Jeff Green No. 66 Best Buy CNC Racing Chevrolet Michigan Preview

CHASSIS: Haas CNC Racing Chassis No. 28 – This chassis is the same car Jeff Green drove at Pocono Raceway this past weekend. Green worked his way up to 21st position before an electrical problem dropped him to a 32nd-place finish when the race was called due to rain.

FISHER HOUSE FUNDRAISER CONTINUES – The No. 66 Best Buy Racing team continues to raise awareness for Fisher House Foundation by displaying a Fisher House logo on the Best Buy Chevrolet’s “C” post from now through Independence Day.

Members of the military and their families often must travel great distances for specialized medical care. Fisher House Foundation establishes "comfort homes," facilities built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers, to provide lodging for families of hospitalized military members. 

With 38 locations throughout the US, and six more scheduled to be completed this year, the not-for-profit Fisher House organization has assisted over 110,000 military families since its inception in 1990, saving those families more than $90M in lodging, food and transportation costs.

The No. 66 displayed a special paint design at the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend to promote the kickoff of a Best Buy fundraising campaign for Fisher House.

From now through the week of July 4th, donations to Fisher House can be made at any cash register at all Best Buy retail locations, or any time from the Best Buy website, www.bestbuy.com.

In addition to the fundraising efforts, Best Buy is supporting Fisher House through hands-on volunteer opportunities for Best Buy employees at Fisher House locations, and other activities. Several Best Buy vendor partners are making in-kind donations of products needed by current and future Fisher House locations, including laptop computers, television and other electronics. Best Buy employees will volunteer their time to install these products.

JEFF GREEN: “We’re putting the Fisher House logo on the car to remind everyone to make a donation. One of the best ways to support the troops is by helping their loved ones, and that’s exactly what Fisher House does.

“Someone explained it to me like this: Let’s say there’s a military member from California, but he’s stationed in Virginia and has to be hospitalized. For his family in California to be able to come see him, it costs a lot of money. Without Fisher House, a lot of families wouldn’t be able to afford to make the trip. Fisher House helps military families be together during a very stressful time, so I’m proud to help raise funds and awareness for such a great cause.”

Q&A WITH DRIVER JEFF GREEN:  

You haven’t had as much success at Michigan as you have some other tracks. What do you think of the place? “I like the place. I’m not sure why we haven’t done as well here. We ran pretty well here when I drove for (Richard) Childress. I guess we’ve just never been able to get the right package at the right time.

“It’s pretty smooth, and you can run all over the place in terms of the groove – pretty much anywhere you want to.”

You’ve had some frustrating finishes the past few weeks. What do you do to keep your mood up and get excited about coming to the track? “Well, it would be different if our cars weren’t good. We’ve had some pretty decent race cars these past three or four races, but mistakes have taken us out of contention.

“At Dover and at Pocono, problems on pit road cost us. At Dover, it was my fault, but this past weekend, we just had a couple of bad pit stops. It’s frustrating, but the guys are trying, so it’s hard to come down too hard on them.  You just have to know that there’s a fresh chance every race to perform better, and that’s what motivates you.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF HAROLD HOLLY:

What are your thoughts on Michigan International Speedway? “I like all the speedways. The surface of Michigan is porous, so it treats the tire kind of like Darlington (Raceway) does. If Darlington is a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of being abrasive to the tires, I’d say Michigan is about a four. It grates the tire off and you lose a lot of grip. It’s a challenge to get your car balanced like you want it, but after testing at Charlotte and Nashville, and then the race this past weekend at Pocono, I feel like  we’ve got something to work with.”

The team has dropped in the points standings over the past three races. As the crew chief, what do you say to the team? “You have to accept the reality of the situation. We had a fast car at Charlotte and were coming up through the field, but we got caught up in an accident.

“At Dover, once we got our tire issue and our pit road issue out of the way, our lap times would have put us in the top-15. At Pocono, we didn’t unload like we needed to, but that was my first trip to Pocono in a couple of years, so I had some catching up to do in terms of relearning the track.

“It’s been mistakes that have cost us, so I just emphasize the importance of trying to eliminate mistakes. It’s not like we haven’t had some fast cars, but mistakes are just killing us. The pit crew guys have been focusing on the fundamentals and drilling on those. Our pit stops are an issue, but it’s one we’re working hard to straighten out. It’s not something that’s going to fix itself overnight.”

FATHER’S DAY SUGGESTIONS: Jeff Green is a self-proclaimed “gadget guy,” so he always has suggestions for anyone who’s looking for a gift (in this case, Father’s Day is Sunday, June 17) at Best Buy.

Jeff Green’s top-five suggestions for Father’s Day gifts:

1. Samsung 56” 1080p Slim-Depth DLP HDTV

Green- “DLP’s have beautiful picture quality. This model has the 1080p, which gives you the highest quality on a progressive scan picture. It’s slimmer than a lot of the other DLP models, which is good for anyone who’s not sitting directly in front of the screen. The slimmer profile puts it closer to the wall, so even people sitting to the side are still able to see.”

2. Garmin nüvi 350 WAAS-Enabled GPS Receiver

Green- “Garmin GPS devices are some of the coolest things going. This one is about the size of a deck of cards. You can play MP3’s through it, and it’s got points of interest included, so you can find hotels and restaurants when you’re in another town. You’re never lost when you have a GPS. I love these things. Once you get one, you wonder how you ever lived without it.”

3. Rolling Stones- The Biggest Bang 4-DVD Set

Green- “I love all kinds of music, and the Rolling Stones are one of those all-time classic bands you always hear on rock radio. This was filmed on their last tour, and it looks and sounds great on a big TV with a good sound system.  It feels like you’re sitting in the front row.”

4. Comcast Digital Cable with ON DEMAND

Green – “On Demand is really cool. You get to watch movies and shows anytime you want to, and there’s a lot of content available.  I like the idea that you don’t have to adjust your schedule to see a show. You can pause it, fast forward, rewind, whatever you want, whenever you want. This is another one of those things that, once you’ve tried it, you’re hooked.”

5.     Best Buy Gift Card

Green- “I’m a big believer in gift cards. That way, the person gets exactly what they want, and it saves you from pulling your hair out trying to decide what to get them. They even have gift cards with the No. 66 (Best Buy Chevrolet) on them. I think those are the best-looking ones Best Buy offers, but  I could be a little biased.”

JEFF GREEN’S HISTORY AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: In 15 NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, Jeff Green’s best qualifying effort was a 13th-place starting spot, which he accomplished twice, in August, 1997, and June, 2003. His best finish was a ninth-place run, which came in August, 2002.

In seven NASCAR Busch Series starts at Michigan, Green has two top-10 starting spots, and a third-place finish in the August, 2002, race.

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: In eight NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Michigan, the Haas CNC Racing team has two sixth-place starting spots (August, 2003, and August, 2005, with drivers Jason Leffler and Mike Bliss, respectively). The team’s best finish was a 19th-place run by driver Jack Sprague in June, 2003.

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED CREWMAN: Sean Haggerty – Front Tire Changer/ Mechanic
Best Buy Racing’s website is highlighting the crew members of the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing team. Each week, a different crew member is featured with an expanded bio. Read the latest by logging on to either www.racing.bestbuy.com or http://racing.bestbuy.com.