MWR taps PJ Jones for Sears Point

PJ JONES SCHEDULED TO RACE NO. 00 BURGER KING® TOYOTA CAMRY AT SONOMA FOR REUTIMANN

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 16, 2007) -- Michael Waltrip Racing announces that PJ Jones will qualify and race the No. 00 BURGER KING® Toyota Camry for David Reutimann during the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

"It's difficult for any driver to step out of their car and I feel like I need to make David proud," Jones said. "I want to thank Michael Waltrip Racing and Burger King Corporation for the opportunity to race the BURGER KING® Toyota Camry. I contacted Ty (Norris) while I was preparing for the Indy 500 and told him that I hadn't committed to anything and that I was available if they needed me. I had a couple other opportunities, but I felt like this one with Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota was a great one and I hope to bring home a solid finish."

While Jones is in Sonoma (Calif.) with the BURGER KING® Toyota Camry team, Reutimann will be at the Milwaukee Mile preparing to race the No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Busch Series event to maintain his top-five (fourth-place) points position.

"We had hoped to be in the top-35 by Sonoma, but we haven't been able to do that," Reutimann said. "We felt like having a driver with a lot of road course experience would give us a solid chance to get into the race. It's a smart thing to do. Both the BURGER KING® Corporation and Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry teams will benefit. It wouldn't have been an issue if I would have had more road course experience. I'll be back in the car at New Hampshire (International Speedway) and wish PJ good luck at Sonoma ."

Jones is set to showcase his road course abilities at Infineon Raceway and work with crew chief Frank Kerr, who he has known for years.

"Frankie comes from Midgets and Sprint Cars, so I've known him for a long time," Jones said. "We were also able to work together over at Robby Gordon's. He's a racer and having a racer as a crew chief is awesome because he understands what we need as a driver. We tested together recently at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and had a very productive test. He gave me the No. 00 Burger King® Toyota Camry with everything I wanted and that's hard to find when you do a one off deal with a team."

Reutimann will race this weekend in the No. 00 BURGER KING® Toyota Camry at Michigan International Speedway. After being absent from the race at Infineon Raceway, he will return to his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series duties for the Lenox Industrial Tool 300 on July 1st at New Hampshire International Speedway.

-credit: mwr