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 Kansas Lottery 250: 34th (Random Draw)
Driver Points Position: 21st
Owner Points Position: 26th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 711; competed last at Texas Motor Speedway on July 18, 2020 (Start: 25th | Finish: 21st)
Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 250 will mark the first time this particular chassis has competed at Kansas Speedway.
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)
Notes of Interest:
Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy will continue its role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro. Kansas is the ninth 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.
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 60 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.
Career Best Finish At Kentucky!: Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Joe Graf Jr., tied his career-best finish for the third time during the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season two weeks ago at Kentucky Speedway when the Mahwah, N.J. native finished 13th.
He also finished 13th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Jun. 1, 2020 and at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Jun. 14, 2020.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Kansas Speedway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Saturday afternoon’s Kansas Lottery 250 at Kansas Speedway.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Intermediate Nuggets: At tracks greater than 1.0-mile in size, Graf has competed in 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 23.2 and an average result of 20.0
Joe Graf Jr. ARCA Menards Series Kansas Speedway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. has two ARCA Menards Series starts at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway from 2018-2019.
He earned a track-best of ninth last October driving the No. 77 EAT SLEEP RACE Ford Fusion after starting 21st.
Joe Graf Jr. ARCA Menards Series Career Intermediate Nuggets: At tracks greater than 1.0-mile in size, Graf has competed in eight ARCA Menards Series races. He holds an average starting position of 11.8 and an average result of 12.9.
Despite 39 starts in the ARCA Menards Series between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Graf Jr. never made a start at Kentucky Speedway. However, in his last ARCA Menards Series race, he finished ninth after starting 21st at Kansas Speedway in October 2019, a track with similar characteristics to Kentucky Speedway.
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 video.
From The Pit Box: Industry veteran Patrick Donahue is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief. He will crew chief his 169th NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday afternoon. In his previous 168 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.
He has four prior Xfinity races as crew chief at Kansas Speedway with a best finish of 15th in October 2018 with Joey Gase.
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 Texas Motor Speedway: “We had a much better No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet than our finish showed. Our strategy near the end of the race didn’t work out exactly as planned, but that happens.
“Still, I learned a lot in my Texas Motor Speedway debut and hope that experience will be beneficial for our return later this year.”
On Kansas Speedway: “I’m looking forward to Kansas Speedway this weekend. I have two prior starts there in ARCA. I know the cars are different, but it helps going to a track that you have prior experience at – even if the vehicles are different.
“We didn’t get a good draw in qualifying, so we have a long way to go, but if we practice patience and let the race come to us, hopefully, we can come out of there with a good finish to carry us into the off weekend.”
On Reaching Halfway Point of 2020: “It’s hard to believe that with the pandemic and everything, we’re at the halfway point of 2020. I’ve learned a lot in the first half and I’ve set what I think are obtainable goals for the rest of the year.
“I feel like we’ve made some huge strides with our No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet and as long as we continue to make gains, we are going in the right direction.”
Race Information:
The Kansas Lottery 250 (167 laps | 250.5 miles) is the 17th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 37-car field will take the green flag shortly after 4:00 p.m. on Sat., Jul. 18, 2020 with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Central).
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.
