April 20 – Today in Jayski’s NASCAR history

April 20, 2011

• NASCAR Sets Dates, Sites For 2011 Postseason Shows: NASCAR has announced dates and sites for its 2011 postseason championship celebrations. Riding the momentum of 2010’s highly successful awards shows, all of this year’s events will return to the same sites. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will again be held at Wynn Las Vegas. This year, the ceremony is set for Friday, Dec. 2 and will feature the top 10 drivers in the final series standings. The event will culminate NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.
  As in previous years, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will be accompanied by a number of events designed with fans and media in mind – starting with the immensely popular “NASCAR Victory Lap,” an annual procession of the top 12 drivers in their race cars on Las Vegas Blvd., followed by NASCAR After The Lap, a Q&A event with the top 12 drivers; and the yearly NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon. Details for these events – as well as many others that will provide a lead-in to the ceremony – will be announced later this year.
  In addition, the combined awards banquet for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take place in South Florida at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, one of the jewels of the South Beach area. The date is Nov. 21, the Monday following the season-ending Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  NASCAR’s celebration of the top short-track drivers from throughout North America will return to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. for a special week of activities concluding with the crowning of NASCAR’s developmental series champions.
  The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet will be Friday, Dec. 9. The NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Banquet – celebrating the champions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (East and West), the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the NASCAR Mexico Series presented by Toyota – will be held the following day, Saturday, Dec. 10.(NASCAR)(4-20-2011)
• Johnson to run the #5 in All-Star race? hearing Jimmie Johnson will run the #5 Lowe’s car in the All Star Race to promote a special promotion for Lowe’s 5% discount for using their credit cards. Could be one reason Mark Martin is running the #25 in the event. Have seen nothing to confirm this yet or any images.(4-20-2011)
• Bill Elliott Uncertain about plans: Bill Elliott isn’t sure when he’ll be driving again. He started the season with Phoenix Racing and had planned to run 17 races with the team throughout 2011. But since his release from Phoenix last month, he’s only qualified and started the Talladega race for #46 Whitney Motorsports. Elliott used a past champion’s provisional to get the team in the race, then turned the driving duties over to J.J. Yeley during the event. “I’m taking it one day at a time,” Elliott said. “I don’t know [what I’ll do]. I’m just kind of on the sidelines going fishing, you know what I mean? Ain’t much been happening. If you look at where the economy and stuff is, that’s pretty much status quo.”(SceneDaily)(4-20-2011)
• Gander Mountain returns to sponsor Gilliland: For the second time in the 2011 race season, Gander Mountain announced that the outdoor retailer will be the primary sponsor of Front Row Motorsports’ (FRM) Sprint Cup entry. The Gander Mountain #34 Ford Fusion will appear at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, April 30, piloted by David Gilliland. Gander Mountain returns as a racing sponsor for the third season due to the number of NASCAR fans who also enjoy hunting, fishing and camping, according to Steve Uline, Gander Mountain’s executive vice president of marketing. “David Gilliland is an avid outdoorsman, as are many NASCAR fans,” he said. “An appearance in this race and a chance to promote Gander Mountain’s on-line firearms store on the #34 car fits perfectly with the number of avid hunters who will enjoy the action under the lights in Richmond.” Gilliland drove the Gander Mountain car for the first time in 2011 at Texas on April 9.
  Gander Mountain, with 116 stores in 23 states, is the nation’s largest retail network of stores for hunting, fishing, camping, marine and outdoor lifestyle apparel, products and services. The company offers thousands of products in its on-line store and now includes free standard shipping every day. In addition, the on-line site now offers a firearms department with a broad selection of ammunition, rifles, handguns, shotguns and accessories.(Front Row Motorsports/Breaking Limits) see an image of the scheme on the #34 Team Schemes page.(4-20-2011)
• Wood Brothers to skip next three races: #21-Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers team, who have planned a limited Sprint Cup schedule this year, will skip the next three Sprint Cup races and return to the track on May 21 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with sponsorship from the Good Sam Club. Bayne and the Woods are guaranteed a starting spot in the All-Star race because of their victory in the season-opening Daytona 500.(Wood Brothers Racing)(4-20-2011)
• More races for Schrader and FAS Lane Racing; Team looking for road racer: FAS Lane Racing announced this week NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader will run at least three more races with the team. Schrader, 55, will run the next two races on the schedule at Richmond and Darlington, followed by the Coke 600 Memorial Day weekend. The rookie team has qualified for seven out of eight races so far with driving duties split between Schrader, Mike Skinner, and two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte. The 1985 Cup Series Rookie of the Year hasn’t run this many races since 2008, when he participated in 15 events. So far, in three 2011 starts with FAS Lane his best result is 22nd at Martinsville.(Frontstretch)(4-20-2011)
  UPDATE: FAS Lane Racing owner Frank Stoddard announced that the driver’s seat for his #32 Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is open and available for the two road course events on the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. The Toyota/SaveMart 350 will be held at Infineon Raceway on June 26th and the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dip at The Glen is at Watkins Glen International on August 14th. “We have some exciting opportunities available for these two road course races,” stated Stoddard. “We have had some pretty good success on the road courses in the past and I am very confident that our package this year gives us a great opportunity to run up front in these two races. We want to find a driver and sponsor combination that gives us the best chance for success.” In the past Stoddard has teamed with road racing specialist Boris Said but that duo will not work together for these two events in 2011. This presents a great opportunity for another road racing specialist or driver who loves the twisting and turning action of road course racing. FAS Lane Racing has used veteran NASCAR drivers Terry Labonte, Mike Skinner and Ken Schrader through the first eight races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. The team will continue using a variety of drivers as it enhances the growth of the program.(FAS Lane Racing/Integrity Sports Marketing)(4-20-2011)
• Michael Waltrip to race at Le Mans UPDATE testing: Michael Waltrip will drive a Ferrari for the Italian team of AF Corse in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11-12. Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman and Rui Aguas will compete in the GTE Pro Class. Waltrip plans to test next weekend at the Le Mans course in France. He also tested at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France in March.(ESPN.com)(4-16-2011)
  UPDATE: #15-Michael Waltrip will head to France Wednesday to test for June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
  WALTRIP ON LE MANS: “Le Mans is a circle with a whole bunch of quirky turns stuck in the middle of it like a chicane and then two lefts and a right. That means one thing, there is going to be a whole lot of speed. Every time you get to a corner you’re going to be hauling ass. The challenge for me is learning the circuit. There are a lot of turns, there’s very few places where there is just one turn. It’s like you get there and there are three or four turns right when you get there and then you fly down another mile or so to hit another set of turns.”
  RACING WITH FASTER PROTOTYPES: “I went to Portugal and tested with the (Le Mans prototypes) on the track so I’d have that experience. They’ve toned the LMP cars down a little bit. They’ve taken some power away from them. Being out there with those guys is interesting because every time I’ve raced in my life I’ve been in equal cars and when I started racing the road race stuff I was passing cars that were slow, and that was really hard because you couldn’t predict where they were going. Now, I’m going to be in the slow car and I don’t want those LMP guys thinking ‘I don’t know where he’s going’ so what I’ve been told and what I learned in Portugal is to just run and they will find a way around you. That’s what my goal will be, to just to sort of figure it out. We’re going to get there on Friday just to ride bicycles around the track again to try to look at it and learn it. It should be a great experience.”(MWR)(4-20-2011)
• Farmers Insurance to sponsor Martin: Farmers Insurance has joined Hendrick Motorsports as a five-race primary sponsor of the Chevys driven by Mark Martin in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with plans to kick off the relationship by fielding a special “throwback” paint scheme. The agreement secures primary placement for Farmers Insurance in five events and associate-level sponsorship on Martin’s cars throughout the remainder of this season. The NASCAR team sponsorship is the first for Los Angeles-based Farmers since February 2009, when it executed a one-race program at Fontana, CA.
  At the May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Farmers Insurance will launch its program with a special #25 Farmers Insurance Throwback Chevy. The paint scheme will resemble the red #25 cars fielded by Hendrick Motorsports for the first time in 1986 — 25 years ago. That season, the combination of driver Tim Richmond and crew chief Harry Hyde won seven races and eight pole positions.
  Returning to his customary car number, Martin also will drive the #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy in four points-paying Sprint Cup Series races: June 5 at Kansas, June 12 at Pocono, June 26 at Infineon Raceway and Aug. 27 at Bristol. “We’re excited about this new partnership with Farmers and the opportunity to represent its nearly 24,000 employees and more than 50,000 agents,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “It’s an innovative company with very strong corporate values, and I’m confident that we’ll continue to work together for a long time to come. When you have a partner that’s essentially new to the sport, kicking off a program with a nod to the past is a unique approach. The #25 was my dad’s car, and it’s always held a special place in our history. Farmers choosing this paint scheme for its first race with Mark and Hendrick Motorsports means a lot, and I think our fans will really like it.”(Hendrick Motorsports), see an image on the #5 Team Schemes page.(4-20-2011)
• Jimmie Johnson To Guest-Star On FOX’s “Breaking In” tonight: Five-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion #48-Jimmie Johnson will guest-star in an upcoming episode of the new hit FOX comedy series “Breaking In” this Wednesday, April 20th at 9:30 pm ET/PT. “Breaking In” is an offbeat half-hour workplace comedy about a high-tech security firm that takes extreme – and often questionable – measures to sell its protection services. Created by Adam F. Goldberg and Seth Gordon, the series centers on a team of uniquely skilled oddball geniuses hand-picked to work for a manipulative mastermind. The series stars Christian Slater as larger-than-life Contra Security head honcho Oz, Bret Harrison as computer hacker Cameron, Odette Annable as alluring bad girl Melanie, Alphonso McAuley as fanboy/mad genius Cash. Johnson, the 35-year-old El Cajon, Calif., native, plays himself in the episode as the storyline is built around his race team needing security assistance. “It was a very cool experience, and I’m excited to see how this week’s episode turned out,” said Johnson. “Fred Savage was really encouraging and gave me great direction and I had a blast with Christian Slater. I think the hardest part was not laughing at Michael Rosenbaum [who plays character Dutch]. That guy is what you’d call high energy. The whole experience was great. I hope the fans enjoy seeing me do something different, but trust me, I won’t be leaving my day job any time soon.” Slater, who served last month as the Grand Marshal for the Auto Club 400, was very impressed with Johnson’s acting ability. “Jimmie was just as smooth on the set as he is on the track. Everyone was excited to have him be part of the episode,” said Slater. “It was even more special for me as he made my son’s birthday by autographing a pair of racing shoes.” Part of Wednesday’s NASCAR-focused episode was shot at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Johnson was also on the Sony-based set of “Breaking In” to film portions of the episode. “Breaking In” is produced by Happy Madison Productions, Adam F. Goldberg Productions and Sethsquatch, Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television. Goldberg, Gordon and Doug Robinson serve as executive producers, while Goldberg serves as writer. Fred Savage is the episode’s director.(NASCAR)(4-20-2011)
• This season remains wide open: Seven different drivers have won the first eight races this season. That’s the most competitively balanced start to a season since 2003, when nine different drivers won the first nine races. That stat is part of a handful of interesting numbers, facts and figures this season. For instance…
  • Four of the eight races have either set or tied a lead change record, including Talladega which tied an all-time NASCAR record of 88 lead changes.
  • There has been an average of 14.6 leaders per race, most through eight races in series history.
  • There has been an average of 38.5 lead changes per race, most through eight races in series history.
  • There has been an average of 4,511 green flag passes all around the track per race, most through eight races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005.
  • There has been an average of 54 green flag passes for the lead all around the track per race, most through eight races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005.(NASCAR)(4-20-2011)
• RIR adds more fan amenities: Richmond International Raceway continues to add more fan-friendly amenities for the 2011 season, highlighted by the addition of 42″ televisions throughout the concourse under the grandstands and convenient payment options.
  · Concourse Televisions
  More than twenty 42″ televisions will be installed throughout the concourse, underneath the grandstands.
  · PayPal
  Fans who purchase race tickets online at www.rir.com now have the option to submit payment via PayPal.
  · Credit Card Payments
  Many concession stands at the track will accept major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Stands that accept credit cards will be marked.
  Additional fan-friendly amenities previously announced include:
  · Larger Coolers Allowed
  Fans may continue to bring their own food and beverage inside the gates at Richmond International Raceway. The new maximum allowed cooler size is 14x14x14 inches – large enough for 36 12-oz beverages.
  · Wider Seats
  Nearly all of the grandstand seats have been widened and now measure 22 inches wide.
  · Backpack Policy
  Guests may carry in their items in backpacks or daypacks similar to those used by school kids. Each guest is allowed to carry in one backpack. The 2011 NASCAR season at Richmond International Raceway kicks off April 28-30 with four races in three nights! Tickets are on sale now for the Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race “under the lights” on Saturday, April 30th. The weekend kicks off with a doubleheader on Thursday night, April 28th, beginning with the Blue Ox 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, followed by the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. Thursday’s tickets are $25 and all seats are general admission. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult on Thursday. For tickets, log on to www.rir.com or call 866-455-7223.(RIR)(4-20-2011)
• Nationwide Series banquet returns to Miami: NASCAR has announced dates and sites for its 2011 postseason championship celebrations. Riding the momentum of 2010’s highly successful awards shows, all of this year’s events will return to the same sites. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will again be held at Wynn Las Vegas. This year, the ceremony is set for Friday, Dec. 2 and will feature the top 10 drivers in the final series standings. The event will culminate NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week in Las Vegas. As in previous years, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will be accompanied by a number of events designed with fans and media in mind – starting with the immensely popular “NASCAR Victory Lap,” an annual procession of the top 12 drivers in their race cars on Las Vegas Blvd., followed by NASCAR After The Lap, a Q&A event with the top 12 drivers; and the yearly NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon. Details for these events – as well as many others that will provide a lead-in to the ceremony – will be announced later this year. In addition, the combined awards banquet for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take place in South Florida at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, one of the jewels of the South Beach area. The date is Nov. 21, the Monday following the season-ending Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.(NASCAR)(4-20-2011)
• Go Canada Racing making debut at Nashville: IMAGE: The new owner of the #67 Nationwide Series Go Canada Racing Ford wanted to make sure there was no doubt about the nationality of his team. So Steve Meehan, a Toronto financial consultant and founder of the Investment Planning Counsel group, decided that his team would sport the same colours — red, black and white — as the myriad of Team Canadas that regularly hoist championship hockey trophies around the globe. “I am passionate about Canada, I am passionate about business and I am passionate about NASCAR racing,” Meehan said Tuesday as he unveiled the team’s new car that will launch its season Saturday at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. And to put his money where his mouth is, Meehan has signed 22-year-old JR Fitzpatrick, of Cambridge, Ont., to drive the #67 Ford. Fitzpatrick will drive in at least 10 more Nationwide races this season and possibly a couple of Sprint Cup races for Go Canada.(Toronto Sun), see an image of the car on the #67 team paint scheme page.(4-20-2011)
• Rusty Wallace starting 3rd team: UPDATE:Rusty Wallace Racing announced that the team will field a third Toyota Camry in a partial 2011 Nationwide Series schedule. In addition to RWR’s #62 Pilot Flying J Toyota–driven by Michael Annett–and its flagship #66 5-Hour Energy Toyota–piloted by Steve Wallace–the team’s familiar #64 will return to competition in 2011 with Sprint Cup veteran, David Reutimann, former #64 driver, David Stremme and 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown winner, Jason Bowles sharing the controls. Providing primary sponsorship for four of the events is Syracuse, NY-based Aspen Dental, a network of nearly 300 dental practices across 22 states, that first teamed with RWR late last season. The #64 Aspen Dental Toyota Camry will compete in four races, those at Michigan, Kentucky, Watkins Glen and Bristol. Stremme is slated to pilot the #64 car in several of those events. Meanwhile, Reutimann will lead off the season for the No. 64 team this weekend in Nashville, with sponsorship to be announced later this week. Additional races for Reutimann may be named in the near future. Rounding out the trio of drivers for the No. 64 car is Jason Bowles. Bowles, the 2009 NASCAR K&N West Series Champion, will pilot the #64 Toyota in all three 2011 Nationwide Series road course events. Aspen Dental will back Bowles in the August event at Watkins Glen International, while sponsorship for the Road America and Montreal events will be named in the near future. RWR General Manager and former Sprint Cup crew chief, Larry Carter will return to the pit box to lead the No. 64 team in its limited schedule.(RWR)(4-18-2011)
  UPDATE: Flatout Flatbread will serve as primary sponsor of the team’s #64–piloted by David Reutimann–in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Nashville Superspeedway. Michigan-based Flatout sells tasty and healthy flatbreads in deli and bakery sections of nearly all major grocery retailers and drug chains across the country. Flatout is the fastest growing bread in America.(RWR)(4-20-2011)
• Cobb to run Richmond for own team: Jennifer Jo Cobb will return to driving the #13 Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Ford beginning at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, April 29. In addition to her NNS efforts, Cobb will also pilot her #10 JJCR Ford F-150 in at least two more NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events this season, including this week’s Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on June 4. Cobb has raced in five NNS races in 2011 and one NCWTS event, in which she piloted the #10 JJCR F-150 at Daytona International Speedway and posted a sixth place finish. Following Daytona, Cobb partnered with Chase Mattioli Racing and since, Mattioli has been driving the #10 for his rookie campaign. Mattioli and Cobb will work together in Nashville with Mattioli piloting his #99 Ford F-150. (Breaking Limits)(4-20-2011)
• NASCAR sets dates, sites for 2011 postseason award shows: NASCAR has announced dates and sites for its 2011 postseason championship celebrations. Riding the momentum of 2010’s highly successful awards shows, all of this year’s events will return to the same sites. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will again be held at Wynn Las Vegas. This year, the ceremony is set for Friday, Dec. 2 and will feature the top 10 drivers in the final series standings. The combined awards banquet for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take place in South Florida at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, one of the jewels of the South Beach area. The date is Nov. 21, the Monday following the season-ending Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(4-20-2011)
• Stillman moves to #5 team with Kvapil: Dan Stillman will join the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team this weekend as crew chief for Travis Kvapil and the No. 5 team. Stillman has been with Randy Moss Motorsports since last fall, and was most recently the crew chief on the No. 25 Toyota Tundra driven by Tayler Malsam. In 2007 Kvapil left Nashville Superspeedway with the coveted guitar trophy designed by NASCAR artist Sam Bass after winning the Toyota Tundra 200.(Randy Moss Motorsports PR)(4-20-2011)
• Some background on ThorSport Racing’s Duke Thorson: Excerpts from an article in The Bemidji Pioneer — Duke Thorson has always owned a competitive spirit. That approach led to success as a Bemidji Lumberjack tennis player, success in the business world as the owner of SealMaster and success on the NASCAR Truck Series through ThorSport Racing, which formed in 1996 and is the elder statesman in the NASCAR Truck Series. In the mid-1990s Thorson was talked into watching Richard Petty race in Atlanta and watching Petty and the other competitors planted a seed which eventually sprouted into ThorSport. “I thought it was neat,” Thorson said, “so I went to a few more races. “I was also looking for some things (to promote) the industry and to (display) at trade shows. Many things came together and we decided to get a truck for the NASCAR Series.” In 1996 ThorSport Racing entered its first race and behind the wheel was Terry Cook. The team started the race in 24th and advanced to 12th at the finish. On Aug. 9, 1997 ThorSport earned its first pole and on June 5, 1998 it collected its first top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Thorson’s NASCAR truck fleet includes about 20 vehicles but the team races only two at a time. Crafton drives one and Johnny Sauter is behind the wheel of the other. Both racers are enjoying very successful 2011 campaigns as Sauter is first overall after four races with 150 points and Crafton is second with 145. “I get to most of the races now,” Thorson said. “We’ve expanded our program the past few years and now we are 1-2 with Johnny and Matt in the points standings. Our ultimate goal is to some day join the Cup Series. “But we want to master the NASCAR Truck Series first.”[To read the complete article, go to the The Bemidji Pioneer website.](4-20-2011)
• Skinner Round-Up raises $125K for Daytona Charities: Last month’s Toyota Skinner Round-Up presented by Rue & Ziffra Personal Injury Attorneys raised $125,000 for five Volusia County, Fla., charities. The two-day event, organized by NASCAR driver Mike Skinner and his wife Angie, included a Hoe Down Bash at Daytona International Speedway followed by golf and poker tournaments the next day at Spruce Creek Country Club in Port Orange, Fla. Volusia County charities benefitting from the event include the Council on Aging, Concerned Citizens for Animal Welfare, Greyhound Pets of America, Halifax Foundation and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Since the Toyota Skinner Round-Up began in 2005, the event has now raised more than $625,000 toward these charities.(Mike Skinner PR)(4-20-2011)
• Following Nashville, Lofton off to the desert: Justin Lofton spent last weekend in Nevada preparing for his run next weekend in the Best in the Desert Off-Road Racing Series. With an off week in NASCAR Truck competition, he will take advantage of the down time by returning to his racing roots by wheeling a class 1500 entry. In 2004, Lofton earned the Best in the Desert Class 1000 championship and Rookie of the Year honors. Lofton will make his third Camping World Truck Series start on the 1.33-mile concrete race track under the lights on Friday driving the #77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra for Germain Racing. Last season he started both events within the top-10, with a best finish of ninth. To date, his best finish at Nashville is a fifth place effort, which he collected in 2008 while competing in the ARCA Racing Series.(Lofton Racing PR)(4-20-2011)
• Mattioli & Cobb team up at Nashville: UPDATE two races for Cobb: This weekend Chase Mattioli and Jennifer Jo Cobb will be combining resources for the Bully Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway, with Jennifer driving the No. 10 and Chase the No. 99 CollegeComplete.com Ford. This will be Chase’s 1st time driving on a concrete surface. “Jennifer has experience at Nashville in both the Camping World Truck series as well as a 7th place finish there in the ARCA series. She told me it’s a place to keep a cool head and make sure you’re there in the end and I am thankful that we will be working together”, commented Chase. When it comes to helping rookies like me, all the drivers in the Camping World series are just incredible”, Mattioli concluded.(Chase Mattioli PR)(4-19-2011)
  UPDATE: In addition to her NNS efforts, Cobb will also pilot her No. 10 JJCR Ford F-150 in at least two more NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events this season, including this week’s Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on June 4.(Cobb Racing Team PR)(4-20-2011)
• Bodine returns as Nashville’s most recent winner: Nashville Superspeedway is a track where Todd Bodine and Germain Racing have always managed to be contenders. Until last year, they’d remained shut out of victory lane. With their guitar trophy on display at the team headquarters, the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra has nothing more to do this weekend than try to win again at the concrete oval in Tennessee. The two-time Truck Series champion said that after the years of waiting for a Nashville victory, the return to the track after earning the coveted guitar trophy is still all about the business of winning again. Bodine has competed in seven Truck Series events at Nashville and has scored six top ten finishes, five top-five’s, two pole awards and one win. This Friday he’ll compete in his 170th Truck Series race when he fires up the Germain.com Tundra for the fifth race of the 2011 season. Bodine has 733 NASCAR career starts to date. After four races, Bodine ranks 8th in Truck Series standings, 28 points out of first place.(Germain Racing PR)(4-20-2011)
• 250th consecutive start for SS Green Light; Allegro returns as associate: When David Starr and the #81 Zachry Toyota take the green flag for the Bully Hilly Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway, it will mark the 250th consecutive start in the NCWTS for co-owner and General Manager Bobby Dotter with the SS Green Light team. The streak began back in 2001 at Daytona and will continue on the concrete mile and a third speedway on Friday night. Allegro Marinades will join ASI Limited as an associate sponsor on Starr’s Zachry Tundra at Nashville Superspeedway. It’s been three weeks since Starr and the SS Green Light Racing team hit the track together, but both driver and team have kept busy over the break in the schedule. David participated in his first ever Sprint Cup race at Texas two weeks ago and the SS Green Light team won one of the largest Late Model races in recent history when Chris Eggleston took the checkers at the Pro All Star Series $75,000 to win “The Race” at North Wilkesboro. The exciting news has everyone in the SS Green Light shop eager to return to action in the NCWTS.(SS Green Light Racing PR)(4-20-2011)
• Racing at Nashville Superspeedway a first for Sweet: This weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Nashville Superspeedway will mark Brad Sweet’s first start at the 1.33-mile track. The rookie driver hopes to build on his learning experience this season in the NCWTS by adding to his solid start thus far.(Turner Motorsports PR)(4-20-2011)
• Marks showcasing local sponsor at Nashville: “Nashville is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule,” said Marks, who has one previous Truck Series start at the 1.333-mile oval. “I’ve run there in ARCA and in the Trucks before and had some great races so I’m optimistic for the weekend.” Marks’ “great races” include the 2007 Nashville ARCA 150, where he sat on the outside pole and finished 13th. Sponsor showcase — South East Color is a BASF Automotive and Industrial Paint and Supply store located in Old Hickory, Tenn. South East Color is a leading supplier for automotive, fleet, marine, and industrial paints and supplies.(Turn One Racing PR)(4-20-2011)
• Fast Facts — Brendan Gaughan:
  *Gaughan drives the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra for Germain Racing
  *Gaughan has earned eight series career wins, all of which were earned on intermediate tracks.
  *He holds two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship titles.
  *Gaughan won in the GT class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year.
  *Gaughan has 6 starts at Nashville and has completed 901 of 902 laps.
  *He has two top-5 and four top-10 finishes at Nashville in six races
  *Chassis GR-017, a brand new Tundra chassis, will debut for the South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra team at Nashville.
  (Germain Racing PR)(4-20-2011)

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