BUSCH: Tony Stewart Texas Preview

SHELL TEAM AND TONY STEWART HAVE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE IN TEXAS

FT. WORTH, TX - There is definite added excitement in playing on your home field. When the Shell Team unloads at Texas Motor Speedway for the April 4th Coca-Cola 300, Tony Stewart and the crew will have the home field advantage. Texas is the state headquarters for their sponsor, Shell Oil Products Company.

“A huge Shell crowd cheering us on in Texas is much like the crew having an 18-second pit stop,” said Stewart. “It pumps you up, gets the adrenaline flowing and gives you determination to do better the next time. Team spirit flows back and forth from the stands to the pits. It'’s amazing what a difference it makes to see the Shell logo on hats and T-shirts in the grandstands and to hear the crowd cheering for you before the race and for the crew during the race.

“We receive tremendous support from Shell,” Stewart continued. “It will be exciting for the entire team to be in Shell'’s home state and enjoy the interaction with people involved at all levels with Shell. We’re looking forward to personally meeting more of the people who are responsible for our program. It makes it much more personal to have the opportunity to put faces with names. During the pit tours, we will be able to show them the car and transporter as well as introduce the crew members. NASCAR Busch Grand National Series racing is a tough sport; you need every advantage you can get. Being in Texas with Shell gives us a little edge over the other teams. The crew has worked hard to bring our best car for the race. We are focused on bringing the Shell Pontiac home with a great finish. For me, it would be the ultimate to get my first NASCAR Busch Grand National win in Texas for Shell and our hometown fans.” “When NASCAR announced they were bringing Busch Grand National Racing to Texas, it reaffirmed the importance of our decision to be involved in the sport,” said Jim Malloy, Shell’s Director of Motorsports.

“Encouraging active participation by the sponsors and giving them the ability to showcase their program is clearly one of the paramount objectives of NASCAR. An event in Shell’s home state allows Houston-based employees the opportunity to attend the race for a closer look at the program and to meet Tony and the crew. It gives us a great sense of pride to see the Shell logo on the Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac.” The Coca-Cola 300 will be televised live by CBS on Saturday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and broadcast live by PRN (Performance Racing Network) to over 200 affiliate stations nationwide.

Quotes: Tony Stewart “This will be my first race at Texas Motor Speedway in a Busch Grand National car. Although we didn’t test there, the track has similarities to Atlanta where we tested extensively. We’re bringing the same car we prepared for Atlanta so we should be close on our initial setups. Bryant (Frazier, crew chief) and the crew ran there last year with Bobby (Labonte) which will help us immensely.