This is your first time competing at Bristol in the Nationwide Series car. Do you feel any extra nerves racing at a track with such a tough reputation? "No, not really. I've raced here before in the USAR series and had some success. It's a fast, fun and intimidating track. I always look forward to racing at Bristol."
What do you like best about racing at Bristol? "I really like the speed of the race. Bristol is so fast for a short track that you really have to stay focused. Like the small tracks that most of us started on, you have to be willing to be aggressive and maybe even do a little bumping if you're going to make the pass. The new racing surface is a little smoother so there's not quite as much banging as there used to be, but it's still going to be fun."
Sounds like this is going to be a busy weekend for you? "Yeah, not only will I be racing this Friday in the No. 23 Aaron's Dream Machine at Bristol, I'm also racing Sunday in the ARCA series at the dirt track of Illinois State Fairgrounds. I am excited about racing at a dirt track. It's a lot different than racing on asphalt, but it's a ton of fun. I am looking forward to racing with all the guys that I raced with last season in the ARCA series."
What are your goals this weekend at Bristol? "Our goals are to make sure that I give a lot of feedback to the team over the course of the practices and the race. If I do that, I know the team will get the car set up the way I like it. You can get caught up in a wreck real quick at Bristol so our other goal is to stay out of trouble. There will be a lot of great talent on the track Friday night. I just want to stay with those guys and run a good, clean race. If we can do that, I think we can come home with a top-15 finish."
Crew Chief Quotes with Steve Plattenberger: "The team at R3 Motorsports has worked really hard to get the chassis No. 37 back in shape to take to Bristol. We have a lot of confidence in that car. We had to rebuild it some to get it back the way we wanted it, but it's back and ready to go. The team is ready to have a solid weekend at Bristol and you can't help but have fun at that track. We all just need to stay focused and on our game since things happen so quick at this track."
Tune in for the win: Catch all the Nationwide Series action on Friday beginning with qualifying on SPEED at 4:00 p.m. Race coverage for the Food City 250 begins at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Aaron’s Sports Marketing Director – Rich Lamprey – 404-915-1683 - Richard.Lamprey@aaronrents.com
R3 Motorsports Media Relations – 704-857-6223 – r3motorsports@hotmail.com