Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Iowa Media Availability | Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is the last NASCAR driver to win a race at Iowa Speedway when he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2019. He spoke about returning to one of his favorite tracks as the facility prepared to host its inaugural Cup event on Sunday night.

CHASE BRISCOE, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU ARE THE LAST NASCAR DRIVER TO WIN A RACE AT IOWA. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS GOING BACK THERE FOR A CUP RACE? “I’m super excited. Every week we typically have meet-and-greets with sponsors and there’s always the question of ‘what’s your favorite racetrack?’ And it’s always Iowa. I would always say, ‘Well, we don’t go there in the Cup Series, but it’s Iowa Speedway,’ and now we finally get to to there in the Cup Series. I’m super excited. Truthfully, I’m not as excited as I probably would have been if they didn’t repave it because it is going to be a totally different racetrack now going there with the repave, but I think it’s still going to have some of those same Iowa characteristics, but certainly I was pretty bummed that they repaved it, knowing my past history there and the love that I have for that place and that racetrack has always really suited my driving style for whatever reason, so I’m super excited to go and looking forward to it.”

HOW DOES YOUR SITUATION WORK FROM A DRIVER’S STANDPOINT AS FAR AS THE PROCESS? ARE YOU SENDING OUT RESUMES? WAITING FOR PHONE CALLS? HOW DOES IT WORK SEARCHING FOR THAT NEXT OPPORTUNITY? “For me, it’s been no different than what you were saying. Everybody I know I’ve been reaching out and telling them that I was available. I think that was the big thing is up until SHR told us what was happening two weeks ago, I wasn’t allowed to go talk to other people because we didn’t know if there was going to be one charter or two and obviously it ended up being all four, but I didn’t know what the cards were going to be yet. That was the first thing I actually asked when Tony sat all the drivers down and asked if we had any questions. I said, ‘Yeah, what does this mean for us as far as being able to talk to other teams?’ And he said, ‘You guys are free to do whatever you want,’ so literally while I was sitting in the room I started texting different people just letting them know, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be available and need to try to find something.’ It’s really no different. I think you still are trying to put yourself out there and let people know that you’re available and go talk to them and meet them and do whatever you have to do while also trying to perform on the racetrack and show your worth. I definitely think that this is one of the more unique and interesting silly seasons in the fact there are so many drivers. We’ve never really been in that situation where there are this many drivers that are already in the Cup Series looking for a job, and then you also have the normal Xfinity and Truck guys trying to move up, too. I’m just trying to make sure that I’m not left out. I don’t have anything to fall back on. I’m not like some of the other people, where they have family business or something like that and with a two-and-a-half year old and a wife and then twins on the way, I definitely can’t afford to be left out and not have anything, so I’ve just been really trying to do everything I can to put my best effort forward on the racetrack and obviously off the racetrack too and just trying to prove my worth to whoever out there may be looking.”

HAVE YOU HAD ANY COMMITMENT FROM YOUR PARTNERS TO HELP YOU FIND THAT NEXT CHANCE? “There’s not been anything on paper signed, but I think all of them have been pretty happy with the relationship we’ve been able to build over the last couple of years. All of them were definitely willing to talk to whoever it is I end up going to wherever I end up, but I know for a fact there’s not any commitment on paper. And that’s one thing I would say that Mahindra was pretty adamant about was when I started this whole process they were obviously one of the first people I called and they made it pretty clear that they don’t want to be the main topic of discussion. They want a team to hire me because of me and not because of who I can bring, and even from their side they felt like it was better for them when they do go back and try to sell it to the higher ups, if a team comes to me and says, ‘Hey, we want Chase for Chase and not because of Mahindra Tractors or HighPoint.com,’ it was easier for them to internally sell it as well. So, nothing on paper, but I am pretty confident that I have a great enough relationship with the Mahindra Tractors and HighPoint.com and all these people that whatever I end up finding and landing I’m sure there are gonna be discussions there, but nothing really on paper by any means as far as that stuff goes.”

WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN FROM YOUR SHR EXPERIENCE THAT WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR NEXT MOVE? “I would say one thing that kind of stands out more than anything is I’ve been at Stewart-Haas through different times with Stewart-Haas. I was here in ‘18-19-20 when everything was going great. It seemed like we couldn’t lose races if we even tried, and now I’ve been on the other side of it, ‘21-22-23 and now where we’re on the opposite side of the hill, so to speak, when it comes to the momentum and the performance side. So, I think just being able to, wherever I go I’ve been able to go through adversity and I’ve seen both sides of why it’s been successful when it’s been successful and when it’s on the other side of things kind of understanding different areas that need to be pushed and how to push those areas and from a communications standpoint, literally everything from top to bottom, so I think that’s one thing that no matter where I go, whether it’s a team ready to win or a team that’s kind of on the other end of it, I have experience at all of those structures of life from a race team standpoint, where some people have never been able to experience one or the other. That is the one thing I think that as unfortunate as it’s been to struggle the last couple of years, I do think it makes you kind of want it a little bit more and it makes you hungry, especially whenever you’ve been able to feel what the other side feels like. The Xfinity stuff with all of the winning we were able to and even in 2022, the first year Next Gen, going to the Round of 8 and winning at Phoenix. I know what that feels like and being able to go through this down time over the last two years, I think, has honestly been a good process for me personally and just understanding that side. Truthfully, it’s something I never really experienced in my career before, but it’s something that I felt like has probably made me stronger as a race car driver, just understanding how to maximize days when your car is not good, and just all the things that kind of come along with that.”

DO YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AND FEEL YOU WILL HAVE WHAT YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH GOOD THINGS OR DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A WEEK TO WEEK BATTLE TO SEE WHO IS STILL AT SHR AND WHO ISN’T? YOU CAN’T BLAME PEOPLE IF THEY DECIDE TO LEAVE, RIGHT? “No, you can’t blame them at all. It’s the situation they were put in, so you can’t blame them at all. I’ve even said it the last two weeks in the media, but, truthfully, I’d be lying if I said we’re not at a disadvantage when we show up at the racetrack. Every other team that we’re racing against, all they focus on week in and week out is how to make their race car go fast that weekend. At our place, we’re trying to figure out how we’re gonna provide for our families next year, where we’re gonna work next year, and on top of all that, how am I gonna get a fast race car to the racetrack. So, it’s 100 percent a real thing. I would say that it’s gonna go in ebbs and flows. I think these first three to four weeks post the time we got told will be telling because I think people, I know every single guy on my team right now is taking interviews, so I think it will be hot and heavy these first three or four weeks, and then I think if we can survive that four or five week stretch, I think if they stay those first five weeks after, then they’re probably in it for the long haul, but then I think towards the end of the season it’s gonna kind of ramp back up and guys are gonna be trying to make sure they have something, so I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a concern that I do think it’s gonna be really hard for us to potentially get cars to the racetrack how we want to, just from a people standpoint. I was literally over at the shop an hour ago and one of the guys told me this is his last week. He’s going to work somewhere else, so it’s real. It’s 100 percent real, but I do think as far as the road crew guys go, I’m pretty confident that all of them are committed for the long haul. We’re a pretty tight-knit group. We’ve been together for four years, just working with me but even before that they were with Clint. I would say they’re easily one of the top three groups in the garage, so I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to stick it out, but the shop guys and stuff like that, it’s gonna be a challenge for sure.”

IN THE END WILL SUCCESS HELP YOUR SITUATION? “That’s what I told our guys when all of this went down. I said, ‘Look, at the end of the day we can pout and whine about it, but the circumstances aren’t gonna change and all that we can do is control what we can control, and I can assure you guys that if we’re winning races and running up front, it’s gonna be way easier for us to find a job than the guys that aren’t winning races and running up front.’ That’s kind of what we’ve been trying to focus on and, truthfully, the last five or six weeks has been a struggle for us, but hopefully we can turn that around these next couple of weeks and kind of get back on track.”

CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW YOUR RELATIONSHIP HAS EVOLVED WITH YOUR TEAMMATES AND NOW ALL OF YOU BEING IN THIS UNIQUE SITUATION? “It is unique, to say the least. I think that it’s been, truthfully, probably the most fun I’ve ever had at Stewart-Haas this year, just with how well the teammates get along. In the past, I got along really good with Aric and Kevin and Cole, but it’s just been a different camaraderie, I would say, among the four of us. Up until the announcement, we worked so well together and really tried to balance things off of each other and just tried to help each other out, and I think we still are doing that, but I would say at the same time we all know what’s happening. All four of us are competing for the same jobs, so I think we still want to help each other out, but it’s definitely probably become, not cut throat, but we all know. We know that one of us is potentially gonna get left out of a ride, or two of us, or whatever, and we know that we’re competing against those guys week in and week out for our livelihood now, so it has changed the dynamic, I think, a little bit. We still all get together. Literally, just before this we all sat down and were going through Iowa stuff together, so we still know that at the end of the day us helping each other out is only gonna boost the performance of all of us and we need to do that to show our worth, so I think it’s been a cool dynamic, truthfully, just getting to be around those guys and be around a group that is all relatively the same age as me and even from the experience standpoint we’re all kind of the same, where in the past I never really had that as far as teammates go, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

IS THERE ANYONE YOU’VE LEANED ON FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO APPROACH THIS SITUATION? “Yeah, I would say the one guy that I have talked to quite a bit is Aric Almirola. Me and him, especially the last three or four years, have become pretty close. Just talking to Aric and bouncing ideas off of him of how to approach things. He’s been through different transition periods in his life and driving for different teams and things like that, so I called Aric and just asked different things. There was all kinds of advice that he gave me, but I think the biggest thing from Aric’s side of things is ‘don’t change who you are and don’t change what you’re doing just trying to get something new. Stick to Chase Briscoe and keep being Chase Briscoe and don’t try to act like somebody you’re not. If teams want you, they’re gonna want you because you’re Chase Briscoe and not some guy you’re posing to be like,’ so that’s been one thing I would say that kind of stood out – not changing how I am and not changing the process of the things I go through and if that’s enough for a team, it’s enough and if it’s not, it’s not, but I’m not gonna change who I am just trying to get a job in a sense.”

HOW HAS IT CHANGED FOR DRIVERS LOOKING FOR JOBS THROUGH THE YEARS? “I would say it’s definitely different in the sense that now the social landscape makes a difference. How many followers you have is a big thing on how sellable you are and how attracted people are to you, so it is different. I think 15 years ago, nobody cared how many Twitter followers or Instagram followers you had, but now certainly they do and, for sure, the sponsors do, so it has changed, just the landscape of how we do things has evolved. Just like 15 years from now it’s gonna be totally different than how we’re doing it now, but I would say that is one thing that growing up racing you don’t really understand just the impact of everything you put online is always going to be out there. It’s gonna live forever, so there are guys that I’m sure have stuff that in the past came back to bite them, and I think that’s where it definitely had changed, just because you have to really be buttoned up from top to bottom now. There’s no weaknesses that aren’t gonna get shown, especially on the social media side, so that’s one thing I would say has been different. And just how important that stuff is to what we do. Essentially, we’re race car drivers, but we’re also a marketing company and to be a marketing company you have to be good on social media, so that’s kind of what we’ve turned into.”

IS THERE ANYBODY YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU LAND? “No, I think it is always going through your head if you have a good relationship with those guys. Now, if you don’t have a good relationship with your team, then probably not. For me, I’m super close to all of my guys. Like I said, I’ve been with them for four years and they come to birthday parties and we just had our gender reveal a couple weeks ago and nearly all of them were at that, so we are a really tight-knit group. For me, that’s what I’ve told all of them, ‘Look, every team that I talk to I’m gonna tell every single one of them that I think you guys are a top three group in the garage.’ The reality of it is that I know this group will never be together again as far as every individual goes, but hopefully a couple of them will be able to come and be a part of whatever I’m doing, just because I think having somebody familiar to you is always nice when you go over to a new situation, but the reality of it is we’re never gonna be the same group we are now anywhere else because no team is gonna take the entire group from top to bottom and fire who they have now. I’ve just been telling all of my guys, ‘Look, anything I can do for you guys from a recommendation standpoint or anything, I’ll go to bat.’ I know for a fact that they’re one of the best groups in the garage, so it’s a shame that we’re getting taken apart, but that’s how life is and I’m gonna do everything I can though for those guys and try to find them the best opportunity I can.”

HOW DO YOU HEAD INTO IOWA? IS IT DIFFERENT NOW WITH MORE EYES ON YOU AND TRYING OUT FOR A JOB? “I feel like every week at this level you have to perform week in and week out. You can’t have a couple bad weeks because it’s like the stock market. One week you’re the hottest guy in the sport and three weeks from now you could have three bad weeks in a row and everybody thinks you’re washed up and can’t drive anymore, so you’re always auditioning. You’re always trying to prove your worth. There’s just a ton of things that go into it, but I don’t think my approach changes. If anything, I certainly do feel like my back is up against the wall in the sense of having to go perform, but you throw in the job situation, the team situation, well not to mention now that we’re in the middle of this playoff battle. We went from being 20 points above the cutline to now we’re 28 behind the cutline just in three weeks, so we have to get the train back on the tracks and start performing and that’s the hard thing, I think, at least with our group internally at SHR. The other guys aren’t really in a playoff position. We’re still racing to make it into the playoffs, where the other guys have to win a race right now, so we just have to have every i dotted and t crossed, and that’s where with all the chaos going on behind the scenes has made it a little hard.”

HOW BIG IS IT FOR YOU TO SEE ANOTHER TRACK LIKE IOWA IN THE MIDWEST GET ADDED TO THE CUP SCHEDULE? “Obviously, I’m a little biased just how much I love Iowa Speedway, but I do think just racing in that part of the country is really good for us. I was just talking about it the other week when we were racing in St. Louis. That’s such a motorsports hotbed, I feel like, amongst all kinds of different divisions. It’s good for the Cup Series to be there and be represented, and I feel the same about Iowa. It’s the heart of the Midwest. There’s a lot of motorsports in that area. Knoxville is right down the road. You’ve got the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and a lot of guys that have roots to sprint cars are gonna be running 25 minutes up the road on Sunday running the Cup race, so I think anytime we can have that crossover is always good, and, yeah, it’s another race in the Midwest. For me, I’m a Midwest guy, so I’d much rather be in the Midwest racing than anywhere else, just because I get to see family and friends. Like I said, I’m probably a little bit biased, but certainly glad we have another Midwest track on the schedule.”

PGA GOLFER WYNDHAM CLARK TALKED ABOUT HOW 80 PERCENT OF THE FIELD WALKS AWAY MAD AND FRUSTRATED AFTER EACH A LOT OF THE ROUNDS. DOES THAT RELATE TO RACE CAR DRIVERS AS WELL? “I would say that is spot on, literally, to what we do. Every single week I come in on Tuesdays and I get ranked on my performance. They might tell me I’m a 31st-place driver one week and one week I might be the second-best driver. I know internally that I didn’t forget how to drive over the course of one week. If I’m second one week and now I’m 31st, I didn’t change what I’m doing, but, yeah, I think that’s the thing about racing too is that the best guy in the world – say it’s Kyle Larson – he loses way more than he wins and that’s very similar to golf. The best golfers in the world lose way more than they win and it is a hard battle, I think. It’s probably a little bit easier if you’re Kyle Larson and your bad days are still running fifth, sixth, seventh, but, for us, it is challenging. There might be one week, look at Darlington, we ran fourth or fifth and I go to St. Louis the other week and I run 20-something. I didn’t randomly one week know how to drive and the other week I didn’t. There’s just so many circumstances that go into it and it is frustrating, especially at the Cup level because all of us are good. I feel like you could take any of the top 25-30th place guys and put them in the best car that day and they’re probably gonna be right there in the top three battling for the win, but you get labeled as a guy that isn’t good or isn’t as good as this guy when I feel like a large majority of it is the car a lot of the time, especially at the Cup level just because we are all pretty good at what we do and we’re all normally within a tenth or two, so I definitely think that quote is very, very relatable to what we do and it’s frustrating for sure on those days or even those weekends where, I mean I felt like this past weekend everything I did if I did everything perfect, I was gonna run maybe 15th. We just were off all weekend long and it’s kind of like missing the cut.”

SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT? “I think, for me, honestly it’s my faith. We have a bible study group. It’s me and Michael McDowell and Corey LaJoie and a couple other guys and we even talk about this sometimes, how we’re labeled that what our worth is is where we finish on a given weekend. I think that’s where you just have to know that your real worth isn’t driving a race car and wherever we finish that weekend, or where we rank on pit road or whatever, there’s a lot more that comes to our worth than that. That’s where I think just being grounded in that certainly helps. Having a support system and, for me, trying to be the best dad and husband I can be is extremely important. My son has no idea if I run 30th or win that weekend. He’s just excited to see me and being the best I can be at home I say is a huge part of the balance in my life, especially over these last couple of years where we haven’t had the performance on the racetrack is just trying to perform in other areas and do it to the best of my ability.”

Race Notes

Iowa Speedway
Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Sunday, June 16 at 7:00PM EDT
USA | MRN | SiriusXM
Team Notes

• Kaulig Racing will make its first NCS start at Iowa Speedway in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol.
• So far in the 2024 NCS season, Kaulig Racing has earned five top 10s, 13 top 20s and led 39 laps.

AJ ALLMENDINGER

“It’s always fun to go to a track I haven’t been to before. Iowa Speedway is a unique oval that isn’t similar to most of the tracks we race at. I’m looking forward to running both the Xfinity and Cup races this weekend and having that extra time on track.” – AJ Allmendinger on Iowa Speedway

No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger will make his first NCS start at Iowa Speedway this weekend in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol.
• So far in the 2024 NCS season, Allmendinger has made five starts, led three laps and earned three top-10 finishes.

DANIEL HEMRIC

“There are a lot of unknowns going into this weekend in the Cup car at Iowa. I always enjoyed racing there in other series, but this will be a different animal. I’m looking forward to the challenge of another short track with this No. 31 group.” – Daniel Hemric on Iowa Speedway

No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Hemric will make his first series start at Iowa Speedway, as the NCS will make its first appearance on the short-track in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol.
• Hemric has made four NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at Iowa, earning a top five, two top 10s and three top-15 finishes.
• So far in the 2024 NCS season, Hemric has earned two top 10s, seven top-20 finishes and has led 14 laps.

 
Race Details

Iowa Speedway
HyVee Perks 250
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Saturday, June 15 at 3:30PM EDT
USA | MRN | SiriusXM
Team Notes

Kaulig Racing has made eight starts at Iowa Speedway in the NXS.
The team has earned three top-10 finishes in addition to three top-10 starting spots at Iowa.
So far in the 2024 NXS season, Kaulig Racing has two wins, six top fives, 14 top 10s, and 107 laps led.
 
DANIEL DYE

“I’m super excited to get to one of my favorite tracks I’ve raced on in my career. It’s going to be an interesting experience trying to use my knowledge about the racetrack in the past, since there is new pavement in the corners. It’s also going to be really cool to run a throwback scheme to Rusty Wallace who designed the race track.” – Daniel Dye on Iowa Speedway

No. 10 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet Camaro

• Daniel Dye will make his first NXS start at Iowa Speedway this weekend in the Hyvee Perks 250.
• Dye has two previous starts at Iowa in the ARCA Menards Series and earned a runner-up finish.
• So far in the 2024 NXS season, Dye has made three starts with Kaulig Racing, earning a best finish of 20th.
• This weekend, Dye’s No. 10 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet will feature a throwback tribute paint scheme to Rusty Wallace from 1993 in honor of Wallace’s involvement in designing Iowa Speedway.
• Along with his part-time NXS schedule, Dye competes full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series and currently sits 12th in driver points.

JOSH WILLIAMS

“I love Iowa. It’s a really cool track. It’s a short track, but it races like a mile-and-a-half with multiple grooves and lots of tire falloff. I can’t wait to get back there.” – Josh Williams on Iowa Speedway

No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro

• Josh Williams has made four starts at Iowa in the NXS, with his best finish (15th) coming in the series’ most recent trip to the track in 2019.
• Williams made six starts at Iowa in the ARCA Menards Series (AMS). He qualified in the top 10 twice and earned one top-10 finish.
• Williams sits 18th in the NXS points standings with three top 10s and 10 laps led.

AJ ALLMENDINGER

 ”It’s always fun to go to a track I haven’t been to before. Iowa Speedway is a unique oval that isn’t similar to most of the tracks we race at. I’m looking forward to running both the Xfinity and Cup races this weekend and having that extra time on track.” – AJ Allmendinger on Iowa Speedway

No. 16 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro

AJ Allmendinger will make his first NXS start at Iowa Speedway this weekend in the Hyvee Perks 250.
So far in the 2024 NXS season, Allmendinger has earned three top five and seven top-10 finishes. He has led 32 laps and currently sits sixth in driver standings.

SHANE van GISBERGEN

 “It was awesome to get back-to-back wins at Sonoma [raceway]. I’ve had a blast on road courses the past two weekends and am really proud of my No. 97 Kaulig Racing team. Thanks to Trackhouse, Kaulig Racing and Chevrolet for giving me this opportunity. Excited to have Kubota on board with us this weekend at Iowa [speedway] and looking forward to another fun race on Saturday afternoon.” – Shane van Gisbergen on Iowa Speedway

No. 97 Kubota Chevrolet Camaro

• Following his first-career NXS Pole Award, Shane van Gisbergen captured back-to-back wins last weekend, earning his second NXS victory at Sonoma Raceway.
• So far in the 2024 NXS season, Van Gisbergen has earned two wins, one pole award, three top fives and four top-10 finishes. He has led 65 laps, 32 of which came last weekend at Sonoma.
• Van Gisbergen currently sits 10th in driver standings heading into the weekend at Iowa.
• The Supercars Champion and his No. 97 Chevrolet will carry an orange and black Kubota livery for the first time this season. Kubota Tractor Corporation, Grapevine, Texas, is the U.S. marketer and distributor of Kubota-engineered and manufactured machinery and equipment, including a complete line of tractors of up to 200 Gross hp performance- matched implements, compact construction equipment, consumer lawn and garden equipment, hay tools, commercial turf products and utility vehicles.
•  

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Martin Truex Jr.
Iowa Speedway Advance
No. 19 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 16
● Location: Iowa Speedway in Newton
● Layout: .875-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 350 laps/306.25 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 140 laps / Final Stage: 140 laps
● TV/Radio: USA Network / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Where We Stand: The New Jersey native sits fifth in the driver standings with 508 points, 53 behind leader Kyle Larson. All four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) entries are currently inside the top-10 in the standings with Denny Hamlin third, Ty Gibbs eighth and Christopher Bell ninth as the series heads to the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa.

● After a trip to the West Coast this past weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to America’s Heartland for its inaugural race this Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton. While the track is new to the Cup Series, it is not new to NASCAR. The .875-mile oval located less than 40 miles east of the capital city of Des Moines played host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 2009 through 2019, holding a total of 33 races (20 Xfinity Series races and 13 Truck Series races). NASCAR has been absent from Iowa since 2020, with this year providing a welcome return to a track many in the industry have come to love. The D-shaped oval was designed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, and its similarity to the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway is no coincidence. Wallace claimed Richmond as one of his favorite tracks, and when he joined Iowa’s design team in 2003, Wallace used Richmond as his baseline. Iowa features variable banking, with the turns banked between 12-14 degrees, the frontstretch at 10 degrees and the backstretch at 4 degrees. Construction of Iowa began on June 21, 2005 and the facility made its public debut on Sept. 15, 2006 with a Hooters Pro Cup Series race during which driver Woody Howard became the track’s first victor. ARCA Menards Series races followed in 2006 and the IndyCar Series joined Iowa’s lineup in 2007.

● Family owned and operated, Reser’s has been a proud sponsor of good times at racetracks, picnics, and barbecues since 1950 with a family of brands that includes Reser’s American Classics, Main St. Bistro, and more. Reser’s operates 14 facilities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada and actively supports the communities it serves. Visit resers.com to learn more.

● 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 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry XSE

You’ve never raced at Iowa before, but what have your impressions been of seeing the Xfinity and other series race there over the years?

“I always thought it was kind of a big Richmond with the curved front straightaway and the progressive banking. It’s gotten to be pretty wide over the years. I know they did some repaving, which will be interesting to figure that out. That’s always a unique challenge. The place has put on some great racing over the years and I think we are all looking forward to going there, and hopefully we have a good shot to run well there this weekend with our Reser’s Fine Foods Camry.”

What are you most looking forward to with the Cup Series debuting at Iowa Speedway this weekend?

“I tend to like tracks that are similar to Iowa, medium-sized tracks that are pretty fast and hopefully a few grooves we can run in and move around and make passes. Richmond, Loudon, Phoenix, those kind of tracks I really enjoy and I think Iowa is kind of in that ballpark, and our cars have been really fast at those types of tracks this year, as well. We are going there looking to win the inaugural event. Anytime you go somewhere new, you always want to be the guy who wins that first one, it’s always extra special if you can do that. I’m excited to get there and see what we can do with our Reser’s Fine Foods Camry.”

With this being the first time the Cup cars have been there, what do you expect as far as fan excitement this weekend?

“I’m sure the fans are going to be excited. I know it’s been a long time coming for all the fans in Iowa. They’ve been talking about a Cup race going there for a long time now. It’s finally here and we are coming this weekend and I know the fans are going to pack the place all weekend and have a good time, and hopefully we’ll put on a great race for them.”

How has the level of parity changed in the Cup Series?

“I think it has changed a lot since I’ve been here. I think the last few years with the NextGen car have seen the biggest change, I would say. It has constantly evolved since I’ve come into the sport as far as trying to tighten things up, but the NextGen car just has taken it to a new level. You are talking about everybody having the same parts and pieces – that’s never been a part of this sport. That’s definitely been the game-changer.”

No. 19 Reser’s Fine Foods 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: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Mike Louria

Hometown: Gibraltar, Michigan

CHASE BRISCOE
Iowa Advance
No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 16
● Location: Iowa Speedway in Newton
● Layout: .875-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 350 laps/306.25 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 140 laps / Final Stage: 140 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● After a trip to the West Coast this past weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to America’s Heartland for its inaugural race this Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton. While the track is new to the Cup Series, it is not new to NASCAR. The .875-mile oval located less than 40 miles east of the capital city of Des Moines played host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 2009 through 2019, holding a total of 33 races (20 Xfinity Series races and 13 Truck Series races). NASCAR has been absent from Iowa since 2020, with this year providing a welcome return to a track many in the industry have come to love. The D-shaped oval was designed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, and its similarity to the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway is no coincidence. Wallace claimed Richmond as one of his favorite tracks, and when he joined Iowa’s design team in 2003, Wallace used Richmond as his baseline. Iowa features variable banking, with the turns banked between 12-14 degrees, the frontstretch at 10 degrees and the backstretch at 4 degrees. Construction of Iowa began on June 21, 2005 and the facility made its public debut on Sept. 15, 2006 with a Hooters Pro Cup Series race during which driver Woody Howard became the track’s first victor. ARCA Menards Series races followed in 2006 and the IndyCar Series joined Iowa’s lineup in 2007.

● Despite the NASCAR Cup Series having never run at Iowa Speedway, Chase Briscoe is a veteran of the track. The driver of the No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing has made five starts at Iowa across the NASCAR Xfinity Series (three), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (one) and ARCA Menards Series (one). He has never finished outside the top-10 and has an average finish of 5.2, a number buoyed by two victories – July 9, 2016 in ARCA and July 27, 2019 in Xfinity.

● Briscoe dominated in his 2016 ARCA Menards Series win at Iowa. The native of Mitchell, Indiana qualified fifth and led twice for 63 laps. When Briscoe took the lead from Kyle Weatherman on lap 91, the 150-lap race was effectively over as Briscoe never relinquished the point, driving to a 2.484-second margin of victory over runner-up Kyle Benjamin.

● Briscoe’s second and most recent win at Iowa was a bit more nuanced. Despite qualifying second for the 2019 Xfinity Series race, Briscoe didn’t take the lead until lap 244 of the 250-lap race. But those final seven laps were the only ones that mattered as Briscoe outran Christopher Bell, who had led four times for a race-high 234 laps, to take the victory by 1.069 seconds. It was the last Xfinity Series race at Iowa and the top-five finishers – Briscoe, Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick – are now all fulltime NASCAR Cup Series drivers who will compete in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol.

● Mahindra Ag North America is a proud sponsor of Briscoe and Stewart-Haas, and the No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Briscoe will drive this weekend at Iowa highlights an impressive milestone for Mahindra – 30 years of selling tractors in the United States. Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1-selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra offers a range of tractor models from 20-75 horsepower, implements, and the ROXOR heavy-duty UTV. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra Tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse

It seems like everyone is genuinely excited to race at Iowa this year. Why is that?

“It’s my favorite pavement track that I’ve ever raced on. I’m super excited. It’s just an awesome racetrack. It’s rough and it’s worn out. They repaved some of it, which stinks, but nobody’s run there for a couple of years, and every time I’ve ever been there, it’s been an unbelievable race. You can just literally go wherever on the racetrack. I think it’ll be the perfect storm for our cars. I feel like the NextGen car really performs well on intermediates and kind of struggles on short tracks, but Iowa is like the intermediate of short tracks. And then you throw in the fact that it’s really slick and worn out, there should be tire wear. I’m just really, really excited to go there.”

In your last race at Iowa, you won. In fact, in three career NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Iowa, you’ve never finished outside the top-10. What made you so good there?

“Iowa is the one track that from the get-go – I went there in ARCA and won, Truck Series I ran second almost the whole race and I should’ve won, the Xfinity car I was always up front and I was able to win in it, too. Honestly, as crazy as it sounds, on iRacing Iowa was always the one track that me and my buddies would all run because you could throw slide jobs, and before iRacing had dirt, that was the one track we felt like kind of raced like a dirt track because you’d slide around, and you could throw slide jobs on people. We would run so many laps around that racetrack between me and Christopher Bell and Logan Seavey and just all these guys you obviously hear of now. I had probably more laps around that track than any other on iRacing. When I finally got to go there in real life, I drove it just like I did on iRacing and it was fast. I need to get back on there and run some laps because it’s been a couple of years, now. It’s just a place that I fell in love with literally from the first lap I ran there, and I always enjoyed going there. It always helps when you run well every time you’ve been there, too. Yeah, I’m pretty jacked up about going there with the Cup car.”

We’ve talked about how different the NextGen cars are to the Xfinity Series cars, but does that familiarity with Iowa and your success there help for the inaugural Cup race at Iowa?

“I think so. The Cup car’s certainly going to drive totally different than anything I’ve ever run there before. But that track has so much character. It’s been since 2019 that I’ve raced there, so you know it’s changed a lot since then. The holes that were big then are probably going to be just bigger now, and how you manipulate your car through those holes is super, super important. And the NextGen drives totally different through bumps and stuff, so there’s going to be a lot of learning to do. But I still think it’s going to be one of those tracks where, if you understand your car placement and just how to run the top there, it’s going to be really big for you. It’s going to be a clean slate for everybody. Nobody’s going to have a lot of experience there, at least in the last few years, so it’s going to be fun to go there and try to figure it out together.”

How helpful is the simulator in getting your mind to understand how Iowa drives in a Cup car compared to what you experienced there in ARCA, Trucks and Xfinity back in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019?

“It’s good. It gives you a general idea of what to expect, and you at least kind of know what you’re getting into before you get into it. It’s never 100 percent, but I think the closer and the more we use it, the better it gets. There are some tracks that are better than others, but it’s hard when you haven’t been to a place before. But I think it just gives you a general idea. And even from just a visual standpoint, I haven’t been there since 2019, there are going to be signs and markers that are going to be different, so that’s where I think the sim will come into play.”

You get a rare Friday practice session at Iowa. How helpful will that real-world track time be for you?

“It’ll be nice to have a full practice session. You can learn a lot. We only have a few a year, and those are the only times that we’re actually allowed to make changes on the car at the racetrack that are more than just your little, tiny adjustments. So as a team, you almost go there just trying to make your program better as a whole for down the road, so you can really try some stuff that you’re really wanting to try. And you might sacrifice a practice session at a new racetrack just trying to learn stuff for the rest of the year. It’s always nice when you have those long practice sessions. You can tune your car in and just try some stuff that you haven’t been able to try before.”

Does Iowa have some tendencies of Richmond or other tracks where you’ve competed?

“I feel like it’s its own thing. Iowa’s always been my best racetrack, and I feel like Richmond’s always been my worst. I remember the first time I went to Richmond and felt like it was just a flat Iowa, and I was not very good. They’re definitely similar from a shape standpoint, but they race totally, totally different. I don’t feel like there’s much that compares.”

When I say “Iowa,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind, other than the racetrack?

“Other than the racetrack? I think of Knoxville, which is a different racetrack. Just sprint car racing, you know how big sprint-car racing is in that area, Knoxville is 20, 30 minutes away, you have the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Outside of that, I think of corn fields. The racetrack is literally in a corn field.”

When we race at Iowa, Mahindra will be celebrating 30 years of selling its tractors in the United States. Iowa is farm country, and it seems to be your country, we well. Are you ready to deliver for Mahindra in NASCAR’s return to Iowa?

“It would be awesome, and I feel like it’s kind of a perfect storm. It’s my favorite racetrack, it’s 30 years for Mahindra selling in the U.S., and you’re literally in the middle of farm and tractor country. It’d be perfect, right? I think there’s a real opportunity to do it, and I feel like there’s no better place to do it than in the Heartland of America where there are probably more tractors in that state than any other state in America. It’d be awesome to win it right there, kind of fly the flag for Mahindra right there in the heart of where there’s a ton of tractor competition.”

You’ve gone from being a guy who probably didn’t know a whole lot about tractors to where you now have a fleet of Mahindra Tractors on your property. What have you been doing since you’ve become a homeowner in rural North Carolina?

“I knew how to drive a tractor, but when I first moved down here, I didn’t have any land. And then two years ago I was able to buy a place with 17 acres and I instantly needed a tractor, so it kind of worked out being with Mahindra. I went from a 20-horsepower to a 50-horsepower back down to a 20-horsepower, and I definitely put a lot of hours on them. My son is just in love with riding the tractor. He wants to do it every single day, so if I’m not moving dirt or trying to fix my driveway or tearing down trees or just picking up limbs, he’s asking to get on the tractor. That’s the one thing, with 17 acres, there are trees falling all the time, so you’re always trying to pick something up, move it and clear something. When I’m not doing that, my son just wants to ride around and drive it and lift the bucket up and down, so it’s been nice for us just to have 20, 30 minutes every day of just going out there and just me and him and watching him kind of enjoying it and learning. It’s definitely been nice to have a partner like Mahindra where, not only are they family off the racetrack, but their product is honestly bringing our family closer.”

Mahindra tailors its equipment for first-time tractor buyers. That was you. How intuitive was their equipment to where you could get up to speed relatively quickly?

“I don’t have a ton of experience with other brands, but I felt like, for me, I hadn’t driven a tractor since I was probably 11, 12 years old with my grandpa, so 15 years ago. But I got on and it was pretty simple. You literally turn the key, you put the thing in gear, push the pedal down and it’s going, and the bucket’s pretty self-explanatory – you pull it back and it goes up, you push it and it goes down, and then you tilt it going left or right. So there’s not a whole lot of things that you can do to mess up on it. Now being in the tractor space, I’ve been able to see other brands and other things and it just looks more complicated. The Mahindras are super simple and, especially for the first-time tractor buyer, it makes things a lot easier just because it doesn’t overcomplicate things. You can’t hurt them, that’s for sure.”

No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

IOWA

Saturday, June 15 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, June 16 — NASCAR Cup Series, 7 p.m. ET (USA)

This weekend will mark the NASCAR Cup Series debut at Iowa Speedway, a ⅞ mile short track located in Newton, but it’s not that unfamiliar to many of the competitors because the NASCAR Xfinity Series has conducted 20 races at the facility. Iowa Speedway opened with single events in 2009 and ‘10 before hosting two races a year from 2011-19.

INAUGURAL RACE SUCCESS

Ford has had its share of success when it comes to inaugural races and no driver has had more than Team Penske’s Joey Logano, who has captured three such events in the last three years. The two-time Cup champion started his streak by winning the first series race on dirt in more than 50 years when he won at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021. He followed that up with a pair of inaugural victories in 2022 at the season-opening Clash at the Coliseum and later in the year at World Wide Technology Raceway. The only other active Ford driver with an inaugural win is defending champion Ryan Blaney, who won the first race on the Charlotte Roval in 2018.

INAUGURAL RACE WINNERS

Joey Logano at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 5, 2022
Joey Logano at the Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 6, 2022
Joey Logano at the Bristol Dirt Race on March, 29, 2021
Ryan Blaney at the Charlotte Roval on Sept. 30, 2018
Mark Martin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1, 1998
Jeff Burton at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6, 1997
LEADER OF THE IOWA PACK

As noted above, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has had 20 races at Iowa Speedway and Ford leads all manufacturers with nine victories, followed by Toyota (7) and Chevrolet (4). Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski are tied for the most wins among drivers with three each while Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe and Chris Buescher also have a victory at the short track.

Austin Cindric: “I know they were going to pave over the patchwork in three and four that’s been there for a little while, so obviously new pavement is gonna add grip and you’re gonna have to run through it. I think it all just kind of depends on how wide it is. Even at North Wilkesboro, that’s an extreme example with an extremely old surface. You would put your tire literally on the freshest piece of asphalt and that would be the racing line no matter what track shape or geometry would tell you is the correct racing line. It’s where the grip is, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a favored spot on the racetrack just because of that, but, otherwise, I think we’re all really excited about going to Iowa.”

Joey Logano: “Until you get there you don’t really know. It’s probably the most interesting repave-ish thing that we’ve seen. Like I said, I can’t really form an opinion until I make laps on it, but it’s definitely unique. Good or bad, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Going off the tire test at Wilkesboro, I thought that was gonna be a single lane race that wasn’t gonna have any passing, and I was completely wrong about that. The track was up to the wall, so who knows. Maybe things have changed. You just don’t know.”

Todd Gilliland: “I’m very interested to see how Iowa is. I’ve seen pictures and it’s like there’s one lane paved here, and it goes to two lanes and then back to one lane. From my side of it, when I last raced at Iowa it was extremely worn out, so I think the difference between the old pavement and the new pavement is gonna be on a different level.”

200TH SERIES VICTORY

Two years after his historic win in the Daytona 500, Trevor Bayne provided another milestone for Ford when he notched its 200th all-time victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Iowa Speedway on June 9, 2013. Bayne, who got married earlier in the week, took the lead from Austin Dillon with 12 laps to go and held on to register his second series victory. Ford currently has 286 all-time NXS wins with Mark Martin holding down the top spot for most victories with 47. Carl Edwards is second with 38.

FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT IOWA

2011 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Sweep)
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1)
2013 – Trevor Bayne (1) and Brad Keselowski (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Chris Buescher (1) and Ryan Blaney (2)
2019 – Chase Briscoe (2)

Corey LaJoie to steer No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet

IOWA CITY, Iowa (June 11, 2024) – Gainbridge®, Spire Motorsports, and the University of Iowa Athletics Department and Learfield’s Hawkeye Sports Properties announced Corey LaJoie will drive a special Iowa Hawkeyes-themed paint scheme in the June 16 NASCAR Cup Series’ Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway. The No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet will take the track featuring special black and gold striping with the Iowa Hawkeyes athletics logo on the hood and the athletics website on the rear TV panel.

Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, is a proud sponsor of Iowa Athletics and earlier this year signed a multi-year partnership with Hawkeye legend Caitlin Clark as a brand ambassador. Gainbridge® is also an anchor partner of Spire Motorsports and the primary sponsor of LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet. All Iowa Athletics sponsorship agreements are managed by its multimedia rights holder Hawkeye Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield, the media and technology company powering college athletics.

“The No. 7 is extra special this weekend as we bring together two unique sports properties from our portfolio and give Iowans a home-state car to pull for in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway,” said Mike Nichols, Chief of Sponsorship and Activation at Group 1001. “From Caitlin Clark to now this, Gainbridge® has stepped up to support Iowa athletics and we hope that all of Iowa will rally around Corey LaJoie and cheer him on to victory lane.”

“The NASCAR event at Iowa Speedway is a marquee event for the state and we’re thankful that Gainbridge® is shining a big spotlight on Learfield and Iowa athletics,” said Gabe Aguirre, Vice President & General Manager, Hawkeye Sports Properties. “We’re all rooting for Corey LaJoie in that No. 7.”

The Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol will be televised live on USA Network Sunday, June 16, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 17th of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About Gainbridge® …
Founded in 2018, Gainbridge® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge® is headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.io or follow and connect with us on X and LinkedIn.

About Learfield …
Learfield is a diversified and influential media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Iowa Event Info:
Date: Sunday, June 16
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Newton, Iowa
Format: 350 Laps, 306.25 Miles, Stages: 70-140-140
TV: USA
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 5:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:05 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 7 p.m. ET, Race (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• Iowa Speedway hosts the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in its history this weekend as the NCS starts embark on a 350-lap race Sunday night.
• Despite no Cup races there, both RFK drivers have a leg up at the 7/8-mile track as both have visited victory lane in the Xfinity Series. Brad Keselowski won the first-ever NXS race at Iowa back in 2009 and went on to win three times, while Chris Buescher won with Jack Roush in 2015 at the track, with current crew chief Scott Graves atop the box.
• Overall RFK has five wins at Iowa, the most recent coming less than a decade ago with Buescher.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: King’s Hawaiian / Casey’s

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

Keselowski at Iowa (Xfinity Series Stats)
Starts: 7
Wins: 3 (2009, 2013, 2014)
Top-10s: 7
Poles: —

• Keselowski was the first winner in the Xfinity Series at Iowa, taking home the inaugural trophy back in 2009. He led 121 laps and drove the No. 88 for JR Motorsports to victory lane, his first of three NXS trophies at the track.
• He went on to win again in back-to-back seasons in 2013-14, and finished top-8 in every race he ran there, the last coming in 2016.
• With the Cup Series’ first visit to the 7/8-mile track, Keselowski is coming off a recent test at Iowa less than a month ago, one of the few drivers now to have turned laps in a Cup car.

Buescher at Iowa (Xfinity Series Stats)
Starts: 4
Wins: 1 (2015)
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

• Buescher won at Iowa back in 2015 for Jack Roush in the No. 60 in one of his four NXS starts at the track. That season marked his most recent action at the track.
• He also made four starts in ARCA from 2009-12, earning a pair of top fives.

RFK Historically at Iowa
Wins: 5 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2011 twice, 2012; Trevor Bayne, 2013; Chris Buescher, 2015)

• Stenhouse Finds First in Iowa: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. picked up his first Xfinity Series win at Iowa back in 2011, sweeping both races as the series at the time competed there in May and August. The next season he won again, as three of his eight career NXS wins all-time came at the 7/8-mile track.
• Bayne Breaks Through in 2013: Trevor Bayne continued the winning tradition with the No. 6 in victory lane at Iowa, winning the first race of the 2013 campaign at Iowa. It marked his second Xfinity Series win of his career.
• Buescher Victorius in 2015: Buescher started fourth in the 2015 race, led 94 laps and won in the No. 60 entry for Jack Roush in what was one of his two wins in his Xfinity Championship season.

RFK Iowa Wins

2011 Stenhouse Xfinity
2011 Stenhouse Xfinity
2012 Stenhouse Xfinity
2013 Bayne Xfinity
2015 Buescher Xfinity

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Sonoma: Buescher led the second-most laps of any driver, won stage two and nearly won the race before finishing third, his third-straight top-5 at the track. Keselowski earned stage two points and picked up a P13 finish.

Points Standings (6: 7th, 17: 13th): RFK had one of the best points days of the season last Sunday at Sonoma as both drivers earned stage points and ultimately advanced positions in the standings. Keselowski jumped two spots to seventh as now just a point separates the No. 6, 54 and 20. Buescher advanced one position to 13th, but more importantly increased his gap to 14th by now 24 points.