Catchfence

DIRECTV Head2Head KnockOut Competition at Richmond:

Kurt Busch vs. Hamlin; Truex vs. Martin; Harvick vs. Montoya; Bowyer vs. Kahne

Event: Crown Royal 400
Previous Winner: Kyle Busch (beat Tony Stewart by 2.751 seconds on May 2, 2009)
Date / Time: Saturday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. EDT
Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
Configuration: .75-mile oval (400 laps = 300 miles)
Banking in Turns: 14 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 8 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,290 feet
Backstretch: 860 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: April 19, 1953 – Richmond 200 (Winner – Lee Petty)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 112,029

NASCAR HOTPASS™ on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews is available for all 36 point-paying races during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

This weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout competition continues. The exciting new competition divides 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers into four regional brackets. Drivers go head-to-head against a new competitor each week in a single-elimination format and advance by finishing higher than the driver they are matched up against. After three rounds, the drivers will be narrowed to the Fastest Four, who will then race for the DIRECTV NASCAR Head2Head Knockout title during the May 8 Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway.

Winning drivers will earn cash prizes each week. A total of $500,000 will be donated to a charity of the driver’s choice during the competition. Fans will earn points for correct picks and will have a chance to win a new 2010 ROUSH^® Stage 3™ Ford Mustang, as well as the ultimate prize – $1 million – for the fan who picks a perfect bracket.

The DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout lineup for the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795:

Kurt Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team of Penske Racing

Head2Head vs.

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota team of Joe Gibbs Racing

Kurt Busch will make his 338^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 19^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win (September 2005) and six top-10 finishes in 18 Sprint Cup starts at Richmond … The 31-year-old Las Vegas native has 21 wins and has 141 top-10 finishes in 337 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Busch’s 10^th full year in Sprint Cup, and he won the 2004 points championship … Started ninth and finished eighth last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks seventh in Sprint Cup points with one win and five top-10 finishes.

Denny Hamlin will make his 161^st career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his ninth at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win (September 2009), two poles and five top-10 finishes in eight career Sprint Cup starts at the .75-mile oval … The 29-year-old from Chesterfield, Va., has 10 wins and 82 top-10 finishes in 160 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Hamlin’s fifth full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of third in 2006 … Started 11^th and finished fourth last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks ninth in Sprint Cup points with two wins and three top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 796:

Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 56 NAPA Toyota team of Michael Waltrip Racing

Head2Head vs.

Mark Martin and the No. 5 Hendrickcar.com / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Martin Truex Jr., will make his 163^rd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his ninth at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one top-10 finish in eight starts at the .75-mile oval … The 29-year-old Mayetta, N.J., native has one win and 40 top-10 finishes in 162 Sprint Cup starts … Won 2004 and 2005 NASCAR Nationwide Series titles … 2010 marks Truex’s fifth full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of 11^th in 2007 … Started 17^th and finished 12^th last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks 15^th in Sprint Cup points with three top-10 finishes.

Mark Martin will make his 768^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 49^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win (February 1990), four poles and 27 top-10 finishes in 48 career Sprint Cup starts at Richmond … The 51-year-old from Batesville, Ark., has 40 wins and 422 top-10 finishes in 767 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Martin’s 28^th year with at least one Sprint Cup Series start and his 22^nd full season with a career-best point finish of second in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2009 … Started 10^th and finished fifth last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks sixth in Sprint Cup points with five top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 797:

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Reese’s Chevrolet team of Richard Childress Racing

Head2Head vs.

Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Target Chevrolet team of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

Kevin Harvick will make his 332^nd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 19^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win (September 2006), one pole and 11 top-10 finishes in 18 career Sprint Cup starts at the .75-mile oval … The 34-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif., has 12 wins and 135 top-10 finishes in 331 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Harvick’s 10^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of fourth in 2006 and 2008 … Won 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship … Started fourth and won last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks second in Sprint Cup points with one win and six top-10 finishes.

Juan Pablo Montoya will make his 119^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his seventh at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one top-10 finish at the .75-mile oval … The 34-year-old from Bogota, Columbia has one win and has 31 top-10 finishes in 118 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Montoya’s fourth full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of eighth in 2009 … Won 2000 Indianapolis 500, 1999 CART championship and has seven Formula One victories … Started 24^th and finished third last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks 20^th in Sprint Cup points with four top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 798:

Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet team of Richard Childress Racing

Head2Head vs.

Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser 25^th Anniversary Ford team of Richard Petty Motorsports

Clint Bowyer will make his 155th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his eighth at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win (May 2008) and four top-10 finishes in seven starts at the .75-mile oval … The 30-year-old Emporia, Kan., native has two wins and 67 top-10 finishes in 154 Sprint Cup starts … Won 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series title … 2010 marks Bowyer fifth full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of third in 2007 … Started 14^th and finished seventh last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks 11^th in Sprint Cup points with six top-10 finishes.

Kasey Kahne will make his 226^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 13^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win from the pole (May 2005) and five top-10 finishes in 12 career Sprint Cup starts at Richmond … The 30-year-old Enumclaw, Wash., native has won 11 races and has 80 top-10 finishes in 225 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Kahne’s seventh full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of eighth in 2006 … Started 22^nd and finished 21^st last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks 23^rd in Sprint Cup points with three top-10 finishes.

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV:

NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.

- True Speed Communication for NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV, Press Release