SRT Motorsports - Weekend Motorsports Preview - August 22 Weekend Preview
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Contact: Matthew Simmons Adam Saal Bill Klingbeil SRT Motorsports - Weekend Motorsports Preview - August 22 Weekend Preview DODGE SEEKING THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN AT “OLD BRISTOL” Brad Keselowski Looks to Clinch Sprint Cup Series Play-off Berth August 21, 2012, Auburn Hills, Mich. - BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 22, 2012) – Brad Keselowski is up to his old tricks again. With a scoring average of 4.4 over his last seven races, no NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver is hotter than the pilot of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge heading into this weekend’s Irvin Tools Night Race at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile – Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol is tough on cars and drivers. The bumper-to-bumper racing for 500 laps at the .533-mile “bullring” tests both patience and resolve. Added to the mix is the elimination of the top groove and its progressive banking. If track officials are correct, the “new Bristol will resemble the “old” Bristol and resurfacing of the Bristol Motor Speedway’s track eliminating the top groove and its progressive banking in hopes of squashing side-by-side racing. If track officials are correct, the “new” Bristol will resemble the “old” Bristol and usher in a return of the fender-banging, bump-and-run-run racing that was Bristol-esque and made a visit to the track a priority on a fan’s “bucket list.” "Another reconfigured track for 2012 and another challenge for engineers,” said SRT Motorsports engineer Howard Comstock. “The Bristol track surface has been "ground" since we ran here in the spring to make the track more like the old Bristol that didn't have progressive banking. Did it work? Reports from the test we ran here mid-summer showed a mix of results and opinions. Some said it was more like the old track but some said they didn't see much difference. As engineers, we have to be ready this week with setups for both Bristols, the one with and the one without progressive banking." With 23 races in the books, Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway are all that’s left to set the 12-driver field for this year’s Sprint Cup championship. The top 10 drivers will advance to the playoffs via driver points with the final two spots determined by a wild card formula (driver’s position 11-20 with most wins). Currently 82 points ahead of 11th-place, Keselowski can clinch a spot in the top 10 and a berth into NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship if he has a 95-point advantage over 11th after Bristol. Keselowski has scored back-to-back wins in the last two Sprint Cup Series events at Bristol. He dominated this year’s spring race, leading 232 laps en route to the win. In five career starts at the high-banked track, Keselowski has an average finishing position of 10.4. He has led more laps at Bristol Motor Speedway (347) than any other race track in his 112-race Sprint Cup Series racing career. “To be on the cusp of three wins in a row there is something that was, and still is, beyond my wildest dreams,” Keselowski said. “But here we are and we are going to do everything in our power to get it done in the Miller Lite Dodge this weekend.” Sam Hornish Jr. will pilot the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger again this weekend at BMS. Hornish has scored back-to-back finishes of 12th or better, including a fifth-place effort at Watkins Glen two weeks ago. He replaced former Penske driver A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 22 Dodge at the Coke Zero 400 last month at Daytona. “I feel like Bristol is a place that was very difficult for me when I first came over here and began running stock cars, but it’s a place I have really grown to enjoy,” said Hornish. “Racing at Bristol is a unique experience. You're doing the pace laps, going slow getting ready to start the race and you look out the left-hand window and you can see inside the car below you. Not to mention that you're over on the left side of your seat, which is different than it is in the race. To me, the pace laps are one of the neatest things about Bristol because you realize how banked the track really is.” NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 12 Detroit Genuine Parts Dodge Challenger) looks to build off another top-five performance last weekend in Montreal that allowed the Penske Racing driver to pull within 22 points of the series leader Elliott Sadler. Hornish, currently fourth in NNS driver standings, has tallied 15 top-10 finishes, which is second only to Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse and Austin Dillon, each with 16. “This trip to Bristol will be interesting after they made changes to the track since the last time we were there,” Hornish said. “During the previous race there we learned some things that should be useful this weekend even with the different surface. The Detroit Genuine Parts Dodge team has been outstanding in every way lately. We feel we have been consistently positioning ourselves for top finishes. Bristol is always a great place to race and I am looking forward to another solid weekend.” The 250-lap event is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has its annual mid-week battle at Bristol with the Volunteer 200 slated for Wednesday evening. In addition to his duties driving in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nationwide Series, Brad Keselowski will pilot his own No. 29 Ram in Wednesday night’s event. This is his sixth, and final, NCWTS start of 2012. Ryan Blaney (No. 19 Cooper Standard RAM) will be the second Brad Keselowski Racing entry for the 200-lap event, his first in the Craftsman Truck Series. Blaney replaces Parker Kligerman who piloted the No. 19 for the first 11 races this season. “I’m really looking forward to Bristol; I ran the K&N East race at Bristol earlier this year and we did very well,” Blaney said. “Even though the track is different at least I’ve been on Bristol and I’ve got a pretty good feel of it. I’m working well with the guys already at Brad Keselowski Racing and I think we can do really well. Racing with Brad is definitely going to help because I can talk with him and discuss what our RAM trucks are doing. I think it’s definitely a more basic racetrack since they changed it. It’s going to be difficult to go up high and be able to make any ground. I just want to stay out of trouble and get a really solid top-five finish out of it.” SRT Viper Cup Series Texan Ben Keating looks to continue his dominance in the SRT Viper Cup Series this weekend at Monticello Motorsports Park. He currently holds a commanding 97-point lead over Jim Booth heading into round four of the five- race series. “I’ve never been to this track,” said Keating. “I’m excited to get a chance to race there. Based on what I’m looking at, it’s going to be a challenge. There are a couple of straightaways but there are turns or kinks in those straightaways. Most of the turns are back-to-back in a combination that makes it hard for passing. I tend to qualify well, so I’m not too worried about Saturday. With the inverted field, Sunday is going to get hairy and make for an interesting race.” This weekend’s celebrity field includes former American Le Mans Series champion Elliott Forbes-Robinson who has accumulated 51 major series wins in his 30-year racing career. His 2004 win at Barber Motorsports Park at the Porsche 250 marked victories in five consecutive decades. The second celebrity driver is Peter Klutt. “I’m excited about having them come out and hope they get comfortable in the car quickly,” he said. “It isn’t very often that a celebrity driver, even an experienced road-course driver, can get comfortable in a weekend. I want to get better. I’ve only been racing for five or six years. I’m a lot better this year than I was last year; better last year than I was the year before. I want to continue to learn. The way you learn is by having stiff competition, by comparing yourself with others who are quick.” As at previous venues, two races are on the schedule this weekend – a 25-minute timed event on Saturday and a 35- minute timed event on Sunday. Teams qualify for starting spots in Saturday’s race while Sunday’s field is set in reverse order of the finish from the previous day. Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-spec Series The World Challenge Touring Car B-spec championship is on the line this weekend at (Sonoma. Michigan-native Jonathan Start is the current point leader and looking to wrap up the season championship in his No. 00 Fiat 500. Start has a 41-point advantage heading into the season finale at the California road course. “This is the first time I’ve raced here at Sonoma,” said Start. “We’re looking for strong finishes in all three races and hopefully bring home the championship. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going for the top spot.