Race 2 Win: Nationwide Series Race Notes

Nationwide Series

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 - Stephen Leicht Notes

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

Event/Date: Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 – April 11, 2008
Venue: Phoenix International Raceway – Avondale, Ariz.

NOTES:

This Week’s Cheverolet at Phoenix International Raceway … Stephen Leicht will pilot Chassis No. 060 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) stable in this weekend’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200. Leicht drove this No. 21 race car to a 12th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway earlier this season and 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 four NNS starts at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), Leicht has posted one top-15 finish and has been running at the end of all races.

Up to Speed … In two starts under the RCR banner, Leicht has posted one top-10 and two top-15 finishes. In addition to competing in this weekend’s race at PIR, the 21-year-old driver is scheduled to pilot RCR’s No. 21 entry at Talladega Superspeedway later this month.

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 in the Desert … In 25 previous NNS starts at PIR, RCR has posted two wins (Harvick, April 2006 and Clint Bowyer, April 2007), two poles (Harvick, November 2003 and Bowyer, November 2007), 14 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. RCR cars have also led 402 laps.

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 four Nationwide Series races for the Shane Wilson-led team while Labonte is scheduled to compete in 15 events.

Catch the Action … The Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at PIR will be televised live on ESPN2 on Friday, April 11 beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the eighth of 35 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series tour will take place the same day and will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 5 p.m. EDT.

STEPHEN LEICHT QUOTES:
Talk about your runs in the No. 21 Chevrolet at California and Nashville earlier this year.
“We’ve had some great runs as a team. We didn’t qualify well at California but Shane (Wilson) and the guys did a great job of preparing a great car, as they do every weekend, and we were able to leave with a 10th-place finish. We were really good at Nashville too, running in the top five for most of the race, but we couldn’t get the handling right at the end. I’m really excited about competing under the RCR banner again this weekend. We’re taking the same chassis I drove at both of those races so it should be a good race for the No. 21 team.”

Do you enjoy racing at Phoenix?
“I do enjoy racing at Phoenix. There are multiple grooves to race on. You can run high or you can run low. You just have to be able to find the line that works best for you car’s handling. Corner speed is also really important at Phoenix. The guy that enters and exits the corner perfectly will be the one to visit Victory Lane.”

SHANE WILSON QUOTE:
Why has RCR been so successful at Phoenix?
“Richard Childress and (Director of Competition) Will Lind have worked hard at giving us the equipment we need and we have a good group of guys that work well together. A lot of times you can have the equipment that we have and if the people didn’t work well together then you might not get the results you want. I think teamwork and the best equipment make a big difference. The Nationwide shop runs well because a lot of the key people have been in place for a long time. We don’t talk about being one team… it’s just the way that it is at RCR and I sometimes forget that we have three cars because everyone is looking out for the best interest of the team.”