Bill Elliott Racing Team

DAWSONVILLE, GA (March 15, 2010) – Casey Roderick and his Monolith team experienced a little bit of everything – except some good racing luck – in Saturday’s Champion Racing Association Super Late Model series race Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson.
Roderick and the crew, making their Late Model debut at Gresham, soldiered through cold weather and rain delays during practice to turn in an impressive qualifying performance, beating 24 of the 27 touring series drivers who started the 125-lap race.
An inversion put Roderick on the pole, and he ran in the lead pack for the first third of the race as polesitter and eventual winner Augie Grill was clearly the fastest on a cloudy, cold night in North Georgia.
On Lap 25, Roderick and his Bill Elliott Racing teammate Chase Elliott made contact in Turn Four while racing for third place. Elliott took the spot, while Roderick skillfully maintained control of his sliding car and fell into line in fourth place.
On Lap 45 Roderick reported to the Monolith team that he had a vibration, and pulled into the pits so his crew could check the car.
Crew Chief, Jim Barfield found two lug nuts sheared on the right front hub, and the team retired for the night since they’re not running for the championship in the CRA series.
“It could have been caused by the contact on the first lap with Ryan Lawler or it could be a wheel problem like what we had with [teammate] Chase [Elliott] at the All-American 400 last year when he sheared a lug nut,” Barfield said. “We will need to assess the situation back at the shop.”
After dropping out of the race, Roderick, from nearby Lawrenceville, showed his team spirit by hanging around to support his teammate Elliott, who finished second to Grill. It’s that kind of gesture that shows his crew, his fellow drivers and his sponsors that he’ll go far in the field of motorsports.
“It is impossible not to catch that winning attitude simply by being around Casey,” says Carlus Gann, an Elliott team crew member. “Casey is always complimentary of our work and always willing to try different things to be the very best he can be.”
Roderick said, “All in all we had one of the best cars there. I’m real proud of the team, Jim and everyone they gave me a good car to race. We had a little bit left before we broke and I think we could have raced with Augie and Chase at the end.”
Roderick’s next scheduled race will be a Pro Late Model race at Gresham Motorsports Park on May 15. For the most up-to-date Casey Roderick news, including his racing schedule and weekly podcast, please visit www.billelliottracing.com.

CRA 125 Results
1. Augie Grill2. Chase Elliott
3. Bubba Pollard
4. Jason Hogan
5. Mike Garvey
6. Scott Hantz
7. Russell Fleeman
8. Jeff Fultz
9. Greg Simpson
10. Cale Gale
11. T.J. Reaid
12. Mason Mingus
13. Joey Senter
14. Ryan Crane
15. Donnie Wilson
16. Johanna Long
17. Allen Karnes
18. Lane Morrow
19. Johnny Henderson
20. Randy Gentry
21. Ryan Lawler
22. Casey Roderick
23. Jimmy Garmon
24. Don Young
25. Scott Smith
26. Johnny VanDoorn

For Immediate Release:
Salem, IN (March 9, 2010) – The CRA Southern Six-Pack Tour is set to begin with the Gresham 125 this Saturday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia. The event will also be the season opener for Gresham Motorsports Park, formally know as Peach State Speedway, which went through a multi-million dollar renovation last year, and is now one of the premier short tracks in the country.

The CRA Southern Six-Pack Tour events will also include the CRA All-Star Twin 150’s Weekend on May 21 at Tri-County Motor Speedway and May 23rd at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina, a return trip to Gresham Motorsports Park on July 17th and the North/South Shootout at Concord Speedway in North Carolina on November 6th. The sixth event in the tour will be announced very soon. All the Tour events will be point’s events towards the crowning of the inaugural CRA Southern Six-Pack Tour Champion. There will be awards for the top ten in Tour points.

To date 27 cars have filed entries for this weekends events, with many of the top late model drivers in Georgia and from around the country participating. The winner of Saturday’s event will earn an automatic starting position in the 2010 World Crown 300 at Gresham on November 14th, which will return as a Super Late Model event this year after being a Pro Late Model event the past couple of seasons. Both CRA events will be part of the GMP Super Series, which will include Super Late Model events on June 19th and September 18th, those events will be organized and ran by Gresham Motorsports Park.

There will be an open practice on Friday with gates opening at 2pm with rotating practice going from 4 to 9pm. Pit gates open for the CRA Southern Six-Pack Tour on Saturday at 10am. Practice will begin at 1pm with qualifying for the Gresham 125 at 5:45pm. The race program will begin at 7pm. Advanced tickets for Saturday’s event are now on sale. Advance Ticket Phone Orders are available by calling the Gresham Motorsports Park office at 706-367-9461 or advanced tickets can be purchased on line at www.greshammotorsportspark.com.

More information on the CRA Super Series and the CRA Southern Six-Pack Tour is available at www.craracing.net.

CRA Super Series

After racing at Daytona and taking the next two races off, Bill Elliott is back on the track for the Atlanta NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Elliott qualified his No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion for the Kobalt Tools 500 in the 34th position, with a speed of 189.021 mph and a time of 29.330 seconds.

In spite of making the show, Elliott was not pleased with his car and shared his frustrations. “We were way off in practice,” Elliott said. “It’s just so tough when you don’t run a few races and then come back.”

“I feel like I’ve got a good car but just trying to put the little pieces together makes the difference,” Elliott continued. “A tenth here and a tenth there, but if you’re off a few tenths, it just makes it frustrating.”

This weekend not only marks the return of “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” to the race series, but also the return of the FR9 engine. The Wood Brothers, who are running a limited schedule with Elliott behind the wheel, have committed to run this engine in all of their races this season.

“There may have been an opportunity to get the new engine in our car last year, but we looked at it and saw there would have been several changes and it would have been quite expensive to go run a race or two,” Len Wood, one of the Wood Brothers, said. “That’s why it worked out better for us to just wait until this year.”

“I didn’t want to go buy headers or radiators that would become obsolete after one race,” Wood continued. “I didn’t really want to do that, so we decided to wait until this year to run it and we won’t look back.”

While driver Elliott may feel somewhat frustrated by the gap in racing, team owner Wood had a different take on racing at Daytona and then taking a break from the California and Las Vegas races.

“It’ll be good to get back to Atlanta and an unrestricted track,” Wood said. “We’re taking a car that we built last fall for Homestead.”
“They’ve massaged on that car this winter and they’re building another one just like that to go to Texas,” Wood continued. “I actually think it will run at the Charlotte test March 23rd and 24th.”

Elliott has been using his off time wisely. He has continued to coach his developmental drivers, including his son Chase, as well as seventeen year old Casey Roderick.

Like his mentor and team owner “Awesome Bill”, Roderick is running a limited ARCA schedule this year. At the most recent ARCA race, rookie Roderick made history by posting the fastest speed in practice and scoring the pole in the Tire Kingdom 150 at Palm Beach Raceway.

This was only Roderick’s second ARCA race and his first time at the road course. The car that Roderick took to the pole was one of Kasey Kahne’s road course cars that Elliott had purchased from Ray Evernham.

Roderick impressed many with his start on the pole and led 21 laps of the race. Unfortunately, he suffered mechanical problems when an axle failed and finished in the 21st position in his No. 51 Monolith Hospitality Dodge.

“It was an awesome weekend,” Roderick said. “I learned a tremendous amount; from racing on rain tires to restarts on the track.”
“Mentally there is a lot to think about during a road race,” Roderick continued. “I learned a lot of good information to take with me to the next race.”

Team owner Elliott was equally pleased for his young rookie protégé. “I am proud of what everyone did,” Elliott said. “We did everything we could except win the race. The boy (Roderick) did a good job and he had a lot of opportunities not to.”

Roderick will next race on April 13th in the CRA Super Series at Gresham Motorsports Park. His mentor “Awesome Bill” will race on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Mary Jo Buchanan, LCSW, MPA

DAWSONVILLE, GA (March 1, 2010) — Casey Roderick’s just a fresh-faced 17-year-old rookie, but he raced more like a veteran in last weekend’s Tire Kingdom 150 at Palm Beach International Raceway, the road course in Jupiter, Fla.

The young Bill Elliott Development driver from Lawrenceville, Ga., who had just one prior ARCA start under his belt, put his No. 51 Monolith Hospitality Dodge at the top of the leader board in practice then won the pole with a new one-lap track record of 93.235 miles per hour.

He continued to impress in his first road course start, leading 21 laps in Saturday’s race, some of them in the rain, before transmission failure ended his would-be Cinderella story.

Roderick led the 34-driver starting field to the green flag, but he and Justin Marks raced a little too hard on the start, and they led a parade of six drivers who missed the first turn.

After serving a stop-and-go penalty, Roderick fell in line in 13th place, then drove his way to third place by Lap 6.

During Laps 7 and 8, the field was under a full course caution, but the Bill Elliott team did not pit. On Lap 9 Roderick took over the second place position, and a lap later had the race lead.

Light rain started to fall on the course just 20 laps into the event, but the rains soon picked up. There was no longer any light gray – and therefore dry – race track for spotter Bill Elliott to steer his rookie driver toward.

But unlike NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, ARCA was prepared to race in the rain, and Hoosier had “wet” racing tires ready to run.

On lap 22, the caution flag flew once again, this time for rain. Roderick and his No. 51 Dodge, fielded in a joint effort by Phoenix Racing and Bill Elliott Racing with sponsorship from Monolith Hospitality, were called to the pits for rain tires. Roderick came onto pit road leading the race and reentered the field third after stalling the car on exit.

By Lap 26 the race was back under green flag, and Roderick was busy working with spotter Bill Elliott who himself only had experience on rain tires during practice at Watkins Glenn in the 90’s, on the new feel that was under him in his first experience with rain tires. It didn’t take the young rookie long before he and Elliott were deciding on the best place to pass the two drivers ahead of him. After one pass on the backstretch and another in Turn One on Lap 34, Roderick was back in front and had run up about a five-second lead on the field.
But his good fortune was about to run out.

On Lap 41, Roderick radioed to his crew that he thought first gear was gone. Veteran road course racer Justin Marks passed Roderick on Lap 42 just as Roderick radioed in that first and third gear were now gone. By Lap 44, what had started out a fairy tale weekend ended with a broken transmission.

Roderick said, “It was an awesome weekend. I learned a tremendous amount; from racing on rain tires to restarts on the track. Mentally there is a lot to think about during a road race. I learned a lot on my pit-stop too. I entered way too soon, didn’t keep my foot on the brake which made it hard on the front tire changers and then stalled the car on exit. That’s a lot of good information to take with me to the next race.”

Elliott was equally pleased with the weekend’s events saying, “I am proud of what everyone did, we did everything we could except win the race. The boy, (Roderick), did a good job and he had a lot of opportunities not too.”

DAWSONVILLE, GA (February 26, 2010) — Roderick takes the pole in his ARCA road course debut at Palm Beach International Raceway with a 118.03. Roderick who was in the top five in practice all day and ended the practice session with the fastest time of a 118.35 backed that up in qualifying this afternoon.

The No. 51 Dodge with sponsorship from Monolith Hospitality is being fielded in a joint effort by Phoenix Racing and Bill Elliott Racing. That pairing produced a strong finish in Roderick’s first outing with ARCA last fall at Rockingham with a second place finish. Phoenix Racing set the car up and the Dawsonville, Ga based team put the motor in and got it prepped and race ready and are crewing the car this weekend, they are confident and ready for what tomorrow may bring.

“Casey did a great job today. We are through the first step now we will see what tomorrow brings. One day at a time,” Elliott said.

The car itself is one of Kasey Kahne’s road course cars that Elliott bought from Ray Evernham. In fact it was the car that Kasey qualified third in at Sonoma the last race before Cup went to the COT car.

“I want to thank Monolith and Bill Elliott for this opportunity. I think we really have a good car for tomorrow, I just need to keep it under me. I really think we have the car to win, “ Roderick said.

ARCA on track action begins at Palm Beach International Raceway with practice from 11:30-2:30 and Menards Pole Qualifying from 4-6pm. Saturday a 1 pm start time for the running of the Tire Kingdom 150.

For the most up-to-date news on the event visit http://www.arcaracing.com/.
For the most up-to-date Casey Roderick news, including his racing schedule and weekly podcast, please visit www.billelliottracing.com.

JUPITER FL (2-26-10) – 17-year-old Casey Roderick, in the no. 51 Bill Elliott Racing-Phoenix Racing Monolith Hospitality Dodge, posted the fastest speed in ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards practice here Friday at Palm Beach Int’l Raceway in preparation for Saturday’s Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace.
Roderick, making his career-first road course appearance, seemed surprise by the effort.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting to run that good,” said Roderick, who finished second in his ARCA debut in 2009 at Rockingham Speedway.

“I’m not gunna let it get to us. I’m going to stick with our game plan, which is to get a good solid run in tomorrow’s race, don’t tear it up and learn as much as I can. The car’s good enough to win so the rest will be up to me. I just need to stay consistent, stay calm and we should have a good day.”

Car owner Bill Elliott seemed equally surprised.

“I’ve watched him race; I know he’s got the feel, but he’s still learning and there’s a lot to learn when it comes to running a road course,” said Elliott. “I still learn every time I get in the car. He’s done a really good job figuring out stuff; I’m very impressed.”

Justin Marks was second fastest followed by Robb Brent, Mikey Kile and Tom Hessert.

Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is next at 4:00 PM ET.

Practice Plays A Huge Role In ARCA Road Course Racing

The qualifying procedure for road course racing in the ARCA Racing Series is much different than it is on the ovals.

The qualifying order is determined by the speeds turned during the practice session, meaning the fastest cars will make their qualifying runs first. In addition, the qualifying format is much different on a road course, as cars will run in groups for ten minute sessions, with an individual cars best lap serving as his or her qualifying time.

The Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace at Palm Beach Int’l Raceway is scheduled to roll off at 1:00 PM Saturday afternoon, February 27th. On-track activity begins on Friday, February 26th with practice from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM followed by Menards Pole Award Qualifying presented by Ansell at 4:00 PM.

LIVE TIMING & SCORING at ARCAracing.com PLUS LIVE STREAMING AUDIO OF RACE

In addition to Live Timing & Scoring of all on-track activity at ARCAracing.com, the race will also be featured in live streaming audio at ARCAracing.com.

Race 2 Win Radio Fans’ ‘Best Bet’ to Preview NASCAR’s Las Vegas Weekend
Taylors, SC, February 24, 2010 – It’s the third race of the still-young NASCAR season and Race 2 Win Radio will bring fans all the fanfare of racing in Las Vegas this Thursday, February 25, 1-3 PM ET. Show host Jeff Holtzclaw will moderate the exciting two-hour internet radio show that includes guests and commentators straight from the NASCAR garage and media center.

A total of four drivers will participate in Race 2 Win’s program this week, including regular 1-2 PM co-host Tim George Jr., a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Additional drivers on air this week are Nelson Piquet Jr., Colin Braun, and Casey Roderick. Piquet Jr., competing part-time in the ARCA and Camping World Truck Series this season, was scheduled to call the show last week, but had to reschedule due to unforeseen circumstances.

Colin Braun is competing full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year, driving the No. 16 car for Roush Fenway Racing. He qualified ninth for the season-opening NNS race at Daytona and posted a top-20 finish last weekend in Fontana. In 2008 and 2009, Braun competed full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2008.

Casey Roderick, a rookie in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2010, ran one ARCA race last year at age 16 as a Bill Elliott Racing Development Driver. Competing at the famed Rockingham racetrack, he qualified third and finished second. Now 17, Roderick will begin his ARCA rookie season this weekend in the Tire Kingdom 150 on the road course of Palm Beach International Raceway.

Also appearing on Race2Win Radio this week will be NASCAR team member Mike Calinoff and writer Jeff Gluck. Calinoff, spotter for Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth, will provide his ‘Keys to Winning’ on the 1.5-mile D-shaped Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jeff Gluck, who covers NASCAR for SBNation.com, will share up-to-date information straight from the garage, along with compelling opinions in the ‘Writer’s Block’ segment.

Race 2 Win Radio is a fan participation program and invites listeners to take an active role in the broadcast. Fans are encouraged to call in each week and interact with the show’s hosts and guests. To comment on a topic or submit a question for any guest or host, send an email to radio@race2win.net or call (646) 200-4485 during the live broadcast.

Fans also have the opportunity to chat with Heather Meyer in the show’s chat room during the broadcast and submit questions or suggest topics with this feature. Users must sign up for an account at www.blogtalkradio.com before they can chat.

Race 2 Win Radio features NASCAR veteran Jeff Holtzclaw as host, with Heather Meyer of the Stock Car Gazette, RCR development driver Tim George Jr., and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Caitlin Shaw serving as co-hosts. The show airs live every Thursday from 1-3 PM ET at www.blogtalkradio.com/race2win and www.race2win.net. Immediately following the live show, episodes are available on-demand or on-the-go.

DAWSONVILLE, GA (February 23, 2010) — Casey Roderick’s rookie season piloting the No. 51 Monolith Dodge begins this weekend with the running of the Tire Kingdom 150, a 150-mile, 75-lap race on the road course at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla.

Roderick and his Dawsonville, Ga.-based team are kicking off what could be a pivotal year in the career of a young racer who hopes to one day compete at the top levels of NASCAR racing.

Under ARCA’s rules, Roderick, who is just 17 ½ years old, is only eligible to run on tracks up to one mile in length until Aug. 8, when he turns 18.
But age isn’t the only limiting factor for Roderick and his team this year, as his car owner and driving mentor Bill Elliott explained.
“We only have sponsorship assistance for about five ARCA events, so I looked over the 2010 schedule and decided on the five events that I thought best suited Casey’s talent while giving him the best exposure we could in hopes of bringing along a full- time sponsor in 2011,” Elliott said.

The No. 51 Dodge with sponsorship from Monolith Hospitality will be fielded in a joint effort by Phoenix Racing and Bill Elliott Racing. That pairing produced a strong second-place finish last fall at Rockingham Speedway, where Roderick charged from a last-place start to lead the race before finishing a close second.

His performance at the Rock made quite an impression on the NASCAR-season crew at Phoenix Racing.
“We have really been impressed with Casey,” said Steve Barkdoll, General Manager of Phoenix Racing. “He is just a good, hard working young man, and he won us over last year when we helped Bill get his car ready for the Rockingham race.
“This year we want to help make sure Casey has a car capable of running up front every week.”
Elliott said the team’s goals for the weekend are both optimistic and realistic.
ARCA on track action begins at Palm Beach International Raceway with practice from 11:30-2:30 and Menards Pole Qualifying from 4-6pm. Saturday a 1 pm start time for the running of the Tire Kingdom 150. For the most up-to-date news on the event visit http://www.arcaracing.com/.

For the most up-to-date Casey Roderick news, including his racing schedule and weekly podcast, please visit www.billelliottracing.com.

CASEY RODERICK-2010 ARCA SCHEDULE

DATE TRACK EVENT (SERIES) QUAL START FINISH
2/27 Palm Beach International Raceway ARCA Racing 150 (Road Course-RC)
8/15 New Jersey Motorsports Park South Jersey Building Trades 150 (RC)
8/27 Chicagoland Speedway Chicagoland ARCA 150 (Speed Channel)
9/30 Kansas Speedway ARCA Racing Series 150 (Speed Channel)
10/9 Rockingham Speedway American 200 (Speed Channel)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAWSONVILLE, GA (February 22, 2010)- Russ Sutton’s company Monolith Hospitality is pleased to announce the sponsorship of Casey Roderick in five ARCA series events this season. Roderick, a member of the Bill Elliott Driver Development Program, will pilot the No. 51 Monolith Hospitality Dodge. The car will be fielded by a joint venture with Bill Elliott Racing and Phoenix Racing.

Along with the five Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) events, Roderick will race in seven events at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. Roderick will compete in both the Super and Pro Late Model divisions including Gresham Motorsports Park’s signature event, the World Crown 300.
”We have gotten to know Casey over the past year and feel confident that he will represent our company well,” said Russ Sutton, Chairman and CEO of Monolith Hospitality for the past 15 years. “Not only is he a great racer, but his work ethic and overall spirit is a great fit for our organization. I believe he is in great hands with Bill Elliott and there is no question that we will enjoy great success this year.
“We’ve always enjoyed associating our companies with class operations and good, quality people and the Elliott’s are certainly that.”
Monolith Hospitality, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based company, specializes in providing interior design, renovation, restoration, and reinventions of hotels. Monolith’s extensive supplier and subcontractor network and sourcing strategies allow the company to pass savings on to its large customer base.
“Our Monolith business services national accounts like Hilton, Marriott, Hampton Inn and Hyatt hotels,” said Sutton. “They know our passion for racing, and they are always inquisitive about what we are doing. We’ve entertained our partners and clients at NASCAR events all over the country. The venue that the ARCA series offer, along with the first class accommodations at our local track, Gresham Motorsports Park, presents us with is a winning opportunity to bring our clients to Atlanta, closer to home. Here they can watch our Team Monolith racers, and we can get on a more personal level with some of our national clients. We will be kicking back and watching some good old-fashioned racing.”

Sutton along with his wife, Chris, regularly drives competition-tuned Ford Mustangs at Road Atlanta.
Team owner Bill Elliott said he’s pleased to have Monolith Hospitality as a partner with his Driver Development Program.

“This step taken by Russ Sutton to come on board is exactly what we needed to give Casey the opportunity to showcase his talent to a larger viewing audience,” Elliott said. “We are all hoping that his performance in the events he’s running this year will create enough enthusiasm to generate interest among other sponsors that will take him into a full ARCA sponsorship in 2011.”

Roderick is equally pleased with the new partnership.
“As a Bill Elliott Racing development driver, I am proud to have Monolith Hospitality on board for this season,” he said. “This season will definitely be a learning experience, but I hope to put Team Monolith in Victory Lane this year.”

2010 ARCA SCHEDULE
DATE TRACK EVENT (SERIES) QUAL START FINISH
2/27 Palm Beach International Raceway ARCA Racing 150 (Road Course-RC)
8/15 New Jersey Motorsports Park South Jersey Building Trades 150 (RC)
8/27 Chicagoland Speedway Chicagoland ARCA 150 (Speed Channel)
9/30 Kansas Speedway ARCA Racing Series 150 (Speed Channel)
10/9 Rockingham Speedway American 200 (Speed Channel)

2010 PRO LATE MODEL SCHEDULE
DATE TRACK EVENT (SERIES) QUAL START FINISH
4/17 Gresham Motorsports Park Track Event
5/15 Gresham Motorsports Park Track Event
11/14 Gresham Motorsports Park World Crown PLM 150 (Tentative)
12/4 5 Flags Speedway Snow Flake (Tentative)

2010 SUPER LATE MODEL SCHEDULE
DATE TRACK EVENT (SERIES) QUAL START FINISH
3/13 Gresham Motorsports Park CRA Super Series
6/19 Gresham Motorsports Park Track Event
7/17 Gresham Motorsports Park CRA Super Series (Tentative)
11/14 Gresham Motorsports Park World Crown 300
12/5 5 Flags Speedway Snow Ball Derby (Tentative)

*** SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK www.billelliottracing.com FOR UPDATES. ***