 |
| Jeff Gordon is 25/1 to win Pennsylvania 400 driving the No.88. |
“I really liked working with (No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the whole No. 88 team. I’m looking forward to going to Pocono.
“I want Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. back in the car as soon as possible … but to go to Indy and finish a decent 13th, I think I can do better this week for him and then we’ll just go from there. We are all going to work together to do our best to continue to keep that excitement and momentum in the team there for when he is ready to come back, so he comes back and doesn’t miss a beat and can win some races.”
Jeff Gordon, substitute driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, will be available to members of the media on Friday, July 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET in the Pocono Raceway media center.
EARNHARDT UPDATE: Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports, will sit out his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event as he continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. He will miss Sunday’s event at Pocono Raceway after not competing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earnhardt gave an update on his condition this week on his "The Dale Jr. Download" podcast. He will not travel to Pocono or be available for interviews this week. A timetable has not yet been established for his return.
GORDON CONTINUES: Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Gordon will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for the second week in a row. Gordon, who filled in for Earnhardt last week at Indianapolis, finished 13th in his first race since last season’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Following the race, he shared a special moment with Tony Stewart as the two competitors and friends completed a final lap together at the Brickyard.
FIRST AT POCONO: Gordon, who will be driving the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this weekend, holds the record for most wins at Pocono Raceway with six. The 44-year-old leads active drivers in top-five finishes (20) and top-10 results (32) at the track.
UP FRONT AT POCONO: The 93-time NASCAR Cup Series winner has led 1,040 laps at the “Tricky Triangle” during his 24-year career. That ranks Gordon first on the all-time list at the 2.5-mile track, 231 more than second.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On Aug. 4, just four days after he competes at Pocono, Gordon will celebrate his 45th birthday.
NATIONWIDE SUPPORTS THE NASCAR FOUNDATION: Nationwide will once again be the presenting sponsor of The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The award will be showcased on Sept. 27 at the Foundation’s inaugural Honors Gala at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The award honors volunteers – who are also NASCAR fans – who dedicate themselves to children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States. This year’s finalists include Jim Giaccone of Bayville, New York, representing Tuesday’s Children; Andy Hoffman of Atkinson, Nebraska, founder of the Team Jack Foundation; Logan Houptley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a founding member of Mikayla’s Voice; and Parker White of Greensboro, North Carolina, founder of BackPack Beginnings. The award winner will be determined via an online vote now underway and running through Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. ET. The winner will receive a $100,000 donation to the charity they represent and the three other finalists will receive $25,000 for their respective charitable organizations. To vote and to learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide and each of the national finalists, please visit:www.NASCAR.com/Award.
HOMETOWN CONNECTION: The shock specialist for the No. 88 Nationwide team, Jason Seitzinger, hails from Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, which is just over an hour southwest of Pocono Raceway. Nicknamed “Penske” for his first job in racing – he worked in the parts room at Penske Racing Shocks in Reading, Pennsylvania – Seitzinger has been with Hendrick Motorsports for more than 15 years. He initially started at Hendrick Motorsports as a shock specialist on the No. 24 team, and was part of Gordon’s 2004 Brickyard 400 victory.
| | | |
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment