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Derek Kraus to Make NASCAR Cup Series Debut with Kaulig Racing

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Official Release
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Kraus to Compete in Limited Schedule in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1

 LEXINGTON, N.C. (February 22, 2024) – Kaulig Racing announced today that Derek Kraus will make his NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) debut in the No. 16 Western States Flooring Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kraus, who made eight NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts for Kaulig Racing in 2023 and earned three top-10 finishes, will also compete in a limited NCS schedule in the team’s No. 16 Camaro ZL1.

“I’m really excited to make my first Cup Series start with Kaulig Racing, the team that I also made my Xfinity Series debut with!” said Kraus. “I’m thankful to Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice for believing in me, as well as Western States Flooring, a partner that has supported me throughout my career. I can’t wait to get to work with Travis Mack’s group and see what we can do in Las Vegas.”

Although he will make his first NCS start in Las Vegas, Kraus practiced and qualified the No. 16 Camaro ZL1 in 2023 at Richmond Raceway, while teammate, AJ Allmendinger, competed in the NXS race at Road America before flying to Richmond to compete in the NCS race that Sunday.

“We’re excited to have Derek Kraus make his first Cup start with us at Kaulig Racing,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “Not only did he practice in the No. 16 last year for AJ Allmendinger, but Derek is our simulator driver that helps get our setups ready each week. We know what Derek is capable of, and we can’t wait to see what he can do starting in Las Vegas.”

Following his NCS debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kraus will compete in the following races:

  • Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway
  • AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway
  • Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway
  • Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway
  • NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway

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 made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and added a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. In 2024, the team will once again field two, full-time entries in the NCS and continue to field three, full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Spire Motorsports Fr8 208 Race Advance

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Official Release
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The Fr8 208 will mark the first time Spire Motorsports will field a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) entry at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS).

Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NCTS. 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.

The Fr8 208 from AMS will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, Feb. 24, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The second of 23 NCTS races on the 2024 schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Kyle Busch – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Kyle Busch will make his Spire Motorsports debut in Saturday’s Fr8 208 at AMS. It’ll mark the first time he has competed in the NCTS for a team other than his own since he established Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in 2010. KBM collected a series’ record 100 wins, seven owner’s championships and two driver’s championships (Erik Jones 2015 and Christopher Bell 2017), before selling its assets to Spire at the end of the 2023 season.
  • The Las Vegas native will get behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet for four additional races in 2024; Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3/1), Bristol Motor Speedway (3/16), Texas Motor Speedway (4/12) and Darlington Raceway (5/10).
  • Group 1001 will serve as the primary sponsor on Busch’s Chevy this weekend and again next weekend at Las Vegas. Group 1001 is a collective that empowers companies to create positive growth. Our insurance and annuities are easy to understand and accessible to all. Our online investing platform gives individuals control over their savings. Our technology and innovation help companies succeed. And our strategic partnerships bring people together through education and sports. As of September 30, 2023, Group 1001 had combined assets under management of $59.8 billion. It comprises the following brands: Delaware Life, Gainbridge®, Clear Spring Health, Clear Spring Property and Casualty Group, Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company, and RVI Group.
  • With 64 career victories, Busch is the winningest driver in Truck Series history. He also leads the series all-time with an average finish of 6.4 and ranks second in laps led (7,787).
  • “Rowdy” has won 37.6 percent (64/170) of the Truck Series races he has entered going into the 2024 season and has finished first or second in 57.1 percent (97/170). Over his last 31 Truck Series starts he has posted an average finish of 3.1, while registering 16 wins and nine runner-up finishes during that span.
  • With his win at Las Vegas last March, he extended his series-best streak of winning at least one race to 11 consecutive NCTS seasons (2013-2023).
  • Busch has made 55 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series. In 28 races in NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) competition, the 38-year-old father of two has logged two wins, nine top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. His resume includes three NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) wins in 14 starts, 10 top fives and 11 top 10s. In 13 NCTS races at the iconic Hampton., Ga., venue, Busch has compiled six wins, nine top-five and 10 top-10 showings. He won at Atlanta in his most recent Truck Series outing, leading 102 of the 130 laps.
  • Busch will be pulling double duty this weekend, as he heads into his second season behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NCS.
  • The No. 7 Silverado, which competed in 11 NCTS events in 2023 will graduate to a full time-effort in 2024 with multiple drivers competing for an owner’s championship. Veteran crew chief Brian Pattie will lead the team. Details regarding the rest of the No. 7 team’s driver lineup are forthcoming.
  • Both of Spire’s NCTS wins have been registered by the No. 7 team. William Byron collected the organization’s first-ever Truck Series win at Martinsville Speedway in April of 2022 and Kyle Larson was victorious last May at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Kyle Busch Quotes
Are you looking forward to racing in the Truck Series again in 2024?
“I’m thankful to Jeff (Dickerson), T.J. (Puchyr) and everyone at Spire Motorsports for the opportunity to compete in the five races that I’m allowed to do each season. A lot of the employees from KBM transitioned over to Spire, and I’ll be working with (Brian) Pattie and the same group that I had last year, so while it’ll be a little bittersweet not having a KBM decal on the front of the truck and a 51 on the side, I know that I’ll be getting in the best equipment in the series. Once I’m behind the wheel, it’ll look and feel like home and just like always, my only goal will be to add more banners in the shop.”

It’s been a couple of years since you’ve raced in the Truck Series at Atlanta.
“The racing will be a little bit different than the last time I raced a truck there in 2021, with it being repaved and reconfigured it’s now more of a superspeedway-type race. All of our trucks have been really fast at Atlanta the last couple years, with (Corey) Heim winning two years ago and last year we had two of our guys going for the win and all four trucks inside the top 10. All of Spire’s trucks were up front late with a chance for the win last week at Daytona, so I think that’s a good sign that we’ll all be fast again this week with a similar style of racing. It was cool to see Nick (Sanchez) get the win after coming so close a few times last year. The truck I’ll be driving at Atlanta this week is the same chassis that I won with last year at Las Vegas, so I know I’ll have a good piece underneath me and looking forward to building on the momentum Spire has coming out of Daytona.”

Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Saturday’s Fr8 208 will mark Rajah Caruth’s second NCTS start at AMS. Last season, Caruth started 22nd and finished 25th at the controls of the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado.
  • Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado this weekend at AMS as he pursues NCTS championship honors for the second consecutive season.
  • HENDRICKCARS.COM is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protections programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
  • Caruth earned a career-best third-place finish in last Friday’s Fresh from Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The 21-year-old Washington D.C. native started 20th, raced his way into the top five, and improved his previous career-best effort by three positions.
  • Listeners to the radio station Atlanta Hot 107.9 can hear Caruth discuss his Daytona effort and the upcoming season Friday at 10 a.m.
  • Caruth was named the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award recipient in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, an award based on a driver’s final Weekly Series national standing and on-track performance, sportsmanship and community service.
  • Caruth, a senior at Winston Salem (N.C.) State, is paired with veteran crew chief Chad Walter this season. Walter and Caruth worked together in 2023 at GMS Racing, ultimately making the move to Spire Motorsports for 2024.

Rajah Caruth Quotes
You’re coming off a strong run at Daytona where you earned a career-best finish. Does that change your approach to Atlanta?
“Not at all. We’re preparing the same way, spending the same time with my guys, same time studying. Even before the Daytona race, I’ve always known there’s only so much I can control in a race, so overall I feel pretty good about Atlanta.”

What do you think it will take to be competitive at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and potentially race for a win?
“Honestly, just being there at the end of the race. Atlanta is like Daytona with the drafting style of racing, where everyone has a shot. You have to be there at the end.”

You and Chad Walter have some history together and now you have one race in the books for 2024. How do you feel about your working relationship and where it can continue to grow?
“I’ve grown to become a part of Chad’s family. He has four kids and I really do see myself as his fifth kid. It’s great to grow this relationship and we both know what each other is thinking. He knows exactly how to keep me from getting in my own head. We had a great start to the year, and now we just need to do the same thing 22 more times.”

Chase Purdy – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Chase Purdy will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Fr8 208.
  • In three NCTS starts at AMS, Purdy has logged an 18.3 average start and a 15th-place average finish, including a venue-best seventh-place finish in 2023 – a net gain of seven spots from his previous best. He has completed 400 of the 402 laps contested over those three races, finishing 24th in 2021, 14th in 2022 and seventh in 2023.
  • The Fr8 208 will mark Purdy’s 77th career NCTS start and second at the controls of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 entry.
  • Last weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the Meridian, Miss., native started 18th, raced inside the top 10 for much of the race, but ultimately came home 28th after being collected in a Lap 93, multi-truck incident.
  • Purdy’s crew chief Jason Trinchere has called six NXS races at AMS with drivers A.J. Allmendinger, Landon Cassil and Daniel Hemric. Over those six races, the Penn State graduate has led his drivers to four top-five and five top-10 finishes while completing 100 percent of the laps run over that span. Hemric finished second in both 2023 NXS races at AMS.

Chase Purdy Quotes
What does it take to run well at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
“The past two years it’s raced like superspeedway, very similar to Daytona and Talladega. To run well there, it takes about the same things it does at the superspeedways. Just keep your nose clean and be there at the end. We’ll be aggressive when it’s time to be aggressive and try not to put ourselves in a bad spot early. If we can be there at the end, I believe we’ll have a chance.”

With limited seat time on the new configuration, how do you prepare for this weekend?
“The good news is, we’re all in the same situation. Everyone is still learning. We had a chance to win it last year. We were in a really good position at the end of the race. We’ll go in with the same mindset, plan to be there at the end, and then make our move. Hopefully, it’ll work out for us.”

How do you rate your Daytona experience?
“I would rate my Daytona, honestly, kind of in the middle. It was really good at one point but also really bad at another. We caught damage early so that put us behind the eight ball, but we still did a really good job as a team to rally and be in position to try and win the race. We got to lead some laps and worked well with our teammates. We just had some unfortunate luck there at the end. I think our team did a great job rallying from the early damage to put ourselves in position to try and win.”

From the Top of the Box

Brian Pattie – Crew Chief, No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado

  • Brian Pattie comes to Spire Motorsports from Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM), where he earned two victories last year, both with team owner-driver Kyle Busch.
  • In addition to his three NCTS wins, Pattie was atop the pit box for six wins across 14 seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series and has 11 career victories as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
  • Pattie’s drivers have two wins at Daytona, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the July Cup Series race in 2017 and Joe Nemechek in the July NASCAR Xfinity Series event in 2002.

Chad Walter – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado

  • Chad Walter has over two decades of experience and began his career with Hendrick Motorsports in 1996.
  • He comes to Spire Motorsports with Caruth after spending last season in the same role with GMS Racing.
  • Some of his most notable accomplishments include a pair of Daytona 500 victories (2001 & 2003) with Michael Waltrip, along with Cup Series wins with Steve Park and Terry Labonte.

Jason Trinchere – Crew Chief, No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado

  • Jason Trinchere earned his Bachelor of Science from Penn State University and began his professional career in 2005 as the race engineer for the iconic No. 75 Spears Manufacturing NCTS team, owned by series’ pioneers Wayne and Connie Spears.
  • Notable accomplishments include Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 wins with both Ganassi Racing and Penske Racing. He was a key member of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship team with driver Joey Logano.
  • He comes to Spire Motorsports from Kaulig Racing where he began as an engineer before being promoted to crew chief in 2021, ultimately serving in that capacity for all three of the organization’s NXS teams.

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 May 20, 2023, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Atlanta NXS Advance (Cole Custer | Riley Herbst)

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Official Release
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COLE CUSTER | RILEY HERBST
Atlanta NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

  • Event: RAPTOR King of Tough 250 (Round 2 of 33)
  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
  • Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Layout: 1.54-mile oval
  • Time/TV/Radio: 5 p.m. EST on FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

  • Cole Custer, the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is focused on his second consecutive superspeedway-style race during Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 1.54-mile oval was reconfigured prior to the 2022 season and racing there now resembles what takes place on the behemoth 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway layouts. Atlanta’s banking in the corners was increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees, the track width was reconfigured to vary from 55 feet to 40 feet, and the entire track was repaved with fresh asphalt. The goal of the project was to recreate the kind of pack-style racing at Atlanta that fans enjoy at Daytona and Talladega, which Custer exceled on in the 2023 season. It’ll be the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford driver’s sixth outing on the reconfigured oval after contesting both NASCAR Cup Series events there in 2022 and the July 2023 race, as well as both Xfinity Series races there last year.
  • Saturday’s race at Atlanta will mark Custer’s sixth Xfinity Series outing at the track. Best of his previous five was his runner-up finish from the pole qualifying position after leading two laps on the old configuration in February 2019. He finished third on the new configuration last July. He has only finished outside the top-12 once at Atlanta. Best among Custer’s six Cup Series appearances at Atlanta was his ninth-place finish in July 2022, which came on the new configuration. He also has one start there in the Craftsman Truck Series, which resulted in a 17th-place finish from the sixth starting position in February 2016.
  • Custer’s defense of his 2023 Xfinity Series championship looked to be off to a strong start during Monday’s rain-delayed season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He was fourth fastest overall and the fastest Ford driver in Friday’s practice session, then made quick work of drafting his way to the front from his 17th-place starting position with help from teammate Riley Herbst when the race went green Monday at 9 p.m., following the Daytona 500. Custer finished fourth in the second stage to earn seven bonus points and led once for six laps in that stage. But on a restart from the second row with 12 laps to go in the race, Custer’s moves toward the lead were foiled when he got collected in an incident with several other cars. He rebounded for a 13th-place finish in the closing laps.

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

  • Riley Herbst hopes to keep the momentum rolling in Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and celebrate his birthday in victory lane. The Las Vegas native, who turns 25 on Saturday, finished sixth in Monday’s rain-delayed season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After qualifying 10th on Saturday, the No. 98 Monster Energy driver spent a majority of the first stage running in the top-10. He finished sixth in Stage 2 and led twice in the final stage for a total of eight laps. Herbst looked to have a shot at the win when he restarted second with 12 laps to go and emerged the leader as the race went back to green. But it was ruled Herbst jumped the restart and he was assessed a pass-through penalty just before a timely caution flag flew, which required him only to take his place at the tail end of the field – in 18th – on the ensuing restart with three laps to go. He made rapid forward progress from there and avoided mayhem on the final lap to salvage his first top-10 finish of the season.
  • Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 will mark Herbst’s eighth career Xfinity Series start at Atlanta and his fifth on the reconfigured layout. When Xfinity Series drivers competed on the new layout for the first time in March 2022, it suited Herbst well as he finished fourth – his best result in four Atlanta starts at the time. He followed that with a ninth-place result when the series returned to the track in July 2022. In last season’s first of two events at Atlanta, he earned a fifth-place finish in the March event, leading 11 laps along the way and competing for the win before getting tangled up in an incident while crossing the finish line. Herbst’s sixth-place finish in the March 2021 race was the best of his three Xfinity Series outings on the old Atlanta surface.
  • Dating back to his fourth-place finish at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval on Oct. 7, 2023, Herbst has yet to finish outside of the top-10 in the Xfinity Series. He ended his 2023 season with five straight top-fives, including his first career victory at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 14. Since then, he also co-drove to the win in the Trophy Truck Spec class of the Baja 1000 off-road race in November. In addition, he made his fifth start behind the wheel of a Cup Series car in Monday’s 66th running of the Daytona 500. While he finished 24th in the main event, he showed flashes of brilliance in its leadup. Herbst was 12th in single-car qualifying on Wednesday, then led three times for seven laps in his Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying race Thursday before being caught up in a multicar accident.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang

You’re transitioning from the traditional superspeedway at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway to the newly-renovated superspeedway-style track at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The racing at both are now similar, but they’re still so different as Atlanta is just a 1.54-mile in length. Talk about the difference and how you prepare for that as a driver.

“I think when you look at Daytona versus Atlanta, you know, Atlanta just has so much more handling come into play and you have to worry a little bit more about how well your car handles in the track or on the track. At Daytona, it’s all out all the time. It’s just a different battle. At the same time, the runs can come very fast because the track is more condensed. It really makes it a fast-paced race where everyone is on their toes. It’s different, but still similar to superspeedways. It honestly makes it very exciting. Can’t wait to get there with our No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.”

Typically when NASCAR has come to Atlanta in the past, it’s been a hot, slick weekend. Atlanta in February is a different story. Does that affect the racing at all from a driver’s perspective?

“I don’t know if the temperature affects what you’ll do as a driver, but I think it will probably determine which lanes will work and which ones don’t on the track. It’ll mostly affect what you do with the car. As a team, you might trim the car out more and go all out on if you want to have speed. Or you could opt to have a little more handling in your car. Honestly, I think you’ll see the trade off this weekend of which team went for what adjustments.”

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

You’ve performed well at Atlanta since the reconfiguration. What is it about the new layout that suits you?

“I don’t think it’s anything in particular. It’s definitely more akin to a superspeedway now, which have been one of my strongest types of tracks since joining SHR in 2021. This track just drives so much faster now. I saw it the first year when we had an issue and I went a couple of laps down. By the end of the night, I recovered all of those laps and finished inside the top-10. There’s definitely the unpredictability of superspeedway-style racing that comes with the reconfiguration, but it makes me excited to to there. Despite the penalty last week at Daytona, we were able to come back and finish in the top-10. I think the No. 98 Monster Energy team has what it takes to go for the win at Atlanta.”

After your sixth-place finish at Daytona, you haven’t outside the top-10 in the Xfinity Series since before the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval last October. How does that help your confidence as you head to each race?

“We’ve been on a roll. Both cars in the SHR Xfinity Series program have been fast since last year, so it’s exciting to see that carry over into a new season. The competition is stacked in this series with a lot of good drivers to compete against. The fact that we’re able to consistently run in the top-five and top-10 was all we wanted several years ago. I’m proud of how far this team has come. There are always going to be hurdles, but I think the No. 98 team has proven that we can persevere through it. Hopefully, we can keep digging and bring home our first win of the season, too. We’re here to win, and I think the competition sees that.”

Layne Riggs Looks to Bounce Back at the Atlanta Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway Competition Notes

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 22, 2024) – After an early race incident took Layne Riggs out of contention at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the No. 38 team looks to bounce back at the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway this weekend.

Making their NASCAR debut, Northside Hospital will partner with Riggs and ride along the No. 38 Ford F-150. In the Atlanta region, Northside is a longtime, major partner of the Atlanta Braves. Other sports partnerships include Georgia State University Athletics, the Atlanta Track Club, and the Gwinnett Stripers.

This will be Riggs’ second start at Atlanta as the 21-year-old competed at the 2023 spring event racing for TRICON Garage, starting 23rd and finishing 28th.

Qualifying for the event will take place Friday, February 23rd at 3:00 p.m. ET. The green flag for the 130-lap race will drop at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 24th and can be watched live on FS1. Fans can also listen in on the action from Sirius XM and the Motor Racing Network.

No. 38 Northside Hospital Ford F-150:

DRIVER LAYNE RIGGS:

“Daytona didn’t play out how we wanted it to, but we just have to put it in the past and move on. I feel confident going into Atlanta now that I have some drafting experience, but there’s still a lot of learning to do, hopefully I can do that this weekend.”

CREW CHIEF DYLAN CAPPELLO:

“Daytona is in the past, we’re focused on Atlanta. Layne (Riggs) is just learning and trying to make the most from each race. It’s a long season and I’m confident Layne will get better and better each race. Having some drafting experience from Daytona will help him going into this weekend.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Carson Kvapil to Make NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut at Martinsville

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Official Release
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Kvapil will pilot the No. 88 JRM entry for first career start on April 6

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 22, 2024) – JR Motorsports announced today that two-time and defending zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car champion Carson Kvapil will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at the famed Martinsville Speedway on April 6 behind the wheel of the team’s No. 88 Chevrolet. As a product of JRM’s vaunted Late Model organization, Kvapil becomes the fifth driver from the program to make his NXS debut for the organization, joining Richard Boswell, Josh Berry, William Byron and Sam Mayer.

“Our Late Model program at JR Motorsports has been a huge part of the success we’ve had as a company,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. “We’re excited to be able to give Carson the opportunity to take the next step in his career. Helping young drivers with opportunities to climb the ladder is part of the foundation of JRM. Carson is part of a long list of drivers who deserve the chance to take that step forward in the sport.”

A native of Mooresville, N.C., Kvapil started his foray into NASCAR competition last season, making starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series, scoring a career best ARCA finish of second at Kansas Speedway.

“I’m really looking forward to making my NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Martinsville,” said Kvapil. “My dad(Travis Kvapil) made his NASCAR Cup Series debut there back in 2004, so it’s cool to make my first Xfinity start at the same track. I’ve run there in the Late Models for JR Motorsports and done well, and hopefully I’ll be able to use that experience to hit the ground running again with JRM in April.”

Kvapil heads into his third seasonwith JRM’s storied Late Model program fresh off of back-to-back championships, nine wins, 27 top-five finishes and 951 lapsled in his combined 34 starts in the CARS Tour. Kvapil’s two titles gave JRMtheir fourth and fifth championships for the Late Model team, which dates backto 2004. He joins Berry as the only drivers to earn multiple championships for JRMacross the Late Model and NXS competition.

Additional details regarding partners for Kvapil and the No. 88 team will be announced in the coming weeks.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:

JR Motorsports is the racing operation co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame member and 15-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick. Now in its 23rd year of overall competition, JR Motorsports competes in multiple divisions, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series where it currently fields four full-time teams and earned championships in 2014, 2017 and 2018.The company also owns seven titles in regional Late Model divisions with consecutive championships in 2022-23 and a prized national title in 2020. To learn more about the organization, its drivers and its sponsorship opportunities, visit www.jrmracing.com.

NHRA STARS RETURN TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR THE FAMED LUCAS OIL NHRA WINTERNATIONALS

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Official Release
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Winternationals Snowflake Medallion, created by Apple Girl Art

POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2024) – Once again the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to one of its most historic facilities: In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the 64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, March 21-24.

In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip has seen some of the NHRA’s most historic and impressive drag racing moments, and this season’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will be no different, delivering all the thrilling action fans have come to expect from the NHRA’s brightest stars.

This year, race winners will receive a special Winternationals Snowflake Medallion along with their Wally, while the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge of the year will take place in Pomona. Featuring a rematch from the semifinalists at the season-opening race in Gainesville, the specialty race takes place on Saturday and returns this year after a thrilling debut in 2023, again offering a bonus purse and bonus championship points to the standout performers in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock.

It adds a definite highlight to the weekend, leading into eliminations on Sunday as all the NHRA stars look for a victory at the second event of the 2024 season.

Last year, Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) took home top honors in their respective categories at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. To repeat their titles, they’ll need to get past some of the biggest names in the sport at a race that will again be broadcasted on FS1, including eliminations coverage on Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m. ET.

Top Fuel’s Ashley took home his first win of the season when he took down Shawn Langdon in the final round a year ago. He went on to win six races and finished fourth in points. Ashley will be up against reigning champion and Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta, four-time champ Steve Torrence, Mike Salinas and Brittany Force. Also joining the Top Fuel ranks in 2024 is motorsports legend and NHRA team owner Tony Stewart.

The last time Hagan was in Pomona, he was claiming his fourth Funny Car world championship at the NHRA Finals. Hagan’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals victory gave him his second of six wins in 2023 and his seventh at the historic track. Hagan will again compete against the best in the Funny Car field, including Bob Tasca III, three-time champ Ron Capps, and NHRA legend John Force. Also joining the Funny Car ranks is Austin Prock, who took over driving duties for Robert Hight.

Glenn, in only his third year in the Pro Stock division, earned four race wins in 2023 including his win at Pomona. He also collected five runner-up finishes as well as two No. 1 qualifier positions. Glenn will be up against the likes of six-time and reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, as well as Greg Anderson, Matt Hartford, Troy Coughlin Jr. and NHRA Finals winner Aaron Stanfield.

Along with racing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, fans can also see the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Legends Nitro Funny Cars and Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, while the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department will hold a special racing exhibition. Following nitro qualifying on Friday and Saturday, the “Walking Tall” P.T. Cruiser Wheelstander driven by “NitroMike” Kunz will put on a can’t-miss show.

The Nitro Alley Stage is a huge attraction all weekend and is the main entertainment hub in the pits, hosting Nitro School, Total Seal Tech Talk, the NHRA Insider Live, meet and greets, and much more. As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun.

Race fans at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the event winners.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying features one round at 4:30 p.m. PT on Friday, March 22, and the final two rounds on Saturday, March 23 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The finals of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge take place at the end of final qualifying in each category. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, March 24. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, leading into eliminations at 7 p.m. ET.

To purchase tickets to the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. For more information on NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

The Curtain Rises for TeamSLR at Sebring

By
Official Release
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TA2 Veteran Barry Boes, Rookie Gavan Boschele Kick Off 2024 Season; Floridian Thomas Ellis Completes Three-Car Entry for M1 Racecars Team

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2024) – A trio of drivers looking to take their racecraft to the next level head to iconic Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway to kick off the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season in M1 Racecars equipment with TeamSLR this weekend.

Sixth-year TA2 competitor Barry Boes of Ooltewah, Tennessee, leads the way in this weekend’s three-car effort for TeamSLR, and he’ll be joined by recently turned 16-year-old prodigy Gavan Boschele, who hails from Mooresville, North Carolina, and is a rapidly rising development driver. Completing the lineup will be Thomas Ellis, a 28-year-old from Pompano Beach, Florida, who’s returning to the series for the first time since 2018.

Boes has been competing in the TA2 Series since 2019. Best among his 39 career TA2 outings was his third-place finish on the Detroit street circuit last June. The winner of the 2019 and 2023 SCCA Hoosier Super Tour and 2021 World Racing League national championship will be making his fifth career TA2 appearance at Sebring this weekend driving the No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro. He posted a best previous Sebring finish of 11th in 2020, when he closed the season eighth in the TA2 championship.

Saturday’s 27-lap, 75-minute race around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring circuit will mark the road-racing debut for Boschele, driver of the No. 28 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro who since first wheeling an Outlaw kart months before his fourth birthday has competed and won more than 300 races and dozens of track and series championships in everything from Quarter Midgets, to Sprint karts, Micro Sprints, dirt Midgets, 360 and 410 Sprint cars, and pavement Pro and Super Late Models.

Ellis will be behind the wheel of the No. 8 Averitt Express/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro this weekend for the first of a handful of races on the 12-event TA2 calendar for 2024. Ellis was last seen on the TA2 circuit running a slate of five events in 2018, three in his home state at Sebring, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The other two took place during the Streets of Belle Isle weekend doubleheader in Detroit. Ellis has also competed in various SCCA club racing classes, including Spec Miata and American Sedan.

Partnering with TeamSLR for the 2024 season will be the Nashville, Tennessee-based apparel company Franklin Road. And joining the TeamSLR trio in the contingent of M1 Racecars among 40 TA2 entries this weekend will be the two-car effort of Peterson Racing, featuring drivers Austin Green and team owner Doug Peterson.

M1 Racecars was represented on the podium at 12 of the 13 TA2 rounds in 2023, highlighted by a pair of victories by two-time series champion Rafa Matos of Peterson Racing. Team SLR’s Dillon Machavern and Thad Moffitt both scored podium finishes, as did TeamSLR driver Connor Mosack at the season-opening event at Sebring, when he qualified on the pole and led the first 19 laps of the race before finishing third.

A pair of Thursday test sessions kick off this weekend’s on-track action at 11:45 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. EST. TA2 practice is set for 10:40 a.m. Friday, followed by qualifying at 2:20 p.m. Race time Saturday is 11:15 a.m. with series partner MAVTV providing live television coverage, augmented by live streaming video on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. MAVTV will air a 60-minute race show at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Barry Boes, Driver, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

What led to your decision to drive for TeamSLR this season?

“What brought me here was wanting to improve my level of competitiveness and moving my way up through the field. I’ve been racing in Trans Am since 2019 and started off in the back of the pack, gradually working my way forward. I’ve had a few top-10 finishes and was on the podium at Detroit last summer. I’ve been looking for a better team, better support, better equipment, better driver training, better teammates. I’ve been talking to the Lagasses the last couple of years and their program really does seem to work and produce results, and they have fantastic equipment. And between Scott Sr., and Scott Jr., they have an incredible amount of knowledge between them. This was the right year to take that next step and hop in with the big boys. We’re going to go for the Pro-Am championship, and the West Coast Championship, and the Hoosier (Racing Tire SCCA) Super Tour championship and see what we can bring in.”

You took part in the Sebring test last month. How was that experience for you, both driving M1 Racecars equipment, and working with TeamSLR?

“The testing was really eye-opening. They can take a car, put a setup on it, have you try it out, put you in another car with a different setup and have you try that out. You go through three or four of them and see what works for you to really figure out your driving style, then see what they need to improve, and also what kind of a setup you need to be able to improve yourself so you can drive the way you want to drive, and then fine-tune from there. I’ve seen the results in recent years with people like Connor Mosack and other younger development drivers. They take raw talent and make the guy an incredible racecar driver, and take guys like Scott Borchetta from being an OK driver to a great driver, and I hope they do the same thing for me.”

You’ve raced at Sebring in various classes over the years. How has the track suited your driving style?

“Sebring has been an interesting track for me because I could show up one weekend and run a 2:06 and the next weekend run a 2:12, and we can’t always figure out the difference. I’ve had reasonable but not great luck at Sebring in the past, but I’ve spent a lot more time at Sebring, three times already this year, in fact. A few years back I did a 24-hour race there and I drove 12 of those 24 hours for my team. I’m definitely not lacking in experience there.”

Gavan Boschele, Driver, No. 27 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

Talk about coming to TeamSLR and what made you look at Trans Am and racing in the TA2 class?

“I’m excited. I want to go more toward the road racing just to get some experience because the Cup cars and the Xfinity cars have a number of road-course races, and even ARCA. I like the Lagasses and the team, so I’m excited to get started.”

This will be your first taste of racing in TA2. How would you compare your M1 Racecars equipment to other cars you’ve driven?

“I think it’s a lot different than any car I’ve driven. You have to use a lot of brake pressure, you’re shifting going into the corner and coming off the corner, and there’s a lot of lateral grip. It’s a stock car and I’m used to that. But it’s a lot different kind of driving than I’m used to. I’m not really a road-course guy, so I’m adapting to modulating the brake pedal, the gas, the shifting, stuff like that. These cars are really cool, they’re really, really fun to drive and they have a ton of grip.”

Do you feel your experience road racing in TA2 cars will benefit your other racing endeavors?

“I think a little bit, maybe – just getting used to using the brake pedal, but other than that, not really. I just think it’s valuable to learn the tracks that you do go to in NASCAR and ARCA, like COTA and Sonoma, so I think it’s helpful from that aspect. I don’t think it can relate much translating from the road course to the oval other than modulating the brake pedal because they’re completely different.”

You tested your M1 Racecar at Sebring in January. What do you think of the track?

“I’m pretty excited. It’s a cool track – really, really rough. I think it’s pretty neat in that respect, you have to cowboy up, elbows up. It’s pretty technical, a pretty rough track. You have to complete all the laps, just learn as much as you can, and hopefully we’ll be running up front and running really well. I’m excited.”

Any particular part of the Sebring track that sticks out in your mind after testing there?

“There’s the hairpin corner where it’s really, really deep braking, and the last corner that’s huge, almost like a swoop. It’s pretty cool. You’ve got the high-speed straightaway and the long backstretch. It’s a fast-paced track, in my opinion, but it’s very technical.”

How has your experience been working with TeamSLR, so far?

“Scott’s definitely a really good role model for me, him and his dad, both. I think they’re great drivers, both of them, and I think they’re going to help me a lot. They’ll help me progress this year not just in TA2 but in all the aspects of anything I drive.”

Thomas Ellis, Driver, No. 8 Averitt Express/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

What brought you back to TA2 this season?

“I’ve become friends with Scott (Lagasse Jr.). He gave me the opportunity to run last year but I wasn’t ready to get in the car, yet, because it’s hard to just jump into a TA2 car when you haven’t driven in years. I wanted to drive again, but I wanted to make sure I could actually be competitive. I don’t like to get into a racecar and run in the middle of the pack – I guess nobody does. I want to run up in the top-10.”

After having tested at Sebring with TeamSLR last month, what are your expectations this weekend?

“In my previous times running in TA2, I always was working my way toward good finishes, but I always struggled with broken car parts and stuff like that, there was always something happening. Every time something good was happening, I was pushed back, for some reason. Honestly, I’m super, super excited and very motivated because I’m getting to drive essentially the best car in the field. M1 Racecars are proven race-winners and it’s exciting for me because I know I’ll have the equipment to finish at the top, so at this point it comes down to me being able to push the car to do that.”

How was your experience working with TeamSLR for the first time?

“Working with the Lagasses is awesome because they spend a lot of time with you, especially with driver coaching. At the Sebring test, I was able to learn a lot of things that I was never able to do before, just because of the data and telemetry we use, like pushing the braking zones, diving deeper into the corners, and not getting on the throttle too early and being able to roll out of the corner with tons of momentum and speed.”

You’ve driven at Sebring a good bit in the past. What are your impressions of the track?

“Sebring is rough, but I’m very used to that because it’s my home track. Homestead is a little bit closer, but everybody likes to run at Sebring despite it being rough on your car and your body. For me, I know every single corner of that track because I’ve done tons and tops of laps there. I actually have an (SCCA) American Sedan track record there.”

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers 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.

New-Look Silver Hare Lineup Set for Sebring Season Opener

By
Official Release
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Fulltimers Connor Mosack and Boris Said Jr., Joined by Red Hot Connor Zilisch as Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series Kicks Off Its 2024 Campaign

HIGH POINT, N.C. (Feb. 21, 2024) – It’s a new-look Silver Hare Racing team that opens the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series campaign this weekend at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway with the same high expectations of being in the championship hunt by season’s end after winning four of its last eight races and five of its last 11.

TA2’s winningest team in 2023 welcomes Connor Mosack and Boris Said Jr., as its fulltime drivers this season, kicking off with Saturday’s 27-lap, 75-minute Sebring SpeedTour race on the iconic 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring circuit. And the familiar face of Connor Zilisch, the team’s fulltime driver the past two seasons who rallied for each of those five wins in 2023, completes Silver Hare’s high-caliber, three-car effort this weekend.

The versatile Mosack will be behind the wheel of the No. 77 Silver Hare Racing/Pinnacle Chevrolet Camaro this season. A 25-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, he’s back for his first fulltime TA2 season since 2021 and 2022, when he scored a pair of victories among his nine podium finishes and 15 top-fives. A year ago this weekend, Mosack qualified on the pole and led the first 19 laps of the Sebring season opener en route to a third-place finish. The pole was his sixth in 31 career TA2 outings from 2020 to 2023, including a series-high five in 2022.

Mosack competed in just three TA2 events in 2023 as part of a busy schedule that included 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and six in the ARCA Menards Series. His 31 previous TA2 appearances included full-season runs in 2021 and 2022 that resulted in finishes of third and fourth, respectively, in the championship and featured a victory each year at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Said, the 20-year-old son of veteran NASCAR and sportscar racer Boris Said, embarks on his first full TA2 season behind the wheel of the No. 75 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro after competing in 13 events the past two years. He has a best finish of seventh in last year’s season finale at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The third-generation driver from Escondido, California, began competing in dirt bikes and go-karts, then advanced through two seasons of Spec Miata super tours and major events before making his TA2 debut in October 2022 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, the home track for High Point, North Carolina-based Silver Hare Racing.

The 17-year-old Zilisch, who’ll be behind the wheel of the familiar No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro, has graduated to a mixed racing bag this season featuring Xfinity Series, Truck Series and ARCA events, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series endurance races, and Late Model competition. His year got off to a resounding start in January when he signed a multiyear contract as a Trackhouse Racing development driver, then became the second-youngest driver ever to win the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona, co-driving for the LMP2-class Era Motorsport team.

Saturday’s TA2 season opener is set for 11:15 a.m. EST with live television coverage by MAVTV, augmented by live streaming video on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. MAVTV will also broadcast a 60-minute race highlight show at 8 p.m. ET on the Thursday following each race this season.

Silver Hare Racing leverages its Trans Am effort to promote its arrive-and-drive program, where aspiring racers and even tenured professionals hone their road-racing skills on some of the most revered tracks in North America. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton have all wheeled Silver Hare Racing-prepared cars to burnish their road-racing abilities in top-flight equipment.

The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing for both competition and private testing. Silver Hare Racing has a dedicated, fulltime crew and operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. At the track, two 53-foot Featherlite transporters serve as the team’s base, each outfitted with a lounge and smart TVs for data and video review, as well as for hospitality.

To further Silver Hare Racing’s driver development capabilities, the team’s race shop in High Point is now equipped with a SHOCKWAVE Simulator, a tool specifically developed for drivers to accelerate racetrack familiarity, improve car control and confidence, and build stamina. SHOCKWAVE has been involved in racing since 1965 and is currently actively participating in NASCAR, ARCA, Trans Am, Late Models, and Sprint cars. Its Trans Am package replicates a Howe Racing TA2 chassis, complete with cockpit controls and sounds.

“With NASCAR having so many more road-course races, it’s our goal for Silver Hare Racing to be the preferred team for drivers to get that road-course experience,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “We want to be that important step in the ladder for the young, up-and-coming drivers like Connor. We want people to know we have an arrive-and-drive program, where for people who want to run this track or another, we provide the opportunity to do that and be successful.”

Connor Mosack, driver, No. 77 Silver Hare Racing/Pinnacle Chevrolet Camaro:

“I’m excited to be back in Trans Am and being with a new team. Obviously, Silver Hare was the team to beat all of last year, especially in the second half. I’m definitely excited to see what their cars race like, and to have Connor (Zilisch) as my teammate and be able to compare notes and that sort of thing will be really good, and I’m just excited to get going and hopefully kick off the season with a win and get things going right.

“Sebring hasn’t been the greatest to me, at least finish-wise. But we’ve been really fast there, so hopefully the fourth time is a charm this year to finally get it done. I’m hoping to be able to close that book and move on.

“I got to run the Silver Hare cars for just a few laps at VIR at the end of last year, and we had our one test at Carolina Motorsports Park recently. The car drove really good and we made some good changes. I feel like it was really fast, it’s hard to tell lap-time-wise at CMP, but I felt really good about everything. Working with the guys, I feel like we meshed well. They listened to my feedback and made improvements on the car, which is all I can ask for, so I think that’s a good sign going into Sebring.

“The chemistry is good. I’ve known some these guys from just being around Trans Am. It’s not like everything is brand new, at least we’ve had a relationship going before this year, so I feel like that’s helped make this a smooth transition. Gil Martin (competition director) is really smart and knows what he’s doing. At the test, everything we communicated to each other, I feel like we were able to use that to improve the car, so that’s a good sign going into the race because, even if you are a little off when you get there, you have the confidence you can work with each other well and get it to where you need to be.

“The first time I ever went to a road course was at VIR, and Maurice and Laura were there, so we’ve had a little bit of a relationship for a while, as well, which I think has helped things. I’m just thankful to them for giving me this opportunity for this year, and I know they want to win the championship as badly as I do, so that’s a good sign going into the season.”

Boris Said Jr., driver, No. 75 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

“I’m really excited. We tested at Carolina Motorsports Park for the first time and it went pretty well, so I’m really excited for the race. I love Sebring, it’s one of my favorite tracks, especially in a TA2 car. It’s a lot of fun. I want to get there and see how it shakes out, but I think it should be pretty good.

“Sebring is known to be a rough track, but it’s really only rough in two corners, the first and the last. But it’s a very on-edge track, there are not a lot of slow corners. There are a lot of fast corners and you’re rolling a lot of speed everywhere. The tires wear down a bit, too, so you have to think about that a little. It’s more technical, there’s a lot to it. I really like the high-speed, more on-edge tracks.

“They’re really good cars. They’re slightly different than what I’m used to, but they’re really good cars, the equipment is good. One of the best parts of the test was how easy it was to work with everyone on the team. Overall, it was a very positive experience from that aspect.

“I just want to get faster every race, a little bit faster than the last race, and see where we end up. Obviously winning is the main goal, but if I can just keep achieving the first goal, the winning will take care of itself.”

Connor Zilisch, driver, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

“It’s going to be really cool to come back with Silver Hare. Hopefully the team will be as dominant this season with Connor, Boris and all the guys as we were last year. For the few races that I’ll be running, I’m looking forward to continuing where we left off last year and having success right away. I feel like we have a really great group of guys and not much has changed since last season, so I’m confident we’ll have some really fast cars and we’ll be able to build on what we did last year.

“I feel like this year we’re going to have a really good chance of going out and winning at Sebring, where last year we showed up basically hoping to get a podium and doing really well. I feel like with the chemistry we’ve built with the guys over the last 12 months, we’ve all worked together well and I feel like we’re all really confident and ready to have a good weekend to kick off the season.

“It’s been a really exciting past few months for me. Honestly, it’s overwhelming to see all the support, even from people out there who I didn’t even know. Signing with Trackhouse and winning the Rolex 24 in the same month was pretty surreal. Hoping I can carry that momentum and carry it through 2024 and just have a great year. We’re only a month in and it’s already been a great year. Hopefully we can start off well in the Trans Am race at Sebring, and then few weeks later in the 12-hour. I’ve got a lot of really cool races this year – bucket list races for me – and I can’t wait.

“I feel like the success I’ve had in Trans Am is a lot of the reason that I have the opportunities that I have now. I’ll forever be grateful for what Laura and Maurice Hull have done for me, giving me the chance to go out there and show my talent. They stuck with me through the good and the bad. We’ve had a lot of good times together and we’re going to continue over the coming years as they’re basically family to me. I’m hoping we can continue the success and bring them with me wherever I may go and continue to support their team and what they do at Silver Hare Racing.”

About Silver Hare Racing:

Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please visit SilverHareRacing.com.

Rick Ware Racing: Justin Haley/Kaz Grala Atlanta Race Advance

By
Official Release
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JUSTIN HALEY | KAZ GRALA
Atlanta Advance

Event Overview

● Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 2 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 25
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Grady Health Ford Mustang

● Justin Haley will make his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, in the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing (RWR). The 400-mile race marks the debut of new primary partner Grady Health. In six starts at the 1.54-mile superspeedway-style oval, Haley has two top-10 finishes with a best of seventh earned in July 2022.

● For the first time since 2019, the Cup Series will visit Atlanta for round two of the points-paying season. In the four years since, the series followed the season-opening Daytona 500 with the three-race West Coast Swing at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. This marks the third season NASCAR will compete on the reconfigured Atlanta layout that turned the 1.5-mile intermediate track into a venue that produced superspeedway-style racing action like that seen at Daytona (Fla.) International Superspeedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

● In addition to his Cup Series resume at Atlanta, Haley has made six starts at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he’s posted top-10 finishes each time. Three of those were top-fives. His best finish on the current Atlanta configuration was fourth in the July 2023 race.

● The native of Winamac, Indiana, competed in his eighth Daytona 500 Monday after it was postponed Sunday due to rain. Haley started 22nd and made it through the first 60-lap stage without incident. He began the second stage 25th before teaming up with the Ford Performance drivers to form a third line and pushed Joey Logano to the front of the pack. Haley spent 20 laps within the top-three and then stayed in the top-five as the Ford camp began to prepare for green-flag pit stops. Miscommunication during the pit stop left Haley short on fuel and forced him to pit prior to the conclusion of Stage 2, leaving him one lap down to the leaders. He was unable to get back onto the lead lap during the final stage that was nearly caution-free. He finished 26th.

Kaz Grala, Driver of the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang

● Kaz Grala is set to make his first Cup Series start at Atlanta in the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang for RWR. Grala owns three Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta with a best-finish of 14th in July 2023.

● Atlanta marks Grala’s second event with RWR, his first coming at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the season-opening non-points Busch Light Clash. The 25-year-old driver just missed out on advancing to the Clash feature following an adjustment to the qualifying format due to inclement weather.

● Grala competed in Monday’s Daytona 500 with Front Row Motorsports, racing his way into the event in his Blue Green Vacations Duel qualifying race Thursday. The Boston native started Monday’s race 26th, but he was caught up in a multicar accident on lap five that ended his bid. He was credited with a 38th-place finish.

● N29 Capital Partners returns for its second race with Grala’s No. 15 team. N29 Capital Partners financially supports early stage startup companies that have created products or services that are disruptive in their industry.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The 2024 drag racing season unofficially kicked off two weeks ago in Bradenton, Florida, during the PRO Superstar Shootout, where RWR’s Clay Millican promptly set fast time in the first round of qualifying with an elapsed time of 3.688 seconds and a speed of 336.49 mph, and then remained atop the leaderboard by securing the No. 1 qualifying position. Millican advanced all the way to the final round of eliminations, a stout performance that highlighted an expanded role this season by longtime partner Parts Plus on the No. 51 Top Fuel Dragster, and the addition of NHRA veteran Nicky Boninfante as co-crew chief.

● In the first racing event of the 2024 season, Cody Ware scored a podium finish Jan. 20 on the 12-turn, 3.56-mile Daytona road course driving a Ligier JS P320 in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 class. The following weekend, Ware and teammate Preston Pardus competed in the twin Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup races at Daytona.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the NTT INDYCAR Series, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX).

● In 2023, RWR enjoyed three NHRA Top Fuel wins with Millican, two Progressive American Flat Track wins with rider Briar Bauman, and multiple WSX victories with riders Shane McElrath and Joey Savatgy coming off their 2022 WSX championship.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

Atlanta has moved up to the second points race of the season. Is it a bit easier to carry the momentum from Daytona without the West Coast break you’ve typically had in between?

“It can be. The newer Atlanta has more of the superspeedway-type racing now. You still get some pack racing but the runs build a lot faster on the shorter mile-and-a-half track, so it’s a little bit easier but just as risky to try to make a move. We’re already in that headspace and focused on that style of racing, so to go from a superspeedway to a track that races the same is super helpful and makes it a lot easier to stay in that place. We saw at Daytona that we have the speed we need to be up front, so if we can clean up some of the pit road stuff, we can definitely be competitive and carry over what we started there.”

The No. 51 team has been off to an impressive start. A strong run at the Clash in qualifying and the race, and the same just a few days ago in the Daytona 500. There are always some highs and lows when building a team. How are you feeling about the progress made so far?

“I feel like we’re doing a good job. We are definitely showing that changes are happening, improvements are being made. After the Clash, I felt like a lot of guys that have been with RWR for a while saw that we could do this and be competitive and run well. Then we went to Daytona and were running up front. A mistake on pit road was a little bit of a step back that took away from that, but we still did it. We were still showing that we are capable. It’s a good feeling.”

You were excited to work with the Fords on the superspeedways and I think we all saw why. How will that help moving forward?

“Atlanta has a similar style of racing to it, where maybe that teamwork isn’t as crucial, but it can certainly help your effort at the end of the day. Everyone at Ford has been super welcoming. I feel like I have been on the Ford simulator more this year than I had been the previous two years, which is big for me. Everyone has just been so nice and that is refreshing. I am super excited to continue working with them I honestly can’t say enough. It is a scary transition to go to a different manufacturer and a different team, but I don’t know anything that could have been done differently to make me feel more welcome.”

Kaz Grala, Driver Q&A

You got a chance to compete in the new Ford Mustang at Daytona. Did that give you enough experience to know what to expect at Atlanta?

“I feel like it did between the Duel on Thursday and the little bit of the race we got to run on Monday. The feel of the car is important and knowing what to expect, but I did get a chance to work with the Fords and I feel really good about that partnership. We’ve seen the Fords qualifying really well at Atlanta, so hopefully we’ll have a good run and be able to stay ahead of anything that may happen early on.”

This will be your second race with RWR this year. How did things go at the Clash, and how is the team adapting to a new driver and new expectations?

“I’m excited to get back into the No. 15 this weekend. We learned a lot in L.A., and I think we’ve learned a lot since then. I feel like there’s a lot of great potential there. The people at Rick Ware Racing and the new tools, the new processes, definitely have the potential to run well. It’s all so new that I don’t know that we’ll be able to plug it in and just go run up front in the first 10 races. That may be ambitious, but I think over the course of the year, and certainly over the course of the next few years, where the team is going and what their plans are, I think absolutely will work. I’m excited to be a part of that so far and definitely look forward to what that could look like later this year when things really start clicking and firing on all cylinders. I think we can do a lot.”

Strategies to Boost Your Maximum Value of Online Casino Bonuses

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The chance to win unlimited amusement makes online casinos a burgeoning industry. However, using deliberate gameplay is crucial to optimize your earnings in online casinos. Since more players are switching to playing online, casino bonus offers in denmark, have undergone a significant shift. Bonuses are a common tactic used by online casinos to attract new players and retain existing ones. These could include reload bonuses, no-deposit bonuses, and welcome bonuses. When you begin playing your preferred casino games online, you may encounter a variety of online casino bonuses. 

Select an Appropriate Slot Variance

If you’re a serious player, you probably already know that there are various variations or levels of “loose-ness” in slots. Wins in low-volatility games are lost more often but in lesser quantities. The payout on medium variance machines is marginally higher, but they don’t pay out as frequently. Spend your bonuses, generally speaking, on low- to medium-variance games to maximize your chances of getting paid out with a respectable sum.

Organize Your Playtime

Playing with a strategic time frame can also help you get online casino bonuses. Certain casinos provide reload bonuses, seasonal incentives, or time-limited promotions on particular days of the week. To take advantage of these possibilities, keep up with promotional emails, social media channels, and newsletters from casinos. 

Learn About the Different Bonus Types

Welcome bonuses, deposit bonuses, no deposit bonuses, free spins, cashback offers, and loyalty rewards are examples of common sorts. Every kind has unique restrictions, wagering requirements, and terms and conditions. Knowing these specifics will help you make wise decisions to optimize your bonus potential.

Examine and contrast various casinos

There are differences amongst online casinos in terms of bonuses and terms and conditions. To locate the best bonus deals, do a comprehensive investigation and compare several casinos. Seek out trustworthy, legal casinos with a solid history. 

Never ignore the wagering requirements

With your welcome bonus and other casino bonuses, you might have a chance of earning money but know that each casino will have various wagering requirements associated with these deals. In essence, wagering requirements are guidelines that are adhered to to cash out any wins made with best danish bonus casino money. Before attempting to take advantage of any platform’s bonus offers, it’s crucial to read the terms and conditions of each one since high wagering requirements can make it challenging to withdraw wins from some casinos.

Set aside money for your bankroll

They can thus assure you that you will have a better time at a casino if you decide on a spending limit that you are comfortable with and recognize that you might lose it. New gamers frequently make the error of making a little initial deposit and using it all up right away. They then keep making little deposits to cover their losses until they eventually go to their budget and spend more than they can afford.

Recognize the contributions to the game

The wagering requirements for the bonus may vary depending on the game. For example, if you bet $1 on a game, it might only be worth 50 cents to the total playing. You can more effectively fulfill the playtime criteria by selecting a range of games that give varying percentages for playing, all without having to risk all of your money on one game.

Keep Up with the Latest Games and Techniques

Make it a habit to check for updates and new game releases on different casino gaming websites to optimize your profits by taking advantage of online casino bonuses. You can gain an advantage over other players and exploit new strategies by remaining informed. Continue to explore and try out various games until you find ones that suit your preferences and ability level.

Don’t just play for bonuses

Playing at online casinos shouldn’t be done with bonuses in mind. It’s preferable to manage your money sensibly and have a strategy to increase your chances of success in the long run. While playing for any amount of money is okay, it’s crucial to avoid getting obsessed with spending bonus money to get a high score. Instead, you aim to improve your chances of winning by making the most of the bonuses.

Read and comprehend the terms and conditions

To prevent any surprises or regrets on the road, it is imperative that you thoroughly read and understand these agreements. Keep a close eye on any restrictions on games, maximum bet amounts, minimum deposit amounts, wagering requirements, and withdrawal limits. With this knowledge, you will create a strategy that will increase your chances of success.

Last Remarks

Planning and spending wisely are the ways to make the most out of your bonuses. You won’t be able to take advantage of your casino game’s maximum earnings until then. If all of your hard work is not in vain, pay close attention to any additional guidelines, specifications, and timeframes regarding the validity of your offer.

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