Author: Official Release

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

TUMS FAST RELIEF 500

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

MARTINSVILLE, VA

OCTOBER 24, 2010

 

CHEVROLET WINS 34th MANUFACTURERS’ CUP:  Following the results of the 30^th 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 – 3^rd in the standings
  • Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Families Appreciation Chevrolet – 4^th in point standings
  • Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice  Chevrolet – 6^th in the standings
  • Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet – 10^th in the points order
  • Clint Bowyer, No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet – 12^th  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 – 3^RD 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 – 4^TH 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 – 6^TH 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 – 10^TH 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 – 12^TH 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 – 13^TH 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 – 14^TH 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 – 15^TH 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 – 16^TH 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 – 19^TH 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 – 30^th 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 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 – 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 – 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 – 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

Mobil 1 Team News and Notes

Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, has a total of five Cup Series career starts at Martinsville Speedway with one top-15 result. Hornish has an average finish of 29th at the paperclip-shaped half-mile oval with a best effort of 13th (March, 2010). In addition, Hornish has one Camping World Truck Series start at the Virginia short track, where he finished ninth overall (October, 2008).

Hornish has 17 starts at NASCAR short-track venues, with a total of two top-10 and three top-15 finishes in Cup Series competition. He has an average start of 29.5 at venues less than one mile in length, and an average finish of 27.8 with a top result of sixth, which came at Richmond International Raceway (September, 2009).

Mobil 1 crew chief Travis Geisler offers fans a glimpse into car setup for each racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit at washingtonpost.com. Geisler reports that at Martinsville, turns are tight and cornering is difficult. There will be a lot of bumping and banging in the race and drivers ideally pit for fuel only, because it’s very tough to pass.

Hornish will appear at the Speed Channel stage for MRN’s “At Full Speed” program on Sunday, October 24 from 9:20 – 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Sam Hornish Jr. Quote

Martinsville Speedway is one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. What have you learned about racing there?

“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.”

What do you feel is a key factor to success at Martinsville Speedway?

“It’s really about not overdriving at Martinsville. Especially during qualifying, the track seems to bait you to drive in that extra 10 feet. When you do that, it may not feel bad, but it shows up on the stopwatch. That 10 feet can be the difference between starting 10th and starting 20th so you have to be aware of what you’re doing at all times.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler Quote

What are your thoughts on this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway?

“Martinsville is one of the most demanding races on the schedule from all aspects. The car is asked to do a lot of things in a short amount of time on the flat half-mile track. That puts a lot of stress on the brakes, the drivetrain and the driver. We had a top-15 finish at Martinsville in the spring and we look forward to another strong result there this weekend with the Mobil 1 Dodge.”

4th Tissot win of season ties Gordon’s No. 24 crew

It was another double win for the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team with driver Jamie McMurray taking the race victory and his crew winning the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was the fourth pit road victory of the season for the No. 1 crew, which moved into a tie for first place in the Tissot season standings with Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew. Three crews – Matt Kenseth’s, Kyle Busch’s and Clint Bowyer’s — are one win behind with three victories each. There are five Cup races remaining in the 2010 season.

Along with $5,000 going to the weekly winning pit crew, the team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.

In the event there is a tie at the end of the season for the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award championship, the tiebreaker goes to the team whose driver finishes the highest in the Sprint Cup point standings.

McMurray’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet spent the least amount of time on Charlotte’s pit road during the Bank of America 500 — 284.026 seconds.

McMurray’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Cory DeMarco (front-tire changer), Doug Riepe (front-tire carrier), Chris Taylor (rear-tire changer), Adam Mosher (rear-tire carrier), Tracy Duncan (jackman), Benjy Grubbs (gasman) and Eric Hoyle (catch can). The team’s crew chief is Kevin “Bono” Manion.

“I can’t say enough about these guys this year,” said Mosher, No. 1 pit crew coach and rear-tire changer. “It has not only been a great year for the No.1 team as a pit crew, but just a great year for our entire team and organization. Most importantly we are really having fun at the race track and that is what it is all about. We work hard each week to build on the things that we see at the race track this weekend, and hopefully we come to the race track better for it each weekend. This has just been an awesome year, and we certainly hope to have many more weekends like the one at Charlotte.”

Crew chief Manion added, “The guys were great this past weekend at Charlotte! We didn’t have a whole lot of big changes to make to the car during our stops, but their speed and precision was still unbelievable. It was just a good, consistent night for those guys and I’m very proud of them for winning yet another Tissot award.”

2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Standings

Pos Team No. Pit Crew For Wins Prize Money

T1 24 Jeff Gordon 4 $20,000

T1 1 Jamie McMurray 4 20,000

T3 18 Kyle Busch 3 15,000

T3 17 Matt Kenseth 3 15,000

T3 33 Clint Bowyer 3 15,000

T6 56 Martin Truex Jr. 2 10,000

T6 00 David Reutimann 2 10,000

T6 14 Tony Stewart 2 10,000

T9 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 1 5,000

T9 12 Brad Keselowski 1 5,000

T9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 5,000

T9 39 Ryan Newman 1 5,000

T9 2 Kurt Busch 1 5,000

T9 26 Boris Said 1 5,000

T9 16 Greg Biffle 1 5,000

T9 29 Kevin Harvick 1 5,000

2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Winners

Daytona, 2/14 Juan Pablo Montoya Team

Fontana, 2/21 Jeff Gordon Team

Las Vegas, 2/28 Martin Truex Jr. Team

Atlanta, 3/7 Martin Truex Jr. Team

Bristol, 3/21 Brad Keselowski Team

Martinsville, 3/29 Clint Bowyer Team

Phoenix, 4/10 Matt Kenseth Team

Texas, 4/19 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team

Talladega 4/25 David Reutimann Team

Richmond, 5/1 Ryan Newman Team

Darlington, 5/8 Jamie McMurray Team

Dover, 5/16 Matt Kenseth Team

Charlotte, 5/30 Jeff Gordon Team

Pocono, 6/6 Kyle Busch Team

Michigan, 6/13 Kurt Busch Team

Sonoma, 6/20 Boris Said Team

Loudon, 6/27 Jeff Gordon Team

Daytona, 7/3 Jeff Gordon Team

Chicago, 7/10 Jamie McMurray Team

Indianapolis, 7/25 Jamie McMurray Team

Pocono, 8/1 Greg Biffle Team

Watkins Glen, 8/8 Kyle Busch Team

Michigan, 8/15 Tony Stewart Team

Bristol, 8/21 David Reutimann Team

Atlanta, 9/5 Tony Stewart Team

Richmond, 9/11 Matt Kenseth Team

Loudon, 9/19 Clint Bowyer Team

Dover, 9/26 Kyle Busch Team

Kansas, 10/3 Kevin Harvick Team

Fontana, 10/10 Clint Bowyer Team

Charlotte, 10/16 Jamie McMurray Team

About Tissot

For Tissot, “In touch with your time” is far more than an advertising claim. This phrase expresses the brand’s DNA; its proven dedication to being perfectly in tune with the technology and tastes of each era. Tissot has been growing and developing its tradition of innovation since 1853. From the early days to the present, in its home in Le Locle in the Swiss Jura mountains, Tissot has translated craftsmanship and precision into stylish timepieces now sold in over 150 countries around the world. Special materials, advanced functionality and meticulous design detail join forces to create the luxury of accessibility. Today Tissot is a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor of Swiss watches, as well as official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR®, International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Australian Football League (AFL), Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), MotoGP and the World Championships of Cycling, Fencing and Ice hockey. The tradition of innovation lives on, keeping closely in touch with the times.