MWR Coke 600 Race Report

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s/Armed Forces Foundation Toyota - finished fifth now 19th in points.


Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA Batteries Toyota Camry - finished 23rd now 14th in points.



David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s/Armed Forces Foundation Toyota driver David Reutimann’s climb up the point standings continued Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway when the Michael Waltrip Racing driver posted a fifth-place finish equaling his best result of the 2010 season. Reutimann ran in the top five throughout the 600-mile race eventually won by Kurt Busch. The finish moves the race’s defending winner to 19th in the point standings at the halfway mark of the regular season. He owns four consecutive top-15 finishes and two consecutive fifth-place finishes. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action Sunday at Pocono International Raceway.



REUTIMANN: How was your car today?

“We fought being tight a little bit in the center and we never could quite get it to cut the center like we needed to. We were just a little bit off and all you have to do is just be a little bit off to not be able to get to those guys. Sometimes we would catch them in the long run. It seemed like we were just one adjustment behind, but my guys did a great job. I’m proud of everybody. Rodney Childers (crew chief) and everybody did a great job all day with great pit stops. We just want to move on and get to the next one.”



How did your car handle in the race and specifically at the end of the race?

“All in all I’m proud of my team, they did a great job, I had a great Aaron’s Dream Machine all day. We just were a little tight at the end. We came down pit road and the 99 (Carl Edwards) was leaving and we were trying to get in our box and just wrong place at the wrong time. It cost us a lot on pit road there. I don’t think it cost us the race, but I think it cost us being a little higher in the top-five. You don’t ever know. I’m proud of what we’ve done, proud of my team. I’m glad that my other owner, Rob Kaufmann is here because he doesn’t get to watch me race much. Hopefully he’s happy and I’ll get to keep my job another year.”



Is your recent performance where you feel your team should be finishing?

“Absolutely. We’ve been on par performance wise and we’ve been way ahead of where we were last year. We just had some stuff early on in the year that put us back. Now things are starting to click and things are starting to gel, things aren’t breaking and we’re starting to finish races where we’re supposed to. It feels really good to run up front all day with the guys you’re supposed to be racing with.”



Reutimann Notes:

Reutimann finished fifth—equaling his season-best result posted at Daytona and Dover.

He moves from 20th to 19th in points at the halfway mark of the regular season.

Reutimann spent little time outside the top five during the 600-mile race.

Reutimann led three laps garnering five bonus points.

Reutimann enjoyed a relatively drama free race except for a lap 255 pit stop that saw a near collision between he and Carl Edwards on pit lane.

Reutimann battled a tight handling condition on the occasions when he struggled. However he appeared one of the fastest three or four cars throughout the race.

Reutimann finished 6.976-seconds behind winner Kurt Busch.



Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: It was a long 600 miles for No. 56 NAPA Batteries driver Martin Truex Jr. Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But a 23rd-place finish keeps him firmly in the battle for one of the top 12 spots in the standings. Truex dropped from 12th to 14th but is only 14 points out of 12th at the halfway mark of the regular season. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver struggled to turn on the 1.5-mile oval throughout the event, but the “NAPAKnowhow” crew kept working on the car and improved the handling as the race proceeded. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action Sunday at Pocono International Raceway.



Truex: “We're baffled as to what happened tonight. Charlotte hasn't been one of my better tracks but after last week I thought it all might have changed for the best. That wasn't the case. We weren't very good tonight. Our NAPA Batteries Toyota was tight all night. It vibrated so bad I am surprised the shifter is still on. It was definitely better at the end but that's about all I can say. Just a tough night for us.”



Truex Notes:

Truex finished 23rd and is now 14th in points.

Ran in the top five in the early portions of the race.

Truex and many other cars struggled with tight handling conditions on the slick track.

Truex finished on the lead lap 21.589 seconds behind the leader.



RACE NOTES:

Kurt Busch swept both the Sprint All-Star Race and the Coke 600.

Busch led 251 laps Sunday night.

Top five order after Busch: Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and David Reutimann.

Race took 4 hours 10 minutes and 13 seconds and included eight cautions for 34 laps.

The average speed was 144.975 mph.

There were 17 leaders and 34 lead changes.

Trevor Bayne - Charlotte Race Report

• Trevor Bayne, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota Camry - finished 17th - now 14th in points.

Trevor Bayne Race Summary:  :  After announcing a new partnership with OUT! Pet Care products this week, Diamond-Waltrip driver Trevor Bayne qualified the No. 99 Toyota on the outside of the front row. He quickly realized he had a tight-handing Camry and was 15th when green-flag pit stops began on lap 57. Crew chief Jerry Baxter made several adjustments over the next couple of pit stops and the No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota came to life 100 laps into the race. Bayne was making his way through the field until he made slight contact with the wall and suffered a right-rear flat. The OUT! Pet Care over-the-wall crew repaired the No. 99 Toyota and Bayne was forced to restart 20th. The damage did not affect the No. 99 Toyota and he was listed 14th with 25 laps remaining. Unfortunately, the No. 43 got into Bayne with nine laps remaining in the race and he was forced down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop. The 19-year-old driver crossed the finish line 17th, one lap down to the leaders.

NNS Racing Results

• Kyle Busch won the TECH-NET Auto Service 300, his 35th victory in 185 NNS starts

• This is his fifth victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2010

• This is his sixth victory and 11th top-10 finish in 14 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch ties Mark Martin with the series most wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

• Brad Keselowski (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in eight races at CMS.

• Joey Logano (third) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at CMS.

• Justin Allgaier and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five

• The race featured 10 lead changes among seven drivers.

• The race was slowed by seven cautions for a total of 28 laps.

• NASCAR estimated 40,000 race fans in attendance at Charlotte.

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota

• Bayne started second and finished 17th

• Fought a tight-handling race car for most of the race

• Went a lap down to the leaders on Lap 60

• Was the Lucky Dog on the lap 101 caution

• Slapped the wall on lap 138 and brought out the caution

• Worked his way into the top 15 before the 43 caused him to hit the was again

• Crossed the finished line 17th one lap down to the leaders

BAYNE QUOTE: “Our OUT! Pet Care Toyota was a little tight at the start of the race. I started running up top about 40 laps into the race and we were really fast. However, when you run up high you have a chance on hitting the wall and that is just what we did. I learned a lot today that I can carry over to the October race here.”

Michael Waltrip Racing - Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying Report

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA Batteries Toyota Camry - Qualified third, Inside Row Two

David Reutimann, Aaron’s Dream Machine/Armed Forces Foundation Toyota Camry - Qualified sixth, Starts Outside Row Three

Summary

For a short time on Thursday afternoon it looked like it could be an all Michael Waltrip Racing front row to start the Coca-Cola 600, as Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann were sitting one-two after more than half the field had attempted their qualifying laps. But, as the track cooled in the late afternoon some of the later qualifiers were able to drop the pair out of the front row. Both Michael Waltrip Racing Camry’s will start in the top-six.

Martin Truex Jr. paced the Michael Waltrip Racing Camry’s with a time of 28.848 seconds on Thursday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway and will start Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 in the third position. David Reutimann also posted a top-six lap of 28.904 seconds to start Sunday’s race in the sixth position. Sunday night will be the fourth consecutive points race that MWR has a Camry starting from a top-five position. (Truex won the pole award at Dover, Reutimann 2nd at Richmond, 4th at Darlington).

Sunday afternoon’s running of the Coca-Cola 600 gets underway on FOX, PRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio 128 starting at 5:45 p.m. ET.

Friday Recap

• Ryan Newman won the Coors Light Pole Award for the second straight Coca-Cola 600 with a time of 28.793.
• This is Newman’s first pole and seventh top-10 start in 2010.
• This is Newman’s ninth pole in 19 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Kurt Busch, Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson round out the top-five.
• JTG-Daugherty Racing driver Marcos Ambrose qualified the No. 47 Toyota 34th

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA BATTERIES Toyota Camry, Qualified Third
Is this qualifying run momentum from the All-Star race? “Business is picking up. The NAPA Toyota is really good here. It was good last week, obviously. It was good to get some momentum through the All-Star race, the Showdown win and all that kind of stuff. The big thing is that these guys are just doing a phenomenal job. Pat (Tryson, crew chief) and all these guys bring me good race cars and we’re really starting to click. I’m starting to have fun again and it’s been cool.”

How do you feel your car has been today in practice and qualifying? “It’s been a good day. We had a good practice, but like we talked about earlier, it was tough to gauge exactly what you had because the track was so hot. You knew you were going to have to pick up seven or eight tenths of a second. It was difficult to really know what you had, it was just going out there and looking for that feel and a good balance with your race car. We were able to get that this afternoon and go out there and lay down a good lap. I was proud of the team and all their work. Charlotte has always been a tough track for me, but I’m really starting to come around and warm up to it.”

How do you think the Coca-Cola 600 will progress? “I think you’ll see comers and goers. Fortunately for us we were able to run in the Showdown this past weekend and that started about the same time our race is going to start Sunday. That will be a little bit of experience for us as far as the conditions and we were pretty good in the Showdown and then went on to be the best we were at the end of the All-Star race. I think we understand a little bit of what it takes to go through that transition of what our car is going to need. I think we will have a little more of a heads-up on what the conditions are going to be like and the kind of adjustments we’re going to need to do. It’s going to be a big help for us having that experience. It’s going to change drastically for everybody and the guys who can stay on top of it and have a car that is able to be adjusted. Sometime you have a car that you can try all night long and it doesn’t cooperate with what you are trying to do. So if you have a car that you’re able to adjust on, which we were able to do last weekend then it will help you. I’m looking forward to that and I think it will be a good positive for us.”

How much progress have you see your team make in recent weeks? “This has been a lot of momentum in progress for us. We have been constantly chipping away at it and been coming together as a group. Still an awfully new team. Pat (Tryson, crew chief) is doing a great job with the cars and we’re just constantly building and getting better each week. If we continue to do that, we’ll be challenging for race wins every week.”

Do you have a top-five car for Sunday? “I think we do. It seemed like in race trim, we weren’t the quickest car. We were right up there with the good cars. It just seemed like on the longer runs we were really good. That’s where we were pretty good the other night. Obviously, the best we were all night were in the last 10 (lap) segment, but we did some adjusting for the short run. It seemed like for most of the night, actually the long run is where we were our best. I think we do. I think we got a car that can run in the top-five all night, hopefully. It’s just about being around at the end when it’s time to go. With the pit crew I have on pit road and Pat (Tryson, crew chief) calling the race. He does a super job with that. And the guys on pit road are flawless. Hopefully, we’ll just hang around the top-five all night, lead some laps, have some fun and when it comes time to race, we’ll be there with them.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine/Armed Forces Foundation Toyota Camry, Qualified: Sixth

How was your qualifying lap?
“Qualifying in these things is all a white knuckle run. You have to be able to be on that ragged edge the whole time and everybody out there is doing it. The track continues to get faster as the temperature goes down. We had a good Aaron’s Dream Machine, I think we gave up a fair amount of speed coming to the green to actually start the lap. Oddly enough that’s about as important as anything else you do out here. Proud of my guys. We didn’t have a very good mock qualifying run in practice, but all in all Toyota and Toyota Racing Development gave us horsepower and hopefully it will hold up.”

How does it feel to be the defending Coca-Cola 600 winner?
“I haven’t gotten that very often, unfortunately. I do like the sound of it so we need to see what we can do to try to win this deal again. Whether it’s going out there and beating them on Sunday or winning it halfway when the rains come. It doesn’t matter – we’ll take them anyway we can get them. I’m proud of my guys. It’s good to have the Armed Forces Foundation on the car this weekend – the thing looks really good and it’s for a great cause.”

OUT! PET CARE JOINS DIAMOND-WALTRIP RACING

Concord, N.C. – Diamond-Waltrip Racing announced today that OUT! Pet Care, a pet products company based in Dallas, will join Trevor Bayne’s No. 99 Toyota Camry as a primary sponsor beginning this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The OUT! Pet Care decals will adorn the No. 99 Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota in 18 of the final 24 races in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, beginning this week in Charlotte. OUT! Pet Care along with Aaron’s gives Bayne a full season of sponsorship in his first full season driving the No. 99.


“This isn’t just great news for Diamond-Waltrip Racing,” said team owner Gary Bechtel. “It’s also a home run for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. A high quality, growth-oriented company like OUT! Pet Care choosing Diamond-Waltrip and NASCAR Nationwide Series to advance their product line is a supreme honor and speaks well for the future of our sport.”

OUT! Pet Care President and CEO, Roger Morgan, explained why the company finds Bayne, Diamond-Waltrip Racing and the Nationwide Series attractive.

“Trevor and Diamond-Waltrip Racing are a great fit for the OUT! Pet Care brand and we’re excited to partner with this great American sport. As a pet care company that produces product like pet stain and odor removers, training pads, and outdoor waste pick-up products, we’re devoted to making pet ownership easier. Knowing that NASCAR fans are loyal pet owners, we’re eager to connect with them like never before with fun promotions, contests, and product giveaways.”

Bechtel, and his son Blake, along with Michael Waltrip Racing formed Diamond-Waltrip Racing to field cars for the 19-year-old Bayne in 2010. Bayne rewarded the support with flashes of brilliance in his 26-race career including a sixth-place finish at Las Vegas in February.

“Gary Bechtel has done a great job putting this program together and he is the reason I am here,” Bayne said. “Adding such a cool company as OUT! Pet Care just makes what I do all that more fun. I love animals. My dog, Biscuit, still lives in Tennessee so I don’t get to see him as much as I want to with all the traveling we do in NASCAR. But, he’ll be riding with me on the track this week. We’ve got a photo of Biscuit on the car, as our Top Dog of the Week.”

OUT! Pet Care was started to fill a need for pet owners - a helpful way to clean up after and train your pet conveniently and practically. Specially formulated OUT! cleaning products are designed to take care of the unique accidents that pets have. OUT! also provides training solutions including the leading training pads on the market, as well as solutions for picking up after pets outdoors. Practical and easy-to-use products, for clean smelling, trained happy pets and spotless homes. Visit www.outpetcare.com to find out more.



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Trevor Bayne - Charlotte Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver Trevor Bayne believes he will end his recent run of late-race, bad luck this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 19-year-old owns a top-10 and five top-15 finishes in six races on the high speed 1.5-mile ovals like Charlotte. Bayne earned a career-best finish of sixth at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track in February.


The Knoxville, Tenn. native said he will put extra effort into surviving the closing laps of Nationwide Series races. He saw a top-10 finish slip away at Dover when an accident dropped him to 29th. A week before at Darlington a collision with another car in the closing laps saw him fall the top six to a 16th-place finish.

Bayne is Nationwide Insurance’s “Driver of the Week” and will participate in a live web chat at noon on May 26. Log on to www.nascarnationwideseries.com to join the chat and ask Bayne questions about his adventures on and off the track.

QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE ON GETTING A SOLID FINISH THIS WEEKEND: “Our goal this week is to finish the race in one piece. Diamond-Waltrip Racing and Jerry Baxter have built some really fast race cars. We just need to start getting the finishes we deserve. We have been running really strong lately but just haven’t been able to be there at the end. We have put ourselves in some bad situations but I think we need a little luck on our side as well. I think if we can stay in the top 10 throughout the entire race that will keep us out of a lot of trouble. So our main goal this week is to qualify strong and try and stay as close to the top 10 as possible.”

TREVOR BAYNE ON CHARLOTTE: “I grew up going to races at Charlotte so it’s really cool to finally get to race there. I took a Richard Petty car around the track once but it doesn’t really compare. It’s going to be awesome to take the No. 99 Toyota out there and make some laps. I think Charlotte is going to fit my driving style. I really like Atlanta and Texas and Charlotte seems to be another one of those fast mile-and-a-half race tracks.”

ON BEING NATIONWIDE DRIVER OF THE WEEK: “I think this is a really cool opportunity that Nationwide is giving each of the drivers. I have been able to give a little behind the scenes of my life with the flip camera they proved me. I believe you can see some of that footage on www.NASCARnationwideseries.com. I can’t thank Nationwide enough for all the support they give our teams each week.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Diamond-Waltrip Racing is owned by Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing. It fields Toyota Camry's 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 sign autographs at Nationwide Insurance’s display at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s fan interactive area on Saturday at 11:50 a.m.

• Bayne will again wear rookie stripes on his No. 99 Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota this weekend in Saturday’s 300-mile Nationwide race. Bayne is making his first career start at the 1.5-mile oval.

• Bayne owns 26 NNS starts. He has a pole (Indianapolis), three top-10s (Indianapolis, Richmond and Las Vegas), 11 top-15s and has led 34 laps. His average starting spot is 12th and a finishing spot of 18th.

• Bayne is seventh among the drivers only competing in the Nationwide Series.

David Reutimann - Coca-Cola 600 Race Preview at Charlotte Motor Speedway

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann is learning first hand that winning races makes for a little bit more hectic schedule. The defending Coca-Cola 600 winner worked overtime in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reutimann attended track press conferences, sat with print journalists, talked to television camera crews, gave fans rides around the track, took part in the Victory Burnout Challenge, joined in the activities that come with a Sprint All-Star Race birth and will serve as the guest of honor at a black tie Speedway Children’s Charities Gala on Wednesday. These obligations have Reutimann working harder than ever … but he says he wouldn’t have it any other way.


QUOTES

REUTIMANN ON WINNING THE COCA-COLA 600: “Winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte was a huge deal for everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing. That was our first win as an organization in the Sprint Cup Series and to have it come at Charlotte in the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 is about as good as it gets.

“I remember when (crew chief) Rodney (Childers) told me to stay out instead of coming in to pit, thinking that he was out of his freaking mind. Then as the rain kept coming and we were standing there on pit road I thought this might just work out in our favor. Then we got big trophy at the end of the race I remember thinking maybe he knows what he’s talking about. Now I know to just keep my mouth shut and drive the race car and let Rodney make those calls.”

“I wish we would have won the race without the rain, because no one wants their first win to come in a rain shortened event, but it’s also not like I’m the first guy to ever win a rain-shortened race. I know Joey Logano probably feels the same way about his win at New Hampshire, but a win is a win and we’ll take them where we can get them.”

REUTIMANN ON THE DEMANDS OF BEING A DEFENDING RACE WINNER: “The last couple weeks have really been busy, but I’m honestly enjoying it. I knew winning a race came with it’s fair share of obligations, and especially a race like the Coca-Cola 600, but even this may be a little more than I expected. But if winning races means that my schedule gets busy then that is okay with me. I’d like to win a few more races, so I can keep busy!”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
• Reutimann is making only his third start in a Coca-Cola 600. In his previous two starts at NASCAR’s longest event, Reutimann has one win and has never finished outside of the top-10. Reutimann’s lone career Sprint Cup Series win came in last year’s rain delayed and rain shortened race that was called due to rain after only 227 of the scheduled 400 laps.

• Reutimann has six career starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway—two Coca-Cola 600 starts and four starts in the fall event. Reutimann has two top-10s (both in the 600) and three top-15 finishes. Reutimann won the 600 last year and finished 15th in the fall race. He has led a lap in two of his last three starts at Charlotte for a total of six laps (One lap in 2008-2 and five laps in last year’s 600).

• In the last four point races, Reutimann has scored 539 points—the seventh most of any driver and moved from 30th to 20th in points. Has collected 15 bonus points for leading laps in three of the four races (five laps at Talladega, three at Darlington and one at Dover), recorded two top-five qualifying efforts (second at Richmond and fourth at Darlington) and has one top five and four top-15 finishes.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in eight of the nine races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in seven of the nine. In his three DNFs (Did Not Finish), Reutimann was racing in the top-five of all three races at the time he radioed of the issue leading him to retire from the race. (5th at Atlanta, 2nd at Bristol, 5th at Atlanta).

Martin Truex Jr. Coke 600 Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — So far Charlotte Speedweeks has been very good for NAPA Racing’s

Martin Truex Jr. He’s coming off a Sprint Showdown victory and a runner-up finish in the All-Star Race.This weekend all eyes will continue to be on the Michael Waltrip Racing driver. He’s good with the attention especially since his NAPA ride will sport a special look for the Coca-Cola 600. The well-known NAPA shield will be joined by NAPA Batteries. The high-energy paint scheme kicks off a great promotion for consumers. In June, visit a NAPA Auto Parts Store or a NAPA AutoCare Center, and get the following mail-in rebates— $20 rebate on the NAPA Optima Heavy-Duty batteries, $15 rebate on NAPA Legend 84-month battery and $10 rebate on all NAPA LEGEND 75-month batteries.

QUOTES

Truex Jr. on momentum heading into Coca-Cola 600: “We felt good coming into last week’s events a Charlotte because of the test we had and what we learned. The last few weeks we seemed to be getting better and better. We thought we were going to be real good coming here, so it wasn't unexpected. It wasn't like we just came out of the blue and won the Showdown. We've been competitive. But momentum is a big thing in this sport. You see it all the time. It worked for us a couple years ago. It seemed to just give us that confidence in each other and know that we can get it done. Hopefully it will do the same thing. But time will tell. I am looking forward to the 600 this week. I think we'll have a good car. The NAPA guys will obviously work on it and work on the issues we had during the All-Star Race. We’ll get it better. We'll come back and try to do what we can do. It should be fun.”

Truex on the challenges of the event: “The Coca-Cola 600 is different in that it is so long. It starts in the daytime and ends at night. Charlotte is one of the most notorious tracks for changing with the weather conditions and even throughout the day. There are so many changes. You almost get to the end and forget about the beginning of the race. It feels like it’s just a night race because it is so long. You just go out there and try and stay on the race track. Just keeping up with its changes are what makes it one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit.”

Truex on the Charlotte track: “I got my best finish at Charlotte last weekend. It’s not been one of my better tracks. The last couple of years we have had some really good runs. I feel with Pat Tryson and the guys on the NAPA team, they have been giving me great cars – but really, Charlotte is just different. It is very fast and I enjoy the challenge. Turns 3 and 4 and Turns 1 and 2 are completely different. That’s what I think is the biggest challenge with it besides the fact that it changes more than anywhere we go.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Batteries Toyota will be competing in his 165th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at Charlotte .

• Truex has nine starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His best start is 12th (Oct. 17, 2009) and best finish is seventh (May 29, 2005). He’s earned two top-10 and seven top-25 finishes. His average start is 25th and average finish is 19th. He has run 3,041 of 3,166 laps of competition (96.1%) and has led a total of eight laps.

• Truex has scored the seventh most points of all drivers in the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup races. As driver of the No. 56 NAPA Toyota in 2010, he has earned one pole, one top-five, four top-10, and 10 top-20 finishes.

• MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Truex will be stopping by the media center at 5:10 p.m. on Thursday as part of NASCAR’s Top-12 driver press conferences.

Ryan Truex Iowa Race Report

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Armed Forces Foundation Toyota Camry - finished sixth - now second in points.


Ryan Truex Race Summary: Ryan Truex was solid all day in Iowa in the K&N Pro Series’ version of an All-Star Race where the top East Series drivers square off against the best West Series drivers. Truex qualified third and fought his way to the lead early. Truex and crew chief Mike Greci fought a loose condition all day, but remained in the top five most of the event. Despite the car’s handling, Truex came home sixth when the flag fell on a green-white-checkered finish. The solid points day places Truex firmly in second in East Series standings, just 14 behind leader and Iowa winner Max Gresham.


KNPS Race Results

• Max Gresham won the Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200

• This is his second consecutive win this season

• This is his first appearance at Iowa

• Gresham edged Ty Dillon (second) by a fender at the line, Darrell Wallace Jr., Corey LaJoie and pole sitter David Mayhew rounded out the top five.

• The race featured nine lead changes among seven drivers.

• The race was slowed by seven cautions for a total of 50 laps.

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Armed Forces Foundation Toyota

• Truex started third and finished sixth

• Led six laps midway through the event

• Ran inside the top five for the majority of the race

• Came home sixth after a green-white-checkered finish

Truex Quotes: “Our car was great during that first run, but something changed after we pitted. I’m not sure if we got a bad set of tires or what, but our car was just too loose the rest of the race. I’ve got to thank everyone on my team though. Once again they gave me fast car. It was a good points day for us, so we’ll take that and get ready for Martinsville.”

MWR All Star Race Report

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished second in the All Star race after winning the Sprint Showdown.


David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota - finished 19th after a multicar wreck, just as the final segment started, ended his chances.



Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: Martin Truex Jr. saved the best for last Saturday night and walked out of Charlotte Motor Speedway with a second place-finish in the Sprint All Star race. Not a bad night for the No. 56 Napa Toyota driver who won the Sprint Showdown earlier in the day to transfer into the All Star race. Truex enjoyed a relatively calm All Star Race until the final 10-lap segment when he came alive and charged to the front of the field. He started the final green-white-checkered finish in fourth and moved to second before running out of laps to catch the race winner Kurt Busch.



Truex Quotes: “I could smell it (the money.) A couple more laps and I would have been right there. What a great night. We had a lot of fun. Second isn’t what we came here for, but we just came up one spot short. So proud of everyone here at Michael Waltrip Racing. We have a lot of work to do for next weekend but this was a great night for the NAPA team.”



Showdown Victory: “That was fun. We knew it was going to be a challenge coming in. We had to start in the back because of the (last night’s) rain. We knew it would be challenging because when you get on these big tracks you get in the dirty air. It’s really, really tough. In the beginning we got back in traffic, made a few adjustments then got some track position when we took two tires. They had a bit of a skirmish down there with (Gilliand) and that helped us Showdown the door. Once we got up and in clean air our car was really good.”



Truex Notes:

Truex Jr. finished second—his best finish at a Charlotte Motor Speedway race.

A green-white-checkered finish saw Truex jump from fourth to second but couldn’t mount a challenge to Kurt Busch.

Truex was steady all night. At the end of the first 50-lap segment he raced in 11th.

Finished the second segment (lap 50-70) in ninth.

Finished third segment in tenth. After the mandatory pit stop, Truex restarted the final segment (lap 90-100) in 10th.

Truex avoided a multicar wreck seconds after the green flag fell and appeared destined for a fifth-place finish when a caution came out creating a final three-lap shootout.

Jimmie Johnson spun as the field was about to take the white flag so the field embarked on a green-white-checkered finish with Truex lined up fourth. He drove past Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin but ran out of laps before catching the leader.

Earlier in the day, Truex won his second Sprint Showdown of his career enabling him to transfer to the All-Star race for the third time in his career.



David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann couldn’t have been at a worse place at a worse time. A seven-car accident ended Reutimann’s Sprint All-Star race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway just as the field took the green flag for the final 10-lap segment. The accident left the Michael Waltrip Racing driver with a 19th-place finish. Until the wreck, Reutimann raced at the front of the field and despite some mechanical issues appeared to be one of the fastest on the track. Reutimann never got a chance to show his speed in the final segment.



REUTIMANN: "That was disappointing because we had a good Aaron's Dream Machine all night and were able to run pretty well. My car was great through the corners, but we had a carburetor issue that was hurting us down the straightaways. We fixed in during the break and it seemed to be really good on the restart. I just wish we would have had a chance to compete for it at the end. Not really sure what happened in the wreck. I just saw (Mark Martin) come across my nose and didn't have anywhere to go. It was just guys racing hard."



Reutimann Notes:

A seven-car accident ended Reutimann’s night just as the field took the green flag for the final 10-lap segment leaving him with a 19th-place finish.

Until then Reutimann ran at the front of the field . At the end of the first segment (lap 1-50) Reutimann raced in sixth.

Finished the second segment (lap 50-70) in sixth. Finished third segment in eighth but ran out of gas on the track.

Was allowed to keep his spot in the lineup as the No. 00 crew changed carburetor before final segment.

After the mandatory pit stop, Reutimann restarted the final segment (lap 90-100) in eighth.

Seconds after taking the green flag, a seven-car wreck ended the night for Reutimann when he slammed into a spinning Mark Martin.



RACE NOTES:

Kurt Busch won a wild Sprint All Star race edging Martin Truex Jr. by .358 seconds.

Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five finishers.

Truex and Greg Biffle transferred into the All-Star race by finishing first and second in the Sprint Showdown.

Carl Edwards garnered the most of the 1.4 million fan votes transferring into the race.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action Thursday qualifying for Sunday’s Coke 600.

MWR Sprint All-Star Race and Sprint Showdown Qualifying Report

Sprint Cup Series qualifying for both the Sprint All-Star Race and Sprint Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway were cancelled due to rain. Qualifying for both events was set based on random qualifying draw. Kurt Busch was awarded the pole position in the Sprint All-Star Race and David Ragan was awarded the pole position for the Sprint Showdown. Michael Waltrip Racing drivers will start as follows:


Sprint All-Star Qualifying
• David Reutimann, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - starts 6th based on draw

Sprint Showdown Qualifying
• Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - starts 20th based on draw

Other Sprint Showdown drivers on note include:
• Michael Waltrip, No. 55 Red Rocks Café/Tech South, Inc. Toyota Camry - starts 13th based on draw
• Marcos Ambrose, No. 47 Cavalia Toyota Camry—starts 19th based on draw

Saturday night’s running of the Sprint Showdown gets underway on SPEED TV, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio 128 starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Sprint All-Star Race will follow the Sprint Showdown and start at approximately 9 p.m.

SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE STARTING POSITIONS

POS DRIVER
1 Kurt Busch
2 Joey Logano
3 Brad Keselowski
4 Jamie McMurray
5 Kyle Busch
6 David Reutimann
7 Jimmie Johnson
8 Jeff Gordon
9 Casey Mears
10 Ryan Newman
11 Tony Stewart
12 Denny Hamlin
13 Kevin Harvick
14 Matt Kenseth
15 Mark Martin
16 Kasey Kahne
17 Bobby Labonte
18 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

SPRINT SHOWDOWN RACE STARTING POSITIONS
POS DRIVER
1 David Ragan
2 Max Papis
3 Sam Hornish Jr.
4 Kevin Conway*
5 Greg Biffle
6 Reed Sorenson
7 Bill Elliott
8 A.J. Allmendinger
9 Clint Bowyer
10 Robby Gordon
11 Regan Smith
12 Paul Menard
13 Michael Waltrip
14 Juan Montoya
15 Norm Benning
16 Elliott Sadler
17 Jeff Burton
18 Scott Speed
19 Marcos Ambrose
20 Martin Truex Jr.
21 Todd Bodine
22 Robert Richardson Jr.
23 J.J. Yeley
24 Travis Kvapil
25 Joe Nemechek
26 Carl Edwards
27 Tony Raines
28 Derrike Cope
29 David Gilliland

Ryan Truex Iowa Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Michael Waltrip Racing developmental driver Ryan Truex heads to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the fourth annual NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race. This event marks the only race in which competitors from the East and West series go head-to-head with championship points on the line. This year’s race is the third race of the season for both series.


After starting the season with a 14th-place finish at Greenville, defending K&N Pro Series East Champion Truex bounced back to finish third at South Boston moving him to fourth in points. The three East-West combination races at Iowa have produced three different race winners. Truex hopes to be the fourth this weekend in the Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200.


QUOTES


ON HAVING SUCH A LONG BREAK BETWEEN EVENTS: “I hate it, to be honest. We had back-to-back events in April and I just started to feel like the team and I were getting into a groove. Plus, we had a strong run at South Boston (finished third) so I definitely didn’t want to take a break.”


ON THE RACE BEING A COMBINATION EVENT: “It definitely elevates the competition level. There are a lot of good racers in the West division. We don’t get to compete against them much so this gives us a chance to see where we stack up against those guys.”


ON IOWA SPEEDWAY: “I love racing there. Last year was my first year there and I got a feel for the place pretty quickly. It’s definitely one of the nicer tracks on the circuit. It’s fast and wide so you’ve got plenty of room to pass which makes it exciting for the fans.


ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Last year Truex qualified third but finished 33rd after an mid-race incident. Truex then reeled off seven consecutive top-three finishes winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship.

• This weekend Truex will run an Armed Forces Foundation (AFF) paint scheme on his No. 00 Toyota Camry. In addition to the custom paint scheme fans are encouraged to text ‘AFF’ to 50555 and contribute $10 that will support our country’s military and their families. The text campaign will run through the end of 2010.

• Truex is the third member of his family to compete in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr., and his brother Martin Truex Jr. also competed in the series.

• Truex will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway.

• The 18-year-old driver is fourth in K&N Pro Series East standings, with 296 points. He trails leader Cole Whitt by 49 points.

• The Mayetta, N.J., native will sign autographs 6-8 p.m. on May 26 at the Michael Waltrip Racing Fan Appreciation Event. The event will be held at Michael Waltrip Racing at exit 28 on I-77 in Cornelius, N.C.

Trevor Bayne New Car Transcripts

TRACEY JUDD: We're now joined by Trevor Bayne in our NASCAR Nationwide Series, one of our series' only regulars driving the No. 99 Diamond Waltrip Toyota. Trevor, it's been an exciting day and a half for you out here so far in the NASCAR Nationwide Series new car, so why don't you tell us about how things have gone for you.


TREVOR BAYNE: It has. It feels hot today, but I can promise you it was hotter inside of my race car when it was on fire. You know, luckily it didn't really mess anything up too bad because we've got it back in action today.

We missed out on a lot of practice time yesterday in the draft, so we kind of started at square one today where everybody else had already had laps and kind of dialed their cars in. And I heard all the drivers in the garage, even Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are saying things are loose, so I'm like, all right, they must be pretty loose, and I got out there and saw for myself, and they are sideways.

So we've been working on it. I think we're a couple steps behind just because we didn't get that practice yesterday, but we're dialing it in pretty good now.

Q. In regards to the fire, drivers are thought sometimes to be fearless, and you're a little bit different than the rest of us chickens out here, but as far as that goes, I've interviewed a lot of drivers over the years, NHRA, IndyCar, and the one comment, they really are fearless, but the one common fear that they have is fire, so could you explain a little bit about that?

TREVOR BAYNE: I don't think anybody likes fire, except Joe Balash; he said he was going to make s'mores next time, just let him know. I mean, I got out of there fast luckily. They've made these cars, the window openings in these new cars so wide that you can get out pretty quick. I didn't get caught up on anything luckily.

But I was getting out of there so fast I ripped the radio harness off my helmet, so that tells you I was a little bit scared. Luckily my left foot and everything is good from last week, so no problem there. But yeah, fire will get to you in a hurry.

Q. What was Carl apologizing to you for?

TREVOR BAYNE: It was just racing incidents. Last week at Dover when we were -- it was late in the race, my car was getting tight, so I was having to run the top and he was loose on the bottom, and it seemed like every straightaway we'd just be at the same speed and we'd come out right together; we'd go into the next corner, and it happened for like five, ten laps, and finally something happened and he got into my door on the straightaway and said he didn't mean to do it that hard. So it's all good; it's just racing.

Normally I have to go apologize to people for something stupid I did. It happens in racing. We're so close, we're running 180 miles an hour at tracks like that, and things are going to happen. So no hard feelings, and we'll just keep racing.

Q. As a follow-up to Dwight's question, would there have been a difference in terms of your ability to get out of the old Nationwide car versus this one?

TREVOR BAYNE: Yeah, I believe so. They're making them safer all the way around, every aspect. That window opening in these cars now is so much wider. I could have seen myself getting caught up in the old car. Something -- I've never been on fire before, so I don't know that. But it seems like that old style car would have been a lot harder to get out of it.

Q. Trevor, the way the track is now, they're going to repave it next year. This is the last go-around on this track. Has the patch been a concern for you at all?

TREVOR BAYNE: No, I mean, I was just talking to Mr. Bragg, and I was telling him that over the patch everything has got the same grip level as the rest of the track. I wish they'd just pave over the surface they've got now and let it get the same bumps and all that stuff because it is fun, like Carl was talking about. This track's characteristics are awesome, and I'm sure over time that it will probably come back to this somehow.

I guess they have to repave because of what happened during the Cup race last year. But the patch is holding up good right now. These cars are hitting the earth pretty good right now, too, so for it to hold up that well is awesome.

Q. Do you like the way the track is now with all the bumps and ruts and this and that?

TREVOR BAYNE: I love it. I love any kind of track where you really have to get up on the wheel because that's what I've done my whole career with short track racing up until this point. So I love the Atlantas and the Daytonas and stuff like that where you have the characteristics where you have to drive the car.

Q. At this point in the season I'd just ask you to reflect where you're at now and where you'd like to be and how you'd like to finish out.

TREVOR BAYNE: Well, last year when we qualified second at Nashville, I thought that was pretty cool. We ran seventh there and got crashed late in the race. That whole season I kind of set a high standard for myself after that. It's easy to do when you have that good of a run. I went into this whole Nationwide deal thinking, all right, top 15s will be great, and then all season long it seemed like we ran top 10. So now I came into this season thinking, all right, we're going to be top 5 every weekend, and I found out how tough this competition really is and how much it steps up every season.

I think we're on par to where we should be being our first full season in the Nationwide Series. I would like to run a little bit better myself, and I know the whole team would. I know we're capable of top 10s every weekend, but we just haven't got those finishes due to silly things taking us out of the race.

It seems like the last two weeks we've run top 10 all day and something small just takes us out right at the end. So I know we deserve to run better.

The guys are working hard at Diamond Waltrip Racing. They've got our Toyotas dialed in awesome. Now we've just got to get those finishes. I'm really fortunate to be in this situation, being 19 years old and being able to run a full-time season in the Nationwide Series, though.

Q. How cool is it for you to be riding around in a cool-looking car with a bunch of other cool-looking cars?

TREVOR BAYNE: It's really cool, man. They did a good job at Toyota of making it look like their Camry on the street, and I think that's what's pretty sweet about these new cars is they look like the street cars a lot better on the front end. The tail end of them, not so much, but the front ends are cool. Everybody did a great job of that. So it's pretty nice to see.

David Reutimann - Sprint All-Star Race Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann doesn’t have to worry about competing in the Sprint Showdown to qualify for the Sprint All-Star Race. Reutimann raced his way into Saturday night’s main event by winning the Coca-Cola 600 last Memorial Day at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Rain kept Reutimann from celebrating with a victory burnout, but this weekend he finally gets his chance to join other drivers on the frontstretch in the third annual Victory Burnout Challenge prior to Saturday’s Sprint Shootout. The driver awarded the most points by the judges earns $10,000 for his charity.

QUOTES
REUTIMANN ON THE ALL-STAR RACE: “The All-Star race is a big deal. I’ve been on the outside looking in on that deal for a lot of years, so it’s going to be good to go there and be a part of that it’s such a huge deal. We had a really good test at Charlotte a couple weeks back and felt like our car was really good. Rodney Childers and the Aaron’s crew are bringing their A-game every week and we’ll just have to see what happens. This is a race that’s all or nothing, so that is the exciting part of it. I think that Sprint has done a great job each year coming up with something to keep the event fresh and it’s exciting as it gets for the fans and the drivers. Everybody is all in on almost every lap.

ON THE VICTORY BURNOUT CHALLENGE: “For me personally, I’m looking forward to the Victory Burnout Challenge. Last year when we won the Coca-Cola 600, that was my first Sprint Cup Series win. The officials wouldn’t even let me start the car to get it to our makeshift victory lane. So this is going to be great! I get to go out in someone else’s car and burn the wheels off it on the front stretch and not have to worry about the talking to that I’d get if I was doing that in a team car. That’s a pretty great deal if you ask me.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

Reutimann is making his first career start in the Sprint All-Star race. Reutimann punched his ticket into the race by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day last year.

This weekend Reutimann becomes the first 40-year-old driver to make his All-Star debut since Johnny Benson in 2003. And, he is only the fifth 40-year-old to start his first All-Star race since 1990.

The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine pit crew is participating in the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte on Wednesday. SPEED-TV will broadcast the event at 9 p.m.

The pit crew will use the Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide No. 00 Toyota Camry during the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge. The car served as a backup at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide diecast cars are available for purchase at any Aaron's store nationwide. 

In the last four races, Reutimann has scored 539 points—the seventh most of any driver and moved from 30th to 20th in points. Has collected 15 bonus points for leading laps in three of the four races (five laps at Talladega, three at Darlington and one at Dover), recorded two top-five qualifying efforts (second at Richmond and fourth at Darlington) and has one top five and four top-15 finishes.

Reutimann has finished 20th or better in eight of the nine races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in seven of the nine. In his three DNFs (Did Not Finish), Reutimann was racing in the top-five of all three races at the time he radioed of the issue leading him to retire from the race. (5th at Atlanta, 2nd at Bristol, 5th at Atlanta).

NAPA Know How Pit Crew Voted First Qtr Most Valuable Pit Crew Award

For Immediate Release

No. 56 Over-the-Wall Team Tops On Pit Road In First Quarter

Seasoned Pit Crew Voted Winners Of First-Quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 18, 2010) – As one of the best in speed, performance and pit road prowess thus far in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota over-the-wall team from Michael Waltrip Racing has earned first-quarter honors in the 2010 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award competition.

The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award, which is determined by a vote of eachteam’s crew chief, is given quarterly to the top-performing pit crew in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award presented during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.

 

The award is part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provide teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories. Mechanix Wear, the #1 glove in racing, is the Official Glove of NASCAR® used by nearly all pit crew members in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Created nine years ago, the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award is one of the most sought-after titles for pit crews.

“We work with pit crews every week to jointly develop products that help them do their job better,” said Ted Abdon, director of racing for Mechanix Wear. “We look at the changes in the cars and the pitstops, and create products that make them safer on the job and help them do it more effectively. We’ve worked hard to reward them for being the best in their sport.”

Truex Jr. and the No. 56 team have scored four top-10 finishes this season and currently sit 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings. And while Truex Jr. is getting the job done behind the wheel, crew chief Pat Tryson's veteran over-the-wall gang has been on their game as well, performing consistent, fast pit stops all year.

 

Members of the No. 56 NAPA “Know How” pit crew include: Cory Quick (front-tire changer), Craig Curione (front-tire carrier), Shannon Myers (rear-tire changer), Mark Kennerly (rear-tire carrier), Brian Chase (jackman), Doug Newell (gasman) and Keith Koppenal (catch can). The team’s pit crew coach is Greg Miller.

 

“We are very fortunate that the crew we put together has had chemistry right from the very start,” said pit crew coach Greg Miller. “I want to thank Mechanix Wear for having such a prestigious award. It is an honor to have been voted on and chosen by the crew chiefs and it means a lot to the NAPA ‘Know How’ Pit Crew.”

Truex Jr., who claimed his fifth career Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 Presented By Hershey®’s at Dover International Speedway, depends on his experienced pit crew to be a difference-maker on pit road.

“My guys have a lot of experience and have been in racing for a long time,” said Truex Jr., referring to the No. 56 pit crew. “They’re just a great group of guys that love what they’re doing and put a lot of effort into it. To be rewarded like this goes a long way. They’ve been a huge part of our success so far this year.”

Truex Jr. will depend on his award-winning pit crew this Saturday night, where the No. 56 team will take center stage during the 40-lap NASCAR Sprint Showdown, attempting to finish within the top-two spots to advance to that evening’s 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

The No. 56 pit crew will be presented the first-quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award during Saturday night pre-race ceremonies at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. Sprint All-Star Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — It’s a no-holds-barred race weekend for Martin Truex Jr. and his NAPA Know How Crew as it’s finally time for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race. Truex has not been shy about campaigning for the Fan Vote as he’s made it known he’s not watching the event from his couch. Truex likes his chances of racing his way in through the Showdown after coming off his first Coors Light Pole Award at Dover as well as two top-10 and four top-15 finishes in the last five races.

 

QUOTES

Truex Jr. on the Sprint Showdown: “I think the Showdown will be an awesome race for fans to watch. The drivers in the Showdown over the last few years have made it tough to earn one of the two transfer spots. There are drivers who have won multiple races in a season, but for some reason, they haven’t won in awhile. To earn a spot this year will certainly be an accomplishment in itself. It just shows you how hard it is to win a Sprint Cup race. I am really looking forward to it.

“I really want to be in the Sprint All-Star race. The reason why I want to be in it so bad is I think we can win it. The NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota has been really fast lately. We had a really good test at Charlotte (March 23 & 24). The performance of my NAPA Know How Pit Crew has been excellent and they are getting recognized for it so I like our chances.”

Truex on the Fan Vote: “I think for an event like this, it really is important to get the fans involved. It’s cool how they’ve gotten into it. The amount of votes that have come in already is pretty astonishing. I’ve even had a lot of fun this year campaigning for the Fan Vote. Kyle Petty and Rutledge Wood helped me when Pat Tryson and I were contestants on NASCAR Smarts. Then we did a bunch of You Tube Fan Vote videos and they’ve gotten a lot of play on the internet and television. The fans even Twittered about it and that’s the whole point of why we do this. I know some drivers want race their way in and not lobby for the Fan Vote, but heck, if the fans want to vote me in, I would be proud to represent them. It’s great what Sprint and the fans do for us so the Fan Vote should be a part of the All-Star deal.”

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

 

• The driver of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota has earned starting positions in the Sprint All-Star race all three ways — The Fan Vote (2006), the Sprint Showdown (2007) and a Sprint Cup victory (2008, Dover 2007).

• Truex has scored the seventh most points of all drivers in the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup races. As driver of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in 2010, he has earned one pole, one top-five, four top-10, and 10 top-20 finishes.

• The NAPA Know How Pit Crew will be competing in Wednesday night’s NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge at the Time Warner Arena in uptown Charlotte. It will be broadcasted on SPEED starting at 9 p.m. ET

 

• MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Truex will be stopping by the media center at 2:10 p.m. on Friday as part of NASCAR’s Top-12 driver press conferences.

Michael Waltrip Racing Invites Fans to Attend “Fan Appreciation Day” on May 26

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing will host a “Fan Appreciation Day” on May 26 at NASCAR’s most interactive race shop in Cornelius, N.C.

MWR drivers David Reutimann, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Truex and JTG Daugherty driver Marcos Ambrose plus Diamond-Waltrip Nationwide driver Trevor Bayne will join Waltrip to sign autographs. In addition, MWR’s Tim Brown, modified racer and star of the History Channel’s reality series “Madhouse,” will also sign autographs and display his No. 83 race car.

Country artist Matt Dylan highlights the entertainment that includes a family carnival, pit stop practices, simulator games, and features several local businesses and vendors. MWR partners NAPA, Toyota, Freightliner and TUMS will be in attendance with product demos, displays, and giveaways including a NAPA Race Day experience. Aaron’s joins the party with Lucky Dog and the Charlotte debut of David Reutimann’s No. 00 Talladega car which honored the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 2009 National Champion football Team.

Reutimann and Bayne will sign autographs 4-5 p.m. followed by Waltrip, both Truexes, Ambrose and Brown 6-8 p.m. Mac’s Speed Shop will offer menu items beginning at 4 p.m. with complimentary dessert from Lance and Little Debbie. Coke will provide drinks.

The Michael Waltrip Racing shop and interactive displays inside of the shop will open to the public free of charge at 9 a.m. Fans can watch the team prepare for the Coca-Cola 600 and shop at the MWR team store for the latest gear from their favorite MWR driver and JTG’s Marcos Ambrose.

Michael Waltrip Racing is at exit 28 on I-77 in Cornelius, N.C. about 15 miles north of Charlotte, N.C. Follow the latest information at www.michaelwaltrip.com.

MWR Fan Fest 2010 !!

You are cordially invited to Michael Waltrip Racing’s May Fan Fest 2010. We’re throwing a block party for all our fans and Lake Norman neighbors with food, driver autographs, entertainment, activities, prize giveaways and more! We will be open as usual that day at 9am with free admission to tour MWR and shop in our Team Store until we head outside at 4 o’clock to start the party.

Where:
Michael Waltrip Racing
20310 Chartwell Center Drive
Cornelius NC 28031

When:
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
4PM – 8PM

Admission Fee: FREE

Things to Do & See:

• An array of edible goodies both complementary & moderately priced from our sponsors and local merchants such as Mac’s Speed Shop BBQ & Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream
• LIVE music performance by country artist Matt Dylan
• Sponsor product booths , promotional displays and giveaways
• Race Simulator games
• Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles on Display including David Reutimann’s #00 Alabama car & Tim Brown’s champion #83 racer.
• Prize Giveaways and Drawings throughout the event
• Kids Activities & Attractions – Bouncy House-Slides, Games, and more
• Sirius NASCAR Radio Broadcast & SPEED Channel’s The Racing Chef – MWR Edition
• Lake Norman Area Businesses & Organizations promoting their goods & services
• Driver Autograph Sessions
• 4PM – 5PM: David Reutimann & Trevor Bayne
• 6PM – 8PM: Martin Truex Jr & Ryan Truex Michael Waltrip, Marcos Ambrose, and star of the History Channel’s ‘Madhouse’, MWR’s own Tim Brown

To keep the line moving and ensure fairness, there will be a (2) Item limit per person for autographed items, so please choose carefully which (2) items you would like signed. Due to time constraints, no items over the allotted (2) will be signed.

Wristbands will be required for all fans wishing to receive driver autographs. Wristband wearers will be eligible for autographs from all drivers in attendance as there will be (2) separate autograph sessions. Due to high demand, only 200 wristbands will be awarded in a random drawing of all registered fans. To be eligible for a wristband, fans must email fanfest@michaelwaltrip.com for a chance to win a wristband.

Wristbands will be available for pickup at MWR starting Tuesday, May 25th at 9AM. Those fans receiving wristbands will receive a notification email from MWR by Monday, May 24th. All wristband winners must present their notification email as proof before receiving their wristband.

We ask that only those that plan to be in attendance that day register for autograph wristbands to ensure all fans that want them have a better chance of winning them.

MWR Dover Post Race Report

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished 5th—now 20th in points.

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

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver David Reutimann continued his string of impressive performances in the 2010 season posting a fifth-place finish Sunday at Dover International Speedway. The Rodney Childers-led team excelled on long green flag runs and turned in quick pit stops throughout the race moving the team to 20th in the point standings. The Sprint Cup Series returns to action Saturday night in the Sprint All-Star race.

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

Reutimann started 13th and finished 5th jumping him to 20th in the points.

The performance equaled his fifth-place finish at Daytona for best finish of the season.

The fifth-place finish was his best career finish at Dover.

Reutimann charged to the front of the field early, climbing as high as third at the halfway mark.

Reutimann reported he was best on long green flag runs.

After the race he said he expected an even better finish but the car’s handling was its worst of the day on the final green flag run.

Reutimann led a lap late in Sunday’s race.

Reutimann was named the Mobil One Command Driver of the race.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: "It’s been great. We haven’t had a whole lot to smile about all year. It’s been pretty dismal. We’ve been running really well, it’s just that we haven’t been able to close the deal. I had a great Aaron’s Dream Machine all day, the guys had great pit stops. And there at the end we were just a little bit too tight and that was the tightest we’ve been all day at the end. But all in all, having a fifth-place finish the way our season has been going, man, it feels really good.”

Are you tired from the long race today? “No, no, I actually feel pretty good. I can only attribute that to the guys making the car ventilate real well and get me some air in there because usually a lot of times you’ve got to pull me out of one of these things. So, I feel pretty good and we’ll go onto the next one and see if we can have another top-five.”

How did your car handle during the race? “We started off not very good, but in the long runs we would get better. All in all, I’m proud of my guys. I think they did a great job. This will help us in the points a little bit. We had to stop the bleeding at some point and hopefully we’ve done it this time.”

Did your car handle the best at the end of the race? “The downside is that is the worst we were in the long run in the end all day. When it counted we needed the car to be good and the car was just too tight. But all in all, the way things have been going for our year -- we’ve been running really, really well and haven’t been able to get the finish. I’m proud of my guys and hopefully we can build on this and go onto the next one here and get some more good finishes.”

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: No. 56 NAPA Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. climbed into the top 12 with a 12th-place finish at Dover International Speedway on Sunday. After earning Michael Waltrip Racing its first pole of the 2010 season on Friday, Truex and his team never threatened for the victory on Sunday but ran at the front of the field throughout the race. The Sprint Cup Series returns to action Saturday night in the Sprint All-Star race.

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

Truex Jr. grabbed the first pole for NAPA Auto Parts since 2007 and his first pole position since joining MWR.

Sunday’s 12th-place finish moves Truex to 12th in the point standings.

Truex ran in the top 10 the first 100 laps and the top 15 throughout the race.

NAPA Know How Pit Crew recorded pit stops of 12.52 (lap 54), 12.22 (lap 133) seconds.

After pitting on lap 226 for track bar, four tires, fuel and air pressure, Truex reported the car was best it's ever been.

Truex drove from 14th to 6th

With 100 laps to go, Truex ran in the top 10 but said the car was tight in traffic.

Led lap two laps then pitted on lap 365. Returned to track in 12th -- where he finished

TRUEX QUOTE: “We should have had a top-10. That one run where we made up a lot of spots was like we had a really good set of tires or something. Our last two runs we were generally loose. The front end locked up, bounced in center and then took off going straight. It's something we can work with. I think the biggest thing that hurt us was the loss in track position that one time where most teams took two. We couldn't do that because the trend was tight on two tires and we were already tight. We couldn't do it. At the end the rubber build up was like driving on oil. I did everything I could.”

RACE NOTES:

Kyle Busch won Sunday’s race after Jimmie Johnson suffered a late race pit lane penalty.

The victory was Busch’s the 18th of his career.

Johnson finished 16th after having the dominant car most of the race.

Jeff Burton was second about 8 seconds behind Busch and Matt Kenseth third.

Denny Hamlin and Reutimann rounded out the top five.

There were five cautions for 24 laps. The average speed was 128.790 mph. Race took 3 hrs and 6 min.

NASCAR estimated 88,000 fans at Dover.

Trevor Bayne Dover Race Report

• Trevor Bayne, No. 99 Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry - finished 29th - now 14th in points.

Trevor Bayne Race Summary:  Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver Trevor Bayne had a fantastic run come to a screaming halt with just two laps remaining in Saturday’s Heluva Good! 200 from Dover International Speedway. The 19-year-old driver started the race 23rd but with a solid race car and great pit stops worked his way into the top 10 with just under 100 laps remaining in the race. Bayne continued to climb the leader board and was shown fifth with 50 laps to go. Unfortunately, on the next-to-last restart, Denny Hamlin got into Clint Bowyer triggering a nine-car accident that collected the No. 99 Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota. The accident brought out an 11-minute, 42-second red flag and ended the day for the youngest fulltime driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Bayne finished the event 29th seven laps down to the leader. He is now 14th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship point standings.


UPDATE: Bayne was send to local hospital for further evaluation on his left foot. X-ray's were negative and Bayne is scheduled to be in the No. 99 during the Daytona New Car test on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

NNS Racing Results

• Kyle Busch won the Heluva Good! 200, his 34th victory in 184 NNS starts

• This is his fourth victory and eight top-10 finish in 2010

• This is his second victory and seventh top-10 finish in 12 races at Dover International Speedway

• Ryan Newman (second) posted his second top-10 finish in five races at Dover International Speedway.

• Jamie McMurray, Reed Sorenson and Jason Leffler rounded out the top five

• The race featured four lead changes among three drivers.

• The race was slowed by six cautions for a total of 25 laps.

• NASCAR estimated 33,000 race fans in attendance at Dover.

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 99 Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota

• Bayne started 23rd and finished 29th

• Worked his way into the top five with just under 50 laps remaining in the race

• Ran inside the top 15 for the majority of the race

• Great pit stop by the over-the-wall crew during the second pit stop helped Bayne pick of five spots on pit road

• Involved in an incident on the final restart received major damage and was forced behind the wall

• Finished 29th, seven laps down to the leaders

BAYNE QUOTE: “Our Diamond-Waltrip Toyota was pretty good today. My pit crew did an awesome job for me this weekend. However, we just got tangled up in someone else’s mess. That was probably one of the hardest hits I have taken in a race car. My ankle was a little sore after but it’s going to be okay. Just going to rest it a little over the next couple of days.”

Monster Diesel and Michael Waltrip Racing Announce Partnership on Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 56 Toyota

DOVER, DEL. – Michael Waltrip Racing announced today Monster Diesel™ will join Martin Truex’s No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota as an associate sponsor beginning at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.
The Baltimore based company’s logo will adorn the No. 56 car’s B-post for the remainder of the 2010 season and beyond. For the next few races fans will see it on rocker panel as well.
”NASCAR’s fan base is one of our target markets,” said Matt Zuckerman, CEO and president of Monster Diesel. “Michael Waltrip Racing brings solid business-to-business relationships, long-term stability and a commitment to winning that endures itself to Monster Diesel. Martin couldn’t be a better person to represent our company and Michael is one of the most dynamic car owners in the sport. We’re excited about this relationship.” Zuckerman added.
Truex said the team is honored Monster Diesel™ chose MWR.
"We're glad Monster Diesel™ is joining us for the long haul," said Truex. "I’m happy that a company like Monster Diesel™ sees the value we bring and we plan to reward that confidence. I know NASCAR has made going green a priority and I think Monster Diesel™ fits well within those goals."
MWR fields fulltime NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for Truex and David Reutimann as well as a K&N Pro Series entry for Ryan Truex. MWR along with Gary and Blake Bechtel co-own Diamond-Waltrip Racing that fields a fulltime Nationwide entry for Trevor Bayne.
Monster Diesel™ is a patent pending high energy “green” alternative fuel additive which boosts diesel fuel’s quality to premium levels and is designed for use in any diesel powered motor. The additive offers a comprehensive, cost effective solution to address each of the challenges common to diesel powered engines, all in one product. Monster Diesel™ increases mileage per gallon by as much as 15%, reduces emissions by 23%, boosts power, reduces wear, and winterizes fuel. Monster Diesel™, The Only Additive You’ll Ever Need!
Visit www.MonsterDiesel.com for more product information, news and analysis, and information on how to order Monster Diesel branded products. Also visit Monster Diesel™ on Facebook or follow on Twitter.