"I love Charlotte because it's home. I get to sleep in my bed, I get to hang out with my dogs, eat breakfast at home and then go to the racetrack. It's like racing in your backyard. And we want to run well in our backyard. It's our home court. We have Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters back for another race, so we want to run well for them, too. I love Charlotte Motor Speedway because it's home, but it's also a great mile-and-a-half. It races well, the tires wear out. It's a good track. "

JUST THE FACTS: Whitt has five Sprint Cup career starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway ... His best finish at the 1.5-mile oval is 27th (2014) ... Rinnai returns to the No. 35 Ford as primary sponsor for NASCAR's home race.

FRM PR