Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Winn-Dixie 250 - Shane Huffman Notes

Shane Huffman
Winn-Dixie 250 Preview

HUFFMAN AND JR MOTORSPORTS TO HONOR NAVY SEALS AT DAYTONA

During a week when Americans celebrate the independence of the United States, Shane Huffman and the JR Motorsports No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet team will honor a group that defends that freedom across the world every day. The No. 88 Chevrolet will feature a special black paint scheme with the SEAL Trident on the hood in honor and recognition of the Navy’s maritime Special Forces, the Navy SEALs, in Friday’s NASCAR Busch Series Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land) take their name from the elements in and from which they operate as they strike from and return to the sea. Because of the dangers inherent to Naval Special Warfare, prospective SEALs go through what is considered by many military experts to be the toughest training in the world. The intense physical and mental conditioning it takes to become a SEAL begins at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, which is conducted at the Naval Special Warfare Center in San Diego, Calif. Candidates must complete a mentally and physically demanding six-month basic training course, three weeks of parachute training and a 15-week advanced training period prior to becoming a SEAL and earning the Trident – the warfare pin insignia of all operators.

When the JR Motorsports team honors the Navy SEALs this week in Daytona, Admiral Mike Mullen, the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, will watch from atop the team’s pit box during the Busch race.

Friday’s race will be Huffman’s second at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In February he was caught up in a wreck on Lap 16 and finished 36th. The race will also be Huffman’s third restrictor-plate start. He finished 15th at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

In three previous starts at Daytona International Speedway, the JR Motorsports’ team has one top-10 finish. Martin Truex Jr. finished eighth in last year’s Winn-Dixie 250 for the No. 88 Navy team.

JR Motorsports is racing Chassis No. JRM 020 this Friday at Daytona. The car last raced in the February event at the track.

Shane Huffman, Driver, No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
“This will be my second trip to Daytona. It’ll be a lot hotter this time, so the track will be slick, but I’m confident Wes [Ward, crew chief] and the team will have a great car for me.

“With the special black paint scheme and Trident insignia on the hood, our car looks awesome for this race. It’s incredible to see what the SEALs go through to earn the Trident. I visited their training grounds in California last year with Dale Jr. and was blown away by how demanding it is. Those guys are the best of the best, and the JR Motorsports team and I are proud to honor them at Daytona.”

Wes Ward, Crew Chief, No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
“We’re taking the same car we ran in February. The guys in the fab shop have done a lot of work perfecting the body and the guys in the engine shop up at RCR have made some gains in their restrictor-plate program since the race at Talladega, so the car will be even better when we unload this time around. We’ve focused on making sure the car will handle well. The car might not be the fastest in qualifying, but it should be really good in the race."

Event Information
Winn-Dixie 250
7/6/07
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
2.5-mile superspeedway
TV – ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio – MRN at 7:30 p.m. ET

Team Information
Chassis – JRM No. 020
Chassis Info – Raced at Daytona in February
Engine – RCR
Primary Sponsor – U.S. Navy
Associate Sponsors – Chevrolet, Champion, R&B, Puma, Snap-On, Miller, Wix Filters, Sherwin Williams, Racing Radios