Miguel Paludo got behind the wheel of a NASCAR Nationwide Series car for only the second time in his career, tackling the road course circuit of Watkins Glen International. After fighting a free racecar and having to make an unscheduled pit stop for debris on the grille, Paludo brought the No. 30 Duroline Chevrolet home in the 13th position.

Paludo positioned the No. 30 NNS machine 14th on the board during road-course style qualifying at the 2.45-mile track. Taking the green flag in the Zippo 200 at The Glen, Paludo moved into 13th before the first caution flag of the day waved on lap six. Strategy indicated that it was too early to visit pit road, so Paludo remained on the track, and after taking the lap 10 restart, he worked his way into the 12th spot by lap 18. The Brazilian driver relayed to his crew that the Duroline Chevy was too free, but despite the condition, he broke into the top-10 on lap 20. As green-flag pit stops began, Paludo remained on the track longer than many of the leaders, taking over fourth before bringing his car down pit road for his first scheduled stop of the day.

The Duroline crew provided their driver with four Goodyear tires, fuel and wedge and air-pressure adjustments before sending the car back onto the track. Paludo fought his way back into 13th as the rest of the field's pit stops cycled through, but on lap 34, he radioed crew chief Trent Owens that his water temperature and water pressure were too high. Owens stated that there was probably debris on the grille causing the high temperatures, so he called the No. 30 to pit road for a quick brush of the nose and a splash of fuel. With the grille freed of any debris blocking airflow, the temperature and pressure returned to normal.

The yellow flag waved for the second time on lap 40, and the No. 30 team used the opportunity to get four more tires, fuel and another wedge adjustment. Paludo was 19th when green-flag racing resumed, and with the handling of his car improved, Paludo began to chip away at his track position and re-entered the top-15 on lap 50. The leaders soon began to make green-flag stops, and due to his differing pit strategy, Paludo was able to remain on the track longer than his competitors and soon he found himself in second place. After a hard fight for the lead, Paludo took over the first spot on lap 54. After leading four laps, Paludo finally relinquished the point position to make his way to pit road for his final pit stop of the race. After taking four tires and fuel, and once again receiving a wedge adjustment, Paludo returned to the track in 18th.

In the remaining 20 laps, Paludo elbowed his way through the field, taking over the 12th position with 14 to go, and appeared to have an advantage with fresher tires than the cars around him. However, a pair of cautions in the closing laps and the ensuing wild restarts shuffled Paludo back to 13th before the drop of the checkered flag.

Miguel Paludo: "I would have really liked to do better than we did today; I can't say that I'm satisfied with a 13th-place finish when we came in here aiming for a top-five. But we had some good moments and led some laps. The guys did a great job on their pit stops and adjustments and everyone worked really hard this weekend. I had a lot of fun doing another road course, but I'm ready to head to Michigan and go back to focusing on the Truck Series."

Paludo returns to action in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Michigan International Speedway for the VFW 200 on August 18th.

Turner Motorsports PR

Race Highlights:

• Richard Childress Racing teammates finished eighth (Paul Menard), 12th (Elliott Sadler) and 23rd (Austin Dillon).
• Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., by 13 points. Sam Hornish ranks third, with Dillon fourth in the standings, trailing his teammate by 29 points.
• The No. 2 Chevrolet team is second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, nine points shy of the No. 18 team's lead, with the No. 3 team fifth in the standings and the No. 33 team seventh.
• Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
• According to NASCAR's Loop Data Statistics, Menard ranked sixth in the Closers category, gaining two positions in the last 10 percent of the race, and was the sixth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run.
• Sadler and Menard were the eighth and ninth-Fastest on Restarts, respectively.
• Sadler's Average Running Position of 9.793 ranked him ninth amongst his competitors.
• Dillon made 40 Green Flag Passes.
• Carl Edwards earned his 38th career Nationwide Series victory and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Hornish, Stenhouse and Ron Fellows.
• The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the Napa 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Saturday, August 18. The 22nd race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 Charter Chevrolet Team Finish 12th at Watkins Glen International

 

Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 Charter team claimed a 12th-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series road course event at Watkins Glen International. After starting the race from the seventh position at the scenic facility in upstate N.Y., the Richard Childress Racing driver battled with lack of rear grip throughout the course of the event but was able to maintain a top-10 position in the early laps. The Luke Lambert-led pit crew developed their road course racing strategy and stuck to it, utilizing a two pit-stop approach to the 82-lap race. In an attempt to gain more rear grip on the Charter Chevrolet, Lambert called for chassis adjustments during the team's four-tire pit stops on lap 22 and 52. Following the final pit stop, Sadler was concerned the changes did not help and was soon challenged with additional handling issues on the No. 2 Charter Chevrolet, dropping the Nationwide Series driver championship point leader to the 14th position on lap 57. Fighting to gain position on the seven-turn road course, Sadler remained on track during the final caution period of the day on lap 76, lining up the No. 2 Chevrolet in the 11th position for the final restart. Sadler battled over the closing laps but the loose-handling condition returned, ultimately dropping the blue and green Chevrolet one position and crossing the finish line in 12th for the second of three road course events on the Nationwide Series schedule. Sadler maintains the lead in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by 13 points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

 

Start - 7                    Finish - 12                      Laps Led - 0                       Points - 1

 

ELLIOTT SADLER QUOTE:

"We had a solid finish today but not what we were hoping for at Watkins Glen (International). Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and the Charter Chevrolet team had the strategy down and made good calls, we're just not sure if we had a set of tires that didn't work out as well for us or what on that last run. We'll get back after it next week in Montreal."

  

  

Late-Race Contact Relegates Austin Dillon and the No. 3 AdvoCare Team to a 23rd-Place Finish at Watkins Glen International

 

Making his career first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Watkins Glen International, Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing's No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a 23rd-place finish in the Zippo 200 at The Glen. Dillon started the 200-mile race from the 30th position after Friday afternoon rain showers limited his practice session at the 2.45-mile road course and raced his way into the top 15 by lap 34. As he was approaching the carousal turn on lap 38, cars began colliding in front of him, causing the Sunoco rookie of the year contender to bypass the turn, losing him three positions on the race track and a NASCAR-issued pass through penalty for failing to stop before proceeding on the racing surface. As he continued around the track to serve his penalty, a car spun directly in front of him and Dillon spun off course to avoid making contact as the race leader passed him. He immediately drove to pit road where the RCR team serviced the AdvoCare Chevrolet with four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Restarting at the tail-end of the longest line to satisfy his carousal turn penalty, Dillon was scored in the 22nd position, one lap down when green flag racing resumed on lap 41. He rejoined the lead lap cars by taking the wave around when the caution flag was displayed on lap 56 and ran competitively on the lead lap. However, another car braked in front of the RCR driver during a restart in the closing laps of the race and Dillon drove into the back of the car in front of him, causing a right-front fender rub that eventually led to cut a right-front tire on lap 76. Repairs were made on pit road and Dillon nursed the black No. 3 to a 23rd-place finish. The result dropped Dillon two positions, to fourth, in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings.

 

 

Start - 30                      Finish - 23                   Laps Led - 0                            Points - 4

                                  

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:  "Well, definitely not the result we were hoping for today for the AdvoCare team. It's disappointing but I learned a lot about road course racing. On to the race next weekend in Montreal."

 

The No. 33 Rheem/Menards Team Rallies to Eighth-Place Finish in NASCAR Nationwide Series Race Following Battery Issues at Watkins Glen

 

Paul Menard started the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet from the third position in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at The Glen and persevered through battery issues to earn a top-10 finish at Watkins Glen International. The Eau Claire, Wis., native battled a tight-handling condition early in the 82-lap event and while running in the fifth position, reported that the No. 33 machine had zero volts. Following a lap-21 green-flag pit stop, Menard radioed the Rheem/Menards team that he was experiencing additional issues. Crew chief Ernie Cope called him to pit road for service and to replace the battery. Returning to the race track in the 25th position and almost two laps down to the leader, Menard and the No. 33 team began to fight their way through the field. During green-flag stops, Menard was able to pass the leader and make it back on the lead lap by the lap-56 caution period. Menard restarted in the 19th position and broke back into the top 10 on lap 68. Despite changing the battery three times over the course of the 82-lap event, the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team never gave up and gained two more spots to take the checkered flag in the eighth position.

 

Start - 3                  Finish - 8                   Laps Led - 0                  Owner Points - 7

 

 

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

"Ernie (Cope, crew chief) and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team did a great job this weekend. They brought a really fast Chevrolet to Watkins Glen (International) and when we had the issue with the battery, they never gave up. We passed a lot of cars today and truly earned this eighth-place finish."

 

MWR PR

Besides seeing 200 MPH speeds at NASCAR’s fastest track, fans will want to visit MIS for Gatorade Pole Day because you just might be awarded a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Michigan International Speedway continues to expand its Fan Appreciation Program and its commitment to ensuring a memorable experience to each guest.

“We have always taken great pride in making our guest experience the best,” MIS President Roger Curtis said. “Last year with the support of NASCAR we expanded our Fan Appreciation Program to include autograph sessions, hot lap rides with NASCAR drivers, opening up the garages and more. We thank NASCAR, the teams and the drivers for their support with our fans.”

All fans that have purchased a Pit Pass for Friday, Aug. 17 are invited to attend a driver question and answer session. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in the reserved parking lot behind the Pit Road Suites.

Look for the big stage and arrive early to secure your spot to be close to all the action.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the winner of the Quicken Loans 400 and current leader in the points championship race, is scheduled to partake in the event. In fact, his last two wins at in the Sprint Cup series have occurred at MIS.

He will be joined on stage by Matt Kenseth, who just happens to be second in the points race. Carl Edwards, the runner-up in the 2011 points championship, will also take questions from the fans.

In addition, be on the lookout for MIS staff, including track President Roger Curtis, who will be passing out special garage passes to 300 lucky fans throughout the week. These guests will have the opportunity to watch the Q&A session from a special VIP session located right in front of the stage.

Those fans will then have the exclusive opportunity to tour the Sprint Cup garage until 6:30 p.m. when it closes and to observe the teams working on the cars as they prepare for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, Aug. 19.

The excitement is not limited to the Sprint Cup Garage. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage will be open from 4-5 p.m. The MIS staff will present 200 guests

with a ticket that can be redeemed for a wristband at Gate 55A in the infield. These fans will also be invited to an autograph session with the truck series drivers in the garage area.

The fan appreciation program does not stop there. Paul Menard, Joey Coulter, Ty Dillon and Nelson Piquet, Jr. will take the fans on a thrill ride they will soon not forget. The 125 guests with a hot lap ride ticket presented by MIS staff will get to take a ride around the fastest track in NASCAR.

MIS

Tim Randall, an Aspen Dentalpatient from Corning, N.Y., will have his photo featured on 

Ryan Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet at the Finger Lakes 355k at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sunday, August 12.

Tim is a patient at the Aspen Dental office in Big Flats, N.Y. He was selected to have his smile featured on the car based on a review he wrote at AspenDentalReviews.com.

Tim’s Aspen Dental Review

In his review, Tim shared the following about his experience:

Everyone at the office is extremely kind and helpful. They are friendly and personable which is important to me when going to the dentist! The experience has been, and I’m confident will continue to be, pleasant! They have a large customer base and still seem to make the interaction personal when I am there! Thanks!

Since April 2012, Aspen Dental has featured photos of patients’ smiles on Ryan Newman’s car, and will continue to do so throughout the Sprint Cup season. Aspen Dental has previously awarded this special honor to six other patients from across the country. 

Aspen Dental will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 39 Chevrolet with Newman at the September Sprint Cup race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. On all other races this season, Aspen Dental is an associate sponsor with placement on the lower-rear quarter panel of the No. 39 Chevrolet and on the upper chest of Newman’s uniform.

Aspen Dental PR

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon will visit the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta on Thursday, Aug. 23 to promote the upcoming AdvoCare 500 weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

While at the aquarium, Gordon will take part in a question-and-answer session with fans present at the aquarium from 2:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m. The Atlanta Motor Speedway Pace Car will also be present, and will be stationed outside the main entrance of the Georgia Aquarium.

AMS PR

FAS Lane Racing is proud to announce that TMone has joined the team once again and will be an Associate Sponsor on the No. 32 Ford for the next three races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.  The partnership encompasses the remaining events in August consisting of Watkins Glen this weekend, followed by Michigan and Bristol.

TMone is a provider of domestic business services and customer relationship management (CRM) outsourcing. With locations in the Midwest and Northern Great Plains, delivers new jobs to America’s hometowns. Call Center Outsourcing is a people business, and TMone is in the business of augmenting and supplementing other companies human capital needs. TMone has grown every year since inception and start-up in 2003 and is on Inc. Magazine’s Honor Roll List of Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies for the last five years. TMone also provides cutting-edge Software as a Service (SaaS) Enterprise integrations. This enables TMone to drive efficiency, automation and effectiveness with technology solutions that are on par with its largest global competitors, at a lower cost and executed far more nimbly.

“We’re happy to be back on board with FAS Lane Racing,” said John Burchert, TMone C.O.O. and Co-Founder. “Frank Stoddard and the guys on the FAS Lane team do a great job representing our company in NASCAR and are nimble. The next three races couldn’t be at more different tracks but the excitement level is high at each of them and we are happy to be a part it.”

 “We really enjoy working with the TMone folks,” commented Frank Stoddard. “I believe that they have had sponsorship on a car for every Sprint Cup Series event this season and we are proud to be a part of their efforts.”

WWIPR

As America’s oldest and largest major combat veterans’ organization, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is proud to announce their line-up of military support programs and activities for the VFW 200 NASCAR race weekend at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), August 16-19.

This year marks the fourth year of the MIS-VFW partnership, including three years as the title sponsor of the VFW 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.  The sponsorship at MIS allows the VFW a national platform to recognize and salute veterans as well as raise awareness about the urgent needs of U.S. military personnel and their families. 

“It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to once again partner with MIS in this most important event,” said VFW National Commander John E. Hamilton.  “Not only is the intent of the event to bolster the morale of our troops, but at a time when demand to meet the urgent needs of U.S. military service personnel and their families becomes more difficult, it allows us to get the word out about our various programs and services.   These include free communication options for troops overseas so they can call home on a regular basis and financial assistance to their families for rent, mortgage, utilities, vehicle repair, food and medicine.”

”We are happy with our partnership with the VFW and are excited to help them salute the veterans on a national platform,” MIS President Roger Curtis said. “We thank all the men and women who have served in the military and it is great to be associated with an organization that carries the same commitment. The VFW 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race will be a great event and we cannot wait to welcome all the military and their families.”

In addition to the VFW 200 race, the VFW and the VFW Foundation have several programs and activities planned at MIS to raise awareness and funds to meet the needs of America’s active and retired military, their families and communities:

Salute to Military Families:  The VFW, along with supporting sponsor NSK Corporation, will honor over 400 local military guests at the Salute to Military Families hospitality event on Sunday, August 19, for the Pure Michigan 400.  Guests will enjoy complimentary pre-race hospitality, goody bags, event t-shirts, pit tours, celebrity appearances, special access to pre-race ceremonies compliments of MIS and grandstand tickets for the Pure Michigan 400.

Today’s military salaries often don’t afford U.S. service members the luxury of attending sporting events or entertainment activities.  The Salute to Military Families program was designed to provide unique, VIP experiences at these venues to recognize veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.  Since 2009, the VFW and the VFW Foundation has hosted over 1300 local military guests to this special race event at MIS.

Hometown Hero:  Specialist John Rendak, U.S. Army National Guard, and his wife Gina of Grand Rapids, Michigan, will attend the race weekend as special guests of the VFW.  As the Hometown Hero, Specialist Rendak and his wife will receive exclusive VIP access, including weekend RV accommodations at MIS; admissions to the VFW pit road suite and Salute to Military Families. In addition they will receive garage passes; pace car rides; introductions at the VFW 200 drivers’ meeting and pre-race ceremonies passes. After the race they will have access to the VFW 200 victory lane celebration, including a photograph with the race winner.

Specialist Rendak served in the U.S. Army as a Sergeant from 1981 to 1987 with service in Germany and Honduras.  Since 2009, Specialist Rendak has served the U.S. Army National Guard and has served tours in Iraq and Kuwait.

Military Ticket Discount presented by VFW:  Active or retired U.S. Military personnel and/or VFW members receive great ticket discounts to all MIS races in August. Sunday tickets start at just $17.50, and discounts are available for Friday and Saturday events. Tickets can be purchased at www.mispeedway.com/military.  Offer expires August 13, 2012.

50/50 Charity Raffle benefitting the VFW Foundation:  The VFW Foundation will benefit from an exciting new program at MIS, giving fans the chance to win a daily cash prize with proceeds split between the winning ticketholder and the VFW Foundation.  Raffle tickets will be sold Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the New Holland Fan Plaza and inside the ticket gates.  Winning ticket numbers will be announced at MIS each day and will be posted online following the event.

Funds raised will support the military assistance programs of the VFW, including:

Unmet Needs, which has provided more than $4.3 million in direct financial assistance to over 3,100 military families for rent, mortgage, utilities, vehicle repair, medical expenses and basic food expenses;

Operation Uplink, which has provided over 6.6 million free connections home for deployed troops and hospitalized veterans since 2006; and

Military Assistance Program, which provides troops and their families critical support before, during and after deployment and has hosted nearly 2 million military families at events worldwide since 2007.

Race Program Fundraiser:  Michigan International Speedway and Americrown have partnered to donate a dollar from every program sold to the VFW. Americrown sells the official race weekend program at 33 different locations at MIS.

Honoring Our History Travelling Gallery:  The VFW has partnered with Waddell & Reed to bring the Honoring Our History Tour to the New Holland Fan Plaza at MIS, August 17-19.  The custom 18-wheel “big rig” truck has been transformed into a travelling World War I gallery.  The unique exhibit offers a free, interactive and educational experience designed by the National World War I Museum – the first and only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the artifacts, history and personal experiences of World War I.

The travelling gallery features 66 World War I artifacts, such as weapons, uniforms, posters and flags and was developed by Waddell & Reed to celebrate the company’s 75^th anniversary.  The company’s founders, Chauncy Waddell and Cameron Reed, were both veterans of World War I.  The exhibit includes Waddell’s flight gear, his flight suit and log book.

The exhibit’s mission is to raise awareness and funding for museums and cultural institutions across the country.  By travelling to 75 cities in nearly every state, Waddell & Reed hopes to raise $500,000 in total donations over the course of the year.  Funds raised at MIS will be split between the National World War I Museum and the VFW Foundation.  For more information, please visit www.honoringourhistory.com.

National Anthem Performance by VFW National Home for Children Chorus:  Members of the VFW National Home for Children Chorus will perform the National Anthem during pre-race ceremony for the VFW 200 Camping World Truck Series race.  They will also receive complimentary tickets to enjoy the VFW 200 race at MIS.

The VFW National Home for Children, located in Eaton Rapids, Mich., serves as a living memorial to America’s veterans by helping our nation’s veterans and military families.  For more information, visit www.vfwnationalhome.org.

Goodyear Gives Back Care Package Event:  The VFW and Goodyear have teamed up to host a care package event at MIS on Thursday, August 16.  Care packages will be assembled by local volunteers, including VFW members, at MIS and shipped to troops stationed overseas with a special focus on Michigan-based units. The event is part of the annual Goodyear Gives Back program benefitting deployed U.S. Armed Forces and their families directly and through programs operated by Support Our Troops. Consumers and race fans can learn more by visiting www.Goodyear.com/GivesBack.

MIS PR