Category: XFINITY Series PR

SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway | Unhinged 300

Fast Facts
No. 08 SS GreenLight Racing Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up Energy | Core Development | EAT SLEEP RACE
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro
Crew Chief: Patrick Donahue
Starting Position for Unhinged 300: 23rd based on random qualifying draw
Driver Points Position: 20th
Owner Points Position: 23rd
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 702; competed last at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on February 15, 2020 (Start: Fifth | Finish: 36th)
Chassis No. 702 also ran at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2019 with a second-place finish after an eighth-place starting position.
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)

Welcome Aboard: Bucked Up Energy will make its debut this weekend as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro. Talladega is the second race in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the 21-year-old driver.

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.

Talladega Xfinity Repeat?: In April 2020 during the coronavirus quarantine, Graf earned a podium Talladega finish in iRacing’ s “Saturday Night Thunder” – the Xfinity Series version of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

After starting mid-pack, Graf dodged many accidents to finish third without utilizing any “fast repairs.”

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Talladega Superspeedway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Saturday afternoon’s Unhinged 300 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Superspeedway Nuggets: In two NASCAR Xfinity Series Superspeedway races, has completed 129 of the 220 laps available. He holds an average starting position of 5.5 and an average result of 29.5 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.

From The Pit Box: Industry veteran Patrick Donahue is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief. He will crew chief his 163rd NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday afternoon. In his previous 162 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.

He has three Xfinity races as crew chief at Talladega with a best finish of second in 2019
with Gray Gaulding.

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 Homestead-Miami Speedway: “I was really proud of the efforts of everyone on the SS GreenLight Racing team at Homestead. I had never been there before, but Patrick (Donahue) worked hard adjusting on our No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro to give me a fast race car both days and that showed with our finishing positions.”

On New Partner Bucked Up Energy: “It’s extremely rewarding to bring a new partner into NASCAR and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to represent Bucked Up Energy. They are a growing brand with a lot of ambition and goals.

“They see NASCAR as a great branding opportunity, and I believe the exposure they received at Homestead was proof of that. Hopefully, we can build on that at Talladega this weekend.”

On Talladega Superspeedway: “I love Talladega. I have had some really good runs there in the ARCA Menards Series and now I look forward to making my NASCAR Xfinity Series debut there.

“We had a strong superspeedway car at Daytona and got taken out. Hopefully, we’re able to build off the speed from Daytona on Saturday and have another good finish.”

Race Information:

The Unhinged 300 (113 laps | 300.58 miles) is the 11th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 39-car field will take the green flag shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Sat., Jun. 20, 2020 with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Central).

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS)
Thursday, June 18, 2020
EVENT: Unhinged 300 Talladega Media Availability

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang, is coming off his third win of the season after taking a double overtime triumph last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Briscoe held a Q&A session today and discussed his season’s success to date and what his expectations are for Saturday’s scheduled race at Talladega.

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NOT HAVING PRACTICE FOR TALLADEGA? “I think as a driver it’s probably the easiest place to go and not have practice as far as just turning laps, but I think it is nice to have some practice, especially there just to know what your car can and can’t do. It seems every time you go superspeedway racing your car always has strengths and things it doesn’t like to do, so just having that practice allows you to kind of get a feel for what your car’s strengths are and where you can use those in the race. So not having practice will make that a little bit more difficult, just not knowing at the start of the race, but this makes that beginning of the race more critical, I think, just so late in the race you kind of have in the back of your mind what your car is really good at and what it’s not good at, and also how aggressive you can be in making moves. It seems like that place if your car might be too tight to make certain moves or too loose to make certain moves, so just knowing what your car can do in practice is always nice, but I think all the teams are pretty good as far as hitting their heights and everything like that, it’s just from the driver’s side I think getting in the pack at Talladega and Daytona in practice is always nice, just so you have a general idea of what your car is good and what it’s not good at.”

WITH ONLY ONE OTHER FORD IN THE FIELD WHEN DO YOU START LOBBYING PEOPLE TO WORK WITH YOU? “Obviously, with the COVID thing we’re not even really allowed to go out and lobby at the track. Normally, I would do that at driver intros or whatever, so that will definitely change a little bit, but I feel like the XFINITY Series is not near as manufacturer driven as the Cup Series is as far as who works together and who doesn’t. I feel like me and Cindric try to help each other out the best we can, but there are certain situations in the race where sometimes it hurts you to go help another guy. I think you see kind of the teams working together more than the manufacturers, but I think you always have in the back of your mind a certain group of guys you can work with. Austin is obviously a great example and then, for me, a guy I’ve always in the XFINITY Series enjoyed working with on the superspeedways is Josh Williams. It’s somebody I feel like I can trust. He’s always got a good car, so, yeah, you kind of lobby a little bit, but you almost just let your car do the talking there because if your car is fast, everybody is gonna want to work with you.”

YOU HAVE GREG ZIPADELLI ON THE BOX THIS WEEKEND. WILL HE BE THERE FOR THE NEXT THREE RACES AND HOW HAS YOUR COMMUNICATION BEEN EARLY ON? “Obviously, Zippy is doing it this week. We don’t know about the next two races just because he’s got so much on his plate over on the Cup side it makes it hard for him to do both, so, right now, the plan is to have him do it at Talladega. I think that’s kind of all of our goal is to have Zippy do it for the following two races, but it’s just depending on what he’s got going on on the Cup side. That’s obviously priority number one for him, but it was neat. It was different in the sense of how Zippy communicates and some of the lingo that he uses in his demeanor compared to Boswell, but both of them are really good crew chiefs. Obviously, Zippy has won plenty of races and championships in the past, so we know he’s more than capable of the job. It’s been good. I think at the same time it’s the perfect opportunity for an interim crew chief to step in just because of the situation. We’re not practicing or anything, so Boswell is still setting the car up and everything at home. He’s just not allowed to go to the race track, so all Zippy has to do is really call the race and get the car through tech. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise for us if this was gonna happen just because of the situation we’re in. The only place that it will even affect us is Indy, where we’ll have practice, but we’re confident Zippy is more than capable of doing the job and that’s the great thing about Stewart-Haas. We have so much depth all across the company. If something happens, we always have a perfect backup plan.”

ARE YOU MISSING INDIANA MIDGET WEEK? “Yeah, I’m definitely missing it. I never really raced in Midget Week. I always ran Sprint Week, but I’ve been watching the past two nights. I’m looking forward to watching the next couple of nights, and I wish I could be there but the competition has been really good. It’s been fun to watch all the racing and hopefully I can get back in one here soon. It’s been really good racing. It’s fun to see Kyle be as dominant as he is and see if anybody can beat him.”

ARE YOU GOING TO GET A HALL PASS ANYTIME SOON? “I don’t know. That’s for the people who make way bigger decisions than me. Hopefully. I would like to go run something, but we’ve been so busy on the NASCAR side it’s been nice just because we don’t have any off weekends. I think if we had off-weekends it would be a little bit different, but with how busy we are right now I really don’t feel like I’ve missed very much just because we’ve been racing so often.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN AT INDIANAPOLIS? “To win at the Brickyard would mean everything to me. We’ve been practicing on the sim at the Brickyard since February. We’ve been trying to prepare for that race just because of how much it means to me personally and it’s a new race for everybody, so we’re trying to get as many notes as we can. To win at the Brickyard would mean the world to me. I wish there were obviously fans there. It would make it that much sweeter if we were able to win in front of the hometown crowd, but whether it’s on the road course or the oval or the dirt track, whatever, if you win at Indy that’s the pinnacle of racing. It’s the most prestigious track in the world in my opinion, so to get a win there in anything would be huge. If Zippy ends up being the crew chief at Indy, it would be pretty dang cool to win with Zippy at Indianapolis after watching him and Tony do it for those two times that he did it. I remember as a race fan and as a little kid watching them guys win Indy and how cool it was, so to be able to win for Tony at the Brickyard would be icing on the cake.”

WAS IT HARD TO ADJUST TO KNOWING ZIPPY IS YOUR CREW CHIEF NOW AS OPPOSED TO WHEN YOU WERE A FAN? “Not really. Once you get in the car you kind of zone it all out. Tony could be on the box and once I’m in the car and we’re racing I’m not thinking about that stuff. Once you get inside of the race car, I don’t know, you just don’t think about those things, whether Zippy is on the box, Tony or whoever. I’m not thinking about that, but before the race even before Zippy was my crew chief if Zippy or Tony come around I’m still that kid that looked up to them growing up, so, yeah, it’s cool but once you put the helmet on you kind of forget about all that. You’ve got a job at hand and that’s what you’re focused on and you’re not worried about who is watching.”

WHERE HAVE SUPERSPEEDWAYS BEEN IN TERMS OF TRANSITIONING FROM YOUR DIRT BACKGROUND? “Growing up dirt racing is the complete opposite of anything superspeedway racing. I don’t think anything really relates to that other than if you went go-kart racing on a big track or something, so it was definitely a challenge at first and still it. It’s a place anytime I go to Daytona or Talladega I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t nervous just because of what can happen. You know there are gonna be big wrecks and you just hope and pray that you’re not in one of them, but I used to despise even going there. I went there with the mentality I was just gonna ride around and hopefully the wreck would happen and I wouldn’t be in it and maybe run top 10. Honestly, I wasn’t going there to win. I was just there making laps essentially, and then last year I talked to Dale Jr. for probably 45 minutes on the phone and it really changed my entire outlook on those races and after I talked to him I think I ran second, fourth and I can’t remember the other one, and I’ve led a lot of laps and been up front and in contention and just talking to him and how he approaches those races and his mentality and just how you race them was a total 180 opposite of how I was normally going there, and I felt like ever since I talked to Dale it’s been night and day difference on my outlook going to the races. I’m still nervous when I go there, but, typically whenever I get done and it’s over I’m like, ‘Man, that was a lot of fun. I’m ready to keep going,’ where in the past I would have never said that. So just talking to Dale it’s incredible how good he was at those races. A lot of people say for the most part that those races are luck, which there is a certain variable of that, but typically you see the same guys winning at these superspeedways, whether it’s Denny or Joey or Brad or any of those guys, and even Dale back when he was racing, so it’s not a coincidence that they get lucky necessarily that many times. There is something to it and talking to Dale, I feel like, really opened my eyes up a lot.”

WHAT WAS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE HE GAVE YOU? “I don’t want to give it away because then guys will start using it against me. I think the biggest thing was just be the aggressor. In the past, I would go there and, like I said, I would ride around in a sense and just try to stay midpack or the back of the pack and let guys eliminate themselves, where now I go there with the mentality I’m gonna try to lead every single lap. If I get hung out to dry or whatever and I fall back to 30th, that’s fine I’m gonna try to drive right back to the lead anytime I get any kind of a run whatsoever, so just having that kind of in the back of my mind I just feel like you almost approach it like you’re going go-kart racing. If you wreck, you wreck, but you’re going there to try to lead every single lap you can and it’s just a different style of racing. On the mile-and-a-half stuff that’s the mentality I use and there’s no reason why on superspeedways I wouldn’t use that same mentality trying to lead every lap.”

HOW WOULD IT FEEL TO WIN THE DASH 4 CASH THIS WEEKEND? “Hopefully we don’t throw it away like Atlanta, but the Dash 4 Cash I feel like this weekend is totally different than any other weekend. We always know we don’t have to win the race to do it, but this coming weekend we could literally run 25th and still win the Dash 4 Cash. I think there’s an added level of excitement for that reason and the intensity is gonna be even higher in the race, but my wife – if you’ve been following her on Twitter – she’s been talking a lot about a pool and she was pretty mad when I sped on pit road at Atlanta and gave it away. We’ve been talking a lot about building a pool and if I could end up winning $100-grand that’s definitely where it would go.”

Allmendinger to Make first Xfinity Start at Talladega
AJ Allmendinger Notes
Saturday, June 20 will mark Allmendinger’s first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) at Talladega Superspeedway
Best start at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS): 2nd (2012)
Best finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the NCS: 5th (2014)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 1st (2017)
Best finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 7th (2019)

Race Notes
Saturday, June 20 at 5:30pm ET
Stages: 25/50/113 Laps

AJ Allmendinger Quote
“We’re going to do this again! Talladega, Ellsworth Advisors on the racecar. We’ve had fast Chevys from Kaulig Racing. More important, this check for $100,000. We won the Dash 4 Cash at Homestead. We’ve got two more opportunities with myself and Ross Chastain. We’re going to go to Talladega with three, fast Kaulig Racing Chevys up front and try to do that one-two-three thing 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.

Haley Ready for Second Superspeedway Race of 2020 Season
Justin Haley Notes
Best start at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 5th (2019)
Best finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 7th (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 1st (2017)
Best finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 7th (2019)

Race Notes
Saturday, June 20 at 5:30pm ET
Stages: 25/50/113 Laps

Justin Haley Quote
“We just got done with a double header weekend at Homestead-Miami. We had a solid run, but we are headed to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, a place I’ve won at in the ARCA Series before. We are taking our NASCAR Xfinity Series car there. This is going to be the second superspeedway race of the year. We had a pretty good run at Daytona, but we’ve rebuilt our car, and made her faster for Talladega. It’s another Dash 4 Cash race. I’m not in it, but my two teammates are that we are going to help try to get 100 grand this weekend. Hopefully we can finally get this LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet in victory lane down in Alabama and have a good run.”

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 Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 3rd (2019)
Best finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 16th (2016)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 1st (2017)
Best finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 7th (2019)

Race Notes
Saturday, June 20 at 5:30pm ET
Stages: 25/50/113 Laps

Ross Chastain Quote
“Talladega! Back to our bread and butter here at Kaulig Racing. We built this empire on superspeedways and road courses last year, and now we are expanding that to ovals. We’ve got AJ Allmendinger on an oval. If that doesn’t tell you how good these cars are, I don’t know what else does. We had a really strong car there (at Talladega) last year. It had a gear cooler failure, so we ran out of rear-end grease and burnt up the rear gear. We are going back, and depending on the draw, we will see how aggressive we are at the beginning. I tend to not be very aggressive at these places. We want to run for the Dash 4 Cash, so we want to be there at the end of the race. We are running for points, which is a lot different scenario than I had last year. I can’t wait to get out there in our No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy familiar paint scheme – just with a little, red banner on top.”

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.

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
RACE: Unhinged 300 (113 laps / 300.58 miles)
DATE: Saturday, June 20, 2020

Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will return to the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway seeking more this weekend. Last season, the Iowa driver earned his first pole in NXS competition there and was running second when he was caught up in an accident in the late going.
• Annett’s best finish at Talladega is seventh in 2017, his first race there with JR Motorsports. He’s led 16 laps as well.
• On the two superspeedways the NXS competes on, Annett has earned both his first career victory (Daytona 2019) and first career pole (Talladega 2019) in addition to a pair of top fives and four top-10 finishes.

Jeb Burton
No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet
• Jeb Burton makes his return behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet for JRM for the second time in 2020 on Saturday at Talladega.
• Burton led 26 laps and won a stage in his first start of 2020 at Daytona before getting collected in a multi-car incident in the closing laps.
• In seven starts for JRM in 2019, Burton scored two top fives and six top 10s with a best finish of fourth coming at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• This will be the second primary race of 2020 for LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Hellmann’s Drizzle Sauce Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has two starts in the NXS at Talladega with a best finish of fourth coming in 2018.
• After 10 races in the 2020 season, Gragson leads the way for JRM with two wins, seven top fives, eight top 10s and is currently atop the championship standings.
• The Hellmann’s Drizzle Sauce colors are on board the No. 9 Camaro for the first time in 2020.
• In his NXS career on superspeedways, Gragson has an average finish of 8.4, including one win at Daytona in the 2020 season-opening event.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT / TradeMark Nitrogen Chevrolet
• In nine NXS starts at Talladega, Justin Allgaier has three top fives and six top 10s, with a best finish of second in 2016.
• Over the course of the last three events at Talladega, the 34-year-old driver has led an impressive total of 72 laps.
• In the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, another restrictor-plate track, Allgaier led 23 laps and won the second stage, but was caught up in a late-race wreck that ended his day early.
• This weekend Tampa, Florida-based company TradeMark Nitrogen joins BRANDT on board the No. 7 Camaro.

Driver Quotes

“At Homestead, we had chances to win or at least place in the top five in both races, and that’s a good place to be in coming to one of my favorite tracks. We were fast the last few times we’ve been at Talladega, and won the pole there last year. When we got crashed, we were battling for the lead. I know that Travis (Mack, crew chief) and the guys have another hot rod ready to go for me this weekend and I can’t wait to get on track and see what the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet can do.” – Michael Annett

“I am definitely glad to have Homestead in the rear-view mirror and I’m looking forward to getting to Talladega. Our restrictor-plate program is always really strong and we’ve been so close to winning one in the past at this track. If we can avoid the getting caught up in a wreck and be smart at the end, our BRANDT/TradeMark Nitrogen team has got a great shot at bringing home the checkered flag. That’s exactly what we need to help get our season turned around.” – Justin Allgaier

“I’m so happy to get the chance to get back behind the wheel of this LS Tractor Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. We had a ton of speed with this car in Daytona earlier this year and I feel really confident that we can show up with that same speed at Talladega on Saturday. Hopefully we can stay out front all day long and be in contention for the win come race end. I can’t wait to get there and see what we can do.” – Jeb Burton

“After losing both races last weekend in Homestead due to late-race yellows, our No. 9 team is ready to get back to Victory Lane. We have shown speed everywhere we’ve raced this year and we won the only other superspeedway race of 2020, so we will head into this race with a ton of confidence and hopefully put this Hellmann’s Drizzle Sauce car in the winner’s circle. ” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates

• JRM at Talladega: In 37 NXS starts at Talladega Superspeedway, JR Motorsports has scored two wins, 11 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Regan Smith earned the organization’s first victory at the 2.66-mile superspeedway in 2013 with Elliott Sadler following suit in 2016.
• JRM on Superspeedways: In 117 NXS starts at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, JRM has earned a combined nine wins, 35 top fives and 57 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.

JONES SCORES RUNNER-UP FINISH AT HOMESTEAD
Jones qualifies for the Dash 4 Cash bonus at Talladega

HOMESTEAD, Florida (June 14, 2020) – Brandon Jones scored a runner-up finish to lead Toyota at the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday afternoon. It was Jones’ fourth top five finish of the season. With his runner-up finish, Jones qualifies to run for the $100,000 bonus with the Dash 4 Cash program in Talladega.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race 10 of 33 – 250.5 miles, 167 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chase Briscoe*
2nd, BRANDON JONES
3rd, Ross Chastain*
4th, AJ Allmendinger*
5th, Noah Gragson*
8th, HARRISON BURTON
9th, RILEY HERBST
14th, COLIN GARRETT
21st, CHAD FINCHUM
25th, TIMMY HILL
32nd, STEFAN PARSONS
38th, STEPHEN LEICHT
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Fisher Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What did you learn or experience having two races in two days?

“This was by far probably the hottest we’ve been in a while anyways. I think it was great that we were able to run back-to-back races. It was great that we were able to take the same exact car to the second race as well. That really helps us with our notes to adjust on the car for today. This was kind of redemption for us really. I know yesterday we were in the same exact spot and had a chance to win it today.”

What happened coming to the checkered flag racing with Chase Briscoe?

“it was close, but I don’t think I got into him (Chase Briscoe). We were just going as hard as we could. I didn’t get as good of a run through one and two as I thought I was going to, so I saw him dive to the bottom in three and I wanted to use the high line. I wanted to try to get the big arc because I knew he was going to push up and I thought I could go low. That was the thought process there. I did try to fake him on the frontstretch to try to get him to move around and mess up, but just didn’t work there.”

Will Talladega be difficult with no practice?

“Yes and no. Everyone has been doing, honestly, a really good job – a lot better than I thought they were going to do at the start. Once we got going back, I thought there might be a lot of wrecks, but everyone has been doing really good. We’ll see. I know it’s nice to be able to practice drafting. I know that’s something we don’t do much at the tracks we’ve been running at so that’s going to be a little bit different. I have faith in these guys after these last couple races, they’ve been doing good.”

Do you believe the team cars will work together next weekend at Talladega?

“Absolutely. You see it pretty much every time we go, and I think definitely without practice, you don’t know how guys are driving or how they’re going to be in the draft. I think for sure; we have the most trust in us three, so I think we’re probably going to stick together the best. When it comes down to the end, you try to win the race, you’re definitely not just going to want to push them to the win. You’re going to try to do everything you can.”

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

Finishing Position: 8th

Another solid race, but you had to bounce back late after a flat tire. Talk about your race today at Homestead.

“I felt like we had a better car than we did yesterday. We were a little bit more competitive. The 9 (Noah Gragson) was still really good. The 19 (Brandon Jones) was better today, the 18 (Riley Herbst) was better today, so as a company I think we made some strides. Not a finish my team deserves, but that happens. You are getting all you can the last few laps – right against the fence – and sometimes you just overstep. Once I got to the wall, I couldn’t get off of it, and that’s what caused the right rear to blow.”

10 races in to your rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and you have scored top 10 finishes in every event. Assess your season so far.

“I think we want a little more raw speed. We want to win more stages, things like that. I still haven’t won a stage – won two races but haven’t won a stage. Got to find a way to get those Playoff points, they are really important come later in the year. We saw last year with (Tyler) Reddick, (Cole) Custer and (Christopher) Bell, all of those guys were pretty much locked in though the first round of the Playoffs, and that’s because they the stage points and the points from winning. We’ve got to get a little bit more dominate, a little bit more aggressive early in the race, and somehow be a little faster. That’s my main goal now – to fire off faster and try to be aggressive from the start and hopefully, get more dominate.”

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

Finishing Position: 9th

Can you walk us through what happened on the late-race restart?

“I beat the 8 (Daniel Hemric) initially on the start so I dropped down and made it three-wide on the bottom and I was about to clear him. AJ Allmendinger came from behind and gave me a push to help clear him and then he pushed me too far in the left side and hooked me up and wrecked us. All in all, it was a decent day and we got better and better. It’s promising. At the end there, we were probably top-five speed and just lacking a little bit. It was cool to get better as the day went for sure.”

Two races at Homestead, two top-10 finishes. Describe your finish today.

“A lot of people forget that I’ve never seen this place before so yesterday were my first laps. It’s difficult for me to get my bearings so I’m glad I got the laps in to learn and then today to use what I learned yesterday to try to move forward.”

Speaking of two races, you get to race two events next weekend at Talladega. How are excited are you to get back superspeedway racing and are there concerns with no practice?

“Looking forward to going to a track that I’ve been to. I haven’t had practice for the last six weeks so we’ll be alright.”

# # #

About Toyota

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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Homestead- Miami Speedway: Race 2
Race: Contender Boats 250
Date: June 14, 2020
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No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 14th
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 2nd
Finish: 10th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 176/177
Laps Led: 60
Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-55)

Notes:

Austin Cindric led 60 laps and ran inside the top-three for most of the afternoon, but a late cut tire resulted in an unfortunate 10th-place finish Sunday afternoon in the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the second race of a double-header weekend at the Florida track. The driver of the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang moves from fifth to fourth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings, 55 markers behind leader Noah Gragson.

Cindric started the scheduled 167-lap, 250-mile race in the 14th position after the top-15 finishers from Saturday’s race at Homestead was inverted. The 21-year-old wasted no time capturing the lead on lap 11 and showed good speed for the entire 40-lap first stage. He reported his PPG Ford needed more straight drive and was credited with a third-place stage finish.

A fast pit-stop by the No. 22 PPG pit crew allowed the Mooresville, N.C.-native to start Stage 2 from the second position. Cindric powered his way back to the lead on lap 47. Over the long run, the PPG Mustang developed a loose condition, which caused Cindric to lose the race lead on lap 67 and finish second in Stage 2.

He restarted the final stage from the fifth position and by lap 94, Cindric was able to get around the No. 9 of Noah Gragson for the race lead. With 61 laps remaining Cindric suffered a flat right rear tire causing him to pit his PPG Ford on lap 107. He would rejoin the field in the 23rd position, one-lap down to the field. Once green flag stops were complete, Cindric once again cycled out to the leader.

Over the course of the long run and older tires, Cindric would slip back to third position. Coming to the schedule white-flag, Cindric suffered another flat right rear tire to bring out the caution. Cindric would restart NASCAR overtime 16th, once again one lap down to the leaders. Cindric was able to battle his way back inside the top-10, one lap down at the conclusion of the event.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action next Saturday, June 20 at Talladega Superspeedway, with live coverage starting at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Quote: “I’ll be beating myself up for a while after today. We had a really fast PPG Ford Mustang the last two days. We’ve been so close to wins this year, I think I caught myself today trying too hard. Not only did that cost us a shot at a win, but a really good points day as well. A lot of things going in the right direction as of late for us. Today was on me, but we’ll keep trying.”