Furniture Row Racing Focuses Exclusively on NEXTEL Cup in 2007.DENVER Denver, city (1990 pop. 467,610), alt. 5,280 ft (1,609 m), state capital, coextensive with Denver co., N central Colo., on a plateau at the foot of the Front Range of the Rocky Mts., along the South Platte River where Cherry Creek meets it; inc. 1861. -- The intense and evolving sport of NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. is headed into a season of change in 2007. The impact will be felt by the elite field of NEXTEL Cup The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCAR's top racing series. It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949), Grand National Series (1950-1971), and the Winston Cup Series (1972-2003). teams vying vy·ing v. Present participle of vie. vying vie for a coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. starting position in each race. Fans can expect a "survival of the fittest" showdown on the track each weekend, as seven new cars fielded by Toyota enter into the competitive mix. With the addition of Toyota, there are expected to be 55 fully sponsored teams attempting to qualify for Cup, and only 43 will make the field. In addition, the top 35 cars in owner's points are guaranteed spots in the race. Currently outside the top 35 in owner's points, second year Cup team Furniture Row Racing Furniture Row Racing is a NASCAR team based in Colorado and fields the #78 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Chevrolet Impala SS. The team is sponsored by the U.S. furniture store chain Furniture Row. will feel the heat. The #78 Chevy Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (môNtā` kärlō`), town (1982 pop. 13,150), principality of Monaco, on the Mediterranean Sea and the French Riviera. Cup cars, piloted by veteran driver Kenny Wallace Kenny Wallace (born August 23, 1963) is a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series driver who until recently drove the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet in Nextel Cup. He also works as an on-air personality for SPEED Channel, on shows such as NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory , will take to the track every weekend to compete against multi-car teams that quickly accrue To increase; to augment; to come to by way of increase; to be added as an increase, profit, or damage. Acquired; falling due; made or executed; matured; occurred; received; vested; was created; was incurred. owner's points. Acutely aware of the challenges, the team has decided to focuses all of its energy, resources, personnel, and driver talents towards the unified goal of strengthening the competitive level of its Cup program. General Manager Joe Garone elaborates on realigning the organization's focus. "Cup is always a challenge, but with the car of tomorrow being implemented, a new manufacturer joining the series, and new teams jumping on board, '07 promises to be an unusually challenging year. "Our team was started from scratch in '05 with the intent of running a handful of Busch races. At the start of the '06 season, the opportunity came up to compete in Cup on a full-time basis. However, we were still a very small team and unsure of a lot of important factors. "The most important factor for us was our choice of driver. With the huge financial investment it takes to compete in Cup, as well as limited testing at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks, it was important for us to find a veteran driver that could guide our competition department as well as assist with sponsorship awareness. "In addition, transportation issues out of Denver, Colorado became as important as any of the traditional competition-related factors for our program. There were no full-time Cup teams to model our transportation program after, as everybody runs their teams out of the southeastern region of the U.S. "We currently have a full season under our belt, and feel we have a handle on the logistics. But with the changes in the series, we have had to make some major additions and adjustments to our team. In addition to new personnel, more equipment, and more engineering resources, we have made the decision to not run in the NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCAR's "minor league" circuit (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Nextel Cup. in the '07 season. "We are proud to be representing Colorado in the Cup series, but it comes at a high price and demands all of our focus to be pinpointed in the direction of Cup. Although we appreciate the assets a Busch team brings to the table, we are still in a building year and can't spread ourselves too thin. Basically, it comes down to a division of resources. Running both teams ran the risk of taxing the organization's time, resources and energy. Ultimately, we felt it would negatively impact our Cup team's performance at this time." There are early indications that the organization made the right call. The Cup team recently returned from testing at Daytona, with impressive results. However, mid-February will be the true test, as the Cup team gears up for the Daytona 500. For more information on the #78 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team, visit www.furniturerowracing.com. Based in Denver, Colorado, Furniture Row Racing is owned and sponsored by Furniture Row[R] Companies. |
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