Jeff Green No. 66 Best Buy / Haas Automation Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet Indianapolis Preview

MOST RECENT RACE AT INDIANAPOLIS: In the 2006 Brickyard 400, driver Jeff Green dealt with a loose handling condition on his No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet. Starting from the 29th position, Green eventually went a lap down to the race leaders around lap 119 of the 160-lap event and finished in the 38th position.

CHASSIS NUMBER: HAAS CNC RACING CHASSIS NO. 030 – This chassis is brand new to the Haas CNC Racing stable in 2007. In its only other appearance, driver Jeff Green drove this car to a 27th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this month.

SECOND BRICKYARD VISIT: This weekend’s race marks the second time Jeff Green has visited Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. On Tuesday, April 17, Green participated in a live broadcast from the speedway as part of Ball State University’s Electronic Field Trip (EFT) series, sponsored by the Best Buy Children’s Foundation.

"Going, Going, Faster; The Science of Speed," a 60-minute interactive broadcast, showcases the science and engineering that goes into racing and gives students an opportunity to experience much of the activity that surrounds a day at the races.

In addition to Green, former Indy car driver Scott Goodyear was on hand to help host the event, as was NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Pro Stock Bike racer, Antron Brown.

Students from Raymond Park Middle School and Frank Wheeler Elementary in Indianapolis and Laurens Middle School in Laurens, S.C., were also on site at the world-famous Brickyard to help with the EFT.

In addition to following Indy and NASCAR drivers at the track, students watched demonstrations showing how race cars gain speed and turn corners employing the scientific principles of inertia, friction and down force.

Green assisted in the demonstrations, answered questions from students at various points during the broadcast, and closed the show by taking his No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet Monte Carlo for a lap around the track.

Besides the live broadcast, Ball State supported the EFT with weekly Podcasts (called “Webisodes”) that students can download, as well as an interactive area of the EFT website (www.bsu.edu/eft) where students can learn the basics of inertia, friction and downforce, then “build” their own race cars. Once students choose the combination of body style, tires, engine, weight distribution and rear spoiler they want on their car, they receive a report on how the car is likely to perform on the race track.

Students and fans can gain access to the EFT, as well as other archived shows, on Ball State's EFT Web site, www.bsu.edu/eft.

Q&A WITH DRIVER JEFF GREEN:

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN THE BRICKYARD 400? “I couldn’t imagine how awesome that would be. I’ve won at Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington and Richmond, but I think Indy would top them all. Growing up in Kentucky, we were only about three and a half hours from Indy, so I was definitely aware every year when the Indy 500 was going on. To be able to race at such a historic facility is amazing. Coming down the front stretch with the grandstands on either side of you is an incredible site for a race car driver.”

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR OFF WEEK? “We had the Green Foundation Charity Golf Tournament last week in Owensboro (KY.), and I’m proud to say we raised about $60,000 for some great charities. I played about like I expected, which was poorly, but we all had a lot of fun, and all the money goes to some great causes.

“I want to thank Michael Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and his son, Randy LaJoie and his sons, Aric Almirola, Jason Jarrett and everyone else who came out. It means a lot that they’re willing to give of their time, especially during the last off-week of the season.

“After the tournament, we hung around Kentucky for a couple of days to visit family and friends, and I went down to my farm to check on the progress they’re making on the log cabin we’re having built down there. It’s really coming along, and I’m looking forward to being able to spend some time there during the hunting season.”

JEFF GREEN’S HISTORY AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In eight Nextel Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, driver Jeff Green’s best starting position was a fifth-place qualifying effort in the 1998 event while driving for team owner Felix Sabates. Green’s best finish was a 14th-place result, which came in the 2004 event while driving for Petty Enterprises. Green has finished in the top-30 in all but one of his Indianapolis Nextel Cup starts.

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In five Nextel Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Haas CNC Racing team has one front row starting position, which Ward Burton secured by qualifying second for the 2004 event. The team’s best Indianapolis finish came in this race in 2005, when driver Mike Bliss finished 11th.

BEST BUY FUN FACT: Best Buy has been the primary sponsor of the No. 66 team in a number of races this season, and will be a co-sponsor of the No. 66 entry this weekend. Many artists whose music is available from Best Buy retail locations and BestBuy.com hail from the Hoosier state, including:

Michael Jackson – Born in Gary, Indiana, the “King of Pop,” this singer/songwriter/dancer is responsible for “Thriller,” one of the most successful albums in music history (as of Nov., 2006, the recording had been certified 27X Platinum).
W. Axl Rose – Born William Bruce Rose in Lafayette, Indiana, Rose is best known as the reclusive frontman for hard rock act, Guns N’ Roses. The band’s debut, “Appetite for Destruction,” has sold over 26 million copies in the United States.
Cole Porter – Hailing from Peru, Indiana, Porter is known for penning standards like, “I Get a Kick out of You,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
John Mellencamp – This Seymour native now lives in Bloomington, Indiana. This singer/songwriter is best known for songs like “Jack and Diane,” and “Pink Houses,” and for his work with the Farm Aid charity, which has raised millions of dollars to help support independent farmers in America.