Category: NASCAR Cup PR

CHASE BRISCOE
St. Louis Advance
No. 14 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview
● Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 15 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 2
● Location: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)
● Layout: 1.25-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 240 laps/300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis will serve as Chase Briscoe’s third Cup Series start at the 1.25-mile oval. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver came off the truck strong in the inaugural Cup Series race at Gateway in 2022 by winning the pole and leading the first 27 laps. But a flat left-rear tire scuttled that strong performance, jettisoning Briscoe to a 24th-place finish. In his return to Gateway last year, Briscoe and his No. 14 team searched for speed in relation to their counterparts, coming away with a 34th place finish on the back of a weekend’s worth of struggle. With Gateway beckoning once more, Briscoe and Co. hope the third time is the charm.

● Briscoe’s very first experience at Gateway came in 2017 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Driving a Ford F-150, he took to the flat, egg-shaped oval quickly, winning the pole and leading twice for a race-high 88 laps before finishing second to John Hunter Nemechek.

● The St. Louis area is a bastion for grassroots racing, especially dirt racing, and Briscoe is seizing the opportunity. On Thursday night, he will run with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets at Doe Run (Mo.) Raceway. On Friday night, Briscoe will campaign his 410 sprint car at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway. And on Saturday night after he practices and qualifies for the Enjoy Illinois 300, he will embrace the race entitlement’s message by competing with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets one more time at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Illinois.

● Overstock.com adorns Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Gateway. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

In your first NASCAR Cup Series start at Gateway, you won the pole and proceeded to lead the first 27 laps before finishing 24th. How were you able to take to that track so well and so quickly?

“St. Louis is a place, even going back to the Truck Series, that for whatever reason I’ve always had pretty good speed there. I’ve always enjoyed going to that racetrack. It’s probably the second- or third-closest track to my hometown, so it’s always cool to have a lot of people there. It’s in a great pocket for motorsports. There are a ton of race fans in that area. I’ve always enjoyed going there. And the racetrack, for whatever reason, has always been pretty good to me. It’s one of those tracks where there are two totally separate ends and your car is never going to drive well in one of them. It’s kind of a short track, but it’s an intermediate, with kind of road-course braking. There are just a lot of different things that go into that racetrack and I’ve always enjoyed it.”

What happened in that first race at Gateway to put you 24th when it ended?

“I was able to get on the pole, lead the first however many laps, but then I blew a left-rear tire, and that kind of put us behind the rest of the day.”

Last year’s race at Gateway seemed to be an all-day struggle for you and the No. 14 team. With your first race there going relatively well where you had speed, and your second race going not so well, what are your expectations for your third Cup race at Gateway?

“Hopefully, we’re definitely more like the first year. It seemed like that second year we went back, everybody else just had gotten way better. I don’t know if we were necessarily any worse, it’s just that everybody else picked up their game. I guess it’s the only positive of struggling that bad last year, we knew we had to put a lot of work into it this year. I felt like we’ve put a lot of effort into it and I feel like we were in a pretty good spot at the simulator. It’s hard to say until you actually get there and do it, but I certainly feel pretty good going into it.”

Prior to racing at Gateway in a Cup car, you ran there once in a Truck, and did really well, winning the pole, leading twice for a race-high 88 laps, and then finishing second. What allowed you to be so comfortable at a track you hadn’t ever been on before?

“It just kind of fit my style. It’s definitely a place where the harder you can get into the corner, the better you are, and it has that road-course kind of style to it. You can move around the racetrack quite a bit and find lines. It’s one of those deals where some tracks just kind of click right away, and that was one of those racetracks that’s been kind of good from the speed standpoint. Hopefully, it’ll be the same. I definitely feel like I’ve led a lot of laps there, but have never been able to actually win the race, so hopefully it’ll be different this time.”

Is Gateway similar to other flat ovals, like Phoenix, where you finished ninth earlier this year?

“(Turns) three and four are more similar to Phoenix, or even like Loudon or any of those flat tracks just because it has a long, flat corner. But (turns) one and two are extremely tight and it’s just a ton of braking. We downshift from fifth all the way down to third gear, so you’re just super busy. I would say it’s more like a super-fast Martinsville corner. You pair those types of corners, and then you look at the racetracks that they kind of compare to, and they’re some of the tracks that we typically run well at. I hope it all kind of goes our way.”

You had a prime tire and an option tire for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. How did you like it and would you like to have those same options available at Gateway and at other tracks on the schedule?

“I definitely think there’s a lot to learn from the All-Star tire stuff, but it’s also a little tough with North Wilkesboro being a fresh repave. It’s not going to have the tire wear that you would typically have at other racetracks. But I feel like you could definitely take a lot of what we learned and be more aggressive with it. It’s just hard to find that balance. If you’re on the Goodyear side of it, you don’t want to be too aggressive to where we’re all blowing tires. But being aggressive is kind of the last choice we have if we’re not going to add horsepower.”

When you go to a venue like St. Louis, where it has the iconic Gateway Arch, do you do some exploring, or do you treat it like a business trip and hunker down in the motorcoach?

“St. Louis is one of those places where I try to go race as much as I can. I’m going to run Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I’ll run the midget Thursday and Saturday night, and I’ll run the sprint car Friday night. There’s such a pocket of motorsports in that region, especially dirt tracks. There’s a ton of dirt tracks within a two-hour radius, and it kind of works out where I can go run some dirt races. I think the last three years now I’ve run dirt every time we’ve gone to St. Louis. I haven’t really explored the city a whole lot. I’ve been to St. Louis quite a few times. I only grew up maybe four hours from there, so I’ve been there a few times and kind of seen the city. But, yeah, every time we go to St. Louis, I’m dirt racing.”

No. 14 Overstock.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Dylan Moser

Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY / PORTLAND

Saturday, June 1 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series @ WWT, 1:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Saturday, June 1 — NASCAR Xfinity Series @ Portland, 4:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, June 2 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

All three of NASCAR’s top touring series will be in action this weekend, but in two different locations. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Saturday) and NASCAR Cup Series (Sunday) will run for the third straight year at World Wide Technology Raceway while the NASCAR Xfinity Series travels west to Portland International Raceway, where Ford’s Cole Custer is the defending race winner.

NOTHING BUT TOP 10 FINISHES AT WWTR

Champions Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have enjoyed World Wide Technology Raceway since the NASCAR Cup Series started going there to race in 2022. Both drivers have registered back-to-back top-10 finishes at the track with Logano winning the inaugural event. Logano has finishes of first and third while Blaney was fourth in 2022 and sixth last season. Their Penske teammate, Austin Cindric, has also been solid with finishes of 11th and 13th.

CAREER FIRST FOR CHASE

Chase Briscoe scored the first NASCAR Cup Series pole of his career when he topped qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022. Briscoe circled the 1.25-mile track in 32.544 seconds (138.274 mph) and led the first 27 laps of the race before a left-rear tire went down and forced him to pit under green. He ended up going a lap down and spent the rest of the day trying to get back in contention, but ultimately finished 24th.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL: “The expectations are really the same for us in this time of year and that is to win a race. Expectation versus what needs to happen. We need to win a race to make the playoffs and we know that. This is a great opportunity. Gateway has been really strong for us and obviously Sonoma is a place that we can go and have a shot at winning the race, so that’s the expectation. At the same time, if you’re not in position to do that, you want to make the most of those days, but I don’t think points is something that we’re thinking about at this point. We’re just thinking about what we can do to win the race.”

RYAN PREECE: “For me, I’ve only been there once and our team has only been there once, so it’s definitely still a new track. I feel like it’s not a short track, but you drive it like a short track. Hopefully, we show up and we have some good speed and we can race and compete for a win. Qualifying is really important there, but it’s important everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are. It’s one of the most important things right now and I know our team is really starting to emphasize it and focus on it.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC: “Gateway has been a really good track for us the last two years, so hopefully that definitely transfers over with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse. It’s a fun racetrack. It’s really different and I’m surprised both years at how wide it’s gotten, especially with two lanes in three and four, so I’m looking forward to it. They always do a great job promoting the race, so I’m looking forward to going back.”

LOGANO WINS GATEWAY DEBUT

Just like he did in the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum and Bristol Dirt Race, Joey Logano won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, beating Kyle Busch in a dramatic overtime finish in 2022. Both drivers took turns crossing over each other for the lead on the final lap before Logano made the decisive pass in turn four to claim his second win of the season.

CUSTER REPEAT?

Defending champion Cole Custer will be trying for his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this weekend at Portland International Raceway, which would mark his second straight triumph at the Oregon road course. Custer was in the right place at the right time for an overtime restart last year, starting in the third row and then making the decisive pass entering turn one when the pack of cars in front of him all went wide due to contact. The victory was Custer’s first of three victories in 2023 and first on a road course in any of NASCAR’s top three divisions.

BACK IN PORTLAND

The NASCAR XFINITY drivers will be returning to Portland International Raceway for the third straight year after hosting the series for the first time in 2022. Before that, the circuit hosted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series more than 20 years ago. Former Ford driver Greg Biffle won the inaugural event in 1999 with owner Jack Roush while Andy Houston claimed the 2000 race.

GARCIA GAINING MOMENTUM

It’s taken Jake Garcia a couple of months to settle in with ThorSport Racing, but he appears to be hitting his stride as the summer stretch begins. Garcia is coming off the first top-10 finish of his ThorSport career, coming home sixth last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and just behind teammate Ben Rhodes, who was fifth. That marked the second consecutive solid run for Garcia, who led the first laps of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career two weeks ago at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Garcia led 40 circuits, but faded over the final 20 laps as he nursed his F-150 to the finish line with a tire going down. He has made two career series starts at World Wide Technology Raceway with a 10th-place finish in last year’s event being his best.

TRUCK SERIES OPENS DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND AT WWTR

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will kick off the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway with a Saturday afternoon race. Greg Biffle captured Ford’s first win at the facility in 1999 while Terry Cook followed that up three years later. The series has run at WWTR every year since 1998, except for a three-year period from 2011-2013.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT WWTR

2022 – Joey Logano

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS

AT PIR

2023 – Cole Custer

FORD NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT WWTR

1999 – Greg Biffle

2002 – Terry Cook

NOAH GRAGSON
St. Louis Advance
No. 10 SERVPRO Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 15 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 2
● Location: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)
● Layout: 1.25-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 240 laps/300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Noah Gragson’s NASCAR Cup Series career at Gateway International Raceway is comprised of just 197 laps. The Las Vegas native made his first Cup Series start at the track on the outskirts of St. Louis last year, but a broken brake rotor sent Gragson careening into the turn one wall just as he began his 198th tour of the 1.25-mile oval. The resulting impact resulted in a red-flag period that lasted just over nine minutes. The accident not only ended Gragson’s race at Gateway, but it kept him out of the car for the following race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Gragson returned to his racecar June 25 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

● Prior to coming to Gateway in the NASCAR Cup Series, Gragson made two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at the track, earning a pair of top-10 finishes – ninth in 2017 and 10th in 2018. It was that 2018 race, however, that Gragson feels he should have won. After starting third, Gragson led twice for a race-high 63 laps. In fact, he was cruising to victory, leading the race with less than 10 laps to go. But a flat tire seven laps short of the finish prompted an unscheduled pit stop, forcing Gragson out of the lead. That he battled back to finish 10th in a race where 17 trucks finished on the lead lap was a testament to Gragson’s strength that day at Gateway.

● Battling back is what Gragson aims to do again at Gateway. The 25-year-old driver for Stewart-Haas Racing finished 38th last Sunday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway after a crash on lap 171. It ended a run of seven straight top-20 finishes, the last four of which were all among the top-15, including a career-best result of third April 21 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

● Joining Gragson at Gateway is SERVPRO, a leader in property cleanup, restoration and construction. For more than 50 years, SERVPRO has been a trusted leader in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, construction, mold mitigation, biohazard, and pathogen remediation. SERVPRO’s professional services network of more than 2,200 individually owned and operated franchises spans the United States and Canada, responding to property damage emergencies large and small – from million-square-foot commercial facilities to individual homes. When disaster strikes, homeowners, business owners and major insurance companies rely on SERVPRO to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 SERVPRO Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Your history at Gateway is comprised of two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts and one NASCAR Cup Series start. With that body of work, what is it like to race at the flat, 1.25-mile oval?

“It’s a tough track because you have a really tight turns one and two, and then a long, sweeping, flat turns three and four, so it’s hard to get your car handling great on both sides of the racetrack. But that being said, it’s definitely a fun track. It was fun in the Trucks. We ran well there and should’ve probably won. I was leading with 10 to go and got a flat tire, so that was a bummer. But it’s a fun track. They always pack the house out there. It’s a good time.”

You endured a hard crash last year at Gateway and it kept you out of the car the following week at Sonoma. What do you remember about the accident and what were you feeling in its immediate aftermath?

“I had a little bit of brake shake and the pedal got a little longer, and then when I went into turn one, right when I hit the brake, I thought the right-front tire blew out, but it was really the rotor. I lost all braking capabilities, and then I turned left to spin the car out because I was already turning into the corner, and just tried to spin it out through the grass as best I could. Had I known it was going to blow out, I would’ve obviously tugged it to the right, wall-rode it. I got a concussion and had to sit out the next weekend. It was a hard hit.”

You scored a pair of top-10s in your two Truck Series starts at Gateway. How different was that experience compared to when you raced there last year in a Cup car?

“You’re still shifting in a Truck there, if you need to. You have options with the Truck. You’re not downshifting twice into turn one, but sometimes you are downshifting in turn one in the Truck. So, that was not too totally different. I think in 2017, it was the old pavement, so it was quite a bit different. But ever since they repaved in late 2017, early 2018, I went out there and did a tire test with Goodyear, so that was good to get experience on. And then I ran pretty well in the Truck, so going back there, it felt pretty similar to the same racetrack where I left off in 2018.”

Is Gateway similar to other flat ovals, like Phoenix, where you finished 12th earlier this year?

“I think it definitely races a lot like Phoenix. It’s kind of a hybrid between a mile-and-a-half and Martinsville because you’re going pretty slow through the corners, but it’s the same mile-and-a-half aero package. It’s a fun track. It’s challenging because it’s so flat and it’s hard to get your car working on both sides. But I hope it’s like Phoenix because we ran pretty solid there all weekend.”

You had a prime tire and an option tire during the All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. How did you like it and would you like to have those same options available at Gateway and at other tracks on the schedule?

“I really liked the soft tire, it just gave the car a lot more grip. There was falloff and you could move around and you could pace your run out a little bit. But it’s hard to really get a good gauge because it was a repave there at North Wilkesboro. If they took that soft tire to New Hampshire or Phoenix, you’ll probably wear it out in 30 laps. So it’s hard to really tell exactly and get a full read on what that tire was, but I thought it was a lot more fun than the hard tire. I think they should bring that tire everywhere, or at least try it. Double thumbs-up to Goodyear. They did a great job with that tire. They made the cars a lot more fun to drive and made it a lot racier.”

No. 10 SERVPRO Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

RYAN PREECE
St. Louis Advance
No. 41 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 15 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 2
● Location: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)
● Layout: 1.25-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 240 laps/300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece is gearing up for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. This will be the NASCAR Cup Series’ third visit to the 1.25-mile oval and Preece’s second time competing there. He made his Gateway Cup Series debut last June, finishing 17th after starting 29th.

● Preece heads to Gateway after finishing 26th in last Sunday’s rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He gained five spots from his 31st-place starting position, the 11th time in 14 races this season Preece has finished better than he started, including each of the last four races. Preece’s ninth-place finish April 7 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway remains his best of the year.

● In 14 points-paying races this season, Preece has four top-15 finishes and six top-20s, matching his performance after last year’s first 14 races. His ninth-place finish at Martinsville came in the eighth race of the season.

● Preece returned to his roots in last weekend’s SMART Modified Tour Kenny Minter Classic at Franklin County (Va.) Speedway. He started on the pole and led laps before an incident relegated him to an 18th-place finish. Preece has one career win in the series, which came at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in April 2021. Preece’s Modified career features 26 wins and the 2013 championship in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

● Overstock.com adorns Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Gateway. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You finished 17th at Gateway last season in your only start at the track. What are your thoughts heading into the weekend?

“I’ve only been to Gateway once, so it’s definitely a new track for me. It’s not a short track, but I feel like it drives like a short track and shares a lot of those similarities. Based on what we learned there last year and what we’ve learned this year at different tracks, it’s a place that I feel pretty good about going to. Hopefully, we can show up with speed and put together the strong run that I know we’re capable of having.”

We’ve seen the importance of qualifying this season. How important is qualifying well at Gateway?

“I think qualifying is important everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you’re racing. It’s one of the most important things right now for us drivers and teams. It’s something that our team is emphasizing and focusing on to put ourselves in the best position possible when it’s time to race.”

What do you think the racing will look like at Gateway this weekend?

“It will probably be tough to pass. I think that’s something we saw there last year, but it’s also tough to pass, in general. The field is closer than it’s ever been, but if you have a car that’s maneuverable and can go where the other drivers aren’t, you can find a way to move forward. I think strategy will factor into the racing, as well, and that almost certainly makes things interesting.”

No. 41 Overstock.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Front End Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

Martin Truex Jr.
World Wide Technology Raceway Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 15 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 2
● Location: World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)
● Layout: 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval
● Laps/Miles: 240 laps, 300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Where We Stand: The New Jersey native sits second in the driver standings with 487 points, just five points behind leader and JGR teammate Denny Hamlin. All four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) entries are currently inside the top-11 in the standings, with Ty Gibbs seventh and Christopher Bell 11th as the series heads heads into the summer months this weekend just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

● In the 2022 debut of the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) in Madison, Illinois, Truex and the No. 19 team ran well, leading 42 laps and bringing home a sixth-place finish. They followed it up in 2023 with a solid fifth-place finish. Truex’s average WWTR finish is a solid 5.5.

● Dazzling Debut: While this weekend is just the third time the Cup Series will have competed at WWTR, Truex has competed at the 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval twice before in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, qualifying on the pole for both the May 2004 and 2005 races. He went on to win the 2004 race, leading 109 laps along the way.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon last July was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 63 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn last August. Truex scored his second stage win of the season at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway last month, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

What has it been like going back to St. Louis the last couple of years, but this time in the Cup Series?

“It’s been awesome to go back there. I think the last time I raced there before the last couple of years was 2005. It’s amazing how different the track is now and how good it is. The racing there was incredible with this NextGen car. We were going back there thinking that this was going to be one-groove with everyone on the bottom and it’s going to be hard to pass, and that’s not been the case at all. We use the whole racetrack and that’s what makes it good now. It’s a fun track with really long straightaways, but you have to use the brakes, you have to slow down for the corners. It’s the only place we downshift twice on an oval to make a corner and it’s really produced some really good racing and it’s been a lot of fun. We’ve had a good season but would love to get in the win column this weekend with our Bass Pro Shops Camry. It’s a place we are capable of winning at, for sure.”

What does it take to be able to win at WWTR?

“Qualifying well is important, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t qualify well. It’s a short track, basically. It has long straightaways but short turns, so you have to be able to turn the center of the corner but also be able to get the power down on exit and be able to save the tires for the long run. That’s key.”

What have been the challenges of the NextGen car?

“It’s challenged all of us, that’s for sure. The biggest thing is that everyone is so close, we all have the same car. So it’s really hard to find those little things that make our cars faster and make your chances of winning better. It’s just been tough. These cars are very sensitive to small changes and you really have to be on top of it. The crew chiefs and engineers are all going to be out of hair in a couple of years working on this thing because it’s a challenge. It’s been tough, but also a lot of fun to drive.”

What are your expectations heading to the Cup Series’ third race at World Wide Technology Raceway?

“The first year there, we were one of the best cars out there, along with Joey (Logano) and Kyle (Busch). We were up there and fighting for the lead a ton. It’s a place I’ve always liked, so we were able to get our car where we needed to fairly quickly with a full practice session and time to work on the car during the weekend. Last year, we got behind on track position but had a really strong finish to the race and almost made it back up into the top-five at the end. Hoping we can pick back up where we left off there and keep the track position this time and get our first win of the season. St. Louis is flat, like Phoenix, but it’s a lot more worn out. Hoping we can have another strong effort there with our Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Mike Louria

Hometown: Gibraltar, Michigan

Gateway Event Info:
Date: Sunday, June 2
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Concord, N.C.
Format: 240 Laps, 300 Miles, Stages: 45-95-100
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 9:30 a.m. ET, Practice (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 10:15 a.m. ET, Qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Race (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The NASCAR Cup Series schedule flips to a less-familiar track this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway as Gateway hosts just its third-ever Cup event.
• Jack Roush has five wins at Gateway (4 Xfinity, 1 Truck).
• Brad Keselowski has the second-best average finish of any driver in the last six races – 8.0 – with four top five finishes in that span. He’s finished runner-up in three of the last six races alone, and has six top five finishes through 14 starts in 2024.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Solomon Plumbing

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: TravelCenters of America

Keselowski at Gateway
Starts: 2
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Keselowski makes his third Cup start at Gateway after finishing 20th and 28th in each of the first two Cup races there in 2022-23.
• Keselowski made five Xfinity Series starts at Gateway from 2007-10 as he earned the last NXS win there in 2010. Overall he finished top-10 in three Xfinity races with three races in the No. 88, and the final two in the No. 22.
• Keselowski also made three Truck starts at WWTR with a P2 finish in his last start in 2010.

Buescher at Gateway
Starts: —
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

Buescher makes his second-ever start at Gateway this weekend, where he debuted last year with a P12 finish (he missed the inaugural race in 2022).

RFK Historically at Gateway
Overall Wins: 5 (Greg Biffle, 1999, 2002; Carl Edwards, 2006, 2008, 2010)

• Biffle One of the First to Win at Gateway: Greg Biffle established himself as a winner early in the days of NASCAR visiting Gateway, winning his second-ever truck race there in 1999. He led 30 laps in the No. 50 machine after starting fifth for one of his 17 truck wins all-time, and one of nine on that season.
• Edwards 3x Winner in Illinois: Carl Edwards went to victory lane on three occasions at Gateway, all two years apart beginning in 2006. He led 26 laps in the 2006 race, then went on to lead 79 laps in 2008. He went on to win again in 2010 after starting eighth, capping off his trifecta at the 1.25-mile track.
• Tale of the Tape: RFK has 49 starts at Gateway across the Xfinity and Truck Series, tallying five combined wins with 28 total top-10s. Four of those victories came in the Xfinity Series from 2002-2010, with the lone Truck win coming in 1999.

RFK Gateway Wins

1999 Biffle Trucks

2002 Biffle Xfinity

2006 Edwards Xfinity

2008 Edwards Xfinity

2010 Edwards Xfinity

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Charlotte: Keselowski finished second in a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, while Buescher was credited with 23rd.

Points Standings (6: 9th, 17: 15th): Keselowski and the No. 6 team advanced again in the standings, this time inside the top-10 to P9, 11 points off 8th. Buescher sits 15th with a 21-point gap separating 13th-16th.

Buescher P23 After 249 Laps Completed in Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2024) – The 2024 running of the Coca-Cola 600 was shortened Sunday night to just shy of 250 laps after inclement weather moved into the Concord area. After a lengthy delay, the race was deemed official due to ‘inclement weather, high humidity and the likelihood of resuming action after 1 a.m. with the track-drying process.’

Despite the controversy and what appeared to be a dry race track soon after, Brad Keselowski was credited with a second-place finish, his third of the season, while Chris Buescher was on the flip side of the call with a 23rd-place official result.

The finish for Buescher and the No. 17 Fastenal team capped off a grueling weekend, going to a backup car after Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, prompting a start at the tail end of the field.

For Keselowski and the No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com team, it’s the third-runner up result of the season, and fourth of second or better in the last six races.

“Yeah, it was pretty disappointing,” Keselowski said after the race. “I felt like we had a car to win the race. We kind of ran down the 20 car twice and just didn’t get to see it play out. Kind of slipped through our fingers there. Would have liked to have just had more laps and ran the Coke 600. I think we ran the Coke 350 today.

“All in all, really happy with our performance. Car was really fast, pit stops were phenomenal. Just didn’t get to see it through. Bummed for our team, bummed for everybody. But the weather is what the weather is.”

6 Recap
Keselowski’s qualifying effort was not indicative of the speed shown on Sunday, as he qualified 30th in Saturday’s single-car session.

He wasted no time improving upon that, though, advancing into the top-20 just 40 laps into Sunday’s action. He was scored 14th at the first yellow flag of the day at lap 86, restarted ninth and went on to finish eighth in the opening stage of 100 laps, a 22-spot improvement from the drop of the green flag.

The BuildSubmarines.com Ford fired off ninth to begin the second stage as Keselowski went on to long pit, ultimately inheriting second place before pitting again under green-flag conditions at lap 145. Three cautions then flew in the final 40 laps of the stage as Keselowski drove to fifth by lap 196, earning more stage points.

He rolled sixth for the third stage as inclement weather approached the area. Another caution flew at lap 228 with Keselowski back in the runner-up position, and after another solid stop, he fired off second for the race’s final restart at lap 234.

Then, at lap 246, NASCAR threw the caution for the final time – this time due to precipitation – in what ultimately led to red-flag conditions, and the decision to declare the race official.

17 Recap
Buescher had an eventful 250-lap race after starting the race with effectively a brand new car, after he lost a left-rear tire in practice on Saturday, resulting in a backup car for Sunday.

Despite starting at the rear, Buescher found himself near the front early and often, advancing all the way to second in the first pit cycle of the day at lap 50. He finished the opening stage in 15th, and worked his way back into the top-10 midway through stage two.

Pit road positioning issues throughout the night caused headache for Buescher and neighboring cars, which ultimately led to the No. 17 losing multiple positions in the opening set of stops. He finished the second stage in 11th, and was forced to restart 27th for the third stage.

He was scored 21st at lap 228 – the final yellow before weather – and restarted 26th at lap 234. But, due to the limited laps that ensued under green, Buescher was unable to regain any additional track position, finishing 23rd.

Up Next
The NASCAR Cup Series turns its attention to World Wide Technology Raceway next weekend with race coverage on Sunday set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.