Catchfence

JR Motorsports

TRACK – Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile concrete oval)

DATE – Friday, August 20, 2010

TV / RADIO – ESPN (coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. EST) / PRN (broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. EST)

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet

“Going to be a busy weekend for us, but I have the opportunity to race with Pops (crew chief Tony Eury Sr.) under the lights at Bristol, and we’ve got a bad-ass Realtree Outfitters paint scheme on this ol’ No. 88, so it’s all good. Bill Jordan of Realtree has been a friend for years, and he’s been involved in the sport a long time. We usually go on a hunt once or twice a year, so if we could win this Bristol race Friday night, it would make for some helluva good stories to tell in some hunting lodge somewhere.

“I enjoy driving my own equipment from time to time, and to be able to do it with Pops is always fun. We won Daytona with Tony (Eury) Jr. as my crew chief, and I know how competitive they are with each other, so it’s pretty important for us to run well this weekend so Pops can have some material to go back at Tony Jr. with.”

On the announcement that Aric Almirola will drive the No. 88 starting in 2011: “He’s a really talented driver, and we’re fortunate to get him. I’ve thought highly of him for a long time, and what I’ve seen him do this year in the (NASCAR Camping World) Truck Series and in our car at ORP (O’Reilly Raceway Park) pretty much reinforced that. It’s important for us to get some continuity going again, run for a championship, and contend for wins. JR Motorsports isn’t much fun when that’s not happening (laughing).”

Josh Wise

No. 7 Hot Wheels Chevrolet

“I’m stoked to be driving the Hot Wheels Chevrolet this weekend. It’s going to look awesome under the lights at Bristol. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at JRM. Dale and Kelley have put together a great company and the entire staff is driven to win. Pops and Tony Jr. are racers through and through and they’re winning attitude is contagious to everyone at the shop.

“Bristol will be fun but challenging this weekend. I don’t have a lot of experience there, but one of my favorite tracks is Dover, which is somewhat similar to Bristol. I want to focus on the practice sessions and give Tony Jr. the right information to get our Hot Wheels Chevrolet driving its best. It’s going to be stepping process through practice, qualifying and then the race. As in any short track race, track position will be important and you’ve got to qualify well to maintain a spot up front.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

JRM ANNOUNCES 2011 PLANS FOR NO. 88 CHEVROLET - JR Motorsports cemented a integral part of its future Wednesday by signing Aric Almirola to a multi-year driving contract for the company’s flagship No. 88 NASCAR Nationwide Series team starting in 2011. A 26-year-old native of Tampa, Fla., Almirola has 32 career Nationwide Series starts, including one for JR Motorsports in which he finished third at O’Reilly Raceway Park in July. Almirola’s full-time duties as the No. 88 driver will officially begin in 2011, but he could potentially fill the seat in select races this season while he continues to run for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Aric Almirola and Kelley Earnhardt will visit the Bristol Motor Speedway media center at Noon ET on Friday, Aug. 20. A transcription of their media session will be available upon request.

EARNHARDT JR. AT BRISTOL – In eight starts at the half-mile bull ring, Earnhardt Jr. owns one win (summer 2004), four top-fives and six top-10s. He has led 211 laps, and earned an average start of 5.6 with an average finish of 7.2. In 2004, he started from pole and led 125 laps en route to victory. He retains the distinction of being the most recent driver to start from the pole and win the race at BMS. It was also the sight of his first NNS career pole on March 28, 1998. Earnhardt Jr. has never qualified outside the top six for the Bristol summer event.

WISE WITH JRM – Wise makes his sixth start for JR Motorsports in the Hot Wheels Chevrolet this weekend. The Riverside, Calif. native earned both a season-high start (fourth at Kentucky) and finish (eighth at Gateway) with JRM. His lone Bristol start came earlier this year racing the No. 61 car, where he finished 23rd.

AUTOGRAPH SESSION – JRM driver Josh Wise will be signing autographs for race fans at Food City Family Race Night on Thursday, Aug. 19 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event is open to the public from 1 p.m to 9 p.m. on State Street in downtown Bristol, Tenn. and features show cars, food vendors, simulators and a driver autograph session.

REALTREE OUTFITTERS – Bristol race weekend is the third of five races Delta Apparel and Realtree Outfitters is on board the No. 88 Chevrolet this season. Realtree retains the recognition as the world’s leading camouflage designer, marketer, and licensor with over 2,000 licensees utilizing the Realtree camouflage brand. Realtree Outfitters will return to the No. 88 at Dover International Speedway (Sept. 25) and Gateway International Raceway (Oct. 23).

SECOND FOR HOT WHEELS – For the second consecutive week Hot Wheels will be featured on the No. 7 Chevrolet. Hot Wheels designed the art for the No. 7, which features a bold, blue paint scheme with the familiar red and orange Hot Wheels flames streaking across the hood and side panels of the vehicle. Kyle Petty was the most recent driver of a Hot Wheels branded car at Bristol in 2000.

NNS CAREER SUCCESS – Earnhardt Jr.’s Nationwide Series career statistics include 115 starts with 23 wins, 53 top-fives and 73 top-10 finishes. He earned 10 poles, and has an average finish of 11.6. In his most recent NNS race at Daytona International Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. won an emotional victory in the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet while borrowing an old scheme and number that belonged to his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. It marked the younger Earnhardt’s first win in a JRM prepared car.

TEAM POINTS POSITION – The No. 88 Realtree Outfitters team is ranked eighth in the 2010 owner points standings. The No. 7 Hot Wheels team fell two positions to 18th in owner points after last week’s race at Michigan.

FREE JR NATION CREW FAN CLUB – Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports are welcoming race fans to join the JR Nation Crew Fan Club for free. The exclusive fan club offers fans an online hub with chat rooms, forums, and blogs from JRM personalities. Join today for your chance to win an autographed fire suit courtesy of Hellmann’s®. For more information, visit www.jrnation.com.

- JR Motorsports Press Release