Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Martin Truex Jr.
Chicago Street Race Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Grant Park 165 (Round 20 of 36)
● Time/Date: 4:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 7
● Location: Chicago Street Course
● Layout: 2.2-mile, 12-turn street course
● Laps/Miles: 75 laps/165 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Final Stage: 30 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago will be just the second go-around on a street-course in the NASCAR Cup Series’ 76-year history. Drivers will speed past some of the city’s most renowned landmarks, from Michigan Avenue to South Lake Shore Drive, with the start-finish line near Buckingham Fountain.

● Qualifying for the Grant Park 220 takes place on Saturday, and it’s where Sunday’s 75-lap race around the 2.2-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit could very well be won. Track position will be paramount, as those starting up front are far more likely to stay up front.

● The Grant Park 165 Sunday on the streets of downtown Chicago is the third of five road-course races on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), finished 10th in the series’ first road-course race of the year March 24 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He then placed 27th in the series’ second road-course stop June 9 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway after running out of gas on the last lap while running in second place. After Chicago, the next road-course race is Sept. 15 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, with the final road-course race coming Oct. 12 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● Where We Stand: The New Jersey native sits fifth in the driver standings with 591 points, 73 behind leader Kyle Larson. All four JGR entries are currently inside the top-10 in the standings, with Denny Hamlin third, Christopher Bell sixth and Ty Gibbs 10th as the series heads to the Windy City this weekend.

● Road-Course Ace: Truex has five road-course victories in his Cup Series career – four at Sonoma and one at Watkins Glen. He has a total of 14 career top-five finishes, 25 top-10s and 356 laps led in 54 career road-course races.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in July 2023 was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 63 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn last August. Truex scored his second stage win of the season at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway in April, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

Did you enjoy racing in the rain in Chicago last year?

“For whatever reason, I did a lot better racing in the wet than I did in the dry last year. That’s kind of odd because most guys like the dry better. It was a unique experience and I’m glad we got to race at a street course at some point in my career. For the fans, though, it would be fun to see it without the rain and have everyone enjoy the weekend without the historic rain. It’s neat just to be able to walk to the racetrack from the hotel we stayed at. Just things that you don’t do normally and, of course, the crowd was great, too, and I expect the fans to be excited again this year.”

What is the first thing that goes through your head when you think about heading back to Chicago and the street-course race this weekend?

“We really didn’t get to run the race straight up last year, so I still think it has a chance to be really crazy even if it’s dry. It’s going to be fun, though, to get to do something that’s still fairly new. Every time they’ve brought in something new the last several years, we all have been apprehensive. Just saying, ‘I don’t know about this,’ and then we do it and it’s turned out to be pretty cool. Just trying to stay open-minded and just trying to look forward to the challenge. It’s a difficult track, but that’s what makes it fun and I think it worked out better than we all expected last year.” Hoping we qualify our Bass Pro Shops Camry up front, stay there, and have a shot in the end.”

Do you look at the Chicago Street Race sort of like the Roval, then, with you being apprehensive at first, but maybe had more fun once you did it a couple of times and knew what you needed to do?

“I think so. I can remember I was one of the first guys to test the Roval before there were any curves. It was just the infield road course with grass all around. I was thinking that was too small and narrow and how are we going to race on this thing? As it turned out, it was quite the show. Like I said, you have to be open-minded and embrace the challenges and try to do what you can with it.”

What do you think of the concept of racing in Chicago now for the second time and continuing to expose new fans to the sport?

“I think it’s a good idea. I can’t even imagine what goes into it. On the race fan side, it seems like was really cool last year once the weather cleared, I know that was a big challenge for everyone last year with how much it rained during the weekend. Hopefully it continues to be a good turnout and it goes off well and weather isn’t an issue this time. I enjoy tracks that are unique and challenging and it’s always a good challenge to keep learning the place and hoping to have a whole weekend where we are just battling how to make our car better and the fans have a good time.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Chicago Street Event Info:
Date: Sunday, July 7
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Format: 75 Laps, 165 Miles, Stages: 20-25-30
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12:30 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:30 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 4:30 p.m. ET, Race (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The streets of Chicago hosts the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend for the second Chicago Street Race. The 12-turn course spans 2.2 miles and is settled along some of the city’s top tourist attractions.
• Chris Buescher led RFK a season ago in Chicago with a 10th-place result.
• Buescher earned his third top-5 in the last four races this past weekend in Nashville. He has the fourth-best average finish of any driver in the last six races.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Elk Grove Village

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

60 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

Keselowski on Road Courses
Starts: 45
Wins: —
Top-10s: 11
Poles: 1

• Keselowski finished 24th a year ago in the debut of the Chicago Street Course.
• In 45 starts otherwise on road courses in his Cup career, Keselowski has a 16.9 average finish with 11 top-10s.
• Thus far in 2024, Keselowski has finishes of 33rd (COTA) and 13th (Sonoma).

Buescher on Road Courses
Starts: 34
Wins: —
Top-10s: 14
Poles: —

• Buescher enters the second-ever Chicago Street Race as one of the drivers to watch, coming off a 10th-place run there a year ago.
• In two road course events thus far in 2024, Buescher has two top-10s with a P8 result in COTA, and a third-place finish in Sonoma just a few weeks ago.
• In 20 road course events since the start of the 2021 season, Buescher has 12 top-10s and a 9.6 average finish, second-best of any driver.

Hand in NASCAR
Starts: 7
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Hand makes his first appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series since the 2022 season. His debut came back in 2021 when he ran the No. 52 car for Rick Ware Racing at the ROVAL.
• His six starts in 2022 all came on road courses with a best result of 20th at Sonoma.

RFK Historically at Road Courses
Cup Wins: 5 (Mark Martin, 1993-95, Watkins Glen; Mark Martin, 1997, Sonoma; Carl Edwards, 2014, Sonoma)

RFK on the Road: As an organization, RFK has made 261 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with five wins, 92 top-10s and 42 finishes inside the top five with a 17.4 average finish.

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Nashville: Buescher finished fifth in a wild finish at Nashville that saw five NASCAR Overtime attempts. Keselowski finished fifth in each of the first two stages and was in line for a top-10 at minimum, but was spun late to ultimately finish 25th.

Points Standings (6: 9th, 17: 12th): Both drivers are up one position from last week as Buescher inches closer to the top-10, now just 14 points out of that spot.

NOAH GRAGSON
Chicago Street Race Advance
No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Grant Park 165 (Round 20 of 36)
● Time/Date: 4:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 7
● Location: Chicago Street Course
● Layout: 2.2-mile, 12-turn street course
● Laps/Miles: 75 laps/165 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Final Stage: 30 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The Grant Park 165 Sunday on the streets of downtown Chicago is the third of five road-course races on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, finished 34th in the series’ first road-course race of the year March 24 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He then placed 26th in the series’ second road-course stop June 9 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. After Chicago, the next road-course race is Sept. 15 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International with the final road-course race coming Oct. 12 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● In last year’s inaugural street race at Chicago, Gragson started 23rd and finished 25th, completing all 78 laps for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.

● Across the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series, Gragson has made a total of 40 road-course starts – five in Cup, 21 in Xfinity, two in Trucks, two in ARCA and 10 in K&N – amassing four wins, 16 top-fives and 27 top-10s with 167 laps led.

● Gragson’s four road-course wins all came in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, and three were earned in a one-week stretch in September 2016. Gragson swept a pair of K&N Series West races at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, beating Todd Gilliland on Sept. 10 and then besting him again on Sept. 11 when Gragson took the lead from Gilliland on the last lap. Six days and 2,219 miles later at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, Gragson scored his third straight road-course win, this time in the K&N Series East where he beat Justin Haley. Gragson’s fourth and most recent road-course win was earned in the 2019 K&N Series West race at Sonoma.

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

What was your impression of the Chicago Street Race after the checkered flag dropped on last year’s inaugural event?

“We fired off really fast in practice. We were in the top-10, but then it seemed like everybody else kept getting faster and we kind of stayed the same. It was tough to race in the rain. I usually like racing in the rain, but I hit the wall four or five times and kind of struggled in the race. But that was last year and this is a new year. I’m going into it open-minded.”

How did your preparation in the simulator match up with the reality of the Chicago Street Race?

“There was a little more grip in certain areas and it was a little rougher in certain areas, but it was pretty good overall. We fired off really good in practice. That tells me the sim gave me good confidence when I got out there.”

Take us through a lap around Chicago. Were there any parts of the track where you enjoyed hustling the car, and what parts turned out to be a challenge?

“The biggest challenge for me was going into turns three and four, at the end of the straightaway on Lakeshore Drive. And then you get that double right-hander, it’s pretty rough through there, and finding a good brake zone and constant flow through there is pretty tough. And then around the fountain was pretty fun. It’s definitely a high-commitment corner. You’re hitting the racetrack and are kind of all over the place. You definitely have to be up on the wheel around that track.”

Can you take anything from your two road-course races this year at COTA and Sonoma and apply them to Chicago?

“Yeah, Chicago is a street course, but the same principles apply. Our stuff wasn’t very good at COTA, but it actually was pretty good at Sonoma. Hopefully, the car has speed like Sonoma instead of COTA, where it was tough to get around the track. The car had more grip at Sonoma and went through the corners better. Turn 10 was a handful at COTA, and every corner you were on the ragged edge, where you could flow better at Sonoma. That gives me some added confidence going to Chicago.”

Talk about what’s going on inside the racecar at Chicago. How much are you thrashing around, grabbing gears, hitting the brakes, smashing the gas? Is it controlled chaos?

“Usually on a road course you’re always swatting flies in there, just kind of all over the place with your hands, and you’re driving one-handed, you’re shifting, trying to focus on your brake pressure and where you brake bias is so you’re not locking the fronts, but you’re also not locking the rears. And getting your downshifts, getting your upshifts, not spinning the tires on exit, having grip, there’s a lot to it.”

With Shane van Gisbergen’s win at Chicago last year, it really shined a spotlight on Australian Supercars drivers. How much did you know about SVG and Supercars prior to his win last year?

“I knew he was super good in Supercars, but he flat-out kicked our ass and made us look kind of silly. To come in and win your first race is a pretty special feat in the Cup Series. He definitely does a good job on the road courses and I definitely admire his skills quite a bit. I never really watched any of the Supercars races, but I’ve always followed those kinds of guys. They have a pretty cool style and it’s always cool when you see guys you’ve followed on Instagram for a couple of years come over and do well. Yeah, they’re pretty good, they’re pretty aggressive, and they drive hard.”

No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Ally 400: Nashville Superspeedway
Lebanon, TN – June 30, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG

START: 10TH STAGE ONE: 17TH STAGE TWO: 25TH FINISH: 15TH POINTS: 20TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric survived a dramatic Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, overcoming various setbacks and a plethora of late-race cautions to register a 15th-place finish. He fired off from the 10th position and made his first visit to pit road on Lap 38 for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to aid the stability of the car. The Discount Tire Ford Mustang finished Stage 1 in the 17th position and returned to pit road for service. Cindric restarted 20th when the second segment got underway on Lap 98, and just 18 laps in, Cindric informed his team that the handling had improved across the center and on exit. On Lap 136, inclement weather moved in, bringing out the red flag for well over an hour. Once the race resumed, Cindric was forced to restart at the tail of the field due to a penalty. Despite the loss of track position, the former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion climbed back to 25th by the conclusion of Stage 2. Following a four-tire stop, Cindric lined up 23rd for the restart on Lap 193. The Team Penske driver was slowly but steadily moving forward until contact from the No. 71 caused Cindric to fall deep in the field. Fortunately, the Discount Tire Ford was able to withstand a series of late-race cautions to rally to a 15th-place finish.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Yeah, a bit of a frustrating day. We had to go to the back, lost a lot of spots early in the race, and passed a lot of cars today. I thought we had a decent Discount Tire Ford Mustang, we just never held on to any track position that we ever had, whether if it was execution errors or just getting run over there at the end of the race. So, yeah, I’m happy we came home with a decent finish and really happy for everyone on the 22 car — those guys have had a tough go and certainly deserve a win and to be in the playoffs. I’m proud that all three of us will be fighting for a championship later this season.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/IDEAL DOOR GARAGE DOORS FORD MUSTANG

START: 18TH STAGE ONE: 14TH STAGE TWO: 8TH FINISH: 6TH POINTS: 8TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney rallied for a sixth-place finish Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, marking his third top-10 result in the last four races. The 12-team worked to dial in the balance over the course of the opening 90-lap stage as Blaney battled his way towards the top-10 in the early going before ultimately settling for a 14th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments at the stage break, Blaney charged to 11th in the running order before the race was red flagged on lap 135 for heavy rainfall in the area. After drivers returned to their cars once track drying was complete, the field took the green with 46 laps remaining in Stage 2 when Blaney raced into the top-10 early in the run. Despite a loose-handling condition that set in late in the run, Blaney managed to come away with an eighth-place result in the second segment. The 12 team gained a pair of positions on pit road under yellow, allowing Blaney to take the green for the final stage from the inside of row three. Blaney powered his way to fourth on the opening lap of the restart before a caution on lap 218 saw varying pit strategies with the fuel window closing in. The 12-team opted to keep Blaney on the track under yellow and assume the lead as he was one of five lead lap cars to stay out with the field lining up to take the green with 75 laps to go. A pair of cautions shortly after forced Blaney to stay out in order to avoid falling to the back of the field, resulting in a scheduled green flag stop on lap 268 that trapped him a lap down. A caution with two laps to go awarded Blaney the free pass to rejoin the lead lap before a Cup Series record five overtime restarts followed – the second of which had Blaney involved in a multi-car incident on the backstretch where he avoided damage despite sliding through the grass. By the time of the fifth and final restart, Blaney lined up 12th to take the green and continued to power forward before ultimately taking the checkered flag sixth.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Really proud of this 12-team for staying with it all day. The strategy we had lined up didn’t fall the way we hoped but this turned into a race where if you can be there at the end, you’ll have a shot and fortunately we were able to gain back a lot of the track position we lost with all the restarts at the end. Happy for all the guys on the 22-team and proud of the effort to get all three Penske cars locked in to run for a championship.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 26TH STAGE ONE: 21ST STAGE TWO: 21ST FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 14TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano prevailed to take the checkered flag Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway after a Cup Series-record five overtime restarts, marking his 33rd-career victory and 20th different track he’s won at on the Cup Series circuit. With the win, Logano has now won at least one Cup Series race in 13-consecutive seasons while also snapping a 49-race winless streak to clinch a playoff spot for the 11th time in the last 16 seasons. Despite finishes of 21st in the opening two stages and a lengthy rain delay in the middle of Stage 2, Logano and the 22-team altered their strategy when the caution flag flew on lap 205 as the fuel window began to close in as crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for right sides tires and fuel to vault to eighth in the running order for the ensuing restart. Logano raced his way into the top-five before a caution on lap 227 brought the field back together but on the following restart, he was shoved up the track in turn one and ultimately settled into 14th as the laps ticked off. The yellow came out once again with two laps to go and Logano stayed out, allowing him to move up to eighth for the first overtime restart as several of the leaders had concerns about having enough fuel to make it to the end. Logano evaded a pair of multi-car wrecks before the caution on the third overtime saw a few of the leaders make the trip to pit road for fuel, allowing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to assume the lead for the fourth overtime restart. Logano was able to clear the No. 14 as he was coming to take the white flag, but the yellow was displayed just before he crossed the line to set up a fifth – and ultimately final – overtime restart as the 22-team was committed to stretching the fuel run as far as it would go. From the inside of row one, Logano was able to clear the field coming out of turn two as the No. 45 closed in to challenge for the win coming to the checkered and successfully blocked the run to the high side in turns three and four before edging out the No. 71 at the line to come away with the win in the fuel mileage thriller.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s been a hard season and being on that cut line, I tell you it sucks. It’s just not fun. It’s hard and you just want a little bit of relief of the pressure and with seven weeks to go until the playoffs it gives us a chance to breathe for a second and start just kind of working on our car a little bit differently and just sleep better, to be honest with you. I’m proud of this team and proud to be here in Victory Lane, for sure. You have to give a lot of credit to our fueler, Nick Hensley, our engine department with Roush Yates building obviously some engines that could also manage fuel really well, and some guts – a lot of cajones made it happen.”

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the streets of Chicago for the second-ever street race on Sunday, July 7. Coverage of the Grant Park 165 begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

RICK WARE RACING
Ally 400
Date: June 30, 2024
Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (1.333-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages 90 laps/95 laps/115 laps)
Note: Race extended 31 laps past its scheduled 300-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

RWR Race Finish:

● Justin Haley (Started 33rd, Finished 13th/ Running, completed 331 of 331 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 30th, Finished 37th/ Accident, completed 201 of 331 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (31st with 266 points)
● Note: Herbst is a fulltime driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and is not eligible for points in the NASCAR Cup Series.

RWR Notes:

● Haley earned his sixth top-20 of the season and second top-15 finish in the last four races.
● This was Haley’s best finish in four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville. His previous best was 23rd, earned twice in 2022 and 2023.
● This was Herbst’s seventh NASCAR Cup Series start, third of the season and first at Nashville.

Race Notes:

● Joey Logano won the Ally 400 to score his 33rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Nashville. His margin of victory over second-place Zane Smith was .068 of a second.

● This was Ford’s 732nd all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fourth of the season.
● This was Ford’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Nashville.
● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 79 laps.
● Twenty-four of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Nashville with a 20-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

Sound Bites:

“I’m really proud of the team to overcome the setbacks we faced early in the race. I had my hands full on the first run, and we were still able to stick to our strategy and come back from being two laps down to be on the lead lap at the end of the first stage. We don’t give up and I think that showed today. We’re leaving bummed over a 13th-place finish, which says a lot about how far we’ve come since Daytona.”– Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It just felt like he was kind of over-racing me, but I had fun. It was a fun day. It was cool. I learned a lot. The Cup Series is a lot of hard work and a lot of fun.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Grant Park 165 on Sunday, July 7 on the streets of downtown Chicago. The race begins at 4:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Keselowski Earns Stage Points in Opening Stages Before Being Spun Late, Then Finishes 25t

LEBANON, Tenn. (June 30, 2024) – Sunday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway was, in a word, chaos. Inclement weather and a flurry of cautions – 15 in total – dominated the headlines as Chris Buescher ended his day on a high note with a fifth-place finish. Brad Keselowski finished fifth in each of the first two stages and was running inside the top five much of the day, but was spun with under 100 to go to ultimately finish 25th.

The closing laps alone saw five NASCAR Overtime attempts, a new record, as the race in total was extended to 331 laps from the original distance of 300. Lightning – and later rain – put the race on halt for nearly 90 minutes just under halfway through the scheduled distance.

For Buescher, it’s his third top five in the last four races, and fifth overall on the season.

6 Recap
Keselowski started fifth following his best-career qualifying effort at the Tennessee track. Despite the numerous cautions late, the opening laps ran caution-free as the conclusion of stage one signified the first yellow flag of the afternoon.

The No. 6 Consumer Cellular Ford pitted from third at lap 39 under green then later went on to finish fifth in the opening stage of 90 laps. A 2-tire call under yellow at lap 117 put Keselowski P2 on the restart with teammate Buescher in third. Then, less than 20 laps later, thunderstorms moved into the Lebanon area as lightning put a delay on the race.

Following the delay of more than an hour, Keselowski restarted fourth and went on to finish fifth in the stage. He began stage three in fourth, and maintained a top-6 position for the next 30 laps. Under yellow at lap 218, Keselowski would pit for four tires which put him 18th on the ensuing restart. Then, at lap 244, Keselowski went to pass the No. 3 on the outside, and the two made contact into turn 1, sending the No. 6 into the outside wall.

After lengthy repairs – including replacing the steering wheel – Keselowski restarted three laps down at lap 247. He ran 34th at the time, but used the final five cautions to gain track position and ultimately advance nine spots to 25th.

17 Recap
Much like his teammate, Buescher spent most of the early race inside the top-10, and later top five. After starting ninth – also his best effort at the track – Buescher finished the opening stage in eighth.

The same strategy call (as the 6) just 20 laps into the second stage put Buescher inside the top three for a handful of laps, before he was later scored seventh at the time of the red flag. He went on to finish ninth in stage two after the restart of the remaining 44 laps in the segment.

A pit road issue in the stage break set the No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford back in terms of track position as he restarted 17th at lap 193. That track position later flipped at lap 218 when Buescher pitted for fuel only, putting him 13th on the ensuing restart. This time, Buescher hustled six positions in just a two-lap span to seventh.

He was ninth coming to the white flag before the flurry of five cautions flew, extending the race by a full 31 laps. Crew chief Scott Graves called the No. 17 to pit road for right-side tires at lap 301, putting him 20th on the next restart. From there, attrition was the name of the game as multiple cars wrecked out or ran out of fuel. Buescher ultimately restarted seventh for the final time and powered past two cars for the P5 finish.

“I’m proud of everybody on this BuildSubmarines.com Mustang and working hard to get back after it,” Buescher said. “It was definitely an up and down day and ended up with a decent finish, but we just had a strategy to have the fuel we needed there and it was caution after caution, so I’m definitely frustrated by all of that.

“We had the ability to run in the top-10 all night and got stage points and got a decent finish out of it. I’m still just frustrated. It was just chaos there at the end. I have to go back and watch what happened with everything obviously, but we just didn’t get a chance to race very much. We were in a good spot there. We had good speed after the sun went down and had tires, so just really wanted some laps.”

Up Next
NASCAR heads to the streets of Chicago next week for just the second time. Race coverage next Sunday is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Ally 400

Date: June 30, 2024
Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (1.333-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/115 laps)
Note: Race extended 31 laps past its scheduled 300-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Finish:

● Ryan Preece (Started 22nd, Finished 4th / Running, completed 331 of 331 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 16th, Finished 10th / Running, completed 331 of 331 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 19th, Finished 21st / Running, completed 331 of 331 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 2nd, Finished 26th / Accident, completed 327 of 331 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (16th with 421 points, 243 out of first)
● Josh Berry (19th with 368 points, 296 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 325 points, 339 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (25th with 308 points, 356 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Preece earned his first top-five and second top-10 of the season. It was also his first top-10 in three career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville.
● This was Preece’s best finish so far this year. His previous best was ninth, earned April 7 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
● This was Preece’s second straight finish of 11th or better. He finished 11th last Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
● Gragson earned his sixth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville.
● Gragson finished 10th in Stage 2 to earn one bonus point.

Race Notes:

● Joey Logano won the Ally 400 to score his 33rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Nashville. His margin of victory over second-place Zane Smith was .068 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 732nd all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fourth of the season.
● This was Ford’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Nashville.
● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 79 laps.
● Twenty-four of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Nashville with a 20-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

Sound Bites:

“We just kept moving forward and we had fresher tires. Just really happy with how these guys kept fighting all day. Didn’t look like it was going to be very pretty, but another chaotic 10 or 15 laps there at the end and we salvaged a good day. Thanks to Stewart-Haas, Ford Performance and all my supporters – Morton Buildings, HaasTooling.com, United Rentals, RaceChoice.com, Mohawk Northeast – it helps a lot on a day like today.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just saved a ton of fuel to end up 10th. 110 laps on a tank of fuel. We pushed it to the absolute max and got another top-10. Proud of the work everyone puts into this racecar.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It was kind of a worst-case scenario from a strategy standpoint how it played out. We just had to go all the way back to 30th or something just because of how the strategy played out and how the cautions fell. We were able to drive back from 30th to 15th or so. And there at the end, you don’t expect to have three or four green-white-checkereds. Ran out of fuel taking the white flag. That definitely stinks whenever you’re in contention there. I think on that second-to-last one we had a good shot to potentially win the race. Frustrating, but part of it, and we go on.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Yeah, today was a tough day. Just started off really tight and couldn’t figure out the balance, but my team worked hard to get me the car I needed and we finally found it after the rain delay. We got a bunch of spots back and had a much more competitive No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. It was just chaos there at the end and trying to navigate that many restarts and eventually I just got caught up in it. It was a bummer that we didn’t finish that well this week. Nashville is my home race, but we learned a lot. Thank you to Overstock.com for continuing to support our race team. We will regroup and head to Chicago next week fully prepared to compete for a win.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Grant Park 165 on Sunday, July 7 on the streets of downtown Chicago. The race begins at 4:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Hemric qualified 37th for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
• Hemric gained four spots on the initial start and was told he would be running long in the No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1. He made it as high as fourth during the green-flag pit stops and made his stop on lap 70 for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The opening stage remained green, and Hemric finished 32nd.
• During the first stage break, Hemric was able to take the wave around, placing him back on the lead lap to start the second stage from 28th place. The first caution of the day came out on lap 117, as Hemric sat 30th. He pitted for tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, before restarting 26th on lap 122. The next caution came out just five laps later, and Hemric elected to stay out. Once the green flag came out on lap 131, lightning brought out the red flag on lap 137. When the pits reopened, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and a front adjustment, before restarting 33rd on lap 140. Struggling with front grip, Hemric finished the second stage in 35th.
• During the second stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to free up the No. 31 Cirkul Chevy. A caution on lap 203 allowed Hemric to pit once again for tires, fuel and more adjustments. The field went back to green on lap 209, before another caution came out on the restart. Crew chief Trent Owens made the call for Hemric to pit for fuel only, before he restarted 34th with 87 laps remaining. The eighth caution of the day came out on lap 219, and Hemric made another fuel-only stop in the No. 31 Cirkul Chevy, before restarting 21st with 70 to go. Hemric avoided a spin in front of him on the restart, putting the field back under caution. The team elected to stay out before restarting 20th with 66 to go. The next caution came out for a wreck with 58 laps to go. Owens made the call to put four tires on, and Hemric restarted 26th with 52 laps remaining. Running faster laps than the next seven cars ahead of him with 10 laps to go, Hemric had made it up to 18th when an overtime-inducing caution came out with two laps remaining. Owens made a strategy call to stay out under caution, putting Hemric 11th coming to the first overtime attempt. Unable to avoid a wreck on the restart, Hemric sustained minor damage, forcing him to pit for tires. After pitting too early, Hemric restarted at the rear for the second overtime attempt. The field was unable to make it to the white flag, and went on to make five-overtime attempts before finally seeing the checkered flag. Hemric finished ninth, his third top-10 of the season.

“Today was just another example of our season; it’s been a roller coaster ride. We struggled with short-run speed all weekend on the No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. After the rain delay and a couple of good adjustments, I thought if we could get track position, we would be OK. We finally got it and got caught in a crash. I thought every corner was knocked off the car. Somehow, some way, the seas kept parting. We were able to have a couple of good restarts at the end and cross the line in ninth. What a weekend, but I’ll take it” – Daniel Hemric  

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Celsius Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger qualified 28th for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
• After reporting early the No. 16 Celsius Chevy was free, Allmendinger came to pit under green on lap 39. Crew chief, Travis Mack, called for air pressure and wedge adjustment to help with the handling of the car. Allmendinger went on to finish 30th on the opening stage.
• Allmendinger restarted the second stage in 32nd. When the caution came out on lap 117, the No. 16 came to pit road for wedge and air pressure adjustments to assist with handling. On lap 137, a caution was displayed for weather. When the race resumed, Allmendinger stayed out to restart in 24th on lap 141. Allmendinger went on to finish the second stage in 22nd place.
• The No. 16 pit under the stage break and restarted in 24th. When the caution came out on lap 210, Allmendinger came to pit road for right sides only and restarted in 21st on lap 213. By lap 219 when the next caution was displayed, Allmendinger was in 18th place and reported his No. 16 Chevy was good, but he needed clean air. The team stayed out and restarted on the front row in second place on lap 226. Allmendinger maintained second place until lap 240 when he fell to 3rd, where he was running when the next caution came on lap 244. The No. 16 stayed out under this caution to restart in 3rd on lap 249. The No. 16 slowly faded back to 11th place by lap 276. On lap 292, Allmendinger came to pit road under green for four tires and fuel. The caution fell two laps later and Allmendinger restarted in 31st for overtime. The caution came back out after the restart, Allmendinger received the lucky dog and came to pit road for sticker tires. After five overtime restarts, Allmendinger finished in 11th.

“Long, hard fought day. I felt like as the race went on, we improved the race car. We weren’t able to get the track position there til the end. Unfortunately, that strategy didn’t work out. We were able to miss all the wrecks, get our lap back and make the most out of our day. Overall, something we can learn fun. Good finish for both cars. Good day for the race team.” – AJ Allmendinger  

 

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

REDDICK SCORES TOP-FIVE IN FRANTIC RACE IN NASHVILLE
23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, joins him inside the top-10

NASHVILLE (June 30, 2024) – In a race that had just about everything, Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing came up just short of his second win in 2024, finishing third in Nashville on Sunday. Reddick was in contention for the lead throughout the first two stages, but as cautions began to pile up towards the end of the race, he had to bring his No. 45 Camry XSE to pitlane for tires and fuel.

On the final green-white-checkered restart, starting fifth, Reddick passed multiple cars and nearly overtook the race winner, Joey Logano. Reddick finished side-by-side with Zane Smith to come home third. It’s Reddick’s seventh top-five of the season and his 12th top-10, the most in the Cup Series so far this season.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin seemed to be in the catbird seat to claim his fourth win of 2024, until those cautions began to fly, forcing the No. 11 team to also pit late for fuel. Hamlin was able to salvage a 12th-place finish. His teammate, Christopher Bell, was the dominant car, winning both stages and leading the most laps. Electing to pit under a Stage 3 caution, Bell was put back in the mid-pack and spun out on a restart, ending his day early for a 36th-place finish. The stage points earned by Bell today now gives him the most in Playoff points standings with 24.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the streets of Chicago next Sunday, with coverage live on NBC at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Nashville Superspeedway
Race 19 of 36 – 399 miles, 300 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Joey Logano*
2nd, Zane Smith*
3rd, TYLER REDDICK
4th, Kyle Larson*
5th, Chris Buescher*
7th, BUBBA WALLACE
12th, DENNY HAMLIN
23rd, TY GIBBS
24th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
29th, COREY HEIM
31st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
34th, ERIK JONES
36th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

You had one heck of a restart at the end. How were you able to pull that off for a third-place finish?

“I don’t know, the last set of tires didn’t give our Monster Energy Camry the balance it had all day long that allowed it to contend for the lead with Christopher Bell there. We just (pause) had a bad restart, I fell back and I could tell there in the closing laps we were wounded bad. The tires were chorded. When the caution came out, we were in a really bad spot. We were going to lose all our track position, but we had to put tires on as I don’t think we were going to be able to hold on during a restart, but it became the very thing that gave us an opportunity to win the race. It was a great call, a gutsy call by the crew chief, Billy Scott. I was upset about the position we were in, but just kept being aggressive on the restarts and I mean we got ourselves all the way there. It’s tough. Had just about everything go right into the last lap, I just didn’t get the job done.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

Was there any thought of staying out further and risking running out of fuel?

“Well, we did. We ran out under caution. He (Chris Gabehart, crew chief) was monitoring fuel pressure. I let him know what the fuel pressure was. We were fine, just running out of gas and we did under caution. It was the right call. I was going down pitlane there out of gas. I’m surprised we lasted that many green-white-checkers honestly. Certainly, stinks being 15 seconds from a win at the end and then 10 seconds from a win, and then to finish 12th. It’s just part of it.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Concrete Solutions Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

What happened there in your accident?

“I just put myself in a pretty bad spot going into turn one. I got bottled up there and just lost my cool to make something happen and I put myself in a bad spot and spun out.”

How do you assess the day with such a good car but with this result?

“I mean it’s disappointing, but there’s a lot to be positive about. We won two stages, so we got more Playoff points which is really good. Yeah, and the performance of our team is doing really well, so hopefully we can keep the ball rolling and I think we can win a lot more races.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.