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2011 NSCS Paul Menard - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

No. 27 Nibco/Menards Chevrolet Impala

Race Notes and Quotes

This Week’s Nibco/Menards Chevrolet at the Brickyard … Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 364 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala is a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and will make its first paces this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Menards is a familiar sight at IMS … Entries fielded by Team Menard, owned by Menards founder and owner, John Menard, were fixtures at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway long before NASCAR made its first visit to the Brickyard in 1994. The first Menards open-wheel entry that qualified for the Indianapolis 500 was driven by another Eau Claire, Wis., native, Herm Johnson, in 1982, earning a ninth-place finish. Johnson followed up his rookie performance with another top 10 in 1984. In 1992, Al Unser Sr. drove to a third-place finish in the 500 miler. Another notable performance came in 1995 when Scott Brayton claimed the pole position for the famous race. He repeated the feat the following year, turning in the fastest qualifying lap for the 1996 Indy 500. Other well-known wheel men who drove for Team Menard at Indy include: Nelson Piquet, Eddie Cheever, Arie Luyendyk, and Buddy Lazier. With the CART-Indy Racing League split in 1996, Team Menard joined the IRL full time, winning back-to-back championships with Tony Stewart in 1996 and 1997. Greg Ray brought the team their third championship title in 1999. In 2004, the Team Menard merged with Panther Racing, with Menard eventually withdrawing from motorsports as team owner. Present day finds the recognizable neon yellow paint scheme as a sponsor of entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (No. 27 Chevrolet Impala), Nationwide Series (No. 33 Chevrolet Impala), and Camping World Truck Series (No. 88 Chevrolet Silverado), and the No. 44 entry in the ARCA Racing Series, all of which are racing at IMS or Lucas Oil Raceway this weekend!

By the numbers at Indy … In his four previous starts at the Speedway, Ind.-based track, Menard has finished each of his contested races and completed 93.1 percent of his laps (596 of 640). He has an average starting position of 29.8 and a 26^th-place average finishing position. He claimed both his best start of 26^th and his best finish of 14^th on his last visit to the famed 2.5-mile flat oval (July 2010).

A Loopy Year in Review … After 19 races, the Eau Claire, Wisc., native has an average running position of 15.9, ranking him 15^th in the NSCS, has made the fourth-highest number of green-flag passes (2,320), has spent 50.9 percent of his contested laps in the top 15 and is ranked second in quality passes. He has also completed 95 percent of his laps (5,315 of 5,596).

2011 Season Statistics:

Starts: 19

Top-five finishes: 3

Top-10 finishes: 5

Best start: 2nd (Pocono Raceway, June)

Average start: 11.8

Best finish: 4th (Michigan International Speedway, June)

Average finish: 17.7

Laps led: 60

Bowties at the Brickyard … Menard will join all Team Chevy drivers on Friday, July 29 for Chevy Day at the Brickyard. Some fan-friendly activities that the four-time Sprint Cup Series race winner will be participating in include an autograph session from 10-10:45 a.m. and a Q&A session from 10:45-11 a.m. on the Chevy Stage, located near the Hall of Fame Museum in Turn Two. Menard will also participate in a Q&A session on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on the Chevy Stage.

Autograph extravaganza … On Saturday, July 30, Menard will take part in the largest autograph session of the 2011 NSCS season in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield Pavilion Room 1C, located adjacent to the Pagoda Plaza. He will join fellow RCR teammates in the first session from 12-12:45 p.m. The event is exclusive to Brickyard 400 Race Day ticketholders with wristband distribution starting at 9 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza. More information can be found at http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

The No. 27 team boasts some proud “Hoosiers” … Several members of the No. 27 Nibco/Menards team call the “Hoosier State” their home. Spotter Stevie Reeves grew up only blocks from IMS’ Turn Three in Speedway, Ind, while interior specialist Brad Tunny hails from Holton, Ind., a mere hour and a half southeast from Indianapolis.

About Nibco® – Ahead of the Flow® … With more than 105 years of experience, NIBCO products are used in residential, commercial construction, industrial and irrigation markets, worldwide. Products range from valves, ball valves, actuators, plastic and metal fittings, press-to-connect copper fittings, PEX piping systems, industrial plastics, to pipe hangers and support. NIBCO is headquartered in Elkhart, Ind., and operates 12 manufacturing plants located throughout the United States, Mexico and Poland. For more information on NIBCO, please visit www.NIBCO.com.

Race Rewind … After starting from the ninth position in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Paul Menard and the No. 27 team were faced with a much-changed Richmond/Menards Chevrolet from Saturday’s practice sessions during which the track’s temperature was much cooler. The Slugger Labbe-led team tried a number of adjustments, but the tight-center condition persisted, relegating them to a 24th-place finish at Loudon, N.H.-based short track.

PAUL MENARD QUOTES:

Explain why Indianapolis Motor Speedway has always been a special place to you.

“I love Indianapolis and I really look forward to going there every year. I was eight years old the first time I ever went there, and it was the coolest experience I’ve ever been through. I’ve been a huge fan of Indianapolis ever since. We would go to the (Indianapolis) 500 to watch my dad’s cars race. Indy has my two favorite races. My favorite one to watch is still the (Indianapolis) 500 and my favorite one to race in is the Brickyard (400).”

Did you look at that and say ‘this is what I want to do with my life’?

“I had already been racing go-karts at that point so I knew that racing was something I loved doing. But it was very exciting as a child to be at the (Indianapolis) 500 because it was a big, historical event. Indianapolis has a special place in my heart. I just love that race track.”

How big is it for NASCAR to go to the Brickyard?

“To me, that’s our biggest race. I think it’s bigger than the Daytona 500. It’s definitely number two if it’s not number one. It’s a big deal for us.”

What’s it like for you guys when you run through the tunnel and all the fans are so close?

“The vibrations are going because you’re getting ready to go out for practice. You don’t really think about all that stuff when you’re in the race car. That’s more for when you drive through in your rental car.”

Have you ever wanted to run an Indy Car race there?

“I would love to, but the way our (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) schedule is, unfortunately, it’s just impossible to do right now. I’ve tested an Indy car at Pikes Peak Raceway, before but have never had a chance to race one.”

The Indianapolis 500 had a pretty crazy final lap this year. If you have the lead on the last lap of the Brickyard 400, do you think you could keep your concentration through the final lap?

“Yeah, I think Hildebrand just made a really unfortunate rookie mistake on that last turn. I’d like to think I could keep my concentration if I was winning on the final lap.”

What does it take to get around IMS fast?

“A good aerodynamics package is probably first and foremost. The track has a lot of grip for as flat as it is. That track has probably the most grip than any other track that we go to. But, there’s a lot of aero in these cars and you have to be able to get off the corners well.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release