TEAM REPORTS (CONCORD, NC.) - RICKY STENHOUSE JR. TO RUN 22ND ANNUAL CHILI BOWL

Before hitting the pavement at Daytona International Speedway in February, Roush Fenway Racing's newest development driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., will make his fourth start next week in the 22nd annual Chili Bowl held in Tulsa, Okla. Stenhouse will race for Keith Kunz Motorsports in the Esslinger-powered No. 97 car as he looks to better his 2007 performance, a 13th place finish in the A main.

"We ran decent there last year," said Stenhouse from his home in Olive Branch, Miss. "Keith Kunz has given me a fast racecar this year with lots of horsepower under the hood so I'm excited. To run this race is really special. I think it truly is the 'Superbowl' of racing. It's the one place that drivers from all Sprint and Midget Series along with drivers from NASCAR and sometimes drag racing come together for some good old fashioned dirt racing."

This year's entries currently top 270 for the five-day event that starts on January 8 and concludes Saturday, January 12 at the Tulsa Expo Center. Some of the top names Stenhouse will be competing against include four-time Chili Bowl winner Sammy Swindell and NASCAR stars Kasey Kahne, J.J. Yeley and Stenhouse's former car owner, Tony Stewart.

"The best drivers are there." Stenhouse continued, "A lot of great drivers have won the Chili Bowl and to be included in that select group would be cool. I'm really looking forward to racing against my former boss, Tony (Stewart), along with all the other champions, race winners and top-drivers. When you have that many top drivers competing for just 24 spots, fans are going to see some of the best racing around."

Crowds are expected to top 10,000 to watch Stenhouse battle some of the greatest names in racing on the famous .25-mile indoor dirt track. Stenhouse will race in Wednesday night's qualifier race on the road to racing the 50-lap A main Saturday night. Saturday's finale will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View for details, visit www.chilibowl.com.

As for the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX season, Stenhouse has been working hard over the winter to prepare for his first full-season with Roush Fenway. With several successful tests under his belt, Stenhouse has been cleared to race Daytona in February which is a big relief for the 20-year old.

"We had a good test at Daytona last month," said Stenhouse. "I feel like our team is starting to gel and I'm getting more and more comfortable in the car with each lap. The test sessions have been good but I'm definitely ready to race. We're still looking for a sponsor but I'm confident that if we stick to our game plan of completing all our laps, and try to be competitive each week, something will come through. I'm looking forward to 2008."

About Roush Fenway Racing Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating 13 motorsports teams. Five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; four in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Erik Darnell and Colin Braun; and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Darnell, Braun and Joey Clanton; and one in the ARCA RE/MAX Series with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.