EVENT: Feed the Children 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
TRACK: Kentucky Speedway
LENGTH: 1.5-mile tri-oval
DATE: Friday, June 29, 2012
TV: ESPN2 (Coverage begins at 7 p.m. EST)
RADIO: PRN (7 p.m. EST)
Cole Whitt
“We’ve put together some good points races over the past couple of weeks. Looking ahead to Kentucky, that’s something our Degree Men team wants to continue doing. We came out in those first few races of the season and ran well. Then from around Bristol through Richmond we really struggled. I think our team is at the point now where we can consistently run in the top 10, so we want to improve on that. It’s cool to see us gaining some ground and seeing growth in the team. I think there is a lot of positive chemistry within our group. We have some great guys on the team and I really enjoy working with them. Bruce (Cook) and I are on the same page with the feel we need in the car and that’s a good place to be.”
Danica Patrick
“For me, I feel like as my speed has come up and the fact that I’m racing further up the grid, I’m racing against new people now. I’ve said it from the very beginning when I first came into NASCAR, you’ve got to earn the respect from the folks you’re driving around. I feel like I’m racing against different drivers now. It’s just a matter of finding the limits with each other and earning that respect. That’s what I’m working on doing.
“I’m far more interested in overall pace and learning at this point than I am about the exact result. The results will end up coming when I put it all together. We were almost able to do that last weekend at Road America. We were poised for a strong finish and it just didn’t happen. We’ll keep on trying. Overall, pace and learning are what the focus is right now.”
Notes
RED, WHITE AND BLUE FOR DEGREE MEN – Degree Men is on board Cole Whitt’s Chevrolet this weekend at Kentucky for the first of three races with the 88 team in 2012. The car will feature patriotic-themed colors in conjunction with the “NASCAR Unites – An American Salute” program, a six week patriotic initiative uniting the NASCAR industry and fans this summer to celebrate America and support U.S. military families.
KENTUCKY IN-RACE REPORTER – Whitt will serve as the ESPN In-Race Reporter for this weekend’s Feed the Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Crew chief Bruce Cook will also give his thoughts from atop the No. 88 team’s pit box.
WHITT TO MAKE KENTUCKY WALMART APPEARANCE – Whitt will appear at the Walmart in Carrollton, Ky. to sign autographs for fans on Thursday, June 28, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST on behalf of Unilever, Degree Men and the Hellmann’s brands.
TEAM JRM SEASON STATS – The JRM teams have combined to score six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes to date in 2012 with drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Danica Patrick and rookie Cole Whitt. The teams have also earned one pole and led 58 laps on the season.
STRONG SEVEN FOR WHITT – Two of Whitt’s three top-fives and five of his seven top-10s on the year have been earned in the past seven races (Talladega through Road America). During that time, Whitt has secured an average finish of 10.9 and accumulated 235 points.
ONE OF FOUR FOR PATRICK – Kentucky Speedway is one of only four tracks on the current 33-race Nationwide Series schedule where Patrick has yet to make a stock car start. The other three facilities include Atlanta Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International.
INDYCAR STRENGTH – Patrick is making her stock car debut at Kentucky, but she has raced there seven times in IndyCar competition, with top-10 finishes in four of those events. The speedway was also the site of her second-career pole. Patrick’s average finish at the facility is 11.1.
INTERMEDIATE UPDATE – Patrick earned her season-best finish of eighth at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. Of her 12 career top-15 showings, all but one have come at tracks 1.5-miles in length or larger.
JRM SOCIAL MEDIA – Follow everything JR Motorsports through the team’s @JRMotorsports Twitter account and JR Motorsports Facebook page. You can also follow JRM drivers Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick), Cole Whitt (@ColeWhitt) and General Manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller (@EarnhardtKelley) via Twitter.
SECOND CHANCE TO WIN DALE JR.’S RIDE – The Dale Jr. Foundation is raffling off Dale Jr.’s 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. Raffle tickets are $25 and only 8,888 will be sold. The winner will be invited to JR Motorsports, where Dale Jr. will personally hand over the keys of the car to the winner. Visit www.WinDaleJrsRide.com for more information and follow the Foundation’s Twitter account @TDJF.