Category: Truck Series PR

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Playoff Media Day | Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Boot Barn Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports, won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season championship last weekend. He opens Friday’s playoff opener as the top seed and spoke about his expectations as part of media day in Charlotte.

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford F-150 — HAVE YOU NOTICED A BOOST OF CONFIDENCE AT FRONT ROW WITH HOW WELL THE SEASON HAS GONE FOR YOU AND MICHAEL MCDOWELL? “There hasn’t been much different going on that I could tell. I feel like with the consistency of our truck team has just shown in the regular season with the past four weeks, besides Pocono, our worst finish was third and I feel like that is what got us in the position going to Pocono with our points buffer. Front Row has been doing awesome lately and so it’s cool to see. I feel like just with that comes everyone in the shop being happier. It’s a happy time right now.”

DO YOU EXPECT ANY SIMILARITIES TO HOW IRP WILL DRIVE FROM THE ARCA CAR TO THE TRUCK? “I think it’ll be similar, but a lot of the time when we think that the truck is just so much different than what you expect, so I don’t know. We’re just gonna kind of go into it like another short track and we should be pretty good. I feel like Martinsville this year we were pretty solid. We missed a little bit on a few little things, so hopefully have those worked out and have a solid start to the playoffs.”

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE PLAYOFFS BECAUSE IT’S KIND OF A CRAPSHOOT WITH WINNER TAKE ALL AT PHOENIX. DO YOU PUT A LOT OF STOCK IN WINNING THE TITLE? “I put a lot of stock in winning the championship. To start out the year I had the regular season championship circled just because I feel like that is what kind of shows how one half of your year went, so I am happy we got that but in between there I feel like race wins are what people notice a ton and then to what you said I feel like just getting to Phoenix is a championship in its own. When that day comes it’s whoever is best that day, so if you could lock yourself in earlier than later, you get to put more attention on Phoenix and that goes a long way.”

YOU HAVE THE BIGGEST POINTS LEAD TO GET TO PHOENIX, SO ARE YOU PLANNING TO BE MORE CONSERVATIVE OR BY TAKING THE SAME APPROACH YOU DID DURING THE SEASON? “I think you kind of have to go about it as going for wins. That points buffer will run out quickly. It doesn’t take much to fill up those spots, so I think we’re just gonna do what we’ve been doing for the rest of the year. It’s worked out for us and we’ve shown a lot of consistency and I think that’s what you need to do in the playoffs to get to Phoenix.”

WHAT EXPECTATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR IRP? “I’m excited for it. I feel like watching those races back you see all these guys that have been in the sport for a long time. Indy brings such a cool fan base, so to be going back there I’m a fan of the short tracks, so I’m excited about it and ready to get the playoffs started.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE PLAYOFFS? “The playoffs are its own animal, so it just amplifies everything. We just need to have some smooth rounds and hopefully end up in Phoenix to contend for a championship.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SHORT TRACKS IN THE PLAYOFFS AND WHICH ONES CAN YOU WIN? “I hope all of them. I feel like IRP is an oddball a little bit, but we proved last year that if we’re in a must-win we can pull that off, but Richmond I feel like that’s one that I have circled. I love Richmond and then a Richmond night race just makes it that much cooler. I’m ready to get those going. Bristol is always pretty fun and then there’s typically a late-race caution and it gets pretty crazy. I’m excited for all of them and hopefully we can win all of them.”

WHICH TRACKS DO YOU LIKE BEST IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I would say it’s hard for us not to circle Kansas just with how our first Kansas went. I felt like we kind of dominated that race, so if we could do half of that again, I’d be super happy because there’s way more on the line this time. That’s obviously the goal. I love going to Kansas regardless, so I’m excited for it.”

HOW DID RUNNING THE CUP RACE AT GATEWAY CHANGE YOUR APPROACH TO TRUCKS? “That’s a good question. I feel like just that one Cup race I ran I feel like I learned so much. It’s pretty crazy just the difference from the Cup level to anything. I feel like everyone is good and everyone is so much closer. I’m happy I got to make that Cup start. I’m happy how it went, but hopefully there are more in the future. Currently, I’m obviously focused on this Truck Series title, so it’s just one thing at a time.”

CAN YOU AFFORD TO BE AGGRESSIVE AT IRP AND RICHMOND OR DO YOU JUST RACE FOR POINTS AND WINS? “I mean, it depends on how your day is going. I feel like if you’re off a little bit and haven’t captured stage points, then, yeah, I feel like I kind of have the room to be aggressive and go race for a race win, but I don’t know. It all depends how your race is going, really. If you’ve had a solid points day with maybe a stage win and good points, you need to be smart and be thinking about long term, so that’s where my head is at.”

Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: TSport 200, Race 17 of 23 (Race 1 of 3 in the Round of 10), 200 Laps – 60/60/80; 137.2 Miles
Location: Lucas Oil Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park (IRP) (0.686-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: July 29, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Chandler Chatter:

Chandler Smith and the No. 18 Safelite team head into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs on a high note after dominating the regular season finale at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Smith led 49 of 60 laps, collected a stage win and the trophy and secured the second position in the regular season standings with his performance last week. With the 10 playoff points he collected for finishing second in the regular season standings, 10 points for his two victories and two points for his stage wins, the 20-year-old driver enters the Round of 10 second on the playoff grid with 2022 points, 20 markers ahead of the cutline for advancing to the Round of 8.

The Truck Series will be visiting Indianapolis Raceway Park for the first time since 2011, but Smith has experienced remarkable success at the 0.686-mile oval in the ARCA Menards Series. He finished third in his first visit in 2018 and then collected the hardware in each of his last two trips. In 2018 he led just seven laps en route to victory but in 2020 he dominated the race by being out front for 162 of 200 laps.

Smith made the playoffs in his rookie campaign last year as the 10th seed. He advanced to the Round of 8 with a must-win victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the final race in the Round of 10. He found himself in another must-win situation in the final race in the Round of 8 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and saw his playoff run end when he finished fourth. As a consolation prize, he won the pole and swept all three stages in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

The Toyota Racing Development product finished the 2022 regular season with two wins, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He has already eclipsed the number of top-five and to-10 finishes he recorded in his rookie campaign. Through the first 16 events of the season Smith ranks first among Truck Series regulars in laps completed (2012) and quality passes (545), second in average finish (8.8) and average running position (9.165) and third in driver rating (101.0).

The Georgia driver earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September of 2021. Across 54 career Truck Series starts, the Toyota Racing Development driver had recorded four wins, one pole, 451 laps led, 21 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.1.

Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again call the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team in 2022. Stockman’s drivers have produced eight victories at KBM since he joined the organization in 2020, including four with Smith behind the wheel. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman’s drivers have collected one pole (Dillon, 2011), and two top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 7.5 across two Truck Series starts at IRP. His best result was a sixth-place finish with Dillon in 2010.

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

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:
Chandler Smith | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Preview
Do you feel like you have momentum on your side heading into the playoffs after dominating Pocono?
“Momentum is definitely on our side — we had a really fast Charge Me Toyota Tundra at Pocono. Looking forward to going to IRP – I have a lot of experience there, I’ve been there three times and won twice in the ARCA Menards Series. I’ve always wanted to go there in a Super Late Model and now it’ll be cool to be going there in the Truck Series. Really looking forward to getting my Safelite Toyota Tundra to victory lane there as well.”

You’ve had success at IRP in the ARCA Menards Series. Does that track fit your driving style?
“I suppose, because honestly Turn 3 at Pocono and Turn 1 at Phoenix – which I feel like I’m respectable at – are very similar to IRP as far as the banking and all, it’s pretty flat. So, I would’ve never have thought of myself to be a good flat track racer, but for some reason if I look back on my history, I show to be pretty decent at those. I guess flat tracks are kind of in my wheelhouse a little bit, I don’t know why that is, but I have a good history with them.”

Are you more prepared to make a championship run this year now that you have playoff experience?
“Yes. I think just because of the maturity factor that goes into it. Last year to this year I’ve matured a lot as far as just understanding how important it is to get playoff points and what that means and what that is going to do for you if you advance to the next round. Different scenarios and understanding that and realizing how important that is. Last year’s experience definitely helped a lot for the bigger picture, which is this year, so look forward to hopefully making it to Phoenix.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

• Across 54 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded four wins, 451 laps led, 21 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.1.
• Earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.
• Has posted an average finish of 29.5 across two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2022, with a best result of 22nd coming at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
• Has collected nine wins, 10 poles, 1783 laps led, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.4 across 34 career ARCA Menards Series starts.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite Tundra:
KBM-25: The No. 18 Safelite team will unload KBM-25 for Friday’s race at Indianapolis. Smith piloted this Tundra TRD Pro to a sixth-place finish earlier this year at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. This Toyota has three career wins across 2o career starts, with wins at Martinsville with Todd Gilliland (2019) and Noah Gragson (2017) and with Christopher Bell at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in 2016.

KBM-25 Performance Profile
KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have one top-five and one top-10 finish across two Truck Series starts at IRP resulting in an average finish of 12.0. Owner-driver Kyle Busch’s runner-up finish in 2010 was the organization’s best result.
• KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (96) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, 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. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 25 career victories.

 
Focused on Protecting Points Lead with Boot Barn at IRP

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 26, 2022) – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champion, Zane Smith, will start his playoff run with a 15-point lead heading into the opening round at the Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP).

This weekend’s event at IRP marks the first race since 2011 at the short track, a track that Smith is excited to tackle.

“I have had this track circled on my calendar all year,” Smith stated. “Chris (Lawson) and I would really like to win it here under the lights and start the playoffs strong.”

Smith is focused ahead to the future races in the playoffs, noting that consistency is what it takes to make it all the way to Phoenix for the championship at the end of the season.

“It is great to be able to celebrate a championship with Front Row Motorsports,” said Smith. “We can’t solely rely on those points to get us into the Championship Four. We must keep performing like we have all year; we have one of the highest average finishes in the series right now. Consistency will get us to that big trophy at the end of this season.”

Boot Barn returns for their final primary race in the 2022 Truck Series campaign. With a string of strong finishes with Boot Barn on the truck, Smith hopes to keep the streak going.

“Boot Barn has been a really fun partner to work with this year,” Smith said. “So far we’ve got them a third and a second. I want to keep that trend going and deliver them their first win in a NASCAR National Series race. I think we can do that this weekend.”

Smith and the No. 38 Boot Barn Ford F-150 will tackle the short track of IRP at 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

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

Race Recap | CRC Brakleen 150 | Pocono Raceway

Team: No. 44 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Kris Wright

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @KrisOnNASCAR

Start: 24th

Finish: 27th

Driver Point Standings: 27th

Owner Point Standings: 28th

Wright on his run at Pocono: “Our No. 44 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Silverado struggled to find the right balance early on, but we continued to work on it every chance we had. We showed solid speed at times. Unfortunately it wasn’t our day and we’ll focus our attention on Indianapolis next weekend.”

About Niece Motorsports:

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

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

About F.N.B. Corporation

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

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

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

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

Race Recap | CRC Brakleen 150 | Pocono Raceway

Team: No. 40 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Dean Thompson

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @DeanThompsonr

Start: 26th

Finish: 24th

Driver Point Standings: 23rd

Owner Point Standings: 25th

Thompson on the No. 40 team’s effort at Pocono: “We faced adversity early today at Pocono following a spin in Stage One, but I’m really proud of the fight from our No. 40 Worldwide Express team to get us back in the hunt for a top-20 finish late in the race. We made the right adjustments to get us back in picture after losing a lap and we didn’t let up. We’ll continue to progress and take the positives into next weekend.”

About Niece Motorsports:

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

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

About Worldwide Express:

Worldwide Express, LLC, is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions and managed transportation services. The family of brands, comprised of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, serve more than 115,000 customers spanning from small and mid-size businesses to larger enterprises, with unmatched carrier options and strategic guidance for their supply chains.

With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $5 billion, the company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the country. Through a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, and powered by proprietary technology, clients benefit from an award-winning, relationship-backed approach to solving their shipping needs. To learn more about the brands, visit wwexracing.com.

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

Race Recap | CRC Brakleen 150 | Pocono Raceway

Team: No. 45 AUTOChargit Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Lawless Alan

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @lawlessalan25

Start: 23rd

Finish: 22nd

Driver Point Standings: 21st

Owner Point Standings: 23rd

Alan on his run at Pocono: “Our No. 45 AUTOChargit Chevrolet Silverado showed solid speed and we were able to take advantage of the early cautions to make adjustments to find the right balance. We were trending in the right direction all afternoon as the race went on and we’ll build off of thin heading into Indianapolis.”

About Niece Motorsports:

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

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

About 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

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

Race Recap | CRC Brakleen 150 | Pocono Raceway

Team: No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Carson Hocevar

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @CarsonHocevar

Start: 3rd

Finish: 5th

Driver Point Standings: 8th

Owner Point Standings: 10th

Hocevar on closing out the regular season with a third-straight top-five finish: “It’s tough to win these races. We suffered from a little bit of damage to the right rear that hurt our straightaway speed. Our setup was something that we haven’t typically done at these kinds of race tracks to get us ready for the playoff run. We’re committed – all in or all out – and that’s how we’ve been all year. We’re right there, it seems like, with consistent top-five finishes. Our focus is to take it one race at a time and try not to lose anything, but rather take every advantage we can to gain points and set ourselves up for wins. The ability to consistently put together strong runs at different types of tracks lately is a testament to the efforts of Niece Motorsports, Worldwide Express, and Premier Security Solutions.”

About Niece Motorsports:

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

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

About Worldwide Express:

Worldwide Express, LLC, is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions and managed transportation services. The family of brands, comprised of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, serve more than 115,000 customers spanning from small and mid-size businesses to larger enterprises, with unmatched carrier options and strategic guidance for their supply chains.

With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $5 billion, the company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the country. Through a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, and powered by proprietary technology, clients benefit from an award-winning, relationship-backed approach to solving their shipping needs. To learn more about the brands, visit wwexracing.com.

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

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

START: 8TH
FINISH: 17TH
POINTS: 9TH

Quote: “First and foremost, I’ve got to say thank you to everyone that supports us – Champion Power Equipment, Maury Gallagher, Mike Beam, Ron Booth, everyone at GMS Fabrication; they built a brand new truck for here, but we weren’t able to see what it could do. Everything that happened today was on us, we’re going to take it back and learn from it, and we’re not going to get down. The good thing about this regular season is that it’s over, and we made it to the [postseason]. We’ve learned a lot this year, and are getting transitioned again. Jeff Hensley did a great job on top of the box battling through some of this stuff that was self-inflicted. I’m frustrated now, but we’re not going to get down, we’re going to work hard and be ready for IRP.”

Jack Wood, No. 24 Chevrolet Military Appreciation Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 25TH
FINISH: 35TH
POINTS: 25TH

Quote: “Just another unfortunate end to our day, man I hate it for my No. 24 Chevrolet Military Appreciation team. This season has been tough on everyone, but I know we will be able to turn it around eventually. All we can do is regroup for next weekend’s race at IRP.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

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

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

Saturday, July 23
Track: Pocono Raceway, 2.5-mile tri-oval
Race: 16 of 23
Event: CRC Brakleen 150 (60 laps, 150 miles)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Wastequip Ford F-150

Start: 19th
Stage 1: 20th
Stage 2: 12th
Finish: 33rd

Following Friday’s inclement weather, Hailie Deegan would start 19th by virtue of the rulebook. The No. 1 Wastequip Ford F-150 fell to 22nd on the initial start, fighting tightness in the corners. A stop-and-go first stage due to several cautions would see Deegan finish 20th. A miscommunication on the next pitstop would cost the 21-year-old a few more positions, falling to 27th for the start of Stage 2. A strategy call to stay out during green flag pit stops on lap 27 gave Deegan favorable track position, reaching a race-high 12th place. Unfortunately, bad luck would strike in the final stage as Deegan would suffer a blown right front tire on Lap 45, halting her momentum and rendering her to the back of the pack. The damage sustained by the flat would end her afternoon, limping home to a 33rd place finish at Pocono Raceway.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150

Start: 18th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 32nd
Finish: 10th

Tanner Gray started 18th per the rulebook after qualifying was cancelled due to rain on Friday afternoon. In the caution-filled first stage, the Ford driver made his way forward to ninth before falling back to 11th and finishing the stage there. The No. 15 stayed out at the stage break and short-pitted the second stage on lap 27 for four tires and trackbar adjustments. After ending Stage 2 in 32nd, Gray restarted the final stage in eighth and maintained inside the top-10 for the duration of the final stage. The finish was his first top-10 since Charlotte in May.

Ryan Preece, No. 17 RaceChoice.com Ford F-150

Start: 22nd
Stage 1: 12th
Stage 2: 25th
Finish: 2nd

Ryan Preece fired off 22nd for the CRC Brakleen 150 and methodically worked his way to 12th with the few green flag laps that were completed in Stage 1. With eight laps to go in Stage 2, the No. 17 RaceChoice Ford was into the top-five within striking distance of the leaders. On lap 27, Chad Johnston called the truck down pit road for service to short pit the stage break and they would take 25th in Stage 2 as a result. Preece restarted second for the final stage and took the lead on the start, but a yellow soon after brought the field back together and the veteran driver couldn’t snag the lead on the next restart. Preece battled hard to return to the lead, but passing proved too difficult and he settled for a second-place effort.

Next event: TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

SMITH CLAIMS VICTORY AT POCONO’S TRICKY TRIANGLE
Seven Tundras Poised for Truck Series Playoffs to Chase 2022 Championship

LONG POND, Pa. (July 23, 2022) – Chandler Smith claimed his second victory of the 2022 season in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Pocono Raceway. Smith held off a hard-charging Ryan Preece in the closing laps to claim the win on the triangular Pennsylvania track. The race also marked the end of the regular season for the NCWTS and a total of seven Tundra drivers are poised amongst the 10 total drivers who will compete for this year’s championship – Smith, Ben Rhodes, John Hunter Nemechek, Stewart Friesen, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski and Matt Crafton. The Tundra team of ThorSport Racing also positioned all four of their trucks within the Playoffs.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Pocono Raceway
Race 16 of 23 – 60 Laps, 150 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, CHANDLER SMITH
2nd, Ryan Preece*
3rd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
4th, COREY HEIM
5th, Carson Hocevar*
7th, TY MAJESKI
8th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
11th, CHASE PURDY
14th, STEWART FRIESEN
15th, MATT CRAFTON
16th, TYLER ANKRUM
19th, BEN RHODES
25th, KADEN HONEYCUTT
28th, TIMMY HILL
30th, TYLER HILL
34th, JOSH REAUME
36th, TODD BODINE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 18 ChargeMe Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 1st

How were you able to hold off Ryan Preece in the closing laps to get the victory?

“God is good. It’s God’s timing. We’ve been going through a bit of a struggle here recently, but just when we need to start shining, we start shining. I can’t thank everyone enough. This ChargeMe Toyota was fast today. It was really good. We were a little tight. Had some trouble getting through the gears. Sorry to the 51 (Corey Heim) team, but also thank you to the 51 team. This win is as much mine as it is yours. Just can’t thank the Good Lord enough. I’m about to have a baby boy soon and this is for you when you look back at this.”

How does this set you up for the postseason?

“Big because we didn’t have a lot of points going into the Playoffs and today we got one stage win and won the race so I think we’ll be looking pretty sharp going into IRP.”

What does this win mean to set your team up for the start of the Playoffs?

“This is awesome. I got Safelite a win earlier this year in Vegas and now I got ChargeMe a win. Now I have to get iBUYPOWER a win and I think they’re on the truck in Talladega. Really excited. We had a really fast ChargeMe Toyota Tundra today. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) did a phenomenal job. I knew we were going to be good today, I knew what we had coming here. Without practice, I did wish we would have had practice, but the Good Lord plays out in funny ways sometimes.”

What were the last few laps like having to play defense?

“It was really hard because I was losing fuel pressure down the straightaway and it would sputter and he (Ryan Preece) would get a huge run and I would have to block bottom, top, bottom, top every two seconds and every minute. I had my work cut out for me today to say the least.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 4 Yahoo Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 3rd

How tough was the battle in the closing laps with your teammate Corey Heim and what did you tell him post-race?

“Just talked about our race and what went on with his truck and my truck and things like that. Overall, a solid day for our Yahoo Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Thank you to Yahoo, thank you to Toyota, TRD, Kyle (Busch, team owner) and everybody at KBM. All my crew guys put a lot of work into it. We tried and we gave it a shot. Just didn’t have track position all day and it ended up hurting us at the end. Overall, solid third place after driving back through the field and there weren’t many who could do that so proud of the guys, proud of the truck and it’s time to peak and go win a championship.”

COREY HEIM, No. 51 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 4th

What was the conversation with John Hunter Nemechek post-race about the late-race battle for a podium position?

“I feel like we caught up to him (John Hunter Nemechek) so fast and Chandler (Smith) and Ryan (Preece) were racing their tails off. Our Tundra TRD Pro was so good today and all the guys back at the shop, at KBM, did such a great job. Just needed a little bit more there at the end. I feel like if we had track position, we were probably the best truck, but that’s part of it. We’re going to get them next time.”

TY MAJESKI, No. 66 Road Ranger Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, ThorSport Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

How was your day and how are you positioned to race in the Playoffs?

“I’m ready. We just unloaded way too much on the ground and had to come in and put packers in it. Just balance was off. Just a good day. This is what I feel like is a Playoff caliber day. When you fight like that and you start off so bad and pit and get behind on track position, especially when you’re at Pocono. To come back and recover with a solid top-10, these need to be our bad days in the Playoffs. Hopefully we can clean some of this up and be better for IRP, Richmond and Kansas.”

CHRISTIAN ECKES, No. 98 Curb Records Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, ThorSport Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

How much are you looking forward to getting the Playoffs started?

“I’m looking forward to it for sure. Everyone at ThorSport Racing is working really hard. We struggled today still and we’ve always struggled here as a company, but me and Ty (Majeski) ran okay and we got Matt (Crafton) in the Playoffs and that was the biggest thing. All four trucks into the Playoffs is huge. Can’t thank everybody enough, Curb Records, Duke and Rhonda (Thorson, team owners), Toyota Racing and now we get to go race for a championship so just really looking forward to it.”

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 14th

How will you approach the Playoffs?

“Just have to go out and try to win them, that’s all we can do. That’s what we tried to do today, but we had a pit road penalty. Just a bummer. Our Halmar Tundra TRD Pro was good, it wasn’t great. I feel like we could have ran top-five today pretty easily. After the penalty, we just got caught in the back and can’t really do much with dirty air. The race is pretty short, I feel like the ARCA race should be 60 laps and this race should be 80 with the way our day went. If we were leading, I would have been happy with 60. Proud of our guys, another fast truck. We ran in the top-five for the first two stages. Then I saw the tire roll out in front of the truck and I saw our guy dove to get it and corralled it and almost fell over the wall and his toe touched the ground. I hoped nobody saw it, but apparently not.”

MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, ThorSport Racing

Finishing Position: 15th

What needs to change with your team’s execution before the Playoffs start to ensure you have a shot at another championship?

“These guys did everything they were supposed to do, they work their tails off at TRD and at the simulator just trying to get things working on getting our setups better. We had a very good truck and we were good in the short run and we had a way better truck than where we finished. But you need to be aggressive on these restarts and I couldn’t put myself in any bad situations and you have to put yourself in bad situations on restarts to be able to get the spots so I would have to wait for everything to settle down and then pass people instead of just being a wild man on restarts. So we just had to keep the 19 (Derek Kraus) in grasp right there and hopefully not get a new winner. These guys worked really hard.”

What can you do different in the Playoff races?

“Take the gloves off and do whatever it takes. I bring all my friends in the yellow firesuits and don’t care about the rest.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Tenda Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, ThorSport Racing

Finishing Position: 19th

How do you change how things have been going for your team as you enter the Playoffs?

“Just have to be faster. We were absolutely terrible today, I don’t know why. I think we were on the splitter all day and lack of practice just compounded some of the other issues we were fighting. Overall, my Toyota Tundra team just needs to regroup and refocus and know that everything resets and there is no reason to keep having any issues here. We just need speed. Maybe we can borrow some from our teammates, they were pretty fast today. For ThorSport Racing, all four trucks in the championship hunt is pretty special. Especially great with the competition in the Truck Series the last few years. The Truck Series is alive and well and strong. I don’t know about Pocono thought, I think I would rather do the championship or the regular season championship at a short track or something, maybe Martinsville. That would be more my style.”

TODD BODINE, No. 62 Camping World Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

After being taken out of the race early due to an accident, how do you feel about your 800th and final NASCAR start?

“That’s definitely not how we wanted this to go. I’ve been so blessed to do what I love to do 800 times. Made so many good friends and have so many great people involved in my life, it’s a pretty blessed life to have. That’s racing. I’ve been here before, I’ve been wrecked before. It’s part of the game. Maybe I’ll have to make it 801. Thanks to Chris Larson and Stewart Friesen for letting me do this and having this much fun. Marcus Lemonis and Camping World – nobody thought he would step up and he did, thank you. Thank you to all the fans that have supported me all these years. It’s truly meant the world to me and I appreciate it. I’ll see you on TV and I’ll be having fun on TV.”

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