Jeff Green No. 66 Best Buy Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet Infineon Raceway Preview

PREVIOUS RACE AT INFINEON RACEWAY: Jeff Green started 23rd and finished 19th in this event one year ago. In spite of the car not handling completely to his liking, Green survived the attrition that sidelined a number of other competitors to remain on the lead lap and post a top-20 finish.

CHASSIS: HAAS CNC RACING CHASSIS NO. 425- This car of tomorrow chassis was previously raced at Richmond International Raceway in May, and Phoenix International Raceway in April. Jeff Green posted a season-best sixth place finish with this chassis in the Phoenix event.

TEST: Jeff Green and his No. 66 Best Buy Racing team tested at Virginia International Raceway last Wednesday, June 13, in preparation for this weekend’s road course event.

Q&A WITH DRIVER JEFF GREEN:

YOU’VE RACED MOST OF YOUR CAREER ON OVALS. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE ROAD COURSES, AND DO THEY HAVE A PLACE IN NASCAR? “I think they’re a lot of fun. You get the road course experts that will run all over you if you’re not careful, though. I think they do have a place in NASCAR. There are quite a few fans that enjoy the road course races, and it’s something different for us as drivers, so yeah, it definitely has a place.”

GIVEN YOUR YEARS IN THE SPORT, DO YOU STILL GO TO ROAD COURSE SCHOOLS? “No, I went out to Bondurant (the Bob Bondurant High Performance School of Driving) one time, but that’s been it. If they used the same kind of cars we drive, it might be worth going back there, but they use Mustangs that you’d drive on the street. The main thing they can teach you is just the braking techniques and how to ‘one foot’ (using your right foot on both the brake and accelerator while using the left foot to push in the clutch), but I don’t do that.”

HOW LONG DOES IT USUALLY TAKE YOU TO GET BACK UP TO SPEED ON THE ROAD COURSES EACH YEAR? “Oh, usually around three or four laps. It might take you 15 or 20 minutes to get comfortable with the track again. If they’ve changed the track from one year to the next, it takes a little while to learn where the braking points are now, but if they haven’t changed anything, it doesn’t take long to get back in the groove.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF HAROLD HOLLY:

HOW DID YOUR TEST AT VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY TURN OUT? “It was interesting. Jeff (Green) ended up off course a few times, but so did Johnny (Sauter, Green’s Haas CNC Racing teammate). We had to do some repair work to the cars, but we were able to get some good data and learn quite a bit about the cars of tomorrow and how they react on the road courses.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE CAR(S) OF TOMORROW WILL PERFORM AT INFINEON? “I don’t think it will change the quality of the racing much. It will still be good racing, but I do think the race will be much slower than what we’ve seen in the past.

“These cars are big, heavy, and have a high center of gravity. I don’t think guys will be able to out brake each other as much as they can in the other cars. They won’t be able to use the rumble strips at the top of the hill, either. If you damage the splitter braces on your car and the splitter starts dragging at all, you’re going to get black-flagged, so I think guys will be more cautious than they have been.”

SAMSUNG GALA: Jeff Green, along with his wife Michelle, attended Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope sixth annual celebrity gala to benefit children and families in need on Monday night, June 18, at New York’s Cipriani Wall Street.

This year’s event featured “Live with Regis and Kelly” host, Regis Philbin who returned for his third gala to help recognize the charitable efforts of sports, entertainment and political notables, including former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Joe Torre, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Boomer Esiason, Arnold Palmer, and Dan Marino.

Green made what was arguably the most unusual arrival to the event, pulling up to the red carpet in his No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet Impala SS, which was emblazoned with the same Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope and Magic Johnson Foundation paint design as the car Green piloted in the NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

Dressed in his Best Buy uniform, Green climbed from his car and joined his wife on the red carpet for photos and interviews. Once inside, Green donned a more traditional suit and tie for a group photo with the other celebrities in attendance.

During the program, Green spoke to the attendees about the Magic Johnson Foundation (MJF). Founded by basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, MJF identifies and supports community-based organizations that address the educational, health, and social needs of children, young adults and inner-city communities throughout the nation.

Green and Johnson met earlier this year when Johnson attended the NASCAR race in Las Vegas and served as honorary crew chief for the Best Buy team. Johnson was unable to attend last night’s gala, so Samsung and Best Buy asked Green to introduce a video clip about the work Johnson’s foundation is doing.

Seated at a table alongside Samsung and Best Buy executives, the Greens had a front row seat as singer, song-writer, and actress Alicia Keys gave a special live performance to raise money for her charity, The Alicia Keys Family Foundation, an umbrella organization that provides support to the many non profit groups whose mission statement is devoted to the betterment of the World's children and their families.

The sold-out event featured a star-studded roster of celebrities from the worlds of sports, entertainment and politics, and included a silent auction of sports memorabilia and other exciting items that will help raise funds for all of the participating foundations and charities.

Launched in 2002 by Samsung Electronics America, which serves as an associate sponsor of Green and the No. 66 Best Buy Haas CNC Racing team, Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope is an innovative goodwill program dedicated to raising awareness and funds through national retail promotions with retail partners like Best Buy. The retailers have encouraged their customers to donate to the program through sales promotions and sweepstakes. To date, Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope program has raised more than $7.5 million for charity and won recognition for its achievements.

JEFF GREEN, ON THE SAMSUNG’S FOUR SEASONS OF HOPE GALA: “Michelle and I had a great time. We were fortunate enough to shake hands with Regis Philbin and his wife, Joy, and we got to speak with Rudy Giuliani, Joe Torre, and probably my wife’s favorite, Susan Lucci (star of the daytime drama, “All My Children”).
“Best Buy and Samsung asked me to fill in for Magic, who wasn’t able to attend. I’m not sure how you try to fill shoes that big, though. I told the crowd, since I was there representing Magic, I should have brought a milk crate to stand on.

“Samsung put on a great event. We were able to raise a lot of money for some incredible charities, and I think everyone had a great time. I know Michelle and I did. I’m just honored Best Buy and Samsung asked me to be a part of it.”

JEFF GREEN’S HISTORY AT INFINEON RACEWAY: Jeff Green has finished on the lead lap in all four of his NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Infineon Raceway. His best finish was a fifth-place result in the June, 2002, event, while driving the No. 30 entry for Richard Childress Racing.

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT INFINEON RACEWAY: The Haas CNC Racing team has four starts at Infineon Raceway. The team’s best starting spot was scored by driver Ward Burton in the 2004 event, where Burton started 14th. The team’s best finish at Infineon came in this race one year ago, where driver Jeff Green finished 19th.

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED CREWMAN: Second Truck Driver, Gary Buffkin- Best Buy Racing’s website is highlighting the crew members of the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing team. Each week, a different crew member is featured with an expanded bio. Read the latest by logging on to either www.racing.bestbuy.com or http://racing.bestbuy.com.