Winn-Dixie 250 - Kelly Bires Notes

FOCUS, DESIRE, AND COMMUNICATION DRIVE KELLY BIRES IN THE ARMOR ALL FORD FUSION

KELLY BIRES UP TO SPEED IN No. 47 ARMORE ALL FORD AT DAYTONA
The more Kelly Bires drives the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion, the more he realizes there’s a lot to getting up to speed than mashing the gas pedal.

Bires is consumed by every facet of the race car, from construction, to preparation to the race itself. No details are too small, no job too menial. For Bires, the opportunity to be around the race team at and away from the racetrack is all part of the learning process. It also helped him prepare for Friday night’s Winn-Dixie 250 at the Daytona International Speedway.

Bires knows how much work goes into his race car at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. That’s why he’s confident his Ford Fusion will be good enough to run in the lead pack during Friday night’s main event. The team’s strategy for restrictor-plate races has been to drop back during the first 125 miles to avoid the multi-car crashes that are common at Daytona, then make a charge during the second half. That won’t change for Bires this week, either.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Kelly Bires, Driver of the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion:
“The more time you spend with the team, the better you know them, the better you help your communication,” he said. “If you sitting there at the shop and they’re setting the thing up, it helps to know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. I’ve learned a lot lately what we need to run better and what they need to make them go. When we unload, we’ve been good. Our biggest strength is the work’s being done right at the shop. The cars are good when they come off the truck. It’s everybody that makes a difference. We’re hitting on stuff right now that really makes a difference.

“You’ve got to grow up really fast in this business. At this age, you should be graduating from college and having fun. For me, having fun is a good finish. To do that, you’ve got to really work hard.”

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion:
“You actually run several races every week,” he said. “You race to build the car, you race to get it to the track, you race to get it ready for the race. The season is one big race, 35 events long. It never gets easy. We do what we’re asked to do whether Jon’s driving it or Kelly or Mark Martin or Tony Stewart.

“Kelly’s strengths are his focus, desire, communication and his want-to. He’s got a lot of want-to. He’ll do whatever it takes to succeed, whether we have to stay here until 2 o’clock in the morning to get it right. He’ll be right there with us. Does he have to? No. He can go home to his motor coach. In his mind, he feels he needs to be here for himself to do whatever it takes.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Kelly Bires was a two-time Wisconsin State wrestling champion in high school.
-Pole qualifying for the Winn-Dixie 250 is at 1 p.m. Saturday.
-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 – Winn-Dixie 250 NASCAR Busch Series race
When – Friday, July 6, 8 p.m. ET
Where – Daytona International Speedway
Networks – ESPN2, Sirius Satellite Channel 128