Catchfence

No. 29 Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express Impala SS

Event: CARFAX 250 – August 15, 2009

Venue: Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn, Mich.

Jeff Burton’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Performance History at Michigan International Speedway

· This Week’s Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet Impala SS at Michigan International Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot Chassis No. 077 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable in this weekend’s CARFAX 250. Built new in 2009, this is the same No. 29 Impala SS Burton drove to a ninth-place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Most recently, Stephen Leicht finished 31st in this Holiday Inn Chevrolet after his engine overheated at Kentucky Speedway in June.

· Statistically Speaking …

o Caution-Free Winner … Burton, a 27-time winner in NASCAR’s junior circuit, won the most recent caution-free NNS race on August 15, 1998 at Michigan International Speedway. He earned the victory from the pole and led 80 of 100 green-flag laps.

o All-Time at MIS … Burton is second all-time at MIS in both top-five (five) and top-10 (eight) finishes in NNS competition. Also, he is fifth all-time in laps led (99) in NNS events at the two-mile Irish Hills oval.

o Loop-D-Loop … Based on NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Burton has run inside the top 15 for 82.2 percent (208 of 253) of laps contested in his two most recent NNS races at MIS (2006 & 2007).

o RCR at Michigan … In 20 previous NNS starts at MIS, RCR has one win (Kevin Harvick – 2003), along with five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. In addition, RCR-prepared Chevrolets have earned a 13.6 average finish and completed 2,474 of the 2,479 (99.8 percent) of the laps contested.

· Rearview Mirror … Last weekend, Burton and the Holiday Inn Racing team used pit strategy to finish sixth in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. The No. 29 team’s eighth consecutive top-15 finish allowed them to maintain seventh position in the NNS owners’ point standings. Now, only 98 markers separate the Doug Randolph-led team from Braun Racing’s No. 38 team in fifth.

· Double Duty at MIS … In addition to his NNS duties, Burton will pilot the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan. ESPN’s coverage of the CARFAX 400 on August 16 will start at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio beginning at 1:15 p.m. EDT.

· Race Broadcast Information … The CARFAX 250 will be televised live on ESPN2 on Saturday, August 15 beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The race will also be broadcast on MRN and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 23rd event of the 2009 NNS season will air on the same day beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT on SPEED. MRN and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio will also broadcast 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.

Jeff Burton

You have a win at Michigan in the Nationwide Series. What does it take to come out on top at that track?

“Our Holiday Inn Chevy has driven really well at Michigan in the past. You always want to get around the corner a little better than someone else and what helps is the amount of grip you can generate. You never really know what you need to do because things change. In order to be competitive, we need a car that handles well through the middle and off the corners. If we have that, we’ll be successful.”

What are the keys to qualifying well at Michigan?

“Hitting your lines just right is the key to qualifying, especially at a fast race track like Michigan. The interesting thing about the Nationwide Series is that you have to qualify what you race. You certainly have to make some sacrifices in your qualifying setup to be good for the race but the impound rule adds to the strategy game in this series. Doug (Randolph, crew chief) has been working really hard at improving our qualifying efforts because track position has played an important role in a lot of these races. We have a fast Holiday Inn Chevrolet this weekend and, hopefully, we can start towards the front.”

DOUG RANDOLPH QUOTES:

You have eight consecutive top-15 finishes. What else is being done to improve the No. 29 team’s performance?

“We feel like we’re improving but we need to be better. My original hope was to be fifth in points by this point and over the last two weeks, we’ve been able to have strong points finishes. We need to be able to contend for wins and top-five finishes, which we’ve lacked this year, but I’m confident they’re coming. The No. 29 team has been testing our Chevys on the seven post and wind tunnel to gather as much info as possible. The Holiday Inn over-the-wall crew has really improved and our pit stops have been faster.”

As you continue to improve, what’s your goal this weekend and beyond?

“We are going to take one race at a time. Heading into Michigan, we look to continue our consistency, but also improve on each finish. My goal is to improve on our previous finish in the next race. We finished sixth at Watkins Glen and we want to finish fifth or better at Michigan. It’s an attainable goal and we’re confident we can put that into effect this weekend.”

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release