Trevor Bayne finishes 6th in NNS race at Dover

Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver Trevor Bayne finished sixth Saturday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway. Bayne overcame tire issues early in the event and fell from seventh to 15th before rallying to finish sixth. The sixth-place finish is his 10th top-10 in 2010. The NASCAR Nationwide Series travels to Kansas next Saturday.

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota
• Bayne started eighth and finished sixth
• Fell from seventh to 15th under caution on lap 70 when he experienced a tire issue
• Worked his way back to sixth by a caution on lap 135
• Never fell outside of the top-15 and remained on the lead lap the entire race
• Recorded his tenth top-10 of the season.

NNS Racing Results

• Kyle Busch won the Dover 200 - his 11th race of the NNS season setting a new single season record
• Sam Ard previously held the record with 10 NNS wins in 1983
• Busch recorded his third victory and eighth top-10 finish in 13 races at Dover International Speedway
• Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Reed Sorenson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five
• Series point leader Brad Keselowski finished 17th and holds a 320 point lead over Carl Edwards
• The race featured three lead changes among three drivers.
• The race was slowed by four cautions for a total of 19 laps.

BAYNE QUOTE: “We had a really good OUT! Pet Care Toyota today. We got behind a little bit today with a tire issue and had to come down pit road and lost some spots about halfway through, but we raced hard to get back towards the front. It’s tough to make up track position when you only have a couple cautions. I’m really proud of the whole No. 99 team today for working hard to get us back up there. Our pit stops were great all day and that definitely helped.”

Ryan Truex Wins Second Consecutive K&N Pro Series East Championship: Finishes Third at Monster Mile

Youth Movement On The Monster Mile

Moffitt wins at Dover; Truex wraps up 2nd straight K&N East title

By Jason Christley, NASCAR

September 24, 2010 - 6:00pm

DOVER, Del. -- It was a pair of teenagers who conquered the "Monster Mile" like veterans Friday.

Eighteen-year-old Brett Moffitt picked up his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win in the season finale Friday in the Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway. And Ryan Truex, 18, clinched his second straight series championship simply by taking the green-flag and capped off his year with a third-place finish.

Max Gresham won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light earlier in the day and was leading the race on the first green-white-checkered attempt. However, he brought out the caution with major smoke coming out from underneath the car. That brought a second green-white-checkered finish and Moffitt pulled away from second-place finisher Corey LaJoie and Truex for the win.

Eddie MacDonald and Dale Quarterley rounded out the top 10.

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick finished sixth in her series debut. Brandon Ward, Sergio Pena, Kevin Swindell and DJ Shaw completed the top 10.

The Sunoco 150 will air on SPEED on Thursday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. ET.

Michael Waltrip Racing - Dover International Speedway 2 Qualifying Report

Martin Truex Jr. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota — qualified fourth.
David Reutimann¬—No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota — qualified 18th.

Friday Recap

• Jimmie Johnson won his second Coors Light Pole Award of 2010 with a time of 23.116 sec/155.736 mph
• Non-Chase drivers AJ Allmendinger and Mark Martin rounded out top three.
• Point leader Denny Hamlin will start fifth
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 24th
• Sunday’s race begins at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN-TV, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. — “It was a decent lap. You can always do better. You can always find more wrong with your lap versus what you did right. Today it’s been a decent practice day. Our last run ended up being our best we had been all day. It wasn’t quite good enough and we needed to make a few more changes. It was a good pick up for us. That might end up being one of the biggest pickups of the day when considering making adjustments and going back out running. All and all, it was a good pick up for us. It was perfect and we’ll still try and make it better yet. It was a good lap for the NAPA Toyota. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in victory lane, but the last time was here. I love coming up here to Dover. It’s been a great week we had two Martin Truex Jr. Foundation events that included my third annual golf tournament. It’s been a really good week and I would like to top it off with a win.”

DAVID REUTIMANN — "We really missed it today. We kept tightening up the Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota and when I went out to qualify it felt like it was plowing in the center. We just went too far in trying to tighten it up. It's disappointing - we normally qualify pretty well here and we ran well here in the spring. We'll just keep working on it tomorrow and try to get it better before the race on Sunday."

Ryan Truex Dover Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota driver Ryan Truex earns his second consecutive K&N Pro Series East championship Friday when he starts the series finale at Dover International Speedway. The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native won his second race in 2010 last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway building a 118-point lead over the second-place driver. The lead guarantees Truex the title if he starts Friday’s race.


RYAN TRUEX QUOTES

Racing at Dover International Speedway: "Dover is a fun track to race at. You can go high in one and two and make a run on people, but it is also pretty strenuous with the speeds. You really have to be aggressive to do well. We went there last year and had a top-ten run, but this year we’re looking to put it all on the line for the win. I’ve had a neat opportunity to race so close to my hometown for the last two races of the season. I want to go out there and get another win for MWR. They’ve worked really hard for this and another trip to victory lane would be a good end to our East Series season.”

Clinching the East Series Championship: "Winning the championship was our season goal, and I’m lucky to have the opportunity to win it in front of my friends and family. I’m looking forward to going into Dover and being able to go out and win and not have to worry about points. It will most likely be my last race in the East Series so we’re really going to lay it on the line and try to get the win”

Looking back on the 2010 East Series Season: “It was a great year and everyone worked hard and gave me awesome race cars every week. We were always in contention for wins and were consistent and that is what it takes to win championships. I’m proud of my guys and everyone at MWR and very thankful to be where I’m at. Hopefully we can move on to bigger and better things.”

NOTES

• Only six drivers have won back-to-back East Series titles—none as a teenager.

• Dover International Speedway is 128 miles from Truex’s hometown of Mayetta, N.J.

• Truex owns five career East Series victories.

• Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex’s crew chief, has been working with Truex throughout his career in the East Series beginning in 2008.

• Truex is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009.

• Truex is the third member of his family to win in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr. won at New Hampshire in 1994 and his brother NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Martin Truex Jr. won five times.

Trevor Bayne Dover Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Every time Trevor Bayne climbs into the No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota he wonders if this will be the weekend he notches his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. He’s been getting closer and closer. The 19-year-old, Knoxville, Tenn., finished a career-best third in the series’ most recent race in Richmond. He’s scored the fifth most points of any driver and most points of a Nationwide Series only driver in the last 10 races. This weekend the Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver races at Dover International Speedway. Bayne is seventh in the standings with only eight races left in the 2010 season.


TREVOR BAYNE QUOTES

SEVENTH PLACE IN STANDINGS: “It’s cool to work our way up to seventh after the rough start we had in February. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. We started the season off with a 41st-place finish at Daytona and just struggled until about May. Before that we struggled to get the finishes we deserved. Now, I think we’ve figured out how to run in the top five each week and finish. Our next step is to figure out that little bit extra to win a race. Hopefully, we’ll do that this weekend in Dover and get us closer to the top five in the standings.”

BAYNE ON DOVER: “I like racing at Dover a lot. I don’t have a ton of experience there but I do have some track time. I finished 29th there in May and I ran an East race there once. For us to be successful this weekend we have to be able to get to the throttle hard and fast up off the corners. I remember in the East Series cars we were almost wide open during qualifying and the Nationwide cars aren’t that far off. One thing Martin (Truex Jr.) told me was to make sure you get to the throttle wide open. If you have to get to the gas easy and wait on the car a little off the corners you will get your butt kicked at Dover.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Bayne will participate in an autograph session on Saturday from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Dover International Speedway FanZone.

• Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing own Diamond-Waltrip Racing that fields Toyota Camrys out of the MWR shop in Cornelius, N.C. The Bechtels have owned cars in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series since 1990. The Morgan Hill, California residents’ teams have visited victory lane 10 times in the Nationwide Series.

• Bayne owns only one Nationwide Series start on the one-mile concrete oval in Dover. On May 15, he started 23rd and raced well before a late race incident left him with a 29th-place finish. Bayne started third and finished 21st in the Sept. 19, 2008 NASCAR K&N Pro Cup East Series race at Dover.

• Bayne is the second highest series-only regular in the driver point standings.

• Only Bayne, Michael Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, and Sam Ard have notched three consecutive Nationwide poles. Bayne won poles at St. Louis, Indianapolis and Iowa in July.

• Bayne owns 42 NNS starts. He has four poles (Indianapolis –2009, 2010, Gateway—2010 and Iowa 2010), five top-fives and 10 top-10s and has led 129 laps. His best finish (third) came at Gateway International Raceway on July 17 and at Richmond International Raceway on September 10.

MW & The Inside NASCAR Gang Welcome Rick Hendrick

Tonight (Wednesday) at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME®

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 22, 2010) – Just days after Richard Childress revealed on Inside NASCAR that he told his team that a Richard Childress Racing car should be the one to bring down four-time champion Jimmie Johnson, RCR driver Clint Bowyer scored the first victory of the Chase and his first win in 88 races at Loudon. This week, Rick Hendrick joins the Inside NASCAR panel to discuss his feelings on this season’s championship.

On the heels of Sunday’s Manning Bowl, Inside NASCAR called on some of the big name motorsports brothers for some insight into the Chase. Kurt Busch stopped in to talk about his season, last week’s race and the career of his younger brother Kyle Busch, while Darrell Waltrip dropped by to the set to battle his brother Michael Waltrip in this week’s Hot Laps segment.

In addition to exclusive highlights, expert analysis and behind-the-wheel action from Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Inside NASCAR cast will look ahead to the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. Below are some notable quotes.

Episode 29 premieres Tonight: Wednesday, September 22, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

 

With so much chatter about this season’s aggressive driving, Hendrick proclaimed, “I predict the double file restarts are going to decide the championship. I believe in the next nine races we will have probably 30 attempts within the 75-laps-to-go window where it’s going to be double file restarts. And it’s going to be whoever can escape these next 30 opportunities without having a problem.” He elaborated, “It’s like a Saturday night shootout every time they have a restart.”

In reaction to the race at Loudon, Busch offered, “It was like I was on ice. I almost got into [Jeff] Burton and I ended up getting into [Joey] Logano. I feel bad about it.” He continued, “I think the intensity last week was just different than any other year that I’ve been in it to start it off. Every which way you looked there was action going on.”

When discussing this year’s Chase, Randy Pemberton asserted, “I don’t think we’ve seen more non-Chase guys capable of running upfront than we have right here in 2010.”


Inside NASCAR is hosted by Chris Myers with analysts Brad Daugherty, Pemberton and Waltrip.  Inside NASCAR is produced in conjunction with the NASCAR Media Group.  New episodes will air on SHOWTIME Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT for 38 weeks corresponding with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  The co-executive producers are Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports and Jay Abraham, Chief Operating Officer, NASCAR Media Group.  The executive in charge of production is Jim Jorden with Mike Wells acting as consulting director.

For additional bonus content including behind-the-scenes video and photos visit the SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

David Reutimann - Sprint Cup Series Preview - Dover International Speedway

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver David Reutimann knows that it’s not where you start, but where you finish that matters most in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. The 40-year-old, Zephyrhills, Fla. native’s most recent pole came at Dover International Speedway in May 2009 and he owns two top-five starts in the last three races at the Monster Mile. Reutimann has only nine races left this season to extend his pole streak to three consecutive seasons. This weekend’s race at Dover could serve as Reutimann’s best pole opportunity as well as second trip to victory lane in 2010. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver finished fifth on the concrete high banks in May posting 15 of the fastest laps in the 400 lap race.

REUTIMANN QUOTES

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING: “It’s got to the point that the racing is so competitive, it’s so difficult to pass and there are so many good cars that if you start up front it gives you a little bit of an opportunity to at least try to stay there. It’s also important because it give you the opportunity to get a good pit selection and things of that nature. Overall, just to be the fastest on that given day, mentally it’s just a big boost as well for yourself and the team, so while getting poles doesn’t get you into the Shootout in Daytona or anything of that nature any more it’s still just really, really important because of the racing aspect – it gives you the best possible start to the weekend that you can possibly have.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS WINNING AT LEAST ONE POLE A YEAR TO YOU: “I think it’s important and I take pride in winning a pole each year, unfortunately we haven’t been able to do that yet this year and that’s a little disappointing. We won a couple poles last year and I think one the year before at the Cup level, so we want to get one in the books before the end of the year. It’s important – you want to go out and win poles and win races. It’s a little disappointing so far because the last couple years we’ve been able to win one or two and we haven’t yet this year, so we need to try and step it up and get ourselves a pole … and another win.”

ON SOME OF THE CHASE GUYS THAT GAMBLED AND LOST AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: “Racing is a gamble anyway. I admire Tony (Stewart) and a couple of those guys for going all-in and taking that chance. They must have felt like that was the only way that they were going to win, so they went for it. They were all-in and it didn’t work out, but it just as easily could have. It’s just one of those things where you just don’t know and you take your shot. Fuel mileage and rain shortened events – you just don’t know how those things are going to shake out, but I applaud them for going out there and trying it. It didn’t work out for them, but at least they went down swinging.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• The David Reutimann Foundation is hosting its sixth annual Charity Cook Out and Golf Outing Dec. 3-4, 2010 at Silverado Golf and Country Club located in Reutimann’s hometown of Zephyrhills, Fla. In 2009, The David Reutimann Foundation raised over $100,000 which he distributed to Florida-based charities, including: All Children’s Hospital, Kids Go to Camp, Zephyrhills Women’s Pregnancy Center and Camp Boggy Creek.

• Aaron’s, sponsor of the No. 00, will give away an autographed hat to a lucky race fan through Facebook and Twitter following any top-10 finish. Follow Aarons on Twitter (@AaronsSports) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/AaronsSports).

• David Reutimann already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-fives (five) and has the final 10 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule to improve on his totals. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver also is closing in on several more personal bests:

Category Best (Year) - 2010
Wins: 1 (2009) - 1
Top-5: 5 (2009) - 5
Points: 16th (2009) - 15th
Avg. Start: 15.9 (2009) - 16.0
Avg. Finish: 16.4 (2009) - 16.8
Laps Led: 118 (2008) - 89

Martin Truex Jr. Dover 2 Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. kicks off a week-long fundraising initiative in his home state of New Jersey before Sunday’s AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway. Truex won the pole at Dover in May and the mile-oval is the scene of his lone Sprint Cup victory in June 2007. It’s a busy week of events before Dover:

On Tuesday fans are invited to the Martin Truex Jr. Fan Event at the Holiday Inn in Manahawkin, N.J. for an autograph session, dinner with Truex along with entertainment, raffle prizes and auction items.

Wednesday is the day for the third annual Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Golf Tournament presented by NAPA. This year’s tournament at the Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. will feature 144 golfers including NAPA Racing’s crew chief Pat Tryson. The event will be followed by the 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented Sea Watch International. The highlight of the dinner will be the unveiling of the first Martin Truex Jr. Foundation “Humanitarian of the Year Award.” Proceeds finance the Martin Truex Jr. Pediatric Unit at Southern Ocean County Hospital in N.J. and fund the Iredell County (N.C.) Backpack program at Troutman Elementary School.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON HIS FUNDRAISING EFFORTS: “I’m really proud of what my foundation has accomplished since Sherry and I launched it back in 2007. So far, we’ve raised more than $400,000 for a bunch of community programs. We’re getting ready to build a children’s wing at Southern Ocean County Hospital. It’s the local hospital where I was born. It’s going to be a really cool place where kids can go and get treated. This month, we’ve launched a backpack program for kids who go to the Troutman Elementary School in Troutman, N.C. We chose that school because it’s not far from where I live. Each Friday, kids who participate, will get a backpack filled with food. We heard stories about some of the kids coming into school saying they were hungry and didn’t have much to eat on the weekends.”

ON RETURNING TO DOVER: “It’s a track that has been very good to me and my family. I won races there in both the Nationwide and Cup Series events. Back in May, I won the pole with my NAPA AUTO PARTS team and that was pretty cool. Now we want to get our first win there as a new team.

“Since the first time I took a lap on it, I have loved the place. When you find a track like that it usually makes it easier to be good there. I like the fact that the concrete is very unforgiving. The speeds are high and the banking makes it intimidating. It’s pretty fast. I find it to be a track that you really have to attack, but at the same time, respect that it is very unforgiving. You have to be willing to put it right there on the edge and have the discipline not to cross over it.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

Sunday marks Truex’s 181st NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Truex owns nine starts at the 1.058-mile concrete oval. He’s earned one top-five, three top-10 and eight top-25 finishes. His average start is 19th and average finish is 15th.

Truex made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Dover driving for his father in 2001. He went on to win two more Nationwide races at the “Monster Mile” in 2004 and 2005.

Join the 23,000 fans who signed up for NAPA’s free Track Pass offer and listen to Truex’s in-car audio during the race. Register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.

MWR New Hampshire Race Report

David Reutimann, No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry - finished seventh and now 15th in points.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished 20th and now 20th in points.

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 TUMS Toyota driver David Reutimann overcame an ill-handling racecar to record a seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. Reutimann started seventh and worked his way up to fourth over the first 75 laps. A loose handling condition dropped the No. 00 to 20th just past the half-way mark. Following a pit stop on lap 208, crew chief Rodney Childers called for Reutimann to stay out and save fuel over the final four cautions. The call moved Reutimann from 16th to fourth. The No. 00 raced in the top-10 over the final 75 laps and moved from ninth to seventh in the closing laps when two cars ran out of fuel. Reutimann moves to 15th in the standings. The Michael Waltrip Racing team returns to action Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

David Reutimann, No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry

Started seventh and finished seventh

Battled a loose in, loose off condition for the majority of the afternoon and dropped out of the top 15 by half way.

Worked on the car under caution to correct the issue, but continued to race between 15th and 20th.

Stayed out under caution on Lap 223 to climb from 16th to 4th.

Stayed out following quick cautions on lap 238 and 241 to restart seventh on lap 245.

Remained in the top-10 the rest of the race and picked up two spots as leaders ran out of fuel to finish seventh.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That was ugly, but I'll take it! To struggle the way we did today and still come out of here with a seventh-place finish is pretty amazing. Our TUMS Toyota was loose in and off all day and really couldn't get a handle on it. Rodney (Childers) and (race engineer) Dax (Gerringer) really did a great job working on our fuel and pit strategy. We took a pretty big gamble by staying out toward the end and not pitting, but with the way the cautions worked out it was pretty good - we saved fuel and picked up a top-10. I can't thank our team enough for the job they did today and TUMS for its support."

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. earned a 20th-place finish Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex saw his Toyota come to life at the halfway mark and nearly climb into the top 10, but late-race cautions and handling issued slowed his charge to the front. Truex remains 20th in points as the series visits Dover International Speedway on Sunday. Only nine races remain in the 2010 season.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

Started 16th and finished 20th.

Ran in the top 20 in first half of race. Struggled with chattering tires and not turning well.

By halfway, car started turning good lap times and by lap 194, it started running times similar to the leader’s.

Dodged wreck on lap 222 when Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton made contact.

Raced in 12th, telling crew car was loose in top groove.

Late race handling issues kept him from climbing higher in the closing laps.

TRUEX QUOTE: "We got pretty darn good there for awhile. I don't know what happened at the end on the restarts. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. We were extremely loose on the restarts and the tires chattered. Then on the final green-flag run, it ended up plowing. We took a chance by staying out and it didn't quite work out like we needed it to. Glad to see it worked out for David though."

RACE NOTES:

Clint Bowyer won the first race of the 2010 Chase for the Championship and is now second in points.

Denny Hamlin finished second and Jamie McMurray third. Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton were racing in the top-five, but ran out of gas in the closing laps.

Denny Hamlin now leads Clint Bowyer by 35 points

The race last 2 hours and 58 minutes. Cautions slowed race slowed race eight times for 34 laps.

Twenty-one lead changes among eight drivers.

NASCAR estimated attendance at 95,000.

MWR New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Qualifying Report

David Reutimann —No. 00 TUMS Toyota — qualified seventh. Martin Truex Jr. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota — qualified 16th.

Friday Recap

Brad Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole Award
Chase drivers Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart rounded out top three.
Point leader Denny Hamlin will start 22nd
JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 23nd
Sunday’s race begins at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN-TV, PRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

DAVID REUTIMANN — How will your car be in Sunday’s race? “I hope it’ll run real good.  We got to do a little bit of race stuff early on today and we weren’t really where we needed to be with that. Hopefully, tomorrow, we have couple hours of practice, we can get the TUMS Toyota a little bit happier and the driver a little bit happier and have a good race here and maybe repeat what we did in Chicago.”

How important is starting up front at New Hampshire? “Everywhere we go, it’s really, really important.  It seems like the smaller the race track, the more confined the area is, the more important it is to start up front.  It would be great to stay up in the front and get a good starting position and good pit selection to pay off on Sunday.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR. — How was your qualifying lap? “It was a big improvement from practice.  We completely changed the setup to what one of our teammate’s had.  It was a big help.   It’s hard to go out there and haven’t driven it before.  It was so much different.  I could’ve done a better job driving it, had I ran it in practice.  But, big improvement for us so I’m looking forward to working on it tomorrow.”

Ryan Truex wins K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire

No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota driver Ryan Truex won his second K&N Pro Series East race of the season Friday night at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and took a commanding lead in the standings. The 18-year-old must only start the season finale to clinch his second consecutive East Series title. Truex led a race high 49 laps but retook the lead on lap 122 of the 125-lap race then held on through two green-white checkered finishes to sweep both New Hampshire races in 2010. The 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title will be decided on Friday, Sept. 24 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in the Sunoco 150.

Ryan Truex— No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

• Started fifth and finished first.
• Led a race-high 49 laps in sweeping both East races at New Hampshire in 2010.
• Retook the lead on lap 123 of the 125 lap race when Alan Tardiff and Corey LaJoie wrecked battling for the lead.
• Truex has won five of his 21 career East series starts.
• Truex ran out of gas in turn 1 before heading to victory lane.
• Truex expanded his points lead from 66 to 118 points.
• He only must start the season finale at Dover on Sept. 24 to clinch a second consecutive title.
• SPEED-TV will replay this race Thurs. Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.


TRUEX QUOTE: "It was a good day from the time we rolled off pit lane to the end of the race. I can’t take all the credit when the race car is that good. There near the end, I saw the guys in front of me racing pretty hard, they started roughing each other up so I backed off a bit. I think we were better than them but it was a matter of passing them. I thought we had the best car today. They just both spun out and I went to the bottom. This isn't just a big track for me and my family, it's a big track for all drivers from the Northeast and they really look at this as kind of the Daytona 500 of short track racing up here. To be able to win two of them is pretty special. My guys at Michael Waltrip Racing deserve all the credit."

Ryan Truex New Hampshire Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — In June, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota driver Ryan Truex joined his father Martin Sr. and older brother Martin Jr. on the K&N Pro Series East win list at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The East Series returns to the “Magic Mile” for Friday’s penultimate race of the 2010 season. The 18-year-old’s 66-point lead gives him an outside chance to join five other drivers in clinching a second consecutive East Series title. Instead of concentrating on points, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver says he prefers to concentrate on the checkered flag. Truex hasn’t finished worse than third and has led 103 total laps in three East starts at NHMS.

QUOTES

RYAN TRUEX ON A SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP: “We’re focused on winning. That’s all that matters. If we win the race the championship stuff will take care of itself. I still believe this will come down to the final race at Dover and probably the final few laps. In the East Series, anything can happen and probably will. It’s been a wild year so far and I don’t see that changing.”

ON NEW HAMPSHIRE SUCCESS IN JUNE: “That was a special moment for my family in June. We won the race and my Dad, brother and Mom were all in victory lane with me. That’s one of the highlights of my career and even my life. New Hampshire is a special place not just for us but for every driver from the Northeast. It’s been a place where a lot of drivers have gotten the attention of people in NASCAR.”

ON WINNING A SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP: “Obviously, that’s our goal. My crew chief Mike Greci and the guys at MWR worked really hard all summer to make it happen. Winning two in a row would be an honor. There’s some great racers on that list.”

NOTES

Martin Truex Sr.’s lone victory in 135 East Series starts came at NHMS in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. started 62 East races visiting victory lane five times including wins at NHMS in 2000 and 2003.

Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. won the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide Series titles.

Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex Jr.’s crew chief, has been working with Truex throughout his East Series career beginning in 2008.

Truex will race Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series.

New Hampshire– Truex Clinch Scenarios

Truex Winning and:

Wallace finishing 35th or worse (lead no laps); OR 36th (lead one lap)

Whitt finishing 11th or worse (lead no laps); OR 12th or worse (lead one lap); OR 14th or worse (lead most laps)

Moffitt finishing 10th or worse (lead no laps); OR 12th or worse (lead one lap); OR 13th of worse (lead most laps)

Truex Winning and Leading Most Laps:

Wallace finishing 33th or worse (lead no laps); OR 35th (lead one lap)

Whitt finishing 10th or worse (lead no laps); OR 11th or worse (lead one lap); OR 12th or worse (lead most laps)

Moffitt finishing 9th or worse (lead no laps); OR 10th or worse (lead one lap); OR 12th of worse (lead most laps)

Truex Second and Leading Most Laps:

Wallace finishing 36th or worse (lead no laps)

Whitt finishing 13th or worse (lead no laps); OR 14th or worse (lead one lap); OR 16th or worse (lead most laps)

Moffitt finishing 12th or worse (lead no laps); OR 11th or worse (lead one lap); OR 16th of worse (lead most laps)

Martin Truex Jr. New Hampshire Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the site of several firsts for Martin Truex Jr. and the Truex family. The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut on Oct. 31, 2004 as relief driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. In June, younger brother Ryan won his first race at NHMS and become the third Truex to score a K&N Pro Series East victory on the “Magic Mile.” NHMS is also the site of Martin Truex Sr.’s lone East Series victory in 1994. This weekend the Truex family returns to the mile oval with the potential of adding two more NASCAR victories to the Truex resume as Martin Jr. races in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race while Ryan seeks to clinch a second-straight K&N Pro Series East championship on Friday.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON HIS SPRINT CUP DEBUT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: “It wasn’t the way I wanted to make my first start obviously, but it was a big deal for me to drive Dale Jr.’s car. Everybody was going crazy. I had to wear his fire suit and all that. It was kind of wild. I had a good weekend. I practiced the car and qualified it in third position. New Hampshire was a cool place to get my Cup start. It’s my home track because my family has raced there forever.”

ON WATCHING RYAN SCORE HIS FIRST NHMS WIN IN JUNE: “It was awesome. I was so proud of him. When I stand up on that trailer and watch him race, it really brings me back to my younger days of going to the track with my dad. And to see how happy my dad was when Ryan won made me appreciate the times I had with my father doing the same thing. At times it feels like Ryan is my son because he is so much younger than me. We have never actually raced together except on computers. Even then it gets pretty competitive. Believe it or not, I will be more nervous this weekend watching him try to win and clinch the championship than racing against him in the future.”

ON RACING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: “The pressure is off of us now because we didn't make the Chase. But what we do have is the opportunity to still win races in the NAPA Toyota. This weekend we can take a few more chances and try a few more things. New Hampshire is like my home track and to be honest, I just want to get back to victory lane. It’s been way too long and we’re trying really, really hard. We just need to make it happen and put it all together. I love that place and know how to win there.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Martin Truex Jr. is 11 years, 8 months and 19 days older than Ryan Truex.

• Truex competes in his 180th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex has nine starts at the 1.058-mile oval. His best start is second (Sept. 16, 2007) and best finish is third (July 1, 2007). He’s earned three top-five, four top-10 and eight top-25 finishes. His average start is 12th and average finish is 15th.

• The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host its third annual MTJF Golf Tournament presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Sept. 22 at Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented by Sea Watch International will be immediately following the tournament: www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.

• Time is running out to sign up for the NAPA Belden Spark Plug Wire “Take the Lead” Sweepstakes. Ten lucky winners will ride with Truex at Charlotte Motor Speedway. To enter, visit NAPABELDEN.com or NAPAonline.com now through Sept. 20.

• Over 19,600 fans signed up for NAPA’s free Track Pass offer and you can too. To listen to Truex’s in-car audio, register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.

David Reutimann - New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 TUMS Toyota driver David Reutimann has already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-fives (five) and has the final 10 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule to improve on his totals. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver also is closing in on several more personal bests:

Category: Best (Year) - 2010
Wins: 1 (2009) - 1
Top-5: 5 (2009) - 5
Points Finish: 16th (2009) - 17th
Avg. Start: 15.9 (2009) - 16.3
Avg. Finish: 16.4 (2009) - 17.2
Laps Led: 118 (2008) - 89

REUTIMANN QUOTES

ONE OF FOUR DRIVERS NOT IN THE CHASE WHO HAVE WON A RACE: “I don’t think that getting a win should automatically put you in the Chase, but it’d be nice if there was a little more emphasis on gaining some points in that area. That being said, it’s just odd how it worked out for us, but now we’re on the outside looking in unfortunately and we’re just going to have to do a better job next year. The No. 00 team has made amazing strides this year in how fast we are and how the cars handle, but we’ve had some bad breaks and need to be a little more consistent for next year to be one of the teams competing for the Chase.”

FIVE TOP-10 FINISHES THIS YEAR – ALL OF WHICH WERE TOP-FIVE: “Those statistics are a little misleading - our Toyotas have been better than that. We’ve had really good cars all year and we should have quite a few more top-10s, but I feel like there are a lot of situations where we finished somewhere from 11th-15th or 16th and we left some points on the table at the very end of the race. A perfect example is the last couple weekends we had really good cars and we didn’t finish like we needed to finish. At Atlanta we had a radio issue and fell multiple laps down and didn’t have much of an opportunity to get our laps back until the very end. Last week in Richmond we cut a tire early and lost a ton of track position that caused us to fall a couple laps down, but we were still running top-10 lap times all night. We had one of the stronger cars, but just had some tough luck at the start and couldn’t get back on the lead lap to gain any more positions. There’s been situations like that all year where we’ve had fast race cars and just haven’t finished like I know we are capable of.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• New Hampshire marks the fourth of five primary schemes for TUMS in 2010. The No. 00 TUMS Toyota last raced at Chicagoland, where Reutimann recorded his only win of 2010 and the second of his career. The No. 00 TUMS Toyota will appear for the final time in 2010 at Phoenix.

• TUMS, Levy and NHMS have partnered on the TUMS “Chowdah” Cook-Off. After submitting entries online at NHMS.com, five contestants have been selected to compete in the at-track cooking competition. Cooking will begin Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 a.m. ET at the TUMS Fast Relief Zone located in the fan midway at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. NASCAR personalities Jimmy Spencer and Michael Waltrip will join the judging panel which takes place at 10 a.m.

• The David Reutimann Foundation is hosting its sixth annual Charity Cook Out and Golf Outing Dec. 3-4, 2010 at Eldorado Golf and Country Club located in Reutimann’s hometown of Zephyrhills, Fla. In 2009, The David Reutimann Foundation raised over $100,000 which he distributed to Florida-based charities, including: All Children’s Hospital, Kids Go to Camp, Zephyrhills Women’s Pregnancy Center and Camp Boggy Creek.

MWR Richmond Race Report

David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished 19th and now 17th in points.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished 22nd and now 20th in points.

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann overcame an early-race spin and an untimely caution after a pit stop to finish 19th Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. Reutimann qualified fifth and ran in the top six until Kurt Busch made contact with his left rear tire. The spin and visits to pit lane to repair the body damage dropped Reutimann to 34th place. The Michael Waltrip Racing team returned Reutimann to the track where he turned lap times equal to cars in the top 10. He pitted on lap 145 after losing a lap to the leader, but the race’s second caution fell seconds after the stop dropping Reutimann two laps behind the leaders. Reutimann nearly returned to the lead lap, but the race ran without incident after lap 242. The Michael Waltrip Racing team and the Sprint Cup Series return to action Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

Started fifth and finished 19th.

Ran in the top six until lap 55 when contact by Kurt Busch cut Reutimann’s tire sending him into a spin.

Fell to 34th after stops on pit lane to repair body damage. Turned 10th-place lap times on return to track.

Pitted on lap 145 after losing a lap to the leaders. Race’s second caution flew seconds after the stop dropping him two laps behind leader. Took wave around before lap 153 restart.

Lap 225 caution enabled him to make up one of the two laps.

Ran 19th in the free pass position for remainder of the race but the much-needed caution never flew.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That was a frustrating night. We had a good Aaron's Dream Machine, qualified well and I thought we were going to have a pretty good night. Unfortunately the No. 2 car (Kurt Busch) hit one of our tires with his splitter and it caused us to spin and lose a ton of track position. Then we got stuck on pit road when the caution came out. I really thought we had a top-10 car easy tonight, but we could never get back on the lead lap. I give my crew a ton of credit though. They worked hard and did everything they could to put us in position to get back on the lead lap. We just never caught that final break. We'll regroup and try to get better next week in New Hampshire."

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. and his Michael Waltrip Racing team finished 22nd Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. Truex crashed just minutes after Friday’s practice started. The accident forced him to use a backup car during qualifying and Saturday’s race. Truex suffered bad luck during the race when a caution came out on lap 145 seconds after he made a green flag stop dropping him two laps behind the leaders. With only three cautions there were no chances to regain the lost laps. Truex and the Sprint Cup Series returns to action Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

Started 29th and finished 22nd.

Fell down a lap to leaders on lap 137.

Pitted around lap 145— seconds before caution flag flew dropping him two laps behind leaders.

Took wave around before lap 153 restart.

Lap 225 caution enabled him to make up one of the two laps.

Fell down a second lap with 81 laps remaining.

Truex crashed early in Friday practice forcing him to qualify and race the backup car.

TRUEX QUOTE: "This was an all-around rough weekend for the NAPA AUTO PARTS team. We wrecked a car in practice and we never seemed to get the handling during the race. I am really proud of my guys for the job they did all weekend. Hopefully the next 10 races we can use to make our cars better for next year."

RACE NOTES:

Denny Hamlin won Saturday night’s race at Richmond.

Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose rounded out top five.

Race took 2 hours and 54 minutes with three cautions for 28 laps and none after lap 242.

Six leaders exchanged the lead 14 times with only 14 cars on the lead lap when checkered flag fell.

Richmond concluded regular season. Ten-race “Chase for Championship” among a dozen drivers begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Diamond Waltrip/Michael Waltrip Richmond Nationwide Race Report

Diamond Waltrip Racing’s Trevor Bayne, driving the No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota finished third— now seventh in points.


Michael Waltrip Racing’s Ryan Truex, driver of the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished 26th.


Trevor Bayne Race Summary: No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota driver Trevor Bayne posted a third-place finish Friday night at Richmond International Raceway. The finish equals the best of the 19-year-old’s 42-race career and moved him to seventh in the 2010 driver standings. The Diamond-Waltrip driver started eighth and ran in the top five before briefly fading to mid-pack. A late-race charge saw him climb as high as second place in the closing laps before claiming the third-place finish. Bayne now owns five top-five finishes in his brief career. Bayne and the Nationwide Series returns to action at Dover on Sept. 25.


Bayne started eighth and battled a loose race car in the early going running about seventh.

Moved into the top five on lap 66 but fell to 16th by lap 90 struggling with handling

Issues corrected by lap 130 and charged to the front of the field.

Bayne restarted fifth on lap 205 and immediately moved to second.

Highest finishing Toyota, highest finishing non-Sprint Cup driver.

Marks Bayne’s fifth career top-five finish. Bayne also finished third at Gateway on July 17.

Winner Kevin Harvick and second-place Brad Keselowski nearly collided on the final two laps almost handing the victory to Bayne.

BAYNE QUOTES: “Really excited about this run we had today. That was awesome to get a top-three here with these new cars. Everybody at our shop has worked their butts off to get these new cars right and they were that way when we unloaded. Just a great run for this Out! Pet Care Toyota. That was a pretty cool restart there. We went down into that turn one and everybody just scattered and it was like the seas parted and the hole opened up and we got to second all of the sudden. That was pretty cool, it put us in position to finish up third here I think. Everyone at Diamond-Waltrip Racing just is working their butts off to get these cars right. We didn’t have to make many changes. Also, Out! Pet Care, we’ve had a lot of fun with them so far this year with all their competitions. We had a dog on our deck-lid again this week so that’s an every week thing and it’s pretty cool. I really like these new cars. I actually like the way they drive a little bit better than the current style cars.”

Ryan Truex Race Summary: No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex finished 26th Friday night at Richmond International Raceway. Making his third Nationwide Series appearance, the 18-year-old driver battled a loose handling race car in the early going that saw him fall down a lap to the leaders by the half way mark as the race slowed for just one caution. Truex and his Michael Waltrip Racing team corrected the handling issues and he began working his way through the field. Truex’s next race is at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 2.

Truex qualified 15th

Battled loose race car and brake vibration in early going of race.

Lost lap to leader Kevin Harvick at lap 70 and another during pit sequence.

Truex ran his three fastest laps of the race 150 laps in to the event.

NAPA crew corrected handling issues and Truex got faster and faster throughout race.

On final run, Truex’s lap times were as fast as leaders.

RYAN TRUEX: “That wasn’t what we were hoping for. We were pretty loose at the beginning and we struggled. But the second half of the race we were good. That last run we were as quick as the best cars. It was too little too late. That stinks. I wish we could run this race again right now because I think we’d have a really good finish. That’s just part of the learning curve and we start better at Kansas.”

RACE NOTES:

Kevin Harvick won his third race of the 2010 Nationwide season and 37th of career.

Brad Keselowski, Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Reed Sorenson rounded out top five.

Race took 2 hours and 55 minutes with nine lead changes among six leaders.

Six cautions slowed the race for 30 laps slowing the average speed to 98 mph.

42 of the field’s 43 starters were racing at the end of the race.

Qualifying Report - Richmond International Raceway

David Reutimann¬—No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota — qualified fifth.
Martin Truex Jr. — No. 56 NAPA BRAKES Toyota — qualified 29th.

Friday Recap
• Carl Edwards won the Coors Light Pole Award
• Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger rounded out top three.
• Point leader Kevin Harvick will start 20th
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 12nd
• Saturday’s race begins at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern) on ABC-TV, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

DAVID REUTIMANN — How was your car in practice today and how was your qualifying lap?

“We had a pretty good practice with the Aaron’s Dream Machine and we were just a little too free on our second lap. We couldn’t be as productive as we needed to be and missed it a little bit. All in all, pretty good effort for the guys. We unloaded good, I made some smart changes and I feel like this is probably the best car we’ve ever had here. I am kind of disappointed though, I feel like we should have been better in qualifying. We got loose on our second lap and it cost us some time. When you have opportunities to get poles, you want to get them. When you miss them, it bums you out.”

Will you approach these final 11 races differently not being in the Chase?

“It’s our own fault for not getting in the Chase. It’s a situation where we just go out here and race hard like we have been. I’m not going to approach anything any different. It may give us a chance to take some different chances and gamble a little bit on occasion when we probably wouldn’t. Other than that, I think it’s business as usual for us.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR. — How was your qualifying lap?

“It was not very good. We were pretty decent in that second practice there in race trim. Our car just doesn’t have good speed on new tires right out of the gate. It takes a few laps for it to come around and pretty much what it did right there. Just the front tires just never hooked up. I’m disappointed in the lap, but I’m proud of the guys and the job that they did after the problem we had in the first practice.”

What happened to force you to go to a backup car?

“The throttle stuck wide open going into turn one. It was unfortunate and a bit of an error on our part back at the shop as far as getting the car prepared. It had a little trouble with the throttle pedal assembly in the car. A bit of a mistake that set us back, but they recovered well -- the guys did on the NAPA Toyota. I’m just real disappointed on that lap right now.”

Martin Truex Jr. Richmond Race Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. reminded NASCAR fans how good he and his Michael Waltrip Racing team are Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he raced in the top five throughout the 500-mile race before finishing 12th. His pit crew came within a tenth of a second of winning its third Tissot Pit Crew award. Truex expects that momentum to carry into Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway where he finished seventh in April. Truex’s No. 56 will have a silver look for Saturday’s race. The NAPA Brakes paint scheme adorns Truex’s ride to help kick off NAPA’s Great Breaks on Great Brakes promotion. Customers can receive up to a $50 mail-in rebate with purchase of qualifying NAPA Brakes products at any participating NAPA AUTO PARTS store or AutoCare Center through Sept. 30.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON RETURNING TO RICHMOND: “Richmond has been one of those tracks that’s been up and down for me. I’ve had great runs and some disappointing deals. It’s short-track racing where a lot of stuff happens. It’s a fun place to race and for the NAPA team, we had a good run during the spring race. We finished seventh. We didn’t qualify very well, but we were able to drive our way up through the field for a top-10 finish.”

ON RACING AGAINST DRIVERS TRYING TO MAKE THE CHASE: “A few weeks back I was one of those guys. I was a contender. I won’t race them any differently or cut them any slack because they don’t cut me any breaks. I race them clean anyway so my focus is on winning races in the NAPA Toyota. And to be honest, it’s Clint Bowyer’s deal to lose. He’s been running well and Richmond is a good track for him. I don’t see him dropping out unless something really crazy happens.”

ON NEW NAPA BRAKES PROMOTION: “The NAPA Brakes Toyota is an awesome looking car. I am looking forward to driving the scheme this weekend. NAPA knows how to create great promotions for customers and this one is no exception. I hope fans will go to www.napaonline.com and take advantage of the offer. I’m hoping this new look with change up our luck a little bit. Maybe we’ll get a good break too in the last few laps on Saturday night to end up in victory lane.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

Truex will appear on SPEED-TV’s Trackside Friday at 11 p.m. EDT

The No. 56 team tested at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s race.

Saturday marks Truex’s 179th Sprint Cup start and 10th at Richmond. His best start is second (Sept. 12, 2009) and best finish is fifth (May 3, 2008). He owns one top–five and two top-10 finishes at Richmond with and average start of 14th and average finish of 24th.

The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host its third annual MTJF Golf Tournament presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Sept. 22 at Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented by Sea Watch International will be immediately following the tournament: www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.

Sign up for the NAPA Belden Spark Plug Wire “Take the Lead” Sweepstakes. Ten lucky winners will be chosen to ride with Truex at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They’ll also get to drive a few laps with the Richard Petty Driving Experience and take a behind-the-scenes tour of Michael Waltrip Racing. To enter, visit NAPABELDEN.com or NAPAonline.com now through Sept. 20.

Take advantage of NAPA’s free Track Pass offer. To listen in to Truex’s in-car audio, register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.

Ryan Truex - Richmond Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex makes his third NASCAR Nationwide Series start Friday night at Richmond International Raceway.


The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native qualified second and raced there for 45 laps at Michigan last month in only his second Nationwide Series start. At his debut in St. Louis he started 19th and raced his way into the top 10 by the halfway mark. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver competes fulltime in the K&N Pro Series East where he is the defending champion and 2010 points leader.

Truex is the son of race car driver Martin Truex Sr. and the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Nationwide Series practices Thursday at Richmond then practices, qualifies and races Friday night.


QUOTES

Truex on racing at Richmond International Raceway: “I’m all about learning and finishing the race. Where we finish is important but it isn't as important as what we learn. We’ve started off the first two races really good. At St. Louis we drove to the front and at Michigan we ran second a long time. We have to work on dialing our car in for later in the race. That’s where these Nationwide guys and especially the Cup drivers have something over us. They know what these cars will do as the race goes on. That’ll come with experience.”

Truex and teammate Trevor Bayne: “Trevor has been great to talk to in the last few months. We bounce stuff off each other. I know my crew chief (Mike Greci) and his crew chief (Jerry Baxter) talk a lot at the shop then at the track. The No. 99 team has really improved over the season. That’s what we are counting on with our team. The more we race the more we learn and the better we’ll be.”

Notes

• Ryan Truex will race at Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead in 2010 Nationwide Series competition.

• Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. won the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide Series titles.

• Ryan is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009. He leads the 2010 standings by 66 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. New Hampshire and Dover are the only remaining races in the 2010 East schedule.

• Michael Waltrip Racing fields Ryan Truex’s racecars in the Nationwide series as well as the East Series while Diamond-Waltrip Racing fields cars for Trevor Bayne in the Nationwide Series. Gary and Blake Bechtel along with MWR own the Diamond-Waltrip organization.

David Reutimann - Richmond Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann has two goals for the remaining eleven races in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The 40-year-old Zephyrhills, Fla. native plans to win every race and wind up the season in 13th-place before turning his attention to the 2011 season. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver charged from 30th place in points after Texas in April to 16th place after last weekend’s 16th-place finish at Atlanta.

Reutimann is one of four drivers outside the top-12 in championship driver points to record a Sprint Cup Series win in 2010. Five drivers inside the top-12 are winless in 2010.

QUOTES

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON?: “My goals haven’t changed all year – my goal is to put the Aaron’s Dream Machine in victory lane every week. I show up at Daytona in February with the goal of winning 36 point races, a couple of exhibition races and a Sprint Cup Series championship. It’s a personal mind set and I know our No. 00 team feels the same way. I don’t come to the racetrack on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday wanting to finish second – that’s just not the way we do things. So now that we are on the outside looking in at the rest of the Chase guys it’s my goal to finish the season with 12 wins. I already have one win and we have 11 more races until the end of the year. Wouldn’t it be fun to see one of the guys outside the top-12 finish the season with the most wins? I want to be that guy! If I’m not in the Chase I want to spoil all the fun for everyone else by winning the next 11 races.”

ON BEING ONE OF FOUR DRIVERS WITH A WIN OUTSIDE THE TOP-12 IN POINTS GOING TO RICHMOND: “I wish I was one of the 12 guys inside the top-12 in points with a couple wins, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. We’ve had a good season and I know that the No. 00 Aaron’s team and all of Michael Waltrip Racing continues to get better every week. We caught some bad breaks early in the season that cost us a lot of points, but we’ve kept at it. At one point this year we were 30th in points and we’ve climbed our way back to 16th and keep on gaining spots each week. We’re not the only team in this situation – Jamie McMurray has two wins this year, but a couple of bad days cost him too. Same with (Juan Pablo) Montoya and (Ryan) Newman. It’s just frustrating to know we have a team that in my opinion is one of the 12 best in the garage and have to be on the outside looking in for the last 11 weeks.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• No. 00 crew chief Rodney Childers will join Larry McReynolds and Steve Post in-studio for MRN’s NASCAR Performance Live 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday.

• Reutimann led 104 laps at the fall Richmond race in 2008—a career best.

• Reutimann has three top-five finishes under the lights in 2010, including a win at Chicagoland Speedway - his second career Sprint Cup Series win. Reutimann also recorded top-five finishes in the Coke 600 at Charlotte (fifth) and the night race at Bristol (second). Reutimann has finished in the top-15 in six out of seven night races in 2010.

• Reutimann has already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-five (five) finishes with 11 races remaining in 2010.

• Only 10 drivers have more top-five finishes than Reutimann’s five in 2010.

• Reutimann is 16th in the championship point standings, trailing the top-12 by 186 with one race remaining before the “Chase.”

Trevor Bayne - Richmond Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 99 OUT! Pet Care driver Trevor Bayne races at Richmond International Raceway Friday night in the third of four 2010 races featuring the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ new car. The Knoxville, Tenn., native raced in the top five at Michigan and the top 10 in Daytona in previous appearances of the safer, more cost efficient car that will run full-time in 2011.


Racing the new or old car doesn't seem to matter to the 19-year-old Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver who’s scored the fifth most points of any driver in the last 10 Nationwide races posting three poles, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes.

QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE ON RACING THE NEW CAR AT RICHMOND: “We tested the new car at Milwaukee a couple of months ago and we were pretty fast. I am hoping our information from Milwaukee can transfer over to Richmond. The new car seems to turn really well on short tracks and I think they will be really fun to drive at Richmond. However, I think we will fight forward bite this weekend. Whoever has the best forward bite and can turn the center will fight for the win at Richmond.”

BAYNE ON GOALS FOR THE FINAL RACES OF THE SEASON: “I think our goal is to win a race in the last nine races. We want to continue to be consistent and run for top five each week. I think if we can run top five each week the wins will start to come around. I would really like to be top five in the drivers’ points and top 10 in the owners’ points by the end of the season. It would be pretty cool to be recognized at the awards banquet in my first full season of Nationwide racing.”

CREW CHIEF JERRY BAXTER ON THE NEW CAR: “Our new car program is pretty solid. We have had some success early. Since the new car is so similar to the cup car we are able to use a lot of information from the cup program. With the car we run right now everything is so different that we don’t have all the support. With the new car we have a lot right in front of us so it’s a lot easier to get the cars set up to be successful.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing own Diamond-Waltrip Racing that fields Toyota Camrys out of the MWR shop in Cornelius, N.C. The Bechtels have owned cars in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series since 1990. The Morgan Hill, California residents’ teams have visited victory lane 10 times in the Nationwide Series.

• Bayne will participate in a NNS new car “Tech Talk” at the Nationwide Insurance mobile display unit in the FanZone on Friday at 3 p.m.

• Bayne will participate in an autograph session on Thursday from 4:30-5:15 p.m. in the amphitheater area.

• Bayne has two starts at Richmond. His best finish came in Sept. 2009 when he started ninth and finished seventh. In April he started sixth and finished 21st.

• Bayne owns 41 NNS starts. He has four poles (Indianapolis –2009, 2010, Gateway—2010 and Iowa 2010), four top-fives and 10 top-10s and has led 129 laps. His best finish (third) came at Gateway International Raceway on July 17.

MWR Atlanta Race Report

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished 12th and now 20th in points.

 

David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S Outdoors Dream Machine Camry - finished 16th and now 16th in points.

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. and his Michael Waltrip Racing team finished 12th Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Truex started sixth and ran in the top 10 throughout the 500-mile race running as high as second-place late in the race. The team’s 17th top-20 finish in 2010 keeps Truex 20th in the points race with 11 races remaining in the season. The Sprint Cup Series returns to action Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

•  Started sixth and finished 12th.
• Like most drivers battled a loose condition on long runs during the 325-lap race.
• Quick pit stops during the race gained Truex several spots.
• Ran in the top 10 throughout the race and climbed to second with 61 laps to go.
• Restarted race in ninth with 25 laps remaining and moved to 8th with 18 laps to go.
• Fell to 12th fighting a tight handling condition on the final green flag run.

 TRUEX QUOTE: "The NAPA Toyota ran half the race in the top five so to finish in 12th is a little disappointing. We battled a tight condition on the short run and that hurt us on the final restart. On the long runs, we were loose. The NAPA Know How crew did a great job for me tonight; I just wish we would have gotten a better finish."

  

 

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Outdoors Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann overcame an early-race black flag that dropped him two laps behind the leader to finish 16th Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reutimann made an unscheduled green flag stop about a third of the way into the 500-mile race to reconnect the radio inside his Camry. He made up the first lap quickly and second of the two laps with less than 30 laps left in the race. Reutimann had little time to pass lead lap cars but he gained about six positions over the final laps for the 16th-place finish. Reutimann moves to 16th in the point’s race. The Michael Waltrip Racing team and the Sprint Cup Series return to action Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

  

David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

•  Started 13th and finished 16th
• Fell to 19th in the first 50 laps due to ill-handling car but climbed back to 14th.
• NASCAR black-flagged Reutimann on lap 105 to reconnect his car radio.
• The unscheduled stop dropped him two laps down to leaders.
• Took the wave-around on lap 148 and immediately regained one lost lap at the next caution.
• Raced hard a lap down for most of the race before getting the second lap back with 30 laps remaining.
• Restarted the race in 22nd with 25 laps remaining and worked his way to 16th when the checkered flag fell.

 REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That was just a long night. We had an issue with the radio early on and I couldn't hear the spotter or crew chief, so NASCAR black flagged us and we ended up two laps down. We got one back pretty quick, but it took us almost all night to finally get the lucky dog and get back on the lead lap. And once we finally got back on the lead lap we were almost out of time to make up any significant ground. It was a pretty frustrating night, but I'm proud of my guys. They gave me a great Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota. We just never had the opportunity to show how good the car was after the deal with the radio. That was a tough night. Hopefully we can do a little better next week in Richmond."

 

 RACE NOTES:

 

Tony Stewart edged Carl Edwards by 1.3 seconds for his first victory since Kansas Speedway in October.

Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch comprised the top-five finishers

Race ran caution-free for the first 135 laps nearly equaling a track record.

The race last 3 hours and 55 minutes. Cautions slowed race slowed race eight times for 53 laps.

Twenty two lead changes among seven drivers.

NASCAR estimated attendance at 93,200.