Wallace Scheduled to Compete at Circuit of the Americas and Indianapolis Road Course in the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra

Mooresville, N.C. (Mar. 22, 2022) – 23XI Racing today announced that Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD in the NASCAR Cup Series, will compete in two upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Wallace will pilot the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra this weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and will race later this summer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Both races will take place the day before the Cup Series is set to compete at the same tracks and will provide Wallace additional track time at two of the newer courses on the NASCAR schedule.

The races mark a return for Wallace, who made his NASCAR national series debut with JGR in 2012. Wallace raced in the No. 20 Toyota and made a total of six starts with JGR during the 2012 and 2014 Xfinity Series seasons, earning one pole award and four top-10 finishes. More recently, Wallace competed in one Xfinity race in 2021 to add to his 86 career starts in the series.

Dr Pepper, a Founding Partner of 23XI and Wallace on the No. 23 Toyota, will serve as the primary partner for the race at COTA in Austin this Saturday.

More information will be shared closer to the race regarding sponsorship for Indianapolis.

“I’m looking forward to partnering back up with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series after making my first career start in NASCAR with them about 10 years ago,” said Wallace. “The No. 18 Toyota GR Supra team is always strong and I’m excited to be competing with them at COTA and Indianapolis. Thanks to the team at 23XI and Toyota for helping to make this happen and thanks to Dr Pepper for coming on board for the race at COTA.”

About 23XI Racing

23XI Racing – pronounced twenty-three eleven – was founded by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin in 2020. With rising NASCAR star Bubba Wallace selected to drive the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD, the team made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2021 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Wallace made history on October 4, 2021, when he captured his first career Cup Series win, becoming just the second African American to win in the Cup Series, and earning 23XI Racing its first-ever victory. 23XI Racing expands to a two-car organization in 2022 with Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD.

What: Pit Boss 250
When: Saturday, March 26, 3:30 p.m. Central
Where: Circuit of the Americas (21 turns, 3.41 miles), Austin, Texas
Driver: Preston Pardus, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Car: No. 91 Danus Utilities/Chinchor Electric/Garage Oil Whiskey Chevrolet
Crew chief: Dan Pardus
Distance: Stages of 14, 16 and 16 laps (48 laps = 156.86 miles)
Broadcast info: TV – Fox Sports 1; Radio – Performance Racing Network/Sirius XM Ch. 90

PARDUS AMPED FOR NASCAR’S RETURN TO COTA

AUSTIN, Texas — When does five months seem like five years?

When you’re a NASCAR driver who hasn’t been behind the wheel since October.

An eager Preston Pardus returns to action Saturday (March 26) when NASCAR’s Xfinity Series invades the Circuit of the Americas for a second time. Pardus, 25, created some of the most memorable moments of his brief Xfinity career in his final three outings of 2021.

The privateer qualified a strong 10th on the road course at Indianapolis in August, posted a career-best seventh on Charlotte’s ROVAL in early October, then finished on the lead lap three weeks later in his first NASCAR oval start at Martinsville.

“It feels like forever since then,” Pardus laughed. “I hope we have the same amount of speed we had last year. At Charlotte, we showed we could put a race together, so that felt good. If we can build off of what we had last year, it’d be a great step.”

At last year’s NASCAR debut in Austin, Pardus battled his way to a 14th-place outing. It was one of eight solid lead-lap performances in 14 Xfinity starts.

The 21-turn layout will offer a different feel this time around. Ground-penetrating radar and laser mapping equipment identified areas in near of repair, and turns 14 through 16 have been repaved. Concrete pads were installed to reinforce areas in the second and 10th turns.

“It was mainly a lot of braking bumps that were the issue,” Pardus said, “so we’ll probably be able to drive into the corner a little harder now. Tire life should be a little better and not quite so much like a Darlington or some of the other more abrasive tracks.”

The Circuit of the Americas, Pardus said, catches the racers’ attention immediately as they are faced with an 11% climb after they take the green flag and charge toward Turn One. Qualifying for the Xfinity drivers is slated for 4:30 p.m. Central on Friday.

COTA, which opened in 2012, currently hosts the only Formula One race in the United States. This weekend, it will see all three of NASCAR’s national divisions in action. The Camping World Truck Series shares the bill Saturday with the Xfinity cars, and NASCAR’s Cup Series provides Sunday’s main event.

Dan Pardus will serve as his son’s crew chief in Austin. Dan Pardus is a former NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and ARCA racer.

“Preston’s getting very confident in the car and the crew’s ability, so it’s making him that much faster,” Dan Pardus said. “We learned a little bit last year at Austin set-up wise, and he learned some things talking to Alex Labbe,” an Xfinity Series veteran.

On Sunday (March 20), Dan Pardus was recognized by the Florida Short Track Racing Legends Reunion for his “commitment and support to stock car racing” in the Sunshine State. He also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for his efforts from Rep. Bill Posey, Florida’s 8th District U.S. Congressman.

The Circuit of the Americas race will also mark the debut of Garage Oil – American Badass Whiskey as a sponsor on the No. 91 Chevrolet. A newcomer to the shelves as well as NASCAR, Garage Oil is based in Austin.

“We see ourselves down the road being a big-time NASCAR player,” said Ron Stone, founder and co-owner of Garage Oil. “I think Preston has a big ol’ career in front of him, and … this could turn out to be a really great long-term relationship with them. I think Preston is a tremendous driver, and I like him and Dan personally.”

Garage Oil – American Badass Whiskey (https://garageoilspirits.com) is available in nearly three dozen Texas locations, and will soon be on the shelves in Arizona, California, Colorado and Florida. Home delivery is available in central Texas.

Monster Energy Driver Erases Two-Lap Deficit to Earn Second Top-Five of 2022

Date: Saturday, March 19
Event: Nalley Cars 250 (Round 5 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format: 163 laps, broken into three stages (40 laps/40 laps/83 laps)
Start/Finish: 24th / 4th (Running, completed 172 of 172 laps)
Point Standing: 9th (128 points, 95 out of first)
Note: Race extended nine laps past its scheduled 163-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Josh Berry of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)

Overview:

Riley Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy team showed their speed and strength after going from two laps down to finish fourth in the Nalley Cars 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tire pressure issues forced the team to pit before the green flag. Despite being forced to start at the rear, Herbst worked his way up 13th by the conclusion of first stage and into the top-10 just a few laps into the second stage. Rising water temperatures in the second stage forced the team to give up their top-10 spot to pit under green and check the engine. Herbst returned to the field two laps down in 38th. Crew chief Richard Boswell’s strategy was key in getting Herbst back on the lead lap with less than 50 laps to go. After successfully avoiding a wreck with 10 laps to go, Herbst was running sixth. As the race went into double overtime, Herbst earned his second top-five of the 2022 season.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It’s more disgust to be honest with you. I mean, this is a top-five race team week in and week out. We got lucky and got another top-five finish, which we needed. We didn’t get any stage points, so that hurt us, but we worked hard so we’re proud of that, but we’ve got to clean some things up if we want to go win races.”

Notes:

● Ty Gibbs won the Nalley Cars 250 to score his sixth career Xfinity Series victory, his first at Atlanta and his second of the season. His margin over second-place Austin Hill was .178 of a second.

● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 56 laps.

● Twenty-nine of the 38 drivers in the Nalley Cars 250 finished on the lead lap.

● Noah Gragson remains the championship leader after Atlanta with a 19-point advantage over second-place Ty Gibbs.

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Pit Boss 250 on Saturday, March 26 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The race starts at 4:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Sheldon Creed Battles Back for Ninth-Place Finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Finish: 9th
Start: 13th
Points: 12th

“We had a fast No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro today. During practice this morning, we spent a lot of time just trying to figure out the track and how to run in the pack. We were really confident heading into the race and then it just felt like we were playing catch-up. We had a really good stop after Stage 2, the pit crew was on it. My teammate, Austin Hill, had a great stop too, so we were able to start up front together. After that restart and running up front for a little while, all the cautions came out. We had that incident that forced us to come down pit road for some repairs to the right rear quarter panel and we had to restart pretty far back. This team really rallied back and to get a ninth-place finish is huge after a very up and down day. Proud of this team and everyone at RCR and ECR. We’ll learn from this and get ready for road course racing at COTA in a week.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet Fight Hard in Final Laps for Second-Place Finish at Atlanta

Finish: 2nd
Start: 14th
Points: 8th

“We can’t hang our heads. We brought a really fast Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro today. Everyone at RCR put a very fast car under me and gave me everything we needed to win the race. The biggest difference was when we had the restart where the 39 [Ryan Sieg] edged me out and then the caution came out. If we had been able to have kept the lead there and controlled the restart, I think we had a fast enough car to get the job done. On that last restart coming off Turn 4, I was sloshing it back and forth seeing if I had fuel in the pickup and it started cutting in and out. I immediately came over the radio and said I was out, and I almost came down pit road, but I decided to go for it. We knew we were really close on fuel, but were fortunate to finish the race. Finishing second stings a little more since Atlanta is my home track, but again, we can’t hang our heads.” -Austin Hill

GIBBS DRIVES TO VICTORY IN ATLANTA
Ty Gibbs scores his second win of the season after leading just the last lap

ATLANTA (March 19, 2022) – Ty Gibbs drove to his second victory of the season with a stellar final lap pass in double overtime to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was Gibbs’ first win in Atlanta in his first start at the track. He was joined inside the top-10 by his teammate Brandon Jones (seventh), while Jeffrey Earnhardt (13th) delivered the fifth top-15 finish for Sam Hunt Racing in as many races to start the season.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Race 5 of 33 – 251.02 miles, 163 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TY GIBBS
2nd, Austin Hill*
3rd, AJ Allmendinger*
4th, Riley Herbst*
5th, Landon Cassill*
7th, BRANDON JONES
13th, JEFFREY EARNHARDT
17th, SHANE LEE
28th, TREVOR BAYNE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Sport Clips Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

Can you talk about that bold move in the end?

“That was awesome. First of all, I want to give the glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I want to thank Him for letting me experience these moments. Second off, my team. I wouldn’t be here without them. Thank you to AJ (Allmendinger) for pushing me. That was awesome. What the heck. This is so cool. Never give up.”

What about that last lap move?

“I don’t know. I just feel like naturally I do in those moments. If there is a gap, you’ve got to take it like Aryton Senna said. I did it. There almost wasn’t a gap, but there was and send it.”

Can you put into words what this victory means?

“It was so cool to win this one. It was so unexpected. The speedways where were we struggled in the past so to win it in this Sport Clips Toyota GR Supra shows we improved. We came back from 29th and messing up on pit road. The win is awesome. Still things that I have to fix and work on, but let’s go.”

#

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Atlanta Motor Speedway | Nalley Cars 250
Saturday, March 19, 2022

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
4th – Riley Herbst
10th – Ryan Sieg
11th – JJ Yeley
23rd – Joe Graf Jr.
24th – Kyle Sieg

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang — YOU FINISHED 4TH BUT YOU DON’T LOOK TOO HAPPY. “Yeah, it’s more disgust to be honest with you. I mean, this is a top five race team week in and week out and we didn’t execute at all on my end – on either end of the race team today – but we got lucky and got another top five finish, which we needed. We didn’t get any stage points, so that hurt us, but, like I said, we worked hard so we’re proud of that on the 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang, but we’ve got to clean some things up if we want to go win some races.”

WHAT ABOUT THE CONTACT WITH MYATT SNIDER AT THE END? “I don’t know. He was dragging sparks. I got through the gears better than him. We’ve got Roush Yates power, I don’t know what to tell you. I pulled to the inside. I was clearly there and he wanted to come down and that was it.”

WHAT ABOUT THE FINAL RESTART AND YOUR THOUGHTS FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? “I wish we would have been third on that red flag so we had the opportunity to go outside, but we were fourth so I had to push the 21. I knew we were gonna be at a disadvantage on the bottom and all we could do was push and we came home fourth.”

RYAN SIEG, No. 39 CMRoofing.com/A-Game Ford Mustang – DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DID EVERYTHING YOU COULD THERE AND THEY JUST GOT TOO GOOD OF A PUSH ON THAT LAST LAP? “Yeah, you get too far out there and then you try to block all their runs, but I went to the outside to block his run and he crossed over. There was nothing I could do. You’re pretty much a sitting duck when you’re out front leading like that. You’re just hoping you can block good enough.”

IRONIC IT WAS YOU AND TY? “Yeah, no doubt, but he did help us there and got us to the lead, so it is what it is and we’ll go onto COTA. All in all, it’s great for our team. We’re a small team. We made gains on it, but we’re still lacking a little bit. It’s so tough. Everybody is on it all the time, but to gain on it each week we’re moving in the right direction and we’ll get there. We come back here later in the year and we’ll make it better and hopefully find ourselves in victory lane.”

DID YOU FEEL GOOD AT THE RED FLAG OR FELT YOU WERE A SITTING DUCK? “Yeah, that crossed my mind, but I was thinking positive. I want to think positive and try to do all I can do, but you’re definitely a sitting duck. I don’t want to go too far out, but when you lock bumpers pushing each other there’s not a whole lot I can do. It’s not in my control. He just pushed us out there into the lead, real far out there, and then crossed us over at the end.”

SS Greenlight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway | Nalley Cars 250

Fast Facts
No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Gtechniq
Manufacturer: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Joe Williams
Spotter: TJ Bell
2022 Driver Points Position: 28th | 2022 Owner Points Position: 20th
Engine: Roush Yates Engines (RYE)

Notes of Interest:

Glad To Have You: This weekend at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, Gtechniq, a leader in automotive protective coatings products will serve as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 07 Ford Mustang.

Headquartered in Cumming, Ga., the Gtechniq range includes composite ceramic coatings, leather protection, fabric protection, wheel and trim protection, shampoos and much more.

The Nalley Cars 250 will mark the company’s first foray into NASCAR.

Sponsor Intel: In 2004, scientists at Gtechniq created a superior line of products aimed at perfecting all vehicle surfaces. And over the last 20 years, these products have been continually improved to provide a range that outshines and outlasts the competition.

Gtechniq’s line of surface preparation and finishing products are designed to clean, polish, and protect all automotive exteriors, in a way no traditional wax applications can match.

Settling In: Atlanta marks the fifth race that the SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (SSGLRwJL) team embraces their manufacturer switch from Chevrolet to Ford while incorporating its technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing.

SHR will supply the organization with race cars while Roush Yates Engines will provide the legendary Ford horsepower.

In addition to providing race cars to SSGLRwJL, SHR will also provide technical support for the entire 33-race season.

Additionally, Graf will have NASCAR Cup Series and Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe as teammates for select events throughout the 2022 season.

Don’t Forget The New Partner Too: SS GreenLight Racing has added Jeff Lefcourt as a new co-owner of the Mooresville, N.C.-based team, as well as director of business development for the organization.

Lefcourt, a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. joins SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (SSGLRwJL) with a long history of racing endeavors including owning Bethel (N.Y.) Motor Speedway in upstate New York, a current-NASCAR sanctioned race track.

The noted philanthropist, entrepreneur and real estate developer has deep ties to grassroots racing and was instrumental in helping secure the Stewart-Haas Racing alliance with SSGLRwJL in 2022.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Atlanta Motor Speedway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in Saturday afternoon’s Nalley Cars 250.

In his three previous Atlanta races, he finished 26th, 29th and 25th respectively. The former ARCA Menards Series winner’s previous experience at the Hampton, Ga. race track likely won’t be a factor this weekend as the track has undergone a repave and a configuration change that is presenting a series of unknowns for the drivers and teams.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Speedway Nuggets: At tracks greater than 1.0-mile in size, Graf has competed in 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with an average starting position of 26.5 and an average result of 25.5.

Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway | United Rentals 200 Race Recap: In the most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, Graf contended for a track-best finish aboard his No. 07 Bucked Up Gym N’ Juice Energy Drink Ford Mustang, but a late-race hiccup hampered the team’s effort and resulted in a disappointing 27th place finish.

School Back In Session: While juggling a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule with SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt, college life has resumed for Joe Graf Jr.

With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Graf Jr. has resorted to online classes at the University of New York, where he is pursuing a degree in business, media and sports management.

Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of the Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 90 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.

The current estimated value of his collection tops $100,000.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Joe Williams is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.

He will crew chief his 70th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday and his fourth at the 1.5-mile speedway.

In his previous 69 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), five top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt. Veteran David Starr will drive the No. 08 TicketSmarter Ford Mustang on Saturday for his second start of the 2022 season.

Starr is set to make his 236th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and 10th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His best Xfinity track finish occurred in the 2015 Hisense 250, where he finished 26th after starting 30th for TriStar Motorsports.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).

For more on SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Instagram (@ssgreenlightracing) and Twitter (@SSGLR0708).

Joe Graf Jr. Pre-Race Quotes:

On Atlanta Motor Speedway: “I really feel like I am in the same boat as the other drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, I don’t know what to expect. Everyone keeps saying the race will probably race like a Daytona or Talladega, but we won’t actually know until we put 38 cars on the track on Saturday afternoon.

“I am confident though that no matter what type of racing the track produces we’ll have the speed in our No. 07 Gtechniq Ford Mustang to contend for a strong finish.”

On Gtechniq Partnership: “I’m proud to welcome a Georgia-based company to the SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt family at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“As the spring and summer months approach, everyone certainly wants their cars to look its best in the sun and Gtechniq not only offers a product that makes it happen, but they outshine and outlast their competition.

“With the new surface, Atlanta is going to be a wild card race, but I’m confident that with the speed that we have showcased this season with the support of Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines we will be in contention for a strong finish.”

On Opening Races of 2022: “I know the results may not show a whole lot, but we have some good speed with our SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt race cars. We are still learning in our new relationship with Ford Performance, Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Yates Engines.

“It wasn’t going to come magically overnight that we were going from mid-pack to contending for wins, but we are making progress. If we can continue to inch our way forward in the weeks and months ahead, I am hoping by summer we can showcase what this team is capable of on a consistent weekly basis.”

Race Information:

The Nalley Cars 250 (163 laps | 251.02 miles) is the fifth of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2022 schedule. Practice begins on race day, Sat., Mar. 19 at 11:40 a.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 5:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

About SS Green Light Racing with Jeff Lefcourt:

As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt led by team owner and former driver Bobby Dotter and new partner Jeff Lefcourt has been a mainstay entry in the sport fielding entries in either the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or Xfinity Series competition since 2001.

SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt will continue with a two-car program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022.

RILEY HERBST
Atlanta NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

• Event: Nalley Cars 250 (Round 5 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, March 19
• Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Layout: 1.54-mile oval
• Time/TV/Radio: 5 p.m. EDT on FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

• After three weeks out West, the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Southeast for the Nalley Cars 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the series’ return to NASCAR’s hotbed, Riley Herbst expects to turn some hot laps around the recently reconfigured 1.54-mile oval. Since the driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing last raced at Atlanta in July, the banking has been increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees and the track has been narrowed from 55-feet wide to 40-feet wide, and it’s all covered in fresh asphalt. The goal of the reconstruction was to re-create the kind of pack-style racing seen at the behemoth, 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the even bigger 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Herbst has embraced these changes for two reasons – he finished an impressive fourth in the season-opening race at Daytona and he was one of the few drivers to test at the new Atlanta in early January, giving him a leg up on his Xfinity Series counterparts.

• Herbst came out of the gates strong to begin his third full season in the Xfinity Series. After finishing fourth at Daytona, he stayed up front, finishing ninth Feb. 26 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and 14th March 5 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the series’ fourth race of the year last Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, Herbst endured his first bit of adversity. After climbing from his 21st-place starting spot in the race’s first 20 laps, Herbst spun in turns three and four of the 1-mile oval, backing hard into the outside retaining wall. Herbst was able to walk away from the accident, and while the resulting 38th-place finish stung, Herbst’s body of work to start the season kept him among the top-10 in the championship standings.

• The Nalley Cars 250 will mark Herbst’s 81st career Xfinity Series start and his fourth at Atlanta. The 23-year-old racer from Las Vegas has 10 top-fives and 36 top-10s dating back to his first career start on June 17, 2018 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, where he finished an impressive sixth as a 19-year-old. Herbst’s best finish at Atlanta is sixth, earned last March.

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

After last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Phoenix, you headed to the Gila River Arena in Glendale to watch your fellow Monster Energy athletes in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour. What did you see there and, from your vantage point, how does wrestling a bull compare with wrestling a 3,300-pound Xfinity Series car?

“Both can be unpredictable. These riders never know how the bulls are going to react and the same goes with our Monster Energy Ford Mustang. You can prepare in every single way but, ultimately, you’re at the mercy of the your ride. The similarities between the two sports is ironic. There are two beasts – one alive and one mechanical – that you’re trying to control. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”

How long have you been a Monster Energy athlete and, like the PBR event last weekend at Phoenix, what are some of the other cool things you’ve been able to do with your fellow Monster Energy athletes?

“It’s been a few years, now, that I’ve been a Monster Energy athlete, but their history with my family and off-road racing is a long one. Monster Energy has such a directory of incredible athletes and we’re always looking for ways to interact with them. Last year, I collaborated with a pro skateboarder and another Monster Energy athlete, Nyjah Huston, for a giveaway. Opportunities like that make you thankful for that network.”

Last week’s race at Phoenix didn’t end how you would’ve liked, but you’re still off to a strong start to the season and you’re 10th in points. What do you have to do this weekend at Atlanta to help you in the race for the playoffs?

“We have to get stage points and a strong finish. Last weekend hurt us in the points, but we have an opportunity to leave it all behind and continue to perform at the level that we know we can. We really don’t know what to expect at Atlanta, but all we can do is prepare and take advantage of Friday’s practice session. This Monster Energy team is strong and I know that we can get to victory lane soon.”

You and the No. 98 team are one of a few Xfinity Series teams that had the opportunity to test at Atlanta since its reconfiguration and repave. What are your expectations for this weekend?

“I’m excited for Atlanta. Expectations are high since we’re one of the few teams that got to test there in the offseason. The track is definitely different from what it used to be, but it’s a new challenge and we’re ready for it. I feel like that test helped give the No. 98 Monster Energy team an idea of what to expect this weekend.”

No. 98 Monster Energy Team Roster

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Riley Herbst
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell
Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: Matt Noyce
Hometown: Oregon, Wisconsin

Engineer: Justin Bolton
Hometown: Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Engineer: DJ VanderLey
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Fueler: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Jackman: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Road Crew Members:

Truck Driver: Steve Wood
Hometown: Eatontown, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Willie Pelotte
Hometown: Oakland, Maine