SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway | Alsco Uniforms 300
Fast Facts
No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up Energy
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro
Crew Chief: Mike Tyska
Alsco Uniforms 300 Starting Position: 26th (Based on event formula)
2021 Driver Points Position: 15th | 2021 Owner Points Position: 19th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 708; competed last at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Feb. 27, 2021 (Start: 16th | Finish: 27th).
Chassis No. 708 is also the same car that Graf Jr. raced in both NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway in June 2020 and at Texas Motor Speedway on October 24, 2020.
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)
Notes of Interest:
Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy and its sister products will continue their role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend. Las Vegas is the fourth race of 2021 but is the 26th race overall 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.
Bucked Up A Little More: In addition to serving as the primary marketing partner for Joe Graf Jr. this weekend at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Bucked Up will serve as the title partner of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Bucked Up 200 at LVMS on Fri., Mar. 5.
Additionally, Joe Graf Jr. investor and Buffalo Bills running back Antonio Williams will serve as the grand marshal for the third Truck Series race of the season.
Did You See All That Smoke?: Z Grills, one of the most respected names in pellet grills was officially announced last Friday as a new marketing partner for Joe Graf Jr. and SS GreenLight Racing with their debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series set for March 13th, 2021 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.
As an industry-leading manufacture for more than 30 years, Z Grills manufactured grills, kitchen equipment and outdoor products for several top brands in the industry.
Z Grills 8 in 1 pellet grills can grill, smoke, bake, roast, sear, braise, barbecue or char-grill.
See how Joe Graf Jr. cooks with Z Grills by clicking here.
Year of the Underdogs: Heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway last weeK, Buffalo Bills running back Antonio Williams and a personal investor in Joe Graf Jr.’s racing career launched a video on Twitter offering an exclusive glimpse into his personal life and his reason for wanting to be a part of NASCAR – exclusively with Graf Jr.
Since its release last Thursday night, the video has gone viral with over 125,000 views and feedback from some of the sports’ icons including retired NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and current 23XI Racing driver Darrell Wallace Jr.
The video has since been uploaded on YouTube and can be seen clicking here.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Las Vegas Starts: Sophomore NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Joe Graf Jr. will make his third start at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway on Saturday, Mar. 6, 2021.
In his debut at LVMS, Graf Jr. was leading when the rain was postponed for rain. He went on to finish 20th in the Boyd Gaming 300. When he returned in the fall, he finished a disappointing 27th.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Intermediate Nuggets: At tracks greater than 1.0-mile in size, Graf has competed in 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 23.7 and an average result of 22.4.
Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Recap: After starting 16th, Joe Graf Jr. was able to maintain a presence inside the top-20 for much of the Contender Boats 250, but a series of late-race circumstances slid the No. 07 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro in the running order to 27th when the checkered flag was thrown.
From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Mike Tyska is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.
He will crew chief his fourth 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. Veteran JJ Yeley will drive the No. 17 Work Pro Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon.
Yeley is set to make his 337th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and 15th at the 1.5-mile speedway. Last year, he qualified a track-best fifth for Jimmy Means Racing, but has a best finish of eighth in 2006 driving for Joe Gibbs 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 Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Las Vegas is special to me because it is the first laps I led in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition. With that being said, we want to have a strong rebound from the fall race last year and from Homestead last weekend.
“Las Vegas is a fun place to race but you have to make sure the car rotates like you want so you can set yourself up to make the passes to move forward. I am hoping for a strong finish to carry some momentum for the West Coast swing.”
On First Races Of 2021 Season: “Overall, I think we are satisfied. We didn’t have the performance we wanted last week at Homestead, but it was not because of the lack of effort, just had some misfortune late in the race.
“I think our team is capable of a lot this season and I’m eager to showcase that as the year marches on.”
On New Z Grills Partnership: “I am thrilled to welcome Z Grills to NASCAR and to our SS GreenLight Racing team. Grilling at race tracks has always been a staple of the environment whether you are up close and personal with the race team or race fans bonding in the infield talking about their race track experience.
“I’m excited about all the levels we can make the partnership grow throughout the season.”
Race Information:
The Alsco Uniforms 300 (200 laps | 300 miles) is the fourth of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2021 schedule. The 40-car field will take the green flag on Sat., Mar. 6, 2021, shortly after 4:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. local) with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.
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 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.
