MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 26, 2010) – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) is venturing into uncharted territory this weekend.  The series will make its inaugural excursion to the 2.5-mile Pocono Speedway for the running of the Pocono Mountains 125.   Although no truck team has raced at the “Tricky Triangle,” the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM) team has track veteran Denny Hamlin behind the wheel of the Digital Qpons Toyota Tundra. Hamlin’s experience and accomplishments at the speedway have the No. 15 team excited for their debut outing.

Hamlin’s record at Pocono Raceway speaks for itself.  Hamlin has four wins at the track in Sprint Cup competition, claiming victories in the two most recent events. In his 10 starts at Pocono, Hamlin has finished in the top-five six times and earned an average finish position of 8.6.

The Pocono Mountains 125 will mark Hamlin’s fifth start with BBM.  His best finish to date with BBM is third-place, which he achieved at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2008.

The Pocono Mountains 125 will also mark Digital Qpons first race as a sponsor in NCWTS competition. Digital Qpons provides a performance-based platform for businesses to deliver targeted and interactive forms of Mobile Marketing. Digital Qpons has developed a system for businesses to freely manage their promotional offers, review campaign analytics, and make changes in real-time to maximize results.

Digital Qpons is quickly making a splash in the racing arena. Pocono Raceway, Track Scan scanner rentals and Charlotte Motor Speedway have all seen the value in what the company offers. They are choosing to participate by posting Qpons for race fans while they are at the events.

Hamlin Comments on The Pocono Mountains 125:

“This race is going to be a lot of fun.  It’s definitely one that everyone has a special incentive to win. It would be really cool to say that you were the first person to win a truck race at Pocono. Only one driver will have that honor. I’m really excited to have a shot at that.

“Billy Ballew Motorsports has given me a great truck each time I’ve raced with them.  All you can hope for as a driver is to contend for wins.  The 15 team has given me that each time I’ve driven for them. It makes racing with them a lot of fun.

“I love the length of Truck Series races.  They’re shorter races, so there’s no holding back.  You don’t sit back and wait. You don’t settle in and let your truck to come to you.  There’s no time for that, especially when you’re at a track that can be difficult to pass. You give it everything you’ve got from the green flag.  I think that’s going to make for one of the most exciting races that the Pocono fans have seen.”

Almirola Looks to Rebound, Make History at Pocono

Aiming to Take Win in First Truck Race at Pocono Raceway

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 26, 2010) – This weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) will venture to Pocono Raceway for the inaugural running of the Pocono Mountains 125 on Saturday, July 30. Although NASCAR has been competing at the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” for the past 36 years, this will be the first NCWTS event at the facility.

The No. 51 Zyclara by Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team, along with driver Aric Almirola, is excited about the new addition to the schedule and the potential to earn a “unique honor.”  Almirola has one previous start at the Pocono Raceway, an ARCA start in 2008 when he started third, but did not finish after his car had transmission problems.  He did lead for 10 laps in that event.

Almirola and the Zyclara by Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team are currently second in NCWTS championship standings, 177 points behind Todd Bodine.  The team, with two wins this season, is looking to rebound from two consecutive weeks of misfortune.   

Almirola Comments on The Pocono Mountains 125:

“This is going to be a special race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  Winning it would be a chance to really achieve something special. Only one driver is going to be able to say they won the first-ever truck race at Pocono, so there’s going to be a lot on the line. It would be a unique honor in a series and a track with such a rich history.

“Pocono is going to be interesting. I don’t think anyone knows what to expect yet. We just don’t know what to prepare for. We have an idea based on our intermediate track races what setup package we’re going to use, but until we get there and unload our Graceway Zyclara Tundra, we just don’t know what we’re in store for.

“We’re bringing chassis No. 11.  It’s a great chassis.  We’ve won twice this year with it (Dover and Michigan). Hopefully we’ll get back to victory lane with it again this weekend.

“Last week didn’t go how we expected.  We were caught up in a wreck and our day ended early.  We’re still second in points. The next few tracks we have on our schedule are ones that we feel confident about and think we can make up a lot of ground.  There are still 13 events until the season ends and we aren’t going to quit trying to win races until then.”

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 23, 2010) – Johanna Long came a long way in 200 laps.  In her NASCAR Camping World Series debut, Long demonstrated a knack for stock car racing in Friday night’s AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park. She proved to be a quick study and showed she is ready to race with the series’ top talent. Long finished the night in 17^th-place.

Long qualified her Toyota Tundra in 15^th-place.  On the first green flag run, Long worked to settle into her truck and find the racing groove that suited her best.  Her truck became “way too tight through the center.” The caution flag waved on Lap 85 and gave her crew an opportunity to correct the handling.  They changed her tires, topped off the fuel cell and made a track bar adjustment. She returned to the track in 23^rd-place.

Green flag action returned on Lap 91.  Long’s lap times improved considerably and became more consistent on the ensuing run. Long picked up two positions, moving up to 21^st-place before the next caution halted the pace on Lap 141. She made a trip down pit lane where her crew performed routine service on the No. 15 Tundra and sent her back on the track. She rejoined the field in 22^nd-place.

The field took the green on Lap 148.  Long continued to show a growing aptitude of the NCWTS and clicked off five positions before taking the checkers. She finished in 17^th-place.

“Our truck was really good tonight,” said Long. “On our first run, I was trying to learn the truck and get a feel for the track.  I made a lot of mistakes that put us back in the field.  I felt a lot more comfortable as the race went on, though.  I wish we could have restarted it at Lap 100.  My crew did an awesome job and I’m really glad that I get to work with them.  I can’t wait to hit the track in Nashville.”

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 23, 2010) – Aric Almirola’s streak of good finishes at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) came to a disappointing end Friday night after starting the AAA Insurance 200 with much higher ambitions.  The No. 51 Zyclara Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota retired from the race early after contact with competitors put him into the wall of the Indianapolis short track.

Almirola came to ORP with a top-five and a top-10 finish in three starts at the .686-mile oval, and the No. 51 Tundra’s performance in practice and qualifying (starting eighth) had the team expecting another strong outing.  Unfortunately, Almirola reported handling problems with the truck shortly after taking the green flag, saying the truck was “tight everywhere” and did not feel the same way it felt earlier in the day.  Crew chief Richie Wauters began making big adjustments early, as the team worked to give Almirola a truck that could push back toward the front.

After multiple pit stops and running in the 18^th position near the half-way point of the race, the team was about to make another big adjustment when Almirola got collected in a three-truck crash  that put the No. 51 Tundra into the wall and out of the race.

“It wasn’t the same truck that we started with at the first practice, or the second practice,” Almirola said.  “I don’t know. We were struggling, we were racing for 20th.  I don’t know what spot we were racing for, but it was bad. 

 “We were a lap down just trying to work on our truck and get it competitive with 100 laps to go.  The 60 (Narain Karthikeyan) kept running into me every time.  This place is as wide as they come for short tracks.  Just pick a lane.”

 Despite the disappointing finish, Almirola is still second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) championship standings.  He will be back behind the wheel of the No. 51 Zyclara Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota next weekend when the CWTS heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.  The Pocono Mountains 125 will air at 12:30 p.m. ET on SPEED.