JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Darlington Raceway
RACE: Shriners Children’s 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
DATE: Saturday, May 13, 2023
Broadcast Information – TV: 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX / Radio: 1 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
- Sam Mayer heads to Darlington Raceway this weekend coming off a top-10 finish at Dover Motor Speedway that bumped him up to 11th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings.
- In three NXS starts at “The Lady in Black,” Mayer has scored one top-five finish, earned in this race last season.
- In tracks measuring under 1.5 miles in length, the Franklin, Wis. native has made 21 starts and has recorded seven topfive and 10 top-10 finishes, with his best (third) coming at Richmond Raceway (spring 2022).
- The No. 1 Chevrolet will feature a throwback scheme to Kurt Busch’s rookie year paint scheme from 2001 this weekend.
Josh Berry
No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet
- Josh Berry returns to Darlington this weekend with a special throwback paint scheme honoring the No. 8 machine campaigned in 1996 by Hut Stricklin. The car features Tire Pros colors that correlate with Stricklin’s Cup Series paint scheme from that year.
- In four starts at the “Track Too Tough to Tame,” Berry has a second-place result in the spring of 2021 and an eighthplace result in the fall race last season.
- Berry has been near the front all season long and comes off his best finish of the season (second) two weeks ago at Dover Motor Speedway.
Brandon Jones
No. 9 Menards/Cheez-It Chevrolet
- Brandon Jones has made 10 starts at “The Lady in Black” and has recorded one win, two top-five and five top-10 finishes. The 26-year-old’s win came during the 2020 season.
- In 121 starts on tracks measuring between 1-2 miles in length in the NXS, Jones has recorded four wins, 18 top fives and 54 top 10s. Jones has also posted the quick time in qualifying in six of those events.
- Crew chief Jason Burdett has been atop the pit box for 10 races at Darlington and has put together an impressive stat line with two wins, four top fives and eight top 10s.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture 70th Anniversary Heritage Chevrolet
- Justin Allgaier heads to Darlington this weekend looking for his third consecutive victory in the spring event at the “Track Too Tough To Tame.”
- In addition to the two wins, Allgaier has placed inside the top five in three out of the last four races. With a top-10 finish in the fourth event, it’s a record dating back to his May 2021 victory.
- In 15 career NXS starts at Darlington, the Illinois native has earned six top fives and 11 top 10s.
- This weekend, Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet will be paying homage to the 70th anniversary of primary partner BRANDT Professional Agriculture with the BRANDT Heritage Camaro.
Driver Quotes
“Throwback weekend is always fun and I am excited to honor Kurt Busch with his rookie year paint scheme. I had a really good run in this race last season and really looking forward to going back there with this No. 1 team this weekend. I am hopeful that we can turn our luck around coming off this off-week and contend for some wins.” – Sam Mayer
“I love racing in Darlington. This is a place that has been really strong for us since I came to JRM and I can’t wait to see what we can do this weekend. We’ve run up front in each of the last handful of races here, and have been fortunate enough to come away with two wins in the process. Hopefully, we will be just as fast again this Saturday, especially with our special BRANDT Professional Agriculture 70th anniversary Heritage Chevrolet. It would be pretty special to be able to bring this scheme to Victory Lane for Rick (Brandt) and everyone at BRANDT.” – Justin Allgaier
“We were pretty good at Darlington my first season and we were in the top 10 here in the fall, so I’m looking for a good day with our No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet. It’s an honor to carry Hut Stricklin’s scheme from 1996, and Tire Pros does an awesome job in supporting our throwback efforts. We’ve been good all season and been close to some wins, and I’d sure like to get one for Tire Pros and this No. 8 team this weekend.” – Josh Berry
“It was a good off week but I’m ready to get back behind the wheel of this Menards/Cheez-It No. 9. Darlington is one of my favorite tracks with the worn-out surface and how much the tires wear out during a run. I’ve had some success here and this No. 9 team has found Victory Lane a few times, so my confidence is high this week. This is the week to get this No. 9 team a great finish and get more momentum going in our direction.” – Brandon Jones
JRM Team Updates
- JR Motorsports at Darlington: JR Motorsports has competed at Darlington Raceway a combined 59 times in the NXS. Over the course of those starts at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame,” JRM has tallied six wins, 19 top fives and 37 top 10s. The organization has tamed “The Lady in Black” for four consecutive races at the 1.366-mile oval with Noah Gragson and Justin Allgaier both winning two each.
- Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones will be at the JR Motorsports / Legacy M.C. souvenir rig in the Darlington Raceway Fan Zone on Saturday, May 13 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Throwback Weekend: This weekend at Darlington Raceway JRM drivers Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry will be running unique schemes aboard their respective Camaros. Mayer is running a similar livery to Kurt Busch’s scheme from his rookie season in 2001. Josh Berry is throwing back to Hut Stricklin’s 1996 Cup colors, a scheme that Stricklin took to a second-place finish in the Southern 500 after leading 143 laps. Justin Allgaier takes the No. 7 way back as he ru
