Catchfence

PREVIEW – Brad Keselowski (No. 88 Degree V12 Chevrolet)

EVENT – Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 (200 laps/ 250 miles)

TRACK – Gateway International Raceway (1.25- Mile Oval)

DATE – Saturday, July 18, 2009

TV/ RADIO BROADCAST INFO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 9:00 p.m. EST)

MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Brad Keselowski will be available to members of the media in the Gateway International Raceway driver’s meeting room on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.

SEASON STATS – Keselowski remains third in the championship standings, 334 points behind leader Kyle Busch. In 18 races, Keselowski and the No. 88 team have one win, nine top-fives and 12 top-10s. His average starting position is 14.7 and average finish is 9.2.

KESELOWSKI AT GATEWAY – Keselowski is making his third Nationwide Series start this weekend at Gateway International Raceway for JR Motorsports. In last season’s event, Keselowski started 20th and finished fifth after battling back from an on-track incident.

GATEWAY EXPERIENCE – Keselowski and the No. 88 Degree V12 team are led by veteran crew chief Tony Eury Sr. Known to most in the garage as “Pops”, Eury Sr. was crew chief to nephew and JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the pair won back-to-back Nationwide Series championships in 1998 and 1999. During those two years, the duo won back-to-back races at Gateway as well.

STAND-ALONE SPECIALIST – Keselowski has proved he is a top performer in Nationwide Series stand-alone events. In the four stand-alone races this year (Kentucky Speedway, the Milwaukee Mile, and two at Nashville Superspeedway) Keselowski has an average starting position of 10.7 and an average finish of 2.7, the highest among series regulars.

GAINING POINTS – In the seven races since Keselowski’s win at Dover in May, the only driver to outgain him in the Nationwide Series driver standings is points leader Kyle Busch. Keselowski has earned 1,124 points to Busch’s 1,217.

CHASSIS NO. 434 – The No. 88 Degree V12 team will run Chassis No. 434 this weekend in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. This car was last raced in the 2008 fall race at Phoenix where Keselowski started 16th and finished 21st after suffering a flat tire. While the finish would suggest otherwise, Keselowski called No. 434 the best short-track car he’s ever driven.

EDUCATION FOR ELI: With the effort and support of the entire NASCAR community, a college fund has been set up for Eli Ross, the 2-year-old grandson of late motorsports journalist David Poole, who passed away on April 28. Anyone interested in contributing to the “Education for Eli” fund can do so by sending donations to the following address:

Eli Samuel Ross
Bank of Stanly
Attn: Misty Nordan
P.O. Box 539
Oakboro, NC 28129

(Please make checks payable to “Eli Ross Account” at Bank of Stanly.)

For more information, please call the Bank of Stanly at 704.485.3435.

IN SEARCH OF REAL FANS: The search continues for the Hellmann’s NASCAR Real Fan of the Year! Three contest winners have been chosen so far, but there are still four more spots on the car and fans can log on to www.RealFanOfTheYear.comto enter for their chance to win. Finalists will get to meet Dale Jr. and have their face on the hood of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Nationwide Chevrolet this October for the Dollar General 300 race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. (No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited. Ends 8/31/09. Go to www.RealFanOfTheYear.com for complete rules.)

KESELOWSKI (on last weekend and heading to Gateway) – “Our finish last weekend at Chicagoland was obviously not what we were hoping for. This sport goes in cycles so you are going to have a bad race here and there and we had one last weekend. We just need to regroup as a team and get ready for the next challenge which is this weekend at Gateway. I enjoy these stand-alone events that the Nationwide Series has because you know there is going to be a lot of good talent in the field. The team is also bringing me a car that I like a lot, and I’m hopeful to get back on track in the points race with a good finish.”

KESELOWSKI (on working with crew chief Tony Eury Sr.) – “Pops (Tony Eury Sr.) brings so much to the team between his leadership and experience. Because of that he commands a high level of respect as well. I have really enjoyed working with him because I’ve been able to learn a lot from him during my time at JR Motorsports. He’s had success at Gateway in the past with Dale Jr. during those two years they won the championship together and so we’ll be leaning on that experience this weekend to hopefully get a solid finish.”

- JR Motorsports Press Release