Category: NASCAR Cup PR

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Virtual Talladega Superspeedway
GEICO 70
Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript
April 26, 2020

ALEX BOWMAN SCORES VICTORY AT VIRTUAL TALLADEGA

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 26, 2020) – In a thrilling overtime finish, Alex Bowman comes away with the checkered flag and takes his No. 88 ChevyGoods.com Chevrolet to victory lane in the GEICO 70 at virtual Talladega Superspeedway, the fifth race in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

With a late-race pit strategy, Bowman restarted at the front and never looked back to secure his first victory in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The victory at the 2.66-mile, high-banked virtual superspeedway marks Hendrick Motorsport’s third-consecutive triumph in the Series. “I felt like the bottom wasn’t the place to be, so I kind of let Ty (Dillon) have the bottom on that restart and got up, and just tried to keep the run timed well and knew that most of the time the top was leading there at the start‑finish line,” says Bowman. “So, really just got to thank (Ryan) Preece for pushing me because that’s what made the difference at that point. When you’re that lead car, it’s really the guy behind you making the difference. Glad it worked out.”

Bowman’s win led a strong Team Chevy showing with four of the top-five finishers. Other Chevrolet drivers in the top-ten included Ryan Preece, third in the No. 37 Kroger Chevrolet; Garrett Smithley, fourth in the No. 51 Chevrolet; Landon Cassill, fifth in the No. 89 Blu-Emu Chevrolet; William Byron, sixth in the No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet; Brennan Poole, seventh in the No. 15 Chevrolet; and Kurt Busch, nineth in the No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet.

Corey LaJoie was second to round out the top-five finishers of the race.

Live coverage of the remaining eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series season can be found on FOX, FS1, and the FOX Sports app.

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM CHEVROLET TRANSCRIPT:

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us. We are now joined by Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Chevygoods.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports and the winner of today’s Geico 70 at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway. Alex, congratulations on that win today, an exciting last lap. Tell us a little bit from your vantage point what that was like and how you pulled it off.
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I guess just right place, right time, kind of the normal speedway racing deal. I felt like the bottom wasn’t the place to be, so kind of let Ty have the bottom on that restart and got up, and just tried to keep the run timed well and knew that most of the time the top was leading there at the start‑finish line. So really just got to thank Preece for pushing me because that’s what made the difference at that point. When you’re that lead car, it’s really the guy behind you making the difference. Glad it worked out.

Q. Alex, how weird is it to do a virtual Talladega race where you assume you don’t have to worry about teammates or manufacturer orders?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I mean, that part of it’s definitely different. I feel like if we keep doing this long enough, we’ll have teammates and manufacture orders in it, but it was definitely different to just focus on your deal and do your deal all day. It was kind of a weird race for us just with how we didn’t get fuel under that first caution and then had to pit earlier under green and was kind of going to put us in a really bad spot, and the cautions kind of saved us.
Typically, you pit as a group and that’s all ironed out, and we didn’t have any of that today, so it was definitely different for sure.

Q. Just curious if during this break you’ve had any talks with Hendrick yet about next year, or is all that stuff put on hold as well as the racing?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, not really. I guess everything is kind of put on hold right now. You know, obviously I want to be at HMS for a long time, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully they’re working on it for sure.

Q. I was going to ask you, they were talking about one of the biggest differences in iRacing as opposed to being at Talladega and actually racing is actually being able to feel the wind and feel the air around you kind of in the car. Was that a big difference to you today, or what was the biggest difference between actually racing on the real Talladega and what you experienced today?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I don’t know that that’s really how I would put it, but I would say the biggest difference for me is just not having the side draft. The way that the aerodynamics of the cars are in real life, you use the side draft a ton. It’s really crucial, and you can really stall guys’ runs out and build runs that way, whereas in iRacing kind of with the model that they have, that side draft doesn’t work the same way. It’s really, really different than it is at the real racetrack.
Just how you draft and how the runs form was really the biggest difference. Other than that, it’s pretty spot‑on. The bottom can get pinched down by the top unless they get a couple cars out front kind of about like real Talladega, kind of a normal deal there, and yeah, it was pretty spot‑on. Didn’t hurt when I crashed and got a quick fix and reset the car and kept digging, so that was good.

Q. Finally, when we do go back to racing which doesn’t look like it’s going to be that long, there’s going to be no fans in the stands, obviously. Is that going to be weird? And actually, can you confirm that Finn did not win the race and that it was actually you?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, it’s going to be different without fans for sure, obviously. The fans are why we get to do what we get to do. It’s unfortunate that we’re not going to be able to have fans there, but at least we’ll be able to put on a show for everybody at home watching. Hopefully we get to go do that soon. That would be great.
I don’t know; I think I’m going to leave it up to your imagination if it was me or the dog driving, but it was one of us, so there’s only so many people it could have been.

Q. Given the extensive amount of time and preparation that you put into these races, are you surprised that it’s finally paid off with a victory?
ALEX BOWMAN: I ran the practice race this week, come on. Yeah, I don’t know. I think Talladega was the one that I think you could get away with running minimally, so that was good. You know, I think it obviously ‑‑ last week at Richmond, we didn’t run very well, and that came down to a lack of practice, but I think this week I ran a little bit, and it ended up being enough, so that was good.
But yeah, it’s been a learning curve for sure, and I’ve kept myself busy in other ways, so probably haven’t put the same amount of time into it as some of the other guys have. Probably take it a little more lighthearted than some of the others do, as well, but that’s just kind of my approach to it.

Q. I was just curious, at the end were you really seriously thinking that you didn’t have enough fuel to make it? You seemed to make it pretty clear while you were tweeting and driving. I just wondered if it was as close as you thought it was going to be.
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, we were ‑‑ I think we were a lap to the good before that last caution, and then the race gets extended a little bit with that green‑white‑checkered, so it was close. It was going to be really tight, and glad we were able to make it because that was pretty nerve‑racking. We were in a situation where you can’t really trust the fuel gauge on that deal, so like we were ‑‑ I started saving running around like three‑quarter throttle, just trying to make it to the end, but glad the cautions fell where they did because we were going to run out for sure.

Q. Alex, you tweeted post‑race, “legit confused how this happened,” and earlier you said, “I’m scared to death right now” via a GIF. Was it so different from what you would do at Talladega? What were you so scared, and why were you legitimately confused?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I’m just surprised that we won an iRace. I mean, it’s like ‑‑ it’s pretty wild to me with how good a lot of those guys are and how much experience that they have. But if it was going to happen somewhere, like Talladega is a place where you can kind of be in the right place at the right time and make it happen.
You know, that was pretty awesome to be able to do that, but definitely quite a few guys that take it way more seriously than I do, and that kind of ends up helping them run better for the most part, but glad we were able to make it happen.

Q. It is possible, although it hasn’t been announced, that the race shops could start opening next week. How does a driver integrate into that knowing races are likely coming up but everything is still fluid? What are you sensing, and when things open up at the shops, do you go in and start throwing yourself into it or what?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I don’t know. You know, there’s been a lot of talk and speculation, and you see everything on Twitter. There’s been like four or five different this is what’s going to happen on Twitter I feel like, so it’s hard to say what really is or isn’t going to happen. For me on my end, I’m just trying to stay as ready as I can or be as prepared as I can because we know when we do go back racing that it’s probably going to be a tougher schedule than we’ve seen in the past. Just trying to stay as fit as I can or probably more fit than I was previously and be prepared because when we do go back racing, it’s going to be pretty tough on us for sure.

Q. Technically this makes you a multi‑time winner this season. Your crew chief was joking about that. But could you just talk about the good vibes that it gives you going forward?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I mean, it’s great. To me, I’m still kind of confused how it happened, to be honest with you. But yeah, it’s really neat. Just glad to be able to get a win. You know, it’s good for everybody with Chevy Goods on the car and it’s good to have some momentum. You know, obviously the season was going really well for us in real life, and then as we got into this virtual deal, had some ups and downs, but to get a win is really cool.

Q. You were asked about when we come back the likelihood that we won’t have fans, but I was curious about what you think the rust factor might be like when you do get back into the real race car, and what do you think of the possibility of limited or no practice as well as maybe non‑competitive pit stops?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I mean, I think going to a place like Darlington is going to be really tough. Probably be a little Rusty getting into Turn 1 if that was the first one. That would be a tough place.
Hard to say when we really do go back or what the situation really does end up being, but I’ll try to do my best to be ready for whatever the situation is. But yeah, just trying to be as prepared as we can be is a big part of it. What was the second part of your question?

Q. Talk about the possibility of racing without much or any practice and the possibility that you might have non‑competitive pit stops if it comes to that.
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, yeah, it’s different for sure. I mean, we’ve raced without practice a couple times just because of rain and things like that, so that’s obviously different. But then going to ‑‑ if we were to not have competitive pit stops, that would be pretty strange, as well. So, it’s just adapting to all that and trying to stay on top of it and be prepared the best we can be for all of that is really all I can do.
You know, there’s a lot of speculation on what’s going to happen or how it’s going to be, but until we get that solid word from NASCAR, I’m just trying to be prepared for whatever situation comes at us.

Q. How have you seen the mindsets or the attitudes of the drivers change when it comes to these races over the past five weeks, and what was Finn and Roscoe’s reaction to the win, regardless of who happened to be driving at the time because it sounds like they think they should be being interviewed right now.
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, it’s interesting for sure. They just want to hop on and drive sometimes. Sometimes while I’m driving, they like to walk up and nudge me and yank on the wheel and things go wrong. But that’s okay.
You know, I think the attitudes of the drivers, it’s really interesting. You have some guys that take it super seriously. Obviously, some guys put a lot of time into it and have a background in it, guys like William, he takes it really seriously and he’s like unbelievably good at it. It’s so frustrating to hop on ‑‑ like we were practicing for Richmond and I was trying so hard and I was like three‑tenths off of him and could not get any closer.
You know, it’s interesting, and it’s different for sure that those guys with that background are so good at it.
But they’re also guys that kind of take it like I do and are a little more lighthearted about it and just try to make it more fun, more fun than work. So just try to have fun with it, and I somehow ended up with a win that way.

Q. How antsy are you to go back to real racing? We’re five races in to the Pro Series here. Does this satisfy the need for speed at all, or are you just getting more antsy?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, it doesn’t satisfy it for me. I can’t wait to get back in a real race car. I think that’s something that is definitely important for me. The iRacing thing is great, and I think we’ve done a really good job entertaining the fans, but as far as it being actually driving a race car, it’s not, and we all want to get back in the real thing.
You know, hopefully we get to do that soon.

Q. You talked a little bit about when you go back to racing without fans; that’s obviously one of the things we’ll have to contend with. How different is that going to be for you? Do you draw energy from the fans when you’re on pit road, you’re getting ready to race, you see a lot of folks in the grandstands? Do you draw energy from that, and how do you replace that?
ALEX BOWMAN: I don’t know, that’s a good question. I feel like it’s going to be really weird visually not having any fans there, but aside from that, I mean, I’m pretty shy, I keep to myself, kind of just want to do my own thing. When it comes time to go into work and drive the race car, I think it’ll be business as usual for me. The situation might be different with practice or schedules or whatever that may be, but other than that, really just be business as usual, just because I just kind of do my own thing.

Q. Alex, with the notion that NASCAR could return in the coming weeks, other sports have looked at trying to return, and one of the things they’ve looked at is kind of basically having their athletes, whether it’s like baseball potentially stay at hotels and go from hotels to games basically to limit any contact that they could have with anybody and prevent any type of infection. Obviously, that’s not going to be the case with racers, but I’m curious once racing resumes, do you almost have to look at as a driver further quarantining yourself because if you get potentially infected, that could mean potentially missing a few races, potentially costing you a chance at the championship and things like that? Do you have to start thinking along those lines, and how might you have to do things or live, in a sense, once racing resumes?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, for sure. I think that’s going to be really important. I don’t think it’s going to be good for anybody if somebody in the garage or a driver or anybody like that gets it, so I think just taking the social distancing thing really seriously and doing all we can to kind of add layers into that and really just be super careful about it and mindful about it at all times and probably take it more seriously than we may have to begin with.
I think that’s really going to be crucial to it working out and to getting back on the racetrack is for us all to take the social distancing stuff really seriously and do whatever is needed to make sure that we all stay healthy.

Q. Can you give me a sense of kind of the balance? With the sport potentially returning soon, could be the first sport to really return, that balance between making sure that you’re safe and the precautions that are needed when you’re working in the garage or around the team, but also the role of with potentially being among the first sports back, to being the athlete/entertainer for a country that is slowly getting back and in a lot of areas still quarantined and just kind of the roles, the concerns or questions health‑wise for you but also the role that you could be playing and you and other drivers in being entertainers and athletes when there won’t potentially be as many live events when you guys get started?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I think there’s really ‑‑ I feel like with social distancing stuff in place and all that, we can still do the jobs that we’ve done and still be entertaining. Obviously, there’s ‑‑ I would just assume less cameras and interviews and stuff like that, so some of that stuff might be cut down or have to be in a different format, but we’re all still the same people that we are. Clint Bowyer is still going to be hilarious; Kyle is still going to have people mad at him. Kyle Busch, that is. I feel like it’s all ‑‑ the personalities are still going to be there. It’s going to be the same in that sense.
I think when it comes to our sport, the object‑track product is the most important thing, and I really think we can put on great shows and do that safely, and I think that’ll be really good for everybody.

Q. We know the kind of iRacing prodigy that your teammate William Byron has been over the course of this Pro Invitational Series. Have you leaned on him or is there anybody specific that you’ve tried to lean on in terms of picking up iRacing more since you weren’t one of the guys that ran it regularly to start?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, for sure. I definitely lean on William quite a bit. I text him quite a bit just asking him about tips and how much to do burnouts for qualifying to warm your tires up and stuff like that. He’s been a big help. I think he’s really ‑‑ he’s probably been the biggest help out of anybody that I’ve worked with. DiBenedetto and I talk about it quite a bit, but I don’t think either one of us are great at it, so I think we kind of just talk about our struggles a lot. William has been a big help, and that’s been a great thing to have for sure.

Q. And as far as going forward when we do get back to regular racing, obviously iRacing is not perfect, but the realism, there are a lot of things that are there. Do you see yourself using iRacing maybe more as a tool once we get back to regular racing than you did in the past?
ALEX BOWMAN: Man, I don’t know about that. I think it has its place, and there are things it’s useful for, but I think we have tools like our Chevy simulator and things like that that can create some other great things, as well. We used it a little bit before, and I’ll continue doing that, but probably won’t change how much I used it. It’ll probably be about the same going back.
THE MODERATOR: Alex, thanks again for joining us. We know you have to hop off for a couple more interviews, but thanks for spending some time with us today.
ALEX BOWMAN: Thank you. Y’all have a good one.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Next Race: GEICO 70
The Place: Virtual Talladega Superspeedway
The Date: Sunday, April 26
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX (where available and subject to change), FS1 and FOX Sports App
Distance: 70 laps

Saturday Night Thunder
The Place: Virtual Talladega Superspeedway
The Date: Saturday, April 25
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
Online: enascar.com/live, NASCAR’s YouTube Channel
Distance: Two heat races – 10 laps each; Main Event – 57 laps

Gearing up for “The Biggest & The Fastest” this weekend

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series heads to virtual Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for an intense battle at “The Biggest & The Fastest” track on the circuit.

Talladega Superspeedway was scanned by iRacing in September of 2008 and was released on the platform in April of 2009.

This week the charity partner for the race is the American Red Cross. Donations to the American Red Cross will ensure a sufficient supply of blood for patients critical needs as well as relief services to people affected by disasters big and small.

Response efforts for this weekend will support the America Red Cross via blood supply, training and supplies. Fans can join the effort by donating at through The NASCAR Foundation at https://www.NASCARfoundation.org/response.

Sunday’s GEICO 70 at virtual Talladega Superspeedway (1 p.m. ET on FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App) will feature FOX NASCAR broadcasters Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds calling the action, as Jeff Gordon has moved from the booth to the rig and will be racing in this weekend’s event at virtual Talladega Superspeedway.

Star-studded pre-race affair

Sunday afternoon’s festivities will kick off at 12:20 p.m. ET on NASCAR’s YouTube and Facebook channels with the weekly pre-race concert. This week’s show will feature Country Music Hall of Fame singer Randy Owen of the American country and southern rock supergroup ALABAMA and NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress.

After the broadcast turns to FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports App at 1 p.m. ET for the race, Bryson Byrnes, the son of the late FOX NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes, will lead drivers and fans in the invocation.

Owen will then return to the screen to perform the National Anthem.

And the pre-race festivities will wrap up with grand marshal Tim Allen, the star of Last Man Standing on FOX, giving the command to fire engines.

A look at the Pro Invitational Series to date

While NASCAR’s on-track activity has been postponed through the weekend of May 3rd to align with CDC guidance, drivers and fans are turning to the virtual world to see some of the best racing competition around.

NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports teamed up to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series event, the Dixie Vodka 150, at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after all national pro sports were put on hold due to the pandemic a few weeks ago. FOX Sports later committed to covering the remainder of the season, which began Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. ET from virtual Texas Motor Speedway.

Prior to the Easter break, the series went to battle at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where ultimately William Byron took the checkered flag. Last weekend, the series went to virtual Richmond Raceway, where Byron took the checkered flag and won back-to-back races while virtual Texas Motor Speedway race winner Timmy Hill finished runner-up.

Parker Kligerman finished in third, Landon Cassill finished in fourth and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five, also marking his best iRacing career finish.

Hill has been the breakthrough star of the Pro Invitational Series – finishing in the top 3 in all four races to date.

The series’ opening event on March 22, won by three-time Daytona 500 winner Hamlin, drew 903,000 viewers on FS1. The second series race at Texas Motor Speedway, won by Hill, drew 1.3 million viewers. Bristol’s virtual race drew 1.179 million viewers and got a 0.81 rating.

Most recently, Richmond’s virtual event earned 971,000 viewers and was the second-most watched sports event of the weekend.

Saturday Night Thunder at Talladega Superspeedway

The beginning of April marked the introduction of a new iRacing event, Saturday Night Thunder, that used ARCA cars. This Saturday will mark the third installment of the event and will use NASCAR Xfinity Series cars including the Supra, Mustang and Camaro, for the second week.

The Saturday Night Thunder entry list includes drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

This weekend Saturday Night Thunder will return for a 57-lap main feature at Talladega Superspeedway.

The format will feature two 10-lap heat races with 20 drivers from each heat transferring to the main event. The main event will have an entry list of 40 cars with 51 entered at this time. The event will be live streamed at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 25, on enascar.com/live, and on NASCAR’s YouTube channel.

The format will be as follows (all times ET):

7 p.m.: One-hour practice session

8 p.m.: Stream starts on eNASCAR.com/NASCAR YouTube Channel

8:05 p.m.: Two-lap single-car qualifying session. This will set the starting grid for the heats.

8:10 p.m.:

· Heat 1 starts. All heats will be 10 laps with no cautions and one reset. There will be two heats and 20 cars will advance from each heat.

· Heats will set the starting grid for main race with a field of 40 cars.

· Main event will be 57 laps with manual cautions and one reset. There will also be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

Sunday’s run of show and race format

Sunday’s GEICO 70 will feature a two-lap qualifying session to set the grid for the main feature event.

New this week will be a 10-car inversion. The top qualifier will start 10th and the 10th qualifier will start on the pole. Additionally, the top three finishers from last week will start at the tail end of the field – William Byron, Timmy Hill and Parker Kligerman – and will not attempt a qualifying lap. Byron will start last.

The main race will be a total of 70 laps with double-file restarts and lapped cars will go to the rear. There will be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, if necessary. The field will consist of a 40-driver maximum.

Drivers will be allowed one reset this week at virtual Talladega Superspeedway with manual cautions. If a car is damaged, drivers must drive back to their pit stall and come to a complete stop. This will automatically apply the fast repair and give the driver a new car.

The below times are approximate and subject to change:

12 p.m. – Practice session goes live

12:50 p.m. – Qualifying (Four minutes, two laps)

1:00 p.m. – FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App broadcast begins

1:14 p.m. – Green flag (150 laps)

Statistical Notes

A wide range of drivers with various experience both at Talladega Superspeedway and in iRacing will be contending in this Sunday’s GEICO 70 in the fifth race of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series (1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

Below is a list of anticipated participants (listed numerically), their statistics, and career highlights. Please note, the participant list is subject to change.

Note on iRacing stats below:

The stats are cumulative lifetime stats for each driver in public oval events in stock car disciplines (ranging from top-level Cup cars to Legends) on iRacing. It doesn’t include stats from private leagues. Statistics for drivers who have starts in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series include those races run.

Entered Drivers (Listed in numerical order):

Kurt Busch – iRacing #1

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 38 starts, 0 wins, 9 top fives, 20 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

Highlights:

· His best finish at Talladega is second in the Cup Series in the spring of 2018.

· He’s won the pole once at Talladega, in the Cup Series in the fall of 2018.

· Made his national series debut at Talladega in the Cup Series in the spring of 2001, finishing third.

· 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion; winner of the inaugural NASCAR Playoffs

· Has driven for many of NASCAR’s most iconic teams such as Roush-Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart-Haas

· Racing, and now Chip Ganassi Racing

· Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series

· 2000 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Rookie of the Year and championship runner-up

Overall iRacing Stats

· 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 35th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 10th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 19th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 20th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Brad Keselowski – iRacing #2

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 2 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 22 starts, 5 wins, 7 top fives, 11 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 11 win, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 2008 in the Xfinity Series. His win in the series came in 2010.

· His first win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega came in his first start at the track in the spring of 2009

· Has 30 wins to his name with 116 top fives, 188 top 10s and 17 pole awards in the Cup Series

· His first Cup Series win came in his second Cup Series season at Talladega Superspeedway in 2009

· Won the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Championship for Team Penske

· Won the 2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and won the Most Popular Driver Award three years in a row (2008-2010)

· Made his national series debut in the Gander Trucks in 2004

Overall iRacing Stats

· 34 starts, 7 wins, 19 top fives, 3 poles

· Finished 25th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Placed 24th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Placed 10th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Austin Dillon – iRacing #3

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut at Talladega in the Gander Trucks in 2010.

· Had a best track finish at Talladega of third in the Xfinity Series (2015) and in the Cup Series (spring of 2016)

· Won the 2018 Daytona 500

· Won the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

· Won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award n 2012

· Is the 2011 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion as well as the Most Popular Driver

· Won rookie of the year honors in Gander Trucks in 2010

Overall iRacing Stats

· 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 27th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 29th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 15th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 28th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Kevin Harvick – iRacing #4

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 38 starts, 1 win, 7 top fives, 15 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 2000 in the Xfinity Series

· Won his Cup Series race at Talladega in the spring of 2010.

· 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and 2007 Daytona 500 winner

· Has qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 five-times in the last six seasons.

· Has made 13 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff appearances, tied for second-most all-time

· 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion

· 2007, 2009 and 2011 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion owner with wife DeLana Harvick

· 2001 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year

· 1998 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion

Overall iRacing Stats

· 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 29th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Ross Chastain – iRacing #6

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

· His best finish at Talladega was third in the Gander Trucks in 2013.

· Chastain made his NASCAR national series track debut at Talladega in the Gander Trucks in 2012.

· This year, he has filled in for Ryan Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series for three races

· In 2019, he completed 19 races in the Xfinity Series and posted a win at Daytona with Kaulig Racing

· In 2018, he made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and won his first career race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway racing for Chip Ganassi Racing

· In 2011, he made his NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

· 541 starts, 67 wins, 196 top fives and 64 poles

· Finished 14th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 22nd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 16th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 13th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – iRacing #8

Current Series/Occupation: Retired NASCAR Cup Series Driver, NBC Sports Analyst

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 36 starts, 6 wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts, 1 win, 4 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 1998 in the Xfinity Series – finishing second.

· He won his first Talladega Cup Series race in just his fourth series start at the track – fall of 2001. And it was the first of four straight wins at the track.

· Won his first Xfinity Series race at Talladega in 2003.

· Made his debut as an NBC broadcaster in 2018

· Retired from full-time racing at the end of 2017

· His first NASCAR national series win was in 1998 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Gander Trucks

· In 2000, he got his first Cup Series win, also at Texas Motor Speedway in his first full season in the series

· Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for 15 straight years (2003-2017)

· Won the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

· In 1999, won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award

· Team owner of Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports, collecting 47 wins since 2005

Overall iRacing Stats

· 418 starts, 194 wins, 334 top fives, 188 poles

· Finished runner-up at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 6th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 22nd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 8th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Chase Elliott – iRacing #9

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 2014 in the Xfinity Series.

· Won the pole in his first start at Talladega. Then went on to with the race in the spring of 2019.

· Got his first Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International in 2018, then went on to win two more times that season (Dover-2, Kanas-2)

· Won three races in 2019 including the Charlotte Road Course

· Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the last two years (2018, 2019)

· Won the Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2016

· Won Gander Trucks Most Popular Driver Award in 2015

· 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion and won rookie of the year and most popular driver in the same year

Overall iRacing Stats

· 259 starts, 36 wins, 107 top fives, 31 poles

· Finished 24th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 20th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 30th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 11th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Aric Almirola – iRacing #10

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 20 starts, 1 win, 4 top fives, 8 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2006 in the Gander Trucks.
He won the fall Playoff race at Talladega in 2018. His Xfinity Series win came in 2017.
Had a career best fifth place finish in the 2018 championship. Scored career high marks in top fives (four) and top 10s (17).
In 2014, won first career NASCAR Cup Series race (Daytona-2) on the 30th anniversary weekend of team owner Richard Petty’s 200th career win.
Made first career NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in 2014, ultimately finishing 16th in the standings.
Has won at least one race in all three NASCAR national series.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Denny Hamlin – iRacing #11

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 1 win, 7 top fives, 11 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Won the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Made his national series track debut in 2005 in the Xfinity Series.

· His Cup Series win at Talladega came in the spring of 2014.

· Won Cup Series Rookie of the Year Award in 2006

· Has 38 Cup Series wins to his name and the first came in 2006 at Pocono Raceway

· He has 162 top fives, 261 top 10s and 33 poles in the Cup Series

· 2019 was a career-best season for him, winning six races and making it to the Championship 4

· Won the Daytona 500 three times (2016, 2019, 2020)

· Is already in the Playoffs this season with his season-opening win at Daytona

Overall iRacing Stats

· 167 starts, 31 wins, 76 top fives, 31 poles

· Won the first race at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway with a last-lap pass on Dale Earnhardt Jr.

· Finished 24th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 4th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 6th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Ryan Blaney – iRacing #12

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 12 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 11 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

· Made his national series debut at Talladega in the Gander Trucks in 2012, finishing 6th.

· Won the most recent Cup Series race at Talladega last fall.

· Has won a race and earned a Cup Series Playoff berth in each season from 2017-19 and has three total wins in the Cup Series.

· Finished runner-up in 2014 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series standings, won most popular driver in the series

· Won 2013 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

· 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles

· Finished 27th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 28th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 23rd at virtual Richmond Raceway

Ty Dillon – iRacing #13

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 2012 in the Gander Trucks, finishing fourth – which is also his best finish at the track.

· In 2019, got his best Cup Series finish at the spring Daytona race in fourth place

· Made his Cup Series debut in 2014 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

· Won Most Popular Driver Award for Gander Trucks in 2013

· In 2012, Dillon won Rookie-of-the-Year honors for the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

· 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 19th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 16th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 25th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 15th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Clint Bowyer – iRacing #14

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 2 wins, 7 top fives, 13 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· His two Cup Series wins came in the fall of 2010 and in the fall of 2011.

· Bowyer made his NASCAR national series track debut at Talladega in the Xfinity Series in 2004.

· In 2019, Bowyer qualified for the Playoffs on points and finished ninth in the series standing

· Bowyer was the runner-up for the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship

· He won the 2008 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship

· Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series. (10 NASCAR Cup Series, eight NASCAR Xfinity Series, 14 Gander Trucks wins)

Overall iRacing Stats

· 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 16th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 11th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 11th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 30th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Brennan Poole – iRacing #15

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start – finished 26th in 2019

Highlights:

· Made his track debut in the Xfinity Series in 2015 and finished third at Talladega in the Xfinity Series in 2016

· 2020 marked his first full season in the Cup Series, making his debut at the Daytona 500

· He finished runner-up at Charlotte Motor Speedway last season in the Gander Trucks, a career-best finish

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Chris Buescher – iRacing #17

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts – best finish of 11th in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Finished runner-up at Talladega in the Xfinity Series in 2014
Made his Cup Series track debut in 2015
Best finish of 11th at the track in the Cup Series in 2018
Buescher joined Roush-Fenway Racing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season
In 2016, he won first NASCAR Cup Series race (Pocono-2) in his rookie season; first driver since Joey Logano (2009) to accomplish the feat
One of three drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history to make the Playoffs in their rookie season, joining Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin
Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2015
Was the 2012 ARCA Menards Series champion

Overall iRacing Stats

4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
Finished 28th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
Finished 18th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
Finished 23rd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished 21st at virtual Richmond Raceway

Kyle Busch – iRacing #18

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 29 starts, 1 win, 6 top fives, 8 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts, 1 win, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 2 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

Highlights:

· Made his Cup Series track debut in 2005

· Got his first Cup Series win at Talladega in 2008

· Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Xfinity Series and finished fourth

· Got his first Xfinity Series win at the track in 2011

· Won back-to-back races at the track in the Gander Trucks in 2009 and 2010

· Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, also won championship in 2015. One of two (Jimmie Johnson) active drivers with multiple Cup championships

· Has made the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs the last five consecutive seasons

· Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2009

· In 2010, set all-time single-season record with 24 victories across NASCAR’s three national series

· Currently has most all-time NASCAR national series wins with 208 (56 Cup, 96 Xfinity, 57 Gander Trucks)

· Record seven-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner champion (2010, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17 and ‘19) and one driver championship (2015)

Overall iRacing Stats

· 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five and 0 poles

· Finished 29th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 17th at Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 18th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished fifth at virtual Richmond Raceway

Bobby Labonte – iRacing #19

Current Series/Occupation: 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 46 starts, 1 win, 6 top fives, 13 top 10s, 1 pole

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his Cup Series debut at Talladega in 1993
First Cup Series track win came in 1998 for Joe Gibbs Racing
First Xfinity Series track win came in 2007
Labonte was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020. He joins his brother, Terry, with the prestigious honor
He won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship
Labonte has 21 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 10 Xfinity Series and one Gander Trucks win
He is one of 27 drivers to have a win in all three of NASCAR’s national series

Overall iRacing Stats

79 starts, 7 wins, 31 top fives, 5 poles
Finished 18th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
Finished 13th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
Finished 13th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished 14th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Erik Jones – iRacing #20

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts – best finish of eighth in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of fifth in 2017

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts – best finish of fourth in 2015

Highlights:

Got his first Cup Series start at Talladega in 2017
Made his national series track debut in the Gander Trucks in 2014 and finished sixth
Made his Xfinity Series track debut in 2015
Won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2018
2017 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – becoming the first driver to earn the award in all three of NASCAR’s national series
2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
2015 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion and Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the youngest champion in series history

Overall iRacing Stats

4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
Finished 10th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
Finished 21st at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
Finished 31st at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished seventh at virtual Richmond Raceway

Matt DiBenedetto – iRacing #21

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 10 starts – best finish of 18th in 2015 and 2017

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start – finished 39th in 2014

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his Cup Series debut at Talladega in 2015

· Got first Xfinity Series start at the track in 2014

· Notched his first career top-five finish in 2019 at Sonoma Raceway

· Signed with Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 season after racing for Leavine Family Racing in 2019

· His two career-best finishes were runner-up in Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020

· His best finish in the Xfinity Series was in 2010 at Iowa Speedway, where he finished ninth

Overall iRacing Stats

· 314 starts, 77 wins, 205 top fives, 29 poles

· Finished 11th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 15th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished fifth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Finished 27th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Joey Logano – iRacing #22

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 22 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 22 starts, 3 wins, 8 top fives, 10 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 2 wins, 7 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start – finished 26th in 2008

Highlights:

Made Cup Series debut at Talladega in 2009
Got first Cup Series track win in 2015 followed by another win in 2016 and 2018
First Xfinity Series start at the track was in 2009
First track win was in the Xfinity Series in 2012 followed by another win in 2015
Finished inside the top five in every start except one in the Xfinity Series
Made Gander Trucks debut at Talladega in 2008
Won his first Cup Series race at the track in 2014 and won again in 2017
Won both pole awards at the track in 2015 in the Cup Series
Made his Xfinity Series track debut in 2008 and started from the pole
Best finish of second in the Xfinity Series at Richmond in 2015
Became youngest driver to win a NASCAR Cup pole on March 19, 2010, at Bristol
Won 2009 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, the youngest-ever winner of the award
Became youngest driver to win a NASCAR Cup race on June 28, 2009, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Became youngest driver to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on June 14, 2008, at Kentucky

Overall iRacing Stats

14 starts, 2 wins, 3 top fives and 4 poles
Finished 15th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
Finished 17th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished 25th at virtual Richmond Raceway

William Byron – iRacing #24

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts – best finish of 20th in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start – finished 36th in 2017

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start – finished 10th in 2016

Highlights:

· Made Cup Series track debut in 2018 for Hendrick Motorsports

· Made national series track debut in 2016 in the Gander Trucks

· Earned first career Playoff berth in 2019, finishing a career-high 11th in final standings

· Won the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award; becoming just the second driver all-time to win Rookie of the Year honors in all three NASCAR national series; joining Erik Jones

· Won the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

· Won the 2016 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, setting a series rookie record with seven victories

· Won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

· 1,470 starts, 294 wins, 700 top fives and 251 poles

· Finished 34th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished seventh at virtual Texas and started from the pole

· Won the race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway and started from the pole

· Won the race at virtual Richmond Raceway and became the first driver to win back-to-back races in the iRacing series

Jeff Gordon – iRacing #24

Current Series/Occupation: 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee; FOX Sports NASCAR analyst

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 46 starts, 6 wins, 16 top fives, 20 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Won his first Cup Series race at Talladega in the fall of 1996. Also won in spring of 2000, spring of 2004, spring of 2005, and swept the races in 2007.

· Made his national series debut at Talladega in the Xfinity Series in 1992.

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (1995, 1997-1998, 2001).
Three-time Daytona 500 winner (1997, ’99, 2005).
Five-time Brickyard 400 winner (1994, ’98, 2001, ’04, ’14).
Third on all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list with 92.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Tyler Reddick – iRacing #31

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

Won first race at the track in 2019 in the Xfinity Series
Made national series track debut in 2014 and started from the pole
Back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2018-2019), and first driver to do it with two different organizations (JR Motorsports 2018, Richard Childress Racing 2019).
2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year; just third driver in series history to win the title in his rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).
In 2017, captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, at Kentucky, while running a partial schedule.
In 2015, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, winning his first race and finishing runner-up in the championship standings.

Overall iRacing Stats

3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
Finished 28th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
Finished eighth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished 12th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Corey LaJoie – iRacing #32

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 32 GoFas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts – best finish of seventh in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made Cup Series track debut in 2017
Best finish of seventh came last season for GoFas Racing
In 2019, LaJoie posted career-bests in starting position (16th, Kansas), finishing position (sixth, Daytona) and final points position (29th in points).
In 2014, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at New Hampshire Motorsports Speedway.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Michael McDowell – iRacing #34

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 18 starts – best finish of fifth in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts – best finish of 15th in 2009

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made Cup Series debut at Talladega in 2008
Got best track finish of fifth in 2019 in the Cup Series
Made Xfinity Series track debut in 2009 and finished15th
McDowell is entering his 13th season in the NASCAR Cup Series
Finished a career-best 26th in the 2017 and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series standings
Earned his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2016 at Road America

Overall iRacing Stats

103 starts, 25 wins, 45 top fives and 25 poles
Finished 23rd at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway
Finished 12th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
Finished 10th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Preece – iRacing #37

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts – best finish of third in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start – finished 15th in 2016

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made Cup Series track debut in 2019 and finished third
Made national series debut in the Xfinity Series in 2016 and finished 15th
Finished runner-up in 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle in the NASCAR Cup Series
Won first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa in 2017
In 2013, he was the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, youngest champion in series history

Overall iRacing Stats

255 starts, 42 wins, 103 top fives and 15 poles
Finished 33rd at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway
Finished runner-up at Texas Motor Speedway
Finished sixth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished 19th at virtual Richmond Raceway and won the pole award

John Hunter Nemechek – iRacing #38

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

Highlights:

Has made starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway posting top-10 finishes in both series.
2020 is Nemechek’s first fulltime season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2018 at Kansas while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Won his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2015, driving for NEMCO Motorsports and has tallied six career wins in the series.

Overall iRacing Stats

292 starts, 29 wins, 98 top fives and 37 poles
Finished 30th at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
Finished 8th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 2nd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 16th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Cole Custer – iRacing #41

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, finished 29th (2016)

Highlights:

Finished a career-best ninth at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Currently in his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing.
· In 2018, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Rick Ware Racing. He made three starts for the team posting a best finish of 25th at Las Vegas.

· Has made 104 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts posting nine career wins.

· In 2014, he became the youngest driver in NASCAR national series history to win a race at the age of 16 years, seven months, 28 days (NGROTS, New Hampshire).

· In 2014, he became the youngest driver in NASCAR national series history to win a pole at the age of 16 years, four months, 22 days (NGROTS, Gateway).

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Talladega Superspeedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – iRacing #47

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 13 starts, 1 win (2017), 5 top fives, 8 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Won the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway from the pole.
Captured first two NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2017 (Talladega-1, Daytona-2),
2013 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2011, 2012).
2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

67 starts, 6 wins, 26 top fives and 1 pole
Finished 21st at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
Finished 23rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 29th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Did not participate at Richmond Raceway.

Jimmie Johnson – iRacing #48

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 36 starts, 2 wins (2006, 2011), 7 top fives, 13 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, best finish of 28th (2001)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has won twice in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway (2006, 2011).
Tied with NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most NASCAR Cup Series championships all-time with seven each.
First driver in series history to win five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles (2006-10).
Johnson ranks tied for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list, with 83 wins.
Has the series record with 15 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berths.
2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
Finished 31st at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Finished 25th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 25th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 26th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Chad Finchum – iRacing #49

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 13 Motorsports Business Management Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, best finish of 36th (2019).

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2018 in the Xfinity Series.
In 2019, competed in his second full season for MBM finishing the year a career-best 26th in the standings.
Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2017 with Motorsports Business Management at Dover.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Garrett Smithley – iRacing #51

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has made four starts at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series posting a top-10 finish.
Finished a career-best 18th in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
Has a NASCAR national series career-best finish of fifth at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Overall iRacing Stats

1,229 starts, 146 wins, 537 top fives and 131 poles
Finished 5th at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
Finished 3rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 9th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 16th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

JJ Yeley – iRacing #52

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, finished 36th (2011)

Highlights:

Has made starts at Talladega Superspeedway in all three NASCAR national series.
Best finish at Richmond is 10th in the fall of 2007 in the Cup Series.
Yeley has competed for various teams throughout the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series.
2003 United States Auto Club (USAC) Triple Crown (Silver Crown, sprint, midget) champion.
Won 2001 USAC sprint car championship, 2002 USAC Silver Crown championship.
In 1995 became youngest driver to win Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) feature.
Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Joey Gase – iRacing #53

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 5 starts, best finish of 18th (2018)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Finished a career-best fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015.
Made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2014 for GO FAS Racing.
In 1995 became youngest driver to win Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) feature.
Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Talladega Superspeedway

Timmy Hill – iRacing #66

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 66 Motorsports Business Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 3 starts, best finish of 36th (2018)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, best finish of 17th (2017)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

Highlights:

Won the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Posted a career-best finish of sixth in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway.
Finished third in the 2020 Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona, his career-best NASCAR national series finish.
Owner of Hill Motorsports, fielding the No. 56 Chevrolet in the Gander Trucks.

Overall iRacing Stats

1,679 starts, 674 wins, 1,207 top fives, 456 poles
Finished 3rd at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Won the race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 3rd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 2nd at Richmond Raceway.

Parker Kligerman – iRacing #77

Current Series/Occupation: NBC Sports TV Analyst and part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts, best finish of 15th (2019)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 2 wins (2012, 2017), 3 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

Has won twice in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway (2012, 2017).
Has made 28 NASCAR Cup Series starts since 2012.
Finished a career-best ninth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings in 2013.
Finished a career-best fifth in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship points in 2012.

Overall iRacing Stats

418 starts, 57 wins, 190 top fives and 11 poles
Finished 13th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Finished 12th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 7th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 3rd at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Alex Bowman – iRacing #88

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start, finished 13th (2013)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Finished runner-up at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2019.
Bowman captured his second career NASCAR Cup Series win earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway. His first came last year at Chicagoland Speedway.
Bowman filled in the No. 88 for 10 races in 2016 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with concussion symptoms. He took over the ride fulltime in 2018 following Earnhardt’s retirement.
He was the 2011 NASCAR Menards Series East and the 2012 ARCA Menards Series rookie of the year.

Overall iRacing Stats

4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five and 0 poles
Finished 6th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Finished 5th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 14th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 22nd at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Landon Cassill – iRacing #89

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 89 Shepherd Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 17 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

Highlights:

· Has posted top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway in all three NASCAR national series.

· In 2014, he scored a NASCAR Cup Series career-best fourth-place finish at Talladega.

· In 2010, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Michigan.

· In 2008, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.

Overall iRacing Stats

· 46 starts, 4 wins, 27 top fives and 2 poles

· Finished 12th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.

· Finished 4th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.

· Finished 20th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

· Finished 4th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Christopher Bell – iRacing #95

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 96 Leavine Family Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Has posted top-five finishes at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
Has posted a total of 16 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins.
Set the rookie single season Xfinity Series wins record with seven victories in 2018.
2017 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion
Has a total of seven career Gander Truck wins.

Overall iRacing Stats

1,030 starts, 237 wins, 556 top fives and 132 poles
Finished 27th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Finished 34th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 12th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 24th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Daniel Suarez – iRacing #96

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, finished 15th (2014)

Highlights:

Has competed at Talladega Superspeedway in all three NASCAR national series posting top-five finishes in the Cup and Xfinity Series.
Competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018-2019; finished a career-best 17th in Cup points in ‘19.
Made Cup Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, finished the season 20th in points
2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion – the first Latin American, as well as the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, to win a NASCAR national series title.
In 2016, he became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and Homestead-Miami.
2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the first Mexican driver to win the award.

Overall iRacing Stats

3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
Finished 33rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 27th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Finished 18th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Advance
Track: Virtual Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile)
Teams: No. 6 Castrol/Nutrien Ag eFord, No. 17 Fastenal eFord
Drivers: Ross Chastain (No. 6), Chris Buescher (No. 17)
Twitter: @RoushFenway, @Roush6Team, @17RoushTeam
Hashtag: #ProInvitationalSeries

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Sunday, April 26 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Network, FS1, FOX Sports App

ADVANCE NOTES
Event Details
· Week five of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series takes place from the virtual Talladega Superspeedway, where the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series were set to tackle the 2.66-mile superspeedway this weekend on the real-life NASCAR schedule.
· To date, the series has garnered just under 4.5 million viewers in three events, earning a top rating of 0.81 at virtual Texas, breaking its own record for the most viewed eSports event in U.S. TV history.
· Over the course of the series thus far, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX have made several changes based off feedback, the most recent being a trimmed-down field of 26 cars last week at virtual Richmond. Additionally, the series added a spin-off Saturday night event, where drivers from the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, and other regional series test their talents each week.
· This week, the full field is back for Sunday’s Pro Invitational Series event from Talladega, with traditional time-trial qualifying slated to set the lineup for Sunday’s 150-mile race.

Buescher at Talladega Superspeedway
· Buescher has nine career Cup Series starts at Talladega dating back to 2015 with a best finish of 11th (spring 2018). Most recently he finished 20th last fall.
· Buescher also has a pair of Xfinity starts at Talladega, where he finished second in the No. 60 for Jack Roush back in 2014, and sixth a year later.
· Through four weeks in the #ProInvitationalSeries, Buescher has finished 28th, 18th, 23rd and 21st, after leading 30 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway three weeks ago, before getting caught up in a late accident with a glitching car.

Chastain at Talladega Superspeedway
· Chastain has four Cup Series starts at Talladega, most recently earning a best finish of 12th in last fall’s race where Ryan Newman finished second in a photo-finish to Ryan Blaney.
· In Xfinity action, Chastain has a best-career finish of 16th, which came back in the spring of 2016.
· Chastain has shown signs of strength thus far in the #ProInvitationalSeries, putting his eMustang up front early at Homestead, before going on to finish 22nd (Texas), 16th (Bristol) and 13th (Richmond).

On the eCars
RFR team partner Castrol – paired with Nutrien Ag Solutions from Chastain’s Xfinity Series entry – will ride on the No. 6 eMustang. 10-year partner Fastenal will once again be on board Buescher’s virtual 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.

Go Fas Racing is proud to announce that Plan B Sales will serve as the primary sponsor for Corey LaJoie at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 18.

Plan B Sales was founded in 2010 with the goal of bringing service to dealers that carry licensed motorsports products. Over the last few years, Plan B Sales has grown to be the largest account for Lionel, servicing the motorsports market and has expanded the product offerings.

“It is always great working with Archie and Mason from Go Fas Racing, and with Corey [LaJoie] on board we jumped at the opportunity to sponsor the No.32 team at Kansas again. Collectors love diecast cars and knowing their name is on the car makes them love them even more. We are very excited about this years paint scheme,” said Brent Powell, President of Plan B Sales.

Not only will fans have the opportunity to get their name on a NASCAR Cup Series race car, Lionel will be producing the matching diecast car to commemorate the unforgettable opportunity.

“This is one of the most unique things we get to be involved in throughout the season,” said driver Corey LaJoie. “For fans to be able to get involved and have their name on our No.32 Ford for the entire race weekend and then have the ability to get a matching diecast afterward is pretty cool for all of us involved. It shows that we have a really big following and some really loyal fans. I’m excited that we were able to put this deal together.”

The company previously worked with the GFR team in 2018 with driver Matt DiBenedetto at Kansas Speedway. Hundreds of names of those who participated in the fan-driven sponsorship decorated the pink Ford.

Fan will be able to have their name built into the scheme of the No.32 Plan B Sales Ford with spots available on the decklid for only $50. For more information, visit PlanBSales.com and follow Go Fas Racing on social media.

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About Our Team

About Plan B Sales:
Plan B Sales was founded in 2010 with the goal of bringing service to dealers that carry licensed motorsports product. We started as a Lionel diecast and Chase Authentics apparel distributor. Over the last few years we have grown to be the largest account for Lionel servicing the motorsports market and have expanded the product offerings.

We have quickly become the choice of dealers for a stocking one-stop distributor. Our product offering also includes Auto World, Chase Authentics, Greenlight Collectibles, and Wincraft Racing for licensed motorsports related product lines. In addition, we also offer other great product lines to compliment our dealers businesses. We are always looking for great new product offerings that bring value to our dealers.

About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.

Stay up-to-date on Corey LaJoie:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacin

Richard Childress Racing at Talladega Superspeedway … Richard Childress began his driving career at Talladega Superspeedway in 1969 and is in a tie for the most all-time car owner victories at the storied Alabama-based race track with 12 NASCAR Cup Series wins. He also owns two additional wins at the track as a car owner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Racing Series. This weekend marks a new chapter for RCR at Talladega Superspeedway with the organization’s first attempt at the track in a virtual race.

The Format … NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports are teaming up to deliver the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, a selection of simulation-style esports races that include NASCAR Cup Series drivers Austin Dillon (No. 3 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Chevrolet) and Tyler Reddick (No. 31 Cat Realtree Chevrolet). The series heads to the virtual Talladega Superspeedway for a fixed set-up race this Sunday, April 26. Drivers will compete in a qualifying session to set the starting field for the 70-lap race.

But Wait, There’s More … In addition to Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race, RCR will compete in a special Saturday night race at virtual Talladega Superspeedway with our roster of NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers, including Anthony Alfredo (No. 33 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet), Myatt Snider (No. 93 TaxSlayer Chevrolet) and Kaz Grala (No. 29 HotScream Chevrolet). The race features NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series drivers competing within the iRacing platform, complete with qualifying times to set heat races and a last chance qualifier race to round out starting lineup. Fans can watch all the action at eNASCAR.com.

The Car Designs … Each RCR driver’s paint scheme was designed in-house by the RCR Graphics Center Powered by Roland, an in-house full-service design and production facility located on the Richard Childress Racing campus in Welcome, North Carolina. Local graphic artist John Dragonetti then rendered these designs for the iRacing platform. Learn more about Dragonetti’s designs at twitter.com/JohnRDragonetti.

COVID-19 Relief … Own a piece of history by participating in a recently launched auction and sale of Richard Childress’ personal collection of memorabilia. All proceeds will assist COVID-19 relief efforts. Thousands of rare, hard-to-find and exclusive items from Richard Childress’ 50+ years in NASCAR are up for bid or sale, including an original No. 3 Chevrolet once raced by Dale Earnhardt, complete with engine. To bid or purchase items from Childress’ personal collection, visit https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection. Bidders interested in the Dale Earnhardt racecar should contact RCR directly.

Did You Know … Talladega Superspeedway is the track where Richard Childress Racing claimed its 100th NASCAR Cup Series win when Clint Bowyer visited victory lane for the storied organization in October 2011.

Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR eSports Twitter page – @RCR_eSports, the RCR NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup and the RCR NASCAR Xfinity Series team Twitter page – @RCRNXS. Information about the 16-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and on Instagram at Instagram.com/rcrracing. Visit www.RCRracing.com.

Catch the Action … The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live Sunday, April 26 beginning at 1 p.m. ET on the FOX broadcast network (where available), FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing. Catch our Xfinity Series drivers Saturday night by visiting eNASCAR.com.

This Week’s Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway … In 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Dillon’s best finish at the track is third (April 2016). He is also a former pole winner at the track (April 2019). This weekend marks the Welcome, North Carolina driver’s first virtual start at Talladega Superspeedway.

Welcome, Coca-Cola … The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to the company’s Coca-Cola brands, our portfolio includes some of the world’s most valuable beverage brands, such as AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Costa coffee, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, innocent smoothies and juices, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater and ZICO coconut water. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We’re also working to reduce our environmental impact by replenishing water and promoting recycling. With our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

A Commitment to eSports … Dillon is a long-time iRacing team owner. For the past two years, he has fielded two cars in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, which is a $300,000 eSport World Championship series officially sanctioned by NASCAR featuring the world’s most elite oval simracers. Dillon’s two drivers, Blake Reynolds (No. 30) and Michael Guest (No. 33) compete on simulated versions of the actual real-world NASCAR tracks and Gen6 cars available on iRacing. The rounds run every other Tuesday night and is broadcast live on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube.

The Crew … Dillon will be competing in a rig provided by Sim Seats and will have a talented support system on Sunday, including his eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series driver, Blake Reynolds (@breynolds_66). Reynolds was a Champ 4 contender in 2019.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
Do you look forward to superspeedway races like Talladega Superspeedway?
“Yeah, I really enjoy superspeedway races like Talladega. I feel like as a whole at Richard Childress Racing, we’ve been really close to winning. It’s a very cool track so it will be interesting to experience it virtually. The key is going to be avoiding the melee. I’m looking forward to representing Coca-Cola Zero Sugar on the virtual track.”

This Week’s Realtree Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway … Tyler Reddick is a former race winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega Superspeedway. The two-time Xfinity Series champion will make his first virtual start at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Sunday.

Realtree … Realtree is the world’s leading camouflage designer, marketer, and licensor with over 2,000 licensees utilizing the Realtree camouflage brand. Thousands of outdoor and lifestyle products are available in Realtree camouflage patterns. In addition, Realtree is committed to supporting individuals and groups that work to ensure our outdoor heritage, the conservation of natural places, and the wildlife that resides there. Realtree promotes its products and relationships widely on television, as well as through Realtree.com and many other outlets.

The Crew … From his home in North Carolina, Reddick will be competing in Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series race in a rig provided by Sim Seats. His spotter, Derek Kneeland, will be assisting Reddick during the race. Joey Stone, who competes under the RCR eSports banner in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, will also be assisting Reddick during the race.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on virtual racing at Talladega Superspeedway?
“Talladega Superspeedway is wild, both in real life and virtually. It’s a big, wide track that lends itself to being a little bit more aggressive than you can be at Daytona International Speedway. I’m excited to race there for Realtree.”

This Week’s DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway … Anthony Alfredo has one real-world start at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Truck Series and is an experienced competitor at the track competing in virtual conditions.

Welcome, DUDE Wipes …The DUDE Wipes revolution was born one fateful day in our Chicago apartment, when we switched from toilet paper to baby wipes and were forever changed. Today we make self-care products for DUDES that get the job done and leave you feeling refreshed, from our original flushable DUDE Wipes to face & shower wipes, and deodorant body powders & body sprays to DUDE performance underwear.

The Crew … From his home in North Carolina, Alfredo will be competing in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Saturday Night Thunder race in a rig provided by Sim Seats. Alfredo has a talented support system on Sunday, including Zack Novak and his teammate Jimmy Mullis, who will serve as crew chief and spotter, respectively. The duo race for Richmond Raceway eSports in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series and won the championship last year. Alfredo’s spotter, Derek Kneeland, will also be assisting this weekend.

ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on virtual racing at Talladega Superspeedway?
“I love superspeedway racing on iRacing so I am very excited for this weekend. That being said, it should be interesting since there are a lot of drivers still new to iRacing, which could make it eventful since it is some of the most difficult type of racing on the sim, much like it is in real life. I will have Zack Novak and Jimmy Mullis helping me on the pit box again, but this time I will have my real life spotter, Derek Kneeland, on the spotter stand. That will definitely give me some extra confidence! I have been practicing in online races this week and am looking forward to focusing on parking my No. 33 DUDE Wipes Camaro in Victory Lane!”

This Week’s TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway … Snider has never finished worse than third in two career starts at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Truck Series. This weekend marks his first attempt at the virtual version of the track.

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MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:
You’ve been very successful at Talladega Superspeedway in the past. How do you feel about transferring that success to the virtual version of the track?
“Talladega Superspeedway is so much of a wildcard. You never truly know what’s going to happen one minute to the next. But that chaos is what makes it so much fun. I’ve always enjoyed Talladega and have run really well there so I’m hoping to continue that streak of slaying it in my TaxSlayer Chevy Camaro this weekend.”

This Week’s HotScream Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Richmond Raceway … Grala has two starts at Talladega Superspeedway spread out among the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series. He will add the virtual version of the track to his resume this Saturday.

HotScream … HotScream takes two concepts, dessert and spicy food, and combines them to form a product that can only be described as ‘HotScream The Spicy Ice Cream’. By taking ice cream with its cool creaminess and incorporating a spicy swirl, HotScream has created a new taste sensation, one that almost defies one’s own senses. At first, you taste the pureness of the vanilla, followed quickly by the sweetness of one of seven flavor swirls. As you continue to enjoy HotScream, things change: You feel a warming sensation that starts in the back of your mouth, creating a rush that only can come from spicy foods. The warming continues to linger but doesn’t engulf your mouth with fire. Taking another bite, you again taste the cool, creamy vanilla and the respective flavor profile while the heat dissipates, only to come back time and time again. HotScream is currently available at ACME Markets, Big Y, select ShopRites, Stop & Shop and 400 Walmart locations from Maine to Texas. For more information, visit HotScream.com.

KAZ GRALA QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on virtual racing at Talladega Superspeedway this Saturday?
“Virtual Talladega this weekend should be a lot of fun. I have absolutely no idea what a plate race will be like on iRacing. I’ve never done one! But I know I love real plate races so I’m ready for it and looking forward to the opportunity. Some of my career highlights have come on superspeedway in the past, and I’m hoping some of my luck and experience will carry over into the virtual world. Let’s park the No. 29 HotScream Camaro ZL1 in Victory Lane on Saturday!”

Matt DiBenedetto, driving the No. 21 Built To Lend a Hand Ford Mustang in Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway, said the race likely will be the virtual equivalent of a real Cup event at Talladega.

“I would guess it’s going to be great entertainment,” DiBenedetto said.

Regular races at Talladega often see a variety of strategies employed, and there invariably will be a “Big One” multi-car crash. DiBenedetto said the same factors likely will be in play on Sunday.

“Maybe people will play it safe and ride around,” he said. “I’m kind of curious to see if everyone goes all out or plays it safe.”

DiBenedetto said he plans to run some practice races before Sunday so he can get a sense of how the race might play out.

“That will dictate how I run the race,” he said, adding that he also will consider forging some alliances with potential drafting mates.

During races, DiBenedetto uses the app Discord to communicate with his spotter and others, and for Talladega he might include some fellow drivers in his group, which would give them the opportunity to work together in the draft.

“Maybe we can come up with a good game plan,” he said.

A good game plan also describes the efforts by his sponsor to help America deal with the crisis brought about by the coronavirus.

The Ford Built to Lend a Hand initiative includes the company efforts to build medical devices and protective gear as well as a program by Ford Credit to offer six months of payment relief for purchasers of new vehicles.

There also are remote shopping options for Ford customers, and Ford dealers are remaining open for service, which includes cleaning and disinfecting vehicles.

As a way of saying thanks to first responders on the pandemic front, Ford is offering $500 bonus cash on the purchase of a qualifying new vehicle.

All that is in addition to Ford’s Project Apollo, the name given to an initiative to help design and build ventilators, respirators, face masks and face shields.

The project’s name come from the ingenuity and innovative ideas that NASA engineers and astronauts used to come up with quick solutions using current partsand pieces to save lives during the Apollo 13 mission.

In that 1970 mission, which was to have landed astronauts on the moon, the explosion of an oxygen tank put the astronauts’ lives in peril, but the crew circling the moon and engineers back on Earth came up with work-arounds that allowed the crew to safely return home.

A key part of Ford’s work is partnering with 3M to manufacture Powered Air-Purifying Respirators and with GE Healthcare to expand production of a simplified version of GE’s existing ventilator.

Ford, in cooperation with the UAW, also is assemblingmore than 100,000 critically needed plastic face shields per week at a Ford manufacturing site and leveraging its in-house 3D printing capability to produce components for use in personal protective equipment. More than twomillion face shields have been shipped.

Like the Apollo 13 astronauts and engineers, Ford and its partners are using already available resources to quickly produce equipment needed for Covid-19 patients, first responders and health care workers.

The projects are a continuation of the community spirit exhibited by Ford throughout its 117-year history, as evidenced by its building of Jeeps and bombers in World War II to iron lungs for use during the polio epidemic to building Mission Control for NASA in the 1960s.

For more information on Ford’s programs, visit:

Sunday’s race at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway is set to get the green flag at 1 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX, FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports app.

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About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visitwww.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx “Delivering Strength” Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Virtual Race Info:
Race: GEICO 70
Date/Time: Sunday, April 26/1 p.m. ET
Distance: 70 laps
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Track Shape: Tri-oval
Banking: 33 degrees

Express Notes:

eNASCAR Richmond Recap: Denny Hamlin earned his third top-10 finish in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series with a sixth-place result at virtual Richmond Raceway. Hamlin started 13th in the “Thank You FedEx Team Members” Toyota on the simulated three-quarter-mile oval. The mid-pack starting position proved difficult to overcome, as he used a fast Camry and pit strategy to move up as close as the top five for the closing laps. But, despite an overtime green-white-checkered finish, he didn’t have enough laps to chase down eventual winner William Byron, who won his second consecutive Pro Invitational event.

eNASCAR Talladega Preview: With two top-10 finishes in the last two virtual races, Hamlin will climb back into his iRacing rig on Sunday at Talladega and race the biggest and the fastest virtual track in NASCAR. Hamlin will look to add a second victory to his 2020 eNASCAR season.

FedEx “Delivering Strength” Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Toyota will sport a new paint scheme for the Talladega eNASCAR race, carrying the message “Delivering Strength” on the hood and #FedExStrong on the back of the car. FedEx wishes to draw attention to not just its 475,000 FedEx team members, but all the organizations FedEx is working with during the COVID-19 crisis, including nonprofit organizations, the healthcare community and FedEx customers.

Hamlin Conversation – Virtual Talladega:

What is behind the new message on your FedEx “Delivering Strength” paint scheme for Talladega?

“I’ve been proud to draw attention each week to all the efforts FedEx is involved with during these challenging times. The new scheme is to help thank the nearly half a million FedEx team members for everything they’re doing as well as all the organizations FedEx is working with to keep America strong.”

Will Talladega on iRacing be as unpredictable as it is in real life?

“Probably. It will definitely be interesting. Even at the shorter, slower tracks, we have a mix of iRacing experience among the drivers participating, and we’ll be seeing that at Talladega as well. It could get messy. We will only have one ‘fast repair’ reset available, so we’ll really want to be careful not to get into the virtual Big One.”

MCDOWELL ON VIRTUAL TALLADEGA:

“It feels good to be back iRacing for this Sunday’s Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Talladega Superspeedway and to be able to help provide some entertainment for the millions of NASCAR fans around the world during this time of continued uncertainty.

“I’m really excited to have my longtime partner, K-LOVE back on board the No. 34 Ford Mustang. Especially in a time like right now, when we’re all in this together, experiencing quarantine and the Coronavirus. K-LOVE is all about spreading hope through their positive and encouraging messages and right now, that’s what people need. People need hope, because people are scared and uncertain of what the future holds, but just knowing that God holds the future and that nothing slides by Him helps. With K-LOVE’s messages of encouragement and hope, it allows you to navigate through those tough times that we’re all facing right now.

“This weekend’s race at virtual Talladega will be crazy. It is hard enough to not run into each other on tracks without drafting, so I really hope that we have a lot of resets.”

About K-LOVE
K-LOVE creates compelling media designed to inspire and encourage people to develop a meaningful relationship with Christ. K-LOVE is listener supported and delivers positive, encouraging contemporary Christian music through its 558 signals across 50 states. For more information visit: www.klove.com.

NEMECHEK TALKS iRACING EVENTS

“I think we all knew when we started the Pro Invitational Series, this was going to be a series that was meant to fill the gap that we currently have while we’re not on the real track. But, at the same time, if you take a group of highly competitive people and put them on a national stage like FOX, it’s going to get serious. And, we’re racing for our partners, too. We may not be getting paid, but there is pride.

“I think it’s been good. A really good thing, because it keeps us and fans involved. We have to practice, we do media interviews, we do videos for our partners. It’s as close to a race week as we have right now. It keeps you focused, even if it’s not the real car. I think it has its benefits that sometimes you don’t think about.

“We have Berry’s Bullets on the No. 38 this weekend. We’re fortunate to have different partners of our program, and they all understand that this iRacing platform is giving fans some entertainment right now. They have wanted to be a part of this and it’s been fun to see the cars on FOX.”