Catchfence

Fort Worth, Texas (March 10, 2010) - After Fort Worth’s Nur Ali completed his first laps in a stock car at Texas Motor Speedway, he pulled back into his garage stall. Without taking off his helmet, his smile was plain for all to see. Ali, driving his DGM Racing prepared Budweiser/Tara Energy Chevrolet, participated in Tuesday’s ARCA Racing Series open test session. He was gearing up to compete in the April 16 running of the Rattlesnake 150 at the 1.5 mile oval.

“I’ve been looking forward to the day I drove a stock car at Texas Motor Speedway for a long time,” said Ali, who has moved to Fort Worth with his family 27 years ago. “As a Texan and a race car driver, there is no bigger thrill than driving on Texas’ high banks. Before I left pit road, I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

The session did not go completely as planned for Ali but it still proved to be very beneficial.

“The car that Mario (Gosselin, team owner) brought was fast right off the truck,” said Ali. “Within a few laps we were up to speed. We started making changes and it continued to get even better.

“We made a few more runs when I noticed a problem with the motor. We didn’t want to risk damaging it or causing a wreck, so we cut the day a little bit short. There is not doubt in our minds that we would have been much faster had we not encountered that problem. We have a fresh motor for the race so we will be fine.”

The 35-year-old has five previous starts in the ARCA Racing Series. Prior to setting his sights on a career in stock cars, Ali spent several years competing internationally. He was the driver for Team Pakistan in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport during the 2006-2007 season. In the states, he spent eight seasons competing in the Star Mazda Series. Ali, who has raced in 12 countries, is also the first and only professional race car driver of Pakistani descent.

Ali is sponsored by three Texas-based corporations – Fort Worth-based Ben E. Keith Company (Budweiser), Houston-based Tara Energy and Dallas-based A to Z Wholesale

The Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway will be televised live on SPEED on April 16. The broadcast begins at 7:30 P.M. (ET). SPEED is DirecTV channel 607 and Dish Network channel 150. Check with your cable provider for SPEED in your area

- Sports Media & Events Press Release