Race 2 Win: Stater Bros. 300 Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Stater Bros. 300 - Shane Huffman Notes

Shane Huffman
Stater Bros. 300 Preview

Huffman ready for first start at California Speedway in Navy Chevy

Shane Huffman, driver of the No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, will make his first start at California Speedway in Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series Stater Bros. 300.

The Navy team’s last trip to California Speedway in September resulted in a ninth-place finish with driver Robby Gordon.

After Huffman competes in Saturday’s Busch race, he will travel to Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif., to fly with the Blue Angels on Monday, Feb. 26. The Navy’s flight demonstration team flies at speeds between 120 and 700 mph and at heights from 50 to 15,000 feet.

The Navy team will run chassis No. JRM 028 in Saturday’s race. It is one of several brand new cars the team built during the off season.

Last weekend at Daytona International Speedway Huffman gained 13 positions before a wreck took him out of contention just 16 laps into the race. The Navy team repaired the car in the garage area and Huffman finished the race in 36th place.

In 12 career NASCAR Busch Series races, Huffman has earned one top five and two top-10 finishes. His best-career start and finish came in last season’s Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Huffman started that race third and finished fifth.

Shane Huffman, Driver, No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
“I haven’t raced at Fontana before, so it may take me a little bit of practice to get adjusted to the track. Lucky for me, the team had a great run there last September with Robby Gordon, so they have a great set of notes and setup information to start from and get us where we need to be to run up front.

“I’m looking forward to racing at Fontana, but I’m also looking ahead to getting to fly with the Blue Angels. I can’t wait to experience the thrill of flying with those guys.”

Wes Ward, Crew Chief, No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
“Shane has obviously never raced at Fontana before, but I think we’ll do fine this weekend based on the Vegas test. Shane has adapted well to the mile-and-a-half tracks and I think he’ll continue that at Fontana.

“We’re taking chassis No. 28 this weekend. It’s a brand new car that the guys in the shop built in the off season. It should run well at Fontana and I think we’ll come away from this weekend with a good finish.”

Event Information
Stater Bros. 300
2/24/07
California Speedway
Fontana, Calif.
2-mile oval
TV – ESPN2 7 p.m. ET
Radio – MRN 7 p.m. ET

Navy Notables
The fleet honoree for Saturday’s race at California Speedway will be the USS Peleliu (LHA-5). Peleliu is the first U.S. Navy ship to carry the name Peleliu, and the second ship named in honor of the World War II battles fought in the Palau Islands. On February 15, 2006, Peleliu and the men and women of Expeditionary Strike Group THREE (ESG 3), commanded by U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen, were instrumental in maintaining Maritime Security Operations (MSO) while assigned to the Fifth Fleet area of operation, which includes the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. MSO, which helps maintain the conditions for security and stability in the Fifth Fleet Operating Area. During this time Peleliu safely amassed over 5,337 flight deck evolutions while in the region, with more than 585 hours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

Team Information
Chassis – JRM No. 028
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