JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW
No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet / No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
EVENT – Royal Purple 200 (147 laps / 200 miles)
TRACK – Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile egg-shaped oval)
DATE – Friday, May 7, 2011
TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 7:15 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola
No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet
“Darlington is very tough. The saying ‘too tough to tame’ fits that place perfect. It’s a fast track, too. They certainly didn’t design it for the speeds we run these cars at today, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so challenging. You’re going 180 mph getting into turn three and you’re coming up on a tight corner where you have to get all your turning done in a hurry. You have to slow way down. The groove down there is really narrow. It’s barely wide enough for two cars to fit on the banking, so passing becomes difficult. There is not much room for error because you run so close to the fence all night. One tiny little mistake and the next thing you know you’re in the fence. You’ll see a lot of guys show up there with wood in their right side door bar because they know they’re going to hit the fence. It may be tough, but it’s a lot of fun in the process.”
Josh Wise
No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
“There is a lot you have to remember as you’re going around the track at Darlington, as far as holding your line in certain places. You can run down into one and two, get back to the gas and probably turn the car down to the bottom a lot earlier than you should. But you have to remember to hold it up and make that late break to the apron of turn two.
“Darlington will be a challenge for me, I’m sure. But I’m ready for it. I only have one other start there, but this TaxSlayer.com team is carrying a lot of momentum from the past couple of weeks. We’ve got a lot to build on with this team, and I’m hoping we can come out of there with another good run.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
EXCLUSIVE DARLINGTON PREVIEW VIDEO – Visit http://www.jrmracing.com/ www.jrmracing.com to watch this week’s exclusive Darlington preview video. Hear firsthand what Almirola and Wise think about racing at the storied “Lady in Black”, and learn the secret to success there with Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Eury Jr.
TEAM STATS – JRM has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway in its eight races since 2006. The No. 88 Chevrolet earned the team’s best Darlington finish of third last year with Jamie McMurray behind the wheel. NASCAR veteran Scott Wimmer secured the team’s first top-10 finish in 2009.
WISE UPDATE – Wise is fresh off consecutive top-10 finishes with the No. 7 TaxSlayer.com team. His 2011 statistics in four races with the No. 7 Chevrolet include two top-10s and three top-15 finishes. He also led a season-high five laps in the No. 7 Chevrolet in Nashville. Wise has one start at Darlington but succumbed to an overheating issue in the No. 61 car to finish 34th in 2010.
iRACING.COM TEAMS WITH JR MOTORSPORTS – JRM’s No.7 Chevrolet, driven by Josh Wise, will race under iRacing.com colors in NASCAR Nationwide Series events this summer at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (July 30) and Iowa Speedway (Aug. 6). The partnership is in support of the all-new iRacing 2.0, the popular online racing service’s dramatic new software release. This long awaited release will add many user enhancements and features to the popular online, multi-player racing title and will once again set the bar as the premier racing simulation on the market. Read the complete press release here http://www.jrmracing.com/news/2011/05/03/iracingcom-teams-with-jr-motorspor ts-to-announce-iracing-20> .
ALMIROLA AND THE LADY IN BLACK – Almirola’s lone NNS start at Darlington came in 2007 with Joe Gibbs Racing. He owns one start in Camping World Truck Series competition and earned a ninth-place finish in 2009. Additionally, Almirola has respective finishes of 12th and 14th in the two previous night races this season (Texas, Richmond).
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds one top-five, four top-10 and six 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 at least a top-10 finish. Patrick earned the team’s best finish of the season when she finished fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the highest finishing female in any NASCAR national touring series race. The team occupies 13th position in owner points.
NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 GT Vodka squad owns four top-10 and eight top-15 finishes this season. Almirola has led at least one lap in four of the past five races, and is currently ranked sixth (-17) in championship points. The No. 88 is 11th in owner points.
NUMEROUS JRM DRIVER APPEARANCES – Race fans will have multiple opportunities to meet JRM drivers Aric Almirola and Josh Wise this weekend at Darlington. On Thursday, May 5, the pair will attend the 7th Annual Darlington Hauler Parade to sign autographs and answer questions from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EST at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, S.C. On Friday, May 6, Wise will appear at the Nationwide Insurance interactive display in the Darlington Raceway fan area from 2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST. Almirola will also be at the display from 5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST. Both drivers will then attend an autograph signing at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area from 5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. EST.
VISIT THE RELAUNCHED ALMIROLA WEBSITE – Are you a fan of Aric Almirola? Visit his newly relaunched website at www.aricalmirola.com and get inside access to all the cool and interesting facts about the Tampa, Fla. native. The site includes a complete biography, photo gallery, and updated race reports.
NEW JRM RACING WEBSITE – http://www.jrmracing.com/ JRMracing.com is the digital home of the JR Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series race teams. Visit it for more information about the company, its history, and drivers, including Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise. Watch exclusive video content, including pre-race reports with drivers and crew.
