5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 30 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 8th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

NEWS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE: Kyle Larson’s third-place finish led the way for Hendrick Motorsports at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon. After finishing 11th in the opening stage, he moved into the top 10 early in stage two. By lap 100, the driver was in the top five and went on to finish stage two in second. Larson ran as high as second in the final stage and restarted on the inside front row with nine laps to go before ending the day third.

HEATING UP: Following Larson’s top-three finish at New Hampshire, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion has earned the most top-five finishes (nine) of all drivers in the series this year. Larson has scored four top-five finishes in the last six races, one less than he scored in the first 14 races of the season. He has earned the sixth-most points (197) in the field over the last six races. The Elk Grove, California, native ranks third in laps led (598) in 2023, with teammate William Byron (750) atop the category. Larson has run the fourth-most laps in the top five (2,005) and top 10 (3,192) this season.

COMING TO POCONO: In his 15 starts at Pocono Raceway, Larson has enjoyed several strong runs, including two runner-up finishes. He has completed 99.4% of his 2,335 laps attempted, led 134 circuits, scored five top-five finishes and nine top-10s at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track. Larson’s 11.00 average finish for his Cup Series career at “The Tricky Triangle” is third-best among drivers in Sunday’s field. At the 2.5-mile venue, he currently holds the longest active streak of top-10 finishes (four) and the best average finish (5.33) over the last four races.

FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the second-fastest average four-tire pit stop time (11.069 seconds) this season, just behind teammate Byron’s No. 24 crew (10.943 seconds). Their four-tire stop of 9.281 seconds on lap 93 in last month’s race at Nashville Superspeedway is the second-fastest four-tire stop of the season. The No. 5 team’s five-person pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer). Rod Cox is currently filling in for Teague, who is week-to-week as he rehabs a knee injury.

WEEKDAY RACING: On Tuesday, Larson climbed behind the wheel of the No. 57 sprint car at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania. For the second consecutive year, he won the top prize in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup in the All-Star Circuit of Champions.

UYRS GRAND PRIX: This Friday, Larson will partner with the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) for the second UYRS Kyle Larson and Friends Grand Prix. The No. 5 driver will be accompanied by Chevrolet Cup Series competitors Corey LaJoie (Spire Motorsports, No. 7) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 47) at the go-kart event. The students will pick teams, practice in the go-karts and take the green flag for the UYRS Grand Prix! Hendrick Motorsports has been a long-time supporter of the UYRS and Larson has developed a strong relationship with the Philadelphia-based school. To learn more about the UYRS, click here.

VISIT HENDRICKCARS.COM: This Sunday, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Thinking of upgrading your vehicle? Shop one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also explore from the convenience of their home selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com.

HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IS HIRING: Join 10,000+ others nationwide in working at Hendrick Automotive Group. The company is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HendrickCars.com.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 23rd

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Pocono Raceway media center on Friday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m. local time.

POCONO PERFORMANCE: Chase Elliott has 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway with one win, four top-five finishes, eight top-10s and 67 laps led. Though he was the third car to cross the finish line in last season’s race at Pocono, Elliott was awarded the victory after the two cars ahead of him failed post-race technical inspection. Over the last four Cup races held at Pocono, the 27-year-old driver has the sixth-best average finish (11.00).

DOUBLE DUTY: This weekend, in addition to Sunday’s Cup Series race, Elliott will run the NASCAR Xfinity Series event on Saturday. The 2014 Xfinity champion will drive the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, his first start for Hendrick Motorsports’ Xfinity Series program. In his lone Xfinity Series start at “The Tricky Triangle” in 2018 (with GMS Racing), the Dawsonville, Georgia, native earned a second-place result. Across 82 races in the series, Elliott has five wins, 34 top-five finishes, 66 top-10s, two pole awards and 689 laps led. He won the Xfinity Series title during his rookie season driving for JR Motorsports.

AG IN PA: This weekend, Alan Gustafson will call his 36th Pocono Cup Series race from atop the pit box. In his previous 35 races at the 2.5-mile track, he has amassed three wins – one with Elliott (2022) and two with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (2011 and 2012) – nine top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 202 laps led.

NUMERICAL DETAILS: Last year’s win for Elliott in the No. 9 marked the seventh time that the car number has reached victory lane at Pocono, which is tied for the second-most wins by car number with the Nos. 18 and 88 at the Pennsylvania facility. The other drivers to win in that number at the venue are Chase’s dad, Bill Elliott (five times) and Kasey Kahne (once)

GIVE ME FIVE: Over the past five Cup Series races, Elliott has earned the fifth-most points (157) and has the best average finish (7.40). That stretch of races includes three consecutive top-five finishes at Sonoma Raceway, Nashville Superspeedway and the Chicago Street Course. Despite missing seven races this season, he is tied for the seventh-most top-five finishes (five) in the sport’s top series.

PLAYOFF PUSH: Elliott currently sits 23rd in the Cup Series point standings, 60 points outside of the provisional cutline for a playoff spot. With six races left in the regular season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver needs to average 10 markers gained per race on the cutline to advance to the playoffs on points. While pointing his way in is still mathematically possible, the most straightforward way for Elliott to lock himself into the playoffs is with a victory. He has earned three of his 18 career Cup Series wins across two of the six tracks remaining in the regular season (Pocono and Watkins Glen International). At three of the other tracks, Elliott has nearly taken home the hardware, finishing runner-up at Richmond Raceway, Michigan International Speedway (three times), and Daytona International Speedway (twice).

GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts is back on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Pocono. The Atlanta-based company has been the primary partner for Elliott in all but one of his Cup Series starts on the 2.5-mile triangle, including his win at the track last year. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 2nd

No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

EYE ON THE PRIZE: With six races left in the regular season, William Byron is second in the NASCAR Cup Series driver points standings, just 17 markers behind the leader. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is looking for his first Cup Series regular-season championship and the extra 15 playoff points that come with it. To this point, Byron leads the series in wins (four), average running position (9.10), laps led (750), laps run in the top five (2,577) and stage wins (seven). His 750 laps led mark a new season-high for the 25-year-old driver in that category. In addition, Byron is second in top-10 finishes (eight) to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (nine), has run the second-most laps in the top 10 (3,397) and has collected the second-most points (208) over the last six races.

TWO-FOUR: The No. 24 has scored the win at Pocono Raceway six times – tied for the fifth-most wins by a car number at “The Tricky Triangle,” all coming with Jeff Gordon. If Byron were to end up in victory lane Sunday, the No. 24 would be tied for the second-most wins at Pocono with the Nos. 9, 18 and 88. A win would also move the iconic number into a tie with the No. 2 for the third-most Cup Series wins by car number at 102. Earlier this month, Byron’s triumph at Atlanta Motor Speedway placed the No. 24 in a tie for the fourth-most wins by car number with the No. 3 at 101.

PREVIEWING POCONO: In his nine Cup Series starts at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track, Byron has one pole award (June 2019), two top-five finishes, five top-10s and 70 laps led. He holds the top average finish (9.40) among drivers in Sunday’s race, with his track-best finish of third coming in the first race of the June 2021 doubleheader. In the last four Pocono races, Byron has an average finish of 8.50 – third-best behind teammates Larson and Alex Bowman. In fact, his five top-10 finishes are the fourth-most for him at a track in his Cup Series career.

PAST POCONO WINNER: Byron isn’t a stranger to victory lane at Pocono. After starting from the pole in 2016, he dominated the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, leading 44 out of 60 laps before capturing the checkered flag.

TRICKY TRICKY TRICKY: Crew chief Rudy Fugle has three previous Cup Series starts at Pocono under his belt. His best showing with Byron and the No. 24 team came in 2021 – the first race of a doubleheader – where the group finished third after starting second. Since that initial race, Fugle has back-to-back 12th-place finishes at the Cup Series level. The Livonia, New York, native has had more success at the 2.5-mile track though. In seven Truck Series starts, Fugle has visited victory lane there two times, going back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. Byron was his winning driver in the 2016 event. In those Truck Series starts, Fugle’s drivers have also racked up a pole award, four top-five finishes, five top-10s and 71 laps led.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 20 races in the 2023 season, the No. 24 pit crew remains in the top spot with the fastest average four-tire pit stop time of 10.943 seconds. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler). The team has also had three of the fastest pit stops of the season, which rank sixth (9.383 seconds), eighth (9.443 seconds) and ninth (9.504 seconds) overall.

RAPTOR® TOUGH: For this weekend’s race at Pocono, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will have RaptorTough.com back on board. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores, and online retailers. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.

48 Alex Bowman

Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 20th

No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

POCONO? NO PROBLEM: Statistically, Pocono Raceway is one of Alex Bowman’s best tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Tucson, Arizona, native has one win (June 2021 – the first race of the doubleheader weekend), two top-five finishes, four top-10s and has led 34 circuits at “The Tricky Triangle.” Bowman’s win at the three-cornered track was his third of four wins in his career-best year in the Cup Series. Additionally, Bowman has the second-best average finish (7.00) in the last four races at Pocono, trailing only Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. In that four-race stretch, Bowman has not finished outside the top 11.

NO TRICKS HERE: Since the start of the 2021 season, Bowman’s average finish (6.3) at Pocono is his third-best among all tracks. The only venues where he has a better finishing position in that span are Dover Motor Speedway (3.00) and Circuit of The Americas (4.33).

NEED MORE POINTS: With just six Cup Series races left before the 2023 playoffs, Bowman is 42 markers behind the provisional cutoff line. With that said, the 30-year-old wheelman needs to gain an average of seven points per race on the field as it stands to make it in on points. Bowman could punch his ticket to the playoffs with a win in the coming races. In fact of the next six tracks, he has wins at two of them (Pocono and Richmond Raceway, both coming in 2021).

GO BEST FRIENDS: This weekend, the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will bring back the Best Friends Animal Society colors to celebrate the partnership Bowman and Ally have with the philanthropic organization, aiming to end kill shelters by 2025. At Pocono, the No. 48 will carry 400 pet names from fans who donated to Best Friends. Those 400 names can be found across the hood and decklid of the No. 48. In addition, Bowman and Ally will make charitable contributions to the Lehigh Valley Humane Society, which serves the local community in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Both Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the Lehigh Valley Humane Society. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.  

HOMETOWN HEROES: Two members of the No. 48 pit crew are Pennsylvania natives. Front-tire changer Donnie Tasser hails from Belle Vernon and went to the University of Pittsburgh. Tasser was a member of the wrestling team from 2008 to 2013, competing through his entire college career. Teammate and No. 48 jackman Allen Holman, who is from Harrisburg, played football for Shippensburg University as a linebacker.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

Hendrick Motorsports

2023	All-Time	Pocono
Races	20	1,329	77
Wins	6*	297*	19*
Poles	5*	244*	13*
Top 5	26*	1,216*	76*
Top 10	37*	2,082*	136*
Laps Led	1,455*	78,772*	3,372*
Stage Wins	10*	89	4

*Most **Most (tie)

CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is just three points-paying victories away from its milestone 300th win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 297, which is the most Cup Series wins by any team. With six points-paying victories in 2023, the team has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series while maintaining a streak of at least two per season for the past 30 years. The organization has gone to victory lane at more racetracks (31) than any other active team.

MILESTONE MOMENTS: In addition to 300 Cup Series wins, Hendrick Motorsports is approaching several other major milestones. With 244 pole awards, the team is just six away from 250 at the Cup level. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports engines have recorded 495 NASCAR national series victories and need just five more to reach 500.

XFINITY RIDES AGAIN: Hendrick Motorsports will make the third of its five starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season at Pocono Raceway. As announced last week, Chase Elliott will drive the car. The entry is also slated to make starts at Watkins Glen International with Alex Bowman and Darlington Raceway with Kyle Larson. Greg Ives will serve as the team’s crew chief, which marks a reunion with Elliott as the two won the 2014 Xfinity championship together. The team’s previous two Xfinity starts this season have resulted in finishes of second (William Byron at Circuit of The Americas) and third (Larson at Sonoma Raceway). The organization has one championship and 26 wins in the series, with Tony Stewart recording the last victory to date at Daytona International Speedway in 2009.

EDGE OF SEVENTEEN: For the Xfinity races, the Chevrolet Camaro will carry the No. 17 with sponsorship from HendrickCars.com. The No. 17 carries special significance to the Hendrick Motorsports family as it is the same number Ricky Hendrick drove and won with in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. That number has won 39 times in Xfinity Series history, and two of the four drivers to win in it – Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte – would go on to win in the Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports.

RANK AND FILE: The Concord, North Carolina, based team’s 19 wins at Pocono are its fourth-most all-time by track. The only tracks where Hendrick Motorsports has been more successful are Martinsville Speedway (28 wins), Dover Motor Speedway (22 wins) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (21 wins).

NINE TO GET 19: Nine drivers have accounted for the Rick Hendrick-owned team’s 19 wins at “The Tricky Triangle.” Jeff Gordon leads the way with six. Tim Richmond and Jimmie Johnson each earned three wins, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. picked up two triumphs at the 2.5-mile track. Bowman, Elliott, Labonte, Geoff Bodine and Kasey Kahne each won once. Bowman and Elliott’s wins have come in two of the last three Pocono races.

POCONO POWER: From August 2012 to August 2014, Hendrick Motorsports won five straight races at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, venue. That run included Gordon’s then-record sixth win at the track, which has since been matched, as well as Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 sweep. The five-race streak is the longest consecutive stretch of wins for any one race team at Pocono.

FOUR SCORE: Since the start of the 1986 season, Hendrick Motorsports has had 17 instances where a driver has earned four wins in the first 20 races of the year. Byron is the most recent to do so this year and joins Larson (2021) as the second driver for the team to do it in the last three years. The others to accomplish this in team history are Richmond (1986), Waltrip (1989), Gordon (1995-1999, 2004 and 2007), Johnson (2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2015) and Martin (2009).

STILL STREAKING: In the past 10 points-paying races dating back to Dover in May, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least one driver finish in the top five. The most recent streak by Hendrick Motorsports of the same length came in 2013 during the 10-race playoffs from Chicagoland Speedway to Homestead-Miami Speedway.

TOP OF THE BOARD: In the Next Gen era (2022-present), Hendrick Motorsports has won the most races (17) of any team. That total is six more than the next closest team. In that span of time, all four drivers in its lineup – Byron (six), Larson (five), Elliott (five) and Bowman (one) – have notched victories.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his recent results at Pocono Raceway: “The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team almost got a win there (at Pocono Raceway) in 2021 and we got a top-five finish there last year. Hopefully, we can get a win there this year.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s approach at Pocono: “We are looking forward to going to Pocono (Raceway). It’s been a pretty good track for us. We had a tough finish there in 2021 when we were on a streak of wins and then it kind of slipped away from us. We certainly know how tricky the track can be – no pun intended there for what its nickname is. It’s usually a challenge there in all three corners, very unique and different. Kyle (Larson) has a knack for unique tracks and can pretty much adapt anywhere. We have just got to give him a good car, make sure we execute a good race and hopefully we will be in good shape.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what it would mean to be the driver to put the No. 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry in victory lane with everything that number means to the Hendrick family: “I think that’s the big thing. It is special to not only Rick (Hendrick), but Linda (Hendrick) too. Driving for them and knowing how much it means to them to have that car on track would be great. I know they’ve been super close (to winning) and probably should have a couple by now, so hopefully we can start racking them up for them.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Elliott racing double duty this weekend and the team’s outlook for Pocono: “The cars are so different now. I think before the Next Gen, the two series were much closer to be able to take some things setup wise and information wise, and certainly line wise for Chase (Elliott). That said, anytime you’re racing something it is still beneficial. He can certainly learn something and going through the experience is good. I think they’ll have an opportunity to win the race, so I think that’s good. Certainly, a capable bunch and the car has run so well. They just have had tough circumstances, so hopefully he can win. For us on this No. 9 team, we’re focused on trying to get our car dialed in and driving well. We want to have as much pace as we can and execute a good race on Sunday.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on rebounding at Pocono: “While we didn’t have our strongest race last weekend at New Hampshire (Motor Speedway), I’m confident in my team that we’ll rebound at Pocono (Raceway). We’ve always had fast cars there not only as a team but as an organization as well. Rudy (Fugle) and I have a win there in trucks and we came close in 2021 to getting two wins in the doubleheader weekend. Heading to a track that we’ve been traditionally really good at helps to bring that momentum back for everyone after a tough weekend. I’m just excited to get on track and put New Hampshire behind us.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what is the most challenging aspect about racing at Pocono: “I’ve always enjoyed racing at Pocono Raceway and I know William (Byron) has as well. While the track has three different corners with their own characteristics, we traditionally have always thought that you had to ‘give up’ handling in one corner to really get the other two right. I don’t think that’s as much of the case anymore. You can get turns one and three pretty similar in handling – it’s turn two that’s the hardest and what really sets you up for the rest of the lap. The whole track is rough but turn two is the most treacherous, so you have to worry a lot about the ride quality of the car and any bump contact.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how his past at Pocono will help him this weekend: “Having won there (at Pocono Raceway) in 2021 and knowing what it takes to win helps a lot. Blake (Harris, crew chief) and I have been looking at past notes, leaned on our teammates’ notes to try and get the car in a good spot for practice and make adjustments from there. I’ve said it before, but this No. 48 team is really strong and there is no reason we can’t go win any given weekend. We have to keep staying focused on each race and be ready to perform when the time comes. Right now, we are focused on trying to win at Pocono (Raceway).”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the next few races: “We have six races left in the regular season and Alex (Bowman) has wins at two of them, which is great for us in terms of confidence. Our team is plenty capable of contending every week but having a few tracks where Alex has found success is reassuring. Obviously, we have to take it one race at a time, stay focused on the small tasks and make sure we aren’t complacent on the easy tasks. It takes a team to win a race and our group is firing on all cylinders to punch our ticket into the top 16. Hopefully, we go get it done this Sunday at Pocono (Raceway).”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Pocono Advance | Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Chase Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang, captured his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono Raceway in 2016. As the series prepares to return to that facility this weekend, Buescher took some time today to answer questions from the media about his expectations.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang – WHAT DO YOU RECALL ABOUT THAT WIN AT POCONO AND THE LONG WAIT UNTIL THE RACE WAS CALLED? “It means a lot going back to Pocono. We’ve got that trophy at home that is a pretty big centerpiece for us. I definitely look back on the day and a win is always a win. It’s always big and important to you, but it was unfortunate that we didn’t get to celebrate properly. Pocono has such a unique victory lane there and weren’t able to celebrate with the team on the frontstretch. It really was a very strange hour-and-a-half waiting it out, seeing pit road completely empty, tool boxes all folded up and covered up, half of the haulers were already out by the time we left victory lane. It was very strange to me, especially looking at the radar. We knew it was over about an hour before it was actually called, so just a long day and definitely made it to where having to take shelter in the alternate victory lane in the garage is definitely a different experience, but still a big win in our rookie season and it put us in the playoffs, which was big for Front Row Motorsports and everybody that year. I had a lot of fun that season. You go back to Pocono and it’s a track that’s just very unique with three different corners and we focus on different things. For us, that’s a big challenge and one of the reasons I like it is it’s kind of like road racing to me. It’s different and it makes you focus on different things. Hopefully, we can be competitive when we get there. We were pretty good last year. I made a mistake and was one of the several that spun off turn four. I didn’t hit anything, but just spun late in the day and it really got us behind, but didn’t need to, so looking to be a little better this go-round.”

DO YOU BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF IF A PREVIOUS WINNER WINS AGAIN? WHAT’S IT LIKE WITH THE POINTS POSITION YOU’RE IN RIGHT NOW? “I hate points racing. I hate it so bad. I hate to sit there and think about what do we do about our point scenario during a race when you want to figure out how to win it, and want to take that chance. My mindset has always been if you go and have a successful weekend, that’s gonna come with stage points, that’s gonna come with end of race points. It takes care of itself. That being said, we weren’t quite good to capture stage points, so come down to the end of the race and get flustered with one of the cautions and losing a bunch of spots under caution yet again for the third week in a row and get done at the end of the race and kind of upset for other reasons and then you look up and realize that it is a repeat winner. In a way, it does help you get that little bit of a sigh that you’re not in a different kind of hole as we head into these last handful of races. It’s inevitable. We’re gonna have some new winners before we get to the playoffs, we just have to make sure that one or two of them is us.”

IF YOU OR BRAD MAKE THE PLAYOFFS WOULD YOU CONSIDER THAT A SUCCESSFUL SEASON NO MATTER WHAT ELSE HAPPENS? “No, not no matter what. I think that we’re in a good spot in points and as of right now would be in the playoffs. That’s one of the goals on the season, but the goals were to win races, make the playoffs and drive through the playoffs. Realizing that we’ve got some work to do to sit here and say that we’ll be lifting a trophy in Phoenix. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re definitely making good progress, but also understanding that we’re not just trying to get there to fill a spot. We need to be competitive to be able to get through it. I feel like when we look at the schedule, there are a lot of really good racetracks for us as an organization once we do get into the playoffs, and even ones that we look at right now heading into them that we should be able to drive into the playoffs and work our way through it, so it’s a long-winded answer, but no, it’s not a ‘if we make the playoffs, check, we’re good’ and everyone is happy with the season. We’ve got to stay working and be able to show something in the playoffs as well.”

IS THERE A FEELING IF YOU MAKE THE PLAYOFFS YOU CAN DO SOMETHING IN IT? “Yeah, and that’s kind of what I was alluding to is we’ve got really good racetracks for us in the playoffs and coming up to them as well. I’m of the mindset that if we can keep what we’ve been doing and be solid. Obviously, we wanted to have a checkered flag by now and it surely would help a lot of our situation. We’re just trying to win and getting the points that come with that, then when we get in the playoffs and everything resets, yes, I look at the races that are there and definitely look at good opportunities for us to go win a race in the playoffs as well.”

CAN YOU SHINE SOME LIGHT ON HOW THE RELATIONSHIP WITH BRAD HAS GROWN? “Right now, it feels really good because you have a little bit of a warm fuzzy feeling on that side of things, but take away the cut line and everything coming up in the next couple of weeks and kind of take the season as a whole, we have been considerably more competitive this season every week. It doesn’t matter what kind of racetrack we’re at and, to me, that’s been a huge success story for us internally. It’s not completely there yet, but we’re not talking about RFK only at superspeedways. We’re able to go to short tracks. We’re able to go to superspeedways, road courses, our mile-and-a-half cars have come a long way. We’re competitive a lot of different styles of racetracks right now, looking for a little step yet to be even more competitive, but I think a lot of that comes down to the fact that a lot of what Brad’s come over here and really instilled within these walls. It’s been neat to see the people that have been at RFK a decade longer than I have at this point, to see them excited and rejuvenated and really enjoying the progression that we’ve had over the last 18 months as well. So, you take all of that into account we’re on a good upswing. We’re in a good place and I think we owe that to a lot of different things, but Brad has surely been a big part of it coming over. I’ve been really able to lean into him on some of these different styles of racetracks where I needed more help. Some of that is superspeedway racing and a little bit of how we go about it. A lot of it has been Richmond, Phoenix-style racetracks that haven’t been my strongest through the years that I’ve been able to get some direction and kind of refocus what my big effort or big complaints would be through a weekend to try and work on being better there. It’s really come a long way and it’s continuing to get better, but it’s been a really good thing and we’re definitely enjoying it. You can’t slow down now. Everybody has to keep going. Nobody else that we’re racing in this garage is sitting still. Even the ones that are winning aren’t content with where they’re at, so we just have to keep working hard.”

ELTON SAWYER SAID NASCAR WOULD BE SENDING OUT A STERN MESSAGE ABOUT LAYING BACK ON RESTARTS. HOW WILL THAT MESSAGE BE RECEIVED BY YOU? “I’m glad to hear that. I haven’t gotten that communication yet and I haven’t heard those rumblings, but it would surely be appreciated. I feel like it’s been such a gray area through the years and it seems like this conversation has come up every year at some point, that somebody is starting laying back more and setting up and dive bombing into turn one and it’s just creating messy restarts and it’s just not the sportsmanship that we’re after, so I would surely appreciate that coming about and getting cleaned up. It’s so frustrating to be getting ready for a restart and looking back and seeing three car lengths behind you knowing that you’re gonna have to figure out how to defend that and it’s going to ultimately not set you up for an opportunity to go forward because you’re gonna be on defense. It seems like we have a pretty decent group of repeat offenders and nothing really seems to come of it, other than we do get this little warning and it’ll get cleaned up for a while and by the end of the season we’ll probably need that talking to again. But, yeah, that surely is appreciated from where I’m sitting.”

IRONIC THAT THIS WARNING WILL COME UP GOING INTO POCONO WITH THE RESTARTS THEY HAVE THERE. HOW CHAOTIC ARE THE RESTARTS THERE? DOES IT FEEL LIKE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT WHEN YOU MAKE IT THROUGH TURN ONE? “Yeah, in a way. It’s really not much different from Michigan. Pocono is probably the worst offender for it, but it obviously makes moves and by statistics it looks like Pocono has some of the most movement on restarts, but a lot of it is from what happens in the restart zone or doesn’t happen with cars not closing up, so it’s just such a massive straightaway that it really leads to a lot of chaos down in turn one, which we want passing opportunities and if you get a good run legitimately, you hope to be able to use it. Typically, when somebody is pulling out right at the start-finish line it’s because they lag back and got a jump somewhere else. It is good timing because that is typically a track that it can be the worst and we’d go onto turn one five-wide. Your spotters are all the way down, almost off of turn three. You can’t really get a good visual looking at tail lights and it just makes it tough, so, like I said, we want good racing. We want hard restarts and you want opportunities to find different lanes, you just want it to come about the right way and you want it to come about from good moves or a little bit of drafting by the end of the straightaway.”

CAN YOU QUANTIFY FROM WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION OF HOW IT’S A DIFFERENT FEEL OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS? “We measure things a lot of the same ways. It’s, have we been a top-10 car by green flag average? Have we executed on pit road? Have we done a good job at picking the right lanes on restarts? We have more data than I can consume week in and week out, but what it does help us do is confirm the progression. There’s obviously the end results, which are a good comparison and is what means the most, but we’ve also had a lot of races too where we’ve been more competitive than we were in year’s past – maybe not always getting the finish, but for the most part finishing much better than where we have as well. So, there’s a very obvious progress report for us that everybody can look at. We have two large boards – one for each team – at our shop that everybody can see at any point. It hangs right over our setup plates, so we’re not trying to hide anything. We’re not trying to sugarcoat anything that we are measuring ourselves and that’s the only way to get better is to understand where we’re at and where we need to go. I would say that within the shop, I’ve been here – not quite consecutively – but 15 years essentially at RFK and have seen this place at some of it’s ultimate highs and I would say it’s ultimate low as well. The upswing and seeing the people that have been here much longer than me, seeing everybody’s attitude and kind of a little extra bounce in their step, seeing the progress, seeing where we’re heading, feeling like things are clicking, it means something to everybody, to the hundreds of people here. It means a lot to me to be here and be working alongside Brad to kind of get that gradual swing and get it back heading in the right direction as well, knowing that it’s been awhile since we’ve had a win anywhere other than superspeedways and being able to get that Bristol win last year was certainly special. For our goals, this season we have high goals and it was to win races, make it into the playoffs, but also drive through the playoffs. We haven’t met those yet and we don’t have a way to say yay or nay on in the playoffs or through them, but we don’t have that checkered flag yet, either. We’ve been close at times, but we have a couple things that just need to be cleaned up. Some of it is execution. Some of it I needed to make better decisions inside the race car. Sometimes we needed faster race cars . We’re all working really hard in this massive team sport to figure it out, but there is an obvious energy in the shop and very much inside into the fact that there has been massive progression in the last 18 months at this point.”

WHAT’S THE FEELING LIKE AS A COMPETITOR AND AN ORGANIZATION TO HAVE THAT CHANGE OR THE SENSE THAT YOU GO EVERY WEEK WITH AN EXPECTATION THAT YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN AND SHOULD BE COMPETITIVE? “It’s a huge confidence booster. I used to laugh at some of the momentum talks in our sport early on and now I mock myself for laughing because it’s a real thing and I’ve seen it more than not now. When we’re able to go to a Gateway and be competitive and then we’re able to go to Atlanta and be competitive and go to Sonoma and be competitive, it just helps build. It brings that momentum with us week in and week out knowing that we have a baseline that’s been solid for us, that we can be competitive at all these places, knowing that we won’t be in the hunt to win every week and understanding our sport really likes to kick you a little bit in that sense that our dominant seasons are 75-80 percent losing streak. Knowing that we are capable of taking that momentum week in and week out and knowing that we’re in the hunt, so it’s a momentum builder as much as anything, knowing that we don’t have to get through a race and look six weeks ahead and say, ‘this is the next one we have circled.’ We don’t have anything circled as a specific race anymore. We’re looking at every week as an opportunity for us to, one, win races, or, two, improve on the big progress that we’ve already made on that style of racetrack.”

WE NEED TO SEE BETTER OPPORTUNITIES TO PASS ON SHORT TRACKS OTHER THAN RESTARTS. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE SHORT TRACK PACKAGE THAT COULD HELP? WHAT IS MISSING? “I wish I had all of those answers. The obvious one, and I’ll say it just for the fact of saying it, is horsepower would be great. I don’t know if taking shifting out of it helps it or not. I feel like it probably would. Martinsville comes back to mind when you talk about shifting. It recovers any mistake made. You just downshift and drive back away and, in my mind, I feel like that’s where we’ve lost Martinsville in a pretty big way. Loudon this past weekend, I thought the racing was OK. I was able to pass a lot of cars early, but whenever that fourth lane came in, especially when we were in three and four, I’m assuming it was residual PJ1 because it had a tremendous amount of grip. To me, the racing just got ruined at that point. Everybody is fighting for that one lane up at the top and it just made the bottom to where it didn’t even have a chance in a lot of ways, so I know we didn’t apply anything as an industry this go-around at Loudon, so it had to be leftover and we don’t typically run that high, so it’s probably just got up to where there was something left and it just made a ton of grip. That’s not the ultimate answer to our short track package, but I felt like that was what hurt the second half of Loudon. The test that was supposed to be there this week, I think there’s a lot of opportunity for that to show up as progress for our package and unfortunately have to wait two more weeks to see it put in a real world test. I guess after that, I feel like I would have a better answer for you and maybe say that, ‘look, we’re on the right track or this isn’t gonna do it, we’re gonna need something different.’ I would say in two weeks I’ll tell you that hopefully yes this was great, now if you’ll just add 200 horsepower we’ll be even better, but I think that there’s a lot of potential in what’s coming and a lot of optimism that it can help us get a better product for everybody.”

DO YOU PAY MORE ATTENTION THE RINGERS WHO HAVE COME IN THIS YEAR AS OPPOSED TO THE PAST? WHAT KIND OF IMPACT ARE THEY MAKING? “I would say before Chicago it wouldn’t have changed much, if anything, knowing that we’ve had very good road course aces come into our sport and be competitive, but not be dominant. Shane coming into Chicago was probably an eye opener for a lot of people. Saying that, we had cars in the field that were very competitive with him still, so it’s not that it’s a complete reset. You took us to our first street race and everybody is trying to get their legs up under them, starting in the rain in this event with no run offs, and then obviously having the weepers over there in 10 and 11 the whole time, a lot of us are sitting here trying to figure out what in the world is going on for the first time still. That being said, they are obviously very talented. This car is more similar than it’s ever been to some other series and it seems like the V8 Supercars are probably one that is closer to anything else, maybe. Maybe somewhat close like a Trans-Am car, if I’m not mistaken there. The independent suspension. The braking. The weight of our cars is obviously way up there as well and I think that we’ve got to pay attention because it is a big (inaudible), but it’s also an opportunity for us to learn as well and we’re gonna keep working hard at it. We’ve been very fast at different style of road races and we’ve been able to outrun some of the ringers coming in at a lot of different styles of racetracks and I would argue that some of that is just our home field advantage at tracks that we’ve been to and know more, and we’re gonna keep after that. RFK as an organization was extremely fast at Indy last year. Neither of us got a checkered flag. We got a couple of fire extinguishers to the face, but it’s a track we’re very strong at and two of our cars had top-three lap times on the day, so we’re looking at those places as good opportunities still, regardless of who is coming in in whose cars.”

CAN YOU ADJUST YOUR BRAKING STYLE LIKE SHANE WAS GOING IT? “I’m not gonna try that, no. I’d say that we’ve actually done some Ford-sponsored events that all of the Ford drivers for several years drove Mustang GTs out in Utah and you had to do that. You had to heel-toe-clutch and we all looked like fish out of water. It was ugly. We had brake smoke and guys missing the brake pedal, taking off and blowing through corners. It was a whole other world. Now, granted, none of the pedal assembly is set up quite as nice as real race cars, but it was sloppy when we tried to do that. It’s definitely not something that I’ll be working on from my standpoint. I don’t know their situation, if in the V8 Supercars if they’re required to do that. I know it seems like a lot of guys that come from other series that’s just what they have to do, so they continue to and we don’t have to in our cars. I don’t know, just because it’s different doesn’t mean that was the key. Maybe it was just hard to really lean into a whole lot of data from that race just with some of the issues we had as an industry there to be able to dissect a lot of it, but I’m not about to change what I’m doing in a drastic way like that, but I will surely study and see what we can’t try and tune in while we’re at the racetrack for the weekend.”

WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY OUT OF WHAT SHANE DID? “I would say I’m not gonna take anything away from what he did. I’m not gonna sit here and say we have to blow it up and change everything we do. He showed up to the racetrack and was extremely competitive and just short of dominating the weekend. It was a very impressive feat, so it’s something that we have to sit here and take note of and study and try and understand maybe, like I said, tweak on a few things. I don’t think it requires just an up-and-over the top change of course. I think a decent amount of it comes from the fact that his experience level was higher in the environment. He was very good. He was very good. Like I said, I don’t want to take anything away from him because we were very impressed with what he was able to do that day, so it’s just about learning from it and seeing if there’s more carry over from that street course to other road courses or if we don’t feel like there will be as much as possible.”

STATESVILLE, NC (July 19, 2023) — LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™, GMS Racing and Veterans Heart Group today hosted an event for veterans from Iredell and surrounding North Carolina counties. Over 100 veterans were present for the “Veterans Fill Your Cup” at the Statesville-based team’s race shop.

The “Veterans Fill Your Cup” initiative was designed to honor and support the nation’s veterans. The event provided a unique opportunity for veterans to engage with NASCAR legends and drivers. Among the veterans, notable attendees included NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Inman; LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Cup Series team owner Maury Gallagher, drivers Erik Jones and Noah Gragson; and GMS Racing’s NASCAR Truck Series drivers Grant Enfinger and Daniel Dye.

The event took place on the shop floor amongst racecars and trucks, and featured a continental breakfast with coffee products provided by Black Rifle Coffee Company; a partner featured on Gragson’s No. 42 Chevrolet.

The teams plan on hosting a second “Veterans Fill Your Cup” event later this year on Wednesday, October 25th. More information will become available closer to the scheduled date via the teams’ social media channels as well as from the Veterans Heart Group.

About Veterans Heart Group: The Veterans Heart Group consists of Veteran volunteers as well as the spouses of Veterans from all branches of military service and from various geographic locations. The mission of the Veterans Heart Group is to show honor to aging Veterans as well as veterans who are at the end of life. We do this by coming together and presenting our appreciation with military-related gifts as well as a military salute. The Veterans Heart Group is committed to serving those who served in the military in any capacity, regular military, National Guard, and reserves. For more information go to www.veteransheartgroup.org.

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for drivers Noah Gragson and Erik Jones, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.

In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level.

Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.

Martin Truex Jr.
Pocono Advance
No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: HighPoint.com 400 (Round 21 of 36)

● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 23

● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway

● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle

● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps

● TV/Radio: USA Network / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Outrageously Dependable: Interstate Batteries – one of the most tenured team sponsors in NASCAR history – began its 32nd season as the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) with an expanded presence that features the brand’s iconic green livery across all four of JGR’s NASCAR Cup Series entries. So far this season, Interstate has adorned the No. 20 of Christopher Bell three times, and the No. 54 of Ty Gibbs four times. Interstate rode along with Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota at Circuit of Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas and this weekend will be Truex’s one and only start in the green machine this season.

● Truex and the No. 19 team for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) set the tone for the season right out of the gate by winning the 150-lap feature in the non-points Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles. Truex won his heat race, then went on to lead the final 25 laps of the feature en route to a victory that gave him and the team much-needed momentum heading into the 2023 season. While the team was knocking on the door over the first 10 points-paying races, the breakthrough win finally came at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway on May 1, and Truex has added two more points-paying victories – June 11 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and this past Monday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon – to give him four overall wins this season.

● 34 and Counting: Truex’s win at New Hampshire was the 34th of his Cup Series career, putting him in a tie with 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time win list in NASCAR’s top series.

● Truex has two wins, six top-five finishes and 14 top-10s and has led a total of 237 laps in 33 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono. Truex’s average Pocono finish is 14.5.

● Truex notched his second and most recent Pocono win in June 2014 when he led 31 laps along the way. The New Jersey Native’s first win at Pocono came in June 2015, when he led a race-high 97 laps on his way to his maiden win at the “Tricky Triangle.”

● In addition to his three wins through 21 points-paying races this season, Truex has seven top-five finishes and 10-top10s and has led 743 laps. To put the laps-led number in perspective, he led 572 laps over the entire 36-race points-paying season in 2022.

● With his race-high 254 laps led in his New Hampshire win on Monday, Truex eclipsed 12,000 laps led in his Cup Series career and now sits 17th on the all-time laps led list in NASCAR’s top series.

● Toyota Milestone: With Truex’s victory Monday at New Hampshire, Toyota now sits at 599 NASCAR national series victories (176 Cup, 196 Xfinity, 227 Trucks) with an eye on reaching the 600-win milestone this weekend at Pocono.

● Helpful Tips: An avid fisherman, Truex uses the marine battery line from Interstate in all his boats. Fans are advised to do the following before they head out on the water:

Make sure the battery has a charge by testing it before going out on the water.
Clean off any corrosion around battery terminals and ensure a proper connection.
Check the battery box seal and terminal boots. If a replacement deep cycle or cranking battery is needed, choose what the pros use and get an Interstate.
● Ahead at this Stage: With his two stage wins Monday at New Hampshire, Truex now has 59 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017, tops in the series. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, as well, after sweeping both stages at New Hampshire and adding more valuable playoff points he will carry into and through the postseason. Truex also happens to lead the series all-time in stage points with 1,943.

● Monday’s victory at New Hampshire vaulted Truex back into the lead in the Cup Series driver standings. He has 667 points, 17 ahead of second-place William Byron. The regular-season champion will receive 15 important playoff points when the playoffs begin on Labor Day weekend in September. Between his stage points and playoff points for his three points-paying victories, Truex now has earned 18 important playoff points with six races remaining in the regular season.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry TRD

Are you looking forward to Pocono after having a strong run there last year, even though it didn’t work out in the end?

“Really looking forward to going to Pocono this weekend in our Interstate Batteries car. It’s one of our home tracks, as they say. I’ve won there a couple of times and kind of struggled there last year. But really excited to get back with the fast racecars James (Small, crew chief) and all the 19 guys have been bringing to the track lately. The team is doing a great job, and we’re fired up and hope we can get another win at Pocono, but this time with Interstate Batteries on board with us.”

With Interstate Batteries being a founding partner of JGR dating back to its inception in 1992, what does it mean to have Interstate on your car at Pocono this weekend, knowing what the company has meant to JGR all these years?

“It means a lot to be able to drive the Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry TRD. I’ve been watching Interstate cars go around the racetrack about my whole life. Since JGR started, I’ve been watching NASCAR, and Interstate has been an iconic paint scheme in the series, so it was an honor to drive for them last year for the first time, and we get to do it again this weekend at Pocono. I’ve been working with them the last couple of years on appearances and other things. A lot of great people and hard-working people who have treated me well, we almost got them a win at New Hampshire last year so it would be great to get those guys to victory lane at a place I’ve already won at a couple of times.”

With three wins so far this year, why do you think you and James have really clicked here in 2023?

“Just experience with this racecar, really. I think James and I have always had a great relationship, have always gelled and worked really well together, understand each other. Last year was just one of those years where we had a lot working against us. But we learned a lot, and now we’ve got better racecars. We have a better understanding of them, and that consistency that we’ve shown and the ability to lead laps and win races is proof of that. We never changed a thing with our team, our people, our process, the way we did things. We just have better cars, better understanding of our cars, and showing up to the racetrack ready to roll with a lot of speed this year, and we hope we can continue that this weekend at Pocono.”

Do you feel like there’s a separation now in terms of the championship favorites, and do you feel like you’re the favorite?

“It doesn’t matter what I think. We’ve got to execute. We’ve got to go win races. We’ve got to get points. I was thinking this week when I saw the points pop up the other day, and I was like, ‘All right, if we have a perfect weekend, we’ll be like one bonus point behind (William) Byron – wait, no, not quite, but close.’ But the regular-season championship is a big deal – 15 points for that. If we can keep knocking off bonus points, that’s going to be very, very important come playoff time. Just keep digging and keep doing what we’re doing. The two weeks before New Hampshire were tough with terrible finishes but really good racecars and really good runs. So we’re doing what we need to do, and just got to keep doing that and trying to keep gaining points.”

No. 19 Interstate Batteries Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Engineer: Nick Burton

Hometown: Arvada, California

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Gregg Huls

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Kellen Mills

Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky