Randy Hill Racing (RHR)

After separating from Spraker Racing Enterprises in December, RHR led by owner Randy Hill, has methodically been prepping for its second year of competition and will join forces with Go Green Racing (GGR) under a technical alliance partnership. Randy Hill Racing will run as a separate Nationwide team but work with GGR in a collaborative partnership on race weekends.

Lawrenceville, Georgia native Casey Roderick, who competed in the 2011 season-finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in a joint effort between RHR and GGR, will return to the driving duties of the No. 08 Ford Mustang and hopes to make his inaugural superspeedway start at the “World Center of Racing” in three weeks.

“We looked at all of our options and we’re confident in this well-thought plan for 2012,” said car owner, entrepreneur and rancher Randy Hill. “We had the privilege to work with Go Green Racing on several occasions last year and we’re thrilled to keep that relationship alive again this year. We can learn a lot from them and that will only allow our program to strengthen.”

Hill, who lives in Baird, Texas continued, “Its Daytona. And by far it will be the biggest race of Randy Hill Racing’s career in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. We’re pumped about it,” he said. “I have great faith that our car will be competitive and Casey will be in top-form which should allow us to be in the hunt for a good finish. Let the countdown begin!”

For 19-year old Roderick, he is excited about the first green flag of the season; but more importantly, about having a more hands-on approach with RHR.

“I’m stoked for Daytona,” said Roderick who made three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts last season. “Randy has really put a lot of effort into making this season possible and I’ve been physically preparing myself for the season. I think our relationship with Go Green Racing will be highly beneficial and will only allow bigger and better things to blossom through the doors at RHR.”

Paul Andrews, a former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship crew chief, will hoist those same roles with RHR in 2012 starting at Daytona. Roderick had the opportunity to work with Andrews in the Ford 300 last October at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway which accelerated Roderick to his career-best 20th place qualifying effort in the NNS.

Archie St. Hilaire, owner of Go Green Racing (GGR) offered his thoughts on today’s announcement. “Everyone at GGR is excited about working with Casey, Randy and everyone at RHR in 2012. Casey has a tremendous amount of talent that I think will surprise everyone this season starting at Daytona and it’s refreshing to work with a guy who has as much passion for this sport as Randy Hill does. I couldn’t be happier with the way 2012 is shaping up for Go Green Racing!”

The DRIVE4COPD 300 (120 laps / 300 miles) is the first of 33 events on the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. The first practice session of the year begins on Thursday, February 23rd from 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. A final “happy hour” practice session has been etched in from 10:15 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Qualifying is set for the following day, Friday, February 24th scheduled to lift off at 2:05 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Saturday, February 25th just after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the anticipated thriller is tentatively scheduled to lift off at 12:30 p.m. also on ESPN.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing and @CaseyRoderick.

- Randy Hill Racing Press Release

Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR)

Saturday night’s Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the last of 34 races on the 2011 circuit. With new partner Combos onboard with Pilot Flying J, Annett headed into the 200 lap event eighth in the championship point race with just six markers separating him from ninth place Brian Scott. After securing a 15th place start, Annett’s goal for the night was to stay ahead of Scott to finish out the season as the eighth place driver in points.

The No. 62 Rusty Wallace Racing pit crew made their first stop of the day under a competition caution on lap 36. Gaining three spots on pit road, Annett was placed in 11th for the restart on lap 39.

Struggling with a loose-to-tight handling racecar, Annett fought lap after lap for top-10 track position. As other cars began to pit around lap 90, crew chief Rick Viers had the No. 62 car stay out for a few more laps. The yellow flag came out on lap 92 and Annett was positioned third on the leaderboard. In for another four-tire stop, he restarted eighth on lap 97.

The caution was back out on lap 130. In order to gain an extra point, Viers kept Annett out on the track to lead lap 134. On lap 135, the No. 62 Pilot Flying J/Combos crew changed four tires, refueled and made a wedge adjustment to their Camry. Annett’s Toyota was back out on the track in 17th for the restart.

The field ran nine laps under green before the track returned to yellow flag conditions. While most cars pitted, Annett stayed out and restarted second with 47 laps to go. The caution was back out on lap 174, and 10th place Annett reported that although he was battling cars with four fresh tires, his last run was the most consistent that the car had been all night. Back in for four Goodyears and fuel, he restarted 11th with 21 laps remaining.

On lap 188, the No. 09 car spun across the track and caught the right front corner of the No. 62 Pilot Flying J/Combos Camry bringing out the last of nine cautions. Before the yellow, Annett was in position to hold onto his eighth place points position. He battled out the final laps with a damaged splitter and a right front tire going down, leaving a strong night to end with a disappointing 19th place finish that knocked him back to ninth in the standings, a mere three points behind eighth place Scott.

Michael Annett

For the latest updates on Michael Annett, please visit www.michaelannett.com.

About Pilot Flying J:

Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 retail locations across North America. Pilot Flying J is also one of the Nation’s largest wholesale fuel providers, delivering over 500 million gallons of fuel to thousands of customers in 47 states and eight Canadian provinces. The company employs approximately 20,000 people and is the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America.

About Mars, Incorporated:

Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employs 70,000 associates at 250 sites, including 151 factories, in 67 countries worldwide. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, U.S.A., Mars, Incorporated is one of the world’s largest food companies, generating global revenues of more than $30 billion annually and operating in six business segments: Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. These segments produce some of the world’s leading brands: Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – WISDOM PANEL™, SERAMIS®, and COCOAPRO™. For more information, please visit www.mars.com.

- Rising Star Management Group Press Release

MacDonald Motorsports Thumbnail

“My team was behind me 100% all season long. I’m so grateful to have worked with them and for my sponsor, Daystar Television Network,” said Blake Koch. “We came up just short but I would have never dreamed to be in that situation at my home race track in front of all my friends and family.”

Driving the Bullet Liner / Foametix No. 82 Dodge, Reed Sorenson finished off his 2nd best season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a 25th place finish at Homestead. The result gave Sorenson a top-5 finish in the season long driver’s standings and a place in the Nationwide Series banquet Monday night in Miami, Florida. Reed will be recognized for another great season in which he racked up one win, seven top-5’s, and 18 top-10’s.

Blake Koch finished his season 18th in the point’s standings, even while not racing in two races earlier in the year. The MacDonald Motorsports No. 81 remains 25th in the owner’s points, meaning they will be locked into the first 5 races of 2012.

With a long off-season starting today, MacDonald Motorsports prepares to be even stronger in 2012. A lot of opportunities for drivers at MacDonald Motorsports are available in 2012 while the team plans to make the necessary adjustments to become a top-10 team. We would like to thank all of our sponsors this season for everything they did and their partnership with our team.

About Daystar Television Network

Daystar is a Television Network committed to spreading this message across the world: No matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or who you are. It is not too much for God to handle. There is life, hope, and forgiveness waiting for you through Jesus Christ. Find out more on www.Daystar.com.

About Burtin Polymer Laboratories (BPL)

Burtin Polymer Laboratories (BPL) remains one of the foremost authorities in research, development, and commercialization of polyurethane systems produced for commercial roofing, commercial and residential insulation, flotation, adhesives, packaging, spray elastomers and custom molding products. Recently launched, its Bullet Liner® products are primarily used for pickup truck beds, tailgates, wheel wells and other similar vehicle protection applications. Also, part of the impressive line of Burtin Polymer Labs products is Foametix® Spray Foam Insulation, which is a series of light density, polyurethane spray-applied foam insulation systems designed for residential and commercial / industrial building applications.

About MacDonald Motorsports

The MacDonald family name has been in the racing circles since owner, Randy MacDonald, started his own driving career in the 1980’s. The provisions made by Randy’s father, Marrill “Doc” MacDonald, and mother Pat helped Randy start racing professionally and establish his own company. Randy’s father Doc helped him create business relationships and carry out other important functions of the team until finishing his own race in March of 2007. Despite his death, Doc’s impact on the team will not end, as MacDonald Motorsports continues on in his honor and memory.

- MacDonald Motorsports Press Release

No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry (Brian Scott) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Miami 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

November 19, 2011

Race Highlights:

· Brian Scott and the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Team picked up the 11th starting position for the NASCAR Nationwide Series finale in Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday afternoon. The Shore Lodge Toyota was a little too free for Scott during qualifying so the team went into Saturday’s race with a plan to tighten the car at the first opportunity.

· The loose-handling issue on the Shore Lodge Toyota was a problem during the first several laps of the race but Scott struggled more with the restarts – an issue exacerbated by the loose-handling problem. As a result, Scott was back in the 13th position by the time the competition caution waved at lap 35.

· A super-fast pit stop by the No. 11 Shore Lodge crew placed Scott in the sixth position for the restart at lap 39. The loose-handling issue persisted during the next run however and Scott once again found himself losing a handful of positions. The team elected to make a track bar adjustment during the next stop at lap 90 while also changing four tires and adding fuel.

· Scott was once again running in the 13th position by the time the field reached the halfway point in the race so the team took another swing at the adjustments on the car during a stop under caution at lap 131. Scott restarted the race from the 10th position and from that point on, would never drop further than the 11th position.

· A series of cautions would come out during the final 25 laps of the race. The Shore Lodge Toyota team made its final stop of the race during the seventh caution at lap 175. Scott restarted the race from the 10th position. As the laps wound down, Scott battled his way to the ninth position where he was running when the checkered flag finally waved.

· Scott’s Joe Gibbs Racing Teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano finished the race in the fifth and 10th positions, respectively.

· The team’s ninth-place finish on Saturday evening moved Scott back up to eighth place in the final 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished second in Saturday’s race and captured the 2011 Nationwide Series driver championship.

Brian Scott - Photo Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt / Getty Images for NASCAR

“I’ll take a top 10 to end the year. We fought hard ever since Daytona. We didn’t have the performance or the results that we wanted until about the middle of the year. This team – we flipped the switch. Kevin (Kidd, crew chief) and I really got on the same page and we started having good runs. We were a pretty good team the second half of the year. Definitely performed the last quarter of the year with some top-five finishes, and got a pole at Chicago. We’re going to focus really on the last part of the year and continue to build and do the things that we started doing at the middle of the year that will make us better to come back in 2012 and be even stronger.

I don’t see any reason why this team can’t make the progress through the off-season and come back with the yellow and black Dollar General car and have a team good enough to run for the championship. I feel like Kevin Kidd (crew chief) and I have a relationship that is on really good terms. We’re really communicating well. We’re going to continue to work through the off-season just as hard – if not harder – than we worked all year. Come back and be a really strong team.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

Brad Keselowski gets ready to celebrate after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-ending Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Keselowski began the 200-lap race from the pole position after posting a lap of 32.208 seconds, or 167.660 miles per hour, during the Saturday afternoon qualifying session. As the race began, Keselowski radioed that the car was handling very tight in the center of the HMS corners, yet he was still able to race out to a one-and-a-half second lead before the NASCAR-mandated competition caution at lap 35. Crew chief Todd Gordon called for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment on the team’s first pit stop before Keselowski restarted the race in the lead at lap 39.

Just after the restart, Keselowski moved to the top of the track in an effort to keep the No. 60 car of Carl Edwards at bay. While Edwards was able to make his way around the Discount Tire machine, Keselowski kept his car at the front of the field during the ensuing green-flag run. After visiting pit road under the green flag at lap 92, Keselowski was caught one lap down to the race leaders as the caution flag flew prior to the pit stops cycling through. Keselowski, however, was able to earn the “Lucky Dog” award to get back to lead-lap racing. He then proceeded to take advantage of the opportunity.

Following the pit stop, which included a left side wedge adjustment, Keselowski radioed that his car was running great from the center to the exit of the corners, but it still needed some help on corner entry. He was able to race his way back inside the top five by clicking off consistent lap times and showing determination to finish off the NNS season with a solid result. As the race entered its final 50-lap segment, Keselowski began turning the fastest laps on the track as he moved into the second position.

At lap 181, following a lap 180 restart, Keselowski reclaimed his spot at the front of the field. Racing in an all-NNS champions group at the front of the field, Keselowski was able to hold off Stenhouse Jr., and Edwards over the final laps to secure the victory.

Penske Racing teammate, Sam Hornish Jr., finished seventh in the Ford 300 on Saturday evening.

Following Saturday’s result, Keselowski and the No. 22 team ended the season ranked fifth in the Nationwide Series owner point standings.

“You couldn’t ask for a better way to end the season,” said Keselowski. “Not being able to win the championship, it’s good to be able to finish on a high note, winning the pole and the race today at Homestead. It’s a great exclamation point to the season for the whole Discount Tire Dodge team.”

Brad Keselowski Ford 300 Race Statistics

Start: 1

Finish: 1

Laps: 200 / 200

Laps Led: 4 times for 66 laps

Status: Running

Owner Points Position: 5

- Penske Racing Press Release

No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry (Joey Logano) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

The Race Recap: Logano and the GameStop team got limited practice Friday due to rain but we’re still able to qualify ninth Saturday afternoon in the Gamestop/PDP/Afterglow Toyota. When the green flag flew on the final NASCAR Nationwide Series event of the season, Logano began a slow and steady charge to the front, picking off cars one at a time despite multiple early cautions, settling into a nice rhythm riding around sixth place. Following the first round of pit stops it quickly became apparent that Logano’s No. 20 Toyota was too loose and the team would have to work on the handling, especially the few laps coming after restarts.

As the car continued to free up, Logano and Crew Chief Adam Stevens started making a plan on how to tighten the car up without affecting Logano’s middle. Logano hit pit road under green just prior to halfway for his second stop when Stevens noticed a car spinning on the front stretch. A great pit call by Stevens had Logano continue on through the pits without stopping, finding him one of just 10 cars still on the lead lap. When he came back in to pit under caution Stevens called for “wholesale” changes including adding a spring rubber and making a shock adjustment among other changes.

For the remainder of the event, Logano continued to struggle on restarts, often losing several spots before the No. 20 Toyota came around. Logano found himself seventh late in the going and catching fifth and sixth, but several late-race cautions played against the GameStop team. Logano spent the remainder of the event just trying to hold on, eventually coming home 10th as the checkers flew to end the 200-lap event and the 2011 Nationwide Series season.

Joey Logano - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

The guys up front have clean air and you are stuck in dirty air and by the time the car comes around, you are already a few seconds behind and that’s tough to make up even when you are faster. I felt like we were on par with those front guys 10 or 15 laps into the run, but with all of the restarts that we had tonight, it just bit us. We fell back and fell back and just couldn’t make up the ground. I’m happy we were able to finish 10th, but that isn’t where we wanted to be or where we should be.

“All in all, it was a pretty good season. There were a few races that I feel like we really should have won and left something on the table. We were able to win at Daytona which was huge for me and for the team. It still stands as probably the biggest win of my career. And we were in contention for a lot of races. Two races that I’ll think about for sure was the first Dover race where we got together with Carl (Edwards) coming to the white flag while racing for the lead and ended up wrecked on the front stretch; and the Bristol night race, where we ran Kyle (Busch) down late in the race from a couple of seconds back and had that photo finish for the win. It was a blast to get to work with Adam (Stevens) all season long and watch him and this No. 20 team mature.

All but one of those guys was new to the team this year, so it was a growing year for all of us. It was also a lot of fun to work with Jason (Ratcliff) and the No. 18 guys for a couple of races. The more you work with people, the more you can take away from it all. And of course, it was great to work with GameStop again. They are just an awesome sponsor and they’ve been there from the start of my Nationwide Series career. You don’t see that very often these days, so to have a sponsor there that keeps coming back and that has such a great relationship with a driver and team is pretty cool. I look forward to working with them well into the future and seeing more and more of their cool paint schemes. Congrats to Ricky Stenhouse for winning the Nationwide Series Championship. It’s been cool to get to know him a little more this year and he’s well deserving of the title, especially after the year he had last year. All-in-all, it was a good year and hopefully next year will be even better.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hoists a championship flag after clinching the NASCAR Nationwide Series crown at the Ford 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES

Ford 300,

November 19, 2011

Homestead-Miami Speedway

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

“It is unbelievable. There are a lot of people that have worked really hard for this. My family has sacrificed a lot. Jack Roush and all these guys on our team, they were with us when we were struggling and they never gave up last year. Everybody at Ford Racing, Blackwell Angus Beef and Cargill, everybody has worked really hard and rallied together to be a team effort. Our cars back at the shop are phenomenal and all the guys that work hard there. Everybody at Roush Yates engines. It is a total team effort and it means the world to bring this championship to Jack and be a little bit of the history that he has in this sport. For Ford to get the manufacturers and Jack to get the owners it was for sure a huge team effort. Mike Kelley never let us down. He rallied us, even when we weren’t good and I would get a little mad out there on the race track he straightened me up and helped us keep digging.”

MIKE KELLEY, crew chief No. 6 Ford Mustang – WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE THE CREW CHIEF OF THE 2011 NATIONWIDE CHAMIPIONS?

“Just like Ricky said, it means a lot. I heard Carl say the other day that it isn’t about the trophy that you get but the journey you take to get there. I couldn’t say that anymore for working with Ricky the last 16 or 18 months together. We had tough times last year and it was documented very well. Anyone could have walked away. Jack could have turned his back on him, Ford could have and our guys could have. There were a lot of tough days and grim nights back at the shop. Nobody did though. I am so proud of my guys and Jack and Ford for sticking behind Ricky and seeing it through. To come through what we did all last year and during the off season we really put our heads down and we weren’t picked to be the favorite and that is probably what helped us the most. We were kind of overshadowed by the Elliott Sadler’s and the Allgaier’s and Sorensen’s and that kinda gave us a fight and desire back at the shop to make sure we came out strong. It was a total team effort. It wasn’t me. I have a great engineering staff and we moved our shop. Jack let us move down to the Cup shop in Concord and that was a big plus for us. The cars that we get are second to none out there and the engines are second to none. We never quit. We had bad days at the beginning of the year and we learned as a group on fuel mileage and strategy. I feel like we gave up a couple wins based on that. I am proud of the effort of this team during the hard times. We dug in there and finished off strong.”

JACK ROUSH, owner, No. 6 Ford Mustang – WE MADE HISTORY TONIGHT AS A TEAM WON THE DRIVER AND OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP WITH TWO DIFFERENT PRIMARY DRIVERS. CONGRATULATIONS JACK.

“When Carl won his Nationwide championship in 2007 I didn’t win the owners championship and I didn’t know what I did wrong. I didn’t do anything more wrong than I did right this time. It is an honor given to team owners that is really at the mercy of the efforts of the crew chiefs and drivers and the crew. I am glad to be sharing the honors with Carl and with Ricky and with Mike Beam and Mike Kelley. One thing I want to say, and I have been doing this for my 24th year and this is my third Nationwide championship that I have helped a driver win, but Ricky sits here tonight because of the sacrifice and dedication of a great family.

Without his mother and father, I am looking at his mom across the room here, without their sacrifice and dedication and determination to see to it Ricky had everything he needed to develop into the driver he has become it wouldn’t happen. People like myself or Tony Stewart or other owners that have the race cars would never find a Ricky Stenhouse without the family doing all they have to do and the dark days before it really goes public. Mike Kelley did a great job this year, Mike Beam did a great job behind the scenes. Carl Edwards provided great leadership from a driver point of view. Trevor Bayne did a great job challenging Ricky in some ways and supporting him in others. It has been a great team effort that we are celebrating tonight but I am especially thankful and respectful of the sacrifice of the whole Stenhouse family that they made to get Ricky where he is.”

STENHOUSE CONTINUED – IS THE THE BIGGEST THING TO HAPPEN TO OLIVE BRANCH?

“I would say so. It is going to be cool. I plan on taking the trophy when I got to the Christmas parade as Grand Marshal December 3rd. It will be a good homecoming for sure. There are a lot of people back there that are really supportive of what we are doing. The whole school system and everybody down there. It is really cool to have a community behind you like that.”

YOU WERE IN THE TOP FIVE IN POINTS ALL YEAR BEFORE MOVING TO FIRST AND STAYING THERE. WAS THERE A MOMENTUM SHIFT AFTER YOU GOT TO FIRST?

“We look at it as one whole year. We got the lead a couple times and lost it but that last time we got it we were bound and determined not to give it back. We wanted to seal it up before coming to Homestead. We did the best job we could and it was just a whole year of total team effort and really working to not make mistake on pit road and not making mistakes as a driver and crew chief. I think at the end of the year we really limited our mistakes we made in our first half the year that gave those points leads back to other people. That was the main thing we focused on.”

WHAT WAS THE ONE BIGGEST LESSON YOU LEARNED FROM JACK DURING THE TROUBLES LAST YEAR?

“The one biggest thing I think I learned from everything Jack has done for me is that he cares about me as a person and really wanted me to succeed. If he didn’t care he wouldn’t put me in the body shop. That is one thing I learned from my dad. He was tough on my growing up but it was always for a reason. Jack has been an awesome team owner. He has done a lot of great things in NASCAR and I am glad to be a part of this one little thing. He has been doing it a long time. He has his ways of doing things and you have to look at the positives from it. I think that was the biggest thing I learned.”

JACK ROUSH CONTINUED – WHAT WAS IT YOU SAW IN RICKY THAT MADE YOU INSIST ON PUSHING HIM TO THE POINT TO SEE IF HE HAD WHAT IT TOOK?

“Ricky was extraordinarily talented. Every challenge we gave him with a new race track or problem with a car as we changed the car Ricky was bright and quick and talented in meeting those challenges. The thing that was always there when you would reach a situation when it was clear that you could go down this or that path and Mike Beam or Mike Kelley or myself decided to go down a certain path Ricky always went along with it. He never called his dad for support and said we were being to hard on him, he just went along with the program. That is what a rookie needs to do. He needs to go with the program with the people looking after him and our group had his interests in mind.

The other thing was that he was just driven to be competitive to the extent of self destruction to start with. It is much easier to temper that and deal with that that it is for someone that doesn’t want it as bad as those next to them. They couldn’t realize the ultimate prize. Ricky wanted it bad and he raised himself to be a race car driver. This was his opportunity and he tried to hang on to it too tight to start with and couldn’t realize the success there for him but very quickly we got over that.”

RICKY STENHOUSE CONTINUED – THIS IS THE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER THE NEW FORMAT. YOU ARE THE CHAMPION WITH TWO WINS. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING THE FIRST CHAMPION IN THIS NEW FORMAT?

“It means just as much. We race week in and week out with those guys. We gave them a run for their money here tonight. Ultimately my goal is to go out there and win the drivers and owners championship. We finished third in the owners championship so we ran really strong all year. We beat Carl, we beat Brad, we passed those guys and raced Kyle Busch. I think as a race team and me as a driver I felt like we are just as good as those guys. I think that racing up there and beating them definitely makes this championship worth it.”

YOU FINISHED STRONG.

“This race track is one of my favorites. I wish we came here twice at least. Last year was the first year here. I had a lot of fun and this is just my style of race track. You can drive it in hard, let it slide up to the wall and get back in the gas and really hang it out, it just reminds me a lot of sprint car racing. Last year, we finished fourth and ran really strong and this year we just came up one spot short and maybe one corner short, but, man, it was fun racing those guys. We were sideways, turning right, trying to keep it off the fence, getting into the fence every now and then, and to race up there with Carl, Brad, Denny, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler, they’re some of the best in the business and to be up there racing with them is fun.”

AT WHAT POINT DID YOU KNOW THE TITLE WAS YOURS AND DID IT CHANGE YOUR PHILOSOPHY?

“We were going 100 percent there from the start. It’s tough to get me to back down any. I’m not good at riding around, so I’m not sure what lap it was, Mike Kelley came over and told me we were good to go, that we had won the championship, but we still stayed focused and I think I drove 110 percent after that, so that was the only thing that really changed.”

WAS THERE A TURNING POINT FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM THIS SEASON?

“I can think of two. Early in the year when we led laps at Bristol, ran up there with Kyle and I was kind of playing around with him the whole time. Talking to Kyle after he was like, ‘Man, you had the best car.’ We made a mistake on fuel mileage and we made a mistake as a race team getting lined up and we got caught two laps down, so I think we rallied together and we worked on our fuel mileage with Ford and everybody at Roush Fenway and Roush Yates, worked on our fuel mileage, and we kind of got a direction there and that really helped us. And then Indy when we led 190 laps and we came up a couple spots short. That was pretty tough for us, but we were bound and determined to win some more races and really run up front and dig hard, and Mike was the one that kind of rallied everybody together and kept everybody digging.”

MIKE KELLEY CONTINUED –

“I kind of agree with him. Early on in the year we kind of made a few mistakes and left a lot of points on the table, a lot more than we ever thought, and I really feel if we would have been a little smarter, a little better earlier in the year, we’d have been right in the middle of that owner’s championship, and that was our goal from the beginning. But the thing that meant a lot to me is we sat down in January and we circled a bunch of dates on the calendar for Ricky’s experience level on the road course races, we kind of had a goal, we said we’d have to be 25 points in the lead coming into the last two road course race swing knowing that Elliott had a lot of experience and Ricky had never been to Watkins Glen.

We knew we’d take our lumps there, but if we could get out of there, we didn’t care if it was a one-point lead or a two-point lead, we would tell ourselves on the way home that we came out of there with the lead and now it was ours to hold on to the last 10 races of the year, kind of really laid into Ricky’s schedule – a bunch of short tracks thrown in there with some mile-and-a-halfs that the cars have been good on.

When we made it through those two road course races, I don’t know if it was six, seven, eight points or something, we came out of there with the lead and I remember looking at him on the plane and I told him, ‘Picture that we came in here five points behind and we actually came out six points ahead and we’ll look at it that way, instead of saying we lost 10 today.’ We got the guys rallied back at the shop and said, ‘We’ve only got to turn left from here on in and Ricky can do that as good as anybody out there.’ Lack of experience or not, he’s as talented as anyone I’ve ever seen behind the wheel.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. CONTINUED – AT THE START OF THE YEAR MANY PEOPLE DIDN’T HAVE YOU IN THEIR TOP FIVE. DID YOU USE THAT AS MOTIVATION?

“We definitely used that as motivation. We felt like at the end of last year, Mike Kelley and I were sitting down at the banquet watching Brad get the trophy, we told each other right there that as strong as we were running at the end of the year, running up in the top five with the Cup guys, that we were going for that championship and that was before they ever changed the point system. Obviously, they changed the point system and we still weren’t in sight to do that from the media’s perspective, but we felt like as a race team we could do that, I felt like as a driver I was just as good as anybody else out there, and if we put everything together, then we knew we had a shot at this championship. But it was just fun. You all have been doing this a long time and I’m just getting started, so it was good to come out here and get this championship.”

- PCG Campbell Press Release

Dodge Motorsports

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ford 300

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Final Post-Race Quotes

(POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES)

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T)

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOU WIN TONIGHT?

“Yeah. It’s been up-and-down year on all sides, whether the Cup or Nationwide side. We finished this year strong with a win and sitting on the pole today. We had a very fast Dodge today in qualifying. There were a couple moments that we struggled in the race. We worked on it and didn’t spend a lot of time whining about it. Carl (Edwards) definitely put up a good fight. It was going to come down to the last restart. I really thought that once I had him cleared that I could drive away with the clean air, but I got to pushing really bad and (he) was able catch up. From there, it was going to be a dogfight. He fought hard and I fought hard. We were able to come out on top.”

HOW COOL WAS IT THAT YOU’RE LAST YEAR’S NNS CHAMPION RACING AGAINST THIS YEAR’S NNS CHAMPION RICKY STENHOUSE?

“It was really unique. My spotter was telling me during the race with Carl being a past Nationwide champion and myself being last year’s, racing with Ricky is kind of cool. It’s nice to see this sport and the progression. It’s a good moment to reflect on where this sport is and is heading.”

WHERE YOU WORRIED ABOUT RACING AGAINST CARL LATE IN THE RACE?

“I only put a move on him once. One move is cool, two moves is not. You get one move and I used my one move. That’s how I feel about it. I guess every driver has his own ‘code’. I used up my one move. He never made a second one.”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR NATIONWIDE PLANS ARE FOR NEXT YEAR?

“Well, you know, the thing about the Nationwide car to me, there’s a lot of things about it, but the Nationwide program was a great opportunity for me to come into Penske Racing and be a part of creating something special in multiple ways, from being able to win a first championship for Roger (Penske) to creating depth in the company that would service for years to come. And for me to have a shot at just being successful and feeling like that if the Cup side didn’t go so well, which I think, to be honest, I had some suspicions it wouldn’t, that I wouldn’t lose my own confidence and those around me wouldn’t.

“To make that all happen, it took commitments from people. And those people work on the team, those people work in the shop and those people sponsor the race car. And so in order for me to live up to my end of that, and I’ve certainly been rewarded with it and we’re starting to see success from that on the Cup side. You know, I can’t just run away from that. I’ve got to live up to that and the commitments that those people have made to me. I’ve got to make the commitment back to them. You know, I plan on continuing that commitment to them and slowly scaling that down as the time passes by. I think we looked at this year and I ran somewhere around 28 races approximately (29) and, you know, I would suspect that over the next few years that you will continue to see that roll back. We lost six or seven races this year and I would assume that I would probably shed a few more next year and then the year after. You know, those things are always changing so it’s hard to give a definitive answer, but that would be my own expectations.”

DO SOME OF THESE WINS MEAN MORE TO YOU THAN OTHERS?

“You’re only as good as your last one. To me, I always feel like not only are you only as good as your last win, but you never know when you’re last win is going to be. So, you better savor it. And I’ve been through the up and down patches in my life as a race car driver. I can remember being a crew member and going through a patch of four or five years not winning a race and damn, it sure made me appreciate the ones that I was able to win before that. I sure as hell don’t take it for granted. This could be the last win of my career as far as I’m concerned. You know, I feel like every time I get in the race car I have something to prove. When you are able to prove it like we’re able to do today as a team, it feels pretty damn good to me.”

DO YOU THINK SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE SAW ON THE RESTARTS TODAY WILL BE TRIED TOMORROW? THE GUY RESTARTING SECOND WAS ABLE TO GET A GOOD RUN.

“Sure, well you know that’s just the way the Nationwide cars are. It’s quite a bit different than the Cup cars as far as restarts are concerned. With the low power situation, it’s almost like a tag-team on a restart. Whoever has the best tag-team comes out front. It can be a little awkward at times, but I think on almost every restart whoever restarted second took the lead or at least more than not. It’d be an interesting stat, but you know that’s kind of par for the course on the Nationwide side. That’s got more to do with power situation and the side drafting than I think anything else. Cup cars seem to be quite a bit more immune to that.”

YOU WON THE NATIONWIDE TITLE LAST YEAR. YOU’VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME THE LAST TWO SEASONS ON THE TRACK WITH RICKY. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY YOU THINK HE MADE SUCH A GREAT IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST SEASON TO BECOMING A CHAMPION THIS YEAR?

“Well I think with Ricky, I think his cars were pretty far off last year and I think the same thing for Carl and really all that team. And by the end of the season, they found something and they got their cars better. They got that new engine over there which is a huge gain for them in both power and weight savings. So, I think that was a huge gain for them. I think once his cars got more competitive, he was able to be more competitive without pushing as hard and I think that’s a big learning curve. When you find yourself running 90 percent and you’re able to run fifth to tenth, you know, you’re okay with running 90 percent for a little while.

You can kind of settle in. When you find yourself running 90 percent and you’re running 15th-20th or whatever that might be, you find yourself driving at a hundred percent and you find yourself taking chances or kind of going all-in on some bad hands, so to speak. And so it makes life a lot easier on you when your cars are more competitive. I think his cars are more competitive and that has allowed him, or has opened a box in his own mind, that allows him to understand better how hard he needs to push. He’s done a great job picking that up this year.

That’s what every driver needs to learn. That’s why teams are so important because the first brick, the foundation of any race team, is the speed that you have in the car and from there, you know, you put up the sides of the house with the pit crew and you worry about the roof, the roof being the race car driver. But you’ve got to have that good foundation and that’s speed in the car. Everything else is built off of that. You know, I think that camp over there did a good job of making their program better, making their cars better, and Ricky was able to make something out of that, so he deserves some credit too.”

TODD GORDON (crew chief, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T)

“We made a couple of adjustments after practice. Not having that second practice. we thought that we would get a little bit more aggressive with travels and that really over-traveled the car and got on the splitter really hard the first half of the race. We struggled with trying to get off of (that) all day. We just kept plugging away at it. Brad never gave up. (We made) several rounds at the car trying to get the car off the splitter. It just comes down to Brad’s talent on restarts. He pulled it out today. We probably didn’t give him the best piece to work with today.”

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT DOES WINNING THIS FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON MEAN, ESPECIALLY COMING OFF THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON LAST YEAR? WHAT DOES BRAD REDUCING HIS SCHEDULE MEAN TO YOU AND THE TEAM?

“To reflect on the year, we kind of made that my pre-race comment, but we kind of lost some continuity from what the 22 team was from last year. We had a lot of new faces, myself being one of ‘em. Car chief came over from a different place, the engineer; we’ve had a couple different that weren’t here last year. We built a lot of chemistry this year and I think the last half of the season shows a lot for that. A couple of things that are unique about this year, Brad has won five races in the 22 car this year, none of which were at race tracks he won at last year. We’ve got 11 wins over the last two seasons at 11 different race tracks.

And Kurt (Busch) won at Watkins Glen which was the 12th race track. We’ve had some success at some different places and I think winning this sends the team in the off-season with an extra little hitch in their step. It gives us something to build off of for the off-season and look forward to for next year. However it works out, I think we went through the summer months when Brad had his injuries and we shuffled four different race car drivers and I think we were competitive with all four. That’s one of the things we’ve got here at Penske, we’ve got talent. Roger does a good job of supplying us with that. I don’t want to give Brad up, but I understand where the program is at. We’ll be here together for the majority of the races next year and we’ll work in the offseason pretty hard to make sure that whatever we’re going to do to fill the little voids will be ready in step for 2012.”

(QUOTES PRIOR TO POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE)

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T) Race Winner

“You couldn’t ask for a better way to end the season. Not being able to win the championship, it’s good to be able to finish on a high note, winning the pole and the race today at Homestead. It’s a great exclamation point to the season for the whole Discount Tire Dodge team.”

WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN WATCHING THE RACING OUT THERE TONIGHT. IS IT THAT MUCH FUN BEHIND THE WHEEL? “Hell yeah, I mean, it is when you win. It was tough, it was frustrating, it was hot here in Miami and that’s what makes it worth it.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THE CUP RACE TOMORROW? “Man, I can’t tell you that (smiles). Just driving the hell out of it; I’m going to drive hard I guess. And thanks to all the fans for coming out.”

SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished Seventh

“It was a pretty solid night for the Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger. We just didn’t have the short run that we needed late in the race to crack into the top five. We had our ups and downs all night. We felt that we had really good long-run speed in the car to compete all night. We just got down to the end of the race and it became a short-run race with all the cautions. We made a small change and it wasn’t enough to get us where we needed to be. We got stuck on the inside on that last restart; it slowed us down a bit. We were good. We just needed more short-run speed.”

HAS THE LAST FOUR RACES GIVEN YOU GUYS A GOOD BUILDING BLOCK HEADING INTO THE 2012 SEASON?

“I think so. It’s not easy when you’re not running a full-time season, but we certainly didn’t waste any of the opportunities that we had all year. We raced to some top 10s, won at Phoenix and had another top 10 tonight. We need to continue to work on our short run speed. I think everyone on this team gained a lot of valuable experience and that can only be a positive thing heading into next year. Our race changes have been improving. Our team has become stronger in the pits. Everything that we’ve done the last four races has helped make us a team to contend with next season.”

TRAVIS GEISLER (Director of Competition, Penske Racing)

“A great night. The last couple of weeks have been really good. To get Sam (Hornish) in victory lane with his Alliance Truck Parts Dodge last weekend at Phoenix and Brad (Keselowski) tonight in his Discount Tire Dodge is awesome. This is pretty sweet. It’s always great to go out on a high note. Our Nationwide program did a great job all year with six wins and six poles. To come here and beat Carl Edwards is a real testament to everyone that touches these Dodge Challengers. This is why we go racing, to be able to share in great moments like this. It certainly makes the off-season a lot shorter.”

- Dodge Motorsports / Darnell Communications Press Release

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

• The NASCAR Nationwide Series title is the third for Ford Racing and Roush Fenway Racing (Greg Biffle in 2002 and Carl Edwards in 2007).

• This marks 12th driver’s championship for Ford Racing in NASCAR’s top three divisions combined (8 NSCS, 3 NNS, 1 NCWTS) and the sixth overall for Roush Fenway Racing (2 NSCS, 3NNS, 1 NCWTS).

• Today also capped an impressive season for Mustang, which won a manufacturer and driver championships in its rookie NASCAR season. In addition, Mustang won 13 NASCAR Nationwide Series races, which is the most for any model in 2011.

FORD CHAMPIONS

• Greg Biffle became the first driver in NASCAR history to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. Biffle captured the 2002 NNS title in dominant fashion as he posted a series-best 25 top-10 and 20 top-5 finishes in 34 starts. In addition, he tied for first with poles (5) and wins (4), but his consistency throughout led to a 264-point victory for the championship over second-place Jason Keller.

• Carl Edwards won his first NASCAR championship in even more dominating fashion than Biffle as he claimed the championship by 618 points over runner-up David Reutimann. Edwards led the series with 21 top-10 finishes while tying for most top-5 efforts with 15 in 35 starts. He swept both races at Nashville for two of his four wins on the season with the other two coming at Bristol and Dover. Edwards was in charge of the points race pretty much the entire season, taking the lead after a fourth-place finish on the Mexico City road course in the third event of the year and never giving it up.

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship in only his second full season of competition through consistency. He led the point standings for 17 weeks, including the final 14, and won the first two races of his career as he swept both events at Iowa Speedway. Stenhouse Jr. battled Elliott Sadler the final month of the season, but came out on top by virtue of six top-5 and nine top-10 finishes over the final nine races.

FORD’S NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPIONS

Year Driver Car Owner Wins Poles

2002 Greg Biffle Roush Racing 4 5

2007 Carl Edwards Roush Racing 4 0

2011 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing 2 3

- PCG Campbell Press Release

Ford Racing

FORD FINISHING RESULTS

2nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

3rd – Carl Edwards

11th – Trevor Bayne

21st – Timmy Hill

27th – Casey Roderick

36th – Andrew Ranger

42nd – Fain Skinner

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – No. 6 Blackwell Angus / Cargill Ford Mustang – CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – WHAT ABOUT THE LAST TWO OR THREE
LAPS?

“We sure tried. That was all I had. I was really hoping for one more lap there, but Brad did a good job. It was fun racing Carl and those guys. I got a little loose there coming off four or I thought we could have got him, but the Blackwell Angus Beef and Cargill Mustang did its job at Ford Championship Weekend – Nationwide Insurance – this is a dream come true.”

WHAT A CINDERELLA STORY. WHAT MADE IT HAPPEN FOR YOU?

“I think first off is just relying on God. We were down in the dumps and we relied on Him and He pulled us through. That’s why we have to give him the praise for the nightsthat we’re on top. It was just a lot of hard work by all these guys – Jack Roush, Ford Racing, everybody at Blackwell Angus Beef and Cargill – this crew right here, they didn’t give up on me. They were with us all through last year and I’m just glad to be here.”

ONE HERO IS JEFF GORDON AND THE OTHER IS YOUR DAD. WHAT DOES THIS DAY MEAN TO YOU AND YOUR DAD?

“It means a lot. My family sacrificed everything they had. My sister didn’t quite get everything that she’s ever wanted. We were racing as much as we and to do that for them, he taught me hard work and to never give up. I wish my granddad was here. He helped us out a lot through the go-kart days and worked on our cars. We had a lot of fun doing that. I wish he was here, but this is an awesome night.”

TALK ABOUT YOUR NIGHT

“This is just awesome what this team has done, what Jack Roush has done and everybody at Ford Racing and Nationwide Insurance for giving us this great series to run in and all the fans that come out to watch every week. We really appreciate that, especially the ones that support us.”

HOW GOOD WAS THIS CAR TONIGHT?

“Man, this race car was awesome. It was a little tight at the beginning but we worked on it. We knocked the wall down in three and four but it seemed to maybe help it a little bit. Mike Kelly did an awesome job and we had awesome pit stops. Everybody on this Blackwell Angus Beef and Cargill Mustang worked their butts off. We had a late race charge there. I didn’t want to see that caution when we were leading but those always come out it seems like. That last restart I was giving it all I had. If I could have got a little better restart and not lost as much ground to Carl and Brad I think we could have had it. It was a great race, fun hopefully the fans enjoyed it. We do this for them.”

GO BACK A YEAR OR SO AGO AND JACK GIVES YOU A CALL TO DRIVE THE NATIONWIDE SERIES. YOU HAD PROBLEMS KEEPING THE CAR OFF THE WALL. HE PUT YOU TO WORK REBUILDING THE CARS. WHAT KIND OF LESSONS DID YOU LEARN FROM JACK ROUSH?

“The same lessons I learned from my Dad. He just helped me remember them. You have to work hard, stay focused and be patient and determined. Jack has his way of doing things and it has definitely worked out.”

JAMIE ALLISON, Director, Ford Racing –

“Wow. What a great moment. Unbelievable to have this championship. It is what we all race for and is a proud moment for Ford and Ford fans everywhere. We got one championship tonight and we have one more to go tomorrow.”

CARL EDWARDS – No. 60 Fastenal Ford Mustang – PIT ROAD INTERVIEW

“First, congrats to Ricky. That’s huge for Ricky to win the driver’s championship. I’m so proud of my guys. Fastenal, Ford, Valvoline, NextGen oil, Wiley X, all the fans that came out here. It’s a great weekend for Ford. I’m proud to be driving a Ford. I wanted to get Brad there at the end. We were racing hard and I got up on his bumper there and I was hoping he’d get loose, but I got tight. He did a really good job driving. It was just fun racing. This is really neat and Denny raced me so clean. That was a ton of fun.”

RICKY GOT YOU AS WELL.

“That was funny. I thought I finished second. Ricky got me too, but he deserves it. He’s a great guy and it was just a fun race. I’m excited for tomorrow. Tomorrow in that Aflac Ford is gonna be a blast.”

TAKE US THROUGH TONIGHT.

“First, congratulations to Ricky and all the Blackwell Angus Beef folks. Ricky has come so far and I think he’s gonna be a champion in a bunch of levels of this sport. That was huge and my guys have done a great job all year – eight wins and we’re so proud to have Fastenal on board. Ford has been great. It’s Ford Championship Weekend and we wrapped up the drivers and the owners and that was huge. Valvoline and NextGen, Wiley X and all
these fans that are here, this is cool. It did get pretty exciting there at the end. I had to remember, ‘Hey, don’t screw this up,’ and Brad started blocking a little bit and I thought, ‘Well, if he’s gonna block, I’m gonna bump him,’ and then I bumped him and it helped him and hurt me. I didn’t do a good job of that, but he did a great job racing. I thought everybody raced as aggressively as I’ve seen in a long time and everybody was real respectful. It was really fun.”

TREVOR BAYNE – No. 16 Ford Mustang Ford (Finished ) –

“Well, we had a really fast race car, we just had one run where we missed it a little bit. Everyone moved to my lane and we were so fast at the top but everyone saw that and they all moved up in front of me and I hadnowhere to gain on them. We were just average at the end there. We lost a right rear tire and it got us in the wall. I don’t know if it went down first or getting in the wall took it down. It is disappointing because I wanted to be out there with him doing so me burnouts. Next year hopefully we can be out there. I am really pumped for Ricky and Carl. To win championships is a big deal. It shows consistency and it shows you can be there all the time. They were fast. It is a tough series and for them to win is huge especially for Ricky. This is an awesome deal for him. I am really excited for him.

YOU’VE GOT THE 500, HE’S GOT THE NATIONWIDE TITLE. WHO HAS THE TRUMP CARD?

“I don’t know man. I don’t know if you can compare apples and oranges, that is kinda what that is. I am just excited for both of us to have seasons like this and I am really proud to be a part of this Roush Fenway group.”

CARL EDWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE –

“It was huge for us. That 18 team,they’ve been unbelievable and for us to have closed in all the points we did the last couple of months, I think it was 50 or so points – something like that – my guys are very excited about this. That was our mission tonight to be that 18 and to win this owner’s
championship. I just can’t say enough things about Jack Roush and Ford and everything they’ve done with this Nationwide program. Ricky Stenhouse and Trevor Bayne have been huge helps to me as a driver. They’ve obviously been amazing on the race track and I’m so happy for Ricky for his accomplishment and for us to have won that owner’s championship makes it really neat for all the guys back at the shop and it’s something they can be proud of, so that was good. The race was a blast. That was just really fun. There at the end I learned a little bit about the different lines on the restarts and things like that. Brad did a really good job. He blocked for everything he had. I bumped him, but not hard enough, and I got tight and then Ricky got by me. I thought Ricky might get him. I don’t know about you guys, but coming into turn three that last lap I thought, ‘Maybe these guys will bump into each other and we’ll still win this thing,’ so I don’t know if it looked that exciting from the grandstands or TV, but it was real exciting for me and that’s a good way to spend a Saturday night before tomorrow’s race. It was a blast.”

IS THIS BITTERSWEET FOR YOU AS A FULL-TIME NATIONWIDE DRIVER?

“Mike Beam and all the guys on this Fastenal team, I think it’s eight races we won this year, we got more poles than anyone, we led close to 2,000 laps. It’s been a blast. It’s really fun and I’m gonna miss it a lot. I’ll probably run some races. There’s no telling, I might run again full-time here in a year or two, who knows? I really do enjoy this and years like this are a lot of fun and it’s from a lot of hard work. We were not this fast a
year-and-a-half ago or so when we were really struggling. They had to really go to work on the engines and the cars and moving the shop, so
it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been something I think has helped me in huge ways to be in the place we’re in in the Cup Series.”

DID THIS FULFILL YOU HOPE FOR A PROPER PREPARATION FOR TOMORROW?

“Yes. This was very good practice for me. It was really good practice, especially there was one point where the 18 was in front of us and I had to really bear down and go for it there on those restarts. That was neat. We also made a lot of adjustments on the car. I got to feel adjustments and feel the track change a little bit as the sun went down, and I was reminded of all the things you have to be careful of not to mess up, so I think it’s great practice. I didn’t hurt myself or break an arm or anything, so that was good. I had a good time. I actually did think about, ‘If I win this thing should I do a backflip or not?’ That would be unreal.”

WHEN RICKY DIDN’T MAKE THE RACE AT NASHVILLE LAST YEAR DID YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT HIS ABILITY OR HIS ABILITY TO SURVIVE WHATEVER JACK HAD IN STORE FOR HIM?

“I didn’t know if he’d be able to survive Jack. I mean, Jack was on Ricky. He was not building Ricky up. He was challenging Ricky everyday and I think Ricky has shown everyone, myself included, how good heis. There are guys, when I talk about Ricky with the Cup drivers, they know when he comes up there he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with. There is no doubt that Ricky Stenhouse will win tons of Cup races and probably championships. He’s that good.”

CARL EDWARDS CONTINUED — HOW DOES A GUY GO FROM WHERE HE WAS 18 MONTHS AGO TO WHERE HE IS NOW?

“I think the cars are better, first of all, so he was not only being thrown to the wolves, I mean, Ricky is a sprint car driver and he was really thrown in this thing head first ata time when I don’t think I was winning any Nationwide races. If I was, it was by the smallest of margins and I’ve been doing this for five years or something when he came in, so the thing about Ricky though is I’ve never personally seen a bigger example of a guy who
just all he had to do was slow down a little bit and he’s as fast as anyone. I think two things coincided, Ricky learned to get the car set up like he wanted to run these long races, and the cars got a little better and however he hung onto his job was awesome and here he is. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s always been a good, solid person through the whole thing. He’s just a good guy.”

DID YOU COME CLOSE TO GETTING CARRIED AWAY WITH BRAD?

“I thought about it a little bit, but we kept it clean. That was just good racing. It was really fun. That thing could have gone any number of ways, whether we had a restart or didn’t have a restart. He did his job and that was just a good race. He drove his heart out.”

DO YOU THINK GOING THROUGH THAT FIRE HELPED MAKE HIM INTO A CHAMPION?

“Right, all of us in this room, it’s not your successes that make you better, usually, those are nice, but it’s the tough times that make you strong and teach you the biggest lessons. Ricky, I can’t tell you. I wish I had some of those meetings on audio tape or video because he was getting it from all angles and he just kept getting better and kept working and turned this whole thing around. It’s amazing.”

THE RACE STARTS LATE TOMORROW. WHAT WILL YOU DO TOMORROW?

“I’ll do normal stuff tomorrow, nothing big. I’ll just have a regular day before the race. Bob and I will talk a little bit tonight like we
always do about what our plan is and there’s no change. We’ve got a lot of sponsor folks coming. Paul Amos from Aflac is gonna be here
and we’re excited to have him here. We’ve renewed our partnership for a multi-year deal, so that’s really exciting and a bunch of people from Ford are gonna be here, which is really neat. I think it’s cool that Edsel Ford himself has been here this weekend supporting everybody, but, for me, there’s nothing different – no big appearances or anything like that.”

WHY DO YOU CHOOSE TO STOP NATIONWIDE FULL-TIME?

“Because it’s been so good for me I am a little bit nervous that it might throw me off a little bit, but I think a big test for me was this year at Sonoma. We had the road course race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and our car was no good in Friday’s practice and we made the call and Fastenal was okay with us not going to Elkhart Lake. I was really nervous that would throw me off. I’d been doing that for six years or something traveling that day and not practicing at Sonoma, but it turned out to be our best Sonoma Cup race that we ever had with me staying there and focusing on the Cup car. As much as I learn from running the Nationwide Series, I believe that sometimes, at this point in my career, it takes a little extra energy and it might be better to focus on my Cup car. But if it’s not working, I’ll be back here racing. I’ll find something to drive I hope.”

WERE YOU AT THE MEETING WHEN RICKY CAME IN HIS WORK GOGGLES?

“No, what’s the story there?”

HE SHOWED UP IN WORK GOGGLES TO WORK ON THE CARS.

“Jack’s boot camp. No, I hadn’t heard that story. All I heard for it seemed like months it was almost like Jack turned it into a game. I mean, you bring up Ricky and he’s like, ‘Yep, we’re running him into the ground. We’re not letting up on him.’ It was like Jack made it his mission that he was gonna go with Ricky to the end of the earth and it wasn’t gonna be fun for Ricky until he turned it around, so it worked out, I guess.”

DID HE EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT WITH YOU?

“Yes. My dad came here tonight. He’s here. Jack and my dad are a lot alike. My dad, when I was a little kid, everything would be going well, the day would be going great, and he’d go, ‘I haven’t beaten you for a while have I?’ Just to remind me like, ‘Hey.’ I’ve been like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been pretty good. Everything is good. I’m gonna keep it that way.’ But Jack is the same way. He pulled me in after one wreck that I caused and he asked me to come in and have a meeting with him. I was under the impression this was gonna be a ‘don’t worry, everything is gonna be great, we’re working really hard and you’re a good driver’ meeting. And he sat me down and said, ‘I just want to make sure you feel bad enough about what you’ve done,’ and he proceeded to tell me all the things I screwed up. He’s not afraid to break you down real far and make you look at all the things you’re doing, and you have to be strong to put up with that and if you’re not, it’s been my observation that he doesn’t have much use for you. You’ve got to be able to take what he’s able to dish out.”

WHAT ABOUT TONIGHT?

“I think tonight was really good practice for tomorrow, but I’ve been doing this Saturday-Sunday thing long enough to know that it doesn’t all transfer. You can really feel like, ‘Oh, hey, I’ve got some things figured out,’ and all of a sudden the race will change, the track conditions will change just a little bit and those Cup cars, they’re so much faster down the straightaway and there’s a lot more accelerating and braking involved to get through the center of the corner that I always have to make sure to switch hats figuratively and make sure I’m driving a Cup car and not to rely
on what we’ve done on Saturday, so I’ve only learned a couple of things that I think will be helpful tomorrow.”

- PCG Campbell Press Release

No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry

Z-Line Designs Driver Notches 41^st Top-Five in 128 Career Nationwide Series Starts

Date: Nov. 19, 2011
Event: Ford 300 (Round 34 of 34)
Series: NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 7^th/5^th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Winner: Brad Keselowski of Penske Racing (Dodge)

Denny Hamlin drove the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/BJ’s Wholesale Club Toyota Camry (JGR) to a solid fifth-place finish in Saturday’s season-ending Ford 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Hamlin had a top-five car throughout the 200-lap contest. A late-race chassis adjustment designed to allow the Z-Line Designs Camry to challenge for the win proved to make the car too tight around the 1.5-mile oval. Despite running as high as third with 20 laps to go, Hamlin fought his tight-handling racecar as much as the other drivers around him.

“We just struggled with our Z-Line Designs Toyota,” said Hamlin after recording his 41st top-five finish in 128 career Nationwide Series starts. “We felt like we had a fifth- to seventh-place car for most of the day. It’s kind of where we ended up. The pit crew did an amazing job of at least giving me a shot at it there at the end. We just couldn’t hang on. We just didn’t have the car for it today.”

With Friday’s practice sessions getting partially rained out, teams had limited track time before the race.

“I wish we had some more practice time,” Hamlin added. “We just didn’t get enough track time with this car this weekend. We struggled. We struggled all day and just could not get the speed out of it that we needed. We ended up fifth.”

“I felt like we were just a top-five car all night and we had made adjustments and made it better, and then we had made adjustments and had made it worse,” said crew chief Jason Ratcliff. “We just kept bouncing back-and-forth on it and the track was changing and we weren’t keeping up with it. I just felt like we had one shot at it. We had one shot at it and a small adjustment was not going to get it done. Unfortunately, I went too far. And with what little experience I have working with Denny, I didn’t really know how to quantify what he needed. He did a nice job of communicating all night, and I think right there at the end, the track probably didn’t change as much as it had prior and we just jumped the fence.”

Also on the fence was a fourth consecutive owner championship for JGR. The No. 18 team came into Homestead just one point behind the No. 60 team of Roush Fenway Racing. But the No. 60 Ford, piloted by Carl Edwards, finished second to end the season with a three-point advantage over the No. 18 team.

“It’s tough knowing that you are this close to it and you miss it because we’ve won the last three owners titles and its fun,” Ratcliff said. “That’s why we do this. But on a side note, we have a lot to be thankful for. We’ve been extremely blessed with a great season. To race Carl Edwards – the guy who could potentially be the Sprint Cup champion – he’s got a really good race team and to have a shot to compete with him for a championship, that’s a pretty big deal. I’m pretty excited that we finished that close to him and had a shot. I wish we could’ve done that stop one last time, but we’ll learn from it and be back next year to try and do it again.”

Brad Keselowski won the Ford 300 to score his 17^th career Nationwide Series victory, his fifth of the season and his first at Homestead.

This year’s Nationwide Series driver champion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished .268 of a second behind Keselowski in the runner-up spot, while Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Hamlin rounded out the top-five. Elliott Sadler, Sam Hornish Jr., Aric Almirola and JGR teammates Brian Scott and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 36 laps, with 12 drivers failing to finish.

The 2012 Nationwide Series season starts Feb. 25 with the Daytona 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hoists a championship flag after clinching the NASCAR Nationwide Series crown at the Ford 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Roush Fenway brings home two titles at Homestead NNS Finale 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Nov. 19, 2011) – Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished second in the season finale at Homestead-Miami and clinched the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship. The championship is Roush Fenway’s sixth NASCAR title and its third Nationwide Series Championship. Stenhouse, who carried a 41-point lead into the race, clinched the championship on lap 27 of the race and won by 45 points.

“It was just a lot of hard work by all these guys – Jack Roush, Ford Racing, everybody at Blackwell Angus Beef and Cargill – this crew right here, they didn’t give up on me,” said Stenhouse. “They were with us all through last year and I’m just glad to be here.

“This is just awesome what this team has done, what Jack Roush has done and everybody at Ford Racing and Nationwide Insurance for giving us this great series to run in and all the fans that come out to watch every week. We really appreciate that, especially the ones that support us.”

Carl Edwards finished third and secured the 2011 Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship for Roush Fenway.

Roush Fenway won its first Nationwide Championship via Greg Biffle in 2002. Edwards won the team’s second driver NNS title in 2007.

RFR will look to make history tomorrow; becoming the first time in NASCAR history to win both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series title in the same season. Edwards leads the Sprint Cup points by three, and will start tomorrow’s Ford 400 finale from the pole.

• Roush Fenway wins its sixth NASCAR drivers championship.
• Roush Fenway wins its third NASCAR drivers Nationwide Series Championship.
• Roush Fenway wins it second NASCAR owners Nationwide Series Championship.
• Roush Fenway will look to become the first team in NASCAR history to win the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series titles in the same season.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr., led the Nationwide point standings for 17 weeks in 2011, including the final 14.
• Stenhouse Jr,. won the first two races of his career sweeping both races at Iowa Speedway. He earned six top-five and nine top-10 finishes over the final nine races.
• Carl Edwards won eight races in 2011 in the No. 60 Ford Mustang.

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series with drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions with its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s only team-focused TV show, and its social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com bringing unmatched brand opportunities to sponsors. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Younger at 704.720.4620.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release 

Toyota Motorsports Logo

Homestead-Miami Speedway – November 19, 2011

- Denny Hamlin (fifth) was the highest finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

- Camry drivers Brian Scott (ninth) and Joey Logano (10th) also earned top-10 finishes in the 200-lap event.

- Other Toyota drivers in the field included Joe Nemechek (16th), Michael Annett (19th), Kevin Conway (26th), Kenny Wallace (33rd) and Steve Wallace (34th).

- Four Camry drivers finished among the top-10 in the unofficial NNS driver point standings — K. Wallace (seventh), Scott (eighth), Annett (ninth), and S. Wallace (10th).

- Camry drivers earned 10 wins and five pole positions during the 2011 season. Toyota has recorded 64 victories and 54 poles since joining the series in 2007.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

How was your race?

“We struggled with our race car all day long and we had very limited practice time with the rain. Just didn’t have it today. It looked like all of the Roush cars were extremely strong. We just didn’t have the car that could hang with them in the end.”

How happy were you with your pit crew in tonight’s race?

“Yeah, this pit crew gave us a shot at it, no doubt about it. They were just an amazing pit crew. When you can gain us three spots and a clutch position like that, they deserve a lot of credit. They’re the ones who gave us a shot at it anyway.”

How are you feeling going into the Sprint Cup race on Sunday after two races so far this weekend?

“Good. I feel like we’re making strides. We just have got to keep digging. We’re a little off right now. As an organization I feel like we need to be better. Obviously, we’ve got a ways to go, but just have to thank everyone from Z- Line Designs for putting me in the car and obviously this whole 18 team for putting me in. Jim and Monica (Sexton, Z- Line Design owners) have done a lot for this program. FedEx, Toyota, Coca-Cola, Gillette and Wiley X. Couldn’t do it without everyone.”

Did you think you had a chance to beat the 60 car tonight to give Joe Gibbs Racing the owner’s championship?

“Carl (Edwards) had an extremely strong car. It looked like all of their cars were really good today. We just struggled with our Z-Line Designs Toyota. We felt like for the most part we had a fifth to seventh-place car for most of the day. It’s kind of where we ended up. The pit crew did an amazing job at least giving me a shot at it there at the end. We just couldn’t hang on. We just didn’t have the car for it today.”

Were you unhappy with the way your car handled during the race?

“I wish we had some more practice time. We were banking on that second practice. We just didn’t get enough track time with this car this weekend. We struggled. We struggled all day and just could not get the speed out of it that we needed. We ended up fifth.”

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

Are you happy finishing the year with a top-10?

“I’ll take a top-10 to end the year. We fought hard ever since Daytona. We didn’t have the performance or the results that we wanted until about the middle of the year. This team — we flipped the switch. Kevin (Kidd, crew chief) and I really got on the same page and we started having good runs. We were a pretty good team the second half of the year. Definitely performed the last quarter of the year with some top-five finishes, and got a pole at Chicago. We’re going to focus really on the last part of the year and continue to build and do the things that we started doing at the middle of the year that will make us better to come back in 2012 and be even stronger.

I don’t see any reason why this team can’t make the progress through the off-season and come back with the yellow and black Dollar General car and have a team good enough to run for the championship. I feel like Kevin Kidd (crew chief) and I have a relationship that is on really good terms. We’re really communicating well. We’re going to continue to work through the off-season just as hard — if not harder — than we worked all year. Come back and be a really strong team.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 97 AM / FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports

Finishing Position: 16th

MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

Finishing Position: 19th

How would you look back at the 2011 season?

“Someone asked me the grade that I’d give this season — and I’d probably say a C+ — just because we started off so slow and behind. We made up a lot of ground throughout the summer and fell back behind it, and then made more gains. We know there are places we can make a lot of improvement in our program — mile-and-a-half tracks especially. So, that’s something we’re really going to work on in the off-season and come back on board with Rusty Wallace Racing and the No. 62. Hopefully, some more partners will come on board and help Steven’s (Wallace) car a little bit and that way can have a strong two car effort after the off-season.”

KEVIN CONWAY, No. 87 Extenze Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports

Finishing Position: 25th

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 Federated Auto Parts Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard

Finishing Position: 33rd

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

Finishing Position: 34th

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release

Dodge Motorsports

“You couldn’t ask for a better way to end the season. Not being able to win the championship, it’s good to be able to finish on a high note, winning the pole and the race today at Homestead. It’s a great exclamation point to the season for the whole Discount Tire Dodge team.”

WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN WATCHING THE RACING OUT THERE TONIGHT. IS IT THAT MUCH FUN BEHIND THE WHEEL?

“Hell yeah, I mean, it is when you win. It was tough, it was frustrating, it was hot here in Miami and that’s what makes it worth it.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THE CUP RACE TOMORROW?

“Man, I can’t tell you that (smiles). Just driving the hell out of it; I’m going to drive hard I guess. And thanks to all the fans for coming out.”

SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished Seventh

“It was a pretty solid night for the Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger. We just didn’t have the short run that we needed late in the race to crack into the top five. We had our ups and downs all night. We felt that we had really good long-run speed in the car to compete all night. We just got down to the end of the race and it became a short-run race with all the cautions. We made a small change and it wasn’t enough to get us where we needed to be. We got stuck on the inside on that last restart; it slowed us down a bit. We were good. We just needed more short-run speed.”

HAS THE LAST FOUR RACES GIVEN YOU GUYS A GOOD BUILDING BLOCK HEADING INTO THE 2012 SEASON?

“I think so. It’s not easy when you’re not running a full-time season, but we certainly didn’t waste any of the opportunities that we had all year. We raced to some top 10s, won at Phoenix and had another top 10 tonight. We need to continue to work on our short run speed. I think everyone on this team gained a lot of valuable experience and that can only be a positive thing heading into next year. Our race changes have been improving. Our team has become stronger in the pits. Everything that we’ve done the last four races has helped make us a team to contend with next season.”

TRAVIS GEISLER (Director of Competition, Penske Racing)

“A great night. The last couple of weeks have been really good. To get Sam (Hornish) in victory lane with his Alliance Truck Parts Dodge last weekend at Phoenix and Brad (Keselowski) tonight in his Discount Tire Dodge is awesome. This is pretty sweet. It’s always great to go out on a high note. Our Nationwide program did a great job all year with six wins and six poles. To come here and beat Carl Edwards is a real testament to everyone that touches these Dodge Challengers. This is why we go racing to be able to share in great moments like this. It certainly makes the off-season a lot shorter.”

- Darnell Communications Press Release

Brad Keselowski gets ready to celebrate after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-ending Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

This was Keselowski’s 5th series win of the 2011 season, his 17th series career win and his 1st series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Following Keselowski and Stenhouse to the drop of the checkered flag were Carl Edwards, who’s third-place finish gave Roush Fenway Racing the owners championship, Clint Bowyer finishing fourth and Denny Hamlin finishing in fifth.

Rounding out the top-ten finishing positions were Elliott Sadler finishing sixth, Sam Hornish Jr. seventh, Aric Almirola eighth, Brian Scott ninth and Joey Logano finishing in the tenth position.

The 2011 NNS  Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors go to Rick Ware Racing’s Timmy Hill.

RACE NOTES:

Average Speed: 119.377 MPH
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 30 Mins, 47 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.268 Seconds
Lead Changes: 17 among 9 drivers
Cautions: 9 for 36 laps
Attendance: 38,000

Unofficial Top-Ten in the Points Standings: 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 1222 (Series Champion) 2. Elliott Sadler – 1177 (-45 Points Behind the Champion) 3. Justin Allgaier – 1105 (-117) 4. Aric Almirola – 1095 (-127) 5. Reed Sorenson – 1062 (-160) 6. Jason Leffler – 1028 (-194) 7. Kenny Wallace – 963 (-259) 8. Brian Scott – 947 (-275) 9. Michael Annett – 944 (-278) 10. Steve Wallace – 921 (-301)

Next Up: The 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season

2011 NNS Ford 300 Race Results

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