Cup Car Notes - PEAK Chevrolet IMPALA SS
Nextel Cup Primary Car: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chassis # 32C/ Back up Car #35C
Last Used: Both the primary and backup cars are brand new Car of Tomorrow entries from the DEI stable. The cars were tested at Talladega Superspeedway last month, where Menard choose 32C as his preferred entry for this weekend’s UAW-Ford 500.
Fun ‘Cup’ Fact: Menard led one lap in last fall’s race at Talladega Superspeedway before the Talladega shuffle sent him back in the pack.
Tops at Talladega
Menard’s personal resume fits well in the fold with the superspeedway elite at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Menard went to Victory Lane at Talladega in 2003, after scoring a win in the ARCA race. Menard further endured himself to the superspeedway Gods when he won the Busch Pole Award at Talladega in 2005. In 2006, Menard qualified for the October Nextel Cup event at Talladega and ran up front for a good portion of the day, even managing to lead lap 154. While Menard was involved in a crash on lap 173, he remains positive about the team’s potential for success in this weekend’s UAW-Ford 500.
Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three
Menard’s first experience in the COT at Talladega Superspeedway was positive. Menard led the way through the second day of the test, topping the chart in both morning and afternoon drafting sessions. Menard’s performance is backed by the superspeedway powerhouse organization Dale Earnhardt Inc. which has a combined 10 Cup and Busch wins at Talladega Superspeedway.
Raybestos Rookie Power
Currently, Menard stands third in overall Raybestos Rookie ratings. He has 181 points; 42 points behind Juan Pablo Montoya who leads the battle with 223 points. Menard has won Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors in four events this season, including Kansas, Richmond, Phoenix and Watkins Glen.
Standings Status
Paul Menard is currently 34th in Driver’s Points, while the No. 15 team maintained 29th place in Owner’s Standings following last weeks race at Kansas Speedway. The team is has a 360 point cushion on the top-35. DEI’s past performance at Talladega should aid Menard’s team in its quest towards the top-20 in owner’s standings by the end of the season.
Talladega Quotes:
Paul Menard on the Cup Race:
“The COT has a lot more down force and drag which allows us to run a bigger restrictor plate. The cars drive better because of the down force and have better throttle response with the bigger plate. The first day of testing we focused on speed, trying to get the car in shape for qualifying. Daytona is a downforce track, it’s a racing track and Talladega is pure speed, especially since they resurfaced it. Just get all the drag out of the car and if we take away front downforce because of that then so be it. I think we’ll be pretty good this weekend. I know I felt good leaving the test last month.”
Nextel Cup Crew Chief Dave Charpentier on the Cup Race:
“We were definitely one of the best cars overall at the test. The Hendrick cars were going out at the same time as us, drafting with Paul to see what he had for them and I think they saw what we saw, which was that we were really good. Of course it’s tough for Paul as a rookie, since a lot of the veterans draft together, but we’ve got the 8, the 1 and the 01 so we should be able to get something good going. I’m expecting us to run up front and hopefully get that top-10 finish we’ve been working towards this year.”
