Category: XFINITY Series

JASON LEFFLER QUICK FACTS No. 38 Great Clips Impala Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sam’s Town 300 March 5, 2011  

No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet News and Notes  

·         Leffler at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… By the numbers… In seven NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), Leffler has started inside the top-10 twice and has posted one top-five finish.  His best performance at the 1.5-mile track came in 2009, when he was running second and contending for the win, before running out of fuel on the last lap.  He was credited with a fourth-place finish after starting 23rd. 

  Adding to his experience at Las Vegas, Leffler has one NASCAR Camping World Series start (2002- started 7th and finished 5th) and two Sprint Cup Series starts (best finish 22nd in 2005).

  ·         Crew chief, Eddie Pardue, knows the way to victory lane at LVMS…  Eddie Pardue is Leffler’s right-hand man and will call the shots for the championship-contending driver in 2011.  Pardue and crew will remain with Leffler, whether he is piloting the No. 38 or No. 30 Impala for Turner Motorsports.  Though Leffler has never visited LVMS’s victory lane, Pardue would have no problem directing his driver how to get there. The veteran crew chief led driver, Greg Biffle, to the win at the Las Vegas-track in 2009.

  ·         Leffler and his Turner Motorsports teammates set to tour the Grand Canyon… Leffler and teammates, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier, will take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon on Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of Papillon Tour Services of Las Vegas.  Coverage of their adventure will air on Saturday, March 5th at 2:30 EST during the NASCAR Countdown show on ABC. 

  ·         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 Las vegas Motor Speedwayedway “Las Vegas Motor Speedway has its own unique characteristics. It has a wide racing surface that allows you to run two and three- wide.  The transition from the corners to the straight-aways, and then the straight-aways to the corners, is really nice. In all, it’s just a really fun place to race – probably as fun for the drivers as it is for the fans. I have had a couple of really good runs at Vegas but statistically it’s not one of my better tracks.  

Two years ago we were battling for the lead in the closing laps ran out of fuel on the last lap.  Still, we finished fourth which we were really proud of.  I am excited to go back again this weekend under the Turner Motorsports banner.  I look forward to another strong run in the Great Clips Chevy and if we play our cards right, possibly make a visit to victory lane.”

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

CHINA GROVE, N.C.(March 1, 2011) – Robert Richardson, Jr. is ready to resume his new wildlife style this week in Las Vegas. And, he’s going to do it right on the track in front of everybody, too.  

After making a huge impact with the No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society paint scheme in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway; the green, white and blue design is returning to Richardson’s race car this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Already being dubbed the “coolest paint scheme in NASCAR” by some, the WCS scheme is becoming a favorite amongst race fans, animal lovers and conservationists alike.  

The avid outdoorsman from McKinney, Texas not only represents the partnership on the car, but also in his fishing and hunting ventures throughout the year. So, when the much-talked about paint scheme takes to the track again this weekend, he knows he’s representing many kindred wildlife conservationists.  

When it comes to the on-track action, the entire R3 Motorsports team is working together in pursuit of positions and points.  

Fast Facts:Richardson will be making his 72nd career NNS start and third of the season. During that span, his best finish of 15th came at Lucas Oil Raceway Park last year. The team had more top-20 finishes last season than the previous two combined, and Richardson is looking to add to that total in 2011.  

Track Facts:This will be Richardson’s fourth start on the 1.5-mile oval of LVMS, where he has led a lap and enjoyed his best finish of 19th in the 2008 race. He’s completed

481 of 611 laps, with a lap-89 wreck in 2010 depleting his laps completed average. In this race last year, he finished 26th after two pit road speeding penalties put him laps down early.  

Car Facts:Walter Giles and team are using Chassis No. 53 this weekend, which was last used at Richmond International Raceway in Sept. 2010.  

Where is Robert:Rob Jr. is involved in three events during the race week. On Wednesday, he’ll take part in the Dale Earnhardt Foundation Celebrity Poker Tournament at 4 p.m. (PT) in the Stratosphere Theater of Stars Showroom. In between the two NNS practice sessions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday, fans are invited to attend an autograph session from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.  Then, on Friday night after two more NNS practices at LVMS, fans are invited to the Back Alley Bar at the Stratosphere for a driver’s autograph session from 8 – 10 p.m.  

Come see R3 at the Stratosphere:For the second-consecutive year, the Stratosphere is the official host hotel of R3 Motorsports while racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  

Did you know:The Wildlife Conservations Society had President Theodore Roosevelt as one of its early supporters and was responsible for bringing back the bison, an iconic symbol of the American wilderness, from the brink of extinction.

  Robert Richardson, Jr. quotes What has been the reaction of people regarding your new Wildlife Conservation Society paint scheme on the No. 23 Dodge Challenger:“It has been unbelievable. If you think fans and people in the sport don’t pay attention to those things, you are wrong. Aside from the drastic change in colors from our black, red and silver scheme, you look at the animals we have on the car, as well.

“The car looks great and people certainly notice it, but the reaction of people who are all about what the WCS does and those involved has been great. People were getting their picture taken by the tiger and gorilla more than anything, so that was good to see. I look forward to bringing more and more awareness to their cause each time we get on the track.”  

What’s the biggest challenge about racing at LVMS:“The biggest challenge is going to be getting our new Nationwide Dodge cars to work the layout of the 1.5-mile tracks to our liking. The intermediate tracks are the bread and butter of our schedule, so we’ll have to do all we can in the extra practices we’re getting for this track to work on the car.  

“The good news is Walter (Giles, crew chief) and the guys have put a lot of time and effort into preparing and understanding these cars. As a driver, that helps our confidence when we get in the car and start the practice sessions. I like racing at Las Vegas. Not just because it’s a great area, but it’s a great track and facility. I’m ready to get out there and get a good finish for our No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge team.”  

About WCS Founded in 1895, the Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. They do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to its platform, because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

news and notes.

THE STORY: Steve Wallace heads to Las Vegas this weekend looking to right his 2011 championship campaign after a pair of mechanical issues-a flat tire in Daytona and a suspension failure in Phoenix-in the first two events. Wallace looks to be a good bet in Sin City, as the 23 year-old has shown speed on Las Vegas’s ultra-fast oval and had one of the high points of his early 2010 campaign come at Las Vegas.

STEVE WALLACE AT LAS VEGAS: Steve Wallace has qualified among the top-15 in all four of his career starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, tying him for the sixth-best average start among entered drivers with multiple starts at LVMS. He scored his first Vegas top-ten finish in last year’s event, marking his third straight top-ten to open the 2010 season.

the machines.

TEAM 66 PRIMARY: RWR-050–Rebuilt for 2011, RWR-050 competed in the 2010 events at Michigan and Charlotte, with Wallace at the helm.

TEAM 66 BACCUP: RWR-052–Named the 66 team’s backup in all of the COT races to date, car 052 made its on-track debut with a lead-lap top-15 finish at Daytona in July 2010, when a bizarre practice incident saw unsecured ballast from a backmarker strike the front of the No. 66 team’s primary car.

your weekly energy shot.

DID YOU KNOW? Original 5-Hour Energy (packaged with red label) now comes in five flavors: Pomegranate, Grape, Berry, Orange and Lemon-Lime! Extra Strength (black label) comes in Berry and Decaffeinated (blue label) in Citrus.

WELCOME SMITH’S FOOD & DRUG: 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Smith’s Food & Drug Stores as a partner for the Vegas event. Smith’s branding will adorn the TV panel of Steve Wallace’s No. 66 car for Saturday’s race.

from the cockpit.

Q: You’ve had a couple of unfortunate mechanical issues to start the year. How does that change the way you approach the race and the season overall?

A: “From my perspective as the driver, it changes nothing. You go to every single race trying to win and do the best you absolutely can. That’s the bottom line. I know we have fast race cars and good people; I’m not losing confidence in that at all. What it does is make you want to work that much harder. I know that none of us are satisfied with what’s happened in the first two races, not me, Larry Carter, Doug Randolph or anyone else. We’ve just got to work hard to dig ourselves out of a little bit of a hole.”

AVONDALE, Ariz. (February 27, 2011) — After a tough start to the 2011 season last weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the No. 2 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team packed up and headed west to the desert and Phoenix International Raceway looking to rebound.  Sadler qualified in the 11th position for the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200, but fought a loose-handling race car the majority of the event.  An ill-handling car coupled with trouble on pit road led to Sadler going a lap down to leader Kyle Busch late in the event.  Sadler was able to catch a break receiving the “lucky dog” award making him eligible to rejoin the lead lap cars.  However, with only a few laps remaining Sadler had to start at the tail-end of the longest line for the restart and was unable to advance his position beyond 12th.

“We had a good day with the No. 2 Fast Fixin’ Chevrolet, but track position was everything,” Sadler said after the race.  “It was tough because it seemed like the track changed a lot from practice Friday to the race Saturday.  We were too tight in practice so we loosened the car up and could just never get it back to the right balance during the race.  We learned a lot today and I’m looking forward to continuing to build momentum as the season goes along.”

 Sadler started the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 from the 11th position. As he battled the two Roush Fenway Racing teammates of Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse, Sadler radioed to crew chief Ernie Cope that the car was too loose.  Sadler held the 10th position and was gaining on the leaders when the first caution of the day waved on lap 54.  The No. 2 team brought the car to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

 Even with the adjustments the No. 2 team was able to maintain track position sending Sadler out in the 10th position for the restart on lap 59.  Stuck in the outside lane, Sadler slid back to the 15th position shortly after the field went back to green-flag racing.  However, as the air pressures came up in the tires Sadler was able to slowly work his way back toward the front of the field.  By lap 96, Sadler had climbed into the 11th position and continued to run laps as fast as the leaders.   The caution flag waved for the second time on lap 106 when the No. 22 of Brad Keselowski blew a right-front tire. 

 The No. 2 team brought Sadler to pit road on lap 107 for four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment.  Sadler returned to the track in the 11th position. However, after the stop the team realized that all the fuel had not been dispensed from the gas can. In 2011, the NASCAR’s top three touring series’ are using a new self venting fuel can which has eliminated the catch can man.  The No. 2 team experienced a malfunction within that new system which prevented fuel from being released from the can.  Sadler came back to pit road on lap 109 to put additional fuel in the No. 2 Chevrolet Impala.

Sadler restarted the race on lap 112 from the 15th position on the lead lap.  Working his way through traffic, Sadler made his way up to the 13th position before the car became extremely loose. Despite running lap times comparable with the leaders, race leader and eventual winner, Busch had a solid lead on the field and placed Sadler one lap down on lap 158.  As luck would have it the No. 2 team caught a quick caution on lap 164, just as the final round of pit stops were scheduled to begin.  Sadler received the “lucky dog” award and was placed back on the lead lap.

The No. 2 team took advantage of the caution, coming down pit road to change four tires, add fuel and make multiple chassis adjustments as further efforts to try and fix the handling of the car. With only 29 laps remaining in the event, the race restarted with Sadler at the tail-end of the longest line due to the receiving the “lucky dog” award. He quickly managed to catch the 11th-place car of Jason Leffler, but was unable to make the pass before the checkered flag flew crossing the line in the 12th position.

Busch won the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 followed by Carl Edwards, Sadler’s KHI teammate Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Reed Sorenson.  Sadler moved from 27th to 15th in the driver’s point standings.  The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the third race of the season. Coverage begins live on ABC at 3 p.m., EST on Saturday March 5th.

Camry driver Kyle Busch won Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Phoenix International Raceway.

The victory was his first of 2011, 33rd with Toyota and 44th in the NNS.

The Las Vegas-native earned the 50th pole for Toyota earlier in the day on Saturday.

Busch led all 200 laps, marking the first time in a national series a driver has led the entire race since Dale Earnhardt Jr. led all laps in the July 4, 2003 NNS race at Daytona International Speedway.

Camry drivers Joey Logano (sixth), Brian Scott (ninth) and Kenny Wallace (10th) also earned top-10 finishes.

Ryan Truex (14th), Michael Annett (19th) and Steve Wallace (30th) were also in the 200-mile race around the one- mile oval.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 1st Did you think Carl Edwards was going to take this win away from you? “There at the end I got a little worried. First person I have to thank is Carl Edwards for racing me clean. He raced me hard, but raced me clean. I gave him as much room as I could there. My car, I don’t know why, but the last couple changes it just didn’t quite go the way we wanted it to. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and these guys brought an awesome Interstate Batteries Camry here to begin with. There wasn’t much work we needed to do on it. Man, to lead that many laps and to come out of here with a win. It feels really, really good and I love coming out to the west coast and Phoenix. Thanks to the rest of our partners. All the guys that worked on this — I said a ‘hybrid’ Camry because it has Interstate on the hood. It’s fun to run in this Nationwide Series and to run in front of these fans here in Phoenix. It’s fun! There was a battle down there at the end and I don’t know how I held him off but I kept running as hard as I could knowing that he was going to give me a heck of a fight. He doesn’t go down easy – you can’t wear him out – he’s an ironman. It was a good race for us.”

Did knowing how Carl Edwards’ car was working help you win the race? “It helped a little bit. I was just trying to figure out how Carl (Edwards) was getting better because he kept keeping up with us more and more as the race progressed there. I wanted to know what changes he was making to his car that made him better. I could understand more about what I needed to make my car there. They were tightening up so I thought maybe if I tighten up mine it would get better. It killed the turn ability of the thing through the middle of the corner and it was still loose. Now your cranked full-lock left and the back is sliding out from underneath you and it was a handful. You can’t go through the corner very fast, especially when you kind of tuck underneath the back of me, he got me a little loose. We held on and made it to victory lane. Two for two so far this weekend.”

Do you think your fans will need to buy some brooms? “I hope so, man. That’s the plan. I hope Carl (Edwards) didn’t save everything he had for tomorrow. I know I let him sit on the pole so he could speak to the fans in the morning during driver intros. We were joking about that earlier. Our Combos Camry is good, I’ll let you know in about 24 hours.”

Have you ever had such a dominant race car? “I have before but sometimes you don’t get to lead every single lap. There’s guys that stay out on pit road or something like that. I think missed leading three laps at ORP (Indianapolis) a couple years ago or something. All in all, this was such a phenomenal day with this Camry. This thing was phenomenal.”

Did you have any idea you’d be the first driver to lead flag-to-flag since 2003? “I knew that after the first run, it was such a long run that nobody stayed out. Then the second run it was such a long run that everybody pitted again and same thing. I was like, ‘Man, so far I’ve led every lap of this thing,’ and it came down towards the end of the race there and Carl (Edwards) was alongside me and he was trying to pass me and I was like, ‘Man, just beat him back to the start-finish line, man just beat him back to the start-finish line.’ I was just trying to hold on for as long as I could. Finally, it seemed like it was about 15 laps or so that his stuff would just start falling off enough where we could start clicking back away and get away from him a little bit. I knew if I could just make it to that threshold, that I thought we’d be okay. Fortunately we got there. When it came down to the end of the race I knew it was every lap. It was pretty cool, I love doing that stuff and being where you’re the guy to beat. I wish it would be tomorrow — that would be an awfully boring race probably. Hopefully there’s still enough going on behind us that there’s plenty of action there. The last time I remembered, I didn’t remember Dale Jr.’s (Earnhardt) deal, but the last time I remembered was Jeff Burton at New Hampshire did it. That was the last time I remembered in a Cup car.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued) Was this a perfect race for you since you led all the laps? “It would seem as though it was the perfect race, but unfortunately no, it’s not. There were some mistakes made on my part. You’re going to have little mistakes missing a line or doing this, doing that throughout the event. I think everything went well with Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and I — the conversations we had and talks we were talking about the adjustments and things we tried to make. Our thought processes were that it was going to be the right decisions so that’s why we did them. I don’t know that the adjustment there at the end of the race was good. There was a couple times that I slipped and kind of screwed up that really got Carl (Edwards) closer to me and then got me on the inside of me. I was trying like heck to keep him off of me. I did rebound from those, so you could say you made up a little bit for what you lost. All in all, it was a really good day. It’s not that far from perfect.”

Were you surprised Carl Edwards raced you clean at the end of the race? “No, if you would have asked him (Carl Edwards) the right question, he would say he owes me one. (Media member: ‘He did say that.’) Did he, alright so I guess I still owe him one. I thought we’d be over that by now. Carl, you never know with him and he can surprise you sometimes but with both of us having a really good day like that, it’s probably not necessarily worth it and especially if it comes down to where the Chase is coming near and you’re close and not yet in or if it’s a championship time and you have a shot for the championship or you don’t. He’ll save it. It’s like an elephant, we all never forget. I loved racing with Carl, have and always have. Today was no different. I felt confident that we could race each other hard, race each other clean. I tried to give him room. He did a nice job at holding his line and everything. There were a couple times when he got right up underneath the back of me and I wasn’t sure how close he was. I couldn’t feel the back end of the car at all. I was trying to steer it out and get through the loose conditions that he was causing me. I don’t think he ever touched me so it was good. I appreciated it. I let him know, well I didn’t let him know, I gestured to him so I think he gets the idea.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How was the race from your view? “When we unloaded we had a fast race car. Just all the guys at Joe Gibbs Racing have been working extremely hard this winter. Our four races last year with this new car were not terrible, but they weren’t spectacular, they weren’t what we needed and the guys really dug their heels in and worked hard over the winter. It was fun to unload and have a fast race car. The pit crew was flawless. Kyle (Busch) did a good job in qualifying to get us that No. 1 pit stall — that’s always a bonus here because track position is so important. The pit crew did a nice job all day. The adjustments were going our way. This is the second time now I’ve made this particular adjustment on this new car and it has done exactly the opposite of what I thought it would do. We did it last year at Charlotte, had a good race car and made an adjustment and gestured right out of the ball park. We’re learning.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 SportClips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 6th How was your race? “We were just so, so the whole day. We never had anything close for the front runners up there. It seemed like ever since we unloaded the balance was always close, we just never had any speed in the car. We fought that the whole time we were here, even during the race. We’d get the balance pretty close to see other cars around me and I’m pretty good, I just didn’t have speed and couldn’t go anywhere. I don’t know how to fix that, we’ll have to go back and look at that.”

How has it been working with your new crew chief Adam Stevens? “I think he did a good job. Me and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) have worked together on the Cup side. I feel like we have the chemistry between each other. The way we worked together was fine, we have to figure out how to make this car faster than anything else.”

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 9th How was your race? “Unfortunately we fell back and then came forward when all you want to do is go forward all day in a race. Our guys did a good job. We didn’t start the race like we wanted, fighting some things and made some adjustments and went the wrong way. We got right back on track, tuned in our No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota and started coming back to the front. It looked like we were going to finish seventh and just lost it going into (turn) three with a couple laps to go. It cost us a couple spots, unfortunately. The guys deserve a seventh-place finish and instead we got ninth. At least we finished in the top-10. We’re beginning to rebound from Daytona and that’s what we needed to do. All in all, not a terrible day, we’ll just move forward and go to Vegas.”

How has it been getting to know your new Joe Gibbs Racing team? “I have a great group of guys, I like them a lot. I think that we’re going to have a lot of success throughout the year. We’re still learning some things and figuring some things out. I think we’ll just keep getting better. For our second race, where we should have been seventh is not all that bad. We’ll just move on and keep getting better as a team.”

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 Family Farmers Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Finishing Position: 10th How happy are you with a 10th-place finish? “It was a really good race for our new Toyota Camry team. We’re thrilled to death with 10th. Maybe we could have finished a little bit better. We had a little hiccup on the last pit stop, looks like we should have finished eighth, but we got 10th and we’re all happy with that. The reason I’m happy with it is because we’re brand new. We’re a brand new Toyota team. We were running eighth or ninth at Daytona, got wrecked. It seems to me like we’re a solid top-10 team and just have to keep rolling and put ourselves in position to win a race this year.”

RYAN TRUEX, No. 99 Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 14th

MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Pilot Travel Centers/Flying J Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 19th

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 30th

–5-Hour Energy Pilot Notches Top-Ten Start, Faces Adversity in Valley of the Sun–

AVONDALE, AZ (February 26, 2011)–Hopes were high in the Rusty Wallace Racing garages Saturday morning, following Steve Wallace’s (No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry) top-ten effort in qualifying for the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Wallace, known as one of the series’ strongest short track pilots, put in a lap of 27.301 seconds (131.863 MPH) in the morning qualifying session, good enough to put him on row four of the starting grid.

Upon the start of the race, however, the 23 year-old knew that he could potentially be in for a long day. “After five laps or so, I could tell that there was something going on with the car; it was doing a lot of really strange things that I never felt in practice,” Wallace noted, “We made quite a few changes in the first half of the race and the car never really responded.”

Despite the evil handling on his No. 66 car, the young driver persevered, spending almost the entire first half of Saturday’s event among the top-15. With his handling issues getting progressively worse, Wallace hit pit road under green flag conditions on lap 103, with a suspected flat tire.

When four new Goodyear Eagles failed to rectify the situation, the 5-Hour Energy team examined the car’s front suspension thoroughly. What they found was a issue in the right front suspension that sent the No. 66 Toyota to the garage.

When Wallace finally returned to the track, he went on to set lap times among the top-five. His efforts were ultimately in vain, however, as the repairs to his car had ultimately cost the No. 66 team ten laps to the leaders.

Stated RWR General Manager, Larry Carter, “We had a pretty unique situation today with our No. 66 car. Right now, it appears to be a mistake in the preparation of the race car by a member or members of that team. We’re going to get the car back to the shop and really dissect it to be sure. We take pride in having some of the nicest, most well-prepared cars in the garage, so mistakes are not acceptable and we’re going to be sure that this doesn’t happen again. Steve Wallace, our sponsors, our team and our fans all deserve better than what happened today.”

# # #

About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder, Rusty Wallace-one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the prestigious NASCAR Nationwide Series, driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively. RWR entries have been among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver or owner standings in each of the last three seasons. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.

About Living Essentials, LLC

Living Essentials, LLC,based in Farmington Hills Michigan,is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in 2 oz. liquid energy shots. 5-Hour Energy is available nationwide at major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass Merchant, Warehouse and Convenience Store classes of trade. Living Essentials sells over seven million bottles of 5-Hour Energy per week. For more information, please visit 5hourenergy.com.

TREVOR BAYNE – No. 16 Roush Fenway Mustang (Finished 31st) – “We learned a lot about our short track program. We just had some misfortune with the tire. We were top 10 all day long and I don’t know if we ever fell out of the top 10. We were right there in seventh behind Logano trying to work on him and going into three the tire went. I don’t know if the bead melted from the brake heat or if I ran something over, but it kind of stinks that it happened. These points are tough to come by, but it’s still early in the season so we’ll be OK.”

CARL EDWARDS – No. 60 Ford Drive One Mustang (Finished 2nd) – “We made a run. I did everything but move him out of the way and I thought about that, but he did a great job. Those guys did well. He drove that car. It was loose and he did a good job hanging on to it. I’ve got to thank Ford. This Ford Mustang is fast. My guys have been working hard all winter. The engine was good. All the guys at the shop did a great job and we’re gonna start on the pole tomorrow, so this is gonna be fun.”

WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATCHING HIM AND THEN TRYING TO PASS HIM? “He was so loose. They made an adjustment, it looked like, and he got loose. This place is hard to drive loose. I could get him down there in three and four. I could wiggle him and get him sideways, but he was so fast in one and two. I think even if I would have got by him, he could have worked me over pretty good in one and two and got back by me. It was one of those deals where I had to get him fairly because I knew he’d get me right back. This was a good race. I’ve had some of the best races of my career out here and I really enjoy this race track. I’m glad we got up there and got to challenge him so the fans could see a little bit of a show there at the end.”

RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – No. 6 Roush Fenway Mustang (Finished 7th) – “I consider this a really good day as far as the car and the way we drove up through the field, and the way our motor got us off the corners. That was awesome. We’ve got to work on our pit stops. That killed us. The last car on the lead lap after running seventh, so that kind of killed us. I had to restart behind the lapped cars there, so, overall I feel like if we work on the pit stops and work on our car a little bit better, I think we’ve got a shot at some of these.”

CARL EDWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE – CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT KIND OF BATTLE TOMORROW? “I think we can. I think him and his brother and Denny, Tony – a bunch of guys are really fast tomorrow. I’m just glad I got to race him a little bit. That thing was unreal how fast his car would go. They would drop the green and it would just take off, but that last run he was loose enough that we could keep up and got to challenge him a little bit, but as mine got a little slower, his just kept gaining speed and there at the end I didn’t really have anything for him. But it was definitely a fun race. This track is so much fun. I’ve had some really, really good races, especially in the Nationwide Series here and that’s right up there. I wish we would have been able to battle a little more the last couple laps, but leading up to that was fun.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A WEEKEND LIKE KYLE HAS GOING RIGHT NOW? “It’s as good as it gets. It’s an amazing feeling to, number one, be able to compete at this level and then, two, to win races. The ultimate is to win everything in a weekend and Kyle has done it all three races. I’ve been fortunate to win both of them a few times and it’s just a cool feeling to wake up Monday morning and think, ‘Man, we went there and won everything.’ That’s a great feeling. I’m gonna try my hardest to keep him from doing that tomorrow. You never know what’s gonna happen. You saw today that Kyle had this dominant car and then all of a sudden at the end I was able to challenge him and you just don’t know what’s gonna happen here until the final run. This track seems to change and it responds to changes from the crew chiefs notably. It’s a big deal.”

CARL EDWARDS CONTINUED — WHAT IS THE RESPECT LEVEL LIKE WITH KYLE? “I think it was Kevin who pointed out earlier in the season that this is a new year. You’ve got to do the best you can to go out and race everyone all the time with the most respect you can. Kyle was driving that car so well and we were having such a good race. It was a lot like the race Kevin and I had in 2006 or 2007. That’s one of the best races I’ve ever had and it was because we really gave each other all the room we needed to race and the best car ended up winning. Today, Kyle’s car was the best and it’s fun to be able to race like that. That’s what racing is about is just doing the best you can. It’s frustrating to lose them, but it’s better to lose them that way than it is to win by running into somebody.”

WAS IT MORE HIS CAR GOING AWAY OR YOUR CAR GETTING BETTER THAT LET YOU RACE WITH HIM AT THE END? “I think his just got so loose, at least that’s what it looked like to me. It was loose down in three and four because down here in one and two I had nothing for him. I didn’t feel like ours changed that much, I think he just got a little loose – or maybe I was just close enough to loosen him up a little bit, but once he got a couple car lengths out there he was kind of off again.”