CAMPINGWORLD.COM 500
Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
Josh Wise | No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford
“I had been talking with Front Row for a while about running a race with them this year, and I think Talladega was a good fit. The team has the capability to win there, so I was excited when it came together. I always enjoyed working with (crew chief) Derrick Finley. I think we work really well together. And a lot of the same team guys and shop guys are still there from when I ran in the No. 35. It was cool when I went by the shop this week; it was like returning home.
“Talladega — even more so than Daytona — is anybody’s game. It’s wider, and you can go four-wide pretty comfortably. And that allows more opportunity, where Daytona can be a little more bottle-necked. And we plan on taking full advantage of that opportunity this weekend.”
JUST THE FACTS: Sunday’s race will be Wise’s 66th career start for Front Row Motorsports and first this season … He has seven career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, including a Sprint Cup career-best 10th-place finish at the track in May … Dockside Logistics returns as primary sponsor of the No. 34 Ford.
Cole Whitt | No. 35 Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters Ford
“I’ve approached Talladega two different ways. Sometimes we get right up in there and just don’t care. And if we get wrecked, that’s just the consequence of what we decided to do that day. I’ve done it that way and had it work out great, and I’ve also done it that way and wrecked on Lap 5 and felt like, ‘Oh, that was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.’
“I’ve also done the other option where I’ve just laid back and ridden around, and everyone else wrecks out, and then we get a top-10 run out of it and have a great day. And I’ve also done it that way where I’ve ridden in the back and got wadded up trying to come back through the field at the end and felt, ‘Well, that was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.’ There’s no right way to do Talladega. But we’ll do our best to get a good finish for our Rinnai Ford.
“It’s definitely grueling. It’s all mental. It’s not physical at all. You’re sitting there playing with inches at 200 miles an hour for four hours. Eventually, someone’s going to make a mistake.”
JUST THE FACTS: Whitt has five Sprint Cup career starts at Talladega Superspeedway … He has two top-15 finishes at the 2.66-mile oval … Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters returns as primary sponsor of the No. 35 Ford … Whitt will be at the Ford Performance stage in the Fan Zone on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
David Gilliland | No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford
“Talladega is intense. The speedway races are definitely the most mentally demanding and mentally draining of any of the races we go to. When you’re in the middle of three-wide or four-wide, you just have zero time to relax. You’re gripping the steering wheel with everything you’ve got. Even if you hold the steering wheel perfectly straight, if someone gets under your quarter panel or on your fender, it moves the car on its own. So, you’re constantly just driving the heck out of those things.
“But it’s fun racing. I enjoy it. Talladega’s been a good track for Front Row Motorsports and for myself. We’re looking forward to going back and having a good run and maybe even my first career win. We’d love to get Love’s Travel Stops into Victory Lane.”
JUST THE FACTS: Gilliland has 16 Sprint Cup starts at Talladega Superspeedway … He has two top-five and four top-10 finishes and one pole at the 2.66-mile oval … His best finish is second (2013) … Love’s Travel Stops returns as primary sponsor of the No. 38, promoting Love’s TirePass … Gilliland will be on the pre-race stage on the start/finish line for Q&A on Sunday at 10:35 a.m.
About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a race-winning organization competing in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series, fielding the No. 34, the No. 35 and the No. 38 Fords. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list in 2012, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The team’s partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love’s Travel Stops, Colgate-Palmolive, CSX Transportation, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. Visit teamfrm.com.
