Martin Truex Jr. Watkins Glen Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — As a youngster, Martin Truex Jr. dreamed of two professions— race car driving and playing baseball. He’ll live both dreams this weekend. The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver plans to take batting practice and throw out the first pitch before the Saturday’s Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets baseball game. The 30-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native is an avid Philadelphia sports fan supporting the Eagles, Flyers and Phillies. Truex attended Games 3, 4 and 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals as well as the Flyers’ conference final against Montreal hours after the May Dover race.

The Michael Waltrip Racing driver also has plenty of racing business to take care of this weekend. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits the historic road course of Watkins Glen International where Truex owns two top-six finishes in his four career starts. Last week at Pocono, Truex finished ninth—his fifth top-10 of the 2010 season.

QUOTES

TRUEX ON ATTENDING SATURDAY’S PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES GAME: “It’s going to be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to throwing out the first pitch. I’ve got a good arm so I’m not really nervous and as of right now, I’m not going to practice. I’m willing to take the risk. I’m very aware that if I don't throw it across the plate or in the strike zone, I’m going to get booed. It’s just part of the deal. I also really can’t wait to see the Philly Phanatic. He’s hilarious! I’ve been to a lot of Philadelphia Phillies games over the years and two years ago I got to attend Game 5 of the World Series. It was rained out so I didn’t get to see them finish the deal off, but I still had a great time.”

ON RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: “I’ve had some great runs at Watkins Glen in the past. Of the two road courses we go to, Watkins Glen has produced better results for me. Earlier this year, the NAPA team ran really well at Infineon Raceway. We had a top-three going until we got wrecked so we didn’t get the finish we wanted or deserved. But we had a very strong car and I think Michael Waltrip Racing’s road course program is really strong. I think a lot of that credit goes to Marcos Ambrose. He’s done a lot of testing and the experience he has brought to the table with the setups and feedback have been great. I am really looking forward to the race. I think our NAPA Toyota will be good. I really love the track so hopefully it will be a really great weekend. I think we have a good chance at being up front and challenge for the win.”

ON THE NAPA TEAM’S TOP-10 FINISH AT POCONO: “It is so nice to get a top-10 under us because the last few weeks we have had really strong cars, but haven’t delivered the good finishes. If we can continue to do this and take advantage of having really good cars then this NAPA team will be in good shape.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

Sunday is Truex’s 175th Sprint Cup Series race and fifth at Watkins Glen International. His best start is 12th (2007) and finish is fifth (2008). He’s earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His average start is 22nd and finish is 28th. He has run all 308 laps in competition.

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. The enhanced spark plug wires give customers the perfect fit and patented technology to guarantee advanced protection and ultimate power.

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.

Martin Truex Jr. Watkins Glen Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — As a youngster, Martin Truex Jr. dreamed of two professions— race car driving and playing baseball. He’ll live both dreams this weekend. The No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver plans to take batting practice and throw out the first pitch before the Saturday’s Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets baseball game. The 30-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native is an avid Philadelphia sports fan supporting the Eagles, Flyers and Phillies. Truex attended Games 3, 4 and 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals as well as the Flyers’ conference final against Montreal hours after the May Dover race.

The Michael Waltrip Racing driver also has plenty of racing business to take care of this weekend. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits the historic road course of Watkins Glen International where Truex owns two top-six finishes in his four career starts. Last week at Pocono, Truex finished ninth—his fifth top-10 of the 2010 season.

QUOTES

TRUEX ON ATTENDING SATURDAY’S PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES GAME: “It’s going to be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to throwing out the first pitch. I’ve got a good arm so I’m not really nervous and as of right now, I’m not going to practice. I’m willing to take the risk. I’m very aware that if I don't throw it across the plate or in the strike zone, I’m going to get booed. It’s just part of the deal. I also really can’t wait to see the Philly Phanatic. He’s hilarious! I’ve been to a lot of Philadelphia Phillies games over the years and two years ago I got to attend Game 5 of the World Series. It was rained out so I didn’t get to see them finish the deal off, but I still had a great time.”

ON RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: “I’ve had some great runs at Watkins Glen in the past. Of the two road courses we go to, Watkins Glen has produced better results for me. Earlier this year, the NAPA team ran really well at Infineon Raceway. We had a top-three going until we got wrecked so we didn’t get the finish we wanted or deserved. But we had a very strong car and I think Michael Waltrip Racing’s road course program is really strong. I think a lot of that credit goes to Marcos Ambrose. He’s done a lot of testing and the experience he has brought to the table with the setups and feedback have been great. I am really looking forward to the race. I think our NAPA Toyota will be good. I really love the track so hopefully it will be a really great weekend. I think we have a good chance at being up front and challenge for the win.”

ON THE NAPA TEAM’S TOP-10 FINISH AT POCONO: “It is so nice to get a top-10 under us because the last few weeks we have had really strong cars, but haven’t delivered the good finishes. If we can continue to do this and take advantage of having really good cars then this NAPA team will be in good shape.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Sunday is Truex’s 175th Sprint Cup Series race and fifth at Watkins Glen International. His best start is 12th (2007) and finish is fifth (2008). He’s earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His average start is 22nd and finish is 28th. He has run all 308 laps in competition.

• 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. The enhanced spark plug wires give customers the perfect fit and patented technology to guarantee advanced protection and ultimate power.

• 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.

David Reutimann - Watkins Glen International Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann makes no secret that road course racing isn’t his specialty. But that hasn’t stopped the 40 year-old former dirt track racer from working hard to get better. Every time Reutimann has raced on a road course he’s set a career-best road course finish. Reutimann spent two days last week at Watkins Glen International in street cars in preparation for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visit to the 2.45-mile road course circuit in upstate New York.

Reutimann’s Improvement
2008 Infineon 40th
2008 Watkins Glen 33rd
2009 Infineon 31st
2009 Watkins Glen 25th
2010 Infineon 20th

QUOTES

ON TESTING AT WATKINS GLEN: “We were up there in a completely different car then we are going to race last week, so it’s hard to take away a great deal from it. I think the biggest thing is that it gets you freshened back up on the racing line and trying different things and doing different things throughout the course of the day. I think any time you get out on a track it’s a big help, but it’s a situation where you make the best of the test that you can, but we can’t be in the exact race car that we’re going to race.”

ON RACING IN THE NORTHEAST: “My family has raced up in Syracuse and areas like that, which is obviously not Watkins Glen, but in the same area of the country – just within a couple hours drive from Watkins Glen. The Mile at Syracuse, Brewerton, Canandaigua and Rolling Wheels in Weedsport and different places like that. We even race a little bit up at Black Rock on weekends when we race the Cup cars at The Glen, so I’ve raced at a lot of the racetracks around those areas, but I haven’t had much time to go hang out and see what Watkins Glen has to offer or really any of the areas in that part of the country other than just racetracks. I never had a great deal of success up in that part of the country to be quite honest. It was always a struggle. I met a lot of really, really good people that I still know and keep in contact with today, but for the most part the time I spent up there wasn’t the greatest time in my career certainly. I’ve kind of forgot a lot of what happened up there in my early racing life, because there wasn’t a whole lot of good to remember unfortunately. The racing was awesome, the people were awesome, and a lot of great racetracks, but our results weren’t exactly what you’d call awesome. I just wasn’t in a position to excel at that point.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• The No. 00 and No. 56 Sprint Cup Series pit crews plan to make a special trip to the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Level Cross, N.C. on Tuesday night to take part in NASCARnival night at the camp. Both teams will perform pit stops and spend time with the campers.

• At Indianapolis, Reutimann snapped the longest streak of consecutive lead laps finishes at 11 races. He has finished on the lead lap in 16 of 18 races that he was running at the finish and 16 out of 21 total 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).

• Reutimann has won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series - Sprint Cup Series (Charlotte-1 2009, Chicago 2010), Nationwide (Memphis 2007) and Camping World Truck Series (Nashville 2005).Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 15 of the 18 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 12 of the 18. Reutimann has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five races in 2010.

Trevor Bayne - Watkins Glen Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota driver Trevor Bayne owns three consecutive top-five finishes plus etched his name in the history books last week by surpassing Jeff Gordon as the youngest driver to capture three consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series pole awards. This feat put the 19-year-old driver in exclusive company, tying the mark of consecutive poles set by Sam Ard (1983), Mark Martin (1987), his team co-owner Michael Waltrip (1989) and Jeff Gordon (1992). He’ll become the first driver in series history to win four consecutive pole awards if he wins the pole for Saturday’s race at Watkins Glen International.


QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE ON THREE CONSECUTIVE POLE AWARDS: “It’s a pretty awesome accomplishment. I had no idea that it was going to be that big of an accomplishment until I realized that it put me in the same class with Michael Waltrip and Jeff Gordon. The last time someone got three pole awards in a row, I was a one year old. I really thought Kyle Busch or someone else had done it recently. It’s a real honor to be in that group. I just think it shows how much our team has grown over the last few months.”

BAYNE ON WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL: “Watkins Glen is an awesome road course. It’s probably the easiest road course that we have on the schedule. It’s way different from Road America and Montreal. It’s not as technical as those road courses. Watkins Glen is kind of wide open. You only have a couple tight corners. There is turn one and the left hander right before you get to the frontstretch. Other than that it’s pretty easy. The bus stop is probably my favorite part of the track. You carry so much speed through there. I am really looking forward to this weekend. I finished third there in the East Series so I think we could have another really good weekend.”

ON RECENT SUCCESS: “I think things started changing when I started taking advice from Kevin Harvick and Johnny Benson. I talked with Harvick in Dover. His main point to me was to finish races and not always try and get top-fives or top-10s when we have a car that’s not good enough. He told me that I really need to work on taking what the car will give me. I feel like that past several weeks or so we have really worked on that. For us to be able to get the top-fives the past few weeks we had to finish the race. Also, a couple of weeks ago we hired Benson as my driving coach. He has so much knowledge of the sport. I have been calling him ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ because he thinks about things you wouldn’t normally think about as a driver. I think long term he is going to be a great driving coach and teach me a lot about this sport.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Over the last seven weeks, Bayne has scored the fourth most points of any driver, gaining three positions to rank eighth in the championship point standings. The only drivers to score more points are Carl Edwards (1144), Brad Keselowski (1043) and Steve Wallace (952). Bayne grabbed three pole awards, four top-fives, five top-10s and led 95 laps.

• 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 just 36 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts, Bayne 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 started 11th and finished third in his lone start at Watkins Glen in the K&N Pro East Series.

• Get your dog’s picture on Bayne’s No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota by going to www.outpetcare.com and register for the “Top Dog of the Week.”

MWR Pocono Race Report

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

• David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished 17th now 18th in points.

Martin Truex Jr. Race Summary: The black cloud that's hovered over the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS team for two months appeared during today's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. But this time in the form of dark rain clouds versus bad luck. On the final pit stop crew chief Pat Tryson opted to take two tires and this allowed Truex to restart seventh with 23 laps remaining in the race. The two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion was able to hold off most of the field who took four tires on the final pit stop to cross the finish line ninth. This was Truex’s fifth top-10 finish of the season and he remains 20th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action next Sunday at Watkins Glen.

Truex: “It was okay. I guess ninth is a pretty decent result for our NAPA Toyota looking back on Friday and how bad we were when we got here. The guys worked hard all weekend. Like I said, we struggled on Friday, struggled during qualifying and worked real hard on Saturday throughout practice. We made a lot of head way. At the start of the race we weren’t very good throughout the race. A little bit of strategy played into it. We were sitting about 12th before we took the two tires, so we gained a few spots. We were about a 12th or 15th-place car and we finished ninth. That’s the kind of days we like to have and the kind of days we’ve needed to have for the last two months, we’ve just been caught in wrecks. I’m just glad we got a decent finish out of the NAPA Toyota and I’m proud of all the guys on the team.”

Truex Notes:

• Truex started 28th and finished ninth and is 20th in points.

• NAPA Toyota started to come to life at the 50-lap mark. Drove from 22nd to 17th.

• Truex Jr. and the No. 56 team broke into top-15 on lap 123.

• The No. 99 and No. 56 made contact on lap 132, but no major damage reported

• After pitting for four tires on lap 159, Truex took the restart and drove from 24th to 16th in one lap.

• The No. 56 was scored in 12th as the red flag flew on lap 166 for a multi-car crash.

• The “NAPA Know How” team took two tires on final pit stop which allowed Truex to jump in to the top 10

• The No. 56 team won the Mobil 1 Command Performance of the Race award

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann fought hard all day to work his way through the field on Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. He raced his way from 24th up to 12th before a flurry of cautions toward the end of the race set up teams to take various strategies to try and gain track position. The No. 00 team continuously turned quick stops, but fell due to teams gambling on tires in favor of track position. Reutimann found himself in 20th position at the final restart on lap 179 and raced his way to 17th before the checked flag flew on lap 200. Reutimann remains 18th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, trailing the top 12 by 183 points, with four races remaining before the Chase cutoff. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action Sunday at Watkins Glen.

REUTIMANN: How was your car today?

"That was a tough day. I feel like I raced as hard as I could, we had a good Aaron's Dream Machine most of they day, but it just didn't work out for us. The weather made things a little crazy as far as strategy - some cars taking two tires, some taking four, some taking fuel only. We had a couple red flags, some rain. It seems like we had a little bit of everything today. I just wish we could have finished a little better. We'll keep working on it and try again next week."

Reutimann Notes:

• Reutimann started 24th and finished 17th.

• Reutimann raced his way from 24th to 18th in the first 15 laps prior to a competition caution

• The No. 00 raced its way to 16th by lap 90 and remained there until a lap 120 caution bunched the field

• The Aaron’s Dream Machine continued it’s march forward up to 12th position by lap 146

• Reutimann came to pit road for four tires in 13th position on lap 170, but various pit strategies by several teams returned the No. 00 to the track in 20th position.

• Reutimann restarted 20th on the final restart on lap 179 and improved to 17th by the checkered flag.

RACE NOTES:

• Greg Biffle recorded his first win of the year and the first Ford win of the year.

• Biffle snapped a 64-race winless streak.

• Top five order after Biffle: Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin.

• Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 189 over Jeff Gordon

• The start of the race was delayed nearly one hour due to a rain shower shortly before the 1 p.m. scheduled start.

• NASCAR displayed the red flag for more than 28 minutes to clean up a hard wreck on lap 166

• Race took 3 hours, 46 minutes and 51 seconds and included five cautions for 31 laps.

• There were nine leaders and 19 lead changes.

• NASCAR estimated the race attendance at 100,000 fans.

Diamond-Waltrip Racing - Iowa Post Race

Trevor Bayne, No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished fifth - now eighth in points.
Trevor Bayne Race Summary: For the third consecutive week the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver Trevor Bayne grabbed the pole and scored a top-five finish. Bayne started the 250-lap race from Iowa Speedway on the inside row, but Kyle Busch powered past the No. 99 Toyota coming off turn two. The Knoxville, Tenn., driver didn’t let Busch out of his site and was about to pass the 36-time NASCAR Nationwide Series winner when the second caution flew on lap 44 for a multi-car incident in turn two. The 19-year-old driver was pleased with the performance of his Aaron’s Dream Machine so crew chief Jerry Baxter made minor adjustments to keep up with changing track conditions. Bayne raced inside the top three until the final caution flag flew on lap 205. Baxter summoned his driver to pit road for four tires and a minor chassis adjustment. Some teams opted for two tires so the Diamond-Waltrip Racing driver restarted 10th on lap 209. The young phenom was able to use the four tires to his advantage and grabbed five spots before the checkered flag flew. The rising star is now eighth in the NNS championship point standings. Next week the NNS travels to Watkins Glen International for it’s second road course race on the NNS schedule.
TREVOR BAYNE, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

- Bayne won the pole award with a lap of 23.637 seconds, 133.266 mph
- This is his third consecutive and fourth career pole in 36 NASCAR Nationwide Series races
- He is the youngest, and first driver in 18 years, to post three consecutive poles in the NNS. Jeff Gordon last did it 02/29/1992.
- Bayne was the fourth driver to accomplish the feat. The others were Sam Ard, Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip.
- Bayne scored his third-consecutive top-five finish and his fourth career top-five finish
- Bayne led twice for 21 laps and raced in the top 10 for the entire 250-lap race
- In 36 NNS starts Bayne has four poles, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes
BAYNE QUOTES:

What did you learn from racing with Kyle Busch tonight?
“I learned so much from following Kyle (Busch). He deserves every bit of the credit he gets. He’s in great equipment, great crew chief (Jason Ratcliff) and he’s an unbelievable driver. That first 50 laps he was sideways the whole time and I followed him up and learned that top groove. How to get the car straight to run off of the corner and get good drive. Our car was really free at the beginning, but as the night came on we got tighter and we kept getting tighter and tighter and that’s what really got us at the end. If that thing would’ve ended in daylight we probably could’ve got our first win here. But, we’re so happy about these top-fives every weekend. Three poles in a row, I mean, I hear that’s pretty tough to do so that’s awesome for this Aaron’s Dream Machine team. We’re just as excited as we can be.”
What happened to your car as it went from day to night?
“That was the biggest thing. We didn’t get any practice at night because it rained all day yesterday. We didn’t really know what the track was going to do and it just kept taking on rubber and kept getting more and more grip and that played into the other guys favor more so than us. It just kept getting tighter. Everybody was so free at the beginning. Their cars came to them. Us, we were pretty good at the beginning and we got tight at the end.”
NNS Racing Results
- Kyle Busch won the U.S. Cellular 250, his 39th victory in 190 NNS race
- This is his ninth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2010
- This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in two races at Iowa Speedway
- Carl Edwards (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Iowa Speedway
- Jason Leffler, Brad Keselowski and Bayne rounded out the top five
- The race was slowed by two red flag periods for just over 20 minutes
- The race featured seven lead changes among three drivers. Cautions slowed the race six time for 27 laps.
- NASCAR estimated a sell out crowd of 56,000 race fans in attendance at Iowa