JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Daytona International Speedway
RACE: Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (100 laps / 250 miles)
DATE: Friday, Aug. 26, 2022
Broadcast Information – TV: 7:30 p.m. ET on USA / Radio: 7 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer has two starts at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway with a best finish of 12th coming in his first race at the speedway in 2021. Mayer also led his first career lap in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona in that same race.
• In nine career starts on tracks 2 miles or more in the NXS, Mayer has two top-10 finishes, with the best being a sixthplace run at both Pocono Raceway and Auto Club Speedway this season.
• The Franklin, Wis. native battled back to a sixth-place finish last week at Watkins Glen International after being spun during Stage Two.
Josh Berry
No. 8 Tire Pros “Summer for Heroes” Chevrolet
• Josh Berry has two starts at Daytona with a best finish of 16th coming at the 2022 season opening race.
• In 10 starts on tracks measuring 2 or more miles in length, Berry has recorded three top fives and six top 10s.
• With only a Truck Series start at Watkins Glen, Berry raced inside of the top 10 for the majority of last week’s NXS race before finishing ninth, earning his 13th top-10 finish of the season.
• Berry has now finished inside of the top 10 in three of the last four NXS races dating back to Pocono Raceway. With 13 top-10 finishes this season, he also surpassed his previous career high of 12.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson holds a series-leading 12 top-five finishes this season in NXS competition.
• He has one NXS victory at Daytona, winning the season opener in 2020. It was the his first of eight NXS victories to date with JRM.
• On NASCAR’s superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, Gragson has amassed two victories, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 14 starts. The Nevada native won at Talladega in the spring.
• Gragson has completed 97.7 percent of the total laps and earned three wins so far in 2022. He’s also led 472 laps, second only to Justin Allgaier among JRM drivers.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 hellowater Chevrolet
• In 23 NXS starts at “The World Center of Racing,” Justin Allgaier has earned six top fives, 10 top 10s and has earned a best finish of second (twice – July 2016, Feb. 2019).
• Through two superspeedway starts this season, Allgaier has scored a best finish of fifth, coming in the season-opening event at Daytona.
• Overall, Allgaier has recorded 10 top fives and 17 top 10s in a combined 37 starts in the NXS at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway.
• Allgaier is tied for the second-highest number of top fives this season with 10. He currently sits third in the NXS standings with four races remaining in the regular season.
Driver Quotes
“Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this entire Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team have put together really fast cars the last few weeks and especially at these speedway races. We’ve run towards the front in almost all of them and if we can stay out of the mess this weekend, there’s no reason we can’t fight for the first win of the season for this team. I can’t wait to see what this No. 1 can do.” – Sam Mayer
“JR Motorsports has always brought extremely strong Chevrolets to the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega and I see no reason why that won’t be the case again this weekend. Last week Watkins Glen didn’t go how we hoped it would, so I can’t think of a better place to go to than Daytona with our hellowater Camaro to get that momentum back in the right direction, especially as the playoffs get closer. Hopefully we can keep our car in one piece all night long and work well with our JRM teammates to be in contention for the win. We’re ready to go.” – Justin Allgaier
“Daytona is the track we go to where we know all four of these JRM cars are going to have a lot of speed. I know Bummy (Mike Bumgarner, crew chief) and the team have been working really hard to make sure we have that same speed this weekend and I know that we will when we qualify Friday afternoon. Hopefully we can stay clean and be contending for the win at the end of the day with this Tire Pros team.” – Josh Berry
“We have been really consistent this season, and have had really good runs at both Daytona and Talladega. I’m really looking forward to getting back to Daytona. We led the race in the spring and were in contention all day long. That’s what it’s going to take for this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber® Camo/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet to get back in Victory Lane. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and this team have been building great cars all season long.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• JR Motorsports at Daytona: JR Motorsports has competed at “The World Center of Racing” a combined 96 times in the NXS. Over the course of these 96 starts at the 2.5-mile historic facility, JRM has tallied seven wins, 27 top fives and 41 top 10s. JRM’s most recent win came during the 2020 season when Noah Gragson drove the No. 9 to Victory Lane to secure his first career NXS victory. Daytona also ranks as the winningest track for the organization.
• Benefitting the Gary Sinise Foundation: During the Summer for Heroes Giving Campaign, a company-wide initiative that supports American troops, veterans, first responders and their families through unique programs designed to make a difference in the lives of everyday heroes across the country, Tire Pros customers can donate an amount of their choice on the designated Gary Sinise Foundation donation page. Their goal is to raise $1.5 million from June 1 – Aug. 31 to support our nation’s heroes. Donate now!
• Fall Hunting Classic: Bass Pro Shops Fall Hunting Classic is here now through Sept. 7. The biggest hunting sale of the year. Shop now in store or online.
• Ice Cream Lovers: Unilever is reaching ice cream lovers anytime, anywhere: Fulfilling a craving for ice cream used to require being in store or near an ice cream van. Unilever’s Ice Cream Now (ICNOW) teams are working to change that. Whether you’re online, in transit, in a virtual world or exploring earth’s atmosphere, they’ll find a way to deliver. In the US, ICNOW is working with Robomart to offer consumers the chance to hail a virtual ice cream store as easily as an Uber. Learn more here.
