Catchfence

NOTES:

· This Week’s Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet Impala SS at The Milwaukee Mile… Stephen Leicht will pilot chassis No. 066 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable in this weekend’s NothernTool.com 250. This is the same Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Impala SS Leicht finished sixth and 11th at both Nashville Superspeedway events this season. Formerly a No. 21 Chevrolet, Leicht raced this car at Texas Motor Speedway last October where he finished 18th. This chassis was also driven twice in 2008 by Clint Bowyer as a No. 2 Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, where he finished ninth and seventh, respectively. The car was rebuilt over the off season to fit the 2009 Chevrolet Impala SS specifications.

· Statistically Speaking …

o One Year Ago … Leicht practiced and qualified RCR’s No. 2 Chevrolet for Bowyer last season at Milwaukee. During time trials, Leicht posted the sixth fastest time, touring the one-mile Wisconsin oval at 29.681 seconds at an average speed of 120.559 mph.

o Loop-D-Loop … Based on NASCAR’s loop data statistics at Milwaukee, Leicht has been scored in the top 15 for 67.5 percent of the laps contested (343 of 558) in his two starts. His average running position during both events is a 13.6.

o In the Month of June … In 10 career starts in the month of June, Leicht has earned one win and three top-10 finishes coupled with a 13.8 average starting spot and an average finishing position of 19.3.

o RCR Equipment for Leicht … Leicht, an Asheville, N.C., native joined RCR in 2008 and has driven in eight NNS events for the Welcome, N.C.,-based race team. Dating back to Feb. 25, 2008, he has earned three top-10 finishes, a 13.8 average starting position and an average finishing position of 16.1 and he has completed 92.7 percent of the laps contested for the five-time NNS championship-winning organization.

o RCR at Milwaukee … In 19 NNS starts at The Milwaukee Mile, RCR has one win (Ron Hornaday Jr – 2004) and two poles (Kevin Harvick – 2001 and Johnny Sauter – 2003). Additionally, RCR-prepared cars have four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. RCR Chevrolets have led 315 laps and have completed 98.6 percent of the laps contested.

o Holiday Inn Racing at Milwaukee … Scott Wimmer piloted the No. 29 Holiday Inn Racing Chevrolet in two events at Milwaukee, finishing second in 2007 and sixth in 2008.

· Elite Status … Leicht is one of only six non-double-duty drivers to have run at least one full NNS season between 2006 and the present who have won a NNS race. The list also includes Marcos Ambrose, Mike Bliss, Brad Keselowski, Jason Leffler and Paul Menard.

· Rear-View Mirror… Leicht and the No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet finished 31st at Kentucky Speedway last weekend after the engine overheated 63 laps shy of the checkered flag. The Richard Childress-owned No. 29 entry dropped one position, to ninth, in the Nationwide Series owners’ point standings, sitting 387 points behind the leader but a slim 94 markers separate them and Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 entry in seventh.

· ‘Three Wide for the Name on the Ride’ … Three races remain to determine which of the three Holiday Inn Racing drivers (Bowyer, Jeff Burton, and Leicht) will have their name above the door of the No. 29 Chevrolet for the remainder of the season. The driver with the most wins, or best average finish, following the July Daytona event will win the internal wager.

o Bowyer currently leads the competition with a 10th-place average finish. The defending NNS champion will be behind the wheel of the green and blue No. 29 Chevrolet for the final two starts of the ‘wager’ at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway.

o Leicht is second with a 16th-place average finish in his first three starts. Milwaukee marks his last start of the competition.

o Burton, who does not have any starts remaining in the 17-race competition, is third with a 13.1 average finishing position.

· Birthday Celebration … Brian Daniels, a mechanic for the Holiday Inn Racing team at the track, will celebrate his 34th birthday on Sunday, June 21st. During the week, Daniels serves as an electrical technician at RCR’s Nationwide Series shop.

· Race Broadcast Information … The NorthernTool.com 300 will be televised live on ESPN2 Saturday, June 20 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EDT. Qualifying for the 15th event of the 2009 NNS season will air on ESPN2, on tape-delay, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will also air live updates of time trials.

STEPHEN LEICHT QUOTES:

Coming off a rough weekend at Kentucky, what are the team’s goals heading into Milwaukee?

“The No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet was fast last weekend but we had some issues during the race and the result really didn’t show how good we should have been. The team is working their tails off in the Nationwide shop and at the track each weekend and we are getting stronger. Milwaukee is a track that the RCR stable has had some success and the Chevrolets we have seem to perform well there. Bringing the exact chassis that I’ve raced twice this season is comforting and our goal is to keep up the solid finishes we’ve had in four of the last five races. Doug Randolph (No. 29 crew chief) and the team have made huge strides is getting our program back running consistently and we’re looking to continue improving this weekend.”

DOUG RANDOLPH (Crew Chief) QUOTE:

Milwaukee is a decent track for Stephen Leicht. What are your thoughts about this weekend’s race at the one-mile oval?

“We are brining an Impala SS that was solid for us at both Nashville events this season. We’re confident heading into this weekend that we’ll have another consistent run with this chassis. Milwaukee is a track that Stephen likes running at and he did a great job last year helping out the No. 2 RCR team while Clint was practicing and qualifying in Infineon. Last week we had a little setback but we know that the gains we have been making are working and our consistency should be back with us this weekend.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release