Pressley returns to R3 Motorsports for Richmond

Coleman Pressley returns to R3 Motorsports No. 23 Chevrolet for Richmond race

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (September 6, 2010) -- Coleman Pressley will return to the No. 23 Chevrolet of R3 Motorsports for this weekend's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

This move comes on the heels of an announcement two weeks ago regarding R3's hopes to expand to a second team for the 2011 season if proper backing can be found for Pressley. The 21-year old is a third-generation NASCAR driver who drove for the team in three previous races this year; one of which was the April race at RIR where he finished 18th.

For this race, however, he will be making his first start in the new-style Nationwide Series cars. With less than a dozen NNS starts to his credit, this will be another chance for Pressley to gain knowledge of the new cars -- and build his future.

Fast Facts: Pressley has 10-career NNS starts to his credit with five being made this year and five in 2009. In 2010, his best start to date was ninth at Kentucky Speedway with a best finish of 12th at Nashville Superspeedway for another team. His average start has been 23.4 with an 18.8 average finish. He's completed 1,050 of 1,124 laps contested (93.4 percent) this year.

Track Facts: In two previous starts at the .75-mile oval of RIR, Pressley has a best start of 13th (Sept. 09) with his best finish of 18th driving the No. 23 Chevrolet of R3 Motorsports in April of this year.

Car Facts: Steve Plattenberger and crew will roll chassis No. 53 off the R3 Motorsports hauler at RIR. This brand-new car was built from a Ronnie Hopkins Chassis and has had no on-track action before.

Come See Coleman: After the final test session on Thursday, fans are invited to attend an autograph signing at the amphitheater located outside the track. Pressley will be there from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. with his NNS fellow drivers.

Did you know: Coleman's dad, Robert, made a trip to RIR's Victory Lane during his successful NNS career. He won the September 1992 race driving for owner Daniel Welch in the No. 14 Oldsmobile.

Coleman Pressley:

Thoughts on being back in the R3 Motorsports car: "It feels pretty good to get back out there with this team. We had some pretty good runs together earlier this year and I'm looking forward to racing with Steve (Plattenberger -- crew chief) and the rest of the guys again. And, I'm going back to a track where I've race with R3 before, so that helps a lot. They have good equipment and show up ready to race. Now, it's up to me to give them good feedback during the test sessions on Thursday."

This is your first time in the new Nationwide cars: "I think it's pretty cool to finally get in one of these Chevrolets. It's going to be fun to learn about them during the test sessions in regards to how they handle in the turns and once the tires wear a little. I'm looking forward to this weekend for that reason. That, and if I'm going to race next year, I need to learn all I can about these cars now so we can be ahead of the game for 2011."

-source: r3 motorsports