford for the final two races
    of 2010 with Braun behind the wheel.  In his 22 prior starts this year,
    Braun has notched four top-10 finishes. 

    INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS – Of his four top-10 finishes in 2010, all but
    one (Michigan) came at intermediate tracks (tracks measuring between one
    and two miles in length).  This is good news for Braun as he heads to
    both Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead Miami Speedway, as both
    are intermediate tracks.

    ROUSH FENWAY RACING AT PHOENIX – In 48 Nationwide Series starts at
    Phoenix International Raceway, Roush Fenway Racing has notched seven
    wins, 19 top-fives, 33 top-10s, five pole awards and 1164 laps led.  The
    wins were tallied by Carl Edwards (3), Greg Biffle (2), Matt Kenseth,
    and Jeff Burton. 

    PHOENIX CHASSIS SELECTION – Crew chief Chad Norris has selected RK-461
    for this weekend’s WYPALL 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.  Braun
    last drove this car in July at O’Reilly Raceway Park where he finished
    12th after starting seventh.

    Braun, on heading to Phoenix:
    “I’m really excited to get back in the Con-way Freight Ford this
    weekend at Phoenix.  My first start there in the spring clearly didn’t
    end the way we were hoping with the accident on the restart and so I’m
    hoping to kind of get a second shot at the finish I know this team
    deserves.  Chad [Norris, crew chief] and the guys worked hard in the
    short time they had with this car and so I’m hopeful we can get a good
    showing out on the west coast this weekend.”

    Crew chief Chad Norris, on racing with Braun at Phoenix:
    “We are excited to have Colin [Braun] back in the No. 16 car here
    going into the remaining two races of the season.  I know he qualified
    well at Phoenix in the spring and just got caught up in a wreck.  Our
    over-the-wall guys have been getting it done for us on pit road the past
    few weeks so if we can avoid trouble, I think we have the chance to get
    Colin a solid top-10 finish this weekend in Phoenix.”

  • Hendrick Motorsports Statement – Teams will trade pit crews for the remaining two races

    HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS STATEMENT

    CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 8, 2010) – The Nos. 24 and 48 Hendrick Motorsports teams will trade pit crews for the remaining two races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

    The change is limited to the seven primary over-the-wall members of the respective pit crews. Roles of additional team personnel will not be affected.

  • A Veterans Day Tribute, Newman’s Army Car to Feature Faces of More Than 500 Veterans

    WWII veteran to be guest of Army team in Phoenix      

    FORT KNOX, Ky. (Nov. 8, 2010) — More than 500 faces of military veterans will grace Ryan Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. The special paint scheme serves as an extension of Veterans Day (Nov. 11), an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans.

    The 500 plus faces on Newman’s Veterans Day car represent multiple generations of men and women who embraced the call of duty, dating back to the World War I era.

    Among the photos submitted through www.goarmy.com was from World War II veteran and Arizona resident Luis Rodriguez Jr. who will attend Sunday’s race as a guest of the U.S. Army race team. Rodriguez, 85, served in the U.S. Army and was a member of the 118th General Hospital, a U.S. Army military hospital located in New South Wales, Australia. He is a resident of Sahuarita, Ariz. (15 miles south of Tucson).

    “What a cool way for us to say ‘thank you’ and honor the veterans who have served our country and fought for our freedom,” said Newman, who won the April race in Phoenix. “This is the Soldiers’ car and having the faces of these brave men and women will be a great inspiration and powerful reminder of what it means to be Army Strong.”

    Col. Derik Crotts, director of strategic communications, marketing and outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command, added, “Every time Ryan Newman drives the No. 39 Chevrolet with the Army colors, he represents the more than one million men and women who proudly serve our Nation. For this race, with this paint scheme, we pay tribute to our heroes past and present and their families. Each picture, each face, is a reminder of the sacrifice and service of the millions who have made our Army strong and our nation free.”
    �
    About U.S. Army Accessions Command
    The U.S. Army Accessions Command (USAAC), a subordinate command of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, meets the human resource needs of the Army by transforming volunteers into officers, warrant officers, and enlisted Soldiers.  In providing the force, the 20,730 men and women of Accessions Command prepare these future Soldiers and leaders for their initial military training. Commanded by Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, USAAC is located at Fort Knox, Ky.