Category: XFINITY Series

Stenhouse Jr. Turnaround; Tale of a Champion

“He’s going to be as good in this business as anybody has been.”, Jack Roush on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

MIAMI (Nov. 17, 2011) – A year and a half ago Roush Fenway’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., was fighting for his job in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford Mustang in the Nationwide Series . This weekend he heads into the NASCAR Nationwide Series finale with a 41-point lead and on the cusp of his first NASCAR Championship.

“Ricky Stenhouse a year ago, was just a possibility,” said Roush Fenway co-owner Jack Roush. “He was not a reality for sure. Ricky has matured over the winter. His Dad, Ricky Sr., has certainly counseled him and Ricky Jr., has taken his advice.”

Roush goes on to point out that the rejuvenation of Roush Fenway’s Ford Mustangs has played a role in Stenhouse’s continued development but the veteran owner adds that he feels Stenhouse is going to grow into one of the sports’ elite drivers.

The title would be Roush Fenway’s third Nationwide Series driver title and its sixth overall NASCAR Championship.

“We’ve managed to put him in better cars this year than he had last year, which could account for some of the missed wrecks that we’ve benefited from,” added Roush. “But he’s just matured. He’s arrived on the scene and he’s going to be as good in this business as anybody has been.”

Stenhouse rebounded in 2010, scoring top-10 finishes in five of the last 10 races and finishing the year by earning Rookie of the Year honors in the Nationwide Series; the 12th Rookie of the Year Award for Roush Fenway Racing.

Entering the 2011 season the team was poised to compete for the championship.

“Our goal coming into the season was to compete for the Nationwide Championship,” said Stenhouse. “We’ve led the points for the majority of the season, we’ve led quite a few laps and we’ve contended for and been able to win races. That has been the key this season for this No. 6 team.”

Stenhouse earned his first career NASCAR win earlier this year at Iowa in May and followed it up with another win at Iowa in August.

In a year to remember for the Mississippi native, Stenhouse also made his Sprint Cup debut in 2011, an 11th-place finish driving the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers’ Ford in the Coca-Cola 600 in May.

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series with drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions with its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s only team-focused TV show, and its social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com bringing unmatched brand opportunities to sponsors. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Younger at 704.720.4620.

Follow Roush Fenway’s historic run at two championships on Twitter with #RFR242 (two for two).

HOMESTEAD, Florida (November 17, 2011) – – Randy Hill, one of the newest owners in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), surprised his driver Casey Roderick with an early Christmas present by informing the rookie Wednesday afternoon that he will attempt to qualify for the season-finale Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway this weekend.

In an 11th hour deal struck between Hill and Go Green Racing (GGR), Roderick will pilot the No. 04 Randy Hill Racing (RHR) Ford Mustang in the 34th and final Nationwide event of the 2011 season. Originally, Hill had not planned on entering the South Florida contest however; the opportunity arose for Roderick to reunite with GGR under the leadership of NASCAR champion crew chief Paul Andrews and Hill knew it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

RHR and GGR united for the Zippo 200 at the Glen in August where Roderick qualified and finished the race in his inaugural Nationwide debut.

“Casey’s a magnificent driver,” said Hill, a successful entrepreneur from the Lone Star state. “We (Randy Hill Racing) made our debut at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago with David Ragan in order to evaluate our program. Undoubtedly, David (Ragan) was a great asset for the weekend and Casey learned so much and literally became the team’s biggest cheerleader for the weekend. He earned the opportunity to race this weekend.”

He continued, “We had not planned on taking our No. 08 Ford Mustang to the track this weekend in an effort to better prepare ourselves for next year, but when an opportunity arose that offered Casey a chance to get more seat time, I knew it was the right thing to do.”

For 19-year old Roderick, he had planned to vegetate in Mooresville, North Carolina this weekend to embrace the closing event of the 2011 season. But, when his telephone chimed with a message from Hill the rising star could barely contain himself.

“It’s very humbling and exciting all at the same time,” Roderick, a winner in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards stated. “I wasn’t planning on racing anything in NASCAR the rest of the year. Then Randy sent me the text message about how would I feel about racing Homestead, I immediately felt like a kid in a candy store.

Obviously, it’s the last race of the season and there is so much on the line for many of my fellow competitors, that we’ve kept our goals reasonable and easily obtainable on Saturday afternoon. First, we have to qualify, which I think we should be able to ace without hesitation – then it comes to racing all 300 miles in the Ford 300 and give our No. 04 Randy Hill Racing Ford Mustang a good run. I’m looking forward to working with Paul (Andrews) and learning from someone of his caliber. When the weekend is all said and done, we’ll debrief and focus on 2012,” concluded the Lawrenceville, Georgia native.

Hill added, “We’re carefully strategizing our schedule for 2012. We’re talking to some potential sponsors who have become increasingly interested in our program over the last couple of weeks. Not to mention the credentials that Casey (Roderick) has achieved makes me believe it’s going to be a busy, but successful 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series campaign. However, before we can get started on that, we have to stay focused on Homestead this weekend. I would like to personally thank Archie (St. Hilaire, Go Green Racing owner) for opening the door for us to work together again.”

The Ford 300 (200 laps / 300 miles) is the 34th of 34 events on the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. The first practice session of the weekend begins on Friday, November 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. A final “happy hour” practice session has been etched in from 12:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, November 19th scheduled to lift off at 1:05 p.m. live on SPEED. The field will take the green flag later that afternoon at 4:30 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN2, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the anticipated thriller lifts off at 4:00 p.m. also on ESPN2.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing.

TREVOR BAYNE

Race:  Ford 300 (200 laps 300 miles)

Team: No. 16 Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Chad Norris

Chassis: RK-613-Last ran at Charlotte, October 2011, Finished third

Broadcast Information: Saturday, November 19, 2011- 4:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN2 and 4:00 p.m. on MRN radio affiliates and Sirius channel 90

FAST FACTS

TREVOR BAYNE will make his 29th start of the season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway TREVOR BAYNE at Homestead-Miami Speedway… Bayne has a top-five finish in his only start  in Nationwide Series competition

QUOTES

Trevor Bayne on racing at Homestead: “I am ready to end the season on a high note.  It has been a roller- coaster ride this year but I think we have shown what we can do when all the right pieces are in place. Our team has been on fire as of late and I am confident we will run upfront and contend for a win this weekend.  It will be a big day for Roush Fenway Racing. Ricky is ready to be crowned the series champion and the No. 60 team has a chance to win the owners championship.  I am proud of those guys and I hope we can all celebrate after the race.”

Crew chief Chad Norris on racing at Homestead: “Trevor has grown leaps and bounds since the summer.  The kid is a talented race car driver that wants to be great.  I have all the confidence in the world in him and I know he is going to drive his butt of this weekend at Homestead. He has a top-five at Homestead in his only start, so I am looking for him to be even better this time around.”

NELSON PIQUET JR. QUICK FACTS

No. 30 ‘Bienvenidos a NASCAR’ Chevrolet Impala

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ford 300

November 19, 2011

No. 30 ‘Bienvenidos a NASCAR’ Chevrolet News and Notes

Turner Motorsports welcomes Nelson Piquet Jr. … Turner Motorsports is pleased to welcome NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) standout Nelson Piquet Jr. to the seat of the No. 30 Chevrolet for this weekend’s Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Piquet Jr. made his NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut at Watkins Glen International in 2010. In his lone NNS start, the Brazil native brought home a seventh-place finish after qualifying in the 10th position.

NCWTS notes… As Piquet Jr. prepares for his first NNS race of 2011, the 26-year-old is wrapping up his rookie pursuit for the NCWTS championship. Over the course of 24 starts this season, he has captured five top-five and nine top-10 finishes, leading 52 laps along the way. He sits 10th in the championship point standings and is just five markers down in the fierce battle for the series’ Rookie of the Year honors.

Calling the shots… This weekend, Piquet Jr. will work with veteran crew chief Stewart Cooper. Cooper has worked with several drivers in 2011 including Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Boris Said, James Buescher and Ricky Carmichael.

This week’s Impala… The No. 30 team will round out the 2011 season this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway hitting the track with chassis TMS-310. This chassis made its debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Kahne drove it to a fifth-place finish after starting in the seventh spot.  Buescher also piloted TMS-310 two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing in the 17th spot.

Bienvenidos a NASCAR… In support of NASCAR’s ‘Bienvenidos a NASCAR’ program, Piquet Jr.’s No. 30 Chevrolet will sport a special program decal this weekend. In addition to decals on entries in all three of NASCAR’s top series, the program will provide bilingual brand ambassadors, virtual garage tours and guidebooks of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage. There will be a Spanish language broadcast available via scanner (via ESPN Deportes), as well as ‘Bienvenidos a NASCAR’ ticket packages though Homestead-Miami Speedway and a Chino y Nacho pre-race concert on Sunday, Nov. 20th at 12 p.m. at the Coca-Cola Stage.

Turner Motorsports: A look back… In 33 Nationwide Series events in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched three wins, 21 top-five and 62 top-10 finishes. Mark Martin kicked off the season capturing the team’s first-ever NASCAR win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. It was Justin Allgaier’s turn in June when he nabbed his second-career win at Chicagoland Speedway and Reed Sorenson rounded the month out winning his first NNS race with the organization at Road America. Both of Turner Motorsports’ championship-contending drivers are inside the top-10 in the driver point standings with Allgaier in third and Jason Leffler in sixth.

In 24 NCWTS races in 2011, Turner Motorsports’ entries have earned 13 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes. The organization has earned five pole awards with Buescher earning three, and Carmichael and Steve Arpin capturing one each. Buescher is currently sitting third in the championship point standings, 28 markers out of the lead.

Nelson Piquet Jr. on racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to get in the Nationwide car for Turner Motorsports this weekend. I have never done double duty before, so I am really looking forward to it. It is going to be a lot of seat time, more then I have ever done before in one weekend. I want to thank Steve Turner for giving me the opportunity to get in one of his cars, and I am looking forward to bringing home a solid finish in the No. 30 machine.”

Follow the No. 30 team on Twitter!Twitter.com/No30TurnerNNS

Follow Nelson Piquet Jr. on Twitter! Twitter.com/NelsonPiquet

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Joey Logano / No. 20 GameStop Toyota Preview

Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

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

·     LOGANO LOOKING FOR DUEL JGR BURNOUTS IN HOMESTEAD:  Joey Logano has had the chance before.  In his rookie season of 2008, the youngster took part in a duel burnout celebration with then NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Clint Bowyer when Logano piloted the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 10th-place finish and a clinch of the 2008 Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship.  This weekend, Logano hopes to partake in a duel burnout situation at Homestead once again. This time however, he hopes his burnout is the result of a checkered flag win for the No. 20 GameStop Toyota in the season-finale Nationwide Series event, while the other burnout is that of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in the No. 18 JGR Toyota, clinching what would be the team’s fourth-straight Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship.  Logano’s fourth-place finish last week in Phoenix behind the wheel of the No. 18 GameStop Toyota means the No. 18 team holds a one-point lead over the No. 60 heading into the season-finale this weekend at Homestead.

·     PDP AND AFTERGLOW HOPE TO “LIGHT UP” HOMESTEAD EVENING: Performance Designed Products (PDP) and its Afterglow brand of video game controllers will ride along with the No. 20 GameStop Toyota this weekend in Homestead.  PDP is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and Wii, and Microsoft Xbox 360, as well as a line of accessories for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, and Android-based phones. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade.  PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ line of controllers features an array of LED lights that shine through the clear casing and can be turned on and off, or set to light up when the controller vibrates.  PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ line includes controllers for the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3.

·     LOGANO A FRONT-RUNNER AT HOMESTEAD:  With the NASCAR Nationwide Series visiting Homestead-Miami Speedway only once per season, Logano’s stats at the track aren’t mind-blowing.  But he’s made all three of his visits to the 1.5-mile South Florida track count.  Logano has twice started from the pole at Homestead (2008 and 2010) and has led laps in each of his three starts at the track (21 laps led in 2008, 13 in 2009 and 17 in 2010).  Logano’s best career finish at Homestead came in 2009, when he finished fourth.  In fact, according to NASCAR Statistics, Logano’s average running position under green-flag conditions at Homestead-Miami Speedway is an impressive 5.9.  He also leads all drivers with an average starting position of 2.0.

·     BATTLE OF NASCAR FAMILIES… AND LOGANO SET FOR HOMESTEAD:  On Saturday, Joey will participate in an event featuring the new NASCAR video game, NASCAR Unleashed, at Homestead.  The event is all part of the “Battle of the NASCAR Kids” competition. NASCAR drivers’ children will compete against one another for pride and glory. As their dads coach and their moms manage them, these kids will race for first place and the honor of being crowned the first ever “Battle of the NASCAR Kids” champion. The event aims to bring together NASCAR families and ultimately raise money for charities, with each participating family donating $5,000 to a charity of their choice. Post race all the racers will band together to hand a check to The NASCAR Foundation for $25,000 from Activision. As part of the event, Logano will pick two lucky raffle ticket wild card racers from the audience, and he’ll coach them while playing in the tournament and trying to win a cool $5,000.

·     CHASSIS:  The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team will bring car #127 to the track this weekend.  The car has raced in two events this season, at Michigan and again at Charlotte, where Logano was set for a top-three finish before an accident with just a handful of laps to go.

·     STAT OF THE WEEK:  2.0. Logano’s average starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Despite only running in three races at Homestead during the course of his career, Logano has qualified 1st, 4th and 1st in his three visits.

·     THE RACE:  The Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, FL; 1.5-mile oval) is set for Saturday afternoon, November 19, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 4:30 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 4 p.m. ET.

Joey Logano Quotes:

“It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of the season already and we are getting ready to run Homestead.  It seems like just yesterday that we were unloading the GameStop Toyota at Daytona for the opener and thinking that we had a shot for a really good season.  And now, here we are almost ready for another off season.  We’ve had a lot of fun this year in the Nationwide Series.  It’s been a struggle at times in figuring out these new Nationwide Series cars, but we’ve had some really good runs.  We won at Daytona, which was huge for me and for the entire team.  We almost won and finished second at Talladega and Bristol.  We were right there at Watkins Glen.  There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way.  It’s also been great working with Adam (Stevens) all year.  It’s been a lot of fun to see him go from being an Engineer on the Cup side to a Crew Chief over on the Nationwide side.  And getting to work with guys like ‘Sib,’ ‘Rudy,’ and Joel, some of the guys I kind of came up through the racing ranks with again has been a lot of fun as well.  It’s also been great to spend a few races with Jason (Ratcliff) this season.  As a driver, you try to take as much knowledge from as many people as you can and that is what getting to work with Jason has allowed me to do this year. Between Adam, Jason and Zippy (Cup Crew Chief Greg Zipadelli), I’ve picked up a lot of valuable information this year.

“Homestead is a fun track.  It’s one of those places where you can run just about anywhere and can move around to make your can handle better.  You can go up top and run right near the wall or you can run near the bottom and take the short way around.  It’s a lot of fun either way and gives you a lot of options as far as setting up the car.  It’s really just about as fun as it is on the video game too. When I play the new NASCAR 2011 game in my motor home during the weekend, I often race my friends at Homestead.  It’s just a lot of run in real life or on the game.

“It’s been a great year with GameStop and I’m looking forward to this weekend. We’ve got a big event with the new NASCAR Unleashed game and maybe one of my wild card picks will win $5,000.  And the car this weekend looks great with PDP and Afterglow controllers on it.  We’ve had some really cool games and really cool cars this year.  The Batman, Wipeout, Captain America and Call of Duty cars were all really awesome this year.  I’ll never get tired of driving for GameStop and the way they market themselves.  They have to be one of the coolest sponsors out there, and I’m proud to represent them.”

No. 20 GameStop Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Driver – Joey Logano                                             Crew Chief – Adam Stevens                                   Car Chief – Mike Sibley Race Engineer – Curtis Ratzlaff                             Shock Specialist – Joel Weidman                         Front-end – Dave Rudy Rear-end – Chris “Yoshi” Jones                              Tire Specialist – Glen Wheeler                              Engine Tuner – Roger Purcell

Truck Driver – Tim Clancy                                      Jackman – Jason Tate                                           Gasman – John Eicher Front Tire Changer – John Royer                         Front Tire Carrier – Brett Morrell

Rear Tire Changer – Coleman Dollarhide              Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen

5-Hour Energy Team News and Notes

This Week’s 5 Hour Energy Toyota … Steve Wallace will pilot Rusty Wallace Racing chassis RWR-070 in Saturday afternoon’s Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Built new for the 2011 season, this Toyota Camry debuted at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this month, where Wallace finished 18th.

Looking Back at 2011 … Heading into the final race of the season, Wallace has accumulated two top-five, five top-10 and 15 top-15 finishes, an average start of 13.9 and an average finish of 16.5 in 33 races thus far in 2011. The 24-year-old driver has led six laps of competition and has completed 6,065 of the 6,197 (97.9 percent) laps contested thus far.

Get to the Points … A less-than-desired 29th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway last week dropped Wallace one position, to 10th, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings. After the 33rd race of the 2011 season, the 24-year-old driver trails eighth-place driver and Rusty Wallace Racing teammate Michael Annett by seven markers, and ninth-place Brian Scott by a single point.

Homestead Facts … In five NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Wallace boasts one top-10 finish. His best finish, eighth, came when the series visited the 1.5-mile oval in November, 2009. The Greensboro, N.C., native has an average starting position of 17th and an average finish of 18.8. Welcome Aboard … Rusty Wallace Racing and 5-Hour Energy are pleased to feature Circle K on the TV panel and Sedanos on the lower rear quarter panels of the No. 66 Toyota this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Rusty Wallace Racing at Homestead … In 10 combined NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Rusty Wallace Racing entries have earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes with three different drivers including Brendan Gaughan, Jamie McMurray and Steve Wallace. McMurray’s second-place run in November 2004 is Rusty Wallace Racing’s best effort at the mile-and-a-half oval. Additionally, Rusty Wallace Racing entries have led one lap of competition and have completed 1,963 of the 2,003 (98 percent) laps contested in those events. Rusty Wallace Racing in 2011 … With 33 of 34 races completed thus far in the 2011 season, Rusty Wallace Racing’s three NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded a combined three top-five, 13 top 10 and 32 top-15 finishes. Rusty Wallace Racing Toyotas have completed 13,195 of 13,619 laps attempted, and have been atop the leaderboard for 21 laps with drivers Michael Annett, Jason Bowles, David Reutimann and Steve Wallace.

Cast Your Vote … Voting has begun for the Most Popular Driver of the Year award in the Nationwide Series. Fans are encouraged to log onto NASCAR.com to vote for their favorite driver from the series once per day until voting ends on Thursday, November 17.

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s race. It’s been a very difficult year for the 5-Hour Energy team. The new Nationwide Series car really threw us for a loop. As soon as this race ends, we can start working on our program for 2012. But, we’ll give it all we’ve got for one more time in 2011, we’ll go out and try to finish the season with a strong run.” – Steve Wallace on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway

# # #

About Living Essentials, LLC

Farmington Hills, MI-based Living Essentials, LLC, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in 2 oz. liquid energy shots. 5-Hour Energy is available nationwide at major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass Merchant, Warehouse and Convenience Store classes of trade. Living Essentials sells over seven million bottles of 5-Hour Energy per week. For more information, please visit 5hourenergy.com.

About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary racing history of its founder, Rusty Wallace. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys-driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively-in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. RWR will also campaign the No. 64 Camry in select 2011 events. RWR entries have finished among the top-ten in the Nationwide Series driver or owner standings in each of the last three seasons. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.

DODGE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

• Dodge has one Nationwide Series win at Homestead: Ryan Newman (2005).

• Dodge has one pole (Newman in ’05).  Newman is the only driver to win from the pole in 16 Nationwide races.

• Dodge has five top-five and seven top-10 finishes at HMS.

DODGE IN THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

• Dodge is fielding two entries in the Nationwide Series this season with Penske Racing.  Sam Hornish Jr. joins Brad Keselowski for a limited schedule.  Hornish will make his 13th Nationwide start of the year at Phoenix.

• The one-two finish at PIR was the first for Dodge in the NNS since 2010 at Bristol (Justin Allgaier, Keselowski).

• Dodge has 40 wins in the Nationwide Series, seven in 2010 and five this season.

BRAD KESELOWSKI No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T

Career Stats: Starts: 167 Wins: 16 Top Fives: 72 Top 10s: 102 Poles: 11 Laps Led: 2,688

2011 Season Stats: Starts: 28 Wins: 4 Top Fives: 13 Top 10s: 20 Poles: 3 Laps Led: 840

Homestead-Miami Speedway Stats: Starts: 5 Wins: 0 Top Fives: 2 Top 10s: 2 Laps Led: 20

• Has two top-five finishes in last three races at HMS.  Best finish is third-place (twice, most recently in 2010).

• Qualified eighth or better in the last three races at Homestead.

• Owns seven top-10 finishes in last eight Nationwide starts, including six straight.

• Has qualified eighth or better in 11 consecutive races.

• Completed all but one possible lap in 13 of last 14 starts (2,704 of 2,705) – 99.96 percent.

SAM HORNISH JR. No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger R/T

Career Stats: Starts: 32 Wins: 1 Top Fives: 2 Top 10s: 5 Poles: 0 Laps Led: 112

2011 Season Stats: Starts: 11 Wins: 1 Top Fives: 2 Top 10s: 5 Poles: 0 Laps Led: 104

• Scored first Nationwide victory at Phoenix, edging teammate Brad Keselowski by .553 seconds.  Win came in his third NNS start at PIR. Led once for 62 laps, most in a race this season.

• Will be making his fourth Nationwide start at Homestead this weekend.

• Other top-five finish (fifth-place) this season came at Chicagoland (race No. 28).

KESELOWSKI ON HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:  “Championships are very special and winning the 2010 Nationwide Series title will definitely go down as one of the highlights of my racing career.  It was the culmination of a dream.  The fact that it was the first NASCAR championship for Penske Racing just adds another layer to it.  I think we’ve built a very formidable Nationwide Series team at Penske Racing over the last couple of years.  I think we showed that last weekend at Phoenix where Sam (Hornish Jr.) and I ran one-two.  It’s a series that really means a lot to me.  I was proud to represent it as its champion this year.” Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge

SAM SAYS “I’ve always enjoyed coming to Homestead – it has been one of my favorite places for many years.  The way that you get into the corners is unlike anywhere else we go.  It’s a very unique track and a great place to have the final race of the season. Coming off of last weekend’s victory, I couldn’t be happier to be representing the Alliance Truck Parts brand and I look forward to our continued success this weekend as well as going into the 2012 season.” Sam Hornish Jr., driver, No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger R/T

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet / No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

EVENT – Ford 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)

TRACK – Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

DATE – Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011

TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 4 p.m. EST)

Aric Almirola No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet

“Homestead is a track that’s a lot of fun to race on. It has progressive banking through the corners. That’s why you see drivers go into the corner and move around a lot. Anytime you go somewhere that you can move around, it’s good. As a racecar driver, you want options on where you can run.

“I’m looking forward to a bit of a break following Homestead. But at the same time, when you’re running well and things are going your way, you can’t wait to get back to the racetrack. So at times, the few weeks we have off seem a lot longer.”

Danica Patrick No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

“I remember the car feeling really loose most of the time last year at Homestead. It’s a challenging track, even in IndyCar. I think we wasted a lot of good time during practice, because I was unfamiliar with how to drive the corners. Aric (Almirola, teammate) told me, ‘you’ve got to drive it in the corner, and you’ve got to get it on the right front.’ The corners are very tight compared to a lot of other mile-and-a-halfs. Toward the end of practice we got it better.

“I went into qualifying and surprised myself by qualifying fifth. I feel like I’m getting into the swing of qualifying a little bit more. More than anything, it will be nice to start off the weekend driving the track as it needs to be driven so we can work on the car, as opposed to figuring it out during the last part of practice.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

PATRICK SEES IMPROVEMENT THROUGH SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN – Danica Patrick will put an end to an eventful and noteworthy sophomore season this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 11 starts this year, Patrick earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes. Her fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway rewrote the history books, making Patrick the highest finishing female in any NASCAR national touring series race. The effort bested the 62-year-old record of Sara Christian, who finished fifth at Heidlberg, Pa. on Oct. 2, 1949 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Patrick also has led a career-high 14 laps, 13 of which came in a dramatic finish at Daytona in July when she took the lead with two laps to go. Her victory chances were ruined by a multi-car accident within sight of the checkered flag. Patrick’s average finish this year is 16.1 as compared to 28.0 in her 13-race rookie season in 2010.

PATRICK’S MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Danica Patrick will be available to members of the NASCAR media at 10:45 a.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 18 in the Homestead-Miami Speedway media center deadline room.

MILE-AND-A-HALF STRENGTH – Patrick has not finished outside the top-15 in the four 1.5-mile races she’s competed in this season (Las Vegas, Chicago, Kansas and Texas). The 29-year-old holds one top-five and two top-10s with an average finish of 10.0 at those facilities.

PATRICK AT HOMESTEAD – Patrick’s second-best qualifying effort of her short career came at Homestead last year with a fifth-place start. The mark was eclipsed only by a fourth-place starting spot at Daytona in February. She also led the first laps of her Nationwide Series career at Homestead in 2010, leading once for four laps.

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – Every driver of the No. 7 this season has scored a top-10 finish. The list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Patrick and Josh Wise. The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies the 11th position in owner points.

ALMIROLA WRAPS UP FIRST FULL SEASON WITH JRM – Despite owning 72 starts in Nationwide Series competition over the span of five years, the Homestead event concludes Almirola’s first full season with JR Motorsports. His season totals feature one pole (Phoenix 11/12), seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including a string of nine top-10s in a 10-week mid-summer stretch. Almirola has led 101 laps in 2011. He led 66 last week at Phoenix International Raceway. He has earned an average finish of 12.2. He enters the weekend fourth in championship points, trailing third-place Justin Allgaier by 15 points. The No. 88 Chevrolet is ninth in owner points.

ALMIROLA AT HOMESTEAD – Almirola has seven starts at Homestead across NASCAR’s top-three series, earning two top-five and two top-10 finishes. His best finish of fourth came during the Sprint Cup Series season finale last year. Almirola’s best finish in Nationwide Series competition is 18th.

QUALIFYING EFFORTS – JR Motorsports competed in its first Nationwide Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2005 with driver Mark McFarland. Statistically it is one of the organization’s best qualifying tracks. In nine starts there a JRM Chevrolet has qualified in top-10 six times.

ALMIROLA’S APPEARANCES IN HOMESTEAD – Almirola will attend the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ Championship Drive event on Thursday, Nov. 17th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST located at Lummus Park, Miami Beach, Fla. Almirola, a Florida native, will be featured in a fan Q & A and then will sign autographs. On Saturday, Nov. 19 from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST, Almirola will sign autographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler, located in the fan concourse area.

WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website www.jrmracing.com, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. Click here to view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more.