NASCAR DIRECTV HOTPASS Lineup for the Capital City 400 at Richmond

Ride Along with Hamlin, Johnson, Truex and Earnhardt at Richmond on DIRECTV

Event: Capital City 400
Previous Winner: Kyle Busch (beat Denny Hamlin by 1.805 seconds on April 30, 2011)
Date / Time: Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. EDT
Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
Configuration: .75-mile oval (400 laps = 300 miles)
Banking in Turns: 14 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 8 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,290 feet
Backstretch: 860 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: April 19, 1953 – Richmond 200 (Winner – Lee Petty)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 112,029

NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 points-paying races during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. 

The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Capital City 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway is as follows:  

DIRECTV Channel 795: Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx FrightToyota team of Joe Gibbs Racing.

DIRECTV Channel 796: Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports.

DIRECTV Channel 797: Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 56 NAPA Brakes Toyota team of Michael Waltrip Racing.

DIRECTV Channel 798: Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports.


About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV: 
NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.  

Ford Unveils Historic Pace Car

Ford unveiled its 2012 Focus Electric that will become the first all-electric pace car to pace a NASCAR race this weekend in the Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers.

 Richmond, Va., April 25, 2012 – After being unveiled in a public ceremony today at the Virginia State Capitol, the 2012 Focus Electric pace cars are ready for their historic race weekend when they become the first all-electric vehicles to pace a NASCAR Sprint Cup event. 

The two Focus Electric vehicles will perform all pace car duties for the Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. 

The two cars were unveiled by Eric Kuehn, chief nameplate engineer, Ford Global Electrified Programs; Mike Lynch, NASCAR’s managing director of Green Innovation; and Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. 

With Bolling and Kuehn in one pace car, and Lynch in the other, the two vehicles proceeded to drive through the streets of Richmond after the ceremony to Richmond International Raceway, where they were turned over for weekend duty to Dennis Bickmeier, president of RIR. 

“It will be a special moment for NASCAR fans across the country, Virginians and the Ford family on Saturday night when the Focus Electric completes its first lap as the official pace car for the Capital City 400,” said Kuehn. “As Ford and NASCAR make history with the first all-electric pace car, we will also be demonstrating to thousands of race fans and millions more on TV that you can combine performance and fuel-efficiency.” 

Bolling pointed out the pride the state of Virginia takes in having the all-electric pace car debut in Richmond. 

“I was delighted to unveil the 2012 Ford Focus Electric pace car at the Virginia State Capitol. Virginia is the energy capital of the East Coast so it’s only fitting that the first ever all-electric pace car will debut at the Richmond NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race,” said Bolling. “NASCAR is not just great fun, but it is also big business, having a huge economic impact on the metro Richmond area each year. We love to have folks visit Richmond for our annual NASCAR races and take advantage of all that the Commonwealth has to offer.” 

NASCAR’s Lynch pointed out this marks another historic moment in the sport’s history. 

“The arrival of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric pace car is a strong example of how the innovation cycle around green transportation is accelerating,” said Lynch. “The Ford Focus Electric was held to the same highly demanding standard of any pace car, and more than met the performance requirements. Seeing it on the track at Richmond International Raceway will be another historic moment for our sport.” 

This marks the latest in a line of groundbreaking moments for Ford in NASCAR. In addition to being the first manufacturer to compete with a four-door sedan as its flagship model in 1998, Ford was also first to use a hybrid to start a NASCAR event when the Fusion Hybrid served as pace car for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008. 

In January, Ford became the first manufacturer to show off its 2013 NASCAR race car when it unveiled the new 2013 Fusion racer to media in Charlotte, N.C. 

Fuel-economy leadership 

The all-new Fusion range, which includes EcoBoost, a hybrid and the Energi plug-in hybrid version, is the best example of how Ford is giving customers true power of choice for fuel-efficient vehicles. 

This year, Ford will offer nine vehicles reaching an anticipated 40 mpg or more. Plus, the company is building six new electrified vehicles by the end of this year. 

“The Focus and Fusion are great examples of how we transformed our fleet of cars, utilities and trucks with leading fuel efficiency – by electrifying entire vehicle platforms, instead of one-off specialty models,” said Kuehn. 

Ford will offer fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011, tripling the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford vehicles. This expansion of fuel-efficient offerings will be led by the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine in the high-volume Escape compact utility vehicle and Fusion sedan. 

Delivering up to 20 percent better fuel economy than conventional engines, EcoBoost uses smaller overall size combined with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection to bring customers the power they want and the fuel economy they need. 

Focus Electric is America’s most fuel-efficient five-seat car that offers the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon (MPGe) city, 99 MPGe highway and operates entirely on battery-generated power. Focus Electric has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to offer 105 MPGe combined. 

By comparison, the Nissan Leaf is certified at 106 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway and 99 MPGe combined. Focus Electric features more passenger room, more motor power and a faster charging system that can nearly halve the charging time of the Leaf. 

Production of the Focus Electric began in December at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. More information about MAP can be found here. 

Ford is ramping up Focus Electric retail production in the first half of this year for dealership availability in California, New York and New Jersey. By the end of the year, Focus Electric will be available in 19 markets across the U.S. 

More information about Ford’s electrified vehicle lineup – including press releases, technical specifications and other related material – can be found online here. Photos of the Focus Electric can be found here.

Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers | Richmond International Raceway

1 55 Mark Martin

2 99 Carl Edwards

3 29 Kevin Harvick

4 22 AJ Allmendinger

5 18 Kyle Busch

6 24 Jeff Gordon

7 11 Denny Hamlin

8 56 Martin Truex Jr.

9 5 Kasey Kahne

10 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

11 43 Aric Almirola Ford

12 39 Ryan Newman

13 51 Kurt Busch

14 9 Marcos Ambrose

15 78 Regan Smith

16 2 Brad Keselowski

17 36 Dave Blaney

18 20 Joey Logano

19 47 Bobby Labonte

20 42 Juan Montoya

21 83 Landon Cassill

22 14 Tony Stewart

23 15 Clint Bowyer

24 17 Matt Kenseth

25 98 Michael McDowell

26 13 Casey Mears

27 48 Jimmie Johnson

28 16 Greg Biffle

29 93 Travis Kvapil

30 31 Jeff Burton

31 27 Paul Menard

32 26 Josh Wise*

33 10 David Reutimann

34 30 David Stremme

35 87 Joe Nemechek

36 195 Scott Speed

37 1 Jamie McMurray

38 34 David Ragan

39 119 Mike Bliss

40 33 Stephen Leicht

41 38 David Gilliland

42 32 Reed Sorenson+

43 74 Cole Whitt

Did Not Qualify

44 23 Scott Riggs

45 249 J.J. Yeley

RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - 2012 APRIL EVENT SCHEDULE

Friday April 27th, 2012

• 9:00 AM EST Nationwide Practice (Not Televised)
• 12:00 PM EST Cup Practice on SPEED
• 2:30 PM EST Cup Practice on SPEED
• 4:00 PM EST Nationwide Qualifying on ESPN2
• 5:30 PM EST Cup Qualifying on SPEED
• 7:00 PM EST Nationwide Race at Richmond on ESPN2

SATURDAY, APRIL 28

• 3:30 PM   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Autograph Session (Amphitheater)
• 7:00 PM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
• 7:30 PM Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers RACE (400 LAPS - 300 MILES)

Denny when hes 2nd race of season

It was Denny Hamlin's day in the sun.

Taking advantage of changing conditions Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Denny Hamlin held off Martin Truex Jr. the final 30 laps to win the STP 400, his second victory of the season, his first at the 1.5-mile track and the 19th of his career.

The victory was the 199th for cars bearing the No. 11, breaking a tie for the all-time lead with the No. 43, made famous by Richard Petty, who drove to 192 of his record 200 wins with that car number.

After a late round of green-flag pit stops put all the contending cars on the same sequence, the sun broke through the clouds for the first time all afternoon and changed the complexion of the race.Jimmie Johnson finished third, followed by Roush Fenway Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. Truex moved into second place in the Sprint Cup Series standings behind Biffle, who leads by 15 points.

To that point, Truex had been dominant, having led 173 laps, but the changing conditions made Truex's Toyota "wrecking loose" in the words of the driver. Hamlin passed Truex for the lead through Turn 4 on Lap 237 and began to pull away, with Johnson pursuing from the third position.

To Hamlin, the sunlight was a welcome game-changer.

"Whether it was coincidence or not, our car definitely seemed like, [relative] to the field, was better once the sun came out," Hamlin said. "I felt like our car lost a lot of grip when the sun came out, but I guess a lot of guys did when that happened. I felt like all day I was behind the No. 56 [Truex], and his car looked so superior to the field.

"We just needed some kind of change -- weather or adjustments or something to get where he was at -- and we kind of got both of them. In overcast conditions, the cars run a little bit tighter, the grip level's higher in the race car, and it's more of a track-position type race. When the sun's out, the drivers, in my opinion, are more prominent.

"You move around, find the grip, do things in the car to make up for what you don't have. The slicker the conditions are, the better it tends to [be] for our race team. Luckily, we had that run in sunshine."

As clouds covered the sun once again, however, Truex began to close on Hamlin and widen his advantage on Johnson. With 10 laps left, Truex trailed Hamlin by .772 seconds. Five laps later, Truex had closed to .489 seconds behind.

Truex tried to dive beneath Hamlin in Turn 3 twice in the final three laps but couldn't stick the pass.

"Desperation," Truex said wryly. "I was a little bit faster than Denny at the end, but he was running against the wall right where I needed to be, and I was just trying to gain a little bit of ground.

RACE LINEUP STP 400 | Kansas Speedway

1 22 AJ Allmendinger

2 29 Kevin Harvick

3 20 Joey Logano

4 11 Denny Hamlin

5 55 Mark Martin

6 56 Martin Truex Jr.

7 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

8 15 Clint Bowyer

9 5 Kasey Kahne

10 12 Sam Hornish Jr.

11 2 Brad Keselowski

12 31 Jeff Burton

13 39 Ryan Newman

14 51 Kurt Busch

15 48 Jimmie Johnson

16 10 David Reutimann

17 16 Greg Biffle

18 17 Matt Kenseth

19 27 Paul Menard

20 24 Jeff Gordon

21 99 Carl Edwards

22 38 David Gilliland

23 14 Tony Stewart

24 30 David Stremme

25 18 Kyle Busch

26 43 Aric Almirola

27 34 David Ragan

28 9 Marcos Ambrose

29 78 Regan Smith

30 47 Bobby Labonte

31 249 J.J. Yeley

32 83 Landon Cassill

33 36 Dave Blaney

34 23 Scott Riggs

35 93 Travis Kvapil

36 1 Jamie McMurray

37 98 Michael McDowell

38 26 Josh Wise*

39 42 Juan Montoya

40 13 Casey Mears

41 87 Joe Nemechek

42 32 Reed Sorenson+

43 119 Mike Bliss

Did Not Qualify

44 179 Tim Andrews

45 33 Jeff Green

46 74 Tony Raines

NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV Lineup for Kansas

Ride Along with Keselowski, Stewart, Johnson and Earnhardt at Kansas on DIRECTV

Event: STP 400
Previous Winner: Brad Keselowski (beat Dale Earnhardt Jr., by 2.813 seconds on June 5, 2011)
Date / Time: Sunday, April 22, at 1 p.m. EDT
Track: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City
Configuration: 1.5-mile oval (267 laps = 400.5 miles)
Banking in Turns: 15 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 10.4 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,685 feet
Backstretch: 2,207 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: Sept. 30, 2001 – Protection One 400 (Winner – Jeff Gordon)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 81,687



NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 points-paying races during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. 


The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795: Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team of Penske Racing.

DIRECTV Channel 796: Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing.

DIRECTV Channel 797: Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports.

DIRECTV Channel 798: Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 DietMountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports.

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV: 
NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.  

Kansas Speedway Schedule

  

Friday, April 20th

11:20 AM 12:20 PM     NCWTS PRACTICE
12:30 PM 1:50 PM      NSCS PRACTICE
2:00 PM 3:20 PM       NCWTS FINAL PRACTICE
3:30 PM 5:00 PM       NSCS FINAL PRACTICE

Saturday, April 21st

9:35 AM (10:35 AM)    NCWTS QUALIFYING ( TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
10:30 AM 11:00 AM     TV EXHIBITION RUN (TIME PERMITTING)
10:30 AM 11:30 AM     NCWTS Minors Admitted in the NASCAR Garage Area*
11:10 AM (12:10 PM)   NSCS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
12:30 PM              NCWTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS-SECURITY –CLEAR PIT ROAD
1:00 PM (2:00 PM)     NCWTS RACE (167 LAPS, 250.5 MILES)

Sunday, April 22nd

7:00 AM 10:30 AM      NSCS Minors Admitted in the NASCAR Garage Area*
11:30 AM              NSCS DRIVERS INTRODUCTIONS-SECURITY –CLEAR PIT ROAD
12:00 PM (1:00 PM)    NSCS RACE (267 LAPS, 400.5 MILES)

Kahne rallies from back to win at Rockingham

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Kasey Kahne capped a successful weekend of triple-duty Sunday afternoon, winning the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 to mark NASCAR's return to Rockingham Speedway for the first time since 2004.

Kahne -- who finished seventh in the Sprint Cup Series on Saturday and third in the Nationwide Series on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway -- surged to the front in the 155th lap of 200 to notch his fourth win in five starts in the Truck Series.

Brad Sweet qualified the No. 4 truck fifth, but Kahne had to start at the rear of the field because of the driver change. Even with traveling from Fort Worth overnight, getting approximately 4 1/2 hours of sleep and having no track time in preparation for the race, Kahne was poised to pounce in the late stages.

"This is probably the best weekend I've had in a long time," Kahne said. "I got out of that truck and I've got three clean race cars and I ran three hard races this weekend, and everything's clean -- not a dent on 'em. ... It was a good weekend, tons of energy, and I'll sleep good tonight when I finally decide to go to bed."

Kahne played a prominent part in NASCAR's last race here, when Matt Kenseth edged him at the line for a Cup Series victory. The memory of that race was on his mind when he returned to the mile oval.

"I've watched it on video and I can run it through my head and remember so many things about how that race finished," Kahne said. "Those are kind of the memories that I have."

Until now.

Kahne withstood Buescher's last-ditch effort on a restart with 20 laps left and had nowhere near as close a finish as last time around. Kahne was a comfortable 1.478 seconds ahead at the checkered flag.

Kahne withstood Buescher's last-ditch effort on a restart with 20 laps left and had nowhere near as close a finish as last time around. Kahne was a comfortable 1.478 seconds ahead at the checkered flag.

Pole-starter Nelson Piquet Jr. -- Kahne's next-closest competition -- dominated the early stages of the race, leading 85 of the race's first 100 laps. But Piquet became mired in traffic after a lengthy pit stop shuffled him back to fifth during the third of the race's four cautions.

Piquet worked his way back to second place until incurring a pit-road speeding penalty during the final caution period. He rallied to finish seventh.

Biffle Earns Long Awaited Win

Since 2010, Roush Fenway driver Greg Biffle has longed for his next Sprint Cup victory. After a surprising rough year last season, not making the Chase, The Biff wasn't sure when a win would come. 2012 has definitely been more promising. Early and consistant success allowed him to lead the points multiple times this season. It was obvious Biffle's time in victory circle was not far away. His moment to shine came at Texas last night, and at a Roush dominated track. How fitting.

The Biff was running up front all night long. He started alongside pole sitter, Martin Truex Jr. and ran in the Top 5 for most of the 334 laps. Leading or not we were sure that he was one of the cars to beat. The race, I have to admit, was extremely tedious and down right boring. Long green flag runs and little bumping and shoving. But, as one would expect in NASCAR it got a little more lively during the final 20 laps. We find Jimmie Johnson leading, and many thought (as they did at Martinsville) that this would be it! Finally, Hendrick's 200th win! But sorry to the Hendrick fans, last night was not the time for the 200th. Biffle charged, with less than 25 to go, and passed Johnson for the lead. He was not about to break the Roush streak after Ricky Stenhouse's victory in the Nationwide series Friday night. Biffle knew he had to get it done! He pulled ahead as the leaders did all night and was able to FINALLY catch his break. Winning his first Cup win since 2010! And boy did his burnout show it! Roush has always been good at Texas, and I think everyone knew the Cat in the Hat [Jack Roush] would continue the momentum. 

I've got to say, even through all the yawning and slight napping during those 334 laps, it was a well deserved finish for ole' Greg Biffle. A marvelous performance from all of the Roush teams this weekend. Not to mention a record amount of green flag runs. It only took 2 cautions to get to the checkers.

RACE LINEUP Samsung Mobile 500 | Texas Motor Speedway

1 56 Martin Truex Jr.
2 17 Matt Kenseth
3 16 Greg Biffle
4 55 Mark Martin
5 5 Kasey Kahne
6 39 Ryan Newman
7 9 Marcos Ambrose
8 2 Brad Keselowski
9 1 Jamie McMurray
10 48 Jimmie Johnson
11 27 Paul Menard
12 22 AJ Allmendinger
13 11 Denny Hamlin
14 20 Joey Logano
15 29 Kevin Harvick
16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
17 18 Kyle Busch
18 15 Clint Bowyer
19 21 Trevor Bayne
20 99 Carl Edwards
21 34 David Ragan
22 13 Casey Mears
23 43 Aric Almirola
24 31 Jeff Burton
25 42 Juan Montoya
26 78 Regan Smith
27 51 Kurt Busch
28 83 Landon Cassill
29 14 Tony Stewart
30 47 Bobby Labonte
31 10 David Reutimann
32 26 Josh Wise*
33 98 Michael McDowell
34 24 Jeff Gordon
35 38 David Gilliland
36 249 J.J. Yeley
37 93 Travis Kvapil
38 195 Scott Speed
39 32 Reed Sorenson
40 23 Scott Riggs
41 36 Dave Blaney+
42 33 Tony Raines+
43 119 Mike Bliss
Did Not Qualify
44 30 David Stremme
45 87 Joe Nemechek
46 74 Stacy Compton Chevrolet

Race Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

Track At Rockingham Speedway Rockingham, NC 

Thursday April 12th, 2012 (*Texas Time*)

• 4:30 p.m. EST - 5:30 p.m. CT Sprint Cup Series (On Speed)
• 6:40 p.m. EST - 7:40 p.m. CT Nationwide Series (On Speed)

Friday April 13th, 2012 (*Texas Time*)

• 10:00 a.m. - 11:00am CT Nationwide Series (On Speed) 
• 12:00 p.m. EST CT Truck Series Practice (Not Televised)
• 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 EST CT Sprint Cup Series
• 3:30 p.m. EST Truck Series (Not Televised)
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT Nationwide Series Qualifying (On ESN2)
• 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. CT Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (On Speed)
• 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CT Nationwide Series Race at Texas (On ESPN2)

Saturday April 14, 2012 (*Texas Time*)

• 11:00 a.m. Truck Series Practice (Not Televised)
• 3:35 p.m. EST Truck Qualifying (Not Televised)
• 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. CT Sprint Cup Race (on FOX)

Sunday April 15th, 2012

• 12:30 p.m.Truck Series Race (On Speed)

Texas Motor Speedway History and Notes

At Texas Motor Speedway:
History

· Construction began in 1995.

· The first NASCAR race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on April 6, 1997.

Notebook
· There have been 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.

· Four drivers have competed in all 22 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.

· Jeremy Mayfield was the first pole winner, in 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.

· Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

· 16 drivers have scored poles, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon with two.

· 16 drivers have won races, led by Carl Edwards, with three. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton each have two wins.

· 16 of 22 races have been won from a top 10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole - Kasey Kahne in 2006.

· Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.

· Both Jeff Burton (1999) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas, and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne made his first series start at Texas (11/07/10).

· Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/07) and David Ragan (04/09/11) scored their first series poles at Texas.

· Matt Kenseth (8.7) is the only active driver to average a top-10 finish at Texas.

· Jimmie Johnson (9.2) is the only active driver to average a top-10 starting position at Texas.

· Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with eight. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.

· There has been two season sweeps, by Carl Edwards in 2008 and Denny Hamlin in 2010.

· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway winner: Ryan Newman (03/30/2003 – 25 years, 3 months, 22 days).

· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway winner: Dale Jarrett (04/01/2001 – 44 years, 4 months, 6 days).

Texas Motor Speedway Data:
Race #: 7 of 36 (04-09-12)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
Race Length: 501 miles
· Banking/corners: 24 degrees
· Banking/straights: 5 degrees
· Frontstretch: 2,250 feet
· Backstretch: 1,330 feet

Top 12 Driver Rating at Texas:
Matt Kenseth............................. 106.5
Tony Stewart............................. 105.8
Greg Biffle................................ 100.8
Carl Edwards............................ 100.0
Jimmie Johnson.......................... 98.4
Kyle Busch................................. 97.5
Denny Hamlin............................. 95.2
Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 92.7
Clint Bowyer............................... 92.1
Jeff Gordon................................ 90.3
Kurt Busch.................................. 89.6
Mark Martin................................. 87.1

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (14 total) at Texas.

Austin Dillon, Legendary No. 3, Featured in New ESPN NASCAR Spot

Rising young NASCAR star Austin Dillon and the legendary black No. 3 made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt are featured in a new ESPN promotional spot entitled “The Next Generation” that will begin airing next week. The 21-year-old Dillon is the leading rookie in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

All 33 races in the series will air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC this season and Dillon is the second Nationwide Series driver this year to be featured by ESPN in its promotional campaign for the series, joining 2011 series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The 30-second spot, which continues ESPN’s “Names Are Made Here” marketing campaign for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, traces Dillon’s career through go karts, dirt tracks and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he was series champion last year. At the end of the spot, a team member opens a garage door to reveal the No. 3 car that Dillon is driving this season. “Here you go, Austin,” the man says. “She’s ready when you are.”

The No. 3, owned by Dillon’s grandfather, longtime NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, has returned to regular use on a car this year for the first time since Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 and the new ESPN spot reflects the magnitude of the return of the number. Dillon won the Truck Series championship last year driving a Childress-owned No. 3 truck.