2011 Carl Edwards Debriefs with Crew Chief Bob Osborne - Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Now the Official Training Restaurant of Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing 

Milford, Conn., Feb. 8, 2012 – SUBWAY^® restaurant chain, the world’s largest restaurant chain, has expanded its successful partnership with Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing from the primary sponsor of the No. 99 Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for three races in 2011 to six races starting in 2012.  The multi-year partnership also includes four additional races as a major associate sponsor and becoming the Official Training Restaurant of Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing.

“Carl has been a fan of our brand and our sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich for a long time,” said Tony Pace, Sr. Vice President, Global Chief Marketing Officer at SUBWAY^® Franchisee Advertising Fund.  “He and Roush Fenway Racing are great partners and proven winners. We look forward to Carl chasing his goal of a championship in 2012.”

The first race this year for the No. 99 SUBWAY^® Ford will be March 4 in the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ at Phoenix International Raceway; returning to the track March 25, at Auto Club Speedway; June 3, Dover International Speedway; July 7, Daytona International Speedway; Sept. 2, Atlanta Motor Speedway; and Oct. 7, at Talladega Superspeedway.

“The SUBWAY^® restaurant brand and their SUBWAY FRESH FIT^® menu provides me with the opportunity to promote my healthy, active lifestyle,” stated Edwards. “SUBWAY^® sandwiches are the best tasting, most healthy food option that I can get on-the-go when I’m traveling,” continued Edwards.

Edwards will again be featured in the SUBWAY^® restaurant advertising campaigns.  The first new on-air ad with Edwards will run during the national television broadcast of the Daytona 500 (Feb. 26 on FOX).

“I am extremely pleased that SUBWAY^® has expanded their relationship with Roush Fenway Racing,” said Jack Roush, co-owner, Roush Fenway Racing. “As a company, we promote a healthy lifestyle with our employees and in particular, our drivers and pit crew members. Having the SUBWAY^® restaurant chain as our Official Training Restaurant is ideal.”     

About SUBWAY® Restaurants

Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, the SUBWAY® brand was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey – one that has made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. In 2011, for the third straight year, Zagat® Fast Food Survey, the SUBWAY® brand was ranked “number one” by consumers in the “Healthy Options,” “Most Popular” and “Top Service” categories for food brands with 5,000 or more locations. For more information about the SUBWAY® chain, visit www.subway.com. Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/subway. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/subwayfreshbuzz. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.

About Roush Fenway Racing

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

Source: Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Fain Skinner

Skinner, a well-known Floridian noted for his skills on the short tracks has obtained backing from CarportEmpire.com while carrying associate sponsorship from American Steel Carports, Rimrock Flooring.com and CSBdirect.com. The team’s car number for the first of 20 events on the ARCA Racing Series tour will be announced next week.

“I’m very excited about the race,” said Skinner, who gained attention for his attentiveness in his limited NASCAR Nationwide Series starts last year. “We have a very competitive car and the very best I feel that horsepower has to offer. Our shots of winning the race are not out of the playing cards by any means, but the race will ultimately come down to patience, strategy and luck. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to working with Mario and his DGM Racing team.”

The 26-year old tested extremely well at the 2.5-mile superspeedway two months ago during the open ARCA Racing Series test continued, “I have always dreamed of racing at Daytona, ever since I was a little kid sitting in the stands. Now, thanks to everyone that’s come on board, I’m able to live that dream, I’m incredibly grateful.”

The team’s automobile was acquired from the potent Roush Fenway Racing stables and is being closing monitored by three time ARCA Racing Series winner Gosselin who himself has made five ARCA starts at the “World Center of Racing.”

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. Practice begins Thursday, February 16 with a four hour practice session planned from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for Friday, February 17 slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. A forty-five minute final practice session is etched in on Saturday, February 18th from 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. The event will take the green flag later that day shortly after 4:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local. ARCA, celebrating its 60th season in 2012 is the preamble for the highly anticipated Budweiser Shootout for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) set to ignite under the lights later that night.

Additional input on Carport Empire is available by logging onto carportempire.com and through its Social Media networks of Twitter @carport_empire and Facebook.

Check out Fain Skinner online at Fainskinner.com.

ABOUT CARPORTEMPIRE.COM:

CarportEmpire.com is one of the largest distributors of quality carports, carport garages, steel buildings and RV carports in the United States. They currently offer installation in all 48 continental states and have a trained staff of steel building specialists waiting to take your phone call. If you are looking to make a smart investment in a steel building or carport, then you are looking for Carport Empire!

CarportEmpire.com has several distribution centers to allow for prompt delivery and installation of your new steel building, carport, carport garage or RV carport. Their corporate offices are conveniently located in north Florida near the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 10 in Live Oak, Florida. This is also home to our superior service department and our team of qualified service technicians who are waiting to assist with all your service needs.

ABOUT AMERICAN STEEL CARPORTS:

Located in Kewanee, Illinois; Pioneer, Ohio; Colusa, California; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; and Joshua, Texas, American Steel Carports, Inc. is your source for quality steel buildings. Choose from our full line of buildings ranging from Open Carports, Partial Carports, Mini Storage Units, Warehouses, Garages and even Portable Hunting Blinds. Their engineer certified, steel buildings are carefully constructed to provide you with the highest quality construction. Their steel buildings are reinforced in order to withstand large amounts of weight or wind. And they use steel with a commercially baked on finish providing years of low maintenance. Your choice of anchors can provide the additional security you need to put your mind at ease. If you can’t find exactly what you need in our catalog, just ask and we’ll work with you to create the building that matches your requirements. For more information, please visit Americansteelinc.com.

- Fain Skinner Racing Press Release

2003 Winston Cup Champion Matt Kenseth

Kenseth, No. 17 team dominated 2003, leading 33 straight weeks and winning Championship by 90 points

CONCORD, N.C. (Feb. 7, 2012) – The NASCAR media named Matt Kenseth’s 2003 NASCAR Cup Championship as the top moment in Roush Fenway’s “25 Winning Years.” The 2003 Championship won the vote, much in the same fashion as Kenseth meticulously dominated the 2003 season, receiving almost 50 percent of the vote. As part of the launch of Roush Fenway’s “25 Winning Years” program, media were asked to vote for the team’s top moment at its stop last week on the annual NASCAR media tour at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

On display at the event were over 50 trophies from Roush Fenway’s 299 wins, including a trophy set as the centerpiece of each of the 25 tables at the venue.

“We have had a lot of big moments over the past 24 years,” said team co-owner Jack Roush, who founded the team in 1988. “Matt Kenseth winning our first Cup championship in 2003 ranks up there for sure.

“It took us 15 years and a lot of battles from the time we got started to get to the top of that mountain. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that we’d ever win a Cup title and I had pretty much given up on thinking we might win a Championship; we had missed it in so many close calls with Mark (Martin).”

Roush Fenway finished second on four occasions prior to that season, but Roush and Kenseth finally broke through in 2003. The No. 17 team, then led by current Roush Fenway general manager Robbie Resier, clinched the title one week before the season’s end at Rockingham and took home the sport’s top honor by a resounding 90 points.

Kenseth won early in the season at Las Vegas and grabbed the points lead with a fourth-place finish the next week in Atlanta. He and the team never looked back; leading the standings for the remaining 33 weeks of the season; setting a modern-era record for most weeks at the top of the standings. The season was a show of unprecedented consistency, with the team spending 35 of 36 weeks inside the top 10; finishing the season with one win, 11 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.

NASCAR changed the point system and moved to the “Chase” format the following season.

Roush Fenway is the last team to win the NASCAR Winston Cup championship under the old point system and a year later became the first team to win under the “Chase” system with Kurt Busch hoisting the inaugural Nextel Cup trophy in 2004.

Busch’s 2004 championship along with Kenseth’s 2009 Daytona 500 win, Biffle’s 2000 Truck Series Championship (Roush Fenway’s first) and Mark Martin’s 1989 win at Rockingham (the team’s first) all received several votes in the poll.

Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series with championship drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and its award-winning social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Bauersfeld at 704.720.4621.

Source: Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Carl Edwards (right), driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, stands in the garage area beside his crew chief Bob Osborne during Daytona Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 12 in Daytona Beach, Fla. - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

(CONCORD, N.C.– February 3, 2012)

“I’m looking forward to coming to Toronto on Saturday, February 11 to meet Canadian racing fans at the Canadian Motorsports Expo,” said Edwards, who won the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “I was in kind of a rush the last time I was in Canada, last August. We were doing double-duty that weekend, shuttling back and forth between the Michigan Cup race and the Nationwide race in Montreal. This time, it’ll be nice to chat with the fans in a more relaxed setting.”

“We’re very pleased to announce that Carl Edwards will be our headline celebrity at this year’s Canadian Motorsports Expo,” said the CME’s David Weber. “Heading into this year’s show, virtually all of our exhibitor space has been sold and we’ve gotten a lot of great support from some of the country’s top companies, racing series, tracks, manufacturers and retailers. This year’s CME is going to be the best ever, and we’re extremely excited that Carl Edwards is going to be part of it.”

Carl Edwards is scheduled to appear at the CME from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 11. During his visit, he will appear on-stage for a moderated Q&A with the audience before taking part in a one-hour autograph session. Watch the CME’s website (www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com) for details on Carl Edwards’ appearance, including confirmed times and the autograph session.

ABOUT THE CME: The Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsport News is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs February 10, 11 & 12, 2012 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)). In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike. Celebrity drivers will be at the CME to sign autographs and meet the fans. One of the special themes of this year’s CME is the CASCAR Reunion. Please check the show’s website (www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com) for news, updates, schedule information and more.

For more information on exhibitors, seminars, conferences, special events and guests, visitwww.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com, call 416-962-7223 or emailinfo@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com. Twitter: @CME_racing. Facebook:www.facebook.com/CME.Toronto

ABOUT ROUSH FENWAY RACING: Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series with championship drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and its award-winning social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Bauersfeld at 704.720.4621.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Jack Roush, owner of Roush Fenway Racing, poses with his team's trophies during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday in Concord, North Carolina. - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

Program to highlight Performance, People, Partners and Innovation heading into Roush Fenway’s 25th Season

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2012) – Coming off one of the strongest seasons in its quarter-decade history, Roush Fenway Racing will commemorate 2012 by celebrating its 25th Anniversary of racing at NASCAR’s highest levels.

Roush Fenway kicked off its “25 Winning Years” program this week on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s annual media tour, where they asked media to name what it considers the top moment of the organization’s celebrated 24-year racing history.

“We’ve had a number of critical milestones since we started in 1988,” said team co-owner Jack Roush. “I looked around the room at the media tour at all the trophies we had on display and there is a great deal of emotion that comes to mind when I see each piece. Each trophy has a different story and represents a different milestone and sacrifice.

“From the first win with Mark Martin at Rockingham in 1989 to our 299th win last season with Trevor Bayne in Texas, they all mean something,” added Roush. “Along the way we’ve won multiple championships in all three NASCAR Series, with Greg (Biffle) getting the first two and Matt Kenseth getting our first Cup championship in 2003.”

Since founding the company in 1988, Jack Roush has seen the organization amass a record 299 victories. Roush Fenway currently boasts 125 Sprint Cup wins and is the winningest team in both NASCAR’s Nationwide and Truck Series’.

Just last season Roush Fenway collected both the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver and Owner’s Championship and led Ford to the manufacturer’s championship in the series. The organization came just short of NASCAR history, finishing tied in points for the Sprint Cup Championship; which would have made RFR the first team in NASCAR history to collect NASCAR’s two highest honors in the same season.

Historically Roush Fenway has boasted its greatest success by being able to successfully compete across multiple platforms with different drivers. The 2011 season was no different, seeing five different drivers win races in Roush Fenway Fords and bringing the 24-year total to 17 different drivers that have driven Roush Fenway equipment to victory lane.

In addition, as a testament to the power behind the Fords, Roush Fenway won a team-record 20 poles in 2011 to go along with its 17 victories.

Roush Fenway registered its first NASCAR victory on Oct. 22, 1989 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. The next trip to victory lane will mark its record 300th NASCAR win. Along the way the team has accumulated trophies including the famed Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, All Star, Budweiser Shootout and Southern 500, as well as championships in all three of NASCAR highest levels.

To properly commemorate the season, Roush Fenway will celebrate four specific areas vital to the organization’s success in 2012; performance, people, partners and innovation.

The performance that makes it vital to survive in the competitive world of NASCAR, the people and partners that make it possible to perform at that level for that period of time and the innovation born of the team’s 25-year legacy will all be highlighted throughout the program.

“It’s not just about being around for 25 years, it’s about living up to a level of sustained success for that long of a time period,” added Roush. “Our 25 winning years are based on these four areas that we believe to be the cornerstones of this organization.”

During the course of the season, the team, media and fans will all be asked to join in the program, as Roush Fenway continues to commemorate its “25 Winning Years” through various social channels and platforms.

Roush Fenway Racing is winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series with drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions with its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s only team-focused TV show, and its social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com bringing unmatched brand opportunities to sponsors. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Bauersfeld at 704.720.4621.

Source: Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Go Green Racing

Bristol Motor Speedway will also mark the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series attempt for Tim Andrews. Following Bristol, the team expects to compete in an additional ten NSCS races.

“Tim proved to us last year that he can get a car into the show, and at this level, that is what it is all about,” said Archie St. Hilaire, Team Owner for Go Green Racing. “The chemistry between Paul and Tim is outstanding. I think that Tim has shown us that he deserves a shot and I have always been a
believer in giving a guy an opportunity.”

Tim Andrews is also scheduled to compete in select NASCAR Nationwide Series races as driver of the No. 37 Go Green Racing Ford Mustang. Calling the shots as crew chief on the No. 37 will be Dave Ingram. Ingram joins Go Green Racing after serving as crew chief for MacDonald Motorsports
last season.

“I feel very fortunate to get this opportunity,” said Tim Andrews. “I have dreamed about being in a Cup car and to do it with my father’s help is unbelievable. I believe in him and he believes in me, it just gives us that much more confidence.”

Paul Andrews is no stranger at Bristol Motor Speedway. As a NSCS crew chief, Paul has earned one pole, two wins, and numerous top-five finishes at the famous half-mile track. “I am really looking forward to this opportunity with Go Green Racing,” said Paul Andrews, also a Maine native. “I was able to work with them at the end of the year and was very impressed with their operations. To be able to work with Timmy for his first Cup race is very special to me.”

St. Hilaire also has big expectations for the 2012 season.

“Bringing on quality guys to Go Green Racing like Paul (Andrews) and Dave (Ingram) is huge for our organization,” St. Hilaire said. “I feel that Paul, Dave, and Clinton (Cram) as our three crew chiefs will bring our entire program to the next level.”

Go Green Racing has purchased their NSCS cars from Roush Fenway Racing and will run the Roush/Yates FR9 motor at all 2012 Cup races. The entire team has been working hard to get all three teams prepared for 2012 at their new shop in Mooresville, NC which will accommodate the
team’s expanded growth.

Go Green Racing has scheduled its NSCS schedule around Paul Andrew’s commitments with Cunningham Motorsports and their ARCA program.

- Go Green Racing Press Release

Carl Edwards - Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images for NASCAR

“The way we’re approaching this season is, I’m not committing to any races right now,” Edwards said. “And as the season goes, if I decide I’m just a nervous ball of energy on Saturdays and I can’t function without going and racing — because that might be the case — then we’ll work to try to go [Nationwide] racing.”

“Once they said we could not run for the championship, I had already committed and Roush and the sponsors had already committed to running the full season,” Edwards said, “so we stuck with it and we did it. But to me, that was really, in my mind, my last real go at it for the whole season.”

Edwards’ hopes for the Sprint Cup championship ended when Tony Stewart won five of 10 Chase races in 2011. He and Edwards were tied in points following the Ford 400 finale, but Stewart won the championship via the tiebreaker.

Edwards did have the consolation prize of earning the 2011 Nationwide Series owners’ championship for RFR, but says he’s compelled to do more in 2012.

“I’m hoping this lets me focus more on the Cup car,” Edwards said, “lets me be a better Cup racer by maybe having more time during the race weekend to maybe hone the setups in.

- NASCAR.com

Jack Roush - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Jack Roush discussed engines and testing near the end of the afternoon session on day two of testing from Daytona International Speedway Friday afternoon.

Jack Roush, co-owner Roush Fenway Racing – HAVE YOU RECOVERED FROM THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF LAST SEASON YET? “Well, I don’t like short jokes much. We only missed one spot and the tie breaker is what got us.”

THERE IS A LOT GOING ON WITH THE ENGINE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME AND NASCAR IS TRYING TO GET THIS TWO-CAR TANDEM TO BREAK UP A BIT. HOW IS EVERYTHING GOING? “Well, it is to be determined. We still don’t know exactly what is going to happen. Right now our Ford engines are only good for about 9100 RPM and it looks like with what we are seeing today we need 9500 to make it work. So that sends us back to work on it unless they change the gear rule. I have to have a conversation with John Darby before I leave today. I can’t be here tomorrow but before I leave today I have to find out what I should be working on. If the gear rules go open then we know to leave the engine alone. If they bring the chip and/or keep us with the gears we’ve got then we’ve got a lot of work to do on the engine.”

ULTIMATELY THOUGH, IF YOU DO HAVE TO DO WORK ON THE ENGINE, DO YOU THINK TO THE BEST OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING THIS TWO-CAR TANDEM WILL STILL BE THE THING TO WIN THE RACE OR WILL IT GET IN LINE WITH THE PACK RACING? “NASCAR has seemed pretty determined to break up the two-car thing but as long as the tire is as good as they are and the cars have as much down force as they do and the cars handle really good and you don’t really upset the car when you get together. It becomes of you wind up controlling them by making the engines so they can’t operate in a range when they push like that or do they come back and do it with the cooling system. They’ve got one of those things to work with and my guess is there will be some serious compromise based on the fact that someone is going to complain that their hardware is not right for the rules they are given.”

Source: PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Carl Edwards - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Carl Edwards participated in a NASCAR encouraged pack session to start the afternoon testing at Daytona International Speedway Friday afternoon. Edwards talked about what that was like and what may come from it.

Carl Edwards, No. 60 Fastenal Ford Fusion – WHAT WAS THE BIG PACK LIKE?  “It is about half way to the old pavement, the feel of it. You drive down the corner and my Fastenal Fusion was sliding just a little. I didn’t really have to lift off the throttle. I went looking for John Darby and couldn’t find him and then I came back to the car and he was actually over here so that was nice of him to come by. We talked a little bit about that and I guess there is a lot on the table right now of things they could adjust. I think if the cars were either just a little faster or had a little less grip then we would get to that old Daytona feel where you would get in the corner and have to lift a little bit.  I guess there are a lot of things being discussed with RPM, plate size, rev limiters, down force and all this stuff. That is what testing is for and I am glad NASCAR is trying all this stuff to let us see what may happen.”

WHAT DID YOU SEE OUT OF WATER TEMP THERE? WAS THAT ANYTHING THAT CHANGED OTHER THAN THE TWO CAR TANDEM?  “No, we were real low on water temp. I think until you really get right up against that car in front of you water temp is not a factor. It doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal.”

WE HAVE HAD A CONSENSUS SO FAR THAT TWO CARS AT THIS POINT STILL COULD PROBABLY PULL AWAY AND IN THE LAST FIVE LAPS WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT. DO YOU THINK WE COULD NARROW THAT DOWN SOME WITH SOME MULTI-CARS BEING ABLE TO CHASE DOWN TWO OR WILL IT STILL LEAN THAT WAY?  “Okay, let’s look at this realistically. Two cars, unless there is some major change in physics or car design, are going to be faster. Unless you make it such that you have to slow down for the corner or you limit the RPM. I personally would prefer for them to make the cars drive in a way that you have to lift a little for the corner in that two-car draft. It would separate the cars and keep guys from running off. I don’t know how you are going to take this race, with this restrictor plate, and keep it from being the winner wins by being in a two-car draft. It is very difficult. I don’t envy NASCAR’s position but I think they are doing the right thing going through all these motions and trying to figure this out.”

Source: PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Ford Racing

The morning session on day two of testing at Daytona saw the Ford contingent run mostly single car runs with the exception of the two Richard Petty Motorsports cars. The 43 of Aric Almirola and 9 of Marcos Ambrose teamed up for drafting practice and third and fourth quickest laps of the session. Both talked afterwards about how the test is going so far and what they expect going forward.

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR DRAFTING SESSION THIS MORNING? “It feels very similar to last time. NASCAR changed the rules to try to make it harder for us but we are still doing it. The speeds are up and the restrictor plate is pretty open. It is a lot faster and drafting the way we are, the technique and everything hasn’t really changed that much.”

DO YOU NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM YOUR SEAT WITH THE FUEL INJECTION? “Not really. You run these things wide open when you are drafting anyway. The switch over has been very smooth though and I have been very impressed by how all the teams and manufacturers have been able to adapt to the new rules.”

WHAT IS THIS PACK RACING THIS AFTERNOON GOING TO BE LIKE? “It is going to be interesting. We have a meeting to find out how they want to conduct it. We will just have to see.”

YOU HAVE A NEW TEAMMATE THIS YEAR, HOW IS IT GOING SO FAR WORKING TOGETHER? “Aric is really great. We are working well and drafting with each other and we will just take it a day at a time here and build that relationship. I know that he really wants to do well for Richard Petty and his 43 team and I want to do the same.”

Aric Almirola, No. 43 Smithfield Foods Ford Fusion – HOW IS IT GOING SO FAR OUT HERE? “It is going well. Our Smithfield Ford is running pretty good. We have been working with Marcos this morning on drafting and that has gone really well. Our cars are drafting really well together and are really fast. They are really stable too which is important. I am gelling right along and it has been fun to work with Greg Irwin and all the guys on this team. Richard Petty Motorsports has a great group of guys. I have learned that in the two weeks I have been here. It has been good.”

YOU GUYS WERE THE FIRST TWO FORD CARS TO GO OUT AND DRAFT. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? “Well, our cars are fast and they are stable. I think that is the biggest thing, making sure that your car is stable now with this smaller rear spoiler and the softer rear springs. That is going to be the biggest thing, making sure you can hang on when you are being pushed at 200 miles per hour. I think that is the biggest thing.”

HOW LONG WERE YOU ABLE TO PUSH? “It felt like we could do it for quite awhile. I think everybody is a little different but I felt like we could go for a good five or six laps with no problem.”

YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GO OUT IN A BIG PACK THIS AFTERNOON. HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT GOING? “I don’t know. I think it will be pretty calm to be honest. We are testing and nobody wants to tear their stuff up. I think it will be pretty calm. I think you will see some people come and go in the pack but for the most part it should be relatively calm. I am sure it will get three wide because it should be really easy to get three wide but I don’t know, it is a big unknown at this point.”

WHAT IS THE GOAL FOR YOU FOR THE REST OF TODAY? “Just to keep on working on speed. We have to keep working on getting speed out of our car and getting me and Marcos to keep switching. That is going to be important. If the rules stay the way they are we are going to be able to swap and be able to keep our engines cool. We are working on our switch and making sure we are very comfortable drafting together before we get back down here in February.”

Greg Biffle, who only participated in single car runs in the morning session, talked about what he has learned from the test thus far and how he anticipates the afternoon session will be.

Greg Biffle, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE FROM THIS BIG PACK RACING THIS AFTERNOON? “I anticipate somebody crashing. I don’t know who and I hope it isn’t us. We have to get out there and figure out what the car is going to do and we will be bumping and shoving a little bit and be in the big pack. We already saw in the two-car pack someone get turned around and some people squirrely. With the shorter spoiler and increased competition or whatever you want to say with the speed, we are going a lot faster and something is going to happen.”

HOW MUCH FASTER ARE YOU GOING TODAY WITH THIS NEW RESTRICTOR PLATE? “About six-tenths or something like that, so a bit faster. What is weird is that it doesn’t slow down in the corner as much as it did yesterday. Yesterday you would go 195 on the straightaway and 190 around the middle of the corner, 189 to 190. Now it goes 196 or 197 and then 195 in the corner. So the more power keeps it up against the aero. It is almost like the more plate you give it the constant the speed stays. It doesn’t slow down to speed up like a car normally does. It is interesting to see how the dynamics of the aero and the more power equate to each other.”

WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED WITH THE FUEL INJECTION? “The biggest thing I notice every time I have driven it is that it runs so good in the garage. Letting the clutch off, driving off, driving down pit road. I know it sounds stupid but that is part of it. My hat is off to these guys because these race engines don’t like to run below 4000 RPM and now they run below 4000 RPM really, really good. It is a matter of getting air and fuel right and with fuel injection you can do that.”

Source: PCGCampbell for Ford Racing Press Release

Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Photo Credit: Mike Meadows/Motorsports Images and Archives for NASCAR

Teams hit the track for day two of testing at the 2012 Daytona Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway.  The main focus of the test is for teams to work on their final preparations for 2012 Speedweeks – in particular, the 54th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26. Reigning NASCAR Nationwide series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will run the 500 in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford Fusion and talked about how his test has gone thus far.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford Fusion 
HOW HAVE THINGS GONE FOR YOU SO FAR?  “Pretty good. I guess they changed the restrictor plate size last night and going around the track made it a little more fun by yourself because we are obviously going faster now. We are about a half a second faster than what we were yesterday. That is cool. We will get to drafting here this afternoon I think and that should be a lot of fun learning. Hopefully I can draft with Matt (Kenseth). I just talked to him a little bit about it. Overall, it has been pretty smooth. I think we found a few things that made it a little quicker by ourselves and that has been our focus the first day and so far today.”

ANY NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCES FOR YOU AS A DRIVERS WITH THIS FUEL INJECTION ENGINE?  “Well, I didn’t run a lot of the Cup stuff before but it seems like one of the biggest problems we had was getting it started. It seems like Roush Yates and everybody at Ford has really got that process a lot better than it first was when I first drove it at Kentucky. That is a good thing. We had a little problem with it yesterday but they were able to plug it into the computer and fix it and it turns out that it all worked out.”

YOU ARE GOING TO DRIVE THE DAYTONA 500 IN THE 6 CAR. HOW COOL IS THAT?  “That is going to be exciting. I think obviously being in the race is going to be fun but I think the pre race stuff before it and just being a part of it, looking around and seeing all the people here, and just knowing what you are a part of is going to be really special.”

WHAT IS THE BIG GOAL FOR YOU THIS AFTERNOON WHEN YOU START RUNNING IN PAIRS?  “Just mainly building some confidence up in whoever I am drafting with so that they will have confidence going into the 500 that I can do it and make sure they are comfortable with me. I think that is one of the big keys down here. Obviously being new I think it is important to build a relationship with somebody that trusts you. That is the plan for me.”

Source: PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Carl Edwards (right), driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, stands in the garage area beside his crew chief Bob Osborne during Daytona Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 12 in Daytona Beach, Fla. - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

An Interview With: CARL EDWARDS

KERRY THARP: Carl Edwards is going to wrap up today’s test day number one. He’s driving the No. 99 Fastenal Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing. Carl, of course, came within a whisker of winning last year’s championship.

Carl, talk about coming here to Daytona, a whole new mindset I’m sure on your part. What would it mean for you to win the Daytona 500?

CARL EDWARDS: Well, it would be huge. That would be an understatement. That is an understatement. Last year we were so close following Trevor across the start-finish line. I learned a lot. I feel like our restrictor plate program is better. I feel that Greg and I have grown together to be able to do well at these races. I mean, it’s the Daytona 500, and I’m very, very excited about it.

You know, the past month or so we’ve been running all over, doing all sorts of different things, and it’s been fun, and there’s been one common thing that I’ve found is everywhere we go people are pumped about this season. I don’t know if you guys are feeling that, too, and noticing that. We were in New York the other day, filming stuff at a bunch of different places, and people were genuinely excited about the season. It’s really, really neat to be a part of this right now.

But I wonder, I’ve been a little bit out of touch. What’s going on? What’s the big news today? Anything happening?

Audio: 2012 NSCS Preseason Thunder at Daytona Press Conference with Driver Carl Edwards

Q. You did so well after the race and in Las Vegas. Was there ever a point that you mourned or your heart was broken or anything like that?

CARL EDWARDS: That cool-down lap after the race was not fun. But I mean, I was open with you guys and told you how I felt about it. I haven’t sat and really — I haven’t thought about it much beyond, hey, what could we have done differently, what did we learn, what could we have done differently, and one of the neatest meetings, we sat there with Robby and Jack and Bob, and Jack brought in each driver and crew chief and said, hey, let’s talk about the previous year and what we’re going to do and do you have any ideas. And right off the bat, Jack’s a competitor, what could we have done different. I’m sitting there thinking, maybe there’s something — and Bob said without hesitation, said, If we ran it over again I’d do the exact same thing. He said, We did the right things and we did the best we could, and if we do that every time, we’ll be fine.

I looked at Bob, and I thought, Man I’m glad you’re my crew chief. That reminded me when I go back in my mind and think of specifically those last few races, I’m personally proud of the way all of us performed. You know, the pit crew at Homestead, they were on their game. They were the best pit crew on pit road that day. If we would have had another caution I feel like we would have beat everybody off of pit road. They were dying for a caution. If the rain would have come, if we would have had four tires. I mean, any — we put ourselves in a position to win, and Tony and those guys just — they just did a better job, gambled more than we did and won. That’s racing.

So I guess your question is did I really mourn it. You know, I truly wish I would have won it, but I mean, I understand what happened and how it happened, and I’m just glad that I’ve got chances. I’m glad I get to race this year and next year and go fight for it again.

Q. You sort of just addressed it about Bob and his good attitude and outlook, but did he really struggle at all? He looked devastated when he didn’t go to Las Vegas.

CARL EDWARDS: Well, he didn’t go to Las Vegas not because he was upset. He was working. After the race I could tell he was upset, just as I was and everybody was. But I mean, that’s it, that’s the — if we weren’t upset about it, if it wasn’t something that made you just want to — or that frustrated you, then you’re probably not in the right sport. But I believe, I’d like to believe that we’re wise enough to not let that get the best of us, to just go out and perform and do the best we can. That’s competition. That’s life. You’ve just got to keep on going and do the best you can.

Honestly I really wish we could talk about this year. I mean, I showed up — let me put it this way: After the whole off-season, we parked the airplane over at the airport, and I felt like I was excited. I’m excited for the season to start. I feel more like true — I feel more true confidence than I’ve had in a long time, I feel that we’re doing well for the right reasons, we’ve got everything lined up, and I don’t think that would be any different if we would have won or lost. This season is going to be what it is, and I feel like we’re going to be good.

Good question. I just — it’s weird.

Q. Kind of a follow-up, you’ve always been someone who is intent on trying to find out what you could do — what you could have done differently or done better. I remember after winning the 500 you talked about going to see Trevor that night and asking if there was anything you could do different. You just said how Bob said — would have done the same exact thing. Is that an acceptable answer for you? Can you accept that answer, that you would have done the same exact thing?

CARL EDWARDS: Yeah, it is. What we didn’t want to do is we didn’t want to give up the championship. We didn’t want to do something and take ourselves out of it. We wanted to put ourselves in the best position we could and force Tony and Darian and those guys to rise to the occasion and to really beat us. We weren’t going to hand it to them, and we didn’t. But they rose to a level that we thought was pretty improbable.

I mean, in my mind, whether it’s right or wrong, I think that if we performed the way we did each year, I think we’d win about eight or nine out of ten championships. So the mission for us is to perform that way, to not run around like idiots and say what did we do wrong, we need to change everything. We need to go out and perform that way.

So yeah, from Bob, that’s an acceptable answer to me. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter to Bob. He’s going to do what he thinks best.

Q. It seems like a lot of years, recently whoever finishes second in the championship one year drops off the map the next. Do you think about that and how do you guard against it?

CARL EDWARDS: Yeah, I think I’m one of the ones that kind of started that deal in 2008 and 2009. We’ve lived that. It’s really painful. I hope that that kind of takes us out of that — keeps us from repeating that statistic. I hope that the experience that we had before in 2009 will keep us from doing it again.

But this sport is tough. Your success last year does not guarantee you anything right now. That’s just the way this sport is. We’ve made the mistake of resting on our laurels and saying we’re good, let’s focus on a couple little things. But you can’t do that, you’ve got to keep looking at every little thing.

Q. Can you talk about today? What happened out there? How do you like the car? How does it feel? Do you think these rules are going to work?

CARL EDWARDS: I didn’t get to run in a two-car draft, so I’m not sure. What did you guys think about it? What did everybody say?

KERRY THARP: We’ll probably find out more tomorrow.

CARL EDWARDS: Maybe we’ll find out more tomorrow. I don’t know what our plan is. I don’t think we’re going to do much of it. I think we’re going to work on our car because we have this opportunity to be out there on single-car runs, work on our Fastenal Ford by itself. And then if we do get to draft, I’ll probably go work with Greg and we’ll get together and kind of go through our standard practice stuff together, and then that’ll be kind of a separate thing from the car.
But Bob wants to get the car stuff done first, which is probably smart, considering the car might not be exactly the same if Greg and I get out there and mess around too much. I think we’ve got a good plan.

Q. As a follow-up, Darby and Pemberton were in here and they’re going to ask everybody to get out there to run a pack. Are you going to accept the invitation tomorrow?

CARL EDWARDS: I might watch that. That would be fun to watch. No, it would be fun to go do. It’s really up to Bob and how that fits into our plan and whether or not he’s comfortable doing it. We’re racers. That would be the most fun thing we could go do. But it could be expensive.

Q. It didn’t sound optional.

CARL EDWARDS: Oh, all right. Which car is Darby going to drive? I’m just kidding. It’ll be fun. I mean, the track is smooth, the cars are safe, and it seems like there’s tons of grip. If we go run like that, we’ll go do it. As a driver you want to go do that. It is truly a matter of whether Jack and Bob will let me go do that.

Q. I’m sure Randy has updated you that you’re due in Charlotte next weekend for the Fan Fest. Has he informed you of that?

CARL EDWARDS: I didn’t know that. Am I due? Am I going to be there?

Q. In all seriousness, NASCAR is trying to rev back up the old Winston Preview.

CARL EDWARDS: I’ll be there for that.

Q. Just your thoughts on having 50 drivers from all the series in one location, the Charlotte Convention Center. I know you’ve got fan obligations tonight, but that should be a pretty cool deal.

CARL EDWARDS: Yeah, I don’t know the entire history of that, but I know fans throughout the years who said they wished that we did that. If that’s what the fans want, then that’s what we need to do, and it’ll be fun. We’ll go have fun with it. There’s some other stuff we’re going to do around that, I can’t remember. We’re going to do the All-Star commercial, pretty neat one that sounds like it’s going to be fun, so that’ll be a fun day, and I look forward to it.

Q. You were talking about that true confidence that you feel more than ever, and that makes sense obviously given the way you ran last year and the way Matt ran last year. It was a good year for Roush. It was a little bit of a tumultuous off-season with Roush having to go from four to three cars in the organization. Does that give you any pause?

CARL EDWARDS: Well, I think it makes all of us realize that we’ve got to just do the best we can all the time, not just on the racetrack but we’ve got to be the best we can with our sponsors and our teams and the fans and do everything we can to make the business of this sport work. I think that you guys have experienced it in this room, we’ve all experienced it. When it really comes down to it, you have to — you can’t take anything for granted. That’s what that’s reminding me of, seeing all the changes that have gone on in this sport over this off-season, it’s reminded me — those changes have reminded me that I’m very fortunate to be in the position I’m in. I need to do the best I can for not just my 99 team but our Roush-Fenway team, for Ford, for the sport in general to try to have these opportunities, for me and for the next guy that’s coming along.

I think all of us realize that, and yeah, it’s sad at any time to see someone lose their job or be laid off. I mean, nobody enjoys that.

Q. (No microphone.)

CARL EDWARDS: No, I don’t think it would — yeah, as far as our performance, we have amazing support from Ford, from the Fenway Sports Group, from all of our sponsors, and most importantly I think from Jack Roush and Robby Reiser. Those guys have made sure that any changes we’ve made have not let us suffer any performance setbacks. Jack and Robby are very smart racers, and they’ve both raced with nothing. They’ve both had to prioritize for a large portion of their careers, and I would say that if it were a game of racing with the least amount of resources, those would be the guys you’d want.

I feel good about that. Robby and I talked about it a little bit. He feels confident, Jack feels confident, and from a resources side, I don’t think we’ve lost anything, engineering, all of our simulation programs, the support from Ford, all of that stuff stayed almost intact, or grown actually. Some of it has grown.

Q. You looked really natural hosting the Kelly show, looked great.

CARL EDWARDS: That’s because they told me you cannot screw it up. They told me the worse you screw it up, the better it’ll be. They said say whatever you want, which was pretty great advice.

Q. Do you want to do more of that, especially in the future, and were there any amusing things that happened that day around the set that we didn’t see on camera?

CARL EDWARDS: Kelly is really funny. When the camera shuts off she’s just the same except for a little more vulgar. She’s really funny. She goes into stand-up comedy mode as soon as the camera shuts off and she grabs the microphone for the crowd, and it’s really funny. I just stood back and laughed with everyone else. That was really fun. I like doing different things like having opportunities to do something that’s a little bit outside my comfort zone, and that was definitely right there. That was a very interesting experience. It is truly the fastest hour of my life. When they said it was done, I would have sworn that it was 15 to 20 minutes that we just spent, and it was an hour. That was pretty interesting.
I would like to do more stuff like that, specifically things I haven’t done, things that are different and fun like that, and challenging. To be honest with you, I’ve never been more nervous about a TV appearance in my life. I had so many people tell me, I mean, tons of people, they’re like, Hey, I’m going to be watching tomorrow. I mean, people that I had no clue watched the show. I’m not going to name any names. But they’re like, We’ll be watching, don’t mess it up. So there was a lot of people.

Q. NASCAR is going with a bigger plate in the morning and they’re closing the grille by one inch on each side and making the pressure release valve 25 from 30. How do you expect that to change the car?

CARL EDWARDS: Why did they say they’re doing that?

Q. I don’t know, it was in the meeting.

CARL EDWARDS: When did they decide that?

Q. (No microphone.)

CARL EDWARDS: So they want the cars to be — they want them to be faster? Hmm. So they close the grille up, they lower the pressure five pounds, and they gave us a bigger plate? This is going to be wild.

At the end of the day, NASCAR walks a fine line of — I believe they do, of making the cars hard enough to drive that they’re not in a giant dangerous pack and that people aren’t super aggressive with them. So they’ve got to make them hard enough to drive that we drive down the corner and we aren’t quite sure what’s going to happen with the car. You know, it slides, and then they don’t want to make it so hard that the race is — one guy runs away from the field and it’s not exciting for the fans, because let’s face it, the fans come to Daytona to see an exciting, crazy race, a pack of cars or two cars teamed up, and that’s what fans — it seems like to me that’s what fans come to see.

In my opinion, one of the neatest races I’ve ever been in as a driver here was one where I guess everybody thought Goodyear got the tire wrong. I thought they got it just right because it was so slippery, you’d drive in the corner and have to lift and slide the car, and it was like driving a big two-and-a-half-mile dirt track. It was a blast. But I guess it was really boring to watch.

I’m all for higher speeds, less grip, make the cars harder to drive. That’s fine with me.

KERRY THARP: Carl, thanks a lot. Appreciate you being in here, and good luck the rest of the week.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

Carl Edwards is Kelly's co-host on LIVE WITH KELLY - Photo Credit: Disney-ABC Domestic TV/David Russell

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 12, 2012) – Carl Edwards made the most of his day in New York City on Tuesday spending time with several major media outlets, including co-hosting “LIVE! with Kelly” alongside Kelly Ripa.

Edwards’ day kicked off early with a visit to “FOX & Friends,” chatting with Brian Kilmeade about the 2011 season and the upcoming Daytona 500.  He also swapped roles with Kilmeade and took a turn interviewing him to prepare for his next stop at “LIVE! with Kelly.” 

On “LIVE! with Kelly” Edwards made his co-hosting debut during a special sports-themed week on the show.  During the show he admitted to watching an episode of “The Bachelor” and his purchase of a new tractor to do some farming on his land in Missouri.  

“It was an honor to co-host the show,” Edwards said.  “Kelly was a lot of fun and the audience was incredible.  Kate Beckinsale, Laura Prepon and Tanya Zuckerbrot were great guests.” 

Then it was off to “Fox Business Network” for another live interview about the 2011 championship battle and what is ahead for 2012.  Edwards also discussed the business of NASCAR and sponsorship. 

Before leaving New York he also did an interview with the “Wall Street Journal,” and collected hits on ESPN.com, Newsday.com, “The New York Times” and “Sports Business Daily.” 

Today he gets back to his normal day job, sitting in the driver’s seat of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford as testing gets underway at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for next month’s Daytona 500. 

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series with drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions with its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s only team-focused TV show, and its award winning marketing platform RickyvsTrevor.com bringing unmatched brand opportunities to sponsors. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenwayand follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Bauersfeld at704.720.4621.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Matt Kenseth - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season got started in earnest Thursday afternoon when cars hit the track for Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway.  The main focus of the test is for teams to work on their final preparations for 2012 Speedweeks – in particular, the 54th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26. Teams will also implement and test the new Daytona rules package for 2012 which came as a result of information gathered during recent tests at Talladega last October and at Daytona last November. Matt Kenseth took time to talk about the test and rules changes with media members Thursday afternoon.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Best Buy/Valvoline Ford Fusion 
YOU HAVE WON THE DAYTONA 500, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR A DRIVER TO GET THAT PRESTIGIOUS TROPHY?  “That was huge for us obviously winning that race. It is a very unique and different race but it is still the sports biggest race of the year. I think everybody that ever grew up watching stock car racing or wanted to race stock cars has dreamed of winning the Daytona 500 so that was certainly a cool day.”

Audio: 2012 NSCS Preseason Thunder Press Conference with Matt Kenseth

DALE JUNIOR SAYS YOU OWE HIM $2,500 FOR A BET. DO YOU HAVE HIS $2,500?  “How did I know that was going to be the first question? I will try to scrounge it up somewhere I guess. This should count though; this is like three days (beard growth). Back when he was younger he would have had enough beers in him that he wouldn’t have remembered that.”

TELL US ABOUT THE BET. WHAT ARE THE DETAILS?  “Well, I kind of grew a beard in the off season for awhile, for a couple reasons. He had a ‘70’s party and I put a picture on Twitter so I am sure you saw it but I had a fu manchu going and the pork chop things. He bet me that I wouldn’t keep at least the fu manchu through the test. I was actually going to and it looked really stupid but I hate losing any money and he kept upping the money and upping the money until finally I said okay. I checked first to make sure I didn’t have any photos and then I get a call saying that I had a photo shoot here and an interview there and anyway I guess I lost. Although technically this should count, it is three days old.”

YOU HAVE BEST BUY NOW AS A SPONSOR, HOW DOES YOUR SPONSORSHIP SITUATION STAND NOW AND ARE YOU AS CONCERNED NOW AS YOU WERE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR?  “I am really excited that Best Buy has come on board for nine races. That is a good start. They have a lot of races that are empty on our car, still two-thirds of the season, but I am grateful they came on for the Daytona 500 to get us started and are an associate on our car all year. They are with Carl’s car too. They have been a great sponsor of the sport and been around a long time and I am proud to fly those colors and hopefully we can have some success with them.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE DYNAMIC WILL CHANGE AT ROUSH WITH ONLY THREE CUP CARS THERE THIS SEASON?  “I don’t know that it will change a lot. It is still pretty big. We have the three cars and Ricky is running some races, at least the 500 he is here testing, and you still have the two Petty cars in there too. I guess if there is anything to be concerned or to think about it is the important people we have lost through the off season. People in the organization that had access to everything and are now pretty much at every single different team in the garage. Anything you had that you maybe thought was an advantage last year with things we learned have disappeared. That will make us work extra hard to find something that is better to get an edge on some of those guys again.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT SPREAD OUT THROUGH THE GARAGE TO OTHER TEAMS. WHAT WILL THAT DO TO COMPETITION? CAN IT MAKE IT EVEN CLOSER THAN LAST YEAR?  “The more rules they make and the more people that leave and come and go and do all that stuff certainly makes it more even or gets information around the garage. It seems like there has been some downsizing and less teams. It will be different. I think the competition has been great and I think will be as even as it was. I don’t know how anybody is going to get a big advantage, at least for very long this day in age with all these rules anyway. It won’t spread the field apart farther.”

DOES THE CAR FEEL DIFFERENT WITH THE FUEL INJECTION AND SMALLER SPOILER AND ALL THAT?  “Well, we are doing single car runs so it is hard to tell as far as handling or anything like that. Our speeds are way up compared to what we are used to doing the last couple years. I am interested to see if they try to race this restrictor plate I think we will be going really fast. I have seen 195 on the straightaway today by yourself and if you get locked together you probably to another 10 miles per hour. That I think the cars will have to handle. I am anxious to get into a group and see what it is like and if you can draft normal and if it is going to be two cars. I am anxious to see that and feel it from the car and what the handling is like. I like the ideas they have come up with as far as the smaller spoiler and going faster and trying to make the cars handle because it is going to be hard to make them not handle here because of the new pavement but if you can make them not handle it is going to be harder to push someone around the track.”

CAN YOU COMMENT ON TWITTER, YOUR ROLE, WHAT IT DOES FOR NASCAR AND FOR YOU?  “I don’t know. It seems to be kind of the, I don’t want to say the craze, but it is a new outlet to reach more people. I think everyone is using that, not just in NASCAR but all sports. It seems less people pick up the phone and talk face to face. More people text and tweet and Facebook and all that stuff. I guess it is just the way it is. I have enjoyed it as a different avenue to interact with my fans mostly and show a different side of me. More than anything I use it to interact with the fans more than I can at the race track when I am pretty focused on what I am doing and more serious. I think it kind of gives me a chance to pick it up or put it down whenever and interact with them a little.”

ISN’T GETTING THE CAR NOT TO HANDLE WELL CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST RACE CAR DRIVERS WANT AND IS THAT THE SECRET TO THE DRAFT?  “You still want your car to handle better than everybody else’s but in general if everyone can hold it wide open, even if their car isn’t set up as good as somebody else, everyone can do it without thinking about it then it makes everyone group up more or push more. If you look at a few years ago, probably two or three years ago on new tires everyone could run wide open and it was two or three-wide and a crazy race. Then it was two wide, then single wide and you would see the cars that could handle really good could almost pass by themselves without someone drafting. From most drivers point of views I think that was the most fun restrictor plate racing that we had. I don’t think you are going to get it back like that for probably not as long as I drive because it will take a long time to run the tracks down that much to where they slip and slide that much, unless they get a really small hard tire on them or something. If you are having a hard time getting around a corner by yourself you can’t get pushed or you will get spun out. I think that is some of the idea of putting a smaller spoiler on there is to make them a little harder to drive.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)

Lucas, who has spent the past two seasons as the race engineer for the No. 18 team, replaces Jason Ratcliff, who was named crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team last month. Lucas’ background in racing is deep with extensive experience as an engineer and mechanic in NASCAR as well as CART and IndyCar racing.

“Matt has done a great job for us the past two years and he will provide the team continuity going into next season,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “He has a close relationship with Jason (Ratcliff) that will also be beneficial as he fills that role. We are fortunate to have people here at JGR like Matt that allow us the opportunity to promote from within. That team has been one of the best in the Nationwide Series over the past several years and we look forward to Matt continuing to build upon that success.”

Prior to joining Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the 2010 season as race engineer for the No. 18 Nationwide Series team, Lucas spent four seasons with Roush Fenway Racing as a Nationwide Series engineer. As a member of the No. 60 team from 2006-2008, he would help lead Carl Edwards to the 2007 Nationwide Series Championship. In 2009 he worked with the No. 98 car driven by Paul Menard.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead our No. 18 team going into next season,” said Lucas. “We have a tremendous group of guys on this team and throughout our Nationwide shop and we plan to continue to deliver the type of success our sponsors expect and deserve.”

Lucas spent five seasons as a race engineer with Penske Racing prior to joining Roush Fenway. In addition, he has extensive experience in racing as a mechanic having worked with A.J. Foyt Racing in IndyCar and Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers in CART.

He is a graduate of Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio and currently lives in Mooresville, N.C.

About Joe Gibbs Racing:

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program. Its driver lineup consists of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano in the Sprint Cup Series, while Brian Scott joins those three in the Nationwide Series along with Michael McDowell and Mark Martin. JGR also boasts Darrell Wallace, Jr. in its driver development program and he will compete in the 2012 K&N Pro Series East and the Nationwide Series. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, and three Nationwide Series owner’s championship along with more than 150 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release