ARIC ALMIROLA
Nashville Advance
No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 25
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● 2021 marked the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, which was new for most everyone involved. This weekend, Almirola and the No. 10 team will head back to the 1.333-mile concrete oval with a little extra confidence. Not only did he earn the inaugural Cup Series pole at Nashville in 2021, he piloted his No. 10 Ford to a fourth-place finish. Last year, Almirola qualified 11th and finished 17th.

● Almirola is one of the few drivers in this weekend’s Ally 400 field who has raced at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Truck Series. In four Xfinity Series starts at the track, he has three top-10 finishes and one top-five with a best finish of fifth. In four Truck Series starts, Almirola has earned two top-10s and a top-five with a best finish of third.

● While a Cup Series win is the ultimate goal for Almirola, the 39-year-old veteran made his way to victory lane two weekends ago in the Xfinity Series at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, behind the wheel of the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford Mustang. It was the first road-course victory of his career.

● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Nashville 26th in the driver standings, 265 points out of first.

● Almirola’s career: In 440 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 92 top-10s, four poles, and has led 1,018 laps.

● Smithfield has been a sponsor of Almirola’s for the entirety of his fulltime NASCAR Cup Series career – making it one of the longest-lasting partnerships in NASCAR. Smithfield is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” Smithfield is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. The company has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including its industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030. Smithfield believes in the power of protein to end food insecurity and has donated hundreds of millions of food servings to local communities.

● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series:In 2023, Almirola is continuing to share his life beyond the No. 10 Ford with season five of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and the show gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You won a pole and ran in the top-five at Nashville two years ago, but didn’t have the same speed last year. Do you look forward to going back there?

“I do think we learned some things last year at Nashville, where we missed the setup and where we felt like we were off, so I do look forward to going back there. I really enjoy that racetrack. It’s a track that I liked a lot when I ran Trucks and Xfinity races there, and then the first time there in a Cup car qualified on the pole and ran top-five, so it’s a place that I really enjoy running at and I hope that we learn from some of the things we felt like we did wrong last year with this new car that will make us better.”

It hasn’t been the easiest path to success for you. Is there something to be said about embracing the challenge and fighting to get what you want?

“Absolutely. Life is not easy. Everybody has good days and bad days. Everybody has good years and bad years. There are seasons to life. There are seasons to a career and, for me, it doesn’t water down the fact that I’m still racing at the highest level of stock car auto racing – something that I dreamed about as a kid. I’m getting to live out my childhood dream driving a NASCAR Cup Series car against 39 of the other best race car drivers in the world that drive stock cars, so I am very appreciative and very grateful of what I get to do. Do I want more wins and championships and all those things? Absolutely. I’m a competitive person, but at the end of the day you sit there and you look at Richard Petty, who is the king of our sport. I’ve gotten the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Richard and he doesn’t ever sit down at Thanksgiving with all 200 of his trophies – ever. He sits down at Thanksgiving with his family and he sits down to share a meal with people he cares about. All the time I’ve ever gotten to spend with him and talk about things outside of racing and talking about life, he’s been a huge impact on me just being able to recognize and realize that you don’t always have to chase the success because it doesn’t really define who you are once you stop driving a racecar. What defines who you are is how you treat other people and how you are with the people you love, so, yeah, I think as a competitive person I want to win everything, but the reality is that’s not the case.”

Your fellow Ford driver Ryan Blaney won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and ran up front all day. Does that give you more direction as a Ford team heading into tracks similar in length?

“I think that we have potential in our cars. Blaney at Charlotte showed that. I still think that our cars are really aero sensitive in traffic compared to the other manufacturers. Blaney did a great job of executing for all 600 miles and never really lost his track position, so when you look at that, I think that’s a key component of it. I feel like our cars have the capability and the potential to go fast, but one of the things we’re continuing to work on is just making our cars raceable. It seems like we don’t quite have that figured out as well as the other manufacturers as far as being able to race in traffic. I know that all the cars are bad in traffic, but it seems like we tend to be a little bit worse in traffic than our competition, so that’s one of the things we’re continuing to strive to get better at is making our cars better in dirty air. But we certainly know that we have potential to make our racecars go fast. We’ve got to execute and I feel like, as a manufacturer, if you talk to all the Ford drivers, our window is pretty small. If we hit it, we hit it. If you’re slightly off, you’re really off, where it does seem like the competition has a little bit bigger of a window to be closer to hitting the setup.”

No. 10 Smithfield Ford Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Aric Almirola

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Joel Edmonds

Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotton

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Tire Specialist: Russel Simpson

Hometown: Medford, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steven Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Ty Gibbs
Nashville Advance
No. 54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 25
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / 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 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Interstate served as co-primary sponsor for Ty Gibbs in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and on Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota at Circuit of Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas in March. Interstate returned to Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April and will adorn his car for back-to-back events starting this weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway and next weekend (July 2) at the Inaugural Chicago Street Race. Interstate will serve as sponsor two more times for Gibbs late this season – the Sept. 24 race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, and Oct. 8 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● Prior to the inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville in 2021, 10 years had passed since NASCAR last competed at the 1.333-mile, concrete oval. It was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 23, 2011 and it was won by Carl Edwards. The NASCAR Cup Series had never competed at the track until the 2021 Ally 400, but Cup Series teams tested there extensively years ago.

● Rookie Stripe: This weekend marks Gibbs’ first opportunity to race on the Nashville concrete oval in a Cup Series car. He’ll start gaining valuable experience with a standalone practice session Friday evening. Gibbs has experienced a season not atypical of a rookie driver in NASCAR’s top series. He has four top-10 finishes so far, but many other strong runs that didn’t yield the results he might have deserved during the most recent stretch of races. Gibbs four top-10 finishes came in consecutive races during the spring. He brought home a ninth-place finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, and Richmond (Va.) Raceway, and added a 10th-place finish in the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

● Concrete Time: While this Sunday’s Cup Series race will be Gibbs’ debut in NASCAR’s top series at Nashville, he did make his Nashville debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last year, when he started 14th and finished a solid fourth, leading four laps along the way.

● Gibbs heads to Nashville sitting 18th in the driver standings with 320 points. Gibbs is leading the Rookie of the Year standings by an impressive 177 points over second-place Noah Gragson.

● At the age of 19 years, 9 months and 20 days, Gibbs made his first career NASCAR Cup Series start last July 24 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for 23XI Racing. He became the 37th driver younger than 20 years of age to make a Cup Series start. He started at the rear of the field but completed all 160 laps on his way to an impressive 16th-place finish. Best of his 15 Cup Series starts last year was his 10th-place result Aug. 7 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

● Dazzling Debut: Gibbs was victorious in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the February 2021 race on the Daytona road course. He led 14 of the 56 laps and became the youngest driver to win an Xfinity road-course race at 18 years, 4 months and 16 days. The native of Charlotte, North Carolina, also became the second-youngest winner in Xfinity Series history behind Joey Logano, who won in June 2008 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta at the age of 18 years, 21 days.

Ty Gibbs, Driver of the No. 54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry TRD

What are your thoughts about racing for the first time in a Cup Series car this weekend at Nashville?

“I’m looking forward to Nashville. It’s a unique track at 1.33 miles and it’s concrete, so it can be challenging. I’ve competed in only one race there last year in Xfinity and finished fourth, so it will be interesting in the Cup car to see how it is. It’s a fun track and I’m hoping to keep learning like I do at every place we go this year. Great to have Interstate Batteries on board. They are the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing and hopefully we can give them a good run.”

What does it mean to have Interstate Batteries on your car with the company’s significance in the history of Joe Gibbs Racing?

“Interstate Batteries means a lot to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. You just see all the pictures and highlights of the 1993 Daytona 500 and how excited everyone was, and also for a lot of other wins with them at JGR over the years. Norm (Miller, Chairman Emeritus), Scott (Miller, Chairman), Lain (Hancock, CEO/President) and everyone at Interstate Batteries have been a big part of Joe Gibbs Racing over all these years. It’s just really cool how they’ve been able to grow with us as the team grew over the years. It’s really an honor to be able to run an Interstate Batteries car every time we’ve been able to do it. I want to be able to continue to make those guys proud and appreciate all they’ve done for us over the years.”

You moved to the Cup Series this year and you seem to be getting more and more comfortable each week. How would you describe the experience?

“Taking that step from Xfinity to Cup was very beneficial, it really helped. There were some good decisions made by our group at JGR that the transition would be a bit better than it used to be. I’ve enjoyed it so far and I’m learning every week I go out there. The schedule itself is a lot busier but I love to race and I certainly would rather be racing more than less. It was nice to have the off weekend, but I’m a racer and I’m already looking forward to getting back to racing at Nashville.”

No. 54 Interstate Batteries Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ty Gibbs

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Gayle

Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas

Car Chief: Nate Bellows

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman

Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka

Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Race Engineer: Kyle Abrahims

Hometown: Spring Grove, Pennsylvania

Road Crew Members

Truck Driver: Chris Miko

Hometown: Bronx, New York

Mechanic: Ryan Towles Hometown: Salem, Virginia

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge

Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Truck Driver: Eloy Trevino

Hometown: Adrian, Michigan

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer

Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Peyton Moore

Hometown: Buford, Georgia

Jackman: Derrell Edwards

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Tire Carrier: Jake Holmes

Hometown: Westborough, Massachusetts

Front Tire Changer: Blake Houston

Hometown: Enochville, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

This Week in Motorsports: June 19-25, 2023

• NCS/NXS/NCTS: Nashville Superspeedway – June 23-25
• NHRA: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park (Norwalk, Ohio) – June 25
• ARCA: Elko Speedway – June 24

PLANO, Texas (June 21, 2023) – The second half of the NASCAR season begins with all three national series racing at Nashville Superspeedway, while Toyota’s NHRA teams vie for Toyota’s 200th victory in Norwalk, Ohio.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS

Truex plans to add to points lead… Martin Truex Jr. picked up his second points paying victory of the season at Sonoma Raceway in dominating fashion. Truex led 51 of 110 laps and picked up his fourth victory at the Northern California road course. With the win, Truex picked up the points lead for the first time this season. Truex has multiple top-fives in Nashville in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and led 82 laps in last year’s Cup Series race.

Bell plans to continue strong runs in Nashville… Christopher Bell is seventh in the point standings, and just 32 points out of the championship lead heading into Nashville Superspeedway. Bell has had strong runs in both Cup Series races at the track thus far – earning two top-10 finishes.

Gibbs double-duty … Ty Gibbs will have twice the racing fun for the second straight weekend as he competes in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) event and Sunday’s Cup Series race. Gibbs, who leads the Rookie of the Year standings in the Cup Series, is making his track debut in the Camry TRD Cup car, but he scored a fourth-place finish in the NXS race in Nashville last year.

Nemechek championship leader … John Hunter Nemechek leads the NXS point standings by four points heading into Nashville Superspeedway. Nemechek is making his NXS track debut but does own two top-10 finishes in Truck Series competition at the facility.

Heim returns… Corey Heim missed the NASCAR Truck Series race at Gateway due to illness, but with his strong run prior to that event, held on to the points lead. Heim has been remarkably consistent with nine top-10 finishes in 11 races. Heim had a strong run going in Nashville one season ago – finishing top-three in the first two stages – before being taken out in a late-race incident.

Friesen, Gray battle for last Playoff berths… With just four races to go in the regular season, Stewart Friesen and Tanner Gray are battling for the final Playoff berths. Friesen moved inside the provisional field with a strong third-place finish in Gateway to slot in ninth in the standings going into Nashville. Gray is battling to get back in the 10-driver field. He currently sits 11th, just seven points below 10th heading into this weekend.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA

Sawalich desires home track win… William Sawalich picked up his first national ARCA Menards Series victory over the weekend as the 16-year-old drove to the win at Berlin Speedway with a late race pass on fellow Toyota driver Jesse Love. Winning at Elko Speedway on Saturday would be huge for Sawalich, as the ARCA East points leader grew up less than an hour from the facility in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car

200 wins coming in focus… After three event wins in Bristol, Toyota comes into racing action in Norwalk sitting at 199 event wins. Toyota scored its first victory in 2004 in the Winternationals as Jerry Toliver drove his Toyota Celica Funny Car to the win at Pomona Raceway. Toyota has won five of the first eight Top Fuel trophies this season and earned its first Funny Car victory of the year at Bristol two weeks ago.

Ashley, Capps lead… Justin Ashley and Ron Capps took over the points leads in Bristol with exceptionally strong weekends. Ashley completed the rare double-up as he picked up the rain-delayed New England National trophy on Saturday before completing the weekend sweep on Sunday. It was Ashley’s fourth victory in eight races this season. Capps delivered on the first anniversary of his first win with Toyota by scoring his seventh Bristol Funny Car win – more than any other NHRA driver.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

CHASE BRISCOE
Nashville Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 25
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will arrive at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway with a renewed effort under new leadership. Richard Boswell steps into the role of NASCAR Cup Series crew chief with the No. 14 team, replacing Johnny Klausmeier, who transitioned to SHR’s vehicle performance group.

● Boswell has been a fixture with SHR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team since its inception in 2017. He won eight races with Briscoe over a three-year span (2018-2020), including an impressive six-win campaign in 2020. Boswell, a former driver who competed for JR Motorsports in the Hooters Pro Cup and Xfinity Series, was most recently the crew chief for SHR’s No. 98 Xfinity Series team and driver Riley Herbst.

● With 16 of 36 races complete, Briscoe has three top-five finishes and four top-10s.

● Sunday’s Ally 400 marks Briscoe’s third start at the 1.333-mile, concrete oval. His best result was in the inaugural race when he started 16th and ran inside the top-10 for a majority of the race before a loss of brakes relegated the No. 14 to a 31st-place finish.

● Though Briscoe’s results at Nashville haven’t been his best, he had a successful run in the Music City in 2016 when he started on the pole and finished ninth in the ARCA Menards Series race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. It was his first of nine career poles during his 2016 championship run.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Nashville has been a difficult track for you. What have you learned that can help you turn that around?

“I think the first year was tough, not really knowing the Cup car or the track. A lot of teams struggled and we were definitely one of them. Then last year, that was just a mistake on my part. I was going into turn two a little too fast with Ross (Chastain) coming up behind me and lost the back of the car. We had a wrecked car, rain delays, a new car with the NextGen. We’ve never really gone into Nashville with any kind of playbook, so maybe this will be a chance to flip things around and better what we’ve done in the past.”

Halfway through what has been a challenging third season in the Cup Series, you’re coming back from the midseason break in the schedule with a new crew chief. What does that do for the team in terms of a reset?

“Coming back from the off weekend is always a reset and a good chance for us to finish out the season with a fresh strategy. I’m excited to reunite with (Richard) Boswell. I’ve always enjoyed working with him and we have a good relationship that we worked on for many years in the Xfinity Series. He’s done a lot for me in my career and we had a lot of success together in the Xfinity Series, so I feel confident that he’ll know how to push me to be a better driver while he’s trying to figure out this side of things.”

What kind of impact will Boswell’s transition to the Cup Series have on the team?

“It’s going to take him some time to learn the NextGen, but I don’t think it will have much impact. We have a whole organization that has been working on this car and we all know the little quirks, so he’ll have lots of guidance and help as he navigates it. I think he’s going to be just fine, and the change will be a chance for some new perspective from an outsider.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell
Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Michael Osinski
Hometown: Vestal, New York

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rob Fink
Hometown: Mocksville, North Carolina

RYAN PREECE
Nashville Advance
No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 25
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps / 399 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece and the No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are headed to Music City for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. Race time is 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage on NBC, MRN and SiruisXM NASCAR Radio.

● Welcome Morton Buildings to the No. 41 team. Morton Buildings, headquartered in Morton, Illinois, is the industry leader in post-frame manufacturing and construction. At Morton, the difference is in the details. From cutting-edge innovations and best-in-class warranty to its craftsmen in the field, the company is dedicated to surpassing expectations. Its legacy of excellence in construction spans more than a century and more than a quarter-million satisfied customers. Morton Buildings is 100% employee-owned and proud to be ranked No. 65 on the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) 2022 Employee Ownership 100 list, which includes the nation’s largest companies that are at least 50% owned by an employee stock ownership plan. For more information, visit www.mortonbuildings.com.

● Prior to the start of the race weekend in Nashville, Preece will be at Robert’s Western World on Broadway for an appearance including an autograph session, guest bartending and a meet and greet with fans to kick things off. The event is from 4 – 6:30 p.m. CDT and everyone is welcome. For more information about Robert’s, visit https://robertswesternworld.com/.

● Sunday’s 300-lap race will mark Preece’s second Cup Series start at the 1.333-mile concrete oval. He made his Nashville debut in 2021 with JTG-Daugherty Racing, starting 20th and having to retire early – on Lap 197 – due to a brake issue. Last season, Preece made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series appearance at Nashville. He started 27th for BJ McLeod Motorsports and finished sixth.

● The NASCAR Truck Series added Nashville back to its schedule in 2021 for the first time since 2011. Preece ran for David Gilliland Racing in the Truck Series events in 2021 and 2022 and took home the victory in both. In 2021, he qualified sixth and led eight laps en route to his first Truck Series win. In 2022, he qualified on the pole and led 74 laps.

● Prior to the sole off-weekend on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule last weekend, competitors took on Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway for the season’s second road-course race. Preece kicked off the weekend on the West Coast with a victory in the ARCA Menards Series West race on Friday afternoon. He qualified his No. 9 Bonanza Ford on the pole. From there, he dominated the race by leading 55 of 64 laps and crossed the finish line 9.675 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Sammy Smith. Saturday, Preece qualified 22nd for the Cup Series race and finished 13th in Sunday’s 110-lap race.

● The No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang team has seen improvement and consistency in recent weekends, providing a heightened sense of motivation. Preece had a career weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, earning his first Cup Series pole and leading a career-high 135 laps. In 16 points-paying events this season, Preece has five top-15 finishes, three of which came in the last four points-paying races May 14 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and June 11 at Sonoma.

● Preece heads to Nashville 25th in the driver standings with 269 points.

● Preece kicked off the 2023 season with a strong showing in the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, leading a race-high 43 laps but ultimately finishing seventh after a fuel pump issue. He has a best points-paying finish of 12th this season, which came at Phoenix Raceway in March.

● RaceChoice.com, a proud partner of Preece, has launched a special racing experience giveaway for fans. The winner will receive airfare and a two-night stay during Coke Zero 400 weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. RaceChoice.com will also give the winners two pit passes for the race, set for Saturday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. ET, preceded by a meet-and-greet with Preece, driver of the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang. Visit https://racechoice.com/2023-daytona-giveaway/ for more information.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Back-to-back Nashville wins in the Truck Series in 2021 and 2022, and now you’re heading there for the Cup Series race. Your thoughts?

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to Nashville this weekend. It’s another one of those tracks that I’ve had circled on my calendar. I don’t know what made me perform so well in the Trucks, but the track has been really good to me. I’ve got a lot of confidence heading into the weekend and it’s a track that I’ve really emphasized with my team. I won with (crew chief) Chad Johnston in the 2021 Truck Series race, so we’ve worked together at the track already. These types of tracks have been stronger for us this season than our other programs, andI think this weekend will be strong for our 41 team.”

What is it like racing on the concrete at Nashville? Is it similar to any other tracks on the schedule?

“Nashville races are similar to a short track, which is right up my alley because short tracks are what I’ve done my entire career. But it’s also a mile-and-a-half track, so it’s a little bit bigger and it’s kind of got that little bit of an in-between. There’s a lot of shifting and different lanes, so that makes it an interesting track to race on. It’s also a night race this year, so I’m looking forward to that. I think you can compare it to a Bristol or Dover, and it is concrete but it doesn’t have as much banking in the corners. It’s a distinctive track and I’ve only been there twice, but we won those Truck races both times, so it’s a place I’ve enjoyed going to.”

You have another new paint scheme this weekend with Morton Buildings on the No. 41. Can you explain your relationship with the company?

“Morton Bulidings has been a huge supporter of mine and they’re an organization that I feel like I can really relate to. They’re all really good people who work extremely hard on their craft and create beautiful things for people. I know that firsthand because they built my race shop at my house and we’re actually working on an expansion now. I’m really excited to have them onboard my Ford Mustang this weekend in Nashville and I hope we bring home a win for them.”

Coming off the sole off weekend of the season, do you feel like the break rejuvenated you and your team?

“I mean, for me, I always want to be racing as much as I can, but I do appreciate the off weekend. It does give all of us an opportunity to either travel or just spend quality time at home. I got to do a lot of that and work on things that I might not have as much time to focus on during the weeks, usually. It was good, but I’m ready to get back to the track and back to racing. Our team has a lot to keep proving and we’re ready to do it, and I think Nashville is a great place to keep it going.”

No. 41 Morton Buildings Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone

Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Lee Deese

Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Kevin Teaf

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Underneath & Interior Mechanic: Clint Leatherwood

Hometown: Rockmart, Georgia

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn

Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania