SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway | Food City 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 Go Bowling 250: 23rd (Event Formula)
Driver Points Position: 22nd
Owner Points Position: 27th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 708; competed last at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on August 22 and 23, 2020 (Start: 23rd | Finish: 18th)
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)
Notes of Interest:
Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy and its sister products will continue its role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro. Bristol Motor Speedway is the 17th race in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the former ARCA Menards Series winner.
Bucked Up is the everyman (or woman) energy drink. We don’t care about the color of your collar; whether blue or white, we all require energy to power our days. We want something that tastes like success, enhances mood and focus, and most of all delivers long-lasting energy.
Richmond Raceway Doubleheader Recap: Joe Graf Jr.’s return to Richmond (Va.) Raceway was filled with mixed results in the final NASCAR Xfinity Series doubleheader at the legendary 0.875-mile paved oval.
During Friday night’s Go Bowling 250, Graf took advantage of a well-balanced No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro to charge to a 19th-place finish.
However, during Saturday afternoon’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 250, the SS GreenLight Racing struggled with the handling of their Chevrolet Camaro which yielded the team to a disappointing 27th place run.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Bristol Motor Speedway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his second career start at Bristol Motor Speedway in Friday night’s race.
In June, Graf Jr. made his Thunder Valley debut where he started 36th and charged to a season-high lead lap 13th place effort in the No. 08 Core Development Group Chevrolet Camaro.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Short Track Nuggets: At tracks classified as short tracks with a track length of under 1.0-mile, Graf has five previous NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, including the two most recent races at Richmond Raceway.
He holds an average starting position of 23.6 and an average result of 18.4 and has been running at the conclusion of all five events.
Joe Graf Jr. ARCA Menards Series Career Short Track Nuggets: At tracks classified as short tracks with a track length of under 1.0-mile, Graf has competed in 18 ARCA Menards Series races. He holds an average starting position of 9.8 and an average result of 8.8, including a win at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway in 2018.
Vote For Me: Voting is open for the 2020 edition of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver.
Approved voters are allowed to vote for their favorite NASCAR Xfinity Series driver at least one time per day for the next two months through Mon., Nov. 9, 2020.
To cast your vote for Joe Graf Jr. visit, nascar.com/xfinitymostpopulardriver.
Back To School Too: While juggling a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule with SS GreenLight Racing, college life has resumed for Joe Graf Jr.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Graf Jr. has resorted to online classes at the University of New York, where he is pursuing a degree in business, media and sports management.
The Second Half: Despite the coronavirus pandemic which shuttered NASCAR Xfinity Series races for more than two months, the series recently reached the halfway point of their season at Kansas Speedway in late July.
Now, 25 races down, eight races to go, Graf Jr. is ranked 22nd in the Xfinity Series championship standings and looks to improve his average finish of 23rd over the final seven weeks of the season.
Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 80 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.
Did You Know? While NASCAR Xfinity Series competition was idle during the coronavirus pandemic for two months, Joe Graf Jr. got busy.
Whether it was working out, spending time on iRacing in the Pro Series Invitational or Saturday Night Thunder, Graf recently gave an insider view on how his quarantine went and offered even a little insight on himself as a person.
Click here to watch the video.
From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Patrick Donahue is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief. He will crew chief his 179th NASCAR Xfinity Series races on Friday night. In his previous 178 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.
He has nine prior Xfinity races as crew chief at Bristol with a best finish of sixth in August 2019 with Gray Gaulding.
This Is 2020: Entering Bristol, Graf Jr. has 28 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four top-15 and 10 top-20 finishes. After 25 races in 2020, he stands 22nd in the championship standings with eight races remaining.
Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing. Veteran Gray Gaulding returns to the seat of the No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Chevrolet on Friday night.
The 22-year-old will make his third Xfinity start of 2020, all with SS GreenLight Racing.
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 Richmond (Va.) Raceway: “We didn’t have a terrible weekend at Richmond and after our performance on Friday night, we were looking forward to Saturday, but unfortunately we didn’t make the necessary adjustments to be a factor.
“Still, I’m proud of our No. 08 Bucked Up Energy team, because we learned a lot and made some strides.”
On Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway: “I’m stoked to return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. Surprisingly, we had a relatively clean race in June and I learned so much in my Bristol debut.
“It took me a little while to get comfortable and adjusted to the track’s demands, but during the second half of the race, we had a lot of speed in our car and we left there with our best finish of the season.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to get back on the track and improve on our June finish and hopefully contending for a top-10 finish on Friday night.”
Race Information:
The Food City 300 (300 laps | 159.9 miles) is the 26th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 37-car field will take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 18, 2020, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).
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.
