Tropicana Twister 300 - Stanton Barrett Notes

Spiderman 2 Out, But Barrett Focuses On Chicagoland
AmericInn Pontiac team ready for Saturday’s race

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A young person being at the top of his field in one career is relatively unique within itself, but Stanton Barrett has every intention of being at the top of two.

Barrett is an award-winning Hollywood stunt man, whose newest movie is Spiderman 2, which was released nationwide last week. Barrett, who doubled for James Franco in the hit movie, has been involved in stunt work since his teenage years, following in the footsteps of his father, Stan Barrett, as part of what most Hollywood insiders refer to as “the Earnhardts of stunt work.”

The AmericInn Pontiac, which will compete in Saturday’s Tropicana Twister 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway, is Barrett’s main focus right now, though. Barrett has raced in NASCAR’s top two divisions for several years, and is one of the most experienced 31-year-old drivers in stock car racing.

“Having the movie come out last week and having people talk about that is pretty cool, but driving the AmericInn Pontiac is everything that is on my mind right now,” Barrett said. “When I was doing the stunt work for Spiderman 2, I focused on that and worked as hard as I could.

“Now, I am focused on Chicagoland Speedway and having as great a weekend as we can there,” he added. “We want a good run for our fans and for AmericInn, but we want a good run for ourselves. We’re a small team but we have a great group of hard-working guys. It’s amazing what we can do with our budget.”

Barrett is a strong representative for AmericInn and the series. During a time when many car owners are looking towards youth, Barrett is one of the few drivers in any professional motorsports series who has both youth – his 31 years of age – and experience (in motorsports as a driver since he was 16 years old). He is well known throughout the industry for getting the most out of his equipment, and has learned to make middle-of-the-road equipment good, and good equipment very good.

The former award-winning Hollywood stunt man who has appeared in hundreds of movies, television shows and commercials brings a driver situation perfect for most corporate sponsors – a young race car driver who already has the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Busch Series experience to go to the top. In Hollywood, Barrett has been nominated for two national stunt awards this year, including for his work in Cradle To The Grave, and is known for his stunt-work variety.

“I enjoy the stunt work and I enjoy everything that goes along with it,” Barrett said. “A lot of times it’s like a puzzle, especially putting everything together to make a difficult stunt work, and work well but safely.

“Racing is a lot the same way. You’re trying to find the fastest way around the race track, and take advantage of the car you have,” he continued. “The fastest car doesn’t always win the race. Sometimes that’s just the way the luck goes but a lot of times it’s because they weren’t able to make the track and the car match up the best. That’s what you do during practice every week, and that’s what you spend a good deal of the race doing every week.”

The AmericInn sponsorship includes a minimum of eight NASCAR Busch Series races, which began with the April race at California Speedway. This is the third of those AmericInn races.

The AmericInn Lodging System currently has 230 locations open or under development in 30 states. The success and savvy growth of the system is due to its unique product and market niche. AmericInn competes across the luxury-economy and mid-market segments, establishing it well within the NASCAR demographic. The AmericInn Lodging System is dedicated to providing guests with Quiet Nights, Rest Assured through its unique masonry construction. For additional information and chainwide reservations, please visit www.americinn.com or call 800-634-3444.