RYAN MOORE SET TO PULL DOUBLE DUTY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE INTL SPEEDWAY; BUSCH NORTH SERIES HAS HIGH PRIORITY ON FRIDAY, JULY 15 : Raceway Media

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 8, 2005) – Ryan Moore’s burgeoning NASCAR career reaches another milestone at New Hampshire International Speedway the weekend of July 14-17 as he makes his first start in a NASCAR Busch Series race for Dale Earnhardt Inc. But that doesn’t mean his NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch North Series effort with the family-owned R.C. Moore Transport/Bill Dodge Auto Group Chevrolet will take a back seat.

Last year he seemed to have his first Busch North Series victory within his grasp only to see it slip away in the closing laps. Instead of Moore, it was Dale Quarterley who enjoyed his first superspeedway victory under the eyes of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams, media, and fans. In short, Ryan Moore has a score to settle before he moves to the next level.

The Busch North Series competes in the New England 125 on Friday afternoon, July 15, following time trials for Saturday’s New England 200 NASCAR Busch Series race and Sunday’s New England 300 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, as well as the running of the New England 100 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Race time for the New England 125 is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. with HDNet providing live high definition coverage to a national television audience.

“It will be a busy weekend, especially mentally,” Ryan observed. “The way the schedule is this year, it won’t be bad at all. The races are on separate days, where in the past they’ve always been back-to-back,” he added. “There are two completely different crews, so at least my crew doesn’t have chase around and work on two cars. Each crew can concentrate on their own deal while I run back and forth. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Part of that challenge involves the differences in the race cars, part involves the difference in the races themselves, and a third part involves the difference in the expectations he must meet. A competitive effort will bring plaudits in the Busch Series, but only a trip to victory lane will mark real success in the Busch North Series.

The Busch Series car differs from its Busch North cousin in subtle ways, most notably a larger carburetor and the use of Goodyear radial tires, rather than the Goodyear Eagle bias-ply tires standard in the Busch North Series. “It’s such a small difference, it’s not that bad (to deal with),” Ryan noted. “A little more motor and more grip in the tires, which is where your speed comes from.”

He will certainly have the advantage of “A-team” support for both his races at NHIS. “Tony Eury Sr. is putting the car together and he’ll be the crew chief, so there’s a lot of knowledge there. We should be able to get that car going real good,” he said of the Busch Series ride. Meanwhile, the regular Moore Racing crew headed by Jamie Lorfano will be in charge of the Busch North Series machine. They will have a busy weekend, as Ryan’s father, all-time leading Busch North race winner and Busch Pole winner Kelly Moore, is scheduled to make one of only three driving appearances of 2005 in the New England 125.

While Ryan Moore will face ten or more NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers in the Busch Series, he insists the Busch North Series race may be more difficult, due to the limited chance to adjust on the car during the 125-lap, one-stop race. “With the Busch North car you’ve got to be right on when you start the race; you’ve only got one shot to make a quick adjustment, whereas in the Busch Series car you’ve got a few opportunities to work on the car and change tires. With the Busch North car you’ve got one shot to hit it and you’ve got to be right on the money,” he related.

In recent years, Busch North Series strategy at NHIS has called for a single stop as soon as the window opens to finish the race on a full tank of fuel. By contrast, the Busch Series team will pit at least twice in 200 laps.

Moore will make his Busch Series debut as #81, the same number fellow Busch North Series graduate Martin Truex Jr. carried in his first start for Chance II Motorsports at Richmond International Raceway in 2003. It was also Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s number at the Daytona Speedweeks Busch Series race in 2005, so he won’t easily be missed. The same is true in the Busch North Series. At NHIS one year ago, he took the lead from his father and appeared ready to join Truex Jr. in scoring his first Busch North win at NHIS. But his car’s handling deteriorated in the closing laps and he lost the lead to Quarterley on lap 107, eventually sliding back to fifth place. In the most recent Busch North Series race at NHIS, last September, Ryan finished third but never led the field.

Returning to an earlier theme, he declared “You’ve got to be right on, because there’s going to be five or six cars that are going to be perfect and we’ve got to be one of them.” For Ryan Moore in the Busch North Series, nothing less than perfection will do.

The Busch North Series teams arrive at NHIS on Thursday, July 14, with a single practice session followed by Busch Pole Qualifying at 3:45 p.m. The teams will not be on the track again until the HDNet cameras roll at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 15. SPEED Channel will provide an enhanced replay of the New England 125 on Friday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m.

NEWS OF NOTE

* Dale Quarterley scored a long-expected superspeedway victory in the 2004 New England 125, leading Kelly Moore, Jerry Marquis, Andy Santerre, and Ryan Moore under the checkered flag. Mike Stefanik, Eddie MacDonald, Busch Pole winner Mike Olsen, Mike Gallo, and Brad Leighton completed the top ten.

*Like Quarterley’s race victory, Olsen’s Busch Pole was his first on a superspeedway. He turned the 1.058 mile track in 30.550 seconds, 123.732 miles per hour.

* The Busch Pole Qualifying track record at NHIS stands to the credit of Brian Hoar at 29.892 seconds, 127.141 mph, set on July 18, 2002.

* More Busch North Series races have been run at NHIS than at any other track – 41, starting on Labor Day weekend in 1990. Brad Leighton is the leading winner with eight victories, while Mike McLaughlin, Kelly Moore, and Ted Christopher are tried for second with four each.

* Drivers who have won their first Busch North Series race at NHIS are Mike McLaughlin (1990), Martin Truex Sr. (1994), Steve Park, Brad Leighton, and Ted Christopher (all in 1996), and Martin Truex Jr. (2000).

* The longest winning streak at NHIS is three races by Brad Leighton covering 2001 and 2002. From 1999 to 2003, Leighton batted .500, winning seven of 14 starts.

* New Hampshire International Speedway opened in 1990 when Bob Bahre realized his dream of a superspeedway in New England by building his track on the site of the former Bryar Motorsport Park road course. The Busch North Series has been a part of every NASCAR weekend at NHIS, either as a stand-alone event or in a combination race with the Busch Series.

STAT OF THE WEEK

The most successful Busch North Series driver active in 2005 who has not won at NHIS is Mike Johnson, with seven career wins plus the 2004 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. Johnson’s best NHIS finishes are a pair of thirds in 2000 and 2001.

FAST FACTS

What: New England 125, fourth race of the 2005 Busch North Series

Where: New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H.

When: Friday, July 15, 5:00 p.m.

Track layout: 1.058 mile paved oval

Race distance: 125 laps, 131.25 miles

Television: HDNet LIVE

SPEED Channel enhanced replay, Friday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.

2004 New England 125 race winner: Dale Quarterley

2004 New England 125 Busch Pole winner: Mike Olsen

2004 New England 125 top ten: 1. Dale Quarterley, 2. Kelly Moore, 3. Jerry Marquis, 4. Andy Santerre, 5. Ryan Moore, 6. Mike Stefanik, 7. Eddie MacDonald, 8. Mike Olsen, 9. Mike Gallo, 10. Brad Leighton

Track contact: Fred Neergaard (603) 783-4744

Schedule: Thursday, July 14 – Practice 12:20 to 1:55 p.m., Busch Pole Qualifying 3:45 p.m.; Friday, July 15 – New England 125 5:00 p.m.

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