Reutimann Previews Phoenix Int'l Raceway

HOPING FOR BETTER FINISHES AT PHOENIX:
“We have had some pretty good runs at Phoenix,” said Reutimann. We just have had things happen, so we don’t have the finishes we should. This race track just has not been good to us. I really do like Phoenix; we can run really well there. We just need to work together and get the finishes that I know we are capable of getting in the Aaron’s Dream Machine.”

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR PHOENIX:
“We have been running well so far this season,” said Reutimann. “There is no exception for Phoenix. The team has been performing great and making some good calls for the pit stops. We have been knocking at the door since the beginning of the season; we definitely have a chance to get the Aaron’s Dream Machine in the top five and even a win this weekend. The Aaron’s team just needs to run smart and make good pit stops and we can do good things at this race track.”

BOUNCING BACK AFTER PIT STOP MISHAP:
The penalty in the pits at Texas was something that just happened,” said Reutimann. “It occurs quite often; you’re going down pit road into your pit stall when another car exits their pit stall making it difficult to enter at the right angle. It happens; we can’t dwell on it. We have discussed it and moved on. The crew has been making exceptional pit stops all season and I am confident that the guys will continue to perform well in the pits.”

AARON’S NATIONAL MANAGERS MEETING:
“Since Monday, I have been in Washington D.C. with Aaron’s for their annual managers meeting,” said Reutimann. “We made a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where the wounded soldiers come from oversees. I will have an autograph session with Aaron’s and enjoy a great dinner with all the associates. I’ve pretty much just been hanging out and having a good time with all the Aaron’s associates. On Thursday, we will also make a visit to the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.”

REACHING OUR 2009 GOALS:
“Our goal for the season is to still win some races and we would like to move up in the points,” said Reutimann. “We should be getting some more top-five finishes. It’s a great feeling to know that some many fans support me and the Aaron’s Dream Machine and routing for me to get locked into the top-12 in the championship points. We just have to convince everyone else that we are capable of doing so. Hopefully they will all support me and Aaron’s and it turns out to be a good thing for everyone.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION:
The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine for the Phoenix International Raceway is chassis #628. This car was new at Martinsville this season. There the car ran in the top-10 all day until a bad pit stop.

RACE INFORMATION:
Catch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Saturday, April 18th at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ. Watch the race live on FOX at 8:00 pm EST.

Ambrose Not Heading Home Any Time Soon

For Immediate Release

AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 14, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose said if his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career ended today and he was sent home to Australia, at least he has grown as a person and as a driver. His time with NASCAR has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. From the looks of things, he’s not heading home any time soon as he keeps continuing to impress his owners each week in the No. 47 Toyota Camry. This weekend, it will boast Clorox® as his primary sponsor.

“Marcos has run in the top five and top 10 for the last three weeks and you have got to feel positive,” said Tad Geschickter, who owns JTG-Daugherty Racing along with wife Jodi and Brad Daugherty. “When someone like my mentor Richard Childress says, ‘We are really happy for you guys,’ that means something because he’s someone I have always looked up to. We have been fortunate and Marcos has done an amazing job. He’s worked so hard at this craft and so it is fun for us to see him do well. He has become a part of the family. We have formed a great friendship.”

Ambrose’s teammate Michael Waltrip and owner of Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) reflected on how the technical alliance was formed between his organization and JTG-Daugherty Racing. Everyone involved is pleased with the progress that has been made in such a short period of time.

“JTG-Daugherty Racing is a key part of MWR and I could not be happier for them because they are such good people,” Waltrip said. “I remember at The Brickyard last year seeing Marcos scratching his head because his car was on jack stands after their motor broke and practice was going on. He wasn’t getting any track time and I thought, ‘Man, that was like me a year ago.’ I lived what he was living. I told Ty (Norris) to find Tad. Tad and I met. I explained to him that I could save his team a couple years of struggling. They moved into our facility and what a success story it has been.”

Not only is Waltrip impressed by the team’s track performance, but he is pleasantly surprised by Ambrose’s quick adaptability to ovals.

“Marcos has been the man,” Waltrip said. “He ran in the top five at Bristol most of the race and he finished in the top 15 at Martinsville. Those are two really tough tracks for someone that hasn’t done this a lot. Marcos is just good everywhere. I’m happy for him. He’s a perfect fit for me and David (Reutimann). I remember him saying that this was his chance or he’d have to go back to Tasmania. He’s going to make it and he is going to be just fine.”

Approaching race eight at Phoenix International Raceway, Ambrose has recorded one top-10 and four top-20 finishes. His results are notable, but his strongest performances have been plagued by mechanical issues.

“Five out of seven races, we have had problems and if we had not, we would be in the top 12 in points,” Ambrose said. Instead, we are 28th. “It has been a bitter sweet season for us. We have had fast cars each week and have been able to pass guys like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, but we have had two races where we didn’t finish. We also had three others where we have had substantial problems that hurt our results.”

Even though Ambrose has endured problems in five of seven events, he has been impressive in his first full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with JTG-Daugherty Racing. His best finish in seven starts this year is 10th at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“We have been running so well, but we have to remember that we are still brand new,” Ambrose said. “We have had a little time to reflect on the reliability issues and we are getting a handle on everything. It’s just been unfortunate because we had a top five run going at Bristol and dropped a cylinder or two and ended up 10th. We had to finish Martinsville with no brakes. Our engine blew up at both at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) and at Texas (Motor Speedway). It was nice to be able to have an off weekend to reflect and put everything behind us. Now, we are ready for Phoenix (International Raceway) and aim to put the No. 47 Clorox® Toyota up front.”

Ambrose started and finished 18th in the fall event in one of the four races he drove for Michael Waltrip Racing at the uniquely-shaped, one-mile tri-oval in 2008.

“We had a top-20 finish there last year,” Ambrose said. “Phoenix International Raceway is a track on the schedule that I really like. It’s what I call a small, big track. It is an old surface and unique in its design. It’s a track where it’s hard to set a car up for. You can’t set the car up perfectly for either end of the track. It’s always about compromise. If you are beating the guy in Turns 1 and 2, you know he’s going to have an advantage in Turns 3 and 4. We’re hoping to have a solid finish this weekend for Clorox®, Little Debbie®, Kingsford® Charcoal and Bush’s Best® Baked Beans.”

Live coverage of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on FOX begins at 8 p.m. ET and 7:45 p.m. ET on MRN Radio. The event will also air on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

NAPA Racing/Phoenix Int'l Raceway Preview

NAPA RACING PRESS BOX FEATURING MICHAEL WALTRIP

What do you like about racing on a track like Phoenix International Raceway?

“I think it is a lot of fun to drive. Both ends are a little bit different. Turn 2 is really interesting. You get really close to the wall. They moved the wall back about six to eight feet and it made life off of Turn 2 a lot easier for us. The dogleg on the back straightaway and the different banking at each end makes PIR a real challenge to set up a car.

“It seems to me that when you are running a lap at Phoenix, if you can go right around the white line down in Turns 3 and 4, your times are always a little bit quicker. But there are times when your car just won’t go there so you have the option to go right up next to the wall and run high up in Turns 3 and 4. That’s what drivers like about this track. There are a lot of options.

“Another thing I like about Phoenix is it will require us to race our butts off. It’s going to be all about a guy’s foot getting that gas down and how he applies the brake. It’s going to be all about the driver when we get to Phoenix.

If you could change anything about the track, what would it be?

“PIR has an awesome layout. I wouldn’t change a thing there at all. It is actually one of the very few tracks I’d say that about.

“If I built a track today, it would have different ends. The crazier the track is, the more entertaining the racing becomes. You have to accept what the conditions are and adapt to those conditions. The key to Phoenix is it takes a different setup for both ends. You will see guys who are fast in one end, and there will be guys faster in the other

You’ve had some success at PIR.

“I almost won there in 2005 when I was driving the NAPA car for DEI. Tony Eury Jr. was my crew chief. We were able to run right up against the wall. Kurt Busch was able to run against the bottom. We were battling for the win right up until the very end. It was a lot of fun.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will start in his 733rd NASCAR Sprint Cup race when he competes in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

• He will start in his 23rd race at the one-mile track. His best PIR start is 11th (Nov. 6, 1988 and Nov. 1, 1992) and best finish is second in the NAPA machine (April 23, 2005)

• During his career at Phoenix, Waltrip has earned two top-five, four top-10 and 12 top-25 finishes. His average start is 28th and average finish is 24th.

• Waltrip has completed 6185 of 6868 laps (90.1%) at PIR and has led a total of 25 laps in competition.

• Waltrip will be pulling double duty in Phoenix. Besides driving the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, he’ll also be behind the wheel of his No. 99 Best Western Toyota in the Nationwide Series event on Friday night. It will air at 9 p.m. on ESPN 2.

• In Nationwide Series competition at PIR, he has seven starts that equate to one top-10 and four top-25 finishes.

• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 21st in the driver and owner points standings. The standings remain extremely close. The NAPA team is just 54 points out of the top 15 and 114 points out of The Chase. The NAPA is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday night’s race.

EVENT FACTS

Race: 8 of 36

Subway Fresh Fit 500

Phoenix International Raceway

Length: 1.0-Mile Oval

Distance: 312 laps/500K

Date: Saturday, April 18

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Radio: MRN; Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Ch. 128

2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

2008 Pole: Ryan Newman

Waltrip and the Best Western No. 99 team finish 16th at Nashville Superspeedway

Michael Waltrip and the No. 99 team finished 16th at Nashville Superspeedway. The team resumes action in the Best Western colors on Friday, April 17th, 2009 when the Nationwide Series heads west to Phoenix International Raceway. The race can be seen live on ESPN2 beginning at 9pm Est.

Truex Finishes 14th in 09 Season Debut from Greenville Pickens

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Torres
Story Courtesy of NASCARmedia.com
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Brian Ickler is hoping to use the NASCAR Camping World Series East as a launching pad. Performances like Saturday night at historic Greenville Pickens Speedway certainly don’t hurt his cause, as Ickler led nearly every lap from start to finish in winning the season opening NASCAR Home Tracks 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet.

Ickler recorded his fourth career NASCAR Camping World Series East victory and seventh NASCAR Camping World Series victory overall.

Veteran Jody Lavender scored a career-best second-place finish, while Eddie MacDonald finished third. Josh Richards and Brett Moffitt, both making their first career NASCAR starts, rounded out the top five.

Ickler qualified second behind Coors Light Pole Award winner Moffitt. A multi-car accident in Turn 1 on the start of the race caused a lengthy red flag, and on the race’s restart, Ickler got the jump on Moffitt and quickly began to pull away from the field

MacDonald, restarting on the outside of the front row, briefly took the lead by a nose on three restarts. Each time however, Ickler erased the lead and pulled out to a commanding lead.

Patrick Long, Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck, Alan Tardiff, and Matt DiBenedetto completed the top 10.

Ryan Truex and the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS team will return to action at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., on Saturday, April 25.

NASCAR Camping World Series East-NASCAR Home Tracks 150 pres. by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet
Unofficial Results
Saturday
At Greenville Pickens Speedway
Greenville, S.C.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Brian Ickler, San Diego, Calif., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 54.778 mph, $8,500.
2. (13) Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C., Chevrolet, 150, $4,900.
3. (3) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $3,700.
4. (17) Josh Richards, Shinnston, W.Va., Chevrolet, 150, $4,500.
5. (1) Brett Moffitt, Grimes, Iowa, Chevrolet, 150, $4,325.
6. (9) Patrick Long, Oak Park, Calif., Chevrolet, 150, $1,700.
7. (4) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $2,600.
8. (8) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $2,550.
9. (12) Alan Tardiff, Lyman, Maine, Chevrolet, 150, $1,300.
10. (6) Matt DiBenedetto, Grass Valley, Calif., Toyota, 150, $1,775.
11. (20) Jason Patison, Corona, Calif., Chevrolet, 150, $1,188.
12. (7) Dakoda Armstrong, New Castle, Ind., Chevrolet, 149, $1,675.
13. (22) Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y., Chevrolet, 149, $1,650.
14. (5) Ryan Truex, Mayetta, N.J., Toyota, 149, $1,625.
15. (10) Ryan Duff, Hazard, Ky., Chevrolet, 148, $1,600.
16. (24) Todd Peck, Glenville, Pa., Chevrolet, 148, $1,100.
17. (18) Alex Kennedy, Aztec, N.M., Chevrolet, 146, $1,100.
18. (23) Rich Gould, North Brunswick, N.J., Chevrolet, 142, $1,100.
19. (19) Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, vibration, $1,600.
20. (28) Matt Kurzejewski, Mansfield, Pa., Dodge, 132, accident, $1,100.
21. (26) Jeff Anton, Russell, Mass., Chevrolet, 131, accident, $1,600.
22. (16) Kristin Bumbera, Sealy, Texas, Dodge, 110, accident, $1,075.
23. (27) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 108, oil line, $1,050.
24. (14) Jarit Johnson, El Cajon, Calif., Chevrolet, 107, overheating, $1,025.
25. (15) Jesus Hernandez, Fresno, Calif., Dodge, 55, accident, $1,500.
26. (21) Scott Bouley, Middlebury, Conn., Chevrolet, 43, rear end, $1,000.
27. (25) Jason Cochran, Daytona Beach, Fla., Chevrolet, 34, brakes, $1,000.
28. (29) Dominick Casola, Holmdel, N.J., Ford, 0, accident, $1,000.
29. (11) Tom Hessert, III, Cherry Hill, N.J., Ford, 0, accident, $1,000.

Waltrip To Start 12th in Best Western Toyota at Nashville

Michael Waltrip and the No. 99 Best Western team will roll off from the 12th position today at Nashville Superspeedway. Broadcast coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Nashville 300 starts at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. It also can be heard on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio networks.