Category: XFINITY Series PR

DARLINGTON, S.C.: Ahead of Darlington (S.C.) Raceway’s annual “throwback weekend,” Joe Graf Jr. and his SS GreenLight Racing announced today that they will throwback to 13-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Elliott Sadler for Saturday afternoon’s Sport Clips Help A Hero 200.

Graf Jr.’s No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro will relic Sadler’s No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet for JR Motorsports from the 2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

Bucked Up is the everyman (or woman) energy drink. We don’t care about the color of your collar; whether blue or white, we all require energy to power our days. We want something that tastes like success, enhances mood and focus, and most of all, delivers long-lasting energy.

Without the CRASH.

“Our No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet looks stout for this weekend’s throwback weekend at Darlington,” said Graf Jr.

“I’ve always had respect for Elliott Sadler as a race car driver and to be able to flashback to his time at JR Motorsports is really cool for me.

“Hopefully, we can have another successful race at Darlington with a better finish than May.”

A span of 22 years, Sadler made 397 Xfinity Series starts from 1995 to 2019 producing 13 wins, 106 top-five and 227 top-10 finishes. The Emporia, Va. native made 15 Xfinity starts at the “Lady in Black” winning the 2016 race for JR Motorsports.

Graf Jr. will make his second Xfinity Series start at the historic 1.33-mile egg-shaped oval.

Darlington marked NASCAR’s return from the coronavirus pandemic. In his “Too Tough To Tame” debut at Darlington, Graf Jr. started 36th based on points — but captured a lead-lap 19th place finish without the benefit of any practice or qualifying.

The Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 (147 laps | 200.1 miles) is the 23rd of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 37-car field will take the green flag shortly after 12:00 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 5, 2020 with live coverage on NBC, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).

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

HERBST, BURTON SCORE TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN DAYTONA
Riley Herbst scores career-best Xfinity Series superspeedway finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (August 28, 2020) – Riley Herbst (fourth) and Harrison Burton (fifth) drove to top-five finishes to lead Toyota in the WaWa 250 at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 22 of 33 – 250 miles, 100 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Haley*
2nd, Grey Gaulding*
3rd, Chase Briscoe*
4th, RILEY HERBST
5th, HARRISON BURTON
11th, VINNIE MILLER
13th, BRANDON JONES
16th, MATT MILLS
22nd, TIMMY HILL
25th, CHAD FINCHUM
28th, JOEY GASE
35th, JOHN JACKSON
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How were you able to come back from the penalty to a fourth-place finish?

“I just think it speaks to the resilience of everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. We definitely had an up and down day. Got bailed out there with the competition caution and we worked our way back up to the front. Just didn’t have the speed that we needed in our Supras to compete with the Kaulig cars, but we’ll go back to work on the Monster Energy Supra for Talladega.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

How did the race unfold for you?

“We weren’t as good as we wanted to be honestly. We really struggled with some balance issues. I couldn’t wrap the line on the bottom. I would get really, really, really tight and that hurt me quite a bit I think on momentum and being able to be aggressive on the bottom especially. We worked together the best we ever have as a team, I just think we didn’t have the best cars we’ve ever had as a team here at Daytona. It was a great learning experience. I think our whole team got better from it and hopefully it will pay dividends in the Playoffs for us.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

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.

SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway | Wawa 250

Fast Facts
No. 08 SS GreenLight Racing Team:

Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)

Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up WOKE AF | Core Development | EAT SLEEP RACE

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro

Crew Chief: Patrick Donahue

SStarting Position for Wawa 250: 21st (Event Formula)

Driver Points Position: 21st

Owner Points Position: 26th

Chassis Intel: Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 702; competed last at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on June 20, 2020 (Start: 23rd | Finish: 34th).

Chassis No. 702 also ran at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2020 with a 36th-place finish after qualifying fifth.

Chassis No. 702 is known for its performance at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2019 with a second-place outing after an eighth-place starting position.

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)

Notes of Interest:

Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy and its sister products will continue its role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro. Dover International Speedway is the 14th race in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the former ARCA Menards Series winner.

Bucked Up is the everyman (or woman) energy drink. We don’t care about the color of your collar; whether blue or white, we all require energy to power our days. We want something that tastes like success, enhances mood and focus, and most of all delivers long-lasting energy.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Daytona International Speedway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his third career start at the “World Center of Racing” in Friday night’s race.

Last July, Graf Jr. made his Xfinity Series debut at Daytona driving for Richard Childress Racing, qualifying a then career-best sixth. He was collected in a late-race crash and finished 23rd.

Graf Jr. made his SS GreenLight Racing debut at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in February qualifying a career-best fifth but was swept into a mid-race accident, finishing 36th.

He holds a career-best 5.5 average starting position at Daytona.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Superspeedway Nuggets: In three NASCAR Xfinity Series Superspeedway races, has completed 224 of the 333 laps available. He holds an average starting position of 11.3 and an average result of 31st with a best finish of 23rd at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July 2019.

Joe Graf Jr. ARCA Menards Series Career Superspeedway Nuggets: In three career ARCA superspeedway track races, Graf Jr. has two top-10 finishes. He has been running at the finish of all three races. He holds an average starting position of 15.3 and an average result of 11th with three (3) laps led.

In 2018, Graf Jr. was involved in the closest finish in ARCA Menards Series history at Talladega Superspeedway in a photo finish.

The margin was so narrow in the 69-year history of the series, it was a statistical dead heat, the margin of victory on the computerized scoring monitors showing 0.000 seconds. Only a video replay and the photo finish camera were able to determine Graf finished second by a matter of millimeters.

New Paint: For Friday night’s Wawa 250 fueled by Coca-Cola, Graf Jr.’s No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro will sport a new paint scheme support Bucked Up Energy’s supplements.

The WOKE AF high-stim pre-work supplement will take the role as the primary marketing partner for the penultimate superspeedway race of the season.

The traditional supplements Bucked Up and the world’s first and only true nootropic pre-work workout supplement BAMF will hold associate placements on Graf Jr.’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro.

Each supplement provides different elements, as well as different objectives offering each consumer a real reason to get Bucked Up!

Bucked Up Energy as their WOKE AF, Bucked Up and BAMF supplements are available at BuckedUp.com, as well as your local Vitamin Shoppe and GNC locations.

Triple Duty Recap: Joe Graf Jr. heads to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on the heels of a respectable debut weekend at the Monster Mile.

Competing in just his third ARCA Menards Series East race, Graf Jr. suffered an engine failure early in the race, but bounced back with a strong 19th place finish in Saturday’s Drydene 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

After starting 23rd, Graf Jr. overcame early race radio issues to post a respectable 21st after being passed by SS GreenLight Racing teammate David Starr in the closing laps.

Welcome Aboard: Last week, Graf Jr. announced a new partnership with the band AVOID.

Exploding out of Seattle, Wash., hotly-tipped hard rock five-piece AVOID have been rapidly making a name for themselves to their electrifying live shows and an unabashed experimental approach to music.

The result is an alchemistic audio dose of heavy hedonism; the stamp of a young act unafraid to equally embrace both their innovation and individuality.

Forming in 2017, AVOID’s debut full length ‘Alone’ was released in 2018, garnering more than 1.5 million streams to date and strong Spotify playlisting support. The record debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Pacific Chart.

Coming Soon: Joe Graf Jr. will unveil a new Bucked Up Energy paint scheme early next week for the Sept. 5 SportClips Help A Hero 200 “Throwback” Xfinity Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

The 22-year-old will make his second debut at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame.”

The Second Half: Despite the coronavirus pandemic which shuttered NASCAR Xfinity Series races for more than two months, the series recently reached the halfway point of their season at Kansas Speedway in late July.

Now, 21 races down, 12 races to go, Graf Jr. is ranked 21st in the Xfinity Series championship standings and looks to improve his average finish of 23rd over the final nine weeks of the season.

Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 80 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.

Did You Know? While NASCAR Xfinity Series competition was idle during the coronavirus pandemic for two months, Joe Graf Jr. got busy.

Whether it was working out, spending time on iRacing in the Pro Series Invitational or Saturday Night Thunder, Graf recently gave an insider view on how his quarantine went and offered even a little insight on himself as a person.

Click here to watch the video.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Patrick Donahue is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief. He will crew chief his 175th NASCAR Xfinity Series races on Saturday and Sunday. In his previous 174 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.

He has seven prior Xfinity races as crew chief at Daytona with a best finish of eighth in July 2019 with Gray Gaulding.

This Is 2020: Entering Daytona, Graf Jr. has 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four top-15 and nine top-20 finishes. After 21 races in 2020, he stands 21st in the championship standings with 12 races remaining.

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing. Veteran Gray Gaulding returns to the seat of the No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Chevrolet on Friday night.

The 22-year-old Gaulding will make just his second start of 2020 with SS GreenLight Racing and eyes his third straight top-10 finish on a superspeedway dating back to Daytona last July.

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

For more on SS GreenLight Racing, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Twitter (@SSGLR0708) and visit their website at SSGreenLight.com.

Joe Graf Jr. Pre-Race Quotes:

On Dover International Speedway Doubleheader: “It was a solid weekend at Dover. There isn’t anything quite like the Monster Mile that I’ve ever competed in racing. We made gains in both races and were able to come away with a lot of notes and some momentum going into Daytona this weekend.”

On Daytona International Speedway: “I’m really excited about going to Daytona this weekend. The entire SS GreenLight Racing team really puts a lot of work into their superspeedway program and we showcased a lot of speed at Daytona and Talladega earlier this year before we got collected in someone else’s misfortune.

“A top-10 finish would be huge for us on Friday night. A top-five would feel like a win. Daytona is a place for opportunity, I just hope luck is on our side.”

On The Components of Superspeedway Racing: “Obviously a good car and engine is crucial to success at Daytona. Bobby (Dotter, car owner) puts a lot of emphasis on these races and we’ve got a good Richard Childress Racing motor under the hood this weekend.

“You also have to be able to trust your spotter. “Pockets” (spotter Brian Crammer) does a good job on letting me know what I need to know. He works with other spotters well; it’s just about putting you in the right place at the right time when it counts.

“It doesn’t hurt either to have a good teammate. Gray is pretty experienced when it comes to these superspeedways, so I hope I’m able to work with him and we have the chance to put both SS GreenLight Racing cars in the top-10 when its all said and done.”

Race Information:

The Wawa 250 powered by Coca-Cola (100 laps | 250 miles) is the 22nd of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 37-car field will take the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 29, 2020, with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM.

About SS Green Light Racing:

As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing has been a developmental hub for drivers looking to climb the ranks. Led by owner and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team has fielded entries in either the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series or the Xfinity Series competition since 2001.

Coming off a successful 2019 Xfinity campaign, SS GreenLight Racing looks to build further momentum with their two-car program in 2020.

AJ Allmendinger Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 2nd (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 38th (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 2nd (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Race Notes
Friday, August 28 at 7:30PM ET on NBCSN
Stages: 30/60/100 Laps

AJ Allmendinger Quote
“This is where it all began. The relationship and the love between Kaulig Racing and myself. This was my first race last year – the Daytona summer race with Ross Chastain and Justin Haley. We were able to push [Ross] to the win. It was the first ever win for Kaulig Racing. We got a win for Justin Haley this year at Talladega. We’ve got three fast Kaulig Chevys. We are going to be on a mission to go to the front and dominate this race again. I’m ready! We’re going to the front and staying there. Trophy hunting on Friday night!”

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

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Daytona International Speedway
RACE: Wawa 250 (100 laps / 250 miles)
DATE: Friday, Aug. 28, 2020

Broadcast Information – TV: 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 7 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Michael Annett
No. 1 TMC Transportation Chevrolet
• Michael Annett returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend in search of a second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory to go along with the one he scored in 2019.
• Annett is on a streak of nine top-10 finishes in his last 10 races this season and is averaging a finish of 8.2 over those 10 starts.
• In addition to winning at Daytona in 2019, Annett also earned his first NXS pole at Talladega later that season.
• TMC Transportation returns to the No. 1 Chevrolet this weekend at Daytona. In two previous races this season
with the black and gold colors on his car, Annett has finished fifth (Kentucky) and eighth (Kansas).

Daniel Hemric
No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet
• Daniel Hemric will make his fifth NXS start at Daytona on Friday evening.
• In four previous starts in the NXS at the hallowed superspeedway, Hemric has earned a best finish of eighth in this event in 2018.
• In 14 combined starts on the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega in the NASCAR Cup Series, NXS and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Hemric has scored a best finish of fifth in the April 2019 Cup Series event.
• Through 14 NXS starts in 2020, Hemric has earned a best finish of second at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson returns to the site of his first career NXS victory this weekend in Daytona. Gragson enters the race as the defending winner at the famed track, having won the 2020 season-opening event.
• Overall, Gragson has three starts in the NXS at Daytona, earning one win, one top five and one top 10.
• At tracks that are two miles or larger, Gragson has an average finish of 10.2, including one win, four top fives, six top 10s and has led 66 laps.
• After 21 races in the 2020 season, Gragson leads the way for JRM with two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s and is currently third in the championship standings.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Suave Men Chevrolet
• Last weekend, Justin Allgaier claimed his first victory of the season at Dover, locking himself into the NXS Playoffs.
• In 19 NXS starts at Daytona, the 34-year-old driver has four top fives and eight top 10s, with a best finish of second (July 2016, February 2019).
• Allgaier led 23 laps and earned a stage win in this year’s season-opening event at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, but his day was cut short after he was caught up in a multi-car incident on lap 109.
• In 21 starts this season, the Illinois native has led for 557 laps and earned eight stage wins. He currently sits fifth in the series standings.

Driver Quotes

“It’s always nice to go back to Daytona, and since we are on a bit of a hot streak lately I feel even better about it. This No. 1 team has been solid all season long, and I am looking for another great performance this weekend. We’ve had speed all year, and our restrictor-plate program here at JRM is really good. We were fast in February and we’ll be fast again this weekend.” – Michael Annett

“It feels good to finally get a win after the tough season we’ve had. I think that will give us some more momentum as we get closer to the playoffs. Daytona is one of those places where you never know how your day is going to end. It hasn’t been too kind to our No. 7 team our past couple of trips there, but we know we have a strong superspeedway program and we’re going to do all we can to get a great finish with our Suave Men Camaro.” – Justin Allgaier

“Anything can happen in superspeedway racing. You can go from the back to the front and right back at any given moment. It’s definitely a unique style of racing and I’m really looking forward to getting to Daytona on Friday and drafting with my JRM teammates. JRM has always seemed to unload with a ton of speed at both Daytona and Talladega and Jeb (Burton) had some great runs at both tracks earlier this season. If we just play it smart and avoid trouble, I feel really confident that we can fight for the win in the closing laps with our Poppy Bank Chevy.” – Daniel Hemric

“The last time we ran the oval at Daytona was one of the best days of my racing career. We had just announced a new partnership with Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber Camo and Black Rifle Coffee earlier that week and to celebrate in Victory Lane with them in Daytona was amazing. I can’t wait to get back there and hopefully put this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro back in victory lane just like we did in February. JR Motorsports has always been great on superspeedways and I know that’s not going to change this weekend.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates

• JRM at Daytona: In 80 NXS starts at Daytona International Speedway, JR Motorsports has scored seven wins, 24 top fives and 36 top 10s. The organization enters this weekend as the most recent race winner on the famed superspeedway with Noah Gragson scoring the victory in the 2020 season-opening event. Gragson’s victory keeps JRM’s streak alive of visiting Victory Lane at Daytona at least one time in every season since 2016.
• JRM on Superspeedways: In 121 NXS starts at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, JRM has earned a combined nine wins, 36 top fives and 59 top 10s. Elliott Sadler scored the organization’s most recent victory at Talladega in 2016 while Noah Gragson visited Victory Lane at Daytona earlier this season. Overall, JRM has won seven times at Daytona, more than any other track on the NXS circuit.
• United for America: As part of the Unilever’s family of brands, Suave stands #UnitedforAmerica: a commitment to help frontline relief organizations deliver essential supplies to those in need. See what they’re doing at . And remember, if you find yourself out of hand soap, grab the Suave Men 3-in-1 body wash. It’s just as effective for cleaning hands.

Justin Haley Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 3rd (2020)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 2nd (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 2nd (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Race Notes
Friday, August 28 at 7:30PM ET on NBCSN
Stages: 30/60/100 Laps

Justin Haley Quote
“We just got done with the Dover doubleheader. We had two solid runs up there, and now we’re headed down to Daytona, Florida for a Friday night race at Daytona International Speedway. We’re going to be doing some superspeedway racing up on the high banks in the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet. I love these night races – the LeafFilter paint scheme shines so great under the lights. We had a lot of success there last year. We pushed Ross Chastain to the win with a one-two finish, and then we went one-two at Talladega, just reversed, where I won at the last superspeedway race this year. Kaulig Racing drivers swept these races at Daytona last year in the Cup race and the Xfinity race.

I can’t wait to get down there in our fast LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet. All three of us, Ross Chastain, AJ Allmendinger, and myself, the trio, are going to be back at it under the lights. I can’t wait. We still miss all the fans at the race track, but I hope you all are tuning in to each and every one of the NASCAR Xfinity races and watching the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet run up front.”

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

About LeafFilter Gutter Protection™
Since 2005, LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ has revolutionized the gutter protection industry. The company is proud to have grown from one small office in Hudson, Ohio to the largest direct to customer home products company in the nation and the leading choice in gutter protection systems. Once installed on a homeowner’s existing gutters, LeafFilter Gutter Protection eliminates gutter cleaning for life. With more than 70 million feet of gutter guards installed on homes across the United States and Canada, LeafFilter Gutter Protection has the knowledge and expertise to guarantee that nothing, but water, will get into your gutters. Learn more about LeafFilter Gutter Protection and request a free estimate at www.leaffilter.com.

Ross Chastain Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 4th (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 2nd (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Race Notes
Friday, August 28 at 7:30PM ET on NBCSN
Stages: 30/60/100 Laps

Ross Chastain Quote
“Summertime Daytona race. This was the site of our first victory [at Daytona], both for myself and in the team’s history last year. We went to victory lane in this Xfinity race last year. I’m looking forward to it again. Kaulig Racing always brings super fast superspeedway cars. It’s incredible. It’s unlike anything that many of the drivers, including myself, have ever driven. We’re able to be really aggressive, and we’re also able to work together, as you saw at Talladega, which is a similar package. It took all three of the Kaulig Racing cars to work together to push Justin Haley to the win. We want to do the same thing. We want to control the race. I think we are starting second last I checked. It’s just a dream to drive racecars that can close that bubble. You hear drivers talk a lot about the bubble – it’s just the aerodynamics. Once you get close to the car in front of you, it wants to push that car away. As racecar drivers, we keep things really simple, so you can think of the analogy of popping a bubble and getting right to their bumper. Our cars can do that, so hopefully our Nutrien Ag Solutions No. 10 car can go to victory lane again.”

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

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

Anthony Alfredo and the ADS/Footing First Team Rally for Top-15 Finish at Dover International Speedway

Finish: 13th
Start: 5th
Points: 10th

“I had a lot of fun today in the second race of our double-header weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover International Speedway. We didn’t quite finish as well as yesterday; however, I think we deserved an even better finish. Our No. 21 ADS/Footing First Chevrolet was really fast today. Our day started off kind of hectic when we didn’t have any power steering to start the race. So, instead of starting fifth, we had to drop to the rear to start the race after making an adjustment. That definitely put us in a hole early on. Thankfully, we were able to make our way up inside the top 15 fairly quickly in the first two stages. We had a really long green flag run during the last stage. We struggled on the fire off, but our Chevrolet really came to us on that long run and had great speed on older tires. My crew chief Andy Street made the call to stay out on older tires as long as we could during that long green flag run. We were really hoping to catch a late caution because that would have put us in really good position late. Unfortunately, we never got that caution, so we stopped for fuel only. I was sliding all over the place just trying to maintain what we had on those older tires. We were able to bring our No. 21 ADS/Footing First Chevrolet home in the 13th position for another top-15 finish. Overall, it was another solid day for our team. I appreciate everyone at Richard Childress Racing for all their hard work. I can’t wait to go to Daytona International Speedway for my first time next week.” -Anthony Alfredo

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Dover International Speedway: Race 2
Race: Drydene 200
Date: August 23, 2020
___________________________________________________
No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 14th
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 4th
Finish: 3rd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 1
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+62)

Notes:

Austin Cindric and the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang team finished third in the Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway en route to his eighth-consecutive finish third or better. The driver of the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang continues to lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings, 62 markers ahead of second place, Chase Briscoe.

Cindric started the 200-lap event from the 14th position after the top-15 finishers from Saturday’s race at Dover were inverted. The 21-year-old wasted no time making his way inside the top 10 and was scored eighth when the competition caution fell on lap 20. Cindric communicated to crew chief Brian Wilson that his PPG Ford was tight during that early run. As Stage 1 progressed, Cindric was able to pick up one position and was scored seventh at the conclusion of the first 45-lap stage. Wilson made the call to pit during the caution for four tires, fuel, and adjustments.

Cindric started the second 45-lap stage from the fifth second position and was scored fourth by the fourth caution on lap 65. Cindric would remain in the fourth position at the end of Stage 2 on lap 90. Once again, Wilson called the driver of the PPG Ford down pit road during the stage caution for four tires, fuel, and more adjustments.

A fast stop by the PPG pit crew allowed the Mooresville, N.C. native to start the final stage in the second spot. He slipped to the third position where he would run until making his green flag stop on lap 166. Cindric cycled back to third with 13 laps to go in the 200-lap race where he would remain at the end of the event.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action Friday, August 28 at Daytona International Speedway, with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Quote: “We have been able to use these doubleheaders to try to learn from day to day and I think we did that. Probably a little bit backwards but I think we reeled in the PPG Ford Mustang at the end but just didn’t have enough time. We got cut off there trying to get into the pit box. It wasn’t meant to be. To come out with a top-three is a solid day. I felt like I drove my butt off, and the team made improvements from the day before with execution and that is all I can ask for some days.”

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020
DRYDENE 200 – DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st – Chase Briscoe
3rd – Austin Cindric

Chase Briscore collected his sixth win of the season Sunday, piloting his No. 98 Ford Mustang to the checkered flag at Dover. Ford teammate Austin Cindric finished 3rd.

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Highpoint.com Ford Mustang — YOU WENT FROM LAST TO FIRST, DESCRIBE THAT DRIVE AS YOU RACED YOUR WAY THROUGH THE FIELD: “As soon as we took the green I knew that I was going to be really good. The car was way better than what it was yesterday and was really what I was looking for. We were able to finish sixth in the first stage from the back and I knew if we could get clean air I was going to be in really good shape. The long run, I felt like I was not the greatest but I think having clean air helped. I lost the race last year because I didn’t come to pit road hard enough and I still obviously gave up a lot of time to Ross (Chastain). I have to get a lot better at that. That is my biggest weakness right now. I didn’t want a caution because I had such a good lead but I also was wanting a caution so I didn’t have to do a green flag pit stop. I am super happy to get HighPoint.com back in victory lane. It feels like it has been forever but it has only been a month and a half. Hopefully we can carry the momentum into the playoffs.”

DESCRIBE THE RACING WITH ROSS (CHASTAIN): “He came off pit road and I felt like I was going 30 or 40 miles per hour quicker than him. He kind of guarded the top so I went low and then he just turned left and blocked me. I could have just wrecked him getting into three but I know he is trying to get their first win of the year and that is hard racing. He kind of blocked me so I kind of just packed air on him. If he is going to keep doing that to me I will just do it back. I race people like they race me and felt like he could have gave me the bottom getting in and still would have had a better situation packing air on the side of me. It was a crazy race there at the end and it was raining and everything else. I am glad we pulled it off.”

IT HAS BEEN SIX RACES WITHOUT A WIN. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO GET BACK IN VICTORY LANE TO GET THE PENDULUM POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? “I think it is huge. I don’t think it is any secret that we have been frustrated amongst ourselves just not having the speed we had at the beginning of the year. The 22 has been really good and we are glad that Ford is winning but we want to be the leading candidate but they have really pulled away in the points standings. It is nice to get back in victory lane. This is when all the talks are going on for next year and after a day yesterday when you spin out and it isn’t a good day to back it up today with the win is a big deal.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang — Finished 3rd

“We have been able to use these doubleheaders to try to learn from day to day and I think we did that. Probably a little bit backwards but I think we reeled in the PPG Ford Mustang at the end but just didn’t have enough time. We got cut off there trying to get into the pit box. It wasn’t meant to be. To come out with a top-3 is a solid day. I felt like I drove my butt off and the team made improvements from the day before with execution and that is all I can ask for some days.”

TWO RACES IN TWO DAYS, HOW MUCH OF A TOLL HAS IT TAKEN ON YOU? “This track is probably one of the harder ones to do it at for sure. I definitely feel like I earned a sleep in tomorrow morning. But it is fun. I love this place. I would come back and race it tomorrow if I had the opportunity.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU HEADING INTO DAYTONA AND THE PLAYOFFS? “For us, Daytona is a bit of a wildcard race being a superspeedway. I really would love to be able to contend for a win at that type of racetrack because I feel like that is somewhere I have really grown in confidence. It is going to take some work during the week with my spotter. Today was decent. We definitely cleaned up some things on pit road today. I am proud of that. I am proud of those guys for recognizing issues and getting them better. That is half the battle. We tried some things today to try to learn for later in the year and we fell backwards a bit. We came on strong there at the end and I feel like we gained a there on the green flag cycle. I had my car set up well for the end of the race. It was kind of too little too late. Track position was still really important and it would be hard to pass the 10 without him getting stuck in traffic. We ran those guys down from about a straightaway back. It was just too little too late. We probably could have been a little better to get more stage points today.”

STRANGE FOR YOU TO NOT BE AT THE INDY 500 TODAY? “Yeah, I just walked into the media center and I am seeing the different strategies and trying to make sense of it all. Hopefully it works out for our boys.”

DO YOU EXPECT TO BE BACK IN THE XFINITY SERIES NEXT YEAR? “I can’t say I have gotten a whole lot further with my plans in the last week or so. My on track stuff has to stay strong. That is important. Like I said before, I love the group of guys I am working with and I would love to continue that. Deals in racing are hard to follow and I am motivated to figure out what the next steps are and how to either stay with the guys I am racing with or in the Ford camp or get an opportunity where I can build my career in NASCAR. That is where my head is at but overall no major announcements or changes or anything worth talking about yet.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE READY FOR THE CUP SERIES? “I think it would greatly benefit my driver development to go to the next level. I am not saying I would be able to contend for wins if I had the best car but I think on some days I could be that strong and other days I want to learn from the best. The top-25 guys that race in that series are the best. It is hard to break into that caliber of a driver and I want to learn from that and be pushed to be perfect every lap and I think I can take the next step in my career by being around the best.”

IT SEEMED LIKE THIS WAS LARGELY A RACE THAT WAS DETERMINED BY TRACK POSITION AND CLEAN AIR, EVEN WITH THE LOWER DOWNFORCE PACAKGE THE XFINITY CAR RUNS. WHY WAS THAT? “Your guess is as good as mine. I think this is the most track position dependent race I have had at Dover. You sometimes see that at Iowa where you get a really hot track and everybody just lines up on the same line. Everything was really a grip premium instead of a balance premium. Even when you could get somebody free it was so hard to complete the pass because you take the air off the sid of that car and it is at a premium. Your guess is as good as mine. It may have to do with the temperature. It is definitely the hottest it has been since I have run an Xfinity car here. I still feel like I am making a difference inside the race car. There are still options, there are just no good options. It is a challenge for sure. It was a challenge today. I got held up pretty early in the race and just wasn’t able to make headway. I am trying to make passes and it is easy to be taken advantage of and that happened to me a couple of times in the race. It was a real grind to try to get back up to the top-three. It was just good execution and taking advantage of the right opportunities and passes at the right time. I think if I would have been able to get the lead I probably could have held it. I think I had a better car yesterday and probably could have passed for the lead if given enough laps but today I am not sure that was possible for us and our car. I think we learned a lot and hopefully we can apply it.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED WITH HOW POSITION DEPENDENT THE RACE WAS? “Yesterday I was surprised, today I had plenty of expectation on what today was going to hold. I didn’t have much dirty air yesterday so I knew I was going to battle a few more things with my car. I think we made big enough changes to where I felt significant differences in different parts of the corner. I think that is a positive that we were able to decipher that but yeah, I knew it was going to be a lot more challenging. You can’t just dive down in and slide somebody. The track is extremely narrow, that is another thing. It is hard to run side by side when you are the car on the bottom trying to create momentum by driving into the corner deep. I don’t think the track was any wider than yesterday. If anything it felt like the top was less usable than yesterday but also my car wasn’t as suited to it as it may have been yesterday.”

CHASE BRISCOE POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

YOU SEEMED VERY DETERMINED TO WIN TODAY AFTER WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY. IS THAT FROM FRUSTRATION OF WHAT YOU DID OR FEELING LIKE YOU HAVE TO GIVE BACK TO YOUR GUYS AFTER MESSING UP LIKE THAT? WHAT IS THE MOTIVATING FACTOR AFTER YESTERDAY? “Obviously every race I am going as hard as I possibly can, week in and week out. I feel like I was pretty dejected after yesterday. I told my wife and even told our shock guy before the race. I was like, ‘Man, I am winning this thing.’ I knew after yesterday, our car had a front clip that was bent down over an inch, no pan and we still ran 10th. I knew we had a really good race car. Our backup was even better than our primary. I don’t know. I felt like I just really screwed up yesterday. I just had a lot of weight on my shoulders and feel like I let a lot of people down. I was just trying to redeem myself. Right now is silly season and any time you do something stupid like spinning out by yourself you want to try to show your worth. It is pretty cool to win from the back in a backup car here. I just felt like our Mustang was really good today. It just makes my job a lot easier when our cars are that good and today was honestly the best car we have had all year long and it was our backup. Hopefully we can learn something from the car and take it down the road somewhere and be just as good.”

ROSS (CHASTAIN) SAID HE WAS UPSET ABOUT THE CONTACT BUT THAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING? DID THAT MOVE GO OFF THE WAY YOU PLANNED IT OR WAS THERE SOME SORT OF THING WE DIDN’T SEE? “No, I don’t know if they showed it on TV but when he was merging off of pit road I was going quite a bit faster and he kind of left a lane on the outside so I was trying to take it and he blocked it so I went left and he ran me all the way dang near to the apron. I personally wouldn’t have done that. I would have given him the inside and try to back air on him and run around the outside knowing that I had stickers. Me and Ross I feel like we always race really hard but normally keep it clean. I knew that Ross would have done the exact same thing in my situation, especially if I would have done what I did off pit road. I did pack air on him. I didn’t hit him. I think once I packed air on him and he slowed up so much I was so close that I hit him eventually. I didn’t wreck him. I just moved him out of the way. I think he knew I wasn’t very happy after getting ran down to the apron but he is trying to win his first race of the year and his job is to not let cars pass him and to pass race cars. That is the same as my job. That is what I get paid to do, to pass race cars and try to keep cars from passing me and try to win races. I feel like Ross would have done the same thing and I did what I did and I don’t feel bad about it just because I felt like if he wouldn’t have done what he did then I probably wouldn’t have done it. But after he did that I felt like it was open door and roles reversed he would have done the same thing.”

DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A RACE WINNING CAR YESTERDAY AS WELL BEFORE THE SPIN? “It is hard to say because we didn’t get to adjust on it. The first stage we were really loose and the second stage we were able to go from seventh to fourth on the restart and were kind of just the same speed. I think all the top-four cars were the same speed and whoever got out front would be really good. I was still on the loose side. I think we could have made it a race winning car, but I don’t think we had as dominant of a car as we did today. Some of that is unloading. We were able to take our notes from yesterday and apply it today. I think our car today was better. Truthfully, I was a little concerned with this car going into it. Yesterday was the car that we ran at both Dover’s last year and Bristol and the worse that car ran was like third or fourth. The car we ran today was our Bristol car form this year where we ran second, but it was one of our worst races speed wise. I was a little worried, I am not going to lie about that. I felt like it was the most dominant, best car we have had all year long. We were still a little tight but still better than most. It is cool to win from the back, in a backup car.”

DOES THIS WIN GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS THAT IF YOU RUN INTO TROUBLE THAT YOU CAN BATTLE BACK FROM IT? “Yeah, I think all year long we have done that. Homestead we were seven laps down, came back, got all the laps back and finished seventh and then won the race the next day. Pocono, we spun out with 18 laps to go and came back to win. Then to do what we did today, we just never give up as a team. Truthfully, as a race car driver the fenders can be tore off the thing and I will still try to get every position I can and run 110% every lap. That is one of the strengths of our team. We don’t give up. After Homestead, I don’t think anything is out of question. I think that is a strength for us in the playoffs. We have made it a lot harder on ourselves than we wanted to but I think it will be a great experience come playoff time. A lot of these teams haven’t dealt with adversity like we have. We continue to rally and fight and try to salvage a top-10 or comeback the next day and win. I do think that experiencing this in the regular season will help us in the playoffs and maybe that will be one of our strengths come playoff time if we need it.”

ANY REASON YOUR CAR DID BETTER IN TRAFFIC THAT SOME OTHERS? “I think our car was really good today but for whatever reason I felt like I was one of the few cars that could go to the top and make speed where a lot of guys were so committed to the bottom that it made it really hard to pass guys. We were able to go up to the fence and that is how I got by Justin (Allgaier) but going to the top in lap traffic. I could maneuver around a little more and I think that is the biggest thing. You can pass here. It isn’t the easiest place to pass but if your car is good it makes it a lot easier. Even last year at this race we started dead last and led the most laps and got beat on a green flag pit stop. Our car is really good here in traffic in general and can move around and it just makes it a lot easier on my end when you aren’t so committed to one lane.”

DO YOU NORMALLY CALL UP YOUR WIFE OR MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY AND KIND OF GUARANTEE VICTORY? “Well, I did at Darlington this year after the miscarriage. I told Melissa I was going to go win for her and that one worked out. Maybe I need to do it every week because it has obviously worked out when we do it. I don’t know what the reason is or why I have a feeling. Marissa is the same way. She will call me and be like, ‘You are going to win today, I have a feeling.’ Nine times out of ten it seems like we win. Hopefully I start feeling that a little more and can call it. After seeing the race car yesterday and how tore up it was, to be able to finish 10th, that honestly raised my confidence a lot going into today. I felt like if our car was that tore up and we could still have quicker lap times than some of the leaders, I knew with a good race car we were going to be really good. I just had that feeling that if we got the car driving good we would be able to move around and make gains on it and that is what we were able to do.”

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU WEREN’T ABLE TO WATCH THE INDY 500? “I have never not been able to watch it. I was going to joke around with the team guys under that long green flag run and ask who was leading but figured that probably wouldn’t look the greatest so I just held off and then as soon as I got in the media center me and Cindric were over there watching while we were waiting to come over here. I am excited to watch the Indy 500. Growing up in Indiana, it is a big deal to anybody in motorsports but there you watch it religiously. It has been weird to not watch the opening ceremonies and things that I would normally do. I am looking forward to watching it. This is one of the few races where we are flying back with the Cup guys and have to wait on them anyway so I will get to watch it to the end. Hopefully it is a good race.”

WHAT KIND OF CHANGED THIS WEEK FOR YOU GUYS TO GET BACK IN VICTORY LANE? “I think this is huge for our team. We have been kind of scratching our heads and obviously we are really glad the other Ford has been winning in the series but we want to be that lead guy and we want to be the team that is the bar. We really haven’t been that these last couple of weeks and it has been frustrating for me and our guys. We want to get better. To do it like we did today, going to to a backup, those guys had to work their tails off yesterday to get that car ready and change engines and all the things that go into that. To be able to have the performance we did today, I think that is huge for their confidence and huge for team morale. I feel like it is really going to turn our team around and that is what we truthfully needed. We have been really down on ourselves. To be able to do that just shows that there is no give up in this team and it is just awesome to be a part of.”