FOUR TOYOTA TOP-10’S IN ATLANTA Chandler Smith, Sheldon Creed start their seasons with consecutive top-five finishes
ATLANTA (February 24, 2024) – Chandler Smith came just one spot short of winning at his home track this evening in NASCAR Xfinity Series action at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Talking Rock, Georgia-native backed up his fifth place run at Daytona with a runner-up finish in a green-white-checkered ending. His teammate, Sheldon Creed, also delivered back-to-back top-five runs to start the season with a fourth-place finish. Joe Gibbs Racing added a third Supra inside the top-10 with Ryan Truex finishing in ninth.
Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) and Jeffrey Earnhardt also had a strong run with an eighth-place finish. For SHR, it is their best finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, while for Earnhardt, it was his best run since a seventh-place finish for SHR at Nashville Superspeedway in June 2022.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap| NASCAR Xfinity Series Atlanta Motor Speedway Race 2 of 33 – 251.02 miles, 163 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, Austin Hill* 2nd, CHANDLER SMITH 3rd, Shane van Gisbergen* 4th, SHELDON CREED 5th, Parker Retzlaff* 8th, JEFFREY EARNHARDT 9th, RYAN TRUEX 32nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHANDLER SMITH, No. 81 QuickTie Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What’s your big takeaway from today’s race and seeing the pit strategy pay off at the end, even if it may have been frustrating at the time?
“I wasn’t really frustrated in the moment there. I did second guess it for a minute there as I thought I had saved a lot of fuel and didn’t think a lot of guys were going to take the gamble and come down. But I don’t know if we just ran more caution laps than what everyone was anticipating at first. My crew chief, Jeff Meendering, did an amazing job making the last-minute pit call there. Looks like we dragged everyone else down pit road with us when we went. So, no, I’m really happy with how our results were coming out of here with the No. 81 QuickTie Products Toyota GR Supra, which was as fast as Xfinity 10G internet today. So, looking forward to going to Las Vegas with two top-fives on superspeedways.”
What’s it mean for you to get a good result here in Atlanta and two Georgia drivers finishing 1-2?
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool. I didn’t even think about that – Georgia guys one, two. Yeah, I’m excited with two top-fives to start the season on superspeedways brings huge momentum for this QuickTie GR Supra team. Looking forward to going to Las Vegas and seeing what we can do there.”
SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
Talk us through your race today and what you were experiencing out there.
“The racing was really bad, to be honest. We were all funneling to the top and you can’t make a move by yourself, just no horsepower. We’re going to Michigan and Indianapolis with these packages, so hope we reconsider and don’t go like that. A great way to salvage our day on some misfortune of others. I don’t know (pause), we got a fourth there. That’s pretty good from where we were running coming to the last caution and the green-white checkered.”
JEFFREY EARNHARDT, No. 26 ForeverLawn Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
Ran in the lead pack all night and ended up with a strong top-10 finish. How was your race?
“First off, just glad to be back in a Toyota. It’s impressive what this team has accomplished over the years. I ran with these guys two years ago, and heck, I was impressed – saying they were a top-10 team then, and you see what they did at Daytona. Then we come here and back it up – that’s really impressive. Hats off to these guys for the hard work they put in. Sam (Hunt) for the team he has built. It takes a good leader to build a team this great and he’s definitely just that. Can’t thank these guys enough. I’ve got to thank ForeverLawn. They’ve had my back for a long time. It’s pretty awesome to keep them. The people they are, the people surrounding me – you can’t say enough about it. You wish you could get every sponsor to be like them. Can’t thank them enough. We’ve got so many great partners that have been with us for a long time – just happy to get them a good run tonight.”
RYAN TRUEX, No. 19 Toyota Outfitters Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
Strong run all night, and still ended up in the top-10 despite running out of fuel. Can you talk us through your race?
“We did everything right. Coming to two to go, a caution came out and it killed us. I was running second about to come to the white, right where I wanted to be with enough fuel and we rode around under caution. I lined up to the 2 (Jesse Love) to push him, and as soon as I got to him, he ran out of fuel and killed our lane. I got freight trained. Sheldon (Creed) got to my bumper coming to the checkered – we were actually rolling the top pretty well, and then I ran out of gas coming into (turn) three. It wouldn’t have mattered either way. We did everything we could – we ran inside the top-five the entire race and nothing to show for it is kind of a bummer.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
Barry Boes Debuts With Victorious Race Within the TA2 Race; Rookie Gavan Boschele Drives to 16th; Early Accident Foils Bid for Thomas Ellis
Overview: Date: Feb. 24, 2024 Event: Sebring SpeedTour (Round 1 of 12) Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series Location: Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway Layout: 3.74-mile, 17-turn road course Format: 27 laps or75 minutes Weather: Sunny, upper-60s Winner: Connor Zilisch of Silver Hare Racing
TeamSLR:
● Barry Boes – Started 22nd, Finished 13th (Running, completed 27/27 laps ● Gavan Boschele – Started 12th, Finished 16th (Running, completed 27/27 laps) ● Thomas Ellis – Started 24th, Finished 34th (Accident, completed 10/27 laps)
Noteworthy:
● Sixth-year TA2 driver Barry Boes’ 13th-place finish bested the 14 cars in the 38-car TA2 field that are competing for the season-long Pro-Am championship.
● Austin Green of Peterson Racing, the 2023 TA2 Rookie of the Year, came home fifth Saturday to become the top-finishing M1Racecars entry.
Gavan Boschele, Driver No. 28 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
“We started 12th and I kind of messed up on the first lap, got caught up starting too far back. That’s the main thing, you’ve got start up front. I got shuffled back and locked up the brakes and kind of drove through, and I ended up getting a penalty for that. So that put me all the way in the back and we ended up fighting our way back to 16th. Not the greatest, but I’m still learning everything and we’ll come back stronger. I have a lot of takeaways from this just to build on, racecraft and everything else. Can’t thank all the M1Racecars guys enough and we’ll come back strong at Road Atlanta.”
Barry Boes, Driver No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:
“This feels absolutely incredible. It’s amazing that I’m here today. Accio means ‘to summon,’ and I summoned a victory today and it feels fantastic. Keith (Prociuk, third-place-finishing Pro-Am driver) and I often qualify near each other, and he races really well and I figured I’d follow him up to the front as much as I could. And when he got hung up at the initial start, it gave me an opportunity and it feels fantastic.”
Thomas Ellis, Driver No. 8 Averitt Express/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:
“It was my first weekend back in a few years. We struggled all weekend to try to get some pace in the car. I went into the race looking for momentum, just to find a little bit of pace, then lay back. There was no winning race on the first corner, it was just a matter of waiting for the first caution. We got that first caution pretty soon after I picked off a couple of cars. Then, unfortunately, in turn 10 on the restart, I just got punted off the track. It broke something in the back of the car and I couldn’t continue. In the bigger picture, I feel really good now after getting all the nooks and crannies out this weekend following the long layoff. The next weekend I get into the car, I feel like I’ll have a lot more momentum moving forward. I’ll feel a lot better about what I’ll be able to do in qualifying, which will be important to not have to deal with all the crazies at the back of the field.”
Next Up:
Round two of the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series is the Road Atlanta SpeedTour March 21-23 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The weekend kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions Thursday afternoon, March 21. Official TA2 practice begins at 11:25 a.m. EDT Friday, March 22, followed by qualifying at 2:30 p.m. Start time for Saturday’s 40-lap, 75-minute race around the 2.54-mile, 11-turn Road Atlanta circuit is 12:45 p.m. Series partner MAVTV will provide live television coverage augmented via live video stream on the Trans Am channel on YouTube.
About TeamSLR:
TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.
For the first time in nearly 15 years, Kyle Busch motored his way to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in equipment not related to him and used the draft to capture a dramatic victory in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The two-time Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, led four times for 33 of 135 scheduled laps in an event where he started seventh and made his presence at the front known in the early stages. After finishing in the top 10 after the first stage’s conclusion, Busch, who would capture the second stage victory, overtook Grant Enfinger for the lead with seven laps remaining. He also had to fend off late charges from Ty Majeski, Corey Heim and Taylor Gray to achieve his first victory as a Spire Motorsports competitor and his 65th Truck Series career victory.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Feb. 23, Daniel Dye notched his first career pole position after a lap at 174.246 mph in 31.817 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Tyler Ankrum, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 173.467 mph in 31.960 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Ankrum gained an early advantage on the inside lane as he muscled into the lead followed by Ty Majeski and teammate Christian Eckes while Dye fell back to fourth in front of teammate Jack Wood, all while Connor Jones scraped the outside wall and fell off the pace while the event remained under green flag conditions. With Kyle Busch joining the battle, Majeski would lead the first lap by a hair over Ankrum before the latter jumped ahead to lead the next lap. Not long after, Busch and Ankrum would take turns swapping the lead amid a side-by-side battle in front of the pack fanned out to two tight-packed lanes.
Just past the Lap 10 mark, Eckes moved into the lead over Busch as Ankrum, Majeski and Dye were in the top five. Behind, rookie Layne Riggs, Jake Garcia, Chase Purdy, Jack Wood and Bayley Currey were in the top 10 ahead of Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, Nick Sanchez, Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton while Tanner Gray, Corey Heim, Dean Thompson, Colby Howard and Taylor Gray occupied the top 20.
On Lap 15, the event’s first caution flag flew after Keith McGee, who was lapped by the field, spun in Turn 3. During the caution period, some including Sanchez, Heim, Thompson, Friesen, Ty Dillon and Connor Jones pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.
When the event restarted under green on Lap 21, Eckes and Majeski dueled for the lead, with the latter leading the next two laps before Eckes reassumed the top spot.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 30, Eckes captured his first stage victory of the 2024 Truck Series season. Teammate Ankrum settled in second followed by Riggs, Enfinger and Majeski while Rhodes, Garcia, Busch, Wood and Dye settled in the top 10.
Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Eckes pitted while the rest led by Ankrum remained on the track. During the pit stops, Eckes, who had radioed issues involving his brakes earlier, zipped by his pit stall while having issues to brake his entry. He would pit again to have the braking issues addressed, which took him out of contention for the race victory.
The second stage period started on Lap 36 as Ankrum led the field back to the green. Ankrum would maintain the top spot for the next six laps before Busch carved his way back to the front.
Nearing the Lap 50 mark, the caution flew after Thad Moffitt tried to move in front of Garcia when he got turned across the outside wall on the backstretch, which Moffitt then veered back to the left and into the side of Garcia as Riggs sustained damage to his entry after he was hit by Garcia while Moffitt spun, all occurring in Turn 3.
With the event restarting with six laps remaining in the second stage period, Busch maintained the lead over Ankrum and the field. He would maintain the lead for the next four laps just as the caution returned when Jack Wood spun across the frontstretch’s grass and damaged his front nose. Wood’s incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 60 to conclude under caution as Busch captured the stage victory followed by Ankrum, Enfinger, Tanner Gray, Heim, Sanchez, Majeski, Caruth, Taylor Gray and Bayley Currey.
During the stage break, a majority of the field led by Busch pitted while the rest led by Mills remained on the track.
With 69 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green as Thompson and Matt Mills occupied the front row. At the start, Mills and Thompson dueled for the lead exiting the frontstretch until Thompson muscled away from the field on the inside lane through the backstretch, which Mills then reclaimed the lead as the field navigated back to the frontstretch. During the following lap, Rhodes, who made contact with the outside wall, made a pit stop under green flag to address a flat right-front tire as Mills maintained the lead ahead of Thompson while Purdy was trying to gain an advantage from the inside lane followed by Ankrum.
A few laps later and as the field fanned out to three lanes, Ankrum navigated his way back into the lead, where he would then be challenged by Enfinger for the top spot amid the draft. Meanwhile, Mills and Thompson remained in the top five along with Taylor Gray while Heim was trying to fight his way into the top five along with Purdy.
With less than 60 laps remaining, Friesen pitted under green after scraping the outside wall on the backstretch. Caruth, who was running within the top 10, would fall off the pace due to a flat tire on his truck, but the caution would fly with 57 laps remaining due to debris reported on the frontstretch. During the pit stops, the entire field led by Ankrum pitted. Amid the pit services, Sanchez, Caruth and Timmy Hill were penalized for speeding on pit road while Matt Mills was also penalized for running over equipment. In addition, Enfinger had to reverse his truck on pit road to get it full of fuel.
With the event restarting with 50 laps remaining, Ankrum received a push from Heim to muscle ahead with the lead on the outside lane followed by Kyle Busch, Currey and the field. Ankrum would retain the lead amid the draft and in front of two packed lanes during the proceeding laps while Heim settled in second followed by Busch, Currey and Taylor Gray. Shortly after, Mills fell off the pace after cutting a right-front tire from scraping the wall earlier and he pitted under green. The caution, however, returned with 42 laps remaining due to debris being reported in Turn 4. By then, Currey pitted to address his roof hatch being displaced.
During the following restart with 36 laps remaining, Ankrum and Thompson battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns until Majeski shoved Thompson into the lead from the inside lane while Ankrum briefly lost his momentum and drafting boost from Heim on the outside lane. Then just as Majeski attempted to make a move on Thompson, the caution returned due to debris being reported on the frontstretch.
With the event restarting with 31 laps remaining under green, Thompson was shoved out of the draft by Majeski on the outside lane. This resulted in Thompson backsliding as Ankrum moved back into the lead followed by Busch while Majeski was left battling Enfinger, Sanchez and Heim for third place amid two tight-packed lanes.
Not long after, a tight battle for the lead ignited between Ankrum and Enfinger, with Busch settling behind Ankrum while Enfinger had Sanchez drafting him on the inside lane. Following their brief duel, Enfinger moved into the lead with 29 laps remaining. He would retain the lead with 25 laps remaining over Busch, Majeski, Heim, Taylor Gray and Sanchez while Ankrum, who transitioned to the inside lane, was backsliding towards the top-10 mark.
With 20 laps remaining and with the majority of the field running in a long single-file line towards the outside wall, Enfinger was leading followed by Busch, Majeski, Heim and Taylor Gray while Sanchez, Honeycutt, Ankrum, Caruth and Daniel Dye were running in the top 10 ahead of Purdy, Thompson, Holmes, Dillon, Rhodes, Lawless Alan, Garcia, Crafton, Howard and Mason Massey, all of whom occupied the top 20.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Enfinger retained the lead followed by Busch, Majeski, Heim and Taylor Gray while Rhodes, who tried to make a move on the inside lane, was shuffled back to 11th place. Shortly after, Rhodes made contact with the outside wall entering Turn 3, which forced him to pit while the event remained under green flag conditions.
Then three laps later and as the leader navigated through lapped traffic, Busch dived to the left and overtook Enfinger for the lead entering Turns 1 and 2. He was followed by Majeski, Heim, Taylor Gray and the rest of the field while Enfinger was falling off the pace due to a flat tire on his truck, an issue that would result in Enfinger pitting under green, while Busch maintained the lead over a hard-charging Majeski.
With five laps remaining, Busch was still leading ahead of a slight four-truck breakaway that included Maejski, Heim and Taylor Gray while Sanchez and Honeycutt led another drafting group of competitors trying to close in.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Busch remained as the leader ahead of Majeski, Heim and Gray while Sanchez was trying to close in from fifth place. With Majeski, Heim and Taylor Gray unable to gain any advantage for a final circuit, Busch was able to maintain the lead and cycle his way back to the frontstretch victorious as he claimed the checkered flag by a tenth of a second over Majeski.
With the victory, Busch, who remains as the all-time wins leader in the Truck Series with 65 victories, achieved his seventh series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway and his first since 2021. The victory was also Busch’s first driving for Spire Motorsports, the team that purchased Kyle Busch Motorsports at the conclusion of the 2023 season, and the 19th season overall where Busch has achieved at least one victory in the Truck Series. In addition, Spire Motorsports achieved its third career victory in the Truck circuit.
Busch is scheduled to return as the driver of the No. 7 entry for Spire Motorsports for the upcoming Truck Series events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, both in March, followed by Texas Motor Speedway in April and at Darlington Raceway in May.
HAMPTON, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 24: Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 Group 1001 Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images).
“You’re relying on help, right?” Busch said on FS1. “You got to have guys behind you that are willing to work with you. Majeski was that guy today for me. There at the end, we had a bunch of Spire [Motorsports] teammates out there that were great to work with, too. Thanks to Chevrolet, appreciate Spire, Group1001, everybody that’s been a part of this organization from the very start to what we have today. It’s a lot of fun.”
Majeski, who led three laps, settled in the runner-up spot followed by Heim, Taylor Gray and Sanchez while Honeycutt, Ankrum, Caruth, Daniel Dye and Thompson settled in the top 10 on the track.
*Following the post-race inspection process, rookie Layne Riggs was disqualified due to his Front Row Motorsports entry not having windshield fasteners tightened for the entire event.
There were 20 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 37 laps. In total, 20 of the 33 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the second event of the 2024 Truck Series season, Tyler Ankrum continues to lead the regular-season standings by 10 points over Ty Majeski, 12 over Nick Sanchez, 15 over Corey Heim and 24 over Rajah Caruth.
Results.
1. Kyle Busch, 33 laps led, Stage 2 winner
2. Ty Majeski, three laps led
3. Corey Heim
4. Taylor Gray
5. Nick Sanchez
6. Kaden Honeycutt
7. Tyler Ankrum, 46 laps led
8. Rajah Caruth
9. Daniel Dye
10. Dean Thompson, four laps led
11. Bret Holmes
12. Lawless Alan
13. Matt Crafton
14. Ty Dillon
15. Chase Purdy
16. Jake Garcia
17. Colby Howard
18. Timmy Hill
19. Tanner Gray
20. Mason Massey
21. Keith McGee, one lap down
22. Spencer Boyd, one lap down
23. Stewart Friesen, two laps down
24. Mason Maggio, two laps down
25. Grant Enfinger, two laps down, 23 laps led
26. Thad Moffitt, three laps down
27. Matt Mills, three laps down, six laps led
28. Ben Rhodes, five laps down
29. Connor Jones, six laps down
30. Bayley Currey – OUT, Damage
31. Jack Wood – OUT, Accident
32. Christian Eckes – OUT, Brakes, 20 laps led, Stage 1 winner
33. Layne Riggs – Disqualified
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Friday, March 1, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.
Race fans, prepare for the 65th running of the legendary Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend 2024. This grueling 600-mile race has earned the reputation as NASCAR’s toughest test of man and machine.
The Coca-Cola 600 weekend pays tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces with a patriotic pre-race show. Festivities include Military Appreciation activities, performances, driver appearances, and more as Charlotte Motor Speedway and race sponsor Coca-Cola honor America’s troops and first responders.
As drivers battle fatigue and mechanical issues over the 400-lap distance, intrigue builds on who has the skill to conquer Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval. According to recent form, Kyle Larson enters as a race favorite to potentially capture his first Coca-Cola 600 victory in the #5 Chevrolet.
Mark your calendars now for Memorial Day weekend 2024 to witness the 66th running of this crown jewel race at the legendary Charlotte superspeedway.
As NASCAR’s longest continuously operating track, Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted the Coca-Cola 600 every year since 1960 as one of stock car racing’s most demanding events. Its original asphalt surface and high 24-degree banked turns challenged drivers from the beginning over 400 grueling miles.
While the track layout modernized slightly, its competitive balance as NASCAR’s first superspeedway solidified its place in racing lore. Charlotte Motor Speedway has welcomed over 100,000 fans annually to its Coke 600 weekend, establishing itself as the heart of stock car racing.
Today, the track strives to enhance the show for fans while preserving its rich history. This balance of innovation and tradition continues to produce iconic moments year after year. As one of NASCAR’s crown jewels taking place in North Carolina, the Coca-Cola 600’s home at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a perfect match.
Be sure to witness drivers conquer the ultimate test of man and machine at the 2024 running of the legendary Coca-Cola 600!
As we look ahead to the 2023 NASCAR season, one young driver originating from North Carolina is poised for a breakout year that could elevate him into the upper echelon of the sport – 23-year-old William Byron. With two Cup Series wins already under his belt in his young career, Byron pairs raw talent with the resources of the mighty Hendrick Motorsports team. This combination could unlock his full potential and make him a force to be reckoned with when the green flag drops at Daytona.
Why Byron is Ready for Stardom
Byron hails from Charlotte, NC, and raced late models in the state before catching the eye of Rick Hendrick. Signing a development deal with Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 set Byron on the fast track to NASCAR’s top level. He raced just one full season in the Xfinity Series in 2017, winning an impressive seven races and the series championship. Byron’s transition to the Cup Series came swiftly in 2018 as the next stepping stone in his meteoric rise.
It’s taken Byron a few seasons to find his footing against NASCAR’s best competition, but 2022 showed he’s putting the pieces together. He scored a career-best two wins, both coming in the playoffs to advance to the Round of 8. Now with that first multiple-win season behind him, Byron appears primed to take advantage of his ever-growing experience and talent.
Driving the #24 Chevy for the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports organization also bodes well for Byron’s success. Their resources, personnel, and teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott surround Byron with all the tools necessary to excel. And in crew chief Rudy Fugle, Byron has found an ideal pairing that has already led to victories and championship-contending consistency.
Furthermore, Byron’s sponsor at Liberty University offers stability and funding year after year. With his situation secured, Byron can simply focus on driving and achieving at the highest level.
Emergence Would Boost NC’s Place in NASCAR History
With North Carolina’s rich ties to NASCAR dating back to the sport’s origins, the state has developed no shortage of legendary drivers. As covered previously, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and others rank among the all-time greats with numerous championships and race wins to their names. North Carolina’s legacy persists today through championship-caliber drivers like Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.
Byron ascending to join their ranks would only elevate North Carolina’s standing in the sport. It would add another rising young star to the state’s glittering racing heritage and prove the Tar Heel State remains NASCAR’s hotbed for developing top-tier drivers. And with Byron’s window of opportunity now open, his emergence could happen faster than many expect.
*Sports betting became legal in North Carolina on August 27, 2021; BetMGM NASCAR Sports Betting offers bets like race winners, season champions, and driver matchups; Fans can use a BetMGM bonus code for generous welcome bonuses on their first NASCAR bets when registering at BetMGM North Carolina Sports Betting.
With the speed and promise that William Byron has shown, his betting odds for race wins and the series championship present intriguing value opportunities. As the 2023 season kicks off, be sure to keep tabs on this fast-rising North Carolina native as a driver to watch closely – and potentially back as an under-the-radar bet to become a NASCAR star.
*Students must be 21+ years old to bet legally in North Carolina; have fun, and bet responsibly!
HEIM, GRAY DELIVER STRONG RUNS IN ATLANTA TRICON Garage places three Tundras in the top-10
ATLANTA (February 24, 2024) – Corey Heim added another strong run at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon, bringing his Toyota Tundra TRD Pro home in third position to lead Toyota in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event.
With his runner-up finish at Daytona, Heim has begun the season with back-to-back top-fives. The Toyota Development Driver has now finished inside the top-five in seven of the last eight races, and in the top 10 in 23 of his last 26 Truck Series starts.
Heim’s TRICON Garage teammate, Taylor Gray, battled back from his last lap accident in Daytona to earn his first top-five finish of the season in fourth, while Dean Thompson had a successful day – leading his first laps in the Truck Series before finishing 10th.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Atlanta Motor Speedway Race 2 of 23 – 135 Laps, 207.9 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, Kyle Busch* 2nd, Ty Majeski* 3rd, COREY HEIM 4th, TAYLOR GRAY 5th, Nick Sanchez* 10th, DEAN THOMPSON 17th, COLBY HOWARD 18th, TIMMY HILL 19th, TANNER GRAY 23rd, STEWART FRIESEN *non-Toyota driver
Take us through your day and battling up front there at the finish.
“Yeah, it was a quiet day for us. I feel like we played the strategy game really well today. TRICON Garage, and huge thank you to Toyota Racing and Safelite for putting us in position here. Yeah, really uneventful day for us, a good day. I feel like these first two races were going to be really tough, Daytona and Atlanta, and got through them with two top-fives. Can’t complain, and that’s what championships are made of, and that’s what we’re going for. Once again, huge thank you to TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing and Safelite.”
Did you have anything for Kyle Busch there in the end?
“The 7 (Kyle Busch) was really good. He did everything right and timed the runs out that we would get, and we didn’t get a big run. I was talking to Ty (Majeski) and wondering why he didn’t back up at any point and he said he was afraid that me and the 17 (Taylor Gray) were going to pick him. That makes sense. I understand why he did that – a little bit circumstancal, but I don’t think we really had the speed today with our Safelite Tundra TRD Pro today to be the leader by any means, but we had a great strategy. Everyone at TRICON Garage put us in position to win. We will work on it for the next time at a drafting track and go from there.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 17 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 4th
What more did you need there at the end?
“Yeah, the racing was kind of tough today. A lot of single file – couldn’t really build huge runs. The 7 (Kyle Busch) truck – props to them. They were the class of the field. They were just driving away from us. We had a pretty good JBL Tundra TRD Pro. TRICON Garage put a really good effort in. Pretty good points day today. Jeff Hensley (crew chief) on the box calling really good shots. Almost came from the back to the front challenge.”
How important is it to bounce back from Daytona?
“It’s extremely important. I feel like we should have two top-fives by now, and we were close to a win in Daytona. It’s really good to come out her and bounce back from such a good weekend to a bad weekend to starting off the season strong here.”
DEAN THOMPSON, No. 5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 10th
Describe your day, finishing in the top-10 and leading your first laps in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
“Yeah, I feel like we did really good. I feel like we executed well. Same thing at Daytona last week, I feel like myself and my whole team executed well, the same way we planned on today. And this time, people played nice. I said two things before the race started, I said ‘if luck swings our way’ and ‘if people work with us,’ I feel like we can win this race. Luck swang our way and then, people didn’t work with us there at the end. Coming to the checkered, at like five laps to go, I tried the bottom and no one wanted to go to the bottom with me, so finished 10th. Yeah, can’t thank Thompson Pipe Group, TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing for all that they do for me.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series FR8 208 | Saturday, February 24, 2024
Ford Finishing Positions: 2nd – Ty Majeski 12th – Lawless Alan 13th – Matt Crafton 16th – Jake Garcia 21st – Keith McGee 24th – Layne Riggs 25th – Mason Maggio 29th – Ben Rhodes 30th – Conner Jones
TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Farm Paint/Curb Records Ford F-150 – HOW DO YOU FEEL THOSE LAST 10 LAPS BEING BEHIND KYLE BUSCH AND NO TEAMMATES BEHIND YOU TO HELP? “It’s a tough spot. You’re playing with runs and timing. When you drag the brake and try to build the run to try to put him in a spot where he’s got to block. I did what I wanted to do. I got to his bumper down the backstretch and it was in my hands to make the move. He blocked the bottom so I faded right to try to get to his quarter panel. If the 11 could have gone with me, we probably could have won the race, but it just didn’t work out that way.”
HOW MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS DID YOU HAVE THERE? “Not many. I was just afraid if I backed up to try and get a run to the 11 I felt they would try and hang me because I knew they had two teammates – it was the 11 and the 17 together. I don’t know. Looking back at it, Corey said after the race he was gonna go with me, but I wasn’t communicated that. I just didn’t want to risk it. I did what I wanted to do. I got to Kyle’s bumper down the backstretch, just playing with runs the last eight or nine laps, knowing that I could get to him and how I had to time it to get to him, but obviously he was gonna play blocker, which you have to do. I got to his bumper and probably needed a little bit more help from Corey and it just didn’t work out.”
BUT SECOND IS A GOOD DAY, RIGHT? “Yeah, it was a good day. At one point we were like 20th getting passed by trucks with all kinds of damage. We were so loose in the back. We made one really good call on the cone and went from like 16th, if I would have chose the top I would have restarted 16th and instead I restarted third and I was able to get to the lead and hold that track position.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - FEBRUARY 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Michael McDowell, driver of the #34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Kyle Busch took his seat in the deadline room, Saturday, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Never one to mince words, gave his thoughts on the stretch of fuel-saving during the first stage of the Daytona 500.
“I believe it’s a problem,” he said.
After a multi-car wreck in the opening laps, while some drivers followed the typical green flag pit cycle pattern of restrictor plate racing, most of the field dropped their speed to save roughly 20+ laps of fuel. At one point, AJ Allmendinger (a lap down) ran faster laps by himself than the field ran, together.
“I felt disgraceful, myself, being a race car driver – wanting to go fast, lead laps and win the Daytona 500, and that was our strategy that we had to employ at the start of the race because everybody was doing it,” he said.
Now I say this with the utmost respect to Busch and the many fans who called into SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, this week, to share that sentiment.
Y’all overblew it.
Who would make it to the end of the stage on fuel? Could they make it to the end? That fuel-saving added a layer of strategy and intrigue to plate racing and demonstrated how skilled these drivers are. Rather than a wreck-fest embarrassment, like the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series displayed at Daytona, Phoenix and…well, really, most weekends now.
As a sports league, NASCAR sacrificed so much strategy and sport for entertainment value since in the last 10 years (after a decade of maintaining some semblance of both). It made the already controversial playoffs into a total game of chance and instituted arbitrary cautions that slow the pace of races and incentivize overly-chaotic restarts. What’s more, NASCAR all but made fuel-mileage races extinct.
NASCAR gave us a reprieve, last season, with no stage cautions for road courses. At Circuit of the Americas, William Byron and Tyler Reddick gave us some actual “quintessential NASCAR,” thanks to teams running varying pit strategies. In fact, the pit strategy was the only interesting thing to watch for most of the road course races.
Don’t point the finger at the artificial cautions that are nakedly meant to spice up the race (FOX and NBC don’t even hide it). Blame the terrible aero package NASCAR ran on road courses.
But enough of you complained, that NASCAR reversed course on it.
Say what you will about Formula 1 (and it gets bad), there’s still strategy at hand. With when you pit and what Pirelli tires you run. Yeah, most weeks, the same driver nails it better than the rest (welcome to Formula 1), but when it hits, IT HITS!
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 Qualifying | Saturday, February 24, 2024
FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE SWEEPS FRONT ROW FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK AS MICHAEL MCDOWELL CLAIMS FIRST POLE
Michael McDowell and Joey Logano flip-flopped qualifying spots from Daytona as McDowell captured the first Cup Series pole of his career.
This marks the second straight race the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse has swept the front row.
It’s also the third straight pole for Ford at Atlanta Motor Speedway after Logano and Aric Almirola claimed the top spots in the two races last year.
Ford Performance Qualifying Results: 1st – Michael McDowell 2nd – Joey Logano 4th – Todd Gilliland 6th – Ryan Blaney 7th – Chris Buescher 8th – Austin Cindric 9th – Chase Briscoe 14th – Josh Berry 15th – Noah Gragson 16th – Harrison Burton 20th – Ryan Preece 24th – Brad Keselowski 31st – Justin Haley 33rd – Kaz Grala
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Benebone Ford Mustang Dark Horse – POLE-WINNING PRESS CONFERENCE
YOU AND JOEY ON THE FRONT ROW AGAIN IS KIND OF A COINCIDENCE DON’T YOU THINK? “I don’t think it’s too much of a coincidence. I say that just because with both qualifying sessions being a superspeedway and a superspeedway package we sort of knew coming from Daytona that we were gonna have good speed because we showed good speed at Daytona, so not a huge surprise but really cool. It’s awesome for everybody, the men and women at Front Row, to come here and sit on the pole, go to Daytona and sit on the front row. It’s a big couple of weeks showing a lot of speed, so I’m really proud of everything. Yes, it is for sure my first career pole in the Cup Series. I’m proud of that, but at the same time it’s more of a testament to the team. This qualifying session you have to execute everything perfectly, but at the same time having a fast race car is what it’s all about, so I’m really proud of my guys.”
IS THERE A LITTLE BIT OF RIBBING THAT JOEY NIPPED YOU LAST WEEK AND YOU GET HIM BACK THIS TIME? “That’s fun. Obviously, it was close last week and it was close again this week. I think that it’s fun. It’s fun to be able to after qualifying we were able to announce our partnership and alliance, obviously with Ford Performance as well as Team Penske, so to have both cars on the front row again for the second time is pretty cool and it’s definitely a testament to everybody at Ford Performance on this new Dark Horse. It’s obviously got a tremendous amount of speed. We got to show that in the race for a little while last week, but didn’t get to finish it there at the end. I feel like this race tomorrow will be a little bit different than the Daytona race. I think you’ll have more control from the front and hopefully a little less chaotic at times, but it’s still gonna be a really tough race. It’s all about getting to the finish. Qualifying well is fun and it’s fun today, but it doesn’t count too much for tomorrow. You’ve got to go out and make it count and, for us, more than anything, we need to score some points. Obviously, having the issues that we had at Daytona put us behind, so we need to go out there and try to win the race and if we can’t win the race, score a lot of points and not fall too far behind early in the season because it’s hard to make it up.”
IS THIS THE TRAJECTORY YOU AND BOB JENKINS HAVE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT? “You always hope and you’re always striving for that. I think until it started to look more like a reality a few years ago that it was possible that it got everybody re-motivated for Bob more than anything just to continue to invest and continue to help us grow the race team and the program. For a while there, you were in that spot where with the old car I don’t think you could ever catch up. Even if you dumped a bunch of money into it, the big teams were developing at such a fast rate that even if you made gains, you still weren’t really closing the gap. So, I feel like this Next Gen car allowed us to close that gap and that’s also allowed Bob and the team and everybody, the partners, to see that we can do this. We just need a little bit more tools, a little bit more resources to keep it up, so it’s kind of a combination of things, but this is what I’ve always dreamed of. I can’t speak for Bob. I think Bob is thrilled with the performance we’ve had and he’s obviously spent a tremendous amount of money in this sport with the hopes of one day being here, but we still have a lot of work to do and we still have a long way to go. I try not to let the highs be too high and the lows be too low because this sport will eat you up and spit you out in a matter of weeks, so we’ll enjoy the moment today, but get prepared for tomorrow and try to execute everything as best we can.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FINALLY GET YOUR FIRST POLE AFTER SO MANY STARTS? “The first eight years of my career were rough, so I’m enjoying it now, having fast race cars and a great team behind me and being able to have results like this – top fives, top 10s, winning Indy last year – so it’s been fun. The last few years have been great. It’s been very rewarding, but at the same time it’s motivating too because I’m not getting any younger and I don’t want to say I’m running out of time because I still have a lot of time, but 10 years where I don’t want to say wasted because they obviously served their purpose, but I have a lot of catching up to do and now is the time to start catching up on all those areas where I couldn’t early on in my career. It’s just motivating to make the most of the opportunity we have in front of us because right now, today, we have fast cars and that’s not a guarantee six months from now and that’s not a guarantee 12 months from now. I know that because I lived the other side for a long time, so it’s making the most of the opportunity that we have right in front of us right now because right now we’re in the game and have something for them.”
IS THIS A PRODUCT OF THE PENSKE ALLIANCE OR IS IT TOO EARLY TO SAY? “Yes. Everything you said I would agree with. We aren’t there yet with how young and early this relationship is, to where we’re able to click on every piece of information that’s going back and forth and builds and all those things. So, I think we definitely have gained some very helpful things that have allowed us to increase the performance, but I don’t think we’ll see the true results of what that looks like until we get a few more months down the road. Right now, we’re just literally trying to figure out the internet and tooling. I don’t want to paint this picture that these last two weeks have been just because of this potential alliance, it’s really the hard work of everybody at Front Row. I think it’s definitely helped, but I know for sure going forward and going into the future for years to come that this is gonna be a really important part of Ford Performance and our team as well as Team Penske.”
TODD GILLILAND THINKS HE’S SEEN SOME CHANGES ALREADY. DO YOU FEEL THAT? “Yeah, definitely. I don’t want to paint a bad picture. We are definitely getting stuff from it, but we’ve had to change a lot of our procedures and a lot of our processes, which has slowed down a lot of things for us at the shop just like anything new. It’s just like moving into a new house. It’s like, ‘Yes, it’s nice and it’s clean and it’s awesome and it’s gonna be great, but right now I have 56 boxes sitting in the living room and I don’t know where my underwear are.’ That’s a little bit what we’re faced with right now. It’s gonna be good and it’s gonna get better, but such a late start has made it to where we are drinking from a fire hose and trying to maximize what we can, especially these first five weeks and then hopefully be up to speed with everything and procedures and processes to maximize it”
DO YOU FEEL THIS MIGHT BE THE MISSING PIECE THAT YOU’VE REALLY NEEDED AT FRONT ROW TO BE CONSISTENTLY WITH THE TOP TEAMS? “Our strength and relationship with Ford Performance, and I don’t even know what the technical word is, tier one, A program, whatever you want to call it, is definitely a big part of this relationship going forward and that information is definitely helpful for us to continue to be at a top level like we think we will be. So, yes, it’s gonna be good for us and we are seeing some of the results of that. I believe that this is what we needed to do, not only to be a championship contender, but to win more than a race. I’ve been talking about it for a little while. You’re not gonna sustain a race team and a career off of onesies every now and then. We’re gonna have to win multiple races in a season to really compete and contend and this is what needed to happen for us to be able to do that.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Knauf Insulation Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I thought we had a little bit closer for a pole there, but obviously still solid opportunity for a good pit selection. It was another great showing in qualifying for the Ford Mustang Dark Horse. I’m really encouraged by that. It’s been a really great track for us last year at Atlanta with Team Penske and the package that we bring here, so I’m super encouraged for the race and certainly feel like we have a good shot to contend tomorrow.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “The Fords definitely haven’t lost too much with the new body as far as superspeedway qualifying goes. The same guys that were on the front row for the 500 are on the front row here, so they obviously have something figured out a little bit more than the rest of us. For us, I was really happy with being fifth in the first round. The second round I don’t know if the wind got us or what, but I was really happy with ours. It was an improvement from what we had at Daytona, so hopefully we can continue to build on that.”
TODD GILLILAND, No. 38 Georgia Peanuts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “My crew chief is the most ultra-competitive guy in the world, so I don’t even think he smiled that we qualified fourth because we still got beat by our teammate. We didn’t even bring the fastest car within our race shop, so that’s the type of stuff that’s going on at Front Row. We’re just pushing each other to be better each and every single week. To get a pole in the Cup Series just straight up like that is super hard to do, so I’m super proud of those guys. To have both of us up there is impressive also.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’m pumped with how today went. Our Build Subs Ford Mustang was really fast and it put us in the top 10 and we were able to make another run at it. We were able to gain a little bit from our original run, so that’s a heck of a start for us here. It’s a good start to a recovery from Daytona. Like I said, we were fast but didn’t love the way the race played out for any of us. I want to get into this one and be up front and try to control some of this thing. We’ve been really fast here. We’ve led a lot of laps. We’ve watched Brad be in contention to win most of these races here as well. I’m excited to get out here and see what we can do tomorrow. It’s a really good start for us.”
Michael McDowell topped the speed charts during NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday with a lap time of 30.999 seconds (178.844 mph) to claim his first career pole.
He expressed confidence and motivation moving forward.
“It’s just motivating to make the most of the opportunity we have in front of us because right now, today,” McDowell said. “We have fast cars and that’s not a guarantee six months from now and that’s not a guarantee 12 months from now. I know that because I lived the other side for a long time, so it’s making the most of the opportunity that we have right in front of us right now because right now we’re in the game and have something for them.”
Joey Logano qualified second-fastest (178.242 mph) followed by Kyle Busch (178.235 mph) Todd Gilliland (178.08 mph) and Kyle Larson (177.829 mph). Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Austin Dillon completed the top 10 in qualifying for Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400.
Notably, seven Fords and three Chevrolets comprised the top 10 in the qualifying session.
The Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be broadcast Sunday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
