2011 Champions Week Awards Ceremony: Jeff Gordon – Photo Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Gordon was among four quarterly winners for the award and chosen by NMPA members as the overall winner for the year.

The NMPA Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports.

Gordon has always taken an interest in children’s health issues through his Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer Treatment Research, but those efforts expanded in 2011.

Gordon brought a hands-on approach to his work with children this summer.

Working with the Clinton Global Initiative, Gordon traveled to a refugee camp in the Congo in July in an effort aid with health issues. He witnessed first-hand what children in the area face and offered his personal assistance to the program.

Other quarterly winners in 2011 were:

JTG Daugherty Racing was honored in the first quarter. Driver Bobby Labonte and his team embraced a 6-year-old girl seeking a bone marrow donor and others needing a similar transplant. The team visited her in the hospital and put her photo and the”www.getswabbed.org” site on the car for the Budweiser Shootout in an effort to raise awareness for both her fight and the need for donors overall.

Jamie McMurray was recognized in the second quarter. Personally impacted by the tornados that devastated his hometown of Joplin, Mo., McMurray got involved with raising awareness and funds through promotion of Convoy of Hope, then visited the area and met with residents in an effort to raise spirits as well.

Greg Biffle was the fourth-quarter recipient. Biffle teamed with several partners to provide Charlotte-area children the opportunity to receive free dental care during the October race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Give Kids A Smile program was aimed at helping more than 200 young fans.

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

Race cars are lined up for fans to see during the NASCAR Preview Presented by Sprint on Jan. 21, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. - Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR

Thousands Enjoy Return Of Offseason Fan Event In Charlotte

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2012) – For one day at least, Sam Alverson of Jacksonville, Fla., could lay claim to being NASCAR’s No. 1 fan. It wasn’t just because of his devotion to the sport; it’s because he was first in line.

After a marathon 26-hour campout session, Alverson was the first of thousands of fans through the doors Saturday for the inaugural NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center. The fan-friendly event, part of NASCAR’s Acceleration Weekend, followed an overflow crowd for Friday evening’s NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony of Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.

Many fans were in line the day before the event, forming a human chain that went halfway around the convention center and weathered cool, drizzly conditions. For Alverson, the reward of a 5 1/2-hour drive and extensive wait in the elements was a chance to greet his favorite driver, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

When Gordon jokingly questioned his motives for spending more than a day in line to meet him, Alverson shot back, “It’s because you are the champ!”

“We have the most amazing fans,” Gordon said. “It blows you away any time you hear something like that. … All the fans that came out, some of them traveled long distances, get up early in the morning or stayed up late at night on the sidewalk. That’s pretty amazing, and that’s what makes events like this so successful.”

Gordon also entertained fans during a question and answer session with Richard Petty, unveiling a new paint scheme commemorating 20 years in the sport with longtime sponsor DuPont. More than 60 drivers were on hand to sign autographs and greet fans, with several participating in fan Q&As. Additionally, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees new and old led fans on personal guided tours of the Hall’s exhibits.

“We’re thrilled with the turnout and the passion our fans continue to express,” said Steve Sweeney, NASCAR’s director of consumer marketing. “The NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented By Sprint offered a perfect lead-in for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 [on FOX, MRN Radio], and will only grow in the upcoming years.”

Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said the NASCAR Preview event was a direct result of listening to fans – including Alverson – clamoring for more of the sport during the offseason and a revival of the preview held in Winston-Salem, N.C., years ago.

NASCAR President Mike Helton, left, welcomes fans to the NASCAR Preview Presented by Sprint on Jan. 21, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C - Photo Credit: NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Inman receives his jacket during the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 20, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)

“It’s met or exceeded all the expectations we had, and we think this is the foundation we can just grow on,” Kelley said. “This is just the start to us, and I think we can make it even bigger and better.”

Two pieces of news came out of today’s event, as Sprint unveiled its Miss Sprint Cup lineup for 2012, and American Ethanol announced sponsorship for two highly visible race teams.

Kristen Beat, a former on-air talent for Fuel TV, joins returning Miss Sprint Cup members Kim Coon and Jaclyn Roney for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Additionally, American Ethanol announced that it will continue relationships with Richard Childress Racing and RAB racing for the 2012 season. Austin Dillon, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, will drive the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet for six races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as one race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012. Dillon’s No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet paint scheme was unveiled at the event. American Ethanol will also partner with Kenny Wallace and RAB Racing for the Daytona 500 on FOX, as well as five races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

NASCAR Acceleration Weekend culminates Sunday morning with more events at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This year’s class of inductees will see their exhibits and spires in the Hall of Fame for the first time and will unveil their engraved granite markers in the Walk of Fame Garden outside the Hall’s doors.

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

Jeff Gordon stands with his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet after the new paint scheme for 2012 was revealed during the NASCAR Preview Presented by Sprint on Jan. 21, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (January 21, 2012)

But the irony goes beyond the song title. Gordon’s first Cup Series start was seven-time champion “King” Richard Petty’s final Cup Series start at the season finale in Atlanta in 1992. The torch seemed to be passed that day as Gordon went on to accumulate four championships in his first nine full seasons and now is third on the all-time win list with 85 career victories. David Pearson is second with 105, and Petty reigns with a record 200 wins.

Prior to Gordon’s entry, modern-era NASCAR champions were mostly veteran drivers with last names such as Earnhardt and Waltrip who competed at race tracks positioned primarily in the Southeast. Gordon, a 21-year-old Vallejo, Calif., native who cut his teeth in open-wheel short track racing, achieved great success quickly and grew with the sport as world-class race facilities started to spring up in large markets across the country and network television broadcast contracts brought NASCAR live into more homes than ever. Both the sport and Gordon surged in popularity.

Even the sponsorship was revolutionary at the time. DuPont, a global Fortune 500 company best known for brands such as DuPont™ Kevlar®, Nomex®, Teflon® and Tyvek®, took a chance on a young, unproven rookie driver to showcase its automotive finishes in brilliant fashion and entertain tens of thousands of customers at race events annually. And over nearly 20 years of sponsorship, Gordon has been recognized by DuPont top management, the employee population, DuPont brands, business units, and functional groups as a valuable corporate asset and spokesman.

“Jeff Gordon has been the ideal ambassador for the DuPont brand for nearly two decades,” said Scott Coleman, chief marketing and sales officer for DuPont. “He is a consummate professional and a true champion both on and off the track.

“And Hendrick Motorsports, which holds the NASCAR Cup Series title for 10 of the last 17 seasons, is a leader in engineering, innovation and safety employing the best talent in the industry. Those qualities mirror those of DuPont — a leader in science, innovation and safety with world-class employees.”

Fast forward to 2012 — Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports and DuPont are now celebrating their 20th full season together — the longest currently running driver/owner/sponsor partnership in NASCAR. And although “veteran” Gordon now has to keep up with young talented drivers who break records on a regular basis — the trio is still winning races and contending for championships.

“If anybody would have told me when I was a teenager living in Indiana racing open wheel sprint cars and midgets that not only would I be racing at this level, but having the success — and the longevity of success — that we have had, I would not have believed them,” said Gordon. “If Rick Hendrick and DuPont didn’t take that chance on me almost 20 years ago, I honestly don’t know if I’d be where I am today.

“I’m very fortunate to have an incredible sponsor like DuPont that has invested so much in me and this No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team. To stick with one driver and one team through all the highs and lows, and to still be here with us today celebrating our 20th full season, is really incredible.

“I’m looking forward to taking this special DuPont 20 Years paint scheme to Victory Lane this year to thank all of the amazing DuPont employees and customers who I’ve come to know like family and who have supported me loyally over the past two decades.”

# # #

DuPont™, Kevlar®, Nomex®, Teflon® and Tyvek® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.

Source: Performance PR Plus for Team DuPont, Press Release

Jeff Gordon (far left), driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, talks with crew chief Alan Gustafson (second left) while crew members listen - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

AJ Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski, with the identical lap speed of 200.548 mph, posted the second and third fastest speeds respectively, while Kasey Kahne (200.481) was fourth fastest and Denny Hamlin (199.973) was the fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest were Joey Logano (199.969) who was sixth fastest, Martin Truex, Jr. (199.601) seventh, Clint Bowyer (199.596) eighth, Juan Pablo Montoya (199.159) ninth and Jamie McMurray ( 198.904) posting the tenth fastest lap speed.

Next Up: SpeedWeeks, and the NSCS team haulers descend upon Daytona International Speedway Thursday, Feb. 16th, and those participating in the Budweiser Shootout, hit the track for their first practice session on Friday, Feb.17th, from 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM (EDT). (The first practice session for the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18th, from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – EDT).

Pos No Name                   Make Best Time Best Speed

 1  24 Jeff Gordon          Chv  44.874    200.562
 2  22 AJ Allmendinger      Dge  44.877    200.548
 3   2 Brad Keselowski      Dge  44.877    200.548
 4   5 Kasey Kahne          Chv  44.892    200.481
 5  11 Denny Hamlin         Tyt  45.006    199.973
 6  20 Joey Logano          Tyt  45.007    199.969
 7  56 Martin Truex Jr      Tyt  45.090    199.601
 8  15 Clint Bowyer         Tyt  45.091    199.596
 9  42 Juan Pablo Montoya   Chv  45.190    199.159
10   1 Jamie McMurray       Chv  45.248    198.904
11  88 Dale Earnhardt Jr    Chv  45.310    198.632
12  55 Mark Martin          Tyt  45.368    198.378
13  31 Jeff Burton          Chv  45.378    198.334
14  18 Kyle Busch           Tyt  45.419    198.155
15  43 Aric Almirola        Frd  45.446    198.037
16  16 Greg Biffle          Frd  45.451    198.015
17  17 Matt Kenseth         Frd  45.452    198.011
18   9 Marcos Ambrose       Frd  45.488    197.854
19  99 Carl Edwards         Frd  45.540    197.628
20  78 Regan Smith          Chv  45.541    197.624
21  87 Joe Nemechek         Tyt  46.199    194.809
22  48 Jimmie Johnson       Chv  46.462    193.707
23  27 Paul Menard          Chv  46.560    193.299
24  29 Kevin Harvick        Chv  46.744    192.538
25  21 Trevor Bayne         Frd  46.777    192.402
26   6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr   Frd  47.001    191.485

Jeff Gordon - Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET met with media and discussed the test, his expectations of the car speeds and format for the upcoming Daytona 500, Kasey Kahne joining Hendrick Motorsports, and more.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll start here with Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. If you would talk about the test session thus far and what you’ve learned.

JEFF GORDON: Yeah, it’s been really good for us. You know, our car was quick right away yesterday, so pretty happy with all the hard work that has gone into coming down here and preparation for Daytona. So excited about this whole year, really, and having a great car here at the test. So that’s all good.

You know, I don’t know if we learned a whole lot more than normal for the runs that we made all day yesterday and up until lunchtime today, pretty much typical just single car runs, qualifying stuff, and then we did do some drafting, which is very interesting. With the smaller spoiler and restrictor plate, cars have a lot of power, a lot of speed, and definitely that has changed things a bit. You know, the pushing is a little bit unique and different. The cars aren’t quite as stable as they were, but yet and we can’t go as long, which I think is the goal.

Audio: 2012 NSCS Preseason Thunder at Daytona Press Conference with Driver Jeff Gordon

You know, we did some more drafting and really I mean, I wish more than anything that we couldn’t push at all, because gosh, I had so much fun out there today in those big packs when we weren’t pushing. You can pass and the cars are moving around a little bit and kind of just reminds me of the good old days.

Q. They keep trying different things, they keep trying to break up the two car tandem. Do you realistically see any way that they’re already big pack racing again, that they’ll be able to get to a point where the two car tandem will go away?

JEFF GORDON: I mean, I think we’re always going now that we know that we can push and as long as the bumpers are lined up if we had known this 10, 15, 20 years ago, we would have done it then, too, or figured out how to do it. So I think that now that it’s here, it’s always going to be here.

But it doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s all you’re going to see all day in the race, in the 500. I think that if they may have to limit us a little bit more on the cooling, and I’m not saying I don’t have ideas and thoughts on what exactly they should do, but I think we’re probably going a little bit further than what they thought we would.

If we had to swap, then there’s not a big advantage of the tandem drafting for the majority of the day, but you’ll still you’re going to have to win the race with it. And so you might see some more pack racing.

But I think that if we get it figured out how to maintain those temps, then you will, you’ll see it all day long. But it looks like it’s more challenging, more difficult, and especially if we’re in a pack trying to do it. I’m not saying it’s going to be eliminated, but I don’t think it’s going to be what we’ve seen in the past. I think you’re going to see more pack racing, more cars driving in packs, and it’s the 500 is a long race. Survival is important, and you’ve got to figure out what is going to get you there to the end so that you can hook up with somebody and win the race.

But you cannot deny, whether it’s for a lap, a half a lap, or three laps, when you can pick up 10, 15 miles per hour, then you’re going to do it.

Q. (No microphone.)

JEFF GORDON: Yeah, I do. I don’t think that’s going to change. And I think it’s a combination of some of the aero testing that NASCAR has done with what they call that shark fin or whatever. I think some of that has allowed them to increase the speeds and feel comfortable with the cars as they spin and stay on the ground.

They’re also at the same time trying to I think they found that the more power you have, the faster that you go, the less blade that you have, the harder it is to stay connected and to do the tandem drafting. So I think it’s kind of working in their favor in a couple ways. And I think seeing those 200 plus mile per hour laps out there is pretty exciting.

Q. When NASCAR kind of told you guys to do the big pack draft or strongly suggested or whatever you want to call it, it seemed like kind of an unusual situation. We don’t see that that often. Were you okay with that? Is that fair game, I guess?

JEFF GORDON: Absolutely. If their reason for asking us to participate is to determine where everything really is at with the package that they have brought here, and if they’re going to think about tweaking it at all, I think we all have to be in just like we have to give our opinions on what we’re feeling out there, we also have to contribute to give them all that we can as a team, as drivers, to help them make the best decisions as they go forward.

They asked a favor out of us, and I think we were happy to do it. It was a little wilder out there than I anticipated. I think they left a few things out of the instructions on the drafting because once we got out there, I thought we were like five to go in the Daytona 500. It was pretty wild.

I think it gave them some good information, and us, as well. So I think it was a win win for everybody.

Q. Two things: The first one, it’s funny, you mentioned the good old days and that’s what a lot of people have come in and said today, it felt like the good old days. Does it really feel like the good old days are so far behind you?

JEFF GORDON: Certainly when it comes to drafting at Daytona, yeah. I mean, pretty much every race that I’ve won here was won in a type of drafting style where you had to plan to pass and work yourself into position every single lap of that race, and it took several laps to try to make a pass on the car, whether they were the lead car or fifth place or whatever it may be.

Every lap it was important to maintain that position that you had up towards the front and hold onto it and watch your mirrors, not let anybody get runs on you from behind, and then utilize the cars behind you to get some runs to pass, to try to win the race.

These days the shuffling just goes back and forth, back and forth, and it just seems like the passing and getting passed is it’s kind of easy in some ways, and it’s really as much about timing and luck as it is about planning it and really trying to come up with a strategy and what the car is doing and working the air around you and stuff. There’s still a lot of that but just not like it used to be. I know those days have passed us by.

Q. The other thing I wanted to ask you about is Kasey Kahne joining the team this year. You were one of his heroes when he was coming up and just starting racing. What kind of interaction have you had with him, and what does he bring, and Kenny Francis?

JEFF GORDON: Oh, I think they’re a great addition. I think they’re a great package. They seem to really get along well and understand one another well. Kenny is a super smart guy. I think he’s a great crew chief, and I think that Kasey is one of the top drivers in the series. We’re thrilled to have them with Hendrick. I had fun working with them today and can’t wait to work with them all year long. Kasey and I have been texting one another back and forth all last year. Every time that we were fast in qualifying or won a race, he was texting me, and I kept telling him, we’re just getting things ready for when you come. You know, we’ve been talking about having some fun with that for a long time, and I’m really looking forward to it.

And I think they add a lot, as well, because they’re like I said, they’re a great package.

Q. You were asked on TV earlier about the speeds, and I think you said something like I’ve never done it before, drafting at these speeds, and I’ve always wanted to do it. 200 miles an hour has always been sort of a taboo number. Did drivers prove a point with the conditions almost simulating what they might be like in a race where they were so wild, the drivers maybe proved to NASCAR they can handle it? And it sounds like you were comfortable but did you sense that everybody was comfortable at that level?

JEFF GORDON: Well, I mean, I’m not you’re right, and even for me, I went up to Darby and said, we can’t run these speeds, right? Surely you’re going to slow us down because it’s embedded in our minds that we can’t go over 200 miles per hour out there in race conditions. And when I saw their reaction of, no, not so much, we feel like we’ve learned some things and we’re okay with that, somehow it’s become accepted, and I think that’s a good thing.

But I don’t think that it really had anything to do with us proving it. I think they’re fine with us being out there doing it. I think they’re happy obviously to see that.

But I think a lot of it was just getting their data and information that made them feel comfortable with cars out there. A lot of things have changed since cars were going airborne here at over 200 miles per hour, and not saying that cars won’t still get airborne, but I think they’ve learned some things that are going to help with it dramatically, and I think that these speeds are more what I feel like this track is capable of and what we should be running here. Not that the fans are going to sit there and go oh, that car is doing 190 and that car is doing 205, I think the racing is going to be a little bit better at those speeds.

There was moments I wasn’t very comfortable, but I any you know, the thing is when they repaved this racetrack, the grip level became so good and the track so smooth that what we used to have here when tires would wear out and you’d slip and slide around and you had your hands full when you had to drive it and that was one of the fun things about Daytona, and when they repaved it, it took a lot of that away. So I think these speeds are getting back to some of that where it’s a little bit more in the drivers’ hands, and I think that’s a good thing.

Q. John Darby during one of the times he was in here the last couple days talked about he thought it was important that in the qualifying aspect cars were really going too slow to be of any kind of entertainment value. Have you noticed what kind of difference have you noticed being able to go like 194, 195 in qualifying?

JEFF GORDON: Well, I think, that’s one of I’ve been saying for years, I wish we could run a different restrictor plate or different spoiler for qualifying just because in single car runs we’re able to go so much faster, and it’s a lot different obviously when you’re in a group of cars doing those speeds and aerodynamics start to become play a big role. I’m very comfortable and feel good about it’s nice to see those speeds, but I wish we were going 20 miles per hour faster for qualifying, and then I wish that we could get it back down to about where we are now. I think that would be really cool to just see, just how fast we could I mean, it’s very comfortable, put it that way. It’s extremely comfortable.

Q. Speaking of comfortable, this is kind of like a fan question. How are you most comfortable with fans and could you share with fans it’s your role, but then again, you get to enjoy it, too?

JEFF GORDON: Yeah. You know, I try to always go back to when I was younger, growing up and looked up to people like Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt and got autographs at racetracks from sprint car drivers like Steve Kinser. It blows me away that there are people out there that are as avid as they are, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get 100 percent comfortable with that because that’s very humbling and gratifying thing to accept. But and when I look back and put myself in those shoes, that to me was so cool to be able to meet my hero and get their autograph or have them say something to me or get a picture, and to know that there are people out there like that that feel that way about me is amazing.

We get caught up in the moment of this is our job and we’re trying to compete for the Daytona 500 and all these things, and sometimes you go, yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m sorry I can’t do it right now, I can’t do it right now. But at the end of the day you have to remind yourself how important they are to the sport, how important they are to you because of what they share and what they go through as fans to come here, whether they travel or whatever it is, and to stand there on the fence and yell your name, hope that they get that opportunity to meet you or get an autograph. That’s pretty unbelievable.

So I have to remind myself to be very thankful of that and put myself back in the shoes of myself when I was a kid doing that same thing.

Q. Would you be willing to; if they wanted to pump up qualifying, would you be willing to just run two laps around here without a restrictor plate?

JEFF GORDON: Sure, absolutely. I can say that now because I’m sitting here.

You know, I think without the restrictor plate it actually makes us have to do a lot of different things to the car because I was talking to Martin Truex today and he was talking about how they ran like 210 or something here testing not too long ago and that he was dragging everything off the bottom of the car it was hitting so hard because of the speed. So it’s not just that easy where you can take off the plate and go run. There’s a lot of things that come along with it. I don’t know how Goodyear feels about those speeds and how prepared they are for that, as well. But I would certainly like to do it. I’ve always wanted to do it. I’ve always wanted to do it at Talladega. These cars have so much downforce and drag that you kind of reach terminal velocity even with all that horsepower. I think the cars would be still comfortable to drive but a little bit more driving would be needed. But I think it would be awesome.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time today. Best of luck in 2012.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

2011 Jeff Gordon in Garage - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Second fastest was Paul Menard with a lap speed of 192.369 mph, and was followed by Kurt Busch (192.361) who was third fastest, Ricky Stenhouse Jr (191.959) fourth fastest and Juan Pablo Montoya (191.853) who was fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest were Jimmie Johnson (191.763) who was sixth fastest, Greg Biffle (191.542) seventh, Danica Patrick (191.473) eighth, Jeff Burton (191.412) ninth and Trevor Bayne (191.400) posting the tenth fastest lap speed.

Pos No Name               Make Best Time Best Speed

 1  24 Jeff Gordon        Chv  46.687    192.773
 2  27 Paul Menard        Chv  46.785    192.369
 3  51 Kurt Busch         Chv  46.787    192.361
 4   6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr Frd  46.885    191.959
 5  42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chv  46.911    191.853
 6  48 Jimmie Johnson     Chv  46.933    191.763
 7  16 Greg Biffle        Frd  46.987    191.542
 8  10 Danica Patrick     Chv  47.004    191.473
 9  31 Jeff Burton        Chv  47.019    191.412
10  21 Trevor Bayne       Frd  47.022    191.400
11  88 Dale Earnhardt Jr  Chv  47.025    191.388
12  14 Tony Stewart       Chv  47.032    191.359
13  18 Kyle Busch         Tyt  47.037    191.339
14  20 Joey Logano        Tyt  47.059    191.249
15  39 Ryan Newman        Chv  47.110    191.042
16  11 Denny Hamlin       Tyt  47.122    190.994
17  17 Matt Kenseth       Frd  47.134    190.945
18   5 Kasey Kahne        Chv  47.160    190.840
19  29 Kevin Harvick      Chv  47.176    190.775
20  15 Clint Bowyer       Tyt  47.199    190.682
21  55 Mark Martin        Tyt  47.225    190.577
22   9 Marcos Ambrose     Frd  47.238    190.525
23  43 Aric Almirola      Frd  47.255    190.456
24   1 Jamie McMurray     Chv  47.269    190.400
25  78 Regan Smith        Chv  47.374    189.978
26  22 AJ Allmendinger    Dge  47.419    189.797
27  99 Carl Edwards       Frd  47.435    189.733
28   2 Brad Keselowski    Dge  47.504    189.458
29  13 Casey Mears        Frd  47.508    189.442
30  56 Martin Truex Jr    Tyt  47.633    188.945
31  87 Joe Nemechek       Tyt  48.304    186.320

Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament

“The support that we got this year meant a lot. I am so glad to be able to provide more for the kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley,” Lofton said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for their involvement. Whether it was playing in the tournament, sponsoring a tee, bidding on an auction item – it all means more for those kids, and to be able to help them is a great thing.”

Lofton, who is from nearby Westmorland, California, chose to host the event near his hometown so that the community could be more involved. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley was his charity of choice for the event, and is located just miles from the golf course.

Currently, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley serve over 600 Imperial Valley youth, providing kids a safe, supervised, and affordable place to go every day after school. Nearly 200 kids are greeted daily by caring adult staff and participate in character-building, educational and recreational programs all while making friends and having fun. Concentrating on youth who need the most support, the Club provides programs in four key areas: health and fitness, education, the arts, and most importantly, in character development.

Justin Lofton With The Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley

Activities began for Lofton on Friday afternoon when he made a stop to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley. Lofton talked with the kids, took photos, signed autographs, passed around his fire suit, and let them get an up close look at his No. 6 College Complete (www.collegecomplete.comTo) Chevrolet.

On Saturday, the golfers split into teams and teed off for the tournament at the Del Rio Country Club. Trevor Tagg, Garret Fargo, and Joe Iten made up the winning team.

That evening, the fun moved to the Stockmen’s Club for the awards ceremony, dinner, auctions, and concert with Curb Records recording artist Tim Dugger. The event included a silent auction, and a live auction consisting of donated items from fellow drivers and teams from off road, drag racing, and NASCAR. The highest items during the live auction included a race worn fire suit, donated by two-time NCWTS champion Todd Bodine, an electric bike, space on Lofton’s truck during the season-opener at Daytona, and a Lofton race worn helmet signed by Lofton, five-time Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson, four-time NSCS champ Jeff Gordon, three-time NSCS champ Tony Stewart, and many others. The helmet was the highest bid upon item of the evening, which went for $3,100.00.

The total amount raised for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley will be determined over the next few weeks, as final auction items are picked up and donations are counted.

Thank you to tournament patron and tee sponsors: Accelerex, Accu Data Corp., AdMax, Advanced Payment Services, All American Grain, BackToLearn.com, Benson Farms, Brandt Company, Burnett Farms, Butterspur Cattle Feeders, Cal Energy Operating Corporation, Cameiro Heifer Ranch, Debbie and Paul Cameron, Community Valley Bank, Coni Stokely Insurance, Consuasor Insurance Advisors, Cosmetic Gasket, Crusader Staffing Associates, Curl Up ‘N Dye, Debbie Davis, El Toro Land and Cattle, El Toro Export, Equine Veterinary Services, Farmer’s Insurance, Farmer’s Land Leveling, Fred Eady Insurance, Higher Ed Growth, Hutchinson & Bloodgood, Patrick Hutchinson, Lidco, McDaniel’s Accounting, McNeece Brothers Oil Company, Mesquite Cattle, Jill Newcomb, Phillips Cattle Company, Primo Construction, Rabobank, Richard Laughrin, Spreadco, Superior Cattle Feeders, Superior Export, Steve Dahm Ranches, Stiff Equipment, Team Onion, The Elmore Company, Troy Caston Farms, VHM Network/JobDiagnosis, Viejas Casino, Wells Fargo Commercial Bank, Westway Feed Products.

A special thank you to our presenting sponsors for their support: CollegeComplete.com, J.D. Heiskell & Co., Rogers and Rogers Toyota, and Eddie and Theresa Wiest.

About Eddie Sharp Racing:

Eddie Sharp Racing (TeamESR.com) is a 40,000 square foot championship winning race team based in Denver, NC. After just four short years of competition within the ARCA Racing Series, the team impressively accumulated upwards of 20 race wins. 2009 was a pivotal year for ESR, as they dominated the series with six race wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s en route to the series championship with driver Justin Lofton. In 2010, ESR made the transition to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011, owner Sharp and Lofton were reunited within truck competition. In 2012, ESR will expand to three teams, with Lofton set to return to the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado, Cale Gale set to join the team behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, and a third driver to be named later.

About College Complete:

CollegeComplete.com helps the public navigate the ever-changing and highly complex landscape of higher education, connecting students with the institutions whose offering maximizes the likelihood of success. Partnered with hundreds of educational institutions and across all types of education goals, including traditional college degrees, trade and vocational certifications, and professional licensure, College Complete helps students assess all of the information that exists in the public domain, allowing them to understand and make sense of their educational opportunities. CollegeComplete.com is the student facing subsidiary of Ed Ideas, Inc.

About JoinAPS:

At APS, we find the best processing solution for your business. We are your first stop for Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover along with other value-added merchant services like your own gift card program. We also work with check services; cash advance options and other value-added services to help your business succeed. APS can provide many of the services needed to help you build your business. APS understands that running a business requires various aspects such as supply vendors, day-to-day operations, and customers to succeed. Acceptance of credit card, debit, gift cards, and check payment options is essential in any business. APS provides tailored merchant solutions specific to different types of businesses. With APS, we show you the best options by industry type to handle your payment needs from beginning to end. Visa/MasterCard, Amex, Discover, EBT services along with terminals that handle multiple other services including your gift cards and check payment solutions needs. All of these services can be customized to fit your business. APS offers a complete solution for all types of businesses that need to process credit card related transactions. Our “INDUSTRY SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS” provide the best options for your business model. We have experienced client service representative who understand what your processing needs are.

- Justin Lofton Media Relations Press Release

JR Motorsports

Whitt, a 20-year-old native of Alpine, Calif., will also compete for Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year honors. He comes to JR Motorsports from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he finished ninth in last year’s championship standings with one pole, two top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. To date he is the youngest driver ever to win the USAC (United States Auto Club) National Midget championship, as his title-winning effort in 2008 put him alongside esteemed former USAC national champions such as Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

“Cole is the guy we wanted, and we’re lucky to get him,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’s got raw, untapped talent, but we are most impressed with his ambition. I sought advice and input from people I respect in the industry, and the overwhelming consensus was that Cole has the potential to do great things in this sport.”

The signing of Whitt completes the 2012 driver line-up for JR Motorsports, which will compete in Nationwide Series competition with Whitt in the No. 88 Chevrolet, Danica Patrick in the No. 7 Chevrolet, and Earnhardt Jr. in select races in the No. 5 Chevrolet. All three drivers will compete in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 25.

“This is a big opportunity for me, and I’m happy to be a part of the JR Motorsports team,” said Whitt, who was introduced to employees Wednesday morning. “I’m grateful to Dale, Kelley and everyone at JR Motorsports for giving me this chance. It’s an honor to work with the Eurys, and I will do everything in my power to put this No. 88 team where it belongs in Victory Lane.”

Whitt got his start racing karts and saw immediate success with eight International Karting Federation championships and two World Karting Association grand national championships. He was the Hoosier Sprint Car Rookie of the Year in 2006 and earned 34 top-10 finishes in 60 USAC starts in 2007 before winning the championship in 2008. Whitt advanced to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2010, promptly notching two poles and finishing fourth in points in his first year.

OTHER NEWS: JR Motorsports has hired Bruce Cook as crew chief for the No. 5 team, which will run primarily with Earnhardt Jr. in select races. Cook comes to JR Motorsports from Kevin Harvick, Inc., where he served as crew chief in 2011 in the Camping World Truck Series, predominately for the No. 2 KHI Chevrolet, which won the owner’s championship. With Cook atop the pit box, his team scored six wins, 19 top-fives and 22 top-10s. Cook was also the winning crew chief of the Nationwide Series season-opener at Daytona in 2011 with driver Tony Stewart.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:

Based in Mooresville, N.C., JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s nine-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series where the team owns 10 victories. To learn more about the organization and its stable of drivers which include Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt, visit www.JRMracing.com. The JR Motorsports facility also houses the JR Nation retail store, Hammerhead Entertainment and JRM Licensing.

- JR Motorsports Press Release

Tony Stewart, right, jokes around with teammate Ryan Newman during the Newlywed Game at the Fan Festival presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at the Fremont Street Experience on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Stewart, Teammate Ryan Newman, Winners of Humorous Newlywed Game Parody

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 30, 2011) — Tony Stewart’s on a roll. And that’s a good feeling when you’re in Las Vegas.

Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman won Wednesday’s “This Ain’t the Newlywed Game,” a riff on the television original hosted by Bob Eubanks. Stewart and Newman edged the team of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch by most accurately recalling the estimated attendance of March’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The game had a myriad of humorous moments – some broad, others ribald – and in some cases more resembled a roast of the top 12 finishers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.

Stewart, who suggested engineering graduate Newman would be a better driver “if he didn’t think all the time,” got in the final zinger to his teammate’s incorrect answer that he would be the driver the champion most likely would bump out of the way on the final lap to win the race.

“I figured you’d pick me,” said a disappointed Newman. Stewart answered, “There you go thinking again.” Stewart thought Newman’s answer would’ve been “Brian Vickers.”

Carl Edwards said Roush Fenway Racing partner Matt Kenseth would be a better driver “if he didn’t qualify in the back.” Kenseth responded, “Are you kidding me? I beat Ryan Newman for poles this year.” Actually, they both won three Coors Light Poles during the 2011 season.

Kenseth set up Eubanks by telling Edwards his most annoying habit was always being late. Eubanks said, “Even late crossing the finish line” in reference to Edwards’ second-place finish to Stewart in the championship deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“This could be the end of my career,” said Eubanks. “I’m not sure I’ll ever do it again but it’s been fun.”

The Newlywed-style event, held on downtown Las Vegas’ historic Fremont Street Experience, drew several thousand fans. Some carried signs welcoming their favorite drivers.

The six teams were comprised of Stewart/Newman, Hamlin/Kyle Busch, Edwards/Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski/Kurt Busch.

There were other activities as well, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week rolled into its second day working toward Friday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet at Wynn Las Vegas, a signature event that will feature same day coverage (9 p.m. ET) by SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio.

Travis Pastrana sat for a featured one-on-one interview during Wednesday’s second and final day of the Motorsports Marketing Forum at Caesars Palace. Pastrana noted his recovery process from a broken ankle, which delayed his NASCAR Nationwide Series career, saying, “I actually became a bigger fan and feel like I learned a lot by watching on television.”

Pastrana said the biggest challenge he faces in 2012 is working with crew chief and crew to make the optimum adjustments. “In Rally, if you want to make up time, you can take chances to jump up further,” he said. “In NASCAR, you really have to not only know what the car is doing, but how to relate that.”

Stewart hosts the popular 5th Annual “Stewie Awards” with co-host Matt Yocum at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday on the

Matt Kenseth, center, teamed up with Carl Edwards, gestures during the Newlywed Game at the Fan Festival presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at the Fremont Street Experience on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. The Stewies honor the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season.

Thursday is Champion’s Week longest day with the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, NASCAR Victory Lap and NASCAR After the Lap on the schedule. Details can be found below.

Media members still have the opportunity to vote on the greatest moments during the 2011 NASCAR national series season. Among the nominations are Stewart’s come-from-behind championship run and Trevor Bayne’s surprising and dramatic Daytona 500 victory. Results will be announced beginning early next week. To vote: http://bit.ly/2011topstories.

Thursday, Dec. 1

· NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon: Beginning at 11 a.m. in the Bellagio Ballroom at the Bellagio, this annual industry/media gathering includes the presentation of awards to the Champion Crew Chief (Darian Grubb), Champion Sponsor (Office Depot and Mobil 1), Sunoco Rookie of the Year (Andy Lally) and Most Popular Driver (to be announced). Co-hosted by NASCAR and the National Motor Sports Press Association, fans can attend this exclusive event for the second-consecutive year. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/Myers_Brothers_Luncheon.

· NASCAR Victory Lap: Set for 3 p.m., the fan-favorite NASCAR Victory Lap will feature the top 12 drivers parading – with engines growling – down the famed Las Vegas strip in their teams’ respective race cars. NASCAR Victory Lap will feature an authentic pit stop along the route and two burn-out sections for drivers. NASCAR Victory Lap will start in front of Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard and end at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/Victory_Lap.

· Coca-Cola Fan Zone: Fans can get a front-row seat for the conclusion of NASCAR Victory Lap at the Coca-Cola Fan Zone, a free event located at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Beginning at noon, the Coca-Cola Fan Zone offers interactive displays from The Sprint Experience, Game Show Network, Ford, Coca-Cola, and is a prelude to NASCAR After the Lap.

· NASCAR After the Lap: Starting at 4:30 p.m., NASCAR After The Lap is one of the highlights of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week. Tickets for the third-annual event will be available for purchase at www.NASCARAfterTheLap.com for $20 each, with proceeds benefitting The NASCAR Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises funds that support children’s charities and important causes throughout the nation. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola, the event is renowned for its unfiltered, “tell-all” format featuring the 2011 top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/After_The_Lap.

· The 5th Annual Stewie Awards: A champion’s week tradition, 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum return to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for the 5th Annual Stewie Awards, broadcast live on the SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 at 9:30 p.m. ET. The annual highlight of NASCAR Champion’s Week honors the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season. Here’s the link for the list of awards: http://www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards.

Jeff Gordon, left, and Jimmie Johnson team up for the Newlywed Game at the Fan Festival presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at the Fremont Street Experience on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony: The big show starts at 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), crowning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver and owner and honoring the other drivers who finished in the top 10 in the final series standings. The star-studded entertainment lineup for the ceremony includes country music icon Reba as host, a performance by Grammy-award winning rocker Kid Rock, as well as performances by two recent additions: up-and-coming country artist Ella Mae Bowen and Broadway sensation Jersey Boys.

• Sixteen-year-old Ella Mae Bowen is an emerging country singer-songwriter who is featured on the new “Footloose” soundtrack with her enthralling remake of “Holding Out For a Hero”. Bowen is originally from Walhalla, South Carolina, and is currently signed with Big Machine Label Group, which is the record label home to country superstars like Reba, Taylor Swift and Martina McBride.

• “Jersey Boys” is the smash-hit musical winner of the 2006 Tony Award on Broadway and Best Musical accolades in both London and Australia. This critically-acclaimed musical tells the tale of four blue-collar boys working their way from the streets of Newark to the top of the charts taking audiences behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Jersey Boys, voted #1 show in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal, is currently performing at The Palazzo and is coming to Paris Las Vegas in March 2012.

SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio provide same-day coverage, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

- NASCAR, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

Also nailing down a top-10 starting position was five-time defending NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, who will start ninth in the 43-car field.

Championship contender Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, will roll off 15^th in Sunday’s 267-lap/400.5 mile race in his bid for a third NSCS driver’s crown.

Carl Edwards (Ford) was the pole winner. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota), Kasey Kahne (Toyota), Kurt Busch (Dodge) and Brad Keselowski (Dodge) completed the top-five qualifiers.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 11^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “It was pretty decent. We had a car and a good opportunity at qualifying well. We haven’t all year long. This weekend the car has been pretty good. Had good speed. I probably could have done a little bit better on the line and the car was a little bit loose on the throttle off the corner that just cost us a little bit of time here and there. But, I was pretty pleased.”

WAS THE WIND A FACTOR AT ALL DURING QUALIFYING? “No. It will be a factor in race trim, when you put the car in race trim it is a little bit of a factor on older tires.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 15^TH: ON QUALIFYING AND GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND’S RACE: “Well, the qualifying deal isn’t how our race is going to play out. So, this is one lap of how many hundred miles we’ve got to go. I don’t know where we’re going to end up here, but it looks like we’re going to be solid. That’s the main thing. We didn’t have a pole-winning car today, but our Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy is pretty good in race trim. I’m glad we spent more time working on race trim than qualifying trim. So, we’ll see how it plays out.”

YOU’VE GOT QUALIFYING DONE AND YOUR PRACTICES ARE DONE. YOU’VE JUST GOT ONE THING LEFT. DO YOU HAVE A CAR GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HERE IN 2011? “We’ll know in 399 miles. I’ll let you know after that.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 9^TH: ON HIS LAP: “It wasn’t bad. It was decent. It wasn’t bad at all. We felt better about our qualifying than our race trim. So I think we have a little bit of work to do yet on our set-up for the race. But the qualifying aspect has gone well today.”

WAS THE WIND A FACTOR IN QUALIFYING TODAY? “No, it’s definitely been there; but fortunately it’s been the same all day. So I kind of knew what I had to do. But it is gusty, for sure.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 7^TH: HOW WAS YOUR RUN? “I’m really happy with it. We had a good day today and I felt like going out late certainly helped and I thought the Drive to End Hunger team did a great job tuning for qualifying. The car was really close.”

WAS THE WIND A FACTOR? “I didn’t feel it to be a big factor in qualifying; I thought it would be a bigger factor with the tire started to fall off.”

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

AARP Foundation Drive To End Hunger

Effort led by AARP and AARP Foundation has raised more than $13.7 million to end hunger among older Americans

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—AARP and AARP Foundation announced today that Drive to End Hunger donated nearly four million meals through local hunger relief organizations during its first year. The Foundation also raised more than $13.7 million from corporate and individual donors to help combat hunger among Americans 50 and older.

An estimated 8.8 million Americans 50 and older are at risk of hunger, including 4.9 million 50- to 59-year-olds, according to research released this year by AARP Foundation. AARP and AARP Foundation created Drive to End Hunger to raise awareness and funds to end hunger among older Americans. In February, AARP became NASCAR’s first cause-based primary sponsor with Drive to End Hunger featured on Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet. The effort raises the visibility of hunger while collecting cash and food donations in NASCAR race markets across the country.

“As Americans, we give a lot of thought to hunger around the holidays,” said AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins. “But nearly nine million older Americans face hunger every day. We’re so proud of what NASCAR fans, AARP members and corporate donors have done to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with hunger.”

Major companies joining with Drive to End Hunger this year included Chase Card Services and UnitedHealthcare—each with multimillion-dollar commitments. International Speedway Corporation, through its concessions vendor, Americrown, donated 40,000 pounds of extra food after Sprint Cup races at their facilities.

“This has been a tremendous year for our team, both on and off the track,” Gordon said. “I know first-hand how charitable the NASCAR community can be, and Drive to End Hunger has gone the extra mile. The awareness they have created and the resources they’ve raised are making a real difference for a problem that has lived in the shadows for too long.”

During each of Drive to End Hunger’s race weekends, AARP Foundation made major cash donations to local hunger relief organizations. This weekend, the Foundation donated $10,000 to Feeding South Florida. On average, food banks can deliver seven meals for each dollar donated. In addition to local food and cash donations, the Foundation will award hunger innovation grants—ranging between $50,000 and $300,000—to local, state, and national organizations, to develop or scale projects focused on long-term, sustainable solutions to older adult hunger.

For more information about Drive to End Hunger, please visit www.drivetoendhunger.org.

AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity. The Foundation is dedicated to serving vulnerable people 50+ by creating solutions that help them secure the essentials and achieve their best life. AARP Foundation focuses on: hunger, housing, income and isolation as our key mission areas. The Foundation envisions: ‘a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable.’ Foundation programs are funded by grants, tax-deductible contributions and AARP. For more information about AARP Foundation, please log on to www.aarpfoundation.org.

-AARP, Press Release

2011 Jeff Gordon in Garage - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (November 16, 2011)

Gordon is the first three-time recipient of the award, but this marks the first time he is the sole recipient. Gordon and Darrell Waltrip were named co-persons of the year in 1997. Gordon also shared the title when Hendrick Motorsports was named Persons of the Year in 2004.

Other past recipients include Joe Gibbs, Mark Martin, Kyle Petty and Tony Stewart for their influence on the NASCAR community, as well as admirable charitable efforts.

“We are thrilled to name Jeff Gordon the 2011 NASCAR Illustrated Person of the Year,” said Jay Pfeifer, Editor of NASCAR Illustrated. “In addition to scoring his 85th win, third-most in NASCAR history, he took his philanthropy to a new level. By expanding his fight against pediatric cancer to Africa, Gordon showed that compassion can extend across borders and around the world. We salute Jeff for his incredible achievements.”

Gordon has made three trips to Victory Lane with his No. 24 team during the 2011 season and on the third and final off-week of the 38 weekend NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, a trip around the world to the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the Clinton Global Initiative, a special program created by former President Bill Clinton to improve the lives of 43 million internally displaced persons and refugees around the world.

In May, the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation announced their new initiative to bring accessible cancer treatment to children of Rwanda and has committed to raising $1.5 million over the course of three years in order to do so.

DuPont, a global company that has sponsored the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet since 1992, has also been a longtime and loyal supporter of the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation since Gordon founded it in 1999.

“His outstanding commitment and accomplishments on and, now especially, off the track are what make DuPont so proud to have the relationship we have with such a dedicated athlete and person,” said Larry Deas, DuPont Motorsports Manager.

“Sponsoring Jeff and the DuPont Chevrolet for 19 years has allowed us to see Jeff evolve from a talented race car driver to a NASCAR champion and now to a world renowned philanthropist.”

Gordon has also contributed to feeding millions of America’s elderly through sponsor AARP and their Drive to End Hunger program, which adorned the hood of the No. 24 Chevrolet for the first time this year. Over $12 million in donations and more than 3.7 million meals have been provided to senior citizens struggling with hunger issues in America through the Drive to End Hunger program.

“It’s very rewarding to be named the 2011 Person of the Year, and I am just so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given,” said Gordon. “The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation has been able to accomplish a lot since its inception in 1999 in the battle against pediatric cancer, but that battle continues nationally and globally.

“And it’s been an eye-opening experience learning about the more than 9 million older Americans with hunger issues. We’ve been able to make an impact this year with the help of the NASCAR community and fans, but that battle continues, as well.”

- Performance PR Plus, For DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

FORD 400

HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

HOMESTEAD, FL

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships

Total (1949 – 2011): 35

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

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

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

Drivers Championships

Total (1949 – 2010): 27

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

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

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

Event Victories

2010 Race Wins: 18

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

2011 YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS:

Wins: 17

Poles: 11

Laps led: 4,627

Top-five finishes: 75

Top-10 finishes: 158

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

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

Poles Won to Date: 620

Laps Lead to Date: 204,863

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,442

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,040

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

GM: 1,021

Chevrolet: 686

Pontiac: 155

Oldsmobile: 115

Buick: 65

Ford: 706

Ford: 606

Mercury: 96

Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 461

Dodge: 212

Plymouth: 190

Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 39

About Chevrolet

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

 - Team Chevy, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/OFFICE DEPOT CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3^RD:

YOUR CREW CHIEF, DARIAN GRUBB, APOLOGIZED FOR AN ADJUSTMENT; WHAT HAPPENED?

“Well, he shouldn’t apologize for it. We just made another air pressure change and we finally got too far on it. So, we had an awesome Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy today and the Coca-Cola program, we’re proud of that; and Sprint and everybody; it was just an awesome day. We did almost everything we needed to do. We led a lap; led the most laps, and just came up two spots shy. But it was just a little bit too loose on entry the last two runs there. I thought Darian made a really good call there with just gas only at the end and we were able to run Jeff (Burton) down there and get back to third. So, we’re keeping him (Carl Edwards, point leader) honest.”

TALK ABOUT THAT FINAL PASS WITH NINE LAPS TO GO WHEN YOU RAN JEFF BURTON DOWN AND MADE THE PASS. HOW IMPORTANT WAS THAT?

“Well, we’ll see next week. It could come down to that. Every point counts right now. That’s why we raced Carl (Edwards) so hard and Kasey (Kahne) so hard. We led enough laps to lead the most laps today so we’re going for every single point we can get right now.”

THREE POINTS AWAY, HOW DO YOU WIN IT AT HOMESTEAD NEXT WEEK?

“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. We have a third and two wins in the last three races so we’re going to keep the pressure on him (Carl Edwards) and we’ll make him sweat it out.”

ON THE RACE:

“Oh, we had a great day. We led the most laps and did everything we could do. So, we missed it by two spots but it was still an awesome day for the Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy.”

HOW HARD DID YOU WORK TO MAKE THAT LAST LAP PASS ON JEFF BURTON?

“I over-drove it in two corners before that but it just looked like he got a little tight and I was able to get rotated in the center and get underneath him. But I don’t think he pushed the issue really hard; I think he raced us with respect there and so I appreciate that.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – FINISHED 14^TH:

YOU HAVE BEEN MATHEMATICALLY ELIMINATED FROM THE DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR?

“Yeah, I’m definitely disappointed that we won’t be able to go to Homestead and race for our sixth (consecutive driver’s championship) but that’s motorsports. It’s a very tough business. What we did over the last five years was absolutely spectacular and I’ve just got to thank Lowe’s. I’ve got to thank Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus (crew chief), and this whole race team for giving me everything they’ve had these 10 years. Even though we’re not in position to win the championship now, we’re going to go to Homestead and try to have our best race down there that we can and finish as high as we can in the points.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY YOU ARE GOING TO COME BACK EVEN STRONGER NEXT YEAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE ONE THING YOU WANT TO TAKE FROM THIS AS YOU MOVE FORWARD?

“We’ll definitely learn. To a certain degree being on top for as long as we have been takes a lot of effort to maintain that. It just takes a lot out of you. So this winter will be a nice winter to unplug and relax and really look internally and dissect the different areas of the race team and what we do and come back stronger. I’ve always learned more from tougher moments and by no means is this a tough moment. Yes, the streak is gone but we’ve still got a shot at a top-five in points and that would be a big year still.”

WILL YOU HAVE A LITTLE MORE FUN AT HOMESTEAD THIS TIME THAN YOU’VE HAD IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS?

“Yeah, I’ll definitely have more fun and get a lot of sleep going in there. I’ll bet you the No. 99 (Carl Edwards) and the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) won’t. I’ll have fun watching from the sidelines.”

WAS THIS A CHALLENGING RACE LIKE EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE?

“Yeah, we were really, really far off. We kind of had that in practice and throughout different points of the weekend. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get the car balanced right. As a whole, if you look at our Hendrick cars, unfortunately we all struggled. The only Hendrick affiliated car that did any good was the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) and the rest of us looked like mid-packers all weekend long.”

WILL TONIGHT BE THE NIGHT YOU REFLECT ON WHAT YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED?

“It might be. There’s definitely disappointment. I think that will be the emotion I deal with first. And then over the off-season, I’m sure it will kick-in some and reflect. I’ll reflect then, but still; in order for us to be where we want to be next year, we’ve got to work very, very hard during this off-season to understand what’s up and that’s not going to make it all that relaxed. So, I’m up for the challenge. This team is. My guys work so hard and we’ll learn and grow from this.”

IS IT GOING TO SEEM WEIRD THAT YOU’RE NOT THE CHAMPION?

“”I’ve been racing 30 years; shoot, 31 years and I’ve won probably two other big championship along the way. So, seven out of 31 years; this is normal. What we did over the last five years is abnormal. And then now we’ll get a taste of normalcy.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY VETERANS DAY CHEVROLET – FINISHED 5^TH:

“The guys on the U.S. Army Chevrolet with the Veteran’s Day special paint scheme; that was an amazing comeback for us to come from 30^th to fifth. I’m really proud of that. Tony (Stewart) kept himself in the hunt and we’re just doing all we can. That was a good run for us today. We had a good day on pit road. We’ve had some struggles here during the championship Chase on pit road, but to come back from what we did and start from where we did and end up talking to you (media) now is a good day.”

FROM 30TH TO 5TH ON THE TRACK, GOOD RUN: “It was interesting. The back stretch was the most interesting part the race track today. The guys did a good job on the US Army Chevrolet and this special Veteran’s Day paint scheme. I don’t think we hurt anybody on the car (smiles). Just proud of the No. 14 to do what they did. Thanks to all the fans for coming out. Hope it was an interesting race. For us to come from 30th to fifth, I’m proud of the effort. Wish we could have picked up four more.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 RETRO DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, FINISHED 24^TH: NOT THE DAY YOU WERE HOPING FOR TODAY: “No. We pitted there and got caught with the caution out there and lost a couple of laps and just never got a chance to get it back. We had an ok car. Maybe a top-20 car. But, we changed the whole set-up last night. We put the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) setup in; we didn’t even practice it and we missed it. We didn’t hit it. The car was laying all over the race track. We just spent all day long trying to fix that. We should have just stuck with what we working with in practice and made the best of that and I think we could have done ok.”

HOW WAS THE TRACK? “It was alright. It’s too smooth. There’s not enough rocks in the asphalt, it’s too smooth. It’s all tar. It is really smooth. Hopefully it will age pretty quick though. But they need more rocks in the race track.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 32^ND: PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR DAY, THIS PLACE ON BRAKES IS SO CRITICAL: “Yes. You know, I’m questioning what we had going on there because it seems like something contributed to that. I don’t know. Disappointing day. Disappointing weekend. We weren’t good here in the test. We weren’t good when we got here. We made a little of gains there and worked our way up there a little bit, but the restarts were hurting us really bad. It’s really slick out there and we were fighting and battling but then the brake problem happening and that pretty much ruined our day.”

DID YOU SEE ANYTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH THE BRAKES? “Nope.”

YOU HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES COMING INTO THIS CHASE; THIS HAS TO BE DISAPPOINTING THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. “We knew we were out of it, but you want to close the season out on a positive note and carry some momentum into the off season as well as more as high in the points as you can. It hasn’t been our Chase at all and not the kind of year we wanted or the way we wanted to close out the year. This is a very good team and we’ve got a lot to look forward to in the future.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO RUN THIS TRACK WITHOUT BRAKES? “I had brakes, I just didn’t’ have enough to go fast. Every time I tried a little faster and use a little more brakes, then all of a sudden the pedal would start going to the floor and then I’d just have to back off and cool them back down. Just something we have to look into because we had a lot of opening to cool them. It shouldn’t have gotten hot.”

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRACK? “I think the corners are not bad; but that dogleg in the back is ridiculous. It’s almost dangerous. I’m not a fan of that. But I think they are going to have a really nice race track here. The surface I liked as it moved into a wider groove. As it wears, Goodyear will be able to build a tire than can wear and have a little more grip so that we can race a little bit better.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4^TH: “We got really tight there at the end and he (Tony Stewart) had a lot of momentum. I didn’t slam into him or anything, but I wasn’t going to give him the spot. He earned it and he got it. The Caterpillar Chevrolet was good, really, all day. Real proud of everybody. When things are tough, you find out what people are made. My group has just kept digging and kept their heads up. Real proud of everybody. Nobody has quit on this team, not once. I’m real proud of that.”

WHAT HAS TURNED IT AROUND FOR YOU GUYS? “We have always worked hard and we didn’t get in this hole because of one person. We were just looking at things wrong. We’ve started changing how we are looking at things. I’ve gotten a little more involved in trying to understand exactly what is in the cars because that is really a departure for me not to be involved. So, I’ve become a little more involved. But that hasn’t had much to do with it other than me understanding what is in the car. I think that does matter. So, just a lot of work; a lot of effort and just everybody is just hitting the right buttons right now.”

VERY SOLID DAY: “We ran well all day. This is just a difficult race track. It is hard to pass and we did a nice job today. We played our cards right. You can always look back and think you could have done something different. We weren’t quite as good as one or two cars on the average of the total run, it would get a little tighter than we wanted. It was a good day for us. It was what we needed and what makes me comfortable. We’ve run really well the last month and hopefully we will build some momentum going into next year.”

CAN YOU CARRY THAT MOMENTUM OVER TO NEXT YEAR? “Well I hope so. I think we are learning. I know this sounds silly but we learned an awful lot of what not to do about what not to do earlier in the year and it just took us forever to recover from it. We started working on things that just weren’t the right things to work on and not we’re starting to work on stuff that is making a difference. This sport is hard. It wasn’t one person’s fault. We collectively weren’t doing a good job as a team but real proud of everybody with the Caterpillar Chevrolet and real proud of all of sponsors. Caterpillar, Chevrolet, SKF, Menards…everybody…Coca Cola for sticking with us. This has been very difficult for us and them too. But they’ve all stuck with us and real excited and proud of that. Makes me want to work harder for them.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET, FINISHED 19^TH: ON HIS DAY: “It was a tough day for the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team. We didn’t quite know what to expect with the new surface and the weather this weekend. We took some gambles today and it didn’t work out in the end. We’ll head to Homestead next weekend and try to end the season on a better note.”

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

Team Chevy Logo

AVONDALE, AZ – (November 12, 2011)

Jamie McMurray put the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet in the sixth starting position and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion Tony Stewart behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet will roll off eighth for the 312-lap/312-mile/500K race.

Matt Kenseth (Ford) was the pole winner. A.J. Allmendinger (Ford), Marcos Ambrose (Ford) and Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) complete the top-five qualifiers.

A total of 16 Team Chevy drivers will take the green flag at 3:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on ESPN TV, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 4^TH: ON HIS LAP: “I got a really good one and two and was really surprised how good it was, I thought three and four was going to be really good for grip, I thought all the guys were having trouble in one and two, so I went after it a little too much down there, got the car up in the high groove and lost a ton of time there. It is too bad, we had half the track right anyway, just big complement to everybody on the GoDaddy.com team, did an awesome job, just guessing what we might need for this condition and just wish I would have gotten all of it on both ends. At least got one end right.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 6^TH: ON HIS LAP: “Not a very good lap, you stand down there and you watch everybody drive in turn one and you see them all get loose and chase the car, but when it comes to qualifying, you kind of have to go for it and give it a shot. I drove in there the first lap and thought I was going to make it initially before I got on the brakes but, as the car got down towards the corner, it just got out from underneath me. It is really hard to explain to people that are watching us on TV that when you get out of that black zone, it goes from being able to run like a 26 second lap to a 50 second lap, it is just really slick. That was a good recovery; I am disappointed because I really thought we had a shot at the pole. We have had a really good car all weekend, so that is disappointing, but the McDonald’s Chevy has been good and there will be some big pit strategies happen I think.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/OFFICE DEPOT CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 8^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “I thought it was alright, we did not get on the pole, but we had a nice solid lap and that is what we needed to do.”

HOW IS THE TRACK? “I didn’t think it was a big drama, I mean it is slower obviously, it lost grip but it is the same as what we had when we tested here. I am alright if it stays like this for the whole day.”

YOU LIKE THE SLICK TRACKS: “Yea, I love it.”

DO YOU THINK THE SECOND GROOVE WILL COME IN, ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT IT? “You got a whole Nationwide race to watch to figure that out, you will know as soon as we know, because you are going to watch the same race we are going to watch here in about an hour, so we will know here in a little while.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED BY ANYTHING OUT THERE? “I wasn’t, this track was real temperature sensitive at the test, so this is what we anticipated once we saw the day and what kind of conditions we were going to have, this was not a shock by any means.”

IS THIS TRACK LIKE INDY AND CHARLOTTE? “Yea, the way the temperature sensitivity is, absolutely, it is very, very similar to those two.”

I GUESS THE FIRST BATTLE WAS A TOP-TEN STARTING SPOT FOR THE WEEKEND, ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT STARTING SPOT? “Yea, I would like to have been a little better; I think our car is a little better than that. I was a little too free to run a faster lap than that. It was a solid run and we are in good shape right now.”

DID YOU DO A QUALIFYING RUN IN THAT SESSION OF PRACTICE YESTERDAY? “We only did one qualifying run for the two sessions, so pretty happy with the way we ran.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 16^TH

ON HIS LAP “I got an ‘okay’ second lap but it’s just unclear what type of lap it’s going to take right now. It’s early in the session and we’re sitting in second. I’d love to stay there; but I just don’t know right now. I hope the sun comes out and it gets hot and more slick and then that would guarantee us a better starting spot. But that was an exciting lap to say the least.”

WHAT MADE IT EXCITING? “Well, I went into Turn 1 and anticipated what I thought the grip level would be and as I got there, it wasn’t the case (laughs) and I ended up by the wall in the center of the turn. Luckily I didn’t tear the car up.”

THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO LAPS YOU’LL HAVE ON THE TRACK FROM FRIDAY UNTIL SUNDAY, SO HOW DO YOU PREPARE; ESPECIALLY WITH THE WEATHER CONDITIONS? “We’re really learning. The track changed so much from the first two test sessions I was a part of with the tire test to where we were yesterday; and yesterday was like we’d never been here before just because the track changed so much. I think at the end of the day you just need to have a lot of adjustability built in your car. We’ll learn a little today but the race is a whole other game. So it’s going to be a crapshoot.”

DO YOU WISH YOU WERE IN THE NATIONWIDE RACE, OR WOULD THAT MESS YOU UP EVEN FURTHER? “I haven’t spent enough time between the two cars to help or have it work. I commend Carl (Edwards) and (Kevin) Harvick and (Clint) Bowyer and a lot of these guys but it takes a lot of time in both series to get it right. I would probably just screw myself up if I just came in and did a one-off.”

WOULD YOU BE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE LINE ON THE DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS? “Every Cup driver will be glued to the television and making sure that they see what’s going on. With it being so new, you can’t fall off of past experience; it’s a whole new race track and a whole new world.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 23^RD: ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “Yea, we will see that track is treacherous right now. Last night we were able to really get after it, and go hard right from pit-road and a lot of grip, but boy the conditions have changed dramatically here today and I mean that is a good lap but let me tell you, it was not pretty and I could not be aggressive at all. It is a little frustrating, but we will see where it ends up.”

WE HAD A SPIN EARLY IN QUALIFYING AND ONE IN NATIONWIDE AS WELL, HOW MUCH ARE YOU DECIDING YOU HAVE TO HOLD BACK? “Well, it is obvious when you see what is going on out there and that the grip level is low and so it plays a factor of what your decision making is and I just tried to come off pit-road as hard as I could, get as much heat in the tires as I could, and came to the green decent but I could tell the grip was not quite there but I was not expecting what I had in turn one it was just completely sideways going in there, which I had never had any of that throughout practice, so it is going to be interesting to watch and see what happens.”

LANDON CASSILL, NO. 51 PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 21^ST: ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “It was fun, I want to do it again, this track is nice and smooth and fresh pavement always does funny things with these race cars so, it is kind of a man’s-man’s lap out there right now, so it will be cool to see who is up top.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR, NO. 88 RETRO MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22^ND: ON HIS LAP: “The track is real slick, we just tried to go out there and do the best we could. I think the track is going to keep improving, which is a little bit disappointing, and guys are going to get faster and faster. We struggled yesterday in practice and felt like we improved a little bit. It is real slick and you just kind of go out there and take care of yourself.”

About Chevrolet

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- Team Chevy, Press Release