2010 NSCS No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion/Roush Fenway Racing Pit Crew

It was the second Tissot win of the season for the No. 17 crew, which also won in Phoenix on April 10. The only other team to score two Tissot wins after 12 Cup races is Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 56 crew.

Kenseth’s Ford Fusion spent the least amount of time on pit road – 255.005 seconds – during the 400-lap, 400-mile race at Dover’s Monster Mile. The quick work by the No. 17 crew helped Kenseth to a third-place finish.

“It was awesome to hear that our No. 17 team won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award for the second time in the last five races,” said No. 17 crew chief Todd Parrott. “The guys had really good pit stops even with a fairly major change that we did. They worked together and got it done in a timely manner. Matt (Kenseth) did a killer job getting on and off of pit road which is extremely important to helping us make good time on our stops; he’s really one of the best at making up time on pit road.”

The No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing over-the-wall crew consists of: Justin Nottestad (front-tire changer), Joe Crossen (front-tire carrier), Dave Smith (rear-tire changer), Garrett Reding (rear-tire carrier), Cameron Cobb (jackman), Brad Robison (gasman) and Dave McDonald (catch can).

The winning pit crew in each Sprint Cup race will earn $5,000 and a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.

Kenseth’s and Truex’s crews lead the Tissot standings with two wins each. Eight teams are tied for second with one win.

Tissot has been the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR since 2006. The company is also the official timekeeper for a number of other sports, including the MotoGP World Championship, the Ice Hockey World Championship and the Cycling World Championship.
__________________________________________

2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Winners

Daytona, 2/14       Juan Pablo Montoya Team
Fontana, 2/21       Jeff Gordon Team
Las Vegas, 2/28     Martin Truex Jr. Team
Atlanta, 3/7        Martin Truex Jr. Team
Bristol, 3/21       Brad Keselowski Team
Martinsville, 3/29  Clint Bowyer Team
Phoenix, 4/10       Matt Kenseth Team
Texas, 4/19         Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Talladega 4/25      David Reutimann Team
Richmond, 5/1       Ryan Newman Team
Darlington, 5/8     Jamie McMurray Team
Dover, 5/16         Matt Kenseth Team

- DMF Communications for Tissot Pit Road Precision Award, Press Release

NASCAR Logo

The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award, which is determined by a vote of each team’s crew chief, is given quarterly to the top-performing pit crew in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award presented during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.

The award is part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provide teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories. Mechanix Wear, the #1 glove in racing, is the Official Glove of NASCAR®used by nearly all pit crew members in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Created nine years ago, the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award is one of the most sought-after titles for pit crews.

“We work with pit crews every week to jointly develop products that help them do their job better,” said Ted Abdon, director of racing for Mechanix Wear. “We look at the changes in the cars and the pit stops, and create products that make them safer on the job and help them do it more effectively. We’ve worked hard to reward them for being the best in their sport.”

Truex Jr. and the No. 56 team have scored four top-10 finishes this season and currently sit 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings. And while Truex Jr. is getting the job done behind the wheel, crew chief Pat Tryson’s veteran over-the-wall gang has been on their game as well, performing consistent, fast pit stops all year.

Members of the No. 56 NAPA “Know How” pit crew include: Cory Quick (front-tire changer), Craig Curione (front-tire carrier), Shannon Myers (rear-tire changer), Mark Kennerly (rear-tire carrier), Brian Chase (jackman), Doug Newell (gasman) and Keith Koppenal (catch can). The team’s pit crew coach is Greg Miller.

“We are very fortunate that the crew we put together has had chemistry right from the very start,” said pit crew coach Greg Miller. “I want to thank Mechanix Wear for having such a prestigious award. It is an honor to have been voted on and chosen by the crew chiefs and it means a lot to the NAPA ‘Know How’ Pit Crew.”

Truex Jr., who claimed his fifth career Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 Presented By Hershey®’s at Dover International Speedway, depends on his experienced pit crew to be a difference-maker on pit road.

“My guys have a lot of experience and have been in racing for a long time,” said Truex Jr., referring to the No. 56 pit crew. “They’re just a great group of guys that love what they’re doing and put a lot of effort into it. To be rewarded like this goes a long way. They’ve been a huge part of our success so far this year.”

Truex Jr. will depend on his award-winning pit crew this Saturday night, where the No. 56 team will take center stage during the 40-lap NASCAR Sprint Showdown, attempting to finish within the top-two spots to advance to that evening’s 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

The No. 56 pit crew will be presented the first-quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award during Saturday night pre-race ceremonies at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

About the NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program

The NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program, commonly referred to as the contingency program, is administered by the NASCAR Automotive Group. The program strives to build strong relationships with high-quality, performance-driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories and award money to NASCAR teams via per-race and year-end postings. Competitors become eligible for awards money by displaying partner decals on the front fender of their race vehicles and, in some instances, use of a sponsor’s product. National series contingency sponsors will contribute over $8.8 million to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams in 2010.

- NASCAR, Press Release

NSCS Red Bull Racing Teams No. 82 & No. 83

+ RED BULLS TAKE DOVER’S BEST SHOT, STILL STANDING

Casey Mears filled in for close friend and No. 83 driver Brian Vickers on Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Vickers was hospitalized Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., with a medical condition that was later revealed to be blood clots in his veins. Vickers, 26, was released Friday and returned to Charlotte, N.C., for further evaluation. His status for race weeks in Charlotte and beyond remains uncertain.

Mears and Red Bull Racing’s No. 83 team performed admirably at Dover. All things considered — a call to drive three days before the race, an 11th-hour seat fitting and the learning curve between a new driver and crew — a 22ndplace finish in the Autism Speaks 400 isn’t all that bad. “

“Hope Brian gets better soon,”” Mears said. ““In the meantime, we’re working real hard to try to maintain the best we can so when he comes back he’ll have something good to get into.”

” No. 82 driver Scott Speed finished 23rd in the Autism Speaks 400 for his best showing in three career starts at the high-banked, high-speed 1-mile concrete oval. A third of the way through the season, Speed’s average finish is 22.0. At this point one year ago, it was nearly 29. www.redbullracingusa.com

82 . SCOTT SPEED START/FINISH: 29/23

COULD’VE BEEN BETTER, BUT …: Speed labeled the finish as “reasonable” — as in not good, but not bad. He started 29th, and under the first caution the No. 82 crew immediately went to work on the tight-off-the-corners condition Speed was experiencing. The adjustments continued, and the car’s handling went from tight to loose on entry and exit. By that time — just past halfway — only 16 cars were on the lead lap because of a furious pace by the frontrunners. As the laps clicked off, Speed, who ran as high as eighth, fought rear grip issues as he flirted with the top 20. He entered his final green-flag pit stop with 25 laps to go in 20th and finished 23rd.

PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION: ““For the most part, we struggled at Dover all weekend, so coming out of the race in 23rd is a pretty reasonable finish. It’s actually the best finish we’ve had here as a team. This track is the toughest one we compete on and it’s really been a thorn in our side every time we come here. So overall, we’re improving and making progress and those are good things.” ” – — Speed

VITAL SIGNS: 26th in points — 77 out of 20th.

STAT THAT MATTERS: NASCAR’s loop data statistics provide an interesting look at where cars are strong and where they’re not. Speed’s No. 82 Red Bull Toyota was clearly at its strongest in turn four and on the frontstretch. Speed made 29.73 percent of his passes in turn four, and that speed carried down the frontstretch, where he completed 32.43 percent.

83 . CASEY MEARS START/FINISH: 39/22

83 TEAM STANDS STRONG: It took three practice sessions and nearly all of the Autism Speaks 400. But eventually, the No. 83 team got the Red Bull Toyota to Mears’ liking. The car was at its fastest in the final 20 laps — a testament to the hard work by a crew that was still figuring out what exactly its new driver wanted. Mears started 39th and roared into the top 30. From there, the team tried various changes to the No. 83’s cure handling problems and lack of rear-end grip. Finally, the car responded in the closing laps. But Mears, like much of the field, was trapped multiple laps down. He finished 22nd, prompting a “way to stick with it” from crew chief Ryan Pemberton.

VITAL SIGNS: Vickers’ absence effectively ended his shot at the Chase as he dropped seven spots in points to 27th. However, the team’s main concern is the health of its young driver. Vickers is 276 points out of 12th, but the No. 83 lost only one position in the car owner standings and ranks 21st.

HANGIN’ TOUGH: ““From where we started, there were so many guys … those top two or three guys were running so much faster. We just ended up several laps down, unfortunately. But a lot of guys did. We hung in there all day. Considering the way things were, the way the car handled … we’ve come out with a pretty good finish. I think everybody did a good job tackling what we needed to tackle this weekend.” – — Mears

STAT THAT MATTERS: If there was ever a time to put Mears in the No. 83, it was Dover weekend. “Solid” would be the term used to describe his performance at the 1-mile track. Mears’ average finish in his past 10 Dover starts is 15.2. + UP NEXT Sprint All-Star Race, Saturday, May 22, Charlotte Motor Speedway

- Red Bull Racing Team

Kyle Busch celebrates with the checkered flag after winning Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. Busch led the race six times for 131 laps - Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

Kyle Busch brought home his second victory in as many days by capturing Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) came off a dominating win in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race in his No. 18 Combos Toyota for JGR to lead 131 laps in the Sprint Cup show, including the final 35 circuits around the 1-mile oval to score his 18^th career Sprint Cup victory.

“It’s phenomenal. It feels really, really good,” said Busch, who now has two Sprint Cup wins at Dover. “I can’t thank the guys enough. The whole M&M’s Camry team did such a phenomenal job. M&M’s, Interstate Batteries, Toyota, Sprint, the fans, Marquis Jets and Gillette – we just can’t say enough about all the people behind us. It’s fortunate for us to be in this position and Dave Rogers (crew chief) working as hard as he does. That’s what it takes to win one of these deals. We came on there at the right point and I thought we were going to beat him (Jimmie Johnson), but I didn’t know. The ‘48’ (Johnson) was really, really fast today.”

What Busch was alluding to was his day-long battle with four-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Johnson. While Busch started a solid fourth and led some early laps, it was Johnson who darted to the front of the field after each restart, leading eight times for a race-high 225 laps.

Even thought it appeared that Johnson had the dominant car, Busch and crew chief Rogers showed great patience while fine tuning their M&M’s Camry throughout the 400-lap race. They worked on improving an overall loose handling condition along with Busch’s desire to get his racecar to turn better through the corners. Rogers threw everything he had at the No. 18 machine, with air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments – he even inserted a spring rubber – to improve the car’s handling.

Rogers diligence finally paid off as Busch reported the car’s handling had improved after a two-tire stop on lap 246.
As the laps wound down with Johnson and Busch running 1-2, respectively, the key moment came during the last pit stop of the day with just 37 laps remaining. With both Johnson and Busch pitting under green at the same time, it was the M&M’s over-the-wall team that bested Johnson’s title-winning outfit and sent Busch out inches in front of the No. 48 team. Not only did the No. 18 team beat the 48 team out of pit road, but NASCAR informed Johnson that he was too fast exiting and had to return to pit lane to serve his pass-through penalty under the green flag. From there, Busch led the final 35 laps and cruised to a 7.551-second margin of victory over second-place Jeff Burton. It was his 69^th career victory across NASCAR’s top three divisions (Sprint Cup – 18, Nationwide – 34, Camping World Truck 17).

“It’s just a testament to these guys and what all they do,” said Busch, who led a total of 494 laps over the course of the three NASCAR races he competed in this weekend at Dover, as he led 172 laps in Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race before a fuel issue relegated him to a 16^th-place result, and 191 laps en route to Saturday’s Nationwide Series win. “Awesome stops on pit road. I think they won the race for us today and it was just a great effort by everybody. We were just so loose for most of the race. I guess it’s a good thing I can hang onto it that long. I’m like, ‘Come on man, tighten it up. Let’s go.’ Dave (Rogers) did a phenomenal job. He kept me going and kept my head in the game and just being able to work on the car, trying to make it better. We weren’t the best in the beginning, but we were definitely a top-four car today. And then we worked on it there at the end, and about lap 250 or 260 we really started coming on.

“This is a long race and it’s very hard to stay patient. But today we just – we ran fourth so I wasn’t too worried about it. We had a good racecar. It was fast, but it was just a little bit unbalanced. So as soon as we got the balance right, the thing really came to life and took off. The M&M’s people are here today, Combos was here yesterday. I wish it was a triple, but I’d rather miss out on Friday to get one Sunday.”

Busch’s JGR teammates – Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano – finished fourth and 10^th, respectively. The last time all three JGR drivers finished in the top-10 came in August 2008 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway when Busch finished second, Hamlin was third and former JGR driver Tony Stewart came home eighth.

Finishing third behind Busch and Burton was Matt Kenseth, while Hamlin and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five. Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Stewart and Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 24 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish.

He gained one spot to climb to second with 1,699 points and is 69 markers back of leader Harvick. Hamlin gained one spot to rise to fifth and has 1,618 points, 150 points arrears Harvick. Logano also picked up one spot. He’s now slotted at 18^th and has 1,332 points, only 102 points back of 12^th-place Martin Truex Jr., who currently holds the final spot for 12-driver Chase for the Championship.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The non-point-paying event begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by SPEED beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. (SPEED’s “RaceDay” will begin at 4 p.m.)

- True Speed Communication for Mars SnackFoods, US, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 1st

How excited are you to win at Dover today? “It’s phenomenal. It feels really, really good. I can’t thank the guys enough. The whole M&M’s Camry team did such a phenomenal job. Of course, thank Sprint, the fans, Interstate Batteries, Marquis Jets, Gillette, again Toyota and M&M’s. We just can’t say enough about all of the people behind us. It’s fortunate for us to be in this position and Dave Rogers (crew chief) working as hard as he does. Man, I don’t think you’ll outwork the guy, but you might beat him sometimes here or there. Today we prevailed. That’s what it takes to win one of these deals. We came out right there at the right point and I think we were going to beat him (Jimmie Johnson), but I don’t know. The 48 (Jimmie Johnson) was really, really fast today.”

Did you work on the car throughout the race? “We did, we struggled a lot. We were just so loose. I guess it’s a good thing I can hang onto it that long. I’m like, ‘Come on man, tighten it up. Let’s go.’ No, Dave (Rogers, crew chief) did a phenomenal job. He kept me going and kept my head in the game and just being able to work on the car, trying to make it better. We weren’t the best in the beginning, but we were definitely a top-four car today. We worked on it there at the end and about lap 250 or 260 we really started coming on. It’s just a testament to these guys and what all they do. Awesome stops on pit road. I think they won the race for us today and it was just a great effort by everybody.”

Why was your car so loose today? “It was just the way the tire rubber got laid down today. Man, it was so different than what it’s ever been here in the past, at least that I’ve ever raced here. It threw us all for a curveball, I think, but for us on this No. 18 M&M’s Camry we just kept plugging along, kept working all day making adjustments. Every single pit stop we came down and it took us about 200 laps before it even made a dent in the car and then about lap 260 this thing came alive and we got going. I can’t thank M&M’s enough, Toyota, NOS Energy Drink, Combos, Doublemint and everybody that works so hard on this deal — Interstate Batteries, Marquis Jets and of course the fans for coming out and enjoying a great race today hopefully.”

How difficult is it to stay patient in such a long race here knowing your car isn’t where you want it to be? “This is a long race and it’s very hard to stay patient, especially if you’re a car battling for 10th, 12th, 15th because you know the leader is coming. You know they’re coming up behind you. But, today we just — we ran fourth so I wasn’t too worried about it. We had a good race car. We had a top-four race car. It was fast, it was just a little bit unbalanced. So as soon as we got the balance right the thing really came to life and took off. I can’t thank Dave (Rogers, crew chief) enough. He does such a phenomenal job with this team and he’s doing such a great job for all of us. The M&M’s people are here today, Combos was here yesterday — I wish it was a triple, but I’d rather miss out Friday to get one Sunday.”

DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How was the race today? “What a race. Just proud of this entire M&M’s 18 Toyota Camry race team. Yesterday in practice we had a car that could win the race, and I just watched the track take rubber, and I thought it was going to be more like it used to be five, six years ago. I didn’t tighten the car up as much as Kyle (Busch) and I talked about after ‘happy hour,’ and we paid the price for it today. We worked our tails off tightening the car up, getting it where Kyle could drive it. I’m just real proud of this race team, real proud of Kyle for never giving up and putting ourselves in position to win it at the end.”

JOE GIBBS, team owner, Joe Gibbs Racing

What does the success you’ve had over the few months say about your organization? “I think first of all, quite a bit has been made of that over the last week or so. You can kind of get on a run in pro sports, but the thing that I’m always conscious of, the knuckle sandwich is waiting right around the corner in pro sports. We’re just getting started really here. I’m thrilled that the last seven, eight weeks have gone so well for us, but the reality is that can all turn in a week. That’s one of the things about pro sports, the two that I’ve been in, and particularly this sport, we’ve got great teams out there we’ve talked about, the 48 (Jimmie Johnson), and to say that we’re there would be ridiculous. They pretty much dominated things. They had a great car again today. I think we’re just getting started, but it’s exciting for us to know that we have over the last eight or nine weeks started to get on a roll. It was good today that our other two cars were in the top-10. I was thrilled with that. Joey (Logano) kind of got hit on pit road, and Denny (Hamlin) started off with a very tough situation and overcame that. I think you always — to me in pro sports in particular — you always just stay humble and get after it. That’s about it.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 4th

Are you happy with your finish today? “This is not a great race track for us, so fourth is a good day for our FedEx team. We just battled back and forth loose, tight and just could never really get the balance. I just don’t work traffic that well around this race track, but we’re going to keep working on it and it’s a step forward.”

Are you happy with where your team is right now? “Our team is just clicking right now. We’re getting good finishes on our worst race track and that’s what we need to do. It was a step in the right direction for sure. Our FedEx guys just did a great job on pit road — we had a great last stop that really helped us and we just kept fighting. We hung around the teens at the beginning, we got to the top-10 halfway and just eased our way into the top-five right there at the end. Kept working on our car and getting it better and I’m proud of this whole FedEx team.”

What was the difference between you and Kyle Busch today? “Talent — a little bit. But, I just haven’t figured out the right way to work traffic at this track. I lose a lot of time there trying to get around lapped cars. I’ve just got to keep working on that. Obviously, we need to get our car a little bit better, but I think the driver needs to work on his things as well.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 5th

Are you excited with your top-five finish today? “It’s been great. We haven’t had a whole lot to smile about all year. It’s been pretty dismal. We’ve been running really well, it’s just that we haven’t been able to close the deal. I had a great Aaron’s Dream Machine all day, the guys had great pit stops. And there at the end we were just a little bit too tight and that was the tightest we’ve been all day at the end. Having a fifth-place finish the way our season has been going, man, it feels really good.” How did your car handle during the race? “We started off not very good, but in the long runs we would get better. I’m proud of my guys. I think they did a great job. This will help us in the points a little bit. We had to stop the bleeding at some point and hopefully we’ve done it this time.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 10th

Are you happy with your finish today? “We’ll take it, I guess, after the last couple weeks we’ve had with the Home Depot Toyota. We had a really good car. We drove all the way up to third there in the beginning of the race. I thought we were going to be pretty good here. I just felt like I don’t think we adjust to the race track enough. It seemed like every other run we were good. We’d get it close and then I’d say we didn’t need that big of a change and we did. I feel like we probably could’ve had a top-five finish. We had a fender knocked in on pit road — that didn’t help — and they had to pull it back out and went back to 17th. We had to fight back for a 10th-place finish, but we’ll take it after the last couple of weeks.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 12th

How was your race today? “We should have had a top-10. That one run where we made up a lot of spots was like we had a really good set of tires or something. Our last two runs we were generally loose. The front end locked up, bounced in center and then took off going straight. It’s something we can work with. I think the biggest thing that hurt us was the loss in track position that one time where most teams took two. We couldn’t do that because the trend was tight on two tires and we were already tight. We couldn’t do it. At the end the rubber build up was like driving on oil. I did everything I could.”

CASEY MEARS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 22nd

How was your race today? “It was a long day. I thought we’d be a little bit better, but we were kind of mediocre. From where we started, there were so many guys — those top-two or three guys were running so much faster. We just ended up several laps down, unfortunately. But, a lot of guys did. We hung in there all day. I think, considering the way things were, the way the car handled — we’ve come out with a pretty good finish. I mean, Ryan (Pemberton, crew chief) made a good decision there at the end to go ahead and stay out and get the wave around and then kind of hang on until the end of the race. All things considered — finding out about this on Thursday. Getting here, get fitted — my back definitely is a little sore — and trying to work through some of that stuff. I think everybody did a good job tackling what we needed to tackle this weekend.”

What kind of pressure was there stepping into this situation? “Man, I always think there’s pressure on me. No matter if you’re Jimmie (Johnson) winning championships or a guy in my position — there’s always pressure to do well. If he’s running second — he’s running badly. We got different goals of our own. You just got to do the best job you can week-in and week-out. This is a very unique scenario, obviously. Hope Brian (Vickers) gets better soon. In the meantime, we’re working real hard to try to maintain the best we can so when he comes he’ll have something good to get into.”

SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 23rd

ROBBY GORDON, No. 7 BAMvip.com/James Otto/Whitney Duncan Toyota Camry, Robby Gordon Motorsports Finishing Position: 31st

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 A&P/MDA Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position: 36th

What happened to take you out of the race? “We’ve been cutting tires down. Something is rubbing up. Right there we had a scratch mark on the inside of the tire. And the second set went flat, hit the wall and didn’t do it too bad, but that time there killed it. I’m not sure what was rubbing, but it was cutting the right-side tire down.”

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 38th

DAVE BLANEY, No. 66 Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Finishing Position: 41st

MICHAEL McDOWELL, No. 55 Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Finishing Position: 42nd

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

WIX Filters

Cars equipped with WIX Filters, a member of the Affinia Group family of brands, have now racked up EIGHTH NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins in 2010 including SIX CONSECUTIVE at Phoenix (Avondale, Ariz.) International Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and Dover in addition to winning the Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duel special event races.

Busch and Jimmie Johnson diced for the lead during the final 100 laps of the race and the stage was set for an exciting battle to the finish.  Both cars made their final scheduled pit stop under green on lap 363 of the 400-lap event, each taking four tires and fuel.  As the duo roared off the pit lane, Johnson was hit with a pit road speeding penalty.  He lost a lap serving the penalty and finished 16^th.

“It was a really good run for us, real proud of the guys on this M&M’s Camry team,” Busch said.  “They did a nice job and I think that the race off pit road there at the end really won it for us, being able to nick ahead of the 48 there and kind of coax him into speeding a little bit.  I don’t know if that happened or not but I’m going to say it did [smiles].

“I’ve done the same thing.  I wouldn’t say that we psyched Jimmie out.  I mean, he’s won four championships so he’s pretty much been through all the head games in this world.  It kind of turned our way today.  Unfortunately for those guys they got busted for speeding.  We weren’t able to beat ‘em outright and race ‘em around to the end of the race the last 30 laps but I feel like our car was good enough where we could at least challenge him for it.  I’m going to go on a limb and say that we could have beat ‘em today, with or without the penalty but he had a fast race ca r all day.  It was a fun battle there racing him through the last hundred laps or so that we had.”

With Johnson out of the picture, Busch comfortably pulled away from the field, taking the checkered flag 7.551 seconds ahead of second-place Jeff Burton.  The victory was the third in three weeks for Joe Gibbs Racing and the organization’s fifth win in the last seven races.

When asked about his team’s recent success, car owner Joe Gibbs said emphasized staying humble, adding that a team’s fortunes in big-time stock car racing can change very quickly.

“You can kind of get on a run in pro sports and but the thing that I’m always conscious of is the knuckle sandwich is waiting right around the corner,” Gibbs said.  “We’re just getting started really here.  I’m thrilled that the last seven or eight weeks have gone so well for us but the reality is that can all turn in a week.  That’s one of the things I guess about pro sports, the two that I’ve been in and particularly this sport.  But it’s exciting for us to know what we have over the last eight or nine weeks started to get on a roll and I think it was good today that our other two cars were in the top-10.  I was thrill ed with that.  In pro sports in particular you always stay humble and get after it.”

Busch scored his second victory of the 2010 season and his 18^th in 198 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.  He won for the second time in 11 races at Dover. He is second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings, 69 points behind leader Kevin Harvick and 57 ahead of third-place Matt Kenseth.

Busch averaged 128.790 mph in a race that took 3 hours, six minutes and 21 seconds to complete.  There were 20 lead changes among eight drivers and the race was slowed by five cautions for 24 laps.

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*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products  Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc., for WIX Filters, Press Release

Tony Stewart - (Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Tony Stewart and the Office Depot/Old Spice team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) took a step in the right direction Sunday by finishing ninth in the Autism Speaks 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

It was Stewart’s 15^th top-10 finish in 23 career Sprint Cup starts at the 1-mile oval and his fourth top-10 of 2010. More importantly, it was Stewart’s first top-10 finish since placing second in March at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, ending the longest top-10 drought of his 12-year Sprint Cup career.

“Well, it’s slowed the bleeding down a little bit,” said Stewart, now in his second year as a driver/owner. “But we still had one run in the race there when we came into the pits third or fourth on a caution, put four (tires) on and all of a sudden we go back out and we go to the last car on the lead lap. We raised the track bar an eighth of an inch and that doesn’t make it that bad. But it’s definitely a step in the right direction with our run today. It’s not a perfect run, by any means, be we’re going in the right direction.”

Stewart started 16^th in the 400-lap event and quickly moved into the top-10 while informing crew chief Darian Grubb that his car was good on entry and exit and only slightly tight in the center of the corner. Grubb worked on the car throughout the next three pits stops by making small tire pressure and chassis adjustments to the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala.

Unfortunately, after the third pit stop of the day, Stewart’s car began to handle erratically and the red and black No. 14 machine fell back to 16^th by lap 224 and was in danger of going one lap down to the leaders.

A caution saved Stewart from losing the lap, whereupon he and Grubb set out to fix the handling issues. The decision was made to put the car’s setup back to how it had been at the start of the race. The call provided immediate dividends, for during the final 120 laps – of which the last 109 were conducted under green – Stewart managed to move from 15^th to his respectable ninth-place finish.

With Stewart’s effort at Dover, he gained four spots in the championship standings. He is now 14^th with 1,397 points, 37 markers behind 12^th-place Martin Truex Jr.

Teammate Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, came home 13^th. The finish allowed Newman to gain one position in the point standings. He’s now one spot ahead of Stewart in 13^th with 1,404 points, 30 digits out of the top-12.

Kyle Busch won the Autism Speaks 400 to score his 18^th career Sprint Cup victory, his second of the season and his second at Dover. Busch now has 69 career victories across NASCAR’s top three divisions (Sprint Cup – 18, Nationwide – 34, Camping World Truck 17).

Jeff Burton finished 7.551 seconds behind Busch in the runner-up slot, while Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five. Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Stewart and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 24 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The non-point-paying event begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by SPEED beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. (SPEED’s “RaceDay” will begin at 4 p.m.)

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing, Press Release

Confetti rains on Kyle Busch in Victory Lane after he wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Busch, 25, a champion in waiting, and Johnson, a proven one, waged quite a battle on the high-banked, one-mile track, the lead see-sawing back and forth between the two each time the race resumed following five caution periods and assorted green-flag stops.

But when Johnson was flagged for speeding while exiting the pits during a round of green-flag stops on lap 363 and forced to return to pit road to serve a drive-through penalty, the battle was effectively over.

By the time Johnson returned to the track, he was one lap down. And Busch was long gone.

“We snookered him on that one,” Busch told his crew as he streaked past the finish line. “He saw us coming, and he sped.”

Pitting closer to the entrance to pit road, Johnson had completed his stop and was making his way back onto the track when Busch shot out of his pit box alongside him.

Johnson said he didn’t speed up to beat Busch back onto the track but was penalized for speeding before reaching Busch’s pit stall.

“Yeah, I guess I got busted in the segment just leaving, or after, our pit box, the very next one,” Johnson said. “So what I can take from this is that I got a much better launch out of my pit box than I did on other pit stops and then was speeding in that given area.

“At the end (of pit road), I wasn’t busted. I knew Kyle had me beat when I saw the jack drop for him and he was easing away from me. And I kind of gave up at that point on racing him off of pit road because I knew we needed to be single file on the apron.”

Jeff Burton finished second by 7.551 seconds. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann completed the top five.

There were eight race leaders, but once Kasey Kahne faltered—bitten by a broken gear-shifter early in the race—the battle for the win was between Busch and Johnson.

“I think the race off pit road really won it for us,” Busch said, noting that he didn’t know if Johnson sped in an attempt to beat him back onto the track, “but that’s what I’m going with.

“I wouldn’t say that we psyched Jimmie out. I mean, he’s won four championships so he’s pretty much been through all the head games in this world.

“But … it kind of turned our way today. Unfortunately for those guys … they got busted for speeding and we weren’t able to beat them outright and race them around to the end of the race the last 30 laps.

“But I feel like our car was at least good enough where we could at least challenge them for it, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that we could have beat him today, with or without the penalty. But he had a fast racecar all day. It was a fun battle there racing him through the last … 100 laps or so.”

Busch led six times for 131 laps, and the win moved him to second in the point standings. He trails points leader Kevin Harvick, who finished seventh, by 69 points.

Johnson led eight times for 225 laps. His 16th-place finish, however, dropped him two spots to fourth, in the standings.

NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile on Sept. 24-26, 2010. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.

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Dover International Speedway is owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD), a leading promoter of motorsports events in the United States. DVD subsidiaries operate three tracks in three states, and present several hundred motorsports events each year. This includes 14 major, national events which include races sanctioned by NASCAR and the NHRA. Dover Motorsports, Inc. also owns and operates Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Mo., and Nashville Superspeedway near Nashville, Tenn. For further information log on to www.DoverMotorsports.com.

2010 NSCS Regan Smith - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

“Considering that we started 37th and ran in the low to mid 20s for the majority of the race, it wasn’t that bad of a day,” said Smith.

Smith’s No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet struggled during practice on Friday and Saturday and basically went into the 400-mile race with an untested setup. But the decisions made by crew chief Ryan Coniam and the engineering staff paid dividends as Smith was able to move forward from the get go.

“We were off in practice and didn’t have a good handle on the Furniture Row Chevy,” said Smith. “But the changes we made after Saturday’s practices were good ones. Our car was strong in the middle of the race, but it did lose some of its zip at the end. We’re battling for top 20s, then top 15s and eventually top 10s. I feel we’re on the right path — we just need to be patient.”

The 24th-place finish for Smith followed a 17th-place result in Darlington last week.

“We’re all on the same page and feel good about our recent improvement,” said Smith, who remains 31st in driver points. “We’re not that far away from putting it all together. That learning curve is getting shorter.”

The race winner was Kyle Busch, who also won Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Dover. Rounding out the top-five in order at the Cup race were: Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann.

The race had five cautions for 24 laps. There were 20 lead changes among eight drivers.

The next race for the Denver, Colo.-based team is the Sprint All-Star weekend, May 21-22 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The next points race is Sunday, May 30 — the Coca-Cola 600, also at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing, Press Release

2010 NSCS Ryan Newman - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

Starting sixth in the 400-lap race at the all-concrete Monster Mile, Newman got off to a slow start and fell to 20th when the first caution waved on Lap 55. The main culprit was a battered right-front tire.

“That tire took a beating, just too much heat in it,” said crew chief Tony Gibson. “It was close to blowing and we were fortunate.”

While the Army crew took care of the tire issue, the handling of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet became a problem as Newman couldn’t get full speed in the corners. But the tenacity that has become a trademark of the Army team surfaced once again.

“Our Army Chevy wasn’t that good in the beginning,” stated Newman. “But Tony (Gibson) and the crew guys kept working on the car and made it better as the race went on. In the early going, we looked like a 25th-place car but came home 13th. We took a bad day and turned it into a decent day.”

Newman added, “We’re a battling team with a great will and a strong desire for success. It’s the same will and pride that our Soldiers possess. Wearing the Army colors inspires all of us on this No. 39 Stewart-Haas team.”

Newman did fall a lap down but stayed patient and ended the Autism Speaks 400 as the last driver on the lead lap.

The U.S. Army driver gained one spot in the Sprint Cup point standings and now sits 13th after the 12th race of the season. He is 30 points away from 12th, which is the cutoff for making the Chase.

“We try to be consistent, be strong and collect as many points as possible,” noted Newman, who was 26th in the standings following the fifth race.

Newman’s Cup teammate, Tony Stewart, finished ninth. He gained four spots in the standings and ranks 14th, seven points behind Newman.

The race winner was Kyle Busch. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann.

Sunday’s race was the second of the weekend for Newman, who finished runner-up to Kyle Busch in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race, driving the No. 1 Chevy for team owner James Finch. The sponsor on the car was the Ryan Newman Foundation.

The next event for the No. 39 team is the non-points Sprint All-Star Race, Saturday night (May 22) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The next points race is May 30 — the Coca-Cola 600, also at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

- DMF Communications for U.S. Army Racing, Press Release

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Dover, DE

Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, finished second in the Autism Speaks 400, leading once for one lap. It is Burton’s third top-five and fifth top-10 of the season and moved him to eighth in the standings.

Tony Stewart, No.14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, moved up four positions in the standings to 14th with his ninth place finish today.

It was a day of mixed results for other Team Chevy drivers.

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, led eight times for a race-high 225-laps before suffering an speeding penalty on pit road exiting from his last pit stop of the race.  The four-time defending champion is fourth in the standings, 131 points out of the lead.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, finished 11th and sits sixth in the series point standings.

Mark Martin, No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, is 11th in the standings after battling handling issues most of the race that relegated him to the 15th finishing position.

Kyle Busch (Toyota) was the race winner. Matt Kenseth (Ford), Denny Hamlin (Toyota) and David Reutimann (Toyota) completed the top-five finishers.

The Series takes a week off from points-paying races to participate in the Sprint All Star race Saturday, May 22 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – Finished 2^nd:

THE MODERATOR:  We’re now joined in the infield media center by today’s second place finisher, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, Jeff Burton.  Tell us about your run.

JEFF BURTON:  It was a good run.  Obviously we didn’t think we were as good as the 48 most of the day.  We had one run where I thought we were a little better than he was, but overall he was a touch better.  I thought we were about even with the 18, a little better, and then he seemed to get a little better there late in the race.

We had a good run, and we just need to keep knocking on the door.  We’ll get us some.

Q.  Jeff, looked like    how was the track conditions out there?  Looked like a lot of people were loose and slipping and sliding.

JEFF BURTON:  Yeah, there was a tremendous amount of rubber built up on the track, and when you run through that stuff, it really would upset the car, just this tire lays down so much rubber, it’s hard to run through it.  You’ve got to run around it or run underneath it or try to straddle it.  And it was just really tough.  The tire was    it’s a good tire.  It’s hard to pass because the way that rubber is, it kind of makes the track a little bit of a single lane racetrack off the corner.  But it was    I don’t remember rubber building up quite this much here before, and I thought that had a pretty big impact on the race.

THE MODERATOR:  Jeff, thank you, and congratulations.

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About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

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KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7^TH – POINT STANDING LEADER: YOU GUYS SHOW UP TO WIN AND TODAY YOU GOT 7^TH, TELL US WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU GUYS IN THE BIG PICTURE

KNOWING THAT THESE AREN’T YOUR BEST RACE TRACKS AND YOU FINISHED IN THE TOP-TEN DOES THAT HELP MAKE A TOP-TEN FEEL LIKE A WIN? “Yeah, it does feel like a win.  We ran up front for most of the day and got up as high as third there just racing and for us its just one of those things where we just have to keep doing what we are doing.  Every week you run good at somewhere that you don’t think you should it gives you a little more confidence.”

HEADING INTO THE ALL STAR RACE AND THE COKE 600, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU AND THE TEAM HAVE DONE TO IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES THERE? “I think our cars are just way faster.   We have got to get a little bit better on pit road and obviously you still want to continue working on your set ups and things that you need to do to go forward and to make your cars faster and better, but our cars are just a 180 from where they were last year and it just makes my job a lot easier and you can adjust on them on pit road good and do things you need to do to get competitive.“

YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T LIKE THE RACES IN THE MONTH OF MAY, BUT ANOTHER SOLID RUN: “So far we have had all top-10s and that says a lot about our cars and where everybody is on our Shell-Pennzoil team is right now to come here and run as well as we did. With a little bit of track position, we could have run in the top-five so all-in-all it was a great day. It has been a good month, just have to get through Charlotte. We just have to keep doing what we are doing. If we keep that up, everything will take care of itself. You can’t win one week and be inconsistent the next so we have to keep taking advantage of chances to win and when you can’t get solid finishes.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2^ND: ON THE RACE:  “We were good. We had one run there where we were the fastest car, but the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) was the fastest car of the day and the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) got dialed in there at the end. But we did a nice job today. I’m real proud of everybody. This team is really strong and we’re getting there.”

HOW MUCH WERE YOU HOPING FOR THAT CAUTION TO COME OUT TO CLOSE THAT GAP ON YOU AND KYLE BUSCH IN THE CLOSING LAPS? “Well, the way things have been going for us late in the race, I don’t know if I wanted a caution or not (laughs). The track is so rubbered-up that if you ever got out of the groove you’d just all but wreck. It was just crazy how much rubber was on the track. It really made it hard to pass. So, he was better than we were there at the end, so I was just probably just wanting the race to get over.”

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR EXECUTION OVER THE LAST FEW RACES. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU EXECUTED TODAY? “Yeah, I think we did. I think we got everything we could today. There was one run there when we had a really fast car. We were faster than everybody. But for the majority of the race, the No. 48 (Johnson) was better than us. And then the No. 18 got dialed in there late in the race. So we weren’t quite as good as those guys. With a little luck we could have won. But we probably got a little more than we deserved. But second, to fourth to fifth is what I thought we should have gotten and we got second. So we’re on the good side of it.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT CHEVROLET – FINISHED 9^TH: TODAY WASN’T A WIN, BUT DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? “Well, it’s slowed the bleeding down a little bit. But we still had one run in the race there when we came into the pits third or fourth there on a caution, put four (tires) on and all of a sudden we go back out and we go to the last car on the lead lap. We raised the track bar and eighth of an inch and that doesn’t make it that bad. But it’s definitely it’s a step in the right direction with our run today. It’s not a perfect run by any means, be we’re going in the right direction.”

ON GOING TO NASHVILLE TO HELP “Yeah, we’re doing that for NASCAR and because of great people like Office Depot and Old Spice and Coke and the Army and all those people that believe in giving back, and that’s something we’re really big into also. I’m excited to go to Nashville and I’m all in favor of doing anything we can do to help our own country. I’m all for helping the world, but we’ve got our own country we need to look out for first, so I’m all for that and looking forward to going to Nashville.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – FINISHED 16^TH: YOU LED 225 LAPS, TAKE US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED ON PIT ROAD

“Yeah, I guess I got busted in the segment just leaving, or after our pit box, the very next one. So what I can take from this is that I got a much better launch out of my pit box than I did on other pit stops and then was speeding in that given area. At the end, I wasn’t busted. I knew Kyle had me beat when I saw the jack drop for him and he was easing away from me. And I kind of gave up at that point on racing him off of pit road because I knew we needed to be single file on the apron. So, I just had too much forward bite leaving the pit box and got going too fast and got busted.”

YOU HAVE A LOT OF MOMENTUM TO TAKE WITH YOU TO CHARLOTTE WITH A GREAT RUN TODAY. YOU’VE GOT TO BE SATISFIED WITH THAT RACE CAR

“We had a very good race car. Usually what works here ends up working at Charlotte for the most part. This is a great race track for us. And the next two weekends coming up are (too). So you know, there are some good stretches for us coming along. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort we put in today and one mistake makes it look like a bad day, but we had great pit stops, a great race car, great communication with Chad (Knaus) and me and it was just a great day for the No. 48 but didn’t the finish we wanted.”

I HEARD YOU SAY ON THE COOL DOWN LAP THAT YOU GOT A REALLY GOOD LAUNCH COMING OUT OF THE PITS, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE THEY CAUGHT YOU SPEEDING? “From Chad telling me on the radio, I guess the segment right after our pit box.  I had been leaving the pit box really good each time and there are some cues there from the spotter and we need to be able to calculate where we need to check up to be doing the right thing.  And evidently I just got out of the pits much better than I did any other time.  As I got to my mark I heard my spotter and saw my lights and I was conservative because I didn’t want to make any mistakes in the end and I saw Kyle was going to beat me so I just kind of gave up that final segment  off pit road and I got nailed.  So, like I said, must have launched much better than we did before off of pit road and its just disappointing to have the day end up like that.  But a great race car, I can’t complain about our pit stops, how fast the car was, and we definitely had something for them today.”

YOU DIDN’T GET TO BATTLE FOR THE WIN IN THE END, BUT ARE YOU ENCOURAGED BY THE WAY YOU GUYS RAN? “Yes,  without a doubt.  When I look back at the last few races I know the results aren’t what we want but we were competitive at some of the tracks and we had bad luck at some of the tracks, and today we lead a lot of laps and ran up front so it’s a long season and there are tracks that are good for race teams and there are tracks that are bad for race teams and we knew coming here this would be good and next week at Charlotte is going to be another good one for the 48 team and hopefully we don’t leave a trophy behind there.”

ASSUMING YOU WERE NOT CAUGHT SPEEDING, HAD YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU NEEDED TO DO TO BEAT KYLE?  HAVE YOU PROCESSED THAT YET? “I want to believe I did.  You know, he was real quick on the restarts and there at the end I think we did a little bit better job on the restarts and it looks like they freed their car up so it would run better on the long haul and there at the end it took me much longer to get by him so there at the end it was going to be a dogfight.  It was a lot of fun and I ran my guts out trying to pass him the run before that and its unfortunate that we didn’t have a chance to race him there at the end for the fans.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11^th: IS IT OVERSTATING TO CALL YOUR RACE TODAY A PATIENT RUN? “To me, days like today are way more frustrating than not winning when we have the car capable of winning. I would rather go in to every race talking about that because when you have a fast race car like we have had, that drives good really makes things a lot easier. It just puts more pressure on you to win. Whereas today, man, it was a struggle. Just trying to make it better constantly. Trying to get track position. Trying to work our way to the front. Nothing we did ever really worked.  We knew it was coming now we check this track off on the list of tracks we know we have to focus on because this race track is in the Chase.

“You always after day you have to find the positives of what you did well to carry you through to the next race. But you also have to critique yourself as a driver and as a team to see what you can do better. To me, today was frustrating because we really never gained on it. We started 15^th and got up to like 8^th one time and then we went backwards. We just kind of hovered in an area instead of really making any big gains where we could get ourselves up in the top-five and then see what we had for them once we had good track position. Days like today for me are the ones that really stand out for me to be more frustrating.”

YOUR FANS HAVE SEEN YOU FINISH SECOND 8 TIMES AND YOU’VE LED OVER 1100 LAPS SINCE WINNING AT TEXAS LAST YEAR. HOW FRUSTRATING IS IT FOR YOU TO COME SO CLOSE TO VICTORY AND NOT GET IT?

“Well, today we struggled. All weekend, really. So we’ve got this one checked on our list of tracks we’ve got to come back. And really, we’ve got to qualify better. I don’t know if we were that bad if we could just get some track position. We just weren’t very good in traffic. It was certainly a great team effort by our DuPont Chevrolet because we weren’t real happy out there running in the back like that. It just goes to show, when the car is fast and we’ve been running the way we’ve been running, life is a whole lot easier (laughs). It just seems like everything is easier. So, we’ll go to work on it and make sure when we come back here we’re a lot better. Now we go to Charlotte for a couple of weeks and I think we’re going to be really good there.”

WAS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT TROUBLED YOU DURING THE RACE TODAY, OR WAS IT A VARIETY OF PROBLEMS?

“Yeah, the race track, every lap, every corner (laughs). We would take off there and struggle on new tires. Then it would come in really good and we’d think okay here we go, we’re going to go to the front; we’d catch somebody and just stop. It seemed like it was really hard to pass today. You’ve got to be careful what you wish for. We’ve been trying to talk Goodyear into laying rubber on the track and it laid so much rubber down that it actually made for new challenges where it was kind of a single groove race track. So, it was challenging and tough for everybody, but we’re glad to stay on the lead lap and at least come out of here with a decent finish.”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15^TH: “We definitely got better as the race continued. We weren’t getting all we could out of the car there in the beginning and middle of the race. We were crazy tight early and Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) kept loosening me up and loosening me up. We’re not where we want to be, but I feel like we’re going to get there. These guys fight like dogs. I’m really proud of all of them.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET, FINISHED 13^TH: “Our Army Chevy wasn’t that good in the beginning and we almost had a tire go down.  But (crew chief) Tony Gibson and the crew guys kept working on the car and made it better as the race went on. In the early going, we looked like a 25th-place car but came home 13th. We took a bad day and turned it into a decent day. We’re a battling team with great will and have a strong desire for success. It’s the same will and pride that are Soldiers have. Wearing the Army uniform inspires every one of us on this No. 39 Stewart-Haas team.”

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET, FINISHED 24^TH: “We started 37th and ended 24th — that was a positive,” said Smith. “We were off in practice on Friday and Saturday and didn’t have a good handle on the Furniture Row Chevy. But good setup changes following Saturday’s practice worked as we were able to move forward from the get go. The car was good in the middle of the race, but lost some of its zip at the end. We’re battling for top 20s, then top 15s and eventually top 10s. I feel we’re on the right path — we just need to be patient.”

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Dodge Motorsports 2010

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger) Finished 18th

HOW MUCH DID THE RUBBER BUILD-UP AFFECT YOUR CAR? “It definitely changed how the car drove.  The good cars were still good.  We just never got our car to drive like we wanted it to in the middle of the race.  If you ever got out of the groove, it really changed the handling of your car.  It definitely changed our car.”

YOUR FIRST CUP RACE HERE, HOW DID THE MONSTER MILE TREAT YOU? “Four-hundred miles here is a lot of work.  It was fun.  I wish that we could have run up front more.  Track position was so important today.  I learned a lot driving against these guys today.  I just want to be a little bit faster.”

HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE ANOTHER GOOD DAY AT A SHORT-TRACK? “It’s really important.  Short-track racing is tough, especially when you come to a track in a Cup car for the first time.  Knowing that we come back here in the fall, I think that we gained some good data that we can use and build from and be fast the next time that we come back.”

JAY GUY (crew chief, No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger)
“A pretty good day for our Penske Dodge, but not exactly what we were looking for today.  We had a good car after yesterday’s practice.  Track position was a bit of an issue for us today.  We just never could get up front and be as competitive as we needed to be.  I think we have a good notebook to come back here in September and be fast.”

HOW MUCH DID ALL THE RUBBER BUILD-UP PLAY A FACTOR TODAY? “Sometimes we got really, really loose, and then the next run it got really tight.  The track didn’t go consistent one way or another for us today.  It’s something that we have to look at and watch the tapes and see what everyone else was doing.”

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) Finished 19th
“It was just a tough day today for our Miller Lite Dodge.  We started off half-decent and thought we might have us a top-five or a solid top-10 run going.  But, as is pretty typical for us, the track started rubbering up and our car just got tighter and tighter.  We chanced it (for track position) one time by staying out after a yellow when we didn’t have that many laps on our tires.  The car was just that tight and we wound up shredding a right-front (tire).  All we could do for the rest of the race was try to get all we could out of it and keep it out of the fence.  To tell you the truth, I’m surprised we could get a top-20 finish out of today.”

SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger) Finished 34th
“I really like Dover but I don’t seem to have much luck here.  We were pretty happy with the Mobil 1 Dodge in race trim and qualified well on Friday.  We just started out too tight.  I felt something with the right-front tire and I couldn’t get to pit road before we lost the tire and got into the wall.  To wreck early in the race is disappointing and makes for a long afternoon.  It’s been a tough few races for this Mobil 1 team, but Charlotte has always been good to us, especially the Showdown and All-Star Race.  We’re looking forward to next weekend for sure.”

- Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports, Press Release

2010 Raybestos Rookie Contender Logo

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER QUOTES FOR THE AUTISM SPEAKS 400 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY.

KEVIN CONWAY, No. 37 EXTENZE FORD:  YOU WENT TO THE GARAGE AREA EARLY IN THE RACE.  “We had an ignition panel go out.  It’s just frustrating.  We would have been probably five or six spots better but I learned a lot.  I got into the wall and knocked one of the crush panels out of the car, got a bunch of fumes which I was like that was a first.  Not a very fun day at all but hey, we’re adding to our Raybestos Rookie of the Year points [smile].”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY THAT WILL HELP YOU WHEN YOU COME BACK TO DOVER IN SEPTEMBER? “That we need a whole different setup for sure.  The guys worked really hard to keep making adjustments through the race to try to make the car a little better and better.  We just kind of missed it today.”

Raybestos® brand brake and chassis parts are produced by affiliated companies in Affinia’s Global Brake and Chassis Group, the leading manufacturer of braking systems and chassis parts in the transportation industry.  The brake line includes everything from brake drums to rotors, pads, shoes and hydraulic parts, while the chassis line features tie rods, ball points, idler arms and sway bar links.  Raybestos brand braking and chassis systems are also the only systems used by NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing in competition.  For more information about Raybestos brakes, visi t Raybestos.com.  For more information on Raybestos Chassis visit RaybestosChassis.com

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With more than $1.8 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

* Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products  Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc., for Raybestos, Press Release

Ford Racing

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion (Finished  3rd)

LOOKED LIKE YOU CAME THROUGH THE FIELD PRETTY GOOD, WERE YOU JUST BIDING YOUR TIME OR WAS THAT JUST THE WAY THINGS SHOOK OUT? “More pit stops than strategy I would say. We made our way to about 15th and there were like 18 cars on the lead lap. We were within a couple second of getting lapped.  In that pit stop we decided to take two and everybody else got four. That brought us out of the pits third and that was really the main call that got us where we were. It took us out of jeopardy of being a lap down. That call right there was the key.”

DO YOU FEEL FORD IS STARTING TO CLOSE THE GAP A LITTLE BIT ON THE COMPETITION? “That is a tough one to answer. This is historically a really good track for us even when we are running bad elsewhere. I think this is one of our best tracks. I didn’t think, no matter what we did to the car, that we had a shot to win. The 48 and the 18 were just better in front of us and the 31 if he had track position was better all day. I still feel we need something. I don’t know what that is though. It just seems like we are a little off the other three organizations. The competition is so tough that if you get a little behind it is hard to break through and get that win. I think we are maybe a half a step or step behind.”

IT HAS BEEN A FEW RACES WITH THE SPOILER; DO YOU FEEL IT HAS HELPED YOU GUYS OUT? “I don’t think it has been a huge change to be honest. I feel like we are running about the same. We started the season running really well. We ran top three in Vegas with the wing and finished second in Atlanta with it. We ran okay. I don’t know that it has affected us one way or another just yet.”

GREG BIFFLE– No. 16 3M Ford Fusion (Finished 6th) – “You know after finishing 22nd three weeks in a row I feel like this was a pretty good day for us. It was a hard fought battle. We weren’t right when we started the race. We worked hard on it. We kept trying to get it better but we kept going back and forth to extremes. We ended up hitting on it toward the end, unfortunately it was just a little bit late.”

YOU MUST HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHING FIGURED OUT THOUGH TO CLIMB LIKE YOU DID? “Yeah, we did, but it still wasn’t right. Which makes a sixth place finish that much better I suppose. You know we have struggled the last couple weeks so I can’t complain about where we ended up today. I feel like if we could have gotten things figured out completely then we probably would have been able to really get up there, but I will take it.”

DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion (Finished 26th) – “We didn’t start out very good so we had to make a lot of changes on every pit stop. We made some good changes that made the car better at times, but that one pit stop where we had a left-rear issue problem, really hurt us because we got down multiple laps. It’s tough to overcome that, and Donnie (Wingo) did a good job and we got one of those laps back. All in all, our car wasn’t consistent enough over the long runs. Those last 150 laps, we were very good and we didn’t get down any more laps. When you’ve got a car that’s just mediocre, you’ve got to have some luck go your way and we just didn’t have that today.”

ELLIOTT SADLER – No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion (Finished 28th) -   “We had a good car on Friday and when we started practice on Saturday. We just slowed down a bunch and we were hitting the race track a bunch and we couldn’t figure out what the deal was with it. That was a frustrating day for sure. It is a brand new car, so maybe it just had a bug in it, I don’t know. It was definitely frustrating but we just have to pick up the pieces and move on to Charlotte.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release