Category: Truck Series PR

TSPORT 200 | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (200 Laps / 137.2 Miles)
Friday, August 11 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 9:00p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Team: No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Shane van Gisbergen (Auckland, New Zealand) | Crew Chief: Mike Hillman Jr.
Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
Follow Shane van Gisbergen: Twitter: @shanevg97 | Instagram: @svg97 | Facebook: /SVG97 | Web: https://www.shanevangisbergen.com/

The No. 41 Last Race at Richmond Raceway: Bayley Currey piloted the No. 41 Unishippers Silverado in Richmond. The Texas-driver was hit with a commitment line penalty late in the race which resulted in a pass-through penalty. Currey would go on to finish in 18th as the No. 41 dropped to 16th in the owner’s championship.

First Time on an Oval Track: This Friday will be Shane van Gisbergen’s first start at an oval track. In July, van Gisbergen took the racing world by storm as he was the first driver in 67 years to win a Cup Series race in their first start at the Chicago Street Course.

Van Gisbergen on Friday’s Race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park: “The weekend will certainly be a challenge,” said van Gisbergen. “I’ve seen the trucks race on television and know it’s very competitive and that I’ll have a lot to learn on a short track at IRP. I’m used to doing doubleheaders in Supercars, but this will be a little bit different. I’m honored to join Niece Motorsports and thrilled at getting a chance to climb in a truck.”

On the Truck: Van Gisbergen’s No. 41 GlobalTranz Chevrolet Silverado will race with support from the WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, and offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman 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:

The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S. , with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. The WWEX Racing initiative was borne of a desire to address the complex but underserved logistic needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of insight. To learn more about the WWEX Racing program, visit www.wwexracing.com. For media inquiries, contact racing@wwex.com.

TEAM AND RACE NOTES

Boot Barn is back with Zane Smith and the No. 38 Ford F-150 team this weekend at the Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) in Brownsburg, Indiana.

The famed short track will begin the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs. Smith and the team are the second seed heading into the seven-race playoff run. Smith is only eight points out of the lead.

It will be a one-day show for the No. 38 Boot Barn Ford team. Track activity will begin on Friday with practice and qualifying at 3:30 p.m. ET. Friday’s 200 lap race is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.

COMPETITION NOTES

Beginning their quest as a back-to-back series champion, Smith and the No. 38 Boot Barn team will need to advance through two rounds of elimination and be one of the top four in points heading to the season finale in Phoenix.

The team starts in a good position and heads to a short track where they have been strong this season. Smith and the team won the pole at Bristol (dirt) and Martinsville and finished third at both Martinsville at Richmond. They were also very fast at North Wilkesboro before an accident.

Smith has one previous start at IRP in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, finishing third.

CREW CHIEF CHRIS LAWSON

“I think everyone on our team likes short track racing. It’s a lot of fun for our series. And Zane has proven himself on these tracks. It’s a good track for us to start this playoff run.”

DRIVER ZANE SMITH

“We’ve had an up-and-down season where we’ve had to fight through some adversity. That has only made us better as we begin this playoff run. I think we’re still bringing fast trucks and executing well. We just need to keep doing that.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series 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 CRAFTSMAN 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 Information

• Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 17 of 23 (Playoffs Round of 10 opener)
• Track Location: Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park – Clermont, Indiana
• Race Name: TSport 200
• Broadcast: Friday, August 11th at 9:00 PM ET live on FS1 (TV), MRN (Radio), and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
• Team Entrants:

No. 23 | Grant Enfinger & Jeff Hensley – Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet
No. 24 | Rajah Caruth & Chad Walter – Born Driven Chevrolet
No. 43 | Daniel Dye & Blake Bainbridge – BettenhausenAuto.com Chevrolet

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats

• NCTS Starts: 1; Wins: 1 (2022); Best start: 5th; Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 1; Laps led: 13
• ARCA Starts: 4; Best start: 4th; Best finish: 4th (2014); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 3; Laps led: 26

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

• Starts: 16; Wins: 2 (Kansas I & Gateway); Best start: 2nd; Stage wins: 1; Top 5s: 6; Top 10s: 9; Laps led: 133; Current points position: 5th
• 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.
• Chassis History/Info: Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 329 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. And boy, is it a good one. This is the exact same truck that took the checkered flag last time at the historic short track, and also won at World Wide Technology Raceway back in June. In the six times that Grant has driven this truck over the course of the past year-and-a-half, he’s finished inside the top-10 in every race except for one, at Texas last year (where he finished 11th).
• Defending IRP Race Winner: Last year, the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series made its highly anticipated return to IRP for the first time since 2011. In front of a sold-out crowd, Grant Enfinger put on one of the most memorable finishes of the season in a nail-biting run to the checkered flag. With just seven laps remaining in the race, he led the field when Jeff Hensley made an aggressive call to pit for four tires while most others stayed out or took two. Not to be denied the victory, Enfinger would rocket from 12th place to make the race-winning pass in an overtime finish to take the seventh win of his career.
• Hensley at IRP: Jeff Hensley has been coming to the short track in IRP for over 40 years, initially making three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and one ARCA Menards Series start as a driver from 1983 to 1985. Beginning in 1987, he would go on to call 15 NXS races from atop the pit box, gathering a total of two top-fives and three top-10 finishes with driver Chuck Bown, who led 138 laps at the track during a span of three races. When Hensley made the move to the Truck Series, he then went on to win two poles with drivers Mike Skinner in 2007 and Timothy Peters in 2010. Hensley has two top-fives and three top-10s in Truck Series competition leading a total of 105 laps, with Grant being the driver that earned him his first trip to victory lane last year.
• Road to Phoenix: And then, there were 10… the playoffs are here! Grant Enfinger has secured a spot in the playoffs for the fifth time in his career (tied for second-most of active drivers in the series) The following races at Lucas Oil IRP, the Milwaukee Mile, and Kansas will determine the drivers that move on to the Round of 8. In 2022, Enfinger started white hot at the start of the postseason, locking himself into the next round with a win in the first race. Misfortunate circumstances would plague the team in the following round, resulting in a seventh place finish in the standings. This time around however, the No. 23 group is hungry to advance into the Championship 4, and if Grant is able to do so, it would be the second time in his career that he vies for the title in the final race.
• FearTheFinger Playoffs Profile: Grant begins the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs seeded fifth in the points standings with a 15 point buffer to the cut line. 16 events into the 2023 season, Enfinger owns two race victories at Kansas Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway along with six top-fives and nine top-10s. He is optimistic that the No. 23 team will be a threat to win week-in and week-out, noting that most all of the tracks in the playoffs are solid for the organization.
• From The Drivers Seat: You’ve got to feel good about returning to IRP after last season, so what did you learn during that race last year that will help your team be even better this time?

“I’m excited to get the playoffs started, and I feel good about starting it out at IRP. Our GMS Racing guys are working hard to bring us just as good of a Champion Power Equipment Chevy as we had last year. I think that IRP is a great track for the Truck Series. It has multiple grooves we can choose, but it’s still a tough short track with a lot of character.”

• From The Pit Box (Jeff Hensley): If you had to give an overall assessment on where the No. 23 team was last year entering the playoffs compared to this year, what kind of improvements do you think has been made as far as the readiness to contend for the championship?

“Well, we always pride ourselves in being prepared every week. I think back to last year, at the first part of the season, we weren’t able to score that many playoffs points. We hadn’t gotten our first win until we got to Indy, so it was like there was more of a sense of desperation to even get into the playoffs. This year, we won early at Kansas, so that took a little bit of the pressure off our shoulders, and then we won again at Gateway, which really helped our tally. I think we are as prepared as we can possibly be; our trucks are flowing pretty good as far as the preparation for the upcoming races and we’ve been continuing to make them the best they can be. We’re carrying the best trucks in our rotation every week, but we do that anyway, whether it’s playoffs time or not.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Born Driven Chevrolet Silverado RST
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats

• Rajah Caruth will make his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at IRP on Friday night.
• ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 7th; Best finish: 8th (2022); Top 10s: 1

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

• Starts: 16; Best start: 3rd; Best finish: 6th (Darlington); Top 10s: 1; Current points position: 18th
• About the Wendell Scott Foundation: Founded in 2011, The Wendell Scott Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization inspired by Wendell Scott, Sr. and provides services such as job-skill training, STEM education opportunities, mentoring, and other supportive services to at-risk, underserved youth between the ages of 8-18 years in Danville, Virginia and surrounding areas.

The Foundation’s mission of using educational attainment to end racial disparities in education and health is vital in addressing economic inequality and improving future success in African-American communities. For more information, please visit www.wendellscott.org.

• Born Driven: In a partnership with the Wendell Scott Foundation, Rajah’s No. 24 Chevrolet will once again sport a paint scheme inspired by the release of their new children’s book. Born Driven is based on the true story of the first African-American NASCAR Driver and Team Owner, Wendell Scott. The book follows Scott as a young boy facing the challenges of growing up in the South trying to chase his dream of becoming a professional race car driver. The uplifting story will teach children how having the persistence and willingness to make a difference can overcome seemingly impossible feats. The book is available for pre-orders at major book retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, Simon & Schuster, and more.
• Chassis History/Info: Rajah Caruth and the No. 24 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 302 in Indianapolis. “302” has been raced several times since 2017, and has won a pole at Texas Motor Speedway in 2020 and a race at Darlington Raceway in 2021, both delivered by Sheldon Creed. Rajah has driven it twice this season and it has been proven to be fast both times. Caruth nabbed his best-career finish (sixth) with this truck at Darlington in May, and most recently competed with it at Nashville Superspeedway in June, where he qualified his highest (third) and took the race lead before mechanical gremlins sidelined him with a 32nd place finish.
• Short Trackin’: IRP is the fourth short track to be featured on this year’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule, and it is one that Caruth has had experience on in the past. Last year was the first start that he made at the historic racetrack, starting seventh and finishing eighth in the ARCA Menards Series event. In the three NCTS short track races this season, Caruth finished 25th at Martinsville Speedway, 34th at North Wilkesboro Speedway after getting swept away in a late-race crash, and most recently 19th at Richmond Raceway.
• Walter at IRP: Chad Walter has competed in four NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park during his career, working with some of the most experienced drivers in the business – Kyle Busch, Landon Cassill, and Justin Allgaier. The latter gave Walter his best finish at IRP, a seventh place finish in 2010. Friday will be his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at the 0.686-mile bullring.
• Richmond Recap: Caruth returned close to home in the last NCTS race at Richmond Raceway, and had quite the local following attend the event. In what was his third time competing at his home track, Rajah would qualify his No. 24 Chevrolet in the 16th position and finish in 19th, posting his eighth top-20 finish so far in his rookie season.
• From The Driver’s Seat: You’ve said that IRP is going to be one of the more challenging races for you personally, so can you say why that might be the case?

“It’ll be a challenge for me mostly because short tracking isn’t something I consider myself to be exceptional at, meaning I’ve got to put twice as much emphasis on it as an oppose to my big track skill set, which I feel like I’m solid on so far. Certainly my expectations shift from the short to the big tracks. However I know that our team has race-winning pace at this track, as shown last year, so having that knowledge is going to be invaluable. Our Wendell Scott Foundation Born Driven paint scheme has one last ride with us this season, so I’m looking forward to running it again and hopefully we can finish off what we started in Nashville with this truck.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 BettenhausenAuto.com Chevrolet Silverado RST
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats

• Daniel Dye will make his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at IRP on Friday night.
• ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 6th; Best finish: 4th (2022); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 1

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

• Starts: 16; Best start: 9th; Best finish: 11th (Gateway); Laps led: 5; Current points position: 17th
• About Bettenhausen Automotive: For over 60 years our family-owned dealership has been committed to providing the best service and sales experience in Chicagoland. At Bettenhausen Automotive, we believe in making you feel at home in our welcoming and hassle-free environment.

The minute you walk through the doors and speak with our friendly non-commissioned sales and service staff, you will come to realize how we became Chicagoland’s “One Price” Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram FIAT dealership since 1992. This has fueled our decision to continue to grow and maintain a level of service that most people have never experienced.

In the spring of 2017, we finished our largest renovation to date, with our new state of the art showroom, offices, and car service center car service center, so that we may better serve our valued customers. With a more spacious showroom, five additional service bays, and more, we have the most customer-friendly dealership in the area. Check out our updated new cars deals and car service specials! We’ll take care of your Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram repair needs and more! Visit www.BettenhausenAuto.com to learn more.

• Gary Bettenhausen Tribute: Daniel will make local Indiana race fans proud by paying homage to legendary USAC competitor, Gary Bettenhausen, with a paint scheme that resembles his 1983 championship-winning Silver Crown car. The legendary driver was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 as well as the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998. Dye will host several members of the Bettenhausen family, who currently own and operate the Chicagoland-based automotive dealership, as honorary guests of the team.
• Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 335 at IRP, the same truck that just raced last time out. Used primarily as a short track truck, Dye has raced this chassis at Martinsville Speedway (31st due to a late-race spin), North Wilkesboro Speedway (14th), and Richmond Raceway (21st). This chassis has yet to compete at Indy during its tenure with the organization since the truck was built in 2021.
• Bainbridge at IRP: Blake Bainbridge has two starts as a Crew Chief at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. His first start came in the 2005 NASCAR Xfinity Series race where he worked alongside Mike Wallace, who finished 10th in that race. Fifteen years later in 2020, Bainbridge called the shots for Taylor Gray in the ARCA Menards Series, who had a strong run finishing in the fourth position.
• Richmond Recap: Though the finishing result wasn’t quite what Dye had been looking for in the previous race at Richmond Raceway, he was able to run a smooth race and bring home the No. 43 Chevy clean, a tough feat at a short track. Daniel qualified in the 18th position and ran inside the top-20 for a long period in the race before he endured a drive-through penalty on the final pit stop of the night. Since the penalty came under green, he lost a lot of ground, but was able to finish in the 21st position.
• ARCA Short Track Record: IRP was a track that Dye ran well at last season driving for GMS Racing in the ARCA Menards Series. In his one prior start at this track, he started sixth and finished fourth. Dye typically excelled at short tracks during his ARCA tenure, winning at Berlin in 2021, and posting six top-fives and eight top-10 finishes in 12 total starts at tracks under a mile in length.
• From the Driver’s Seat: Does having a strong finish at this track last year give you an extra boost of confidence heading back to IRP?

“We were pretty fast last year at IRP in the ARCA race. The GMS guys brought us a really fast car, but it was a tricky place to figure out. As the race went on, I figured out how to pass other drivers as we had to kind of come up through the field from where we started. So I’m looking forward to getting back there knowing what I know now. It’s going to be cool to go there with Bettenhausen Automotive and have them on our truck with that cool sprint car throwback paint scheme. Hopefully we can have a good run; the trucks are a bit different than the ARCA cars, so they’ll probably turn a little bit better than how we were last year. Just got to be ready for that and make sure we can finish it off with a good result. Our speed has been building over the last couple of months, but we have to make sure that we can put it all together and finish the race where we run. It’s all going to be about building on it little by little, and continuing to improve on how we unload.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series operating the No. 23, No. 24, and No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for drivers Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and Daniel Dye. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA 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 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

STATESVILLE, NC (August 7, 2023): GMS Racing is very pleased to announce that the No. 43 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Dye will have a special tribute paint scheme to Gary Bettenhausen, 1983 USAC National Champion, when the series visits Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, August 11. Title sponsorship for the event will be Bettenhausen Automotive, known as “Chicago’s Best Dealership.”

The Bettenhausen family, with roots in racing that trace back to patriarch Merle and extend to sons Gary and Tony, has left an indelible imprint on the motorsports world. Among them, Gary Bettenhausen emerged as a significant figure in American racing, carving a career that cut across multiple series over numerous decades. Gary’s most enduring legacy rests in the world of open-wheel racing. Between 1968 and 1993, Gary competed in the prestigious Indianapolis 500 21 times, achieving his highest finish of third place in 1980. His contributions to motorsports remain a testament to the Bettenhausen family’s enduring influence on the sport.

“It’s such an honor to have the opportunity to drive a race truck themed after one of racing’s icons in Gary Bettenhausen,” remarked GMS Racing driver Daniel Dye. “The entire Bettenhausen family has such a strong legacy in motorsports, and to have their automotive group and paint scheme on our No. 43 Chevy at IRP is so cool. So much happened before I was around in this sport, and to be a small part of a tribute is pretty cool.”

As the primary sponsor on the No. 43 truck, BettenhausenAutomotive.com‘s involvement signifies a beautiful blend of motorsports passion and dedication to automotive excellence. The partnership demonstrates a mutual commitment to innovation, high performance, and the rich history of motorsports.

“We are honored to partner with Daniel and Randy Dye, and to be onboard the No. 43 GMS Racing truck for the race in Indianapolis this Friday night,” said Mike Bettenhausen, President of Bettenhausen Automotive. “With a rich family history in racing in Indy and throughout the Midwest, this opportunity is a perfect fit for us. We can’t wait to cheer on the red and white tribute scheme that will be on Daniel’s 43.”

Fans can see the Bettenhausen Automotive No. 43 Silverado RST at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, August 11th. Coverage will be live on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM, with additional coverage through GMS Racing and Daniel Dye social media platforms.

CONCORD, N.C. (August 5, 2023) – Badger State native Derek Kraus will pilot Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado when the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) visits the Milwaukee Mile for the August 27 Clean Harbors 175.

gener8tor Skills Accelerator will be showcased as the team’s primary sponsor for NASCAR’s celebrated return to “America’s Legendary Oval.”

Wisconsin State Fair Park, home of the Milwaukee Mile, has hosted at least one auto race every year since 1903 (except during U.S. involvement in World War II). The Clean Harbors 175 marks the return of the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to the famed one-mile oval following a 13-year absence. The NCTS raced 15 times at the Milwaukee Mile from 1995-2009, producing 11 different winners.

“I’m looking forward to working with Spire Motorsports and having Bono (crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion) as my crew chief,” said Kraus. “I know that he is smart with the short, flat tracks, so I have a lot of confidence going into the race. It will also be cool to be racing in my home state, in front of many hometown fans. It should be a good race and I’m looking forward to it.”

Kraus, a native of Stratford, Wis., made his lone NCTS start of 2023 at Daytona International Speedway in the season-opening NextEra Energy 250 where he started 11th and finished 18th for Young’s Motorsports. He is a veteran of 74 NCTS starts with four poles, four top-five and 26 top-10 finishes to his credit.

He looks to add his name to a prestigious list of former Milwaukee Mile NCTS race winners and previous series champions including Johnny Benson Jr., Mike Bliss, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and Mike Skinner.

Most recently, Kraus competed in the ASA Stars National Tour Gandrud Auto Group 250 on August 1 at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, Wis., where he finished third.

“Derek Kraus has an impressive pedigree and we’re excited to put him in the seat at the Milwaukee Mile,” said Manion. “The tradition of racing in Milwaukee is very well documented and some of the very best drivers from the Midwest have won races there. It’s an exciting opportunity for Spire Motorsports be able to race with someone who has a direct tie to the state of Wisconsin. We’ll have a fast gener8tor Skills Accelerator Chevrolet Silverado ready for Derek and we’re going there with one goal in mind – to bring home the trophy.”

For more information or to purchase tickets for the Clean Harbors 175 weekend, please log on to Milwaukeemileracing.com.

The Clean Harbors 175 from the Milwaukee Mile will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, August 27 beginning at 4 p.m. EDT. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About gener8tor Skills Accelerator …
gener8tor Skills Accelerator is a free, virtual rapid skilling program for people looking for jobs in high-demand roles in their communities or working remotely for companies across the country. The program utilizes the LinkedIn Learning platform to provide high-quality instruction in fields ranging from customer service to software development. Skills supports over 1,000 graduates annually, and since its launch in 2020, the accelerator has successfully placed over 900 graduates into better jobs, creating over $40M of economic growth within the communities served. The Skills Accelerator provides programming for under- and unemployed individuals and those that face barriers to employment because of systemic discrimination and intolerance.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a full-time, two-car NASCAR Cup Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2023, Spire Motorsports will field the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for driver Corey LaJoie and No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ty Dillon. The team also fields NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams in select events.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFSTMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 20, 2023 when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Will Race Truck Friday and Cup Car Sunday in Indianapolis

Concord, North Carolina – Shane van Gisbergen, the three-time Supercar champion and winner of the July 2 inaugural Chicago Street Race in his lone NASCAR Cup Series start, will drive the No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) on Friday, Aug. 11.

The 200-lap truck race on IRP’s 0.686-mile track will be the 34-year-old Auckland, New Zealander’s first NASCAR oval experience and it kicks off a busy weekend for van Gisbergen in the Hoosier state. He will return to the Cup Series Sunday, Aug. 13 on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the Trackhouse Racing team’s PROJECT91 program. Van Gisbergen’s Cup series sponsors, Enhance Health and Quad Lock will also carry associate positions on the No. 41 Chevrolet truck.

“The weekend will certainly be a challenge,” said van Gisbergen. “I’ve seen the trucks race on television and know it’s very competitive and that I’ll have a lot to learn on a short track at IRP. I’m used to doing doubleheaders in Supercars, but this will be a little bit different. I’m honored to join Niece Motorsports and thrilled at getting a chance to climb in a truck.”

Van Gisbergen is joining the successful Niece team whose 20-year-old driver Carson Hocevar became the first truck series driver to win three races this season when he won the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway on July 29. It marked the seventh win for Niece Motorsports.

“We are so excited and so honored to have Shane drive for us at IRP,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw. “He’s a legend in Australia and New Zealand, but what he did at Chicago has everyone in America talking about his talent. We will help him experience oval racing and I am guessing we will learn a lot from him as well.”

What van Gisbergen did at the inaugural Chicago Street race on July 2 is one of the highlights of the 2023 NASCAR season. Following a pit stop under caution, which came after NASCAR shortened the race from 100 to 75 laps due to looming darkness, van Gisbergen restarted 18th in his No. 91 Chevrolet. He drove to the front and made an overtime pass on a damp track to seal the victory.

He became one of six foreign born drivers to win a Cup Series race and the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win his first Cup Series start. It was just the latest entry in a resume that includes Supercars Championships for Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2016, 2021 and 2022, plus 79 wins and 48 pole positions making him the fourth most successful driver in series history. He also won the Bathurst 1000 in 2020 and 2022.

IRP is a multipurpose auto racing facility that includes the 30,000-seat oval along with a 2.5-mile road course and a drag strip where the NHRA has held its US Nationals since 1961. The track is seven miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Van Gisbergen will practice and qualify Friday afternoon at IRP with FS1 televising the truck race at 9 p.m. EDT.

He will practice and qualify at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Saturday and NBC will televise Sunday’s race on the road course at 2:30 p.m. EDT.

About Niece Motorsports:
Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman 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:
The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S., with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. The WWEX Racing initiative was borne of a desire to address the complex but underserved logistic needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of insight. To learn more about the WWEX Racing program, visit www.wwexracing.com. For media inquiries, contact racing@wwex.com.

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

START: 13TH
FINISH: 9TH
POINTS: 5TH

Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 Champion Power Equipment team have officially advanced to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs and will fight for the series championship.

Post-Race Quote: “Yeah, I’m proud of this GMS Racing Champion Power Equipment No. 23 all year long, and man, they put in the effort tonight too. We just had a terrible performance, and there’s no way around it. We struggled with the handling yesterday, and I felt like we were going to make some big swings and was optimistic about today, but just never really had it. We weren’t really good on a short run, we weren’t really good on a long run. The best we could have happen would just be something to happen to where we could take advantage of the strategy.

Just not a great performance for us, but I’m not letting it take away from the rest of our season at this point. These guys have worked harder than anybody out here; there’s been so much effort put in this truck. We’ve made some good calls, we’ve made some bad calls, but we’ve done it as a team. The playoffs start in a couple of weeks at IRP, we won there last year and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Camp Cultivation Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 16TH
FINISH: 19TH
POINTS: 18TH

Post-Race Quote: “We had a relatively clean and quiet night with our Camp Cultivation Chevy Silverado. We didn’t get the win that we needed to make it into the playoffs, but we’re going to some places that I’m confident we can go and run up front and contend for a win at for the rest of the year. We still gained some good spots for the points and I’m really proud of my group for not giving up on me and just doing a great job. We’ve got some really good opportunities to have some strong runs the rest of the season, and there’s no other group of guys that I’d rather do it with.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 Bull & Boar Barbecue Shop / LiftedTrucksForSale.com Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 17TH
FINISH: 21ST
POINTS: 17TH

Post-Race Quote: “Rough night here in Richmond, we struggled with the handling of our No. 43 truck until the last run. I made a mistake coming to pit road that cost us some spots in the finishing order. I’m thankful to have had the support of Bull & Boar Barbecue Shop, LiftedTrucksForSale.com, GMS Racing, Team Chevy, and the rest of our partners. Overall, it was just a rough night but we’ve got to put it behind us and move on to the next race at IRP.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series operating the No. 23, No. 24, and No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for drivers Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and Daniel Dye. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA 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 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Worldwide Express 250 | Saturday, July 29, 2023

Ford Finishing Results:

2nd – Ty Majeski

3rd – Zane Smith

7th – Matt Crafton

12th – Ben Rhodes

15th – Hailie Deegan

20th – Conner Jones

32nd – Christian Rose

33rd – Derek Lemke

36th – Josh Reaume

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Road Ranger F-150 – “I had a dominant truck, obviously. You have trucks like this and it hurts not to win with them. A couple of mistakes cost us – the speeding penalty. We were still probably gonna win the race and, boy, I didn’t think they’d get there by pitting like that with 40 to go. I thought at the time that Joe made the right call. Our truck was so much faster than everybody else. Hindsight is always 20/20, obviously maybe should have pitted, but without that speeding penalty we win it staying out, too. I’m disappointed. We’ve got to clean up the mistakes and be better, but the good news is we have fast trucks heading into the playoffs.”

WHAT WERE YOU FEELING THE LAST COUPLE OF LAPS? “You can’t do anything. You’re obviously on 100-and-whatever-lap tires and he’s on 40. You just don’t have a chance. I felt like our pace was gonna be OK, but once guys on new tires, there were so many of them, they kept passing me and getting me off the bottom. I was just losing too much lap time to maintain the lead there, so it’s disappointing, but we should be good at IRP?”

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A TRUCK OR CAR AS GOOD AS THAT? “I don’t know that I ever. I was multiple tenths on the field anytime I wanted it. It was a crazy fast Road Ranger Ford F-150. I don’t know what to say. I’m just incredibly disappointed. I should have been in victory lane tonight.”

DOES IT STING MORE BECAUSE OF HOW FAST THE TRACK WAS? “For sure. It’s hard to get trucks like that. It’s not easy. Everyone’s got the same stuff. Everyone’s got good equipment. These guys are good at what they do. NASCAR’s got us in the box rules-wise. Everybody is so close nowadays and to have a truck like that and not win with it, it’s uncalled for. I’ve got to be better.”

WERE YOU JUST PUSHING TOO MUCH? “Just a little bit. It was honestly just on entry into my pit box, the section right before my pit box. I was just trying to get it all to maintain the lead. In hindsight, I didn’t really need to do that. We were so much better than everybody. It was a silly penalty.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Campers Inn RV Ford F-150 – “I had that commitment line violation and I think I slid my right-rear tire over the orange box and that will do it. That will ruin a race. It happened. I didn’t think I clipped it. I thought i was close, but I didn’t think I clipped it, but, sure enough, I did. At the end of the race I heard we had really good speed, enough to compete for the win so that’s unfortunate. They were trying to save and keep me out there to save laps for the end on newer tires and I think the strategy could have worked had I not made that mistake. I don’t know. You have to go back and do the math on lap times. It’s just unfortunate because it was a good truck and a good run and if that didn’t happen, there could have been a chance we could have gotten third in the regular season, which would have helped immensely with some bonus points going into the playoffs.”

THE COMMITMENT LINE GOT THREE GUYS TONIGHT. WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD? “It’s just the old tires. You’re slipping and sliding so much. I was modulating the brake pedal on entry and as I touched the brakes the rear slides out and you’re just kind of playing with that all the way through the corner, and then exit on really old tires you’re barely getting to wide-open at the flag stand. The front was hooked up coming to pit road, the rear not so much and as I was sliding up the track trying to catch it, that right-rear just snagged it. That’s not good. I hate it. We had Campers Inn here and had a really good run going and came up short because of this. I think we could have at least been a good nine or 10 spots better. That’s on me.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS? “Good. IRP is coming up next. We had a really fast truck there last year and also made a mistake and also had to come from the back and finished second in that one, so I’ll know what not to do at that racetrack. I know exactly what we need to focus on. We’ve got a good notebook. The next round, I think, is a really good strong point for us.”

MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Ford F-150 – “The first and second run we were pretty good and then I just got a terrible brake vibration and it made me so loose in that I couldn’t charge the corner anymore. That was our strong suit early and that last half of the race I couldn’t charge the corner at all. I got really free in and then I had my head firmly in my butt on one of the restarts. We picked the outside and I was in first gear when I was supposed to be in second gear and just about the time I cleaned the tires up before the restart zone they took off and I went from sixth to eighth. I really messed up on that one. I take all of that on the chin right there, but I wouldn’t want to be a crew chief with all the long green flag runs and when to pit and when not to pit, and then if you come down pit road too early and get two or three laps down, you’re caught with your pants down at that point and it makes for a long night. We were just at that point where we had to try to race the 2. In hindsight, maybe we should have came just a few laps earlier. That’s easy to say now and then we might have leapfrogged the 2 and the 25, but I’m really looking forward to the rest of the races. We go to a lot of racetracks where you actually have to use two feet and not just run around all wide-open. This 88 has been pretty good when we have some fall off.”

WHAT SEPARATES THIS YEAR’S PLAYOFFS FROM THE PAST? “Nothing. We’ve got a good group of guys right now. I’ve got a crew chief who actually lives in Ohio. I think the last five years I haven’t had a crew chief in-house since Junior left in 2018 and he commuted back and forth. The other crew chiefs commuted back and forth from North Carolina, so I’m ecstatic to have Jeriod. Jeriod is doing a really good job. We stunk at Pocono, but that’s probably part of me because I hate the place, and we stunk in Nashville, but that’s just me. I’ll take all of that on the chin, but we’re a lot better than we were last year going into the playoffs. We’ve got some new trucks we’ve built and we keep making them better.”

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford F-150 – WHAT DID YOU HIT ON AFTER THAT FIRST STAGE? “Simply just tightening our Boot Barn Ford up. It was really, really bad in the first stage and did not think we were gonna be able to fix it here at least. Chris Lawson and everyone at FRM proved me wrong, so we just really never gave up and unfortunately gave up a lot of points through those stages, but, all in all, it was a solid finish. I’m happy with that strategy we did. That was really our only shot was probably hoping for a late-race caution, come back down pit road again and get some more tires and go at it on a short run. That was really our only shot. I’m happy with our finish and to carry this momentum to the playoffs.”

HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR TEAM THIS YEAR GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS VERSUS LAST YEAR? “To be honest, last year we hardly had any adversity and this year I feel like our race team is in a great position it’s just a lot of ups and downs. We just need to do the small things a little bit better and focus on our end result a little bit more, instead of so focused on those stage wins. Yes, they are extremely important, but I’m happy where our race team is. Unfortunately, I’ve had some torn up trucks throughout the process, which sucks for everyone at FRM, but we win together and we lose together. Unfortunately, we’re not leaving Richmond with the trophy, but I feel like this has been a track we’ve struggled at, so, all in all, a top three is good for us and some good momentum to carry into the playoffs.”