Saturday, March 19
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 3 of 23
Event: Fr8 208 (135 laps, 208 miles)
Schedule
Friday, March 18
Practice: 3:05 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 19
Qualifying: 10:30 a.m. ET
Race: 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)
Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Wastequip Ford F-150
- The Fr8 208 on Saturday afternoon will mark the third start of Deegan’s sophomore season and 26th of her career.
- Deegan is hoping to turn her luck around this weekend after sustaining damage in each of the first two races this season. The previous race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway saw the Temecula, California native’s day end early, retiring after 44 laps.
- The Ford development driver has one previous start at Atlanta Motor Speedway finishing 21st last season. The new configuration should present an intriguing challenge for the entire field when the track goes green for practice on Friday afternoon.
- With the new surface, you can essentially toss the record book out the window. However, Mike Hillman Jr. has had quite the career at the 1.5-mile Georgia oval. In 17 NCWTS starts, the veteran has one win, six top-fives and 11 top-10s.
Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150
- Tanner Gray will compete in the 51st race of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career when the series visits the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia this weekend.
- Off to the best start of his young career, Gray has back-to-back top-five finishes in the first two races of the season, finishing fourth at Daytona and fifth at Las Vegas.
- After the first two events, the Ford Performance driver sits second in the series standings, five points behind point leader Chandler Smith and 10 points ahead of third-place Ty Majeski.
- Unlike most of the field, Friday’s practice session will not be the first laps on the new Atlanta surface for Gray. The 22-year-old served as the Ford representative at the manufacturer test back in January and hopes that the speed he showed at the test will parlay into a third consecutive top-five run.
Ryan Preece, No. 17 United Rentals Ford F-150
- Ryan Preece will make his second of seven starts behind the wheel of the No. 17 F-150 on Saturday afternoon. United Rentals will return as the primary partner for the second of three races in 2022.
- At Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, the Connecticut native qualified fifth and finished fourth after nearly snagging the lead in the closing laps of the 134-lap event.
- Preece has an impressive 1-2-3 stat line thus far in the NCWTS. He has one win, two top-fives and three top-10s in his three career starts.
- On the previous configuration of Atlanta, Preece has six career starts between the Cup and Xfinity Series’ with one top-10.
