CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 12 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 6 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 28 (FOX/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
QUOTES
“NASCAR has always had a close relationship with the military of our country, and always has service men and women out to the track as guests. That’s always been an important addition to the weekend. I like that we ramp it up for this particular weekend. It’ll be great to meet PFC McClamrock’s family. That’s usually a pretty emotional experience and I’m looking forward to it.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Charlotte
“Winning the 600 would be awesome. Charlotte is our home track and I haven’t won a points race there. So, I would like to win there, but there is a long list – any track that we haven’t won at would be great. Any win this year would be good. But if I had to pick, winning the 600 would mean a lot. I always went to that race as a little kid, so I like to win at the places where I spent tons of time growing up and that was one of them.”
Earnhardt on what winning his final 600 would mean
NOTES
CHARLOTTE STATS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has yet to win a points race at the 1.5-mile oval, but if you throw out a DNF for engine trouble in the spring of 2013, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has an average finish of 15.0 in the last five years (2012-2016) to go with a career total of six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. Charlotte Motor Speedway is also the site of his first Cup start (May 1999) and first Cup pole (May 2000).
LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks eighth among drivers for green-flag passes at Charlotte since 2005, completing 1,768 of them. In that span, the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Patriotic Chevrolet SS ranks ninth among drivers in fastest laps run (215) and average speed late in a run (174.6 mph), 10th in laps in the top 15 (4,069) and 12th in laps led at the 1.5-mile oval (162).
PATRIOTIC SCHEME: Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevy will have a special patriotic paint scheme this weekend. The No. 88 Nationwide Patriotic Chevrolet SS features a red, white and blue design and supports the launch of NASCAR’s annual NASCAR Salutes initiative. The program is the industry’s collective expression of respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend our nation today.
PFC JAMES MCCLAMROCK: Perhaps the most notable feature of the Nationwide Patriotic paint scheme will be seen on the No. 88 Chevy’s windshield, as the space that typically features the series sponsor will be replaced with the name of Private First Class James McClamrock. As part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program, all 40 drivers will honor United States Armed Forces members who have fallen in service for their country. PFC McClamrock, who hailed from Huntersville, North Carolina, was killed by an insurgent at Balad Air Base in Iraq on Sept. 7, 2010, while preparing to leave for a mission. Earnhardt and Nationwide have invited PFC McClamrock’s family, including his mother Susan, to attend the race as their guests. The McClamrock family are friends of a few of Nationwide’s Military Associate Resource Group (MARG) members in Raleigh, North Carolina. When Nationwide heard PFC’s James McClamrock’s story, the Nationwide MARG thought the 600 Miles of Remembrance program would be a perfect way to remember his sacrifice.
NATIONWIDE AND VETERANS: Nationwide has a long and rich history of supporting our military. In 2016, Nationwide announced the hiring of its 1,000th veteran in four years. Nationwide appreciates the values, leadership and unique skills service members bring to the workforce and encourage opportunities to hire Guardsmen, Reservists and veterans.
WEEKEND WITH THE 88S: Last week, Earnhardt and Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen announced the continuation of the popular “Weekend with the 88s” charity raffle presented by Nationwide, which benefits The Heartest Yard and Levine Children’s Hospital. The “Weekend” will take place Oct. 12-15, 2017, and include two tickets to the Panthers vs. Eagles game on Thursday night and the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. The package also includes meet-and-greets with Olsen and Earnhardt, a behind-the-scenes tour of Bank of America Stadium, a tour of JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick’s exclusive Heritage Center, pre-game sideline passes for the Panthers game, garage passes for race weekend at Talladega, travel accommodations and more. Tickets are $18.88 individually or a pack of eight can be purchased for $88.88, and are available on www.WeekendWithThe88s.com. The raffle started May 19 and runs until Sept. 17, with the drawing on Sept. 20.