Category: NASCAR Cup Series

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

JEFF BYRD 500

PRESENTED BY FOOD CITY

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

March 20, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? Chevrolet dealers delivered 142,919 total vehicles in February, a 43-percent increase versus last year. Retail sales for Chevrolet rose 69 percent and were propelled by improving Cruze sales, which were 212 percent higher than the compact car it replaces. Silverado retail sales rose 84 percent, while Equinox posted its best February ever, with retail sales almost doubling, up 98 percent.

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-BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY:

• A Chevrolet driver has won 42 of the 100 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS)

• Chevrolet drivers have won 35 poles at BMS

• Team Chevy drivers have scored 177 top-five finishes and 354 top-10 finishes at BMS

• A Chevrolet has led 20,823 laps (42.1% of 49,474 possible) at BMS

• Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, is the defending race champion

TEAM CHEVY IN THE GARAGE BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY – ALBA COLON – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES PROGRAM MANAGER – GM RACING: “After a well-deserved weekend off for everybody, our Chevy teams are looking forward to being back at the track, especially in Bristol. It is the first short track race of the season and the racing is always great. A lot of patience is required at this race and every driver will try to keep his track position and not get in trouble.

“Our GM Racing engineers have been working hand in hand with the team engineers to provide the technology that leads to better handling race cars, which is a key component to be successful at this track.

“The drivers seem to either love or hate this Bristol; but the fans always love the exciting racing this track produces. Bristol is a huge fan favorite.

“This year the races have been very exciting and our Chevy drivers have shown every weekend that they have what it takes to deliver race wins throughout the entire 2011 racing season.

“We have also had a good start to the season with Jeff Gordon winning in a very impressive way in Phoenix, and with seven Chevy drivers in the top 12 in the point standings. Chevrolet has a strong track record at Bristol, and we are looking forward to another Team Chevy win on Sunday.”

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (BMS):

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – 1ST IN STANDINGS – TOOK THE WIN AT BMS IN ’01: “Bristol is a hard race to win and you look at guys like Rusty Wallace that have had so much success and won so many races, it shows you how good you have to be to win there and win there consistently. It only takes one minor incident you would think being a short track race that if you have a great car you can get there but normally one small mistake will take that opportunity away from you. Seems like the odds are, that you have better odds of something happening that keeps from you winning than you do of actually winning itself.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 4TH IN STANDINGS: “I actually enjoy racing at Bristol. It’s one of those tracks that can be intimidating at first but once I got out there, I caught on to it pretty quickly. You are on the wheel all the time and it’s a track that you want to be running up front. Track position is key. It’s when you get into the back of the pack that it’s a nightmare and can make for a very long day. Our results have been pretty good there and I’m sure Brian Pattie and the guys will give me a strong Target Chevrolet for the race on Sunday.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 TORNADOS CHEVROLET – 5TH IN STANDINGS: “Bristol is just a great racetrack and a great short track. I’ve always liked the banked racetracks, in general, over the flatter racetracks. So, I guess in some ways you could say I’m more comfortable at Bristol. I think Bristol has always been one of those short tracks that everybody loves. And, obviously, that’s changed with the different surface and the way they have changed it a little bit. But, ultimately, it’s still a great short track. I really love the banking and I love the fact it’s concrete and doesn’t seem like it changes a whole lot. Once you get a car right, it’s typically right for 500 laps, which is difficult to get on some of the racetracks. Honestly, there’s just no place like Bristol. I’ve told people before that Bristol is like a baby superspeedway. If something happens in front of you, it may not be your fault, but you can get caught up in somebody else’s wreck in the blink of an eye. You have to really be on your toes at Bristol. Everything happens so fast there. You don’t have time to think or blink. I learned that in 2003, when I won the pole there. I knew I had a good car but I never anticipated I could put down a lap that fast. You just don’t realize how quickly everything happens at Bristol. You could have the best car out there, but everything is completely out of your hands. One minute, you could be running in the lead and, just seconds later, you could be wrecked in the corner and out of the race and it would be no fault of your own. You won’t even realize what has happened to you until afterward. To me, the racing is at an all-time high at Bristol, compared to the way it used to be. We can race side-by-side and actually gain spots without having to wreck someone.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 MENARDS/CERTAIN TEED CHEVROLET – 6TH IN STANDINGS: “The average speed for both Bristol and Phoenix is pretty similar, but at Bristol you have a lot more load with the banking. It’s a fun race track. Since they repaved it, you can drive just about anywhere that you want on the track which makes racing there a lot of fun for us drivers. We probably won’t have the wrecks that you’ve seen in the past, so I think that the jury is kind of out for what the fans will prefer – the old style or new style – but it’s a lot of fun for us to race on. We learned some things at Phoenix that will apply to Bristol, too. Actually, it seems like the corners are wider than the straight-a-ways. You can run three-wide in the corners, not easily, but you can. But then, when you come out of the corner, it really narrows up, so someone has to give. That’s where you see all the action, in the exit of the corners, especially if someone sticks their nose in. You just have to be careful because things can get hairy pretty quick there. You can kind of pick and choose where you want to be while you race, but when trouble does happen, it happens fast, so you have to stay on your toes.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET – 10TH IN STANDINGS – WON AT BMS IN ’04: “Luck can play a big part at Bristol for the simple fact that you can have a great car and that you can come up on something at any time. It’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time, being lucky and missing the big wreck. Qualifying is very important at Bristol. If you have a good qualifying run, it just makes the race go easier. It’s important to have a good pit stall selection, but if you do qualify in the back, it’s not over. We started toward the back the night we won there, so it won’t break your weekend. It just depends on the race situation. But it is definitely a lot better race if you start up front.”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 11TH IN STANDINGS – HAS TWO (2) BMS VICTORIES – ’93 AND ’98: “Bristol is kind of like Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in the fact that anything can really happen. Maybe not to the extreme that Talladega is, but it definitely has that capability. We saw that last March when we had an awesome race car, but got caught up in someone else’s accident. It just happens. And a lot of times there’s no way to avoid it. The best thing to do is be good right off the truck; qualify well; get a great pit box and a great starting position and just stay up front all night. Not only does that help during the race itself, but it also gets everyone’s confidence up and gets them pumped up for the race.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – 12TH IN STANDINGS – HAS ONE BMS WIN – SPRING ’10: “I’m just excited to go back to Bristol. I think we were in position in the fall race to fight for the win and race with Kyle (Busch). I feel good. After we won in the spring and coming back in the fall, just didn’t want to be too full of myself. Wanted to be able to go there and run well, but we backed it up there in the fall and had an awesome weekend. Unfortunately we crashed late in the race on the back straightaway. Looking forward to going back. We’re sitting decent in the points, but a good run at Bristol would move us in the right direction in the points. Look forward to going back.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 BB&T CHEVROLET – 18ST IN STANDINGS: “I’m looking forward to it. I love Bristol; it’s one of my favorite race tracks. I don’t care when it is. I hope its next week, every week. It’s a fun, wild, energetic, action packed race. You never know the outcome until the last lap. So we’re looking forward to it. We’ve run well at Bristol. It’s one of my good tracks. I really do think someday we are going to win a Cup race there. Hopefully it’s this year. It’s a fun track. It’s an endurance thing. You have to get to the end of the race with the fenders still on that thing. You have to keep yourself in track position and not abuse your equipment, not make mistakes on pit road. If you can do all that, you’re going to have a shot at winning.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PEPSI MAX CHEVROLET – 19TH IN STANDINGS – HAS FIVE (5) WINS AT BMS – ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, AND ‘02: “Bristol is the ultimate and (the late) Jeff (Byrd) did an amazing job making sure it’s a great facility for the fans and drivers. To have racing here for 50 years is quite an accomplishment. To me, it’s not just about 50 years of racing, though, it’s about putting on a great event and having some of the best racing we’ve ever had for such a long period of time. When I was running in the Nationwide Series, I’d go up in the spotters’ stand and watch Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Davey Allison out there battling during the night Cup races. What a cool experience that was for me as a race car driver watching the racing as a fan. While I don’t get to do that anymore, Bristol is still definitely the ultimate fan experience. And, the ultimate driver experience, too.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET – 20TH IN STANDINGS – WON AT BMS IN ‘05: “Well you get the side-by-side (racing) and you get the bump and run, but you have to keep the fenders on at Bristol now. You have a lot of stretches of green-flag runs. I can remember we ran100 laps straight there or 150 laps straight the last time we were there, so it’s different than it used to be. Bristol’s a lot better than it used to be. There’s a lot of room and a lot of green flag runs. It’s a much easier track to drive on than it used to be. You have to take care of your car a lot more than you used to, to be able to keep up. It’s a fun place to race. You’ll see when you get there if it’s high or low as far as the groove goes. You have a lot of options as a driver.”

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET – 28TH IN STANDINGS: “The Jeff Byrd 500 is a classic race named after a classy person. Mr. Byrd was the key force in making the Bristol race one of the best on the circuit. We’re looking to rebound at Bristol. The past two races we had good cars but awful luck. An accident at Phoenix and an engine issue at Las Vegas knocked us out. We would like to have our finish in Bristol be comparable to our performance, which wasn’t the case in either Phoenix or Las Vegas. Our Furniture Row Chevrolets were really good at those two races, but we didn’t have much to show in terms of final results. We’ve been working hard to improve our short track program and there’s no better place to put our efforts to a test than Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s a great facility — a track that I will always have fond memories for since Bristol is the venue where I made my first career Sprint Cup start (March 2007).”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1BASS PROSHOP/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – 29TH IN STANDINGS: “I am looking forward to getting back into the action this weekend at Bristol. We had a nice weekend off, but I am anxious to have our team rebound from the difficulties of the first three races, we need to build some positive momentum. Bristol is a place that is a lot of fun to race. We had two solid top-ten finishes at Bristol last year and our guys expect to build on that success, maybe even turn our luck around with a win. One of the things about Bristol that fascinates me is how loud the fans are in the stands. I have never had a win at Bristol, but it would sure be fun to hear that crowd cheering for our Bass Pro Shops team in victory lane Sunday afternoon!”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 32ND IN STANDINGS – WON AT BMS IN ’08: “Phoenix was a good test for us. It’s so different from Daytona to Phoenix to Vegas. The racing at Phoenix is so different. So, we’ve had a little bit of that, but there’s nothing like Bristol. Bristol is an animal all on its own. We’re running it a little earlier this year than we typically run it. Early in the year, everyone is full of energy and wants to prove to the world what they can do. Those things don’t usually work well at Bristol. I think for us, we really have to pay attention to what we’re doing. It’s been a good track for us. I feel like we can go there and be real competitive.”

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: 527

Top-five finishes: 7

Top-10 finishes: 14

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 670 (1949 – to date) (2,285 possible = 29.3%)

Poles Won to Date: 610

Laps Lead to Date: 200,763

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,374

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 6,896

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: 33

Note: Team Chevy press releases, high-resolution images, and media kit can be downloaded from the Team Chevy media website:

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.

Of all the stops on the Sprint Cup circuit, few mean as much to Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers as Bristol Motor Speedway, site of this weekend’s Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City.

For Bayne, a Knoxville native, it’s his home track and the site of his major league NASCAR debut. For the Woods, it’s where they broke an eight-year victory drought and took their sponsor Motorcraft to Victory Lane in their first year together back in 2001.

Bayne, the 20-year-old Sprint Cup rookie, already has some history at his home-state track. “I’ve been going there since I was five years old, since before I can remember, really,” he said.

In 2006, when he was just 15, he was there leading a Hooters Pro Cup race and in doing so became the youngest driver to ever lead laps at Bristol. But his bid for the win ended after late-race contact with Bobby Gill. Bayne returned to finish third in another Pro Cup race at Bristol before moving on to NASCAR’s Nationwide Series.

His Nationwide debut, at Bristol in the spring of 2009, came about largely because of a volunteer effort that would make anyone in the Volunteer State plenty proud.

Bayne had been signed by Dale Earnhardt Inc. when he turned 16, but by the time he was old enough to race in the Nationwide Series, DEI was on the decline.

Undaunted, the youngster worked out a deal to use a DEI race car that hadn’t been run in a while. Journeyman car owner and former Cup driver Jimmy Means supplied the hauler, support equipment and the car number, and some former DEI employees pitched in to prepare the car and crew it at the track.

“It was my home track, and I wanted to run there really bad,” Bayne said. “It was the first [Nationwide] race I was eligible.”

Bayne and his crew of volunteers got the car to the track and into the starting field, but it wasn’t exactly a first-class effort.

“We weren’t very well prepared because we only had a week to do the whole car,” he said. “A lot of the guys hadn’t been to the race track in a while, but we still finished 23rd. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible.”

While Bayne is hoping to score his first Nationwide victory on Saturday at Bristol, he knows his first Sprint Cup run at Bristol on Sunday in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will be more of a challenge.

“Bristol is an awesome track, but it’s also tough,” he said. “It’s easy to get turned and tear up your stuff.

“We just need to make it to the end, and if we’re on the lead lap, we’ve got a good chance at a top-15 finish.”

Team co-owner Eddie Wood, who remembers seeing Elliott Sadler in the famed No. 21 dueling with John Andretti in the equally famous No. 43 Petty Enterprises car for the win in the 2001 Food City 500, said any trip to Bristol is like going to Vegas.

“You don’t know whether you’re going to win or lose, but you know something’s going to happen,” he said. “It is not going to be a mediocre event.”

Qualifying for the Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City is set for Friday at 3:40 p.m., and the race is set to begin just after 1 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 15, 2011) – “Bristol Motor Speedway? It’s the ultimate.”

Five-time Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) winner Jeff Gordon believes the 0.533-mile high banked track provides the ‘ultimate’ experience, whether you are sitting inside the No. 24 Chevrolet or sitting on the edge of one of the 160,000 grandstand seats during Sunday’s Jeff Byrd 500.

“Bristol is the ultimate, and (the late) Jeff (Byrd) did an amazing job making sure it’s a great facility for the fans and drivers,” said Gordon, who will drive a specially painted No. 24 Pepsi MAX Impala during a weekend when Pepsi also launches a ‘Maximum Moments’ promotion. “To have racing here for 50 years is quite an accomplishment. To me, it’s not just about 50 years of racing, though, it’s about putting on a great event and having some of the best racing we’ve ever had for such a long period of time.

“When I was running in the Nationwide Series, I’d go up in the spotters’ stand and watch Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Davey Allison out there battling during the night Cup races. What a cool experience that was for me as a race car driver watching the racing as a fan.

“While I don’t get to do that anymore, Bristol is still definitely the ultimate fan experience. And, the ultimate driver experience, too.”

The 83-time winner, who won earlier this year at Phoenix but was also involved in accidents at Daytona and Las Vegas, has five poles, 14 top-fives and 20 top-10’s in 36 starts at the Tennessee track. But much of his success at BMS occurred before a track reconfiguration in 2007, and Gordon and the No. 24 team are looking to change that trend.

“A lot of our success was on the ‘old’ Bristol,” said Gordon, who is 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. “Even though the changes made to the track a few years back were slight, we haven’t had the same type of strong runs we were used to since the change.

“I learn as a driver each time I race here and we learn as an organization each time, as well. After talking with (new crew chief) Alan Gustafson and the team about Bristol, I’m hoping we can make more gains this weekend and contend for the win.”

Ending this weekend in Victory Lane would provide the No. 24 team with their own ‘maximum moment.’

Bristol Motor Speedway

0 –fewest cautions for a race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7/11/71)

0 –fewest lead changes for a race (3/25/73)

1 –fewest laps led by race winner (7/26/64 – Fred Lorenzen)

4 –number of jet dryers available for track drying during race weekend

7 –number of consecutive wins by Darrell Waltrip at BMS (1981 – 1984)

16 –most wins by a car owner (Junior Johnson)

20 –most cautions for a race at BMS (three times, most recent 8/23/03)

31 – cautions in the first three Sprint Cup races of 2011

34 –races won from the front row (22 from the pole)

38 –different winners at BMS in 100 Sprint Cup races

40 –most lead changes (4/14/91)

42 –number of cars that started first race at Bristol in 1961

60 –minutes, the minimum amount of time it takes to dry the .533-mile track after a significant rainfall

100 –number of Sprint Cup races at BMS (first race in1961)

138 of 787laps completed in first three races have been under caution

167 –most caution laps (7/25/65)

245.500 of 1,232.500miles completed this season have been under caution

1962 –year the track was reshaped and the banking increased which led to designated as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile Track”

1978 –first night race at Bristol

1992 -year track surface was changed from asphalt to concrete

1996 –year Bruton Smith purchased track from Larry Carrier (January 22, 1996)

2007 –year banking was reconfigured and track resurfaced (current concrete surface)

157,574 –number of fans that established the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest audience wave at BMS (August 23, 2008)

The Numbers provided by Dodge Motorsports

Bristol Motor Speedway Advance Notes

Race:                             Jeff Byrd 500 on Sunday, March 20

Track:                            Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-Mile Oval)

Location:                      Bristol, Tenn.    

NOTES  

In Good Company:Chip Ganassi was recently nominated in two different categories by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and SportsBusiness Daily for the 2011 Sports Business Awards, Ganassi was nominated for the Sports Executive of the Year category along with George Bodenheimer from ESPN; David Levy from Turner Broadcasting System; Kevin Plank from Under Armour; and Pat Riley from the Miami Heat. Ganassi Race Teams also received a nomination in the Professional Sports Team of the Year category along with the New York Jets, Orlando Magic, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Francisco Giants. The 2011 nominees were selected based on their excellence and outstanding achievements in the business of sports from March 1, 2010 through Feb. 28 of this year. The winners will be announced at the Sports Business Awards Ceremony on May 18, at New York’s Marriott Marquis in Times Square.   Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops®/Tracker Boats Team   Bristol Stats: McMurray will be making his 17th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.  McMurray has two top-five, six top-10 and zero DNF’s at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”.

Jamie on Getting Back to the Track:  “I’m really looking forward to get to back to racing period…. I was just really anxious to get back to race track after this off-week, and really can’t think of a better place than Bristol Motor Speedway. As for our team, I personally really enjoy the short-track racing, so I’m looking forward to seeing what type of power the Chevrolet motors have at a track that requires a lot of horsepower.  They always have good stuff here, so hopefully that will continue with me!”   

Struggles in the Desert:  McMurray posted a strong qualifying effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 400, starting from the 11th position, but McMurray battled the very loose race car all day.  McMurray finished in the 27th position after making contact with the wall.  Jamie looks to battle back at Bristol Motor Speedway.   Thank You Fans:  The fans have casted their votes on Facebook these past few weeks and have chosen what they think is the perfect song for McMurray to use for driver introductions. Stay tuned to hear what they have chosen…  

Flip-Flop:  This week, McMurrayand fellow Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixonwill swap seats for an exhibition performance in Alabama. McMurray will make laps around the 2.36-mile road course at Barber Motorsports Park piloting Dixon’s No. 9 Target IndyCar. Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner, will then climb behind the wheel of McMurray’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet on the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway.  

Bristol History:  Montoya will be making his ninth NSCS start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. He has two top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 16.9 and an average finishing position of 18.8. In eight starts, Montoya has completed 3999 of 4013 laps raced (99.7), with zero DNF’s and 29 laps led, all coming in this event last year. Montoya recorded his best finish at the track with a seventh-place run in the fall race last season, where he was the only driver to spend all 500 laps inside the top-15.  

Montoya’s View of Bristol:  “I actually enjoy racing at Bristol. It’s one of those tracks that can be intimidating at first but once I got out there, I caught on to it pretty quickly. You are on the wheel all the time and it’s a track that you want to be running up front. Track position is key. It’s when you get into the back of the pack that it’s a nightmare and can make for a very long day. Our results have been pretty good there and I’m sure Brian Pattie and the guys will give me a strong Target Chevrolet for the race on Sunday.”  

What Happened in Vegas:  Starting midfield at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Montoya quickly made his way to the front within 20 laps. A little pit strategy and a fast handling race car allowed the No. 42 Clorox car to be a solid fixture in the top 10 for the entire race. Montoya led eight laps and finished in the third-position to give the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates organization their first top-five of the season. The finish also marked Montoya’s first top-10 finish in five races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  

Movin’ On Up:  Montoya and the No. 42 team took home the O’Reilly Auto Parts Award for improving the most positions from start to finish in the Kobalt Tools 400. Montoya gained 20 positions en route to his third-place finish, after starting from the 23rd position. Montoya also gained five spots in the point standings and is now fourth. He and Carl Edwards are tied with 106 points, seven back from the current points leader. This is the sixth time Montoya has been fourth or higher in the standings. His previous five trips were in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  

2011 Numbers:  After three races this season, Montoya has one top-five and two top-10 finishes, with an average finishing position of 9.3. Along with the on-track results, Montoya is also ranked among the top NSCS drivers in the following categories:

·         Highest ranked closer, gaining 6.3 positions on average in the final 10 percent of laps each race

·         Fifth in fastest laps run  with 34

·         Fifth fastest driver on restarts

·         Sixth in average running position with 12.9  

New Addition:  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is proud to have Pepsi – the bold, refreshing, robust cola, as the sponsor on the quarter panel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Pepsi has been bringing fun and refreshment to consumers for over 100 years. For more information please visit, http://www.pepsiusa.com/.

.  CHASSIS INFO No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #1006.  Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boat team will bring chassis #1006 to Bristol this weekend. This chassis was last used in the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season resulting in a 21st place finish. McMurray has a victory (Charlotte, 2010), three poles (Kansas, Chicagoland, Darlington) a second and fifth, leading 143 laps with this chassis.   No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #1003.  Brian Pattie and the No. 42 Target team are bringing chassis #1003 to Bristol this weekend. This chassis was last used in the second Texas race in 2010 where Montoya drove to a 28th-place finish. The No. 42 team has had success qualifying with this chassis, scoring three top-10 qualifying positions of fourth (Auto Club, Oct.), ninth (Atlanta, Sept.) and 10th (Chicagoland).  Montoya has finishes of ninth (Atlanta), 14th (Auto Club) and 16th (Chicagoland) with this chassis.

DENNY HAMLIN — #11 FEDEX EXPRESSTOYOTA CAMRY 

RACE INFO: Event: Jeff Byrd 500

Date/Time: March 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET

2010 winner: Jimmie Johnson

2010 polesitter: Joey Logano

Distance: 500-lap/250-mile

Track Length: half-mile Banking: 36 degrees

Track Shape: Oval  

EXPRESS NOTES:  Las Vegas Recap:  Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team posted its best finish of the season with a seventh-place result in the most recent race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 6). A pre-race engine change negated a 17th-place starting position and moved Hamlin to the rear of the field for the green flag, and the team was never able to capitalize on strategy to improve track position. Picking off positions during long green flag runs and tidy work on pit road helped the #11 Toyota move up in the running order during the 267-lap event won by Carl Edwards. The finish moved Hamlin up six spots — from 14th to eighth — in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings after three of 36 races, as the team heads east following an off-weekend for a 500-lap race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Hamlin is 18 points behind leader Tony Stewart.  

Back at Bristol:  Hamlin is making his 11th career Cup Series start at Bristol this weekend in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, looking for that elusive first win on the half-mile, high-banked ‘bullring.’ The 30-year-old has three top-five finishes and five top-10 results in 10 previous trips to the track, including a second-place run in the spring 2009 event. Bad luck has bitten the #11 FedEx team a couple times in previous spring races at Bristol. In 2007, Hamlin led 177 of 504 laps before fuel pickup issues 20 laps from the finish caused intermittent power and a 14th-place result. One year later, Hamlin led 98 laps — including at the start of a ‘green-white-checkered’ overtime finish — when pickup issues arose again and yielded a sixth-place finish. Hamlin finished 19th in the spring 2010 event at Bristol after an early cut tire and contact with the wall caused damage to the #11 machine. A broken drive shaft in the most recent race at Bristol last August relegated the team to a 34th-place finish, 27 laps off the pace after extensive time in the garage for repairs. In total, Hamlin has led 282 laps at Bristol, with an average finish of 14.6.  

FedEx Office – Closest to Bristol Motor Speedway:2116 North Roan St., Suite 1A, Johnson City, TN 37601, (423) 283-9503   2011 FedEx Racing Press Kit – Available for Download:  Please visit www.fedexracing.com/presskit for the 2011 FedEx Racing press materials, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Mike Ford and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights, program statistics and 2011 crew roster.   Minneapolis/St. Paul Market MSP Along for the Ride in Bristol: The Minneapolis/St. Paul markets “MSP” letters will be on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Camry this weekend at Bristol, in recognition of the operation teams performance. The team has earned increased productivity the last three quarters and had zero market-caused delays for the most recent quarter.  

HAMLIN CONVERSATION – BRISTOL: What does Bristol Motor Speedway mean to you? “Bristol is such a special place to every driver. When you pull off Exide Blvd. and see this huge arena where we actually get to race, it’s unbelievable to me. My family attended a lot of races when I was growing up, and Bristol was one of the tracks we had to see. I came here for the first time when I was 13 or 14 years old and it has been special ever since. Pre-race gets your chills going and it’s awesome to hear the rumble of the cars inside the track.”   How special is it to have the race named after former track president Jeff Byrd? 

“I have only been around for five or six years, so I didn’t get to know Jeff (Byrd) as well as some of the other drivers, but you can’t say enough about what he did for the track and their fans. He did a lot to make Bristol fun for the competitors, but kept it such a fun experience for the fans. Whenever people ask what track they should go see a race, I always tell them — and I’m sure a lot of drivers do, too — that they have to watch a race at Bristol. Jeff is a big part of that.”  

How has the progressive banking changed the racing at Bristol? “We’ve seen the new race track at Bristol provide great racing and great finishes over the past couple years. It just allows so much more passing. For me, it brings out the best racing. You don’t have to dump a guy if you’re faster than them. One thing that hasn’t changed is the trophy. It has been the same trophy for years, and I love the old-school type trophies. The Bristol trophy has a lot of history to it, and hopefully I can add one to my collection.”  

As a basketball fan, who do you think will win the NCAA tournament? “I am going to have to go with Duke this year. I think they have the coach and the experience to make a deep run in the tournament. It seems like a couple of those guys have been there forever, but that’s what you need when it’s ‘one-and-done.’ All of those guys went through it last year. I’m just surprised that the (Virginia Tech) Hokies didn’t make it. I thought they were in after they beat Duke a couple weeks ago, but I guess not.”   

2011 FEDEX RACING – TEAM ROSTER   Crew Chief:  Mike Ford– Morristown, Tenn.                      Front Tire Changer: Jonathan Sherman – Monroe, La. Car Chief: Chris “Spider” Gillin – Smithtown, N.Y.              Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram – Statesville, N.C. Engineer: Mike Wheeler – Southholt, N.Y.                        Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks – Salisbury, N.C. Shocks: Drew Bible – Coldwater, Mich.                   Rear Tire Carrier: Heath Cherry – Belmont, N.C. Tire Specialist: Patrick Mullen – Brick, N.J.                   Jackman: Nate Bolling – Swanton, Ohio Engine Tuner: Chris Woodward – Franklin, N.H.           Gas Man: Scott Wood – Liberty, S.C. Mechanic: Rick Bray – Placerville, Calif.                       Pit Crew Coordinator:  Paul Alepa – Vienna, Va. Mechanic: John Furino – Long Island, N.Y.                       JGR Athletic Director: Michael Lepp – Charlotte, N.C. Spotter: Curtis Markham – Fredericksburg, Va.                                   Hauler Driver: Jerry Hess – Lancaster, Pa.          Hauler Driver: Frank Hodel – Blythe, Calif.

Matt Kenseth – NSCS ADVANCE

Team:          No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion Crew Chief:  Jimmy Fennig

Chassis:      Primary: RK-704 (last raced at Homestead in 2010)  

Kenseth on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway : “We’ve had a lot of success at Bristol over the years. Being a concrete, high-banked track that is so small, really makes Bristol stand out from other tracks on the circuit. Racing at Bristol feels like the seats are on top of you so it’s just a place with a really great atmosphere to race. It has changed a lot since they re-configured the track surface a few years ago; but it’s still such a fast short-track and problems can definitely happen in an instant.  Qualifying is really important at Bristol since track position can really make or break your race sometimes.  I’m looking forward to this weekend at Bristol and hope to have a great weekend for the Crown Royal Black team.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway : “ Bristol ’s a place where anything can happen since it’s one of the best tracks for short track racing.  Bristol is fast and treacherous, but hopefully we have a good balance on the car where we can qualify well on Friday and then stay out of trouble during the race.  Matt has had some really great races at Bristol so we’re headed there hoping to earn a good finish to continue to build on our results at the start of this season.”  

FAST FACTS:

•        In 22 Cup starts at Bristol , Kenseth has completed 10,725 of 11,013 laps (97.4 percent) and led for 742

•        Kenseth has an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 12.6 at BMS

•        Kenseth has achieved two wins, eight top-fives, and fourteen top-10’s at Bristol in the Cup series

•        Kenseth has finished within the top ten in five of his last seven starts at Bristol

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

•        Entering the weekend at Bristol , Kenseth is currently 16th in the NSCS driver point standings

Biffle on Bristol: “Bristol is just so intense.  You can’t relax at all.  It’s like walking a tightrope for 500 miles and holding your breath the whole time.  No other track is like that.  It obviously takes a good racecar to win at Bristol but it helps to qualify well.  Sometimes it can be hard to pass and if the field gets backed up, it doesn’t take long for the leader to start lapping cars.  If you have a bad qualifying run or have to start in the back for some other reason, it can be difficult even with a good car to get back through the field.”  

Erwin on Bristol:  “I cannot emphasize how important qualifying is at Bristol.  It is crucial at Bristol both for pit selection and track position.  Pit road is so tight there so a good pit stall can make all the difference.  Passing there is difficult because the track is short and there are limited opportunities to make a pass so being up front from the beginning is a huge asset.  You have to have an aggressive but experienced driver to do well there and we definitely have that so if we can get him up front, he should be able to keep it there.”

Bristol Notes

• Biffle is currently 31st in the Sprint Cup point standings following his 28th-place finish in Las Vegas.

• Biffle has an average finish of 10.8 from an average starting position of 14.9 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

• Ryan Dextraze will take over gasman duties for the No. 16 team this weekend in Bristol. Dextraze served as the team’s catchcan person until this year and then moved to windshield tear-off duties. Billy Manchester who served as the team’s gasman for the first three races of this season will maintain his position as shock specialist and take over windshield duties on raceday.

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David Ragan – NSCS ADVANCE

Team:          No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion Crew Chief:  Drew Blickensderfer Chassis:      Primary: RK-711   Last ran Homestead – finished 20th                       

Backup: RK-747    Brand new chassis    

Ragan, NSCS at Bristol Motor Speedway :

Date        Event                              S          F       Laps           Led       Status           Money       

8-21-10    Irwin Tools Night Race     38        32     486/500      0          Running         $94,155 3-21-10    Food City 500                  30        29     483/500      0          Running         $90,225 8-22-09    Sharpie 500                     23        14     500/500      0          Running         $110,225 3-22-09    Food City 500                  41        27     500/503      0          Running         $96,450 8-23-08   Sharpie 500                      27        10     500/500      0          Running         $115,775 3-16-08    FoodCity500                  24        21     504/506      0          Running         $97,000 8-25-07    Sharpie 500                     4          41     414/500      0          Accident        $119,100 3-25-07    FoodCity500                  41        26     501/504      0          Running         $122,350                              Races        Wins    Top-5s    Top-10s     Poles      Led            Money          

Spring                 4                0          0             0                0             0                $406,025 Fall                      4                0          0             1                0             0                $439,255

Cumulative         8                0          0             1                0             0                $845,280    

Ragan on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway: “Racing at Bristol is always action-packed and its one of my favorite tracks to visit on the circuit.  The night race there is my favorite, but the day race is still always exciting.  We struggled a bit on the Cup side the last few races, but we’ve had fast cars so far this year so I can’t wait to get there and see how fast our UPS Ford will be.  We need to get some solid runs for these first five races to build up points and get back inside the top 15.” 

  Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway: “David has a Nationwide win under his belt at Bristol so we are looking forward to trying to carry that success over to the Cup car.  Track position is so important at a place like Bristol, there are so many cars on just a half-mile surface that it can be all too easy to get caught up in a wreck or get lapped.  The key will be to qualify well to start with good track position and to not get caught up in someone else’s mess.”   FAST FACTS * Ragan will participate in the Bristol “World’s Fastest Half-Mile Speed Trails” Saturday after the Nationwide race. * Ragan has eight prior starts in the Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway.  His best finish was 10th in the fall of 2008. * Ragan has completed 96.9% of the laps he has raced at Bristol. * Ragan won the fall Nationwide race at Bristol in 2009. * Ragan has competed twice in the Truck Series at Bristol.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Scott EZ Seed 300 FAST FACTS

Team:              No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:        Mike Kelley

Chassis:            RK-595                                       THE STATS 

THE QUOTES  

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford Mustang:  “Bristol is almost like a superspeedway race.  A wreck can happen and take out everybody.  We ran really well there at the night race.  We had a really strong top-10 run and got a flat tire there late in the race and ended up toward the back.  We’re really looking forward to Bristol.  I think we’ve got a really good short track program.  And then if we can get through Bristol and California going into that last off-weekend I think we’ll be set up a little better than a lot of people.”

Mike Kelley, Crew Chief, No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford Mustang:  “You deal with a lot of things at Bristol that you will not deal with anywhere else: congestion on pit road, the noise is unrelenting, what the driver goes through is asked only at Bristol, the focus level. That’s why you see a lot of simple mistakes.  Bristol is an animal of its own.  I’ve been really fortunate.  I think we won four or five races in the Cup series with Kurt [Busch] there.  We won with David [Ragan] in the Nationwide Series two years ago.  I really feel like that’s a track where Ricky will excel at when we get there.”     

THE FACTS

Stenhouse Jr. enters the Bristol race second in the series championship standings, two points behind leader Reed Sorenson…Is the only series regular to score top-10 finishes in all three races this season…Led the 2010 spring race at Bristol once for four laps…Has completed 517 of 550 possible laps in two Bristol starts (94 percent)… First career NNS pole came at Iowa Speedway – a short track – in his sixth career start.

THE TEAM

Name                                              Duties                                      Ricky Stenhouse Jr.                Driver                    Mike Kelley                Crew Chief            Seth Barbour                Engineer                                                  Richard Letendre                Car Chief    Chris Letourneau                Front Tire Changer Kyle Coolidge                Front Tire Carrier Kevin Kramzer                Jack Man Josh Frankos                Rear Tire Changer Jon Bernal                Rear Tire Carrier Brian Carr                Gas Man/Truck Driver CB Gilbert                    2nd Gas Can Spotter                    Mike Calinoff Larry Lally                2nd Truck Driver Edgar Alleman                Engine Tuner/Support Lance Allen                Pit Support Joe Elliott                    Pit Support Kenny Deguisto                 Pit Support Jeff Cordero                Pit Support

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About Roush Fenway Racing Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

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