Monday

Paul Menard / Roush Fenway Racing Daytona Preview

PAUL MENARD

Race: DRIVE4COPD 300 Daytona International Speedway

Team: No. 98 Richmond / Menards Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Matt Puccia

Broadcast Information: 1:15 p.m. (EST) ESPN2 and MRN radio affiliates

FAST FACTS

- PAUL MENARD will make his seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300. The start will mark the Wisconsin native’s 131st career NNS start.

- DOUBLE DUTY… Menard is slated to race full schedules in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series in 2010. This will be Menards first fulltime NNS season since 2006.

- MENARD IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES… Menard made his first NNS start in 2003, since then he has made 130 starts and secured two poles, one win, 15 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes. Menard has led 368 laps of Nationwide Series competition – all while running full series schedules (2005 and 2006).

- MENARD AT DAYTONA… In six NNS starts at the 2.5-mile Florida track, Menard has achieved one top-10 finish. His best start at DIS is second and his best finish is sixth place, both achieved in July of 2005.

- LAPS… Menard has completed 565 of 687 (82.2%) of the laps he has attempted in NNS competition at Daytona and has led 48 laps.

- ON THE TRACK…The No. 98 team will unload the Richmond/Menard’s Ford Fusion for this weekend’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona.

- REWIND, 2009 NATIONWIDE RESULTS… In his limited 2009 NNS schedule, Menard made 16 starts. He notched one top-five and four top-10 finishes.

- MENARDS ON THE TRACK… In addition to their partnership with Roush Fenway Racing and the No. 98 Ford Fusion NASCAR Nationwide Series team, Menards is also affiliated with the racing ventures: Robby Gordon, Matt Crafton, Ed Carpenter and Frank Kimmel, as well as the No. 98 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Fusion entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

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QUOTES

Paul Menard on the 2010 Nationwide Series season:

“I am really looking forward to this season and racing fulltime in both the Cup and Nationwide Series. Last year I ran 16 Nationwide races and we had some decent runs. I think with some consistency – running every weekend and establishing good communication with my team, we should be weekly contenders.

“I’m also eager to work with my teammates at Roush Fenway. Those guys run well and with their support and the support from Ford, I feel like this year has the potential to be great.”

Crew chief Matt Puccia on racing at Daytona International Speedway:

“The first race of the season is always exciting…and stressful. We’ve worked all winter to build cars and put together this team and Saturday is the day we’ll see our work hopefully pay off. Paul is a solid race car driver and able to compete with the best of the best. I know if we give him a fast, good-handling Ford, he’ll get it to the front.”

- Roush Fenway Racing Press Release