CGRFS NNS and NSCS Texas Motor Speedway Advance Notes
CGRFS Texas Motor Speedway Advance Notes Race: Samsung 500 on Sunday, April 6 (NSCS) O'Reilly 300 on Saturday, April 5 (NNS) Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile) Location: Fort Worth, Texas CGRFS Media Contacts at Texas: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Heather Kincel, No. 40 Kennametal Dodge Angie Copen, No. 40 Fastenal Dodge Angie Copen, No. 41 Target Dodge Angie Copen, No. 41 Polaroid Dodge Heather Kincel, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge NOTES Dario Franchitti and the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge Team (NSCS) and No. 40 Fastenal Dodge Team (NNS) Rookie Round-Up: Franchitti still has the lead in the NSCS Raybestos Rookie of the Year race, but is now tied with Regan Smith. Both drivers have a current tally of 60 with Sam Hornish Jr. just three points behind them in second place with a current score of 57. Franchitti also still leads the NNS Raybestos Rookie off the Year standings. With a total of 58 points, he leads fellow CGRFS teammate Bryan Clauson (whose current tally is 52) by six points. Catching On: In this past Sunday's NSCS race at Martinsville Speedway, Franchitti scored a NSCS career-best finish of 22nd place in the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge. The effort topped his previous best of 20th place, which he earned earlier this year at Daytona. Back to Double Duty: This weekend Franchitti will return to juggling two different competition schedules, competing in both the NNS and NSCS races at Texas Motor Speedway. He will be making his 10th career start in NNS competition and seventh in NSCS. Not His First Rodeo at TMS: When Franchitti gets on track Thursday for NNS practice it won't be his first time driving a stock car on the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Franchitti made his second-career NNS start at Texas last November, driving the No. 42 CGRFS Target Dodge to a 25th-place finish (started 18th). Check out the Parrott Perspective: Franchitti's NNS crew chief Brad Parrott is keeping fans up to date on what is going on in the world of the Fastenal Racing Team through an on-line log he will be keeping throughout the 2008 NNS season. Check out the Parrott Perspective at www.fastenalracing.com. Standings Update: On the NNS side of things, Franchitti's No. 40 Fastenal Team currently stands 21st in the overall NNS owner points rundown. With a current tally of 632, the team is 93 points outside the top 10 and 261 out of first. In the NSCS garage, Franchitti's No. 40 Kennametal Team is currently 38th, and only 22 points outside the top 35. Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Target Dodge Team (NSCS) Reed's TMS Results: In four NSCS starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Sorenson has averaged a 22nd-place starting position and 27th-place finish. His best effort at the track was when he made his Sprint Cup debut in April 2006. The then-rookie lined up 13th to take the green flag and then finished exactly where he started-in 13th place. Fore!: Before getting on track at TMS this Friday for NSCS practice, Sorenson is going to take in a game of golf for a good cause. He will be participating in the Speedway Children's Charities Golf Tournament this Thursday, April 3, at the Trophy Club Country Club in Trophy Club, Texas. Fox commentator Larry MacReynolds will also take part in the golf outing. For more information about the tournament and the Speedway Children's Charities initiatives go to www.scctexas.org. Rankings Report: Sorenson and the Target team currently sit 26th in the overall NSCS driver point standings. The team is 224 points out of 12th place - the final cutoff position for the Chase. Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Team (NSCS) On the hood: The Texaco/Havoline logo will be back on the No. 42 Dodge Charger for Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Texaco has been operating in the United States, specifically in Texas, for more than 100 years from its beginnings in Beaumont (outside of Houston). The Texaco brand has grown into one of the most trusted and familiar brands in the world. Steady Improvements: Montoya and the No. 42 team have improved their finish in every race so far this season. After a 32nd-place finish in the season opener in Daytona, the team has finished 20th at California, 19th at Las Vegas, 16th at Atlanta, 15th at Bristol and most recently 13th at Martinsville last weekend. Texas on Track: Montoya earned his second of six top-10 finishes last season at his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Despite the ever-changing weather that weekend, Montoya started 16th after rain canceled qualifying. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge was tight through the start of the race, but after several adjustments Montoya was battling in the top 10. Montoya finished the day in the eighth position at the 1.5-mile track. Last fall, Montoya led 10 laps at TMS before dropping a cylinder and finishing 25th. About last week: Montoya and his Donnie Wingo-led team finished 13th at Martinsville Speedway last weekend and earned their second-consecutive top-15 finish. In three Sprint Cup starts at the short track, Montoya has finished 16th, eighth and 13th and has completed all 1,506 possible laps. 2008 Standings: Montoya and team continue to move up steadily in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and now sit 17th after the sixth race of the season. The team is just 107 points out of 12th, the cutoff to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and 282 points behind the leader Jeff Burton. He's "SIRIUS" Again: For the second year in a row, listen to SIRIUS Satellite Radio every Monday on channel 128 for the "Juan Pablo Montoya Report." Montoya will provide exclusive updates on the No. 42 Team; give post-race downloads and share his thoughts on the events of the season. He will also chat with hosts David Poole and Mike Bagley on "The Morning Drive" every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Kyle Krisiloff and the No. 41 Polaroid Team (NNS) Krisiloff at TMS: Krisiloff has competed at Texas Motor Speedway two times in his young NNS career. Both runs took place last season in the No. 14 car for Greg Pollex. Krisiloff finished 27th both times, starting 27th in April 2007 and 36th in November. This weekend will mark his third NNS start of the 2008 season. Owner Standings Update: Krisiloff and the No. 41 Polaroid team are coming off of a clean and promising effort at Nashville Superspeedway. Krisiloff and team seemed to really gain some ground in the last quarter of their effort at the Tennessee track two weeks ago, crossing the finish line in 25th place (started 31st). The No. 41 CGRFS NNS team is 29th in the overall NNS owner standings with 467 points. The team is 299 away from the 10th spot and 426 out of first. QUOTES Juan Pablo Montoya On Texas: "Texas has been a good place for the team in the past. We had good cars at both races last year so it will be interesting to see how we do. We were fortunate enough to participate in the Goodyear Tire test earlier this year and it was good practice for us on the mile-and-a-half track. I think the test should help us get a good starting point going into the weekend in the Texaco/Havoline Dodge. We weren't really fast off the truck or on the short runs, but we were really good on the longer runs during the test. We will see!" Brad Parrott On Franchitti's upcoming NNS effort at TMS: "We are going back to racing this weekend with an emphasis on Dario having a good run in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. We are taking the same car we ran at Las Vegas, in Fontana and in Bristol. So far, it has been Dario's favorite car. We had a really good run in Vegas so we are going to take that same information and apply it to this weekend's run at Texas Motor Speedway, although it is a little faster race track than Vegas ... probably the biggest benefit at Texas is going to be Dario has raced there before in the Nationwide Series. Last November, he came off the truck and had an accident, then had to be careful to not wreck the back-up car and take a more conservative approach to that weekend's effort. I believe he started 18th and finished 25th. So, taking the car he has been in already this year and likes, and then racing at a venue where he has already competed will all play a role in Saturday's outcome. "I know the guys are ready to get back to racing. We all had this past weekend off. I put 120 bales of pine straw on my yard over the weekend and went on a motorcycle ride with my dad on Friday. One of the guys camped out at Martinsville all weekend. They can't get away from the track, I guess. I also know a bunch of them had family coming in to visit so we are all rested and ready to get back at it this weekend." CHASSIS INFO No. 40 Kennametal Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #746. This chassis has run once already this season by Crew Chief Steve Lane and the No. 40 team in Fontana. No. 41 Target Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #815. This chassis has not been run out of the Target team's stable yet this season. It is one of the newer chassis built by Crew Chief Jimmy Elledge and the No. 41 crew. No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #744. Montoya ran this chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after wrecking his primary car. Crew Chief Donnie Wingo and the team were able to unload the car in time for Montoya to get some practice time and finish the race in the 19th position. Although it has been rebuilt for the 2008 season, this chassis also raced twice last season at Richmond and Phoenix. No. 40 Fastenal Dodge (NNS): Chassis #653. This will be the fourth time Crew Chief Brad Parrot has chosen to take chassis #653 to the track. This chassis has competed at Fontana (24th-place finish with Franchitti), Las Vegas (sixth-place finish with Franchitti) and Bristol (22nd-place finish with Franchitti) already this season. No. 41 Polaroid Dodge (NNS): Chassis #756. Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the No. 41 team are bringing chassis #756 to Texas this weekend. This chassis ran at the Fontana race (34th-place finish with Clauson) and was also tested at Las Vegas earlier this season. 2008 STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev) Dario Franchitti 6 0 0 0 0 33.3 31.5 38/(38) Reed Sorenson 6 0 0 1 1 24.8 26.3 28/(26) Juan Pablo Montoya 6 0 0 0 0 22.7 19.2 17/(19) NASCAR Nationwide Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev) Dario Franchitti 3 0 0 0 1 10.7 16.7 21/(19) Kyle Krisiloff 2 0 0 0 1 28.0 34.0 29/(30) CAREER STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Dario Franchitti 6 0 0 0 0 33.3 31.5 Reed Sorenson 80 0 1 5 12 24.8 24.2 Juan Pablo Montoya 43 1 0 3 6 21.8 22.4 NASCAR Nationwide Series Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Dario Franchitti 9 0 0 0 1 14.1 25.0 Kyle Krisiloff 40 0 0 1 2 32.1 28.6 TEAM ROSTERS John Fernandez - Managing Director Tony Glover - Team Manager Steve Hmiel - Director of Competition No. 40 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Steve Lane Winston Salem, NC Rear Tire Changer: Chuck Efaw Big Prairie, OH Chief Mechanic: Jim Pohlman Oak Lawn, IL Rear Tire Carrier: Doug Riepe Danbury, Conn. Front Tire Changer: Evan Clark Carmel, NY Gas Man: Benjy Grubbs Richmond, VA Front Tire Carrier: Andy Silver Weaverville, NC Catch Can: Jim Pohlman Oak Lawn, IL Jack Man: Tony Cardamone Charleston, WV Spotter: Mike Calinoff Hauppauge, NY No. 41 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Jimmy Elledge Redding, CA Rear Tire Changer: Jason Sheets Indianapolis, IN Chief Mechanic: Jeff Vandermoss Green Bay, WI Rear Tire Carrier: Adam Mosher Fort Mill, SC Front Tire Changer: Mike Trower New Hampton, Iowa Gas Man: Randy Hildreth Charlotte, NC Front Tire Carrier: Adam Cooke Zephyrhills, FL Catch Can: Eric "Pee Wee" Hoyle Asheville, NC Jack Man: David Cox Statesville, NC Spotter: Lorin Ranier Prestonsburg, KY No. 42 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Donnie Wingo Spartanburg, SC Rear Tire Changer: Rich Macco North Syracuse, NY Chief Mechanic: Mike Brill Woodsville, NH Rear Tire Carrier: Chip Goode Statesville, NC Front Tire Changer: Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, MN Gas Man: Mike Bodick Norwalk, CT Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu Waterford, MI Catch Can: Heath Silver Asheville, NC Jack Man: Mark Jacobs Fort Walton Bch, FL Spotter: Tab Boyd Pensacola, FL No. 40 (NNS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Brad Parrott Charlotte, NC Rear Tire Changer: Chuck Efaw Big Prairie, OH Chief Mechanic: Mark Rette Freehold, NJ Rear Tire Carrier: Todd Drakulich Tucson, AZ Front Tire Changer: Evan Clark Carmel, NY Gas Man: Marcus Bonicelli Colorado Springs, CO Front Tire Carrier: Marty Forcier Superior, WI Catch Can: Scott Vogelsong Camp Hill, PA Jack Man: Will Sturgill Lexington, KY Spotter: Mike Calinoff Hauppauge, NY No. 41 (NNS) Hometown Hometown Crew Chief: Brian Pattie Zephyrhills, FL Rear Tire Changer: Daryl Lockyer Los Angeles, CA Chief Mechanic: Dan Chivari Erie, PA Rear Tire Carrier: Adam Mills High Point, NC Front Tire Changer: Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, NY Gas Man: Shane Bourgeois Peachtree City, GA Front Tire Carrier: Adam Cooke Zephyrhills, FL Catch Can: Ryan Quann Richmond, VA Jack Man: Mark Jacobs Fort Walton Bch, FL Spotter: Lorin Ranier Prestonsburg, KY Sponsor websites www.target.com/racing www.texacohavoline42.com www.fastenalracing.com www.wrigleysracing.com About Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates With 3 wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 92 trips to victory lane. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi's IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 57 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have 12 wins and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the Grand American team has won two Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the three-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information log onto www.chipganassiracing.com <http://www.chipganassiracing.com/>