#1-Jamie McMurray: Kevin “Bono” Manion decided to bring chassis #1008. This chassis has never been run before.
#2-Kurt Busch: and crew chief Steve Addington and crew will be racing their “PRS-701” Miller Lite Dodge Charger at Phoenix this weekend. This chassis has been raced only once before. Busch started 24th, led laps and finished eighth in last October’s Pepsi 500 at Fontana, Calif., in the car’s only other outing.
#5-Mark Martin: Alan Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-588 for this Saturday’s race at Phoenix. This is a new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
#12-Brad Keselowski: The #12 Abyss Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-716 during Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix. PRS-716 is a brand new chassis to the #12 team.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-535: This car debuted at Phoenix last April. After only being tested in the wind tunnel, Chassis No. 14-535 hit the racetrack in impressive fashion, as Stewart used it to qualify sixth and lead once for 19 laps before finishing second, which at the time was the best finish for Stewart-Haas Racing. Chassis No. 14-535 returned to another flat track via New Hampshirein June, but its time on the racetrack was short after it crashed in practice. It was repaired with new front and rear clips for its return trip to New Hampshire in September. There, Chassis No. 14-535 led four times for 52 laps before a loose axle cap forced an unscheduled pit stop, which resulted in a 14th-place finish. The November trek to Phoenix marked the cars third career start, where it qualified eighth and went from a possible top-10 performance to a disappointing 25th-place result when it was caught up in a multi-car accident
#17-Matt Kenseth: primary chassis for the #17 Crown Royal Black Ford will be RK-645, with the backup being RK-569, no details
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 251: Saturday nights Subway Fresh Fit 600k will be the third-ever start for No 251. This chassis made its debut at New Hampshire Speedway in Loudon last September, where Busch qualified third and brought home a solid fifth-place finish. Busch followed that up with a solid fourth-place run in last Octobers TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway after starting way back in the 41st spot.
#19-Elliott Sadler: Chassis No. 609 has been prepared by crew chief Wally Rogers and the #19 Stanley team for this Saturday’s event at Phoenix International Raceway. This is a brand new Ford Fusion specifically prepared for this race.
#20-Joey Logano: The #20 Team is taking chassis #269 to Phoenix this weekend. This is a new chassis in The Home Depot Team’s arsenal. The back-up car, chassis #250 was raced three times last season including the fall race at Phoenix and additionally in the fall events at Loudon and Pocono.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 304 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Shell-Pennzoil Chevy is a completely brand new car which will see its first laps on the track during Friday’s practice session.
#31-Jeff Burton: will pilot chassis No. 280 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s 375-lap affair. Built new for 2009, this Caterpillar Chevy was put through its first paces at Chicagoland Speedway last July where the 17-year veteran was credited with a 37th-place finish after being collected in a late-race multi-car incident. Burton then piloted this #31 racer at Kansas where he finished 23rd before posting a runner-up finish at Phoenix in November.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot Chassis No. 265 from Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Bowyer drove this Chevy twice last season, finishing sixth at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and 36th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The Impala was completely updated over the offseason.
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-536: The Subway Fresh Fit 600k marks the first outing in 2010 for this chassis. Prior to the 2010 season, Newman piloted this chassis at four races in 2009 ‘Â twice at Phoenix, and twice at Richmond. In the cars first outing at Phoenix in April, Newman was plagued by radio communication issues, which hampered his ability to tell the team what he needed to make the car better. Despite the radio issues, Newman drove the car from its 30th-place qualifying spot to a 16th-place finish. At Phoenix in November, Newman was able to drive the #39 Chevy from the 24th spot into the top-10. However, pit-road issues cost Newman and his team valuable track position and led to Newman being caught up in an on-track incident. Newman finished in 20th-place. In two races at Richmond, Newman finished fourth and 10th, respectively. During the offseason, the original body was cut off the car. The car was made lighter and the bodywork was rebuilt.
#42-Juan Montoya: Pattie and the Target team will be bringing Chassis #909 to PIR. Montoya finished eighth in this chassis in last year’s fall event at PIR.
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: No. 277 has been prepared by Shiplett and the #43 Valvoline crew for this weekend’s race at Phoenix. This particular chassis ran at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in February.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 540 will be the primary for Sunday’s event. Johnson won last fall’s race at Phoenix International Raceway in that chassis.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-586. This is a brand new chassis that never has been tested or raced.
#98-Paul Menard: Crew chief Slugger Labbe and the #98 Menards crew have prepared chassis No. 574 for this weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix. This chassis was run by the #98 team last season, but has not been utilized for any even in 2010.
#99-Carl Edwards: Chassis: RK-647. This car last raced at Phoenix in Nov. ’09, finished 16th.
(from team PR’s if reported)(4-9-2010)
