May
17
IOWA PREVIEW
Cole Whitt on Iowa
“Our team really overcame a lot last weekend at Darlington after we hit the wall in qualifying. We took an unfortunate situation and worked as a team to get a solid finish out of it. It was great to see both the 88 and 7 crews working together to get the backup car ready. I think it said a lot about JR Motorsports.
“This week Iowa will be interesting. Technically, it’s a short track, but it doesn’t race like one. It seems more like a speedway than anything. It does give you options as a driver. You can move around in the corners try different lines and find a place where your car will work well.
“Our 88 car looks great this week with the Dew Crew paint scheme. I’m a big fan of our red TaxSlayer car, but this Dew Crew car ranks up there, too. I know it will be a packed house in Iowa, so I’m hoping we can get some new Dew Crew members this weekend.”
WHITT JOINS THE DEW CREW - The 88 Chevrolet will carry a special Join the Dew Crew paint scheme this weekend at Iowa Speedway. The Dew Crew is an online Facebook community that gives fans the opportunity to get more involved with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Diet Mountain Dew, while having a voice and making key decisions for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team. Fans can become a member of the Dew Crew free of charge at www.DewCrew.com.
WHITT FEATURED ON ESPN NASCAR NOW - Whitt will be appearing on Wednesday’s episode of NASCAR Now to discuss his recent success at Talladega Superspeedway and Darlington Raceway, along with his outlook for Iowa Speedway. The show will air at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
WHITT MEETS PRESS ON FUND’s SIMKIN FAMILY - Whitt had several special guests attend the Darlington event on behalf of TaxSlayer.com and CURE Childhood Cancer’s Press on Fund, which was featured on the No. 88 Chevrolet. The Simkin’s family and their three sons, including 10-year-old Brennan, who battled acute myeloid leukemia, were honorary guests of the 88 team last weekend. The Press on Fund is helping to raise awareness in the fight against childhood cancer.
WHITT WITH CONSECUTIVE TOP-10S -Following a 10th-place finish at Darlington Speedway last weekend, Whitt and the 88 team have notched two straight top-10s. The effort also brought Whitt’s season tally to two top-five and four top-10 finishes.NATIONWIDE SERIES AUTOGRAPH SESSION - Both Danica Patrick and Whitt will participate in the Nationwide Series driver autograph session at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, May 19, from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. local time in the fan concourse area.
2012 RACE WEEK ACTIVITIES AT JRM – Beginning on Thurs., May 24, and continuing through Mon., May 28, fans are invited to the JRM facility in Mooresville, N.C. for festivities surrounding Charlotte race weeks. Highlighting the action is an autograph session on Friday, May 25 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., which features Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Cole Whitt and Kelley Earnhardt Miller. Kerry Earnhardt, Karsyn Elledge, L.W. Miller, and late model driver, Josh Berry will also be included in the session. 250 tickets will be distributed for the session.
WIN DALE JR.’S RIDE ROUND TWO - For the second consecutive year, The Dale Jr. Foundation will be raffling off Dale Jr.’s ride. This time around it’s an inferno-orange colored 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. Raffle tickets are only $25 each and only 8,888 will be sold. The winner will be invited to JR Motorsports, where Dale Jr. will hand over the keys to their brand new car. The contest will run through Oct. 1, 2012 with all proceeds benefitting The Dale Jr. Foundation. For complete details about the car, a list of second and third-place prizes, and to purchase tickets visit www.windalejrsride.com.
