Malsam returns to NASCAR Nationwide Series action at Richmond‏

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 9 2010) — Another week, another new track for Pacific Northwest native Tayler Malsam as he prepares to make his 11th career start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in the No. 10 Iron Horse Jeans Toyota for Braun Racing.
The 21-year-old from Sammamish, Wash., returns to series action in the No. 10 Iron Horse Jeans Toyota in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at 4:30 p.m. (PT) on Friday at Richmond International Raceway. The race will be televised on ESPN2 beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 4 p.m. (PT). ESPN2 will also show qualifying for the race at 1 p.m. (PT) on Friday.
Not slated for broadcast will be two practice sessions on Thursday, added to the regular raceweek schedule by NASCAR because Richmond will be the third race for the new Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow (CoT). Longer and higher than the current car, the Nationwide Series CoT it is designed to be safer and easier for NASCAR to inspect, much like the Cup series CoT that debuted three years ago.
The CoT debuted at Daytona on July 2, was last used at Michigan on Aug. 14 and will be raced again at Charlotte on Oct. 15. Slated to become the series standard next year, NASCAR has followed a methodical plan in rolling out the CoT this season, using it at two superspeedways (Michigan, Daytona), an intermediate (Charlotte) and a short (Richmond) track.
Although drivers initially complained about the CoT’s handling at Daytona — extremely loose, or with the back end tending to step out toward the outside wall under throttle, was the most common complaint — teams were given more leeway to make setup adjustments at Michigan and the result was a more mixed review. Like many drivers at Michigan, Malsam compared the CoT to what he drove last season and earlier this year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“I like these new cars a lot; they drive more like the trucks than the old Nationwide car by punching a big hole in the air,” Malsam said after Michigan. “But with these cars you’re not going to get a perfect setup between loose and tight, so you have to pick the condition you want and work with it. And when you get around other cars the air being moved around can make whatever you’re dealing with worse.”
Friday’s race will be Malsam’s debut at Richmond, a mostly flat .75-mile tri-oval that many drivers consider to be one of the best venues in NASCAR. Since hosting its first NASCAR race in 1953, Richmond has been reconfigured four times and the current layout usually produces exciting side-by-side racing. Richmond has hosted two Nationwide Series races nearly every year since 1982, with current point leader Brad Keselowski winning the spring event earlier this year and former series champion Carl Edwards the fall race last year.
In his previous outing for Braun Racing, Malsam finished 23rd after being collected in a late race incident on Aug. 29 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal, another track new to the Washington state native. Prior to that he recorded back-to-back top-15 finishes in his debut at Watkins Glen on Aug. 7 and driving the CoT at Michigan. He was 18th in the CoT’s debut at Daytona and is also slated to drive the new car at Charlotte.
On the Web
www.taylermalsam.com
www.oneeightyracing.com
www.braunracing.com
www.ironhorsejeans.com
About One Eighty
One Eighty is a privately-held company located in downtown Seattle, Washington. Chairman and CEO, Dan Madsen has developed a combination of people, platform and pipeline focused on changing the way business is done. His drive is to make One Eighty not only a great company to work with, but also a great company to work for. Since 1988, his business philosophy has been simple – Always put people first and positively impact the lives of employees, customers and business associates everyday. This philosophy has been applied to One Eighty’s senior housing brands (Leisure Care, Leisure Care Premiere, Dolcetto and Signature 180.) They operate over 40 communities and nearly 7,000 units in the Western United States and Canada. One Eighty also owns hospitality brands Twist Travel™, PrimeFit™ and Edibility™ and is involved in One Eighty Racing, a NASCAR race team. For more information visit www.oneeightytwist.com.