P R E S S   R E L E A S E Note: This press release may have been edited for formatting purposes only

Posted on April 28, 2008	Email   Print

CROWN ROYAL PRESENTS THE DAN LOWRY 400

Fact Sheet

WHAT:                               NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway.  Race 10 of the 36-race schedule.

WHEN:                               Saturday, May 3, 2008, 7:30 p.m., EDT “Under the Lights.”

WHERE:                            Richmond International Raceway.

TV/RADIO:                        Live on FOX and locally on MRN Radio Affiliates:  WRVA 1140 AM Richmond, WTAR 850 AM Norfolk/Portsmouth, WIQO 100.9 FM Roanoke/Lynchburg; WFLS 93.3 FM Fredericksburg/Washington, DC, WCYK 99.7 FM Charlottesville, WSVS 800 AM Crewe, Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 128

WAWA POLE

QUALIFYING:                  Friday, May 2, 5:40 p.m.

RACE LENGTH:               400 laps (300 miles).

DEFENDING

CHAMPION:                     Jimmie Johnson

DEFENDING                    

POLE SITTER:                 Jeff Gordon

QUALIFYING

RECORD:                             Brian Vickers 129.983 mph (20.772 seconds), Chevy American Revolution

         400, 5/14/04 (This is the track record for the spring and fall races).

RACE RECORD:              Rusty Wallace, 108.499 mph; 2 hrs, 45 min., 54 sec., March 2, 1997

                                            (Overall track record: Dale Jarrett: 2 hrs, 45 min., 4 sec., September 6, 1997)

TICKETS:                          Tickets for the Saturday, May 3, Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race are available by calling 866-455-RACE (7223) or visiting www.rir.com.  All seats are reserved and start at $80.

                                            Tickets are also available for the Friday, May 2, Lipton Tea 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, which also includes Wawa Pole Qualifying and practice for the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400.  To purchase tickets contact the Richmond International Raceway ticket office at 866-455-RACE (7223) or online at www.rir.com.  Friday’s reserved tickets are $45 (in advance) and $50 (on race day) and general admission tickets are $35 (in advance) and $40 (on race day).  Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult in general admission sections on Friday only.

CAR PARKING:             Free on Richmond International Raceway grounds.  For alternative parking   

        information, including off-site park and ride options from downtown       

        Richmond and the nearby Showplace, fans can visit www.rir.com

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TRACK PR

CONTACTS:                Aimee Turner, Director of Public Relations, 804-228-7645 (office), 804-513-0733 (cell), aturner@rir.com or Richie Denzler, Manager of Community & Public Relations, 804-228-7507 (office), 804-513-0585 (cell), rdenzler@rir.com, or Mark Hoskins, Manager of Communications, 804-228-7516 (office), 804-519-0437 (cell), mhoskins@rir.com, or Media Center (on race weekends) 804-228-7640.

NOTES OF

INTEREST:                     OK, So It’s the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400.  Who is Dan Lowry Again?  Well, if you haven’t heard, Dan Lowry was the winner of the second “Your Name Here” contest from Crown Royal.  Lowry was chosen as the grand prize winner from approximately 10,000 written submissions chronicling consumers’ fondest Crown Royal memories that were enjoyed in a responsible manner.

In Lowry’s winning entry, he recalled a moment when he was working thousands of miles away from home in Venezuela.  He wandered into a local restaurant where he didn’t recognize any of the labels behind the bar until he caught sight of the iconic purple and gold Crown Royal bag that immediately reminded him of the fond memories of home.

A native of New Waterford, Ohio, Lowry learned he was the winner during Crown Royal’s first ever press conference from the sky.  The 29-year-old took part in an elaborate unveiling ceremony in which several helicopters flew high above the Las Vegas Strip to a 10,000-square-foot desert mosaic featuring Lowry’s name as part of the official race logo to be used at this weekend’s event.

Lowry’s name is incorporated into all official race logos, used for thousands of pieces of merchandise and recognized by NASCAR’s broadcast and media partners as the race’s official title.  Additionally, Lowry will take part in pre-race festivities at Richmond International Raceway as Grand Marshal and participate in the trophy presentation to the race winner in Gatorade Victory Lane.

The “Your Name Here” contest will continue in 2009, when the official name of the spring 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway will be awarded to another adult fan.  For more information, fans can visit www.crownroyal.com.

NASCAR Personalities Galore in Virginia Lottery Green Flag Zone Fan Hospitality:  NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil; FOX commentator Larry McReynolds; former driver Hermie Sadler; track president Doug Fritz; grand marshal Dan Lowry; NASCAR Nationwide Series director Joe Balash…all of them will be participating in question and answer sessions in the Virginia Lottery Green Flag Zone fan hospitality on Saturday, May 3.  The package includes an exclusive pre-race pit pass, dinner buffet, beverages, alcohol for fans 21 and older and much more!  The Virginia Lottery Green Flag Zone is available for Saturday night ticket holders at $90 per person.  Information is available on www.rir.com or by calling 866-455-7223.

Can Jimmie Repeat Again at Richmond?  Jimmie Johnson, a driver who had enjoyed little to no success at Richmond International Raceway prior to 2007, completely turned things around and won both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races last season.  Johnson became just the sixth driver to complete that feat.  He joins a list of legends that includes Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty and David Pearson.  Only two drivers have won three or more in a row (Richard Petty: 9/70, 3/71, 11/71, 2/72, 9/72, 2/73, 9/73 and Bobby Allison 9/82, 2/83, 9/83).

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Junior, Stewart, Getting it Done at Richmond: Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. each have three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Richmond International Raceway, most among active drivers.

Who Else Has Been Good at Richmond?  Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are the only other active drivers with multiple wins (two each).  Clint Bowyer, in four starts, has finished no worse than 12^th.  Kyle Busch has five top-fives in six career starts.  Kevin Harvick finished in the top 10 in each race in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Who Needs Some Lady Luck?  David Gilliland has competed at Richmond three times, finishing 36^th, 42^nd and 22^nd.  Robby Gordon only has two top-20 finishes in 16 starts.  Emporia, VA native Elliott Sadler has just one top-10 at Richmond in his career.

Welcome to NASCAR:  Sam Hornish Jr. is currently the Raybestos Rookie of the Year points.  Although he is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie, Hornish is no stranger to Richmond International Raceway.  Hornish competed in seven IndyCar Series races at Richmond, earning two wins and a runner-up finish.  He made his first stock car start here last year in the Nationwide Series when he finished 43^rd. 

Regan Smith previously ran in the Nationwide Series for several seasons.  In six Nationwide Series starts at Richmond, Smith’s best finish was 15^th.  This year Smith is driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. with a best finish of 14^th, which came at Martinsville.

Dario Franchitti is another IndyCar Series defector who is running under rookie status in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  Franchitti, who won last year’s Indianapolis 500, finished 2^nd in 2005, 3^rd in 2006 and first in 2007 in IndyCar Series competition at Richmond International Raceway.  Franchitti’s Sprint Cup Series finishes this year have ranged from 22^nd to 36^th.

Patrick Carpentier, yet another former open-wheel driver, is competing in the Sprint Cup Series.  Carpentier has been to Richmond only once, but he finished third in the 2005 SunTrust Indy Challenge race.  Driving this year for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Carpentier has finished no better than 28^th.

Michael McDowell, who perhaps is best known for his recent horrific crash during qualifying at Texas, has only competed in four races so far this season, with a best finish of 26^th.  McDowell is driving the Aaron’s Dream Machine for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Movin’ On Up:  Richmond International Raceway installed an escalator system in the Commonwealth Grandstand expansion during the 2007-2008 offseason.  The escalator addition will allow the movement of fans from the ground level to the Commonwealth Mezzanine and from the Commonwealth Mezzanine to the first row of the Commonwealth Tower.

No Track Sealer:  Richmond International Raceway was repaved before the start of the 2004 season and no sealer has been applied since. There are no plans to seal the track.

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