Catchfence » CARFAX 250

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 Tender Ridge Ford Mustang Michigan International Speedway Preview

Press Release — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:15:19 +0000

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - Photo Credit: Steve Langley for NASCAR

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Alliance Truck Parts 250 ADVANCE

Team: No. 6 Tender Ridge Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Mike Kelley

Chassis: RK-645

THE STATS

Date Event S F Laps Status Winnings

8-14-10 Carfax 250 6 13 125/125 Running $22,468

Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Money

Cumulative 1 0 0 0 $22,468

THE QUOTES

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 Tender Ridge Angus Ford Mustang:

“We have Tender Ridge Angus on the car at Michigan and that’s a huge weekend for those guys. It’s also a huge weekend for Ford Racing and we want to do ‘em proud. It’s going to be a fun week.”

HOW DIFFERENT ARE MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY AND AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY?

“The differences between Michigan and Auto Club Speedway are pretty big. You’ve got seams at Auto Club Speedway that kind of mess you up. Michigan has a little bit more banking and you can carry more speed. I like Michigan because it’s a fun racetrack and hopefully we can put our Mustang in victory lane.”

Mike Kelley, Crew Chief, No. 6 Tender Ridge Angus Ford Mustang:

“Michigan is a good racetrack for us. It races a lot like Auto Club Speedway and we had strong cars there at the beginning of the year. You’ve got to be on your game at Michigan. You don’t want to have to make wholesale changes but I feel that where we’re at with what our teammates are learning and having three good cars in the Michigan race
we should be really close.

Hopefully we’ll be battling our teammates to bring home the trophy. For a Nationwide race Michigan is a tough one because generally I look at it as you have two pit stops to make changes on. The races generally are divided into three segments. That gives you one pit stop to nail it and another one to fine tune it or one if you go the wrong way that next pit stop is your only shot at making something out of the day. We’ll make sure that we have a lot of adjustability in our car.”

THE FACTS

- Stenhouse is third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings, six points behind leader Reed Sorenson and four behind second-place Elliott Sadler. He is five points ahead of fourth-place Justin Allgaier and 40 ahead of fifth-place Aric Almirola…

- Has led at least one lap in each of the last four consecutive NNS races and nine times in nine races this season for a total of 138 laps, most of any series regular…

- Scored three top-five finishes and four top-10s in last five races entering Michigan…

- Stenhouse has more bonus points (12) than any other NNS regular…Has scored eight top-10 finishes in nine superspeedway starts this season, including four top-fives…

- Primary car for Michigan is the same car Stenhouse used at Phoenix and Richmond…

- Average starting position for Stenhouse this season is 6.7 while his average finish is 10.4…Has completed 2,714 of 2,776 possible laps (97.8 percent).

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log
onto www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on
Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

- Roush Fenway Racing Press Release

Kyle Busch CLINCHES WIX Filters Lap Leader Award in Ford 300

Press Release — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:09:57 +0000

WIX Filters Lap Leader Logo

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER NOTES

FOR THE FORD 300 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RACE

AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010

Kyle Busch clinched the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award in tonight’s Ford 300. Busch earned a $20,000 cash prize from WIX Filters for his efforts.

· Busch led seven times for 153 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in tonight’s Ford 300. He led 34 times in 28 different races for a total of 2,229 laps. In 144 superspeedway races Busch has led 7,127 laps and a grand total of 9,466 laps in 202 career starts.

· Busch won tonight’s race, crossing the finish line .850 seconds ahead of second-place Kevin Harvick. He won for a series record 13th time this season racked up his 22nd top-five finish. Busch finished in the top-10 in 25 of 29 starts this season. He scored his second career victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

· UNOFFICIALLY Busch finished third in the series championship standings, despite not competing in six races.

· Busch captured WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors for the 18th time this season.

· BUSCH QUOTES: “It started off this weekend with a great team. Jason [Ratcliff, crew chief] and the guys prepared a great race car back at the shop along with all the chassis guys and body hangers and the engine group too that gave us a race car to come out here to put it up front. Qualified second to Joey [Logano] there and we came out here and we were able to prevail and get the job done. You know it was a heck of race there with Harvick there towards the end and battling back and forth with him a little bit I thought I messed up and gave the win away there for a minute but we were able to rally back on the next restart and get back by him and getting there to the checkered flag first. Really good day for us all around.

Can’t thank Jim and Monica Sexton enough from Z Line Designs and everybody that’s been fortunate enough to be a part of this program and help us win 30, 40 something races here in the last three years since 2008 of me coming aboard the Joe Gibbs Racing team. It wouldn’t be possible without these guys support to my right and Brad [Coleman] doing the job that he did as well this year in the races that I wasn’t able to attend and keeping us up there in the points so I could go out there and be where we are tonight, at least get Joe where he is tonight [smile].”

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS

Kyle Busch 18

Joey Logano 4

Kevin Harvick 3

Marcos Ambrose 2

Tony Stewart 1

Denny Hamlin 1

Brad Coleman 1

Reed Sorenson 1

Trevor Bayne 1

Jason Leffler 1

Mike Bliss 1

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE

EVENT DRIVER

DRIVE4COPD 300 Tony Stewart, 38 laps

Stater Bros. 300 Joey Logano, 130 laps

Sam’s Town 300 Kevin Harvick, 82 laps

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Kyle Busch, 59 laps

Nashville 300 Joey Logano, 122 laps

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Kyle Busch, 126 laps

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Kyle Busch, 153 laps

Aaron’s 312 Kevin Harvick, 51 laps

BUBBA Burger 250 Kyle Busch, 62 laps

Royal Purple 200 Denny Hamlin, 111 laps

Heluva Good! 200 Kyle Busch, 191 laps

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Kyle Busch, 64 laps

Federated Auto Parts 300 Reed Sorenson, 15 laps

Meijer 300 Joey Logano, 106 laps

The Bucyrus 200 Brad Coleman, seven laps

New England 200 Kyle Busch, 126 laps

Subway Jalapeno 250 Kyle Busch, 19 laps

Dollar General 300 Kyle Busch, 110 laps

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Trevor Bayne, 19 laps

Kroger 200 Kyle Busch, 144 laps

U.S. Cellular 250 Kyle Busch, 209 laps

Zippo 200 Marcos Ambrose, 60 laps

CARFAX 250 Jason Leffler, one lap

Food City 250 Kyle Busch, 116 laps

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Marcos Ambrose, 25 laps

Great Clips 300 Kyle Busch, 74 laps

Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Kevin Harvick, 170 laps

Dover 200 Kyle Busch, 192 laps

Kansas Lottery 300 Kyle Busch, 65 laps

CampingWorld.com 300 Kevin Harvick, 86 laps

Dollar General 300 Kyle Busch, 84 laps

5-hour Energy 250 Mike Bliss, 10 laps

O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Kyle Busch, 107 laps

WYPALL 200 Joey Logano, 23 laps

Ford 300 Kyle Busch, 153 laps

Since 1939, WIX® Filters, a member of the Affinia Group family of brands, has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a member of the Affinia family of brands, is the number one filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Its NASCAR relationship also includes the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which recognizes the drivers leading the most laps in each race. For more information, visit www.wixfilters.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 $2 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. Press Release

Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Ford 300

Press Release — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:42:49 +0000

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender Logo

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS

– NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

· Colin Braun was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the November 13 WYPALL 200 at Phoenix (Avondale, Ariz.) International Raceway, scoring a seventh-place finish. Braun grabbed top rookie honors for the ninth time this season and claimed his fifth top-10 of the season.

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored a ninth-place finish at Phoenix, his seventh top-10 in 2010. Stenhouse Jr. leads Brian Scott by eight points (214-206) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the November 20 Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

· Scott is 14th in the series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

Brendan Gaughan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2009 Ford 300, collecting an 11th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Ford 300 is third by Kyle Busch (2004) and Greg Biffle (2001).

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in 15 previous Nationwide Series races at Homestead have TWO Raybestos® Rookie finished in the top-five. In 2001, Greg Biffle place third just ahead of fellow rookie Scott Wimmer, who grabbed a fourth place finish.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Homestead:

1999: Hank Parker Jr., fourth

2001: Greg Biffle, third

2001: Scott Wimmer, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, third

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in four of the last six Nationwide Series races at Homestead.

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Homestead:

1995: Jeff Fuller, eighth

1995: Curtis Markham, 10th

1997: Matt Kenseth, sixth

1998: Dave Blaney, sixth

1999: Hank Parker Jr., fourth

2000: Jimmie Johnson, sixth

2001: Greg Biffle, third

2001: Scott Wimmer, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, third

2005: Jon Wood, sixth

2006: Todd Kluever, ninth

2007: Marcos Ambrose, 10th

Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap at Homestead:

1997: Steve Park (once for nine laps)

1999: Hank Parker, Jr. (led 32 laps)

2001: Scott Wimmer (once for 11 laps)

2004: Kyle Busch (once for three laps)

2007: Brad Keselowski (once for 18 laps)

2007: David Ragan (once for two laps)

2008: Bryan Clauson (once for one lap)

DID YOU KNOW? Casey Atwood (1998) and David Ragan (2007) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win pole positions at Homestead.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 214

Brian Scott 206

Colin Braun 186

James Buescher 141

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE

DRIVE4COPD 300 James Buescher, eighth

Stater Bros. 300 Brian Scott, 10th

Sam’s Town 300 Colin Braun, 28th

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 25th

Nashville 300 Brian Scott, 15th

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., ninth

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Aaron’s 312 Brian Scott, 10th

BUBBA Burger 250 James Buescher, 12th

Royal Purple 200 Brian Scott, 25th

Heluva Good! 200 Brian Scott, ninth

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Brian Scott, 33rd

Federated Auto Parts 300 Brian Scott, 28th

Meijer 300 Colin Braun, 10th

The Bucyrus 200 Colin Braun, 11th

New England 200 Colin Braun, 12th

Subway Jalapeno 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., third

Dollar General 300 Brian Scott, third

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Brian Scott, sixth

Kroger 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

U.S. Cellular 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

Zippo 200 Brian Scott, 13th

CARFAX 250 Colin Braun, ninth

Food City 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 22nd

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Colin Braun, 22nd

Great Clips 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 10th

Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., fourth

Dover 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

Kansas Lottery 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., sixth

CampingWorld.com 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Dollar General 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

5-hour Energy 250 Brian Scott, 14th

O’Reilly Challenge Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

WYPALL 200 Colin Braun, seventh

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

Justin Allgaier captured 2009 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Allgaier claimed Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors 11 times during the 2009 season and his final margin of victory over Brendan Gaughan was 18 points (269-251). He finished the year with three top-five and 12 top-10 finishes and placed sixth in the series championship standings. His best finish was a fifth-place effort at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (race No. 4). Allgaier won his first career pole this past season at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (race No. 32) and in his 36th career start.

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico), crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin (136 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is James Buescher, who captured the top starting position for the 2010 O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway (two races).

· The most recent streak for at least two Raybestos® Rookies to rank inside the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings is 21 consecutive races (2007 race at Kentucky Speedway, race No. 16, through 2008 Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, race No. 1).

· DID YOU KNOW? Since 2001, Roush Fenway Racing has won FOUR Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

2007: David Ragan

2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.

2005: Carl Edwards

2001: Greg Biffle

Kyle Busch posted a record-setting year on his way to the 2004 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title. In 34 starts, Busch won five times, captured five poles and scored 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His second-place finish in the Nationwide Series championship standings is a record for a Raybestos® Rookie. Other Raybestos® Rookie records Busch owns or shares: most starts (34), most wins (tied with Greg Biffle), most top fives (tied with Greg Biffle), most top 10s, most money won ($2,027,050), most championship points (4,943), most laps led (1,108) and most races led (21).

David Stremme holds the record for fewest starts by a driver to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. In 2003, he started just 18 of the 34 races and was the top rookie finisher in 16 of those starts. Stremme scored three top-three finishes and had more top-10 finishes (seven) than any other first-year driver. He led six races for a total of 86 laps.

David Green was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race, at Lanier, Ga., in 1991. Green captured the Nestle 200 by 1.58-seconds over Jeff Gordon, a fellow Raybestos® Rookie. A third Raybestos® Rookie, Todd Bodine, placed eighth in the race.

Dennis Setzer was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win TWO or more races in a season. In 1994, he won the Ford Credit 300 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and The Pantry 300 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Steve Park was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win THREE or more races in a season. In 1997, he won the BellSouth Mobility / Opryland 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway, the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan International Speedway and the Autolite Platinum 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Kenny Wallace was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the Nationwide Series. Wallace grabbed the top starting spot for the 1989 Goody’s 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the first race in the history of the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year program.

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, visit 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. Press Release

Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

Press Release — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:57:23 +0000

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender Logo

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS

– NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

· Brian Scott was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the October 23 5-hour Energy 250 at Gateway (Madison, Ill.) International Raceway. Scott scored a 14th-place finish and claimed top rookie honors for the 11th time this season.

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads Scott by five points (209-204 in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the November 6 O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

· Scott is 14th in the series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

Brendan Gaughan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, scoring a 16th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-10 finish in three of the five fall races at Texas

2005: Carl Edwards, third

2005: Reed Sorenson, fourth

2006: Todd Kluever, 10th

2007: Brad Keselowski, sixth

The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in five fall races at Texas is third by Carl Edwards (2005).

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Texas:

2005: Carl Edwards, third

2005: Reed Sorenson, fourth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Texas:

2005: Carl Edwards, third

2005: Reed Sorenson, fourth

2006: Todd Kluever, 10th

2007: Brad Keselowski, sixth

Reed Sorenson (2005) is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in five autumn races at Texas, holding the top spot once for three laps.

The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie in five fall races at Texas is third-place by Stephen Leicht (2006).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 209

Brian Scott 204

Colin Braun 179

James Buescher 124

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE

DRIVE4COPD 300 James Buescher, eighth

Stater Bros. 300 Brian Scott, 10th

Sam’s Town 300 Colin Braun, 28th

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 25th

Nashville 300 Brian Scott, 15th

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., ninth

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Aaron’s 312 Brian Scott, 10th

BUBBA Burger 250 James Buescher, 12th

Royal Purple 200 Brian Scott, 25th

Heluva Good! 200 Brian Scott, ninth

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Brian Scott, 33rd

Federated Auto Parts 300 Brian Scott, 28th

Meijer 300 Colin Braun, 10th

The Bucyrus 200 Colin Braun, 11th

New England 200 Colin Braun, 12th

Subway Jalapeno 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., third

Dollar General 300 Brian Scott, third

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Brian Scott, sixth

Kroger 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

U.S. Cellular 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

Zippo 200 Brian Scott, 13th

CARFAX 250 Colin Braun, ninth

Food City 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 22nd

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Colin Braun, 22nd

Great Clips 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 10th

Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., fourth

Dover 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

Kansas Lottery 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., sixth

CampingWorld.com 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Dollar General 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

5-hour Energy 250 Brian Scott, 14th

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is Justin Allgaier, who captured the top starting position for the 2009 Kroger 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (36 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? Since 2001, Roush Fenway Racing has won FOUR Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

2007: David Ragan

2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.

2005: Carl Edwards

2001: Greg Biffle

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. Press Release

Kyle Busch WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race in Dollar General 300

Press Release — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 04:20:52 +0000

WIX Filters Lap Leader Logo

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER NOTES FOR THE

DOLLAR GENERAL 300 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RACE

AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010, PAGE 1.

· Kyle Busch led five times for 84 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in tonight’s Dollar General 300. Busch has now led 29 times in 24 races for a total of 1,959 laps. In 141 superspeedway races he has led 6,857 laps and a grand total of 9,196 laps in 199 career starts.

· Busch posted a sixth-place finish, his 23rd top-10 finish in 26 starts this season.

· Busch captured WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors for the 16th time this season. UNOFFICIALLY he leads Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick by 13 races (16-3) in the overall WIX Filters Lap Leader standings.

· JASON RATCLIFF, CREW CHIEF, No. 18 Z-LINE DESIGNS TOYOTA: “We started good, obviously, led a lot of laps, but as the track changed and as it started cooling off we were keeping up with it decent and it just really got away from us in a hurry. We tried to make some adjustments and the adjustments didn’t react like we hoped they would. That’s part of learning this car. We made adjustments that we would have made with the other car that I think would have been the direction to go but with this car it wasn’t right. Either it wasn’t enough or it was the wrong adjustment, one or the other. We’re learning and I thought the start of the race it’s the best that we had been with the new car. The end of the race we were back to where we were. But it’s a building process and we’ll be better next time.”

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS

Kyle Busch 16

Joey Logano 3

Kevin Harvick 3

Marcos Ambrose 2

Tony Stewart 1

Denny Hamlin 1

Brad Coleman 1

Reed Sorenson 1

Trevor Bayne 1

Jason Leffler 1

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE

EVENT DRIVER

DRIVE4COPD 300 Tony Stewart, 38 laps

Stater Bros. 300 Joey Logano, 130 laps

Sam’s Town 300 Kevin Harvick, 82 laps

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Kyle Busch, 59 laps

Nashville 300 Joey Logano, 122 laps

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Kyle Busch, 126 laps

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Kyle Busch, 153 laps

Aaron’s 312 Kevin Harvick, 51 laps

BUBBA Burger 250 Kyle Busch, 62 laps

Royal Purple 200 Denny Hamlin, 111 laps

Heluva Good! 200 Kyle Busch, 191 laps

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Kyle Busch, 64 laps

Federated Auto Parts 300 Reed Sorenson, 15 laps

Meijer 300 Joey Logano, 106 laps

The Bucyrus 200 Brad Coleman, seven laps

New England 200 Kyle Busch, 126 laps

Subway Jalapeno 250 Kyle Busch, 19 laps

Dollar General 300 Kyle Busch, 110 laps

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Trevor Bayne, 19 laps

Kroger 200 Kyle Busch, 144 laps

U.S. Cellular 250 Kyle Busch, 209 laps

Zippo 200 Marcos Ambrose, 60 laps

CARFAX 250 Jason Leffler, one lap

Food City 250 Kyle Busch, 116 laps

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Marcos Ambrose, 25 laps

Great Clips 300 Kyle Busch, 74 laps

Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Kevin Harvick, 170 laps

Dover 200 Kyle Busch, 192 laps

Kansas Lottery 300 Kyle Busch, 65 laps

CampingWorld.com 300 Kevin Harvick, 86 laps

Dollar General 300 Kyle Busch, 84 laps

*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. Press Release

Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Virginia 529 College Savings 250

Press Release — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:32:18 +0000

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender Logo

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS

– NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the September 4 Great Clips 300 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Stenhouse Jr. grabbed a 10th-place finish, his fourth top-10 of the season, and claimed top rookie honors for the seventh time in 2010.

· Brian Scott leads Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 12 points (197-185) in the overall Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the September 10 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Justin Allgaier was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2009 Virginia529 College Savings 250, posting an eighth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? TWO Raybestos® Rookies have won the September race at Richmond: Bobby Hamilton (1989) and Steve Park (1997). Hamilton edged Tommy Ellis by two car lengths while Park crossed the finish line 1.432 seconds ahead of Randy LaJoie.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in the past 20 fall races have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-five in Richmond: 1989. Bobby Hamilton won while Kenny Wallace finished third.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Richmond:

1989: Bobby Hamilton, FIRST

1989: Kenny Wallace, third

1993: Hermie Sadler, third

1997: Steve Park, FIRST

2004: Kyle Busch, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Richmond:

1989: Bobby Hamilton, FIRST

1989: Kenny Wallace, third

1993: Elliott Sadler, third

1993: Joe Bessey, eighth

1994: Johnny Benson, sixth

1997: Steve Park, FIRST

1998: Andy Santerre, 10th

2004: Kyle Busch, fifth

2005: Reed Sorenson, seventh

2009: Justin Allgaier, eighth

The most recent Raybestos® Rookie driver to lead a lap in the fall race at Richmond is Kevin Harvick, who led once for one lap in the 2000 event, a span of eight races.

Andy Santerre (1998) is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole for the fall race at Richmond.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in the past 20 fall races have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-five at the fall race in Richmond. In 1989, Bobby Hamilton won while Kenny Wallace finished third.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS

Brian Scott 197

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 185

Colin Braun 174

James Buescher 97

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE

DRIVE4COPD 300 James Buescher, eighth

Stater Bros. 300 Brian Scott, 10th

Sam’s Town 300 Colin Braun, 28th

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 25th

Nashville 300 Brian Scott, 15th

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., ninth

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Aaron’s 312 Brian Scott, 10th

BUBBA Burger 250 James Buescher, 12th

Royal Purple 200 Brian Scott, 25th

Heluva Good! 200 Brian Scott, ninth

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Brian Scott, 33rd

Federated Auto Parts 300 Brian Scott, 28th

Meijer 300 Colin Braun, 10th

The Bucyrus 200 Colin Braun, 11th

New England 200 Colin Braun, 12th

Subway Jalapeno 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., third

Dollar General 300 Brian Scott, third

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Brian Scott, sixth

Kroger 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

U.S. Cellular 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

Zippo 200 Brian Scott, 13th

CARFAX 250 Colin Braun, ninth

Food City 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 22nd

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Colin Braun, 22nd

Great Clips 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 10th

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico), crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin (128 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is Justin Allgaier, who captured the top starting position for the 2009 Kroger 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (30 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? Since 2001, Roush Fenway Racing has won FOUR Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

2007: David Ragan

2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.

2005: Carl Edwards

2001: Greg Biffle

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. Press Release

Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Great Clips 300

Press Release — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:09:52 +0000

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender Logo

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS – NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

- Colin Braun was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 29 NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec Canada. Braun captured top rookie honors for the seventh time this season and was credited with a 22nd-place finish.

· Brian Scott leads Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 15 points (196-181) in the overall Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the September 4 Great Clips 300 at Atlanta (Hampton, Ga.) Motor Speedway.

Michael Annett was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2009 Great Clips 300, scoring a 14th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Carl Edwards (2005) is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win in 18 previous NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Atlanta, edging Tony Stewart by just 1.192 seconds. Edwards is one of just four Raybestos® Rookies to score a top-five finish at the 1.54-mile Georgia speedway and is the only rookie pole winner at Atlanta.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Atlanta:

2002: Scott Riggs, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, second

2005: Carl Edwards, FIRST

DID YOU KNOW? Juan Pablo Montoya is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to post a top-10 finish at Atlanta, scoring an eighth-place finish in 2007.

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Atlanta:

2002: Scott Riggs, fourth

2002: Johnny Sauter, 10th

2004: Kyle Busch, second

2004: J.J. Yeley, 10th

2005: Carl Edwards, FIRST

2005: Michel Jourdain, 10th

2006: Burney Lamar, eighth

2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, eighth

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap at Atlanta is John Andretti in 2006 (once for one lap).

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Atlanta:

2001: Greg Biffle (once for 38 laps)

2002: Scott Riggs (twice for 12 laps)

2002: Brian Vickers (twice for 12 laps)

2003: David Stremme (once for two laps)

2004: Kyle Busch (twice for 17 laps)

2005: Carl Edwards (three times for 47 laps)

2006: John Andretti (once for one lap)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS

Brian Scott 196

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 181

Colin Braun 174

James Buescher 97

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE

DRIVE4COPD 300 James Buescher, eighth

Stater Bros. 300 Brian Scott, 10th

Sam’s Town 300 Colin Braun, 28th

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 25th

Nashville 300 Brian Scott, 15th

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., ninth

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Aaron’s 312 Brian Scott, 10th

BUBBA Burger 250 James Buescher, 12th

Royal Purple 200 Brian Scott, 25th

Heluva Good! 200 Brian Scott, ninth

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Brian Scott, 33rd

Federated Auto Parts 300 Brian Scott, 28th

Meijer 300 Colin Braun, 10th

The Bucyrus 200 Colin Braun, 11th

New England 200 Colin Braun, 12th

Subway Jalapeno 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., third

Dollar General 300 Brian Scott, third

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Brian Scott, sixth

Kroger 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

U.S. Cellular 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

Zippo 200 Brian Scott, 13th

CARFAX 250 Colin Braun, ninth

Food City 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 22nd

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Colin Braun, 22nd

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

· DID YOU KNOW? Since 2001, Roush Fenway Racing has won FOUR Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

2007: David Ragan

2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.

2005: Carl Edwards

2001: Greg Biffle

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. Press Release

Michigan International Speedway Takes Lead with New Fan Area

Press Release — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:51:52 +0000

–With challenging economic times brings new partnerships and innovations
–MIS creative solution delivers results
–Creating completely unique–once in lifetime opportunity

Old Timing and Scoring Suite at MIS Becomes A Special Destination for Select Race Fans

Brooklyn, MI 26 August, 2010- While the current economic climate has created challenges for many, it has also helped to create new opportunities.

A recent example was the partnership between Michigan International Speedway and Walldinger Racing, NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger’s management company, as the two joined together to convert an unused space at the track into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for race fans during the recent NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series event weekend.

When Michigan International Speedway track staff found out that NASCAR officials would not be using the area traditionally reserved for timing and scoring, the question of what to do with the now-vacant space was one that didn’t take long to answer. The space, which sits directly above the start/finish line, has long been used for NASCAR officials to keep track of every lap of every session from high above the 2.0 mile circuit just outside of Brooklyn, Michigan.

But with NASCAR timing and scoring moving into a different section of the track, the space was slated not to be used during the recent Carfax 250 and 400 race weekend. Which got Michigan Speedway’s Vice President, Consumer Sales & Marketing Dennis Bickmeier thinking. Instead of letting that space go unused, Bickmeier had an idea–why not make this area, which gives visitors a near blimp eye view of the race track, a special destination for select race fans?

Teaming with Walldinger Racing, MIS established a creative way to give fans a truly unique race experience, utilize a space in a new way, and create an affiliation with the track and the driver that will not be soon forgotten.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series Carfax 250 event saw the “Timing Tower Suite” host its inaugural event with AJ Allmendinger Fan Club members as well as members of the MIS “Champions Club.” Additionally, MIS made the opportunity available to members of the MIS ticket buying family-those who had declared AJ as their driver.

The event was no fly-by meet and greet, as the affable racer was on hand and hamming it up, for the entire Carfax 250 Nationwide Series race. Not shy by any measure, AJ bounced between taking questions from the fans and offering play by play as the group enjoyed the impressive view from high atop the stands.

“This view is one that you previously wouldn’t have been able to get unless you literally worked for NASCAR,” said Bickmeier, who also oversaw the recent debut of the track’s state-of-the art media center. “We had been talking with (Allmendinger’s management company) Walldinger Racing about different options for a fan club event, and when this space became available, it was a perfect fit for the kind of outing that we were planning with them. So we’re very excited about this launch and we were really pleased with how much the fans enjoyed the afternoon.”

With the area providing a breathtaking view and room for at least 60 guests, the fit was an ideal one for Walldinger Racing.

“We were working with a number of tracks on creating a special experience for AJ’s Fan Club members,” said Walldinger Racing VP Tara Ragan. “Dennis, Roger (Curtis, MIS President), and the entire staff at MIS have been so great to work with. They really understand how the motorsports marketplace has changed and are open to finding innovative and effective ways to utilize the resources at hand, but also really focus on delivering the most we can for our race fans.”

The Allmendinger Fan Club gathering is one of several initiatives that Walldinger Racing has undertaken to develop the young Richard Petty Motorsports driver’s relationship with fans as the easygoing Californian loves doing things in new and different ways.`

“Anyone who has met him can tell you that AJ isn’t like all the other drivers, and we wanted to have an experience for our supporters that reflected that. When Dennis came up with this idea, we jumped on it immediately because there is just nothing else like it, anywhere. You can see everything. It was something very special for our fan club members, who have been with us from the start.”

With some fans driving over 1000 miles to be a part of the event, the initial launch for the Timing Tower Suite was very well received by the fans.

AJ Allmendinger with AJ Allmendinger Fan Club members

“An amazing memory…there are truly not words to describe this experience!” said Kristy South of Lyon, Michigan. “Just to view the race from a place that most race fans will never get to see, and having AJ spending over 2 hours of non-stop Q & A was incredible! No other Cup driver would ever do that! I’m a Ford fan, and now a forever-fan of AJ’s!”

“For our first NASCAR event, this was INCREDIBLE!” Carol & Gary, Bonfield, Ontario, Canada. “AJ was informative, funny, and awesome! We love the Insignia car and AJ is our new favorite driver!”

“It was a great experience!” Amanda John, Houston, Texas. “It was such an awesome view and we got to spend the ENTIRE race with our favorite driver! We would do this again in a heartbeat! We drove over 1000 miles to take advantage of this deal!!”

The strong launch has MIS and Walldinger Racing already planning on what might be possible in 2011…

About Walldinger Racing, Inc.: Walldinger Racing was formed in 2006 to support AJ Allmendinger’s motorsports career by developing commercial opportunities and partnership programs.

- Walldinger Racing, Inc., Press Release

Kyle Busch WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race in Food City 250

Press Release — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 03:20:41 +0000

WIX Filters Lap Leader Logo

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER NOTES FOR THE

FOOD CITY 250 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RACE

AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY, AUGUST 20, 2010

· Kyle Busch led three times for 116 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in tonight’s Food City 250. Busch has now led 21 times in 19 races for a total of 1,492 laps. In 38 short track races he has led 1990 laps in 38 short track races and a grand total of 8,729 laps in 193 career starts.

· DID YOU KNOW? Busch has led at least one lap in 19 of 20 starts this season.

· Busch captured WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors for the 12th time this season. UNOFFICIALLY he leads Joey Logano by nine races (12-3) in the overall WIX Filters Lap Leader standings.

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS

Kyle Busch 12

Joey Logano 3

Kevin Harvick 2

Tony Stewart 1

Denny Hamlin 1

Brad Coleman 1

Reed Sorenson 1

Trevor Bayne 1

Marcos Ambrose 1

Jason Leffler 1

· Busch won tonight’s race, edging out second-place Jason Leffler by .798 seconds. The victory was his 10th of the 2010 season and his second in 13 races at Bristol. He claimed the 40th victory of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

· BUSCH QUOTES: “It was a pretty good race for us. We had trouble in practice trying to get the car exactly the way I wanted it. We were close but Jason [Ratcliff, crew chief] worked really hard with the guys to try to make sure that we had a winning car here tonight. We were swinging things at it all day but you know we came up with a good combination there for the race.

It was a little too loose all night but I kept trying to move my line around and try to find something that would work for me and I was able to do that a little bit. Good pit stop and just being able to keep our track position all night really helped us so we didn’t have to pass too much and then just getting up there at the end and being able to set sail when it mattered most and get to victory lane.”

DO YOU EXPECT THIS WILL JUST BE THE WAY YOU AND BRAD KESELOWSKI RACE EACH OTHER?

“Isn’t this the way Brad races everybody? I mean, really, it’s just the way it is. That’s why he got spun out. I pulled a slide job on ‘em off of Turn 2 and maybe I wasn’t clear but I was at one point and all he had to do was turn down to the bottom and try to do a crossover Earnhardt move and pass me in the next corner or even try to pull a slide job on me and he didn’t do it. He just drove in the back of me and put me in the fence. And it’s Brad Keselowski so I wasn’t too happy about it so I was going to go back after him and spin him out and I did. Won the race. Good for me.”

KESELOWSKI SAID THAT BECAUSE HE’S ON PROBATION PEOPLE CAN INTENTIONALLY WRECK HIM WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT PAYBACK. IS THAT ACCURATE?

“I think Brad Keselowski should look himself in the mirror and say I’ve brought this on myself.”

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE

EVENT DRIVER

DRIVE4COPD 300 Tony Stewart, 38 laps

Stater Bros. 300 Joey Logano, 130 laps

Sam’s Town 300 Kevin Harvick, 82 laps

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Kyle Busch, 59 laps

Nashville 300 Joey Logano, 122 laps

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Kyle Busch, 126 laps

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Kyle Busch, 153 laps

Aaron’s 312 Kevin Harvick, 51 laps

BUBBA Burger 250 Kyle Busch, 62 laps

Royal Purple 200 Denny Hamlin, 111 laps

Heluva Good! 200 Kyle Busch, 191 laps

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Kyle Busch, 64 laps

Federated Auto Parts 300 Reed Sorenson, 15 laps

Meijer 300 Joey Logano, 106 laps

The Bucyrus 200 Brad Coleman, seven laps

New England 200 Kyle Busch, 126 laps

Subway Jalapeno 250 Kyle Busch, 19 laps

Dollar General 300 Kyle Busch, 110 laps

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Trevor Bayne, 19 laps

Kroger 200 Kyle Busch, 144 laps

U.S. Cellular 250 Kyle Busch, 209 laps

Zippo 200 Marcos Ambrose, 60 laps

CARFAX 250 Jason Leffler, one lap

Food City 250 Kyle Busch, 116 laps

*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. Press Release

Kyle Busch / Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series Bristol Motor Speedway Preview

Press Release — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:07:15 +0000

“Chassis No. 1861: ‘I’m Back’”

No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 18, 2010) – On March 18, 1995, Michael Jordan sent a two-word fax out to the media that said, quite simply, “I’m back.”

It was Jordan’s way of announcing to the world that he was returning to the NBA after a brief sabbatical and it sent warning to the other 27 teams in the league that best basketball player on the planet was returning to competition.

Racecars can’t send out press releases and few people use fax machines anymore, but if Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) NASCAR Nationwide Series Chassis No. 1861 could send a faxed statement, it might very well borrow Jordan’s famous, “I’m back.”

Driver Kyle Busch and Chassis No. 1861, which for Friday’s Food City 250 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway will wear the colors of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs / OfficeMax Toyota Camry for JGR, have been as dominant together as Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

The driver-chassis combination have been victorious in six of their last eight races together dating back to August 2008, when the car broke its maiden in dominating fashion with Busch behind the wheel at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Busch and good old No. 1861 won their next outing together at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth the following November, made it to victory lane twice more during the Las Vegas native’s Nationwide Series championship run of 2009 – at Fontana in February and at Texas in April – and then returned to their winning ways again at Fontana this past February and in May at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in the car’s most recent outing. Add JGR teammate Denny Hamlin’s victory in No. 1861 back in September 2008 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, and the venerable workhorse, which will be making its 14th career start on Saturday, has won seven times in its last nine races.

The only blemishes for No. 1861 in the recent nine-race stretch have been a second-place run by Busch to JGR teammate Joey Logano at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta in June 2008, and an aborted run by Busch thanks to flu-like symptoms suffered during last fall’s race at Fontana when Hamlin took over and was involved in a late-race multi-car accident.

Chassis No. 1861 has never turned a wheel at Bristol, but it’s a sure bet that Busch will be able to show the machine the fast way around the .533-mile concrete oval. Busch has won the last two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Bristol and has done so in dominating fashion, leading 227 of a possible 403 laps. He’s also won at Bristol in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (March 2007, March 2009 and August 2009) and in Nationwide Series competition (March 2006).

In addition to his Nationwide Series victory at Bristol, Busch has nine top-10 finishes and has led 404 totals laps in 12 Nationwide starts.

A win in Chassis No. 1861 would not only add to its already impressive resume, but also help as the championship fight continues. While Busch is not running the full Nationwide Series schedule, JGR’s No. 18 Toyota is competing for the owner’s title. It maintained its spot atop the standings following last week’s race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, but its advantage was whittled down to just four points over the No. 22 car of Penske Racing.

The No. 22 car was able to cut 30 points off the No. 18 car’s lead because it was wheeled by Brad Keselowski to victory lane in the CARFAX 250 at Michigan. Busch and Chassis No. 1861 would like nothing more than to build up a big lead, once again, as JGR looks for its third consecutive Nationwide Series owner’s championship.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Kyle Busch, No. 18 Z-Line Designs / OfficeMax NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry:

What is it about Chassis No. 1861 that has been so good for you and the Z-Line Designs team?

“It’s one of my favorite cars in the fleet, obviously, and we’ve had a lot of success with it. All the cars look the same and are built the same but, for some reason, there’s always one car you’re really comfortable in. When that car is finally retired, I think I’d probably like to have it for my collection because we’ve had a lot of wins in that car and it’s got a lot of history.”

All races on the Nationwide Series schedule are tough, but what makes Bristol so challenging?

“Anything can happen there and you can get caught up in somebody else’s wreck. Things happen so fast there that, sometimes, you don’t have anywhere to go. It’s not like the big tracks, where you might have the apron or the grass to avoid an accident. You just try to get in a rhythm, avoid the wrecks and put yourself in position to win at the end.”

Jason Ratcliff, crew chief, No. 18 Z-Line Designs / OfficeMax NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry:

What is it about Chassis No. 1861 that has caused it to be so successful?

“For some reason, you always seem to have that one car in your stable that always performs well and responds to change at the racetrack. Now, we’ve wrecked the car I don’t know how many times, and done major repairs. We’ve wrecked that car so many times that, if it was any other car, I would have said, ‘Chop that thing up and throw it in the dumpster.’ But, we keep bringing that one back to life and it keeps going to the racetrack and running well. That car is our oldest car and it’s had so much success, maybe because it’s had the most opportunities (laughs). But, it’s a good one. I’d take three more just like it.”

Did the two big rebuilds for the car come after the qualifying accidents in 2008 at Las Vegas (Busch) and Darlington (Hamlin)?

“Those are the two that come to mind because they had such a big impact. I’ll tell you what, that car for a long time would go out and be the best thing in practice and you’d look forward to showing up the next morning to race and it either couldn’t get through qualifying or something crazy would happen, and it just had a hard time winning races for whatever reason. At Darlington, we didn’t even get a lap in during qualifying and, at Vegas, thankfully we got a lap in, but then on the second lap tore the right-side frame rail out of it and had to go to a backup.

Once it finally made it through qualifying and got out on the racetrack and put a full race together, it was able to win. It’s the same car we ran with Tony (Stewart) at Texas in 2007 and had an eight-and-a-half-second lead and ran into the back of somebody and fell back to seventh. It won everything but couldn’t get to the checkered flag, but once it got that first win, it’s been on a roll ever since and it’s been our favorite.”

With the additional SAFER Barriers at Bristol making the exit of the turns a little tighter, did you have to adjust your setup during the spring race?

“It was the same old Bristol. I don’t think it was as big of change as everyone anticipated. It seems like the drivers were able to adjust just a little bit and it just wasn’t that big of an issue.”

Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Z-Line Designs / OfficeMax Toyota Camry

Chassis No. 1861: This car has a long history of competition for JGR, including seven wins in its last nine outings. Chassis No. 1861 saw its first race action in June 2007 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta with Brad Coleman finishing a career-best second. The car returned to action in August 2007 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Coleman finished 15th. Former JGR driver Tony Stewart drove this car to a seventh-place finish in November 2007 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth after leading a race-high 114 laps.

Despite Stewart’s dominance that day, contact midway through the race with lapped traffic hurt the car’s aerodynamics and cost him a chance at victory. Chassis No. 1861’s next event was in March 2008 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Busch at the controls. Busch posted the third-fastest time on his first qualifying lap, but crashed on his second lap and was forced to a backup car for the race. After substantial repairs after the Las Vegas accident, the car attempted to make the race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May 2008, but Denny Hamlin wrecked it during qualifying and the No. 18 team did not participate in the event. JGR rebuilt the car in time for an August 2008 run at Michigan, where Joey Logano started sixth and brought home a solid seventh-place finish.

In August 2008, Busch used Chassis No. 1861 to lead three times for a race-high 144 laps en route to victory at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. In September 2008, Hamlin drove this car at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, where he started 19th and won the race after leading a race-high 99 laps. The car continued its winning ways in its next appearance, with Busch leading 174 of 200 laps on his way to winning in November 2008 at Texas. Busch drove the car four times in 2009, scoring victories in February at Fontana, where he started second and led 143 of 150 laps, and again in April at Texas, where he started from the pole and led 178 of 200 laps.

At Kentucky in June, Busch led 162 of 200 laps but finished second to teammate Logano. Chassis No. 1861 was used for the final time in 2009 at Fontana in October, when Busch started second and led the first 38 laps before flu-like symptoms forced him to exit the No. 18 on lap 39 of the 152-lap race. His JGR teammate Hamlin filled in for Busch and led 28 laps before getting caught up in an accident late in the race and finishing a disappointing 31st. Busch returned to Fontana with the car this past February. He started second and led just four laps, but won the Stater Brothers 300. The last time chassis No. 1861 saw action was in May at Dover, where Busch started on the pole and led 191 of 205 laps en route to a dominating victory.

About Z-Line Designs

Based in San Ramon, Calif., Z-Line Designs is one of the nation’s leading designers and import manufacturer of home office, home entertainment furniture and office seating. Their products can be found at Staples, OfficeMax, Target, Sears, Wal-Mart, Fry’s Electronics, Conn’s and other national retailers. The company designs and sources innovative, award-winning home office, home entertainment and home décor furniture in both hi-tech-inspired and traditional designs using a range of materials from solid American oak, birch and maple to mixed media combinations of wood, metal and glass. Z-Line Designs is one of the most unique manufacturers of computer desk systems, computer workstations, computer armoires, file/storage products and a large variety of television, audio and entertainment centers.

Z-Line Designs is a two-time 2008 and one-time 2007 CES Innovation Award Winner, a two-time winner of the Staples “Best Category Development” Award (2003 & 2005), a two-time winner of the Staples “Vendor of the Year” (2004 & 2009), a seven-time ADEX Award winner (1999, 2003-2007, 2009) and a two-time Pinnacle Award winner (2002 & 2005). In 2008, the company expanded its entertainment division to include the next generation of full-motion wall mounts and wall furniture systems.

About OfficeMax

OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to-business office products solutions and retail office products. The OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress®, technology products and solutions, and furniture to businesses and individual consumers. OfficeMax customers are served by more than 30,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and approximately 1,000 stores. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit www.officemax.com.

- True Speed Communication Press Release

McDowell brings home ill-handling CARFAX Dodge in 28th place

Press Release — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:48:10 +0000

Michael McDowell

(MOORESVILLE, NC) August 15, 2010 – A promising six hour test session in the new NASCAR Nationwide Series car on Thursday had Michael McDowell and his CARFAX #81 MacDonald Motorsports team excited for the race weekend at Michigan International Speedway. He was 21^st in the test Thursday and just a one hour session on Friday left Michael 30^th on the time sheets.

Michael fought a loose condition in his qualifying session and was only able to achieve a 38^th place starting position but the team was confident he could move up. He did just that, and quickly. By the end of the first lap Michael had maneuvered his way up to 29^th position. His #81 CARFAX Dodge Challenger was really moving early but it quickly jumped to the loose side again. Crew chief Patrick Donahue and the team battled that loose condition the entire race but were never able to correct it. After several long green flag runs and a late race caution, Michael brought the ill-handling car home in 28^th place, and in one piece.

“Glad to finish, we really missed the setup with this new car. Being a small team with limited resources we will need a bit more time to get it right,” McDowell says.

Thanks to CARFAX for partnering with the team for there own race, the CARFAX 250. The decals on the new Challenger looked great and it really helped out the team.

This Friday, August 20^th, Michael will head to Bristol Motor Speedway, the world’s fastest half-mile for the Food City 250. The race will air at 7:00p.m. on ESPN.

- MacDonald Motorsports, Press Release

Reed Sorenson / Braun Racing Michigan International Speedway Post Race Report

Press Release — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:18:07 +0000

Reed Sorenson

BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 16, 2010) – Reed Sorenson and the Dollar General team traveled to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ annual visit to Michigan International Speedway. Highlighting the weekend was the second appearance of the series’ “new car.” After qualifying 13th, Sorenson drove the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota to an eighth-place finish, his 13th top-10 finish in only 17 starts this season.

Armed only with the data from the “new car’s” debut at Daytona International Speedway in July, the Dollar General team was confident as they unloaded the No. 32 Toyota. As Sorenson turned laps around the two-mile track during the Thursday and Friday practice sessions, the team continued to make adjustments on the car, learning with each change, how the new car would react. Sorenson turned a solid qualifying lap on Saturday morning, reporting to crew chief, Trent Owens, that the car’s handling was perfect through turns one and two and slightly tight in turn three. The 176.384 mph-lap placed him in the 13th position to start the afternoon race.

Sorenson climbed into the Dollar General Toyota and prepared himself for the 125-lap CARFAX 250. He set his sights on moving forward through the field and quickly moved the No. 32 inside of the top-10 by lap seven. As he continued to hold strong to the 10th position, he told Owens that the car’s handling was slightly free on entry and tight on the exit of turn two.

As teams began to make green-flag pit stops, the No. 32 moved into the seventh position. Owens instructed his driver to come to pit road on lap 39 for service; however, Sorenson reported on lap 37 that the No. 18 was coming to pit road and asked if he could follow, citing that he could get on his brakes better if he did so. Owens confirmed that the team was ready for him, and he drove the No. 32 to pit road. The Dollar General crew quickly changed four tires with an air pressure adjustment and packed the Camry with fuel. As the field circled through the green-flag stops, the Dollar General Toyota returned to the seventh position by lap 42.

As he circled the track, Sorenson reported to Owens that he continued to battle a loose-handling condition, slipping to the ninth position by lap 53.

“I’m sideways all the way through both ends,” Sorenson said. “We’re just way too loose now. What did we do change on that last stop?”

“10-4,” replied Owens. “We’ll get it back. We took air out of both rear tires.”

“Can we put it back in on the next stop?” asked Sorenson. “I have no rear grip. Also, it feels like we lose a lot of down force with these new cars when we get close to another car.”

When the yellow flag was displayed on lap 62 for oil on the race track, Sorenson was relieved to have the opportunity to pit for adjustments. He drove the No. 32 Camry to pit road on lap 63 for service. The Dollar General crew quickly changed four tires, reversed the previous air pressure adjustments in the rear tires, went one round down on the track bar and topped the car off with fuel. Gaining a position on pit road thanks to his crew, Sorenson lined the Dollar General Toyota up in the eighth position for the restart on lap 68.

He quickly advanced the No. 32 up to the sixth position; however, he slipped back to the tenth spot citing that the loose-handling condition returned as the green-flag run progressed. As the field began to cycle through another round of green-flag pit stops, Owens called his driver to pit road on lap 101. The Dollar General crew changed four tires with an additional air pressure adjustment, put one round of wedge into the left side of the car and added fuel. As the field cycled through the green-flag stops, Sorenson drove up to the ninth position by lap 106.

On lap 112, debris on the race track brought out the second and final caution of the afternoon. Sorenson reported that the car’s handling remained loose, although it was greatly improved from the previous run. Owens instructed him to come to pit road on lap 113. He ordered the crew to put a round of wedge into each side of the rear of the car in an effort to place additional weight on the nose to improve the handling. The crew quickly changed four tires and made the adjustments. Sorenson lined the car up in the 10th spot for the restart on lap 117.

In the closing laps, Sorenson drove the Dollar General Toyota up to the eighth-position as he took the checkered flag. The finish marked his 13th top-10, giving the No. 32 Dollar General team an impressive 19 top-10s in 23 races this season.

“The Dollar General Toyota was pretty good at the start of today’s race,” said Sorenson. “I thought we had a car with really good balance. Unfortunately, we got really loose during the next two runs. We didn’t really change much and the car just continued to get looser. In the final run the car’s handling was a lot more balanced; it was closer to how we started the afternoon. Today was an overall good day for the Dollar General team. We still have a lot to learn with this new car. This is the first time we’ve run it other than Daytona. We learned a lot today and we’ll be able to take these notes and apply them when we run in Charlotte. I want to thank the Dollar General team. They have worked really hard, putting a lot of extra time into building these new cars.”

Next Stop: The NASCAR Nationwide Series teams head Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend for the Food City 250. The Friday night race will be broadcast on ESPN and on PRN Radio affiliates. LIVE coverage on ESPN and PRN begins at 7:00 p.m. EST with the green flag scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m.

- Braun Racing Press Release

Second Straight Top-15 Finish For Brian Scott at Michigan International Raceway

Press Release — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:59:14 +0000

Brian Scott

BROOKLYN, M.I. (August 14, 2010) - Brian Scott finished 15th in the Carfax 250 on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. Paired with last week’s 13th-place finish at Watkins Glen, this 15th-place finish gives Scott four top-15 runs in the past six races.

Rolling out on the grid for the second of five Nationwide Series “new car” events in 2010, Scott and his No. 11 AccuDoc Solutions Camry started an impressive 12th. At the drop of the green flag, things got dicey. Cars dove three and four-wide all around Scott making aggressive moves to get valuable track position. Fighting for every spot, Scott settled into 18th on lap nine.

Scott started reporting a major tight condition on the No. 11 Camry by lap 18. Losing front grip every lap, Scott was unable to tell if he could make a chassis adjustment or if the tight condition was the effect of an aero tendency. By the time pit stops began on lap 36, Scott asked for more front grip. Four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment was called and a lightning-quick pit stop gained Scott four positions to 14th-place.

The first yellow flag flew on lap 61, giving Scott a chance to come down pit road once again. Calling for a bigger swing on adjustments, crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz called for an aggressive air pressure adjustment with four tires and fuel. Scott returned to the track in the 14th position.

Restarting on lap 67, Scott went to work. For the first time all weekend, the car was finally free. Running faster laps than before, Scott was the knife edge of control. Examining the new car’s habits, the No. 11 AccuDoc Solutions team realized the measure of their adjustments. Slipping two spots to 16th, Scott began thinking of strategy. Stankiewicz brought Scott down pit road to pit early, hoping to gain track position on the rest of the field as they would have to pit later if the race went green to the end.

Lap 91 saw the No.11 AccuDoc Solutions Camry come down pit road for its last scheduled stop. Four tires, fuel, air pressure and a track bar adjustment later, Scott returned to the track in the 16th spot. 19 laps later, a yellow flag flew negating the strategy and giving Scott another opportunity to gain positions. Restarting in 16th, Scott went to work, passing three cars to the 13th spot. As the laps wound down, Scott quickly found his Camry’s handling went to the tight side and couldn’t pass. Scott slipped two spots at the end to finish 15th.

“We really learned a lot about the Nationwide Series “new car” today,” Scott said after the race. “Our goal was to come here and improve our new car program and I think we made great strides. A top-15 run is good for points and shows that we have legitimate shots at top-10’s week in and week out. We will continue to improve on the No. 11 AccuDoc Solutions Camry and be ready for the next new car race in Richmond.”

This 15th place finish puts Scott 13th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship standings, 31 points out of 11th and 1209 points from the lead.

Next Stop: The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Bristol this weekend for the Food City 250. The Friday evening race will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN starting at 7:30 p.m. EST. The green flag is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.

- Braun Racing Press Release

Carl Long, Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports Debut at Michigan International Speedway

Press Release — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:19:52 +0000

“New Nationwide Series team 31st in CARFAX 250″

Brooklyn, MI (August 14, 2010) … Carl Long and the Fleur-De-Lis
Motorsports team made their NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in the
CARFAX 250 at the Michigan International Speedway on Saturday. It was
the first race for the newly-formed team owned by Craig Partee. Long,
also making his first Nationwide Series start at MIS, qualified and
finished 31st in the #68 Chevrolet Impala.

Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports was started by Seneca Falls, New York
construction company owner Craig Partee to compete in the 2010
Nationwide Series “New” car races. The team attempted to qualify for
the July 2nd Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway,
but were pumped out of the starting field by the final qualifier.
Determined to overcome the disappointment of Daytona, the Fleur-De-Lis
Motorsports team, led by Crew Chief Morris Van Vleet, regrouped and
traveled to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the CARFAX 250.

Since this was the second of four scheduled Nationwide Series races for
the “new” car, NASCAR and MIS scheduled a “test day” on Thursday at the
two-mile track. The garage area was filled with excitement as 44 teams
spent six hours testing in preparation for the 125-lap event on
Saturday. Plus, the test day gave Long and Van Vleet an opportunity to
fine tune their Chevrolet Impala for qualifying on Friday. And, with 44
cars attempting to make the CARFAX 250, Long would have to out qualify
one car to make the starting grid.

Qualifying on Saturday morning was as competitive as ever with Long
being the 40th driver to make his race against the clock. Long posted a
fast lap of 41.778 seconds / 172.340 mph to earn the 31st starting
position for the 250-mile race. Long’s qualifying lap was over one
second faster than his best lap in practice.

Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports was formed only eleven weeks ago, and now,
August 14, 2011, they were set to compete in their first-ever NASCAR
Nationwide Series race. All of the hard work and long hours have
finally been rewarded with the running of their first race. It was
truly a proud moment when Long took the green flag with his #68
Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports Chevrolet Impala.

Long would drop back a few positions in the early going to establish a
strong but steady race pace. He was running in the 36th position when
he made his first pit stop of the day on lap 40. The crew serviced
Long’s Chevrolet with four new tires and fuel during this stop. The
first caution of the race on lap 61 for debris on the track found Long
in 35th. Long chose not to pit and received the “drive-around” to
restart 34th on lap 67.

Long was running 33rd when he made his second pit stop on lap 83 for
fuel only. The veteran racer would maintain his position on the track
until he visited pit road on lap 103 for four tires and fuel. When the
second and final caution of the race waved on lap 111, Long quickly
dashed to pit road for a chassis adjustment. During the final nine
laps, Long gained two positions to bring the Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports
Chevrolet home in the 31st position.

“It wasn’t a win, but we really learned a lot about these ‘new’
Nationwide Series cars today,” Long stated after the race. “This team
work very hard to make this race, and I thank Craig (Partee, team
owner), Morris (Van Vleet, Crew Chief), and everybody associated with
the team. I’m excited about the future for this team, and really look
forward to Richmond (the next ‘new’ car race).”

“As with any new team, we had our issues,” Van Vleet commented. “Carl
gave us great feedback during practice, and really stepped-up in
qualifying with a great lap. We’ve still got lots of work to do, but
now that we’ve got our first race under our belt, we can go forward
with everything we learned this week.”

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of everyone on the Fleur-De-Lis
Motorsports team,” Partee added. “This team was only a dream in late
May, now we’ve made our first race and will continue to keep building
for the future. Thanks to all of our sponsors for their support. Now,
it’s back to work preparing for the always-tough Nationwide race at
Richmond.”

The next challenge for the Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports team is the
Virginia 529 College Savings 250 on Friday, September 10, 2010.
Practice begins for the Nationwide Series “new” cars on Thursday,
September 9th, with the green flag set for 7 PM on Friday, September
10th.

- Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports Press Release

Mike Bliss Earns Seventh Consecutive Top-20 Finish At Michigan International Speedway

Press Release — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:37:54 +0000

Mike Bliss (Photo Credit: Phil Cavali)

Mooresville, NC (August 16, 2010) Key Motorsports and driver Mike Bliss continue to display consistency and results, earning the teams 7th consecutive top 20 finish after taking the green flag in Saturday’s CARFAX 250, NASCAR Nationwide Series event from the 34th position, and finishing a solid 19th at Michigan International Speedway. The Westerman Companies No. 40 “new version” of the NASCAR Nationwide Series car debuted last month at Daytona finishing 19th, proving the consistency with another 19th place finish in the cars second event of the season Saturday. Key Motorsports, an independent team, built this car “in-house” from the ground up and are able to compete with fully funded multi-car teams, a true testament to Key Motorsports’ dedication and performance abilities in the upper ranks of NASCAR racing.

Drivers were faced with many challenges on Saturday when the green flag dropped as four wide racing was seen throughout the field on the 1st lap of the 125 lap race. Bliss wasted no time moving the Key Motorsports No. 40 Chevrolet Impala forward, gaining 8 positions by lap 3; being scored 26th. By lap 25, veteran Mike Bliss had gained another 5 spots being scored 21st with the “new version” of the NASCAR Nationwide Series car. Patience did not appear to be the strategy in the early stages of the CARFAX 250; the 43 car field was battling as if it was the final lap of the race. Bliss was no exception as he took advantage of the team’s success in finding the balance the car needed to be competitive in turns 1, 2 as well as turns 3, 4, while many teams found the balance for one or the other, Key Motorsports crew members found the combination necessary to make gains all the way around the 2 mile superspeedway in Michigan.

Mike Bliss and the Key Motorsports pit crew were able to hold their ground as the first round of pit stops cycled through green flag conditions around lap 50 of the 250-mile event. The first caution flag of the CARFAX 250 came soon after, teamwork and chemistry allowed the No. 40 Westerman Companies Chevrolet to hold their 21st spot for the restart on lap 65. With the final pit stops cycling through green flag conditions for the second time of the day, and only 25 laps to go, the Key Motorsports pit crew serviced the Westerman Companies No. 40 Chevrolet Impala with finesse, maintaining their position and proving once again momentum fuels the success of teamwork. The final caution flag of the day flew on lap 113. Bliss restarted 20th on lap 116, making a pass on lap 119 moving up to 19th, where he would hold off the competition and take the checkered flag.

“I would like to thank Westerman Companies and Key Motorsports for all of their hard work, it makes my job so much easier” said Bliss. “Curtis Key, Crew Chief Gary Showalter and the entire Key Motorsports crew are dedicated to this sport and work very hard to give me the equipment to bring in consistent results. The “new version” of the NASCAR Nationwide Series car has a few teams struggling, while Key Motorsports has not missed a beat,” said Mike Bliss after the CARFAX 250 on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. Bliss also stated, “A good race car doesn’t always qualify up front, we have a good race car that has built in adjust ability and set-up for the long runs.”

Team owner Curtis Key was pleased with another top 20 finish. “This team is committed to performance” said Key. “I am very happy with the chemistry that has jelled in our team. We are running with teams that have resources that are not available to us, we have the right people in the right places. Gary Showalter has done an excellent job with our crew and equipment, when we are fortunate enough to find full-time funding our results will step up to the top 10, the victories will soon follow.”

Key Motorsports is standing tall in the 22nd position of owner points in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, while driver Mike Bliss occupies the 16th spot in driver point standings.

Mike Bliss will return to NASCAR Nationwide Series action with Key Motorsports and the No. 40 Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway Friday August 20, 2010. The spring race at Bristol marked the team’s best result of the season with an 8th place finish. The momentum that Key Motorsports carries to Bristol on Friday could earn them the top 5 they deserve.

- Key Motorsports Press Release