Stater Bros. 300 - Stanton Barrett Notes

A Homecoming For Young Veteran Stanton Barrett
The AmericInn Lodging System sponsors driver At his home track – California Speedway

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It’s “old home week” for Stanton Barrett, driver of the #91 AmericInn Pontiac on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit.

The Bishop, Calif., native is essentially from Hollywood, just down Interstate-10 from the two-mile California Speedway, site of Saturday’s 300-mile NASCAR Busch Series race. That event will precede Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup event, in which Barrett will drive the #94 AmericInn Chevrolet.

For the “hometown” boy, it will mark his first race with the AmericInn Lodging System colors on a regular basis. AmericInn sponsored Barrett’s car in two Busch Series events and one Nextel Cup Series event earlier this season.

“This will be a big weekend for me from a number of standpoints,” said Barrett, the 31-year-old veteran. “This is the closest we race to where I was born and grew up (Bishop) and to where I spent most of my adult life (Hollywood), so I have a lot of family and friends who will be at California this weekend. Then you add in the fact this is the first of a series of races for us with the AmericInn Lodging System and, yeah, it’s a pretty exciting time for me.”

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.

“Because of the support of the AmericInn Lodging System, we’ve been able to ramp up our efforts some for these races,” Barrett said. “This is a tough business. We feel we have a good race team and I feel I do a good job as a driver but it takes really great financial support to be successful. Sponsorship is the glue that holds a good team and a good driver together, and AmericInn brings some of that to us. That should help us as we move forward.”

The sponsorship includes a minimum of eight NASCAR Busch Series races, beginning with this week’s events at California Speedway.

“Obviously, we’re thinking long term as far as myself as a driver and as far as AmericInn as a sponsor are concerned,” Barrett said. “We feel we can give them eight really solid runs and, hopefully, a lot of positive exposure through our race team and the NASCAR Busch Series.

“We’ve been burning the midnight oil to get our AmericInn Pontiac the best it can be for California,” added Barrett, who has made a career of “burning the midnight oil.” He is well known for his incredible work ethic which, in the past, often saw him working all night on a movie set, and then spending the day making telephone calls and talking with car owners and potential sponsors.

“AmericInn has quality as its cornerstone, and that’s our foundation too – as a race team and me as a driver,” Barrett continued. “Every time out, I want to do the absolute best I can do. I work with whatever I have to work with but my dream has always been to be a race car driver, so I am going to be the best race car driver I can possibly be.

“Having a company with the quality of the AmericInn Lodging System behind me means a lot,” Barrett said. “I’ve worked really hard to build a good race team and to get myself into a position where I can run Cup and Busch races. Their support means a lot to me.”

Not to mention the support of the cadre of family and friends who will join the AmericInn Pontiac driver this weekend at the two-mile California Speedway.

The AmericInn Lodging System currently has 224 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.