New England 200 - Boston Reid Notes

BOSTON REID
NO. 5 LOWE’S / SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET
NEW HAMPSHIRE PREVIEW

THIS WEEK’S DRIVER - BOSTON REID: Saturday’s race marks the fifth start of the 2005 Busch Series season for Team Lowe’s Racing driver, Boston Reid. Reid, 22, is the 2002 USAC (United States Auto Club) Sprint Car Rookie of the Year.

Signed to Hendrick Motorsports last year, Reid scored three top-10 finishes in four 2004 ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) starts, and made three Busch Series starts (Richmond International Raceway in Sept., Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway in Oct.) in the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Chevy, in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports.

Reid’s best finish in the No. 5 car this year was a 17th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway in June.

Q&A WITH DRIVER BOSTON REID

YOU’VE NEVER SEEN NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY IN PERSON, HAVE YOU? “No, I’ve never laid eyes on the place. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to Kyle (Busch) and Jimmie (Johnson) on how to get around there, and I have videos of the races from the past couple of years that I’ve been watching.

“I’m actually going to race there on one of the NASCAR games for the Playstation 2. I’ve never done that before, but I’m hoping it will at least give me a little idea on what the place looks like from the driver’s perspective.”

WHAT ADVICE DID KYLE BUSCH AND JIMMIE JOHNSON GIVE YOU? “They both told me that one of the keys is getting your car to turn in the middle of the corners. They both said that it looks like a track where you can really drive it off into the corners, but they’ve found that it’s better if you lift early, and you can get back to the gas more quickly. They said they’ve actually found some speed that way, so we’ll definitely keep that in mind when I get out there.

“This will be the farthest North I’ve ever raced, so I’m pretty excited about that. Racing in New England with a name like Boston will hopefully help me get some new fans up there.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION- Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 298– Chassis No. 298 was new to the Hendrick Motorsports stable in 2004. Kyle Busch started on the pole and drove this car to a runner-up finish at Phoenix International Raceway last November. Busch also drove this chassis to fifth-place finishes at Gateway International Raceway last May, at Dover International Speedway last June, and placed third with it in the August night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This season, Jimmie Johnson drove this chassis to a 25th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in May, and Blake Feese drove it to a 34th-place finish at Kentucky Speedway in June.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?: It seems appropriate that someone with the name “Boston” will drive the No. 5 Lowe’s machine in New England.

Boston Reid: “Around the time I was born, it was popular for people to name their kids after cities. My mom (Nikki Reid) really liked the name ‘Boston.’ She thought it was unique and that it had a nice ring to it. She’s visited Boston a few times and really enjoyed it, so that might have played into her decision. I get a lot of compliments on the name. I’m actually staying over for a few days in Boston after the race. I can’t wait to do some sightseeing. I’m hoping to make it over to Fenway one night, if I can find a ticket. I hear the atmosphere at those games is something you have to witness in person, and with the Yankees being in town, I know it’s going to be insane.”

LOCAL BOY: This weekend’s race in New England is a homecoming for Team Lowe’s Racing crew member, Joe Claridge. Claridge lived in New Hampshire from the age of 10 until he moved to North Carolina a few years ago, making New Hampshire his adopted home state.

Claridge is a mechanic with the No. 5 Lowe’s Busch team, keeps the gas cans filled on race days, and hands the second can of gas over the wall during pit stops.

“We lived in Weare (N.H.) first, then moved over to Barrington around the time I was in high school,” Claridge said. “I went to Dover High School (in Dover, N.H.) and learned how to work on cars at Lee Speedway (in Lee, N.H.). I finally decided that if I wanted to earn a living in racing, I had to move to North Carolina.”

Claridge’s father, Joe Claridge, Sr., still lives in Hooksett, N.H., and works as an engineer at a manufacturing plant in nearby Manchester, N.H. The younger Claridge stops by to spend time with his father whenever his race schedule permits, but even if the son can’t get by to see the father, the father always gets by to see the son.

“Dad works security at the track, so I always see him on race weekends,” Claridge said. “He always makes his way down to the infield, so I always get to spend some time with him, which is great.”

Every time the Busch Series races in New Hampshire, Claridge also tries to make it back to Dover to indulge in one of his favorite snacks

“There’s this little hole in the wall place called Riverbend Variety in Dover that serves the best Steak and Cheese sandwiches in the world,” Claridge said. “To look at the place, you’d never think the best sandwich you’ll ever taste could come out of there. It’s definitely worth the drive.”

TEAM NO. 5’s HISTORY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE INT’L. RACEWAY: In three Busch Series races at New Hampshire International Speedway, the No. 5 team has two top-10 starts and one top-five finish. In 2003, Brian Vickers started sixth and finished fourth in the No. 5 machine.

One year ago, Kyle Busch qualified 10th and ran in the top-10 for most of the race. On lap 183 of the 200-lap event, Busch ran into the back of Jason Keller’s car on a restart. Both drivers were both able to continue, but NASCAR penalized Busch for aggressive driving. The No. 5 team was credited with a 25th-place finish, the first car not on the lead lap.

MULTI-DRIVER TEAM: The No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew is competing for the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series owners’ points championship with six different drivers.

Boston Reid and Blake Feese have each made four starts in the No. 5 Chevy, while Kyle Busch has driven in six races, including a win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Jimmie Johnson scored the team’s first pole position of 2005 at Darlington Raceway and finished fifth in the No. 5 at Dover International Speedway.

Open-wheel star Adrian Fernandez posted a top-10 finish in the Mexico City Busch Series race, and will drive the No. 5 in Busch Series races at California Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway later this season.

STATS & FACTS