Category: XFINITY Series PR

WELCOME, N.C. (September 17, 2019) – Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team will enter the opening race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs with a big dose of celebrity draw thanks to Gimme Radio and metal band, Killswitch Engage. 

Following the success of Megadeth’s paint scheme at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Killswitch Engage will now take center stage on the No. 2 Gimme Radio Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway to celebrate the release of their new album, Atonement. The band, which has been together since 1999, previously earned two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, as well as three consecutive top-10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with albums Killswitch Engage (2009), Disarm The Descent (2013), and Incarnate (2016).

“I know I speak for all the guys when I say how excited we are to work with Gimme Radio on a Killswitch Engage Day!” said Jesse Leach, lead vocalist of Killswitch Engage. “They have a ton of great programs and DJ’s that bring a whole new level of interaction, dedication, and discovery to the metal genre and we’re eager to show our support.”

“On top of that, our band will be represented on a stock car in NASCAR!” continued Leach. “Never thought I’d see that happen ever! Crazy stuff. This collaboration is unique for us and I truly feel it will expand our audience and further the reach of our music and message. Big thanks to Richard Childress Racing for the opportunity and to Tyler Reddick who will be behind the wheel for the big race.”

Gimme Radio, the music app designed provide metal fans with music they won’t hear anywhere else, offers listeners shows curated by celebrity DJs and artists including Grammy Award-winning artist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Lamb of God lead singer Randy Blythe, Ozzy Osbourne bassist Blasko, and star of Orange Is the New Black, Jessica Pimentel. Fans on the app also have a unique opportunity to engage with the DJs and other listeners around the world through the app’s chat room.
“Killswitch Engage is one of the most intense, aggressive and heavy bands playing today,” said Gimme Radio CEO, Tyler Lenane.  “I can’t think of a better band to be paired with the intensity of Tyler’s driving.”

On Friday, September 20, Killswitch Engage will be taking over the Gimme Radio app for the day, playing their new music and other songs they believe fans will enjoy. Beginning at 1:15 p.m. ET that day, Tyler Reddick will join the app’s chat for a Q&A with fans before jumping in the No. 2 Gimme Radio / Killswitch Engage Chevrolet for Friday night’s race at Richmond Raceway.

“Having Gimme Radio and Killswitch Engage on our No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro at Richmond this week is such a cool opportunity for me,” said Reddick. “Killswitch Engage is a band I listened to a lot while growing up and traveling the country racing dirt late models, so to be able to help them promote their new album with the Richmond race weekend is really special to me. I’m really looking forward to interacting with the band and fans on the app on Friday before we go out and give this paint scheme a great night in the opening race of the Playoffs.”

To participate in the chat with Reddick, download Gimme Radio for iOS or  Google Play today.

Catch the No. 2 Gimme Radio / Killswitch Engage Chevrolet Camaro under the lights of Richmond Raceway on Friday, September 20 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

About Gimme Radio:
Gimme Radio is a community-based music streaming company founded by digital music veterans from Apple Music, Google Play, Beats Music and Rhapsody. On Gimme Radio, listeners tune in to hear world-class DJs playing music they can’t hear anywhere else…for free. And Gimme Radio allows metal music fans from around the world and the DJs/artists to communicate directly with one another in a live feed, in real-time, as the music is being played. Gimme Radio is available at gimmeradio.com and as an iOS and Android app. In May of 2019, Gimme Radio launched its second product, Gimme Country, which features DJs like Grammy-award winning artist Lee Ann Womack, six-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark, Third Man Records recording artist Joshua Hedley, Riser House Records recording artist Dillon Carmichael, outlaw country star Jesse Dayton and many more. Gimme Radio is a Techstars-backed company. 

About Killswitch Engage:
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 1999. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY®Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Dies [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career-high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the band has shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and have sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.

2019 represents another turning point. The quintet-Adam Dutkiewicz [lead guitar], Joel Stroetzel [rhythm guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]-sharpen every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement.

About Richard Childress Racing:
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR celebrates 50 years of racing in 2019 and has earned more than 200 victories and 15 championships, including six in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2019 Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion, 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Dow/American Ethanol/AAA/Symbicort/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) along with Rookie of the Year contender Daniel Hemric (No. 8 Caterpillar/ Bass Pro Shops/Liberty National Life Insurance/Cessna/VF Workwear Chevrolet). Its Xfinity Series program includes defending Series Champion Tyler Reddick(No. 2 Gimme Radio/Tame the Beast/myblu/Hurdl/Pinnacle Financial Partners/Anderson’s Maple Syrup/KCMG Chevrolet)  as well as select races with Kaz Grala and Joe Graf Jr. (No. 21 Camaro).

John Hunter Nemechek, No. 23 Berry’s Manufacturing Chevrolet Camaro

START: 11th
FINISH: 8th
POINTS: 12th

Notes & Quotes:—

– Nemechek fought with a tight-handling No. 23 machine majority of the 200-lap event. Nemechek raced within the top-10 most of the day but a late green flag pit stop on lap 168 for fuel resulted in an eighth-place finish, one lap down.

– Nemechek finished seventh in Stage One and ninth in Stage Two.

– Nemechek secured his spot into the NASCAR Playoffs after his eighth-place finish tonight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This marks his and GMS Racing’s first Xfinity Series Playoff berth.

– This is Nemechek’s 13th top-10 of the 2019 season.

– Nemechek is currently scored in the 12th-position in the driver standings with a total of 2,000 points.

“It was a decent race. We just needed strategy to work out better there at the end. I believe we had a top-six car all day and that’s where we ran most of the day. A huge shout out to all of my guys. We’ve have had a rough few weeks and I’m glad we can put all of that behind us. We will carry this momentum into next weekend for the first round of the Playoffs at Richmond and do our best to get locked into the Round of 8.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series with drivers Brett Moffitt and Sheldon Creed, and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with John Hunter Nemechek. The team also expanded their competition to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, as well as in the ARCA Racing Series with Sam Mayer and super late models with Toni Breidinger. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 NGOTS Championship and has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net.
SOCIAL MEDIA

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

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race: Rhino Pro Trucks Outfitters 300
Date: September 14, 2019
___________________________________________________
No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 5th
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 7th
Finish: 12th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 199/200
Laps Led: 0
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-38)

Notes:

Austin Cindric and the No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang team started in the fifth position and finished 12th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Cindric will enter the NASCAR Playoffs as the fourth seed in the standings, -38 points behind the leader Christopher Bell.

At the drop of the green flag, Cindric maintained his original starting position and reported on lap 12 that the MoneyLion Ford started to swing tight. Cindric raced up to the fourth position before the Stage 1 ended on lap 45. Crew chief Brian Wilson called the No. 22 Ford Mustang to the pits for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. The team suffered an uncontrolled tire penalty forcing Cindric to restart at the tail end of the field.

The 21-year-old steadily worked his way back inside the top-10 and was credited with a seventh-place finish during the caution-free Stage 2. Cindric communicated his car was good and Wilson called for no adjustments on the second pit stop. Fast service by the MoneyLion pit-crew gained Cindric three positions on pit road, allowing him to restart from the fourth position on lap 97.

Shortly after the restart, the pace was slowed for the third time on lap 111. Wilson elected to remain on the same pit cycle as the leaders by pitting during the caution. The crew was once again penalized for having too many men over the wall, causing Cindric to restart tail end once more.

On the restart, the Mooresville, N.C native wasted no time making his way back inside the top-10. The fourth caution was displayed on lap 124 with Cindric running eighth. The No. 22 MoneyLion Ford remained on track with 67 laps remaining in the 200-lap event.

After the restart, the MoneyLion Ford suffered a right front flat tire, causing Cindric to pit under green. He returned to the track in the 23rd position, one lap down to the leaders. The green flag pit cycle began on lap 167, allowing Cindric to cycle up to the 12th position, but still one lap down. He was unable to make ground up to the leaders and was credited with a 12th place finish at the end of the 300-mile event at Las Vegas.

Quote: “I am really proud of my guys for all the work they have done to get better on these types of tracks. That is the big takeaway for us today. Minimizing mistakes is crucial come playoff time and hopefully we got all those out of the way. I am proud of this MoneyLion Ford Mustang and the speed we had. It just wasn’t our day. If we can bring race cars like that with good speed, I think there were only two or three cars better than we were and that says a lot.”

Tyler Reddick and No. 2 TAME the BEAST Team Wins and Clinches the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular-Season Championship at Las Vegas

Finish: 1st
Start: 4th
Points: 1st

“We set out today to clinch the regular-season championship and did just that and more. This is a huge accomplishment for everyone at RCR and ECR Engines and all the work they’ve put in this year. We have been focusing on Playoff points over the last few weeks, trying to capitalize on them as much as possible, so this will be a nice bonus to help kick off our title run at Richmond Raceway next week. On top of it all, we were able to pull off the win tonight. We fought with the balance of our No. 2 TAME the BEAST Camaro all race long and knew we weren’t the strongest with that tonight, so when the opportunity came out late in the third stage to pit off sequence and fill up on fuel to try to win it on fuel mileage, we took it. That last 60 or so laps were nerve-wracking, but we saved just enough to make it and still do a burnout. This is a huge team win, and I’m so proud of everyone on this No. 2 team. What a great way to close the regular season and head into the Playoffs.”-Tyler Reddick

Bell, Jones claim top-three finishes in Las Vegas
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates have a strong runs leading into the Playoffs

LAS VEGAS (September 14, 2019) – Christopher Bell and Brandon Jones finished second and third in this evening’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race 26 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Tyler Reddick*
2nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
3rd, BRANDON JONES
4th, Cole Custer*
5th, Justin Allgaier*
9th, RILEY HERBST
26th, TOMMY JOE MARTINS
28th, JARIO AVILA, JR.
30th, JOEY GASE
35th, CHAD FINCHUM
36th, STAN MULLIS
*non-Toyota driver

• Christopher Bell led 154 (of 200) laps before finishing second to lead Toyota in tonight’s event
• Bell won both stages to earn two more Playoff points
• Brandon Jones matched his season-best result of third this evening for his fourth top-five finish of the season.
• Riley Herbst earned his third top-10 finish in his ninth career start.
• Both Bell and Jones officially move on to the first round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem/Smurfit Kappa Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

How do you make sense of the end of this race?

“It’s the second time this year that we got beat by circumstances. At Iowa we put on our tires when we needed to and some guys banked on a yellow coming out later and they got it and they beat us. Today, they just kind of did the opposite of us and won the race. Very, very disappointing. Obviously, I’m really happy with how our Rheem Supra was – it was really fast. That’s a good sign.”

How much more could you have pushed if you had known Tyler Reddick was going to try to stretch fuel?

“I got beat by seven-tenths of a second there. At the end of the race, I was running hard when they told me he (Tyler Reddick) was going to try to make it. I don’t feel like I gave up very much at the end. At the beginning of the run, I definitely wasn’t running as hard as I could have once they told me the 98 (Chase Briscoe) sped on pit road. Was it seven-tenths over 30 laps or whatever it was, maybe. But, we got beat.”

What’s the state of this team heading into the Playoffs?

“it’s really gratifying to see how fast we were on a mile-and-a-half. Our short track stuff has been really, really good and the mile-and-a-half stuff, it seems like a couple guys have had us covered. We can say that we had them covered today.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Juniper Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How do you think this finish takes you into the Playoffs momentum wise?
“It was fun today. It was slick. We had that spin there early on; it was on the edge like that for a while, but we were fastest when we were that edgy. We tightened it up a good bit during the race, and it slowed down just a little bit. All-in-all, I wouldn’t want anyone else behind me in this battle we are getting ready to go into during the Playoffs. These first two tracks are going to be a little tough – Richmond and the Roval are going to be a little tough, but we are going to get past them. We have some good tracks that we are going to be really decent at. It’s going to be a good year for Toyota, Joe Gibbs, all of our guys are really competitive. There’s a lot of guys that are going to be tough to beat, but I am ready to battle.”

Do you think you can put yourself in that coverstation to be there in Homestead?

“Yeah, I have to make it past these first couple of hard ones, but get me to these mile-and-a-halves where we are really decent, and I think we are going to be a sleeper.”

How did the track change throughout the day?

“As the sun went down, it tightened up a little bit. It was super slick when the sun was out. We had a lot coverage in (turns) 1 and 2, and no coverage in (turns) 3 and 4 for most of the day, so that would change the balance on the cars a lot.”

How great was it to finish in the top-three today?

“Yeah, I’m telling you if we get past this first round, we are going to be surprise people. I think when it comes down to these last rounds for us, we have some good tracks coming up. This was a great run for us, but it wasn’t perfect. I had the spin there, which was pretty crazy to save that. We had a couple hiccups on pit road, but all-in-all to fight back to that position with the circumstances is pretty great. Love the team I got; love the guys I have. We are going into battle in the Playoffs and have a good time.”

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

Finishing Position: 9th

How was the race overall today?

“For sure, a great day here in my hometown. The final Xfinity race I had on my schedule this year in the No. 18 Supra. I wanted to finish in the top-10, but we got robbed on a couple positions there at the end because people gambled in Vegas here on fuel, which got us. We played it safe and tried to take it to the long run for a top-10, which was good.”

What is it like racing in your hometown?

“It’s cool. Would have loved to be in victory lane in my hometown, but baby steps – you have to walk before you can run. We’re getting there. Hopefully, we can get some more opportunities next year in this No. 18 Supra or whatever the future holds. We’re really excited for it.”

Did you notice a difference when the temperatures started to drop later in the race?

“For sure, I definitely put us in a hole the first stage. Yesterday I was screaming loose so the guys tightened the heck out of the race car and the whole first stage, they did everything they did in practice to get it freed back up. Once it cooled down a little bit, started to snug up a little bit so we had to chase it again. The guys did a great job trying to stay ahead of the race track all day.”

# # #

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 38 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 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

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 ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Saturday, September 14, 2019

Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 | POST RACE

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
4th – Cole Custer
11th – Chase Briscoe
12th – Austin Cindric

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang – Finished 4th

“We were just tight and we tried to make adjustments to fix it and it helped some spots but not others. It was a tough weekend because we didn’t have the best practice. It was hard to adjust for what we needed to do in the race. I was happy with it. I can’t than everyone at Haas Automation, Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines enough. We had a great regular season and I am really looking forward to the playoffs.”

HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO GET THE PLAYOFFS GOING? “I am pumped for it. This has not been our best track this year. We have run solid, but it hasn’t been the best for us. I think all the playoff tracks we will be strong and I think all the other teams should look out for us.”

ARE YOU THE PLAYOFF FRONTRUNNER? “Any given weekend, yeah. We can go there and when we are on it we can win. We have really fast Mustangs and I think there are a lot of tracks in the playoffs that are good for us. This place has been tough for us to figure out but I don’t think you will see many of these kind of tracks in the playoffs. I am looking forward to it.”

WHICH ROUND IS GOING TO BE HARDEST? “Probably the second. You will have to be really on your game. The first one, as long as you don’t have any big problems you should be fine but you never know with this format. We will see. I think we have some pretty strong tracks.”

IS IT YOU, REDDICK AND BELL THE TOP THREE RIGHT NOW? “For the most part, consistently, yeah. There are some guys, the 98 and the 22 and the 7 that can run up there on some weekends and be in the mix but I think consistently we are the best three and have been up front at every track this year.”

WHAT IS THE KEY TO BEAT THOSE GUYS? “It is so hard to say. Every track is different. I think we can go and win at any track so it is just a matter of getting the handling right and being good on the long runs.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Ford Performance Mustang – Finished 11th

“That speeding penalty was just stupid. We had six or seven seconds behind the leader and another six or seven seconds to third place so there was nothing to gain and everything to lose. I knew I was slow initially so I sped up and when I sped up I did too much and started wheel hopping and sped on entry. I don’t know. I feel like this has been our best race car the last two months and this has been our worst finish the last two months. In the playoffs, if you have a mistake like that you will be out. I have to clean that up. I am proud of our Ford Performance Mustang. We were really good. Everyone keeps asking who is going to be the fourth guy. That last stage I think I proved we can run with any of ‘em. If we can keep bringing cars like that in the playoffs we can contend for wins and if we can get to Homestead we will have a good shot.”

DID THE WAY YOU WERE TRACKING GUYS DOWN THERE AT THE END GIVE YOU SOME CONFIDENCE GOING FORWARD? “Yeah, I was honestly surprised that Allgaier didn’t move to the top earlier when he saw me coming with so much speed. I showed it to him for two laps and ran him down quite a bit. I know that racing with Bell as much as I have on the dirt stuff he is so good at moving around and with the mirrors in these things it is easier to know what is going on. I knew when I moved up there that there was no chance I could get to him without him knowing I was there. He was just a little better overall. We could run with him, just not as consistently as we needed to. When the sun went down I started tightening up too much and that didn’t help. I wish I hadn’t sped on pit road. We weren’t going to win the race because of the 2 stretching fuel, but we could have easily ran top-three.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR TEAM’S CHANCES IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I feel great about our team. I feel like we have been hitting on all cylinders. Obviously we have the speed we need to have and we still could use a little more but I think you can always use more. I have to clean it up on my end. You can’t make mistakes like that. If we put it all together I know we can run with any of them. I know if I get to Homestead I can run the fence good enough that we would be really tough to beat.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang – Finished 12th

“I am really proud of my guys for all the work they have done to get better on these types of tracks. That is the big takeaway for us today. Minimizing mistakes is crucial come playoff time and hopefully we got all those out of the way. I am really proud of this MoneyLion Ford Mustang and the speed we had. It just wasn’t our day I guess. We had speed. I think that is the biggest thing. Everything else was a bit of a struggle. I am glad we got it all out of the way before the playoffs. If we can bring race cars like that with good speed, I think there were only two or three cars better than we were and that says a lot. Word on the street is that I don’t know how to drive on ovals so I am excited about tonight’s performance. I will take that in stride and hopefully be able to bring that same stuff to Kansas and Texas and Homestead.”

HOW DOES THIS PLAY OUT FOR YOU WITH THESE 1.5 MILE TRACKS COMING UP IN AN ELIMINATION STYLE FORMAT? “I think it plays out great. I have said it time and time again that the second round is the hardest in this series. THere are six or seven guys that deserve to be in the final four and we are one of them. Three of the last for races are 1.5 mile tracks so it is a good time to be good at those.”

DO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT NOW HEADING INTO THE PLAYOFFS? “As far as execution goes, that was a struggle point tonight. As far as speed goes, that is one of the best races we have had next to Kentucky as far as 1.5 mile tracks go. I screwed up Kentucky and we let ourselves down tonight. That is a wash now. We will take that momentum and knowing we can bring fast race cars to the racetrack and bring it to the playoffs.”

Elliott Sadler Notes:

13-Career Starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Best NXS Start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 1st (2012)
Best NXS Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 3rd (2012)
Career Starts: 854 (NASCAR Top-Tier Series)
Career Top 10s: 305 (NASCAR Top-Tier Series)
Career Laps Led: 3,596 (NASCAR Top-Tier Series)

Kaulig Racing Notes:

Best Start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 13th (Spring 2019)
Best Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 4th (Spring 2019)

Quote:
“Alright guys, pretty emotional week for me. (I’m) going into my last ever time of buckling up the helmet as a professional racecar driver. I’ve got a lot on my mind. A lot of emotions, a lot of memories. I know this is the final time I’ll put my seat belt on and take a green flag of a NASCAR event. It’s a lot to go through, but I also want to put my best foot forward and end on a strong note as well. I can’t thank Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice and everyone at Kaulig Racing for giving me this opportunity to be a part of their team. And I definitely can’t thank Nutrien Ag Solutions enough for their support of my career, my final race. What they’ve done with Ross Chastain to put him on the map has been wonderful. It was good to see those guys win at Daytona. But the paint scheme – that was a good surprise. I appreciate you guys so much for doing that. It means a lot to me and my family. That paint scheme really helped kick start my career in the right direction. (It’s) kinda what we were known for back in the day. Thank you guys for giving up your paint scheme and your look – kudos to you guys. Thank you for that. We’ll try to do you right and do you proud and go out on top with a bang at Las Vegas.”

About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by CEO and owner of LeafFilter Gutter Protection®, Kaulig Capital and Kaulig Media, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016 Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively, finishing seventh (2016), 11th(2017) and 12th(2018). Maintaining their technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing™ has come to be one of the top-competitors on track each weekend. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Justin Haley Notes:

Second Start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Best Start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 13th (2019)
Best Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 10th (2019)
Only Current NXS Driver to Finish in the Top-10 at all 1.5 Mile Tracks in 2019

Kaulig Racing Notes:

Best Start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 13th (2019)
Best Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 4th (Austin Dillon, 2019)

Quotes:
“We just came off an awesome top five run at my hometown track of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This week we are in the final race of the regular season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We went there a few months back in the spring. We are going back there now with a lot of data and set up notes to try and get a little better run than we did last time. We are going to try and take what we learned in Vegas at the last race and apply it to this race and hopefully gain some really good momentum for the playoffs next week at Richmond.”

About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by CEO and owner of LeafFilter Gutter Protection®, Kaulig Capital and Kaulig Media, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016 Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively, finishing seventh (2016), 11th (2017) and 12th (2018). Maintaining their technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing™ has 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: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
RACE: Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019

Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett’s best NASCAR Xfinity Series finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway came in the spring of this year, where he finished a solid fifth.
• Annett seems to like racing out West. In six starts so far this season west of the Mississippi River, Annett has five top 10s and an average finish of 8.5.
• Already qualified for the NXS Playoffs with his season opening victory at Daytona, Annett is currently eighth in series points heading into the final race of the regular season.
• On 1.5-mile tracks so far this season, Annett has logged three top fives and five top 10s.

Ryan Truex
No. 8 Bar Harbor Chevrolet
• Ryan Truex returns to the No. 8 Chevrolet for the fourth time this season at Las Vegas.
• In three previous starts for JRM, Truex has recorded one top five and three top 10s with a best finish of second coming at ISM Raceway.
• In five previous starts across NASCAR’s three major touring series at Las Vegas, Truex has earned one pole (2017 – NGOTS) and a best finish of eighth (September 2018 – NXS).
• This season the No. 8 Chevrolet for JRM has scored six top fives and 17 top 10s.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Switch Chevrolet
• Las Vegas native Noah Gragson will make his second NXS start at his home track this weekend.
• Gragson previously finished third in his lone NXS start there earlier this season.
• In three starts in the NASCAR Truck Series at Las Vegas, Gragson has an overall average start of 6.3 with one pole position and 57 laps led.
• With one race remaining in the regular season, Gragson has already locked himself into the 2019 NXS Playoffs and currently sits seventh in the championship standings.
• This weekend also marks a homecoming for primary partner Switch, headquartered just 14 miles from LVMS.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier has 10 NXS starts at Las Vegas with four topfive and eight top-10 finishes. He has two runner-up finishes at the 1.5-mile track, most recently in this race last fall.
• The 33-year-old driver’s average finish at Las Vegas is 8.9, his best among active NXS tracks on the circuit.
• Allgaier has two top-three finishes on 1.5-mile tracks this season, placing second at Charlotte and third at Atlanta.
• Heading into the final race of the regular season, Allgaier is already locked into the playoffs and is fourth in the NXS point standings. So far this year, he’s collected five playoff points from stage wins.

Driver Quotes
“We ran well at Las Vegas earlier this season, and on 1.5- mile tracks this year we’ve been really good. We’re already in the playoffs, so this is the time to make sure we’re prepared for the 1.5-mile tracks we’re going to be racing on when it counts. We’ve had speed, Travis (crew chief Travis Mack) and the No. 1 team have been giving me great Pilot Flying J Chevrolets all season and this is when we need to have our stuff right. I am really looking forward to this weekend.”– Michael Annett

“Vegas is a super-fast mile-and-a-half. Managing tires is going to be super important especially with how hot it’s going to be this weekend. Also, having that balance on your race car is going to be really important. I know that our guys have been working hard to make sure we’re prepared. I’m excited for this weekend. It’s the end of the regular season for us and it’s been a good track for JR Motorsports. I’m looking forward to getting back there.” – Justin Allgaier

“I’m happy to get the chance to get back behind the wheel of the No. 8 this weekend in Las Vegas. I feel like we had a lot of good speed our last time on a mile-and-a-half in Kentucky and hopefully we can back that up again on Saturday with our Bar Harbor Chevrolet. It should be a fun weekend and I can’t wait to work with Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all of the guys on the team again.” – Ryan Truex

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to my home track this weekend in Las Vegas. Racing in front of your hometown crowd is one of the coolest feelings ever. Plus, we had a really strong run here earlier this year and I feel really confident we can back that up again this weekend with our Switch Chevrolet. We’ve had a ton of momentum on our side for these last few weeks and I feel like we can keep that going through this last race of the regular season and into the playoffs. I’m ready to get going and hopefully we can put on a great show on Saturday, especially in front of my friends and family here at home.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates
JRM at Las Vegas: In 40 NXS starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, JR Motorsports has one win, 15 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. Mark Martin’s lone win at the 1.5-mile track was the organization’s first victory as an NXS team.  Earlier this season, JRM scored two top fives with Noah Gragson and Michael Annett crossing the finish line third and fifth, respectively.
• Gragson Media Availability: JRM driver Noah Gragson will be stopping by the media center at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for media availability on Friday, Sept. 13 at 11:30 a.m. PST.
• JRM Souvenir Autograph Session: JRM teammates Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Hendrick Motorsports souvenir trailer at Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 10:30 – 11 a.m. PST.

John Hunter Nemechek, No. 23 Berry’s Manufacturing Chevrolet Camaro

Las Vegas Xfinity Stats

One start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Best Finish: 2nd (2019)

2019 Season Stats

25 starts, 4 top-five’s and 12 top-10’s

Notes:

– John Hunter Nemechek and GMS Racing will utilize chassis no. 216 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This chassis has been ran four times this season by Nemechek at ISM Raceway (start: 13th/finish: 9th), Richmond Raceway (start: 11th/finish: 7th), Spring – Iowa Speedway (start: 6th/finish: 8th) and Fall – Iowa Speedway (start: 14th/finish: 3rd).

– Saturday’s race in Las Vegas is the last race of the regular season. Nemechek is currently 11th in Xfinity playoff standings with 4 top-five’s and 12 top-10 finishes.

Quotes:

“We had a really strong showing at Las Vegas back in the Spring. A runner-up finish to Kyle Busch in my first Xfinity start at Las Vegas showed that this team is capable of competing with the Cup affiliated teams and I know that this team can showcase that again this weekend. We know that we have a solid notebook to work out of so hopefully we unload with speed and finish one-spot better than we did in the Spring.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series with drivers Brett Moffitt and Sheldon Creed, and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with John Hunter Nemechek. The team also expanded their competition to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, as well as in the ARCA Racing Series with Sam Mayer and super late models with Toni Breidinger. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 NGOTS Championship and has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net/

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