PREVIEW: James Buescher (No. 1 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet)
VENUE: Auto Club Speedway (2-Mile D-Shaped Oval)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR Nationwide Series (Race 2 of 35)
DATE: February 20, 2010 (150 Laps, 300 Miles)

BUESCHER AT FONTANA… Buescher has made one career start at Auto Club Speedway in Southern California, which came last season (2009) in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. After qualifying in the 16th position, the Texas native went on to capture a 13th-place finish. This weekend’s race will be Buescher’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the 2-mile D-shaped oval.

10TH CAREER NATIONWIDE START… Saturday’s race in Fontana will mark Buescher’s 10th career Nationwide Series start - his fourth with current team, Phoenix Racing. Throughout his first nine races, Buescher has posted one pole position (Memphis ’08) and two top-10 finishes (Gateway ’08, Daytona ’10). The youngster’s first six races, which all came in 2008, were behind the wheel of a Braun Racing entry.

LOOKING BACK… One week ago at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Buescher fought his way to an eighth-place finish in the No. 1 Chevrolet, but it wasn’t without obstacles for the 19-year-old to overcome. Early in the event as Buescher came to the attention of his Phoenix Racing pit crew, first, second, and third gear broke and the clutch burnt. Despite not getting up to speed as fast as his competitors, Buescher was able to maneuver his way through the “big ones” and capture his second top-10 finish.

LEADER OF THE PACK… With his eighth-place finish at Daytona, Buescher claimed the year’s first Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors. Buescher currently leads second-place Brian Scott by a total of four points.

DID YOU KNOW?... Buescher will be staying on the West Coast between the California and Las Vegas race weekends to spruce up his road course racing skills. The Raybestos Rookie of the Year Candidate will spend two days next week at the Bondurant Racing School in preparation for the three road course races on the Nationwide Series schedule.

TWEET, TWEET… To stay up-to-date with the Texas native, follow driver Buescher (@JamesBuescher) and Truck Series team Turner Motorsports (@TurnerMotorspts) on Twitter.

STAY UP TO SPEED… The Stater Bros. 300 from Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. will take the green flag this Saturday, February 20th at 5:30 P.M. Eastern. Race coverage will be televised live on ESPN2, beginning at 5 PM Eastern. In addition, MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Channel 128) will have the live radio broadcast.


QUOTES FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL:

BUESCHER (On racing at California): “I’m looking forward to heading to California for this weekend’s race. Last week at Daytona, my Phoenix Racing guys gave me a great Chevrolet and we overcame some problems during the race to come home with an eighth-place finish. We also were the top finishing rookie, so we met our goals for the weekend. That was definitely the way that we wanted to start our season and I really believe that we can continue and carry that momentum to the track this week. I ran the Truck race at California last February and that gave me some seat time, so I know what to expect when I get there.”