Hodgson PR: Cody Hodgson Richmond International Raceway Race Preview

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 4.25.1 For more information, visit www.CodyHodgsonRacing.com or email TbarrettGWC@hotmail.com   Cody Hodgson: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Richmond International Raceway Race Preview       THE STORY   Cody Hodgson of Escalon, Calif., will compete alongside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East heads to the Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., on Thursday, April 28. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate sits 12th overall in the K&N Pro Series East standings as the series heads to its first standalone Richmond event in history – on the undercard of a Saturday night Cup race at the .75-mile track. Better yet, Hodgson is fifth in the standings among a field of 24 rookies who have made a start in the series already this season.

 

THE FACTS   WHO: Cody Hodgson, Escalon, Calif. TEAM: Dave Davis Motorsports No. 03 Ocala Gran Prix Chevrolet CREW CHIEF: Lonnie Rush, Mooresville, N.C.   BEST CAREER RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY FINISH: N/A LAST RACE AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: N/A   WHAT: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Blue Ox 100 WHERE: Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va. (.75-mile D-oval) WHEN: Qualifying – 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 28; Race – 7 p.m., Thursday, April 28   NASCAR K&N Pro Series East NEXT RACE: May 21, Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 175, Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa (.875-mile oval) CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 12th       DID YOU KNOW?   Richmond International Raceway represents the largest track Cody Hodgson has ever competed on. Cody Hodgson has two Top-15 finishes in two career K&N Pro Series East starts, including a career-best 10th-place finish in his career debut at Greenville Pickens Speedway last month. Following the series' last race at South Boston two weeks ago, Cody Hodgson returned home to California for the first time since early March. Cody Hodgson lives with team owner Dave Davis during the week, working at the shop during the day and competing on the weekends.       WHAT THEY'RE SAYING   CODY HODGSON, Driver of the No. 03 Ocala Gran Prix Chevrolet, On racing at Richmond International Raceway for the first time: “I'm definitely excited about it. I've never been to one of these big events like this. I'm sure there will be a lot more people, a lot more fans. Every driver out there will be trying to show that they're the next greatest thing. It should be a lot of fun.   “I really need to focus on qualifying better, but with a big track like this it's not going to be as much about where you start at the beginning of the race. The Richmond track is obviously bigger and will be faster, but the actual racing will be 'slower.' I think you'll have more time to work around other cars if you have to.”   On preparing to race at a track you've never raced on before: It's a whole new game for me. I'm excited about it. Everything in the pits, I'm sure, will feel bigger and more exciting. The racing will be a lot different from what we've seen already, too, (at Greenville and South Boston). There's just one day of practice, with the two one-hour sessons, so I'm going to need to be a little cautious with the speeds and everything at first. That first session, it will be all about going out and getting a good feel for the speed.   On the importance of better qualifying efforts: “As far as the racing and everything, I've been feeling really good. I've been able to pass guys. But I feel like right now I really need to focus on qualifying better. A couple of guys in the series are really good at that, and it's helping them every week.   “I feel like I've passed a ton of cars, and I've learned a lot about how to race with people around me in this series. What I really need to learn now is how to get more out of the car in qualifying, even if maybe there's not a lot there to get. We've been able to make our car really good on the long runs, but I just haven't been able to be up in the top spots (after qualifying) to ride around with those top guys and show them what we've got at the end. We've had to race so hard just to get there, that we haven't had a lot left at the end of races to be able to really race with the leaders.”       UP NEXT   The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East heads to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa for a combination race with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West on Saturday, May 21 – the Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 175... The Dave Davis Motorsports entry of Kevin Swindell finished ninth in the event last year as K&N Pro Series East teams took seven of the top nine spots at the track owned by former Sprint Cup Series driver Rusty Wallace.       SOCIAL MEDIA   Follow Cody Hodgson on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CHodgson55 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-White-Checker/45527276443 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/GWCNewEngland Travis Barrett GWC Motorsports Marketing TBarrettGWC@hotmail.com (207) 522-0357

 

Hodgson PR : South Boston Speedway Race Preview

THE STORY   Cody Hodgson of Escalon, Calif., seeks his second straight Top-10 finish to start his career when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East stops at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va., for the South Boston 150 on Saturday, April 16. Hodgson, who is running for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award in the series, tested at South Boston last week and is looking to carry the momentum of a 10th-place run in the season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway two weeks ago into the second event on the 2011 schedule.

 

THE FACTS   WHO: Cody Hodgson, Escalon, Calif. TEAM: Dave Davis Motorsports No. 03 Ocala Gran Prix Dodge CREW CHIEF: Lonnie Rush, Mooresville, N.C.   BEST CAREER SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A LAST RACE AT SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY: N/A   WHAT: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East South Boston 150 WHERE: South Boston Speedway, South Boston, Va., (.400-mile oval) WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, April 16   NASCAR K&N Pro Series East NEXT RACE: April 28, Blue Ox 100, Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va. (.750-mile D-oval) POINTS POSITION (after 1 event): 10th       DID YOU KNOW?   Cody Hodgson finished 10th at Greenville Pickens Speedway two weeks ago, giving him a Top-10 finish in his very first race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Dave Davis Motorsports finished 7th in this race in 2009 with driver Sean Caisse. When he's back home in Escalon, Calif., Cody Hodgson is a big fan of wakeboarding.       WHAT THEY'RE SAYING   CODY HODGSON, Driver of the No. 03 Ocala Gran Prix Dodge, On getting back to the track after a solid debut performance at Greenville Pickens Speedway: “I've been really anxious since Greenville to get back in the car. I was glad we got to to test last Friday at South Boston. It went really well.   “We were really happy, especially when we compared ourselves to some of the other fast cars that were there. We were really comparable with (Max Gresham, who won the pole and the race at South Boston in 2010). That was really good, especially for my first time being there.”   On his impressions of South Boston: “It's a little rough. But it's fun to drive on; it's a fast little track and you really run some good speeds on it.   “I really like the short track stuff. It's a little more like karting, where you can feel the horsepower, feel the car and what it's doing, all of that stuff.”   On his goals from week to week in the series: “They're pretty much the same as they were (at the start of the season). After the first race, I know where I'm at with my skill level and I know what kind of equipment and what kind of cars I have. I knew at end of Greenville that we were capable of a Top-5 if everything had gone right.   “I think the biggest thing is making sure I qualify well. The main thing is just being consistent – starting up front, being in the Top-5 and pulling out a win or two would be a perfect season for us. We're definitely capable of that.”   DAVE DAVIS, owner of Dave Davis Motorsports and the No. 03 Ocala Gran Prix Dodge, on his outlook for this weekend: “It's a hard track to pass at. Qualifying up front and staying up there is going to be the key to the whole race. Definitely after Greenville, I think Cody has a better idea of hard he has to run at the beginning of a race. (Greenville) was kind of my fault, because I just paced him too long. He was a rocket ship over the last 30 laps, and I probably should have let him go sooner – but I just was worried about wearing out the tires.   “But I'm feeling really good about this weekend. We had a really, really good test (at South Boston). It was better than I even thought it would be. I think Cody definitely knows a little better what he needs to do. He really picked up (speed). We ran a mock (qualifying) run that was faster than the pole speed last year. The car was really awesome – really, really good – on 100-lap old tires.”       UP NEXT   The K&N Pro Series East will make its first appearance of the season on the undercard of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, as the series heads to Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., for the Blue Ox 100 on Thursday, April 28... Five of the series' 12 events in 2011 are held in conjunction with one of NASCAR's national series, including two stops at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the season finale at Dover International Speedway.       SOCIAL MEDIA   Follow Cody Hodgson on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/CHodgson55 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-White-Checker/45527276443 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/GWCNewEngland