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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Press Release

  • Kaulig Racing Weekly Advance | Martinsville Speedway

    Kaulig Racing Weekly Advance | Martinsville Speedway

    NOCO 400
    Martinsville Speedway
    NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
    Sunday, April 16 at 3:00 p.m. EST on FS1

    • Kaulig Racing has made four starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NCS.
    • The team earned its third top-10 finish of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway, tying its season-best finish, after Justin Haley finished sixth in the Food City Dirt Race.

    AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

    • AJ Allmendinger has made 23 NCS starts at Martinsville Speedway.
    • Allmendinger has two top fives and seven top-10 finishes with an average finish of 19th at Martinsville

    “We’re hoping we can make improvements on our short track program this weekend. We really struggled in Richmond so our primary focus is to improve on what we had there and keep moving forward.” – AJ Allmendinger on Martinsville Speedway

    Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

    • Justin Haley has made four starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NCS.
    • Haley earned his best finish of the 2023 season at Bristol Motor Speedway after finishing sixth in the Food City Dirt Race.

    “Martinsville is another super unique short track on our schedule. We didn’t have the best results last year, but I think we are gradually improving our short track program. We’re hoping for a good weekend after another top-10 finish at Bristol.” – Justin Haley on Martinsville Speedway  

    Call 811.com Before You Dig. 250
    Martinsville Speedway
    NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
    Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. EST on FS1

    • Kaulig Racing has made 15 starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NXS.
    • The team has earned three top fives and six top-10 finishes, including 99 laps led at Martinsville.
    • So far in the 2023 NXS season, Kaulig Racing has earned two wins, two pole awards, seven top fives and 15 top-10 finishes.

    Derek Kraus, No. 10 International Order of T. Roosevelt Chevrolet Camaro

    • Derek Kraus will make his first start at Martinsville Speedway in the NXS this weekend and his second start in the series with Kaulig Racing.
    • Kraus has four previous starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) , earning one top-10 finish at the short track in 2020.
    • Kraus earned a top-10 finish in his first-ever NXS start with Kaulig Racing at Richmond Raceway in the ToyotaCare 250.

    “It will be interesting to learn the differences between a truck and a Xfinity car at Martinsville. It’s a short track that takes a lot of patience, and I learned in the truck series that you need to be around at the end to have a shot. I can’t wait to get to work with the Kaulig Racing team again. We learned a lot together in my first start at Richmond and we can continue to build on that going into Martinsville.” – Derek Kraus on Martinsville Speedway

    Daniel Hemric, No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro

    • Daniel Hemric has earned two top fives, three top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 6.8 in four starts at Martinsville Speedway.
    • Hemric has led 46 laps at Martinsville Speedway.

    “We all look forward to short-track racing here at Kaulig Racing. Our short-track program has been hit or miss over the last handful of races. It was good to see our teammate get a win at the last short track in Richmond. Hopefully we can carry that momentum and go out and do a good job at Martinsville. It would be cool to put one of those grandfather clocks in my house!” – Daniel Hemric on Martinsville Speedway

    Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet Camaro

    • Chandler Smith will make his first start at Martinsville Speedway in the NXS this weekend in the Call811.com Before You Dig. 250.
    • Smith earned a fourth place and sixth-place finish at Martinsville in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) in 2021 and 2022 and led two laps in the 2022 Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200.

    “It’s great to get right back to racing at another short track. These kinds of tracks are the ones I’m most comfortable at. It’s where I’ve grown up racing. I’ve driven a couple times at Martinsville before and really like the feel of it. It’ll be my first time in the Xfinity car there so it’ll be a new challenge compared to racing Trucks. It’s going to get physical with other cars and drivers, and I’m prepared for that.” – Chandler Smith on Martinsville Speedway  

     
    About Kaulig Racing™

    Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and 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 and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup that will be announced at a later date, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

  • Lawless Alan – Long John Silver’s 200 Race Advance

    Lawless Alan – Long John Silver’s 200 Race Advance

    Martinsville Speedway (200 Laps / 105 Miles)
    Friday, April 14 | Martinsville, Virginia | 7:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Ch. 90

    Team: No. 45 AUTOChargit Chevrolet Silverado
    Driver: Lawless Alan (Los Angeles, California) | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
    Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
    Follow Lawless Alan: Twitter: @lawlessalan25 | Instagram: @lawless_alan | Facebook: /LawlessAlanRacing | Web: www.lawlessalanracing.com

    Alan at Martinsville Speedway: In one start at Martinsville Speedway, Lawless Alan qualified 15th and finished 20th.

    Alan on Friday’s Race at Martinsville: “Martinsville is a track that I struggled at last year, but I’m looking forward to getting back there. I know more about the short tracks in the NASCAR Truck Series now than I did last year, so I think coming in with more knowledge will benefit me this time at the track.”

    On the Truck: The No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado will carry the AUTOChargit colors this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. AUTOChargit designs, manufactures and installs EV charging systems for automated and conventional parking applications.

    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.

    About AUTOChargit:

    AUTOChargit designs, manufactures and installs EV charging systems for automated and conventional parking applications. AUTOChargit can decrease capital expenditures by up to 75 percent by providing automated coupling and decoupling of EV charging stalls from the power source. For conventional parking applications, a single 40-AMP circuit coupled with a single AUTOChargit System can be multiplexed to four, eight, or 12 stalls. Each charging stall is individually metered for the exact tracking of electricity usage. The AUTOParkit Mobile APP provides a touchless experience for the user.

    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

  • Carson Hocevar – Long John Silver’s 200 Race Advance

    Carson Hocevar – Long John Silver’s 200 Race Advance

    Long John Silver’s 200 | Martinsville Speedway (200 Laps / 105 Miles)
    Friday, April 14 | Martinsville, Virginia | 7:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Ch. 90

    Team: No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado
    Driver: Carson Hocevar (Portage, Michigan) | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
    Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
    Follow Carson Hocevar: Twitter: @CarsonHocevar | Instagram: @CarsonHocevar | Facebook: /carsonhocevarracing | Web: www.CarsonHocevar.com

    Bristol Dirt Recap: The No. 42 team struggled early in the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol. Hocevar battled a tight-handling Silverado for most of the heat race and the early stages of the feature, but his Worldwide Express team was able to fix the handling to put him inside the top-10 late in the running. Unfortunately, Hocevar lost all of the gained track position when he was forced to slow down for a late wreck, ultimately finishing 17th.

    Hocevar on Bristol Dirt: “Last week wasn’t the race we expected. It took us most of the race to find our pace and make up ground; but once we did, we ran inside the top-10. It’s good to see our team capable of battling back from adversity and showing speed when it counts.”

    Hocevar at Martinsville Speedway: In three starts at Martinsville Speedway, Hocevar has an average finish of 14.0 and an average qualifying position of 16.67, while leading 11 laps.

    Hocevar on Friday’s Race at Martinsville: “In each race at Martinsville, we’ve been able to lead laps in some capacity, so I’m optimistic about our chances to extend that streak this weekend. I enjoy going to short tracks with this Worldwide Express team and I’m hoping for a solid result.”

    On the Truck: Hocevar’s No. 42 Worldwide Express 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.

  • Ross Chastain – Long John Silver’s 200 Race Advance

    Ross Chastain – Long John Silver’s 200 Race Advance

    Long John Silver’s 200 | Martinsville Speedway (200 Laps / 105 Miles)
    Friday, April 14 | Martinsville, Virginia | 7:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Ch. 90

    Team: No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado
    Driver: Ross Chastain (Alva, Florida) | Crew Chief: Mike Hillman Jr.
    Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
    Follow Ross Chastain: Twitter: @RossChastain | Instagram: @rosschastain | Facebook: /RossChastainRacing | Web: www.rosschastain.com/

    The No. 41 Truck Last Week at Bristol Dirt: Dirt racer, Tyler Carpenter, was behind the wheel of the No. 41 Precision Vehicle Logistics / AutoVentive Chevrolet Silverado last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The West Virginia driver was able to show excellent pace throughout his heat race, but a spin on the final lap of the heat race put him at the back of the pack for the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt. Ultimately, various incidents throughout the night would put Carpenter out of the race early, finishing 29th.

    Chastain at Martinsville Speedway: Ross Chastain has 17 starts at Martinsville Speedway across NASCAR’s top three touring series. Chastain has an average finish of 11.38 in eight starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at the half-mile track, including three consecutive top-10s in his last three starts. Additionally, Chastain finished inside the top-five in both Cup Series races at Martinsville in the 2022 season. Chastain made sporting news around the world with the “Hail Melon” move in last fall’s Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway.

    Chastain on Friday’s Race at Martinsville Speedway: “I’ve been fortunate to have good runs at Martinsville, especially as of late. I’m hoping the trend of good finishes continues and we can put together a good run on Friday. Our speed has been so good in the No. 41 truck this season, so I know our Worldwide Express Silverado will be fast this weekend.”

    On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 41 Worldwide Express 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.

  • GMS Racing NCTS Race Preview: Martinsville Speedway

    GMS Racing NCTS Race Preview: Martinsville Speedway

    Race Information

    • Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 7 of 23
    • Track Location: Martinsville Speedway – Ridgeway, Virginia
    • Race Name: Long John Silver’s 200
    • Broadcast: Friday, April 14th at 7:30 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 – Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet
    No. 43 | Daniel Dye & Travis Sharpe – Heise LED Lighting Systems Chevrolet

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

    Martinsville Speedway Stats

    • NCTS Starts: 10; Wins: 1 (2020); Best start: 3rd; Top 5s: 3; Top 10s: 5; Laps led: 56

    2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

    • Starts: 6; Best start: 7th; Best finish: 5th (Daytona & Bristol Dirt); Top 5s: 2; Top 10s: 3; Laps led: 3; Current points position: 6th
    • 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.
    • About The Racing Warehouse: The Racing Warehouse serves and satisfies the collecting needs of a worldwide racing community. TRW has partnered with race teams in Mooresville, Concord, and surrounding areas to bring authentic, race-used sheet metal and cloth to race fans all over the world. We have several outlets for fans to acquire the many items that we offer. You can find us on eBay, Facebook, and our new website. The Racing Warehouse is open to the public and located in Lowell, NC. They are conveniently located off I-85 a short 30-minute drive from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Visit www.TheRacingWarehouse.com to browse hundreds of race-used parts and more.
    • Chassis History/Info: Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 336 at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This Silverado RST was originally built in 2021 and was raced by Zane Smith twice, posting a best result of sixth place at Texas Motor Speedway. This weekend will be the first time that it races at Martinsville.
    • Past Paperclip Winner: In October 2020, Enfinger clawed his way into championship contention by capturing a win at the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200. After leading 49 laps, Grant made a victorious pass for the lead in a green-white-checkered finish. The win propelled him into his first Championship 4 appearance, capping off his best season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
    • GE Appearances: Fans attending the Long John Silver’s 200 will have two opportunities to meet Grant Enfinger at Martinsville Speedway:

    Friday, April 14th | NASCAR Experience Stage: Grant Enfinger will host a Q&A session at the NASCAR Experience Stage in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone on race day at 12:30 PM local time
    Friday, April 14th | Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing drivers will host a Q&A session at the Team Chevy Stage in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone on race day at 12:45 PM local time
    - From The Drivers Seat: What does it take to be successful around Martinsville?

    “Martinsville is definitely a ‘true’ short track. You’ve got to manage your fenders, you’ve got to manage your tires, and you’ve got to manage your temper when it comes to racing at that place. It feels like it’s a shorter race relatively compared to some of the intermediate races we run, and 100 laps goes by really quickly. You want to go there and qualify pretty well, because you’ve got to stay up front. It seems like if you get cycled to the back when you’re on equal tires, man you just use everything up. Maybe if you have to go to the back and you have a tire advantage, you could make it back up, but it’s tough. Hopefully we have a Champion Power Equipment Chevy good enough to win the race; Hensley and I have ran well here in the past and we have a pretty good record together on the short tracks, so hopefully we can rely on that and build off of what we had going for us in Bristol.”

    Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST

    Martinsville Speedway Stats

    • Rajah Caruth will be making his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville on Friday.
    • NXS Starts: 1; Best start: 18th; Best finish: 12th (Fall, 2022)

    2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

    • Starts: 6; Best start: 15th; Best finish: 11th (Bristol Dirt); Current points position: 17th
    • 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.

    • Chassis History/Info: Rajah Caruth and the No. 24 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 337 at “The Paperclip”. This Chevrolet has been raced five times prior to this weekend, winning on debut with Sheldon Creed at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2021. Jack Wood most recently drove this chassis at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park last year, finishing in 25th position. Friday will be the first time that this chassis competes at Martinsville.
    • Best Finish of the Season: Despite a mid-race spin, Rajah was able to overcome adversity in Bristol Motor Speedway and drive through the field to an impressive 11th place finish. This result marked Caruth’s best finish of the season, and tied his overall best-career finish in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to date.
    • Sunoco Rookie Battle: Caruth’s 11th place result at Bristol Motor Speedway was the second highest finish for a rookie, helping him gain on the Sunoco Rookie Of The Year point standings. Entering Friday night’s race in Martinsville, Caruth is third in the rookie standings, 42 points behind leading rookie candidate Nick Sanchez and 22 points behind Jake Garcia in second place.
    • RC Appearances: Fans attending the Long John Silver’s 200 will have an opportunity to meet Rajah Caruth at Martinsville Speedway:

    Friday, April 14th | Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing drivers will host a Q&A session at the Team Chevy Stage in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone on race day at 12:45 PM local time

    • From The Driver’s Seat: Martinsville Speedway was the site of your best-career NASCAR Xfinity Series finish; you haven’t raced there before in a truck, but do you have high expectations heading into this race?

    “Honestly, I have the same expectations every week. I work just as hard heading into a racetrack that I’ve competed at 10 times just as hard as how I work heading into a track I’ve never seen before. I’m confident in my team for bringing a fast Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado RST for every race; we’ve certainly had the pace this year but it just hasn’t quite fallen our way. My preparations and my expectations don’t necessarily change week-to-week, but I would say that my confidence is a little higher since I was able to have the good run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series car in the fall and was also able to get some track time in a late model as well the past couple of years. I’m looking forward to getting there in a truck, I’ve seen the photos of several GMS Racing drivers have success there in years past, and hopefully we can do the same this weekend.”

    Daniel Dye, No. 43 Heise LED Lighting Systems Chevrolet Silverado RST

    Martinsville Speedway Stats

    • Daniel Dye will be making his first start of any kind at Martinsville Speedway this Friday night.

    2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

    • Starts: 6; Best start: 19th; Best finish: 16th (Atlanta); Laps led: 5; Current points position: 20th
    • About Heise LED Lighting Systems: Metra Electronics, based close to Florida’s racing hotspot, Daytona Beach, has been “The Installer’s Choice” and a leading manufacturer of mobile electronics for more than 75 years. Metra has continued to design, engineer, and produce the most innovative products in the 12volt industry, while always keeping the installer and end-user in mind. Their wide selection of products are categorized to form a diverse family of brands, each specializing in its own segment of automotive solutions. Their Heise LED brand focuses solely on creating the highest-quality automotive LED lighting available on the market. The brand offers RGB, RGBW, and Chasing products designed to fit a wide range of vehicles, integrated with advanced thermal management, short circuit and open circuit protection, and many other innovative features.
    • Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 335 at Martinsville Speedway. This chassis debuted at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2021 and has raced six times before, with a best finish of third at Pocono Raceway with Sheldon Creed. Jack Wood was the latest driver to drive chassis no. 335, qualifying 10th and finishing 35th at Nashville Superspeedway last season. Friday night will be the first time that this Chevrolet has been used in competition at a short track.
    • Sunoco Rookie Battle: Daniel Dye was the fifth highest finishing rookie with a 22nd place finish on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. Heading into Martinsville this weekend, Dye is fourth in the Sunoco Rookie Of The Year points battle, 56 points behind leader Nick Sanchez and 14 points behind his closest competitor and teammate, Rajah Caruth in third place.
    • DD Appearances: Fans attending the Long John Silver’s 200 will have an opportunity to meet Daniel Dye at Martinsville Speedway:

    Friday, April 14th | Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing drivers will host a Q&A session at the Team Chevy Stage in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone on race day at 12:45 PM local time

    • From the Driver’s Seat: Martinsville Speedway seems to be a return to your short track racing roots, are you the most comfortable with this type of racing?

    “Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable with short track racing, Martinsville is way different than anything I’ve ran before short track wise. But, it still is a half-mile track so I’m looking forward to it. We’ll see what Friday has in store for us through practice and qualifying. I’ve been looking at the weather, and with the new rain package that we have in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series it will be interesting to see if we run in the wet conditions or not. All in all, I’m happy to get back on the short tracks and get after it with our No. 43 Heise LED Lighting Systems team.”

    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.

  • Kyle Busch- No. 51 Zariz Transport Silverado Craftsman Trucks Martinsville Preview

    Kyle Busch- No. 51 Zariz Transport Silverado Craftsman Trucks Martinsville Preview

    Kyle Busch: Driver, No. 51 Zariz Transport Chevrolet

    NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Overview:
    Event: Long John Silver’s 200, Race 7 of 23, 200 Laps – 50/50/100; 105.2 Miles
    Location: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval)
    Date/Broadcast: April 14, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

    The Report on ‘Rowdy’:

    KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch makes his third Craftsman Truck Series start of 2023 behind the wheel of the No. 51 Zariz Silverado in Friday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. In Busch’s last Truck Series start, an untimely caution spoiled his chance at going two-for-two in Truck Series action this season. ‘Rowdy’ was leading the race when teams had made it into their fuel window for making it to the end of the event. He decided to try and make it a few more laps beyond his competitors in an effort to have fresher tires for the end of the race, but his strategy was spoiled when a caution came out with 14 laps remaining. After making his final pit stop under caution, he would line up on the inside of row eight for the ensuing restart. He was only able to make it back up to the runner-up spot when the field took the checkered flag.

    In his first start of 2023, Busch led a race-high 84 laps and crossed the stripe 4.981 seconds ahead of Zane Smith to pick up his record extending 63rd career Craftsman Truck Series victory. The win was the first for KBM under the Chevrolet banner, after collecting the first 98 with Toyota. For Busch, it was his first win in a Chevrolet truck since November of 2007 at Phoenix Raceway. With his win at Las Vegas, he extended his series-best streak of winning at least one race to 11 consecutive Truck Series seasons (2013-2023).

    Busch has won 37.7% (63/167) of the Truck Series races he has entered in his career and has finished first or second in 56.8% (95/167). In addition to his Truck Series leading 63 wins, he also ranks first all-time among Truck Series drivers in driver rating (123.7), average finish (6.5) and is second in laps led (7,732). Over his last 28 Truck Series starts, Busch has an average finish of 3.07 while recording 15 wins and eight runner-up finishes.

    Busch, who won KBM’s first Truck Series victory at Nashville Superspeedway in April of 2010, will be looking to collect his organization’s 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory on Friday. His Las Vegas win was KBM’s record-extending 99th-career victory leaving his organization one shy of the century mark. Overall, 18 different drivers have won at least one race behind the wheel of a KBM truck, led by Busch’s 47. Four drivers rank second on the list with seven victories: William Byron, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.

    Eight of KBM’s victories have come at Martinsville, including wins by Busch in 2016 and 2019. He also has two Cup Series victories at ‘The Paperclip’ (2016 and 2017).

    Veteran crew chief Brian Pattie is calling the shots for the No. 51 team this year in his first season at KBM after spending the last 14 seasons atop the pit box in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the Cup Series, his drivers produced six wins, nine poles, 57 top-five and 131 top-10 finishes across 528 starts. In 2012, he guided Clint Bowyer to three victories and a runner-up finish in the Cup Series championship standings. In 2017, he guided Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to two wins and a berth in the playoffs. The Florida native has also recorded 11 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and now has two wins as a crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Pattie’s lone event atop the pit box for a Truck Series race at Martinsville was a 33rd-place finish with Dario Franchitti in 2007.

    The No. 51 team currently ranks fourth in the Craftsman Truck Series owner’s point standings after six races. Across six starts in 2023, the team has recorded one win, one pole, 98 laps led, three top-five and five top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.7.

    Zariz Transport, a fast growing intermodal drayage company specializing in transporting containers from the ports, will be the primary sponsor on Busch’s Silverado for all five of his races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. The remaining two races on Busch’s schedule will be: Kansas Speedway on May 6 and Pocono Raceway on July 22. William Byron will return to the No. 51 HendrickCars.com Silverado May 12 at Darlington Raceway and May 20 at North Wilkesboro Speedway while Jack Wood will be behind the wheel May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

    Kyle Busch, Driver Q&A:

    What does it take to be successful in a truck at Martinsville?
    “You have to have a truck that will turn the center without getting too loose in and too loose off. You also have to play the strategy right so that you can be up front at the end of the race and have enough tire left to hold people off. The last two truck races that I’ve won at Martinsville have been 250-lap races, with the race being 200 laps now things play out a little bit differently. With the new practice system, we’ll only have 20 minutes of practice to get our Zariz Silverado dialed in — that’s if the weather holds off. So, we’ll need to make sure we unload with a truck that is close because there isn’t much you can do to improve the handling with limited or no practice and then limited pit stops in the race. Last year we didn’t get a chance to practice or qualify and we didn’t do a good job of unloading close, so I had to drive way too hard just to run in the top five and used my stuff up and we were probably lucky to finish third. Hopefully, this year we’ll do a better job of unloading with a fast Zariz Silverado and we can go out and bring home KBM’s 100th win.”

    Kyle Busch Craftsman Truck Series Career Highlights:

    • Busch has a total of 167 Craftsman Truck Series starts and is ranked first all-time in wins (63), driver rating (123.7) and average finish (6.5).
    • The 37-year-old driver has won 37.7% (63/167) of the NCTS races he has entered and finished first or second in 56.8% (95/167).
    • Busch stands alone as the leader in all-time career wins in NASCAR’s national touring series with 226 total victories. He has earned 61 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 102 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and 63 NCTS wins.
    • In August of 2010, Busch made history when he won the NCTS, NXS and NCS races at Bristol Motor Speedway, becoming the only driver to sweep all three of NASCAR’s top three series at one track on the same weekend. He then repeated the feat in August of 2017.

    Kyle Busch’s No. 51 Chevrolet Silverado RST:

    KBM-62: The No. 51 Zariz team will unload KBM-62 for Friday’s race at Martinsville. This truck has finished inside the top 10 in each of its last four starts, including Busch’s third-place finish in last year’s race at Martinsville. The best finish that this chassis has achieved was a runner-up finish with Busch at Richmond Raceway in 2021.

    KBM-62 Performance Profile:
    KBM Notes of Interest:

    • KBM drivers have collected eight wins, five poles, 990 laps led, 26 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.1 across 63 starts at Martinsville. Todd Gilliland picked up the organization’s most recent victory at the 0.526-mile oval in October of 2019. Kyle Busch (2016 & 2019), Darrell Wallace Jr. (2013 & 2014), and Denny Hamlin (2011 & 2012) have all collected two victories at the Virginia track while Noah Gragson (2017) has one win.
    • KBM holds the Craftsman Truck Series records for most career wins (99) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway last year, Corey Heim became the 18th 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 41 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.
  • Ford Performance – Martinsville Speedway 1 Advance

    Ford Performance – Martinsville Speedway 1 Advance

    MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY NOTES
    Friday, April 14 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
    Saturday, April 15 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
    Sunday, April 16 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (FS1)

    From dirt to pavement, NASCAR keeps it on the half-mile this week by heading to the shortest track on the schedule in Martinsville Speedway. The NASCAR Cup and Truck series will be rejoined with the Xfinity series, as they engage in close-quarters battles on the unique, paperclip configuration. The Ford Mustang stable features two top-10 drivers and former winners, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, who also won the Cup race in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

    Ryan Blaney: “I’ve always looked at Martinsville as a home race for me. I grew up closer to there than I did to Charlotte Motor Speedway being from High Point (NC). I went up there a lot to go and watch dad run and then it became even more special running for the Wood Brothers with them being from Stuart. It’s a place I always have circled on the calendar because it was special to me as a kid and it still is.”

    Ryan Preece: “I feel like Martinsville is a big Coliseum, so there are some things we can take from there, but there are also some things that we have to change. I feel like our short track stuff has been really good and shows a lot of promise, so going into Martinsville I’m obviously optimistic. I’ve had a lot of success there in modifieds, so hopefully that translates to this new car.”

    Harrison Burton: “I love Martinsville. I won an Xfinity race there and that was obviously really cool. Qualifying is so important because it’s really hard to pass. It was hard to gain track position if you didn’t have it, and I got kind of bit by that in the first race, so executing in qualifying there is really important. For me, it makes the race really challenging because you have two laps that can really determine the trajectory of your whole weekend and you have to make the most of it.”

    LOGANO LIKES MARTINSVILLE

    No track on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit has been better for Joey Logano when it comes to qualifying than Martinsville Speedway. Logano enters this weekend with an average starting position of 7.9, which is his best among all tracks in which he has more than 10 starts. He has six poles, including three in a row in 2015-16, and had an active streak of 18 straight top-10 starts (including races where qualifying was rained out) until he qualified 14th last spring. In 28 career races at the half-mile short track, Logano has an average finishing position of 11.5 and has been running at the finish of every event, including both events in 2022 when he finished second and sixth.

    BLANEY’S BEST

    Even though Ryan Blaney does not have a NASCAR Cup Series win in 13 starts at Martinsville Speedway, it’s still a place where he has a lot of confidence. Look no further than the fact that he has an average finishing position of 9.7, which is a personal best on tracks he’s had more than five starts. Blaney has seven top-5 and eight top-10 efforts, including fourth and third-place efforts last season.

    BOWYER NETS FIRST FORD WIN

    Clint Bowyer snapped a 190-race winless stretch by leading the final 114 laps to win the weather-delayed STP 500 in 2018. The win was Bowyer’s first with Ford and ninth of his career. He passed Ryan Blaney on lap 285 to gain the lead for the first time, and when Jamie McMurray brought out the caution 100 laps later after hitting the wall, Bowyer’s pit crew got him back out with the lead and that proved to be the difference. That capped a big day for Ford, which had five drivers finish in the Top 10 and saw Blaney win Stage 2.

    KESELOWSKI WINS FIRST CLOCK

    Brad Keselowski outdueled Kyle Busch down the stretch to win his first grandfather clock after capturing the STP 500 on Apr. 2, 2017. The two drivers waged a memorable battle that saw them swap the lead five times in the last 160 laps, but Keselowski ended up making the decisive pass on lap 458 and led the final 43 circuits to become the first repeat winner in 2017. Prior to winning at Martinsville, Keselowski took the checkered flag at Atlanta in the second race of the season.

    A FIRST FOR FRED

    The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway also marked the first career victory for 2015 NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen. The date was April 9, 1961 and Lorenzen battled Rex White, who led the first 118 laps after starting on the pole. Lorenzen, driving for Holman-Moody at the time, grabbed the lead on lap 119 and held it until rain came ending the race prematurely after 149 circuits. Little did anyone know that 54 years later both men would be enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the same induction class. Martinsville was a place Lorenzen dominated, winning six times, including four straight from 1963-65 – the only driver to date to accomplish the feat. He was absolutely unbeatable in 1964 as he led 990 out of a possible 1,000 laps (487 in the first and 493 in the second) in winning both races.

    CRAVEN WINS FIRST CUP RACE

    Ricky Craven outlasted Dale Jarrett over the final laps to post the first victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career on Oct. 15, 2001 at Martinsville Speedway. Pit strategy played a key role in this race as Jarrett opted for four tires on his final stop while Craven just got two. That enabled Craven to build a lead following the ensuing restart with 17 to go, but Jarrett gained ground and found himself in position to win on the final lap. That’s when Jarrett went to the outside going into turn one and got side-by-side with Craven coming off turn two. Both Fords made contact door-to-door entering turn three, but Craven emerged off four with the advantage and took the checkered flag.

    RUDD ROUGHS IT OUT

    No driver displayed more toughness during his career than Ricky Rudd and that was evident again in 1998 when the Virginia native endured burns on his backside to win the NAPA Autocare 500 on Sept. 27. On a day that saw temperatures in the mid-nineties, Rudd found himself in a bad way just five laps into the race when his cooling unit failed. As the cockpit got hotter he asked to have a relief driver standing by, so Hut Stricklin was in the pit area ready to takeover. Ice packs helped momentarily, but his back was blistering so the team tried to cool him off with a hose. Unfortunately, the hose they used had been lying in the sun, so when they doused him the first time the water was hot. That method worked better on later stops, but in the end it was Rudd who toughed it out and led the final 96 laps to win and extend his streak to 16 consecutive seasons with at least one NASCAR Cup Series win.

    HERBST IN CONTENTION

    Riley Herbst has put together an exemplary 2023 campaign so far this season and continues to chase the points lead. In seven starts, Herbst has compiled two top-fives and six top-10 performances, ranking him second in the standings (265). Notably, in his last three appearances at Martinsville dating back to October 2021, he has earned top-10s across the board which also includes a third-place finish in his most recent showing.

    WALLACE THUNDERS TO VICTORY LANE

    Kenny Wallace was the last Ford to cross the finish line first at Martinsville in 1994, the final regular series stop there until a one-off 2006 show and again in its 2020 reboot. Wallace, who started 12th, was temporarily delayed in his ascent to the front, when he was sent to the back on lap 95 for loose sheet metal hanging from his Ford Thunderbird. By virtue of several cautions, he eventually slipped past brother Mike into second, and then passed pole-sitter David Green on lap 220 for the lead. He led 81 of the 300 laps. Simultaneously, brother Rusty also won that weekend in Cup, sweeping Martinsville in the 1994 season in his Ford Thunderbird.

    FORD LEADS THE CHARGE

    Four Ford F-150s are vying for the top spots in the championship standings six races into the season. Ty Majeski has proved that consistency is key, earning five top-10s to the lead spot (259). He had his best finish of the season on Bristol dirt last weekend, finishing second behind race-winner Joey Logano. Defending series champion Zane Smith is runner-up (225), but also holds the most wins this season with two. Ben Rhodes (212) and Matt Crafton (198) are third and fourth. Notably, Ford has won three of six races so far, which includes Logano’s trip to victory lane on Saturday.

    FIRST AND FINAL IMPRESSIONS

    The Truck series made its Martinsville debut in September 1995, and Ford was quick on the throttle to leave its mark in victory lane. Joe Ruttman squeezed by on the bottom during a thrilling battle for the top-spot into the final laps, leading the final two for the win. Grant Enfinger is the last Ford to win at Martinsville, simultaneously securing him a spot in the 2020 Championship 4.

    FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

    AT MARTINSVILLE

    1961 – Fred Lorenzen (1)

    1962 – Nelson Stacy (2)

    1963 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

    1964 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)

    1965 – Fred Lorenzen and Junior Johnson

    1966 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

    1969 – Richard Petty (Sweep)

    1986 – Ricky Rudd (1)

    1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (Sweep)

    1992 – Mark Martin and Geoffrey Bodine

    1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)

    1994 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)

    1995 – Rusty Wallace (1)

    1996 – Rusty Wallace (1)

    1997 – Jeff Burton (1)

    1998 – Ricky Rudd (2)

    2000 – Mark Martin (1)

    2001 – Dale Jarrett and Ricky Craven

    2002 – Kurt Busch (2)

    2017 – Brad Keselowski (1)

    2018 – Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano

    2019 – Brad Keselowski (1)

    FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS

    AT MARTINSVILLE

    1994 – Kenny Wallace

    FORD NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT MARTINSVILLE

    1995 – Joe Ruttman

    2003 – Jon Wood (2)

    2004 – Rick Crawford (1)

    2005 – Ricky Craven (2)

    2015 – Joey Logano (1)

    2020 – Grant Enfinger

  • Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 Team Martinsville Competition Notes

    Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 Team Martinsville Competition Notes

    Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford Team
    Martinsville Speedway Competition Notes

    TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

    Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 team head to the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for Friday’s Long Johns Silver’s 200.

    Track activity will begin with practice at 3:00 p.m. and qualifying at 3:35 p.m. ET. The Long John Silver’s 200 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

    Smith is taking the Long John Silver’s colors with him for the first time this season. Boot Barn will be a major associate partner this weekend.

    COMPETITION NOTES:

    Smith and the team are 34 points behind leader Ty Majeski in the regular season championship battle. Smith still leads the playoff points.

    Smith comes to Martinsville with three previous starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He has finishes of third, a win, and a ninth-place result in the three races.

    CREW CHIEF CHRIS LAWSON:

    “It will be a tough race. Kyle (Busch) will be racing, but we love that. We love the competition and racing the best. The truck has come along well. We’re still working on it this week, but it’s going to be a good truck for Friday night.”

    DRIVER ZANE SMITH:

    “Super excited to get back to Martinsville and pavement. We’ve lost some points the past two weeks. It will be good to get back to a track where we’ve had success. Just want to have a good night and try and win the Long John Silver’s 200 for our team.”

    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.

  • Chase Purdy- No. 4 Bama Buggies Silverado Craftsman Trucks Martinsville Preview

    Chase Purdy- No. 4 Bama Buggies Silverado Craftsman Trucks Martinsville Preview

    Chase Purdy: Driver, No. 4 Bama Buggies Chevrolet

    NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Overview:
    Event: Long John Silver’s 200, Race 7 of 23, 200 Laps – 50/50/100; 105.2 Miles
    Location: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval)
    Date/Broadcast: April 14, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

    ‘Chase’n Checkers:

    Despite being only six races into the 2023 season, Chase Purdy enters Friday’s race at Martinsville Speedway having already produced a career-high three top-10 finishes and having achieved a career-best runner-up finish earlier this month at Texas Motor Speedway. Purdy currently ranks 11th in the Craftsman Truck Series point standings, 112 tallies behind points leader Ty Majeski. With 10 races remaining before the playoffs begin, the 23-year-old driver sits 12th on the playoff grid, three points below the cutoff line. Across three prior Truck Series starts at Martinsville, Purdy has recorded an average finish of 30.0. His best result was a 21st-place finish in 2018.

    The Mississippi native is in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and first with KBM. He enters Saturday’s race having totaled one top-five, eight top-10 finishes, and 18 laps led across his 58 career Truck Series starts. Purdy finished 16th in the Truck Series final standings in 2022 after competing in 22 of the 23 events. He posted two top-10 finishes and nine laps led, with a season-best finish of seventh coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October.

    Purdy will be trying to etch his mark in the KBM historical archives this weekend at Martinsville as he looks to collect the organization’s 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory. KBM-owner driver Kyle Busch collected KBM’s record-extending 99th-career victory with his dominant victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this year leaving his organization one shy of the century mark. William Byron collected KBM’s record-breaking 51st Truck Series victory in July of 2016. Overall, 18 different drivers have won at least one race behind the wheel of a KBM truck, led by Busch’s 47. Four drivers rank second on the list with seven victories: Byron, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.

    Eight of KBM’s wins have come at Martinsville, including four from drivers who collected their first career Truck Series victory at ‘The Paperclip,’: Denny Hamlin (2011), Bubba Wallace (2013), Noah Gragson (2017) and Todd Gilliland (2019).

    Jimmy Villeneuve is atop the pit box for Purdy and the No. 4 Chevrolet team this season. Prior to being promoted to crew chief for the 2023 season, Villeneuve served as a Truck Chief at KBM since the 2017 season and in that role was a part of 18 wins, a driver’s championship with Christopher Bell in 2017 and the 2019 owner’s championship with the No. 51 team. Prior to joining KBM the New Hampshire native served as a truck chief at Athenian Motorsports in 2015 when the team won with John Wes Townley at Las Vegas. He was promoted to crew chief five races into the 2016 season. Saturday’s race will be Villeneuve’s second atop the pit box at Martinsville. He finished 21st with Townley at the Virginia track in 2016.

    Bama Buggies, your one-stop shop for all the biggest names in powersports and utility vehicles, will be the primary sponsor on Purdy’s No. 4 Chevrolet Friday and for the majority of the events on the 2023 schedule. They are Central Alabama’s powersports experts, serving as an authorized dealer of Polaris, Slingshot, and Seadoo.
    Chase Purdy, Driver Q&A:

    After a tough week at the Bristol Dirt Race will it be good to get right back on track again Friday?
    “I think you have to have short-term memory when you have a weekend like we had at Bristol. Especially when you were fast and had a shot at a really good finish and it was all taken away. We’ll debrief the Bristol race and move onto Martinsville.”

    Do you enjoy short track racing?
    “I’m really excited to get back to the roots of my racing, what me and a lot of other guys started in — short track racing. Martinsville is a fun place. There is always a lot of drama there and it is always action packed. I think it should be a good track for our No. 4 Bama Buggies team and I think it’ll put on a great show for the fans. I look forward to competing with the boss (Kyle Busch) and trying to get that 100th win before he does.”

    What does it take to have a fast truck at Martinsville?
    “You don’t want to be too free on entry and then you have to be able to turn the center and have drive up off. You have to make sure it really turns at the two-thirds mark and get off the corner with a lot of rear drive. If you can do that, then I think you’ll be good. And then of course you have to keep your nose clean because it’s a long race. You need to make sure you don’t tear stuff up early so that you are there at the end.”

    Chase Purdy Career Highlights:

    • Across 58 career Truck Series starts, has produced 18 laps led, one top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Posted a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April of 2023.
    • Finished 16th in Truck Series championship standings in 2022.
    • Finished fourth in the 2018 ARCA Menard’s Series championship standings after recording 84 laps led, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
    • Earned the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie of the year honors and finished fourth in the championship standings after posting four poles, 200 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes across 14 starts.
    • Won the prestigious Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., in Dec. of 2018.

    Chase Purdy’s No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST:

    KBM-58: The No. 4 Bama Buggies team will unload KBM-58 for Friday’s race at Martinsville. John Hunter Nemechek raced this truck three times in 2022, including a fourth-place finish in last year’s Martinsville race. In 2021, Nemechek piloted KBM-58 to three wins: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. KBM-58 has recorded four career wins, three with Nemechek in 2021 and one with owner-driver Kyle Busch at Charlotte in 2019.

    KBM-58 Performance Profile:
    KBM Notes of Interest:

    • KBM drivers have collected eight wins, five poles, 990 laps led, 26 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.1 across 63 starts at Martinsville. Todd Gilliland picked up the organization’s most recent victory at the 0.526-mile oval in October of 2019. Kyle Busch (2016 & 2019), Darrell Wallace Jr. (2013 & 2014), and Denny Hamlin (2011 & 2012) have all collected two victories at the Virginia track while Noah Gragson (2017) has one win.
    • KBM holds the Craftsman Truck Series records for most career wins (99) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway last year, Corey Heim became the 18th 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. 4 has 18 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.
  • Carson Hocevar – Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt Race Recap

    Carson Hocevar – Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt Race Recap

    Carson Hocevar – Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt Race Recap
    Team: No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado
    Driver: Carson Hocevar (Portage, Michigan) | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
    Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
    Follow Carson Hocevar: Twitter: @CarsonHocevar | Instagram: @CarsonHocevar | Facebook: /carsonhocevarracing | Web: www.CarsonHocevar.com
    Start: 27th | Finish: 17th | Points Standings: 12th

    On Saturday’s Race at Bristol Motor Speedway: “We battled a tight-handling Worldwide Express Silverado all-day. We made some big gains in the final stage to get it handling to my liking but, we needed a long-run to get where we wanted to be. We’re done with the only dirt race of the season and I look forward to Martinsville next week.”

    The wet-weather decided to clear on Saturday, allowing the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to run the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt. With both practice sessions being cancelled on Friday due to rain, heat races on Saturday afternoon was the first time the driver were able to hit the track. Hocevar started sixth in his heat and finished 7th. This would result in a 27th-place starting position for the driver of the No. 42.

    Hocevar, who continued to struggle with the handling of his truck, fought a power steering issue at the conclusion of the first stage where he finished 23rd. Under the stage break, the team would repair the power steering system, add fuel, and replace all four tires.

    From there, Hocevar was able to advance through the field, working the high-line to ultimately finish 12th in the second stage. The No. 42 team elected to stay on track under this caution period to capitalize on track position.

    The final stage saw Hocevar battle inside the top-ten for a majority of the laps. But, an incident with less than 20 laps left included Hocevar, making him lose the track position he worked all-race to get. In the end, Hocevar would finish in 17th-place and fall to 12th-place in the championship standings.

    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

    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.