Catchfence

Conway Makes First Visit to Repeat Track

Statesville, N.C. (July 28, 2010) - In a season filled with lots of firsts, NASCAR’s leading Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year driver Kevin Conway is looking forward to having seconds. The driver of the No. 34 ExtenZe Racing Ford will make his first return visit to a track the team competed on earlier this year when the series rolls into Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500.

Conway finished 35th in his debut at the “Tricky Triangle” in June. The driver and team gained valuable experience at one of the series’ most challenging tracks and look forward to progressing in their second appearance at the 2.5-mile oval.

Conway’s 34th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend gave him his 19th straight Rookie of the Race award. He also led the Brickyard 400 once for one lap and is the first Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at Indianapolis since 2003 when Jamie McMurray led twice for 22 laps.

Conway heads to Pocono now leading the Raybestos Rookie of the Year chase by 151 points.

ExtenZe Racing driver Kevin Conway comments on Pocono Raceway:

“One of the things I’m looking forward to the most about Pocono is it’s the first track that we’ll visit for a second time after racing there earlier in the year. And that’s huge for us. One of the biggest things we learned at Pocono the first time is how the three corners are all totally different. For a Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender, it’s a very challenging experience.

“But we learned a lot, both from my teammates and from my own experience behind the wheel during the first race we ran there, so I think we’ve got a much better package heading in there the second time around. And that should help us start off the weekend from a much more competitive point.

“We didn’t have the result we wanted at Indianapolis with the engine issue, but the Brickyard weekend at least gave us a good warm-up on a big, flat track to continue on to Pocono. They are both extremely challenging tracks and have some similarities with the big, long straight-aways and sweeping corners.

“The ExtenZe Racing team, of course, is disappointed in our finish at Indy. It was still an honor to compete at such a legendary track. I wish we didn’t have to wait until next year to go back. I’d like another crack at it sooner instead of later.”

About Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing:
Front Row Motorsports was formed in 2005 by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins. Since that time the team has entered a car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2010, Front Row Motorsports will partner with Ford and Roush/Yates Engines to field a three-car operation based in Statesville, N.C. The team fields the Long John Silver’s Ford driven by Travis Kvapil, the Gander Mountain Ford driven by David Gilliland and the ExtenZe Racing Ford driven by Kevin Conway.

- Breaking Limits Marketing for Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing, Press Release