Catchfence

ECR Engines claims five of top 11 spots in ‘Great American Race’

WELCOME, N.C. (February 16, 2010) — Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines won its third race of the young 2010 NASCAR season February 14 when Jamie McMurray and his Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Impala took the checkered flag for the 52^nd running of the Daytona 500.

Four other ECR Engines-powered teams finished in the top 11 of the Daytona 500: Clint Bowyer led eight times for 37 laps and finished fourth in RCR’s No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy; Kevin Harvick led seven times for a race-high 41 laps and finished seventh in RCR’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy; EGR’s Juan Pablo Montoya led twice for two laps and finished 10^th in the No. 42 Chevy; and Jeff Burton finished 11^th in RCR’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy.

“First off, congratulations to Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing for winning the Daytona 500,” said Richard Childress, chief executive officer of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines. “They did a great job and took advantage of the opportunity. I’d also like to congratulate everyone at ECR for a great SpeedWeeks. We’ve started the year strong and look forward to the rest of the season.”

An ECR Engines power plant was in Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s No. 4 Chevrolet Impala that Tony Stewart took to victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Kevin Harvick kicked things off for ECR Engines the previous Saturday when he and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet team earned its second consecutive victory in the Budweiser Shootout.

“A new chapter in the legacy of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona was written this past week,” said Teresa Earnhardt, partner with Childress in Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines. “We really had a double win. Jamie McMurray and our Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Team No. 1 victory in the Daytona 500 capped off the great success already achieved by Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines during the 2010 SpeedWeeks. Dale Earnhardt Inc., through our highly successful racing joint ventures, continues to be a world-class competitor at the highest level of the sport.”

Additional quotes:

Richie Gilmore, ECR Chief Operating Officer: “It was a great week for ECR. To come out of Daytona with all that momentum is a great beginning to the 2010 season. We had five cars finish in the top 11 in the Daytona 500, finished first and third in the Nationwide Series race and we won the Budweiser Shootout. Momentum is a big thing in this sport. We had a great feeling going into Daytona but we have as good a feeling about going to Fontana and the ‘open’ engine races.”

Rick Mann, ECR Production Manager: “The success at Daytona is a tribute to the guys that work at Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines, more than anything. I’m proud of everyone’s efforts and it just goes to show that the program is strong and will only get better.”

Danny Lawrence, ECR Trackside Manager: “I’m really proud of Jamie McMurray and all the Bass Pro Shops crew. They ran strong all week and deserved to win.

“When you come away empty at Daytona, you leave thinking it’s going to be another 365 days before you have the chance to do it again. It sticks with you.

“A lot of people don’t understand how big it is to win at Daytona. We used to do a lot of testing at Daytona but, with NASCAR’s current testing policy, we have to work so much harder at the shop to make sure we have the opportunity to win once we get there. A lot of people don’t see that effort, and the progress that results from it, but I think they see it this year. And, it’s not just one team or group … it’s the whole organization.

“You have to have the cars, the engines and every piece on target. We feel great a day after the win, but now our focus is Fontana. We feel we can be as good or better there than we were at Daytona.

“The cool thing is that all the engine packages, for Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Trucks, are different so it’s not like we did the same thing across the board. They are all different and we were strong in each one. We really feel good about having our cars and engines in contention to win.”

About Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines

Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines is a high performance engine production and research and development company. ECR provides engines for NASCAR teams like Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Kevin Harvick Incorporated and others. ECR also produces engines used in SCCA, dirt and asphalt short track, and sprint car racing.

- Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines/Richard Childress Racing, Press Release