Race 2 Win: Nationwide Series Race Notes

Nationwide Series

Pepsi 300 - Stephen Leicht Notes

Stephen Leicht
No. 21 Racing Gearz Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Pepsi 300 – March 22, 2008
Venue: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at California Speedway … Stephen Leicht will pilot Chassis No. 060 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) stable in this weekend’s Pepsi 300. Leicht drove this No. 21 race car to a 10th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California in February. In 2007, Scott Wimmer piloted this chassis in June at Dover International Speedway (started second, finished third) and in August at Bristol Motor Speedway (started 25th, finished fifth). RCR developmental driver Tim McCreadie drove this chassis in September at Dover International Speedway started 34th, finished 24th). Additionally, Kevin Harvick piloted this car to a second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March after starting 12th.

Stat Facts … In two NNS starts at Nashville Superspeedway, Leicht has posted one top-10 finish and has led 10 laps of competition.

Did you Know … In 2006, Leicht held off Brad Coleman to earn his career-first ARCA RE/MAX Series victory in only his second series start at Nashville Superspeedway.

For the Record … 2008 marks Stephen Leicht’s fourth season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with 58 starts, one win (Kentucky 2007), three top-five and nine top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Ashville, N.C., native finished seventh in the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings.

RCR at Nashville … In 27 previous Nationwide Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway, RCR has posted two wins (Harvick, April 2006 and Clint Bowyer, June 2005), two poles (Johnny Sauter, June 2003 and Harvick, April 2001), 13 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. RCR cars have also led 584 laps at the 1.33-mile concrete oval

What’s on the 21 Slate for 2008 … The 2008 season will feature Leicht and Bobby Labonte as co-pilots of RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet. Leicht will run a minimum of two Nationwide Series races for the Shane Wilson-led team while Labonte is scheduled to compete in 15 events.

Catch the Action … The Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway will be televised live on ESPN on Saturday, March 22 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

STEPHEN LEICHT QUOTES:
What are you thoughts on driving for RCR?
“I’m really excited about competing under the RCR banner this weekend. The Nationwide program at RCR is the best out there and to have an opportunity to drive for a championship winning team is unbelievable. I’m honored to drive for Richard (Childress) and equally excited to be part of the RCR family. Knowing that I can talk with my teammate (Bobby Labonte) and the guys on the Cup side (Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick) will make my learning curve that much better.”

What is it about Nashville that you enjoy?
“Nashville will always be a special track to me. I was able to visit Victory Lane there last season for Robert Yates Racing in the ARCA Series and I look forward to another strong showing again this weekend. Nashville is such a cool track to race on, especially if your car is handling well. There is so much room to move around and you have to find the line that works best for your car’s handling. This weekend should definitely help showcase the great cars that the guys have been building back at the shop and get the Racing Gearz Chevy a solid finish.”