Race 2 Win: Dover 200 - Shane Huffman Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Dover 200 - Shane Huffman Notes

Huffman and No. 88 Navy Team Ready to Tackle ‘The Monster Mile’

Shane Huffman will drive the JR Motorsports’s No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway.

Saturday’s race will mark Huffman’s first trip to Dover International Speedway, but Crew Chief Wes Ward’s 11 years of experience going to the track should help compensate for the driver’s lack of seat time.

The team is running chassis No. 012 at Dover. This is a brand new chassis that has only been tested once before in the spring at Richmond International Raceway.

Huffman will sign autographs for fans at the U.S. Navy’s display at Dover International Speedway on Saturday from 10:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Huffman spent the Busch Series’s off week beginning his “sailorization” process with the U.S. Navy. He spent last Wednesday and Thursday aboard the USS Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier located off the coast of Norfolk, Va. While aboard the carrier, Huffman was able to experience what sailors at sea do on a daily basis.

In just his second race in the No. 88 Navy Chevy, Huffman qualified 14th for the Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond International Raceway. He was running 17th when he was spun out by another car just 20 laps from the finish. Huffman pitted to repair the damage to his No. 88 Navy Chevy and then made his way back up to 22nd position in the remaining laps.

Shane Huffman, Driver, No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
“I’ve never been to Dover before, so I’m not really sure what to expect. I’ve been watching tapes of previous races from Dover with Wes (Ward, crew chief) and he’s gone over some stuff with me. Dale Jr. and I have also talked about what line to run and how the track can change during the race.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of going to a track that I’ve never been to before.”

Wes Ward, Crew Chief, No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
“This weekend is going to be the first track we go to that Shane has never seen before. Dover is a hard place to figure out, but once the driver gets accustomed to it, it’s a pretty cool place to race. It’s a concrete track, so the weather doesn’t affect it much, but when the rubber builds up on it the track gets pretty tight.

“I think Shane will adapt to the track pretty quickly and we’ll bring home a good finish for the Navy team.”

Navy Notables
The fleet honoree for Saturday’s race at Dover International Speedway is the USNS Comfort. The USNS Comfort is a San Clemente-class Super Tanker whose mission is to provide for rapid activation of a 1,000-bed and 12-operating room afloat medical treatment facility and to execute the combatant commander’s medical plan by developing Level III health service support in response to world wide mission requirements. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Region, the crew of the USNS Comfort sailed to the area to aid their countrymen. With two port visits, one in Pascagoula, Miss., and one in New Orleans, the USNS Comfort was able to provide medical, psychological and humanitarian assistance to more than 2,700 patients.

Event Information
Dover 200
9/23/06
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Deleware
One-Mile Oval
TV – TNT 3:00 p.m. ET
Radio – MRN 3:00 p.m. ET

Team Information
Chassis – JRM No. 012
Chassis Info – brand new chassis
Engine – RCR
Primary Sponsor – U.S. Navy
Associate Sponsors – Chevrolet, Champion, R&B, Puma, Snap-On, Miller, Mitel, Wix Filters, Sherwin Williams, Racing Radios