Four NASCAR developmental drivers will
appear at the Columbus Clippers baseball game at Cooper Stadium
in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, Aug. 22 in advance of Saturday’s
doubleheader of racing action at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports
Park.
NASCAR Camping World Series East drivers
Trevor Bayne, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Jesus Hernandez along with
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ronnie Silk will be in
attendance on Friday. The drivers will sign autographs for
Clippers fans entering the park from 6-7 p.m. The group will
also be throwing out the ceremonial pitch prior to the Clippers’
game against the Richmond Braves, which starts at 7:25 p.m.
"We're very happy to welcome some of
NASCAR's rising stars,” Clippers Director of Marketing Mark
Galuska said. “Much as they do with our players, it will be a
treat for our fans to interact with these future stars of their
sport. We have a great relationship with NASCAR which we hope to
continue well into the future."
Bayne, Earnhardt and Hernandez are
development drivers for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Bayne, who drives
the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, will enter Saturday’s race
at Mansfield second in the season standings. Earnhardt, grandson
of the late Dale Sr., drives the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Foundation
Chevrolet and is 10th in the points chase. Hernandez, who is
part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, pilots the No.
11 DEI Chevrolet and is fourth in points.
Silk drives the No. 79 Coors Light/Sunoco
Pontiac for Hill Enterprises. He has two wins in 2008, including
last week at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, and is
sixth in the season standings.
In addition to the four drivers, there will
also be race cars on display for fans to get an up-close look at
as they enter the park. One of the DEI cars will be at the park
along with Silk’s No. 79 Modified and a Late Model from nearby
Columbus Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Camping World Series East and
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour are developmental touring series
that have produced a number of today’s national series stars.
Current NASCAR Nationwide Series phenom Joey Logano captured
last year’s NASCAR Camping World Series East championship and,
in addition to the aforementioned DEI trio, this year’s list of
competitors includes AMA motocross legend Ricky Carmichael and
Joe Gibbs Racing rising star Marc Davis.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour boasts
nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik, current points leader
Chuck Hossfeld and other accomplished veterans as well as
up-and-coming talents such as Silk, Matt Hirschman and Ryan
Preece.
The Columbus Clippers are the Triple-A
affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals. After
Friday’s game, just three dates will remain on the home schedule
for historic Cooper Stadium, which opened in 1932. The Clippers
will move to a new ballpark in downtown Columbus in 2009.
The NASCAR Camping World Series East’s
Mansfield 150 is set to take the green flag on Saturday in
Mansfield Motorsports Park at 5:30 p.m. The NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour’s Whelen 150 will go green at approximately 8 p.m.
To see NASCAR’s rising stars at the
Clippers game on Friday, please visit the team’s official Web
site for ticket information (clippersbaseball.com),
and for information on Saturday’s races at Mansfield, please see
the track’s official Web site (www.mansfieldmotorsportsonline.com).
Source: Jason
Christley/NASCAR PR
Posted:
August 21, 2008
