Marcos Ambrose pushes car - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, is coming off the first win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career when he won Monday’s rain-delayed race at Watkins Glen International. Ambrose talked about the aftermath of that victory as part of NASCAR’s weekly teleconference this afternoon.

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – DO YOU FEEL REDEMPTION AFTER WHAT HAPPENED IN SONOMA A YEAR AGO? “I was trying hard to forget about Infineon Raceway, but I have to say winning for the first time in the Sprint Cup Series is incredible, a huge achievement, and I’m just very thankful for the opportunity that I’ve been given here at Richard Petty Motorsports with the help of Stanley and DeWalt. It’s been a dream weekend for me and I’ve totally erased my memories of Sonoma from this moment forward.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF RUNNING BOTH RACES THIS WEEKEND IN MONTREAL AND MICHIGAN? “It (Montreal) sure does owe me a win. I think this year is gonna be the hardest yet because I have to start off in the back of the grid, but we’re doing the practice at Michigan on Saturday morning, we’re flying with Carl Edwards to get to the track in time. It’s gonna be really tight. We’ve predicted that there’s gonna be roughly a 20-minute gap between arriving on time and being late for the race, so I think we just have to play our strategies right. Hopefully everything goes to plan, getting through customs, weather with the plan, make sure the helicopter gets us to where we need to be at the track, but it should be OK. I’m looking forward to the race. We’ve got a big push with Stanley sponsoring the car and Canadian Tire supporting us there. We’re donating $100,000 to the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Program, a program designed to help kids participate in sports, and $100,000 going to that on behalf of Stanley is a big reason to try to turn up and win the race, to be honest with you, forgetting about of course the track does owe me a win. I’ve tried four times, I’ve led more laps than anybody else and feel like I just need to lead the last one this year, not lead the most laps.”

ANY CHANCE ONE OF YOUR COMPETITORS HAS MADE A DEAL WITH CUSTOMS TO SLOW YOU DOWN OR KEEP YOU OUT? “That depends. I just hope that customs control doesn’t like Jacques Villeneuve or Patrick Carpentier too much and slows us down.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO NOW TO WIN ON AN OVAL? “Not much different, really. I think that getting the first win out of the way at Watkins Glen was a big load off my shoulders, to finally win in the Sprint Cup Series is huge. I’ve been feeling that pressure for some time, so I hope that I’m able to drive a little more relaxed and a little more freer and the wins will come more often. We’ve come close this year at tracks like Vegas, Texas, Charlotte – we were very fast – I led 100 laps at Martinsville last year as well, so I feel good about that track. I’ve come close to winning at Bristol and Dover as well, so we’ve got some great tracks coming up with a chance to win. My focus right now is these last four races. If we can snag a second win here before the Chase starts, it gives ourselves an opportunity to make the Chase. There’s a lot to race for and hopefully the wins will come more consistently for me now that I’ve got the first one out of the way. It’s really tough, this sport, no doubt about it and to be able to call yourself a race winner means a lot, but it’s only one race win and you’ve got to get more of them to feel like you’re a real star in NASCAR. Ovals is where it’s at for me and I think it’s only a matter of time before we get one.”

HAS ANYTHING HAPPENED THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS THAT WAS UNEXPECTED? “Yeah, the state government from where I’m from in Tasmania actually put out a press release to congratulate and celebrate the win, so that was pretty awesome. The Royal ad in Australia for national print and media was massive, more than I could have ever expected. I think the biggest thing and the biggest shock for me was how many drivers and people inside NASCAR congratulated me and really were joyful of the victory as much as I was. Mike Helton came to victory lane as did Robin Pemberton to say ‘well done’ which means a lot. The other drivers out there were fantastic and to be respected by your peers, I think, is the most important thing to me. Winning races is great, but to feel like the other drivers around you respect you and feel like you deserve to win as well, it means an awful lot.”

DO YOU THINK THE INTERNATIONAL ASPECT OF NASCAR IS NOW ACCEPTED AND NO LONGER A CURIOSITY? “It’s tough to win and when you come from overseas and you come into this sport it takes years to get to where you really want to be and to be a contender, so I haven’t had any blowback at all on being international and winning in NASCAR. The only feedback I’ve gotten has been positive. I don’t think anyone cars, a NASCAR fan doesn’t care where you’re from, they just want to see the best drivers out there competing and winning. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. I wish anyone else from overseas or international areas that want to come and have a go at NASCAR I wish them the best, but it’s definitely not an easy road and I think myself and Montoya have been pioneers to compete in NASCAR, but to also win and it’s awesome to be part of that group. But, I tell you what, it hasn’t been an easy road, so I don’t expect there to be a huge influx of international drivers trying to come and take race wins away from North America.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN THE NATIONWIDE RACE THIS WEEK? “It seems the last few years we’ve always been fighting the weather, rain showers coming across, so I’m gonna be watching the radar and the weather forecast closely. My race in particular, I’m starting from the back as will Carl Edwards, and it’s gonna be a real challenge to get to the front. We’ve got some great drivers from Canada racing in the event. Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Tagliani, Patrick Carpentier come to mind. They’re gonna be staying at the front and looking out for their brakes and tires. They’ve got a real chance to win the race. We have to rely on, myself and Carl, have to rely on some cautions to get track position. I think it’s possible to win from the back, but it’s gonna be a real challenge. I think the fans are in for a spectacular race because you’ve got two races going on at once. You’ve got the guys that have been there all weekend racing the front and you’ve got myself and Carl starting from the back trying to get track position and be there at the end, so it’s gonna be interesting.”

VILLENEUVE DIDN’T MAKE ANY FRIENDS AT ROAD AMERICA EARLIER THIS YEAR. DO YOU EXPECT ANY OF THAT TO FOLLOW THIS WEEKEND? “I’m not sure, but I know that Jacques is a very fierce driver. He has a lot of talent. He’s very fast in these stock cars. Every time he jumps in one it’s like he’s got a chance to win and if they want to have payback, they’re gonna have to catch him first.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WILD CARD FORMAT? IS THERE MORE PRESSURE OR EXCITEMENT FOR YOU TRYING TO GET ONE OF THOSE? “Absolutely no doubt, the changes that NASCAR has put in this year for the point system and also the Chase format have been big winners for the drivers and the fans. As a driver, I’m sitting 22nd in points and I know if I go out in the last four races and win another event I’ve got a chance to make the Chase. This time last year I was pretty much done for and I was only racing for pride, but it is a lot at stake for the drivers. That means the drivers are building to a frenzy here toward the end. You have the Sprint contingency program, where at Atlanta we can win $3 million as well — $1 million for your team, $1 million for a fan, and another $1 million for your chosen charity if you can win the Atlanta race. It’s just a huge incentive for the drivers who have won races during this contingency period try to win as well, and you’ve got the point system as well that now, if you can finish top 10, you get a lot more points than the old system, so you’ve got a lot to race for. You’ve got a lot to try to win for and I think the fans know that, the drivers definitely know it. Definitely the races this year have been more frantic than last year with drivers taking more chances. There are bigger crashes because guys are trying to get greedy and get to the front as fast as they can, and I think it’s been a great initiative by NASCAR – all the things they’ve done here – to try and make the Chase uncertain up to the very end.”

HOW DID YOUR FAMILY REACT TO THE WIN? “It was absolutely amazing. I’ve obviously got my wife and two kids here in North America. They weren’t there for the race. They were up on Sunday when we got rained out, but we had to take them back to Charlotte and take the oldest, Tabitha, to school for the first time. They were celebrating the win back in Charlotte. My family in Australia was up in the middle of the night popping bottles of champagne celebrating as well. They understand the sacrifice I’ve made and the commitment I’ve made to become a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and I think it was just very satisfying for all my family and immediate friends.”

DOES THAT MEAN YOU’RE EVEN HUNGRIER TO GET THAT OVAL WIN? “Yeah, I thought about halfway through the whole victory lane celebration that it was a lot of fun and I want to do it again. I definitely now have had a taste of it and I want more.”

HOW DO YOU SHARE THAT WIN WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY SO FAR AWAY? “It was great to celebrate it with my team and, let’s face it, you spend as much time with your crew chief and your team as you do your wife, so I had plenty of people to celebrate with and that wasn’t a problem. But I really would have loved to have had my family there on that day, but it’s just the way racing works. We tried to have everyone up there. We thought it was gonna be a good weekend for me to win and just with the weather delay and with the way it all went down, there just wasn’t the opportunity for them to be there on the Monday, but it’s a good compromise. I’ll take the win if they’re at home any day. I can always bring the champagne and the trophy back.”

HOW DO YOU SHARE IT WITH FAMILY IN AUSTRALIA? “They just watched on TV and the phone has been running hot. I think after the race, by the time I got to my phone after victory lane, there was around 150 text messages, plus phone calls and everything else, so it’s been a big week trying to keep track of everybody and thank them for their support, not just my friends, but fans as well. It’s been a huge reach out and just a great problem to have is have the phone run hot.”

GUYS WATCH YOU ON ROAD COURSES TO LEARN. DO YOU DO THAT WITH OTHER GUYS ON OVALS? “On my recent form, not much. I’ve been having some issues the last month or so on these ovals. The oval format is very different and it’s something that you really have to adapt to and get comfortable with. I think it’s a matter of car feel and the driver feeling what’s happening so he can make the adjustments and guide the team into getting a better handling race car. I’m actually asking others about what they do around those tracks while on road courses it seems like everyone is coming to me.”

HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT HAS NASCAR BEEN THAN YOU THOUGHT BEFORE COMING OVER OR HAS IT? “Well, it’s taken me 105 starts to win a Sprint Cup race, so I think that pretty much answers that question for you. It’s been an incredible challenge. There is no certainty of success in NASCAR. You can’t back into a win or get lucky, you’ve got to have everything going for you. You’re up against the best drivers in the world. You’re up against the best competition there is out there as far as teams go, and the formats themselves – the race length, the difficulty of the machine that you’re driving and the circuits we use are incredible challenges. All of those things combined makes this the toughest thing I’ve ever done in racing, no doubt.”

HOW MUCH DOES THAT WIN AT WATKINS GLEN BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE GOING INTO MONTREAL? “It makes a big difference to me. I needed to win this year. I felt the pressure for quite a long time to get to victory lane for Richard Petty Motorsports, Stanley, DeWalt, Ford – everybody else involved in our program – and I feel like going to Montreal is gonna be more of a celebration. I think that it will help my driving. It’s gonna keep me more relaxed and, hopefully, be the right ingredient to get me to victory lane. The big thing about Montreal is you have to be very careful – very careful in traffic, careful on my brakes — and really manage my stuff to the end and, hopefully, the race runs the right way for us to have a late caution to allow us to get close to the leaders of the race with not too many laps to go. If that can happen, then you never know, with my relaxed attitude and a bit of luck with the race strategy, it could work out.”

DID YOU SEE ANYTHING OF THE ACCIDENT WITH RAGAN AND REUTIMANN, AND WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SAID-BIFFLE INCIDENT AFTERWARDS? “I’ve got really nothing to add about the whole Boris Said confrontation, but, I tell you what, the hits that Ragan and Reutimann took were vicious and I’m just pleased that they got out of the car. I know they’re sore this week, but I’m just thankful they got out of those cars somewhat unscathed. It’s a testament to the safety changes and the safety thought that NASCAR has for the drivers. Vicious crashes like that are never nice to watch and I’m just pleased that everyone got away.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIME AFTER THE NATIONWIDE RACE OR DO YOU JUMP BACK IN THE HELICOPTER AND HEAD BACK TO MICHIGAN? “It depends if we win the race. I’ll be hanging around for a little while, but the primary focus, of course, is to get back in time to have a good sleep and get ready for the Cup race on Sunday. Obviously, racing in two countries on the one weekend is a challenge and we’re not gonna be in one spot for too long anyway.”

WHAT WAS THE TIME DIFFERENCE LIKE FROM WHEN YOU WON IN WATKINS GLEN TO AUSTRALIA? HAVE YOU BEEN UP AROUND THE CLOCK DOING INTERVIEWS? “We tried to balance out the press releases and footage from the U.S. We opened it up for Australian media to make it a little easier on me, but the phone has been running hot, no doubt. There has been a lot of phone calls at inappropriate times to be honest with you, but that’s just part of winning. It’s a good problem to have and we’re trying to service the Australian media as best we can. It’s been big news down there, no doubt, and I’m happy to oblige with phone hook-ups and radio interviews and TV.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Greg Biffle

Following is a transcript from host Steve Byrnes’ interview with Biffle:

On his team’s performance issues this year:

Biffle: “We’ve had a lot faster cars this year, which sounds ironic compared to all of our top 10s last year … but on top of that, we’ve had problems getting fuel in the car. We’ve had poor fuel mileage. We’ve had to stop short of the field – caution comes out. Michigan – we led the most laps and we stopped. Caution comes out. Last run of the day, we start 25th. We finish 18th or something like that, so all of our finishes are not conducive of where we’ve been running. That’s the biggest thing. I hate to say it – this engine’s got great, a lot of power. Doug (Yates) and the guys have done a great job. We’ve hurt on fuel mileage this year because of that new engine. For some reason, when you make a lot of power, it takes a lot of fuel. That’s been one thing. There have been some pit calls. I spun out at Pocono trying too hard, trying to make up track position from a bad pit stop or something, and spun out. There have been a lot of little things that have caused us not to get those top fives or wins.”

On his response to Said’s post-race comments:

Biffle: “Several things to come mind. One – he wrecked me there last year. Never called me, never said anything about it. Number two – he ran me off in the carousel. That’s what ticked me off. Same place we saw the 24 and 31 in that huge wreck – ran me off the track there and that was why I was mad at Boris Said. Then he goes and hits the 6 car off the track. We just heard him say (on video replay) that he had no choice. Well, I disagree about having no choice of turning a guy the wrong way into the wall. And then after the race, not concerned about the safety of those guys (David Ragan and David Reutimann), he drives to my truck and parks behind my car. I was fine after the race and that just set me off. He pulled up behind my truck like he had a problem. I didn’t act properly there. I shouldn’t have been as aggravated as I was. He should have went and parked at his truck, took his gear off and talked to me or whatever he wanted to do.”

On whether he was upset with Said that he seemed unconcerned about David Ragan and David Reutimann post-race:

Biffle: “Yeah. That was kind of what fired me up because I had kind of forgotten about Boris Said running me off in the carousel. Let’s face it – I could have turned him anywhere on that race track that I wanted to. I got more respect for our race cars and other competitors on the race track to do that. Did you see the video footage of his car (with damage) when they were putting it on the lift gate? That was the opposite side of the car that he had the scuffle with the 6 on. So, he had been in a lot more incidents in that race than that one. You can’t come and race in this series and race guys with no respect at all. Come race hard, do your thing. Boris has a lot of talent, a lot of skill. He’s just not showing it.”

On his Tuesday phone conversation with Said:

Biffle: “He understands and he apologized for running me off in the carousel. He didn’t know he did. That was probably the whole thing that led to him coming up to my truck because he didn’t understand why I was so mad at him. He ran me off the race track in a very vulnerable spot, similar to what he did to the 6. We talked about it and I told him, ‘You can very well be where Marcos Ambrose was yesterday. You need to get in a fast car and show your talent, not be beating and banging and running guys off the race track at spots like that.’ We kind of said our peace and that’s that.”

(jokingly) On whether Said is going to give him a black eye as promised Monday:

Biffle: “I don’t know (laughing). I felt like it was like fifth grade, right, which means after recess, 3 o’clock on Wednesday, we’re going to fight over by the fence.”

About SPEED™
SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in nearly 84 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services, including SPEED2, a groundbreaking new broadband network featuring live, streaming and on-demand events complementing offerings of the linear network. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.

- SPEED, Press Release

Week two of the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout competition narrowed the field to eight NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesTM drivers. Each proceeding driver earned an additional $11,250 for charity totaling $14,375 for each of the eight proceeding driver’s charity of choice. Drivers will accrue a total of $400,000 for charity in the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout while one fan will win a new truck from the manufacturer of the winning driver. Two races remain in the battle for the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout title. Learn more at www.DIRECTV.com/NASCAR.

Week 2 Fast Facts:

• A rain-delayed race eliminated several drivers from contention. Drivers who lost their position due to accidents include Kurt Busch who was collected at lap 50, an accident in turn one that eliminated Denny Hamlin, a single-car crash at lap 87 which ended the day for Paul Menard, as well as Tony Stewart who collided with the wall on the final lap.
• Second-place finisher Brad Keselowski eliminated Kyle Busch who led the race for 49 laps and finished just behind Keselowski in third.
• A.J. Allmendinger finished eighth and defeated 10th-place finisher Jimmie Johnson in race two of the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout.
• The Watkins Glen road course created an unforeseeable finish. No perfect brackets remain in the bracket-format competition.

Results following Watkins Glen:

DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout Results: Week 2

TURN 1 Winners

A.J. Allmendinger – No. 43 Ford / Paralyzed Veterans of America
(defeated Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Chevrolet / Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Champions Grants)

Matt Kenseth – No. 17 Ford / Motor Racing Outreach
(defeated Tony Stewart – No. 14 Chevrolet / Victory Junction Camp)

TURN 2 Winners

Carl Edwards – No. 99 Ford / Speedway Children’s Charity
(defeated Mark Martin – No. 5 Chevrolet / Motor Racing Outreach)

Jeff Gordon – No. 24 Chevrolet /
(defeated Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Toyota / Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)

TURN 3 Winners

Kevin Harvick – No 29 Chevrolet / California State University Bakersfield
(defeated Paul Menard – No. 27 Chevrolet / Habitat for Humanity for Wisconsin)

Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Dodge / Paralyzed Veterans of America
(defeated Kyle Busch – No. 18 Toyota / The Church of God Children’s Home of N.C.)

TURN 4 Winners

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – No. 88 Chevrolet / Make-a-Wish Foundation
(defeated Greg Biffle – No. 16 Ford / Friends of Animals)

Clint Bowyer – No. 33 Chevrolet / Emporia Kansas Community Foundation
(defeated Kurt Busch – No. 22 Dodge / Victory Junction Camp)

- ASPIRE Communications for DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout, Press Release

2011 Red Bull Racing Teammates Brian Vickers & Kasey Kahne - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

DRIVERS:

+ HELUVA WILD! FINISH

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — So here’s the deal.

Kasey Kahne and the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota are hanging on by a thread, having lost three positions in the points standings after a 26th-place finish Monday at Watkins Glen International.

NASCAR’s little yellow rulebook says a driver and his team must be in the top 20 to even be eligible for a Chase berth, and then from there wins and wildcards mean everything.

Kahne sits 19th in the standings and doesn’t have a win — yet. Two drivers ahead of him in the standings, Paul Menard and Denny Hamlin, each own a victory. Another driver, Brad Keselowski, has two. So the 74-point gap between Kahne and the Chase means the No. 4 best get cracking, and a late tire issue in Monday’s rain-delayed Chip  Dip at the Glen didn’t help.

“We ran well all day,” Kahne said. “The car was what we needed, but at a place like this track position is key. We were trying to save fuel at the end and somehow got a flat on the pace laps.”

Good thing for Kahne that the Race to the Chase suits Red Bull Racing Team rather well. Michigan is next (the site of our first Sprint Cup victory). After that, it’s Bristol (just keep the fenders intact). After that, it’s Atlanta (we’ve been known to run well at the mile and a halfs). And race No. 26 is Richmond (we locked ourselves into the Chase there in 2009).

Brian Vickers was scored in 18th Monday, this after an overtime of two laps that saw cars flipping and hitting hard.

It was a wild finish to NASCAR’s second and final road-course race. Just before David Ragan T-boned a guard rail, David Reutimann tumbled and Boris went after The Biff, Vickers pitted for four tires and fuel three laps from the finish. “Wish we had better track position, but we have tires,” crew chief Ryan Pemberton noted. “Give them hell.”

Vickers restarted 25th and improved seven spots at the stripe.

UP NEXT: Pure Michigan 400, Sunday, Aug. 21, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

2011 NSCS No. 36 Golden Corral / Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet Impala SS

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 16, 2011)

Fellows posted the 34^th-fastest time in first practice and the 40^th-quickest time in final practice. The TBR team worked on the setup before qualifying, and the road-course ringer posted the 38^th-fastest time although the handling was better. Ready to race on Sunday, Fellows had to wait until Monday morning due to rain.

The Canadian racer took the green flag for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen from the 38^th position and in the first lap, moved up 10 spots to the 28^th position. He continued his trek forward in the next laps and moved to 23^rd place when the field began green flag stops on lap six. Fellows radioed that the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet was a little too harsh in the rear. He drove up to 21^st before Crew Chief Phillipe Lopez called Fellows onto pit road for a fuel-only stop on lap nine.

The Golden Corral Chevrolet returned to the track in the 38^th position. The three-time American Le Mans Series GT Drivers Champion explained to the crew that the Chevrolet lost all of its side bite. Despite the handling condition, he worked up to 28^th spot by lap 26 but was unfortunately passed by the leader. Luckily, a caution was called on lap 29, and the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet received the Lucky Dog. Fellows used the yellow-flag condition as an opportunity to elaborate the car’s handling. He explained that the car was not very good in the bus stop or turn five. The Chevrolet had a huge push in turn five and did not have enough side bite to be fast in the bus stop.

Back on the lead lap, Fellows drove the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet down pit road for a four-tire pit stop. The TBR team made an air pressure, trackbar and spring adjustment to help give the Chevrolet side bite. The 51-year-old restarted 26^th on lap 32. He wheeled the Golden Corral Chevrolet to the 21^st spot by lap 43 and radioed that the car was better but still needed more side bite. He moved into the 18^th position by the second caution when Kurt Busch hit the turn five wall on lap 50.

Lopez called his driver down pit road for another four-tire pit stop and an air pressure and trackbar adjustment. Twenty cars stayed out on the racetrack, and Fellows restarted 25^th on lap 53. He once again told the crew that the Golden Corral Chevrolet did not have side bite. As some of the field took green-flag pit stops, Fellows drove the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet up to the third spot.

Another caution was called for Denny Hamlin in turn one on lap 67. Fellows explained that the right was really harsh and the car still lacked side bite and was tight in turn five. He pit on lap 67 for four tires and a wedge and air pressure adjustment. The field went back to green on lap 70 with the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet in the 22^nd spot. He fell to 26^th by lap 83 and told the crew that the changes did not help. He continued that the car carried too much momentum when diving in a straight line and was loose.

Paul Menard hit the wall on the backstretch, and the fourth yellow flag waved on lap 87. In an effort to fix the handling problem for the final laps, Lopez called Fellows back down pit road. The team changed four tires and made another air pressure adjustment.

The road-course veteran restarted on lap 91 in the 29^th position for a green-white-checker finish. Coming to the final lap, Said and Ragan made contact going into turn two, which sent the No. 6 car spinning. While spinning, Ragan clipped the rear of the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet, sending it into a spin as well. Fellows then hit the front left on the No. 6 and then went soaring into the wall. With the No. 36 damaged and stopped in turn two, Fellows radioed to the crew that he was okay after catching his breath for a moment. He was taken to the infield care center and treated and released.

The incident relegated Fellows to a 30^th-place finish, one lap down. The No. 36 Godlen Corral Chevrolet is still 32^nd in NSCS Owner Points, 73 points behind the No. 34 in 31^st. The team is two points ahead of the No. 13 in 33^rd and 49 points ahead of the 36^th spot held by the No. 7.

“It was disappointing to finish the way we did,” explained Fellows. “We were really good during the middle run. It was really fun racing in the middle there. Then, we lost the handling again. At the end, I was behind the No. 7 when Boris, I guess, hooked David, sending him flying right into me. There just isn’t any need to be racing that way when you are back in 22^nd place. That was as hard a hit as I have ever had since I started racing. I am real sore right now. It is going to take a few days rest to heal.”

The TBR team will return to the track next weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Dave Blaney will pilot the No. 36 Accell Construction Chevrolet for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, August 21^st.

About Golden Corral Corporation:
Founded in 1973, privately held Golden Corral Corp. is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Golden Corral currently has 485 restaurants in 41 states. The company’s vision is to be the leader in the family restaurant segment by making pleasurable dining affordable for every guest, at every restaurant, every day. Golden Corral restaurants nationwide have long been strong supporters of the U.S. Military and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Golden Corral helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the DAV in 2010 as part of its annual “Military Appreciation Monday” initiative. For more information on Golden Corral, visit www.goldencorral.com.

About Tommy Baldwin Racing:
Tommy Baldwin Racing was formed in 2009 by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin. Baldwin utilized a slumping economy to open a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team with a stringent budget. The team competed in two full seasons with multiple drivers behind the wheel of the No. 36 Chevrolet and improved in the standings each year.

Based in Mooresville, N.C., TBR will compete in the full NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2011 with NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney piloting the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. Looking to improve on-track performance, TBR found success early in the 2011 season with partners Golden Corral, Big Red and Accell Construction. TBR’s driver development program, Heinke-Baldwin Racing, will also compete in various NASCAR series in 2011.

For more information on Tommy Baldwin Racing, visit tommybaldwinracing.com or follow us on Facebook, facebook.com/TBR.HBR, and Twitter, twitter.com/TBR_Racing.

- Tommy Baldwin Racing, Press Release

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ABOUT NASCAR.COM

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- Turner Sports, Press Release

2011 NSCS Casey Mears - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Watkins Glen, NY (August 15, 2011)

While the backdrop was majestic, the start of Mears’ weekend was not. The opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session saw Mears exit early when engine issues forced him to the garage. The GEICO team worked feverishly to install another motor in time for final practice, hoping to gain track time prior to qualifying. Fortunately, their hard work paid off, as well as the horsepower of the new motor, and the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry was seen pacing the famed road course during the final practice session. Mears appeared to be unfazed by the series of events, and promptly shot straight to the top of the speed charts. At the close of the session, Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry rested solidly in the 10th position on the board.

Although Mears’ engine change would relegate him to the rear of the field for Sunday’s race, he would still need to turn qualifying laps. Despite knowing that he would start in the rear, Mears confidently wheeled the #13 GEICO Camry around the 11 turns of the 2.45-mile road course in just 71.443-seconds, out-hustling both Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle for the 26th starting position.

When the sun came up on Sunday morning over the hills of Watkins Glen, it provided hope that the rain would hold off and allow the start of the scheduled 90-lap Sprint Cup Series race. As the day wore on, Mother Nature would dash those hopes. When the teams took to pit road for the National Anthem, so did the raindrops. Soon after, NASCAR officials announced that the race would be moved to 10 AM (ET) on Monday.

With a solid crowd still intact, NASCAR promptly displayed the green flag at 10 AM (ET) on Monday, with fog and gray skies looming. Starting 43rd, a determined Mears wasted little time in moving forward. In the opening lap, the #13 GEICO Camry picked up six positions before NASCAR dealt the California native a tough blow. NASCAR informed Mears that he changed lanes before crossing the start/finish line and taking the green flag. Consequently, Mears would be forced to bring his #13 GEICO Camry down pit road for a pass-thru penalty, once again sending him to the rear of the field.

Undaunted, Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry returned to the race and picked up where they left off, gaining positions one by one. Having lost a lap due to the penalty, Mears anxiously worked his way around The Glen looking to return the #13 GEICO Camry to the lead lap. Lap 28 provided the opportunity that Mears was awaiting, as the event’s first caution flag of the day was displayed for Greg Biffle, who had depleted his fuel supply. A competent Mears was able to conserve enough fuel to allow him to remain on the racetrack and take the wave around and return to the lead lap, as instructed by crew chief Bootie Barker.

Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry restarted 31st on Lap 32 and his assault on the field got underway. Mears was unusually quiet on the radio, rather focusing his energy on piloting his GEICO Camry to the front of the field.

As the race wore on, the fog began to worsen. Mears’ spotters both informed him that as the fog got heavier, it prohibited them from seeing certain parts of the racetrack. Mears response came in the form of him picking up five positions and moving into 26th on Lap 52. Apparently the fog was of little effect to the #13 GEICO Camry. Just eight laps later, Mears had moved into 8th before surrendering the position to visit pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop, where the Germain Racing pit crew promptly provided him with four fresh tires and a full tank of fuel.

By Lap 69, Mears had worked his way back up to the 18th position and had secured a seat for what would be one of the wildest endings of the 2011 season. Lap 86 rolled around and with it came the fourth caution flag of the day, setting up a green-white-checker finish. As the cars paced the track under caution, Mears and other drivers began to report sprinkles of rain falling on their windshields.

When the race went back under green for the final three laps, no one could have predicted the chaos that would ensue. After the field took the white flag, a vicious multi-car crash involving David Ragan and David Reutimann erupted on the final lap, stopping the hearts of everyone who was watching the race. Fortunately, Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry escaped the melee unscathed, but Reutimann and Ragan were both seen gingerly exiting their racecars.

When the checkered flag waved in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Casey Mears recorded a 20th place finish after beginning the event at the back of the field. Netting 23 positions, Mears and the GEICO team took a weekend filled with challenges and converted it into one of their most solid performances of the 2011 season.

“We had a great weekend if you think about it because we were forced to deal with several challenges, but we overcame them all, which makes me so proud of this GEICO team,” Mears said after exiting his #13 GEICO Camry. “Many teams presented with the same adversity would have collapsed under the pressure. We didn’t. We embraced it. We knew what we had to do and we stayed focused on making something good happen and, in the end, we did.”

After recovering from an engine issue in the opening practice, starting from the rear of the field, and a lane violation at the beginning of the race, Mears and the GEICO team had proven they could not be deterred. Their effort not only netted a Top 20, but also bounced them up a position in the Owner Point standings to 33rd.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing

- Player Management International, Inc., for GEICO Racing, Press Release

2011 NSCS Andy Lally - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Mooresville, N.C. (8/16/2011) -

Rain postponed the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen event, which was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, to Monday morning. However, the rookie driver was more than ready when the green flag dropped.

“We didn’t perform as well as we wanted in qualifying, which is unfortunate because track position is so crucial at a road course such as Watkins Glen. There just isn’t a lot of room to pass here. We ended both practice sessions in the top-20, but the track changed a lot between practice and qualifying and we missed on some of the adjustments we made. When the race started, I knew I just had to be patient, take advantage of opportunities to pass, and work my way up through the field. We had a solid run, our pit strategy worked great and we ended up with a decent day. I finished 18th here last summer, and would have liked to finish a little better today, but part of that is just me always wanting to get better. The important thing is that we added to our top-35 cushion for the third straight week”

Watkins Glen marked a double-duty weekend for Lally, who also competed in Saturday’s Grand-Am Rolex Series event, where he finished 15th. The TRG Porsche team of Spencer Pumpelly and Steve Bertheau provided for yet another addition to the TRG trophy case as they went on to claim the win in the GT class.

Team owner Kevin Buckler is happy with his team’s performance and improvements.

“This is the 4th straight event we’ve gone to victory lane with our Porsche team. On the cup side of things, we just keep getting a little better each week. Andy earned his best finish since Talladega, earlier this spring. We showed a lot of speed all weekend long. The rain threw us a bit of a curveball. Our team now has to deal with a short week before heading to Michigan. But those guys just keep giving 110% no matter what they’re up against, so I’m sure they will be able to come through yet again this weekend. A lot of guys let their emotions get to them this weekend, so I’m proud of Andy for using his head, keeping the car out of trouble, and bringing us home a solid finish.”

Next week the #71 team heads to Michigan International Speedway for the running of the Pure Michigan 400. Coverage will begin Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

About TRG Motorsports:

TRG is a full-service motorsports company offering a total driver ladder approach. This approach starts with track days, goes to club events, up into street stock series and culminates in the ultimate goal of professional motorsports. With sports car focused facilities in Petaluma, California (Infineon Raceway) and Mooresville, North Carolina, the team can offer turn-key support as well as arrive-and-drive programs.

The company’s NASCAR operations are headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry and has the capacity to run ARCA, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series.

The Racer’s Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing. The team boasts Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in Grand-Am with 32. The team’s resume is highlighted by five championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories and a Le Mans 24 Hour win.

Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com and www.theracersgroup.com.

- TRG Motorsports, Press Release

Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford, poses in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 15 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

“Just a dream day. The sacrifices you make, we all make to get here it’s hard and the whole team,” Ambrose said. “The Petty family, my family, to get here, to be a contender in the Cup Series, to finally get to Victory lane is a dream come true to me. I’ve traveled half way around the world, and I’ve dragged my kids and my wife with me, and I kept telling them I was good, but until you win the Cup Series you can’t really put that stamp on it. I’ve tried two and a half, two and a half years now to get to Victory Lane and I just have to thank Todd for giving me the chance.”

Keselowski’s second-place finish gave the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge his first top-10 finish in four races at the historic road course while Kyle Busch garnered his sixth top-10 finish in seven races at WGI. With 15 laps to go, Busch maintained a three-second lead with Ambrose passing Keselowski for second-place.

“I wanted to win, but if I’m going to lose on a road course to someone, Marcos Ambrose is the man,” Keselowski said. “He’s so good on restarts and I thought we had a shot at it and that’s all you can ask for as a driver. …I’m proud of the finish. It was a good points day for us.”

With 49 laps led, Busch controlled the lead for a majority of the day, but the driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota could not hold it on the final restart on Lap 91 of 92. Busch is now tied with Carl Edwards after the No. 99 Aflac Ford finished ahead of 2011 Legend of The Glen Jeff Gordon in 12^th. Gordon led six laps before falling to a 13th-place finish in his No. 24 DuPont/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet.The 26^th running of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen was postponed from its original race date of Sunday, August 14, due to rain but the raced ended up being worth the wait. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race included a record-tying 14 lead changes among eight drivers. The event only featured five caution periods but involved some of the biggest names in the sport including Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin, resulting in them falling to sixth and 11^th in the season standings respectfully.

Tickets for the final event of the 2011 season at legendary Watkins Glen International, the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix, September 9-11, are on sale now! Don’t miss one of the largest vintage festivals in the country and see the cars that helped build the history of The Soul of American Road Racing. Fans can order their tickets or get more information by calling the WGI ticket office at 866.461.RACE (7223) or visiting the official website www.TheGlen.com. Keep up with the latest happenings at The Glen by visiting the official Watkins Glen International Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/watkinsgleninternational, and following WGI on Twitter, @WGI.

- Watkins Glen International, Press Release

Tony Stewart - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images

In his seven previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Tony Stewart had finished no worse than seventh – a run that includes four of his five career wins and two second-place finishes at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course in upstate New York. And in Monday’s rain-postponed Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen, an eighth straight top-10 finish seemed all but assured.

But when the checkered flag dropped, Stewart crossed the stripe in 27^th, his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala the last car on the lead lap. It was Stewart’s worst finish in 13 career Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen, and his third-worst finish in 26 career Sprint Cup starts on a road course.

What happened? A green-white-checkered finish set up a last-lap dash that saw the kind of beating and banging most fans associate with short-track races at Martinsville (Tenn.) and Bristol (Tenn.). Instead, plenty of fender rubbing was on hand at The Glen. It led to Stewart spinning in the outer loop, whereupon he was hit by another car as he went around, which pushed him into the inside wall. He managed to re-fire his racecar to finish the race, avoiding a dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish).

“What a free-for-all,” said Stewart as he climbed from his battered and beaten car inside the garage area.

No more words were needed. What appeared to be a surefire top-10 turned into a loss of 20 spots. As a result, Stewart dropped one spot to 10^th in the championship standings. He now has 659 points, which puts him 93 points behind new series leader Kyle Busch while giving him a 25-point cushion over 11^th-place Clint Bowyer.

His Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, finished 16^th. It was Newman’s fifth top-20 finish in 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen and his fifth straight top-20 finish this season.

With round 22 of 36 complete, Newman continues to lead the SHR duo in the championship point standings. He remained eighth and now has 686 points, 66 markers back of Busch and 52 points ahead of Bowyer.

Marcos Ambrose won the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen to score his first career Sprint Cup victory in 105 starts. The two-time Australian V8 Supercar champion is no stranger to Watkins Glen, however, as he scored back-to-back-to-back NASCAR Nationwide Series wins at The Glen in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

The race finished under caution with the winner of last Sunday’s race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Brad Keselowski, finishing second. Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Joey Logano rounded out the top-five, while Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Jeff Burton and Jimmie Johnson comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 14 laps, with 15 drivers failing to finish the 92-lap race, which was extended two laps by the green-white-checkered finish.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 21 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

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

Toyota Motorsports Logo

Busch led three times for a race-high 49 laps (of 92) around the 2.45-mile upstate New York road course.

Other Camry drivers in the field at Watkins Glen included Brian Vickers (18th), Bobby Labonte (19th), Casey Mears (20th), Kasey Kahne (26th), David Reutimann (29th), Denny Hamlin (36th), Joe Nemechek (40th), Michael McDowell (41st) and Mike Skinner (43rd).

With the third-place finish, Busch now leads the unofficial NSCS point standings, tied with Carl Edwards with 752 points a piece.

Hamlin ranks 12th in the standings and is currently 126 points behind the leaders.

Other Toyota drivers in the top-25 in the unofficial point standings after 22 of 36 races include Logano (17th), Kahne (19th), and Truex (21st).

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 3rd

What happened in turn one? “Just knew exactly what not to do and did it anyway. Just got in there and didn’t think I got in there too fast, but the car just didn’t slow down the way I needed it to and then it didn’t turn the way I needed it to. Saw sprinkles on the windshield, but everybody else made it fine through there. I just screwed up. Can’t say enough about these guys. They gave me a great car, gave me a great piece today. We were one of the best. I’d screw up and those guys would catch me. They’d screw up and I’d kind of pull away a little bit. It was just a matter of how hard can you drive it without screwing up. I felt like we were right there and had a shot to win. I hated to see that last caution. Knew it was going to come down to one corner and I messed it up.”

Was there any contact coming out of turn one? “No, I got that far out on my own first of all, but then when I came back certainly those guys didn’t care to give me any room. I bounced off — I don’t even know if it was the 9 (Marcos Ambrose) and had to still run through the dirt a little bit and fortunately stayed on the outside of the 42 (Juan Pablo Montoya) through turn two and he had to give way through turn three and I was able to keep third.”

What was your pit strategy during today’s race? “We tried working through practice and everything, seeing if we could do a two -stop strategy and the more we tried to save fuel the slower I went, so we weren’t too sure that it was going to work for us. But, we made some changes to the car and tried to make sure that we could stay on that two-stop strategy knowing that would help us win the race. Essentially, it didn’t. I guess the guy that won was on three-stop strategy, but it gave us the track position all day. We didn’t have to fight anybody too hard and it seemed like our car was out in clean air much of the day. Whether the three-stop strategy would’ve been any different I’m not sure, but the guys did a great job making sure we could do it on two and I had to do what I could under yellow to try to save a little bit of fuel. We weren’t too worried there at the end. We ended up getting better fuel mileage than we expected to just because when I got out and had an eight second lead I could kind of run my own pace and shift early and stuff like that to try and save a little bit more.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 4th

What happened on the final restart? “I’m not really sure exactly how the last restart went. All I know is I was three-wide so I was kind of paying attention to the guys around me and not so much what happened up in front. I know I saw Kyle (Busch) way out off the curb off of (turn) one so I knew he was in trouble, and they were two-wide under him I guess. I was just glad to get out of there alive. I was a little nervous that last three-white checker. We were a little close in fuel and we know how people lose their minds a little bit on green-white checkers. We were fortunate to get a decent restart there and came out with a fourth-place, which is where we were before the caution. We made out okay, proud of all of the guys on the NAPA Toyota today and everybody at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) for working so hard this year, sticking with it and working hard. We’re getting closer. Today was a lot of fun. The NAPA Toyota was fast, just needed a little bit more. We were right there on the leaders all day long, just couldn’t quite get to them. We’re getting there.”

Were you happy with your race car today? “We were just off a little bit today on the longer runs. In the short runs and in the middle part of the run we were as good as anyone. Just started a little too tight and ended a little too loose. Real good through the middle section. Awesome job to all of these guys. Race strategy worked out perfectly and our car was really fast. Just needed a little bit more.”

Are you happy to get the race in today? “I’m happy to get it through. Now I can go and do some fishing this week. I have a little vacation planned so it’s a day shorter than it was going to be, but I’m just proud of all of the guys on this NAPA Toyota, everybody who supports this team and keeps it going. The guys at the shop are working really, really hard here. We’re trying to get our stuff better and we’re inching up on it. Thanks to all of those guys and Michael (Waltrip) and Rob (Kaufman) and everybody. Just keep on digging and hopefully this will be a little bit of momentum for us.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 5th

What happened on the final restart? “It worked out perfect. Every restart I started on the outside and thought if I could maintain on the outside and not lose a spot that was a good restart for me. Finally, on the last one we got to start on the inside and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is going to be good.’ I was able to have a good start and get it three-wide with the 14 (Tony Stewart) and the 1 (Jamie McMurray) and everyone just overdrove the corner and I was like, ‘Where is everybody going.’ And, they all just went up the race track and we were able to capitalize and get a few cars there. It was good. We had fun out there. Max Papis helped me a ton this weekend so I owe a lot to him on making myself a better road course driver. I had fun with it today. It’s the first time I’ve ever had an uneventful Watkins Glen race on the Cup side at least. So, a good weekend. A third yesterday and I think today we finished fifth. Good day for our Home Depot car.”

How does it feel to earn a top-five at Watkins Glen? “It feels good. Sixth in Sonoma and fifth here. I’m pumped up about it. All of my guys have been doing great lately and this momentum, it carries from ovals on to road courses and any other track we go to. I’m looking forward to every time we get to unload this bad boy and try to win something with it.”

What has allowed you to become a quality road racer? “There’s been a lot of things. Obviously our cars. They have done a really good job. All of the guys back at the shop have built us a new road course car this year and we ran the same car at Sonoma where I got sixth and a fifth here. Our car was really good and Max Papis has been helping me out as a driver a lot. Just figuring out how to drive these road courses. It’s helped out a lot. I had two really good races this weekend with the Nationwide race and the Cup race. The GT race didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but it was definitely a good run for our Home Depot car. We’ve been running great lately. Last week we didn’t get the finish that we deserved for the way we ran and that momentum carries over. Obviously, it carried over from an oval to a road course this weekend and we’re going to carry it on to next weekend.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 18th

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Capital DPO/Summit Trust Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position: 19th

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 20th

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 26th

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Watkins Glen International — August 15, 2011

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 29th

Where are you hurting the most after the wreck on the final restart? “My pride mostly. Something came in and kind of got into the uniform and ripped a hole in it there. So, something flew in there and got a hold of my shin and ate it up a little bit. I’m not exactly sure what, but just not a very good day for us. I’ve got to thank everybody at Aaron’s, Best Western and Tums and the guys at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) for building me safe race cars. Just a pretty dismal day all day and didn’t look like we were going to finish all that well, but I didn’t figure we were going to finish that bad. Disappointing. Didn’t really need to happen unfortunately, but that’s just how it goes.”

How hard of a hit was that? “This is one of the bigger hits I would say, but it’s part of the gig. You sign up to do this stuff every once and a while and you’re going to hit something. As fast as we’re going, you hit stuff pretty hard. I’m good and will be ready for Michigan next week. I’m thinking where I hit would probably be a good place for SAFER barriers. So, maybe we should look at that next time we come back. Overall, I’m okay and ready to get out of here.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 36th

How do you feel after the wreck? “I feel better than I thought I would. It felt like it was slow motion for me, but can’t say enough for all the safety precautions NASCAR takes and obviously the wall helped a lot getting that dampened the hit a little bit. Really encourage all these drivers to go to seven-point safety belts. I had those and it just really softened the blow quite a bit. A lot of these guys run five-point and it’s just not enough. It’s a testament to all the safety stuff that we have.”

Was the throttle hung? “No. Throttle didn’t hang. Something blew out in the left front and when it did it must have cut a brake line, so I had no brakes. I was trying to do everything I could to weave or anything I could to get speed out of the car, but just nothing you can do — front tires locked up and you can’t steer. It’s a shame. Our FedEx Ground Toyota was really good all day. We were going to be right there about fourth or fifth in line on this restart, but it wasn’t meant to be today.”

How hard was that hit? “The only thing really maybe harder was the Talladega one I had when I had the concussion a couple years ago. That was about the worst. This was just terrifying because you know there’s nothing you can do and you’re headed straight for the fence. That was the scariest I’ve been in my car.”

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 40th

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP Racing LLC Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Finishing Position: 41st

MIKE SKINNER, No. 60 Big Red Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 43rd

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 15, 2011)

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet and Jimmie Johnson, No. 42 Lowe’s Chevrolet finished sixth, seventh, ninth & 10th respectively at the conclusion of the 22nd race of the season.

Both Montoya and Johnson took their turns in the lead throughout the race but a variety of pit strategies jumbled the running order numerous times as a result of how the cautions fell and fuel strategy played out.

Clint Bowyer, No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, finished in 11th place after also leading while Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, led twice for six laps but had to settle for 13th position at the checkered flag.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet, worked his way up toward the front of the field but was one of those that fuel concerns sent him to pit road and set him back in the field. He battled through two separate last-lap accidents to finish in 15th place.

Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet and Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet, crossed the finish line in 16th and 17th positions.

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, was running in the group of cars battling for a top-10 finish on the final lap when he was involved in a multi-car incident that relegated him to the 27th finishing spot.

Ron Fellows, No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet and Boris Said, No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet, were involved in the other last-lap incident that saw David Ragan and David Reuitmann make hard contact with the wall and Reutimann upside down. All drivers were released from the infield care center after evaluation.

Paul Menard, No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet, had a scary incident on lap 86 when a tire failure sent him hard into the wall. Menard attempted to drive the car back to the garage but fire erupted from the bottom of his car forcing him off track as safety crews came to his aid. He was uninjured in the incident but finished a disappointing 32nd place finish.

Johnson now sits third in the standings with four races remaining until the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Harvick moved up to fourth in points. Gordon remains seventh in the points order with Newman right behind in eighth place. Earnhardt, Jr. and Stewart swapped places in the top-10 now sitting ninth and 10th respectively.

Bowyer sits in 11th place, 25 points behind Stewart. Menard, who has one victory this year, dropped a spot to 15th.

Action in the tight points battle in NSCS competition continues next Sunday, August 21, 2011 at Michigan International Speedway.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

HELUVA GOOD! SOUR CREAM DIPS AT THE GLEN

WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES

AUGUST 15, 2011

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – FINISHED 10^TH: HOW WAS YOUR DAY? “Oh, we had a great day. We had a very fast race car. I think the No. 9 (Ambrose), the No. 42 (Montoya) and us; oh and probably the no. 18 (Kyle Busch) were really probably the class of the field. We didn’t have the best fuel mileage and a couple of pit stops didn’t work out for us to maintain our position and we had to charge through the field, but I passed a lot of cars and got up to fifth or sixth there. And then on that restart we all went into Turn 1 and I got shoved wide and lost a few positions there. But all in all, I’m very proud of the effort of this Lowe’s Chevrolet. To have the pace that we did all day long, even though we weren’t up there leading, we had a very fast race car and that’s what we wanted to have here.”

ON THE TRACK CONDITIONS, WAS IT TOO WET AT THE BEGINNING OR WAS IT OKAY?

“It was borderline at the beginning. But it was the same for everybody and we were all making sure we were being smooth. We could see a light mist on the windshield, but nothing heavy. They did a good job of calling it. I felt like it was borderline and I didn’t say anything on my radio because I felt like we were all good enough drivers to make it through it, and we did.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – FINISHED 7^TH: “Our Target Chevy was really good. I thought we had a winning car. We were really close with Ambrose there. And then we had a problem with the right front suspension and the pace just went from there. I won’t even go into details of what happened. But it was all okay. It was a good day for us.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6^TH: ON HIS RACE: “We had a great car, we just didn’t get track position until right there until the very end. So ok day. At the very end everybody went three wide and sliding through the first corner. I just slowed down and got into the side of the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and kept digging. It got crazy but a good finish for us.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET – FINISHED 13^TH: WE’RE NOT REALLY SURE WHERE YOU FINISHED IN THE CHAOTIC END, BUT HOW WAS THE DAY FOR YOU? “Yeah, we should be 11^th, depending on when they threw the caution. But when the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) spun, it collected a couple of guys who were in front of us and we made it through pretty clean. So I believe we’re 11^th. Regardless, we just didn’t have the caution fall our way today. We really had a fast race car. I’m really proud of this team. We got up there in the top five and we were able to maintain a really good pace. We knew that we were a little bit shorter on fuel than some other guys, so we just needed the cautions to fall right for us; and as soon as it was time for us to come to pit road, the caution came out and that hurt us pretty bad. So we drove from like 21^st all the way up there to 13^th and I think we had a chance of getting a couple of them on that restart; and then of course Tony had his issues. So, it was a pretty wild and crazy day as usual on these road courses with double file restarts and we survived.”

TALK ABOUT THE TRACK CONDITIONS; THE RAIN AND THE FOG. IT WAS AN UNUSUAL DAY FOR RACING “It was. At the beginning, it was pretty hairy. It started misting pretty good and there wasn’t very good visability for the spotters. From a driver’s standpoint it wasn’t too bad. But it was unpredictable in trying to guess at it from a crew chief standpoint was pretty tough. You never know when the rain is coming around here.”

IT SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD A PRETTY GOOD RACE CAR. HOW WAS IT FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? “We had a lot of pressure. We had our DuPont Chevrolet with follow me and our social media channels there on the back so I had some pressure to get up there and make sure we had some guys following us. But we had an awesome race car. Right from the beginning I could tell we had a pretty good race car. We drove up there a little bit, but then we got some track position and were able to stay with the leader and I felt like a few adjustments away from; I don’t know about a winning car, but a really good race car. And then the caution caught us out. We were coming to pit road that lap and then the caution caught us out. So we fell back to 21^st or something and drove back up to around 13^th. These road courses have become wild and crazy and very entertaining on those restarts in the closing laps. So we were able to survive. I don’t know what happened to Tony (Stewart) when he spun through the grass, but we were able to get by a couple of guys before they threw the caution. So it was a pretty good day for our DuPont Chevrolet. We were much better than that, but we’ll take that 11^th place finish.”

WHY DOES THIS PLACE CREATE BIG CRASHES MORE SO THAN SONOMA? “Well it is faster, but you can’t have walls like that, do you know what I mean? You’re going to find those places eventually, so you gotta fix them. Unfortunately this one has been found before and we’ve seen what can happen. To me, we’re very fortunate that we don’t have any injuries coming out of that because that could have been much worse. Obviously, it looked bad and I hope those guys are all right. But, anytime you’re in a race car you’re going to be trying to go fast and accidents are going to happen. And when they do, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got a clear path for cars to exit the race track. In this situation, they’ve got a wall that spits a car, not only a big impact, but spits it right back out into oncoming traffic.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET – FINISHED 15^TH: SOLID RUN HERE TODAY, YOU’RE UP A SPOT IN POINTS AND 38TH AHEAD OF 11TH. “Yeah we were running pretty good and had a good strategy going but the car run short on gas, shorter than what we expected so we had to abort on our strategy there and that put us behind a pretty good ways and that put us about 25th. But we had some good tires and we kind of cut up through some accidents. Hopefully they will sort this out and we’ll finish a little bit higher. I think that No. 33 come around and got us and got scored ahead of us even after he was in the accident. We might have passed the No.17 so who knows. We are just standing around trying to figure that out.”

HOW PLEASED ARE YOU TO BE FURTHER UP IN THE TOP-10 AND MAYBE NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT WILD CARD WIN THING? “Well I’m just racing man. Trying to do what I think is smart. Had a really good car today. The guys send great race cars down the road and I just try to take care of them and hopefully we can get the job done. I think we’re a good enough team to make the Chase bar none, we should be able to get in there no problem.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 PITTSBURGH PAINTS/MENARDS CHEVROLET, FINISHED 32^ND FOLLOWING LAP 84 ON-TRACK INCIDENT: WHAT DO YOU THINK LED TO FAILED TIRE? “I don’t know. We pitted under the last caution and put on four tires and fuel. Then we short-pitted just did fuel only. The tires were getting old but nothing was indicating that I had a tire corded or anything. The place is hard on brakes and that builds a lot of heat in the tires. Really no warning though. Just going through a wide-open section going to fourth gear. I felt it popped, I lifted and the wall came up in a hurry. We were going to end up 14th or so and it would have been a good day.”

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT HOW YOU WILL APPROACH THE NEXT FEW RACES? “Nothing really changes. Every week we show up and try to get the most points we can. Nothing has changed all year for that. Might take a gamble to try and get a second win. If we miss on that and run out of fuel or something, at least we tried.”

NICK HARRISON, CREW CHIEF NO. 51 PHOENIX CONTRUCTION CHEVROLET, FINISHED 22^ND: WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOUR DRIVER BORIS SAID AND GREG BIFFLE? “Boris has had a problem, actually I think (Greg) Biffle has had a problem with Boris from a previous race so leading into this race, they already had some aggression toward each other. Early in the race, Biffle had run out of gas and was multiple laps down and was racing Boris. Boris thought dirty, so Boris relayed a message to the spotter he wanted to meet him after the race. And the deal with the No. 6 car (David Ragan). I think Boris just got into him and that was a really ugly wreck. I think that was just hard racing. But, Greg Biffle and Boris Said has some problems and Boris wanted to handle it with his fists. That is what was going on.”

BORIS SAID, NO. 51 PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION CHEVROLET, FINISHED 22nd:

WHAT WENT ON OUT THERE? “It was crazy. I mean…the last lap; the No. 6 car (David Ragan) was getting into me a lot. I didn’t want to wreck him, but I had to stay on the track and he didn’t give me any room. We both collided. That is the only thing I feel bad about.

“I’m more upset with Greg Biffle. He is the most unprofessional little scardey cat I’ve ever seen in my life. He wouldn’t even fight me like a man after. So, if someone texts me his address, I’ll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs. He needs a…whooping and I’m going to give it to him. He was flipping me off, giving me the finger. Totally unprofessional. Two laps down. I mean he is a chump.

“I went over there to go talk to him. He wouldn’t even let me get out of the car. He comes over and throws a few little baby punches and then when I get out, he runs away and hides behind some big guys. But, he won’t hide from me long. I’ll find him. I won’t settle it out on the track. It’s not right to wreck cars, but, he’ll show up at a race with a black eye one of these days. I’ll see him somewhere.”

About Chevrolet

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

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Sprint Summer Showdown Logo

If Ambrose can also win the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend, he will claim the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D title and win $1 million for himself, $1 million for his designated charity, Victory Junction, and $1 million dollars for a lucky race fan.

Later this week a fan will be randomly selected from the pool of entrants who correctly picked Ambrose to win the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at sprint.com/speed. That lucky fan will enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway and be there in person to see whether Ambrose can win at Atlanta. If he claims the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D, the fan will win $1 million.

Fans should visit sprint.com/speed before each of the two remaining qualifying races to choose which driver they think will win that week’s event. A different fan will be randomly selected after each race and will be in Atlanta for the final event of the six-consecutive-race series to cheer on their driver as he vies for the $3 million payout. Fans can change their picks until the scheduled start time for each event.

Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D Qualified Driver Information

For contest rules and additional information, visit sprint.com/speed.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

- Sprint Nextel, Press Release