TEAM REPORTS (FONTANA, CA.) - JTG/KELLY BIRES PRE-CALIFORNIA NOTES

With the hype, pomp and circumstance of the season-opening Daytona Speedweeks in the rear view mirror, Kelly Bires and the No. 47 Clorox team are riding a crest of momentum as their attention shifts out West to the two-mile California Speedway. Bires recorded a solid run during the Camping World 300, which saw him notch a 12th place finish last Saturday. Bires crossed the line amidst a gaggle of cars jockeying for position, having passed four cars on the final lap of the event.

On the heels of their solid performance, Kelly Bires and crew chief Scott Zipadelli are fired up about their chances, as the team will get their first taste of an intermediate race track event in 2008. The two got a chance to test their intermediate program at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in January and were more than pleased with the results. Bires lap times improved on each of the four separate outings and the stopwatch showed that his efforts were more than satisfying.

The Clorox team will be taking Chassis No. 43 as their primary car for the Stater Bros. 300. This chassis is their baseline model, from which all other intermediate cars are designed after. It’s a package that was developed with a lot of work over the last six months and should pay the dividends expected.

With the enthusiasm of a new season upon them, the hype is over and it’s time to find out exactly what Kelly Bires and the No. 47 Clorox team is fully capable of. Most of the drivers in the sport consider this the true start of the season. And with the momentum that Bires & Company captured at Daytona, the future is looking as bright as ever.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY: Kelly Bires, Driver of the No. 47 Clorox Ford: “We had such a great weekend at Daytona that I’m pumped for California. We went down there with the expectation of at least finishing top-15 and we accomplished that. Our expectations for intermediate tracks like California are top-10 finishes.

We have a pretty new pit crew this year and it definitely looks like those guys are getting the job done. We should be fast. We just need to keep racing smart. We need to take care of our equipment while being patient and go race when it’s time to go race. We’re out to set the tone for the whole year now. I think it just keeps getting better and better."

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Clorox Ford: “We’ve got a really good car for California. This chassis is the one we used last year for all four of the mile and a half tracks and we have setups under it that Kelly really likes. We want to take advantage of the mood and atmosphere around us right now and keep up our momentum. This is the type of track we’ll see most often this year, so we have to get it right. I definitely don’t want to get overconfident, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty excited and sure of what this team is capable of.”

FAST & FUN FACTS: -Kelly Bires will drive the No. 47 Clorox Ford in Saturday’s Stater Bros. 300. The race is part of a double header, which will also include the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, the San Bernardino County 200. -The No. 47 Clorox team will be taking Chassis No. 43 as their primary California car, with Chassis No. 45 as a backup. -Kelly Bires has two starts at the California Speedway, one in the Craftsman Truck Series and one in the Nationwide Series, with a best finish of 23rd in September of 2007. -Qualifying for the Stater Bros. 300 is set for Saturday, February 23rd at 12:35 p.m. EST on ESPN 2.