Alliance Provides Danica Patrick and No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Guaranteed Starting Spot in 54th Annual Daytona 500

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Jan. 31, 2012) – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has entered into a collaborative partnership with Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) where TBR will field the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for all 10 of Danica Patrick’s NASCAR [...]]]>

Alliance Provides Danica Patrick and No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Guaranteed Starting Spot in 54th Annual Daytona 500

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Jan. 31, 2012) – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has entered into a collaborative partnership with Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) where TBR will field the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for all 10 of Danica Patrick’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2012.

The alliance guarantees a starting spot for Patrick in her Sprint Cup debut – the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

TBR’s No. 36 car, which finished the 2011 season 33rd in points, becomes the No. 10 for 2012. For the 26 races where Patrick is not scheduled to drive, David Reutimann will pilot the No. 10 car. TBR has sponsorship inventory available for these 26 races.

“Tommy Baldwin Racing has proven to be a very strong organization and it’s a good fit with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Matt Borland, vice president of competition, SHR. “It’s a Chevrolet team led by a racer who knows every inch of a racecar. That kind of technical expertise, along with a company mindset that is similar to ours, provides the ideal environment for Danica to learn and succeed.”

TBR was formed in 2009 and has matured from a single-car team to one that in 2012 will field two Sprint Cup entries and a NASCAR Nationwide Series entry. TBR is owned by Tommy Baldwin, who as a crew chief secured five victories, including the 2002 Daytona 500 with driver Ward Burton.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve established at Tommy Baldwin Racing, and the opportunity to partner with Stewart-Haas Racing and aid in the development of Danica Patrick is a testament to all the hard work we’ve put in over the years,” Baldwin said. “Danica will have a great teammate in Dave Blaney, who has been instrumental in getting our race team to where it is today. And with David Reutimann driving the No. 10 car in the races where Danica is not, the team will remain in a strong and competitive position throughout the year.”

The agreement means TBR will also work with GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest Web hosting provider and Patrick’s longtime sponsor.

“Go Daddy is a first-rate sponsor,” Baldwin added. “Look how they’ve supported Danica over the last six years. Go Daddy is a sponsor that knows how to get things done right.”

Baldwin will maintain a hands-on presence with the No. 10 car and will work closely with Greg Zipadelli, who serves as SHR’s director of competition. Baldwin and Zipadelli have similar backgrounds, as both grew up in the Northeast – Baldwin in Bellport, N.Y., and Zipadelli in Berlin, Conn. – and made a name for themselves as successful crew chiefs within the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour before rising up the ranks as crew chiefs in the elite Sprint Cup Series.

“Working with Tommy will be like old times,” Zipadelli said. “We both grew up together and competed against each other in Modifieds and we did the same thing when we got to Sprint Cup. To finally be able to work with each other and help Danica Patrick make a successful transition from Indy cars to stock cars is a challenge we’re both looking forward to.

“Partnering with Tommy and his team provides Danica with the foundation she needs to succeed. With a guaranteed starting spot, we can go into each weekend and simply learn. It’s all about getting her comfortable in the car, and with the variety of tracks she’s running, seat time will be incredibly valuable. A guaranteed spot in the race ensures that she’ll have the opportunity to make as many laps as possible.”

Patrick’s 10-race Sprint Cup schedule is as follows:

· Feb. 26: Daytona 500
· May 12: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
· May 27: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
· Aug. 25: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
· Sept. 2: Atlanta Motor Speedway
· Sept. 16: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
· Sept. 30: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
· Nov. 4: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
· Nov. 11: Phoenix International Raceway

One more race is still to be determined, with the plan being to assess Patrick’s development as the season progresses and then choose the remaining venue based on need and competitive reasoning.

“Our goal with Danica’s schedule is to try and maximize her 10 races so that she’s as prepared as she can possibly be for a full-time Sprint Cup schedule in 2013,” said Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool builder in the western world. “There are short tracks, intermediate 1.5-mile ovals, and some unique tracks like Darlington and Phoenix. The point is to expose her to as many challenges as possible so that she’ll know what to expect in 2013.”

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. The team fields two entries in the elite Sprint Cup Series – the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart and the No. 39 U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevrolet Impala for 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman. Based in Kannapolis, N.C., Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 140,000-square-foot facility with more than 160 employees. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing and on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng.

About Tommy Baldwin Racing:
Veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief Tommy Baldwin formed Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) in 2009, where he saw opportunity amid a declining economy. With a stringent budget and a small, but talented, group of team members, Baldwin built a Sprint Cup team from humble beginnings to one that now competes fulltime and is a top-35 mainstay in the series’ owner point standings. The Mooresville, N.C.-based team will field two Sprint Cup entries in 2012 – the No. 10 Chevrolet Impala for Danica Patrick and David Reutimann, and the No. 36 Chevrolet Impala for Dave Blaney – along with one NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for Ryan Blaney via the No. 36 SealWrap Repair Chevrolet Impala. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.TommyBaldwinRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TBR.HBR and on Twitter @TBR_Racing.

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2012) – Coming off one of the strongest seasons in its quarter-decade history, Roush Fenway Racing will commemorate 2012 by celebrating its 25th Anniversary of racing at NASCAR’s highest levels.

Roush Fenway kicked off its [...]]]>
Program to highlight Performance, People, Partners and Innovation heading into Roush Fenway’s 25th Season

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2012) – Coming off one of the strongest seasons in its quarter-decade history, Roush Fenway Racing will commemorate 2012 by celebrating its 25th Anniversary of racing at NASCAR’s highest levels.

Roush Fenway kicked off its “25 Winning Years” program this week on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s annual media tour, where they asked media to name what it considers the top moment of the organization’s celebrated 24-year racing history.

“We’ve had a number of critical milestones since we started in 1988,” said team co-owner Jack Roush. “I looked around the room at the media tour at all the trophies we had on display and there is a great deal of emotion that comes to mind when I see each piece. Each trophy has a different story and represents a different milestone and sacrifice.

“From the first win with Mark Martin at Rockingham in 1989 to our 299th win last season with Trevor Bayne in Texas, they all mean something,” added Roush. “Along the way we’ve won multiple championships in all three NASCAR Series, with Greg (Biffle) getting the first two and Matt Kenseth getting our first Cup championship in 2003.”

Since founding the company in 1988, Jack Roush has seen the organization amass a record 299 victories. Roush Fenway currently boasts 125 Sprint Cup wins and is the winningest team in both NASCAR’s Nationwide and Truck Series’.

Just last season Roush Fenway collected both the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver and Owner’s Championship and led Ford to the manufacturer’s championship in the series. The organization came just short of NASCAR history, finishing tied in points for the Sprint Cup Championship; which would have made RFR the first team in NASCAR history to collect NASCAR’s two highest honors in the same season.

Historically Roush Fenway has boasted its greatest success by being able to successfully compete across multiple platforms with different drivers. The 2011 season was no different, seeing five different drivers win races in Roush Fenway Fords and bringing the 24-year total to 17 different drivers that have driven Roush Fenway equipment to victory lane.

In addition, as a testament to the power behind the Fords, Roush Fenway won a team-record 20 poles in 2011 to go along with its 17 victories.

Roush Fenway registered its first NASCAR victory on Oct. 22, 1989 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. The next trip to victory lane will mark its record 300th NASCAR win. Along the way the team has accumulated trophies including the famed Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, All Star, Budweiser Shootout and Southern 500, as well as championships in all three of NASCAR highest levels.

To properly commemorate the season, Roush Fenway will celebrate four specific areas vital to the organization’s success in 2012; performance, people, partners and innovation.

The performance that makes it vital to survive in the competitive world of NASCAR, the people and partners that make it possible to perform at that level for that period of time and the innovation born of the team’s 25-year legacy will all be highlighted throughout the program.

“It’s not just about being around for 25 years, it’s about living up to a level of sustained success for that long of a time period,” added Roush. “Our 25 winning years are based on these four areas that we believe to be the cornerstones of this organization.”

During the course of the season, the team, media and fans will all be asked to join in the program, as Roush Fenway continues to commemorate its “25 Winning Years” through various social channels and platforms.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Perhaps no time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history has there been a better example of a competitor’s steady and continuous progress opening a major door than is the case with AJ Allmendinger. The hard charger known as “Dinger” by [...]]]> -Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Driver Deserving Of And Excited About Opportunity At Penske Racing-

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Perhaps no time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history has there been a better example of a competitor’s steady and continuous progress opening a major door than is the case with AJ Allmendinger. The hard charger known as “Dinger” by the media and fans alike was named as the driver for Penske Racing’s No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team last month. He is certainly deserving of the opportunity.

“We have spent most of our time in NASCAR just trying to survive,” said the affable California native. “Getting this opportunity to drive the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing is truly like a double blessing. I am finally getting the stability I have needed to do my best, but I am also realizing a dream in driving for Mr. Penske. Coming from my open-wheel background, Roger Penske and his organization and race teams are just the best of the best. I am committed to representing Penske Racing, Shell-Pennzoil, Dodge and all the other great partners the best I can on and off the track.”

Unlike many short-lived, “flash-in-the-pan” careers on the ultra-competitive and demanding Sprint Cup tour, Allmendinger’s has been totally opposite. His rise to the top has been a true model of consistency.

Let “Dinger’s” career statistical information chronicle his impressive story:

In five years of competing on the Sprint Cup circuit (with three full seasons now under his belt), Allmendinger has started a total of 152 races. He has yet to visit Victory Lane, but has four top-five finishes, with all of them coming during the last three years. His top-fives are indicative of his capabilities on all kinds and sizes of race tracks. “Dinger” finished third in the 2009 Daytona 500 (2.5-mile superspeedway restrictor-plate race), fourth in the August 2010 Watkins Glen race (2.45-mile road course), fourth in November 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile progressive-banked oval) and fifth in last year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval).

“Yes, we came close to winning several races and last year in particular, but the way Sprint Cup racing is now and just how competitive it is, it’s really about being consistent,” Allmendinger said. “To win one of these races, you need to consistently be there in the top five or ten at the end. You need to be ready to take the win, but you need to be consistently good enough to be right there to take the win. I feel like every year I’ve gotten better as a driver and the team around me got better at being more consistent. If you can be there every weekend, then the wins will come.”

Along the way, Allmendinger has posted 26 top-10 finishes, with 18 of them coming during the last two seasons. He recorded six top-10 finishes in 2009, eight in 2010 and 10 in 2011.

“Dinger” has recorded one career Coors Light Pole position, which came in the April 2010 race at Phoenix International Raceway. He has six career outside poles, with three of them coming last season.

Much of “Dinger’s” success so far can be traced to an impressive strengthening ability to finish races. While he had DNFs (did not finish) in five races during the 2008 season, he has become one of the most proficient competitors in the sport at being around at the finish. Last season saw Allmendinger running at the finish in 35 of the 36 races. It was an incredible feat, especially considering that only two drivers finishing ahead of him in points were running at the finish in more races. (Chase drivers Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman were running at the finish in all 36 races.) “Dinger” finished more races than seven of the 12 Chase drivers.

“It’s easy and obvious to say ‘I want to win this race’, but you really have to be there consistently in that top five pack to do it,” Allmendinger said. “So driving smarter, having patience to have the car come to you…those are things I’ve learned. Now I’m with a team that has proven they can be there when it matters. I just need to gel those two parts together.”

Along with Allmendinger’s growing ability to finish races has been significant improvement in his average starting position and average finish through the years. In his 2007 rookie season, “Dinger’s” average starting spot was 28.7 and his average finish was 31.6. Only two years later during the 2009 tour, he had improved to a 22.8 average start and 22.4 average finish. Last year’s record boasted an impressive 14.9 average start and 16.1 average finish.

The most obvious confirmation as for Allmendinger’s continuous rise to the top in NASCAR competition is reflected in his year-by-year finishing position in the final Sprint Cup point standings. In his three seasons as a full-time competitor, “Dinger” finished 24th in 2009, 19th in 2010 and was up to 15th last season. After the first 26 races had been put into the record book last year, he was 13th in the point standings, missing out on the Chase by a mere 13 points. In the final 2011 standings, he was only 34 points out of 13th and 28 out of 14th.

“This is a challenge that I welcome and look forward to,” Allmendinger said. “The two Penske teams were strong enough to both win races and make the Chase last year and we’re looking for that same level of success this season. It’ll be important to start off the season on a positive note. Testing proved to each of us that even though we haven’t had much time together, we all have the same goal and are really excited to get going. Testing also showed though, that the drafting and NASCAR making changes to try and put forth the best racing possible, makes the Daytona 500 just about anybody’s game. I think we’ve got one of the best shots out there, and definitely a team capable of winning at any of the 36 races.

“I think it is a very realistic goal to win races and make the Chase this season. I think Penske Racing proved last season that working with Dodge as only a two-car effort isn’t necessarily a bad situation. They proved that a smaller group with a strong common goal and clear way of doing things can be just as strong, maybe stronger. This is my second time around working with Dodge and I’ve seen how dedicated they are to our sport. We’re really looking forward to taking them to Victory Lane this season.

“I can honestly say this is the most excited I have been since coming to Cup,” said Allmendinger. “How can I come into the garage every day and not have a smile on my face? This is the best situation I’ve had and honestly, I just want to get going! Bring it on!”

January 24, 2012

TONY STEWART: Driver/owner, Stewart-Haas Racing
STEVE ADDINGTON: Crew Chief, No. 14 Chevrolet
RYAN NEWMAN: Driver, No. 39 Chevrolet
TONY GIBSON: Crew Chief, No. 39 Chevrolet
DANICA PATRICK: Driver, No. 10 Chevrolet
GREG ZIPADELLI: Director of Competition, Stewart-Haas Racing & Crew Chief, No. 10 Chevrolet
MATT [...]]]>

January 24, 2012

TONY STEWART: Driver/owner, Stewart-Haas Racing
STEVE ADDINGTON: Crew Chief, No. 14 Chevrolet
RYAN NEWMAN: Driver, No. 39 Chevrolet
TONY GIBSON: Crew Chief, No. 39 Chevrolet
DANICA PATRICK: Driver, No. 10 Chevrolet
GREG ZIPADELLI: Director of Competition, Stewart-Haas Racing & Crew Chief, No. 10 Chevrolet
MATT BORLAND: Vice President of Competition, Stewart-Haas Racing

MODERATOR:

“From Columbus, Indiana, the three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, entering his 14th year on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala, Tony Stewart.

“From South Bend, Indiana, a winner of 15 races and 49 poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, entering his 11th full year of Sprint Cup racing, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans Chevrolet Impala, Ryan Newman.

“From Roscoe, Illinois, the first woman to win a Major League open wheel race in a North American series with her win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Indy Japan 300 at the twin ring oval in Japan, entering her first year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a ten race schedule, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com Chevrolet Impala, Danica Patrick.

“Now their crew chiefs. From Spartanburg, South Carolina, the crew chief for Tony Stewart, the No. 14 Office Depot, / Mobil 1 team, Steve Addington.

“From Daytona Beach, Florida, the crew chief for Ryan Newman, and the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans team, Tony Gibson.

“And from Berlin, Connecticut, the director of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, and the crew chief for the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com team, Greg Zipadelli.

“The glue that keeps all of this together, from Haslett, Michigan, the vice president of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, Matt Borland.

“Excellent. Thank you, everyone.

“Tony Stewart, driver/owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. We’ve said it once, we’ll say it a lot. You’re now the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. First off, how’s the view from the top of the mountain, and more importantly from behind the wheel of that Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet?”

TONY STEWART:

“I’m scared of heights, so I don’t try to get up too high. But, no, it’s felt good this winter. It’s definitely been a short off season, but had a lot of changes, obviously, having Steve Addington on board and having my great friend, Greg Zipadelli back on board. We’re very excited about it.

“It’s been a short off season, but we’re having fun watching the changes of Stewart-Haas Racing and how it’s going to help us be better this year.”

MODERATOR:

“Ryan, you came off another strong chase performance, and a pretty historic day where you led Stewart-Haas Racing to a one-two qualifying effort, and a one-two finish at New Hampshire, and Quicken Loans coming on board and joining the U.S. Army, as well as a host of sponsors, as well as Aspen Dental which was secured over the weekend joining Outback Steakhouse, WIX Filters, Tornados and Haas Automation, how pumped are you for the 2012 season to begin?”

RYAN NEWMAN:

“Really excited. It’s a great list of sponsors, and obviously to have the U.S. Army back, one of our founding partners with the team at Stewart-Haas, it’s a great feeling. To have Quicken Loans, and like you said the whole list of them – with Outback Steakhouse, new sponsors to the sport, and then Aspen Dental, new sponsors to our team – just really look forward to having an opportunity to get each and every one of them a shot at victory lane.”

THE MODERATOR:

“Danica, the year that stock car racing takes center stage is finally upon us, and after balancing IndyCars and stock cars last year, it’s all stock cars all the time, including this Memorial Day weekend. For the first time you’ll be in Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600 instead of Indianapolis for the Indy 500. So what’s it going to be like for the GoDaddy girl?”

DANICA PATRICK:

“I don’t know. You tell me. I’m very fortunate to be in this position with this team and these people. I’m very fortunate. I’ve been wanting to race stock cars full time for a little while here, and it’s happening.

“We’ve added another challenge with the Coke 600 or Coke 6,000 as I’ve been told. It’s quite long. So I just want to thank everyone for making it happen at Stewart-Haas, and thank GoDaddy for supporting me the whole way through. I even have my own GoDaddy microphone. That’s pretty clever. So life is good.”

THE MODERATOR:

“We’ll reintroduce the folks behind these drivers, starting off with Steve Addington. Steve, welcome to Stewart-Haas Racing. How has the transition been as you sort of rejoin the family that you once knew at JGR?”

STEVE ADDINGTON:

“It’s been awesome. To come in and work with a group of guys like Tony Gibson has made the transition of just asking me or telling me everything that I need to know and give me the information that I need to get started and where I need to look for stuff.. Matt Borland’s got a great group in the engineering department and those guys have been very, very welcoming in getting me started and seeing where we’re at and see what direction we need to get going.”

THE MODERATOR:

“Tony Gibson, crew chief for Ryan Newman, you’ve been at Stewart-Haas Racing since the beginning. Can you talk a little about how Stewart-Haas Racing went from a relatively unknown that people really didn’t know what would happen to, to an organization that consistently wins races and contends for a championship and finally won a championship this past year?”

TONY GIBSON:

“I think it’s just being surrounded with good, old fashioned racing people. You know, Stewart’s just an old redneck guy that loves to race and will drive everything. Everybody at our place, we just love racing. We grew together and things happened probably a little faster than most expected.

“But when you put a bunch of guys together that all they want to do is win and perform and run up front, things like that happen, partnered up with Chevrolet and they make things easy too. They give us all the things we need to improve our race teams and our company. We have great sponsors.

“So when you put all that in a Bowl, it’s got success written all over it. Really fortunate to be associated with Stewart-Haas Racing from the beginning and great drivers. Like I said before, Ryan’s one of those guys you want driving, because he’s going to give you 110% whether you’re two laps down or leading a race by half a lap. Doesn’t matter, you get the same effort out of him.

“So it’s a privilege to be hooked up with him, and Matt Borland. I’m looking forward to working with Steve and Greg and Danica, new people in our organization that are going to help us grow and be better. Already we’ve seen huge gains in our company since they’ve come on board. Looking forward to it.”

THE MODERATOR:

“Excellent. And Greg Zipadelli, you’re reunited with Tony, but in a different way, as the competition director here at Stewart-Haas Racing. But still not far away from that pit box as Danica’s crew chief for this ten race schedule.”

GREG ZIPADELLI:

“Yeah, it’s a great opportunity for myself. Next chapter in my life, maybe stepping back a little bit as a crew chief goes. I was excited to find out I was going to have the opportunity to do ten races and kind of help put this deal together.

“We had a really good test. I have enjoyed working with Danica. A good group of guys. I can’t say enough about the people at Stewart-Haas. The heart and the passion that every individual that I’ve met that works there is truly amazing. Very warm welcomes. Everybody has been very good to work with.

“They have done so much to help me make the transition. The people in the shop, Tony Gibson and his guys preparing cars for us, Matt Borland in engineering, a phenomenal place. We’re very, very excited about the future there.”

THE MODERATOR:

“Matt Borland, the vice president of competition wore many hats in 2011, oversaw a lot of change, and also oversaw a lot of success. How did you manage it all?

MATT BORLAND:

“I think it’s pretty easy. You look up here and we’ve got three new people up here along with all the people that have been here, each one brings a different talent and experience level to our program. We’ve got Steve who comes from Penske and Gibbs and a lot of new fresh ideas, things to look at, things to try.

“We’ve got Greg that’s come on board and he’s got new ideas from JGR that are all things we can try and try to make our stuff better than it’s been.

“Danica comes on board, another driver with open wheel background. So she’s got a lot of new ideas, new thoughts and new ways of thinking about things, and that just helps everybody come up with new ideas, new thoughts, new processes and hopefully out of that we’ll get a lot of wins and a lot of poles.”

THE MODERATOR:

“Well said. We’ll open it up to questions.”

Q. I guess sometimes I miss things, but I don’t think I missed this, Danica. That’s news that you’re running the Coca Cola 600? Where does that leave the Indy 500? I assume you won’t try a double. Is that a difficult decision to race in that event this year?

DANICA PATRICK:

“No, you didn’t miss it. I’m going to do the Coke 600. I’m not going to do the Indy 500. I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500, that is. Maybe it will be a double. But at this point in time after a lot of conversations, it’s just going to be the Coke 600. It’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it, and especially a hometown like Charlotte for NASCAR.”

Q. How did you make the decision?

DANICA PATRICK:

“The decision? Well, it was just something that didn’t work out as far as the business side of things. It just didn’t work out. I’m hopeful to do it in the future, but for this year, it just didn’t happen.”

Q. With the fuel injection system, how does it affect this race strategy? And, I think you still get your engines from Hendrick Motorsports. Is there still space left for your own modifications and changes to get ready for the race?

TONY GIBSON:

“As far as the engines we get from Hendrick, they do a fantastic job, first of all, and they have done a great job of getting prepared for the EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) stuff this year. They’ve done a lot of testing. They’ve really kept us involved in it, and we’ve done a lot of stuff with Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas.

“We get the engines from them. When they come, we put the headers and transmissions and stuff on it. But their engine tuners come over in our shops twice a week, three times a week. So we don’t actually build them, but they keep us in the flow of things. We’re hands on with it. They’re very open about it. They want our ideas and especially from those guys. Borland on the engineering side making harnesses and stuff for us that go in and sink in with the Hendrick side of it. They’re very welcome to our ideas.

“So on that side of it, it’s been a great partnership, and pretty smooth so far.”

Q. Matt, can you talk about the whole development of Stewart-Haas Racing, and people talk about the projects you have going on back there. Can you talk about how you’ve seen the evolution of Stewart-Haas Racing?

MATT BORLAND:

“Yeah, Gene Haas and Joe Custer started Haas back in 2002. They put a great program together and when Tony came on board, he added a whole other level of capabilities to the program. It’s allowed us to get a lot more people, get a lot more what is the word I’m looking for? We have a lot more people to do a lot more things to be more specialized at what we’re looking at and refining things.

“I think the biggest thing that’s come about with that is we’re able to dive down into the details of the program. With the cars the way they are now, there’s not huge gains to be made. There are small gains to be made in a lot of areas. So it takes a group of very strong people that can go and try to find all those little things.

“To Tony Gibson’s point, to have a bunch of racers that that’s all they want to do. They want to race. They want to beat everybody. They want to find those little things that gets them that much better than the next team out there.”

Q. Ryan, your whole team comes back intact. You have a lot of new sponsors associated with the 39 this year. Are you in the best position in terms of your career with Stewart-Haas than you’ve ever been before in the last couple of years there?

RYAN NEWMAN:

“From a sponsorship standpoint, without a doubt. We’re really proud to partner up with these new sponsors. Like I said in my opening, sponsors that haven’t been a part of NASCAR at all, like Quicken Loans and Outback has a little bit of history.

“But just from our standpoint, when you have great sponsors, you’re allowed to get the great people and do the great things. Without a doubt, the sponsorship is a big part of that.

“So, yes, from that standpoint, no doubt. From a team standpoint, it’s great to have all our group back. We had a great run to get into the Chase. Our Chase was a bit of a struggle for us as a team. But those are the things that you get through them, work on them, build them, and make yourself stronger as a team and an organization for the next years.

“Tony can attest to this too, you can win a championship one year, doesn’t mean you’re going to win it the next year. You have to work really hard. Other teams, when you win, you build fire and desire within them. So you have to have that same fire and desire within yourself to go back and do what we did as an organization last year.

Q. Tony, the spotlight’s going to be bright on your team this year. Not only are you the defending champion, but with the addition of Danica Patrick and with Ryan, how best is the team able to deal with that? From the very beginning, there is a lot of attention given to your team.

TONY STEWART:

“Yeah, we’re not worried about that. It’s a good thing with our partners on board. It helps us from the marketing side and the sponsorship sides to make sure we’re fulfilling what our partners need.

“When it comes time to being at the racetrack and doing what we do on the track, this group of people up here are really good at focusing on the task at hand. I think we’re all up for the challenge. It’s a good way to start the year. We came off of a great finish to the year last year, and we got a lot of new exciting partners on board this year, and a new teammate that’s going to be fun to work with. And a teammate that’s always fun to work with over on this side.

“We’re excited. We’re probably as excited to start the year as I can remember being in a long time.”

Q. This is a special championship. What did you do personally to celebrate it?

TONY STEWART:

“Stayed at the shop until the Wednesday of Christmas. I didn’t really do anything, to be honest. Like I said, with the addition of Steve and Greg and Danica, we wanted to make sure that we were kind of there to make sure that everybody was getting started off in the right direction. I wasn’t really there for anything more than moral support.

“These guys are the guys that make it all happen, for sure. But honestly, I didn’t really do much of anything. I went and raced a couple of times through the winter here, but for the most part, it’s been business as usual.”

Q. Can you assess the different dynamics in the shop with the addition of Danica, and Zippy, and Steve Addington, and then the fact that Tony won the championship last year, the mood of the team and the dynamics in the shop?

MATT BORLAND:

“I think in general, the dynamics are very positive, very excited. Like Tony was saying, everybody’s looking forward to Daytona, looking forward to a great new season. As well, there are so many influx of new ideas this year, that we’re able to look at so many different things and find hopefully some more gains that will elevate us even better than we were last year.

“It’s been very positive. All the people on the team are pumped up and excited. It’s a great deal right now.”

Q. Tony, you won your third championship last year, five of 10 Chase races, and in a driver / crew chief relationship that you ended up changing, how much pressure does that put on the guy to your left when he walks in the front door?

TONY STEWART:

“You’re asking the wrong guy. You need to ask him. I feel just fine.”

STEVE ADDINGTON:

“I do too.”

TONY STEWART:

“I think he’s thinking he’s on vacation now. Just saying. It’s kind of like what Tony Gibson was saying earlier. We’re just low key, down to earth racers and hard core racer that’s want to race. That is the attitude that Steve has coming in here.

“And as far as from my side, I’m not putting any pressure on him. I’m looking forward to going out and racing again. We both know there is going to be a period of getting to learn each other, and just little things that we’ll have to get sorted out to where we get into that weekly routine.

“Daytona’s not going to be… that ten day period’s not going to get it done. It’s going to take more of that. It’s going to take getting through Phoenix and some of those races to really get in tune with each other. But he’s been easy to work with so far.

“We’ve been able to work with him directly at Gibbs. So we kind of know him a little bit. I think it’s going to be pretty laid back, and we’re going to have a lot of fun. I don’t think it’s a big stress situation for either one of us right now.”

MODERATOR:

“Steve, do you want to chime in on that as well?”

STEVE ADDINGTON:

“No, look at what the organization did. One guy’s not going to make the big difference. I’ve got to keep the communication with him going as far as the race car’s concerned, and having that supporting cast, the people that are around you through the organization makes you successful. That’s what I’m looking forward to.

“Everybody that I’ve run into or worked with in the organization, I’ve worked with them at some point or beside them at some point that they’ve welcomed me with open arms. Asking me everything that I need to go racing with them, and that’s it. You’ve got the supporting cast there that’s going to be successful.”

Q. Tony, could you explain to fans how life changes and how life doesn’t change after becoming a champion for the first, second, and third time?

TONY STEWART:

“It hasn’t changed at all, honestly. I think the first time it changes a little bit because you’ve accomplished that goal. But after the first one, it really doesn’t change your life so much the second and third one. Like I said, it’s kind of been business as usual. We’ve enjoyed the whole off season with the team, and it’s been fun being at the shop to see how excited the guys are. Guys that three years ago had never won a race, and now they’re celebrating their first championship together.

“It’s been fun to be at the shop around those guys and see how excited they are to have Danica come on board and Zippy and Steve. It’s been fun to watch everybody have fun in the off season. You’ve got these two guys to the right that are always keeping you on your toes and making it fun, too.

“So we’ve just got a great group of people that have made it fun, and it really hasn’t changed my life any. Like I said, I probably took less time this off season to go enjoy myself than any other time. But I’ve had fun doing what I’ve been doing.”

Q. Tony Gibson, the last 30 years we’ve had two owner/drivers win the championship, Tony and Alan Kulwicki. You worked with both of those drivers. Can you talk about what similarities there are between them and what differences there are?

TONY GIBSON:

“I think the differences may be the engineering side of it. Kulwicki was more like Newman on the engineering side of it. But he loved the race. He loved all about racing, and all about winning. In his heart it was win, and the grass roots of racing whether it was in Wisconsin doing the late model stuff or in a Cup car.

“Stewart has that same desire. He has in his heart all he wants to do is race. Every time he’ll text you he’s at a racetrack somewhere racing, and that’s all he wants to do. So the difference is probably maybe on the schooling. I don’t know where you went to school at.”

TONY STEWART:

“High school.”

TONY GIBSON:

“He went to high school.

“When it comes to strapping the belts down and putting a helmet on and taking the green, it’s all with your desire to win. Him and Alan, as far as I’m concerned, had the same desire to win and that’s why they’re both champions.

Q. Tony, will you divide up your time now any differently between the Cup side and the short track team now that you’ve got more people? You’ve got more people to supervise. Are you asking more people to supervise to give you more time for your other ventures?

TONY STEWART:

“No, it’s pretty much business as usual. We’re adding more to the program, so you want to make sure that you’re keeping that time to make sure that everybody’s where they need to be and making sure that everybody is comfortable with what we’ve got. So as far as the time that I divide running the short track stuff versus what we’re doing here, it’s pretty much the same balance.”

Q. Tony, the economy has been down the last couple of years, but it seems to be doing a bit of a rebound. You guys have been doing well signing on new sponsors. Can you talk about your efforts signing new sponsors and the economy of your team?

TONY STEWART:

“I’ll be honest, I’m really, really proud of our marketing team. Mike Verlander has done a great job introducing some new partners in the sport. I think it’s one thing from day one when we brought Tornados on board with Ryan’s car, and now Quicken Loans and Aspen Dental to bring new partners like this into the sport and introduce them to NASCAR is something that I take a lot of pride in.

“Like I said, it’s our marketing stuff that’s done it. I can’t take the credit for it, but I’m really proud of them. It’s been a tough economy, as we know. But to show these new companies that there is this value in NASCAR is something that we’re proud of. I think Tornados has had a great experience . I think it’s been the same way for Quicken so far.

“We finished up the year last year with them, and I think they enjoyed the first trip in the sport. Looking forward to having Aspen Dental on board.

“I’m really excited about it. It’s the best position sponsorship-wise that our company has been in, and we still have races to sell. But it’s the best position that we’ve been in since I partnered up with Gene three years ago. So we’re really excited about it.

“I think it’s a sign that hopefully things are starting to turn around and work their way back up now.”

Q. For Tony, Zippy, and Danica, what is a reasonable expectation or goals for this season? Danica, when you answer, if you could also address the Nationwide Series.

DANICA PATRICK:

“I think that first starting out with the Nationwide stuff, very much it depends on the individual weekend itself. There are still some tracks that I haven’t raced at before, so probably a little bit different expectations for those. But for the most part, solid top-10. Getting into the top-five more consistently through the year would be a goal, and I’d like to get to victory lane.

“As far as the Cup stuff, I think that it would be good if they answered as well on this. But I’d like to know what I should expect. But I think that at Daytona, the cars are very fast as you guys can see, and as we saw already at the test. So I feel good about that race. I feel good about… I mean, I was lucky enough to get to run with Tony in the Nationwide race last summer, and that went pretty good. So I feel good about Daytona.

“I think there is a real chance if luck falls our way to perhaps win. I think that’s a real chance. I mean, a guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that.

“So those are the expectations for the first race, but then beyond that. I don’t know. Top-20 or so, I guess, would maybe be a good goal. I feel like longer races are good. I like long races. I feel like I learn, I get more comfortable out there and we keep tweaking on the car and making it a little better on each pit stop, so I’m hoping that plays into my favor with the length of these races.”

GREG ZIPADELLI:

“For myself, it’s just good solid days. Give her as much track time as we can, and support, and just trying to teach her as much as we can about this sport and this series for the following year.”

TONY STEWART:

“I’m excited about it. From my standpoint, I crashed everything I drove from the Nationwide cars, and it – on the Cup side – it got better obviously. But looking at it, these ten races for her this year, for me it’s just finishing the races and getting the track time.

“In the short amount of time that I’ve worked with her, she’s so good at processing information and what she learns on the racetrack. She can explain it to you right away and very accurate. I think her feedback is excellent.

“Just getting the time on the racetrack and, I guess are from my standpoint, I’m not worried about the finishes at the end of the day. It’s just finishing the race, getting the laps and getting that experience in the car. Five hundred mile races are long races, especially in the Cup series when you’re dealing with a 3,400 pound car. It’s a learning process.

“I think the success at the end of the year won’t be judged by where the finishing position is at the end of the day as much as what she’s taken away from race weekend. So that’s what my goal is for her.”

THE MODERATOR:

“A couple other story lines that are definitely worth asking these folks in their one –on-one sessions. Danica Patrick in the Super Bowl. While the New England Patriots and New York Giants are making a return to the Super Bowl in two weeks, so does Danica. This will be the eighth straight year GoDaddy has run a Super Bowl ad campaign, and the sixth in which Danica has starred.

“So all told, Danica has appeared in ten GoDaddy Super Bowl ads dating back to 2007, giving her the title of most commercials of any celebrity in the history of the event.

“Not to be lost on television, Tony Stewart spent part of his off season doing a little acting himself. He made a guest appearance on ABC’s ‘Last Man Standing’ with Tim Allen. That episode is slated to air Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“Tony is also running the season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race. He’ll be in the No. 33 Oreo 100th anniversary Chevrolet Impala. He’ll be looking for his fifth straight win in that event, and his seventh in the last eight season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Daytona.

“Again, from a sports business story, I know we’ve touched about it a little bit, in addition to all the sponsors that have returned to Ryan Newman in the No. 39, new to the sport, Quicken Loans, Aspen Dental, Outback Steakhouse coming back to NASCAR, all affiliated with Ryan and that No. 39 team.”

Mooresville, NC – Sergio Pena will be behind the wheel of the # 1 Toyota Camry for Hattori Racing Enterprises for the 2012 NASCAR K & N Pro Series East.

Pena, an 18-year old Winchester, VA native will enter his 3rd season [...]]]> Sergio Pena Set to Drive for Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2012 East Series

Mooresville, NC – Sergio Pena will be behind the wheel of the # 1 Toyota Camry for Hattori Racing Enterprises for the 2012 NASCAR K & N Pro Series East.

Pena, an 18-year old Winchester, VA native will enter his 3rd season on the K & N Pro Series East in 2012, his first two were as part of the NASCAR Diversity Program. Pena made the racing world take notice in his NASCAR debut at the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway in 2010 when he beat Sprint Cup veteran Joey Logano for the pole award and finished 2nd in the event – his first time in a K & N Pro Series car. Last season, in just 12 races, he scored three wins, seven top-10 finishes and finished 5th in the series point standings.

“I am so excited for this opportunity,” stated Pena, a current Radford University freshman. “I couldn’t be more thankful to Shige and the best group of guys behind me such as Matt Goslant and Andy Santerre. We all work together very well and with them behind me, I know we will definitely be one of the teams to beat this year.”

Pena will be driving for Hattori Racing Enterprises. Formed in 2005, this will be the first year they have competed full-time on a NASCAR touring series. Owner, Shigeaki Hattori is a Championship-winning former racer. He earned the Formula Toyota title in 1994 and competed in the Indy Racing League’s Indy Lights and IndyCar Series. He also competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Born in Okayama, Japan, Hattori currently resides in Cornelius, NC and knows what it takes to win. “People in an organization are the key to the organization’s success . If you hire the right people with knowledge and experience, success will follow,” explains Hattori.

Setting the foundation for Hattori Racing Enterprises are four-time NASCAR K & N Pro Series Champion Andy Santerre, who will manage the race team and Championship-winning Crew Chief, Matt Goslant. Goslant and Pena were a team last season where Pena won three of 12 races, scored seven top-10 finishes and finished 5th in the series point standings.

“I am excited to be working with Sergio again this season,” Said Northfield, VT native, Goslant. “He has the talent to be a champion and we are a good team together. We communicate well and he trusts me to put the car under him. He gives me 100% and I could not ask for anything more in a driver.”

HRE will field Toyota Camry’s with manufacturer backing from Toyota Racing Development . “We are thrilled to have Toyota on board,” stated Hattori, who has had a long-standing relationship with the brand. “Toyota cars won every race in the series last year and I don’t expect this season to be any different.”

HRE is located in a state-of-the-art building owned by Germain Racing in Mooresville, NC and was designed by Hattori so he could continue to enjoy American stock car racing while developing young, talented drivers.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2012) – Richard Ernest “Richie” Evans certainly was the face of NASCAR – and modified racing – in the northeast, winning [...]]]>
‘Rapid Roman’ Richie Evans Rode Orange Chariot Into History
New York Star Won Nine NASCAR Modified Series Titles In Hall Of Fame Career

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2012) – Richard Ernest “Richie” Evans certainly was the face of NASCAR – and modified racing – in the northeast, winning an estimated 475 times in approximately 1,300 starts. It equates to a win in every three starts (a 36.5% clip), something unheard of in modern racing at any level.

Evans will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday, one of five members of the Hall’s third class comprised of the New York native, legendary crew chief Dale Inman, team owner Glen Wood and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough. He is the first of 15 inductees without a connection to NASCAR’s premier series.

The 2012 enshrinement ceremony kicks off NASCAR Acceleration 2012 weekend, which includes the NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint, where fans can interact with the sport’s legends and current stars in person, get autographs and catch a sneak peek at the upcoming season. Fans can go to NASCARacceleration2012.com for more information.

Nicknamed the “Rapid Roman” by virtue of racing out of Rome, N.Y., he found a home in the modifieds – a car fashioned from pre-World War II coupes and sedans powered by high horsepower engines.

Evans won nine NASCAR national modified championships over a 13-year span, including eight consecutive titles from 1978-85. His signature No. 61 orange race car was a magnet for fans and a terror to his fellow competitors.

He worked on his own cars – up to 100 hours a week – and raced virtually every night of the week.

“Working with the car and working on it in the garage every week is an advantage,” Evans once said. “While I’m working on the car, I’m thinking about every lap I rode in that thing. It’s not like the mechanic who stood and watched it during the feature and then has to make some decisions.”

Evans lost his life at age 44 while practicing at Martinsville Speedway for the 1985 season finale of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He’d earlier locked up the series’ first championship along with a fourth consecutive Whelen All-American Northeast Region title.

He was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.

On Jan. 10, the New York State Senate adopted a resolution honoring Evans’ NASCAR Hall of Fame induction “remembering his extraordinary accomplishments in the racing area that were a direct result of his skill, dedication and commitment.”

“We are just so thrilled and excited. He has received a lot of rewards but this is the ultimate,” said his widow, Lynn, commenting on her husband’s election to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “I know he is looking down and smiling ear to ear.”

Evans, one of six brothers and sisters, left his family’s Westernville, N.Y. home at the age of 16 to work as a gas station mechanic. In 1964 Evans began racing hobby stocks at Utica-Rome Speedway.

Evans’ first NASCAR championship came in 1973 – after a number of seasons winning race after race regardless of sanctioning body. The title snapped a two-year reign by fellow Rome resident Jerry Cook, who won four more championships before Evans reclaimed a crown in 1978 that he relinquished only after his passing.

The Evans-Cook rivalry was legendary – although they weren’t the only prominent figures in NASCAR modified racing, which included future NASCAR Sprint Cup star Geoffrey Bodine, Maynard Troyer, Ron Bouchard, Bugs Stevens, George Kent and Tom Baldwin Sr.

But they lived in the same town and each had a separate set of fans. Evans and Cook got along fine; the fans, however, were a different story. And they won every NASCAR Modified Series championship between 1971 and 1985.

The two also had distinctly different personalities. “The only thing we had in common was racing and there were times we didn’t even talk to each other,” said Cook, who became a NASCAR official following a racing career that ended in 1982 with nearly 350 victories. Cook currently is NASCAR’s Competition Administrator. “But we put on a show with it.

“He didn’t win everything. I beat him and other drivers beat him so it wasn’t like he won every single thing. But he did real well at it, that’s for sure.”

Evans won regularly and won with style and grace. He also was a promoter’s dream, his presence putting hundreds of additional folks in the grandstands.

“He was a hard-core guy, racing to put food on the table,” said John Bisci, a high school student who watched Evans race at Lancaster Speedway in New York and became the track’s program editor in 1976. Bisci is Public Relations Manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “You could talk to him any time. After the races he would give you an autograph and never said, ‘I’m too busy kid; come back later.’

“No matter how many times he won, nobody booed. He never disparaged the other drivers and told the fans, ‘I’m glad you were cheering for me.’ He was a ‘party guy’ but when it came time to race he was all business.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., whose father competed against Evans, brought his No. 36 car to a recent event with an Evans retro paint scheme. “Richie was someone we all looked up to and when he came to town we knew we had to beat him to win,” said Baldwin. “He made us work harder and I think that prepared a lot of us for the Sprint Cup level.”

The color orange may not have made Evans’ cars go any faster – but it probably gave him a psychological edge in an era when few race cars were brightly painted. “He had a fast orange car in a sea of stock Detroit colors. There was no mistaking him for anyone else,” said Bisci. “You’d see him in the rear view mirror and you knew it was him that was coming.”