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Kaulig Racing Statement | NASCAR Xfinity Series Competition

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Official Release
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“As we prepare to close out the 2023 season, Daniel Hemric will take over the No. 10 Chevrolet for the remaining races to contend for the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Championship.”

-Team President, Chris Rice
 
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 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

JR Motorsports – Kansas Preview

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Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Kansas Speedway
RACE: Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023

Broadcast Information – TV: 3 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 3 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Sam Mayer
No. 1 Huck’s Market / Accelerate Chevrolet

  • Sam Mayer and the No. 1 team head back to Kansas Speedway for his third career start there. Huck’s Market will be on board Mayer’s Chevrolet for their fourth race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
  • The young driver has tallied a pair of top-10 finishes at the tri-oval and holds an average finish of 8.5.
  • In 12 starts on tracks measuring 1.5 miles in length, Mayer has raced to four top-five and nine top- 10 efforts in his NXS career.
  • The Franklin, Wis. native scored his first career pole at a 1.5 mile surface (Charlotte Motor Speedway) in the spring of 2022.
  • With his fifth-place finish last week at Darlington, Berry clinched his spot in the NXS Playoffs for the second straight season.

Josh Berry
No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATV’s Chevrolet

  • Berry’s best finish in two starts at Kansas Speedway is seventh, coming in 2022.
  • On 1.5-mile speedways in his NXS career, Berry has made 20 starts, winning three of them and adding eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes while leading 301 laps. His wins came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2) and Charlotte.
  • The familiar colors of Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER Boats & ATVs will be on Berry’s Chevrolet again this weekend.

Brandon Jones
No. 9 Menards/NIBCO Chevrolet

  • Kansas has been good to Brandon Jones in the past as he has secured two wins that came in back-to-back fashion during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Jones has also recorded three top-five and five top-10 finishes in eight starts there.
  • With one race remaining in the NXS regular season, Jones sits 14th in the driver’s standings, two spots behind the 12th and final playoff spot.
  • In this race last season, Jones qualified on the pole and led four laps before finishing in the fourth position.
  • Crew chief Jason Burdett has called the shots for nine career NXS races at the 1.5-mile Kansas and has recorded four topfive and seven top-10 finishes.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet

  • Justin Allgaier returns to Kansas looking to be just one spot better after having finished in the runner-up position in this event last year.
  • Heading into the final race of the NXS regular season, Allgaier currently sits third in the playoff standings, just 33 markers out of the series lead.
  • In 13 career NXS starts in Kansas, Allgaier has amassed four top fives and 10 top 10s, including five consecutive top 10s dating back to this event in 2019.
  • Allgaier owns one victory this season on a track 1.5-miles in length, coming at Charlotte back in May

Driver Quotes

“Kansas has been a fun track for me in the past and I really excel on mile-and-a-half tracks so I am really looking forward to getting back there and hopefully can put our No. 1 Huck’s Market Chevrolet in contention for a good finish. Last weekend did not go as we hoped or planned but I know we can capitalize on everything and move forward to Kansas.” – Sam Mayer

“We’ve been really fast all season long on the mile-and-a-half tracks and I feel really confident we will have that same speed again this weekend with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. We came really close to getting the win here last year, so hopefully we can be that one spot better and head into these playoffs.” – Justin Allgaier

“It’s good to get to Kansas knowing we’re in the playoffs, and we can start pushing for the championship. This No. 8 Bass Pro Shops team has been coming on lately, and with a good run this weekend we can set the tone for the run to Phoenix and the championship. Kansas is a different challenge than we’ve had so far this season, and I’m looking forward to competing for the victory.” – Josh Berry

“Kansas has been really good to me, and it’s one of the better tracks for me that we go to. We have one last chance to get our team into the playoffs and I have all the confidence that we can do that this weekend. I’m ready to get there and to get this weekend going. This Menards/NIBCO team is doing everything they can to make sure we unload with the speed we know we are capable of, and I know we will be good to start.” – Brandon Jones

JRM Team Updates:

  • JR Motorsports at Kansas: JR Motorsports heads to Kansas Speedway as the defending race winner at the 1.5-mile trioval, having gone to Victory Lane in this event last season with Noah Gragson. Overall, in 52 career starts in the NXS at Kansas, JRM has accumulated a combined total of 15 top fives and 32 top 10s to accompany the victory last season.
  • Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer and Josh Berry will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Legacy MC souvenir rig on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 11:30 a.m.-noon local time.
  • Sam Mayer Super Bigg Club Subb: Lunch is on Huck’s Market! If Mayer finishes third or better this weekend at Kansas Speedway, fans can sign up via the Huck’s Bucks Bigg Rewards app to get one free Sam Mayer Super Bigg Subb Club at participating Huck’s Markets.

STENHOUSE JR. REMAINS IN STRIKING DISTANCE OF NASCAR PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 12 ENTERING KANSAS

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Official Release
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This weekend JTG Daugherty Racing fields the No. 47 Dillons® / NOS® Energy Drink Camaro at Kansas Speedway.

HARRISBURG, N.C. (September 6, 2023) – The second race of the first round of the NASCAR Playoffs at Kansas Speedway is fast approaching. 2023 DAYTONA 500 CHAMPION and NASCAR Playoffs’ contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the team are mentally focused on advancing into the Round of 12. He’s within striking distance entering the 1.5-mile tri-oval with the No. 47 Dillons® / NOS® Energy Drink Camaro for 400 miles on Sunday.

“If we do our job, I feel like we can transfer through rounds,” said Stenhouse Jr. “We’re focused on the first round. We’ll see where we end up after Bristol Motor Speedway and figure it out from there on out. Darlington was probably the least of the best tracks for us. I’ve ran good at Kansas before, and Bristol is my favorite track by far. I feel good about the next two races in the Playoffs and looking forward to getting on track with our Dillons / NOS Camaro.”

Primary partner Dillons, a Kroger Co. banner with 60+ stores in the state of Kansas, has a long-term relationship with JTG Daugherty Racing that activates heavily with The Kroger Co. divisions in several NASCAR markets across the country. Additionally, co-primary partner NOS has been a long-time partner of Stenhouse Jr’s in multiple racing series, and he’s ready to update his best finish of 8th-place at Kansas Speedway while going for win number four with the two entities.

“It’s special to have long-term partners in this sport and a retailer giant like The Kroger Co. and its banners,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “Our primary grocery partner at Kansas is Dillons with NOS returning as co-primary and at Texas (Motor Speedway). NOS has been a sponsor of mine since 2012 and key for me to have my dirt race team, go sprint car racing, midget racing in addition to supporting my NASCAR career. I would love to win this weekend with Dillons for The Kroger Co. and NOS, especially being in the Playoffs so we advance. It should be a good weekend for it with Mike (Kelley) and the team.”

Crew chief Mike Kelley’s driver and the race team are coming off a 16th-place finish at Darlington Raceway. They hoped for more, but the good news is that they are within striking distance of the Round of 12 and the next two tracks are historically good ones for Stenhouse Jr.

“We’re going back to a racetrack that Ricky and I have had success at before,” said Kelley. “We were able to capture a NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Kansas in 2012, and he’s been really fast there in a Cup car. We should have won the 2013 Cup race.

“Last year, we had fast cars in both Kansas races, but some things got out of the team’s control (like a flat tire) that took us out of contention,” continued Kelley. “We were not as good in the spring race as we thought we should have been, but by the end of that race we had good pace in our car. We’re really looking forward to going back there and capitalizing on what we learned. Obviously, it’s put up or shut up time. We’re done talking about it. We’re in the middle of the championship hunt. It’s real. We’re here to bust some brackets and make some noise. We’re here to prove to ourselves, our partners, and our fans that we can contend. Hopefully, Kansas will be a good race for us in this Round of 16 battle.”

Live coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway starts at 3 PM ET on Sunday, September 10 on USA, MRN and SIRIUSXM NASCAR Radio.

Spencer Boyd Teams Up with Twang, Creators of the Original Beer Salt

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Official Release
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Mooresville, NC (September 6, 2023) – Spencer Boyd announced today that Twang, creators of the original Beer Salt and premium flavored salt, sugar and spice blends, will be a primary sponsor for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway and an associate sponsor for the remainder of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The partnership marks an exciting collaboration that resonates with the spirit of competition, innovation, and celebration that both Twang and NASCAR embody.

“I love bringing new sponsors to our sport,” said a smiling Boyd. “This is such an iconic brand in Texas and I’m super excited to be part of their roll out to Walmart so the rest of America can taste it! The team over at Twang is amazing. They are going to love the race at the Last Great Coliseum and chances are we’ll all have some fun that weekend.”

Twang, founded by the Treviño family of San Antonio, has been adding fun and flavor to the lives of millions with its premium flavored beer salts, michelada mixes, and cocktail rimmer blends since 1986.

“We’re revving up for an electrifying partnership with Spencer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Season,” said Edmundo Macias, Director of Marketing of Twang. “Just like the fast-paced action on the track, Twang’s flavorful offerings bring joy and excitement to food and drink enthusiasts nationwide. This collaboration perfectly aligns with our upcoming expansion into 3,500 Walmart stores across the country with our Lime & Lemon-Lime Beer Salt, and we’re eager to amplify our presence in the hearts of NASCAR fans.”

Twang’s partnership with Spencer Boyd goes beyond the racetrack. As part of this dynamic alliance, Twang will also engage fans through unique experiences and giveaways. Fans will have the opportunity to sample Twang’s wide array of products, adding a dash of flavor to their NASCAR experience. Additionally, Twang will take part in e-blast giveaways, offering fans the chance to win exclusive prizes and immerse themselves in a world of flavor with Twang.

As Twang continues to celebrate its rich heritage and legacy, this partnership marks a thrilling chapter in the brand’s story. From its humble beginnings in a garage to becoming a nationwide sensation, Twang’s journey mirrors the resilience and spirit of both Spencer and NASCAR.

The UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics marks the first race in the round of eight of the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series payoffs. Catch all the action on FS1 Thursday, September 14 at 9:00pm ET.

Briscoe to make 100th Cup career start at Kansas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Bruce Nuttleman for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Competing in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chase Briscoe is within reach of achieving a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Playoff event at Kansas Speedway, the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang will achieve 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Mitchell, Indiana, Briscoe made his inaugural presence in the Cup circuit at the start of the 2021 season, where he took over the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing previously piloted by Clint Bowyer and Briscoe’s idol Tony Stewart. By then, he was coming off a dominant campaign in the Xfinity Series, where he won nine races and made the Championship 4 round before finishing fourth in the final standings. Starting 30th, Briscoe finished 19th in his Cup Series debut despite ending up three laps behind the leaders. After finishing no higher than 11th twice during the first 13 scheduled events, he achieved his first top-10 result in NASCAR’s premier series with a sixth-place run at Circuit of the Americas in May. Briscoe went on to achieve another sixth-place run at Road America in July and a ninth-place result at Watkins Glen International in August.

During the inaugural Cup event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August, Briscoe was in contention of achieving his first victory until the start of the final two-lap shootout, where he went off the course in the first turn and rejoined the racing surface behind leader Denny Hamlin, thus prompting NASCAR to penalize Briscoe for cutting the track. Despite the penalty, Briscoe withstood his ground while battling Hamlin for the lead and eventually bumped and spun Hamlin in the infield road course turns. Yielding the lead shortly after, Briscoe ended up 26th after being parked by NASCAR, which also resulted with the Indiana native engaged in a post-race discussion with Hamlin following the incident. With an average-finishing result of 19.9 during the 26-race regular-season stretch, Briscoe did not make the 2021 Cup Playoffs. Nonetheless, he capped off the season with four top-15 results, a 23rd-place result in the final standings and the 2021 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title over Anthony Alfredo. By then, Briscoe became the third competitor to sweep the rookie title across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.

After finishing 22nd during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum, Briscoe commenced the 2022 Cup season on a strong note by finishing in third place during the 64th running of the Daytona 500 in February after rallying from an early spin. Three races later, he held off Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick during a three-lap shootout to score his first career victory in the Cup Series and become the 200th competitor overall to win in NASCAR’s premier series. The Phoenix victory along with a ninth-place run at Martinsville Speedway in April and a fourth-place result during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May were enough for Briscoe and the No. 14 team to qualify for the 2022 Cup Playoffs. Despite attaining respective finishes of 27th, 13th and 14th during the Round of 16, the Indiana native transferred into the Round of 12. For the Round of 12, he finished in the top 10 during the round’s three events, which included a late ninth-place run at the Charlotte Roval in October to claim the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by a mere margin over reigning series champion Kyle Larson. During the Round of 8, however, Briscoe earned respective finishes of fourth, 36th and ninth, which were not enough for him to transfer to the Championship 4 round. Nonetheless, Briscoe went on to finish fourth in the finale at Phoenix in November and cap off his sophomore Cup season in ninth place in the final standings.

At the start of this season, where he inked a multiyear contract extension to remain at Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe ended up 35th during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late accident. Three races later, he would achieve his first top-10 result of the season at Phoenix by finishing seventh. Briscoe then notched three consecutive top-five finishes in April, but would finish no higher than 17th during the next nine events. During the latter span, Briscoe’s team would be issued a L3-level penalty from NASCAR due to counterfeiting a part of their Next Gen car during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. As a result, Briscoe was docked 120 driver/owner points and 25 Playoff points, with crew chief Johnny Klausmeier being issued a six-race suspension and a $250,000 fine. The points penalty demoted Briscoe from vying for an early Playoff spot to near the top-30 cutline in the regular-season standings. Despite finishing 10th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, sixth at Indianapolis and securing pole position for the regular-season finale at Daytona in August, Briscoe did not accumulate enough points or any victories during the regular-season stretch to make up for his infraction as he missed the 2023 Cup Playoffs. Coming off a 15th-place finish at Darlington Raceway, he is currently situated in 30th place in the standings.

Through 99 previous Cup starts, Briscoe has achieved one victory, two poles, nine top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 480 laps led and an average-finishing result of 19.1.

Briscoe is primed to make his 100th Cup Series career start at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 10, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Haley to make 100th Cup career start at Kansas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Competing in his second full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Justin Haley is within reach of achieving a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Playoff event at Kansas Speedway, the driver of the No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will achieve 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Winamac, Indiana, Haley made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2019, where he piloted the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports. By then, he was also campaigning in his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing. Starting 38th, Haley ended up in 32nd place after getting collected in a multi-car wreck on the backstretch with seven laps remaining. After finishing 34th in his second Cup career start at Sonoma Raceway in June, Haley pulled off an upset at Daytona International Speedway in July when he achieved his first career victory in the rain-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400. His road to victory occurred with 30 laps remaining when contact between race leader Austin Dillon and Clint Bowyer triggered a multi-car wreck that eliminated a majority of the field. Haley, who avoided the carnage and moved up into the top five, then became the leader when initial leader Kurt Busch pitted during an extensive caution period and moments before the race was red-flagged due to a lightning strike. With the event remaining under a red flag period for hours, NASCAR called the event official on Lap 127 of 160 and awarded the first Cup win for both Haley and Spire Motorsports as Haley became the 193rd different competitor to achieve a win in NASCAR’s premier series. Despite not qualifying for the 2019 Cup Playoffs due to being a part-time series competitor, the Daytona victory made Haley eligible to compete in the 2020 All-Star Race.

In 2020, Haley, who remained as a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig Racing, campaigned in two Cup events, with his first occurring in the 62nd running of the Daytona 500, where he debuted Kaulig Racing in NASCAR’s premier series. He earned a transfer spot for the 500 after posting the fastest-qualifying time in a non-chartered entry and rallied from being involved in a late incident to finish in 13th place during the main event. Haley went on to finish 14th in the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in July and 31st at Talladega in October, both while competing for Spire Motorsports.

For the 2021 season, Haley, who remained at Kaulig in the Xfinity circuit, competed in all but five of the 36-race Cup schedule. Thirty-five of his starts occurred with Spire Motorsports, with his best on-track results being eighth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and sixth at Daytona in August. His lone start not with Spire occurred with Kaulig at Talladega in October, where he finished in 20th place. Overall, Haley concluded the season with 21 top-30 results and an average-finishing result of 28.5.

Six months prior to the conclusion of the 2021 season, Kaulig Racing announced that the team would be fielding a full-time Cup Series entry for Haley to drive for the 2022 season. Assuming control of Kaulig’s newly formed No. 31 entry, he commenced the season with a 19th-place result in the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in February despite winning the third Heat qualifying event and starting towards the front. He proceeded to finish 23rd during the first two scheduled events before posting four consecutive top-20 results. At Darlington Raceway in May, Haley posted his first top-five result of the season by finishing third. Despite finishing seventh at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July and achieving 15 top-20 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, he did not qualify for the 2022 Cup Playoffs. Haley went on to tie his season-best result of the season in third place at Texas Motor Speedway in September before finishing fifth at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October. He ended up recording a total of three top-five results, four top-10 results, 44 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.4 throughout the 36-race schedule before capping off his first full-time Cup season in 22nd place in the final standings.

Commencing this season with a 32nd-place finish in this year’s Daytona 500, Haley recorded three top-10 results during the first 17-scheduled events, with his best on-track finish being a sixth-place run at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in April. Then during the inaugural Chicago Street Course, he assumed the lead on Lap 48 and led through Lap 70 until he was overtaken by eventual winner Shane van Gisbergen and ended up in a strong runner-up result. Despite finishing eighth during the following weekend at Atlanta, seven consecutive results of finishes outside the top 15 were not enough to boost Haley and the No. 31 team into the Playoffs for a second consecutive season. Coming off a 31st-place finish at Darlington, the Indiana native is currently situated in 24th place in the standings with a total of five top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 20.6 through 27 events. This season is also scheduled to be Haley’s last at Kaulig as he is set to join Rick Ware Racing for the 2024 Cup season.

Through 99 previous Cup starts, Haley has achieved one victory, five top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 72 laps led and an average-finishing result of 22.1.

Haley is primed to make his 100th Cup Series career start at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 10, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Mike Kelley to call 100th Cup event as crew chief at Kansas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

In his return as a full-time crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series, veteran Mike Kelley is set to achieve a milestone mark. By participating in this weekend’s Cup Series Playoff event at Kansas Speedway, Kelley will call his 100th career race as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Pinellas County, Florida, Kelley, who competed as a Pinellas Park racer in the 1990s before becoming a crew member and car chief working with icons that included Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, Ray Evernham, Jack Roush and Kurt Busch, made his inaugural presence as a crew chief in the Cup Series at the start of the 2014 season when he was paired with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whom Kelley worked with and won back-to-back Xfinity Series championships in 2011 and 2012. By then, Kelley had also racked up 12 career victories and 13 poles in the Xfinity circuit as a crew chief while working with eight different competitors.

In their first event paired in the Cup Series, Kelley led Stenhouse and the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion team to a seventh-place result in the 56th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. Three races later, Stenhouse notched a career-best runner-up result at Bristol Motor Speedway in March as the No. 17 team cracked the top 10 in points. The remainder of the regular-season stretch, however, ended up being a struggle for both Stenhouse and Kelley as they only managed two additional top-10 results and dropped outside of the top-20 mark in the standings, which prevented them from making the 2014 Cup Playoffs. The low point for the duo was when both failed to qualify for the Playoff event at Talladega Superspeedway in October. For the other nine Playoff events, Stenhouse finished no higher than 15th before capping off the 2014 season in 27th place in the final standings.

The following season, Kelley assumed the role as car chief for Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford team while Nick Sandler, a former head engineer for Stenhouse’s teammate Carl Edwards, became Stenhouse’s new Cup crew chief. In 2016, however, Kelley returned to crew chief Stenhouse for a single event, which occurred at Talladega in May while on an interim role as Sandler was suspended for the event as a result of an unapproved steering wheel coupler that was found on Stenhouse’s car during the previous weekend’s practice session at Richmond Raceway. During the Talladega event, Stenhouse ended up 16th in the final running order after being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap.

In 2019, Kelley departed Roush Fenway Racing and joined Front Row Motorsports as a full-time Cup crew chief for the No. 36 Ford Mustang team piloted by former Xfinity Series competitor Matt Tifft. Through the first 20-scheduled events, Tifft and Kelley could only manage to post three top-20 results and a single top-10 result, which occurred at Daytona in July, as they were mired in 31st place in the regular-season standings. Then for the final 16-scheduled events, Front Row Motorsports swapped Kelley’s team role that resulted with him becoming a crew chief for veteran David Ragan and the No. 38 FRM Ford Mustang team, a role that was previously held by Seth Barbour with Barbour assuming Kelley’s old role with Tifft. In spite of the move that reunited Kelley with Ragan, whom he notched two Xfinity victories with in 2009, the duo finished no higher than 11th for the remainder of the season as Ragan settled in 30th place in the final standings.

Four years later, Kelley, who moved to JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2020 and served as a competition director for the organization and the team’s driver Stenhouse, was elevated to the role of becoming Stenhouse’s Cup crew chief for a second time. In their first driver-crew chief pairing with JTG-Daugherty Racing, Stenhouse and Kelley commenced this season on a high note by winning the 65th running of the Daytona 500 after Stenhouse survived two overtime attempts and retained the lead on the final lap amid a multi-car wreck to achieve an upset victory for himself and the team. The 500 victory was Kelley’s first overall as he also achieved his first Cup career win as a crew chief. With the 500 victory guaranteeing Stenhouse and Kelley a spot for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, the duo led the No. 47 team to an additional six top-10s and 13 top-15 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch before officially entering the Playoffs as one of 16 teams vying for this year’s title. Currently, Kelley and Stenhouse are coming off a 16th-place result in the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway and are ranked in 15th place in the Playoff standings while being four points below the top-12 cutline to transfer to the Round of 12.

Through 99 previous Cup events, Kelley has achieved one victory, three top-five results, 13 top-10 results and 26 laps led while working with three different competitors.

Kelley is primed to call his 100th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 10, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Chase Purdy- No. 4 Bama Buggies Silverado Craftsman Trucks Kansas 2 Preview

By
Official Release
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Chase Purdy: Driver, No. 4 Bama Buggies Chevrolet
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Overview:
Event: Kansas Lottery 200, Race 19 of 23, 134 laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Sept. 8, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

‘Chase’n Wins:

Chase Purdy and the No. 4 Bama Buggies team head to the Kansas Speedway for Friday night’s Kansas Lottery 200. Purdy qualified third for the May race at Kansas and went on to finish the opening stanza fifth and Stage Two in the eighth position. After being in the back of the field via strategy just past the halfway point of the race, he got caught up in a five-truck accident that ended his night and relegated him to a disappointing 33rd-place finish. Overall, across six career starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, Purdy has recorded an average finish of 20.2, with a best result of 10th in July of 2020.

Purdy is coming off a solid outing at the Milwaukee Mile in the Truck Series’ last stop, where he qualified seventh and finished sixth. With that finish, he gained one position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver point standings. The 23-year-old driver now ranks 12th, nine tallies behind 11th-place Tanner Gray. The 23 year-old driver entered the 2022 season having never earned a top-five result in Truck Series action but has produced two across 18 races in his first season at KBM, including a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April. He has also produced a career-high eight top-10 finishes this season, after posting just two each in 2021 and 2022.

The Mississippi native is in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and first with KBM. Purdy finished 16th in the Truck Series final standings in 2022 after competing in 22 of the 23 events. He posted two top-10 finishes and nine laps led, with a season-best finish of seventh coming at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

Jimmy Villeneuve is atop the pit box for Purdy and the No. 4 Chevrolet team this season. Prior to being promoted to crew chief for the 2023 season, Villeneuve had served as a Truck Chief at KBM since the 2017 season and in that role was a part of 18 wins, a driver’s championship with Christopher Bell in 2017 and the 2019 owner’s championship with the No. 51 team. This will be Villeneuve’s second race calling the shots for a race at Kansas. He qualified third and finished 33rd with Purdy earlier this year in his first trip to Kansas as a crew chief.

Bama Buggies, your one-stop shop for all the biggest names in powersports and utility vehicles, will be the primary sponsor on Purdy’s No. 4 Chevrolet Sunday and for the majority of the events on the 2023 schedule. They are Central Alabama’s powersports experts, serving as an authorized dealer of Polaris, Slingshot, and Seadoo.

As part of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation’s Honor A Cancer Hero Program, Purdy’s truck will carry the names of Libby Hall and Sara MacPherson on his Silverado Friday night at Kansas.

Chase Purdy, Driver Q&A:

Will going back to Kansas for a second race be beneficial to you?

“I think it’s exciting for all of us on the No. 4 team and everyone at KBM because we had a lot of speed there the first time. We were set for a really solid day — probably one of our more solid days. I thought we had a chance to win that race and then we just had some misfortune happen and bad luck. I’m really excited to get back there and have high expectations. We have nothing to lose and were only chasing wins so we’re going to do whatever we can to do that.”

Coming off a solid outing at Milwaukee, does that reinvigorate confidence in you?

“It does, it’s not only good for me but all the guys on this No. 4 team. All of us do our part to do the best we can and when we have a result like that, it resembles the hard work we put in. When we have a good day at the racetrack it puts momentum back on our side and we’re all really excited to go to Kansas.”

Do you enjoy racing at Kansas?

“I do. I think it’s fun from a driver’s point of view and from a spectator perspective because of the different lanes you can run. Most places you go to only have a lane or two to work with, but Kansas is like five lanes wide so there’s just a whole bunch to work around. You can really go anywhere and race with anybody, so it makes the racing exciting, and you don’t feel as handicapped.”

Chase Purdy Career Highlights:

  • Across 70 career Truck Series starts, has produced 20 laps led, two top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Posted a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April of 2023.
  • Finished 16th in Truck Series championship standings in 2022.
  • Finished fourth in the 2018 ARCA Menard’s Series championship standings after recording 84 laps led, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
  • Earned the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie of the year honors and finished fourth in the championship standings after posting four poles, 200 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes across 14 starts.
  • Won the prestigious Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., in Dec. of 2018.
  • Chase Purdy’s No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST:

KBM-79: The No. 4 Bama Buggies team will unload KBM-79 for Friday night’s race at Kansas Speedway. This Silverado made its debut at Pocono Raceway, where Purdy qualified 10th and finished 18th.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected six wins, six poles, 816 laps led, 17 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.0 across 45 starts at Kansas. John Hunter Nemechek scored the organization’s most recent triumph at Kansas capturing the pole and leading a race-high 88 laps en route to victory last September. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has collected three wins at Kansas (2014, 2017 and 2021). Noah Gragson led a race-high 128 laps and swept all three stages in the 2018 event and William Byron earned his first career Craftsman Trucks victory there in 2016.
  • KBM holds the Craftsman Truck Series records for most career wins (100) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch picked up his organization’s first-ever win at Nashville Superspeedway in April of 2010 and also picked up its 100th Truck Series victory at Pocono Raceway in July of 2023. In addition to collecting a series-record seven owner’s championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 18 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

Mandy Chick to Make ARCA Return at Kansas Speedway

By
Official Release
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DE SOTO, Kan. (09/06/23) – She’s back.

Kansas native Mandy Chick is set to return to the driver’s seat of her No. 74 Dynamic Drivelines/Jennifer R. Chick, CPA, LLC/Freedom Concrete, De Soto, Kansas Chevrolet SS on Friday evening in the Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 at Kansas Speedway. The ARCA Menards Series race at the fast D-shaped oval in Kansas City, Kansas, will be Chick’s fourth of the season and her first since turning in a 12th-place result at the track in May.

For the 21-year-old Chick, racing close to home with her Chick Engineering program is a special opportunity.

“Growing up in the Kansas City area, making many memories at the track and frequently passing Kansas Speedway, I always dreamt of racing there one day,” said Chick, a native of De Soto, Kansas. “That dream of mine came true in May as I got to race at my home track and got a solid finish. I am excited to return, with many of my local fans and marketing partners there to support me, while continuing to learn about the track and how we can do better.

“I rarely get to have extended family at my races as I frequently travel far distances to race, but racing at Kansas Speedway provides us the opportunity to have family with us and race at a track near and dear to our hearts.”

Chick was one of the top stories during the early part of the 2023 ARCA campaign, first turning heads with a fifth-place finish in the series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. She also took on Talladega Superspeedway in April before the Kansas race.

Chick recently started her senior year at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she majors in mechanical engineering. She stepped away from competition over the summer months to complete an engineering design internship at General Motors and plans to utilize lessons learned from the experience in her own racing program.

“I grew my skills in designing intricate parts on vehicles and got to be involved in many areas of the design process,” Chick said of her internship. “I think my biggest takeaway was to look at problems much differently and always think out of the box. This is beneficial when I’m helping build my cars – sometimes it is easy to stick to the ‘traditional’ way we build cars and fabricate different components, but I really think there is a lot we can simplify and refine to be better. After all, the spirit of an engineer is to never stop improving.”

But not only did Chick advance her professional career over the summer, she also got engaged.

Now, thanks to a full course load, Chick and her team have decided to round out their 2023 campaign with the Kansas race. They look to end on a high note and build upon the team’s May finish with a top-five or top-10 result.

“We had a solid run in May, but learned a lot from the race and had things in our mind we wanted to work on,” Chick said. “With the extended time we have had to improve different things and prep our cars, I feel like we are set up for success.”

In the offseason, Chick plans to utilize the extra days to prepare for January’s preseason test at Daytona and the prestigious season-opener at the track the following month.

“We are working on some funding opportunities at the moment to give us a clearer picture of what next season looks like,” Chick said. ”But I will assure you we are excited to see what the future holds and will continue to work hard and build our program for many years to come in ARCA.”

The Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 is set for 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 pm CT) on Friday, September 8. Television coverage will be provided by FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports App. The radio broadcast can be found on MRN / SiriusXM (XM channel 391/online channel 981) / ARCARacing.com.

More information on Mandy Chick is available at www.mandychick.com.

RFK Advance | Kansas II

By
Official Release
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Kansas II Event Info:
Track Info: Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Date: Sunday, Sept. 10
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Format: 267 laps, 400 miles, Stages: 80-85-102
TV: USA
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 12:45 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET, Race (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

  • Kansas hosts its second race of the 2023 season, and second race in the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
  • Chris Buescher enters the weekend with top-three finishes in four of the last six races, while Brad Keselowski has finished sixth or better in four of the last six races.
  • In support of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation (MTJF), in conjunction with AdventHealth and the NASCAR Foundation, RFK will run the names of cancer heroes on its Ford Mustangs this weekend as part of the Honor A Cancer Hero (HCH) program.
  • Donna Cook, a cancer survivor from Millington, Illinois, will ride on the No. 17 with Buescher this weekend. Cody Wulff, a native of Kimball, South Dakota, who was on Keselowski’s car last season for this same initiative, will again be on Keselowski’s No. 6 this weekend.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

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

Keselowski at Kansas
Starts: 27
Wins: 2 (2011, 2019)
Top-10s: 13
Poles: 2 (2015, 2021)

  • Keselowski makes his 28th Cup start at Kansas on Sunday. He has victories there in 2011 and 2019, and overall carries an average finish of 12.4. He’s coming off a 19th-place finish there this spring, and finished 25th last fall.
  • Keselowski’s average starting position is 11.3 with two career poles (2015, 2021).
  • He made a combined 10 starts in the Xfinity and Truck Series with one win and five combined top-10s.

Buescher at Kansas
Starts: 15
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —

  • Buescher makes his 16th start at Kansas on Sunday. Overall he has three top-10s at the 1.5-mile track with a 15th-place finish last fall. His best result came in 2017 when he ran sixth that fall.
  • He finished eighth in the 2021 spring race, and is coming off a 17th-place finish this May.
  • Buescher has an average starting position of 20th at Kansas with a career best P10 starting position (2018, 2022).
  • Buescher made three Xfinity starts at Kansas from 2013-15 with a best finish of sixth (2015).

RFK Historically at Kansas
Cup Wins: 4 (Mark Martin, 2005; Greg Biffle, 2007, 2010; Matt Kenseth, 2012)

  • Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Overall, RFK has started 181 races across the three national series, earning nine wins, 41 top-five finishes, 76 top-10 finishes and has an overall average finish of 15th.
  • Winning at Kansas: RFK swept both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NCS races at Kansas in the fall of 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth. Stenhouse became the sixth driver to win at the track for the organization via his Xfinity victory. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin earned RFK’s first NCS win at Kansas in 2005 and former driver Greg Biffle bested the 1.5-mile track in 2007 and 2010. RFK’s first overall win at Kansas came in 2002 via Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Three drivers (Jon Wood in 2003, Carl Edwards in 2004 and Erik Darnell in 2007) have won in the NCWTS at Kansas for RFK.
  • Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 112 NCS races at Kansas, recording four victories, 20 top-five finishes, 36 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 16.7 and has led 970 laps. Kenseth earned the most recent victory at Kansas in the fall of 2012.

RFK Kansas Wins

2002 Burton NXS
2003 Wood Truck
2004 Edwards Truck
2005 Martin Cup
2007 Biffle Cup
2007 Darnell Truck
2010 Biffle Cup
2012-2 Kenseth Cup
2012 Stenhouse NXS

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Darlington: RFK again put both of its Ford Mustangs in the top-10 at Darlington last weekend as Buescher finished third – his fifth finish of seventh or better in the last six races – while Keselowski ran sixth for his 12th top-10 of the season. It marked the seventh time this season both RFK Fords have finished top-10.

Points Standings (17: 4th, 6: 8th): Buescher heads into the weekend comfortably in fourth, while Keselowski is up a position to eighth entering the second race of the Round of 16.

By the Numbers at Kansas

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles

112         4              20           36           2              28655    970         17.2        16.7        42982.5
50           2              14           28           3              9699       383         12.9        12.9        14548.5
19           3              7              12           0              3059       229         9.9          11.0        4588.5
181         9              41           76           5              41413    1582       14.8        15.1        62119.5

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