Category: XFINITY Series PR

MOORESVILLE, NC, May 7, 2024 – NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Patrick Emerling today revealed his paint scheme for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway. Nearly all entrants showcase a throwback livery for the race, and Emerling is no exception.

This year, Emerling’s Liberty Brew LLC Chevrolet Camaro is a nod to modified racing legend Jan Leaty. Leaty, who was voted one of the 50 Greatest Modified Drivers of All-Time, competed in the NASCAR Modified Tour from its inception in 1985 through 2004 with a return to the series in 2008. Leaty and Emerling have been close friends throughout Emerling’s career, and Leaty has been Emerling’s crew chief for the #07 in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the Race of Champions Modified Series. Leaty is also heavily involved in his son Mike Leaty’s modified racing program.

The throwback scheme includes rails to mimic the look of a modified car as well as the colors from Leaty’s car when he won the Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway in 1996.

“Jan is an amazing modified racer and an absolute legend. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to work with and learn from him, and I’m proud to call him my friend,” said Emerling. “I’m thrilled to be able to honor him in this way, and I hope to make him proud this weekend. I’m thankful to Liberty Brew for their flexibility in altering the car’s scheme to fit with the throwback weekend.”

Fans will have a chance to see the car in person at an event at Liberty Brew Coffee on Thursday, May 9. Emerling’s car will be at the coffee shop in Conway, SC from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Fans can get pictures with the car as well as purchase Liberty Brew’s coffee beans and drinks. Liberty Brew created a specialty blend, Pit Stop Blend, to commemorate their partnership with Emerling.

The green flag drops for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at 1:30 p.m. ET. You can catch the race on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM.

For more information on Patrick Emerling, visit https://www.patrickemerlingracing.com/ or follow him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PatrickEmerling07), X (https://twitter.com/PatrickEmerling) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/patrickemerling/).

COLE CUSTER | RILEY HERBST
Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

• Event: Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 (Round 11 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, May 11
• Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
• Layout: 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval
• Time/TV/Radio: 1:30 p.m. EDT on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• Cole Custer is paying tribute to the early days of Stewart-Haas Racing in Saturday’s Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway with his tribute to one of his racing heroes who was a driver from the Haas CNC Racing era. The No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse will sport a vibrant orange and black scheme that is akin to Johnny Sauter’s 2006 No. 00 car that he drove for Haas CNC Racing in the Xfinity Series. Coincidentally, Custer’s current crew chief, Jonathan Toney, worked as an engineer with Sauter during his time with the team in the mid-to-late 2000s. In 2006, Sauter ran the full Xfinity Series season in the No. 00 car for Haas CNC Racing, earning two top-fives and nine top-10s. He earned one pole, in the October race at the .75-mile Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park oval, and went on to finish the season eighth in the driver standings. Sauter, the 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, returned to Haas CNC Racing for the 2007 season, this time in the NASCAR Cup Series, and Toney made the move with him.
• Saturday’s Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington will mark Custer’s fifth career Xfinity Series start at the track nicknamed “Too Tough to Tame.” Despite never having led a lap at Darlington, the native of Ladera Ranch, California, was credited with the Xfinity Series victory in August 2019 after he crossed the finish line .602 of a second behind apparent race-winner Denny Hamlin. But Hamlin’s racecar was disqualified after a ride-height violation discovered in postrace inspection, giving Custer his sixth of seven Xfinity Series wins that season. In the September 2018 race at Darlington, Custer was runner-up to Brad Keselowski by .738 of a second. Custer finished ninth in his Xfinity Series debut at Darlington in September 2017. Custer has not finished worse than ninth at the track.
• Custer has an additional seven starts outside of the Xfinity Series at Darlington, all in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2020 to 2022. His best outing there was an 11th-place effort in the September 2021 Southern 500. He scored two other Darlington top-15s in the Cup Series – a 12th-place finish in September 2020 and a 14th-place finish in his most recent Cup Series start in September 2022.

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

• Riley Herbst is putting the focus on his unique racing roots as the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns from its second off weekend of the season for Saturday’s Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The No. 98 Ford Mustang will pay homage to Herbst’s family, specifically his father, three-time Baja 1000 champion Troy Herbst, by turning his matte black Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse into bright red with the markings of his family’s business, Terrible’s. Troy, his brothers, Ed and Tim, and Riley’s grandfather dominated the SCORE International Trophy Truck off-road-racing world, especially during the late 1990s and early 2000s with the family’s Terrible Herbst Motorsports team. All four of them were inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. While Riley chose to pursue pavement racing in NASCAR, he still returns to his roots during the offseason to race for the family team in the Baja 1000. Last November, the younger Herbst co-drove with his father to a class victory in the Trophy Truck Spec class. He and the team finished the 2021 and 2022 races ninth and third, respectively.
• Saturday’s 200-mile race will mark the ninth Xfinity Series start at Darlington for Herbst. While he’s experienced a mixed bag of results at the track affectionately known as the “Lady in Black,” he’s also earned some of his career-best finishes there. In his eight prior starts at the track, Herbst has earned three top-10 finishes with a best of third, earned in the May 2022 race on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. While his last race there in September 2023 was an up-and-down day of emotions as he was racing to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, he came out on top with a sixth-place finish after starting 15th. While Herbst seeks his first win of the season at Darlington, he’s doing so with a team that has been victorious twice there in the Xfinity Series – August 2019 with Custer and May 2020 with Chase Briscoe.
• Herbst knows how to win on intermediate tracks. His first career Xfinity Series victory came at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October. Not only did the 25-year-old driver park his Ford Mustang in victory lane, he bested the field by more than 14 seconds, the second largest margin of victories in the series. The team currently holds 17 Xfinity Series wins on NASCAR’s intermediate tracks, nine of which have come with the No. 98 team.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Throwback Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You’re notorious for picking your own throwback paint schemes almost every year at Darlington. What makes you so passionate about picking ones that are meaningful to you?

“Throwback weekend has always been a fun concept for me. I got started racing at such a young age, but I was always a fan of a lot of these people I’m choosing for throwbacks. A lot of them have been connected to Haas Automation and Haas CNC Racing, but it’s always cool to see how we can switch up our paint scheme to honor some of the best drivers in our sport. I’ve done Jason Leffler for several years now, so it’s cool to pick a new one with Johnny Sauter, who also drove the No. 00 for Haas CNC Racing. I was a big Johnny Sauter fan growing up, and I don’t think I missed watching a race during that 2006 season when he drove the No. 00 for the team. The No. 00 has a legacy to it and I’m proud to be a part of it. Johnny was an asset to the beginnings of Haas CNC Racing before it became Stewart-Haas Racing, so I’m proud to be able to honor someone who then went on to be a NASCAR champion like myself.”

Darlington is a difficult track where a lot of drivers struggle to find success. Yet, you’ve earned four top-fives, five top-10s, and one win at the 1.366-mile oval in your five starts. What’s your secret to navigating the track?

“Darlington is called ‘Too Tough to Tame’ for a reason. It’s such a difficult track for a driver. If your car isn’t set up right, it can make for a bad race. I’ve been lucky to have some good runs there and continue to score top-10s, but we still have yet to lead laps at Darlington. I got the win in 2019, but I would like to run up front all day and lead laps. We’ve been close, but we just need that little bit more. Luckily, JT (Jonathan Toney, crew chief) and the guys have been working on it, and I know they’ll bring me a fast racecar this weekend. We’ve been good there, but I know we can be the best of the best.”

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Terrible Herbst Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Darlington has been one of those tracks where you run well but often find bad luck. What do you need to do in order to not only stay out of trouble Saturday, but also find your way to victory lane?

“Honestly, this racetrack is all about being patient. You can’t get too heated if you’re working your way through traffic or it’ll come back to bite you. I’ve had some of my best runs at Darlington and some of my worst. I’ve made some mistakes and gotten back in the pack, which ended up not working out in my favor. Bad luck can hit you hard there, and I can say that I’ve seen both the good side and bad side of Darlington. If we can just stay focused and keep out of bad luck’s way, I know the No. 98 team can find its way to victory lane at Darlington. We’ve had the speed all year, it’s just about staying out of trouble.”

Your throwback scheme is a special one for you as you honor your dad’s championship-winning Trophy Truck and your family’s off-road racing legacy. What does it mean to be able to pay tribute to not only your family, but your very unique racing roots?

“This throwback means a lot to me. Not many people in the sport come from an off-road-racing background like mine. It’s just not as common. My dad used to show up to racetracks and when people saw that red Trophy Truck come off the trailer, they knew they were all racing for second. He’s had such an influence in motorsports, even if it wasn’t specifically NASCAR. Off-road racing was what I grew up around and knew best. I chose to pursue NASCAR to make a career out of it, but I’ve been going back every offseason to race in the Baja 1000 with my family’s team. To be able to run this paint scheme means a lot, and I hope I can put it in victory lane for Monster Energy, Terrible’s, and my family at Darlington.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C.: Rette Jones Racing (RJR) confirmed today that it is expanding its Motorsports platform this season to include a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule with Cup Series driver Noah Gragson, beginning with the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on May 25, 2024.

The Mooresville, N.C.-based team has formed a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing for its limited schedule, which includes Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway on June 29, Michigan International Speedway on August 17 and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on August 31, 2024.

The two-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series race winner is also a two-time Xfinity Series race champion at Darlington, the iconic track dubbed “Too Tough to Tame.”

Gragson, a native of Las Vegas, Nev., is no stranger to the Rette Jones Racing team. Gragson and RJR have partnered for various Super Late Model events, including the Snowball Derby at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway in December 2023.

Gragson, who pilots the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Darkhorse in the NASCAR Cup Series, will return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway on November 22, 2022.

Since 2018, Gragson, 25, has made 135 Xfinity starts, earned two poles, won 13 races, delivered 62 top-five and 96 top-10 finishes, and finished a career-best second in the Xfinity Series championship standings driving for JR Motorsports during the 2022 season.

“Having had strong runs in their Super Late Model at the grassroots level, I’m excited to partner with Rette Jones Racing as we take on the next challenge in the Xfinity Series,” said Gragson. “Terry, Lisa, Kasey, Mackie Jones, Jonathan Aarts and Mark Rette have played an instrumental role in my racing career and have become like family.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Xfinity Series again and hope to pick up where we left off.”

Gragson will pilot the No. 30 Ford Mustang in the Xfinity Series competition for Rette Jones Racing. Stewart-Haas Racing, AM Racing, and RSS Racing are the other Xfinity Series teams carrying the famous blue oval livery.

“This is an important step for the overall long-term plans for Rette Jones Racing,” offered RJR co-owner Terry Jones. “Noah has been instrumental in helping our Late Model program excel, but his presence thrives outside of the cockpit as he is instrumental in the growth and development of the other young drivers who funnel through our other motorsports programs.

“He is the perfect driver to launch our Xfinity Series program and we expect him to deliver strong results right away.”

Mark Rette, the other co-owner of Rette Jones Racing and the 2009 ARCA Menards Series championship crew chief, is thrilled to not only extend another branch of competition for Rette Jones Racing but also to have the opportunity to lead the organization as crew chief with Gragson at the helm.

“Expanding Rette Jones Racing to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is no small task, but we believe that with our technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and the support of Ford and Ford Performance, we will execute our debut with flying colors and not only put a competitive product on the track for Noah but also contend for strong results in our upcoming races this summer.

“As Terry said, Noah is not just another driver to walk through our doors; he is family, and his enthusiastic and ambitious attitude will help make our NASCAR Xfinity Series presence memorable, starting in Charlotte.”

In addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Gragson will compete for Rette Jones Racing in two ARCA Menards Series races in 2024. Gragson will compete in the upcoming ARCA Menards Series West race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June and bookend his two-race ARCA program with RJR in the ARCA Menards Series final road course race of the season at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in September.

RJR will continue to field a full-time ASA STARS National Tour effort for Canadian Kyle Steckly while also competing in other select ARCA Menards Series races through October 2024.

For more on Noah Gragson, like him on Facebook (Noah Gragson Racing) and follow him on Instagram (@noahgragson), TikTok and X | Twitter (@NoahGragson).

For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing), or follow them on Instagram (@RetteJones30) and X | Twitter (@RetteJones30).

The BetMGM 300 (200 laps | 200 miles) is the 12th of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2024 schedule. Practice will occur on Fri., May 24, 2024, from 3:35 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 4:05 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Sat., May 25, 2024, shortly after 1:00 p.m., with live coverage on FOX, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).

About Rette Jones Racing:

Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the intent of building a successful racing operation built around the fundamentals of hard work and a never-give-up attitude.

Owned by racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR plans to field a full-time entry in 2024 in the ASA STARS National Tour Series while also planning to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series platform and NASCAR respectively.

Rette Jones Racing also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
BetRivers 200

Date: April 27, 2024
Event: BetRivers 200 (Round 10 of 33)
Series: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway (1-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Note: Race extended eight laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Ryan Truex of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 11th / Finished 5th, Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 2nd / Finished 16th, Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (2nd with 393 points, one out of first)
● Riley Herbst (6th with 303 points, 91 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his fifth top-five of the season and his fifth top-five in eight career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover.
● Custer has not finished worse than 13th at Dover in his Xfinity Series career.
● This was Custer’s fifth straight top-10 at Dover.

● This was Custer’s eighth straight top-10. He finished second March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, fifth March 9 at Phoenix Raceway, fourth March 23 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin Texas, 10th March 30 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, eighth April 6 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, fifth April 13 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, and 10th last Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

● Custer finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and won Stage 2 to earn 10 more bonus points and one playoff point.

● Custer led once for 95 laps to increase his laps-led total at Dover to 332.

● Herbst finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Truex won the BetRivers 200 under caution to score his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season, and his second at Dover.

● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 61 laps.

● Twenty of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Chandler Smith remains the championship leader after Dover with a one-point advantage over second-place Cole Custer.

Sound Bites:

“Those final 50 laps were pretty frustrating with the rain and trying to make that call on pit road. In hindsight, we probably should have pitted, and I think we probably would have won. My No. 00 guys did such a great job with our Ford Mustang Dark Horse. It was definitely a dominant car, and it just shows a lot of promise for our cars moving forward. I think when we hit it right and get everything clicking, we’re lights out and it’s going to be hard to beat us. We just have to keep bringing cars like that to the track and we’ll win one soon.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“The speed is fine, for sure. I guess the No. 7 car got back at us from last week, so it is what it is, and we’ll move on. Our No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse was fast all day. We should have finished third at worst, and we finished 16th. It was just a rough ending for us.” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Darlington 200 on May 11 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Jesse Love Leads Laps In The No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Dover Motor Speedway Before Late Race Incident

Finish: 24th
Start: 8th
Points: 4th

“We had a fast Whelen Chevrolet today at Dover Motor Speedway. At the beginning of the race, our Chevy was a little tight but as the race progressed it began to get free off Turns 3 and 4. Danny Stockman and the crew did a great job with the adjustments and keeping up with the changes in the track. During the second stage of the race, we led a lot of laps, and we were setting ourselves up for a solid finish. The No. 20 car got into me going into Turn 1 and it cut our left rear tire down. I had to make a green flag stop for the left side tires and that caused us to go two laps down. Towards the end of the race, we were running top-five lap times trying to make up as much ground as possible to get back what we lost having to pit under green. I’m proud of the effort everyone at Richard Childress Racing put in this weekend. I feel like we had a good shot to pick up another top-five finish. We will take the weekend off, recharge, and return in two weeks at Darlington Raceway.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Nuthin Fancy Chevrolet Team Contend for Victory at Dover Motor Speedway Before Late-Race Spin Foils Their Run

Finish: 15th
Start: 4th
Points: 3rd

“All in all, it was a solid day for the Nuthin Fancy Collection Chevrolet. We’re showing a lot of speed everywhere we go and that’s promising. This one is on me for not getting the job done on the green-white-checkered restart. I’m more frustrated with myself on the restart before the last one. I lost the lead to the No. 18 (Sheldon Creed) and got back underneath him. We were racing it out hard and then the No. 88 (Carson Kvapil) got by us. He had a really good run off the corner and got clear. I had a really big run on him off Turn 4 and unfortunately the caution came out. When we restarted there on the bottom, I got a pretty good jump. I committed to not lifting until pretty late in the corner. I was going to try to run him up the hill like other drivers had been doing to me throughout the day and it just didn’t work. I got super loose and ended up spinning. We were going for it. It was a green-white-checkered and you’re not going to lift and you’re going to do everything you can to win the race.” -Austin Hill

RYAN TRUEX EARNS 200TH JOE GIBBS RACING AND TOYOTA XFINITY VICTORY
Truex goes back-to-back at Dover with a stellar double-overtime restart

DOVER, Del. (April 27, 2024) – Ryan Truex took the lead on the double-overtime restart and earned his second straight win at Dover Motor Speedway. With the win, Truex scored the 200th win for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota together in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s two full-time drivers also had solid afternoons with Sheldon Creed finishing fourth and Chandler Smith scored in the seventh.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Dover Motor Speedway
Race 9 of 33 – 200 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, RYAN TRUEX
2nd, Carson Kvapil*
3rd, Sam Mayer*
4th, SHELDON CREED
5th, Cole Custer*
7th, CHANDLER SMITH
34th, TAYLOR GRAY
35th, COREY HEIM
38th, JJ YELEY
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

RYAN TRUEX, No. 20 The Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

How good does it feel to win here again at Dover?

“That was not as easy at last year. Halfway through the race, I felt like crap. I’m running 10th or whatever – after dominating last year – kind of felt embarrassed, like I wasn’t doing my job enough. The last pit stop, I totally butchered it, and slid through the box. We just had really good restarts there at the end. I picked the right lanes. Our GR Supra was as fast as Xfinity internet that last few runs. I felt like I could go like three laps, and that is where I started to get loose – so that was big for me. I just kept made spots up. I’ve never won a race like that where I wasn’t very good, and just stole one, so that feels really good.”

Did you see them behind you starting to wreck?

“No, I didn’t. I was just focused on not overdriving it, and not let the 88 (Carson Kvapil) get to me. I knew if he did – he would try to get to my left rear and get me loose, because he knew that I was loose. We were around each other a lot today – the big thing for me was just get away. He hung on my door in (turns) one and two. He did what he was supposed to do. He got me loose, I just drove it and was honestly, if I spin out, whatever. We made it this far – very proud of this. Thanks to the team for sticking with me after not making the best moves today.”

SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

Wild finish there. Can you talk about your race?

“Yeah, chaotic there. We got a caution for rain with 30 or 40 left. We kind of split it – half of us pitted half of us didn’t. We decided to pit and then people were diving off because they were running out of fuel, and that just helped us. We got to restart on the front row with 10 to go and got the lead and the 21 (Austin Hill) and I were racing really hard there, and just couldn’t quite get rid of him. Every time, I would get clear, he would just pack air and get me loose. Just good racing for the lead honestly. I appreciate everyone at Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.