TURNER MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES 2011 PLANS FOR ITS NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES AND NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES PROGRAMS

Team announces driver and marketing partner lineup, manufacturer and engine supplier

MOORESVILLE, NC (November 5, 2010) – Turner Motorsports is pleased to announce its driver and marketing partner lineup for their 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Camping World Series (NCWTS) programs. The driver lineup includes the return of a number of familiar faces such as Kasey Kahne, Reed Sorenson, Jason Leffler, James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael and USAC superstar, Brad Sweet. The team has also added NASCAR Nationwide Series standout, Justin Allgaier, who will pilot the No. 31 Chevrolet for both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The team will field three full-time entries in both the NCWTS and NNS.

Additionally, Turner Motorsports announces that they will continue their relationship with General Motors and the Chevrolet brand. The organization has created alliances with General Motors powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, who will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance.

Team owner, Steve Turner, is quick to thank Toyota for its past support of Braun Racing, which was recently acquired by Turner Motorsports. He acknowledges their role in helping the team achieve the tremendous success that it has over the last four years.

“I would like to thank Toyota for all of its support of Braun Racing over the last four seasons,” commented Turner. “They have been an integral part in the success of Braun Racing and we applaud their efforts in supporting NASCAR in each of the top-three touring series.”

“That being said, we are very pleased to be continuing our long-standing relationship with Chevrolet,” Turner continued. “For a first year team, we have had tremendous success with our Camping World Truck Series program due in large part to our partnership with them. With Chevrolet ‘s support and the addition of the alliances we have formed, we expect that we can follow in their high ideals of winning races and championships.”

The team is proud to have all of its current outstanding marketing partners return in 2011 including Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, Wolfpack Rentals, AccuDoc Solutions, ABF Freight, BigSpot.com, Rexall, the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) and Deft paint.

The driver/ sponsor lineup is listed below:

NASCAR Nationwide Series
No. 30 Chevrolet Impala
Drivers: Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Jason Leffler
Sponsors: Rotation of sponsors including Monster Energy, Wolfpack Energy Services, Great Clips, Rexall, AccuDoc Solutions, BigSpot.com, ABF Freight and FOE

No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
Driver: Justin Allgaier
Primary Sponsor: TBD

No. 32 Chevrolet Impala
Drivers: Reed Sorenson
Primary Sponsor: Dollar General

No. 38 Chevrolet Impala
Drivers: Kasey Kahne and Jason Leffler
Primary Sponsor: Great Clips

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Ricky Carmichael
Primary Sponsor: Monster Energy

No. 31 Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: James Buescher
Primary Sponsor: Wolfpack Rentals

No. 32 Chevrolet Silverado
Drivers: Brad Sweet, Jason Leffler, Justin Allgaier and additional driver(s) TBD
Sponsors: Great Clips for a select number of races with additional sponsors TBD

“We have a great stable of both drivers and partners,” said Turner. “This driver lineup shows Turner Motorsport’s commitment to continuing to cultivate up and coming talent in NASCAR’s top series. We are thrilled that all of our existing marketing partners will return to Turner Motorsports in 2011. We think it is a testament to all the hard work of each and every employee at Turner Motorsports. We all have high expectations for the future including winning races and championships. We know that we have a lot of work ahead of us but with dedication to the program we can achieve our goals.”

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (November 5, 2010) – Kevin Harvick Inc. announced today an expansion of its NASCAR Nationwide Series program with partner CitiFinancial and driver Elliott Sadler. CitiFinancial and Kevin Harvick Inc. have solidified a multi-year deal to compete full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and run select events in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The partnership will begin on the track during Championship Week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Sadler will run the No. 2 CitiFinancial Chevrolet in the Truck Series event. In 2011, CitiFinancial will be the primary sponsor for 29 Nationwide Series races with Sadler, and one Nationwide race with Kevin Harvick.

This partnership marks both a new beginning for each of the three parties involved, as well as an opportunity to build on past experiences. CitiFinancial, which has maintained a strong presence in the sport since 2004, announced earlier this year that it will be changing its name and will use this sponsorship as a key platform to launch that new brand. KHI is excited to build on its successes in the Nationwide Series and run for a championship in 2011. Sadler will start the next chapter of his 15-year career by reuniting with a former sponsor as he looks to add to his career win total of nine in the top three NASCAR series.

Mary McDowell, President and CEO of CitiFinancial North America stated, “We are thrilled to expand and enhance our incredibly successful presence in NASCAR. Our customers and employees are huge supporters of this great sport, and we could not be happier teaming up with Kevin Harvick Inc. and Elliott Sadler. We have worked with Elliott in the past, so this is somewhat of a reunion for NASCAR fans and for us. By partnering with KHI and Elliott, we have a powerful platform from which we can support our new brand and our business overall. We look forward to a great 2011 season on and off the track.”

Sadler comes to KHI as an experienced NASCAR veteran. The 35 year old made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 1995 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway accumulating 130 starts, five wins, 19 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes. Sadler will compete full time in the Nationwide Series in 2011 and vie for his first series title. During 2010, Sadler will compete in one Nationwide and eightTruck Series races for KHI. He won his first Truck race of his career in KHI equipment at Pocono (Pa.) International Raceway in July. Sadler also qualified on the pole and finished third while representing KHI at Bristol in the August Nationwide Series race.

“Kevin and DeLana and everyone at KHI have really rejuvenated my career,” stated Sadler. “I’ve been in some very fortunate situations throughout my career and I feel like running the races for KHI this year is a perfect example. It opened a lot of doors for me and obviously helped get us to this point. We’re committing to race for the Nationwide Championship in 2011. That’s a very achievable goal and one that I’m very hungry for. CitiFinancial is a partner I worked with when I drove for Robert Yates. We had a lot of fun during those days and I feel like this time around is going to be even better. We’re going to kick this partnership off in Homestead and spend all winter getting ready to run for a championship.”

For 2011, KHI also takes a big step as an organization as they continue to expand. The team ran two full-time Nationwide Series entries in 2006 and 2007, scaling back the program in 2008. Since 2008, the team has earned six wins, 46 top-five and 67 top-10 finishes, including 10 pole awards. KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick felt 2011 was the right time to grow KHI back into a two-car Nationwide Series team.

“DeLana and I couldn’t be happier to bring Elliott Sadler on board at KHI,” said KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. “I think when you can bring somebody with that kind of experience to a team; it brings a very credible element to the program because he’s a proven winner in the Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series. For us, it’s the first time that we’ve had a legitimate shot to make a run at the Nationwide Series championship and that’s really exciting as team owners. We’ve been able to win two championships in the Truck Series, and I feel like the next step as a company is to pursue the Nationwide Series championship and I think Elliott Sadler is the right guy for the job.

“We are also very pleased to be joined by a new partner at KHI,” Harvick continued. “CitiFinancial has been involved in NASCAR for many years, and we are proud they decided to join KHI. Next season we look forward to taking them to victory lane and racing for a championship.”

1 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
2 16 Greg Biffle American Red Cross Ford
3 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
4 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Lysol Chevrolet
5 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
6 2 Kurt Busch Operation Home Front / Miller Lite Dodge
7 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
8 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
9 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
10 43 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Ford

AUDIO: TEXAS PRE-RACE PODCAST

11 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
12 98 Paul Menard Quaker State / Menards Ford
13 9 Aric Almirola Budweiser Ford
14 39 Ryan Newman Tornados Chevrolet
15 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
16 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
17 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
18 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Outdoors Toyota
19 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
20 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
21 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts / Susan G. Komen Toyota
22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
23 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
24 83 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
25 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Arctic Cat Chevrolet
26 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
27 77 Sam Hornish Jr. AAA Dodge
28 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford
29 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
30 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
31 10 Bobby Labonte Gander Mountain Outdoors Chevrolet
32 47 Marcos Ambrose Tom Thumb Toyota
33 38 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
34 87 Joe Nemechek HostGator.com Toyota
35 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
36 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge
37 26 Patrick Carpentier Air Guard Ford
38 66 Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota
39 7 Robby Gordon MAPEI / Menards Toyota
40 71 Andy Lally TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
41 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford
42 37 Dave Blaney A&W All American Food Ford
43 09 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet

Could A Clinch Be In the Cards For Keselowski?

In order to capture his first NASCAR Nationwide Series title – and also the first NASCAR national series championship for the legendary Roger Penske – Brad Keselowski has to leave Texas with a 390-point lead over the second-place driver, who happens to be his archrival, Carl Edwards.

If Keselowski finishes 21st or better, 22nd and lead at least one lap, or 24th and leads the most laps, he would clinch no matter what Edwards does. He comes to Texas leading Edwards, the 2007 series champion, by 485 points.

Keselowski’s average finish at Texas in eight career series races is 14.0. He ranks 20th in Driver Rating at the track at 84.1, but has top-five finishes in his last three races. Reigning series champion Kyle Busch leads all drivers with a 125.9 Driver Rating there. Edwards has a 97.4 Driver Rating at TMS, 10th-best among all drivers at Texas. His average finish is 13.0, one spot better than Keselowski.

A Three For All: With Three Races Remaining, A Three-Man Hunt For The Championship

This 2010 championship is tight. Very tight. In fact, it’s the closest in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup era.

The points margin between the top-three drivers is the closest with three races remaining since the inception of the Chase in 2004. Four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson leads Denny Hamlin by 14 points and Kevin Harvick by 38. The 14-point spread between first and second is the second closest since 2004.

AUDIO: The Final Lap Podcast – Texas Pre-Race Show

The “Big Three” All Strong At Texas

There’s no reason to think the championship picture will become any clearer after Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. All three frontrunners – Johnson, Hamlin and Harvick – have had success at the 1.5-mile track. Johnson won there in 2007, and finished second in the spring race. Hamlin won in the spring and was the runner-up in this race last season. Harvick is coming off two consecutive top-10 finishes at Texas.