NASCAR Team News - JR Motorsports Dover Preview

Aric Almirola No. 88 Degree Men Chevrolet “Dover is my favorite track. I’ve never experienced another track like it since I started racing. It’s so incredibly unique. Going off into turn one is an amazing feeling. You drop something like 75 feet down into the turn. It feels like the track just drops away from you as you enter the corner there. The effects of the G-forces on your body are a lot like riding a rollercoaster. But at Dover the rollercoaster lasts for 200 miles.

“Last week was a letdown for our No. 88 Degree Men team. But those are the kind of races we put behind us, and just look ahead to this week’s race. There’s no better place to earn a solid finish than at Dover. We’re really optimistic heading there this week.”

Josh Wise No. 7 “We Salute You” JR Motorsports Chevrolet “This is an exciting week for our No. 7 team. I’m honored to be racing for such a great cause with JR Motorsports and the “We Salute You” Chevrolet. It’s nice to be given such a unique way to thank all the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, and show them how much we appreciate everything they do for our country. Working hand-in-hand with The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation on this project is also a blessing.

“Sometimes certain tracks just fit your driving style. Dover is like that for me. It’s a driver’s racetrack, with some room to move around and you can really attack it. Once it gets rubbered up during the race, the track gets really slick and getting into the corner gets a little tricky. So you struggle for grip there. It’s also important to get a good straight shot off the corner on exit in order to carry good straightaway speed down into the next corner.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

JRM SALUTES THE TROOPS IN DOVER – JR Motorsports, along with the NASCAR community, will salute the courageous men and women of the United States Armed Forces with a tribute paint scheme of pride, patriotism and gratitude on the No. 7 Chevrolet this weekend at Dover International Speedway. The “We Salute You” Chevrolet speaks for all Americans with a patriotic design that pays tribute to the strength and resolve of the greatest military on earth. To read the complete press release and to see an image of the car click here.

EXCLUSIVE DOVER PREVIEW VIDEO – Find out what Tony Eury Jr. hopes to see when he crosses the pedestrian bridge into the Dover infield in this week’s exclusive Dover preview video on www.jrmracing.com. You’ll also go behind the wheel at “The Monster Mile” with Aric Almirola in the iRacing simulator.

WELCOME DEGREE MEN – Degree Men joins the No. 88 team as primary sponsor this weekend at Dover for the first time since 2009. JRM has put on a qualifying clinic with the Degree sponsorship on its race cars. In 2009 the team earned all three of its poles (Gateway, Bristol and Atlanta) with the Degree colors on board. It joins Hellmann’s, Ragu and Suave Men as Unilever brands to have primary paint schemes with JRM this season. The No. 88 Chevrolet will also carry the Degree brand at Nashville Superspeedway (July 23), Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug. 26) and Kansas Speedway (Oct. 8).

TAMING THE MONSTER – Dover International Speedway has been a strong track for JR Motorsports in its 15 races there since 2006. The organization has notched one win (spring 2009), four top-fives and six top-10s.

WISE GAINING MOMENTUM – Wise’s 2011 statistics in five races with the No. 7 include two top-10s and four top-15 finishes. He also led a season-high five laps in the No. 7 Chevrolet in Nashville. Spanning 13 races since 2010, Wise has never finished worse than 16th with JR Motorsports. At Dover, the 28-year-old holds four Nationwide Series starts with a best finish of 13th in 2008. Currently, he sits 11th in the championship standings (-100).

ALMIROLA AT DOVER – Almirola will make his 50th NNS start this weekend. He visited victory lane in his first race at Dover in the Camping World East Series in 2008. Almirola led 27 laps in the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. that day en route to his first NASCAR-sanctioned victory. The Tampa, Fla. native also won the Camping World Truck Series race there in 2010 after leading seven laps. Additionally, Almirola finished 11th in his only Nationwide Series start at the one-mile oval.

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds one top-five, four top-10 and seven top-15 finishes in 2011. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise have shared driving duties in the No. 7 Chevrolet throughout the year, each scoring at least a top-10 finish. Patrick earned the team’s best finish of the season when she finished fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the highest finishing female in any NASCAR national touring series race. The team occupies 12th position in owner points.

NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 Degree Men squad owns four top-10 and eight top-15 finishes this season. Almirola has led at least one lap in four of the past six races, and is currently ranked sixth (-42) in championship points. The No. 88 team is 13th in owner points.

JRM DRIVER APPEARANCES – Aric Almirola and Josh Wise will attend an autograph signing at the JR Nation merchandise hauler in the fan concourse area on Saturday, May 15, from 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. EST.

VISIT THE RELAUNCHED ALMIROLA WEBSITE – Are you a fan of Aric Almirola? Visit his newly relaunched website at www.aricalmirola.com and get inside access to all the cool and interesting facts about the Tampa, Fla. native. The site includes a complete biography, photo gallery, and updated race reports.

NEW JRM RACING WEBSITE –JRMracing.com is the digital home of the JR Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series race teams. Visit it for more information about the company, its history, and drivers, including Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise. Watch exclusive video content, including pre-race reports with drivers and crew.