In 2008 Adrian Fernandez sits behind the wheel of Hendrick Motorsport's No. 5 Lowe's Chevy in the Nationwide Series at Mexico City - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

Mexican driver for Aston Martin Racing team to deliver “most famous words” in racing

(PHOENIX, Ariz.) – Adrian Fernandez – driver of the No. 007 Lowe’s Aston Martin LMP1 and one of Mexico’s most popular athletes – will step out of his normal role behind the wheel to serve as Grand Marshal for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, November 13.

“I am honored to be chosen as the Grand Marshal for the Kobalt Tools 500,” said Fernandez. “At this stage, every round in The Chase is pivotal and I am looking forward to a great race. I competed at PIR on several occasions and, having lived in Phoenix for a long time, I still consider it home. Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools have a lot of activities planned leading up to the race, and I am excited to be a part of it all and to have the chance to catch up with a lot of friends and fans.”

As Grand Marshal for NASCAR’s semi-final race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Fernandez will rev up the crowd by delivering racing’s iconic phrase, “Gentleman, start your engines.” He will also work with PIR officials and Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools to help welcome fans, drivers, and teams to Phoenix for the final West Coast race of the 2011 NASCAR season.

At 48 years old, Fernandez has enjoyed a racing career that spans almost 30 years. His success on the race track and passion for the sport have placed him on a worldwide stage with a dedicated fan base around the globe. Fernandez made his NASCAR debut in 2005 when he helped promote the sport in his native Mexico by driving the No. 5 Lowe’s/Hitachi Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. It was the first NASCAR Nationwide Series race held outside the United States. He went on to contest four more NASCAR Nationwide races for Hendrick Motorsports that year and two in 2006. That same year, Fernandez – who had formed Fernandez Racing in 2000 with partner Tom Anderson – expanded his program to create Lowe’s Fernandez Racing with Fernandez participating as both a team owner and driver in the Rolex Grand-Am Series, and in the American Le Mans Series from 2007 through 2009. Fernandez, alongside teammate Luis Diaz, claimed LMP2 driver and team championship honors in 2009.

Fernandez opened a new chapter in his career in 2010, driving for the iconic Aston Martin Racing team aboard the 007 Lowe’s Aston Martin LMP1 entry in selected, prestigious sports car events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Twelve Hours of Sebring. Recently, Fernandez and AMR claimed an overall victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., and finished third at the Petit Le Mans in Braselton, Ga.

Tickets for the Kobalt Tools 500 on November 13 are available now and start at just $25. For Phoenix International Raceway tickets and information, call 866-408-RACE (7223) or visit PhoenixRaceway.com.

About Phoenix International Raceway
Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has served race fans as the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Watch the brightest stars in NASCAR take on PIR’s brand new one-mile oval on November 13, 2011 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – the Kobalt Tools 500. Tickets for the entire Kobalt Tools 500 weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com/Tickets or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223). For more, visit PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway and Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway.

- Phoenix International Raceway, Press Release

· This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-017 in Saturday afternoon’s WYPALL 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the same Dodge Charger that Allgaier used to record his first career Nationwide Series pole at Memphis Motorsports Park in October of 2009. It then raced at Richmond International Raceway in April, where the 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year started ninth and finished 15th. The Verizon team utilized this chassis in both events at Gateway International Raceway in 2010, finishing 25th in July after being involved in a late-race incident. In its most-recent outing at GIR last month, Allgaier dominated much of the race before settling for a third-place finish.

· Allgaier at Phoenix … In four previous NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at PIR, Allgaier has recorded one top-10 finish and has completed 99.9 percent of the laps contested (803 of 804). Additionally, the 24-year-old driver has an average starting position of 20th and an average finish of 12th.

Through 33 Races … With 33 races of the 2010 season in the record books, Allgaier has accumulated two poles, one win, eight top-five and 19 top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 11.9 and an average finish of 11.6. Allgaier has led 221 laps of competition and has completed 97.6 percent of the laps contested (5,941 of 6,089) so far this season.

Five Years, Five Drivers … Crew chief Chad Walter has only been atop two pit boxes over the last five years at Phoenix, but he has worked with five drivers over that span. As a crew chief with Hendrick Motorsports, Walter worked with Adrian Fernandez, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, and Landon Cassill. Since joining Penske Racing, Walter has established a familiarity with Allgaier, having called the shots for all four of the Riverton, Ill. native’s previous starts at the desert oval.

Get to the Points … Allgaier ranks fourth in the NNS championship point standings heading into this weekend’s event at TMS. He trails current point leader and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski by 912 points, and third-place contender Kyle Busch by 217 points.

Best in Class … Allgaier’s fourth-place position in the point standings is best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers. Allgaier leads fellow Nationwide-only driver Trevor Bayne, currently ranked eighth, by 375 points.

Dash 4 Cash Winner … While Allgaier’s 13th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend wasn’t what he hoped for, it was enough to allow him to clinch the 2010 “Dash 4 Cash” bonus program. For his efforts, Allgaier was rewarded with a $75,000 bonus from the series sponsor, Nationwide Insurance.

Penske Racing at Phoenix … In nine previous Nationwide Series starts at Phoenix, Penske Racing entries have recorded two top-five and three top-10 finishes, and have been atop the leaderboard for 95 laps.

Penske Racing in 2010 … With 33 races completed in the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded seven poles, seven wins, a combined 32 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 12,029 of 12,178 laps contested, and have been atop the leaderboard for 1,368 laps with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski.

Cast Your Vote … Some 30,000 fans have cast their votes since July 6, and Allgaier is currently ranked among the top-five in the NNS Most Popular Driver award voting (through Wednesday, Sept. 15). Fans can visit www.nascarnationwideseries.com to vote for their favorite NASCAR Nationwide Series driver. Voting continues through Saturday, November 13.

Meet the Driver … Allgaier will sign autographs at Wal-Mart, located at 1825 West Bell Road in Phoenix, Ariz. on Thursday, November 11 from 5 – 6 p.m. MST. On Saturday, November 13, fans can meet Allgaier at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in the midway at PIR from 11:25 – 11:55 a.m.

Justin Allgaier on Phoenix International Raceway

“I really enjoy racing at Phoenix. It’s good to head to a race track where we’ve completed almost every lap that we’ve attempted. At the same time, our finishes haven’t been spectacular. I can’t seem to put my finger on what’s made Phoenix such a good track for me, but I think it has something to do with my dirt racing background. You’re always searching for different lines in the dirt, and because of the differences between the opposite ends of the track, you’re always searching for a line that will suit your car best.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on Phoenix International Raceway

“I’m really looking forward to Phoenix. We are coming off a strong short track showing at Gateway, and we’re bringing the same car we raced there. We had a top-five finish coming to us at Phoenix in the spring when a pit road accident took us out of contention. It’s one of Justin’s favorite tracks, it really seems to suit his driving style. We’re feeling good about our chances for a top-five finish this weekend.”

- Penske Racing Press Release

Lowe's Home Improvement

The $29,295 is in addition to the $250,000 Lowe’s donated to the American Red Cross last week. Lowe’s stores across Georgia continue to serve as official cash donation sites for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Funds raised will help to provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of disasters like the recent floods.

As part of Racing for Relief, Lowe’s donated $48 for every lap Johnson completed in the 400-lap race Sunday with an additional $4,800 for his first-place finish. Lowe’s also donated $15 for every mile Lowe’s Team 15 completed in the Petit Le Mans Series race on Saturday. The total amount of donation is $29,295.

Lowe’s first introduced Racing for Relief in 2000. To date, the program has helped disaster relief efforts for hurricanes, tornados and floods by raising more than $340,000. Since partnering with the American Red Cross in 1999, Lowe’s has raised more than $20 million for disaster relief.

Donations to the American Red Cross may be made at participating Lowe’s stores, online at www.redcross.org, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

ABOUT LOWE’S:

Lowe’s is a proud supporter of the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity International, United Way of America, and the Home Safety Council, in addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across the country. In 2008, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $25 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada. Lowe’s also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe’s Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative. Lowe’s is a FORTUNE® 50 company with fiscal year 2008 sales of $48.2 billion and has more than 1,675 stores in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.

ABOUT AMERICAN RED CROSS:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

- GMR Live Marketing for Lowe’s Home Improvement, Press Release

After Briscoe and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon exchanged the lead five times in the first half of the race, Carpenter, who started 14th, flexed his car’s muscle during second half of the race by taking his first of five race leads on Lap 137. He would exchange the lead with Will Power four times over the next 39 laps before diving to the pit road for tires and fuel with 26 laps to go.

Following the green-flag pit stop cycle, Carpenter claimed the lead for last time on Lap 180. Briscoe made his way back through the pack and edged his car past Carpenter’s for the first time on Lap 192. The two battled side by side through the closing stretch of the race before Briscoe emerged with his second victory of the season.

He takes over the top spot in the championship standings from seventh-place race finisher Scott Dixon and will enter next week’s series event at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course with an eight-point advantage over Dixon.

“Those last couple laps were tough. I don’t know if I was imagining, but Ed Carpenter’s line getting wider and wider every lap. I knew that every lap I would get the edge on him across the start/finish line. Roger was in my ear, too, saying just keep doing what you’re doing, you’re getting better off of Turn 4 and that’s where we need to be good. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more happy to cross a finish line. It was hard fought out there, a big win for me,” Briscoe said.

Carpenter earns his career-best finish and fourth career top-five finish. He posted his third straight top-10 series finish at Kentucky Speedway and his fifth of the season through 12 events.

“I was trying, I was giving it all I had for my team. They did a great job in the pits keeping us up there. I was trying to hold up my end of the bargain. This was really close and I’m really happy to get second, but it hurts to be that close and not win,” Carpenter said.

Andretti Green Racing driver Tony Kanaan took third, Briscoe’s teammate Helio Castroneves claimed fourth and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal rounded out the race top five.

Tonight’s margin of victory marked the second-closest finish in Kentucky Speedway history, the closest IndyCar Series finish in track history and the 11th-closest finish in IndyCar Series history.

Adrian Fernandez took the previous closest series finish at Kentucky Speedway when beat Buddy Rice to the line by 0.0581 of a second on August 15, 2004. Scott Lagasse, Jr., took the closest finish in Kentucky Speedway history when he finished .014 of a second in front of Wade Day in an American Speed Association event on May 7, 2004.

Tonight’s estimated attendance was 48,000. The race concludes the 2009 Kentucky Speedway season.

- Kentucky Speedway Press Release