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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 21, 2011) – NASCAR will implement two rule changes for next month’s running of the Good Sam Club 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The size of the restrictor plate that teams will use to prepare and practice for the race will increase by 1/64 inch and is now going to be 57/64 inch diameter. This will provide the teams with an additional 7-10 horsepower.

Additionally, the pressure relief valve on the cars’ cooling system will be recalibrated to reduce the pressure by approximately eight pounds per square inch from last April’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega.

“After the last few superspeedway races, we’ve heard many drivers express their desire to open up the size of the restrictor plate some and we thought the time was right to do that,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president, competition. “We anticipate these revisions in the rules package for Talladega will help continue to provide competitive and exciting racing for the fans.”

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CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 21, 2011) – NASCAR fans today will get a sneak peek at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s new-look paint scheme for the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season.

A partner on Earnhardt’s cars since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, PepsiCo will feature its Diet Mountain Dew brand on the No. 88 Chevrolets in 2012. AMP Energy will remain as a major associate sponsor, retaining a significant presence with the team next season.
The new No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet will debut at the 2012 Daytona 500.

Photo Credit: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS MEDIA

“The time is right to put the power of Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind Diet Mountain Dew as our lead brand on the 88 car,” said Brett O’Brien, vice president of marketing for Mountain Dew and AMP Energy. “Diet Dew is one of the fastest-growing carbonated soft drinks in the United States, and

Dale Jr. is the embodiment of the person we’re trying to target with Diet Mountain Dew—it’s a perfect partnership. Additionally, AMP Energy will continue to be a significant part of our sponsorship activity with several AMP Energy paint-outs in 2012.”

Continue reading “Photos: Dale Earnhardt Jr’s 2012 Diet Mountain Dew Paint Scheme”

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Chasers Look To Shrug Off First-Race Jitters
Though the top six finishers at Chicagoland were all Chase drivers, there were a number of Chase competitors who struggled.

Four Chase drivers finished outside the top 20: Matt Kenseth (21st), Kyle Busch (22nd), Jeff Gordon (24th) and Denny Hamlin (31st).

Kenseth and Busch, with post-race Driver Ratings of 114.2 and 95.0, performed much better than their finish would suggest. They were victims of an empty gas tank, and their finish suffered for it. Kenseth had a double-whammy. Post-race, he was dropped to 21st after officials determined JJ Yeley pushed him on the final lap – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book infraction.

Continue reading “Fuel Mileage Puts Chase Contenders on Ice”

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last top-five finish came in early June, over three months ago. Entering the Chase, seven of his previous nine finishes were outside the top 20.

So momentum wasn’t a discussion topic. A top 10 would have been thrilling.

Instead, Earnhardt surprised onlookers with a third-place run – his best finish in a Chase race since a runner-up at Martinsville in 2008.

Earnhardt now sits fifth in points – up from 10th – just 13 points off the lead.

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Clicking off position-after-position at the end of Monday’s Chicagoland race, Harvick reiterated his standing as the series’ top closer.

It also padded what is the second points lead of his Chase career. Harvick now leads the points standings by seven points over Tony Stewart. Only once has Harvick ever led the points during the Chase – after the first Chase race in 2006.

This is the second time Harvick has led the points this season. The first was after the July Daytona race.