Sprint Cup Primary Car: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chassis #039/ Back up Car #048
Last Used:  #039 was last run at Martinsville.

Overall Notes of Interest
Paul Menard and his Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates have plenty to look forward to heading to Phoenix International Raceway for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event. Not only is the team coming off a 17th place run at Texas, it’s fifth top-25 finish this season, but the driver of the No. 15 Johns Manville/Menards Chevrolet has also visited victory lane at the one-mile oval on multiple occasions. All things considered, Menards Racing is on a roll and Phoenix is the perfect stop on the circuit to extend the team’s success streak.

Menard finished 25th and 22nd place respectively, in last year’s two events at Phoenix. He hopes to improve on those finishes this Saturday night in the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Menard’s showing at last month’s Phoenix test was another source of inspiration for the team. The No. 15 team clocked in the second fastest lap overall during the two-day test.

Menard looks to add to his Phoenix success in Saturday’s race. The event will broadcast live on FOX beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Menard Knows the Way to Victory Lane at Phoenix
In addition to his experience in a Sprint Cup car at the track, Menard has a couple of Phoenix victories in other series’ to his resume. Menard won a Grand-Am race at the track in 2002 and returned to the track later that year to score the win in the NASCAR Southwest Tour Series. In that particular race, Menard completed an exciting last lap pass over veteran driver Ken Schrader to score his first Southwest Tour Victory.

Wisconsinites Strong at Phoenix
The first Cup race at Phoenix was won by Wisconsin native Alan Kulwicki. Kulwicki has five starts at the track, with four three top fives and four top-10’s. Another notable Wisconsin racer, Dick Trickle, finished 7th in his Raybestos Rookie appearance at the track in 1989.

Standings Status
Paul Menard is currently 23rd in NASCAR Sprint Cup driver’s points, while the No. 15 team is 24th in owner’s standings following last weeks 16th place finish at Texas.

Phoenix Quotes:
 
Paul Menard on the race:
“I have always been a big fan of Phoenix. It’s just a track that suits my driving style. We learned a few things last year at Phoenix and that helped us at the test last month. We took that information and really built on it during the two day session. It helps the team to come back to a track where we tested well.”

Crew Chief Doug Randolph:
“Seeing how we ran at Bristol and Martinsville gives us a lot of hope for what to expect this weekend, as well as our findings from last month’s Phoenix test. It also helps to have a driver that has won races at this track and Paul has a couple of wins to draw on when racing at this particular track. I’d say a top-10 finish this weekend is a realistic goal. This team just keeps getting better and better so the momentum factor is definitely on our side.”