Category: NASCAR Cup PR

THE DESTINATION DETERMINES HARVICK’S RIDE

Maybe it was always destined that Kevin Harvick would one day end up driving a Mustang.

As a kid growing up in Bakersfield, CA, he would often go for rides with his aunt, who sported a 1960’s version that set the standard for what a muscle car is supposed to be. Now, as driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, he gets to experience it like few others can.

His first on-track victory with Mustang came in 2018 when he won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but when Ford brought the world’s best-selling sports coupe to the Cup Series last year, he found it even more to his liking with four wins and a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But that’s the only place you’ll see him driving a Mustang — at least for now.

With wife DeLana and children Keelan and Piper waiting for him at home, there are other more practical choices for the Harvick family. And, like most parents who go through the sometimes-maddening exercise of switching out car seats between multiple vehicles, the final destination is the determining factor.

“I have an F-150 pickup and a Lincoln Navigator,” said Harvick when talking about what vehicles he drives most frequently around the house. “It depends on the task at hand to be honest with you. If we’re going to the go-kart track, it’ll be the pickup truck. If we’re doing anything else on a daily basis, I’m gonna drive the Navigator.”

But whether it’s picking up Keelan at school or driving to the race shop, Harvick is no more immune to the construction delays and traffic tie-ups than the fans who cheer for him on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons. As a result, he does the same thing many of them do by utilizing technology to his advantage.

“I think the thing I use the most is the GPS because with Charlotte having all the traffic, no matter where you’re coming from or going to, it’s nice being able to use that and all the hands-free pieces built into the vehicle,” said Harvick. “For me, I’m a do not disturb guy on my phone as I drive, so having all that stuff on the screen is pretty handy to stay in tune with life as you’re driving along and not get stuck in traffic.”

The fact Harvick would have an F-150 as one of his vehicles shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who remember him behind the wheel of the racing version in what was then the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1999. Driving for Liberty Motorsports, owned by Jim Herrick and Brad Daugherty, Harvick started all 25 races in the No. 98 F-150 that season and posted three runner-up finishes while ending up 12th in the final point standings.

One of the trucks from that year has a special place in not only Harvick’s heart, but his personal collection of vintage race cars.

“That’s one of the cool pieces of my collection and was the last time I drove a Ford before we switched at SHR in 2017,” said Harvick of the truck nicknamed ‘Bully’. “It was a truck that Butch Miller and Kenny Irwin drove before I got there. We used it as a short track truck, and Butch actually won a race with it at Colorado National Speedway, so it has a lot of history.”

With his next Cup victory Harvick will become only the 14th driver to register 50 career wins in NASCAR’s top series and give him another Mustang moment as memorable as the one from his youth.

Not to mention some added company for Bully.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Virtual Richmond Raceway
Toyota Owners 150
Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript
April 19, 2020

WILLIAM BYRON TAKES THE WIN AT VIRTUAL RICHMOND RACEWAY

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 19, 2020) – William Byron adds to his impressive iRacing resume by winning the Toyota Owners 150 at virtual Richmond Raceway in his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet, his second-consecutive victory in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

Coming from the third starting spot, Bryon took the lead on lap 60 to bring home the checkered in the 150-lap simulation race at the .75-mile “D”-Shaped oval. “I was really, really concerned that we were going to have too old of tires there on that restart, but we were able to get good exits off the corner and just have a pretty decent restart and get the win,” says Byron. Leading a total of 96 laps for the win, Byron has led the most laps of all drivers in the four eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series races with a total of 320 laps.

The victory brings Byron’s career iRacing stats to an impressive 319 wins. “I wasn’t in a racing family growing up, so this was really my avenue to cut my teeth. Obviously, a much different way than most guys grew up. But I feel like in my generation, it’s pretty normal. I’ve very thankful for what its done for me,” says Byron. “Now, driving the No. 24 car in real life for Hendrick Motorsports is a dream. It’s incredible. I was really just the kid on here that was excited to see a NASCAR face on a channel when I was racing against them. So, now to be racing in real life and everything kind of come full-circle during this tough time is neat, too.”

Byron’s back-to-back triumph led four of the top-ten finishers for Team Chevy. Landon Cassill finished fourth in his No. 89 Blue-Emu Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished eighth in his No. 8 TMC Transportation Chevrolet, and Bubba Wallace finished ninth in his No. 43 Sunoco Racing Chevrolet.

Timmy Hill (Toyota) was second, Parker Kligerman (Toyota) was third, and Kyle Busch (Toyota) rounded 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.

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET TRANSCRIPT:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. We are now joined by William Byron, driver of the No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet and the winner of today’s Toyota Owners 150 at the virtual Richmond Raceway. William, thank you for joining us again today. Talk a little bit about taking home another victory.
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, that was really cool. I appreciate it. Just really pleased with how it turned out. Definitely the pit call there with about 40 ‑‑ yeah, 40 laps to go was a tough one. I didn’t really know how that was going to work out, but luckily, we were able to have a little bit of buffer to the guys with four tires, and then the late restart, just executed that well. Yeah, it was fun. Really enjoyed it. To go back‑to‑back is really cool. Having fun with it while we’re kind of in a hiatus here, but looking forward to getting back to real racing soon, too.

Q. William, so far, we’ve seen drivers who are experienced in iRacing win these races. Who do you think is going to be the first one who doesn’t have a lot of experience to break through and win?
WILLIAM BYRON: That’s a good question. I think that what I saw this week was that there was a lot of ‑‑ everyone was really equal on a short run in terms of speed, like even the guys with a little bit less experience. I think the more experience is just running those longer runs and kind of knowing how the tires wear and stuff like that. I think Kyle Busch is the obvious choice. He’s run ‑‑ in the practice race that I did, he ran third, and then he ran fifth today. So, I think his talent and ability to kind of understand the cars is coming through.
I thought Brad Keselowski was really impressive recently. I think he was running third at one point in this race. You know, it’s just little details here and there that make a difference, and everyone is really close now. I’d say the top five or seven could all win, I think, soon. I’d say those two guys, Brad and Kyle.

Q. Watching today, a lot of decisions on two tires, four tires and on tire wear got me thinking about when you get back to racing in actual cars and especially if there’s no practice or very limited practice, how difficult are those decisions going to be?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it’s going to be really difficult. I think that’s a great question. Yeah, I think there’s going to be a lot of difficulty to know what the falloff will be in a run, and track position is going to matter and be indicative of what that strategy call is. Really, we made our decisions on staying out there based on our practice speed and what we anticipated the tires going through a heat cycle and taking back off, and I think if I had one more restart, I think that next seat cycle on my tires there would have been really bad for me. It’s the same thing in real life. I think that’s pretty cool how iRacing simulated the heat in the tires and stuff like that, which you saw in qualifying. It was a big deal to get heat in your tires and stuff.
But yeah, once we get back to real racing, I think it’s going to be difficult to make those strategy calls. It’s going to really come down to instinct on that.

Q. Obviously, things seem to change almost daily, but there’s certainly been a lot more talk lately from the President and other politicians about having sports return. How much is it starting to be a little bit more of a light at the end of the tunnel potentially, understanding that still things could change? And what kind of concerns or questions might you have whenever sport came back and how it handled things?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, it’s good to hear. I think just my personality is one that I just like to know concrete evidence of when we are going to go back or not, so it kind of ‑‑ it’s tough for me to hear potential when it is and when not, and honestly I just try to tune it out a little bit just because I don’t know concretely when it’s going to be. But I think it’s going to be soon rather than later, and I’m excited about that.
I think honestly, I’ve used this time ‑‑ obviously the iRacing has been a big thing, but I’ve used this time to grow some confidence in myself and work on some things there, and I’m excited to go back racing when we do. I think we’ll have a good opportunity to run well.
I don’t really know when, but I’m just going to wait until I get the official word, and then I’ll work accordingly.

Q. What kind of challenge will it be on everybody and on drivers, the likelihood of multiple races in a week with NASCAR still wanting to get all 32 remaining races in, and the challenge, the physical, mental on a driver, but also the challenge for the teams where you could see potential mid‑week races and two, three races a week?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it’s going to be tough managing your time. The team aspect of things is going to be difficult because those guys are going to have to turn cars around, and your shop efforts are going to have to be really exceptional to prepare good cars.
You know, I think that honestly for me as a driver, I’m just going to have to manage my time really well. I’m going to have to be in good physical shape but not be too worn out training too hard or anything like that. It’s going to be a really fine balance, but you’re just going to have to take care of yourself and treat it like it was, I guess, growing up when I would go race three or four times a weekend in Legend cars. Granted, the races weren’t as long, but sometimes it was easy to get worn out as it got hot. I’m definitely going to have to revert back to that.

Q. Do you know how many iRacing wins you have? And also, what do you remember about the very first iRacing victory you had?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I remember ‑‑ I think I’ve got quite a few. I don’t know between dirt and asphalt really what it is. I’ve gotten like 12 or 15 dirt wins here recently, but I think that’s probably pretty up there. But I think honestly, for me when I first started, things clicked pretty well. I just had to honestly learn the race craft, and once I learned kind of how to race better, I think that’s what translated over for me in the real car, setting up passes and when to be aggressive and whatnot is really what I tried to learn.
The lap time, anybody can make a pretty good lap time, as you saw in qualifying. The lap times were all pretty close. It’s just about race craft and really knowing what to do there.

Q. Do you remember who you beat the first time you won an iRace?
WILLIAM BYRON: I have no idea. It’s probably either a young kid or an old person. I don’t really know. I have no idea. I think it was ‑‑ you obviously have to work your way up the ranks in iRacing, so it was probably a legend car or something like that.

Q. Since you’re an iRacing pro and back‑to‑back race winner in this series, can you discuss what you think the NASCAR Pro Invitational will be like at Talladega next week?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it’s going to be wild. I think there’s honestly going to be some really good racing, though. I think the goal should be to have a couple of resets to keep us all in the game, and I’m really actually looking forward to it because I feel like some guys will be really good at drafting. But at the same time, it’s going to be really interesting.

Q. A handful of races, two wins into the series, have you noticed that anybody in the field races you differently than on the real track, and will any of that spill over when you go back to racing?
WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, honestly, I’ve learned a couple different guys, like Timmy I’ve never really raced a whole lot. I raced him in Legend cars a little bit. But Ryan Preece races pretty similar to how he races in the real car, Kyle Busch, all those guys race similar. So, I feel like honestly, I’ve just learned more of the tendencies that they have whenever they’re racing. So, I’m glad I’ve kind of learned some of those things, and I feel like there’s some parallels to draw there. So, everyone races, I would say, very similar to what they do in real life.

Q. Just curious if we do indeed go back to racing at Charlotte for the Coca‑Cola 600, you won both poles at Charlotte last year. You have, I guess, a top‑10 finish at the Coca‑Cola 600. You’ve talked about your confidence; you’ve built up confidence during this off period. How positive would you feel about going into Charlotte for NASCAR’s return?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I feel really good about it. I think that Chad obviously has a ton of success at Charlotte, and I feel like now that the track at Charlotte has gotten more wear and more abrasive, I feel like that falls into his notes and his wheelhouse of when they ran really well there with the 48 car. I’m super confident that Chad is going to have a good setup when we go back, and I think honestly if we can just kind of parlay what we did last spring there, which was a decent top‑10 finish, I think we were top 5 or 6 in all the stages in the 600 race, and I feel like we ran well. If we can just work on a couple of things there to have a better car once the track rubbers in really aggressively and once the race changes and evolves over 600 miles, we should be in good shape. I’d love to go back there. Really any of the mile‑and‑a‑half’s I feel like we’d have a good opportunity.

Q. And there’s been discussions about skeleton crews, maybe a half dozen guys on each team when we go back to racing initially. How will you have to adapt to having a smaller workforce surrounding you at the racetrack?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it’s going to be tough. The ability that we have normally had in practicing and having this conventional string of a schedule throughout a weekend is not going to be there I don’t feel. We’re not going to have ‑‑ unfortunately not going to have the fans signing autographs in the normal routine there. I’m just going to try to make it as normal as possible. I’m really enjoying racing a lot right now. I know it’s virtual, but I’ve been racing dirt races and asphalt races, so I’m going to try to do that when we still go back racing, too, and I think we’re going to be racing a lot in general. So, I’m looking forward to that.

Q. I just wanted to ask you about the finish and kind of what went through your mind when you knew Timmy Hill was going to be right there coming at you with just a couple laps to go and really how tightly the two of you have raced these races?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, he raced me really clean. I was really thankful for that. We’ve had some good races, honestly. Texas, obviously I was frustrated with Texas, but if I would have been in his position, I probably would have done the same thing, looking back on it. I think he’s done a really good job showing how consistent he is. I feel like he’s got good race craft, and I enjoy racing with him. I know what to expect when I race with him, that he is going to use the bumper, so I just have to race him back that way, and I think we both understand that.
Fortunately, I had just enough speed to kind of keep my gap there and win that race.

Q. Next week’s race at Talladega, obviously it’s going to be virtual, but it’s going to be the first time that NASCAR has had any sort of superspeedway event since Ryan Newman’s crash at Daytona. Do you feel like having an iRacing event being the next superspeedway event kind of helps cut through any tension or uneasiness about this style of racing that drivers or fans may have in light of what happened at Daytona?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, it’s going to be a tough race. I think virtually you’re going to see a lot of aggression and things of that nature. But yeah, I can’t really say that it has any relation to what happened at Daytona recently, but yeah, superspeedway racing is a tough sport in itself, and it’s a lot of risk involved, and it’s just part of it.

Q. With today’s race there were a lot more long runs it seemed like, especially in the middle of the race. How did that affect how you attacked the race and what your pit strategy was?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I wasn’t really sure how much of a long run that was going to be, but we definitely had that meaty portion of the race that was a very lengthy run. Made an easy strategy call to come down and take four tires, which was actually the last time we pitted, but it worked out well to where we could stay out. But yeah, I definitely was intrigued by how long the runs were. I thought everyone did a really good job of studying and practicing, and we had a drivable setup that would allow guys to move around and really to make passes on each other.

Q. Do you think with all the racing that you’ve done and all the practicing that you’ve done is going to make ‑‑ you’re going to be a little bit sharper than maybe some of these guys when you come back?
WILLIAM BYRON: I hope so. That’s the plan. I hope so for sure. I mean, even for me, I’ve done more iRacing this time than really, I ever have. I’ve never been on my simulator as much, even though I’ve been an iRacing advocate for a long time. Yeah, I think that this period of time has really kind of opened my eyes to some new things that I could try and some new methods and things like that. So, I’m really excited about that.
At the same time, the real car has slight differences here and there, so it’ll take some adaptation to get back used to the car, but I really like the method that we’ve used during this time, and I’ve just enjoyed kind of having a little bit of pressure on a race and having another way to practice that different than our normal race.

Q. You talked about here on the teleconference, you talked about on the FOX broadcast about practicing for the bump‑and‑run. How do you do that? Do you just kind of park your car a little bit in the corner and let somebody ram into you? What’s the idea of how you practice for that?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, there’s definitely a strategy to it. But you know, I think those things are just things that you learn over time. Honestly when I was racing short tracks and bull rings that’s kind of the method that it took to be successful, so I guess to kind of revert back to that somewhat. But yeah, Timmy raced me really clean today, and he’s obviously done a good job. I think he finished like top three in all the races so far. So that’s pretty impressive, and he’s been good.

Q. With the success that you’ve had over the years even prior to getting into the Cup Series, did you envision iRacing going to the level it has, certainly as a result of something so unanticipated with the pandemic, but did you ever envision one day it would be on the FOX network and people would be watching it on a daily basis?
WILLIAM BYRON: No, definitely not. Like I said, it’s taken on a different meaning even for me with the pressure that’s been added to it and the sponsor coverage and everything like that. It’s taken on a different meaning for sure. But I’ve enjoyed that. I think it’s given me a purpose during this time, obviously a difficult time for everyone, but it’s given me a chance to work on something myself and put myself in some difference positions than I’ve ever been in, as well. Very thankful that FOX has done what they’ve done to promote it, and I think it’s been a great thing overall.

Q. When you look at ‑‑ we talked about the similarities between the iRacing and then at the real track, but is there any difference in keeping the car out of trouble in iRacing versus real on‑track racing?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I think that there’s a little bit of difference in the fact that you have to manage your damage and you have to manage who you make contact with, I guess, and how that works out. You know, it’s tough to pass on there, just like it is in real life when everybody is so equal, so really when I was trying to pass Ryan Preece there at the beginning, I just had to do a good job of getting a run on him so I could get to his inside and kind of show the nose. Yeah, it’s a tough thing just like it is in real life to manage contact and try to set up passes.

Q. With the smaller field today and the lack of resets in the field, did you notice a tangible difference with the racing that went on today?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, yeah, most definitely. I mean, there was way less intentional contact. People were cleaner and more methodical with the way that they raced. I thought that was a good thing. I thought they were still hard racing, but guys weren’t running all over each other for position. I was really pleased with that. I mean, I don’t know what it looked like, honestly, but I was pleased with how the racing was, with myself and Ryan Preece and Timmy Hill, and then throughout the field I thought it was good.

Q. As a follow‑up on what we talked about earlier with the fans, all the experts have said that any sport in this country is going to begin again without fans. Nobody obviously wants that, but how would you as a driver have to adapt to not having your normal environment at the track and fans, whether it be packed stands of 100,000 or just a local short track, they add a lot to the race in general? How would you as a driver adapt to not having them there?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it’s going to be tough for sure. The normal routine is going to have to change, and the amount of time that we are at the racetrack is probably going to change, too. I’m looking forward to seeing what that is like. I know our team on the 24 will do a good job of preparing and adapting to the circumstances, so I’m just looking forward to seeing how that plays out.

Q. You mentioned that you’ve run some dirt recently. You made your debut in the Sprint cars for the World of Outlaws. What are your thoughts on the Sprint cars?
WILLIAM BYRON: Oh, I love them. They’re really cool. I really enjoy the way that they are, just because you have to adapt lap after lap, and the variance of the track and the way that the car feels is just incredible how much it changes lap after lap. I’ve been learning about the setup of those cars, too, and just trying to adapt as well as I can. I feel like there’s still a lot of room for me to go, but I think there’s been some progress there in the last couple weeks. I’m excited for whenever that next race is. Hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday. I’m excited to run those again.

Q. Is there a specific car and track combo on iRacing outside of NASCAR that you prefer?
WILLIAM BYRON: I actually love the ‑‑ I’d say the Sprint cars at Eldora are really cool. Yeah, I’ve ran them at a couple different tracks. Limaland is a cool track for them, too. So, there’s a lot of neat ones. I think INDYCAR at any track is really cool, as well. There’s a lot of great ones out there.

Q. How do you feel about iRacing giving drivers the unlimited wave‑around today? We saw a lot of wave‑arounds, guys asking for them, and we saw a lot of guys like Dale Earnhardt Jr. that weren’t really impressed by that.
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s interesting because you kind of get a different perspective on it than we have in real life where you really have ‑‑ in real life the wave‑arounds are only warranted if you’re the Lucky Dog or if everyone pits in front of you. So, it’s definitely different. But I think at the same time it’s a good thing because it kind of keeps ‑‑ obviously it’s not a real race, so it keeps everyone engaged.

Q. We saw more retaliation today between DiBenedetto and Preece. Some drivers were even lobbying for a race suspension or just something other than the disqualification because obviously that hasn’t really worked in the past. How do you feel on that?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I definitely don’t think intentional wrecking is good any time, any race, so definitely not impressed by that, what was done there. So, it definitely still doesn’t impress me now, as it didn’t last week, so I don’t know what they should do, but I would suggest not doing it.

Q. You’ve been joined by your teammates on the Pro Invitational circuit over the past few weeks in Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman. How do you think they have adapted to the race ‑‑ and Chase Elliott, too, of course, but he’s run plenty of iRaces since. How do you think they’ve adapted, the new guys in Bowman and Johnson, how do you think they’ve adapted to the track so far, and is there collaboration between your teammates with this kind of thing, or is there any way to do that?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I try to help as much as I can. I think that it’s been cool to see those guys running, as well. I think it’s good for all of Hendrick Motorsports to be doing something during this time, so I try to help when I can for sure, and they seem like they’ve been enjoying it a little bit. Yeah, it’s been good.

Q. As someone who has become kind of a face for the pro invitational series with these back‑to‑back wins, how does it feel to provide a sense of normalcy for the American sports fan if only for about two hours every weekend?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it’s really cool. I think that it gives us a chance to show the world what racing is all about. Hopefully we’re bringing it good coverage and publicity. Yeah, I think it’s really cool for us because we are the only sport that’s able to do it and realistically show something that we can do. So definitely proud of that right now.

Q. Just with a lot of real‑life drivers running the sim, how does the communication look between you and some of the other drivers in iRacing to sort of give feedback and improve the sim?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, we try to give a lot of feedback week to week. I feel like honestly each week it’s continuing to get better because of that feedback that we’ve been giving, and Dale Jr. has been a big advocate for that. I feel like he’s been one of the biggest ‑‑ he and Denny Hamlin, Parker Kligerman, those guys have been trying to improve it each week, so really pleased with how that’s been going.

Q. Once real‑life racing does get back going, how would you feel about doing like ePro Invitational let’s say during the off‑season, like the December and January months?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it would be cool. I think honestly what I’ve enjoyed from it is just the variety of racing that I can do, whether it’s NASCAR, INDYCAR, Sprint cars, Supercars, whatever it is. There’s a lot of cool things that we can do right now, so I’d enjoy doing that throughout the future, honestly, whether it’s NASCAR or whatever it is. Hopefully that can continue.

Q. Would you like to see the Coke Series drivers included in some aspect of iRacing alongside real‑life professionals such as yourself?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it would be really cool to have some of those guys come into the race. I think they’re obviously very good, and I get a chance to race against them sometimes during the week. It’s cool to race against them. I think, for now, though, it gives our guys a chance to shine, and it’s good to see them separate and kind of give each one their individual show per se. I think it’s been really good so far.

Q. NASCAR has said they want to keep the Pro Invitational series going beyond the break of the virus. How do you think that’ll look once real racing resumes?
WILLIAM BYRON: I think that it’s going to be interesting for sure. I think right now this is working really well during the time being, so we’re just going to continue doing it until we get back.
THE MODERATOR: William, thank you for joining us today.
WILLIAM BYRON: Absolutely, thank you.
THE MODERATOR: And thank you to all the media for joining, as well.

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.

RICHMOND, Va. (April 19, 2020) – In the return of the iRacing Pro Series Invitational from virtual Richmond Raceway, Ross Chastain led the pair of Roush Fenway entries with a 13th-place run, while Chris Buescher came back from an early crash to finish 21st.

Buescher, piloting the Fifth Third Bank Ford eMustang, rolled off the grid 18th and was unfortunately the first yellow of the day at lap 27, when his steering wheel disconnected from his rig, causing a multi-car incident. Chastain was involved in an incident just a few laps later, but rebounded and steadily worked his way back to cross the line 13th.

After restarting 12th at lap 32, Chastain was forced down to the inside wall after the No. 88 made contact on the back straightaway. He went one lap down following the yellow, but quickly earned his lap back and slowly repaired the damage on the Oscar Mayer/Nutrien Ag machine over the course of the 150-lap race.

With another yellow at lap 99, Chastain fired off 16th with under 50 to go and battled his way through a couple more yellow flags to salvage the solid finish.

Buescher went three laps down following his technical glitch early on, but eventually was the recipient of the lucky dog and battled back for a lead-lap finish in just his fourth career iRacing start.

The Pro Invitational Series returns next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Race and broadcast details will be announced at a later date.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Next Race: Toyota Owners 150
The Place: Virtual Richmond Raceway
The Date: Sunday, April 19
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX (where available and subject to change), FS1 and FOX Sports App
Distance: 150 Laps

Saturday Night Thunder
The Place: Virtual Richmond Raceway
The Date: Saturday, April 4
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
Online: enascar.com/live

Distance: Four heat races – 10 Laps; Last Chance Qualifier – 16 Laps; Main Event – 125 Laps

Additional Resources to Assist in Coverage

Post-Race Teleconference with Winner – Sunday, 3:15 p.m ET
Entry lists and iRacing Stats for Saturday and Sunday
Race content hub, to include additional resources available on NASCARMedia.com on Sunday – photo gallery, teleconference audio & transcript

Going green at virtual Richmond!

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. Two weeks ago, the series went to battle at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where ultimately William Byron took the checkered flag.

After a brief break last weekend in observance of the Easter holiday, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is back in action this Sunday at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Entitled FOX NASCAR iRacing, the races will be simulcast on the FOX broadcast network where available, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will also be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.

The most recent race of the series, the 150-lap virtual race event at Bristol Motor Speedway, was full of excitement. Veteran iRacer Byron won the pole award and led a majority of the race en route to his 293rd iRacing win.

John Hunter Nemechek finished second to Byron, Timmy Hill, the Texas race winner, finished third, Denny Hamlin finished fourth and Matt DiBenedetto rounded out the top five.

The series inaugural 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.

Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 at Richmond Raceway (1 p.m. ET on FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App) will once again feature FOX NASCAR broadcasters Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds calling the action, as well as Clint Bowyer serving as the in-race analyst.

Saturday Night Thunder at Richmond Raceway

Two weeks ago marked the introduction of a new iRacing event, Saturday Night Thunder, that used ARCA cars. This weekend’s race at virtual Richmond will use NASCAR Xfinity Series cars including the Supra, Mustang and Camaro.

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.

The format will be similar to short-track events and will feature multiple heat races and one main event. The event will be live streamed at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18, 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.

8:08 p.m.:

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

· Heats will immediately be followed by one Last Chance Qualifier. This will be 15 laps with no cautions. Top two drivers will advance to main event.

· Heats will set the starting grid for main race with a field of 26 cars.

· Main event will be 150 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 Toyota Owners 150 will be preceded by a Richmond Qualifier race of 13 drivers who are not locked in, giving them a chance to race their way into the main event. A two-lap qualifying session will set the grid for the qualifying race. The qualifier race will be 25 laps with no cautions or resets. The top two finishers will transfer to the main event and then two additional provisionals will be chosen by FOX.

The main race will be a total of 150 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 locked entry list consists of a tentative 26-car lineup with the format being the default iRacing Richmond setup. But, after Sunday morning’s qualifier race, the main event with feature 30 cars.

Drivers will be allowed one reset this week at virtual Richmond Raceway. 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:

10 a.m. – Practice session goes live

10:30 a.m. – Two-lap qualifying session begins to set grid for Richmond Qualifier (Three minutes)

10:33 a.m. – 25-lap Richmond Qualifier race (Four drivers will advance to 1 p.m. main event)

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

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

1:13 p.m. – Green flag (150 laps)

Statistical Notes

A wide range of drivers with various experience both at Richmond Raceway and in iRacing will be contending in this Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 in the fourth 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, for the fourth race of the series. 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.

Entry lists (lists are subject to change and will be updated on NASCARMedia.com):

Invited Drivers:

#1 Kurt Busch

#2 Brad Keselowski

#3 Austin Dillon

#4 Kevin Harvick

#6 Ross Chastain

#9 Chase Elliott

#11 Denny Hamlin

#12 Ryan Blaney

#13 Ty Dillon

#14 Clint Bowyer

#17 Chris Buescher

#18 Kyle Busch

#20 Erik Jones

#21 Matt DiBennedetto

#22 Joey Logano

#24 William Byron

#31 Tyler Reddick

#37 Ryan Preece

#38 John Hunter Nemechek

#43 Bubba Wallace

#48 Jimmie Johnson

#51 Garrett Smithley

#66 Timmy Hill

#77 Parker Kligerman

#88 Alex Bowman

#95 Christopher Bell

Qualifying Race Entries:

#00 Quin Houff

#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr

#15 Brennan Poole

#19 Bobby Labonte

#32 Corey LaJoie

#34 Michael McDowell

#41 Cole Custer

#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

#49 Chad Finchum

#52 JJ Yeley

#53 Joey Gase

#89 Landon Cassill

#96 Daniel Suarez

Invited 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 Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 38 starts, 2 wins, 7 top fives, 15 top 10s

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

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

Highlights:

· Won his first Richmond Cup Series race in the fall of 2005 and his second in the spring of 2015.

· His two Xfinity Series starts (and one win) at Richmond came while racing for his brother Kyle’s team in 2012.

· Started from the pole and finished third in his lone Gander Trucks start at Richmond in 2000, which was also his national series track debut.

· 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

· 3 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

Brad Keselowski – iRacing #2

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 21 starts, 1 win, 5 top fives, 11 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 17 starts, 4 wins, 9 top fives, 10 top 10s

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

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2005 in the Gander Trucks.
Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in the spring of 2009, swept the 2013 race and won most recent in 2017.
His Cup Series win came from the pole in the fall of 2014.
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

33 starts, 7 wins, 19 top fives, 3 poles
Finished 25th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
Placed 24th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Austin Dillon – iRacing #3

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in Richmond in the Xfinity Series in 2008

· Had a best track finish of fourth in the Xfinity Series at Richmond (spring, 2017)

· Got his first Cup Series win in 2017 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

· 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

· 3 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

Kevin Harvick – iRacing #4

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 38 starts, 3 wins, 15 top fives, 25 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 27 starts, 7 wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 1998 in the Gander Trucks

· Won his first Cup Series race at Richmond in the fall of 2006.

· Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in 2003, then won three straight from the fall of 2005 and through the 2006 season. His most recent Xfinity Series win came in the spring of 2014.

· 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

· N/A

· Is making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Richmond Raceway

Ross Chastain – iRacing #6

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

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

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· His best finish at Richmond was runner-up in the Xfinity Series in the fall of 2018.

· Chastain made his NASCAR national series track debut at Richmond in the Gander Trucks in 2015.

· 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

· 540 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

Chase Elliott – iRacing #9

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

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

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

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

· His best Cup Series finish at Richmond came in the spring of 2018, finishing second. He won the Xfinity Series race in the fall of 2015 and had a pair of second-place finishes in his first two Xfinity races.

· 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

· 258 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

Denny Hamlin – iRacing #11

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 27 starts, 3 wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 14 starts, 3 wins, 6 top fives, 10 top 10s

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

Highlights:

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

· Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Gander Trucks and finished 16th.

· His first Cup Series win at Richmond came in the fall of 2009. He also won in the fall of 2010 and the fall of 2016.

· Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in the spring of 2008 and his most recent race in the spring of 2015. His other win was in the spring of 2011.

· 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

· 166 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

Ryan Blaney – iRacing #12

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series debut at Richmond in the Xfinity Series in 2012, finishing 7th.

· His best finish at Richmond was in the Xfinity Series – fourth in the fall of 2014.

· 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

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

· Finished 27th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 28th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Ty Dillon – iRacing #13

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

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

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in 2012 in the Xfinity Series

· Has a best finish of second at Richmond in the Xfinity Series in the spring of 2016.

· 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

· 3 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

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, 5 top fives, 16 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 6 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· His two Cup Series wins came in the spring of 2008 and in the fall of 2012.

· Bowyer won the Xfinity Series race in the spring of 2007 at Richmond.

· Bowyer made his NASCAR national series track debut at Richmond in the Xfinity Series in 2005.

· 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

· 3 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

Chris Buescher – iRacing #17

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts – best finish of 17th in 2017

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Got his best track finish in the Xfinity Series in 2014, finishing seventh
Made his Cup Series debut at the track in 2016 and finished 34th
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

3 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

Kyle Busch – iRacing #18

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 29 starts, 6 wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 22 starts, 6 wins, 16 top fives, 19 top 10s, 6 poles

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

Highlights:

· Made Cup Series debut at the track in 2005 and finished fourth

· Got his first Cup Series win a the track in 2009 for Joe Gibbs Racing

· Won at Richmond in his first career start in the Xfinity Series in 2004 from the pole

· 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

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

· Finished 29th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Finished 17th at Texas Motor Speedway

· Finished 18th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Erik Jones – iRacing #20

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts – best finish of sixth in 2017

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

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his Cup Series track debut in 2017 for Barney Visser
In 2015, made his first track start in the Xfinity Series and finished fourth
Won his first pole award at the track in 2016 in the Xfinity Series
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

3 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

Matt DiBenedetto – iRacing #21

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 10 starts – best finish of 14th in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts – best finish of 26th in 2014

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Made his Cup Series debut at Richmond in 2015

· His best finish at the track came last season at the second Richmond race finishing 14th

· Made his first start at the track in the Xfinity Series in 2013

· 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

· 313 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

Joey Logano – iRacing #22

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 22 starts, 2 wins, 9 top fives, 12 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s, 1 pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made Cup Series debut at Richmond in 2009
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

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

William Byron – iRacing #24

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts – best finish of 12th in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts – best finish of seventh in 2017

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Won the Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

· Made Cup Series track debut in 2018 and finished 12th

· Made Xfinity Series track debut in 2017 – finished seventh at the second Richmond race that year

· 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

· 1,469 starts, 293 wins, 699 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

Tyler Reddick – iRacing #31

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made Xfinity Series debut at the track in 2017
Best finish of fourth at Richmond in 2019
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

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

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts – best finish of 20th in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 18th in 2018

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his Cup Series track debut last season for JTG Daugherty Racing
His Xfinity Series track debut was in 2016, finishing 23rd
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

254 starts, 42 wins, 103 top fives and 14 poles
Finished 33rd at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway
Finished runner-up at Texas Motor Speedway
Finished sixth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

John Hunter Nemechek – iRacing #38

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

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

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has made three starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway posting one top-10 finish (seventh).
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

291 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.

Bubba Wallace – iRacing #43

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, best finish of 12th (2019)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has posted two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway.
In 2018, Wallace finished in second in the Daytona 500 – the highest finish by a NASCAR Cup Series rookie to date. It was also the best finish by an African-American driver in the Great American Race.
Made NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in 2016, finishing 11th in the driver standings.
Won his first NASCAR national series race in the Gander Trucks at Martinsville in 2013 and became the first African-American to win a NASCAR national touring series event since 1963.
Has six career wins in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series.

Overall iRacing Stats

108 starts, 29 wins, 43 top fives and 32 poles
Finished 7th at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
Finished 25th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 32nd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson – iRacing #48

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 36 starts, 2 wins (2010, 2017), 12 top fives, 21 top 10s

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

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has won three times in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway (2007 sweep and Fall 2008).
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

3 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.

Garrett Smithley – iRacing #51

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, best finish of 19th (2019)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has made eight starts at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series posting a best finish of 19th in 2019.
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

1,228 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.

Timmy Hill – iRacing #66

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 3 starts, best finish of 34th (twice: 2013, 2017)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 12 starts, best finish of 17th (2011)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Won the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Has posted a career-best finish of 17th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway.
Finished third in the 2020 Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona, his career-best NASCAR national series finish.
Made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2012 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Owner of Hill Motorsports, fielding the No. 56 Chevrolet in the Gander Trucks.

Overall iRacing Stats

1,678 starts, 674 wins, 1,206 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.

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 Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, best finish of 11th (2013)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has made three starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series posting a best finish of 11th in 2013.
Has made 28 NASCAR Cup Series starts since 2012.
Finished a career-best ninth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings in 2013.
Has posted a pair of wins in the Gander Trucks, both at Talladega (2012, 2017).
Finished a career-best fifth in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship points in 2012.

Overall iRacing Stats

417 starts, 57 wins, 189 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.

Alex Bowman – iRacing #88

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts, best finish of 12th (2018)

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

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has finished in the top-10 at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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

3 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 Richmond Raceway.

Christopher Bell – iRacing #95

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 3 wins (2018 sweep, 2019), 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has made five starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and won three of them (2018 sweep, 2019).
He won the 2019 Xfinity Spring race at Bristol.
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 Gander Truck wins.

Overall iRacing Stats

1,029 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.

Qualifying Race Entries (Listed in numerical order)

Quin Houff – iRacing #00

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 00 StarComm Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

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

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

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2017 in the Xfinity Series
Made NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2019 at Phoenix Raceway for Spire Motorsports
Competed part-time in 2019 in the NASCAR Cup Series making 17 starts for Spire Motorsports (13) and Premium Motorsports (4).

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut 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 Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 36 starts, 3 wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 4 wins, 6 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 Bristol Cup Series race in just his second series start at the track – spring of 2000.
Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in the fall of 1998 and then won three straight Xfinity Series races he entered (fall, 1999; fall 2002; spring 2016)
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

417 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

Brennan Poole – iRacing #15

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

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

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2015 in the Xfinity Series
In 2016, made inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, finishing career-best eighth in points.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Bobby Labonte – iRacing #19

Current Series/Occupation: 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 41 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 10 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 8 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Best finish of second in the Cup Series at Richmond in the fall of 1999 and spring of 2003
Made his national series track debut in 1990 in the Xfinity Series – finishing third.
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

78 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

Corey LaJoie – iRacing #32

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

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

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2017 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Michael McDowell – iRacing #34

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 18 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 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 2009 in the Xfinity Series and finished eighth
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 Richmond Raceway

Cole Custer – iRacing #41

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start, he started 10th but finished 26th

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 7 starts, 1 win (2019), 2 top fives, 4 top 10s, one pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Won at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019.
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 Richmond Raceway

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – iRacing #47

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 14 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 4 top 10s, one pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond (fourth in 2017).
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.

Chad Finchum – iRacing #49

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

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

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
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut 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 Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 23 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Xfinity 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
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Joey Gase – iRacing #53

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

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

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 14 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2013 in the Xfinity Series.
Made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2014 for GoFas Racing.
In 1995 became youngest driver to win Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) feature.
Overall iRacing Stats

N/A
Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Landon Cassill – iRacing #89

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 19 starts, best finish of 19th (2012)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Has made starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series; scoring a top-10 finish in the Xfinity Series in 2015.

· 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

· 45 starts, 4 wins, 26 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.

Daniel Suarez – iRacing #96

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

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Has posted top-10 finishes in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway.
Competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018-2019; finished a career-best 17th in Cup points in ‘19.
Made NASCAR 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

2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top five and 0 poles
Finished 33rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
Finished 27th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Richard Childress Racing at Richmond Raceway … Richard Childress Racing boasts 15 wins at Richmond Raceway spread out among the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization will make it’s first attempt at virtual Richmond Raceway this weekend.

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 American Ethanol Chevrolet) and Tyler Reddick (No. 31 Cat Rental Store Chevrolet). The series heads to the virtual Richmond Raceway for a fixed set-up race this Sunday, April 19. Drivers will compete in a qualifying session to set the starting field for the 150-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 Richmond Raceway 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 in a true short track-style showdown, 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.

Did You Know … While Richard Childress was a driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit, he contributed three of RCR’s 71 top-10 finishes at Richmond Raceway from 1976-1978.

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 Richmond Raceway will be televised live Sunday, April 19 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 American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Richmond Raceway … In 12 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway, Dillon’s best finish at the track is sixth (April 2019 and September 2018). He has 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond Raceway, acquiring seven top-10 finishes and one pole award. This weekend marks the Welcome, North Carolina driver’s first virtual start at Richmond Raceway.

Delivering Performance on and Off the Racetrack … Austin Dillon races on Sunoco Green E15 fuel made with 15 percent American Ethanol. Ethanol is the most effective and least expensive source of octane available and it also burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline. All those factors mean that ethanol helps drive peak engine performance whether you’re in a racecar or on your way to the grocery store. And, ethanol helps keep our air cleaner and our environment healthier by reducing toxic and greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about why ethanol is the smart choice for your engine, your wallet and our environment at americanethanolracing.com.

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:
Richmond Raceway is a short track but some drivers say it races a little bit more like an intermediate-style track. How do you see it?
“Richmond is a short track to me. I love that place and the way the tires fall off. In the past, it’s been a place that I circled as the worst track for me, but my perspective has changed over time. Virtually, the track is very similar to how we race on it in real life. I always try to do the opposite of what I think when I get to Richmond Raceway and it helps because the track seems to mysteriously do things that you wouldn’t obviously think affect the car as the rubber lays down.”

This Week’s Cat Rental Store Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Richmond Raceway … In five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond Raceway, Reddick’s best finish is fourth in April 2019. The two-time Xfinity Series champion will make his first virtual start at Richmond Raceway this weekend in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Sunday.

The Cat Rental Store … A combined global network of more than 1,300 dealer-owned locations makes The Cat® Rental Store a convenient source for the largest construction equipment rental fleet in the world. From our well-known Cat earthmoving machines, excavators, skid steer loaders, backhoes, pavers and compactors, work tools and power generators to equipment from more than 70 other top-tier brands including aerial work platforms, compressors, concrete equipment, HVAC and dumpers, we have the equipment customers need to get the job done. Since 1997 the team knows how hard customers work, and they are always ready to prove they will work just as hard. At every store, customers have access to an extensive offer of short-term rentals, leasing options, technology, training and a complete team of equipment experts committed to their success. For more information visit: CatRentalStore.com

Celebrating 95 … On April 15, Caterpillar celebrated its 95-year anniversary. Over the past nine and a half decades, Caterpillar has grown their diverse fleet to offer more than 300 products and a strong service network, across all seven continents with the same, singular goal in mind: helping their customers use their products and services to improve living standards around the world. Amazing things have been constructed during this time: pipe laid for China’s first oil pipeline, power supplied for the Apollo 11 moon mission, construction of 70,000+ U.S. highway miles and so much more. Congratulations on achieving this special milestone.

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.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
How does competing at Richmond Raceway virtually compare to competing at Richmond Raceway in actuality?
“Richmond is a tough one that I always feel challenged by, both in real life and virtually. To me, it’s all about treating your tires right for the first 10-laps of a run to have a decent fall-off rate, but with the speeds we carry and how much dirty air can affect your car and its brakes, it can be tough on how you get around the race track. It takes a short-track mentality to get around Richmond, and you have to be very disciplined around the bottom of the racetrack.”

This Week’s DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Richmond Raceway … Anthony Alfredo has not yet made a Richmond Raceway start in real world conditions, but is a seasoned veteran of the virtual track and considers it one of his favorite places to compete within the iRacing platform.

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 Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series 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.

ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTE:
You’ve never been to Richmond Raceway before in a NASCAR-sanctioned event but are quite experienced there on the iRacing platform. What are your thoughts heading into this virtual race weekend?
“Richmond Raceway is one of my favorite tracks on iRacing! I’ve never been there in real life, but I would love to. I think it will provide great racing and we are also running the NASCAR Xfinity Series cars this weekend rather than the ARCA cars. I believe that will make for even more fun and exciting racing for the drivers and fans. I will have the same crew, too, which could provide an advantage. Jimmy Mullis and Zach Novak happen to drive for Richmond Raceway eSports. I’m hoping that will provide us with even more of an advantage since that is their home track.”

This Week’s TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Richmond Raceway … Snider has never competed at Richmond Raceway but is excited to try the virtual version of the track on Saturday in a Xfinity Series car this week.

About TaxSlayer … TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million state and federal e-filed tax returns in 2019 and processed $12 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.6/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 85% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com.

Tax Day … The IRS has extended the federal tax filing deadline for 2020. Tax Day is now July 15, 2020. This extension is automatic and applies to all taxpayers. For up-to-date information and advice, check out TaxSlayer.com/blog.

Save Now … When you file with TaxSlayer, the savings are around every turn. All the deductions, all the credits, and all the money you deserve comes back to you in your refund. Plus, when you enter promo code MYATT21 at checkout, you’ll save 21% off the cost of your federal return. Start for free at TaxSlayer.com

MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on racing at the virtual Richmond Raceway on Saturday night?
“Richmond Raceway is going to be a fun one. I’ve never actually raced there, but just from what I’ve heard from various other racers, it’s a handful. That’s what we drivers like in a racetrack. Hopefully there’s a lot of tire falloff so we can start getting sideways. I can’t wait to Slay It in my TaxSlayer Camaro!”

This Week’s HotScream Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Richmond Raceway … Grala has two starts at Richmond Raceway in the Xfinity Series, and 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 Richmond Raceway?
“It will be fun to get back behind the virtual wheel this weekend after a weekend off. I’ve always enjoyed real racing at Richmond Raceway, so I’m sure the race on iRacing will be a blast, too. This will be our first time on a true, classic short track, so I expect the race to be intense and tempers to flare. No doubt there will be carnage, but I’m just hoping I can escape the melee and keep the car clean to the finish. If I can, I’m sure we can contend for the win when the time comes.”

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Advance
Track: Virtual Richmond Raceway (.75-mile)
Teams: No. 6 Oscar Mayer/Nutrien Ag eFord, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank eFord
Drivers: Ross Chastain (No. 6), Chris Buescher (No. 17)
Twitter: @RoushFenway, @Roush6Team, @17RoushTeam
Hashtag: #ProInvitationalSeries

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Network, FS1, FOX Sports App

ADVANCE NOTES
Event Details
· After taking the traditional Easter weekend off, the #ProInvitationalSeries is back this weekend as the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series take to the ¾-mile virtual Richmond Raceway.
· To date, the series has garnered just under 3.5-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.
· NASCAR and iRacing also made format changes to the series at Bristol two weeks ago, with a Saturday night event that featured drivers from the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, and other regional series. However, the main event – which features past and present stars of the NASCAR Cup Series – remained unchanged with the exception of a pair of qualifying heat races.
· Heading into Richmond, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX have teamed up to make additional changes to this week’s format, with the field being limited to 26 cars to improve the overall product. With the change, the race will be 150 laps with one allowed reset and a standard qualifying session.

Buescher at Richmond Raceway
· Buescher has eight Cup Series starts all-time at Richmond with a top finish of 17th (spring 2017). Most recently he finished 22nd and 31st in 2019.
· Buescher also has five starts in the Xfinity Series at Richmond with three top-10s, including a best career finish of seventh in 2014.
· Through three weeks in the #ProInvitationalSeries, Buescher has finished 28th, 18th and 23rd, after leading 30 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway just two weeks ago, before getting caught up in a late accident with a glitching car.

Chastain at Richmond Raceway
· Chastain has four Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway with a best finish of 28th (spring 2018).
· In Xfinity action, Chastain finished runner-up in the 2018 fall race after starting third in the No. 42 machine. He most-recently earned an 11th-place run last spring.
· Chastain came out of the gate firing early in the #ProInvitationalSeries, putting his Oscar Mayer eMustang up front at Homestead before going on to finish 14th. He followed that with runs of 22nd (Texas) and 16th (Bristol).

On the eCars
The bright orange and yellow Oscar Mayer Bacon scheme – paired with Nutrien Ag Solutions from Chastain’s NASCAR Xfinity Series entry – will be aboard the No. 6 machine this weekend at Richmond. Fifth Third bank, longtime partner on Roush Fenway’s No. 17 entry, will be riding along with Buescher on the 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.

After a week off for Easter, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang return to the world of virtual racing with the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Richmond Raceway.

It’s the fourth race of the series, which is providing racing content for fans while real racing is on hiatus due to the social distancing required to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the Menards and Richmond Water Heaters logos, DiBenedetto’s Mustang and a few of his fellow Ford drivers will carry decals representing Ford’s Project Apollo, the name given to a company initiative to work with other equipment makers to help design and build ventilators, respirators, face masks and face shields.

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

The appearance by Richmond Water Heaters on the No. 21 Mustang is the first of the season for a company considered to be the industry leader for total water heating solutions. Richmond offers a variety of products including conventional tank-type water heaters, tankless water heaters, solar water heating systems, replacement parts and accessories for all categories.

With his No. 21 Mustang parked for the time being, DiBenedetto has spent more time lately on his simulation rig, which he’s had for three or four years. In recent days he’s run a variety of races, some of which apply directly to the Pro Invitational Series and some that don’t.

“I enjoy it more when I keep it fun,” he said. “Some take it a lot more seriously than I do, but I don’t want to get burned out on it.”

He said he is glad to do his part to keep fans entertained on Sunday afternoons while the real racing is on pause.

“It’s been cool to have that outlet to put on some sort of show for the fans,” he said, adding that he expects Sunday’s race, like many an event in real cars, to be a matter of managing tire wear. “You don’t want to run too hard at the beginning of a run.”

DiBenedetto said his results at Richmond in the past, in the Cup Series, have been dependent on the equipment he’s been in. But instead of looking to the past he’s focused on the future.

“What I’m most excited about is going back there in the 21,” he said. “That’ll be the best ride I’ve ever had there.”

Sunday’s race, the fourth in the Pro Invitational Series, will feature 26 drivers running 150 laps on the virtual version of the ¾-mile Richmond Raceway.

The 150-lapper at Richmond is set to get the green flag at 1 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on FOX, FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports app.

Menards

A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

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 “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Virtual Race Info:
Race: Toyota Owners Pro Invitational
Date/Time: Sunday, April 19/1 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 150 Laps
Track Length: 0.75 miles
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 14 degrees

Express Notes:

eNASCAR Bristol Recap: Denny Hamlin clawed his way from the back of the pack to a fourth-place finish in the April 5 eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series event at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a top-five in the “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota. The event was the third in the iRacing video simulation series and the first featuring heat races before the main event. Hamlin spun and incurred damage during his 50-lap heat race, relegating him to the back of the starting grid. Rolling off 26th for the 150-lap main event, he raced with the damage for much of the day, gradually making his way toward the front. Once he reached the top 10, Hamlin used a fast repair – one of two “resets” allowed – to fix his FedEx Camry and give him a chance to race the leaders. He gained six more positions in the remaining laps but never caught up with the dominant car of William Byron, who led most of the day and won the race.

eNASCAR Richmond Preview: After a top-five finish at virtual Bristol, Hamlin will climb back into his iRacing rig on Sunday at his simulated hometown track of Richmond Raceway. Hamlin will look to add another win to his Pro Invitational Series run, in which he has one win and two top-five finishes through three races.

Hamlin and FedEx Provide Food Bank Donation: Ahead of this weekend’s eNASCAR event in Richmond, Hamlin and FedEx will donate more than 60,000 meals to the Chesterfield, Va., Food Bank. The Chesterfield Food Bank has seen an increase in demand since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, and the donation to the community in Hamlin’s hometown will provide much needed support. The 60,000 meals donated will provide food to more than 4,400 Chesterfield families for a week.

FedEx “Thank You” Paint Scheme: For Sunday’s eNASCAR event at virtual Richmond, the #11 car will pay tribute to the 475,000 FedEx team members who are working to deliver shipments around the world safely and securely during the COVID-19 pandemic. A special “Thank You” FedEx paint scheme will recognize all the FedEx team members who are working hard to deliver critical medical supplies and equipment to the healthcare community as well as basic goods to people at home.

Hamlin Conversation – Virtual Richmond:

What led you to making the donation to the Richmond Food Bank?

“Chesterfield will always be my home, so during these unprecedented and difficult times, we wanted to provide assistance to people in the community. I am grateful to FedEx for supporting a community that is so close to my heart. The people of Chesterfield are in my thoughts, and I know we will come through this stronger than before.”

You’ve been to Victory Lane at the real Richmond Raceway. Do you think you can do it virtually?

“Obviously, iRacing isn’t exactly the same as being behind the wheel of our real FedEx Camry, but it’s about as close as you can get using simulations. We’ve got one win already in this iRacing series, so I definitely think we can do it again.”

NEMECHEK ON VIRTUAL RICHMOND:

“I hope everyone is still staying safe. That’s always the most important thing. But, we can also have this distraction of the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series and it’s fun to be back this weekend. I came close at Bristol and the feeling is the same as it is in the real car- you want to win.

“We’re back this weekend with Speedy Cash, another great partner of FRM. It’s been fun to see the excitement our partners have when seeing their car in the iRacing platform and then see it on FOX. This is as realistic as we can make it without actually being at the track and in the car. It’s different, but it’s still exciting and I’m racing to win and represent all our partners.

“We are supporting the Ford Apollo project on the car this weekend, too. The Ford Motor Company has really taken a lead in making products for hospitals and those working on the front line of this pandemic. That’s been great to see. We’ll continue to keep doing what we need to do and until then, we’ll have some fun on iRacing.”

If you ask Ryan Blaney what his favorite weekend is during the NASCAR season, there’s a good chance he’ll say Darlington. Why? Because that’s become the traditional time when the sport looks back to its roots and celebrates a specific era in history.

It’s called “Throwback Weekend” and nobody in the Cup garage is more throwback than the 26-year-old Blaney.

While driving for the Wood Brothers in 2017, the team celebrated at Darlington by going back to it’s all white shirt and pants with traditional red lettering. Likewise, Blaney’s uniform, with a splash of blue on the right breast and red and blue striping down the left side, reflected the same look that David Pearson wore with the organization in the 1970’s. Blaney liked the look so much that he continued wearing the uniform for Motorcraft-sponsored races throughout the rest of that season.

And that throwback mentality doesn’t just go for uniforms, as Blaney has taken to the internet to find vintage hats, t-shirts and, yes, even vehicles.

“The vehicles are a little bit tougher to find because you have to find the right one and it’s more money than buying a t-shirt,” said Blaney, whose current daily driver is an F-250. “You’ve got to do a lot of research on them and make sure you test drive them. I’ll never buy anything that I can’t go drive myself. If it’s in California and I can’t go drive it, I don’t really want to pull the trigger because the last thing you want is to buy something and then when it gets to your house there’s all this stuff wrong with it.”

Blaney’s latest prize is a 1988 red and white striped F-150 with a four-speed manual transmission he found in the Charlotte area. The seller had put on only 25,000 miles and taken good care of it before putting it up for sale online.

“I just got lucky that this one was right in Concord and I was just browsing around. I wasn’t browsing around to buy anything, I just like to look around to see what’s out there and this caught my eye,” said Blaney. “I’ve always enjoyed those mid to late-eighties Ford trucks. I love their simplicity and it just speaks to what I enjoyed as a kid and as I get older I appreciate those cars even more.”

One of the vehicles Blaney has grown particularly fond of is the Bronco, which is scheduled to be re-introduced to dealer showrooms later this year.

“I’m pumped,” said Blaney of the impending debut. “I’ve been on everyone at Ford telling them, ‘Make sure I’m on the list, and my dad wants one too.’ I don’t know why the Bronco has always stood out to me. It’s just a unique truck, and I love they’re coming back with it. I’ve been counting down the days and months to when it comes out, and I think they’re gonna be great.”

That, however, won’t be the only Bronco in his personal stable because two years ago he found a 1985 model in Abingdon, VA, where the original owner had it for 33 years. Blaney said he hoped to “keep it for another 33.”

“I appreciate the ones that have the original engine, original transmission. If you’ve got to replace that stuff, you’ve got to replace that stuff. Everything has a life span, but you try to take the best care of it that you can,” said Blaney about what he looks for in a throwback vehicle. “You want to buy it from someone who has taken great care of it. I really appreciate somebody who does that because I try to do the best I can taking care of mine, especially when it comes to something that has that much history and has been around for so long.

“Some guys like buying old cars and putting a big engine in there and things like that, but it’s just not really me. I don’t really have a need for speed on the road,” continued Blaney. “I don’t really want a big monster motor and have a vintage car. I’d just rather have them bone stock. You’ll have your troubles and issues that you have to fix from time to time, but that’s with anything.”

Earlier this year, his Ryan Blaney Family Foundation spearheaded a project in which a custom-built 1974 ‘Blaney Bronco’ was auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, AZ, for a Bronco-record $650,000. All proceeds went to the Alzheimer’s Association.

So, while he anxiously looks toward the future, it’s always with at least one eye on the past.

“I can’t wait to park my brand new one next to my ’85,” Blaney said. “That’s gonna be pretty cool.”