Arizona.Travel 200 - Kelly Bires Notes

BIRES, No. 47 CLOROX FORD ACCELERATE LEARNING CURVE AGAINST CUP REGULARS

The argument has been around for years: Is it good to have so many Nextel Cup drivers competing in the Busch Series?

Kelly Bires is one of the few who doesn’t have a problem with it.

While he admits it makes his job as the driver of the No. 47 Clorox Ford more difficult, he said it accelerates his learning curve. He studies the way they drive, and he pays attention to the adjustments they request during the race. As a first-year driver in the Busch Series, lessons come fast and hard. There’s no better way to speed up that process than watching an experienced veteran.

And nothing is more gratifying than beating them in the main event.

NASCAR has plans to change the rules for the 2009 season. Drivers ranked among the Top 35 in the Nextel Cup Series won’t be eligible to earn points during Busch Series races. Bires hopes that won’t keep them from competing in the Busch Series.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Kelly Bires, Driver of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion:
“It’s always tougher to run when the Cup guys run,” he said. “But if your stuff is right, and we’ve been on the money there lately, you can do it. It makes you feel good when you can run with them but their stuff needs to be right for them to run fast, too. They’ve got a lot more laps at these places, which helps them out in qualifying and practices. Once we’re comfortable in race trim, we’ll go forward and it won’t matter where we’ll qualify.

“We’re going back to tracks we’ve seen earlier this year. It’s nice to have a little history there. Soon we’ll be able to go into next year and actually test equipment and find what we need. We’ll work on a short-track program. We haven’t been able to work on the short-track program yet. Right now, the mile and half will probably be our best stuff, our short track is probably our second best and our superspeedway is third, but we’ll get a chance to work on it in the off-season. That’s when we’ll have a chance to catch-up.”

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion:
“We pulled out our Indianapolis car for this race,” he said. “But since July, we’ve completely changed the chassis and replaced the body. Officially it’s the same car, but in reality, it’s a brand new car. We haven’t used it since July, but we’re pretty confident we’ve got a really good car for the race.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
- Kelly Bires won the 2006 American Speed Association national championship.
- Bires was a two-time state high school wrestling champion in Wisconsin.
- Bires will be making his 18th career NASCAR Busch Series start with a career-best ninth-place effort at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 12. He also has eight career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with a career-best 10th-place finish at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 16.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – Arizona.Travel 200 NASCAR Busch Series race
When – Saturday, Nov. 10, 5:30 p.m. ET
Where – Phoenix International Raceway
Networks – ESPN2, Sirius Satellite Channel 128