USG Durock 300 - Kelly Bires Notes

BIRES LOOKS TO CONTINUE IMPROVEMENT AT CHICAGO

KELLY BIRES LOOKNG FOR BIGGER, BETTER THINGS AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY

Kelly Bires may have only five career starts in the NASCAR Busch Series, but that doesn’t keep him from expecting big things from his No. 47 Clorox Ford. Anything short of a Top 10 finish in this Saturday’s USG Durock 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway would be a disappointment.

The team will take the same Ford Fusion it used in a seventh-place finish last month at the Kentucky Speedway. Not only will his Wood Brothers/JTG Racing make improvements on his race car, he comes with a little more experience on 1.5-mile racetracks.

Bires has been a quick study in a stock car. Since moving over from the Craftsman Truck Series, he’s finished 16th or better in three of his five starts. He expects to improve on that record this week.

Bires, a two-time state high school wrestling champion, said there are a lot of challenges in gaining experience in the Busch Series. Not only does he have to learn, he has to do it at full throttle.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Kelly Bires, Driver of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion:
“I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like I’ve come a long way,” he said. “I’m getting a little more comfortable in the car every race. Everyone at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing has worked hard to build really good race cars and that’s certainly accelerated my learning curve.

“We led some laps and ran so well at Kentucky. We took that car back to the shop and massaged on it a little bit to make it better. Kentucky and Chicagoland are similar in a lot of ways and we’re going with a better package. We have a lot of confidence for this race. I know there will be a lot of Cup guy in the race, but we still feel like we have a Top-10 car.”

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion:
“You can’t take anything you learned at Daytona to our next race at Chicagoland except confidence. We brought our car home without a scratch and that shows just how much Kelly continues to grow as a driver. He’s been real receptive to everything we’ve asked. Now we’re going to ask him to take his progression to the next level. We’re going to Chicagoland with considerably higher goals. We’re going to be on offense this week. Kelly’s certainly up for the challenge. I know this race team is up for the challenge, too.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Kelly Bires was a two-time Wisconsin State wrestling champion in high school.
-Pole qualifying for the USG Durock 300 is at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
-Bires won the 2006 American Speed Association national championship. He won eight races and was that league’s top rookie. He quickly was signed by Wood Brothers/JTG Racing to a driver development deal.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – USG Durock 300 NASCAR Busch Series race
When – Saturday, July 14, 3 p.m. ET
Where – Chicagoland Speedway
Networks – ABC, Sirius Satellite Channel 128