FAMILY FARMERS TAKE CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY BY STORM

Jul 20, 2012  |  Today's News

This is the first of two races weekends in Joliet, IL, at the Chicagoland Speedway, for the 2012 NASCAR racing season.  Family Farmers cannot be missed at the event, with a 17,000 square foot exhibit area onsite to be complemented with both a Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series “Family Farmers” entry. This work is aimed at improving the trust between consumers and family farmers. In corn checkoff funded research, it was revealed that most influential people in the Chicago area think that corporations own most of the farms in Illinois. This erodes the base of support among that same group for issues that are important to farmers regarding regulations, food safety, transportation, and trade.

News & Notes:

  • This Week's Family Farmers Toyota ... Kenny Wallace will pilot RAB Racing with Brack Maggard chassis No. 42 in Sunday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. This Toyota Camry made its 2012 debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, where Kenny Wallace started 18th and finished 11th. Wallace then raced it at Auto Club Speedway, where he started sixth and finished seventh. In May, Travis Pastrana piloted this chassis to a 24th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Most recently, Wallace drove this chassis from a 26th-place starting position to an 11th-place finish at Kentucky Speedway.
  • Doubling Up ... For the first time in their brief NASCAR Nationwide Series history, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard will be fielding two NASCAR Nationwide Series cars this weekend at Chicago. Driver of the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota Camry, Travis Pastrana, will serve as teammate this weekend to Wallace as the two help make history for the Concord, N.C.-based team.
  • Wallace at Chicago ... In 10 Nationwide Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Wallace has garnered one top-10 and three top-20 finishes.  His best showing at the 1.5-mile track is seventh, which the St. Louis-native posted in this event one year ago. Additionally, the nine-time Nationwide Series race winner has an average starting position of 23.4 and an average finish of 24.3 at the 1.5 mile tri-oval.
  • RAB at Chicago ... RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has fielded Nationwide Series entries at Kentucky Speedway four times since 2009, with drivers Landon Cassill, John Wes Townley, and Wallace. The team's best showing at the Joliet tri-oval is a seventh-place finish, which was posted by Wallace in 2011's running of the STP 300.
  • Zipadelli at Chicago ... Crew chief Scott Zipadelli has sat atop the pit box at Chicagoland Speedway five times boasting one top-five and two top-10 finishes. He posted his highest finish of fourth with driver Jason Leffler in 2009's Dollar General 300.
  • Get to the Points ... As we head into the 18th race of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, RAB Racing currently occupies the 23rd position in the owner's points standings, only 18 points out of the Top 20.
  • Catch the Action ...

Sunday's Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway will be televised live Sunday, July 22 beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network. NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying will be televised live Sunday, July 22 beginning at11:30 a.m. EDT on ESPN 2.

Kenny Wallace Quotes:

"Chicagoland Speedway is a great track for me. We finished seventh in this race last year with our Family Farmers Toyota Camry. Since they closed Gateway International Raceway in 2010, Chicago has become sort of like a home track for me since it is only about four hours away from my hometown of St. Louis. Not only that, but it is the home of Family Farmers and American Ethanol, so I want to run well for them and I feel confident that we will run well."

 

 

Scott Zipadelli Quotes:

"I'm excited for Kenny to be back in the car this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway; he brings so much excitement to the team. We'll need it, because Chicago is a difficult track. We practice in the late afternoon and race during the day so there is always a temperature difference. It gets tighter as you practice and you get off your setup, so you have to pay close attention to your changes in practice. It's a very aero-sensitive track. Qualifying and track position is very important so we're looking to qualify on the pole and lead every lap."

  • This Week's Family Farmers Toyota Tundra ... John Wes Townley will pilot RAB Racing Chassis No. 48 in Saturday's American Ethanol 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. This chassis last saw action at Kentucky Speedway last month, where the 22-year-old driver finished 32nd after being involved in an incident in the early going of the race.
  • Townley at Chicago ... While Townley has not yet raced at Chicagoland Speedway in Camping World Truck Series competition, he has raced there before. In his only NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the Joliet track, Townley finished 21st in 2009's Dollar General 300. Additionally, Townley competed here in the 2008 ARCA Racing Series' ARCA 200.
  • RAB Racing at Chicago... While RAB Racing has not yet competed at Chicagoland Speedway in Camping World Truck Series competition, they have competed in four Nationwide Series events at the 1.5-mile tri-oval dating back to 2009. In addition to Townley's start, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has fielded three Nationwide Series entries at Chicagoland Speedway with drivers Landon Cassill and Kenny Wallace. The team's best showing at the Joliet track is a seventh-place finish, which was posted by Wallace in 2011's running of the STP 300.
  • After Nine Races... Over the first nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races of the 2012 season, Townley has accumulated five top-20 finishes, an average starting position of 21.8 and an average finish of 21.2. Townley has completed 87.1 percent of the laps he's contested (1,233 of 1,415) thus far.
  • Get to the Points ... Townley's fifth top-20 finish of the 2012 season in last Saturday's American Ethanol 200 allowed him to advance two positions, to 20th, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings.
  • Your Point Is... As we head into the 10th race of the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, RAB Racing currently occupies the 18th position in the owner's points standings.
  • RAB Racing in 2012... With nine races completed in the 2012 season, RAB Racing's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entries have recorded one top-five and six top-20 finishes with drivers Travis Kvapil and Townley.
  • Catch the Action ... The American Ethanol 225 from Chicagoland Speedway will be televised live Saturday, July 21 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT on SPEED and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network. Qualifying will be televised live Saturday, July 21 beginning at 4:00 p.m. EDT on SPEED

John Wes Townley Quotes

"It's been a long time since I've raced at Chicagoland Speedway and I'm excited to get back there this weekend with our Family Farmers Toyota Tundra.  This track is a lot of fun and momentum builds throughout the night. I always enjoy night races and am excited to compete in another one. I've got to thank all of the farmers for jumping on board with us this weekend. It's pretty cool to represent them in the American Ethanol 225."

Chris Rice Quotes

"I am looking forward to joining our Nationwide Series team at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. Chicago is a tough cookie-cutter track and John Wes will be wide open in his Family Farmers Toyota Tundra throughout the night. This race is a challenge because you really have to work on your drag, aero, and chassis, but it will be fun to see how much progression our RAB Racing team has made since we last competed at a mile-and-a-half track."