Martin Truex Jr. Atlanta Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — In the NASCAR world, Labor Day weekend means it’s time for the Sunday night Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but to families across the country, the holiday signifies the start of a new school year. No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. wants to help out about 200 of those school kids near his North Carolina home.

 

Truex will host the third annual Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Golf Tournament presented by NAPA on Sept. 22 at the Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Proceeds from the golf tournament will help build the Martin Truex Jr. Pediatric Unit at Southern Ocean County Hospital in N.J. as well as assist Troutman (N.C.) Elementary School students. Through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina’s Backpack Program, Truex plans to pass out backpacks to the children stuffed with food.

 

QUOTES

 

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON MTJ FOUNDATION AND BACKPACK PROGRAM: “A few years ago, Sherry and I wanted to start a foundation because as kids, we knew we were lucky and there were a lot of kids out there that weren’t has fortunate. In 2007, we were able to launch the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. Over the years we have been introduced to a lot of great organizations and one that has become important to us is the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. We wanted to help after hearing how children who participated in its Backpack program said if it wasn’t for their backpack food, they wouldn’t have had anything to eat. Hearing that harsh reality, we wanted to get involved. This year we’ll be assisting students at Troutman Elementary.”

 

ON RETURNING TO ATLANTA: “I absolutely love racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It’s one of my favorites and that’s a good thing considering the track is in NAPA Headquarters backyard. Both Pat Tryson and I have had good runs there. Pat won there last year with Kurt Busch. I’ve come close to winning several times including this past spring. We simply got caught up in the wreck on that green-white-checkered finish. I feel like you can really drive the car hard there. The track is really wide and you’ll see guys running up top, in the middle and down low. I like the fact that we won’t be fighting for one lane. If you are faster than a guy, you can find a way to get around him. I like my chances this weekend in the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. We’ve got a lot of NAPA folks joining us so it would be great to end up in victory lane.”

 

NOTES OF INTEREST

 

Sunday is Truex’s 178th Sprint Cup Series race and 12th at the 1.533-mile track. His best start is first (Sept. 6, 2009) and best finish is eighth (Oct. 30 , 2005). During his career, Truex has earned two top-10 and five top-25 finishes at AMS. His average start is 18th and his average finish is 24th. He has led 204 laps in competition.

 

In just two years, the MTJ Foundation has raised more than $400,000 for various community programs and initiatives such as the Backpack Program and building the Martin Truex Jr. Pediatric Unit at Southern Ocean County Hospital in N.J. To find out more, visit 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.

 

Don’t be left out. Over 10,000 fans have taken 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.

David Reutimann - No. 00 Aaron's Outdoor's Dream Machine Atlanta Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Outdoors Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann learned at Bristol Motor Speedway how difficult it is to make up ground in the point standings this late in the Sprint Cup Season. Reutimann battled through flu-like symptoms all weekend to finish second—his second best finish of the 2010 season—but only gained 10 points in pursuit of the 12th and final spot in the Chase for the Championship. With only two races remaining before the Chase, Reutimann is 17th trailing 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 155 points. Reutimann has extra reasons to look forward to Sunday’s race that begins at 7 p.m. at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Both of Reutimann’s two career victories came on 1.5-mile tracks and he owns top 15 finishes at each of the six 2010 races held under the lights.

QUOTES

WHAT IS IT ABOUT NIGHT RACES THAT YOU LIKE?: “Night races are just a whole different feel. They’re just a whole different vibe. It almost takes you back to when you started out racing. Almost all of us, at least at one time or another, raced local short tracks on Friday or Saturday nights. It almost takes you back to having that same feel. That same vibe that I did when I was growing up. I think that’s one of the things that I like so much about it. It takes me back to my earlier days of racing."

ON RETURNING TO ATLANTA: “I feel like at the fall night race last year we had a really strong run and we felt like we found some things at that point. Rodney (Childers) and the guys came up with some stuff that really seemed to work well there. We kind of went along the same lines when we went there earlier this year in Atlanta and again we had another really, really good racecar. I just think that we continue to build each time we go there. I’ve been talking to Rodney and I think that we may be going there with a little bit different approach, but also knowing that we have some things in our back pocket to fall back on that we know have been good in the past. So, we’ll start off with one thing and know that if it doesn’t work out that we can switch to another. It’s a good racetrack – a 1.5-mile track that we’ve been good at and I really enjoy racing on the 1.5-mile tracks. We’ve been really strong at those places.”

MWR TOYOTA STRENGTH ON THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS: “I think Rodney (Childers) and the guys, (engineer) Dax (Gerringer) and the guys , have a really good feel for what makes our cars good at those places. I also just like the 1.5-mile racetracks as a driver, so if you combine all that stuff I think it just ends up being a better fit for us.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• In the last 12 races on 1.5-mile racetracks (including Atlanta - technically a 1.54-mile track), Reutimann has two wins, four top-fives, five top-10s, nine top-15s and led 60 laps.

• The last time Reutimann visited a 1.5 mile racetrack under the lights he recorded the win at Chicagoland Speedway - his second career Sprint Cup Series win. Reutimann has consecutive top-five finishes at night races on 1.5-mile tracks (Chicago, fifth at Charlotte).

• Reutimann is currently 17th in the championship point standings, trailing the top-12 by 155 with two races remaining. With 12 races remaining in 2010, Reutimann has already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-five (five) finishes. Reutimann has scored 20 fewer points in 2010 then at the same point in 2009. He has three DNFs in 2010 after not recording one in all of 2009.

• Reutimann will spend the day on Wednesday, Sept. 1, on the ESPN Campus in Bristol, Conn. Reutimann is participating in the ESPN “Car Wash” in which a NASCAR driver travels to Bristol to take part in various media opportunities across the ESPN television, radio and electronic media properties.

Trevor Bayne - Atlanta Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — It’s easy to forget No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Trevor Bayne is 19-years-old. He acts and drives like a veteran but the Knoxville, Tenn., native showed up at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago with braces. Since then the Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver lost 10 lbs. but still managed to score two top-10 finishes. This weekend Bayne visits Atlanta Motor Speedway hoping to continue his recent streak of good performances in the Nationwide Series. In the last 6 races, Bayne scored the fourth most points—the best of any non-Sprint Cup driver.


QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE ON HIS BRACES: “I decided to get braces because I had a small gap between my two front teeth. It was just something that had been bothering me for the last couple of years. Since I am in front of the camera a lot I wanted my teeth to be perfect. When the orthodontist told me it would only take six months I was all in. I have only had them on for two weeks and the gap between my two front teeth is almost gone. By this time next year I will have the best smile of any NASCAR driver.”

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN EATING SINCE: “I have lost 10 pounds since I got my braces. The first couple of days my teeth were so sore. I pretty much lived off mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Last weekend in Montreal was the first time I could actually bite down on food. I really didn’t think my teeth would be this sore. I just got them readjusted on Monday so I think I will be back to eating soft foods again this week. I am glad that I only have to wear them for six months and not a couple of years like a lot of people.”

ON ATLANTA: “Atlanta is probably one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. Last year we were really fast right off the truck. I like it because its really fast but the race track isn’t smooth it has it’s own unique characteristics I like how your car slide all over the race track. You really have to search around for a groove that has the most grip for your car. You want to get you car working good on the long runs. As the run goes on the less grip you will have. You have to be able to be able to carry a lot of corner speed and the car has to work good over the bumps.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing own Diamond-Waltrip Racing. It 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 started seventh and finished 16th in his lone Atlanta Motor appearance in 2009.

• Bayne owns 40 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.

• In the last six races Bayne has scored two poles, two top-five and four top-10 finishes. He has also scored the fourth most points and has an average starting position of 11tth and a average finishing position of 10.8.

• Aaron’s, proud sponsor of the No. 99, will give away an autographed hat to a lucky race fan through Facebook and Twitter following any top-10 finish. Follow Aaron’s on Twitter (@aaronssports) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/AaronsSports).

Diamond-Waltrip Racing - Montreal Post Race

• Trevor Bayne, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota Camry - Finished 10th - Now eighth in points. • Patrick Carpentier, No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - Finished 32nd

Trevor Bayne Race Summary: In only his third NASCAR Nationwide Series road course race in his brief career, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care driver Trevor Bayne earned a 10th-place finish and remained eighth in the championship point standings. The 19-year-old driver started the race 20th, but climbed into the top 10 by lap 19. The Knoxville, Tenn., native raced sixth and appeared ready to compete for the victory in the closing laps. With four laps remaining Bayne and J.R. Fitzpatrick made contact sending the No. 99 Toyota into the wall. The OUT! Pet Care Camry suffered major damage, forcing it to limp home in 10th— the eighth top-10 finish of the season. Next weekend the Nationwide series heads to Atlanta for Saturday night’s race.

TREVOR BAYNE, OUT! Pet Care Toyota
• Bayne started 20th and finished 10th
• Eighth top-10 finish of the season and 10th of his career
• Narrowly avoided several incidents early in the race
• Raced in 10th by lap 19 and as high as fourth during a pit cycle with 27 laps remaining
• Restarted sixth on lap 67 then involved in two on-track incidents
• Suffered front and rear damage as he attempted to avoid a wreck on lap 68, but stayed out.
• Bumped by J.R. Fitzpatrick and made contact with the outside wall causing a flat tire on lap 73
• Bayne restarted 10th—the last car on the lead lap for the green-white-checkered finish and finished 10th.
• In 40 starts, Bayne has four poles, four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes

BAYNE QUOTE: "We had a really good OUT! Pet Care Toyota today. I learned so much. I had a lot of fun today. Once we were able to run consecutive green flag laps I started to get a lot faster. I am really happy with a top-10 finish however I think we could have finished top five if we didn't get wrecked. Overall, it was a great day for the No. 99 team."

Patrick Carpentier Race Summary: In his first NASCAR Nationwide Series start since Montreal last year, No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Patrick Carpentier looked fast before mechanical gremlins brought an early end to his race and left him with a 32nd-place finish. The Quebec native started 13th, but quickly found himself racing at the front of the field. The Michael Waltrip Racing team employed a fuel-mileage strategy early in the race that saw Carpentier make multiple fuel stops around lap 16 hoping it would pay off at the end of the race. The stops dropped the No. 00 back to 29th, but Carpentier didn’t stay there long as he worked his way back up to fifth by lap 34. His race ended when he pulled behind the wall on lap 51 due to an issue with the car’s track bar.

PATRICK CARPENTIER, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota
• Carpentier started 13th and finished 32nd
• First Nationwide Series start since he finished 38th at Montreal last season
• Quickly moved the No. 00 NAPA Toyota into the top-10 by lap 10
• Pitted several times for fuel around lap 16 to try a fuel mileage strategy that dropped him back to 29th
• Raced back into the top-10 and as high as fifth by lap 34
• Rolled behind the wall and eventually retired on lap 51 due to an issue with the track bar.

CARPENTIER QUOTE: "An unfortunate circumstance for the NAPA team. (Crew Chief) Bootie (Barker) called a great race and we were looking forward to challenging for a win in front of all the NAPA Canada people in the stands. It just wasn't meant to happen. I can’t thank Michael Waltrip Racing and Robert Hattem (President and COO, NAPA Canada) with Napa Canada enough for the opportunity to race in front of so many friends and fans.”

NNS Racing Results
• Boris Said beat Max Papis to the finish line by .012 seconds to win his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race
• The margin of victory is the fifth closest in series history
• The win is the first for Boris Said in 22 career Nationwide Series starts
• Jacques Villeneuve, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard rounded out the top five
• Brad Keselowski leads the point standings by 365 over second-place Carl Edwards
• The race featured 11 lead changes among eight drivers. Cautions slowed the race seven time for 19 laps.
• The race lasted three hours, 17 minutes.
• NASCAR estimated 70,000 race fans in attendance at Montreal

Ryan Truex Gresham Motorsports Park Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex continues his chase for the K&N Pro Series East championship Saturday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native has three races left to achieve his back-to-back championship quest as well as garner his second title for Michael Waltrip Racing.

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. Truex tested his East Series car with crew chief Mike Greci at Gresham on Aug. 19.

QUOTES

Truex on racing at Gresham Motorsports Park: "Gresham is a fast track. I really like running there a lot. This will be my first time actually racing there, and I’m confident that my NAPA team can go there and do well. It’s a track that I feel comfortable on. I’ve heard a lot of guys compare it to Bristol, but with less banking so I’ll have to stay on my toes. I think our main strategy will be to make sure the car rotates in the center, and to qualify well for the track position. I’m definitely looking forward to getting on the track Saturday.”

Truex on his chase for the East Series Championship: "We are just trying to take this one race at a time right now. The championship is our long term goal, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have Gresham to focus on this weekend and two more races after that. Greci and I have both just been focusing on one race at a time and I think that has worked out well for us.”

Truex on testing at Gresham: “Our test went really well. Greci and my guys put a great car together for this track. We unloaded and were immediately fast, that’s always a fun way to start a testing session. We worked making minor changes and picked up time towards the end of the test. I think this was a great confidence boost for my whole team and really got us all excited to go back and race on Saturday night.”

Greci on working with Ryan at Gresham: “He did an exceptional job at the test on Thursday. We were fast when we unloaded off of the trailer and he continued to get better as we continued. He really likes the track and is comfortable there. I think that all of the testing he has done in the Cup cars there has been a huge help to him.”

Notes

Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex Jr.’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. He leads the 2010 standings by 33 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. with three races left in the championship.

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 Martin Truex Jr. won five times.

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Patrick Carpentier returns to the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Michael Waltrip Racing Saturday at his home track of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

The 39-year-old is sure to be one of the race favorites on Sunday. He won the pole and led 14 laps in his series debut in the 2007 Montreal race. In just three races at the 2.71-mile road course, he has back-to-back runner up finishes and looked sporty last season before a mechanical issue ended his day. In Nationwide Series competition, he’s earned five top-10 finishes in 13 events.

Carpentier also reunites with crew chief Robert “Bootie” Barker III who worked with the Joliette (Quebec) native on MWR’s No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the 2009 Infineon and Watkins Glen Sprint Cup races.

QUOTES

Carpentier on racing in Montreal: "Every race car driver wants to do well, but when you race in front of all your friends and family in your hometown it becomes something extra special. We've been so close in Montreal, and last year I thought we were going to have a shot at the win. NAPA and Michael Waltrip Racing gave me a great car last year and I expect to contend for the victory again this year. Winning in Montreal would definitely be a highlight in my career.

“The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is an awesome track and every year it puts on a heck of a show. Fans are going to see a lot of action with these Nationwide Series cars and I am looking forward to competing against some of the NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars like Carl Edwards. It will certainly be interesting and something that I have been looking forward to.”

Crew chief Bootie Barker on preparing for Montreal: “I’ve never been to Montreal before so I will be leaning heavily on Patrick and crew chief Jerry Baxter. They raced together last year and were very quick right off the truck. We are going back with a very similar set up. Common sense would say and I am hoping, it is close enough that we can adjust accordingly and remain as competitive as they were last year.

On reuniting with Carpentier: “I really enjoyed working with Patrick last year. We ran really well at Infineon and had a good run going at Watkins Glen before Patrick was wrecked. Patrick doesn’t consider himself a road-course racer with all of his oval experience, but he’s one of the best out there. He’s probably run more laps at Montreal than most of the other drivers. He knows exactly what he needs to run well at Montreal so he’ll have no problem telling me where he needs to turn better or what his issues may be. I’ll just do my job and communicate to the crew how to adjust for him. It helps that I’ve worked with him before and know the type of feel he is looking for and likes.”

Notes

• MEDIA AVAILABILITY—Trevor Bayne and Carpentier will attend Thursday’s media luncheon at Noon in the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Media Center.

• Carpentier earned the Toyota Atlantic Series Championship title in 1996.

• Carpentier competed in 140 CART races earning five wins and five pole positions.

• Carpentier made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen in 2007.

• Carpentier won the Sprint Cup pole at New Hampshire on June 27, 2008.

• Barker is a crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the No. 13 Toyota.

• Carpentier owns two Sprint Cup starts in 2010.

Trevor Bayne - Montreal Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 99 OUT! Pet Care driver Trevor Bayne makes his first trip outside the United States this weekend when he and the NASCAR Nationwide Series visit the 14-turn, 2.710-mile road course Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Only Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch have scored more points than the 19-year-old driver Diamond Waltrip driver in the last Nationwide races10 races. Road course expert Michael McDowell tutored the Knoxville, Tenn. native in preparation for Sunday’s NAPA AUTO PARTS 200. The duo spent time driving a simulator and racing go-karts at Kershaw Speedway in South Carolina. Michael Waltrip Racing will field the No. 00 NAPA Toyota for driver Patrick Carpentier this weekend.

QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE ON MONTREAL: “This will be my first time I have ever been out of the country. I am really looking forward to another road course race. I’ve never raced at Montreal but Michael (McDowell) has been working with me lately to get ready. Even though we only have one good finish on a road course this year, I think it’s fun to change it up a little. We have been on a long stretch of racing so it’s fun to throw something different into the mix outside of oval racing. However, our oval program is really strong right now so I hate to deviate from that, but hopefully we can make this program strong as well.”

ON HAVING PATRICK CARPENTIER AS A TEAMMATE THIS WEEKEND: “I am going to lean on Patrick a lot this weekend. This is his home track and he ran so well there last year until the motor blew up. I am going to get with him at the race track before practice starts and pick his brain a little. I’ll also follow him a few laps to try and get my rhythm down. I have to use all my resources this weekend to give me that extra little edge over the other Nationwide regulars. We are going to the track this weekend with the same setup Patrick had last season so I think we should be pretty fast off the truck.”

ON SCORING THE FOURTH MOST POINTS IN THE LAST 10 RACES: “At the beginning of the season we said we wanted to be a top five team by the end of the year and I think we are there now. If we keep performing like we have the last month I think we can get close to the top five in points. It’s been great to have the feeling of success with this team. To overcome some obstacles in the beginning and now to be performing like we are and racing with the Cup guys every weekend. It’s been so exciting to be able to race with Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski and just running up front.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• MEDIA AVAILABILITY—Bayne and Carpentier will attend Thursday’s media luncheon at Noon in the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Media Center.

• Diamond-Waltrip Racing is owned by Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing. It 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 has three poles, three top-five and four top-10 finishes in the last six races.

• Bayne has led 95 laps – third most of any driver in the series and the most of any Nationwide Series only driver. He is one of four NNS only drivers (Allgaier– 2, Braun– 1, Leffler– 1) to lead laps over the last five races.

• Bayne owns 39 NNS starts. He has four poles (Indianapolis –2009, 2010, Gateway—2010 and Iowa 2010), four top-fives and nine top-10s and has led 129 laps. His best finish (third) came at Gateway International Raceway on July 17.

Reutimann’s Crew Captures Tissot Pit Road Award at Bristol; 2nd Tissot win of season for No. 00 team

David Reutimann’s pit crew pocketed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

It was the second Tissot win of the season for Reutimann’s No. 00 crew, which moved into a four-way tie for third place in the weekly pit-road competition. Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 continues to lead the Tissot standings with four wins

The weekly Tissot winner receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.

Reutimann’s Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota spent the least amount of time on pit road – 199.713 seconds -- during the 500-lap race at the half-mile oval. The quick work by the No. 00 crew helped Reutimann to a second-place finish.

Coming in second was Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Doublemint Toyota – 199.763 seconds and third was Gordon’s No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet – 204.369.

Reutimann’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Ryan Langley (front-tire changer), Chris Hall (front-tire carrier), Lee Cunningham (rear-tire changer), Donnie Marvel (rear-tire carrier), Tony Cardamone (jackman), Aaron Pieratt (gasman) and Jeff Seaberg (catch can). The team’s crew chief is Rodney Childers and the pit crew coach is Greg Miller.

“The Aaron’s Dream Machine No. 00 crew has been great all season long and Saturday night at Bristol was no exception,” said Childers. “They knew we had a great starting position and needed to have consistently great stops all night to keep us up front. With David (Reutimann) feeling under the weather all weekend it was even more important to support him as best they could. It all came together very well. They guys did a great job and I can’t say enough about the job they’ve done all season.”

Tissot has been the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR since 2006. The company is also the official timekeeper for a number of other sports, including the MotoGP World Championship, the Ice Hockey World Championship and the Cycling World Championship.

INSURANCE OFFICE OF AMERICA & MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING ANNOUNCE CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing and Insurance Office of America (IOA) today announced a corporate partnership agreement in which IOA becomes a partner of Michael Waltrip Racing. The agreement marks IOA’s debut in NASCAR.

The partnership between MWR and IOA is for an initial five-year term with a five-year option. In addition to the insurance brokerage services, the IOA program includes hospitality and intellectual property usage that IOA will add to its national branding campaign.

IOA’s program uses sports and entertainment as its lead platform for strategic growth. MWR joins a growing number of professional sports teams as IOA’s client, including partnerships with teams in the National Football League (Jaguars), National Basketball Association (Magic) National Hockey League (Devils) and the NCAA (University of Central Florida).

“This is an exciting time for IOA to enter into NASCAR. We look forward to working with Michael, (MWR Co-owner) Rob Kauffman and the entire team at MWR,” said IOA founder John Ritenour.

Chris Marciani, vice president of sales and service at Michael Waltrip Racing, said the team is honored IOA chose MWR as its first NASCAR team.

"We're glad IOA saw the value in MWR," said Marciani. "We're building a ton of momentum here and feel like IOA will serve as a valued partner in the coming years as we continue our growth."

Paul Garofolo of Premier Partnerships in Cleveland brokered the agreement. Premier Partnerships is an industry leading sports sales and consulting firm focused on revenue generation for facilities, events and properties. Premier Partnerships is based in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Dallas and Cleveland.

Insurance Office of America is one of the largest full service insurance agencies in the United States and is based in Longwood, Fla. a suburb of Orlando. Founded over 20 years ago by Chairman John Ritenour, IOA is among the fastest growing independent insurance agencies and is one of the largest, privately-held insurance agencies in the United States. IOA partners with many insurance companies which offer clients a wide choice of commercial insurance policies custom-tailored to the unique requirements of professional sports & entertainment properties.

MWR fields fulltime NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for Martin Truex Jr. 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 Nationwide entry for Trevor Bayne.

MWR Bristol Race Report

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

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished 17th and now 20th in points.

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann endured food poisoning on Friday then posted a second-place finish Saturday night in the 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Saturday marked the first time in his Sprint Cup career Reutimann earned a second-place finish. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver started fifth and raced in the top five throughout the night leading 25 laps around the 400-lap mark before Kyle Busch made the race winning pass with just 81 laps remaining. Reutimann held off Jamie McMurray in the closing laps to secure second place. Reutimann is 17th in points and 155 points out of the 12th and final Chase position with two races remaining. The Sprint Cup Series enjoys an off weekend before traveling to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 5.

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

Started fifth and finished second.

Reutimann led 25 laps and raced in the top five throughout the race.

Marked his first second-place finish in his Sprint Cup career.

17th in points—155 points behind Clint Bowyer in the final spot in the “Chase for the Championship.”

Fifth top-five of the season and 10th of his career.

Suffered from food poisoning on Friday. He and Aric Almirola shared driving duties in Friday practice.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: "(Crew Chief) Rodney Childers and the guys gave me exactly what I asked for tonight. All in all it was a great team effort by Michael Waltrip Racing this weekend. My team did a really good job. They had to work with two drivers on Friday with two different styles and they were able to make it work. We know we are capable of winning races. My team is an excellent team. We have some good race tracks coming up for us so we are going to keep digging and see how this thing turns out.”

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. and his Michael Waltrip Racing team recorded its 16th top-20 finish of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Truex started ninth and finished 17th. Truex raced in the top 10 for the first 200 laps but handling issues midway through the race halted progress. An inopportune caution put the team a lap down. Truex is now 20th in points. The Sprint Cup Series enjoys an off weekend before traveling to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 5.

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

Started ninth and finished 17th.

Climbed as high as fifth on lap 132.

Reported difficulty turning and dropped to 18th after the lap 200 restart.

Raced 17th at the lap 300 mark.

Pitted under green on lap 401, but nine laps later the caution came out dropping him down a lap.

Marked his 16th top-20 finish in 2010.


TRUEX QUOTE: "Our car was so unpredictable tonight for some reason. It would bounce so bad that I didn't know what it was going to do. It was just confusing. It went wrong for us somewhere after such a strong start. We'll figure it out and keep working on it."

RACE NOTES:

Kyle Busch led 284 of the 500 laps to claim the victory.

Became the first driver to win the truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup races in one weekend.

Reutimann, Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne rounded out top five.

There were seven cautions for 39 laps and 17 lead changes among nine leaders.

Average speed 99.077 mph with only 13 cars on lead lap at the end of the race.

Diamond-Waltrip Racing - Bristol Post Race

• Trevor Bayne, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota Camry - finished sixth - remains eighth in points.

Trevor Bayne Race Summary: No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota driver Trevor Bayne raced his way to a career-best finish of sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway. Before tonight the Diamond-Waltrip Racing drivers best finish at the ’Worlds Fastest Half-Mile’ was 23rd. The Knoxville, Tenn., native started 17th and quickly moved through the field. However, a ill-handling race car, along with some fender damage, forced the No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota to pit road more than his competitors. With just over 50 laps remaining, Bayne restarted 20th but he was able to slice his way to sixth before the checkered flag waved on lap 250. The solid top-10 finish allowed Bayne to remain eight in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship point standings. Next weekend the NNS travel north of the boarder to Montreal for the final road course event of the season.

TREVOR BAYNE, OUT! Pet Care Toyota

• Bayne started 17th and finished sixth

• This was Bayne’s seventh top-10 finish of the season and ninth of his career

• Bayne struggled with and ill-handling race car during the middle part of the race

• Bayne suffered left-front fender damage with just over 50 laps remaining in the race

• Bayne grabbed 13 spots in the closing laps to finish sixth

• In 39 starts, Bayne has four poles, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes

BAYNE QUOTE: “Not bad. We finally got a good finish at Bristol. We got a sixth-place finish. This team has so much momentum. When we finish sixth now we feel like it’s a 15th back in the day. We’re like, ‘Man, we’re so ready to get into the top-three or victory lane.’ It was an awesome Out! Pet Care Toyota today. A little bit tight and that’s what we fought all day. It seemed like we dropped back quite a bit, but we got through the field at the end and got a sixth-place finish.”

NNS Racing Results

• Kyle Busch won the Food City 250, his 40th victory in 193 NNS races

• This is this 10th victory and 17th top-10 finish in 2010. This is his second victory and 10th top10 finish in 13 races at Bristol Motor Speedway

• Jason Leffler (second) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 15 races at BMS

• Elliott Sadler, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edward rounded out the top five

• The race featured 10 lead changes among six drivers. Cautions slowed the race eight time for 48 laps.

• NASCAR estimated 112,000 race fans in attendance at Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway - Qualifying Report

Bristol Motor Speedway Qualifying Results

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

Friday Recap

• Jimmie Johnson won the Coors Light Pole Award—his first of the season and first at Bristol.
• Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart rounded out top three.
• Point leader Kevin Harvick will start 28th
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 22nd
• Saturday’s race begins at 7 p.m. (Eastern) on ABC-TV, PRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

DAVID REUTIMANN — “It was a good lap. The guys did a really, really good job all day having to work with two different drivers. (Aric) Almirola helped us out a lot today and I have to thank him. Rodney Childers (crew chief) and all my guys, they hustled. We weren’t that good in our mock qualifying runs, but the car was a lot better. I owe a lot to those guys. Those guys hustled and made all those changes to get two drivers in and out. I didn’t make it easy for them today, but I appreciate all they do.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR. — “Our lap was pretty good. An early draw is obviously not what we wanted but I felt pretty good about the lap. It’s a good pick up from practice. We had a really good practice in our NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. We weren’t the fastest on the quick lap, but on the long runs, we were really good. I think we’ll be pretty good for tomorrow night. I’m pretty happy with the changes we made right there. Turns 1 and 2 were really good. We were a little bit too loose in Turns 3 and 4 with the sun on it. We’ll just have to wait and see what the draw will do. All and all, it was a good pick up for us -- a good lap and a good job by the NAPA Know How crew.”

AAA MID-ATLANTIC & MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP ON MARTIN TRUEX’S NO. 56 TOYOTA

AAA MID-ATLANTIC & MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP ON MARTIN TRUEX’S NO. 56 TOYOTA

DOVER, Del. – Michael Waltrip Racing announced today AAA Mid-Atlantic will join Martin Truex Jr. ’s No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota as an associate sponsor at the Sept. 26 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.

The company’s decal will adorn the No. 56 Toyota’s lower quarter panels during the AAA 400 at the Monster Mile.

In addition, AAA will be conducting the AAA Ultimate Monster Mile Sweepstakes which will include heavy involvement from Michael Waltrip Racing, especially Truex. The winner of the month-long sweepstakes will receive four tickets to the AAA 400, a meet and greet with Truex along with garage access passes, a pre-race tour of the No. 56 hauler, a pre-race meal with the Michael Waltrip Racing Team and participation in the pre-race driver introductions. Truex will record radio spots and AAA plans to feature the No. 56 Toyota in promotional collateral.

AAA Mid-Atlantic is based in Wilmington, Delaware, and serves nearly four million members in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia, with personal insurance, financial, automotive and travel services through 53 retail branches, regional operations centers and the Internet, at aaa.com/community

Company officials said it is no coincidence Truex, a Mayetta, N.J. native, will carry the AAA Mid-Atlantic decals.

“Our area of the country is very passionate about racing particularly NASCAR,” said Matthew Haas, Director, Partnership & Event Marketing, AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Sunday’s race in Dover is one of the biggest sporting events of the year and we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to add to the excitement of the AAA 400 by supporting one of our own in Martin Truex Jr. We have a lot of AAA members in the area who are big supporters of the Truex family.”

Truex said he appreciated the support.

“A lot of people don’t realize the amount of interest in racing in this area,” said the 30-year-old Truex whose father Martin raced and whose younger brother Ryan is a champion driver for MWR. “Dover is as close (about 150 miles) to my hometown in New Jersey as we get so it’s always a special weekend for me when we go there.”

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.


ESPN will broadcast the race at 1 p.m.



Contact: Eric Goldscher, Aquarius Sports & Entertainment 240-547-3483

Contact: Matthew Haas, AAA Mid-Atlantic 302-299-4434

David Reutimann - Bristol Motor Speedway Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann knows he has a lot of ground to make up in a very short amount of time to earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series “Chase for the Championship.” With races remaining at Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond, Reutimann finds himself 18th in points trailing the top-12 by 165 points. But Reutimann and the Michael Waltrip Racing crew have reason for optimism. In the spring races at both Bristol and Atlanta, Reutimann raced in the top-five chasing down the leaders before mechanical problems ended both races early. He recorded a 15th-place finish at Richmond after starting second.

QUOTES

ON THE FINAL THREE RACES BEFORE THE CHASE CUT OFF: “I love Bristol! I love Atlanta. Richmond is one of those places that I really like, we’ve struggled a little bit there, but I do like the racetrack. We have some good racetracks coming up for us. I’m looking forward to getting back to the mile-and-a-half at Atlanta. We had a really good run going there earlier this year, but again, we didn’t get the finish we would have liked. We had two great races going earlier this year at Bristol and Atlanta, but ended the race early due to some issues that forced us behind the wall. I was second at Bristol and hanging around the top-five at Atlanta and we weren’t able to finish either of those races – so I’d like to get back there and run the way I know we are capable of running. We have a great team. The guys on the No. 00 have been working hard and I know we have some good cars capable of running up front. Hopefully we’ll see that again in these last three races before the (Chase) cutoff.”

SATURDAY’S RACE AT BRISTOL: “We had an excellent Aaron’s Dream Machine our first trip to Bristol this year – probably the best car we’ve ever had there. It didn’t turn out the way we’d of liked, but I know that we’re going to have a good car this time around. Goodyear’s got a little different tire this time, but in our business you can never just go back with the exact same stuff and expect to run well. That never seems to work – you always have to constantly evolve and change this up. I feel good about going back there this time – I’m pretty excited about it because we’ve struggled a little bit lately.”

No. 00 TEAM PERFORMANCE SINCE WINNING CHICAGO: “Honestly, we just haven’t been very good. Since our Chicago win the rest of our races have been pretty disappointing. We just have to get back on our game and start running like we are capable of doing. That’s really the long and short of it. I know everybody is working really, really hard, but sometimes things just don’t go your way. Things haven’t gone our way. I know that we’re a much better team than where we’re running right now, and that makes it even worse. We’ll get back on the other side of it. Hopefully we’ll do it at Bristol this week.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Reutimann chose “The Game” by Motorhead as his introduction song prior to Saturday night’s race. Motörhead is a British rock power trio well-known in the professional wrestling community for performing “The Game” as the entrance music for popular WWE wrestler Triple H.

• Reutimann has finished on the lead lap in 18 of 20 races that he was running at the finish and 18 out of 23 total races in 2010. He has finished 20th or better in 16 of the 20 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 12 of the 20. Reutimann has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five races in 2010.

• Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10. The Sprint Cup Series win is his first of the season and second of his career. Reutimann led 52 laps in the win — the second highest total of any race in his career (Best, 104 laps at Richmond in fall 2008).

Martin Truex Jr. Bristol Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. and the NAPA Know How team visit Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night for one of the most exciting races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing team’s string of recent success includes scoring the 12th-most points in the last five races including two top-10 finishes in the last three events. Truex said nearly every driver and all fans enjoy races on the half-mile track that celebrates its 100th Sprint Cup race this weekend.

 

Truex is busy off the track as well this week. Today, he launched the Martin Truex Jr. Authentics website www.mtjauthentics.com for NASCAR fans and outdoor enthusiasts. The website includes hunting and fishing tips from Truex plus recommended products.

 

QUOTES

 

TRUEX ON RACING AT BRISTOL: “Bristol is one of those tracks that I think all of us like no matter where we grew up racing. The NAPA team had a good run there back in March and in 2004, I won my first Nationwide Series race there. I’ve always enjoyed racing there especially after they redid the concrete and the banking. It’s a lot of fun to race on because you can go two, three wide. You can also run the top groove now so it’s a lot more fun to drive. I just enjoy having options. If your car isn’t working right on the bottom, you can try going high and maybe pick up three or four-tenths a lap. Who wouldn’t like to be able to do that? It also creates great racing for the fans.”

 

CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON BRISTOL: “Bristol is a little harder on crew chiefs because we don’t have as much time to think about things. My job is to watch and base decisions on what is right for the team and what most teams will do. Lately, Bristol has seen a lot of long, green-flag runs. It has changed a lot as far as how the race is run. Our NAPA team has been really running well starting in May. We should have more points, but there were some races where something happened that was out of our control. Our goal for this race is to win, obviously, or at least leave with another top-10.”

 

ON MTJAUTHENTICS.COM: "I'm really excited to create a place for people like me who enjoy NASCAR, hunting and fishing. It should be a good place to interact online. I'll be visiting the site a lot to upload my personal hunting and fishing pictures, give fans a few tips and feature products that work for me."

NOTES OF INTEREST

 

Saturday night is Truex’s 177th Sprint Cup Series race and 10th at the 0.533-mile track. His best start (March 16, 2008) and finish (Aug. 25, 2007) is 11th. During his Cup career, Truex has earned three top–15 and five top-25 finishes at BMS. His average start is 19th and his average finish is 24th. In Nationwide Series competition, Truex has one victory, one top-five and four top-10 finishes.

Crew Chief Pat Tryson called the winning race at Bristol back on March 25, 2001 with driver Elliott Sadler.

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.

 

Don’t be left out. Over 10,000 fans have taken 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.

Trevor Bayne - Bristol Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — When Trevor Bayne visited Bristol Motor Speedway in March his goal was to log laps and finish the race. When the Knoxville native fires up his No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide race he’ll be disappointed with any finish outside the top five. That’s a measure of the progress made by the 19-year-old Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver in his first full season in the series. Only two drivers have scored more points than Bayne over the last five races and no Nationwide only driver has outscored Bayne. During those five races Bayne owns three poles, three top-five, four top-15 finishes and led 95 laps.


QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE ON THE PAST FIVE RACES: “We’ve had a lot of success the past month or two. I think Jerry Baxter (crew chief) and I are really starting to gel. We have been able to bring really fast race cars to the track each week. We have been able to unload really fast so we aren’t spending all practice chasing our tails. I also think it helps that we are starting to go back to tracks that I have raced on before. I know what I need in the car to run up front. It’s been really cool to race against some of the veterans of the sport lately. I think I have started to prove myself to them and they are starting to show me some respect.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS TRACK POSITION AT BRISTOL? “Track position is huge at Bristol. Before they repaved the track you stayed single-file and had room to move or bump people out of the way. Now when they’re two and three wide, you can get shuffled out in a hurry. We need to qualify well. That will help us stay out of all the havoc that happens in the middle of the pack. They race like maniacs in the back of the pack. You can go a lap down pretty quick at Bristol so you really want to stay with the leaders and stay out of trouble.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Diamond-Waltrip Racing is owned by Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing. It 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.

• In the last five races, Bayne has led 95 laps – third most of any driver in the series and the most of any NASCAR Nationwide Series only driver (See Sidebar). He is one of four NNS only drivers (Allgaier– 2, Braun– 1, Leffler– 1) to lead laps over the last five races.

• Bayne started 26th and finished 23rd in his first career NNS start at Bristol in March 2009.

• The 19-year-old driver is no rookie to BMS. He has six career starts at the .533-mile oval with his best finish of third coming behind the wheel of a USAR Pro Cup Series car in 2007. Additionally, in 2006, Bayne led the USAR field with 15 laps remaining but finished outside the top 20 after a spin.

• Bayne owns 38 NNS starts. He has four poles (Indianapolis –2009, 2010, Gateway—2010 and Iowa 2010), four top-fives and eight top-10s and has led 129 laps. His best finish (third) came at Gateway International Raceway on July 17.

• The Knoxville native will sign autographs at the Food City Race Night. He will be at the Knoxville Expo Center on Wednesday 6–8 p.m. The Diamond-Waltrip driver will also be at State Street in Bristol on Thursday 5–6 p.m.

MWR Michigan Race Report

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


David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished 16th-now 18th in points.



Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: Martin Truex Jr. and the NAPA racing team finished eighth in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway marking the sixth top-10 finish in 2010 for the Michael Waltrip Racing team. The Mayetta, N.J., native started ninth and raced in the top 12 for most of the race. During a caution with about 45 laps to go, Crew chief Pat Tryson kept Truex on the track while most of the frontrunners pitted. The NAPA Toyota restarted second then quickly took the lead on the restart and stayed at the front of the field for five laps. Truex pitted during the following caution and battled his way to eighth when the checkered flag waved. Truex remains 20th in the point standings. The Sprint Cup series returns to action Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.



MARTIN TRUEX JR.: "Overall it was a good day for the NAPA Toyota. Pat (Tryson, crew chief) did a really good job calling the race. We stayed out that one time and got track position and then were able to get our four tires and we were able to stay up there. We had a really good car on the long run. It took us a while to get going on the short run and that hurt us. We were as good as anyone on the long run. It just took us too long. It's something to work with. We were a lot better than we were here last time. The guys are working good and making the cars better and we feel good about that."



Truex Notes:

Truex started ninth and finished eighth—now 20th in points.

The No. 56 climbed from ninth to fifth in the early going.

On lap 83 the No. 56 dropped from ninth to 20th due to a loose handling condition.

The NAPA team tried several adjustments over the next 75 laps to tighten the car.

On lap 154 Truex stayed out under caution and restarted second.

Truex grabbed the lead on the restart then led laps 160-164— upping his total to 13 for the 2010 season.

Owns six top-10 finishes in 23 starts completing 96 percent of the laps.



David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann spent most of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway adjusting to the constantly changing track conditions before earning a hard fought 16th-place finish. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver moved from 14th to 10th in the first 60 laps, but struggled with the balance of the racecar as the day progressed. The No. 00 team stayed out to gain track position on lap 159, but a series of quick cautions dropped Reutimann to 19th at the final restart on lap 172. Reutimann raced his way to 16th before the checked flag flew on lap 200. Reutimann remains 18th in the point standings, trailing the top 12 by 165 points with three races remaining before the Chase cutoff. The series returns to action Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.



DAVID REUTIMANN: “We just fought it all day today. We’d work to correct one thing and it would hurt something else. We tried some pit strategy by staying out late in the race to gain some track position, but really we just did the best we could with the Aaron’s Dream Machine. The track conditions were tough today, but on a day like today you just do what you can to gain every position. We’ll take it and head to Bristol.”



Reutimann Notes:

Reutimann started 14th and finished 16th.

The No. 00 raced its way from 14th to 10th in the first 60 laps

The Aaron’s Dream Machine struggled with a tight center, loose off handling condition

The No. 00 fell a lap down during a green flag stop on lap 135, but raced back to the lead lap within seven laps.

Reutimann stayed out under caution on lap 159 to restart fourth.

Reutimann restarted 19th on the final restart on lap 172 and improved to 16th when the race ended.



RACE NOTES:

Kevin Harvick recorded his third win of the year.

Harvick is the first driver to clinch a berth in the Chase for the Championship

Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.

Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 293 over Jeff Gordon

Race took 2 hours, 46 minutes and 38 seconds and included five cautions for 25 laps.

There were nine leaders and 17 lead changes.

NASCAR estimated the race attendance at 105,000 fans.

Diamond Waltrip/Michael Waltrip Racing Michigan Nationwide Report

Diamond Waltrip Racing’s Trevor Bayne, driving the No. 99 Out Pet Care Toyota finished 11th—stays eighth in points.

Michael Waltrip Racing’s Ryan Truex, driver of the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry - finished 12th.

Trevor Bayne Race Summary: No. 99 Out Pet Care Toyota driver Trevor Bayne posted an 11th-place finish Saturday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway. The 19-year-old Diamond-Waltrip driver appeared destined for a top-three finish, but a caution in the final laps jumbled the field. Bayne pitted for four tires while some stayed on the track. He restarted the race 14th with less than 10 laps remaining. Bayne raced up to 11th when the checkered flag fell. Bayne remained eighth in points. The Nationwide Series returns to action Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bayne started 8th then climbed into the top five by lap 50.

Bayne was one of the fastest cars on the track especially on long green flag runs.

Moved into the top three and raced third with 12 laps left in the race when the caution fell.

Pitted for four tires and restarted the race in 14th place.

Fought for clean air on the restart and climbed to 11th when checked flag fell.

BAYNE QUOTE: “We had a really good Out! Pet Care Camry today and were able to run up front all afternoon. It was a really tough call by Jerry (Baxter, crew chief) there at the end. We really thought that four tires would give us what we needed to get up front, but other guys only took two tires and that was the difference. We ran well all weekend and I think we had a car that could have finished in the top-five.”

Ryan Truex Race Summary: No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex qualified second and raced in the top 10 most of the race before finishing 12th in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway. The 18-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing driver ran in the top three the first 40 laps of the race outrunning Sprint Cup stars like Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. A tight handling condition in the second half of the race prevented Truex from maintaining his pace, but he never ventured far outside the top 10. Truex makes his third Nationwide appearance at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10.

Truex qualified second in just his second NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

Truex ran second for the first 45 laps of the race.

Remained in the top ten through the first 100 laps as he battled a tight handling condition.

Brother Martin Truex Jr. sat on Ryan’s pit box and gave advice over the team radio throughout the race.

Saturday’s race marked Truex’s second of six scheduled 2010 Nationwide races.

Truex’s next Nationwide appearance is at Richmond on Sept. 10.

RYAN TRUEX: “It was a lot of fun. We had a good car. We were running with the 22 (Brad Keselowski) there at the beginning. We made a pit stop and with this car being new and us never running it before we weren’t sure about adjustments. We made an adjustment and it just didn’t agree with the car. We learned for next time. At the end there we got it better and we were running up there. I had a lot of fun and have to thank NAPA and Tow Truck in a Box for helping me out this weekend and this team for giving me a good car. I think me and Trevor (Bayne) finished right in front of each other. It was a fun day and a lot of fun racing. I learned a lot for next time.”

How much did your brother help you this weekend? “He taught me pretty much everything I used in the race. He’s been a lot of help and he was talking to me during the race and telling me what to do. He’s definitely been a big help. It’s been a fun weekend and I’m just happy we got out of here in one piece.”

Did you have any nervous moments in the race? “That last restart when that car blew up in front of me, I thought that race was over. I was dead sideways and I thought I was plowing into the wall. Somehow got through it, but that cost us a couple spots. It is what it is and I had a lot of fun. Happy to have the car in one piece and have a decent run.”

RACE NOTES:

Brad Keselowski won his fourth race of the season.

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch rounded out the top three.

There were two cautions for nine laps.

The 1 hour and 39 minute race saw 11 lead changes among seven drivers.

NASCAR estimated 40,000 attended the race.

Michael Waltrip Racing - Michigan International Speedway Qualifying Report

Martin Truex Jr. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota — qualified ninth.
David Reutimann¬—No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota — qualified 14th.

Friday Recap

• Kasey Kahne won the Coors Light Pole Award—his second of the season.
• Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer rounded out top three.
• Point leader Kevin Harvick will start eighth
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 37th
• Sunday’s race begins at 1 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.— ON QUALIFYING LAP: “It was a good pick up from practice so that is what you are always look-ing for is to better yourself. The guys did a good job making adjustments. I felt good about the car in practice. We were just off a little bit in three and four. We were too loose down there in practice and they actually got it a little too tight down there now. They did a good job adjusting, we just missed it a little bit today. Real happy with the effort and that was a good qualifying run for us.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO WORK ON FOR PRACTICE TOMORROW? “Here, just grip. Long runs here and the tires wear out then it gets really, really slick. It was slick today, it will be worse tomorrow, it always is. Just work on getting the car driving decent and being good on long runs. That’s usually what it takes to be good here.”

DAVID REUTIMANN—ON QUALIFYING LAP: “We were loose coming to the green and I think that cost us some in getting up to speed. We were better than we were in practice, but we were still a fair way off from where we need to be. Just have to see how it stacks up.”

HOW MUCH DOES THIS TRACK CHANGE FROM JUNE TO AUGUST? “It doesn’t really matter – it seems to be the same from year to year. It just depends on what the temperature is and how much cloud cover there is and stuff like that. It doesn’t really seem to matter when, it just seems to matter what the temperatures are.”

Trevor Bayne - Michigan Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — A past champion and a potential champion have enjoyed a pretty good streak of racing lately. Since No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota driver Trevor Bayne came under the tutelage of his “driving coach” Johnny Benson in late July, Bayne has captured two poles and two top-five finishes as well as moved up three spots to eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings.


Benson, the 1995 Nationwide Series and 2008 Craftsman Truck champion, will race his late model at area short tracks this weekend so he won’t attend Saturday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. The pair plan several phone conversations throughout the weekend to help speed the 19-year-old’s learning curve on the two-mile oval. Saturday marks the first race for the Nationwide Series’ new car on an intermediate track. The Diamond-Waltrip Racing team will test at MIS on Thursday, practice Friday, qualify and race Saturday.

QUOTES

DRIVING COACH JOHNNY BENSON ON WORKING WITH TREVOR BAYNE: “Trevor has done a tremendous job for Diamond-Waltrip Racing this season. They brought me on board to help him with a few things where my experience could help him move on a little quicker. Trevor has been great to work with so far and you can tell he is a really good kid. What I am really impressed with is his willingness to listen to what you want him to do. He will go out on the track and try anything that I want him to do. I think that really says a lot about him as a person. A lot of young kids don’t like to take advice from people and he has been real receptive. I think the way he takes things and how quickly he learns from his mistakes are going to be a huge positive for him now and in the future.”

CREW CHIEF JERRY BAXTER ON THE ADDTION OF JOHNNY BENSON: “Johnny has been a great asset to the team since we hired him a month or so ago. He is the first person that has focused on Trevor from a driver’s perspective. David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. try to help Trevor as much as they can but they just don’t have the time to focus 100 percent on him. If we would have had Johnny in February, Trevor would be light years ahead of where he is right now. Johnny helps Trevor stay focused and helps him relay what needs to be fixed about the car. I also think Trevor has done a great job in trusting Johnny and taking all his advice.”

TREVOR BAYNE ON RACING THE NEW CAR AT MICHIGAN: “I’m actually pretty excited about it more so than the current style cars. That’s because I have the opportunity to drive for a team at Diamond-Waltrip Racing that has the affiliation with a Cup team (Michael Waltrip Racing) under the same roof. We can feed off them. MWR’s COT program in the Cup series has been really strong here lately. David Reutimann won at Chicago and they’ve been running top-five almost every weekend. I’m actually pretty excited about it. We got to go test our car at Milwaukee and we ran with the current style cars. We were just as quick so I know that the new cars are going to be fast and have a little bit more drag. They’re going to be a handful. It’s going to separate the boys from the men a little bit. I love how you have to hustle them. It’s fun.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Bayne started second and finished 30th in June at MIS—his lone appearance at the track.

• Bayne will hold a media availability session in the media center on Thursday at 12:10 p.m.

• Diamond-Waltrip Racing is owned by Gary and Blake Bechtel along with Michael Waltrip Racing. It 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 37 NNS starts. He has four poles (Indianapolis –2009, 2010, Gateway—2010 and Iowa 2010), four top-fives and eight top-10s and has led 129 laps. His best finish (third) came at Gateway International Raceway on July 17.

• Bayne continues to remain consistent in his qualifying efforts over his first 36 starts. During his short career, the Knoxville, Tenn., native has grabbed four poles (Indianapolis –2, Gateway - 1 and Iowa-1), 11 top-five and 20 top-10 starting positions. He boasts an 11.3 starting average and has only started 11 races outside the top 15

Martin Truex Jr. Michigan 2 Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — NAPA Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. visits Michigan International Speedway after enjoying three days of smallmouth bass and salmon fishing at one of his favorite fishing holes in Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Mich. The welcomed break comes after last weekend’s 15th-place finish at Watkins Glen International, his 10th top-15 of the season, and a trip to Philadelphia to throw out the first pitch at the Phillies-Mets game.

 

The 30-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native likes his chances this weekend and expects to improve upon his 17th-place finish at MIS on June 13. He and Crew Chief Pat Tryson should excel as the pair visit tracks for the second time together this season. Twelve of the final 14 races are at venues that have hosted a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 2010.

 

QUOTES

 

TRUEX ON FISHING IN MICHIGAN: “This is the second time this season that I have come up here to take a break from it all and just fish. I absolutely love it because I enjoy the challenge of catching fish. Since I was a little kid I loved to fish. For me, it’s all about the catch and the challenge of finding the fish and making them bite when they don’t want to bite.”

ON ATTENDING SATURDAY’S PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES GAME: “I have thrown out a pitch before, but I did it along with five or six other guys. This time it was just me and it was a real honor to do it. It was a packed house at the Citizens Bank Park. I did not realize it, but it was Toyota Phillies Alumni Night! I literally walked out onto the field with 40 players from the Phillies past and it included Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Jim Bunning! It was such an added bonus for me to experience that.”

 

ON RETURNING TO MICHIGAN: “I absolutely expect the NAPA team to be even better now that we are returning to tracks for a second time. We’ve learned a lot as a new team and are bringing back even better NAPA Toyotas. Sometimes it’s not a matter of what to do but what not to do based on what we’ve learned. I expect nothing but good things because with this being me and Pat’s first year together, we finally have a book of notes to work off of so it will be an advantage for us.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

 

• Sunday is Truex’s 176th Sprint Cup Series race and 10th at Michigan International Speedway. His best start of fifth came last season (Aug. 16). In 2007, he recorded back-to-back second-place finishes at the two-mile oval. He’s earned two top-five, two-top 10 and seven top-25 finishes. His average start is 14th and average finish is 17th. He has run 1,726 of 1,735 laps of competition (99.5%) and has led a total of 54 laps in competition.

 

• In his first race at MIS driving the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota, Truex started 13th and finished 17th.

• 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.

• Don’t be left out. Over 10,000 fans have taken 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 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

• Check out Martin’s trip to the Philadelphia Phillies game: http://tiny.cc/l526n