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2023 Charity Auto Show | May 20th, 2023

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Official Release
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AmericanMuscle Invites Muscle Car Enthusiasts to Give Back

PAOLI, Pa. (April 6th, 2023) – AmericanMuscle (AM) announces May 20th, 2023, as the date of its charity auto show to be held at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, PA. Having raised more than $400k to date, AM continues to support critically ill children via Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley. Gates will open at 9 am with show hours from 10 am to 4:30 pm. In the event of rain, the show will be held the following day, May 21st, 2023.

AM invites the community to get involved by registering their modded muscle car and signing up for one of the show’s premium experiences. These include the Make-A-Wish opening ceremony parade, Mickey Thompson burnout competition, and Pypes revving competition. Showgoers can also take advantage of AM’s VIP Parking with 100% of the proceeds donated to Make-A-Wish.

Regular registration is being offered at a discounted rate up until May 19, 2023. Registrants will receive a swag bag and a voucher for a free t-shirt. Clubs are welcome to participate as a group with more information on the event page below. Spectator parking will be available on the day of the event for $10 per vehicle.

Spectators and participants at AM’s 2023 Charity Auto Show will rub shoulders with thousands of auto enthusiasts to enjoy a day of raffles, food, drink, racing, and most importantly, giving back!

Learn more here: https://www.americanmuscle.com/autoshow2023.html

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About AmericanMuscle

Starting out in 2003, AmericanMuscle quickly rose to be one of the leading aftermarket Mustang parts providers in the business. With the addition of Challenger in 2018 and Charger in 2020, AmericanMuscle provides the most sought-after parts, accessories, and fast shipping. Located just outside of Philadelphia, AmericanMuscle is dedicated to supporting the Mustang, Challenger and Charger, and Corvette communities with the highest level of customer service. Please visit http://www.AmericanMuscle.com for more information.

Bass Pro Shops Racing: Martin Truex Jr. Martinsville Advance

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Official Release
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Martin Truex Jr.
Martinsville Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: NOCO 400 (Round 9 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 16
● Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
● Layout: .526-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/210.4 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 220 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Truex and the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry team for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) set the tone for the season right out of the gate by winning the 150-lap feature in the non-points Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles. Truex won his heat race, then went on to lead the final 25 laps of the feature en route to the victory.

● All three of Truex’s three Martinsville wins in the NASCAR Cup Series have come in his time at JGR, now in its fifth season. He has a total of four top-five finishes with the team at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval.

● Truex’s three Martinsville wins are included in his nine top-five finishes and 15 top-10s at the track, and he’s led a total of 1,016 laps in 34 career Cup Series outings at Martinsville. Truex’s average Martinsville finish is 16.4.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex leads the NASCAR Cup Series with 56 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, as well. While Truex came close to winning a stage at the season-opening Daytona 500, he does not have a stage win so far this year.

● After his seventh-place finish at the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last weekend, Truex heads to Martinsville seventh in the driver standings with 232 points, 49 out of the lead.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD

When you think about the short-track package and what you learned at Richmond, what are you expecting at Martinsville this weekend?

“Definitely high confidence going into Martinsville compared to last year. Short tracks were a struggle for us last year, Martinsville especially. To be able to go run like we did at the Clash and win, and then how we ran at Richmond, it gives me a lot of confidence going forward that our Martinsville stuff should be good. I love going there, it’s been a really good track for us over the years aside from last year. Hopefully we can continue that and use that going forward with our Bass Pro Shops Camry.”

What are the challenges of racing at Martinsville as far as navigating it lap to lap and controlling your emotions there?

“The biggest thing is just the beating and banging that happens there and getting knocked out of the way. For me, I’ve really only had one issue there, which was getting taken out of the race at the end in 2018. It gets like that at Martinsville, it’s just a tough track. When it comes down to a few laps to go, you can go down there and blow the corner and run into somebody and can get the spot. That’s where the frustration comes from there, from a lot of drivers over the years.”

In the recent past you’ve raced at Martinsville at night, and this will be a day race. What’s the biggest difference between night and day racing there?

“It’s really not that different. The biggest change is just when it’s either warmer or cooler. I don’t think nighttime has changed it a whole bunch, maybe just slightly. A lot of it depends on the tire and if it puts rubber down. That’s really the game-changer from our standpoint, it changes the track more than anything.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones
Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Engineer: Nick Burton
Hometown: Arvada, California

Engineer: Jeff Curtis
Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring
Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin
Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael
Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Gregg Huls
Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell
Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot
Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Kellen Mills
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey
Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham
Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

IMSA Long Beach GTP preview with Pipo Derani

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Official Release
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Transcript: Championship leader discusses his outlook for the sprint race on street circuit

Pipo Derani, co-driver with Alexander Sims of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R in the Grand Touring Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, met with the media via Zoom conference to preview the April 14-15 race in Long Beach, California.

Derani and Sims, along with Jack Aitken, co-drove to victory March 18 in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Derani co-drove to victory at Long Beach in 2021 for Cadillac Racing, which has won every IMSA prototype race at Long Beach since the start of the DPi era in 2017.

Q&A with Derani transcript:

You’ve had previous success at Long Beach. What is it going to take for you and Alex (Sims) to do it again?

“Looking forward to going back to Long Beach. It’s one of those race events that you’re always looking forward to – the first street track of the year. Excited to see how the new GTP cars are going to go around that track in particular. Felipe (Nasr) and I had the chance to win it together in 2021 in a very commanding way. Felipe put it on pole, and I got it from the lead and we just kept increasing until the cheered flag. Nice way to win. It’s one of those races where qualifying matters more than others because it’s just hard to pass like any other street track. Getting there with a win already under our belts this season, a pole position and the championship lead, but we’re going to attack the weekend the same way as if we had not won the last race or were not leading the championship. It’s still early days; we know how long this championship is and every point counts. Every point counts and attacking is the name of the game. We’re going to try to put it on pole again, of course, and make our lives a little bit easier for the race. If you put it on pole in Long Beach, it makes your life a lot easier.”

With no LMP2 or LMP3 cars at Long Beach, does that make it easier because you’re likely to have a better handle on the drivers in the other cars?

“That really depends because sometimes despite being the quicker car you don’t quite know if the guy has seen you and sometimes you think he hasn’t seen you and then he blocks. I think it depends on the moment you’re in the race. Sometimes in the beginning it makes no sense, you make life easy. But later in the race when GTs might be fighting for their own race and we’re trying to overtake, multi-class racing can bring you this sort of situation and you have to deal with it as you go. Sometimes you have a pretty clean race and straightforward in that regard from our side of things and sometimes you have to be a bit more on the aggressive side and make sure that you get by so you don’t get overtaken by the car behind. It’s like a chess game with the GTs while you’re trying to do your own race. In general, over the last year, we have seen quite an improvement in that area from both sides. I think the GTs are a lot better and easier to deal with because you also have the pro guys inside. Going into Long Beach, the GT cars, especially at the end of the race where the pros will be finishing the race, should be more straightforward if we cooperate with each other.”

What are your anticipations about passing for position between the GTP cars within the tight confines of Long Beach?

“There are expectations for great racing and therefore if the cars are really running close to each other, especially at a place like Long Beach, you expect to have to muscle your way around some of your competition to try and have an edge. That’s all good for the sport. Long Beach being one of our shorter races that we have all year makes for a different dynamic, so everyone coming from a long race like Sebring has to quickly switch and go for a completely different strategy in order to achieve a good result. Therefore, a little bit of argy bargy is necessary. I think tight racing and competition like that brings more fans, which is what we need, and the more we have the more success everyone will have. GTP cars are a bit bigger than DPis, so muscling your way around will be a little bit trickier than it was before.”

How does the tire situation and the short duration of the race affect the overall strategy?

“I think that depends on how the weekend evolves. It’s the kind of thing that you see as you go. If you start up front, it’s definitely going to be one way. If you’re on the back, you might want to gamble a bit. It really depends car by car as well because one car might react differently to the tires than the other depending on setup. We also have different chassis, so that has an influence. We’re still all learning the cars. There are so many things we wish we knew already, but we don’t and tire is one of them. So, we have to see as we go. I’m hoping that it’s an easy decision instead of trying to make something out of the blue. I would like for it to be a simple decision instead of a gamble.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Expect the Unexpected

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Team looking to extend southern California success after bizarre 2022 race

DETROIT (April 11, 2023) – With its two longest races of the season in the rear-view mirror, Corvette Racing now faces its shortest contest of the season as it heads west to southern California for its only street race of the season.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is an intense 100-minute dash for the Corvette Racing program and the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s an event that the team has won more than another team in series history – four times since 2014 – to go along with four more victories in the American Le Mans Series era from 2007-2013.

The familiar pairing of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. The two finished third in last year’s Long Beach race – the first street race for the GTD-spec C8.R – despite a bizarre pitlane incident that took the Corvette out of contention for the victory.

The familiar pairing of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. The two finished third in last year’s Long Beach race – the first street race for the GTD-spec C8.R – despite a bizarre pitlane incident that took the Corvette out of contention for the victory.

Taylor was the class pole-winner after a last-lap flyer and led the entirety of his first stint. A loose wheel nut during the pit stop escaped the Corvette pit, hit a stone and flew into the radiator of another car – a one-in-a-million occurrence that unfortunately netted the Corvette a drive-through penalty.

Aside from that round of bad luck, there is reason to be confident again. Corvette Racing has a full year of data on the GTD-spec configuration, most notably the customer Michelin tire that all GTD teams must run in IMSA competition. Simulation tools aided the team’s preparation last year, and expectations are that 12 more months of work in the virtual world – plus sessions in the Chevrolet Driver in the Loop simulator – will put the C8.R in contention again.

The results through the first two races are encouraging for this weekend. Garcia and Taylor – along with Tommy Milner – finished second in class to open the season in the Rolex 24 and ran out front most of the Sebring 12 Hours before late-race contact and on-track chaos meant a fifth-place result.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 15. The race will air live on USA Network from 5-7 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air qualifying and the race at IMSA.com along with Sirius 217, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s been a long time since I’ve won at Long Beach. I feel like I’ve been through more ways of losing this race than winning it! There was a crash in the Hairpin that blocked the track one year, I had a shifting issue on the restart another and then last year with the wheel nut coming off in pitlane and going into another car… I’m ready for one normal year! But this is a fun event that is very unique. The fans are great and there are so many that come to watch us race. I hope we can give them a good show and finally another win for the 3 Corvette. We are due for it.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s always nice to go back to Long Beach. It’s the first sprint race of the year. We’ve settled in with Daytona and Sebring with endurance races, and the end of those races gets pretty intense. But Long Beach, the whole event is intense, right from the start with practice. Last year we had a great car. We were on the pole and led for the whole first stint and then had a that crazy fluke incident on pitlane which kind of put us out of contention for the win. It would be nice to go back there and be as competitive as we were and execute as well as we did last year. Having a year under our belt with this car and this class, we learned a lot throughout last season that already has been beneficial this year.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After two of 11 events)

Driver Standings

  1. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon/Maro Engel – 708
  2. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 682
  3. Klaus Bachler/Laurens Vanthoor/Patrick Pilet – 659
  4. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 643
  5. Jordan Pepper/Romain Grosjean – 612

Team Standings

  1. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 708
  2. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 682
  3. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 659
  4. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 643
  5. No. 63 Iron Lynx – 612

Manufacturer Standings

  1. Mercedes-AMG – 708
  2. Lexus – 682
  3. Porsche – 659
  4. Chevrolet – 643
  5. Lamborghini – 612

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: By the Numbers

  • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 16 years at Long Beach: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.
  • 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Long Beach since 2007 – Corvette C6.R (2007-13) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021-current). All three generations have won at least once at Long Beach.
  • 4: Number of Long Beach race victories for Corvette Racing’s duo of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.
  • 8: Number of drivers who have competed at Long Beach for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. Each driver won at least once at Long Beach.
  • 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 15 appearances for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.
  • 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22 victories in the event’s two premier races.
  • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
  • 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.
  • 26: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
  • 30: Number of wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.
  • 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship.
  • 123: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
  • 269: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
  • 4,081.61: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 15 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,074 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.
  • 353,311.01: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some!

Corvette Racing at Long Beach (wins in bold)

2007

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole)

2008

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2009

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)

2010

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2011

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap)

2012

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)

2013

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)

2014

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)

2015

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM

2016

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM

2017

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM

2018

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM

2019

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM

2021

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM (Tandy fastest race lap)

2022

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO (Taylor pole)

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. 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.

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP Team Heads to Streets of Long Beach for First Sprint Race of 2023

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Official Release
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(Long Beach, Cal.) April 11, 2023 — The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) heads west for the first sprint event of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Settled on the streets of Long Beach, California, full season co-drivers Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque are on a mission to stand on the top step of podium to represent Acura at their home event.

The WTRAndretti team has an impressive record around the 11-turn, 1.97-mile street course with five podiums, three victories and two pole positions. As the first two endurance events of the year are in the books, all focus for Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 team switches to sprint racing and closing the 10-point championship gap.

“Starting the sprint race portion of the season is exciting,” said Ricky Taylor, 2017 Grand Prix of Long Beach winner. “We get to go to another new track with the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06, so it will be interesting how the new GTP cars adapt to the first street course of the year. Being the shortest race of the year, we can transition our energy from purely reliability to hopefully a bit more risk-taking for Acura’s home race in Long Beach.”

“Long Beach is a special one,” said Filipe Albuquerque, two-time winner at Grand Prix of Long Beach. “I call it the Monaco of the United States. IndyCar is there and it’s in the city, near L.A., and there is a lot of action going around that weekend – classic cars are there as well. It’s always cool to go there. This year I think that we have a shot to go for the win. Especially after the past two years, we struggled a lot of with the DPi and we knew it was not a track for us, that delta is way smaller now. Bring on Long Beach and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 team is super motivated.”

“We just finished a shakedown prior to going to Long Beach,” said Wayne Taylor. “Long Beach has always been one of the hardest circuits for us. HPD has been working really hard on throttle response, traction control and things like that. The team has been working on figuring out a way how we can run over curbs, which we normally don’t do. We have seen at Long Beach though it is a must when you go through the fountain area. We have had two races so far this year and we have shown we have a dominant car. This is an Acura event, so the pressure is on. It’s the first sprint race of the season, so it’s an important one. We will do whatever it takes to try and win this race for HPD and Acura. It’s really important to them and for us in the championship.”

Practice for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach begins Friday, April 14 at 9 a.m. PT followed by qualifying for the spring race at 5:40 p.m. PT. The green flag waves for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, April 15 at 2:05 p.m. PT with broadcast live on USA Network and Peacock for all 100 minutes.

ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the workplace to achieve true connectivity through the Intelligent Connected Workplace. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fifteen consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2021 America’s Best-in-State employers list. The company received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. The company recognizes 150 years in global business in 2023. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting Company, Acura Motorsports, Honda Performance Development and Hammer Nutrition.

Kyle Busch- No. 51 Zariz Transport Silverado Craftsman Trucks Martinsville Preview

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Kyle Busch: Driver, No. 51 Zariz Transport Chevrolet

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Overview:
Event: Long John Silver’s 200, Race 7 of 23, 200 Laps – 50/50/100; 105.2 Miles
Location: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: April 14, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Report on ‘Rowdy’:

KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch makes his third Craftsman Truck Series start of 2023 behind the wheel of the No. 51 Zariz Silverado in Friday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. In Busch’s last Truck Series start, an untimely caution spoiled his chance at going two-for-two in Truck Series action this season. ‘Rowdy’ was leading the race when teams had made it into their fuel window for making it to the end of the event. He decided to try and make it a few more laps beyond his competitors in an effort to have fresher tires for the end of the race, but his strategy was spoiled when a caution came out with 14 laps remaining. After making his final pit stop under caution, he would line up on the inside of row eight for the ensuing restart. He was only able to make it back up to the runner-up spot when the field took the checkered flag.

In his first start of 2023, Busch led a race-high 84 laps and crossed the stripe 4.981 seconds ahead of Zane Smith to pick up his record extending 63rd career Craftsman Truck Series victory. The win was the first for KBM under the Chevrolet banner, after collecting the first 98 with Toyota. For Busch, it was his first win in a Chevrolet truck since November of 2007 at Phoenix Raceway. With his win at Las Vegas, he extended his series-best streak of winning at least one race to 11 consecutive Truck Series seasons (2013-2023).

Busch has won 37.7% (63/167) of the Truck Series races he has entered in his career and has finished first or second in 56.8% (95/167). In addition to his Truck Series leading 63 wins, he also ranks first all-time among Truck Series drivers in driver rating (123.7), average finish (6.5) and is second in laps led (7,732). Over his last 28 Truck Series starts, Busch has an average finish of 3.07 while recording 15 wins and eight runner-up finishes.

Busch, who won KBM’s first Truck Series victory at Nashville Superspeedway in April of 2010, will be looking to collect his organization’s 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory on Friday. His Las Vegas win was KBM’s record-extending 99th-career victory leaving his organization one shy of the century mark. Overall, 18 different drivers have won at least one race behind the wheel of a KBM truck, led by Busch’s 47. Four drivers rank second on the list with seven victories: William Byron, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.

Eight of KBM’s victories have come at Martinsville, including wins by Busch in 2016 and 2019. He also has two Cup Series victories at ‘The Paperclip’ (2016 and 2017).

Veteran crew chief Brian Pattie is calling the shots for the No. 51 team this year in his first season at KBM after spending the last 14 seasons atop the pit box in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the Cup Series, his drivers produced six wins, nine poles, 57 top-five and 131 top-10 finishes across 528 starts. In 2012, he guided Clint Bowyer to three victories and a runner-up finish in the Cup Series championship standings. In 2017, he guided Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to two wins and a berth in the playoffs. The Florida native has also recorded 11 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and now has two wins as a crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Pattie’s lone event atop the pit box for a Truck Series race at Martinsville was a 33rd-place finish with Dario Franchitti in 2007.

The No. 51 team currently ranks fourth in the Craftsman Truck Series owner’s point standings after six races. Across six starts in 2023, the team has recorded one win, one pole, 98 laps led, three top-five and five top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.7.

Zariz Transport, a fast growing intermodal drayage company specializing in transporting containers from the ports, will be the primary sponsor on Busch’s Silverado for all five of his races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. The remaining two races on Busch’s schedule will be: Kansas Speedway on May 6 and Pocono Raceway on July 22. William Byron will return to the No. 51 HendrickCars.com Silverado May 12 at Darlington Raceway and May 20 at North Wilkesboro Speedway while Jack Wood will be behind the wheel May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Kyle Busch, Driver Q&A:

What does it take to be successful in a truck at Martinsville?
“You have to have a truck that will turn the center without getting too loose in and too loose off. You also have to play the strategy right so that you can be up front at the end of the race and have enough tire left to hold people off. The last two truck races that I’ve won at Martinsville have been 250-lap races, with the race being 200 laps now things play out a little bit differently. With the new practice system, we’ll only have 20 minutes of practice to get our Zariz Silverado dialed in — that’s if the weather holds off. So, we’ll need to make sure we unload with a truck that is close because there isn’t much you can do to improve the handling with limited or no practice and then limited pit stops in the race. Last year we didn’t get a chance to practice or qualify and we didn’t do a good job of unloading close, so I had to drive way too hard just to run in the top five and used my stuff up and we were probably lucky to finish third. Hopefully, this year we’ll do a better job of unloading with a fast Zariz Silverado and we can go out and bring home KBM’s 100th win.”

Kyle Busch Craftsman Truck Series Career Highlights:

  • Busch has a total of 167 Craftsman Truck Series starts and is ranked first all-time in wins (63), driver rating (123.7) and average finish (6.5).
  • The 37-year-old driver has won 37.7% (63/167) of the NCTS races he has entered and finished first or second in 56.8% (95/167).
  • Busch stands alone as the leader in all-time career wins in NASCAR’s national touring series with 226 total victories. He has earned 61 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 102 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and 63 NCTS wins.
  • In August of 2010, Busch made history when he won the NCTS, NXS and NCS races at Bristol Motor Speedway, becoming the only driver to sweep all three of NASCAR’s top three series at one track on the same weekend. He then repeated the feat in August of 2017.

Kyle Busch’s No. 51 Chevrolet Silverado RST:

KBM-62: The No. 51 Zariz team will unload KBM-62 for Friday’s race at Martinsville. This truck has finished inside the top 10 in each of its last four starts, including Busch’s third-place finish in last year’s race at Martinsville. The best finish that this chassis has achieved was a runner-up finish with Busch at Richmond Raceway in 2021.

KBM-62 Performance Profile:
KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected eight wins, five poles, 990 laps led, 26 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.1 across 63 starts at Martinsville. Todd Gilliland picked up the organization’s most recent victory at the 0.526-mile oval in October of 2019. Kyle Busch (2016 & 2019), Darrell Wallace Jr. (2013 & 2014), and Denny Hamlin (2011 & 2012) have all collected two victories at the Virginia track while Noah Gragson (2017) has one win.
  • KBM holds the Craftsman Truck Series records for most career wins (99) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway last year, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • With 41 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

RFK Advance | Martinsville I

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Official Release
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Martinsville I Event Info:
Track Info: Martinsville Speedway, 0.526-mile short track
Date: Sunday, April 16
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Ridgeway, Virginia
Format: 400 laps, 210 miles, Stages: 80-100-220
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 4:35 p.m. ET, Practice (FS2, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 5:20 p.m. ET, Qualifying (FS2, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET, Race (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Fastenal

  • April is designated as Month of the Military Child (MOMC), a time to celebrate the resiliency and strength of children within military families. Brad Keselowski and the Checkered Flag Foundation (CFF) will recognize MOMC by featuring the name of military children in purple letters – the official color of MOMC – above the passenger side door on the No. 6 Ford.
  • Names will appear on the name rail for each of the April races – Richmond, Bristol, Martinsville, Talladega and Dover. Part of CFF’s mission is to honor military members and their families who all make sacrifices.
  • This week’s featured name is the Hardy siblings.

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe)

Pace Laps:

  • The NASCAR Cup Series schedule heads to Martinsville this weekend for another short-track showdown, this time on pavement, with 400 laps set for Sunday afternoon at ‘The Paperclip.’
  • RFK is coming off an impressive showing at Martinsville in 2022 that saw its two Ford Mustangs qualify inside the top-10 three of the four times there. Keselowski crossed the line fourth which was his best finish of the season until a post-race disqualification.

Keselowski at Martinsville
Starts: 26
Wins: 2 (2017, 2019)
Top-10s: 17
Poles: 1 (2020)

  • Keselowski, a two-time winner at Martinsville, is set for his 27th Cup start at ‘The Paperclip.’
  • Martinsville stands as one of Keselowski’s best tracks statistically with an average finish of 12th, fourth-best among active tracks on the circuit behind Loudon (10th), Pocono (10.7) and Las Vegas (11.9).
  • He has finished top-10 in over 65 percent of his starts there. Of the 17 top-10s, 12 have been inside the top five. He earned his first Grandfather clock back in 2017 and won the same race two years later in the spring.
  • Keselowski has finished fifth or better in 11 of his last 16 races at the track with a pair of runner-up results and three finishes of third.
  • Last season he ran 17th in the spring, and crossed the line fourth in the fall race before later being disqualified.
  • He carries an average starting position of 11.1 into the weekend with 15 starts inside the top-10 and one pole (2010). Last season he qualified ninth in the spring and sixth in the fall.
  • Keselowski also made four Truck Series starts from 2004-07.

Buescher at Martinsville
Starts: 15
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

  • Buescher is set for his 16th Cup start at Martinsville this weekend where he has one top-10 (P9), which came in the 2021 fall race.
  • Last season Buescher finished 15th in the spring race and 24th in the fall.
  • He has three-straight top-15s in the spring event dating back to 2020 with a P13 result that spring, followed by another 13th-place finish in 2021, and last season’s P15.
  • Buescher has an average starting position of 22.5 at Martinsville and is coming off a career qualifying effort of fourth last spring.

RFK Historically at Martinsville
Cup Wins: 4 (Mark Martin, 1992, 2000; Jeff Burton, 1997; Kurt Busch, 2002)

  • For Whom the Bell Tolls: RFK has earned four Grandfather Clocks at Martinsville with former drivers Mark Martin (two), Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch. RFK most recently went to victory lane with Busch in Oct. 2002.
  • Rock Around the Clock: RFK had its overall most-successful outing at Martinsville in the spring of 2002 when it placed all four of its cars inside the top 10 with drivers Martin, Burton, Busch and Matt Kenseth.
  • Closing Time: RFK earned a one-two finish in the April 9, 2000 event at Martinsville with former drivers Martin and Burton. Martin paced the field for 64 laps en route to the victory.
  • Short-Track Prowess: RFK has started a total of 696 NCS races on short tracks, recording a total of 23 wins, 124 top-five finishes, 247 top-10 finishes and 7,863 laps led.
  • Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 224 NCS races at Martinsville, recording four victories, 26 top-five finishes, 69 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 17.8 and has led 1,378 laps. RFK also boasts two NASCAR Truck Series wins in 46 starts at Martinsville (fall of ’03 and ’05).

RFK Martinsville Wins

1992-1 Martin Cup
1997-2 Burton Cup
2000-1 Martin Cup
2002-2 Busch Cup
2003-2 Wood Truck
2005-2 Craven Truck

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Bristol Dirt: Keselowski finished 17th in the King’s Hawaiian Ford, while Buescher had his sights set on a top-10 before a spin in front of him on the race’s final restart ultimately set him back to finish 18th.

Points Standings (6: 9th, 17: 16th): Keselowski remains inside the top-10 in points heading into the ninth points race of 2023, while Buescher sits inside the playoff picture in 16th.

By the Numbers at Martinsville

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles

224         4              26           69           4              107622  1378       20.2        17.8        56609.1
3              0              0              1              0              750         0              28.0        19.3        394.5
46           2              14           24           3              10256    270         12.4        12.3        5394.6
273         6              40           94           7              118628  1648       20.2        16.5        62398.2

Ford Performance – Martinsville Speedway 1 Advance

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Official Release
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MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY NOTES
Friday, April 14 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, April 15 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, April 16 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (FS1)

From dirt to pavement, NASCAR keeps it on the half-mile this week by heading to the shortest track on the schedule in Martinsville Speedway. The NASCAR Cup and Truck series will be rejoined with the Xfinity series, as they engage in close-quarters battles on the unique, paperclip configuration. The Ford Mustang stable features two top-10 drivers and former winners, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, who also won the Cup race in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Ryan Blaney: “I’ve always looked at Martinsville as a home race for me. I grew up closer to there than I did to Charlotte Motor Speedway being from High Point (NC). I went up there a lot to go and watch dad run and then it became even more special running for the Wood Brothers with them being from Stuart. It’s a place I always have circled on the calendar because it was special to me as a kid and it still is.”

Ryan Preece: “I feel like Martinsville is a big Coliseum, so there are some things we can take from there, but there are also some things that we have to change. I feel like our short track stuff has been really good and shows a lot of promise, so going into Martinsville I’m obviously optimistic. I’ve had a lot of success there in modifieds, so hopefully that translates to this new car.”

Harrison Burton: “I love Martinsville. I won an Xfinity race there and that was obviously really cool. Qualifying is so important because it’s really hard to pass. It was hard to gain track position if you didn’t have it, and I got kind of bit by that in the first race, so executing in qualifying there is really important. For me, it makes the race really challenging because you have two laps that can really determine the trajectory of your whole weekend and you have to make the most of it.”

LOGANO LIKES MARTINSVILLE

No track on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit has been better for Joey Logano when it comes to qualifying than Martinsville Speedway. Logano enters this weekend with an average starting position of 7.9, which is his best among all tracks in which he has more than 10 starts. He has six poles, including three in a row in 2015-16, and had an active streak of 18 straight top-10 starts (including races where qualifying was rained out) until he qualified 14th last spring. In 28 career races at the half-mile short track, Logano has an average finishing position of 11.5 and has been running at the finish of every event, including both events in 2022 when he finished second and sixth.

BLANEY’S BEST

Even though Ryan Blaney does not have a NASCAR Cup Series win in 13 starts at Martinsville Speedway, it’s still a place where he has a lot of confidence. Look no further than the fact that he has an average finishing position of 9.7, which is a personal best on tracks he’s had more than five starts. Blaney has seven top-5 and eight top-10 efforts, including fourth and third-place efforts last season.

BOWYER NETS FIRST FORD WIN

Clint Bowyer snapped a 190-race winless stretch by leading the final 114 laps to win the weather-delayed STP 500 in 2018. The win was Bowyer’s first with Ford and ninth of his career. He passed Ryan Blaney on lap 285 to gain the lead for the first time, and when Jamie McMurray brought out the caution 100 laps later after hitting the wall, Bowyer’s pit crew got him back out with the lead and that proved to be the difference. That capped a big day for Ford, which had five drivers finish in the Top 10 and saw Blaney win Stage 2.

KESELOWSKI WINS FIRST CLOCK

Brad Keselowski outdueled Kyle Busch down the stretch to win his first grandfather clock after capturing the STP 500 on Apr. 2, 2017. The two drivers waged a memorable battle that saw them swap the lead five times in the last 160 laps, but Keselowski ended up making the decisive pass on lap 458 and led the final 43 circuits to become the first repeat winner in 2017. Prior to winning at Martinsville, Keselowski took the checkered flag at Atlanta in the second race of the season.

A FIRST FOR FRED

The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway also marked the first career victory for 2015 NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen. The date was April 9, 1961 and Lorenzen battled Rex White, who led the first 118 laps after starting on the pole. Lorenzen, driving for Holman-Moody at the time, grabbed the lead on lap 119 and held it until rain came ending the race prematurely after 149 circuits. Little did anyone know that 54 years later both men would be enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the same induction class. Martinsville was a place Lorenzen dominated, winning six times, including four straight from 1963-65 – the only driver to date to accomplish the feat. He was absolutely unbeatable in 1964 as he led 990 out of a possible 1,000 laps (487 in the first and 493 in the second) in winning both races.

CRAVEN WINS FIRST CUP RACE

Ricky Craven outlasted Dale Jarrett over the final laps to post the first victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career on Oct. 15, 2001 at Martinsville Speedway. Pit strategy played a key role in this race as Jarrett opted for four tires on his final stop while Craven just got two. That enabled Craven to build a lead following the ensuing restart with 17 to go, but Jarrett gained ground and found himself in position to win on the final lap. That’s when Jarrett went to the outside going into turn one and got side-by-side with Craven coming off turn two. Both Fords made contact door-to-door entering turn three, but Craven emerged off four with the advantage and took the checkered flag.

RUDD ROUGHS IT OUT

No driver displayed more toughness during his career than Ricky Rudd and that was evident again in 1998 when the Virginia native endured burns on his backside to win the NAPA Autocare 500 on Sept. 27. On a day that saw temperatures in the mid-nineties, Rudd found himself in a bad way just five laps into the race when his cooling unit failed. As the cockpit got hotter he asked to have a relief driver standing by, so Hut Stricklin was in the pit area ready to takeover. Ice packs helped momentarily, but his back was blistering so the team tried to cool him off with a hose. Unfortunately, the hose they used had been lying in the sun, so when they doused him the first time the water was hot. That method worked better on later stops, but in the end it was Rudd who toughed it out and led the final 96 laps to win and extend his streak to 16 consecutive seasons with at least one NASCAR Cup Series win.

HERBST IN CONTENTION

Riley Herbst has put together an exemplary 2023 campaign so far this season and continues to chase the points lead. In seven starts, Herbst has compiled two top-fives and six top-10 performances, ranking him second in the standings (265). Notably, in his last three appearances at Martinsville dating back to October 2021, he has earned top-10s across the board which also includes a third-place finish in his most recent showing.

WALLACE THUNDERS TO VICTORY LANE

Kenny Wallace was the last Ford to cross the finish line first at Martinsville in 1994, the final regular series stop there until a one-off 2006 show and again in its 2020 reboot. Wallace, who started 12th, was temporarily delayed in his ascent to the front, when he was sent to the back on lap 95 for loose sheet metal hanging from his Ford Thunderbird. By virtue of several cautions, he eventually slipped past brother Mike into second, and then passed pole-sitter David Green on lap 220 for the lead. He led 81 of the 300 laps. Simultaneously, brother Rusty also won that weekend in Cup, sweeping Martinsville in the 1994 season in his Ford Thunderbird.

FORD LEADS THE CHARGE

Four Ford F-150s are vying for the top spots in the championship standings six races into the season. Ty Majeski has proved that consistency is key, earning five top-10s to the lead spot (259). He had his best finish of the season on Bristol dirt last weekend, finishing second behind race-winner Joey Logano. Defending series champion Zane Smith is runner-up (225), but also holds the most wins this season with two. Ben Rhodes (212) and Matt Crafton (198) are third and fourth. Notably, Ford has won three of six races so far, which includes Logano’s trip to victory lane on Saturday.

FIRST AND FINAL IMPRESSIONS

The Truck series made its Martinsville debut in September 1995, and Ford was quick on the throttle to leave its mark in victory lane. Joe Ruttman squeezed by on the bottom during a thrilling battle for the top-spot into the final laps, leading the final two for the win. Grant Enfinger is the last Ford to win at Martinsville, simultaneously securing him a spot in the 2020 Championship 4.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT MARTINSVILLE

1961 – Fred Lorenzen (1)

1962 – Nelson Stacy (2)

1963 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

1964 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)

1965 – Fred Lorenzen and Junior Johnson

1966 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

1969 – Richard Petty (Sweep)

1986 – Ricky Rudd (1)

1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (Sweep)

1992 – Mark Martin and Geoffrey Bodine

1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)

1994 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)

1995 – Rusty Wallace (1)

1996 – Rusty Wallace (1)

1997 – Jeff Burton (1)

1998 – Ricky Rudd (2)

2000 – Mark Martin (1)

2001 – Dale Jarrett and Ricky Craven

2002 – Kurt Busch (2)

2017 – Brad Keselowski (1)

2018 – Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano

2019 – Brad Keselowski (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS

AT MARTINSVILLE

1994 – Kenny Wallace

FORD NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT MARTINSVILLE

1995 – Joe Ruttman

2003 – Jon Wood (2)

2004 – Rick Crawford (1)

2005 – Ricky Craven (2)

2015 – Joey Logano (1)

2020 – Grant Enfinger

Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford Team Martinsville Competition Notes

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Official Release
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Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Team
Martinsville Speedway Competition Notes

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Michael McDowell and the Long John Silver’s Ford team head to the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this weekend for the NOCO 400.

The team is coming off a top-15 finish this past weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race, finishing 11th.

Track activity begins Saturday with practice at 4:35 p.m. and qualifying following at 5:20 p.m. ET.

Sunday’s race is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

COMPETITION NOTES:

After an 11th-place finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway, McDowell and the No. 34 Long John Silver’s crew have momentum on their side. The team has four top-15 finishes this season. The best finish this season for the team is sixth at the Richmond Raceway. They are now looking ahead to another short track.

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

“We are heading in the right direction as a team. We have shown that we have what it takes to race on these short tracks. Martinsville presents its own sets of challenges, but I feel good about it.”

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

“We have put effort on our short track program this year. We have seen the results at tracks like Phoenix, Richmond, and really at Bristol, too, even on the dirt. Martinsville is a real tough track, but we’ve met the challenge this season.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

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

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 Team Martinsville Competition Notes

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Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford Team
Martinsville Speedway Competition Notes

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 team head to the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for Friday’s Long Johns Silver’s 200.

Track activity will begin with practice at 3:00 p.m. and qualifying at 3:35 p.m. ET. The Long John Silver’s 200 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Smith is taking the Long John Silver’s colors with him for the first time this season. Boot Barn will be a major associate partner this weekend.

COMPETITION NOTES:

Smith and the team are 34 points behind leader Ty Majeski in the regular season championship battle. Smith still leads the playoff points.

Smith comes to Martinsville with three previous starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He has finishes of third, a win, and a ninth-place result in the three races.

CREW CHIEF CHRIS LAWSON:

“It will be a tough race. Kyle (Busch) will be racing, but we love that. We love the competition and racing the best. The truck has come along well. We’re still working on it this week, but it’s going to be a good truck for Friday night.”

DRIVER ZANE SMITH:

“Super excited to get back to Martinsville and pavement. We’ve lost some points the past two weeks. It will be good to get back to a track where we’ve had success. Just want to have a good night and try and win the Long John Silver’s 200 for our team.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

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

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