Category: NASCAR Cup PR

New Front Row Motorsports Partner Helps Navigate NASCAR’s Return to Racing

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 13, 2020) – CarParts.com, an e-commerce auto parts retailer specializing in collision, repair, and maintenance parts, has teamed up with Front Row Motorsports (FRM) for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. The California-based company will be the primary partner of veteran driver Michael McDowell in the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to racing at Darlington Raceway on May 17 and 20. FRM, McDowell and Sunoco Rookie of The Year candidate John Hunter Nemechek are all excited for the partnership and will be representing CarParts.com through social media and other marketing assets throughout the season.

The events at Darlington will serve as the much-anticipated return to racing and one of the first live sporting events on FOX in several weeks. The NASCAR Cup Series has not competed on track since March 8, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus.

Getting drivers back on the road, especially when we need essential workers to get back to work, is a driving force that has naturally fueled CarParts.com’s partnership with FRM. Established in 1999, CarParts.com has helped millions of drivers across the United States fix their cars and keep their vehicles running. With an easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website and vehicle selector, CarParts.com offers customers guaranteed fitment and an ultimately convenient online shopping experience. To date, the online retailer has delivered over 50 million parts straight to customers’ doors all across America.

“NASCAR fans understand the value of performance and they understand the importance of good-skilled competition even in difficult times,” said Lev Peker, CEO of CarParts.com and its parent company, US Auto Parts. “We are grateful for the opportunity to align with Front Row Motorsports and Michael McDowell to do our part and help reintroduce NASCAR back to fans who have been eagerly anticipating its return.”

“I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend with CarParts.com,” said McDowell. “Being one of the first live sporting events to return is not something any of us are taking lightly. We’re doing everything we can from both the team side and the sanctioning body to put on a good show while making sure that all participants and their families are staying safe. Our No. 34 Ford Mustang is going to look and run great on the track, and we’re ready to work hard.”

The No. 34 CarParts.com Ford Mustang will make its debut at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17. The NASCAR Cup Series race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN.

For more information, visit CarParts.com.

About CarParts.com
Established in 1999, CarParts.com is an e-commerce auto parts retailer that specializes in OE replacement collision, repair, and maintenance parts. With over 50 million parts delivered, we’ve helped millions of drivers across the United States find the right parts to fix their cars and keep their vehicles on the road. Our vehicle selector and easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website offer customers guaranteed fitment and a convenient online shopping experience. Paired with our 90-day return policy and satisfaction guarantee, CarParts.com makes it easier than ever to get the parts you need delivered straight to your door.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

DARLINGTON RACEWAY (1.366-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACES FIVE AND SIX OF 36)
TUNE IN: 3:30 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 17 (FOX/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
7:30 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)

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Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 24 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2020 Season
3rd in standings
4 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
186 laps led

Career
153 starts
6 wins
9 pole positions
45 top-five finishes
76 top-10 finishes
2,030 laps led

Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
9 laps led

STRONG START: Four races into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott has recorded some impressive stats. He leads all drivers for most laps led thus far with 186. Elliott also leads the competition for most stage points collected this season (50). The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE is currently third in the driver point standings, a major improvement from being 13th after four races in the 2019 season.

WEST COAST STRIDES: During NASCAR’s three weeks on the West Coast earlier this year, Elliott and the No. 9 team made big strides, posting the fastest speed in final practice and collecting their first 2020 pole award at Phoenix Raceway. The 24-year-old driver also led more laps than anyone else (163) and totaled the fourth-highest points (110) during the three-week stint.

ELLIOTT AT DARLINGTON: Elliott has made five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway and will make two more over the next week. In his previous starts at the 1.366-mile track, he has one top-five finish and two top-10s. Elliott also has three starts at the South Carolina track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He won during his first Xfinity Series start in 2014 – one of only four drivers to win at Darlington in their first-ever start at the track.

GUSTAFSON’S ‘TRACK TOO TOUGH TO TAME’ STATS: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson has called 15 Cup Series races at Darlington atop the pit box. Leading five different drivers, he’s collected one win, three top-five results and six top-10s. Gustafson’s Darlington win came in 2009 with veteran Mark Martin, the second oldest driver (50 years, 4 months) to win at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

NAPA KNOW HOW: NAPA AUTO PARTS will serve as the primary sponsor for Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 and next Wednesday’s Darlington 500. In February, it was announced that NAPA AUTO PARTS and Hendrick Motorsports will continue their partnership for another two seasons. NAPA will remain a primary sponsor of Elliott and the No. 9 team through 2022. Click here to read the full release.

‘BEHIND THE 9’: Crew chief Gustafson is trying his hand as a video host for Hendrick Motorsports in a new series called “Behind the 9.” In the new video series, Gustafson interviews each member of the No. 9 team. Fans are able to get an inside look at the crew and learn about where they came from and the roles they each serve – all bringing unique talents and skills to the group. Episodes are released every Tuesday on the Hendrick Motorsports Facebook page and YouTube channel.

NASCAR HEAT 5: Last week, Hendrick Motorsports revealed that Elliott will be featured on the cover of NASCAR Heat 5. The game is set to launch in July for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles and on PC via stream.

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William Byron
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 22 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2020 Season
19th in standings
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
1 lap led

Career
76 starts
0 wins
5 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
18 top-10 finishes
295 laps led

Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
1 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led

PICKING UP THE PACE: With four races completed in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron and the No. 24 team have picked up where they left off in 2019 and continued to improve with every event on the track. Scoring a win in the Duel at Daytona and picked as one of the favorites to contend for the win during the DAYTONA 500, Byron unfortunately saw his day end early. Since then, the 22-year-old driver’s next three results have showed an upward trajectory, most recently with a 10th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway. Despite the time away from the track, Byron is optimistic that the positive trend will continue for him and his team.

IRACING INFLUENCE: While waiting to climb back in his No. 24 race car, Byron was one of many drivers who spent time virtually racing in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. While iRacing was new to some, Byron is a seasoned veteran. He credits the platform, which helped get him started in racing, as one of the building blocks of his career. Across the five Pro Invitational races he competed in, Byron won three and led 407 laps of the 758 laps run, more than the rest of the field combined.

AT IT AGAIN WITH AXALTA: Switching from virtual racing back to the real-life track, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will return with the iconic Axalta flames for both Cup Series events at Darlington Raceway. Earlier this year, Hendrick Motorsports announced a seven-year extension with longtime partner Axalta Coating Systems. As a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable solutions, Axalta is continuing its 28-year partnership with Hendrick Motorsports as a primary partner for the No. 24. The company sponsored Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team for 23 years beginning in November 1992 before moving to the No. 88 team in 2016 and sharing primary sponsorship with the No. 24 starting in 2018. This year, Axalta returned as primary partner on the No. 24 Chevrolet for 22 races. Through 2027, Axalta will adorn the No. 24 as the primary sponsor for 14 races per season. For more information on the Axalta extension, click here.

DARLINGTON DEETS: With two Cup Series starts at “The Lady in Black” and one Xfinity Series start there, Byron is looking to capitalize on his prior strong showings at Darlington Raceway for the next two events. Last year in a “Days of Thunder” throwback car, Byron channeled his inner Cole Trickle and captured the pole for the Southern 500, becoming the youngest pole winner in Darlington history at 21 years, 9 months and 2 days. Running within the top five for the majority of the rain-delayed race, Byron was caught up in a late incident that relegated him to a 21st-place finish despite his strong run. During his rookie year, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native ran solidly inside the top 10 before mechanical issues ended his race early, as well.

KNAUS DIGS DARLINGTON: For the 23rd and 24th times as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, Chad Knaus will sit atop the pit box at Darlington Raceway on Sunday and Wednesday. With three wins at the 1.366-mile oval, all coming with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team, Knaus also has one pole award at Darlington from last year with Byron and the No. 24 team.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While No. 24 team fueler Landon Walker hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, he has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state, having played football at Clemson University. The former offensive tackle earned a scholarship to Clemson in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle through four seasons. In 2011, Walker was named team captain, the same season Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as starting fueler in 2015.

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Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 44 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2020 Season
5th in standings
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
13 laps led

Career
655 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
228 top-five finishes
366 top-10 finishes
18,847 laps led

Track Career
21 starts
3 wins
0 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
554 laps led

ONE FINAL TIME RESUMES: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Ally team built momentum in the first four races of the 2020 season. Following a premature exit in the DAYTONA 500, Johnson, crew chief Cliff Daniels and team have recorded two top-10 finishes and one top-five. They are fifth in the points standings entering the May 17 Darlington Raceway event.

ABOUT MAY: Historically, May 17 has been a good day for Johnson. He scored the first of his record four All-Star Race wins on May 17, 2003, and recorded the first of his four Charlotte 600 victories the following weekend for a Charlotte Motor Speedway sweep. Over the course of his career, 10 of Johnson’s 83 wins have come in the month of May.

ODDS IN HIS FAVOR: Johnson is pretty good at the Darlington and Charlotte racetracks. At both venues, he has a combined 11 wins in 56 starts. Johnson has three runner-up efforts, 25 top-five finishes and 34 top-10 results while leading a combined 2,484 laps across his career. His average finishes are 12.1 at Darlington and 12.2 at Charlotte.

JOHNSON’S LUCKY CHARM: Johnson has gone 99 races without a win, but Darlington in May has proven to be lucky for the driver of the No. 48 Ally Camaro. Twice Johnson has gotten his first win of the season at “The Lady in Black” — in 2004 and 2012. He also has recorded 10 of his 83 career wins in the month of May, the second-best month for him after October (14).

CHAMPIONSHIP POTENTIAL: Johnson’s resume at Darlington puts him in good company. Over the course of its history, Hendrick Motorsports has sent six drivers to victory lane at the South Carolina track. Three of them have gone on to win championships while driving for the organization. They include former teammates and NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon, who has seven wins at “The Lady in Black,” and Terry Labonte, who drove the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports to his final career win at Darlington in 2003.

200TH WIN FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS: Johnson is the most recent Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at the track “Too Tough To Tame.” In the process, he captured the organization’s milestone 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Starting the May 12, 2012, event on the outside pole, Johnson led 134 of 368 laps, including the final 44, en route to the victory.

NOT DONE YET: There are some huge milestones on the horizon for Johnson. The next time he crosses the finish line first he will have scored his 84th points-paying Cup Series win to tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. Johnson currently is 10 wins behind former teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list. Johnson has the most wins of all active drivers with 83.

#DEARSPORTS: Over the hiatus, Johnson participated in a #DearSports social media video project and shared his feelings about how much he misses sports and competing. For the heartfelt video, click here.

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Alex Bowman
No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/NOCO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 27 Resides Concord, North Carolina

2020 Season
4th in standings
4 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
1 top-10 finish
113 laps led

Career
157 starts
2 wins
2 pole positions
11 top-five finishes
27 top-10 finishes
587 laps led

Track Career
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led

WELCOME CHEVYGOODS.COM: This weekend marks the first event of the 2020 season in which the ChevyGoods.com scheme will adorn the hood of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in an on-track event. The black and yellow paint scheme was featured at four tracks in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series, including Alex Bowman’s first iRacing win at Talladega Superspeedway just a few weeks ago. Hendrick Motorsports announced its partnership with ChevyGoods.com earlier this season, which includes branding on Bowman’s ride for 26 events. Associate brands that will be featured are Adam’s Polishes, NOCO and Truck Hero.

DARLINGTON STATS: Bowman, a Tucson, Arizona, native, has four previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. His best finish of 18th came in 2019 and his best start of fourth was in 2018. The 27-year-old driver has completed 99.4% of the total laps completed at the track. The Hendrick Motorsports driver also has one start at the 1.366-mile facility in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he started 13th and finished 17th in 2013 after completing 147 laps.

BOWMAN’S 2020 SEASON TO DATE: Since the start of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bowman’s eyes have been set on victory lane. He dominated the race weekend at Auto Club Speedway in March, leading more than 50% of the event (110 of 200 laps). He is one of five drivers who have led over 100 total laps this season. Since the DAYTONA 500, Bowman has captured a total of 38 stage points, including one stage win in California.

POINTS, POINTS, POINTS: The No. 88 team currently sits third in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings. Bowman is one of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers inside the top five, including teammates Chase Elliott (third) and Jimmie Johnson (fifth).

IVES ‘TOO TOUGH TO TAME’: For the sixth time in his career in the NASCAR Cup Series, crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots at Darlington for the No. 88 team. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s best finish at the venue came back in 2015 with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he crossed the line eighth after 367 laps. Ives’ drivers have completed 99.7% of the total laps and have one top-10 finish at the facility. Ives was the crew chief for Elliott in the NASCAR Xfinity Series when the team captured the victory after leading 52 laps back in 2014. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. During that time, he was a part of one Cup Series win (2012) and four top-five finishes at Darlington.

VIRTUAL RACING WITH BOWMAN: When the NASCAR Cup Series season was delayed earlier this year, drivers began racing in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. Bowman made six starts in the series, capturing one win (Talladega), two top-five finishes and four top-10s. The driver of the No. 88 machine said the series kept him busy and the win at Talladega gave him and the team some momentum.

THE OTHER SIDE OF BOWMAN: Each month, Bowman shares a first-person diary piece with Motorsport.com to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at his life both on and off the track. Last month, he talked about moving into the new Alex Bowman Racing facility, building a C6 Corvette drift car and working on midget cars. Check it out here.

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Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT DARLINGTON: Hendrick Motorsports has 14 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Darlington Raceway, the most of any team in history. Jeff Gordon owns half of the victories with seven, while Jimmie Johnson has three. Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd each have one Darlington win for owner Rick Hendrick.

MAY IN THE PALMETTO STATE: May 17 will mark the 22nd Cup Series race held at Darlington in the month of May but the first since 2013. Hendrick Motorsports has won three of the last seven May events there with Johnson the most recent in 2012, Martin in 2009 and Gordon in 2007. All three victories carried some significance. Johnson brought home Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th points-paying Cup win, Martin became the second-oldest driver to win at the track (50 years, 4 months) and Gordon climbed to sixth on the all-time victories list when he won his 76th race.

2020 IN A NUTSHELL: Three of Hendrick Motorsports’ four drivers are in the top five in the NASCAR Cup Series standing after four races in 2020. Chase Elliott is in third place, followed by Alex Bowman in fourth and Johnson in fifth. Elliott leads all drivers with the most stage wins (three), while Bowman is one of three drivers this season to have a win under his belt.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 257 race victories, 226 pole positions, 1,074 top-five finishes and 1,854 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,000 laps since 1984. With Bowman’s win at Auto Club Speedway, the organization extended its streak to 35 consecutive seasons with at least one win, the longest all-time streak.

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QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott’s expectations on returning to the track:
“It will be really interesting. NASCAR has never seen anything like what we are about to see this year. Showing up and just racing without any on-track time or any prep inside the car is super unorthodox and has never really even been considered until this. It’s exciting to have something new and I’m excited that we are going to be back on TV and give our fans something to watch. I think the silver lining is that we are going to be able to offer something to our viewers on TV.”

William Byron on how he’s ready to get back to racing:
“I’m excited to get back on track this week. While being able to spend some time at home to regroup has been nice, I’m ready to get back behind the wheel and keep the momentum going that the No. 24 team had been working on this year. It will be different not having any practice or qualifying before we race, but everyone is in the same position. Darlington (Raceway) is a track that relies on car setup and tire management. You’re constantly on the wheel it feels like, so you try to work the grip limit while not over taxing it. I’ve had good runs going my last two races there, but we’ve just had bad luck. Hopefully that changes this time.”

Jimmie Johnson on racing without qualifying or practice sessions:
“Its hard to say how things are going to go. But the depth we have in the No. 48 team and at Hendrick Motorsports, this is a great challenge for us. It could be beneficial for us. I think my physical fitness and knowledge of hydration will also certainly come into play racing twice a week – these racetracks are tough. I’m very excited for this opportunity.”

On what he has been doing at home:
“We are highly organized around the house. We have checked things off the list that we haven’t been able to get to for a very long time. I am an educator and homeschooler dad now, as I assume most people out there have become. As things have opened up I have been able to take some laps in a go-kart with my girls, done some pedaling and dirt biking and obviously I have done the iRacing thing.”

Alex Bowman’s thoughts heading back to live racing:
“I am definitely ready to get back in the No. 88 Chevrolet and race on track. Virtual racing was a great way to pass this time, but man am I glad to get back to the real track. Darlington is tough track at times, but this team has brought some fast Camaro ZL1 1LE’s to the track this season and I have tons of confidence that they will do that this weekend.”

Crew chief Greg Ives on how different Darlington’s events will be:
“Going to Darlington, unloading and going straight to the race is going to be interesting. We typically unload pretty close each weekend and Alex is good at adapting to what we have. With the pit crew making quick stops and getting the team great track position helps put us in the right spot. We always say that the race is ultimately won in the shop, so this will be a true test.”

COLE CUSTER ALWAYS MOVING ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

Cole Custer has experienced the good and bad when it comes to moving and, quite frankly, he hopes he never has to go through either again.

First, he took the final step up the ladder in his NASCAR development, moving from the Xfinity Series after three seasons to the Cup level, where he’s in his rookie campaign driving the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Custer is coming off a ninth-place finish at Phoenix and sits 22nd in the point standings as the series prepares to return to action this weekend at Darlington Raceway.

In a perfect world, Custer would like to just stay where he is for the next 25 years and then ride off into the sunset with nothing but memorable race wins and championships in his rearview mirror.

That would represent the best-case scenario of a good move, but there’s another side to that four-letter word. After sharing a three-bedroom apartment with a couple of friends, Custer decided to move roughly 25 minutes away to a new townhouse in the Charlotte area last year.

“Moving is about the worst thing I’ll ever do, and I never want to do it again,” he said, despite realizing that a house is likely in his future. “You don’t realize how much stuff you have until you have to move. I probably had 20-25 things that I ended up just getting rid of because I knew I’d probably never use any of it again.”

The only thing that made the experience a little easier to bear was the Ford F-150 he used to transport a vast array of furniture, boxes and clothes.

“Having a truck is so versatile because you’re able to kind of move whatever you want and you don’t have to always call somebody to come and help all the time,” said Custer, who currently has a King Ranch F-150 as his daily driver. “With your own truck you’re able to just knock it out and do it, maybe have a couple buddies come over and try to move some of the bigger stuff with you, but I think it’s so nice to just have that truck.”

Of course, when you move into a new place there are a lot of projects just waiting to be done, foremost of which is landscaping and making the outside look nice. Custer is no different, having used his King Ranch to fill the bed up with mulch for his garden, but that is the end of his responsibility. What exactly goes into the garden is anyone’s guess.

“My girlfriend picked out everything for the garden,” said Custer. “I really have no idea exactly what’s going in, except they’re different types of bushes and flowers – that sort of thing. We’re not growing any food.”

While loading the prettiest Hydrangea or Rhododendron in the back of his truck may provide a sense of calm and stress relief, it’s a far cry from what he and his father did during his youth while growing up in California.

That’s because his dad, Joe, who currently serves as president at Stewart-Haas Racing, had a need for speed that was second to none. He would regularly satisfy that by loading a couple of dirt bikes into the back of the family F-150 and make the 45-minute drive with Cole from their home in Orange County to Lake Elsinore for a day of fun.

“We have always been a Ford family, and with him being into off-road racing and dirt bikes it was the perfect thing for us because you could use that truck for anything,” said Custer. “I think he wanted to get me a feel for what riding a dirt bike was like, so we would just go out to the track and kind of run around. I don’t remember a lot of things when I was that young, but I always remember being with my dad and driving around in that Ford truck.”

Since those days, Custer has moved from dirt bikes to stock cars; he’s moved from California to North Carolina; and he’s in the process of moving to the top of the NASCAR racing heap.

This Week in Motorsports: May 11-17, 2020

· NCS: Darlington Raceway (Darlington, South Carolina) – May 17

PLANO, Texas (May 13, 2020) – The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track for the first time since early March with Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway.

NASCAR National Series – NCS

Jones is Darlington’s Most Recent Winner… Erik Jones returns to Darlington Raceway as the most recent NASCAR Cup Series winner at the legendary track. Jones led the final 41 laps in last September’s Southern 500 to score his second NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win and clinch a spot in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Hamlin is Playoff Clinched… The 2020 season began with a big moment for Denny Hamlin as the Toyota driver earned his third Daytona 500 win in the last five seasons. With the victory, Hamlin is one of only three drivers to have clinched a spot in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. At Darlington, Hamlin also has a stellar record with two NASCAR Cup Series wins, including victories in the Southern 500 in 2017 and 2010.

Toyota Strong at Darlington… Hamlin and Jones’ recent success are a part of a stellar run of victories for Toyota at Darlington Raceway as the manufacturer has scored wins in five of the last seven events at the South Carolina track. The 2017 Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr. earned his first Southern 500 win in 2016, while former Toyota drivers Carl Edwards (2015) and Matt Kenseth (2013) have also tamed the Lady in Black. Kyle Busch also has a Darlington Raceway win – Toyota’s first at the historic track – in 2008.

First Darlington Cup Start for Bell… Rookie Christopher Bell makes his Darlington Cup Series debut on Sunday. Bell has competed at the track twice in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), earning his track-best finish of fourth last fall.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Team: No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 400.2 miles, 293 laps, Stage Lengths: 90-95-108

Darlington 400 – Sunday, May 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

· NASCAR makes its return to racing this weekend with a NASCAR Cup Series race that will serve as the first of seven national series races over an 11-day span at two different tracks throughout May.

· The race at the historic South Carolina track will be held without fans in attendance and is slated to be NASCAR’s first on-track action in more than two months as the sport and world have been on pause during COVID-19.

· Following the initial race back on Sunday, the NCS will again visit Darlington for a midweek race under the lights three days later. The May schedule also includes the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend home for the 60th consecutive season, plus other midweek races in prime time.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the outbreak before races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville were later postponed.

Newman at Darlington Raceway

· Newman makes his return to the car this weekend following a last-lap crash in the Daytona 500 in which he was leading coming to the checkered flag. After recovering from the injuries sustained in the crash, Newman was cleared for racing activity on April 28 and granted a playoff waiver from NASCAR after missing three races (Las Vegas, Fontana, Phoenix).

· Newman will make his 22nd Cup Series start at Darlington on Sunday, a track he has 13 top-10s at with seven top-five finishes. He has an average finish of 12.6 – his second best of any track on the circuit behind only Richmond (12.3).

· Newman has finished top-10 in 62 percent of the races at the 1.366-mile track, including a runner-up finish in is first ever-Southern 500 back in 2002. Dating back seven events, Newman has five finishes of 13th or better including four top-10s.

· Newman has one career pole at ‘The Lady in Black’, which came back in the 2003 Southern 500. Overall he has an average starting position of 10.6 with 13 top-10 starts, eight of which were inside the top five.

· Newman also made five starts at Darlington in the Xfinity Series, earning the pole in each of the first two events in 2001. He went on to finish fourth in the 2001 fall race – his best career Xfinity result – with an overall finish of 13.6 in the series at the famed track.

Scott Graves at Darlington Raceway

· Graves will call his fifth NCS race at Darlington atop the pit box. In four prior events, Graves has an average finish of 27th (two starts with Daniel Suarez, one each with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and Ryan Newman).

· In Xfinity Series action, Graves led Suarez to a third-place finish in 2016 after starting fifth. A year prior, he and Chris Buescher paired up for a fifth-place result.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on return to racing:
“I’m so excited and thankful to be healthy to get back into the race car. I am thankful for all the people and support that have prayed for me and given me a multitude of miracles. I cannot think of a better track to start back at than Darlington, my favorite track and one we feel confident in. I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of the Oscar Mayer Ford.”

The Real Heroes Project Debuts at Darlington
NASCAR is collaborating with other professional sports properties across the country to embark on The Real Heroes Project. The goal is to motivate and inspire healthcare workers as sports only can, by turning its greatest heroes (the athletes) into their greatest fans. To that end, the name of a COVID-19 frontline worker will be displayed above the driver’s side door on each entry this weekend at Darlington.

For the first race back on May 17, NASCAR worked in partnership with FOX and their tune-in priority market affiliate program to select the COVID-19 worker being recognized. FOX affiliates from around the country were asked to nominate a local hero from their community to be recognized during the return. Newman’s frontline worker will be Dr. Benjamin Petty, an Emergency Medicine Physician at IU Health West Hospital in Avon, selected by WXIN FOX 59 in the Indianapolis market.

On the Car
Oscar Mayer returns to the No. 6 Ford this weekend at Darlington. Oscar Mayer and Roush Fenway announced their continued partnership at the end of the 2019 season, as the company continues to highlight its quality meat offerings via its paint schemes throughout the season.

· Oscar Mayer’s Front Yard Cookout initiative inspired the No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford scheme for Darlington. To celebrate the return of NASCAR and Ryan Newman, the brand is encouraging fans to recreate their own at-home infield experience by firing up the grill and connecting with fellow race fans and neighbors on their front lawn from a safe distance.

· Snap a pic of your pre-race cookout and share for a good cause! Each usage of #FrontYardCookout on Twitter donates one additional meal to Feeding America on top of the brand’s 1 million-meal commitment. Oscar Mayer’s Front Yard Cookout runs through May 31, 2020.

About The Kraft Heinz Company
For 150 years, we have produced some of the world’s most beloved products at The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC). Our Vision is To Be the Best Food Company, Growing a Better World. We are one of the largest global food and beverage companies, with 2018 net sales of approximately $26 billion. Our portfolio is a diverse mix of iconic and emerging brands. As the guardians of these brands and the creators of innovative new products, we are dedicated to the sustainable health of our people and our planet. To learn more, visit https://www.kraftheinzcompany.com/or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 400.2 miles, 293 laps, Stage Lengths: 90-95-108

Darlington 400 – Sunday, May 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

· NASCAR makes its return to racing this weekend with a NASCAR Cup Series race that will serve as the first of seven national series races over an 11-day span at two different tracks throughout May.

· The race at the historic South Carolina track will be held without fans in attendance and is slated to be NASCAR’s first on-track action in more than two months as the sport and world have been on pause during COVID-19.

· Following the initial race back on Sunday, the NCS will again visit Darlington for a midweek race under the lights three days later. The May schedule also includes the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend home for the 60th consecutive season, plus other midweek races in prime time.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the outbreak before races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville were later postponed.

Buescher at Darlington Raceway

· Buescher makes his fifth Cup Series start at Darlington on Sunday, where he carries an average finish of 14.8 – his best of any track on the circuit.

· Buescher finished 12th last fall at ‘The Lady in Black,’ his best in four starts, and has finished no worse than 17th dating back to 2016.

· After qualifying 31st and 27th in his first two events at Darlington, Buescher followed that with qualifying efforts of 19th and 12th in the last two events.

· Buescher earned a Xfinity career-best fifth-place run at Darlington back in 2015 in the No. 60 RFR entry. He also finished 12th two years prior in the No. 16 for Jack Roush.

Luke Lambert at Darlington Raceway

· Lambert will be atop the box for his eighth NCS race at Darlington on Sunday. In seven prior events, he has an average finish of 16.4 including three top-10 runs.

· All three of those came with Newman in the No. 31, with a 10th-place result in 2014, an eighth-place finish in 2016 followed by seventh a year later.

· Lambert also has one Xfinity Series race under his belt at Darlington with Elliott Sadler in 2012, finishing 24th.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Darlington:
“We’re definitely excited to get back to a real racetrack. Darlington is probably my second-favorite racetrack, so I’m stoked about kicking it off there. It’s going to be tough with no practice and no fans, the atmosphere is going to be a lot different, but it’ll be great to be back to a racing routine.”

The Real Heroes Project Debuts at Darlington
NASCAR is collaborating with other professional sports properties across the country to embark on The Real Heroes Project. The goal is to motivate and inspire healthcare workers as sports only can, by turning its greatest heroes (the athletes) into their greatest fans. To that end, the name of a COVID-19 frontline worker will be displayed above the driver’s side door on each entry this weekend at Darlington.

For the first race back on May 17, NASCAR worked in partnership with FOX and their tune-in priority market affiliate program to select the COVID-19 worker being recognized. FOX affiliates from around the country were asked to nominate a local hero from their community to be recognized during the return. Buescher’s frontline worker will be Kimberly W. Ebb, MD, selected by WFXT Boston 25. Ebb is a Hospitalist, Medical Director, Division of Palliative Care, Home Health Hospice at the UMass Memorial Medical Center, hailing from Leominster, MA.

On the Car
Fastenal celebrates its 10th season with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020. The Minnesota company spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DARLINGTON NOTES

NASCAR returns to competition this weekend with a 400-mile event at Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX), marking the first of four Cup Series races in the span of 11 days. The last time the circuit came to Darlington in the spring was 2004 when it also hosted the fifth race of the season. Here’s a look at Ford’s success at the egg-shaped oval.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT DARLINGTON

· Ford has 29 all-time series wins at Darlington.

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner won Ford’s first race at Darlington in 1966.

· Brad Keselowski is the last Ford driver to win at Darlington, capturing the Southern 500 in 2018.

2020 SEASON IN REVIEW

Sunday’s Darlington 400 will mark the fifth race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. Ford is the only manufacturer to win more than once after Joey Logano registered victories in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Despite those two wins, Logano finds himself second in the point standings by one point to fellow Ford driver Kevin Harvick, who is the only man to post a top 10 finish in all four events. Overall, Ford has six drivers among the top 10 in the point standings as Ryan Blaney sits sixth, Aric Almirola eighth, Matt DiBenedetto ninth and Brad Keselowski 10th.

DARLINGTON MASTER

David Pearson holds the record for most NASCAR Cup Series wins at Darlington Raceway with 10 and eight of those came in Ford Motor Co. products. He won six times driving the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Mercury (1972,’74,’76-2,’77), winning the Southern 500 twice in that span (1976-77), and two more times in a Holman-Moody Ford (1968 and ’70). Pearson won three Southern 500 titles overall, capturing his third in 1979.

FIELD OF 70

The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was when Curtis Turner took the Southern 500 on Sept. 3, 1956. Unlike today, where the field is set at a maximum of 40 cars, there were 70 vehicles in the race that saw Turner lead 224 of the 400 laps. He beat Speedy Thompson to the finish line by more than two laps, and did it in record fashion with an average race speed of 95.167 mph.

MILLION DOLLAR BILL

Bill Elliott earned the nickname “Million Dollar Bill” after winning the Winston Million Bonus in its first year of existence on Sept. 1, 1985. Needing to win three of the four “crown jewel” races in order to claim the $1 million bonus from series sponsor Winston, Elliott won the Daytona 500 and Winston 500. His chance to claim the prize in the Coca-Cola 600 failed, so that left it up to the Southern 500, which Elliott immediately set the tone for by qualifying on the pole. He led the first 14 laps, but Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough served notice that they were going to be contenders. Earnhardt led a race-high 147 laps, but a blown engine forced him out of the race while Yarborough suffered a power-steering problem that derailed his chances. Elliott passed Yarborough when he had his problem with 44 to go and held on to win by three car lengths.

RECORD WIN

No race exemplifies Darlington’s toughness better than the Southern 500 that took place on Sept. 6, 1965 in which only 15 of 44 cars finished the race, and was highlighted by Cale Yarborough flying over the guard rail and down an embankment in turn one. The attrition that day may have been partly responsible for Ned Jarrett winning by a NASCAR-record 14 laps, but it wasn’t the sole reason. Jarrett and his No. 11 Ford were competitive all day, running up front and leading two times for 23 laps during the middle stages. But when Fred Lorenzen and Darel Dieringer both encountered mechanical problems on lap 325 of the 364-lap event, Jarrett was there to capitalize and cruise to his 12th victory of the season. He won by a NASCAR-record 14 laps and clinched Ford’s first NASCAR Cup Series driver championship in the process.

DALE AND BUD

The first of Dale Earnhardt’s three NASCAR Cup Series wins with Ford and car owner Bud Moore came on April 4, 1982 when he won the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at Darlington Raceway. Earnhardt, who drove two seasons for Moore in 1982 and ’83, dominated a race that saw 20 of the 37 cars not finish due to a variety of issues. Earnhardt led 181-of-367 laps and beat Cale Yarborough to the finish line for his seventh career victory. Earnhardt eventually went on to win two more races with Moore the following season at Nashville and Talladega.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE WINNERS AT DARLINGTON

1956 – Curtis Turner

1960 – Joe Weatherly (1)

1961 – Fred Lorenzen and Nelson Stacy

1962 – Nelson Stacy and Larry Frank

1963 – Fireball Roberts (2)

1964 – Fred Lorenzen (1)

1965 – Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett

1968 – David Pearson (1)

1969 – Lee Roy Yarbrough (2)

1970 – David Pearson (1)

1981 – Neil Bonnett (2)

1982 – Dale Earnhardt (1)

1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1988 – Bill Elliott (2)

1992 – Bill Elliott (1)

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1994 – Bill Elliott (2)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (1)

1998 – Dale Jarrett (1)

1999 – Jeff Burton (Sweep)

2001 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2005 – Greg Biffle

2006 – Greg Biffle

2018 – Brad Keselowski

Partnership Begins with NASCAR’s Return to National Stage

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 12, 2020) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) announced today that Scag Power Equipment, a leader in commercial-grade professional and premium residential lawn mowers, will join the organization as its newest partner. The company will be featured as the primary partner of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway on May 17 and 20.

The events at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks will mark the first time the sport has competed since March 8, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus. It will also be one of the first live sports on FOX.

“We’ve been tasked with a huge responsibility, carrying the world of live sports into a new normal,” said Nemechek. “Our goal this weekend is to return to racing as safely as possible. Being able team up with a new partner such as Scag Power Equipment at Darlington gives us added motivation to restart the season on a positive note. Our No. 38 team is ready to work hard and perform at the top level, just like Scag’s mowers.”

Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville, has been producing premium, heavy-duty mowers for its commercial and residential customers since 1983. Scag Power Equipment’s innovation and attention to quality is known and respected throughout the power equipment industry. Mowers and accessories are designed to be user friendly, with an emphasis on quality, performance, ease of maintenance, profitability and long life.

Scag is no stranger to the world of motorsports, though this weekend will mark the company’s debut at the NASCAR Cup Series level.

“We’re thankful for the opportunity to participate in NASCAR’s return to racing with Front Row Motorsports and John Hunter Nemechek,” said Chris Frame, President of Scag Power Equipment. “It’s truly an honor to play a small part in helping the rest of the world get back on its feet in these difficult times. We’re looking forward to seeing the No. 38 car carrying our colors on track.”

The No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang will make its debut at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17. The NASCAR Cup Series race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN.

For more information about Scag Power Equipment, visit Scag.com.

About Scag Power Equipment
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., is one of the largest independent manufacturers of commercial lawn mowing equipment in the United States. Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., an ISO 9001:2008 Registered company, manufactures products in its three facilities, totaling over 850,000 square feet, located in Mayville, West Bend, and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Advance
Track: Virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway (.625-mile)
Teams: No. 6 Acronis/Nutrien Ag eFord, No. 17 Fastenal eFord
Drivers: Ross Chastain (No. 6), Chris Buescher (No. 17)
Twitter: @RoushFenway, @Roush6Team, @17RoushTeam
Hashtag: #ProInvitationalSeries, #eNASCAR

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Saturday, May 9 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Network, FS1, FOX Sports App

ADVANCE NOTES
Event Details
· The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series concludes this weekend with the much-anticipated return to North Wilkesboro Speedway, a .625-mile track roughly 80 miles from Charlotte that once featured the stars of NASCAR.
· To date, the series mirrored the would-be NASCAR Cup Series schedule and garnered close to 7 million viewers through six weeks. The return to North Wilkesboro is in large part thanks to the efforts of Dale Earnhardt Jr., and a group of volunteers from the racing industry, who paid a visit to the oval back in December to clean up the vacant facility and prep the track for iRacing action. Chris Buescher, who has never turned a lap at the track, was part of the group that initially assisted in those efforts.
· The spin-off series that iRacing and others teamed up to create – Saturday Night Thunder – also concludes this weekend with a Friday night race at Martinsville Speedway, where the NASCAR Cup Series was set to be this weekend for a special Saturday night race. Drivers from the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, and other regional series will continue to contest that event.
· Saturday’s event from North Wilkesboro will feature traditional time-trial qualifying set to determine the projected 30-car field. Drivers will once again have one available reset at their disposal in the 160-lap event.

History at North Wilkesboro
· North Wilkesboro Speedway was part of NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock (now called the Cup Series) season in 1949. The venue last hosted NASCAR’s top division in 1996.
· Jack Roush has two wins all time at North Wilkesboro – both from Mark Martin – in 30 events from 1988-96. Martin went to victory lane in the fall of 1990 after nearly winning the spring race, leading 103 laps in that event after starting from the pole.
· The Hall of Famer also won again in the fall of 1995 after leading 126 laps. Overall, Roush had 14 top-10s at the facility with four different drivers (Martin, Jeff Burton, Ted Musgrave, Wally Dallenbach Jr.).

Buescher at North Wilkesboro Speedway
· Like most of the field in Saturday’s event, Buescher has never turned laps from North Wilkesboro, but was part of the volunteer crew to pay a visit to the historic facility back in December to make iRacing possible at the .625-mile track.
· Through six weeks in the #ProInvitationalSeries, Buescher has finishes of 28th, 18th, 23rd, 21st, 29th and 35th.

Chastain at North Wilkesboro Speedway
· Chastain has finishes of 14th, 22nd, 16th, 13th, 27th and 17th in the #ProInvitationalSeries.

On the eCars
RFR team partner Acronis – paired with Nutrien Ag Solutions from Chastain’s Xfinity Series entry – will ride on the No. 6 eMustang. Longtime RFR partner Fastenal will be riding along with Buescher on the No. 17 machine.

NASCAR/iRacing History
NASCAR and iRacing have an unprecedented history in the esports space, currently in the 11th season of the longest-running officially sanctioned esports racing series, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. It features 40 of the best sim racers in the world competing for more than $300,000, one of the richest payouts in esports racing competition.

Roush Fenway’s 2020 lineup includes Nathan Lyon, driver of the No. 6 and a native of St. Louis Missouri, and Kollin Keister, driver of the No. 17, who hails from Frostburg, Maryland.