NASCAR Driver Press Conference Schedule-Atlanta

Press Conference Schedule, Atlanta

NASCAR schedules driver press conferences at every race weekend event. These normally include the Top 12 drivers in championship points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with other drivers of note. The press conferences will last approximately 15 minutes each and may be viewed at NASCAR.com. Times listed are local time.

Friday, August 31:

1 p.m. – Michael Waltrip Racing Announcement – Drivers’ Meeting Room

1:20 p.m. – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Roush Fenway 25 Winning Years Ford), 4^th in points/1 win – Deadline Room

1:30 p.m. – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet), 2^nd in points/3 wins – Deadline Room

1:45 p.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet), 3^rd in points/1 win – Deadline Room

2 p.m. – Kyle Busch (No. 18 Wrigley Toyota), 13^th in points/1 win (#2 Wild Card ranking) – Deadline Room
2:45 p.m. – Jeff Foxworthy  – Deadline Room

4 p.m. – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet), 10^th in points/3 wins - #14 hauler

4:10 p.m. – Carl Edwards (No. 99 SUBWAY Ford), 12^th in points/0 wins – Deadline Room

4:15 p.m. – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M/Manheim Auctions Ford), 1^st in points/2 wins) - #16 hauler

4:30 p.m. – Danica Patrick (No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series/No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) – Deadline Room

4:45 p.m. – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota), 6^th in points/1 win – Deadline Room

5 p.m. – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), 14^th in points/1 win (#3 Wild Card ranking) – Deadline Room

5:30 p.m. – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet), 11^th in points/2 wins (#1 Wild Card ranking) – Deadline Room

Approx. 7:15 p.m. – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Post Qualifying) – Deadline Room

Approx. 10 p.m. – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Post Race) – Deadline Room

Saturday, Sept. 1

10:45 a.m. – Jeff Gordon Kickball Game – Drivers’ Meeting Room

Approx. 9:30 p.m. – NASCAR Nationwide Series (Post Race) – Deadline Room

- NASCAR 

Atlanta Chassis Selections

Not all teams announce their weekly race chassis'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the chassis in the teams race preview:

#1- Jamie McMurray - Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team will bring Chassis #1109 to Atlanta.  This will be the first race for this chassis in 2012.

#2- Brad Keselowski - The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-818 during Sunday’s AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski last raced this chassis to an 18th-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June. It has been updated to the current Penske Racing specification.

#5- Kasey Kahne -  For the Sept. 2 night race, crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-739. Kahne raced this car to a 12th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 784 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This DEWALT Ford was run previously this season at Fontana, Kansas and both Michigan races. 

#14-Tony Stewart - Chassis No. 14-707: This car made its first start in May in the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was an unassuming debut, as Chassis No. 14-707 started ninth and finished a quiet 17th. The car has sat idle since, but returns to action for the Labor Day weekend event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

#15- Clint Bowyer - Primary chassis No. 738 is new and has never been raced. Chassis No. 716 is the backup. No. 716 raced earlier this season in Las Vegas, Kansas, Charlotte, Kentucky and Indianapolis. Chassis No. 716’s finished sixth at Las Vegas.

#16- Greg Biffle -  Primary: RK-786 Last ran Homestead – finished 35th    
Backup: RK-803 Last ran Pocono – finished 15th.

#17- Matt Kenseth - This weekend at Atlanta, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Fusion. Primary Chassis is: RK-808 (Last run at Indy).

#22- Sam Hornish Jr. - Hornish and the Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be utilizing their "PRS-828" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Atlanta. This is a brand new car for the "Double-Deuce" team. The "819 car" will serve as the backup. This is the same car that AJ Allmendinger raced in the April 1 Goody's 500 at Martinsville (started 27th and finished second). The team originally planned on racing this chassis at Pocono in the June race, but chose to race the car they utilized in testing (PRS-814) there instead. 

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will drive Hendrick Motorsports chassis #24-732 this weekend at Atlanta, the car finished fifth at Indianapolis this year in its only start.

#27- Paul Menard - Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 351 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the AdvoCare 500. This No. 27 Chevrolet will be used for the first time in 2012 competition at AMS. It has been utilized in numerous test sessions this year and was raced last season at Texas Motor Speedway (April – started 19th/finished fifth), Kansas Speedway (June – started ninth/finished 19th) and Dover International Speedway (October – started third/ finished 16th).

#29- Kevin Harvick - Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 378 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's AdvoCare 500. Harvick drove this Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway in April and Michigan International Speedway in June finishing sixth and 10th, respectively. This chassis was also used in competition twice during the 2011 season when Harvick captured a sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway in October and a second-place finish Chicagoland Speedway in September.

#31- Jeff Burton - Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 393 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s AdvoCare 500. This No. 31 Chevrolet, has been utilized three times this season at Auto Club Speedway in March (started-19th, finished-22nd), Darlington Raceway in May (started-10th, finished-18th) and Michigan International Speedway in June (started-33rd, finished-21st).

#36- Dave Blaney -  Blaney will pilot chassis No. 356, purchased from Richard Childress Racing in the off-season. David Reutimann last drove this chassis at Michigan International Speedway. Reutimann also drove the chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway this season. He had his best showing in the chassis at Kentucky Speedway where he drove from the 38th starting spot to a 23rd-place finish. His best qualifying effort was at Kansas Speedway where he qualified in the 16th spot.

#39- Ryan Newman - Chassis No. 39-738 is brand new to the No. 39 team’s stable of cars. The chassis has been wind-tunnel tested and it will turn its first laps on track in practice Friday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - Crew Chief Chris “Shine” Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will bring Chassis #1111 to Atlanta this weekend. This Chassis made its debut this season in Indianapolis where Montoya started 12th, and ultimately finished 21st.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 752 for Bristol. This car was last on track at Pocono Raceway earlier this month.

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Chassis No. 714 serves as the primary for Johnson at Atlanta. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup. Chassis No. 714 started on the pole at Kentucky in June of this year and finished 6th.

#51- Kurt Busch - Chassis No. 557: Sunday night’s AdvoCare 500 will be the third race of the 2012 season for this chassis. This chassis made its last appearance at Dover International Speedway in June, when Busch picked up the ninth starting spot but had his day end prematurely due to an engine failure. It’s also the same car the team used at Darlington Raceway in May, when Busch competed in the top-10 during the majority of the event before settling for a 21st place finish due to a late-race spin. Prior to the 2012 season, the car was used as a roadcourse car. Hendrick Motorsports built this chassis with a universal clip, which allows for greater adjustments with the geometric points on the chassis. As such, the team converted the car from a road-course car to an intermediate-track car for this season.

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-668. Earnhardt, most notably, was behind the wheel of this chassis when he won the Sprint Showdown in May at the 1.5-mile Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

#99- Carl Edwards - The No. 99 will carry the Subway paint scheme at Atlanta this weekend. The crew will unload RK-782 which last ran at MIS in June where Edwards finished 11th, and also ran the All Star race and California.

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

Atlanta Driver Statistics

Not all teams announce their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 

#1- Jamie McMurray -  McMurray will be making his 19th career NSCS start at AMS this weekend.  In his previous 18 races at AMS, McMurray has four top-10s..  His best start at the track came in the March 2009 race when he qualified third, and his best finish was a sixth-place effort in October of 2005.  He has completed more than 96.5% of the laps run at Atlanta since his first race there October 2001 (5,914 of 6,123). 

#2- Brad Keselowski - Keselowski has three starts at Atlanta with one top 10 finish, a 6th place in September of 2012.

#5- Kasey Kahne - In 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kahne has two wins, six top-five finishes and eight top-10s. The driver of the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet also has two pole positions at the 1.54-mile oval and started from the top spot one year ago. Atlanta ranks as Kahne’s second-best track in career wins, while his average starting spot of 9.1 at Atlanta ranks him third among active drivers.

#9- Marcos Ambrose -Ambrose has two top-15 finishes at Atlanta. His best finish (10th) came in 2010 and his best start (11th) came in 2009. He has completed 1,816 of 1,971 laps attempted at the Georgia track. Ambrose enters this weekend's 500-mile race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

#14-Tony Stewart - Stewart has 25 starts at Atlanta and has three wins, seven top-threes, 10 top-fives, 15 top-10s and has led a total of 966 laps in his 25 career Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta. His average start is 15.9, his average finish is 11.2 and he has a lap completion rate of 97.5 percent

#15- Clint Bowyer - Bowyer will make his 12th career NSCS start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night. In 11 previous starts, he has five top-10 finishes. He finished a career-best sixth four times— spring and fall 2007, spring 2008 and spring 2009. Bowyer has led 66 laps at Atlanta including 52 in the spring 2008 race and eight laps last fall. Bowyer’s lone DNF at Atlanta came last fall when he started second and led eight laps, but was involved in a crash and finished 36th. On average he starts 15th and finishes 17th.  

#16- Greg Biffle - Biffle has an average starting position of 13.1 and average finish of 16.1 at Atlanta. He has one pole, three top 5's, nine top 10's and 2 DNF's. His best finish was third which he earned in march of 2005.

#17- Matt Kenseth - In 23 Cup starts at the track, Matt has completed 7,080 of 7,423 laps (95.4 percent) and led for 253!  Matt has an average starting position of 22.3 and an average finishing position of 12.9 at AMS.  Matt has achieved eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at Atlanta in the Cup series.

#18- Kyle Busch - Busch has one win, three top-five finishes and three top-10s, and he’s led a total of 319 laps in his 14 career Sprint Cup 
starts at Atlanta. His average Atlanta finish is 17.7.

#22- Sam Hornish Jr. - In his six prior Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta, Hornish has a 32.0 average start and a 29.8 average finish. He has completed 92.7 percent (1,827 of 1,971) of possible laps. He is hoping to lead his first lap there in Sunday's race. His best finish was in 2008 when he finished 24th.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Jeff made his 1st start at Atlanta in 1992. In 38 races he has earned 2 poles, 5 wins, 15 top 5's, 24 top 10's and has an average finish of  12.158 while experiencing only 5 DNF's. His most recent win at the track came last September.

#27- Paul Menard - Menard has ten starts at Atlanta and has earned one top 5, two top tens while having only one DNF. His best finish of 5th came in march of 2010.

#29- Kevin Harvick - This weekend's event at Atlanta Motor Speedway marks Harvick's 419th Sprint Cup Series career start. Throughout the last 11 seasons, the 36-year-old driver has made 21 starts at the 1.54-mile oval and collected one win (2001), four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Harvick maintains an 18.5 average starting position, an average finishing position of 19.9, has completed 97.4 percent (6,600 or 6,773) of laps contested and is credited with 136 laps led.

#31- Jeff Burton - This weekend’s 500-mile event marks Burton’s 35th start at the Hampton, Ga.-based facility and his 644th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes at the track and led 104 laps at the 1.54-mile oval.

#36- Dave Blaney - Blaney has made 23 starts at Atlanta and has 2 top 1o finishes at the track. His best finish was eighth which which he scored most recently in march of 2005.

#39- Ryan Newman - The AdvoCare 500 will mark Newman’s 393rd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 20th Sprint Cup start at Atlanta. Newman has seven poles, one top-five and six top-10 finishes in 19 starts at the 1.54-mile oval.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - This weekend will be Juan Pablo Montoya’s tenth NSCS race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  He has racked up three top-fives, four top-10s and has led 34 laps at AMS.  His best start came in March of 2010 when the Target Chevrolet qualified in third, and his best finishes came in September 2009 and March 2010 when he finished in third-place. Montoya has completed more than 97.4% of the laps run at Atlanta since his first race there in 2007.

#43- Aric Almirola - The 28-year-old driver has one Sprint Cup Series start at Atlanta - a 21st-place finish in 2009. He also has two Nationwide Series and three Camping World Truck Series starts at the 1.54-mile oval.

#48- Jimmie Johnson -  Johnson’s Atlanta Sprint Cup Race Notes of Interest include
three wins (October 2004, March and October 2007) and no poles, 11 top-five finishes (55 percent) and 13 top-10s (65 percent) in 20 starts, one DNF (did not finish – March 2004)and an average start of 8.6 and average finish of 10.

#51- Kurt Busch - Busch’s record at Atlanta features three wins, four top-five finishes, nine top 10s and 665 laps led in 21 career Sprint Cup starts. Busch scored the first of his three Atlanta wins on Oct. 27, 2002, leading a total of 84 laps en route to the victory. He earned his most recent Atlanta win two years ago during the track’s March race after starting 11th. Busch scored his most dominant Atlanta win on March 8, 2009, when he led 234 of the 330 laps run en route to the win. Busch’s average Atlanta finish is 17.4.

#55- Mark Martin - In 51 Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta, Martin owns two victories and two poles, 14 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. He’s led 929 laps. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - In 24 Cup starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has one win, two pole positions, eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has an average start of 15.4 at Atlanta, and his average finish of 12.8 ranks as his third-best at a track. He has completed 99.5 percent of all the laps he's attempted (7,707 of 7,748 total) there and has led 632 laps.

#99- Carl Edwards -  Carl Edwards won his first Sprint Cup and Nationwide races in the same weekend at Atlanta in the spring of 2005. In 14 starts at the 1.54-mile Atlanta track, Edwards has three wins, eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His average start is 10.1, and his average finish is 13.6.  Edwards has completed 94.4% of laps attempted at Atlanta.

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

Atlanta Motor Speedway History and Notes

At Atlanta Motor Speedway:
History:
· Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.

· The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.

· It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.

· The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.

Notebook
· There have been 104 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta Speedway, until 2010 there has been two races per year except 1961, which had three. This year marks the second season with only one event.

· Fireball Roberts won the pole and race for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 1960.

· 45 drivers have won a pole, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman, each with seven.

· Six of Newman’s seven poles came in consecutive races between March 2003 and October 2005.

· 42 drivers have won a race; 22 have won more than once.

· Dale Earnhardt scored nine victories, more than any other driver. Cale Yarborough is second, with seven.

· Bobby Labonte heads the list of active drivers with six victories. Labonte is tied with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Richard Petty for third on the all-time win list at Atlanta.

· The Wood Brothers have 12 victories, more than any organization. They last won there in 1993, with Morgan Shepherd. Hendrick Motorsports has 11 wins at Atlanta and could tie the Wood Brothers this weekend.

· 14 races have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Kasey Kahne in 2006. The last two races have been won from the fifth position.

· 60 races at Atlanta have been won from the first five starting positions.

· Bobby Labonte won the 2001 fall race from the 39th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta.

· Two drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Atlanta: Carl Edwards (3/20/2005) and Kevin Harvick (3/11/2001).

· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).

· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).

Atlanta Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 25 of 36 (09-02-12)
Track Size: 1.54-miles
Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
Banking/Straights: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,332 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,800 feet
Race Length: 325 laps / 500.5 miles

-NASCAR Statistics

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series at Atlanta in Prime Time
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will race under the lights at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend with events on Saturday and Sunday nights, Sept. 1-2. ESPN will have a live telecast of Sunday night’s 500-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race, with NASCAR Countdown at 6:30 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 7:46 p.m. Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race airs on ESPN2, with NASCAR Countdown at 6:30 p.m. and the green flag at 7:16 p.m.  All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick (Sprint Cup); Marty Reid (Nationwide Series); analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.
Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake, Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown (Sunday): Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

Clint Bowyer, Team Featured in Special Program Sunday on ABC
NASCAR fans can go behind-the-scenes with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer and the Michael Waltrip Racing team in a one-hour special program airing Sunday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m. ET on ABC.
Catching Speed, produced by award-winning NASCAR Productions, is a glimpse into how a team prepares during the week for a big race like the Brickyard 400. The show focuses on the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota team during the week and throughout the race in Indianapolis. Fans will be able to listen to crew chiefs and engineers in competition meetings, pit crew members during pit practices and mechanics working on the car – all in preparation for Indy. 

NASCAR Now Schedule
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. ET. Host Jonathan Coachman will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven and reporters Marty Smith and Ryan McGee will check in from the track.

Date   Time        Show                   Host                               Network
Wed., Aug. 29 1 a.m.   NASCAR Now Nicole Briscoe              ESPN2
Thu., Aug. 30 2 a.m.   NASCAR Now Nicole Briscoe              ESPN2
Sun., Sept. 2 10 a.m. NASCAR Now Jonathan Coachman  ESPN2
Tue., Sept. 4 1 a.m.   NASCAR Now Jonathan Coachman  ESPN2

- ESPN Media Zone Press Release

Bristol Chassis Selections

Not all teams announce their weekly race chassis'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the chassis in the teams race preview:

#1- Jamie McMurray - Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Mercury team will bring Chassis #1104 to Bristol.  This chassis was raced in 2011 at Charlotte for the All-Star race, finishing 17th; the Coca-Cola 600 finishing 37th; both Michigan races last year, finishing 19th and 23rd; Dover, finishing 15th.  Earlier this season Chassis #1104 has seen action at Texas, finishing 14th; and Dover, finishing 19th.

#2- Brad Keselowski - The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-816 during Saturday night’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS). Brad Keselowski last raced this chassis to a 12th-place finish at Dover International Speedway in May. It has been updated to the current Penske Racing specification.

#5- Kasey Kahne - For the Aug. 25 race, crew chief Kenny Francis and the No. 5 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-713. Kahne recorded an average finish of 9.7 when racing this car earlier this season in Fontana, Calif., Fort Worth, Texas, and Darlington, S.C. He also qualified inside the top five at each event.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 743 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This DEWALT Ford was run previously this season at Bristol and Darlington.

#14-Tony Stewart - Chassis No. 14-708: This car debuted in May in the Southern 500 at Darlington  Raceway where Stewart rallied Chassis No. 14-708 from its 17th-place starting spot to finish third. Its second and most recent start came in June at Dover International Speedway. It endured a much different outing, qualifying 29th and finishing 25th, 69 laps down after getting caught up in a 12-car accident on lap 10 of the 400-lap race around the 1-mile concrete oval. With new sheet metal all around, Chassis No. 14-708 returns to the concrete for its third career start in the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.   

#15- Clint Bowyer - Primary chassis No. 724 has raced twice in 2012. It started 16th and finished fourth at the spring Bristol race and started fourth and finished fifth at Dover. Backup chassis No. 712 finished 30th at Phoenix after multiple cut tires put the car several laps down. It served as the backup at New Hampshire.

#16- Greg Biffle -  Primary: RK-807 Last ran Dover – finished 11th    
Backup: RK-803 Last ran Pocono – finished 15th.

#17- Matt Kenseth - Primary: RK-802 (Last raced at Loudon).

#22- Sam Hornish Jr. - Hornish and the Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be utilizing their "PRS-817" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Bristol. This is the same car that AJ Allmendinger raced in the March 25 race in Fontana, Calif. (started 25th and finished 15th) and again in the June 3 race at Dover, Del. (started 23rd and finished 16th). The "PRS-807" chassis will serve as the backup Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for this weekend. It was in the 22 team transporter serving as the backup at Phoenix, Bristol and Martinsville, but has never seen any track time to date.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will race HMS chassis #24-712 this week at Bristol, it finished 26th at California, 4th at Texas, 35th at Darlington, 13th at Dover and 5th at Kentucky.

#27- Paul Menard - Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 347 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the IRWIN Tools Night Race. This No. 27 Chevrolet was recently utilized at Darlington Raceway in May, where Menard started from the 14th position and finished 13th. The chassis was also used in 2012 competition at Bristol Motor Speedway in March where the Eau Claire, Wis., native started from the 11th position and finished 10th.

#29- Kevin Harvick - Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 383 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's IRWIN Tools Night Race. Built new for competition during the 2012 season, Harvick raced this chassis at Phoenix International Raceway in March and Dover International Speedway in June, collecting second-place finishes in both races.

#31- Jeff Burton - Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 385 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the IRWIN Tools Night Race. Burton has driven this No. 31 Chevrolet four times this season including Pocono Raceway in August (started-23rd, finished-22nd), the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May (started-22nd, finished-19th), Texas Motor Speedway in April (started-24th, finished 29th) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March (started-22nd, finished 14th).

#39- Ryan Newman - Chassis No. 39-655: Chassis No. 39-655 has three starts to its credit, including one already this season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Chassis No. 39-
655 took the track for the first time in last season’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, where Newman made a run for the top-10 before getting tangled up in a multi-car melee on lap 303. The accident forced Newman to take his No. 39 to the garage for extensive repairs. He returned to the track more than 40 laps down and finished the race 31st. This season, chassis No. 39-655 has become the team’s concrete specialty car. Earlier this season at Bristol, Newman qualified third but finished a disappointing 12th after a tight handling racecar hampered his efforts. He had another third-place qualifying run at Dover in June, but he had to battle back from a pit-road penalty and from being two laps down to finish 15th. Last week, the crew took Chassis No. 39-655 to test at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - Crew Chief Chris “Shine” Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will bring Chassis #1111 to Bristol this weekend. This Chassis made its debut in last season’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, leading two laps and finishing 31st after an accident put the No. 42 four laps down. This season, this chassis has seen track time at Bristol finishing eighth, Darlington Raceway, finishing 27th and Dover, finishing 28th.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 710 for Bristol.  This car ran earlier this season at the March Bristol race and also at Dover (Del.) International Speedway where Almirola earned his season-best sixth-place finish. 

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Chassis No. 650 serves as the primary for Johnson at Bristol. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup. No. 650 ran at Bristol in March, finished 9th.

#51- Kurt Busch - Chassis No. 648: This weekend’s Irwin Tools Night Race will be the second race of the 2012 season for this chassis. Chassis 648 is one of the newer cars in the Phoenix Racing fleet. This car is the same the team used at Michigan in early June. The car had been fast during the Michigan practice sessions but a loose-handling issue during the race resulted in Busch making contact with the wall early in the race and the team was never able to get the handling to a manageable position, resulting in a 30th -place finish in the car’s lone start.

#55- Brian Vickers - Primary chassis No. 722 has raced three times in 2012. It started 25th and finished fifth at Bristol in March with Vickers behind the wheel, started 16th and finished 21st in the All-Star race with Mark Martin and started 39th and finished 30th at Kentucky Speedway with Michael Waltrip behind the wheel. Backup chassis No. 708 has severed backup duties at multiple races, but has not raced. It served as the backup at Las Vegas, Fontanta, Texas, Kansas, Darlington, All-Start, Charlotte, both races at Pocono, Dover and Kentucky. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-745. This is a brand new chassis that has not been raced.

#99- Carl Edwards - The No. 99 Blue Team will unload RK-811 for the weekend. This car first raced at Texas in April (finished eighth), Charlotte in May (finished ninth) and Kentucky in June (finished 20th).

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

Bristol Driver Statistics

Not all teams announce their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 

#1- Jamie McMurray -  McMurray has made 19 NSCS starts at Bristol, earning three top-five, eight top-10 and 11 top-15 finishes.  He has completed 9,253 laps out of a possible 9,513 laps, or 97.3 percent, and has led 21 laps.  His average start is 16.4 and average finish is 17.1.  McMurray’s best start was third in the summer of 2007 and his best finish was third in the summer of 2010.

#2- Brad Keselowski - In five starts at Bristol, Keselowski has two wins, two top 5's, two top 10's and an average finish of 10.4. 

#5- Kasey Kahne - In 17 Sprint Cup starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Kahne has three top-five finishes and six top-10s. Kahne earned his best finish at the short track in August 2007 when he started from the pole position and finished second. He crossed the line 11th in this Bristol race one year ago.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose has three top-10 finishes at Bristol. His best finish (third) came in 2009 and his best start (ninth) came in 2010. He has completed 3,339 of 3,503 laps attempted at the Tennessee track. Ambrose enters this weekend's 266.5-mile race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

#10- Danica Patrick - This week’s race at Bristol will be Patrick’s first Sprint Cup outing on a concrete surface and, while she will look to build a database of information for her return trips to Bristol, there is also the goal of learning something useful for the upcoming AAA 400 Sprint Cup event at the concrete “Monster Mile” oval at Dover International Speedway.

#14-Tony Stewart - Stewart has one pole, one win, four top-threes, six top-fives, eight top-10s and has led a total of 1,354 laps in his 27 career Sprint Cup starts at Bristol. His average start is 14.9, his average finish is 17.3 and he has a lap completion rate of 96.3 percent.

#15- Clint Bowyer - Bowyer will make his 14th career NSCS start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night. In 13 previous starts, he has four top-five and six top-10 finishes. He finished a career-best third twice—first in fall 2007 and again in spring 2008 where he led 81 laps. On average he starts 20th and finishes 18th.

#16- Greg Biffle - Biffle has an average starting position of 13.4 and average finish of 11.8 at Bristol. He has earned six top fives, 11 top 10s and one pole.

#17- Matt Kenseth - In 25 Cup starts at Bristol, Kenseth has completed 12,225 of 12,513 laps (97.7 percent) and led for 897.  Kenseth has an average starting position of 17.0 and an average finishing position of 11.6 at BMS.  Kenseth has achieved two wins, 10 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes at Bristol in the Cup series.  Kenseth has finished within the top ten in eight of his last ten starts at Bristol 

#18- Kyle Busch - Busch has five wins, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10s, and he’s led a total of 1,375 laps in his 15 career Sprint Cup 
starts at Bristol. His average Bristol finish is 10.6. 

#22- Sam Hornish Jr. - In six career Sprint Cup starts at Bristol entering this weekend, Hornish is still looking for his first top-10 finish there. He has a 25.3 average start and 31.5 average finish. He has completed 91.2 percent (2,743 of 3,009) of possible laps and is hoping to lead his first lap at BMS in Saturday night's battle under the lights.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Along with five wins at the 0.533-mile high-banked track, Gordon has five pole positions, 15 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s in 39 starts.

#27- Paul Menard - In 10 previous starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Menard has finished each contested race and completed 99.6 percent of his laps (4,990 of 5,009). He has an average starting position of 21.3 and an average finishing position of 20.5. Menard’s best start of fourth and best finish of fifth came in last season’s March visit to the Bristol, Tenn.-based facility.

#29- Kevin Harvick - This weekend's event at Bristol Motor Speedway marks Harvick's 418th Sprint Cup Series career start. During the last 11 seasons, the 36-year-old driver has made 23 starts at the 0.533-mile oval and collected one win (spring 2005), nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Harvick maintains an 18th-place average starting position, an average finishing position of 12.4, has completed 98.1 percent (11,290 or 11,513) of laps contested and is credited with 427 laps led.

#31- Jeff Burton - This weekend’s 500-lap event marks Burton’s 38th start at the half-mile bullring and his 643rd-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered one win, eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the track and led 322 laps at the Bristol, Tenn.-based race track.

#36- Dave Blaney - Blaney has 22 starts at Bristol. Blaney has suffered 7 DNF's at the track with a best finish of 14th in August of 2006.

#39- Ryan Newman - In 21 starts at Bristol, Newman has three poles, 1 top 5's, twelve top 10's, an average finish of 16,47 with a best finish of 2nd in august of 2004.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - In 11 NSCS starts at Bristol, Montoya has earned three top-10, and seven top-20 finishes.  At a track historically known for DNFs, Montoya has finished every race.  He has completed 5,496 laps out of a possible 5,513 laps, or 99.7 percent, and has led 29 laps.  His highest start was second in the summer of 2007, and highest finish was seventh in the summer of 2010.  Montoya’s average start is 20th while his average finish is 18.3.

#43- Aric Almirola - Almirola has six starts at Bristol and has one top 10 finish, 8th place in March of 2008. 

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Johnson has scored One win (March 2010), One pole (August 2010), Six top-five finishes (28.6 percent) and 12 top-10s (57.1 percent) in 21 starts at Bristol. He has One DNF (did not finish – August 2005) and an average start of 14.9 and average finish of 14.6.

#51- Kurt Busch - Busch’s record at Bristol features Hall of Fame-worthy statistics with five wins, six top-five finishes, 13 top 10s and 840 laps led in 23 career Sprint Cup starts. Busch’s average Bristol finish is 13.1.

#55- Brian Vickers - Vickers owns 15 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway He has a career-best finish of fifth which came in March of 2012. He has led 126 laps and has five top-15 finishes. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - In 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has scored one win, seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. The 37-year-old driver has an average finishing position of 11.8 and has completed 98.8 percent of all laps he's attempted (12,365 of 12,513 total) at the short track. He has led 745 laps at the .533-mile oval.

#99- Carl Edwards - In 16 starts at the 0.533-mile bullring, Edwards has two wins, four top-five, seven top-10 finishes and two poles. His average start is 17.8, and his average finish is 13.9. Edwards has completed 7588 of 8013 (94.7%) laps attempted at Bristol.


- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

StaS

Dale Jr. Edges Out Kasey Kahne For The Cover Of NASCAR The Game: Inside Line

NASCAR fans have spoken, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. narrowly defeated Kasey Kahne in the final round of voting in the "Drive for the Cover" campaign. Earnhardt, nine-time most popular driver, will adorn the cover of the upcoming NASCAR The Game™: Inside Line video game, scheduled to be released on Nov. 6.  

"We are excited for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to be featured on the cover of the new NASCAR The Game: Inside Line," said Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of licensing & consumer products. "For a campaign that was driven entirely through social media, the more than 775,000 votes cast in the "Drive for the Cover" campaign is a testament to the impact that the NASCAR industry and its fans have across these platforms."

Activision Publishing, Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and leading independent game developer Eutechnyx will bring the true NASCAR experience to consoles on November 6. NASCAR The Game: Inside Line will allow players to race with the top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, teams and cars, as well as feature all 23 officially licensed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race tracks. NASCAR The Game: Inside Line will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ system from Nintendo.

-NASCAR 

#27 NASCAR Sprint Cup Team Penalized For Michigan Speedway Infractions

NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines to the No. 27 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as a result of rules infractions discovered this week during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center following last Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway.

The No. 27 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4K (race equipment that has been previously certified or previously approved by NASCAR for use in an event, pursuant to sub-section 8-12, has been altered, modified, repaired or changed in any manner. Intentionally modifying frame rails for the purpose of deceiving NASCAR’s inspection gauges) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book.

As a result, crew chief Slugger Labbe has been fined $100,000, suspended from NASCAR until Oct. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Car chief Craig Smokstad has been suspended from NASCAR until Oct. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31, while crew member Grant Hutchens has also been suspended from NASCAR until Oct. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Paul Menard and owner Richard Childress have been penalized with the loss of 25 championship driver and owner points, respectively.

- NASCAR

NASCAR Driver Press Conference Schedule - Bristol

Press Conference Schedule, Bristol

NASCAR schedules driver press conferences at every race weekend event. These normally include the Top 12 drivers in championship points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with other drivers of note. The press conferences will last approximately 15 minutes each and may be viewed at NASCAR.com. Times listed are local time.
Friday, August 24:

8 a.m. – Trevor Bayne (No. 60 Yourracecar.com Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series) – Media Center

8:15 a.m. – Danica Patrick (No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series & No. 10 GoDaddy Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) – Media center

10:45 a.m. – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Valvoline NextGen Ford), 2^nd in points/1 win – Media Center

11 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet), 4^th in points/3 wins – Media Center

11:15 a.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet), 3^rd in points/1 win – Media Center

2 p.m. – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet), 9^th in points/3 wins – #14 hauler

2:15 p.m. – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota), 14^th in points/1 win – #18 hauler

3:35 p.m. – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford), 12^th in points/0 wins – Media Center

3:50 p.m. – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M/Bondo Ford), 1^st in points/2 wins – Media Center

4:05 p.m. – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota), 6^th in points/0 wins – Media Center

4:15 p.m. – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 AARP Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet), 16^th in points/1 win– #24 hauler

4:30 p.m. – Ryan Newman (No. 39 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet), 13^th in points/1 win – Media Center

- NASCAR