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But first, these notes of interest:

--NEWS FLASH!!! Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon went on record Monday night predicting Saturday’s pole qualifying time. If he is correct, it will definitely turn heads. “From all the information we’ve gathered since the April tire test at Michigan, I’ll not hesitate in saying that I think it’ll take a 36-flat (36.000-second lap) or better to win the pole there on Saturday,” Gordon said. MIS is a 2.0-mile track X 3600 (seconds in an hour) = 7200 (track factor). 7200 divided by 36.000 = 200.000 mph. “The forecast calls for sunny and 90 degrees there on Saturday and that’ll work to slow the cars down,” Gordon added. “But I will still stick with saying I predict that it’ll take a 36-flat or better to win the pole there.”

--AJ Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their “PRS-821” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend’s Quicken Loans 400. This chassis has been raced only once; during the April Samsung Mobile 500 weekend at Texas Motor speedway. Dinger started 12th and finished 15th in that battle on the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval. Unlike at Pocono last week where the team’s plan going in was to test one car (the “PRS-814”) and race another (the “PRS-819” – and changed late Thursday afternoon to actually race the test car – the plan is different for Michigan. “We’re preparing to utilize the ‘821’ there in Thursday’s testing and use it for the remainder of the weekend,” crew chief Gordon said.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger on Michigan International Speedway and what he expects for this weekend: “Michigan has always been a basic, really fast two-mile oval and with the new repaving it will be much faster,” said Allmendinger. “Just how much greater the speeds we will run? That’s the big question heading there and everyone is curious to find out. The qualifying record will fall at Michigan on Saturday; that’s pretty much a given. Based on what we saw at Pocono last week, it will be really interesting to see how much the old record is beaten by and how many drivers can do it. Of course everyone will be talking about the high speeds we are taking into the corner.”

--How fast is “too fast?” “I don’t know…I’m not driving,” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon answered with a chuckle. “But seriously, as far as what I am hearing for the top speeds into the corner at Michigan…215 (mph)…some swore they saw 219 (mph) during the tire test there. Our team did not participate in the tire test, but our teammates did. We’ve discussed it a lot with them and the consensus is it’s going to be really fast. I read where Montoya said he had hit 238 at Michigan during his open-wheel days and that at times during the test, his stock car felt faster.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon certainly wasn’t too shocked by the high speeds seen during the tire test and expected to be seen again this week on the newly repaved 2.0-mile moderate-banked D-shaped race track. “With the new surface, it’s to be expected,” said Gordon. “After all, I saw 209 (mph) at Pocono going into Turn 1. That’s coming off the longest straightaway we have and going into a tight low-banked turn. I don’t know if that might be even more demanding than taking the higher speeds into the turns at Michigan. The bottom line is that NASCAR officials have had no comment about the expected high speeds or any plans to slow the cars down. The faster speeds are a foregone conclusion. What impact that has on the racing there is yet to be seen. Every time we race at Michigan, you have to consider that fuel mileage may likely figure into the equation.”

--Those attending this weekend’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway should be on the lookout for a new item on the great concession stands’ food menu there. It’s the “Dinger Dog,” named after Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger. The “Dinger Dog” is similar to MIS’ signature Coney Dog, but with a little spice – just like A.J. The spicy chili and jalapenos give a little extra fire and kick to an already favorite race-day hot dog. And it’s endorsed by a NASCAR favorite driver known for his zing. “I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty excited about the Dinger Dog,” Allmendinger said. “Roger Curtis and the MIS staff promised me a namesake menu item and they delivered with some of my favorite things – spicy chili and jalapenos. Awesome! I can't wait to have one and see Roger eat 10 of them. I’m pretty sure he promised to eat 10 of them.”

--In addition to the extra day of testing scheduled in conjunction with this weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway, AJ Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Shell-Pennzoil Dodge team are scheduled to test at the Milwaukee Mile on July 2-3. “Yes, that will be in our preparation for Loudon,” crew chief Gordon said of the July 15 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The “Double-Deuce” team has also tested twice for the June 24 Sonoma road course battle; on May 15th at Road Atlanta and at Virginia International Raceway on May 29.

--In nine career Sprint Cup starts at Michigan, Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger is still looking for his first career top-10 there. He has been running at the finish in all nine of the races and finished on the lead lap six times. He has completed 96.7 percent of possible laps (1,746 of 1,806). Overall, Dinger has a 25.7 average start and 21.2 average finish at Michigan.

--2011 June Michigan Race Results:

QUALIFYING: Coors Light Pole Award won by Kurt Busch with lap of 38.156 seconds (188.599 mph)

RACE: Denny Hamlin scored the victory by 0.281 seconds over Matt Kenseth. Time of Race: 2:36:50 Avg. Speed: 153.029 mph

--Michigan International Speedway Track Records:

QUALIFYING: 37.069 seconds (194.232 mph), by Ryan Newman in June 2005

RACE: 173.997 mph by Dale Jarrett in June 1999 Time of Race: 2:17:56

--Make sure you catch Penske Racing Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger in his weekly contribution to ESPN’s “NASCAR Now.” The regular segment titled “The Daily Dinger” features AJ conducting off-beat interviews with drivers, crew chiefs and fans about each weekend’s race. Sunday’s edition of the hour-long “NASCAR Now” is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and airs on ESPN2. In case you missed last week’s episode from Pocono, you can enjoy it by following this link: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8033181&categoryid=2492290

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger is writing a monthly blog for NASCAR.com. This is a “no rules & no limitations” opportunity for Dinger, so expect to see content here that you will see nowhere else.

-Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger continues to contribute a weekly video blog that is featured on FOXSports.com. It is a “free-form documentation” of Dinger’s exciting life as one of the most promising & personable young drivers in Sprint Cup racing. FOXSports.com’s Senior NASCAR editor Jorge Mondaca oversees the project.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger continues his weekly call-ins to SiriusXM Speedway with Dave Moody & Angie Skinner on Fridays on NASCAR Channel 90. Dinger’s calls are regularly in the 5:00 p.m. ET block, schedule permitting.

--Follow Penske Racing Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AJDinger. You can also follow AJ Allmendinger as well as all the Penske Racing drivers on Facebook and Twitter by simply logging on to www.penskeracing.com and click on the respective links. Follow the Dodge drivers on Twitter at http://twitter.com/teamdodge. Follow TR on Twitter at http://twitter.com/22carPR. There are two new additions to the “Twitter-World” relative to the team. You can now follow Penske Racing President Tim Cindric at http://twitter.com/TimCindric and team spotter Chris Osborne is now active at http://twitter.com/crazyspotter22

--The full 2012 AJ Allmendinger racing media guide is available online this season in the media only section of www.penskeracing.com. The media guide is available on memory stick, also. Please notify any of the Penske Racing PR reps if you haven’t received one yet this season.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger is scheduled to be signing autographs on Sunday at the team merchandising trailer on the grounds of Michigan International Speedway. Dinger is scheduled to begin the signing at 9:15 a.m. You must have a ticket to join the autograph line. Tickets will be given out free of charge at the trailer early Sunday morning.

--“If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough.” -Mario Andretti

AJ ALLMENDINGER KNOWS MICHIGAN WILL BE FASTER THAN EVER
-Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team Ready For Another Week Of Testing, Practicing, Qualifying & Racing-

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 12, 2012) – Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger enters this weekend’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway knowing what the major news topic will be. He expects the adjective “fast” to get monumental use from the beginning of Thursday’s 8:00 a.m. test session on throughout Sunday’s 400-mile race.

“Michigan has always been a basic, really fast two-mile oval and with the new repaving it will be much faster,” said Allmendinger, who will be making his 10th career start at MIS in Sunday’s battle. “Just how much greater the speeds we will run? That’s the big question heading there and everyone is curious to find out.

“The qualifying record will fall at Michigan on Saturday; that’s pretty much a given,” Dinger added. “Based on what we saw at Pocono last week, it will be really interesting to see how much the old record is beaten by and how many drivers can do it. Of course everyone will be talking about the high speeds we are taking into the corner.”

The current track record at MIS is 194.232 mph (37.069 seconds), set by Ryan Newman in qualifying for the June 2005 race. Kurt Busch drove the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge to the Coors Light Pole in last June’s race with a one-lap speed of 188.699 mph (38.156 seconds).

Last weekend at Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR premier series also attacked a brand new racing surface. Joey Logano established the new track qualifying record there of 179.598 mph (50.112 seconds). That obliterated the old record of 172.533 mph (52.164 seconds) that dated back to 2004. The top-36 qualifiers broke the old track record in last Saturday’s session.

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Sprint Cup Champion, was among the five drivers participating in the April tire testing at MIS for Goodyear. When pressed for his reaction on the speeds the cars were running, he responded, “Probably, I would say fast to too fast.”

So how fast is “too fast?”

“I don’t know…I’m not driving,” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon answered with a chuckle. “But seriously, as far as what I am hearing for the top speeds into the corner at Michigan…215 (mph)…some swore they saw 219 (mph) during the tire test there.

“Our team did not participate in the tire test, but our teammates did,” Gordon said of Brad Keselowski and his Paul Wolfe-led Miller Lite Dodge Team (the Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya teams also participated). “We’ve discussed it a lot with them and the consensus is it’s going to be really fast. I read where Montoya said he had hit 238 at Michigan during his open-wheel days and that at times during the test, his stock car felt faster.”

Gordon certainly wasn’t too shocked by the high speeds seen during the tire test and expected to be seen again this week on the newly repaved 2.0-mile moderate-banked D-shaped race track.

“With the new surface, it’s to be expected,” said Gordon. “After all, I saw 209 (mph) at Pocono going into Turn 1. That’s coming off the longest straightaway we have and going into a tight low-banked turn. I don’t know if that might be even more demanding than taking the higher speeds into the turns at Michigan. The bottom line is that NASCAR officials have had no comment about the expected high speeds or any plans to slow the cars down.

“The faster speeds are a foregone conclusion,” Gordon added. “What impact that has on the racing there is yet to be seen. Every time we race at Michigan, you have to consider that fuel mileage may likely figure into the equation.”

Unlike at Pocono last week where the team’s plan going in was to test one car (the “PRS-814”) and race another (the “PRS-819” – and changed late Thursday afternoon to actually race the test car – the plan is different for Michigan.

“We’re preparing to utilize the ‘821’ there in Thursday’s testing and use it for the remainder of the weekend,” Gordon said.

In nine career Sprint Cup starts at Michigan, Allmendinger is still looking for his first career top-10 there. He has been running at the finish in all nine of the races and finished on the lead lap six times. He has completed 96.7 percent of possible laps (1,746 of 1,806). Overall, Dinger has a 25.7 average start and 21.2 average finish at Michigan.

As crew chief Gordon pointed out, Allmendinger and crew are scheduled to be racing their “PRS-821” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan. This chassis has been raced only once; during the April Samsung Mobile 500 weekend at Texas Motor speedway. Dinger started 12th and finished 15th in that battle on the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval.

This weekend’s Michigan International Speedway action gets under way on Thursday with testing sessions from 8:00 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. till 4:00 p.m. Friday’s schedule calls for practices from 12:30 p.m. till 1:50 p.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 3:30 p.m. till 4:50 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Qualifying for all 43 starting positions is set for Saturday at 1:10 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) on the 2.0-mile track is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1:00 p.m. EDT. Race No. 15 of 36 points-paying events on the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will feature live coverage by TNT-TV and MRN Radio.

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