5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 30 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 10th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

FRONT OF THE FIELD: Through 11 races in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, Larson is one of three drivers, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, with two wins this season. The Elk Grove, California, native ranks second in both laps led (468), laps run in the top five (1,217) and is tied for second with Byron and two others in top-five finishes (four). He has also run the third-most laps in the top 10 (1,842).

COMING TO KANSAS: In the last four races at Kansas Speedway, which hosts Sunday’s race, Larson has led the most laps (291). That mark is 171 circuits better than the next closest competitor. In 16 starts at the Midwest venue, he has one win (October 2021), five top-five finishes and eight top-10s. His 455 laps led are his fifth-most at any one track in the series. On top of that, he is one of seven drivers (along with teammate Alex Bowman) to score top-10 finishes in both 2022 Kansas races.

1.5-MILE MUSCLE: Since coming to Hendrick Motorsports for the start of the 2021 season, Larson has been extremely strong on traditional 1.5-mile tracks. In the 17 starts he’s made for the No. 5 team on that track type, he has the most wins (five), runner-up finishes (four), top-10 finishes (14), stage wins (13), laps led (1,705) and has the best average finish (7.35). Over that span of time, he is also tied for the most top-five finishes (10) on 1.5-mile tracks. Larson’s 1,705 laps led represent 34% of the laps run on 1.5-mile tracks since 2021. In addition, he has earned the second-most points (314) on 1.5-mile tracks since the start of the 2022 season.

SETTING THE STAGE: Larson’s 44 stage wins are the third-highest total all-time. With two stage wins so far in 2023, he is tied for the third-most. The 30-year-old driver has earned 85 stage points this season, which is also the third-highest mark.

PIT CREW POWER: The HendrickCars.com pit crew is ranked the fifth-best overall on pit road based on their average four-tire stop time through 11 races at 11.462 seconds. The squad’s pit stop on lap 293 at Martinsville Speedway, which was a race Larson went on to win, ranks as the sixth-fastest four-tire stop on the season at 9.677 seconds. The five-man 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).

DOWN IN THE DIRT: Larson will be featured in a new five-part documentary series announced this week by FOX Sports Films, titled DIRT: THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN SPORT. The series, debuting on Tuesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, chronicles legendary dirt competitors racing on dirt tracks across America.

EXTRACURRICULARS: In accompany to Larson’s full-time Cup Series schedule, he races late models and sprint cars most weeks and HendrickCars.com is one of his sponsors for his non-NASCAR racing schedule. This week, he is scheduled to race in Ohio on Thursday (at Atomic Speedway) and Friday (at Eldora Speedway).

HOME RACE HATS: This weekend’s race at Kansas will mark the fifth home race of the season for the HendrickCars.com team. For every HendrickCars.com home race this season (15 total), there will be a unique hat that is released the week of the race. These hats will only available for sale on the trackside merchandise haulers or available to win on HendrickCars.com. Less than 100 of each limited-edition hat will be made available to the public. This week’s Kansas-themed hat will be released Thursday and can be found here.

HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: The Kansas City, Kansas, automotive market is home to five Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships. Not in Kansas? You can pick from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop 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.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 29th

No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

DOVER DIGEST: On Monday, Chase Elliott came up just short of his 10th top-10 finish at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, placing 11th in the 400-lap race. Elliott earned two valuable stage points with a ninth-place finish in stage two that helped him gain two spots in the Cup Series standings.

KANSAS RUNDOWN: Elliott has one career Cup Series victory at Kansas Speedway, coming in the fall race in 2018. He led 44 laps en route to the win. This Sunday, Elliott is set to make his 15th Kansas start at the Cup Series level. Accompanying his victory are six top-five finishes, eight top-10s and 197 laps led. He’s finished sixth or better in six of the last nine races at the 1.5-mile venue. Elliott’s six top-five finishes at Kansas are his second most at a particular track on the Cup circuit, behind only Dover.

1.5-MILERS: This weekend at Kansas, Elliott will make his 73rd start on a traditional 1.5-mile track in the Cup Series and his first start on this configuration this season. In his previous 72 races on this track length, Elliott has led 982 laps. Along with two victories (Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2020 and Kansas in 2018), Elliott has collected 22 top-five finishes – eight of which are runner-up results – and 36 top-10s on 1.5-milers.

GUSTAFSON AT KANSAS: On Sunday, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 31st Kansas Cup Series race. In his previous 30 starts at the track with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Elliott), Gustafson has accumulated two wins – one with Gordon (2014) and one with Elliott (2018) – 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s with 315 laps led.

GAINING ON ‘EM: Since Elliott’s return to the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Martinsville Speedway in April after recovering from a fractured tibia, he’s gained 32 points on the playoff bubble. He entered that weekend 33rd in the driver standings and is now up to 29th. The five-time Cup Series National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver is now 102 points behind the provisional playoff cutline. He would need to gain an average of seven points per race on the cutline to make the playoffs on points as the standings are currently. Since his return, he’s averaged a gain of 10 points per race on the final provisional playoff spot.

AIMING FOR A WIN: While it’s still possible for Elliott, who missed six races this season due to his injury, to make it into the playoffs on points, a win would all but guarantee a spot for the 27-year-old driver. The 2020 Cup Series champion has had a lot of success on the 15 tracks coming up on the schedule before the playoffs kick off at Darlington Raceway in September. Seven of his 18 career Cup Series wins have come at tracks left in the regular season.

BACK HOME: No. 9 team jackman T.J. Semke hails from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, less than 40 miles from the track. Before stepping on the football field at the University of Kansas in 2012, Semke was a part-time bounty hunter. The 30-year-old was a defensive lineman for the Jayhawks for three years. Semke signed with Hendrick Motorsports in October 2016.

UNIFIRST RETURNS: UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized business uniform programs, facility service products and first aid and safety services, is back on board the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend. This marks the second of three primary races for UniFirst and the first with Elliott behind the wheel this season. Road racing standout Jordan Taylor filled in for the then-injured Elliott at Circuit of The Americas in March. In his first career Cup Series start, Taylor qualified the UniFirst Chevy inside the top five and was battling for a top-10 result when he got shuffled back during a chaotic late-race restart. He was ultimately scored with a 24th-place finish. Get a closer look at the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 11th

No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

DOVER DOWNLOAD: After rain canceled qualifying and postponed the race from Sunday to Monday at Dover Motor Speedway, William Byron started eighth and quickly maneuvered his way into the top five. After the competition caution, the 25-year-old driver was able to take over the lead and didn’t look back as he won stage one. In the process, he also led his 2,000th lap in the NASCAR Cup Series. Byron continued to pace the field in stage two before slipping to second during green-flag pit stops, giving him a runner-up finish in the stage. With track conditions changing, Byron’s handling forced him to drop back just outside the top five during the final stage. The No. 24 team made adjustments that allowed Byron to make his way back inside the top five, scoring a fourth-place finish.

24 POWER: Byron and the No. 24 team continue to be one of the front runners during the 2023 Cup Series season. So far this year, he is tied with two other drivers, including Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, for the most wins in the series (two). The Charlotte, North Carolina, native also ranks first in laps led (579), laps run in the top five (1,444) and average running position (8.92) among drivers to start all 11 races. He ranks second in both laps run in the top 10 (1,873) and is among four competitors tied (including Larson) for the second-most top-five finishes this season (four).

AND ANOTHER ONE: After Monday’s race at Dover, Byron added another stage win to his total this season. He now has six stage wins – the most of any driver. In fact, only one other driver previously has collected six stage wins through 11 races. This also marks the most stage wins for him in a season – surpassing his four stage wins in 2021 and 2022. He also has 15 top-10 finishes in stages this year and collected 111 stage points – the most of any driver.

1.5-MILE MOMENTUM: Byron is no stranger to success on traditional 1.5-mile tracks during his Cup Series career. Since the start of the 2021 season, Byron has two wins, one runner-up finish, five top-fives, and 11 top-10s on that track type. One of his two wins to date in 2023 came at the lone race contested this season at a traditional 1.5-mile track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Since the start of 2022, he has collected 294 points on this style of track – third-most among drivers.

MIDWEST MOMENTUM: Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway will mark Byron’s 11th start at the venue at the Cup Series level. While he faced bad luck in his first three races there, he has since turned that around. In his last seven starts at the 1.5-mile track, Byron has collected one top-five finish and six top-10s. His six top-10 finishes within the last seven races is the second-most for a driver during that same stretch. It is also the track where Byron has the most top-10 finishes in his Cup Series career (six), tied with Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. In fact, in the last four races at Kansas, he has led 91 laps – fourth-most in the series and behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Larson (291) and Alex Bowman (107).

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE KANSAS: Looking to make his fifth start as a Cup Series crew chief at Kansas this Sunday, Rudy Fugle’s four Cup Series races at the Midwest track have resulted in three top-10 finishes and 91 laps led with the No. 24 team. Aside from those four Cup Series starts, the Livonia, New York, native has 12 previous starts at the 1.5-mile oval, with 10 of those coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In those 10 events, Fugle’s drivers have started from the top starting spot four times, led 391 laps, collected two wins (2016 & 2018), five top-five finishes and six top-10s. In fact, his 2016 win came with Byron, who captured his first Truck Series win in just their fourth start together.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: The No. 24 pit crew has been the best on pit road this season with an average four-tire pit stop time of 11.293 seconds. The crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler). This group also had the fastest four-tire pit stop in the season-opening DAYTONA 500 at 11.278 seconds.

LIBERTY U IS BACK: This Sunday at Kansas, Byron will sport his updated Liberty University paint scheme. Featuring a white base with navy flames and red accents, the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be sure to stand out on track. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty University is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in strategic communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s new Liberty University paint scheme, click here.

48 Josh Berry

Age: 32 (Oct. 22, 1990)

Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 12th (owner’s points)

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

SUPER SUB: Last Monday at Dover Motor Speedway, Josh Berry filled in for an injured Alex Bowman, who fractured a vertebra in a sprint car race on April 25. Berry started the 400-lap race in 23rd per the NASCAR rule book after qualifying was canceled. He finished the first stage in 14th and the second stage in 11th en route to his 10th-place result. His finishing position marked his third top-10 result in six races for Hendrick Motorsports as a fill-in driver. In addition to subbing for Bowman, Berry ran five races for the No. 9 team while Chase Elliott was out due to injury.

IN GOOD COMPANY: Berry is the 12th driver in Hendrick Motorsports history to earn at least three top-10 finishes in his first six starts with the team. Those top 10s came at Phoenix Raceway (10th), Richmond Raceway (a career-best second) and Dover (10th). Among the other drivers to earn three top 10s in their first six starts for the company: Jeff Gordon, Geoff Bodine, Benny Parsons, Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd. Fellow fill-in drivers Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Randy LaJoie also accomplished this.

BERRY IN KANSAS: Berry has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Kansas Speedway. Last time he raced at the 1.5-mile venue, the 32-year-old driver started 10th, finishing the first stage in ninth and the second stage in seventh en route to his top-10 result in the weather-shortened race.

PIT POWER: The No. 48 Ally Racing pit crew has performed well this season. The team has the distinction of the fastest four-tire pit stop of the day – 9.776 seconds – in the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. The team also had the best four-tire stop average in last month’s race at Richmond at 10.388 seconds. The over-the-wall crew is made up of rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Allen Holman (jackman), Scott Riddle (tire carrier) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).  

BETTER OFF WITH AN ALLY: This Sunday, the No. 48 Ally decklid will feature Ally’s truth mark with a unique pattern in celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The decal is the logo for Ally’s AME (Asian & Middle Eastern) employee resource group (ERG) with the words “Unity in Diversity”. All of Ally’s eight ERGs are employee-driven and grassroots in nature, which allows Ally teammates to engage with others who have similar backgrounds and life experiences. They focus on company culture, host events and educational sessions, and ensure that everyone at Ally feels included while at work.
   
DAY ‘N’ NITE: The No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will adorn two versions of its primary scheme during the 2023 Cup Series season. The No. 48 Ally Chevy “day” scheme will host a white base with bright plum, grapefruit, and seafoam stripes down the side. This version of the primary scheme will appear at races that take place during the day. When the lights come on over the racetrack, the black-based No. 48 Ally Chevy “night” scheme will sport a similar design to its daytime counterpart. This weekend, the No. 48 machine will have the white-based “day” scheme. Check out all the angles of the new look here. 

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

Hendrick Motorsports

2023	All-Time	Kansas
Races	11	1,320	34
Wins	4*	295*	8*
Poles	4*	243*	5**
Top 5	13*	1,203*	41*
Top 10	20**	2,065*	76*
Laps Led	1,126*	78,443*	1,870*
Stage Wins	9*	88	6

*Most **Most (tie)

CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is five points-paying victories away from 300 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 295 wins, which is the most in the sport by any one team. With four wins this season, Hendrick Motorsports has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series. In each of the last 30 seasons, the organization has won at least two races.

HONORING UYRS’ 25TH ANNIVERSARY: Hendrick Motorsports and team owner Rick Hendrick have been long-time supporters of the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS). In honor of the Philadelphia-based program’s 25th anniversary, the Hendrick Family Foundation recently donated $25,000 to the UYRS. Kyle Larson presented the check on the foundation’s behalf on Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway. He also met with a group of 18 students and nine chaperones from the organization. In 2023, the UYRS will once again host the Grand Prix of Philadelphia with Kyle Larson and Friends event ahead of NASCAR’s race weekend at Pocono Raceway. Details around the event will be announced at a later date.

KINGS OF KANSAS: With eight wins, the team has the most victories among all Cup Series organizations at Kansas Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the first race at the track in 2001 and earned three in total at this track. Jimmie Johnson also posted three wins at the Kansas City, Kansas, venue. Chase Elliott and Larson each have one triumph as well. The team’s 1,870 laps out front at the facility are also the best among all teams in the series.

SPRING REVIEW: In last year’s spring event at Kansas, Larson nearly won his second consecutive race at the 1.5-mile track. The driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led with 10 laps to go before being caught by the eventual race winner and settling for a second-place finish. Alex Bowman earned a top-10 finish with a ninth-place result. Larson and Bowman were two of the seven drivers in the series to earn top 10s in both Kansas races in 2022.

HEY HEY HEY: Each of Hendrick Motorsports’ four full-time drivers are in the top eight for laps led in the past four races at the Kansas City, Kansas venue. Larson’s mark of 291 laps in the best in the series over that time, while Bowman (107) ranks third, William Byron (91) is fourth and Elliott (52) has the eighth-most.

MILE-AND-A-HALF MOJO: Since the start of the 2021 season, the numbers show that races at mile-and-a-half tracks are Hendrick Motorsports vs. the field. The 14-time Cup Series champions have eight wins in that span vs. the field’s nine. However, the organization has more laps led (2,639 to 2,375) and stage wins (20 to 16) in that span than all the other teams in the series. In the only race on a 1.5-mile track this season to date (at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), the team swept the top-three spots in the finishing order.

NEXT GEN NUMBERS: In the Next Gen era (start of the 2022 season), Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at traditional 1.5-mile tracks with three. Bowman won at Las Vegas in March 2022, Larson triumphed at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October 2022 and Byron took the victory at Las Vegas in March 2023. Both Larson and Byron swept the stages in their wins as well.

OUT IN FRONT: With 1,126 laps led, Hendrick Motorsports has the most laps out front this season. Byron (579) and Larson (468) rank one-two in that statistical category. The team’s total is more than double the total of the team that ranks second (477). The 1,126 circuits in front are the fifth-most ever for the organization through 11 races. Each of the years with higher occurrences: 1995 (1,497 laps led), 1996 (1,464 laps led), 2007 (1,291 laps led) and 2010 (1,173 laps led) were championship seasons for the Concord, North Carolina, based squad.

STAGE SAVANTS: In the 2023 season, Hendrick Motorsports’ series-best nine stage wins are two more than the combined total of the teams ranked second and third in this statistic. The team’s stage wins have come among three of its drivers. Byron leads all drivers with six, while Larson has two and Elliott has one. In the stage racing era, this is the second-most stage wins for the organization through 11 races. Their high to this point in a season is 11 stage wins, which came in 2020.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Kansas Speedway: “I always enjoy visiting Kansas Speedway to race. I’ve had some good fortune there and hope to have some again. The No. 5 team has brought fast race cars to the track almost every weekend this season and I know this weekend won’t be any different. (I’m) hoping we can turn our luck around in Kansas.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for Kansas: “Kansas (Speedway) has been a good track for us. We enjoy going there and for whatever reason we’ve been able to have some good runs over the past couple of years together. It’s a tough place, but it’s one that we enjoy and Kyle (Larson) has a good knack for. (We) are certainly going to do our homework and try to put our best foot forward for this weekend.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his first 1.5-mile start this season: “I feel like our performance on mile-and-a-half tracks last season was kind of hit or miss and this weekend is my first chance to see what kind of progress we’ve made. Missing Las Vegas, I think, has kind of put me behind the eight ball a little bit, but we’ve been working hard to prepare for Kansas (Speedway) and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has been pretty strong on a lot of different types of tracks this year. From what I recall, we were running pretty decent there in this race last spring until I cut a tire and got stuck in the grass. Hopefully, we can have some better luck there this time.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to the first 1.5-mile race with Elliott this season: “It was kind of a mixed bag last year for sure. Kansas (Speedway), we were good and had a tire issue. We were strong at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) and crashed. This year, I don’t want to say you don’t know what to expect, but yeah, it’s just going to be good to go and get on the track and kind of start that process. Certainly for us, it was hard at Vegas. It was difficult with the way that all transpired. So, we don’t have a great baseline and it’ll be good to get with Chase (Elliott) and get in the car and race. Obviously, this season has been unconventional. We just need to run some races, start getting back in the rhythm and get an understanding of what he needs in the car. With just the little time he was out, it’s evolved. Just trying to put all that stuff to work and see how it goes.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his excitement for racing at Kansas: “The No. 24 team has really been performing well so far this season. I think last week at Dover (Motor Speedway) showed that. While we didn’t get the win, we led the most laps, scored the most points and got another playoff point. Those days are beneficial to keep momentum going. We’ve been strong at Kansas (Speedway) in the past and we’ve really improved on our immediate program. The race at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) earlier this year shows that improvement. I think as a group, we’re really excited to get to Kansas and show that speed again.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his thoughts for Kansas: “This weekend we will be running the same tire as we did last year in the fall at Kansas (Speedway) and every mile-and-a-half since then. I feel like every time we’ve ran it, we’ve gained on it. The last mile-and-a-half we ran at was Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) earlier this year and obviously we ran really well. We’ll apply some of the notes from that race to this weekend’s race. It should be hot and slick this weekend, at least that’s how it’s currently trending. Cars will be sliding around more and using all the lanes, which is fun. Tires will definitely play a big role then and our pit crew has been awesome so far this year, so I’m excited.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to Kansas: “I am looking forward to going to Kansas (Speedway) this weekend. It will be our second week working with Josh Berry in the No. 48 and I am excited to get another race under our belt with him. The 1.5-mile package that Hendrick Motorsports has as an organization has been very fast this year. Looking back to Las Vegas Motor Speedway), we had a 1-2-3 finish. We are looking to utilize some of the things we learned at the intermediate tracks this year, apply those things and help speed up the learning curve for Josh in a Next Gen car. He doesn’t have a lot of laps around Kansas, so our priority will be similar to how it was at Dover (Motor Speedway) where we will unload and get him as comfortable as we can as quick as we can in practice and try to get him a decent qualifying position. Overall, the No. 48 team was really strong last fall at Kansas, so we can lean on some decent notes from last year as well.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
AdventHealth 400
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kansas
May 7, 2023

HEADING TO THE HEARTLAND

The 1.5-mile tri-oval of Kansas Speedway is set to host NASCAR’s first trip to the Midwest of the 2023 season this weekend. One of the newest ovals on the circuit, the Kansas-based venue entered the NASCAR scene in 2001 and has since hosted 34 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) events.

The upcoming weekend will mark the first of two appearances by the NCS and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) at Kansas Speedway this season. While absent from this trip to heartland, the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will take on the Kansas oval in September when the track will host all three NASCAR national touring series for a playoff tripleheader race weekend.

 
GORDON, CHEVROLET FIRST NCS WINNERS AT KANSAS

Chevrolet was the first manufacturer to make its way to victory lane at Kansas Speedway in NASCAR’s premier series courtesy of Jeff Gordon, who drove his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the win in the series’ debut at the track in September 2001. The career Chevrolet driver made it back-to-back trips to victory lane when the series returned to the Kansas oval one year later. To-date, Gordon is one of only four drivers in series’ history to post consecutive wins at the track.

Heading into Sunday’s AdventHealth 400, Chevrolet leads the NASCAR Cup Series with 13 victories. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson drove Chevrolet to its most recent NCS win at Kansas Speedway in October 2021 – a win that took the Chevrolet driver one step closer to his first career championship title in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory also marked the second time that season that Larson won three-consecutive races – a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since Dale Earnhardt Sr. set the record in 1987.

MILE-AND-A-HALF MOMENTUM

Kansas Speedway will mark the NASCAR Cup Series’ third race on a 1.5-mile track this season. Chevrolet put an early checkmark in the win category for the intermediate-style ovals when the series’ trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March saw William Byron take the win and a playoff berth. Byron was accompanied by his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson (second) and Alex Bowman (third) for the Bowtie brand’s second consecutive podium sweep in the series’ first three points-paying shows.

Since the Next Gen vehicles were debuted in NASCAR’s premier series at the beginning of the 2022 season, the Camaro ZL1 has collected a series-best six victories in 11 points-paying NCS races held on 1.5-mile tracks:

· Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Alex Bowman (March 6. 2022)

· Atlanta Motor Speedway – William Byron (March 20, 2022)

· Atlanta Motor Speedway – Chase Elliott (July 10, 2022)

· Texas Motor Speedway – Tyler Reddick (September 25, 2022)

· Homestead-Miami Speedway – Kyle Larson (October 23, 2022)

· Las Vegas Motor Speedway – William Byron (March 5, 2023)

Three of those victories were accompanied by a podium sweep by Team Chevy drivers including twice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 2022 and March 2023) and at Homestead-Miami Speedway (October 2022). In fact, the manufacturer took it one step further at the Southern Florida oval with Larson leading the Bowtie brigade to a one-two-three-four finish – with four different Chevrolet teams represented in the top four.

 
LOOKING BACK ON NCTS AT KANSAS

When Kansas Speedway was introduced to the NASCAR circuit, Chevrolet got a similar start at the track in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the manufacturer going down in history as the inaugural winners in both series.

The Kansas oval became a special piece of history in the Hendrick family when Ricky Hendrick drove the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado to the win in the NCTS’ debut at the track in July 2001 – also marking the driver’s first career win in the series. To date, the Bowtie brand has collected wins in eight of the 25 NCTS races held Kansas Speedway. The manufacturer’s most recent triumph came from Brett Moffitt and the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet team in October 2020. The first time the track hosted a playoff race for the series, Moffitt’s victory secured the team’s spot in the title race that season.

SILVERADO RST THREE-FOR-THREE ON 1.5-MILE TRACKS IN 2023

Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to be triumphant on 1.5-mile tracks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season. The series has taken on three different mile-and-a-half circuits in 2023, each ending with a monumental victory by a driver from a different Chevrolet team.

Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 3, 2023) – Just five days after scoring his first win with Richard Childress Racing at Auto Club Speedway, the hometown hero drove his No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) Silverado RST to a dominating win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – extending his own series’ win record to 63 career NCTS wins. While already claiming the title as the winningest driver in the series, the victory was KBM’s first win under the Chevrolet banner since transitioning to the manufacturer at the beginning of the season.

Christian Eckes at Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 18, 2023) – Christian Eckes took McAnally-Hilgemann Racing to the organization’s first NCTS victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The victory was Eckes’ second career NCTS victory, but his first since joining the Chevrolet camp at the beginning of the season.

Carson Hocevar at Texas Motor Speedway (April 1, 2023) – Carson Hocevar drove the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST to his first career NCTS win at Texas Motor Speedway. The victory came in the 20-year-old Michigan native’s third full-time season in the series. The Team Chevy driver came close to his first NCTS victory on a handful of occasions. In his 59 career NCTS starts that led to the victory, Hocevar had collected 11 career top-fives, four of which were runner-up finishes.

 
GMS RACING, ENFINGER TO CARRY CHEVY MILITARY APPRECIATION LIVERY AT KANSAS

In Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway, Grant Enfinger’s No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST will sport a special patriotic paint scheme featuring Chevrolet’s Military Appreciation Program. GMS Racing’s partnership with Chevrolet to promote the initiative comes in the series’ first race during Military Appreciation Month.

“We are proud to partner with GMS Racing to feature Chevrolet’s Military Appreciation Program on Grant Enfinger’s No. 23 Silverado RST at Kansas Speedway,” said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet CMO . “General Motors has supported the U.S. military for more than 100 years and we take tremendous pride in giving back to those who serve and sacrifice for our country. We look forward to continuing to honor and celebrate U.S. service members and their families throughout Military Appreciation Month.”

Since GMS Racing was formed in 2012, the organization has recorded 42 wins and two championships (2016 and 2020) in the NCTS – all in partnership with Chevrolet.

“It is so cool to see the commitment that everybody at General Motors and Chevrolet have in supporting our military,” said Enfinger. “I have the utmost respect for the men and women of our armed forces and am glad to hear about the program that Chevy has to offer for those individuals. They are a huge factor in our team’s success, and I’m happy to run this special paint scheme for them in Kansas. We have had some decent runs at that racetrack in the past, so I am optimistic that we can have a good race for everyone this time around.”

• About Chevrolet’s Military Appreciation Program: Recognizing your commitment with one of our own. The men and women of the U.S. Military are devoted to giving their all in the line of duty. In recognition of this bravery, the GM Military Appreciation offer is our promise to give service members the special offer they deserve. The special offer on eligible, new vehicles is available to the following: Active Duty members, Reservists, National Guard members, all Veterans and Retirees of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard and their sponsored spouse. To learn more about the program, visit www.GMMilitaryAppreciation.com.  
  BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Kansas Speedway:

Kyle Busch – 2 (2021, 2016)

Kyle Larson – 1 (2021)

Chase Elliott – 1 (2018)

· In 34 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 13 victories and 12 poles.

· Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon is among the five drivers tied for the most NASCAR Cup Series wins (three) at Kansas Speedway.

· Only four drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have captured consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway, one of which being career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon. The NASCAR Hall of Famer drove the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the win in the series’ first two races at the track (2001, 2002).

· Chevrolet won the inaugural race at Kansas Speedway in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, courtesy of Jeff Gordon (NCS – September 2001) and Ricky Hendrick (NCTS – July 2001).

· Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to score a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on a 1.5-mile track this season – recorded from drivers from three different Chevrolet teams (Kyle Busch, No. 51 KBM Silverado RST, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Christian Eckes, No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Silverado RST, at Atlanta Motor Speedway; and Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST, at Texas Motor Speedway).

· Only three drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are repeat winners this season, all coming from Team Chevy (William Byron – Las Vegas & Phoenix; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega).

· In 11 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (seven), top-fives (25), top-10s (46), stage wins (13) and laps led (1,509).

· Chevrolet’s series-leading seven NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from three different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports).

· Chevrolet drivers have recorded 13 of the 22 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (six; series-leading), Ross Chastain (four), Kyle Larson (two) and Chase Elliott (one).

· Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 35 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 28 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and four points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

· With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 840 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Tune In:

· NASCAR Cup Series – AdventHealth 400; 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 7

(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

· NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Heart of America 200; 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 6

(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1

Talk a little bit about your Kansas weekend and what you’re doing away from the track.

“I like coming to Kansas. It’s a big weekend for AdventHealth and we are doing a lot of activities in the market with the school visit and the track walk. I enjoy leaving the race markets we go to in a better place. We are usually only in market for a couple of days but it’s cool to see the effort AdventHealth puts in to create events for the community. It’s fun for me to get out and meet different people and hopefully make an impact. It will be neat to have Journey Brown with me. He will get to see some of stuff we do as racecar drivers away from the track and the shop.”

How does it feel to be the points leader?

“It’s good to be the points leader but we still have a long way to go until we get to the playoffs. So much can change between now and then. My guys are focused and that’s what I really like about them. They are very steady and don’t get rattled, they’re very calm and us leading the points doesn’t change them. They still always have a solid plan and focus on executing. It would be awesome to get a win this weekend though for many reasons. Obviously it’s very helpful for the playoffs, but it would also be great to take the AdventHealth car to victory lane.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1

How will you attack Kansas Speedway on Sunday?

“I’m looking forward to Kansas Speedway in the No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet. We had a tough couple of races, and we have to get the momentum going in the right direction. I think Kansas is the place we can change our luck; I’ve had a few good races here in the past. Kansas is a big fast track and running up to the fence is key. My RCR team has worked really hard on the mile-and-a-half program, and I’ve spent a lot of time on the sim to prepare. I’m excited to see what both of our teams can do in Kansas.”

How is Kansas unique compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks?

“Kansas Speedway has done a really good job with their banking. There’s a line right up by the fence that has a little extra grip. There’s an angle up there that I don’t think many tracks have figured out yet, but Kansas got it right. You can run from top to bottom there. The bottom groove is the preferred groove at the beginning, but it becomes too tight to try and run around there in turns one and two sometimes depending on what the balance of your race car is. I’ve enjoyed that track a lot ever since they repaved it. I wish every track could do as good as a job as Kansas has with repaves.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

Larson on racing at Kansas Speedway:

“I always enjoy visiting Kansas Speedway to race. I’ve had some good fortune there and hope to have some again. The No. 5 team has brought fast race cars to the track almost every weekend this season and I know this weekend won’t be any different. (I’m) hoping we can turn our luck around in Kansas.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO

Daniels on preparing for Kansas:

“Kansas (Speedway) has been a good track for us. We enjoy going there and for whatever reason we’ve been able to have some good runs over the past couple of years together. It’s a tough place, but it’s one that we enjoy and Kyle (Larson) has a good knack for. (We) are certainly going to do our homework and try to put our best foot forward for this weekend.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1

What makes Kansas so different than the other mile-and-a-half racetracks?

“The Kansas mile-and-a half is similar to Las Vegas and the old Chicagoland Speedway but they all definitely have their differences. To me Kansas is unique because it has the progressive banking now but it’s also still in the D shape. It has similarities to Homestead a little bit, but it’s definitely come on as the last few years have gone by where you venture up towards the wall and the wall pretty much becomes the primary lane that you choose to run in. You can make a little bit of time in the lower lane, but it’s only for a lap or two that you can do that and then you better figure out a way back up in the line.”

Is Kansas temperature sensitive track?

“Kansas to me is not necessarily a temperature sensitive racetrack. It’s more of a rubber sensitive racetrack. I remember going there a few years ago with Trucks and the ARCA cars ran before us and it was super, super slick wherever the ARCA cars ran. And then when we ventured outside of that rubber it seemed to have normal grip again. That can definitely be tricky.”

You won at Kansas in 2021 after leading just 20 laps. How rewarding was that victory?

“Being able to win there back in 2021 was good. Kansas was a huge negative place for me for a long time. We just did not run well there at all. It was really, really a struggle for me. On the old pavement it was a struggle and then when it got repaved it was a struggle. It wasn’t until it was about five years after the repave that it really started to come in for me. As of late though it’s been good. Winning there was good, beating Kevin Harvick when he was super, super strong I think back in 2016 and then winning again there in ‘21 was also special.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1

Elliott on his first 1.5-mile start this season:

“I feel like our performance on mile-and-a-half tracks last season was kind of hit or miss and this weekend is my first chance to see what kind of progress we’ve made. Missing Las Vegas, I think, has kind of put me behind the eight ball a little bit, but we’ve been working hard to prepare for Kansas (Speedway) and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has been pretty strong on a lot of different types of tracks this year. From what I recall, we were running pretty decent there in this race last spring until I cut a tire and got stuck in the grass. Hopefully, we can have some better luck there this time.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1

Gustafson on heading to the first 1.5-mile race with Elliott this season:

“It was kind of a mixed bag last year for sure. Kansas (Speedway), we were good and had a tire issue. We were strong at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) and crashed. This year, I don’t want to say you don’t know what to expect, but yeah, it’s just going to be good to go and get on the track and kind of start that process. Certainly for us, it was hard at Vegas. It was difficult with the way that all transpired. So, we don’t have a great baseline and it’ll be good to get with Chase (Elliott) and get in the car and race. Obviously, this season has been unconventional. We just need to run some races, start getting back in the rhythm and get an understanding of what he needs in the car. With just the little time he was out, it’s evolved. Just trying to put all that stuff to work and see how it goes.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1

“Our mile and a half program has been our most competitive this season so I’m looking forward to getting back to a mile and a half and hopefully building off of that. Kansas is unique in the sense that turn one and two are completely different than three and four. More often than not, you have to run middle, top there so it’s definitely a race track that you move around a lot on. I think it looks like it will be warm this weekend so it might be hot and slick, cars will slide around a bit. It’s a challenging race track that I think we can hopefully go there and have some speed this weekend. “

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1

Byron on his excitement for racing at Kansas:

“The No. 24 team has really been performing well so far this season. I think last week at Dover (Motor Speedway) showed that. While we didn’t get the win, we led the most laps, scored the most points and got another playoff point. Those days are beneficial to keep momentum going. We’ve been strong at Kansas (Speedway) in the past and we’ve really improved on our immediate program. The race at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) earlier this year shows that improvement. I think as a group, we’re really excited to get to Kansas and show that speed again.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1

FUGLE ON HIS THOUGHTS FOR KANSAS:

“This weekend we will be running the same tire as we did last year in the fall at Kansas (Speedway) and every mile-and-a-half since then. I feel like every time we’ve ran it, we’ve gained on it. The last mile-and-a-half we ran at was Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) earlier this year and obviously we ran really well. We’ll apply some of the notes from that race to this weekend’s race. It should be hot and slick this weekend, at least that’s how it’s currently trending. Cars will be sliding around more and using all the lanes, which is fun. Tires will definitely play a big role then and our pit crew has been awesome so far this year, so I’m excited.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 CELSIUS CAMARO ZL1

“Although Kansas is a track I have not been great at in the past, Kaulig Racing has really been working hard on our mile-and-a-half-track package. I would say as a whole, they have been our best tracks so far this season. Las Vegas was an intermediate track that we had a great run at earlier this year, so I’m looking forward to hopefully getting our best finish as a team at this track.”

NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1

“Last time we were at Kansas, we won the Xfinity race and also have won in the Truck Series so it’s been a good track for us historically. I’m excited to get back there and run the top right up against the wall. Our team has run well at the mile and a half race tracks this year and so I’m excited to get back there.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1

“Kansas will be a good track for us, it’s a place that I like going to and feel like I have gotten better at. It would be great to keep the momentum going from Talladega and Dover to have a good run at Kansas. Hopefully we can get in the top-ten, get some stage points, and get some points for the end of the year.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

What are your thoughts on Kansas Speedway?

“We were very fast in the last part of the race in September so all of us are optimistic for this weekend. Our cars were fast last year and they have been fast this year. We haven’t gotten the finishes yet, but we know they will come soon.”

Are you over the disappointment of last week?

“Yes, that was really frustrating. We had a fast car and something happened that put us in the wall. It was doubly frustrating because we were running so well at a track where we always run well. But you have to get over things like that. We race so much that you have to move on quickly and cannot let yourself or your team get down.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHEVY MILITARY APPRECIATION SILVERADO RST

Enfinger’s thoughts on racing at Kansas Speedway this weekend:

“I am excited to return to Kansas Speedway, and I’m honored to have Chevy Military Appreciation on our Silverado this week. I feel like our No. 23 team has built fast trucks this year, we just need to execute. We learned a lot last year about these intermediate tracks that will help us contend for a win this weekend. It’s very important that we hit all our marks as a team, and learn all we can for when we return later in the year. I enjoyed these two off-weekends, but I am ready to get back to it, and this should be a good five-race stretch for us.”

RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RST

You’ve mentioned that Kansas Speedway was one of the first tracks that taught you about ‘aero racing’. With that knowledge, how do you anticipate using the ‘aero’ to your advantage in the truck?

“Yeah for sure, Kansas was the first mile-and-a-half racetrack that I ever raced at, so feeling the speed and having the sensation of the side force with the ability to be versatile around the track was new to me. This track gives you the ability to move from lane to lane depending on what type of balance you are looking for, and it’s all about momentum. I’m definitely feeling confident about this weekend, honestly a little bit more than what I’m used to, just because I’ve been to this track a few times before with three ARCA races and one Xfinity race, and I feel like in all of those races I’ve been pretty fast considering the equipment I’ve been in. Like I’ve said before, my Wendell Scott Foundation team and I treat every race like it is a playoffs race, so Saturday night in Kansas is going to be no different. I think that we have a really good shot at leading some laps and staying in contention for the end of the race.”

DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 RACE TO STOP SUICIDE SILVERADO RST

You have a cool new scheme on your truck this weekend supporting a great cause. Can you elaborate on what the Race To Stop Suicide means to you?

“Yeah, it’s definitely an awesome opportunity for us at GMS Racing to run this special Race To Stop Suicide paint scheme. We’ve had Race To Stop Suicide decals on every car that I’ve raced since I’ve been in Late Models a few years ago, but to have a full-blown Race To Stop Suicide scheme on this scale in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is a phenomenal opportunity for what we are trying to accomplish. This will give us the opportunity to get the Race To Stop Suicide in front of a lot of eyes and hopefully save some lives and normalize the conversation of people speaking about mental health and suicide prevention.”

CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RST

You have as many top-10 finishes already this year as you did combined the two seasons before coming to KBM. What has been the key to your success?

“Obviously I have more experience, but I think that it’s the people that I’ve been around and the team I’m with. Everybody can go out and buy the same parts and pieces, but it’s the people that put it together that make it go fast and everyone at KBM has done a really great job of bringing me a fast Bama Buggies Silverado each week. They’ve given me the opportunity to finally go out and show what I feel I have the talent and the ability to do. I think I’m finally in a position where I get to showcase what I can do, and I think that the best is yet to come.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 51 ZARIZ TRANSPORT SILVERADO RST

Do you feel like the script has been written for you to be the driver that gets the 100th win for KBM?

“Not necessarily — I feel like there have been many opportunities where we would’ve, should’ve, could’ve gotten that 100th win already and we’ve been talking about it for too long. Hopefully we can go out and get it on Saturday with our Zariz Transport Chevy. The way that the schedule has fallen the last couple years with the other guys driving the 51 I haven’t had Kansas on my schedule, but in the past when I’ve gotten the chance to race there it has been a good track for me — have won there a few times. We’re bringing the same Silverado that we raced at Las Vegas and was really fast, so I feel like we will have a good piece to work with. Nick (Sanchez) was really fast and dominated the race at Texas until the very end, so it goes to show that our mile-and-a-half stuff is really strong right now at KBM and that is a testament to how hard everyone worked to make sure we didn’t skip a beat with switching over to Chevys this off season.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2022): 41

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2023 STATISTICS:

Wins: 7

Poles: 3

Laps Led: 1,509

Top-five finishes: 25

Top-10 finishes: 46

Stage wins: 13

· Ross Chastain – 4 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover)

· William Byron – 6 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover)

· Kyle Larson – 2 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt)

· Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 840 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 737

Laps led to date: 247,053

Top-five finishes to date: 4,246

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,758

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,174

       Chevrolet: 840

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 821                                                           

       Ford: 721

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 173

 
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Lexington, N.C. (May 3, 2023) – Kaulig Racing has teamed up with Campers Inn RV as the team’s Official RV Partner in a multi-year agreement.

Campers Inn RV, a family-operated and a values-driven RV dealer, has 37 full-service locations across the country, all of which offer RV sales, service, parts, accessories, and financing.

“We at Campers Inn RV are absolutely thrilled to join forces with Kaulig Racing as their official sponsor,” said Larry Peter, VP of Southern Operations and Finance. “This partnership represents a perfect synergy between two organizations that are committed to providing unparalleled experiences to our customers. We look forward to hitting the road with Kaulig Racing and cheering on their talented drivers to victory!”

As part of the multi-year partnership, Campers Inn RV will serve as the primary partner for select races in both the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS). The Campers Inn RV Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will makes its debut on the No. 16 driven by AJ Allmendinger for 2023 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

“Kaulig Racing is always excited to welcome new partners, but this one is especially exciting for us,” said Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing. “Matt (Kaulig) and I bring our motorhomes to the track every weekend; they are our home away from home. To work with Campers Inn RV, a family-run RV dealership that is committed to helping their customers find their ‘away,’ just like we have every weekend, means a lot to us.”

About Campers Inn RV

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Campers Inn RV was established in 1966 and has grown to become the nation’s largest family-operated dealership group with 37 dealership locations throughout all U.S. regions. Since 2014, Campers Inn RV has consistently been selected as one of RVBusiness Magazine’s Top 50 Dealers in North America and was honored as the winner of the 2014 Innovation Award from RVBusiness. In 2010, 2019,2021 and 2022, Campers Inn RV was awarded RVBusiness’s Top 5 Blue Ribbon Dealer. For more information about Campers Inn RV, visit www.campersinn.com or find Campers Inn RV on Facebook.

 
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 an all-star lineup that will be announced at a later date, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Race Information

• Round: NASCAR Cup Series race No. 12 of 36
• Track Location: Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, Kansas
• Race Name: AdventHealth 400
• Broadcast: Sunday, May 7th at 3:00 PM ET live on FS1 (TV), PRN (Radio) Sirius XM NASCAR Ch. 90
• Team Entrants:

No. 42 | Noah Gragson & Luke Lambert – Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet Camaro Zl1
No. 43 | Erik Jones & Dave Elenz – Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Noah Gragson, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Kansas Speedway Stats

• NCS Starts: 2; Best start: 28th; Best finish: 18th (Both races in 2022)
• NXS Starts: 5; Wins: 1 (2022); Poles: 1 (Fall, 2020); Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1; Laps led: 42
• NCTS Starts: 2; Wins: 1 (2018); Poles: 1 (2018); Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1; Laps led: 128
• ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 8th; Best finish: 5th; Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1

2023 NCS Season Stats

• Starts: 11, Best start: 10th; Best finish: 12th (Atlanta); Laps led: 2; Current points position: 32nd
• About Sunseeker Resorts: Opening in 2023, Florida’s newest luxury resort located in Charlotte Harbor is the first resort property of Sunseeker Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Allegiant Travel Company. Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor occupies over 22 waterfront acres with 785 guest rooms, including 189 Signature Sunsuites™. Set upon the Peace River and Florida Gulf Coast, this premier resort offers 20 original food and beverage concepts; including seven stand-alone restaurants, eleven bars and lounges, two poolside offerings and a 25,000-square-foot multi-dining experience. Additional hotel amenities include a waterfront promenade, two unique rooftop and waterfront pool experiences, 60,000-square-feet of combined convention space, full-service spa and salon, a 7,100-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness center with four group exercise studios with specialty instructor lead classes, three retail and market shops, and an 18-hole championship level golf club exclusive to hotel guests only. The resort is conveniently located within a short drive of Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg-Clearwater, and Tampa airports. For more information, visit www.sunseekerresorts.com. Follow on Instagram: @sunseekerresorts and like us on Facebook: @sunseekerresorts.
• Dover In The Rear View: It was an early day for Noah Gragson as he sustained damage to his suspension after a single car spin on lap 27. The Sunseeker team took the car back to the garage but couldn’t get the vehicle back on the track before the clock ran out. Gragson finished 34th after the DVP.
• Lapping Laps: Gragson has two starts at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series racing for Kaulig Racing. Both starts were in the 2022 season, where he started 28 and finished 16th in each event. He completed all attempted laps but one.
• Blame it on the Rain: Gragson was declared the winner in a rain-shortened event at Kansas Speedway last September. The race was declared official after 93 of 200 laps and was Gragson’s tenth career Xfinity Series win together with crew chief Luke Lambert last season.
• Lambert’s Record at Kansas: Lambert has 18 NASCAR Cup Series visits to Kansas Speedway in his career and has found success at the mile-and-a-half track with several drivers. In total, the veteran Crew Chief has three top-10 finishes (two with Ryan Newman and one with Chris Buescher) and one pole position with Daniel Hemric. Lambert also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, both of which were top-five finishes with Elliott Sadler and Noah Gragson, who he won with just last year.
• Hammer Down in Trucks: In two starts at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Truck Series racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Gragson made it to victory lane once, on May 11, 2018. He started from the pole position, led five times for 128 laps – including the final six – and took the checkered flag by a margin of 1.5 seconds.
• The Legacy at Kansas: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB co-owner Jimmie Johnson is no stranger to victory lane at Kansas Speedway. Johnson has three wins, nine top-five and 19 top-10 finishes across 29 starts, leading 601 laps along the way.
• Quoting Noah Gragson: “Last time we were at Kansas, we won the Xfinity race and also have won in the Truck Series so it’s been a good track for us historically. I’m excited to get back there and run the top right up against the wall. Our team has run well at the mile and a half race tracks this year and so I’m excited to get back there.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Kansas Speedway Stats

• NCS Starts: 13; Best start: 6th; Best finish: 3rd (Spring, 2019); Top 5s: 3; Top 10s: 5; Laps led: 3
• NXS Starts: 2; Best start: 2nd; Best finish: 15th (Twice); Laps led: 3
• NCTS Starts: 1; Poles: 1 (2015); Best finish: 11th (2015); Laps led: 151

2023 NCS Season Stats

• Starts: 11; Best start: 8th; Best finish: 6th (Talladega); Top 10s: 2, Laps led: 17, Current points position: 24th
• About Allegiant: Las Vegas-based Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people, places and experiences that matter most. Since 1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average fares. Today, Allegiant’s fleet serves communities across the nation, with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com.
• Dover In The Rear View: After a rained out qualifying in Dover, Jones started 11th on the grid. Jones moved up and down the scoring pylon throughout the race and was seen running in the top-five in the final stage. Jones finished 16th on the day and moved up one position in points to 24th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings.
• Kansas Streak: Jones compiled five straight races of top-ten finishes throughout the races that took place at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2018 to 2020. Three of those finishes were in the top-five, coupled by a pair of seventh-place finishes.
• Dave Knows Kansas: Dave Elenz has eight starts as a crew chief for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with drivers Kevin Harvick, Regan Smith, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Noah Gragson. Elenz coached his drivers to two top-five and three top-10 finishes. All of the starts were from the top-10, including a pole by Gragson in 2020.
• That Day-Glo Red Boy: Last week Jones unveiled his No. 43 STP Chevrolet Camaro live on FOX Sports 1’s NASCAR Race Hub. The Petty Blue and Day-Glo red made famous by “The King” himself, is sure to be a fan favorite for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21. Click here for the unveil.
• Melanoma Awareness Month: The month of May is Melanoma and Skin Care awareness – a cause very dear to the Jones family, as early cancer detection and care is one of the three pillars of the Erik Jones Foundation (EJF). Cancer detection and care have been a priority for Jones since his father, Dave, succumbed to the disease in 2016. Last October, Jones and his family attended the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) Gala in New York City, where Jones accepted the 2022 Courage Award on behalf of his late father. For more information visit: https://www.erikjonesracing.com/foundation/
• Quoting Erik Jones: “Kansas will be a good track for us, it’s a place that I like going to and feel like I have gotten better at. It would be great to keep the momentum going from Talladega and Dover to have a good run at Kansas. Hopefully we can get in the top-ten, get some stage points, and get some points for the end of the year.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Kansas Midweek Availability | Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Ford holds down the top three spots in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. Ty Majeski is currently leading the points while ThorSport Racing teammate Ben Rhodes is third. Both drivers participated in this week’s Ford media call to talk about Saturday’s scheduled race at Kansas Speedway.

BEN RHODES, No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 – WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE SEASON SO FAR? “There’s a lot of facets to this answer that I’m gonna put together. My assessment is rather negative, and I don’t mean for it to be that way, but a lot of it comes down to me and finishing the races a little bit stronger. The assessment for the team, though, is overwhelmingly positive. I feel like our mile-and-a-half program is leaps and bounds better, and whether I attribute that to Ford or my team itself – I’m with a new crew chief and engineer combo – some of the simulator stuff we’re doing at Ford. I don’t know if there’s one single entity or person I can peg that one, but I will say as a whole, as a group, as a big team effort, we are a lot better in those aspects and that was a place that we single-handedly struggled the most with last year, so I am very proud of that. However, we’ve probably been a third-place truck or so at these mile-and-a-halves and with that you can get into the hornet’s nest of the restart doesn’t happen properly and because of that we’ve had a couple bad finishes. The five top 10s out of seven races, that’s OK. I mean, that’s a more sunny stat than what I was aware of. I guess maybe my outlook is not as positive. The last two years at this point I was leading the points. I wasn’t third. I don’t like being third. My eyes are still firmly fixed on the top spot, but I guess our goals going into Kansas right now is we’re kind of trying to innovate. The third-place speed that we’ve been at these last couple of mile-and-a-half races, while it’s been good and historically that’s what you want is top-five speed, the series has just gotten so competitive and so close that now running third-place you have one bad restart or something happens and doesn’t fall the way you want it to, and before you know it you’re outside of the top five. So, we’re trying to find more speed to tip the table in our direction. We’re working on some things that I have not run in a long time and then some new innovations with the setup itself. We’re gonna see how it fares at Kansas. I’m not gonna say I’m nervous, but I am anxious to get there and see how everything we’ve worked on fares. I don’t want to unload and be like, ‘Man, I hope we don’t have to race this ever again.’ I want to unload and basically say, ‘We’re in the ballpark. Maybe we can do some small adjustments and make it work.’ My concern though is that maybe we’ll unload and we were too aggressive and there’s stuff that we can’t go back on in practice. The new practice sessions that we have now it’s a gamble. You can try to make changes like thinking about the big picture of the setup. You can try a swaybar. You can try different things. You can do springs and what-not, but once you unload that’s what you’re stuck with, so it’s a big risk to try and innovate these days. It’s kind of like what do you do? So, we’re trying to innovate and I think we’re making the right decision, but ask me after Kansas. We’ll find out.”

YOU HAVE ANOTHER FIVE-RACE IN FIVE-WEEK STRETCH. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE FIRST STRETCH LIKE THAT EARLIER IN THE YEAR? “Every year presents a new set of challenges, unfortunately. I wish the challenges would stay the same because once you conquer them, it would be really nice to just implement that strategy and just no uphill for a climber at that point. But that’s not the case. Every year is different. We have our own set of challenges and adversity that faces us every year at the race shop with production or with my individual crew that I’m now with that I haven’t had before, but it feels like we’re in the middle of race season. It’s literally now just May and if feels like it should be July the way that we’ve got so many races crammed so early in the schedule. You really have to be on your game and obviously with us joining Ford Performance this year, we had a lot more work on the front side of the schedule than most teams and we also have a lot more races on the front side of the schedule, so we’re all very aware at the race shop right now that this is as hard as it’s gonna get and once we get past this next five-race stretch, things are gonna slow down and it’s gonna get easier. Production as far as trucks should be getting caught up, but, right now, the last five races there was a big emphasis in making sure we don’t get in any wrecks. I don’t make any mistakes as a driver, not tearing up the right side of the truck for an unnecessary move or trying to get an extra 10 percent out of a truck for fifth-place. That doesn’t work. These are all things that I’ve worked on over the years myself, trying to be disciplined and look at the big picture while you’re racing, and in a situation like this with the schedule it’s more important than ever. Those same lessons from the last five are going to apply for the next five, for sure.”

WHAT IS KANSAS LIKE? “It’s a moving target. Kansas, when I first went there, was 2016. That was my first race and the asphalt was newer. It was like black asphalt. It’s what you would picture asphalt to be. It wasn’t bumpy. There was a lot of grip on the bottom, a very high-speed racetrack, a lot of on-throttle time and it just reminded me, like being there in the truck I was like, ‘Man, if feels like we’re Indy Car racing. This is a really fast pace.’ And now over the years it’s had those harsh midwest winters, which I think age a racetrack way differently than other localities. It’s been very interesting to watch the progression. Over the years now it’s developed bumps. It’s grayed out and you’re moving around a lot. Before it was on the bottom and now it’s up top by the wall and you know everybody is going to go to wall it’s just a matter of when that happens. The bottom will be fast for a few laps, but it’s a cheese grater now on the bottom. It will wear your tires out. We have significant fall off compared to other mile-and-a-half racetracks and to Kansas itself in the past, so it’s a totally different track. It’s been a moving target year over year and I think that’s good. I mean, I like to see racetracks change and be dynamic, especially as they get older the falloff increases and that’s a really fun challenge for drivers.”

NORTH WILKESBORO IS COMING UP. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO BE GOING THERE AND DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES FROM WHEN IT WAS STILL OPEN? “That is the extremely disappointing part. I have zero memories of it. I wish I had some experience to fall back on. I don’t actually even have anything set up to run the late model race prior to our truck race, so I feel disadvantaged in a way. I know there are a lot of guys that will be in my field that have run there in late models and have done something at North Wilkesboro, so they have memories. I have nothing. I don’t know how to get to the track. I don’t know what the track looks like apart from pictures and videos, but physically, in-person, I don’t know what that looks like and I don’t know where the bumps are located. I don’t know what the proper line is. That’s all stuff that I’m gonna start learning here within the next week and trying to do simulation and trying to watch footage, but I’ve got no personal experience, which is disappointing – concerning, really.”

ANY CROSSOVER FROM VEGAS TO KANSAS? “Yeah, I think so with the setup in general, but Kansas and Vegas have both been dynamic racetracks. They have both changed a lot over the years and they both change a lot with weather and rubber and temperature, so there are similarities in that regard, but I think mainly the biggest thing is you’re just taking your base package and then you tweak it for each track. Then as you grow and develop and implement new innovations that evolves and it’s a moving dynamic that you’re living with throughout the season. So, we’re gonna take a very similar package to what we had at Vegas but with some innovations and I’m anxious to see how they work. We’ve worked pretty hard on what we think is right, but with the limited practice these days it’s just very hard to do it correctly and then not everything is gonna be perfect off the hauler, so trying to stick with different innovations that you’re bringing to your setup can be tough. You just don’t have enough time these days to really work on it.”

HOW HAS THE RELATIONSHIP BEEN WITH YOU AND YOUR CREW CHIEF, JERIOD PRINCE, THIS YEAR? “The relationship is good. What I really like about Jeriod is that he’s kind of a roundtable guy. He likes to sit down and talk to myself and the engineers. He talks to everybody to get their opinion and advice. Ultimately, he’s crew chiefing and he’s gonna act on what his judgment is, but he’s very open to others and doesn’t operate off of an ego. This sport is full of egos, so he’s fun to work with for that reason and very friendly. It makes it easy for a driver like me, who I’ve known him for a while, but we never really worked together. We never had gone to the track together. We never really operated on a level that would bring communication to what it needs to be, so he’s been fun and it’s been easy to get into a rhythm with him for that reason. I try to be as open as possible to things he wants to do because ultimately some of the stuff that I’ve liked in the past and expect out of a race truck he does different. That’s been the story with everybody I’ve ever worked with. I’ve been with quite a few different crew chiefs now in my time at ThorSport and it seems like every two years I get a new one. I’m in my first year with JRod and hopefully I can keep him for a while. He’s been very good, very fast on the mile-and-a-halves, very smart with trimming trucks out and making different things about a setup fast and maximizing them. I guess the frame of mind right now is, ‘Hey, ‘we’ve had a third-place truck, here’s some fruit that is maybe lower hanging that we think we can hit on, and get some speed.’ We think risk versus reward we can unload with it and it’s going to be OK. We’re fine with taking the risk because we think it’s skewed in our favor, but it’s always an opportunity for it to backfire on us and Kansas will kind of be that telltale. Historically, I’ve run some of these changes and the combination of them didn’t work well for me, so I’m anxious to see how it works. He’s smart and they’ve done a lot of homework to try and make this stuff happen.”

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 – HOW DOES IT SOUND TO BE THE POINTS LEADER? “It’s been a really good start to the season. We’ve been super consistent. I think we’ve finished second through sixth, so just missing that win so far.”

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM THAT FIRST FIVE-WEEK STRETCH YOU CAN APPLY FOR THIS ONE? “I think the biggest thing with the first five-week stretch is it required our race teams to build our whole fleet of trucks within that five-week stretch. So, we had an intermediate, a road course, sort of a hybrid intermediate in Atlanta, and a short track truck and a dirt truck, so that first five-week stretch was incredibly hard on the teams. I think from my team’s standpoint it was good to get a couple weeks off, let the guys get home to their families and spend some time a little bit and just sort of reset. Now that most of our trucks are built and are in pretty good shape, we can now start recycling some of these trucks and actually run in them again instead of just trying to build them for the first time this season. This five-week stretch won’t be quite as grueling as the first stretch, but we were able to go to each different type of racetrack so far, build up a notebook and hopefully apply some of those things that we learned in that first five-race stretch into this one. I feel like this is probably the best five tracks that we have on our schedule that we have circled. They’re really good races for us and good tracks for us, so we’re excited to get going for it.”

ARE YOU DOING A CARS OR ASA RACE AT NORTH WILKESBORO? “I am, yes. I’m gonna try to pursue the ASA STARS National Tour for points, so that will be the third race in that series, but regardless of whether I was running that for points, Wilkesboro was a race that I wanted to do just to get some seat time for the truck race. I haven’t been there before. Not too many people have, so to have that opportunity to go there before the truck race, at least know the racetrack and some of its characteristics and how it progresses and transitions from day to night will be valuable come Saturday for the truck race.”

WILL THE LATE MODEL RACE HELP TO UNDERSTAND TIRE FALL OFF OR ARE THEY TWO DIFFERENT TIRES AND IT WON’T MATTER? “It’s definitely completely different tires, but I think you get a general idea of how it’s gonna trend. I think we’re gonna see tire falloff probably something similar to Richmond or maybe even a little bit more, so I can kind of cross reference that with some of the tracks that I’ve been to in a late model and kind of compare them. They are totally different animals, but I’ll have a general idea of how really abrasive the track is when I do run my late model. It’s hard to correlate it. We’ll just have to go off of past experiences and kind of cross reference it to sort of come up with an idea of what we’re gonna have for the truck race on Saturday.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM LAST YEAR AT KANSAS TO HELP THIS TIME AROUND? “I think we over adjusted a little bit. I think the biggest thing for my team was understanding the differences in the racetrack from the spring to the fall. I feel like what we sort of fought in the fall was not what we fought in the spring. I thought we were pretty good, just a little bit on the free side in the spring, and then we came back in the fall a bit tighter to compensate for that and I just think the way the weather is and the rubber having been laid down throughout the season with multiple races we didn’t find it in the fall last year. That’s why we probably didn’t run quite as good. Every time we go to the racetrack we’re learning. I’ve been working with Joe now for almost a year-and-a-half and we’re going to all these places twice now, so we actually have a notebook to go off of, whereas last year we were building that notebook. So, we’re able to go back and look at the places where we feel like we can get better and I feel like Kansas is a place we’re capable of getting better coming back a second time through having a notebook.”

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED MOST ABOUT WORKING AT THORSPORT? “I’ve said this before. The culture at ThorSport, I feel like, is different than I’ll say some of the corporate NASCAR teams in Charlotte, so to speak. I feel like if you’re working at ThorSport it’s because you want to be here and you’re a racer. I feel like in some instances people are in racing in Charlotte because it’s a job. I feel like up here you’re here because you actually want to be here. You want to go to the racetrack and race and not just do it for a job, so I think that goes a long ways into building the culture here. I feel like I’m a little bit more of an old-school racer and working with the guys, being at the shop, and being a strong part of how the truck goes to the racetrack. Just to have that mentality up here at ThorSport fits me well and we have fun doing it. Obviously, Joe and I hit it off right off the bat, both being from Wisconsin, big late model guys we have a lot in common. We’ve bonded at a really rapid pace and I feel like the results showed it last year.”

IS THERE ADDED PRESSURE BEING THE POINTS LEADER RIGHT NOW? “Being the points leader is nice. It definitely rewards consistency throughout the year. One goal that we had coming into the season was really to get more playoff points. Last year, I think we went into the playoffs with two playoff points. We won two stages throughout the year, so I think the goal for me was to try and knock off a couple wins early and a few stage wins and try to build up that buffer for hopefully when we do make the playoffs. We haven’t been able to do that yet. The points lead is nice, but we really want to focus on winning some of these races and winning some stages just to make our playoff run and our path a little bit easier to Phoenix.”

DO YOU TAKE ANYTHING FROM THE OTHER 1.5-MILE TRACKS TO KANSAS? “We took an experimental setup to Kansas last year in the spring and felt like we hit on something and then we brought it back to Kansas again with some small changes and didn’t like the direction we went. Going to Homestead, we were sort of in a bind and said, ‘OK, if we were to go back to Kansas for a third time, what would we do to the setup?’ And that’s what we took to Homestead and we won with it and it was probably one of the best trucks I’ve ever had, so we’re gonna take that same truck, that same setup back to Kansas from Homestead this spring. That’s just kind of the mentality where we’re at from a package perspective and sort of the racetracks we’re using to correlate. I feel like Vegas is more so like a Charlotte type of racetrack, and I feel like Kansas and Homestead you can get a little bit more aggressive with how smooth they are. We have two different intermediate packages that we play with, so we’re gonna go with something similar to what we had at Homestead last year.”