Category: NASCAR Cup PR

This Week in Motorsports: June 24 – 30, 2024

• NCS/NXS/NCTS: Nashville Superspeedway – June 28-30
• ARCA: Berlin Raceway – June 29
• NHRA: Summit Motorsports Park – June 28-30

PLANO, Texas (June 26, 2024) – NASCAR’s three national series head to Nashville Superspeedway this weekend with the Truck Series’ return after three weeks off. The ARCA Menards Series is once again in action, this time at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. The NHRA Mission Foods Racing Series is back in the Midwest and Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, as they hit their halfway point of the 2024 season.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS

Points standings continue to shake up … Following Sunday’s wild race at New Hampshire, the Cup Series points standings shifted across the board, with Toyota drivers making gains as the season gets closer to the Playoffs. Martin Truex Jr. (fourth) and Tyler Reddick (fifth) each moved up one spot following top-10 finishes on Sunday, and Christopher Bell (sixth) climbed two positions following his dominant win. Bell also climbed to second in the Playoff points standings following a Stage 2 victory and the race win. Denny Hamlin remains the lead Toyota Camry XSE in the third position.

Heim doing double duty … Along with his full-time duties in the NASCAR Truck Series, Corey Heim makes his third Cup Series start this weekend, this time in the No. 50 Mobil 1 Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. Heim filled in for an injured Erik Jones in the No. 43 Camry XSE for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB at Dover and Kansas earlier this season, where he finished 25th and 22nd, respectively. Heim has made two previous starts at Nashville Superspeedway in the Truck Series, including a fourth-place finish last season.

Bell rolls to Nashville with serious momentum … Not only was Bell victorious on Sunday, he also won the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, capping off a monumental weekend sweep. The Oklahoma native also comes into the weekend with five consecutive top-10 finishes and six in the last seven Cup Series races. Additionally, Bell has finished in the top-10 in each of the three Cup Series races at Nashville to-date, to which another would further help his rise in the points standings.

Smith holds second, Creed rises in points … Heading to Nashville this weekend, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing’s two full-time Xfinity Series drivers are in the thick of the championship battle. Chandler Smith remains second in the series points standings and currently leads the Playoff points thanks to his two race wins and five stage wins so far this season. Sheldon Creed, coming off another runner-up finish, climbed to fifth in the points after Saturday’s race.

Toyota Cup drivers running Xfinity … This weekend, three Toyota Racing full-time Cup Series drivers will be doing double duty by challenging the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek return to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 and 20 Toyota GR Supras for their fourth and ninth Xfinity Series races this season. Additionally, Tyler Reddick is back in the Xfinity Series for the first time this season, first since Las Vegas last year, with Sam Hunt Racing and the No. 26 GR Supra. Reddick has 10 career Xfinity Series wins, with his last coming in 2022.

Points update in Trucks return … With the return of the Truck Series this weekend, here are where the Toyota Tundras currently sit in the series points. Heim is the lead Tundra at the moment, currently second in the series points standings, but leads the Playoff standings thanks to his four wins so far this season. Taylor Gray is currently fifth with his brother, Tanner, sitting ninth. Stewart Friesen is also just outside the Playoff field currently, sitting in 11th coming into the weekend.

Butterbean returns to the No. 1 Tundra … After a stellar debut at North Wilkesboro last month, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen is back with TRICON Garage and the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro this weekend in Nashville. The Virginia native came home fourth at North Wilkesboro and will make his debut at Nashville Superspeedway Friday night.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series

Sawalich seeks Berlin repeat … Coming off his win at Mid-Ohio last weekend, his third win of 2024, Toyota Development Driver, William Sawalich, heads to Berlin Raceway with a lot of momentum. The Minnesotan also seeks a repeat at Berlin with last year’s victory, with Toyota itself seeking a three-peat at the Michigan track.

NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car

Toyota controls Top Fuel points … Following his third victory of the 2024 season in Virginia, defending Top Fuel champion, Doug Kalitta, extended his points advantage now over teammate, Shawn Langdon, who climbed to second after his runner-up finish. Justin Ashley follows them in third, with Steve Torrence in fourth and Antron Brown in fifth as Toyota owns the top-five in Top Fuel. In Funny Car, J.R. Todd remains fourth in the standings with Ron Capps in seventh and Alexis DeJoria in eighth.

Toyota streaks continue … Additionally with the performances at Virginia last weekend, Toyota kept a couple of NHRA streaks alive. With Kalitta’s victory, Toyota has now won nine of the last 10 NHRA races in Top Fuel, dating back to his triumph at Pomona last November. Toyota has also now made 32 consecutive finals in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car following the all-Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel final in Virginia last weekend with Kalitta and Langdon.

About Toyota

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

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

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

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

Ty Gibbs
Nashville Advance
No. 54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Outrageously Dependable for 33 Years and Counting: Interstate Batteries has 11 primary sponsorships on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2024, a similar number of schemes to last year’s expanded presence among all four JGR Toyota Camry XSEs. The Ally 400 is the third of four primary sponsorships on Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Camry this season. Christopher Bell and Gibbs will run the majority of the Interstate Batteries races with eight primaries in all between the two drivers. Martin Truex Jr. will carry a primary Interstate Batteries sponsorship for one race on the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in July during his final season as a fulltime Cup Series driver.

● Prior to the inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville in 2021, 10 years had passed since NASCAR last competed at the 1.333-mile, concrete oval. It was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 23, 2011 and it was won by Carl Edwards. The NASCAR Cup Series had never competed at the track until the 2021 Ally 400 with this weekend’s race being the fourth edition with NASCAR’s top series at the track located some 40 minutes east and south of downtown Nashville.

● No Sophomore Slump for Gibbs: This weekend marks Gibbs’ second opportunity to race on the Nashville concrete oval in a Cup Series car, as he brought home a 14th-place finish in his debut there last season. So far in 2024, Gibbs has had a strong season, bringing home one pole, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s over the first 18 races while leading 309 total laps. He is fighting to make the Cup Series Playoffs for the first time in just his second season.

● Concrete Time: While Gibbs has only made one Cup Series start at Nashville, he’s had strong runs in his two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track. He brought home a fourth-place finish there in his Xfinity debut there in 2022. Last year, he led 28 laps before an accident ended his day early.

● Gibbs heads to Nashville 11th in the driver standings with 499 points, 121 behind series leader Kyle Larson. All four JGR entries are currently inside the top-11 in points heading to the 19th race of the season. Denny Hamlin sits third in the standings with Truex fourth, Christopher Bell sixth, and Gibbs 11th with eight races remaining in the regular season for the Team Interstate contingent.

● At the age of 19 years, 9 months and 20 days, Gibbs made his first career NASCAR Cup Series start on July 24, 2022 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for 23XI Racing. He became the 37th driver younger than 20 years of age to make a Cup Series start. He started at the rear of the field but completed all 160 laps on his way to an impressive 16th-place finish.

● Dazzling Debut: Gibbs was victorious in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the February 2021 race on the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He led 14 of the 56 laps and became the youngest driver to win an Xfinity Series road-course race at 18 years, 4 months and 16 days. The native of Charlotte, North Carolina also became the second-youngest winner in Xfinity Series history behind Joey Logano, who won in June 2008 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta at the age of 18 years, 21 days.

Ty Gibbs, Driver of the No. 54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE

What are your thoughts about racing this weekend at Nashville?

“I’m looking forward to Nashville. It’s a unique track at 1.33 miles and it’s concrete, so it can be challenging. I’ve competed in a couple of Xfinity races there and finished fourth two years ago. And we didn’t get the finished we deserved in my first Cup race there last year. It’s a fun track and I’m hoping to keep learning like I do at every place we go this year. Great to have Interstate Batteries on board. They are the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing and hopefully we can give them a good run.”

How important is qualifying at Nashville?

“I think it’s important, but not as important as it is at some other places we race at, like Iowa a few weeks ago as an example. You get a little more room at Nashville to move around and spread out and makes passes, so you are able to move up through the field if you don’t get the qualifying lap you wanted. I get to run both races there this weekend, with He Gets Us on the Xfinity car there Saturday, and I’m hoping those extra laps will help us on Sunday with our Interstate Batteries Camry.”

What’s the most challenging part of racing at Nashville?

“I think backing up your corner entry and trying to drive your car in deeper, so keeping the entry backed up and getting a good run off a corner and keeping your momentum is very important there in qualifying and during the race.”

Interstate Batteries has been with JGR since Day 1. How special is that to carry those colors anytime, but also in particular at Nashville this weekend?

“It’s really cool to think about how long Interstate Batteries has been with our team. They were with this team before I was born, and to be able to be on my car with the relationship they’ve had with my grandfather for so many years. I think it would be really fitting to get my first win in an Interstate Batteries car and we’re going to give it our best shot again this weekend in Nashville.”

You are still chasing your first Cup Series win. How beneficial was it to get seat time with 23XI back in 2022 before your full rookie season with JGR in 2023 to get you to where you are running up front and contending?

“It was really beneficial. You don’t get much time in the Cup car now with limited practice and testing, so just more seat time was huge for me. Beyond that, I think my team and my crew chief have done a great job the last couple of years of just helping me along and helping me learn each and every week. All those things add up, and hoping we can turn that into a victory.”

No. 54 Interstate Batteries Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ty Gibbs

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Gayle

Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas

Car Chief: Nate Bellows

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman

Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Kyle Abrahims

Hometown: Spring Grove, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Evan Karl

Hometown: Ballston Lake, New York

Road Crew Members

Truck Driver: Ben Smith

Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina

Mechanic: Ryan Towles Hometown: Salem, Virginia

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge

Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Truck Driver: Mike Yates

Hometown: Daytona Beach, Florida

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Jeff Swearengin

Hometown: Elkhart, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Ian Anderson

Hometown: Pffattown, North Carolina

Jackman: Braxton Brannon

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Nick McBeath

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Jackson Gibbs

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Kevon Jackson

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

CHASE BRISCOE
Nashville Advance
No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe is listed at 6 feet, 1 inches tall, but if he appears 10-feet tall and bulletproof when he walks into Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway for Sunday’s Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, he’s not just carrying the swagger of Travis Tritt’s 1994 hit single because he’s in the Country Music Capital of the World. Briscoe is walking tall thanks to his second-place finish last Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, and because his NASCAR future is set. With Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure at the end of the 2024 season, Briscoe was the first of its drivers to be picked up for 2025. In an announcement on Tuesday, Briscoe was named the heir to the No. 19 car at Joe Gibbs Racing, which is currently being driven by Martin Truex Jr., who will retire after the Nov. 10 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

● Briscoe’s second-place finish at New Hampshire ended a four-race streak in which his best result was 17th (June 2 at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis). It got him back to his front-running ways from earlier in the year, as Briscoe’s runner-up effort was his second top-five and sixth top-10 of the season. In fact, it was Briscoe’s best finish so far this year. His previous best was fifth, earned May 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. And Briscoe’s second-place drive at New Hampshire was the 12th top-five of his NASCAR Cup Series career, a mark highlighted by his March 2022 win at Phoenix.

● Sunday’s Ally 400 will mark Briscoe’s fourth career NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville. The driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing needs the momentum from New Hampshire, as his best Cup Series finish in his three previous Nashville starts is 31st, earned twice (2021 and 2023).

● Nashville is the rare track where Briscoe has no other starts in any division of racing outside of the NASCAR Cup Series. Despite 86 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and 29 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, none have come at the 1.333-mile Nashville oval.

● While Briscoe has no other starts at Nashville beyond the NASCAR Cup Series, he does have one race under his belt in Nashville Proper. On April 9, 2016 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Briscoe finished ninth in the ARCA Menards Series race after starting from the pole. It was one of 18 top-10 finishes Briscoe earned during that 20-race season on his way to the championship, which he won by a whopping 535 points.

● The 2024 season marks the 15th year of partnership between Rush Truck Centers and Stewart-Haas Racing, and it’s a partnership that goes well beyond a design on a racecar. All Stewart-Haas racecars are transported via tractor-trailers from Rush Truck Centers, the premier service solutions provider to the commercial vehicle industry. And those tractor-trailers are supported by the RushCare Customer Support team of parts and service experts, who also provide concierge-level service for scheduling maintenance, technical support, mobile service dispatch and roadside assistance, along with help locating the nearest Rush Truck Centers dealer, and more. Rush Truck Centers is the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in North America with 150 locations in the United States and Ontario, Canada, and takes pride in its integrated approach to customer needs – from vehicle sales to aftermarket parts, service and body shop operations, plus financing, insurance, leasing and rental, as well as alternate fuel systems and other vehicle technologies.

● Rush Truck Centers is proud to support Wounded Warrior Project in its effort to provide free, life-changing programs and services for American’s heroes and their families. Now through Sept. 15, individuals who make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Wounded Warrior Project will be entered to win a true piece of iconic Peterbilt history – the last and only 2025 Peterbilt Model 389X ever produced. Donate at WinTheLast389.com.

● Cummins joins Rush Truck Centers for this weekend’s race at Nashville. Cummins Inc., is a global power technology leader that designs, manufactures, distributes and services a broad portfolio of power solutions. These solutions include advanced diesel, natural gas, hybrid, electric, fuel cell and other technologies. Cummins powers the future through innovations that make people’s lives better. From buses that transport kids to and from school, to the trucks that carry essentials, to construction, mining equipment, trains and ships, and critical backup power for places like data centers and hospitals, Cummins is doing it with the cleanest solutions available. Learn more at cummins.com.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Nashville is concrete, but does it race like its fellow concrete tracks – Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway?

“I don’t think so. I feel like they all race kind of the same from a grip-level standpoint, they just change color during the race. I don’t feel like Nashville has the same tendencies of a Bristol or Dover, where it’s super, super black from top to bottom, maybe it’s just because it doesn’t have the banking and what not. But definitely don’t feel like it changes color like those places. From a grip-level standpoint, I can’t ever tell that much of a difference.”

Would you call Nashville an intermediate-style track, where it shares similarities with other 1.5-mile, D-shaped ovals, or is it kind of its own animal since it’s a little smaller (1.333 miles)?

“You look at a place like Iowa and it’s more of a hybrid, but I would say it leans a little more toward a short track, and Nashville is kind of the same. I feel like it’s more of a hybrid, but I would say Nashville almost leans a little bit more toward the intermediate side. So, yeah, it is unique. Things happen a touch quicker as far as the size of the racetrack, but obviously we’re going slower from a miles per hour standpoint. It’s just a unique track. The one thing about that place is it’s not like any other place we go, so it’s kind of cool every time we go there because it’s different. I’ve never really run that great there, but I enjoy going there.”

Nashville is the rare track where coming into it three years ago, you had no prior experience on it. What’s the learning curve been like where you don’t have that background experience in the NASCAR Xfinity or NASCAR Craftsman Trucks to provide a baseline?

“That first time we went there, we were really, really good. I think we were running fifth or sixth, but lost brakes and crashed, so we’ve been snake-bitten every time we’ve been there. Truthfully, I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage when we go to Nashville. I did a Goodyear tire test there one year and got a lot of really good laps. I was able to try a lot of things to find what worked for me. It’s definitely not been a great place for me results-wise, but I feel like it’s one of those tracks where the results don’t always show the speed we’ve had there. Hopefully, we can find the results to go with it.”

How has your intermediate track performance been this year? Your teammate, Noah Gragson, says it’s been one of his team’s strengths.

“I would say the 10 car (Gragson), honestly, has been probably a little bit better on intermediates, and I would say ours has been a little more hit or miss. We’ve always had really, really good speed in qualifying on the intermediates, we just haven’t raced as well, for whatever reason. It kind of just depends on the racetrack for us. Some of them I feel like we’re really, really solid. A place like Texas, I thought, we honestly could’ve won the race. Vegas, we had good speed until we got some damage. And then there have been some other ones where we weren’t in the mix all day. I don’t know what to expect going into Nashville. It’s kind of an intermediate, but it’s kind of not, so hopefully we can hit it right when we get there.”

Nashville is the home of country music. What artists do you listen to and follow?

“Eric Church is probably one of my favorites, along with Cole Swindell and Luke Combs. I definitely like going to Nashville just because it’s the Country Music Capital of the World and there’s a lot of good music to listen to. And a couple of the artists, when they come out to the racetrack, it’s really cool to see them up close. I’m just hoping to have a good run there in country music’s backyard.”

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

Andy Petree Announces his Retirement: Keith Rodden Named Interim Competition Director

WELCOME, N.C. (June 25, 2024) – Long-time Richard Childress Racing competition executive Andy Petree has announced his retirement from the 55-year-old race team. Keith Rodden has been appointed interim competition director of RCR.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Richard Childress for the impact he has had on my career, as well as the wonderful memories and on-track success we have enjoyed together,” said Petree. “Although my day-to-day involvement with RCR is changing, I will always be a fan and supporter of everyone in Welcome, North Carolina. I wish RCR the best for the rest of this season and beyond.”

A 35-year veteran of the motorsports industry, Petree first joined Richard Childress Racing in 1993 as the crew chief for the famous No. 3 Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt. With Petree’s help, Earnhardt earned his sixth and seventh championships in 1993 and 1994. The pair also secured 15 wins, seven poles, 56 top-five and 47 top-10 finishes together.

Petree most recently led RCR’s competition team as executive vice president. In that role, he guided the organization to 26 race wins (nine in the NASCAR Cup Series and 17 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series) and helped RCR earn the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2019. Under Petree’s leadership, RCR made seven NASCAR Cup Series Playoff appearances from 2017-2023. He was also instrumental in overseeing the development of the Next Gen Chevy.

“Andy Petree has been a tremendous supporter of RCR for many years and we wish him success in the future,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Our organization won two championships with Andy during his first stint at RCR, and we have made the NASCAR Playoffs and won races with him during his most recent tenure. I am grateful for his contributions to the team, leadership and friendship over the years. Keith Rodden has big shoes to fill as interim competition director, but I know his passion for motorsports and dedication will help drive RCR forward during a key time for our organization.”

Rodden, a veteran crew chief and race engineer, will take on a larger role across the organization to help maximize the capabilities of RCR’s Chevys and provide leadership, coordination and support.

The changes are effective immediately.

For more information and all that is going on at RCR, visit rcrracing.com.

Richard Childress Racing (www.rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR has celebrated over 50 years of racing and earned more than 200 victories and 16 championships, including six in the NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2024 NASCAR Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch (No. 8 Chevrolet) and 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet). RCR fields a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series program with Jesse Love (No. 2 Chevrolet) and Austin Hill (No. 21 Chevrolet).

JOSH BERRY
Nashville Advance
No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● If there was one race Berry is looking forward to most of all during the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, it’s Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. Berry hails from nearby Hendersonville, Tennessee, and will make his Cup Series debut on the 1.333-mile, concrete oval. He’s competed three times there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving a JR Motorsports entry to finishes of fourth in his first outing in June 2021, and fifth in his most recent in June 2023. Berry drove through the field for those top-five finishes, having started 22nd in the 2021 race and 23rd in the 2023 race. Berry’s June 2022 Xfinity Series outing resulted in a 23rd-place finish from the ninth starting position.

● Berry arrives at his home racetrack riding the momentum of a seventh-place finish two weekends ago at Iowa Speedway in Newton and third last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The latter result equaled his season-best of third first achieved May 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Berry started Sunday’s race at New Hampshire 10th after Saturday qualifying was rained out and the grid set per the NASCAR rule book. He made steady forward progress in the opening two stages, which he finished fifth and eighth, respectively. Inclement weather then brought out the red flag with 77 laps remaining, and when the race was restarted, competitors took to the track on wet-weather tires the rest of the way. Berry restarted 20th and again maneuvered his No. 4 Ford Dark Horse to the front, taking the checkered flag behind race-winner Christopher Bell and his second-place-finishing Stewart-Haas teammate Chase Briscoe.

● With nine Cup Series races left in the regular season, Berry is ranked 19th in the driver standings, 48 points shy of the 16th and final playoff position. He also continues to lead the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 35 markers ahead of second-place Carson Hocevar.

● On Thursday, Berry will make his Late Model debut on the 5/8-mile track at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Berry tested the No. 4 Late Model for Dylan Fetcho Racing last Wednesday, getting himself acclimated to the new track. His affinity for Late-Model racing was fostered during his days driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr., as part of the JR Motorsports Late Model program. Berry amassed an impressive 95 victories in his 262 starts with the team, with 189 top-fives and 219 top-10s. He was also the NASCAR Weekly Series champion in 2020, finishing every race but one inside the top-10 that season.

● Veteran crew chief Rodney Childers makes his fourth Nashville start atop the pit box in the Cup Series this weekend. The 48-year-old shot-caller has tallied one top-five result, two top-10s, an average starting position of 12.3 and an average finish of 13 with former No. 4 Stewart-Haas driver Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. Harvick completed all but one lap (99.9 percent) across those three previous appearances. Last year, Harvick was running fourth on lap 239 when a flat tire forced him to pit out of sequence and sent him back in the field. He finished 24th. Childers’ and Harvick’s best Nashville result came in June 2021, a fifth-place finish from the 12th starting position.

● Overstock.com adorns Berry’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in Music City. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.

Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Nashville is your home track, and this Sunday will be the first time you’ll be racing there in NASCAR’s premier series. Talk about how significant this race is to you and how special it will be Sunday when you take the green flag knowing that your love of racing started there.

“I am really excited to get there, in general. I remember growing up and watching races there as a kid, and to get to be the driver on track instead of the kid in the stands is a really cool feeling. I am sure I will see some friends and family that I haven’t seen in a while, which makes it special, too, because they were the ones to support me when I was chasing this dream. So to see them as a Cup Series driver means a lot to me. I think for the race, this will be a good opportunity for us to run well. I have had success there before and run well there, and the No. 4 team and Kevin (Harvick) did well there recently so I think we can be competitive.”

Thursday evening, you will make your debut at the 5/8-mile track at the Nashville Fairgrounds. How important is it for you to run those extracurricular races, and how does that help you on Sundays?

“It’s obviously fun to go compete, and any day you get to spend behind the wheel of a race car is a good day. For me, that race means a little bit more than other Late-Model races I have run because that is the place I grew up racing, so to be able to go back and compete there on the big track and cross it off my racing bucket list is just a really cool opportunity for me.”

How do you savor those bigger races and big moments in your racing career?

“I think it will be a lot of reflecting on those moments when I was racing as a kid and looking back and remembering those fun stories we all have from our childhood. Racing with my family and watching racing there was always fun, so to be in the race and being able to make it a full-circle moment is something really unique and means a lot to me. I am going to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in years, and I will be taking my family there this time to create new memories, so it’s all just really cool. I keep saying that, but I am just really looking forward to enjoying this week of racing back home.”

No. 4 Overstock.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Josh Berry

Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith

Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Dax Gerringer

Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Engineer: Billy Kuebler

Hometown: Saline, Michigan

Spotter: Eddie D’Hondt

Hometown: Levittown, New York

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Mason Flynt

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Jack Man: Brandon Banks

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Tyler Trosper

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Mechanic: Chris Capaldi

Hometown: Armada, Michigan

Tire Specialist: Zac Lupien

Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Jake Zierhoffer

Hometown: Billerica, Massachusetts

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell

Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

NASHVILLE

Friday, June 28 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 8 p.m. ET (FS2)
Saturday, June 29 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 5 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, June 30 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

The NASCAR summer stretch rolls on with Nashville Speedway hosting all three major touring series on the same weekend for the fourth straight season. The last time all three series were together came a month ago at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but since then the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has competed only once and returns to action after a three-week break.

LOGANO LIKES NASHVILLE

Joey Logano has shown flashes of speed in the first three Nashville races, posting a pair of top-10 finishes. But where he’s really shined is in qualifying, where he has started no worse than fourth. He qualified third in the debut event in 2021 before finishing 10th and was second one year later when he ultimately led four times for 28 laps and came home ninth. Last year, he posted the fourth-fastest speed in qualifying and ended up 19th, making his average starting position 3.0 and finishing position 12.7.

BERRY FINDING HIS GROOVE

Josh Berry has hit his stride with Stewart-Haas Racing and with eight races remaining in the regular season is making a late push for a playoff berth. Berry, who enters this weekend’s race at Nashville Superspeedway 73 points below the cut line, has caught fire the last six weeks. It started with a third-place run at Darlington Raceway last month and continued at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 10th-place effort in the Coca-Cola 600. He’s had back-to-back top-10 runs in Iowa (seventh) and New Hampshire (third), giving him four top-10 runs in the last six events which has moved him up four spots in the overall standings.

PLAYOFF SCENARIO

Three Ford drivers have clinched spots in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs after winning earlier this season. Brad Keselowski (Darlington), Austin Cindric (Gateway) and Ryan Blaney (Iowa) all have secured their spots, but there are a few other Ford Performance teammates looking to join them. Currently, Chris Buescher and Joey Logano are holding down the final two berths based on points. Buescher is 50 points above the cut line while Logano is 13 with eight races remaining in the regular season.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: “Nashville is an interesting track for us because we have been so good on that type of track this year in 2024. We have a great opportunity to go there and compete for a win, so I am pretty pumped about it. It is a race that we certainly have circled with both of our RFK cars and we can’t wait to get there.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC: “Nashville is a pretty interesting race track. It is a unique size and has been pretty wild the last few years. I always like racing under the lights. I think that is always fun for the race fans. It is a fun town to be in as well. It has been cool to see how that event has grown into our schedule year after year. I am looking forward to getting back there and having a good run.”

NOAH GRAGSON: “Nashville is a super fun track. It is all concrete and the biggest concrete track we go to which makes it a lot of fun and also very challenging with how the rubber gets laid down. I will be running an Xfinity car there in addition to the Cup car, so I am super excited about that place. I have kind of struggled there in the past but I want to get as many laps as I can, which is why I am doing the Xfinity race. Hopefully, that pays off and helps us for the Cup race.”

FORD NASHVILLE WINNERS

Ford is still looking for its first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Nashville Superspeedway, but three drivers have won at the facility in other series. Brad Keselowski (2008 and 2010) and Joey Logano (2009) went to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while Ryan Preece captured back-to-back Ford victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2021-22.

CUSTER EXTENDS SERIES POINTS LEAD

Cole Custer’s third-place finish on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway allowed him to extend his lead in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings to 15 over Chandler Smith. Custer, who registered his fourth pole of the season, has now rattled off top-10 finishes in 13 of the last 14 events, including four straight going into this weekend’s race at Nashville Superspeedway. Last season, Custer sat on the pole and finished ninth in his only series start on the middle Tennessee track.

FORD WINS NASCAR DEBUT AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

The first race held at Nashville Superspeedway for one of NASCAR’s top three touring series came on April 14, 2001 when Ford’s Greg Biffle won the Pepsi 300 in what was then known as the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, now NASCAR Xfinity Series. Ford dominated the race up front as Biffle, Jason Keller and Jeff Green combined to lead 200-of-225 laps. Biffle, who was out front for a race-high 133 circuits, beat Keller to the checkered flag by just over a half-second as Ford finished first and second.

FOUR RACES TO GO IN REGULAR SEASON

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has had three weeks off and as the action shifts to Nashville Superspeedway there is a lot to race for with only four races remaining in the regular season. Ford’s Ty Majeski and defending series champion Ben Rhodes are currently in playoff positions as they sit fifth and eighth, respectively. Three-time champion Matt Crafton finds himself 46 points below the cut line in 13th place while Jake Garcia (-69) and Layne Riggs (-76) are 15th and 16th overall. The top 10 drivers will make the playoffs and compete in a seven-race battle to determine this year’s champion.

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS

AT NASHVILLE

2001 – Greg Biffle

2002 – Scott Riggs (1)

2003 – Scott Riggs (2)

2006 – Carl Edwards (2)

2007 – Carl Edwards (Sweep)

2011 – Carl Edwards (Sweep)

FORD NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT NASHVILLE

2003 – Carl Edwards

2007 – Travis Kvapil

2021 – Ryan Preece

2022 – Ryan Preece

Nashville Event Info:
Date: Sunday, June 30
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Lebanon, Tennessee
Format: 300 Laps, 399 Miles, Stages: 90-95-115
TV: NBC
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 1:05 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:50 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Race (NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• Nashville Superspeedway – the 1.33-mile tri-oval – hosts its fourth Cup race this weekend as race No. 19 in the 2024 slate.
• Jack Roush won six times in the Xfinity Series at Nashville, and Brad Keselowski has a pair of wins at NSS himself in the NXS.
• Through the halfway point in the 2024 season, Keselowski leads the series in second-place finishes (3), and is tied with the No. 5 and No. 24 with six finishes of third or better.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Consumer Cellular

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

Keselowski at Nashville
Starts: 3
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Keselowski makes his fourth start at Nashville this weekend. He’s coming off his best finish there a year ago (P11).
• He has 12 additional starts otherwise at the 1.333-mile track and is a former winner in the Xfinity Series. He went to victory lane twice in Nashville – once in 2008 and again in 2010 – with seven overall top-10 finishes and an average result of 10.9.
• Outside of the pair of wins, Keselowski also has finishes of fourth (2008), third (2009), second (2009), fifth (2010) and third (2011).

Buescher at Nashville
Starts: 3
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his fourth start at NSS this weekend. He finished 18th a season ago after starting 12th, his best finish there to date.
• He’s qualified top-17 or better in each of the three Cup races dating back to 2021, carrying a 14.7 average starting position into the weekend.

RFK Historically at Nashville
Cup Wins: —

• Roush Responsible for Marquee Wins at Nashville: NASCAR’s initial tenure at Nashville lasted around a decade, and Jack Roush not only opened but closed out the run the Xfinity Series had there with victories. In the very first NXS race back in 2001, Greg Biffle led 133 of the 225 laps to capture one of his five series wins that season. Carl Edwards, responsible for five NXS wins at Nashville Superspeedway, won the very last NASCAR Xfinity race there, leading 124 of the 225 laps in July of 2011.
• Cousin Carl Dominates in Music City: Edwards dominated in his 13 starts at Nashville, finishing top-10 in all but once race, and top five in all but two. He averaged a finish of 3.5 with five overall wins, including three-straight from 2006-07, and the final two in 2011. Driving the No. 60 entry in all 13 events, Edwards led a combined 247 laps in the first three wins, then went on to lead a combined 272 laps in the 2011 races, which stands as the last time NASCAR visited the facility.
• Tale of the Tape: Overall at Nashville SS, 15 different drivers have driven for Jack Roush at the 1.33-mile track. RFK has 28 top-10s in 52 starts, 17 of which were inside the top five.

RFK Nashville Wins

2001 Biffle

2006 Edwards

2007 Edwards

2011 Edwards

2011 Edwards

2007 Edwards

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Loudon: Buescher earned his fourth top five of the season in a rain-filled Sunday at New Hampshire, driving to a fifth-place result. Keselowski finished 28th.

Points Standings (6: 10th, 17: 13th): Keselowski sits now 10th in points while Buescher is comfortably in 13th.

NOAH GRAGSON
Nashville Advance
No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Prior to the inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in 2021, 10 years had passed since NASCAR last competed at the 1.333-mile, concrete oval. It was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 23, 2011 and it was won by Carl Edwards. The NASCAR Cup Series had never competed at the track until 2021, which means the majority of drivers in this year’s Ally 400 all have the same relative experience on the track. For Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, he has a total of three Nashville starts – one in Cup and two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

● Gragson’s lone NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville came in last year’s Ally 400. He started 30th and finished 26th for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, completing all but one of the race’s 300 laps.

● Gragson’s two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Nashville came in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Eighth was his best result, and it came in his first drive of any kind around Nashville. Gragson finished 13th in his return to the track in 2022.

● To gain additional experience at Nashville, Gragson will pull double duty during this year’s Ally 400 race weekend. He will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday before piloting his signature No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang on Sunday. Gragson will drive the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette-Jones Racing in the Tennessee Lottery 250. It will be his second Xfinity Series start of the year as Gragson wheeled a Rette-Jones Racing-prepared Mustang to a 10th-place finish May 25 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

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

Nashville is concrete, but does it race like its fellow concrete tracks – Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway?

“The shape and the size of it and the banking in the corners are all a little different. The banking’s different, mainly because of the way the rubber gets laid down. It’s kind of half concrete, half mile-and-a-half-type track, so it’s definitely a weird-configured track.”

Would you call Nashville an intermediate-style track, where it shares similarities with other 1.5-mile, D-shaped ovals, or is it kind of its own animal since it’s a little smaller (1.333 miles)?

“I’d say it’s probably similar to Gateway, and even Texas a little bit. It doesn’t have as much banking and you’re not carrying as much speed as a mile-and-a-half. It’s flatter than most mile-and-a-halves, kind of like (turns) one and two at Texas. It’s shaped like a mile-and-a-half, but the way the rubber gets laid down and the way the groove moves around, I still haven’t really figured that place out. It’s really tough.”

Your experience at Nashville consists of two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and one NASCAR Cup Series start. What’s the learning curve been like for you at Nashville?

“It’s been a lot more fun in the Cup Series car, I know that. It’s pretty wide and you can kind of go wherever. We weren’t very good there in Xfinity, so I’m running double duty this weekend, Xfinity and Cup, just so I can try and get more laps and figure that place out.”

We’ve talked about how differently the Xfinity car drives from the Cup car, but in regard to Nashville, is it really just about getting more seat time?

“It’s probably like swinging a bat, which is usually the same, but the pitches are a little bit different. You’re on the same track, so you can see how the track evolves and how the rubber gets laid down, but the cars drive quite a bit differently. There are some differences, but seat time is the most important thing.”

How has your intermediate track performance been this year?

“Our cars just seem like they drive a little better at intermediate tracks and are a little more competitive. We show up pretty good. At the short tracks, we kind of struggle for whatever reason that may be. It seems like we’ve been more competitive on the mile-and-a-halves.”

When you unload strong and you’re not playing from behind in that finite window of practice, how helpful is it to know you’re where you need to be so you can just fine-tune?

“It just makes your weekend a little bit smoother. When you’re not close, you’re scratching your head and probably overthinking.”

Nashville is the home of country music. What artists do you listen to and follow?

“I like Jon Pardi quite a bit. He’s pretty good. I’ve seen Cole Swindell at a few concerts. I’m buddies with him. He puts on a good show and it’s always good to go see him.”

No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia