Category: NASCAR Cup PR

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY BREAKOUT HIGHLIGHTS
MAY 23, 2019

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CESSNA CAMARO ZL1 Breakout Session Selected Highlights:

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CHAOS THIS NEW PACKAGE BRINGS WHEN EVERYBODY IS SO CLOSE TOGETHER AND PEOPLE ARE MAKING BOLD MOVES AND YOU’RE SIDE-DRAFTING AND GETTING INTO EACH OTHER. HOW DO YOU MANAGE RISK VS. REWARD?
“It’s kind of trial and error. You can find out things and moves you can make and feel confident in it and make it work. It’s all pretty relative. We all know what we’re all fighting and how our cars shift and balance-wise versus how you cover up a guys nose or how close you get to the back bumper in certain situations. You know pretty quickly throughout a race whose car is better at certain places and what your car is capable of. It’s managing those variables in whatever situation you find yourself in and having this much knowledge from lap one until the checkered flag flies. Being able to relay the information is a big thing.”

ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH U.S. OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL SPEED SKATER, DAN JANSEN, AS A TRAINER, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT?
“Just picking his brain a little bit about if there’s anything different I could be doing from a hydration standpoint or certain foods that maybe I’m not looking at or haven’t put in my body to help me take the longer stints. You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s the way it is for me. I kind of thing that my routine and the things that he has taught me in the past that have worked for me. It’s just a matter of not knowing something. I’m sure we’ll talk at some point.”

ARE YOU MORE INTERESTING IN THE PHYSICAL THEN MENTAL AT THIS POINT?
“At this point, yeah, it’s definitely more the physical. I think the season itself has been a good mentally challenging deal to help me grow. A lot of things I talked about the other week has helped me with that stuff. Looking back at it, I think the physicality of what this weekend holds is probably the number one concern for everybody.”

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.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY BREAKOUT SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
MAY 23, 2019

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 KROGER THRILL OF THE GRILL CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW DISAPPOINTED ARE YOU BEING BETWEEN WIN NUMBER ONE AND EVENTUALLY GETTING WIN NUMBER TWO?
“It’s hard. You never think it’s going to be easy going to the next level, but you always want it to be. You want to be able to go out and have success. It’s been awhile since then to get back into victory lane. We are steadily closer. I think this year has gotten us closer to another win. Everyone has been working really hard, with Kroger, Bush’s Baked Beans, Clorox, Scott Products. Everyone is in this thing together to get another win and get ourselves into the Chase. Steady progress is sort of the name of the game. We made some big improvements in the off season. We are ahead of where we were at the end of last season and that’s awesome to see.”

YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE SECOND WIN, BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT YOU’VE HAD BETTER RUNS AND MORE COMPETITIVE IN SOME RACES THAT YOU DIDN’T WIN THAN THE RACE YOU WON. WOULD YOU AGREE WITH ME?
“For sure. Even in that year, at Bristol during the fall race, we were fast. Every time we go to Bristol, it seems like we are able to run top five. During the spring race this year, we were right around sixth when we had a little hiccup that cost us a good finish. Bristol is one of my favorite tracks and I always come back to that one, but a lot of tracks are like that. Just last week, we were competitive and should have been able to be top five. I would definitely agree that we’ve had better runs and better speed, it’s just breaking through that last little bit to go get the win. We’re getting much closer.”

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR WIN AT POCONO? DO YOU LOOK BACK AT THAT EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE?
“It’s always nice to remember. I remember sitting on pit road for well over an hour just waiting for something to happen. That was frustrating in a way; I’ve seen races called in much less time than that in much better conditions. With that being said, it was an awesome day for us. We’ve had runs where we were contending for wins that didn’t work in our favor.”

HOW IS YOUR STRATEGY GOING TO CHANGE NOT SHIFTING AT POCONO?
“The shifting part of it is almost guaranteed gone. With that being said, I don’t know if it will change much strategy. It might make fuel consumption a little easier to trace, I would say. It will get our fuel windows tightened up and provide a little better information there. The shifting was fun; I understand it with the way everything is that it wasn’t feasible to have that still. It’s not going to change a whole lot during the race. A lot of it’s the same parts of Pocono that are always important. You have to make sure you keep as much momentum off of one and three as possible. You have to set up for those long straightaways. Without being able to shift, you have to be able to keep that momentum up.”
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.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY BREAKOUT SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
MAY 23, 2019

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

YOU’VE HAD GREAT SPEED FOR MUCH OF THE SEASON, BUT NOW WITH THIS ALL-STAR WIN, DOES IT FEEL LIKE THE MONKEY IS OFF YOUR BACK TO BUILD SOME MOMENTUM?
“I hope so. I felt like we’ve had decent speed. I was surprised to get a win like that last weekend. I didn’t feel like we had the ‘winning speed’, but we were able to execute and get good restarts during the All-Star Race. If we can continue to do that and continue to improve our cars even more, then I feel like we can contend for wins. It’s still going to take a lot of hard work, but I was happy to win that last weekend. Win it for our sponsors and Chevy. Our Hendrick engines have been running really well. We just have to keep it going.”

YOU WENT A LITTLE WHILE WITHOUT HAVING A WIN. DOES A WIN IN THE ALL-STAR RACE ADD UP TO THE WINS FOR POINTS THAT YOU’VE HAD?
“A win is a win. It means just as much to me to win a non-point race as it does to win a regular race. I still had to beat the best to get it done. It would have been nice to be locked into the playoffs after it, but that’s not what that format is like. The All-Star Race is one of our top three or four races, so to win one of those feels really good.”

THE LAST DRIVER TO WIN THE ALL-STAR RACE AND THE 600 IN THE SAME YEAR WAS YOUR TEAMMATE. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THE SAME?
“We will give it our best effort, for sure. I’m not sure, but we’ll see.”

THERE ARE DRIVERS THAT ARE MAKING THEIR FIRST 600 START THIS WEEKEND. WHAT IS SOME ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO THEM TO GET READY FOR SUNDAY?
“Hydrate and don’t ask what lap you’re on.”

HOW DOES THE DYNAMIC WORK BETWEEN YOU AND KURT (BUSCH)?
“I enjoy working with Kurt (Busch). He’s obviously really smart and understands racecars a lot better than I do. To listen to him talk and break things down is really neat. It has pushed everyone at the shop and on the 42 team to be better. It’s been fun to work with him and have the competition with him. I want to beat him really bad. He’s been really fast so far this year. I definitely enjoy working with him.”

IN THE RACE LAST NIGHT, DO YOU RACE AS HARD FOR $5,000 AS YOU DO A MILLION?
“I felt like I had to race harder last night than I did last weekend. I definitely had to work harder to hold those guys off behind me last night than I felt like I did in the All-Star Race. During the All-Star Race, you have mirrors, spotters and dirty air. In outlaw carts, you don’t have mirrors, spotters or dirty air. You are really just doing what you can to guess what they are doing behind you. I felt like last night was much tougher just because I didn’t have any help. Like I said, in stock cars, you have help from your mirrors, spotters and dirty air. It was tough. I want to win; I want to beat a 12-year-old just as bad as Kevin Harvick.”
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.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 23, 2019

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 met with media and discussed the progress of the No. 24 team, his success in making the All-Star race last weekend, how he entered the sport and how that differs compared to others, and more. Full Transcript:

YOU HAVE ONE TRACK AT CHARLOTTE UNDER YOUR BELT, THE ROVAL, WHAT’S IT LIKE COMING HOME TO A LOT OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY?
“Yeah, it feels great. This is the most important race for me of the year. These two weeks are good. They didn’t go so great last year, but they’re going better so far. The All-Star race went really well for us for the most part. And practice today has gone well. So, I’m excited for it. Our car has good speed so far this weekend, which is promising. And, it’s great to be home and be able to sleep in your own bed and wake up and go to the race track. It feels like the old days.”

SO BRAD KESELOWSKI JUST TOLD THE MEDIA THAT THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CARS ARE THE BEST IN THE GARAGE RIGHT NOW. HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT SPEED AND GET A WIN OUT OF IT?
“There is still a lot to accomplish. That’s a good thing. Their cars were definitely the best at the start of the year. I feel like we’re catching up, for sure. There’s a lot of great cars out there. I feel like it’s probably the closest it’s been in a while. And, I feel like we’re starting to be right in that mix. It’s exciting to be close like that and to have opportunities and I know that with the speed that we have, we’ve been looking for that for a while now. So, it’s been refreshing to be a part of the mix.”

WHERE DID YOU THINK YOU GUYS WERE BEHIND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR?
“It’s probably a little bit everywhere. It think it’s not really one area that you really focus on, but it’s a little bit everywhere that makes a big difference. I think we saw a big difference when we went to Texas and we had a big chunk of speed there that we hadn’t had at some of the 1.5-miles, which was awesome. And we were able to finish sixth there, which was good; and we qualified second. I think it’s kind of carried since then and even carried over to some of the shorter tracks like Dover and some of those places have been really good, too. It’s been exciting.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL SAY FROM A YEAR AGO TO RIGHT NOW? YOU’RE IN YOUR ROOKIE SEASON AND FEELING AROUND A LITTLE BIT IN THE DARK. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE FROM A YEAR AGO?
“It’s been a big difference for me. I think there have been a lot of things that have enabled the confidence to be higher. I would say that just the more experience that you have and the more success that comes at this level and the more comfort you get racing around the guys and things like that. So, I think that’s led to some confidence is just having more speed and having Chad’s (Knaus, crew chief) ability to lead the team. We’re always one step ahead of things, which I think is really nice. He’s brought some of that comfort for me to just know that I can get in the car and do my job and I know that everything is going to be close to right once we get to the track, which is a big credit to him and Tyler, our car chief, and all the engineers on our team that do a great job.”

AS FAR AS GETTING THE FEELING THAT YOU BELONG, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN JUST HAPPENED IN A RACE OR IS THAT LIKE YOUR CONFIDENCE AND YOUR EXPERIENCE THAT BUILDS OVER TIME TO GIVE YOU THE FEELING YOU BELONG?
“I think it builds over time because you have to race around the guys for them to know how you race. And then, just know how they race too and kind of know what there tendencies are and what they’re going to do. The level of aggression in the Cup series is so much higher than the other series I’ve kind of been a part of, so you’re racing against 20 to 25 really good cars versus however many in any other series. That’s the biggest difference I think is the level of competition and you just kind of acclimate yourself to that. Even last week was a pretty big breakthrough to be a part of that All-Star race was a huge honor for me. It was kind of an exclusive kind of feeling that was really cool.”

ARE YOU ABLE TO TRANSLATE THE CONFIDENCE GAIN FRO THE OPEN AND THE ALL-STAR RACES LAST SATURDAY TO THE COKE 600? OR, IS IT JUST A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT KIND OF BEAST?
“Oh, definitely. You pull into the same race track in the same garage stall. That stuff all helps. Our team, the No. 24 team, does a lot of simulation work and a lot of training in the simulator that Chevrolet gives us up in Huntersville. It’s the fist time that we can actually go back and look at what we did after the race and say okay, now we can apply it to what we’re doing the next weekend, and we’ve never been able to do that. We’re kind of a relatively new team. I know when we go back to places for the second time as a group on the No. 24 we’re going to be better. It helps that we’re able to do that one week later, which is really cool.”

THIS IS THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF THE COKE 600. IS 600 MILES TOO LONG A RACE IN NASCAR? DOES NASCAR REALLY NEED A 600-MILE RACE?
“I went to this race growing up in Charlotte and I went to this race every year for a long time. And, it was obviously a long race to watch from the stands, but there was a lot that came with it that was really cool. Not too long ago, I was already racing, but I came when Martin Truex Jr. won and dominated that race and that was a huge deal, I thought. To be able to dominate for that long of a period in a race takes a lot of things to go your way and a lot of execution as a team. So, I think it’s really a special even for this time. I look at the Southern 500 as being in this category too. Those are races, as a driver and a team, just mean more. So, it’s in it’s own space. As a fan, it’s a really long race but you kind of know what to expect and you know the guy who won is typically one of the dominate people of the year.”

YOU HAVE TWO TOP 10’S THIS YEAR AND SOME SOLID FINISHES. ARE YOU AT THE POINT WHERE IT’S FRUSTRATING TO DO THAT WELL AND NOT WIN? OR, IS IT MORE OF A CONFIDENCE BOOSTER?
“We still have to knock off laps led and things like that to really get in the mix more. But, I would say last weekend in the All-Star race was our most solid, well-put together weekend really, that we’ve had. We had really flawless pit stops. We had no issues. At Kansas we had a couple of issues with having to go to the back. We’ve kind of had that a number of times. So, we’ve got to just kind of continue to put together races on my end and the team’s end to just make sure we’re in position all night.”

YOUR BACKGROUND IS DIFFERENT FROM MOST OTHER DRIVERS. NOW THAT YOU’VE HAD A COUPLE OF YEARS AT THIS LEVEL, DO YOU EVER THINK BACK AND WISH YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO A CAR SOONER? ARE THERE THINGS YOU STRUGGLED WITH THAT MIGHT HAVE HELPED? OR, DO YOU THINK IN ONE SENSE YOU’RE AHEAD BECAUSE YOU’VE LED A DIFFERENT PATH AND THAT HELPED YOU?
‘Yeah, I think it was a totally different mindset than most people growing up in Go-Karts and all that around a local track or something like that. I had a completely different perspective just watching it from the stands and always going to races as a fan and kind of expecting that to be where it ended for me. So, I would say it’s a different perspective. But I’ve been in it for a while now and that perspective has changed for me. I would say at first, yeah, it was a fresh perspective. I was really green to racing in general from the team side and from the driver’s side. But, now it’s kind of shifted for me in the last couple of years and not as much of a deal as it was before.”

THIS DIFFERENT PATH, HOW SOON DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE OTHER PEOPLE TAKE A PATH LIKE YOURS?
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask each individual person how interested they are in racing because I think that’s what it comes down to. If they’ve been following it since they were five or six years old and they just happened to start racing then or if they weren’t able to et in a car until they were 13. It’s still based on the interest that you have and the will to kind of make it happen. If they are expecting to just decide they want to go race at age 14 and just a random thought comes to their heads, it’s going to be difficult for them to make it work. But for me, I had studied it for years and watched it. Once I was 14 I was well ahead of my time even though I hadn’t been in something. So, I don’t know. I think there are a lot of kids out there that have a lot of potential that I’ve seen on iracing and just racing against them, that would do very well in a situation if they could get there.”

WE HAVE QUITE A FEW RACES UNDER OUR BELTS NOW AND YOU MENTIONED HOW THE TEAM IS RELATIVELY NEW. WOULD YOU SAY THAT NOW THAT WE’VE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT IN THE SEASON AND YOUR RECENT PERFORMANCE HAS IMPROVED A LITTLE BIT, IS THAT BECAUSE THE TEAM IS STARTING TO MESH BETTER? OR, WOULD YOU CONTRIBUTE THAT SUCCESS TO THE RECENT PERFORMANCE IN THE RACE CARS?
“I think it’s a little bit of both. If you don’t have the speed it’s hard to make much of a difference on the team side. But the gelling of our team I think has helped. The feedback I give, and them understanding what that means and also getting some info from them in terms of how I can help them in the car is helpful. So, I think it goes hand-in-hand. But you definitely have to have speed to be able to really make a difference or really see a difference.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Thursday, May 23, 2019
EVENT: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Media Availabilities

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – WHAT DOES THIS WEEKEND MEAN TO YOU WITH IT BEING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND? “The Coke 600 is a big race in our sport. Is it 60 years? Wow. Not only is it on Memorial Day Weekend, which I think means a lot to us and to the sport. Going back to the very founders of the sport and most of them being war veterans of some type, or some having experience post World War II, I think the ties to the military run very, very deep and it’s something we’re extremely proud to showcase on Memorial Day Weekend, but furthermore the race being 60 years old it’s become a very prestigious race to win with its own kind of folklore, and so it’s what we would call to borrow a term from another sport a major. I feel like we’ve been close to winning this race, haven’t pulled that off. It certainly would mean a lot to me for both of those reasons if we were able to win this weekend, so coming off last week. We didn’t quite have the showing we wanted, but the week before that in Kansas was really, really strong and kind of coming off of that as far as from a season perspective we have good reason to be enthusiastic, but this race presents a number of really large challenges. I don’t think there’s any track like this that goes through such a transition from day to night, nor is there a track like this where we run 600 miles, so the physical toll is very grueling and the mental toll of trying to have to stay on top of your car and what it needs to be the fastest it can be and how you need to drive it to be the fastest it can be is a good challenge for us and one I certainly enjoy.”

DO YOU PREFER THE OVAL OR THE ROVAL, AND DOES THE SPORT NEED A 600-MILE RACE? “I think first off to try to prefer one race over another, I think, is a huge mistake for any driver. People always ask me what my favorite track is and I always answer the same thing all the time and it’s any track that you win at. I have not won at the Roval, but I was pretty darn close before I wrecked along with most of the field over here in turn one last fall. It would be very special to win, but I haven’t won it. I would say that I have an opportunity each and every week to make the track we’re at my favorite track and I don’t ever think of it any deeper than that because I think you can play mind games with yourself if you do. That’s probably not the yes or no, true or false answer you were looking for, but that’s my honest approach. As far as running 600 miles we don’t need to do anything in this sport, but just because you don’t need to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something. I think it’s the right thing to do, to run this race as 600 miles and to keep that tradition going. Like I said, it’s unique challenges. The biggest thing this sport needs is to stay fresh and this race is a different challenge than anything else we have by a good bit, and I appreciate that so much about this race. I appreciate that you’re gonna go through the daytime and you’re gonna be burning hot and the car is gonna be out of control and then we’re gonna transition to night time and the cars are gonna be just crazy fast, and you’re gonna see a lot of great side-by-side action as we get into night time. I think that’s tremendous, so I’m really looking forward to it to be quite honest. That’s only possible because of the 600 miles, and then you have some other things. There’s naturally some attrition to this race that you don’t see in other races, which I like. I think it’s a big part of this sport and a big part of being a race car driver is managing the systems that make up a car and with that in mind having 600 miles to do it means more opportunities for that to go wrong and I like that about it, but I really like the history of this race in general and it seems like for whatever reason over the last few years that question keeps coming up more and more and more and I resist it so much because of how much respect I have for this race that I’d hate to see it ever change.”

WHERE DO YOU ASSESS TEAM PENSKE IS RIGHT NOW COMPARED TO GIBBS AND SHR CARS? “I think the Stewart-Haas cars, in my opinion, have been really fast all season long it just hasn’t come together for them for whatever reason. They know probably better than I do, and I think Kyle has been really strong, the 20 car has been pretty good, the 11 car has been pretty good. I feel like we’re kind of neck-and-neck with the Gibbs cars and every other week it can go either way. I honestly feel right now the Hendrick cars are the best cars. I feel like they really came on strong over the last two or three weeks and had some nice updates to their stuff, so I would expect them to be the ones to beat this weekend.”

HAVE YOU NOTICED A HEIGHTENED DEPENDENCY ON PURE SPEED THIS YEAR? “Honestly, I did not know that and I’m a little bit surprised by that. I would have thought it was actually a little different, so I can’t say I’ve honestly noticed to date the more importance of speed. In a lot of ways I sometimes feel a little bit different. I feel like the fifth to 10th range is kind of like a lottery ballpark, but that’s very interesting to think of it that way. At the very base of this sport you still have to be fast. There’s no way around that, and whatever rules there are out there we can try to make them closer, but you’re still gonna have cars that are faster than others and we’ve had some pretty decent speed with our team, so I can’t really complain at all, but I do notice that when you’re in the lead it’s harder to drive away, but you still need to be really fast to make that pass on second place to get to the lead or the leader to get to there. So I would say that there’s definitely an emphasis on speed. It’s probably as hard as it’s ever been to pass the leader, but I think it’s probably a little bit easier to pass from there on back.”

CAN YOU LOOK AHEAD TO POCONO AND WHAT WE CAN EXPECT ON THE CUP SIDE? “It’ll be interesting to see how well they draft. Obviously, the XFINITY cars ran it last year and that presented its own set of challenges. I’m not really sure what to expect with the Cup cars. It’s interesting. I think the guys were telling me that we were not gonna be allowed to shift there. I don’t know how that’s gonna play into effect as well. You would think with those long straightaways you’ll get a pretty good draft, but then again without being able to shift I suspect you’ll have a hard time getting launched off the corner to take advantage of that draft. I can’t really say I have a great feel for it at the moment. We’ll go there and race and find out, but it should be a very interesting challenge.”

DO YOU HAVE TO GET A NEW STRATEGY IN ATTACKING POCONO IF SHIFTING ISN’T AN OPTION? “Well maybe I should clarify that. We’re allowed to shift, but the rules were changed on the transmissions to make it to where you basically can’t shift, so, yes, maybe I should have clarified that a little bit. The first thing is I haven’t really thought about Pocono one bit. I try to go one week at a time. That way I’m giving the most effort I possibly can for the race that’s in front of me, but when we get there it’s just how fast can you learn. How fast can you adapt. It’s a big challenge being a Cup driver, it always has been as the technology changes, as the rules change the requirements that your car has to make the fastest lap time possible change in the techniques that you have to input. I think it’s an accepted challenge to be a driver at the Cup level. It’s an interesting challenge. I feel like if you look at other sports the techniques change and there’s always gonna be a quarterback from today is not the same as a quarterback from 20 years ago, but I don’t know if they change as fast as they do in motorsports. I mean, shoot, techniques and tactics and all that good stuff only seems to last six months or maybe even less at this level, so I think it’s an accepted part of the challenge and from a mental perspective you either get on board or you get out and I appreciate that challenge.”

WHAT WAS YOUR TAKEAWAY FROM THE GOODYEAR MEETING? “I did not attend.”

WHEN IS THE DUE DATE AND HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WEIGH ON YOU AS YOU START THIS NEW JOURNEY WITH A SECOND CHILD? “I think it definitely weighs on you. Obviously, my wife hasn’t been at the race track for the last few months and that’s intentional because, one, the strain on her and, two, because we didn’t want a bunch of people asking her about it because of those things that can happen, but I can’t really say it’s weighed on me other than just trying to be as supportive as I can of my wife. The realistic part is that she’s doing most of the work. They say we’re having a baby, but it’s more she’s having the baby and I’m cheering, but it’s still a great time and I’m thankful for the blessings I have in my life.”

A FIRST-TIME PARENT THERE IS SO MUCH EXCITEMENT AND UNKNOWN. DOES THAT CHANGE HOW YOU GO THROUGH IT THIS TIME? “Due date is banquet week. I guess I don’t plan on changing anything. I’m just gonna do the best I can to be a responsible, great parent and to show the most amount of love that I know how to show and realize that it can all be taken away from you at a moment’s notice, but hope and believe that it won’t. I wish I had a better answer than that.”

HOW DID THE NEGOTIATIONS GO WITH YOUR DAUGHTER ON WHERE TO PUT THE MARTINSVILLE CLOCK AND WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THE FIRST TIMERS STARTING THIS RACE ON SUNDAY? “I think the first one is Mr. Penske has the trophy at the moment, the clock. Mine hasn’t come in and when it comes in we’ll continue those negotiations. The second one I would say drink lots of water. This race, for whatever reason, you just feel like you lose the most amount of weight and you get the most dehydrated from of any race during the year. It’s a very grueling challenge. It’s real easy to lose sight of the fact that there are so many laps to go. Don’t look at the scoreboard. That advice, by the way, goes for fans and media members alike because when you look up at the scoreboard and it’s lap 100 and you see there are still 300 to go that can drag you down a little bit. So don’t look at that and stay hydrated and do the best you can.”

DO YOU SEE THE RULES HAVING A BIGGER IMPACT ON ONE CERTAIN CORNER AT POCONO? “It will probably have a really large impact on turn three because it’s so long and flat of a corner. It’s the most one-groove corner on the track right now, so when you’re behind somebody you’re gonna lose a lot of pace right there and try to recover it down the frontstretch with the way the aerodynamics are, so that will probably be the most challenging part.”

DOES THE FRONTSTRETCH AT POCONO START AT THE ENTRY OF TURN THREE? “It starts with wherever you pick up the gas in the center of turn three, and with that in mind it’s a long one, but I honestly feel like the backstretch there is more important than the front stretch, being able to keep your run off of turn one and make a pass into the tunnel turn seems to be a better position to pass as of late.”

HOW MUCH WILL THE HEAT AFFECT HOW YOU PERFORM SUNDAY? “I think it’s gonna be a really grueling challenge on the drivers and the race cars. I think when you have these kind of temps that we’re expecting this weekend it’s just really hard on all the systems, the engine specifically, and then that heat makes its way inside the car and creates some physical fatigue that makes you mentally tired as well. I think that challenge runs deep and there’s no challenge like it during the season than this race. You try to come prepared. A lot of that is on the team and how they do the car, but on the driver you’ve got to stay ahead of this race for sure.”

YOU WON AT POCONO EIGHT YEARS AGO WITH A BROKEN ANKLE. WAS THAT A WATERSHED MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER? “It was big. Was it the biggest moment of my career? No, but there are certain time periods in your life that leave kind of stamps, maybe steer the direction and that was a big one for me – not the biggest but a big one. It really got my team behind me and really got a lot of things going in a positive fashion for Team Penske and in my career, and I feel so very fortunate to have had that run. When you have runs like that all you think to yourself is, ‘Why can’t I do that every time?’ But that’s not how it goes and that streak is one that really helped propel us the next season to believing we could win a championship.”

Twelfth Annual Awards Recognize Pioneering Drivers, Crew Members, Industry Partners and More at NASCAR Hall of Fame

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2019) – With an exciting weekend of racing ahead at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR today will recognize the industry’s pioneers of diversity at the 12^th annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards hosted at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Industry leaders and personnel will gather Thursday morning in Charlotte, N.C., for an awards ceremony that will honor NASCAR drivers, pit crew members and industry partners and ambassadors for their work promoting diversity and inclusion across the sport. 

“There is shared commitment across the NASCAR industry to champion diversity and inclusion, and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards celebrate the individuals and organizations whose contributions are making a difference,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR president. “We’re pleased to recognize this year’s award recipients whose efforts and accomplishments are helping drive our sport forward.”

This year marks the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards’ first ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte after several years at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The awards will highlight exceptional accomplishments by diversity champions from across the industry, including participants of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver and Pit Crew Development Programs and the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program.

Notable past award winners include Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers and NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program graduates Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver Hailie Deegan.

2019 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Award recipients:

National Series Driver Award: Martin Truex Jr. – The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion established the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation in 2007 with long-time partner, Sherry Pollex, with a mission to support those who have been affected by cancer, specifically ovarian and pediatric cancer. The foundation began its partnership with Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., in 2015.

Diverse Driver Award: Ruben Garcia Jr. – K&N Pro Series East driver Ruben Garcia Jr. is a native of Mexico City and is in his fourth season with Rev Racing as a member of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. A NASCAR Next alum, Garcia is the reigning two-time NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series champion and the youngest driver to win the series title.

Partner Award: Dow – Dow’s commitment to diversity is highlighted through its program support and engagement with Richard Childress Racing. Dow’s sponsorship of Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team has provided a platform to highlight teamwork and diversity at trade shows and industry events across the country.

Crew Member Award: Derrell Edwards – Baltimore native Derrell Edwards is the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program affiliate to win the Daytona 500 as an over-the-wall crew member. Following a successful career as a basketball player at High Point University, Edwards became a jackman at Richard Childress Racing. Since joining the team, Edwards has embraced the sport and has served as a positive ambassador. He volunteers to attend partner and philanthropic events within the local community and uses his experiences to shine a light on NASCAR and the opportunities the sport has afforded him.

Young Racer Award: Lacy Kuehl – Sarasota, Fla., nativeLacy Kuehl is a 13-year-old member of the 2019NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program. In 2018, she raced in a dirt oval flat kart at tracks such as Florida Dirt Motor Speedway, Crossroads Motorplex, Ambassador Racing School and Space Coast Full Throttle Speedway. She and her family started the charity Drive for Diabetes Awareness, dedicated to Type 1 Diabetic Ketoacidosis education, after losing her younger brother, Rocco, to the disease at the age of one.

Outstanding Intern Award: Maxwell Miranda and Isaiah Wright – Maxwell Miranda and Isaiah Wright made an impact as standout participants in the 2018 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program. Miranda interned in NASCAR’s licensing and consumer products department where he excelled with key contributions around NASCAR’s gaming efforts and trackside reporting, as well as researching new business opportunities. Miranda received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Sports Marketing and Analytics from Mercer University in May and was recently hired to work full-time in NASCAR’s Analytics & Insights department. Wright interned at Richmond Raceway in the consumer marketing department. His commitment to diversity was displayed in his recruitment of Virginia State University classmates, fraternity brothers and professors to support the nearby track. His relationships led to more than 20 students working at Richmond Raceway throughout the season. Wright is a current graduate student at Old Dominion University.

Institution Award: The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Children’s Fund – The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival began in 2017 as a small effort and grew to a multi-city program reaching hundreds of children. The event takes place in six race markets (Phoenix, Dover, Chicago, Daytona, Michigan and Martinsville) with more than 100 children participating in each. The Fund provides more than $100,000 in grant funding to local community organizations focused on the overall health and well-being of children, and directly impacts children in the community with NASCAR-themed programming.

Track Award: Richmond Raceway – Richmond Raceway’s relationship with Virginia State University, a nearby Historically Black University, grew rapidly in 2018. Richmond strategically aligned its marketing efforts to reach the local colleges and universities within its market through on-campus promotions and a pre-race concert with local artists. While the students received real-world work experience at the track, Richmond has found a valuable local community partner.

Team Award: Stewart-Haas Racing – Stewart-Haas Racing has continued to grow its reach into Hispanic markets with the addition of Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang. In the four months since Suarez joined the team, Stewart-Haas Racing has supported the Daniel’s Amigos campaign at Auto Club Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Returning Stewart-Haas driver Aric Almirola has continued his community involvement with partner Smithfield through its Helping Hungry Homes initiative targeting race markets such as Dallas/Ft. Worth, Charlotte and Las Vegas.

Industry Ambassador Award: Jose Cervantes, Watkins Glen International – JoseCervantes has been instrumental in creating various relationships within the Latino community at Watkins Glen International. Since joining Watkins Glen, Cervantes has coordinated appearances with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez in each of the track’s key markets – Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. He established a new partnership between the City of Buffalo, the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade of WNY Association and Watkins Glen International in 2017. As part of the partnership, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown proclaimed Wednesday, July 12 “Daniel Suarez Day” in Buffalo.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast live from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 13 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 6 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 26 (FOX/PRN/SIRIUSXM)

​
​ ​ ​
​

Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 23 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2019 Season
4th in standings
12 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
357 laps led

Career
125 starts
4 wins
6 pole positions
37 top-five finishes
64 top-10 finishes
1,600 laps led

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

LAST SEVEN: Over the last seven races, Chase Elliott has led a total of 357 laps – leading in six of the seven after going the first five races of the season without leading a single lap. He has started from the pole position in two of the last seven races (Bristol, Dover) and averages a starting position of 12.4 and finishing position of 7.3 during the span.

KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE: The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has collected three straight top-five finishes (Talladega – first; Dover – fifth; Kansas – fourth). It marks the longest top-five streak of the 23-year-old driver’s NASCAR Cup Series career.

600 STATS: Elliott is set to make his fifth start in the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. In his previous four starts in the 600-mile event, he has earned one top-10 finish (May 2016). Last season, Elliott and the No. 9 team raced inside the top 10 for much of Sunday evening before eventually finishing the night in 11th.

600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE: This weekend at Charlotte, Elliott’s windshield will bear the name of Army Sgt. Bradley Marshall as part of the NASCAR Salutes initiative. Marshall was a paratrooper and a Forward Observer Field Artilleryman. A resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, Marshall served in the Army from 1990 to 1994 and re-enlisted in 2006. He was deployed to Iraq shortly after re-enlisting. Marshall was based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, as part of the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. He passed away July 7, 2006, at the age of 37 in Kalsu, Iraq, from wounds sustained from indirect fire.

ON THE BOX: The No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team is honored to fly U.S. Coast Guard Gunner’s Mate Senior Chief Eric Lange’s American flag on the pit box for Sunday’s race. Lange also served in the U.S. Navy for five years beginning in 1990 and has been stationed in multiple locations across the United States, including Hawaii, Virginia and now Ohio. Lange will be retiring from the military in June.

SEE ELLIOTT AT CHARLOTTE: On Sunday, May 26, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Elliott will make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage at 3 p.m. local time for a question-and-answer session. Immediately following his appearance, he will make his way to the NASCAR Trackside Live stage for a question-and-answer session beginning at 3:15 p.m. local time.

DEW TIME OFF: In April, Mountain Dew launched its new campaign, “Dew Time Off” (D.T.O). The campaign empowers people to do more of what they love and are passionate about. On Monday, Elliott and former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. were featured in the latest MTN Dew video. The duo gave a lucky employee the day off and tried their hand at car washing. To watch the video, click here. For those wanting their own D.T.O., MTN Dew encourages fans go to Instagram or Twitter and tag @MountainDew and #DTOSweepstakes to tell the brand how they would spend their personal D.T.O. for a chance to win $1,000 towards their respective passions. MTN Dew will reward 10 grand-prize winners with the money.

MADE IN AMERICA: On Monday, Elliott partnered with UNTUCKit, one of the fastest growing retail brands in the United States, to offer a limited-edition Made in America shirt. The shirt features the No. 9 on the tail of the button-down shirt. In honor of the launch, UNTUCKit will make a donation to the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship,” which the Chase Elliott Foundation will match and also make a separate donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Click here for more information.

​
​ ​ ​
​

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

2019 Season
19th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
92 laps led

Career
48 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
0 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
153 laps led

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

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Thursday, May 23, at 5 p.m. local time in the Charlotte Motor Speedway media center.

ALL-STAR RACE ACED: Needing to race his way into the NASCAR All-Star race this past weekend, William Byron put on a show in front of his hometown crowd during the Open qualifying race, restarting seventh with two laps remaining in Stage 1. Making up four positions on the white-flag lap, Byron then made the pass from third to first coming out of Turn 4, barely edging out the competition for the Stage 1 win to lock himself into his first career All-Star Race. Lining up 16th for the illustrious race for $1 million, the driver showed speed from the start, powering his No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up to third by Stage 3. However, a couple of untimely cautions in the final stage forced Byron to restart in the bottom lane, losing crucial momentum. With the final restart coming with just 12 laps to go, the driver of the No. 24 car maneuvered his way from the 13th position up to ninth by the time the checkered flag flew to cap his first All-Star Race.

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY PATRIOTIC SCHEME: Returning for the third time in the 2019 season, Liberty University will be back on Byron’s No. 24 Chevy this weekend for the prestigious 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As a part of NASCAR’s annual NASCAR Salutes program, the Liberty University Chevy will sport a special patriotic paint scheme to honor those who have served and continue to serve to defend our country. The special scheme includes an American flag Liberty University logo on the hood as well as stars and stripes on the front and rear quarter panels. To see Byron’s scheme for this weekend’s race, click here.

CAPTAIN MARK WEBER: As a part of the No. 24 Liberty University patriotic paint scheme for this weekend’s race, Byron’s Chevrolet will feature a tribute to U.S. Air Force Capt. Mark Weber. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2011, Weber went on to become a Combat Rescue Officer and Team Commander of the 308th rescue squadron in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Like Byron, who is in his junior year at Liberty University, Weber was a Liberty student enrolled in its online programs. While supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, Weber’s life was taken when he was involved in a helicopter crash on March 15, 2018. Known for his Christian faith and regarded as a humble leader, courageous airman and caring friend, Weber received his M.A. in executive leadership posthumously during Liberty’s May 2018 Commencement Ceremony, attended by his family. To learn more about Weber and Liberty’s Military program, click here.

HOME SWEET HOME: Cutting his teeth in the racing world in Charlotte, North Carolina, Byron is one of only a handful of drivers who was born and raised in the “home of NASCAR.” After visiting U.S. Legend Cars International headquarters in Harrisburg, North Carolina with his father in 2012, Byron found himself behind the wheel for the first time the next year competing in the Young Lion Division. Winning 33 of the 69 legend car events he ran across the United States in 2013, Byron went on to lock up the U.S. Legend Young Lions National championship and the Thursday Thunder Young Lion championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Progressing to the Legend Car Pro Division the next season, Byron also signed with JR Motorsports developmental program at the same time. From that point on, Byron hasn’t slowed down any as he climbed the racing ranks before ultimately making it to the top level of NASCAR as a Cup Series rookie in 2018.

CHARLOTTE STATS: Byron has four national series starts at the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, capturing the pole in the Gander Outdoor Truck Series race in 2016 before leading 25 laps and ultimately ending the night with a top-10 finish. In his two Xfinity Series starts at the track, Byron has a best qualifying effort of sixth in the fall of 2017 and has a top-15 finish coming in the spring of 2017. Last year marked his first Cup Series start at Charlotte and his first attempt at the 600-mile race, but an on-track incident ended his night early, leaving Byron looking for redemption during his sophomore attempt this weekend.

HOME TRACK FEEL: In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway being the home track of Byron, several members of the No. 24 team also claim it as their home track including engineer Matt Piercy, from Conover, North Carolina, and interior specialist Jacob Bowman, from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. Three members of the No. 24 pit crew also call North Carolina home: jackman Eric Ludwig, from Burlington; tire carrier Scott Riddle, from Ramseur; and fueler Landon Walker, from North Wilkesboro.

KNAUS KNOWS CHARLOTTE: Sitting on top of the box for 35 NASCAR Cup Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, crew chief Chad Knaus has eight wins at the 1.5-mile oval, including sweeping all four races in the 2004 and 2005 Cup seasons. Of his 35 starts as a Cup crew chief at Charlotte, 18 of those races have been the prestigious 600-mile race on Memorial Day weekend, and Knaus has won the crown jewel race four times.

​
​ ​ ​
​

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

2019 Season
16th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
4 top-10 finishes
68 laps led

Career
627 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
225 top-five finishes
357 top-10 finishes
18,771 laps led

Track Career
34 starts
8 wins
4 pole positions
16 top-five finishes
21 top-10 finishes
1930 laps led

RANKING JOHNSON: There are eight drivers in NASCAR history who have three or more wins at the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip has five, Jimmie Johnson has four and Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and David Pearson all have three wins apiece. Waltrip, Kahne, Gordon and Johnson have all won the 600-mile race while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson’s 1,030 laps led in the 600 are the third-most all-time behind only NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Bobby Allison.

THE DOUBLE, OF SORTS: Before taking on the 600-mile race at Charlotte on Sunday, Johnson will pull a double duty of sorts as he will visit the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. He will be available to members of the media at 9:15 a.m. local time on Sunday in the media center at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson will take in the revelry and tradition of pre-race ceremonies at the Brickyard before heading back to Charlotte. Fans can follow the driver’s social media handles for exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

JJxALO CAR SWAP DROP: Jimmie Johnson Racing released several “JJxALO Car Swap in Bahrain” videos on Johnson’s YouTube channels this week. The series of videos can be seen here.

CROWN JEWEL: The 600-mile race at Charlotte over Memorial Day weekend is considered one of the crown jewels in the sport of NASCAR along with the Daytona 500, Southern 500 at Darlington and Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson, who has won 12 of the crown jewel races, is one of four drivers who have won each of them in the modern era along with Gordon, Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick.

IMPRESSIVE AT CHARLOTTE: Johnson’s statistics at Charlotte Motor Speedway include eight career points wins at the track (four in the 600) and four All-Star wins – both of which are the most all-time. Johnson has led in 26 of his 34 starts at the 1.5-mile track, which sits less than two miles from Hendrick Motorsports’ headquarters, for a total of 1,930 laps – the second-most all-time behind Allison.

1.5-MILERS: Johnson is tied with Gordon for the most top-five finishes all-time on 1.5-mile tracks with 74. With 113 top-10s on the track length, he is just one top-10 finish behind Gordon’s 114, which are the most all-time.

SALUTE TO SGT. DONLAN: Johnson will race a military-themed camouflage paint scheme or the 600-mile event at Charlotte this Sunday. Army Sgt. Richard Donlan, a native of Hampton, Virginia, who died in combat during the Vietnam War, will replace Johnson’s name on the windshield of the No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The initiative is part of the NASCAR Salutes program designed to honor fallen soldiers during the Memorial Day weekend race at Charlotte. Johnson revealed the car during an event at the Hendrick Motorsports campus as 50 volunteers from Ally, the USO and the No. 48 pit crew assembled approximately 1,000 care packages and pocket-size American Flag folds for active service members.

CAMO WHEEL: In addition to the camo-themed paint scheme, Johnson will also race an all-camo steering wheel designed by Max Papis Innovations.

​
​ ​ ​
​

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

2019 Season
12th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
86 laps led

Career
129 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
17 top-10 finishes
360 laps led

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

FAN VOTE WINNER: Following last Saturday’s Open race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon radioed to Alex Bowman from the FOX Sports 1 booth that the Tucson, Arizona, native was the winner of the NASCAR All-Star fan vote and would race in the All-Star Race that evening. The 26-year-old took to Twitter to thank the fans for voting the No. 88 team into the race for $1 million.

ALL-STAR REWIND: Bowman crossed the line eighth in last Saturday night’s All-Star Race. The 26-year-old driver rolled off the grid in 19th for the event. At the conclusion of Stage 1, he had advanced nine spots to finish 10th. On Lap 43 of the race, Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 made contact with the outside wall, but the driver remained on track. At the end of Stage 2, Bowman came to pit road for four tires, fuel and for the No. 88 team to make repairs to the right side of the car. The Arizona native raced his way from the back to finish the third stage in the 14th position, while reporting that his car was loose. At the start of the final stage Bowman was in the top 15 and at the conclusion of the 88-lap event, he finished eighth. It was Bowman’s first top-10 finish in the All-Star event.

SPECIAL NAME ON BOARD: This weekend, Bowman and the No. 88 team will have a special name on board the Nationwide Camaro ZL1. Chief Petty Officer Jon “J.T.” Tumilson will adorn the hood and ride above the passenger side door this weekend’s race. Tumilson, a native of Rockford, Iowa, was a Navy Seal. He and 29 other American Soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011, when the helicopter they were traveling in was shot down. It was one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces in the decade-old deployment in Afghanistan. In addition to Tumilson’s name on board, Nationwide has featured 30 stars and one paw print in the scheme to represent the 30 soldiers and military K-9 who died in Extortion 17. Tumilson’s two sisters, Joy McKeekan and Kristie Vieira, visited Hendrick Motorsports, where they selected the paint scheme that would honor their brother during the 400-lap race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Memorial Day weekend.

WELCOME BACK, NATIONWIDE: The primary blue-and-white colors of Nationwide will be featured on the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 20 NASCAR Cup Series events in 2019. Nationwide will adorn the hood of Bowman’s Chevrolet for this weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but with a new look. This weekend’s scheme will feature a patriotic design seen here and will carry Tumilson’s name on board. Last August, Hendrick Motorsports and Nationwide extended their primary partnership with Bowman and the No. 88 team for an additional two years beginning in 2019.

BOWMAN AT CHARLOTTE: Sunday’s 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be Bowman’s seventh start at the 1.5-mile track. Last spring, Bowman and the No. 88 Nationwide team finished ninth after qualifying 27th for the 400-lap event. It was the driver’s best finish in a spring race at the track. Bowman has also competed in four events at Charlotte in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including capturing his first career national series victory in 2017 after starting fourth. The Tucson, Arizona, native led 32 laps at the track in the Xfinity series and completed 100 percent of the total laps within those four starts.

SO CLOSE: For the past three weekends, Bowman and the No. 88 team have crossed the finish line at the conclusion of the race in second place. It is the first time a driver has finished second three times in a row before capturing his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series.

IVES AT CHARLOTTE: Crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots seven times for the No. 88 team at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The crew chief’s resume includes one top-five finish and three top-10 results. Last year, Ives led the No. 88 team to a ninth-place finish in the 600-mile event. The Michigan native was a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for four events at Charlotte across two years for JR Motorsports. In 2014, Ives led driver Chase Elliott to the pole position in the fall event and the team led a total of 66 laps to finish eighth. Ives has two top-10 finishes in the series and his drivers led a total of 94 laps. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team between 2006 and 2012. During that time, the team captured seven top-10 finishes and two pole awards in addition to winning the 2009 fall event after starting from the pole.

HOMETOWN TRACK: Two members of the No. 88 team call Charlotte Motor Speedway their home track. Scott Denton, backup hauler driver for the No. 88 team, grew up in Belmont, North Carolina, and attended his first NASCAR race at the 1.5-mile track back in 1988. No. 88 team jackman Dustin Lineback grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and went to East Carolina University from 2007 until 2011. While at ECU, Lineback played football for the Pirates while receiving his Bachelor of Science degree. Learn more about Lineback here.

MEET BOWMAN: On Sunday, May 26, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bowman will make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage at 2:45 p.m. local time for a question-and-answer session and autographs.

PITCH TO WIN BIG: Small Business Week ran from May 5-11 and recognized small businesses everywhere. Nationwide and BlueVine are teaming up to give away up to $100,000 to one small business to help it grow. From now until June 30, small business owners can visit www.pitchtowinbig.com to enter for a chance to win funds to achieve their business goals. Nationwide and BlueVine will select the contest finalists, who will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Nationwide’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, to pitch business leaders in-person during a live “Pitch to Win” event. The winning pitch will win the $100,000 prize, with second place receiving $20,000 and third place taking home $10,000.

​
​ ​ ​
​

Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS GAMING CLUB: The eNASCAR Heat Pro League season officially kicks off this Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Hendrick Motorsports Gaming Club drivers Sam Morris and Nick Jobes will begin their quest for the inaugural league title. The Xbox One race will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, with the PlayStation 4 race kicking off at 4 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in starting at 3 p.m. ET for pre-race coverage. All the action will be streamed live on NASCAR’s Facebook page and 704Games’ Twitch channel.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT CHARLOTTE: Hendrick Motorsports has 19 wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including 11 wins in the 600-mile race at the track, which ranks first all-time among teams. Jimmie Johnson has an all-time record eight career victories at Charlotte. The organization has 62 top-five finishes and 100 top-10s and has led 5,037 laps at the track since 1984.

FINDING VICTORY LANE: Hendrick Motorsports’ 19 wins at Charlotte are the organization’s third-most at a single track behind Martinsville Speedway (24) and Dover International Raceway (20). The Charlotte victories have come via seven different drivers – Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader, Terry Labonte, Casey Mears and Kasey Kahne. The seven different winners are tied for the most all-time at a single track.

600-MILE WARRIORS: Hendrick Motorsports leads the way for all teams in the 600-mile event at Charlotte with 11 wins, and the victories have come via a record five different drivers. Two drivers from the organization have scored their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte: Jeff Gordon (1994) and Casey Mears (2007).

TOP-FIVE STREAK: Hendrick Motorsports had two cars finish in the top five in each of the past three races, which is the longest active streak by a team. The last time it held a similar three-race streak was April 2016 at Texas, Bristol and Richmond. Hendrick Motorsports most recently put together a streak of four consecutive races with two cars finishing in the top five in spring 2009 at Bristol, Martinsville, Texas and ISM Raceway. In the past two races, the organization leads all teams with six top-10 finishes.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 253 race victories, 219 pole positions, 1,053 top-five finishes and 1,802 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,300 laps since 1984.

​
​ ​ ​
​

QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on support for troops:
“I think a lot of times we hear stories of men and women who are serving overseas and they have a chance to watch the races. If that’s providing entertainment for them in a way to check out from what they have going on and get their current situation off their minds while enjoying a race or a football game or baseball game of whatever it is, I think it’s great. I feel like they’ve embraced us a lot and have shown a lot of support to us even from overseas, the very least we could do is show the appreciation that we do. At the end of the day, what we do is never enough. I always look forward to the 600.”

William Byron on the 600-mile race:
“I’ve only started the 600 once and unfortunately wasn’t able to finish the full 600 miles due to an incident. Even still, I think it’s a true test of your fitness level and mental capacity as a driver, not just for the heat but the endurance it takes. Team-wise there was a stretch for few years that it was easier to make it 600 miles, but now with the performance as critical as it is, I think the cars are pushed more and the engines are pushed more, making it harder to go the full distance. I think this race really is a test of everything you have as the sport just gets more and more competitive.”

Jimmie Johnson on the 600-mile race:
“I would rather win the 600 than the All-Star Race. That event means so much to so many, and I have had the honor of winning it four times in my career. I’d like for nothing more than to take Sgt. Donlan to Victory Lane. I’m looking forward to the Indy 500 as well – I haven’t been able to see one of those races since the early ’90s, so the schedule worked out perfectly to take advantage of this opportunity. The 600 is a long race. You have to set up your car with some flexibility to go from day to night. Everyone’s working hard and has one common goal – to get this No. 48 car back to Victory Lane.”

Alex Bowman on this weekend’s paint scheme:
“This weekend’s Nationwide paint scheme is very special. Having J.T. on board and being able to honor the American soldiers and K-9 that lost their lives in 2011 is extremely special and humbling. Everything that Nationwide does with these special patriotic schemes is amazing. Memorial Day weekend is a perfect time to honor these heroes and our whole team is very honored to carry J.T.’s name on board our Camaro ZL1.”

Bowman on being voted into the All-Star Race:
“Thank you to the fans who voted for myself and the No. 88 team to get into the All-Star Race last weekend. We definitely struggled in parts of the Open and All-Star Race but was happy to get a top-10 out of it. Just can’t thank the fans enough.”

Bowman on the 600-mile race:
“Driving 600 miles on Sunday will be tough in this heat, but I don’t think it is the most physically demanding. I have said it before, but I think Dover is the most physically challenging event that we have. Sunday will be long and hot, but this 88 team can get it done. We have momentum from the past three races on our side and I know the guys back at the shop have been working endless hours on these cars. Hopefully we unload pretty decent on Thursday and can get a good starting spot that night for Sunday’s race.”

Toyota Racing
This Week in Motorsports – May 20-26, 2019

Toyota Racing On-Track this Week

· MENCS/NXS/ARCA: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina) – May 23-26

· POWRi: Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex (Sweet Springs, Missouri) – May 24-25

Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, Missouri) – May 26

NASCAR National Series – MENCS | NXS

Weekend of Remembrance… In recognition of Memorial Day Weekend and 600 Miles of Remembrance, Toyota will honor several fallen service members during Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race. U.S. Army Sergeant Jason Denfrund and U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Herrmann will adorn the lead and splitter Camry pace cars while the RAV4 Hybrid grand marshal vehicles will carry the names of U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Jason Hicks, U.S. Marine Corps Major James Brophy and U.S. Marine Corps Corporal David Sonka.

600-Mile Sizzler… Toyota drivers have won three of the last four 600-mile races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Former Toyota driver Carl Edwards captured the checkered flag in 2015 while Martin Truex Jr. (2016) and Kyle Busch (2018) have each scored a win in the track’s May event. Busch is the most recent winner after last year’s victory, becoming the only driver in the MENCS to win at every active NASCAR track on the schedule at the time. Toyota’s first Charlotte Cup Series victory came from former Camry driver David Reutimann in May 2009.

Backyard Showdown… The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at Charlotte Motor Speedway where Toyota drivers have captured eight wins since 2008. Denny Hamlin is the most recent winner, securing a victory in May 2016. Kyle Busch has logged six Toyota wins and former Toyota driver Joey Logano also won in a Camry in 2012. While Saturday’s Supra lineup has not visited victory lane at the 1.5-mile track, three of the Supra race car’s six wins this season have been on similarly configured race tracks – Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Home Track Return… Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to the No. 18 Supra for his fourth start with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. Although Earnhardt has five previous starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his last appearance came in Fall 2014. Earnhardt has logged two top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks this season, including Atlanta Motor Speedway (sixth) and Texas Motor Speedway (eighth).

Regional Stock Car Racing – ARCA

Toyotas Top Charts… Toyota drivers are six-for-six in ARCA Menards Series wins in 2019. Michael Self has the most victories with two wins while Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Christian Eckes and Chandler Smith have each scored one victory this season. Last year, Toyota drivers captured 18 of 20 race wins, including the first 12 victories of 2018.

Return to Charlotte… ARCA drivers return to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a second-consecutive season after a 12-year break from the 1.5-mile track. Toyota driver Brandon Jones won last year’s event, leading 32 laps (of 100). Toyota drivers led every lap of the event with Gilliland (60 laps) and former Camry driver Sheldon Creed (eight laps) also pacing the field.

Midget Racing – POWRi

Seavey Takes Point Lead Into POWRi Triple-Header… On the strength of three victories in the season’s first six races, Toyota’s Logan Seavey takes a 190-point lead into this weekend’s POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League triple-header in Missouri. The series heads to Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex on Friday and Saturday before closing out the weekend at the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon on Sunday.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Coca-Cola 600
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 26
The Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 5:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 600 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 300), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)
2018 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Alsco 300
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 25
The Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
2018 Race Winner: Brad Keselowski

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Next Race: SpeedyCash.com 400
The Place: Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: Friday, June 7
The Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 250.5 miles (167 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 167)
2018 Race Winner: Johnny Sauter

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Kyle Busch back to defend

Kyle Busch is the defending winner of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – collecting his first ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the track from the Busch Pole position after leading a dominating 377 of 400 laps last May.

It was a breakthrough win of sorts for the 2015 Monster Energy Series champion. The Charlotte Motor Speedway oval was, at the time, the only venue on the schedule where Busch hadn’t won a regular season race even though he leads all active drivers (including eight-time Charlotte winner Jimmie Johnson) in laps led (1,370 laps) and trails only Johnson (16-12) in top-five finishes.

The good vibe and historical significance of his maiden Charlotte win may help get Busch back on the course he’s established with 11 top-10 finishes and three victories through 12 races this season.

He suffered his first finish outside the top 10 in the last points race at Kansas Speedway on May 11. The frustrating 30th-place showing in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was a result of a late race penalty for driving through too many pit boxes. It not only kept him from setting a record for consecutive top 10s to open the season (12) but cost him in the standings. He now trails defending Monster Energy Series champion Joey Logano by nine points. He still maintains a 29-point edge over a winless third place Kevin Harvick.

He looks forward to this weekend’s challenge at Charlotte, however. Even though it took Busch most of his Cup career to earn that first win in the Memorial Day 600-miler at Charlotte, he is a staunch supporter of the sport’s longest event and feels that it holds a special and unique place in the sport.

“I like running the 600 miles,’’ Busch said. “I think it brings a different aspect to our sport – it’s longevity. People will say, ‘It’s too long. It’s boring.’ Whatever. Well, you know, it’s a part of the product and history that we’ve had on Memorial Day weekend for a long time that you run the extra hundred miles.

“And car preparation goes into that. Will your car make it? Will your engine last? Are the drivers able to be competitive throughout the whole race? You’ll have fatigue sometimes, even at a 500-mile race. So, if you don’t show signs of weakness, you should be pretty good.’’

Logano leading the way

The reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano put himself back atop the points standings following his 15th-place finish at Kansas Speedway coupled with a very uncharacteristic 30th-place showing by previous points leader Kyle Busch. It’s as much a testament to his solid consistency as anything else as he has only one victory this year while the man he supplanted, Busch, has three wins.

In fact, Logano’s Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski has hoisted a trio of trophies as well and is only ranked fifth, a substantial 57 points behind Logano in the standings.

The difference is consistency. Logano has eight top-10 finishes through the opening 12 races and has led laps in 10 of them. Four times Logano has finished in the top three – winning at Las Vegas, finishing runner-up at both California and Richmond, Va., and earning a third place at Bristol, Tenn.

Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford team has only one previous win at Charlotte – the fall, 2015 race after leading a dominating 227 of the 334 laps. He’s had only one top-20 in the five races at the 1.5-mile track since – a ninth place in the 2016 600-miler – and has led only 16 laps in that timeframe.

Larson looking to keep momentum going

It’s been a good May for Kyle Larson, who picked up his first Monster Energy Series trophy in nearly two years in last weekend Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race – having to qualify for the main event out of the Monster Energy Open to do so. While the race didn’t pay in points, it did pay $1 million to the winner and for Larson, provided some important momentum.

The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet is coming off two of his best finishes of the 2019 season – a third-place at Dover, Del. and an eighth-place effort at Kansas two weeks ago.

It’s a positive sign that Larson may be on track to snap a 58-race winless streak. His top-10 and top-five effort in the last three years has been among the sport’s very best. He has 58 top-10 finishes starting with his 2016 season – 38 of those were top-five efforts. That means that 65.5 percent of the time he’s run well enough for a top-10, he’s also been good enough to challenge for a win.

This season in particular, has felt like all-or-nothing with three DNFs and two top-10s in the last six races.

“As I’ve learned in my Cup career, aside from 2017, it’s pretty tough to make the Playoffs,’’ Larson told reporters following the All-Star win last weekend. “There’s a lot of cars that make it, but those last four or five spots, depending on what guys win throughout the season, it’s tough to make the Playoffs.

“With the string of DNFs that I had and bad finishes, that’s what was more frustrating because I knew we were putting ourselves in a bad spot to make it to the Playoffs where you have to be extremely consistent and just take what you can get from now on, where you can’t almost be as aggressive as you could be if you had a fast car and were consistently running in the top five and stuff like that. That’s what was more frustrating.

“I feel like Kansas kind of showed it last week. I feel like I’ve been like a seventh‑ or eighth‑ to kind of 12th‑place car all season, but I haven’t got to show for it. And seventh to 12th isn’t that great. A week ago or a few days ago I would say we can’t win a race like that, but we proved today that we could.

“We’ve just got to continue to keep working hard and learning what we can, making our cars better and faster and more grip, more speed, everything. Pit crew has got to be on it, I’ve got to be on it if we want to continue to run up front.”

Harvick still looking to close one out

By the time Kevin Harvick and the Stewart-Haas Racing team showed up at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day classic last year, the 2014 Monster Energy Series champion had already earned five victories. This year he’s been close with five top fives – all fourth-place finishes – for the driver of the No. 4 Ford.

There is reason to feel optimistic at Charlotte. He joins only Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson with victories in NASCAR’s four biggest races – the Daytona 500 (2007), the Coca-Cola 600 (2011, 2013), the Brickyard 400 (2003) and the Southern 500 (2014). And Harvick’s 2011 Coca-Cola 600 win was from the 28th starting place on the grid. Only eight-time Charlotte winner Johnson has come from farther back on the grid to win at Charlotte, starting 37th in his 2003 win. Harvick’s four runner-up finishes at Charlotte are most among active drivers too.

Harvick is currently ranked third in the standings, 38 points behind leader Joey Logano. He comes to Charlotte after a solid run at the 1.5-mile Kansas track, where he won the Busch Pole position, led 104 laps, but finished 13th. He has eight top 10s in the 12 races despite having endured a tough pair of outings on the big tracks at Daytona and Talladega – crashing in both races and finishing 26th and 38th, respectively.

Of course, the 1.5-milers are considered Harvick’s playground. Fifteen of his 45 career wins – a full one-third of his victory total – are comprised of the 1.5-mile tracks, the most of any type of race venue.

Charlotte is a missing piece in Hamlin’s trophy case

Denny Hamlin does a lot of things right at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he just doesn’t have the hardware to show for it. Yet.

The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has the third best driver rating (97.3) at the track, the second-best average finish (12.1) in the field and his 10.5 average start in the race is third best among active drivers. He ranks among the top three in several of the major loop data categories at the track but is among eight drivers ranked in the standings top 16 still looking for his first victory there.

In 26 starts, Hamlin has nine top-five and 17 top-10 finishes – only eight-time Charlotte winner Jimmie Johnson has more top-10 finishes among active drivers.

After enduring the first winless full-time season of his decorated 14-year career in 2018, Hamlin answered with a season-opening victory in this year’s Daytona 500 and then added a win at the Texas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile high banks last month. He has eight top-10 finishes through 12 races but has gone three consecutive races finishing outside the top-10 threshold.

“I’m proud of our team and the character we’ve shown so far this season. We started off hot with two wins and our focus is to get back to that momentum and achieve our next victory and move up in the standings.”

King of the Queen City

When it comes to the Coca-Cola 600, Martin Truex Jr. has established the mark of excellence. He led a historical best 392 of the 400 laps from the Busch Pole position en route to his 2016 victory in the race. And he’s answered that big win with another in the fall of 2017. In just the last five races, Truex has led an amazing 716 laps on the Charlotte oval – most among any driver during that time. He’s only finished worse than third place once in the last five races.

There is every reason to believe Truex will take his new team, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crew, to competitive heights as well. He’s won two of the last four races on the schedule – leading 186 of 400 laps to claim the Richmond trophy and leading 132 laps to win at Dover He’s currently ranked seventh in the points, his two wins equal to half of his top five total on the season.

“Charlotte has been a really strong track for us the past few years,’’ Truex acknowledged. “I felt good about how our car drove in the All-Star race last weekend, so that gives me confidence going into this weekend that we can make some of those same things work for the 600. … I’m looking forward to getting into a normal race mode and see where we stack up.’’

Austin Dillon hoping for a return “home” to Victory Lane

One driver in particular looking forward to racing on his “home” track is Austin Dillon. The driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet won the 2017 race inheriting the lead when Jimmie Johnson ran out of fuel with two laps remaining. They were the only two laps Dillon led.

It was an emotional triumph for Dillon and the team. It was Dillon’s first Monster Energy Series victory and it was the first time the No. 3 RCR Chevrolet had won a race since the late Dale Earnhardt at Talladega, Ala. in 2000.

Since then Dillon won the 2018 Daytona 500 – leading only the final lap. He’s currently ranked 18th, just outside the Playoff-eligible top-16. He trails 16th place Johnson by 11 points. Charlotte has been a good track for the North Carolina native – just not consistently in the Monster Energy Series yet.

He won back-to-back Xfinity Series races at Charlotte – both from the pole position – sweeping the 2015 season.

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

Six drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – JTG Daugherty Racing’s Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson, Front Row Motorsports’ Matt Tifft, Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. will be participating in this week’s media rotations at Charlotte Motor Speedway in advance of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m., ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chris Buescher, 26, of Prosper, Texas, is looking to enhance his Charlotte Motor Speedway resume. He has three top-20 finishes in five series starts at the track – and was 29th in last year’s Coca-Cola 600. The former Monster Energy Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year has a pair of top-10s in 2019 – both coming at 1.5-mile tracks similar to Charlotte. He was a season-best ninth at Atlanta in February and 10th in the last Cup points-paying race at Kansas two weeks ago in the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. He’s ranked 23rd in the points standings.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 31, of Olive Branch, Miss., scored his best showing of the season at a 1.5-mile track – a sixth place at Las Vegas – and is hoping that success in the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford will translate again to the Charlotte 1.5-mile high banks. Stenhouse has seven finishes of 16th or better through the opening 12 races and is ranked 20th in the standings – within reach of the 16-driver group that will ultimately advance to the series Playoffs. His only top-10 finish in the series at Charlotte came in last May’s 600-miler (10th).

Kyle Larson, 26, of Elk Grove, Calif., comes into the Coca-Cola 600 feeling most optimistic fresh off his first ever Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race win at the track last weekend. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver seems to have put his season back on track. Prior to the win he had a pair of top-10 finishes – third at Dover and eighth at Kansas. He’s ranked 15th in the points coming into the Coca-Cola 600. He has four top 10s in the No. 42 CGR Chevrolet at Charlotte including the last two oval races there. His best finish is fifth in the 2016 fall race; however, he has won a Xfinity Series race at the track (2014, spring).

Matt Tifft, 22, of Hinckley, Ohio, is still looking for his first top 10 in his rookie Cup season. His best showing so far in the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford is 20th at Phoenix. He was 21st in the last Cup points-paying race at Kansas. Tifft’s Charlotte resume includes three top 10s in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and two in a pair of NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races. His best career showing at the track is a fifth place in the 2016 Gander Trucks race.

Daniel Hemric, 28, of Kannapolis, N.C., brings an encouraging mindset to his home track, Charlotte Motor Speedway. He scored his best finish (18th) at a similar 1.5-miler in the season’s last points race at Kansas two weeks ago. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has one top-10 finish (fifth at Talladega) but surely encouraged by three top 10 qualifying efforts in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. His only previous top-10 finish at Charlotte was a ninth place run in the 2016 truck race there.

Martin Truex Jr., 38, of Mayetta, N.J., boasts some good mojo heading into Charlotte, where in 2016 he set an all-time best record leading 392 of the 400 laps en route to his first Coca-Cola 600 win. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has been particularly good of late at Charlotte – he dominated the 2016 Memorial Day classic, won the 2017 fall race as part of his Monster Energy Series championship season and was runner-up in the 600 last year. Truex has wins in two of the last four races in 2019 – at Richmond and Dover. – leading more than 100 laps in each win. He has seven top-10 and four top-five showings and is ranked seventh in the points.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series returns at Charlotte Motor Speedway

After a two-week break, the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action this Saturday, May 25 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio for the Alsco 300, the 11th race on 2019 schedule. This season has been filled with lots of great racing, producing four different pole winners and five different race winners – four of which are series title contenders – Christopher Bell (three wins), Cole Custer (two wins), Michael Annett (one win), and series standings leader Tyler Reddick (one win).

Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted the NASCAR Xfinity Series 73 times, producing a total of 47 different pole winners and 35 different race winners since 1982.

Harry Gant won the first NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 1982, from the pole position. Gant went on to win three more Xfinity races at Charlotte Motor Speedway bringing his wins total on the 1.5-mile speedway to four. Gant is tied for third-most Xfinity Charlotte wins with Brad Keselowski, who won his fourth Xfinity Series career race at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the pole last season.

This weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway will mark the fourth time in 2019 the series has competed on a 1.5-mile track (Atlanta, Las Vegas and Texas). Christopher Bell took the win at Atlanta and then his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch won at Las Vegas and Texas, but Busch is not entered this weekend.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell currently leads the series championship contenders in average finishing position on 1.5-mile tracks this season with a 5.667. Below are the top five NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contenders in average finishing position on 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Rank

Xfinity Contenders

Average Finish on 1.5-Mile Tracks

1

Christopher Bell

5.667

2

Tyler Reddick

7.000

3

Michael Annett

7.667

4

Justin Haley

8.333

5

Noah Gragson

8.333

Sixers: Different winners streak at Charlotte could continue

A streak that started back in 2015 when Austin Dillon swept the Charlotte Motor Speedway races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has since seen five different drivers – Denny Hamlin (May 2016), Joey Logano (Oct. 2016), Ryan Blaney (May 2017), Alex Bowman (Oct. 2017) and Brad Keselowski (May 2018) – take the checkered flag and bring the different winners streak to six different drivers.

Will the streak continue? There’s a chance, as the only former winner included in the current streak that is entered this weekend is Austin Dillon, who will be piloting the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

This weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Austin Dillon, will be making his second series start of the season for Kaulig Racing with crew chief Alex Yontz. Dillon and Yontz, came out of the gate swinging in their series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this year, starting 31st and racing their way to a top-five finish (fourth).

Dillon has nine career wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and two of them came at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2015 sweep). In total he has made 10 series starts at Charlotte posting three poles, two wins (both from the pole), six top fives and seven top 10s. His average starting position at Charlotte is 3.9 and his average finish is 5.8.

Names are made in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte

Charlotte First-Time Winners

Date

Alex Bowman

October 7, 2017

Dave Blaney

October 13, 2006

Mike Bliss

October 15, 2004

Sterling Marlin

October 6, 1990

Terry Labonte

October 5, 1985

Tim Richmond

May 25, 1985

Bobby Allison

May 26, 1984

Darrell Waltrip

October 9, 1982

Harry Gant

May 29, 1982

Nine different drivers have won their very first career race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and all nine have made names for themselves in NASCAR.

The most recent driver to win his first series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was Alex Bowman in the 2017 October Xfinity race. Bowman was running a part-time schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing that season and capitalized on his opportunity.

Prior to Bowman it was father of current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney and legend in DIRT Racing driver ‘The Buckeye Bullet’ Dave Blaney, who earned his lone NASCAR national series career win with his victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte in 2006. Blaney battled it out with Matt Kenseth in the closing laps to take the victory.

Most notable of the nine winners has to be the three NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip (1982), Bobby Allison (1984) and Terry Labonte (1985), who all scored their first career Xfinity Series wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

This weekend could be another driver’s big opportunity to break out and win their first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; of the 39 entrants for the Alsco 300 on Saturday, May 25 (at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) only 13 are former winners leaving 26 drivers hungry for their first trip to Victory Lane.

Austin Dillon (2015 sweep) and Jeff Green (May 2001, May 2002) are the only two former NASCAR Xfinity Series Charlotte Motor Speedway winners in the field this weekend.

Bell has some ground to makeup to catch Reddick in the points

Idling in second in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, might have the advantage in wins over NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader Tyler Reddick so far this season (three to one), but Bell’s lack of consistency has mounted a hill of points (-23) he will need make up to catch Reddick in the standings lead for the regular season championship.

Both drivers are vying for the regular season championship because the winner is awarded 15 additional Playoff points to take into the postseason. With both Reddick and Bell locked into the Playoffs on wins, collecting Playoff points will be key to their success later in the postseason.

Bell’s three race wins (Atlanta, Bristol and Dover) and four stage wins (tied for series-most with Cole Custer) this season have given him 19 Playoff points and he currently holds the No. 1 seed in the Playoffs.

Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick on the other hand, is the current standings leader and has grabbed one win and two stage wins bringing his Playoff points total to seven points this season.

If the regular season were to end today, Reddick as the current standings leader would then receive the additional Playoff points (+15) for winning the regular season championship and as a result would become the No. 1 seed entering the Playoffs with 22 Playoff points. Winning the regular season title can be driver’s championship run game-changer. Playoff points are crucial to the success a driver has and their ability to advance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.

Heading into this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bell holds a slight advantage over Reddick at the 1.5-mile track. Bell has made two series start posting two top fives and an average finish of 3.5. He finished third in this race last season. Reddick has also made two series starts at Charlotte posting one top 10 and an average finish of 16.5.

Sign of the Times: Youth movement is healthy in the Xfinity Series

Rank

Driver

Points

Driver’s Age (Years)

1

Tyler Reddick

462

23

2

Christopher Bell

439

24

3

Cole Custer

391

21

4

Austin Cindric

381

20

5

Justin Allgaier

348

32

6

Chase Briscoe #

335

24

7

John H. Nemechek #

325

21

8

Ryan Sieg

315

31

9

Noah Gragson #

304

20

10

Michael Annett

297

32

11

Justin Haley #

294

20

12

Brandon Jones

286

22

Average Driver’s Age

24.2

Twelve drivers can qualify for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs this season and it should be no surprise this season’s batch of talented drivers currently in the top 12 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings are the latest frontrunners of the youth movement.

Looking at the current top 12 in the series driver championship standings nine of the 12 (75%) are under the age of 25. The average age of the top 12 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver point standings following Dover is 24.2 with five of the 12 drivers either 20-21 years of age. The elders of the top 12 – Michael Annett and Justin Allgaier – are just 32-years old.

The cup of youthfulness runs over in the Xfinity Series this season and Charlotte has been known to spoil the youngsters. Eight drivers have won in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway at or under the age of 25; including Kyle Busch who set the series record for the youngest winner at Charlotte at the age of 19. Busch is joined by Jeff Gordon (20 years old), Rob Moroso (20), Kyle Larson (21), Joey Logano (22), Ryan Blaney (23) Alex Bowman (24), and Austin Dillon (25).

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.:

Double Dippers: Four drivers this weekend – Austin Dillon, B.J. McLeod, Joey Gase and Ross Chastain – will be competing in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the Alsco 300 (Saturday, May 25 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, the Coca-Cola 600 (Sunday, May 26 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Earnhardt back with JGR: The nephew of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Jeffrey Earnhardt, will once again be back in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry with crew chief Ben Beshore this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earnhardt has already made four series starts with the team this season posting two top-10 finishes; both on 1.5-mile tracks (Atlanta and Texas).

Burton back with JRM: The son of former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver and Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton, Jeb Burton, will be back in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro with crew chief Taylor Moyer this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Burton has made one previous start with the team earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway – he started sixth and finished fifth.

Playoff Bubble Update: Following the 10th race of the season at Dover International Speedway two weeks ago, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones in the 12th and final Playoff transfer spot, extended his points advantage over 13th place Ross Chastain from 33 to 42 points. With that many points between Chastain and the final Playoff transfer spot it will most likely take a win for the JD Motorsport’s driver to make his way into the postseason. This season Chastain has posted one top 10 and an average finish of 17.1. He has made nine career starts at Charlotte, posting an average finish of 20.8.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi’s driver Chase Briscoe has taken the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead following Dover two weeks ago. Briscoe now leads second place John Hunter Nemechek by 10 points heading into Charlotte this weekend. Xfinity Rookie points following Dover: Briscoe (335), Nemechek (325), Noah Gragson (304), Justin Haley (294), Brandon Brown (204). Briscoe is only Sunoco Rookie this season that has made a start at Charlotte – he started ninth and finished 11th last season.

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

Four drivers from the NASCAR Xfinity Series – JR Motorsport’s Noah Gragson, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric and JD Motorsport’s Garrett Smithley – will be participating in this week’s media rotations at Charlotte Motor Speedway leading into this Saturday’s Alsco 300 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Noah Gragson (No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: July 15, 1998

Driver’s Age: 20

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Hobbies: Downhill mountain biking

Team: JR Motorsports

Crew Chief: David Elenz

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 at Richmond Raceway; starting 11th and finishing runner-up.
In total he made three Xfinity Series starts last season posting two top fives and three top 10s; all while competing fulltime in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series where he finished runner-up in the championship standings.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently ninth in the Xfinity Series driver championship standings 158 points behind the standing lead.
In 10 starts this season, has posted one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 12.0.
Currently third in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 31 points behind the rookie standings lead.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Performance:

Will be making his series track debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend.
Has finished in the top-10 at two of the first three 1.5-mile tracks the series visited in 2019 – Atlanta (ninth) and Las Vegas (third). Finished 13th at Texas.

Brandon Jones (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

Birthdate: February 18, 1997

Driver’s Age: 22

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Hobbies: Woodworking, antique car restoration, metal fabrication, farming

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering

Xfinity Career Highlights:

In 2018, he tallied a career-best finish of second at Talladega and reached the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs for the second time, finishing a career-best ninth in the standings.
In 2017, he captured his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series pole (Daytona-1).
In 2016, he made the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in his rookie season; ultimately finishing a then career-best 10th in the standings.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently 12th in the NASCAR Xfinity driver championship standings (the final transfer spot to the Playoffs), 176 points back from the series standings lead.
In 10 starts this season, he has produced two top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 15.4.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Performance:

Has made five series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, posting one top 10.
His average start at Charlotte is 13.0 and his average finish is 13.4.
Finished 15th in this race at Charlotte last season.

Austin Cindric (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang)

Birthdate: September 2, 1998

Driver’s Age: 23

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Hobbies: Mountain biking, water sports, listening to music

Team: Team Penske

Crew Chief: Brian Wilson

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Ran a full Xfinity season in 2018, splitting time with Roush Fenway Racing and Team Penske, making the Playoffs and ultimately finishing eighth in championship standings.
In 2017, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Road America driving for Team Penske; he started on the pole but finished 16th.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently fourth in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings, 81 points back from the series standings lead.
In 10 starts this season he has posted four top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 7.8.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Performance:

Cindric made his series track debut at Charlotte last season, where he started eighth and finished 16th.

Garrett Smithley (No. 0 JD Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: April 27, 1992

Driver’s Age: 26

Hometown: Peachtree City, Georgia

Hobbies: Singing and acting/theater

Team: JD Motorsports

Crew Chief: Bryan Berry

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Has competed fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series over the last three seasons (2016-2018) posting a best finish of 18th in the series championship standings in 2016.
Put up a Xfinity Series career-best finish of fifth in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in 2018.
Made NASCAR Xfinity Series career debut in 2015 at Homestead-Miami Speedway driving for car owner Derrike Cope.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently 16th in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings, 299-points back from the series standings lead, and 123 points back from 12th place Brandon Jones in the final Playoff spot.
In 10 starts this season he has posted one top-15 and five top-20 finishes
He has an average finish of 20.7. Completing 96.6% of his laps attempted.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Performance:

In five series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway he has accumulated two top-15 finishes; including his best finish at the track (14th) in last season’s race
His average starting position at Charlotte is a 31.4 and his average finish is 20.2.
Has completed 99.4% of his laps attempted at Charlotte.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

Kyle Busch completes five-race sweep

With his victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Friday night, Kyle Busch closed out his allotted five NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races for the year with a clean sweep – winning at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Martinsville, Texas and Charlotte.

The win marked Busch’s 56th win in the Gander Trucks and his 205th win in a NASCAR national series race.

Looking ahead to Texas Motor Speedway’s summer race, the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota is slated to driven by 2000 Gander Trucks champion Greg Biffle.

The veteran driver will be making his return to NASCAR for the first time since 2016, when he competed full-time for Roush Fenway Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Biffle has 16 wins in the series through 81 starts, also tallying 42 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes.

Biffle has a win at the Texas 1.5-mile track – taking the checkered in the June race en route to his series championship. He also started from the pole for that event.

Earlier this year, Biffle joined Kyle Busch Motorsports at Texas for the March race weekend, jumping behind the wheel for a few practice laps to knock the rust off.

Big Splash: Poole rebounds for first top five

After missing the Kansas race due to lack of sponsorship, Brennan Poole put in a fantastic effort at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend – finishing second to a dominant Kyle Busch for his first career top five in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

And it was only his second top-10 finish in the series – his other a ninth-place result at the spring edition of the Texas race this year in his first series visit to the track. Overall, Poole has competed in only 10 Gander Trucks races.

As the series takes a couple weeks off before hitting the track at Texas on Friday, June 7 for the SpeedyCash.com 400, Poole has reason to be optimistic that the trip west could be fruitful for him.

In addition to that strong finish in the Lone Star State in his lone Gander Trucks visit to the track, he has had moderate success at Texas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. If you toss out a 37th-place result due to a crash in the spring of 2017, he posted an average finish of 11.75 in his other four starts.

He posted a best finish of seventh in the fall 2017 race and had a top 10 in that same race in 2016, finishing eighth.

Friesen still frozen out of Victory Lane

If there’s anyone who understands the saying, “So close, yet so far away,” it’s Stewart Friesen.

The driver of the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Chevrolet has four top-five finishes this season, including a runner-up at Texas and a third-place finish at Charlotte last weekend. And he suffered a particularly cruel fate at Kansas after dominating the race – a miscommunication on a late pit stop prevented the team for getting enough fuel in the truck to make it to the end and he was relegated to a 15th-place result.

But one has to imagine the confetti will fly soon for Friesen. He’s led 126 laps and posted an average finish of 8.6 this season – even managing to finish 10th after a late crash took him out of the season opener at Daytona. And despite that and the fuel issue at Kansas, he has completed all but four of the laps run this season.

And he has to be excited about returning to Texas to start off the month of June. Of Friesen’s 15 top-five finishes in his Gander Trucks career, eight of them have come on 1.5-mile tracks. This includes twice in Fort Worth (June, 2018 and March, 2019).

ThorSport Racing still the class of the field

It’s been well known that ThorSport Racing is having a banner year in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, as all four of their drivers sit in the top six in the driver points standings.

And they have one of the two drivers who are locked into the Playoffs via a victory – Johnny Sauter with his win at Dover.

Grant Enfinger in the No. 98 Ford continues to lead the series standings, holding a 15-point lead over Halmar Friesen Racing’s Stewart Friesen. Brett Moffitt, driving for GMS Racing, sits in third.

But ThorSport drivers make up the next three spots in the order – Ben Rhodes is fourth, two-time Gander Trucks champ Matt Crafton is fifth, and 2016 titlist Sauter is sixth.

The combined average finish for the quartet is 7.85 – led by Enfinger’s average mark of 5.9.

Each driver has a minimum of three top-five finishes this season (led by Crafton’s five) and they have combined for three poles (Crafton – two, Enfinger – one).

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Etc.

OEM performance at Texas: Toyota and Chevrolet have led the charge at Texas Motor Speedway overall since 2004 – combining to win every race since then. Prior to that, Ford won the first two races in 1997 and 1998, and Dodge won their first race at the track in 1999. Overall, Toyota leads with 18 wins – including the most recent race in the spring of this year by Kyle Busch. Chevrolet had taken the three wins prior to Busch’s, to reach a total of 17. Dodge has five wins and Ford has three at the 1.5-mile circuit.

Sunoco Rookie snapshot: Anthony Alfredo’s eighth-place finish at Charlotte gave him a career-best NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series performance. And it was good enough to be the highest-finishing Sunoco Rookie contender of the night. Alfredo is running a part-time effort with DGR-Crosley and Charlotte marked his fourth race of the season. He is scheduled to race in two weeks at Texas Motor Speedway.

Event: Coca-Cola 600 (Race 13 of 36)

Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, NC)

Format: Four Stages – Stages End: Lap 100, 200, 300, 400

Date/Broadcast: Sunday, May 26 at 6:00 PM ET on FOX and PRN

Corey LaJoie and the No. 32 Superior Logistics Ford team for Go Fas Racing (GFR) will compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the second consecutive weekend in Sunday evening’s Coca-Cola 600. LaJoie will pilot the No. 32 Superior Logistics Mustang for the first time this season. The GFR organization previously competed with the scheme last fall at the Bank of America ROVAL 400.

Since the checkered flag fell last weekend in the Monster Energy All-Star Open, LaJoie’s focus has been on the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the schedule – a 600-mile, 400-lap phenomenon. Formerly known as the World 600, the event has been contested since 1960. Sunday’s race will mark LaJoie’s 70th start in the Cup Series.

As part of the NASCAR Salutes initiative for the Memorial Day weekend, the windshield banner of each MENCS car will feature the name of a fallen service member. GFR recently announced that they will honor Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad on the banner of their Ford.

The Sunday before Memorial Day is one of the most electrifying days for the world of motorsports. Starting off with Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix, then IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500, and ending with NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 – testing the endurance of drivers more than any other.

In addition to the already eventful weekend, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League season kicks off on Sunday ahead of the Coca-Cola 600. Follow along on the GFR social channels for behind-the-scenes coverage of Matt Heale and Hunter Mullins, drivers of the No. 32 on Xbox and PlayStation 4.

The Coca-Cola 600 is set for 6:00 PM ET on Sunday, May 26. FOX and PRN will carry coverage of the 600-mile event.

LaJoie on the upcoming weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
“This is a special weekend for everyone at Go Fas for a lot of reasons. Obviously, leading into Memorial Day weekend with a tribute to fallen military heroes means so much to everyone in our sport. We’re very proud to be able to represent these heroes on our racecars and being part of this NASCAR Salutes program means a lot to me. It’s exciting to have Superior Logistics with us this weekend, running a special red, white, and blue scheme for the [Coca-Cola] 600. It’s such a long race and we’re going to do our best to manage laps and be there at the end. We’ve had strong runs recently so we’re hoping we can keep that momentum going.”

LaJoie MENCS career highlights at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Starts: 4
Average Start: 38.5
Average Finish: 30.2
Best Finish: 26th

In the Rearview Mirror: All-Star Open
While Corey LaJoie and the Freedom Hard team didn’t advance to the All-Star race, they showed speed throughout the three stages of the Open and were able to steer clear of the chaos with fellow competitors. LaJoie qualified 16th for the Open and steadily progressed through the field for the duration of the 50-lap shootout. He ended a wild first stage 15th after a GWC. LaJoie radioed in to the team around the midpoint of the second stage to inform the No. 32 team that the balance of the Freedom Hard machine couldn’t be any better, allowing LaJoie to complete the second stage 9th. The GFR team ultimately colcluded the All-Star Open with an impressive 9th place result, avoiding any calamity.

---

About Our Team:
About Superior Logistics:
Superior Logistics Services provides shipping solutions across the continental United States, Mexico and to select points in Canada.

Our local pickup and delivery services are geared towards consumer convenience and on-time delivery. Our freight audit and consultation services provide you with the tools to maximize the value of your dollar before your shipment leaves your doors.

Ship your dry and refrigerated products fast with our 2nd-day service to Texas and Mexico border points, and 2nd- and 3rd-day service to California, Oregon and Washington. You can count on Superior Logistics to swiftly and safely transport your goods to all locations by the most cost-effective option.

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.