Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are hoping to continue a string of improving finishes as they compete in this weekend’s 400-miler on the 1.33-mile concrete Nashville Superspeedway.

Burton and the team followed up finishes of 25th at Sonoma and 20th at Iowa Speedway with a 14th last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Burton was poised to finish even better at New Hampshire but lost spots on a two-lap Overtime run to the checkered flag.

“It’s always a good thing when you’re disappointed with 14th, but I really felt like we easily should have been top 10 or top five if the final restart goes our way at Loudon,” crew chief Jeremy Bullins said. “It finally feels like we have a little momentum building our way, and our goal is to keep that going this week with our DEX Mustang at Nashville.”

Bullins said his goal for the remainder of the season is for the DEX Imaging team to continue to get better and move up in the points standings.

“Hopefully we can put some good finishes together through this summer stretch and score as many points as we can,” he said.

Practice for the Ally 400 at Nashville is set for Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Central Time (2:05 p.m. Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 1:50 (2:50 Eastern). USA Network will broadcast both events.

Sunday’s 300-lap, 399-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern), with Stage breaks at Laps 90 and 185.

NBC will carry the TV broadcast.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Nashville Superspeedway
Lebanon, Tennessee
June 28-30, 2024

With 18 points-paying races complete, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will enter the second-half of the 2024 season with a trip to Nashville Superspeedway. The 1.33-mile concrete oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, still stands as one of the newer venues for NASCAR’s top division, with Sunday’s Ally 400 marking the series’ fourth appearance at the track. Coming off a three-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will return to competition for Friday’s Rackley Roofing 200 – starting the four-race countdown to the end of its regular-season. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will also join in on the action with Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250.

The visit to the Music City venue will mark the ninth tripleheader weekend for the NASCAR national touring series this season. Chevrolet continues as the only manufacturer to complete a tripleheader weekend sweep in 2024 – accomplishing the feat three times (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway). The Bowtie brand is poised to add onto that record again this weekend, with the manufacturer heading to Nashville Superspeedway as the defending winner across all three NASCAR national series at the track.

 
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville Superspeedway:

Chevrolet is the only manufacturer that has made a trip to victory in NASCAR’s top division at Nashville Superspeedway. The NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural appearance at the Tennessee venue came in June 2021, with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team dominating the event by leading a race-high 264 of 300 laps en route to the victory. Larson’s teammate Chase Elliott followed up that performance by taking Hendrick Motorsports to back-to-back victories at Nashville Superspeedway in June 2022. One year ago, it was Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain that carried the Bowtie brand to a three-peat at the 1.33-mile concrete oval.

LARSON, CHASTAIN LEAD NASHVILLE NUMBERS

In the NASCAR Cup Series’ three appearances at Nashville Superspeedway, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain have posted an impressive stack of stats that makes the pair of Team Chevy teammates automatic favorites heading into the race weekend.

While still looking for his first win of the season, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain will carry a little extra confidence to Nashville Superspeedway. Not only is Chastain the series’ most recent winner at the track, the 31-year-old Alva, Florida, native has yet to finish outside the top-five at the Tennessee venue. With a runner-up finish in 2021, a fifth-place finish in 2022 and a victory in 2023, Chastain leads the series with an average finish of 2.667 at the track.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson has also only recorded top-five finishes in the NCS’ three appearances at Nashville Superspeedway. In addition to his victory in the series’ inaugural race at the 1.33-mile Tennessee oval, the 31-year-old Elk Grove, California, native tallied a fourth-place finish in 2022 and a fifth-place finish in (2023) – giving him the second-best average finish of 3.333 at the track.

NASHVILLE KNOW HOW

NASCAR’s history at Nashville Superspeedway dates back to 2001, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series each making their debut at the 1.33-mile concrete oval. Among Team Chevy’s entries for Sunday’s Ally 400, six drivers have made a trip to victory lane in the NASCAR national ranks at the Tennessee venue.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who currently share the points lead heading into the weekend, took the organization to back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series victories at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021-2022. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain continued the Bowtie brand’s dominance at the Tennessee venue in 2023 – driving his No. 1 Camaro ZL1 to the victory to make it a Team Chevy three-peat at the track.

Richard Childress Racing’ Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon are another set of teammates that have found success in the NASCAR national ranks at Nashville Superspeedway. Busch has claimed four victories at the Tennessee oval throughout his storied career with two NXS wins (April 2010 & April 2011) and two NCTS wins (June 2009 & June 2021) to his name. Dillon has one NCTS victory at the track – recorded in July 2011 behind the wheel of the organization’s No. 3 Silverado.

Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger has one NXS win at Nashville Superspeedway, which came in the series’ most recent visit to the track (2023). Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar will be making his first career NCS start at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend, but the young Team Chevy driver has already found victory lane at the Tennessee venue. The 21-year-old Portage, Michigan, native is the NCTS’ most recent winner at the track – picking up the victory in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado in 2023.

TARGETING A TENNESSEE THREE-PEAT

Despite the end of a five-race win streak in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last weekend, Chevrolet will look to rebound at a track where the manufacturer has earned recent success. Looking for his first win of the season, Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger has an extra boost of confidence heading into the weekend as the series’ most recent winner at Nashville Superspeedway. In five NXS races on intermediate ovals this season, Team Chevy drivers have collected a combined three victories, with JR Motorsports earning two wins (Sam Mayer – Texas Motor Speedway; Justin Allgaier – Darlington Raceway) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott taking the organization’s part-time NXS entry to the victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 will mark the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ 25th appearance at Nashville Superspeedway. Chevrolet leads the series with 10 victories at the 1.33-mile concrete oval, with the manufacturer’s first trip to victory lane coming in June 2002 with Jack Sprague behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet for car owner Rick Hendrick. Nine different drivers have tallied a NXS victory with Chevrolet at Nashville Superspeedway, including the series’ last two winners at the track (Justin Allgaier – June 2022; AJ Allmendinger – June 2023).

TRUCK SERIES’ REGULAR SEASON CONTINUES IN MUSIC CITY

Following a three-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will return to the track with just four races remaining in its regular season. Heading to Nashville Superspeedway, the Bowtie brand sits at a manufacturer-leading eight victories in 12 NCTS races this season – four of which have come at an intermediate oval. Chevrolet leads both of the series’ points standings – pacing the manufacturer points standings by 33-points, with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes leading the driver points standings by 31-points. Eckes’ two wins this season may have each come at a short-track, but the 23-year-old Middletown, New York, native has posted impressive numbers on the series’ intermediate ovals. In six races held on ovals measuring 1.25-1.5 miles, Eckes has yet to finish outside of the top-10, including four top-five finishes. His best came in the series’ most recent event at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he drove his No. 19 Silverado RST to a runner-up result.

Bowyer is Back:

For the first time since his retirement at the end of the 2020 season, Clint Bowyer strap back into the driver’s seat to pilot the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Bowyer may have retired behind the wheel of a competing manufacturer, but the Emporia, Kansas, native has a history of success behind the wheel of Chevrolet-powered machines. Bowyer’s eight career NXS wins and three career NCTS wins have all come in a Chevrolet. A 10-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, his first five wins in the series came with the Bowtie brand while driving for car owner Richard Childress.

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· With 47 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 55.3% with 26 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – eight wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 10 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – eight wins).

· In eight tripleheader weekends this season, Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to earn a weekend sweep – accomplishing the feat three times (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway).

· Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to score a NASCAR Cup Series win at Nashville Superspeedway:

Kyle Larson – one win (2021)

Chase Elliott – one win (2022)

Ross Chastain – one win (2023)

· In 90 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 45 victories – a winning percentage of 50%.

· With his victory at Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Larson is the second driver to hit a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era with 10 triumphs. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron leads the series’ all-time win record in the Next Gen era with 11 victories.

· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 859 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 650
Toyota: 647 (-3)
Ford: 623 (-27)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 603
Toyota: 566 (-37)
Ford: 503 (-100)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 458
Toyota: 425 (-33)
Ford: 384 (-74)
 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Ally 400

Sunday, June 30, at 3:30 p.m. ET

(NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Tennessee Lottery 250

Saturday, June 29, at 5 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Rackley Roofing 200

Friday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET

(FS2, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Garner Trucking Camaro ZL1

Nashville Superspeedway has been a good track for you and Garner Trucking is back on board. What’s your perspective heading into this weekend?

“I’m excited to welcome Garner Trucking back to the No. 7 at Nashville. The track has been one of our stronger tracks as a team so we’re going in with some confidence that we can race in the top 15. The concrete surface presents a little different of a challenge than usual, but I feel good about our process leading into the weekend.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1

You have said that brakes are very important at Nashville. What can you do to take care of the brakes? Does finding the right balance with the setup help you to not abuse the brakes?

“With the old car, I feel like brakes were way more important but with the new car, the brakes are so good that I don’t feel like brakes are really an issue. It’s all about being enough on the brakes to get the slowing down that you need done, but then getting off the brakes so you can roll the speed for the middle of the corner and the exit to make your lap time fast.”

This will be the fourth Cup race at Nashville. What trends have you noticed over the three previous events?

“What I’ve noticed over the last couple events at Nashville is the way the groove is and how it widens out throughout the weekend. Makes for a pretty fun track to drive. Nashville is just so unique. There’s really no other track like it.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Celsius Camaro ZL1

“Nashville has been a great racetrack for us on both the Xfinity and Cup side of our program. Being able to win the Xfinity race last year was a huge highlight; getting that guitar that is so iconic and then running inside the top 10 all day in the Cup race. It’s a racetrack that I have enjoyed since we started going to it. Hopefully, we can have the same success that we have had the past few years. Looking forward to the weekend and thinking we can have a good run in both race cars and find the momentum that we need.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Bowman on racing the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway:

“I’m excited to get there (Nashville Superspeedway). It’s been a rough place for us the past couple of years, but I feel like the places we have historically struggled at we are getting better at. Like New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) we’ve fought hard at for a long time and last weekend we had a pretty good run going there compared to the past couple of years before our issue. I think Nashville (Superspeedway) can be really good and I always look forward to all that Ally has going on at and around the track for this race specifically.”

Blake Harris, Crew Chief, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Harris on his 48th start with Alex Bowman this weekend and expectations for the weekend at Nashville Superspeedway:

“If it’s our (with Alex Bowman) 48th start this weekend at Nashville (Superspeedway), then we definitely need to add a win to the column together. The Ally 400 is a big race for our team with Ally as the primary partner on our No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro. I think we’ve got a lot to build on this year from similar intermediate tracks so far. It’s going to be hot and slick out there- we’re looking forward to getting out on track in the “Music City.”

Zane Smith, No. 71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Camaro ZL1

Tell us about the Jockey paint scheme that you are running in Nashville this weekend.

“It is super cool having Jockey Outdoors™ Collection by Luke Bryan on my No. 71 Chevrolet for this race. It is a perfect paint scheme to showcase in a race with an iconic city tied to it. Nashville has always been a great racetrack for me and I’m a huge country music fan, so to carry one of the best country music artists on the hood of my car for 400 miles on Sunday is awesome. I’m thankful for the Jockey team and Luke Bryan for joining us for an exciting race. I’m looking forward to getting on the track in Nashville.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1

Nashville Superspeedway has been a mixed bag for you in both the Truck and Xfinity Series. Now you’re stepping into a Cup car for the first time at Nashville, but you’ve been strong on mile-and-a-half tracks this season. How are you feeling about this weekend’s challenge at a track where you’ve won before?

“I like Nashville a lot. We won there last year in the trucks so that is a great memory. I also ran really good in the Xfinity car last year before that crash but I felt like I actually had a shot to win that one. I’m looking forward to Nashville in a Cup car. We have really good notes from mile-and-a-halves and a really good idea of what it takes to go fast around that place. We have the ability to run really, really well. It’s a track that suits me but also really suits our team and what we’re really good at. I think it’ll be a great weekend.”

Clint Bowyer, No. 7 Rush Truck Centers Silverado RST

Why did you want to return to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and make a start with Spire at Nashville?

“For me, it’s the tie working with (Brian) Pattie and the good old days. Putting the band back together, so to speak and having some fun. Nashville is a cool racetrack that has meant a lot to me over the years. Separate from that, it’s about the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. That’s a really fun series. It’s a fun vehicle to drive. There’s a lot of drag and you can drive them hard and get away with it. You hustle a truck pretty hard. This race should be right in my wheelhouse.”

Do you have any expectations for the weekend?

“Expectations are to win. The truck is winning. Put Kyle Busch in it and it wins. It darn well better win with me in it. It’s a good track for me. I’ve won in the Truck Series before. I’ve won with Brian Pattie before. He built me a new truck for it. It’s like, holy smoke! I don’t want pressure in my life anymore. I don’t need pressure, but here it is (laughs)!”

How do you plan on knocking the rust off?

“I’ll have one run on a set of tires to knock the rust off and then I’ll have to go qualify. It’s going to be a pretty important lap to start up front and have a shot at winning. Honestly, I don’t even remember being on that race track it has been so long, so I’ll have to get reacquainted with the track a little bit. I feel like I can get the fundamentals back pretty quick. I ran those SRX races last year and I was pretty quick right off that bat. I actually surprised myself. I had a ton of fun and was competitive.”

Tyler Ankrum, No. 18 Ullico Silverado RST

Ankrum on his outlook for the final stretch of the regular season:

“The focus for our Ullico team is on securing a playoff position. We’re in a good position right now with a nice cushion, but we want to give ourselves more of a buffer and hopefully lock in with a win at Nashville. I feel good about our Ullico Chevrolet for Friday night. I enjoy racing there and have had a couple top-10’s the last two years, so this is a good opportunity for us. The last three off weeks have been a good reset, but I’m looking forward to getting back in the truck and working hard to lock into the playoffs over these next four races.”

Christian Eckes, No. 19 Adaptive One Calipers Silverado RST

Eckes on restarting the season at Nashville:

“The last few weeks were a nice reset for everyone, and we put the down time to good use. Our guys put a lot of effort into our Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet. We need to get back to victory lane and that’s what we want to try to do on Friday. We didn’t run the way we wanted to at Nashville last year, but hopefully we’ve made some gains that will pay off this week. Nashville can be a challenging place with the concrete surface and being a little smaller than a typical intermediate. Hopefully we can dial ourselves in throughout the race and execute the way we need to finish the night in victory lane.”

Bayley Currey, No. 41 DQS Silverado RST

Last year, the trucks at Nashville seemed like it was a combo that naturally fit you. How can you take what you learned to transition it to this weekend?

“Yeah, that was fun last year; I definitely feel like that was the best run in my NASCAR career. I felt like we could have walked away with the win if a few things went differently. I really like these kind of tracks that are in between a mile-and-a-half and a short track. You still have to use a little bit of brake, but you’re carrying so much speed too, so I feel like it fits my style as a driver. I think if we can fight the dirty air that’s usually pretty bad here and stay up front with some track position, we should be pretty good on Friday.”

Matt Mills, No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Silverado RST

It’s been a while since you last raced at Nashville, so do you anticipate it being tough to get acclimated again?

“Well, the first time I raced at Nashville in the Xfinity car, I had no idea what the track was going to be like. So, going into it this time with having the resources of the simulator time and the good, experienced people at the team, I’m definitely more prepared for this track now. I think we should be a lot better; we’ve started to build some good momentum on our mile-and-a-half and short track package, and Nashville seems to be in the sweet spot right in the middle of those types of tracks. In the past, the Niece trucks have been really fast there, so hopefully it’ll be a good one for us.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 NAPA Nightvision Silverado RST

Dye on coming back after three weeks off:

“I’m excited to get back in my No. 43 NAPA Nightvision Chevy this weekend at Nashville. It’s nice to have some time off and take a step back for a moment. These last couple of weeks I have spent a lot of time getting with my team to prepare for the few regular season races remaining. I also was able to run a Xfinity race at Iowa and had a strong run to score my first career top-10 in the series. With these last couple of races our goal is still the same. We want to earn our spot in the playoffs and be a strong contender. “

Kaden Honeycutt, No. 45 AutoVentive/Precision Vehicle Logistics Silverado RST

How high is your confidence heading into Nashville after having two strong runs on intermediate tracks?

“I feel really confident going to Nashville, especially after the last two mile-and-a-half tracks that we ran. We’re bringing the same truck that we had at Kansas and Charlotte, so I know we’ll be really fast, but it’s all about executing. We’ve got to be fast on and off pit road, as well as myself on the racetrack in qualifying well. It’s up to me to figure out how to win the race and bring home back-to-back wins for Niece Motorsports after they won with Carson last year. Now, it’s our turn as a company to try and back it up this year. Thanks to AutoVentive and Precision for jumping on board, and for all they do for our team as a whole. We’ll go out and represent them well and try to get them a win!”

Rajah Caruth, No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Silverado RST

Last year at Nashville you were leading when mechanical issues arose. Are you excited to get back to the track and bounce back from last year’s result?

“I’m honestly just excited to get back to Nashville, in general. Last year was the only time I’ve raced there, and it is a cool racetrack and a nice facility. They did a great job with the track preparation and the resin, so we were able to move around and race a bit. I know my truck will be better, and it’s hard to be much better than we were last year. We took the lead and were getting ready to have a really good day before we had that fuel pickup issue. I’m just excited to get back from this three week stretch and press the attack with the playoffs coming up.”

Chase Purdy, No. 77 Bama Buggies Silverado RST

You’ve earned a pole and have two top-10 finishes on intermediate tracks this season. How do you feel going to Nashville?

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Nashville. Last year, we had a lot of speed there so we’re looking for more this season. Hopefully, we can build on the speed we found at the last few races and bring back a great finish.”

Jack Wood, No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RST

Wood on making his fourth start at Nashville:

“I’m glad to get back in the truck. It definitely feels like it’s been a while since Charlotte and I’ve been looking forward to Nashville for a while. We had a couple good runs out west in our NAPA Auto Care Chevy since then and showed some speed, so hopefully we’ll have more of the same on the truck side this week. I’ve been able to run all three races at Nashville, so I feel like I have a good amount of experience there. There’s only four more races until the playoffs, and we’d love to get into the owners’ points playoff. We have a great opportunity to get it and are right there. We just need to maximize what we have each week and be consistent to make it happen.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2023): 42

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2024 STATISTICS:

Wins: 8

Poles: 6

Laps Led: 1,561

Top-five finishes: 34

Top-10 finishes: 69

Stage wins: 11

· Chase Elliott: 1

· Kyle Larson: 8

· Ross Chastain: 1

· William Byron: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 859 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 749

Laps led to date: 250,736

Top-five finishes to date: 4,332

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,929

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,193

       Chevrolet: 859

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 831                                                           

       Ford: 731

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 187

 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

RYAN PREECE
Nashville Advance
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece and the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse team are on the road to Music City for Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. This weekend’s race marks the NASCAR Cup Series’ fourth trip to the 1.333-mile oval and Preece’s third. In his previous two Cup Series starts at Nashville, he has a best finish of 16th, coming last year for Stewart-Haas Racing.

● Preece enters Nashville on the heels of an 11th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. He started the race 31st, gaining 20 spots on the way to the checkered flag. Preece sat 28th when the race was red-flagged due to rain on lap 219, but quickly climbed inside the top-15 when the race resumed with the field on wet-weather tires. Preece narrowly avoided two multi-car accidents on laps 266 and 294 to earn his second-highest finish of the year. He finished ninth April 7 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

● In two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series outings at Nashville, Preece was victorious in both. His first win came in June 2021 for David Gilliland Racing, marking his first career Truck Series start. He qualified sixth and finished solidly inside the top-10 during the first and second stages. In the final stage, Preece raced his way to the lead for good with seven laps remaining to join Mike Skinner, Kasey Kahne, Robert Pressley and Ryan Newman as the only drivers to win in their Truck Series debuts. He scored his second win at Nashville in June 2022, when he started from the pole, finished second in Stage 1 and first in Stage 2, and took the checkered flag having led a race-high 74 of 150 laps.

● In the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Nashville, Preece has one start, which occurred in June 2022 with B.J. McLeod Motorsports. He qualified 27th but worked his way into the top-10 during the race, finishing ninth in the second stage. Preece finished the race sixth to earn his second top-10 in his third and final Xfinity Series start of 2022.

● Joining Preece and the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Nashville is HaasTooling.com, the cutting tool division of Haas Automation. HaasTooling.com allows CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. Haas Automation, founded in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, rotaries and indexers, and automation solutions.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You have two wins in the Truck Series at Nashville. Does that build any confidence heading into this weekend’s Cup Series race?

“Trucks are much different from the NextGen racecar that we’re racing on Sundays. I think those runs in the Truck Series certainly help with confidence, where I feel good about going to Nashville. It’s still the same racetrack, nonetheless, even though there are a lot of differences between the two series. I enjoy racing there, and I feel like it’s a place I’m good at.”

Nashville is a 1.333-mile, concrete oval, making it a unique racetrack on the schedule. What’s it like racing there?

“Nashville races a lot like a short track, but it’s an intermediate. It’s definitely unique with it being concrete, as well, so depending on the tire we have this weekend, we could see tire wear and strategy come into play on Sunday.”

Temperatures will be high this weekend. How will that affect your racecar in the race?

“With the temperatures being higher, it’s a lot on the drivers inside the racecar. I think being hydrated is a big component to succeeding, but at the same time, it affects the racetrack with how hot and slick it can get. We’ll just have to do our best to, hopefully, have a fast racecar and stay hydrated.”

What do you need to be able to have a strong run on Sunday?

“I think it just comes down to having the right balance, and that’s something we’ve been working on the last few races. I was happy with our speed at New Hampshire. We just struggled to find the sweet spot and the grip we needed before the rain kind of hit reset for everyone in the field. If we can find the right balance and have the maneuverability we need, and bring the same speed we had in New Hampshire, we’ll be just fine.”

Do you feel the result in New Hampshire sets the tone to build momentum?

“We certainly needed a good run. I think we should’ve finished higher in that one, so we’re going to be pushing hard to build on that and hopefully get some more top-15s and top-10s in the races coming up.”

No. 41 HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Sherman Timbs

Hometown: Indianola, Mississippi

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Front End Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

JUSTIN HALEY | RILEY HERBST
Nashville Advance

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing (RWR), will make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.333-mile Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in Sunday’s Ally 400. Haley recorded back-to-back 23rd-place results in his last two outings at the concrete, intermediate-style track in 2022 and 2023. Haley also has a 19th-place finish in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville.

● The Winamac, Indiana, native has 10 Cup Series starts on concrete tracks – three at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and four at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway to go with his three at Nashville. Three of those resulted in top-20 finishes with a best of 11th at Dover in 2022, when he also led 19 laps.

● Both of Haley’s top-10 finishes this season have come on intermediate-style tracks – ninth place finishes at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and World Wide Techonolgy Raceway in Madion, Illinois – and he’s finished in the top-13 in three of the last six races.

● Despite an official result of 29th in last Sunday’s USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Haley and the No. 51 RWR team had a solid run. The 25-year-old ran in the top-15 for the first two stages and was sitting fifth when the race was red-flagged with 77 laps remaining due to weather. When the race resumed on NASCAR-mandated wet-weather tires for the remainder of the race, Haley was holding position in the top-10 before sustaining damage during an incident on lap 294, which ultimately impacted the handling of his Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the closing laps.

● Pinnacle Home Improvements returns to the No. 51 RWR machine this weekend after debuting during Haley’s fourth-place showing in the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway in May. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Pinnacle is a direct-to-homeowner provider of home improvement services, with a focus on roof replacement, window replacement and other exterior services for existing single-family homes. With additional offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Charlotte, North Carolina, the company’s existing service footprint covers a range of attractive Southeast U.S. markets, with planned expansion into new Southeastern markets.

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● The black and green No. 15 Monster Engery Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse returns to the track at Nashville with Riley Herbst behind the wheel for his seventh Cup Series start and second on a non-superspeedway track.

● Herbst competed at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with RWR last February, earning a 24th-place finish, and most recently competed with the team at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on May 5 for his first non-superspeedway start. Overall, Herbst owns two Cup Series top-10s including a best finish of ninth last October at the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway oval, and 10th in his Cup Series debut in the 2023 Daytona 500 with RWR.

● The Las Vegas native owns three Xfinity Series starts at the track located 40 minutes from downtown Nashville, all resulting in top-10 finsihes. Herbst earned his best finish there last year, when he started fifth for the scheduled 188-lap race and finished second, just 1.323 seconds behind race-winner A.J. Allmendinger.

● Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, the company supports the scene and sport. Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports partnerships, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) series wrapped up a weekend at the Bridgeport (N.J.) Half Mile last Saturday with Kody Kopp atop the podium in AFT Singles. The 19-year-old rider won the pole and the feature to set a new record for winningest AFT Singles rider with 20 wins, surpassing RWR teammate Shayna Texter-Bauman’s previous record of 19 wins. Kopp, a three-time class champion, is also tied for the most wins in the half-mile category. Kopp is on a three-race win streak as the tour heads to the Lima (Ohio) Half Mile, where he dominated in the AFT’s last two visits. Texter-Bauman is also a two time winner at Lima. In Mission SuperTwins, two-time class champ Briar Bauman also picked up the pole position at Bridgeport and finished fourth in his feature. He has three Lima Half-Mile wins – 2017, 2021 and last year, when he claimed KTM’s first twin-cylinder victory in the premier class.

● NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican heads to Norwalk, Ohio with the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series for the ninth event of the season. So far in 2024, the six-time Top Fuel winner has three semifinal appearances – at the Las Vegas Four Wide Nationals, New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire, and Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee – and an appearance in the Top Fuel final at the Four Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina. He sits eighth in points, 66 out of fifth-place.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

Another weekend has passed with the No. 51 running in the top-10 consistently. Is this the new normal for RWR?

“I really feel like it is. We are learning a lot and things are coming together. I really think we would’ve had a top-five finish if it hadn’t been for the damage we were dealing with, our car was just so fast. I said a few weeks ago these are some of the best cars I’ve driven and that continues to be true. I’m just incredibly thankful for Rick and Lisa for the chance to do this every week. We have a great group of people at Rick Ware Racing and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

How are you feeling about this weekend’s race at Nashville?

“Before last weekend’s race at New Hampshire, I probably would’ve said not great. It’s not one of my favorite tracks and I’ve struggled there in the past. Somehow I qualified third there last year, which was cool, but that’s not at all how it ended. But with that being said, I think we’re really hitting on some good things and it’s hard for me to compare what’s going on now to how I’ve done in the past. There’s a few times this year that my feelings about tracks have changed, so I hope that happens again. One of the other things we have to keep in mind is we’re used to Nashville being a night race for the Cup Series, so I’m interested to see how that changes things, if it does. It’ll definitely be an interesting race.”

Riley Herbst, Driver Q&A

You made your first non-superspeedway Cup Series start at Kansas in the No. 15. What did you learn from that experience, and what do you hope to get out of a second intermediate-style race this weekend?

“The biggest thing I took away from the Kansas race is that the Cup Series is extremely competitive no matter where you are on track. The NextGen car has leveled the playing field so much and it really is a battle for position all the way through the field. I’m not sure as an industry we do a good enough job showing and communicating that, but it’s tough. By the end of the race, we had good speed, but when you get behind early, it’s really hard to come back from that. I just want to continue learning. The more laps I get on track, whether it’s the Cup car or Xfinity car, the better I’m going to be as a driver. Every driver wants to make it to the Cup Series, but if you aren’t ready when you get there, you’re going to struggle. So I just want to make the most out of the opportunity that Rick and Monster Energy are giving me and get as much out of the experience as possible.”

You have back-to-back top-three finishes in the Xfinity Series. What can you take from that to help you on Sunday?

“Honestly, there’s not much that carries over between the two cars. But I know the track really well and it suits my driving style, which I think makes a big difference a lot of times. The time on track Saturday will give me a good idea of how the track is driving. It tends to get really slick, so having a feel for that going into Sunday will be nice. It’s a really fun track to drive, and now that I understand a little better what to expect with the NextGen car, I think we’ll be able to have a decent run.”

Martin Truex Jr.
Nashville Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Where We Stand: The New Jersey native sits fourth in the driver standings with 572 points, 48 behind leader Kyle Larson. All four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) entries are currently inside the top-11 in the standings, with Denny Hamlin third, Christopher Bell sixth and Ty Gibbs 11th as the series heads to the outskirts of Music City this weekend.

● The Cup Series returns to Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway for the fourth Cup Series race on the concrete oval. While Truex had not fared well in his first two Cup Series starts there, he turned it around in 2023 as he had a shot at the win before eventually bringing home a solid runner-up finish.

● Truex first competed at Nashville all the way back in 2003 in what is now called the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In five Xfinity Series starts there from 2003 to 2005, Truex claimed two poles and two top-five finishes.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon last July was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 63 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn last August. Truex scored his second stage win of the season at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway in April, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

When you look back at Nashville last year, what do you remember?

“It was a good race. We had a really strong car at times, and at times I just remember being really free and losing the lead and getting the car better at the end and tracking down Ross (Chastain), and I just couldn’t find a way around him. So that was a little bit of a frustrating race because I felt like we had the car to beat – we just didn’t put it all together at the right time. I’m looking forward to going back. It is a fun track. It has been really good the last few years and hoping we can make it even better and get our Bass Pro Shops Camry to victory lane there.”

You had a strong race there in 2022, as well, but didn’t get the finish you deserved. What do you remember about that day?

“Nashville is really interesting. We had a really strong car that year. Led a bunch and won both Stage 1 and Stage 2 and was in really good shape. The rain delay came, the track cooled off and changed a lot and we went from us and the 11 (Denny Hamlin) as the two cars to beat to all of a sudden five or more guys right there with us. I don’t remember exactly how we got shuffled out of the lead but I know it had something to do with the pit cycle and pit stops. Once you lose the lead, you lose the advantage, and some other guys got faster as it cooled off when it was so much later at night and we just couldn’t get back to the front. I feel like we’ve been bringing some really good cars to the track and would expect us to be strong at Nashville this weekend. Looking forward to getting back there with our Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE and hope to be able to get one more spot than we did last year.”

Have you heard from anyone this week that was really special to you since you announced you will be retiring at the end of the year?

“I’ve heard from a lot of people. This week was really kind of humbling to see the comments and it means so much to me just to hear what people think. A lot of people that I really respect and look up to have sent messages or said something in interviews, just whatever. It is really special to know that you’ve represented yourself well, your family well, your teams – all of the people I’ve worked with over the years. Really, really humbling to see that. I’m sure there will be more down the line, but it means a lot. It’s really special. It reminds you of how lucky we are to be able to do this.”

Do you anticipate feeling any different the second half of the season in your final year?

“I’m not going to approach it any differently. I don’t expect my team to, either. I don’t think they will. I think it’s business as usual as far as when we’re at the track. But, I don’t know. I guess it will feel different knowing that I’ll be going to tracks for the last time or whatever in a Cup car now. I’m not sure what it’s going to be like, but I’m going to try to enjoy it. We have our friends at Bass Pro Shops with us this weekend and would like to get them to victory lane during our last year. That will be the goal every week for us.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois