What Tire Size?

Team Release

After an anxious off-season, wondering if the Pro Cup Series would come back to life in 2009, Drew Herring headed to Concord Speedway (NC) Saturday for the debut of the new USARacing Pro Cup Series. While he didn’t drive his #22 BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors Ford to victory lane, Herring started off his year with a fifth-place finish.

After starting third, Herring was confident in his car and had looked towards taking the checkered flag first, but the handling went away, forcing him to fade back in the pack. Even so, he was able to keep his car pointed in the right direction and stay out of trouble all the way to the checkered flag, unlike some of his competitors on the track.

“We will take a top five. It is definitely not what we wanted,” said Herring. “We thought we had a shot there at the win at one time, but the car was like flipping a switch. It got really wicked loose there and I did all I could to keep it underneath me. It could have been worse. We could be loaded up in a box like Clay (Rogers) was. He had the dominate car here tonight. We kept our car in one piece and finished better than we did last year in the first race, so we have to just look at the positives.”

Despite not being the first to cross the finish line, Herring is confident he will have a few winners’ trophies throughout the season after seeing the effort his team put forth in the series opener.

“I know we can win some races here, so we are going to keep doing what we are doing and work hard. We will be there. I am proud of all the guys for working hard this weekend. We will take the fifth-place finish and head to South Georgia.”

Next up for Herring and the #22 team is the USAR Pro Cup Series event at South Georgia Motorsports Park (GA) on Saturday, April 25th.

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (April 6, 2009) – Kevin Harvick will be atop of the flagstand at the start of the ARCA RE/MAX Series Carolina 200 race at the Rockingham Speedway on April 19th and will wave the green flag to begin the highly anticipated race.

Harvick’s part time Nationwide Series driver, Tony Stewart had the honor during last season’s ARCA race at the historic track.

Harvick will be making the trip to Rockingham following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway where he will be driving the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet on Saturday night.

Kevin Harvick Incorporated will also field a car in the Carolina 200 with Ricky Carmichael getting his first laps at the one-mile speedway.

“Throwing the green flag at Rockingham will definitely be a new experience for me,” said the 2007 Daytona 500 winner.  “In all my years of racing, I’ve never been asked to be the honorary starter.  I’m also looking forward to the ARCA race.  It will be Ricky’s (Carmichael) first time at Rockingham so he should be exciting to watch.”

Rockingham Speedway President, Andy Hillenburg was all smiles after hearing about the Carolina 200’s honorary starter.

“Here at Rockingham, it’s all about our fans and racing, and to have a driver that has won races in the sports biggest three series this year, backs that up,” said Hillenburg. “We are very honored that Kevin accepted and with him making an all night trip to get back from Phoenix really shows how much he cares about the fans.”

Carolina 200 race weekend kicks off on Friday April 17th with Thunderfest in downtown Rockingham from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. There will be a hauler parade through downtown Rockingham at noon on Friday for the day-long celebration as well as most of the drivers signing autographs at 6:00 p.m.

On track activities begin Friday as well with UARA practice and qualifying. Saturday April 18th will feature the UARA race and practice and qualifying for the ARCA cars. The Carolina 200 is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday April 19th.

Sitting fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points has paid off for Chad McCumbee and the SS Green Light Racing team as Blacks Tire & Auto Service Centers have come aboard to support the teams #07 for Saturday afternoons Kroger 250 at the Martinsville Speedway as the team makes it’s 200th consecutive NCWTS start.

Due to limited sponsorship, McCumbee and the SS Green Light team had not planned to come to the seasons first short-track event when the original 2009 race schedule was laid-out but third and sixth place finishes at California and Atlanta boosted the team to fifth in the standings and the team went to work to keep the early season success rolling. With Blacks Tire & Auto Service coming aboard the team now has the necessary resources to compete in this weekend’s Kroger 250. “Up until a few days ago, we were not even sure if we were going to make the trip to Martinsville, but thanks to the support of Ricky Benton and the over thirty Blacks Tire & Auto Service locations we will be able to race,” Said McCumbee.

Blacks Tire & Auto Service has supported grass roots racing in the Carolina’s for many years. “They helped me with my Late Models at Myrtle Beach Speedway a few years back. Blacks Tire has been involved in the USARacing Series and they going to the presenting sponsor of the ARCA Carolina 200 at Rockingham next month so they understand how motorsports marketing can positively impact their business. I’m really proud to represent them this weekend in the Camping World Truck Series,” McCumbee explained. “I’ve always been a customer of Blacks Tire, it’s the only place I take my personal vehicles.”

Co-owner and crew chief Bobby Dotter is proud to see team’s consecutive race streak continue to 200 races. “I wouldn’t have thought back in 2001 at Daytona that SS Green Light Racing would not miss a race for eight years, I think I finished fourteenth that day. I hope we can give Blacks Tire a finish better than that for helping us keep the streak alive.”

Fellow co-owner Ken Smith is thankful for the support from Blacks Tire & Auto Service as he continues to search for the funding to run the full twenty-five-race NCWTS schedule. “Its fantastic that people who have supported Chad in the past are willing to come aboard to help us keep the SS Green Light team rolling this year,” said Smith. “Its that kind of loyalty and business mentality that we strive for in our partners. I’m pleased to have Blacks Tire on-board and I’m sure Chad, Bobby and the entire team will give their best effort for them.”

• This will be the Chad’s 75th NCWTS start and 83rd career NASCAR start.
• Chad has competed at Martinsville Speedway in the NCWTS on five previous occasions.
• Chad finished 25th driving for Petty Enterprises in Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil #45 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville in the TUMS QuikPak 500.
• Chad’s career best finish in the NCWTS was 2nd in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowes Motor Speedway on May 16, 2008.
• After three events, Chad and the SS Green Light #07 team is currently 5th in NCWTS point standings, the highest position in the team’s eight-year history.

Chad’s thoughts on the Martinsville Speedway and the Kroger 250: “I’ve had a couple of pretty good runs at Martinsville in the past, but I don’t have a whole lot to show for it. We got wrecked while running in the top-five when I was here with Bobby back in 2007 so I kind of feel like this place owes us something. With the momentum we have over the last two races, I think we are in position to get a good finish for Blacks Tire and keep this SS Green Light Racing Chevy in the top five in points.”

Black’s Tire & Auto Service was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Whiteville, NC. Black’s Tire Service operates 31 retail/commercial locations throughout the Carolinas and a wholesale division (BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors) with two distribution centers in Whiteville, NC and Charlotte, NC. The company is family-owned and is committed to friendly service and is highly consumer focused. For more information about Blacks Tire & Auto Service visit www.blackstire.com

The Kroger 250 will be shown live on FOX TV at 2:00 eastern on March 28th. It will also be broadcast live via radio worldwide on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio NASCAR channel 128.

For more on SS Green Light Racing visit www.SSRacingonline.com or email: pr@ssgreenlight.com.