Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR)

“I am very excited to be joining Eddie Sharp Racing as a development driver in 2012,” commented Jones. “I wouldn’t be getting this opportunity if it wasn’t for the success I had in 2011 from the coaching and car management of Bubba Gale, Cale Gale and everyone else at Gale Force.”

Brandon Jones

“Brandon is a talented young driver, and I’m very honored and excited to be able to play a part in developing his career,” commented Miller. “We have a full schedule planned this season with him racing between 32 and 34 races across the three series. It should be a lot of fun.”

Over the years, ESR has proven to be a top-team for developing young talent with drivers like Justin Lofton, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed and Craig Goess all finding success in ESR equipment in the form of championships, rookie of the year honors, and race wins.

“Having the opportunity to work with Brandon at such a young age, and at the beginning of his career, is not only exciting, but it’s also what we do,” commented Eddie Sharp, team owner. “It keeps us well-grounded and close to the principles that built Eddie Sharp Racing into a successful team, while at the same time we move in to the upper ranks of NASCAR. Watching everything come together as an owner this season is both exciting and rewarding—I’m looking forward to realizing our potential and experiencing success with each of our racing programs.”

Jones will make his debut with Eddie Sharp Racing at SpeedFest 2012, January 27-29, at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Ga., where he will race the No. 33s Rheem Chevrolet in the Rheem 150.

About Eddie Sharp Racing

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

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release

Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR)

“I’m excited to join the team at Eddie Sharp Racing and have the chance to work with Cale Gale,” commented Jerry Baxter, crew chief of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado. “Cale has a tremendous desire to be a good driver, the team is keyed up for a new season, and everyone at Rheem seems great—to have that kind of enthusiasm surround our entire program makes me excited to walk in the shop every day.”

After spending the last few years working with young drivers helping to guide and develop their skills, Baxter will join Eddie Sharp Racing on January 1, 2012. Baxter was most recently at Michael Waltrip Racing where he worked with up-and-coming drivers before they reached the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ranks, including David Reutimann, Scott Speed, Trevor Bayne, and Ryan Truex.

“I’m really looking forward to this season,” continued Baxter. “It’s another challenge with another young driver, and I think it will be a lot of fun. Cale is a great guy.”

“I’m very excited to have Jerry Baxter on-board for the 2012 season,” commented Eddie Sharp, team owner. “He’s a veteran crew chief and has the ability to bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to our team. His enthusiasm for the job has everyone else excited for the upcoming season, and I can’t wait to see what he and Cale are able to achieve in the No. 33 Rheem Chevy Silverado.”

About Eddie Sharp Racing

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

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release

Scott Speed (Photo Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images for NASCAR)

Whitney Motorsports Ford Fusion #46 to run at famed Superspeedway with 

Benicia, Calif. (October 17, 2011) – Christmas is coming early as the No. 46 Whitney Motorsports Ford Fusion driven by former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed will be covered in “red and green” thanks to renewed primary sponsorship by Red Line Synthetic Oil, along with Green Stuff, at one of the most legendary NASCAR tracks on the circuit – Alabama’s Talladega Super Speedway – for the Good Sam Club 500 on October 23.

“The Whitney team ran really well at the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Talladega, so we look forward to being fast again,” said Red Line Oil Director of Sales and Marketing Cameron Evans. “Drafting this weekend is a bit of an unknown in with NASCAR’s latest changes to the rules for cooling systems, but we know that Scott has raced well at this track in the past.”

As the Chase for the Sprint Cup heats up, NASCAR has upped the ante at the forthcoming race by offering a $100,000 bonus to the driver who takes the lead the most times during the race, as long as there are at least 100 lead changes. In the meantime, the Whitney Motorsports team feels confident that its latest Roush-Yates Ford engines and Speed’s skill behind the wheel will make them competitive at one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.

Speed’s is a good fit for Bay Area-based Red Line Oil, as the driver grew up nearby in Manteca, Calif. Speed started his career as a kart racer and scored many championships before driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula 1 and Red Bull’s NASCAR effort.

Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp. manufactures more than 100 quality products for the automotive, racing, motorcycle, marine and industrial markets. Its complete line includes a wide variety of motor oils, gear oils, additives, and greases. For more information, please visit www.RedLineOil.com or contact Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp., 6100 Egret Court, Benicia, CA 94510, (800) 624-7958.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TV Schedule

10/21 Practice, 2:30pm EST on SPEED

10/21 Final Practice, 4:00pm EST on SPEED

10/22 Qualifying, Noon EST on SPEED

10/23 Race Begins, 2:00pm EST on ESPN

Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR)

With the acquisition of the No. 8 and No. 33 KHI trucks, ESR will field three full-time NCWTS teams in 2012. The NCWTS driver line up for ESR will be announced in October. The teams will operate out of Eddie Sharp Racing’s current 40,000 square-foot five-star facility in Denver, N.C.

Eddie Sharp

“I’m excited about the future of ESR, really excited,” Sharp continued. “We’ll have driver and sponsor lineup announcements coming within the next few weeks. To see everything progress with Kevin and DeLana’s help, and the support from Chevrolet, it’s a dream come true.”

Eddie Sharp Racing’s No. 6 truck is currently 19th in NCWTS owner point standings, only 57 points out of the top 12. The team was created in 2006 as Eddie Sharp envisioned his long-term goals as a team owner. The goal was to contend, not simply compete. That desire drove Sharp to obtain a five-star facility, which is what allowed the team to quickly transition from contender to champion.

About Eddie Sharp Racing

Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) enters its sixth full-time season in motorsports, which has earned more than 15 victories and a 2009 ARCA Championship. With this approach, ESR became the place for up and coming talent. Since ESR’s inception, Sharp focused on helping to usher in the careers of Scott Lagasse, Chase Miller, T.J. Bell, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed and most recently, 2009 ARCA Champion Justin Lofton. ESR is housed in a 40,000 sq. ft. facility located in Denver, N.C. For more information about ESR please visit www.teamesr.com

About Kevin Harvick Inc.

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) enters 2011 celebrating 10 years of NASCAR racing. From the start, co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick set a goal to become leaders within the industry. With two Truck Series championships to their credit, the organization has built a reputation of integrity and competitiveness within the NASCAR community. KHI is housed in an over 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. This season, the organization will field three full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams and two full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series teams, competing for the drivers and owners championships in each series. With a roster comprised of both up-and-coming and veteran championship-caliber drivers, KHI continues to establish itself as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com

Editor’s Note: CATCHFENCE.com has learned that the three proposed and / or potential 2012 drivers for Eddie Sharp Racing may include Justin Lofton, Brendan Gaughan and former NASCAR champion Johnny Benson Jr.

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release

Scott Speed (Photo Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images for NASCAR)

CHARLOTTE, NC (September 13, 2011) –

Since 1979, Red Line Synthetic Oil Corporation has grown to manufacture more than 100 quality products, including motor oils, gear oils, assembly lubes, fuel additives, and its popular WaterWetter cooling additive for the automotive, motorcycle, marine, and industrial markets. Based in Benicia, California, Red Line has a reputation with racers and enthusiasts alike for creating products that perform and protect better than any on the market, regardless of price.

“I am excited to team up with Red Line Oil,” said Scott Speed. “They have done a lot for racers in all kinds of different motorsports, so to have them on the car this weekend is really special for all of us.”

Green Stuff is also back on board. They will serve as an associate sponsor on Speed’s Ford Fusion at the Chicagoland Speedway this weekend.

“Having Green Stuff on the car is awesome as well. We are lucky to have such great sponsors support us.”

Green Stuff is a fairly new product on the market, however it has taken off rather quickly. The eco-friendly product is the best in the marketplace. With products already being sold to NASA and many within the oil drilling industry, the Green Stuff absorbent is off to a good start and hopes to continue its success.

Check out more of the Green Stuff Sales and Supply products at www.ordergreenstuff.com <http://www.ordergreenstuff.com>.

- Scott Speed, Inc., Press Release

Rick Ware Racing (RWR)

“We are excited about returning to the Chicagoland Speedway and to the Timber Creek Inn & Suites for a second time this year. The hotel and the racetrack were both very kind to us in June and we look forward to our return to the area,” said team owner Rick Ware. “As owner of the ‘Biggest Little Team in Motorsports’ we have always realized our sport and our team thrives with the support of companies such as Timber Creek Inn & Suites and we look forward to having their guests join us for the race and putting on another good show for them. We’re excited about going back into the Chicagoland area; we know we’re going to have a great place to stay and a great place to race. And our driver Timmy Hill is in a heated battle for Rookie of the Year contention in the Nationwide Series so it should be fun. We look forward to seeing some great racing and some great race fans while we are in the greater Chicago area.”

Rick Ware Racing competes in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and has also participated in the Grand American Road Racing Series Rolex 24 at Daytona. Not only is Ware the team owner, but he is also a former driver, having made numerous starts in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series. He finally hung up his helmet in 2003 to focus on building a competitive multi-faceted race team. The team website is www.wareracing.com and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

Whitney Motorsports competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and is owned by Dusty Whitney of Ann Arbor, MI. Scott Speed is the driver and Tony Furr is the Crew Chief of the # 46 Ford race entry. The team website is www.whitneymotorsports.com and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

“We’re excited about again working with LEI and their NASCAR race team clients, and we’re very pleased it’s with Whitney Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing,” said Cindy Prohl, the director of sales for the BEST WESTERN PLUS Timber Creek Inn & Suites. “Both teams have started from the ground up and in less than two years blossomed into good competitive teams that can compete within their respective race series. We watched our hotel being built from the ground up just a few years ago too, and we’re proud to be one of the destinations for race teams and race fans alike whenever they come to the Chicagoland Speedway.”

The Dollar General 300 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Chicagoland Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, September 17th with the green flag expected to drop at 2:30pm. The GEICO 400 for the Sprint Cup Series Chicagoland Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, September 18th with the green flag dropping at 1:00pm. The Nationwide Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 and the Sprint Cup race will be televised live on ESPN and both races can be heard on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network nationwide and on Sirius XM Radio Channel 90.

For information on race weekend lodging and rates at the BEST WESTERN PLUS Timber Creek Inn & Suites, please visit www.timbercreekinnandsuites.com or call the property directly at 630-273-6000 and ask for our special “NASCAR” rates.

- Rick Ware Racing Press Release

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet Impala - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Sorenson’s Season in Review – In 25 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts this season, Sorenson has notched one win, seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. The Georgia native has an average start of 12.1 coupled with an average finish of 10.0 along with 85 laps led. After his 12th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, Sorenson is third in the NNS championship point standings, just 10 markers behind the leader.

Falcons Fan’s Dream Come True – This week, Sorenson has been given an opportunity not many football fans ever receive. On Tuesday, the long-time Falcons fan will attend a team practice as well as join General Manager Thomas Dimitroff in watching the team’s fourth preseason game on Thursday night. Crew chief Trent Owens and car chief Shannon Rursch will also join Sorenson at the Georgia Dome for the game.

Falcons Invade Atlanta Motor Speedway – After Sorenson spends time on their turf, three Falcons players have been invited to be guests of the Dollar General team at the Great Clips 300 on Saturday night. Pro-Bowlers Ovie Mughelli, Michael Turner and Roddy White are scheduled to join the team to watch Sorenson in action.

Sorenson at Atlanta - In six NNS starts at the 1.54-mile track, Sorenson has one top-10 finish with 49 laps led, along with a 16.5 average starting position and 28.8 finishing position. In last season’s race, Sorenson started from the third position, but was involved in a late-race accident which relegated him to a 34th-place finish.

Sorenson Annual Golf Classic - On Thursday, Sorenson is hosting his annual golf tournament at Crystal Lake Golf Club to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities. Fellow drivers Justin Allgaier, James Buescher, Michael Annett, Brian Scott, Steven Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Scott Speed have made plans to attend the event as well.

Fans Can Win Big with Dollar General - Dollar General, an Official Partner of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ is offering customers the chance to win more than 9,000 prizes including free gas for a year, a trip for two to Las Vegas for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and $250,000. The “Race in to Win” sweepstakes officially launched Aug. 28 and runs through November 12, 2011. When customers purchase qualifying items from DG, they are given a code on their receipt to enter online at dollargeneral.com. It is the first-ever national retail program around the Chase, NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Sorenson will pilot TMS-130 in the Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This car was previously run by Mark Martin at both Kentucky Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, finishing 14th and seventh respectively.

The Great Clips 300 – Longtime Turner Motorsports partner Great Clips, Inc., will serve as primary sponsor of this weekend’s race at AMS. This is the second consecutive running of the Great Clips 300 at AMS with Jamie McMurray taking home the trophy in 2010.

Reed Sorenson - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“I haven’t been home in a while so it’s exciting for me to be able to get back to the Atlanta area for a few days before the race on Saturday night. I’ve got a lot going on between the stuff with the Falcons and my golf tournament. I’m really thrilled to be able to meet some of the Falcons players and see how they prepare for their games and then in turn, have them come and see how we get things done on the racing side. I’m hoping they will leave the race Saturday night as race fans.”

“This Dollar General team continues to work hard every week as we know there aren’t that many races left before this championship is decided. It’s obvious that our competitors know this too. I would love nothing more than to get a great finish in my hometown this weekend which would do great things for us in the points battle as well.”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @DollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 33 Rheem Heating Chevrolet Impala Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

BACK TO BRISTOL: Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Rheem team will head to Bristol Motor Speedway this week for the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ second visit of the season to the Tennessee short track. Bowyer has 11 starts at Bristol in the series with one win (2008), five top-five and eight top-10 finishes and has led 254 laps. This Friday’s race will mark the Emporia, Kan., native’s sixth of nine races with the team for the 2011 season. Behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Impala, Bowyer collected the pole and drove to a runner-up finish in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, his best start and finish thus far this season.

KHI SUCCESS AT WORLD’S FASTEST HALF-MILE: Since 2005, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) has made 18 starts at Bristol. KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick collected his first win in his own equipment in March 2009. To date, KHI has two poles, one win, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 team will unload chassis No. 066 this week when they arrive at Bristol. This chassis has been utilized five times thus far this season including the first race at the 0.533-mile concrete facility in April with Harvick behind the wheel. Harvick drove to a sixth-place finish after starting the race in the eighth spot. The best finish for this chassis includes a pair of second-place results with driver Paul Menard at Richmond International Raceway in May and Harvick at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Scott Speed climbed behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Impala on Saturday for his debut with the KHI team and first Nationwide Series start at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. Speed qualified in the fourth position for the 74-lap event and battled his was way to a sixth-place finish after a late-race incident caused damage to the No. 33 and put the driver as far back as 24th with less than 20 laps to the end of the race.

COMMENTS FROM THE DRIVER: CLINT BOWYER

“I love Bristol. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I’ve run well there in the past and was able to get a Nationwide Series win there in 2008 which was really cool. Racing there is an endurance test. You’ve got to get to the end of the race with the fenders still on that thing. You have to work hard to keep good track position, not abuse your equipment and also not make any mistakes on pit road. If you can do all that, you have a good shot at winning. The No. 33 Rheem team builds fast, great cars and we’ve had some great runs together. We’ve had some bad luck though too and not had the finishes to show how well we’ve run. I’d really love to get this Rheem Chevrolet into victory lane this Friday night.”

About Rheem:

Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta. In its 86th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Raypak, Ruud and Rheem, have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water-heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI) and is a primary sponsor of RCR’s No. 29 Sprint Cup Series car and KHI’s No. 33 Nationwide Series car and Camping World Truck Series No. 2 truck. Harvick was named Nationwide Series “Driver of the Decade” in 2010.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Scott Speed (Photo Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images for NASCAR)

CHARLOTTE, NC (August 22, 2011) –

Speed has recently been driving the No. 37 Ford Fusion and has qualified for all three NSCS races that he has attempted. Speed also just came off of a sixth place finish for Kevin Harvick Inc. this past weekend in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal.

The No. 46 Ford Fusion, with the FR9 Roush Yates engines, owned by Dusty Whitney, plans to run the remainder of the races this season in the NSCS starting at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.

“I really like Dusty and his guys,” said Speed. “They work really hard with the little amount that they have. There is a lot of passion over here and I love how tight of a group we are, we are the underdogs and I love it.”

Speed has 79 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, with one top-five and three top-10s, nine top-10s in 14 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and one win, four top-fives and nine top-10s in 16 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“Scott has shown us what a tremendous asset he is,” said Dusty Whitney, owner of Whitney Motorsports. “We are extremely excited about having him drive our car. He is a great guy with an amazing talent. We hope to make our mark before the season is over.”

“We have sponsors lined up for Atlanta and Kansas, and are on the prowl for the other races. I feel that Scott and this team have a lot to offer anyone that wants to get into the sport of NASCAR.”

The No. 46 Ford Fusion sits outside the top-35 in the NSCS Owners Points, therefore Scott Speed will have to qualify the car at each race.

- Scott Speed, Inc., Press Release

No. 33 Rheem Heating Chevrolet Impala Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

SPEED ON BOARD: Driver Scott Speed will join the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team this weekend as the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads north to Canada. Speed will pilot the Rheem Chevrolet Impala at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, the third and final road-course event of the season. The California native has 13 starts in the series with one pole (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 2009) and eight top-10 finishes. This will be his first Nationwide Series start since the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009.

FIRST TIME: Speed will sport yellow rookie stripes on the back on the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet this weekend marking the driver’s first Nationwide Series start at the 15-turn road course. Speed has two starts in Formula One at Montreal with a best finish of 10th in 2006.

KHI AT MONTREAL: KHI has made a total of five starts at the Montreal, Canada track since the inaugural event in 2007 with three top-five finishes. Max Papis earned the highest-finishing spot for the organization in 2010 with a second-place finish.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Rheem team will utilize chassis No. 077 for this weekend’s race in Montreal. This chassis is new to competition this season, but it was previously prepared as the back-up car for this season’s road-course events at Road America and Watkins Glen International.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Paul Menard returned to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Rheem / Menards Chevrolet Impala for the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen International. Menard put the KHI Chevrolet in the seventh position to start the road-course event. The driver remained in the top 10 throughout the race to bring home a sixth-place finish.

Scott Speed (Photo Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images for NASCAR)

“I am super excited to get back to Montreal. It has always been one of my favorite cities in the world. It is going to be very interesting to run on a track in a stock car where I’ve run in a Formula One car, I look forward to it though. We are going there with one goal, and that is to win for KHI and Rheem. I’m thankful for this opportunity and I hope to make them proud.”

About Rheem:

Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta. In its 86th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Raypak, Ruud and Rheem, have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water-heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI) and is a primary sponsor of RCR’s No. 29 Sprint Cup Series car and KHI’s No. 33 Nationwide Series car and Camping World Truck Series No. 2 truck. Harvick was named Nationwide Series “Driver of the Decade” in 2010.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Ford Racing

AJ ALLMENDINGER/MARCOS AMBROSE PRESS CONFERENCE

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion – HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “It was pretty good. I felt like I got into one just a little bit deep and locked the right-front just a little bit, but felt like I carried good momentum through there. I was just a little tentative getting in the bus stop, sitting there in line when we sat there I could see the track was really dirty getting in there, so I was a little bit conservative getting in and tried to make it all up through the bus stop and got a little bit loose, so I lost a little bit of time there. I don’t know if that was enough time lost to Kyle, but I felt like overall the car was really good. It’s been solid ever since we unloaded. Greg Erwin and everybody on the Best Buy Ford just brought a good car and I feel like these last couple weeks, although the results may not show it, have been really good. We’ve been working well together and I think we’re making a lot of progress, so to go out there with what we’ve been building on is really good. To have a good lap today was really good.”

IS IT NICE TO GET THIS KIND OF RESULT? “Yeah. I’ve always liked Watkins Glen a little bit more than Sonoma. I feel like I’ve struggled at Sonoma. Watkins Glen is a race track that you’ve really got to be aggressive on and you can really kind of just hang the car out, and I feel I’ve always been pretty good here, so I look at this track – coming to it – if we can build some momentum and get a good finish tomorrow, we’re right there in points. Obviously, if we get a win that puts us with a chance for the Chase, but I’m not looking at that as make or break. I feel like if we can just keep getting better as the year goes on and have a good, strong finish to the end of the season that that’s gonna be what I’m gonna look at for our season and really build off of that, so this is a great place to start. We’ve always been fast here.”

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “I felt a little unfortunate really. We had a probably had the hardest part of the practice and I underdrove it just a little bit, but we’re proud of our efforts. It would have been great to be on the front row with AJ, but we’ll start third for the race. We’ve got a great package. I feel really confident and we’ll just see how the day unfolds. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it goes on fuel strategy and brake wear and all those factors that come into play on a road course. Hopefully we make the right judgment calls in getting the car ready for the race.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED – WHAT IS ERWIN BRINGING TO THE TEAM? “It was built by Mike Shiplett. He really got our guys working well together and we were bringing good stuff to the race track and it was something that we were just lacking a little bit, so with the change Greg brings a lot of experience. Obviously, he’s a crew chief that has won a lot of race, been in the Chase and been in championship contention. I think that experience level has really been helping me in times where I maybe get a little bit lost because I forget that I’ve been in here for five years, but when it comes to everything that I’ve been through in this sport, I look at that I’ve really only had two really competitive seasons, so I’m still learning a lot. There are times where we kind of get lost and I think Greg can kind of keep the team on track and figure out whether we need a big change or a small change or race strategy – things like that – and just help make me a better race car driver. Inside the race car driver and out of the race car driver trying to figure out what we need with these race cars, so, like I said, the results don’t show it but Indy we were really fast all day. Pocono I felt like we were pretty good on Friday and on Sunday we lost a little bit, but it was still a solid weekend. Since we’ve unloaded, I feel like Marcos is the guy to beat, but we’re right there with everybody else and we have something for everybody else, so he’s just brought a lot of experience and that’s just in three weeks, so I think as the season goes on, hopefully we just keep building on that.”

DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion – “I think I probably hit 80 percent of my marks. It’s real tough for me to get in a rhythm just in one lap. I’d much rather have that two or three lap qualifying like the Nationwide cars do. That would help me a lot, but that was a good pickup from yesterday. This is certainly not my strongest race track up here, so it seems like every time we go out we improve, but so does our competition. I think we’ve made some good strides here. We still have a lot of work to do, but our UPS team is ready to have a smart race on Sunday or Monday, whatever happens. We just need to get out of here with a top 15 or top 20 finish and not lose any points because then we can go be aggressive the next four.”

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Scotts Ortho Ford Fusion – “I thought I had a pretty good lap going. It felt like a pole lap until I got to the bus stop and then I came to a full stop, I let all the passengers on, I collected the toll, and then I took off again. I did my best. I put in all the effort I could after that, but I’ve just got to thank Ortho for being on board – Ortho, Aflac, Scotts, Ford. I’m excited about this race. Even if we don’t get it in tomorrow, it’s gonna be a good race. It’s one of my favorite race tracks and we’d love to get a win here at a road course.”

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – “It was OK. It was maybe a little bit too conservative. I would have sort of like to have done a nine-something, but I’m really proud of my Stanley team. It’s been a lot of fun this weekend. We’ve got a great chance to win the race and I’m really happy with our race setup. I just hope it goes our way.”

IT WAS JUST OK? “Yeah, it could have been a little better, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve got the Stanley car up front and I’m just really proud of my opportunity here at Richard Petty Motorsports. I’m looking forward to a really good Sunday. We had a tough Sonoma that didn’t quite go to plan, but this weekend so far has gone great. I’m excited about our chances. I’m just really proud of Stanley for giving me the chance to come here and try to get it done.”

DOES THIS CAR FEEL LIKE PAST YEARS WHEN YOU’VE FINISHED SECOND OR THIRD HERE? “Yeah, it feels really good. I’m confident for tomorrow, I’ve just got to make sure that we keep the fenders on it, look out for the brakes, and the rest will come to us.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion – DISAPPOINTED? “ Yeah, a little bit, but to be on the front row with the Best Buy Ford here is pretty good. It’s Kyle Busch. He’s pretty good at this. I think when he gets older he might be pretty good at this sport (laughing). At least it wasn’t that close. If he beat my by like a hundredth, I know where I lost a little bit like two-tenths, but I’m proud of everybody on the Best Buy Ford and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports. I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty cool to beat Marcos. He’s the man, so to be able to put up a lap a little bit better than him is cool. I think he’s still gonna be the guy to beat, but we’ve got a great starting spot and it’s a great day.”

SCOTT SPEED – No. 37 Green Stuff Absorbent Ford Fusion – “Our strategy for the race tomorrow is to save our stuff as much as we can in the first half of the race and hopefully get a caution halfway through and then start to attack. For us, qualifying isn’t super-critical and the bottom line is we’ve got to make the race, so we have to put in conservative qualifying efforts at the moment. It is what it is, but the car should be good for tomorrow and hopefully all things go well and we have a good showing.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Scott Speed (Photo Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images for NASCAR)

CHARLOTTE, NC (August 11, 2011) –

Green Stuff served as an associate sponsor on the No. 37 Ford Fusion in Indy a few weeks ago, and they are now stepping up as the primary sponsor for the 2.45-mile road course with Scott Speed behind the wheel.

Green Stuff is a fairly new product on the market, however it has taken off rather quickly. The eco-friendly product is the best in the marketplace. With products already being sold to NASA and many within the oil drilling industry, the Green Stuff absorbent is off to a good start and hopes to continue its success.

The No.37 Green Stuff Ford Fusion will have to qualify on time on Saturday morning, August 13th along with the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field.

Check out more of the Green Stuff Sales and Supply products at www.ordergreenstuff.com.

- ScottSpeed.com, Press Release

David Ragan (left), driver of the No. 6 UPS/Ned Jarrett NASCAR Hall of Fame Ford, poses with Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett (right) with Ragan's Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying with a fast lap of 182.994 mph in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 30 in Indianapolis, Ind. - Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion –

QUOTE AFTER WINNING THE POLE: “We need to get that win for Ned (Jarrett). He’s been a great ambassador to this sport and we couldn’t be more proud to have his colors on our UPS Ford this weekend. I’m looking forward to a good race on Sunday. Our Ford has been fast. A lot changes between now and the race on Sunday, so we’ve got our work cut out for ourselves, but we look forward to the challenge.”

THE FORDS HAVE BEEN FAST HERE. IS IT THE FR9 ENGINE? “Yeah, the motors mean a lot here. Doug Yates, Robert Yates, Jack Roush have really done their homework – Tom Ghent. I can remember being here seven or eight years ago when Elliott Sadler and DJ were up front for this thing just hoping I could drive one of those Roush Yates engines and here we are. You’ve got to get through the corners. Drew Blickensderfer and our whole team did a nice job working on our car, but it just makes life a lot easier when you press the throttle and you go fast.”

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – “It’s Indy. You want to do really well and want to get the pole and I just didn’t get it done. I’m disappointed in myself, really.”

GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – “I just screwed up. We’ve got a great car and I just turned in the corner too early in turn one and made the car loose. I got the left-front down too low and didn’t set me up good for turn two. I got off turn two pretty good and I said, ‘OK, I’ve got to recover a little bit,’ so I went into turn three and really nailed it with more speed than I probably should have had. I tried to kind of make up a little bit and I got tight and had to come out of the gas on the short chute because I was gonna get in the fence. And then in turn four I nailed it. It took me three corners to get one right, but you’ve got to perform when the pressure is on and I didn’t right there. I’ve got a good car for tomorrow. I’m ready for 400 miles here.”

TREVOR BAYNE – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion – “I think we’re pretty happy with that. We’re in the race. Had we been in on points I probably could have pushed it a little bit more. I think I could have probably got a .30 out of it knowing what I left out there, but also going back and forth from Lucas Oil Raceway to here kind of messes with you a little bit, so I didn’t get all of it there, but I’m really excited with this run. The Wood Brothers have been behind me from the beginning and they’ve been behind me all weekend and we’ve picked up everytime we’ve hit the track and that’s all we can ask for. Now we’ve got 400 miles to pick up some more on Sunday, so I’m glad we’re in the race. It’s awesome for Ford, Motorcraft and Quick Lane. It’s a cool deal to be here and be out here on the Indianapolis Speedway for the first time.”

ANY PLACE YOU COULD HAVE DONE BETTER? “I would have carried more speed into one and three. I think I could have definitely used a little bit less brake and carried it in and turned in earlier. I’ve been at the short track, so I’m used to turning fast with a fast steering box and then I got here and it didn’t turn quick enough. I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to beat the wheel to this thing,’ so I just got down a little bit sooner and carried more speed into one and three.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS PLACE? “I like it a lot. It’s intimidating from the infield because you can’t see anything and you don’t know what to expect. You’re kind of going out there blind, but once you get on the track it’s just a driver’s track. I think you can figure out a lot and manipulate your car and make it good. You just have to make sure you can get off the corners and we’re having a good time.”

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion – “I was disappointed just because the car didn’t drive like I wanted it to, like I thought it should. We worked on qualifying awfully hard. We had a lot of speed in our cars, as you can see with David and us with our practice speeds, so it’s disappointing that we missed the setup by that much where we didn’t get the speed out of the car that it was capable of.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion – “I’m happy but I threw away turn four. I think we were on the pole until turn four, but I just didn’t want to get too tight off of four, so I decided to try to drive it in until I saw Jesus and I overshot the corner (laughing). I’m just proud of the guys. Greg Erwin and I and the whole team are trying to gel together. It’s tough to do in a day or two and feel like you’re competitive, so I feel like slowly each session got better. We’re still not quite where we want to be, but we have plenty of time to keep working on that. We have to keep working on the car in race trim, but it seems like every time we went out there we got a little bit better so hopefully we do the same tomorrow.”

HOW ARE YOU IN RACE TRIM? “We’re OK. We definitely need some speed. I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you. I think we made the car on each run a little more comfortable, but we definitely need a little more speed out of it. I’m happy with the effort so far.”

HOW IS IT WITH GREG? “He’s engineering based, so he’s always got a lot of ideas. He’s never thrown a ton of stuff at the car, so we’re always trying just little stuff each run, so I feel like I can get a good idea of what the car does that run compared to the next run, so he’s just real easy to work with so far. I guess that’s always the first week, everything is nice the first week, but he’s got a great background and a lot of experience and that just helps me.”

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Scotts Ortho Ford Fusion – “I’m happy with it. I’ll take it. I’ve qualified really, really poorly here. We’ve got very fast Ford race cars. Congrats to David Ragan. That’s huge for UPS, for David and for everybody. That’s a huge pole. Everybody has worked really hard the last two days to have a shot at that and for him to win it is big. I’m jealous of him. He did a great job, but my guys have done a great job as well. I could have drove the car a little bit better, but we’ve got 400 miles here on Sunday. I’m gonna run over to Lucas Oil Raceway tonight. I’m excited about that race. We’ve got a fast Fastenal Mustang, it should be good, and then we’ll be here tomorrow racing. This is gonna be good.”

SCOTT SPEED – No. 37 Max Q Motorsports Ford Fusion – “It’s a great weekend for us so far because we unloaded terrible and with such limited resources and such a small group of guys, it’s really hard to turn that around and we did great. We were super strong in practice and we could have bit off more, but we were able to make it in the race with a conservative setup, with a conservative lap and that’s the way you want to be able to get into races like this I think.”

TRAVIS KVAPIL – No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford Fusion – “I don’t feel like that’s gonna make the show, unfortunately. We thought we finally hit it on the very last run of practice. We got some good speed out of it. We didn’t really do much. Obviously, the track is a little hotter than it was earlier and I was hoping for some clouds to give us some grip. The car was just too loose right there. I never could pull on the wheel and get to the throttle like I needed to. I had to be really tentative and hesitant and with these long straightaways if you have to play with it a little bit it really compounds.”

ANDY LALLY – No. 71 Interstate Moving Services Ford Fusion – “We just made the Brickyard. Man, what an effort between TRG Motorsports and Ford and all these guys that have just gotten behind this program and helped the new guy out. Yesterday was the very first laps I ever turned here and to have the pressure of the next day and having to qualify to put it in the show on time was enormous, especially against the quality of drivers we race against week-in and week-out. All I can say is it’s an honor. I’m privileged to get an opportunity to do this with TRG Motorsports. We had some great Ford horsepower under the hood there and I’m sure that helped make the difference.”

DAVID RAGAN PRESS CONFERENCE –

“It’ll be cool to lead the pack tomorrow. People will notice our bright blue car a little easier up front than back in the middle of the pack, but I knew we had a shot at the pole when we unloaded in qualifying trim on Friday. The car was fast. We spent a little extra time today in race trim because I didn’t think we were that great and didn’t really know what to expect for qualifying today. Drew made a few small adjustments and I just tried to hit my marks and not do anything crazy. I knew we had a shot at a top five or top 10 run for sure, so I just wanted to be a little conservative. I hit my marks and everything did what it needed to do and we wound up on top. It’s an honor to be here and to be the fastest guy at Indy. This is a great track. Any type of accomplishments you get here is cool and I couldn’t be more happy to have Ned here sitting beside me. I’m glad we lived up to what I told him. I told him we were gonna be good this weekend, so I’m glad we were able to step up to the game and do it.”

NED JARRETT – “It’s truly an unexpected bonus as far as I’m concerned coming here this weekend and being honored by David and the UPS crew and the No. 6 Ford and he goes out and win the pole. It’s those white wheels and the blue color. That’s what did it.”

DAVID RAGAN INTERJECTS: “That’s what did it. Maybe we’ll talk them into keeping this car for next week.”

NED JARRETT: “Yeah, that sounds good. I won a few poles in a car of that color but they were on dirt tracks most of the time and not on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

DAVID RAGAN CONTINUED – ANY EXTRA MOTIVATION WITH NED HERE? “We can’t try any harder than we’ve been trying all year, but absolutely. We want to do well for all the Ned Jarrett fans and all the NASCAR Hall of Famers that are represented in not only this year’s class, but in years to come. I think this is something that UPS and Ford and the NASCAR Hall worked together to make happen and I’m glad we can give it a good run. That’s what we’re here to do and it makes it extra special to have Ned here – a little something different and I have high expectations for tomorrow as well, so it’s good to get that pole today, but our focus is on tomorrow.”

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FROM STARTING ON THE POLE AT TEXAS THAT YOU’LL THINK ABOUT TOMORROW? “I’m not gonna change lanes before the start-finish line. That’s the first thing I’m not gonna do, but I realized how good it is to have that good, clean air from the get-go. At Texas we started off the race and we weren’t that great, but we were able to run in the top five all night long just because we had the number one stall and we had good, clean air. That’s kind of unfair that a guy running 15th may really have a better car than us, but because we’re up there, we can stay and we can fight, so it gives us encouragement tomorrow that when they drop the green flag, even if we lose five spots at the beginning of the run we’re still gonna be fifth, so that gives us some extra confidence. It gives my pit crew confidence that they can be aggressive on pit road, that I can come in the box hard and I don’t have to worry about leaving and passing people on pit road, I can just shoot straight off, so there are so many pros that come with having that nice, clean air. Yeah, you lead the field to green and you know what you’ve got to do from the front row, but it gives you a little extra confidence just saying, ‘Hey, even if we struggle tomorrow, we still have a leg up on every one.”

WHAT CLICKED THAT HAS MADE THIS YEAR SO DIFFERENT FOR YOU? “We have better race cars and Drew Blickensderfer and I knew how to work on them to get them to where they were comfortable. It’s the same thing we had at the end of ’07 and ’08. I wasn’t mature enough and made too many mistakes my first couple of years when I was 19 and 20 years old that kept us from winning races, and then I was ready to win some races in ’09 and ’10 and our cars weren’t as good, our engines weren’t as good and I was forced to overdrive. I made more mistakes. We went through a couple crew chief changes and then finally Drew and I were together at the end of last year and we see things in the same direction. All the Roush Fenway cars have the new FR9 engine. We’ve got better race cars and it’s just a world of difference.”

HOW DID YOUR LAP FEEL? “It was a good lap. I didn’t make a mistake and I wasn’t as aggressive as I wanted to be, but I told myself we had a good car. We had a shot to sit on the pole at Vegas and I wound up backwards on the back straightaway and I didn’t want to let that happen again, so I knew that if I just hit my marks and ran a conservative lap I could be in the top five, so it was just a good lap. Maybe I’ll remember that for next time. Maybe that’s the trick of getting around here, but I hit my marks, I was on the throttle hard. I could feel the engine pulling hard off the corners and was happy. The car did everything I wanted it to do, so they did a nice job adjusting on it.”

HOW DO YOU KEEP FROM LOOKING AHEAD AT THE PROSPECT OF BEING IN THE CHASE? “Yeah, I think about that and I want to get happy, but then I look to my left and I see Bowyer and I look to my right and I see Greg Biffle and Montoya and this one in the garage and that puts me back down to reality pretty quick. There are a lot of good race car drivers around me, a lot of good teams and we can’t get confident that we’re just gonna get in because we’ve got a win or we’ve been running well because, guess what, those guys are running good too. We’ve got to keep working hard. This is the kind of thing we need to do to make the Chase. We can make the Chase, no doubt about it, so we’re prepared for the fight and can’t wait.”

NED JARRETT CONTINUED – WHAT IS YOUR FEELING WHEN YOU COME HERE TO INDY AND SEE STOCK CARS? DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE RUN HERE? “Yes, I do wish I would have had an opportunity to race here. Of course the opportunity for anyone to race here in NASCAR didn’t happen until long after I had already quit driving race cars, but this place has such tradition and so many great drivers have done good things here and it’s good to see David have his name among those good drivers now. He’s got a pole position and I expect him to go out and win tomorrow, and I think he will. Honestly, when they wanted to do this this weekend, to honor me and the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the 6 car was chosen with UPS and Ford, I could not have been more pleased to have them carry my name and colors for this particular race. Even though I never got to race here myself, I haven’t been this happy, really, since Dale won here a number of years ago, so I really appreciate it David. Thanks so much for lifting me up again.”

DAVID INTERJECTS: “I’m glad you didn’t tell me that before. That might have scared me.”

NED JARRETT CONTINUED – WHEN THE WOOD BROTHERS PITTED JIMMY CLARK IN 1965 WAS THAT AN INDY 500 YOU LISTENED TO? “Absolutely. I paid a lot of attention to it. We knew how good they were in NASCAR and for them to be asked to come here and pit that car and then go on and win the race, I thought it was a good shot in the arm for NASCAR racing because it brought something here that apparently had not been before. I was not that up to date on the differences in the pit stops that they made and how different it was to other teams that were doing it for so many years, but I thought it was good for our sport. I was very interested. I listened to it on the radio.”

DAVID RAGAN CONTINUED – THIS RACE HAS A HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS WHO WIN WHILE QUALIFYING HAS MORE SURPRISES. ANY THEORY WHY? “I think you’ve got to be fast to sit on the pole and to win the race you’ve got to be fast 400 miles worth, you’ve got to be good throughtout the afternoon when it’s hot and slick and rubber builds up and you have to make changes. There’s a lot more that goes into winning a race than just being fast. You have to have a good pit crew. You can’t make mistakes on restarts, but leading the first lap is certainly a start to that. I’m not saying we’re the number one contender for the championship, but if we were to go out and win tomorrow, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.”

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE ON THE POLE HERE? “I’m hot right now. I feel hot, but it’s cool. You obviously look at a Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch – guys that are pretty dang good up here and my car was really good. I don’t feel like I drove as well as maybe I could have, but it’s a good feeling. Like Ned said, anyone that is just a race fan thinks a lot about this race track and to be able to come up here and be fast, obviously sit on the pole, that’s big. It’s big on Friday and it’s big on Saturday, but when they drop the green flag tomorrow it doesn’t really mean anything. We’ll enjoy it tonight and we’ll talk about it and talk and laugh at how much fun it was and how fast it was and all that good stuff, but then in the morning when we wake up it’ll be all business.”

DO YOU FEEL THE AUTOGRAPH SESSION EARLIER TODAY CAN HELP BRING THIS EVENT BACK TO THE GLORY IT ONCE HAD? “Absolutely, not only this event but every race track, every stop that we go to. I think that’s what makes our sport and continues to make our sport so great is the fans approach to the drivers and the crew chiefs and the team owners – the celebrities of the sport. I think by having those autograph sessions, by having Q&A sessions at the Sprint stage, spending time with UPS customers tomorrow, that’s what makes everyone interested in coming out and enjoying a great race. I think we should do it week-in and week-out at different race tracks. Obviously, every race fan can’t go to every race track, so my vote – I don’t know how the other drivers would like it – but my vote is to have one at every single race track. We’ve got to remember where we’re at. We’ve got a lot of competition out there in this world with so many sporting activities and fun things to go and do and all kinds of entertainment, so we’ve got to go the extra mile to show appreciation to our fans and my vote would be to do it every single week.”

NED JARRETT CONTINUED – “That’s why I’m so happy to have him carry my name and colors on his car.”

DAVID RAGAN CONTINUED – HAVE YOU TALKED TO JACK? “I haven’t. I guess he may be over at the short track already, so I haven’t talked to him. Jack’s gonna see me and he’s gonna say, ‘That’s what you should have done. Good job.’ And I’ll say, ‘Thanks, Jack.’ And then he’ll start talking about fuel mileage and what we’ve got to do tomorrow. Jack’s proud of us and proud of our team and Drew. That’s a brand new race car. It’s unbelievable, and Ned can attest to this, driving into turn one at any race track with a car that I don’t even know that it has seen daylight before. It’s been in our race shop and having the confidence it’s gonna stick in turn one, so that’s what I’m proud of.”

IS JACK EAGER TO GET TO VICTORY LANE HERE? “I don’t think Jack really talks about stuff like that because he is a little more level. He expects to be fast and he’s concentrated about the problems that we face in front of us, but deep down Jack wants to win here at Indy. He wants to win at Daytona and likes winning at Michigan. He did let us know that the Kentucky race track is the closest to where he grew up at and where his hometown was and none of us got him a win up there, so he thinks about that. That would be absolutely amazing to win for Jack and I’m sure all the other drivers would say the same thing. We’ve got as good a chance to win tomorrow’s race – all four of us – as we’ve had here since I’ve started coming here about three or four years ago.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR)

Brent will pilot the No. 2 Toyota Camry for Sharp, a number that is arguably one of the most prestigious in series history. Many successful drivers have jump started their careers and sustained long-standing success in the No. 2 machine, including former wheelmen Scott Speed and Michael McDowell. The same team also ran with championship contender and winner at Pocono Raceway, Craig Goess, under the No. 81 distinction in 2010.

“The whole team has missed the ARCA Racing Series, and we’re all excited to be back in the garage,” team owner Eddie Sharp explained. “I’m ready to get back to the success that has given us a long-standing reputation among the ARCA competitors, and we feel there’s no better way to do that than with a driver like Robb Brent.”

The team will be preparing two of the chassis with the most previous success for Brent’s races. Each has visited victory lane and had several competitive runs with former ESR driver Justin Lofton during his championship-winning season in 2009.

“These cars have performed well for us in the past on the bigger tracks like Michigan and Pocono,” Sharp recalls. “Robb’s history paired with our cars is going to be a winning combination.”

Robb, a Michigan native, is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel at his home track with his new team. The June 17th event will also be Brent’s first of the 2011 season.

“We chose the Michigan and Pocono events because they are two of my favorite tracks,” Robb expressed. “Michigan is my home track and I always have a good run there, and Pocono is an obvious choice since it is the site of my first ARCA win.”

Though Brent has never taken the controls of an ESR machine, he isn’t a complete stranger to the team. Crew chief Dave Leiner worked with Robb during the 2010 season when the two competed under the Allgaier Motorsports Banner.

“Dave Leiner and I work really well together—he knows what I like in the car and we already have the communication part down, so it’s a natural fit for us to compete together again.”

The RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway is scheduled to air on SPEED on Friday, June 17th at 5 PM EST. For more information on Eddie Sharp Racing, Craig Goess and the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of NC Tundra, visit TeamESR.com and CraigGoess.com. Follow us on Twitter (@TeamESR) and find Eddie Sharp Racing on Facebook.

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release

INDYCAR LOGO

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 18, 2011) -

Rain fell steadily on the Speedway throughout the day, and IZOD IndyCar Series officials canceled the day’s track activities shortly after 4 p.m. (ET).

The last time two entire days of Indianapolis 500 practice were washed out in one week was May 12-13, 2006.

Since veteran practice opened Saturday, May 14, 17 hours and 58 minutes of the scheduled 30 hours of track time have been lost due to rain.

DAY 5 NOTEBOOK:

Recent Butler University graduate and basketball standout Matt Howard visited the track today. Howard, from Connersville, Ind., helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA men’s basketball final each of the last two seasons.

Howard was scheduled to wave the green flag to start practice today, but had to leave the track before the rain-delayed start of the session due to prior commitments.

MATT HOWARD: (On having the opportunity to wave the green flag for practice): “Just to be a small part of this place is something really special. If we’re able to go and have cars on the track, I can’t wait to wave the green flag and see everybody doing their thing. I’m definitely excited about doing that. It’s a very nice honor. Not a whole lot of people are able to do it, and to be selected is quite an honor.” (On the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): “I came to the race last year with the team, and that was a lot of fun. This place is something that holds a lot of tradition. It’s a special place, and I think anyone here will tell you that this track and this event are pretty special. I think it’s a big part of Indianapolis. I’ve tried to watch at least portions of every race for the last five years or so. I understand quite a bit about it, and I’ve gotten to know Ed Carpenter a bit because he’s from Butler and he’s someone I’ll follow to see how he does. Hopefully, I’ll get to see him a little bit today.”

***

Some fun with Indianapolis 500 numbers, provided by Sam Schmidt Motorsports:

Not only has car number 77 never won the Indianapolis 500, no car with a number between 70 and 79 has ever been to victory lane in the race. Perhaps more interesting is that cars carrying single-digit numbers and numbers in the teens, 20′s, 30′s, 40′s, 50′s, 60′s 80′s and 90′s all have been to Victory Lane with only the 70s left out. Alex Tagliani, driver of the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins Dallara/Honda Firestone for SSM, is certainly hoping to change that in 2011.

***

1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal talked about the effect of rain delays this month. Rahal co-owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan LLC, which is fielded a car for Bertrand Baguette.

BOBBY RAHAL: “Well, it’s the same for everybody. I think we’ve had time to get these cars prepared pretty well for this month. We’ve had some good practice so far, but it’s like I said, it’s the same for everybody, and we’ll just have to find a way to deal with it. There are a lot of little things you can do. You get more time to look the car over, go through all of the data, find ways to make it better and really dig deeper.”

***

A special Team Penske/Indianapolis 500 edition of the acclaimed “The Charlie Rose Show” at 11 p.m. (ET) tonight on PBS. The show will feature in-depth interviews with Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power, and team owner Roger Penske.

The show also will be rebroadcast in the United States at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (ET) Thursday, May 19 on the Bloomberg Network.

***

Japanese racer Takuma Sato is collaborating with local students in a project to support the With You Japan charity program, which he created to help empower local child-care professionals in Japan to provide responsive and proactive care to thousands of children as they try to move forward with their lives.

A total of 137 students from the Towne Meadow Elementary School in Carmel, Ind., are taking part in an arts project. They will assemble themselves at ground level to recreate the Japanese flag when photographed from above. The local fire department also is involved by providing a fire truck rescue bucket to serve as the elevated platform for the photograph.

The students want to send this personal and original message of togetherness and solidarity to their counterparts in Japan, many of whom have had their lives torn apart by the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Sato visited the school today to thank the school for its participation and to answer questions about the disaster. He visited the affected areas near Sendai last week and has first-hand experience of the extent of the devastation.

TAKUMA SATO: “I really appreciate the local kids getting involved in this project. There is so much work to be done over in Japan, and people there really need to know that they are not alone. The whole world is doing what it can to help them. I love the idea of the flag picture; it will make a really powerful and interesting message to Japanese kids.”

TIM PHARES (Principal, Towne Meadow Elementary School): “We are extremely excited to partner with Takuma Sato and his project With You Japan. Each year it is tradition for Towne Meadow fifth-grade students to participate in a service project before heading off to middle school. We want our students to understand the importance of giving to others, and this endeavor brought a unique opportunity to connect with students through art all the way across the world. It is our hope we can make a difference by sending a message of togetherness and support to the boys and girls in Japan. Our students thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity and learned a great deal from this project. Towne Meadow is with you, Japan.”

***

2005 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon will team up with the Alzheimer’s Association at this year’s 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 to raise awareness for the disease. Wheldon will carry the Alzheimer’s Association logo on his No. 98 William Rast-Curb/Big Machine entry fielded by Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb/Agajanian.

According to the 2011 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and today as many as 5.4 million Americans are living with the disease. Every 69 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease, and by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds.

To learn more, visit alz.org.

DAN WHELDON: “I’m honored to announce my partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association at the Indianapolis 500. My mother was recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 55. You can imagine the impact this news has had on me and my family. This is a cause very dear to my heart, and I hope that by teaming up with the Alzheimer’s Association, I can help raise awareness on the toll this devastating disease has on individuals with the disease and their families as well as how important early diagnosis is for this population.”

The time trials to qualify teams for the remaining slots in the IZOD Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge were rained out today. They will take place Thursday morning.

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INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

PIPPA MANN (No. 36 Conquest Racing): “Welcome to Groundhog Day! Actually, today wasn’t quite Groundhog day because we did get as far as pit lane, and I actually got as far as being strapped into my car before it started to rain again. One minute to green – I’m sitting there, and suddenly the rain started coming down all around me, so we headed back to the garage area. We only wanted to get out there and do a couple of runs today, to see if we finally had a handle on this small niggle we’ve got going on, but unfortunately the weather is just not playing ball. It’s going to make the next few days pretty insane, not just for us but for everyone. the track is going to be extremely busy, and it’s going to be fairly intense. But, to use an American phrase, it is what it is!”

SCOTT SPEED (No. 20 Dragon Racing Fuzzy’s Vodka): “As a rookie, having less track time is definitely not the best thing in the world. It definitely makes things a little more difficult. We’ll do our best to take it in stride. I think we’ll be OK with it. We have a lot of resources here. There’s nothing extra you can really do to prepare for the race, but I feel good right now. I think we’re making good moves and going about everything intelligently. I can’t ask for anything more right now. At this point, it’s all about track time. I mean, we’re just waiting.”

TOWNSEND BELL (No. 99 Herbalife Schmidt Pelfrey Racing): (About sitting through rain delays): “I’m used to it now. As long as I’ve driven a little bit this month, I feel fine at least in terms of knowing what I’ve got and knowing that we’re strong. So, the anxiety is much less, especially having done this for a few years. You learn rain is always going to be an issue.” (What advice would you provide to a younger driver during delays?): “I don’t know if it’d be so much the younger guys as it would be the guys who in their first couple of runs felt they really needed to work on the car a lot more. If I was in that situation, I’d really be hoping to get out there and keep making adjustments.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske): “It’s kind of like the same story all over again. We came close to getting on track today, but once again, Mother Nature had something else in mind for us. We’ll just work a little harder when we do get a chance to run – hopefully tomorrow. Things are looking good on the Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske car and we’ll be ready to go as soon as we get the opportunity.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 IZOD Team Penske): “Unfortunately the weather hampered our chances of getting back out on track again today, which tests our patience with not being able get more laps done here in Indy. It’s frustrating, but knowing we have such good data to fall back on here at Team Penske keeps us from getting too anxious just yet. Hopefully tomorrow provides better weather and we can get back to work in the No. 6 IZOD Team Penske car.”

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): “It was just a waiting game today. We almost had the chance to run. Two days in a row of not getting on track is kind of a bummer. The Verizon car is in great shape and I have every confidence that the team will give me a fast race car. It is definitely going to be busy when we finally do get on track. On a positive note, I’ve had plenty of time to meet with the media and our sponsors over the last couple of days. Let’s hope we can get on track Thursday for fans and drivers alike.”

JUSTIN WILSON (No. 22 Z-Line Designs/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “Another wet day. We tried to get out there and we took the Z-Line Designs car out to pit lane, but every time it looked like we were close to going out, it would start raining again. It’s not good conditions. You didn’t want to be caught out on track when it started to sprinkle like that. It’s disappointing because it’s another day gone, but hopefully from here the weather will get better and we will be able to get some good running in. At least this way we are not going to be restricted on miles or tires; we can do all of the running we want once the weather clears up.”

PAUL TRACY (No. 23 WIX Filters/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “It is what it is out there today; we can’t control Mother Nature. I’m just thankful that I’m with the team that I’m with in Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. We’ve got a solid car and a solid foundation, and we already know where we’re at. We know exactly what we want to do. In terms of not being on track, I would be more upset if we were struggling, but I think that we are in a pretty good position to put it in on the first day. I think our cars are strong, and I’m not overly upset about not being able to get out on track. We can’t control what the weather does, and like I said, I’m just glad that I’m with the team that I’m with because we have great cars under us.”

ANA BEATRIZ (No. 24 Team Ipiranga/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “It’s just disappointing, another day without running. We got so close to being able to go out, but as soon as we started the engine it started to rain again, and it takes forever to dry up the track and we are done for the day because of it. It’s disappointing, but we just have to breathe and wait for tomorrow, and maybe we can finally run more.”

DAVEY HAMILTON (No. 11 HP/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “It’s another rain day at Indy. We made some changes to the HP car, and we were anxious to go try them. On the program that we have, we are getting back on pace with everybody else with our tire allotment, so I’m not sure if this helps us or hurts us or what, but it’s the same for everybody. Tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday all look good, so we will shoot for that.”

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A total of 59 cars are currently at the Speedway, and 59 have passed technical inspection.

No drivers were on track today. Forty drivers have been on track this month, turning 2,479 total laps.

There was one caution for four hours, four minutes today, due to rain.

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):

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The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at Noon (ET) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27. The race will be televised live by VERSUS.

- INDYCAR, Press Release