Competitor Accident Leads to Disappointing Finish for Owens at Daytona

Alli Owens

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 7, 2009) – After a promising start, the Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway came to a premature end for Alli Owens and the No. 19 ElectrifyingCareers.com team. The Daytona Beach, Fla. native was bumped from behind in Turn 3, causing Owens to lose control of her car. The No. 19 Toyota spun into the outside retaining wall, causing extensive damage to the vehicle. Owens was unable to return to the race and was forced to settle for a 40 th -place finish.

The event started on a positive note for Owens. Owens piloted her Toyota Camry to a second-place starting position for the race. Owens remained in second-place through lap 14, when the first caution flag waved. Owens was shuffled back to fifth-place on the ensuing restart, but still hanging strong with the leaders. On lap 29, The No. 51 car tagged the rear bumper of the ElectrifyingCareers.com car in Turn 3. The No. 19 car crashed into the outside wall and was damaged beyond repair. Unable to re-enter the race, Owens was relegated to a 40 th -place finish.

“It was a classic case of drivers getting too excited too early in the run,” said Owens after the event. “I got hit hard going into Turn 3, my car got loose, spun and that was it. I did my best to keep it off the wall, but there was nothing I could do to save it. Me, Joey (Logano) and Justin (Lofton) worked together for the first phase of the race. We were bump drafting, but knew the limits, so we never had any problems. The driver behind me was too aggressive and cost us a great car.

“No doubt this is a disappointing finish, but it’s great to see the potential the ElectrifyingCareers.com team showed. We made a statement this week. Things didn’t turn out how we wanted, but if we keep working as hard as we did for this race, a win won’t be too far behind.”

February 6, 2009

Owens on Outside Pole for Daytona ARCA Race

Alli Owens

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 6, 2009) – Alli Owens has made her mark. Friday afternoon, the 20 year-old Daytona Beach, Fla. native sat the No. 19 ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota on the outside pole for tomorrow’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at the Daytona International Speedway. It is her best qualifying attempt in her short ARCA career.

Owens piloted the No. 19 Camry around the 2.5 mile speedway in 49.584 seconds (181.510 mph). Her time was only .166 seconds behind leader the leader’s speed of 182.120 mph. The second-place starting position has Owens optimistic about tomorrow’s event.

“What a way to start the season,” exclaimed Owens. “I knew we had a rocket ship when I took the green flag. The car felt great. I kept trying to watch the scoreboard as I drove down the backstretch on my second lap because I knew we had an awesome run going. When I saw we were in second-place, I was so excited.

“The good thing about being on the outside pole, instead of the pole position, is that you’re closer to the fans,” continued Owned. “The ElectrifyingCareers.com car is the first car the fans will see tomorrow. I’ve been on the outside pole of a Late Model race. Other than that, I’ve never been on the front row, so I can’t wait to get started tomorrow. It’s an incredible view when you don’t see any cars in front of you.”

The Slick Mist 200 begins at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. Race coverage can be seen on SPEED TV.

February 5, 2009

Owens Ready for Qualifying After Hopeful Practice Session

Alli Owens

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 5, 2009) – Following today’s practice for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, Alli Owens has every reason to be excited about tomorrow’s qualifying session.

The No. 19 ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota ran 32 laps throughout the five hour practice. Owens’ best time around the 2.5-mile oval was 49.789 seconds. Owens scored the third-fastest lap among non-draft aided cars. The No. 19 will focus on the car’s drafting setup in tomorrow’s final practice session.

“Today was very encouraging,” stated Owens. “We’ve been working really hard on the qualifying package throughout the off-season and today reflected that. Our time was the third-fastest among the cars in qualifying trim. That gives me a lot of confidence that we can score a top-10 starting spot, maybe even a top-five. We’ll work on our drafting package once we’re done qualifying. I learned so much from Eddie (D’Hondt) last time I was here, and I can’t wait to have him coaching me again. So far we’re off to a great start to the week. I can’t wait to get going tomorrow.”

Qualifying begins tomorrow at 12:00 EST. The Slick Mist 200 begins at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. Race coverage can be seen on SPEED TV.

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