FONTANA, Calif. (March 19, 2015) – On the heels of directing his latest Hollywood movie, stuntman Stanton Barrett eyes his own stunning performance in Saturday’sDRIVE4CLOTS.com 300 at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway.
Making his return to Auto Club Speedway (ACS) for the first time since 2009, Barrett hopes his 12th race at the 2.0-mile oval will produce his personal best NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) effort, just 50 miles west of “Tinseltown.”
“I’m looking forward to being back in NASCAR this weekend,” said Barrett. “My career in Hollywood keeps me busy, but when the opportunity arises to race in the sport I love, I never turn my back on it. This weekend also provides an ample opportunity to represent my sponsors well at my hometown track.”
Barrett will drive the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Among the sponsors for the fifth NASCAR XFINITY Series race of the season is 4Caring.org.
Founded by Barrett and friend Kenny Crosswhite, 4Caring.org is an organization to reach out and comfort those with personal crisis. The organization’s primary desire is to reach out those in hospital waiting rooms like children’s cancer centers, intensive care units and other related children’s area. However, the organization is not restricted to just children, but people in need for care.
“4Caring.org is very important to me,” added Barrett, driver of the No. 15 4Caring.org / BUBBA burger® Chevrolet Camaro. “It’s an organization that helps those dealing with crisis situations on a variety of different levels. I’m here to do a job this weekend to do a good job behind the wheel – but spreading the word that there are options for those who need it the most.”
In addition to 4Caring.org, Rick Ware Racing in a partnership with MAKE Motorsports welcomes BUBBA burger® and Burnie Grills as associate sponsors for Barrett’s 194th-career NXS start.
“BUBBA burger® and racing go together every weekend during the race season,” said Andy Stenson, senior vice president of marketing at Bubba Foods. “Our relationship with Rick Ware Racing is an extension of our partnership with MAKE Motorsports and Cody Ware. This will help reinforce our presence at the track and with all the dedicated fans. The growth of the TV audience has really helped to propel the visibility of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and now the XFINITY Series to a national audience and we want to capture that national audience.”
Barrett knows that a solid performance in Saturday’s XFINITY event will only help further generate interest in his sponsors and will lean on his Rick Ware Racing to provide that opportunity.
In his 11 previous races at ACS, the Bishop, California native has a best finish of 14th after starting seventh in 1997 driving for Meredith Ruark. Most recently, Barrett finished 28th in 2009 also driving for Rick Ware Racing.
“Auto Club Speedway is a very wide track with plenty of racing grooves,” Barrett explained. “When it comes to a big track like Auto Club, you need horsepower, but you also need a car that handles well through the corners. You actually can find yourself drafting a little bit and getting help from that car ahead of you.
“We’ll spend practice dialing our No. 15 4Caring.org / BUBBA burger® Chevrolet Camaro. If we can continue to make gains throughout the entire weekend and see the checkered flagon Saturday afternoon, it will be a good weekend.”
Team principal Rick Ware has a long-standing relationship with the second-generation driver and is glad he’s back on the circuit this weekend.
“It made sense for us to have Stanton in the car this weekend,” Ware said. “It’s not far from his hometown and he has a lot of support with the track being so close to Hollywood. He always gives up 150 percent behind the wheel and nothing makes me feel he’ll do anything different this weekend.”
Rick Ware Racing is on Twitter. Follow them @RickWareRacing.
The DRIVE4CLOTS.com 300 (150 laps / 300 miles) is the fifth of 34 events on the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule. The first practice session of the weekend begins on Friday, March 20 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. Round two is set for later in the afternoon from 3:00 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, March 21 scheduled to lift off at9:45 a.m. The 40-car starting field will take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sport 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90. All times are local.
