NASCAR DRIVERS TO APPEAR AT COLUMBUS CLIPPERS GAME FRIDAY
Drivers To Sign Autographs, Throw Ceremonial First Pitch

   Four NASCAR developmental drivers will appear at the Columbus Clippers baseball game at Cooper Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, Aug. 22 in advance of Saturday’s doubleheader of racing action at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park.
   NASCAR Camping World Series East drivers Trevor Bayne, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Jesus Hernandez along with NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ronnie Silk will be in attendance on Friday. The drivers will sign autographs for Clippers fans entering the park from 6-7 p.m. The group will also be throwing out the ceremonial pitch prior to the Clippers’ game against the Richmond Braves, which starts at 7:25 p.m.
   "We're very happy to welcome some of NASCAR's rising stars,” Clippers Director of Marketing Mark Galuska said. “Much as they do with our players, it will be a treat for our fans to interact with these future stars of their sport. We have a great relationship with NASCAR which we hope to continue well into the future."
   Bayne, Earnhardt and Hernandez are development drivers for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Bayne, who drives the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, will enter Saturday’s race at Mansfield second in the season standings. Earnhardt, grandson of the late Dale Sr., drives the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Foundation Chevrolet and is 10th in the points chase. Hernandez, who is part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, pilots the No. 11 DEI Chevrolet and is fourth in points.
   Silk drives the No. 79 Coors Light/Sunoco Pontiac for Hill Enterprises. He has two wins in 2008, including last week at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, and is sixth in the season standings.
   In addition to the four drivers, there will also be race cars on display for fans to get an up-close look at as they enter the park. One of the DEI cars will be at the park along with Silk’s No. 79 Modified and a Late Model from nearby Columbus Motor Speedway.
   The NASCAR Camping World Series East and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour are developmental touring series that have produced a number of today’s national series stars. Current NASCAR Nationwide Series phenom Joey Logano captured last year’s NASCAR Camping World Series East championship and, in addition to the aforementioned DEI trio, this year’s list of competitors includes AMA motocross legend Ricky Carmichael and Joe Gibbs Racing rising star Marc Davis.
   The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour boasts nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik, current points leader Chuck Hossfeld and other accomplished veterans as well as up-and-coming talents such as Silk, Matt Hirschman and Ryan Preece.
   The Columbus Clippers are the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals. After Friday’s game, just three dates will remain on the home schedule for historic Cooper Stadium, which opened in 1932. The Clippers will move to a new ballpark in downtown Columbus in 2009.
   The NASCAR Camping World Series East’s Mansfield 150 is set to take the green flag on Saturday in Mansfield Motorsports Park at 5:30 p.m. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Whelen 150 will go green at approximately 8 p.m.
   To see NASCAR’s rising stars at the Clippers game on Friday, please visit the team’s official Web site for ticket information (clippersbaseball.com), and for information on Saturday’s races at Mansfield, please see the track’s official Web site (mansfieldmotorsportsonline.com).

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