Category: XFINITY Series

Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series

FAST FACTS

WHAT: Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Race 7 of 34-race schedule.

WHEN: Saturday, April 16, 2011; 2 p.m. CDT

WHERE: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.

TV/RADIO: Live on ESPN 2 and MRN Radio Network

RACE LENGTH: 311.22 miles (117 laps)

PURSE: $1,180,958.00

DEFENDING

RACE WINNER Brad Keselowski (2 hr., 1 min., 30 sec.)

QUALIFYING: Qualifying for the NASCAR Nationwide Series is Friday, April 15, starting at 11:10 a.m. CDT

DEFENDING

POLE SITTER: Kevin Harvick (187.375 mph)

QUALIFYING

RECORD: Joe Nemechek, 192.517 mph; April 24, 1997

RACE RECORD: Mark Martin, 168.937 mph (1 hr., 50 min., 32 sec.); April 26, 1997

TICKETS: Contact the Talladega Superspeedway ticket office at 1-877-Go2-DEGA or log on to www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

The Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race is set for Saturday, April 16: Two-day Saturday/Sunday tickets start at $49; Single-day Saturday tickets are $40 for grandstands and $50 for towers. Kids age 12 and younger admitted free with a ticketed adult (Frontstretch Lower General Admission Grandstands only).

PARKING: Day parking for automobiles is free on Talladega Superspeedway grounds.

TRACK PR

CONTACT: Andrew Smith, Senior Manager of Public and Community Relations, 256.223.1852 (cell); 256.315.4556 (office); 256.761.4717 (fax); 256.761.4947 (media center); arsmith@talladegasuperspeedway.com (email)

NOTES OF INTEREST:

DOUBLE DUTY

At least 11 drivers will attempt to run both the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday, April 16 and the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, April 17.

PAST WINNERS RUNNING NATIONWIDE RACE

A slew of past race winners are competing in the Aaron’s 312. Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip are all entered in the Aaron’s 312 and have won in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway.

Mike Wallace and Joe Nemechek have both found themselves in Gatorade Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, while Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett have both won in the ARCA Racing Series at Talladega.

VARIETY IN VICTORIES

Of the 19 Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, there have been 16 different winners, with Joe Nemechek and Martin Truex Jr. as the only repeat winners. Last year’s Aaron’s 312 winner, Brad Keselowski, joined other one-time Aaron’s 312 winners David Ragan, Tony Stewart, Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt, Ken Schrader, Chad Little, Greg Sacks, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Mike McLaughlin, Jason Keller, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Labonte.

COKE TRACK WALK

Coca-Cola Racing Family members Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Bobby Labonte will participate in the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk following the Nationwide race on Saturday. The Walk begins 30 minutes after the end of the Aaron’s 312.

ANYBODY’S GAME

The NASCAR Nationwide Series new car makes its race debut at Talladega, but this won’t be its first time on the track. The new car tested at Talladega in October 2009 so the teams that participated have notes in hand. One of the goals of the new car was to provide competitive balance in the NASCAR Nationwide Series garage, and following last Friday’s victory at Texas by 2007 series champion Carl Edwards – his first win of the season – all four manufacturers have now won in the new car.

Dodge and Chevrolet each had two wins among the new car’s four races last year, and Toyota claimed its first new car win this year at Phoenix courtesy of 2009 series champion Kyle Busch. Dodge is seeking its first win of 2011.

A different manufacturer has won the last four races at ‘Dega. Dodge, with 2010 series champion Brad

Keselowski, won this race last year. Keselowski has had somewhat of a snake-bitten season, but has momentum after posting his best finish of the season, second, at Texas.

Toyota leads the manufacturer’s standings by three points over Chevrolet, which has been the dominant manufacturer over the 19 previous Talladega races with 12 wins. However Chevy hasn’t won since 2007 with 1991 series champion Bobby Labonte. Ford is in the hunt in third, six points out of the lead. Dodge is 15 points back.

SERIES-ONLY REGULARS GETTING THEIR WISH

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship contenders – series-only regulars who are eligible for the driver championship since they selected the series to compete for points at the start of the season – have long said racing against double-duty drivers is a challenge they embrace.

Through the first six races of the season, which have averaged 6.4 double-duty drivers entered, series-only regulars have been represented among the top-10 finishers at a 4.7 clip.

SCOTT FINDING HIS FOOTING AT JGR

With names like Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, Brian Scott may have been the forgotten man in the strong Joe Gibbs Racing stable. But Scott, in his first year with the organization, has quietly been showing progress. He scored his second top-10 finish of the year last week at Texas and has been showing improvement since a disappointing start to the year at Daytona – 34th due to engine failure.

Since Daytona, Scott’s average finish is 11.6, and he has moved up to eighth in the standing. That ranking is tied for his career best, coincidentally since after this race last year at Talladega when he also was eighth. Last year in his series track debut at Talladega, he finished 10th, one of two series-only regulars in the top 10 and best among returning “regular guys.”

Scott is 45 points behind standings leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and two points behind seventh-place Trevor Bayne. Stenhouse had another strong outing last week, finishing eighth last Friday at Texas. He’s collected five top-10 finishes in the first six races, which is tied for the series lead with his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Carl Edwards.

FREE INFIELD CONCERT SATURDAY NIGHT

Tim Dugger and Gretchen Wilson will perform a free infield concert for all infield guests and Sunday Aaron’s 499 ticket holders on Saturday night. Dugger opens the show at 7:15 pm with Wilson set to perform at approximately 8:45pm. Guests will be asked to show their Aaron’s 499 ticket at the Gate V9 crossover or at the tram stop by the North Tunnel.

PRE-RACE DIGNITARIES

Jaime Butler from Snellville, GA will sing the national anthem for Saturday’s Aaron’s 312. Allen Singley of Alabama Raceway Ministries will deliver the invocation prior to the race.

Representatives of the Wounded Warrior Project will deliver the driver’s command as Grand Marshal and the winner of the Aaron’s PT Rodeo will wave the green flag as Honorary Starter.

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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW   No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet / No. 7 Suave Men Chevrolet

EVENT – Aaron’s 312 (117 laps / 312 miles) TRACK – Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile tri-oval) DATE – Saturday, April 16, 2011 TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 3 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 2:30 p.m. EST)   Aric Almirola No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet

“The best way to describe racing at Talladega is it’s kind of like going 200 mph blindfolded. You’re so close to the car in front of you pushing him, you can only see what’s directly in front of you. It’s why you typically can’t see a wreck until you’re in it. You really depend a lot on your spotter at Talladega.

“It’s not a tough place to drive physically, but it’s very mentally draining. All race long you’re just trying to position yourself in the best possible place, while at the same time trying to figure out what your competitors are doing. You’ve heard people say it’s like a chess match, and that’s a good analogy. It’s all about positioning yourself in those closing laps. I know Pops (Tony Eury Sr.) and the crew had a great car there last year. They led a lot of laps and were in contention all race long. Maybe we can capitalize on that this weekend.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 7 Suave Men Chevrolet

“This will be the first time this year I’ll get to work with Tony (Eury) Jr., so I’m looking forward to that. My first two races in the Nationwide Series this year we wanted to give our buddy Chris Heroy a shot to be the crew chief and call his own race since we were running three cars. But working with Tony Jr. is always fun, especially at Talladega. He builds a really good super-speedway car, and it’s always fun to drive. No matter how the race ends, we’ll put on a show for sure. It ought to be a good time.

“We’ll know Thursday after the two practices what to expect as for the style of racing. The two-car draft has been the way to get around the past few years. I guess it became a little more noticeable at Daytona this year, but it’s been this way for a few years. I don’t particularly like the two-car drafting, because I’d rather have control of just what I’ve got to do rather than worrying about somebody else.  But restrictor-plate racing is a game. You still have to be lucky, and you still have to survive. We’ll race smart and hopefully the JR Motorsports cars work well together so we can have something for them at the end.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –   EURYS’ SUCCESS – While many are familiar with the Earnhardt family’s success at Talladega, the name Eury is just as synonymous with their success. The father/son combo of Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Eury Jr. has combined for 12 wins at Talladega Superspeedway over the course of their careers. The pair served as crew chief and car chief on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car when he won five races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (four consecutively from 2001 to 2003), and both were on Dale Earnhardt’s winning team in the Nationwide Series event in 1993.

THE BOSS IS BACK – Earnhardt Jr. has two starts in Nationwide Series competition this year with finishes of fourth (Daytona) and third (Bristol). But this is his first start behind the wheel of the No. 7 Suave Men Chevrolet. He piloted the No. 5 Chevrolet in his previous starts in 2011 to earn an average finish of 3.5.

WINNING COMBINATION – Talladega will feature the Earnhardt Jr./Eury Jr. combination for the first time in 2011. In the pair’s most previous collaboration they went to victory lane in the summer event at Daytona International Speedway in 2010 with the familiar No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet.   NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 GT Vodka team has earned two top-10 and five top-15 finishes this season. Almirola is currently ranked sixth (-31) in championship points and the No. 88 is 11th in owner points.   ALMIROLA AT TALLADEGA – The bulk of Almirola’s success at Talladega came in the Camping World Truck Series. In three starts he has twice finished second, and averaged a finish of 8.7. In his only start in Nationwide Series competition, Almirola finished 20th. Racing four times in the Sprint Cup Series, the Tampa, Fla. native secured a best start of third and best finish of 13th in fall 2008.    EARNHARDT JR. AT TALLADEGA – In seven career Nationwide Series starts at Talladega, Earnhardt Jr. has one win (2003), three top-fives, five top-10s, and has led 90 laps, leading in six of those seven events. This marks Earnhardt Jr.’s third start at Talladega under the JR Motorsports banner. During his Sprint Cup career, he has amassed five victories, including four consecutive wins from the fall of 2001 through the spring of 2003. 

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – Earnhardt Jr. will become the third driver to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet this year, joining Danica Patrick and Josh Wise. The No. 7 Suave Men team has one top five, one top-10 and three top-15 finishes this season. The team occupies 16th in owner points.

  JRM AT TALLADEGA – JR Motorsportshas earned one top-five with four top-10 finishes at Talladega. The team has led 71 laps dating back to its first event there in 2006.

DRIVER APPEARANCES –Aric Almirola and Josh Wise will both appear at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area to sign autographs on Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CST.

NEW JRM RACING WEBSITE–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- and post-race reports with drivers and crew.

· Leffler is back in the No. 38 Great Clips Impala… This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Leffler will jump back into the driver’s seat of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet. He is splitting his time between the No. 38 Great Clips Impala (25 races) and the No. 30 AccuDoc Solutions Impala (eight races) to compete for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver championship.

· Talladega Superspeedway: by the numbers… In seven starts at the 2.66-mile tri-oval, Leffler has captured two top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has an average start of 9.1 and an average finishing position of 19.6. With seven laps led, Leffler is listed 10th in NASCAR’s loop-data statistics for percentage of laps led. His best finish came in 2008 when he finished third after starting from the fourth position.

· This week’s Impala…. This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the No. 38 team will unload chassis TM-108. This is the same chassis Leffler piloted in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, where he brought home a sixth-place finish after starting 22nd.

· Second in line… Leffler currently sits second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver point standings, 14 points behind Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Teammates Justin Allgaier and Reed Sorenson are also top-five in the standings, sitting third and fifth, respectively.

· Remembering Beau – This weekend at Talladega, Turner Motorsports’ four NASCAR Nationwide Series entries will carry decals honoring the life of former ARCA Series competitor and Turner Motorsports employee Beau Slocumb who lost his heroic battle with cancer last weekend. Slocumb made four ARCA starts in 2009, logging an impressive 7.0 starting average combined with a solid 11.2 average finish. The 26-year-old driver logged a pair of top-10 finishes over those four starts including a career-best fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Slocumb began his career racing Legends cars and climbed the professional ladder through the late model ranks, earning 131 feature wins in Legends and late model competition, and eventually making his mark in the ARCA series. He is survived by his wife Jessica, parents Burke “Buster” and Jeanne, brothers Seth and Daniel and sister Maggie. Memorials can be made to the Ryan Newman Foundation, Hospice of Iredell County (N.C.) or Hospice of Central Georgia.

· Start of a new era for Turner Motorsports… The 2011 season marks the start of a new era for Turner Motorsports. The team has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series, fielding three entries in the NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Three of the team’s regular NNS drivers (Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier) have been pegged as viable contenders to win the 2011 NNS driver championship.

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

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

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

Follow Jason Leffler on Twitter! Twitter.com/JasonLeffler

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Leffler on Racing at Talladega Superspeedway

“Restrictor-plate racing is pretty challenging but it’s a lot of fun. While it’s not something I’d like to do every week, it’s fun to mix it up and throw in a couple of these races each year. We learned a lot about the new cars at Daytona in February and that will help us at Talladega. I expect to again see the two-car drafts, which is an advantage for a team like Turner Motorsports, where we have three teammates we can draft with. Hopefully we can build on what we already know and get this Great Clips Chevy back into victory lane at the end of the day!”

On the DG Chevy this week: Hanes, Purina, Hefty, Stacker2, Totinos, American Greetings, Arrid, Angel Soft

REED SORENSON QUICK FACTS

No. 32 Dollar General Chevy

Talladega Superspeedway

Aaron’s 312

April 16, 2011

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes

· Texas Weekend Recap – Racing at the home track for owner Steve Turner, Reed Sorenson left Texas Motor Speedway with a solid seventh-place finish after starting 12th. The finish moved Sorenson up one spot in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver’s point standings to fourth, tied with Elliott Sadler, 30 points out of the lead.

· Sorenson At Talladega – In five NNS starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Sorenson has an average start of 17.0 and average finish of 29.0 with one lap led. Sorenson’s highest finish of 17th came after starting 13th in his second start back in 2006.

· Dollar General Partners with Autism Speaks – Throughout the month of April, Dollar General is offering customers the opportunity to make donations to Autism Speaks during check-out to honor Autism Awareness month. In addition, the Autism Speaks logo will appear on Dollar General’s NASCAR Nationwide Series No. 32 car, driven by Reed Sorenson, for the month of April to drive awareness for the campaign.

· Remembering Beau – This weekend at Talladega, Turner Motorsports’ four NASCAR Nationwide Series entries will carry decals honoring the life of former ARCA Series competitor and Turner Motorsports employee Beau Slocumb who lost his heroic battle with cancer last weekend. Slocumb made four ARCA starts in 2009, logging an impressive 7.0 starting average combined with a solid 11.2 average finish. The 26-year-old driver logged a pair of top-10 finishes over those four starts including a career-best fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Slocumb began his career racing Legends cars and climbed the professional ladder through the late model ranks, earning 131 feature wins in Legends and late model competition, and eventually making his mark in the ARCA series. He is survived by his wife Jessica, parents Burke “Buster” and Jeanne, brothers Seth and Daniel and sister Maggie. Memorials can be made to the Ryan Newman Foundation, Hospice of Iredell County (N.C.) or Hospice of Central Georgia.

· This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Sorenson will pilot TMS-109 in the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis he drove to a fifth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in February.

Sorenson on racing at Talladega:

“I really haven’t had the greatest statistics at Talladega over the past few years, but I think we have a really good chance coming into the race this weekend. The car we are bringing is the same one I drove at Daytona in February and I really like it a lot. We’ve never raced these new style cars at Talladega so I think it will be interesting to see if we race in a pack or have the two-car drafts like we did at Daytona. It’s really great to have teammates like I do at Turner because we are all able to work together and help each other out. I really like our chances as a team.”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @myDollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Brian Scott   No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota   Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway   

No. 11 Shore Lodge Team Notes of Interest

·   Brian Scott and the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota team travel to Talladega Superspeedway for the second restrictor-plate race of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season for this weekend’s Aaron’s 312.

·   Scott has only one previous start at Talladega in Nationwide Series competition. He led one lap in route to a 10th-place finish at Talladega in 2010.

·   In addition to the lone Nationwide Series start at Talladega, Scott has made two career starts at Talladega in Camping World Truck Series competition. Scott finished seventh after leading a lap during his first start at Talladega in 2008. He finished 23rd in Truck Series competition after getting caught up in an accident during the 2009 event at Talladega.

·   Last Race: Scott earned a top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway during last weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at the 1.5-mile track. Scott started the race from the 13th position and led once for a total of two laps before finishing the race in 10th place. It is the second top-10 finish of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season for the Idaho native. The laps he led at Texas were the first laps led by the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota team in 2011.

·    Scott gained another position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings following his 10th-place finish at Texas. He is currently in eighth place in the standings, 15 points out of the top five and 45 points behind the championship point leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

·   Chassis #110 is the car Scott will race this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same car Scott raced during the season-opening race at Daytona in which he qualified 11th. Scott was caught up in an accident on lap 15 and spent several laps in the garage for repairs. He eventually finished the race in 34th place. The team put a new front clip on the car and has made it race ready for this weekend’s event. The backup car is Chassis 115 which was the backup car for Daytona and has not yet been raced.

·   The car is a brand new chassis for Joe Gibbs Racing. The backup car for the race will once again be Chassis #106. This chassis has been the backup for all of the races in 2011 and is also new for this season.  The car was used at the test in which Scott participated at the Walt Disney World Speedway in January.

·    To access information on Brian Scott and No. 11 Team visit: www.joegibbsracing.com and follow twitter.com/bscottracing and twitter.com/joegibbsracing.  

Scott Quotes on the upcoming race at Talladega Superspeedway: “I’m looking forward to going back to Talladega and working more and trying to get better at the two car drafts.  I felt like I struggled and was behind.  I didn’t get much practice with that at Daytona and it ended up biting us and we didn’t get a good finish.  We’ll go there and try to work on that – master that – and hopefully get a good finish and move on.”    

No. 11 Shore Lodge Team Primary Team Members: Crew Chief – Kevin Kidd                                     Car Chief – Colan Ingle                                        Engine Builder – Mark Cronquist     

Lead Engineer – Kenneth Oates                       Engine Specialist – Dan Bajek                            Spotter – Tim Fedewa   Over-The-Wall Crew Members: Jackman – David O’Dell                                       Front Tire Changer – Nick Krizmanich                              Front Tire Carrier – Tom Dean Gas Man – Chris Webb                                       Rear Tire Changer – Rocco Antonino                               Rear Tire Carrier – Ben Stege   Other Crew Members: Truck Drivers – Charles Sampson                     Tire Specialist – Ryan Martin                                             Shock Specialist – Scott Myers         

Mechanic – Ben Chase                                       Mechanic – Tony Hamm

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Aaron’s 312 FAST FACTS

Team:              No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:        Mike Kelley

Chassis:            RK-665                                       THE STATS 

Date        Event                      S    F        Laps      Status        Winnings            4-25-10  Aaron’s 312          3        29    118/120    Running      $25,668

                          Races        Wins    Top-5s    Top-10s    Money          Cumulative            1                0          0              0          $25,668

THE QUOTES  

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford Mustang:  HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO RACE RESPECTFULLY AT TALLADEGA BECAUSE THE TRACK IS SO WIDE AND SO SMOOTH?  “It’s hard.  Speedway racing takes a lot of patience and I’m learning that more and more.  Every race takes patience but it seems like the superspeedways demand more patience.  With the way we drafted at Daytona with two cars tied up together I feel like it kind of takes a little bit of that out of play but definitely have to be in the right position at the right time still.  Running up front there with the guys like Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, I think they have a little bit more respect for me.  Trevor [Bayne, Roush Fenway Racing teammate] and I both were really fast together but outside of that I really didn’t have anybody that would go with me [smiles].  I’m definitely looking forward to getting to Talladega.  I’d like to work with one of our teammates for sure but I feel like I got a little bit more respect and get some different drafting partners.” 

Mike Kelley, Crew Chief, No. 6 Blackwell Angus Ford Mustang:  IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY YOU PREPARE CARS FOR TALLADEGA VERSUS DAYTONA? “Not as much anymore with the changes that Daytona made to their track this year.  The thing about Talladega that makes it a little easier for us is the track size and shape is a little more forgiving with this new two-car draft.  It’s not as tight entering and exiting the corners.”

IS IT FRUSTRATING THAT SO MUCH IS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL AT TALLADEGA? “It’s tough when you know that at any given moment that thing could come back on a rollback and everything you’ve built is gone. We’ve been really fortunate, knock on wood, with the programs that I’ve been on the last few years that we’ve been able to have fast enough cars to stay out of the big wrecks.  We build ‘em to race and we build ‘em fast and let it take care of itself and if you happen to get caught up in something you can’t let it pull you down.  It’s like going to the Roulette table and betting all on red or black.  It is what it is.”

THE FACTS

Stenhouse Jr. leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings by 14 points over second-place Jason Leffler and is 24 ahead of third-place Justin Allgaier…Will be making his fifth Nationwide Series restrictor plate start this weekend and has started 10th-place or better in each of those races…His five top-10 finishes are best among Nationwide Series regulars…Has completed 1,168 of 1,170 total possible laps this season (99.8 percent). 

THE TEAM

Name                                              Duties                                      Ricky Stenhouse Jr.                Driver                    Mike Kelley                Crew Chief            Seth Barbour                Engineer                                                  Richard Letendre                Car Chief    Chris Letourneau                Front Tire Changer Kyle Coolidge                Front Tire Carrier Kevin Kramzer                Jack Man Josh Frankos                Rear Tire Changer Jon Bernal                Rear Tire Carrier Brian Carr                Gas Man/Truck Driver CB Gilbert                    2nd Gas Can Spotter                    Mike Calinoff Larry Lally                2nd Truck Driver Edgar Alleman                Engine Tuner/Support Lance Allen                Pit Support Joe Elliott                    Pit Support Kenny Deguisto                 Pit Support Jeff Cordero                Pit Support

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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.

About Blackwell Angus® beef Blackwell Angus® beef is quality U.S. Angus beef at an everyday price. It is hand-selected, hand-cut and grain-fed to be consistently juicy and flavorful. Blackwell Angus beef is available at select retail stores throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.BlackwellAngus.com. Become a fan at www.facebook.com/blackwellangusbeef.

Joey Logano / No. 20 GameStop Toyota Preview   Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway   No. 20 GameStop Toyota News, Notes & Paint Scheme:

·     JOEY HOPES TO “FINISH HIM” WITH MORTAL KOMBAT:  This weekend, the No. 20 GameStop Toyota will carry the look of the new Mortal Kombat game, which comes out for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 on April 19.  Driven by an all new graphics engine, the fan favorite series is back and presented in more gory detail than ever before. Mortal Kombat introduces a number of game-play features including tag team and the deepest story mode of any fighting game. Players can choose from an extensive lineup of the game’s iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches, or take on several new game modes. Mortal Kombat introduces a number of game modes as well as an online experience. Up to 4 players can battle “tag-team”- 2 players can team up in the new “Co-op Arcade Mode” or compete against another team online.

·     A LITTLE REDEMPTION AFTER DAYTONA:  Logano is looking forward to returning to the restrictor-plate track of Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, especially after his strong run at Daytona to open the year in the No. 20 GameStop Toyota.  Logano led for a total of 22 laps in Daytona and was considered the car to beat, along with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, heading into the final laps.  Logano and Busch hooked up in the two-car draft and were heading to the front on the white-flag lap, with Busch pushing Logano into the lead, when Busch’s front bumper hooked Logano’s rear bumper and forced the No. 20 into the wall.  Logano limped around to finish 12th in the event.

·     TALLADEGA  A STATISTICAL GEM:  Talladega Superspeedway is one of Logano’s best statistical tracks.  The 20-year-old has raced at Talladega twice in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, finishing third (in 2009) and second (in 2010).  In both races, Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota was credited with pushing the eventual race winner (David Ragan in 2009 and Brad Keselowski in 2010) to the checkers.  Logano is not only good in the Nationwide Series at Talladega, but also has been strong at the track in the Sprint Cup Series, racking up three top-10 finishes in his four-career starts at the 2.66-mile track.  Talladega is the only track that Logano has a start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as well, coming back in 2008.  He started sixth and run up front all day long before getting caught up in the “big one” late in the going.

·     CHASSIS:  The JGR team will take chassis #20129 to Talladega this weekend.  The chassis is new, built this year in the JGR shops in Huntersville, NC.  The team was originally planning to take chassis #20105, but it was heavily damaged in the wreck at Daytona.  Chassis #20103 will serve as the team’s backup.

·     STAT OF THE WEEK:  1st.  A series of consistent finishes to start the season, including last week’s fourth-place at Texas Motor Speedway, has launched the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota into first-place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s point standings.  The No. 20 has a one-point lead over the No. 60 for Roush-Fenway Racing and the No. 33 of Kevin Harvick Inc.  However, as of now, the No. 20 is not scheduled to run all of the races in 2011.

·     THE RACE:  The Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway (Talladega, AL; 2.66-mile high-banked oval) is set for Saturday, April 16, 2011.  The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3:00 p.m. EST, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 2:30 p.m. EST.   

Joey Logano Quotes: “I really feel like Talladega owes me one after the last two years there.  We’ve pushed the eventual winner to the victory the two years in a row now, so maybe this year, it’s my turn and someone will help push me and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota to the victory.  I mean, it’s cool to be able to help someone out, especially my good friend David Ragan a couple of years ago, but I want to get my first victory at a restrictor-plate track.  

“I really like restrictor-plate racing and I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at it since I started. I’ve run really well in everything I’ve driven at Talladega, from my Cup car to the Nationwide car, Truck Series and even in ARCA.  I’ve just never been able to get a win.  I have learned a lot about racing in the draft and what moves to make and when to make them.  There is an art to it for sure.  It is a little different though in the new Nationwide Series car with the two-car draft.  That two-car deal is very important.  But we showed in Daytona that we are good in the draft and if you get hooked up with the right person, you can get to the front.  Hopefully, this will be our year at Talladega.  I’d love to get Adam and all of the new guys on the No. 20 team into Victory Lane.  

“I got a chance to see the Talladega car with the Mortal Kombat paint scheme on it in the shop and it looks sick.  It will be a nice change from the red and black car we’ve run the first few races of the year.  It will stand out for sure.  I think the fans are going to love it.  The thing is so detailed, especially when you see it up close.  People walking around in the pits and on pit road before the race will stop and look at the car.  It’s a car that will look awesome in Victory Lane photos, so hopefully, we can get it there.”  

Adam Stevens Quotes: “Everyone knows what to look out for at Talladega, which is the importance of the draft and staying out of the big wreck.  Talladega is one of those tracks where, as a crew chief, there isn’t quite as much to do to the car as there is at most other tracks.  We still have to make the right adjustments and get the car handling the best we can, but the draft has such a different effect on the cars. So, the best we can do is get the car as comfortable for Joey as we can and then let him go out there and do his thing in the race.  It’s not that making the right adjustments, be it wedge or air pressure, isn’t as important, but handling isn’t the biggest thing at places like Talladega and Daytona.  It’s more aero and speed.  

“I feel like our superspeedway program is right there.  Both our team and the No. 18 team (with driver Kyle Busch) ran really strong at Daytona.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the finish that we should have, but we were right there fighting for the lead at the end.  So much of these races comes down to who you are hooked up with and who can push who.  Hopefully, Joey and Kyle can get hooked up like they did at Daytona and get the Gibbs cars up front.  We’ll see how it all shakes out come Saturday, but I know we’ll be right there in the thick of things again.”    

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

The Headlines:

Former Talladega Winner Returns: Michael Annett revisits the legendary Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, a track where he was victorious in 2007 winning the ARCA RE/MAX 250 under the banner of loyal sponsor Pilot Travel Centers. Annett’s victory came after securing a starting spot on the outside pole and leading 75 laps of the 94 lap race. Saturday afternoon’s Nationwide Series Aaron’s 312 will be Annett’s third career Nationwide Series start on Talladega’s 2.66 mile superspeedway.

A First for Toyota at Talladega: Not only was Michael Annett’s Talladega Superspeedway victory memorable because it was his first ever win in the series, but Annett also marked the record books by bringing Toyota to victory lane for the first time in ARCA Racing Series history.

Superspeedway Success: Michael Annett’s win at Talladega Superspeedway was his first of two victories on a NASCAR sanctioned superspeedway, with his second being in the 2008 ARCA 200 on the famed banks of Daytona International Speedway. Longtime supporter Pilot Travel Centers was on board with Annett for both of these trips to the winners circle.

Meet and Greet with Michael Annett: Fans have the opportunity to meet Pilot Flying J driver Michael Annett on Friday at the Lincoln, Ala. Pilot Travel Center (121 Honda Drive). Located just seven miles from the track, Pilot Travel Centers will host Annett for autographs from 5-6 p.m. local time on Friday, April 15. Rusty Wallace Racing’s No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota Camry show car will also be present at the Lincoln, Ala. Pilot Travel Centers location with appearances Wednesday, April 13 through Saturday, April 16, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. local time.

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

From the Cockpit:

Michael Annett on Talladega Superspeedway

“Returning to Talladega always brings back great memories of my ARCA win there. It would be great to bring Toyota and Pilot Flying J back to victory lane this weekend with Rusty Wallace Racing. We’re going to do our best to make that happen.”

The Machines:

Team 62 Primary: RWR-057 – This Rusty Wallace Racing chassis was new at the 2011 Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The Talladega Superspeedway event will be the second race for this car.

Team 62 Secondary: RWR-051 – Rusty Wallace Racing competed with this car in 2010 Nationwide Series events at Daytona International Speedway (July), Michigan International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (October).

Pilot Flying J Locations on the Way:

Pilot Flying J provides 10 Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J locations along the roads of the state of Alabama. Thirteen of these locations are conveniently positioned near Talladega Superspeedway. 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-20 Exit 165)

121 Honda Drive

Lincoln, AL 35096

Flying J

(I-65 & SR 94 Exit 264)

224 Daniel Payne Drive

Birmingham, AL 35207

Pilot Travel Center

(I-20/59/65/AL-78 Exit 123)

901 Bankhead Hwy W

Birmingham, AL 35204

Pilot Travel Center

(I-20 & GA 100 Exit 5)

882 Georgia Hwy 100

Tallapoosa, GA 30176

Flying J

(I-20/I-59 Exit 104)

6098 MacAshan Drive

McCalla, AL 35111

Pilot Travel Center

(I-20 Exit 19)

625 Carrollton Street

Temple, GA

Flying J

(I-20 & Hwy 113 Exit 19)

15 Villa Rosa Road

Temple, GA 30179

Pilot Travel Center

(I-85 Exit 41)

1645 South Highway 29

Newnan, GA 30263

Pilot Travel Center

(I-65 Exit 334)

3240 Point Mallard Parkway

Priceville, AL 35603

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:

NNS Qualifying

Friday, April 15

12 p.m. ET

SPEED

Aaron’s 312

Saturday, April 16

3 p.m.

ESPN 2

Clint Bowyer

No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Impala

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 7 of 34 – Talladega Superspeedway

BOWYER BACK FOR SUPERSPEEDWAY ACTION: Clint Bowyer will climb back behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Impala this weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the first time since the NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February. Bowyer, who sat on the pole, finished a close second to Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) teammate Tony Stewart in the first race of 2011. The KHI one-two finish, the third for the company in Nationwide Series competition, also landed the organization in the record books. Stewart edged the No. 33 by 0.007 seconds, the closest finish in the Nationwide Series at Daytona and the third closest in series history.

WINLESS AT DEGA: The Emporia, Kan. native has seven starts at the 2.66-mile Alabama track in the Nationwide Series with one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Bowyer started from the pole once (2004) and has a best finish of fifth (2006). This weekend will mark Bowyer’s first Nationwide Series race at the track with KHI and he’ll be on a mission to erase his goose egg in the Talladega win column.

KHI SUCCESS: Over the last eight seasons, the KHI stable has fielded cars between six different drivers at Talladega: Tony Stewart (three races), Burney Lamar, Bobby Labonte, Cale Gale, Ryan Newman and KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. In total, the organization has posted four top-five and four top-ten finishes, along with a victory from Labonte behind the wheel of the No. 77 KHI Chevrolet in 2007.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Rheem team will utilize chassis No. 067 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis the team competed with in the season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February. In that event, Bowyer drove the No. 33 machine to a second-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Paul Menard took to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Menards Chevrolet Impala last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. In his first Nationwide Series start of the season and his first start with KHI, Menard qualified the No. 33 Chevrolet in the fifth position and drove to a third-place finish. The solid performance pushes the KHI team closer to the Owner’s Point lead. The No. 33 is in third place, one point out of first.

BOWYER’S THOUGHTS ON TALLADEGA:

What are your thoughts going into this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway?

“We were so close to winning the race at Daytona back in February. The No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet was super fast. We started from the pole and had a great run. We finished second and it was cool that KHI won with [Tony] Stewart but I really wanted to win that race. I’ll have great teammates in Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler this weekend. I’m really looking forward to being back in the No. 33 KHI car and hopefully I’ll get the win this time.”

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.

Kevin Harvick

No. 4 Armour Vienna Sausages Chevrolet Impala

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 7 of 34 – Talladega Superspeedway

HUNGRY FOR A NATIONWIDE WIN: Kevin Harvick heads to Talladega Superspeedway in an attempt to capture his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at the famed 2.66-mile racetrack. Over the past 11 years Harvick has made six appearances at Talladega in the series, five for current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner Richard Childress and one in his own equipment under the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) banner. Harvick has posted two top-five and three top-10 finishes at the superspeedway, with a personal best finish of second in 2006, the same year he won his second series championship.

NATIONWIDE SERIES SUCCESS: In the last eight seasons at Talladega, the KHI stable has fielded cars for six different drivers: Tony Stewart (three races), Burney Lamar, Bobby Labonte, Cale Gale, Ryan Newman and KHI co-owner Harvick. In total, the team has posted four top-five and four top-ten finishes, along with a victory with Labonte behind the wheel of the No. 77 KHI Chevrolet in 2007. Overall KHI has led 113 laps between the eight races at the superspeedway.

Harvick can take credit for 51 of the 113 (45.1%) laps led by a Nationwide Series KHI driver at Talladega. The driver, who has posted 37 career wins in the series over the past 13 years, has yet to win at this superspeedway.

MAKE A PIT STOP: Armour Vienna Sausages wants you to fuel up with Armour. Armour products fill you up while you’re on the go and keep you going all day long. Now every time you fill up with Armour Vienna Sausages, Chilli, Stew or Hash Armour will help you fill up your ride. Consumers who buy 10 dollars’ worth of Armour products can visit www.armourpitstop.com to redeem their receipt and receive a three dollar gift card to use on their next pit stop.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 4 KHI team, led by crew chief Bruce Cook, will utilize chassis No. 065 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis that Tony Stewart drove to victory lane during the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February this season.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: The No. 4 KHI Chevrolet Impala made its last appearance in the Nationwide Series season-opening event at Daytona in February, with two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart at the wheel. Stewart started the race in the 14th position before crossing the finish line in the top spot. The driver edged KHI teammate Clint Bowyer in No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet by 0.007 seconds, the closest finish in the series at Daytona and the third closest in series history. The one-two finish also gave KHI its third one-two finish in the Nationwide Series competition.

HARVICK’S THOUGHTS ON TALLADEGA:

What are your thoughts going into the Nationwide race at Talladega?

“I have always really liked the bigger tracks. This kind of racing is way more mental than it is physical. The No. 4 team won at Dayton in this car so I’m looking forward to this weekend. Our superspeedway program continues to get better with each and every race. I’ve found success at Talladega in the Cup Series winning last fall, and I’m hoping to continue KHI’s success on the superspeedways in 2011.”

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 Jill Frischmann at KHI: jfrischmann@kevinharvickinc.com.

About Pinnacle Foods:

Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, with offices in Mountain Lakes and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of high-quality branded food products in the frozen foods and dry foods segments. The dry foods segment consists primarily of Duncan Hines® baking mixes and frostings; Vlasic® pickles, peppers and relish; Armour® canned meats; Open Pit® barbeque sauce and Mrs. Butterworth’s® and Log Cabin® syrups and pancake mixes. The frozen foods segment consists primarily of Aunt Jemima® frozen breakfasts; Swanson® and Hungry-Man® frozen dinners and entrees; Van de Kamp’s® and Mrs. Paul’s® frozen seafood; Celeste® pizza; Lender’s® bagels; and Bird’s Eye ® vegetables and dinners.