Kurt Busch will Drive the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy in 2013

Furniture Row Racing announced today that Kurt Busch has been hired to drive the team’s No. 78 Chevrolet during the 2013 Sprint Cup season.

Busch, a former NASCAR Cup champion, will replace Regan Smith, who joined Furniture Row Racing at the beginning of the 2009 season.

“Though we have made strides as a resourceful single-car Sprint Cup team, we are not where we want to be, which led us to the difficult decision of making a driver change as we move forward,” said Furniture Row Racing's general manager Joe Garone. “Kurt’s exceptional driving talent has the capacity to take a team to another level. We look forward to having Kurt join our Denver-based organization and feel his racing experience will play an important role as we plan ahead to 2013.”

Garone added, “As our team driver the past four years, Regan has represented Furniture Row Racing with both class and competitiveness. His win at Darlington in 2011 – the first for Furniture Row Racing – will be a memory forever etched in our organization’s history. He is a friend, and will always be a friend of Furniture Row Racing. We wish him all the best.”

Busch, a 34 year-old native of Las Vegas, has been a full time driver in the Sprint Cup Series since 2001. He has 427 Cup starts and has scored 24 wins, 89 top-fives, 171 top-10s and 15 poles. He has qualified for the Chase six times in the past nine years and won the 2004 inaugural Chase season championship in only his third full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

“Furniture Row Racing has the commitment, talent and resources to compete at a high level in the Sprint Cup Series,” said Busch. "I have watched with admiration on how this team has grown over the years and that is why I am excited about the opportunity as I eagerly look forward to a new chapter in my racing career."

Since the beginning of the 2012 season, Busch has driven the No. 51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. His previous two teams in the Sprint Cup Series were at Penske Racing and Roush Fenway Racing.

- Furniture Row racing Press Release

Travis Pastrana Makes Camping World Truck Debut In Las Vegas

In a season of newcomers, Travis Pastrana becomes the latest driver to make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in the Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pastrana will partner with ThorSport Racing as the driver in the No. 98 AM/PM Toyota. This will be a weekend to remember as he pulls double-duty on Saturday – beginning with the 146-lap Smith’s 350 truck series race and ending his day with the final race of the 2012 Global Rally Cross championship series race.

It’s all about seat time and experience for Pastrana who has competed in nine NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season. He captured his best Nationwide finish (13th) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. Recently, Pastrana was found at the front of the field in Atlanta, leading six laps in the Nationwide series race, the first in his career. In addition, he has competed in 11 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races this year and collected one top five, and three top 10s in 11 K&N starts.

NASCAR Story Lines

Dover International Speedway History and Notes

At Dover International Speedway:
History
· The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969.

· The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.

· The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.

· The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.

· The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

Notebook
· There have been 85 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.

· There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.

· Richard Petty won the track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

· 33 different drivers have posted victories led by Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven. Johnson leads all active drivers.

· David Pearson won the first pole in July 1969.

· There have been 35 different pole winners, led by David Pearson (six).

· Mark Martin leads all active drivers with five poles.

· Hendrick Motorsports has a series-high 14 wins.

· 52 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 18 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

· 13 drivers have won from the pole. The last to do so was Jimmie Johnson, in the 2010 September race.

· The furthest back in the field a race winner has started was 37th, by Kyle Petty in 1995.

· Several active drivers had their first start at Dover, including three past champions: David Ragan (finished 42nd in 2006), Kurt Busch (18th in 2000), Matt Kenseth (sixth in 1998) and Bobby Labonte (34th in 1991).

· In addition, Matt Kenseth (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1991) earned their first pole at Dover. Martin Truex Jr. won his first race there (2007).

· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover International Speedway winner: Kyle Busch (6/01/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 30 days).

· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover International Speedway winner: Harry Gant (5/31/1992 – 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).

NASCAR in Delaware
· There have been 85 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Delaware, all at Dover International Speedway.

· Eight drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Delaware, though none have posted victories.

Dover International Speedway Data
Chase Race #: 3 of 10
Season Race #: 29 of 36 (9-30-12)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turns: 24 degrees
Banking/Straights: 9 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 400 miles

NASCAR Statistics

NASCAR This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series at Monster Mile
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will race at the Monster Mile, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, this weekend with events on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29-30. ESPN will have a live telecast of Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race, with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 2:15 p.m. Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race also airs on ESPN, with NASCAR Countdown at 3 p.m. and the green flag at 3:45 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, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown (Sunday): Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Now Schedule

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway in the one-hour edition airing Sunday, Sept. 30, at 9 a.m. ET. Host Shannon Spake will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven with reporters Marty Smith and Jim Noble at the track. The weekend wrap-up edition, with highlights of the Dover race, airs that night at 11 p.m. Also, the Thursday, Sept. 27, program at 3 p.m. will pay tribute to the late Davey Allison. The week’s schedule:

Date         Time              Show                        Host                    Network

Mon., Sept. 24 3 p.m.       NASCAR Now    Shannon Spake        ESPN2

Tue., Sept. 25 3:30 p.m.   NASCAR Now    Shannon Spake        ESPN2

Wed., Sept. 26 3 p.m.       NASCAR Now    Shannon Spake        ESPN2
Thu., Sept. 27 3 p.m.        NASCAR Now    Shannon Spake        ESPN2
Sun., Sept. 30 9 a.m.        NASCAR Now    Shannon Spake        ESPN2
Sun., Sept. 30 11 p.m.      NASCAR Now    Shannon Spake         ESPN2

ESPN Media Zone Press Release

Joe Gibbs Racing Captures NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win No. 100

With Denny Hamlin’s dominant win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing reached a rare milestone, becoming only the sixth team in NASCAR Sprint Cup history to reach 100 victories.

Joe Gibbs entered the series in 1992 as a one-car team with eventual series champion Dale Jarrett as his driver. Now, JGR exists as a three-car powerhouse that threatens to win another championship this season with Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender Hamlin. Its first championship came in 2000 with Bobby Labonte. JGR would follow that up win two more titles, both with Tony Stewart (2002 and 2005).

Now, the team adds another accolade to the list – 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories. JGR has won with six different drivers, at 23 different tracks. Below is a timeline of Gibbs’ notable and milestone victories on its way to 100:

1 – On Feb. 14, 1993, JGR won its first race – and it was on NASCAR’s biggest stage, the Daytona 500. With his father Ned urging him to victory while calling the race from the CBS broadcast booth, Dale Jarrett captured his second and Gibbs’ first win. JGR has won at least one race every season since.
3 – JGR won its first Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, on May 28, 1995 with Bobby Labonte driving.
22 – JGR won its first Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Aug. 5, 2000, during his championship campaign, Bobby Labonte led 21 laps prior to kissing the bricks. JGR would win two more Brickyard events, both with Indiana native Tony Stewart (2005 and 2007).
23 – The team’s next win came in another of NASCAR’s crown jewels – the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Labonte picked up the win again, on Sept. 3, 2000.
50 – JGR reached milestone victory No. 50 on July 1, 2006. Tony Stewart won the Daytona night race, starting second and leading 86 laps.
72 – On June 28, 2009, in a rain-shortened event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, JGR driver Joey Logano became the youngest winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at the age of 19 years, one month and four days.
88 – On Nov. 7, 2010, Denny Hamlin won at Texas Motor Speedway for the team’s 11th victory of the year, making the 2010 season the most prolific in JGR’s history.

Below lists the number of wins per driver, crew chief and track for Joe Gibbs Racing.

JGR Wins By Driver
Tony Stewart 33
Denny Hamlin 22
Bobby Labonte 21
Kyle Busch 20
Dale Jarrett 2
Joey Logano 2

JGR Wins By Crew Chief
Greg Zipadelli 34
James Makar 21
Mike Ford 17
Steve Addington 12
Dave Rogers 8
Darian Grubb 5
Michael McSwain 2
Jason Ratcliff 1

JGR Wins By Track
Atlanta 10
Pocono 9
Richmond 9
Martinsville 7
Michigan 7
Bristol 6
Dover 5
Watkins Glen 5
New Hampshire 5
Charlotte 4
Daytona 4
Homestead 4
Chicago 3
Darlington 3
Indianapolis 3
Sonoma 3
Talladega 3
Texas 3
Kansas 2
Phoenix 2
Kentucky 1
Las Vegas 1
Rockingham 1

NASCAR Statistics

NASCAR Driver Press Conference Schedule - New Hampshire

Press Conference Schedule, New Hampshire

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, Sept. 21:

11 a.m. – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota), 6^th in points (2041)/2 wins – #15 hauler

11 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), 2^nd in points (2053)/3 wins - #48 hauler

11:15 a.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet), 7^th in points (2039)/1 win – Media Center

11:15 a.m. – Matt Kenseth No. 17 Zest Ford), 11^th in points (2030)/1 win – #17 hauler

1:30 p.m. – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet), 3^rd in points (2048)/3 wins –#14 hauler

1:45 p.m. – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota), 9^th in points (2035)/0 wins – Media Center

2 p.m. – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet), 5^th in points (2041)/2 wins – Media Center

2:15 p.m. – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet), 12^th in points (2009)/1 win - #24 hauler

Post-Qualifying – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge), 1^st in points (2056)/4 wins – Media Center

- NASCAR 

New Hampshire 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 LiftMaster team will use Chassis #1008 for Loudon. Chassis #1008 has been used previously this season at Richmond finishing 22nd.

#2- Brad Keselowski - The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-829 during Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

#5- Kasey Kahne - For Sunday’s 300-lap event, crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-663. This is the same car Kahne raced to the win at New Hampshire in July. Kahne also drove this chassis to a top-five finish at Richmond International Raceway in April.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 728 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire. This Stanley Ford has only been used as a backup car and has not seen primary race action this season.

#10- David Reutimann - Reutimann will drive the No. 293 chassis. This weekend will be the first time he will drive the chassis. Teammate Dave Blaney drove chassis No. 293 eight times this season and five times during the 2011 season. Blaney’s best start with the chassis was 17th at Richmond last season and best finish was 23rd at Phoenix this season. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing, where Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR.

#14-Tony Stewart - Chassis No. 14-742: For the second straight week, Stewart-Haas Racing debuts a brand-new race car for Tony Stewart and the No. 14 team. Chassis No. 14-742 will make its first Sprint Cup start in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. However, the car has already turned its wheels on a racetrack, as it was tested Sept. 4-5 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisc. 

#15- Clint Bowyer - Primary chassis No. 718 won and was pushed to victory lane in Richmond on Sept. 8. The same car also started fifth, finished third and led a lap at New Hampshire in the Spring. Backup chassis No. 712 raced earlier this season in Phoenix and Richmond. 

#16- Greg Biffle -  Primary chassis: RK-822 Last ran Richmond – finished 9th; Backup chassis: RK-778 Last ran New Hampshire – finished 9th

#17- Matt Kenseth - Kenseth will drive the Zest sponsored Fusion at Loudon, Primary Chassis RK-806, it was last run at Richmond.

#22- Sam Hornish Jr. - Hornish and the Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be utilizing the "PRS-820" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at New Hampshire. This is the same car that Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski drove in the April 14 Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. In that race, the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge started eighth and saw a strong top-five run end because of fuel system issues. Keselowski's team also utilized this Dodge Charger during a July test session at Michigan. The chassis has been sent back through the Penske Racing shop and updated with the latest components and adorned with the popular and dynamic No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil color scheme prior to its return to action this weekend at New Hampshire. The "807" chassis will serve as the backup this weekend. It was in the 22 team transporter serving as the backup at Phoenix; both Bristol races Martinsville and the second Richmond race, but has never seen any track time to date.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will race Hendrick Motorsports chassis 24-750 this weekend at New Hampshire. This is a brand new car for this race.

#27- Paul Menard - Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 349 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s SYLVANIA 300. This Chevrolet was raced earlier this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July) where Menard finished 17th and Martinsville Speedway in April where he finished 26th.

#29- Kevin Harvick - Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No.400 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's SYLVANIA 300. Built new for competition during the 2012 season, this RCR Chevrolet will make its first competitive laps this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 

#31- Jeff Burton -  Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 382 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized in February at Phoenix International Raceway where engine issues thwarted Burton’s top-five run and relegated him to a 33rd-place finish. This was car also raced at Richmond International Raceway in May where an on-track incident knocked Burton and the No. 31 team out of contention, forcing them to settle for a 31st-place finish. Most recently, Burton piloted this machine to a 21st-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July and he notched a top-10 finish at RIR two weeks ago, finishing sixth.

#39- Ryan Newman -  Chassis No. 39-645: With one start already this season, Chassis No. 39-645 is no stranger to victory lane. In its first start in 2012, Newman drove this chassis to the winner’s circle at Martinsville Speedway. Newman won despite falling one lap down early in the race after receiving a penalty for speeding on pit road. And, once he got back on the lead lap, Newman took advantage of every spot in front of him. He took his first – and only– lead of the day on lap 504 of 515, when he dove under the leaders after they collided in turn one. He held off another driver on the final restart in a tough duel before pulling away on the last lap to win. The chassis also earned a 10th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor 
Speedway in Loudon in July. The chassis made four starts last year – two at Martinsville and two at New Hampshire. This chassis was also the race winner for Newman last July in Loudon, when Newman started on the pole and led 119 of 301 laps en route to his third victory at the track. In five total starts, chassis No. 39-645 has two victories, two poles (both at New Hampshire last year) and three top-10 finishes.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - Crew Chief Chris “Shine” Heroy and the No. 42 Energizer team will travel to Loudon with Chassis #1110. This chassis was used during several tests, but will make its race debut this weekend in Loudon.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 804 for Loudon.  This chassis ran previously at the team's first visit to New Hampshire earlier this season as well as at Richmond and Phoenix. 

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Chassis #715 serves as the primary for Jimmie Johnson at New Hampshire. It last ran at New Hampshire in July, starting 7th and finishing 7th. Chassis #689 serves as the backup, it last ran at Richmond in September finishing 13th.

#55- Brian Vickers - Chassis: 715 finished 15th with Vickers at New Hampshire in July. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - Crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-721 this weekend at New Hampshire. Earnhardt first raced this chassis to a fourth-place finish in July at New Hampshire.

#99- Carl Edwards - The No. 99 Aflac team will be bringing RK-815 this weekend to New Hampshire. This car previously ran both Pocono races finishing 11th and seventh, and Darlington where Edwards finished seventh

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases