KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY NEWS AND NOTES – JUNE 17, 2008

FORD RACING LAUNCHES NCTS “BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 PRESENTED BY THE GREATER CINCINNATI FORD DEALERS” HONORARY STARTER SWEEPSTAKES

Ford Racing is offering fans a chance to be the “Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers” honorary starter July 19 at Kentucky Speedway through its “Wave the Flag Sweepstakes.” The winner and a guest will receive air transportation to Cincinnati, Ohio, two nights hotel accommodation, two race tickets, two hospitality suite tickets, a private VIP track tour and two Ford Racing apparel gift packages. Fans can enter by visiting http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com. The sweepstakes will end July 10, 2008.

KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT BACK ON FSN OHIO JUNE 22

The Kentucky Speedway Race Report returns to the FOX Sports Net Ohio airwaves Sunday, June 22 at noon. Co-hosts Tim Bray and Brian Giesenschlag of Cincinnati’s FOX 19 will recap of a record-setting NASCAR Nationwide Series “Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo” weekend at the track that included a visit from Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) founder Bruton Smith. Viewers also will see an interview with IndyCar Series legend Mario Andretti, who visited a Cincinnati auto center on behalf of Firestone, and an enlightening edition of Tech Talk with Dennis Neal, of the popular Cincinnati-based KOI Racing Report on 700 WLW AM radio.

LOGANO ROLLS TO NNS “MEIJER 300 PRESENTED BY OREO” WIN IN KENTUCKY

Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Joey Logano became the eighth different NASCAR Nationwide Series race winner at Kentucky Speedway in front of a track-record sellout crowd of 73,195 assembled for the June 14 “Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo.” The Middletown, Conn., driver known as “Sliced Bread” became the youngest victor in series history at age 18 years and 21 days as well as the third straight first-time series winner at the track after guiding his No. 20 GameStop Toyota across the finish line a series track-record 2.259 seconds ahead of Scott Wimmer in the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet. Mike Wallace took third in the No. 7 Geico Toyota, Brad Keselowski posted his second straight top-five finish by taking fourth in the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet and Bryan Clauson closed out the top-five in the No. 40 Fastenal Dodge. Logano led the race five times for a total of 76 laps including the opening 17. He took the lead for the second time on Lap 54 and the final time on Lap 147. He virtually secured the win on Lap 165 when his nip-and-tuck-battle with teammate Kyle Busch at the front of the field ended with Busch’s No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota spinning out and making contact with the Turn 2 wall. Busch ended the race 30th. Wimmer snared his second top-five and sixth top-10 finish of the season in his ninth start. Wallace moved from ninth to eighth in the standings with his first top-five and sixth top-10 finish of the season. Keselowski moved to second in the series standings following his fifth top-five and eighth top-10 finish of the season while Clauson delivered his first top-five and second top-10 finish in his 11th start of the campaign. He advanced three spots in the standings to 26th. Clint Bowyer retained the lead in the series standings with a ninth-place finish that marked this 13th top-10 showing of the season. He will hold a 170-point lead over Keselowski when the series resumes action on The Milwaukee Mile June 21. Kentucky Speedway’s track-record crowd marked the eighth consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series sellout at the venue. The eight-year average event attendance at the track is 71,232. ESPN2’s Milwaukee race coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 will jump start coverage at 8:30 p.m. Aric Almirola won the 2007 race at the track from the pole position. The top 10 drivers in the series standings entering the race are: Bowyer (Leader: 2,336 points, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Brad Keselowski (Second: -170, Chevrolet, Jr. Motorsports); David Reutimann (Third: -175, Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing); Carl Edwards (Fourth: -225, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Kyle Busch (Fifth: -243, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing / Braun Racing); David Ragan (Sixth (tied): -295, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Mike Bliss (Sixth (tied): -295, Chevrolet, Phoenix Racing); Mike Wallace (Eighth: -392 points, Toyota, Germain Racing); David Stremme (Ninth: -420, Chevrolet, Rusty Wallace, Inc.); and Jason Leffler (10th: -502, Toyota, Braun Racing).

DARNELL EARNS ULTRA CLOSE NCTS MICHIGAN WIN

Former Kentucky Speedway ARCA RE/MAX Series race winner Erik Darnell and his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing F-150 truck beat Johnny Benson and his No. 23 Bill Davis Racing machine across the Michigan International Speedway finish line by 0.005 of a second June 14 in the second-closest series finish in the electronic-timing era. Darnell advanced two spots in the series standings to 10th with his first win and third top-five finish of the season through 10 starts. The win marked his second top-five finish in his past five races. Scott Speed took third, Todd Bodine drove home fourth and Brendan Gaughan wheeled to a fifth-place finish. Benson moved from third to first in the series standings with his fifth top-five and seventh top-10 finish of the season. He earned his second straight top-three finish and fourth consecutive top-10 finish. Speed, who earned his first career series win at Dover International Speedway May 30 and placed fourth in an ARCA RE/MAX Series race at the track earlier in the day, took his second top-three finish in his past three starts. He moved from 23rd to 21st in the standings following his eighth start of the season. Bodine advanced from fourth to second in the standings by scoring his second straight and third top-five finish in his past four starts. Gaughan inched closer the series top 10 by jumping from 16th to 14th in the standings with his second top-five finish of the season and second in his past five starts. Former standings leader Ron Hornaday, Jr., fell out of the top spot after his 23rd-place finish. He was involved in an incident with the No. 51 truck driven by Kyle Busch, who placed seventh in the race. The series advances on to The Milwaukee Mile for a June 20 200-mile tilt. SPEED Channel coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. Motor Racing Network (MRN) radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 coverage will begin at 9:00 p.m. Benson earned the 2007 victory at the track. Hornaday, Jr., started the race from the pole position. The top 10 drivers in the series standings going into race will be: Benson (Leader: 1,422 points, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Bodine (Second: -15 points, Toyota, Germain Racing); Hornaday, Jr. (Third: -21 points, Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, Inc.); Matt Crafton (Fourth: -47, Chevrolet, ThorSport Racing); Rick Crawford (Fifth: -61 points, Ford, Circle Bar Racing); Mike Skinner (Sixth: -73, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Chad McCumbee (Seventh: -108, Chevrolet, MRD Motorsports); Jack Sprague (Eighth: -118, Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, Inc.); Terry Cook (Ninth: -119, Toyota, Wyler Racing) and Darnell (10th:-152, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing).

EARNHARDT, JR., BREAKS INTO NSCS VICTORY LANE AT MICHIGAN

A Lap 199 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series caution at Michigan International Speedway enabled Dale Earnhardt, Jr., to conserve enough fuel to start a green-white-checkered finish and a Lap 203 yellow flag helped him deliver his 18th career series win and his first under the Hendrick Motorsports banner June 15. Earnhardt, Jr., crossed the finish line ahead of Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne during the final caution period while Roush Fenway competitor Matt Kenseth followed in third. Red Bull Racing pilot Brian Vickers placed fourth and Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Tony Stewart completed the top five. Earnhardt, Jr.’s, seventh top-five and 11th top-10 performance of the season placed him in firm control of the third spot in the series standings. He picked up 61 valuable points on Kyle Busch, who held on to the series standings lead with a 13th-place performance. Earnhardt, Jr., picked up his fourth top-five finish in his past five events. Kahne advanced from ninth to seventh in the standings with his third top-two finish in the past four races. That stretch includes two wins. Kenseth moved from 16th to 15th in the series standings with his second top-five finish in the past three races and his fifth straight top-10 showing. Vickers took over the 16th spot in the standings with his second consecutive top-five finish and third in his past seven outings. Stewart also picked up one spot in the standings with this fifth top-five and seventh top-10 performance of the season. He moved to 11th in the championship hunt and has registered two top-five finishes in his past six starts. The series travels to the road course at Infineon Raceway for a June 22 event. TNT will open its coverage at 3:30 p.m. The Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 will begin radio coverage at 5:00 p.m. The top 12 drivers in the series standings entering the event are: Kyle Busch (Leader: 2,213 points: Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Jeff Burton (Second: -32 points, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Earnhardt, Jr., (Third: -84, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Carl Edwards (Fourth: -206, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Jimmie Johnson (Fifth: -254, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Denny Hamlin (Sixth: -287, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Kasey Kahne (Seventh: -324, Dodge, Gillett Evernham Motorsports); Greg Biffle (Eighth: -329, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Jeff Gordon (Ninth: -337, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Kevin Harvick (10th: -396, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Stewart (11th: -439, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing) and Clint Bowyer (12th: -449, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing).

ROOKIE LOFTON TAKES ARCA RE/MAX SERIES MICHIGAN WIN

ARCA RE/MAX Series newcomer Justin Lofton became the eighth different race winner of 2008 in an early-morning 200-mile affair at Michigan International Speedway June 14. The race originally scheduled for June 13 was rained out and moved to an 8:30 a.m., start the next day. Lofton and his No. 20 Dodge took the race lead for the first and only time on Lap 90 of 100 from Sean Caisse and his No. 01 Toyota. Lofton led the final 11 trips around the track and crossed the finish line 1.850 seconds ahead of Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who took a 150-mile May 10 win at Kentucky Speedway this season. Nine-time and defending series champion Frank Kimmel took third, Scott Speed placed fourth and Brian Scott claimed fifth. Caisse closed out the race in the 19th spot. Stenhouse, Jr., held on to the lead in the series standings with his fifth top-five and seventh top-10 performance of the season. Speed moved to second in the standings with his fifth top-five and seventh top-10 finish of the season and Kimmel stayed in the hunt for the 2008 title with his fourth top-five and fifth top-10 effort of the campaign. The series takes the week off before venturing north of the border for a 250-lap battle on the .625-mile paved oval at Cayuga Speedway Park in Burlington, Ontario. The series last raced in Canada at Delaware Speedway in London, Ontario July 11, 1992. The top 10 drivers in the series standings entering the race will be: Stenhouse Jr. (Leader: 2,015 points, Ford); Speed (Second: -95, Toyota); Matt Carter (Third, -125, Ford); Kimmel (Fourth: -170, Ford); John Wes Townley (Fifth: -250, Ford); Justin Allgaier (Sixth: -335, Chevrolet); Patrick Sheltra (Seventh: -340, Chevrolet); Tom Hessert III (Eighth: -345, Ford); Tayler Malsam (Ninth: -355, Dodge) and Ken Butler III (10th: -375, Toyota).