Ben Rhodes No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet Preview: Iowa

LOUISVILLE, KY (May 13th, 2014) – Ben Rhodes and the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet Impala team travel to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, this weekend for the “Casey’s General Stores 150” NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) / West (NKNPSW) combination race, which is the sixth race of the 16-race season for the East division. The 17-year-old Louisville, Kentucky, native and NASCAR Next driver will be making his 13th series start with Turner Scott Motorsports and his third appearance at the Midwest track.

Last Time Out… In the fifth race of 2014, Rhodes drove the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet to a second-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia, after starting from the fifth position.

Points Lead Extension… Rhodes’ second-place finish at Richmond extended his lead in the championship standings from seven points to 18 as well as increasing the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points lead from 12 points to 16.

2014 Stat Tracker… After five of the 16-race season, Rhodes has an average starting spot of 2.0 and an average finish of 5.0. He has completed all 682 laps to date, leading 236 of them (34.6-percent of the laps). He has one victory, four top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes.

Iowa Experience… In 2013, Rhodes raced both East-West combination races at the 0.875-mile paved oval. In June, Rhodes finished fifth overall, third amongst the East drivers in the field. In August, he crossed the line in 10th, eighth for the East racers.

Ben Rhodes on Racing at Iowa Speedway

What are your thoughts on Iowa Speedway? “When I first went to Iowa Speedway it wasn’t my favorite track. During the practice sessions it took me a while to figure out the best line for my car. I actually think I dialed the car out in the first practice, but figured it out and that helped us for both races. The more I ran it the more I began to like it. After gaining experience with two races there last year I feel like we have the chance to do great this year.”

Talk about continuing as the points leader. “A lot of the other drivers near us in the points didn’t have a great day at Richmond, so that helped us increase our points lead. It is a great feeling to be the driver on top and we have been fortunate to have great finishes, but what happened to them could happen to us too. We just need to keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we can keep the Alpha team in the top spot.”

What are your thoughts on being selected into NASCAR Next for the second year? “The NASCAR Next program is such a great thing to be a part of. Last year at Iowa Speedway they announced me into the 2013-2014 class, and at Richmond last month I was selected into the 2014-2015 class. It is really cool how NASCAR is helping us drivers understand more about the sport as well as getting us in front of the fans more with events and appearances. It is an honor to be one of the 12 drivers representing this year’s class and I am looking forward to all the events we have over the next year.”

Sponsor Support

In 2014, Ben Rhodes is sponsored by Alpha Energy Solutions, Alliance Comfort Systems, Kentucky National Guard, Park Community Credit Union, and Refrigerant Rescue.

Event Information

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East – Race 6 of 16

Saturday, May 17th, 2014

“Casey’s General Stores 150”

Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile asphalt oval) – Newton, Iowa

Practice Sessions: 10am – 11:20am CT; 1pm – 2pm

Autograph Session: 3pm – 4pm

Qualifying: 4:35pm

Green Flag (150 laps): 8pm

(all times above listed in local / central time zone)

TV: FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, May 24th, at 8:30pm Eastern / 7:30pm Central

www.nascarhometracks.com | www.iowaspeedway.com