Chase Elliott celebrates in victory lane at Rockingham Speedway Friday afternoon after dominating the Sunoco National Tour race. Elliott, the son of 1988 Winston Cup Champion Bill Elliott, takes to “The Rock” in the USAR Pro Cup Carolina 200 presented by Black’s Tire and Auto Service Saturday afternoon. Photo Credit: Rockingham Speedway

Rains washed out the best chances for drivers to get much-needed practice
on the 7/8-mile speedway, and when the skies finally cleared, USAR officials
gave the teams 45 minutes of practice.

Elliott caught onto the track rather quickly and was ranked third in
overall lap times.

With NASCAR’s Nationwide Series also set to race on Saturday and rain
again interfering with the schedule, the starting line-up was set by car
owner points, and that wasn’t the best thing for Elliott and his Aaron’s
Dream Machine team as they have only competed in a few of the USAR events
this season.

When the track was dried, and the cars rolled onto the front stretch,
Elliott lined up in the 13thposition in a field of 20. The green flag
dropped, and for Elliott it was an almost identical replay of his father’s
opening lap at Indy last weekend where he skillfully avoiding a wreck on the
start. Young Elliott did likewise, taking evasive action as drivers spun in
front of him. He barely clipped Steven Nasse’s car as he came down the
track. Still he took his Aaron’s Dream machine to pit road where his crew
checked the toe-in and cleaned the front grill.

Crew chief Ricky Turner reported that the car was in good condition and
sent Elliott back onto the track. After four tries at a start, the race
finally got under way with Elliott moving up to start ninth due to attrition
in front of him. He was in sixth after just two green-flag laps and
maneuvered around Ryan Heavner for the fifth position on Lap 10.

USAR officials threw a competition caution flag on Lap 15. J.P. Morgan was
the only driver in the top five to pit, and that gave the fourth position to
Elliott.

He held fourth for the next 33 laps, until the caution flag flew on Lap 50.
He pitted on Lap 52 for four tires and again a lap later for fuel, which put
him in position to run the rest of the race without another stop.

Excellent pit stops by the Aaron’s pit crew put Elliott back in the fourth
position just behind eventual race winner Clay Rogers for the restart.
Logan Ruffin got around Elliott on the restart putting Elliott back to the
fifth position. On Lap 52, the caution was displayed for a blown engine in
Johanna Long’s car.

When spotter Bill Elliott inquired about the car, young Elliott replied:
“My car is really good. I just need to get my rhythm down and make some
good lap times.”

It was then that Elliott looked down at his gauges and reported that the
engine was overheating. Elliott came to pit road where the crew removed tape
from the nose and cleaned the grill again. They also checked the tail pipes
for water leaks that would signal a terminal problem with the engine.

Elliott went back out on the track in the seventh position and reported
that the engine was cooling. Then the gauge shot back up to 260 degrees and
back down to 210, so it was determined that the gauge was faulty.

By Lap 72 Elliott was back in the hunt in the fifth position and tracking
down Heavner for fourth. While Elliott and Heavner were putting on a show
racing for the fourth and fifth positions, Rogers was cruising at the front.
Elliott got his nose in front of Heavner for the position on Lap 113 just
as the caution flag was displayed due to fog. Elliott was put back in line
behind Heavner. Eight more laps were run under caution before the race was
called, giving Elliott his second top five in four starts with the USAR
series.

But Elliott was wanting more.

“Dang, this car was good,” he said. “I could have got [Heavner and Ruffin]
on the outside, and I feel like I could have gotten the 56 [A.J. Frank]
too.”

Elliott’s next event will be the fourth pair of races in the Sunoco Gulf
Coast Championship at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola and Mobile
International Speedway August 13th and 14th. Elliott currently leads the
series points.

- Bill Elliott Racing Inc. Press Release

Johanna Long

Long has already collected an impressive list of racing accomplishments. At only 18 years old, she touts Late Model championships in the Blizzard Series and Gulf Coast Series from the 2009 season. Long won five of the 36 events she ran en route to her championships and captured the pole for the esteemed Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in 2009. Long also competed in two ARCA events last season.

Long has tested with BBM twice. She worked with the No. 15 team at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway and Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park (GMP) in preparation for her inaugural NASCAR race. While at GMP, Long clicked off the fastest lap time at the half-mile asphalt oval. Her time of 17.218 seconds was the quickest among NASCAR’s top-three series since the facility was repaved last season.

Long will carry the colors of John Andretti’s Race 4 Riley event on the hood of her Toyota Tundra. Thanks to people like John Andretti and Dave Wilson, and their support of Riley Hospital for Children, we’re one step closer to every child having an equal chance of growing to adulthood. The three-day Race 4 Riley event begins on Wednesday, July 21 with donations going to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Long Comments on the AAA Insurance 200:

“I’m really excited to go racing trucks. I’ve been racing Late Models my whole life and this is the next step. I’m ready to take it.

“After a few test sessions, I’ve learned that Late Models are a lot different than trucks. Late Models are a lot lighter, and when you go in the corners, you can slam on the brakes and turn the car wherever it needs to go. You have to be a little easier in the trucks. They’re a little lazy. You have to let off the gas and then start turning it. It’s a lot different to get used to.

“I’ve been to ORP before in Late Model competition. It’s an awesome race track. It’s definitely a racer’s track. The turns are really wide, so you’re all over the place. I did pretty well with my Late Model, so I’m excited to go back.”

About Billy Ballew Motorsports:

BBM started competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2002 and has had a variety of well known NASCAR drivers over the years. The list includes Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Brian Ickler, John Andretti, Kenny Wallace, Paul Menard, Bill Lester, Geoffrey Bodine, Joe Ruttman and a host of others. It was Shane Hmiel who piloted the No. 15 for the 2004 season that brought Billy Ballew his first win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the team’s 100th start in the NCWTS. Since then Billy Ballew Motorsports has taken 18 more trips to victory lane.

- Billy Ballew Motorsports Press Release

HIGH POINT, NC (December 1, 2009) – Ryan Blaney has been keeping his name in the news this season by grabbing the 2009 PASS South Super Late Model Rookie of the Year honors on the basis of 12 top-10 finishes in 13 races. His most recent outing produced an impressive sixth-place finish in the CRA Super Series North-South Shootout at Concord Speedway (NC). Now the young North Carolina racer is looking to make more headlines in the Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race in December at Five Flags Speedway (FL), as part of the Snowball Derby weekend.

Although Blaney was crowned Rookie of the Year in the PASS South Series, he is not a rookie to Five Flags Speedway or the Snowflake 100. Blaney competed in the 2008 version of the event, where he finished 17th, and also took part in the final round of the 2009 Five Flags Speedway Pro Late Model season, bringing home a ninth-place finish.

“I wasn’t really that experienced when we went down there before,” said Blaney. “We really didn’t know that much about the cars, but I think that since I have a lot more experience now and we, as a team, have gotten a lot better, I think we can go down there and really be a contender for the victory. We have been down to Five Flags Speedway this year to race about a month ago, and the knowledge we gained on the track then will help us for the Snowflake 100.”

Having already been acquainted with the functioning style of the Snowflake last year, Blaney knows that first and foremost is the pressure to simply qualify for the race before turning the focus to the race.

“It definitely puts a little pressure on us,” said Blaney. “I’m not the strongest qualifier. I’ve had a couple of poles here and there, but we flex our muscles more during the race. We qualified pretty well there last time and I think we’ll be alright. If I’m just comfortable with it, I think we’ll be pretty good. We’ll work hard in practice and I’m confident we’ll make the show.”

Blaney’s confidence level goes beyond his ability as a driver as he puts a lot of faith in his team. After a full year of Late Model racing under his belt, Blaney is ready to etch his name in the record books as a winner in the Snowflake 100.

“If we could win the Snowflake 100, it would mean a lot. So many good guys are going down there like Kyle Busch, Bubba Pollard and Augie Grill. It would be awesome, especially to come to Five Flags and beat them at their own track where they’ve practiced and raced this whole year. It would mean a lot to me and it would be a great win for the team.”

Ryan Blaney will hit the track for the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, on December 5th.

- 51 Sports Press Release

NOTES

Car(s): #10 Ford Fusion PLM

#10 Ford Fusion SLM

Engine (s): Ford Racing Crate Engine (PLM)

18 Degree Super Late Model Engine (SLM)

Sponsor(s): Can Am Spyder-ATV/Comfort Inn-Pensacola Beach

Event/Series Notes

Event(s)/Date(s): PLM Allen Turner Snowflake 100-December 5, 2009

SLM 42nd Annual Snowball Derby 300-December 6, 2009

Venue: Five Flags Speedway–Pensacola , Florida

Track Size: ½ mile (.500)

Series: N/A

Standings: N/A

QUOTES

-Once again this year longtime Snowball Derby weekend sponsor Comfort Inn on Pensacola Beach has come on board plus you just signed on Can Am Sypder-ATV as a last minute deal, what does it mean for companies like these to be involved with a race team such as yours?

“First off I want to thank Comfort Inn for their continued support even in a tough economical year and with Can Am coming on board here in the last day or two I’ve really been lucky. It really shows how great both companies are and their involvement this year means more than ever. Whenever local companies get involved it not only goes a long way for my team, but when it’s a local company involved you can easily help them achieve the return on investment. Just like this year we always try to refer other teams and fans to them (Comfort Inn-Pensacola Beach) and then Tuesday night before the Derby I am speaking at the local Rotary club meeting in downtown Pensacola . In addition to that we’ll have a Can Am Spyder on display the entire Derby weekend. Things like these are what make sponsorship work not just putting a name on the car.”

-Explain what the Snowball Derby means to you and your family each year and take us through your 2009 season that has lead up to the Derby weekend?

“The snowball derby is the last race of the season for my family owned team. We try to make the most of it since it is our last one of the year and the Five Flags venue is the closest track to our home in Panama City . I’ve had a fair amount of success at Five Flags Speedway and hope to continue with a win at the Snowball Derby. The 2009 season was a short season for me since I have ran a select amount of races and had a short tenure in the ARCA RE/MAX series. Not racing as many venues in 2009 forces me to put great effort into the Snowball Derby to make up ground on what I missed during the regular season.”

-What is your fondest Derby weekend memory thus far since you’ve competed?

“Without question, winning the 2007 Allen Turner Snowflake 100 would be the fondest memory of the Snowball Derby weekend of my racing career so far. I have won lots of races but none come as close to coming from the last chance race to win the trophy of the 100 lap main event. Hopefully this year will be my year to notch the Snowball Derby off my list of races to win.

-You won the Snowflake 100 pro late model race in 2007 and over the last few years we typically see you with both the pro and super late models come Derby weekend, will that be the same case this year and what does it take to make both cars successful on an already stressful weekend of racing?

“This year we’ll again be fielding entries for both the Snowball and Snowflake races. I have both car configurations and it makes perfect sense to enter both events with full intentions on taking home the trophies for both races. Both cars have their own identities and drive completely different. The most effective way to prepare the cars is to focus on each one entirely on different days to ensure both cars are at their greatest potential of winning their respective races.”

Stay tuned to www.ryancrane10.com for all the latest news and information regarding Ryan Crane Racing in 2009.

- Ryan Crane Racing Press Release

PENSACOLA, FL (August 10, 2009) – After round four of the Blizzard Super Late Model Series at Five Flags Speedway (FL), it is evident that there are three drivers in a league of their own this season. Augie Grill, Bubba Pollard and Johanna Long, who are the current top three in the points standings, also dominated the top three positions in Friday night’s Carpenter’s Campers 100 with Grill bringing home the victory.

Although Grill started on the pole, his journey to victory lane wasn’t as easy as it may seem. Five Flags veteran Eddie Mercer quickly took the lead from Grill and paced the field for just over 30 laps before Grill was able overtake him for the lead. However after a cycle of pitstops, Grill found himself restarting in fifth with 38 laps remaining. It was this restart and Grill’s quick thinking that he credits his win.

“There on the restart, after we came in, I could see that the cars in front of us were falling off and weren’t as good as they had been,” commented Grill. “The leaders had stayed out and they were on older tires so I figured they might be a little slower on the start. I decided that I would try to get them on the outside on the start and it worked out and we held on. Bubba was really strong but we just had a great car tonight and were able to pull it off.”

Pollard, who is the current Blizzard Series points leader, as well as Johanna Long who is third in the standings, both had to make pit stops with only one lap completed in the event as Pollard had carburetor issues and Long had a flat tire. Both Pollard and Long restarted the race in the rear of the field and worked their way back up through the field to post their top three finishes.

“We fell back on the start and had to come in,” explained Pollard. “Then we had to work hard to get back up to the front without burning all of our stuff up. We had kind of a slow pit stop there but we had fresh tires and worked hard to make those spots up but we just didn’t have enough time to get back up to Augie since we were working all night to get to the front.”

Despite pitting out of sequence with the rest of the leaders, Long held her position in the top three on much older tires after making a comeback from her lap one pitstop.

“It was a little rough at first,” said Long. “We felt like we had a really good start at first and then the caution came out at lap one and had to come in, we had a flat tire and we put an old tire on and made it back. I felt like I was a sitting duck and not going to go to the front and we thought it was going to be a good points night for us but the three of us [Grill, Pollard, and Long] finished one, two, and three again.”

Stay tuned for the final Blizzard Series event on September 25th where the 2009 Champion will be crowned.

For more information about Five Flags Speedway, the Carpenter’s Campers 100 or the 42nd Annual Snowball Derby, please visit www.5flagsspeedway.com or contact the track by calling (850) 944-8400.

- 51 Sports Press Release