O'Reilly 300 - Blake Feese Notes

BLAKE FEESE
NO. 5 LOWE’S / STA GREEN CHEVROLET
TEXAS PREVIEW

No. 5 Lowe’s Chevrolet driver Blake Feese will be on the clock at Texas Motor Speedway and at a nearby Lowe’s store in Lewisville, TX, this weekend.

In addition to his driving duties at TMS, the 23-year-old rookie will take the First Book Speed Read Challenge on Friday when he will read as many words as possible from a children’s book in just 15 seconds. For each word Feese reads, Lowe’s will donate books to area First Book children from low income families.

In 2004, Kyle Busch took the Speed Read Challenge in Washington D.C. and 40,000 new books went to children in the area. No. 5 car co-driver Boston Reid will take part in a second Speed Read Challenge in Phoenix, AZ, next Thursday.

First Book is a national nonprofit organization that provides new books to children in low-income families, and the Speed Read Challenge Event is part of Lowe’s commitment to supporting education across the country.

DRIVER BLAKE FEESE: “There have been a lot of cool things that have happened to me since becoming a NASCAR driver, but I have to say that the charity stuff I’ve been involved with has been the one of the coolest things. I never realized just how much time NASCAR drivers spend on charity. It’s kind of flattering that organizations like First Book want me to be involved with them. It’s neat knowing that by just taking an hour or two out of our schedules we can help kids. This week we are getting them some new books, next time it will be by raising money for worthy causes.

“It makes me realize how lucky I’ve been in my life – I’m blessed to have great parents, and we were lucky enough to always have a roof over our heads, and food and clothes and books and anything else I might need. There are a lot of kids who can’t say that.

“Working with the charities also makes me realize how lucky I am to just be healthy. I met a little eight year-old boy named Ethan at the Atlanta race. He has a disease called ALD, and his family just found out about it in February. By the time the doctors diagnosed the problem, it was too late for them to be able to do anything for him. He’s the sweetest kid, and he loves everything about NASCAR, so his family wanted to bring him to a race while his health was still OK.

“To know that little boy may not have much time left just breaks your heart. I gave him a hat and signed some autographs and took pictures with him, and his mom kept thanking me for spending the time with him. I thanked them – it was an honor to meet such a brave family. Man, you think you are having a bad day at the track or at the office and then to see what those people have overcome gives you a new perspective.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION- Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 318 – This chassis was added to the Hendrick Motorsports stable last season. Kyle Busch drove this chassis to a 29th-place finish at Kansas Speedway last October. More recently, Blake Feese drove this chassis to a 23rd-place finish last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

THIS WEEK’S DRIVER, BLAKE FEESE: Blake Feese is making his third start of the 2005 Busch Series season this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Feese, 23, hails from Saybrook, IL.

Signed to Hendrick Motorsports’ driver development program last year, Feese scored two wins (Nashville Superspeedway and Talladega Superspeedway) in four ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) starts. Feese also made seven Busch Series starts in 2004; three starts in the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Chevy and four starts in the No. 00 Haas Chevy, both in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports.

In his previous starts behind the wheel of the No. 5 Lowe’s Chevy, Feese finished 23rd at Atlanta Motor Speedway and 28th at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Team Lowe’s Racing crew is competing for the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series owner points championship with four different drivers. Boston Reid and Blake Feese are scheduled to drive 13-15 races apiece, and Kyle Busch is piloting the car in three events (Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas, and Watkins Glens International). Open-wheel star Adrian Fernandez drove the No. 5 to a top-10 finish in the March 6 Busch Series race in Mexico.

TEAM NO. 5’s HISTORY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Kyle Busch started on the pole and led the most laps in last year’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway before finishing second to Matt Kenseth. Driving the No. 5 in 2003, Brian Vickers also led the most laps in that year’s Texas Busch Series race. Vicker’s chance for a win was dashed when he was penalized for passing to the left on a restart.

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