Catchfence

No. 29 Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express Impala SS

Event: Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 presented by Ventrilo – July 18, 2009

Venue: Gateway International Raceway – Madison, Ill.

NOTES:

· This Week’s Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet Impala SS at Gateway International Raceway … Stephen Leicht will pilot chassis No. 066 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable. This is the same No. 29 racer Leicht finished sixth and 11th with at both Nashville Superspeedway events in 2009. Most recently, Leicht drove this Impala SS to an eighth-place finish at The Milwaukee Mile in June. Formerly a No. 21 Chevrolet, Leicht also raced this car at Texas Motor Speedway last October where he finished 18th. In 2008, Clint Bowyer drove this former No. 2 Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway finishing ninth and seventh, respectively. The car was rebuilt over the off season to fit the 2009 Chevrolet Impala SS specifications.

Statistically Speaking …

o RCR Equipment for Leicht … Leicht, an Asheville, N.C. native joined RCR in 2008 and has driven in nine NNS events for the Welcome, N.C.,-based race team. He has recorded four top-10 and seven top-20 finishes dating back to February 25, 2008. Leicht has earned a 12.9 average starting position, a 15.2 average finishing position and has completed 1656 of 1769 (93.6 percent) laps contested.

o RCR at Gateway … In 19 NNS starts, RCR earned two wins with Kevin Harvick in 2000 and 2001. Additionally, RCR-prepared cars have six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, led 358 laps and have completed 3588 of 2800 (94.4 percent) laps contested. Scott Wimmer piloted the No. Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet in two races at the 1.25-mile oval. In 2007, he started on the pole, led 53 laps and finished second. Last year, the No. 29 Chevy finished 30th after being involved in a mid-race accident while running in the top 10.

o Crew Chief’s Stats at Gateway … Crew chief Doug Randolph is one-for-one at Gateway. In his only race there, Randolph led driver Scott Riggs to Victory Lane at the flat Madison, Ill., facility on May 10, 2003.

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

· New Rebranded Look … The No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet is sporting a new look for the remainder of the 2009 season. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are rebranding and redesigning 3,200 hotels worldwide and, in the process, have incorporated the rebranded logos into a new paint design for the No. 29 RCR Nationwide Series entry. For more information on Holiday Inn’s rebranding efforts, please visit www.relaunch.holidayinn.com.

· Rear-View Mirror … In the first 18 races of the 2009 NNS season, the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet has earned one win and one pole, 11 top-10 and 15 top-20 finishes. Jeff Burton, Bowyer and Leicht have combined to post an average starting position of 10.2 and a 11.9 average finish. The trio have completed 3392 of 3477 (97.7 percent) laps contested, thus far, and have led 105 laps of competition. The Richard Childress-owned team is ninth in Nationwide Series owners’ point standings, 133 markers behind Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 entry in fifth, but a mere 24 points separate the No. 29 team and Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 16 entry in seventh.

· Bowyer’s No. 29 … After Bowyer won two weeks ago at Daytona International Speedway, he was crowned the winner of the ‘Three Wide for the Name on the Ride’ wager among the three Holiday Inn Racing drivers (Bowyer, Burton and Leicht). The bet was the driver with the most wins, or best average finish following the July Daytona event, claiming signature rights above the door of the No. 29 Chevy for the remainder of the 2009 season, no matter which of the three are driving the green, white and blue Chevrolet.

· Dixie Land Sweepstakes … Dixie Stampede, an associate sponsor on RCR’s No. 29 Nationwide Series Chevrolet, has teamed up with Holiday Inn to give away a fun-filled weekend for one lucky fan, and their guest, centered around Bristol Motor Speedway’s August events. The winner and their guest will receive a free two-night stay at the Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Holiday Inn on August 19 and 20, two tickets to Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction and two tickets to Dollywood. They will also receive RV accommodations (provided by Tennessee RV Sales & Service) at Bristol Motor Speedway for August 21 and 22, two pit passes and race tickets to the Nationwide Series Food City 250 on Friday, August 21 and two race tickets to the Sprint Cup Series Sharpie 500 on Saturday, August 22. For more details or to enter to win, please visit www.dixiestampede.com or submit your entry by mail to Dixie Stampede, Attn: Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 58, Pigeon Forge, Tenn., 37868. All entries must by received by July 31, 2009 in order to qualify.

· Meet the Driver … Leicht will be participating in two events for Gateway International Raceway race fans. On Friday, Leicht will participate in the track’s season ticket holder autograph session on pit road from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. local time. On Saturday, he will take part in a fan question and answer session beginning at 5:45 p.m. local time located outside the main grandstands in the midway.

· Meet the Press … On Friday, Leicht will answer questions from the media in attendance at 3 p.m. local time in the driver’s meeting room located inside Gateway’s infield media center.

· Race Broadcast Information … The Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 presented by Ventrilo will be televised live on ESPN2 Saturday, July 18 beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 19th event of the 2009 NNS season will air on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will also air live updates of time trials.

· Mark Your Calendars … In honor of its 40th anniversary, RCR will host a Fan Day at the Welcome, N.C. complex on Thursday, October 22 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Activities include driver and pit crew autograph sessions, self-guided tours of RCR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide shops as well as ECR’s engine shop, radio remotes, musical entertainment, pit crew competition, viewing of the DALE movie, question-and-answer session with team owner Richard Childress and much more. General admission to RCR’s Fan Day is just $5, which will benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.

· Online With the Times … To keep up with the latest news and information about Richard Childress Racing and to view exclusive online content, visit the team’s official website at www.RCRRacing.com. For qualifying and race results, check us out at www.twitter.com/RCRRacing.

Stephen Leicht

RCR has had success at Gateway in the past. What are your goals for this weekend?

“A top-five finish would be great. I think with how this car has performed so far this season, we should be fast. This is the same Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet I drove at both Nashville races and at Milwaukee. At Milwaukee, we were better than our eighth-place finish, but the track changed so much and we chased the handling because of that. However, it still gives me an extra boost of confidence as we unload at Gateway using a car I’m familiar with. I’m definitely excited to be back behind the wheel of the No. 29 and I hope we can qualifying up front and keep it there all night.”

It’s the midway point of the season. How would you rate the No. 29 team’s season thus far?

“We’re definitely not where we want to be as far as the owners’ points are concerned. We’re ninth right now and that’s the furthest back this team has been in a few years at this point of the season. Although we’ve had a rocky start, this Holiday Inn Racing team is making gains. Every weekend we’ve been faster and our finishes have been consistent. We’re making improvements on the track that we’ve struggled with and we’re hoping for solid finishes over the next few weeks to continue gaining points on the rest of the competition.”

DOUG RANDOLPH (Crew Chief) QUOTE:

You’ve won before at Gateway and head there with an organization that has had success there. What’s your plan heading into this weekend?

“I think we have a solid Chevy that we know is capable of running up front. It’s the fourth time this season that Stephen is driving this particular chassis and these style tracks fit his driving style. My win there in 2003 was exciting with Scott (Riggs). Hopefully, we can combine my success with RCR’s past success there and compete for a solid finish.”

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release