Sterling Marlin, #40 Coors Light Dodge, Aaron's 499 Advance
RACE INFORMATION: EVENT: Aaron's 499 (race 8 of 36) TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway QUALIFYING: Friday, April 4, 3:00 p.m. EST RACE: Sunday, April 6, 12:00 p.m. EST BROADCAST: FOX television and MRN radio COORS LIGHT TEAM FACTS: · Chassis: The Coors Light team is taking chassis #005 to Talladega. This is the same car that competed at Daytona Speedweeks this year. · In 39 starts, Marlin has three poles and two back-to-back wins at Talladega Superspeedway. His back-to-back wins came in 1995 and 1996. · When Marlin made his first career start at Talladega Superspeedway (5/1/1983), rookie teammate Casey Mears was 5 years old and racing BMX bikes and ATVs in California. Jamie McMurray was 6 years old and racing go-karts in Joplin, Missouri. ANDY GRAVES QUOTES: Team Manager and #41 Spotter What have the three teams learned since Daytona to help CGRs Speedway program? "We went back out to Arizona for three days to do straight-line testing and we've been in the wind tunnel a couple more times. The 41 actually has a new car that we've never raced before based off of those results and we've just modified both the 40 and 42 cars." Is it beneficial for you to be spotting on Sundays (for the #41 car)? "It lets me see what is developing on the race track and I think that's beneficial. It makes me feel a lot more involved. I've enjoyed it quite a bit, as a race fan also." How are the three drivers working together? We know Sterling is helping the rookies. Are the rookies helping Sterling? "I think indirectly they are helping Sterling. If you ask him, he probably doesn't think so. Obviously, when you have two real young fast guys that are going out there and putting up pretty good laps, indirectly it will push Sterling." The #40 car has had a sluggish start to the season. What do you attribute that to? "Glover and I were talking about this the other day. If you take back the motor that they blew up at Rockingham and then the wreck at Darlington. If Sterling would have finished 10th at both of those places then after Bristol he would have been second in points. So, I would attribute it to luck." Has the expansion to three cars hurt the team? "I don't think it has hurt the team I think we're learning how to work with three cars. Getting everything built up. Getting the systems put together. When we come back from the track how to put the cars through the system. It's all a challenge. I don't want to say that it's hurt, but it has been an adjustment and it certainly hasn't helped at this point but later in the year I think it's going to help the organization as a whole." TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY STATS: Sterling Marlin DATE START FINISH 5/1/1983 22 41 7/31/1983 22 21 5/6/1984 28 12 7/29/1984 20 32 5/5/1985 10 25 7/28/1985 10 12 5/4/1986 5 39 7/27/1986 5 4 5/3/1987 7 14 7/26/1987 10 14 5/1/1988 8 6 7/31/1988 2 6 5/7/1989 16 14 7/30/1989 13 28 5/6/1990 15 26 7/29/1990 14 3 5/6/1991 19 4 7/28/1991 1 5 5/3/1992 3 4 7/26/1992 1 2 5/2/1993 14 24 7/25/1993 22 27 5/1/1994 10 8 7/24/1994 8 5 4/30/1995 7 39 7/23/1995 1 1 4/28/1996 4 1 7/28/1996 16 29 5/10/1997 16 39 10/12/1997 30 38 4/26/1998 14 9 10/11/1998 10 14 4/25/1999 14 25 10/17/1999 6 22 4/16/2000 7 8 10/15/2000 32 41 4/22/2001 2 23 10/21/2001 3 17 4/21/2002 33 5 10/6/2002 DNS DNS COORS LIGHT CREW: Name Crew position Race shop duty Hometown Sterling Marlin Driver Driver Columbia, Tennessee Andy Graves Team Manager Team Manager Syracuse, New York Tony Glover Team Manager Team Manager Kingsport, Tennessee Lee McCall Crew Chief Crew Chief Travelers Rest, South Carolina Al Shuford Team Trainer Team Trainer Shelby, North Carolina Nate Kennon Front Tire Changer Front Mechanic St. Louis, Missouri Trent Davis Front Tire Carrier Race Day Only Vale, North Carolina Mike Atwell Rear Tire Changer Test Team Charlotte, North Carolina Tim Shore Rear Tire Carrier Race Day Only Yadkinville, North Carolina Greg Pasi Jack Man Race Day Only Coory, Pennsylvania Jerry Schweitz Gas Man Transportation Director Waterloo, New York Mike Motil Catch Can Man Tire Specialist Hazelton, Pennsylvania Tony Santanicola Windshield Engine Specialist Vacaville, California Lorin Ranier Spotter Manager Prestonsburg, Kentucky Steve Boyer Engineer Engineer North Platte, Nebraska Derek Staments Pit Support Shocks Milford, New Jersey Dave Mitchell Pit Support Truck Driver Alderion, West Virginia Mark Poole Pit Support Rear Mechanic Kannapolis, North Carolina Todd Osborne Pit Support Car Chief Jamestown, Indiana John Sacco Scorer Parts Department Birmingham, Alabama