Alex Bowman, No. 99 ToyotaCare Toyota Camry, Atlanta Preview

No. 99 ToyotaCare Toyota Camry
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date:          Great Clips-Grit Chips 250 – August 31, 2013
Venue:                   Atlanta Motor Speedway

News & Notes:

• This Week’s ToyotaCareToyota … Alex Bowman will pilot RAB Racing Chassis No. 41 in Saturday’s Great Clips-Grit Chips 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• First Timer… Though Bowman has recorded laps at many of the tracks on the Nationwide Series circuit throughout his seasons in the K&N Pro Series and the ARCA Racing Series, he has not yet competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway. As he heads out on the 1.5-mile quad oval for Nationwide Series practice this Friday afternoon, these will truly be his first laps here.
• RAB Racing at Atlanta … RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has competed in three Nationwide Series events at Atlanta Motor Speedway since their inaugural year of competition in 2009. RAB Racing has accumulated one top-20 finish and six laps led with drivers Travis Pastrana and Kenny Wallace.
• Rice at Atlanta … Crew chief of the No. 99 Toyota Camry, Chris Rice, has sat atop the pit box at Atlanta Motor Speedway four times in his Nationwide Series career, posting a best finish of seventh with Wallace in 2004. Additionally, Rice has Sprint Cup experience at the Hampton, G.A.-track, serving as Shane Hmiel’screw chief here in 2004.
• Get to the Points … As we head into the 24th race of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, Bowman currently occupies the 11th position in the drivers’ point standings, 68 points out of the top 10. Owner Robby Benton sits at 15th position in the Nationwide Series owners’ point standings.
• Rookie Battle… Following his 33rd place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bowman retained the second position in the Rookie of the Year point standings, 67 points behind Kyle Larson.
• Catch the Action … Saturday’s Great Clips-Grit Chips 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be televised live Saturday, August 31 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2 and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network.
• Get Social … Don’t miss any updates from Bowman and RAB Racing. Follow them on Twitter @AlexBRacing and @RAB_Racing.

Alex Bowman Quotes:

“This race at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been circled on my calendar for a while now. I’m really excited for my first attempt around this famed mile and a half and from everyone I’ve talked to, Atlanta is a track where you need to race right on the edge of control. With my previous open wheel experience on dirt tracks, I’ve been really looking forward to tackling the slick surface at Atlanta and run right up against the wall.  I think that previous experience with car control and a strong Joe Gibbs Racing engine will definitely come in handy this weekend.”

Chris Rice Quotes:

“Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of those tracks that are challenging just to get around all by yourself, let alone with 39 other competitors. The pavement is old which makes it very abrasive to our tires, meaning during practice we won’t necessarily be working on outright speed but drivability when the tires are worn out. We will also be looking for grip and lots of it, when the tires fall off the cars will be sideways and the drivers will be searching for different lines to best suit how the car is handling. This is why I’m excited to have Alex Bowman in the seat. He’s very comfortable with racing a loose race car, searching around the track for grip, and managing his tires so we are all looking forward to this weekend.”