Telcel-Motorola 200 - Adrian Fernandez Notes

Adrian Fernandez Ready For Double Duty Weekend In Mexico City

Fernandez To Race in Busch Series, Rolex Series In Hometown Return

Adrian Fernandez makes his return to the Busch Series this weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in his native Mexico City. Fernandez turned in the fastest practice times, led four laps and finished 10th last year at this track after suffering a pit road penalty that cost him a shot at a victory in his Busch Series debut. Fernandez competed in six Busch races in the No. 5 Chevrolet in 2005. This weekend he will pilot the Peter Sospenzo-led No. 57 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

ADRIAN FERNANDEZ ON RACING IN MEXICO CITY: “I really didn’t know what I was getting into last year. My goal was to go down to Mexico City, have some fun and try to finish the race. I was a little surprised at how well we ran. This time I’m going down there expecting to run well and maybe contend for a victory. I have made a lot of friends within Hendrick Motorsports and Lowe’s in the last year, and we have done a lot of good work. Mexico City is where this all started. It was a one-race deal that turned into a six-race Busch deal then a Rolex Series deal, and what I hope will be a lifetime relationship.”

2006 SEASON: “Mario Haberfeld and I are going to run the full Rolex Series schedule this year in the Lowe’s car. I don’t have any plans to run additional NASCAR races this season, but who knows what will happen. We are focusing on the Grand American Series. We will be running in Mexico on Saturday. It’s a great series and it is growing. That’s my primary focus over the next three years.”

MEXICAN RACE FANS: “I think they were really excited with what they saw last season, and I expect they will be pretty pumped up about this weekend as well. For NASCAR to succeed in Mexico over time, it is going to need Mexican drivers. You saw several drive in the race last season, and you will see more this season. It’s going to take time, but I think NASCAR has made a good start in Mexico.”

DOUBLE DUTY WEEKEND – “It’s going to be a lot of fun and very busy. The thing that matters most to me is that we have a shot at running well in both series. Having great cars in both the Rolex and Busch races makes me really excited about racing this weekend. Add to that, that we are in Mexico City and this could be a perfect weekend.”

ADRIAN FERNANDEZ: Fernandez is a familiar name to race fans, as the Mexico City native spent a dozen years at the top levels of open-wheel racing. A lack of sponsorship has kept Fernandez from driving full-time in the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 2005, but he did compete in the Indianapolis 500 and six Busch Series races. In 2006 he will race in the Grand American Rolex Series in cars fielded by Fernandez Racing. The team also fields IRL entries for drivers Scott Sharp and Kosuke Matsuura.

Fernandez began motocross racing at the age of eight in Mexico. He raced open-wheel cars in Mexico and Europe before joining the CART series in 1993, posting eight career victories and 21 podium finishes through the 2003 season. In 2004, Fernandez joined the IRL, where he won three races, including two of the series’ final three events. Fernandez is Mexico’s premiere driver, and was nominated for Mexico’s National Sports Award – the 2004 Premio Nacional del Deporte – for his career achievements in auto racing. Fernandez has received numerous awards, including “Athlete of the Year,” in Mexico. Most recently, he was recognized at the Premios Fox Sports Awards for his contributions to Latin American auto racing.