No. 38 Busch Crew to Pit Elliott in Vegas

MOORESVILLE, NC (March 3, 2004) - NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne is driving overtime this season, competing fulltime in the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. This weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, five of the seven over-the-wall crewmembers of the Kahne's No. 38 Great Clips team will also pull double duty.

Bill Elliott

On Saturday, March 6, the Great Clips crew will perform its customary pit stop duties on the Dodge for driver Kahne in the Sam's Town 300 Busch Series event. The following day, five over-the-wall crewmembers will display their skill as they service the No. 91 UAW DaimlerChrysler-NTC Dodge with driver Bill Elliott, Kahne's NEXTEL Cup Series teammate, as he competes in a limited schedule this season.

The Great Clips crewmembers that will work both races include front-tire changer Mick Grove, front-tire carrier Ben Surface, rear-tire changer Joey Fellores, rear-tire carrier Tim Bowers and jackman Mark Schmuck.

"For me it's a second chance because I've worked with Evernham Motorsports before," said Fellores. "Last year at Talladega I helped pit for Jeremy Mayfield, so I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be fun for all of us on the team. The race is obviously much longer on Sunday, so it will be different, but we'll get through it."

Rear-tire carrier Bowers echoes the enthusiasm.

"I'm excited to do it," said Bowers. "I've always been a Bill Elliott fan, so it should be pretty cool. I basically just go out there and do what I need to do to help the team, so we're all looking forward to pitting both Saturday and Sunday."

Team owners Doug Stringer and Brad Akins anticipate nothing but successful pit stops from their Akins Motorsports crew and remark that additional experience only leads to faster pit stops.

"I expect nothing but 100 percent, which is what these guys give every week," said Stringer. "I have all the confidence in the world in this team--they are proven winners. The added pit stops can only help our Great Clips team as we progress through the season. We're glad that Ray Evernham has the confidence in our team, and we don't intend to prove otherwise."

Great Clips, Inc., ranked 41st by Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500C", is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Established in 1982, Great Clips perfected a system for delivering competitively priced, high quality cuts and perms to men, women and children. The company began franchising in 1983, and today, more than 2000 Great Clips salons operate in 93 markets across the U.S. and Canada. Primarily located in strip malls, Great Clips salons are open evenings and weekends and require no appointments. Each location features a nautical-motif environment designed to afford customer comfort and privacy, and customers are served by experienced stylists who receive advanced training at each of its 53 training centers throughout the country.