+ TV ALERT: GUYS GONE WILD
AJ will trade in his PlayStation 3 controller for a No. 2 pencil because class in is session Friday on the frontstretch at Martinsville. Driving Professor Ricky Rudd will instruct AJ and his fellow Cup rookies on the fine art of getting around NASCAR’s shortest flat track and saving their brakes in the process. It’s being billed as the Raybestos Martinsville Rookie Orientation and will air during Fox TV’s pre-race telecast beginning at 1:30 p. m. ET on Sunday, April 1.
Speed TV will air the final episode of the “Survival of the Fastest: Team Red Bull” trilogy at 10 a. m. ET on Friday, March 30. A “Survival of the Fastest” crew wrapped up its third and final week of following the first-year team and documenting its struggles and success. The 30-minute program, centering on Bristol, will re-air at 9:30 a. m. ET Saturday, March 31 and 10:30 a. m. ET Sunday, April 1.
Speed TV’s Wendy Venturini returned to Team Red Bull’s Mooresville, N.C., shop to tape another Real Deal segment. Catch the piece on the “NASCAR RaceDay” Martinsville pre-race show that airs at 11:30 a. m. ET on Sunday, April 1.
+ BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN
AJ returns to wheel of the Red Bull No. 00 Tundra for Saturday’s Craftsman Truck race. And he better enjoy it, because the Kroger 250 is AJ’s last truck start until the series’ May 18 home game at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. In three starts this season in Darrell Waltrip Racing’s No. 00, AJ owns finishes of 15th, 25th and 27th.
FREE QUOTES
Brian Vickers, driver No. 83 - “Martinsville has always been a tough track, and I think it’s especially going to be a tough place to run on in a car [Car of Tomorrow] that no one has a lot of experience driving. It’s going to be difficult to qualify and difficult once you even get into the race. If you’re not careful at Martinsville, you can really overdrive the car. It’s a real finesse track, and drivers that like this track tend to run better here than drivers who don’t. ”
Doug Richert, crew chief No. 83 - “We’re taking a brand new race car to Martinsville this weekend. It’s actually our backup car from Bristol, so we’re relying heavily on information from our R & D team. Having one Car of Tomorrow race under our belt helps us prepare for the race a little bit better, but Bristol and Martinsville are very different tracks. It’s going to be really tough to qualify at Martinsville, so that’s our first battle. Running the entire race is another battle, but we’re making good progress working with the COT. ”
AJ Allmendinger, driver No. 84 – “I am glad to have my first official Nextel Cup race out of the way. Mainly because I won’t have to answer the question ‘When are you going to make your first race’ again! Seriously though, I think we are going to have a good car coming into Martinsville. With the test session this week, and my experience last weekend in Bristol, I am going into this race weekend with a good deal of Car of Tomorrow experience. ”
Ricky Viers, crew chief No. 84 – “We are testing in Greenville, South Carolina this Wednesday and Thursday to shake down our primary Martinsville car. This will help us be as prepared as we possibly can be for qualifying. AJ was able to gain some valuable lap time and experience in the COT at Bristol, which will give the whole team more confidence on Friday. ”
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