Category: NASCAR Cup Series

34-TIME MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPION – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES         

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE AUTO CLUB 400 AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY FONTANA, CA

March 27, 2011   DID YOU KNOW? Consumer demand for fuel efficiency and advancements in engine technology have moved four-cylinder models to the top of consumers’ shopping lists. In 2007, four-cylinder models represented 23 percent of Chevrolet retail sales in the United States, less than either V-6 or V-8 equipped models. So far this year that number has increased to 46 percent, making fuel-efficient four-cylinder the top choice in the Chevrolet lineup. 

CHEVY RACING AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY – JEFF CHEW, MARKETING MANAGER, NASCAR, CHEVY RACING:  “Racing is a very important part of Chevy’s long history, and sharing that heritage with our fans is very important to us. We are coming off of another phenomenally successful season, and are very happy to bring the all-new Team Chevy Racing Display to Auto Club Speedway. This year we’ve added even more elements, like the latest GM Performance Parts crate engines and Chevy accessories andperformance parts that fans can purchase from their local Chevy dealer. We also have Chevy race cars on display representing several of the race series that Chevy competes in, including Dale Jr.’s and Jimmie Johnson’s Sprint Cup Series Impalas, Chevy’s C6R Corvette and a Grand-Am GT-R Camaro. Plus, there are interactive games, digital photography and other activities for fans of all ages.”  

·        Follow Team Chevy on Facebook to receive the latest news as well as updates with  times and locations of events

·        Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway behind the main grandstand at Auto Club Speedway

·        Great Chevrolet models for fans to check out at the display will include:Cruze, Camaro, Equinox, Traverse, Silverado HD, Tahoe, Volt and Corvette

·        Activities at the Chevy Racing Display includes a variety of interactive activities for adults and kids ·        New this year is the GM Performance Parts display including crate engines and an assortment of GM accessories and performance parts

·        Cell Phones for Soldiers will be featured prominently in the display. Fans are encouraged to bring old cell phones to Chevy Display and donate in drop box for Cell Phones for Soldiers program

·        SPECIAL TO ACS THIS WEEKEND AT A SECOND DISPLAY AT GATE 10: Fans can have their photo taken with the No. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot Chevrolet Show Car

·        SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS AT THE TEAM CHEVY RACING DISPLAY ON SUNDAY –  RACE DAY: o   Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet will do a Q&A with race fans at 8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. o   Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, will be at the Display for Q&A at 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. o   At 9:45 a.m. the over-the-wall pit crew for Jamie McMurray’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shop/Tracker Boats Chevrolet will sign autographs for fans

·        Hours of operation for the Team Chevy Racing  Display are: 11:00 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. on Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Sunday  

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

·        Chevrolet has won 34 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships

·        Team Chevy drivers have scored 670 wins in NSCS competition

·        In 2010, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet  team scored their unprecedented fifth consecutive drivers’ and owners’ NSCS championships  

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK-AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY:

* A Chevrolet driver has won eight (10) of the 21 previous NSCS races at Auto Club Speedway (ACS)

* Chevy has won 10 poles at ACS * Team Chevy drivers have scored 52 top-five finishes and 86 top-10 finishes at ACS * A Chevrolet has led 2,679 laps (51.5% of 5,205 possible) at ACS

* Jimmie Johnson, No. 48  Lowe’s Chevrolet, is defending winner of this race

* Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, won the ASC race in October, 2010  

TEAM CHEVY IN THE GARAGE AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY – PAT SUHY, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING: “This week, the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series roll into Fontana for their first and only appearance at Auto Club Speedway in 2011. Team Chevy has come away with wins in the last three Cup races there and with all the hard work everyone has put in over the off season, I’m looking forward to notching another win for the Bowtie Brigade.

“Even though the race has been shortened from 500 to 400 miles, the California track is very demanding in terms of engine durability. Our Key Partner engine builders at Hendrick Motorsports and ECR Engines are the best in the business and know what it takes to find the right balance between durability and power. With the proven reliability of the Chevrolet R07 engine and it’s capability to make class leading power, the teams will be able to focus on setups that take advantage of those traits and put their drivers in a position to win.”  

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY (ACS): TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – 3RD IN STANDINGS –CAPTURED HIS FIRST ACS VICTORY IN 10/10:  “Not a lot, really [makes ACS unique]; other than it’s a lot fresher pavement. But with the heat that we have out there you move around a lot on that race track. You can run the bottom and the middle and the top, and that’s what we do at Michigan too. So they’re starting to really pair up a lot and be very similar. It’s nice knowing that as a driver you can help yourself out and you’re not relying so much on the car. Regardless of what everyone else is doing, you can find a way to help yourself out. It makes you feel good knowing that because the place is so wide, you can move around, and basically, earn your money that day. As soon as you feel like you’re not where you need to be [you start to move around on the racetrack]. If you feel like you’re slower than the pace you need to be running, you’re going to move up the racetrack and find a place that helps balance your racecar.  Really, from the drop of the green flag, you do it from there on out.”  

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 US ARMY CHEVROLET – 4THIN STANDINGS: “We ended the season strong in 2010 and have done a good job in carrying the momentum into the new year. It’s a tribute to everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing for staying focused and being committed to the big picture. It’s always nice to jump out to a good start so you’re not playing catch up. The way we ran in Las Vegas was encouraging to say the least. The mile-and-a-half and 2-mile tracks were our Achilles heel in the past. We need to continue to do well on these type of tracks, including at Fontana. I am confident about this weekend, but we have to continue to attack and race smart in our U.S. Army Chevrolet. I feel that we are a team capable of consistently running in the top five. And I know that we are also capable of winning races and making our Army Strong Soldiers proud of their team.”  

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 SERTA/MENARDS CHEVROLET – 5TH IN STANDINGS: “Fontana (Auto Club Speedway) can be fun some days and it can be a nightmare on others. Usually we have long green flag runs there, which drivers kind of like. You really get a feel for your car and know what adjustments to make on pit stops. It’s just one of those tracks that we go there with our chin up and try to get the best result so we can get out of there with a good finish. It makes us very confident [after having a good run here last year]. Our first intermediate track was in Vegas, and we learned some things that will apply to Fontana. You just keep going to all these race tracks and learning and picking up things. Some place it applies. Some places it doesn’t.”  

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – 7TH IN STANDINGS – HAS FIVE (5) ACS VICTORIES (’02, ’07, ’08, ’09 AND 02/10): “The track has changed so much. The grove now is from the white line to the wall, even below the line down in three and four. Even though it’s a very fast race track, you have to be smart and not take away too much mechanical grip in the race car because the asphalt is very old now and low on grip. To go back to the track that I won my first event at — we’re coming up on our 10th season or in the middle of our 10th season and it’s just a special time to go back.  If I really think about 10 years ago — where I started and my mindset going into that race, it’s just a crazy trip down memory lane just to see where we’re at and what’s all taken place in these 10 seasons.  I’m very happy to be going back to southern California with one race there now.  I love winning at that track — it’s been very good to me and I only have one chance to strike and get a victory.  Hopefully, we can take advantage of that this weekend.”  

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 8TH IN STANDINGS: “We’re looking to get back on track after what happened in Bristol last weekend so we’re hoping for a strong run. Our cars are good, there’s no doubt about that, and they’re fast. California is a fast track and we’ve had some success there so I’m looking forward to it. We need a good points day this weekend.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET – 9TH IN STANDINGS: “At California, I’m excited to get there and work with Stevie and see what his package drives like.  Hopefully we’ll sort of, you know, have the same success we had at Vegas.”  

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 11TH IN STANDINGS – WON AT ACS IN ’98: I’m really looking forward to meeting Jillian (Michaels, Go Daddy Girl and America’s Toughest Trainer). She’s intense with her diet and work out routine and I’m anxious to talk to her about that, because I’m kind of into that stuff too. (LAUGHS.) I’ll take her out on the track and see if I can scare her a little bit with what we do, then we’ll go the gym and see if she can scare some of these media members with what she does. It should be a fun time for sure. My diet and work out is incredibly important to me. Not just for my career and what we do out on that race track, but for my life. I don’t miss a work out. Ever. That’s my time. And as far as my diet goes, I guess the best way to define it is to call it ‘clean’ eating. I don’t need any sauces or sugars or anything added to my food. That just ruins it. Living like this, and feeling this good, it helps in everything I do.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 JIMMY JOHNS CHEVROLET – 15TH IN STANDINGS: “I got a little over anxious [in last year’s race]. I think a lot of that comes from the year before and not being competitive week-in and week-out and just getting in a hurry there at the end of the race. I should have just let the last few laps play out and tried to take control over the last couple of laps instead of trying to force the issue there at the end. Yeah, I think that was definitely the best lesson I learned last year. I got back in that mind frame of running up front, being competitive and putting myself in contention to win races. It was definitely the best lesson we had last year, and luckily it happened early. You have to be competitive on the mile-and-a-half race tracks to be in contention. I think as you look at the bulk of the schedule, if you’re not competitive on those types of tracks, you’re in trouble.”  

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – 19TH IN STANDINGS – HAS THREE WINS AT ACS (’97, ’99 AND ’04): “It’s big and fast.  You got to have the power down the straightaways, you got to have the grip in the corners, same as all the other big tracks.  Certainly a track I love, look forward to going to, one we’ve had success at.  Especially when I think of this team, I think of Alan and his group, they’ve run well there.  They’ve run well here, too.  To me, I look forward to going to every racetrack every weekend because it’s kind of like starting over and doing some new things that I look at their past performance and I look at their current performance.  It’s got me really excited to go to the racetrack and see what we have for the weekend.  It’s a challenge.  But I feel like we’re working well together and we’ve got fast racecars.”   

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET – 24TH IN STANDINGS: “I should have won that race last October. There was a huge piece of debris in turn three that was there for about 40 laps and it caused a caution as soon as I built a one-second lead on Mark Martin. I haven’t forgotten about it. You know, not to think they would throw a debris caution or anything to spice things up at the end. Nonetheless, I lost because of a piece of debris in turn three. You can ask anyone, the first words out of my mouth were, ‘it better not be for this piece of trash up here in turn three that’s against the wall, five miles from anywhere that anyone’s racing on.’ Of course, I found out it was. As you can tell, I’m over it (laughs). That would have been three wins in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, by the way.”  

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PROSHOP/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – 26TH IN STANDINGS: “California is a place that you have to really enjoy as a driver.  The track is big and fast and lots of different lines to race, it gives you an opportunity to try different grooves to get the car where it needs to be.  We are bringing the same car that we had for the second race at Auto Club Speedway last Fall.  We were fast at Fontana last year and sat on the pole for both races, so I can only hope that his is the weekend that we turn our luck around here, this early in the season. “  

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET – 27TH IN STANDINGS: “I like the California track, we had two strong races there in 2010,” said Smith. “Our 12th-place finish in the fall was the catalyst of getting us to a new level of competition. We’ve done well on the 1.5 and 2-mile tracks in the past so that is also encouraging for our Furniture Row team this weekend. We didn’t take advantage at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track this year due to an engine failure. But our Furniture Row Chevrolet has been fast almost every place we’ve been and I see no reason why it can’t continue in Fontana. It’s our type of track. We did OK at Bristol, but are still in a rebound mode after taking a major hit in Phoenix (accident) and Vegas (engine). We need to put a nice streak together, which we are more than capable of doing.”  

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 29TH IN STANDINGS: “We ran really well there last year. We had a good chance to win. We had a good chance to win the year before, too. The spring race has been a good race for us. We’ve struggled there in the fall for whatever reason. We’ve been in position to win that race a lot of times, but never done it, obviously. It’s a good time of the year for us to go there because for some reason, we don’t run as well there when it’s hot than when it’s cool. We’re racing for a championship. Winning races gets you more points and we need to get the most points. But, with the new Chase format, if we’re not in the top 10 in points, then the only other way we’ll get in the Chase is to win races. I’m not thinking about winning races for any other reason than that. In the back of my mind, I’m not saying ‘oh no, we haven’t won in a long time.’ I don’t think like that. Matter of fact, if you were to ask me how many races it’s been since my list win, I honestly couldn’t tell you. I don’t like not winning, but worrying about it doesn’t fix it. It’s on to the next race and you always try to do better. But, when we do win our next race, they’ll be a lot more to follow.”    

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 – 2010): 27             First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)             Highest number of consecutive titles: 6 (1993 – 98) & (2005 – ’10)   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, 2010   Event Victories             2010 Race Wins: 18             Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – 2007   2011 YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS:             Wins:  1 Poles: 1             Laps led: 789             Top-five finishes:  9             Top-10 finishes: 18  

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS: Total Chevrolet race wins: 670 (1949 – to date) (2,286 possible = 29.3%) Poles Won to Date: 610 Laps Lead to Date: 201,025 Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,376 Top-10 Finishes to Date: 6,900                                                                                                           

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date                         GM: 1,005             Chevrolet: 670             Pontiac: 155             Oldsmobile: 115             Buick: 65               Ford: 701             Ford: 601             Mercury: 96             Lincoln: 4               Chrysler: 456             Dodge: 207             Plymouth: 190             Chrysler: 59               Toyota: 34   About Chevrolet:Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. 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 Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. 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 can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance

Auto Club 400

Auto Club Speedway

Sunday, March 27, 2011

DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We’ve had a solid start to our 2011 season and I’m so proud of the great job everyone on our ‘Double Deuce’ Dodge team has done.  Four races and four top-10 finishes – that’s laying a pretty good foundation – but there’s never any time in our sport to rest on your laurels. It’s always a ‘you snooze and you lose’ situation out there.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Auto Club Dodge Charger R/T

DODGE NEWS AND NOTES •    Dodge’s Kurt Busch is the only Sprint Cup driver who has recorded top-10 finishes in all four races this season. •    A Dodge driver sits atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings for the first time since Kurt Busch held the lead following the 2009 spring event at Talladega Superspeedway.

DODGE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

•    Dodge has one Sprint Cup win at Auto Club Speedway (Kasey Kahne – 2006).

•    A Dodge has started from the pole four times at Auto Club Speedway.  The most recent came at the fall event in 2007 when Kurt Busch recorded one of his three career poles at the two-mile track.  He has started from the pole at ACS more than any other track.  He started from the pole at both events in 2006, his first with Penske Racing.

THE DODGE BOYS

•    Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.

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

•    Dodge claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.

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

•    Dodge has posted wins each season since it’s return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).

DODGE HISTORICAL DATA

•    First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win:  Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.

•    Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Win at Auto Club Speedway: Kasey Kahne, 5/4/04, Sony HD 500, 137.268 mph avg. speed.

FROM THE ENGINEER “Going from the tight half-mile confines and high banks of Bristol to the wide open and flat spaces of Auto Club Speedway will be a big adjustment for drivers and teams alike this week.  From 120 mph laps at Bristol to 190 mph laps at Auto Club Speedway means aerodynamics and engine reliability are going to be major concerns for every team.  The wide flat corners mean drivers need maximum aerodynamic downforce to maintain their momentum lap after lap and the long sweeping straight-aways mean that engines will be strained to their breaking point for more than thirty seconds of every lap.  Worrying about both problems will likely keep crew chiefs awake at night this weekend.” Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering

FROM THE ENGINE DEPARTMENT “The top RPM is 9800 for five hours.  Auto Club Speedway is the most demanding track because of the wide RPM range we experience there.  The engine sweeps thru the peak torque point two times every lap and also sustains very high RPM down the front stretch.  It is the ultimate test of engine reliability in my opinion.” Scott Corriher, Penske Racing

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

•    Dodge’s Kurt Busch leads all Cup drivers with three poles at Auto Club Speedway.

•    Dodge’s Brad Keselowski earned his second top 20 of the season last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 18th in his Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

•    Penske Dodges will test at the half-mile oval of Gresham Motorsports Park just outside of Atlanta this week.

DID YOU KNOW

•    There have been 129 Sprint Cup races at 15 California tracks over the years.  Of the 15, only two continue to host Cup events – Auto Club Speedway and Infineon Raceway.  Riverside International Raceway hosted 48 events before the final race in 1988.

•    The Sprint Cup champion the last five seasons has averaged 23 (63%) top 10s in the 36 point races. 

•    Penske Racing has two wins at Auto Club Speedway.

•    Only one of the 21 races at Auto Club Speedway has been won from the pole; 10 of the 21 races have been won from starting positions outside the top 10.

2011 SPRINT CUP SERIES SEASON BEST

•    Kurt Busch         Start: 2nd –  Phoenix                               Finish: 5th – Daytona •    Brad Keselowski     Start: 9th – Phoenix                     Finish: 15th – Phoenix •    Robby Gordon     Start: 30th – Daytona                                                         Finish: 16th – Daytona AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY BEST

•    Kurt Busch        Start – Pole (2006 both, 2007 fall)                                                                 Finish – Win (2003) •    Brad Keselowski    Start – 21st (2010 spring)                                                                 Finish – 21st (2010 spring) •    Robby Gordon    Start – 12th (2009 spring)                                                                 Finish – 9th (2004 fall)

DODGE QUOTES “When we finished seventh last Sunday at Bristol, that’s pretty much what was going through my head is that yes, it was another top-10 finish, but it should have been better.  Like I told them after the race, it was a point-leader type effort and finish.  We just have to keep pushing hard and find the ‘mojo’ we need to run up front and compete for the win.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Auto Club Dodge Charger R/T

“We ran really well with the Nationwide car at Auto Club Speedway last year.  That was a huge boost of confidence for me because it has been one of the tougher tracks for me over the years.  I’m really looking forward to going back this weekend and having a solid race with the Cup car. The Cup car was a little up and down last year at Fontana, but it was really fast at times.  Everyone on the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge is excited about the car we are taking this weekend.  There has been a lot of work put into it and I think it will race well.” Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

“Heading to California is going to be a fun weekend.  Fontana is a track where I grew up from 30 miles away and have a lot of friend and family in the area.  We’ve got a local company on board for us – Food 4 Less.  It’s going to be an exciting weekend.  We need to get a good result and go out and score some points for this SPEED Energy Dodge.” Robby Gordon, No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger R/T

David Ragan – NSCS ADVANCE

Team:          No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion

Crew Chief:  Drew Blickensderfer

Chassis:      Primary: RK-744   Brand new chassis                    Backup: RK-695   

Ragan on racing at Auto Club Speedway: “California is a track where the Fords excel at and it’s one of the tracks Drew and I got to work together at last year which just adds to our confidence level going into this weekend.  Last year we ran a newer-style car like we are taking this time so we’ve got good notes to go off of.  It’s a track that you can really pass and move around a lot since there isn’t one set groove.  Finding where the car is the best is always a challenge at California and makes for a fun race.”   Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Auto Club Speedway: “California is a race track that wears out tires, so a good handling chassis is important.  It’s also one of the bigger tracks we go to so our motor is also very important.  All aspects of our team need to be working in order to get a good finish.  We were running well last year until an accident right at the end, but we are taking a brand new UPS Ford this weekend and are looking to get back to the front where we belong.”  

FAST FACTS

•        On his way out to Auto Club Speedway on Thursday, March 24th, Ragan will make a stop in Los Angeles to visit with the children at the Shriners Hospitals for Children®.  Ragan will take a tour and spend the afternoon participating in a racing-themed day with the children and their families. 

•        In his eight starts at Auto Club Speedway Ragan has completed 1,942 of 1,950 laps for a total of 99.6 percent laps completed.

•        Road Code, UPS’s teen safe driving program, will be represented on the C-Post of the UPS Ford this weekend. The program is run in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to teach defensive driving methods to teens across the country. Road Code currently is offered through the BGCA of Los Angeles. For more information, visit: www.ups.com/roadcode.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif.  (March 21, 2011) – Singer-songwriter Richard Marx, who has sold over 30 million albums and written thirteen #1 hits, will perform the National Anthem prior to the start of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 27 at noon PT.  

For more than two decades, Richard Marx has made an indelible mark on the music community and remained a fixture on pop and adult contemporary radio for years as an artist and producer working with some of the biggest names in the music business. 

His debut single “Don’t Mean Nothing” and multi-platinum, self-titled debut album launched his success as a solo artist, his first #1 single “Hold On To The Nights,” as well as a total of four Top 10 singles.  His 1989 follow-up CD, Repeat Offender, went on to sell more than 7 million copies worldwide, two #1 singles “Satisfied” and “Right Here Waiting,” and multiple Grammy and American Music Award nominations.   

As a singer-songwriter, Marx has had incredible chart and commercial success working with other artists including NSYNC, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Vince Gill, and the late Luther Vandross.  More recently, he has written and produced tracks for Leann Rimes, Emerson Drive, Natalie Cole, Keith Urban, Paulina Rubio, Travis Tritt, Daughtry, Lifehouse, actor Hugh Jackman, and many more.  

Since his career began in 1987, Marx has made a commitment to giving back. He has performed benefit concerts for many organizations, including the TJ Martell Foundation, Toys For Tots, Make A Wish Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Best Buddies, and the Special Olympics.

For more information on Richard Marx, including videos, tour schedule and his latest news visit www.richardmarx.com.

To see Richard Marx perform the National Anthem live at the Auto Club 400 on Sunday, March 27, tickets start as low as $35 and AAA members receive Show Your Card & Save discounts, including a special section with half-priced tickets for kids 12 and under.  F

or more information or to purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com visit the Auto Club Speedway ticket office.

JIMMIE JOHNSON

2011 STARTS: 4 WINS: 0 TOP 5: 2 TOP 10: 2

CURRENT DRIVER POINT STANDINGS: 7th POINTS BEHIND 1st: 20

FINISH IN BRISTOL: 3rd SPRING 2010 FINISH AT CALIFORNIA: 1st

TEAM ROSTERS WILL BE POSTED ON MEDIA.LOWESRACING.COM WHEN AVAILABLE

RACE NOTES

Bristol Motor Speedway

• Johnson has made 16 Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, where he has earned five wins, 11 top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.

• Johnson, who is the defending race winner, has completed 100% (3955 of 3955) of competition laps at the two-mile track and has led 846.

• He has an average start and finish of 8.6 and 5.3.

Chassis • Johnson will pilot brand new chassis No. 650 in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series event.

• Backup chassis No. 623 crossed the finish line 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY TO YOU AND WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND?:

“To go back to the track that I won my first event at – we’re coming up on our 10th season or in the middle of our 10th season and it’s just a special time to go back. If I really think about 10 years ago – where I started and my mindset going into that race, it’s just a crazy trip down memory lane just to see where we’re at and what’s all taken place in these 10 seasons. I’m very happy to be going back to southern California with one race there now. I love winning at that track – it’s been very good to me and I only have one chance to strike and get a victory. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that this weekend.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN MISSING FROM YOUR INTERMEDIATE PACKAGE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY?:

“It’s hard to say that it’s just one thing. We realized in the middle of the Chase last year that our mile-and-a-half stuff is competitive and will run top-five or top-10, but it wasn’t what we were used to in the past and mile-and-a-halves have really been our bread and butter. We couldn’t really change course then because we had a championship to focus on. Over the off season we’ve worked hard on a lot of areas and Vegas was the first mile-and-a-half track for us and we were experimenting and trying to learn stuff. Mid-race we got the car comfortable and a lot of track position. Raced my way up into the top-10 and then we had some mistakes late and it cost us a good finish. I know we finished 16th, but I feel like we really were fifth to seventh in Vegas if we could have avoided those late-race mistakes. With all of that in mind, going to California, I feel much better than I did going into Vegas. I knew in Vegas it was kind of a test session of sorts. We’re getting smarter. Hopefully, this weekend we have everything just right, but it might take two or three more attempts on the mile-and-a-half tracks just to get everything where we need it.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES

Career Wins • Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.

• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.

• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).

• Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).

• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.

• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.

• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.

• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles • Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.

• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.

• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.

• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts • Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.

• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.

• In 331 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 136 top-five and 205 top-10 finishes.

• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.

• Johnson has led a total of 11,179 laps (of 95,496) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 127,708 miles.

• He has finished on the lead lap 256 times.

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s/HP—2010 Partner of the Year Toyota driver David Reutimann likes to race at Auto Club Speedway and has the numbers to prove it. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver has averaged a 13th-place finish and scored the eighth most points of any NASCAR Sprint Cup driver in the last five races at the Fontana, Calif. track. Reutimann’s No.00 Toyota will carry a special paint blue-and-while scheme this weekend honoring Hewlett-Packard of Palo Alto, Calif.

QUOTES

What is it that you like about racing and qualifying at Auto Club Speedway? “I don’t know of anything in particular. It’s a big sweeping type race track and my guys do a good job preparing for that qualifying and stuff. I don’t know that it’s anything that I’m doing. We just seem to have a decent package as far as qualifying goes there. We’ve run okay in the past at that race track too.”

Were you sorry to see Auto Club Speedway lose a race date?

“You hate to see any race track lose a race. You wish there was enough to go around and wish everybody could have a race and everybody could have two. I know that it seemed like the crowd was down in a lot of situations and they felt it necessary to remove some. I’m not glad that it lost one — I like going out there. At the same time, it has to be economically feasible for race tracks to do that. The way the crowds were down at that given time — who knows, if they get things built back up maybe California could get another date. Maybe it seemed like the right call at the right time.”

Do you highlight Auto Club Speedway on the calendar based on the success of MWR’s intermediate program? “I like a lot of the bigger race tracks. I like California, but I don’t so much like Michigan and those tracks are really, really similar as far as the overall layout is concerned. They definitely drive differently and they act differently. The bigger race tracks — the mile-and-a-half’s and the bigger race tracks, we seem to have a good baseline deal and we seem to go well there. I always look forward to going to those places. I look forward to going almost everywhere, but the bigger race tracks I think are some places that we really seem to accelerate at and excel at. We work really hard on the race tracks that we’re not as good at to get better, but the intermediate tracks seem to be suiting our program right now.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

· Career Numbers: In 139 career Sprint Cup Series starts, Reutimann has two wins, 11 top-fives, 23 top-10s and three career pole awards and led 327 laps.

· Did You Know: HP, Aaron’s 2010 Partner of the Year, is based in Palo Alto, Calif. and serves more than one billion customers in more than 170 countries on six continents. HP ships more than 1 million printers per week and 48 million PC units annually. HP helps 50 million customers store and share over 4 billion photos online.

· On The Road Again: Reutimann hit the road early this week for several sponsor obligations. On Tuesday he attended the Aaron’s Managers Meeting in Kissimmee, Fla. and headed out to the West Coast early to attend Toyota Motorsports Day on Wednesday in Torrence, Calif.

· Social Winning: Fans can win an autographed Reutimann hat from Aaron’s when the No. 00 logs a top-10 finish. To win you must follow Aarons @AaronsSports on Twitter or become a fan on at www.Facebook.com/AaronsSports.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (March 22, 2011)-  Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard will serve as Honorary Starter for the Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 27.  

[media-credit name=”Auto Club Speedway” align=”alignright” width=”120″][/media-credit]As Honorary Starter, Leonard will wave the green flag to get the Auto Club 400 underway.  The event will be televised at noon PT on FOX.   Race fans can also watch Leonard on the top rated program Dancing with the Stars.  

The 2-hour Dancing with the Stars season premiere airs live on Monday, March 21 on ABC.  

Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the legendary sports icons of the 20th century whose very name epitomizes boxing and conjures the image of a champion. 

In 1976 Leonard took the boxing gold medal home in the Olympic Games and won his inaugural fight as a professional the following year.  In addition to the middleweight title, Leonard went on to win welterweight, junior middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight titles. 

Leonard will release his first autobiography (Viking Books) entitled “THE BIG FIGHT: My Life In and Out of the Ring” on June 7, 2011.  

To see Sugar Ray Leonard get racing underway at Auto Club Speedway or to purchase tickets to the Auto Club 400 race weekend call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.    

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About Auto Club Speedway Look for some amazing racing when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 400 on March 27.  After October’s NSCS race, drivers, media and spectators proclaimed that race as possibly the best ever at Auto Club Speedway- five-wide racing at over 200 mph on the NASCAR circuit! 

Free parking, unbelievable menu items and a full weekend of entertainment, live music and fun await fans in the Speedway’s DiscoverIE FanZone. 

Auto Club 400 tickets start at $35 and AAA members receive Show Your Card & Save discounts, including a special section with half-priced tickets for kids 12 and under.  And don’t forget children 12 and under can sign up for the FREE Auto Club Speedway Lefty’s Kids Club membership to receive FREE admission on Friday and Saturday.   

For more information or to purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.