David Ragan

It seemed that Ragan had been in the hunt for a job with Penske Racing after the mutual seperation with the organization and Kurt Busch earlier in December. Though David Ragan, David Reutimann, and Brian Vickers were considered the top drivers still without rides for the 2012 season, Penske Racing decided to hire A.J. ALlmendinger. Allmendinger had been with Richard Petty Motorsports, but there was no sponsor for his No. 43 after Best Buy moved over to Roush-Fenway Racing. With no sponsor on the hood, Allmendinger looked elsewhere.

The open position with RPM is rumored to be going to Aric Almirola, a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver. Though no sponsor has been officially announce, it is believed that the organization would announce the sponsor and the driver at the same time. If Almirola is leaving the Nationwide Series, then a spot at JR Motorsports will be open. Reports are the seat filling is between Ragan and Cole Whitt, a former Red Bull Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck series driver. With so few opportunies, Ragan is hoping that he will land in the drivers seat.

- Stock Car Spin

Kasey Kahne Does a Victory Donut at PIR

DRIVERS:

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kasey Kahne left a lovely parting gift, winning the Kobalt Tools 500 for Red Bull Racing Team’s second victory in NASCAR.

“Some of these guys haven’t won before and it felt like I haven’t won,” Kahne said. “It’s been a long season. The guys haven’t given up. We keep getting better as the season goes and it takes time to finish things up and get better when you come to something new. These guys have done an unbelievable job. It feels really good to get Red Bull in victory lane — I just wanted to win for them really bad.”

For Red Bull Racing Team, it was the second victory in the team’s five-year history and first since Brian Vickers won at Michigan in August 2009. For Kahne, the 12th victory of his Sprint Cup career ended an 81-race winless streak dating back to Atlanta in September 2009. It was his first victory and fifth top 10 in 15 races at Phoenix International Raceway.

“It feels so good. Been a long time coming,” said Kahne, the season’s 18th different winner.

Wrapping up a one-year deal in the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, Kahne has been the pesky fly that won’t go away as the Chase and the championship come down to the final race at Homestead. Last week at Texas, Kahne finished third behind Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards. This week, it was two positions better ahead of Edwards and Stewart, capping a late-season run that has Kahne running right with the championship contenders.

Kahne’s average finish in the nine Chase races is 7.89 — with five top fives — and he’s been the highest-finishing non-Chase driver in five of the past seven events.

“Just not giving up. I think one big thing is working with Kenny,” Kahne said of crew chief Kenny Francis. “That guy, as hard as he works, I want to work as hard and I want to do as much as I can to be up front. I know Keith (Rodden, race engineer) is the same way and all these Red Bull guys are behind him.”

As one of the longest standing driver-crew chief tandems in the Sprint Cup garage, Kahne and Francis are in their sixth season together in 2011. The two have combined for 11 wins, 38 top fives and 12 poles. They also own nonpoints victories in the 2008 All-Star event and 2010 Duels at Daytona.

“Couldn’t be prouder of the shop and Red Bull Racing,” Francis said. “As hard as these guys have worked all year … putting the cars together and building just superb equipment. I’m so proud we could win this. This is the biggest win ever for me, personally.”

The race at Phoenix, with its newly paved and reconfigured surface, came down to fuel mileage. The field pitted under the eighth and final caution period with 92 laps to go, and the race took on a one-more-stop strategy as it went green to the finish.

Kurt Busch stretched his fuel mileage a bit too far and pitted from the lead with 33 laps to go. Edwards assumed first, with Kahne in tow. And they all followed suit: Kahne pitted, Edwards, Stewart and Brad Keselowski. As the exchange cycled through, Kahne picked up about two seconds and found himself in the lead, which he held for the final 14 laps before finishing .802 seconds ahead of Edwards.

“If we didn’t have that little bit of a lead, we wouldn’t have been able to hang on,” Kahne said. “It was big to pop in there early, try to get ahead of Carl and then hang on at that point.

“We fell back a little bit early in the race and then came back and just kept getting it better. It was slippery early, but as the tires built heat and got rubber on the track, the tires came in pretty good. We just made adjustments, made the right adjustments. And the guys, they just kept working, thinking about it and they figured it out after a while. I felt Friday we were one of the best cars and by the end of the race today we were one of the best cars.”

Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth re-introduced themselves on lap 177, when Vickers’ No. 83 Red Bull Toyota connected with Kenseth’s No. 17 in turn three. Payback for the Martinsville incident, when Kenseth plowed Vickers? “I wasn’t planning on paying him back,” Vickers said. “He wrecked me at Martinsville, he got wrecked here. I’m not saying I wasn’t going to pay him back, I’m just saying that wasn’t it.”

Kenseth got the worst end of it, and the damage was bad enough to drop Vickers to the back of the lead lap. NASCAR then tagged the No. 83 with “too fast exiting” the pits late in the race, and Vickers finished one lap down in 23rd.

After qualifying 19th, 20-year-old Cole Whitt made his Sprint Cup debut in a third Red Bull Racing Team Toyota, the No. 84.

At the start of the race, the Camping World Truck Series rookie called Sunday a “big learning day.” He felt his first tight Sprint Cup car for most of the race, spun on the backstretch just past halfway and fought to get in free-pass position. Welcome to Sprint Cup with a respectable 25th-place finish.

UP NEXT: Homestead 400, Sunday, Nov. 20, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 5th

How was your qualifying lap? “Hairy to say the least. Slick as slick as slick out there, it’s a lot slicker than yesterday. We ran at least two-tenths quicker yesterday in race trim, so that just tells you how slick the track is. We were really good in race trim yesterday with our NAPA Toyota and we were off in qualifying and the guys made a lot of changes for qualifying. Based on the speed, it was an improvement. The feel wasn’t any good, but the speed was good so we’ll take that.”

How did the track feel in qualifying? “Slick, we really haven’t been on this track all weekend with the sun on it. This track, since it’s been paved, it’s been changing a lot as we run and put rubber down. When you run all weekend and it’s cloudy and changing a lot and then the sun pops out, you really know it’s going to change a lot. It’s just really slick out there right now.”

Can your team be a Chase contender in 2012? “You know, I’d like to think we can. We’ve worked very, very hard. Everybody at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) has worked very hard on this NAPA car. We’ve had a lot of speed this season, we’ve just beaten ourselves a little bit here and there. We’ve had a lot of tough luck. If we can correct those little things, I think we have the speed and the people and the equipment to do it. It’s just a matter of time and we’ll have to wait and see.”

How much do you want a win in 2012? “A win this year would be huge, it’s not over yet. We have two great tracks — here and Homestead — for me. That would be good to be able to win before the season is out. We’ve been in position this year to have a shot at winning two or three of these things and we just haven’t taken advantage of it. Like I said, we’ve had good speed in our cars, especially here lately and it’s just a matter of us racing smarter, being better prepared and making better decisions. I’m confident in this team that we can get the job done. I feel like we have a great race car for tomorrow. I was worried about qualifying, and now that we’re up somewhere towards the front, I feel really good about tomorrow. Homestead last year was probably our best run of the year. We led a bunch until we got a flat. I’m looking forward to going there. It would be awesome to close the year out with a win.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 7th

How was your car in qualifying? “It wasn’t so good. We were loose and not very good. Disappointing for sure. It’s a bit tough to figure out right now.”

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 10th

What do you think of the changes to this race track? “The track is great. It just needs rubber on it. When you start qualifying at the beginning of the day there’s not a lot of rubber, so it’s really slippery. Tomorrow’s race it will get better and better as the race goes on. It’s a pretty cool track. It’s neat what they did to it.”

How was your car handling during qualifying? “I just slid a little bit there. I’m still pretty happy with it. I think for tomorrow we should be in good shape and look forward to the race. Just trying to stay out of trouble early on and then I think we’ll be able to race pretty good.” – more -

How good does it feel to put together a string of strong finishes the last several races? “It feels great. It has been really nice how strong our Red Bull Toyotas have been. It has been a lot of fun driving them. We want to win. We haven’t yet, but we’ve been really close. We’ll just stay after it and try to get a win here, and just keep it around the top-five.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 18th

How was your car during your qualifying run? “It was all over the place. The track is just very slick right now. We were to loose for qualifying. We had such a good car yesterday, such a bummer because I thought we had a shot at the pole but the track has changed so much that I think whoever really gets lucky, maybe they ended up sketchy or whatever. I still think we have a really good car for the race once the grip comes back into the race track when there’s a lot of cars on it.”

What type of racing will we see Sunday? “I think in general it’s going to be a good race. The track really seems to come in yesterday when there’s a lot of cars on it, more so than I anticipated. If you get out of the groove, you’re going to be in trouble though. If you get out of the groove, I think there’s going to be a lot of wrecks.”

COLE WHITT, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 19th

How was your qualifying lap? “It was a good lap. I got in on the first one – so that was enough for me. When they told me that we were in it was just kind of get the next one a little bit faster and pick up a couple spots. It was a great effort for us. I got to thank Red Bull for giving me the chance to even be out here to do this. Hopefully, we can impress some people and go to Homestead.”

How has the experience been this weekend driving the Sprint Cup car? “It’s been pretty crazy. I haven’t gotten much sleep — I can tell you that. More than anything, just happy to have the opportunity to be here. Between Toyota and Red Bull Racing, we wouldn’t be here. I got to thank those guys for giving me a chance to prove myself and make something for next year.”

When did you find out you were going to try to qualify for the Sprint Cup race? “To go to Phoenix — we’ve only had about a week-and-a-half to get ready. It’s been a little nerve-racking getting down here. We were pretty focused on going to Homestead. Then we found we had to come here to even go there (Homestead). Just trying to keep up with how everything changes.”

Will you be racing in Homestead? “I can’t say yes right now. But, I think with the way that we’ve already started here with yesterday and today – I think they would probably consider it for sure.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 25th

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Wounded Warrior Project Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Starting Position: 31st

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position: 32nd

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 33rd

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 34th

How will Sunday’s race be on the new track configuration? “I don’t know. I think a few of us are a little skeptical about it. We’ll see. Our qualifying run meant nothing to us. We have to start in the back anyways. Just to get a couple good laps to see where it puts us, see where we stack up with everybody. I definitely did not get everything out of that car that I could have and it was still on edge and difficult to drive. We’ll see what it ends up being with everybody out here today and put it back in race trim and get ready for tomorrow.”

How important is your race team? “Most importantly, I can’t say enough about my guys and everybody on this Joe Gibbs Racing team and Interstate Batteries and Toyota and all the folks that are here with us this weekend. Everybody always says our team works so hard, I think they’ve proven they work harder than anybody else out here with last week and of course having to change an engine first thing yesterday and doing everything we had to do to get back up to speed yesterday during practice to at least get time on the race track in the first session to get some notes put together and some plans for the second session. That helped us a lot.”

How will you be able to work through the field at a track like Phoenix? “It’s going to be really, really hard to work through the field because right now it’s a single lane and it’s very slick. We’ll see how it plays out. The more heat we get on the track, the more time that we make laps around here, the better the track is. It’ll be better the more the race gets going, but certainly the first few laps of tomorrow’s race is going to be pretty treacherous.”

How was your qualifying lap? “Our qualifying lap meant absolutely nothing to us. We have to start in the back anyways. Pit road is new here and it’s wider and the pit stalls are pretty lengthy, so I don’t think pit selection means a whole lot. It’s about getting a solid lap in, not tearing up the car and not doing anything dumb and getting ready for tomorrow. It was slick, I’ll tell you that. I only drive 70 percent and I already still had my hands full.”

How do you think the tires will hold up in Sunday’s race? “I would say look at Loudon mostly, Loudon is definitely a track position race. A lot of guys would just stay on their tires for 150 laps and not do anything, just put gas in the car so they can keep going.”

What does it take to be fast at Homestead? “It’s been a good track to us in the first third of a race, but then in the last second third it’s been tough. I like going to Homestead. To be fast there, you have to be able to get your car comfortable getting into the corner — that’s the biggest thing. The corners there, you can build so much speed through them that you have to be comfortable carrying that speed into the corner just as much as coming out of it.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Toyota Camry, HP Racing Starting Position: 35th

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position: 38th

How was your car in qualifying? “It was all over the place. We were really — conditions are a lot different. Everybody is fighting the track being slick. We were definitely way to loose for these conditions. We worked on race trim all the first practice when it was probably going to be closer to these conditions. Then the qualifying runs last night when it was nice and cool and the track had a lot of grip. Going out right now it was a lot different. We were loose.”

SCOTT RIGGS, No. 23 Toyota Camry Starting Position: DNQ

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

2011 Red Bull Racing Teammates Brian Vickers & Kasey Kahne - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

DRIVERS:

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Chase held to form Sunday. There were two cars … and Kasey Kahne.

Kahne again had a front-row seat for the championship fight between race winner Tony Stewart and points leader Carl
Edwards. While those two finished 1-2 in the AAA Texas 500, Kahne was right behind in third. Right where he’s usually been in the 10-race Chase.

“I watched Tony and Carl. They’re going for it,” Kahne said. “Tony raced me as hard as he ever raced me. I had to race as hard as I could. They’re trying to get as many points as they can. It’s intense trying to win these races right now.”

Aside from Stewart and Edwards, no driver has performed better in the Chase than non-Chaser Kahne. Four times in the past six races he has been the highest-finishing non-Chase driver. He has a sixth, two fourths, a three and a second and only once has finished outside the top 15.

The timing of the race’s second caution worked in Kahne’s favor. The No. 4 Red Bull Toyota safely made it off pit road just as an incident involving Geoffrey Bodine and Juan Pablo Montoya unfolded on the backstretch. Lead-lap cars came in to pit, leaving Kahne on point. He led twice for five laps, later dropped to eighth after a four-tire stop and climbed to third at the finish. 

“The car was just a little bit too loose to get much further than that,” Kahne said. “We were battling there with Tony, who I felt was definitely the best car throughout the whole race. We battled with him for a while. Track position was a big deal. Even on those long runs it would get spread out. The guy out front could make up some ground. You needed to be as close to the front as possible.

“We just weren’t quite as good as the 14 (Stewart) and the 99 (Edwards) there at the end. They were a little better than us, but we were close. We were there all day and it was a good race.”

No. 83 driver Brian Vickers chased track position during long green-flag runs that consumed the first two-thirds of the race. It had been a slow climb to the top 15 and under the third caution, Vickers made contact with Kurt Busch’s No.
22 entering the pits, which proved costly at the high-speed, aero-dependent track.

“Car was great at the beginning. We picked them off one by one. We were making progress,” Vickers said. “The pit crew was awesome today, but I made a mistake and hit the 22 car coming into pit road and that really messed up the aero of the car.”

The No. 83 Red Bull Toyota cycled to as high as fourth during a late run to the finish, but like all the others Vickers was forced to pit — he finished 21st — and hand over the show to Stewart and Edwards … and Kahne.

UP NEXT: Kobalt Tools 500, Sunday, Nov. 13, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 6th

How was your car in qualifying? “It’s good. We were a little bit tight in turn four and it cost us some speed. We fought that a little bit in practice. Overall, it’s a decent lap, just not quite enough for what we wanted to do.”

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 9th

How was your car in qualifying? “It was good. The guys did a good job. We’re just a little bit tight and I missed it a little bit, but we were really close and the car has felt great ever since we got here.”

What were you looking at on your car after your qualifying run? “I was looking all the skirts and kind of the travels and things to see where we were. Everything was really nice, we just needed a little bit more.”

How will you approach practice for Sunday’s race? “We’ll try to be as smart about it as we can when we practice compared to when we race and how we go into the night and how things change. We’re trying to be prepared and have some good adjustments in the car built in so we can keep up with the track on Sunday afternoon.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 17th

How was your qualifying lap? “The balance wasn’t bad on our M&M’s Camry. We just lacked a little bit of speed there on our lap. We were pretty happy with the car in race trim in practice earlier today, so we’ll work on it tomorrow morning in practice and hopefully have a good race car for Sunday.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 19th

How was your qualifying lap? “We were about like practice, just too loose.”

What do you need to do to get ready for Sunday’s race? “Well, tomorrow will be a whole different story. You know, we take the tape off and have to be good for a tire run and fuel run instead of just one lap. Hopefully that will go better tomorrow in our NAPA Toyota.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 20th

How was your qualifying effort? “It was good. I was tight coming back to the line in turn four. I think that’s where I lost most of my time. I felt really good about one and two, just got too tight on three and four. I was hoping for a little bit better lap.”

Do you like qualifying on Friday and having more practice on Saturday? “I like the schedule we have here. If we’re going to run three-day shows, I think we should do a practice and qualifying and then two more practices on Saturday and then race on Sunday. The two practices, and then qualify on Saturday and race Sunday, we should just do two-day shows. If you really want to save the sport, do two-day shows instead of three-day shows and I think in that scenario I think two practices, qualify and race is good, but this year they started doing some of the racks did two on Friday, qualify on Saturday and race Sunday and Saturday just seems like a waste just to come in for two laps. I’m pretty happy with the Red Bull Toyota. It was good in practice. I liked to have been a little bit better in qualifying trim, but that’s alright.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 25th

How was your car in qualifying? “We’re struggling for speed right now. Even race trim, the car just doesn’t have a whole bunch of speed in it right now, so trying to find something. Working on stuff here and there. Going to be practice tomorrow. Hopefully we find something there.”

What do you need to do to get ready for Sunday’s race? “Well, tomorrow will be a whole different story. You know, we take the tape off and have to be good for a tire run and fuel run instead of just one lap. Hopefully that will go better tomorrow in our NAPA Toyota.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 28th

How was your car in qualifying? “We’re just struggling for speed. We are half-a-second off pretty much all day and just still can’t find where the speed is at. I’m driving the car pretty aggressively — it just doesn’t have any speed at the moment. It’s pretty typical for us in qualifying here.”

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Wounded Warrior Project Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Starting Position: 32nd

How was your qualifying lap? “We just kind of scratch our heads a little bit. It felt like it was going to be faster than that. We only made two qualifying runs during practice and the second one we made felt like it was going to be faster and never was and this one felt like it would be faster, too and wasn’t. I don’t know if we have something just not helping ourselves speed-wise or what. The car felt pretty good. I used a ton of throttle and no brake and free-rolled pretty good. I don’t know. I’m a little confused as to why we didn’t go any faster — at least a .10th or so.”

What do you need to do to prepare for Sunday’s race? “We just have a lot of things that we did this morning. We really concentrated on our race trim package a little bit and then we did our qualifying package. Tried three or four different big things and I think we have some ideas there that will be beneficial for us on Sunday.”

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position: 33rd

How was your qualifying effort? “It was okay. It’s a new car for us, so it’s been a better weekend in general for us. Ended up a little bit tight right there in qualifying. Ended up just off the bottom, so we lost a good 10th just being off the bottom of the race track. It’s not bad. I’m looking forward to seeing what it has in race trim tomorrow.”

Did you damage the splitter? “No. I just wanted to see how hard the splitter hit and it didn’t hit that hard. Just too tight in general and we’ll just see where it goes from here.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports Starting Position: 35th

How was your qualifying effort? “It’s so fast around here at Texas Motor Speedway. Turn one and two is actually kind of shaded right now, which we weren’t expecting, so a lot of grip in the race track. The HP Racing Toyota Camry is pretty good. Just hit the splitter a little bit in three and four, but I had a pretty good lap going. I was feeling pretty good getting into three and just drove it in a bit too far, but thankful to get in the race and we’ll be out there on Sunday.”

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position: 40th

How do you feel to be locked into the field? “Well, you know the crew chief is on the radio with me and talking and he’s like, ‘I’ll tell you if you’re locked in after your first lap,’ but he never said anything. That’s the time you’re going into turn one, so I just tried to get everything I could. He never said anything and just thank goodness I picked it up just a tick on my second lap and we’re in the show.”

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

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

Where it all began… Turner Motorsports calls Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) their home track, winning their first championship at the track with Steve Turner’s youngest daughter, Kris, driving a Bandolero in 2004. The organization was headquartered in Hallettsville, Texas until making the move into NASCAR and to Mooresville, N.C. in 2009.Testing the NASCAR waters in 2009, the organization made their NCWTS debut at their home track. In 2010, the team went full time NCWTS racing, fielding entries for Ricky Carmichael and Buescher. In late 2010, the organization made the announcement from the TMS media center that they had acquired Braun Racing and would run three NCWTS and four NNS entries in 2011. That same weekend, Buescher grabbed Turner Motorsports’ first-ever pole award.

In one year, Turner Motorsports has collected four poles, 12 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes in the NCWTS and notched three wins, 21 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes in Nationwide Series competition. Buescher is currently second in the NCWTS points battle, while Justin Allgaier and Jason Leffler are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the NNS point standings.

Texas Motor Speedway: by the numbers… In 14 starts at the Ft. Worth-based track, Leffler has one top-five and five top-10 finishes. He is credited with one pole award and five laps led. He has an average starting spot of 15.8 and an average finishing position of 14.0.

This week’s No. 38 Impala… The Great Clips team will unload chassis TMS-127 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. This is the team’s “go-to” chassis as it has more seen more track time than any other car in rotation. Leffler has driven TMS-127 at Kentucky Speedway (13th), Michigan Int’l Speedway (10th), Dover Int’l Speedway (11th), Charlotte Motor Speedway (21st) and Darlington Raceway (9th), Atlanta Motor Speedway (9th), Chicagoland Speedway (12th), Kansas Speedway (13th) and in the series’ last event at Charlotte (11th).

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

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

Jason Leffler - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“Texas is a really fun track to race! It’s fast and slick with a wide racing surface. You can pretty much run anywhere on the track you want to based on how your car is handling. Turn two is the trouble spot there. The banking holds you really good and then, at the last second, the banking falls off. If you aren’t careful you can get caught out there and pick up a bad push at the very end or, if you’re pushing before that, it can snap you loose. It definitely has its own unique characteristics but it is a great track and the racing is always really good. Since this is the Turner family’s home track we all really want to win. It’s really important to put on a good show for the Turner Motorsports hometown fans and get this Great Clips Chevrolet back into victory lane!”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado (Ricky Carmichael) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Event / Date: WinStar World Casino 350K – November 4, 2011

Venue: Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas

· This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado … Ricky Carmichael will pilot chassis TMS-013 from the Turner Motorsports (TMS) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stable in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway. This is the same truck Carmichael raced earlier this fall at Kentucky Speedway (St. 16, Fn. 6). The truck also saw track-time this season at Pocono Raceway (St. 15, Fn. 20) and Dover International Speedway (St. 20, Fn. 29). Following Dover, the truck was outfitted with a new body, including front and rear clips after a hard crash sent him into the Turn 4 wall and ultimately to garage area prior to the conclusion of the event. This truck also saw action in April at Nashville Superspeedway where Carmichael started 23rd and finished 14th. Built new in 2010, this Chevrolet Silverado was the workhorse of the Monster Energy Team’s fleet last fall. Carmichael drove the same Monster Energy Chevy last year at Chicagoland Speedway (St. 13, Fn. 28), Kentucky Speedway (St. 5, Fn. 9), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (St. 8, Fn. 9) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (St. 22, Fn. 21).

· Texas Totals … Carmichael has five NCWTS starts to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway and posted a career-best sixth-place finish in the division’s June stop at the lightning-fast, mile-and-a-half Fort Worth oval. The Tallahassee, Fla., resident has logged an impressive 8.4 starting average, an 11.8 average finish, completed 756 of the 798 total laps run over those four races (94.7 percent) and earned just over $66,000 in purse money.

· Martinsville Minutes … Carmichael and the Monster Energy Team made an early exit at Martinsville Speedway when brake-related issues sidelined the No. 4 machine just 37 laps into last Saturday’s Kroger 200. Carmichael started 23rd and picked up a handsome eight positions in the early goings before informing crew chief Doug George that he was having brake problems. Less than half of a lap later, the brake pedal in Turner Motorsports’ No. 4 machine went to the floorboard, sending the 15-time AMA National Champion into the Turn 2 retaining wall. Unfortunately, the damage to the Monster Energy-sponsored Chevrolet Silverado was too substantial to repair, leaving Carmichael and Co. with a hard to swallow 35th-place finish. As a result, Carmichael slipped from 13th to 16th in the series’ championship point standings.

· In a Nutshell … The 2011 season marks Carmichael’s second year competing on a full-time basis and third overall in the NCWTS. Since making his series debut 66 races ago, he has gone on to earn four top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. Over those same 66 races, the motocross legend has logged a 14.9 average start, a 17.0 average finish, led 40 laps, completed 90.2 percent of the laps run and earned just over of $847,000 in purse money.

· Chevrolet at SEMA 2011: Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept … When the Chevrolet Sonic’s designers sought inspiration for an all-activity-style concept for the 2011 SEMA Show, they found the perfect partner in Carmichael – a15-time American Motorcycle Association (AMA) National Champion, three-time X-Games gold medalist and NASCAR racer. When Carmichael is not racing for points, he’s pursuing his other passions, including bikes, boards and more. The fully customized Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept is equipped for those adventures, with the storage capacity for his biking and wakeboard equipment.

The Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept reflects the driver’s high-performance personality, with custom interior and exterior design cues, performance enhancements and an upgraded sound system. Carmichael was very active in developing the car, working with Chevrolet designers to convey his style and attitude. Carmichael was on-hand in Las Vegas at the SEMA Show on Monday when the car was unveiled to the media. For more information about the Chevrolet Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept, members of the media may visit media.gm.com/sonic.

· Turner Truck Totals … In 22 NCWTS races in 2011, TMS entries have earned 13 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes. James Buescher leads the way with 19 top 10s and is second in points. With the exception of this year’s first race at Martinsville, Chicagoland and Las Vegas, Buescher has finished inside the top 10 in every race in which he has competed in the division this season. Carmichael has logged one top five and six top 10s and is 16th in the standings. Blake Feese finished fourth and Ryan Newman was fifth in Atlanta. Mark Martin finished seventh in the No. 32 machine at Pocono while Brad Sweet drove the same truck for the first eight races of the year, logging a pair of top-10 results.

· Get to the Point(s) … Carmichael slipped to 16th in points after last week’s disappointing end-result at Martinsville. With two races remaining on the 2011 NCWTS schedule, the 31-year-old, father of twins is still just three points outside the top 15. Buescher is second in the standings and trails current point leader Austin Dillon by 11 points. While Blake Feese has made just eight starts in 2011, he is 27th in points. The No. 32 machine is also assured a spot on Friday’s starting grid by virtue of being 17th in the NCWTS owner point standings.

· Turner Motorsports is Texas Strong… Turner Motorsports owner Steve Turner considers Texas Motor Speedway his home track. Turner, along with his wife Sandra, live outside of Houston, only four hours from the Great American Speedway. The organization is in its sophomore season of NASCAR competition and has captured five poles, three wins, 43 top-five and 90 top-10 finishes in both NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series competition. Turner Motorsports expanded from a two-team Truck Series operation in 2010 to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-three touring series, fielding three full-time entries in the NCWTS and four in the Nationwide Series.

· Welcome Aboard … Turner Motorsports and Monster Energy are pleased to welcome Kroger and QT Kitchens to the lower-rear quarter panels of the No. 4 Monster Energy Silverado this weekend in Texas. QT Kitchens, located inside select QuikTrip locations, offers fresh sandwiches, wraps, fruit, salads and pastries. The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR) headquartered in Cincinnati, is one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, with fiscal 2010 sales of $82.2 billion. The Kroger Co. spans many states with store formats that include grocery and multi-department stores, convenience stores and mall jewelry stores. Kroger operates under nearly two dozen banners, all of which share the same belief in building strong local ties and brand loyalty with our customers.

· RC Live … Carmichael, along with teammate Blake Feese and NCWTS staple Ron Hornaday Jr. will appear at the Chevy Stage on Friday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. The Chevy stage will be located outside the front straightaway, inside the TMS Midway area.

· See the Monster Energy Silverado … The Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado show truck will make a host of stops in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this week. Dates and times are listed below.
Wednesday, Nov. 2

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Kroger 6550 North Beach Street Fort Worth 76137

3 p.m. – 7 p.m. QuikTrip 9635 Coit Road Plano 75024

Thursday, Nov. 3

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Kroger 3300 Texas Sage Trail Fort Worth 76177

3 p.m. – 7 p.m. QuikTrip 1100 North Industrial Boulevard Euless 76039

Friday, Nov. 4

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. QuikTrip 801 East SH 121 Bus. Lewisville 75057

3 p.m. – 7p.m. QuikTrip 3113 West University Drive Denton 76207

· Nationwide Notes … In 31 NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2011, TMS-fielded teams have notched three wins, 21 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes. TMS’s No. 32 Dollar General team maintained seventh in owner’s points after Brian Vickers finished 10th two weekends ago at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet, was seventh in the final rundown at Charlotte and jumped from fifth to fourth in the driver point standings. Jason Leffler was credited with 11th in Charlotte and held on to sixth in points. After a two-week hiatus, the drivers and teams of the NASCAR Nationwide Series return to the track this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. ESPN2’s live coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge will be televised on Saturday, Nov. 5 beginning at noon Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Qualifying for Round 32 of the 2011 Nationwide Series Championship will be televised live on SPEED Friday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

· Up to Speed … Live coverage of the WinStar World Casino 350K will take the green flag Friday, Nov. 4 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on SPEED and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Ricky Carmichael - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Texas is one of your favorite race tracks and a place where you feel like you’ve got a legitimate chance to run in the top five or possibly even win. What makes Texas such a good track for you?

“I’m not sure really sure I can put my finger on it but I like the amount of grip the track has. I just love everything about that track. The first time I went there, when I was a rookie and hadn’t been on a track like that before, I ran pretty good. It’s just one of those tracks we go to that gives me a really good feeling. I’m really excited to go to Texas this weekend.”

What’s the key to a fast lap at Texas Motor Speedway?

“The truck needs to be good and secure underneath you. The track has a fair amount of grip so that’s not usually a problem. You need to run the truck along the white line on the bottom of the track as best as you can. Texas is typically a place where the fast guys will run around the bottom of the race track. The top line will probably start working once we get a little deeper in to the race but I think if you can get your truck working good on the bottom, that’s the best place to be. Fortunately for me, every time I’ve raced at Texas, I’ve been fast on the bottom and fast on the top.”

Texas is essentially a home race for Turner Motorsports. Does that provide a little extra motivation for you to do well?

“Absolutely. I know all three of us … myself, James (Bueshcer) and Blake (Feese) would all really like to run up front. As long as we run the way we’re capable and figure some things out, we should be able to run inside the top five. For us to do well as a team, for Mr. Turner in his home state where he conducts his business, would be outstanding. Mr. Turner has placed a lot of faith in me and given me a great opportunity so I’d really like to reward him with a good finish.”

You had a very cool opportunity to play a key role in the design process and development of Chevrolet’s new Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept. Can you talk a little bit about that?

“The car looks so cool, colorful and fun to drive. I live my life on the go and this Sonic really represents that active lifestyle and my desire to have fun when I’m off the race track. The Sonic would be a perfect vehicle for someone who wants to get the most out of their time – and I also really appreciate how Chevrolet was able to incorporate my loyal sponsors into the design of the car.”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado (Ricky Carmichael) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Event / Date: Kroger 200 – October 29, 2011

Venue: Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, Va.

· This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado … Ricky Carmichael will pilot chassis TMS-018 from the Turner Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stable in Saturday’s Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. This is the same truck Carmichael raced at Martinsville in April of this season where he started 20th, led twice for 36 laps and went on to finish eighth. All totaled, this truck has seen action five times this season including Phoenix International Raceway (St. 28, Fn. 31), Martinsville, (St. 20, Fn. 8), Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (St. 27, Fn. 19) and most recently at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (St. 22, Fn. 19). Built new in 2010, the same truck also saw action last fall at Martinsville Speedway where the 15-time AMA National Champion started sixth and finished ninth.

· Martinsville Minutes … Carmichael has four NCWTS starts at Martinsville Speedway. The 31-year-old racer has logged a 16.8 starting average, a 14th-place average finish and has completed all but 11 laps (98.9 percent) run over those four events. He has notched three top 10s after posting a career-best eighth-place finish in April at the tricky, .526-mile southern Virginia race track.

· Talladega Totals … Carmichael and the Monster Energy Team turned in a season-best fourth-place finish in last Saturday’s Coca-Cola 250 Powered by fred’s at Talladega Superspeedway. The third-year NCWTS driver raced with the leaders all afternoon, stayed out of trouble and, when the money was on the line, demonstrated his superspeedway prowess by earning his first top-five finish of the 2011 season. The spirited effort also afforded Carmichael one more spot in the NCWTS driver points, propelling him from 15th to 14th in the standings. Over the last three races, Carmichael has powered from 18th to his current position in the points.

· In a Nutshell … The 2011 season marks Carmichael’s second year competing on a full-time basis and third overall in the NCWTS. Since making his series debut 65 races ago, he has gone on to earn four top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. Over those same 65 races, the motocross legend has logged a 14.8 average start, a 16.7 average finish, led 40 laps, completed 91.6 percent of the laps run and earned just over of $840,000 in purse money.

· Turner Truck Totals … In 22 NCWTS races in 2011, TMS entries have earned 13 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes. James Buescher leads the way with 18 top 10s and is second in points. With the exception of this year’s first race at Martinsville, Chicagoland and Las Vegas, Buescher has finished inside the top 10 in every race in which he has competed in the division this season. Carmichael has logged one top five and six top 10s and is 14th in the standings. Blake Feese finished fourth and Ryan Newman was fifth in Atlanta. Mark Martin finished seventh in the No. 32 machine at Pocono while Brad Sweet drove the same truck for the first eight races of the year, logging a pair of top-10 results.

· Get to the Point(s) … Carmichael jumped from 15th to 14th in the NCWTS driver point standings after notching his first top-five finish of the season last weekend and is now 23 points behind 13th-place David Starr. Buescher trails current point leader Austin Dillon by three points with three races remaining on the 2011 schedule. While Blake Feese has made just seven starts in 2011, he is 27th in points. The No. 32 machine is assured a spot on Saturday’s starting grid by virtue of being 16th in the NCWTS owner point standings.

· Welcome Aboard … Turner Motorsports and Monster Energy are pleased to welcome Apple Market to the lower-rear quarter panels of the No. 4 Monster Energy Silverado this weekend in Martinsville. Workman Oil Company is the operator of 45 convenience stores under the “Apple Market” banner in central and southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. The company also operates as a franchisee for Subway, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, Krystal, and Blimpie. Workman Oil Company also has a proprietary food service operation in 13 Apple Market convenience stores under the Granny Smith’s name.

· Nationwide Notes … In 31 NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2011, TMS-fielded teams have notched three wins, 21 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes. TMS’s No. 32 Dollar General team maintained seventh in owner’s points after Brian Vickers finished 10th two weekends ago at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet, was seventh in the final rundown at Charlotte and jumped from fifth to fourth in the driver point standings. Jason Leffler was credited with 11th in Charlotte and held on to sixth in points. The drivers and teams of the NASCAR Nationwide Series have this weekend off before returning to the track the next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. ESPN2’s live coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge will be televised on Saturday, Nov. 5 beginning at noon Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Qualifying for Round 32 of the 2011 Nationwide Series Championship will be televised live on SPEED Friday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

· Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Kroger 200 will take the green flag Saturday, Oct. 29 beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on SPEED and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Qualifying for Round 23 of the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship will be televised on SPEED the same day at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Ricky Carmichael - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

You had a great run last time the Truck Series visited Martinsville.

“We really did. I didn’t qualify as well as I had hoped but when the green flag dropped, the Monster Energy Chevy was on a rail. We played the track position game and that certainly helped but at the end of the day, we still had a fast truck. We led a bunch of laps and definitely had better than an eighth-place truck but we ran out of tires at the end of the race so that set us back a little bit. It was a good day so I’m really looking forward to this weekend.”

Looking back on the last three races, you have to be encouraged about where the program stands and where it’s going.

“The last three races have been great and I think that speaks volumes about the direction of this program. We were fast at Kentucky and finished sixth. We were in a great position to finish in the top five at Las Vegas until we got wrecked but Doug (crew chief Doug George) and the team did a great job fixing the truck on pit road and we battled back to finish 12th. Talladega was an awesome race for us. We just kind of hung out all day and when it was time to go, I hooked up with my teammate (James Buescher) and we reeled in the leaders and had a shot at winning the race. That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity and we definitely had one last week. If we can duplicate what we did at Martinsville in the spring, I think we’ll have a good shot at another top five. We’ve gained a lot of ground in the points over the last three races so hopefully, we can keep on rolling this weekend.”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

Kasey Kahne Giving Teammate Brian Vickers Drafting Assistance at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. — There was no Tango or Mambo. No Samba or Rumba. Rather, Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne danced the Talladega Two Step all the way to Red Bull Racing Team’s best combined finish in the organization’s fiveyear history.

Vickers finished fifth and Kahne sixth in Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Before the combined total of 11, the team had two 13’s to show for itself — the most recent coming last April when Kahne finished third and Vickers 10th at Richmond.

Restrictor-plate racing at NASCAR’s biggest and fastest track has evolved into mini two-car packs — a 180 from the one mega pack that made Talladega famous and infamous at the same time. These days, a single dancing partner is the fastest way around the 2.66-mile layout.

Naturally, the two Red Bull Toyotas were partners from the very start. Kahne started 26th, Vickers 30th, and the two pulled and pushed each other into the top five within 10 laps. They were inseparable and at one point — with 59 laps to go — became too close.

Kahne made a move for the lead to the outside of the Robby Gordon-Trevor Bayne tandem. Vickers followed, but his No. 83 tagged the team car, sending Kahne’s No. 4 spinning down the frontstretch. “Sorry about that, Kasey,” Vickers radioed to Kahne. “You pulled out so quick, I just turned you around.”

No harm. Kahne didn’t hit anything and kept the car straight. Both cars pitted and reconnected soon after under green. They restarted in the back, but were back in the top five within 17 laps. Their final pit stop, under the race’s seventh caution, put them back in 30th and 32nd and within eight laps were the third tandem in line.

After a five-car accident in turn two, the ninth and final yellow flag waved with seven laps to go set up a green-whitecheckered finish. Vickers and Kahne restarted third and fourth, but had nothing for the lead tandem of race winner Clint Bowyer and teammate Jeff Burton. And a second tandem — Dave Blaney and Brad Keselowski — stole third and fourth.

“This racing is nerve-wracking. Takes about two hours to go to sleep after this. Your mind is going 100 miles per hour,” said Vickers, a former Talladega winner who earned his third top five of the season and fourth at the track.

“The Red Bull team did a great job working together. Either Kasey was the leader or I was in the lead. We had to go to the back like four or five times and always made it back to the front. We just didn’t have enough at the end. Guys got on our door and the 33 (Bowyer) and 31 (Burton) got away. They were strong all day. So we knew they were going to be tough at the end.”

For Kahne, it was his 13th top 10 of the season and fifth consecutive finish of sixth or better. Never in his eight-year Sprint Cup career (284 races) has Kahne put together so many solid showings in a row.

“We worked well all day with Brian. Great communication between both Red Bull teams,” Kahne said. “Once we got together we could work our way up front. This team continues to work hard, and we have been so close the last few weekends. Just needed a little more for one of us to win, but this momentum is good for us and for the entire Red Bull organization.”

The Red Bull Toyotas combined to lead five times for seven laps, a mere footnote as there were 72 lead changes among 26 drivers.

Kahne improved to 14th in the driver standings. He’s 19 points behind Bowyer in 13th — the highest position a non- Chaser can achieve. Vickers remained 25th in points with four races remaining.

UP NEXT: Tums Fast Relief 500, Sunday, Oct. 30, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

Camry drivers Kasey Kahne (sixth), Denny Hamlin (eighth), Michael Waltrip (ninth) and Martin Truex Jr. (10th) also claimed top-10 finishes in the 188-lap race.

The Camrys of Vickers (three), Kahne (four), Waltrip (one) and Kyle Busch (five) all led laps in the 500-mile race.

Other Toyota drivers in the field included David Reutimann (13th), Casey Mears (17th), Joey Logano (24th), Busch (33rd), Bobby Labonte (35th), Michael McDowell (40th), Joe Nemechek (41st) and Kevin Conway (43rd).

Busch dropped two positions and is now sixth in the unofficial NSCS point standings — 40 points behind leader Carl Edwards – after six of 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races. Hamlin moved up one spot to 11th in the standings — 84 points behind the leader.

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 5th

How was your race today? “It was a long day. This racing is nerve-wracking. It takes about two hours to go to sleep after this because your mind is going 100 miles-per-hour. The Red Bull Camrys did a great job working together today. Kasey (Kahne) and I — whether he was in the lead or I was in the lead — we had to go to the back four or five times, but we always got back to the front. We got hooked up there at the end and some of the guys got on our door and the 33 (Clint Bowyer) and the 31 (Jeff Burton) were able to get away. Them and the 42 (Juan Pablo Montoya) and the 1 (Jamie McMurray) were the only pairs that could pass on the outside so we knew they were all going to be strong today coming to the end.”

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 6th

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 8th

How did the race play out? “It was one of those races where it was just one of those days. The guy we had worked out to work with didn’t work out at all, so obviously there’s 43 cars and I was the three — I was the odd one for the whole race. The best I can describe it is we were stuck without a date to the prom, so I was just hitting on everyone’s mom.”

MIKE FORD, crew chief, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What happened to your plans to partner with Ryan Newman? “You would have to ask them. That’s a question for them. We had a game plan going in and it didn’t work out that way, so you have to ask them.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 15 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 9th

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 10th

Did you feel like you had a chance at the win on the final restart? “We were right where we needed to be. I thought we had it. For whatever reason, David (Reutimann) and I just couldn’t stay together when it mattered most. We really needed this. We’ve had good cars this season, but not a lot to show for it especially over the last couple of races. I’m really happy. We almost had the win.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 13th

How was your race today? “We had a pretty solid day in the Aaron’s Dream Machine. I thought we were going to be a little better there at the end, but we just couldn’t stay hooked to Martin’s (Truex Jr.) bumper in the closing laps and that hurt us a bit. We had good stops and a good strategy and the entire crew did their part to put us in contention at the end.”

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 17th

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 24th

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 33rd

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

What caused the accident? “It looked like the 9 (Marcos Ambrose) car got a little impatient coming to the tri-oval and he’s trying to push his teammate, the 43 (AJ Allmendinger), which is the name of the game around here, but he jacked the 43 up pretty good, got his rear wheels of the ground it looks like and that turned the 43 across our nose. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish there was a recipe that we could tell Kyle (Busch) to let him know where to be when we race in Talladega, but it’s so hard to say. The 99 (Carl Edwards) and 48 (Jimmie Johnson), they rode out back and finished. We were up towards the front and we got wrecked out. It’s so hard to know where you need to be and this race is so circumstantial, but our M&M’s Toyota Camry was really strong. I felt we were really good when we were hooked up with the 20 (Joey Logano) and then when we hooked up with the 11 (Denny Hamlin) we had really good speed. I thought we were going to be a contender at the end, but unfortunately we got taken out a little prematurely. Just really proud of this M&M’s crew. We had a lot of work to do and they got the car out there fairly quick and we picked up five, six spots just with our crash repairs, so that’s the silver lining of the day.”

What is your perspective moving forward? “The mindset doesn’t change. We sat down in December and we said, ‘We’re going to race every lap, every race as hard as we can and try to lead as many laps and win as many races as we can.’ That’s what it takes to win this championship. I don’t know — everyone asks that question, ‘How is the mindset? How is the mindset’ I’m a racer. I want to go to Martinsville and I want to sit on the pole, I want to lead every lap and I want to win the race. That was my mindset four hours ago and it’s going to be my mindset in six, seven days. We’re going to try to lead every lap and win every race from here on out and wherever that puts us in the points at the end of the year, we’ll take it.”

Are you proud of the way your crew fixed the car? “Yeah, I am. Absolutely. There were a lot of repairs to be done — all four corners of that car, the suspension and body were damaged. We got out there in a timely fashion and picked up spots. It was a team improvement and I was pleased.”

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Scott Products Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position: 35th

What happened in the accident? “It just a product of it sometimes when you get late in the race and pushing real hard like that, so got turned around. Couldn’t hold onto it at that point in time. That was not what we wanted to see.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports Finishing Position: 40th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 41st

KEVIN CONWAY, No. 97 Extenze Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 41st

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

KEVIN CONWAY, No. 97 Extenze Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position: 20th

How was your qualifying lap? “We were real happy with the lap that we got for our Extenze Toyota Camry. For a small team like NEMCO Motorsports to come out and put an effort out against the mega teams — for a small handful of guys, it’s a really solid lap for us and we’re excited about tomorrow. It will give us a good starting spot and locks us into the show.”

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Scott Products Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Starting Position: 21st

How was your qualifying lap? “It’s kind of one of these things at Daytona and Talladega — it’s what these guys do to it to make the car go fast. I feel like what they did in preparation and getting it to this point was obviously the key and that made it be faster than some other guys. The race is a whole different strategy and a whole different thing, but hopefully it will be good.”

How do you think the rule changes will affect the racing? “I don’t know — at least we have cool weather this weekend so it probably won’t make that much of a difference. I think that as the race evolve and NASCAR makes a change, the teams are really smart and they always come up with a way to get better when they are presented with an issue like water pressure. It’s going to be hard to say because in a pack of 40 tomorrow will be different than what we practiced yesterday.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 15 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 23rd

How did your car feel in qualifying? “It’s good. I can tell it’s got great power — it never really runs out of power, which when you qualify at 170-something and race at 200 (miles per hour), you better not run out of power at 170 or something or you’re going to be in trouble when they throw the green because of the increase in speed. You can really feel the engine wanting to keep going and it’s a great feeling. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

What does it mean to run the special paint scheme this weekend? “It’s just an honor to say congratulations to my brother and it’s an honor to have shared some of the memories that we have together. I’ve never taken anything for granted. I’ve always just been a really thankful person. He (Darrell Waltrip) is the reason why I got to race cars. Maybe I would have thought of it on my own — I don’t know, but ever since I’ve been on this earth he’s been racing a car, so when I was born he was 16 and that meant he wa s out and on. I’ve admired him. I looked up to him. I respected him and I always wanted to be like him. The cool thing was that some 40 years later he never has let me down and he’s always been that guy that I wanted to be like. It’s just fun to say thank you.”

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 26th

How was your car in qualifying? “It seemed alright. That was the first time we made a lap by ourselves. It feels so slow on this big of a race track. You just kind of go around. But I think that was a pretty good lap for a Toyota to this point. I think we are one of the better ones as far as just single lap speed. Feels good to have a good car. We were really good in the draft yesterday. I look forward to that tomorrow.”

What do you think about before the race Sunday? “Just how to make sure you do the best you can in keeping the cars hooked together. Just all the little things you learn throughout the year doing this type of racing. Just trying to do it right and not make mistakes or not put yourself in a bad spot to the best of your ability.” – more -

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position: 27th

How do you feel about competing at Talladega? “I’ve got to thank all the guys on this NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Racing crew. This is the same car that we ran at Daytona — we started last in Daytona, drove up and took the lead, went back, came back to the front and on that last green-white- checkered, we got in a big sandwich there. Basically, we have a new body on our car. We haven’t been to the wind tunnel. Just tried to put it back like it was and we’re off a little bit from where it was, but we’ve had to work really hard and a lot of late nights getting this thing done. It’s fun coming here to Talladega. It’s a special place and I’ve got a lot of poles here. We just need some backing. If we can get some funding, we can get out here and compete with these guys. The way the plate rules are, I think it’s equal for anybody. You never know who is going to win and it’s like a chess match. Whoever can be in the right spot at the end is going to have a shot at winning. We’re doing all we can do.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Toyota Camry, HP Racing Starting Position: 29th

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 30th

How was your qualifying lap? “It was fine. It was just qualifying at Talladega and you just hold it wide open. Doing 200 miles-per-hour is always fun, but it was a decent lap. We were hoping to do better, but I think the wind has picked up a lot and I think that hurt us a lot.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 31st

How was your qualifying lap? “They restrict us down so slow and we have such a big blade on the back of these cars slowing us down and such a small restrictor plate that you do everything you can to just keep wheel out of the car, make sure you drive a straight line, use all the race track as possible on that first lap to try to gain speed and that’s all you can do. We’re running such a slow speed that there’s not much to it.”

Would you be in favor of larger restrictor plates? “We need to go a long way. I just feel like if you opened it up a little bit to where we could run 185 (miles per hour) by ourselves or somewhere in that range — you’re not going to be able to use the two-car draft. Then the peak speed won’t be as high because we won’t be in a pack. I’m in favor of opening them up. Make handling be more of a factor and get away from the two-car draft.”

Who will be your drafting partner on Sunday? “We’ve worked with the 39 (Ryan Newman) for the last three years or so on superspeedways and even before this pairing up started, we were always working together. It’s a good combination. It’s interesting that he’s got a faster car than what we have, but he’s not as fast pushing as what I am pushing him. There’s just something to that and we’ve scientifically figured it out.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 34th

How does the back-up car compare to your primary car? “The back-up car is just as good. It didn’t feel much different at all when we got out there. The first couple laps when we got out there, we got hooked up with Joey (Logano) there and he pushed at the exact same speed and got pushed at the exact same speed as the other car. The fast time in the other car came from a pack of cars where we sucked up on them and got a good run with them. Overall, we feel comfortable with this M&M’s Camry and it should be good for tomorrow. We will get teamed up with Joey and see how our day unfolds.”

Do you think about qualifying near Joey Logano so you can get hooked up early? “Not really — not at all. If Joey (Logano) ends up qualifying 12th and we end up 35th, it doesn’t really change anything. It’s just a matter of running at it the first little while in the race and then getting hooked up eventually. If we get separated a little we’re not worried about it. It’s the end of the race that you don’t want to get separated too much.”

Are Chase contenders more conservative in this race? “Typically, you want to get a good result out of here too. There are 22 or 25 cars that finish on the lead lap here so you certainly don’t want to be at the tail end of that. You still have to run hard and finish with a good top-10. I think if we can come out of here with a top-10, it would be like a win for us. Just to be able to move on.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 35th

Are you pleased to be starting near Kyle Busch? “We’ll be really close. We’ll work our way up there once the race starts. We didn’t expect to qualify very well and it is what it is here. It doesn’t really matter a whole lot where you qualify — we’ll just work our way up there and position ourselves and see how the race plays out at that point.”

What can you do to adjust on the cars during the race? “There is not actually too much that we can do. Maybe when you are pushing, you can try to make the car a little more stable or maybe some little things you can do to maybe get a little more speed in the car. For the most part we are just wide open and mainly just trying to find a way to work with the guy that you are working with and be able to work with Kyle (Busch) better. With the way we’re pushing and trying to find more speed doing different things with the driver in the car more than what you can do with the chassis of the car.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 36th

How was your car in qualifying? “It was okay. It’s really hard to tell anything. You’re out there by yourself and there is nothing exciting going on. I will try to have some meetings and stuff with the guys before the race and figure out some different scenarios that may happen during the course of the day and how we will react to them. Other than that, there is really not much else you can do.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 37th

How do you think the rule changes will impact the race? “Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be a whole lot different. We could push just as long yesterday as we could in the spring. I think NASCAR changed the rules to keep us from pushing as long, but we’ve worked on our cars since then so it kind of equaled out and I don’t think it will be a whole lot different.”

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position: 42nd

How are you able to move up during the race at Talladega? “Depending on how well you can work with somebody — that really determines how you can do in the race. Not so much whether you have the fastest car, but who works well together and who can stay connected the most. It will be interesting to see how the first half of the race goes, but at the end if you have the right car then you can definitely get to the front. This is definitely one of those places where in five laps you can be leading this race if you get connected with the right guy. That’s the big thing tomorrow is to stay out of the mess and hopefully be connected to the right person and get to the front.”

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Brian Vickers chats with Red Bull Racing Teammate Kasey Kahne - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

CONCORD, N.C. — The No. 4 Red Bull Toyota wasn’t perfect early Saturday night — far from it, in fact. But as driver Kasey Kahne said: “These races are so long and you have so much time to move up and think about pit stops and making your car better. When you have 500 miles, you have enough time.”

After a green-flag pit stop for adjustments with 139 laps to go in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kahne, who had fought a rear-end up and front-end down handling issue most of the race, radioed to his team, “Oh, yeah. It’s going now.”

He was ninth at that point — driving the fastest car on the track — and moved into the top five 40 laps later. Then he improved to third after a speedy stop by the No. 4 crew under the race’s fifth caution flag. Kahne seemed to be in contention for his fourth Sprint Cup victory at the 1.5-mile track.

Enter lap 293, when Matt Kenseth had a slow restart, pinching Kahne between David Ragan’s No. 6 on the bottom and Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 on the top. The result? All three went spinning, and Kahne retreated to the pits for tires and to repair cosmetic damage. He went from third to restarting at the tail end of the lead lap. “We can get back into the mix,” crew chief Kenny Francis told his driver.

Indeed he did. With only a dozen or so cars on the lead lap, Kahne moved into the top 10 with 25 laps to go. With 17 laps remaining, Jimmie Johnson absorbed a hard hit to bring out the eighth and final caution. Some cars pitted, Kahne stayed out and pulled out a scrappy fourth-place finish.

It was the third consecutive top five for Kahne and his sixth overall at Charlotte. For Red Bull Racing Team, it was the best finish at the track since Brian Vickers finished fifth in the 2009 600.

“We had a great Red Bull Toyota. The guys did an awesome job,” Kahne said. “It was just a fine line of being really good or a little off. We kind of went over it throughout the race. That one restart — Matt got a bad start and I was trying to push him and Ragan got to my inside and Jeff must have thought that we were only two-wide and we were three and we ended up all wrecking. Then we had to fight back after that. It was just kind of being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. We had a really good car and it was another positive race for us.”

No. 83 driver Vickers had an unexpected passenger leaving the pits during a stop on lap 45. Apparently, the jack called shotgun and went along for the ride as Vickers exited his pit box — a definite no-no in NASCAR’s eyes.

Moments later, Vickers was slapped with a stop-and-go penalty for “removing equipment from assigned pit area” and returned to the race two laps down in 36th. “It’s a long race,” crew chief Ryan Pemberton said. “We got ourselves in a pile of crap early. We’ll get our chances to get it back.”

Vickers spent the rest of the night fighting for free passes and taking wave-arounds, which eventually put him only one lap down in the closing stages. But by then, his chances of ever returning to the lead lap were nil because only 15 cars completed all 334 laps. He finished 20th.

With five races remaining this season, Kahne improved a position in the driver standings to 15th — eight behind 14thplace AJ Allmendinger and 11 behind Clint Bowyer in 13th. That’s the best ranking a non-Chaser can achieve. Vickers moved up to 25th — still 40 points behind Jeff Burton in 24th.

UP NEXT: Good Sam Club 500, Sunday, Oct. 23, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage

No. 32 Dollar General Chevy

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage

October 14, 2011

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes

- Welcome Back Brian Vickers – In his first appearance in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) since making five starts in early 2010, Brian Vickers posted an eighth-place finish with the No. 32 Dollar General team at Kansas Speedway last weekend. This was the 22nd top-10 finish for the Trent Owens-led team in 30 starts this season.

- It’s New to Me - Last weekend’s laps in the No. 32 Dollar General machine at Kansas Speedway were Vickers’s first in the new style NNS car. Even though he ran five NNS races in 2010 with Turner Motorsports, the new style car did not make its debut until the second race at Daytona International Speedway in July.

Vickers at Charlotte Motor Speedway – Vickers will make his 10th NNS start at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend in the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage. In nine previous starts, Vickers owns five top-fives, five top-10s, one pole award (2008) and 91 laps led. He has an average start of 13.7 coupled with an average finish of 11.2.

Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage - This weekend’s 300-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway was renamed the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage in an effort to bring attention to the month-long Breast Cancer Awareness campaign during the month of October. During the race weekend, the Dollar General team will be sporting pink uniforms and fire suits and the Dollar General Chevy will feature an all-pink paint scheme. Dollar General is also joining forces with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to honor 300 breast cancer survivors prior to the race in a special “ring of survivors”.

Double Duty - For the second week in a row, Vickers’s over-the-wall crew will be getting some extra practice with their driver as the No. 32 pit crew also services Vickers’s No. 83 car during Sprint Cup races. This weekend the Dollar General team proved their worth, not losing Vickers a single spot on pit road during the 200-lap event.

Fans Can Win Big with Dollar General – Dollar General, an Official Partner of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™, is offering customers the chance to win more than 9,000 prizes including free gas for a year, a trip for two to Las Vegas for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and $250,000. The “Race in to Win” sweepstakes officially launched August 28 and runs through November 12, 2011. When customers purchase qualifying items from DG, they are given a code on their receipt to enter online at dollargeneral.com. It is the first-ever national retail program around the Chase, NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Brian Vickers

Vickers on his second race with Turner Motorsports at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

“Last weekend at Kansas gave me the opportunity to get back in the Nationwide Series and run some laps in the new car and it was a great effort by Trent [Owens, crew chief] and all the guys. We had a lot of fun and it was great to work with them. Now we move on to Charlotte where we have had some incredible runs in the past but never were able to capitalize on it. I hope we can put it all together for this weekend in Charlotte as it would be pretty special to put the Dollar General car in victory lane in a race they are sponsoring- all a great cause in supporting breast cancer awareness.”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado (Ricky Carmichael) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Event / Date: Smith’s 350 – October 15, 2011

Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas

· This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado … Ricky Carmichael will pilot chassis TMS-021 from the Turner Motorsports (TMS) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stable in Saturday’s Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Speedway. Built new for the 2011 season, this truck saw action most recently at Chicagoland Speedway where Carmichael qualified fourth but ultimately finished 25th after a wayward piece of debris found its way into the engine compartment and punctured an oil line forcing the Monster Energy team to spend seven laps behind the wall while they replaced the damaged part. This is also the same truck Carmichael sat on the pole with and raced to an eighth-place finish last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The same Chevrolet Silverado saw action earlier this season at Kentucky Speedway (St. 14, Fn. 16), Texas Motor Speedway (St. 9, Fn. 6), Charlotte Motor Speedway (St. 17, Fn. 12) and Michigan International Speedway (St. 7, Fn. 12).

· Kentucky Rewind … Carmichael started 16th and finished sixth in the NCWTS most recent stop at Kentucky Speedway. The third-year NCWTS driver raced in and around the top 10 for much the event and ultimately came away with his fifth top-10 showing of the 2011 season. Meanwhile, Carmichael picked up two spots in the Camping World Truck Series driver points and moved up from 18th to 16th in the standings.

· Monster Million … This weekend, Carmichael’s No. 4 machine will feature a special paint scheme highlighting the October 15 Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. The Monster Energy Cup will showcase a unique hybrid track, designed by Carmichael and fellow supercross staple Jeremy McGrath, and will consist of supercross/motocross terrain and will have a tremendous motocross-style influence, making it unlike any other stadium race in the world. This track will be the perfect blend of supercross and motocross combined and created into the ultimate battleground. The Monster Energy Cup posts a $250,000 purse with the winner walking away with a $100,000 check and, for the first time ever, $1 million will be paid to a rider who wins all three main events. Michael Losing, of Tucson, Ariz., and a guest will enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas and spend the day as a VIP honorary pit crew member of Carmichael’s race team in Las Vegas followed by a VIP experience at the Monster Energy Cup, including premium seating, a track walk and a behind the scenes look at the live SPEED television broadcast. Carmichael, who will be joining SPEED host Ralph Sheheen and color commentator Jeff Emig on the broadcast, promises that this will be the ultimate fan experience. Losing will receive an autographed jersey from Carmichael and a gift bag from the Monster Energy Cup, including a year supply of Monster Energy drinks. For more information about the Monster Energy Cup, please visit www.MonsterEnergyCup.com.

· RC in Sin City … Carmichael has two NCWTS starts at LVMS and calls a ninth-place finish a career-best at 1.5-mile tri-oval. He’s earned an eighth-place starting average, a 15.5 average finish and completed 286 of the 292 total laps run (98 percent) over both races.

· In a Nutshell … The 2011 season marks Carmichael’s second year competing on a full-time basis and third overall in the NCWTS. Since making his series debut 63 races ago, he has gone on to earn three top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Over those same 63 races, the motocross legend has logged a 15.0 average start, a 17.0 average finish, led 39 laps, completed 91.4 percent of the laps run and earned just over of $806,000 in purse money.

· Grecian Getaway … During the off weekend, Carmichael crossed the Atlantic to serve as an ambassador for Monster Energy at the Monster Energy Athens Supercross. After landing in Athens mid-morning last Thursday, Carmichael and his wife Ursula visited the famed Acropolis of Athens which includes several historical Greek buildings, most notably the Parthenon. Following a couple of days of sightseeing, the 15-time AMA National Champion spent two nights at the Athens Supercross greeting fans, Monster employees, distributors and retailers before returning to the US on Monday morning.

· Meet the Media … On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Carmichael along with fellow NCWTS drivers Ron Hornaday and Brendan Gaughan will participate in a press conference hosted by Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the Capital Grille in the Fashion Show Mall. IZOD IndyCar Series racers Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti and Will Power will also be on hand. The event will begin promptly at 1 p.m. Members of the media wishing to attend should RSVP to John Bisci by e-mail (jbisci@lvms.com) or by calling (702) 632-8231.

· Turner Truck Totals … In 20 NCWTS races in 2011, TMS entries have earned 11 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes. James Buescher leads the way with 17 top 10s and is second in points. With the exception of Martinsville and Chicagoland, Buescher has finished inside the top 10 in every race in which he has competed in the division this season. Carmichael has logged five top 10s and is 16th in the standings. Blake Feese finished fourth and Ryan Newman was fifth in Atlanta, four races ago. Mark Martin finished seventh in the No. 32 machine at Pocono while Brad Sweet drove the same truck for the first eight races of the year, logging a pair of top-10 results.

· Blake’s Back In … For the sixth time this season, Feese will climb aboard the No. 32 AccuDoc Solutions machine for Saturday’s Smith’s 350. The Saybrook, Ill., driver has one top-five and four top-20 finishes in five starts in 2011.

· Get to the Point(s) … Carmichael jumped from 18th to 16th in the NCWTS driver point standings after finishing sixth two weekends ago in Kentucky. He’s just three points outside the top 15 and nine behind 14th-place Justin Lofton. Buescher trails current point leader Austin Dillon by a slim three-point margin. While Feese has made just five starts in 2011, the No. 32 machine is assured a spot on the starting grid by virtue of being 16th in the NCWTS owner point standings.

· Nationwide Notes … In 30 NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2011, TMS-fielded teams have notched three wins, 21 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes. TMS’s No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet, is currently seventh in owner’s points after Brian Vicker’s finished eighth last weekend at Kansas Speedway. Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet, was 11th in the final rundown last week and held on to fifth in the driver point standings. Jason Leffler was credited with 13th in Kansas and held on to sixth in points. The drivers and teams of the NASCAR Nationwide Series will race in the “Queen City” this Friday night for the division’s annual fall visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway. ESPN2’s live coverage of the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage will be televised on Friday, Oct. 14 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Qualifying for Round 31 of the 2011 Nationwide Series Championship will be televised on ESPN2 the same day beginning at 3 p.m. EDT.

· Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Smith’s 350 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, Oct. 15 beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on SPEED and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Ricky Carmichael - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

You had a great run at Kentucky and Las Vegas is obviously another mile-and-a half. You’ve got to be excited about this weekend.

“I’m really confident coming off of our great finish two weeks ago at Kentucky Speedway – especially considering how we ran towards the end of the race. I did really well at Las Vegas last year and ran up front most of the night. I like the race track and we’re bringing one of my favorite trucks. It’s our best mile-and-a-half truck and we’ve been fast with it everywhere we’ve taken it. We won a pole with this truck in Atlanta and were really strong with it in Chicago until we had a problem with an oil line. I’m excited. I’m really looking forward to it. This is going to be a busy weekend but a lot of fun at the same time. We’re looking to improve on our finish from Kentucky and get inside that top five.”

You mentioned how busy you’ll be this weekend not only with the Truck race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but you’ll also be very involved in the Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium.

“This weekend is going to be great. We’ve got some contest winners and after our race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we’ll head over to Sam Boyd Stadium for the Monster Energy Cup. The race pays $1 million if one of the riders can win all three main events. Jeremy McGrath and I also played big roles in designing the track. It’s going to be an awesome weekend. There’s a lot going on but it’s all good, positive, fun stuff. But, first things first, and that’s trying to get this Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado inside the top five or maybe even a podium finish.

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet Impala - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Welcome Brian Vickers - Turner Motorsports welcomes Brian Vickers to the seat of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy for this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway. Vickers is no stranger to Turner Motorsports, having driven a part-time schedule for the team from 2007-2010. In 41 Nationwide Series starts over that span, Vickers, the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion, compiled 15 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes along with three pole awards. Vickers will also pilot the Dollar General Chevy in next weekend’s Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Vickers at Kansas Speedway - In four starts at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, Vickers owns one top-10 finish which came back in 2007 while driving the No. 10 entry for Turner Motorsports.

Dollar General Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month – October 1st kicked off the month-long Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, now in its 25th year. In an effort to do their part in bringing attention to the cause, Dollar General is supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure by providing a $50,000 grant as well as honoring 300 breast cancer survivors prior to the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage NNS race on October 14th. During the race weekend, the No. 32 Dollar General team will be decked out in pink uniforms to support the cause and the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy will also feature an all-pink paint scheme.

Fans Can Win Big with Dollar General - Dollar General, an Official Partner of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™, is offering customers the chance to win more than 9,000 prizes including free gas for a year, a trip for two to Las Vegas for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and $250,000. The “Race in to Win” sweepstakes officially launched August 28 and runs through November 12, 2011. When customers purchase qualifying items from DG, they are given a code on their receipt to enter online at dollargeneral.com. It is the first-ever national retail program around the Chase, NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Sporting Kansas City - In a first for the organization, Turner Motorsports will cross over into the world of Major League Soccer (MLS) this weekend. The team will welcome Sporting Kansas City to the hood of James Buescher’s No. 30 Chevrolet Impala at Kansas Speedway. Sporting Kansas City is currently in their 16th year as a MLS club. In 2011, the organization celebrated the opening of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, a brand new, $200 million soccer-specific stadium, directly across the street from Kansas Speedway. Winners of the 2000 MLS Cup, the 2000 MLS Supporters’ Shield and the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Sporting Kansas City currently sits in first-place in the Eastern Conference and is one of only five MLS clubs to have won all three major domestic titles. Several of the club’s players, and members of the executive team, will be on hand for the NNS race as guests of Turner Motorsports.

This Week’s Impala - This weekend, Vickers will pilot TMS-309 in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. This car was last on track at Chicagoland Speedway just three weeks ago, where it was driven to a 10th place finish.

Brian Vickers

“I can’t thank everyone at Dollar General and Turner Motorsports enough for this opportunity. They have been so supportive of me both personally and professionally over the past few years, and it’s great to continue this relationship for a few more races. I am looking forward to driving this new Nationwide Series car with Trent and the guys behind me!”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @DollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

- Turner Motorsports Press Release