Talladega Leicht
WELCOME, N.C. (April 23, 2008) -- Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced today that Stephen Leicht will drive the No. 21 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in the Aaron’s 312 held in Talladega, AL on April 26th.
Leicht’s No. 21 Chevy will feature the Childress Vineyards paint scheme this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Founded by Richard Childress in 2004, the winery and tasting room have quickly become a stand-alone destination in the Yadkin Valley.
Recently, the Wine Enthusiast Magazine voted Childress Vineyards as one of America’s Top 25 tasting rooms.
It was the only winery selected in the state of North Carolina. For more information please visit www.childressvineyards.com.
Leicht will pilot Chassis No. 064 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) stable.
Built new for 2007, this is the same No. 21 Chevy that Bobby Labonte drove to a 15th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in February 2008.
In 2007, Kevin Harvick piloted this chassis to Victory Lane during the Orbitz 300 at Daytona in February. Additionally, Harvick drove this No. 21 machine to a sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April and to a second-place finish at Daytona in July.
The Asheville, NC native is excited to race again at Talladega Superspeedway which is one of the biggest, fastest, and most competitive motorsports facilities in the world with records for both speed and competition have been established at Talladega.
Talladega has been a bit of a sore spot for Leicht, who finished seventh in the NNS point standings last season.
In two starts at the larger-than-life 2.66-mile oval, he owns a 17.5 starting average and a 29.5 finishing average.
However, he has completed 224 of 237 (94.5%) of laps attempted at the famed Alabama race track.
In three starts under the RCR banner, Leicht has posted two top-10 and three top-15 finishes. Leicht’s best finish came two weeks ago at Phoenix International Raceway where he started 22nd and finished seventh.
Leicht joined RCR after spending the past three years at Robert Yates Racing.
Although coming off his first full season in which he scored his first career win and finished seventh in the championship standings, changes within the Yates organization at the end of the season eliminated that entry and left him without a ride. RCR, which had previously named Labonte to drive 15 races in the No. 21 Chevrolet in 2008, opted to add Leicht to the lineup for at least two events initially.
The 21-year-old from Asheville, N.C., has capitalized on this chance by learning from teammate and former champion Bobby Labonte and the other drivers at RCR.
“Look at all the guys on the team, not just Bobby – but Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick,” Leicht said. “To be able to talk to these guys and learn from them each week has been beneficial. I’m learning a lot from these guys every day.”
Leicht ran his first full Nationwide Series season in 2007 where he captured his first series victory in June at Kentucky Speedway and finished seventh in the points standings on the strength of three top-five and seven top-10 finishes.
Leicht made his Nationwide Series debut in October 2005 at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park, the same year he earned the American Speed Association Late Model national championship. He was the American Racing Association rookie of the year in 2003 and earned more than 150 feature wins in quarter midgets and go-karts.
For more information visit: www.speedofleicht.com
|
