Category: XFINITY Series

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW

No. 88 Suave Men Chevrolet / No. 7 Air Hogs Chevrolet EVENT – Alliance Truck Parts 250 (125 laps / 250 miles)

TRACK – Michigan International Speedway (2-mile D-shaped oval)

DATE – Saturday, June 18, 2011

TV / RADIO – ABC (coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 3 p.m. EST) 

Aric Almirola No. 88 Suave Men Chevrolet “After winning the truck race at Michigan last year, it’s a special place for me. I think anytime you win at a track, typically it means a little something more when you head back there. So I’m looking ahead to racing there this week. Our 88 team had a top-10 finish at California in the spring, and we want to build on that at a similar track in Michigan this weekend. The guys have been putting a lot of work in during the off-weekend, and I’m confident about the direction our Suave Men team is heading. “Getting into this summer stretch, it’s really important that as a driver you stay hydrated. Even though Michigan is up north, it’s still really hot. I really focus on my hydration. The biggest mistake you can make is to think you can get hydrated the day of the race. I used to think that way. But now I know it really is a week-long process to get yourself properly prepared.”    Josh Wise No. 7 Air Hogs Chevrolet “I’m excited to represent the Air Hogs brand on our No. 7 Chevrolet this weekend. Not only does the car look great, but we’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy a lot of their products. I had a ton of fun with their Gryphon helicopter. We flew it around the shop last week, and we certainly got a lot of attention with it.  “We’re looking at Michigan as a great opportunity to step up and perform how we feel we should. There was a pair of races earlier this year at Nashville and Richmond where we put together consecutive top-10s. That’s where we feel our 7 team is. It’s just a matter of putting together a solid race through 250 miles at Michigan.” JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

WELCOME AIR HOGS – To coincide with the announcement of its parent company, Spin Master becoming NASCAR’s primary toy licensee, Air Hogs, a leader in remote and radio controlled vehicles, makes its track debut on the No. 7 Chevrolet driven by Josh Wise at Michigan. Wise’s No. 7 features a paint scheme which showcases one of Air Hogs coolest products – the Sharpshooter. The brands’ first ever missle-launching helicopter, the Sharpshooter offers stabilizing technology that makes it easy to fly so the focus is on firing its dual missles. Air Hogs features dozens of innovative planes, helicopters and ground vehicles that have revolutionized the world of R/C technology and have given kids and adults the ability to control the most amazing vehicles from the palm of their hands. Check out all the Air Hogs products at www.airhogs.com.

SUAVE MEN ON THE 88 – Suave Men graces the No. 88 Chevrolet for the first of four races this season beginning at Michigan International Speedway this weekend. The brand was featured on the No. 7 Chevrolet at Talladega earlier this year when Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove his way to an eighth-place finish. Suave Men will also be featured on the No. 88 in races at Daytona International Speedway (July 1), Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 17) and Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 12).

TEAM JRM AT MICHIGAN- The No. 88 team won at MIS in August of 2009, tallying the team’s third of four victories that season. The team also led its first laps in NNS competition in 2006 at Michigan with Robby Gordon, who led 11 laps on the day.

ALMIROLA AT MICHIGAN – Almirola holds one Camping World Truck race victory at Michigan in 2010. He led seven laps during the 100-lap event to earn his second of two truck wins (Dover, Michigan) last season. In the Nationwide Series Almirola owns one start at the two-mile facility.

NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 squad owns one top-five, seven top-10 and 11 top-15 finishes this season.  Almirola is currently ranked fifth in the championship driver points (-46). The No. 88 team is 11th in owner points.

WISE AT MICHIGAN – The Riverside, Calif. native holds two Nationwide Series starts at Michigan. His best finish of 14th came in 2008.

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds one top-five, five top-10 and eight top-15 finishes in 2011.  Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise have shared driving duties in the No. 7 Chevrolet throughout the year, each scoring a top-10 finish. The team occupies 14th position in owner points.

JRM DRIVER SIGNINGS – Aric Almirola and Josh Wise will attend an autograph signing at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area on Saturday, June 18, from 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST.

WIN DALE JR.’S RIDE –There is still time to win the keys to Dale Jr.’s Camaro. The Dale Jr. Foundation is giving fans the chance to win one of three prizes with the purchase of a $25 raffle ticket, including a shot at Earnhardt Jr.’s own 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. The contest will run through Sept. 1, 2011, with all proceeds benefitting The Dale Jr. Foundation. For complete details visit

Dodge Motorsports NNS Race Advance

Alliance Truck Parts 250 Michigan International Speedway

Saturday, June 18, 2011

www.media.chrysler.com

www.twitter.com/teamdodge

BRAD KESELOWSKI

– No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T

Career Starts: 153

Wins: 12

Top Fives: 65

Top 10s: 91

Poles: 8

Career Highlights:

·  Posted wins in last two starts at Michigan and has not finished farther back than 13th in four races on the two-mile track.

·  The defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion.

·  Earned Penske Racing its first NASCAR champion last season.

·  Set career-best results in 2010 for wins (6), top fives (26), top 10s (29) and poles (5).

·  First Nationwide victory came at Nashville Superspeedway (2008).

SAM HORNISH

– No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger R/T

Career Starts: 25

Wins: 0

Top Fives: 0

Top 10s: 1

Poles: 0

Career Highlights:

·  Fifth Nationwide start of the season (Daytona, Texas, Talladega and Richmond).

·  Making his second career Nationwide start at Michigan; finished 25th in 2007.

·  Made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut with Penske Racing at Phoenix Int’l Raceway in the fall of 2006.

DID YOU KNOW

·  Brad Keselowski started from the pole at MIS last year and led 89 laps en route to victory.  His best finish this season came at Texas where he finished second. He has nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts in 2011 including six top fives.  His last win came at Gateway last season (17 races ago).

·  Sam Hornish Jr. has made five Nationwide starts this season.  He started second and finished seventh at Richmond, both season bests.  He followed with a 12th at Charlotte.

·  There were only two cautions in last year’s 250-mile race at MIS.  Two of the 19 Nationwide races at the track have been run without a caution.

SAM SAYS “Living in nearby Defiance, Ohio, I consider Michigan my home track so it’s nice to be able to come home for a few days and have family and friends come out to the race as well. Another reason to be excited is that Alliance Truck Parts is sponsoring the race this weekend so I feel even more privileged to be sporting their black and yellow colors. It’s always great to get back together with the No. 12 crew as well. I feel like each week together, we keep improving so I can’t wait to see how the weekend turns out.” Sam Hornish Jr., driver, No. 12 Alliance Auto Parts Dodge Challenger R/T

DODGE QUOTES “It felt really good to dominate the way we did at Michigan last year with the new Discount Tire Dodge Challenger.  As a driver, you dream about having cars that drive like that one did.  That win helped validate the win from 2009 because I heard a lot about that race being given to me.  All you can do is put yourself in position for wins and that’s what I felt I did in that race.  Last year, there was no doubt who had the best car.  We definitely need a win in 2011 and I can’t think of a better track to pick one up than Michigan.  We should have a pretty strong notes package from last year that should help us roll right off the truck with speed.  It would be pretty sweet to get three in a row at my home track.”  Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge             

“I think our intermediate track program is starting to come around to the point where I feel like we should be competing for wins.  We’re just missing that little bit to put us over the top.  Michigan should provide us with a good track to make that leap.  We had an off-weekend while the Cup cars were in Pocono, but I don’t think very many of us took a vacation.  We were all focused on getting as prepared as we can for this weekend because of the importance that is placed on running well at Michigan, especially after the dominating win by this team there last year.  Michigan, for the Nationwide Series cars, is all about momentum and keeping the car wound up the entire lap.  It’s a big, wide race track that is very forgiving, which is the reason that it is a favorite of the drivers and teams.”    Todd Gordon, Crew Chief – No.  22 Discount Tire Dodge     

“The No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts crew has been looking forward to Michigan for a few weeks now. We overcame some obstacles at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) but we are ready to move on and continue to improve. We have a brand new chassis this week, No. 220, that we have been working on in the shop these last few weeks so we’re ready to see how successful it can be. I also couldn’t be happier to represent Alliance Truck Parts for the Alliance Truck Parts 250, hopefully we can give them an extra reason to celebrate by bring home a win.” Chad Walter, Crew Chief — No. 12 Alliance Auto Parts Dodge Challenger R/T

MARK MARTIN QUICK FACTS

No. 32 Dollar General Chevy

Michigan International Speedway

Alliance Truck Parts 250

June 18, 2011

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes

• Welcome Back – Mark Martin returns to the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy this week for his third of four NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts for Turner Motorsports. In his two previous starts for Turner Motorsports this season, Martin recorded the team’s first win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and an eighth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway.

• Sorenson Back on Top – After the Dollar General team’s sixth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago, Reed Sorenson returned to the top of the NNS driver standings. It is the second time this season that Sorenson has been leading the points. He currently holds the top spot by two markers over Elliott Sadler. This weekend, Sorenson will be piloting the No. 30 Rexall Chevrolet at Michigan while attempting to keep his place atop the point standings.

• Martin at Michigan – Martin has made 11 NNS starts at Michigan International Speedway, notching two wins, eight top-fives, nine top-10s and one pole award with 304 laps led. He has an average start of 10.6 and an average finish of 5.1. Martin recorded his first NNS Michigan win in his first series start at the track in 1993, with the second two years later in 1995.

• Looking for Golden Win No. 50 – Throughout his illustrious NNS career, Martin has amassed 49 wins, the most of any driver in the series. Even though there is fierce competition for the title from Kyle Busch, who has 48 series victories, Martin enters the Michigan weekend still on top and looking for win number 50.

• Consistency Is Key for Dollar General Team – The No. 32 Dollar General team continues to prove their worth week in and week out with consistent finishes. In the 14 races run this season, the Trent Owens-led group has 12 top-10 finishes which leads all NNS teams. Additionally, the Dollar General team has posted one win and six top-five finishes, putting them third in the owner point standings.

• This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Martin will pilot TMS-130 in the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway. This is a brand new car and will see its first competitive laps this weekend at the two-mile track.

Martin on racing for Turner Motorsports again this weekend:

“I’m really looking forward to getting back in that Dollar General car for Turner Motorsports this weekend. We didn’t have the result at California that we were looking for, but still got a solid top-10 finish out of it. I’m hoping we can go out there and do what we did in Vegas and get another win for all those guys. Engines are super important at Michigan, and, of course, we have Hendrick horsepower, so that’s encouraging, too. I love racing in the Nationwide Series and am hoping to get to number 50 on the win list this week.

JUSTIN ALLGAIER QUICK FACTS

No. 31 DEFT FinishesChevrolet

Alliance Truck Parts 250

Michigan International Speedway

June 18, 2011

No. 31 DEFT Finishes Chevrolet News and Notes

• Career Win Number Two… Justin Allgaier earned his second career victory in front of his hometown fans and sponsor two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway. Allgaier led only one lap in the 300-mile event as he stretched fuel mileage close enough to coast across the finish line to claim victory for the first time this season.

• Welcome Aboard DEFT Finishes… DEFT Finishes will adorn the hood of the No. 31 Chevy Impala for Saturday afternoon’s 125-lap event at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). DEFT Finishes is a leader in the coating industry in the development of high performance, low volatile organic content (VOC) coating systems. DEFT Finishes has more than 35 years experience in lowering toxicity and air pollution in high performance primers and topcoats. Turner Motorsports uses DEFT paint products on their race cars in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS).

• Allgaier Heads to The Motor City Fourth in Points… Allgaier remained in fourth-place in the NNS championship point standings, just 11-points behind leader and Turner Motorsports teammate Reed Sorenson, after his win at Chicagoland Speedway. All three championship contending Turner Motorsports drivers are currently in the top-10, with Sorenson leading and Jason Leffler in sixth-place.

• Michigan by the Numbers… The 24-year-old DEFT Finishes Chevy driver has two NNS starts at MIS. He is credited with one top-five and two top-10 finishes. He has an average finish of 5.5 and has a 100% lap completion rate.

• This Week’s Impala… The No. 31 DEFT FinishesChevy team will hit the track with chassis TMS-121 this weekend at MIS. This chassis has impressive stats, claiming the victory at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago. Additionally this chassis saw racing action at Darlington Raceway where Allgaier started 12th and finished in the fourth spot, and earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway where he started 12th and finished in the sixth position.

• Prelude to the Dream… Allgaier along with teammates Ricky Carmichael and Jason Leffler took part in the seventh annual Prelude to the Dream last Wednesday evening at Eldora Speedway. This marked Allgaier’s second consecutive Prelude run and he didn’t disappoint. The young Nationwide Series competitor utilized his old dirt skills by winning his heat and finishing 5th in the feature event.

• In the Loop… Thus far in 2011, Allgaier ranks among the top-10 in several of NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics: Closers (1st), Percentage of Laps Run on the Lead Lap (5th), Fastest on Restarts (6th), Laps in the Top-15 (6th), Average Running Position (7th), Fastest Speed in Traffic (9th), Quality Passes (9th), Fastest Early in the Run (9th), Fastest Late in the Run (10th) and Green Flag Speed (10th).

Justin Allgaier on Michigan International Speedway:

“I love competing at Michigan. I have always run well and finished strong there. Michigan was one of the few tracks the “new car” ran last year, which gives us a strong set of notes to go off of heading into this weekend. We’re coming off a big win at Chicago and hope to continue this momentum to get back in the thick of the championship hunt.”

Follow the No. 31 team on Twitter!Twitter.com/No31TurnerNNS

Follow Justin Allgaier on Twitter! Twitter.com/J_Allgaier

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

TREVOR BAYNE

Race: Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway (125 laps 250 miles)

Team: No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Chris Andrews

Chassis: RK-646 Last Ran at Texas, April 8, 2011, finished 13th

Broadcast Information: Saturday, June 18, 2011- 3:00 p.m. (ET) ABC and 3:00 p.m. on MRN radio affiliates and Sirius channel 128

FAST FACTS

* TREVOR BAYNE will make his 10th start of the season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Michigan International Speedway

* TREVOR BAYNE at Michigan International Speedway …In two starts Bayne has one top-15 finish

QUOTES

Trevor Bayne on racing at Michigan International Speedway: “We had a great run last weekend at Chicago and I feel really good about our chances at Michigan. Our team has come a long way since the beginning of the year and I am confident we are a serious threat to win on any given weekend. The communication has been good and we unload fast every week, so this Saturday should be no different.”

Crew chief Chris Andrews on racing at Michigan International Speedway: “We are riding a little bit of momentum heading into Michigan, which is always a good thing. Trevor has a good feel for this race track and I know he qualifies well here. I am confident we can put a complete race together and win this thing. It is going to take a solid race strategy, a fast race car and a little bit of luck, so I think we have a great shot this weekend.”

REED SORENSON QUICK FACTS

No. 30 Rexall Chevrolet Impala

Alliance Truck Parts 250

Michigan International Speedway June 18, 2011

Reed Sorenson 2011 Season Starts Poles Wins Top-fives Top-10s DNFs 14 0 0 5 10 1

No. 30 Rexall Chevrolet News and Notes

·Sorenson back in the Rexall Chevy… For the third time this season, Reed Sorenson will hop out of his usual No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet to pilot the No. 30 Rexall Impala. In his two previous starts in the Rexall Chevy, Sorenson brought home 11th and 14th-place finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway, respectively.

When Sorenson jumps behind the wheel of the No. 30 machine, he doesn’t just change numbers and sponsors, he swaps teams as well. As in his previous events with Rexall on the hood, Sorenson will work with veteran crew chief Stewart Cooper and his team. Cooper and his team also work with Sprint Cup Series star Kasey Kahne when he pilots Turner Motorsports No. 30 and No. 38 entries. Sorenson and the Rexall crew can be heard on the No. 30 radio frequency (460.8875). 

·Leader of the pack… For the second time in 2011, Sorenson is the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) points leader. With a string of five consecutive top-10 finishes, he is two-points ahead of second-place Elliott Sadler and six markers in front of third-place Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the driver points standings.

·Media Availability… Sorenson will be available to the media at 10:15 a.m. EDT on Friday, June 18th in the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) media center.

·This week’s Impala… Sorenson will hit the track with chassis TMS-124 this weekend at MIS. Kahne has raced this chassis on three occasions in 2011, at Texas Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway where he finished 11th, seventh and 22nd, respectively.

·Consistency pays off… In 14 events this season, Sorenson has been one of the series’ most consistent competitors. He is credited with five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in those 14 starts, with only one finish outside the top-15. Sorenson has a 96.6% lap completion rate, a 10.8 average starting spot and a 9.4 average finishing position. He has led 83 laps and never fallen outside the top-five in the championship point standings.

·MIS: by the numbers… In five starts at MIS, Sorenson has two top-10 finishes, with 15 laps led. In his last appearance at the two-mile oval (August, 2010), he finished eighth after starting 13th, but his best finish of seventh came in the series’ 2006 event at the track. 

·Turner Motorsports welcomes back Rexall… After making their NASCAR debut last season, Turner Motorsports is pleased to continue their marketing partnership with Rexall.After one hundred years, the Rexall brand continues its commitment to providing affordable and high quality products to consumers, which is the foundation for its success.  Standing the test of time, Rexall has built a rich heritage of making life a little healthier one day at a time.  More than 280 Rexall products are available only at Dollar General across first aid, cough and cold, over-the counter medicines, children’s medicines and vitamin and supplements.     

Reed Sorenson on his 2011 season  “We have run very well this season. I am excited to be leading the points, but with this new system, the standings have been shaking up every week. We need to keep up with these solid and consistent runs.  It is consistency that is going to win this championship. I have worked with Stewart Cooper and the No. 30 team twice already this season, so I’m confident we will be successful together this weekend in Michigan.” 

Follow the No. 30 team on Twitter!Twitter.com/No30TurnerNNS  Follow Turner Motorsports on Twitter!Twitter.com/TurnerMotorspts  Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports 

Reed Sorenson Career Race by Race NNS Stats at MIS Year/Event Start Finish Laps Status Led 2005 (Aug.) 4 36 113/125 Engine 1 2006 (Aug.) 34 7 128/128 Running 13 2007 (Aug.) 4 20 124/125 Running 0 2009 (Aug.) 21 12 125/125 Running 1 2010 (Aug.) 13 8 125/125 Running 0

Avg. Start Avg. Finish Total Laps Total Led

15.2 16.6 615/628 15 Career NNS Stats at MIS Starts Poles Wins Top-fives Top-10s DNFs 5 0 0 0 2 1

Sam Hornish Jr. No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger Michigan International Speedway – Alliance Truck Parts 250 June 18, 2011

No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Team News and Notes

·         Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger, will make his sixth start of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season Saturday afternoon in the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway

·         From 2006 to present, Hornish has made a total of 25 Nationwide Series starts. He has scored eight top-15 finishes during that time and has also captured two top-five, five top-10 and eleven top-15 starting positions while competing in a limited NNS schedule over the last five years. ·         This weekend marks the sixth outing together for Hornish and crew chief, Chad Walter, who called the shots for the No. 12 Penske Racing Nationwide Series team in the past and helped guide driver Justin Allgaier to top-six championship finishes in each of the last two seasons.

·         Hornish heads to Michigan with good momentum after he started seventh and finished 12th in the NNS race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28.

·         This will be Hornish’s second NNS race at Michigan International Speedway and his eighth start at this track overall for Hornish, who hails from nearby Defiance, Ohio.

·         Alliance Truck Parts, the primary sponsor of the No. 12 car, is also the title sponsor of the NNS race at MIS this weekend

·         Hornish’s Dodge Challenger will carry one of the in-car cameras featured during the ABC-TV race broadcast on Saturday, which begins at 3:30 pm ET.

Sam Hornish Jr.’s comments on this weekend’s Alliance Truck Parts 250 “I am very excited to be racing this weekend at Michigan in the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge. Living in nearby Defiance, Ohio, I consider Michigan my home track so it’s nice to be able to come home for a few days and have family and friends come out to the race as well. Another reason to be excited is that Alliance Truck Parts is sponsoring the race this weekend so I feel even more privileged to be sporting their black and yellow colors. It’s always great to get back together with the No. 12 crew as well. I feel like each week together, we keep improving so I can’t wait to see how the weekend turns out.”

Crew Chief Chad Walter’s comments on this weekend’s Alliance Truck Parts 250 “The No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts crew has been looking forward to Michigan for a few weeks now. We overcame some obstacles at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) but we are ready to move on and continue to improve. We have a brand new chassis this week, No. 220, that we have been working on in the shop these last few weeks so we’re ready to see how successful it can be. I also couldn’t be happier to represent Alliance Truck Parts for the Alliance Truck Parts 250, hopefully we can give them an extra reason to celebrate by bring home a win.”

Sam Hornish Jr. Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Results Date Venue Start Finish Laps Status 5/25/2011 Charlotte Motor Speedway 7 12 199/200 Running   4/29/2011 Richmond International Raceway 2 7 250/250 Running   4/16/2011 Talladega Superspeedway 12 13 124/117* Running   4/8/2011 Texas Motor Speedway 16 16 149/150 Accident   2/19/2011 Daytona International Speedway 17 36 53/120 Accident   11/20/2010 Homestead-Miami Speedway 12 21 200/200 Running   8/22/2010 Bristol Motor Speedway 20 14 250/250 Running   8/9/2008 Watkins Glen International 8 36 40/82 Accident   5/31/2008 Dover International Speedway 20 23 195/200 Running   5/24/2008 Charlotte Motor Speedway 13 39 66/202 Accident   5/9/2008 Darlington Speedway 12 11 149/149 Running   5/2/2008 Richmond International Raceway 28 15 253/253 Running   4/20/2008 Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez 11 13 80/80 Running   4/5/2008 Texas Motor Speedway 43 19 198/200 Running   11/17/2007 Homestead-Miami Speedway 6 38 113/200 Accident   11/10/2007 Phoenix International Raceway 29 39 22/203 Accident   11/3/2007 Texas Motor Speedway 16 31 194/200 Running   8/18/2007 Michigan International Speedway 21 25 124/125 Running   5/4/2007 Richmond International Raceway 28 43 16/250 Accident   4/7/2007 Nashville Speedway 13 25 218/225 Running   3/17/2007 Atlanta Motor Speedway 5 15 195/195 Running   2/24/2007 Auto Club Speedway 16 35 132/150 Accident   2/17/2007 Daytona International Speedway 27 31 114/120 Running   11/18/2006 Homestead-Miami Speedway 24 43 20/200 Accident   11/11/2006 Phoenix International Raceway 27 36 183/203 Accident    *Extra Laps indicate there were two attempts at a Green/White/Checkered Finish

No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Crew Catalog Position Name Front Tire Changer Jay Hackney Front Tire Carrier Michael Warren Jackman Josh Peck Rear Tire Changer Travis Johnson Rear Tire Carrier Larry Robinett Gas Man Chris Williams

Joey Logano / No. 20 GameStop Toyota Preview

Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway

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

·     KA-CHOW: “LIGHTNING” LOGANO HOPES TO RIDE HIS CAR INTO VICTORY LANE :  Cars 2: The Video Game will ride along with Logano at Michigan International Speedway.  Inspired by the upcoming Disney-Pixar animated film, Cars 2, the game lets players jump into the Cars 2 universe with some of their favorite Cars personalities in exotic locations around the globe, including Mater and Lightning McQueen, as well as some brand new characters, as they train in the international training center to become world-class spies. Players can race against friends and family in either single or multiplayer modes with up to four players to unlock challenging new tracks, characters, events and thrilling spy missions. The game releases June 21 and will be available for the Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Macintosh and Nintendo DS.

·     NEW PHILOSOPHY FOR THE NO. 20 TEAM… JUST WIN BABY WIN:  Due to a lack of sponsorship, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team was forced to miss the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Chicagoland Speedway, the first time the No. 20 JGR car has missed an NNS event since the 2002 season.  Now, with the team out of the race for the Owner’s Championship, they are going to finish out the rest of the year with a new philosophy… just win.  Not racing for points, the new philosophy will allow the team to do a number of things to give them their best chance to win, from taking risks during fuel mileage races, to making a different pit strategy call near the end of races.  The No. 20 JGR team already has one win and nine top 10 finishes in 2011.

·     MICHIGAN A TOP-10 TRACK FOR LOGANO:  Michigan International Speedway hasn’t been Logano’s worst track on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, but it hasn’t been his best either.  In fact, Logano has only raced at Michigan twice in the Nationwide Series and only once in the No. 20 GameStop Toyota.  Logano’s first shot at Michigan was in 2008 when he drove the No. 18 to a seventh place finish.  Logano didn’t race at the track in 2009 and came back to finish sixth in the No. 20 GameStop Toyota in 2010.  In four-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the track, Logano has racked up three top-10 finishes.

·     CHASSIS:  The JGR team will take chassis #20127 to Michigan International Speedway this weekend.  This is the first time this chassis will hit the track in 2011.  Chassis #20107 will serve as the team’s backup.

·     STAT OF THE WEEK:  0  In two races at Michigan International Speedway, Logano has never earned a top-five finish.  In fact, it is one of only six tracks on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule that Logano has failed to record a top-five finish (others include Atlanta, Darlington, Montreal, ORP and Richmond).

·     THE RACE:  The Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, MI, 2-mile oval) is set for Saturday, June 18, 2011.  The race will be broadcast on ABC at 3:30 p.m. EST, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 3 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 9 0 4 6 1 89 $221,510 6.7 7.1

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats: Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Earnings Avg. Start Avg. Finish 75 8 37 60 16 1436 $2,741,764 7.2 7.1

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Michigan International Speedway: Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Earnings Avg. Start Avg. Finish 2 0 0 2 0 0 $44,553 7.5 6.5

Joey Logano Quotes: “Michigan is one of those tracks that I’ve always been good at, but never quite good enough to contend for the win. That’s  really surprising because Michigan is so similar to California and I’ve always been really successful at California.  I don’t know what the difference is, but I’ve only run a couple of races at Michigan and run more at California, so maybe it is just track time.  We’ve been successful in the Cup Series at Michigan and I think the more I learn, the more that will carry over.  Every week I get in the car, be it the Nationwide Series car or the Cup car, I’m learning something new.  There is always something to be learned in the car.

“I like the new philosophy that our team is going to go after in Michigan.  We just want to win races.  We’ve always been in it to win races, but I think there were times that maybe we would have made a conservative call to not fall way back in the field, which is what we needed to do to stay in the Owner’s Championship standings.  Now that we are in it to win it, we can go after it for all that it’s worth.  And Michigan is normally a fuel mileage race, and that philosophy could come down to it this weekend.  It should be a lot of fun.

“We’ve got the Cars 2 game on the car this weekend, and that is always pretty cool because I’ve love the original Cars movie and I’m sure the second movie is going to be a great.  All of us in racing and all of us who are big fans of cars in general loved the movie Cars, so to get to represent it on the track is awesome.  There are some cool paint schemes we’ve had over the years and to have a movie like Cars on the car is pretty neat.”

Adam Stevens Quotes: “Michigan is definitely a horsepower track, so hopefully we’ll be pretty good because the engine department here at Joe Gibbs Racing has been working extra hard to get our Toyota engines even more power, which is always a good thing at a place like Michigan.  Michigan is also a very aero-sensitive track as well, meaning you need to keep the car clean and keep all of the fenders on it.  The last thing you want to do is wrinkle a fender and mess up your aero, because you will get tight and your day will be ruined.  And that can happen on those double-file restarts with as crazy as they’ve been this year.

“A lot of people really say Michigan is similar to Fontana and it; Michigan just has a little more banking.  And Michigan really tends to change grip a lot with track temperature changes, so as a crew chief, you have to stay on top of the changes and make sure the driver is giving you the best feedback possible so you know what to do to the car.  Joey and my communication continues to get better and better each week and he’s great at giving feedback, so that shouldn’t be an issue.  In the end, Michigan is a great track to race because there is lots of room and multiple lanes to race in, which makes for an exciting race.”

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