Category: Truck Series PR

NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020
GRANT ENFINGER CHAMPIONSHIP 4 MEDIA AVAILABILITY

GRANT ENFINGER, No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150 — DO YOU FEEL UNDERAPPRECIATED OR LIKE AN UNDERDOG GOING INTO THIS RACE? “I don’t at all, and I haven’t necessarily noticed the lack of with the exposure or anything like that. I can say it’s been a crazy season for us. It’s been a little bit uncharacteristic. I feel like last year and the year before that we kind of prided ourselves on consistency and stage points and didn’t get many wins during the course of those years. I only had one win the last couple years and this year has been drastically different. We can’t get a dad gum stage point to save our life, but we’ve been able to put ourselves in position and to take advantage of the situations and win four races. I’m definitely proud of that. I’d much rather be in this position than the position we were the last couple years, but I’m just proud we’ve made it to this point. I don’t feel like we’re entering Phoenix as an underdog. Obviously, only one of our ThorSport trucks made it. We’re going against three GMS trucks. I understand all that and I feel like Phoenix is a good style track for us this year. I feel like we’ve excelled at the short tracks, so I don’t actually feel like we’re going into this as an underdog at all.”

DID BEING THE ONLY THORSPORT TRUCK CHANGE ANYTHING AS FAR AS BRINGING A DIFFERENT TRUCK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? “No, we already had this truck sent out. We were hoping for this instance to happen. It’s the same truck we ran at Richmond earlier this year. We were very happy with it there, so this is all kind of business as usual for us. We’ve nut and bolted it a couple more times or something like that, but pretty much everything is the same as we would have been approaching it otherwise.”

DO YOU THINK THE RACING SHOULD BE A BIT CLEANER THAN IT’S BEEN THE LAST TWO WEEKS? “I feel like in general truck racing is, unfortunately, pretty rough. I don’t like that, but that’s the world we live in in the Truck Series. You have to be so aggressive, especially on restarts to be able to make anything happen. Honestly, a lot of the reason is because it’s so hard to pass once we get going. I don’t anticipate anybody intentionally taking anybody out or anybody dumping anybody like that, but I definitely expect guys throwing sliders, guys throwing something in there and hoping it sticks, and I’m sure the guys up front will be doing that. You also have to realize there are other guys out here racing too, and I don’t think anybody is gonna intentionally make it harder for one of us that’s in the Championship 4 or anything like that, but you can bet that they’re gonna be going for the win and you just kind of have to expect that as a driver.”

DO YOU HAVE TO RACE ANY DIFFERENTLY SINCE IT’S ONE AGAINST THREE IN THE FINAL FOUR? “I don’t feel like we do. Obviously, we’d love for it to be four ThorSport Racing drivers there in the final four, but that’s not this situation we’re in. We’re going against those guys, but I don’t feel like we necessarily have to race any differently. Our strategy going in there is just to win the race flat out. I feel like with the competitors that we’re going against that any one of them are capable of pulling off the win. They’ve all won races this year. I feel like at the end of the day that may not be how it looks when the green flags comes out, but I feel like by the time the checkered flag comes out you’re gonna have to have won this race to be the champion.”

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE EARLY IN THE RACE BECAUSE YOU ARE BY YOURSELF AND DON’T HAVE ANY TEAMMATES TO RACE AGAINST FOR THE TITLE? “I don’t know if there’s an advantage or a disadvantage, but we’re gonna go for broke from the time the green flags drop to the time the checkered flag drops and hope that it works out in our favor. We’re gonna not do anything stupid, definitely not intentionally put anybody in a bad spot, but we’re gonna go for broke. That’s where our mindset is. I don’t think it’s necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage going into it like that, but that’s how we feel like we have to play the hand we’re dealt and that’s how we feel like we need to play it.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SO MANY FIREWORKS IN THE TRUCK SERIES? “I think there are a lot of younger drivers in here that are starting out, so you can throw some of that inexperience in there. But you also have to look at the package and it is so hard to pass once we get going that you have to make these wild and crazy moves on starts and restarts and at the end of the day, as much as I hate to say this, there’s not big repercussions for putting somebody in a bad spot. You can obviously get taken out yourself and that happens, but you almost have to put yourself in bad spots and just hope it works out to be able to get that advantage on a restart because you have to be dramatically faster than somebody to pass them on a normal given race weekend. So I feel like that’s a big part of it as well, and I feel like as we’ve seen the Cup Series kind of go more to this package at the mile-and-a-halves I fee like you’ve seen more of that stuff happening there as well.”

WHY HAVEN’T WE SEEN THE CHOOSE RULE RESULT IN MOST OF THE TRUCKS ENDING UP IN ONE LINE AT SOME POINT? I think it just depends on where you go. I’m definitely a big fan of that rule. I think there are certain places that we go, kind of like last week at Martinsville, but especially when we go back to Atlanta next year, I feel like there are games that are played on pit road. When you were leaving your pit stall, you may check up a little bit to try to get on that bottom line and I just don’t like that. I think that’s silly. I think it adds for more issues in the pits, so I’m a big fan of this choose rule. I think if you count the average out of all the races for us it’s kind of been a non-factor as far as results. I think there’s been a couple times that I’ve chosen right and there have been a couple times where I’ve made the wrong choice, but I am a fan of the rule. I can’t tell you why it hasn’t produced as big of a results swing as maybe you expected, but I will definitely tell you to watch the restarts this weekend, not necessarily the choose rule, but it could definitely come into play with people short-cutting the dogleg and the four and five-wide racing you’re gonna see on the frontstretch is gonna be wild.”

HOW MUCH WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN A TITLE FOR JEFF HENSLEY? “It would be huge for Jeff. It would be huge for me. I think he’d probably tell you the same thing I’d tell you. It would be even bigger for us to bring the owner’s championship to Duke and Rhonda Thorson and to Mike Curb for everything that they’ve done in this series for so long. Man, I’ll be honest with you, maybe if I look back on it and we’re fortunate enough to win this championship, maybe I’ll look back on it and think differently, but right now these are the guys that kind of took a chance on us, that paired us together and we want to make them proud and that’s one of the few things that Duke and Rhonda have not yet accomplished in this series. They’ve done everything you can imagine, so I feel like an owner’s championship would be even more important and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff told you the same thing.”

Raphael Lessard: Driver, No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Overview:

Event: Lucas Oil 150, Race 23 of 23, 200 Laps – 45/45/60; 150 Miles
Location: Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (one-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Nov. 6, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Racing with Raphael:

Raphael Lessard and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team head to Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the 2020 season. The talented teenager will make his first career start at the one-mile facility. Last week, Lessard was in contention to win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway until a spin and contact from another competitor in the final ten laps relegated the rookie driver to a 20th-place finish.

The 19-year-old Canadian rookie became just the fifth foreign-born driver earn a Gander Trucks victory when he narrowly edged former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne under caution in NASCAR overtime at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Oct. 3. Overall, in 2020, Lessard has 22 starts with one win, 20 laps led, three top-fives, six top-10s, an average starting position of 13.0 and an average finishing position of 15.7.

The rookie driver has delivered improved finishes in the second half of the season. After posting an average finish of 18.3 and a best result of 11th across the first 10 races of the season, Lessard has posted an average finish of 13.6 across the last 12 races, including his win and all six of his top-10 finishes.

While Lessard may be a newcomer to the Gander Trucks, crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. has plenty of experience. The veteran crew chief has 322 Gander Truck Series starts under his belt, with 23 wins, 23 poles, 118 top-five and 176 top-10 finishes with drivers including Todd Bodine, Jeb Burton, Kyle Busch and last season, Harrison Burton. At Phoenix, Hillman has 13 starts, six top-fives, nine top-10s, an average starting spot of 10.2 and an average finish of 6.7. He earned one win in 2005 with Todd Bodine.

Due to Lessard’s presence in the series, all 23 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series races this season will be broadcast throughout Canada on RDS and RDS DIRECT.

The world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1, features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life.

Raphael Lessard, Driver Q&A

It’s the final race of the season. How would you assess your season?

“It’s the last race of the season at Phoenix. I’ve never been there. I’m excited to go and try it out. We are going to try and end on a good note. Overall, I learned a lot this season. I can’t thank everyone enough at Kyle Busch Motorsports, TRD, Mobil 1, JBL, CANAC and everyone that makes it possible. It’s been a crazy year with no practice or qualifying, but we battled through it. We had some challenges. I gained a lot of experience throughout the season. I feel like I am a way better driver than I was at the beginning of the season. I have way more experience, so I am happy with the results we had. Hopefully we can go get a win now!”

As you’ve began studying for this week’s race, how crazy do the restarts look to be with the dogleg right after the start finish line?

“Phoenix looks really unique especially with the dogleg. On the restarts, I feel like it gets crazy. Even during the race, it gets crazy as everyone goes down there trying to cut the racetrack to get the shortest way around. It should be exciting. I’m excited to try it out. Hopefully, we can take the dogleg to our advantage and get more speed out of the truck doing it. I’m excited. I’m just going to go for it again this weekend.”

What’s on top of your list for things to do when season is over?

“There are a lot of things on my list for this offseason that I want to do. Mostly, I feel like it’s going to be going back to Canada and see my family that I haven’t seen all year and spend time with them. I would say I am sad that the season is over already because I wanted to race more and more and race everyday if I could. It’s been a good season. We are going to finish it on a high note and go have a good time with my family.”

Raphael Lessard Career Highlights:

Across 27 career Truck Series starts has produced one win, three top-fives, eight top-10 finishes and an average finish of 14.9.
In 2019, Lessard posted 83 laps led, two top-five and three top-10 finishes across three ARCA Menards Series starts and one win, one top-five and two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. His Pinty’s Series victory came at his hometown track, Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jonction, Quebec, on June 29 when he led a race-high 153 laps en route to the sentimental win.
Won two marquee events driving KBM’s famed No. 51 Super Late Model in 2018: The Short Track U.S. Nationals at Bristol Motor Speedway in May and the Red Bud 400 ARCA/CRA Super Series race at Anderson Speedway in July.
Overall in 16 starts for KBM in 2018 split across the CARS Super Late Model Tour, the Southern Super Series and the ARCA/CRA Super Series, posted two wins, three poles, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 2018.Started seventh and led 68 laps in the prestigious Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.
Captured the 2016 CARS Super Late Model Tour championship after recording four wins, one pole, 157 laps led, eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes across 10 races.

Raphael Lessard’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra:

KBM-062: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will unload chassis number KBM-062, which has been raced five times. Most recently, Lessard piloted the chassis to an 18th-place finish earlier this season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The Tundra’s best finish was sixth at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in August.

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected five wins, five poles, 914 laps led, 11 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 28 starts at Phoenix Raceway.
• The organization’s five victories at the Arizona track have come with four different drivers. Kyle Busch won in 2011, Brian Scott in 2012, Erik Jones went back-to-back in 2013-2014 and Daniel Suarez claimed the top spot in 2016.
• KBM holds the NGROTS records for most career wins (80) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). 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).

Christian Eckes: Driver, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass® Toyota
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Overview:
Event: Lucas Oil 150, Race 23 of 23, 200 Laps – 45/45/60; 150 Miles
Location: Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (one-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Nov. 6, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

What You Need to Know:

Christian Eckes and the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass head to Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the 2020 season. Eckes is coming off a fourth-place finish last week at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The 19-year-old driver finished ninth in his lone NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start at the Phoenix in the 2018 event.

With one event remaining on the 2020 Gander Trucks schedule, Eckes has posted six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.7. He ranks second among series regulars in percentage of laps run on the lead lap (95.43%), fourth in average running position (8.887), and laps in the top 15 (2,562) and fifth in laps led (176).

The 19-year-old driver earned a spot in this year’s playoffs after finishing sixth in the regular season point standings but was eliminated after the Round of 10 when he finished seven points behind the cutoff line after getting caught up in a last-lap accident at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. After the points reset entering this weekend’s event, Eckes sits seventh in the point standings, 17 points behind Austin Hill for the sixth position. With fellow rookie of the year contender Zane Smith making the Championship 4, Eckes will finish second to Smith in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.

The Toyota Racing Development driver earned a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on July 18, 2020 and then equaled it July 25, 2020 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Aug. 7 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Eckes is paired with champion crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle. Fugle has guided his team to five owner’s championships (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019) as a crew chief at KBM, including combined owner’s/driver’s championships with Erik Jones in 2015 and Christopher Bell in 2017. The New York native’s drivers have combined for 28 wins, 24 poles, 77 top-five and 117 top-10 finishes across his 158 races calling the shots for the organization. His 28 wins as a crew chief rank second all-time in the Truck Series to former KBM signal caller Eric Phillips (37).

Across seven Truck Series starts at Phoenix, Fugle’s drivers have one win, four poles, 471 laps led, three top-five and five top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.3. The New York native was atop the pit box for Erik Jones’ historic win in November of 2013, when at the time Jones became the youngest winner in Truck Series history.

Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has five victories at the Arizona track. KBM’s five victories at the Arizona track have come with four different drivers. Kyle Busch won in 2011, Brian Scott in 2012, Erik Jones went back-to-back in 2013-2014 and Daniel Suarez claimed the top spot in 2016.

A KBM driver led the most laps in the Phoenix race every year from 2011 to 2018. Busch (2011, 107), Scott (2012, 43), Jones (2013, 84), Jones (2014, 114), Jones (2015, 106), William Byron (2016, 112), Christopher Bell (2017, 90) and Harrison Burton (2018, 46). The streak narrowly came to an end last year when Brandon Jones led 36 laps but was narrowly eclipsed by Ben Rhodes (47) and Stewart Friesen (44).

Safelite AutoGlass, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, will adorn the hood of Eckes’ No. 18 Tundra for all 23 events on NASCAR Gander RV& Outdoors schedule in 2020.

Christian Eckes, Driver Q&A

It’s the final race of the season. How would you assess your season?

“It’s the final race of the year. It’s been a long and interesting year. There has been a lot of opportunities that we’ve missed, but in the same aspect, I learned a lot. I can definitely use this year as a learning process. Hopefully, we can finish the year strong in Phoenix and achieve one of the goals we’ve missed so far.”

Phoenix is a unique track. You had a top-10 run as part of your part-time schedule. Do you like the track? How crazy are the restarts with the dogleg right after the start-finish line?

“I have one start in Phoenix in 2018 with the No. 46 team that was my first year in trucks. We ran OK and ran like eighth or ninth. We had a decent truck. It was not a perfect truck. I learned a lot. Hopefully, I can utilize what I learned then to now. It was a fun track when I went there. It was the first year of the dogleg being right after the restart zone. It’s going to be interesting for sure.”

Now that the season is going to be over, what is the one thing you have highest on your to do list?

“The highest thing on not only my list but the team as well is to get the final win. That wasn’t at the top of the list, but it was the second one down. We didn’t achieve the first one, but we have a shot at the second one. We are definitely going to be running as hard as we can to go do that.”

Christian Eckes Career Highlights:

Across 34 career Truck Series starts has produced three poles, 307 laps led, nine top-five and 17 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3. Earned a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on July 18, 2020 and then equaled it July 25, 2020 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Aug. 7 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Captured the 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship after recording four wins, two poles, 400 laps led, 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 4.8 across 19 starts. Has seven career ARCA Racing Series victories across 46 starts to go along with four poles, 1094 laps led, 23 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes.

Put his name on the motorsports map when he won the prestigious Snowball Derby Super Late Model race in 2016 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. The then 15-year-old battled side-by-side with John Hunter Nemechek for the final two laps before narrowly edging him to the finish line.

Christian Eckes’ No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:

KBM-68: The No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass team will unload KBM-68 for Friday night’s race at Phoenix. The Tundra finished 32nd in its debut at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway after running second early in the Final Stage before experiencing a flat tire and a broken driveshaft.

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected five wins, five poles, 914 laps led, 11 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 28 starts at Phoenix Raceway.
• The organization’s five victories at the Arizona track have come with four different drivers. Kyle Busch won in 2011, Brian Scott in 2012, Erik Jones went back-to-back in 2013-2014 and Daniel Suarez claimed the top spot in 2016.
• KBM holds the NGROTS records for most career wins (80) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). 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 21 career victories.

Lucas Oil 150 | Phoenix Raceway Race Advance

Team: No. 40 Marquis Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Ryan Truex

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @Ryan_Truex

Truex on Racing at Phoenix: “I’m looking forward to closing out the season strong with this Niece Motorsports team in our Marquis Spas Chevrolet,” said Truex. “I’m thankful for the opportunity that Al Niece and our partners have afforded me to go racing this year. We’re looking to close out the year with a strong finish.”

Truex at Phoenix: Truex has two previous NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, with his best finish of ninth coming in 2012.

The Mayetta, New Jersey native has six NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, with one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes. His best finish was a runner-up finish coming in 2019.

He also has one NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway, coming in 2014.

On the Truck: The No. 40 Chevrolet will carry the Marquis colors at Phoenix Raceway.

Marquis, an employee-owned company founded in 1980, offers creative and innovative designs that provide the ultimate soaking experience, cost less to operate, and require the least amount of maintenance. Marquis spas are designed with cutting-edge features for supreme comfort and long-lasting enjoyment. Marquis is proud to craft a spa designed to enhance health and well-being.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2020, Niece Motorsports enters its fifth season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors 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.

Lucas Oil 250 | Phoenix Raceway Race Advance

Team: No. 42 /iRacing/GM Parts Now Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Carson Hocevar

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @CarsonHocevar

Hocevar on Racing at Phoenix: “It’s been fun working with this Niece Motorsports team this year,” said Hocevar. “We have a lot to look forward to. I know we’ll have a strong truck Friday night to close out the year. I’m really looking forward to next season with this team too. A huge thank you to everyone at Niece Motorsports for all of their hard work this year.”

Hocevar at Phoenix: Friday night’s race at Phoenix Raceway marks Hocevar’s second NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start at the track. Hocevar’s previous start came last season.

On the Truck: The No. 42 Chevrolet will carry the iRacing and GM Parts Now colors at Phoenix Raceway.

With over 110,000 active users, iRacing is the world’s premier motorsport racing simulation. Since it was established in 2004, iRacing has developed dozens of formal partnerships in the motorsport industry to help create the most authentic racing simulation in the world. iRacing promotes elite eSport world championships with eNASCAR, Porsche, and World of Outlaws, and allows users to race just about any discipline imaginable on more than 80 tracks.

GM Parts Now is the go-to online auto parts store for OEM car parts. Whether customers are looking to repair or customize an old or new vehicle, GM Parts Now has what you need. GM Parts Now offers car parts and GM accessories for a variety of years, makes and models.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2020, Niece Motorsports enters its fifth season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors 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.

Track: Phoenix Raceway, one-mile oval
Race: 23 of 23
Event: Lucas Oil 150 (150 miles, 150 laps)

Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 6
8:00 p.m…………..Race (FS1)
(all times ET)

Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150

Todd Gilliland heads to Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway for the season finale in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Friday night in the No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150. In a season of highs and lows for the first-year Front Row Motorsports team, Gilliland hopes to end the season on a high with a win at the one-mile oval.

Gilliland has three prior Truck Series starts at Phoenix with a best finish of fifth in 2017. He does have a win at Phoenix in the former K&N West Series (now ARCA West) in 2015. He led six of the 101 laps to take the checkered flag. He will also compete in the ARCA West race in the No. 54 Frontline Enterprises Ford Fusion for DGR-Crosley on Saturday afternoon.

In 22 Truck Series starts this season, Gilliland has four top-five, nine top-10 finishes and has led 92 laps in the No. 38 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports. He is 10th in the driver point standings.

The Lucas Oil 150 from Phoenix Raceway will be run on Friday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 150-lap race will be broken into three segments with stage-ending cautions on laps 45 and 90.

Quick Facts:
Number of Truck Series Starts at Phoenix: 3
Best Start: 5th (2017)
Best Finish: 7th (2017)
2020 Driver Point Standings: 10th

Gilliland on Phoenix: “The most fun part about Phoenix is definitely the restarts now that the backstretch and frontstretch are flipped around. You can make up, or lose a lot right there. Racing there is really tough. You have to maintain your track position because of the dirty air. I won my first race at Phoenix (K&N West), but since then I haven’t run great, so we’re hoping to get back to running well there and end the truck season on a high note.”

Track: Martinsville Speedway (.05 Mile)
Race: NASCAR Hall of Fame 200; 200 Laps – 50/100/200; 105.2 Miles
Date/Broadcast: October 30, 2020 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT)
TV: Fox Sports 1 (FS1), and the FOX Sports GO App
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)- Check Local Listings for affiliate, and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
Social Media: Facebook: JordanAndersonRacing Instagram: @JordanAndersonRacing Twitter: @J66Anderson

Jordan Anderson- No. 3 U.S. LawShield / NSSF #GUNVOTE
Chevrolet Silverado Preview- Martinsville Speedway

News and Notes:

• Starting Position: Anderson will start the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway from the 16th position on Friday night. Due to no practice or qualifying the starting lineup was calculated by a competition-based performance metrics system; fastest lap in the previous race 15 percent, driver finish from previous race 25 percent, owner points 25 percent, and driver points 35 percent.
• Martinsville Speedway Stats: Friday’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 marks Anderson’s 7th NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. In six other races Anderson holds an average finish of 23.50, with a best of 12th coming in the trucks last visit to the tricky paperclip in 2019.
• U.S. LawShield; Returning to Jordan Anderson Racing for the second race of 2020,
  U.S. LawShield traces its roots back to 2009 when a group of Houston, Texas-based attorneys saw first-hand the injustice against law-abiding gun owners who were forced to legally defend themselves. They observed that these gun owners, who acted lawfully in self-defense, were at a significant disadvantage within the justice system. They watched these people face unwarranted hardships, loss of freedom and financial ruin in trying to defend themselves in what they felt was a rigged justice system. These passionate attorneys created what is known today as U.S. LawShield and its Legal Defense for Self-Defense Program now supports a community of members totaling over 500,000 strong across the United States. The company focuses on educating members in self-defense law; empowering them to handle critical life-threatening situations with confidence; and protecting them from potential injustices in the legal system after lawful acts of self-defense. www.uslawshield.com
• USSF #GunVote; On the verge of the upcoming United States Presidential Election, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) of the firearm industry trade association, felt the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway would be great opportunity to bring awareness to the #GUNVOTE voter registration project.

For more information on the #GunVote voter registration project please visit www.action.gunvote.org

• Bommarito Automotive Group; Celebrating almost 50 years in the St. Louis marketplace, the Bommarito Automotive Group currently operates 20 automotive franchises throughout every St. Louis neighborhood led by president John Bommarito and the over 900 dedicated team members. Bommarito is recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as Missouri’s No. 1 selling automotive group and is currently ranked 52nd in the nation. What once started as a vision to have one Bommarito vehicle in every driveway, is today a reality thanks to the ‘Where Price Sells Cars” mission.

For more information on the Bommarito Automotive Group, visit them online at Bommarito.com, and follow their social channels at Facebook.com/ BommaritoAuto, Twitter @BommaritoAuto, and on Instagram @BommaritoAuto

• Quote: “Martinsville is a place where anyone can win if they make the right moves. You have to be good at defending your position on the track. U.S. LawShield specializes in defending the rights of responsible gun owners across the country, so it is a perfect fit to bring the ‘Gun Truck’ back this weekend. With the race being so close to election time, it’s going to be cool to drive a truck with #GUNVOTE on the hood. We are proud to partner with hard-working companies like GAT Marketing. Like me, they are in the fight to support our rights and protect our freedoms. They like to work hard and win big.”
• Chassis: Jordan Anderson Racing has selected Chassis #011 to compete with in Friday night’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Chassis #011 last saw on-track action at Darlington Raceway for the South Carolina Education 200 over Labor Day weekend where it captured a 24th place finish.

About Jordan Anderson Racing
Jordan Anderson Racing is an organization competing in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series that is focused on growing competitively and providing results-driven partnerships for it sponsors. The single-truck team was founded in 2018 by owner-driver Jordan Anderson, a hard working 29-year old that is extremely passionate about the sport of NASCAR and the history that behind it.

Anderson will pilot the No. 3 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet Silverado throughout the 2020 season. In a shared building with AM Racing, the team operates out of their Statesville, N.C.-based race shop with a veteran group of racing personnel driven by their desire for progress and success.

NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 | Martinsville Speedway Race Advance

Team: No. 45 iRacing/CRC Brakleen Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Trevor Bayne

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport, @TBayne6

Bayne on Racing at Martinsville: “I’m looking forward to short track redemption this weekend at Martinsville,” said Bayne. “We weren’t able to showcase all of our potential at Richmond earlier in the season after having brake issues, so I’m fired up for another shot on Friday. Martinsville can be a tough place and I’m hopeful my Cup experience there pays off.”

Bayne at Martinsville: Friday’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway marks Bayne’s first Truck Series start at the track.

The Tennessee-native has eight NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, with his best finish of sixth coming in 2017.

On the Truck: The No. 45 Chevrolet will carry the iRacing and CRC colors at Martinsville Speedway on Friday.

With over 110,000 active users, iRacing is the world’s premier motorsport racing simulation. Since it was established in 2004, iRacing has developed dozens of formal partnerships in the motorsport industry to help create the most authentic racing simulation in the world. iRacing promotes elite eSport world championships with eNASCAR, Porsche, and World of Outlaws, and allows users to race just about any discipline imaginable on more than 80 tracks.

CRC began in a Pennsylvania garage in 1958 as Corrosion Reaction Consultants with a single product: CRC Corrosion Inhibitor, a multi-purpose lubricant.

Today, CRC is a global supplier of specialty products and formulations, manufacturing over 1,300 items and developing specialized formulas to meet the unique needs of the Automotive, Marine, Heavy Truck, Hardware, Electrical, Industrial and Aviation markets. CRC serves customers around the world with manufacturing and distribution throughout North, Central and South America, Europe, South Africa and Asia-Pacific marketing areas.

CRC trademarked brands include: CRC®, K&W®, Sta-Lube®, SmartWasher®, Marykate®, Ambersil®, KF®, Kontakt Chemie®, Ados®, Action Can®, Kitten® and WELD-AID®.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2020, Niece Motorsports enters its fifth season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors 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.

MARTINSVILLE, Va.: Carrying momentum from their most recent NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway earlier this month, Codie Rohrbaugh and his CR7 Motorsports team head to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway hoping to earn back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time in the team’s young tenure.

On Oct. 3, Rohrbaugh and his team were hopeful for a good run on the 2.66-mile superspeedway. The home of the team’s career-best qualifying effort and the career-best third place finish for Rohrbaugh in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, a track with similar characteristics had the family-owned team upbeat.

Despite having to drop to the rear of the field at the start of the race for an inspection failure, Rohrbaugh did not let his deficit affect his performance.

Throughout the race, Rohrbaugh used patience and a well-balanced No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet Silverado to guide his way though the field. A restart with two laps to go saw Rohrbaugh slice and dice his way through the field and take the checkered fifth under caution.

The performance was the team’s second top-five of 2020 and third top-10 overall.

This weekend, the team returns to the tight paperclip short track of Martinsville (Va.) Speedway eyeing their fourth top-10 finish of the season in their final Truck Series race of 2020.

“We are still riding high from the finish at Talladega,” said Rohrbaugh. “I’m really proud of this C7 Motorsports team. We worked hard and were able to stay out of trouble and be around for the end when it counted most. Hopefully, we can go to Martinsville and end the season with another top-10.”

The good news for Rohrbaugh and his Doug George-led team is Martinsville is the home of the team’s first career top-10 in Truck Series competition last October at the 0.526-mile short track.

Finishing 10th after starting 18th, Rohrbaugh realizes it will take a similar approach with patience to conquer Martinsville again.

“Martinsville was a track I struggled with early in the season last year,” Rohrbaugh admitted. “Then, I went to work, I studied the track, talked to my competitors and my team and we were much better in the fall and it showed with performance.

“This weekend is our final race of the 2020 season, and I’d like to end it the way we started with a strong finish. 2020 has certainly been an unorthodox season because of COVID-19, but we’ve been blessed to have some positive finishes despite everything. I look forward to the race on Friday night.”

As for next season, the team is hopeful to run a similar schedule in 2021 and plans to start their year with the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

“The plan is to be at Daytona and have a similar Truck Series schedule in 2021 that we did this year,” sounded Rohrbaugh. “We still have some things to do to be a better race team next season. We were plagued with some bad luck and if we can clean a lot of that up, we should be in good shape.”

For their 12th consecutive race, CR7 Motorsports and their partner Grant County Mulch has again given up their space this weekend race for Joshua Shirk.

The No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado has been designed with a western-theme scheme, personally selected by Shirk.

The hood carries a special touch with Shirk displaying a message of his own that he wrote before the accident, “I am a child of God. He saves me. I talk to he.”

On May 17, 2020, eight-year-old Joshua Shirk was kayaking with family in rural West Virginia.

While on the water, the kayak capsized and Shirk became trapped under the water in debris.

When the family was finally able to pull him to safety, the young boy had no pulse. Quick work by medical workers at a local hospital was able to revive him but he remained in critical condition.

Shirk was later transported to WVU hospital in Morganton, West Virginia where he has made vast improvements but still needs the love, prayer and support of many.

Over the last fourth months, Shirk has been able to come off a breathing machine and has started intense physical rehabilitation with a focus on working his muscles and standing up with assistance. His progress lately has been exceptional, as his muscles continue to strengthen – but a long road still remains.

Competing in 16 of the 21 races in 2020, Rohrbaugh is 22nd in the championship standings.

CR7 Motorsports has 27 NGOTS starts to their credit with a career-best finish of third at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (February 2020). Additionally, the team owns three other top-10 finishes at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (fifth) in October 2020, Richmond (Va.) Raceway (sixth) in September 2020 and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (10th) in October 2019. An 11th place qualifying effort at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 2019) is the team’s best time trials effort to date.

In 20 career ARCA starts, Rohrbaugh has a best finish of seventh twice at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (July 2018 and Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (February 2019). He has qualified a career-best fourth on four different occasions most recently at Kansas Speedway (Oct. 2018).

Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are available for the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction | Grant County Mulch Chevrolet and No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact at tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 (200 laps | 105.2 miles) is the 22nd of 23 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 38-truck field will take the green flag on Fri. Oct. 30, 2020, shortly after 8:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).

Ross Chastain Notes

• The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Martinsville Speedway marks the series’ first race at the half-mile track since 2006
• Chastain has recorded four starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and eight starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS)
• Laps led in 2020: 512 laps
• Laps complete in 2020: 98.6%

Kaulig Racing Notes

• During the 2020 NXS season, Kaulig Racing has recorded five wins, 30 Top fives and 53 Top-10 finishes.

Race Notes

• Saturday, October 31 at 3:30PM ET on NBC
• Stages: 60/120/250 Laps

Ross Chastain Quote
“It’s Martinsville race week. I am so excited to go to Martinsville. The thing that I am most disappointed about is that we don’t have practice this week. I love rolling out on those early Friday morning truck practices trying to get temperature in the tires. We will be doing that right off the bat in the race, and that is not going to be easy. I know my Kaulig Racing group will have an awesome racecar prepared for me with our Nutrien Ag Solutions car. AJ Allmendinger is going to be in another Nutrien Ag Solutions car! His is brighter, so I will definitely be able to see it in the mirror, because he is going to be behind me. This is going to be our ticket – our last chance to go lock ourselves into Phoenix and fight for a championship the following week. I can’t wait! Above all else, I am just excited to get to make laps at Martinsville in a Xfinity car. It’s the first time the Xfinity Series has been there in a long time.

We just released episode eight of Two-Track Mind on NASCAR’s YouTube channel, so be sure to check that out. Learn all about FFA and some sugar beets. I learned a lot, and I think you all will too.”

About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016 Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started. Kaulig Racing fields two full-time entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Ross Chastain and the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Justin Haley, as well as, a part-time entry – the No. 16 driven by AJ Allmendinger. Kaulig Racing™ earned two wins in 2019 and have come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

About Nutrien Ag Solutions™
Nutrien Ag Solutions™ is the retail division of Nutrien™ Ltd. It combines global innovation with local expertise to provide full-acre solutions through a network of trusted crop consultants at retail locations around the world. Nutrien Ag Solutions strives to help growers achieve the highest yields with the most sustainable solutions possible, offering a wide selection of products, including our proprietary brands: Loveland Products, Inc.®, Proven® Seed and Dyna-Gro® Seed.