Catchfence

No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet Impala - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

· Leffler back in the No. 38 Great Clips Impala at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR)… This weekend, Long Beach, Calif.-native, Jason Leffler, will climb back behind the wheel of the No. 38 Great Clips machine, the car he has piloted since 2006. Leffler is splitting his time in the No. 38 this season with Kasey Kahne, who is slated to drive the car for eight events throughout the season. Not to worry though! Leffler will be able to continue his quest for the championship by rounding out a complete schedule in Turner Motorsports’ No. 30 entry.

· Strong start to the 2011 season… Last weekend, Leffler tied his career-best NNS finish of sixth at Daytona International Speedway. The solid finish puts he and teammate, Reed Sorenson, sitting first and second in the point standings of those drivers currently eligible to win the championship.

· Leffler always a solid contender at PIR… In 13 Nationwide Series starts at the Avondale, Ariz.-based track, Leffler has captured two poles (2000 and 2006), two top-five (2nd in 2000 and 2009) and four top-ten finishes. He has finished outside the top-20 on only three occasions and has led for a total of 121 laps.

· Leffler knows his way to PIR’s Victory Lane… In his USAC racing days, Leffler visited PIR’s victory lane on two occasions. He won the Midget race in 1999 and the Silver Crown feature in 2000. Prior to making the transition to stock cars, Leffler experienced tremendous success in the open wheel ranks, becoming the first driver in 37 years to win three consecutive USAC Midget National titles. In addition, he won the Silver Crown National Championship in 1998, his rookie year in the series.

· This week’s Impala… Leffler will pilot TMS-115 in this weekend’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. This race will be the maiden voyage for this chassis, as it has yet to see on-track action.

· Who’s on the pit box? Eddie Pardue is Leffler’s right-hand man and will call the shots for the championship-contending driver in 2011. Pardue and crew will remain with Leffler, no matter if he is piloting the No. 38 or No. 30 Impala.

· Start of a new era for Turner Motorsports… The 2011 season marks the start of a new era for Turner Motorsports. The team has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series, fielding three entries in the NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Three of the team’s regular NNS drivers (Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier) have been pegged as viable contenders to win the 2011 NNS driver championship.

· Happy 10-Year Anniversary, Great Clips… This season marks Great Clips’ 10-year anniversary as a primary sponsor in the NNS. The Minneapolis-based Great Clips, Inc., which is currently the longest-running primary sponsor in the series, came onto the scene in 2001 as a primary sponsor of Akins Motorsports No. 38 entry, then driven by Christian Elder.

· Leffler on SIRIUS’ Morning Drive every Wednesday… Don’t forget to tune in to SIRIUS Radio’s “Morning Drive” with Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone every Wednesday at 10:30am to hear Leffler’s take on recent events in the Nationwide Series and what you can expect from the week’s upcoming race.

Follow the No. 38 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No38TurnerNNS

Follow Jason Leffler on Twitter! Twitter.com/JasonLeffler

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Jason Leffler on Phoenix International Raceway

“Phoenix is pretty much my favorite track on the NASCAR circuit. I spent a lot of time out there as a kid and ran the Copper Classic for a number of years. It’s a slick, old race track and unique in that both ends are so different and the surface is so worn out. You slide around a lot but I really like having to drive that way. After this race, they are making some changes to the track and I have mixed feelings about that because I really love racing here. This is a place we have always been pretty strong at and we have come close on a couple of occasions to getting the win but came up short. Coming back with Turner Motorsports, with top of the line equipment and Hendrick horsepower, I feel good about our chances to get the Great Clips Chevy back into victory lane!”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release