Category: XFINITY Series

JUSTIN ALLGAIER QUICK FACTS

No. 31 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

Texas Motor Speedway

April 8, 2011

No. 31 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet News and Notes

· Justin Allgaier heads to Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) third in points… Allgaier held onto third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) championship point standings after an 11th -place finish at Auto Club Speedway. The Riverton, Ill-native sits 25-points out of first, just behind second-place Turner Motorsports teammate Jason Leffler. All three championship contending Turner Motorsports drivers are currently in the top-five, with Leffler in second and Reed Sorenson in fifth-place.

· Texas Motor Speedway by the numbers… The 24-year-old Turner Motorsports Chevy driver has five starts at TMS. He is credited with one top-ten finish, and an average starting spot of 15.8, with his best finish of 10th coming in April 2009.

· This week’s Impala… The No.31 Chevy team will hit the track with chassis TMS-121. This is a brand new chassis for the Turner Motorsports team.

· During the off weekend… Allgaier took in short-track action at Martinsville Speedway this past weekend, supporting the Turner Motorsports NCWTS teams as they wheeled around the half-mile track. The Nationwide Series regular tweeted his thoughts on the weekend: “I think a new car Nationwide Series race there would be AWESOME #justsayin.” He went on to tweet, “My thinking is a Friday night truck race, Saturday Nationwide race and Sunday cup race (have to put in lights though).”

· Heading home for Turner Motorsports… The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is heading to Turner Motorsports’ home track this weekend. With the team’s original headquarters in Hallettsville, Texas, this is a special track for the organization. Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, and current Turner Motorsports driver, James Buescher, have both won championships for the organization racing Bandolero cars at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Buescher captured the organization’s first NASCAR pole award in the November NNS event.

Justin Allgaier on Texas Motor Speedway

“Texas is a race track that has been both good and bad to me, with Turner Motorsports being based out of nearby Houston we all want to step up and run well at Mr. Turner’s home-track. We’ve had a strong start to the 2011 season and hope to continue our success.”

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

SAM HORNISH, JR.

No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger

Texas Motor Speedway – O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

April 8, 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 second start of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season this weekend in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Hornish last competed in the Nationwide Series during the 2011 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, where he qualified 17th and finished 36th. His last Nationwide Series race at TMS was in April of 2008 when he finished 19th.

. From 2006 to 2010, Hornish made a total of 20 Nationwide Series starts, scoring five top-15 finishes. Hornish also captured one top-five, three top-10 and eight top-15 starting positions while competing in a limited NNS schedule over the five-year period.

. This weekend’s race marks the second outing together for Hornish and crew chief Chad Walter, who will call the shots for the No. 12 Dodge team during Friday night’s race. Walter served as crew chief on the No. 12 Penske Racing Nationwide Series team in the past as he helped guide driver Justin Allgaier to top-six championship finishes in each of the last two seasons.

. This will be one of three events that Hornish will compete in during the month of April. The former IndyCar champion will also race at Talladega and Richmond later this month.

. Hornish has visited Victory Circle three times at TMS as an open-wheel competitor (2001, ’02 and ’07).

Sam Hornish Jr. comments on this weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

“I always love going to Texas. I was able to celebrate two of my IndyCar Championships there, as well as my last IndyCar race victory. The track is very fast and has multiple lanes, which makes the racing great. We’ve had the Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament there and have raised over $500,000 for North Texas Children’s Charities, which is another reason why I love heading back to Texas. I am looking forward to having a strong run this weekend. I am really excited about driving the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge in this race. It’s a sharp-looking car and I expect to have a good race.”

Crew Chief Chad Walter comments on this weekend’s race

“We are looking forward to getting the Alliance Truck Parts Dodge on the track at Texas. It seems as though we have been away from the race track for far too long. This weekend should be very interesting, as Texas is known for its speed and its ‘rough’ track surface, both of which present challenges to the driver and the crew. What’s more is that this will be the first night race for the Nationwide Series at this track, and the speeds will increase even more. The combination of all these factors should make this an interesting and exciting race. Sam has enjoyed success here in the IndyCar Series and I think he is really anxious to get back to work. The entire team is looking to build a good chemistry with each other and the Alliance Truck Parts brand, and to build a winning NNS effort for the future at Penske Racing.”

TREVOR BAYNE

Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway (200 laps 300 miles)

Team: No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Chris Andrews

Chassis: RK-646 New Car

FAST FACTS

TREVOR BAYNE will make his sixth start of the season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Texas Motor Speedway in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

TREVOR BAYNE at Texas Motor Speedway …In three starts Bayne has three top-15 finishes

QUOTES

Trevor Bayne on racing at Texas Motor Speedway: “We had a solid run at Fontana and I think we are getting better as a team every race. Our in-race communication is getting better and I believe it is only a matter of time before we put it all together. This weekend will be fun under the lights at Texas. This is going to be different for all of us because it is usually a day race, so we have to stay one step ahead of the competition when adjusting on our car during practice and most importantly during the race.”

Crew chief Chris Andrews on racing at Texas Motor Speedway: “We have been working hard on our intermediate program and I am confident we will be up to the challenge at Texas. Texas is an extremely fast track that will be challenging for everybody because it is a night race this year. We have to make sure we adjust correctly on the car throughout the race. Trevor has had some success at Texas in the past which can only help us run well and hopefully contend for a win”

Carl Edwards O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Advance

Team:            No. 60 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:   Mike Beam

Chassis:       RK-638 primary – Last ran in Las Vegas – finished sixth.                       RK-596 backup 

QUOTES Carl Edwards on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“I can’t wait to race the Fastenal Ford Mustang at Texas.  It will be exciting and it’s the first time we will race under the lights there.  We won the last time there.  We raced hard all day. We had the car to beat.  That was the first time we had driven up to those Gibbs cars and just drove by them and had the fastest car in a long time at a mile and a half, so that was a real satisfying race. I think everybody on the team after that race had a lot more confidence. We are even running better, so our expectations are to head back to victory lane.”  

Crew chief Mike Beam on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“We won there last fall so we will carry that knowledge into this race. This is the first time that we have raced under the lights here so should make for an exciting race. With the proper adjustments and flawless pit stops, we should be able to get this Fastenal Mustang back in victory lane.”

FAST FACTS o   Last year, Edwards finished the season with four wins, 19 top-fives, 27 top-tens and three poles. o   Edwards next win will be his 30th career NASCAR Nationwide win. o   In 2011, Edwards has scored four consecutive top-10 finishes. o   Edwards average finish is 12th at TMS.

• Home-track Advantage… The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is heading to Turner Motorsports’ home track this weekend. With the team’s original headquarters in Halletsville, Texas, this is a special track for the organization. Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, and current Turner Motorsports driver, James Buescher, have both won championships for the organization racing Bandolero cars at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Buescher captured the organization’s first NASCAR pole award there in the NNS event last November.

• Kahne back in the seat of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevy at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS)… This weekend at TMS, Kahne will make his third of eight scheduled starts of the season for Turner Motorsports in the No. 38 Chevrolet.

• Kahne knows the way to Victory Lane at TMS! In 10 NNS starts at TMS, Kahne has one win and two top-10 finishes. He has led a cumulative 78 laps and has average start of 13.4 and an average finish of 23.0. It was in the spring of 2005, driving the No. 38 Great Clips machine, that Kahne brought home the winning trophy after starting 25th! Additionally, he has one win at TMS in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.

• Kahne brought Great Clips their first win! From 2003-2005, Kahne and his sponsor, Great Clips, Inc., reached momentous milestones, including capturing Kahne’s first Nationwide Series victory in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was also Great Clips’ first win as a primary sponsor. In 2005, Kahne captured his second career win at Texas Motor Speedway before leaving the Nationwide Series to allow more time for his Sprint Cup Series efforts.

• Who’s on the pit box? Stewart Cooper will call the shots for Kahne and serve as crew chief for the No. 38 Great Clips team in the eight races that he is behind the wheel.

• This week’s Impala… The No. 38 Great Clips team will hit the track with chassis TMS-124. This race will be the maiden voyage for this chassis, as it has yet to see on-track action.

• Scan it… If you are trying to hear Kahne’s team communication this weekend, remember to tune your scanner to the No. 30 primary frequency (460.8875). When you want to hear Leffler’s communications with the No. 30 Wolfpack Rentals team, tune your scanner to the No. 38 team’s primary frequency (466.9250).

• 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.

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

Follow KaseyKahne on Twitter! Twitter.com/Kasey Kahne

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Kahne on Texas Motor Speedway

“I really enjoy racing at Texas! It’s a great facility and with great fans! Racing under the lights is just going to add to the excitement, for the drivers, as well as the fans. I’m really looking forward to working with everyone at Turner Motorsports again this weekend. It’s fun going back to the Nationwide Series knowing that you are going to be in equipment capable of winning! Stewart Cooper (crew chief) and those guys work hard to make sure of that. I have one win with Great Clips at Texas (2005) and I’d love to get that No. 38 back into victory lane again this weekend!”

About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas-native, Steve Turner, the racing organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will house three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Brad Sweet. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, who will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 ADVANCE

Team:              No. 6 easyfeet Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:        Mike Kelley

Chassis:            RK-670                                       

THE QUOTES   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 easyfeet Ford Mustang:  “We led laps at Texas last year and I feel like I’ve adapted better to the new Mustang.  You’re in the throttle a lot in the corners and I think that’s where the new FR9 engine that Roush Yates built is going to have a good effect.  I really feel like we have a good shot at getting the pole and winning the race and that’s what we want to do.  I like tracks where you slide around a little bit and the pavement tends to fit my driving style a little bit better.” 

COMMENT ON BEING THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES POINT LEADER. “It’s pretty cool to say you are the points leader but hopefully we can say that at the end of the year. We have been really consistent all year and have had really fast cars. I have always wanted to lead the points.  Since we started this deal this year at Daytona I felt like we had the car and team to do it.” 

Mike Kelley, Crew Chief, No. 6 easyfeet Ford Mustang:  WHAT IS THE DRIVER-CREW CHIEF RELATIONSHIP LIKE BETWEEN YOU AND RICKY?  “We think a lot alike.  We’re both very competitive people.  We like a lot of the same things.  You want the driver and crew chief to think the same. The kid is up in the gym everyday.  He’s studying old race tapes. He’s giving it all.  For someone that’s been doing it for as few years as he has, you couldn’t ask for Ricky Stenhouse to do anymore. He’s raised the bar for all of us and my team is up for it. It’s an exciting time to be part of the No. 6 easyfeet Ford Mustang team.”  

THE FACTS

Stenhouse leads the Nationwide Series championship standings by six points over second-place Jason Leffler and 25 over third-place Justin Allgaier… has four top-10 finishes this season, best among NNS regulars in 2011 and 14 in 44 career starts…Completed all 968 of 970 possible laps this season (99.8 percent)…Qualified fifth and seventh in two previous starts at Texas Motor Speedway…Led the 2010 fall race at Texas once for 27 laps, the most laps he led in a race last season.

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

#####

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.

Richardson ready for two mini-milestones at home track of Texas Motor Speedway Marking 75th-NNS start and belated birthday  

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (April 5, 2011) – The saying “there’s no place like home” couldn’t ring more true for Robert Richardson, Jr. in this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. 

Richardson has two mini-milestones to mark this week celebrating his 29th birthday on Monday, April 4, and is making his 75th-career NNS start this weekend at TMS. The graduate of nearby McKinney High School, and former high school quarterback-turned-NASCAR-driver, is ready for the comforts of home right now.

In the first five races, the No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge of R3 Motorsports has endured their share of bad luck. A late-race crash in the season opener at Daytona, a motor letting go in Bristol and other gremlins popping up during race weekends have all been issues the team – together – has endured and persevered through.  

But, the numbers don’t lie in the Owner’s Standings as the sixth NNS race of the year draws near in the Lone Star State.  

Currently 32nd in the Owner’s Points, Richardson and the Walter Giles-led team trail 31st by just two points and 30th by four. For the Driver’s Points, Richardson is 23rd in the standings just two markers behind 22nd and trailing 21st by five.  

Fast Facts:Richardson is making his 75th-career NNS start this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. During that span, his best finish of 15th took place last year at Lucas Oil (IN) Raceway Park and he’s only driven for two teams – Jay Robinson Racing and his family owned R3 Motorsports.

Track Facts:This will be Richardson’s eighth start at the 1.5-mile oval of TMS, making it the second-most starts he’s had at any NNS track. Daytona is the leading track, where he has nine starts to his credit. In those previous seven TMS starts, the home town driver has achieved a best start of 29th in ’08 and finish of 23rd in this race last year. Of the 1,405 laps run, he’s completed 1,196 giving him an 85.1 percent completion ratio.  

So far this season:In the five previous starts of 2011, a late-race crash at Daytona and a broken motor at Bristol, just 67 laps into the 300-lap race, have been part of the issue placing the team in its current situation regarding the Owner’s Points. Richardson’s best start, to date, was 31st at Phoenix and finish of 22nd at the 1.5-mile oval of Las Vegas.

Car Facts:Walter Giles and team are bringing the very same car they ran at Las Vegas, chassis No. 53, to Texas for this weekend’s race.

Extended Play:With teams still figuring out how to get the most out of their new NNS cars, there are two extra practice sessions on Thursday with two more on Friday before the qualifying session at 5 p.m. (ET) on ESPN 2   Tune in for the Win:After qualifying, the 200-lap race will be on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. making for some interesting Friday-night action under the lights of TMS.  

Robert Richardson, Jr. quotes On having to qualify in on time:“Yeah, that’s not where we wanted to be at this time, but we’re in this situation together on the No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge team. We’ll use the practice sessions to get ourselves comfortable with some race runs. Then, we’re going to work on qualifying runs and get real good with that part. It’s been getting better this year, so we’ll just put a lot of work into those two very important laps on Friday.”  

On making 75th-career NNS start:“That many? You don’t really think about something like that until it’s pointed out to you. In know it isn’t much compared to some others in the series, but to think about all we’ve accomplished at R3 Motorsports as a single-car team is something to be proud of in this series.”  

Racing at your home track:“I love racing at Texas Motor Speedway. Not only because it’s close to the house, but it’s a fast track with enough play in there where you can run the low and high sides. We have a bunch of people that come spend the weekend with us and my dad gets two RV spots right by the track in Turn 4, so we end staying here all weekend. I’m looking forward to a good weekend for R3 Motorsports  – Texas style.”

On the DG Chevy this week: Alpo, Sparkle, Stacker2 Xtra, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, STP, Xtra, Hanes, Hefty

REED SORENSON QUICK FACTS

No. 32 Dollar General Chevy

Texas Motor Speedway

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

April 8, 2011

Media Contact: 

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes

Back in the Saddle Again – Reed Sorenson will rejoin the No. 32 Dollar General team this week at Texas Motor Speedway after a stint in the No. 30 Rexall car in California. Sorenson’s last race in the Dollar General Chevy was at Bristol Motor Speedway where he started 17th and finished 34th after suffering from an engine issue.

Sorenson At Texas – In seven Nationwide Series starts at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, Sorenson has found some success with three top-fives, four top-10s and 31 laps led. He notched his highest finish of third on two separate occasions, his track debut in 2005 and again last season.

Home-track Advantage – The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is heading to Turner Motorsports’ home track this weekend. With the team’s original headquarters in Hallettsville, Texas this is a special track for the organization. Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, and current Turner Motorsports driver, James Buescher, have both won championships for the organization racing Bandolero cars at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Buescher captured the organization’s first NASCAR pole award there in the NNS event last November.

During the Off Week… – During the Nationwide Series off-week last week, Sorenson along with fellow drivers Travis Kvapil and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. traveled to Nashville Superspeedway to help get fans ready for the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series events there in two weeks. The trio of drivers gave ride-alongs at the 1.25-mile speedway to a few lucky fans who had purchased season ticket packages and spent time with local media.

Testing 1, 2, 3 – Sorenson and his No. 32 Dollar General team traveled to Iowa Speedway this week for a Goodyear Tire test. The team was on track collecting data for the tire provider on Monday and Tuesday before heading to Texas on Wednesday.

This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Sorenson will pilot TMS-122 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is the first time this chassis has been run this season.

Sorenson on heading to Texas for night racing:

“We’ve a busy week this week with the tire test in Iowa and I’m excited to end the week under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night. I think having a night race there is going to add a new dimension of excitement for us as drivers as well as the fans. I really enjoy racing at Texas and I’m thrilled to be back with Trent (Owens, crew chief) and the guys on this No. 32 Dollar General team. I’m hopeful for a good, solid finish to start climbing our way back to the top of the driver’s standings.”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @myDollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

No. 11 Shore Lodge Team Notes of Interest

·   Brian Scott and the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota team travel to Texas Motor Speedway where Scott will make just his third career start at the 1.5-mile track in this weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

·   In his two previous starts at Texas Scott has finished 15th and 32nd. Scott finished on the lead lap in 15th place in the spring race one year ago at Texas which was also his first career start at the Lone Star State track. A brake problem resulted in Scott limping to a 32nd-place finish during the 2010 fall race at Texas.

·   The teams of the NASCAR Nationwide Series enjoyed a weekend off since the last race at Bristol. Scott used the weekend to spend time with his family during a vacation to Cabo.

·   Last Race: Scott earned a career-best 12th-place Bristol Motor Speedway finish two weeks ago in the Scotts EZ Seed 300. Scott started the race from the 13th position and avoided the multiple accidents that took place for his third finish of 14th or better in the last three Nationwide Series races.

·   Lucky 13? Scott has qualified in the 13th starting position for the last three NASCAR Nationwide Series events. Scott’s average starting position for 2011 is 11th.

·   Aside from the 34th-place finish at Daytona, which was the result of getting caught up in an accident, Scott has finished no worse than 14th (Las Vegas) throughout the first five races of the 2011 season. 

·   Scott currently sits ninth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings. He is 43 points behind championship point leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

·   Chassis #122 is the car Scott will race this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. 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 Texas Motor Speedway: “To me, Texas Motor Speedway is the fastest 1.5-mile track we go to. The way it is banked and it has wide corners just generates a lot of speed. The way the track is, you end up carrying a lot of speed into the corners, when you are carrying that much speed into the corners it makes the entry crucial. Texas is a momentum track and you need to be able to get into the corners so that you can keep up the momentum through the entire turn. The other thing is that the track is fairly wide – you have three to four grooves that you can use to race on and figure out where you car works best. We just need to figure out what works best for us and hopefully at the end we are working better than everyone else.”   Scott discusses improving his finish position at each track visited so far in 2011: “I think it’s really a combination of things. I’m getting more experience, making more trips to the tracks that we’ve raced at this year and it’s hard to beat seat time. So getting more experience at these tracks in the Nationwide cars has been a factor in our performance. Being with an organization like Joe Gibbs Racing also has been an important factor in elevating the performance when you consider their success and the resources we have there between the Cup teams and the Nationwide teams and their past success in the series.”     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

No. 30 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet News and Notes

Heading home for Turner Motorsports… The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is heading to Turner Motorsports’ home track this weekend. With the team’s original headquarters in Halletsville, Texas, this is a special track for the organization. Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, and current Turner Motorsports driver, James Buescher, have both won championships for the organization racing Bandolero cars at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Buescher captured the organization’s first NASCAR pole award in the November NNS event.

Successful start to 2011… In the first five NNS events in 2011, Leffler has three top-10 finishes. He has a 100% lap completion rate with an average start of 15.8 and an average finish of 9.0. The 35-year-old Nationwide Series veteran is currently second in the Nationwide Series championship standings, a mere six points behind leader, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

Number Swap… As in 2010, Jason Leffler will share seat time in the No. 38 Great Clips Impala with Sprint Cup Series star, Kasey Kahne. In eight events throughout 2011, Leffler and his team, including crew chief Eddie Pardue, will make the jump to the No. 30 Chevrolet. The number swap proved valuable for Leffler and his team in 2010, in eight starts behind the wheel of the No. 10 machine he scored seven top-10 and three top-five finishes! Continuing the streak, in two starts in the No. 30 he has two top-10 finishes!

Scan it… If you are trying to hear Leffler’s team communication this weekend, remember to tune your scanner to the No. 38 primary frequency (466.9250). When you want to hear Kasey Kahne’s communications with the No. 38 Great Clips team tune your scanner to the No. 30 primary frequency (460.8875).

Texas Motor Speedway: by the numbers… In 13 starts at the Ft. Worth-based track, Leffler has one top-five and five top-10 finishes. He is credited with one pole award and five laps led. He has an average starting spot of 15.8 and an average finishing position of 13.9.

This week’s Impala… The No. 30 Wolfpack Rentals team will hit the track with chassis TMS-117 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Chassis TMS-117 last saw track time with Leffler at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he finished ninth after starting 26th.

Jason Leffler on racing at Texas Motor Speedway

“Texas has been an up and down track for me in the past, but my last few runs there have been pretty good. It is really fast and wide, and you have the ability to run where ever your car handles the best. Since it’s Mr. Turner’s home track we all really want to win. It’s really important to put on a good show for the Turner Motorsports hometown fans and get this Texas-based Wolfpack Rentals Chevy into victory lane for the whole Turner Motorsports family!”

Follow the No. 30 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No30TurnerNNS

Follow Jason Leffler on Twitter! Twitter.com/JasonLeffler

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports