Category: XFINITY Series PR

LEXINGTON, NC – (June 10, 2019) – As the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season heats up, Kaulig Racing is thrilled to unveil its 2019 Darlington Throwback scheme for the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway (Aug. 31).

Raybestos®, a world-renowned brake parts producer, will don the No. 11 Chevy, piloted by Justin Haley. Kaulig Racing’s inspiration for the scheme came from Jeff Burton’s No. 8 car from his rookie Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) season in 1994, as well as 1995, where he earned a total of three top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes.

Kaulig Racing will also be paying tribute to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Kaulig Racing, Bob Kaulig, who previously worked as the Vice President of Sales for Raybestos® from 1985-2008.

“Using the Raybestos® paint scheme from Jeff’s (Burton) rookie year was a no-brainer for us,” said Kaulig Racing President, Chris Rice. “Our CFO, Bob, who happens to be Matt Kaulig’s father, worked for Raybestos® for 23 years, so we thought this was the perfect way to pay homage to him. We really appreciate both Jeff and Raybestos® for giving us the opportunity to use this special paint scheme and give a special surprise to Bob.”

From 1998 to 2010, the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Award was one of the well-respected and highly sought-after end-of-season NASCAR awards. The award celebrated young drivers and their teams by recognizing their phenomenal efforts during the formative early phase of their careers.

The Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will take place on Saturday, August 31st at Darlington Raceway.

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 its 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.

About Raybestos®:
Raybestos® has been a global leader in brake parts for over a century with history dating back to 1902. Extensive testing, along with attention to detail, Raybestos® differentiates themselves from the competition and ensures their customers high-quality and reliable products. To learn more about Raybestos® products, visit https://www.brakepartsinc.com/raybestos/.

Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 KCMG Chevrolet Team Capitalize on Fuel Strategy En Route to Third Win of 2019

Finish: 1st
Start: 10th
Points: 1st

“That’s one way to sneak in with a win! I’m so proud of the No. 2 KCMG team for all their hard work today. The balance of our Camaro this weekend was tricky to nail down, but we made progress throughout the race and got better each run. We knew strategy would probably come into play at Michigan as far as deciding who would win, so when the opportunity came to pit under a late caution that would put us right on our number for fuel to make it to the end, we took it and came out third. We knew that the No. 20 and No. 00 couldn’t make it unless a caution came out, so I focused more on maintaining a gap on the rest of the field and saving more fuel than on chasing those two guys down. Luck was on our side today, and we were able to run away with the win. I can’t thank everyone at RCR enough for the cars were showing up with at the track. We’re having a lot of fun this year, and I think that shows with the results.”-Tyler Reddick

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Saturday, June 8, 2019
EVENT: LTi Printing 250 Post Race

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
4th – Paul Menard
7th – Chase Briscoe
11th Austin Cindric
12th – Cole Custer

PAUL MENARD, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang: FINISHED 4th

“It is kind of interesting how the lines kind of moved around. I could make time on the bottom and you normally can’t here. The car was really fast up front. A little on the loose side. Then you get behind and it is like you have to adjust for it more when you hit traffic. I was just a little tight at the end. The 12 guys were great. Everyone on the Richmond/Menards Ford Mustang was great. We sat P1 and were probably just one adjustment off at the end.”

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang: FINISHED 12th

“We had a really fast Mustang. I really wanted to win here for Ford in their backyard and everything. We got the track position and got up front and I think we had the best car here. I don’t know how much the 2 was saving there but the strategy just didn’t work out for us. That one kind of stings but I definitely feel like we had a fast car.”

“The strategy just didn’t work out for us. That is Michigan. Half the time it is just pit strategies. Our Jacob Companies Ford Mustang was awesome. I think we brought the fastest car here, it just didn’t work out in the end. We will go on to the next one. It is good we have fast cars.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Nutri Chomps / Blair’s Farm & Fleet Ford Mustang: FINISHED 7th

“We were really loose all day long. We were going to play the fuel strategy card and we were going to be alright I think. Honestly, after that spin was the best the car was all day. At the end we were two or three-tenths better than the leader. Drove to fifth or sixth from the back and I feel like I had a lot more but I just got stuck in traffic and racing guys. A couple guys, I don’t know, they were just racing dumb in my opinion and we ended up racing each other so hard that we cost each other six seconds on the race track. Instead of running second or third we ran seventh instead. Overall I thought we made our car better all day which is always good. We just have to start the race better.”

“Definitely it was aggressive on the restart. This place is so narrow. It is hard to do anything regardless. Obviously the restarts were pretty intense but we just would get single file and it seems like you have to run that middle and you get suckered into going to the bottom and get freight trained. If you get a run on a guy and don’t clear him you end up losing two or three spots. It is part of racing here and you know that going into it but it doesn’t make it any more fun.”

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Michigan International Speedway
Race 13 of 33 – 250 miles, 125 laps
June 8, 2019

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Tyler Reddick*
2nd, Noah Gragson*
3rd, Michael Annett*
4th, Paul Menard*
5th, Justin Allgaier*
6th, BRANDON JONES
13th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
18th, TOMMY JOE MARTINS
22nd, CHAD FINCHUM
29th, JOEY GASE
31st, TIMMY HILL
35th, TYLER HILL
37th, RILEY HERBST
*non-Toyota driver

· Brandon Jones (sixth) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

· Christopher Bell started in the second position and led 36 laps (of 125) and won the second stage of the race. However, a miscue on lap 78 kept Bell on the race track while many other leaders came to pit road. This forced Bell to pit under the green flag with less than a dozen laps remaining.

TOYOTA QUOTES

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 1st Foundation Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How was the race today?

“We started out not being a top-10 car most of the day, but we continued to work on it. The biggest issue we fought was just being loose-in all day. We just kept after it and I think this is what the 19 team does really well, just adjust on the car all race. We’re running first-place lap times at the end of these races and just need some track position there at the end.”

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

Finishing Position: 13th

Did you have the car to beat without the miscue on pit road?

“Ultimately, we just weren’t fast enough. The 00 (Cole Custer) drove by us like we were sitting still. Just have to get a little bit faster here where we can compete with these guys.”

What happened when you didn’t pit on lap 78 that took you out of contention to win?

“It was just a miscommunication. My definition was a little different than what Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) had planned. Ultimately, that was a big hiccup in our day. The 00 (Cole Custer) blew our doors off so we just have to get faster. That’s our biggest thing and for whatever reason on the bigger tracks right now, I don’t have the speed that the 00 has. We just have to keep working hard and get our Rheem Supra to be a little bit faster and it will be easy to clean up the miscommunication there.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

What happened with the miscommunication for Christopher to pit on lap 78?

“This is a track where you can actually play some strategy. We don’t go to many tracks that you can do that. I felt like last week was one and I feel like Michigan is one where you can mix it up a little bit. Everywhere else we go is kind of straightforward. We talked about, ‘If I tell you this, then it means to pit now.’ Just some code words and it’s really simple actually. It’s first-grade stuff and somehow we mixed it up. He did exactly what his wristband said on it. Unfortunately, it was poor execution on my part in communicating what to put on the wristband. I think we had a good performance today after a little bit of a struggle last week in Pocono. I felt like our car had speed so we’ll just build in that and go on to Iowa.”

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

Finishing Position: 37th

How big of a struggle was this weekend with the wreck in practice and then an early incident in the race?

“I learned a lot this weekend. It sucks to learn it this way, but definitely learned a lot in practice and I was working my way up through the field pretty quick then just got turned super early. I don’t really know what reason or what ultimately caused it. Would have liked to get more laps and more experience at this big place in these Xfinity cars. They’re hard to drive, but overall the weekend was awful for us, but I definitely learned quite a bit.”

Justin Haley Notes:

First Career Start at Michigan International Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)

Kaulig Racing Notes:

Best Start at Michigan International Speedway: 7th (Spring 2016)
Best Finish at Michigan International Speedway: 10th (Spring 2018)

Quotes:
“We’re headed to Michigan International Speedway this weekend, a two-mile race track – nothing like we’ve been doing! It’s not a mile-and-a-half; it’s got a lot of grip, and it’s really high banked. These cars will be going super fast! We are coming off a Top 10 in Pocono – we were really strong there. I’ve said all year that we’ve got super fast cars at the bigger tracks, and this weekend should play into our field. I’m looking forward to getting this LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy back up front.”

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: Michigan International Speedway
RACE: LTi Printing 250 (125 laps / 250 miles)
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 2019

Michael Annett
No. 1 Allstate Parts and Service Chevrolet
• Michael Annett’s best NASCAR Xfinity Series finish at Michigan International Speedway is 12th in 2012.
• Annett has been very consistent in 2019, completing all but 18 laps of the season’s first 12 races (99.2 percent).
• This weekend, Annett will sport the colors of Allstate Parts and Service on the No. 1 Chevrolet for JRM. It is the first of three scheduled races for the company, the others coming at Road America and Kansas Speedway.
• Annett’s eighth-place finish last week at Pocono Raceway was his eighth top-10 result of the season in 12 races and third straight in the series.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• In eight NXS starts at Michigan, Justin Allgaier has one top five and four top 10s. His best effort of fourth came in 2010.
• The NXS veteran has led 14 laps at the track and finished ninth in his most recent start there last season.
• In seven starts on 2-mile tracks since joining JR Motorsports, Allgaier has only one finish outside of the top 10, with a best finish of second coming at Auto Club Speedway last season.
• With 12 races complete in the 2019 season, the Illinois native is fifth in the NXS point standings and fourth in the projected playoff standings.

Jeb Burton
No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet
• Jeb Burton will get behind the wheel of JRM’s No. 8 Chevrolet for the third time in 2019 this weekend at Michigan.
• In his most recent NXS start for JRM at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Burton started 16th and finished seventh.
• At tracks 2-miles in length or larger in the NXS, Burton has one top five and one top 10 in six starts.
• This will be the first primary race for LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America, on Burton’s No. 8 Chevrolet. Based in Battleboro, N.C., the company will also be on the No. 8 at Bristol in August with Burton.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Switch Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson will make his first NXS start at Michigan this weekend.
• Gragson has earned one top five and two top 10s in two previous starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Michigan.
• In five previous starts on tracks 2 miles or larger in the NXS, Gragson has recorded one top five (Talladega 2018) and two top 10s (Talladega 2018, Pocono 2019).
• Following last weekend’s sixth-place finish, the Las Vegas native remains eighth in the championship standings, 61 points ahead of the 12th and final cutoff position for the Playoffs.

Driver Quotes

“Michigan is a big, wide track where you can search out the best line for your car. It gives you a lot of options based on the conditions and your car’s handling. We’ve had some really fast cars these last few weeks, and we’ve been qualifying well, so I am looking forward to taking the No. 1 Allstate Parts & Service Chevrolet to the front of the field this weekend. We were at the front all day at Pocono, so we’re just going to keep it going this weekend in Michigan.”– Michael Annett

“I’m really looking forward to getting to Michigan this weekend. It’s such a fun race track and this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team has been working hard to prepare a fast Camaro. We didn’t exactly get the finish we were looking for at Pocono, so I’m hoping we can get the momentum we had back on track this weekend.”– Justin Allgaier

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to run my third race in the No. 8 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports this weekend at Michigan. We welcomed LS Tractor to the team a few weeks ago, and this will be the first of two primary races for them this season. We’ve had two solid finishes in this No. 8 car, and the team is coming off of a strong run at Pocono Raceway. I definitely want to use that momentum to continue building and growing this team as we head to my first start at Michigan International Speedway.”– Jeb Burton

“I’m excited to head to Michigan with our Switch Chevrolet. We’re coming off of two really good weekends in Charlotte and Pocono and I’m very confident that we can continue that momentum into Michigan. I know that Dave (Elenz, crew chief) has had some really good runs here in the past and hopefully I can keep that streak going on Saturday. It’s going to be a fun day for sure.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates

• JRM at Michigan: In 31 NXS starts in the Irish Hills, JR Motorsports has two victories (Brad Keselowski in 2009 and Regan Smith in 2013), one pole award (Alex Bowman in 2016), 10 top fives and 20 top 10s. Of all the tracks in the NXS circuit, Michigan International Speedway ranks second for the organization in average finish (9.9).
• Allgaier Autograph Session: Justin Allgaier will sign autographs at the JR Motorsports / Hendrick Motorsports souvenir trailer on Friday, June 7, from 5 – 5:30 p.m. ET at Michigan International Speedway.
• U.S. Cellular Sweepstakes: One grand prize winner will have the chance to wave the green flag for the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway and be an honorary pit crew member for JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier, who will pilot the U.S. Cellular Chevrolet Camaro SS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 27. The sweepstakes, which runs through July 14, will also provide the grand prize winner and a guest an official pit crew shirt, a tour of the No. 7 team hauler, attend the driver’s meeting with Allgaier and crew chief Jason Burdett, plus sit atop the pit box for the race and more. To enter to win and to see the full sweepstakes details, visit www.USCellular250.com.

John Hunter Nemechek, No. 23 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro

Michigan Xfinity Stats

1 start

Best Finish: 13th (2018)

2019 Season Stats

12 starts, 2 top-five’s and 8 top-10’s

Notes:

– John Hunter Nemechek and GMS Racing will utilize chassis no. 220 this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. This chassis has been run once this season by Nemechek at Texas Motor Speedway (start: 8th/finish: 9th)

– Nemechek is currently second in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points, 22 points behind Chase Briscoe in first place.

Quotes:

“I am looking forward to Michigan. After the weekend we had at Pocono, I am ready to start fresh and refocus. We are improving as a team every day, we just need some better luck. I am confident that we can turn our luck around this weekend at Michigan. GMS showed a lot of speed here last year with Alex (Bowman) so hopefully we can show that speed again and go grab stage points and a top-five.”

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.

LONG POND, PA – June 3, 2019 – Cole Custer won the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Pocono Green 250 in a thrilling overtime performance at Pocono Raceway. The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang recorded its third win of the season.

“Congratulations to Cole, Tony, Gene, and the No. 00 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Cole did an amazing job, chasing down Tyler Reddick and passing him on the final lap for the win. It’s such a privilege to be part of the Ford Performance team and help support these talented drivers with the power under the hood for the Ford Mustangs.”

After starting from the pole position on Saturday, Custer won the first stage of the race, on his way to leading a race high 58 laps out of the 103-lap race.

As a late race caution caused the race to go into overtime, Custer showed patience and maturity. Although, the No. 00 was passed on the restart, Custer made a veteran move, going low as Tyler Reddick took the final turn wide. Custer was able to pass Reddick on the inside, taking the lead and the checkered flag, .226 seconds ahead of Reddick, and clinching his first victory at the 2.5-mile track.

“We are hitting our stride,” commented Custer, when asked about the team in Victory Lane. “We have really fast cars and it is just a matter of doing it week in and week out and we have been doing it. We just need to keep going out there and execute.”

Ford teammates Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric also raced hard, to finish P3 and P7 respectively.

In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series five Ford Performance drivers raced their way into the top-10; Brad Keselowski P2, Clint Bowyer P5, Joey Logano P7, Daniel Suárez P8 and Aric Almirola P10.

The NASCAR teams will head to Michigan to race the first of two races at Michigan International Speedway this season. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 361 WINS – 334 POLES!

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a cutting-edge engine development company, with 3 state-of-the-art facilities based in Mooresville, NC; which include Roush Yates Engines, Roush Yates Performance Engines Group, focused on road racing and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class manufacturing center and ISO 9001/AS9100 Rev D certified. The company’s core business includes designing, building, machining, and testing purpose-built race engines and components.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and twin-turbo EcoBoost Ford V6 race engine that powers the Ford GT super car in the IMSA and FIA series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

5 Series – 3 Countries – 98 Races

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Race Report

Track: Pocono Raceway
Race: Pocono Green 250
Date: June 1, 2019

No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 3rd
Stage 1: 5th
Stage 2: 6th
Finish: 7th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 103/103
Laps Led: 6
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-117)

Notes:

Austin Cindric and the No. 22 MoneyLion team scored a seventh-place finish in the Pocono Green 250 Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. Cindric claimed his tenth top-10 in 12 races this season and his second top-10 finish in two races at the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track. He now has 23 top-10 finishes in 46 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts. Cindric remains fourth in the driver point standings, 18 points behind third-place Cole Custer and 117 points behind the leader Tyler Reddick.

The driver of the MoneyLion Ford Mustang started his day at Pocono by qualifying third on Saturday morning. At the drop of the green flag, Cindric picked off second position before the race saw its first caution on lap six. On the restart Cindric was pinned in the center lane and was shuffled back to ninth-place. He fought back over the remaining laps in Stage 1 to score a fifth-place finish when the segment ended on lap 25. Crew chief Brian Wilson made the call to pit during the stage caution on lap 28 for four tires and adjustments. A mix of pit strategies put Cindric ninth in line when the race restarted on lap 31.

The opening laps start of Stage 2 was eventful for the young driver. Cindric made a great save while battling for sixth-place after his MoneyLion Ford got loose. He fell to 12th but rallied back to sixth by the end of the second 25-lap stage on lap 50. This time Wilson chose not to pit during the stage caution, playing a different strategy to only pit twice. Cindric cycled into the lead on lap 53 and held the top spot until lap 58. He held his own on old tires until lap 60 when he fell to the fifth position. Once he reached his fuel window, the driver of the MoneyLion Ford made his second stop of the race under green on lap 64 and returned to the track in 25th position.

Once the field cycled through their stops, Cindric was scored in eighth position. On lap 95 he was involved in an incident with Jeffrey Earnhardt and Tyler Reddick in Turn 2 to bring out the sixth caution. Cindric pitted for four tires during the caution and restarted 12th when the race went green on lap 97. Two laps later, he just slid by a spinning Justin Allgaier in Turn 1, which pushed the race into NASCAR overtime. Cindric rallied over the final two green-flag laps to grab a seventh-place finish at the checkered flag.

Quote: “Not the day we wanted but we will take a seventh-place finish. Really sorry about what happened to the No. 18, just got loose. He had way better short run speed and we chased him down during that run. The No. 2 just got me loose under him and we made contact. I hate it for him and the 18 team. We just have to figure how to make our cars better during the race but that’s racing. We executed the final restart to finish seventh.”

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Pocono Raceway
Race 12 of 33 – 250 miles, 100 laps
June 1, 2019

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Cole Custer*
2nd, Tyler Reddick*
3rd, Chase Briscoe*
4th, Ryan Preece*
5th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
19th, TIMMY HILL
22nd, JEFFREY EARNHARDT
30th, MATT MILLS
31st, JOHN JACKSON
33rd, JOEY GASE
37th, CHAD FINCHUM
38th, BRANDON JONES
*non-Toyota driver

Christopher Bell (fifth) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.

It was Bell’s seventh top-five and eighth top-10 finish in 12 races this season driving the No. 20 Toyota Supra.

After starting from the second position, Bell spun on Lap 18 before rebounding to lead seven laps (of 100).

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 5th

Talk about your top-five finish today.

“We were just kind of slow all day. We didn’t get the finish we wanted. I thought we were going to run second there if the yellow didn’t come out and unfortunately the yellow came out. I started on the bottom and just could never – just wasn’t fast enough to get up there. Bummer, but it was a much needed momentum for after how Charlotte went.”

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

Finishing Position: 38th

What happened out there?

“I’m more frustrated for the guys than myself. I never run great here, so to be running fourth the way we were, to have a really good Supra actually qualify way better than I thought we were going to as well – too good to be true I guess. I don’t know. We’ve just got to keep going. We’ve got really good cars. These guys are working really good in the shop. We’ve just got to keep staying up there.”