Yellow Transportation 300 - Kelly Bires Notes

KELLY BIRES PLEASED WITH NEW AND IMPROVED No. 47 ARMOR ALL FORD FOR KANSAS

At first glance, it's hard to notice the changes made recently to Kelly Bires' No. 47 Armor All Ford. While it looks identical to every other car Wood Brothers/JTG Racing has brought to the racetrack this year, Bires knows there's a world of difference.

The team started a program during the summer to re-vamp every car in the shop. Crew chief Scott Zipadelli wanted subtle changes to every car. But when Bires drives 180 mph during this Saturday's Yellow Transportation 300 at the Kansas Speedway, those subtle changes make a big difference.

The team used its first new-generation car last week at Dover, Del. And despite being an innocent victim in two spinouts, Bires posted a Top 20 finish and remained on the lead lap. More important, he said there was a significant improvement in the way the car responded to adjustments throughout the main event. The team will take that knowledge -- and another new-age car -- to Kansas this weekend with lofty goals to run among the Top 10.

Bires, the defending American Speed Association national champion, said most of the changes were made in the car's basic geometry. That way the team will have a better understanding of each adjustment, knowing the way the car responds is truly the result of a change, not a quirk in the car's design.

Qualifying for the Yellow Transportation is Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Kelly Bires, Driver of the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion:
“It's nice to be going to a track where I have a little experience," Bires said. "We ran real well there in the truck series. In fact, we were running Top Five when we lost a motor. It shouldn't take me long to get up to speed there in our No. 47 Armor All Ford.

"I'm really excited about the changes Scott (Zipadelli) has made to these cars. He squared them up and straightened them out. We found some things in the way they've been put back together after other races that really took us a little further out into left field. It's been a long process because we've had to get cars ready to race every week, but we've finally got some cars that have been overhauled. I know our Dover car last week was one of the best cars I've ever driven. The Kansas car is supposed to be as good, if not better.

"As a team, we're getting a better idea of what we need for the future. This definitely is a step in the right direction. I think everyone on this team has high expectations for this week's race."

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion:
“A couple months ago we went over every square inch of our cars and found some thing we didn't like about the way the cars were put back together after races," Zipadelli said. "We've gone back over every one of them and made some changes. You won't see a change because everything is with the frame and chassis. But you should see a difference in the way the race races."

FAST & FUN FACTS:
- Kelly Bires was a two-time Wisconsin State wrestling champion in high school.
- The RoadLoans.com 200 will be Bires’ 14th career start in the NASCAR Busch Series. He also has eight starts this year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
- 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 – Yellow Transportation 300 NASCAR Busch Series race
When – Saturday, Sept. 29, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where – Kansas Speedway
Networks – ESPN2, Sirius Satellite Channel 128