BUSCH: DEI, Tony Stewart back together for Kansas

Chance 2, Tony Stewart and Bass Pro Shops enter Busch Series race at Kansas Speedway

MOORESVILLE, NC -- Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Chance 2 Motorsports are teaming up, again, with Tony Stewart to drive the No. 81 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. This time, however, it will be in the upcoming Mr. Goodcents 300 Busch Series race on Oct. 9 at Kansas Speedway.

Stewart was originally set to pilot the car at Michigan International Speedway last month until Mother Nature showed up and rained out qualifying. A lack of owner points for that entry forced Stewart and the No. 81 Bass Pro Shops team to head home.

Being the competitor and racer such as Stewart, he was more than happy to get a second chance in the Chance 2 entry.

"When we headed to Michigan last month we had every intention of going in there and winning that race," said Stewart, who is still searching for his first Busch Series win after finishing second three times in 39 starts. "But, just as the rain screwed up our chances of winning last year's race at Michigan, it prevented us from even qualifying for this year's race.

"Now, we have another chance to win with Bass Pro Shops on the hood at Kansas.

"I have a great relationship with them and wanted to do well for them last month. Since we can't control the weather, we decided that Kansas would be our next best opportunity to go for that win."

Last year, Stewart was leading the Busch race at Michigan when rains halted the action shortly after he pitted for fuel and tires. The race was eventually called and Stewart, the 2002 Cup Series champion, was saddled with an 11th-place finish.

"We hated that Tony didn't get a chance to race at Michigan," said Dale Earnhardt, Jr., co-owner of Chance 2 with Teresa Earnhardt, CEO and President of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. "We looked at the schedule and Kansas was the perfect place to get Tony back in the car.

"Bass Pro Shops has been great with us this year, and in the past, and we wanted to do good by them." Bass Pro Shops sponsors the No. 8 Chevrolet for Chance 2 driven by Martin Truex, Jr.; who currently leads the Busch Series points battle.

Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO, is also looking forward to this second opportunity with both Chance 2 and Tony Stewart.

"All of us at Bass Pro are extremely excited about being involved with Tony, Teresa, Dale Jr. and the Chance 2 team for this race," said Morris. "Tony is an avid fisherman and long-time supporter of Bass Pro Shops.

"Both Tony and Dale Jr. are great ambassadors for our outdoor traditions. Our business also depends a lot on the weather, so we understood what happened at Michigan. This gives us all another chance to get a win with Tony Stewart driving."

Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chance 2 Motorsports are headquartered in Mooresville, NC and is one of the premier racing organizations in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. DEI currently operates NASCAR Nextel Cup race teams with drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Michael Waltrip; one NASCAR Busch Series team with driver Paul Menard and co-owns Chance 2 with driver Martin Truex, Jr.

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