Category: NASCAR Cup PR

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 19, 2019

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BEHR ULTRA CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW IS YOUR CAR HERE?

“We were a little off to start with. We were trying something, and it didn’t quite work out the way we wanted it to, but I feel like we can get it right before qualifying. We can make a little change here and make a good, solid qualifying run and we will go out there and race them.”

YOU GUYS HAVE HAD A LOT OF SPEED THIS YEAR AND IT HASN’T TRANSLATED INTO FINISHES. IS IT MORE FRUSTRATING TO HAVE SPEED AND NOT FINISHES THAN TO NOT HAVE SPEED?

“That is very frustrating. We have the cars that are capable of running up front and winning races, and not getting the results you could……I mean, Kentucky is a great example. We ran third in the Stage and then right after that, you blow a transmission. Its part of it. And things have happened this year that haven’t happened in the past. The resilience is there though. The speed in the cars and the effort hasn’t changed. We haven’t given up and we are going to do our best to get a win and get in the Playoffs.”

YOU GUYS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD AT PICKING UP POINTS, BUT GIVEN YOUR SITUATION, YOU HAVE TO GO HAIL MARY DON’T YOU?

“We have been that way for a little while now. And that is the way I kind of want to be. I want to be able to win a race because I feel like if you can’t win a race, then you aren’t going to win the points on this side. You have to be able to win races. We just constantly work to get our cars as good as we can get them, and keep on trucking that way.”

DO YOU THINK YOU COULD MAKE MISTAKES YOU USUALLY DON’T BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING SO HARD TO WIN?
“I don’t know. I have been pretty aggressive this year in making moves and doing certain things. There are things you wish you could take back in the past, just to get the finishes. But I am trying to win. That is my main goal and its been that way all year. It’s a lot more fun in getting a trophy and going to victory lane than just points racing.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT JUST COMING UP TO NEW HAMPSHIRE ONCE A YEAR NOW?
“Well, I have always loved the weather up here and love the race fans up here. They are really great fans and track-wise, it’s always fun. Its cool what they are doing to it to try and put two lanes down out there. It always seems to open up in the race and widen out more than in practice or in qualifying.”

HOW DO YOU LIKE THE HEAT? DO YOU TOLERATE IT OR DO YOU LIKE IT?

“I don’t mind it. I feel like I do a pretty good job of hydrating and keeping myself in good physical condition. It doesn’t seem to bother me.”

HOW MUCH DOES THIS COME DOWN TO A FUEL MILEAGE RACE?

“It has in the past. I have been a part of them where you are saving fuel and thinking you are going to have enough fuel to make it to the end. It can be that.”

THIS TRACK IS KNOWN FOR LONG GREEN FLAG RUNS. HOW COULD THAT EFFECT YOU MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY ON SUNDAY?

“I am a long run guy. I love long runs and that has always been our bread and butter when it comes to RCR. But long runs have been a positive point in my career and I have always felt like I am one of the guys that if it comes down to saving tires or running a long run, I am there.

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.

Toyota Racing Post-Qualifying Report
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – July 19, 2019

TOYOTA STARTING POSITIONS
1st, Brad Keselowski*
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, Kurt Busch*
4th, ERIK JONES
5th, Ryan Blaney*
6th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
7th, MATT DIBENEDETTO
23rd, DENNY HAMLIN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

ERIK JONES, No. 20 STANLEY Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 4th

How’s your car this weekend?

“It was kind of a struggle this morning, but actually there it felt pretty good. Definitely a lot better than what we had in practice. I missed it a little bit on the lap. It had some more in it. Just didn’t hit it right. The Stanley Camry felt good there, so I think that was the first time all day I’ve had a good feel in the car and if we can kind of transfer that into tomorrow, that’d be a positive.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 SiriusXM Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 6th

How was your Camry in qualifying?

“It was sixth best. I was hoping for first best. I don’t know. I thought we had a pretty good practice today. Things went smooth which was good. We haven’t had one of those in a few weeks. Definitely happy with that. Just didn’t hit my marks quite perfect here. This place is all about timing and managing your pedals and your steering and the groove you’re in. The Speedy Dry down there in Turn 1 and 2 had everybody really messed up and I probably undershot my marks a little bit getting in there. Overall it was a good start. The top five or six or whatever is really close. Two or three little things I could’ve hit better and I think we’d have a shot at the pole, so it’s a good day.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 95 Procore Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing

Qualifying Position: 7th

Are you happy with your Camry this weekend?

“Yeah, P3 in practice was really good, so I hopped in it and ran just nice smooth laps. These types of places seem to be where we really excel. The short tracks, road courses, places with the most off throttle time are where our guys know how to give me a fast race car, so I hope that turns out to be a pretty good lap. It seemed to be okay. The track’s a little slick in (Turns) 1 and 2. I had to really be careful and adjust my line.”

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

Qualifying Position: 23rd

How was the backup car in qualifying?

“We don’t know. We won’t know until tomorrow, but obviously it’s not as good as the primary. It’s a backup for a reason. It’s been in the trailer for a long time, so we’re going to do the best we can with it. Hopefully execute well and have the right strategy and good track position and try to make something of the weekend.”

Toyota Racing – Kyle Busch
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – July 19, 2019

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch was made available to the media in New Hampshire:

Kyle Busch, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How do you look at your career as the pre-Brexton era versus now?

“I don’t know that I’ve ever necessarily looked at a pre-Brexton era and a post. There’s something else that kind of happened around that same timeframe and that was Adam Stevens (crew chief). I think just having the opportunities to work with him and to have the communications that we had from the Xfinity side that transferred to the Cup side since 2015. Since having Brexton there’s been some good success as well too – the championship in 2015 and certainly would have liked to have won a couple more. We’ve been in the Championship 4 four years in a row, but can’t seem to close out the deal when it matters most in the final race, the only race that counts. We’ve just got to keep fighting for that and try to get better and making sure that we’re ready to go when it comes down to that time.”

A lot of concerns about the heat with the way the cars are sealed off with the right-side windows, the engine bay, etc. Are you expecting it to be bad on Sunday with the temperatures in the mid-90s?

“There’s nothing I’m going to do to change it. The hotter, the better. Bring it. I’ve been working my ass off for two years for days like this, so let’s go.”

Is it because of the way that the right-side is sealed off and that’s sort of why the cars heat up?

“It’s hot outside. There’s this whole thing called global warming (laughter) that we’re all aware of or not very aware of, however you want to interpret that. With the race cars, they’re hot things anyways. Exhaust temperatures are in the thousands of degrees. Your engine temperatures are running hotter now than they’ve ever run before, so you’ve got the underbody – with our cars being sealed off closer to the ground, there’s less air flow underneath the cars, so it kinds of just gets heat soaked. You can definitely feel those things throughout the course of the day. When you get in the car and you strap in and you put your helmet on, everything is kind of cool, you feel okay. Then as the race progresses and you have long green-flag runs, everything heat soaks and gets up to temperature. That’s when you start to feel the hottest. Right-side windows being in there? Yeah, that doesn’t help things. They give us a NACA that we’re able to have, but obviously the crew chiefs say it’s better to have that closed off. We’re allowed dampers on our hoses and so we run them closed all the time. It’s just do what we’re told to do and suffer the consequences I guess.”

How does the heat affect things during the race, especially with the PJ1 on the track?

“So if it was cold outside – let’s say it was in the 50s or something here, you know track temp being probably in the 70s or something – it would take a little bit for that (PJ1) to get burnt in for it to get warmed up for it to activate for it to become stickier. I guess the best explanation I can give you is – this is going against code for Mars, but Jolly Rancher, right? Like if it’s a cold Jolly Rancher, it’s probably sticky, but it’s not that sticky. When it gets hot, you leave it inside the cockpit of your car, it’s going to be really sticky. That’s essentially the comparison I have. That’s kind of how I look at it. The warmer it is, it’ll be sticky for a while and then once it gets – there might even be a time in which it’s too hot that then it’s just slimy. I don’t think we’ll see that here this weekend though. I think that stuff is pretty good.”

Does the car and its tires pick up the PJ1 as they run on it?

“It wears it away, yes. So the rubber of your tire as you’re running on it, they spray it and then they burn it in with the Tire Dragon or whatever and then as you, as we run across it, like last week you can kind of see us taking away the black that it leaves when they first put it down and it turns into a sheen. It’s kind of like taking it away. It’s just wearing it away. It kind of polishes it per se.”

Do you feel like you have a good notebook with the new car configuration that you can take back to Pocono next week and be successful with?

“I’d like to think so. We were pretty good there last time. There were a couple guys that were as fast as we were. It was kind of hard to pass in certain situations. There was some unique opportunities on restarts that didn’t really seem to present itself that we all expected it to. Past all that, for as good as we were, we’re not going back with the PJ1 being sprayed on lane two in all three corners or lane two and three in all three corners, so that’ll be a different variable than we’ve had there in the past and we’ll just have to play it all out and see what happens when we get there. Typically at those places and like any mile-and-a-half that we go to where you have to get out of the gas just a little bit, it seems like us, the 18, the (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) cars, we can run okay with those guys, but anywhere that we go that you have to run wide open all the way around, like Kansas or Chicago, we sort of struggle and there’s some other teams that are better than us. Like California we were super fast because you had to get out of the gas and play with it some and then Pocono was that same way, so we were really fast there, so I feel good about that at least going back.”

How do you think the PJ1 will affect Pocono?

“I don’t know if it will. You would like to think that it’s going to present more opportunities to just get out of the guy in front of you’s wake. I think what we’re expecting it to do is if you go off into the corner and you follow somebody, you have to lose ground to them in order to maintain the same line that they’re running. You can’t gain on them following them. You have less downforce. You’re just not going to make that time. If you can offset yourself wider than them, you can at least maintain that gap and you can come off the corner kind of with a little bit of a momentum from the high side that it typically gives you, then you can make a run on the straightaways and you have a chance to be able to race with the guy that you’re following and you don’t just have to be stuck behind him. That’s the theory anyways. We’ll see how that works.”

Does the rubber from the Modified cars affect the Cup Series cars on the track?

“It always does. I guess sometimes if you’re loose, you get looser. If you’re tight, you get tighter. It just kind of depends. It just seems like it’s a little bit greasier of a feel to fire off with and as that burns off or as we pull that rubber off and put our rubber down, I wouldn’t say it necessarily picks up grip, it just becomes more constant and consistent. We’ve got Xfinity cars right now wearing some PJ1 off and then you’re going to have a Modified race and then you’re going to have Xfinity cars again and then we’ll have our qualifying. I expect our qualifying to be slower than what we had in practice and then I’m sure they’ll probably re-apply either tonight or maybe even tomorrow after the Xfinity race.”

How do you approach NHMS?

“I love coming up here. I’ve got a lot of friends from the area. I’ve raced over at Thunder Road before. I’ve race over at Oxford before, so I’ve been around this area a little bit racing the short tracks and stuff. A few of those friends come on over here sometimes and visit a little bit, so that’s good. I enjoy coming to New Hampshire. This has been a pretty successful place for us. We tend to qualify well here, race well here. We’ve won here a couple of times. We’ve been kind of the car to beat, one of the guys to beat here for I think about, I don’t know, the last two, three, four years maybe. Sometimes guys really, really hit on it and the they’re better than us and we’re just always consistently good here, so hopefully we can keep that pattern going at least and be consistently good here again, but maybe we can hit on it better than somebody else and try to win.”

Why do Cup Series drivers come out to local short tracks and why do you think that’s important?

“I think it’s important to be able to have a strong foundation. Our sport it based off the short track ranks. It’s based off grassroots racing and so having people be able to come out and support their local short tracks, that’s where stars are born. They pick up their start, whether it’s in Legends cars or Bandeleros or go-karts or whatever it might be and move into Modifieds and Late Models and stuff from the local short tracks all the way up through to the big time. If we don’t have those short tracks surviving, you’re not going to have younger generations being able to learn and grow and develop their talents into being able to moving up the ladder. It’s important to keep the bases strong. I know Kevin Harvick is very passionate about it, myself, some of these other guys – I know (Kyle) Larson does a lot of the dirt stuff, Denny Hamlin has had his charity race a few times at some of his favorite local short tracks that he’s grown up at. It’s good to have those guys that still kind of give back to that community and know where we all go out start.”

Would you ever get into a Modified car?

“No. The deal behind that was that years ago I asked, I wanted to run one and J.D. Gibbs told me no, so I’ve respected his wishes and haven’t asked to run a Modified race here. I’d like to. I’d do it, but I just respect his wishes. If they ran the Late Models here when we were here for a weekend, I’d probably bring my Late Model up and run the Late Model race because I’m used to those cars. I’ve run those cars a long time. I’ve run at the Milwaukee Mile before so it’d be cool to run here.”

Do you agree that your dad running you and Kurt in so many different types of racing growing up really helped you become complete drivers?

“Absolutely. Yes, if I had to do it over again, I would do a lot of the same stuff and matter of fact, there’s probably a couple of more things that I’d like to get in and drive that I never did get the chance to drive. I do actually kind of have that chance to do it over again, that’s if my son wants to do it, put him in some stuff. Quarter midgets I never ran. I don’t know if we need to do the go-kart thing, but you know get into the Legends cars again, the Bandeleros, stuff like that, Modifieds. By doing all those things – like Legends we ran pavement and dirt and road course. Modifieds we ran pavement and dirt. Late Models we ran pavement. We could’ve run Late Models on dirt, we just never knew of anybody. We couldn’t afford that, so we never knew of anybody that we could get in a Late Model car. They weren’t really that popular out West, but they’re really popular out here. Obviously running Super Lates and stuff like that across the country in different series is pretty neat seeing different guys racing against different top guys that have been at some of these places for years like Mike Rowe up here or the other one is passing my mind right now. Why can’t I think of it? (Dale) Shaw. You know guys like that. You know going and running Junior Hanley, running against guys like that, is something that was cool for me to do when I was 16, 17 years old. You’d give anything to have those days back and do that over again.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, July 19, 2019

EVENT: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, Loudon, NH.  (Media Availabilities)

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang – HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE HEAT THAT IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND? “You really just try to hydrate as much as you can and also you eat good on race day.  You don’t want anything bad in your system and also have as many electrolytes as you can.  We usually all have something that we use to try and get some electrolytes in us, so that’s pretty big.”

DO YOU HAVE A COOL BOX IN THE CAR?  “Yeah, I have an A/C unit in the car, so that helps a little bit for sure, and you can always dump water on yourself and stuff like that, and that helps a lot.”

IS IT BASICALLY YOU, CHRISTOPHER BELL AND TYLER REDDICK AS FAR AS CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITES GO THIS YEAR?  “So far, for sure.  We’ll see if a fourth guy comes in or not, but it all comes down to one race at Homestead, so you never really know what you’re gonna have until there, but I think at this point you’re just trying to keep your own momentum up and try to get to Homestead.  We’re just trying to build as many Playoff points as possible and then from there when we get to Homestead we’ll settle it there.”

YOU’VE WON FIVE RACES THIS YEAR.  WHAT HAS BEEN THE DIFFERENCE?  “I think Mike Shiplett coming to our team was pretty huge and our engineer, Davin Restivo.  I think how much experience Mike has and the ideas that they brought over here, so I think that was pretty huge and also it’s my third year, so I have a lot more experience on how to work traffic and how to work all the different scenarios through the weekend.”

DO YOU CONTRIBUTE MORE FEEDBACK THAN BEFORE AND MAYBE YOU’RE MORE OF A LEADER THIS YEAR THAN THE PAST?  “Yeah, I think at this point there are still things I can do better for sure, but I think I contribute well to the team and able to give good feedback and lead us in the right direction.  I have enough experience to know what’s going to be good and what’s going to be bad and how the track should change.”

DO YOU FEEL THERE’S A BIG THREE IN THIS SERIES?  “Yeah, it seems like it.  It’s pretty crazy how often we’re one, two, three.  That’s pretty rare to happen, but right now we’re definitely winning a lot of races and hopefully we can just try to separate ourselves a little bit.”

WHO WOULD BE A CANDIDATE TO BE THE FOURTH GUY TO CHALLENGE YOU, BELL AND REDDICK?  “I guess Allgaier.  I think he has a lot of experience and races really good.  Sometimes he doesn’t have the fastest car, but he’s able to make a good day out of it, so I would say him at this point.”

IOWA IS NEXT WEEK.  HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING BACK AGAIN?  “I’m really excited about it.  I think the last race we closed in a lot on what the 20 guys have been doing there.  They’re always really fast at Iowa, so we were close last time, but I think we just needed to fine-tune it a little more and we’ll be right with them.  I’m looking forward to going back and seeing what we can do.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR MUSTANG JUST LIT UP AT KENTUCKY?  “Yeah, I think it was pretty huge.  Mike Shiplett just knew exactly what to do when the sun went down.  We kind of struggled through the day, but as the VHT wore out and the sun went down we just knew what we needed in our car.  That was the biggest thing and I think we had clean air also, so from there I just had to not mess up.”

WHEN YOU SEE BELL IS 20 LENGTHS AHEAD OF YOU AND YOU CAN’T GET CLOSE TO HIM, BUT YOU KNOW THERE’S STILL A LOT OF RACE LEFT.  HAVE YOU GOTTEN BETTER AT MANAGING WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD AT THAT POINT?  “The thing is you can’t really think about it that way.  At times during that race I definitely lost my cool because I was thinking that way, but you just have to think about your own car and how you think you need to get it better.  Whether the 20 is better than us doesn’t really affect us at all because you have to make yourself and make your car better, so you just focus on that and how the track is gonna change your car.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FLAT CORNERS HERE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE?  “I think here the biggest thing is rolling the center.  You’re always gonna be tight rolling the center, but that’s the main part of the corner here.  What’s really important is the entry and exit, having those good so you can set yourself up good for the center.  It’s a really technical race track and hard to get a hold of, but hopefully I can figure it out this time.”

IS THE ENTRANCE TO TURN THREE DIFFICULT WITH HOW BUMPY IT IS?  “It’s definitely difficult to get through those and you just have to kind of make sure you’re not locking the tires up and make sure you have your arc good and stuff like that, but it’s very violent.  I think the hardest part of New Hampshire is just the technical part of it and getting your center speed.  It’s all about working your brakes right and just rolling the speed.”

WHEN YOU WIN A LOT OF RACES AND GET TO THIS PART OF THE YEAR EVERYBODY ASKS ABOUT NEXT YEAR.  WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN A CUP CAR THAT HAS NEVER GONE TO VICTORY LANE OR AN XFINITY CAR WHERE YOU COULD WIN RACES, WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER DO?  “I don’t know.  I think you’d want to be in the car that could win, I guess, in the XFINITY Series.  It’s not bad to go to the Cup Series and learn and do stuff like that, but it’s all about what your situation is and what cards you’re dealt.  Right now, it’s always good to win races.”

YOU WERE THE YOUNGEST GUY TO WIN HERE AT ONE POINT.  IS IT GOOD TO COME BACK TO A PLACE WHERE YOU’VE HAD SOME SUCCESS?  “I won a K&N race and a Truck race here.  I feel like back then I had really fast cars, but I didn’t really understand the race track.  I was just on the gas and that doesn’t really work in the XFINITY Series.  You’ve got to know what’s going on and you’ve got to know how to work the track, so I feel like I have a lot better understanding of the track right now.  I’ve struggled here the last couple of years, but now I feel like I can go out there and hopefully compete for a win.”

Weirs Motor Sales/Adirondack Tree Surgeon – NHMS – Race Advance
Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Race 20 of 36)
Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon, NH)
Format: Three Stages – Stages End: Lap 75, 150, 301 = 318.46 Miles
Date/Broadcast: Sunday, July 21 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCSN and PRN

This weekend Corey LaJoie will make his 12th visit to Loudon, New Hampshire as a NASCAR driver, and his fifth as a driver in the Monster Energy Cup Series.

His wide array of experience includes starts in the K&N Pro Series and Xfinity Series, in addition to his Cup starts at the 1.058-mile track.

27-year-old LaJoie garnered one win and three top-fives in just seven K&N Pro Series starts at the Magic Mile. In the series, he las led 68 laps spread across four races at the track.

To some, traveling to New Hampshire Motor Speedway may just be another stop on the schedule. For team owner Archie St. Hilaire, and general manager Mason St. Hilaire, it’s a visit back home.

Sponsors native to the area will come on board for the weekend including Weirs Motor Sales and Adirondack Tree Surgeons.

With over 55 years experience, Weirs Motor Sales has the solution for those on the hunt for a new or used car.

Adirondack Tree Surgeons provides commercial and residential tree services including removal, trimming, emergency tree services and more.

Visiting the track is also special for LaJoie as its the site of his first start at the Cup level. He made his debut in 2014, driving the No. 77 Ford.

Catch the 20th race of the season on Sunday, July 21 at 3:00 PM ET on NBCSN.

LaJoie on the upcoming weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

“This is definitely an exciting weekend for our team. We do a big appearance at Bentley’s Saloon and then head to the track where I know Archie and our guys will have a lot of fans and friends up in the stands. I really like racing at New Hampshire and I think that [Crew Chief] Randy Cox and I can unload a fast Weirs Motor Sales / Adirondack Tree Surgeons Ford and compete all day Sunday. Thank you to all of these local companies for coming on board to support our small team.”

LaJoie MENCS career highlights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
Starts: 4
Best Finish: 27th (twice)
Average Start: 34.5
Average Finish: 31.5

In the Rearview Mirror: Quaker State 400
It was a weekend full of orange and gray at Kentucky Speedway as the Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.net team was back on board the No. 32. The Go Fas Racing team and driver Corey LaJoie also made a visit to the Keen Parts headquarters in Ohio for a meet & greet with fans. LaJoie qualified 29th for the 400-mile race, but would start 28th after the No. 6 had to start at the rear for inspection issues. Despite being the reason for a caution, LaJoie was able to preserve his Mustang from attaining any damage. It allowed him to pit for fuel to make it to the end of Stage One, which he would finish 31st. Under the Stage break, LaJoie returned to the pit crew for a routine stop. While consistently running top-20 lap times in Stage Two, tight conditions on the No. 32 hampered his efforts. He would hit pit road again with 10 to go in Stage Two for another set of Goodyear Eagles and Sunoco fuel, before rounding out the Stage 31st. For the final Stage in the Bluegrass State, the 27-year-old would make multiple stops for service over the final 101 laps. The team was hit with a speeding penalty on the last stop but LaJoie battled his way back up to 28th by the time the checkered flag flew.
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About Our Team

About Weirs Motor Sales:
For drivers in the South Portland, Scarborough, Saco, & Sanford, ME area that are searching for a reliable solution for a new or used car, auto service and repairs, or car financing, look no further than Weirs Buick GMC. Since day one, Weirs has been dedicated to the luxury and comforts that are found in a Buick and GMC vehicle. Now with over 55 years of experience on our side, we know how important our customers are and the incredible staff here goes above and beyond to prove that there is no better destination in Maine for a new vehicle. It’s no surprise they keep coming back to explore each new model that comes through our showroom, with help from our knowledgeable sales representatives!  With automakers such as Audi as well as plenty of Buick and GMC models, you never know what gems you will uncover until you take a deep dive into all that we have.

About Adirondack Tree Surgeons:
Adirondack Tree Surgeons is locally owned and family operated and has been providing professional tree care services to the Adirondack Region of Upstate New York since 1981. Owner, Phil Viger, and his staff of skilled tree care specialists, guarantee your satisfaction with any of their tree removal, tree care, tree pruning or stump grinding services. If you’ve experienced severe weather that has left you in a dangerous situation, they also offer 24/7 emergency tree services including branch and tree removal, and storm damage clean up. Adirondack Tree Surgeons provide tree care services for residential, commercial or municipal customers in New York’s Capital Region areas such as Saratoga Springs, Malta, Clifton Park, Ballston Spa, Lake George as well as other areas within the I-87 corridor. They utilize a variety of equipment and the latest techniques to quickly, efficiently and effectively complete each project, without causing damage to the surrounding areas.

Get Corey LaJoie Updates:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com .

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

Richard Childress Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Richard Childress has four victories as a team owner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Robby Gordon (2001), Kevin Harvick (2006) and Clint Bowyer (2007 and 2010). In 126 starts at the 1.058-mile oval, Childress also has two pole awards, 16 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,959 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 51 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,072 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.2. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.

Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3, @TylerReddick and @DanielHemric. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages –  http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3 and www.facebook.com/DanielHemric.

Catch the Action … The Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, July 21 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This Week’s Behr Ultra Defense Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Dillon has made nine previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, earning his best finish of eighth in July 2015.

Welcome, Behr … Founded in 1947, Behr Paint Company is one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains and surface preparation productions to do-it-yourselfers and professionals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Santa Ana, Calif.-based company and maker of the BEHR® and KILZ® brands is dedicated to meeting the coating and color needs of DIYers, professionals, architects and designers with an unwavering commitment to quality, innovation and value. To learn more about the BEHR ULTRA™ great products, visit behr.com. Behr is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS).

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into New Hampshire Motor Speedway? I believe they plan to put the PJ1 traction compound down again this year. Do you think that’s a benefit?
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway has always been a really fun track. I love going there. It’s a flat track. Entry is fun there. It’s different. It’s a different type of feel than what we have anywhere. You slide the left rear into the corner and you pick up the right front and the first person to get back to the gas is going to be good. The PJ1 traction compound has definitely helped the racing off the bottom because the middle to upper lane has been dominant over the last couple of years. It’s made that bottom lane more competitive and created more passing so I’m glad that we’ve done that.”

Is it hard to keep up with the track over the course of the three days at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the traction compound and all of the different rubber from different series being laid down?
“For sure. It’s a constant battle of trying to keep up with the track and get the car better for each end of the track. There are some bumps in Turn 3 that you have to deal with sometimes. It is a constant battle but it’s cool to see all the racing that goes on during the weekend with Modifieds, Xfinity and Cup all racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.”

If you were to win Loudon the Lobster, the monster trophy that’s given out to drivers when they win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, what would you do with it?
“Oh man. I’d probably get a fish tank and keep him in it. I’d give him a good home so that he could live out his days comfortably as a trophy.”

Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 Okuma Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Hemric will be making his first NASCAR Cup Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in this weekend’s 301-lap event. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has made two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the ‘Magic Mile,’ earning an average start of 5.5 and an average finish of 11.5, with a total of three laps led.

About Okuma … America Corporation Okuma America Corporation is the U.S.-based sales and service affiliate of Okuma Corporation, a world leader in CNC (computer numeric control) machine tools, founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan. The company is the industry’s only single-source provider, with the CNC machine, drive, motors, encoders, and spindle all manufactured by Okuma. The company also designs their own CNC controls to integrate seamlessly with each machine tool’s functionality. In 2014 Okuma launched the Okuma App Store, the industry’s only centralized online marketplace for machine tool apps and related content. Along with its extensive distribution network (largest in the Americas), and Partners in THINC, Okuma is committed to helping users gain competitive advantage through the open possibilities of machine tools, today and into the future. For more information, visit https://www.okuma.com/ or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter

Go Under the Hood … Want to understand how ECR Engines prepares for a race weekend? No. 8 team engine tuner Matthew Lombardi is scheduled to take part in a fan Q&A session in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway fan zone on Saturday, July 20, starting at 9:30 a.m. local time.

Meet the Driver … Hemric is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR merchandise hauler in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Fan Zone on Sunday, July 21, starting at 11:30 a.m. local time.

DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTE:
Is it difficult for teams and drivers to get a solid handle on New Hampshire Motor Speedway because the track is so flat compared to other racetracks?
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a place that you struggle with the lack of banking, but the braking zones are so rough and that is one aspect of the track that is not talked about enough. It is extremely rough under braking at New Hampshire. To have a car that is really good, you have to be able to get through the entry zone into the corner, carry a ton of speed and then you get to the actual part of the racetrack where you struggle with the lack of banking. You have to lean on your crew chief and team for your race car to be good there. I feel like my crew chief, Luke Lambert, and everyone on this team will be ready for the challenge and we’re hoping to put on a good show with the No. 8 Okuma Chevrolet.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … In 48 Series starts at the one-mile speedway, RCR has captured one victory with Kevin Harvick in 2007. The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has completed 9,326 of the 9,641 laps (96.7 percent) they have competed in. RCR has accumulated four pole awards, 14 top-five finishes, 26 top-10 finishes, led 854 laps and averages a starting position of 10.1 and finishing position of 12.0 at the ‘Magic Mile.’

Welcome Back, Kaz Grala … Kaz Grala will make his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series start for RCR in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at his home track of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Kentucky Review … Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 team captured a third-place finish in last week’s Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway.

The Points …Tyler Reddick remains the current Xfinity Series points leader.

Social Media … To keep up with the latest updates from RCR’s Xfinity Series teams, follow @RCRracing and @RCRNXS on Twitter. Updates can also be found via RCR’s Facebook Page and Instagram (@RCRracing).

Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s New Hampshire 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, July 20, beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on NBCSN. It will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 Gimme Radio / Medgadeth Camaro at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Tyler Reddick has one previous NASCAR Xfinity Series start and three NASCAR Truck Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. His best finish of fourth came in the 2016 Truck Series race at the one-mile track.

About Gimme Radio … Founded by digital music veterans from Apple Music, Google Play, Beats Music and Rhapsody, Gimme Radio is the ultimate listening experience for the metal music fan. Listeners tune in to Gimme Radio to hear world-class DJs, like Grammy Award-winning artist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, who are celebrating their 35th anniversary. On Gimme Radio, fans can hear music not played anywhere else…for free. And the best part is that the service allows metal music fans from around the world and the DJs/artists to communicate directly with one another in a live feed, in real-time, as the music is being played. Download the Gimme Radio app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and start listening today!

Champions Breakfast … Fans have an exclusive opportunity to join a special Q&A with 2018 NASCAR champions Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and Justin Bonsignore during the NHMS Champions Breakfast benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities. The breakfast kicks off at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, July 19, and tickets can be purchased at speedwaycharities.org.

Meet Reddick … Kids visiting New Hampshire Motor Speedway can meet Reddick when he takes part in a Youth Autograph session alongside teammate Kaz Grala beginning at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 20 at the NHMS Display. Also on Friday, Reddick will take part in a Q&A at the Xfinity Zone starting at 2:25 p.m. local time.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
A lot of drivers say New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a tough track to get a handle on. Do you agree?
“Absolutely. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of the most challenging tracks for me and a place I’ve fought with since I started going there in the Truck Series. I actually have only been to Loudon once in a Xfinity car, and my Chevrolet Camaro last year wasn’t terrible. I unfortunately just cut a tire down early in the race and had a long, long day after that. I’ve got a lot of faith though in RCR and my No. 2 team. We’ve had a great program this year and ran well almost everywhere we’ve gone. We’ve worked well as a team to get through some of the tracks I have to still learn a lot at, so I’m hoping to lean on them this weekend and get through it with the best position we can.”

What is it that actually makes New Hampshire Motor Speedway so challenging?
“I think it’s partially because of how flat it is, but also how it is also a bit of a hairpin place. Braking and how you release the brake petal has a lot to do with how well you run due to how much it affects your entry. That’s an area I’m still working on and want to get better at. It’s similar to the road courses and how disciplined you need to be with your braking there. It’s something I’m still looking to improve at.”

How exciting is it to have an iconic band like Megadeth on your No. 2 Camaro this weekend?
“We’ve had some really unique opportunities to showcase some legendary musicians on the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro this season. First, it was Dolly Parton back at Bristol Motor Speedway, and now we have Megadeth on the car for New Hampshire Motor Speedway thanks to Gimme Radio. I’m excited to showcase Gimme Radio’s metal station after having Gimme Country on the Camaro at Daytona International Speedway earlier this month. I actually listened to a lot of metal bands growing up and racing dirt late models, so to see one of the icons of that music genre on my Camaro for a race is awesome. It’s cool that in their 35th anniversary Megadeth is partnering with RCR during their 50th, so I hope I can make both organizations proud this weekend.”

Kaz Grala and the No. 21 HotScream Chevrolet Camaro at New Hampshire Motor Speedway …
Kaz Grala has one previous NASCAR Xfinity Series start and two NASCAR Truck Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which is Grala’s home track. The Boston, Massachusetts native has two top-10 finishes in the Truck Series at his home track, with his best finish of seventh coming in 2016.

About 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.

Meet Grala … Fans at New Hampshire Motor Speedway can meet Grala when he takes part in a Youth Autograph Session with his RCR teammate, Tyler Reddick, beginning at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 20 in the track’s Fan Zone.

KAZ GRALA QUOTE:
How does it feel to be back at your home track in the No. 21 HotScream Chevrolet Camaro?
“It has been a long wait, but New Hampshire is finally here! I’m beyond excited to get back behind the wheel of the No. 21 HotScream Chevrolet Camaro this weekend for my home race. I grew up just over an hour away from New Hampshire Motor Speedway, so it’s always extra special to get to race in front of my family, friends and hometown crowd. This weekend is also a home race for my sponsor, HotScream. I’m looking forward to introducing New England race fans to the spicy ice cream, which is available in hundreds of stores across the northeast.”

STUART, Va. – The past and present of the Wood Brothers and their Motorcraft/Quick Lane team come together this week as they’re preparing the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang that Paul Menard will race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while also unveiling their Southern 500 car, which is inspired by the 1957 Ford Sunliner raced by the team’s late founder Glenn Wood.

Wood’s son Eddie said he’s looking forward to this weekend’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at Loudon, N.H., a popular stop on the Monster Energy Cup Series circuit.

“We only go to New Hampshire once a year now, so it’s good to get to see that area and the great fan base there,” he said. “And we’re hoping to take some of what we learned at Richmond Raceway, where we ran well, and see how much of that applies at New Hampshire.”

Wood also is proud to help unveil the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team’s contribution to the popular annual throwback-themed weekend at NASCAR’s original superspeedway, Darlington Raceway.

The red-and-black paint scheme is patterned after the 1957 Sunliner that Glenn Wood raced in 1957 in his only Darlington appearance as a driver.

Wood, with relief from Fonty Flock, finished 17th in the Rebel 300 after blowing an engine.

Wood also raced the ’57 at Daytona in 1958 in the Convertible circuit’s final appearance on the beach-road course that preceded Daytona International Speedway. He finished sixth in that race.

Wood, one of the top stars of the Convertible circuit, had his best season in 1957, winning four races and two poles and finishing in the top five in 23 of the 46 races that year.

For his 89-race Convertible career, Wood had five wins, 43 top-five and 62 top-10 finishes and nine poles.

He also raced the ’57 in the series now known as Monster Energy Cup, simply bolting on a top to make it legal for the elite division.

The original car had an interesting history. It started its life doing endurance testing at Ford’s proving grounds in the desert.

“They were going to scrap it once the endurance testing was over, but my Dad found out about it and called John Cowley, who ran Ford’s NASCAR effort back then,” Wood said. “He gave the car to my Dad and they made a race car out of it.”

“They kept the red-and-black paint scheme that was on the car during the endurance tests.”

Wood said he, his family and the entire Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are thankful for the chance to honor his father, who died January 18th of this year.

“You want to honor your dad the best way you can,” Eddie Wood said. “And for racers, the throwback weekend at Darlington provides the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Wood said his family and the race team considered honoring Wood at Darlington last year but chose to recognize former driver Cale Yarborough on the 50th anniversary of his first Southern 500 triumph, which came aboard the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Mercury. It also was the first Southern 500 win for the Woods.

“It would have been nice to do it last year, but it’s nice to do it now,” Wood said. “It’s really a special paint scheme, for sure.”

But first there’s business to be done at New Hampshire, where Cup qualifying is set for Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Sunday’s 301-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on NBCSN.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JULY 21, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
THREE IN A ROW FOR CHEVROLET:
Kurt Busch’s victory at Kentucky Speedway was the third in a row for Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, following Justin Haley at Daytona and Alex Bowman at Chicagoland. Team Chevy last accomplished the feat in 2015 on three separate occasions. Most recently, it occurred in the November races at Martinsville (Jeff Gordon winner), Texas (Jimmie Johnson) and Phoenix (Dale Earnhardt Jr.).

AND FOCUSED ON FOUR:
Chevrolet has won four MENCS races in a row multiple times, most recently to close out the 2014 season at Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. That season, Chevrolet had another four-race win streak from July 27 at Indianapolis to August 17 at Michigan and produced a five-race winning streak from May 10 at Kansas to June 15 at Michigan.

SOLID RESULTS IN THE GRANITE STATE:
Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 19 victories in the 47 MENCS race at the 1-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon recorded the brand’s first win – and the first of his three at the racetrack — in 1995. Twelve different Chevrolet drivers have posted wins at NHMS. Chevrolet had a six-race winning streak at the track from 2009-12. GM brand Pontiac contributed two wins, including by Rusty Wallace visiting Victory Circle at the inaugural race in 1993.

BUSCH EXTENDS STREAK TO SIX YEARS:
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, extended his streak to six years with at least one MENCS victory by prevailing at Kentucky Speedway. It was his 31st career win and first since August 18, 2018, at Bristol. Busch is a three-time winner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is also tied for the most starts among current drivers at the track with 35. Gordon is the all-time leader at the track in several categories, including 42 races, 16 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes, 1,373 laps led and 12,267 laps completed.

TUNE-IN:
NBCSN will telecast the Foxwoods Casino 300 live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, July 21. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, in 2003 (twice) and June 2010.
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, in 2004 (twice) and June 2008.
* A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole 18 times at NHMS.
* Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 10 pole starts this season.
* Johnson leads current drivers with 79.6 percent of laps running in the top 15 at NHMS.
* Team Chevy drivers have registered 100 top-five and 190 top-10 finishes at NHMS.
* Busch’s win at Kentucky Speedway filled a gap for Chevrolet. The 1.5-mile oval had been the only racetrack on the current MENCS schedule where a Chevrolet driver or team had not won.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
* Team Chevy drivers have scored 783 wins and 709 poles in MENCS competition.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 – 8th IN STANDINGS:
“New Hampshire is always an interesting one for sure. Very easy to miss that balance in the setup there, I feel like. It doesn’t really compare to anywhere else – it’s kind of its own animal. Only going there once a year now is a bit of a challenge as well because you don’t see it twice like you used to or we do with other tracks. It’s just always tough.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – 9th IN STANDINGS:
“New Hampshire is a really tricky place to go. The track is sort of awkward, but very unique compared to anywhere else we go. I have struggled there in the past, but last year we were able to unload with a ton of speed which was great.”
ON THE PLAYOFFS:
“With seven races to go in the regular season, we are really focused on the points. Getting the win in Chicagoland locked us into the playoffs, which was what we have been looking to do all season. Now, we are looking at getting the most amount of points that we can during a race to get ourselves in a good position when we head to Las Vegas in September.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – 12th IN STANDINGS:
“New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) is just really flat and the PJ1 has really changed the game there. The line that you run and way that you enter the corner is way different now than it was before. I really loved that track when they didn’t have the PJ1, but it’s changed the game. You really need to get your car to turn well. It’s like a typical short track, you have to get in the corner well, roll the center and get off the corner pretty decent. Usually whatever you do in the center of the corner effects the rest of your lap at that track.
“I’m not a fan of lobster, or really any seafood, but if it’s for the win, then I will be.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 SCOTT COMFORT PLUS CAMARO ZL1 – 21st IN STANDINGS:
“We’re on a great momentum swing right now with our No. 37 team, and I know we can keep that up this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. I love short track racing, but New Hampshire is a whole different animal. We’ve improved our program, I feel like, at every type of track this season and I think this weekend is another great opportunity to keep moving forward. This is our last weekend with our Scott Comfort Plus paint scheme, one of my favorites, and I really want to be able to get a strong run for them.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 OKUMA CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS:
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a place that you struggle with the lack of banking, but the braking zones are so rough. I feel like that is one aspect of the track that is not talked about enough, it is extremely rough under braking at New Hampshire. To have a car that is really good, you have to be able to get through that entry zone into the corner, carry a ton of speed and then you get to the actual part of the racetrack where you struggle with the lack of banking. That is where you have to lean on your crew chief and team for your race car to be good there. I feel like my crew chief Luke Lambert and everyone on this team will be ready for the challenge and we’re hoping to put on a good show with the No. 8 Okuma Chevrolet.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 26th IN STANDINGS:
“I’m really looking forward to heading to my home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. New Hampshire is a track that I grew up racing at a lot, and I think with the traction compound applied it will really make the racing fun and you’ll see guys running that high line that you wouldn’t normally see. It’s a track that you have to be aggressive at, and mainly just get the right set up off of the truck and keep fine-tuning it throughout the weekend. We have a lot of friends and family coming this weekend and it’s going to be really fun to have everyone there.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 – 28th IN STANDINGS:
“For years, and years, I have always said the best NASCAR fan base is in New Hampshire. Ever since I’ve been going there, we have had great fan interaction and a lot of fun up there with off-track activities. And, it’s a short track race for us. That’s a place where you’ve got to manage your emotions. Short-track racing brings us back to when it all got started for everybody. That closed-course feeling, using the bumper, and trying to do everything you can to get around the guy in front of you. So, there’s a lot of heavy braking to keep the car underneath you and it’s flat, too. Getting your car to rotate through the center of the corner and have plenty of forward drive is what makes it fun and unique to just try to tackle and manage. I’ve always loved going to Loudon and I’m excited to get there again this weekend.”

Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 31
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 4
Poles: 10
Laps Led: 1,245
Top-five finishes: 26
Top-10 finishes: 61

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 783 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 709
Laps led to date: 233,500
Top-five finishes to date: 3,995
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,233

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

GM: 1,118
Chevrolet: 783
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65

Ford: 782
Ford: 682
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 132
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.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.058-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 20 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 3 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JULY 21 (NBCSN/PRN/SIRIUSXM)

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Chase Elliott
No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 23 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2019 Season
8th in standings
19 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
409 laps led

Career
132 starts
4 wins
6 pole positions
39 top-five finishes
66 top-10 finishes
1,652 laps led

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

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, July 19, at 3:15 p.m. local time in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway media center.

GRANITE STATE STATS: Chase Elliott is set to make his sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Last season at the 1.058-mile oval, he had one of the top three best running averages (4.03) and led 23 laps en route to a career track-best finish of fifth. Based on average running position, the Loudon, New Hampshire, track is one of Elliott’s best with an 8.75 average in his previous five events. The driver also has two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track. In those Xfinity starts, he collected a pair of top-10 finishes.

KELLEY BLUE BOOK RETURNS: This weekend at New Hampshire, the navy, white and gold colors will return to the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week, the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website www.KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars. KBB extended its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports prior to the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season.

GUSTAFSON AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 27th Cup Series race at New Hampshire from atop the pit box this weekend. In his previous 26 races calling the shots for five different drivers at the venue, Gustafson has collected two wins – in 2006 with Kyle Busch and 2009 with Mark Martin. The crew chief has also accumulated one pole award, seven top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and 488 laps led.

BRINGING CHEVROLET VICTORIES: Since the beginning of the 2018 season, Elliott has garnered the most wins of any Chevrolet driver with four. The driver of the No. 9 Chevy has taken the checkered flag at Watkins Glen International (August 2018), Dover International Speedway (October 2018), Kansas (October 2018) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 2019).

BIG IN THE LAST SEVEN: Elliott ranks in the top 10 for the most stage points collected in the last seven races (seventh, 50 points). The 23-year-old driver has also led at least one lap in five of the last seven events of the season.

CUT TO THE CHASE: In March, Kelley Blue Book launched its 2019 video series “Cut to the Chase” on Twitter. In the final video of the three-part series, Elliott is once again called upon to give some car buying advice via Kelley Blue Book in a lighthearted manner. The previous two videos were released in March – around KBB’s first primary race of the 2019 season – and in May.

HOME SWEET HOME: Two members of the No. 9 team consider New Hampshire Motor Speedway their home track. Engine tuner Tony Bove hails from Burlington, Vermont, approximately 167 miles northwest of the track. Interior mechanic Scott Honan is from Norwalk, Connecticut, approximately 200 miles southwest of the oval.

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William Byron
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 21 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
12th in standings
19 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
1 top-five finish
6 top-10 finishes
180 laps led

Career
55 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
1 top-five finish
10 top-10 finishes
241 laps led

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

POINTS, POINTS AND MORE POINTS: William Byron continues to improve week-in and week-out during his sophomore season in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the last seven races, going back to the 600-mile event at Charlotte in May, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has collected 240 points, the third-most among Cup Series drivers this season. In those same seven races, he has scored 64 stage points, which is the second-most of all drivers on the circuit, and currently holds a 46-point lead over the playoff cutoff bubble. In the last nine races, Byron is tied with teammate Jimmie Johnson for the sixth-best average finish (12.33) across the Cup field.

LIBERTY U RETURNS: Making a return this weekend, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet will sport the Liberty University colors for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Returning as a primary sponsor of the No. 24 team in 2019 for 12 races, Liberty University has a long history with the sophomore driver starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks and is in the midst of its fifth season of sponsoring the 21-year-old driver. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in business communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program.

NEW HAMPSHIRE NOTION: Of all the tracks on the NASCAR circuit, New Hampshire is one that Byron has had circled on his calendar. Last year, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native qualified 11th in his first Cup Series start at the “Magic Mile,” and despite fighting handling woes, he was able to score a top-15 finish, crossing the line in 14th. In 2017, he earned a top-five finish in the Xfinity Series after starting seventh and finishing third. The driver earned two wins at the 1.058-mile track prior to his Xfinity start. His most recent win came in the 2016 Truck Series race, when he started from the pole and led a dominating 161 of 175 laps en route to his sixth of seven victories that year. Before that win, Byron competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the K&N Pro Series East in 2015, qualifying on the pole and again going on to collect the win after leading 68 of 70 laps.

KNAUS’ KNACK: Byron isn’t the only one who enjoys racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – his crew chief Chad Knaus does as well. Knaus leads active Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs with three wins and one pole at the venue. The seven-time champion crew chief also has 10 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s on his resume at the “Magic Mile.”

HEADING HOME: Traveling to New England for this weekend’s Cup Series race, one crew member of the No. 24 team calls New Hampshire his home track. New to Byron’s team this season, car chief Tyler Jones hails from South Royalton, Vermont, less than 100 miles northwest of the venue.

EYES ON A FIRST-TIME WINNER: If Byron wins at New Hampshire, it will mark the 10th time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while racing for Hendrick Motorsports. Currently, the organization holds the record having sent nine first-time winners to Victory Lane.

‘NEVER GIVE UP’ ATTITUDE AT KENTUCKY: After qualifying 12th last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, Byron showed speed throughout Saturday night’s race at the 1.5-mile oval, including battling for the lead during the opening laps of the final stage. However, a late-race restart penalty forced the No. 24 team to switch up its strategy and fight back through the field. In the closing laps, Byron was able to work his way through traffic to cross the finish line in 18th.

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Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 43 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
15th in standings
19 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
78 laps led

Career
634 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
227 top-five finishes
360 top-10 finishes
18,781 laps led

Track Career
33 starts
3 wins
1 pole position
10 top-five finishes
22 top-10 finishes
323 laps led

LOBSTER TROPHIES: In his storied career, Jimmie Johnson has found Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three times including a sweep of the 2003 events when the NASCAR Cup Series raced there twice a season. The seven-time Cup Series champion also has one pole position at the venue, which he scored in 2016. His three victories tie him with eight other drivers for the second-most at the Loudon, New Hampshire, track, behind only Jeff Burton’s four.

RACKING UP TOP-10 FINISHES: Of the 33 starts Johnson has made at New Hampshire, he has finished in the top 10 an impressive 22 times. That total marks the second-most all-time at the “Magic Mile” behind only NASCAR Hall of Famer and former teammate Jeff Gordon. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 owns 22 or more career top-10 finishes at four additional tracks – Texas Motor Speedway (22), Charlotte Motor Speedway (22), Martinsville Speedway (24) and Dover International Speedway (24).

LAST TIME UP NORTH: The last time Johnson was in New England was for a different kind of race. In April, the 19-year NASCAR veteran completed the famed Boston Marathon by running the 26.2-mile course in 3:09, which qualified the 43-year-old for the 2020 event. He documented his journey through a series of videos with longtime partner Gatorade.

HOMETOWN RETURNS: New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the home track claimed by two members of the No. 48 team. Engine tuner Steven Legendre hails from Danville, Vermont. Legendre is a second-generation driver who used to frequent White Mountain Motorsports Park’s quarter-mile racetrack while racing late models at the local short tracks in the northeast. As he got older, he advanced to the Pro All-Star Series North and then the PASS South series before moving to North Carolina to attend school at Rowan Cabarrus Community College. No. 48 team engineer Ben Lynch is from Derry, New Hampshire. He played ice hockey in high school in at Pinkerton Academy and went to college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte studying mechanical engineering.

VOTE FOR HELMET OF HOPE: Voting for Johnson’s 2019 Helmet of Hope is now open and will take place until July 19. The five charitable organizations that receive the most votes during that time will each receive a $25,000 grant and an ice cream party, and will have their logo featured on Johnson’s helmet during the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on October 20. Visit helmetofhope.org for more information.

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Alex Bowman
No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 26 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
9th in standings
19 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
182 laps led

Career
136 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
20 top-10 finishes
456 laps led

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

BEST AVERAGE FINISH: Over the last nine events in the NASCAR Cup Series, Alex Bowman is tied for first with Kyle Busch for the best average finish. The Chicagoland Speedway winner has an average finish of 9.89 since the event at Dover International Speedway on May 5.

AXALTA ON BOARD: This weekend marks the eighth of 12 events in which the Axalta colors will adorn Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings will be on board this weekend in New Hampshire and then again at Watkins Glen International, Michigan International Speedway and ISM Raceway later this season. Axalta unveiled a new Axalta Racing website last year that includes plenty of behind-the-scenes content, photos, and videos. Check out Bowman’s page here.

BOWMAN STATS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Bowman is set to make his eighth Cup Series start at New Hampshire this weekend. The Tucson, Arizona, native earned his best start (eighth) and best finish (11th) at the track last season. In 2016, he made his first start behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet at New Hampshire when it was announced that he would take over for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10 events. Bowman has two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.058-mile oval track with an average finish of ninth. Back in 2011, the driver made two starts at the track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he completed 100 percent of the total laps run and also had an average finish of ninth.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAREER NUMBERS: Since Bowman’s first start at New Hampshire in 2016, the driver has made 65 starts and has two pole wins (Phoenix in 2016, Daytona 500 in 2018). Three weeks ago, he claimed his first Cup Series victory at Chicagoland. The driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has claimed seven top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 453 laps led with Hendrick Motorsports in that span.

NEW HAMPSHIRE CREDENTIALS: No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the seventh time at New Hampshire this weekend. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s resume includes one top-five finish, two top-15s and 10 laps led. In 2013 and 2014, Ives was a crew chief at JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His drivers earned an average start of fifth and an average finish of eighth at the Loudon, New Hampshire, track. From 2006-2012, the crew chief was a race engineer on the No. 48 team with Jimmie Johnson. During that time, the team had one win (2010), six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s at the venue.

EYES ON THE POINTS: Since the 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Bowman and the No. 88 team have captured 225 points, which are the fifth-most earned in that span in the Cup Series. The driver is currently ninth on the list of drivers who have earned the most stage points since that May 26 race, collecting 47 points in total.

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Hendrick Motorsports

SKELETON GLOVES: After all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers donned Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s signature skeleton-themed gloves to support The Dale Jr. Foundation this past weekend at Kentucky Speedway, both the drivers and Earnhardt signed the gloves. They are now being auctioned off to raise money for the Dale and Amy Earnhardt Fund at Nationwide Children’s Hospital as part of the annual “Driven to Give Gloves” program, which ends Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The fund supports the courageous patients and their families in the area of pediatric injury rehabilitation, research and prevention.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has accumulated nine wins, seven pole positions, 43 top-five finishes, 77 top-10s and 2,561 laps led. The organization’s most recent win at the track came in 2012 via Kasey Kahne after he started on the outside pole.

HOT STREAK: As the weather has gotten hotter, Hendrick Motorsports’ performance on the track has been heating up as well. In the last 10 races, the organization leads the NASCAR Cup Series with three pole positions and four runner-up results. Its two wins, 12 top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 580 laps led in that span are second-best among all teams, as is the organization’s average finish of 12.58.

PLAYOFF POSITIONING: Currently, all four Hendrick Motorsports teammates are in a position to make the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at the end of the regular season. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have both essentially locked in their spots by finding Victory Lane and rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in the point standings. William Byron currently ranks 12th in the standings, with Jimmie Johnson in 15th.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has a total of 12 championships, 254 race victories, 221 pole positions, 1,059 top-five finishes and 1,814 top-10s in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,500 laps since 1984.

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QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on New Hampshire:
“New Hampshire is always an interesting one, for sure. Very easy to miss that balance in the setup there, I feel like. It doesn’t really compare to anywhere else – it’s kind of its own animal. Only going there once a year now is a bit of a challenge, as well, because you don’t see it twice like you used to. It’s always tough.”

William Byron on New Hampshire:
“New Hampshire is just really flat and the PJ1 has really changed the game there. The line that you run and way that you enter the corner is way different now than it was before. I really loved that track when they didn’t have the PJ1, but it’s changed the game. You really need to get your car to turn well. It’s like a typical short track, you have to get in the corner well, roll the center and get off the corner pretty decent. Usually whatever you do in the center of the corner affects the rest of your lap at that track.”

Byron on a lobster in Victory Lane:
“I’m not a fan of lobster or really any seafood, but if it’s for the win, then I will be.”

Jimmie Johnson on New Hampshire:
“Loudon is one of the scrappiest tracks that we race at, great long straightaways, tight turns. The traction compound does seem to offer us some options but it seems to wear off during the race – it’s a tough little track.”

Alex Bowman on New Hampshire:
“New Hampshire is a really tricky place to go. The track is sort of awkward, but very unique compared to anywhere else we go. I have struggled there in the past, but last year we were able to unload with a ton of speed, which was great.”

Bowman on the playoffs:
“With seven races to go in the regular season, we are really focused on the points. Getting the win in Chicagoland locked us into the playoffs, which was what we have been looking to do all season. Now, we are looking at getting the most amount of points that we can during a race to get ourselves in a good position when we head to Las Vegas in September.”

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, July 21
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 318.46 miles (301 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 75),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 301)
2018 Race Winner: Kevin Harvick

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: ROXOR 200
The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, July 20
The Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 211.6 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
2018 Race Winner: Christopher Bell

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Next Race: Gander RV 150
The Place: Pocono Raceway
The Date: Saturday, July 27
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 150 miles (60 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 15),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 30), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 60)

2018 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Harvick looking to crack into win column by defending lobster

Kevin Harvick arrives at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) certainly feeling optimistic about his chances of – at last – scoring that first victory of 2019.

An eight-race winner in 2018 and sure-bet championship challenger this season, Harvick has done everything but celebrate in Victory Lane. And New Hampshire’s version – giant lobster and all – is one he is familiar with. A three-time winner himself – including two of the last four races – his crew chief Rodney Childers scored his first victory as crew chief at the Loudon mile, as well (2013 with driver Brian Vickers).

His 11 top-five finishes at New Hampshire ties him with Kurt Busch for most among active drivers. He has 19 top 10s in 35 starts – tying him with Ryan Newman for second-most in Sunday’s field. (Jimmie Johnson leads with 22 top 10s.) Harvick’s finished in the top-five in four of the last five races.

Rekindling that success this week would be well-timed for Harvick’s upcoming Playoff launch. He’s ranked third in the points standings – the only driver ranked among the top nine without a race victory this season. That he’s retained that mark in the standings without the benefit of a win only shows how strong his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team has been.

Last year’s dramatic victory over Kyle Busch was Harvick’s then-series-best sixth of the year. He would win two more races and finish third in the championship. Only twice before has Harvick gone this long into an eventual winning season without a victory. In 2003, his only win came at Indianapolis in August. And in 2012, when his only win came in November at Phoenix.

Over the course of his 19-year Cup career, Harvick has had only three winless seasons – 2004, 2008 and 2009. In each of those years, however, he still won a race in one of NASCAR’s other two top series – Xfinity or Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

A First For Truex

Martin Truex Jr. has four victories this year – his first season driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – and shows up at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this week likely wondering what it’s going to take to score his first win at the track.

He’s led at least 100 laps in four of the last five races on the Loudon one-miler. Of his 744 career laps led at the facility, he’s led 596 laps in that five-race span. He finished top-10 in five of the last six races and has 11 top-10 showings in 25 total starts. Yet third place (in 2007 and 2017) marks his highest finish.

However, the 2017 Monster Energy Series champ’s 11.0 average starting position and 12.6 average finishing position at New Hampshire are tops among tracks where he has yet to win a Cup race.

The Loudon mile has actually been a very positive part of Truex’s personal racing history. He earned his first ever NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win there from the pole position in 2000 – leading all 101 laps of the race – and won again from pole in 2003. He answered with a victory in the 2005 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

And there’s plenty of reason to believe this may be the year Truex earns a Cup trophy. He has certainly delivered on great expectations in 2019. After winning his first race this year – at Richmond in mid-April – Truex was winning about every other week. It’s been nearly a month, however, since his last visit to Victory Lane – at Sonoma, Calif. He finished ninth at Chicagoland, 22nd at Daytona, and 19th at Kentucky last weekend.

“New Hampshire has been one of our better tracks the past few years,’’ Truex said. “It’s kind of like Richmond in that we have run up front and led a lot of laps, just haven’t closed the deal to get to victory lane. Obviously we were able to finally win at Richmond this year, so hopefully we can do the same this week.’’

Kyle Busch in championship form

Kyle Busch came a literal split-second away from earning a season-best fifth win last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, instead finishing runner-up to his older brother Kurt in one of the most exciting final-lap duels of the 2019 season.

He shows up at this week’s New Hampshire venue only 11 points behind Monster Energy NASCAR Cup points leader Joey Logano and full of hard-earned confidence on the traditionally tough Loudon mile.

Busch’s three wins (2006, 2015, 2017) here ties him with five other drivers for most victories among the current field. He is one of only five drivers to win at New Hampshire from the pole (2017). (It’s been done six times, as Newman accomplished the feat twice – 2002, 2011.)

In addition to his impressive Victory Lane total, Busch has four runner-up finishes including three-straight from 2013-14. And the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was runner-up to Kevin Harvick in this race last year. His 11 top-five finishes ties him with Harvick for most among the field and his 15 top-10 finishes trails only Jimmie Johnson (22), Harvick (19) and Ryan Newman (19). Busch, however, has only 27 career starts compared to 33 for Harvick and Johnson, and 35 for Newman. And Busch’s 1,010 laps led is most in the field.

The 2015 Monster Energy Series champ is the only driver on the grid with New Hampshire victories in all three of NASCAR’s premier series. In addition to his three Cup wins, he has a historic six in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and three in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. He won both the Xfinity and truck races for three consecutive seasons (2009-11).

“Loudon is a Martinsville-like short track,’’ Busch said. “It’s a little more spread out, but there’s some rooting and gouging going on because it’s a one-lane track and everybody fights for that particular groove.

Trio to watch this weekend

Three of the historically best drivers at this weekend’s New Hampshire venue arrive in New England equally, if diversely, motivated to visit Victory Lane.

Veteran Denny Hamlin boasts the best average finish (10.2) and top driver rating (102.7) and his statistical work at the Loudon mile is impressive on any count. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has three wins, nine top-fives and 14 top-10s in 25 starts and is ranked top-five in all past performance statistical categories. This year’s Daytona 500 winner has two victories on the season, but not since Texas in April. He has wins at New Hampshire in 2007, 2012 and 2017. He’s currently ranked sixth in the championship and coming off a fifth-place finish at Kentucky on Saturday.

A seven-time Monster Energy Series champion and three-time New Hampshire winner, Jimmie Johnson hasn’t visited Victory Lane since Dover, Del. in 2017. He has finished in the top 10 in four of the last six visits to Loudon and won the pole position for the 2016 summer race. He finished 10th here last year and with only seven races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field, Johnson is ranked 15th in the points, needing a good boost to keep his title hopes viable. He’s coming off a tough-to-swallow 30th-place finish at Kentucky last week after back-to-back top-five showings prior to that.

Kyle Larson, the popular driver of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet, boasts the third-best average finish (10.7) at New Hampshire. He has four top-five and five top-10 finishes in nine starts at the oval. Among those results are three runner-up finishes – including both 2017 races. He was 12th last year and is highly motivated to hoist a trophy this weekend – his first of the year – after watching his Ganassi teammate Kurt Busch win at Kentucky last Saturday.

Kurt Busch brings the No. 1 back to Victory Lane

Prior to this past Saturday night in Kentucky, the last time the No. 1 car visited a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Victory Lane was October 10, 2013 when Jamie McMurray piloted it to the win at Talladega Superspeedway.

Fast forward though 202 winless races (184 with McMurray, 18 with Kurt Busch) and the Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was covered in confetti once again.

The win came in Busch’s 19th race with his new team and was also the first victory for crew chief Matt McCall after 163 races atop a pit box (144 with McMurray from 2015-2018, one with Jeff Burton in 2013 and the 18 with Busch earlier this season).

Over 20 seasons, Busch has tallied 31 Monster Energy Series wins through 667 starts.

To break it down – he has visited Victory Lane in three different makes (Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet), for four different teams (Roush Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing), in five different car numbers (Nos. 97, 2, 22, 41, 1), and with nine different crew chiefs (Jimmy Fennig – 14 wins, Pat Tryson – 5, Steve Addington – 4, Tony Gibson – 3, Billy Scott – 1, Daniel Knost – 1, John Klausmeier – 1, Roy McCauley – 1, Matt McCall – 1).

To compare to a few of his contemporaries, here are the same stats for a few active drivers who are closest to Busch in win total or starts:

Brad Keselowski: 30 wins in 360 starts over 12 seasons with three makes (Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford) for two teams (Phoenix Racing, Team Penske), in two car numbers (No. 09, 2), and with two different crew chiefs (Paul Wolfe – 29 wins, Marc Reno – 1)

Denny Hamlin: 33 wins in 489 starts over 15 seasons with two makes (Chevrolet, Toyota), for one team (Joe Gibbs Racing), in one car number (No. 11), and with five different crew chiefs (Mike Ford – 17 wins, Darian Grubb – 7, Mike Wheeler – 5, Dave Rogers – 2, Chris Gabehart – 2)

Kevin Harvick: 45 wins in 665 starts over 19 seasons with two makes (Chevrolet, Ford), for two teams (Richard Childress Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing), in two car numbers (No. 29, 4), and with four different crew chiefs (Rodney Childers – 22 wins, Gil Martin – 13, Todd Berrier – 8, Kevin Hamlin – 2)

Kyle Busch: 55 wins in 517 starts over 17 seasons with two makes (Chevrolet, Toyota), for two teams (Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing), in two car numbers (No. 5, 18), and with four different crew chiefs (Adam Stevens – 26, Dave Rogers – 13, Steve Addington – 12, Alan Gustafson – 4)

New Man Newman

Roush-Fenway Racing driver Ryan Newman sits only a mere two points out of being championship eligible for the first time since 2017. And he has opportunity to improve his chances at one of his historically best tracks – New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

His three wins ties him for most among active drivers (also Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin). His seven Busch Pole positions are most in series history at the track. Twice he won a race from the pole (2002 and 2011) – the only driver ever to do so multiple times.

Newman has seven top-fives and his 19 top-10 finishes in 33 starts is second-best in the field – tying him with Kevin Harvick and trailing only Jimmie Johnson’s 22 top 10s. Only fellow three-time New Hampshire champion Kyle Busch (1,010 laps) and New Jersey native Martin Truex Jr. (744 laps) have led more laps than Newman (722) among active drivers.

He comes to Loudon only two points behind Erik Jones, who holds the 16th and final Playoff qualifying position with seven races remaining in the regular season.

Newman’s best championship showing came in 2014 when he was runner-up to Harvick.

“We want to be in the Playoffs and have a shot at the championship,’’ Newman said last week at Kentucky. “There are two ways of doing that. We want to lock ourselves in with a win, but we haven’t had the performance this year to be in the top-five consistently in order to do that.

“I feel like we have made progress and I look forward to getting back to these race tracks a second time and show the experience we have gained as a rookie team. It has been a new experience and we have hopefully shown some progress when we get to these places. The goal is always to win, but if you can’t win or don’t think you can win, you hopefully get yourself pointed in and show enough progression to win in the Playoffs and keep moving up.’’

By the numbers

Nine different drivers representing five organizations have hoisted trophies in 2019. Joe Gibbs Racing still boasts the most wins (10) thanks to the efforts of Kyle Busch (four), Martin Truex Jr. (four) and Denny Hamlin (two).

Ten different drivers have won Busch Pole Awards. Hendrick Motorsports tops the series in this category with William Byron (three), Chase Elliott (two) and Jimmie Johnson (one), giving the team six poles.

Statistically, this season has proven to be one of the most competitive in recent years. Through the season’s opening 19 races, there have been an average of 19.0 lead changes a race – the most since 2014 (24.1) during that same time frame. The number of leaders per race (9.58) is also at the highest mark since 2014 (11.05).

Overall, green flag passes for the lead are up 46.6 percent compared to last year. There were 33 lead changes at Kentucky – easily eclipsing the previous best mark of the last five years – 22 lead changes in 2015.

The average Margin of Victory this season is 1.372-seconds and in 11 of the 19 races, the MOV has been less than one second, including Kurt Busch’s overtime win at Kentucky (.076-second) on Saturday night.

A look at what’s coming up

Seven unique venues make up the final races of the regular season – providing opportunities for a wide variety of drivers to win their way into the Playoffs. Below is a look at the seven remaining tracks in the regular season:

New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Measuring at slightly longer than a mile, New Hampshire is a shorter, flat track with variable banking at two and seven degrees in the corners and one degree on the straights. Former Loudon winners who have yet to visit Victory Lane this season are aplenty and have combined for 11 wins there – Jimmie Johnson (three wins), Kevin Harvick (three), Ryan Newman (three) and Clint Bowyer (two).

Pocono Raceway – The 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” has three unique turns (Turn 1 – 14 degrees of banking, Turn 2 – eight degrees, Turn 3 – six degrees) and long straights (frontstretch – 3,740 feet, backstretch – 3,055 feet, shortstretch – 1,780 feet). Last week, Pocono announced that they would add the PJ1 traction compound in all three of its turns, helping add another lane option for passing opportunities. Jimmie Johnson (three wins), Ryan Newman (one), Chris Buescher (one) and Ryan Blaney (one) have all won at Pocono but not, yet, anywhere this year.

Watkins Glen International – The Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York hosts this historic 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course. Of note – all of the active previous winners at The Glen have found Victory Lane in 2019 except for Kevin Harvick (2006 winner).

Michigan International Speedway – The Irish Hills provide the backdrop for this spacious, smooth and speedy two-miler that features 18 degrees of banking in the corners. Kyle Larson’s three wins each at Michigan is the most among active winners who haven’t won in 2019. Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman have a pair of wins each there, while Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer have one apiece.

Bristol Motor Speedway – Thunder Valley sets the scene for the half-mile, high-banked short track featuring variable banking (from 24 to 28 degrees) in the turns. Kevin Harvick, with two previous wins at the track, is the only other active former winner who has yet to be victorious in 2019.

Darlington Raceway – “The Track Too Tough To Tame” is an egg-shaped 1.366-mile track with 25 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2, and 23 degrees of banking in 3 and 4. Jimmie Johnson’s three wins top the list of drivers who have bested the challenge of the unique configuration. Kevin Harvick (one win) is the only other active former winner at Darlington who has not won this season.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway – While Pocono is a triangle that modeled Turn 2 after Indianapolis, the “Brickyard” is basically a 2.5-mile flat rectangle, featuring short straights between the turns, which are all banked at nine degrees. Jimmie Johnson’s four wins at the famed track are most among active drivers and are second-most all-time (to Jeff Gordon’s five). Joining him on the list of active Brickyard winners who are searching for their first win this season are Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman (one win each).

Parade Laps: Insights ahead of this week’s driver media rotations

Six drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson, Roush-Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ryan Preece and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon will be participating in this week’s media rotations at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in advance of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chase Elliott, 23, of Dawsonville, Ga., has already secured his position in the 2019 series Playoffs with a win at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April. He arrives in Loudon, N.H. after a 15th place showing in Kentucky. His last top-10 finish was six races ago – a fourth place at Pocono, Pa. He’s suffered two of his three DNFs on the season in the last four races – an engine problem on the Sonoma, Calif. road course (37th) and a crash at Daytona (35th) two weeks ago. He’s ranked eighth in the points and has already led 409 laps through the opening 19 races – putting him on pace to eclipse his previous season best effort of 560 laps led in 2017. Elliott’s fifth-place finish last year at New Hampshire is his best career showing there and only top 10. He led 23 of his 24 career laps led at the track last summer.

Kyle Larson, 26, of Elk Grove, Calif., earned his third top five of the season – a fourth place run – at Kentucky on Saturday night. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has seven top 10s and is ranked 13th in the Cup points standings. He’s still looking for his first victory of the season and has three top 10s in the last four races, including a season best runner-up finish at Chicago three races ago. New Hampshire Motor Speedway has always been a strong venue for the Californian. He has four top-five and five top-10 finishes in nine starts. He’s finished runner-up three times (2014 – second race, 2017 both races). Larson was 12th in last year’s race.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 31, of Olive Branch, Miss., put together a 12th-place finish at Kentucky on Saturday, his second such finish in the past three races (also Chicagoland), his best showings since a fifth place – his only top-five – at Charlotte in May. He’s ranked 19th in the points standings – 46 points out of the Playoff-eligible 16th place position – entering Sunday’s race at New Hampshire. He led the first laps of his career at the Loudon mile last year, but finished 30th. The Roush Fenway Racing driver has five top-20 showings in the last seven New Hampshire races.

Ryan Blaney, 25, of High Point, N.C., is having a stellar season in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, but is still looking for that first victory of 2019. He has five top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including a best of third place twice – at Phoenix and Sonoma, Calif. He’s finished top-10 in three of the last five races and is ranked 11th in the points standings. Blaney is coming off his best career showing at New Hampshire – a seventh place run last year. His only top 10s in six starts at the track have come in the last two races (also ninth in 2018).

Ryan Preece, 28, of Berlin, Conn., considers this week’s New Hampshire stop a “home race.” He’s logged plenty of miles at the venue, working his way up the stock car ranks with a runner-up finish in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Loudon track – both in 2017. He has one Cup start there – a 32nd-place finish in an abbreviated schedule in the No. 98 Chevrolet last year. The JTG Daugherty driver is looking for his first top-20 since a career-best third place showing at Talladega, Ala. in late April. He was 21st at Kentucky Speedway last week. He is currently second to Daniel Hemric in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contest and ranked 26th in the points.

Austin Dillon, 29, of Lewisville, N.C., must be encouraged because he’s leading laps of late – including a season-best 46 laps at Daytona two weeks ago. And he has won three Busch Pole positions (California, Talladega, Ala. and Chicago). The frustration for the 2018 Daytona 500 winner is in the finish. Despite his laps led at Daytona, for example, he finished 33rd after being involved in a late-race accident. The driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was 35th at Kentucky Speedway last week and is ranked 22nd in the points heading to New Hampshire, where he has one top-10 finish (eighth in 2015). Last year he finished 21st.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

New Hampshire is Joe Gibbs Racing country

The fact is no other organization has dominated New Hampshire Motor Speedway in both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series like Joe Gibbs Racing has. Rolling into this weekend at the famed 1.058-mile track, the JGR camp leads both series in wins; combining for 19 total victories (11 in Monster Energy Series and 8 in Xfinity).

Last season, Christopher Bell brought Joe Gibbs Racing their fourth consecutive and eighth total NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at New Hampshire – Tony Stewart (2008), Kyle Busch (2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017), Denny Hamlin (2015) and Christopher Bell (2018).

Bell will be leading the JGR brigade this weekend too, as the 24-year-old will be joined by teammates Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton in the ROXOR 200 on Saturday, July 20, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Bell made his series track debut last season at New Hampshire, starting second and winning the event. Bell’s teammate, Jones, has made three starts at New Hampshire, posting a best finish of sixth last season.

Back in the No. 18 Toyota for the third time this season, Harrison Burton will be making his series track debut at New Hampshire this Saturday. Though it will be his first start at the track, he will have some extra special experience in his corner, Burton’s father is former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeff Burton…who just so happens to lead the Monster Energy Series in wins at the track with four victories.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer leads the Big 3 to New Hampshire

It’s officially a breakout season for Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, who just grabbed his fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. Now the California native turns his attention to New Hampshire Motor Speedway as he leads the Xfinity Series’ Big 3 into this weekend’s ROXOR 200 on Saturday, July 20 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

With nine races to go in the regular season, Custer is third in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings with four poles (series-most), five wins (series-most), six stage wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s and has collected 31 Playoff points (series-most).

But Custer is not the only one, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick have also been outstanding this season. Bell is second in the series driver standings having posted three poles, four wins, 10 stage wins (series-most), 10 top fives, 11 top 10s and has accumulated 30 Playoff points. And not to be outdone is the series standings leader, Tyler Reddick, who has put up three poles, three wins, three stage wins, 12 top fives (series-most), 14 top 10s (series-most) and has gathered 18 Playoff points.

Expect the momentum to continue for the Big 3 in New Hampshire. Custer has made two series start at the New England short track posting an average finish of 9.0. Both Bell and Reddick made their series track debuts last season at New Hampshire with very different outcomes. Bell started second and won, while Reddick started ninth and finished 25th two laps down after a pit road penalty earlier in the race.

Also of note – Custer got his first career NASCAR national series win at New Hampshire when he won in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in 2014 at just 16-years old.

Regular Season Wrap: Nine to go at nine completely different tracks

The diversity of the next nine tracks on the schedule to round out the regular season is astounding and the ability of the NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors to navigate these different facilities at such a high level is quite impressive.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway – is the next track on the Xfinity Series schedule and this weekend’s facility is a 1.058-mile short track with variable banking from 2-7 degrees in the turns located in Loudon, New Hampshire. This weekend’s race will be the ROXOR 200 on Saturday, July 20 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The event is scheduled for 200 laps (211.6 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 45, the second stage on Lap 90. New Hampshire has hosted 32 NASCAR Xfinity Series races producing 18 different pole winners and 26 different race winners. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is the defending winner of last season’s Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire.

Iowa Speedway – follows New Hampshire on the Xfinity Series schedule and it will be the second time this season the series has competed on the 0.875-mile track with progressive banking from 12-14 degrees in the turns located in Newton, Iowa. This time around it will be the U.S. Cellular 250 on Saturday, July 27 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The event is scheduled for 250 laps (218.75 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 60 and the second stage ending on Lap 120. Iowa Speedway has hosted 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series race producing 12 different pole winners and 13 different race winners. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell has won the last two consecutive events at Iowa (July 2018 and June 2019).

Watkins Glen International – marks the first of four road courses the NASCAR Xfinity Series will compete on this season. Watkins Glen is a 2.45-mile multi-elevational course with seven turns located in Watkins Glen, New York. This year’s Zippo 200 at Glen is scheduled for Saturday, August 3 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. This season’s event is scheduled for 82 laps (200.9 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 20 and the second stage ending on Lap 40. Watkins Glen has hosted 25 NASCAR Xfinity Series races producing 15 different pole winners and 14 different race winners. Team Penske’s Joey Logano won last season’s Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – follows The Glen as the second of four road courses on the schedule this season. Though labeled as multi-elevational road courses that’s where the similarities of Mid-Ohio and The Glen end. Mid-Ohio is a 2.258-mile course with 13 different turns located in Lexington, Ohio. This year’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Drivers will compete for 75 laps (169.35 miles) in the event with the first stage ending on Lap 20 and the second stage ending on Lap 40. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has hosted six NASCAR Xfinity Series races producing four different pole winners and six different race winners. JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier won the Xfinity Series Mid-Ohio race last season.

Bristol Motor Speedway – will be the last short track the NASCAR Xfinity Series competes on in the regular season and the second time the series has visited the track this year. Nestled in Thunder Valley, Bristol Motor Speedway is a short track that is 0.533-mile in length with variable banking of 24 to 28 degrees in the turns. This season’s Food City 300 is scheduled for Friday night, August 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and will run 300 laps (159.9 miles). The first stage will end on Lap 85 and the second stage will end on Lap 170. Bristol has hosted 74 NASCAR Xfinity Series races producing 48 different pole winners and 47 different race winners. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson won last season’s Xfinity Series Bristol August race and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell won at the half-mile track earlier this season.

Road America – is the last road course the NASCAR Xfinity Series will compete on in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season and the third of four scheduled on the year. Known as one of the drivers’ favorite courses to race on Road America is a multi-elevation 4-mile road course with 14 different turns located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. This season’s CTECH Manufacturing 180 is schedule for Saturday, August 24 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. This year’s event will be 45 laps (180 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 10 and the second stage ending on Lap 20. Road America has hosted nine NASCAR Xfinity Series races producing six different pole winners and nine different race winners. JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier won this event at Road America in 2018.

Darlington Raceway – is one of the most historic and admired tracks in NASCAR history; largely due to the unique 1.366-mile egg-shaped layout. Located in Darlington, South Carolina with 25 degrees of banking in Turns 1-2 and 23 degrees of banking in Turns 3-4, the distinctive shaped facility offers a one-of-a-kind challenge to the competitors. This season’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is schedule for Saturday, August 31 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The event will be 147 laps (200.8 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 45 and the second stage ending on Lap 90. Darlington has hosted 58 NASCAR Xfinity Series races yielding 28 different poles winners and 30 different race winners. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski won the 2018 Xfinity Series race at Darlington.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway – is considered one of the most prestigious and historic tracks in American racing history. The almost rectangular-shaped four corner track is 2.5-miles in length with nine degrees of banking in the turns and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. This season’s Indiana 250 is scheduled for Saturday, September 7 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, IMS and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Indiana 250 will be 100 laps (250 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 30 and the second stage ending on Lap 60. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races yielding three different pole winners and five different race winners. JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway – will close out the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, not only deciding who makes Playoffs but also who is this year’s regular season champion. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile track with 20 degrees of banking in the turns located just north of Las Vegas, Nevada. This season’s DC Solar 300 is scheduled for Saturday, September 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The event will be 200 laps (300 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 45 and the second stage ending on Lap 90. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has hosted 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races creating 17 different pole winners and 17 different race winners. Ross Chastain won last season’s regular season finale while racing for Chip Ganassi Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch won the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas earlier this season.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

Kaz Grala tapped by RCR – Boston, Mass. native Kaz Grala will be back in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with crew chief Justin Alexander calling shots from the pit box. Grala has made three series start for RCR this season posting an average finish of 15.3. Grala made his series track debut at New Hampshire last season; he started 16th and finished 14th.

Team Penske & Paul Menard – Paul Menard returns to the No. 12 Team Penske Ford this weekend at New Hampshire for his second Xfinity Series start of 2019. Menard made his series season debut a few weeks back at Michigan where he won the pole and finished fourth. Menard has made seven series starts at New Hampshire posting one top five and three top 10s. His last Xfinity start at New Hampshire was back in 2014.

Burton is back with JGR – NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series contender Harrison Burton will be back in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota this weekend. Burton has already made two series starts this season for JGR putting up one top five and two top 10s. This weekend he will be making his NASCAR national series track debut at NHMS.

Truex making most of JRM opportunity – New Jersey native Ryan Truex, brother to Monster Energy Series champion Martin Truex Jr., has been tapped by JR Motorsports to strap into the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex has already made two starts for the team, grabbing one top five (runner-up at ISM Raceway), two top 10s and an average finish of 5.0. Truex has made two career series starts at New Hampshire, posting one top 10.

Parade Laps: Insights to the drivers participating in the media breakouts

Four drivers from the NASCAR Xfinity Series – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer and Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Kaz Grala – will be participating in this week’s media rotations at New Hampshire Motor Speedway leading into the ROXOR 200 on Saturday, July 20 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Rotations are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 19.

Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

Birthdate: December 16, 1994

Driver’s Age: 24

Hometown: Norman, Oklahoma

Hobbies: Dirt track racing, iRacing, golf

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Crew Chief: Jason Ratcliff

Xfinity Career Highlights:

In 2018, he set the rookie single season Xfinity Series wins record with seven victories; the previous record of five wins was held by three drivers – Greg Biffle (2001), Kyle Busch (2004) and Carl Edwards (2005).
Made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in rookie season (2018), and advanced to the Championship 4; ultimately finishing fourth in the championship standings.
Recorded 12 career NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in just 54 starts; including four this season (Atlanta, Bristol, Dover and Iowa).
He is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt for the second-most wins in a driver’s first 54 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts with 12 each; second only to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip’s 13 wins in that same time frame.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently second in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings, 67 points back from series standings leader Tyler Reddick.
In 17 starts this season, he has posted three poles (ISM Raceway, Texas, Charlotte), four wins (Atlanta, Bristol, Dover and Iowa), 10 top fives, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 10.0.
Has won 10 stages and accumulated 30 Playoff points.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Performance:

Made his series track debut at New Hampshire last season; he started second and won the race.

Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang)

Birthdate: January 23, 1998

Driver’s Age: 21

Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Hobbies: Watching sports

Team: Stewart-Haas Racing

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett

Xfinity Career Highlights:

In 2018, he made the Playoff’s Championship 4; ultimately finishing runner-up in the final driver standings while his No. 00 Ford won the owner’s title for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Made the Playoffs and finished fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings in his rookie year (2017).
Has seven career NASCAR Xfinity Series wins (Homestead-Miami, Texas, Auto Club Speedway, Richmond, Pocono, Chicago and Kentucky); including last season’s Playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway to win his way into the Championship 4 finale.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently third in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings, 75 points back from the series standings leader Tyler Reddick and eight points back from second place Christopher Bell.
In 17 starts this season he has posted four poles (Bristol, Dover, Pocono and Iowa), five wins (California, Richmond, Pocono, Chicago and Kentucky), 10 top fives, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 10.1.
Has won six stages and accumulated 31 Playoff points.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Performance:

Has made two series starts at New Hampshire, finishing ninth both times.

Tyler Reddick (No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: January 11, 1996

Driver’s Age: 23

Hometown: Corning, California

Hobbies: Riding ATVs, gaming, working on cars

Team: Richard Childress Racing

Crew Chief: Randall Burnett

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship
Also won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors; just third driver in series history to win the title in his rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).
In 2017, he captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Kentucky, while running a partial schedule. Currently has six series career wins.
2019 Season Highlights:

Current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship standings leader, 67 points ahead of second place Christopher Bell.
In 17 starts this season, he has posted three poles (Daytona, California and Daytona-2), three wins (Talladega, Charlotte and Michigan), 12 top fives and 14 top 10s – leads the series in both top fives and top 10s this season.
Has won three stages and accumulated 18 Playoff points.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Performance:

Made his series track debut last season at New Hampshire; he started ninth but finished 25th two laps down after a pit road penalty early in the race.

Kaz Grala (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: December 29, 1998

Driver’s Age: 20

Hometown: Boston, Mass.

Hobbies: Road Course/Endurance Racing, Wake Surfing, STEM, Coding, Working Out

Team: Richard Childress Racing

Crew Chief: Justin Alexander

Xfinity Career Highlights:

In 2018, ran 22 of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and finished with two top fives and five top 10s.
In 2018, Grala made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, finishing 22nd in points on a part-time schedule.
2019 Season Highlights:

Current 38th in the NASCAR Xfinity driver championship standings.
In three starts this season, he has posted an average finish of 15.3.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Performance:

Made his series track debut at New Hampshire last season; he started 16th and finished 14th.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

Tyler Ankrum earns Playoff berth with first career Gander Trucks win

Although he wound up leading a race-high 40 laps en route to his first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series victory, it looked like Tyler Ankrum was going to have to settle for second place until race leader Brett Moffitt ran out of gas on the next-to-last lap.

Moffitt’s miscalculation was to Ankrum’s benefit as he was able to charge on to a big win to lock himself into the postseason. The win was also the first NASCAR national series victory for his team, DGR-Crosley.

Ankrum certainly got to the Playoffs the hard way. He missed the opening three races of the season because he was too young to race at the tracks (Daytona, Atlanta and Las Vegas – per NASCAR rules, drivers must be 18 to compete at those venues and Ankrum’s 18th birthday wasn’t until March 6), he was announced as a full-time driver for DGR-Crosley.

After struggling through some sponsorship issues that took him out of the No. 17 Toyota for a pair of races, Ankrum was able to remain Playoff-eligible by jumping in the No. 87 Chevrolet for NEMCO Motorsports at Iowa and Gateway.

Since returning to DGR-Crosley, he’s posted a 13th-place finish at Chicagoland and then the win at Kentucky.

On the year, Ankrum has a pair of top fives and four top 10s.

Ankrum’s team is led by crew chief Kevin Manion, who is in his fourth year in the Gander Trucks after a long career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He joined DGR-Crosley in 2018 after spending 2016 and 2017 with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Manion has been atop the pit box for 20 different drivers in the Gander Trucks between 2016 and 2019. He spent the most time with Daniel Suarez in 2016, working with him for 13 races, highlighted by a win at ISM Raceway.

Overall, he has four wins as a crew chief in the series (including a pair of victories with Kyle Busch in 2017 – Kansas and Charlotte), 15 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes.

Ross Chastain breaks into top 20 – and now, officially, the Playoff grid

After declaring for NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series points leading into the June Texas race, Ross Chastain had to hit two marks – winning a race and breaking into the top 20 in points – to earn a spot in the Playoffs.

He won at Gateway. And then after last weekend’s fourth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway he moved into the top 20 in points for the first time.

Chastain now sits 18th in the driver standings, 23 points ahead of the 21st-place driver (Jennifer Jo Cobb).

With three races remaining in the regular season, Chastain needs to maintain the consistency he has shown all year to stay in the top 20 in points. He has just one finish outside the top 10 – his 32nd-place finish at Iowa after his truck failed post-race inspection and he was disqualified – and has five top-five finishes.

He has only two prior starts at the next venue on the schedule – Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 27– but they were strong finishes. In 2012 he finished 10th and in 2013 he crossed the line fifth. Eldora will be a new track for him, as he has yet to make a start on the half-mile dirt track. And his experience at Michigan, the final track of the regular season, is limited to a start in 2012 that resulted in an 18th-place finish.

Playoff picture update

By virtue of rising into the top 20 in points, Ross Chastain has earned his way onto the Playoff grid as the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series approaches the three-to-go mark in the regular season.

Currently five drivers have earned their way in on wins – Brett Moffit (Iowa, Chicagoland), Johnny Sauter (Dover), Austin Hill (Daytona), Ross Chastain (World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway) and the most recent winner, Tyler Ankrum (Kentucky).

Points leader Grant Enfinger has a 34-point point advantage over Stewart Friesen and would earn a spot regardless of wins if he stays atop the board.

And as the points stand, the remaining two slots in the Playoffs would go to Friesen and Matt Crafton.

That puts Harrison Burton (ninth on the Playoff outlook, 44 points behind Crafton in the last slot that qualifies for the postseason on points), Ben Rhodes (10th on the Playoff outlook, 48 points behind the cutoff) and Todd Gilliland (11th on the Playoff outlook, 100 points out of the postseason) on the outside looking in.

Each member of the trio probably needs a win to get a shot at the championship, but only Rhodes has a career Gander Trucks victory under his belt – both at 1.5-mile tracks (Las Vegas in 2017, Kentucky in 2018).

Up next

The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series has three very different tracks coming up to close out the regular season. Here’s a look at the tracks and some of the best performances at each by drivers not currently locked into the Playoffs with a win.

Pocono Raceway (Saturday, July 27, 1 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – The 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” has three unique turns (Turn 1 – 14 degrees of banking, Turn 2 – eight degrees, Turn 3 – six degrees) and long straights (frontstretch – 3,740 feet, backstretch – 3,055 feet, shortstretch – 1,780 feet). Last week, Pocono announced that they would add the PJ1 traction compound in all three of its turns, helping add another lane option for passing opportunities.

There aren’t any championship-eligible Gander Trucks drivers with a previous series win at Pocono. However, Grant Enfinger (June, 2016) and Harrison Burton (June, 2018) have recorded wins in the ARCA Menards Series at the track.

Matt Crafton has a pair of top fives at the track in the Gander Trucks, while Stewart Friesen and Ben Rhodes each have one top-five finish there.

Eldora Speedway (Thursday, August 1, 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – The half-mile dirt track is the only non-paved venue that the NASCAR national series visit, and it always provides thrilling action. The trip to the track in rural Ohio also provides drivers and fans with a unique qualifying experience, as the field is set by a series of five qualifying races and a last chance qualifying race. This summer marks the seventh race at the track for the series.

Matt Crafton is the only championship-eligible driver with a win at the track. In fact, his victory in 2017 was the last time the two-time series title winner visited Victory Lane – and he would love to secure a Playoff berth by becoming the first two-time Eldora winner.

Crafton, Enfinger and Friesen all have two top fives apiece at Eldora. They are the only Gander Trucks championship-eligible drivers with top fives at the dirt track.

(Of note, last year’s winner Chase Briscoe is scheduled to return to defend, but he’s not eligible for Gander Trucks points.)

Michigan International Speedway (Saturday, August 10, 1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio – The Irish Hills provide the backdrop for this spacious, smooth and speedy two-miler that features 18 degrees of banking in the corners. The Gander Trucks have raced 19 times at Michigan.

The only championship-eligible Gander Trucks drivers who have won at Michigan have already visited Victory Lane in 2019 (Brett Moffitt won in 2016 and 2018 at Michigan, while Johnny Sauter won in 2014).

Crafton has a trio of top-five finishes in 17 starts at the track. Todd Gilliland finished fifth in his first visit to the track last year. They are the only two drivers with top fives who are still trying to lock themselves into the Playoffs.