Texas Preview: 2012 AAA 500

Greg Biffle is using same winning chassis from April Texas race (Getty)

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The best way to get started in handicapping this weeks race is to first look at what the Cup Series drivers did in the most recent races held at Texas Motor Speedway's sister tracks at Atlanta and Charlotte. Although each track has their own unique traits, the set-ups required by each team are similar due to the high banked 1.5-mile layout of all three.

Atlanta was run in early September and Charlotte on Oct. 13. Drivers that ran well in those two races should run well Sunday at Texas. Those two recent races hold more weight this week than the first Texas race run in April, just because it's more recent, therefore more relevant.

The top performer at Atlanta and Charlotte was Denny Hamlin, a two-time Texas winner. Hamlin won at Atlanta and finished runner-up at Charlotte. He even finished runner-up in the late May Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. This is why he's listed as the 5-to-1 co-favorite this week at the LVH Super Book.

The only question with Hamlin this week is how he'll respond to having his dreams of winning a Sprint Cup title flushed down the toilet after finishing 33rd last week at Martinsville. The last time Hamlin may have been as disappointed was when he blew his chances at a title in 2010 and it took him an entire 2011 to get over it.

However, the difference between 2011 and this year is that there is no winter gap in between. All the winning set-up notes crew chief Darian Grubb has will be utilized on whatever chassis the team decides to use this week (Joe Gibbs Racing drivers don't report what chassis they use each week, per Joe Gibbs, something that strangely started occurring after their trip to Las Vegas this season).

Even if Hamlin's head isn't in the race this weekend, it's likely that his car will be so good that he won't have time to think about blowing the 2012 season and will find himself competing for the win.

Jimmie Johnson is other co-favorite at 5-to-1, mainly because of his current form. We haven't seen Johnson win on any type of 1.5-mile track this season, but he's been close. He finished third at Charlotte three weeks ago and he also finished runner-up in the April Texas race. He's had one win over his career at Texas (2007) and has the second-best average finish (9.7) in track history.

Matt Kenseth has the best average finish (8.6) in track history that includes two wins. He's on a streak right of four straight top-5 finishes at Texas, which makes it understandable why he likes racing there so much.

“Texas is a really great race track that I really enjoy racing at twice during the season," Kenseth said earlier this week. "There are a lot of fans who always come out and support us there, and it’s also a place that I’ve been lucky enough to have had some great races and finishes at. Texas is a fast 1.5-mile track where we have options to run several lines. It’s a place that can be challenging as well since the straightaways are fairly flat while the corners have some high banking in them. I’m looking forward to this weekend and hope to have another strong performance at a 1.5-mile track similar to our run at Kansas.”

That Kansas win showed that Roush Racing had finally figured out the aero-package program that NASCAR changed at mid-season. Roush drivers had fared well on the 1.5-mile track prior, including Greg Biffle's win at Texas in April, and Biffle is optimistic about completing the sweep this week.

“I’m excited about heading to Texas this weekend and hopefully we can make it a sweep," said Biffle who will be using the same chassis from the earlier Texas win. "We tested the 2013 car there about a month ago and feel good about Texas, but to win there you have to have everything right. You’ve got to drive hard like we did in the spring and there will always be four or five guys to contend with at the end. You can run up the track, down the track, pit stops are important and the track really flattens off the corner. You have really got to watch what you do or that thing will sneak up and bite you, kind of like what happened to me in Chicago.”

That rough September day in Chicago for Biffle and the Roush team was the last of their issues on the 1.5-mile mile tracks as they found the solution they had been looking for with the aero-package. The next crack at a 1.5 was at Charlotte where Biffle finished fourth and then following week, Kenseth won at Kansas.

Like Kenseth, Biffle has a streak of four straight top-5's at Texas. But perhaps the biggest reason to like him this week, besides his 10-to-1 odds, is that he is using the same chassis that captured both his wins (Texas and Michigan) this season.

Look for all the Roush cars to run well this week, and maybe even Carl Edwards. Hamlin will be a beast, and Johnson will likely not press his car too much, but it will be all out with Texas guns-a-blazin' for the Roush drivers.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #17 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
2) #16 Greg Biffle (10/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
4) #11 Denny Hamlin (5/1)
5) #15 Clint Bowyer (12/1)

Video: Roberts Talks Chase and Texas Odds on the Linemakers

Window Closing on Edwards' Season; Updated NASCAR Championship Odds

Carl Edwards has done well with junk cars this season (Getty)

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

For almost two months, Carl Edwards has been outside looking in at the Chase as a driver outside the top-10 in points with no wins on the season. Edwards and the No. 99 Roush-Fenway team have maintained the 11th position for several weeks and with no breakthrough occurring, crew chief Bob Osborne stepped down following Sunday’s New Hampshire race, but will remain with the organization in other capacities.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Carl Edwards for the past nine years and, during that time, my focus has been building a championship-caliber program,” Osborne said. “I’m proud of the 18 wins we’ve had together in Sprint Cup Series competition and our two second-place points finishes.”

“At this time in my life, however, concerns with my health have necessitated that I change my role within the organization,” Osborne added. “This transition is not an easy one, but I’m thankful to have the full support of Jack, Carl and the entire organization. I also have every confidence in Chad Norris, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to pursue a championship in 2012. I also appreciate the privacy and respect that the community will give me and my family during this difficult time.”

Osborne was Edwards’ first crew chief for his Sprint Cup debut in 2004, and the two have combined for 18 wins and two runner-up finishes in season-ending Sprint Cup Series point standings.

The reference to his health comes at a convenient time considering Edwards has only seven races remaining to try and move into the top-10. 46 points separates Edwards from Brad Keselowski in the 10th slot and only 55-points behind Kevin Harvick in the sixth slot. The disappointment would make anyone not feel well.

The formula is pretty simple from here on out, he’s got to win and do it fast. Had Edwards already had a win right now, he would currently claim one of the two wild card slots reserved drivers inside the top-20 with the most wins. Those sports are currently occupied by Kasey Kahne, who now has two wins, and Kyle Busch who is the top points earner outside the top-10 among three drivers with one win. Both Kahne and Busch are behind Edwards in points.

It’s amazing that Edwards has been able to stay in the position he’s been in all year despite only having two top-5 finishes through the first 19 races, both of which came within the first five races at Las Vegas and Fontana. Since then, it seems like Edwards has been fighting an uphill battle taking cars that looked like junk in practice to respectable finishes.

Ultimately, with the success that teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth have had this season, more is expected out of the team that finished dead even in points last season, only to lose the tie-breaker (season wins) to Tony Stewart. If a car is underperforming and a few poor decisions have been made by the crew chief, then the Chief rightfully gets the blame.

The LVH Super Book currently has Edwards 20-to-1 to win the win the Championship. Edwards was one of the favorites to begin the season with Jimmie Johnson, which shows what kind of high expectations there were for the No. 99 team.

Roush-Fenway veteran Chad Norris will take over the crew chief duties for the remainder of the season, a move team owner Jack Roush hopes will give them a spark.

Based on the way Edwards has run this season it would appear doubtful that he makes the Chase. The only track that he figures to have somewhat of an advantage at would be Atlanta in race No. 25. Even if Edwards were somehow able to capture a win there, Kyle Busch might have another win by then giving him two on the season and remain one-up on Edwards.

If you took the chalk on Edwards to start the year, it's time to jump ship and salvage anything possible.

LVH SUPER BOOK UPDATED ODDS (7-17-12)
2012 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

JIMMIE JOHNSON 3
CARL EDWARDS 20
KYLE BUSCH 12
MATT KENSETH 8
JEFF GORDON 18
KASEY KAHNE 10
TONY STEWART 7
KEVIN HARVICK 12
DENNY HAMLIN 7
GREG BIFFLE 12
BRAD KESELOWSKI 10
CLINT BOWYER 25
DALE EARNHARDT JR 8
RYAN NEWMAN 50
KURT BUSCH 500
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
JEFF BURTON 300
JOEY LOGANO 60
JUAN MONTOYA 300
JAMIE McMURRAY 300
AJ ALLMENDINGER 500
PAUL MENARD 300
MARCOS AMBROSE 300
FIELD 300

Kenseth to Leave Roush-Fenway Following 2012 Season

Matt Kenseth and Jack Roush to part ways after 2012 season (Getty)

ESPN.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR points leader Matt Kenseth is leaving Roush Fenway Racing and the No. 17 Ford at the end of the season, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be promoted to his seat in the Sprint Cup Series.

There has been widespread speculation at Sonoma that Kenseth was leaving to join Joe Gibbs Racing, but Kenseth declined before Sunday's race to discuss his future with the Roush organization, which he has been with for all but one of his 452 career starts.

"I'm very thankful to Jack Roush for the opportunities he's given me over the past 14 years. Together we have enjoyed a lot of success," Kenseth tweeted on Tuesday. "And as a team we are committed as ever to the remainder of the 2012 season and chasing a 3rd sprint cup title for Jack and RFR. Although I have nothing to announce regarding 2013, I feel the timing of this announcement gives RFR ample time to get things lined up..."

Roush did not disclose a reason in announcing Kenseth's departure Tuesday.

"I'd like to thank Matt Kenseth for his many years of loyal service," team co-owner Jack Roush said in a statement. "Matt has been an integral part of this organization for well over a decade, and we are extremely appreciative of his accomplishments and contributions to the team, and will always consider him a part of the Roush Fenway family."

Some in the sport have speculation that Kenseth is headed to Gibbs Racing for either Joey Logano's seat in the No. 20 Toyota, or a fourth car. Gibbs, however, said on June 17 that he planned to re-sign the 22-year-old Logano, whose contract with JGR expires after this season.

Read More Here...

Roush-Fenway Drivers Sweep Every All-Star Race Segment, Edwards Captures Win

Edwards damaged his car in the victory celebration burnout (Getty)

CONCORD, N.C. – Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing put on a commanding performance in Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After finishing second in both the Daytona 500 and the Southern 500, Edwards closed the deal on a big one, leading 29 laps and pulling away to win the famed all-star event.

Edwards led a stellar Roush Fenway effort that saw the organization lead 75 of the 100 laps in the race, with all four Roush Fenway cars finishing inside the top eight.

Greg Biffle led a race-high 46 laps and finished fifth. Matt Kenseth was sixth and David Ragan, who took the checkered flag earlier in the night with a dominating performance in the Sprint Cup Showdown, finished eighth in his first career Sprint All-Star Race.


Edwards’ win is Roush Fenway’s fourth in the Sprint All-Star and its first since 2005. The sweep is the team’s first on All-Star night and Ragan’s win is Roush Fenway’s second in the Sprint Showdown.

The teams return to action at Charlotte Motor Speedway next weekend, for the season’s longest race of the season; the Coca-Cola 600. Roush Fenway has won the 600 on four occasions and has won in the Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte seven times.

Counting the Sprint All-Star Race, Roush Fenway has now won four times in Sprint Cup action this season, while finishing runner up on two more occasions. Edwards, who also won at Las Vegas earlier this season, leads the Sprint Cup point standings by 24 heading into next weeks 600-mile event.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

All-Star Race Final Results


Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins Fan Vote Into All-Star Event

Dale Jr. set a fan vote record to make race (Getty)

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 DALE JR. FOUNDATION/VHI SAVE THE MUSIC/AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, was voted into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by the fans and announced following the Sprint Showdown Race. A short press conference was held in the Charlotte Motor Speedway Infield Media Center. Full transcript:

We’re also welcomed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who, as we previously announced, was the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.

THE MODERATOR: Dale, 2.4 million votes cast. Talk about what that means?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I thank not only my fans, but all the fans that voted. I know my fans worked really hard. I kept up on the Internet about the temperature they had about it. They were committed pretty hard. So I appreciate the help.

We did struggle a little bit today. We hit on some things right there at the end that made the car a good bit faster. I was really happy with the speed on the last run.

Just a short race, starting so far back, we knew we were going to have to probably take no tires on that halfway break. I knew the guys were in front of me, if I couldn’t get by them in the first 20, were going to do the same thing. That dirty air was pretty bad.

Running pretty good on the second segment. David and the 27 were side by side in front of me. I started plowing, getting real, real tight, ended up losing the nose. Got a break to change it under caution with 13 to go. The last run was really good.

We’ll open it up for questions for Dale Jr. in the media center.

Q. Now that you have it in the bag, was there ever any doubt that you weren’t going to win the fan vote in your mind?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Sure. Generally anytime there’s a contest, they don’t announce the winner, there’s no guarantees.

I see it a whole lot different from this side of the fence than a lot of people do. I didn’t take it for granted. I knew my fans were working really hard. They’ve done a great job over the last several years of locking up the most popular driver award. All the credit goes to them. They do all the work, support us so much, really believe in what we’re trying to accomplish.

It makes going out there and working harder and harder to try to get where you want to be, be more successful, be a better competitor when you got that many people behind you.

Q. Do you think your car is good enough to challenge in this next race?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: That last run was pretty fast. Last lap was a 55. It was about a second quicker than the people behind me, half a second faster than the two guys in front of me, about 3/10ths better than the leader.

I think we made it better. The speed’s there. We were practicing yesterday, and my biggest problem right now, and I think I’ll still have it going into this race, is we don’t have any speed the first four laps. For some reason, I don’t like the way the car feels on sticker tires. So we run about the same lap time. The car doesn’t fall off too bad. It doesn’t in practice.

We just cycled it so many times there. We had that caution in that first 20 lapper, that’s a cycle. We didn’t pit for tires. We were behind about three cars in front of us in the dirty air once we got restarted. It kills the front tires. As we saw yesterday, every time you go back out, you make big changes to free the car up, just gets getting tighter, and tighter every time you’d come in the garage and go back out.

Hard to tell if you’re helping your car. That last run, the lap times were really, really good. I think the track is coming in that direction as far as how my car handles, gripping up front a little bit. We’ll go out there and run hard. Practically we’ll get out there and mix it up a little bit.

There’s going to be some really fast cars. We pretty much know from this last race that we didn’t have the speed to go out there and win that race. So that’s definitely stating the obvious: I don’t know if we have enough for some of those guys in the field for this race. We’re going to go out there and try. We did improve the car. We’ll make some more changes. We have time in this race.

As much as I think that first segment is really kind of unnecessary, it’s going to give an opportunity for a team like us to work on the car and get it better.

Q. Rick said before the race you are close on a contract extension.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Did he say something?

Q. Yes.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Whatever he said is probably true (laughter).

We’ve been talking on the phone a little bit, just kind of saying what we think. I’m excited to be where I am. From my heart, it’s an amazing organization. There’s some great, great people there. I’ve learned a lot being around there. It’s made me a better person.

We still got a lot of things we would like to accomplish on the racetrack. If I get the opportunity to stick around, I’m definitely excited about that. We’ve just been talking about it. Hopefully I don’t think we’ll have any trouble working things out.

THE MODERATOR: Dale Jr., thank you very much. Congratulations on the 2011 Sprint Fan Vote. Good luck tonight.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Thank you.

- FastScripts by ASAP Sports


Kyle Busch Has Career All-Star Best With Runner-Up Finish

Kyle Busch gave it a good run in the All-Star race (Getty)

Despite bringing home his career-best finish in six NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race appearances, Kyle Busch came up just short in his bid for a win in the non-points event Saturday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) led three times for a total of 19 laps around the 1.5-mile oval to bring home a solid second-place finish.

“This was a good race for us with our M&M’s Camry,” said Busch after completing just his second Sprint All-Star Race, with the other coming in 2009. “We came up a little bit short, but we got beat by a faster car. The best I could’ve done was something on a restart and I didn’t get a great one there – that final one, but I still kept up with him (Carl Edwards) a little bit, but he was just too fast. He got away from me and spread the gap too far. By the time I was trying to run him back down on the top side there, it just took me too long to get back to him. A few more laps, maybe I would’ve got him, but all you had was 10 (laps).”

The 100-lap Sprint All-Star Race is made up of four segments consisting of 50 laps, 20 laps, 20 laps and 10 laps. The All-Star Race is open to drivers and owners who have won a race in 2010 or 2011, in addition to All-Star Race winners and Sprint Cup champions from the past 10 years.

After winning the pole on Friday, Busch led the field to the green and held the point for three laps before relinquishing the top spot to Greg Biffle. Despite losing the lead early, Busch had a strong car and stayed among the top-three for the majority of the event.

During the first two pit stops, crew chief Dave Rogers made air pressure and track bar adjustments in hopes of fixing a tight handling condition with Busch’s M&M’s Camry.

While Rogers helped improve the handling of Busch’s car throughout the night, it appeared that Carl Edwards was the class of the 21-car field. In fact, Busch took the lead with a nifty move on the restart that began segment three on lap 71, but Edwards eventually reeled Busch in and retook the lead on lap 86 just prior to lap 90.

Busch was very happy with his car';s performance (Getty)

Prior to the final 10-lap segment of the All-Star Race, all cars were required to perform a four-tire pit stop. The No. 18 M&M’s Toyota came into the pits in second and exited in the same position, where it set up the final shootout with Edwards leading and Busch restarting beside him. On the final restart, Edwards quickly pulled away, and while Busch began to reel him in during the final few lap of the race, he didn’t have enough time to challenge Edwards for the win.

“We definitely had a car that was coming there, but Carl just got so far out there on that last restart,” Busch said. “It took me too long to find a lane that would really start helping me run him back down. I was trying to make sure I didn’t get passed from behind, but as soon as I got a gap behind me, I would move around and try to make some ground up elsewhere. I was making it, but not fast enough.

“We did everything right there at the end on pit road that we could. We just made some minor adjustments and those minor adjustments helped. I didn’t think we were a long-run car, but there at the end we were a long-run car. It’s great that we came out here and we finished second with our M&M’s Camry – we finally finished one of these races. That’s a way in the right direction anyways, and now we know what we got beat by. We’ll just come back here next year and try to do it.”

Busch’s JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin, finished seventh.

Busch’s other JGR teammate, Joey Logano, finished fifth in the preliminary Sprint Showdown, which was won by David Ragan by .475 of a second over Brad Keselowski.

The 40-lap Sprint Showdown consisted of two 20-lap segments, with the top-two drivers from the final segment advancing into the All-Star Race. Unfortunately for Logano, his fifth-place finish did not qualify him to participate in the All-Star Race.

Busch finished .443 of a second behind Edwards in the runner-up spot, while David Reutimann, Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five. Matt Kenseth, Hamlin, David Ragan, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman comprised the remainder of the top-10.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to point-paying racing on May 29 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The longest race on the Sprint Cup schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning at 5:30 p.m.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release

Roush Drivers all Figure to be Major Players in All-Star Race Based on Texas and Vegas

Kenseth is one of the favorites to win based on his Texas win (Getty)

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

Chassis: Primary: RK-766 (Brand new chassis)

Kenseth on racing in the Sprint All-Star Race: “There’s different strategy and things to think about with your car’s set-up when it comes to looking ahead to the All-Star Race. You want to do everything you possibly can to win that race, but you don’t want to have a terrible finish at the same time. We want to go for the win, and do everything you know you can do within your means, but you still have to be smart enough to know when you step over that edge. We’re all going to be driving it right on the edge every lap to try to pull off that win. With a lot of money on the line, and no points attached to Saturday’s race, we’re all going to do whatever we can to try to figure out how to win the Sprint All-Star Race.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing in the Sprint All-Star Race: “The Sprint All-Star race you race differently than we will next week for the 600 miles at Charlotte. We can look at a couple different set-ups this weekend for the All-Star race, but most times a lot of the car settings won’t be able to translate over. The All-Star race is always a lot of fun for the fans and it gives the crews a chance to get some recognition earlier in the week with the Pit Crew Challenge. We’ve had a great start to the week and I’m looking forward to continuing that through Saturday night for our Crown Royal team.”

FAST FACTS:
• Kenseth has started every All-Star race (10 events) since his sophomore season
• Kenseth won the All-Star event in 2004
• Kenseth has two poles, four top fives and seven top 10’s in All-Star competition
• Kenseth has led a total of 47 laps in All-Star action, including 38 in 2007
• This weekend in the All-Star Race, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion
• Kenseth is currently sixth in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Biffle using the race as a prep for the Coca-Cola 600 (Getty)

Greg Biffle on the All-Star Race: “I’m really looking forward to the All-Star race this weekend. One of the best things about the All-Star race is that everyone on the pit crew gets to share the spotlight. The crew will get a lot of recognition with the pit crew challenge on Thursday, the pit stop during qualifying on Friday night and the pit stops during the race. They also participate in the driver introductions and that’s a lot of fun for all of us. Hopefully we’ll all learn some things in the All-Star race that will help us in the Coke 600 next weekend.”


Biffle's Crew Chief Greg Erwin on the All-Star Race: “We’re planning to use the All-Star race as a test for the Coca-Cola 600. We’re going to run a different setup than what we plan to run next weekend and see how it works out. If we are successful, then we will probably adjust our planned setup for the 600. It is nice knowing it’s not a points race and we can kind of relax and have fun with the race this Saturday night. The All-Star race week is also good in the way that it recognizes the whole team.”

All-Star Notes
• Biffle is currently 12th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his 19th-place finish in Dover.
• Last year Biffle was able to race his way into the All-Star race by finishing second in the Sprint Showdown.
• Biffle finished 11th earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway in the car he will be racing Saturday night in the All-Star race.
• The 3M pit crew has a combined total of 64 years of experience in racing.
• The front tire changer, Mike Lingerfelt, has been in racing for 17 years.

Ragan should do well based on his 1.5-mile runs this season

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

Chassis: Primary: RK-744 Last ran California –finished 22nd; Backup: RK-695 Last ran Phoenix in 2010 as the No. 99 – finished first


Ragan on racing in the Sprint Showdown: “The Sprint Showdown is one of the biggest races of the year for us since the Daytona 500. We’ve come so close to winning the last couple of years and I really think this year is our chance to win it. It’s a very short, action-packed race that is a lot of fun to run. The Showdown pays no points, so with nothing to lose and everything to gain, we’re going to give it our all and go for it. Charlotte has been a good track to us in the past and it’s great to be home for a few weeks.”


Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing in the Sprint Showdown: “We’ve run well at 1.5-mile tracks and the last time we were at one we sat on the pole and ran in the top 10. Charlotte is similar to Texas, so hopefully we can win the Showdown and make it into the All-Star race. With no points on the line you can be aggressive and go for the win.”

FAST FACTS
* Ragan sat on the pole and led all 20 laps in the first segment last year in the Showdown.
* A lucky draw earned Ragan the pole in 2010 since qualifying was rained out before everyone could complete their laps.
* In four Showdown attempts Ragan’s best finish came in 2008 where he started third and finished third, just missing advancing to the All-Star Race.

Carl Edwards is looking for his first All-Star win this week (Getty)

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

Chassis: RK-726 – Most recently ran at Martinsville in April, finished 18th


Carl Edwards on racing at the Sprint All Star Race: “We’re pulling out all the stops for the All Star race and have some really neat stuff car-wise that I’m excited about. We’ll see if we can finally break through and win this race. We’ve never been able to close the deal. I’m excited to be able to go compete for a million dollars and not have points on the line. It’s just a fun weekend and I’m looking forward to it more than I have any other All Star race. We’re running well enough that I think we have a real shot at this thing.”


Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at the Sprint All Star Race: “It’s an honor to compete in the All Star race, especially since we needed the fan vote to get in it last year. The best we’ve ever finished in it is fourth back in 2006, but I feel our team is much stronger now than in previous years. It’s always fun to race without the pressure of points so everyone on the team is excited for Saturday night.”

Fast Facts
* Carl Edwards will make his sixth appearance in the Sprint All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. In his previous starts he has two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
* ON THE TRACK…Edwards will carry a special “Now Hiring” Aflac paint scheme Saturday night. Aflac is hiring for various positions in all 50 states to keep up with an ever-changing landscape within the industry to maintain the excellent service that has positioned them as the world leader in guaranteed renewable insurance.
* THE CAR…. The No. 99 Aflac crew will be unloading chassis RK-726 for this weekend’s event. Edwards raced this Ford Fusion at Martinsville in April of this year where he finished 18th.
* A LITTLE HISTORY… Roush Fenway Racing has won three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All Star races. Mark Martin won the event in 1998 and 2005, and Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag in 2004.
* PIT CREW SPOTLIGHT… The No. 99 Aflac crew will participate in the annual Sprint All Star Pit Crew Challenge on Thursday night, May 19 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. The event will be aired at 8 p.m. that evening on SPEED.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Releases

Roush Fenway Drivers Ready For the Track 'Too Tough to Tame'

Edwards will be using his winning Las Vegas chassis this week (Getty) 

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

Chassis: RK-732 – last ran Las Vegas in March when Edwards won

Carl Edwards on racing at Darlington Raceway:  “It’s a big weekend for us going into Darlington. We are leading the points and Dan Amos, the chairman of Aflac, is going to be there. Darlington is one of my favorite race tracks and it couldn’t have come at a better time on the schedule. We’re running well and our 1.5-mile program has been spectacular. This race really suits me as a driver – it’s a long race at a track that I love. I’m just hoping we can get a victory for Aflac there.”

Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Darlington Raceway: “Darlington is a challenging track, and like last week we practice in the day but race at night so that adds another aspect to setting up the car for the race. We’re taking the same car we won with at Vegas earlier this year so we know we’ve got a good car going into it. Carl loves racing at Darlington although we haven’t always had the best of luck there lately. Hopefully we can change that Saturday night.”

Fast Facts
Carl Edwards will make his eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway in this weekend’s SHOWTIME Southern 500.

STANDINGS… Edwards continues to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. After a top-five finish in Richmond he extended his lead to nine points over Jimmie Johnson.

FOR THE RECORD…In seven starts at the 1.366-mile track, Edwards has two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Edwards scored his best finish at Darlington, second place in 2008.

LAPS…Edwards has attempted 2572 laps in Cup Series competition at Darlington. He has completed 2433 laps – 94.6%, and led 37 laps.

ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 team will carry the Aflac paint scheme this weekend. The crew will be unloading chassis RK-732 this weekend. This is the same Ford Fusion that Edwards took to victory lane at Las Vegas earlier this year.

REWIND, DARLINGTON 2010… The track known as “too tough to tame” lived up to its reputation as Edwards and the team struggled to find the right set up from the first practice Friday throughout the race Saturday night. With hard work, determination and a bit of luck on their side, the Aflac team finished 26 positions ahead of where they started to claim 15th place

David Ragan finished fifth at Darlington in 2008 (Getty)

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


Chassis: Primary: RK-711 Last ran Bristol – finished 16th; Backup: RK-730 Last ran Phoenix in 2010 as the No. 99 – finished first

Ragan on racing at Darlington Raceway: “Darlington is one of the hardest tracks on the schedule. After they paved the track the race has changed a little, tires don’t wear out as fast and speeds don’t drop off like they used to. So Drew and I are bringing one of our good mile-and-a-half cars for this weekend. Saturday night racing is always exciting and I’ll need to be very careful with my UPS Ford throughout the night to be around at the finish.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Darlington Raceway: “Darlington is now a smooth track thanks to the repaving, so tires aren’t a worry like they were in the past. It’s also a fast track, so we’ll need to have good speed and down-force to be competitive. We are looking forward to getting closer to our first win after our last couple of runs in our UPS Ford.”

FAST FACTS
* Ragan has four prior Cup Series starts at Darlington. His best finish came in 2008 when he qualified 15th and finished fifth.
* Ragan has competed two times in the Nationwide Series at Darlington. His best finish came in 2007 he qualified eighth and finished 13th.
* UPS employee, Mike Carroll, will be an honorary crew member of the UPS team this weekend in Darlington. A mechanic for UPS out of Clayton, North Carolina, Carroll receives this honor for his high level of service and will have his name featured on the C-Post of the No. 6 UPS Ford

Kenseth is using fourth-place Fontana chassis this week (Getty)

Matt Kenseth Team: No. 17 Wiley X Sunglasses Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig


Chassis: Primary: RK-707 (Last run at Fontana)

Kenseth on racing at Darlington Raceway: “Darlington is a great race track with a lot of history attached to it. They repaved the surface a few years ago and it’s just a place where we race fast with narrow lanes, and track position at the end of the race is really important. It’s a challenging track since you get so much speed going into the turns; many cars end up with “Darlington stripes” down the side after brushing the wall. I’ve had some great races at Darlington, and I’m hoping to get a good finish this weekend in our Wiley X Sunglasses Ford Saturday night.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Darlington Raceway: “Darlington races are exciting, but it’s a place that I enjoy racing at because there is a lot of tradition associated with this track. Darlington is much different than it used to be because the old surface used to be all about tire conservation, but with the new smooth pavement, it is not as focused on tires anymore. Running close to the wall is one of the main challenges of Darlington since it is pretty fast and the cars run within inches of the outside wall at both ends of the track.”

FAST FACTS:
• Everything’s coming up 17: Saturday night’s race at Darlington will be Kenseth’s 17th start in the No. 17 Ford and his average finishing position is 17th
• In 17 Cup starts at Darlington, Kenseth has completed 5,515 of 5,736 laps (96.1 percent) and led for 154 laps
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 21.8 and an average finishing position of 17.7 at Darlington
• Kenseth has achieved one pole, one top-five and seven top-10 finishes at Darlington in the Cup series
• This weekend at Darlington, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Wiley X Sunglasses Ford Fusion
• Entering the weekend at Darlington, Kenseth is currently ninth in the NSCS driver point standings.

Biffle won at Darlington in 2005 and then again in 2006

Greg Biffle
Team: No. 16 Valvoline Ford Fusion
Cew chief: Greg Erwin

Biffle on Darlington: “Darlington is the hardest place we race. We run inches off the wall at speeds we run at mile and a half tracks. Any second it’ll reach out and bite you and that’s why they call it the Lady in Black. It is also very hard to pass there which obviously adds another challenge. We’ve been able to have some success there including a couple of wins so I always have high expectations when we go to Darlington.”

Erwin on Darlington: “I really like racing at Darlington, in fact, I would like to get a win there more than just about any other track. I grew up in Pennsylvania but I went to college at Clemson so I spent quite a bit of time in South Carolina. Greg has a couple of wins there but his last one was just a couple of weeks before I took this job in 2006. It’s a handling track and you have to try to get the car to handle well at both ends which are completely different. One end of the track is much narrower than the other so it is nearly impossible to get your car to handle perfectly in both. I know it’s one of Greg’s favorite tracks and we’d both like to get the 3M Ford in victory lane there this weekend.”

Darlington Notes
• Biffle is currently 14th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his 15th-place finish in Richmond.
• Biffle has an average finish of 14.8 from an average starting position of 9.1 at Darlington Raceway.
• Last year in Darlington the team had to go to the backup car due to a wreck in late in practice. Biffle qualified and started the race with only 15 minutes of practice in the backup car.
• Biffle has led a total of 639 laps in 10 starts at Darlington Raceway on his way to two wins and four top-10 finishes.
• This week Biffle visited a 3M plant in Pittsboro, NC where the rock granules used in roofing shingles are mined and readied for production. Seven out of every 10 homes that have shingles have 3M roofing granules on the shingles.
• Biffle also tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week for the Wood Brothers in place of Trevor Bayne.
• Visit www.shop3M.com to learn more about all of the innovative products 3M has to offer.

- 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

Roush Fenway Racing Auto Club 400 Preview: Team Is Fired Up About California

Edwards using a new chassis at Fontana

CARL EDWARDS ON RACING AT CALIFORNIA: “We’re going to California to win the race this weekend. We’ve got fast race cars and this is a great race track for us. Our whole Roush Fenway team has just been performing really well this season. I think any one of our teams could be considered a favorite to win at California.”

EDWARDS CREW CHIEF BOB OSBOURNE ON CALIFORNIA: “Historically California has been a really good track for Carl. He has finished in the top 10 in all but three of his Cup races there. We are taking a brand new car so we feel it will be very competitive at California. We had another solid run last weekend at Bristol which moved us to within one point of the lead. It’s still early in the season, but we are right where we need to be right now.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS SELECTION: The No. 99 Aflac crew will unload RK-739 for the weekend. This is a new car for Edwards and the team.

EDWARDS AT CALI: In 13 starts at the two-mile California track, Edwards has one win, one pole, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His average start is 19.0, and his average finish is 9.2 which is third best. Edwards has completed 3189 of 3205 (99.5%) of laps attempted at Auto Club Speedway.



GREG BIFFLE ON RACING AT FONTANA: “I really can’t wait to get to California. I love that track partly because we’ve had success there but also because it’s a lot of fun and it is fast and challenging. A lot of strategy comes into play at California and that usually makes it interesting too. I also really like going out west because I get to see my family. My mom usually comes to most of the west coast races and it’s always good to get to spend time with her. We had a solid run last weekend in Bristol that we feel like got us going back in the right direction. We just need to continue that momentum with a good finish this weekend and that’s all I can ask for.”

BIFFLE CREW CHIEF GREG ERWIN ON FONTANA: “California is another big, fast racetrack where we seem to run well. Qualifying well will be important because the field gets strung out pretty quickly and if you start near the back, it can be hard to make up positions. We’ve also seen fuel mileage come into play at California several times so pit strategy will be a factor. We just need to try to have a mistake-free race and take what it gives us.”

Kenseth bringing runner-up Texas chassis

MATT KENSETH ON CALIFORNIA: “I really enjoy racing at Fontana since it’s a track where Roush Fenway typically runs well at, so I always look forward to racing there. Fontana is a wide track which allows us to find multiple lines to race on and it’s also a place where we focus on horsepower. The keys to Fontana are to have a fast car with good handling and then of course to have a clean day in the pits as well. We had a great finish at Bristol last weekend and I’m really looking forward to another strong run this weekend.”

KENSETH CREW CHIEF JIMMY FENNIG ON CALIFORNIA: "Fontana is a race track where Roush Fenway has had success at in the past and I really feel like it’s a place where you really have to have a lot of aspects working together. It’s a wide track where horsepower and handling really come into play, along with aerodynamics since it’s a down-force track. In the past we’ve also seen tire wear come into play at Fontana so there really are a lot of factors that you want to make sure are all working together to have a successful race out there. We earned a great finish last weekend in Bristol and we’ll look to carry that momentum with us out west this weekend.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: RK-707 - This car last raced in the Texas fall race and was runner-up to Denny Hamlin.

KENSETH FONTANA FAST FACTS:
• In 18 Cup starts at Fontana, Kenseth has completed 4,453 of 4,455 laps (99.9 percent) and led for 497
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 21.2 and an average finishing position of 10.3 at ACS
• Kenseth has achieved three wins, seven top-five, and twelve top-10 finishes at Fontana in the Cup series
• Kenseth has finished within the top ten in nine of his last 11 starts at Auto Club Speedway

New chassis for Ragan this week

DAVID RAGAN ON RACING AT CALIFORNIA: “California is a track where the Fords excel at and it’s one of the tracks Drew and I got to work together at last year which just adds to our confidence level going into this weekend. Last year we ran a newer-style car like we are taking this time so we’ve got good notes to go off of. It’s a track that you can really pass and move around a lot since there isn’t one set groove. Finding where the car is the best is always a challenge at California and makes for a fun race.”

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary chassis RK-744 is brand new. The backup chassis is RK-695, which last ran at Phoenix in 2010 as the No. 99 with Carl Edwards finishing first.

In Ragan's eight starts at Auto Club Speedway, he has completed 1,942 of 1,950 laps for a total of 99.6 percent laps completed.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Roush Drivers Flex Their Muscles In Vegas and Get Back To Normalcy

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Kenseth wins pole, but why has Edwards autographed? 

It’s been a bumpy ride getting back to the top for the Roush-Fenway program, but after witnessing the show they put on Friday and Saturday during all qualifying and practice sessions in Las Vegas, It’s safe to say they are back stronger than ever with a vengeance.

After slumping the bulk of the 2009 season, and then the first half of 2010, the tide has turned. In preparation for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400, all four of the Roush drivers have been putting on a display, leaving most of the other teams scratching their heads wondering what they’re doing to be so fast.

The speed show all started Friday morning with Matt Kenseth setting the pace with the fastest lap in practice, and then later, setting the track qualifying record.

It’s a nice change for the team after the last two seasons, but it’s not like it’s something new for the Roush organization. The cookie cutter type of tracks that include 10 races on mile-and-half tracks and -- for good measure -- three others on the two-mile facilities of Michigan and California, have long been the tracks where Jack Roush put forth most of his efforts and had the most success, whoever was driving his cars.

In Las Vegas, no one has better than Roush over the years. In the 13 Cup races, a Roush driver has claimed six of them, including winning the first three in a row. In the three major NASCAR series, Roush has claimed an astonishing 17 wins on the track.

However, in the last six years, Roush has been caught up in the Jimmie Johnson show and has captured only one Las Vegas race. His last Vegas win came from Carl Edwards in 2008, one of nine wins on the season from the No. 99 Ford.

Celebration after winning first two races of 2009

After winning the Daytona 500 and Fontana race with Matt Kenseth to start the 2009 season, the entire stable of Roush drivers went into a major decline on all the tracks that they had seen so much success on over the years. It was almost like Jack Roush made a deal with the Devil to win his first Daytona 500 -- and then the following week -- in trade for the soul of his team’s next 50 races. It all just ended so quickly.

After some fiddling around with the new FR-9 engine and new chassis', they finally got things going with some serious horsepower in Greg Biffle’s car at Indianapolis. Biffle would follow that up by winning a week later at Pocono and then win on the Kansas cookie-cutter in October. Edwards would follow suit by winning the last two races of the 2010 season, including the 1.5-mile track of Homestead.

All that building momentum has exploded onto the 2011 scene in Las Vegas with their first opportunity to collectively show off the fruits of their labor on their favorite type of tracks. In the first practice session, Kenseth paced the way with his three teammates all placing within the speed chart’s top-five. In qualifying and happy hour, three of them also finished within the top-five.

Although Kenseth has been the fastest in all sessions, it appears that he’s fastest on one or two lap runs and slows more in the ensuing laps than Edwards and Biffle, both of whom had the fastest average speeds in happy hour.

Busch had the fastest 10 consecutive lap average in HH

The driver who looks the closest to the Roush drivers was Kyle Busch. In happy hour he had the second fastest single lap, fifth fastest average speed and fastest 10 consecutive lap average. To have average speeds that strong when he ran a session high 61 laps is pretty is a great indicator that he’ll be a serious threat to ruin the Roush party.

Tony Stewart stood out as the top Chevy driver of the day, which came as somewhat of a surprise considering Johnson’s reign in Vegas and all the horsepower the ECR engines have shown on these tracks over the last year. The Childress group was led by Paul Menard with the third best average speeds.

Even though they didn’t do much in practice, the likes of Jeff Gordon, Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer should all find a way to be better on race day. Harvick was notoriously a bad practice driver last season on 1.5-mile tracks, but always managed to find his way deep inside the top-10 when the race was over. Gordon did the same thing last week at Phoenix.

Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann and A.J. Allmendinger also made a good showing during the final practice session.

Based on the track history of Cup racing in Las Vegas, there aren’t many instances of surprise winners. From what we’ve seen in two days leading up to the race, it looks like much of the same with Edwards, Biffle, Busch and Kenseth being formidable giants for all the others to tackle.

Top 10 Vegas Driver ratings Following All Practice Sessions

Roush Fenway Racing Daytona 500 Preview

Kenseth's last win came at Fontana in 2009, a week after winning the 500

MATT KENSETH ON RACING AT DAYTONA: “The Daytona 500 is our biggest race of the year, so when you can win that race it is one of the things you like to collect. You want to win every week, but if you had to pick one race, this would be one of them. It was great to win it back in 2009, and I’d really like to win it again. The new surface has so much more grip now that we’re able to change lanes at the drop of the hat and put the car wherever we want. You couldn’t do that before because the pavement was so worn out and we had such big restrictor plates. Drafting partners were really important in the Shootout, but I’m interested to see how the race plays out with a full field of 43 cars all together for the 500.”

KENSETH CREW CHIEF JIMMY FENNIG ON RACING AT DAYTONA: “After Saturday night’s Shootout, we really saw how important having a drafting partner is with this new surface. Our focus is to find as much speed as we can in our Crown Royal Black Ford since handling isn’t as much of a hassle as it has been in the past at Daytona. We’ll look to have a strong run in Thursday’s Duel race so that we can earn a good starting position for the 500 on Sunday and start the season off on the right foot.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-713 (Brand new chassis)

KENSETH FAST FACTS:
• Kenseth has led laps in four of his last five consecutive Daytona 500 races
• Kenseth has an average starting position of 22.2 and an average finishing position of 17.3 at Daytona
• Kenseth has achieved one win, three top-5’s, and ten top-10’s at Daytona
• Kenseth has completed 3,564 of 3,845 (92.7 percent) laps at Daytona and led for a total of 69 laps
• This weekend at Daytona, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion


GREG BIFFLE ON THE DAYTONA 500: “I think this Daytona 500 will be the most one we’ve had for everyone involved. As a competitor, I don’t really know what to expect because the track surface is different, the tires are different and we have new rules. I think you will see some of the two-car drafts that we had in the Shootout but there will be so many more cars and we have a new cooling system rule so we’ll see how it plays out. All of these factors will also make it a pretty exciting race for the fans too. I think we’re all ready to see what’s going to happen in the Duels on Thursday.”

David Ragan has had his best collective performances at Daytona

DAVID RAGAN ON RACING AT DAYTONA: “I’m excited and pumped up for the first race of the year. Hopefully everyone had a good off season and are ready for Daytona. The new track surface is so smooth so it is going to be a different type of race than we’ve seen in the past. When we were down here for testing we didn’t do any drafting and just worked on handling, so practice and the Duels will be important to see how the cars draft. The Duels in general will be more important than in years past because the cars will handle different and there will be different pit strategies with the new fueling system. We’ll be able to see what kind of fuel mileage we can get. Hopefully we can start the year with a good run in our UPS Ford.”

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-691 Last ran Talladega – finished 21st Backup: RK-723 Brand new chassis

RAGAN FAST FACTS
• David Ragan earned a fifth-place finish in his first-ever Daytona 500 in 2007.
• Ragan has an average finishing position of 17.1 at Daytona.
• Ragan had three top-five finishes out of four restrictor-plate races in 2008.

CARL EDWARDS ON RACING AT DAYTONA: "We’re going for three in a row coming off wins in the last two races of the season last year. I think it’s really anybody’s race with the new surface and you’re going to see a different style of racing than we’ve seen at Daytona in a long time, maybe ever. I still haven’t exactly decided how to approach the race. We’ll have to see how the Duels go with the rule changes NASCAR implemented since the Shootout, and we’ll see what we are left with to make all of our decisions. I think it looks to be one of the most anticipated Daytona 500s in a long time.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: RK-712 Brand new chassis

EDWARDS REWIND, DAYTONA 500, 2010…Edwards made it interesting for his fans by starting in the back of the field after an engine change and working his way as high as second in the final laps of the race. After two green-white-checker restarts he was shuffled back, but rebounded to finish the race ninth.

- ROUSH FENWAY PRESS RELEASES