Backstretch Motorsports

JR Motorsports Names Interim Crew Chief for No. 5 Nationwide Team

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – JR Motorsports announced today that Cam Strader will assume crew chief duties for the No. 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series team starting this weekend at O’Reilly Raceway Park. He replaces Chad Walter, who has resigned.

Strader, car chief for the team since 2006, will serve in an interim capacity until a permanent replacement has been determined.

“We have complete faith in Cam Strader’s abilities to continue the momentum the No. 5 team has gained in last two months,” said Kelley Earnhardt, vice president and general manager of JR Motorsports. “We appreciate what Chad has brought to this company, and wish him the very best.”

Strader, 28, is from Wilson, N.C. He joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2003 and came to JR Motorsports when the companies merged Nationwide Series operations following the 2007 season.

The No. 5 team competes full-time in the Nationwide Series with multiple drivers, including Landon Cassill, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Adrian Fernandez, Ron Fellows, and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Cassill will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet Saturday night in the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind.

Through 21 races this season, the No. 5 team has one win, one pole, three top-fives, and 10 top-10s. Its victory came on March 1 in the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with driver Mark Martin. Last week at Gateway International Raceway, the team finished sixth and moved up to 10th in the NASCAR Nationwide owners standings.

Team Data has Nemechek Feeling Upbeat for Indy

DENVER (July 23, 2008) — As qualifying continues to be the first priority for Joe Nemechek, the Furniture Row Racing driver enters this weekend’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with a high degree of confidence.

Along with qualifying in seven straight Sprint Cup races and 16 of the 19 events this season, Nemechek’s optimism heading into NASCAR’s mid-summer classic at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is also based on the team’s performance last month at Pocono Raceway.

Nemechek qualified fifth at Pocono, a track that has some similarities with Indianapolis, including a flat surface and a length of 2.5-miles.

“When we practiced at Pocono we also had Indianapolis on our minds,” said Nemechek. “Qualifying in the top five at Pocono gives us plenty of data to go on for Indy. But we also have to be careful, because the two tracks are not identical and the air conditions will most likely be different.”

Nemechek’s history in the Brickyard 400 includes six top-10 qualifying efforts. His streak of 13 consecutive starts was stalled last year when he was in between full-time rides and failed to qualify for the prestigious race for EM Motorsports.

“Watching the Brickyard race on television is not a pleasant experience,” recalled Nemechek. “You want to be competing in every race, especially at Indy and Daytona. No matter how many times I have raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the excitement of competing at the historical track remains very high.”

Nemechek and the Denver-based Furniture Row Racing Team are also looking to regain their momentum which took a detour two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway.

“We had too many obstacles to overcome at Chicago,” noted Nemechek. “We hardly had any practice time there and played catch-up the entire race. I feel confident that we’ll be in position to make a positive statement this weekend.”

Martin ‘calls Shot ‘ for BRICKYARD VICTORY

After an off weekend in the Sprint Cup Series, Mark Martin and the No. 8 U.S. Army Race Team return to action this weekend at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Martin and the team will set their sights on one of the crown jewels in all of motorsports — the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

AT INDY…

Starts: 14
Wins: -
Top 5’s: 5
Top 10’s: 9
Poles: –
Highest finish: 2nd (’98)
First time: 8/6/94 (35th)
Last Year: 7/28/07 (6th)

Worthy Note: Martin has finished top 10 in his last three races at Indy and in four of the last five.

CALLING HIS SHOT

Martin shocked several members of the media by basically predicting a Brickyard win earlier this year in the media center after qualifying at Pocono.

“I’m planning on winning the Brickyard in the No. 8 car. We have the stuff, we have the team. The cars are awesome on flat tracks like Phoenix and Richmond …I believe we can adapt that setup to work better at Indy. The team is strong enough on pit road and (crew chief) Tony Gibson and the guys on that team are due a win,” said Martin to a stunned media on hand in Pocono.

MARTIN AT THE BRICKYARD

Martin has finished inside the top 10 in nine of his 14 starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including a sixth-place run there last year. Furthermore, Martin has scored top-10 finishes in the last three races at the Brickyard and in four of the last five. If not for running over a piece of debris on the final lap of the first ever Sprint Cup Series green-white-checkered finish in 2004, Martin would have five consecutive top-10 finishes at Indy.

Martin’s success at the Brickyard has been a story of hot and cold. He finished 35th in the inaugural race there in 1994 after getting caught up in an accident. He then posted five straight top-six runs from 1995-1999. Martin has finished either top nine, or 22nd or worse in all 14 of his starts at Indy.

LOOKING TO KISS THE BRICKS

Indy is one of six tracks (Loudon, Daytona, Chicago , Pocono and Homestead ) where the veteran has not won in a Sprint Cup point race. Ironically five of those six tracks come in order on the Cup schedule from late June into August.

QUOTING MARK:

“I’ve been looking to this race for quite some time actually. A few weeks ago, we kind of shocked everyone in the media center when I said that we were going to Indy looking to win the Brickyard 400, but I meant what I said. Indy is one of the crown jewels of racing and we have the team that can get it done. Our car was awesome at Phoenix and Richmond and we parked it after that in order to have it for the Brickyard 400. What we learned at those tracks should really apply well at Indy and I’m excited about our chances this weekend.

“This U.S. Army Team is strong enough on pit road and (crew chief) Tony Gibson and the guys on this team are due a win. Nothing will make me happier than to see their faces in victory lane. Sometimes miracles happen and it all works out. It almost did at Daytona for us last year, and Daytona and the Brickyard are the two that would be crown jewels of my career. This team can do it.”

MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS

· Martin has finished inside the top 10 in nine of 14 starts at Indy and inside the top seven
five times.
· Martin has finished top five in five of 14 starts at Indy.
· Martin has finished top 10 in his last three races at Indy and in four of the last five.
· Martin finished sixth at Indy last season and fifth in ‘06.
· Martin has won three IROC races at Indy (’98, ’99 and 2000).
· Martin has finished either top nine, or 22nd or worse in all 14 of his starts at Indy.

LAST YEAR AT INDY…

July 28, 2007 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway -

Started 13th, Finished 6th

Martin overcame a broken gear and a pit road speeding penalty to finish sixth in last year’s running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The strong performance added to Martin’s impressive record at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was his ninth top-10 finish in 14 starts at the 2.5-mile oval.

Martin started the 160 lap, 400-mile race from the 13th position. But only 12 laps into the event, he informed the crew that second gear was broken in his U.S. Army Chevrolet. While Martin had major concern with the broken gear, and even told his crew not to get their hopes up too high, the savvy veteran delicately drove the U.S. Army Chevrolet for the remaining 148 laps.

But as serious as the gear problem was, that didn’t stop Martin from marching to the front. He broke into the top 10 on Lap 28 and was running fifth moments before the caution came out on Lap 59. After a quick pit stop by the 01 crew, Martin was struck with another problem. He was assessed a pit-road speeding penalty by NASCAR on Lap 62. The infraction sent him back to 26th place.

But the Army team soldiered on with an even stronger tenacity. The combination of Martin’s driving skills and race strategy by crew chief Ryan Pemberton pushed the 01 Chevy back to the front. Martin was in the top 10 by Lap 109.