Phoenix International Raceway
Records Date Series Driver Speed
11/7/99 Sprint Cup Race Tony Stewart 118.00
11/7/04 Sprint Cup Qualifying Ryan Newman 135.854
11/14/09 Nationwide Race Carl Edwards 101.00
11/14/09 Nationwide Qualifying Denny Hamlin 133.968
10/31/03 Camping World Truck Race Kevin Harvick 108.00
11/10/06 Camping World Truck Qualifying Johnny Benson 132.660
Nationwide Series
Saturday Nov 13
ESPN 4:30
Sprint Cup Series
Upcoming Race Sunday Nov 14
ESPN 3:00
Kobalt Tools 500
Track Facts
Phoenix International Raceway
Location: Avondale, AZ
Banking/Turns: Oval
Distance: 1.00 mile
Shape: Oval
Most Cup Wins (since 1975)
* Jimmie Johnson 4
Date Race Name Pole Winner Race Winner Make Purse
4/10/10 Subway Fresh Fit 600 A J Allmendinger Ryan Newman Chevrolet $5,318,679
4/18/09 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Mark Martin Mark Martin Chevrolet $5,103,912
11/15/09 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Martin Truex Jr. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,136,375
4/12/08 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Ryan Newman Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,064,433
11/9/08 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,096,896
4/21/07 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Chevrolet $4,961,431
11/11/07 Checker Auto Parts 500 Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $4,998,497
4/22/06 Subway Fresh 500 Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick Chevrolet $4,866,887
11/12/06 Checker Auto Parts 500 Jeff Gordon Kevin Harvick Chevrolet $4,892,924
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AVONDALE, Ariz. , Nov 9, 2010 - For Immediate Release
Dodge Motosports NSCS Race Advance
Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010
DODGE AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
• Dodge is seeking its first win at Phoenix International Raceway in Sprint Cup competition.
• Dodge has earned four poles at PIR since returning to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 (Casey Atwood- 1, Ryan Newman - 3).
• Dodge’s Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) is the only active Dodge driver with a win at PIR. He won in spring event in 2005 before moving to Penske Racing and the Dodge ranks in 2006.
THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.
• Dodge’s most recent win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Kurt Busch led 252 of 400 laps en route to victory in the Coca-Cola 600. It was his second win of the 2010 season.
• Dodge teams have posted 47 victories since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.
• Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Kurt Busch, 5/30/2010, Charlotte, 600 miles, 1.5-mile track.
DODGE IN THE CHASE: PHOENIX INT’L RACEWAY
• 2004: Ryan Newman, one of two Dodge drivers in the Chase, qualified on the pole and led 59 laps en route to a runner-up finish. Jeremy Mayfield finished 21st.
• 2005: Ryan Newman finished 12th, best among the three Dodge drivers in the Chase. Jeremy Mayfield was 24th and Rusty Wallace 29th.
• 2006: Kasey Kahne was the lone Dodge driver in the Chase. He started 11th and finished seventh.
• 2007: Kurt Busch was the lone Dodge driver in the Chase. He started ninth and finished 12th.
• 2008: There were no Dodges in the 2008 Chase field.
• 2009: Kurt Busch started third, led 60 of the 313 laps and finished sixth in the Miller Lite Dodge Charger.
PHOENIX NUGGETS
• Dodge driver Kurt Busch has led 640 laps at PRI – third most of all Sprint Cup tracks he has competed on (Bristol – 840 and Atlanta – 665).
• Sam Hornish Jr. earned his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top-10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway at the spring event in 2009. Hornish also made his NSCS debut at Phoenix in 2007.
• Brad Keselowski will be making only his third-career Sprint Cup start this weekend at Phoenix Int’l Raceway.
FAST FACT
• Dodge earned its seventh NASCAR series championship last weekend when Brad Keselowski won the Nationwide Series driver’s title.
• PIR is the first track that Dodge driver Kurt Busch attended a Cup race. Busch was only 13 years old. (Nov. 3, 1991).
KURT BUSCH – INSIDE THE CHASE NUMBERS
• Busch is competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the fifth time: 2004 – Champion, 2005 – 10th, 2007 – seventh and 2009 – fourth.
• Busch is 11th in the Chase standings after finishing 24th at Texas last weekend. He’s 435 points behind the leader.
• Busch was ranked fourth, 171 points behind the leader, after eight races in the 2009 Chase.
• Busch’s average finish in 15 starts at Phoenix is 14.3; he has an average starting position of 13.5.
• His best finish at Phoenix was at the spring race in 2005 we won the Subway Fresh 500 after starting second.
• Through eight Chase races this year, Busch’s average finish is 18.8.
• In 34 races this season, Busch has two wins along with nine top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.
• Has competed in 67 Chase races since 2004 (47 have been in a Dodge) with 16 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes.
• Career totals at Phoenix International Raceway include one win, four top-fives, and eight top 10s. His average start is 14.3 with an average finish of 13.5.
DID YOU KNOW?
Dodge driver Kurt Busch will pilot chassis PRS-715 this weekend at PIR. The chassis debuted in winning fashion in the March 7 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta. Busch led six times for 129 laps in his winning effort.
DODGE MOTORSPORTS ENGINEERING QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Phoenix International Raceway must feel like the meat in a one and a half mile sandwich. The one-and-a-half mile track at Texas last week gives way to the very flat, one mile of Phoenix this week before the season ends at another mile-and-a-half at Homestead-Miami next week. The chassis for Phoenix is different than last week, the aerodynamic package is different than last week, the engine and gearing package is different than last week, and the setup for this flat track is very different than last week. No other track in the series is exactly like Phoenix and that's what makes it such an engineering challenge."
Howard Comstock – Dodge Motorsports Engineering
DODGE DRIVER QUOTES
“I was 13 years old and it was such a really big deal when my dad carried me to see my very first big NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix. Growing up in racing like I did and having my parents take me to the short tracks when I was just a toddler really helped put racing in my blood so early in life.
“When I think back to all those many years ago when my dad carried me to PIR to see my first-ever live Cup race – my first time ever to watch the big boys race – it always brings a smile to my face. When I think back to running on all the short tracks like we did and winning the old NASCAR Southwest Tour championship at Phoenix, it’s a flattering feeling.” Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
“Phoenix is always a wildcard place for me. Anytime we go there, I feel like we can qualify in the top 10 and finish in the top 10 as long as we don't have any issues with the car. Phoenix and Pocono are two of my favorite places to run. I don't really know why since they are so drastically different. Phoenix is probably my favorite place to race.” Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
"Phoenix is a very tricky racetrack. It’s important, as a driver, to be really smooth with your wheel inputs and the way you work the throttle and brake. That’s what I focus on when I get there and I think anyone that runs well there does the same thing. It’s also really important to work with your crew chief to come up with a setup that is balanced and will work well with the asphalt at Phoenix. The track is worn down and it sits in that Arizona sun and just bakes, so it’s hard to get your car hooked up.” Brad Keselowski, No 12 Penske Dodge Charger
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Rick
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AVONDLE, Ariz. , Nov 10, 2010 - For Immediate Release
Dodge Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Advance
WYPALL 200
Phoenix International Raceway
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010
ON WINNING THE 2010 NNS CHAMPIONSHIP
“Winning the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship is a remarkable achievement for Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing and Dodge. Brad not only won the championship, but drove the Dodge Challenger to victory in two of the four new car races. The countless hours spent maximizing the performance of the Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger for competition has produced the ultimate reward – the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. We’re extremely proud of our partnership with the entire team at Penske Racing. The competition this year has been intense, making this championship even more satisfying. This is the perfect end to an amazing season.” Ralph Gilles – Dodge President and CEO
DODGE NUGGETS
• Dodge won its first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship – its seventh overall title covering the three NASCAR national series. Four championships have come in Sprint Cup and two in the Camping World Truck Series. The last title came in 2005 when Ted Musgrave won the Truck Series title. • Saturday’s WYPALL 200 will be televised by ESPN2 with pre-race programming scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. (ET).
BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger
Highlights:
• Clinched the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series driver’s championship last weekend at Texas.
• Captured the first NASCAR series championship for Penske Racing and first for Dodge in the Nationwide Series.
• 2010 NNS wins include: Talladega, Richmond, Nashville, Michigan, Charlotte and Gateway.
• Won two of the four “new car” races in the Nationwide Series this season in the Dodge Challenger.
• Currently leads the Nationwide Series standings by 465 points over Carl Edwards
• Has a NASCAR record 100 consecutive Nationwide Series races without a DNF (Did Not Finish).
• In addition to six wins, he has 24 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes in 33 races.
JUSTIN ALLGAIER – No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charter
Highlights:
• Season totals includes one win along with eight top-five and 19 top-10 finishes
• Earned his first Nationwide victory earlier this year at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading a 1-2 finish for Penske Racing and Dodge.
• Will pilot the same Dodge Charger he earned the pole with at Memphis earlier this year.
• Currently fourth in the season point standings, best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers
• Has two poles this season, most recently at Gateway two weeks ago.
FROM THE ‘GATOR’
“The next few races for me are really important because it will be the last two that I get to spend with my Verizon Wireless Dodge guys. They have worked so hard for me this year that I owe it to them to try and get our Verizon Wireless Dodge into the winner’s circle again. Anyone who has an ounce to do with this No. 12 car means so much to me. I won’t to go out the last few races and drive my heart out and get these guys a win.” Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger
DODGE NATIONWIDE SERIES QUOTES
“It’s nice to head into Phoenix knowing that we’ve clinched the Nationwide driver’s championship, but we still have some work to do. It’s important for all of us, our entire organization, to try and secure the owner’s championship for Roger (Penske) and claim both titles.” Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge
"I can’t seem to put my finger on what’s made Phoenix such a good track for me, but I think it has something to do with my dirt racing background. You’re always searching for different lines in the dirt, and because of the differences between the opposite ends of the track, you’re always searching for a line that will suit your car best.” Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge
__________________
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Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
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Last Updated: Friday, Nov 12, 2010 7:38 pm, EST
Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Order Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
1 Carl Edwards (99) Ford 136.389
2 A J Allmendinger (43) Ford 136.250 3 Kurt Busch (2) Dodge 136.240
4 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 135.741
5 Jamie McMurray (1) Chevrolet 135.665
6 David Reutimann (00) Toyota 135.547
7 Kyle Busch (18) Toyota 135.527
8 Regan Smith (78) Chevrolet 135.303
9 Aric Almirola (9) Ford 135.227
10 Joey Logano (20) Toyota 135.206
11 Martin Truex Jr. (56) Toyota 135.206
12 David Ragan (6) Ford 135.176
13 Marcos Ambrose (47) Toyota 135.150
14 Clint Bowyer (33) Chevrolet 135.089
15 Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 135.084 16 Sam Hornish Jr. (77) Dodge 135.039
17 Denny Hamlin (11) Toyota 134.938
18 Ryan Newman (39) Chevrolet 134.917
19 Paul Menard (98) Ford 134.917
20 Tony Stewart (14) Chevrolet 134.821
21 Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevrolet 134.816
22 Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet 134.801
23 Elliott Sadler (19) Ford 134.801
24 Casey Mears (13) Toyota 134.766
25 Kasey Kahne (83) Toyota 134.756
26 Bobby Labonte (09) Chevrolet 134.494
27 Scott Speed (82) Toyota 134.429
28 Mark Martin (5) Chevrolet 134.394
29 Kevin Harvick (29) Chevrolet 134.353 30 Brad Keselowski (12) Dodge 134.273
31 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) Chevrolet 134.163
32 Dave Blaney (36) Chevrolet 134.013
33 J.J. Yeley (26) Ford 133.944
34 Robby Gordon (7) Toyota 133.650
35 Juan Pablo Montoya (42) Chevrolet 133.625
36 Mike Bliss (55) Toyota 133.610
37 David Gilliland (37) Ford 133.492
38 Travis Kvapil (38) Ford 133.383
39 Landon Cassill (164) Toyota 133.343
40 Jeff Burton (31) Chevrolet 133.319
41 Brendan Gaughan (71) Chevrolet 132.197
42 Tony Raines (34) Ford 130.938 43 Terry Labonte (81) Dodge 130.016
44 Jason Leffler (66) DNQ 133.294
45 Joe Nemechek (87) DNQ 133.225
46 Michael McDowell (46) DNQ 133.107
__________________
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Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – Kurt Busch Open Interview – Phoenix 2
Published on November 12, 2010 by Official Release
Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
Phoenix Int’l Raceway
Kobalt Tools 500
Kurt Busch Open Interview
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) TALK ABOUT THE 2004 CHASE?HOW BIG A DEAL IS IT FOR THREE DRIVERS TO BE IN CONTENTION TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “I hope that the switch has been turned on for the last few weeks because it’s been a great Chase. The more guys that are in it, that’s what creates this excitement and the element of the unknown. Keeping up with one guy or two guys, three guys, it’s just exciting and we should be talking about it now. It shouldn’t be saved for next week. Any year that we saw a breakaway guy, you’d have one or two guys – Dale Sr. (Earnhardt) or Rusty Wallace or you’d have Jeff Gordon against somebody that was right there close. This has the makings of ’04 and ’04 had the makings of what it was in 1992. It’s what everybody likes to see, a great point’s battle all the way to the end and it’s just not the final race, it’s the weeks leading up and how they’ve handled the pressure for the weeks leading up.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ROGER’S DECISION TO BRING CHEVROLET BACK TO THE INDY 500? “That’s big news. I know that Roger’s always been committed. And just like he is in the NASCAR world, the best quality products, people and support of giving his best shot – not at just winning that one big race over there – but running the full season and trying to wrap up the championship. The way the last couple of seasons have ended for him, I know that he has this bitter sweet feeling of, ‘Man, we need to do something just a little bit different,’ and hopefully that brings him the pieces that he needs. Everybody at Penske Racing wants to see our programs successful. It was great to have the feeling back in September when we had the IndyCar, Nationwide and Cup car situation where we all had a shot at the championship. Right now, it looks like we’re only going to be able to deliver on one-third of that. Roger is pushing hard. He wants to be the man in all of motorsports. He’s my mentor. I love looking up to him and whatever he decides to do in the IndyCar world and stock car world, I’m there to support him either way.”
HOW COMFORTABLE WOULD YOU BE IF ROGER BROUGHT IN ANOTHER MANUFACTUER INTO NASCAR? “That’s one thing that we discussed when I re-upped with him this year early in April. When I signed my contract extension I said, ‘Well, I know we’re going to have to see a new or extended version for the manufacturer.’ I said, ‘What are your plans? What are your ideas?’ The bottom line came out, wherever you are Roger, I’m with you.”
TALK ABOUT YOUR LAST FEW RACES WITH MILLER LITE AND MOVING TO SHELL/PENNZOIL NEXT SEASON? “It’s been a great run in the Miller Lite Dodge. It’s tough to sit here and think of words to describe what it’s meant to me and what it’s meant to the group up in Milwaukee. When I first started to feel it is when I put on the Shell driver’s suit for a photo shoot, getting things ready for 2011. You’re sitting there thinking about the good times, what the Miller Lite car has meant to so many NASCAR fans. To have Rusty (Wallace) run in it for so many years and have a shot at championships and race wins. And for me, just a quick five-year run, it was definitely feeling comfortable at the end. I felt like they were my shoes to wear and representing the Miller Lite brand and the fun that we had off the track and the fun that we had on the track. It’s tough to see it go. We’ve got two more weeks. It would mean the world to me to go and win one of these final two weeks and spray beer all over each other because if you get gasoline in your eyes in victory lane, it’s going to sting a little bit. Beer isn’t so bad.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU SEE THE LAST TWO RACES IN THE CHASE SHAPING UP? “What I like about this year’s Chase is that we’ve added two guys to the element of the pressure cooker of what it takes to be a NASCAR champion. Since the Chase has started, myself, (Jeff) Gordon, (Jimmie) Johnson…all the years Johnson’s be in it…we had Mark Martin come down to the wire. We’ve had Tony Stewart…the ’05 champion…he’s felt the pressure before. A guy like Greg Biffle, he finished second overall one year and was right in the mix until the end. So now, we’ve added Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick to the list of individuals who have experienced what it takes to go all the way down to the end, have a shot at the championship…to have the restless nights…to have the endless thoughts of how to make the car better or how to drive it out on the race track to stay out of trouble. It’s fun to see those guys go through that experience. Being one of them, it’s neat that I can see a little bit of it. You don’t get caught up in the games that go on; you just go out there and race your car. It we do have a new champion, that means that somebody knocked Jimmie Johnson off, that’s going to be big. That name will always be printed right after you have Johnson’s four times and a row.”
__________________
Rick
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Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes - NSCS Final Qualifying - Phoenix 2
AVONDALE, Ariz. , Nov 13, 2010 -
KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) Qualified 3rd
"A great job by this Miller Lite Dodge team. A .42 early in qualifying is pretty stout. The car was bad fast, that's for sure. We were a little bit tight in qualifying practice and loosened it up for the track conditions as cool as they are. A great lap. We brought our Atlanta car here we won with earlier in the spring and it's amazing how every car has a personality of its own. This car really seems to like what we throw at it and it's a great way to start the weekend. It's just nice to be the fastest car in Maricopa County for the right reasons (laughs)."
HOW IMPORTANT IS TRACK POSITION HERE AT PHOENIX? “It’s nice to be up front and be one of the pace setters early on. With strategy and knowing when to pit versus how many laps are on the tires; all that can change around pretty rapidly. For us it will nice to be up front. The race starts at 1 p.m. and we should be in the sunshine all day long. We hope to keep that track position and not have to battle from behind and that’s done by having solid pit stops, crew chief communications with the driver…when to pit and put the proper amount of tires on…and then we’ll have a great pit box selection too. We’re not boxed in on pit road.
“Compared to most tracks, every track is about the same. You want to be up front. It’s a little bit tougher to pass here as compared to Texas. On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a track where you want to be up front and it’s a little bit more difficult to pass, I’d say 6 out of 10.”
HOW GOOD OF A CAR DO YOU HAVE FOR SUNDAY? “We have quite a bit of different rear-end package in the car. It’s things that we’ve been messing with on the mile-and-a-halves that we’ve had some success with. This track isn’t asking for those types of changes to be made, but we’re going to start with those tomorrow and see how it plays out for us.”
SAM HORNISH JR, (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger) Qualified 16th
"Just a little bit tighter from where we were in practice, but not a bad lap for our Mobil 1 Dodge. We had a pretty good practice session and really happy with the qualifying run, but just got a little loose coming off of (turn) 4 and lost some of the speed in the car. I like this place a lot. We'll keep our heads up and go get ready for Sunday."
BRAD KESELOWSKI (NO. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) Qualified 30th
"Our qualifying effort was a little disappointing. I may have just tried to do too much with the car. Our car was fast in practice and I just didn't run the lap that I needed. We'll see what we have for the race. It's not easy. Our short-track performances have been pretty good this year, so we'll see what happens."
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- BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger) Finished 4th
“It was a good point day for this Discount Tire Dodge team. I hate to see Kyle (Busch) have problems. I’d rather race him for the owner’s title. That’s how the season goes, you have ups and downs. We’ve had some downs this year, but I’ve got a great race team. We needed just a little bit more speed with our Discount Tire Dodge today. We were just a little bit off. We still made a solid effort and got a great top-five finish out of it.”
WHERE DID YOU NEED TO FIND MORE SPEED TODAY? “I’m not quite sure, maybe a longer race. The 60 car was really fast. I don’t think it’s anything that we did and it may be that Carl (Edwards) was that much faster than everybody today. We’ll take a look at our notes and head to Homestead.”
YOU TIED THE NNS SINGLE SEASON RECORD FOR TOP-FIVE FINISHES TODAY. TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO YOU AND THE RACE TEAM? “It’s an incredible accomplishment. The Discount Tire Dodge guys have done an amazing job preparing the cars that I get to drive every weekend. There are a lot of people that have an influence on how these cars run at the track and I’m just the lucky one that gets to drive them. This week was no exception. It would be cool to break the record next weekend at Homestead. I know that my guys will have me prepared with an awesome Discount Tire Dodge.”
YOU ONLY 41 POINTS BACK FOR THE OWNER’S POINTS TITLE HEADING INTO THE LAST RACE OF THE YEAR NEXT WEEK: “Yeah, a good owner point’s day for us. We did our job today and now only sit 41 (points) back. The mile-and-a-half tracks are where the Gibbs cars have been really strong this year, so we’ll have our work cut out for us. We put ourselves in position to get a shot at the title for Roger (Penske).”
JUSTIN ALLGAIER (No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger) Finished 8th
“My guys do a good job every week and this week was no different. They gave me a great race car. We qualified third and had a top-10 finish. Unfortunately, with about 50 laps to go, the handling fell off and the car got pretty tight. I was trying to hold my own. Unfortunately, he (Aric Almirola) got to us. I knew he was there. We were able to maintain on the outside. I felt like it was going to be a clean race. We ran down into (turn) one and he kind of drove straight. He came down afterwards and said I was chopping him off, but we had the same issue at Charlotte. I don’t race that way. That’s the part that’s unfortunate. I hate it. We tore up a race car when we shouldn’t have.
“We had a super race car from the time we unloaded. I was surprised how good the car was. It’s the same car we had at Gateway. The Verizon Dodge crew worked really hard to make it as good as it was. Unfortunately, we just weren’t as good on the long runs. I really don’t know why. That first pit stop, we got behind and just couldn’t completely recover that position back. At the end of the day, we had a decent top-10 finish.”
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
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