Category: Truck Series PR

Saturday, March 19
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 3 of 23
Event: Fr8 208 (135 laps, 208 miles)

Schedule

Friday, March 18
Practice: 3:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 19
Qualifying: 10:30 a.m. ET
Race: 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Wastequip Ford F-150

• The Fr8 208 on Saturday afternoon will mark the third start of Deegan’s sophomore season and 26th of her career.
• Deegan is hoping to turn her luck around this weekend after sustaining damage in each of the first two races this season. The previous race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway saw the Temecula, California native’s day end early, retiring after 44 laps.
• The Ford development driver has one previous start at Atlanta Motor Speedway finishing 21st last season. The new configuration should present an intriguing challenge for the entire field when the track goes green for practice on Friday afternoon.
• With the new surface, you can essentially toss the record book out the window. However, Mike Hillman Jr. has had quite the career at the 1.5-mile Georgia oval. In 17 NCWTS starts, the veteran has one win, six top-fives and 11 top-10s.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150

• Tanner Gray will compete in the 51st race of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career when the series visits the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia this weekend.
• Off to the best start of his young career, Gray has back-to-back top-five finishes in the first two races of the season, finishing fourth at Daytona and fifth at Las Vegas.
• After the first two events, the Ford Performance driver sits second in the series standings, five points behind point leader Chandler Smith and 10 points ahead of third-place Ty Majeski.
• Unlike most of the field, Friday’s practice session will not be the first laps on the new Atlanta surface for Gray. The 22-year-old served as the Ford representative at the manufacturer test back in January and hopes that the speed he showed at the test will parlay into a third consecutive top-five run.

Ryan Preece, No. 17 United Rentals Ford F-150

• Ryan Preece will make his second of seven starts behind the wheel of the No. 17 F-150 on Saturday afternoon. United Rentals will return as the primary partner for the second of three races in 2022.
• At Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, the Connecticut native qualified fifth and finished fourth after nearly snagging the lead in the closing laps of the 134-lap event.
• Preece has an impressive 1-2-3 stat line thus far in the NCWTS. He has one win, two top-fives and three top-10s in his three career starts.
• On the previous configuration of Atlanta, Preece has six career starts between the Cup and Xfinity Series’ with one top-10.

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST

Atlanta Motor Speedway Stats

• NCWTS Starts: 6, Wins: 1 (2020), Best start: 4th, Top 5s: 3, Top 10s: 5, Laps led: 15

2022 NCWTS Season Stats

• Starts: 2, Best start: 7th, Best finish: 23rd (Las Vegas), Current points position: 27th
• About Champion Power Equipment: Since 2003 Champion Power Equipment has earned a reputation for designing and producing the market’s finest power equipment. From our original headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California, Champion has expanded its North American footprint to include facilities in Jackson, Tennessee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Toronto Canada. Today, Champion’s product line has expanded to include portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches and log splitters. With over 2.5 million generators sold in North America, Champion is a market leader in the power equipment field. Visit ChampionPowerEquipment.com for more information.
• Champions In Life: Over the course of the last week, Champion Power Equipment has pledged to donate over 100 generators to those affected by the war in Ukraine. With many of the country’s citizens left without power, water, heat or gas, Champion Power Equipment hopes that their contribution will be able to help some of those in true need.
• Chassis History/Info: Grant Enfinger will drive GMS Racing chassis no. 331 in the ATL on Saturday. This chassis has been raced seven times before, and has visited victory lane once in 2020 at Michigan International Speedway with Zane Smith behind the wheel. Most recently, this truck raced at Darlington Raceway, where it finished ninth with Smith.
• Testing, Testing, 1-2-3: In January, Grant Enfinger was one of only three NCWTS drivers that participated in a Goodyear tire test at the newly repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway. With so many variables ahead of the new track configuration, Enfinger’s veteran driving ability was relied on to help develop the tire that will be used in the first race ever held on the repave. – Previous Race Winner: For the third straight weekend in a row, Grant Enfinger will head to the track as a previous race winner. Enfinger won his first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in 2020, leading only seven laps en route to his lone victory on the old pavement. – Meet Grant: Fans can meet Grant Enfinger along with his GMS Racing teammate Jack Wood at the Team Chevy display in the fan midway at Atlanta Motor Speedway prior to the race on Saturday from 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM local time. Enfinger and Wood will be participating in a Q&A followed by a quick autograph session for all fans in attendance. – GE Quote: “I’m not quite sure what to expect for the reconfigured Atlanta surface this weekend. There will definitely be a lot of wide open racing where we will utilize the draft. My crew chief Charles Denike has some adjustability built into our Champion Power Equipment Silverado, so we can adapt our package if we need to. As a team, we are focused on getting a strong finish this week and building some momentum.”

Jack Wood, No. 24 Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet Silverado RST

Atlanta Motor Speedway Stats

• Jack Wood will make his first ever start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in any series on Saturday afternoon.

2022 NCWTS Season Stats

• Starts: 2, Best start: 11th, Best finish: 32nd (Las Vegas), Current points position: 33rd
• About Chevy Truck Month: The month of March celebrates Chevrolet’s annual “Chevy Truck Month”, where customers have the opportunity to purchase new Chevrolet Silverados, Colorados, and other models with steep discounts. Explore all of Chevrolet’s wide range of trucks and accessories to customize them with by visiting Chevrolet.com/trucks, and be sure to visit a Chevrolet dealer near you to learn more information about the promotion.
• Chassis History/Info: Jack Wood will drive GMS Racing chassis no. 330 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, another truck that was a part of the No. 21 team’s fleet from 2020-2021. This Silverado RST was victorious at Dover Motor Speedway with Zane Smith in 2020, and was last raced at Bristol Motor Speedway where it finished eighth last September.
• First Atlanta Start: Wood will make his first start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, and heads into the weekend with six prior intermediate track starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He expects this newly paved track, however, to not be like any track he’s ever raced at before. – Meet Jack: Fans can meet Jack Wood along with his GMS Racing teammate Grant Enfinger at the Team Chevy display in the fan midway at Atlanta Motor Speedway prior to the race on Saturday from 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM local time. Wood and Enfinger will be participating in a Q&A followed by a quick autograph session for all fans in attendance.
• JW Quote: “I’m looking forward to racing in Atlanta for the first time. It’s a track that I haven’t been to before, but with the new reconfiguration, we are all in the same boat as far as experience goes. I think that every one of these drivers will have to have an open mindset of how to attack this new challenge. The seat time that I’ve been able to have on the Chevy simulator has been interesting, and it leads me to believe that it is going to be a tough race. Our No. 24 team is ready to get our start to the season turned around, we really are in need of a good finish and I think Atlanta will be a great opportunity to do just that.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series operating the No. 23 and the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs, as well as the ARCA Menards Series with the No. 43 Chevrolet SS. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA Menards Series East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for Petty GMS, a two car full-time NASCAR Cup Series team formed in 2021.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hopes to Bring Fr8 Auctions to Victory Lane in Titled Race

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 16, 2022) – Zane Smith heads into Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway looking for his second win of the season.

FR8Auctions will dawn the No. 38 Ford F-150 for the first time this weekend, at a track where they also hold the title sponsorship for the truck series event.

“There is the age-old saying, ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,’ and that’s what our mindset is heading into this weekend,” Smith stated. “We are really focused on coming out of the gate strong at this new Atlanta.”

Smith is happy to be carrying the FR8Auctions brand at the track where they hold the title sponsorship.

“It’s great to have FR8Auctions partnered with us this season”, said Smith. “This one is a little more special, we want to really go out and have a strong showing and compete for the win in the FR8 208.”

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series FR8 208 will air on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Race Advance – Fr8 208 (135 Laps/208 Miles) | Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 19 | Hampton, Ga. | 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 41 Eat Florida Watermelon Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Ross Chastain (Alva, Fla.) | Crew Chief: Cody Efaw
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @RossChastain

Chastain on making his 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Atlanta: “Thanks to Al Niece and everyone at Niece Motorsports who make it possible for me to compete in the Truck Series. It’s always exciting to get behind the wheel of a Niece Chevrolet and to be able to represent the Florida Watermelon Association is an added bonus this week. Although there are plenty of unknowns heading into Atlanta with the recent repave, I’m confident that the people of Niece Motorsports have a truck prepared that’s capable of running up front.”

Chastain at Atlanta Motor Speedway (NCWTS): Chastain makes his sixth career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Saturday and his fourth with Niece Motorsports. He owns an average finish of 9.8 with four-consecutive top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track. Chastain produced finishes of sixth (2019), sixth (2020), and seventh (2021) in his three previous truck starts with Niece Motorsports and led 17 laps in the 2020 event.

Chastain has also made four starts in the NASCAR Cup Series and six starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta marks Chastain’s 96th career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, a career that includes three wins (Kansas 2019, Gateway 2019, Pocono 2019), 17 top-fives, and 42 top-10s.

On the Truck: Chastain and the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado will carry the Eat Florida Watermelon paint scheme in Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About the Florida Watermelon Association

The Florida Watermelon Association (FWA) was formed to enable growers and marketers of the Florida watermelon industry to unite. Organized membership allows the association to promote the consumption of watermelons grown in Florida. The FWA assists its members in the growing and marketing of watermelons by providing a forum through this Corporation’s meetings. The Florida Watermelon Queen scholarship program was established in 1968 to assist the association in promotional efforts. The queen helps boost sales of Florida grown watermelon by engaging the public at numerous events, from grocery stores to Nascar races. The Florida Watermelon queen will compete for the National Watermelon Queen title at the National Watermelon Association annual convention.

Follow Ross Chastain on Instagram and on the web: @rosschastain / rosschastain.com

Race Advance – Fr8 208 (135 Laps/208 Miles) | Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 19 | Hampton, Ga. | 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 42 Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Carson Hocevar (Portage, Mich.) | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @CarsonHocevar

Hocevar on Atlanta Motor Speedway: “While there are a lot of question marks and unknowns going into Atlanta this weekend, we’re certain that we have a solid No. 42 Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet to bring to the race track. Having the ability to run the same truck that we ran at Las Vegas gives us the confidence that we’re putting our best foot forward to run up front at Atlanta.”

Hocevar at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Hocevar readies for his second career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday. The Michigan native produced a 12th-place finish last year in his rookie season after starting 17th.

On the Truck: Hocevar and the No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado will carry the Premier Security Solutions paint scheme for Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last time out (Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 – Start: 12th / Finish: 13th): Hocevar made his way into the top-five just seven laps in and opted to pit under the first caution on lap 21 to make one final push to the front before the end of stage one. He went on to earn five stage points with a fifth-place finish in stage one and started on the inside line of the front row for stage two, setting himself up to take the lead on the backstretch – the first of nine laps led on the night for the 19 year-old.

Hocevar battled Kyle Busch for the top spot in the ensuing laps before giving way to the NASCAR Cup Series Champion and crossed the line 11th in stage two. On lap 98, Hocevar got loose off of turn four and spun, sliding through the infield grass to bring out the caution. He rebounded to pick his way through the field in the closing laps before settling for a 13th-place finish.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About Premier Security Solutions:

​​Founded in 2013 by a retired Flint Michigan Police Officer, Premier Security Solutions is committed to deflect and deter unlawful activity for their clients, create a safe campus, and provide a secure environment. A company fully committed to community involvement and protection. Premier partners with many community organizations like Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and his G.H.O.S.T. team combatting human trafficking. Premier provides an array of security services, including K-12 school campus, industrial logistics, corporate and event security in addition to a state-of-the-art monitoring center and all types of security training for both law enforcement and civilian trainees. For more information, please visit www.premiersecurity.solutions/

Follow Carson Hocevar on Instagram and on the web: @CarsonHocevar / CarsonHocevar.com

Race Advance – Fr8 208 (135 Laps/208 Miles) | Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 19 | Hampton, Ga. | 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 45 AUTOParkit™ Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Lawless Alan (Los Angeles, Calif.) | Crew Chief: Darren Fraley
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @lawlessalan25

Alan on making his first start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: “I’m really looking forward to my first trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway with Niece Motorsports and my AUTOParkit Chevrolet. It should be a really interesting weekend with the repave the track underwent this offseason – we don’t know how everyone is going to fare handling-wise. There’s a lot to learn for all of the teams from the top down. It’s one of the few tracks on the schedule where I have just as much experience as everyone else in the field, which is none.”

Alan at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Alan makes his first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Fr8 208.

On the Truck: Alan and the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado will run the AUTOParkit™ colors for Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last time out (Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 – Start: 26th / Finish: 19th): Alan suffered nose damage on his No. 45 AUTOParkit Chevrolet as a result of the race’s first caution on lap 12 – an issue that the No. 45 team worked to remedy throughout the duration of the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200. Despite falling a lap down due to a number of trips down pit road to make repairs, Alan was the recipient of the free pass at the end of stage two to rejoin the field on the lead lap and rebounded to post a top-20 finish in his first-career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About AUTOParkit:

AUTOParkit™ designs, manufactures, and constructs fully automated parking systems for new and existing buildings. AUTOParkit system structural steel and modular design can provide double the capacity of a traditional parking garage, providing up to 17 LEED points and drastically reducing construction time. AUTOParkit automated systems are 40 percent less expensive to operate, safer for the user and reduces carbon emissions associated with parking by more than 80 percent. AUTOParkit’s charging pallets provided by AUTOChargit, are a fast and convenient way of charging EVs and Hybrids. AUTOChargit’s patented technology allows for shuffling charged vehicles cutting infrastructure costs by up to 80 percent.

For more information on AUTOParkit, visit www.autoparkit.com

Follow Lawless Alan on Instagram and on the web: @lawless_alan / www.lawlessalanracing.com

Race Advance – Fr8 208 (135 Laps/208 Miles) | Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 19 | Hampton, Ga. | 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 44 F.N.B Corporation Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Kris Wright (Wexford, Pa.) | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @KrisOnNASCAR

Wright on making his first start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: “I am really looking forward to racing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on the new repaved surface. The limited information I have received about the new track and how it drives is basically that there are so many unknowns. As a team, we have so many questions: How many lanes can you use? What is the drafting going to be like on a 1.5-mile track? What is the preferred groove? The track is going to be very fast and interesting for sure. I cannot wait to get there after the great speed our Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado showed at Vegas (Las Vegas Motor Speedway).”

Wright at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Wright makes his first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8 208.

On the Truck: Wright and the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado will carry the red, white, and blue F.N.B. Corporation paint scheme at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday.

Last Time Out (Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 – Start: 16th / Finish: 17th): Wright started 16th in the 36-truck field, and at the end of Stage 1 on Lap 30 he was scored 27th. By the end of Stage 2 on Lap 60, Wright was scored 14th. He came to pit road for service to the No. 44 iHeartRadio Chevrolet Silverado on Lap 62. On Lap 119 Wright was involved in a single-truck incident in Turn 2 while running 17th resulting in the yellow flag being waved. He was scored as high as 12th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

About Niece Motorsports

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About F.N.B. Corporation

F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB’s market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina. The Company has total assets of approximately $42 billion and nearly 340 banking offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. FNB’s wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance.

The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FNB” and is included in Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks SubIndustry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com.

Follow Kris Wright on Instagram and on the web: @KrisOnNASCAR / KrisWrightMotorsports.com

Race Advance – Fr8 208 (135 Laps/208 Miles) | Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 19 | Hampton, Ga. | 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 40 Worldwide Express/GlobalTranz/Unishippers Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Dean Thompson (Anaheim, Calif.) | Crew Chief: Matt Weber
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @deanthompsonr

Thompson on carrying his momentum built in Las Vegas into Atlanta: “The No. 40 Worldwide Express Chevrolet team is really excited to continue our momentum in Atlanta coming off an 11th-place finish in Las Vegas. With the repave of the racing surface, I’m looking forward to experiencing what the track has to offer for the first time as is the case with several others in the field. Hopefully we’re able to get up front early to work towards another solid finish this week.”

Thompson at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Thompson makes his first-career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in Saturday’s Fr8 208.

On the Truck: Thompson and the No. 40 Chevrolet Silverado will have the Worldwide Express/GlobalTranz/Unishippers colors on board for Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last time out (Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 – Start: 29th / Finish: 11th): After starting in the back half of the field Friday night, Thompson wheeled the No. 40 Worldwide Express Chevrolet into the top-20 by the end of stage one while finding success in the high line throughout the race. Despite being mired in the mid-20s in the latter stages of the race, Thompson avoided trouble in the middle of the pack to set himself up for the final restart in 17th-place. He and Niece Motorsports teammate Carson Hocevar picked their way through traffic in the closing laps to take the checkered flag 11th – making him the highest-finishing rookie of the night – in his first trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About Worldwide Express

Worldwide Express, LLC, is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions and managed transportation services. The family of brands, comprised of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, serve more than 120,000 customers spanning from small and mid-size businesses to larger enterprises, with unmatched carrier options and strategic guidance for their supply chains. With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $4 billion, the company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the country. Through a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, and powered by proprietary technology, clients benefit from an award-winning, relationship-backed approach to solving their shipping needs. To learn more about the brands, please visit www.wwex.com, www.globaltranz.com and www.unishippers.com.

Follow Dean Thompson on Instagram and on the web: @deankthompson / deanthompsonr.com

Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 JBL® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Fr8 208, Race 3 of 23, 135 Laps –30/30/75; 207.9 Miles
Location: Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway at (1.54-mile Quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: March 19, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:
Georgia native Corey Heim will make his first career start in any series at his home state track in Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Saturday’s event will be Heim’s second of what will be a 16-race schedule behind the wheel on the No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2022. Heim opened his season at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway where he qualified sixth and finished fourth in the opening stanza before a pit road accident caused significant damage to his Toyota and relegated him to a 32nd-place finish.

Heim made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in 2021, with a best result of 11th coming at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Heim had an impressive Truck Series debut at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last May, where he led two laps, finished Stage Two in the runner-up position and was running second when he got turned from behind on a restart with just under 30 laps remaining.

Despite not being slated for a full-time schedule this year, Heim is competing for the 2022 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. After two events, he sits fourth in the standings, 28 points behind Lawless Alan. Heim will look to join three other KBM drivers that have won the award, reigning winner Chandler Smith, William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015).

While he didn’t race in the last event at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Heim traveled with the No. 51 team and observed KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch throughout the Truck Series practice, qualifying and race.

In addition to his part-time Camping World Truck Series schedule, the 19-year-old driver is running six-race schedule in the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports. In his lone start so far this season, Heim led 74 of 90 laps en route to the victory at Daytona in February. The win marked was the eighth of his ARCA Menards Series career. Across 37 career ARCA Menards Series starts has 577 laps led, 27 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.1. Heim finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings. The Toyota Racing Development product collected six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes and produced an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.

Mardy Lindley returns to KBM for his second season atop the pit box of the No. 51 team. The No. 51 team produced three victories in Lindley’s first season as a crew chief at KBM, two with owner-driver Kyle Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. In Lindley’s lone race atop the pit box at Atlanta, he was victorious with owner-driver Kyle Busch leading a race-high 102 laps in last year’s race.

JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, returns to KBM for an eighth season and will be the primary sponsor on Heim’s Toyota for 10 races this season including Saturday’s race at Atlanta. Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, will serve as a primary sponsor for four of Heim’s races, beginning July 29 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park.

Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:

As a kid from Georgia did you frequent Atlanta Motor Speedway?
“I grew up racing at and also watching all the NASCAR races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. I grew up racing Legends and Bandoleros there and every year that the NASCAR Series would go there, I’d watch all three series cheering on selected drivers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Kyle Busch himself win there, so to be racing with him and his team now is pretty special.”

You traveled with the team to Las Vegas to watch and learn while Kyle (Busch) raced. How did that go?
“I think it was great for me to just kind of be part of the team and see how it functions outside of being a driver. Being with Derek Kneeland in the spotter’s stand and kind of listening to the radio all throughout the day, through practice, qualifying and the race, I learned a lot about how Derek talks and how Kyle speaks to his spotter and his crew chief. I think it gave me a lot of good information heading into Atlanta.”

With the track being repaved and reconfigured, do you feel like it levels the playing field for you in your first race there?
“I’d say so, it’s kind of a good equalizer. KBM has always been so good at Atlanta Motor Speedway, I’ve seen Kyle Busch win there so many times, even with the new repave I think my JBL Tundra TRD Pro is going to be really good this weekend.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

• Made three Truck Series starts in 2021 with a best result of 11th coming at Martinsville in October.
• Finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2021 after collecting six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.
• Across 37 career ARCA Menards Series starts has eight wins, 577 laps led, 27 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.1. Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
• Brought home a victory March 27, 2020, in the Super Late Model Georgia Spring Nationals at Crip Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga. It was his second Super Late Model win at his home state track, where he also won CRA SpeedFest at the 3/8-mile track in 2020.
• On the CARS Tour, has collected one Super Late Model win at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2018 and one Late Model Stock victory at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2020.

Corey Heim’s No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro:
KBM-66: The No. 51 JBL team will unload KBM-66 for Saturday’s 135-lap event at Atlanta. This Tundra TRD Pro has one victory under its belt, which came with owner-driver Kyle Busch at Atlanta in 2021.

Click here to see KBM-66 Performance Profile
KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected three wins, two poles, 689 laps led, 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8 across 26 starts at Atlanta. KBM Owner-driver Kyle Busch won last year and in 2019 while Christopher Bell brought home the trophy in 2017.
• KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (91) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Bristol Motor Speedway last September, Chandler Smith became the 17th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
• With 37 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Fr8 208, Race 3 of 23, 135 Laps –30/30/75; 207.9 Miles
Location: Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway at (1.54-mile Quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: March 19, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Mr. Smith Season 2:
Chandler Smith and the No. 18 Safelite team head to Atlanta Motor Speedway looking to continue the momentum they’ve built over the last seven races. The 19-year-old closed out the 2021 season with two victories (Bristol Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway) across the last five races and found victory lane in just the second race of the 2022 season at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. Smith led a race-high 32 laps at Las Vegas and made an impressive crossover move on the final lap of the race to bring home his third career victory. After two events, Smith sits atop of the Camping World Truck Series standings, five points ahead of Tanner Gray.

Smith, who grew up 90 miles north of Atlanta Motor Speedway in Jasper, Ga., made a name for himself racing Bandoleros on the flat quarter-mile track located on the frontstretch known as the “Thunder Ring.” Smith earned 21 career Bandits Division victories across 40 starts in Atlanta’s Thursday Thunder Series and won three consecutive Bandits Division championships from 2012-2014. In 2014, the racing prodigy won eight consecutive races in the Bandits Division, tying the record set by Joey Logano in 2000. The record has since been broken.

Saturday’s race will be the 19-year-old driver’s second start on the big track at Atlanta. Unfortunately for Smith, a parts failure in the right front of his Safelite Tundra caused him to visit pit road for unexpected pit stops twice early in last year’s event and relegated him to a disappointing 35th-place finish.

Smith earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory. Across 38 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, the Toyota Racing Development product has collected two wins, 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again call the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team in 2022. Stockman’s drivers have produced six victories at KBM across his first two seasons, including two with Smith behind the wheel in 2021. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman’s drivers have posted has two top-10 finishes across four starts at Atlanta, with a best result of sixth coming with Dillon in 2017.

Safelite, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, returns to KBM for a fifth season and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Tundra TRD Pro Tundra for 16 races this year, including Saturday’s race at Atlanta. Charge Me will serve as an associate sponsor on the bedtop of Smith’s No. 18 Tundra TRD Pro for 16 races this season, including Saturday at Atlanta. Charge Me was founded on the principle that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution will require robust infrastructure support at all levels.

Two Georgia companies will be riding onboard Smith’s No. 18 Toyota as associate sponsors on Saturday. NGE Roofing, an experienced roofing contractor located in Smith’s hometown, Jasper, Ga., will share the bedtop with Charge Me. The Dawsonville, Ga. location of Bill Ballew Motorsports will be on the lower rear quarter panel. You can find the lowest prices on used Cars, Trucks and SUV’s at www.BillyBallewMotorsports.com.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:

Does already having a win change how you race the rest of the regular season?
“It definitely won’t change how I race moving forward, it will just allow myself and my 18 Safelite group to sleep better when it comes to cutoff time for the first round of the playoffs. Last year, we were in a really sticky situation going to Watkins Glen and we were all stressed out. Now that won’t be a factor and we can just go out and race to win.”

What does it mean to you to have a few Georgia companies coming onboard for this race?
“It’s so cool, NGE is a local sponsor, a roofing company in my hometown, Jasper, Georgia and Billy Ballew has been a part of Kyle Busch’s career for ages. It’s really cool to have two Georgia companies sponsoring my truck race at Atlanta. Overall, I’m really looking forward to racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway because there is going to be a lot of people coming down from my hometown and a lot of family, so it should be cool.”

Do you feel like with the new surface and configuration that Saturday will race like a superspeedway race?
“It’ll definitely be a superspeedway race to say the least, we are going to be running the same engine package, everything is practically going to be the same as Daytona. There isn’t going to be anybody that can just drive away from the pack because it is going to be so draft dependent. Kind of Las Vegas nowadays, there was nobody that could drive away except for Zane (Smith) at the start of Stage 1 and that was because second, third and fourth were all racing each other and sucking each other back. It’s definitely going to be a plate race to say the least and a race of attrition.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

• Across 40 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded three wins, 338 laps led, 15 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.7.
• Led 55 laps and finished eighth in his Camping World Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway in July of 2019. Drove a limited schedule for KBM in 2019 (four races) and 2020 (12 races), before going full-time in 2021.
• Has collected nine wins, 10 poles, 1783 laps led, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.4 across 34 career ARCA Menards Series starts. Set an ARCA Racing Series record by winning four consecutive poles to start his career and earned his first victory after leading a race-high 102 laps at Madison (Wis.) International Speedway in his fourth series start.
• Has numerous Super Late Model victories across his career, including two marquee wins: the Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. (2021) and SpeedFest at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia (2018). Will compete in several Super Late Model events around his Truck Series schedule in 2022.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:
KBM-63: The No. 18 Safelite team will unload KBM-63 for Saturday’s race at Atlanta. In its most recent outing, this Tundra TRD pro led 48 laps last June at Nashville in Smith’s 13th-place finish. KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch drove KBM-63 to its lone victory across seven starts in June of 2020 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
KBM-63 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected three wins, two poles, 689 laps led, 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8 across 26 starts at Atlanta. KBM Owner-driver Kyle Busch won last year and in 2019 while Christopher Bell brought home the trophy in 2017.
• KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (91) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Bristol Motor Speedway last September, Smith became the 17th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
• The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 24 career victories.