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  • Jacques Villeneuve Open Interview

    Jacques Villeneuve Open Interview

    Friday, June 24, 2011

    ROAD AMERICA Dodge Motorsports PR NASCAR Nationwide Series BUCYRUS 200 presented by Menards Jacques Villeneuve Open Interview

    JACQUES VILLENEUVE (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T) “It’s always fun to come back to Road America. Every time I’ve been here, it’s been fun driving, racing. It’s a track that allows you to be a little bit aggressive on the brakes in a racing situation. It’s a long lap, a lot can happen. You feel like you’re going somewhere when you’re driving around. The corners are actually difficult. There are a bunch of different speeds and length of corners. If you look at last year, I think there was a lot of action in the race. So, that was a lot of fun.

    “A cable came loose (last year) one lap from the end. That was a little bit frustrating. Until then, we were running second and hopefully we could fight Carl (Edwards, last year’s race winner) on the last lap. That’s part of racing. When you’ve been in it for a few years, you realize there are good days and bad days and sometimes there’s nothing we can do about it.

    “Now, coming back this year, it’s more exciting because I’m coming in with the Penske team. I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for the whole organization since my IndyCar days, for Roger and all his crew. To now be a part of the family, even if it’s for one race weekend, is very special. I’m stepping in some good shoes; Brad (Keselowski) normally drives that car and does an amazing job, so that’s good and it’s with his sponsors as well. I’ve very happy about that.

    “Also, we’re coming with a new car, a brand new car. So, there are no setups from the past. You start with a blank sheet of paper and hopefully, having a lot of road-course experience should help in setting the car up quickly.”

    HOW DID THIS DEAL WITH PENSKE COME TOGETHER; DO YOU THINK YOU’RE RUN HERE LAST YEAR HELPED? “I’m sure running good last year helps. Anytime you run well, it opens the door a little bit. I’ve been working on NASCAR for quite a few years now. It’s slow progress, but it’s always a little progress. You never give up and keep going. Also, I think there’s been some good respect toward one another since the IndyCar days. I raced against Roger’s (Penske) organization in ‘94 and ’95 in IndyCar. All these things helped. And yes, fighting for the win last year and being aggressive, but I think what has helped me is the fact Brad is not racing here.”

    YOUR ROAD COURSE EXPERIENCE VERSUS THE BENEFIT OF A DRIVER BEING IN THE SAME CAR WITH THE SAME TEAM 34 TIMES A YEAR; DOES IT ALL EVEN OUT? “It probably does. It’s important to know the people you work with, having the chemistry going helps. We’ve done some testing, so we’ve worked together a little bit. Last year, it was the third year I was running with the same team. I kind of knew the people I was working with. That made it a lot easier. When you get to the race, everybody knows what is required. But now, it’s also a brand new car. You start from scratch, it makes it fun. But for the new rules, there’s stuff that you could do in the past that you can’t do on the cars anymore. You just have to find ways around it. Testing wise, there isn’t a track that is similar to this one. We had a good test at Road Atlanta. We understood the car quite well there. That should help here.”

    YOU’RE LOVE AFFAIR WITH THIS TRACK; WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SECRETS FOR SUCCESS HERE? “It’s been a good track. I won my first and last IndyCar race here. Last year brought down the average a lot. That was annoying. I’ve always enjoyed those kinds of tracks, whatever series – Indy or F1 – these tracks where there’s an element of danger I would say and you have to really work on where the limit is at. If you go beyond it, something not so good will happen, probably end up crashing, in the sand trap or something. I always felt good on those kinds of tracks. The thing is, the laps are normally long and you always have different reference points. Whatever corner you get to, the trees are different, there something that is different. You kind of know right away where you’re at. There are a lot of blind corners. You need to force yourself to have reference points that are not the race track itself. You don’t start braking because you see the corner. You break because you know exactly where you’re at on the track. It could be a little painting on the guardrail, a lot of things like that. It’s like driving on radar basically.”

    BRAKE MANAGEMENT IS HUGE; WHAT CAN YOU DO INSIDE THE RACE CAR MAYBE TO MANAGE THE BRAKES AS YOU GO? “The only thing you can do is not brake as hard which means braking earlier. When you’re fighting at the front and you’re running for position, that’s not something that you can really do. I had problems here last year, but all I had to do was pump the brakes all the way down the straight to make sure the pedal was there when I hit the brakes. They were good for two or three laps, then the fronts would start going away and you would end up locking the rear. You would spend two or three laps slowing down a bit, cooling them off and then you’re aggressive again. You can figure it out while you’re driving that suddenly you’ve gone a little too far. If you react quickly enough, then you can go back on them, but if you spend the next five or six laps just hammering them, then you get to the point you just won’t recover.”

    HOW MUCH ARE YOU RACING THESE DAYS? “Not as much as I would like too. Right now, I’m just doing Montreal and here. That definitely is not a lot. Every year, it’s a little bit better. I guess before I turn 80, I’ll manage to get a full season in at some point. I’ve been doing some ice racing in France, that was interesting, and a little racing in Australia. I’m trying to get my hands into as many forms of racing as I can. It’s good experience. The goal would be to do a full season in NASCAR.”

    IS IT CHALLENGING WHEN YOU’RE NOT IN THE CAR EVERY WEEK? “It is challenging and puts a lot of pressure on. If you do 30 races, you can afford to have a few bad ones. If you do just a couple of races, and they’re road course and you’re a road course specialist and one of them is Montreal, you’re hometown, then you either win or finish in the top three and it’s normal, or it was a lost weekend. A lot weighs on those races, the future. Last year, the good races helped me get a ride at the Glen and at the Brickyard. A lot depends on one or two races. A lot can go wrong that you can’t control.”

  • MEMBER OF CONGRESS STILL CONTINUES TO QUESTION THE U.S. MILITARY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH NASCAR

    MEMBER OF CONGRESS STILL CONTINUES TO QUESTION THE U.S. MILITARY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH NASCAR

    U.S. Representative Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, last week vowed to continue her fight to drastically slash, if not even eliminate, the portion of the Department of Defense’s budget that is being spent on advertising with professional sports organizations and their events. The Congress woman said she will not give up this cause despite the fact that there seems to be very little support from her Congressional colleagues many, of whom, agree with Pentagon officials in the belief that these sponsorships actually bolsters military recruitment stats.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]While McCollum’s proposed Congressional amendments references military sponsorships of all major sporting events, her focus seems to be aimed at NASCAR racing. She points out that the Pentagon spent a staggering amount of money during the 2010 NASCAR racing season. Currently the U.S. Army, the National Guard and the U.S. Air Force are involved in sponsorship programs with NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing teams.

    This issue first made the Congressional news back in February when McCollum proposed an amendment that would ban military sponsorship in professional sports. The proposed amendment fell to defeat following a committee vote.

    However, prior to the vote, there was some lively debate representing both sides of the issue. According to an official transcript, provided by the U.S. Office of the Clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives, McCollum presented her argument for the amendment’s passage by saying “my amendment ends tens of million of taxpayer’s dollars from being wasted on the sponsorships of NASCAR race cars by the Department of Defense. With trillion dollar deficits, this amendment is where the rubber meets the road for my Republican Tea Party colleagues, who want to cut wasteful spending. We have the Army spending $7 million for a decal on a racing car. Talk about taxpayer sticker shock.”

    McCollum’s defense of her proposed amendment was immediately followed by a rebuttal from Representative Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, who claimed that his colleague from Minnesota was “simply misinformed” and her proposed amendment will not save one single dime. McHenry also pointed out that the media impressions, from the Army’s campaign alone, could be easily measured and the results were highly positive.

    “Let’s be clear, this (Army) sponsorship is about recruiting. The vast majority of NASCAR fans, one out of five NASCAR fans, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. It’s a target rich environment for the Army’s recruiting message and a target rich environment for military and the military message,” McHenry said.

    Yes, it’s certain that it was duly pointed out that Congressman McHenry represents a state that plays host to many NASCAR sanctioned events as well as being the home of the majority of the Sprint Cup race shops as well as NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.

    Sadly, in mid February, this issue hit a very serious note. According to reports, first published by “My Fox Twin Cities.Com”, McCollum’s office received a faxed letter alleging a death threat over her proposal to terminate military sponsorships in NASCAR.

    While no author’s name of the fax was mentioned, this letter reportedly contained some inappropriate language that suggested McCollum should “shut her (expletive) pie hole.” The fax also contained a cartoon drawing of “President Obama’s head being pulled behind a truck in a noose.” The Fox report also stated that this letter “called for the deaths of all Marxists and referred to the President, McCollum and Attorney General Eric Holder as Marxist thugs.”

    Undaunted, McCollum continued her cause and in recent days submitted another amendment to the Department of Defense appropriations bill. According to reports from “The Hill.Com”, McCollum’s newest effort would have “required the military to submit to a 30 day Congressional review period on any contract larger than $250,000 to sponsor a motor sports racing team, driver, event, a professional fishing team or tournament, a professional wrestling event or an ultimate fighting event.” This latest effort was also denied following a committee vote.

    According to Pentagon figures, obtained and released by McCollum’s staff members, the National Guard spent approximately $20 million with Hendrick Motorsports, during the 2010 season, for sponsorships on race cars driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon. In all fairness, it was pointed out that this figure was considerably down from the $32.7 million spent during the previous year. Meanwhile the Army spent $7.4 million last year which was trimmed down from $11.6 million in 2009.

    The question remains: is there an accurate way of measuring tangible results from these advertising campaigns? Actually there is. It’s a service provided by a civilian company named Joyce Julius and Associates. Headquartered in Ann Arbor-Michigan, Joyce Julius and Associates Inc is regarded as the sports and entertainment industry leader in accurate measurement and evaluation of sponsorships and promotional programs. They generate their figures based on broadcast television exposure monitoring, full media measurements and fan/consumer perception analyses. They also back that elaborate procedure up with 27 years of experience.

    Let’s just look at one example from a race team with military themed sponsorship: Dale Earnhardt Jr and his #88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet. The following stats, from Joyce Julius and Associates, was compiled during the first one third, or 12 races, from the current 2011 season:

    Sponsor exposure time: 5 hours, 36 minutes and 54 seconds. Verbal mentions, (during a NASCAR live and repeat broadcast): 18 Driver interviews: 8 Interview durations: 13 minutes, 7 seconds. Driver mentions: 1,140 Recognition Grade, (RG) exposure value: $21,835,475.

    That’s just for the first 12 NASCAR races of the current season. With Earnhardt seemingly on his way to a starting berth in the 2011 Chase, imagine what those numbers are going to be at the end of the season.

    This level of brand exposure calculation is also a ringing endorsement for the beliefs of military and Congressional figures who truly believe that the taxpayers are getting more bang for their buck with these sponsorship campaigns.

    However Congresswoman Betty McCollum apparently remains unconvinced and is reported to be laying the ground work for her next move towards reducing Pentagon spending in NASCAR.

    According to a June 20th report, from “The Hill.Com”, Bill Harper, McCollum’s chief of staff, said “the lawmaker will likely offer an amendment on the House floor to the 2012 Pentagon appropriations bill that would limit the funds the military could spend on sporting events.”

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Road America Transcript

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Road America Transcript

    Elkhart Lake, Wis. (June 24, 2011) – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. visited with members of the media today prior to practice at Road America.  The following is a transcript of that press conference.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 RickyvsTrevor.com Ford Mustang:  “It’s going to be different because you’ve seen with these new cars because when you do get off in the grass it’s got a really good opportunity to rip the nose off of it and do a lot of damage, unlike the car that we had here last year.  I don’t think we’re going to see as many cautions as we did last year or big red flags like we had last year which hopefully the fans will enjoy that a little bit more.  I know the drivers will.  It’s going to be a good race.  I like Road America. This was the first road course I ever came to.  Back in 2006 I ran an SCCA race here and kind of got my feet wet in road racing here.  It was a joy to come back last year.  I already know the area and the racetrack and I don’t think there’s a more beautiful looking racetrack out there than what we’ve got here.  You’re headed down the back straightaway and doesn’t even feel like you’re on a racetrack. It’s going to be interesting; it’s going to be a lot of fun.  We done some testing with Billy Johnson, who runs Jack’s [Roush, car owner] Mustangs and helped me out quite a bit, so we’re looking forward to a good race here.  Our main focus is going to be a top-10 and whatever else we get after that will just be a bonus for us.  It kind of pumps you up coming here I think.  When you get in the race and you look around as you’re driving around under pace laps and you see all the fans that come out here I think that’s one of the cool things about Road America is all the people that come out to support it.  I know it pumps us drivers up and it’s good for us.  We’re really looking forward to the race.” 

    CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE IDEA THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOCK THE FRONT OFF THE CAR?  “Last year we just had a valance that just kind of came down and it was just a little bit of bodywork, it would bend it up just a little bit.  But with the splitter that we have on these cars now they tend to dig in and especially when we have all this rain it make the ground a lot softer.  You saw Carl [Edwards] after the All-Star win rip the nose off his car going through the grass.  We just don’t want the nose digging in the ground and I think that’s one of the reasons why you’re going to see less cautions.  People are just more cautious to running off the racetrack.” 

    WE MANAGED TO HAVE A COUPLE OF NON CUP GUYS ACTUALLY WINNING RACES IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES LATELY.  IS THERE A PARTICULAR REASON THAT’S HAPPENING NOW?  “I’m not real sure if there’s a particular reason but one of things is this year this car is new for everybody.  Nobody has any more experience than anybody else and I think every single one of the Nationwide guys is getting better and better and getting more experience.  I know this year some of the racetracks we’ve been to I’m going to for the second time and I’m learning a lot and I’m sure everybody else is.  I think what Nationwide Insurance has done and wanted their own identity in this series, I think they’ve done a good job with it and now that we’re running for the championship I think everybody steps up there game a little bit more so I think it’s a little combination of everything.”

    YOU’VE GOT A COUPLE OF GUYS, YOU AT THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS AND JUSTIN ALLGAIER NEAR THE TOP, WHO COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.  YOU WERE GUYS ON YOUR WAY UP.  YOU HAD YOUR UNCERTAINTY WITH JACK AND JUSTIN HAD A GREAT DEAL AND THEN THE MONEY DISAPPEARED.  YOU GUYS COULD JUST AS EASILY BE UNEMPLOYED AS YOU COULD BE RUNNING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP.  COMMENT ON THE FINE LINE BETWEEN MAKING IT AND NOT MAKING IT.  “This sport’s tough.  You know, obviously, it’s all based on performance and sponsorship dollars and you’ve got to have the performance there to have the sponsorship dollars.  I can’t speak for Justin.  I know he was pretty bummed last year after the whole deal went down but obviously he landed with a great team and they’ve got good equipment and they’re running well over there.  As for myself, I’ve just got to thank Jack Roush and Ford for sticking with me and the Blackwell Angus Beef company.  They came on board after we’d had already had the bad run early in the season.  They came on at Daytona halfway through the year and they ended up kind of riding the good wave with us.  We started running well with ‘em.  It’s tough but when Jack is committed to me and he talked to me about it a lot last year. He said it was more tough on me than it was on him but I don’t see how that can be [smiles].  He was pretty upset a few times.  He just gave me the opportunity to turn it around and get more experience and not many people get that opportunity but Jack Roush definitely gave it to me and very fortunate that he did.” 

    WHEN YOU MAKE A TURNAROUND LIKE YOU DID, IS THERE A MOMENT WHERE THE LIGHT GOES ON OR THE GAME SLOWS DOWN OR IS IT MORE OF A GRADUAL THING?  “I feel like it was more of a gradual thing.  I don’t feel like I changed a lot in what I was doing.  You know, I might have been thinking about things a lot more as far as while I’m out on the racetrack thinking through different decisions but as far as actually driving the car for speed and things like that I don’t feel like I changed too much.  Our equipment got better toward the end of last year.  I started getting the motors that Carl was getting and we started getting better cars.  When we started finishing races we were able to work on the cars instead of fix ‘em.  And I think that was one of those gradual things that got us better, too.” 

    COMMENT ON CONFIDENCE FOR YOU AND THE TEAM.  “Yeah when we came here last year I didn’t have any confidence [smiles].  But like everybody said this was kind of the turning point of the season last year and when we ended the season I don’t think anybody had any more confidence than we did, as a team.  And that’s the thing that’s kind of carried over to this year is those same guys that stuck with me through last year, they went through the bottom and came back out with us and we have the same group of guys that we have today.  I think we appreciate things more but they’ve got the confidence that we can get this done.” 

    WITH LESS OF THE REGUALR CUP GUYS HERE THIS WEEKEND, DOES THAT CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF THE RACE?  “Man I don’t think so because you don’t have the Cup guys there but you’ve got some really good road racers here.  It’s just like going to an oval and the Cup guys coming down.  Those road course guys are really good.  They can take less equipment and run really well with it and you’ve got some of ‘em in really good equipment.  It’s just like having all the Cup guys down here for us [smile].”         

    #####

    About Roush Fenway Racing

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

  • This week in NASCAR: Probation, NASCAR on ‘The Glades’, contingency awards, and more

    This week in NASCAR: Probation, NASCAR on ‘The Glades’, contingency awards, and more

    Watch Edwards, Logano, Stewart and Vickers on A&E’s “The Glades”:
    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers will be playing themselves in Sunday night’s episode of the popular A&E drama The Glades.

    Set to air on Sunday, June 26 at 10 p.m. ET on A&E, the episode “Moonlighting” will explore the murder investigation of Cole Hunter, the fictitious mechanic for NASCAR driver Trey Lancer. In his search for the truth, Jim Longworth (actor Matt Passmore) centers much of his attention inside the NASCAR garage, where he meets NASCAR stars Edwards, Logano, Stewart and Vickers.

    Mike Ford Named The WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race in Michigan:
    Mike Ford, crew chief for the No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

    Kenseth, Fennig Capture Contingency Awards:
    Kenseth earned his third American Ethanol Green Flag Restart of the Race Award this year which goes to the eligible driver that records that fastest average speed on restarts and finishes the race on the lead lap. Kenseth’s crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, also captured his second DIRECTV Drew Chief of the Race Award given weekly to the crew chief of the driver who has demonstrated the best qualifying and race effort based on starting and finishing positions during the weekend.

    The awards are part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provides teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories.

    Jimmie Johnson Foundation Golf Tournament Raises $650,000:
    The Jimmie Johnson Foundation Golf Tournament Auction has raised $650,000, an event record. The event has raised over $500,000 each year since its inception in 2007, which in five years has raised more than $2.5 million. It now focuses on the Champions Grants program, a partnership between the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and Lowe’s Toolbox for Education.

    Applications for grants in are being accepted through Sept. 15, 2011. For more information, visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.

    “Is Ryan Newman Smarter than a Grade School Student?”:
    Newman, who graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. degree in Vehicle Structural Engineering, answered 10 first-round questions on a variety of topics such as Science, Math, Social Studies, English and Geography as students from five different Volusia County elementary schools were in attendance for the trivia game show “Is Ryan Newman Smarter than a Grade School Student?” For every question Newman answered correctly, DIS donated $100 to Volusia County Schools.

    Newman also correctly answered the “bonus round” question and earned a special prize for every student in attendance, a ticket to the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday, July 2. The complete press release can be found here http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=12735

    Joe Gibbs Racing crew chiefs penalized for unapproved parts:
    Mike Ford (No. 11 car), Dave Rogers (No. 18) and Greg Zipdelli (No. 20) were fined $50,000 and placed on probation for the remainder of the season after NASCAR discovered unapproved oil pans in each of the JGR cars at Michigan International Speedway. The oil pans were confiscated and never used in competition. Also the car chiefs for all three teams and Jimmy Makar, JGR’s senior vice president of operations, were also placed on probation for the remainder of the season.

    Red Bull leaving NASCAR:
    The Austrian-based energy drink company Red Bull entered NASCAR in 2007. Currently sponsors with two teams with current drivers Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers, but plans on leaving the sport at the end of 2011. Rumors say that “NASCAR does not attract the same demographic that Red Bull markets its product.”. The energy drink markets to the 18-to-34 age group.

    The general manager of Red Bull Racing said Tuesday that he is optimistic that the team can keep going with more investors.

    More on this story can be found at http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=12742 by Sal Sigala Jr.

    Lofton returns to Germain Racing, Eddie Sharp Racing:
    Germain Racing and Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) have reached an agreement to put 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion Justin Lofton back behind the wheel of ESR equipment. The move has been facilitated by the departure of Craig Goess from ESR. Ryan “Rudy” Fugle, crew chief for Lofton’s No. 77 Tundra at Germain Racing, will remain with Germain Racing.

    MOBIL 1 car swap was UNBELIEVABLE:
    The overwhelming response has indicated that the Mobil 1 Car Swap at The Glen was an event that will last in the minds of the participants and spectators forever.

    More details can be found at http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=12743

    Tissot Launch Alert! Keep Time Danica-Style:
    Tissot, a manufacturer of Swiss Watches since 1853, has launched a new Danica Patrick timepiece.

    From the driver seat of design comes a Limited Edition watch with the defining style Danica is renowned for, both on the racetrack and off. This is a first-time opportunity for fans to pre-order the Tissot PRC200 Danica Patrick 2011 Limited Edition, a sleek, streamlined design featuring Swiss-made quartz movement.

    Fans can check out TissotShop.com to pre-order and reserve this unique Limited Edition watch, numbered from 0001 to 4999

    Vote for your favorite design:
    There are only days left to vote in the fourth-annual “JDRF Race Car Design Contest,” hosted by the Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

    Voters from around the country are casting their ballots in the form of donations for their favorite design, while the young artists wait in the hopes they’ll see their work on NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Trevor Bayne’s Ford Fusion as it races around Michigan International Speedway in August.

    Fans are invited to vote at www.jdrf.org/ford

    The NASCAR Foundation Launches Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award:
    The NASCAR Foundation will recognize the outstanding charitable and volunteer efforts of NASCAR fans by awarding the first annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, which includes a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to the children’s charity of the recipient’s choice.

    More details can be found at http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=12650

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A SATURDAY AFTERNOON ON ROAD AMERICA

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A SATURDAY AFTERNOON ON ROAD AMERICA

    The NASCAR Nationwide Series will be spending this Saturday afternoon taking on the always challenging road course at Road America at Elkhart Lake-Wisconsin. The series made its official debut at this mammoth road course last year. If the finish of the 2010 event is any indication, then Saturday’s Bucyrus 200, presented by Menards, is going to be extremely competitive and very exciting.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]The pre-race favorite has to be Carl Edwards who made a late race surge to win last year’s inaugural event. Edwards is one of the small group of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who has been campaigning full time in both series although a new NASCAR policy says he cannot win the Nationwide Series title.

    Edwards will be the only double duty Cup driver in Saturday’s race at Road America. He will be spending his off time flying back and forth between Wisconsin and Sonoma-California, the site of the Cup race at Infineon Raceway and the site of NASCAR’s other road course race this weekend. The seemingly frantic pace for the driver of the Roush Fenway Fords is actually not as bad as it seems. That’s largely due to the presence of Roush Air. Jack Roush’s flying armada can literally get any driver to any location in record time.

    But the question remains: why should Edwards put himself in the middle of this hectic schedule when he’s only eligible to win the Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship? The answer is the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Points Championship and that’s a trophy Jack Roush wants to add to his collection.

    Edwards, based on four wins including last Saturday’s race at Michigan, leads the owner’s standings in his #60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang. However, going into next Saturday’s race, he only holds a 13 point lead over Joe Gibbs Racing and their #18 Toyota normally driven by Kyle Busch.

    Saturday’s Nationwide Series race will be Busch-less. Driver Michael McDowell will be behind the wheel of Gibbs’ #18. Their second series team, the #20 often driven by Joey Logano, will be sitting idle this Saturday.

    *************

    There’s another points battle that Roush Fenway Racing will be defending this weekend as well. It’s of course the series’ championship. Roush protege Ricky Stenhouse Jr is leading those standings going into this weekend. However, he only holds a two point advantage over Elliot Sadler with Reed Sorenson only three points away in third. Also not to be overlooked here is the presence of Justin Allgaier who is ranked fourth in the standings only 17 markers from the top.

    Stenhouse and Allgaier found their debut at Road America last year to be somewhat of a struggle after finishing 26th and 35th respectively. Meanwhile, Sadler and Sorenson will be taking on this challenging road course for the very first time this Saturday.

    *************

    The points contenders may find themselves having to deal with an impressive list of road course ringers this Saturday. These are the drivers, who excel in this type of racing, that have been brought in by team owners just for the road course races.

    The Road America ringers list will be led by the presence of Jacques Villeneuve. The ex Formula 1 racing champion will be behind the wheel of the Roger Penske Racing #22 Dodge normally driven by Brad Keselowski. Villeneuve was a major player in last year’s race and appeared to be on the way to the win before a defective alternator wire sidelined him during the final laps.

    Also in this race is Max Papis who will be driving the #33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. Road race veteran Ron Fellows, who finished second last year, will be carrying the hopes of the Junior Nation by driving the #7 Chevrolet for J R Motorsports.

    Other road race ringer entries include Andrew Ranger, a star from the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, who will be driving the #53 Dodge for team owner Robert Torriere. J R Fitzpatrick will be behind the wheel of the #67 Go Canada Racing Ford for owner Steve Meehan. Tommy Drissi is the newest member of Rick Ware Racing’s Nationwide Series operation and will make his debut this Saturday in the #37 Ford. Drissi is the 2009 Trans Am Series champion and has been racing lately in the Rolex Grand American Series as well as the American Lemans Series. Also of interest here is the Nationwide Series debut of Ricky Carmichael which will take place at Road America this Saturday. The 15 time motocross champion has been building his NASCAR career in the Camping World Truck Series this year for Turner Motorsports. Saturday will be the first of four Nationwide events this year for Carmichael in a Turner Chevrolet.

    ************

    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Bucyrus 200, presented by Menards, will be 50 laps/200.4 miles around Road America’s massive 4.048 mile, 14 turn, road course. It’s the first of three road course events on the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

    The race has 41 entries meaning all entries will be guaranteed a start in a race that can accommodate 43 cars. The starting line up will be based on Saturday morning’s qualifying sessions.

    The race is also the official debut of the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ newly configured race car on a road course.

    If season statistics are an indicator then the race should be highly competitive. 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series races so far has turned up eight different winners and seven different Coors Light Pole winners.

    The Bucyrus 200, presented by Menards, will be broadcast live by ESPN on Saturday beginning at 5 pm eastern time.

  • STEVE WALLACE / 5-HOUR ENERGY RACING NEWS AND NOTES: ROAD AMERICA

    STEVE WALLACE / 5-HOUR ENERGY RACING NEWS AND NOTES: ROAD AMERICA

    THE RACE.

    EVENT:  Bucyrus 200, Round 16 of 34 in the 2011 Nationwide Series

    DATE / TIME:  Saturday, June 25, 2011, 5:30 PM ET

    VENUE:  Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (4.048-Mile Road Course)

    DISTANCE:  50 Laps, 202.4 Miles

    TV (PRE-RACE):  NASCAR Countdown, ESPN (Live-5:00 PM ET)

    TV (RACE):  ESPN (Live-5:30 PM ET)

    RADIO:  MRN Radio / Sirius (Live)

    THE HEADLINES.

    THE STORY:  One of the preeminent road racers among the NNS championship contenders, Steve Wallace heads into the first NNS road race of 2011 at historic Road America with two top-ten finishes in the last three NNS road course events.  Wallace ran as high as second en route to a top-ten in last year’s event at Road America and has the highest driver rating at Road America of all championship-eligible drivers entered in this weekend’s race.  His first career NNS top-ten finish came in 2008 on a road course, Mexico City’s former F1 circuit, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.  Wallace enters this weekend on a streak of six top-15 finishes in the last seven NNS races and is ranked eighth overall in the NNS championship standings.

    THE MACHINES.

    TEAM 66 PRIMARY:  RWR-052-Chassis 052 is a stunning example of the versatility of NASCAR’s new COT platform.  RWR-052 made its first and only NNS start last summer at Daytona, scoring a top-15 finish in a backup role.  It was later used as an intermediate backup car for much of 2011, before being again reconfigured as a road racer.

    TEAM 66 SECONDARY:  RWR-050-One of RWR’s first COT chassis, RWR-050 has two previous starts this season, with a best finish of 11th at Richmond.

    THE ENERGY SHOT.

    WELCOME ABOARD: 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Kwik Trip Convenience Stores as a partner for the Road America event.  Kwik Trip branding will adorn the TV panel of Wallace’s No. 66 Toyota in Saturday’s race.

    DID YOU KNOW?:  5-Hour Energy contains a blend of B-vitamins, amino acids and essential nutrients. It contains zero sugar, zero herbal stimulants and four calories. The amount of caffeine varies depending on the energy shot. Original 5-Hour Energy contains as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Extra Strength contains as much as 12 ounces of coffee, while Decaf 5-Hour Energy contains only as much caffeine as a half cup of decaffeinated coffee.

    FROM THE COCKPIT.

    STEVE WALLACE (NO. 66 5-HOUR ENERGY TOYOTA CAMRY):  “Road America is a fun track to drive.  It’s one that challenges every part of your race car and your team.  Your car has to handle, you need good forward bite, the long straightaways demand big horsepower and 14 turns mean you really have to manage your brakes.  When you add into it the strategy challenges of a four-mile road course, there are a lot of things that have to go right for you to have a good day at Road America.  The real key though, is conserving your car, staying on course and being there at the end of the race.  If we can just do that, I think that our 5-Hour Energy team is set to have a really strong race.”

    # # #

    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 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.

  • Michael Annett Road America News and Notes

    Michael Annett Road America News and Notes

    Michael Annett Road America News and Notes

    The Headlines:

    RWR Goes Road Course Racing: The first of three Nationwide Series road course events in 2011, Road America’s Bucyrus 200 is unique in that its course is the longest of any on all of NASCAR’s three major circuits at 4.048 miles. This week will be the second-ever NASCAR sanctioned event on the 14-turn course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Midwest native Michael Annett will make his second-ever attempt at Road America this week. Saturday will be the Iowan’s sixth career start on a road course.

    Road America by the Record Books: Fielding three entries in the Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200, the Rusty Wallace Racing organization enters Saturday’s 50 lap race with an 11.5 average starting position and sixth place average finishing position at Road America. Rusty Wallace Racing’s No. 62 team recorded a third place finish in last year’s inaugural NASCAR race at Road America, and Annett’s teammate Steve Wallace tallied a ninth place top-10 finish in his No. 66 Toyota Camry.

    Birthday Boy: Annett celebrates his 25th birthday this week on Thursday, June 23.

    For the latest updates on Michael Annett, visit www.michaelannett.com.

    From the Cockpit:

    “Road course racing is still fairly new to me, but I definitely enjoyed getting to be a part of Road America’s inaugural NASCAR event last year. It’s a very unique racetrack and a great addition to our schedule. It says a lot for our sport to have so many great facilities spaced throughout the country. I’m from the Midwest, so I always enjoy visiting the tracks located in America’s Heartland. I’m looking forward to getting another road course race under my belt this weekend at Road America.”

    “Our goal heading into the weekend is to stay smooth and keep all four wheels on the track. Moving from a one-car program last year to a having two teammates this season will definitely be to my advantage. I think we’ll really benefit from having two other groups to bounce ideas off of and get feedback from.”

    The Machines:

    Team 62 Primary: RWR-055 – Reconfigured as a road course car, RWR’s No. 62 team raced at Phoenix International Raceway, Richmond International Raceway and Iowa Speedway with this chassis.

    Team 62 Back-Up: RWR-051 – The No. 62 Pilot Flying J team’s last race competing with this chassis was at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.

    Pilot Flying J Locations on your Way:

    Pilot Flying J provides eight convenient Pilot Travel Center and Flying J locations along the highways of Wisconsin. For more information on Pilot Flying J and to map their nearest locations along your route, please visit www.pilotflyingj.com.

    Pilot Travel Center I-43/I-90 & WI 81, Exit 185A 3001 Milwaukee Road Beloit, WI 53511

    Flying J I-94, Exit 116 780 State Hwy 54 Black River Falls, WI 54615

    Pilot Travel Center I-90, Exit 147 2762 County Hwy N. Cottage Grove, WI 53527

    Pilot Travel Center I-43, Exit 38 1946 A. Energy Drive East Troy, WI 53120

    Pilot Travel Center I-90/I-94 & WI 82, Exit 69 1101 State Road 82 East Mauston, WI 53948

    Pilot Travel Center I-94, Exit 322 2031 West Ryan Road Oak Creek, WI 53154

    Pilot Travel Center I-90/I-94, Exit 48 102 E. Woody Oakdale, WI 54660

    Pilot Travel Center I-94 & CR K, Exit 329 13712 Northwestern Ave. Franksville, WI 53126

    About Pilot Flying J:

    Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America. Follow Pilot Flying J on Twitter at @pilottravel.

    Broadcast Info:

    The Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 from Road America can be seen live on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 25.

  • RUSTY WALLACE RACING AND FUEL DOCTOR RACING DRIVER JASON BOWLES TEAM UP FOR NNS ROAD AMERICA RACE

    RUSTY WALLACE RACING AND FUEL DOCTOR RACING DRIVER JASON BOWLES TEAM UP FOR NNS ROAD AMERICA RACE

    THE DOCTOR IS IN!

    A PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS- FUEL DOCTOR, RUSTY WALLACE RACING AND DRIVER JASON BOWLES ON TRACK TOGETHER AT ROAD AMERICA

    CORNELIUS, NC (June 21, 2011)—The Doctor is in! The 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown winner, Jason Bowles, is on-call this weekend for Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) at Road America.  Bowles’ No. 64 Toyota Camry will roll off the truck Friday in Fuel Doctor colors for the Bucyrus 200, the first of three events he will drive for RWR in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

    “I have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” said Bowles of his opportunity on the 4-mile Wisconsin road course. “I’ve worked really hard to get the chance to run with Rusty’s team, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to make the most of the opportunity. I’ve had some success on road courses in the K&N Pro Series and up in Canada, so I’m ready to go to Wisconsin and drive the Fuel Doctor Toyota like I stole it!” 

    Bowles, like many in the sport, began racing go-karts before the age of ten. He went on to be a multiple-time shifter-kart champion, racing against drivers such as Sprint Cup regular A.J. Allmendinger, before making the transition to late models and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Bowles was crowned the 2009 K&N Pro Series West Champion and owns 10 wins in 44 K&N Pro Series West starts.  Four of Bowles’ 10 K&N victories came on road courses.

    “It’s funny, depending on who you ask, I can be better at road courses or ovals so I guess it’s good to have two opinions out there. Growing up with road racing, it’s something I definitely enjoy and feel comfortable doing. Compared to a shifter kart, we’re going a lot faster in the stock car, but it’s still turning left and right and hitting your marks.  “In karting, you win races by being fast, being patient and not making mistakes. The same thing applies here.  If we can make the Fuel Doctor Toyota quick, then my job then is all about focus, patience and not having a fender rubbing with five laps to go.”

    Four hours of extended practice for the Bucyrus 200—the first road race for the Nationwide Series “Car of Tomorrow”—begins Friday.  Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 is scheduled for a 5:30 PM EST start, with live television coverage by ESPN, beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 5:00 PM EST. 

    Websites: www.fueldoctorusa.com www.jasonbowles.com

    Fuel Doctor USA products are available for purchase at Advance Auto Parts stores; Best Buys stores Nation wide and several other retailers or online at www.fueldoctorusa.com.

    For marketing information please contact Tanya Hall, Sr. VP of Motorsports at Fuel Doctor USA tanya@fueldoctorusa.com or @ (602) 448-6069.

  • Trevor Bayne NNS Advance-Road America

    Trevor Bayne NNS Advance-Road America

    TREVOR BAYNE

    Race: Bucyrus 200 Presented by Menards at Road America (50 laps 200.4 miles)

    Team: No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford Mustang

    Crew Chief: Chris Andrews

    Chassis: RK-656 New Build

    Broadcast Information: Saturday, June 25, 2011- 5:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN and 5:00 p.m. on MRN radio affiliates and Sirius channel 128

    FAST FACTS

    * TREVOR BAYNE will make his 11th start of the season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Road America

    * TREVOR BAYNE has two consecutive top-five finishes in his last two NASCAR Nationwide Series races

    * TREVOR BAYNE at Road America …In one start Bayne has one top-10 finish

    QUOTES

    Trevor Bayne on racing at Road America: “I enjoy going to Road America. It mixes it up and gives us a nice change of pace during the season. It is a long road course that will test your mental makeup. We have a lot of momentum going into this weekend because we have had two straight top-five finishes and that is great for our team confidence. Chemistry plays an important role in our sport and I believe we have made great strides in our program. If we can stay out of trouble and take care of our equipment, we should be just fine. I learned a lot in last year’s race, but I will definitely get input from my teammate Carl Edwards, who dominated the race. I am confident we can run upfront and challenge for a solid top-10 finish.”

    Crew chief Chris Andrews on racing at Road America: “We are riding a lot of momentum heading into Road America, which is always a good thing. Trevor had a great run there last year and he understands what it takes to be successful at a tough road course. We have to be patient and methodical during the race. There will be plenty of guys out there being way too aggressive early, so we want to avoid the danger. I believe we have the equipment and the driver to pull off something amazing this weekend. If we follow the game plan good things will happen for our team.”

  • Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – NNS Race Advance – Road America

    Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – NNS Race Advance – Road America

    JACQUES VILLENEUVE – No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T

    Career Starts: 5

    Wins: 0

    Top Fives: 2

    Top 10s: 3

    Poles: 0

    Career Highlights:

    VILLENEUVE AT ROAD AMERICA

    . One of five drivers to lead a lap in last year’s race at the 4.048-mile track

    . Highest starting position: Second – 2010

    . Highest finishing position: 25th – 2010

    . Average starting position: 2.0

    . Average finishing position: 25.0

    VILLENEUVE ON ROAD COURSE

    . All five Nationwide starts have been on a road course: (Montreal (3) and one each at Road America and Watkins Glen

    . Best Finish: 3rd – Montreal (2010)

    . Has two consecutive top-five finishes at Montreal

    . Best Start: 2nd – Montreal (2010), Road America (2010)

    . Laps Led: 8

    . Led laps in all three starts at Montreal

    . Average Start: 4.2

    . Average Finish 11:2

    VILLENEUVE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

    . 1989 – began racing in Italian Formula Three

    . 1993 – moved to Formula Atlantic in the United States

    . 1995 – Indy 500 winner

    . 1995 – IndyCar Series champion

    . 1996 – joined F1’s Williams Renault

    . 1997 – won Formula One Driver’s title

    . 2007 – first NASCAR Sprint Cup start (two starts)

    . 2008 – first Nationwide Series start (one start)

    DODGE IN THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES . Dodge won its first Nationwide Series championship last year when Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski claimed the driver’s title.

    . Dodge has 34 wins in the Nationwide Series, seven of which came in 2010.

    DID YOU KNOW . Jacques Villeneuve will be making his first Nationwide Series start in a Dodge and with Penske Racing when he takes the controls of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course at Road America. It will be his sixth Nationwide Series start, all on road courses. He will also drive the No. 22 Dodge at Montreal.

    . Penske Racing and Dodge are fielding two entries in many Nationwide Series races this season. Sam Hornish Jr. has made six starts in the No. 12 Dodge Challenger from the Penske stable. Indy 500 pole winner Alex Tagliani will take over the reins of the No. 12 at Montreal.

    STAT OF THE WEEK . The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger has six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 15 races this season.

    THE NUMBERS . Dodge finished fourth (Brad Keselowski) and 35th (Justin Allgaier) in the inaugural Nationwide Series race at Road America last season.

    FROM THE CREW CHIEF: “Road America is the longest track on our schedule with long straights and big breaking zones that give one of the best road racers, Jacque Villeneuve, lots of opportunities to get the Discount Tire Dodge out front. We have tested with Jacques a couple of times and had good speeds as a result of the testing. We feel we have a good package to unload with and build from for this circuit. The challenges of having to turn both ways and stop well are something this whole No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team looks forward to.” Todd Gordon, crew chief, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T

    DODGE QUOTES: “Road America is one of my favorite tracks and I’m super excited to be returning there this weekend to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I was fighting for the win in last year’s race so I have some unfinished business at this event, for sure. This will be my first event both in the No. 22 Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesday Dodge Challenger, and with Penske Racing, so I’m really looking forward to getting in the car and seeing what we can achieve together.” Jacques Villeneuve – No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge R/T