Category: XFINITY Series

REED SORENSON QUICK FACTS

No. 32 Dollar General Chevy

Darlington Raceway

Royal Purple 200

May 6, 2011

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes

• Sorenson’s Season in Review – In his nine NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts in 2011, Reed Sorenson has amassed two top-fives and five top-10s with six laps led. He has an average start of 13.1 and an average finish of 11.7. After leading the point standings for two consecutive weeks early in the season, Sorenson is currently ranked fourth and has yet to fall from the top-five.

• Sorenson at Darlington Raceway – Sorenson will be making his first NNS start since 2006 at the “Lady in Black” this weekend. Sorenson has scored one top-10 finish in three starts, which came in his track debut back in 2004. He has an average start of 25.7 and average finish of 14.7. Sorenson has finished on the lead lap in all three of his starts completing all of the attempted 441 laps.

• Coming Home – This weekend’s race is a homecoming for two members of the No. 32 Dollar General team. Crew chief Trent Owens and team engineer Tristan Smith hail from Darlington, South Carolina. Owens graduated from St. Johns High School in 1993 while Smith earned his degree from Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology in 2000.

• Dollar General Exceeds Million Dollar Goal In Autism Awareness Campaign – Throughout the month of April, Dollar General offered customers the opportunity to make donations to Autism Speaks during check-out to honor Autism Awareness month which was observed in April. Through the generous support and donations from their customers, Dollar General raised over one million dollars for Autism Speaks. The Autism Speaks logo was featured on Dollar General’s NASCAR Nationwide Series No. 32 car, driven by Reed Sorenson, throughout April to raise awareness for the campaign.

• Thanking the Father of Mother’s Day – This weekend is a big one for Turner Motorsports marketing partner the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE). The international nonprofit organization is credited with leading the charge to found Mother’s Day. Past Grand Worthy President of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Frank E. Hering, made the first known public plea for “a national day to honor our mothers” in 1904. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed Mother’s Day the second Sunday in May and in 1925 Hering was introduced as the “Father of Mother’s Day”.

• This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Sorenson will pilot TMS-122 in the Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway. This car has been run twice this season, at Texas Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, both resulting in top-10 finishes for the Dollar General team.

Sorenson on Darlington Raceway :

“Darlington is a track that doesn’t necessarily reward aggressiveness, especially early in a run. You want to try and save your tires as much as you can. It’s a difficult task for us as drivers because, by nature, we want to get after it right off the bat. While the “Darlington Stripe” is almost a badge of honor, it’s not something we go in search of for obvious reasons. We are bringing a proven Dollar General Chevy this weekend, one we’ve gotten a couple of top-10s with at Texas and Nashville. I’m definitely looking for more of the same this weekend. The points race is just so close and I’d love to get up there and challenge my teammates for the lead.”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @DollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Clint Bowyer

No. 33 RUUD Chevrolet Impala

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 10 of 34 – Darlington Raceway   

BOWYER IN THE HOT SEAT AT DARLINGTON: Driver Clint Bowyer returns to the seat of the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala this weekend for a Friday night date with the “Lady in Black.” In six previous NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Bowyer has two top-five and three top-10 finishes. The driver has led 13 laps around the 1.366-mile track with a best start and finish of second in 2008.

KHI WOES WITH THE LADY IN BLACK: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) looks to finally tame Darlington Raceway, one of the tracks that has eluded the organization in both Nationwide Series starts and finishes. Darlington is one of 11 tracks on the current series schedule where KHI has not won a race or a pole. Driver Ryan Newman collected KHI’s best start and finish at the South Carolina oval in 2009. Behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet Newman started the event from the outside pole and finished in the sixth position.

SHADES OF GRAY: The No. 33 Chevrolet will swap its familiar black and red Rheem colors for shades of gray this weekend to showcase RUUD, a proud member of the Rheem family of quality brands. KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick drove the No. 33 Chevrolet to an eighth-place finish with a similar RUUD paint scheme in this event last season.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 RUUD team has prepared chassis No. 071 for this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway. The KHI team, led by crew chief David Hyder, has utilized this particular chassis in two events this season. Kevin Harvick drove the car to a third-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. in March. The following week at Texas Motor Speedway, Paul Menard wheeled this chassis to a back-to-back third-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Paul Menard and the No. 33 Menards team collected a second-place finish last Friday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. After starting from the sixth position, Menard spent the majority of the 250 laps racing in the top 10 before coming across the finish line in second-place. The solid finish by the KHI team advanced the No. 33 two positions in the Nationwide Series Owner’s Point standings. The team heads to Darlington ranked second, 30 points behind the standings leader.

BOWYER’S THOUGHTS ON RACING AT DARLINGTON:

What are your thoughts about this Friday night’s race at Darlington?

“Darlington Raceway is one of those tracks that are just tough to get around and really tough to win at. It really tests your skills on every lap. The history of the place makes it so cool though. I have had some good runs there in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. I won my first Sprint Cup Series pole in 2007 there, so that adds to making the track special. To win at Darlington would definitely make it more special, especially considering how tough the track can be.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to work with David Hyder and the No. 33 KHI team this weekend. We had a good run at Daytona and fell on some bad luck at Talladega. I’m hoping this Friday night we’ll find better luck and even better, victory lane.”

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 Rheem:

Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta. In its 86th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Raypak, RUUD and Rheem, have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water-heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI) and is a primary sponsor of RCR’s No. 29 Sprint Cup Series car and KHI’s No. 33 Nationwide Series car and Camping World Truck Series No. 2 truck. Harvick was named Nationwide Series “Driver of the Decade” in 2010.

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (May 2, 2011) – Scott Riggs will drive the No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge for R3 Motorsports in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway.

While the “track too tough to tame” might be a daunting task to some drivers, Riggs actually looks forward to taking on the 1.366 egg-shaped oval whenever he gets the chance. No stranger to the NASCAR circuit, Riggs is a race winner in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series ranks.

This weekend, he’s going to utilize that experience and knowledge towards a solid finish in the No. 23 Dodge for R3 Motorsports. And, if his past dance stats with the Lady in Black are any indication of what could happen; Riggs should garner some good style and step points with the judges.

And, if he can keep the momentum going from the team’s best finish of the season when Robert Richardson, Jr. wheeled it to a 20th place finish last weekend at Richmond – all the better.

Fast Facts: Riggs is a veteran of NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series competition amassing nine wins, 38 top-five and 75 top-10 finishes with 11 pole awards throughout those series. His biggest success has occurred in NNS competition with four wins, 19 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes with three pole awards through 86 starts.

Track Facts: This will be Riggs first NNS start of the 2011 season, and sixth at Darlington Raceway. In the five previous NNS starts, the Durham, N.C. native has never finished outside the top-20 while earning two top-10s and one top-five finish. His best start was fourth (Spring ’02), best finish of third (Spring ’03), has a completion average of 99.7% (660 of 662) laps contested and led 25 circuits around the track.

Car Facts: Walter Giles and team are bringing the team’s workhorse Dodge for 2011 with chassis No. 54 to Darlington. This car has raced at Las Vegas (22nd), Texas (26th) and Nashville (34th, mechanical problems) this year.

Did you know: Scott Riggs has more Sprint Cup Series starts (177) than his NNS (86) and NCWTS (43) green flags combined?

Tune in for the Win: The final, and only, practice is being held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. (ET) on Friday, but not covered. ESPN2 picks up the coverage with qualifying at 3:35 p.m. then race action at 7:30 p.m. for all 147 laps of Friday night fun under the lights. You can listen to it live on MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 128, as well.

Scott Riggs Quotes: “I’m looking forward to getting back out on the track this weekend, and I couldn’t think of a better place to do that than Darlington. I know some drivers don’t care for the place because it’s so tricky, but I love the track and have had some pretty good runs there in the past. Getting in the No. 23 Dodge for R3 Motorsports is going to be a good deal because I know Walter (Giles, crew chief) and the guys put a lot of effort into their car preparation. This will be my first race of the year, so I’m going to do everything I can to have a good showing for everyone. I appreciate Mr. Richardson and Rob Jr. for this opportunity to drive their car. Friday night under the lights – at Darlington – I can’t wait.”

Elliott Sadler 

No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 10 of 34 – Darlington (S.C.) Raceway

TWO TAMING: This Friday, Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team head to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for the 10th race of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Sadler is no stranger to tangling with the track “Too Tough to Tame,” having made a combined total of 26 Darlington starts in NASCAR’s top three series. Sadler has two pole awards at the 61-year-old facility, having earned his first-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole at Darlington in 2003, as well as a Nationwide Series pole at the track in 1997. On the Nationwide side, Sadler has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes in seven starts at the 1.336-mile egg-shaped oval, completing 98.5-percent of scheduled laps.

BACK TO BLACK: Sadler has already danced with the “Lady in Black” in 2011, competing in the Truck Series race in March of this season. In his first ever truck start at the track, Sadler started from the eighth position and went on to lead 16 laps before bringing home a seventh-place finish.

LADY TROUBLES: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) looks to finally tame Darlington Raceway, one of the tracks that has eluded the organization in both Nationwide Series starts and finishes. Darlington is one of 11 tracks on the current series schedule where KHI has not won a race or a pole. Sadler hopes to be the one to break the streak for KHI when the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet rolls into town.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 OneMain Financial team will utilize chassis No. 070 this weekend at Darlington Raceway. This is the same car that Sadler drove through the field from 34th to finish fifth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in March.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sadler came to his home track, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, sixth in the running for the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, but a top-five finish bumped the Virginia native up four spots in the Driver’s Point standings. After a fourth-place finish under the lights, Sadler now sits second in points, only six markers outside of first.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler

How do you feel about Darlington Raceway?

“Darlington is a very cool place with a lot of history and a special energy to it. I’ve been to a lot of races as a fan so it brings back a lot of memories for me, and it has also been special in terms of milestones in my career. I got my very first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole there, and I got a pole there in 1997 in the Nationwide Series car, so competition-wise I feel like it’s a great racetrack for me. There’s so much tradition and history at Darlington, so you always want to go there and do well. We learned in the Truck Series race a couple of months ago that the track is becoming a lot different since it’s starting to age again, and tire wear is starting to be an issue again. Our event is a night race, so it brings back that Friday night racing fever that you used to have growing up on short local tracks.”

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 Jessica Trippy at KHI at jtrippy@kevinharvickinc.com.

CitiFinancial

CitiFinancial, soon to be OneMain Financial, is the premier community lender in North America. With more than 1,300 locations across the United States. CitiFinancial has been serving communities since 1912. Additional information may be found at www.citifinancial.com.

Citi

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

Driver also picks up Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (April 30, 2011) – Robert Richardson, Jr. and the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Dodge of R3 Motorsports enjoyed a solid run at Richmond International Raceway in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

And, making it even better was Richardson picked up his first post-race award of the season for his efforts, as well.

After logging his second-best qualifying effort of the season, Richardson rolled off the starting grid in 29th place. When the green flag dropped for the 250-lap race on the .75-mile oval, it quickly became apparent the Walter Giles-led team was in for a good night with their lap times and how the car handled in the turns.

The only thing they had to do was avoid mechanical failure, flat tires, fuel problems and other people’s mistakes. However, the one factor no team can avoid is long, green-flag runs that prevent pit stops for adjustments.

Such was the case as the first caution flag didn’t wave until the halfway point of lap 125 where Richardson was running 27th. With a fuel window between 95-100 laps, this forced everyone to make green-flag pit stops along the way.

When that first caution did wave, there were only 11 cars still on the lead lap. Giles called for fuel, tires and adjustments. Returning to action in 25th place, Richardson had his work cut out for him with 120 laps left. So did Giles as he had to figure out how to get the most out of the fuel tank, car and driver to gain a good finish.

For the next 100 laps, Richardson held his own running in the mid-20s to maintain track position. Giles had the task of figuring out if another caution would wave to pit for fuel, or time that final pit stop just right to make it to the end.

Making their final stop under green, the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Dodge was having great runs allowing Richardson to stay on the track while others had to pit for fuel. With the final caution falling with five laps to go, Richardson was in perfect position to capitalize on that for the restart.

With a green/white/checker finish, Richardson and the No. 23 Dodge team of R3 Motorsports earned their first top-20 finish of the season. Because of that finish, Richardson received the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award for being 14 places better than his last race. This also moved him up to 21st in the Driver’s Points and the No. 23 Dodge team up to 31st in the Owner’s Points, just six markers out of 30th and seven out of 28th place.

The team heads to Darlington Raceway for next weekend’s race on Friday night.

Robert Richardson, Jr. quotes: “Finally. We finally put an entire race together without any stupid things knocking us out of the race or causing us to have a bad finish. I can’t say enough about this crew and Walter (Giles, crew chief) on how they work. Their persistence and determination paid off. We were good when we came off the truck, got better in practice and had a really good race. Our pit stops and pit strategy were both great and it showed in the race. This finish was good for the team in a lot of ways; I had fun out there Friday night.”

Camry driver Denny Hamlin won Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Virginia’s Richmond International Raceway.

The Chesterfield, Va.-native led three times for 199 laps (of 251) to earn his 11th career NNS victory, and his sixth in a Camry.

The win was the fifth of the 2011 season for Toyota and the 59th triumph for a Camry since joining series competition in 2007.

Ryan Truex also earned a top-10 finish for Toyota with an eighth-place result — his first top-10 in the series.

Camry drivers Steve Wallace (111th), Kenny Wallace (13th), Brian Scott (15th), Michael Annett (16th) and Kelly Bires (30th) were also in the field.

Five Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NNS point standings following nine of 35 2011 races in the season — Scott (eighth), K. Wallace (ninth), S. Wallace (11th), Annett (12th) and Truex (16th).

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 20 SportClips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 1st How excited are you to win at your hometown track? “I’m just so proud to give Adam Stevens (crew chief) his first win in the 20 car. These guys have been battling to get this team where it needed to be and they definitely showed by their performance tonight. I can’t thank everyone from SportClips enough for supporting this program, supporting me on the Cup and Nationwide side. It’s just everyone at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), Toyota, Coke, Gillette, everyone from Nike and Jordan brand. Thank them for their support this year. And I’ve got to thank the fans. They’ve just been great for coming out here tonight. Wiley X, FedEx — everyone who puts their time and money into this program. It makes it worthwhile when you have days like this.”

What did you think when your crew chief told you to start saving fuel? “It’s just hard to tell a driver, ‘Slow down. Slow down.’ It’s completely out of our mentality. He had a plan and knew we were right there on the number. I had a feeling we were going to make it. I felt pretty comfortable about that. Man, it’s a great feeling to win here at Richmond.”

How big is this weekend? “It’s been good for sure. Obviously, we knew this was a big weekend in general for myself to kind of get back on track on the Cup side. I needed a few good nights before the Cup race to kind of get the ball rolling so everything has been good so far this week. Obviously, the win last night and then tonight was a little bit bigger so hopefully we just continue that ladder.”

What did you shoot for your ‘record’ round of golf? “It wasn’t great. I shot an 81, but for a 23 handicap that’s pretty damn good.” How does it feel to come home and get some wins after a tough start to the season on the Cup side? “Any small victory goes a long way. Maybe I won last night because I had a record round of golf on Wednesday — I don’t know. It’s just one big snowball that’s just rolling and rolling and hopefully it goes on and continues on. For me, this is a particularly special win because I started my career with the 20 car and basically built, I felt like, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide program to what it is now. It’s good to see these guys back in victory lane. We were able to get Kevin Kidd (No. 11 crew chief) his first win last year and obviously Adam (Stevens, crew chief) this year. JGR is so deep within their personnel they are able to just put guys in positions and they’re able to succeed because of the people around them and what they’ve learned. Adam is just another, I guess you could say chip off the old block as far as the crew chiefs at JGR continuing to be successful.”

Were you nervous about fuel mileage as the race winded down? “The good thing about it is we’re not racing for points, we’re racing for wins. I say we’re not racing for points, but the 20 car is up there in the owner’s points so we’ve got to protect that. We’re out here to win and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) is out here to win. We’re going to do everything we can. I guarantee if he said we were three laps short we were going to make a way to make it to the end.”

ADAM STEVENS, crew chief, No. 20 SportClips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How does it feel to get your first win as a crew chief? “Well, you know, it’s pretty special. Obviously, you know if you bring Denny Hamlin to Richmond you have a good shot. You just give him what he wants and what he asks for and if you can give it to him he’ll be there.”

ADAM STEVENS, crew chief, No. 20 SportClips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued) How close would the fuel issue have been for you if there wasn’t a caution late in the race? “The way we had it figured we were fortunate early in the race to have a long green flag run so we had a good read on our actual fuel mileage. Obviously, on the short runs you can’t use those. By the numbers we were two laps to the good. I was just banking on that we had a lead and it would’ve been foolish for me not to back him (Denny Hamlin) down and not maintain that lead when the people behind us were saving fuel. They were kind of keying off of us. We were to the good side.”

RYAN TRUEX, No. 99 Aaron’s Toyota Camry, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 8th How was your race tonight? “We had a good race. We didn’t start off that great. We were all over the place there, but these guys worked hard and Jerry (Baxter, crew chief) made good calls and did everything right. Got our car fixed up and got our laps back and just never gave up. We kept fighting and got ourselves a top-10.”

How excited are you to get your first top-10 in the series? “It’s my first top-10 in the series so it feels like a win to me. We worked hard at it tonight. We’ve been battling this whole year. We struggled with the race cars and getting the handle on these new race cars. Gelling with me and my new crew chief (Jerry Baxter) and having a whole new team and everyone behind us, it’s been a little while to get gelling. I feel like we’re really making some strides and we made a lot of progress today in the race. We started out I think a lap or two down and I think we ended up getting it back. Just raced hard all night, followed them and never gave up and ended up with a good finish. I’m proud of all of those guys and I just want to thank them for the opportunity. It’s pretty cool to be up here.”

How has it been racing with an injured wrist? “It hasn’t bothered me at all. It’s been pretty pain-free and easy to drive with so no problems here with the hand. I’m just happy to be out here still running. Even though I’ve got a wing down I’m still able to go out there and run fast so I’m pretty happy about it.” What happened to your wrist? “Pretty much it was broken for two years and I didn’t know. I found out and got surgery on it, got a cast on it and now I’m here.”

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 11th

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 American Ethanol Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Finishing Position: 13th Are you disappointed with your finish after running in the top-five most of the race? “I’m just completely devastated. To run second to fourth all night long and to finish 13th. I’m just really disappointed, you know. We made a mistake — we pitted too early and had to go to the tail end of the longest line. Made a mistake, so I guess we went from third to 13th. It doesn’t feel good. It’s devastating. I’m demoralized.”

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 15th

MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Oakley Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 16th

KELLY BIRES, No. 18 Heil Heating & Cooling Products Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 30th

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]Carl Edwards captured the pole for Friday’s nights Nationwide Series Bubba Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway with a lap of 125.046 MPH.

Sam Hornish Jr. qualified second, Brian Scott third, Aric Almirola fourth and Justin Allgaier qualified fifth.

Lineup
Bubba Burger 250, Richmond International Raceway
April 29, 2011 – Race 9 of 35
=======================================
Pos.    No.     Driver Make   Speed Time
=======================================
1        60      Carl Edwards  Ford    125.046         21.592
2        12      Sam Hornish Jr.        Dodge 124.844         21.627
3        11      Brian Scott     Toyota 124.786         21.637
4        88      Aric Almirola   Chevrolet       124.39 21.706
5        31      Justin Allgaier Chevrolet       124.355         21.712
6        33      Paul Menard   Chevrolet       124.35 21.713
7        9        Kenny Wallace          Toyota 124.184         21.742
8        18      Kelly Bires     Toyota 123.995         21.775
9        6        Ricky Stenhouse Jr.   Ford    123.978         21.778
10      22      Brad Keselowski       Dodge 123.876         21.796
11      20      Denny Hamlin Toyota 123.706         21.826
12      19      Mike Bliss      Chevrolet       123.559         21.852
13      87      Joe Nemechek         Chevrolet       123.536         21.856
14      66      Steve Wallace Toyota 123.457         21.87
15      32      Reed Sorenson         Chevrolet       123.446         21.872
16      38      Jason Leffler  Chevrolet       122.945         21.961
17      7        Josh Wise      Chevrolet       122.761         21.994
18      2        Elliott Sadler   Chevrolet       122.688         22.007
19      70      David Stremme        Chevrolet       122.582         22.026
20      99      Ryan Truex*  Toyota 121.995         22.132
21      16      Chris Buescher         Ford    121.99 22.133
22      40      Scott Wimmer          Chevrolet       121.979         22.135
23      1        Mike Wallace  Chevrolet       121.567         22.21
24      51      Jeremy Clements      Chevrolet       121.408         22.239
25      62      Michael Annett          Toyota 121.403         22.24
26      81      Blake Koch*   Dodge 121.169         22.283
27      44      Jeff Green     Chevrolet       121.125         22.291
28      28      Derrike Cope  Dodge 120.854         22.341
29      23      Robert Richardson Jr.          Dodge 120.52 22.403
30      89      Morgan Shepherd     Chevrolet       120.434         22.419
31      39      Charles Lewandoski* Ford    120.407         22.424
32      15      Timmy Hill*    Ford    120.032         22.494
33      79      Tim Andrews  Ford    119.973         22.505
34      168     Matthew Carter        Chevrolet       119.713         22.554
35      175     Johnny Chapman      Ford    119.142         22.662
36      30      James Buescher       Chevrolet       118.985         22.692
37      14      Eric McClure   Chevrolet       118.431         22.798
38      49      Dennis Setzer Chevrolet       118.146         22.853
39      52      Kevin Lepage  Chevrolet       116.868         23.103
40      141     Carl Long       Ford    116.807         23.115
41      174     Mike Harmon  Chevrolet       116.149         23.246

RICHMOND, Va. (April 29, 2011) – When the green flag drops on the Nationwide race tonight at Richmond International Raceway, it will mark the NASCAR debut of Roush Fenway development driver Chris Buescher. Buescher will fill in for Roush Fenway’s Trevor Bayne, who is undergoing tests for symptoms that are thought to be related to the insect bite he sustained earlier this month, and will be unable to race the car.

“What an opportunity,” said the 18-year old Buescher, who had no intention of such a ceremonious milestone this weekend. “I got the call about 8:30 a.m. central (time) and they told me to pack up all my things; I thought they were sending me back to Charlotte (Buescher was in Chicago getting reading for the ARCA Series race in Salem, Ind.).

“It’s a really big opportunity to run a Nationwide race,” said Buescher who currently sits third in the ARCA Series point standings. “We did not have any plans for that this year. I hate this is at Trevor’s expense, but you just have to make the most of the opportunity and we’ll look to get the No. 16 Ford up front.

“I’m so thankful to Jack Roush and Robbie Reiser, and all of our thoughts and prayers are with Trevor and hoping he gets better,” added Buescher. “But I am going to do whatever I can to make a good showing here.”

Buescher will also make his racing debut at the 3/4–mile Richmond International Speedway, known for racing excitement, but he appears to have a game plan for success.

“Obviously I’ve watched a lot of races here,’’ he said. “It’s a really fun track and it looks really hard to pass. Chris Andrews (No. 16 NNS team crew chief) and Mike Beam (No. 60 NNS team crew chief) have both already told me that patience is the key. Keep the fenders on it, keep a clean car and be able to run at the end.”

Buescher, who was 11th in this morning’s practice session, has his eyes set on a potential top 10 in his Nationwide Series debut.

“Obviously as a race car driver you go out wanting to win,” said Buescher. “But really I’d like to log some laps, get some good experience, drive the car up front and bring home a solid top-10 finish and we’ll be happy.”

Buescher has finished top five in both of his ARCA races this season, including an impressive second-place run earlier this year in Daytona. In addition, he has two career wins, thee poles, eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 17 career starts in the ARCA Series.

He is a development driver for Roush Fenway Racing and runs a limited ARCA Series schedule with the Roulo Bros in the No. 17 Ford. He will do double duty this weekend, competing in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 in the ApplianceZone.com/Jasper Engines and Transmissions/Roulo Bros Ford No. 17 Ford on Sunday.

“It has been crazy,” said Buescher. “I’m in a whirl wind, but it has sunk in and we have a little more focus and I think we are going to be good.”

Buescher will start 21st based on his qualifying effort on Friday. The Nationwide race is set for 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised live on Speed.

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

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