Category: XFINITY Series

Dodge Motorsports PR Phoenix Int’l Raceway BASHAS’ 200 Post-Race Quotes NASCAR Nationwide Series

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T) “Just a tough break for this Discount Tire Dodge. I’m not sure exactly what happened, all that I know is that we blew up a right-front tire and I ended up throwing the car into the Turn 4 wall. We had a decent race car, but not exactly what we needed here today to win a race. We showed some tire wear in our first pit stop and I started to get concerned. We were late in the run and I started to feel a vibration. I had a feeling that I may be in trouble. That’s racing. We’ve been lucky to miss incidents all last year that helped us win the championship and now, this year, we’re two-for-two in DNF’s.

ARE YOU SEEING A LOT MORE TIRE WEAR WITH THIS NEW CAR? ARE GUYS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS TIRE? “Our team never saw this tire until we got to the track this weekend. It’s a combination of the new tire and the new car and that was the recipe for disaster.”

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 Denny Darnell Scott Sebastian Dodge Motorsports PR Phoenix Int’l Raceway SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 Final Qualifying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 2nd “We’re happy with our run. Our Shell/Pennzoil Dodge was pretty stout. I just gave up a few thousandths of a second. Carl (Edwards) ran a great lap. This is a track position race and to start up front is a nice hurdle to get over.”

HOW’S THE CAR GOING TO RACE TOMORROW? “We have some adjustments to make after final practice yesterday. The race is only 312 laps long. You need to settle in and get a good groove going. I’ve had fast cars here and we’ve struggled as the race goes on with making the correct adjustments in keeping up with track conditions. That’s our big goal this year, making better adjustments during the race. We need to stick with good qualifying efforts, but we have to make better adjustments in the race and we know that. I love coming out here to the west coast and running Phoenix and my home track in Las Vegas. Tomorrow is going to be fun.”

WITH YOUR SUCCESS AT SPEEDWEEKS, DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR PENSKE PROGRAM HAS EARLY MOMENTUM? “I feel like that we’ve done a lot of hard work behind the scenes at Penske Racing to make our cars faster and you’re starting to see that early in the season. Once we get into Las Vegas, Bristol and Martinsville, we’ll see how things progress. We’ve really searched all over the board to find speed in all areas. With Brad (Keselowski) qualifying in the top 10 today in his Cup car, it shows that our cars are stronger. We need to continue to push the envelope and build on our early success.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified Ninth “It was a really good run for the Miller Lite team. Our Dodge Charger is fast. We just kept working on this car and it paid off today. It was a great pick up from where we were yesterday (five-tenths faster). Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) put a great car underneath me today and I just had to keep my foot in the gas long enough to run a decent number. This track is easy to overdrive. It’s really unnerving running around this place in qualifying. You’re basically guessing on how much grip there is in the track. You hope that you can drive it into the corner hard enough and it sticks. Over guess the grip level and there’s a chance that you’ll put the car in the wall. If you under guess (the grip), you feel that you left something out on the track and let your team down. The best that you can do is hit it perfect and sometimes that’s not even enough.”

ROBBY GORDON (No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 31st “Boy, I’d like to have that lap back. Our SPEED Energy Dodge was fast. I think we were on pace to run a 41 (6.41 seconds) if I hadn’t slipped in Turn 3. Our engine is fast. The car handles great. I like the way that the car handles through the corners. I’m not sure where that will put us, but I think we made some nice gains from yesterday and have a good race car for Sunday.”

–5-Hour Energy Racing Pilot Looking to Build on Daytona Momentum–

AVONDALE, AZ  (February 25, 2011)–Looking to build on momentum from his Sprint Cup Series debut last week in Daytona, Rusty Wallace Racing’s Steve Wallace (No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry) was among the top-ten fastest in this afternoon’s final practice session for Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Wallace’s best lap of 27.604 seconds (130.416 MPH) came on the 23^rd of his 26 laps in the session and was good enough for eighth-fastest overall.  His lap was third-fastest among Nationwide Series championship-eligible drivers.

Wallace’s 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry is set to be the 22^nd of 40 cars to make a qualifying attempt in Saturday’s 12:05 PM MT single-round qualifying session.

Noted Wallace, “We have a pretty solid 5-Hour Energy Camry here this weekend; I feel like we have a top-ten car right now, if not better.  With the new points system, the game has changed a bit.  We need to concentrate on getting a good starting spot, staying out of trouble and putting points on the board.  If we can do that all year-starting tomorrow-we should be in a good spot come November.”

Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 is scheduled for a 3:30 PM MT start.  ESPN2’s live television coverage from Phoenix International Raceway is set to start at 5:00 PM ET, with Rusty Wallace on NASCAR Countdown.

# # #

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.

news and notes.
THE STORY:  Buoyed by a lead-lap, top-20 finish in his Sprint Cup debut last weekend at Daytona, Steve Wallace heads to Phoenix this weekend looking to put his 2011 Nationwide Series title charge squarely on track.  Despite a fast 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, a cut tire in last weekend’s Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona  relegated  Wallace-named by many in the preseason as a title contender-to a 20th-place finish.
STEVE WALLACE AT PHOENIX:  Wallace has wrangled two top-ten finishes and three finishes of 12th or better in his last four starts on the desert mile.  Overall, five drivers have scored top-ten efforts for RWR at Phoenix (R. Wallace, McMurray, Stremme, S. Wallace, Gaughan).

the machines.

TEAM 66 PRIMARY:  RWR-054-Rebuilt for 2011, car 54 has one prior NNS start (2010 Richmond II).  At the hands of Steve Wallace, the car started 25th en route to a lead-lap 16th-place finish.

 

TEAM 66 BACKUP:  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 FRY’S FOOD STORES:  5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Fry’s Food Stores as a partner for the Phoenix event.  Fry’s branding will adorn the TV panel of Steve Wallace’s No. 66 car for Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.

 
from the cockpit.

Q:  You’ve excelled on short tracks in the past, especially on flat tracks.  What are some of the keys to success at Phoenix?
A: “Running well at a track like Phoenix is kind of a trade-off.  You have to have a car that turns well and lets you keep your momentum up through the center of the corners, especially in these Nationwide cars-they don’t have a lot of power.  At the same time, you have to get the power we do have down, so your car has to have what we call good “forward bite,” meaning it that it’s still tight enough to keep the rear tires from spinning too much.”

CORNELIUS, N.C. (February 24, 2011) – Josh Wise is pleased to announce that he will again join forces with Go Green Racing at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend, with support from StopRepairBills.com. Wise will take to the track in the No. 39 StopRepairBills.com Ford Mustang for the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 on Saturday, February 26.

 

Wise comes off of a strong run at Daytona International Speedway, which was cut short when he was caught up in an accident on lap 103. Despite running well for the majority of the race, Wise was unable to finish after the hard crash caused too much damage to his No. 39 Ford Mustang. He finished the race in the 31st position.

 

After the hard hit at Daytona, Wise is ready to move on to Phoenix International Raceway.

 

“I am eager to hit the track again and bounce back after a tough weekend at Daytona,” Wise said. “I look forward to working with the Go Green Racing team again. I’m very thankful to StopRepairBills.com for coming on board to support our efforts at Phoenix and to Cajun Industries for continuing to support us.”

 

StopRepairBills.com has become the most reliable provider of vehicle service contracts in the country, designing unique extended coverage plans to meet each of their 200,000 customers’ individual car needs. After being involved as a sponsor in NASCAR for several years, StopRepairBills.com is partnering with Josh Wise and Go Green Racing for the first time.

 

“StopRepairBills.com is really happy to partner with Josh Wise and Go Green Racing this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway,” said Chief Marketing Officer Paul Tyszkiewicz. “NASCAR fans are passionate about their vehicles and teaming up with Josh and GGR allows us, as a leader in the extended service contract industry, to reach that audience and make our services available to this great group of consumers.”

 

Wise and the Go Green Racing Team will take to the track Friday for two practice sessions and Saturday for qualifying. The Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 is slated to begin Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. MST.

 

About Josh Wise

Josh Wise began his racing career at the age of seven and quickly worked his way up the open wheel ranks. In 2009, at the age of 16, Wise became the youngest USAC champion. He went on to race for Tony Stewart Racing for three seasons before making the transition to stock car racing. Josh was signed as a development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, where he spent 3 years racing in stock car feeder series including the ARCA RE/MAX Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and most recently, the NASCAR Nationwide Series. For more information on Josh Wise, please visit www.joshwiseracing.com.

 

About StopRepairBills.com

StopRepairBills.com offers vehicle service contracts nationwide that provide protection against high auto repair costs. Covered claims are paid directly to a consumer’s chosen repair facility. StopRepairBills.com takes pride in offering outstanding care to its customers and delivers on its service obligations through its friendly, knowledgeable customer service staff.

 

About Go Green Racing

Go Green Racing, owned by Archie St. Hilaire, is based in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, with a full service race shop in Mooresville, N.C. Go Green Racing operates the No. 39 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as well as the No. 38 Chevrolet in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. For more information on the team, please visit www.gogreenracing.net/.

Dodge Motorsports NNS Race Advance Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Phoenix International Raceway Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011

BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T Career Starts: 140 Wins: 12 Top Fives: 59 Top 10s: 82 Poles: 8

Career Highlights:

• Keselowski is the defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion

• Earned Penske Racing its first NASCAR champion last season

• In 2010, Keselowski set career-bests in wins (6), top five’s (26), top 10s (29) and poles (5).

• Set a NASCAR record 102 consecutive Nationwide Series races without a DNF (Did Not Finish) that ended last weekend at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

• First Nationwide victory came at Nashville Superspeedway (2008).

• Keselowski is a third-generation driver, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

KESELOWSKI AT PHOENIX INTERNATIOAL RACEWAY

• Keselowski is making his ninth-career NNS start at PIR.

• Highest starting position: 2nd – 2008 spring race

• Highest finishing position: 3rd – 2010 spring race

• Average starting position: 14.4

 • Average finishing position: 12.6 • Laps Led: 68

• Keselowski has four consecutive top-five finishes at PIR.

DODGE QUOTES: DRIVE4COPD 300 “I feel that every weekend we have a shot at winning in the Nationwide Series. Our team is that strong. The Nationwide program at Penske Racing is that strong. Every weekend is a great opportunity for us to win and I think we can get the first win of the season at Phoenix. I’ve always looked forward to going out to PIR to race. I love the fact that Phoenix is its own unique venue and the community really embraces us twice a year. We have a lot of support from Discount Tire and winning in their backyard would be a great way to show them how much we appreciate what they do for Penske Racing.” Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge R/T Challenger R/T

FROM THE PITBOX “Everyone on the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team is looking forward to this weekend’s race at Phoenix. This is the car Brad won Charlotte with in October and we have tested twice at Walt Disney World Speedway, which is very similar to Phoenix. Brad was very happy with the way the car drove so we feel like we have a great shot to give Discount Tire their first victory of the season at their home track.” Todd Gordon, crew chief, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T

DODGE IN THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES • Dodge won its first Nationwide championship last year when Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski won the driver’s title. • Dodge will field two entries in the Nationwide Series from the Penske Racing stable. Sam Hornish Jr. will join teammate Keselowski for a limited race schedule in 2011. • The Dodge Challenger R/T will serve as Dodge’s entry for all 35 races this season in the Nationwide Series.

DID YOU KNOW • Dodge runs two different car brands in NASCAR; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Dodge Charger R/T) and NASCAR Nationwide Series (Dodge Challenger R/T).

STAT OF THE WEEK • After five starts in a Dodge Challenger (four last year and one this year) in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has one pole, two wins, and four top fives.

STAT OF THE WEEK • After five starts in a Dodge Challenger (four last year and one this year) in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has one pole, two wins, and four top fives.

DODGE SPEAK “We’ve spent the last year redefining and building the Dodge brand. Now we’re going to show customers what the future of Dodge will look like. At Dodge, we’re passionate about driving; we look forward to it. We think a car should have a personality, be powerful and fun. We’re going to put that Dodge mojo into the entire lineup, from compact cars to minivans to SUVs and everything in between.” Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – Dodge Car brand, Chrysler Group LLC

Daytona Hoopla in Mirror, Bayne Ready for Phoenix

After winning the Daytona 500 last weekend, Trevor Bayne settles back into the Nationwide Series this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, where he will continue his pursuit of the Nationwide title.

Bayne at Phoenix

Trevor Bayne will make his fourth Nationwide Series start at Phoenix this weekend. In three previous starts, Bayne has averaged a 20th-place finish. He was caught up in an accident in this race last year and finished 32nd. He finished 14th in the Valley of the Sun in the fall.

Daytona in Mirror

Bayne stormed onto the front page of the sports world, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the famed Daytona 500 and in the process pulling off one of the biggest upsets in sporting history. Just one day after his 20th birthday, Bayne took the checkered flag in the “Super Bowl” of motorsports and vaulted himself into the national spotlight and to the forefront of the NASCAR scene. The event was only his second-career Sprint Cup start.

Roush Fenway at Phoenix

Phoenix is one of the strongest tracks for Roush Fenway’s Nationwide program. In 53 starts, RFR has won eight times, while finishing inside the top five almost half of the time (20) and inside the top 10 an impressive 68 percent of the time (36), while leading 1,317 times. Roush Fenway has won four of the past five NNS events at Phoenix, including last Spring when Carl Edwards led 153 laps in route to the win.

Quoting T Bayne

On Phoenix:

“Phoenix is not really comparable to any track we go to. It actually reminds me of Concord Motor Sports Park, which is a short track here in North Carolina and one of my favorite race tracks.

“(Turns) three and four are obviously different, but (turns) one and two are very similar at the two tracks. At Phoenix you can hit the bottom, run up to the wall and turn down again for the little dog leg. I love that corner at Phoenix. That section is probably one of my favorite sections of any track we go to. So if I can just get (turns) three and four down where it’s really flat and really sweeping, I think we can have a good weekend. “I love turns one and two, I just wish that three and four had a little more banking and a tighter corner, because it makes your car drive totally different at both ends of the track.”

On the Week:

“It’s obviously been a crazy week and we’ve had a lot of fun and it’s been great seeing all the fans from coast to coast, but once we get back to Phoenix it’s time to go racing again. It’s really wild, as the 500 is one of the biggest events, but it’s the first event and we have a lot of racing to do this season. We are still very much after that Nationwide Championship and we are still in the hunt for a good partner to come join us in that run. I’m looking forward to getting back to racing in Phoenix.”

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW No. 88 TaxSlayer Chevrolet / No. 7 Go Daddy Chevrolet

EVENT – Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 (200 laps / 200 miles) TRACK – Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile oval) DATE – Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 5 p.m. EST)   Aric Almirola No. 88 TaxSlayer Chevrolet

“Last week was a tough race for our 88 team. At Daytona you always want to come out of the box strong, and man, did we have a fast car. We definitely would have been up front with the leaders, but we had a motor issue and it cost us a good run. That’s just part of racing. Sometimes things are just out of your control, and you’ve got to continue to be focused and move on.

“I’m confident we’ll be strong at Phoenix, and it’s going to be fun driving the TaxSlayer Chevrolet this weekend. It’s a cool-looking car. I think it will look awesome on the track. Last fall at Phoenix we put together a good race. We were running well and then Pops (Tony Eury Sr., crew chief) made a call for a two-tire stop and that gave us the necessary track position our team needed. At these short tracks it’s all about track position. Phoenix is a slick track and it can be tough to get your car handling well in turns one and two. But if you’re successful in doing so, you can usually get hooked up in three and four, too.”

  Danica Patrick No. 7 Go Daddy Chevrolet

“I enjoyed running Phoenix last year even though things didn’t exactly turn out the way I had hoped. It’s always cool to race close to home. We typically get a good turnout from Go Daddy because they’re headquartered in Scottsdale. So there are a lot of Go Daddy employees that come out and enjoy the racing. It’s a lot of fun to have them at the race. 

“It was great to be able to piece together a solid run last weekend at Daytona. Last year it seemed we could put good pieces of a race together, but never an entire one. That’s going to be a big part of this year. If our Go Daddy team is able to continue to put entire races together, I think we can continually reach our goal of top-15 finishes. Obviously, Phoenix is going to be a different test for us than Daytona. Phoenix is a driver’s track. It’s going to be close quarters, bumper-to-bumper racing, and that is something I’m still getting adapted to.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

WELCOME TAXSLAYER – JRM is proud to feature TaxSlayer on the hood of its flagship No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix. TaxSlayer is an established firm with a solid reputation and over 40 years in the tax preparation business. This event marks its first of nine races as the team’s primary sponsor. TaxSlayer will have two primary races on the No. 88 Chevrolet with Aric Almirola, six races on the No. 7 Chevrolet with driver Josh Wise, and one on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 5 Chevrolet at Bristol.   GO DADDY/DANICA HOMECOMING – This weekend will be a homecoming race for both GoDaddy.com, the primary sponsor of the No. 7 Chevrolet, and driver Danica Patrick at Phoenix. Go Daddy’s headquarters are stationed in nearby Scottsdale, Ariz., while Patrick resides in the Phoenix area.

  ALMIROLA AT PHOENIX – With three Nationwide Series starts to his credit at Phoenix, Almirola’s best finish is sixth, coming last fall in the No. 88 Chevrolet. Almirola also led eight laps during that event, a personal best for his 2010 NNS season. In three truck series starts, he’s secured two top-five finishes and led 52 laps.

PATRICK AT PHOENIX –In Patrick’s lone stock car start at PIR she finished 32nd after two on-track incidents led to cosmetic damage. Patrick also finished 15th in her only start at PIR in the IndyCar Series.   SOLID SHOWING – Patrick is fresh off a competitive run in the season opening race at Daytona International Speedway. She raced solidly among the front runners in the event and led a lap, becoming the first woman to lead a lap at Daytona in a NASCAR national series race (includes NSCS, NNS and NCWTS). Patrick’s fourth-place start and 14th-place finish were also a NASCAR career best for the Roscoe, Ill. native.

TEAM JRM POINT’S POSITION – Patrick and the Go Daddy team are currently ranked seventh (-10) in the driver point standings and 14th in owner points. Driver Aric Almirola is ranked 11th (-16) in driver points and the No. 88 TaxSlayer Chevrolet is 19th in owner points.   PATRICK’S MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Patrick will be available to members of the NASCAR media on Friday, Feb. 25, at 1:15 p.m. in the PIR infield media center deadline room.

DRIVER APPEARANCES – JR Motorsports drivers Aric Almirola and Josh Wise will appear at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area to sign autographs on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, from 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.   DANICA’S 2011 NNS SCHEDULE – Patrick will compete in 12 Nationwide Series races in 2011, including the first four events of the year at Daytona, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Bristol. The remainder of her schedule features races at Chicagoland Speedway (June 4), Daytona International Speedway (July 1), Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Aug. 20), Richmond International Raceway (Sept. 9), Kansas Speedway (Oct. 8), Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 5), Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 12), and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 19). GoDaddy.com will sponsor 11 of Patrick’s 12 races with Tissot returning as a primary sponsor for the Chicagoland event.   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.   JRM QUICK FACT – JRM has scored a top-five finish at every track on the current Nationwide Series schedule.

Robert Richardson, Jr. ready to tangle with fickle track of Phoenix North Texas Pipe returns to No. 23 Dodge of R3 Motorsports at PIR  

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (February 23, 2011) – Robert Richardson, Jr. and the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Dodge team of R3 Motorsports return to action this week in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.  

After all the tumultuous racing at Daytona International Speedway last week, a track like PIR might be a welcomed respite to the series’ teams. However, the one-mile layout of the Arizona track forces drivers to have two different mindsets to get through the non-equal turns around the oval.  

For Richardson, the task at hand is even taller. He will be making his first PIR start since 2008. But, the good news is the new NNS cars make for great equalizers because this will be the first time all drivers will be using the new cars at Phoenix.  

Fast Facts:This will be Richardson’s first start at PIR since 2008, second of the 2011 season and 71st of his NNS career. A radiator busted in one of the wrecks at Daytona last week relegated the No. 23 team to a 32nd place finish after running in the top 10 and 15 most of the race. This puts Richardson, Jr. 21st in the Driver’s Standings.    

Car Facts:The WCS team led by crew chief Walter Giles will be using chassis No. 54 this weekend. This car was last used at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the fall 2010 race.   Track Facts:Phoenix International Raceway is one mile in length and has 11 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2, nine degrees in Turns 3 and 4 with three degrees on the frontstretch and nine on the back.

Did you know:Of the 18 NNS races held at PIR, all but three drives have ever won from a starting position outside the top 10; which means qualifying well is paramount at PIR.  

Tune in for the Win:There are two practice sessions on Friday with the first being from 1 to 2:20 p.m. and the final one from 4 – 5 p.m. ET at PIR. The teams return to the track on Saturday for qualifying at 2 p.m. ET and then race action begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, MRN Radio and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 128 for their 200-lap race.

Robert Richardson, Jr. Quotes Since you haven’t been to Phoenix in awhile, how do you prepare for this race: “All I can say is I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing how these new cars do on the flat track of Phoenix. I know it’s a tricky layout with the way you come off Turns 1 and 2 being different than how you come off 3 and 4. The best thing I can do is go out there, get a good feel for the car and the track and take it from there.”  

How has the switch to Dodges been for you:“For me, it’s been pretty good. I like the cars, how they feel, how they look and what Dodge has done to help us out. For the guys, it’s been a lot of hard work making the changed over the last two months. Now that we have several cars built, we can concentrate on getting them better. I really have to give credit to the guys for all their hard work – it means a lot to me. 

“I know Walter (Giles, crew chief) and the team will have a good car underneath me. I just need to figure out how our Dodge Challengers are going to handle and react to the set up we have in the car. The good news is every other driver is getting on this track with a new car for the first time, too. So, we’ll all be equal in that sense.”

Carl Edwards– Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Advance

Team:          No. 60 Ford Drive One Mustang Crew Chief:  Mike Beam Chassis:      RK-610                                       Edwards, NNS at Phoenix International Raceway:

Date         Event                    S    F    Status    Laps              Led  Earnings      4/20/2007    Bashas’ Supermarket 200    9    5    running    200/200    0    $32,625 4/11/2008    Bashas’ Supermarket 200    3    2    running    202/202    38    $58,125 4/17/2009    Bashas’ Supermarket 200    1    33    running    178/203    79    $19,000 4/19/2010     Bashas’ Supermarket 200     1    6    running    200/200    0    $25,925

                          Races        Wins    Top-5s    Top-10s    Poles      Led        Money          Cumulative            6              0          3            5            2            122        $199,870

QUOTES Carl Edwards on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:

“I am really looking forward to going to Phoenix after our win there in October. Phoenix is an excellent track for us and we have had a lot of success there. We had a tough weekend in Daytona but we had a very competitive Mustang and my guys did an awesome job. Our goal is to go into Phoenix and grab the last win on the old racing surface before they put down the new pavement.  We are going to put our Ford Mustang in Victory Lane.”

Crew chief Mike Beam on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:

“Carl won the race in Phoenix last fall. After last week in Daytona, we are looking to turn things around this weekend. Carl dominates Phoenix so with accurate pit stops we should have the perfect combination to help get us into victory lane Saturday.”

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    Edwards will be piloting the No. 60 Ford Drive One Mustang this weekend.

o    This is last race on the current surface. PIR will undergo a major six-month repave/reconfiguration project beginning in March.

o    Edwards has been to victory lane five times at PIR. (4 Nationwide, 1 Sprint Cup)