Player Management International Media Release
Daytona Beach, FL (February 8, 2010) – Time management is the phrase of the day for GEICO NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Max Papis. Aside from his duties in the #13 GEICO Camry, Papis will continue to gain much needed seat time when he slides behind the wheel of the #9 GEICO Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when Speedweeks begins to heat up in Daytona.
Papis has shown an affinity for restrictor plate tracks, as he qualified 3rd for the October Truck Series race at Talladega and ran as high as 5th in the Sprint Cup Series race. Most recently, he finished 2nd in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 31st when he turned in a stellar performance, hopping behind the wheel for an unprecedented four stints early Sunday morning.
Papis’s week will also be consumed with placing the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry in the starting field for the Daytona 500. After qualifying 40th on Saturday in pole qualifying, he will start 20th in the opening Gatorade Duel 150 on Thursday afternoon. Papis has historically performed well on restrictor-plate tracks, so he hopes good fortune will push him into the Great American Race.
Papis was overjoyed at the prospect of participating in his first NASCAR weekend at Daytona.
“There is so much history here at Daytona and I’m really excited to be here with my GEICO team,” Papis said. “We’re trying to do something really special this week. I’ve won two Rolex 24 hour races here, so this place means a lot to me. It would be great if we can put the #13 GEICO Camry in the show on Thursday and then have a great run in the #9 GEICO Tundra on Friday night.”
Papis and the #9 GEICO Tundra will hit the track at Daytona International Speedway for the opening NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice session on Wednesday, February 10th, at 6:00 PM (ET). Qualifying will be held on Thursday, February 11th, at 6:10 PM (ET).
The Gatorade Duel at Daytona is on Thursday, February 11th. The Gatorade Duel consists of two races, each of which consists of 60 laps/150-miles and affords teams the opportunity to race their way into the Daytona 500. The races will be televised live on SPEED beginning at 2:00 PM (ET), while the Motor Racing Network will carry the live radio broadcast.
The NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is on Friday, February 12th, and it will be televised live on SPEED beginning at 7:30 PM (ET), while the Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com
You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing