Rookie Truex Takes Points Lead With Victory

THOMPSON, Conn. (July 11, 2009) – Ryan Truex captured the checkered flag in a NASCAR Camping World Series East race for the second time in the last three outings as he took the Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 Saturday night at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) battled Steve Park (No. 35 Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet) through the last half of the race as the pair swapped the lead three times, but it was the 17-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing development driver who got past the veteran on Lap 96 and rode to the victory.

It was the second win in the last three outings for Truex, who earned his first series victory at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 6. The Mayetta, N.J., native also joined his older brother, Martin Truex Jr., as NASCAR Camping World Series East winners at Thompson.

Park’s runner-up finish was the best of his 2009 season so far. He led a race-high 76 laps after earning the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.

Matt DiBenedetto (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Toyota) finished third to record his fourth top-five in five starts this year. Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction) and Alan Tardiff (No. 38 Bestway Disposal Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers included Matt Kobyluck, Jesus Hernandez, Ryan Duff, Jonathan Smith and Brett Moffitt.

With the win, Truex has registered three-straight top-three finishes, which vaulted him past Jody Lavender and MacDonald into the points lead with four races remaining on the 2009 schedule. Lavender, the points leader entering the day, finished 11th.

The NASCAR Camping World Series East will next compete at Adirondack International Speedway on Saturday, August 1 in The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Systems.

Ryan Truex On Pole for Heluva Good" Summer 125 from NHMS

Joins father & brother as pole winners at Loudon
By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR

LOUDON, N.H. – NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Ryan Truex continued his hot streak Thursday afternoon when he won the Coors Light Pole Award in advance of Friday’s Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) earned his first career pole two races ago at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and reached Victory Lane for the first time in the series’ last event at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. On Thursday he kept the momentum going when he posted the fastest lap in qualifying at 30.433 seconds (125.113 mph).

Truex also joined his father and brother in winning NASCAR Camping World Series East pole awards at New Hampshire. Martin Sr. won the pole for the Sept. 1994 event, while current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Jr. won the pole three times (twice in 2000 and in 2003). Both Martin Sr. and Jr. also won NASCAR Camping World Series East races at NHMS.

Ryan Truex, who was the next-to-last car to go out, knocked Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet) off the provisional pole. MacDonald won both of the New Hampshire races in 2008 and posted a fast lap of 30.601 seconds (124.467 mph) during qualifying.

Kevin Swindell was third fastest in qualifying at 30.616 seconds (124.406 mph). Brett Moffitt (30.690/124.106) and Matt DiBenedetto (30.693/124.093) rounded out the top five qualifiers.

Among the top five qualifiers, only MacDonald had previously turned laps at the 1.058-mile track.

Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck, Alan Tardiff, Jody Lavender and Jeff Anton completed the top 10 from Thursday’s qualifying.

The Heluva Good! Summer 125 is slated to go green on Friday, June 26, at 5:10 p.m.

Truex Wins Tioga Downs Casino 125 from the Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 6, 2009) – NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Ryan Truex passed race leader Patrick Long between Turns 10 and 11 on the last lap and took the checkered flag in the Tioga Downs Casino 125 Saturday at Watkins Glen International.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota), who was making just his fifth career start in the series for Michael Waltrip Racing, ran in the top three throughout the day and got position on Long (No. 03 AASCO Motorsports Chevrolet) coming out of Turn 10 on the last lap of a green-white-checker finish. Truex held his position as Long went off the course and Truex came out of Turn 11 with a clear vision of the finish line and earned the victory.

Long settled for a fourth-place finish. Matt Kobyluck (No. 40 Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino Chevrolet) finished as the runner-up and rookie Brett Moffitt (No. 44 Castle Packs Power Chevrolet) was third.

Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Matt DiBenedetto, Steve Park, Eddie MacDonald, Alex Kennedy, Brian Wong and Jonathon Smith.

Truex's win marked the fifth different driver in as many races to win in 2009. Truex is the third member of his family to win in the series along with his father, Martin Sr., and his older brother, Martin Jr.

With his third-place effort, Moffitt overtook Jody Lavender for the series points lead. Lavender finished 14th on Saturday.

The sixth race of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East season is slated for Friday, June 25 with the Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

Truex Finishes Third at SOBO Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (May 30, 2009) – Brett Moffitt already broke one of Joey Logano’s NASCAR Camping World Series records. It didn’t take him long to take care of another.

Moffitt became the youngest winner in NASCAR Camping World Series history Saturday night with his win in the South Boston 150 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. His Andy Santerre Motorsports' No. 44 brettmoffitt.com Chevrolet led 81 laps – including the last 67 – and outpaced a pair of fellow teenagers in runner-up Ryan Gifford and third-place Ryan Truex.

Moffitt doesn’t turn 17 until August 7. Joey Logano, now driving the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was 1 month, 5 days of turning 17 when he scored his first win in the NASCAR Camping World Series West, and he set the NASCAR Camping World Series East mark 11 days later with his win at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway. In the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East opener, Moffitt broke Logano’s record as the series’ youngest Coors Light Pole Award winner.

With Saturday’s win, Moffitt also secured a starting spot in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

Moffitt and Truex traded the lead three times. Moffitt pulled away on the final lap 103 restart and won by 3.691 seconds. Truex, the 19-year-old younger brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. and a Michael Waltrip Racing development driver, won his first career Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.

Gifford, 19, is driving a limited schedule for Richard Childress Racing. He started 10th and charged up through the field. He got to second when Truex got loose coming off Turn 4, but was unable to close the gap on Moffitt.

Point leader Jody Lavender finished fourth and maintained a 26-point lead on Moffitt. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Max Gresham, making his first series start, finished fifth.

Alan Tardiff, Sean Caisse, Ty Dillon, Eddie MacDonald and Dustin Delaney rounded out the top 10.

Truex Captures MWR's 2nd Pole of the Weekend at SOBO Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. -- Ryan Truex was the second car out for NASCAR Camping World Series East qualifying at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and then had to sweat out watching the rest of the field take time before he could celebrate his first career Coors Light Pole Award.

Truex turned a fast lap of 16.176 seconds (89.021 mph) in his No. 00 NAPA Toyota at the .400-mile oval for Saturday night's South Boston 150. The 17-year-old younger brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. became the third driver in as many years to earn their first career pole at South Boston - following Peyton Sellers (2007) and Ricky Carmichael (2008).

Truex's closest challenger was Brett Moffitt in the No. 44 brettmoffitt.com Chevrolet, who came within two one-thousandths of a second with a lap of 16.178 (89.010).

Sean Caisse, making a spot start in the No. 03 RCR Driver Development Chevrolet, qualified third at 16.258 (88.572). Jonathan Smith was the last car to qualify and grabbed the fourth spot, bumping 2007 race winner Matt Kobyluck to fifth.

Series points leader Jody Lavender will start 11th.

The South Boston 150 is scheduled to take the green at 7 p.m.

Ambrose Competes in First Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. (May 20, 2009) - - Marcos Ambrose competes in his first Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday in the No. 47 Kingsford® Charcoal Toyota. Last weekend, he earned a respectable 10th-place finish in his first 40-lap NASCAR Sprint Showdown.

“It was a good practice session for us and we learned some things that will help us in the Coca-Cola 600,” Ambrose said. “We’re actually bringing a different Kingsford® Charcoal Toyota with a different setup for this race. It’s the car we raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season.”

“We figured we wouldn’t bring that car back from the Showdown without some damage so we planned to run a different car for the Coca-Cola 600,” Kerr said. “We missed the setup a little in the Showdown, but we feel like we’re dialed in with this car we’re bringing.”

Prior to racing Saturday night, Ambrose’s only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series experience at the 1.5-mile track was a two-day tire test in March. Even though he’s still honing his skills, the Australian driver boasts that this type of track suits him.

“Lowe’s Motor Speedway really suits my style,” Ambrose said. “It’s just a great place to race and I learned a lot last weekend. I feel like we made some progress. We’ve just got to get into a groove there.”

Ambrose has plenty of time to do that with 600 miles to go on Sunday.

“I’ve never drove a race this long without sharing driving responsibilities,” Ambrose said. “I’m looking forward to racing into the night there.”

Ambrose has had a busy week with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in town for two weeks and today it continues. Ambrose along with Michael Waltrip, David Reutimann, Scott Speed, Michael McDowell and Ryan Truex signed autographs for Fan Appreciation Day hosted by JTG-Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. The owners were on hand for autographs too.

Then this evening Ambrose and his crew chief Frank Kerr will go head-to-head against resident house expert Ken Herring for SPEED Channel’s program “Pass Time” at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. There will be a total of 10 passes (one will be a combo round). Ambrose, Kerr and Herring will have a chance to ask each driver one question about their car before guessing the amount of time it will take the car to make a quarter-mile pass. The three will be competing against each other for $2,000.

“I have not had a chance to watch the show, but Frankie has,” Ambrose said. “I guess the cars are chosen the day of the taping and will vary. They are telling us that they will have some excellent cars and drivers. So, it should be real fun.”

“It’s a cool show and it’s going to be nice to see a different side of racing,” Kerr said. “I can’t wait to beat Marcos.”

Live coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24th begins at 5 p.m. ET on FOX. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will also carry the event.

NAPA Racing Press Box Featuring Michael Waltrip (All-Star Race Preview)

How special was it to win the All-Star race in 1996?

“It was a great night to be able to celebrate with the Wood Brothers. I remember when Eddie (Wood) and Len (Wood) and Glen (Wood) and Leonard (Wood) handed their car over to me. I thought that was a big deal and they trusted me with the family car – I didn’t get a lot of that when I was a kid. For them to do that and for me to be able to go out there and perform and win the All-Star race for them and us as a team was just one of the highlights of my career.”

Did the Wood Brothers give you special advice the night you won?

“They worked with me on the car. They told me that on my second ignition system that there was more timing – the car would go faster and use that only at the end though because it won’t last. They walked off and I switched it on right there at the beginning because I figured I would need everything and we did.”

How stressful is it to have to race your way into the All-Star?

“I’ve done it before and while it isn’t ideal, you want to go there with a plan of racing in the All-Star race. It’s not a bad thing either. Not only have I done it, but Kasey Kahne did it last year and Ryan Newman has done it before. It’s not a death sentence. If you can transfer in then you’re in good shape to try to win.”

What makes Lowe’s Motor Speedway so tough?

“The question is interesting because it changes all the time. They will always do something to that place. The latest paving job I think has made the track consistently really fast. It’s high-banked, it’s a mile-and-a-half with a lot of grip so it makes it real fast. When you say what do you think of Lowe’s Motor Speedway – I say speed because that’s what you feel there maybe more so than anywhere.”


Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will compete in his 16th Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Waltrip has competed in 15 All-Star events. In 1996, he won the race. He is the only the third driver in the history of the All-Star event to win after earning the final transfer spot in the Showdown. His very popular victory came when he started in 20th place. It was his first victory in a Cup car.

Waltrip has two opportunities to qualify for the All-Star Race. He can race his way in by finishing first or second place in the Sprint Showdown race or earn the Sprint Fan Vote.

Drivers eligible for the Sprint All-Star Race: race winners from the 2008 and 2009 season, the top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote who finishes on the lead lap of the Showdown, past winners of the All-Star Race from the last 10 seasons, and Sprint Cup Series champions from the past 10 seasons who have competed in at least one series event during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

EVENT FACTS
Sprint All-Star
Lowe’s Motor Speedway Length: 1.5-Mile Tri-Oval

Date: Saturday, May 16
Showdown: 7:30 p.m.
Two (20 laps) segments- 40 laps/60 miles
All-Star: 9 p.m.
Four segments (50, 20, 20, and 10) 100 laps/150 miles
TV: SPEED
Radio: PRN; Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Ch. 128

NOTABLES
Qualifying
Friday, May 15 on SPEED
Showdown: 5 p.m.
All-Star: 6 p.m.

Practices
Friday, May 15 on SPEED
Showdown: 12 p.m.
All-Star: 1:30 p.m.

This Week in NASCAR
Monday, May 18 at 8 p.m.
Only on SPEED

All Times Eastern

Vote for Mikey! Fast track Michael into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Sprint customers, vote on your phones by texting “NASCAR” to 7777 to download NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM to cast a vote. (Standard text messaging and data rates apply.)

Or, visit http://sports.sprint.com/speed/?id9=vanity:speed

Vote Now! Vote Often!

You’re Invited!! Please join Michael Waltrip for Michael Waltrip Racing’s Fan Appreciation Day at Raceworld USA on Wednesday, May 20th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year it is bigger and better! We are holding the event as a big thank you to all of our fans and we are pleased the JTG-Daugherty Racing team is joining us to celebrate the fans continued support of our teams and sponsors.

Waltrip, David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Scott Speed, Ryan Truex, Michael McDowell will be on site to welcome everyone and sign autographs for the two hours. The first 300 people that receive a wristband will be guaranteed an autograph and a goody bag. Many of our partners will be on site with displays, show cars, giveaways…there will be something for everyone. We will also have food and beverages available so please join us.


2009 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW
** Ryan Langley Front Tire Changer
Chris Hall Front Tire Carrier
Tony Cardamone Jack Man
** Mike Ellershaw Rear Tire Changer
** Eric Wakeland Rear Tire Carrier
Art Harris Gasman
Shawn Soules Catch Can
Ron Otto Eighth Man
** Terry Spaulding Hose and Sign
Craig Harper Gas Runner
Mark Maloney Second Gas Can

** New Crewmembers

To access the NAPA Racing media guide online, please visit: www.napasponsorship.com