No. 24 AM / FM-Energy / Great Play Chevrolet Silverado

Event: Ford 200

Date: Friday, November 18

TV: SPEED, 8:00 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, 7:45 p.m. ET

Distance: 134 Laps / 201 Miles

Track: 1.5-mile Oval

Fast & Fun Facts:

- Elliott Sadler has spent 94.8 percent of laps completed at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS) in the top-15.

- Veteran crew chief, Jeff Hensley will be calling the shots for Sadler in this weekend’s Ford 200 at HMS.

- Happy Anniversary… Joe & Meagan Denette will be celebrating their second wedding anniversary on Monday, November 21. To commemorate the occasion, the No. 24 Chevrolet will carry a “Happy Anniversary Joe & Megan” decal on the deck lid.

- Joe Denette and family spent a day with PEOPLE magazine on Tuesday, November 8. Joe’s story will be featured in an upcoming issue of the popular magazine. An exact publication date is yet to be determined.

- Third Time’s A Charm: This will mark the third start for Sadler behind the wheel of the No.24 for Joe Denette Motorsports. The Emporia, Va. native piloted his AM FM-Energy Chevrolet to a ninth-place finish after starting from the pole and leading 53 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. Most recently, Sadler was behind the wheel of the Virginia Lottery Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway. After starting 14th, Sadler led five laps en route to a 19th-place finish.

Autism Speaks: Sadler is heavily involved in the Autism Speaks charity because his niece Halie has the disorder. In this weekend’s final NCWTS event of the season, Sadler will carry the famous Autism Awareness puzzle piece paint scheme.

Truckin’ It-Sadler’s NCWTS Stats:

Starts: 19

Wins: 1, (Pocono, 2010)

Poles: 2

Top-5: 4

Top-10: 9

Laps Led: 257

Avg. Start: 6.5

Homestead Fast Facts: Sadler has one NCWTS start at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2010) where he started fourth and finished 13th .

In the Loop: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics…Sadler owns some impressive stats at HMS

- Fifth in average running position (8.179)

- Seventh in driver rating, a formula combining the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led, and lead lap finishes. Sadler’s driver rating is 94.4.

- Third in fastest drivers early in a run.

- Fifth in fastest drivers late in a run.

- Third in fastest on restarts

- Second in green flag speed.

- First in quality passes with 47.

That’s a Stat: Sadler is one of only 23 drivers in NASCAR history to have recorded a win in all three of NASCAR’s elite divisions and is one of only 16 drivers in NASCAR history to have earned a pole award and win in all three of NASCAR’s elite divisions.

Previous Race Recap: In his second start of the 2011 season for Joe Denette Motorsports, Virginia native Elliott Sadler turned a track-best start into a track-best finish at Martinsville Speedway. Piloting the No. 24 Virginia Lottery Chevrolet, Sadler lead five laps en route to a 19th-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Kroger 200.

Chassis History: The No. 24 team will unload chassis No. 06 from the Joe Denette Motorsports stables for this weekend’s Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Built new for the 2011 season, this chassis became a workhorse for the rookie team over the summer. This was the same chassis Jason White piloted to a season-best finish of fifth at Kentucky and a 16th-place finish after leading the field for 43 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.

Elliott Sadler

“I’ve had a great 2011 season on and off the track. Amanda and I remodeled our house, welcomed our first daughter, Austyn, to our family and are looking forward to a quiet off season in Emporia, VA. In the meantime, we’ve come up short on visiting victory lane this season and I’ve got two more shots at it in Homestead.”

“We’ve run well enough to win on the truck side and the Nationwide side but things haven’t gone our way at the end. We’re hoping we can change that this weekend.”

“Homestead is a great track. It was the first track to really tackle the progressive banking concept and even to date it’s probably the best progressive banking in our sport. We can run pretty much anywhere we want on the race track which is something racecar drivers are a big fan of, multi-groove racing.”

“I’ve got a pretty busy weekend planned. I’ll be doing a lot of appearances around Miami on Thursday and I get to see my good friend, Blake Shelton, on Thursday night. Friday and Saturday we are on track all day and on Monday we have the banquet down in South Beach. We’re gonna do all we can to end this year out with a win, or two in Homestead.”

About AM FM- Energy:

AM FM-Energy, based in Amherst, VA and is celebrating its sixth year in business as a leader in alternative energy solutions. The company specializes in multi-fuel stoves, wood stoves and pellet stoves. They are also a notable distributor of the high quality Timber Ridge line of wood and pellet stoves from England Stove Works. For more information on AM FM-Energy please visit: www.amfmenergy.com

About Great Play:

Great Play is a unique new gym for kids. At Great Play children ages 6 months to 5th grade develop motor skills, sport skills, fitness and coordination through instruction and fun, structured play, in an exciting Interactive Arena™. For more information on Great Play please visit: www.GreatPlay.com

Great Fun + Great Results = Great Play

- Joe Denette Motorsports Press Release

Martinsville (Va.) Speedway

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 3, 2011) –

Tony Stewart made an improbable outside pass of Jimmie Johnson with three laps to go Sunday to win the TUMS Fast Relief 500. Last spring Kevin Harvick got by Dale Earnhardt, also with three laps to go, to capture the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. Harvick’s pass of Earnhardt was the 31st lead change in the race, breaking a record that had stood for more than 30 years. This past Sunday there were 23 lead changes and 18 caution periods.

“It’s no secret that the best racing action is at short tracks, and Martinsville Speedway had the best action anywhere this year,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. “The feedback we’ve gotten the last few days from fans and even from the drivers has been amazing. They all agree it doesn’t get any better than the racing we had at Martinsville Speedway this year.”

To help fans celebrate that great racing, Martinsville Speedway is offering a save-your-seat Special for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on April 1. For $14, which commemorates Stewart’s car number, fans can hold their seat for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.

Put $14 down on your order today and schedule the remaining payments through early February 2012. To take advantage of the special $14 offer, call 877.RACE.TIX.

Stewart reached out with praise for Martinsville Speedway fans during his post-race interviews Sunday following his TUMS Fast Relief 500 victory.

“To pass Jimmie Johnson on the outside at Martinsville with two laps to go and to watch the crowd on the backstretch, then watch them on the front stretch when we cleared him, you swear people are going to fall onto the racetrack,” Stewart said after his third career Martinsville win.

“You feel that energy. You sense that. That’s not that you need extra motivation, but it’s cool to know you got that kind of support. It’s just that extra drive that gets you the rest of the way that last lap. It’s cool”

For more information on other ticket information for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend March 31-April 1, visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com or call 877.RACE.TIX.

- Martinsville Speedway, Press Release

No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado

Track: Texas Motor Speedway

Event: WinStar World Casino 350k – 147 laps / 220.5 miles

When: Friday, November 4th at 8:00 PM (Eastern)

Broadcast information: 8:00 PM (Eastern) SPEED, SIRIUSXM, MRN Radio

Last race review: Last week during the tour’s stop at Martinsville Speedway, Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) started out with a strong effort on Saturday after qualifying in the top-10 for the Kroger 200. As the race played out however, Lofton seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, narrowly avoiding multiple on-track incidents. With minor cosmetic damage to his CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet, the California native pressed on, but as the laps wound down, he was forced to pit road in order to exchange his ailing Goodyear tires for four fresh tires in order to complete the final run. With 22 laps remaining, he maneuvered his machine from 22nd to 17th picking up as many positions as he could before time ran out.

Lofton at Texas: This week’s run in Texas will mark Lofton’s fifth visit to the 1.5-mile track. In his previous starts there, he has a best finish of 10th, notched during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stop in June. He has one Nationwide Series start there as well, where he was forced to qualify in on time. But contact from another car ended his day early. He also suffered a similar fate during his first two Truck Series events. Last spring he started the race a solid 16th but ended the day 24th after getting caught up in a wreck in the middle of the race and during his return visit last November, he fell victim to a flat tire under green flag conditions, which dropped him outside of the top-20. All of the troubles however were erased in June, when he started the race 25th, drove his way through the field, and ended 10th. Lofton flexed his competitive muscle after a green-white-checkered flag finish allowed him to pick up three positions, moving him from 13th to 10th over the final two laps.

Justin Lofton

Going the distance: Rather than taking the easy way via airplane, Lofton will drive across the country to Texas. As if the two-day schedule at Texas weren’t enough time behind the wheel, Lofton will add 18 hours and over 1,000 miles from the ESR team shop in Denver, NC to the track outside of Fort Worth.

Lofton on Texas: “I really like racing at Texas because it is fast and fun. You can run wide open there. I’ve always had speed and good runs going there, but track position and luck bit us a few times. It was nice to leave there with a top-10 in June, and we plan on doing it again this week.”

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR008 this week at Texas. He has previously raced the truck at Kentucky, Nashville, and Pocono, scoring two top-15 finishes.

Tournament time: Plans for the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament are beginning to take shape, with dates being set for January 6th and 7th, 2012. The tournament, as it was last year, will take place in Lofton’s native California, at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. The two-day event includes autograph sessions, golfing, a dinner, live concert with Curb recording artist Tim Dugger, and a charity auction. Last year Lofton raised $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs.　

- Justin Lofton Media Relations Press Release

No. 8 Qualcomm Chevrolet Silverado (Nelson Piquet Jr.) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

BIG INDO NO TEXAS (GOING BIG IN TEXAS): Nelson Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team will make their way to the Southwest this week with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the WinStar World Casino 350K. The Friday night race will mark the Brazilian native’s third Truck Series start at the 1.5-mile track, where he has earned one top-10 finish in his Truck Series career. During his last trip to the track Piquet Jr. spent most of the evening running near the front of the pack, before being shuffled out of the top 10 during a green-white-checkered finish, leaving the young driver with a 13th-place finish.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE LONE STAR STATE: KHI has made 23 starts in the Truck Series at Texas. Courtesy of Ron Hornaday, KHI has picked up three victories at the Fort Worth track (June 2011 and two wins in 2008). The company has also earned 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, and has been credited with leading 518 laps on the quad-oval.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 8 team will unload chassis No. 051 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Piquet Jr. has utilized this chassis in competition six times thus far this season (Nashville Superspeedway in April, Texas Motor Speedway in June, Pocono Raceway in July, Chicagoland Speedway in September, Kentucky Speedway in October and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October). During those six starts, the rookie driver has earned four top-five and four top-10 finishes.

MOST POPULAR DRIVER: Voting is still open for the NASCAR Truck Series Most Popular Driver. NASCAR fans can log ontowww.nascar.com to cast their vote for Piquet Jr. as the 2011 Truck Series Most Popular Driver. Voting is underway and will continue until November 17. Fans can vote once daily until the end of the contest.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team headed to Virginia with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway last Saturday, October 29. The Brazilian native started 18th for the 200-lap event, and worked his way to as high as eighth before crossing the finish line 13th.

Nelson Piquet Jr. (Photo Credit: Lesley Ann Miller)

What are your thoughts on racing at Texas Motor Speedway?

“The race at Texas Motor Speedway should be a good one for the No. 8 team. I have done quite well at the intermediate-style tracks so far this season and I’m hoping that continues with this race. With the progress the team has made this season along with the knowledge I have gained, I think we have a good chance of earning a finish we will be quite happy with. I enjoy racing at Texas and I’m excited to see what kind of outcome we end the race with.”

About Tagg Pet Tracker:

The Pet Tracker™ uses GPS and wireless technology to monitor a pet’s location and notify its owner via email and text if he or she leaves a specified area. The lightweight tracker attaches to your pet’s existing collar and is designed to be worn at all times, even while swimming. The Tagg system was developed by Snaptracs, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Hunt Brothers® Pizza

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN: Kevin HarvickInc. (KHI) co-owner Kevin Harvick is back in the saddle of the No. 2 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the great state of Texas for the WinStar World Casino 350K. During the veteran driver’s career, he has made a total of three Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track capturing one top-five and one top-10 finish. Although Harvick has yet to visit victory lane in the Truck Series at Texas, he has collected four wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE LONE STAR STATE: KHI has made 23 starts in the Truck Series at Texas. Courtesy of Ron Hornaday, KHI has picked up three victories at the 1.5-mile track (June 2011 and two wins in 2008). The company has also earned 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, and has been credited with leading 518 laps on the quad-oval.

THE GREAT RACE: The green flag for ‘The Great Race’ has dropped and now is your chance to head to victory lane while enjoying great food from Hunt Brothers Pizza. All you have to do is eat your favorite Hunt Brothers Pizza, clip and save your proofs of purchase and watch the prizes roll in! Eat, play and win is our motto. Visit www.hbpracing.com for complete contest information and your chance to win great Hunt Brothers Racing prizes autographed by Hunt Brothers Racing KHI drivers. ‘The Great Race’ ends November 20, 2011 so be sure to start filling up on great pizza and prizes today.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT FOR KIDS: For the second year, the Kevin Harvick Foundation is partnering with local radio station 93.1 The Wolf to host a holiday concert at Johnny and June’s Ultra Saloon in Winston-Salem, N.C. The music event will feature country singer Jake Owen as well as the Eli Young Band and rising star Bridgette Tatum on Friday, December 16. The concert will benefit the Kevin Harvick Foundation and raise funds to support the Christmas for Kids program, a private holiday party held at Proehlific Park in Greensboro, N.C. for children in foster care in Guilford and Forsyth Counties. To get your tickets please visit: http://bit.ly/KHFConcertTix.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 team will unload chassis No. 062 when the Truck Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway. The WinStar World Casino 350k will be the first time this chassis has gone on-track, as it is new to competition this season.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Harvick climbed behind the wheel of the No. 2 Kroger / Tide Chevrolet as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series made their way to Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 200 last Saturday. Harvick started the 200-lap event from the sixth position and went on to lead two laps before crossing the finish line sixth after his Chevrolet Silverado developed a loose-handling condition during the latter portion of the event.

HARVICK’S THOUGHTS ON TEXAS:

What are your thoughts heading into the race at Texas Motor Speedway?

“I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a truck at Texas Motor Speedway. It’s been a few years since I’ve race in the Truck Series at Texas, but it’s still a track that I like to race on. Of course, for most drivers the main goal is to go out there and win, but I’m really focused on the Truck Series Owner’s Championship standings. I’m hoping to secure a strong run that helps KHI clinch the championship. Don’t get me wrong though, a win for Hunt Brothers Pizza and all of the KHI sponsors would be great too.”

About Hunt Brothers Pizza:

With more than 6,500 locations in 28 states, Hunt Brothers® Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle, Hunt Brothers Pizza offers regular, thin crust, and breakfast pizzas with All Toppings No Extra Charge®, plus the Hunt Brothers® Wings in Southern Style and Hot ‘n Spicy flavors. Family owned and operated for over 40 years and headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., the company provides all of the food products, marketing programs, equipment and training for convenience stores to operate their own turnkey pizza program.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) 10-Year Anniversary Logo Thumbnail

AIMING FOR FOUR: This weekend at Texas Motor Speedway four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday will be racing to capture his fourth win at the 1.5-mile quad oval. The Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) driver swept the June and October races in 2008 and captured the victory back in June. In 17 starts at the track, the veteran has six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in addition to the three wins and has led a total of 681 laps. With two races to go in the season, Hornaday sits third, 15 points out of the lead.

BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS WITH ONEMAIN FINANCIAL: OneMain Financial will be pulling double-duty this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition to theNo. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet of Elliott Sadler in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, OneMain Financial will be on board with Hornaday in the Friday night Truck Series contest. The duo, both competing for KHI, will sport the OneMain Financial paint scheme as both contend for their respective series’ championship.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 KHI team will bring chassis No. 061 to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Hornaday most recently captured back-to-back victories with this chassis at Kentucky Speedway on October 1 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 15. This chassis was driven by KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick at Chicagoland Speedway on September 16 and Clint Bowyer at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 2. Both drivers qualified and finished second for the events.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Hornaday brought the No. 33 Steak-umm Steaks / Chastity Baker Chevrolet Silverado to a second-place finish on October 29 at Martinsville Speedway. The veteran started the Kroger 200 in the second position and was able to stay among the top five for the majority of the 200-lap event before capturing his 13th top-five finish of the season.

MOST POPULAR DRIVER: Only three weeks remain before the voting polls close for the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver award. Hornaday has taken home the honors twice, most recently in 2005 and 1997. Fans can vote for Hornaday now through November 17 on NASCAR.com.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Ron Hornaday

What are your expectations going into the race at Texas?

“Winning the race at Texas Motor Speedway back in June was a really great momentum boost for our team. That was the first win of the season and one that we really needed to get moving in the right direction. This championship battle is anybody’s to win. I think the championship race is going to go into Homestead and it’s going to be a great shootout. I am really proud to be part of this Truck Series and am really looking forward to the race at Texas and the race on into Homestead.”

OneMain Financial

OneMain Financial (formerly CitiFinancial), based in Baltimore, Md, provides personalized loan solutions and one-on-one, local service at more than 1,300 branches nationwide. With a 99-year heritage of helping people realize their financial goals and dreams, their employees are part of the communities where they live and work. OneMain Financial works with each customer to find a solution that best fits their needs and budget, offering a simple and straightforward loan application, with fixed rates, and clear terms. Additional information may be found at OneMainFinancial.com.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Paludo used his experience to get by with only 30 minutes of practice time and qualified in the 11th starting position (one of only 14 drivers to break the 19 second bracket during the qualifying session) for the 200-lap contest at Martinsville Speedway the 23rd race of the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.

As Paludo took the green, he immediately reported to the team that he was too loose on throttle. Paludo rode in the 11th position for the first 10 circuits but was unable to protect the bottom lane as his truck drifted to the high side. Trying to find a hole, Paludo and another competitor made contact. Paludo was able to save the No. 7 Stemco / Duroline Toyota Tundra from touching the outside wall but lost several positions trying to get back to the low lane. The loss of time left Paludo in jeopardy of losing a lap to the leaders, which he indeed did. Paludo battled to earn the “lucky dog” position but fell one position shy when the first caution of the day waved on lap 38.

Paludo and the team did come to pit road under the first caution period to take on four tires, fuel and make a chassis adjustment. Paludo restarted from the 28th position on lap 43. Another quick caution on lap 49 allowed Paludo to return to the lead lap. The No. 7 team once again brought their driver to pit road for some additional chassis adjustments on lap 51. As the recipient of the “lucky dog” award Paludo had to start at the tail-end of the longest line for the restart on lap 58. The changes made on pit road significantly improved the handling of the No. 7 Tundra. Paludo quickly made forward progress. In less than 10 laps, Paludo had entered back into the top-20. Under the third caution period of the day on lap 87, the team brought Paludo down pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Paludo restarted in the 16th position. The outside lane was not the place to be, but Paludo quickly found a hole and settled back in passing trucks one by one. By the half-way point on lap 100, Paludo was scored in the 17th position.

With the leaders on different pit strategies, Paludo continued to increase his position with every caution period. By lap 110, Paludo was scored in the ninth position. He radioed to the team that several trucks in front of him were holding him up but he wanted to save his equipment to make his move toward the end of the event.

Under the caution period on lap 133, the No. 7 team came down pit road for their final pit stop of the day. The team took on four tires and fuel. Many of the leaders came to pit road under the caution period, but some chose to remain on the track. Paludo restarted from the 15th position. Paludo maintained the 15th position until the eighth caution flew on lap 172. Paludo relayed to the team how hard it was to pass and continued to try and move forward as the laps dwindled down in the 200-lap contest. Paludo continued to fight to the end of the event, but was unable to gain track position and took the checkered flag in the 16th position.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action next week on Friday, November 4, 2011, at Texas Motor Speedway for the WinStar World Casino 350K, which can be viewed, live on SPEED at 8:00 p.m., ET.

About Red Horse Racing:

Founded in 2005 by former Mobil Corporation executive Tom DeLoach and NASCAR veteran Jeff Hammond, Red Horse Racing aims to be a professional racing team that strives for excellence on and off the race track. Red Horse Racing hopes to build and maintain solid, mutual relationships with its partners to win races and championships and to represent itself in a professional manner. The team has four victories and five poles in its brief existence. DeLoach and Hammond also own Performance Instruction Training (PIT), the number one pit crew training center in the world that also has many corporate training options that include team-building, lean manufacturing, motorsports demonstrations and more.

- Red Horse Racing Press Release

The End Result of the No. 83 of Brian Vickers Being Punted by Matt Kenseth into Turn 3 Wall on Lap 42

DRIVERS:

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — And the hits just kept on coming. And coming. And coming. By the time Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 was complete, 18 caution flags had waved that consumed more than a fifth of the 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway, putting the pace car third on the laps led list with 108. Brian Vickers, according to NASCAR’s cumulative report, was involved in five of them — three before lap 100.

Vickers drove into the top 10 courtesy of longer runs in the race’s middle stages and was running ninth with 50 laps to go. But the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, already beaten and battered, took its worst shot when Matt Kenseth punted Vickers’ car into the turn-three wall with 42 laps to go. That irked an already frustrated driver, and Vickers, who had gone from a possible top 10 to multiple laps down, countered on Kenseth not long after in the same spot.

The end result? A 30th-place finish and a scrap heap of a race car that didn’t see the checkered flag for only the second time this season.

“These are the races where we all get to capitalize on it and do all the other things right, keep working hard and get yourself back in the game,” said Ryan Pemberton, Vickers’ crew chief. “Right there at the end, we just took ourselves out of it. We were in the game and now we’re out of the game — after all that. Four or five hours into the race and we finally get into good position, like, ‘OK, here’s the chance to capitalize on something.’ And we didn’t even have the chance to swing the bat.”

The race easily could have seen a 19th caution flag, but NASCAR officials opted not to wave the yellow when Bobby Labonte’s No. 47 spun on frontstretch and collected Kasey Kahne’s No. 4 Red Bull Toyota. There had been five caution periods up to that point, but not this time.

“I think NASCAR was ticked off … there was five cautions in, like, five laps,” Kahne said. “So they were like, ‘The heck with it, we’re not throwing a caution for this one.’ Even though we hit pretty hard. That was the hardest wreck I’ve ever been in where there wasn’t a caution. It was a hard wreck.”

Kahne pitted under green for repairs two laps later and fell five laps down. Despite driving what Kahne labeled as a “great car” and taking several wave-arounds, it hardly helped. He finished five laps off the pace in 25th — his first finish outside the top 15 in the past seven races.

“You knew it was going to happen. We got caught up in one on the frontstretch, which just crushed us,” Kahne said.

“We actually had a really good Red Bull Toyota. Not saying we would’ve finished up front because the next 400 laps we could’ve hit a wall way harder than we did with everybody being so rowdy. It was interesting.”

Kahne slipped a spot in the standings to 15th. He’s one point behind Greg Biffle in 14th and 25 behind 13th-place Clint Bowyer with three races remaining. Vickers still sits 25th.

UP NEXT: AAA Texas 500, Sunday, Nov. 6, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

Granny Grump

The Nationwide Series was off this weekend which saved them a lot of stress, mad fit throwin’ and repairin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. So that freed up Saturday for the Trucks and another race shortened weekend. Duck and I were real excited about this race weekend. Martinsville is one of those tracks where the drivers have at it whether they are supposed to or not and get away with it most of the time, at least while it’s happenin’. For those who want to know, Hotrod Todd and teammate Papis get our vote for the top have-at-iters for that race. Anyway, Duck and I decided to have our lunch early as to cut down on our own fit throwin’ durin’ the race messes. So with nothin’ on the crates we settled in on the divan and cheered and quacked as the green flag waved for Crafty Matt, Handsome Hornaday (back in the #33), Hamlin, Rock’em Sock’em and Buescher. For those who want to know Happy Man started 6th in his #2, Hotrod Todd started 7th and WOG started 10th. The rest you can look up.

Those trucks were made for this kind of racetrack as far as Duck and I are concerned. 200 laps of pure hard racin’ is just what we like for Saturday. Yessirree! And with no Flippin’ Carl in this race Duck was free to just enjoy himself and so was I, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Things got intense immediately like they always do there. Course that’s what gets everybody’s blood a pumpin’. Know what I mean? There was jostlin’ passin’ and repassin’, beatin’, bangin’, donuts on the sides of the trucks, front and rearends gettin’ crunched, trucks spinnin’, walls bein’ hit, drivers gettin’ ticked and even more. Absolutely great racin’ there to my way of thinkin’ with no one gettin’ hurt thank our good and gracious LORD.

And some people might even say that Todd and his teammate Papis took that old sayin’ “tit for tat” in to overtime, but to that Duck and I say whatever! Look here. They are teammates. They know each other’s racin’ ways and even Duck and I know if you mess with Hotrod you’re gonna get hotrodded. And Papis didn’t back down to Todd, neither, so good for him I say! In the end though all they did was tear up their trucks and didn’t win. Denny Boy, drivin’ Rowdy’s usual #18, made a late race pass on Handsome and WOG while they were battlin’ and won the race! That was his 1st truck race win and he now has joined the ranks of the 23 drivers who have won in all 3 top NASCAR series. GOOD for him I say! Handsome came home 2nd ahead of WOG, Rock’em Sock’em and Coulter. For those who want to know Hotrod Todd got the best of that ‘twixt teammate tantrum stuff and finished 11th while Max wound up 18th, Crafty finished 12th, Happy finished where he started and the rest you can look up. Frankly Duck and I were amazed that 23 trucks finished on the lead lap. As for the points standin’s WOG still leads by 11 over Buescher and Handsome who moved up a spot and Rock’em Sock’em fell a spot to 4th. The rest you can look up and there are only 2 races remain’ on their schedule.

Now for Sunday’s Cup race. Duck and I were so ready. In fact Duck could barely sleep Saturday night knowin’ His idol, Flippin’ Carl, was on the pole. Course the weather forced the field to start accordin’ to the points but that didn’t bother Duck none. I had to smile at his wild eyed duckly excitement. So with our tummies full from a late breakfast we quacked and cheered as Carl lead Robo, Good Bad, Smoke and Happy Man. For those who want to know Same Champ (who may not be again this year) started 7th, Jeffie started 10th, JR started 9th and the rest you can look up.

Bow howdy were we excited to get this race a goin’. Right off the bat Duck was upset cause Roba passed his idol but Flippin’ Carl took it back pretty quick. The first caution came with a big ‘ol mess involvin’ 8 drivers includin Jeffie, JR and Brian Vickers which was only the first of many mishaps for him let me tell that one somethin’ right now. I tell ya this much Vickers seemed to be a wild man runnin’ into pert near everybody. I’m exaggeratin’ some but he was involved in a whole bunch of stuff. Anyway I think Jeffie got the worst of that deal. By lap 65 there had been 4 cautions but Vickers wasn’t involed in the 4th one. Anway there was all sorts of jostlin’, rubbin’ and bangin’ goin’ on. Then low and behold caution 5 on lap 85 involved Vickers again and Cute Jamie who tried to pay Vickers back would up endin’ his day when he hit the wall instead! Sad for him I say, but Vickers was still goin’. And for some reason Duck’s idol was havin’ one heck of a bad race day initially and even at one point went a lap down. Various drivers had the lead at one time or another includin’ Same Champ, Jeffie (I think), Smoke, Flyin’ Ryan, Allmendinger, Rowdy Boy and Hamlin. I may have missed some for all I know. What I do know is by race end there was 18 cautions, the last comin’ on lap 492 involvin’, yep you guessed it, Vickers. His car was just plain torn up. Mercy sakes I remember thinkin’ he was drivin’ like he did when he started racin’ runnin’ into or over pert near everbody, but I guess that’s neither here nor there. Anyway the final green came with 3 laps to go with Same Champ leadin’ but Smoke made fast history with that and took the lead with 2 to go and after bumpin’ it up with him on the last lap Smoke won that race! Yessirree it was an awesome finish. Good for him I say! Same Champ finished 2nd followed by Jeffie, Happy, Hamlin, Burton, JR, Truex, Jr, Flippin’ Carl and Flyin’ Ryan. The rest you can look up. There was so much goin’ on durin’ that race that I failed (most of the time) to noticed a dejected Duck. But he rallied up some when he realized his idol still had the points lead by 8 over Smoke who moved up 2 spots with that win. Happy is in 3rd 21 points down and the rest you can look up.

Now for some other stuff. Seems durin’ a taped instruction to Same Champ from Crew Chief Chad Knaus, master Crew Chief got himself in a bit of a dilly. He told Same Champ if he won the race to spin the car and damage the rear. Interestin’ stuff there. Course with him and JR waitin’ too long to move forward that wasn’t even close to a problem for them, but Chad’s mouth was. The 48 cars gets taken to the Tech Center for the last 4 races thanks tothat statement. Guess he forgot about the in car equipment. Open mouth, insert NASCAR’s boot there Chad! Bet he minds his p’s and q’s for a short spell. If not someone needs to tape up his loose lips.

And by the way, JR said that hangin’ back stuff at Talladega and Daytona ain’t happenin’ anymore. Uh, smart deal there, JR. Yessirree!

Additionally Smoke had a message for Duck’s points leadin’ idol. He said these last 3 races are not gonna be easy wins for Flippin’ Carl. I am sure that is oh so true and we will all see very soon now, won’t we?

Also a crew member on the 38 team was hit on pitroad by Mark Martin, bless his heart, but is gonna be ok thank our good and gracious LORD. Goes to show Hotrod Todd was right about those crew members bein’ in harms way when he was goin’ off on his teammate.

And finally sad news for the Wallace family. Rusty, Mike and Kenny lost their father unexpectedly this past weekend. Remember them all in prayer. Rest in peace Mr. Wallace.

That’s it for now. Email, comment or don’t. Granny Grump over and out.

Richard Childress Racing (RCR)

RCR Post Race Report — Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

RACE: TUMS Fast Relief 500

TRACK: Martinsville Speedway

DATE: October 30, 2011

Race Highlights:

• Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Kevin Harvick), sixth (Jeff Burton), 19th (Clint Bowyer) and 24th (Paul Menard) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.
• Harvick spent 493 of 500 laps (98.6 percent) in the top 15, ranking him first among all drivers in that category according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
• Harvick ranked sixth in the NASCAR Loop Data category Average Running Position (6.998), fifth in the category Driver Rating (110.9), was fourth-fastest of all drivers early in a run (92.942 mph) and ranked fifth in the category Green Flag Speed (92.015 mph).
• The sixth-place finish was Burton’s 16th top-10 showing in 35 races at Martinsville Speedway. The South Boston, Va., native won the home state race in September 1997.
• Burton ranked first in the NASCAR Loop Data category Closers, picking up 15 positions in the final 50 laps of Sunday’s race.
• The No. 31 Caterpillar Racing Chevrolet ran 349 of the 500 laps, or 69.8 percent, in the top 15, ranking Burton 13th among all drivers according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
• Bowyer made 104 green-flag passes, fifth-most in the 43-car field, and passed 53 competitors while running in the top 15 according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
• Menard started 21st and ran as high as second before finishing 24th, maintaining an average running position of 17.432 that ranked him 18th among all drivers in that category according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics.
• Menard made 68 green-flag passes and held an average green-flag speed of 91.405 mph according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics.
• The next NSCS race is the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, November 6 and will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 2 p.m. EDT.

Menard Finishes 24th in Attrition-Filled Martinsville Race

Richard Childress Racing’s Paul Menard and the No. 27 Richmond/Menards team escaped Sunday afternoon’s action-packed short track race at Martinsville Speedway with a top-25 finish. Menard started the 500-lap race from the 21st position after rain throughout the early portion of the weekend caused NASCAR officials to scratch Saturday’s qualifying and set the field according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owners point standings. Menard took the green flag in front of an estimated 62,000 people and quickly noted to crew chief Slugger Labbe the No. 27 Chevrolet had a tight-handling condition. With the race slowed by 18 cautions for 108 laps, there were plenty of opportunities to make chassis adjustments during routine pit stops and by the event’s midpoint, handling had improved on the No. 27 machine. Menard was scored15th in the running order and racing for position with Kurt Busch when the two made contact on lap 425, sending the No. 22 machine spinning and leaving Menard’s yellow No. 27 racer with significant right-side damage. Menard immediately brought his Chevrolet to pit road so the RCR team could evaluate the damage. A lengthy pit stop ensued, with the team adding door foam to the right side of the Chevrolet along with four Goodyear tires and Sunoco E15 fuel. Menard lost three laps to the race leaders during the extended pit stop and restarted in the 27th position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 432. The 2011 Brickyard 400 race winner spent the remainder of the race working to secure track position and ultimately earned a 24th-place result.

Start – 21 Finish – 24 Laps Led – 0 Points – 21

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“I don’t know what to say. That was just dumb racing out there today. I think we would have been okay until that incident with the No. 22. It’s just difficult to recover from three laps down, especially that close to the end of the race.”

Harvick Finishes Fourth at Martinsville to Climb to Third in Points

In a race mired with 18 cautions, Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team avoided trouble and ran solidly in the top 10 for most of Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway before taking the checkered flag in the fourth position. Harvick started the race from the fifth position as the field was set by owner points after qualifying was cancelled due to persistent rain that fell on Friday and again Saturday morning. At the start of the race, Harvick struggled with a loose-handling No. 29 Chevrolet, and raced anywhere from second to 19th as various pit strategies played through. He noted to crew chief Gil Martin there was “no second groove,” and struggled with restarting in the outside line throughout the race. The Bakersfield, Calif. native fought a tight-handling race car during the middle of the race but remained inside the top 10. Harvick was running eighth when the caution waved for the 11th time and when he came down pit road at lap 399, Martin called for a two-tire stop to gain track position. Harvick took the lead off of pit road and took turns leading with various other Chase contenders for the next 20 laps, never falling below second until lap 438 when the No. 48 Chevrolet got underneath Harvick and pinned him in the outside lane causing the No. 29 team to fall back to sixth position by lap 441. He fell back to 10th after pitting for the final time on lap 459 for four tires and fuel, but was able to survive several late-race cautions and climbed to the fourth position before the caution flag waved for the final time at lap 492. The field took the green with just four laps to go with Harvick once again stuck in the outside line. His Richard Childress Racing teammate, Jeff Burton, let him get down to the bottom quickly and Harvick was able to maintain his position for the closing laps to take the checkered flag in the fourth position.

Start – 5 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 13 Points – 3

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“It was definitely a battle. Everybody was driving hard. That is what you are supposed to do here at Martinsville (Speedway). I know the guys did a good job making the car better and we got good track position. The No. 31 (Jeff Burton) helped us on that last restart there to get down and I really appreciate that. The top was tough for me to get going on the restarts and the No. 14 (Tony Stewart, race winner) was really the only one that could make any ground up there on the restarts and that’s what won him the race. All-in-all, everybody on our Budweiser Chevy team did a good job”

Hard-Earned Top-10 Finish at Martinsville for Caterpillar Racing Team

Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Racing team earned a top-10 finish for the second consecutive week with a scrappy and determined run that resulted in a sixth-place showing at Martinsville Speedway. Rain washed away Friday’s schedule entirely and further precipitation Saturday morning wiped out NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying. Teams were given an hour and a half of practice that afternoon and Sunday’s 43-car field was set based on the owner point standings. Burton, therefore, lined up on the inside of the 12th row for the 500-lap race on Martinsville’s flat half-mile paper clip. The first five of the day’s 18 caution periods occurred in the race’s first 100 laps, including the first after just seven laps that resulted in sheet metal damage to the left-rear corner and TV panel of the No. 31 Chevrolet. The pit crew did yeoman duty to fix the damage and keep Burton on the lead lap. Burton ran as high as seventh on the leader board during the balance of the first 100 laps. The No. 31 Cat Chevy began the second 100 laps in 22nd place but, from gritty driving in cramped quarters and adjustments made under caution on laps 150 and 197, Burton moved into the top 10 by lap 200. The Caterpillar Racing team was ninth at the race’s halfway point and stayed in the top 15 for nearly the next 150 laps. On lap 398, the No. 39 car made contact with the No. 22 car which, in turn, made contact with the No. 31. The Cat Chevy backed lightly into the outside retaining wall but the contact resulted in little further rear-end damage. Burton restarted 16th on lap 405 and pitted again, under caution, on lap 427 for fresh tires and fuel. He restarted 17th on lap 433 and stayed out with the No. 48 car when the balance of the field pitted under caution on lap 457. That move jumped Burton up to second place for the restart on lap 463 and he remained in the top five until being passed by the Denny Hamlin coming off the fourth turn of the final lap.

Start – 23 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 0 Points – 22

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:

“I can’t be too unhappy with finishing sixth because the Cat Racing team worked their tails off to get us in position at the end to win this thing. Pit stops were good, especially when there was some damage to fix and Luke (Lambert, crew chief) made good calls to help get us up front. That last caution probably didn’t help us but it was another solid finish.”

Last Lap Spin Costs Bowyer Top-10 Finish at Martinsville

Climbing his way back into the top 10 after an early pit road speeding penalty, Clint Bowyer was spun out in the last turn of the race and finished 19th in the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Starting from the 13th position after NASCAR and track officials were forced to postpone Saturday’s qualifying session due to rain, the Richard Childress Racing driver immediately moved up into the top 10 before suffering minor damage in a lap-nine multi-car pileup. The damage was not significant enough to warrant an immediate pit stop as crew chief Shane Wilson chose to wait until a lap-30 competition caution period to repair damages to the No. 33 Chevrolet. Once the black, silver and green Chevrolet was repaired, the Emporia, Kan. native worked his way back into the top 10 while fighting with a loose-handling machine. Over the next 100 laps, Bowyer ran in the top 20, providing feedback to Wilson and giving the “Helping Hands” pit crew an opportunity to make chassis and air pressure adjustments to improve the balance and handling on the car. After a strong pit stop just past the halfway point of the 500-lap marathon vaulted the 32-year-old driver into the top 10, NASCAR officials penalized Bowyer for exiting pit road too fast and forced the No. 33 Chevrolet to return to pit road and serve a pass-through penalty. The penalty dropped Bowyer to the 25th position and required Bowyer to restart at the tail end of the longest line. The next caution flag wasn’t displayed until 99 laps later, easily the longest green-flag run of the afternoon and Bowyer fell one lap down to the leader. Not until a caution flag on lap 399 was the RCR driver awarded the “Lucky Dog Award”, allowing him to rejoin the lead lap. Once back on the led lap, the five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner steered clear of many accidents and eventually worked his way into the top 10 yet again. Working with a loose-handling condition that plagued him for most of the day, Bowyer maintained a top-12 running position for the latter part of the event before a caution on lap 494 set up a final three-lap dash for the checkered flag. On the final lap going into turn four, Bowyer was spun out by another competitor and forced to settle for a disappointing 19th-place finish. Bowyer remains 13th in NSCS driver championship point standings.

Start – 13 Finish – 19 Laps Led – 0 Points – 13

CLINT BOWYER QUOTE:

“It was just a long day for us today and you can see that by looking at the shape this No. 33 Chevrolet is in. We were given a speeding penalty on pit road and it trapped us deep in the field and it is just so hard to pass here on this tire. We were in position for a top 10, but I got taken out in the last turn. It is just frustrating. I want to thank American Ethanol for being a great partner for this race and the entire season. I wish we could have got them in victory lane today.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

RACE: Kroger 200

TRACK: Martinsville Speedway

DATE: October 29, 2011

Race Highlights:

• RCR teammates finished third (Austin Dillon) and fifth (Joey Coulter).
• Dillon spent 98 percent of the race running in the top 15 and led 45 laps.
• Coulter and Dillon were ranked third and fifth, respectively, in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Quality Passes (passing a car while running in the top 15 under green flag conditions) with Coulter making 34 passes and Dillon making 30.
• Combined, the RCR entries posted the fastest lap of the race for 22 circuits (15.6 percent of the race), with Dillon posting the fastest lap 12 times and Coulter doing so 10 times.
• Coulter regained control of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings with his fifth-place finish at Martinsville.
• Dillon leads the NCWTS standings by 11 points over James Buescher with two races remaining in the 2011 season.
• Coulter moved up one position, to eighth, in the NCWTS standings, just one marker outside of seventh.
• Denny Hamlin earned his first NCWTS victory and was followed to the finish line by Ron Hornaday, Dillon, Johnny Sauter and Coulter.
• The next scheduled NCWTS race is the Winstar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, November 4 which is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 7:45 p.m.

Dillon Pads Points Lead with Third-Place Finish at Martinsville

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon finished third in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway to post his ninth top-five finish of the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season and extend his lead to 11 points in the championship standings with two races remaining in the season. Dillon started the race from the 10th position and broke into the top-five just before the race’s halfway mark. He was running fourth when a caution flag was displayed on lap 103 and although most teams opted to stay out on the racetrack, Dillon, teammate Joey Coulter and Kevin Harvick, Inc.’s Kevin Harvick made a trip down pit road where Dillon received four Goodyear tires and Sunoco E15 fuel for his black No. 3 racer. Dillon restarted the race from the 16th position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 108 and with fresh tires, quickly began to climb in the running order. He was scored in the 10th position when a lap-131 caution flag prompted the teams who did not pit on lap 103 to service their vehicles, positioning Dillon in second place when green-flag racing resumed on lap 137. He made a pass for the lead on lap 141 and was in position to earn his third race win of the 2011 season when the caution flag was displayed on lap 179, bunching up the field for the race’s finale. The 21-year-old NCWTS sophomore led the field to the green flag for a lap-187 restart but slipped up the racetrack going into the first turn, making slight contact with another competitor as veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin slid past him to take control of the race lead and earn the win. Dillon settled for a third-place finish and remains the point leader.

Start -10 Finish – 3 Laps Led – 45 Points – 1

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

“We pretty much gave the race to Denny Hamlin. I just couldn’t make the first turn and ran into Ron Hornaday and that is how Denny got by us. I really need to figure out how to get the brakes right on these short tracks because I feel like that is where I lost the race. My Achilles heel is normally the restarts, but my restarts were good all day. That last restart was good but then I couldn’t get the brakes right going into the first turn so I slid up the track and that is where Denny Hamlin got past me and Ron Hornaday.”

Coulter Takes Control of Sunoco Rookie of the Year Standings with Hard-Fought Top-Five Finish at Martinsville

Joey Coulter used patience and pit strategy during Saturday afternoon’s Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway to earn his fourth top-five finish of the 2011 season. The finish propelled the rookie driver to the lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings and increased his place in the driver’s point standings one position, to eighth, with just two races remaining this season. Coulter started the 200-lap race from the 12th position and noted to crew chief Harold Holly the No. 22 Richard Childress Racing entry was good but it was difficult to pass on the outside groove. That statement became evident on a lap-92 restart, when the rookie driver went from seventh in the running order to 18th in just one lap as he got shuffled to the outside groove on the restart. Pit strategy came into play soon after, as the caution flag was displayed on lap 103 and all but a handful of teams stayed out on the racetrack. Coulter was one of three drivers who pitted during the caution, taking four Goodyear tires, Sunoco E15 fuel and a chassis adjustment. Positioned in 21st for the lap-108 restart, Coulter was good on fuel for the rest of the race and did not need to pit when other teams began making pit stops on lap 114, propelling him to ninth in the running order for the lap-119 restart. Coulter spent the remainder of the race showcasing his short track racing roots, moving up in the running order by battling for position. He nearly made a pass for the fourth spot on the last lap before finishing fifth in the No. 22 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Start -12 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 0 Points – 8

JOEY COULTER QUOTE:

“We had a great truck right from the get-go. We got messed up on a restart there towards the middle of the race because I wasn’t good on restarts in the outside groove at all. We got shuffled back and it put us in a bad situation but the guys did a really great job on pit road and that helped us get some track position back. My spotter did an awesome job of keeping me out of trouble. I was almost in a few wrecks. My crew chief, Harold Holly, made a great call to free us up at the end and that gave us the speed we needed to get up to fifth.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

SS Green Light Racing Thumbnail

The .536-mile paper clip shaped racetrack is known for it’s rough and rugged racing, contact and beating & banging. Saturday afternoon was another prime example with nine cautions slowing the race for 50 of the 200 laps.

From his 22nd starting position, David picked up a few spots before the races first caution on lap 39 and several crew chiefs chose different strategies for fuel and tires right away. SS Green Light Racing’s Jason Miller brought Starr to the pit under the first caution for tires, fuel and adjustments to help Starr navigate through the heavy traffic ahead of him. David was nearly collected when Nelson Piquet and Cole Whitt got together on lap 50.

Several of the leaders began coming to pit road during the second and third cautions allowing Starr to gain back valuable track position all the way up to the seventh spot which he gave up when he brought the Build Your Future Campaign/Zachry Toyota to the attention of the SS Green Light crew for service under the fourth caution on lap 105. David restarted 19th with plans to run all the way to the end of the 200-lap event.

Once again David narrowly avoided disaster by missing a spinning Max Gresham as the caution flew for the fifth time. He stayed on the track under the sixth caution following a spin by Max Papis on lap 132 and as more leaders came to pit road, Starr was able to move into the top-ten.

Things were heating up on the track as the race was progressing and David was able to maneuver the Build Your Future Campaign/Zachry Toyota to seventh place and then up to fifth at the races three quarter mark. The No. 81 Toyota looked strong especially following the restart on lap 147 where he used the inside line to move to fourth and then muscled his way to third around Cale Gale on lap 155.

David Starr - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

With fresher tires, Johnny Sauter and Ron Hornaday caught David with 30 laps to go and rooted Starr back to fifth and eventual race winner Denny Hamlin slid by a few laps later dropping David to sixth which was a key position as the caution would come out a few laps later. With the side-by-side restarts in the NCWTS this would put Starr in the outside line for the restart following the eighth caution on lap 178.

David had a rough restart in the outside lane and lost two more positions to trucks in the preferred inside grove but it still looked like David could bring his Tundra home in the top-ten. The races last caution on lap 181 proved to be a nightmare for the SS Green Light team as David once again had to start in the outside lane and once again he had trouble holding position in the outside line and then several trucks made contact with David and moving him all the way up into the marbles near the outside wall while being freight-trained by trucks on the inside loosing nearly ten positions on the track.

“If you’re an even number you have to start on the outside and every time I would start on the outside I would go into turn one and my Toyota would just not turn and I would slide all the way up to the third grove. You just can’t open the door like that.”

“I think we were running sixth and I was cleaning the tires off; left, right, cleaning them really hard and I would go down into turn one and it would just not turn,” he continued. “I told my guys I thought I had a flat because for it not to turn that bad. I thought we had a flat. We didn’t end up having a flat but I just could not make that outside work especially on the restarts. Man, I did everything I could to clean the tires up.”

“To have such a great truck and to bring it home 22nd is really disappointing but you can‘t open the door down there on the last restart. I mean I slid up three lanes and I think we were three or four wide and somebody got into the side of me and we were really in the marbles.”

With four laps to go, running in heavy traffic, David spun dropping the No. 81 all the way back to 22nd where he would finish as the last truck on the lead-lap.

“To have such a great truck and not get the finish I think our team deserved is disappointing.”

Starr remained thirteenth in the NCWTS driver’s standings behind leader Austin Dillon. With just two races remaining in 2011, David is now 33 points behind Parker Klingerman for the tenth spot.

The NCWTS teams head to David’s Home state of Texas for the WinStar World Casino 350k at the Texas Motor Speedway on November 4th. As part of Careers in Construction week David will make an appearance at the Build Your Future construction career day in Dallas on November 2nd.

For more information on SS Green Light Racing visit www.SSRacingonline.com.

- SS Green Light Racing Press Release

Cale Gale

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 30, 2011) —

With Mother Nature playing havoc on the weekend and questioning the start of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, clear skies at race time allowed drivers to strap in to their trucks and prepare for 200 laps of excitement on one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks. Rolling the No. 21 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado off the starting grid from the 13th position, Gale slipped a few positions at the start of the race falling to the 18th position when the first caution flag of the day waved on lap 37. The team opted to pit for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to help with a tight-handling truck. Gale restarted the race from the 20th position on lap 41.

Quickly making his move toward the front, Gale gained five positions by lap 45 and by lap 65 had settled into the 11th spot. The second caution of the race waved on lap 85 with Gale remaining in the 11th position. Opting to stay out under the caution, Gale restarted eighth on lap 92.

At the halfway mark, Gale had moved into the top 10 before the caution flag waved on lap 103. Gale brought the No. 21 Rheem truck down pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments to help with the handling. With teams now on varying pit strategies, Gale restarted the race 19th on lap 109.

Making his way through the field, Gale was able to move up to the 11th spot when the field was slowed again on lap 130. Making the decision to remain on the track, Gale was able to gain multiple spots to restart the race on lap 137 from the fourth position and quickly move into third on lap 140.

With 50 laps remaining in the Kroger 200, Gale continued to run in the third position. Slipping several spots as the race continued, Gale was scored in the ninth spot on lap 172 when the eighth caution waved and restarted the race six laps later from the same position. Gaining two spots on the restart, Gale was scored seventh when the final caution of the race waved on lap 179. As the race restarted on lap 186, Gale was able to maintain his position for the final 14 laps to finish the Kroger 200 in the seventh position.

“This was the most fun I’ve had all year guys!” said Gale to the team. “I have to thank Rheem for giving me this opportunity and sticking with me this year. We’ve had some good runs in both the Truck and ARCA series, but today was a great way to finish the season for me.”

Denny Hamlin won the race followed by Ron Hornaday Jr., Austin Dillon, Johnny Sauter and Joey Coulter.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records Chevrolet Silverado

Early race tire strategy by crew chief Joe Shear, Jr proved nerve-racking but successful for the driver – knowing that at Martinsville, it’s a place to trust track position and the ones who have the eyes to make the calls. “Ultimately, it all worked out,” Sauter said after the race. “We found our way to the front. This was fun racing and anytime we see Martinsville on the schedule, I’m a happy guy. While I wanted to be a little closer to the front here, it worked out and we’re already working forward to Texas.”

Johnny Sauter

Sauter, while keeping the championship attitude, wishes he had a repeat visit to Victory Lane at Martinsville; but knows that the top five bodes well going into Texas next week. “I think we can go there and win the race, for sure,” he said. “We ran second there in both races last year, plus led something like 56 laps back in the Spring there but got the penalty. It’s a strong track for us historically and I’m looking forward to keeping up this momentum. To win this championship, we’re going to have to prove the underdog and race really, really hard. It’s going to be a battle to the end.”

Race Recap:

Date: October 29, 2011

Track: Martinsville Speedway

Race: 23 of 25

Started: 4th

Finished: 4th

Championship Point Standings: Tied for 3rd (-15)

Up Next on the Truck Series Schedule:

Date: November 4, 2011

Track: Texas Motor Speedway

Event Name:

Broadcast: SPEED at 7pm CST

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

EVENT: Kroger 200 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series)

DATE: Saturday, October 29, 2011

TRACK: Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.

RESULT: Start 19 / Finish 27

Cole Whitt, driver of the No. 60 Fuel Doctor / Red Bull Toyota Tundra - Photo Credit: Tom Whitmore / Getty Images for NASCAR

The 20-year-old Whitt qualified 19th earlier Saturday and jumped into the top 10 courtesy of a two-tire stop under the first caution. Seven laps later, White’s No. 23 nearly turned around Whitt’s No. 60 truck exiting turn four. Whitt skated sideways, somehow kept it straight and continued on.

As Whitt exited turns one and two at the other end of the track, Piquet’s No. 8 drifted up from the inside lane and sent Whitt spinning. His truck sat motionless — rear end first — for a moment before retreating to pit road for left-front repairs. As the field quickly circled around NASCAR’s shortest track, Whitt went from ninth to three laps down in 34th.

And that’s how the rookie’s chilly, but finally sunny, afternoon went in southern Virginia. He was outside the top 30 for much of the race before finishing 27th — only his fourth finish outside the top 20 in the season’s 23 races.

“Just Martinsville, I guess,” Whitt said. “We had a good truck. We were really fast. We were fast even with it torn up trying to come back up through the field, just kind of riding around out there three laps down. We could drive through the field before every caution. There’s nothing you can really do. The 23 basically ruined it. We never should have been back there with the 8. Yeah, the 23 ruined and the 8 finished us off.”

Whitt dropped two positions in the driver standings to ninth. With two races remaining, he’s four points behind eighth place Joey Coulter and five behind Matt Crafton in seventh.

UP NEXT: WinStar World Casino 350k, Friday, November 4, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas

- Red Bull Racing Press Release

Denny Hamlin, Driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Doing Victory Donuts After Winning the NCWTS Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 29, 2011) –

“This is a great race track for us. I knew this was going to be one of my best opportunities to win a truck race,” said Hamlin, who was driving a truck owned by Kyle Busch. “To win and to win in the fashion we did win … considering where we were running then, wherever that was … it was a special win.

“I just gave it all I had the last 50 laps…that’s the hardest 50 laps I’ve ever driven at Martinsville.”

It was Hamlin’s first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and his fifth career win at Martinsville. He has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories at Martinsville and will be gunning for a fifth Sunday in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

On the final restart Hamlin was running third behind NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points contenders Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday Jr. Dillon washed up the track entering the first turn and tapped Hornaday, allowing Hamlin to take the lead.

Hornaday wound up second with Dillon third. Johnny Sauter finished fourth with rookie Joey Coulter fifth.

“I just needed them to get single-file so I could pick them off. I felt we were so much faster than them,” said Hamlin, referring to Dillon and Hornaday on the restart. “We knew they were racing for points and didn’t want to put them in a bad spot. I just wanted them to move up and they did.”

“We gave it to him. I just didn’t make the first turn and I ran into Ron,” said Dillon. “If I hadn’t done that it would have been one of us in victory lane. I’ve just got to figure out how to make that first turn better on restarts.”

“It was a great day … a pretty cool day for us,” said Hornaday. “Austin raced me pretty hard at the end. I don’t know how Denny snuck through us and stole the win.”

Dillon remains the leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, holding an 11-point advantage over James Buescher, who finished 10 Saturday.

There were 12 different lead changes among eight drivers, a Martinsville record.

Action returns to Martinsville Sunday with the TUMS Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, set to take the green flag at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available and may be purchased on line at www.martinsvillespeedway.com or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office, which opens at 8 a.m. Sunday.

- Martinsville Speedway, Press Release