Ty Dillon (L) and car owner and grandather Richard Childress (R) celebrate the ARCA Racing Series championship during the annual awards banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center (Photo Credit: ARCA)

Dillon and his No. 41 Chevrolet team were officially crowned ARCA champions at the series’ annual Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. The 19-year-old from Lewisville, N.C. was among 15 drivers from the top 20 in the final point standings to be honored on stage, and left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings, as awarded by the numerous series partners at the ceremony.

To honor Dillon’s position as the 29th ARCA Racing Series champion in 59 seasons, ARCA president Ron Drager presented the driver a letter signed by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, as well as a series championship ring and a leather championship jacket featuring the series logo.

As is the custom, a video tribute featured photographs from the champion’s youth and ascent to championship status; special additions to this season’s video included special messages from Richard Childress Racing drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, as well as a collection of footage showcasing Dillon’s use of the word “awesome” in Victory Lane interviews.

Joining Dillon on stage were his grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress, grandmother Judy Childress, and crew chief Scott “Flash” Naset, who was joined by his wife Stephanie.

“It doesn’t really hit you, how special it is to do something like this, until you’re up on the stage like this and all these people you’ve worked so hard against all year are staring up at you and you’re getting crowned the champion,” said Dillon, who finished the season with seven wins, 13 top-fives, and 16 top-10 finishes. “It hit me pretty hard, and I’m just proud to be with the group of guys I’m with. It’s almost just surreal, to finally take it in. This experience right here has changed me a lot.”

Among the top awards Dillon and his team received were: $10,000 for winning the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell after securing seven poles in 2011; $6,000 from Sunoco Race Fuel; $5,000 for winning the Aaron’s Lap Leader of the Year Award; $5,000 from Messina Wildlife Management; $5,000 from Hoosier for most wins by a car owner; $2,500 from the University of Northwestern Ohio; and the Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award. Jeff Abbott of Menards presented Dillon a check representing his winnings from the series points fund.

Naset also visited the stage on his own to accept the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year Award.

David Ragan, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and ARCA Racing Series race winner, served as the Guest of Honor. SPEED television analyst Phil Parsons acted as the banquet host for the third consecutive year.

Chris Buescher, who drove to second place in the final standings for Roulo Brothers Racing, received the $10,000 ARCA Rookie of the Year Award, as well as $2,500 in cash and product certificates from Print Resources and $500 from JRI. Buescher also accepted the $15,000 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Award and the R.E. Lightning Challenge Award, among other prizes.

Buescher won three of the season’s last four races, and the team’s Russell Roulo won the Klotz Engine Mechanic of the Year Award. Gary Roulo joined Buescher on stage when he was introduced for finishing in second place.

The team left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings after a season in which Buescher drove to three wins, 14 top-fives, and 16 top-10s.

Frank Kimmel was recognized on stage for finishing third in the series standings, as well as for winning the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the Year Award and the S&S Volvo Laps Completed Award. He was joined for a final time on stage by brother and crew chief Bill Kimmel; the two will separate for the 2012 season with Frank Kimmel moving to ThorSport Racing.

Chad McCumbee, who finished fifth in the final series standings, joined owner Jennifer Belmont on stage to accept the Bill France Four Crown Award for his combined performances at New Jersey, Michigan, Springfield, and Salem.

Fourth-place driver Grant Enfinger and owner Mike Allgaier were introduced, as were fellow pairs from the top 10 in the final standings: Tom Hessert and team owner Ken Schrader (sixth); Tim George Jr. and crew chief Gere Kennon (seventh); Chad Hackenbracht and team owner Greg Hackenbracht (eighth); Sean Corr and team owner John Corr (ninth); and Darrell Basham (10th).

The top-10 honor – Basham’s first since 1976 – turned out to be the second recognition of the night for Basham. Earlier, he was honored with his second Spirit Award, following the same honor in 2003. The Spirit Award is given to a person for dedication and support of ARCA, uplifting spirit by way of example, perseverance, and positive attitude. Despite a late 2010 garage fire that destroyed nearly all his race equipment, Basham displayed all of those characteristics in driving to his best season finish in 35 years.

Nick Ramey accepted the Crane Cams Engine Builder of the Year Award on behalf of Roush Yates Engines, and Ramey himself was presented the H.G. Adcox Sportsman of the Year Award for his consistent willingness to assist any team in the garage.

In addition to stepping to the stage with Hessert, Schrader appeared to accept the Marcum Award, annually presented to an individual or entity whose positive efforts have elevated ARCA’s motorsports stature to the benefit of all associated. Schrader is a 15-time winner in the ARCA Racing Series, and continues to promote the series today as a team owner and television broadcaster.

Cathy Venturini and Nate Thiesse, the fourth and 10th-place owners, respectively, both spoke on stage.

To complete the honoring of the top 20 drivers, James Hylton (11th), Brad Smith (12th), Levi Youster (14th), Will Kimmel (15th), and Maryeve Dufault (16th) visited the stage to receive congratulations.

Jeff Kettman accepted the Manufacturer Championship on behalf of Chevrolet.

Andy O’Neal, dean of the College of Technology of the University of Northwestern Ohio – ARCA’s Official High Performance Education University – awarded a group of ARCA scholarships on behalf of the university.

Likewise, Parsons announced the winners of the Bob Loga Memorial ARCA Scholarships. Brianna Peterson – granddaughter of ARCA competitor Wayne Peterson – won $1,500. Peterson, of Hoover, Ala., holds a 4.23 grade point average as a sophomore veterinary student at Auburn University. Brittany Gaddis of Romulus, Mich. won $500. She is the daughter of ARCA Figure 8 driver Danny Gaddis, attends Romulus High School, and plans to study nursing at Wayne State University in Detroit.

The ceremony concluded just after 10 p.m. with a special video featuring an interview with Mildred Marcum, known widely as an ARCA founder. The interview led into a short mention of ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season and the surrounding celebrations that will occur throughout 2012. A press conference in the afternoon included major series and team announcements.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards featured 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. In 2011, the series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

The 2012 ARCA Racing Series schedule is currently available at ARCARacing.com. Testing for ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season will begin Friday, December 16 at Daytona International Speedway. The season’s first race is scheduled for Saturday, February 18 at Daytona.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

- Automobile Racing Club of America Press Release

Drew Blickensderfer - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

WELCOME, N.C. (November 28, 2011) – Richard Childress Racing has named Drew Blickensderfer as the crew chief for the No. 31 Caterpillar/Wheaties Racing team with driver Jeff Burton for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Luke Lambert, interim crew chief during the latter part of the 2011 season for the No. 31 team, will assume a yet-to-be announced new position at RCR.

Blickensderfer begins his RCR career after nearly a decade with Roush Fenway Racing. He spent the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season leading the No. 6 team and has been a crew chief, in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, since 2007.

“I’m excited about the move to RCR and the opportunity to help lead Jeff Burton and the Cat/Wheaties Racing team back into Chase contention,” said Blickensderfer. “I was around Jeff briefly at RFR and always admired and liked him. He’s a very talented driver and I look forward to working with him and the rest of the No. 31 team in 2012.”

Burton qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from 2006-2008 and 2010. He finished 20th in the final 2011 driver championship point standings.

“Drew is a strong leader and will be a great complement to the Caterpillar/Wheaties Racing team,” said Childress. “He’s won some big races, including the 2009 Daytona 500, his first race as a Sprint Cup Series crew chief. There’s every reason to believe the combination of Jeff and Drew will be a successful one.”

Richard “Slugger” Labbe will remain as the crew chief for the No. 27 Menards Racing team in 2012. It was announced previously that crew chief Shane Wilson will move from the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper/BB&T team to the same position with the No. 29 Budweiser/Rheem/Jimmy John’s team and driver Kevin Harvick. Gil Martin, the No. 29 team crew chief since May 2009 and a crew chief at RCR since August 2000, has been named director of team operations.

Further personnel changes within RCR’s competition department will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on today’s announcement, and all that’s happening at RCR, please visit RCRRacing.com.

About Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing (www.rcrracing.com) has earned more than 200 victories and 14 championships, including six in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. Its 2011 Sprint Cup Series lineup includes Paul Menard (No. 27 Menards Chevrolet), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet), Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet) and Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet). Its Camping World Truck Series program includes 2010 Rookie of the Year Austin Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) and Joey Coulter, Jr. (No. 22 RCR Development Chevrolet). Tim George Jr. (No 31 RCR Development Chevrolet) and Ty Dillon (No. 41 Chevrolet) will compete in the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

CONCORD, NC (November 22, 2011)

“We are very excited to bring Chris into the organization and to have him work with Juan Pablo,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi. “We think he will be a great addition to the Target team and believe his combined engineering and crew chief background should help him work well with both our engineers and competition folks to move our program forward. He has a great reputation in the industry and we are happy to bring him into the mix.”

Heroy joins Earnhardt Ganassi Racing from Hendrick Motorsports where he began in 2004, most recently as lead engineer on the No. 5 car for six of the previous seven years. The other year he held the same role on the No. 88. In addition, he was paired with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson as crew chief in a number or their Nationwide Series races during the 2011 season. Prior to his time with Hendrick Motorsports Heroy was an engineer in the Toyota Atlantic Series for five seasons. He is a graduate of Colorado College and he and his wife Renee reside in Charlotte, NC.

“I am really looking forward to working with the guys in the shop at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to help the 42 improve their performance,” said Heroy. “Juan Pablo is a great driver and they have a lot of great people here, so I am thrilled to get this opportunity.”

In 2012, Juan Pablo Montoya will begin his sixth year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It will mark his fourth season with primary sponsor Target. He finished the 2011 season 21^st in the standings. The Colombia native has two wins, seven poles, 20 top-five and 49 top-10s out of 181 NSCS starts. In 2009, Montoya made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and finished out the season a career-best eighth in the standings. He is the only foreign-born driver to have multiple wins in NASCAR’s elite series. Montoya is a former Indianapolis 500 winner, CART Champion and a seven-time winner in Formula One.

Interim crew chief Jim Pohlman, who took over the No. 42 team at the end of July, will remain with the organization.

For more information log onto www.earnhardtganassi.com

- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Press Release

Tony Stewart next to the 2011 NSCS Championship Trophy - Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for NASCAR

Stewart’s win put him in a tie with Edwards in the points standings, but with his five wins over Edwards’ one win for the season, Stewart broke the tie-breaker to capture his 3rd career series championship.

Along with his 5th series win of the 2011 season, Stewart also received his 44th series career win, his third series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway; as well as, his and team co-owner, Gene Haas, their first championship as an owner.

Following Stewart and Edwards to the drop of the checkered flag were Martin Truex, Jr., finishing in third, Matt Kenseth fourth, Jeff Gordon fifth, Clint Bowyer sixth, Kasey Kahne seventh, Kevin Harvick eighth, Denny Hamlin ninth and Jeff Burton rounding out the top-ten finishers.

RACE NOTES:

Average Speed: 114.976 MPH
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 29 Mins, 00 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.306 Seconds
Lead Changes: 26 among 15 drivers
Cautions: 8 for 54 laps
Attendance: 73,000

Unofficial Top-Twelve in the Points Standings: 1. Tony Stewart – 2403 (Series Champion With 5 Wins) 2. Carl Edwards – 2403 (0 Points Behind the Champion – 1 Win)  3. Kevin Harvick – 2345 (-58) 4. Matt Kenseth – 2330 (-73) 5. Brad Keselowski – 2319 (-84) 6. Jimmie Johnson – 2304 (-99) 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2290 (-113) 8. Jeff Gordon – 2287 (-116) 9. Denny Hamlin – 2284 (-119) 10. Ryan Newman – 2284 (-119) 11. Kurt Busch – 2262 (-141) 12. Kyle Busch – 2246 (-157).

Next Up: The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season.

2011 NSCS Ford 400 Race Results

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie

Johnny Sauter basks in the Victory Lane celebration at Homestead-Miami Speedway after winning a rain-shortened season finale in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson, Getty Images for NASCAR

Talk about the win tonight. Did you leave anything on the table?

JOHNNY SAUTER: “Yeah, what an eventful day. This place here during the daytime typically doesn’t — your truck doesn’t handle very well, and last year same deal, and I knew the racetrack was going to come to us, or at least I thought it was, and sure enough, it did. Joe made a great change on that first pit stop and that thing came to life. Phenomenal year. I’ve always wanted to have two wins in the NASCAR series in the same year, and to some people that probably doesn’t mean much. I’ve been fortunate to win some Nationwide races and some Truck races but never two in a year, so that was a huge accomplishment.”

“To come out of here six points back is kind of a bummer with some of the problems we had or whatever throughout the course of the year, but I couldn’t be more proud of Joe and everybody at ThorSport, Duke and Rhonda Thorson. This is essentially the race that I consider you thank everybody, and Safe Auto Insurance, Curb Records. Mike Curb has been a huge supporter, Mud Jugs, UCoat It, Carrier Heating and Cooling, Chevrolet, ECR Engines, Goodyear Tires, everybody that helps get this deal to the racetrack. It’s a pleasure to drive this truck.”

Crew chief Joe Shear, Jr., talk about the effort out there tonight by the No. 13 truck.

JOE SHEAR, JR.: “Just like Johnny said, we came here knowing we had to do what we did tonight. We had to dominate. We had to lead the most laps. And I can’t thank my guys — my guys worked hard all year, and it showed tonight. We had awesome pit stops. You know, we chased the track and everything and we made some adjustments, and we worked very hard to get where we were. It’s just awesome to be here. Really, I’m kind of lost for words. Working as hard as we do, and we’re working on it, and I think we’re pretty strong, and I can’t wait until next year.”

For both you guys, with what Duke and Rhonda’s organization has done this year, looking ahead and moving ahead, would you guys consider yourselves the championship favorite for next year, and why would that be?

JOHNNY SAUTER: “Well, first of all, I don’t think it’s any secret Duke and Rhonda’s commitment to not only NASCAR but to the Camping World Truck Series, 16 seasons full-time. There’s not a lot of people that can say that, whether they were sponsored or unsponsored. I know Duke and Rhonda spend a lot of their own money to make sure I get to the racetrack every weekend. I couldn’t appreciate that more first and foremost. Built a brand new 100,000 square foot shop, we moved into it in August up in Sandusky, Ohio, which is an anomaly in this business, being outside the Charlotte hub, so to speak. I think it’s a huge accomplishment, but I also know what I have for a team, and those guys work hard, and I guarantee you they work harder than anybody in the garage, and I guarantee you that we are a championship team. Even though we’re not champions right now, we are a championship team, and I do believe we’re the favorites for next year.”

At what point did you know the rain was going to be an issue?

JOHNNY SAUTER: “I had no clue until there was rain on the windshield. That’s the only time I knew. We went down into turn 3 there, the lap before, and it started to sprinkle pretty hard, and I came on the radio and I probably was yelling so loud that they probably didn’t even understand what I was saying, and I said, “it’s raining, it’s raining,” and we went down into turn 3 and it was pouring by the time I got to the back stretch, and I knew this was no good.”

“So I just knew that Denny was running the high line, so I knew that I needed to run the high line, but I got really loose getting down in there and just washed up the racetrack. It’s a good thing he’s as good of a driver as he is, or that could have been ugly. He’s amazingly talented and drove a hard race. I’ve gotta thank him for that.”

Race Recap:

Date: November 19, 2011

Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway

Race: 25 of 25

Started: 5th

Finished: 1st

Championship Point Standings: 2nd (-6)

Up Next on the Truck Series Schedule:

Date: November 22, 2011

Loew’s South Beach Hotel & Resort

Event Name: NCWTS Awards Banquet

Broadcast: SPEED at 8pmET

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

The current series points leader, Carl Edwards, was second quickest with a lap speed of 172.678 mph, while second in the points, Tony Stewart, was 15th quickest with a lap speed of 171.249 mph.

Rounding out the top-ten quickest during practice were Matt Kenseth (172.298) who was third quickest, Ryan Newman (172.068) fourth, Jimmie Johnson (172.013) fifth, Kasey Kahne (171.920) sixth, Landon Cassill (171.887) seventh, Jeff Gordon (171.674) eighth, Kevin Harvick (171.652) ninth and Juan Pablo Montoya (171.581) posting the tenth quickest lap speed.

Following shortly after this session, the teams “Happy Hour” (final) practice session (the last series practice session of 2011)  is scheduled to run from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (ET) with qualifying set to get underway at 2:40 PM (ET).

The Ford 400 is scheduled to start around 3:20 PM (ET) on Sunday afternoon, and ESPN will begin their (pre-race) television coverage at 2:00 PM (ET).

2011 NSCS Ford 400 First Practice Session Speeds

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie
* Required to Qualify on Time

Austin Dillon celebrates his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with his Richard Childress Racing team at Homestead-Miami Speedway. - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR

THE MODERATOR: Let’s roll into our championship race team in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It’s the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, driver is Austin Dillon, our crew chief is Danny Stockman, Jr., and our owner is Richard Childress. This is Richard Childress’ second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers’ championship. His first came in the inaugural season in 1995 with driver Mike Skinner. And crew chief Danny Stockman, this is your first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

Richard, you talked to me out in the hall. You’ve had a lot of championships, but how does this one rank.

RICHARD CHILDRESS: It’s got to be right up there at the top. It’s so special when you’re family. Our whole family is involved, and I remember the very first championship with Dale Earnhardt. I had the same feeling tonight watching Austin, my grandson. It’s just so special to have the family and know how hard all of them worked.

I was at Ohio, Toledo, when Ty won his championship a few weeks ago, and just it’s a dream come true to have both these young men win championships.

And Danny Stockman, Bass Pro, everybody did so much to help put it together, and Austin kept it together so good under the pressure. For a 21 year old guy man, to be able to hang in there and do what he did was very special.

THE MODERATOR: Speaking of which, our championship driver has joined us now. That’s Austin Dillon. He drives the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. At 21 years, six months and 22 days, he becomes the youngest champion in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history. Congratulations, Austin. Tell us what it’s like to win a championship in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

AUSTIN DILLON: How does it feel? Amazing, best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life. I’m so happy for my grandfather. He’s got two champs this year. I’m worried about Ty coming back and beating me for the youngest champion ever. He’s pretty awesome. It’s going to be a wonderful week, a wonderful month. Can’t ask to go out of the Truck Series any better than this, coming out as a champion.

Danny Stockman has done a great job this year. We’re all a family over at RCR, and we fight like dogs, but we love each other the same. It’s cool that we’re out there, a championship. It was wild. The last restart was not the way I planned it. It made it interesting, but we still came out on top.

THE MODERATOR: Danny Stockman, talk about being the crew chief for this championship team.

DANNY STOCKMAN: Yeah, like Austin said, the last restart was quite gut wrenching. Just awesome to be a part of this deal with Richard and Mike and Austin and Tina and everybody that just let me have this opportunity to be a part of it. Austin Dillon being a great race car driver, up and coming race car driver, just really glad to be a part of it. Got a heck of a good race team, and just got to thank everybody back at the shop there. Really good.

Q. Austin, a little more detail on that last restart. Was it a tire issue? And I think Hornaday said when he went by you there that he saw oil or something like that. Was that communicated to you, as well?

AUSTIN DILLON: I didn’t see the oil, but I know right behind the right front fender we were knocked in. I don’t know what happened. I didn’t hit anybody on the track, but I think it happened on pit road. We got really tight once I got back there, but I think it was more the conservative side when I was three wide. We were three wide in the middle, and to force a spot right there is not worth it.

I wish we would have finished I think we had a shot to win the race. We really had a fast race car. When you get back there in that situation, your head tells you to be smart, but at the same time they’re telling you to go because you’re close there. I went as hard as I could, started entering the corner harder at the end and helped us out. But we got really tight when the fender got knocked in. I think it was close really with the fender, but the rain came at the right time, the Lord was looking after us, and it’s really cool to be where we are today.

Q. Austin, I want to say you didn’t really say anything on the radio as you were falling back there or even for the few laps after that. Did you not want to say anything? What was going through your head?

AUSTIN DILLON: There was no need to, just focus and get back on the wheel. When you get down like that, you can’t do anything but drive back to the front, and we’ve done that all year. I’ve struggled in certain spots and restarts. Actually my restarts have been really great to the end of the year. That one wasn’t a bad restart. I kind of Johnny went I didn’t anticipate as well as I needed to, and when Denny stuck me three wide, I probably could have made something out of it in the middle, could have got to the top quicker, but I didn’t know who was out there and no one said clear on the radio, so we obviously weren’t.

When you get three wide, and these trucks, the air pushes you around so much it’s hard to run three wide, and down the back stretch it was really hairy, so I just rolled out a little bit, got back in line and went to working on everybody in front of me and were able to pass quite a few of them.

Q. Can you just talk about what the last six, seven weeks have been like? You’re leading the points coming out of each of these last six or seven races. Has it been nerve wracking or has it been easier to handle than you thought?

AUSTIN DILLON: You know, watching these guys in the Cup Series talk to each other, it’s pretty wild. I listen to Tony Stewart and I listen to Carl Edwards and the different approaches they take to it. Offense is your best defense most of the time in racing, and I felt like today I probably played too much defense. It wasn’t enough offense, and my grandfather got onto me midway through the race and said, You can’t get comfortable here, you’ve got to keep racing. Went back and got on the wheel and drove up through a bunch of them and found ourselves in second.

We had a fast race car there at the end, and when we got three wide, I had to play conservative because it wasn’t worth it. It worked out for the better of everything, and leading up to this week, I’ve just been hunting and fishing, doing stuff I love to do, keep my mind off of it, hanging out with the people I always hang out with, talking to Danny, preparing ourselves the way we do for every race.

There’s no difference coming into the championship. You can’t approach things different. When you’re sitting outside the lead, you can take more chances, that’s for sure. Johnny could take more chances today than we could, Buescher the same way, they have nothing to lose. Stewart is right, he has nothing to lose for Sunday. It’s hard to play offense. You’ve got to play off, though. My best advice to Carl is to go out there and play offense, go out there he knows what he has to do. They have a different situation; they’re very close in points. There’s a benefit there.

I actually talked to Ricky Carmichael, he’s won lots of championships, and I was talking to him and he said the closest championship was probably the easiest because he knew what he had to do. 16th was what we were supposed to finish to win, and we knew that going in, and got us a top 10, so we did our job.

Q. That said, Austin, what was today like, because it wasn’t maybe a normal day because of the rain and everything. Was there a chance for nerves to get in? And with winning the championship, what’s your experience so far? Is it everything you thought it would be?

AUSTIN DILLON: Today with the rain, it did make it you had to think a little bit more, I guess. You could think about it longer. But I actually watched a Clint Eastwood movie during the middle of the day. That was pretty cool. It kept my mind off it. I laughed a few times. It was the one with the chimpanzee. “Any Which Way But Loose” is what I watched today. I watched it with my buddy Tim Dugger and my girlfriend and his girlfriend, we just hung out and watched the movie and waited on everything, and when it got down to it, started listening to my music, had our team meeting. That’s when we all get emotional is in our team meeting because we all know why we’re here, and it was really cool, we all had a big prayer session before, and I told them I was nervous going in, as nervous as they are, but we’ve got to go do our job, and we did it.

Austin Dillon soaks in the glory after becoming the youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion following Friday night's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images for NASCAR)

AUSTIN DILLON: The championship, yeah, it’s amazing. You get to spray champagne everywhere. You’re on top of the world. It’s the best feeling in the world. You stink real bad. Darrell Waltrip told me the best feeling in the world is going home stinking and having a trophy in your lap, and we were able to do that. I think now I’m more nervous about making a speech Monday, but we’ll figure that out. I’ve got some time.

Q. Going back to your celebration, are you maybe the first NASCAR champion to try planking on concrete?

AUSTIN DILLON: Yeah, the planking is cool. It’s something new. I feel like the good thing about NASCAR, we’ve got some really good drivers coming up. I am friends with a bunch of them that are going to represent the sport well. I think NASCAR has a lot to look forward to going forward. I feel that the newer fans coming in are young, and it’s really cool for sponsors, and I love the social media network, and I’ll be out there having fun any way I can. Yeah, I think that was one of the coolest planks you can do, I guess, winning a championship and then planking.

Q. Maybe your riskiest move of the night, too?

AUSTIN DILLON: That was probably my riskiest move, yeah. But it was wet enough where I could have got a little slide, and I have Sparco suit, so it’s the best suit in the world.

Q. You didn’t think about “Tebowing,” did you?

AUSTIN DILLON: Yeah, I kind of did. I pointed up when I was over the car. I didn’t get down on one knee, but that would have been cool to Tebow. He got it done last night, too; it was pretty impressive.

Q. What were you thinking when the rains came? Did you figure you had it at that particular time?

AUSTIN DILLON: Never thought about it. Andy Houston, my spotter, said, That’s probably going to be it, man, and I stayed in the truck and waited for the signal. It kind of drizzled, it was drizzling, and I knew they had lost the track because it was so slippery driving around under caution, and my grandfather said, Do not spin out under caution; slow down. I said, Wow, if I do this, that would be really a good way to lose the championship, rolling around under rain, so I backed her off and pulled in, and Hermie Sadler told me I won the championship, so I started celebrating and planked.

Actually, you know what, I did play some Xbox this week and tweeted my Xbox Live name and had like 50 people play Xbox Live Call of Duty with me. That was pretty fun, too. That was my RCR clan. It was good. I ended up on top like three times, but it was cool because everybody was going to tune into the championship, and they’re like mention the RCR clan in victory lane. I didn’t do it, but I got it in the media center, so I’m going to go back and play with them and talk to them about the championship. It’s cool, I interacted with fans that way.

Q. For Richard, what do you think allowed him to have the poise and everything to hold onto this lead in the points the last seven weeks, and is there anything that he’s done that you obviously have watched him race since he was little, but is there anything he’s done in the last two months that either particularly impressed you or surprised you?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: I think watching the race at Texas was the key to winning this championship. He was conservative when he had to be and he raced hard when he had to be. I think that was a big win we finished second, but it was a great run, and I think going into tonight, he I haven’t talked to him a whole lot this week because I didn’t want to add any extra pressure. He handles pressure better than a lot of people his age, he and his brother does, Ty. I couldn’t believe with the way he handled himself in the ARCA championship. They must get it from their mom because me and their dad gets a little wound up sometimes.

One other thing: Tonight with Johnny winning, that was 51 wins for ECR, and I told them at our kickoff banquet last year that they won 50 last year, so I told them you’ve got to beat it this year, so tonight made it 51. Great job for ECR.

Q. With the strength and the momentum you have after winning this championship, you’re taking the entire team with you to the Nationwide Series. What are you expecting for next season?

AUSTIN DILLON: Yeah, we’ve built a great team going into 2012. We’ve been working a little bit leading up to this race, and Stockman has been really harping on worried about this race, not worried about next year. But we’re so excited I can’t wait. It’s going to be amazing, feel like we can do it again. Two in a row would be awesome, just keep moving up and doing our job and we’ll be there at the end.

I was able to run some really good races with the Nationwide Series this year, and I feel like we stack up well, and we’ll have similar equipment. RCR and Pop Pop always make sure we have the best, and we’ll go out there and do our job in that No. 3.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to the No. 3 truck, Austin, Danny and Richard.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Chevrolet Press Release

Austin Dillon soaks in the glory after becoming the youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion following Friday night's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images for NASCAR)

“Everyone at Chevrolet is extremely proud of Austin Dillon’s accomplishment this year,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Throughout his young career, he has proven himself to be a very talented driver. After winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of Year in his 2010 debut, to come back and win the championship this year clearly demonstrates the bright future Austin has in NASCAR.

“We are very proud of our long partnership with Richard Childress Racing and couldn’t be more pleased to be a part of every victory and every championship Richard’s teams have won.”

Dillon, 21, led the series with five poles, and added two wins, 10 top-fives and 16 top-10s in 25 races this season.

Dillon, who carried a 20-point lead into the season finale’, is the sixth Team Chevy driver to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, joining Ron Hornaday Jr. (2009, 2007, 1998 and 1996), Jack Sprague (2001, 1999, and 1997), Travis Kvapil (2003), Mike Bliss (2002) and Mike Skinner (1995).

This is Childress’ second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship; Mike Skinner won the first in the series’ inaugural season, 1995 – also in the No. 3. Childress also won six NASCAR Sprint Cup championships with Dale Earnhardt (1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994).

“It’s been a very successful season for Team Chevy in the Camping World Truck Series,” Campbell said. “We’d also like to congratulate Kevin Harvick Inc. on winning the Owners’ Championship. What a way for KHI to close out a tremendous 10-year run in the series.

“In addition, our congratulations to Joey Coulter for winning the Series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year.”

Chevrolet earlier clinched the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Manufacturers’ Championship for the seventh time.

Tonight’s season-finale was won by Johnny Sauter, No. 13 SafeAuto / Curb Records Silverado.

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Chevrolet Press Release

Kevin Harvick - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Homestead-Miami Speedway and discussed his season to date, this weekend’s race, his charity work in the off-season, how he feels about KHI’s last race and much more.

YOU’VE HAD A GOOD YEAR, TALK ABOUT YOUR MINDSET AND THE SEASON YOU’VE HAD TO DATE AND YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS WEEKEND. “It’s been a fair season. Obviously we did a lot of things good and we did some things bad. We’ve got to work on things to make some things a little bit better. In this sport or in any other sport you always have things that you think you did right and the things that you do wrong you have to address at some point so it’s going to be a fun last weekend. Obviously we want to go out on a high note and do everything we can to do that. I enjoy racing here and it should be a good weekend.”

YOU’VE BEEN IN SOME CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLES WITH CARL EDWARDS BEFORE, THE WAY TONY STEWART IS KIND OF APPROACHING IT TRYING TO GET HIM TO CRACK A LITTLE BIT WITH SOME OF HIS OVERLY CONFIDENT THINGS, DO YOU THINK THAT WILL WORK? “We’ve never really been in a battle, I think we beat him by 800 points last time we raced with him for a championship. It’s just Tony being Tony. He’s obviously been there before. He knows what he needs to do. He’s been in tight championship races before. He’s got a lot of experience and in the end I don’t think Carl is going to crack though. It’s fun to watch but I think Carl obviously knows what he needs to do here but we’ll see how it all plays out.”

WOULD WE BE NAÏVE TO THINK THERE ARE NO TEAM ORDERS OUT THERE WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE AND FORD VERSES CHEVY AND ALL THAT GOING ON, HAVE YOU SEEN ANY THIS YEAR OR OVER THE YEARS? “Good question. I don’t have any answers for you though.” ARE YOU SAYING THEY’RE NOT OUT THERE? “I don’t know you have to draw your own conclusion to that.”

WHEN YOU’RE IN A CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE LIKE YOU WERE IN LAST YEAR AND YOU DON’T WIN WHAT LESSONS DO YOU TAKE OUT OF THAT THAT HELP YOU PERHAPS THE NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN THAT SAME SITUATION? “I think for us the things that we took away from it were just having a plan. I felt like we had a good plan this year. I felt like we had our cars lined out well for the Chase. I think winning so much early for us actually hurt us. I think we kind of got out of rhythm through the middle of the year and then got a little bit lost and we kind of got that back as we got towards the Chase. You learn those emotions and those pressures and things that come with that. Most everybody whether its myself or Carl (Edwards) or Tony (Stewart), once you race for a championship in something you pretty much know that you’re going to go through several weeks of what about this and what about that and worrying about this and you know that you need to control those emotions and just do your own thing. You don’t have to get wound up about anything. It is what it is and you just go about your business on the race track. I think last year taught the team that we can be contenders but contending for it and winning it are two different things.”

I GUESS EARLIER THIS WEEK YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO ANYTHING YOU COULD TO HELP TONY WIN, IS IT A FORD VERSES CHEVROLET BATTLE ON SUNDAY? “I think everybody in a Chevrolet would rather see a Chevrolet win just knowing how much it means to the manufacturer. Obviously Tony is a good friend of mine but you can’t disrupt the pureness of the sport and the emotions and all the things that go with that. You don’t want to be that guy that always shows up on the highlight reel that affected the championship. Yeah, if Tony has a question or needs something I’m not going to put myself in a position to where if we’re going to win the race we’re going to let somebody win the race for sure. So you go about cutting him some slack on restarts, little things like that and on pit road whatever the case may be.”

IF IT WAS SITUATION WHERE YOU WEREN’T RACING FOR A WIN BUT GIVING HIM ONE SPOT MADE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP AND LOSING A CHAMPIONSHIP WOULD YOU GIVE HIM THAT SPOT? “You watched the race last week. You saw the end.”

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO YOU TALKED LIKE TALLADEGA WAS KIND OF WHERE IT GOT AWAY, AS YOU COME INTO THE LAST WEEKEND ARE YOU ALMOST KIND OF SURPRISED THAT THOSE TWO GUYS GOT AWAY FROM YOU AND YOU’RE NOT HERE FIGHTING IT OUT FOR THE TITLE? “Not with the way that we ran. We didn’t run good at Phoenix, we didn’t run good at Texas and those guys have kept themselves in a championship battle by running good.”

YOU’VE GOT THE CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE FOR KIDS GOING ON, TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND YOUR CHARITY EFFORTS HERE AS THE YEAR CLOSES DOWN. “Yeah, obviously we just had our annual function that we do in my hometown in Bakersfield and gave away our local college scholarship for Cal State University of Bakersfield. We had a dinner and golf tournament. We have our Christmas concert coming up in December here. We have the Eli Young Band and Jake Owens that will be playing and that’s basically a toy drive that we’ll raise toys. I think last year we delivered up to 700 kids in two counties right around where we live so that’s always neat and always neat to see the foster kids, see their faces and see all the things they like to do and make somebody smile.”

GIVEN HOW THE CHASE HAS UNFOLDED FOR BOTH TONY AND CARL, RIGHT NOW WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE GUYS GOING INTO SUNDAY? “I think the biggest thing that Carl has going for him is this is a great race track for him but coming here racing for a championship and coming here just to win a race are two different things. I think that’s the position they have been in n the past, just to come here and win a race and not have to worry about parts failures or anything like that. I think Tony’s biggest advantage is he’s just so confident. He’s relaxed, he’s confident and his team has been rolling through race tracks they haven’t run good at the beginning of the year or whatever the case may be, they just have made it happen. I feel like they have that winning momentum and I feel like Carl has a race track that they’ve had a lot of success at.”

DO YOU FORSEE ANY PERSONNEL CHANGES ON YOUR SPECIFIC TEAM AT RICHARD CHILDRESS NEXT SEASON? “Well there’s definitely a lot of things happening at RCR with the one Cup team going away. We’re adding three Nationwide teams and a Truck team so obviously there’s going to be some personnel changes and I think if we had gone out and won a championship you’d say you probably don’t need to do anything. But if we sit on our hands and don’t evaluate everybody’s position at this particular point I think we’d be fools. I would anticipate some changes, yes.”

WITH THIS BEING THE LAST RACE FOR KHI AS A TEAM, ANY EMOTIONS? “DeLana and I couldn’t be any more excited. I’m excited for a lot of reasons personally; I’m excited for a lot of reasons professionally. When you look at the whole scenario for me, it should make my Cup car better, it should make the Nationwide cars better and the Trucks between the two teams have won half the races this year. It was a decision based on a lot of things but I think when you look at the performance of the race teams it should make them better. The Nationwide cars with all the Cup information should feed off of the Cup cars and get better instantly before we get back to the race track. I know everybody thinks we should be sad but I’m extremely excited because as a driver I get to do the same things next year and I did this year. I think I have 14 Nationwide races and three to five Truck races, so it’s going to be fun and should be able to be involved. I’ve been at the shop a lot watching the new Nationwide shop be built, watching everything be transferred from our shop to RCR and it’s all gone very smooth. We didn’t do this to get worse, we did this to win races and win more races.”

WHY DO DRIVERS, OWNERS AND EVERYBODY GET KIND OF NERVOUS NOT WANTING TO DISCUSS TEAM ORDERS WHETHER THEY EXIST OR NOT? “This is just one of those questions where you just really don’t have the right answer. You want to do what’s right for yourself and you want to do what right for your teammates.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

2011 NSCS Dave Blaney - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Dave Blaney, Tommy Baldwin Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Advance:

Race: Ford 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 36 of 36
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Date: November 20, 2011

Dave Blaney will attempt to qualify the No. 35 Golden Corral Chevrolet for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season finale Ford 400. This will mark Tommy Baldwin Racing’s (TBR) third start at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS).

CHASSIS NO. 297 – TBR debuted chassis No. 297 with Blaney at Texas Motor Speedway. Blaney made the show and will look to repeat his success at HMS this weekend. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing this season. Paul Menard drove the chassis prior to TBR.

NASCAR UNLEASHED – Blaney’s son Ryan will compete in “Battle of the NASCAR Kids.” The “Battle of the NASCAR Kids” competition will take place at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, November 19 at the GameStop videogame truck outside of Gate 2 in the Outer Display Area of HMS, with public gameplay sessions and practice rounds scheduled for November 17-18 at the Championship Drive event in Miami Beach.Two fans will be chosen to compete against Blaney and other NASCAR kids. The winner of the event will get $5,000 to give to their charity of choice. Blaney’s charity of choice is the Alzheimer’s Association. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/NASCARUnleashed or www.Activision.com.

TBR at HMS:
Two NSCS Starts
Best Start: 18th | 2009
Best Finish: 42nd | 2010

Last TBR Event:
Kobalt Tools 500 | Phoenix International Raceway:
Blaney qualified for the Kobalt Tools 500 and started 43rd. He struggled with the handling of the No. 35 Golden Corral Chevrolet as the team worked to fix the condition. He finished 27th, three laps down.

Dave Blaney at HMS:
10 NSCS Starts:
Top-10 Finishes: 3 (2005, 2001, 2000)
Best Start: 4th | Bill Davis Racing | 1999
Best Finish: 6th | Richard Childress Racing (2005), Bill Davis Racing (2001)
Last Start: 36th | Front Row Motorsports | 2010
Last Finish: 36th | Front Row Motorsports | 2010

Two Chances for Kids to Eat Free:

Bodine will join Blaney in his season-long effort to tally top-10 finishes. If either driver finishes in the top-10 this weekend in Miami, kids eat free (with an adult purchase) on Monday, November 21st. Golden Corral will also donate $5,000 to the DAV.

Local Golden Corral Locations
33525 South Dixie Hwy., Florida City, Fla. | 4.9 mi. from HMS
9045 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, Fla. | 48 mi. from HMS

In The Points: Blaney is still 32nd in NSCS Driver Points. He is 94 points ahead of Andy Lally and trailing Casey Mears by 31 points.

Qualify for the Show: The No. 35 Golden Corral Chevrolet will have to qualify for the Ford 400. There are 48 entries for the event. Blaney will compete against Trevor Bayne, Mike Bliss, Grant Enfinger, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs, Mike Skinner, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed, David Stremme, Cole Witt and J.J. Yeley for the eight available starting positions.

Dave Blaney Quotes:
On Racing at Miami: “It is always exciting to race in Miami for the end of the season. Being the final race, there is added excitement from everyone. We hope we can make the show and complete the season with a good finish.”

Tommy Baldwin Quotes:

On This Season: “I am very proud of this team. They have worked really hard all year. It shows in that we have met and exceeded all of our goals for this season. We made the top-35 for most of the year and even scored a top-five finish. All of our success is thanks to the support from Accell Construction, Big Red, Golden Corral, Luke and Associates, and Pepsi Max.”

Lighthouse Mission:
The Lighthouse Mission logo debuted on the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway and will be present for the entire 2011 season. TBR has teamed up to help the Long Island based charity build awareness and raise funds for Lighthouse Mission. For more information on Lighthouse Mission, visit www.lighthousemission.net.

- Tommy Baldwin Racing, Press Release

Geoffrey Bodine - Tommy Baldwin Racing

Geoffrey Bodine, Tommy Baldwin Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Advance:

Race: Ford 400
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 36 of 36
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Date: November 20, 2011

Geoffrey Bodine will pilot the No. 36 Luke & Associates Chevrolet this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS). The Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) machine is locked into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Ford 400.

TEAM SWAP – TBR drivers Blaney and Geoffrey Bodine swapped numbers and crews at Texas Motor Speedway in an effort to continue to build TBR and give the team the best chance to qualify both cars for the remainder of the season. Dave Blaney will drive the No. 35 Golden Corral Chevrolet and attempt to qualify for the Ford 400. Geoffrey Bodine will pilot the No. 36 Luke & Associates Chevrolet and is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s 400-mile race.

CHASSIS NO. 802 – Bodine will run the No. 802 chassis this weekend at HMS. TBR last ran chassis No. 802 at Texas Motor Speedway. The team also ran No. 802 at Phoenix International Raceway as a backup, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway in March and August, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway in October this season.

TBR at Texas:
Two NSCS Starts
Best Start: 18th | Michael McDowell | 2010
Best Finish: 42nd | J.J. Yeley | 2010

Last TBR Race:
Kobalt Tools 500 | Phoenix International Raceway:
Bodine started 40th in the No. 36 Luke & Associates Chevrolet at Phoenix International Raceway. He spun from contact twice early in the race. An incident in turn one caused major damage to the TBR Chevrolet and relegated the team to a 37th-place finish.

Geoffrey Bodine at Texas:
4 NSCS Starts:
Debut: 1999
Last start: 2002
Best Start: 17th | 1999
Best Finish: 11th | 1999

Luke and Associates:

This weekend will mark the fourth start for Luke & Associates as a primary sponsor. The Florida-based company adorned the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet as an associate partner since July. Luke & Associates, Inc. is one of the largest providers of healthcare for the U.S. military and is rapidly expanding into national and local healthcare systems. Headquartered on the Space Coast of Florida, Luke formed in 2004 and has grown exponentially in the last six years. The company now has more than 1,300 medical and support personnel worldwide.

In the Points: The No. 36 team held onto the 33rd position in the NSCS Owners Point Standings. The team is 21 points ahead of the No. 32 and 18 points behind the No. 13. They are locked into the top-35 by 62 points.

Two Chances for Kids Eat Free: Bodine will join Blaney in his season-long effort to tally top-10 finishes. If either driver finishes in the top-10 this weekend at HMS, kids eat free (with an adult purchase) on Monday, November 21st. Golden Corral will also donate $5,000 to the DAV.

Geoffrey Bodine Quotes:

On Racing at Miami: “I’m thrilled to be racing in Florida this weekend. I live in Melbourne now, so it is very close to home. Luke & Associates is also located in Florida, and I’m excited that their employees can come down and cheer us on. I’ve gotten more seat time in the past few races, and we are getting better each week. This week should be just the same: learn as much as I can and get the best finish I can.”

Tommy Baldwin Quotes:

On this Season: “I am very proud of this team. They have worked really hard all year. It shows in that we have met and exceeded all of our goals for this season. We made the top-35 for most of the year and even scored a top-five finish. All of our success is thanks to the support from Accell Construction, Big Red, Golden Corral, Luke and Associates, and Pepsi Max.”

- Tommy Baldwin Racing, Press Release

Tony Stewart - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET, participated in the Championship Contenders Press Conference in Miami, FL.

SHANNON SPAKE: Now the fun begins. Congratulations for being the two who made it to this point and supplying one of the best championship Chases yet.

Tony, you won the title twice. Only eight drivers have won it three or more times. What would it mean to be in elite company? I would imagine this year would be special knowing you’re the one writing the checks.

TONY STEWART: It’s definitely an awesome opportunity for us. Still very appreciative that Gene Haas for even giving us this opportunity to not only drive for him but be a co-owner with him. At the same time it’s a pretty cool opportunity this weekend to be the other side of the bookend of Jimmie’s dynasty, to be the only guy that could win a NEXTEL Cup championship, a Sprint Cup championship, and a Winston Cup championship, being the first time since Allen Kulwicki as an owner/driver. That would be probably be the best part of it.

SHANNON SPAKE: You said at one point, We don’t deserve to be in the Chase. If you could have imagined being in this chair with one race to go, what would you have said?

TONY STEWART: I wouldn’t have thought that way 10 weeks ago. We had good racecars. We had the performance. We just weren’t getting the results at the end of the day. Some of them were self-inflicted; some of them were circumstances that got us there. We just didn’t have at that time the consistency that you need to run for a championship like this.

So we got off to a great start at Chicago and backed it up at Loudon, then we had our stumbling block, first one of the year in the Chase, with Dover obviously. But coming back and rebounding from the day we had at Martinsville to win that race, then to have the day we had at Texas leading the most laps and winning the race over Carl, those are the things that got us back in this position.

It’s an awesome position to be in. Three points really isn’t a deficit at this point. We go out and win the race, it doesn’t matter what they do on their side, we still control our own destiny.

We have absolutely got nothing to lose and everything to gain. That makes us a dangerous combination for the weekend.

KRISTA VODA: We’ll now bring Kerry Tharp back up here to start the question and answer segment.

KERRY THARP: We’ll start with questions for Tony.

Q. Tony, you were the last driver to win the championship before Jimmie Johnson’s streak. You could be the next driver to win the championship after Jimmie Johnson. Talk about how unique it is you could bookend both of those.

TONY STEWART: You have to win the first one to win the second one to have that opportunity, I guess.

You wouldn’t think you’d take a lot of pride in being the bookends of a dynasty. But it is a pretty cool position to be in, to know that there’s two guys in the last six years that have won championships, and we’re one of them. It would be nice to be the guy that gets on the other side of that obviously.

I rode home with Jimmie on the plane last weekend. Obviously it’s a disappointment to be eliminated from the Chase. It’s like I told him, I think that for him going to Vegas, to the banquet, they have to really hold their heads up high and be very, very proud.

It’s been an honor to watch him do what he’s done, but they need to be proud of what they’ve done the last five years. It’s probably something that will never happen again in the history of our sport. It’s very difficult to win a championship, let alone back-to-back and five in a row like that.

The competition keeps getting tougher and tougher every year. With this Chase format, you can’t make mistakes and have it pay off. To do what they’ve done has been extremely impressive.

Q. Your battle here has been trademark, you guys haven’t really clashed at all, been respectful towards each other. If it came down to the last lap and the only way around the other guy was to do a bump-n-run, would you dare do that, would you race each other clean?

TONY STEWART: I’d wreck my mom to win a championship. I’ll wreck your mom to win a championship (smiling).

I respect him as a driver, but this isn’t about friendships this weekend. This is a war. This is a battle. This is for a national championship. It’s no holds barred this weekend. I didn’t come this far to be one step away from it and let it slip away, so we’re going to go for it. They say there’s talkers and doers. I’ve done this twice.

Q. Tony, in 2002 and 2005, you had big leads going into the finale. How different a feeling is it and are you possibly more relaxed knowing you’re just three points behind and can just go out and race?

TONY STEWART: It’s been odd. The only part this week that’s concerned me and that I’ve been worried about is the fact that I haven’t been nervous about it. In 2002, 2005, we had big leads, but still you were nervous about it because you knew it could get away. I guess the fact we didn’t think we would even be in the Chase to begin with, it’s taken a lot of that pressure off.

We’re not trying to overcome a big deficit. We’re right there right behind him. For us, like I said, we can finish 43rd this weekend and not be any worse off than we are right now so we don’t have anything to lose. We can throw everything we got at it. If we make a mistake doing it, it doesn’t cost anything. There’s no penalty for us screwing up.

With that does, it takes every ounce of pressure away. We have everything to gain, nothing to lose. Like I said, it’s a dangerous combination to put us in that kind of mode because we’ve been hot lately, we’ve been running good, we’re feeling good, the team is feeling good about everything. You couldn’t ask for a better scenario.

We’ve been in that situation, and when that pressure comes on race day, it’s a little different feeling. Your race always goes a little bit different than what you planned. For us not having that pressure, I think it leads us to have a day like we’ve been having every week the last three or four weeks.

Q. NASCAR’s new points system has truly generated some big-time excitement here at Homestead. You guys are working the championship a little differently, Carl with consistency, Tony with wins.

TONY STEWART: The thing that I’ve been asked a lot about this week and even last week is, they’re like, How can their points system be good if the guy that’s won four races is behind a guy that hasn’t won any races?

The points system is good. It’s easy to look at that and say that it’s not good because of that fact. But what you got to understand is that, unlike other sports where it’s two teams against each other, it’s 43 teams, it’s a 10-race Chase. You accumulate points for 10 races.

The fact we’ve won four races doesn’t mean we should be ahead of Carl. We did not do our job in some of the other races. That got us behind. Because of the new system, having the bonus points for winning, we were able to catch up and gain those points back.

I think it’s proven to be a pretty good system so far. You have two guys within three points of each other going into the last race. I don’t know how you can say it’s bad.

Q. You guys have put on a pretty remarkable show, particularly over the last couple races. What have you learned about each other through this process and how much respect have you gained for each other throughout the process of competing in this Chase?

TONY STEWART: I don’t think the Chase has changed my level of respect for him. I’ve always respected him as a driver and a person. So the fact that you’re racing around him doesn’t change that because that’s what you do every week.

I don’t know that we’ve really learned anything about each other than the fact that we both know we have to be on our game. We’ve forced each other to take what would be a good day and you have to make it great to succeed.

We had Texas where we ran 1-2, the last week where we ran second and third. We’re keeping each other honest, in my opinion. It’s fun to have a championship race like that. You’re not worried about saying, Well, is this guy going to be able to recover? We’re forcing each other to both have good days.

Q. Tony, a week earlier you had said that you had Carl on the ropes. Do you still feel that way? How evenly matched are these teams and two of you as drivers?

TONY STEWART: Yeah, I feel that way. Like I said, whether Ron Jeremy down here believes us or not, we don’t have anything to lose. I mean, we literally don’t. There’s nothing that we can lose this weekend no matter what happens on the racetrack. We just don’t have anything to lose.

So I think when you got a guy that has something to lose, has a little to lose, then you got to worry about that a little bit. But when you’re a guy that has nowhere to go but up, you’re in that same situation and you race the way you always do. I think that makes you potent.

Q. Tony, everybody says there are no team orders out there. We all expect heavily there are. You have a lot of Ford drivers that are out there. You have Ryan, the Hendrick drivers. Any discussions the last week or so to let you guys have positions, let you have a win, anything like that? Do you want it to come down to that?

TONY STEWART: I don’t want it to come down to that. I feel like we can beat him heads up. We’ve raced for this position heads up and I think that’s the way it should end. It shouldn’t be about team orders.

We saw a hint of it last week. The 16 car picked a pit right in front of us. We never had an issue with it. But you know that that can happen.

Like we say, we’re racing for a national championship, so we are prepared that if something develops along that line, we have a countermeasure for the same thing.

But, no, nobody’s planning that way. You want to win this thing straight up. You want to win it because you did a better job than he did, not because somebody else got involved in the equation. That will take away from it.

Q. NASCAR hasn’t had a champion win its finale in 13 years. In both cases, if you win Sunday you win the title. With all the talk about winning lately, what would it mean to you personally and to NASCAR if that happens?

TONY STEWART: Yeah, I agree. It takes all the question of adding points, worrying about tiebreakers, this and that out of the equation when the fans can watch the guy that wins the race win the championship at the same time.

This is probably the best chance of having a championship decided with a win that you’ve ever had.

Q. Tony, have you talked to Foyt in the last couple weeks? If so, what did he say? Did he have any observations about the smack talk going on, whether it works or not? Also have you talked to Darrell Waltrip, the all-time master of smack talk, on whether he thinks it will work for you or not?

TONY STEWART: Foyt has how many championships and wins? How many has Waltrip got? I think they work.

No, I’ve not talked to Foyt. He’ll call me after we win on Sunday. We did speak to Darrell earlier. We both had a pretty good interview with him. It was fun.

It’s like Carl says, it’s like Kid Rock said: It’s not cocky if you back it up. I think we’ve been backing it up the last three weeks. It’s what our intention is.

KERRY THARP: That concludes the formal Q&A with our two championship contenders in the Sprint Cup Series.

Let’s bring back Shannon Spake and Krista Voda.

SHANNON SPAKE: After 10,000 laps and 13,000 plus miles it all ends in Victory Lane Sunday night. We thank you for your attendance.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Tony Stewart (right), driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, talks over strategy with crew chief Darian Grubb (left) - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Nov. 17, 2011) –

That’s because Stewart, the open-wheel phenom who came to NASCAR as a four-time USAC champion and the 1997 IZOD IndyCar Series champion, is on the cusp of earning his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. And he’s doing it in a fashion no one thought possible – as a driver/owner.

Stewart, who left the comfy confines of Joe Gibbs Racing where he spent a decade in Sprint Cup and won championships in 2002 and 2005, struck out on his own in 2009 to form Stewart-Haas Racing with entrepreneur Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool manufacturer in the western world. What people thought was crazy three years ago – a driver in the prime of his career taking on the dual responsibility of team ownership – has morphed into the closest championship battle in modern history, with Stewart providing the kind of drama NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France envisioned when he announced tweaks to the series’ point structure back in January.

A “Game 7 moment” is how France described his desired season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Well, here we are, with an all-or-nothing race on the docket come Sunday’s Ford 400.

Thanks to a hot streak by Stewart, who has won four of the nine races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, he trails Chase leader Carl Edwards by only three points heading into Homestead.

Only one finish guarantees either driver the championship – a win. If Stewart and Edwards are tied in points at the end of the Ford 400, Stewart earns the championship via the tie-breaker of best finishes, as Stewart’s four victories trump Edwards’ one. This is the closest margin between first- and second-place going into the final race in Chase history, and the third-closest since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975.

In Stewart vs. Edwards, it’s the Everyman vs. the Cover man, Chevy vs. Ford, grit vs. suave, stubble vs. polished.

Stewart, already a two-time Sprint Cup champion who knows what this weekend is all about, comes into Round No. 36 of 36 poised and confident, despite the three-point margin Edwards has over him.

Perhaps it’s because Stewart has lopped 16 points of Edwards’ once sizeable lead in the last four races. Perhaps it’s because even before coming to Sprint Cup, Stewart had won nine other driving titles. Perhaps it’s because Stewart has 43 career Sprint Cup wins, two of which have come at the 1.5-mile Homestead oval.

No matter, Stewart knows what has to be done and is keenly aware of the stakes. That the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing could become the first driver/owner to win a Sprint Cup title since the late Alan Kulwicki in 1992 is simply added intrigue.

Stewart, after all, is a company man. And in Sunday’s season finale at Homestead, he plans to deliver.

TONY STEWART, Driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing:

This battle between you and Edwards is pretty impressive.

“It shows what this Chase is about. It’s a good battle right now. If you’re Brian France (NASCAR CEO and Chairman) right now, I would say he’s giddy. If not, he should be because this is the perfect scenario. It’s the perfect storm, so to speak, going into this last race. That’s what you want. This is about as exciting as it gets – to have two guys who are down to three points with one race to go.

“We’ve both had to fight and fight and fight to get every point we can get up to this point. I think it makes it more gratifying, the results, at the end of the day. I feel like I’m working toward something and I feel like if we accomplish this, we have worked for it, not had it handed to us, not had it given to us. That’s all you can ask for as a driver, is to be in that position.

“I think it’s pretty honorable to be in that situation right now. It’s an awesome championship battle. So, I don’t know how you could ask for more than what we got.”

How much is the experience of having already won two Sprint Cup championships playing into your hands now?

“It’s definitely an advantage, but I’m not going to tell you why because that’s what I’m going to take to Homestead with me. We win this thing, I’ll tell you what the advantage is and why, but not until then.”

You’ve been in two Sprint Cup championship runs before and won both of them. Is this one the most fun?

“I think so. The good thing is we’ve been in this position a lot of times. This isn’t the first time we’ve been in this deal. We have that ability. I didn’t think we belonged in the Chase to start with. I didn’t think we were a factor. What do we have to lose? We don’t have anything to lose. I don’t care about second or third in the points. After you’ve won it, second doesn’t really matter. To me, it’s about going out, getting that championship, doing everything you can to accomplish that goal. We’re not a group that’s going to sit here and say, ‘We’ll take the easy road and settle for second.’ I’d rather finish sixth or seventh in points knowing that we did everything we can to win.”

Can you handicap yourself going into Homestead? How do you and Edwards stack up?

“I think we both have momentum. We both had two really good weeks in a row. I still think our mile-and-a-half program has come a long way this summer. You look at how we ran at Chicago, Kentucky, Charlotte and Texas – we’ve been good on the mile-and-a-halves. I’m excited about it.

“I like Homestead. It’s a place that we had a lot of success when it was flat. We haven’t gotten that win with it banked. I like the way that track races right now. I’m pretty excited about it.

“I don’t know where to handicap it. Doesn’t matter to me. It’s just about getting four more points than he does. That’s all that matters.”

Explain a lap around Homestead.

“You go off into turn one, and when you get into the banking, you lift. If your car is good, you can go and not use any brake, or very, very little brake. You stay one lane off the bottom, past the transition – it’s a little less banking on the lower level toward the apron – so you stay one level above that. As soon as your car settles in you can really just mash right back in the gas and just ride that second level around down onto the backstretch. And then you do exactly the same thing going into turn three. A lot of times in turn three, because of the wind direction there, you can actually go into the corner a lot harder and a lot further, actually turning into the corner before you get off the gas. And it’s the same thing, once that car settles in, you get on the gas and ride it around to the frontstretch. It’s a pretty smooth racetrack.”

With the championship battle between you and Edwards, it means Jimmie Johnson’s run of Sprint Cup titles ends at five. What are your thoughts on his run?

“I think it’s been absolutely remarkable to begin with for Jimmie to put five in a row together. I know this year hasn’t ended up the way he’s wanted, by any means. I think he goes to Vegas (for the season-ending awards banquet) and holds his head up high knowing what they’ve accomplished – the fact that there’s a really good possibility in the history of the sport for eternity that it could never happen again.

“The competition gets tighter and tighter, tougher and tougher. I just think it’s amazing. You understand why people didn’t want him to win a sixth one. At the same time, I’ve said it from day one, how do you knock down a guy that’s going out and doing what he’s supposed to do? If we could trade places with him, we’d do it in a heartbeat, go out and win five in a row.

“I think you’ve got to tip your hat to him. I think that’s something in NASCAR history that I would put my money on that it will never happen again. I just think it’s remarkable at this level to do what he’s done, what that team’s done. I know this year hasn’t ended the way they wanted, but I still think they have to have a lot of pride in knowing they’ve done something in the history of the sport that most likely will never be duplicated.”

TONY STEWART’S HOMESTEAD PERFORMANCE PROFILE

× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.

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

Furniture Row crew chief Pete Rondeau (L) and driver Regan Smith

DENVER, Colo. (Nov. 16, 2011) –

“I felt we were knocking at the door of making a huge improvement,” said Smith about the single-car Furniture Row team which is based in Denver.

Smith’s sixth sense came to fruition a few months later at the season-opening Daytona 500 where he posted his first career top-10 result with a seventh-place finish. It was also Furniture Row Racing’s first top-10.

The 2011 season only got better for Smith, who won the prestigious Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. He has also amassed a total of five top-10s in his No. 78 Chevrolet, including a third-place finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

One year later, Smith once again enters the Ford 400 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the same confidence and enthusiasm about the future of Furniture Row Racing.

“We made some big gains this season as a team and accomplished many of our goals,” said Smith. “But we still didn’t accomplish everything we wanted to so there’s still plenty to get done. But with that said, I feel we are at a point where we are ready to reach another level of competition. I have the same feeling I had last year at this time.”

But before Smith takes that walk into the offseason, he has one more order of business for the 2011 season — Sunday’s 267-lap, 400-mile race at Homestead’s 1.5-mile oval.

“The best time to build momentum for the following year is to have a strong finish in the last race of the season,” noted Smith. “After what happened to us in Phoenix last week – being involved in an accident on the second lap – I can’t wait to get back into the Furniture Row Chevrolet. Based on practice and qualifying we were looking for a good run in Phoenix. But it didn’t turn out that way so we have one more race to show our mettle before we head into the offseason.”

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

FORD 400

HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

HOMESTEAD, FL

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 184 mph. Starting at $54,995, including Performance Traction Management and Magnetic Ride suspension, the ZL1 delivers supercar levels of performance and technology for the price of a sports car.

TEAM CHEVY SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow Team Chevy on Facebook and @TeamChevy on Twitter to receive the latest news as well as updates with times and locations of events.

CELEBRATING CHEVROLET CENTENNIAL WITH GREATEST TEAM CHEVY NASCAR RACING MOMENTS: Chevrolet celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 3, 2011. To commemorate Chevy’s centennial, we are highlighting some of Chevy’s greatest NASCAR racing moments. In 2011, Chevrolet captured its unprecedented 35^th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Cup. In October at Talladega Superspeedway, Richard Childress Racing collected its 100^th NSCS win as Clint Bowyer took the No. 33 Chevrolet 100^th Year Chevrolet to Victory Lane.

TEAM CHEVY RACING FOR THE FANS AT LUMMUS PARK-MIAMI BEACH:

• · Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display at the NASCAR Championship Drive in Lummus Park, located along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach between 7th and 9th Streets
• · At Team Chevy Racing Display fans can check out Sonic, Camaro, Corvette Grand Sport and Cruze.
• · For registering at the Team Chevy Racing Display, fans receive a free Team Chevy T-Shirt.
• · Display hours at Lummus Park will be: Thursday and Friday November 17 & 18 – Noon to 8:00 p.m.
• · Activities at the Chevy Racing Display includes NASCAR Show Cars with photo opportunities for fans

TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:

• · Chevrolet has won 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
• · Team Chevy drivers have scored 686 wins AND 620 poles in NSCS competition
  • o 2011 wins – 17
  • o 2011 poles – 11

TEAM CHEVY IN THE 2011 CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP:

Team Chevy has six drivers in the standings of the 10- race 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Standings after Race 9 of 10:

• · Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, sits 2^nd in the standings, 3 points behind leader
• · Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, is 3^rd in the points order
• · Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, is 5^th in points
• · Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, sits 7^th in points,
• · Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, is 9^th in standings
• · Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet, is 11^th in points

TEAM CHEVY AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY: PAT SUHY, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING: “It’s been a great 2011 season for Team Chevy in NASCAR. With just one race to go in each NASCAR Touring Series, we’ve dominated the on-track show. Chevrolet teams have won 35 out of 92 races run so far. We have captured our 35th Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers’ Cup title and our seventh Camping World Truck Series Manufacturers’ Championship. One of three Chevy drivers will be crowned the Camping World Truck Series champion this Friday, and Tony Stewart will be a strong contender on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Driver’s Championship in the Sprint Cup Series. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than this!

“For the Manufacturers’ Championships, a lot of what has brought Team Chevy the multiple years of success that we have enjoyed is teamwork. And that teamwork isn’t just within each team that contributed; it extends to teamwork among our teams, and also between the teams and our own talented group of racing engineers and program managers here at General Motors. Teamwork is the basis for our ‘Key Partners’ approach in all three series, the results speak for themselves.

“Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup finale at Homestead should prove to be very exciting. With just three points separating the top two championship contenders, it’s possible that the Driver’s title could be decided on the last turn of the last lap of the season. Success in terms of wins at Homestead has been hard to come by for Team Chevy. Even though wins have been few and far between, our teams have captured 37% of the top-five finishing positions, meaning that our teams have the speed to run up-front and contend for wins.

“Given the importance of this particular race, I’m confident that we’ll see a Chevy driver competing for the win and will get to celebrate on the champion’s stage with our own Tony Stewart.”

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:

• · A Chevrolet driver has won 1 of the 12 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• · Chevy has 4 poles at Homestead
• · Team Chevy drivers have scored 22 top-five finishes and 51 top-10 finishes at Homestead
• · A Chevrolet has led 674 laps (21.0% of 3,209 possible) at Homestead
• · Current Team Chevy drivers with wins at Homestead:

o Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet has two (2) wins (both of his wins were in a Pontiac)

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – 2^ND IN STANDINGS: “You go off into turn one (at Homestead-Miami Speedway), and when you get into the banking, you lift. If your car is good, you can go and not use any brake, or very, very little brake. You stay one lane off the bottom, past the transition – it’s a little less banking on the lower level toward the apron – so you stay one level above that. As soon as your car settles in you can really just mash right back in the gas and just ride that second level around down onto the backstretch. And then you do exactly the same thing going into turn three. A lot of times in turn three, because of the wind direction there, you can actually go into the corner a lot harder and a lot further, actually turning into the corner before you get off the gas. And it’s the same thing, once that car settles in, you get on the gas and ride it around to the front stretch. It’s a pretty smooth racetrack.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET – 3^RD IN STANDINGS: “Homestead is one of those race tracks that you don’t know when it is going to stop aging. It seems like every time we return to the track it loses a little grip, which is a good thing. Since they repaved the track a few years back it has become one of my favorites. You can move all around trying to find a groove that works for you. There are a lot of different places where you can make your car work. For me it has been a lot of fun to race on. It’s just unique. You can charge turn one a little bit more than you can at most places, because as you get through the corner, the banking seems to get steeper all the way through, and you have options. You can run the top, you can run the bottom, you can run the middle, or you can split the middle-top or middle-bottom and make your car turn. It’s just a unique race track, and it seems to fit the guys that like to move around and make their cars work in different spots.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – 5^TH IN STANDINGS: “I’m definitely disappointed that we won’t be able to go to Homestead and race for our sixth (consecutive driver’s championship) but that’s motorsports. It’s a very tough business. What we did over the last five years was absolutely spectacular and I’ve just got to thank Lowe’s. I’ve got to thank Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus (crew chief), and this whole race team for giving me everything they’ve had these 10 years. Even though we’re not in position to win the championship now, we’re going to go to Homestead and try to have our best race down there that we can and finish as high as we can in the points. I’ll definitely have more fun and get a lot of sleep going in there. I’ll bet you the No. 99 (Carl Edwards) and the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) won’t. I’ll have fun watching from the sidelines.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET – 7^TH IN STANDINGS: “The way they ditched the banking has made it a real challenge for me. I can’t really get a car to roll through the center and turn well. I haven’t had a car that was quite free enough in all the times being there. As I drive into the banking, it gets tighter and tighter as it loads the right front into the banking. It just doesn’t suit my style. I’m going there with a new crew chief this year and he prepares a car completely different than the guys I’ve worked with in the past. Maybe that will be the difference.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET – 9^TH IN STANDINGS: “We’re feeling a lot better after our fifth-place come-from-behind performance in Phoenix. It hasn’t been the kind of Chase that we had anticipated back in Chicago (beginning of Chase), but if we can end the season with a performance like we had in Phoenix it would make things better for our U.S. Army team during the offseason. You always want to end the season with a feel-good performance. There’s a lot of buzz at our Stewart-Haas Racing shop about Tony (Stewart) and the No. 14 team. The spirit is high, knowing that Tony has a shot at winning the Sprint Cup championship. The (No. 14) team has done a remarkable job in the Chase and the battle between Tony and Carl (Edwards) is great for the sport. I know I’m excited about it and I am sure the fans feel the same way.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – 11^TH IN STANDINGS: “I like the South Florida area and the track. The variable banking allows us to really search around for a line or a groove that will work, and I think good side-by-side racing comes along with that. We’ve had some good runs here; we just haven’t been able to win. Yet. You have to kind of take that [championship battle] into account. You don’t want to be the individual that costs somebody the championship because you did something dumb racing way back in the pack. But, for me, I don’t care who it is if I’m racing for the win. I’m going to race them hard – just like any other race – if a victory is on the line. We tried some things in Texas that seemed to have us moving in the right direction. We’ll see if we can improve on that this weekend. A solid run can give us confidence and momentum as we go into the off-season and 2012.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET – 13^TH IN STANDINGS: “Homestead-Miami Speedway is a fun race track. Our finishes don’t reflect how well we’ve run there. I think we’ve actually broke twice there. It’s a fun race track and a very important race because we get to crown another champion. It’s going to be really tough (to climb out of the car for the last time for Richard Childress Racing). It’s going to be awkward to be honest. It’s the only thing I’ve ever drove and always been one of Richard’s cars or one associated with him. It’s bittersweet. I owe everything in my career to Richard and it’s going to be tough, but change isn’t always a bad thing. I’m ready for the challenge. I really am ready for this.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 DURACELL/MENARDS CHEVROLET – 18^TH IN STANDINGS: “There’s always mixed feels whether you want the season to end or not at Homestead. You kind of want to get going onto next year and get a fresh start but on the other hand, you feel like you have some unfinished business and want to keep working on what you’ve been working on all season. It’s always kind of bittersweet in Miami. It’s been up and down emotionally for our team, but the season itself has gone by pretty fast. It’s hard to believe we’re at the last race already.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 19^TH IN STANDINGS: “We are always really busy Homestead-Miami weekend. It’s considered my “home track” so we have a ton of guests and events going on. We have our gala with our foundation (Formula Smiles), and it is the fifth year we have done it. It is a really cool event that raises a lot of money, and we always do something different, something cool. On top of that we have the ticket promotion with the track, so I think that is pretty exciting as well. So it is a lot of fun, but there are a lot of things to be done. Plus they even give me time to get in the Target Chevrolet and race (laughing).”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 20^TH IN STANDINGS: “Hendrick Motorsports is just an amazing, amazing race team. And what makes it that way are the people who are there. These last three years of my career have been incredible. It was so flattering to me when Rick (Hendrick, team owner) hired me and made me a part of this group of drivers. Jeff (Gordon), Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) have been great teammates and friends of mine. Working with Rick – I’ve gotten the chance to know him on a more personal side. His people skills are incredible and what he’s built with this race team is something he should be very proud of. The fact that, when I look back on the wins in my career, that I had the opportunity to earn five of them with Hendrick Motorsports, is something I’ll always treasure.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 22^ND IN STANDINGS: “It’s always important to run well at all of the tracks we go to no matter if it’s the first or the last race. It doesn’t matter if we win or finish last. I won’t leave Homestead thinking our finish is how our season will be next year. It’s always better to have a good finish because you feel good leaving the track, but three or four days later you’ve forgotten about it and gone onto the next thing. Homestead doesn’t have a lingering affect. Just because you win at Homestead doesn’t mean you’re going to a great season the next year. The way we ran (at Homestead) last year doesn’t mean we would have a better or worse chance to win the Daytona 500 this year. You’ll know how you’re going to do the following season by the preparation between now and the (Daytona) 500.”

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET – 26^TH IN STANDINGS: “After what happened in Phoenix – being involved in an accident on the second lap – I can’t wait to get back into the Furniture Row Chevrolet. Based on practice and qualifying we were looking for a good run in Phoenix. But it didn’t turn out that way so we have one more race to show our mettle before we head into the offseason. It’s been a breakthrough season for Furniture Row Racing, but we need to get to another level. And a good place to start reaching that goal is to end the season with a strong finish. Having a good result at Homestead will do plenty for team morale during the offseason. No doubt, it’s an important race for many reasons.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – 27^TH IN STANDINGS: “It is hard to believe that the end of the season is here. I enjoy Homestead-Miami, not only because it means we will have some time off soon, but it is a fun track to race at. We had a really strong car this past weekend at Phoenix, so I hope we can bring that speed with us to Homestead this weekend and end the 2011 season on a high note with our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. It would really mean a lot to everyone on our team to finish strong and carry that momentum into 2012.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships

Total (1949 – 2011): 35

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 9 twice (1983 – 1991) (2003-2011)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Drivers Championships

Total (1949 – 2010): 27

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 6 (1993 – 98) & (2005 – ’10)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Event Victories

2010 Race Wins: 18

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – 2007

2011 YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS:

Wins: 17

Poles: 11

Laps led: 4,627

Top-five finishes: 75

Top-10 finishes: 158

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 686 (1949 – to date) (2,317 possible = 29.6%)

Poles Won to Date: 620

Laps Lead to Date: 204,863

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,442

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,040

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date 

GM: 1,021

Chevrolet: 686

Pontiac: 155

Oldsmobile: 115

Buick: 65

Ford: 706

Ford: 606

Mercury: 96

Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 461

Dodge: 212

Plymouth: 190

Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 39

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

 - Team Chevy, Press Release