EVENT: 5-Hour Energy 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
TRACK: Dover International Speedway
LENGTH: 1-mile concrete oval
DATE: Saturday, June 2, 2012
TV: ESPN (Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. EST)
RADIO: MRN (1:45 p.m. EST)
Cole Whitt
“To be honest, I’d say the Nationwide Series has been more of a challenge this year than I expected. Obviously, as you come up the ladder the talent keeps getting deeper. But I didn’t expect the cars to drive so much differently than the trucks. With the trucks, you have a lot more downforce.
“Here in Nationwide, you run on the big tracks, the same tracks as the Cup cars. There are a lot more teams that are capable of running up front and winning on any given week. It seems like almost everyone has good equipment, which makes your margin for error a lot smaller. You have to be on your game. It’s a lot tougher than I had anticipated, but I feel like our JR Motorsports team is up to the challenge.”
Danica Patrick
“I remember everyone telling me how unique and challenging Dover was prior to my first race. At the time, I didn't have a whole lot to compare that track to. They said it was like a larger version of Bristol, but I hadn’t raced at Bristol yet, either. It’s nice to have more of a handle on what to expect heading in there this time.
“Dover is fun. It’s fast and it can make for a really long day of racing. I think that’s part of the appeal of it, how demanding it can be. We got into the wall with our Go Daddy car after we cut a tire in my last race there, so our end result didn’t look great. We definitely want to stay out of trouble, which is easier said than done at these types of tracks. There are just a lot of different variables you have to look at when preparing for the closequarters racing you’ll see this weekend.”
Notes
FIRST LAPS LED IN A STOCK CAR - Patrick led her first laps in a stock car at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010. She made her K&N Pro Series East debut and led three laps en route to a sixth-place finish in the event.
WHITT’S DOVER LAP STREAK - Whitt has led a minimum of 23 laps in each of his two career starts at Dover. Combining those two events, he has led a total of 47 laps. During a K & N Pro Series race in 2010, Whitt qualified second, led 24 laps and finished 26th. Most notably, he qualified eighth in the Camping World Truck Series event last season. He drove to a second-place finish after leading 23 laps.
JRM WELCOMES CLEAN COAL - Dover International Speedway marks the first of four races featuring The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) on board Whitt’s No. 88 Chevrolet. ACCCE is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership of companies involved in producing electricity from coal. ACCCE supports energy policies that balance coal’s vital role in meeting our country’s growing need for affordable and reliable electricity with the need to protect the environment. ACCCE also advocates for the development and deployment of advanced clean coal technologies that will produce electricity with nearzero emissions. ACCCE will also sponsor JRM’s No. 88 team in races at Michigan International Speedway (June 16), Iowa Speedway (Aug. 4) and Kentucky Speedway (Sept. 22). For more information, visit www.cleancoalusa.org or www.americaspower.org.
WHITT TO APPEAR AT CLEAN COAL DISPLAY - Whitt will visit the Clean Coal display, located in the Dover International Speedway fan concourse area, on Friday, June 1 at 4:35 p.m. EST. Whitt will be signing autographs and participating in question and answer session with fans.
POINTS JUMPER - Following the event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Patrick gained a spot in the Nationwide Series championship points battle and now occupies ninth position. She is currently 27 markers behind Mike Bliss in eighth, and holds a two point lead over Joe Nemechek in 10th.
JRM CHEVROLETS SPORTING AUTISM SPEAKS LOGOS - JR Motorsports will join other NASCAR teams in sporting the blue puzzle piece logo of Autism Speaks on the Chevrolets of Whitt and Patrick this weekend at Dover. The logo serves as a sign of support for the nation’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. To learn more about Autism Speaks, visit www.autismspeaks.org.
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.