Category: XFINITY Series

JASON LEFFLER QUICK FACTS

No. 38 Great Clips Impala

Watkins Glen International Zippo 200 at The Glen

August 13, 201 

No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet News and Notes  

Jason Leffler 2011 NNS Season Starts Poles  Wins Top-fives Top-10’s Avg. Start Avg. Finish DNFs 22 0 0 2 9 13.4 13.2 0       

* New look for the Great Clips machine…For the remainder of the 2011 season, the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet will feature a new look with a special “Online Check-in” paint scheme. Recently, Great Clips launched the salon industry’s first-ever Online Check-In system which allows customers to remotely log in from a computer or smart phone and view the estimated wait time at surrounding salons. Consumers can click the “check-in” icon to add their name to the list at the Great Clips salon of their choice and, by the time they arrive, they are likely next or almost next in line-saving precious time they might have spent waiting in the lobby for their haircut.      

* Leffler’s road course stats…Despite his nickname (“Lefturn”), Leffler has had some impressive runs at tracks that have right-handed turns as well. In a total of 15 road course starts in NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) competition, he has four top-10 finishes with one top-10 at each of the road courses in which he has competed.  

Watkins Glen International  – 6 starts       Best start: 11th (2008) / Best finish: 8th (2008) Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – 4 starts        Best Start: 14th (2008) / Best Finish: 7th (2008) Road America – 2 starts       Best start: 19th (2010) / Best finish: 8th (2010)     Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez – 3 starts       Best start: 23rd (2007) / Best finish: 6th (2007)         

* This week’s Impala…. This weekend at Watkins Glen International, the No. 38 Great Clips team will unload chassis TMS-301. This is the same chassis that Leffler piloted at Road America, starting ninth and finishing 20th after running out of fuel on the final lap.         

* Turner Motorsports: In the hunt… In 22 Nationwide Series events in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched three wins, 19 top-five and 45 top-10 finishes. All three of Turner Motorsports’ championship-contending drivers are inside the top-six in the driver point standings with Sorenson in second, Allgaier in fifth and Leffler in sixth.      

* Happy 10-Year Anniversary, Great Clips…This season marks Great Clips’ 10-year anniversary as a primary sponsor in the NNS. The Minneapolis-based Great Clips, Inc., which is currently the longest-running primary sponsor in the series, came onto the scene in 2001 as a primary sponsor of Akins Motorsports No. 38 entry, then driven by Christian Elder.     

* Leffler on SIRIUS’ Morning Drive every Wednesday… Don’t forget to tune in to SIRIUS Radio’s “Morning Drive” with Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone every Wednesday at 10:30am to hear Leffler’s take on recent events in the Nationwide Series and what you can expect from the week’s upcoming race. 

Follow the No. 38 team on Twitter!Twitter.com/No38TurnerNNS  

Follow Jason Leffler on Twitter! Twitter.com/JasonLeffler    

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports  

Leffler on racing at “The Glen” “I like the fact that we get to pepper the schedule with a few road courses here and there. With 34 races a year, it’s nice to mix things up a little bit every now and then. I actually enjoy racing at road courses. It provides a different challenge than what we are used to week-to-week. Going into these races, I try to set realistic expectations for myself. Usually the field has at least four or five road course ringers, so to be able to come away with a top-10 finish is a good goal for this Great Clips team.”  

About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas-native, Steve Turner, the racing organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series.  Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will house three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Brad Sweet.  The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, who will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com

Cornell Racing also on board this weekend

CHINA GROVE, N.C.(August 9, 2011) – Alex “Kid” Kennedy already knows his way around the 11-turn road course of Watkins Glen International having competed in last year’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. This time, however, he wants a much better finish than his 16th-place effort from 2010.

With more races under his belt since then, the 19-year old driver from Aztec, N.M. has learned even more as he heads to the Central New York track. With some great backing from Primalyn Enterprises out of Rochester, N.Y., who moved from an associate role last year to a primary partnership this year, Kennedy will also be representing the charity of Dream Factory on the car; along with Cornell Racing.

After a top-15 run at Road America was thwarted when he was pushed off the track in June under the white flag, the up-and-coming driver is even more determined to show what he – and R3 Motorsports – can do this weekend.

Fast Facts:This will be Kennedy’s 10th career NNS start. His previous nine starts have been a mix of road course, short track and one speedway. Through that, his best start took place Road America, which was also his first start, of 15th. His best finish was at Watkins Glen in 2010.   Track Facts:This will be Kennedy’s second NNS start at the 11-turn road course, but third overall NASCAR start there. In 2009, he ran a K&N Pro East Series race finishing an impressive eighth. In this NNS race last year, his start in 23rd place quickly became a top-10 run until a late race caution trapped him a lap down after the red flag was lifted. After getting back on the lead lap via the Lucky Dog, there were too few laps for him to make up the lost difference.   Dream Factory Ambassador:Once again, Kennedy will be hosting people from the Dream Factory, Inc. at the track on Saturday. His involvement with them last year led to them presenting him the President’s Award for his efforts during their annual national banquet.   Tune in for the Win:Kennedy, and the other 49 cars on the entry list, will take part in a two-hour practice session on Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. (ET) on SPEED TV. Then, they will come back on Saturday morning and qualify at 9:45 a.m. before lining up for race time of 1:30 p.m.; which can be seen on ESPN TV, heard on MRN Radio and Sirius XM Radio Ch. 90.

Alex Kennedy Quotes:“We’re looking to back up what we did at Watkins Glen last year; if not improve on that finish. We had a great run going, got into a bit of trouble by no fault of our own and were able to put ourselves back on the lead lap to get a decent finish.

“This will be the third time I’ve raced at this track and that always helps with the comfort level going back again. If everything goes smoothly, there is no reason this No. 23 Primalyn Enterprises Chevrolet can’t have a great run. Everyone at R3 Motorsports has been working hard to get the road course cars ready for this week, and next week at Montreal.

“I’d like to personally thank Primalyn and RJW Enterprises for coming on board for Watkins Glen. Without great people like them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do in this Nationwide race. So, we’re definitely going to put on a good show for them and the people from Dream Factory that are going to be there, too. “

About Primalyn Enterprises Inc: Based in Rochester, N.Y., they are a private company which deals in commercial contracting for larger companies. They were established in 2002, are incorporated in New York and have a staff of approximately 10 to 19 people.

About Cornell Racing:Cornell Racing, fresh off of their 14th place finish (out of 99) at Michigan International Speedway in the World Championships, is currently at Hockenheimring in Germany competing against 108 teams from around the world in Formula Student Germany.  With a new engine and their first visit overseas, we wish them the best and look forward to hosting some of the team at The Glen this coming weekend.

. This Week’s 5-Hour Energy Toyota … Steve Wallace will pilot Rusty Wallace Racing chassis RWR-052 in Saturday afternoon’s Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. Built new for the 2011 season, this Toyota Camry debuted at Road America in June, where the Greensboro, N.C.-native started sixth and led four laps before being involved in an incident that eliminated him from contention after 52 of 57 laps.

. Through 22 Races … With 22 races of the 2011 season in the record books, Wallace has accumulated one top-five, four top 10 and 11 top-15 finishes, an average starting position of 13.6 and an average finish of 16.5. Wallace has completed 97.6 percent of the laps contested (4,044 of 4,143) thus far.

. Get to the Points … Wallace is currently ranked eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings, 66 in arrears to seventh-place driver Kenny Wallace.

. Wallace at The Glen … In four previous Nationwide Series starts at Watkins Glen, Wallace has recorded one top-10 finish and has been atop the leaderboard for two circuits. Wallace’s finishes at the Glen over the last four years have been trending in the right direction. Since finishing 34th in his first appearance in August of 2007, Wallace has recorded finishes of 28th, 12th and ninth, respectively.

. Road Course Averages … In 12 previous Nationwide Series road course starts (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Road America, and Watkins Glen International) Wallace has four top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 12.167, an average finish of 20.167, has completed 751 of 873 of the laps contested and has led six laps.

. Welcome Aboard … 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Country Fair and Price Chopper as partners for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen. Country Fair branding will adorn the TV panel of Wallace’s No. 66 Toyota in Saturday afternoon’s race, while Price Chopper logos will be displayed on the lower rear quarter panels.

. Last Time at The Glen … Wallace scored a career-best ninth-place in the 2010 running of the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. The finish placed him alongside road racing ace Ron Fellows and Brad Keselowski as the only drivers to score top-ten finishes at Road America and Watkins Glen last season.

. Last Time Out … A yeoman’s effort by Wallace and the No. 66 5-Hour Energy team in last Saturday night’s U.S Cellular 200 at Iowa Speedway afforded the 23-year-old driver an eighth-place finish, his second top-10 showing in four tries at the Midwest oval.

. Rusty Wallace Racing at Watkins Glen … In 11 previous Nationwide Series starts at Watkins Glen, Rusty Wallace Racing entries have recorded one pole (Kenny Wallace, 6/92), one top-five and three top-10 finishes, and have been atop the leaderboard for 10 laps.

. Rusty Wallace Racing in 2011 … With 22 of 34 races completed thus far in the 2011 season, Rusty Wallace Racing’s three NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded a combined two top-five, 10 top 10 and 23 top-15 finishes. Rusty Wallace Racing Toyotas have completed 8,756 of 9,102 laps attempted, and have been atop the leaderboard for 19 laps with drivers Michael Annett, Jason Bowles, David Reutimann and Wallace.

. Welcome Home, Eddie … Eddie D’Hondt, Jr., mechanic and rear tire carrier, is the only native New Yorker on the No. 66 5-Hour Energy team. D’Hondt was born and raised in East Islip, located about 300 miles east of Watkins Glen.

. 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 always seem to run well every time we race at Watkins Glen, but the finishes don’t always show that. In 2008, we were running fourth with just a few laps to go, and we ran out of gas. I really enjoy the track, the area and the history of the place. I’ve gotten accustomed to it over the years, and I always look forward to coming back.” – Steve Wallace on racing at Watkins Glen International

# # #

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.com.

ABOUT LIVING ESSENTIALS, LLC

Farmington Hills, MI-based Living Essentials, LLC, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in two-ounce 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.

On the DG Chevy this week: Fabuloso, Miracle Whip, Hellman’s, Eveready, Motrin IB, Glad, Bounty, Resolve

REED SORENSON QUICK FACTS

No. 32 Dollar General Chevy

Watkins Glen International

Zippo 200 at the Glen

August 13, 2011

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes

. Sorenson’s Season to Date – Reed Sorenson and the Dollar General team posted their third consecutive top-10 finish last weekend at Iowa Speedway. After taking the checkered flag in the sixth spot, Sorenson now owns one win, seven top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes in 22 starts this season. He is ranked second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) championship point standings, just 12 points out of the lead.

. Show Me the Money – Along with his sixth-place finish at Iowa, Sorenson took home the Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash (D4C) award for the second time this season. He secured the $100,000 prize after scoring the highest finish of the eligible D4C drivers including teammates Justin Allgaier and Jason Leffler, along with Michael Annette. By winning the second D4C race, Sorenson becomes eligible for the third paying race at Richmond International Raceway in September. Sorenson is also the only driver eligible for the $1 million payout at the end of the season.

. Sorenson at The Glen – Even though Sorenson has made two starts at the 2.45-mile road course, he hasn’t been to the track for a NNS race since 2006. He has an average start of 30.5 and an average finishing position of 34.5. Sorenson’s highest finish of 28th came in the 2006 start.

. Reigning Road Course Winner – Sorenson heads into the second road course race of the season with a great deal of confidence after winning the series’ first road course stop at Road America in June. In dramatic fashion, Sorenson took the checkered flag after three green-white-checkered finish attempts and nearly running out of fuel. It was Sorenson’s first win and the team’s second of the 2011 season.

. This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Sorenson will pilot TMS-306 in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. This is a brand new chassis for the Dollar General team and will see its first competitive laps this weekend.

Sorenson on returning to his second road course race of the season:

“I’m pretty excited to get to Watkins Glen and try my hand at another road course. We obviously had a really good race at Road America and I’m just going to apply the same principles this weekend as I did there. I think the best way to approach a road course is to stay on the track and take it easy on the transmission and brakes. I feel like if you can master those things successfully, you have the chance at having a pretty good day. It doesn’t hurt when you have someone like Trent [Owens, crew chief] calling the shots from the pit box. He and our engineer have done a great job at calculating the fuel mileage. It went a long way to getting us that win at Road America.”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @DollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Carl Edwards–Zippo 200 at The Glen    

Team:           No. 60 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:  Mike Beam

Chassis:       RK-776 – primary – New Nationwide chassis.                     

RK–663 – backup – last ran at Road America .                                      

QUOTES

Carl Edwards on racing at Watkins Glen International:   “We had a very strong road course car at Watkins Glen last year, but we didn’t get the finish we wanted.  I can’t wait to get back there and into my No. 60 Fastenal Mustang this weekend and tackle The Glen and its eleven turns and banking.  It’s always challenging and I really like it a lot.  The fans are great, the area is beautiful and the track is demanding.  I’m looking forward to it and I plan on coming out of there with a very solid finish. A win there would be big.”   

Crew chief Mike Beam on racing at Watkins Glen International:   “Watkins Glen is a track where we will focus on fuel mileage, brakes, and handling. Road courses are tough because there are only certain areas to pass and/or set up your competitors. We will try to keep our Fastenal Ford up front and avoid any trouble which is typical road course racing.”  

FAST FACTS  

So far in 2011, Edwards has five wins, 12 top-fives, and 15 top-10s  

Edwards’ captured his 34th career NASCAR Nationwide win at Nashville Superspeedway.  

The No. 60 Ford is currently third in the Owner’s points. 35 points behind first place.

JAMES BUESCHER QUICK FACTS: No. 30 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet Impala  Zippo 200

Watkins Glen International August 13, 2011   

James Buescher 2011 Season Starts Poles Wins Top-fives Top-10s DNFs 6 0 0 1 3 1  

No. 30 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet News and Notes     

* Road course debut… James Buescher will make his seventh start of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season this weekend at Watkins Glen International. This will mark his first road course race in one of NASCAR’s top-three series.     

* Racing around Road America…To gear up for his NNS road course debut, Buescher and his Turner Motorsports teammates, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael and Reed Sorenson got a chance to drive Mazda sports cars around Road America with road-course ace, Chris Cook.  While Mazda cars are very different from the NNS cars, the experience allowed the Turner Motorsports drivers to get a feel for road course racing.     

* Race rewind… Buescher will make his return to the seat of the No. 30 Chevy with some Nationwide Series momentum. In his last appearance in the car at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (LORI) two weeks ago, Buescher wheeled his way to a second-place finish. His series-best finish capped off a weekend of top-three finishes, where he finished third in the ARCA Racing Series race and second in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and NNS races.     

* NCWTS notes… Buescher is having a career-year in his full-time pursuit for the NCWTS championship. The 21-year-old has collected 12 top-10 and six top-five finishes, finishing outside the top-10 on only one occasion. He captured one pole award and led 185 laps. He is currently third in the championship point standings, just 19 points out of first and 14 markers behind second-place.     

* This week’s Impala… The No. 30 AccuDoc Solutions team will unload chassis TMS-304 this weekend at Watkins Glen International. This is a brand new chassis in the Turner Motorsports stable.     

* NNS this season… Buescher has made six NNS starts this season, capturing one top-five and three top-10 finishes. He brought home his career-best finish of second in his last start at LORI.     

* Buescher’s Blog… Each week Buescher is in the No. 30 Impala he writes a blog on TheHotLap.com previewing the upcoming Nationwide race and following the race recapping the weekend’s event. You can read his preview blog on Thursdays before the race and his recap on Tuesday following the event. 

* Turner Motorsports: In the hunt… In 22 Nationwide Series events in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched three wins, 19 top-five and 45 top-10 finishes. All three of Turner Motorsports’ championship-contending drivers are inside the top-six in the driver point standings with Sorenson in second, Allgaier in fifth and Jason Leffler in sixth.   

Buescher on making his road course debut   “I am excited to take on the challenge of a road course. We don’t get the chance to run them in the Trucks, so I am very lucky to get the chance to run one in the No. 30. Watkins Glen is the fastest of the three road courses on the Nationwide schedule, so that adds an extra challenge for us. I have been successful with Stewart Cooper and the No. 30 guys this season and I know once I get the lay of the track down, we will be successful this weekend.”    

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

Follow James Buescher on Twitter!Twitter.com/JamesBuescher 

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Joey Logano / No. 20 GameStop Toyota Preview Zippo 200 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International   No. 20 GameStop Toyota News, Notes & Paint Scheme:

·     No. 20 TEAM WELCOMES BACK JOEY & GAMESTOP:  After taking nearly a month off from the NASCAR Nationwide Series, both Joey Logano and his primary Nationwide Series sponsor GameStop will return to the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota this weekend at Watkins Glen International.  And to celebrate, Logano will be driving a brand new JGR chassis branded solely with the GameStop logo and its familiar red and black paint scheme.  Logano last raced in the Nationwide Series on July 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway, where he was running in the top five before a pair of late-race accidents took him out of contention for the win.  From this point forward until the end of the season, Logano will miss only three of the remaining 12 Nationwide Series events (Montreal, Atlanta and Richmond).  He will carry sponsor GameStop on the car for 10 of those races.

·     GAMESTOP TOYOTA KICKS OFF “LOGANOTHON” IN WATKINS GLEN :  When Joey takes to the track on Saturday for the Zippo 200 at the Glen, it will mark the start to what his fans are dubbing “Loganothon.”  Joey will race in three different events in three different types of cars over the course of the weekend at the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen track.  Logano will kick it off with the No. 20 GameStop Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event and follow that up by teaming with Boris Said to race in the Rolex Grand-Am Road Racing Series event.  Logano and Said will pilot a car for March Racing in the GT Class, which is scheduled to being shortly after the conclusion of the Nationwide Series race.  Then, Logano will wrap up “Loganothon” by racing his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car in Sunday’s event at the 11-turn road course.

·     ROAD COURSE RINGER?:  Joey Logano hasn’t spent much of his career being known as a “road course ringer” in either the NASCAR Nationwide or Sprint Cup Series.  However, thanks to a lot of testing and a lot of coaching from a number of different instructors, namely Max Papis of late, Logano has turned into quite the road racer.  Things started to turn around last season at Watkins Glen, when Logano raced his No. 20 GameStop Toyota to a second-place start and finish behind veteran road course racer Marcos Ambrose.  Logano then followed that up with a third-place qualifying effort and a sixth-place finish in the Nationwide Series at Montreal last season.  He continued his strong road course presence this season on the Sprint Cup side of things, picking up a pole and a sixth-place finish at Infineon Raceway just a month ago.

·     WELCOME BACK PIT CREW:  Not only will Logano be returning to the No. 20 GameStop Toyota this weekend, so will his Sprint Cup Series pit crew, including front tire changer John Royer, who recently returned from a hand injury.  On companion race weekend, Logano’s Home Depot crew gets in extra work by pitting the No. 20 GameStop Toyota in the Nationwide Series.  And at Watkins Glen, pit stops are even more crucial, as the cars come down pit road the opposite direction they do on oval tracks, therefore making the pit stop work in reverse (the team changes left side tires first, then right side).

·     CHASSIS:  The JGR team will take a brand new chassis to Watkins Glen this weekend.  Chassis #20133 will make its debut this weekend with Logano behind the wheel.  Chassis #20107, which has been an oval track car for much of the year, was recently transitioned to a road course car, and will serve as the team’s backup.

·     STAT OF THE WEEK:  10th.  The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 team currently sits 10th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Standings.  While that might not be an impressive number to some, the stat seems rather impressive considering the team has made only 19 of 22 starts in 2011.  In fact, the No. 20 team higher in the standings than 24 other teams that have made more starts in 2011.  Those numbers for the No. 20 team comes on the back of two wins, seven top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes.

·     THE RACE:  The Zippo 200 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International (Watkins Glen, NY; 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course) is set for Saturday, August 13, 2011.  The race will be broadcast on ESPN at 2:00 p.m. EST, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 1:30 p.m. EST.      Logano’s 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Stats: Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Earnings Avg. Start Avg. Finish 13 1 5 9 1 90 $342,120 7.2 8.5   Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats: Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Earnings Avg. Start Avg. Finish 79 9 38 63 16 1437 $2,876,324 7.2 7.3   Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Watkins Glen International: Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Earnings Avg. Start Avg. Finish 3 0 1 2 0 8 $68,848 9.3 14.0     Joey Logano Quotes: “I’m pretty excited about getting back behind the wheel of the GameStop Toyota this weekend and it couldn’t come at a better time.  I’m not generally the best road racer out there, but I feel in the past year I’ve been making huge gains at it. Each time I get out there, I’m a little more confident.  But the best way to make yourself a better road racer is to just get more seat time and to get as many laps in as you can.  So this weekend, getting to get back behind the wheel of the Nationwide Series car and also getting to run the Rolex GT car before the Cup race will help me hone my skills a little more.   “I am definitely more confident on road courses now than I was a year ago.  I’ve done a lot of testing and worked with a lot of people to help me get better.  This year, I’ve been working with Max Papis, and he’s been a huge, huge help to me.  But I think I could say I started turning the corner of road courses last year here at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide race.  We ran great in that race and were the only car out there that could compete with Marcos (Ambrose, the eventual winner).  Then, we backed that up with a strong run at Montreal with a stout field of road course ringers.  Now, I’ve got a pole in the Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma to go with it, so I think I’m getting there.  And, not only will I get the chance to make a lot more laps, but I really think we’ve got a shot to win this weekend.  Our road course program on the Nationwide side of things is strong and if I can continue running like I have been, keep the mistakes to a minimum and keep the car on the track, I don’t see any reason not to be there at the end of the race.   “It feels good to get back in the Nationwide car and be back with GameStop too.  Things are just so nice on the Nationwide side, because we aren’t running for any points or anything over here.  It’s all about going for the win.  So you just have a different.  We can go out there and do what we need to do to get the win.  I think it will be a good weekend and I’d finally like to get GameStop back into Victory Lane.  They deserve another win soon.”   Adam Stevens Quotes: “It will be nice to have Joey back this weekend as it seems like it’s been a lot longer than a month since he was last in the car.  Joey has been improving a lot over the last year at road course racing, and our Joe Gibbs Racing road course program is pretty strong like we saw earlier this year at Road America (where Michael McDowell dominated in the No. 18 JGR Toyota).  So I have total faith that as long as we can bring a good car to the track, Joey can drive it to the front.   “Watkins Glen is very fast and fairly wide, which makes it unique among road courses.  The key is to be able to get turned and stay in the gas up thru the esses (turns two, three and four). You can fight ‘wheel hop’ under braking a lot at Watkins Glen, which makes the rear shocks very important. We have a solid shock program, so I think we will be strong there.  You also use a totally different race strategy at road courses and calculate your fuel a little differently.  But the weekend is always big because there are a lot of heavy hitters there too.  There are a lot of Cup guys and road course ringers running this race, so whoever wins it will truly earn it.”     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 – Nick Fuller Rear-end – Dave Rudy                                           Tire Specialist – Chris “Yoshi” Jones                      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

Elliott Sadler

No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 23 of 34 – Watkins Glen International

MANEUVERING WATKINS GLEN: Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala will hit Watkins Glen International Saturday for the Zippo 200 for the second road-course event of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Earlier this season, Sadler raced his way to a fourth-place finish with the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team at Road America, the first road course on the schedule. The series will complete its road-course racing for the season next weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.

SADLER AT THE GLEN: Sadler will return to the seven-turn road course for only the third time in his Nationwide Series career. He has a best finish of 11th when he competed at the track in 1997, and this will be the first time he is back competing in the series since 1998. Sadler, however, made 12 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with one top 10 and a best finish of seventh in 2006.

KHI SUCCESS AT WGI: KHI has made a total of 10 Nationwide Series starts at the New York road course. The organization has earned four top-five and six top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third in 2010 earned by team co-owner Kevin Harvick. KHI also has two pole awards at Watkins Glen with Harvick in 2009 and Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart in 2005.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 OneMain Financial team will bring chassis No. 074 to Watkins Glen. This road-course specific chassis also ran with the No. 2 team at Road America where Sadler brought home a fourth-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet team started from the pole in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Iowa Speedway Saturday night, and earned a third-place finish, garnering the 10th top-five finish of the season for the KHI team.

TO THE POINT: Sadler maintains the third position in the Nationwide Series Driver’s Point Standings. He currently sits 29 points behind leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and 17 points behind Reed Sorenson.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler

How do you feel heading into this week’s race at Watkins Glen International?

“Watkins Glen is a very fast road course. It is a lot faster than Road America, or Sonoma, where I raced in the Sprint Cup Series. If you can get up through the S’s, and if you can get around the back side on the carousel, you are going to have a pretty good day. We have a decent record there. We are taking the same car that we finished in the top five at Road America, so we are feeling really good about that. I just really like road courses, and they seem to be one of my strong suits. We are going with high hopes and intentions, and I think we are going to come out of Watkins Glen with a great finish.”

ARE YOU A CODE SPOTTER? This month kicks off the NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion VIP Experience segment of the Code Spotter sweepstakes. Fans can play the Nationwide Insurance Code Spotter Sweepstakes for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind VIP Experience with the Nationwide Series champion. To play, enter the code ELLIOTTSADLER once per day through midnight on September 5th at www.CodeSpotter.com.

MOST POPULAR DRIVER: Sadler is eligible for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver award. Fans can vote for Sadler now through November 17 on www.NASCARNationwideSeries.com.

Media Access:Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Erin Sagester at KHI at esagester@kevinharvickinc.com.

OneMain Financial

OneMain Financial is the premier community lender in the U.S. With more than 1,300 locations across the country, OneMain Financial has been serving communities since 1912. Additional information may be found at www.onemainfinancial.com.

Paul Menard

No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 23 of 34 – Watkins Glen International

MENARD RETURNS: Paul Menard, the 2011 Brickyard 400 champion, reunites with the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team this weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen International. Menard has five starts in the series at the Glen with one top-five and two top-10 finishes. The second of three road- course events on the Nationwide Series schedule this season will mark the driver’s fourth of seven races with the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team.

BY THE NUMBERS: In three starts thus far this season with the No. 33 KHI team, Menard finished inside the top five in each race. He collected his third pole in the series at Michigan International Speedway in June and started inside the top 10 in his two additional starts with the team. Hot off his first-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory two weeks ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Eau Claire, Wis., native hopes that momentum will propel the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala to victory lane.

KHI SUCCESS AT THE GLEN: KHI has made a total of 10 Nationwide Series starts at the New York road course. The organization has earned four top-five and six top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third in 2010 scored by team co-owner Kevin Harvick. KHI also has two pole awards at Watkins Glen with Harvick in 2009 and Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart in 2005.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Driver David Mayhew climbed behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala for his Nationwide Series debut at Iowa Speedway last weekend. The Bakersfield, Calif., native qualified the KHI machine in the 13th position and raced his way to the front of the field to lead twice for four laps before coming across the finish line in the 10th position.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Rheem/Menards crew prepared chassis No. 75 for the road-course event this weekend. Driver Max Papis piloted this chassis in June at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Papis started the race from the outside pole and raced among the top 10 before falling victim to a late-race accident that relegated the team to a 23rd-place finish.

MENARD’S THOUGHTS ON WATKINS GLEN:

What are your thoughts about this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen?

“I really enjoy racing the road courses, and I am looking forward to the Glen this weekend. David Hyder and the guys have worked really hard on these cars. The Rheem/Menards Chevrolets have been really fast, and we’ve been able to put together some good runs so far this season together. It’d be great to get to victory lane with them this weekend.”

Media Access:Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Tiffany Breaux at KHI at tbreaux@kevinharvickinc.com.

About Menards:

With 263 stores in 13 Midwestern states, Menards has the tools, materials and supplies for all your home improvement needs whether just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember. Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town and the way guests are always treated like family in a hometown hardware store atmosphere.