Category: XFINITY Series

#19 G-Oil® Toyota Camry – Tayler Malsam Bristol NNS Post Race, March 19, 2012

Tayler Malsam made his first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway this past weekend, guiding #19 G-Oil Toyota Camry to a solid 18th place finish in Saturday’s EcoBoost 300. Combined with his top 20 finish in Phoenix, the 16th place finish in Vegas and a sixth place finish at Daytona, Malsam and the #19 G-Oil Toyota remains consistent, keeping Tayler seventh in the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings after the first four races.

Malsam’s first ever NNS start at Bristol saw him qualify and finish in 18th and consistently run in the Top 20 of the NNS field. Tayler and the #19 G-OIL Team battled a tight race car all day long. Early in the race on lap 4, an altercation with the #12 of Hornish Jr. caused some left rear damage that could not be addressed until the first caution. The opening of the EcoBoost 300’s long green flag run caused the team to change adjustments during that first stop. Overall the #19 G-OIL Toyota Camry Team had some quality pit stops and continued to show a good Team effort. We survived Bristol, dubbed the last “True Coliseum” and that’s a battle we are happy to win!

Tayler Malsam Comments:

“Eddie Pardue and my #19 Crew made some great changes. Each practice the car got faster and easier to turn,” said Malsam. “During the race we fought a tight race car and I was trying to find a groove that allowed me to turn the #19 G-OIL Toyota Camry a little better, but for the most part I was relegated to sticking to the high line, which made it difficult to make quality passes. I am pleased with the progress we continue to show week in and week out, and happy we survived the beast that Bristol can be with an 18th place finish for the G-OIL Team.”

Eddie Pardue (crew chief) Comments:

“All in all we collectively are ahead of the learning curve with our #19 G-OIL Toyota Camry Team. The chemistry is positively forging forward together, which will allow us to grow and develop into a GrEaT race car Team.”

Rick Carpenter Comments:

“What I am excited about is that we go in Auto Club Speedway in Fontana with some serious momentum that has built since opening weekend in Daytona. We head into the race this weekend with Tayler and the #19 G-OIL Team battling for the Top 10 in championship points and with Malsam sitting in 7th overall in the NNS driver championship standings. I‘ll take that all day!”

TriStar Motorsports PR

GAFFNEY, S.C. (February 18, 2012) – Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is a tough enough challenge because of the track itself. But, when the degree of difficulty is increased by mechanical problems in practice that damage your car – you have your hands full.

That’s not a problem for the 2012 No. 01 G&K Services Chevrolet team of JD Motorsports and driver Mike Wallace.

During the first practice session for their NASCAR Nationwide Series race, a power steering line came off while Wallace was on the 36-degree, high-banked concrete oval. When he went to turn, the car didn’t respond and hit the outside retaining wall causing damage to the Chevrolet.

The real tough part was, for the first 20 minutes of that practice, they were the fastest car on the track. Now, they had to decide whether to repair the car or go to the back-up car.

Team owner Johnny Davis and crew chief Newt Moore elected to jump in and fix the primary car to make it race ready. The newly invigorated 2012 JD Motorsports team did their typical “all in” and repaired the car.

When the race started, Wallace was lined up 37th in the 43-car field. Knowing he had to use his patience and veteran skills to make up their deficit, the four-time NNS race winner did just what he needed to earn positions.

For the early part, he worked his way near 30th with an eye towards the top-25 positions.  Hoping to utilize some the multiple cautions that are typical of Bristol racing, Wallace had to rely on skills and resilience to make his moves when the caution flags were few and far between.

Matter of fact, there was only one yellow flag before the halfway mark of the 300-lap race; with the remaining three coming in the second half. By that first caution, Wallace was up to 26th place and looking for more.

The minimal cautions prevented much movement in the running order as the lead cars kept adding to the lap-car total. However, Wallace did manage to move to 22nd by lap 270 and finished 23rd when the checkered flag waved with only 13 cars on the lead lap.

The team’s effort in repairing their Chevrolet after the practice incident paid off in the Driver and Owner’s Points, as well. Wallace moved up three positions to 15th, trailing 10th by 15 markers, and Davis moved up to 23rd, a gain of five positions.

This weekend, the NNS heads to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Cali. for their next event. After that, the series takes a two-week break before racing again at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 13 under the lights.

Mike Wallace Quotes: “You know, I really wish that power steering line would not have come off like it did. I felt bad the No. 01 G&K Services Chevrolet car got damaged like that, but it just happened so quickly. That car was fast, fast, fast before that happened.

“I hate that the guys had to work like they did to get it fixed. But, man, I have to really give credit to Newt (Moore, crew chief) and Johnny (Davis, owner) and the guys on this team for what they did to repair the car. This team is something else, it really is.

“The race was fairly uneventful for us once it started. We did our part to stay clean and run as close to the leaders as we could for track positions. But, when you only have one caution in the first half and start where we did; it’s tough to move forward like we needed on such a small track.

“I’ll take the move up in points and keep looking to gain more in each race. We could have been worse off here at Bristol, but I know this JD Motorsports team is way too talented not to have some good days in the near future.”

RCR Post Race Report — Bristol Motor Speedway

NASCAR Nationwide Series

RACE: Bristol 300

TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway

Race Highlights:

Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Elliott Sadler), ninth (Kevin Harvick) and 12th (Austin Dillon). Sadler leads the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by 25 points over Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Trevor Bayne and Dillon. Combined, the RCR entries posted 31.6 percent of the fastest laps of the race, with Sadler posting the fastest lap 42 times, Harvick 25 times and Dillon 17 times. Sadler has yet to finish outside of the top five in the four Nationwide Series races contested this season. Sadler earned his second victory of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season and his seventh in 168 Nationwide Series starts. Sadler earned his second victory and fifth top-10 finish in 11 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His previous victory at the track was March 28, 1998. Sadler earned the highest driver rating of the day with a 128.4. Harvick had an average running position of 5.413 during the 300 lap contest and had a 107.3 driver rating. Harvick tied for first in the Closers category, advancing four positions in the final 10 percent of the race. Harvick ran 100 percent of the 300 laps in the top 15 and was the fastest car in 25 of those laps. Dillon completed the entire race without falling below 15th in the running order. Dillon tied for seventh in Quality Passes (passing for position while running in the top 15) with 18. Sadler was followed to the finish line by Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The next Nationwide Series race is the Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, March 24. The fifth race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Elliott Sadler Outdrives Competition for Victory at Bristol Motor Speedway

Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team earned their second victory of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season on Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sadler took the green flag from the second row, but was shuffled back in traffic to the fifth position in the opening laps of the race. The Emporia, Va., driver reported to crew chief Luke Lambert he felt like he was using the right rear tire too much, and the OneMain Financial crew utilized a pit stop under caution on lap 104 to add four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to alleviate the problem. The quick stop helped the No. 2 Chevrolet exit pit road in the fourth position, then jetted into second as the race restarted. Sadler communicated that the Chevrolet was becoming a tight as he drove into the center of the turn, and Lambert called the driver down pit road on lap 158 for four tires and fuel. The team exited in sixth as every car ahead took only two tires, restarting the race on lap 163. Sadler continued to turn quick laps, gunning down the leaders through lap traffic. Spotter Brett Griffin told the driver to “set sail” on lap 234, as he passed RCR teammate Kevin Harvick for the fourth position. With 50 laps to go, Sadler worked his way into the third position, relentlessly pushing toward the final two cars. He was able to move into the second position on lap 260, and a caution came out four laps later. Lambert called for the Sadler to pit only if the lead car did not come to pit road. As the leader came down pit road, Lambert instructed Sadler to stay out, placing him in the first position to restart the race. With 28 laps remaining, Sadler chose the outside line to take the green flag to push to the lead. Increasing his lead by more than 1.5 seconds over the final laps, Sadler did not relinquish the position, taking the checkered flag for the second time this season. Sadler remains the leader of the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, 25 points ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Start – 4                   Finish – 1            Laps Led – 36     Points Position – 1

ELLIOTT SADLER QUOTE:

“I love this place (Bristol Motor Speedway) and look forward to coming here each time. We were watching the highlights of my last victory here in 1998 and my crew chief, Luke Lambert said ‘Hey, I think I was 18 when this happened,’ so it shows how long it has been since we have won here. It is very special to me to win here. Of all of my NASCAR victories, my parents have never been here to celebrate in Victory Lane. This means a lot to me and my family for them to be here. The way we did it was awesome. Luke made a great call to stay out. I will be honest, I was second guessing it until Luke said something that triggered a spark in me. He said, ‘Elliott, you’ve done this before here. You’ve won in this position here at Bristol in 2001,’ and I was like ‘Doggon, you are right.’ It worked out great with a great call by Luke, and with a great car all day, it worked out for this OneMain Financial team.”

Austin Dillon Escapes Tough Bristol Motor Speedway with 12th-Place Finish

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon survived his first NASCAR Nationwide Series appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 12th-place finish in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet. Dillon started the 300-lap race from the ninth position and quickly noted a loose-handling condition on his Chevrolet. The first caution flag was displayed at lap 104 with Dillon scored in the 13th position and crew chief Danny Stockman immediately called the 21-year-old driver down pit road. A quick stop for four Goodyear tires, Sunoco E15 fuel and an air pressure adjustment to improve handling conditions was thwarted by a NASCAR-issued penalty for exiting pit road too fast. Dillon was instructed to restart the race at the tail-end of the longest line in the 14th position when green-flag racing resumed at lap 112. Although he was able to gain a few positions on the track, Dillon continued to struggle with handling issues. He was scored in the 12th position when the caution flag was displayed for the final time of the race at lap 262. The team made one final pit stop, taking only right-side tires in an attempt to gain track position. Dillon restarted in the eighth position with 28 laps remaining but continued to struggle with a loose-handling race car and crossed the finish line in the 12th position.

Start – 9                   Finish – 12                    Laps Led – 0             Points Position – 4

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:  “It’s hard to complain about a 12th-place finish as a rookie at this place because it’s so notorious for being tough. We just struggled with setup all weekend. We were too loose. We’ll work on it and be able to come back here and run better. Still, I had a blast out there and I hope the NASCAR Nationwide Series fans had a blast watching, too.”

Despite Late-Race Penalty Harvick and Crew Finish Ninth at Bristol

Kevin Harvick entered the Bristol 300 looking to add to his NASCAR Nationwide Series-leading five wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, instead a late-race pit road speeding penalty relegated the No. 33 Armour Vienna Sausages team to a ninth-place finish. After qualifying sixth for the fourth Nationwide Series event of the season, the Bakersfield, Calif., native quickly moved into the top five in the early laps of the 300-lap affair and made himself at home. With only four caution flags throughout the event at the half-mile bullring, crew chief Ernie Cope took every opportunity to bring Harvick to pit road to assist with the loose-handling condition on the No. 33 Chevrolet. While the former Nationwide Series champion was running in the fifth position on lap 264, the caution flag flew for the final time of the race, setting up tough decisions for crew chiefs up and down pit road. Cope called Harvick to come in for service for two tires and chassis adjustments to set up for a final run to the checkered flag. Unfortunately, the No. 33 team was hit with a pit road speeding penalty in the process and forced to drop to the rear of the field for the final restart on lap 272. With 28 laps remaining, Harvick battled his way back through traffic to claim the top-10 finish.

Start – 6                       Finish – 9                     Laps Led – 0

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“The Armour Vienna Sausages Chevrolet was just really loose all day long. Ernie (Cope) did a nice job adjusting on it every stop and then I ended up getting caught speeding on that final pit stop, which put us way behind on the restart. These guys work hard to give us fast cars every week so I really appreciate their effort. “

TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Bristol Motor Speedway — March 17, 2012

Joey Logano (fourth) was the highest finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano started the pole and led 119 laps (of 300). The pole was the first NNS pole for Logano at the .533-mile bullring, 17th of his career and 58th for Toyota in NNS. Kyle Busch led 40 laps on the Tennessee short track and finished 17th. Other Toyota drivers in the field included Ryan Truex (10th), Mike Bliss (15th), Tayler Malsam (18th), Eric McClure (27th), Joe Nemechek (30th), Kenny Wallace (33rd), Brian Scott (35th) and Jeff Green (42nd).

JOEY LOGANO, No. 18 GameStop/Turtle Beach Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 4th How was your race today? “I felt like we kind of gave it away. We had a GameStop Toyota that could win this thing — especially the first half of the race. We came in for the second stop and the car just got really loose — like a bad set of tires. We lost all our track position. We had that caution with 30 (laps) to go and came in, put four tires on it, tightened it a little bit and then we were tight the last run. Just proved to us that something was wrong. We lost all our track position — we were the fastest car at the end again. I needed more time. I needed one more caution to restart on the high side and maybe get a couple cars there. Have to thank Turtle Beach for coming on the car this weekend. Kind of bummed that we didn’t get a win, but we have to keep our heads up for having a fast car.”

RYAN TRUEX, No. 20 Grime Boss Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 10th How was your race today? “Every time I drive a Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) car, for some reason at some point during the race I end up at the back and I have to come to the front. It’s a good learning experience I guess. I sped on pit road — my fault. Just got out of the box a little too hard and didn’t see my speed — apologize for that. I had fun coming through. Got up to sixth or seventh and was racing Trevor (Bayne) there and just burnt my right-rear off racing. I think we had a top-five car here today. Just burnt the right-rear off and couldn’t get by him. I have to thank Grime Boss — they are the first personal sponsor I have ever had — to get them a top-10 in their first race with Gibbs is really cool. I’m just happy to be here, it was fun.”

Does this finish give you confidence? “For sure — to come out of Bristol with a car — I mean, it’s got some donuts on it and I hit the wall a few times. I was trying to get everything out of it. It drove good. My hats off to this team — they build great race cars. Matt Lucas (crew chief) has been great with me. This was our first time working together and I’m looking forward to working with him some more. I think we can win in this thing. We had a really good car today. I think we had a top-five car — just circumstances.”

MIKE BLISS, No. 44 BanditChippers.com Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 15th

KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports Finishing Position: 17th

MIKE BEAM, crew chief, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports What happened in today’s race? “Well, the first thing that happened was we left a wheel loose on the right front and so that got us behind, so we just made up some of it. Then we had some nose damage there and something got stuck on the nose, so it closed the brake duct up. Kyle (Busch) was driving his heart out and getting back up through there, but I guess we melted a bead on the right front.”

How good was the car prior to the issues? “Yeah, I felt like we had a good car. Then all the sudden whenever we had the loose wheel that put us down. Then we just had to dig our way back from that. Just felt like we probably would have been okay, but at this day in time the way the competition is you really can’t give anything up, so we’ve just got to really buckle down. Every week it’s something new and hopefully we can learn from it and fix it. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

MIKE BEAM, crew chief, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports (continued) How will you regroup for next week? “We’ve just got to sit down Monday and talk about, one, the things that we did right and then, two, the things we did wrong and what we need to do about it. We can’t do things like that — leave wheels loose — because it’s just too costly. We’ve got the best driver there is and a great sponsor, so we’ve just got to quit beating ourselves.”

TAYLER MALSAM, No. 19 G-Oil Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 18th

ERIC MCCLURE, No. 14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 27th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 D.A.B. Constructors Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 30th

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 MAC Tools Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Finishing Position: 33rd What happened that took you out of the race? “Well we had a great day going — qualified 17th and running top-10 the whole race — and we had a catastrophic motor failure. Blew a big hole in the block. It just destroyed the motor, so there was no trying to fix it — big hole in the motor. Can’t come back out — it’s devastating. I had a big sponsor on the car, running real good, showed up on TV real good and the Toyota Camry was running real good. Just nothing we could do — out of our complete control.”

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 35th What happened to your car? “Our clutch went out. It’s just an unfortunate break. We had a good Dollar General Toyota and we were looking to have a strong run here today, but I can’t be hard on these guys — we hardly have any mechanical issues here on the No. 11 team and it’s just a minor setback. We have fast cars and we’ll come back.”

JEFF GREEN, No. 10 Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 42nd

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT

Michael Annett

No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang

Michael Annett started the 300-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway from the 21st position. Annett finished the Ford EcoBoost 300 as follows:

11th—Michael Annett, No.43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang

·         Saturday marked Annett’s third top-15 finish in just four races with Richard Petty Motorsports.

·         Annett made his 109th NASCAR Nationwide Series start this weekend.

·         The Iowa native fought a loose car in the early laps of the event and lost a lap to the leaders on Lap 70. Crew Chief Philippe Lopez elected not to pit the No. 43 Pilot Flying J car under the second caution period of the race and Annett was given the wave around allowing him to restart on the lead lap in the 14th position.

·         A loose condition continued to hinder the No. 43 machine throughout first half of the 159.9-mile event and the Richard Petty Motorsports crew made a myriad of adjustments to the Pilot Flying J car and after each pit stop the No. 43’s handling improved.

·         Annett ran in the top-15 for the majority of the 300-lap event and by Lap 230 was clicking off lap times as fast as the leader.

·         Elliott Sadler claimed the victory Saturday afternoon in a race that saw the caution flag wave four times for a total of 30 laps.

·         Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the highest finishing Ford in sixth position in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

·         Unofficially, Annett sits in eighth place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings heading into California next weekend.

Annett’s Thoughts After the Race: “That was a hard earned 11th-place finish in the Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang here at Bristol Motor Speedway. My car got better and better as the race went on and Philippe (Lopez) and the crew did a great job with making adjustments. Bristol is always a tough track and I’m just thankful I was able to stay out of trouble and bring the No. 43 home in one piece. This was our third top-15 in just four races and being with a new team I couldn’t ask for a better start to the season.  I’m really impressed with everyone’s hard work and dedication. We learned a lot at our first 1.5-mile race last week, so I’m looking forward to California and continuing our streak of good finishes.”

Next up in NASCAR Nationwide Series action is the Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway, March 24, at 5 p.m. ET. The event will be broadcast on ESPN and MRN Radio.

Be sure to follow Richard Petty Motorsports on Twitter @RPMotorsports for behind the scenes updates, driver appearance information and qualifying and race updates. You can also check us out on Facebook.

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES

Ford EcoBoost 300 NNS (Post Race)

March 17, 2012

Bristol Motor Speedway

FORD FINISHING ORDER

6th        Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

8th        Trevor Bayne

11th      Michael Annett

26th      Jeffrey Earnhardt

28th      Kyle Fowler

36th      Joey Gase

38th      Blake Koch

39th      JJ Yeley

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 60 Lally Horse Stables Ford Mustang (Finished 8th) – YOU ALMOST HAD ANOTHER CINDERELLA STORY ON YOUR HANDS THERE. “It was really fun. To not be coming here for these guys to build me that fast of a race car. I thought we had something for them. I think we might have played our hand a little bit too early by going to two tires. I got too loose at the end on the right sides. We took the left sides and that freed the car up more. It was a bad situation to be in. We just got out there too soon. It is all good though. We are going to keep working on this thing. I am really excited about this run. We were top-five all day and I hate that we finished out of the top-five because we were never running there all day. Other than that, these guys did a great job and the 99 crew was knocking out some pit stops. We got ran into the wall early on the front stretch by a lap car. I was running second and he squeezed us right into the wall. That hurt us for awhile and we had to tighten up the car. We finally got back and I thought we had a car to beat but we just played the two-tire call too soon.”

HOW ABOUT YOUR BATTLE WITH RICKY? IS THAT FUN FOR YOU?  “It’s not fun when you are holding your breath every corner trying to hang on to one at Bristol. It is good for us to be battling like that for the lead. Jack’s got two stout teams here running hard and two drivers that hopefully are the future for his company. That is what we want to be. Ricky and I push each other hard and we did both lead laps and hopefully he is proud of that. We both took those two left sides at the end and it cost us both a little bit. It is all good though, that is all part of it.”

#19 G-Oil® Toyota Camry – Tayler Malsam Bristol NASCAR Nationwide Series Preview (March 17, 2012)

BRISTOL TN – NASCAR:   This Saturday March 17th Tayler Malsam and the #19 G-Oil Toyota Camry Team will be ready to continue their consistency on the track at Bristol Motor Speedway. Malsam will be making his first NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start at the furious .54 mile high banked oval during the Ford EcoBoost 300.  Now in his first full season of Nationwide competition,  Malsam, 23, currently stands 7th in the all important NNS driver standings and is the highest ranking Toyota driver in the 2012 NNS championship drive. Malsam’s sixth place finish  in the  #19 G-Oil Toyota Camry at Daytona’s seasons opening Drive4COPD 300 is the highest race finish for a Toyota in the first three 2012 NNS events.

As Tayler heads into Bristol, he looks to capitalize on the positive start for the #19 G-OIL Toyota Camry TriStar Motorsports Team.  “This is my first full season in the Nationwide series and we are a team gaining experience together every week, so being 7th this early in the long NNS season is a great place to be.  We hope to be able to race a little harder as the season progresses and our Team continues to gel. My crew chief Eddie Pardue, the G-Oil associates, the #19 crew, and everyone on our TriStar Motorsports team have been fantastic. ”

Rick Carpenter (General Manager of TriStar Motorsports): “Tayler has done a good job in our first three races. The move he made in Phoenix on the last lap to take the position (20th) back from Danica had us all cheering, the solid race he ran in Vegas last week and that fantastic top 6 finish at Daytona, where he avoided all the late wreckage was something you don’t see many young drivers execute. Then again, he has that NASCAR Truck series experience, and these first three races were not his first go-around in the NNS. I just told him this week, keep it up.  The team is ready to have Taylor and the # 19 G-Oil Toyota Camry have a good run on Bristol Motor Speedway this Saturday, our first real short track of the season together.”

Last week in Las Vegas, Malsam’s sponsor G-OIL, debuted its new national television commercial on ESPN2 during the live broadcast of the NNS Sam‘s Town 300. It featured the #19 G-OIL Toyota Camry driven by NASCAR Nationwide Series Tayler Malsam and it shows a tag at the end that the G-OIL brand is available at Walmart.  The voice was of NOYS Act Out Loud and RADD‘s Bryton James, who is known for being Little Richie in Family Matters and Devon Hamilton on Young and the Restless. You can check out the commercial here – and find GrEaT G-OIL product rebates at www.GETG.com

·    Like most gains in a highly competitive motorsports world, the TriStar Motorsports team’s G-OIL ® edge may be short lived. “More of our PME customers are asking us about buying G-OIL Racing Oil for their teams,” said Owner Mark Smith. “The word has gotten out fast, and it is still early in the season, this is a sport where everyone is looking for an edge and we are thankful to have the G-OIL edge.”

·    For your daily social media connection with our Team and partners, feel free to find us in the following areas. Twitter – @TaylerMalsam, @TriStarRaceTeam and @GreenEarthTech.  You can also follow us on Facebook at TriStar Motorsports NC, LLC – Green Earth Technologies and NASCAR driver Tayler Malsam.

The Ford EcoBoost 300 will take place this Saturday, at Bristol Motor Speedway. Qualifying begins at 10:30 am with live coverage on SPEED. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show airs at 1 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 2:13 p.m.  You can follow Tayler Malsam and the #19 G-Oil ® Toyota Camry on ESPN and ESPN2  programming on computers, smartphones and tablets with the Watch ESPN app and Watch ESPN.com.

ABOUT TAYLOR MALSAM A native of the Seattle, Washington area, Tayler Malsam was chosen by the team’s primary sponsor G-Oil and TriStar Motorsports to drive the #19 in this year’s 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series.  The #19 G-Oil Toyota Camry for Tri Star Motorsports has already scored, with Malsam in the seat, a career best finish for the young 23 year old, a sixth in the 2012 season opening Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona. Malsam in 2008 entered the ARCA Series as a 19 year–old rookie. Driving the #4 Driver Development Dodge for a Penske affiliate, he went on to post several top ten finishes on his way to a ninth place in the championship.  In 2009, Tayler moved to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the #81 Toyota Tundra, racing on tracks he had never seen.  Malsam posted 10 top-ten finishes and ended the season 12th in the NCWTS championship, second only to veteran Johnny Sauter for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch was so impressed that he offered Malsam the full season ride as his teammate on Busch’s new KBM team for the 2010 NCWTS season. Tayler opened the 2010 season in the NCWTS with KBM, before shifting to the Nationwide Series late that year and ran a limited 2011 NNS campaign; before joining TriStar Motorsports for this year’s 2012 NNS.

While kicking off the start the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season three weeks ago, Malsam was named as a co-spokesman for global Youth Traffic Safety in cooperation with RADD and NOYS.  The month of May is Youth Traffic Safety Month in the U.S. and Malsam  is already taping Public Service Announcements promoting responsibility, reminding young drivers to use designated drivers and not to text and drive.

TriStar Motorsports PR

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to drive 12 races in Cargill Beef No. 6 Ford Mustang

WICHITA, Kan. (March 15, 2012) – Cargill Beef today announced it has renewed its agreement with Roush Fenway Racing as the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 6 Ford Mustang driven by defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  The 24-year-old Olive Branch, Miss., native will drive the Cargill Beef Mustang for 12 races in the series during the 2012 season that began in late February, with multiple brands represented on the car during the season.

The first 2012 Nationwide Series race in which Cargill Beef is the primary sponsor will be at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., on March 17, with the remaining racing dates to be set by the end of March.

“We are delighted to once again be sponsoring Ricky coming off an exciting and spectacular 2011 season in which he won the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship at Homestead, Fla., while driving the Blackwell Angus Beef Roush Ford Mustang in the final race of the season,” stated Tammy Shaw, Cargill Beef vice president of marketing and sales.  “The enthusiasm we experienced from our customers, employees and race fans confirmed that high quality beef products and NASCAR racing fit well together.  This is a win for everyone involved and we’re looking forward to another terrific season of racing.”

“We are very pleased to have Cargill back on Ricky’s Ford,” said team owner Jack Roush.  “They have been a part of the program for the past two seasons, taking a chance on a young driver two years ago and having the opportunity to celebrate a championship with Ricky last season. We are certainly happy to continue this relationship as we see Ricky’s career continue to grow and his potential further realized.”

“Ricky has been an excellent spokesperson for Cargill Beef and we are very pleased with how well Roush Fenway Racing skillfully collaborates with sponsors to maximize the value of the return on their racing investment,” said Shaw.  “As research shows, NASCAR fans are fiercely brand loyal and support companies whose names and logos appear on car hoods.  We are leveraging our racing sponsorship to drive brand buzz and excitement with our retail and foodservice customers who can use it as a point of differentiation to increase beef sales.  Whether grilling beef at home or tailgating at the track, beef is a perfect choice for NASCAR racing fans everywhere and we aim to make Cargill Beef products their first choice.”

“I am thrilled to have Cargill back as a sponsor on our No. 6 Ford Mustang,” stated Stenhouse.  “They have been great partners of our entire Roush Fenway organization. They supported me and the No. 6 team last year as we contended for the championship, and I look forward to continuing our partnership and winning another championship for them.”

The 2012 NASCAR racing season marks the third consecutive year Cargill is a primary sponsor with Roush Fenway Racing and with Stenhouse. as the driver.  Prior to winning the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, in 2010 Stenhouse was rookie of the year in that same series.

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About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 142,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit Cargill.com and its news center.

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series with championship drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne.  Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and its award-winning social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com.  Visit www.RoushFenway.com, circle on Google+ at +Roush Fenway Racing, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Bauersfeld at 704.720.4621.