JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW
No. 88 Ragu Chevrolet No. 7 GoDaddy.com/Get Together/Get Online.ORG Chevrolet
EVENT – OneMain Financial 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
TRACK – Dover International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval)
DATE – Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011
TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begin at 3:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 3 p.m. EST)
Aric Almirola No. 88 Ragu Chevrolet
“The spring race at Dover was all about survival for our Ragu team. There were a lot of wrecks. We were fortunate to miss most of them until the very end when we got caught up in one coming to the white flag. But we still managed to sneak out of there with a good finish.
“We’ve been running well on concrete tracks so far. I think we have a top-10 at every concrete track this year. We’re looking forward to going back to Dover. I feel like we’ve learned a lot from the first race there to now and we’ll go back with something very different than what we had in the spring. I feel like we’ll be a lot more competitive.”
Jamie McMurray No. 7 GoDaddy.com/Get Together/Get Online.ORG Chevrolet
“Dover is one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit. But I like seeing it on the schedule. I finished third with “Pops” (Eury) and the 88 guys last year. So heading there with the Go Daddy Chevy, we know we’ll be competitive. Tony (Eury) Jr. and the entire Go Daddy crew have put together even more notes over the past couple of weekends, and we’ve made some gains. Getting your car handling well on corner entry is very important. You drop off into the corners so quickly that if you don’t have the proper balance, it makes for a long day.”
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
CONCRETE CONSISTENCY – Almirola owns two top-five and five top-10 finishes in the five concrete races to date this season. The Tampa, Fla. native is averaging a finish of 7.8 on concrete ovals in 2011.
88 TEAM’S STREAK CONTINUES – Almirola and the No. 88 Ragu team are riding a string of four consecutive top-10s, averaging a finish of 6.0 in that span. Over the past eight weeks of Nationwide Series competition, Almirola has led NNS regulars with 291 points earned, notching four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in the process. Ranked fourth in the championship standings, Almirola trails Reed Sorenson for third place by 17 points.
CHASSIS 605 FOR 88 TEAM – The No. 88 Ragu team will unload chassis no. 605 this weekend. The team earned a top-five and two top-10s (Bristol and Charlotte) in the three races with this chassis.
ALMIROLA AT DOVER – Almirola holds two starts in the Nationwide Series at Dover with finishes of 11th and ninth, the latter coming with JRM earlier this year. He visited victory lane in his first race at Dover in the Camping World East Series in 2008. Additionally, Almirola won the Camping World Truck Series race at Dover in 2010 after leading seven laps.
NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 team’s season tally now stands at seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including 10 top-10s in the last 12 races. They are ranked eighth in owner points.
McMURRAY FINALE – McMurray will drive the No. 7 GoDaddy.com/Get Together/Get Online.ORG Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway in his last scheduled race with JR Motorsports this season. A veteran of the Nationwide Series, McMurray holds eight wins, 31 top-five and 66 top-10 finishes. He has led a total of 993 laps. McMurray scored finishes of 21st and seventh (Atlanta and Chicagoland) in his two races with JRM this season.
MONSTER MILE STATS – In 11 Nationwide Series starts at the one-mile oval, McMurray earned three top-fives and five top-10 finishes. He holds an average finish of 16.4 and has led 69 laps.
NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies the 11th position in owner points, a mere 23 points behind the No. 20 car for the 10th spot. Following McMurray’s seventh-place effort at Chicagoland Speedway, every driver of the No. 7 has scored a top-10 finish this season. The list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, McMurray, Danica Patrick and Josh Wise.
ALMIROLA AUTOGRAPH SIGNING – Aric Almirola will sign autographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler, located in the fan concourse area, on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. local time.
DRIVEN TO GIVE RAFFLE – The Dale Jr. Foundation is raffling off tickets to its Driven to Give event scheduled for Oct. 17, 2011, in Charlotte, N.C. Hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, the event features a full dinner, a charity auction, and a performance by a special musical guest. Tickets are only $10 and only 500 are available for purchase. Four winners will be selected, with each receiving a pair of tickets to the event. Additionally, the winners will receive a photograph opportunity with Dale Jr. and other celebrity guests, along with a commemorative event souvenir. Click https://www.thedalejrfoundation.org/driven_to_give.aspx here to purchase your tickets.
JR NATION GREAT GIVEWAY – From Aug. 28 to Oct. 16, 2011, the JR Nation web site, the official fan club site for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports, is giving away a prize a day for 50 days to both new and existing fan club members. All fans must do is log on to www.jrnation.com and click on the register now banner. In addition to the 50 daily prizes, JR Nation is offering a grand prize of an $888 gift card for use in the JR Nation online store. 10 second-place winners will receive an $88 gift card also for use in the JR Nation online store. Daily prizes include autographed memorabilia from Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise.
WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website http://www.jrmracing.com/ www.jrmracing.com, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. http://www.jrmracing.com/media/videos/ Click here to view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more.
