SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) | COTA 250
Fast Facts
No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): G-Coin
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro
Crew Chief: Mike Tyska
Driver Points Position: 25th | Owner Points Position: 35th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 720; competed last at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course on Feb. 20, 2021 (Start: Ninth | Finish: 20th)
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)
Notes of Interest:
Welcome Aboard: This weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), SS GreenLight Racing and Joe Graf Jr. welcome G-Coin as the primary partner of the team’s No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro for Saturday afternoon’s COTA 250.
COTA marks the first of a multi-race deal where G-Coin, a product that brings gold into the digital age, making it accessible and giving it true utility will be the primary partner.
About G-Coin: Unlike cryptocurrencies, G-Coin is a digital title to a real asset: 1 G-Coin token equals 1 gram of Responsible GoldTM.
G-Coin combines the best qualities of traditional gold – stability, security, value, confidence, and social status – with the benefits of digital innovation, allowing users to easily save, send, and spend gold.
Tech-savvy investors keen to avoid cryptocurrency volatility, or physical storage burden and costs, are now able to purchase G-Coin digital gold tokens. G-Coin tokens can be purchased in increments of 0.01gram, giving individual investors better access to the gold market and the ability to use gold for day-to-day purchases.
G-Coin Wallets give users the freedom to send and receive value instantly, securely, and at no cost from the convenience of your mobile phone.
You can watch the official wrapping of the No. 07 G-Coin car here.
G-Coin Tip of the Week: Gold is historically stable and maintains its value over the long term. It has successfully preserved wealth over thousands of generations.
Soon, G-Coin can instantly be used as cash with a swipe of the G-Coin debit card. It will also be available to transfer or used for payment.
Saving You Some Money: As summer approaches, Joe Graf Jr.’s other marketing partner Z Grills wants to help the NASCAR community save money – but also enjoy the perfect barbecue.
On the heels of their third race partnership of the season last weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Z Grills Racing (ZGrillsRacing.com) is offering a 10 percent discount off your TOTAL purchase, using the code NASCAR at checkout.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Circuit of the America Stats: Joe Graf Jr. joins the rest of the NASCAR Xfinity Series field by making his first start at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday afternoon in the inaugural COTA 250.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Road Course Nuggets: At tracks classified as a road course, Graf has competed in five NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America (Wisc.), the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course twice and the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL, respectively.
He holds an average starting position of 24.0 (per rule book) and an average result of 22.4 with 99 percent of the laps complete.
Dover (Del.) International Speedway | Drydene 200 Race Recap: In the series’ most recent race at Dover, the 22-year-old battled back from being one lap down to getting his No. 07 Z Grills Chevrolet back on the lead lap and slicing and dicing his way through the field before an unscheduled pit stop under green for a loose wheel ruined any hopes of a satisfying finish.
Instead, he finished 29th in his third Monster Mile start.
Put Me In Coach: In an effort to strengthen his physique, Joe Graf Jr. began working with a new trainer and former NASCAR Cup Series Josh Wise during the offseason.
In addition to Wise, Graf has also been working with former NASCAR driver and open-wheel driver Scott Speed on being more discipline behind the wheel of his No. 07 G-Coin Chevrolet Camaro.
From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Mike Tyska is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.
He will crew chief his 11th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday afternoon.
Tyska joined SS GreenLight Racing in January after honing his skills in all three of NASCAR’s national divisions and working for teams like Germain Racing, GMS Racing and Rick Ware Racing.
Tyska was a part of Todd Bodine’s 2006 championship season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Germain Racing.
Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing. Cole Custer will drive the No. 17 Production Alliance Group Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon.
Custer, a full-time competition in the NASCAR Cup Series is poised to make his 105th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at COTA. In 11 previous Xfinity road course starts, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver has one top-five and nine top-10 finishes overall.
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 Circuit of the Americas: “I am optimistic about Circuit of the Americas this weekend. This is going to be a tough race because it is incredibly stacked, especially with several drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series planning to compete.
“I’ve done a lot to prepare myself for this weekend and I hope that pays off throughout the weekend. Hopefully, we will have a solid debut for G-Coin and have some momentum for next weekend at Charlotte.”
On New G-Coin Partnership: “This is a unique partnership, and I am excited to officially welcome G-Coin to NASCAR and our SS GreenLight Racing team. G-Coin is building an amazing ecosystem and we believe the NASCAR community will put G-Coin on the global map. Plus, we will strike gold in our No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro with some strong finishes on the track.”
On Recent Performances: “The last several races have been tough; however, it is during times like this that all your mental discipline and training really come to the forefront.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of mental toughness in overcoming obstacles you don’t control. We have an amazing pit crew, but two weeks in a row they have suffered late-race problems that ruined our day.
“When I look at the speed and balance of our cars this year they are much better than last year. That isn’t from luck. That is from the hard work and grind it out mental toughness of this team.
“It’s such a shame that we have had such a rough month or so, but this is no different from life. We all experience highs and lows in life. Like anyone at a low point, we are going to remain mentally tough and keep moving forward. We embrace the suck. We
know it can’t last.
“Going forward we are going to focus on what we can control and continue to execute at our highest level. There are a ton of races left in the season and hopefully, we have shaken the bad luck. I would be worried if our cars lacked competitiveness, but they don’t. We have a lot of racing left and we are due for some good luck.”
Race Information:
The COTA 250 (46 laps | 156 miles) is the 11th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2021 schedule. Practice is set for Fri., May 21 from 3:00 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Sat., May 22 beginning at 10:05 a.m. The inaugural race will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 3:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. ET) with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (CT).
About SS Green Light Racing:
As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing led by team owner and former driver Bobby Dotter has been a mainstay in the sport fielding entries in either the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or the Xfinity Series competition since 2001.
SS GreenLight Racing will continue with a two-car program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021.
