Thursday, November 8, 2012

Driver Chassis Selections for 2012 Phoenix Advocare 500

Kasey Kahne was extremely fast during practices in the spring (Getty)
Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 Bass Pro Shops/ Allstate team will use Chassis #1222 for Phoenix. This chassis has raced only once previously, just two weeks ago at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 17th.
Brad Keselowski: and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-833 during Sunday's AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. This is a brand-new chassis to the #2 fleet.
Kasey Kahne: For the Nov. 11 race at Phoenix, crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-744. This is a brand new race car. In 16 Cup starts at Phoenix, Kahne has one win, two top-five finishes and five top-10s. He has qualified inside the top 10 during the last three races at the one-mile Avondale, Ariz., oval.
Marcos Ambrose: the #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Black and Decker team has prepared chassis No. 805 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. This Black & Decker Ford was run previously this season at Phoenix, Richmond, Pocono and Indianapolis. This weekend will mark Week 2 with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer and Ambrose is looking forward to continuing to build on their relationship at Phoenix. The duo worked well together last weekend at Texas, running in the top-10 for a large portion of the event until a blown tire late in the race abruptly ended their day. Ambrose and Blickensderfer are looking for better luck at PIR and hoping their results this weekend will do them justice.
Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-742 first turned its wheels on a racetrack during a test session Sept. 4-5 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis., which prepared Chassis No. 14-742 for its debut in the Sept. 23 race at New Hampshire. There, the car qualified third and led 38 laps before finishing seventh. Chassis No. 14-742 returns to another relatively flat, 1-mile oval with this weekend's AdvoCare 500k at Phoenix International Raceway.
Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis No. 718 is the race winning car from Sept. 8 event at Richmond and also finished fourth in the Chase opener at Loudon. Backup chassis No. 712 finished 30th at the first Phoenix race after cutting several tires early in the race. It also raced to a seventh place finish at Richmond in the spring.
Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 Filtrete Ford Fusion team will bring Primary Chassis RK-778 to Phoenix, which last ran at New Hampshire and finished 9th, chassis RK-778 is the same car that Biffle drove to a third-place finish in the spring at Phoenix. Backup chassis is RK-777 which last ran Pocono and finished 24th. Biffle has an average starting position of 13.9 and an average finish of 14.1 at Phoenix.
Matt Kenseth: will run primary chassis RK-808 at Phoenix, which last ran at Atlanta in Sept. Kenseth has an average starting position of 20.6 and an average finishing position of 17.8 at Phoenix.In 20 starts, Kenseth has achieved one win, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes, and one pole at Phoenix in the Sprint Cup series. Kenseth has completed 5,747 of 6,310 (91.1 percent) laps at Phoenix and led for a total of 212 laps. This weekend at Phoenix, Kenseth will pilot the #17 Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion.
Sam Hornish Jr. and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing #22 Team will be utilizing the "PRS-822" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend's AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the chassis that the #2 Penske Racing Team raced in the April 22 race at Kansas Speedway where Brad Keselowski started 11th and finished 11th. The "PRS-807" chassis will serve as the backup. It was the #22 team's backup for last month's Martinsville race and has yet to be raced.
Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 380 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's AdvoCare 500. This Rheem/Menards Chevy was last raced at Richmond International Raceway in September where Menard drove it to a 23rd-place finish. This chassis was also utilized at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July where Menard earned a 14th-place finish after starting from the eighth position.
Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No.383 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the AdvoCare 500. Harvick raced this Budweiser chassis at Phoenix International Raceway in March and Dover International Speedway in June, collecting second-place finishes in both events. The Bakersfield, Calif., native also drove this Chevrolet to a 15th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and to a 13th-place result at Dover in September.
Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 355 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #31 Caterpiller Chevy was utilized three times last season at Darlington (start-24th, finish-33rd), Kansas (start-16th, finish-25th) and Chicago (start-22nd, finish-15th). Its only appearance of the 2012 season came at the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte in May where Burton scored a top-10 finish (eighth) after posting a top-five qualifying effort.
Ryan Newman will pilot chassis No. 39-719 this weekend at Phoenix, only the second start for Chassis No. 39-719, its first race was at Richmond in April 2012, starting 12th and finishing 15th.
Juan Pablo Montoya: crew chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the #42 Target Chevy team will race with Chassis #1220 at Phoenix. This chassis will make its season debut this weekend in Phoenix.
Aric Almirola:: The #43 Farmland team has prepared chassis No. 710 for Phoenix. This car has run previously this season at Dover and Bristol.
Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 715 serves as the primary for Johnson at Phoenix. It last ran at New Hampshire in Sept and finished 2nd, also running at NHMS in July finishing 7th and also Richmond in April, finishing 6th. Chassis No. 689 serves as the backup.
Mark Martin: will drive MWR chassis 744 finished eighth at Martinsville with Brian Vickers behind the wheel.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-721. Earnhardt first raced this chassis to a fourth-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Among all-time drivers, Earnhardt's two wins rank him tied for second at Phoenix behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. Earnhardt ranks fifth among active drivers in the laps led category with 460 laps, and he is tied for 12th among active drivers with four top-five finishes. He ranks tied for 11th among active drivers with eight top-10s at the one-mile desert oval.
Carl Edwards: The #99 Fastenal team will be bringing chassis RK-811 this weekend to Phoenix. This car was last raced at Bristol in August and finished 22nd and also ran Kentucky (20th) in June and Charlotte (9th) in May. He will make his 300th Cup start on Sunday at Phoenix.

- From Jayski.com

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