Waltrip To Race In The Dubai 24 Hour Sportscar Race

CORNELIUS, N.C. – With more than 1,000 races in a quarter-century’s worth of NASCAR experience, you would think it would take a lot to get Michael Waltrip excited about an off-season race.

But Waltrip can’t wait for his first foray into the world of international sports car racing when the two-time Daytona 500 champion competes in the fifth-annual Dubai 24 Hour sportscar race at the ultra-modern Dubai Autodrome on January 14-16.

“I love racing cars,” said Waltrip. “The Daytona 500 is the ultimate race for a NASCAR driver to win. But how cool is it to go to Dubai on the other side of the globe and race a Ferrari? I never thought I’d have a chance to be part of such a unique experience.”

The Ferrari Waltrip refers to is a Ferrari F430 GT2 of the AF Corse team co-owned by Rob Kauffman who will be sharing driving duties with Waltrip, Marcos Ambrose, Rui Aguas and Niki Cadei.

Kauffman is also a co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing which fields NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries for Waltrip, Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann. The Waltrip team has a technical alliance with Ambrose’s team JTG Daugherty Racing.

Waltrip and Kauffmann tested the Ferrari at the ACI Vallelunga circuit in Italy. Success at the test led the pair to review options for sports car races around the world before deciding to race in Dubai.

The 3.5-mile track at the Dubai Autodrome is one of the most modern in the world; it is also one of the most challenging, as it has a combination of high-speed straights and technical corners.

The race expects to start about 80 GT and touring cars.

“I have always thought of myself as a pretty good road racer,” said Waltrip owns two top-five finishes in NASCAR road races. “But, this is different. This is an endurance race. This is 24 hours, not the normal three-hour NASCAR race.”

Race fans can track Waltrip’s progress during the race on his Twitter account MWR55 and watch video updates at www.youtube.com/24hafcorse

“I can’t Twitter while I’m competing during a NASCAR race, but I bet I can during this one,” said Waltrip who plans to keep fans in touch with in-race updates during driving breaks. “While I am on the other side the globe, I don’t plan on leaving my fans hanging.”

Track action starts on Thursday, Jan. 14, with practice, qualifying and night practice. The 24-hour race will start on Friday Jan. 15 at 2 pm.

Michael Prepares for SOUND AND SPEED

AARON’S, INC. TO CELEBRATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING TEAM WITH COMMEMORATIVE NASCAR PAINT SCHEME

ATLANTA (Jan. 7, 2010) – Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN) is already a winner when it comes to this year’s BCS National Championship football game between the University of Alabama and the University of Texas. As a corporate sponsor of both universities’ athletic programs, Aaron’s is guaranteed a victory no matter which team wins tonight’s game and will create a celebratory race program for the winning school that incorporates Aaron’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team.

Aaron’s plans to produce a special National Championship paint scheme that will be featured on their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecar driven by David Reutimann. If the University of Texas wins, the Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) No. 00 Sprint Cup Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota will sport the UT burnt orange and official national championship logo at Texas Motor Speedway April 18. If the University of Alabama collects the victory, the car will feature ‘Bama’s famed crimson along with the championship logo in the Aaron’s 499 race at Talladega Superspeedway April 25.

“Aaron’s is in a unique position to be able to commemorate the achievements of this year’s national football champion with our racecar program,” stated Robin Loudermilk, Chief Executive Officer of Aaron’s, Inc. “We look forward to unveiling this racecar during a celebration on campus just before it goes to the racetrack to compete. We can’t think of a better way to honor the winning team’s achievements.”

“This paint scheme is going to be a huge hit with fans, and it’s a privilege for me to be able to drive this car,” said driver David Reutimann. “But the pressure is going to be on me to win. Aaron’s is in a ‘no-lose’ situation with these two great football teams, so I am going to have to get this car to victory lane to keep the winning going.”

The racecar program will be supported with a traveling showcar that will make appearances at Aaron’s stores throughout the winning state weeks before and after the race. Aaron’s is also making available a limited edition line of collectable merchandise that will include a 1/24-scale die cast replica of the racecar and a racing t-shirt. The merchandise will be available exclusively at Aaron’s stores in the winning state, the winning university’s bookstores, the MWR trackside merchandise trailer and at www.shopaarons.com.

About Aaron’s, Inc.

Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has more than 1,695 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron’s has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.aaronsinc.com.

Waltrip Prepares for Dubai 24 Hour Endurance Race

By Jeff Gluck (special contributor to MWR.com)

Michael Waltrip, meet His Highness the Sheikh.

Those aren’t two people who usually run in the same circles, but there’s a chance such an introduction could take place next week when Waltrip travels to Dubai to race sports cars.

Yes, the Kentucky kid who became a two-time Daytona 500 winner and NASCAR team owner is about to make his first foray to the Middle East.

And he couldn’t be happier about it.

“I can’t wait to see how it all goes,” said Waltrip, his voice sounding enthusiastic and excited over the phone. “I’m just really honored to get the chance to see it.”

Waltrip, along with fellow NASCAR competitor Marcos Ambrose, Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman and two sports car regulars, will enter the GT2 class of the 24 Hours of Dubai sports car race in a Ferrari.

How exactly Waltrip came to drive a Ferrari in the United Arab Emirates is a story that began, predictably, far from the NASCAR world. After all, there aren’t too many Sprint Cup regulars who have ever even been to the Middle East, let alone raced there.

In the spring of 2008, Waltrip traveled to Italy to visit Kauffman, who had bought half of MWR and become the team’s co-owner the previous fall. Kauffman, who splits his time between various countries, showed Waltrip a couple Ferraris from the sports car team he fields in Europe.

“We took ‘em out driving one day and I said, ‘We should race one of these suckers,’” Waltrip said. “They were so fun to drive. I guess there’s a speed limit, but if you’re driving a Ferrari they don’t seem to care how fast you go. It’s really funny, because people get out of your way. It’s like people respect that car.”

So when it came time to talk with Kauffman about Waltrip’s 2010 plans – including the semi-retirement from Sprint Cup racing – Waltrip brought up the idea of driving a Ferrari again.

Kauffman agreed to let Waltrip give it a try, so the 46-year-old returned to Italy last September. He left Richmond and flew to Rome for a two-day test at the Autodromo di Vallelunga.

“I basically had one goal on the plane on the way over there, and that was I wasn’t the one that crashed the Ferrari,” Waltrip said. “The funny part was, the race car driver in me started coming out after four or five laps and I forgot my goal of trying not to wreck the car and I started trying to see how fast I could go. That’s pretty typical, I guess.”

But Waltrip didn’t wreck the car – he said he never even spun out or went off the track – and posted competitive times with a factory driver by the end of the test.

Waltrip said he was amazed by how scientific and technical the cars were. Drivers can adjust brakes and traction control from inside the vehicle, and a quarter-turn of adjustment makes a difference where it might take three or four turns for a similar change in a Cup car.

At first, he said they considered running the Rolex 24 at Daytona. But Dubai seemed like it would be a “unique experience,” Waltrip said.

“I have my eyes wide open,” he said. “I really don’t know what to expect, from something as simple as how practice is formatted or how much time we spend at the track.

“I’ve been studying the race track – I wanted to make sure I knew where all the corners were. I felt like that would probably be pretty important.”

Waltrip is also excited about a trip to the Arab world – an area of which he said he knows little but has been curious about.

"As far as going to that country and learning about their culture, I’m really excited about it," he said. "I’m just going to learn and look. I picked Dubai because of the country itself, but after our test and how good Rob did in his race, I’m really looking forward to trying to win. That would be the ultimate."

If this race goes well, Waltrip said he and Kauffman could even try the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he said would be "amazing."

Not that this trip isn't amazing in itself.

“One of the Daytona 500 winners is going to get to compete in a Ferrari in Dubai,” Waltrip said. “I don’t take that responsibility lightly, and I’m going to do my best to represent the NASCAR world with trying to win the race.”

Happy Holidays to my WALNUTZ!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

East Champ Truex Commits To NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown

Three-Time 2009 Winner To Make Irwindale Debut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2009) – NASCAR Camping World Series East Champion Ryan Truex is the first driver to confirm his intention to compete in the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Jan. 29-30 in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

“I'm really excited about the Showdown,” Truex said. “You're racing against some of the best drivers in the country. All of those guys can drive and they have the records to prove it. If you win the Showdown, you can say you've beaten the best of the best.”

The seventh running of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, which brings together the top racers from across North America for the ”Daytona 500 of short-track racing,” will be highlighted by the 225-lap Camping World Series all-star race. Each race winner during the 2009 Camping World Series season is eligible for a protected starting spot, as are the 2009 champions from each of NASCAR’s six regional touring series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion.

Truex, a development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, registered three wins and eight top 10s during the 2009 Camping World Series East season. He became just the second driver in series history, along with Joey Logano, to win the title and Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.

Logano followed up his 2007 championship season by winning the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, something Truex hopes to replicate.

“I've never raced at Irwindale before, so that adds another level of excitement for me,” Truex said. “Everyone talks about how great the track is, so I can't wait to get the NAPA Auto Parts Camry out there and see what we can do.”

The No. 00 Toyota will have a new look for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown as team owner Michael Waltrip wanted to do something special for the event. The all-white car Truex ran during the 2009 season will be transformed to blue for Irwindale, with a paint scheme that NAPA and MWR are currently designing.

Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., plans to return to the Camping World Series East in 2010 to defend his title. MWR also intends to enter him in select NASCAR Nationwide Series races during the second half of the 2010 season. Truex does not turn 18 until next March.

In addition to eligible 2009 race winners and series champions, the starting lineup for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown will be determined through time trials, limited provisionals for Camping World Series regulars, and the last-chance "Open" race that provides drivers one final chance to make the grid.

The 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown schedule also includes 100-lap Whelen All-American Series Super Late Model and 75-lap Late Model races. Both nights of racing will air on SPEED.

For more information, contact:

Jason Cunningham, NASCAR Public Relations