David Ragan to drive No. 18 M&M's Toyota at Atlanta for Kyle Busch

David Ragan is part of the 'Field' bet at 100/1 to win Sunday at Atlanta

Kyle Busch Transferred To Charlotte Area Hospital; Erik Jones Will Pilot No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota In NASCAR XFINITY Series in Atlanta

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (February 24, 2015) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today that David Ragan will fill in for Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with this weekend’s raceat Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch was released this morning from Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, FL and transferred to a hospital near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina for further treatment. Busch sustained a compound fracture of the right lower leg in an accident during Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Additionally, Busch suffered a mid-foot fracture of his left foot in the accident.

No specific timetable has been announced for Busch’s return to the race track. It is expected that Ragan will pilot the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota for at least the next several weeks. Ragan’s current race team Front Row Motorsports and sponsor CSX accommodated the move by Ragan and Ragan is expected to return to the team later this season.

Additional updates on Busch’s condition will be provided as necessary.

In addition, JGR announces that Erik Jones will pilot the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota in the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend in Atlanta. An announcement on who will drive the Monster Energy Camry following Atlanta will be made at a later date.

Ragan has run eight full seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 291 career starts. The 29-year-old Georgia native has two career wins, including most recently at Talladega Superspeedway in May of 2013.

Jones is currently running a full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports and a partial schedule for JGR in the No. 20 NASCAR XFINITY Series Camry.

“We appreciate being able to work with Front Row Motorsports and CSX for David’s (Ragan) availability,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We are fortunate to be able to have someone of David’s caliber behind the wheel while Kyle recovers. Erik is a big part of our future at JGR and we will be increasing his schedule in the XFINITY Series beginning this weekend in Atlanta and seeking the earliest opportunity to provide him Cup experience. We appreciate all the support we have received from the NASCAR community including our fans and we look forward to getting Kyle back in the car as soon as possible.”

“Everyone at Mars is thankful that Kyle is doing well and we continue to wish him a speedy recovery,” said William Clements, vice president of sponsorship and sports marketing for Mars Incorporated. “While we can’t wait until Kyle returns behind the wheel of the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota, we are excited to work with David and we’re pleased JGR was able to work it out for him to step in during Kyle’s absence.”

About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, three NASCAR XFINITY Series teams and a driver development program. Its 2015 driver lineup consists of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup Series. Meanwhile Daniel Suarez will run fulltime in the NASCAR XFINITY Series as one of JGR’s three teams with Erik Jones coming on board to run a partial schedule along with Busch, Hamlin, Kenseth, and Kenny Habul. Cody Coughlin is currently in JGR’s driver development program. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs — a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame — JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, and four Nationwide Series owner’s championships along with more than 200 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

- Joe Gibbs Racing

2014 Daytona 500 Odds: Why not take a chance on Austin Dillon to win at 45/1?

Austin Dillon is being offered at 45/1 odds 

LAS VEGAS -- Mother Nature took away the first of two scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup testing days at Daytona International Speedway, but the lone day they did test was enough to satisfy the hunger fans and bettors have felt since the 2013 season ended November at Homestead. That also left us all with only one day to decipher what we really saw out of the Richard Childress Racing cars, which posted the top three speeds of the lone January 10 session.

The leader of the pack was Childress’ grandson, rookie Austin Dillon, who already has championships in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series. One more thing- Dillon will be the first driver to pilot the famed No. 3 black Chevrolet since Dale Earnhardt passed at Daytona 13 years ago. That’s a heavy responsibility to carry for a rookie, but it’s apparent that Childress has put forth, at least initially, a swing for the fences approach to be the best, if not only for the legacy of the No. 3 and Earnhardt, but also for his grandson.

Dillon’s odds posted at the LVH SuperBook to win the 2014 Daytona 500 are 30-to-1. That number has the scent of doubt attached to it- though perhaps there should be for a rookie. Only 15 drivers have lower odds at the LVH than Dillon for the February 23 race. Danica Patrick is listed at 40-to-1, and this is her best track, while Trevor Bayne (75-to-1) won the 2011 Daytona 500 at 125-to-1 odds. Overall, the lowest odds on Dillon are 20-to-1 at Aliante and the highest are 45-to-1 at MGM Resorts.

So far, we know the kid can drive and hasn’t let the Cup guys push him around too much when mixing it up in the Nationwide series. But this is the Cup series, and it figures it get much rougher than he ever imagined. A huge bonus is that the departed Kevin Harvick won four races and finished second in points last season. Dillon now inherits all those fast cars, which can do wonders for a rookie's confidence. Harvick also won the 2007 Daytona 500 for Childress.

The Harvick angle also has to motivate Childress to put out his best product ever. Last year they were on the upswing, ahead of the curve with the Gen-6 car, and Harvick was given great cars. Childress showed his character in that lame duck situation by giving Harvick’s No. 29 the best engines and chassis’ in the RCR stable. Thus, it wouldn‘t be a surprise to watch Dillon compete well as a rookie. Being fast makes the transition go much smoother.

As for Daytona next month, taking 45-to-1 on him at the MGM books is a great offering. He’ll likely be starting from the pole, which will theoretically keep him out front for a while and out of trouble like we saw Danica Patrick do last season when she finished eighth. If you think he’ll have a good car, and has a good chance of being in the race at the end, isn’t 45-to-1 pretty solid?

We've seen stranger things happen, and some have been associated with the No. 3, like when a Dale Earnhardt Inc. car driven by Michael Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500. Or how about when another DEI car driven by Steve Park won the following week at Rockingham? Or how about Harvick winning at Atlanta by .006 seconds in only his second career Cup start? And then the story became even more supernatural when Earnhardt Jr. won the next race at Daytona in the summer for a fitting tribute.

It takes skill to win at Daytona, but the best cars don’t necessarily win because otherwise we would have seen at least one Joe Gibbs Racing car win a restrictor-plate race last season. The best driver on the planet did win in 2013 as Jimmie Johnson swept the season, something that had not been done at Daytona since Bobby Allison in 1982. Despite that domination, Johnson can be found as high as 12-to-1 odds at William Hill books. It will be the longest odds offered on him all season other than Talladega, which will be around the same.

This is a crap shoot, so it serves well to think outside the box when betting and roll the dice. Casey Mears had the sixth fastest lap during testing (most of the top times were all single-car times with no drafting help) and he can be found at 100-to-1. David Ragan is 75-to-1 and his only two Cup wins came in plate races, including last season at Talladega with the same No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. Ragan and FRM did not participate in the testing.

Rookie Kyle Larson takes over the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Chevrolet for Juan Pablo Montoya and came away with the fifth fastest lap in testing. He was one of the few drivers that ran in the draft. The Ganassi cars have been at their best in plate races. Jamie McMurray won at Talladega last season and also won the 2010 Daytona 500. Larson can be found at 60-to-1 odds at William Hill while McMurray’s best price is 30-to-1.

Test session times at plate tracks don’t tell as much as a 1.5-mile cookie cutter track session might for those type of races, but it is all we have to chew on until we see them practice Feb. 14 for the Sprint Unlimited.

We’ll update the odds chart each week and add more properties as their numbers start popping up.

Read More here.......Odds from 5 different LV Sports Books

Roush Fenway Racing Driver Preview: Looking for First Talladega Win Since 1997

Edwards has had some great runs in plate races, even in this one.

Carl Edwards 
Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-677 Last raced at Budweiser Shootout, Feb. ‘11

Carl Edwards on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “It’s great to go into Talladega with a point lead and a little cushion because anything can happen there. The Fords finished 1-2-3 in Daytona and I don’t know why we can’t do that again this weekend in Talladega. That gives me a lot of confidence going into this race. I just have to find a good drafting partner to run with all day and avoid the trouble that tends to happen there.”

Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Talladega is challenging for a crew chief because so much of it is out of our control. We do the best we can to get the car handling well and create a smart pit strategy, but most of this race depends on the driver and the spotter. It’s always a tense race for everyone involved. We’re taking the same car we raced at the Shootout at Daytona in February so we know it’s a pretty good car. We just have to hope to avoid the inevitable wrecks to be there at the end to contend for the win.”

Fast Facts
Carl Edwards currently leads the Sprint Cup point standings by nine points. He has achieved one win, four top-five and five top-10 finishes, along with two poles this season.

FOR THE RECORD… In his previous 13 starts at Talladega, Edwards has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. Edwards’ average start at Talladega is 16.2, his average finish is 22.1. Edwards has completed 87.4 percent of his laps attempted at Talladega, and led 16 laps.

ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 Aflac team will be unloading chassis RK-677 this weekend at Talladega. This car raced in the Budweiser Shootout in February where Edwards finished 21st after an early accident.

REWIND, TALLADEGA APRIL 2010… Carl Edwards played it safe most of the race running single file in a smaller draft behind the big pack. He was 20th with 20 laps to go and began to work his way toward the front of the pack. He got as high as seventh in the final laps, but finished the race 11th.

Biffle's 4th-place finish in 2009 is his only top-5 at Talladega (Getty)

Greg Biffle
Team: No. 16 3M Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Greg Erwin

Biffle on Talladega: “Talladega should be exciting this weekend. The Fords were the class of the field in Daytona and I expect the same thing this weekend. You’ll obviously need a good drafting partner like you did in Daytona to run well on Sunday. If we can find a good partner and stay out of the wrecks, I think we should have a good race. We’re slowly making our way back up in the points and we need to finish well this weekend to keep the momentum going.”

Erwin on Talladega: “The superspeedway races are obviously unique races in that even if you have the best driver, the best pit crew and the fastest racecar, you can very easily get caught up in someone else’s accident and take the car home in pieces. Talladega is wider than Daytona which should allow for more three-wide racing and hopefully less wrecks. We do anticipate the same two-by-two racing that we saw at Daytona in February. We are taking the car that we finished fifth with in the Shootout so we’ll just go and try to get out of there with a top-10 finish.”

Talladega Notes
• Biffle is currently 18th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his fourth-place finish in Texas.
• Biffle has an average finish of 21.5 from an average starting position of 17.8 at Talladega Superspeedway.
• The No. 16 3M Ford Fusion will have a special Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape paint scheme this weekend in Talladega. Fans can visit www.ScotchBlue.com for painting tips and additional information.
• Last fall at Talladega Biffle restarted eighth with four laps to go but finished 19th after getting shuffled out of the draft.

Ragan has had some of his best career runs at Talladega (Getty)

David Ragan 
Team: No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Chassis: Primary: RK-723 Last ran Daytona – finished 14th; Backup: RK-717 Brand new chassis

Ragan on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Going to Talladega we all think the racing will be similar to Daytona, so that will be a second opportunity to take what we learned from the two-car packs. Talladega is bigger and wider than Daytona, but there will be a lot of the same type strategy that we saw at the 500. I’m excited about our Fords since they were all fast in Daytona, which is a good sign going into Talladega.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “We are heading to Talladega with the same car we almost won Daytona with, so we know we have a good UPS Ford going into this weekend. David is a really good restrictor plate driver and we are looking forward to get to the track and continue the momentum we have built the last few weeks.”

FAST FACTS
* UPS employee, Steven Demery, will be an honorary crew member of the UPS team this weekend in Talladega, and will also have his named featured on the C-Post of the UPS Ford.
* Ragan has his best average finish of all the tracks on the circuit at Talladega with a 14.2.
* Ragan has visited Talladega Superspeedway eight times in his Sprint Cup Series career and in his eight starts has earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes, while also leading for a total of 22 laps.
* In the spring of 2009 Ragan earned his first Nationwide Series victory at Talladega.

Kenseth worked well in the two-car draft at Daytona (Getty)

Matt Kenseth 
Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig


Chassis: Primary: RK-713 (Last run at Daytona)

Kenseth on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Racing at Talladega is challenging. You never truly know what to expect, but I don’t see it being a lot different this weekend since there aren’t any rule changes or changes to the cars. People compare Daytona and Talladega and I think that Talladega is a little more forgiving, but we’ll see what happens this weekend. You never know what’s going to happen as far as wrecks are concerned, but certainly Talladega always has the potential to be an accident waiting to happen. You never know where it’s going to occur, when it’s going to happen, or who it’s going to take out, so that’s one race that you’re never sure where everybody is going to end up finishing until the race is over.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Talladega is a tough track to really have a plan for because you never know when wrecks are going to happen. Accidents can happen early on and they’re just very unpredictable so you just never know what to expect. A lot of teams opt to hang out in the back of the field to try to avoid wrecks, but that doesn’t always work. We plan to race the best we can at Talladega and hope to avoid whatever happens on the track.”

FAST FACTS:
• In 22 Cup starts at Talladega, Kenseth has completed 3,921 of 4,165 laps (94.1 percent) and led for 159 laps
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 22.5 and an average finishing position of 18.6 at TSS
• Kenseth has achieved three top-five and six top-10 finishes at Talladega in the Cup series
• This weekend at Talladega, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion
• Entering the weekend at Talladega, Kenseth is currently third in the NSCS driver point standings

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Releases

Roush Fenway Racing Texas Preview: Seven Wins Says Roush is a Contender This Week

Kenseth won at Texas in 2002

Matt Kenseth 
Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-741 (brand new chassis)

MATT KENSETH ON RACING AT TEXAS: "Texas is a place where Roush Fenway as an organization has had a lot of success at in the past, and I just really love going there. We’ll be racing under the lights Saturday night and I think that will just add to the excitement of the racing action at Texas. Texas is high-banked and really fast, but the straightaways are really flat, so it’s always a challenge trying to negotiate that. The track has started to wear out to where you can race multiple lines around the track and it’s made for some really exciting races lately allowing guys to run along the top or the bottom of the track. I really feel like the racing will be great this weekend like it always is, and I’m looking forward to Texas.”

KENSETH CREW CHIEF JIMMY FENNIG ON RACING AT TEXAS: “This will be the first time we’ve raced under the lights at Texas and I don’t think there will be a big difference, but we’ll just make sure that we adjust the car accordingly throughout the race. I’m looking forward to racing at an intermediate track since we’ve had a lot of great runs at these kinds of tracks as an organization. Matt has achieved a lot of success at Texas and our goal is to keep up with the adjustments we need, have fast pit stops, and get the best result we can this weekend.”

KENSETH FAST FACTS:
• In 17 Cup starts at Texas, Kenseth has completed 5,636 of 5,688 laps (99.1 percent) and led for 500 laps
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 18.4 and an average finishing position of 9.5 at Texas
• Kenseth has achieved one win, eight top-five, and 11 top-10 finishes at Texas in the Cup series
• Kenseth holds the record for the most top five (8) and the most top 10’s (11) in Cup action at Texas
• This weekend at Texas, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion
• Entering the weekend at Texas, Kenseth is currently 9th in the NSCS driver point standings

Carl Edwards is a 3-time winner at Texas

Carl Edwards 
Team: No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: RK-748 New chassis

CARL EDWARDS ON RACING AT TEXAS: “I love racing at Texas and it’s been one of our best race tracks. I’ve got some great memories from that place. There’s nothing like standing in victory lane and shooting off those Berettas. That is a fun place to win a race. Martinsville was tough for us. We used up our point lead and now we are going to Texas to get it back.”

EDWARDS CREW CHIEF BOB OSBOURNE ON TEXAS: “Texas is a good track for Carl and we’re taking a new car there this weekend. We had a tough race in Martinsville last weekend, so an intermediate track where Roush Fenway has had a lot of success over the years should be good for us. It will be the first night race we’ve run at Texas so that will be different, but we’re looking forward to it.”

EDWARDS FAST FATS
Carl Edwards will make his 13th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend in the Samsung Mobile 500.
FOR THE RECORD… Edwards has accumulated three wins at the 1.5-mile Texas track, the most of any active Sprint Cup driver. Edwards’ average NSCS start at Texas is 16.1 and his average finish is 17.7. He is one of only two drivers to win both the spring & fall events in the same year at Texas.
IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics, Edwards ranks third in laps led with 476 in the past 12 races. He has also turned 270 of the track’s fastest laps, which is third best. He has a driver rating of 96.9, seventh best among active drivers.
REWIND APRIL, 2010… It looked as though Edwards would get a top-10 finish, but instead got caught up in a multi-car accident in the closing laps of the race. He was 10th for the restart on lap 318, but Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon made contact ahead of him which spun Gordon right in front of Edwards resulting in a 33rd-place finish.

Greg Biffle won at Texas in 2005

Greg Biffle
Team: No. 16 3M Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Greg Erwin

GREG BIFFLE ON TEXAS: “I love racing at Texas. We had a couple of chances to win there last year and just had things go wrong. We led over 200 laps there in the fall and had a shifter problem that took us out of contention for the win. Based on how fast our car was at Las Vegas, I feel confident that we can go back to Texas this year and compete for a win if we don’t have anything go wrong.”

BIFFLE CREW CHIEF GREG ERWIN ON TEXAS: “We generally run well in Texas and I believe this weekend will be no exception. The track suits Greg’s driving style and that always helps. Texas allows for fast and exciting racing so it should be a good show for the fans down there. Greg led 224 laps there during the fall race last year and we had a problem with the shifter. He was able to drive back for a top-five finish though. If we can avoid any little problems like that, I don’t see why we can’t get this 3M Ford into victory lane.”

BIFFLE TEXAS NOTES
• Biffle is currently 20th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his 21st-place finish in Martinsville.
• Biffle has an average finish of 19th from an average starting position of 13.3 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• In 14 starts at Texas, Biffle has led a total of 612 laps.
• During the race last fall at Texas Biffle led 224 of 334 laps but a shifter issue that prevented him from being able to put the car in first or second gear late in the race. The shifting issue made it difficult to leave the pits and restart. He was, however, still able to race his way to a top-five finish.

David Ragan is bringing a brand new chassis this week 

David Ragan 
Team: No. 6 UPS Freight Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-750 Brand new chassis; Backup: RK-695 Last ran Phoenix in 2010 as the No. 99 – finished first

RAGAN ON RACING AT TEXAS: "It’s always fun to run a different paint scheme and I think the UPS Freight car is one of the best looking cars of the year. We had a strong run at Texas in the fall, so going back to a track we’ve had success at in the past is always a highlight. The Roush cars are pretty good on mile-and-a-half tracks so that definitely helps our chances. Plus, Saturday night racing is always fun and exciting. I can’t wait to get to the Lonestar state.”

RAGAN CREW CHIEF DREW BLICKENSDERFER ON TEXAS: “We are taking a brand new chassis to Texas this weekend to race the silver UPS Freight Ford under the lights Saturday night. We ran in the top 10 there in the fall and can build on the momentum from our top-10 finish in Martinsville to keep running where we should be. Our cars are getting better every week.”

RAGAN FAST FACTS
* Ragan will drive the UPS Freight Ford in Texas. It will be the first race this season that Freight has appeared on the No. 6.
* Ragan holds his best qualifying average of 14.5 at Texas Motor Speedway compared to any other track on the circuit.
* Ragan has competed seven times in the Nationwide Series at Texas Motor Speedway. He claimed the pole in the spring of 2007 and has three top-five and five top-10 finishes.
* Ragan also has three Camping World Truck Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway. Ragan has two top-10 finishes in just those three starts. His best finish was sixth in the fall of 2007.
* Bobby Brown, a UPS employee from Fort Worth, Texas will deliver the green flag for Saturday night’s race. Brown was selected for this honor for his outstanding customer service and community involvement, and will also have his name featured on the C-Post of David Ragan’s UPS Ford.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Releases

Roush Fenway Racing Preview: Martinsville Not Exactly Their Best Track

Edwards Martinsville best was third in 2008

Carl Edwards
Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-726 This car last raced at Phoenix in February, Finished 28th after an accident

QUOTES
Carl Edwards on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “It’s great going into Martinsville as the point leader. Martinsville is one of those tracks we keep getting better at and the track is always a challenge. We have had some really good runs there lately and I feel it’s one of those driver’s tracks and a win there would mean a lot to me.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “Martinsville is a demanding track, both physically and mentally. It’s a difficult place to get the car handling just right and the driver has to be patient in traffic to save the brakes. It’s a very long race so you can’t wear out your brakes in the first half of the race. We’d like to come out of there still leading the points so we need a good, solid finish at Martinsville this weekend.”

FAST FACTS
Carl Edwards enters Martinsville leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, by nine points. He has earned one win, 3 top-five, four top-10 finishes and two poles this season.

FOR THE RECORD… In 13 starts at the 0.526-mile track, Edwards has one top-five and four top-10 finishes. His average start is 17.8, and his average finish is 16.8. Edwards has completed 97.2 percent (6337 of 6519) of laps in Cup competition attempted at Martinsville Speedway.

Edwards’ best career finish at Martinsville came back in 2003, when he finished second in the Camping World Truck Series race. He started that race from the pole. His best Cup finish was third in the fall of 2008.

IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 13 races at Martinsville, Edwards has turned 101 of the track’s fastest laps (13th most), spent 3,502 laps in the top 15, but has not led a lap there. Martinsville and Watkins Glen are the only two tracks on the NSCS circuit that he has failed to lead a lap.

REWIND, MARTINSVILLE, MARCH 2010… Edwards rose to the challenge of the demanding paper clip-shaped half-mile track to survive a green-white-checker finish and bring the Aflac Ford Fusion home in eighth place.

Runner-up at Martinsville in 2002

Matt Kenseth
Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Chassis: Primary: RK-725 (last raced at Phoenix)

Kenseth on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “Martinsville is probably not our best track, but, statistically, it’s probably not our worst either. It’s just one that I get aggravated at and probably don’t use my head as much as I should at times. I think it’s more of a Matt thing trying to be patient and not let my emotions get the best of me. You can never get away from anybody it feels like so it can get frustrating. There’s just not a lot of room to work sometimes and you’re always either getting run in to it seems like, or running into somebody.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “There’s always a lot of rubbing and racing for position when we race at Martinsville Speedway and that’s just because it’s a great typical short-track. Qualifying is really important at short tracks, as well as having a car that drives well in the turns. Track position is really important since you don’t have the long straightaways to be able to make passes like we would at longer tracks, so we’ll make sure that our No. 17 Ford turns well in the center of the turns and that it has good grip off the turns in order to race down the short straightaways.”

FAST FACTS:
• In 22 Cup starts at Martinsville, Kenseth has completed 10,909 of 11,019 laps (99.0 percent) and led for 68 laps
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 23.2 and an average finishing position of 16.3 at Martinsville
• Kenseth has achieved two top-five, and six top-10 finishes at Martinsville in the Cup series
• This weekend at Martinsville, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion
• Entering the weekend at Martinsville, Kenseth is currently 10th in the NSCS driver point standings

Martinsville best of 11th in 2008

David Ragan
Team: No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Chassis: Primary: RK-747 Brand new chassis; Backup: RK-730 Last ran Las Vegas – finished 22nd

Ragan on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “Martinsville is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. It’s such a unique track and it’s nice that it is pretty close to home. Our UPS team has a lot of motivation going to another short track since we ran well at Bristol, so we definitely like our chances. Track position is important so we are really going to focus on qualifying and I’ll need to take care of my brakes all day to be in position at the end.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “Track position is very important at a place like Martinsville, so we’ll spend some time in practice working on our qualifying setup. We’re taking a brand new UPS Ford this weekend, and David likes short tracks, so we should be able to get a good finish. Our pit crew has been doing great so far this season and Martinsville is a place they can really shine with track position being so crucial.”

Only two top-10 finishes at Martinsville

Greg Biffle
No. 16 3M Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Greg Erwin

Quotes:
Biffle on Martinsville: “Well, it’s obvious by looking at my stats that Martinsville has been a tough place for me. We’ve had a few decent runs there but getting your car to turn can make the difference between a fun race at Martinsville and a long day at Martinsville. When the car is turning and you can get off of the corners on the gas, the race at Martinsville can be one of the most fun races of the season but when it won’t turn or your brakes a failing, it is probably my least favorite track on the circuit. I would say our goal this weekend is to leave Martinsville with a top-10 finish.”

Erwin on Martinsville: “The key this weekend will be to get the car to rotate through the center so the driver can get into the gas as soon as possible coming off of the corner. We have been able to run in the top 10 at Martinsville and we just need to be able to do that this weekend. As always, qualifying well will be extremely important because it is generally easier to stay up front at Martinsville than to get up front at Martinsville.”

Martinsville Notes
• Biffle is currently 20th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his 11th-place finish in California.
• Biffle has an average finish of 23rd from an average starting position of 18.8 at Martinsville Speedway.
• Biffle will be making his 300th Sprint Cup points race start this weekend in Martinsville.
• Ryan Dextraze, who was the catchcan guy for the team in 2010 and has been in charge of windshield tear-offs during pit stops this year, will be the gasman for the 3M team this weekend in Martinsville.
• Visit www.shop3M.com to learn more about all of the innovative products 3M has to offer.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release