Mooresville, N.C. (March 21, 2011) – Jennifer Jo Cobb announced today that she will drive the No. 41 Rick Ware Racing (RWR) entry in this Saturday’s Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway. The agreement is a one-race deal with future race possibilities. Cobb is continuing to explore options for the remainder of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season.

The event will mark Cobb’s first time competing at Auto Club Speedway, as well as her first time driving for RWR.

Photo: Kerry Murphey and Jennifer Jo Cobb

“I’m so excited to go racing this weekend,” Cobb said. “I can’t thank Rick Ware Racing enough for giving me this opportunity. Mr. Ware was the first team owner that told me he had my back and that was before I had even done my first TV interview. He is a hero in this situation. Since, several other team owners have made offers and I am exploring each of those situations in the coming weeks.

“I’ve never raced at California, but Rick Ware Racing has experience at the track and that should give me a head start on things I’ll also have a few teammates to consult with, which should help speed up my learning curve. It’s just great the way things worked out for this weekend.

“I just want to race and I want to clarify my views on start and park situations,” continued Cobb. “I understand that some teams need to start and park cars to keep their primary team financially afloat. As I grow my career, I made it a personal policy that starting and parking is not something that I am willing to do. I have enough hurdles to overcome and I want to do everything that I can to earn the respect of race fans and NASCAR.

“I’ve received an outpouring of support since the Bristol race. My fans have given me so much encouragement and reassurance. It means so much to me to see how they’ve stood by me. The best way for me to move on and put the past behind me is to go to California and have a good race. That is my sole agenda this weekend.”

1 12 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
2 1 99 Carl Edwards Scotts Ford
3 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
4 11 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
5 4 27 Paul Menard CertainTeed / Menards Chevrolet
6 15 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
7 20 22 Kurt Busch Shell / Pennzoil Dodge
8 2 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
9 10 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
10 21 39 Ryan Newman Tornados Chevrolet
11 22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
12 9 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
13 16 47 Bobby Labonte Bush’s Baked Beans Toyota
14 7 24 Jeff Gordon Pepsi MAX Chevrolet
15 14 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWALT Ford
16 5 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
17 8 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
18 23 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
19 13 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet
20 17 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
21 24 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
22 3 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
23 18 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
24 36 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
25 37 36 Dave Blaney Accell Construction Chevrolet
26 35 38 Travis Kvapil(i) Long John Silver’s Ford
27 29 34 David Gilliland TMone / Taco Bell Ford
28 41 37 Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Ford
29 31 09 Bill Elliott Thank a Teacher / Security Benefits Chevrolet
30 26 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Toyota
31 28 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
32 42 71 Andy Lally # Eco-Fuel Saver Chevrolet
33 25 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
34 19 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford
35 27 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet
36 30 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
37 43 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
38 40 92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Dodge
39 33 7 Robby Gordon Speed Energy / Food City Dodge
40 38 46 J J Yeley Red Line Chevrolet
41 34 87 Joe Nemechek(i) NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
42 32 60 Landon Cassill(i) Big Red Toyota
43 39 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing LLC Toyota

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(March 20, 2011)

BRISTOL, Tenn.—The question isn’t whether Kyle Busch will win at Bristol Motor Speedway—it’s whether anyone else can find a way to keep him out of victory lane.

First off pit road after stops under caution on Lap 429, Busch held off polesitter Carl Edwards and defending race winner Jimmie Johnson to win his fifth straight race in NASCAR’s top three national series at the .533-mile short track.

Busch’s victory in Sunday’s Jeff Byrd 500 was his 20th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, his first of the season and his second straight at Thunder Valley. Busch capped his second straight weekend sweep at Bristol, having won Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event.

FULL BRISTOL RACE RESULTS

Last August, Busch became the first driver to win three national series races at the same track on the same weekend when he claimed victories in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Edwards finished second for the second time in four races this season, and Johnson finished third, also for the second time in 2011. Matt Kenseth was fourth and Paul Menard fifth. Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman completed the top 10.

Race Recap | Bristol
10 Ryan Newman
9 Kasey Kahne
8 Greg Biffle
7 Kurt Busch
6 Kevin Harvick
5 Paul Menard
4 Matt Kenseth
3 Jimmie Johnson led the most laps
2 Carl Edwards

Victory Lane

1 Kyle Busch wins his 5th in a row at Bristol across all 3 NASCAR series, and sweeps the weekend at the track for his 20th Cup Series win

Other Stories on the day

-Caution #1 when Jeff Burton slowed down wrecking a bunch of cars behind him including Trevor Bayne, Brad Keselowski, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, and more.

-A huge wreck for the 8th caution when Kasey Kahne slowed, Kevin Harvick slowed and caused a pileup behind them. Included in the mayhem are Juan Montoya, Trevor Bayne, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray and others

-A three way battle for the win between Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch